Performance Optimization of Priority Assisted CSMA/CA Mechanism of 802.15.6 under Saturation Regime

PubMed Central

Shakir, Mustafa; Rehman, Obaid Ur; Rahim, Mudassir; Alrajeh, Nabil; Khan, Zahoor Ali; Khan, Mahmood Ashraf; Niaz, Iftikhar Azim; Javaid, Nadeem

2016-01-01

Due to the recent development in the field of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), the Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) have become a major area of interest for the developers and researchers. Human body exhibits postural mobility due to which distance variation occurs and the status of connections amongst sensors change time to time. One of the major requirements of WBAN is to prolong the network lifetime without compromising on other performance measures, i.e., delay, throughput and bandwidth efficiency. Node prioritization is one of the possible solutions to obtain optimum performance in WBAN. IEEE 802.15.6 CSMA/CA standard splits the nodes with different user priorities based on Contention Window (CW) size. Smaller CW size is assigned to higher priority nodes. This standard helps to reduce delay, however, it is not energy efficient. In this paper, we propose a hybrid node prioritization scheme based on IEEE 802.15.6 CSMA/CA to reduce energy consumption and maximize network lifetime. In this scheme, optimum performance is achieved by node prioritization based on CW size as well as power in respective user priority. Our proposed scheme reduces the average back off time for channel access due to CW based prioritization. Additionally, power based prioritization for a respective user priority helps to minimize required number of retransmissions. Furthermore, we also compare our scheme with IEEE 802.15.6 CSMA/CA standard (CW assisted node prioritization) and power assisted node prioritization under postural mobility in WBAN. Mathematical expressions are derived to determine the accurate analytical model for throughput, delay, bandwidth efficiency, energy consumption and life time for each node prioritization scheme. With the intention of analytical model validation, we have performed the simulations in OMNET++/MIXIM framework. Analytical and simulation results show that our proposed hybrid node prioritization scheme outperforms other node prioritization schemes in terms of average network delay, average throughput, average bandwidth efficiency and network lifetime. PMID:27598167

Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP): A Review of Publications from 1990 to 2010

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mangabeira, Victor; Kanter, Jonathan; Del Prette, Giovana

2012-01-01

Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), a therapy based on radical behaviorism, establishes the priority of the therapeutic interaction as a mechanism of change in psychotherapy. Since the first book on FAP appeared in 1991, it has been the focus of many papers and has been incorporated by the community of behavior therapists. This paper is a…

TREATMENT AFTER ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME: ANALYSIS OF PATIENT'S PRIORITIES WITH ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS.

PubMed

Mühlbacher, Axel C; Bethge, Susanne; Kaczynski, Anika

2016-01-01

Cardiovascular disease is one of the most common causes of death worldwide, with many individuals having experienced acute coronary syndrome (ACS). How patients with a history of ACS value aspects of their medical treatment have been evaluated rarely. The aim of this study was to determine patient priorities for long-term drug therapy after experiencing ACS. To identify patient-relevant treatment characteristics, a systematic literature review and qualitative patient interviews were conducted. A questionnaire was developed to elicit patient's priorities for different characteristics of ACS treatment using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). To evaluate the patient-relevant outcomes, the eigenvector method was applied. Six-hundred twenty-three patients participated in the computer-assisted personal interviews and were included in the final analysis. Patients showed a clear priority for the attribute "reduction of mortality risk" (weight: 0.402). The second most preferred attribute was the "prevention of a new myocardial infarction" (weight: 0.272), followed by "side effect: dyspnea" (weight: 0.165) and "side effect: bleeding" (weight: 0.117). The "frequency of intake" was the least important attribute (weight: 0.044). In conclusion, this study shows that patients strongly value a reduction of the mortality risk in post-ACS treatment. Formal consideration of patient preferences and priorities can help to inform a patient-centered approach, clinical practice, development of future effective therapies, and health policy for decision makers that best represents the needs and goals of the patient.

Determination of the bridge maintenance and rehabilitation priority scale in kabupaten Pinrang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurdin, Asrul; Kristiawan, S. A.; Dewi, Handayani

2017-01-01

This study attempts to get the support system to help stakeholders and the decision makers in the determination of priorities the maintenance and rehabilitation of the Bridge.The location of the study is done in Kabupaten Pinrang. Bridge damage value is specified using assessment standard Bridge Management System (BMS). There are 13 Bridges by details as follows: good condition with the condition 1 in 6 Bridge, damaged with the condition two as many as five fruit Bridges and there are two Bridges by value condition of three which means need handling rehabilitation. From our observation examination Bridges and it has been obtained the results of then afterward determined the priority scale by using the method Analytic Hierarchy Process. The discussion or interview of 27 respondents in completion question to determines the priorities of handling bridges by three (3) criteria and three sub- criteria with weights each: a condition of damage with weights 0,491 or amounting to 49,1 % followed by criteria policy with weights 0,324 % then criteria volume traffic weight of 0,185 or 18.5 %. Based on the results of this can be concluded that the implementation of a method of Analytic Hierarchy Processing is effective in determining the scale of priorities for the stakeholders. Having acquired value bridge condition and weights of the assessment results of the, then is needed to Analysis of spatial use application ArcGIS to obtain information condition Bridge Map.

Recent trends in water analysis triggering future monitoring of organic micropollutants.

PubMed

Schmidt, Torsten C

2018-03-21

Water analysis has been an important area since the beginning of analytical chemistry. The focus though has shifted substantially: from minerals and the main constituents of water in the time of Carl Remigius Fresenius to a multitude of, in particular, organic compounds at concentrations down to the sub-nanogram per liter level nowadays. This was possible only because of numerous innovations in instrumentation in recent decades, drivers of which are briefly discussed. In addition to the high demands on sensitivity, high throughput by automation and short analysis times are major requirements. In this article, some recent developments in the chemical analysis of organic micropollutants (OMPs) are presented. These include the analysis of priority pollutants in whole water samples, extension of the analytical window, in particular to encompass highly polar compounds, the trend toward more than one separation dimension before mass spectrometric detection, and ways of coping with unknown analytes by suspect and nontarget screening approaches involving high-resolution mass spectrometry. Furthermore, beyond gathering reliable concentration data for many OMPs, the question of the relevance of such data for the aquatic system under scrutiny is becoming ever more important. To that end, effect-based analytics can be used and may become part of future routine monitoring, mostly with a focus on adverse effects of OMPs in specific test systems mimicking environmental impacts. Despite advances in the field of water analysis in recent years, there are still many challenges for further analytical research. Graphical abstract Recent trends in water analysis of organic micropollutants that open new opportunities in future water monitoring. HRMS high-resolution mass spectrometry, PMOC persistent mobile organic compounds.

Suspect screening and non-targeted analysis of drinking water using point-of-use filters.

PubMed

Newton, Seth R; McMahen, Rebecca L; Sobus, Jon R; Mansouri, Kamel; Williams, Antony J; McEachran, Andrew D; Strynar, Mark J

2018-03-01

Monitored contaminants in drinking water represent a small portion of the total compounds present, many of which may be relevant to human health. To understand the totality of human exposure to compounds in drinking water, broader monitoring methods are imperative. In an effort to more fully characterize the drinking water exposome, point-of-use water filtration devices (Brita ® filters) were employed to collect time-integrated drinking water samples in a pilot study of nine North Carolina homes. A suspect screening analysis was performed by matching high resolution mass spectra of unknown features to molecular formulas from EPA's DSSTox database. Candidate compounds with those formulas were retrieved from the EPA's CompTox Chemistry Dashboard, a recently developed data hub for approximately 720,000 compounds. To prioritize compounds into those most relevant for human health, toxicity data from the US federal collaborative Tox21 program and the EPA ToxCast program, as well as exposure estimates from EPA's ExpoCast program, were used in conjunction with sample detection frequency and abundance to calculate a "ToxPi" score for each candidate compound. From ∼15,000 molecular features in the raw data, 91 candidate compounds were ultimately grouped into the highest priority class for follow up study. Fifteen of these compounds were confirmed using analytical standards including the highest priority compound, 1,2-Benzisothiazolin-3-one, which appeared in 7 out of 9 samples. The majority of the other high priority compounds are not targets of routine monitoring, highlighting major gaps in our understanding of drinking water exposures. General product-use categories from EPA's CPCat database revealed that several of the high priority chemicals are used in industrial processes, indicating the drinking water in central North Carolina may be impacted by local industries. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

National nursing science priorities: Creating a shared vision.

PubMed

Eckardt, Patricia; Culley, Joan M; Corwin, Elizabeth; Richmond, Therese; Dougherty, Cynthia; Pickler, Rita H; Krause-Parello, Cheryl A; Roye, Carol F; Rainbow, Jessica G; DeVon, Holli A

Nursing science is essential to advance population health through contributions at all phases of scientific inquiry. Multiple scientific initiatives important to nursing science overlap in aims and population focus. This article focused on providing the American Academy of Nursing and nurse scientists in the Unites States with a blueprint of nursing science priorities to inform a shared vision for future collaborations, areas of scientific inquiry, and resource allocation. The Science Committee convened four times and using Delphi methods identified priorities with empirical evidence and expert opinion for prioritization, state of the science, expert interest, and potential target stakeholders. Nursing science priorities for 2017 were categorized into four themes including: (a) precision science, (b) big data and data analytics, (c) determinants of health, and (d) global health. Nurse scientists can generate new knowledge in priority areas that advances the health of the world's populations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analytical Concept: Development of a Multinational Information Strategy

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-10-31

16 1.4.3 Training and Mentoring/ Coaching ............................................................. 16 1.5 Analysis Requirements...America. These priority focus areas will become subject to experimentation in a number of consecutive phases of the 2008 Major Integrating Event ( MIE ...factor in general, in the MNE 5 CD&E program, focused on supporting concept validation in the 2008 MIE . The Analytical Concept outlines processes and

Decision Support System for Determining Scholarship Selection using an Analytical Hierarchy Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puspitasari, T. D.; Sari, E. O.; Destarianto, P.; Riskiawan, H. Y.

2018-01-01

Decision Support System is a computer program application that analyzes data and presents it so that users can make decision more easily. Determining Scholarship Selection study case in Senior High School in east Java wasn’t easy. It needed application to solve the problem, to improve the accuracy of targets for prospective beneficiaries of poor students and to speed up the screening process. This research will build system uses the method of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a method that solves a complex and unstructured problem into its group, organizes the groups into a hierarchical order, inputs numerical values instead of human perception in comparing relative and ultimately with a synthesis determined elements that have the highest priority. The accuracy system for this research is 90%.

A preference aggregation model and application in AHP-group decision making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Taiyi; Yang, De; Chao, Xiangrui

2018-04-01

Group decision making process integrate individual preferences to obtain the group preference by applying aggregation rules and preference relations. The two most useful approaches, the aggregation of individual judgements and the aggregation of individual priorities, traditionally are employed in the Analytic Hierarchy Process to deal with group decision making problems. In both cases, it is assumed that the group preference is approximate weighted mathematical expectation of individual judgements and individual priorities. We propose new preference aggregation methods using optimization models in order to obtain group preference which is close to all individual priorities. Some illustrative examples are finally examined to demonstrate proposed models for application.

The prioritisation of invasive alien plant control projects using a multi-criteria decision model informed by stakeholder input and spatial data.

PubMed

Forsyth, G G; Le Maitre, D C; O'Farrell, P J; van Wilgen, B W

2012-07-30

Invasions by alien plants are a significant threat to the biodiversity and functioning of ecosystems and the services they provide. The South African Working for Water program was established to address this problem. It needs to formulate objective and transparent priorities for clearing in the face of multiple and sometimes conflicting demands. This study used the analytic hierarchy process (a multi-criteria decision support technique) to develop and rank criteria for prioritising alien plant control operations in the Western Cape, South Africa. Stakeholder workshops were held to identify a goal and criteria and to conduct pair-wise comparisons to weight the criteria with respect to invasive alien plant control. The combination of stakeholder input (to develop decision models) with data-driven model solutions enabled us to include many alternatives (water catchments), that would otherwise not have been feasible. The most important criteria included the capacity to maintain gains made through control operations, the potential to enhance water resources and conserve biodiversity, and threats from priority invasive alien plant species. We selected spatial datasets and used them to generate weights that could be used to objectively compare alternatives with respect to agreed criteria. The analysis showed that there are many high priority catchments which are not receiving any funding and low priority catchments which are receiving substantial allocations. Clearly, there is a need for realigning priorities, including directing sufficient funds to the highest priority catchments to provide effective control. This approach provided a tractable, consensus-based solution that can be used to direct clearing operations. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Diagnostic advantages of the test system "DS-EIA-HBsAg-0.01" for detection of HBV surface antigen].

PubMed

Egorova, N I; Pyrenkova, I Iu; Igolkina, S N; Sharipova, I N; Puzyrev, V F; Obriadina, A P; Burkov, A N; Kornienko, N V; Fields, H A; Korovkin, A S; Shalunova, N V; Bektemirov, T A; Kuznetsov, K V; Koshcheeva, N A; Ulanova, T I

2009-01-01

The new highly sensitive test system "DS-EIA-HBsAg-0.01" (Priority Certificate No. 2006129019 of August 10, 2006) in detecting hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was assessed. The sensitivity of the test was estimated using the federal standards sample HBsAg 42-28-311-06, panels' samples Boston Biomedica Inc. (West Bridgewater, Mass, USA) and ZeptoMetrix Corp. (Buffalo, NY, USA). The findings have indicated that "DS-EIA-HBsAg-0.01" is equally effective in detecting different subtypes of HBsAg during a seroconversion period earlier than alternative assays. Along with its high analytical and diagnostic sensitivity, the system shows a high diagnostic specificity.

Transportation systems health : concepts, applications & significance.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-12-01

This report offers conceptual and analytical frameworks and application examples to address the question: how can broader statewide (or national) objectives be achieved while formally taking into consideration different regional priorities and constr...

Communicating laboratory results through a Web site: Patients' priorities and viewpoints.

PubMed

Sabahi, Azam; Ahmadian, Leila; Mirzaee, Moghademeh

2018-02-28

Patients can access laboratory results using various technologies. The aim of this study was to integrate the laboratory results into the hospital Web site based on patients' viewpoints and priorities and to measure patients' satisfaction. This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2015. First, a questionnaire was distributed among 200 patients to assess patients' priorities to receive laboratory results through the Web site. Second, those who agreed (n = 95) to receive their laboratory results through the Web site were identified. Then, the required changes were made to the hospital Web site based on patients' viewpoints and priorities. Third, patients were divided into two groups. The first group received their laboratory results through the Web site on the date had been announced during their visit to the laboratory. The second group was informed by SMS once their results were shown on the Web site. After receiving laboratory results, patients' satisfaction was evaluated. More than half of the participants (n = 53, 55.8%) were highly satisfied with receiving the results electronically. The higher number of people in SMS group (n = 9, 20.9%) reported that they were satisfied with time-saving compared to other group (n = 2, 3.8%) (P = .04). Participants after receiving the results through the Web site considered the functionalities of reprinting (P < .0001) and timeliness (P = .017) more important. Integrating laboratory results into the hospital Web site based on the patients' viewpoints and priorities can improve patient satisfaction and lower the patients' concern regarding confidentiality of their results. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Tourism infrastructure development prioritization in Sabang Island using analytic network process methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rani, Hafnidar A.; Afifuddin, Moch.; Akbar, Herry

2017-11-01

Indonesia has been widely known as an archipelago country, with its geographical location is at the equator, which make this country as a tropical country. It has the topography of diverse islands which consist of lakes, mountains, and one of countries which have the longest coastline. This condition cause Indonesia has various beautiful tourism objects and become the attraction to the international tourists to come. Indonesia still has the other islands which are as beautiful as Bali Island offering different beauties. One of them is an island located in the most western island of Indonesia, which becomes the zero point of the country. It is Sabang Island in Aceh Province. Sabang Island is the small volcanic island located in the most western island of Sumatra. Infrastructure becomes the basic device in supporting this tourism aspect, which the buildings and service institutions play the important role in appropriate managing of economic and community needs. The problem in this study is how to determine the priority of tourism infrastructure development in Sabang Island. The objective of this study is to determine the priority rank of tourism infrastructure development and the priority rank of the potential investment in Sabang Island to be developed. The ranking results of the Analytic Network Process (ANP) calculations of tourism locations/zones and tourism supporting infrastructure found that Teupin Layeu and Gapang, and Rubiah Island have the highest priority to be developed in the hotel/accommodation infrastructure which scores are 0.02589 and 0.02120. Then followed by parking infrastructure in Teupin Layeu and access road to Km 0 which became as the main priority determined by Sabang government which scores are 0.01750 and 0.01618.

Evaluation and Selection of Best Priority Sequencing Rule in Job Shop Scheduling using Hybrid MCDM Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiran Kumar, Kalla; Nagaraju, Dega; Gayathri, S.; Narayanan, S.

2017-05-01

Priority Sequencing Rules provide the guidance for the order in which the jobs are to be processed at a workstation. The application of different priority rules in job shop scheduling gives different order of scheduling. More experimentation needs to be conducted before a final choice is made to know the best priority sequencing rule. Hence, a comprehensive method of selecting the right choice is essential in managerial decision making perspective. This paper considers seven different priority sequencing rules in job shop scheduling. For evaluation and selection of the best priority sequencing rule, a set of eight criteria are considered. The aim of this work is to demonstrate the methodology of evaluating and selecting the best priority sequencing rule by using hybrid multi criteria decision making technique (MCDM), i.e., analytical hierarchy process (AHP) with technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). The criteria weights are calculated by using AHP whereas the relative closeness values of all priority sequencing rules are computed based on TOPSIS with the help of data acquired from the shop floor of a manufacturing firm. Finally, from the findings of this work, the priority sequencing rules are ranked from most important to least important. The comprehensive methodology presented in this paper is very much essential for the management of a workstation to choose the best priority sequencing rule among the available alternatives for processing the jobs with maximum benefit.

Sequential decision tree using the analytic hierarchy process for decision support in rectal cancer.

PubMed

Suner, Aslı; Çelikoğlu, Can Cengiz; Dicle, Oğuz; Sökmen, Selman

2012-09-01

The aim of the study is to determine the most appropriate method for construction of a sequential decision tree in the management of rectal cancer, using various patient-specific criteria and treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. An analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to determine the priorities of variables. Relevant criteria used in two decision steps and their relative priorities were established by a panel of five general surgeons. Data were collected via a web-based application and analyzed using the "Expert Choice" software specifically developed for the AHP. Consistency ratios in the AHP method were calculated for each set of judgments, and the priorities of sub-criteria were determined. A sequential decision tree was constructed for the best treatment decision process, using priorities determined by the AHP method. Consistency ratios in the AHP method were calculated for each decision step, and the judgments were considered consistent. The tumor-related criterion "presence of perforation" (0.331) and the patient-surgeon-related criterion "surgeon's experience" (0.630) had the highest priority in the first decision step. In the second decision step, the tumor-related criterion "the stage of the disease" (0.230) and the patient-surgeon-related criterion "surgeon's experience" (0.281) were the paramount criteria. The results showed some variation in the ranking of criteria between the decision steps. In the second decision step, for instance, the tumor-related criterion "presence of perforation" was just the fifth. The consistency of decision support systems largely depends on the quality of the underlying decision tree. When several choices and variables have to be considered in a decision, it is very important to determine priorities. The AHP method seems to be effective for this purpose. The decision algorithm developed by this method is more realistic and will improve the quality of the decision tree. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Aptamer-Based Analysis: A Promising Alternative for Food Safety Control

PubMed Central

Amaya-González, Sonia; de-los-Santos-Álvarez, Noemí; Miranda-Ordieres, Arturo J.; Lobo-Castañón, Maria Jesús

2013-01-01

Ensuring food safety is nowadays a top priority of authorities and professional players in the food supply chain. One of the key challenges to determine the safety of food and guarantee a high level of consumer protection is the availability of fast, sensitive and reliable analytical methods to identify specific hazards associated to food before they become a health problem. The limitations of existing methods have encouraged the development of new technologies, among them biosensors. Success in biosensor design depends largely on the development of novel receptors with enhanced affinity to the target, while being stable and economical. Aptamers fulfill these characteristics, and thus have surfaced as promising alternatives to natural receptors. This Review describes analytical strategies developed so far using aptamers for the control of pathogens, allergens, adulterants, toxins and other forbidden contaminants to ensure food safety. The main progresses to date are presented, highlighting potential prospects for the future. PMID:24287543

Enhanced Handover Decision Algorithm in Heterogeneous Wireless Network

PubMed Central

Abdullah, Radhwan Mohamed; Zukarnain, Zuriati Ahmad

2017-01-01

Transferring a huge amount of data between different network locations over the network links depends on the network’s traffic capacity and data rate. Traditionally, a mobile device may be moved to achieve the operations of vertical handover, considering only one criterion, that is the Received Signal Strength (RSS). The use of a single criterion may cause service interruption, an unbalanced network load and an inefficient vertical handover. In this paper, we propose an enhanced vertical handover decision algorithm based on multiple criteria in the heterogeneous wireless network. The algorithm consists of three technology interfaces: Long-Term Evolution (LTE), Worldwide interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). It also employs three types of vertical handover decision algorithms: equal priority, mobile priority and network priority. The simulation results illustrate that the three types of decision algorithms outperform the traditional network decision algorithm in terms of handover number probability and the handover failure probability. In addition, it is noticed that the network priority handover decision algorithm produces better results compared to the equal priority and the mobile priority handover decision algorithm. Finally, the simulation results are validated by the analytical model. PMID:28708067

Design and analytical study of a rotor airfoil

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dadone, L. U.

1978-01-01

An airfoil section for use on helicopter rotor blades was defined and analyzed by means of potential flow/boundary layer interaction and viscous transonic flow methods to meet as closely as possible a set of advanced airfoil design objectives. The design efforts showed that the first priority objectives, including selected low speed pitching moment, maximum lift and drag divergence requirements can be met, though marginally. The maximum lift requirement at M = 0.5 and most of the profile drag objectives cannot be met without some compromise of at least one of the higher order priorities.

Priority arbitration mechanism

DOEpatents

Garmire, Derrick L [Kingston, NY; Herring, Jay R [Poughkeepsie, NY; Stunkel, Craig B [Bethel, CT

2007-03-06

A method is provided for selecting a data source for transmission on one of several logical (virtual) lanes embodied in a single physical connection. Lanes are assigned to either a high priority class or to a low priority class. One of six conditions is employed to determine when re-arbitration of lane priorities is desired. When this occurs a next source for transmission is selected based on a the specification of the maximum number of high priority packets that can be sent after a lower priority transmission has been interrupted. Alternatively, a next source for transmission is selected based on a the specification of the maximum number of high priority packets that can be sent while a lower priority packet is waiting. If initialized correctly, the arbiter keeps all of the packets of a high priority packet contiguous, while allowing lower priority packets to be interrupted by the higher priority packets, but not to the point of starvation of the lower priority packets.

Understanding perceptions of stakeholder groups about Forestry Best Management Practices in Georgia.

PubMed

Tumpach, Chantal; Dwivedi, Puneet; Izlar, Robert; Cook, Chase

2018-05-01

Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) are critical in ensuring sustainable forest management in the United States because of their effectiveness in protecting water quality, reducing soil erosion, maintaining riparian habitat, and sustaining site productivity. The success of forestry BMPs depends heavily on coordination among primary stakeholder groups. It is important to understand perceptions of such groups for a successful forest policy formulation. We used the SWOT-AHP (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats analysis with the Analytical Hierarchy Process) framework to assess perceptions of three stakeholder groups (loggers, landowners, agency foresters) about forestry BMPs in Georgia, the largest roundwood producing state in the United States. The agency and logger stakeholder groups gave the highest priority to improved reputation under the strength category, whereas the landowner stakeholder group perceived sustainable forestry as the highest priority under the same category. Lack of landowner education was the highest priority under the weakness category for landowner and agency stakeholder groups, whereas the logger stakeholder group selected lack of trained personnel as the highest priority under the same category. Agency and landowner stakeholder groups gave the highest priority to training and education while loggers indicated maintenance of forest-based environmental benefits as their highest priority under the opportunity category. Finally, landowners and agency stakeholder groups perceived more regulations and restrictions as most significant in the threat category whereas the logger stakeholder group was most concerned about the insufficient accounting of cost sharing under the same category. Overall, selected stakeholder groups recognize the importance of forestry BMPs and had positive perceptions about them. A collaborative approach based on continuous feedback can streamline expectations of stakeholder groups about forestry BMPs in Georgia and several other states that are interested in maintaining high compliance rate of forestry BMPs for ensuring sustainable forest management. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

76 FR 71029 - Coordination of Functions; Memorandum of Understanding

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-16

... Attorneys will meet, not less than biannually, to review enforcement priorities, systemic investigations of... evaluations; systemic and individual investigation files; and conciliation agreements and settlements; (ii) Consistent analytical approaches to identifying and remedying employment discrimination under Title VII; (iii...

Analysis of Nursing Clinical Decision Support Requests and Strategic Plan in a Large Academic Health System.

PubMed

Whalen, Kimberly; Bavuso, Karen; Bouyer-Ferullo, Sharon; Goldsmith, Denise; Fairbanks, Amanda; Gesner, Emily; Lagor, Charles; Collins, Sarah

2016-01-01

To understand requests for nursing Clinical Decision Support (CDS) interventions at a large integrated health system undergoing vendor-based EHR implementation. In addition, to establish a process to guide both short-term implementation and long-term strategic goals to meet nursing CDS needs. We conducted an environmental scan to understand current state of nursing CDS over three months. The environmental scan consisted of a literature review and an analysis of CDS requests received from across our health system. We identified existing high priority CDS and paper-based tools used in nursing practice at our health system that guide decision-making. A total of 46 nursing CDS requests were received. Fifty-six percent (n=26) were specific to a clinical specialty; 22 percent (n=10) were focused on facilitating clinical consults in the inpatient setting. "Risk Assessments/Risk Reduction/Promotion of Healthy Habits" (n=23) was the most requested High Priority Category received for nursing CDS. A continuum of types of nursing CDS needs emerged using the Data-Information-Knowledge-Wisdom Conceptual Framework: 1) facilitating data capture, 2) meeting information needs, 3) guiding knowledge-based decision making, and 4) exposing analytics for wisdom-based clinical interpretation by the nurse. Identifying and prioritizing paper-based tools that can be modified into electronic CDS is a challenge. CDS strategy is an evolving process that relies on close collaboration and engagement with clinical sites for short-term implementation and should be incorporated into a long-term strategic plan that can be optimized and achieved overtime. The Data-Information-Knowledge-Wisdom Conceptual Framework in conjunction with the High Priority Categories established may be a useful tool to guide a strategic approach for meeting short-term nursing CDS needs and aligning with the organizational strategic plan.

A Compact Tandem Two-Step Laser Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer for In Situ Analysis of Non-Volatile Organics on Planetary Surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Getty, Stephanie A.; Brinckerhoff, William B.; Li, Xiang; Elsila, Jamie; Cornish, Timothy; Ecelberger, Scott; Wu, Qinghao; Zare, Richard

2014-01-01

Two-step laser desorption mass spectrometry is a well suited technique to the analysis of high priority classes of organics, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, present in complex samples. The use of decoupled desorption and ionization laser pulses allows for sensitive and selective detection of structurally intact organic species. We have recently demonstrated the implementation of this advancement in laser mass spectrometry in a compact, flight-compatible instrument that could feasibly be the centerpiece of an analytical science payload as part of a future spaceflight mission to a small body or icy moon.

Prioritized LT Codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woo, Simon S.; Cheng, Michael K.

2011-01-01

The original Luby Transform (LT) coding scheme is extended to account for data transmissions where some information symbols in a message block are more important than others. Prioritized LT codes provide unequal error protection (UEP) of data on an erasure channel by modifying the original LT encoder. The prioritized algorithm improves high-priority data protection without penalizing low-priority data recovery. Moreover, low-latency decoding is also obtained for high-priority data due to fast encoding. Prioritized LT codes only require a slight change in the original encoding algorithm, and no changes at all at the decoder. Hence, with a small complexity increase in the LT encoder, an improved UEP and low-decoding latency performance for high-priority data can be achieved. LT encoding partitions a data stream into fixed-sized message blocks each with a constant number of information symbols. To generate a code symbol from the information symbols in a message, the Robust-Soliton probability distribution is first applied in order to determine the number of information symbols to be used to compute the code symbol. Then, the specific information symbols are chosen uniform randomly from the message block. Finally, the selected information symbols are XORed to form the code symbol. The Prioritized LT code construction includes an additional restriction that code symbols formed by a relatively small number of XORed information symbols select some of these information symbols from the pool of high-priority data. Once high-priority data are fully covered, encoding continues with the conventional LT approach where code symbols are generated by selecting information symbols from the entire message block including all different priorities. Therefore, if code symbols derived from high-priority data experience an unusual high number of erasures, Prioritized LT codes can still reliably recover both high- and low-priority data. This hybrid approach decides not only "how to encode" but also "what to encode" to achieve UEP. Another advantage of the priority encoding process is that the majority of high-priority data can be decoded sooner since only a small number of code symbols are required to reconstruct high-priority data. This approach increases the likelihood that high-priority data is decoded first over low-priority data. The Prioritized LT code scheme achieves an improvement in high-priority data decoding performance as well as overall information recovery without penalizing the decoding of low-priority data, assuming high-priority data is no more than half of a message block. The cost is in the additional complexity required in the encoder. If extra computation resource is available at the transmitter, image, voice, and video transmission quality in terrestrial and space communications can benefit from accurate use of redundancy in protecting data with varying priorities.

PACS administrators' and radiologists' perspective on the importance of features for PACS selection.

PubMed

Joshi, Vivek; Narra, Vamsi R; Joshi, Kailash; Lee, Kyootai; Melson, David

2014-08-01

Picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) play a critical role in radiology. This paper presents the criteria important to PACS administrators for selecting a PACS. A set of criteria are identified and organized into an integrative hierarchical framework. Survey responses from 48 administrators are used to identify the relative weights of these criteria through an analytical hierarchy process. The five main dimensions for PACS selection in order of importance are system continuity and functionality, system performance and architecture, user interface for workflow management, user interface for image manipulation, and display quality. Among the subdimensions, the highest weights were assessed for security, backup, and continuity; tools for continuous performance monitoring; support for multispecialty images; and voice recognition/transcription. PACS administrators' preferences were generally in line with that of previously reported results for radiologists. Both groups assigned the highest priority to ensuring business continuity and preventing loss of data through features such as security, backup, downtime prevention, and tools for continuous PACS performance monitoring. PACS administrators' next high priorities were support for multispecialty images, image retrieval speeds from short-term and long-term storage, real-time monitoring, and architectural issues of compatibility and integration with other products. Thus, next to ensuring business continuity, administrators' focus was on issues that impact their ability to deliver services and support. On the other hand, radiologists gave high priorities to voice recognition, transcription, and reporting; structured reporting; and convenience and responsiveness in manipulation of images. Thus, radiologists' focus appears to be on issues that may impact their productivity, effort, and accuracy.

Silicone rod extraction followed by liquid desorption-large volume injection-programmable temperature vaporiser-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for trace analysis of priority organic pollutants in environmental water samples.

PubMed

Delgado, Alejandra; Posada-Ureta, Oscar; Olivares, Maitane; Vallejo, Asier; Etxebarria, Nestor

2013-12-15

In this study a priority organic pollutants usually found in environmental water samples were considered to accomplish two extraction and analysis approaches. Among those compounds organochlorine compounds, pesticides, phthalates, phenols and residues of pharmaceutical and personal care products were included. The extraction and analysis steps were based on silicone rod extraction (SR) followed by liquid desorption in combination with large volume injection-programmable temperature vaporiser (LVI-PTV) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Variables affecting the analytical response as a function of the programmable temperature vaporiser (PTV) parameters were firstly optimised following an experimental design approach. The SR extraction and desorption conditions were assessed afterwards, including matrix modification, time extraction, and stripping solvent composition. Subsequently, the possibility of performing membrane enclosed sorptive coating extraction (MESCO) as a modified extraction approach was also evaluated. The optimised method showed low method detection limits (3-35 ng L(-1)), acceptable accuracy (78-114%) and precision values (<13%) for most of the studied analytes regardless of the aqueous matrix. Finally, the developed approach was successfully applied to the determination of target analytes in aqueous environmental matrices including estuarine and wastewater samples. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multi-application controls: Robust nonlinear multivariable aerospace controls applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Enns, Dale F.; Bugajski, Daniel J.; Carter, John; Antoniewicz, Bob

1994-01-01

This viewgraph presentation describes the general methodology used to apply Honywell's Multi-Application Control (MACH) and the specific application to the F-18 High Angle-of-Attack Research Vehicle (HARV) including piloted simulation handling qualities evaluation. The general steps include insertion of modeling data for geometry and mass properties, aerodynamics, propulsion data and assumptions, requirements and specifications, e.g. definition of control variables, handling qualities, stability margins and statements for bandwidth, control power, priorities, position and rate limits. The specific steps include choice of independent variables for least squares fits to aerodynamic and propulsion data, modifications to the management of the controls with regard to integrator windup and actuation limiting and priorities, e.g. pitch priority over roll, and command limiting to prevent departures and/or undesirable inertial coupling or inability to recover to a stable trim condition. The HARV control problem is characterized by significant nonlinearities and multivariable interactions in the low speed, high angle-of-attack, high angular rate flight regime. Systematic approaches to the control of vehicle motions modeled with coupled nonlinear equations of motion have been developed. This paper will discuss the dynamic inversion approach which explicity accounts for nonlinearities in the control design. Multiple control effectors (including aerodynamic control surfaces and thrust vectoring control) and sensors are used to control the motions of the vehicles in several degrees-of-freedom. Several maneuvers will be used to illustrate performance of MACH in the high angle-of-attack flight regime. Analytical methods for assessing the robust performance of the multivariable control system in the presence of math modeling uncertainty, disturbances, and commands have reached a high level of maturity. The structured singular value (mu) frequency response methodology is presented as a method for analyzing robust performance and the mu-synthesis method will be presented as a method for synthesizing a robust control system. The paper concludes with the author's expectations regarding future applications of robust nonlinear multivariable controls.

METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH FOR MEASURING PRIORITY DBPS IN REVERSE OSMOSIS CONCENTRATED DRINKING WATER

EPA Science Inventory

Many disinfection by-products (DBPs) are formed when drinking water is chlorinated, but only a few are routinely measured or regulated. Various studies have revealed a plethora of DBPs for which sensitive and quantitative analytical methods have always been a major limiting facto...

The best motivator priorities parents choose via analytical hierarchy process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farah, R. N.; Latha, P.

2015-05-01

Motivation is probably the most important factor that educators can target in order to improve learning. Numerous cross-disciplinary theories have been postulated to explain motivation. While each of these theories has some truth, no single theory seems to adequately explain all human motivation. The fact is that human beings in general and pupils in particular are complex creatures with complex needs and desires. In this paper, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) has been proposed as an emerging solution to move towards too large, dynamic and complex real world multi-criteria decision making problems in selecting the most suitable motivator when choosing school for their children. Data were analyzed using SPSS 17.0 ("Statistical Package for Social Science") software. Statistic testing used are descriptive and inferential statistic. Descriptive statistic used to identify respondent pupils and parents demographic factors. The statistical testing used to determine the pupils and parents highest motivator priorities and parents' best priorities using AHP to determine the criteria chosen by parents such as school principals, teachers, pupils and parents. The moderating factors are selected schools based on "Standard Kualiti Pendidikan Malaysia" (SKPM) in Ampang. Inferential statistics such as One-way ANOVA used to get the significant and data used to calculate the weightage of AHP. School principals is found to be the best motivator for parents in choosing school for their pupils followed by teachers, parents and pupils.

Recent trends in sorption-based sample preparation and liquid chromatography techniques for food analysis.

PubMed

V Soares Maciel, Edvaldo; de Toffoli, Ana Lúcia; Lanças, Fernando Mauro

2018-04-20

The accelerated rising of the world's population increased the consumption of food, thus demanding more rigors in the control of residue and contaminants in food-based products marketed for human consumption. In view of the complexity of most food matrices, including fruits, vegetables, different types of meat, beverages, among others, a sample preparation step is important to provide more reliable results when combined with HPLC separations. An adequate sample preparation step before the chromatographic analysis is mandatory in obtaining higher precision and accuracy in order to improve the extraction of the target analytes, one of the priorities in analytical chemistry. The recent discovery of new materials such as ionic liquids, graphene-derived materials, molecularly imprinted polymers, restricted access media, magnetic nanoparticles, and carbonaceous nanomaterials, provided high sensitivity and selectivity results in an extensive variety of applications. These materials, as well as their several possible combinations, have been demonstrated to be highly appropriate for the extraction of different analytes in complex samples such as food products. The main characteristics and application of these new materials in food analysis will be presented and discussed in this paper. Another topic discussed in this review covers the main advantages and limitations of sample preparation microtechniques, as well as their off-line and on-line combination with HPLC for food analysis. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Hummingbird Comet Nucleus Analysis Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kojiro, Daniel; Carle, Glenn C.; Lasher, Larry E.

2000-01-01

Hummingbird is a highly focused scientific mission, proposed to NASA s Discovery Program, designed to address the highest priority questions in cometary science-that of the chemical composition of the cometary nucleus. After rendezvous with the comet, Hummingbird would first methodically image and map the comet, then collect and analyze dust, ice and gases from the cometary atmosphere to enrich characterization of the comet and support landing site selection. Then, like its namesake, Hummingbird would carefully descend to a pre-selected surface site obtaining a high-resolution image, gather a surface material sample, acquire surface temperature and then immediately return to orbit for detailed chemical and elemental analyses followed by a high resolution post-sampling image of the site. Hummingbird s analytical laboratory contains instrumentation for a comprehensive molecular and elemental analysis of the cometary nucleus as well as an innovative surface sample acquisition device.

Micro-focused ultrasonic solid-liquid extraction (muFUSLE) combined with HPLC and fluorescence detection for PAHs determination in sediments: optimization and linking with the analytical minimalism concept.

PubMed

Capelo, J L; Galesio, M M; Felisberto, G M; Vaz, C; Pessoa, J Costa

2005-06-15

Analytical minimalism is a concept that deals with the optimization of all stages of an analytical procedure so that it becomes less time, cost, sample, reagent and energy consuming. The guide-lines provided in the USEPA extraction method 3550B recommend the use of focused ultrasound (FU), i.e., probe sonication, for the solid-liquid extraction of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, PAHs, but ignore the principle of analytical minimalism. The problems related with the dead sonication zones, often present when high volumes are sonicated with probe, are also not addressed. In this work, we demonstrate that successful extraction and quantification of PAHs from sediments can be done with low sample mass (0.125g), low reagent volume (4ml), short sonication time (3min) and low sonication amplitude (40%). Two variables are here particularly taken into account for total extraction: (i) the design of the extraction vessel and (ii) the solvent used to carry out the extraction. Results showed PAHs recoveries (EPA priority list) ranged between 77 and 101%, accounting for more than 95% for most of the PAHs here studied, as compared with the values obtained after soxhlet extraction. Taking into account the results reported in this work we recommend a revision of the EPA guidelines for PAHs extraction from solid matrices with focused ultrasound, so that these match the analytical minimalism concept.

Analysis of some types of intermediate orbits used in the theory of artificial Earth satellite motion for the purposes of geodesy.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotseva, V. I.

Survey, analysis and comparison of 15 types of intermediate orbits used in the satellite movement theories for the purposes both of the geodesy and geodynamics have been made. The paper is a continuation of the investigations directed to practical realization both of analytical and semi-analytical methods for satellite orbit determination. It is indicated that the intermediate orbit proposed and elaborated by Aksenov, Grebenikov and Demin has got some good qualities and priorities over all the rest intermediate orbits.

Role of optimization in the human dynamics of task execution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cajueiro, Daniel O.; Maldonado, Wilfredo L.

2008-03-01

In order to explain the empirical evidence that the dynamics of human activity may not be well modeled by Poisson processes, a model based on queuing processes was built in the literature [A. L. Barabasi, Nature (London) 435, 207 (2005)]. The main assumption behind that model is that people execute their tasks based on a protocol that first executes the high priority item. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the validity of that hypothesis assuming that people are rational agents that make their decisions in order to minimize the cost of keeping nonexecuted tasks on the list. Therefore, we build and analytically solve a dynamic programming model with two priority types of tasks and show that the validity of this hypothesis depends strongly on the structure of the instantaneous costs that a person has to face if a given task is kept on the list for more than one period. Moreover, one interesting finding is that in one of the situations the protocol used to execute the tasks generates complex one-dimensional dynamics.

Solid-phase nano-extraction and laser-excited time-resolved Shpol'skii spectroscopy for the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in drinking water samples.

PubMed

Wang, Huiyong; Yu, Shenjiang; Campiglia, Andres D

2009-02-15

A unique method for screening polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in drinking water samples is reported. Water samples (500 microl) are mixed and centrifuged with 950 microl of a commercial solution of 20 nm gold nanoparticles for pollutants extraction. The precipitate is treated with 2 microl of 1-pentanethiol and 48 microl of n-octane, and the supernatant is then analyzed via laser-excited time-resolved Shpol'skii spectroscopy. Fifteen priority pollutants are directly determined at liquid helium temperature (4.2 K) with the aid of a cryogenic fiber-optic probe. Unambiguous pollutant determination is carried out via spectral and lifetime analysis. Limits of detection are at the parts-per-trillion level. Analytical recoveries are similar to those obtained via high-performance liquid chromatography. The simplicity of the experimental procedure, use of microliters of organic solvent, short analysis time, selectivity, and excellent analytical figures of merit demonstrate the advantages of this environmentally friendly approach for routine analysis of numerous samples.

Behavioral and social sciences at the National Institutes of Health: Methods, measures, and data infrastructures as a scientific priority.

PubMed

Riley, William T

2017-01-01

The National Institutes of Health Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) recently released its strategic plan for 2017-2021. This plan focuses on three equally important strategic priorities: 1) improve the synergy of basic and applied behavioral and social sciences research, 2) enhance and promote the research infrastructure, methods, and measures needed to support a more cumulative and integrated approach to behavioral and social sciences research, and 3) facilitate the adoption of behavioral and social sciences research findings in health research and in practice. This commentary focuses on scientific priority two and future directions in measurement science, technology, data infrastructure, behavioral ontologies, and big data methods and analytics that have the potential to transform the behavioral and social sciences into more cumulative, data rich sciences that more efficiently build on prior research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Integrating habitat status, human population pressure, and protection status into biodiversity conservation priority setting

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shi, Hua; Singh, Ashbindu; Kant, S.; Zhu, Zhiliang; Waller, E.

2005-01-01

Priority setting is an essential component of biodiversity conservation. Existing methods to identify priority areas for conservation have focused almost entirely on biological factors. We suggest a new relative ranking method for identifying priority conservation areas that integrates both biological and social aspects. It is based on the following criteria: the habitat's status, human population pressure, human efforts to protect habitat, and number of endemic plant and vertebrate species. We used this method to rank 25 hotspots, 17 megadiverse countries, and the hotspots within each megadiverse country. We used consistent, comprehensive, georeferenced, and multiband data sets and analytical remote sensing and geographic information system tools to quantify habitat status, human population pressure, and protection status. The ranking suggests that the Philippines, Atlantic Forest, Mediterranean Basin, Caribbean Islands, Caucasus, and Indo-Burma are the hottest hotspots and that China, the Philippines, and India are the hottest megadiverse countries. The great variation in terms of habitat, protected areas, and population pressure among the hotspots, the megadiverse countries, and the hotspots within the same country suggests the need for hotspot- and country-specific conservation policies.

Agile data management for curation of genomes to watershed datasets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varadharajan, C.; Agarwal, D.; Faybishenko, B.; Versteeg, R.

2015-12-01

A software platform is being developed for data management and assimilation [DMA] as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Genomes to Watershed Sustainable Systems Science Focus Area 2.0. The DMA components and capabilities are driven by the project science priorities and the development is based on agile development techniques. The goal of the DMA software platform is to enable users to integrate and synthesize diverse and disparate field, laboratory, and simulation datasets, including geological, geochemical, geophysical, microbiological, hydrological, and meteorological data across a range of spatial and temporal scales. The DMA objectives are (a) developing an integrated interface to the datasets, (b) storing field monitoring data, laboratory analytical results of water and sediments samples collected into a database, (c) providing automated QA/QC analysis of data and (d) working with data providers to modify high-priority field and laboratory data collection and reporting procedures as needed. The first three objectives are driven by user needs, while the last objective is driven by data management needs. The project needs and priorities are reassessed regularly with the users. After each user session we identify development priorities to match the identified user priorities. For instance, data QA/QC and collection activities have focused on the data and products needed for on-going scientific analyses (e.g. water level and geochemistry). We have also developed, tested and released a broker and portal that integrates diverse datasets from two different databases used for curation of project data. The development of the user interface was based on a user-centered design process involving several user interviews and constant interaction with data providers. The initial version focuses on the most requested feature - i.e. finding the data needed for analyses through an intuitive interface. Once the data is found, the user can immediately plot and download data through the portal. The resulting product has an interface that is more intuitive and presents the highest priority datasets that are needed by the users. Our agile approach has enabled us to build a system that is keeping pace with the science needs while utilizing limited resources.

Novel pollutants in the Moscow atmosphere in winter period: Gas chromatography-high resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry study.

PubMed

Mazur, D M; Polyakova, O V; Artaev, V B; Lebedev, A T

2017-03-01

The most common mass spectrometry approach analyzing contamination of the environment deals with targeted analysis, i.e. detection and quantification of the selected (priority) pollutants. However non-targeted analysis is becoming more often the method of choice for environmental chemists. It involves implementation of modern analytical instrumentation allowing for comprehensive detection and identification of the wide variety of compounds of the environmental interest present in the sample, such as pharmaceuticals and their metabolites, musks, nanomaterials, perfluorinated compounds, hormones, disinfection by-products, flame retardants, personal care products, and many others emerging contaminants. The paper presents the results of detection and identification of previously unreported organic compounds in snow samples collected in Moscow in March 2016. The snow analysis allows evaluation of long-term air pollution in the winter period. Gas chromatography coupled to a high resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometer has enabled us with capability to detect and identify such novel analytes as iodinated compounds, polychlorinated anisoles and even Ni-containing organic complex, which are unexpected in environmental samples. Some considerations concerning the possible sources of origin of these compounds in the environment are discussed. Copyright © 2017 LECO. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Can streamlined multi-criteria decision analysis be used to implement shared decision making for colorectal cancer screening?

PubMed Central

Dolan, James G.; Boohaker, Emily; Allison, Jeroan; Imperiale, Thomas F.

2013-01-01

Background Current US colorectal cancer screening guidelines that call for shared decision making regarding the choice among several recommended screening options are difficult to implement. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) is an established methodology well suited for supporting shared decision making. Our study goal was to determine if a streamlined form of MCDA using rank order based judgments can accurately assess patients’ colorectal cancer screening priorities. Methods We converted priorities for four decision criteria and three sub-criteria regarding colorectal cancer screening obtained from 484 average risk patients using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) in a prior study into rank order-based priorities using rank order centroids. We compared the two sets of priorities using Spearman rank correlation and non-parametric Bland-Altman limits of agreement analysis. We assessed the differential impact of using the rank order-based versus the AHP-based priorities on the results of a full MCDA comparing three currently recommended colorectal cancer screening strategies. Generalizability of the results was assessed using Monte Carlo simulation. Results Correlations between the two sets of priorities for the seven criteria ranged from 0.55 to 0.92. The proportions of absolute differences between rank order-based and AHP-based priorities that were more than ± 0.15 ranged from 1% to 16%. Differences in the full MCDA results were minimal and the relative rankings of the three screening options were identical more than 88% of the time. The Monte Carlo simulation results were similar. Conclusion Rank order-based MCDA could be a simple, practical way to guide individual decisions and assess population decision priorities regarding colorectal cancer screening strategies. Additional research is warranted to further explore the use of these methods for promoting shared decision making. PMID:24300851

Assessment of priority pesticides, degradation products, and pesticide adjuvants in groundwaters and top soils from agricultural areas of the Ebro river basin.

PubMed

Hildebrandt, Alain; Lacorte, Sílvia; Barceló, Damià

2007-02-01

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was employed for the determination of 30 widely used pesticides including various transformation products and alkylphenols in water and agricultural soils with the aim of assessing the impact of these compounds in agricultural soils and the underlying aquifer. The extraction, clean-up, and analytical procedures were optimized for both water and soil samples to provide a highly robust method capable of determining target analytes at the ppb-ppt level with high precision. For water samples, different solid-phase extraction cartridges and conditions were optimized; similarly, pressurized liquid extraction conditions were tested to provide interference-free extracts and high sensitivity. Instrumental LODs of 3-4 pg were obtained. The multi-residue extraction procedures were applied to the analysis of groundwaters and agricultural soils from the Ebro river basin (NE Spain). Most ubiquitous herbicides detected were triazines but some acetanilides and organophosphorus pesticides were also found; the pesticide additive tributylphosphate was found in all water samples. Levels varied between 0.57 and 5.37 microg/L in groundwater, whereas nonylphenol was the sole compound detected in soil. Alkylphenols are used as adjuvants in pesticide formulations and are present in sludges employed as soil fertilizers. Occurrence was found to be similar to other environmental studies.

Putting College and Career Readiness at the Forefront of District Priorities in Dallas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Shane

2013-01-01

Dallas Independent School District's (ISD) efforts to develop a system of college readiness indicators began in 2008, when they received a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant under the foundation's College-Ready Education initiative. With this grant, Dallas ISD's Performance Management and Analytics department developed a college readiness…

NASA R and T aerospace plane vehicles: Progress and plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dixon, S. C.

1985-01-01

Progress made in key technologies such as materials, structures, aerothermodynamics, hypersonic aerodynamics, and hypersonic airbreathing propulsion are reported. Advances were made in more generic, areas such as active controls, flight computer hardware and software, and interdisciplinary analytical design methodology. These technology advances coupled with the development of and experiences with the Space Shuttle make feasible aerospace plane-type vehicles that meet the more demanding requirements of various DOD missions and/or an all-weather Shuttle II with reduced launch costs. Technology needs and high payoff technologies, and the technology advancements in propulsion, control-configured-vehicles, aerodynamics, aerothermodynamics, aerothermal loads, and materials and structures were studied. The highest payoff technologies of materials and structures including thermal-structural analysis and high temperature test techniques are emphasized. The high priority technology of propulsion, and plans, of what remains to be done rather than firm program commitments, are briefly discussed.

Risk assessment in the upstream crude oil supply chain: Leveraging analytic hierarchy process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briggs, Charles Awoala

For an organization to be successful, an effective strategy is required, and if implemented appropriately the strategy will result in a sustainable competitive advantage. The importance of decision making in the oil industry is reflected in the magnitude and nature of the industry. Specific features of the oil industry supply chain, such as its longer chain, the complexity of its transportation system, its complex production and storage processes, etc., pose challenges to its effective management. Hence, understanding the risks, the risk sources, and their potential impacts on the oil industry's operations will be helpful in proposing a risk management model for the upstream oil supply chain. The risk-based model in this research uses a three-level analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a multiple-attribute decision-making technique, to underline the importance of risk analysis and risk management in the upstream crude oil supply chain. Level 1 represents the overall goal of risk management; Level 2 is comprised of the various risk factors; and Level 3 represents the alternative criteria of the decision maker as indicated on the hierarchical structure of the crude oil supply chain. Several risk management experts from different oil companies around the world were surveyed, and six major types of supply chain risks were identified: (1) exploration and production, (2) environmental and regulatory compliance, (3) transportation, (4) availability of oil, (5) geopolitical, and (6) reputational. Also identified are the preferred methods of managing risks which include; (1) accept and control the risks, (2) avoid the risk by stopping the activity, or (3) transfer or share the risks to other companies or insurers. The results from the survey indicate that the most important risk to manage is transportation risk with a priority of .263, followed by exploration/production with priority of .198, with an overall inconsistency of .03. With respect to major objectives the most preferred risk management policy option based on the result of the composite score is accept and control risk with a priority of .446, followed by transfer or share risk with a priority of .303. The least likely option is to terminate or forgo activity with a priority of .251.

Empirical Behavioral Models to Support Alternative Tools for the Analysis of Mixed-Priority Pedestrian-Vehicle Interaction in a Highway Capacity Context

PubMed Central

Rouphail, Nagui M.

2011-01-01

This paper presents behavioral-based models for describing pedestrian gap acceptance at unsignalized crosswalks in a mixed-priority environment, where some drivers yield and some pedestrians cross in gaps. Logistic regression models are developed to predict the probability of pedestrian crossings as a function of vehicle dynamics, pedestrian assertiveness, and other factors. In combination with prior work on probabilistic yielding models, the results can be incorporated in a simulation environment, where they can more fully describe the interaction of these two modes. The approach is intended to supplement HCM analytical procedure for locations where significant interaction occurs between drivers and pedestrians, including modern roundabouts. PMID:21643488

Exploration Laboratory Analysis FY13

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krihak, Michael; Perusek, Gail P.; Fung, Paul P.; Shaw, Tianna, L.

2013-01-01

The Exploration Laboratory Analysis (ELA) project supports the Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) risk, which is stated as the Risk of Inability to Adequately Treat an Ill or Injured Crew Member, and ExMC Gap 4.05: Lack of minimally invasive in-flight laboratory capabilities with limited consumables required for diagnosing identified Exploration Medical Conditions. To mitigate this risk, the availability of inflight laboratory analysis instrumentation has been identified as an essential capability in future exploration missions. Mission architecture poses constraints on equipment and procedures that will be available to treat evidence-based medical conditions according to the Space Medicine Exploration Medical Conditions List (SMEMCL), and to perform human research studies on the International Space Station (ISS) that are supported by the Human Health and Countermeasures (HHC) element. Since there are significant similarities in the research and medical operational requirements, ELA hardware development has emerged as a joint effort between ExMC and HHC. In 2012, four significant accomplishments were achieved towards the development of exploration laboratory analysis for medical diagnostics. These achievements included (i) the development of high priority analytes for research and medical operations, (ii) the development of Level 1 functional requirements and concept of operations documentation, (iii) the selection and head-to-head competition of in-flight laboratory analysis instrumentation, and (iv) the phase one completion of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects under the topic Smart Phone Driven Blood-Based Diagnostics. To utilize resources efficiently, the associated documentation and advanced technologies were integrated into a single ELA plan that encompasses ExMC and HHC development efforts. The requirements and high priority analytes was used in the selection of the four in-flight laboratory analysis performers. Based upon the competition results, a down select process will be performed in the upcoming year. Looking ahead, this unified effort has positioned each element for an in-flight lab analysis demonstration of select diagnostics measurements in the 2015 timeframe.

Survived so what? Identifying priorities for research with children and families post-paediatric intensive care unit.

PubMed

Manning, Joseph C; Hemingway, Pippa; Redsell, Sarah A

2018-03-01

The involvement of patients and the public in the development, implementation and evaluation of health care services and research is recognized to have tangible benefits in relation to effectiveness and credibility. However, despite >96% of children and young people surviving critical illness or injury, there is a paucity of published reports demonstrating their contribution to informing the priorities for aftercare services and outcomes research. We aimed to identify the service and research priorities for Paediatric Intensive Care Unit survivors with children and young people, their families and other stakeholders. We conducted a face-to-face, multiple-stakeholder consultation event, held in the Midlands (UK), to provide opportunities for experiences, views and priorities to be elicited. Data were gathered using write/draw and tell and focus group approaches. An inductive content analytical approach was used to categorize and conceptualize feedback. A total of 26 individuals attended the consultation exercise, including children and young people who were critical care survivors; their siblings; parents and carers; health professionals; academics; commissioners; and service managers. Consultation findings indicated that future services, interventions and research must be holistic and family-centred. Children and young people advisors reported priorities that focused on longer-term outcomes, whereas adult advisors identified priorities that mapped against the pathways of care. Specific priorities included developing and testing interventions that address unmet communication and information needs. Furthermore, initiatives to optimize the lives and longer-term functional and psycho-social outcomes of Paediatric Intensive Care Unit survivors were identified. This consultation exercise provides further evidence of the value of meaningful patient and public involvement in identifying the priorities for research and services for Paediatric Intensive Care Unit survivors and illuminates differences in proposed priorities between children, young people and adult advisors. © 2017 British Association of Critical Care Nurses.

Analytical Results for Municipal Biosolids Samples from a Monitoring Program Near Deer Trail, Colorado (USA), 1999 through 2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crock, J.G.; Smith, D.B.; Yager, T.J.B.; Brown, Z.A.; Adams, M.G.

2008-01-01

Since late 1993, Metro Wastewater Reclamation District of Denver (Metro District), a large wastewater treatment plant in Denver, Colorado, has applied Grade I, Class B biosolids to about 52,000 acres of non-irrigated farmland and rangeland near Deer Trail, Colorado. In cooperation with the Metro District in 1993, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began monitoring ground water at part of this site (Yager and Arnold, 2003). In 1999, the USGS began a more comprehensive monitoring study of the entire site to address stakeholder concerns about the potential chemical effects of biosolids applications. This more comprehensive monitoring program has recently been extended through 2010. Monitoring components of the more comprehensive study include biosolids collected at the wastewater treatment plant, soil, crops, dust, alluvial and bedrock ground water, and stream bed sediment. Streams at the site are dry most of the year, so samples of stream bed sediment deposited after rain were used to indicate surface-water effects. This report will present only analytical results for the biosolids samples collected at the Metro District wastewater treatment plant in Denver and analyzed during 1999 through 2006. More information about the other monitoring components is presented elsewhere in the literature (e.g., Yager and others, 2004a, 2004b, 2004c, 2004d). Priority parameters for biosolids identified by the stakeholders and also regulated by Colorado when used as an agricultural soil amendment include the total concentrations of nine trace elements (arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, and zinc), plutonium isotopes, and gross alpha and beta activity. Nitrogen and chromium also were priority parameters for ground water and sediment components. In general, the objective of each component of the study was to determine whether concentrations of priority parameters (1) were higher than regulatory limits, (2) were increasing with time, or (3) were significantly higher in biosolids-applied areas than in a similar farmed area where biosolids were not applied. Analytical results indicate that the elemental composition of the biosolids from the Denver plant was consistent during 1999-2006, and total concentrations of regulated trace elements were consistently lower than the regulatory limits. Plutonium isotopes were not detected in any of the biosolids samples for the entire sampling period. Analytical results for gross and were highly imprecise and erratic. As a result of the cancelation of regulation requiring their monitoring in biosolids, the determination of both was discontinued mid-study. Data from this study were used to compile an inorganic-chemical biosolids signature that can be contrasted with the geochemical signature for this site. The biosolids signature and an understanding of the geology and hydrology of the site can be used to separate biosolids effects from natural geochemical effects. Elements of particular interest for a biosolids signature include bismuth, copper, silver, mercury, and phosphorus.

Evaluation of SHEEO's State Policy Resource Connections (SPRC) Initiative. Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryherd, Ann Daley

2011-01-01

With the assistance of the Lumina Foundation, the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) staff has been working to develop a broad, up-to-date database of policy relevant information for the states and to create analytical studies to help state leaders identify priorities and practices for improving policies and performance across the…

A Case Example of Assessment and Evaluation: Building Capability in a Corporate University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Overcast, Shawn; Schmidt, Therese; Lei, Kimfong; Rodgers, Carrie; Chung, Nigel A.

2009-01-01

One corporate university makes measurement a priority by dedicating resources and assigning responsibilities to a centralized analytics function: the assessment, measurement, and evaluation team. As more measurement became a focus for learning and business leaders alike, the more the team became motivated to take a critical look at how it was…

Analysis of Nursing Clinical Decision Support Requests and Strategic Plan in a Large Academic Health System

PubMed Central

Bavuso, Karen; Bouyer-Ferullo, Sharon; Goldsmith, Denise; Fairbanks, Amanda; Gesner, Emily; Lagor, Charles; Collins, Sarah

2016-01-01

Summary Objectives To understand requests for nursing Clinical Decision Support (CDS) interventions at a large integrated health system undergoing vendor-based EHR implementation. In addition, to establish a process to guide both short-term implementation and long-term strategic goals to meet nursing CDS needs. Materials and Methods We conducted an environmental scan to understand current state of nursing CDS over three months. The environmental scan consisted of a literature review and an analysis of CDS requests received from across our health system. We identified existing high priority CDS and paper-based tools used in nursing practice at our health system that guide decision-making. Results A total of 46 nursing CDS requests were received. Fifty-six percent (n=26) were specific to a clinical specialty; 22 percent (n=10) were focused on facilitating clinical consults in the inpatient setting. “Risk Assessments/Risk Reduction/Promotion of Healthy Habits” (n=23) was the most requested High Priority Category received for nursing CDS. A continuum of types of nursing CDS needs emerged using the Data-Information-Knowledge-Wisdom Conceptual Framework: 1) facilitating data capture, 2) meeting information needs, 3) guiding knowledge-based decision making, and 4) exposing analytics for wisdom-based clinical interpretation by the nurse. Conclusion Identifying and prioritizing paper-based tools that can be modified into electronic CDS is a challenge. CDS strategy is an evolving process that relies on close collaboration and engagement with clinical sites for short-term implementation and should be incorporated into a long-term strategic plan that can be optimized and achieved overtime. The Data-Information-Knowledge-Wisdom Conceptual Framework in conjunction with the High Priority Categories established may be a useful tool to guide a strategic approach for meeting short-term nursing CDS needs and aligning with the organizational strategic plan. PMID:27437036

Analytical results for minicipal biosolids samples from a monitoring program near Deer Trail, Colorado (U.S.A.) 2010

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crock, J.G.; Smith, D.B.; Yager, T.J.B.; Berry, C.J.; Adams, M.G.

2011-01-01

Since late 1993, Metro Wastewater Reclamation District of Denver (Metro District), a large wastewater treatment plant in Denver, Colo., has applied Grade I, Class B biosolids to about 52,000 acres of nonirrigated farmland and rangeland near Deer Trail, Colo., U.S.A. In cooperation with the Metro District in 1993, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began monitoring groundwater at part of this site. In 1999, the USGS began a more comprehensive monitoring study of the entire site to address stakeholder concerns about the potential chemical effects of biosolids applications to water, soil, and vegetation. This more comprehensive monitoring program was recently extended through the end of 2010 and is now completed. Monitoring components of the more comprehensive study include biosolids collected at the wastewater treatment plant, soil, crops, dust, alluvial and bedrock groundwater, and stream-bed sediment. Streams at the site are dry most of the year, so samples of stream-bed sediment deposited after rain were used to indicate surface-water runoff effects. This report summarizes analytical results for the biosolids samples collected at the Metro District wastewater treatment plant in Denver and analyzed for 2010. In general, the objective of each component of the study was to determine whether concentrations of nine trace elements ("priority analytes") (1) were higher than regulatory limits, (2) were increasing with time, or (3) were significantly higher in biosolids-applied areas than in a similar farmed area where biosolids were not applied (background). Previous analytical results indicate that the elemental composition of biosolids from the Denver plant was consistent during 1999-2009, and this consistency continues with the samples for 2010. Total concentrations of regulated trace elements remain consistently lower than the regulatory limits for the entire monitoring period. Concentrations of none of the priority analytes appear to have increased during the 12 years of this study.

Analytical results for municipal biosolids samples from a monitoring program near Deer Trail, Colorado (U.S.A.), 2009

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crock, J.G.; Smith, D.B.; Yager, T.J.B.; Berry, C.J.; Adams, M.G.

2010-01-01

Since late 1993, Metro Wastewater Reclamation District of Denver, a large wastewater treatment plant in Denver, Colo., has applied Grade I, Class B biosolids to about 52,000 acres of nonirrigated farmland and rangeland near Deer Trail, Colo., U.S.A. In cooperation with the Metro District in 1993, the U.S. Geological Survey began monitoring groundwater at part of this site. In 1999, the Survey began a more comprehensive monitoring study of the entire site to address stakeholder concerns about the potential chemical effects of biosolids applications to water, soil, and vegetation. This more comprehensive monitoring program has recently been extended through the end of 2010. Monitoring components of the more comprehensive study include biosolids collected at the wastewater treatment plant, soil, crops, dust, alluvial and bedrock groundwater, and stream-bed sediment. Streams at the site are dry most of the year, so samples of stream-bed sediment deposited after rain were used to indicate surface-water effects. This report presents analytical results for the biosolids samples collected at the Metro District wastewater treatment plant in Denver and analyzed for 2009. In general, the objective of each component of the study was to determine whether concentrations of nine trace elements ('priority analytes') (1) were higher than regulatory limits, (2) were increasing with time, or (3) were significantly higher in biosolids-applied areas than in a similar farmed area where biosolids were not applied. Previous analytical results indicate that the elemental composition of biosolids from the Denver plant was consistent during 1999-2008, and this consistency continues with the samples for 2009. Total concentrations of regulated trace elements remain consistently lower than the regulatory limits for the entire monitoring period. Concentrations of none of the priority analytes appear to have increased during the 11 years of this study.

[Patients' Priorities in the Treatment of Neuroendocrine Tumours: An Analytical Hierarchy Process].

PubMed

Mühlbacher, A C; Juhnke, C; Kaczynski, A

2016-10-01

Background: Neuroendocrine tumours (NET) are relatively rare, usually slow-growing malignant tumours. So far there are no data on the patient preferences/priorities regarding the therapy for NET. This empirical study aimed at the elicitation of patient priorities in the drug treatment of NET. Method: Qualitative patient interviews (N=9) were conducted. To elicit the patient's perspective regarding various treatment aspects of NET a self-administered questionnaire using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was developed. The data collection was carried out using paper questionnaires supported by an item response system in a group discussion. To evaluate the patient-relevant outcomes, the eigenvector method was applied. Results: N=24 patients, experts and relatives participated in the AHP survey. In the AHP all respondents had clear priorities for all considered attributes. The attribute "overall survival" was the most significant feature of a drug therapy for all respondents. As in the qualitative interviews, "efficacy attributes" dominated the side effects in the AHP as well. The evaluation of all participants thus showed the attributes "overall survival" (Wglobal:0.418), "progression-free survival" (Wglobal:0.172) and "response to treatment" (Wglobal:0.161) to be most relevant. "Occurrence of abdominal pain" (Wglobal:0.051) was ranked sixth, with "tiredness/fatigue" and "risk of a hypoglycaemia" (Wglobal:0.034) in a shared seventh place. Conclusion: The results thus provide evidence about how much influence a treatment capacity has on therapeutic decisions. Using the AHP major aspects of drug therapy from the perspective of those affected were captured, and positive and negative therapeutic properties could be related against each other. Based on the assessment of the patient's perspective further investigation must elicit patient preferences for NET drug therapy. In the context of a discrete choice experiment or another choice-based method of preference measurement, the results obtained here can be validated and the therapeutic features weighted according to their preferability. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Measurement of surface contamination by certain antineoplastic drugs using high-performance liquid chromatography: applications in occupational hygiene investigations in hospital environments.

PubMed

Rubino, F M; Floridia, L; Pietropaolo, A M; Tavazzani, M; Colombi, A

1999-01-01

Within the context of continuing interest in occupational hygiene of hospitals as workplaces, the authors report the results of a preliminary study on surface contamination by certain antineoplastic drugs (ANDs), recently performed in eight cancer departments of two large general hospitals in Milan, Italy. Since reliable quantitative information on the exposure levels to individual drugs is mandatory to establish a strong interpretative framework for correctly assessing the health risks associated with manipulation of ANDs and rationally advise intervention priorities for exposure abatement, two automated analytical methods were set up using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography for the measurement of contamination by 1) methotrexate (MTX) and 2) the three most important nucleoside analogue antineoplastic drugs (5-fluorouracil 5FU, Cytarabin CYA, Gemcytabin GCA) on surfaces such as those of preparation hoods and work-benches in the pharmacies of cancer wards. The methods are characterized by short analysis time (7 min) under isocratic conditions, by the use of a mobile phase with a minimal content of organic solvent and by high sensitivity, adequate to detect surface contamination in the 5-10 micrograms/m2 range. To exemplify the performance of the analytical methods in the assessment of contamination levels from the target analyte ANDs, data are reported on the contamination levels measured on various surfaces (such as on handles, floor surfaces and window panes, even far from the preparation hood). Analyte concentrations corresponding to 0.8-1.5 micrograms of 5FU were measured on telephones, 0.85-28 micrograms/m2 of CYA were measured on tables, 1.2-1150 micrograms/m2 of GCA on furniture and floors. Spillage fractions between 1-5% of the used ANDs (daily use 5FU 7-13 g; CYA 0.1-7.1 g; GCA 0.2-5 g) were measured on the disposable polythene-backed paper cover sheet of the preparation hood.

76 FR 17629 - Applications for New Awards; Transition to Teaching Grant Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-30

... teachers in high-need schools operated by high-need local educational agencies (LEAs), including charter schools that operate as high-need LEAs. Priorities: This notice contains two competitive preference... Preference Priorities: Competitive Preference Priority 1 is from section 2313(c) of the Elementary and...

Explaining process orientation failure and success in health care--three case studies.

PubMed

Hellman, Stefan; Kastberg, Gustaf; Siverbo, Sven

2015-01-01

In order to improve cooperation and collaboration between units, clinics and departments, many health care organizations (HCOs) have introduced process orientation. Several studies indicate problems in realizing these ambitions. The purpose of this paper is to explain and understand the success and failure of process orientation in HCOs. The authors conducted three case studies and applied Actor-Network Theory as an analytic lens. The realization of process orientation is hindered by neglect or resistance from physicians, who find the process targets to be of low medical priority. However, the authors also see that medical priorities are no stable entities but are susceptible to negotiations. Over time, process organization, process mapping, process measurement activities and the acting of enroled actors may have impact on medical priorities. Contrary to previous research, the findings indicate that New Public Management may not be the main obstacle against processes, that accounting figures may not be hard to disregard and that the role of leadership is not paramount.

The EEOC charge priority policy and claimants with psychiatric disabilities.

PubMed

Ullman, M D; Johnsen, M C; Moss, K; Burris, S

2001-05-01

In June 1995 the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) instituted a new charge priority policy. Under the new policy, charges are classified as one of three priority levels during or immediately after intake. Only charges assigned a high priority receive a full investigation. This paper examines the effect of the charge priority policy on individuals with psychiatric disabilities who filed Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) charges with the EEOC. Using data extracted from the EEOC's charge data system, the authors analyzed all 66,298 ADA claims prioritized and closed between June 1995 and March 1998. The z test for difference in proportions and the generalized estimating equations procedure were used. The primary outcome measure was the priority assignment received by ADA claimants. Charges that received a high priority assignment were more likely to result in benefits for claimants. Charges filed by claimants with psychiatric disabilities were significantly less likely to be assigned a high priority than charges filed by other claimants. Claimants with psychiatric disabilities were also significantly less likely to benefit from their claims. The strong relationship between being assigned high priority and receiving benefits as a result of filing a charge demonstrates the importance of accurate priority categorization. The finding that people with psychiatric disabilities are less likely than others to benefit from their claims is cause for concern, particularly given the fact that the accuracy of the charge prioritization system has not been validated.

MEPAG Recommendations for a 2018 Mars Sample Return Caching Lander - Sample Types, Number, and Sizes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, Carlton C.

2011-01-01

The return to Earth of geological and atmospheric samples from the surface of Mars is among the highest priority objectives of planetary science. The MEPAG Mars Sample Return (MSR) End-to-End International Science Analysis Group (MEPAG E2E-iSAG) was chartered to propose scientific objectives and priorities for returned sample science, and to map out the implications of these priorities, including for the proposed joint ESA-NASA 2018 mission that would be tasked with the crucial job of collecting and caching the samples. The E2E-iSAG identified four overarching scientific aims that relate to understanding: (A) the potential for life and its pre-biotic context, (B) the geologic processes that have affected the martian surface, (C) planetary evolution of Mars and its atmosphere, (D) potential for future human exploration. The types of samples deemed most likely to achieve the science objectives are, in priority order: (1A). Subaqueous or hydrothermal sediments (1B). Hydrothermally altered rocks or low temperature fluid-altered rocks (equal priority) (2). Unaltered igneous rocks (3). Regolith, including airfall dust (4). Present-day atmosphere and samples of sedimentary-igneous rocks containing ancient trapped atmosphere Collection of geologically well-characterized sample suites would add considerable value to interpretations of all collected rocks. To achieve this, the total number of rock samples should be about 30-40. In order to evaluate the size of individual samples required to meet the science objectives, the E2E-iSAG reviewed the analytical methods that would likely be applied to the returned samples by preliminary examination teams, for planetary protection (i.e., life detection, biohazard assessment) and, after distribution, by individual investigators. It was concluded that sample size should be sufficient to perform all high-priority analyses in triplicate. In keeping with long-established curatorial practice of extraterrestrial material, at least 40% by mass of each sample should be preserved to support future scientific investigations. Samples of 15-16 grams are considered optimal. The total mass of returned rocks, soils, blanks and standards should be approximately 500 grams. Atmospheric gas samples should be the equivalent of 50 cubic cm at 20 times Mars ambient atmospheric pressure.

Skyline Wide Educational Plan (SWEP) Product Evaluation Report: Educational Goals for the Future (1980's). SWEP Evaluation Report No. 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burns, Robert J.

The major purpose of this evaluation report is to scrutinize the Skyline Wide Educational Plan (SWEP) research methods and analytical schemes and to communicate the project's constituency priorities relative to the educational programs and processes of the future. A Delphi technique was used as the primary mechanism for gathering and scrutinizing…

Preliminary data from a randomized pilot study of web-based functional analytic psychotherapy therapist training.

PubMed

Kanter, Jonathan W; Tsai, Mavis; Holman, Gareth; Koerner, Kelly

2013-06-01

Therapists of many persuasions emphasize the therapy relationship in their work, a priority backed by strong empirical evidence. Training in how to maximize the power and potential of the therapy relationship, however, has lagged behind. A novel approach to using the therapy relationship and to training therapists in its use is provided by Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP). FAP training involves eight 2-hr weekly training sessions conducted online using web-conferencing technology. The training integrates behavioral principles with a focus on trainee-trainer and trainee-trainee relationships in a highly structured course that evokes the desirable FAP therapist-trainee behaviors and collectively shapes the behaviors through reinforcement by the trainer and other trainees. In a preliminary study, 16 therapist-trainees were randomly assigned to receive either immediate FAP training or training after a waitlist period. Significant and large effects of training were found on both self-reported and observer-assessed measures for the first training group, and the waitlist training group replicated the first training group with significant within-subject change over the course of training. Finally, qualitative feedback from therapists indicated high satisfaction with the primary elements of the training protocol. Several important limitations to this preliminary study are discussed.

Assessment of sand encroachment in Kuwait using GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Helal, Anwar B.; Al-Awadhi, Jasem M.

2006-04-01

Assessment of sand encroachment in Kuwait using Geographical Information System (GIS) technology has been formulated as a Multi-Criteria Decision Making problem. The Delphi method and Analytical Hierarchy Process were adopted as evaluating techniques, in which experts’ judgments were analyzed for objectively estimating and weighting control factors. Seven triggering factors, depicted in the form of maps, were identified and ordered according to their priority. These factors are (1) wind energy; (2) surface sediment; (3) vegetation density; (4) land use; (5) drainage density; (6) topographic change and (7) vegetation type. The factor maps were digitized, converted to raster data and overlaid to determine their possible spatial relationships. Applying a susceptibility model, a map of sand encroachment susceptibility in Kuwait was developed. The map showed that the areas of very high and high sand encroachment susceptibility are located within the main corridor of sand pathway that coincides with the northwesterly dominant wind direction.

An immersed boundary method for modeling a dirty geometry data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Onishi, Keiji; Tsubokura, Makoto

2017-11-01

We present a robust, fast, and low preparation cost immersed boundary method (IBM) for simulating an incompressible high Re flow around highly complex geometries. The method is achieved by the dispersion of the momentum by the axial linear projection and the approximate domain assumption satisfying the mass conservation around the wall including cells. This methodology has been verified against an analytical theory and wind tunnel experiment data. Next, we simulate the problem of flow around a rotating object and demonstrate the ability of this methodology to the moving geometry problem. This methodology provides the possibility as a method for obtaining a quick solution at a next large scale supercomputer. This research was supported by MEXT as ``Priority Issue on Post-K computer'' (Development of innovative design and production processes) and used computational resources of the K computer provided by the RIKEN Advanced Institute for Computational Science.

Risk analysis of analytical validations by probabilistic modification of FMEA.

PubMed

Barends, D M; Oldenhof, M T; Vredenbregt, M J; Nauta, M J

2012-05-01

Risk analysis is a valuable addition to validation of an analytical chemistry process, enabling not only detecting technical risks, but also risks related to human failures. Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) can be applied, using a categorical risk scoring of the occurrence, detection and severity of failure modes, and calculating the Risk Priority Number (RPN) to select failure modes for correction. We propose a probabilistic modification of FMEA, replacing the categorical scoring of occurrence and detection by their estimated relative frequency and maintaining the categorical scoring of severity. In an example, the results of traditional FMEA of a Near Infrared (NIR) analytical procedure used for the screening of suspected counterfeited tablets are re-interpretated by this probabilistic modification of FMEA. Using this probabilistic modification of FMEA, the frequency of occurrence of undetected failure mode(s) can be estimated quantitatively, for each individual failure mode, for a set of failure modes, and the full analytical procedure. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Risk analysis by FMEA as an element of analytical validation.

PubMed

van Leeuwen, J F; Nauta, M J; de Kaste, D; Odekerken-Rombouts, Y M C F; Oldenhof, M T; Vredenbregt, M J; Barends, D M

2009-12-05

We subjected a Near-Infrared (NIR) analytical procedure used for screening drugs on authenticity to a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), including technical risks as well as risks related to human failure. An FMEA team broke down the NIR analytical method into process steps and identified possible failure modes for each step. Each failure mode was ranked on estimated frequency of occurrence (O), probability that the failure would remain undetected later in the process (D) and severity (S), each on a scale of 1-10. Human errors turned out to be the most common cause of failure modes. Failure risks were calculated by Risk Priority Numbers (RPNs)=O x D x S. Failure modes with the highest RPN scores were subjected to corrective actions and the FMEA was repeated, showing reductions in RPN scores and resulting in improvement indices up to 5.0. We recommend risk analysis as an addition to the usual analytical validation, as the FMEA enabled us to detect previously unidentified risks.

High-priority and low-priority drug-drug interactions in different international electronic health record systems: A comparative study.

PubMed

Cornu, Pieter; Phansalkar, Shobha; Seger, Diane L; Cho, Insook; Pontefract, Sarah; Robertson, Alexandra; Bates, David W; Slight, Sarah P

2018-03-01

To investigate whether alert warnings for high-priority and low-priority drug-drug interactions (DDIs) were present in five international electronic health record (EHR) systems, to compare and contrast the severity level assigned to them, and to establish the proportion of alerts that were overridden. We conducted a comparative, retrospective, multinational study using a convenience sample of 5 EHRs from the U.S., U.K., Republic of Korea and Belgium. Of the 15 previously defined, high-priority, class-based DDIs, alert warnings were found to exist for 11 in both the Korean and UK systems, 9 in the Belgian system, and all 15 in the two US systems. The specific combinations that were included in these class-based DDIs varied considerably in number, type and level of severity amongst systems. Alerts were only active for 8.4% (52/619) and 52.4% (111/212) of the specific drug-drug combinations contained in the Belgian and UK systems, respectively. Hard stops (not possible to override) existed in the US and UK systems only. The override rates for high-priority alerts requiring provider action ranged from 56.7% to 83.3%. Of the 33 previously defined low-priority DDIs, active alerts existed only in the US systems, for three class-based DDIs. The majority were non-interruptive. Alert warnings existed for most of the high-priority DDIs in the different EHRs but overriding them was easy in most of the systems. In addition to validating the high- and low-priority DDIs, this study reported a lack of standardization in DDI levels across different international knowledge bases. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The priority group index: a proposed new method incorporating high risk and population burden to identify target populations for public health interventions.

PubMed

Zhang, Bo; Cohen, Joanna E; OʼConnor, Shawn

2014-01-01

Selection of priority groups is important for health interventions. However, no quantitative method has been developed. To develop a quantitative method to support the process of selecting priority groups for public health interventions based on both high risk and population health burden. Secondary data analysis of the 2010 Canadian Community Health Survey. Canadian population. Survey respondents. We identified priority groups for 3 diseases: heart disease, stroke, and chronic lower respiratory diseases. Three measures--prevalence, population counts, and adjusted odds ratios (OR)--were calculated for subpopulations (sociodemographic characteristics and other risk factors). A Priority Group Index (PGI) was calculated by summing the rank scores of these 3 measures. Of the 30 priority groups identified by the PGI (10 for each of the 3 disease outcomes), 7 were identified on the basis of high prevalence only, 5 based on population count only, 3 based on high OR only, and the remainder based on combinations of these. The identified priority groups were all in line with the literature as risk factors for the 3 diseases, such as elderly people for heart disease and stroke and those with low income for chronic lower respiratory diseases. The PGI was thus able to balance both high risk and population burden approaches in selecting priority groups, and thus it would address health inequities as well as disease burden in the overall population. The PGI is a quantitative method to select priority groups for public health interventions; it has the potential to enhance the effective use of limited public resources.

Effective stakeholder participation in setting research priorities using a Global Evidence Mapping approach.

PubMed

Clavisi, Ornella; Bragge, Peter; Tavender, Emma; Turner, Tari; Gruen, Russell L

2013-05-01

We present a multistep process for identifying priority research areas in rehabilitation and long-term care of traumatic brain-injured (TBI) patients. In particular, we aimed to (1) identify which stakeholders should be involved; (2) identify what methods are appropriate; (3) examine different criteria for the generation of research priority areas; and (4) test the feasibility of linkage and exchange among researchers, decision makers, and other potential users of the research. Potential research questions were identified and developed using an initial scoping meeting and preliminary literature search, followed by a facilitated mapping workshop and an online survey. Identified research questions were then prioritized against specific criteria (clinical importance, novelty, and controversy). Existing evidence was then mapped to the high-priority questions using usual processes for search, screening, and selection. A broad range of stakeholders were then brought together at a forum to identify priority research themes for future research investment. Using clinical and research leaders, smaller targeted planning workshops prioritized specific research projects for each of the identified themes. Twenty-six specific questions about TBI rehabilitation were generated, 14 of which were high priority. No one method identified all high-priority questions. Methods that relied solely on the views of clinicians and researchers identified fewer high-priority questions compared with methods that used broader stakeholder engagement. Evidence maps of these high-priority questions yielded a number of evidence gaps. Priority questions and evidence maps were then used to inform a research forum, which identified 12 priority themes for future research. Our research demonstrates the value of a multistep and multimethod process involving many different types of stakeholders for prioritizing research to improve the rehabilitation outcomes of people who have suffered TBI. Enhancing stakeholder representation can be augmented using a combination of methods and a process of linkage and exchange. This process can inform decisions about prioritization of research areas. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

7 CFR 4279.155 - Loan priorities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... natural disaster or experiencing fundamental structural changes in its economic base (5 points). (iv... the maximum allowable for a loan of its size (5 points). (5) High impact business investment priorities. The priority score for high impact business investment will be the total score for the following...

Spatially Resolved Chemical Imaging for Biosignature Analysis: Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Examples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhartia, R.; Wanger, G.; Orphan, V. J.; Fries, M.; Rowe, A. R.; Nealson, K. H.; Abbey, W. J.; DeFlores, L. P.; Beegle, L. W.

2014-12-01

Detection of in situ biosignatures on terrestrial and planetary missions is becoming increasingly more important. Missions that target the Earth's deep biosphere, Mars, moons of Jupiter (including Europa), moons of Saturn (Titan and Enceladus), and small bodies such as asteroids or comets require methods that enable detection of materials for both in-situ analysis that preserve context and as a means to select high priority sample for return to Earth. In situ instrumentation for biosignature detection spans a wide range of analytical and spectroscopic methods that capitalize on amino acid distribution, chirality, lipid composition, isotopic fractionation, or textures that persist in the environment. Many of the existing analytical instruments are bulk analysis methods and while highly sensitive, these require sample acquisition and sample processing. However, by combining with triaging spectroscopic methods, biosignatures can be targeted on a surface and preserve spatial context (including mineralogy, textures, and organic distribution). To provide spatially correlated chemical analysis at multiple spatial scales (meters to microns) we have employed a dual spectroscopic approach that capitalizes on high sensitivity deep UV native fluorescence detection and high specificity deep UV Raman analysis.. Recently selected as a payload on the Mars 2020 mission, SHERLOC incorporates these optical methods for potential biosignatures detection on Mars. We present data from both Earth analogs that operate as our only examples known biosignatures and meteorite samples that provide an example of abiotic organic formation, and demonstrate how provenance effects the spatial distribution and composition of organics.

Master Environmental Plan for Fort Devens, Massachusetts

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-04-01

sites located in proximity to each other were grouped together. The rationale for the order of priority assigned to the study areas in this section is...following priority categories: 1. High priority for action. All group 1 study areas have known contamination. Group IA includes sites that have ongoing...remedial investigations. Group 1B includes sites that have ongoing site inspections. 2. Moderate to high priority for action. Study areas in groups 3

TDS exposure project: application of the analytic hierarchy process for the prioritization of substances to be analyzed in a total diet study.

PubMed

Papadopoulos, A; Sioen, I; Cubadda, F; Ozer, H; Basegmez, H I Oktay; Turrini, A; Lopez Esteban, M T; Fernandez San Juan, P M; Sokolić-Mihalak, D; Jurkovic, M; De Henauw, S; Aureli, F; Vin, K; Sirot, V

2015-02-01

The objective of this article is to develop a general method based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) methodology to rank the substances to be studied in a Total Diet Studies (TDS). This method was tested for different substances and groups of substances (N = 113), for which the TDS approach has been considered relevant. This work was performed by a group of 7 experts from different European countries representing their institutes, which are involved in the TDS EXPOSURE project. The AHP methodology is based on a score system taking into account experts' judgments quantified assigning comparative scores to the different identified issues. Hence, the 10 substances of highest interest in the framework of a TDS are trace elements (methylmercury, cadmium, inorganic arsenic, lead, aluminum, inorganic mercury), dioxins, furans and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and some additives (sulfites and nitrites). The priority list depends on both the national situation (geographical variations, consumer concern, etc.) and the availability of data. Thus, the list depends on the objectives of the TDS and on reachable analytical performances. Moreover, such a list is highly variable with time and new data (e.g. social context, vulnerable population groups, emerging substances, new toxicological data or health-based guidance values). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

76 FR 69246 - Application for New Awards; High School Equivalency Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-08

... could include, for example, participation in training on intensive science teaching techniques presented...)). The third priority is an invitational priority for applications that promote science, technology... preference over other applications. These priorities are: Invitational Priority 1--Science, Technology...

Health Research and Millennium Development Goals: Identifying the Gap From Public Health Perspective.

PubMed

El Lawindi, Mona I; Galal, Yasmine S; Khairy, Walaa A

2015-08-23

Assessing the research output within the universities could provide an effective means for tracking the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) progress. This analytical database study was designed to assess the trend of research theses conducted by the Public Health Department (PHD), Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University during the period 1990 to 2014 as related to the: MDGS, Faculty and department research priority plans and to identify the discrepancies between researchers' priorities versus national and international research priorities. A manual search of the theses was done at the Postgraduate Library using a specially designed checklist to chart adherence of each thesis to: MDGs, Faculty and department research plans (RPs). The theses' profile showed that the highest research output was for addressing the MDGS followed by the PHD and Faculty RPs. Compliance to MDGs 5 and 6 was obvious, whereas; MDGs 2, 3, and 7 were not represented at all after year 2000. No significant difference was found between PH theses addressing the Faculty RPs and those which were not before and after 2010. A significantly lower percent of PH theses was fulfilling the PHD research priorities compared to those which were not after 2010. This study showed a definite decline in research output tackling the MDGS and PHD research priorities, with a non-significant increase in the production of theses addressing the Faculty RPs. The present study is a practical model for policy makers within the universities to develop and implement a reliable monitoring and evaluation system for assessment of research output.

Perceptions of stakeholder groups about the participation of African American family forest landowners in federal landowner assistance programs

Treesearch

Puneet Dwivedi; Arundhati Jagadish; John Schelhas

2016-01-01

This study examines perceptions of three stakeholder groups (African American Family Forest Landowner, Government Agency, and Nonprofit) regarding federal landowner assistance programs in the southern United States by combining a SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat) analysis with the AHP (analytical hierarchy process). Factors with the highest priority...

Global priorities for conservation across multiple dimensions of mammalian diversity

PubMed Central

Graham, Catherine H.; Costa, Gabriel C.; Hedges, S. Blair; Penone, Caterina; Radeloff, Volker C.; Rondinini, Carlo; Davidson, Ana D.

2017-01-01

Conservation priorities that are based on species distribution, endemism, and vulnerability may underrepresent biologically unique species as well as their functional roles and evolutionary histories. To ensure that priorities are biologically comprehensive, multiple dimensions of diversity must be considered. Further, understanding how the different dimensions relate to one another spatially is important for conservation prioritization, but the relationship remains poorly understood. Here, we use spatial conservation planning to (i) identify and compare priority regions for global mammal conservation across three key dimensions of biodiversity—taxonomic, phylogenetic, and traits—and (ii) determine the overlap of these regions with the locations of threatened species and existing protected areas. We show that priority areas for mammal conservation exhibit low overlap across the three dimensions, highlighting the need for an integrative approach for biodiversity conservation. Additionally, currently protected areas poorly represent the three dimensions of mammalian biodiversity. We identify areas of high conservation priority among and across the dimensions that should receive special attention for expanding the global protected area network. These high-priority areas, combined with areas of high priority for other taxonomic groups and with social, economic, and political considerations, provide a biological foundation for future conservation planning efforts. PMID:28674013

Global priorities for conservation across multiple dimensions of mammalian diversity.

PubMed

Brum, Fernanda T; Graham, Catherine H; Costa, Gabriel C; Hedges, S Blair; Penone, Caterina; Radeloff, Volker C; Rondinini, Carlo; Loyola, Rafael; Davidson, Ana D

2017-07-18

Conservation priorities that are based on species distribution, endemism, and vulnerability may underrepresent biologically unique species as well as their functional roles and evolutionary histories. To ensure that priorities are biologically comprehensive, multiple dimensions of diversity must be considered. Further, understanding how the different dimensions relate to one another spatially is important for conservation prioritization, but the relationship remains poorly understood. Here, we use spatial conservation planning to ( i ) identify and compare priority regions for global mammal conservation across three key dimensions of biodiversity-taxonomic, phylogenetic, and traits-and ( ii ) determine the overlap of these regions with the locations of threatened species and existing protected areas. We show that priority areas for mammal conservation exhibit low overlap across the three dimensions, highlighting the need for an integrative approach for biodiversity conservation. Additionally, currently protected areas poorly represent the three dimensions of mammalian biodiversity. We identify areas of high conservation priority among and across the dimensions that should receive special attention for expanding the global protected area network. These high-priority areas, combined with areas of high priority for other taxonomic groups and with social, economic, and political considerations, provide a biological foundation for future conservation planning efforts.

Consistency of FMEA used in the validation of analytical procedures.

PubMed

Oldenhof, M T; van Leeuwen, J F; Nauta, M J; de Kaste, D; Odekerken-Rombouts, Y M C F; Vredenbregt, M J; Weda, M; Barends, D M

2011-02-20

In order to explore the consistency of the outcome of a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) in the validation of analytical procedures, an FMEA was carried out by two different teams. The two teams applied two separate FMEAs to a High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Diode Array Detection-Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-MS) analytical procedure used in the quality control of medicines. Each team was free to define their own ranking scales for the probability of severity (S), occurrence (O), and detection (D) of failure modes. We calculated Risk Priority Numbers (RPNs) and we identified the failure modes above the 90th percentile of RPN values as failure modes needing urgent corrective action; failure modes falling between the 75th and 90th percentile of RPN values were identified as failure modes needing necessary corrective action, respectively. Team 1 and Team 2 identified five and six failure modes needing urgent corrective action respectively, with two being commonly identified. Of the failure modes needing necessary corrective actions, about a third were commonly identified by both teams. These results show inconsistency in the outcome of the FMEA. To improve consistency, we recommend that FMEA is always carried out under the supervision of an experienced FMEA-facilitator and that the FMEA team has at least two members with competence in the analytical method to be validated. However, the FMEAs of both teams contained valuable information that was not identified by the other team, indicating that this inconsistency is not always a drawback. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Model of care transformation: a health care system CNE's journey.

PubMed

Swick, Maureen; Doulaveris, Phyllis; Christensen, Patricia

2012-01-01

In 2001, the Institute of Medicine released the report "Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century." The report criticizes our health care system and argues that we are failing to provide Americans with the high-quality and affordable health care they deserve and need. While incremental progress has been made, we continue to strive for improved care quality, and our rising costs are potentially catastrophic. Consistent with the Institute of Medicine report, and its reputation for innovation, Inova Health System identified care model transformation as a system priority. Given that the organization is replacing its electronic health record and introducing advanced analytic capabilities, the opportunity to transform the model of care in tandem with core clinical platform enhancement was a compelling reason to move forward.

Tributyltin--critical pollutant in whole water samples--development of traceable measurement methods for monitoring under the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60/EC.

PubMed

Richter, Janine; Fettig, Ina; Philipp, Rosemarie; Jakubowski, Norbert

2015-07-01

Tributyltin is listed as one of the priority substances in the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). Despite its decreasing input in the environment, it is still present and has to be monitored. In the European Metrology Research Programme project ENV08, a sensitive and reliable analytical method according to the WFD was developed to quantify this environmental pollutant at a very low limit of quantification. With the development of such a primary reference method for tributyltin, the project helped to improve the quality and comparability of monitoring data. An overview of project aims and potential analytical tools is given.

25 CFR Appendix A to Subpart C - IRR High Priority Project Scoring Matrix

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false IRR High Priority Project Scoring Matrix A Appendix A to...—IRR High Priority Project Scoring Matrix Score 10 5 3 1 0 Accident and fatality rate for candidate...,000 or less 250,001-500,000 500,001-750,000 Over 750,000. Geographic isolation No external access to...

25 CFR Appendix A to Subpart C - IRR High Priority Project Scoring Matrix

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false IRR High Priority Project Scoring Matrix A Appendix A to...—IRR High Priority Project Scoring Matrix Score 10 5 3 1 0 Accident and fatality rate for candidate...,000 or less 250,001-500,000 500,001-750,000 Over 750,000. Geographic isolation No external access to...

25 CFR Appendix A to Subpart C - IRR High Priority Project Scoring Matrix

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false IRR High Priority Project Scoring Matrix A Appendix A to...—IRR High Priority Project Scoring Matrix Score 10 5 3 1 0 Accident and fatality rate for candidate...,000 or less 250,001-500,000 500,001-750,000 Over 750,000. Geographic isolation No external access to...

25 CFR Appendix A to Subpart C - IRR High Priority Project Scoring Matrix

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2012-04-01 2011-04-01 true IRR High Priority Project Scoring Matrix A Appendix A to...—IRR High Priority Project Scoring Matrix Score 10 5 3 1 0 Accident and fatality rate for candidate...,000 or less 250,001-500,000 500,001-750,000 Over 750,000. Geographic isolation No external access to...

Resource allocation in road infrastructure using ANP priorities with ZOGP formulation-A case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alias, Suriana; Adna, Norfarziah; Soid, Siti Khuzaimah; Kardri, Mahani

2013-09-01

Road Infrastructure (RI) project evaluation and selection is concern with the allocation of scarce organizational resources. In this paper, it is suggest an improved RI project selection methodology which reflects interdependencies among evaluation criteria and candidate projects. Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) is use to evoking expert group opinion and also to determine a degree of interdependences relationship between the alternative projects. In order to provide a systematic approach to set priorities among multi-criteria and trade-off among objectives, Analytic Network Process (ANP) is suggested to be applied prior to Zero-One Goal Programming (ZOGP) formulation. Specifically, this paper demonstrated how to combined FDM and ANP with ZOGP through a real-world RI empirical example on an ongoing decision-making project in Johor, Malaysia.

75 FR 73054 - Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Overview Information; High School Equivalency...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-29

...' participation in training on intensive science teaching techniques presented by a professionally credentialed...)). The third priority is an invitational priority for applications that promote science, technology... priorities are: Invitational Priority 1--Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education...

A Fair Contention Access Scheme for Low-Priority Traffic in Wireless Body Area Networks

PubMed Central

Sajeel, Muhammad; Bashir, Faisal; Asfand-e-yar, Muhammad; Tauqir, Muhammad

2017-01-01

Recently, wireless body area networks (WBANs) have attracted significant consideration in ubiquitous healthcare. A number of medium access control (MAC) protocols, primarily derived from the superframe structure of the IEEE 802.15.4, have been proposed in literature. These MAC protocols aim to provide quality of service (QoS) by prioritizing different traffic types in WBANs. A contention access period (CAP)with high contention in priority-based MAC protocols can result in higher number of collisions and retransmissions. During CAP, traffic classes with higher priority are dominant over low-priority traffic; this has led to starvation of low-priority traffic, thus adversely affecting WBAN throughput, delay, and energy consumption. Hence, this paper proposes a traffic-adaptive priority-based superframe structure that is able to reduce contention in the CAP period, and provides a fair chance for low-priority traffic. Simulation results in ns-3 demonstrate that the proposed MAC protocol, called traffic- adaptive priority-based MAC (TAP-MAC), achieves low energy consumption, high throughput, and low latency compared to the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, and the most recent priority-based MAC protocol, called priority-based MAC protocol (PA-MAC). PMID:28832495

A combined approach of simulation and analytic hierarchy process in assessing production facility layouts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramli, Razamin; Cheng, Kok-Min

2014-07-01

One of the important areas of concern in order to obtain a competitive level of productivity in a manufacturing system is the layout design and material transportation system (conveyor system). However, changes in customers' requirements have triggered the need to design other alternatives of the manufacturing layout for existing production floor. Hence, this paper discusses effective alternatives of the process layout specifically, the conveyor system layout. Subsequently, two alternative designs for the conveyor system were proposed with the aims to increase the production output and minimize space allocation. The first proposed layout design includes the installation of conveyor oven in the particular manufacturing room based on priority, and the second one is the one without the conveyor oven in the layout. Simulation technique was employed to design the new facility layout. Eventually, simulation experiments were conducted to understand the performance of each conveyor layout design based on operational characteristics, which include predicting the output of layouts. Utilizing the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the newly and improved layout designs were assessed before the final selection was done. As a comparison, the existing conveyor system layout was included in the assessment process. Relevant criteria involved in this layout design problem were identified as (i) usage of space of each design, (ii) operator's utilization rates, (iii) return of investment (ROI) of the layout, and (iv) output of the layout. In the final stage of AHP analysis, the overall priority of each alternative layout was obtained and thus, a selection for final use by the management was made based on the highest priority value. This efficient planning and designing of facility layout in a particular manufacturing setting is able to minimize material handling cost, minimize overall production time, minimize investment in equipment, and optimize utilization of space.

Exploring practical approaches to maximising data quality in electronic healthcare records in the primary care setting and associated benefits. Report of panel-led discussion held at SAPC in July 2014.

PubMed

Dungey, Sheena; Glew, Simon; Heyes, Barbara; Macleod, John; Tate, A Rosemary

2016-09-01

Electronic healthcare records provide information about patient care over time which not only affords the opportunity to improve patient care directly through effective monitoring and identification of care requirements but also offers a unique platform for both clinical and service-model research essential to the longer-term development of the health service. The quality of the recorded data can, however, be variable and can compromise the validity of data use both for primary and secondary purposes. In order to explore the challenges and benefits of and approaches to recording high quality primary care electronic records, a Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) sponsored workshop was held at the Society of Academic Primary Care (SAPC) conference in 2014 with the aim of engaging GPs and other data users. The workshop was held as a structured discussion, led by an expert panel and focused around three questions: (1) What are the data quality priorities for clinicians and researchers? How do these priorities differ or overlap? (2) What challenges might GPs face in provision of good data quality both for treating their patients and for research? Do these aims conflict? (3) What tools (such as data metrics and visualisations or software components) could assist the GP in improving data quality and patient management and could this tie in with analytical processes occurring at the research stage? The discussion highlighted both overlap and differences in the perceived data quality priorities and challenges for different user groups. Five key areas of focus were agreed upon and recommendations determined for moving forward in improving quality. The importance of good high quality electronic healthcare records has been set forth along with the need for a practical user-considered and collaborative approach to its improvement.

Problems Analysis on Increasing Rice Production Through Food Estate Program in Bulungan Regency, North Kalimantan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setyo, P.; Elly, J.

2018-05-01

To increase rice production in the Province of North Kalimantan, the provincial government has launched a Food Estate Program. The program is also a central government program in relation to government policies on food security. One of the food estate development areas is the Delta Kayan Food Estate of 50,000 hectares in Bulungan Regency, where about 30,000 hectares area is a tidal land with a very fertile alluvial soil type. This policy study aims to identify and analyze problems of increasing rice production through food estate development in North Kalimantan Province and formulate priority programs as recommendations for policy making in increasing rice production. The study has identified a number of problems of increasing rice production, such as land tenure, land suitability, water system, infrastructure, accessibility of production factors, institutional, and capacity of human resources. The Analytic Hierarchy Process was applied to develop priority programs, resulting in the three most important programs being water management, improving access to production factors, and improving the capacity of human resources. Action plans related to priority programs have also been identified.

Systematic strategies for the third industrial accident prevention plan in Korea.

PubMed

Kang, Young-sig; Yang, Sung-hwan; Kim, Tae-gu; Kim, Day-sung

2012-01-01

To minimize industrial accidents, it's critical to evaluate a firm's priorities for prevention factors and strategies since such evaluation provides decisive information for preventing industrial accidents and maintaining safety management. Therefore, this paper proposes the evaluation of priorities through statistical testing of prevention factors with a cause analysis in a cause and effect model. A priority matrix criterion is proposed to apply the ranking and for the objectivity of questionnaire results. This paper used regression method (RA), exponential smoothing method (ESM), double exponential smoothing method (DESM), autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model and proposed analytical function method (PAFM) to analyze trends of accident data that will lead to an accurate prediction. This paper standardized the questionnaire results of workers and managers in manufacturing and construction companies with less than 300 employees, located in the central Korean metropolitan areas where fatal accidents have occurred. Finally, a strategy was provided to construct safety management for the third industrial accident prevention plan and a forecasting method for occupational accident rates and fatality rates for occupational accidents per 10,000 people.

Priority service needs and receipt across the lifespan for individuals with autism spectrum disorder

PubMed Central

Lai, Jonathan K. Y.

2017-01-01

Abstract Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have a range of health, community, and social support needs across the lifespan that create age‐specific challenges in navigating service sectors. In this study, we set out to identify the priority needs of individuals with ASD across the lifespan, and the factors that predict receiving priority services. Participants included 3,317 individuals with ASD from a Canada‐wide online caregiver survey, stratified into five age groups (preschool, elementary school age, adolescence, emerging adulthood, adulthood). Priority receipt was calculated as a ratio of current services that corresponded to individualized priority need. Age‐stratified Poisson regression analyses were used to identify the sociodemographic, clinical and systemic predictors of priority receipt. Results indicate that the distribution of priority need varied by age, except for social skills programming, which was a high across all groups. The number of high and moderate priority needs diversified with age. Overall, 30% of individuals had none of their priority needs met and priority receipt decreased with age. Systemic factors were most consistently related to priority receipt across the lifespan. Understanding patterns and correlates of priority needs and use that currently exist in different age groups can inform policies to improve service access. Autism Res 2017, 10: 1436–1447. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:28383156

Harmonizing community-based health worker programs for HIV: a narrative review and analytic framework.

PubMed

De Neve, Jan-Walter; Boudreaux, Chantelle; Gill, Roopan; Geldsetzer, Pascal; Vaikath, Maria; Bärnighausen, Till; Bossert, Thomas J

2017-07-03

Many countries have created community-based health worker (CHW) programs for HIV. In most of these countries, several national and non-governmental initiatives have been implemented raising questions of how well these different approaches address the health problems and use health resources in a compatible way. While these questions have led to a general policy initiative to promote harmonization across programs, there is a need for countries to develop a more coherent and organized approach to CHW programs and to generate evidence about the most efficient and effective strategies to ensure their optimal, sustained performance. We conducted a narrative review of the existing published and gray literature on the harmonization of CHW programs. We searched for and noted evidence on definitions, models, and/or frameworks of harmonization; theoretical arguments or hypotheses about the effects of CHW program fragmentation; and empirical evidence. Based on this evidence, we defined harmonization, introduced three priority areas for harmonization, and identified a conceptual framework for analyzing harmonization of CHW programs that can be used to support their expanding role in HIV service delivery. We identified and described the major issues and relationships surrounding the harmonization of CHW programs, including key characteristics, facilitators, and barriers for each of the priority areas of harmonization, and used our analytic framework to map overarching findings. We apply this approach of CHW programs supporting HIV services across four countries in Southern Africa in a separate article. There is a large number and immense diversity of CHW programs for HIV. This includes integration of HIV components into countries' existing national programs along with the development of multiple, stand-alone CHW programs. We defined (i) coordination among stakeholders, (ii) integration into the broader health system, and (iii) assurance of a CHW program's sustainability to be priority areas of harmonization. While harmonization is likely a complex political process, with in many cases incremental steps toward improvement, a wide range of facilitators are available to decision-makers. These can be categorized using an analytic framework assessing the (i) health issue, (ii) intervention itself, (iii) stakeholders, (iv) health system, and (v) broad context. There is a need to address fragmentation of CHW programs to advance and sustain CHW roles and responsibilities for HIV. This study provides a narrative review and analytic framework to understand the process by which harmonization of CHW programs might be achieved and to test the assumption that harmonization is needed to improve CHW performance.

Towards good practice for health statistics: lessons from the Millennium Development Goal health indicators.

PubMed

Murray, Christopher J L

2007-03-10

Health statistics are at the centre of an increasing number of worldwide health controversies. Several factors are sharpening the tension between the supply and demand for high quality health information, and the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) provide a high-profile example. With thousands of indicators recommended but few measured well, the worldwide health community needs to focus its efforts on improving measurement of a small set of priority areas. Priority indicators should be selected on the basis of public-health significance and several dimensions of measurability. Health statistics can be divided into three types: crude, corrected, and predicted. Health statistics are necessary inputs to planning and strategic decision making, programme implementation, monitoring progress towards targets, and assessment of what works and what does not. Crude statistics that are biased have no role in any of these steps; corrected statistics are preferred. For strategic decision making, when corrected statistics are unavailable, predicted statistics can play an important part. For monitoring progress towards agreed targets and assessment of what works and what does not, however, predicted statistics should not be used. Perhaps the most effective method to decrease controversy over health statistics and to encourage better primary data collection and the development of better analytical methods is a strong commitment to provision of an explicit data audit trail. This initiative would make available the primary data, all post-data collection adjustments, models including covariates used for farcasting and forecasting, and necessary documentation to the public.

Developing cluster strategy of apples dodol SMEs by integration K-means clustering and analytical hierarchy process method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mustaniroh, S. A.; Effendi, U.; Silalahi, R. L. R.; Sari, T.; Ala, M.

2018-03-01

The purposes of this research were to determine the grouping of apples dodol small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Batu City and to determine an appropriate development strategy for each cluster. The methods used for clustering SMEs was k-means. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach was then applied to determine the development strategy priority for each cluster. The variables used in grouping include production capacity per month, length of operation, investment value, average sales revenue per month, amount of SMEs assets, and the number of workers. Several factors were considered in AHP include industry cluster, government, as well as related and supporting industries. Data was collected using the methods of questionaire and interviews. SMEs respondents were selected among SMEs appels dodol in Batu City using purposive sampling. The result showed that two clusters were formed from five apples dodol SMEs. The 1stcluster of apples dodol SMEs, classified as small enterprises, included SME A, SME C, and SME D. The 2ndcluster of SMEs apples dodol, classified as medium enterprises, consisted of SME B and SME E. The AHP results indicated that the priority development strategy for the 1stcluster of apples dodol SMEs was improving quality and the product standardisation, while for the 2nd cluster was increasing the marketing access.

Developing inventory and monitoring programs based on multiple objectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmoldt, Daniel L.; Peterson, David L.; Silsbee, David G.

1994-09-01

Resource inventory and monitoring (I&M) programs in national parks combine multiple objectives in order to create a plan of action over a finite time horizon. Because all program activities are constrained by time and money, it is critical to plan I&M activities that make the best use of available agency resources. However, multiple objectives complicate a relatively straightforward allocation process. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) offers a structure for multiobjective decision making so that decision-makers’ preferences can be formally incorporated in seeking potential solutions. Within the AHP, inventory and monitoring program objectives and decision criteria are organized into a hierarchy. Pairwise comparisons among decision elements at any level of the hierarchy provide a ratio scale ranking of those elements. The resulting priority values for all projects are used as each project’s contribution to the value of an overall I&M program. These priorities, along with budget and personnel constraints, are formulated as a zero/one integer programming problem that can be solved to select those projects that produce the best program. An extensive example illustrates how this approach is being applied to I&M projects in national parks in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The proposed planning process provides an analytical framework for multicriteria decisionmaking that is rational, consistent, explicit, and defensible.

Nontarget Mass Spectrometry Reveals New Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Fish from the Yangtze River and Tangxun Lake, China.

PubMed

Liu, Yanna; Qian, Manli; Ma, Xinxin; Zhu, Lingyan; Martin, Jonathan W

2018-05-15

Nontarget high-resolution mass spectrometry (Nt-HRMS) has been proven useful for the identification of unknown poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in commercial products and water, but applications to biological samples are limited. China is the major PFAS-manufacturing nation; thus, here, we adapted our Nt-HRMS methods to fish collected from the Yangtze River and Tangxun Lake to discover potentially bioaccumulative PFASs in aquatic organisms destined for human consumption. In addition to traditional PFASs, over 330 other fluorinated analytes belonging to 10 classes of PFASs were detected among the pooled fish livers, including 6 sulfonate classes, 2 amine classes, 1 carboxylate class, and 1 N-heterocycle class. One class was detected in samples from both locations, 8 classes were detected exclusively in Tangxun Lake fish, and 1 class was detected exclusively in Yangtze River fish, 10 km downstream of a fluorochemical manufacturing site where we first reported these substances in wastewater 3 years ago. Overall, 4 of the PFAS classes (>165 analytes) are reported for the first time here. Wider monitoring and toxicological testing should be a priority for understanding the health risks posed to people and wildlife exposed to these substances.

Application of stochastic multiattribute analysis to assessment of single walled carbon nanotube synthesis processes.

PubMed

Canis, Laure; Linkov, Igor; Seager, Thomas P

2010-11-15

The unprecedented uncertainty associated with engineered nanomaterials greatly expands the need for research regarding their potential environmental consequences. However, decision-makers such as regulatory agencies, product developers, or other nanotechnology stakeholders may not find the results of such research directly informative of decisions intended to mitigate environmental risks. To help interpret research findings and prioritize new research needs, there is an acute need for structured decision-analytic aids that are operable in a context of extraordinary uncertainty. Whereas existing stochastic decision-analytic techniques explore uncertainty only in decision-maker preference information, this paper extends model uncertainty to technology performance. As an illustrative example, the framework is applied to the case of single-wall carbon nanotubes. Four different synthesis processes (arc, high pressure carbon monoxide, chemical vapor deposition, and laser) are compared based on five salient performance criteria. A probabilistic rank ordering of preferred processes is determined using outranking normalization and a linear-weighted sum for different weighting scenarios including completely unknown weights and four fixed-weight sets representing hypothetical stakeholder views. No single process pathway dominates under all weight scenarios, but it is likely that some inferior process technologies could be identified as low priorities for further research.

Design of high-rise dwelling houses for Ho Chi Minh City within the framework of the "smart city" concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loan, Nguyen Hong; Van Tin, Nguyen

2018-03-01

There are differences in the concepts of smart cities, which are reflected in many ideas and solutions. Globally one of the similarities of the goals for achieving smart cities is sustainable developmentwith the provision of best living conditions for people beingthe first priority. Ho Chi Minh City is not out of trend, taking the planning steps for the goal of becoming a smart city. It is necessary that design and construction of high-rise dwelling houses meet the criteria of "smart city" concept. This paper explores the design of high-rise dwelling houses forHo Chi Minh City with regards tothe framework of "smart city" concept. Methods used in the paper includedata collection, analytical - synthetical and modeling method.In order to proposedesign tasks and solutions of high-rise dwelling houses forHo Chi Minh Cityinthe concept "smart city"in the current period and near future, we present new approach, whichcan alsobe applied in practice for different cities in Vietnam.Moveover, it can also establishinformation resources, which areuseful in connecting and promotingfurther development for the success of a "smart city" program.

A survey of time management and particular tasks undertaken by consultant microbiologists in the UK.

PubMed

Riordan, Terry; Cartwright, Keith; Cunningham, Richard; Logan, Margaret; Wright, Paul

2007-05-01

Medical microbiology practice encompasses a diverse range of activities. Consultant medical microbiologists (CMMs) attribute widely differing priorities to, and spend differing proportions of time on various components of the job. To obtain a professional consensus on what are high-priority and low-priority activities, and to identify the time spent on low-priority activities. National survey. Many respondents felt that time spent on report authorisation and telephoning of results was excessive, whereas time spent on ward-based work was inadequate. Timesaving could also be achieved through better prioritisation of infection-control activities. CMMs should apportion their time at work focusing on high-priority activities identified through professional consensus.

Genetic basis of priority effects: insights from nectar yeast

PubMed Central

Hartwig, Thomas

2016-01-01

Priority effects, in which the order of species arrival dictates community assembly, can have a major influence on species diversity, but the genetic basis of priority effects remains unknown. Here, we suggest that nitrogen scavenging genes previously considered responsible for starvation avoidance may drive priority effects by causing rapid resource depletion. Using single-molecule sequencing, we de novo assembled the genome of the nectar-colonizing yeast, Metschnikowia reukaufii, across eight scaffolds and complete mitochondrion, with gap-free coverage over gene spaces. We found a high rate of tandem gene duplication in this genome, enriched for nitrogen metabolism and transport. Both high-capacity amino acid importers, GAP1 and PUT4, present as tandem gene arrays, were highly expressed in synthetic nectar and regulated by the availability and quality of amino acids. In experiments with competitive nectar yeast, Candida rancensis, amino acid addition alleviated suppression of C. rancensis by early arrival of M. reukaufii, corroborating that amino acid scavenging may contribute to priority effects. Because niche pre-emption via rapid resource depletion may underlie priority effects in a broad range of microbial, plant and animal communities, nutrient scavenging genes like the ones we considered here may be broadly relevant to understanding priority effects. PMID:27708148

Research priorities for conservation and natural resource management in Oceania's small-island developing states.

PubMed

Weeks, R; Adams, V M

2018-02-01

For conservation science to effectively inform management, research must focus on creating the scientific knowledge required to solve conservation problems. We identified research questions that, if answered, would increase the effectiveness of conservation and natural resource management practice and policy in Oceania's small-island developing states. We asked conservation professionals from academia, governmental, and nongovernmental organizations across the region to propose such questions and then identify which were of high priority in an online survey. We compared the high-priority questions with research questions identified globally and for other regions. Of 270 questions proposed by respondents, 38 were considered high priority, including: What are the highest priority areas for conservation in the face of increasing resource demand and climate change? How should marine protected areas be networked to account for connectivity and climate change? What are the most effective fisheries management policies that contribute to sustainable coral reef fisheries? High-priority questions related to the particular challenges of undertaking conservation on small-island developing states and the need for a research agenda that is responsive to the sociocultural context of Oceania. Research priorities for Oceania relative to elsewhere were broadly similar but differed in specific issues relevant to particular conservation contexts. These differences emphasize the importance of involving local practitioners in the identification of research priorities. Priorities were reasonably well aligned among sectoral groups. Only a few questions were widely considered answered, which may indicate a smaller-than-expected knowledge-action gap. We believe these questions can be used to strengthen research collaborations between scientists and practitioners working to further conservation and natural resource management in this region. © 2017 The Authors. Conservation Biology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Conservation Biology.

Health Research and Millennium Development Goals: Identifying the Gap From Public Health Perspective

PubMed Central

El Lawindi, Mona I.; Galal, Yasmine S.; Khairy, Walaa A.

2016-01-01

Assessing the research output within the universities could provide an effective means for tracking the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) progress. This analytical database study was designed to assess the trend of research theses conducted by the Public Health Department (PHD), Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University during the period 1990 to 2014 as related to the: MDGS, Faculty and department research priority plans and to identify the discrepancies between researchers’ priorities versus national and international research priorities. A manual search of the theses was done at the Postgraduate Library using a specially designed checklist to chart adherence of each thesis to: MDGs, Faculty and department research plans (RPs). The theses’ profile showed that the highest research output was for addressing the MDGS followed by the PHD and Faculty RPs. Compliance to MDGs 5 and 6 was obvious, whereas; MDGs 2, 3, and 7 were not represented at all after year 2000. No significant difference was found between PH theses addressing the Faculty RPs and those which were not before and after 2010. A significantly lower percent of PH theses was fulfilling the PHD research priorities compared to those which were not after 2010. This study showed a definite decline in research output tackling the MDGS and PHD research priorities, with a non-significant increase in the production of theses addressing the Faculty RPs. The present study is a practical model for policy makers within the universities to develop and implement a reliable monitoring and evaluation system for assessment of research output. PMID:26652084

Habitat evaluation of wild Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) and conservation priority setting in north-eastern China.

PubMed

Xiaofeng, Luan; Yi, Qu; Diqiang, Li; Shirong, Liu; Xiulei, Wang; Bo, Wu; Chunquan, Zhu

2011-01-01

The Amur Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) is one of the world's most endangered species. Recently, habitat fragmentation, food scarcity and human hunting have drastically reduced the population size and distribution areas of Amur tigers in the wild, leaving them on the verge of extinction. Presently, they are only found in the north-eastern part of China. In this study, we developed a reference framework using methods and technologies of analytic hierarchy process (AHP), remote sensing (RS), geographic information system (GIS), GAP analysis and Natural Break (Jenks) classification to evaluate the habitat and to set the conservation priorities for Amur tigers in eastern areas of Heilongjiang and Jilin Provinces of northeast China. We proposed a Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) incorporating 7 factors covering natural conditions and human disturbance. Based on the HSI values, the suitability was classified into five levels from the most to not suitable. Finally, according to results of GAP analysis, we identified six conservation priorities and designed a conservation landscape incorporating four new nature reserves, enlarging two existing ones, and creating four linkages for Amur tigers in northeast China. The case study showed that the core habitats (the most suitable and highly suitable habitats) identified for Amur tigers covered 35,547 km(2), accounting for approximately 26.71% of the total study area (1,33,093 km(2)). However, existing nature reserves protected only (7124 km(2) or) 20.04% of the identified core habitats. Thus, enlargement of current reserves is necessary and urgent for the tiger's conservation and restoration. Moreover, the establishment of wildlife corridors linking core habitats will provide an efficient reserve network for tiger conservation to maintain the evolutionary potential of Amur tigers facing environmental changes. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Big data, big knowledge: big data for personalized healthcare.

PubMed

Viceconti, Marco; Hunter, Peter; Hose, Rod

2015-07-01

The idea that the purely phenomenological knowledge that we can extract by analyzing large amounts of data can be useful in healthcare seems to contradict the desire of VPH researchers to build detailed mechanistic models for individual patients. But in practice no model is ever entirely phenomenological or entirely mechanistic. We propose in this position paper that big data analytics can be successfully combined with VPH technologies to produce robust and effective in silico medicine solutions. In order to do this, big data technologies must be further developed to cope with some specific requirements that emerge from this application. Such requirements are: working with sensitive data; analytics of complex and heterogeneous data spaces, including nontextual information; distributed data management under security and performance constraints; specialized analytics to integrate bioinformatics and systems biology information with clinical observations at tissue, organ and organisms scales; and specialized analytics to define the "physiological envelope" during the daily life of each patient. These domain-specific requirements suggest a need for targeted funding, in which big data technologies for in silico medicine becomes the research priority.

Open to All? Nationwide Evaluation of High-Priority Web Accessibility Considerations among Higher Education Websites

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kimmons, Royce

2017-01-01

This study seeks to evaluate the basic Priority 1 web accessibility of all college and university websites in the US (n = 3141). Utilizing web scraping and automated content analysis, the study establishes that even in the case of high-priority, simple-to-address accessibility requirements, colleges and universities generally fail to make their…

75 FR 59803 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Determination for the Gunnison Sage-grouse as a...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-28

... higher priority listing activities. A listing priority of 5 is assigned to species with high magnitude... number for Gunnison sage-grouse as a 2. A listing priority number of 2 is assigned to species with high... that are rich in calcium, phosphorous, and protein to meet the nutritional needs of females during the...

Automated Cancer Registry Notifications: Validation of a Medical Text Analytics System for Identifying Patients with Cancer from a State-Wide Pathology Repository

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Anthony N; Moore, Julie; O'Dwyer, John; Philpot, Shoni

2016-01-01

The paper assesses the utility of Medtex on automating Cancer Registry notifications from narrative histology and cytology reports from the Queensland state-wide pathology information system. A corpus of 45.3 million pathology HL7 messages (including 119,581 histology and cytology reports) from a Queensland pathology repository for the year of 2009 was analysed by Medtex for cancer notification. Reports analysed by Medtex were consolidated at a patient level and compared against patients with notifiable cancers from the Queensland Oncology Repository (QOR). A stratified random sample of 1,000 patients was manually reviewed by a cancer clinical coder to analyse agreements and discrepancies. Sensitivity of 96.5% (95% confidence interval: 94.5-97.8%), specificity of 96.5% (95.3-97.4%) and positive predictive value of 83.7% (79.6-86.8%) were achieved for identifying cancer notifiable patients. Medtex achieved high sensitivity and specificity across the breadth of cancers, report types, pathology laboratories and pathologists throughout the State of Queensland. The high sensitivity also resulted in the identification of cancer patients that were not found in the QOR. High sensitivity was at the expense of positive predictive value; however, these cases may be considered as lower priority to Cancer Registries as they can be quickly reviewed. Error analysis revealed that system errors tended to be tumour stream dependent. Medtex is proving to be a promising medical text analytic system. High value cancer information can be generated through intelligent data classification and extraction on large volumes of unstructured pathology reports. PMID:28269893

Automated Cancer Registry Notifications: Validation of a Medical Text Analytics System for Identifying Patients with Cancer from a State-Wide Pathology Repository.

PubMed

Nguyen, Anthony N; Moore, Julie; O'Dwyer, John; Philpot, Shoni

2016-01-01

The paper assesses the utility of Medtex on automating Cancer Registry notifications from narrative histology and cytology reports from the Queensland state-wide pathology information system. A corpus of 45.3 million pathology HL7 messages (including 119,581 histology and cytology reports) from a Queensland pathology repository for the year of 2009 was analysed by Medtex for cancer notification. Reports analysed by Medtex were consolidated at a patient level and compared against patients with notifiable cancers from the Queensland Oncology Repository (QOR). A stratified random sample of 1,000 patients was manually reviewed by a cancer clinical coder to analyse agreements and discrepancies. Sensitivity of 96.5% (95% confidence interval: 94.5-97.8%), specificity of 96.5% (95.3-97.4%) and positive predictive value of 83.7% (79.6-86.8%) were achieved for identifying cancer notifiable patients. Medtex achieved high sensitivity and specificity across the breadth of cancers, report types, pathology laboratories and pathologists throughout the State of Queensland. The high sensitivity also resulted in the identification of cancer patients that were not found in the QOR. High sensitivity was at the expense of positive predictive value; however, these cases may be considered as lower priority to Cancer Registries as they can be quickly reviewed. Error analysis revealed that system errors tended to be tumour stream dependent. Medtex is proving to be a promising medical text analytic system. High value cancer information can be generated through intelligent data classification and extraction on large volumes of unstructured pathology reports.

Using AHP to analyze and ascertain the priority protective order of endangered plants in East Alashan-West Erdos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Zhang; Wei, Wang; Wang, Gary Z.; Luo, Hongyan; Liang, Cunzhu; Liu, Jiahui; An, Huijun; Pei, Hao; Zhong, Huidong; Chen, Xiaojun

2006-08-01

AHP is a kind of very effective systematic analytical method, widely applied to energy utilizing and resource analyzing, talent predicting, economic management project, urban industries planning, communications and transportation, water resource using and so on, using this method to solve the problem of ecology also have very strong practicability and validity. Using 15 kinds of endured plants in East Alashan-West Erdos as the research objects, this paper adopts 3S technique and outfield investigates to confirm the geographical distributions, extent density in the distribution area, plant community construction, and plant community environment of the plants. Then invite the experts to give marks according to this datum and using the AHP method to deal with the results, thereby get the priority protective order of endangered plants in East Alashan-West Erdos.

Priority survey between indicators and analytic hierarchy process analysis for green chemistry technology assessment.

PubMed

Kim, Sungjune; Hong, Seokpyo; Ahn, Kilsoo; Gong, Sungyong

2015-01-01

This study presents the indicators and proxy variables for the quantitative assessment of green chemistry technologies and evaluates the relative importance of each assessment element by consulting experts from the fields of ecology, chemistry, safety, and public health. The results collected were subjected to an analytic hierarchy process to obtain the weights of the indicators and the proxy variables. These weights may prove useful in avoiding having to resort to qualitative means in absence of weights between indicators when integrating the results of quantitative assessment by indicator. This study points to the limitations of current quantitative assessment techniques for green chemistry technologies and seeks to present the future direction for quantitative assessment of green chemistry technologies.

Reconnaissance geochemical survey of the Farah Garan-Kutam mineral belt, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Samater, R.M.; Johnson, P.R.; Bookstrom, A.A.

1991-01-01

In the present survey, geochemical anomalies locate all the sites of mineralization known from previous work. The survey is therefore technically a success. However, a large number of these anomalies probably result from contamination of the wadi systems by metal dispersed from ancient mine workings, and this particular survey, overall, may be of limited value as a guide to the discovery of hitherto unknown mineralization. Nevertheless, the survey outlines two areas that may mark extensions to known mineralization, and a number of other areas in which no mineralization is known. Based on a consideration of the character of the bedrock geology, the value of each reported analytical result in relation to the respective element thresholds, and the number of anomalous samples that cluster in any given area, four areas are recommended for high-priority follow-up sampling.

Camera, Hand Lens, and Microscope Probe (CHAMP): An Instrument Proposed for the 2009 MSL Rover Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mungas, Greg S.; Beegle, Luther W.; Boynton, John E.; Lee, Pascal; Shidemantle, Ritch; Fisher, Ted

2004-01-01

The Camera, Hand Lens, and Microscope Probe (CHAMP) will allow examination of martian surface features and materials (terrain, rocks, soils, samples) on spatial scales ranging from kilometers to micrometers, thus enabling both microscopy and context imaging with high operational flexibility. CHAMP is designed to allow the detailed and quantitative investigation of a wide range of geologic features and processes on Mars, leading to a better quantitative understanding of the evolution of the martian surface environment through time. In particular, CHAMP will provide key data that will help understand the local region explored by Mars Surface Laboratory (MSL) as a potential habitat for life. CHAMP will also support other anticipated MSL investigations, in particular by helping identify and select the highest priority targets for sample collection and analysis by the MSL's analytical suite.

Analytical Frameworks for Addressing Physical, Social, and Institutional Changes in Water Resources Planning and Management

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

Chawla, and Swor 2011) that can influence hydrologic, geomorphic , ecological, social, and economic conditions in localized areas, at the watershed...point in time. As societal demands change and the nation’s priorities evolve, the myriad of laws , policies, and procedures employed in formulating...imposed by new legislation, regulations, policies, or administrative actions. Examples include laws such as the Clean Water Act (U.S. Congress 1972a) and

The Literature Review of Analytical Support to Defence Transformation: Lessons Learned from Turkish Air Force Transformation Activities

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-01

available [11]. Additionally, Table-3 is a guide for DMAIC methodology including 29 different methods [12]. RTO-MP-SAS-081 6 - 4 NATO UNCLASSIFIED NATO...Table 3: DMAIC Methodology (5-Phase Methodology). Define Measure Analyze Improve Control Project Charter Prioritization Matrix 5 Whys Analysis...Methodology Scope [13] DMAIC PDCA Develop performance priorities This is a preliminary stage that precedes specific improvement projects, and the aim

Semivolatile Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds in Paired Indoor and Outdoor Air in Two Northern California Communities

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Interest in the health effects of potential endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) that are high production volume chemicals used in consumer products has made exposure assessment and source identification a priority. We collected paired indoor and outdoor air samples in 40 nonsmoking homes in urban, industrial Richmond, CA, and 10 in rural Bolinas, CA. Samples were analyzed by GC-MS for 104 analytes, including phthalates (11), alkylphenols (3), parabens (3), polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants (3), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (3), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (24), pesticides (38), and phenolic compounds (19). We detected 39 analytes in outdoor air and 63 in indoor air. For many of the phenolic compounds, alkylphenols, phthalates, and PBDEs, these represent some of the first outdoor measures and the first analysis of the relative importance of indoor and outdoor sources in paired samples. Data demonstrate higher indoor concentrations for 32 analytes, suggesting primarily indoor sources, as compared with only 2 that were higher outdoors. Outdoor air concentrations were higher in Richmond than Bolinas for 3 phthalates, 10 PAHs, and o-phenylphenol, while indoor air levels were more similar between communities, except that differences observed outdoors were also seen indoors. Indoor concentrations of the most ubiquitous chemicals were generally correlated with each other (4-t-butylphenol, o-phenylphenol, nonylphenol, several phthalates, and methyl phenanthrenes; Kendall correlation coefficients 0.2−0.6, p < 0.05), indicating possible shared sources and highlighting the importance of considering mixtures in health studies. PMID:20681565

Water quality monitoring for high-priority water bodies in the Sonoran Desert network

Treesearch

Terry W. Sprouse; Robert M. Emanuel; Sara A. Strorrer

2005-01-01

This paper describes a network monitoring program for “high priority” water bodies in the Sonoran Desert Network of the National Park Service. Protocols were developed for monitoring selected waters for ten of the eleven parks in the Network. Park and network staff assisted in identifying potential locations of testing sites, local priorities, and how water quality...

Analytical Results for Municipal Biosolids Samples from a Monitoring Program Near Deer Trail, Colorado (U.S.A.), 2008

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crock, J.G.; Smith, D.B.; Yager, T.J.B.; Berry, C.J.; Adams, M.G.

2009-01-01

Since late 1993, Metro Wastewater Reclamation District of Denver (Metro District), a large wastewater treatment plant in Denver, Colo., has applied Grade I, Class B biosolids to about 52,000 acres of nonirrigated farmland and rangeland near Deer Trail, Colo. (U.S.A.). In cooperation with the Metro District in 1993, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began monitoring groundwater at part of this site. In 1999, the USGS began a more comprehensive monitoring study of the entire site to address stakeholder concerns about the potential chemical effects of biosolids applications to water, soil, and vegetation. This more comprehensive monitoring program has recently been extended through 2010. Monitoring components of the more comprehensive study include biosolids collected at the wastewater treatment plant, soil, crops, dust, alluvial and bedrock groundwater, and stream-bed sediment. Streams at the site are dry most of the year, so samples of stream-bed sediment deposited after rain were used to indicate surface-water effects. This report will present only analytical results for the biosolids samples collected at the Metro District wastewater treatment plant in Denver and analyzed during 2008. Crock and others have presented earlier a compilation of analytical results for the biosolids samples collected and analyzed for 1999 thru 2006, and in a separate report, data for the 2007 biosolids are reported. More information about the other monitoring components is presented elsewhere in the literature. Priority parameters for biosolids identified by the stakeholders and also regulated by Colorado when used as an agricultural soil amendment include the total concentrations of nine trace elements (arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, and zinc), plutonium isotopes, and gross alpha and beta activity. Nitrogen and chromium also were priority parameters for groundwater and sediment components.

New NIST sediment SRM for inorganic analysis.

PubMed

Zeisler, Rolf

2004-03-01

NIST maintains a portfolio of more than 1300 standard reference materials (SRM), more than a third of these relating to measurements in the biological and environmental fields. As part of the continuous renewal and replacement efforts, a set of new marine sediments has been recently developed covering organic and inorganic determinations. This paper describes the steps taken in sample preparation, homogeneity assay, and analytical characterization and certification with specific emphasis on SRM 2702 inorganics in marine sediment. Neutron activation analysis showed the SRM to be highly homogeneous, opening the possibility for use with solid sampling techniques. The certificate provides certified mass fraction values for 25 elements, reference values for eight elements, and information values for 11 elements, covering most of the priority pollutants with small uncertainties of only several percent relative. The values were obtained by combining results from different laboratories and techniques using a Bayesian statistical model. An intercomparison carried out in field laboratories with the material before certification illustrates a high commutability of this SRM.

Dynamic autonomous routing technology for IP-based satellite ad hoc networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiaofei; Deng, Jing; Kostas, Theresa; Rajappan, Gowri

2014-06-01

IP-based routing for military LEO/MEO satellite ad hoc networks is very challenging due to network and traffic heterogeneity, network topology and traffic dynamics. In this paper, we describe a traffic priority-aware routing scheme for such networks, namely Dynamic Autonomous Routing Technology (DART) for satellite ad hoc networks. DART has a cross-layer design, and conducts routing and resource reservation concurrently for optimal performance in the fluid but predictable satellite ad hoc networks. DART ensures end-to-end data delivery with QoS assurances by only choosing routing paths that have sufficient resources, supporting different packet priority levels. In order to do so, DART incorporates several resource management and innovative routing mechanisms, which dynamically adapt to best fit the prevailing conditions. In particular, DART integrates a resource reservation mechanism to reserve network bandwidth resources; a proactive routing mechanism to set up non-overlapping spanning trees to segregate high priority traffic flows from lower priority flows so that the high priority flows do not face contention from low priority flows; a reactive routing mechanism to arbitrate resources between various traffic priorities when needed; a predictive routing mechanism to set up routes for scheduled missions and for anticipated topology changes for QoS assurance. We present simulation results showing the performance of DART. We have conducted these simulations using the Iridium constellation and trajectories as well as realistic military communications scenarios. The simulation results demonstrate DART's ability to discriminate between high-priority and low-priority traffic flows and ensure disparate QoS requirements of these traffic flows.

Prevention and self-management interventions are top priorities for osteoarthritis systematic reviews.

PubMed

Jaramillo, Alejandra; Welch, Vivian A; Ueffing, Erin; Gruen, Russell L; Bragge, Peter; Lyddiatt, Anne; Tugwell, Peter

2013-05-01

To identify high-priority research questions for osteoarthritis systematic reviews with consideration of health equity and the social determinants of health (SDH). We consulted with experts and conducted a literature search to identify a priority-setting method that could be adapted to address the health equity and SDH. We selected the Global Evidence Mapping priority-setting method, and through consultations and consensus, we adapted the method to meet our objectives. This involves developing an evidence map of the existing systematic reviews on osteoarthritis; conducting one face-to-face workshop with patients and another one with clinicians, researchers, and patients; and conducting an online survey of patients to rank the top 10 research questions. We piloted the adapted method with the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Review Group to set research priorities for osteoarthritis. Our focus was on systematic reviews: we identified 34 high-priority research questions for osteoarthritis systematic reviews. Prevention and self-management interventions, mainly diet and exercise, are top priorities for osteoarthritis systematic reviews. Evaluation against our predefined objectives showed that this method did prioritize SDH (50% of the research questions considered SDH). There were marked gaps: no high-priority topics were identified for access to care until patients had advanced disease-lifestyle changes once the disease was diagnosed. This method was felt feasible if conducted annually. We confirmed the utility of an adapted priority-setting method that is feasible and considers SDH. Further testing of this method is needed to assess whether considerations of health equity are prioritized and involve disadvantaged groups of the population. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Recommended Priorities for NASA's Gamma Ray Astronomy Program 1999-2013

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carol, Ladd

1999-01-01

The Gamma-Ray Astronomy Program Working Group (GRAPWG) recommends priorities for the NASA Gamma-Ray Astronomy Program. The highest priority science topic is nuclear astrophysics and sites of gamma ray line emission. Other high priority topics are gamma ray bursts, hard x-ray emission from accreting black holes and neutron stars, the Advanced Compton Telescope (ACT), the High-resolution Spectroscopic Imager (HSI), and the Energetic X-ray Imaging Survey Telescope (EXIST). The recommendations include special consideration for technology development, TeV astronomy, the ultra-long duration balloon (ULDB) program, the International Space Station, optical telescope support, and data analysis and theory.

Rehabilitation priorities for individuals with Prader-Willi Syndrome.

PubMed

Pituch, Keenan A; Green, Vanessa A; Didden, Robert; Lang, Russell; O'Reilly, Mark F; Lancioni, Giulio E; Whittle, Lisa; Hodis, Flaviu; Sigafoos, Jeff

2010-01-01

To identify rehabilitation priorities that parents have for their children, including their adult-aged children, with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) and to determine the relation between these priorities and the child's levels of adaptive behaviour functioning. Parents involved in organisations related to PWS were invited to complete an online survey. The survey listed 54 skills/behaviours (e.g. toileting, expresses wants and needs and tantrums) representing 10 adaptive functioning domains (e.g. self-care, communication and problem behaviour). Parents rated their child's current level of ability/performance with respect to each skill/behaviour and indicated the extent to which training/treatment was a priority. Fifty-eight surveys were completed during the 4-month data collection period. Parents identified nine high-priority skills/behaviours from five different adaptive functioning domains. For most domains, parent priorities showed a significant linear relation to the children's adaptive behaviour deficits, in that priorities reflected areas where the child had the greatest deficits and the most problematic behaviours. Rehabilitation professionals should focus on the eating issues that arise in PWS and identify the adaptive functioning deficits of these individuals because such deficits are high-priority areas for parents.

Discovery, research, and development of new antibiotics: the WHO priority list of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and tuberculosis.

PubMed

Tacconelli, Evelina; Carrara, Elena; Savoldi, Alessia; Harbarth, Stephan; Mendelson, Marc; Monnet, Dominique L; Pulcini, Céline; Kahlmeter, Gunnar; Kluytmans, Jan; Carmeli, Yehuda; Ouellette, Marc; Outterson, Kevin; Patel, Jean; Cavaleri, Marco; Cox, Edward M; Houchens, Chris R; Grayson, M Lindsay; Hansen, Paul; Singh, Nalini; Theuretzbacher, Ursula; Magrini, Nicola

2018-03-01

The spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria poses a substantial threat to morbidity and mortality worldwide. Due to its large public health and societal implications, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis has been long regarded by WHO as a global priority for investment in new drugs. In 2016, WHO was requested by member states to create a priority list of other antibiotic-resistant bacteria to support research and development of effective drugs. We used a multicriteria decision analysis method to prioritise antibiotic-resistant bacteria; this method involved the identification of relevant criteria to assess priority against which each antibiotic-resistant bacterium was rated. The final priority ranking of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria was established after a preference-based survey was used to obtain expert weighting of criteria. We selected 20 bacterial species with 25 patterns of acquired resistance and ten criteria to assess priority: mortality, health-care burden, community burden, prevalence of resistance, 10-year trend of resistance, transmissibility, preventability in the community setting, preventability in the health-care setting, treatability, and pipeline. We stratified the priority list into three tiers (critical, high, and medium priority), using the 33rd percentile of the bacterium's total scores as the cutoff. Critical-priority bacteria included carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and carbapenem-resistant and third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. The highest ranked Gram-positive bacteria (high priority) were vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium and meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Of the bacteria typically responsible for community-acquired infections, clarithromycin-resistant Helicobacter pylori, and fluoroquinolone-resistant Campylobacter spp, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Salmonella typhi were included in the high-priority tier. Future development strategies should focus on antibiotics that are active against multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and Gram-negative bacteria. The global strategy should include antibiotic-resistant bacteria responsible for community-acquired infections such as Salmonella spp, Campylobacter spp, N gonorrhoeae, and H pylori. World Health Organization. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

25 CFR 170.205 - What is an IRR High Priority Project (IRRHPP)?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM Indian Reservation Roads Program Funding Irr High Priority Project (irrhpp) § 170... applications. (c) IRRHPP funds cannot be used for transportation planning, research, routine maintenance...

Environmental and occupational health needs assessment in West Africa: opportunities for research and training.

PubMed

Sanyang, Edrisa; Butler-Dawson, Jaime; Mikulski, Marek A; Cook, Thomas; Kuye, Rex A; Venzke, Kristina; Fuortes, Laurence J

2017-03-01

Data are lacking on environmental and occupational health risks and resources available for the prevention of related diseases in the West African subregion. A needs assessment survey was conducted to identify environmental and occupational health concerns, and needs and strategies for skills training in the region. The survey was followed by a consensus-building workshop to discuss research and training priorities with representatives from countries participating in the study. Two hundred and two respondents from 12 countries participated in the survey. Vector-borne diseases, solid waste, deforestation, surface and ground water contamination together with work-related stress, occupational injury and pesticide toxicity were ranked as top environmental and occupational health priorities, respectively, in the region. Top training priorities included occupational health, environmental toxicology and analytic laboratory techniques with semester-long Africa-based courses as the preferred type of training for the majority of the courses. Major differences were found between the subregion's three official language groups, both in perceived health risks and training courses needed. The study results have implications for regional policies and practice in the area of environmental and occupational health research and training.

Environmental and occupational health needs assessment in West Africa: opportunities for research and training

PubMed Central

Sanyang, Edrisa; Butler-Dawson, Jaime; Mikulski, Marek A.; Cook, Thomas; Kuye, Rex A.; Venzke, Kristina

2016-01-01

Objectives Data are lacking on environmental and occupational health risks and resources available for the prevention of related diseases in the West African subregion. Methods A needs assessment survey was conducted to identify environmental and occupational health concerns, and needs and strategies for skills training in the region. The survey was followed by a consensus-building workshop to discuss research and training priorities with representatives from countries participating in the study. Results Two hundred and two respondents from 12 countries participated in the survey. Vector-borne diseases, solid waste, deforestation, surface and ground water contamination together with work-related stress, occupational injury and pesticide toxicity were ranked as top environmental and occupational health priorities, respectively, in the region. Top training priorities included occupational health, environmental toxicology and analytic laboratory techniques with semester-long Africa-based courses as the preferred type of training for the majority of the courses. Major differences were found between the subregion’s three official language groups, both in perceived health risks and training courses needed. Conclusions The study results have implications for regional policies and practice in the area of environmental and occupational health research and training. PMID:27592360

Determination of the Priority Aspect in Process of Determining Urban Residential Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhekti Pribadi, Cherie; Hariyanto, Teguh

2017-12-01

Recently, the population growth is increasingly crowded in urban area and as a source of land supply for housing development into the needs of each individual becomes increasingly limited. the home is one of the basic rights of the people and therefore every citizen has the right to reside and got a good environment and healthy. Besides the house is also a basic human need to enhance the dignity, the dignity, quality of life and livelihood, as well as personal self-reflection in order to improve the standard of living, as well as the formation of character, character and personality of the nation. The construction of such housing should always take into consideration many aspects in order to create a balanced environment not only based on the suitability of land but also based on the aspects that exist in surrounding. Therefore, this study will be to analyze the priority aspect in process of determining urban residential area using Analytical Hierarchy Process Method. This method aims to determine priority aspect were used based on primary data collection form of questionnaires and interviews to respondents who expert in the field.

Phylogenetic analysis of conservation priorities for aquatic mammals and their terrestrial relatives, with a comparison of methods.

PubMed

May-Collado, Laura J; Agnarsson, Ingi

2011-01-01

Habitat loss and overexploitation are among the primary factors threatening populations of many mammal species. Recently, aquatic mammals have been highlighted as particularly vulnerable. Here we test (1) if aquatic mammals emerge as more phylogenetically urgent conservation priorities than their terrestrial relatives, and (2) if high priority species are receiving sufficient conservation effort. We also compare results among some phylogenetic conservation methods. A phylogenetic analysis of conservation priorities for all 620 species of Cetartiodactyla and Carnivora, including most aquatic mammals. Conservation priority ranking of aquatic versus terrestrial species is approximately proportional to their diversity. However, nearly all obligated freshwater cetartiodactylans are among the top conservation priority species. Further, ∼74% and 40% of fully aquatic cetartiodactylans and carnivores, respectively, are either threatened or data deficient, more so than their terrestrial relatives. Strikingly, only 3% of all 'high priority' species are thought to be stable. An overwhelming 97% of these species thus either show decreasing population trends (87%) or are insufficiently known (10%). Furthermore, a disproportional number of highly evolutionarily distinct species are experiencing population decline, thus, such species should be closely monitored even if not currently threatened. Comparison among methods reveals that exact species ranking differs considerably among methods, nevertheless, most top priority species consistently rank high under any method. While we here favor one approach, we also suggest that a consensus approach may be useful when methods disagree. These results reinforce prior findings, suggesting there is an urgent need to gather basic conservation data for aquatic mammals, and special conservation focus is needed on those confined to freshwater. That evolutionarily distinct--and thus 'biodiverse'--species are faring relatively poorly is alarming and requires further study. Our results offer a detailed guide to phylogeny-based conservation prioritization for these two orders.

Development of computer-based analytical tool for assessing physical protection system

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

Mardhi, Alim, E-mail: alim-m@batan.go.id; Chulalongkorn University, Faculty of Engineering, Nuclear Engineering Department, 254 Phayathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok Thailand. 10330; Pengvanich, Phongphaeth, E-mail: ppengvan@gmail.com

Assessment of physical protection system effectiveness is the priority for ensuring the optimum protection caused by unlawful acts against a nuclear facility, such as unauthorized removal of nuclear materials and sabotage of the facility itself. Since an assessment based on real exercise scenarios is costly and time-consuming, the computer-based analytical tool can offer the solution for approaching the likelihood threat scenario. There are several currently available tools that can be used instantly such as EASI and SAPE, however for our research purpose it is more suitable to have the tool that can be customized and enhanced further. In this work,more » we have developed a computer–based analytical tool by utilizing the network methodological approach for modelling the adversary paths. The inputs are multi-elements in security used for evaluate the effectiveness of the system’s detection, delay, and response. The tool has capability to analyze the most critical path and quantify the probability of effectiveness of the system as performance measure.« less

System Architecture Development for Energy and Water Infrastructure Data Management and Geovisual Analytics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berres, A.; Karthik, R.; Nugent, P.; Sorokine, A.; Myers, A.; Pang, H.

2017-12-01

Building an integrated data infrastructure that can meet the needs of a sustainable energy-water resource management requires a robust data management and geovisual analytics platform, capable of cross-domain scientific discovery and knowledge generation. Such a platform can facilitate the investigation of diverse complex research and policy questions for emerging priorities in Energy-Water Nexus (EWN) science areas. Using advanced data analytics, machine learning techniques, multi-dimensional statistical tools, and interactive geovisualization components, such a multi-layered federated platform is being developed, the Energy-Water Nexus Knowledge Discovery Framework (EWN-KDF). This platform utilizes several enterprise-grade software design concepts and standards such as extensible service-oriented architecture, open standard protocols, event-driven programming model, enterprise service bus, and adaptive user interfaces to provide a strategic value to the integrative computational and data infrastructure. EWN-KDF is built on the Compute and Data Environment for Science (CADES) environment in Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

Laboratory safety and the WHO World Alliance for Patient Safety.

PubMed

McCay, Layla; Lemer, Claire; Wu, Albert W

2009-06-01

Laboratory medicine has been a pioneer in the field of patient safety; indeed, the College of American Pathology first called attention to the issue in 1946. Delivering reliable laboratory results has long been considered a priority, as the data produced in laboratory medicine have the potential to critically influence individual patients' diagnosis and management. Until recently, most attention on laboratory safety has focused on the analytic stage of laboratory medicine. Addressing this stage has led to significant and impressive improvements in the areas over which laboratories have direct control. However, recent data demonstrate that pre- and post-analytical phases are at least as vulnerable to errors; to further improve patient safety in laboratory medicine, attention must now be focused on the pre- and post-analytic phases, and the concept of patient safety as a multi-disciplinary, multi-stage and multi-system concept better understood. The World Alliance for Patient Safety (WAPS) supports improvement of patient safety globally and provides a potential framework for considering the total testing process.

Development of computer-based analytical tool for assessing physical protection system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mardhi, Alim; Pengvanich, Phongphaeth

2016-01-01

Assessment of physical protection system effectiveness is the priority for ensuring the optimum protection caused by unlawful acts against a nuclear facility, such as unauthorized removal of nuclear materials and sabotage of the facility itself. Since an assessment based on real exercise scenarios is costly and time-consuming, the computer-based analytical tool can offer the solution for approaching the likelihood threat scenario. There are several currently available tools that can be used instantly such as EASI and SAPE, however for our research purpose it is more suitable to have the tool that can be customized and enhanced further. In this work, we have developed a computer-based analytical tool by utilizing the network methodological approach for modelling the adversary paths. The inputs are multi-elements in security used for evaluate the effectiveness of the system's detection, delay, and response. The tool has capability to analyze the most critical path and quantify the probability of effectiveness of the system as performance measure.

Empowering districts to target priorities for improving child health service in Uganda using change management and rapid assessment methods.

PubMed

Odaga, John; Henriksson, Dorcus K; Nkolo, Charles; Tibeihaho, Hector; Musabe, Richard; Katusiime, Margaret; Sinabulya, Zaccheus; Mucunguzi, Stephen; Mbonye, Anthony K; Valadez, Joseph J

2016-01-01

Local health system managers in low- and middle-income countries have the responsibility to set health priorities and allocate resources accordingly. Although tools exist to aid this process, they are not widely applied for various reasons including non-availability, poor knowledge of the tools, and poor adaptability into the local context. In Uganda, delivery of basic services is devolved to the District Local Governments through the District Health Teams (DHTs). The Community and District Empowerment for Scale-up (CODES) project aims to provide a set of management tools that aid contextualised priority setting, fund allocation, and problem-solving in a systematic way to improve effective coverage and quality of child survival interventions. Although the various tools have previously been used at the national level, the project aims to combine them in an integral way for implementation at the district level. These tools include Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) surveys to generate local evidence, Bottleneck analysis and Causal analysis as analytical tools, Continuous Quality Improvement, and Community Dialogues based on Citizen Report Cards and U reports. The tools enable identification of gaps, prioritisation of possible solutions, and allocation of resources accordingly. This paper presents some of the tools used by the project in five districts in Uganda during the proof-of-concept phase of the project. All five districts were trained and participated in LQAS surveys and readily adopted the tools for priority setting and resource allocation. All districts developed health operational work plans, which were based on the evidence and each of the districts implemented more than three of the priority activities which were included in their work plans. In the five districts, the CODES project demonstrated that DHTs can adopt and integrate these tools in the planning process by systematically identifying gaps and setting priority interventions for child survival.

Empowering districts to target priorities for improving child health service in Uganda using change management and rapid assessment methods

PubMed Central

Odaga, John; Henriksson, Dorcus K.; Nkolo, Charles; Tibeihaho, Hector; Musabe, Richard; Katusiime, Margaret; Sinabulya, Zaccheus; Mucunguzi, Stephen; Mbonye, Anthony K.; Valadez, Joseph J.

2016-01-01

Background Local health system managers in low- and middle-income countries have the responsibility to set health priorities and allocate resources accordingly. Although tools exist to aid this process, they are not widely applied for various reasons including non-availability, poor knowledge of the tools, and poor adaptability into the local context. In Uganda, delivery of basic services is devolved to the District Local Governments through the District Health Teams (DHTs). The Community and District Empowerment for Scale-up (CODES) project aims to provide a set of management tools that aid contextualised priority setting, fund allocation, and problem-solving in a systematic way to improve effective coverage and quality of child survival interventions. Design Although the various tools have previously been used at the national level, the project aims to combine them in an integral way for implementation at the district level. These tools include Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) surveys to generate local evidence, Bottleneck analysis and Causal analysis as analytical tools, Continuous Quality Improvement, and Community Dialogues based on Citizen Report Cards and U reports. The tools enable identification of gaps, prioritisation of possible solutions, and allocation of resources accordingly. This paper presents some of the tools used by the project in five districts in Uganda during the proof-of-concept phase of the project. Results All five districts were trained and participated in LQAS surveys and readily adopted the tools for priority setting and resource allocation. All districts developed health operational work plans, which were based on the evidence and each of the districts implemented more than three of the priority activities which were included in their work plans. Conclusions In the five districts, the CODES project demonstrated that DHTs can adopt and integrate these tools in the planning process by systematically identifying gaps and setting priority interventions for child survival. PMID:27225791

An integrated approach for identifying priority contaminant in ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Environmental assessment of complex mixtures typically requires integration of chemical and biological measurements. This study demonstrates the use of a combination of instrumental chemical analyses, effects-based monitoring, and bio-effects prediction approaches to help identify potential hazards and priority contaminants in two Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs), the Lower Green Bay/Fox River located near Green Bay, WI, USA and the Milwaukee River Estuary, located near Milwaukee, WI, USA. Fathead minnows were caged at four sites within each AOC (eight sites total). Following 4 d of in situ exposure, tissues and biofluids were sampled and used for targeted biological effects analyses. Additionally, 4 d composite water samples were collected concurrently at each caged fish site and analyzed for 134 analytes as well as evaluated for total estrogenic and androgenic activity using cell-based bioassays. Of the analytes examined, 75 were detected in composite samples from at least one site. Based on multiple analyses, one site in the East River and another site near a paper mill discharge from lower Green Bay/Fox River AOC, were prioritized due to their estrogenic and androgenic acitvity, respectively. The water samples from other sites generally did not exhibit significant estrogenic or androgenic activity, nor was there evidence for endocrine disruption in the fish exposed at these sites as indicated the the lack of alterations in ex vivo steroid production, c

Analytical group decision making in natural resources: Methodology and application

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmoldt, D.L.; Peterson, D.L.

2000-01-01

Group decision making is becoming increasingly important in natural resource management and associated scientific applications, because multiple values are treated coincidentally in time and space, multiple resource specialists are needed, and multiple stakeholders must be included in the decision process. Decades of social science research on decision making in groups have provided insights into the impediments to effective group processes and on techniques that can be applied in a group context. Nevertheless, little integration and few applications of these results have occurred in resource management decision processes, where formal groups are integral, either directly or indirectly. A group decision-making methodology is introduced as an effective approach for temporary, formal groups (e.g., workshops). It combines the following three components: (1) brainstorming to generate ideas; (2) the analytic hierarchy process to produce judgments, manage conflict, enable consensus, and plan for implementation; and (3) a discussion template (straw document). Resulting numerical assessments of alternative decision priorities can be analyzed statistically to indicate where group member agreement occurs and where priority values are significantly different. An application of this group process to fire research program development in a workshop setting indicates that the process helps focus group deliberations; mitigates groupthink, nondecision, and social loafing pitfalls; encourages individual interaction; identifies irrational judgments; and provides a large amount of useful quantitative information about group preferences. This approach can help facilitate scientific assessments and other decision-making processes in resource management.

A case study of resources management planning with multiple objectives and projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterson, David L.; Silsbee, David G.; Schmoldt, Daniel L.

1994-09-01

Each National Park Service unit in the United States produces a resources management plan (RMP) every four years or less. The plans commit budgets and personnel to specific projects for four years, but they are prepared with little quantitative and analytical rigor and without formal decision-making tools. We have previously described a multiple objective planning process for inventory and monitoring programs (Schmoldt and others 1994). To test the applicability of that process for the more general needs of resources management planning, we conducted an exercise on the Olympic National Park (NP) in Washington State, USA. Eight projects were selected as typical of those considered in RMPs and five members of the Olympic NP staff used the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to prioritize the eight projects with respect to their implicit management objectives. By altering management priorities for the park, three scenarios were generated. All three contained some similarities in rankings for the eight projects, as well as some differences. Mathematical allocations of money and people differed among these scenarios and differed substantially from what the actual 1990 Olympic NP RMP contains. Combining subjective priority measures with budget dollars and personnel time into an objective function creates a subjective economic metric for comparing different RMP’s. By applying this planning procedure, actual expenditures of budget and personnel in Olympic NP can agree more closely with the staff’s management objectives for the park.

Politics, power and poverty: health for all in 2000 in the Third World?

PubMed

Green, R H

1991-01-01

Health for All by 2000 could become a reality in the Third World countries. On present resource allocation, medical professional and political patterns and trends that is unlikely to happen in more than a few countries. For it to happen requires basic priority shifts to universal access primary health care (including preventative). The main obstacles to such a shift are not absolute resource constraints but medical professional conservatism together with its interaction with elite interests and with political priorities based partly on perceived demand and partly on (largely medical) professional advice. These obstacles are surmountable-as illustrated by divergent performances among countries--but only if education, promotion, efficiency in terms of lives saved and healthy years gained, community participation and political activism for Health for All are more carefully analytically based and pursued more seriously and widely than they have been to date.

Environmental Risk Assessment System for Phosphogypsum Tailing Dams

PubMed Central

Sun, Xin; Tang, Xiaolong; Yi, Honghong; Li, Kai; Zhou, Lianbi; Xu, Xianmang

2013-01-01

This paper may be of particular interest to the readers as it provides a new environmental risk assessment system for phosphogypsum tailing dams. In this paper, we studied the phosphogypsum tailing dams which include characteristics of the pollution source, environmental risk characteristics and evaluation requirements to identify the applicable environmental risk assessment methods. Two analytical methods, that is, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy logic, were used to handle the complexity of the environmental and nonquantitative data. Using our assessment method, different risk factors can be ranked according to their contributions to the environmental risk, thereby allowing the calculation of their relative priorities during decision making. Thus, environmental decision-makers can use this approach to develop alternative management strategies for proposed, ongoing, and completed PG tailing dams. PMID:24382947

Environmental risk assessment system for phosphogypsum tailing dams.

PubMed

Sun, Xin; Ning, Ping; Tang, Xiaolong; Yi, Honghong; Li, Kai; Zhou, Lianbi; Xu, Xianmang

2013-01-01

This paper may be of particular interest to the readers as it provides a new environmental risk assessment system for phosphogypsum tailing dams. In this paper, we studied the phosphogypsum tailing dams which include characteristics of the pollution source, environmental risk characteristics and evaluation requirements to identify the applicable environmental risk assessment methods. Two analytical methods, that is, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy logic, were used to handle the complexity of the environmental and nonquantitative data. Using our assessment method, different risk factors can be ranked according to their contributions to the environmental risk, thereby allowing the calculation of their relative priorities during decision making. Thus, environmental decision-makers can use this approach to develop alternative management strategies for proposed, ongoing, and completed PG tailing dams.

Priority survey between indicators and analytic hierarchy process analysis for green chemistry technology assessment

PubMed Central

Kim, Sungjune; Hong, Seokpyo; Ahn, Kilsoo; Gong, Sungyong

2015-01-01

Objectives This study presents the indicators and proxy variables for the quantitative assessment of green chemistry technologies and evaluates the relative importance of each assessment element by consulting experts from the fields of ecology, chemistry, safety, and public health. Methods The results collected were subjected to an analytic hierarchy process to obtain the weights of the indicators and the proxy variables. Results These weights may prove useful in avoiding having to resort to qualitative means in absence of weights between indicators when integrating the results of quantitative assessment by indicator. Conclusions This study points to the limitations of current quantitative assessment techniques for green chemistry technologies and seeks to present the future direction for quantitative assessment of green chemistry technologies. PMID:26206364

Model Multi Criteria Decision Making with Fuzzy ANP Method for Performance Measurement Small Medium Enterprise (SME)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahmanita, E.; Widyaningrum, V. T.; Kustiyahningsih, Y.; Purnama, J.

2018-04-01

SMEs have a very important role in the development of the economy in Indonesia. SMEs assist the government in terms of creating new jobs and can support household income. The number of SMEs in Madura and the number of measurement indicators in the SME mapping so that it requires a method.This research uses Fuzzy Analytic Network Process (FANP) method for performance measurement SME. The FANP method can handle data that contains uncertainty. There is consistency index in determining decisions. Performance measurement in this study is based on a perspective of the Balanced Scorecard. This research approach integrated internal business perspective, learning, and growth perspective and fuzzy Analytic Network Process (FANP). The results of this research areframework a priority weighting of assessment indicators SME.

36 CFR 230.4 - State program administration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... and set priorities for achieving the goals and objectives identified for the State for each year. (2... planting, maintenance, and improvement, and other high priority practices within the State that will result... appropriate Service Representative; (9) Guidelines for establishing annual priorities for the approval of...

Apparatus for fixing latency

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

Hall, David R; Bartholomew, David B; Moon, Justin

2009-09-08

An apparatus for fixing computational latency within a deterministic region on a network comprises a network interface modem, a high priority module and at least one deterministic peripheral device. The network interface modem is in communication with the network. The high priority module is in communication with the network interface modem. The at least one deterministic peripheral device is connected to the high priority module. The high priority module comprises a packet assembler/disassembler, and hardware for performing at least one operation. Also disclosed is an apparatus for executing at least one instruction on a downhole device within a deterministic region,more » the apparatus comprising a control device, a downhole network, and a downhole device. The control device is near the surface of a downhole tool string. The downhole network is integrated into the tool string. The downhole device is in communication with the downhole network.« less

Final priority; Rehabilitation Services Administration--Assistive Technology Alternative Financing Program. Final priority.

PubMed

2014-08-14

The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services announces a priority under the Assistive Technology Alternative Financing Program administered by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). The Assistant Secretary may use this priority for competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2014 and later years. This priority is designed to ensure that the Department funds high-quality assistive technology (AT) alternative financing programs (AFPs) that meet rigorous standards in order to enable individuals with disabilities to access and acquire assistive technology devices and services necessary to achieve education, community living, and employment goals.

Norepinephrine ignites local hotspots of neuronal excitation: How arousal amplifies selectivity in perception and memory.

PubMed

Mather, Mara; Clewett, David; Sakaki, Michiko; Harley, Carolyn W

2016-01-01

Emotional arousal enhances perception and memory of high-priority information but impairs processing of other information. Here, we propose that, under arousal, local glutamate levels signal the current strength of a representation and interact with norepinephrine (NE) to enhance high priority representations and out-compete or suppress lower priority representations. In our "glutamate amplifies noradrenergic effects" (GANE) model, high glutamate at the site of prioritized representations increases local NE release from the locus coeruleus (LC) to generate "NE hotspots." At these NE hotspots, local glutamate and NE release are mutually enhancing and amplify activation of prioritized representations. In contrast, arousal-induced LC activity inhibits less active representations via two mechanisms: 1) Where there are hotspots, lateral inhibition is amplified; 2) Where no hotspots emerge, NE levels are only high enough to activate low-threshold inhibitory adrenoreceptors. Thus, LC activation promotes a few hotspots of excitation in the context of widespread suppression, enhancing high priority representations while suppressing the rest. Hotspots also help synchronize oscillations across neural ensembles transmitting high-priority information. Furthermore, brain structures that detect stimulus priority interact with phasic NE release to preferentially route such information through large-scale functional brain networks. A surge of NE before, during, or after encoding enhances synaptic plasticity at NE hotspots, triggering local protein synthesis processes that enhance selective memory consolidation. Together, these noradrenergic mechanisms promote selective attention and memory under arousal. GANE not only reconciles apparently contradictory findings in the emotion-cognition literature but also extends previous influential theories of LC neuromodulation by proposing specific mechanisms for how LC-NE activity increases neural gain.

Mental health education in occupational therapy professional preparation programs: Alignment between clinician priorities and coverage in university curricula.

PubMed

Scanlan, Justin Newton; Meredith, Pamela J; Haracz, Kirsti; Ennals, Priscilla; Pépin, Geneviève; Webster, Jayne S; Arblaster, Karen; Wright, Shelley

2017-12-01

Occupational therapy programs must prepare graduates for work in mental health. However, this area of practice is complex and rapidly changing. This study explored the alignment between educational priorities identified by occupational therapists practising in mental health and level of coverage of these topics in occupational therapy programs in Australia and New Zealand. Surveys were distributed to heads of all occupational therapy programs across Australia and New Zealand. The survey included educational priorities identified by occupational therapists in mental health from a previous study. Respondents were requested to identify the level of coverage given to each of these priorities within their curriculum. These data were analysed to determine a ranking of educational topics in terms of level of coverage in university programs. Responses were received for 19 programs from 16 universities. Thirty-four topics were given 'High-level coverage' in university programs, and these were compared against the 29 topics classified as 'Essential priorities' by clinicians. Twenty topics were included in both the 'Essential priorities' and 'High-level coverage' categories. Topics considered to be 'Essential priorities' by clinicians which were not given 'High-level coverage' in university programs included the following: mental health fieldwork experiences; risk assessment and management; professional self-care resilience and sensory approaches. While there appears to be overall good alignment between mental health curricula and priorities identified by practising occupational therapists, there are some discrepancies. These discrepancies are described and establish a strong foundation for further discussion between clinicians, academics and university administration to support curriculum review and revision. © 2017 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Establishing research priorities for patient safety in emergency medicine: a multidisciplinary consensus panel.

PubMed

Plint, Amy C; Stang, Antonia S; Calder, Lisa A

2015-01-01

Patient safety in the context of emergency medicine is a relatively new field of study. To date, no broad research agenda for patient safety in emergency medicine has been established. The objective of this study was to establish patient safety-related research priorities for emergency medicine. These priorities would provide a foundation for high-quality research, important direction to both researchers and health-care funders, and an essential step in improving health-care safety and patient outcomes in the high-risk emergency department (ED) setting. A four-phase consensus procedure with a multidisciplinary expert panel was organized to identify, assess, and agree on research priorities for patient safety in emergency medicine. The 19-member panel consisted of clinicians, administrators, and researchers from adult and pediatric emergency medicine, patient safety, pharmacy, and mental health; as well as representatives from patient safety organizations. In phase 1, we developed an initial list of potential research priorities by electronically surveying a purposeful and convenience sample of patient safety experts, ED clinicians, administrators, and researchers from across North America using contact lists from multiple organizations. We used simple content analysis to remove duplication and categorize the research priorities identified by survey respondents. Our expert panel reached consensus on a final list of research priorities through an in-person meeting (phase 3) and two rounds of a modified Delphi process (phases 2 and 4). After phases 1 and 2, 66 unique research priorities were identified for expert panel review. At the end of phase 4, consensus was reached for 15 research priorities. These priorities represent four themes: (1) methods to identify patient safety issues (five priorities), (2) understanding human and environmental factors related to patient safety (four priorities), (3) the patient perspective (one priority), and (4) interventions for improving patient safety (five priorities). This study established expert, consensus-based research priorities for patient safety in emergency medicine. This framework could be used by researchers and health-care funders and represents an essential guiding step towards enhancing quality of care and patient safety in the ED.

Which family physician should I choose? The analytic hierarchy process approach for ranking of criteria in the selection of a family physician.

PubMed

Kuruoglu, Emel; Guldal, Dilek; Mevsim, Vildan; Gunvar, Tolga

2015-08-05

Choosing the most appropriate family physician (FP) for the individual, plays a fundamental role in primary care. The aim of this study is to determine the selection criteria for the patients in choosing their family doctors and priority ranking of these criteria by using the multi-criteria decision-making method of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) model. The study was planned and conducted in two phases. In the first phase, factors affecting the patients' decisions were revealed with a qualitative research. In the next phase, the priorities of FP selection criteria were determined by using AHP model. Criteria were compared in pairs. 96 patient were asked to fill the information forms which contains comparison scores in the Family Health Centres. According to the analysis of focus group discussions FP selection criteria were congregated in to five groups: Individual Characteristics, Patient-Doctor relationship, Professional characteristics, the Setting, and Ethical Characteristics. For each of the 96 participants, comparison matrixes were formed based on the scores of their information forms. Of these, models of only 5 (5.2 %) of the participants were consistent, in other words, they have been able to score consistent ranking. The consistency ratios (CR) were found to be smaller than 0.10. Therefore the comparison matrix of this new model, which was formed based on the medians of scores only given by these 5 participants, was consistent (CR = 0.06 < 0.10). According to comparison results; with a 0.467 value-weight, the most important criterion for choosing a family physician is his/her 'Professional characteristics'. Selection criteria for choosing a FP were put in a priority order by using AHP model. These criteria can be used as measures for selecting alternative FPs in further researches.

Comparative evaluation of liquid-liquid extraction, solid-phase extraction and solid-phase microextraction for the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry determination of multiclass priority organic contaminants in wastewater.

PubMed

Robles-Molina, José; Gilbert-López, Bienvenida; García-Reyes, Juan F; Molina-Díaz, Antonio

2013-12-15

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60/EC establishes guidelines to control the pollution of surface water by sorting out a list of priority substances that involves a significant risk to or via the aquatic systems. In this article, the analytical performance of three different sample preparation methodologies for the GC-MS/MS determination of multiclass organic contaminants-including priority comprounds from the WFD-in wastewater samples using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was evaluated. The methodologies tested were: (a) liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) with n-hexane; (b) solid-phase extraction (SPE) with C18 cartridges and elution with ethyl acetate:dichloromethane (1:1 (v/v)), and (c) headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) using two different fibers: polyacrylate and polydimethylsiloxane/carboxen/divinilbenzene. Identification and confirmation of the selected 57 compounds included in the study (comprising polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides and other contaminants) were accomplished using gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) with a triple quadrupole instrument operated in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. Three MS/MS transitions were selected for unambiguous confirmation of the target chemicals. The different advantages and pitfalls of each method were discussed. In the case of both LLE and SPE procedures, the method was validated at two different concentration levels (15 and 150 ng L(-1)) obtaining recovery rates in the range 70-120% for most of the target compounds. In terms of analyte coverage, results with HS-SPME were not satisfactory, since 14 of the compounds tested were not properly recovered and the overall performance was worse than the other two methods tested. LLE, SPE and HS-SPME (using polyacrylate fiber) procedures also showed good linearity and precision. Using any of the three methodologies tested, limits of quantitation obtained for most of the detected compounds were in the low nanogram per liter range. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Methods used to characterize the chemical composition and biological activity of environmental waters throughout the United States, 2012-14

USGS Publications Warehouse

Romanok, Kristin M.; Reilly, Timothy J.; Barber, Larry B.; Boone, J. Scott; Buxton, Herbert T.; Foreman, William T.; Furlong, Edward T.; Hladik, Michelle; Iwanowicz, Luke R.; Journey, Celeste A.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Kuivila, Kathryn; Loftin, Keith A.; Mills, Marc A.; Meyer, Michael T.; Orlando, James L.; Smalling, Kelly L.; Villeneuve, Daniel L.; Bradley, Paul M.

2017-03-22

A vast array of chemical compounds are in wide commercial use in the United States, and the potential ecological and human-health effect of exposure to chemical mixtures has been identified as a high priority in environment health science. Awareness of the potential effects of low-level chemical exposures is rising. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, conducted a study in which samples were collected from 38 streams in 25 States to provide an overview of contaminants found in stream water across the Nation. Additionally, biological screening assays were used to help determine any potential ecological and human-health effects of these chemical mixtures and to prioritize target chemicals for future toxicological studies. This report describes the site locations and the sampling and analytical methods and quality-assurance procedures used in the study.

Landscape Management of Public Open Space in Bogor Heritage City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pusparini, F. D.; Nurhayati; Arifin, H. S.

2017-10-01

Public open space landscape plays important role in Bogor Heritage City. Although these spaces can carry various kind of public activities and enhance environment quality, they are fragile to disturbance and changing due to city development. Therefore, as an effort to maintain public open space landscape in 8 zones within Heritage City of Bogor, management of public open space landscape is necessary. Syntesys of public open space landscape management had held by using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The AHP result showed public open space landscape in Palace and Botanical Garden of Bogor zone (20%) is in high priority to be maintained. The other zone are Situ Gede (16,9%), Plan Karsten (12,3%), European Settlement (12%), Suryakencana (11,2%), Batu Tulis (10,2%), Empang (9.2%) and West Development (8,2%). Ecological function (34,8%) becomes the most important function to be maintained (34.8%) then social culture (31.2%), economic (17%), and aesthetics (17%).

APPLICATION OF US EPA METHODS TO THE ANALYSIS OF ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

An emerging area of research concerns pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the environment and their possible impact on biota and ecosystems. The long term effects of constant perfusion of PPCPs into the aquatic environment are presently unknown. Some compounds are known to have physiological effects on nontarget biota at extremely low concentrations (e.g., estrogens and estrogenic mimics and certain antidepressants) (1). Among the possible target analytes are several compounds possessing chemical structures that are resistant to microbial degradation and/or capable of being bioaccumulated. Acidic metabolites of pharmaceuticals present one type of analyte that appear in the effluent of many publically operated treatment facilities. The subject of the present study is to assess the potential exposure of biota and associated ecosystems to these compounds. This study is a first step in an overall strategy to understand the fate and transport of these compounds in the affected environment. Such studies are mission relevant and given high priority since the Environmental Chemistry Branch of the Environmental Sciences Division is charged with the assessment of emerging areas of risk under Strategic Plan 2000 for the Environmental Protection Agency Clofibric acid [2-(4-chlorophenoxy)-2-methylpropanoic] acid is the bioactive metabolite of various lipid regulating pro-drugs (1). Its structure is suggestive of chlorophenoxy acid herbicides (it is in fact an isome

Factors explaining priority setting at community mental health centres: a quantitative analysis of referral assessments.

PubMed

Grepperud, Sverre; Holman, Per Arne; Wangen, Knut Reidar

2014-12-14

Clinicians at Norwegian community mental health centres assess referrals from general practitioners and classify them into three priority groups (high priority, low priority, and refusal) according to need where need is defined by three prioritization criteria (severity, effect, and cost-effectiveness). In this study, we seek to operationalize the three criteria and analyze to what extent they have an effect on clinical-level priority setting after controlling for clinician characteristics and organisational factors. Twenty anonymous referrals were rated by 42 admission team members employed at 14 community mental health centres in the South-East Health Region of Norway. Intra-class correlation coefficients were calculated and logistic regressions were performed. Variation in clinicians' assessments of the three criteria was highest for effect and cost-effectiveness. An ordered logistic regression model showed that all three criteria for prioritization, three clinician characteristics (education, being a manager or not, and "guideline awareness"), and the centres themselves (fixed effects), explained priority decisions. The relative importance of the explanatory factors, however, depended on the priority decision studied. For the classification of all admitted patients into high- and low-priority groups, all clinician characteristics became insignificant. For the classification of patients, into those admitted and non-admitted, one criterion (effect) and "being a manager or not" became insignificant, while profession ("being a psychiatrist") became significant. Our findings suggest that variation in priority decisions can be reduced by: (i) reducing the disagreement in clinicians' assessments of cost-effectiveness and effect, and (ii) restricting priority decisions to clinicians with a similar background (education, being a manager or not, and "guideline awareness").

Advanced In-Space Propulsion: "Exploring the Solar System"

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Les

2003-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews a number of advanced propulsion technologies for interplanetary spacecraft. The objective of the In Space Propulsion Technology Projects Office is to develop in-space propulsion technologies that can enable and/or benefit near and mid-term NASA science missions by significantly reducing cost, mass, and/or travel times. The technologies profiled are divided into several categories: High Priority (aerocapture, next generation ion propulsion, solar sails); Medium Priority (advanced chemical propulsion, solar electric propulsion, Hall thrusters); Low Priority (solar thermal propulsion); and High Payoff/High Risk (1 g/sq m solar sails, momentum exchange tethers, and plasma sails).

Strategic workload management and decision biases in aviation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raby, Mireille; Wickens, Christopher D.

1994-01-01

Thirty pilots flew three simulated landing approaches under conditions of low, medium, and high workload. Workload conditions were created by varying time pressure and external communications requirements. Our interest was in how the pilots strategically managed or adapted to the increasing workload. We independently assessed the pilot's ranking of the priority of different discrete tasks during the approach and landing. Pilots were found to sacrifice some aspects of primary flight control as workload increased. For discrete tasks, increasing workload increased the amount of time in performing the high priority tasks, decreased the time in performing those of lowest priority, and did not affect duration of performance episodes or optimality of scheduling of tasks of any priority level. Individual differences analysis revealed that high-performing subjects scheduled discrete tasks earlier in the flight and shifted more often between different activities.

Use of Activated Carbon to Control Volatilization of Organic Contaminants from the Indiana Harbor Confined Disposal Facility

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

PAHs (17 priority pollutant PAHs) were extracted from sediment by USEPA SW-846 Method 3545 and analyzed by gas chromatography /mass spectrometry...slurry at concentrations of 0.025, 0.05, and 0.10 g/L. The carbon- sediment mixture was equilibrated by tumbling in zero headspace jars for 15 minutes...cooled injection gas chromatography injection system at -40 °C. Once the analytes were transferred, the injection port was heated to 240 °C and

Radioactivity and Environmental Security in the Oceans: New Research and Policy Priorities in the Arctic and North Atlantic

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-06-09

within the framework of an update for the computer database "DiaNIK" which has been developed at the Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical...chemical thermodynamic data for minerals and mineral-forming substances. The structure of thermodynamic database "DiaNIK" is based on the principles...in the database . A substantial portion of the thermodynamic values recommended by "DiaNIK" experts for the substances in User Version 3.1 resulted from

Priority Techniques for High Occupancy Vehicles : State-of-the-Art Overview

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1975-11-01

The report, part of a series of publications based on research and development efforts is a concise state-of-the-art overview of priority techniques for high occupancy vehicles (buses, carpools, and vanpools). The report identifies and summarizes sel...

Cave Conservation Priority Index to Adopt a Rapid Protection Strategy: A Case Study in Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Souza Silva, Marconi; Martins, Rogério Parentoni; Ferreira, Rodrigo Lopes

2015-02-01

Cave environments are characterized by possessing specialized fauna living in high environmental stability with limited food conditions. These fauna are highly vulnerable to impacts, because this condition can frequently be easily altered. Moreover, environmental determinants of the biodiversity patterns of caves remain poorly understood and protected. Therefore, the main goal of this work is to propose a cave conservation priority index (CCPi) for a rapid assessment for troglobiotic and troglophile protection. Furthermore, the troglobiotic diversity, distribution and threats have been mapped in the Brazilian Atlantic forest. To propose the CCPi, the human impacts and richness of troglobiotic and troglophile species of 100 caves were associated. Data related to troglomorphic/troglobiotic fauna from another 200 caves were used to map the troglobiotic diversity and distribution. The CCPi reveals extremely high conservation priority for 15 % of the caves, high for 36 % and average for 46 % of the caves. Fourteen caves with extremely high priorities should have urgent conservation and management actions. The geographical distribution of the 221 known troglobiotic/troglomorphic species allowed us to select 19 karst areas that need conservation actions. Seven areas were considered to have urgent priority for conservation actions. The two richest areas correspond to the "iron quadrangle" with iron ore caves (67 spp.) and the "Açungui limestone group" (56 spp.). Both areas have several caves and are important aquifers. The use of the CCPi can prevent future losses because it helps assessors to select caves with priorities for conservation which should receive emergency attention in relation to protection, management and conservation actions.

Direct plan comparison of RapidArc and CyberKnife for spine stereotactic body radiation therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Young Eun; Kwak, Jungwon; Song, Si Yeol; Choi, Eun Kyung; Ahn, Seung Do; Cho, Byungchul

2015-07-01

We compared the treatment planning performance of RapidArc (RA) vs. CyberKnife (CK) for spinal stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). Ten patients with spinal lesions who had been treated with CK were re-planned with RA, which consisted of two complete arcs. Computed tomography (CT) and volumetric dose data of CK, generated using the Multiplan (Accuray) treatment planning system (TPS) and the Ray-trace algorithm, were imported to Varian Eclipse TPS in Dicom format, and the data were compared with the RA plan by using an analytical anisotropic algorithm (AAA) dose calculation. The optimized dose priorities for both the CK and the RA plans were similar for all patients. The highest priority was to provide enough dose coverage to the planned target volume (PTV) while limiting the maximum dose to the spinal cord. Plan quality was evaluated with respect to PTV coverage, conformity index (CI), high-dose spillage, intermediate-dose spillage (R50% and D2cm), and maximum dose to the spinal cord, which are criteria recommended by the RTOG 0631 spine and 0915 lung SBRT protocols. The mean CI' SD values of the PTV were 1.11' 0.03 and 1.17' 0.10 for RA and CK ( p = 0.02), respectively. On average, the maximum dose delivered to the spinal cord in CK plans was approximately 11.6% higher than that in RA plans, and this difference was statistically significant ( p < 0.001). High-dose spillages were 0.86% and 2.26% for RA and CK ( p = 0.203), respectively. Intermediate-dose spillage characterized by D2cm was lower for RA than for CK; however, R50% was not statistically different. Even though both systems can create highly conformal volumetric dose distributions, the current study shows that RA demonstrates lower high- and intermediate-dose spillages than CK. Therefore, RA plans for spinal SBRT may be superior to CK plans.

Interactions between visual working memory representations.

PubMed

Bae, Gi-Yeul; Luck, Steven J

2017-11-01

We investigated whether the representations of different objects are maintained independently in working memory or interact with each other. Observers were shown two sequentially presented orientations and required to reproduce each orientation after a delay. The sequential presentation minimized perceptual interactions so that we could isolate interactions between memory representations per se. We found that similar orientations were repelled from each other whereas dissimilar orientations were attracted to each other. In addition, when one of the items was given greater attentional priority by means of a cue, the representation of the high-priority item was not influenced very much by the orientation of the low-priority item, but the representation of the low-priority item was strongly influenced by the orientation of the high-priority item. This indicates that attention modulates the interactions between working memory representations. In addition, errors in the reported orientations of the two objects were positively correlated under some conditions, suggesting that representations of distinct objects may become grouped together in memory. Together, these results demonstrate that working-memory representations are not independent but instead interact with each other in a manner that depends on attentional priority.

Two-Step Resonance-Enhanced Desorption Laser Mass Spectrometry for In Situ Analysis of Organic-Rich Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Getty, S. A.; Grubisic, A.; Uckert, K.; Li, X.; Cornish, T.; Cook, J. E.; Brinckerhoff, W. B.

2016-01-01

A wide diversity of planetary surfaces in the solar system represent high priority targets for in situ compositional and contextual analysis as part of future missions. The planned mission portfolio will inform our knowledge of the chemistry at play on Mars, icy moons, comets, and primitive asteroids, which can lead to advances in our understanding of the interplay between inorganic and organic building blocks that led to the evolution of habitable environments on Earth and beyond. In many of these environments, the presence of water or aqueously altered mineralogy is an important indicator of habitable environments that are present or may have been present in the past. As a result, the search for complex organic chemistry that may imply the presence of a feedstock, if not an inventory of biosignatures, is naturally aligned with targeted analyses of water-rich surface materials. Here we describe the two-step laser mass spectrometry (L2MS) analytical technique that has seen broad application in the study of organics in meteoritic samples, now demonstrated to be compatible with an in situ investigation with technique improvements to target high priority planetary environments as part of a future scientific payload. An ultraviolet (UV) pulsed laser is used in previous and current embodiments of laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDMS) to produce ionized species traceable to the mineral and organic composition of a planetary surface sample. L2MS, an advanced technique in laser mass spectrometry, is selective to the aromatic organic fraction of a complex sample, which can provide additional sensitivity and confidence in the detection of specific compound structures. Use of a compact two-step laser mass spectrometer prototype has been previously reported to provide specificity to key aromatic species, such as PAHs, nucleobases, and certain amino acids. Recent improvements in this technique have focused on the interaction between the mineral matrix and the organic analyte. The majority of planetary targets of astrobiological interest are characterized by the presence of water or hydrated mineral phases. Water signatures can indicate a history of available liquid water that may have played an important role in the chemical environment of these planetary surfaces and subsurfaces. The studies we report here investigate the influence of water content on the detectability of organics by L2MS in planetary analog samples.

Risk prioritisation using the analytic hierarchy process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sum, Rabihah Md.

2015-12-01

This study demonstrated how to use the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to prioritise risks of an insurance company. AHP is a technique to structure complex problems by arranging elements of the problems in a hierarchy, assigning numerical values to subjective judgements on the relative importance of the elements and synthesizing the judgements to determine which elements have the highest priority. The study is motivated by wide application of AHP as a prioritisation technique in complex problems. It aims to show AHP is able to minimise some limitations of risk assessment technique using likelihood and impact. The study shows AHP is able to provide consistency check on subjective judgements, organise a large number of risks into a structured framework, assist risk managers to make explicit risk trade-offs, and provide an easy to understand and systematic risk assessment process.

Surface-enhanced Raman for monitoring toxins in water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spencer, Kevin M.; Sylvia, James M.; Clauson, Susan L.; Bertone, Jane F.; Christesen, Steven D.

2004-02-01

Protection of the drinking water supply from a terrorist attack is of critical importance. Since the water supply is vast, contamination prevention is difficult. Therefore, rapid detection of contaminants, whether a military chemical/biological threat, a hazardous chemical spill, naturally occurring toxins, or bacterial build-up is a priority. The development of rapid environmentally portable and stable monitors that allow continuous monitoring of the water supply is ideal. EIC Laboratories has been developing Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) to detect chemical agents, toxic industrial chemicals (TICs), viruses, cyanotoxins and bacterial agents. SERS is an ideal technique for the Joint Service Agent Water Monitor (JSAWM). SERS uses the enhanced Raman signals observed when an analyte adsorbs to a roughened metal substrate to enable trace detection. Proper development of the metal substrate will optimize the sensitivity and selectivity towards the analytes of interest.

Market segmentation using perceived constraints

Treesearch

Jinhee Jun; Gerard Kyle; Andrew Mowen

2008-01-01

We examined the practical utility of segmenting potential visitors to Cleveland Metroparks using their constraint profiles. Our analysis identified three segments based on their scores on the dimensions of constraints: Other priorities--visitors who scored the highest on 'other priorities' dimension; Highly Constrained--visitors who scored relatively high on...

Full value documentation in the Czech Food Composition Database.

PubMed

Machackova, M; Holasova, M; Maskova, E

2010-11-01

The aim of this project was to launch a new Food Composition Database (FCDB) Programme in the Czech Republic; to implement a methodology for food description and value documentation according to the standards designed by the European Food Information Resource (EuroFIR) Network of Excellence; and to start the compilation of a pilot FCDB. Foods for the initial data set were selected from the list of foods included in the Czech Food Consumption Basket. Selection of 24 priority components was based on the range of components used in former Czech tables. The priority list was extended with components for which original Czech analytical data or calculated data were available. Values that were input into the compiled database were documented according to the EuroFIR standards within the entities FOOD, COMPONENT, VALUE and REFERENCE using Excel sheets. Foods were described using the LanguaL Thesaurus. A template for documentation of data according to the EuroFIR standards was designed. The initial data set comprised documented data for 162 foods. Values were based on original Czech analytical data (available for traditional and fast foods, milk and milk products, wheat flour types), data derived from literature (for example, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, eggs) and calculated data. The Czech FCDB programme has been successfully relaunched. Inclusion of the Czech data set into the EuroFIR eSearch facility confirmed compliance of the database format with the EuroFIR standards. Excel spreadsheets are applicable for full value documentation in the FCDB.

National baselines for the Sustainable Development Goals assessed in the SDG Index and Dashboards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt-Traub, Guido; Kroll, Christian; Teksoz, Katerina; Durand-Delacre, David; Sachs, Jeffrey D.

2017-08-01

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) -- agreed in 2015 by all 193 member states of the United Nations and complemented by commitments made in the Paris Agreement -- map out a broad spectrum of economic, social and environmental objectives to be achieved by 2030. Reaching these goals will require deep transformations in every country, as well as major efforts in monitoring and measuring progress. Here we introduce the SDG Index and Dashboards as analytical tools for assessing countries' baselines for the SDGs that can be applied by researchers in the cross-disciplinary analyses required for implementation. The Index and Dashboards synthesize available country-level data for all 17 goals, and for each country estimate the size of the gap towards achieving the SDGs. They will be updated annually. All 149 countries for which sufficient data is available face significant challenges in achieving the goals, and many countries' development strategies are imbalanced across the economic, social and environmental priorities. We illustrate the analytical value of the index by examining its relationship with other widely used development indices and by showing how it accounts for cross-national differences in subjective well-being. Given significant data gaps, scope and coverage of the Index and Dashboards are limited, but we suggest that these analyses represent a starting point for a comprehensive assessment of national SDG baselines and can help policymakers determine priorities for early action and monitor progress. The tools also identify data gaps that must be closed for SDG monitoring.

Trace metals accumulation in soil irrigated with polluted water and assessment of human health risk from vegetable consumption in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Islam, Md Atikul; Romić, Davor; Akber, Md Ali; Romić, Marija

2018-02-01

Trace metals accumulation in soil irrigated with polluted water and human health risk from vegetable consumption was assessed based on the data available in the literature on metals pollution of water, soil, sediment and vegetables from the cites of Bangladesh. The quantitative data on metal concentrations, their contamination levels and their pollution sources have not been systematically gathered and studied so far. The data on metal concentrations, sources, contamination levels, sample collection and analytical tools used were collected, compared and discussed. The USEPA-recommended method for health risk assessment was used to estimate human risk from vegetable consumption. Concentrations of metals in water were highly variable, and the mean concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu and As in water were found to be higher than the FAO irrigation water quality standard. In most cases, mean concentrations of metals in soil were higher than the Bangladesh background value. Based on geoaccumulation index (I geo ) values, soils of Dhaka city are considered as highly contaminated. The I geo shows Cd, As, Cu, Ni, Pb and Cr contamination of agricultural soils and sediments of the cities all over the Bangladesh. Polluted water irrigation and agrochemicals are identified as dominant sources of metals in agricultural soils. Vegetable contamination by metals poses both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks to the public. Based on the results of the pollution and health risk assessments, Cd, As, Cr, Cu, Pb and Ni are identified as the priority control metals and the Dhaka city is recommended as the priority control city. This study provides quantitative evidence demonstrating the critical need for strengthened wastewater discharge regulations in order to protect residents from heavy metal discharges into the environment.

Final priority; National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research--Research Fellowships Program (also known as the Mary E. Switzer Research Fellowships). Final priority.

PubMed

2014-07-28

The Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services announces a priority for the Research Fellowships Program administered by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). Specifically, this notice announces a priority for a Distinguished Residential Disability and Rehabilitation Policy Fellowship. We take this action to focus attention on an area of national need. We intend the priority to build research capacity by providing support to highly qualified, experienced researchers, including those who are individuals with disabilities, to conduct policy research in the areas of disability and rehabilitation.

The Big Rocks: Priority Management for Principals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, Kim

2008-01-01

How can a dedicated principal work really, really hard but fail to get significant gains in student achievement? The answer is obvious: by spending too much time on the wrong things and not enough on the right things. The principal's number-one priority is zeroing in on the highest-priority activities for bringing all students to high levels of…

Online analysis of chlorine stable isotopes in chlorinated ethylenes: an inter-laboratory study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernstein, Anat; Shouakar-Stash, Orfan; Hunkeler, Daniel; Sakaguchi-Söder, Kaori; Laskov, Christine; Aravena, Ramon; Elsner, Martin

2010-05-01

In the last decade, compound-specific stable isotopes analysis of groundwater pollutants became an important tool to identify different sources of the same pollutant and for tracking natural attenuating processes in the sub-surface. It has been shown that trends in the isotopic composition of the target compounds can shed light on in-situ processes that are otherwise difficult to track. Analytical methods of carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen were established and are by now frequently used for a variety of organic pollutants. Yet, the motivation of introducing analytical methods for new isotopes is emerging. This motivation is further enhanced, as advantages of using two or more stable isotopes for gaining better insight on degradation pathways are well accepted. One important element which demands the development of appropriate analytical methods is chlorine, which is found in various groups of organic pollutants, among them the chlorinated ethylenes. Chlorinated ethylenes are considered as high priority environmental pollutants, and the development of suitable chlorine isotope methods for this group of pollutants is highly desired. Ideally, stable isotope techniques should have the capability to determine the isotopic composition of and individual target compound in a non-pure mixture, without the requirement of a laborious off-line treatment. Indeed, in the last years two different concepts for on-line chlorine isotope analysis methods were introduced, by using either a standard quadrapole GC/MS (Sakaguchi-Söder et al., 2007) or by using a GC/IRMS (Shouakar-Stash et al., 2006). We present a comparison of the performances of two concepts, carried out in five different laboratories: Waterloo (GC/IRMS), Neuchâtel (GC/MS), Darmstadt (GC/MS), Tübingen (GC/MS) and Munich (GC/IRMS). This comparison was performed on pure trichloroethylene and dichloroethylene products of different manufactures, as well as trichloroethylene and dichloroethylene samples that were exposed to biodegradation. This study sets standards for further application of these techniques to distinguish sources and track degradation processes in the sub-surface.

Integrated approach for prioritizing watersheds for management: a study of lidder catchment of kashmir himalayas.

PubMed

Malik, Mohammad Imran; Bhat, M Sultan

2014-12-01

The Himalayan watersheds are susceptible to various forms of degradation due to their sensitive and fragile ecological disposition coupled with increasing anthropogenic disturbances. Owing to the paucity of appropriate technology and financial resources, the prioritization of watersheds has become an inevitable process for effective planning and management of natural resources. Lidder catchment constitutes a segment of the western Himalayas with an area of 1,159.38 km(2). The study is based on integrated analysis of remote sensing, geographic information system, field study, and socioeconomic data. Multicriteria evaluation of geophysical, land-use and land-cover (LULC) change, and socioeconomic indicators is carried out to prioritize watersheds for natural resource conservation and management. Knowledge-based weights and ranks are normalized, and weighted linear combination technique is adopted to determine final priority value. The watersheds are classified into four priority zones (very high priority, high priority, medium priority, and low priority) on the basis of quartiles of the priority value, thus indicating their ecological status in terms of degradation caused by anthropogenic disturbances. The correlation between priority ranks of individual indicators and integrated indicators is drawn. The results reveal that socioeconomic indicators are the most important drivers of LULC change and environmental degradation in the catchment. Moreover, the magnitude and intensity of anthropogenic impact is not uniform in different watersheds of Lidder catchment. Therefore, any conservation and management strategy must be formulated on the basis of watershed prioritization.

Integrated Approach for Prioritizing Watersheds for Management: A Study of Lidder Catchment of Kashmir Himalayas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malik, Mohammad Imran; Bhat, M. Sultan

2014-12-01

The Himalayan watersheds are susceptible to various forms of degradation due to their sensitive and fragile ecological disposition coupled with increasing anthropogenic disturbances. Owing to the paucity of appropriate technology and financial resources, the prioritization of watersheds has become an inevitable process for effective planning and management of natural resources. Lidder catchment constitutes a segment of the western Himalayas with an area of 1,159.38 km2. The study is based on integrated analysis of remote sensing, geographic information system, field study, and socioeconomic data. Multicriteria evaluation of geophysical, land-use and land-cover (LULC) change, and socioeconomic indicators is carried out to prioritize watersheds for natural resource conservation and management. Knowledge-based weights and ranks are normalized, and weighted linear combination technique is adopted to determine final priority value. The watersheds are classified into four priority zones (very high priority, high priority, medium priority, and low priority) on the basis of quartiles of the priority value, thus indicating their ecological status in terms of degradation caused by anthropogenic disturbances. The correlation between priority ranks of individual indicators and integrated indicators is drawn. The results reveal that socioeconomic indicators are the most important drivers of LULC change and environmental degradation in the catchment. Moreover, the magnitude and intensity of anthropogenic impact is not uniform in different watersheds of Lidder catchment. Therefore, any conservation and management strategy must be formulated on the basis of watershed prioritization.

Comparative evaluation of the potential impact of rotavirus versus HPV vaccination in GAVI-eligible countries: a preliminary analysis focused on the relative disease burden.

PubMed

Kim, Sun-Young; Sweet, Steven; Chang, Joshua; Goldie, Sue J

2011-06-16

Immunization policymakers at global and local levels need to establish priorities among new vaccines competing for limited resources. However, comparison of the potential impact of single vaccination programs is challenging, primarily due to the limited number of vaccine analyses as well as their differing analytic approaches and reporting formats. The purpose of this study is to provide early insight into how the comparative impact of different new vaccines could be assessed in resource-poor settings with respect to affordability, cost-effectiveness, and distributional equity. We compared the health, economic, and financial consequences of introducing the two vaccines in 72 GAVI-eligible countries using a number of different outcome measures to evaluate affordability, cost-effectiveness, and distributional equity. We use simple static models to standardize the analytic framework and improve comparability between the two new vaccines. These simple models were validated by leveraging previously developed, more complex models for rotavirus and human papillomavirus (HPV). With 70% coverage of a single-age cohort of infants and pre-adolescent girls, the lives saved with rotavirus (~274,000) and HPV vaccines (~286,000) are similar, although the timing of averted mortality differs; rotavirus-attributable deaths occur in close proximity to infection, while HPV-related cancer deaths occur largely after age 30. Deaths averted per 1000 vaccinated are 5.2 (rotavirus) and 12.6 (HPV). Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted were ~7.15 million (rotavirus) and ~1.30 million (HPV), reflecting the greater influence of discounting on the latter, given the lagtime between vaccination and averted cancer. In most countries (68 for rotavirus and 66 for HPV, at the cost of I$25 per vaccinated individual) the incremental cost per DALY averted was lower than each country's GDP per capita. Financial resources required for vaccination with rotavirus are higher than with HPV since both genders are vaccinated. While lifesaving benefits of rotavirus and HPV vaccines will be realized at different times, the number of lives saved over each target populations' lifetimes will be similar. Model-based analyses that use a standardized analytic approach and generate comparable outputs can enrich the priority-setting dialogue. Although new vaccines may be deemed cost-effective, other factors including affordability and distributional equity need to be considered in different settings. We caution that for priority setting in an individual country, more rigorous comparisons should be performed, using more comprehensive models and considering all relevant vaccines and delivery strategies.

Decision-Oriented Health Technology Assessment: One Step Forward in Supporting the Decision-Making Process in Hospitals.

PubMed

Ritrovato, Matteo; Faggiano, Francesco C; Tedesco, Giorgia; Derrico, Pietro

2015-06-01

This article outlines the Decision-Oriented Health Technology Assessment: a new implementation of the European network for Health Technology Assessment Core Model, integrating the multicriteria decision-making analysis by using the analytic hierarchy process to introduce a standardized methodological approach as a valued and shared tool to support health care decision making within a hospital. Following the Core Model as guidance (European network for Health Technology Assessment. HTA core model for medical and surgical interventions. Available from: http://www.eunethta.eu/outputs/hta-core-model-medical-and-surgical-interventions-10r. [Accessed May 27, 2014]), it is possible to apply the analytic hierarchy process to break down a problem into its constituent parts and identify priorities (i.e., assigning a weight to each part) in a hierarchical structure. Thus, it quantitatively compares the importance of multiple criteria in assessing health technologies and how the alternative technologies perform in satisfying these criteria. The verbal ratings are translated into a quantitative form by using the Saaty scale (Saaty TL. Decision making with the analytic hierarchy process. Int J Serv Sci 2008;1:83-98). An eigenvectors analysis is used for deriving the weights' systems (i.e., local and global weights' system) that reflect the importance assigned to the criteria and the priorities related to the performance of the alternative technologies. Compared with the Core Model, this methodological approach supplies a more timely as well as contextualized evidence for a specific technology, making it possible to obtain data that are more relevant and easier to interpret, and therefore more useful for decision makers to make investment choices with greater awareness. We reached the conclusion that although there may be scope for improvement, this implementation is a step forward toward the goal of building a "solid bridge" between the scientific evidence and the final decision maker's choice. Copyright © 2015 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Economical ground data delivery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Markley, Richard W.; Byrne, Russell H.; Bromberg, Daniel E.

1994-01-01

Data delivery in the Deep Space Network (DSN) involves transmission of a small amount of constant, high-priority traffic and a large amount of bursty, low priority data. The bursty traffic may be initially buffered and then metered back slowly as bandwidth becomes available. Today both types of data are transmitted over dedicated leased circuits. The authors investigated the potential of saving money by designing a hybrid communications architecture that uses leased circuits for high-priority network communications and dial-up circuits for low-priority traffic. Such an architecture may significantly reduce costs and provide an emergency backup. The architecture presented here may also be applied to any ground station-to-customer network within the range of a common carrier. The authors compare estimated costs for various scenarios and suggest security safeguards that should be considered.

Blood venous sample collection: Recommendations overview and a checklist to improve quality.

PubMed

Giavarina, Davide; Lippi, Giuseppe

2017-07-01

The extra-analytical phases of the total testing process have substantial impact on managed care, as well as an inherent high risk of vulnerability to errors which is often greater than that of the analytical phase. The collection of biological samples is a crucial preanalytical activity. Problems or errors occurring shortly before, or soon after, this preanalytical step may impair sample quality and characteristics, or else modify the final results of testing. The standardization of fasting requirements, rest, patient position and psychological state of the patient are therefore crucial for mitigating the impact of preanalytical variability. Moreover, the quality of materials used for collecting specimens, along with their compatibility, can guarantee sample quality and persistence of chemical and physical characteristics of the analytes over time, so safeguarding the reliability of testing. Appropriate techniques and sampling procedures are effective to prevent problems such as hemolysis, undue clotting in the blood tube, draw of insufficient sample volume and modification of analyte concentration. An accurate identification of both patient and blood samples is a key priority as for other healthcare activities. Good laboratory practice and appropriate training of operators, by specifically targeting collection of biological samples, blood in particular, may greatly improve this issue, thus lowering the risk of errors and their adverse clinical consequences. The implementation of a simple and rapid check-list, including verification of blood collection devices, patient preparation and sampling techniques, was found to be effective for enhancing sample quality and reducing some preanalytical errors associated with these procedures. The use of this tool, along with implementation of objective and standardized systems for detecting non-conformities related to unsuitable samples, can be helpful for standardizing preanalytical activities and improving the quality of laboratory diagnostics, ultimately helping to reaffirm a "preanalytical" culture founded on knowledge and real risk perception. Copyright © 2017 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Parental Perception of the Importance of Friendship and Other Outcome Priorities in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petrina, Neysa; Carter, Mark; Stephenson, Jennifer

2015-01-01

Parental perceptions of the importance of friendship development in comparison to other outcome priorities are examined in this research. Parents of children with high functioning autism between the age of 5-10?years (N?=?74) were asked to rate and rank the importance of the following six outcome priorities: friendship, social skills, physical and…

Range-wide connectivity of priority areas for Greater Sage-Grouse: Implications for long-term conservation from graph theory

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crist, Michele R.; Knick, Steven T.; Hanser, Steven E.

2017-01-01

The delineation of priority areas in western North America for managing Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) represents a broad-scale experiment in conservation biology. The strategy of limiting spatial disturbance and focusing conservation actions within delineated areas may benefit the greatest proportion of Greater Sage-Grouse. However, land use under normal restrictions outside priority areas potentially limits dispersal and gene flow, which can isolate priority areas and lead to spatially disjunct populations. We used graph theory, representing priority areas as spatially distributed nodes interconnected by movement corridors, to understand the capacity of priority areas to function as connected networks in the Bi-State, Central, and Washington regions of the Greater Sage-Grouse range. The Bi-State and Central networks were highly centralized; the dominant pathways and shortest linkages primarily connected a small number of large and centrally located priority areas. These priority areas are likely strongholds for Greater Sage-Grouse populations and might also function as refugia and sources. Priority areas in the Central network were more connected than those in the Bi-State and Washington networks. Almost 90% of the priority areas in the Central network had ≥2 pathways to other priority areas when movement through the landscape was set at an upper threshold (effective resistance, ER12). At a lower threshold (ER4), 83 of 123 priority areas in the Central network were clustered in 9 interconnected subgroups. The current conservation strategy has risks; 45 of 61 priority areas in the Bi-State network, 68 of 123 in the Central network, and all 4 priority areas in the Washington network had ≤1 connection to another priority area at the lower ER4threshold. Priority areas with few linkages also averaged greater environmental resistance to movement along connecting pathways. Without maintaining corridors to larger priority areas or a clustered group, isolation of small priority areas could lead to regional loss of Greater Sage-Grouse

Development of a common priority list of pharmaceuticals relevant for the water cycle.

PubMed

de Voogt, P; Janex-Habibi, M-L; Sacher, F; Puijker, L; Mons, M

2009-01-01

Pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs), including prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, drugs used in hospitals and veterinary drugs, have been found throughout the water cycle. A desk study was initiated by the Global Water Research Coalition to consolidate a uniform selection of such compounds in order to judge risks of PhACs for the water cycle. By identifying major existing prioritization efforts and evaluating the criteria they use, this study yields a representative and qualitative profile ('umbrella view') of priority pharmaceuticals based on an extensive set of criteria. This can then be used for further studies on analytical methods, occurrence, treatability and potential risks associated with exposure to PhACs in water supply, identifying compounds most likely to be encountered and that may have significant impact on human health. For practical reasons, the present study excludes veterinary drugs. The pragmatic approach adopted provides an efficient tool to manage risks related to pharmaceuticals and provides assistance for selecting compounds for future studies.

Screening of groundwater remedial alternatives for brownfield sites: a comprehensive method integrated MCDA with numerical simulation.

PubMed

Li, Wei; Zhang, Min; Wang, Mingyu; Han, Zhantao; Liu, Jiankai; Chen, Zhezhou; Liu, Bo; Yan, Yan; Liu, Zhu

2018-06-01

Brownfield sites pollution and remediation is an urgent environmental issue worldwide. The screening and assessment of remedial alternatives is especially complex owing to its multiple criteria that involves technique, economy, and policy. To help the decision-makers selecting the remedial alternatives efficiently, the criteria framework conducted by the U.S. EPA is improved and a comprehensive method that integrates multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) with numerical simulation is conducted in this paper. The criteria framework is modified and classified into three categories: qualitative, semi-quantitative, and quantitative criteria, MCDA method, AHP-PROMETHEE (analytical hierarchy process-preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation) is used to determine the priority ranking of the remedial alternatives and the solute transport simulation is conducted to assess the remedial efficiency. A case study was present to demonstrate the screening method in a brownfield site in Cangzhou, northern China. The results show that the systematic method provides a reliable way to quantify the priority of the remedial alternatives.

Setting stroke research priorities: The consumer perspective.

PubMed

Sangvatanakul, Pukkaporn; Hillege, Sharon; Lalor, Erin; Levi, Christopher; Hill, Kelvin; Middleton, Sandy

2010-12-01

To test a method of engaging consumers in research priority-setting using a quantitative approach and to determine consumer views on stroke research priorities for clinical practice recommendations with lower levels of evidence (Level III and Level IV) and expert consensus opinion as published in the Australian stroke clinical practice guidelines. Survey Urban community Eighteen stroke survivors (n = 12) and carers (n = 6) who were members of the "Working Aged Group - Stroke" (WAGS) consumer support group. Phase I: Participants were asked whether recommendations were "worth" researching ("yes" or "no"); and, if researched, what potential impact they likely would have on patient outcomes. Phase II: Participants were asked to rank recommendations rated by more than 75% of participants in Phase I as "worth" researching and "highly likely" or "likely" to generate research with a significant effect on patient outcomes (n = 13) in order of priority for future stroke research. All recommendations were rated by at least half (n = 9, 50%) of participants as "worth" researching. The majority (67% to 100%) rated all recommendations as "highly likely" or "likely" that research would have a significant effect on patient outcomes. Thirteen out of 20 recommendations were ranked for their research priorities. Recommendations under the topic heading Getting to hospital were ranked highest and Organization of care and Living with stroke were ranked as a lower priority for research. This study provided an example of how to involve consumers in research priority setting successfully using a quantitative approach. Stroke research priorities from the consumer perspective were different from those of health professionals, as published in the literature; thus, consumer opinion should be considered when setting research priorities. Copyright © 2010 Society for Vascular Nursing, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Geodiversity Hotspots: A Proposed Conceptual and Methodological Framework for Defining Geoconservation Priorities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bétard, François

2016-04-01

For two decades, geoconservation has been driven by the need to conserve geodiversity considering its values or most valuable elements (i.e. geoheritage) facing the internal or external threats to it, mainly associated with human activities causing damages or irreversible destruction of sites. One main difficulty arises in how geoconservation priorities can objectively be identified at larger scales (e.g., state or region levels). Inspired by experiences in biological conservation, I propose a new conceptual and methodological framework for the identification of geoconservation priorities by theorizing and applying the concept of "geodiversity hotspot". Drawing an obvious parallel with the "biodiversity hotspot" concept first introduced in 1988 by the British ecologist Norman Myers, geodiversity hotspots are here defined as geographic areas that harbour very high levels of geodiversity while being threatened by human activities. From a methodological viewpoint, a basic analytical procedure is proposed to map geodiversity hotspots at a national or regional scale, that can be used as a tool to support decision-making and land-use planning. The method is based on the numerical processing and mapping of two indices: geodiversity index and degree of potential threat. The geodiversity index is calculated using a GIS environment as the sum of four sub-indexes representing the main components of geodiversity, i.e. geological diversity (rocks, minerals, fossils), geomorphodiversity (topography and landforms), pedodiversity (soils and palaeosoils) and hydrodiversity (rivers, lakes, springs…). The degree of potential threat is a graduated scale inversely proportional to the level of protection, from high degree of potential threat in areas without any protection status to low degree of potential threat in areas with high protection level (e.g., national parks, nature reserves). The mapping and delineation of geodiversity hotspots can automatically be obtained from a combination of the two main criteria, i.e. in areas where high geodiversity indexes meet with high degree of potential threat. This area-based approach is discussed along with the risk of neglecting some areas such as "geodiversity coldspots" which may have other types of conservation value. Selected examples from Northeastern Brazil, with a special focus on the Araripe Basin geodiversity hotspot including the eponymous UNESCO Geopark, concretely showcase the conceptual and methodological framework proposed above. Such an example also illustrates the spatial congruence that often exists between geodiversity hotspots and biodiversity hotspots, in a region where very high levels of geodiversity overlap exceptional concentrations of endemic species and present-day biodiversity (Atlantic Forest and savanna-like Cerrado biomes). These observations reinforce the need to assess geodiversity not only for itself, but also to support biodiversity research and actions programs, and should encourage researchers and practitioners to develop more integrated approaches to nature conservation and sustainable land management.

Patients' Expectations and Perceptions of Service Quality in the Selected Hospitals.

PubMed

Nadi, Aliasghar; Shojaee, Jalil; Abedi, Ghassem; Siamian, Hasan; Abedini, Ehsan; Rostami, Farideh

2016-04-01

Hospital's success depends on patients' expectations, perceptions, and judgment on the quality of services provided by hospitals. This study was conducted to assess the patients' perceptions and expectations from the quality of inpatient health care in Vali-Asr hospital, Ghaemshahr, and Imam Khomeini and Shafa Hospitals, Sari. This study is applied regarding the objective of the study. Considering the research methodology, it is a descriptive - analytical study. The sample of this study consists of 600 patients with at least 24 hours of being hospitalized in internal, surgery, women, and children sectors of Vali-Asr, Ghaemshahr, Imam Khomeini, and Shafa Hospitals. Using random sampling method, the classifications relevant to the size of each class were selected. The data required was collected through the standard SERVQUAL questionnaire and then it was analyzed using the SPSS software. The overall mean value and standard deviation of expectations were equal to 10.4 and 28, respectively. The mean value for the field of perception was 69.2 and the relevant standard deviation was 26. In terms of patients and hospital visits in concrete cases, the highest priority is related to empathy. The second priority is related to physical appearance, the third priority is related to responsiveness, the fourth priority is related to assurance, and the lowest priority is related to the reliability of the SERVQUAL approach. Examining the gap between patients' perceptions and expectations, the widest gap was observed in the Vali-Asr Hospital with the mean and SD (-92.0±39.0) and the lowest gap was observed in Shafa Hospital with the mean value of (-39.9±44.0). According to The Kruskal-Wallis test, the difference observed in these three hospitals were significant. The results showed that patients' expectations had not been met in any of the examined dimensions and their consent has not been achieved. It seemed that necessary for managers and relevant authorities to plan and pay special attention to this important issue.

High-Priority Directions of Modernization of University Education in Innovational Society

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sergeev, Nikolai

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to verify the offered hypothesis and to determine high-priority directions of modernization of university education in an innovational society by the example of modern Russia. Design/methodology/approach: During the empirical study of connection between university education and innovational development of…

25 CFR Appendix A to Subpart C - IRR High Priority Project Scoring Matrix

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...—IRR High Priority Project Scoring Matrix Score 10 5 3 1 0 Accident and fatality rate for candidate route 1 Severe X Moderate Minimal No accidents. Years since last IRR construction project completed... elements Addresses 1 element. 1 National Highway Traffic Safety Board standards. 2 Total funds requested...

Obligations to High Priority Target Groups: Philosophical Implications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christmas, June Jackson

Community mental health center services must be most plentiful where the need is greatest and must be appropriate and available to meet these needs. The first high priority group, according to statistics on juvenile delinquency, and narcotics, is the black inner city. Socio-psychiatric services, numerous enough in quantity to begin to meet needs…

Restoring High Priority Habitats for Birds: Aspen and Pine in the Interior West

Treesearch

Rex Sallabanks; Nils D. Christoffersen; Whitney W. Weatherford; Ralph Anderson

2005-01-01

This paper describes a long-term habitat restoration project in the Blue Mountains ecoregion, northeast Oregon, that we initiated in May 2000. We focused our restoration activities on two habitats previously identified as being high priority for birds: quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). In...

Ephedrine QoS: An Antidote to Slow, Congested, Bufferless NoCs

PubMed Central

Fang, Juan; Yao, Zhicheng; Sui, Xiufeng; Bao, Yungang

2014-01-01

Datacenters consolidate diverse applications to improve utilization. However when multiple applications are colocated on such platforms, contention for shared resources like networks-on-chip (NoCs) can degrade the performance of latency-critical online services (high-priority applications). Recently proposed bufferless NoCs (Nychis et al.) have the advantages of requiring less area and power, but they pose challenges in quality-of-service (QoS) support, which usually relies on buffer-based virtual channels (VCs). We propose QBLESS, a QoS-aware bufferless NoC scheme for datacenters. QBLESS consists of two components: a routing mechanism (QBLESS-R) that can substantially reduce flit deflection for high-priority applications and a congestion-control mechanism (QBLESS-CC) that guarantees performance for high-priority applications and improves overall system throughput. We use trace-driven simulation to model a 64-core system, finding that, when compared to BLESS, a previous state-of-the-art bufferless NoC design, QBLESS, improves performance of high-priority applications by an average of 33.2% and reduces network-hops by an average of 42.8%. PMID:25250386

Simultaneous determination of 24 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in edible oil by tandem solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography coupled/tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Xu, Ting; Tang, Hua; Chen, Dazhou; Dong, Haifeng; Li, Lei

2015-01-01

An efficient and fast tandem SPE method followed by GC/MS/MS has been developed for the determination and the quantification of 24 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in edible oil. This method includes the monitoring of 15 + 1 PAHs designated as a priority by the European Union in their 2005/108/EC recommendation and 16 PAHs listed by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. The sample preparation procedures were based on SPE in which PAH-dedicated cartridges with molecularly imprinted polymers and graphitized carbon black were used in series. The novel tandem SPE combination of selective extraction and purification of light and heavy PAHs provided highly purified analytes. Identification and quantification of 24 target PAHs were performed using GC/MS/MS with the isotope dilution approaches using D-labeled and (13)C-labeled PAHs. The advantages of GC/MS/MS as compared to other detection methods include high sensitivity, selectivity, and interpretation ability. The method showed satisfactory linearity (R(2) > 0.998) over the range assayed (0.5-200 μg/kg); the LODs ranged from 0.03 to 0.6 μg/kg, and LOQs from 0.1 to 2.0 μg/kg. The recoveries using this method at three spiked concentration levels (2, 10, and 50 μg/kg) ranged from 56.8 to 117.7%. The RSD was lower than 12.7% in all cases. The proposed analytical method has been successfully applied for the analysis of the 24 PAHs in edible oil.

A blood-based predictor for neocortical Aβ burden in Alzheimer's disease: results from the AIBL study.

PubMed

Burnham, S C; Faux, N G; Wilson, W; Laws, S M; Ames, D; Bedo, J; Bush, A I; Doecke, J D; Ellis, K A; Head, R; Jones, G; Kiiveri, H; Martins, R N; Rembach, A; Rowe, C C; Salvado, O; Macaulay, S L; Masters, C L; Villemagne, V L

2014-04-01

Dementia is a global epidemic with Alzheimer's disease (AD) being the leading cause. Early identification of patients at risk of developing AD is now becoming an international priority. Neocortical Aβ (extracellular β-amyloid) burden (NAB), as assessed by positron emission tomography (PET), represents one such marker for early identification. These scans are expensive and are not widely available, thus, there is a need for cheaper and more widely accessible alternatives. Addressing this need, a blood biomarker-based signature having efficacy for the prediction of NAB and which can be easily adapted for population screening is described. Blood data (176 analytes measured in plasma) and Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB)-PET measurements from 273 participants from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) study were utilised. Univariate analysis was conducted to assess the difference of plasma measures between high and low NAB groups, and cross-validated machine-learning models were generated for predicting NAB. These models were applied to 817 non-imaged AIBL subjects and 82 subjects from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) for validation. Five analytes showed significant difference between subjects with high compared to low NAB. A machine-learning model (based on nine markers) achieved sensitivity and specificity of 80 and 82%, respectively, for predicting NAB. Validation using the ADNI cohort yielded similar results (sensitivity 79% and specificity 76%). These results show that a panel of blood-based biomarkers is able to accurately predict NAB, supporting the hypothesis for a relationship between a blood-based signature and Aβ accumulation, therefore, providing a platform for developing a population-based screen.

Perceived Barriers Affecting Access to Preventive Dental Services: Application of DEMATEL Method.

PubMed

Bahadori, Mohammadkarim; Ravangard, Ramin; Asghari, Baratali

2013-08-01

Identifying perceived access barriers to preventive dental services is one of the basic steps to improve the public health. This study aimed to determine the perceived barriers affecting access to preventive dental services in one of Tehran dental clinics in 2012. This research was a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study conducted in one of Tehran dental clinics in 2012 using decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method. The study sample included all patients (100 patients) who had referred to the endodontic treatment department from 26 - 31 May, 2012. The required data were collected using a questionnaire. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 and MATLAB 7.9.0 SPSSS 18.0, as well as, some descriptive and analytical tests including Mean, Standard Deviation (SD), and Independent T- Test. The five determinants of cost, inconvenience, fear, organization, and patient-dentist relationship were determined as barriers to access to dental services among which the cost and patient-dentist relationship were identified as the first and last priorities with the coordinates (1.4 and 1.4) and (1.25 and -0.65), respectively. High cost of dental care has led to not referring patients to the clinic. Oral health costs are too high; however insurance organizations have no commitment to support such services. Policymakers, administrators, and insurance organizations have a major role in improving access to dental services. These decision-makers in making their policies can provide the required financial resources, shift the available resources towards preventive care and periodic checkups, and consider providing proper and sufficient places for dental care facilities.

Optimization and single-laboratory validation of a method for the determination of flavonolignans in milk thistle seeds by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection.

PubMed

Mudge, Elizabeth; Paley, Lori; Schieber, Andreas; Brown, Paula N

2015-10-01

Seeds of milk thistle, Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn., are used for treatment and prevention of liver disorders and were identified as a high priority ingredient requiring a validated analytical method. An AOAC International expert panel reviewed existing methods and made recommendations concerning method optimization prior to validation. A series of extraction and separation studies were undertaken on the selected method for determining flavonolignans from milk thistle seeds and finished products to address the review panel recommendations. Once optimized, a single-laboratory validation study was conducted. The method was assessed for repeatability, accuracy, selectivity, LOD, LOQ, analyte stability, and linearity. Flavonolignan content ranged from 1.40 to 52.86% in raw materials and dry finished products and ranged from 36.16 to 1570.7 μg/mL in liquid tinctures. Repeatability for the individual flavonolignans in raw materials and finished products ranged from 1.03 to 9.88% RSDr, with HorRat values between 0.21 and 1.55. Calibration curves for all flavonolignan concentrations had correlation coefficients of >99.8%. The LODs for the flavonolignans ranged from 0.20 to 0.48 μg/mL at 288 nm. Based on the results of this single-laboratory validation, this method is suitable for the quantitation of the six major flavonolignans in milk thistle raw materials and finished products, as well as multicomponent products containing dandelion, schizandra berry, and artichoke extracts. It is recommended that this method be adopted as First Action Official Method status by AOAC International.

49 CFR 350.329 - How may a State or local agency qualify for High Priority or Border Activity Funds?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false How may a State or local agency qualify for High... How may a State or local agency qualify for High Priority or Border Activity Funds? (a) States must... with the State lead MCSAP agency to ensure the proposal is consistent with State and national CMV...

49 CFR 350.329 - How may a State or local agency qualify for High Priority or Border Activity Funds?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false How may a State or local agency qualify for High... How may a State or local agency qualify for High Priority or Border Activity Funds? (a) States must... with the State lead MCSAP agency to ensure the proposal is consistent with State and national CMV...

Range-wide network of priority areas for greater sage-grouse - a design for conserving connected distributions or isolating individual zoos?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crist, Michele R.; Knick, Steven T.; Hanser, Steven E.

2015-09-08

The network of areas delineated in 11 Western States for prioritizing management of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) represents a grand experiment in conservation biology and reserve design. We used centrality metrics from social network theory to gain insights into how this priority area network might function. The network was highly centralized. Twenty of 188 priority areas accounted for 80 percent of the total centrality scores. These priority areas, characterized by large size and a central location in the range-wide distribution, are strongholds for greater sage-grouse populations and also might function as sources. Mid-ranking priority areas may serve as stepping stones because of their location between large central and smaller peripheral priority areas. The current network design and conservation strategy has risks. The contribution of almost one-half (n = 93) of the priority areas combined for less than 1 percent of the cumulative centrality scores for the network. These priority areas individually are likely too small to support viable sage-grouse populations within their boundary. Without habitat corridors to connect small priority areas either to larger priority areas or as a clustered group within the network, their isolation could lead to loss of sage-grouse within these regions of the network. 

Improved hybridization of Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) algorithm with Fuzzy Multiple Attribute Decision Making - Simple Additive Weighting (FMADM-SAW)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaiwani, B. E.; Zarlis, M.; Efendi, S.

2018-03-01

In this research, the improvement of hybridization algorithm of Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) with Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS) in selecting the best bank chief inspector based on several qualitative and quantitative criteria with various priorities. To improve the performance of the above research, FAHP algorithm hybridization with Fuzzy Multiple Attribute Decision Making - Simple Additive Weighting (FMADM-SAW) algorithm was adopted, which applied FAHP algorithm to the weighting process and SAW for the ranking process to determine the promotion of employee at a government institution. The result of improvement of the average value of Efficiency Rate (ER) is 85.24%, which means that this research has succeeded in improving the previous research that is equal to 77.82%. Keywords: Ranking and Selection, Fuzzy AHP, Fuzzy TOPSIS, FMADM-SAW.

Photoacoustic spectroscopy for chemical detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holthoff, Ellen L.; Pellegrino, Paul M.

2012-06-01

The Global War on Terror has made rapid detection and identification of chemical and biological agents a priority for Military and Homeland Defense applications. Reliable real-time detection of these threats is complicated by our enemy's use of a diverse range of materials. Therefore, an adaptable platform is necessary. Photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) is a useful monitoring technique that is well suited for trace detection of gaseous media. This method routinely exhibits detection limits at the parts-per-billion (ppb) or sub-ppb range. The versatility of PAS also allows for the investigation of solid and liquid analytes. Current research utilizes quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) in combination with an air-coupled solid-phase photoacoustic cell design for the detection of condensed phase material films deposited on a surface. Furthermore, variation of the QCL pulse repetition rate allows for identification and molecular discrimination of analytes based solely on photoacoustic spectra collected at different film depths.

Fast simulation of packet loss rates in a shared buffer communications switch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chang, Cheng-Shang; Heidelberger, Philip; Shahabuddin, Perwez

1993-01-01

This paper describes an efficient technique for estimating, via simulation, the probability of buffer overflows in a queueing model that arises in the analysis of ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) communication switches. There are multiple streams of (autocorrelated) traffic feeding the switch that has a buffer of finite capacity. Each stream is designated as either being of high or low priority. When the queue length reaches a certain threshold, only high priority packets are admitted to the switch's buffer. The problem is to estimate the loss rate of high priority packets. An asymptotically optimal importance sampling approach is developed for this rare event simulation problem. In this approach, the importance sampling is done in two distinct phases. In the first phase, an importance sampling change of measure is used to bring the queue length up to the threshold at which low priority packets get rejected. In the second phase, a different importance sampling change of measure is used to move the queue length from the threshold to the buffer capacity.

Phylogenetic Analysis of Conservation Priorities for Aquatic Mammals and Their Terrestrial Relatives, with a Comparison of Methods

PubMed Central

May-Collado, Laura J.; Agnarsson, Ingi

2011-01-01

Background Habitat loss and overexploitation are among the primary factors threatening populations of many mammal species. Recently, aquatic mammals have been highlighted as particularly vulnerable. Here we test (1) if aquatic mammals emerge as more phylogenetically urgent conservation priorities than their terrestrial relatives, and (2) if high priority species are receiving sufficient conservation effort. We also compare results among some phylogenetic conservation methods. Methodology/Principal Findings A phylogenetic analysis of conservation priorities for all 620 species of Cetartiodactyla and Carnivora, including most aquatic mammals. Conservation priority ranking of aquatic versus terrestrial species is approximately proportional to their diversity. However, nearly all obligated freshwater cetartiodactylans are among the top conservation priority species. Further, ∼74% and 40% of fully aquatic cetartiodactylans and carnivores, respectively, are either threatened or data deficient, more so than their terrestrial relatives. Strikingly, only 3% of all ‘high priority’ species are thought to be stable. An overwhelming 97% of these species thus either show decreasing population trends (87%) or are insufficiently known (10%). Furthermore, a disproportional number of highly evolutionarily distinct species are experiencing population decline, thus, such species should be closely monitored even if not currently threatened. Comparison among methods reveals that exact species ranking differs considerably among methods, nevertheless, most top priority species consistently rank high under any method. While we here favor one approach, we also suggest that a consensus approach may be useful when methods disagree. Conclusions/Significance These results reinforce prior findings, suggesting there is an urgent need to gather basic conservation data for aquatic mammals, and special conservation focus is needed on those confined to freshwater. That evolutionarily distinct—and thus ‘biodiverse’—species are faring relatively poorly is alarming and requires further study. Our results offer a detailed guide to phylogeny-based conservation prioritization for these two orders. PMID:21799899

SU-E-T-551: Monitor Unit Optimization in Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Stage I Lung Cancer

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

Huang, B-T; Lu, J-Y

2015-06-15

Purpose: The study aims to reduce the monitor units (MUs) in the stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) treatment for lung cancer by adjusting the optimizing parameters. Methods: Fourteen patients suffered from stage I Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) were enrolled. Three groups of parameters were adjusted to investigate their effects on MU numbers and organs at risk (OARs) sparing: (1) the upper objective of planning target volume (UOPTV); (2) strength setting in the MU constraining objective; (3) max MU setting in the MU constraining objective. Results: We found that the parameters in the optimizer influenced the MU numbers in amore » priority, strength and max MU dependent manner. MU numbers showed a decreasing trend with the UOPTV increasing. MU numbers with low, medium and high priority for the UOPTV were 428±54, 312±48 and 258±31 MU/Gy, respectively. High priority for UOPTV also spared the heart, cord and lung while maintaining comparable PTV coverage than the low and medium priority group. It was observed that MU numbers tended to decrease with the strength increasing and max MU setting decreasing. With maximum strength, the MU numbers reached its minimum while maintaining comparable or improved dose to the normal tissues. It was also found that the MU numbers continued to decline at 85% and 75% max MU setting but no longer to decrease at 50% and 25%. Combined with high priority for UOPTV and MU constraining objectives, the MU numbers can be decreased as low as 223±26 MU/Gy. Conclusion:: The priority of UOPTV, MU constraining objective in the optimizer impact on the MU numbers in SBRT treatment for lung cancer. Giving high priority to the UOPTV, setting the strength to maximum value and the max MU to 50% in the MU objective achieves the lowest MU numbers while maintaining comparable or improved OAR sparing.« less

International scientists' priorities for research on pharmaceutical and personal care products in the environment.

PubMed

Rudd, Murray A; Ankley, Gerald T; Boxall, Alistair B A; Brooks, Bryan W

2014-10-01

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are widely discharged into the environment via diverse pathways. The effects of PPCPs in the environment have potentially important human and ecosystem health implications, so credible, salient, and legitimate scientific evidence is needed to inform regulatory and policy responses that address potential risks. A recent "big questions" exercise with participants largely from North America identified 22 important research questions around the risks of PPCP in the environment that would help address the most pressing knowledge gaps over the next decade. To expand that analysis, we developed a survey that was completed by 535 environmental scientists from 57 countries, of whom 49% identified environmental or analytical chemistry as their primary disciplinary background. They ranked the 22 original research questions and submitted 171 additional candidate research questions they felt were also of high priority. Of the original questions, the 3 perceived to be of highest importance related to: 1) the effects of long-term exposure to low concentrations of PPCP mixtures on nontarget organisms, 2) effluent treatment methods that can reduce the effects of PPCPs in the environment while not increasing the toxicity of whole effluents, and 3) the assessment of the environmental risks of metabolites and environmental transformation products of PPCPs. A question regarding the role of cultural perspectives in PPCP risk assessment was ranked as the lowest priority. There were significant differences in research orientation between scientists who completed English and Chinese language versions of the survey. We found that the Chinese respondents were strongly orientated to issues of managing risk profiles, effluent treatment, residue bioavailability, and regional assessment. Among English language respondents, further differences in research orientation were associated with respondents' level of consistency when ranking the survey's 15 comparisons. There was increasing emphasis on the role of various other stressors relative to PPCPs and on risk prioritization as internal decision making consistency increased. Respondents' consistency in their ranking choices was significantly and positively correlated with SETAC membership, authors' number of publications, and longer survey completion times. Our research highlighted international scientists' research priorities and should help inform decisions about the type of hazard and risk-based research needed to best inform decisions regarding PPCPs in the environment. Disciplinary training of a scientist or engineer appears to strongly influence preferences for research priorities to understand PPCPs in the environment. Selection of participants and the depth and breadth of research prioritization efforts thus have potential effects on the outcomes of research prioritization exercises. Further elucidation of how patterns of research priority vary between academic and government scientists and between scientists and other government and stakeholders would be useful in the future and provide information that helps focus scientific effort on socially relevant challenges relating to PPCPs in the environment. It also suggests the potential for future collaborative research between industry, government, and academia on environmental contaminants beyond PPCPs. © 2014 SETAC.

Application of multi attribute failure mode analysis of milk production using analytical hierarchy process method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rucitra, A. L.

2018-03-01

Pusat Koperasi Induk Susu (PKIS) Sekar Tanjung, East Java is one of the modern dairy industries producing Ultra High Temperature (UHT) milk. A problem that often occurs in the production process in PKIS Sekar Tanjung is a mismatch between the production process and the predetermined standard. The purpose of applying Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was to identify the most potential cause of failure in the milk production process. Multi Attribute Failure Mode Analysis (MAFMA) method was used to eliminate or reduce the possibility of failure when viewed from the failure causes. This method integrates the severity, occurrence, detection, and expected cost criteria obtained from depth interview with the head of the production department as an expert. The AHP approach was used to formulate the priority ranking of the cause of failure in the milk production process. At level 1, the severity has the highest weight of 0.41 or 41% compared to other criteria. While at level 2, identifying failure in the UHT milk production process, the most potential cause was the average mixing temperature of more than 70 °C which was higher than the standard temperature (≤70 ° C). This failure cause has a contributes weight of 0.47 or 47% of all criteria Therefore, this study suggested the company to control the mixing temperature to minimise or eliminate the failure in this process.

Threats from urban expansion, agricultural transformation and forest loss on global conservation priority areas.

PubMed

Veach, Victoria; Moilanen, Atte; Di Minin, Enrico

2017-01-01

Including threats in spatial conservation prioritization helps identify areas for conservation actions where biodiversity is at imminent risk of extinction. At the global level, an important limitation when identifying spatial priorities for conservation actions is the lack of information on the spatial distribution of threats. Here, we identify spatial conservation priorities under three prominent threats to biodiversity (residential and commercial development, agricultural expansion, and forest loss), which are primary drivers of habitat loss and threaten the persistence of the highest number of species in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, and for which spatial data is available. We first explore how global priority areas for the conservation of vertebrate (mammals, birds, and amphibians) species coded in the Red List as vulnerable to each threat differ spatially. We then identify spatial conservation priorities for all species vulnerable to all threats. Finally, we identify the potentially most threatened areas by overlapping the identified priority areas for conservation with maps for each threat. We repeat the same with four other well-known global conservation priority area schemes, namely Key Biodiversity Areas, Biodiversity Hotspots, the global Protected Area Network, and Wilderness Areas. We find that residential and commercial development directly threatens only about 4% of the global top 17% priority areas for species vulnerable under this threat. However, 50% of the high priority areas for species vulnerable to forest loss overlap with areas that have already experienced some forest loss. Agricultural expansion overlapped with ~20% of high priority areas. Biodiversity Hotspots had the greatest proportion of their total area under direct threat from all threats, while expansion of low intensity agriculture was found to pose an imminent threat to Wilderness Areas under future agricultural expansion. Our results identify areas where limited resources should be allocated to mitigate risks to vertebrate species from habitat loss.

Threats from urban expansion, agricultural transformation and forest loss on global conservation priority areas

PubMed Central

Moilanen, Atte; Di Minin, Enrico

2017-01-01

Including threats in spatial conservation prioritization helps identify areas for conservation actions where biodiversity is at imminent risk of extinction. At the global level, an important limitation when identifying spatial priorities for conservation actions is the lack of information on the spatial distribution of threats. Here, we identify spatial conservation priorities under three prominent threats to biodiversity (residential and commercial development, agricultural expansion, and forest loss), which are primary drivers of habitat loss and threaten the persistence of the highest number of species in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, and for which spatial data is available. We first explore how global priority areas for the conservation of vertebrate (mammals, birds, and amphibians) species coded in the Red List as vulnerable to each threat differ spatially. We then identify spatial conservation priorities for all species vulnerable to all threats. Finally, we identify the potentially most threatened areas by overlapping the identified priority areas for conservation with maps for each threat. We repeat the same with four other well-known global conservation priority area schemes, namely Key Biodiversity Areas, Biodiversity Hotspots, the global Protected Area Network, and Wilderness Areas. We find that residential and commercial development directly threatens only about 4% of the global top 17% priority areas for species vulnerable under this threat. However, 50% of the high priority areas for species vulnerable to forest loss overlap with areas that have already experienced some forest loss. Agricultural expansion overlapped with ~20% of high priority areas. Biodiversity Hotspots had the greatest proportion of their total area under direct threat from all threats, while expansion of low intensity agriculture was found to pose an imminent threat to Wilderness Areas under future agricultural expansion. Our results identify areas where limited resources should be allocated to mitigate risks to vertebrate species from habitat loss. PMID:29182662

Identifying environmental health priorities in underserved populations: a study of rural versus urban communities

PubMed Central

Bernhard, M.C.; Evans, M.B.; Kent, S.T.; Johnson, E.; Threadgill, S.L.; Tyson, S.; Becker, S.M.; Gohlke, J.M.

2013-01-01

Objectives Understanding and effectively addressing persistent health disparities in minority communities requires a clear picture of members’ concerns and priorities. This study was intended to engage residents in urban and rural communities in order to identify environmental health priorities. Specific emphasis was placed on how the communities defined the term environment, their perceptions of environmental exposures as affecting their health, specific priorities in their communities, and differences in urban versus rural populations. Study design A community-engaged approach was used to develop and implement focus groups and compare environmental health priorities in urban versus rural communities. Methods A total of eight focus groups were conducted: four in rural and four in urban communities. Topics included defining the term environment, how the environment may affect health, and environmental priorities within their communities, using both open discussion and a predefined list. Data were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively to identify patterns and trends. Results There were important areas of overlap in priorities between urban and rural communities; both emphasized the importance of the social environment and shared a concern over air pollution from industrial sources. In contrast, for urban focus groups, abandoned houses and their social and physical sequelae were a high priority while concerns about adequate sewer and water services and road maintenance were high priorities in rural communities. Conclusions This study was able to identify environmental health priorities in urban versus rural minority communities. In contrast to some previous risk perception research, the results of this study suggest prioritization of tangible, known risks in everyday life instead of rare, disaster-related events, even in communities that have recently experienced devastating damage from tornadoes. The findings can help inform future efforts to study, understand and effectively address environmental issues, and are particularly relevant to developing effective community-based strategies in vulnerable populations. PMID:24239281

Research priorities in mental health occupational therapy: A study of clinician perspectives.

PubMed

Hitch, Danielle; Lhuede, Kate

2015-10-01

The evidence to support mental health occupational therapy has proliferated in the early years of this century, but this growth has tended to be organic rather than targeted. Previous efforts to identify research priorities in this area of practice are either out dated, or encompass discrete areas of practice. The aim of this study was to identify priority areas for research in mental health occupational therapy from clinician's perspectives. A Policy Delphi method was used to enable occupational therapists to define and differentiate their perspectives on research priorities. Forty-two occupational therapists took part in the first two rounds of this method, with 69% (n = 29) going on to complete the third and final round of data collection. A Likert scale was used to rate the importance of each priority, and descriptive quantitative analysis undertaken to identify those most consistently identified as being highly important. Four research priorities were identified as being highly important in this study: (i) working in an occupationally focussed way; (ii) consumer experience of therapy groups; (iii) identifying factors which increase consumer engagement in occupation; and (iv) engaging patients on the inpatient unit in meaningful and positive occupation. Two of the priority areas are already the subject of substantial evidence bases, but there has been far less research into consumer experiences of groups and occupational engagement in acute settings. Collaboration between research teams and greater consumer inclusion are recommended for the future. This study provides an updated indication of research priorities for mental health occupational therapy in Australia. © 2015 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Two-dimensional priority-based dynamic resource allocation algorithm for QoS in WDM/TDM PON networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Yixin; Liu, Bo; Zhang, Lijia; Xin, Xiangjun; Zhang, Qi; Rao, Lan

2018-01-01

Wavelength division multiplexing/time division multiplexing (WDM/TDM) passive optical networks (PON) is being viewed as a promising solution for delivering multiple services and applications. The hybrid WDM / TDM PON uses the wavelength and bandwidth allocation strategy to control the distribution of the wavelength channels in the uplink direction, so that it can ensure the high bandwidth requirements of multiple Optical Network Units (ONUs) while improving the wavelength resource utilization. Through the investigation of the presented dynamic bandwidth allocation algorithms, these algorithms can't satisfy the requirements of different levels of service very well while adapting to the structural characteristics of mixed WDM / TDM PON system. This paper introduces a novel wavelength and bandwidth allocation algorithm to efficiently utilize the bandwidth and support QoS (Quality of Service) guarantees in WDM/TDM PON. Two priority based polling subcycles are introduced in order to increase system efficiency and improve system performance. The fixed priority polling subcycle and dynamic priority polling subcycle follow different principles to implement wavelength and bandwidth allocation according to the priority of different levels of service. A simulation was conducted to study the performance of the priority based polling in dynamic resource allocation algorithm in WDM/TDM PON. The results show that the performance of delay-sensitive services is greatly improved without degrading QoS guarantees for other services. Compared with the traditional dynamic bandwidth allocation algorithms, this algorithm can meet bandwidth needs of different priority traffic class, achieve low loss rate performance, and ensure real-time of high priority traffic class in terms of overall traffic on the network.

Potential High Priority Subaerial Environments for Mars Sample Return

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

iMOST Team; Bishop, J. L.; Horgan, B.; Benning, L. G.; Carrier, B. L.; Hausrath, E. M.; Altieri, F.; Amelin, Y.; Ammannito, E.; Anand, M.; Beaty, D. W.; Borg, L. E.; Boucher, D.; Brucato, J. R.; Busemann, H.; Campbell, K. A.; Czaja, A. D.; Debaille, V.; Des Marais, D. J.; Dixon, M.; Ehlmann, B. L.; Farmer, J. D.; Fernandez-Remolar, D. C.; Fogarty, J.; Glavin, D. P.; Goreva, Y. S.; Grady, M. M.; Hallis, L. J.; Harrington, A. D.; Herd, C. D. K.; Humayun, M.; Kleine, T.; Kleinhenz, J.; Mangold, N.; Mackelprang, R.; Mayhew, L. E.; McCubbin, F. M.; Mccoy, J. T.; McLennan, S. M.; McSween, H. Y.; Moser, D. E.; Moynier, F.; Mustard, J. F.; Niles, P. B.; Ori, G. G.; Raulin, F.; Rettberg, P.; Rucker, M. A.; Schmitz, N.; Sefton-Nash, E.; Sephton, M. A.; Shaheen, R.; Shuster, D. L.; Siljestrom, S.; Smith, C. L.; Spry, J. A.; Steele, A.; Swindle, T. D.; ten Kate, I. L.; Tosca, N. J.; Usui, T.; Van Kranendonk, M. J.; Wadhwa, M.; Weiss, B. P.; Werner, S. C.; Westall, F.; Wheeler, R. M.; Zipfel, J.; Zorzano, M. P.

2018-04-01

The highest priority subaerial environments for Mars Sample Return include subaerial weathering (paleosols, periglacial/glacial, and rock coatings/rinds), wetlands (mineral precipitates, redox environments, and salt ponds), or cold spring settings.

32 CFR 245.21 - ESCAT air traffic priority list.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... aircraft post-maintenance test flights. (7) Federal aircraft post maintenance check flights in support of... identified as high threat targets. (c) Priority Three. (1) Forces being deployed or performing pre-deployment...

32 CFR 245.21 - ESCAT air traffic priority list.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... aircraft post-maintenance test flights. (7) Federal aircraft post maintenance check flights in support of... identified as high threat targets. (c) Priority Three. (1) Forces being deployed or performing pre-deployment...

32 CFR 245.21 - ESCAT air traffic priority list.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... aircraft post-maintenance test flights. (7) Federal aircraft post maintenance check flights in support of... identified as high threat targets. (c) Priority Three. (1) Forces being deployed or performing pre-deployment...

32 CFR 245.21 - ESCAT air traffic priority list.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... aircraft post-maintenance test flights. (7) Federal aircraft post maintenance check flights in support of... identified as high threat targets. (c) Priority Three. (1) Forces being deployed or performing pre-deployment...

A comparison of global conservation prioritization models with spatial spending patterns of conservation nongovernmental organizations.

PubMed

Holmes, George; Scholfield, Katherine; Brockington, Dan

2012-08-01

In recent decades, various conservation organizations have developed models to prioritize locations for conservation. Through a survey of the spending patterns of 281 conservation nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), we examined the relation between 2 such models and spatial patterns of spending by conservation NGOs in 44 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. We tested whether, at the country level, the proportion of a country designated as a conservation priority was correlated with where NGOs spent money. For one model (the combination of Conservation International's hotspots and High Biodiversity Wilderness Areas, which are areas of high endemism with high or low levels of vegetation loss respectively), there was no relation between the proportion of a country designated as a priority and levels of NGO spending, including by the NGO associated with the model. In the second model (Global 200), the proportion of a country designated as a priority and the amount of money spent by NGOs were significantly and positively related. Less money was spent in countries in northern and western sub-Saharan Africa than countries in southern and eastern Africa, relative to the proportion of the country designated as a conservation priority. We suggest that on the basis of our results some NGOs consider increasing their spending on the areas designated as of conservation priority which are currently relatively underfunded, although there are economic, political, cultural, historical, biological, and practical reasons why current spending patterns may not align with priority sites. ©2012 Society for Conservation Biology.

40 CFR Appendix E to Part 300 - Oil Spill Response

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., other waters of the high seas subject to the NCP, and the land surface or land substrata, ground waters... response equipment; and a district response advisory team. Contiguous zone means the zone of the high seas... of the discharge. 2.2Priorities. (a) Safety of human life must be given the highest priority during...

State Strategies to Improve Low-Performing Schools: California's High Priority School Grants Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Timar, Thomas; Rodriguez, Gloria; Simon, Virginia Adams; Ferrario, Kim; Kim, Kris

2006-01-01

Central to California's school accountability system are programs to engage low-performing schools in improvement efforts. One of these is the High Priority Schools Program (HPSGP), created by Assembly Bill 961 (Chapter 747, "Statutes of 2001") to provide funds to the lowest performing schools in the state. To be eligible for funding,…

A framework for addressing bird conservation priorities in high-elevation vegetation communities of the Appalachian Mountains

Treesearch

Brian W. Smith; Dean Demarest; Ed. Laurent

2010-01-01

The Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture (AMJV) is a self-directed, nonregulatory bird conservation partnership with the mission of restoring and sustaining native bird populations and their habitats throughout Appalachia. In 2008, the AMJV formed an ad hoc "high-elevation" technical working group to identify and address conservation priorities of bird species...

Few Americans Receive All High-Priority, Appropriate Clinical Preventive Services.

PubMed

Borsky, Amanda; Zhan, Chunliu; Miller, Therese; Ngo-Metzger, Quyen; Bierman, Arlene S; Meyers, David

2018-06-01

As of 2015, only 8 percent of US adults ages thirty-five and older had received all of the high-priority, appropriate clinical preventive services recommended for them. Nearly 5 percent of adults did not receive any such services. Further delivery system-level efforts are needed to increase the use of preventive services.

Exploring end of life priorities in Saudi males: usefulness of Q-methodology.

PubMed

Hammami, Muhammad M; Al Gaai, Eman; Hammami, Safa; Attala, Sahar

2015-11-26

Quality end-of-life care depends on understanding patients' end-of-life choices. Individuals and cultures may hold end-of-life priorities at different hierarchy. Forced ranking rather than independent rating, and by-person factor analysis rather than averaging may reveal otherwise masked typologies. We explored Saudi males' forced-ranked, end-of-life priorities and dis-priorities. Respondents (n = 120) rank-ordered 47 opinion statements on end-of-life care following a 9-category symmetrical distribution. Statements' scores were analyzed by averaging analysis and factor analysis (Q-methodology). Respondents' mean age was 32.1 years (range, 18-65); 52% reported average religiosity, 88 and 83% ≥ very good health and life-quality, respectively, and 100% ≥ high school education. Averaging analysis revealed that the extreme five end-of-life priorities were to, be at peace with God, be able to say the statement of faith, maintain dignity, resolve conflicts, and have religious death rituals respected, respectively. The extreme five dis-priorities were to, die in the hospital, not receive intensive care if in coma, die at peak of life, be informed about impending death by family/friends rather than doctor, and keep medical status confidential from family/friends, respectively. Q-methodology classified 67% of respondents into five highly transcendent opinion types. Type-I (rituals-averse, family-caring, monitoring-coping, life-quality-concerned) and Type-V (rituals-apt, family-centered, neutral-coping, life-quantity-concerned) reported the lowest and highest religiosity, respectively. Type-II (rituals-apt, family-dependent, monitoring-coping, life-quantity-concerned) and Type-III (rituals-silent, self/family-neutral, avoidance-coping, life-quality & quantity-concerned) reported the best and worst life-quality, respectively. Type-I respondents were the oldest with the lowest general health, in contrast to Type-IV (rituals-apt, self-centered, monitoring-coping, life-quality/quantity-neutral). Of the extreme 14 priorities/dis-priorities for the five types, 29, 14, 14, 50, and 36%, respectively, were not among the extreme 20 priorities/dis-priorities identified by averaging analysis for the entire cohort. 1) Transcendence was the extreme end-of-life priority, and dying in the hospital was the extreme dis-priority. 2) Quality of life was conceptualized differently with less emphasize on its physiological aspects. 3) Disclosure of terminal illness to family/close friends was preferred as long it is through the patient. 4) Q-methodology identified five types of constellations of end-of-life priorities and dis-priorities that may be related to respondents' demographics and are partially masked by averaging analysis.

Comparison of different approaches applied in Analytic Hierarchy Process - an example of information needs of patients with rare diseases.

PubMed

Pauer, Frédéric; Schmidt, Katharina; Babac, Ana; Damm, Kathrin; Frank, Martin; von der Schulenburg, J-Matthias Graf

2016-09-09

The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is increasingly used to measure patient priorities. Studies have shown that there are several different approaches to data acquisition and data aggregation. The aim of this study was to measure the information needs of patients having a rare disease and to analyze the effects of these different AHP approaches. The ranking of information needs is then used to display information categories on a web-based information portal about rare diseases according to the patient's priorities. The information needs of patients suffering from rare diseases were identified by an Internet research study and a preliminary qualitative study. Hence, we designed a three-level hierarchy containing 13 criteria. For data acquisition, the differences in outcomes were investigated using individual versus group judgements separately. Furthermore, we analyzed the different effects when using the median and arithmetic and geometric means for data aggregation. A consistency ratio ≤0.2 was determined to represent an acceptable consistency level. Forty individual and three group judgements were collected from patients suffering from a rare disease and their close relatives. The consistency ratio of 31 individual and three group judgements was acceptable and thus these judgements were included in the study. To a large extent, the local ranks for individual and group judgements were similar. Interestingly, group judgements were in a significantly smaller range than individual judgements. According to our data, the ranks of the criteria differed slightly according to the data aggregation method used. It is important to explain and justify the choice of an appropriate method for data acquisition because response behaviors differ according to the method. We conclude that researchers should select a suitable method based on the thematic perspective or investigated topics in the study. Because the arithmetic mean is very vulnerable to outliers, the geometric mean and the median seem to be acceptable alternatives for data aggregation. Overall, using the AHP to identify patient priorities and enhance the user-friendliness of information websites offers an important contribution to medical informatics.

A practitioner-driven research agenda for syndromic surveillance

DOE PAGES

Hopkins, Richard S.; Gunn, Julia; Berezowski, John; ...

2017-05-02

The objective here is to obtain feedback and seek future directions for an ISDS initiative to establish and update research questions in Informatics, Analytics,Communications, and Systems Research with the greatest perceived impact for improving surveillance practice.Introduction Over the past fifteen years, syndromic surveillance (SyS) has evolved from a set of ad hoc methods used mostly in post-disaster settings, then expanded with broad support and development because of bioterrorism concerns, and subsequently evolved to a mature technology that runs continuously to detect and monitor a wide range of health issues. Continued enhancements needed to meet the challenges of novel health threatsmore » with increasingly complex information sources will require technical advances focused on day-to-day public health needs.Since its formation in 2005, the International Society for Disease Surveillance (ISDS) has sought to clarify and coordinate global priorities in surveillance research. As part of a practitioner-driven initiative to identify current research priorities in SyS, ISDS polled its members about capabilities needed by SyS practitioners that could be improved as a result of research efforts. A taskforce of the ISDS Research Committee, consisting of national and global subject matter experts (SMEs) in SyS and ISDS professional staff, carried out the project. This panel will discuss the results and the preferred means to determine and communicate priorities in the future.« less

A practitioner-driven research agenda for syndromic surveillance

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

Hopkins, Richard S.; Gunn, Julia; Berezowski, John

The objective here is to obtain feedback and seek future directions for an ISDS initiative to establish and update research questions in Informatics, Analytics,Communications, and Systems Research with the greatest perceived impact for improving surveillance practice.Introduction Over the past fifteen years, syndromic surveillance (SyS) has evolved from a set of ad hoc methods used mostly in post-disaster settings, then expanded with broad support and development because of bioterrorism concerns, and subsequently evolved to a mature technology that runs continuously to detect and monitor a wide range of health issues. Continued enhancements needed to meet the challenges of novel health threatsmore » with increasingly complex information sources will require technical advances focused on day-to-day public health needs.Since its formation in 2005, the International Society for Disease Surveillance (ISDS) has sought to clarify and coordinate global priorities in surveillance research. As part of a practitioner-driven initiative to identify current research priorities in SyS, ISDS polled its members about capabilities needed by SyS practitioners that could be improved as a result of research efforts. A taskforce of the ISDS Research Committee, consisting of national and global subject matter experts (SMEs) in SyS and ISDS professional staff, carried out the project. This panel will discuss the results and the preferred means to determine and communicate priorities in the future.« less

Optimization methods for activities selection problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahad, Nor Faradilah; Alias, Suriana; Yaakop, Siti Zulaika; Arshad, Norul Amanina Mohd; Mazni, Elis Sofia

2017-08-01

Co-curriculum activities must be joined by every student in Malaysia and these activities bring a lot of benefits to the students. By joining these activities, the students can learn about the time management and they can developing many useful skills. This project focuses on the selection of co-curriculum activities in secondary school using the optimization methods which are the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Zero-One Goal Programming (ZOGP). A secondary school in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia was chosen as a case study. A set of questionnaires were distributed randomly to calculate the weighted for each activity based on the 3 chosen criteria which are soft skills, interesting activities and performances. The weighted was calculated by using AHP and the results showed that the most important criteria is soft skills. Then, the ZOGP model will be analyzed by using LINGO Software version 15.0. There are two priorities to be considered. The first priority which is to minimize the budget for the activities is achieved since the total budget can be reduced by RM233.00. Therefore, the total budget to implement the selected activities is RM11,195.00. The second priority which is to select the co-curriculum activities is also achieved. The results showed that 9 out of 15 activities were selected. Thus, it can concluded that AHP and ZOGP approach can be used as the optimization methods for activities selection problem.

A consensus exercise identifying priorities for research into clinical effectiveness among children's orthopaedic surgeons in the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Perry, D C; Wright, J G; Cooke, S; Roposch, A; Gaston, M S; Nicolaou, N; Theologis, T

2018-05-01

Aims High-quality clinical research in children's orthopaedic surgery has lagged behind other surgical subspecialties. This study used a consensus-based approach to identify research priorities for clinical trials in children's orthopaedics. Methods A modified Delphi technique was used, which involved an initial scoping survey, a two-round Delphi process and an expert panel formed of members of the British Society of Children's Orthopaedic Surgery. The survey was conducted amongst orthopaedic surgeons treating children in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Results A total of 86 clinicians contributed to both rounds of the Delphi process, scoring priorities from one (low priority) to five (high priority). Elective topics were ranked higher than those relating to trauma, with the top ten elective research questions scoring higher than the top question for trauma. Ten elective, and five trauma research priorities were identified, with the three highest ranked questions relating to the treatment of slipped capital femoral epiphysis (mean score 4.6/ 5), Perthes' disease (4.5) and bone infection (4.5). Conclusion This consensus-based research agenda will guide surgeons, academics and funders to improve the evidence in children's orthopaedic surgery and encourage the development of multicentre clinical trials. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2018;100-B:680-4.

Binge Eating among Women Veterans in Primary Care: Comorbidities and Treatment Priorities.

PubMed

Rosenbaum, Diane L; Kimerling, Rachel; Pomernacki, Alyssa; Goldstein, Karen M; Yano, Elizabeth M; Sadler, Anne G; Carney, Diane; Bastian, Lori A; Bean-Mayberry, Bevanne A; Frayne, Susan M

2016-01-01

Little is known about the clinical profile and treatment priorities of women with binge eating disorder (BED), a diagnosis new to the fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. We identified comorbidities and patients' treatment priorities, because these may inform implementation of clinical services. Data were collected from women veteran primary care patients. Analyses compared those who screened positive for BED (BED+), and those without any binge eating symptoms (BED-). Frequencies of comorbid medical and psychological disorders were high in the BED+ group. The BED+ group's self-identified most common treatment priorities were mood concerns (72.2%), weight loss (66.7%), and body image/food issues (50%). Among those with obesity, a greater proportion of the BED+ group indicated body image/food issues was their top treatment priority (12.9% vs. 2.8%; p < .01), suggesting that these patients may be more apt to seek treatment beyond weight management for their problematic eating patterns. Women primary care patients with BED demonstrate high medical and psychological complexity; their subjective treatment priorities often match objective needs. These findings may inform the development of targeted BED screening practices for women with obesity in primary care settings, and the eventual adoption of patient-centered BED treatment resources. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Biodiversity hotspots house most undiscovered plant species.

PubMed

Joppa, Lucas N; Roberts, David L; Myers, Norman; Pimm, Stuart L

2011-08-09

For most organisms, the number of described species considerably underestimates how many exist. This is itself a problem and causes secondary complications given present high rates of species extinction. Known numbers of flowering plants form the basis of biodiversity "hotspots"--places where high levels of endemism and habitat loss coincide to produce high extinction rates. How different would conservation priorities be if the catalog were complete? Approximately 15% more species of flowering plant are likely still undiscovered. They are almost certainly rare, and depending on where they live, suffer high risks of extinction from habitat loss and global climate disruption. By using a model that incorporates taxonomic effort over time, regions predicted to contain large numbers of undiscovered species are already conservation priorities. Our results leave global conservation priorities more or less intact, but suggest considerably higher levels of species imperilment than previously acknowledged.

Future Research Priorities for Morbidity Control of Lymphedema.

PubMed

Narahari, S R; Aggithaya, Madhur Guruprasad; Moffatt, Christine; Ryan, T J; Keeley, Vaughan; Vijaya, B; Rajendran, P; Karalam, S B; Rajagopala, S; Kumar, N K; Bose, K S; Sushma, K V

2017-01-01

Innovation in the treatment of lower extremity lymphedema has received low priority from the governments and pharmaceutical industry. Advancing lymphedema is irreversible and initiates fibrosis in the dermis, reactive changes in the epidermis and subcutis. Most medical treatments offered for lymphedema are either too demanding with a less than satisfactory response or patients have low concordance due to complex schedules. A priority setting partnership (PSP) was established to decide on the future priorities in lymphedema research. A table of abstracts following a literature search was published in workshop website. Stake holders were requested to upload their priorities. Their questions were listed, randomized, and sent to lymphologists for ranking. High ranked ten research priorities, obtained through median score, were presented in final prioritization work shop attended by invited stake holders. A free medical camp was organized during workshop to understand patients' priorities. One hundred research priorities were selected from priorities uploaded to website. Ten priorities were short listed through a peer review process involving 12 lymphologists, for final discussion. They were related to simplification of integrative treatment for lymphedema, cellular changes in lymphedema and mechanisms of its reversal, eliminating bacterial entry lesions to reduce cellulitis episodes, exploring evidence for therapies in traditional medicine, improving patient concordance to compression therapy, epidemiology of lymphatic filariasis (LF), and economic benefit of integrative treatments of lymphedema. A robust research priority setting process, organized as described in James Lind Alliance guidebook, identified seven priority areas to achieve effective morbidity control of lymphedema including LF. All stake holders including Department of Health Research, Government of India, participated in the PSP.

Future Research Priorities for Morbidity Control of Lymphedema

PubMed Central

Narahari, S R; Aggithaya, Madhur Guruprasad; Moffatt, Christine; Ryan, T J; Keeley, Vaughan; Vijaya, B; Rajendran, P; Karalam, S B; Rajagopala, S; Kumar, N K; Bose, K S; Sushma, K V

2017-01-01

Background: Innovation in the treatment of lower extremity lymphedema has received low priority from the governments and pharmaceutical industry. Advancing lymphedema is irreversible and initiates fibrosis in the dermis, reactive changes in the epidermis and subcutis. Most medical treatments offered for lymphedema are either too demanding with a less than satisfactory response or patients have low concordance due to complex schedules. A priority setting partnership (PSP) was established to decide on the future priorities in lymphedema research. Methods: A table of abstracts following a literature search was published in workshop website. Stake holders were requested to upload their priorities. Their questions were listed, randomized, and sent to lymphologists for ranking. High ranked ten research priorities, obtained through median score, were presented in final prioritization work shop attended by invited stake holders. A free medical camp was organized during workshop to understand patients’ priorities. Results: One hundred research priorities were selected from priorities uploaded to website. Ten priorities were short listed through a peer review process involving 12 lymphologists, for final discussion. They were related to simplification of integrative treatment for lymphedema, cellular changes in lymphedema and mechanisms of its reversal, eliminating bacterial entry lesions to reduce cellulitis episodes, exploring evidence for therapies in traditional medicine, improving patient concordance to compression therapy, epidemiology of lymphatic filariasis (LF), and economic benefit of integrative treatments of lymphedema. Conclusion: A robust research priority setting process, organized as described in James Lind Alliance guidebook, identified seven priority areas to achieve effective morbidity control of lymphedema including LF. All stake holders including Department of Health Research, Government of India, participated in the PSP. PMID:28216723

Integrating economic costs and biological traits into global conservation priorities for carnivores.

PubMed

Loyola, Rafael Dias; Oliveira-Santos, Luiz Gustavo Rodrigues; Almeida-Neto, Mário; Nogueira, Denise Martins; Kubota, Umberto; Diniz-Filho, José Alexandre Felizola; Lewinsohn, Thomas Michael

2009-08-27

Prioritization schemes usually highlight species-rich areas, where many species are at imminent risk of extinction. To be ecologically relevant these schemes should also include species biological traits into area-setting methods. Furthermore, in a world of limited funds for conservation, conservation action is constrained by land acquisition costs. Hence, including economic costs into conservation priorities can substantially improve their conservation cost-effectiveness. We examined four global conservation scenarios for carnivores based on the joint mapping of economic costs and species biological traits. These scenarios identify the most cost-effective priority sets of ecoregions, indicating best investment opportunities for safeguarding every carnivore species, and also establish priority sets that can maximize species representation in areas harboring highly vulnerable species. We compared these results with a scenario that minimizes the total number of ecoregions required for conserving all species, irrespective of other factors. We found that cost-effective conservation investments should focus on 41 ecoregions highlighted in the scenario that consider simultaneously both ecoregion vulnerability and economic costs of land acquisition. Ecoregions included in priority sets under these criteria should yield best returns of investments since they harbor species with high extinction risk and have lower mean land cost. Our study highlights ecoregions of particular importance for the conservation of the world's carnivores defining global conservation priorities in analyses that encompass socioeconomic and life-history factors. We consider the identification of a comprehensive priority-set of areas as a first step towards an in-situ biodiversity maintenance strategy.

FMEA: a model for reducing medical errors.

PubMed

Chiozza, Maria Laura; Ponzetti, Clemente

2009-06-01

Patient safety is a management issue, in view of the fact that clinical risk management has become an important part of hospital management. Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) is a proactive technique for error detection and reduction, firstly introduced within the aerospace industry in the 1960s. Early applications in the health care industry dating back to the 1990s included critical systems in the development and manufacture of drugs and in the prevention of medication errors in hospitals. In 2008, the Technical Committee of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), licensed a technical specification for medical laboratories suggesting FMEA as a method for prospective risk analysis of high-risk processes. Here we describe the main steps of the FMEA process and review data available on the application of this technique to laboratory medicine. A significant reduction of the risk priority number (RPN) was obtained when applying FMEA to blood cross-matching, to clinical chemistry analytes, as well as to point-of-care testing (POCT).

Top 40 Priorities for Science to Inform US Conservation and Management Policy

EPA Science Inventory

We present a list of America's "Top 40" high-priority questions that, if answered, would help inform some of the most important current and future decisions about resource management in the United States

Development of a prototype land use model for statewide transportation planning activities : summary.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-01-01

Developing computer models of land use and : integrated transportation-land use are high : priorities for Florida transportation planners. : Land use information is fundamental to siting : roadways, signaling, setting maintenance : priorities, routin...

Determination of heat purgeable and ambient purgeable volatile organic compounds in water by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rose, Donna L.; Sandstrom, Mark W.; Murtagh, Lucinda K.

2016-09-08

Two new analytical methods have been developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) that allow the determination of 37 heat purgeable volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (USGS Method O-4437-16 [NWQL Laboratory Schedule (LS) 4437]) and 49 ambient purgeable VOCs (USGS Method O-4436-16 [NWQL LS 4436]) in unfiltered water. This report documents the procedures and initial performance of both methods. The compounds chosen for inclusion in the methods were determined as having high priority by the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. Both methods use a purge-and-trap technique with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The compounds are extracted from the sample by bubbling helium through a 25-milliliter sample. For the polar and less volatile compounds, the sample is heated at 60 degrees Celsius, whereas the less polar and more volatile compounds are purged using a separate analytical procedure at ambient temperature. The compounds are trapped on a sorbent trap, desorbed into a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer for separation, and then identified and quantified. Sample preservation is recommended for both methods by adding a 1:1 solution of hydrochloric acid (HCl [1:1]) to water samples to adjust the pH to 2. Analysis within 14 days from sampling is recommended.The heat purgeable method (USGS Method O-4437-16) operates with the mass spectrometer in the simultaneous full scan/selected ion monitoring mode. This method supersedes USGS Method O-4024-03 (NWQL LS 4024). Method detection limits (MDLs) for fumigant compounds 1,2-dibromoethane, 1,2-dichloropropane, 1,2,3-trichloropropane, chloropicrin, and 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane range from 0.002 to 0.010 microgram per liter (µg/L). The MDLs for all remaining heat purgeable VOCs range from 0.006 µg/L for tert-butyl methyl ether to 3 µg/L for alpha-terpineol. Calculated holding times indicate that 36 of the 37 heat purgeable VOCs are stable for a minimum of 14 days preserved with HCl (1:1) to pH 2, and many are stable longer. Acrolein was retained in the method validation and initial method implementation and subsequently deleted because of instability and inconsistent performance. 2-Chloromethyl oxirane, methyl oxirane, and oxirane were tested using this method, but the compounds degraded quickly with the HCl (1:1) used for microbial preservation.The ambient purgeable method, USGS Method O-4436-16, operates with the mass spectrometer in the full scan mode. This method is a modification of USGS Method O-4127-96 (NWQL LS 2020). Several compounds were retained from Method O-4127-96 and will continue to be determined in Method O-4436-16. Eleven high priority compounds were added. MDLs for the high priority compounds range from 0.007 µg/L for 2,2-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroethane to 0.04 µg/L for 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene and 1,3-butadiene. Historical MDLs for the compounds retained from Method O-4127-96 range from 0.009 µg/L for trans-1,2-dichloroethene to 0.1 µg/L for bromomethane. The calculated holding times for the compounds indicate the majority of the compounds are stable for a minimum of 14 days, or longer, at pH 2 with HCl (1:1) preservation. Four semivolatile compounds, 1,2-dimethylnaphthalene, 1,6-dimethylnaphthalene, 2,6-di-tert-butyl phenol, and 2-chloronapthalene, were tested and deleted from the method due to poor performance. Benzyl chloride was tested and deleted due to instability.

Do People Taking Flu Vaccines Need Them the Most?

PubMed Central

Gu, Qian; Sood, Neeraj

2011-01-01

Background A well targeted flu vaccine strategy can ensure that vaccines go to those who are at the highest risk of getting infected if unvaccinated. However, prior research has not explicitly examined the association between the risk of flu infection and vaccination rates. Purpose This study examines the relationship between the risk of flu infection and the probability of getting vaccinated. Methods Nationally representative data from the US and multivariate regression models were used to estimate what individual characteristics are associated with (1) the risk of flu infection when unvaccinated and (2) flu vaccination rates. These results were used to estimate the correlation between the probability of infection and the probability of getting vaccinated. Separate analyses were performed for the general population and the high priority population that is at increased risk of flu related complications. Results We find that the high priority population was more likely to get vaccinated compared to the general population. However, within both the high priority and general populations the risk of flu infection when unvaccinated was negatively correlated with vaccination rates (r = −0.067, p<0.01). This negative association between the risk of infection when unvaccinated and the probability of vaccination was stronger for the high priority population (r = −0.361, p<0.01). Conclusions There is a poor match between those who get flu vaccines and those who have a high risk of flu infection within both the high priority and general populations. Targeting vaccination to people with low socioeconomic status, people who are engaged in unhealthy behaviors, working people, and families with kids will likely improve effectiveness of flu vaccine policy. PMID:22164202

Defining priorities for improving end-of-life care in Canada

PubMed Central

Heyland, Daren K.; Cook, Deborah J.; Rocker, Graeme M.; Dodek, Peter M.; Kutsogiannis, Demetrios J.; Skrobik, Yoanna; Jiang, Xuran; Day, Andrew G.; Cohen, S. Robin

2010-01-01

Background High-quality end-of-life care should be the right of every Canadian. The objective of this study was to identify aspects of end-of-life care that are high in priority as targets for improvement using feedback elicited from patients and their families. Methods We conducted a multicentre, cross-sectional survey involving patients with advanced, life-limiting illnesses and their family caregivers. We administered the Canadian Health Care Evaluation Project (CANHELP) questionnaire along with a global rating question to measure satisfaction with end-of-life care. We derived the relative importance of individual questions on the CANHELP questionnaire from their association with a global rating of satisfaction, as determined using Pearson correlation coefficients. To determine high-priority issues, we identified questions that had scores indicating high importance and low satisfaction. Results We approached 471 patients and 255 family members, of whom 363 patients and 193 family members participated, with response rates of 77% for patients and 76% for families. From the perspective of patients, high-priority areas needing improvement were related to feelings of peace, to assessment and treatment of emotional problems, to physician availability and to satisfaction that the physician took a personal interest in them, communicated clearly and consistently, and listened. From the perspective of family members, similar areas were identified as high in priority, along with the additional areas of timely information about the patient’s condition and discussions with the doctor about final location of care and use of end-of-life technology. Interpretation End-of-life care in Canada may be improved for patients and their families by providing better psychological and spiritual support, better planning of care and enhanced relationships with physicians, especially in aspects related to communication and decision-making. PMID:20921249

The Voices of Parents: Post-High School Expectations, Priorities, and Concerns for Children With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blustein, Carly L.; Carter, Erik W.; McMillan, Elise D.

2016-01-01

The expectations of parents can shape the post-school pathways of young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Yet little is known about how parents view the employment prospects and priorities of their sons and daughters after high school. We examined expectations, preferences, and concerns of 1,065 parents of children and…

Job Priorities on Peregrine | High-Performance Computing | NREL

Science.gov Websites

allocation when run with qos=high. Requesting a Node Reservation If you are doing work that requires real scheduler more efficiently plan resources for larger jobs. When projects reach their allocation limit, jobs associated with those projects will run at very low priority, which will ensure that these jobs run only when

High Priority Research Needs for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

PubMed Central

Robinson, Karen A.; Saldanha, Ian J.; Wilson, Lisa M.; Nicholson, Wanda K.

2012-01-01

Abstract Objective Identification of unanswered research questions about the management of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is necessary to focus future research endeavors. We developed a process for elucidating the highest priority research questions on GDM. Methods Using a systematic review on GDM as a starting point, we developed an eight-step process: (1) identification of research gaps, (2) feedback from the review's authors, (3) translation of gaps into researchable questions using population, intervention, comparators, outcomes, setting (PICOS) framework, (4) local institutions' stakeholders' refinement of research questions, (5) national stakeholders' use of Delphi method to develop consensus on the importance of research questions, (6) prioritization of outcomes, (7) conceptual framework, and (8) evaluation. Results We identified 15 high priority research questions for GDM. The research questions focused on medication management of GDM (e.g., various oral agents vs. insulin), delivery management for women with GDM (e.g., induction vs. expectant management), and identification of risk factors for, prevention of, and screening for type 2 diabetes in women with prior GDM. Stakeholders rated the development of chronic diseases in offspring, cesarean delivery, and birth trauma as high priority outcomes to measure in future studies. Conclusions We developed an eight-step process using a multidisciplinary group of stakeholders to identify 15 research questions of high clinical importance. Researchers, policymakers, and funders can use this list to direct research efforts and resources to the highest priority areas to improve care for women with GDM. PMID:22747422

Economic modelling of diagnostic and treatment pathways in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guidelines: the Modelling Algorithm Pathways in Guidelines (MAPGuide) project.

PubMed

Lord, J; Willis, S; Eatock, J; Tappenden, P; Trapero-Bertran, M; Miners, A; Crossan, C; Westby, M; Anagnostou, A; Taylor, S; Mavranezouli, I; Wonderling, D; Alderson, P; Ruiz, F

2013-12-01

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines (CGs) make recommendations across large, complex care pathways for broad groups of patients. They rely on cost-effectiveness evidence from the literature and from new analyses for selected high-priority topics. An alternative approach would be to build a model of the full care pathway and to use this as a platform to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of multiple topics across the guideline recommendations. In this project we aimed to test the feasibility of building full guideline models for NICE guidelines and to assess if, and how, such models can be used as a basis for cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA). A 'best evidence' approach was used to inform the model parameters. Data were drawn from the guideline documentation, advice from clinical experts and rapid literature reviews on selected topics. Where possible we relied on good-quality, recent UK systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Two published NICE guidelines were used as case studies: prostate cancer and atrial fibrillation (AF). Discrete event simulation (DES) was used to model the recommended care pathways and to estimate consequent costs and outcomes. For each guideline, researchers not involved in model development collated a shortlist of topics suggested for updating. The modelling teams then attempted to evaluate options related to these topics. Cost-effectiveness results were compared with opinions about the importance of the topics elicited in a survey of stakeholders. The modelling teams developed simulations of the guideline pathways and disease processes. Development took longer and required more analytical time than anticipated. Estimates of cost-effectiveness were produced for six of the nine prostate cancer topics considered, and for five of eight AF topics. The other topics were not evaluated owing to lack of data or time constraints. The modelled results suggested 'economic priorities' for an update that differed from priorities expressed in the stakeholder survey. We did not conduct systematic reviews to inform the model parameters, and so the results might not reflect all current evidence. Data limitations and time constraints restricted the number of analyses that we could conduct. We were also unable to obtain feedback from guideline stakeholders about the usefulness of the models within project time scales. Discrete event simulation can be used to model full guideline pathways for CEA, although this requires a substantial investment of clinical and analytic time and expertise. For some topics lack of data may limit the potential for modelling. There are also uncertainties over the accessibility and adaptability of full guideline models. However, full guideline modelling offers the potential to strengthen and extend the analytical basis of NICE's CGs. Further work is needed to extend the analysis of our case study models to estimate population-level budget and health impacts. The practical usefulness of our models to guideline developers and users should also be investigated, as should the feasibility and usefulness of whole guideline modelling alongside development of a new CG. This project was funded by the Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health Research through the Methodology Research Programme [grant number G0901504] and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 17, No. 58. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

High-throughput hydrophilic interaction chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry for the optimized quantification of the anti-Gram-negatives antibiotic colistin A/B and its pro-drug colistimethate.

PubMed

Mercier, Thomas; Tissot, Fréderic; Gardiol, Céline; Corti, Natascia; Wehrli, Stéphane; Guidi, Monia; Csajka, Chantal; Buclin, Thierry; Couet, William; Marchetti, Oscar; Decosterd, Laurent A

2014-11-21

Colistin is a last resort's antibacterial treatment in critically ill patients with multi-drug resistant Gram-negative infections. As appropriate colistin exposure is the key for maximizing efficacy while minimizing toxicity, individualized dosing optimization guided by therapeutic drug monitoring is a top clinical priority. Objective of the present work was to develop a rapid and robust HPLC-MS/MS assay for quantification of colistin plasma concentrations. This novel methodology validated according to international standards simultaneously quantifies the microbiologically active compounds colistin A and B, plus the pro-drug colistin methanesulfonate (colistimethate, CMS). 96-well micro-Elution SPE on Oasis Hydrophilic-Lipophilic-Balanced (HLB) followed by direct analysis by Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography (HILIC) with Ethylene Bridged Hybrid--BEH--Amide phase column coupled to tandem mass spectrometry allows a high-throughput with no significant matrix effect. The technique is highly sensitive (limit of quantification 0.014 and 0.006 μg/mL for colistin A and B), precise (intra-/inter-assay CV 0.6-8.4%) and accurate (intra-/inter-assay deviation from nominal concentrations -4.4 to +6.3%) over the clinically relevant analytical range 0.05-20 μg/mL. Colistin A and B in plasma and whole blood samples are reliably quantified over 48 h at room temperature and at +4°C (<6% deviation from nominal values) and after three freeze-thaw cycles. Colistimethate acidic hydrolysis (1M H2SO4) to colistin A and B in plasma was completed in vitro after 15 min of sonication while the pro-drug hydrolyzed spontaneously in plasma ex vivo after 4 h at room temperature: this information is of utmost importance for interpretation of analytical results. Quantification is precise and accurate when using serum, citrated or EDTA plasma as biological matrix, while use of heparin plasma is not appropriate. This new analytical technique providing optimized quantification in real-life conditions of the microbiologically active compounds colistin A and B offers a highly efficient tool for routine therapeutic drug monitoring aimed at individualizing drug dosing against life-threatening infections. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exploring spatial patterns of vulnerability for diverse biodiversity descriptors in regional conservation planning.

PubMed

Vimal, Ruppert; Pluvinet, Pascal; Sacca, Céline; Mazagol, Pierre-Olivier; Etlicher, Bernard; Thompson, John D

2012-03-01

In this study, we developed a multi-criteria assessment of spatial variability of the vulnerability of three different biodiversity descriptors: sites of high conservation interest by virtue of the presence of rare or remarkable species, extensive areas of high ecological integrity, and landscape diversity in grid cells across an entire region. We assessed vulnerability in relation to (a) direct threats in and around sites to a distance of 2 km associated with intensive agriculture, building and road infrastructure and (b) indirect effects of human population density on a wider scale (50 km). The different combinations of biodiversity and threat indicators allowed us to set differential priorities for biodiversity conservation and assess their spatial variation. For example, with this method we identified sites and grid cells which combined high biodiversity with either high threat values or low threat values for the three different biodiversity indicators. In these two classes the priorities for conservation planning will be different, reduce threat values in the former and restrain any increase in the latter. We also identified low priority sites (low biodiversity with either high or low threats). This procedure thus allows for the integration of a spatial ranking of vulnerability into priority setting for regional conservation planning. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exact analytical solution of shear-induced flexural vibration of functionally graded piezoelectric beam

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

Sharma, Pankaj, E-mail: psharma@rtu.ac.in; Parashar, Sandeep Kumar, E-mail: parashar2@yahoo.com

The priority of this paper is to obtain the exact analytical solution for free flexural vibration of FGPM beam actuated using the d{sub 15} effect. In piezoelectric actuators, the potential use of d{sub 15} effect has been of particular interest for engineering applications since shear piezoelectric coefficient d15 is much higher than the other piezoelectric coupling constants d{sub 31} and d{sub 33}. The applications of shear actuators are to induce and control the flexural vibrations of beams and plates. In this study, a modified Timoshenko beam theory is used where electric potential is assumed to vary sinusoidaly along the thicknessmore » direction. The material properties are assumed to be graded across the thickness in accordance with power law distribution. Hamilton's principle is employed to obtain the equations of motion along with the associated boundary conditions for FGPM beams. Exact analytical solution is derived thus obtained equations of motion. Results for clamped-clamped and clamped-free boundary conditions are presented. The presented result and method shell serve as benchmark for comparing the results obtained from the other approximate methods.« less

Big data privacy protection model based on multi-level trusted system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Nan; Liu, Zehua; Han, Hongfeng

2018-05-01

This paper introduces and inherit the multi-level trusted system model that solves the Trojan virus by encrypting the privacy of user data, and achieve the principle: "not to read the high priority hierarchy, not to write the hierarchy with low priority". Thus ensuring that the low-priority data privacy leak does not affect the disclosure of high-priority data privacy. This paper inherits the multi-level trustworthy system model of Trojan horse and divides seven different risk levels. The priority level 1˜7 represent the low to high value of user data privacy, and realize seven kinds of encryption with different execution efficiency Algorithm, the higher the priority, the greater the value of user data privacy, at the expense of efficiency under the premise of choosing a more encrypted encryption algorithm to ensure data security. For enterprises, the price point is determined by the unit equipment users to decide the length of time. The higher the risk sub-group algorithm, the longer the encryption time. The model assumes that users prefer the lower priority encryption algorithm to ensure efficiency. This paper proposes a privacy cost model for each of the seven risk subgroups. Among them, the higher the privacy cost, the higher the priority of the risk sub-group, the higher the price the user needs to pay to ensure the privacy of the data. Furthermore, by introducing the existing pricing model of economics and the human traffic model proposed by this paper and fluctuating with the market demand, this paper improves the price of unit products when the market demand is low. On the other hand, when the market demand increases, the profit of the enterprise will be guaranteed under the guidance of the government by reducing the price per unit of product. Then, this paper introduces the dynamic factors of consumers' mood and age to optimize. At the same time, seven algorithms are selected from symmetric and asymmetric encryption algorithms to define the enterprise costs at different levels. Therefore, the proposed model solves the continuous influence caused by cascading events and ensures that the disclosure of low-level data privacy of users does not affect the high-level data privacy, thus greatly improving the safety of the private information of user.

Developing an Analytical Framework: Incorporating Ecosystem Services into Decision Making - Proceedings of a Workshop

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hogan, Dianna; Arthaud, Greg; Pattison, Malka; Sayre, Roger G.; Shapiro, Carl

2010-01-01

The analytical framework for understanding ecosystem services in conservation, resource management, and development decisions is multidisciplinary, encompassing a combination of the natural and social sciences. This report summarizes a workshop on 'Developing an Analytical Framework: Incorporating Ecosystem Services into Decision Making,' which focused on the analytical process and on identifying research priorities for assessing ecosystem services, their production and use, their spatial and temporal characteristics, their relationship with natural systems, and their interdependencies. Attendees discussed research directions and solutions to key challenges in developing the analytical framework. The discussion was divided into two sessions: (1) the measurement framework: quantities and values, and (2) the spatial framework: mapping and spatial relationships. This workshop was the second of three preconference workshops associated with ACES 2008 (A Conference on Ecosystem Services): Using Science for Decision Making in Dynamic Systems. These three workshops were designed to explore the ACES 2008 theme on decision making and how the concept of ecosystem services can be more effectively incorporated into conservation, restoration, resource management, and development decisions. Preconference workshop 1, 'Developing a Vision: Incorporating Ecosystem Services into Decision Making,' was held on April 15, 2008, in Cambridge, MA. In preconference workshop 1, participants addressed what would have to happen to make ecosystem services be used more routinely and effectively in conservation, restoration, resource management, and development decisions, and they identified some key challenges in developing the analytical framework. Preconference workshop 3, 'Developing an Institutional Framework: Incorporating Ecosystem Services into Decision Making,' was held on October 30, 2008, in Albuquerque, NM; participants examined the relationship between the institutional framework and the use of ecosystem services in decision making.

Priorities for family building among patients and partners seeking treatment for infertility.

PubMed

Duthie, Elizabeth A; Cooper, Alexandra; Davis, Joseph B; Sandlow, Jay; Schoyer, Katherine D; Strawn, Estil; Flynn, Kathryn E

2017-04-05

Infertility treatment decisions require people to balance multiple priorities. Within couples, partners must also negotiate priorities with one another. In this study, we assessed the family-building priorities of couples prior to their first consultations with a reproductive specialist. Participants were couples who had upcoming first consultations with a reproductive specialist (N = 59 couples (59 women; 59 men)). Prior to the consultation, couples separately completed the Family-Building Priorities Tool, which tasked them with ranking from least to most important 10 factors associated with family building. We describe the highest (top three) and lowest (bottom three) priorities, the alignment of priorities within couples, and test for differences in prioritization between men and women within couples (Wilcoxon signed rank test). Maintaining a close and satisfying relationship with one's partner was ranked as a high priority by majorities of men and women, and in 25% of couples, both partners ranked this factor as their most important priority for family building. Majorities of men and women also ranked building a family in a way that does not make infertility obvious to others as a low priority, and in 27% of couples, both partners ranked this factor as the least important priority for family building. There were also differences within couples that involved either men or women ranking a particular goal more highly than their partners. More women ranked two factors higher than did their partners: 1) that I become a parent one way or another (p = 0.015) and 2) that I have a child in the next year or two (p < 0.001), whereas more men ranked 4 factors higher than their partners: 1) that our child has [woman's] genes (p = 0.025), 2) that our child has [man's] genes (p < 0.001), 3) that I maintain a close relationship with my partner (p = 0.034), and 4) that I avoid side effects from treatment (p < 0.001). Clinicians who support patients in assessing available family-building paths should be aware that: (1) patients balance multiple priorities as a part of, or beside, becoming a parent; and (2) patients and their partners may not be aligned in their prioritization of achieving parenthood. For infertility patients who are in relationships, clinicians should encourage the active participation of both partners as well as frank discussions about each partner's priorities for building their family.

Analytical approaches for the characterization and quantification of nanoparticles in food and beverages.

PubMed

Mattarozzi, Monica; Suman, Michele; Cascio, Claudia; Calestani, Davide; Weigel, Stefan; Undas, Anna; Peters, Ruud

2017-01-01

Estimating consumer exposure to nanomaterials (NMs) in food products and predicting their toxicological properties are necessary steps in the assessment of the risks of this technology. To this end, analytical methods have to be available to detect, characterize and quantify NMs in food and materials related to food, e.g. food packaging and biological samples following metabolization of food. The challenge for the analytical sciences is that the characterization of NMs requires chemical as well as physical information. This article offers a comprehensive analysis of methods available for the detection and characterization of NMs in food and related products. Special attention was paid to the crucial role of sample preparation methods since these have been partially neglected in the scientific literature so far. The currently available instrumental methods are grouped as fractionation, counting and ensemble methods, and their advantages and limitations are discussed. We conclude that much progress has been made over the last 5 years but that many challenges still exist. Future perspectives and priority research needs are pointed out. Graphical Abstract Two possible analytical strategies for the sizing and quantification of Nanoparticles: Asymmetric Flow Field-Flow Fractionation with multiple detectors (allows the determination of true size and mass-based particle size distribution); Single Particle Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (allows the determination of a spherical equivalent diameter of the particle and a number-based particle size distribution).

Analytical Results for Agricultural Soils Samples from a Monitoring Program Near Deer Trail, Colorado (USA)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crock, J.G.; Smith, D.B.; Yager, T.J.B.

2009-01-01

Since late 1993, Metro Wastewater Reclamation District of Denver (Metro District, MWRD), a large wastewater treatment plant in Denver, Colorado, has applied Grade I, Class B biosolids to about 52,000 acres of nonirrigated farmland and rangeland near Deer Trail, Colorado, USA. In cooperation with the Metro District in 1993, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began monitoring groundwater at part of this site. In 1999, the USGS began a more comprehensive monitoring study of the entire site to address stakeholder concerns about the potential chemical effects of biosolids applications to water, soil, and vegetation. This more comprehensive monitoring program has recently been extended through 2010. Monitoring components of the more comprehensive study include biosolids collected at the wastewater treatment plant, soil, crops, dust, alluvial and bedrock groundwater, and stream bed sediment. Soils for this study were defined as the plow zone of the dry land agricultural fields - the top twelve inches of the soil column. This report presents analytical results for the soil samples collected at the Metro District farm land near Deer Trail, Colorado, during three separate sampling events during 1999, 2000, and 2002. Soil samples taken in 1999 were to be a representation of the original baseline of the agricultural soils prior to any biosolids application. The soil samples taken in 2000 represent the soils after one application of biosolids to the middle field at each site and those taken in 2002 represent the soils after two applications. There have been no biosolids applied to any of the four control fields. The next soil sampling is scheduled for the spring of 2010. Priority parameters for biosolids identified by the stakeholders and also regulated by Colorado when used as an agricultural soil amendment include the total concentrations of nine trace elements (arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, and zinc), plutonium isotopes, and gross alpha and beta activity (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division, 1997; Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment,1998; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1993). Since these were the identified priority parameters for the biosolids, the soils have the same set of priority parameters. Although the composite soils' priority analytes have been reported earlier to Metro District, the remaining elemental datasets for both the composite soils samples and selected fields' individual subsamples' data are presented here for the first time. More information about the other monitoring components is presented elsewhere in the literature (http://co.water.usgs.gov/projects/CO406/CO406.html). In general, the objective of each component of the study was to determine whether concentrations of priority parameters (1) were higher than regulatory limits, (2) were increasing with time, and(or) (3) were significantly higher in biosolids-applied areas than in a similar farmed area where biosolids were not applied. The method chosen for sampling the soils proved to be an efficient and reliable representation of the average composition of each field. This was shown by analyzing individual subsamples, averaging the resulting values, and then comparing the values to the composited samples' values. The soil chemistry shows distinct differences between the two sites, most likely due to the different underlying parent material. Biosolids data were used to compile an inorganic-chemical biosolids signature that can be contrasted with the geochemical signature of the agricultural soils for this site. The biosolids signature and an understanding of the geology and hydrology of the site can be used to separate biosolids effects from natural geochemical effects. Elements of particular interest for a biosolids signature after application in the soils include bismuth, copper, silver, mercury, and phosphorus. This signat

Prioritization of Zoonotic Diseases in Kenya, 2015

PubMed Central

Bitek, Austine; Osoro, Eric; Pieracci, Emily G.; Muema, Josephat; Mwatondo, Athman; Kungu, Mathew; Nanyingi, Mark; Gharpure, Radhika; Njenga, Kariuki; Thumbi, Samuel M.

2016-01-01

Introduction Zoonotic diseases have varying public health burden and socio-economic impact across time and geographical settings making their prioritization for prevention and control important at the national level. We conducted systematic prioritization of zoonotic diseases and developed a ranked list of these diseases that would guide allocation of resources to enhance their surveillance, prevention, and control. Methods A group of 36 medical, veterinary, and wildlife experts in zoonoses from government, research institutions and universities in Kenya prioritized 36 diseases using a semi-quantitative One Health Zoonotic Disease Prioritization tool developed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with slight adaptations. The tool comprises five steps: listing of zoonotic diseases to be prioritized, development of ranking criteria, weighting criteria by pairwise comparison through analytical hierarchical process, scoring each zoonotic disease based on the criteria, and aggregation of scores. Results In order of importance, the participants identified severity of illness in humans, epidemic/pandemic potential in humans, socio-economic burden, prevalence/incidence and availability of interventions (weighted scores assigned to each criteria were 0.23, 0.22, 0.21, 0.17 and 0.17 respectively), as the criteria to define the relative importance of the diseases. The top five priority diseases in descending order of ranking were anthrax, trypanosomiasis, rabies, brucellosis and Rift Valley fever. Conclusion Although less prominently mentioned, neglected zoonotic diseases ranked highly compared to those with epidemic potential suggesting these endemic diseases cause substantial public health burden. The list of priority zoonotic disease is crucial for the targeted allocation of resources and informing disease prevention and control programs for zoonoses in Kenya. PMID:27557120

7 CFR 4279.155 - Loan priorities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... natural resource value-added product (2 points). (iii) Occupations. The priority score for occupations... natural disaster or experiencing fundamental structural changes in its economic base (5 points). (iv... for the following: (A) Business that offers high value, specialized products and services that command...

7 CFR 4279.155 - Loan priorities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... natural resource value-added product (2 points). (iii) Occupations. The priority score for occupations... natural disaster or experiencing fundamental structural changes in its economic base (5 points). (iv... for the following: (A) Business that offers high value, specialized products and services that command...

7 CFR 4279.155 - Loan priorities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... natural resource value-added product (2 points). (iii) Occupations. The priority score for occupations... natural disaster or experiencing fundamental structural changes in its economic base (5 points). (iv... for the following: (A) Business that offers high value, specialized products and services that command...

7 CFR 4279.155 - Loan priorities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... natural resource value-added product (2 points). (iii) Occupations. The priority score for occupations... natural disaster or experiencing fundamental structural changes in its economic base (5 points). (iv... for the following: (A) Business that offers high value, specialized products and services that command...

Reproductive management of dairy herds in New Zealand: attitudes, priorities and constraints perceived by farmers managing seasonal-calving, pasture-based herds in four regions.

PubMed

Brownlie, T S; Weir, A M; Tarbotton, I; Morton, J M; Heuer, C; McDougall, S

2011-01-01

To examine attitudes, priorities, and constraints pertaining to herd reproductive management perceived by farmers managing seasonal-calving, pasture-based dairy herds in four regions of New Zealand, and to explore how these varied with demographic and biophysical factors. Key decision makers (KDM) on 133 dairy herds in four dairy regions (Waikato, Taranaki, and north and south Canterbury) were interviewed between May and July 2009. They were asked to provide demographic and biophysical data about the farm, and to rate their attitude in relation to their own personality traits, management issues and priorities, and likely constraints affecting reproductive performance in their herds. Associations between demographic factors and attitudes, priorities and constraints were analysed using univariable and multivariable proportional-odds regression models. Farms in the regions studied in the South Island were larger, had larger herds and more staff than farms in the regions studied in the North Island. The farms in the South Island were more likely to be owned by a corporation, managed by younger people or people who had more education, and the herds were more likely to be fed a higher percentage of supplementary feed. The majority of KDM rated the current genetics, milksolids performance and reproductive performance of their herds as high or very high, and >70% believed that the reproductive performance had remained the same or improved over the preceding 3 years. Despite this, improving reproductive performance was the most highly rated priority for the next 3 years. The constraints considered most likely to have affected reproductive performance in the last 2 years were anoestrous cows, protracted calving periods, and low body condition scores; those considered least likely were artificial breeding and heat detection. Of the variables examined related to attitudes, priorities and likely constraints, there were significant differences between region for 10/40, and with age and occupation of the KDM for 24/40 and 5/40, respectively (p<0.05). The majority of KDM reported the current reproductive performance of their herds to be high or very high, yet rated improving reproductive performance as a very high priority for the next 3 years. Mismatch between perceived and actual performance may result in reduced uptake of extension programmes designed to improve performance, and accurate benchmarking may help increase uptake and engagement. Further work is needed to determine whether the attitudes and perceptions about performance of farmers affect the likelihood of changes in their management behaviour which translate to measurable change in the actual reproductive performance of their herds. The variation in attitude, priorities and perceived constraints among age groups and region indicates that design of extension programmes may need to vary with these demographics.

Analysis of eighty-four commercial aviation incidents - Implications for a resource management approach to crew training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murphy, M. R.

1980-01-01

A resource management approach to aircrew performance is defined and utilized in structuring an analysis of 84 exemplary incidents from the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System. The distribution of enabling and associated (evolutionary) and recovery factors between and within five analytic categories suggests that resource management training be concentrated on: (1) interpersonal communications, with air traffic control information of major concern; (2) task management, mainly setting priorities and appropriately allocating tasks under varying workload levels; and (3) planning, coordination, and decisionmaking concerned with preventing and recovering from potentially unsafe situations in certain aircraft maneuvers.

Information security of Smart Factories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iureva, R. A.; Andreev, Y. S.; Iuvshin, A. M.; Timko, A. S.

2018-05-01

In several years, technologies and systems based on the Internet of things (IoT) will be widely used in all smart factories. When processing a huge array of unstructured data, their filtration and adequate interpretation are a priority for enterprises. In this context, the correct representation of information in a user-friendly form acquires special importance, for which the market today presents advanced analytical platforms designed to collect, store and analyze data on technological processes and events in real time. The main idea of the paper is the statement of the information security problem in IoT and integrity of processed information.

Data Analyses and Modelling for Risk Based Monitoring of Mycotoxins in Animal Feed

PubMed Central

van der Fels-Klerx, H.J. (Ine); Adamse, Paulien; Punt, Ans; van Asselt, Esther D.

2018-01-01

Following legislation, European Member States should have multi-annual control programs for contaminants, such as for mycotoxins, in feed and food. These programs need to be risk based implying the checks are regular and proportional to the estimated risk for animal and human health. This study aimed to prioritize feed products in the Netherlands for deoxynivalenol and aflatoxin B1 monitoring. Historical mycotoxin monitoring results from the period 2007–2016 were combined with data from other sources. Based on occurrence, groundnuts had high priority for aflatoxin B1 monitoring; some feed materials (maize and maize products and several oil seed products) and complete/complementary feed excluding dairy cattle and young animals had medium priority; and all other animal feeds and feed materials had low priority. For deoxynivalenol, maize by-products had a high priority, complete and complementary feed for pigs had a medium priority and all other feed and feed materials a low priority. Also including health consequence estimations showed that feed materials that ranked highest for aflatoxin B1 included sunflower seed and palmkernel expeller/extracts and maize. For deoxynivalenol, maize products were ranked highest, followed by various small grain cereals (products); all other feed materials were of lower concern. Results of this study have proven to be useful in setting up the annual risk based control program for mycotoxins in animal feed and feed materials. PMID:29373559

Do different stakeholder groups share mental health research priorities? A four-arm Delphi study.

PubMed

Owens, Christabel; Ley, Ann; Aitken, Peter

2008-12-01

Despite considerable investment in research priority setting within diverse fields of healthcare, little is known about the extent to which different stakeholder groups share research priorities. Conflicting priorities may jeopardize stakeholder engagement in research. To identify the research priorities of different stakeholder groups within mental health care and examine the extent and nature of agreement between them. Using a Delphi technique, we conducted parallel consultation processes within four different stakeholder groups. Each group process consisted of three rounds. The study was carried out within a mental health and learning disabilities trust in southern England. Participants were recruited from the following groups: mental health service users (34), informal carers (26), mental health practitioners (35) and service managers (23). There were striking differences between the four groups in respect of their ability and willingness to make priority decisions. These differences notwithstanding, there was considerable overlap in respect of their research interests. All groups identified and attached high importance to issues relating to the promotion of independence, self-esteem and recovery. The quality of in-patient care, the place of psychological therapies and the relationship between physical and mental health also emerged across the board. The confluence of four different stakeholder groups around a number of clear themes is highly encouraging, providing a framework within which to construct a research agenda and suggesting that mental health research can be built on solid partnerships.

Integrating Economic Costs and Biological Traits into Global Conservation Priorities for Carnivores

PubMed Central

Loyola, Rafael Dias; Oliveira-Santos, Luiz Gustavo Rodrigues; Almeida-Neto, Mário; Nogueira, Denise Martins; Kubota, Umberto; Diniz-Filho, José Alexandre Felizola; Lewinsohn, Thomas Michael

2009-01-01

Background Prioritization schemes usually highlight species-rich areas, where many species are at imminent risk of extinction. To be ecologically relevant these schemes should also include species biological traits into area-setting methods. Furthermore, in a world of limited funds for conservation, conservation action is constrained by land acquisition costs. Hence, including economic costs into conservation priorities can substantially improve their conservation cost-effectiveness. Methodology/Principal Findings We examined four global conservation scenarios for carnivores based on the joint mapping of economic costs and species biological traits. These scenarios identify the most cost-effective priority sets of ecoregions, indicating best investment opportunities for safeguarding every carnivore species, and also establish priority sets that can maximize species representation in areas harboring highly vulnerable species. We compared these results with a scenario that minimizes the total number of ecoregions required for conserving all species, irrespective of other factors. We found that cost-effective conservation investments should focus on 41 ecoregions highlighted in the scenario that consider simultaneously both ecoregion vulnerability and economic costs of land acquisition. Ecoregions included in priority sets under these criteria should yield best returns of investments since they harbor species with high extinction risk and have lower mean land cost. Conclusions/Significance Our study highlights ecoregions of particular importance for the conservation of the world's carnivores defining global conservation priorities in analyses that encompass socioeconomic and life-history factors. We consider the identification of a comprehensive priority-set of areas as a first step towards an in-situ biodiversity maintenance strategy. PMID:19710911

Parent and Youth Priorities during the Transition to Adulthood for Youth with Special Health Care Needs and Developmental Disability

PubMed Central

Rehm, Roberta S.; Fuentes-Afflick, Elena; Fisher, Lucille T.; Chesla, Catherine A.

2014-01-01

Families undertake extensive planning during transition to adulthood so youth with concomitant special health care needs and developmental disabilities will have a long-term high quality of life. Findings from an interpretive field study involving 64 youth and their parents indicated that the meaning of adulthood was functioning as independently as possible with appropriate supports. Parental priorities included protecting health, assuring safety and security in multiple realms, finding meaningful activities after high school, and establishing supportive social relationships. These priorities demonstrated the need to broaden usual health care transition goals that focus on finding adult providers and optimizing self-management. PMID:22869218

Optical/IR from ground

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strom, Stephen; Sargent, Wallace L. W.; Wolff, Sidney; Ahearn, Michael F.; Angel, J. Roger; Beckwith, Steven V. W.; Carney, Bruce W.; Conti, Peter S.; Edwards, Suzan; Grasdalen, Gary

1991-01-01

Optical/infrared (O/IR) astronomy in the 1990's is reviewed. The following subject areas are included: research environment; science opportunities; technical development of the 1980's and opportunities for the 1990's; and ground-based O/IR astronomy outside the U.S. Recommendations are presented for: (1) large scale programs (Priority 1: a coordinated program for large O/IR telescopes); (2) medium scale programs (Priority 1: a coordinated program for high angular resolution; Priority 2: a new generation of 4-m class telescopes); (3) small scale programs (Priority 1: near-IR and optical all-sky surveys; Priority 2: a National Astrometric Facility); and (4) infrastructure issues (develop, purchase, and distribute optical CCDs and infrared arrays; a program to support large optics technology; a new generation of large filled aperture telescopes; a program to archive and disseminate astronomical databases; and a program for training new instrumentalists)

New approach on trace analysis of triclosan in personal care products, biological and environmental matrices.

PubMed

Silva, Ana Rita M; Nogueira, J M F

2008-02-15

Stir bar sorptive extraction and liquid desorption followed by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (SBSE-LD-LC-DAD) is proposed for the determination of triclosan in personal care products, biological and environmental matrices, which is included in the priority lists, set by several international regulatory organizations. Instrumental conditions and experimental parameters that affecting SBSE-LD efficiency are fully discussed. Throughout systematic assays on 25 mL water samples spiked at the 10.0 microg L(-1) level, it had been established that stir bars coated with 126 microL of polydimethylsiloxane, an equilibrium time of 1h (1000 rpm) and acetonitrile under sonification (60 min) as back-extraction solvent, allowed the best analytical performance to determine triclosan in water matrices. From the data obtained, good recovery and remarkable repeatability were attained, providing experimental average yields (78.5+/-2.2%), although slightly lower than the theoretical equilibrium (99.7%) described by the octanol-water partition coefficients (K(PDMS/W)0.9992) from 0.4 to 108.0 microg L(-1). The application of the present method to determine triclosan in real matrices such as commercial toothpaste, saliva and urban wastewater samples, allowed appropriate selectivity, high sensitivity and accuracy using the standard addition methodology. The proposed method showed to be feasible and sensitive with a low-sample volume requirement to monitor triclosan in personal care products, biological and environmental matrices at the trace level, in compliance with international regulatory directives.

Perceived Barriers Affecting Access to Preventive Dental Services: Application of DEMATEL Method

PubMed Central

Bahadori, Mohammadkarim; Ravangard, Ramin; Asghari, Baratali

2013-01-01

Background Identifying perceived access barriers to preventive dental services is one of the basic steps to improve the public health. Objectives This study aimed to determine the perceived barriers affecting access to preventive dental services in one of Tehran dental clinics in 2012. Patients and Methods This research was a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study conducted in one of Tehran dental clinics in 2012 using decision–making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method. The study sample included all patients (100 patients) who had referred to the endodontic treatment department from 26 - 31 May, 2012. The required data were collected using a questionnaire. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 and MATLAB 7.9.0 SPSSS 18.0, as well as, some descriptive and analytical tests including Mean, Standard Deviation (SD), and Independent T- Test. Results The five determinants of cost, inconvenience, fear, organization, and patient-dentist relationship were determined as barriers to access to dental services among which the cost and patient-dentist relationship were identified as the first and last priorities with the coordinates (1.4 and 1.4) and (1.25 and -0.65), respectively. Conclusions High cost of dental care has led to not referring patients to the clinic. Oral health costs are too high; however insurance organizations have no commitment to support such services. Policymakers, administrators, and insurance organizations have a major role in improving access to dental services. These decision-makers in making their policies can provide the required financial resources, shift the available resources towards preventive care and periodic checkups, and consider providing proper and sufficient places for dental care facilities. PMID:24578831

49 CFR 350.329 - How may a State or local agency qualify for High Priority Funds?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... ensure the proposal is consistent with State and national CMV safety program priorities. (3) Certify that... sanctions for violations of CMV and driver laws and regulations that are consistent with those of the State...

49 CFR 350.329 - How may a State or local agency qualify for High Priority Funds?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... ensure the proposal is consistent with State and national CMV safety program priorities. (3) Certify that... sanctions for violations of CMV and driver laws and regulations that are consistent with those of the State...

49 CFR 350.329 - How may a State or local agency qualify for High Priority Funds?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... ensure the proposal is consistent with State and national CMV safety program priorities. (3) Certify that... sanctions for violations of CMV and driver laws and regulations that are consistent with those of the State...

The science of epidemiology and the methods needed for public health assessments: a review of epidemiology textbooks.

PubMed

Gouda, Hebe N; Powles, John W

2014-02-10

Epidemiology is often described as 'the science of public health'. Here we aim to assess the extent that epidemiological methods, as covered in contemporary standard textbooks, provide tools that can assess the relative magnitude of public health problems and can be used to help rank and assess public health priorities. Narrative literature review. Thirty textbooks were grouped into three categories; pure, extended or applied epidemiology, were reviewed with attention to the ways the discipline is characterised and the nature of the analytical methods described. Pure texts tend to present a strict hierarchy of methods with those metrics deemed to best serve aetiological inquiry at the top. Extended and applied texts employ broader definitions of epidemiology but in most cases, the metrics described are also those used in aetiological inquiry and may not be optimal for capturing the consequences and social importance of injuries and disease onsets. The primary scientific purpose of epidemiology, even amongst 'applied' textbooks, is aetiological inquiry. Authors do not readily extend to methods suitable for assessing public health problems and priorities.

Replication of urban innovations - prioritization of strategies for the replication of Dhaka's community-based decentralized composting model.

PubMed

Yedla, Sudhakar

2012-01-01

Dhaka's community-based decentralized composting (DCDC) is a successful demonstration of solid waste management by adopting low-cost technology, local resources community participation and partnerships among the various actors involved. This paper attempts to understand the model, necessary conditions, strategies and their priorities to replicate DCDC in the other developing cities of Asia. Thirteen strategies required for its replication are identified and assessed based on various criteria, namely transferability, longevity, economic viability, adaptation and also overall replication. Priority setting by multi-criteria analysis by applying analytic hierarchy process revealed that immediate transferability without long-term and economic viability consideration is not advisable as this would result in unsustainable replication of DCDC. Based on the analysis, measures to ensure the product quality control; partnership among stakeholders (public-private-community); strategies to achieve better involvement of the private sector in solid waste management (entrepreneurship in approach); simple and low-cost technology; and strategies to provide an effective interface among the complementing sectors are identified as important strategies for its replication.

A spatial decision support system (SDSS) for sustainable tourism planning in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aminu, M.; Matori, A. N.; Yusof, K. W.

2014-02-01

The study describes a methodological approach based on an integrated use of Geographic Information System (GIS) and Analytic Network Process (ANP) of Multi Criteria Evaluation (MCE) to determine nature conservation and tourism development priorities among the highland areas. A set of criteria and indicators were defined to evaluate the highlands biodiversity conservation and tourism development. Pair wise comparison technique was used in order to support solution of a decision problem by evaluating possible alternatives from different perspectives. After the weights have been derived from the pairwise comparison technique, the next step was to compute the unweighted supermatrix, weighted supermatrix and the limit matrix. The limit matrix was normalized to obtain the priorities and the results transferred into GIS environment. Elements evaluated and ranked were represented by criterion maps. Map layers reflecting the opinion of different experts involved were summed using the weighted overlay approach of GIS. Subsequently sustainable tourism development scenarios were generated. The generation of scenarios highlighted the critical issues of the decision problem because it allows one to gradually narrow down a problem.

Priority-setting in public health research funding organisations: an exploratory qualitative study among five high-profile funders.

PubMed

Cartier, Yuri; Creatore, Maria I; Hoffman, Steven J; Potvin, Louise

2018-06-22

Priority-driven funding streams for population and public health are an important part of the health research landscape and contribute to orienting future scholarship in the field. While research priorities are often made public through targeted calls for research, less is known about how research funding organisations arrive at said priorities. Our objective was to explore how public health research funding organisations develop priorities for strategic extramural research funding programmes. Content analysis of published academic and grey literature and key informant interviews for five public and private funders of public health research in the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States and France were performed. We found important distinctions in how funding organisations processed potential research priorities through four non-sequential phases, namely idea generation, idea analysis, idea socialisation and idea selection. Funders generally involved the public health research community and public health decision-makers in idea generation and socialisation, but other groups of stakeholders (e.g. the public, advocacy organisations) were not as frequently included. Priority-setting for strategic funding programmes in public health research involves consultation mainly with researchers in the early phase of the process. There is an opportunity for greater breadth of participation and more transparency in priority-setting mechanisms for strategic funding programmes in population and public health research.

Noradrenergic Mechanisms of Arousal’s Bidirectional Effects on Episodic Memory

PubMed Central

Clewett, David; Sakaki, Michiko; Nielsen, Shawn; Petzinger, Giselle; Mather, Mara

2016-01-01

Arousal’s selective effects on cognition go beyond the simple enhancement of emotional stimuli, sometimes enhancing and other times impairing processing of proximal neutral information. Past work shows that arousal impairs encoding of subsequent neutral stimuli regardless of their top-down priority via the engagement of β-adrenoreceptors. In contrast, retrograde amnesia induced by emotional arousal can flip to enhancement when preceding neutral items are prioritized in top-down attention. Whether β-adrenoreceptors also contribute to this retrograde memory enhancement of goal-relevant neutral stimuli is unclear. In this pharmacological study, we administered 40mg of propranolol or 40mg of placebo to healthy young adults to examine whether emotional arousal’s bidirectional effects on declarative memory relies on β-adrenoreceptor activation. Following pill intake, participants completed an emotional oddball task in which they were asked to prioritize a neutral object appearing just before an emotional or neutral oddball image within a sequence of 7 neutral objects. Under placebo, emotional oddballs impaired memory for lower priority oddball+1 objects but had no effect on memory for high priority oddball−1 objects. Propranolol blocked this anterograde amnesic effect of arousal. Emotional oddballs also enhanced selective memory trade-offs significantly more in the placebo than drug condition, such that high priority oddball−1 objects were more likely to be remembered at the cost of their corresponding lower priority oddball+1 objects under arousal. Lastly, those who recalled more high priority oddball−1 objects preceding an emotional versus neutral oddball image showed greater increases in salivary alpha-amylase, a biomarker of noradrenergic system activation, across the task. Together these findings suggest that different noradrenergic mechanisms contribute to the anterograde and retrograde mnemonic effects of arousal on proximal neutral memoranda. PMID:27815214

Noradrenergic mechanisms of arousal's bidirectional effects on episodic memory.

PubMed

Clewett, David; Sakaki, Michiko; Nielsen, Shawn; Petzinger, Giselle; Mather, Mara

2017-01-01

Arousal's selective effects on cognition go beyond the simple enhancement of emotional stimuli, sometimes enhancing and other times impairing processing of proximal neutral information. Past work shows that arousal impairs encoding of subsequent neutral stimuli regardless of their top-down priority via the engagement of β-adrenoreceptors. In contrast, retrograde amnesia induced by emotional arousal can flip to enhancement when preceding neutral items are prioritized in top-down attention. Whether β-adrenoreceptors also contribute to this retrograde memory enhancement of goal-relevant neutral stimuli is unclear. In this pharmacological study, we administered 40mg of propranolol or 40mg of placebo to healthy young adults to examine whether emotional arousal's bidirectional effects on declarative memory relies on β-adrenoreceptor activation. Following pill intake, participants completed an emotional oddball task in which they were asked to prioritize a neutral object appearing just before an emotional or neutral oddball image within a sequence of 7 neutral objects. Under placebo, emotional oddballs impaired memory for lower priority oddball+1 objects but had no effect on memory for high priority oddball-1 objects. Propranolol blocked this anterograde amnesic effect of arousal. Emotional oddballs also enhanced selective memory trade-offs significantly more in the placebo than drug condition, such that high priority oddball-1 objects were more likely to be remembered at the cost of their corresponding lower priority oddball+1 objects under arousal. Lastly, those who recalled more high priority oddball-1 objects preceding an emotional versus neutral oddball image showed greater increases in salivary alpha-amylase, a biomarker of noradrenergic system activation, across the task. Together these findings suggest that different noradrenergic mechanisms contribute to the anterograde and retrograde mnemonic effects of arousal on proximal neutral memoranda. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Occupational health research priorities in Malaysia: a Delphi study

PubMed Central

Sadhra, S; Beach, J; Aw, T; Sheikh-Ahmed, K

2001-01-01

OBJECTIVES—As part of a consultancy project on occupational health, the Delphi method was used to identify research priorities in occupational health in Malaysia.
METHODS—Participation was sought from government ministries, industry, and professional organisations, and university departments with an interest in occupational and public health. Two rounds of questionnaires resulted in a final list of priorities, with noticeable differences between participants depending on whether they worked in industry or were from government organisations.
RESULTS—The participation rate of 71% (55 of 78) was obtained for the first questionnaire and 76% (72 of 95) for the second questionnaire. The participants identified occupational health problems for specific groups and industries as the top research priority area (ranked as top priority by 25% of participants). Ministry of Health participants placed emphasis on healthcare workers (52% ranking it as top priority), whereas those from industry identified construction and plantation workers as groups, which should be accorded the highest priority. Evaluation of research and services was given a low priority.
CONCLUSIONS—The priorities for occupational health determined with the Delphi approach showed differences between Malaysia, a developing country, and findings from similar European studies. This may be expected, as differences exist in stages of economic development, types of industries, occupational activities, and cultural attitudes to occupational health and safety. Chemical poisonings and workplace accidents were accorded a high priority. By contrast with findings from western countries, workplace psychosocial problems and musculoskeletal injuries were deemed less important. There also seemed to be greater emphasis on adopting interventions for identified problems based on experience in other countries rather than the need to evaluate local occupational health provisions.


Keywords: occupational health; research priorities; Malaysia PMID:11404445

Application of Delphi-AHP methods to select the priorities of WEEE for recycling in a waste management decision-making tool.

PubMed

Kim, Mincheol; Jang, Yong-Chul; Lee, Seunguk

2013-10-15

The management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) or electronic waste (e-waste) has become a major issue of concern for solid waste communities due to the large volumes of waste being generated from the consumption of modern electrical and electronic products. In 2003, Korea introduced the extended producer responsibility (EPR) system to reduce the amount of electronic products to be disposed and to promote resource recovery from WEEE. The EPR currently regulates a total of 10 electrical and electronic products. This paper presents the results of the application of the Delphi method and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) modeling to the WEEE management tool in the policy-making process. Specifically, this paper focuses on the application of the Delphi-AHP technique to determine the WEEE priority to be included in the EPR system. Appropriate evaluation criteria were derived using the Delphi method to assess the potential selection and priority among electrical and electronic products that will be regulated by the EPR system. Quantitative weightings from the AHP model were calculated to identify the priorities of electrical and electronic products to be potentially regulated. After applying all the criteria using the AHP model, the results indicate that the top 10 target recycling products for the expansion of the WEEE list were found to be vacuum cleaners, electric fans, rice cookers, large freezers, microwave ovens, water purifiers, air purifiers, humidifiers, dryers, and telephones in order from the first to last. The proposed Delphi-AHP method can offer a more efficient means of selecting WEEE than subjective assessment methods that are often based on professional judgment or limited available data. By providing WEEE items to be regulated, the proposed Delphi-AHP method can eliminate uncertainty and subjective assessment and enable WEEE management policy-makers to identify the priority of potential WEEE. More generally, the work performed in this study is an example of how Delphi-AHP modeling can be used as a decision-making process tool in WEEE management. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

OCCURRENCE OF A NEW GENERATION OF DISINFECTION BY-PRODUCTS

EPA Science Inventory

A survey of disinfection by-product (DBP) occurrence in the United States was conducted at 12 drinking water treatment plants. In addition to currently regulated DBPs, more than 50 DBPs that rated a high priority for potential toxicity were studied. These priority DBPs included...

Exclusion of agricultural lands in spatial conservation prioritization strategies: consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem service representation

PubMed Central

Durán, América P.; Duffy, James P.; Gaston, Kevin J.

2014-01-01

Agroecosystems have traditionally been considered incompatible with biological conservation goals, and often been excluded from spatial conservation prioritization strategies. The consequences for the representativeness of identified priority areas have been little explored. Here, we evaluate these for biodiversity and carbon storage representation when agricultural land areas are excluded from a spatial prioritization strategy for South America. Comparing different prioritization approaches, we also assess how the spatial overlap of priority areas changes. The exclusion of agricultural lands was detrimental to biodiversity representation, indicating that priority areas for agricultural production overlap with areas of relatively high occurrence of species. By contrast, exclusion of agricultural lands benefits representation of carbon storage within priority areas, as lands of high value for agriculture and carbon storage overlap little. When agricultural lands were included and equally weighted with biodiversity and carbon storage, a balanced representation resulted. Our findings suggest that with appropriate management, South American agroecosystems can significantly contribute to biodiversity conservation. PMID:25143040

Cork-based activated carbons as supported adsorbent materials for trace level analysis of ibuprofen and clofibric acid in environmental and biological matrices.

PubMed

Neng, N R; Mestre, A S; Carvalho, A P; Nogueira, J M F

2011-09-16

In this contribution, powdered activated carbons (ACs) from cork waste were supported for bar adsorptive micro-extraction (BAμE), as novel adsorbent phases for the analysis of polar compounds. By combining this approach with liquid desorption followed by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (BAμE(AC)-LD/HPLC-DAD), good analytical performance was achieved using clofibric acid (CLOF) and ibuprofen (IBU) model compounds in environmental and biological matrices. Assays performed on 30 mL water samples spiked at the 25.0 μg L(-1) level yielded recoveries around 80% for CLOF and 95% for IBU, under optimized experimental conditions. The ACs textural and surface chemistry properties were correlated with the results obtained. The analytical performance showed good precision (<15%), suitable detection limits (0.24 and 0.78 μg L(-1) for CLOF and IBU, respectively) and good linear dynamic ranges (r(2)>0.9922) from 1.0 to 600.0 μg L(-1). By using the standard addition methodology, the application of the present approach to environmental water and urine matrices allowed remarkable performance at the trace level. The proposed methodology proved to be a viable alternative for acidic pharmaceuticals analysis, showing to be easy to implement, reliable, sensitive and requiring low sample volume to monitor these priority compounds in environmental and biological matrices. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Monitoring a large number of pesticides and transformation products in water samples from Spain and Italy.

PubMed

Rousis, Nikolaos I; Bade, Richard; Bijlsma, Lubertus; Zuccato, Ettore; Sancho, Juan V; Hernandez, Felix; Castiglioni, Sara

2017-07-01

Assessing the presence of pesticides in environmental waters is particularly challenging because of the huge number of substances used which may end up in the environment. Furthermore, the occurrence of pesticide transformation products (TPs) and/or metabolites makes this task even harder. Most studies dealing with the determination of pesticides in water include only a small number of analytes and in many cases no TPs. The present study applied a screening method for the determination of a large number of pesticides and TPs in wastewater (WW) and surface water (SW) from Spain and Italy. Liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) was used to screen a database of 450 pesticides and TPs. Detection and identification were based on specific criteria, i.e. mass accuracy, fragmentation, and comparison of retention times when reference standards were available, or a retention time prediction model when standards were not available. Seventeen pesticides and TPs from different classes (fungicides, herbicides and insecticides) were found in WW in Italy and Spain, and twelve in SW. Generally, in both countries more compounds were detected in effluent WW than in influent WW, and in SW than WW. This might be due to the analytical sensitivity in the different matrices, but also to the presence of multiple sources of pollution. HRMS proved a good screening tool to determine a large number of substances in water and identify some priority compounds for further quantitative analysis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Alternatives to current flow cytometry data analysis for clinical and research studies.

PubMed

Gondhalekar, Carmen; Rajwa, Bartek; Patsekin, Valery; Ragheb, Kathy; Sturgis, Jennifer; Robinson, J Paul

2018-02-01

Flow cytometry has well-established methods for data analysis based on traditional data collection techniques. These techniques typically involved manual insertion of tube samples into an instrument that, historically, could only measure 1-3 colors. The field has since evolved to incorporate new technologies for faster and highly automated sample preparation and data collection. For example, the use of microwell plates on benchtop instruments is now a standard on virtually every new instrument, and so users can easily accumulate multiple data sets quickly. Further, because the user must carefully define the layout of the plate, this information is already defined when considering the analytical process, expanding the opportunities for automated analysis. Advances in multi-parametric data collection, as demonstrated by the development of hyperspectral flow-cytometry, 20-40 color polychromatic flow cytometry, and mass cytometry (CyTOF), are game-changing. As data and assay complexity increase, so too does the complexity of data analysis. Complex data analysis is already a challenge to traditional flow cytometry software. New methods for reviewing large and complex data sets can provide rapid insight into processes difficult to define without more advanced analytical tools. In settings such as clinical labs where rapid and accurate data analysis is a priority, rapid, efficient and intuitive software is needed. This paper outlines opportunities for analysis of complex data sets using examples of multiplexed bead-based assays, drug screens and cell cycle analysis - any of which could become integrated into the clinical environment. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Analytical optimization of demand management strategies across all urban water use sectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedman, Kenneth; Heaney, James P.; Morales, Miguel; Palenchar, John

2014-07-01

An effective urban water demand management program can greatly influence both peak and average demand and therefore long-term water supply and infrastructure planning. Although a theoretical framework for evaluating residential indoor demand management has been well established, little has been done to evaluate other water use sectors such as residential irrigation in a compatible manner for integrating these results into an overall solution. This paper presents a systematic procedure to evaluate the optimal blend of single family residential irrigation demand management strategies to achieve a specified goal based on performance functions derived from parcel level tax assessor's data linked to customer level monthly water billing data. This framework is then generalized to apply to any urban water sector, as exponential functions can be fit to all resulting cumulative water savings functions. Two alternative formulations are presented: maximize net benefits, or minimize total costs subject to satisfying a target water savings. Explicit analytical solutions are presented for both formulations based on appropriate exponential best fits of performance functions. A direct result of this solution is the dual variable which represents the marginal cost of water saved at a specified target water savings goal. A case study of 16,303 single family irrigators in Gainesville Regional Utilities utilizing high quality tax assessor and monthly billing data along with parcel level GIS data provide an illustrative example of these techniques. Spatial clustering of targeted homes can be easily performed in GIS to identify priority demand management areas.

Stakeholder Priorities for Comparative Effectiveness Research in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

PubMed Central

Lindenauer, Peter K.; Au, David H.; Carson, Shannon S.; Lee, Todd A.; McBurnie, Mary Ann; Naureckas, Edward T.; Vollmer, William M.; Mularski, Richard A.

2013-01-01

Comparative effectiveness research (CER) is intended to address the expressed needs of patients, clinicians, and other stakeholders. Representatives of 54 stakeholder groups with an interest in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) participated in workshops convened by the COPD Outcomes-based Network for Clinical Effectiveness and Research Translation (CONCERT) over a 2-year period. Year 1 focused on chronic care and care coordination. Year 2 focused on acute care and transitions in care between healthcare settings. Discussions and provisional voting were conducted via teleconferences and e-mail exchanges before the workshop. Final prioritization votes occurred after in-person discussions at the workshop. We used a modified Delphi approach to facilitate discussions and consensus building. To more easily quantify preferences and to evaluate the internal consistency of rankings, the Analytic Hierarchy Process was incorporated in Year 2. Results of preworkshop and final workshop voting often differed, suggesting that prioritization efforts relying solely on requests for topics from stakeholder groups without in-person discussion may provide different research priorities. Research priorities varied across stakeholder groups, but generally focused on studies to evaluate different approaches to healthcare delivery (e.g., spirometry for diagnosis and treatment, integrated healthcare strategies during transitions in care) rather than head-to-head comparisons of medications. This research agenda may help to inform groups intending to respond to CER funding opportunities in COPD. The methodologies used, detailed in the online supplement, may also help to inform prioritization efforts for CER in other health conditions. PMID:23155144

Stakeholder priorities for comparative effectiveness research in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a workshop report.

PubMed

Krishnan, Jerry A; Lindenauer, Peter K; Au, David H; Carson, Shannon S; Lee, Todd A; McBurnie, Mary Ann; Naureckas, Edward T; Vollmer, William M; Mularski, Richard A

2013-02-01

Comparative effectiveness research (CER) is intended to address the expressed needs of patients, clinicians, and other stakeholders. Representatives of 54 stakeholder groups with an interest in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) participated in workshops convened by the COPD Outcomes-based Network for Clinical Effectiveness and Research Translation (CONCERT) over a 2-year period. Year 1 focused on chronic care and care coordination. Year 2 focused on acute care and transitions in care between healthcare settings. Discussions and provisional voting were conducted via teleconferences and e-mail exchanges before the workshop. Final prioritization votes occurred after in-person discussions at the workshop. We used a modified Delphi approach to facilitate discussions and consensus building. To more easily quantify preferences and to evaluate the internal consistency of rankings, the Analytic Hierarchy Process was incorporated in Year 2. Results of preworkshop and final workshop voting often differed, suggesting that prioritization efforts relying solely on requests for topics from stakeholder groups without in-person discussion may provide different research priorities. Research priorities varied across stakeholder groups, but generally focused on studies to evaluate different approaches to healthcare delivery (e.g., spirometry for diagnosis and treatment, integrated healthcare strategies during transitions in care) rather than head-to-head comparisons of medications. This research agenda may help to inform groups intending to respond to CER funding opportunities in COPD. The methodologies used, detailed in the online supplement, may also help to inform prioritization efforts for CER in other health conditions.

The Implementation of Analytical Hierarchy Process Method for Outstanding Achievement Scholarship Reception Selection at Universal University of Batam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marfuah; Widiantoro, Suryo

2017-12-01

Universal University of Batam offers outstanding achievement scholarship to the current students to be each year of new academic year, seeing the large number of new Students who are interested to get it then the selection team should be able to filter and choose the eligible ones. The selection process starting with evaluation and judgement made by the experts. There were five criteria as the basic of selection and each had three alternatives that must be considered. Based on the policy of University the maximum number of recipients are five for each of six study programs. Those programs are art of music, dance, industrial engineering, environmental engineering, telecommunication engineering, and software engineering. The expert choice was subjective that AHP method was used to help in making decision consistently by doing pairwise comparison matrix process between criteria based on selected alternatives, by determining the priority order of criteria and alternatives used. The results of these calculations were used as supporting decision-making to determine the eligible students receiving scholarships based on alternatives of selected criteria determined by the final results of AHP method calculation with the priority criterion A (0.37%), C (0.23%), E (0.21%), D (0.14%) and B (0.06%), value of consistency ratio 0.05. Then the alternative priorities 1 (0.63), 2 (0.26) and 3 (0.11) the consistency ratio values 0.03, where each CR ≤ 0.1 or consistent weighting preference.

Occupational health research priorities in Malaysia: a Delphi study.

PubMed

Sadhra, S; Beach, J R; Aw, T C; Sheikh-Ahmed, K

2001-07-01

As part of a consultancy project on occupational health, the Delphi method was used to identify research priorities in occupational health in Malaysia. Participation was sought from government ministries, industry, and professional organisations, and university departments with an interest in occupational and public health. Two rounds of questionnaires resulted in a final list of priorities, with noticeable differences between participants depending on whether they worked in industry or were from government organisations. The participation rate of 71% (55 of 78) was obtained for the first questionnaire and 76% (72 of 95) for the second questionnaire. The participants identified occupational health problems for specific groups and industries as the top research priority area (ranked as top priority by 25% of participants). Ministry of Health participants placed emphasis on healthcare workers (52% ranking it as top priority), whereas those from industry identified construction and plantation workers as groups, which should be accorded the highest priority. Evaluation of research and services was given a low priority. The priorities for occupational health determined with the Delphi approach showed differences between Malaysia, a developing country, and findings from similar European studies. This may be expected, as differences exist in stages of economic development, types of industries, occupational activities, and cultural attitudes to occupational health and safety. Chemical poisonings and workplace accidents were accorded a high priority. By contrast with findings from western countries, workplace psychosocial problems and musculoskeletal injuries were deemed less important. There also seemed to be greater emphasis on adopting interventions for identified problems based on experience in other countries rather than the need to evaluate local occupational health provisions.

Ultrasonication extraction and gel permeation chromatography clean-up for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in edible oil by an isotope dilution gas chromatography–mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Wang, Jian-Hua; Guo, Cui

2010-07-09

An analytical method for the determination of US EPA priority pollutant 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in edible oil was developed by an isotope dilution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Extraction was performed with ultrasonication mode using acetonitrile as solvent, and subsequent clean-up was applied using narrow gel permeation chromatographic column. Three deuterated PAHs surrogate standards were used as internal standards for quantification and analytical quality control. The limits of quantification (LOQs) were globally below 0.5 ng/g, the recoveries were in the range of 81-96%, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were lower than 20%. Further trueness assessment of the method was also verified through participation in international cocoa butter proficiency test (T0638) organised by the FAPAS with excellent results in 2008. The results obtained with the described method were satisfying (z ≤ 2). The method has been applied to determine PAH in real edible oil samples.

An Improved Call Admission Control Mechanism with Prioritized Handoff Queuing Scheme for BWA Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chowdhury, Prasun; Saha Misra, Iti

2014-10-01

Nowadays, due to increased demand for using the Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) networks in a satisfactory manner a promised Quality of Service (QoS) is required to manage the seamless transmission of the heterogeneous handoff calls. To this end, this paper proposes an improved Call Admission Control (CAC) mechanism with prioritized handoff queuing scheme that aims to reduce dropping probability of handoff calls. Handoff calls are queued when no bandwidth is available even after the allowable bandwidth degradation of the ongoing calls and get admitted into the network when an ongoing call is terminated with a higher priority than the newly originated call. An analytical Markov model for the proposed CAC mechanism is developed to analyze various performance parameters. Analytical results show that our proposed CAC with handoff queuing scheme prioritizes the handoff calls effectively and reduces dropping probability of the system by 78.57% for real-time traffic without degrading the number of failed new call attempts. This results in the increased bandwidth utilization of the network.

Middle East food safety perspectives.

PubMed

Idriss, Atef W; El-Habbab, Mohammad S

2014-08-01

Food safety and quality assurance are increasingly a major issue with the globalisation of agricultural trade, on the one hand, and intensification of agriculture, on the other. Consumer protection has become a priority in policy-making amongst the large economies of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries following a number of food safety incidents. To enhance food safety, it is necessary to establish markets underpinned by knowledge and resources, including analysis of international rejections of food products from MENA countries, international laboratory accreditation, improved reporting systems and traceability, continued development and validation of analytical methods, and more work on correlating sensory evaluation with analytical results. MENA countries should develop a national strategy for food safety based on a holistic approach that extends from farm-to-fork and involves all the relevant stakeholders. Accordingly, food safety should be a regional programme, raising awareness among policy- and decision-makers of the importance of food safety and quality for consumer protection, food trade and economic development. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

A Systematic Review of Published Respondent-Driven Sampling Surveys Collecting Behavioral and Biologic Data.

PubMed

Johnston, Lisa G; Hakim, Avi J; Dittrich, Samantha; Burnett, Janet; Kim, Evelyn; White, Richard G

2016-08-01

Reporting key details of respondent-driven sampling (RDS) survey implementation and analysis is essential for assessing the quality of RDS surveys. RDS is both a recruitment and analytic method and, as such, it is important to adequately describe both aspects in publications. We extracted data from peer-reviewed literature published through September, 2013 that reported collected biological specimens using RDS. We identified 151 eligible peer-reviewed articles describing 222 surveys conducted in seven regions throughout the world. Most published surveys reported basic implementation information such as survey city, country, year, population sampled, interview method, and final sample size. However, many surveys did not report essential methodological and analytical information for assessing RDS survey quality, including number of recruitment sites, seeds at start and end, maximum number of waves, and whether data were adjusted for network size. Understanding the quality of data collection and analysis in RDS is useful for effectively planning public health service delivery and funding priorities.

QFD-ANP Approach for the Conceptual Design of Research Vessels: A Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venkata Subbaiah, Kambagowni; Yeshwanth Sai, Koneru; Suresh, Challa

2016-10-01

Conceptual design is a subset of concept art wherein a new idea of product is created instead of a visual representation which would directly be used in a final product. The purpose is to understand the needs of conceptual design which are being used in engineering designs and to clarify the current conceptual design practice. Quality function deployment (QFD) is a customer oriented design approach for developing new or improved products and services to enhance customer satisfaction. House of quality (HOQ) has been traditionally used as planning tool of QFD which translates customer requirements (CRs) into design requirements (DRs). Factor analysis is carried out in order to reduce the CR portions of HOQ. The analytical hierarchical process is employed to obtain the priority ratings of CR's which are used in constructing HOQ. This paper mainly discusses about the conceptual design of an oceanographic research vessel using analytical network process (ANP) technique. Finally the QFD-ANP integrated methodology helps to establish the importance ratings of DRs.

A socio-technical analytical framework on the EHR-organizational innovation interplay: Insights from a public hospital in Greece.

PubMed

Emmanouilidou, Maria

2015-01-01

The healthcare sector globally is confronted with increasing internal and external pressures that urge for a radical reform of health systems' status quo. The role of technological innovations such as Electronic Health Records (EHR) is recognized as instrumental in this transition process as it is expected to accelerate organizational innovations. This is why the widespread uptake of EHR systems is a top priority in the global healthcare agenda. The successful co-deployment though of EHR systems and organizational innovations within the context of secondary healthcare institutions is a complex and multifaceted issue. Existing research in the field has made little progress thus emphasizing the need for further research contribution that will incorporate a holistic perspective. This paper presents insights about the EHR-organizational innovation interplay from a public hospital in Greece into a socio-technical analytical framework providing a multilevel set of action points for the eHealth roadmap with worldwide relevance.

Regional Analysis of the Effects of Oil and Gas Development on Groundwater Resources in California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landon, M. K.; McMahon, P. B.; Kulongoski, J. T.; Ball, L. B.; Gillespie, J. M.; Shimabukuro, D.; Taylor, K. A.

2016-12-01

The California State Water Resources Control Board is collaborating with the U.S. Geological Survey to implement a Regional Monitoring Program (RMP) to assess potential interactions between oil/gas stimulation treatment and groundwater resources. The effects of stimulation on groundwater resources will be difficult to distinguish from the effects of other past or present components of oil and gas development. As a result, the RMP is designed to provide an overall assessment of the effects of oil and gas development on groundwater quality. During 2016-17, the study is focused on selected priority oilfields in the eastern and western portions of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County to: (1) produce three-dimensional (3D) salinity maps, (2) characterize the chemical composition of groundwater and produced water, and (3) identify the extent to which fluids from oil and gas development may be moving into protected (total dissolved solids less than 10,000 milligrams per liter) groundwater at regional scales. Analysis of available salinity data near oil/gas fields indicates there are regional patterns to salinity depth profiles; however, data gaps between the depths of water and oil/gas wells are common. These results provide a foundation for more detailed oilfield-scale salinity mapping, which includes geophysical methods (borehole, surface, and airborne) to fill data gaps. The RMP sampling-well networks are designed to evaluate groundwater quality along transects from oil/gas fields into adjacent aquifers and consist of existing wells supplemented by monitoring-well installation in priority locations identified by using 3D visualization of hydrogeologic data. The analytes include constituents with different transport characteristics such as dissolved gases, inorganic components (brines), and petroleum compounds. Analytes were selected because of their potential usefulness for understanding processes and pathways by which fluids from oilfield sources reach groundwater.

Governance factors in the identification of global conservation priorities for mammals

PubMed Central

Eklund, Johanna; Arponen, Anni; Visconti, Piero; Cabeza, Mar

2011-01-01

Global conservation priorities have often been identified based on the combination of species richness and threat information. With the development of the field of systematic conservation planning, more attention has been given to conservation costs. This leads to prioritizing developing countries, where costs are generally low and biodiversity is high. But many of these countries have poor governance, which may result in ineffective conservation or in larger costs than initially expected. We explore how the consideration of governance affects the selection of global conservation priorities for the world's mammals in a complementarity-based conservation prioritization. We use data on Control of Corruption (Worldwide Governance Indicators project) as an indicator of governance effectiveness, and gross domestic product per capita as an indicator of cost. We show that, while core areas with high levels of endemism are always selected as important regardless of governance and cost values, there are clear regional differences in selected sites when biodiversity, cost or governance are taken into account separately. Overall, the analysis supports the concentration of conservation efforts in most of the regions generally considered of high priority, but stresses the need for different conservation approaches in different continents owing to spatial patterns of governance and economic development. PMID:21844045

Identifying appropriate protected areas for endangered fern species under climate change.

PubMed

Wang, Chun-Jing; Wan, Ji-Zhong; Zhang, Zhi-Xiang; Zhang, Gang-Min

2016-01-01

The management of protected areas (PAs) is widely used in the conservation of endangered plant species under climate change. However, studies that have identified appropriate PAs for endangered fern species are rare. To address this gap, we must develop a workflow to plan appropriate PAs for endangered fern species that will be further impacted by climate change. Here, we used endangered fern species in China as a case study, and we applied conservation planning software coupled with endangered fern species distribution data and distribution modeling to plan conservation areas with high priority protection needs under climate change. We identified appropriate PAs for endangered fern species under climate change based on the IUCN protected area categories (from Ia to VI) and planned additional PAs for endangered fern species. The high priority regions for protecting the endangered fern species were distributed throughout southern China. With decreasing temperature seasonality, the priority ranking of all endangered fern species is projected to increase in existing PAs. Accordingly, we need to establish conservation areas with low climate vulnerability in existing PAs and expand the conservation areas for endangered fern species in the high priority conservation regions.

Governance factors in the identification of global conservation priorities for mammals.

PubMed

Eklund, Johanna; Arponen, Anni; Visconti, Piero; Cabeza, Mar

2011-09-27

Global conservation priorities have often been identified based on the combination of species richness and threat information. With the development of the field of systematic conservation planning, more attention has been given to conservation costs. This leads to prioritizing developing countries, where costs are generally low and biodiversity is high. But many of these countries have poor governance, which may result in ineffective conservation or in larger costs than initially expected. We explore how the consideration of governance affects the selection of global conservation priorities for the world's mammals in a complementarity-based conservation prioritization. We use data on Control of Corruption (Worldwide Governance Indicators project) as an indicator of governance effectiveness, and gross domestic product per capita as an indicator of cost. We show that, while core areas with high levels of endemism are always selected as important regardless of governance and cost values, there are clear regional differences in selected sites when biodiversity, cost or governance are taken into account separately. Overall, the analysis supports the concentration of conservation efforts in most of the regions generally considered of high priority, but stresses the need for different conservation approaches in different continents owing to spatial patterns of governance and economic development.

DRD4 long allele carriers show heightened attention to high-priority items relative to low-priority items.

PubMed

Gorlick, Marissa A; Worthy, Darrell A; Knopik, Valerie S; McGeary, John E; Beevers, Christopher G; Maddox, W Todd

2015-03-01

Humans with seven or more repeats in exon III of the DRD4 gene (long DRD4 carriers) sometimes demonstrate impaired attention, as seen in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and at other times demonstrate heightened attention, as seen in addictive behavior. Although the clinical effects of DRD4 are the focus of much work, this gene may not necessarily serve as a "risk" gene for attentional deficits, but as a plasticity gene where attention is heightened for priority items in the environment and impaired for minor items. Here we examine the role of DRD4 in two tasks that benefit from selective attention to high-priority information. We examine a category learning task where performance is supported by focusing on features and updating verbal rules. Here, selective attention to the most salient features is associated with good performance. In addition, we examine the Operation Span (OSPAN) task, a working memory capacity task that relies on selective attention to update and maintain items in memory while also performing a secondary task. Long DRD4 carriers show superior performance relative to short DRD4 homozygotes (six or less tandem repeats) in both the category learning and OSPAN tasks. These results suggest that DRD4 may serve as a "plasticity" gene where individuals with the long allele show heightened selective attention to high-priority items in the environment, which can be beneficial in the appropriate context.

DRD4 Long Allele Carriers Show Heightened Attention to High-Priority Items Relative to Low-Priority Items

PubMed Central

Gorlick, Marissa A.; Worthy, Darrell A.; Knopik, Valerie S.; McGeary, John E.; Beevers, Christopher G.; Maddox, W. Todd

2014-01-01

Humans with 7 or more repeats in exon III of the DRD4 gene (long DRD4 carriers) sometimes demonstrate impaired attention, as seen in ADHD, and at other times demonstrate heightened attention, as seen in addictive behavior. Though the clinical effects of DRD4 are the focus of much work, this gene may not necessarily serve as a ‘risk’ gene for attentional deficits, but as a plasticity gene where attention is heightened for priority items in the environment and impaired for minor items. Here we examine the role of DRD4 in two tasks that benefit from selective attention to high-priority information. We examine a category learning task where performance is supported by focusing on features and updating verbal rules. Here selective attention to the most salient features is associated with good performance. In addition, we examine the Operation Span Task (OSPAN), a working memory capacity task that relies on selective attention to update and maintain items in memory while also performing a secondary task. Long DRD4 carriers show superior performance relative to short DRD4 homozygotes (six or less tandem repeats) in both the category learning and OSPAN tasks. These results suggest that DRD4 may serve as a ‘plasticity’ gene where individuals with the long allele show heightened selective attention to high-priority items in the environment, which can be beneficial in the appropriate context. PMID:25244120

Groundwater vulnerability assessment for organic compounds: fuzzy multi-criteria approach for Mexico city.

PubMed

Mazari-Hiriart, Marisa; Cruz-Bello, Gustavo; Bojórquez-Tapia, Luis A; Juárez-Marusich, Lourdes; Alcantar-López, Georgina; Marín, Luis E; Soto-Galera, Ernesto

2006-03-01

This study was based on a groundwater vulnerability assessment approach implemented for the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA). The approach is based on a fuzzy multi-criteria procedure integrated in a geographic information system. The approach combined the potential contaminant sources with the permeability of geological materials. Initially, contaminant sources were ranked by experts through the Analytic Hierarchy Process. An aggregated contaminant sources map layer was obtained through the simple additive weighting method, using a scalar multiplication of criteria weights and binary maps showing the location of each source. A permeability map layer was obtained through the reclassification of a geology map using the respective hydraulic conductivity values, followed by a linear normalization of these values against a compatible scale. A fuzzy logic procedure was then applied to transform and combine the two map layers, resulting in a groundwater vulnerability map layer of five classes: very low, low, moderate, high, and very high. Results provided a more coherent assessment of the policy-making priorities considered when discussing the vulnerability of groundwater to organic compounds. The very high and high vulnerability areas covered a relatively small area (71 km(2) or 1.5% of the total study area), allowing the identification of the more critical locations. The advantage of a fuzzy logic procedure is that it enables the best possible use to be made of the information available regarding groundwater vulnerability in the MCMA.

Commercial Lighting Solutions, Webtool Peer Review Report

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

Jones, Carol C.; Meyer, Tracy A.

2009-06-17

The Commercial Lighting Solutions (CLS) project directly supports the U.S. Department of Energy’s Commercial Building Energy Alliance efforts to design high performance buildings. CLS creates energy efficient best practice lighting designs for widespread use, and they are made available to users via an interactive webtool that both educates and guides the end user through the application of the Lighting Solutions. This report summarizes the peer review of the beta version of the CLS webtool, which contains retail box lighting solutions. The methodology for the peer review process included data collection (stakeholder input), analysis of the comments, and organization of themore » input into categories for prioritization of the comments against a set of criteria. Based on this process, recommendations were developed about which feedback should be addressed for the release of version 1.0 of the webtool at the Lightfair conference in New York City in May 2009. Due to the volume of data (~500 comments) the methodology for addressing the peer review comments was central to the success of the ultimate goal of improving the tool. The comments were first imported into a master spreadsheet, and then grouped and organized in several layers. Solutions to each comment were then rated by importance and feasibility to determine the practicality of resolving the concerns of the commenter in the short-term or long-term. The rating system was used as an analytical tool, but the results were viewed thoughtfully to ensure that they were not the sole the factor in determining which comments were recommended for near-term resolution. The report provides a list of the top ten most significant and relevant improvements that will be made within the webtool for version 1.0 as well as appendices containing the short-term priorities in additional detail. Peer review comments that are considered high priority by the reviewers and the CLS team but cannot be completed for Version 1.0 are listed as long-term recommendations.« less

Typology of end-of-life priorities in Saudi females: averaging analysis and Q-methodology.

PubMed

Hammami, Muhammad M; Hammami, Safa; Amer, Hala A; Khodr, Nesrine A

2016-01-01

Understanding culture-and sex-related end-of-life preferences is essential to provide quality end-of-life care. We have previously explored end-of-life choices in Saudi males and found important culture-related differences and that Q-methodology is useful in identifying intraculture, opinion-based groups. Here, we explore Saudi females' end-of-life choices. A volunteer sample of 68 females rank-ordered 47 opinion statements on end-of-life issues into a nine-category symmetrical distribution. The ranking scores of the statements were analyzed by averaging analysis and Q-methodology. The mean age of the females in the sample was 30.3 years (range, 19-55 years). Among them, 51% reported average religiosity, 78% reported very good health, 79% reported very good life quality, and 100% reported high-school education or more. The extreme five overall priorities were to be able to say the statement of faith, be at peace with God, die without having the body exposed, maintain dignity, and resolve all conflicts. The extreme five overall dis-priorities were to die in the hospital, die well dressed, be informed about impending death by family/friends rather than doctor, die at peak of life, and not know if one has a fatal illness. Q-methodology identified five opinion-based groups with qualitatively different characteristics: "physical and emotional privacy concerned, family caring" (younger, lower religiosity), "whole person" (higher religiosity), "pain and informational privacy concerned" (lower life quality), "decisional privacy concerned" (older, higher life quality), and "life quantity concerned, family dependent" (high life quality, low life satisfaction). Out of the extreme 14 priorities/dis-priorities for each group, 21%-50% were not represented among the extreme 20 priorities/dis-priorities for the entire sample. Consistent with the previously reported findings in Saudi males, transcendence and dying in the hospital were the extreme end-of-life priority and dis-priority, respectively, in Saudi females. Body modesty was a major overall concern; however, concerns about pain, various types of privacy, and life quantity were variably emphasized by the five opinion-based groups but masked by averaging analysis.

Typology of end-of-life priorities in Saudi females: averaging analysis and Q-methodology

PubMed Central

Hammami, Muhammad M; Hammami, Safa; Amer, Hala A; Khodr, Nesrine A

2016-01-01

Background Understanding culture-and sex-related end-of-life preferences is essential to provide quality end-of-life care. We have previously explored end-of-life choices in Saudi males and found important culture-related differences and that Q-methodology is useful in identifying intraculture, opinion-based groups. Here, we explore Saudi females’ end-of-life choices. Methods A volunteer sample of 68 females rank-ordered 47 opinion statements on end-of-life issues into a nine-category symmetrical distribution. The ranking scores of the statements were analyzed by averaging analysis and Q-methodology. Results The mean age of the females in the sample was 30.3 years (range, 19–55 years). Among them, 51% reported average religiosity, 78% reported very good health, 79% reported very good life quality, and 100% reported high-school education or more. The extreme five overall priorities were to be able to say the statement of faith, be at peace with God, die without having the body exposed, maintain dignity, and resolve all conflicts. The extreme five overall dis-priorities were to die in the hospital, die well dressed, be informed about impending death by family/friends rather than doctor, die at peak of life, and not know if one has a fatal illness. Q-methodology identified five opinion-based groups with qualitatively different characteristics: “physical and emotional privacy concerned, family caring” (younger, lower religiosity), “whole person” (higher religiosity), “pain and informational privacy concerned” (lower life quality), “decisional privacy concerned” (older, higher life quality), and “life quantity concerned, family dependent” (high life quality, low life satisfaction). Out of the extreme 14 priorities/dis-priorities for each group, 21%–50% were not represented among the extreme 20 priorities/dis-priorities for the entire sample. Conclusion Consistent with the previously reported findings in Saudi males, transcendence and dying in the hospital were the extreme end-of-life priority and dis-priority, respectively, in Saudi females. Body modesty was a major overall concern; however, concerns about pain, various types of privacy, and life quantity were variably emphasized by the five opinion-based groups but masked by averaging analysis. PMID:27274205

Impact of new medical technologies on health expenditures in Israel 2000-07.

PubMed

Rabinovich, Mordechai; Wood, Francis; Shemer, Joshua

2007-01-01

The aim of this study was to estimate the impact of new medical technologies on public healthcare expenditures in Israel over the period 2000-07. For each year, government estimates for the costs of new technologies recommended as high-priority for public funding were summarized. The ratio of projected costs of these technologies to total public healthcare expenditures was calculated and compared with actual governmental budget allocations for new technologies. Funding all new high-priority medical technologies would have increased healthcare expenditures by 2.1 percent per year. Government allocations for new technologies raised expenditures by 1.0 percent per year. New medical technologies significantly increase healthcare expenditures in Israel. Budgetary constraints have reduced their actual impact by 52 percent. This study indicates the need for an annual addition of 2 percent to public healthcare budget for funding new high-priority technologies.

Development of an international research agenda for adult congenital heart disease nursing.

PubMed

Goossens, Eva; Fleck, Desiree; Canobbio, Mary M; Harrison, Jeanine L; Moons, Philip

2013-02-01

Since the population of adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) is growing, the role of nurse specialists is expanding. In order to advance ACHD nursing, the establishment of an international nursing research agenda is recommended. We aimed to investigate research priorities as perceived by nurse specialists and researchers in ACHD. We applied a sequential quan-qual design. In the quantitative phase, a two-round Delphi study was conducted, in which 37 nurse specialists and nurse researchers in ACHD care participated. Respondents assessed the level of priority of 21 research topics using a 9-point rating scale (1 = no priority at all; 9 = very high priority). In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were performed with six selected Delphi panelists, to scrutinize pending research questions. This study revealed that priority should be given to studies investigating knowledge and education of patients, outcomes of Advanced Practice Nursing, quality of life, transfer and transition, and illness experiences and psychosocial issues in adults with CHD. A low priority was given to post-operative pain, sexual functioning, transplantation in ACHD, and health care costs and utilization. Agreement about the level of priority was obtained for 14 out of 21 research topics. Based on this study, we could develop an international research agenda for ACHD. Researchers ought to focus on these areas of highest priority, in order to expand and strengthen the body of knowledge in ACHD nursing.

MsFLASH participants' priorities for alleviating menopausal symptoms.

PubMed

Carpenter, J S; Woods, N F; Otte, J L; Guthrie, K A; Hohensee, C; Newton, K M; Joffe, H; Cohen, L; Sternfeld, B; Lau, R J; Reed, S D; LaCroix, A Z

2015-01-01

To describe self-reported menopausal symptom priorities and their association with demographics and other symptoms among participants in an intervention trial for vasomotor symptoms (VMS). Cross-sectional study embedded in the MsFLASH 02 trial, a three-by-two factorial design of yoga vs. exercise vs. usual activity and omega-3-fatty acid vs. placebo. At baseline, women (n = 354) completed hot flush diaries, a card sort task to prioritize symptoms they would most like to alleviate, and standardized questionnaires. The most common symptom priorities were: VMS (n = 322), sleep (n = 191), concentration (n = 140), and fatigue (n = 116). In multivariate models, women who chose VMS as their top priority symptom (n = 210) reported significantly greater VMS severity (p = 0.004) and never smoking (p = 0.012), and women who chose sleep as their top priority symptom (n = 100) were more educated (p ≤ 0.001) and had worse sleep quality (p < 0.001). ROC curves identified sleep scale scores that were highly predictive of ranking sleep as a top priority symptom. Among women entering an intervention trial for VMS and with relatively low prevalence of depression and anxiety, VMS was the priority symptom for treatment. A card sort may be a valid tool for quickly assessing symptom priorities in clinical practice and research.

18 CFR 281.206 - Priority 1 reclassification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... entitlements” means, with respect to a particular interstate pipeline. (1) In the case of a direct sale customer, the volume of natural gas such direct sale customer is entitled to receive for high-priority uses...; (2) In the case of a local distribution company, the volume of natural gas which such local...

Key Problems in Science and Technology in Thailand.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yuthavong, Yongyuth; And Others

1985-01-01

Cites the need for promoting science/technology management and policy formation in Thailand, viewing contributions of science/technology to the socioeconomic development of the country as high priorities. Criteria for selecting priority areas and key problems are noted; they include relevance to development, availability of human resources, and…

78 FR 31359 - Applications for New Awards; Ehanced Assessment Instruments Grants Program-Enhanced Assessment...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-23

... measure for high-stakes decisions. (b) Design. The KEA must-- (1) Be a component of a State's student... States for measuring the academic achievement of elementary and secondary school students. In 2013, the... assessment. Priorities: This competition includes five absolute priorities and one competitive preference...

Department of Defense Curricula: Information Concerning Conversion for Civilian Use.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forgione, Pascal D., Jr.; Orth, Mollie N.

Designed to assist in the selection of national priorities for the conversion of military curricula to civilian use, a study selected curricula pertinent to occupations with high growth potential and evaluated them against criteria important for curriculum conversion decisions. Procedures consisted of identification of priority occupational areas…

75 FR 8854 - Teacher Incentive Fund Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-26

...The Secretary of Education (Secretary) proposes priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria under the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) program. These proposed priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria are designed to be used in two separate and distinct TIF grant competitions: The Main TIF competition, which will provide TIF funding to eligible entities to support their implementation of performance-based compensation systems (PBCSs) in accordance with the priorities, the Main TIF requirements, the definitions, and the selection criteria proposed in this document, and the TIF Evaluation competition, which will provide, in accordance with the priorities, the Main TIF requirements, the definitions, and the selection criteria as well as the Evaluation requirements proposed in this document, TIF funding to help pay for the costs of implementing these eligible entities' PBCS in exchange for an agreement to participate in the national evaluation. The Secretary may use these proposed TIF priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria in fiscal year (FY) 2010 and subsequent years. We intend the proposed priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria to improve student achievement in high-need schools by creating incentives for effective teachers and principals in these schools.

[National and regional prioritisation in Swedish health care: experiences from cardiology].

PubMed

Carlsson, Jörg

2012-01-01

Prioritisation of medical services in Sweden takes place on two different levels. On the national level, the Swedish priority guidelines ascribe priority values ranging from 1 (high priority) to 10 (low priority) to measures (in terms of condition-treatment pairs) of prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of cardiovascular diseases. In addition, this list contains interventions that should be avoided and those that should only be provided as part of clinical research projects. The government then commissions a multi-professional team under the supervision of the National Board of Health and Welfare "Socialstyelsen" with the development of corresponding guidelines. In addition to the scientific evidence, the priority lists incorporate ethical and economical aspects and are based on the so-called ethics platform consisting of human dignity, needs, solidarity and cost-effectiveness. At the other level of prioritisation there are regional projects aiming at the in- and exclusion of medical measures. The Swedish prioritisation process will be described using the example of priority lists in cardiology. (As supplied by publisher). Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

[The contribution of oncology nursing to the Swiss Research Agenda for Nursing - SRAN].

PubMed

Shaha, Maya; Schmid-Büchi, Silvia; Abt, Judith; Mathis-Jäggi, Franziska; Holdener, Eveline; Riederer, Evelyn; Stoll, Hans Ruedi; Fliedner, Monica; Imhof, Lorenz

2008-12-01

Worldwide, cancer remains the second most frequent cause of death in adults and children. A cancer diagnosis often marks the beginning of therapies that may continue over months and years. These therapies frequently consist in surgical interventions in combination with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. For all healthcare professionals involved, cancer also signifies a very complex illness with high demands. It is therefore important to identify research priorities in order to successfully and comprehensively address these demands and to provide high quality patient care. In order to identify research priorities in oncology care in Switzerland, a systematic review of literature was conducted. A total of 30 research priorities emerged from the literature. In accordance with SRAN guidelines, 25 were passed on to the SRAN. The systematic identification of research priorities in oncology nursing has, for the first time, resulted in a list of topics in need of investigation in Switzerland. Completing the list of research priorities for oncology nursing with an updated systematic review of literature and presenting it to a larger and more representative group of oncology nurses, experts, and nurse scientists with oncology nursing experience for assessment and valuation, will be crucial for any future revision of the SRAN. In the future, it will be indispensable to include patients and their families in the process.

Performance specifications for the extra-analytical phases of laboratory testing: Why and how.

PubMed

Plebani, Mario

2017-07-01

An important priority in the current healthcare scenario should be to address errors in laboratory testing, which account for a significant proportion of diagnostic errors. Efforts made in laboratory medicine to enhance the diagnostic process have been directed toward improving technology, greater volumes and more accurate laboratory tests being achieved, but data collected in the last few years highlight the need to re-evaluate the total testing process (TTP) as the unique framework for improving quality and patient safety. Valuable quality indicators (QIs) and extra-analytical performance specifications are required for guidance in improving all TTP steps. Yet in literature no data are available on extra-analytical performance specifications based on outcomes, and nor is it possible to set any specification using calculations involving biological variability. The collection of data representing the state-of-the-art based on quality indicators is, therefore, underway. The adoption of a harmonized set of QIs, a common data collection and standardised reporting method is mandatory as it will not only allow the accreditation of clinical laboratories according to the International Standard, but also assure guidance for promoting improvement processes and guaranteeing quality care to patients. Copyright © 2017 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of balanced key performance indicators for emergency departments strategic dashboards following analytic hierarchical process.

PubMed

Safdari, Reza; Ghazisaeedi, Marjan; Mirzaee, Mahboobeh; Farzi, Jebrail; Goodini, Azadeh

2014-01-01

Dynamic reporting tools, such as dashboards, should be developed to measure emergency department (ED) performance. However, choosing an effective balanced set of performance measures and key performance indicators (KPIs) is a main challenge to accomplish this. The aim of this study was to develop a balanced set of KPIs for use in ED strategic dashboards following an analytic hierarchical process. The study was carried out in 2 phases: constructing ED performance measures based on balanced scorecard perspectives and incorporating them into analytic hierarchical process framework to select the final KPIs. The respondents placed most importance on ED internal processes perspective especially on measures related to timeliness and accessibility of care in ED. Some measures from financial, customer, and learning and growth perspectives were also selected as other top KPIs. Measures of care effectiveness and care safety were placed as the next priorities too. The respondents placed least importance on disease-/condition-specific "time to" measures. The methodology can be presented as a reference model for development of KPIs in various performance related areas based on a consistent and fair approach. Dashboards that are designed based on such a balanced set of KPIs will help to establish comprehensive performance measurements and fair benchmarks and comparisons.

Multidisciplinary design and analytic approaches to advance prospective research on the multilevel determinants of child health.

PubMed

Johnson, Sara B; Little, Todd D; Masyn, Katherine; Mehta, Paras D; Ghazarian, Sharon R

2017-06-01

Characterizing the determinants of child health and development over time, and identifying the mechanisms by which these determinants operate, is a research priority. The growth of precision medicine has increased awareness and refinement of conceptual frameworks, data management systems, and analytic methods for multilevel data. This article reviews key methodological challenges in cohort studies designed to investigate multilevel influences on child health and strategies to address them. We review and summarize methodological challenges that could undermine prospective studies of the multilevel determinants of child health and ways to address them, borrowing approaches from the social and behavioral sciences. Nested data, variation in intervals of data collection and assessment, missing data, construct measurement across development and reporters, and unobserved population heterogeneity pose challenges in prospective multilevel cohort studies with children. We discuss innovations in missing data, innovations in person-oriented analyses, and innovations in multilevel modeling to address these challenges. Study design and analytic approaches that facilitate the integration across multiple levels, and that account for changes in people and the multiple, dynamic, nested systems in which they participate over time, are crucial to fully realize the promise of precision medicine for children and adolescents. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interest-Driven Model for Human Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shang, Ming-Sheng; Chen, Guan-Xiong; Dai, Shuang-Xing; Wang, Bing-Hong; Zhou, Tao

2010-04-01

Empirical observations indicate that the interevent time distribution of human actions exhibits heavy-tailed features. The queuing model based on task priorities is to some extent successful in explaining the origin of such heavy tails, however, it cannot explain all the temporal statistics of human behavior especially for the daily entertainments. We propose an interest-driven model, which can reproduce the power-law distribution of interevent time. The exponent can be analytically obtained and is in good accordance with the simulations. This model well explains the observed relationship between activities and power-law exponents, as reported recently for web-based behavior and the instant message communications.

A critical review of inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry for geoanalysis, geochemistry and hydrology, Part 1. Analytical performance

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brenner, I.B.; Taylor, Howard E.

1992-01-01

Present-day inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) instrumentation is described briefly. Emphasis is placed on performance characteristics for geoanalysis, geochemistry, and hydrology. Applications where ICP-MS would be indispensable are indicated. Determination of geochemically diagnostic trace elements (such as the rare earth elements [REE], U and Th), of isotope ratios for fingerprinting, tracer and other geo-isotope applications, and benchmark isotope dilution determinations are considered to be typical priority applications for ICP-MS. It is concluded that ICP-MS furnishes unique geoanalytical and environmental data that are not readily provided by conventional spectroscopic (emission and absorption) techniques.

Building analytic capacity, facilitating partnerships, and promoting data use in state health agencies: a distance-based workforce development initiative applied to maternal and child health epidemiology.

PubMed

Rankin, Kristin M; Kroelinger, Charlan D; Rosenberg, Deborah; Barfield, Wanda D

2012-12-01

The purpose of this article is to summarize the methodology, partnerships, and products developed as a result of a distance-based workforce development initiative to improve analytic capacity among maternal and child health (MCH) epidemiologists in state health agencies. This effort was initiated by the Centers for Disease Control's MCH Epidemiology Program and faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago to encourage and support the use of surveillance data by MCH epidemiologists and program staff in state agencies. Beginning in 2005, distance-based training in advanced analytic skills was provided to MCH epidemiologists. To support participants, this model of workforce development included: lectures about the practical application of innovative epidemiologic methods, development of multidisciplinary teams within and across agencies, and systematic, tailored technical assistance The goal of this initiative evolved to emphasize the direct application of advanced methods to the development of state data products using complex sample surveys, resulting in the articles published in this supplement to MCHJ. Innovative methods were applied by participating MCH epidemiologists, including regional analyses across geographies and datasets, multilevel analyses of state policies, and new indicator development. Support was provided for developing cross-state and regional partnerships and for developing and publishing the results of analytic projects. This collaboration was successful in building analytic capacity, facilitating partnerships and promoting surveillance data use to address state MCH priorities, and may have broader application beyond MCH epidemiology. In an era of decreasing resources, such partnership efforts between state and federal agencies and academia are essential for promoting effective data use.

Spatial analysis on school environment characteristics in mangrove management based on local wisdom (Case study at Lhokseumawe, Aceh)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Susiloningtyas, Dewi; Handayani, Tuty; Amalia, Naila; Nadhira, Arum Ira

2017-01-01

After 2004 tsunami, lots of efforts have been made, such as building school and distributing mangrove forests. This study examines the perception of teachers and students about mangrove management which spread in the administrative area of Lhokseumawe to become a reference then applied as local education regarding mangrove after tsunami disaster. This paper was based on primary data taken using questionnaire with a predetermined analysis unit to interview teachers and students in the study area. The result presented with quantitative and descriptive analysis. The result is of the total number of junior high schools in the city of Lhokseumawe as many as 41 Public Schools, Private and Religious School, there are 31 schools with priority for local wisdom education implemented mangrove. The result is classified with 3 class. The school’s first priority is schools with a melee, with mangroves mangrove poor condition. Educational priority 2 is schools with close proximity to the mangrove and mangrove condition with moderate levels of damage. Schools with third priority are school with a close range, and mangrove good condition. Priority I as many as 18 schools, 10 schools priority II and 3 school for priority with learning competency standards that differ from each other.

Setting priorities for safe motherhood programme evaluation: a participatory process in three developing countries.

PubMed

Madi, Banyana Cecilia; Hussein, Julia; Hounton, Sennen; D'Ambruoso, Lucia; Achadi, Endang; Arhinful, Daniel Kojo

2007-09-01

A participatory approach to priority setting in programme evaluation may help improve the allocation and more efficient use of scarce resources especially in low-income countries. Research agendas that are the result of collaboration between researchers, programme managers, policy makers and other stakeholders have the potential to ensure rigorous studies are conducted on matters of local priority, based on local, expert knowledge. This paper describes a process involving key stakeholders to elicit and prioritise evaluation needs for safe motherhood in three developing countries. A series of reiterative consultations with safe motherhood stakeholders from each country was conducted over a period of 36 months. In each country, the consultation process consisted of a series of participatory workshops; firstly, stakeholder's views on evaluation were elicited with parallel descriptive work on the contexts. Secondly, priorities for evaluation were identified from stakeholders; thirdly, the evaluation-priorities were refined; and finally, the evaluation research questions, reflecting the identified priorities, were agreed and finalised. Three evaluation-questions were identified in each country, and one selected, on which a full scale evaluation was undertaken. While there is a great deal written about the importance of transparent and participatory priority setting in evaluation; few examples of how such processes could be implemented exist, particularly for maternal health programmes. Our experience demonstrates that the investment in a participatory priority-setting effort is high but the process undertaken resulted in both globally and contextually-relevant priorities for evaluation. This experience provides useful lessons for public health practitioners committed to bridging the research-policy interface.

Identifying conservation priorities and management strategies based on ecosystem services to improve urban sustainability in Harbin, China

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Rapid urbanization and agricultural development has resulted in the degradation of ecosystems, while also negatively impacting ecosystem services (ES) and urban sustainability. Identifying conservation priorities for ES and applying reasonable management strategies have been found to be effective methods for mitigating this phenomenon. The purpose of this study is to propose a comprehensive framework for identifying ES conservation priorities and associated management strategies for these planning areas. First, we incorporated 10 ES indicators within a systematic conservation planning (SCP) methodology in order to identify ES conservation priorities with high irreplaceability values based on conservation target goals associated with the potential distribution of ES indicators. Next, we assessed the efficiency of the ES conservation priorities for meeting the designated conservation target goals. Finally, ES conservation priorities were clustered into groups using a K-means clustering analysis in an effort to identify the dominant ES per location before formulating management strategies. We effectively identified 12 ES priorities to best represent conservation target goals for the ES indicators. These 12 priorities had a total areal coverage of 13,364 km2 representing 25.16% of the study area. The 12 priorities were further clustered into five significantly different groups (p-values between groups < 0.05), which helped to refine management strategies formulated to best enhance ES across the study area. The proposed method allows conservation and management plans to easily adapt to a wide variety of quantitative ES target goals within urban and agricultural areas, thereby preventing urban and agriculture sprawl and guiding sustainable urban development. PMID:29682412

Identifying conservation priorities and management strategies based on ecosystem services to improve urban sustainability in Harbin, China.

PubMed

Qu, Yi; Lu, Ming

2018-01-01

Rapid urbanization and agricultural development has resulted in the degradation of ecosystems, while also negatively impacting ecosystem services (ES) and urban sustainability. Identifying conservation priorities for ES and applying reasonable management strategies have been found to be effective methods for mitigating this phenomenon. The purpose of this study is to propose a comprehensive framework for identifying ES conservation priorities and associated management strategies for these planning areas. First, we incorporated 10 ES indicators within a systematic conservation planning (SCP) methodology in order to identify ES conservation priorities with high irreplaceability values based on conservation target goals associated with the potential distribution of ES indicators. Next, we assessed the efficiency of the ES conservation priorities for meeting the designated conservation target goals. Finally, ES conservation priorities were clustered into groups using a K-means clustering analysis in an effort to identify the dominant ES per location before formulating management strategies. We effectively identified 12 ES priorities to best represent conservation target goals for the ES indicators. These 12 priorities had a total areal coverage of 13,364 km 2 representing 25.16% of the study area. The 12 priorities were further clustered into five significantly different groups ( p -values between groups < 0.05), which helped to refine management strategies formulated to best enhance ES across the study area. The proposed method allows conservation and management plans to easily adapt to a wide variety of quantitative ES target goals within urban and agricultural areas, thereby preventing urban and agriculture sprawl and guiding sustainable urban development.

What do District Health Planners in Tanzania think about improving priority setting using 'Accountability for Reasonableness'?

PubMed Central

Mshana, Simon; Shemilu, Haji; Ndawi, Benedict; Momburi, Roman; Olsen, Oystein Evjen; Byskov, Jens; Martin, Douglas K

2007-01-01

Background Priority setting in every health system is complex and difficult. In less wealthy countries the dominant approach to priority setting has been Burden of Disease (BOD) and cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA), which is helpful, but insufficient because it focuses on a narrow range of values – need and efficiency – and not the full range of relevant values, including legitimacy and fairness. 'Accountability for reasonableness' is a conceptual framework for legitimate and fair priority setting and is empirically based and ethically justified. It connects priority setting to broader, more fundamental, democratic deliberative processes that have an impact on social justice and equity. Can 'accountability for reasonableness' be helpful for improving priority setting in less wealthy countries? Methods In 2005, Tanzanian scholars from the Primary Health Care Institute (PHCI) conducted 6 capacity building workshops with senior health staff, district planners and managers, and representatives of the Tanzanian Ministry of Health to discussion improving priority setting in Tanzania using 'accountability for reasonableness'. The purpose of this paper is to describe this initiative and the participants' views about the approach. Results The approach to improving priority setting using 'accountability for reasonableness' was viewed by district decision makers with enthusiastic favour because it was the first framework that directly addressed their priority setting concerns. High level Ministry of Health participants were also very supportive of the approach. Conclusion Both Tanzanian district and governmental health planners viewed the 'accountability for reasonableness' approach with enthusiastic favour because it was the first framework that directly addressed their concerns. PMID:17997824

Multi-residue analysis of 36 priority and emerging pollutants in marine echinoderms (Holothuria tubulosa) and marine sediments by solid-liquid extraction followed by dispersive solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis.

PubMed

Martín, J; Zafra-Gómez, A; Hidalgo, F; Ibáñez-Yuste, A J; Alonso, E; Vilchez, J L

2017-05-01

Marine echinoderms are filter-feeding invertebrates widely distributed along the coasts, and which are therefore extensively exposed to anthropogenic xenobiotics. They can serve as good sentinels for monitoring a large variety of contaminants in marine ecosystems. In this context, a multi-residue analytical method has been validated and applied to Holothuria tubulosa specimens and marine sediments for the determination of 36 organic compounds, which belong to some of the most problematic groups of emerging and priority pollutants (perfluoroalkyl compounds, estrogens, parabens, benzophenones, plasticizers, surfactants, brominated flame retardants and alkylphenols). Lyophilization of samples prior to solvent extraction and clean-up of extracts with C18, followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis, is proposed. A Box-Behnken design was used for optimization of the most influential variables affecting the extraction and clean-up steps. For validation, matrix-matched calibration and recovery assay were applied. Linearity (% r 2 ) higher than 99%, recoveries between 80% and 114% (except in LAS and NP1EO), RSD (precision) lower than 15% and limits of quantification between 0.03 and 12.5ngg -1 dry weight (d.w.) were achieved. The method was applied to nine samples of Holothuria collected along the coast of Granada (Spain), and to marine sediments around the animals. The results demonstrated high bioaccumulation of certain pollutants. A total of 25 out of the 36 studied compounds were quantified, being surfactants, alkylphenols, perfluoroalkyl compounds, triclocarban and parabens the most frequently detected. Nonylphenol was found in the highest concentration (340 and 323ngg -1 d.w. in sediment and Holothuria samples, respectively). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sensitivity and specificity of the Manchester Triage System in risk prioritization of patients with acute myocardial infarction who present with chest pain.

PubMed

Nishi, Fernanda A; Polak, Catarina; Cruz, Diná de Almeida Lopes Monteiro da

2018-05-01

The purpose of the Manchester Triage System is to clinically prioritize each patient seeking care in an emergency department. Patients with suspected acute myocardial infarction who have typical symptoms including chest pain should be classified in the highest priority groups, requiring immediate medical assistance or care within 10 min. As such, the Manchester Triage System should present adequate sensitivity and specificity. This study estimated the sensitivity and specificity of the Manchester Triage System in the triage of patients with chest pain related to the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, and the associations between the performance of the Manchester Triage System and selected variables. This was an observational, analytical, cross-sectional, retrospective study. The sensitivity and specificity of the Manchester Triage System were estimated by verifying the triage classification received by these patients and their established medical diagnoses. The sample was composed of 10,087 triage episodes, in which 139 (1.38%) patients had a diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. In 49 episodes, confirmation of medical diagnosis was not possible. The estimated sensitivity of the Manchester Triage System was 44.60% (36.18-53.27%) and the estimated specificity was 91.30% (90.73-91.85%). Of the 10,038 episodes in which the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction was confirmed or excluded, 938 patients (9.34%) received an incorrect classification - undertriage or overtriage. This study showed that the specificity of the Manchester Triage System was very good. However, the low sensitivity based on the Manchester Triage System indicated that patients in high priority categories were undertriaged, leading to longer wait times and associated increased risks of adverse events.

Health Care Priorities: Opinions of One State's Citizens and Legislators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jankel, Charlotte A.; And Others

1994-01-01

Reports a study that examined the attitudes of Georgia citizens and legislators toward funding for specific health care services and national health insurance. Legislators were less in favor of national health insurance than were citizens. Both groups set a high priority on providing a wide range of health care services to everyone. (SM)

School Discipline Inequities Become a Federal Priority

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zehr, Mary Ann

2010-01-01

Federal officials are getting the word out that addressing racial disparities in school discipline is a high priority, and they plan to use "disparate-impact analysis" in enforcing school discipline cases--a legal course of action that some civil rights lawyers contend was neglected under the administration of President George W. Bush. In…

A Guide to Addressing Multiple Priorities in Core Content Instruction for Students with Severe Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Root, Jenny R.; Knight, Victoria F.; Mims, Pamela J.

2017-01-01

Instruction in academic core content provides students with moderate to severe disabilities a full educational opportunity that promotes current and future options in the community and can complement acquisition of daily living skills. However, high school teachers face many challenges in balancing instructional priorities given the mission to…

The Influence of Nursing Faculty Workloads on Faculty Retention: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Jennifer J.

2013-01-01

Nursing faculty workloads have come to the forefront of discussion in nursing education. The National League of Nursing (NLN) has made nursing faculty workloads a high priority in nursing education. Included in the priorities are areas of creating reform through innovations in nursing education, evaluating reform through evaluation research, and…

The Priority of the Question: Focus Questions for Sustained Reasoning in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lustick, David

2010-01-01

Science education standards place a high priority on promoting the skills and dispositions associated with inquiry at all levels of learning. Yet, the questions teachers employ to foster sustained reasoning are most likely borrowed from a textbook, lab manual, or worksheet. Such generic questions generated for a mass audience, lack authenticity…

SERDP and ESTCP Technical Exchange Meeting on DoD Operational Range Assessment and Management Approaches

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-10-01

Development of Phytostabilization/ Phytoremediation Growing Guides for Varying Geographic and Range Use Conditions...Demonstration Needs Critical Priority High Priority Development of Phytostabilization/ Phytoremediation Growing Guides for Varying Geographic and...several additional management and mitigation methods are in varying stages of research and development: surface soil amendments, phytoremediation , and

Exclusion of agricultural lands in spatial conservation prioritization strategies: consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem service representation.

PubMed

Durán, América P; Duffy, James P; Gaston, Kevin J

2014-10-07

Agroecosystems have traditionally been considered incompatible with biological conservation goals, and often been excluded from spatial conservation prioritization strategies. The consequences for the representativeness of identified priority areas have been little explored. Here, we evaluate these for biodiversity and carbon storage representation when agricultural land areas are excluded from a spatial prioritization strategy for South America. Comparing different prioritization approaches, we also assess how the spatial overlap of priority areas changes. The exclusion of agricultural lands was detrimental to biodiversity representation, indicating that priority areas for agricultural production overlap with areas of relatively high occurrence of species. By contrast, exclusion of agricultural lands benefits representation of carbon storage within priority areas, as lands of high value for agriculture and carbon storage overlap little. When agricultural lands were included and equally weighted with biodiversity and carbon storage, a balanced representation resulted. Our findings suggest that with appropriate management, South American agroecosystems can significantly contribute to biodiversity conservation. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Jovian system science issues and implications for a Mariner Jupiter Orbiter mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beckman, J. C.; Miner, E. D.

1975-01-01

Science goals for missions to Jupiter in the early 1980's are reviewed and a case is made for the science community to play the key role in assigning relative priorities for these goals. A reference set of measurement requirements and their priorities is established and those high priority goals that are most demanding on spacecraft and mission design are used to develop a reference mission concept. An orbiter mission is required to satisfy a majority of the measurements, and a spacecraft data handling capability as least equivalent to the Mariner Jupiter/Saturn spacecraft is the major system design driver. This reference Mission Concept is called Mariner Jupiter Orbiter. The remaining measurement requirements are reviewed in light of the potential science return of this mission, and certain options are developed to augment this science return. Two attractive options fulfill high priority objectives not achieved by the reference Mariner Jupiter Orbiter mission alone: an atmospheric entry probe, released prior to orbit insertion; and a daughter satellite dedicated to particle and fields measurements, ejected into an independent orbit about Jupiter.

Consensus and contention in the priority setting process: examining the health sector in Uganda.

PubMed

Colenbrander, Sarah; Birungi, Charles; Mbonye, Anthony K

2015-06-01

Health priority setting is a critical and contentious issue in low-income countries because of the high burden of disease relative to the limited resource envelope. Many sophisticated quantitative tools and policy frameworks have been developed to promote transparent priority setting processes and allocative efficiency. However, low-income countries frequently lack effective governance systems or implementation capacity, so high-level priorities are not determined through evidence-based decision-making processes. This study uses qualitative research methods to explore how key actors' priorities differ in low-income countries, using Uganda as a case study. Human resources for health, disease prevention and family planning emerge as the common priorities among actors in the health sector (although the last of these is particularly emphasized by international agencies) because of their contribution to the long-term sustainability of health-care provision. Financing health-care services is the most disputed issue. Participants from the Ugandan Ministry of Health preferentially sought to increase net health expenditure and government ownership of the health sector, while non-state actors prioritized improving the efficiency of resource use. Ultimately it is apparent that the power to influence national health outcomes lies with only a handful of decision-makers within key institutions in the health sector, such as the Ministries of Health, the largest bilateral donors and the multilateral development agencies. These power relations reinforce the need for ongoing research into the paradigms and strategic interests of these actors. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine © The Author 2014; all rights reserved.

Norepinephrine ignites local hot spots of neuronal excitation: How arousal amplifies selectivity in perception and memory

PubMed Central

Mather, Mara; Clewett, David; Sakaki, Michiko; Harley, Carolyn W.

2018-01-01

Long Abstract Existing brain-based emotion-cognition theories fail to explain arousal’s ability to both enhance and impair cognitive processing. In the Glutamate Amplifies Noradrenergic Effects (GANE) model outlined in this paper, we propose that arousal-induced norepinephrine (NE) released from the locus coeruleus (LC) biases perception and memory in favor of salient, high priority representations at the expense of lower priority representations. This increase in gain under phasic arousal occurs via synaptic self-regulation of NE based on glutamate levels. When the LC is phasically active, elevated levels of glutamate at the site of prioritized representations increase local NE release, creating “NE hot spots.” At these local hot spots, glutamate and NE release are mutually enhancing and amplify activation of prioritized representations. This excitatory effect contrasts with widespread NE suppression of weaker representations via lateral and auto-inhibitory processes. On a broader scale, hot spots increase oscillatory synchronization across neural ensembles transmitting high priority information. Furthermore, key brain structures that detect or pre-determine stimulus priority interact with phasic NE release to preferentially route such information through large-scale functional brain networks. A surge of NE before, during or after encoding enhances synaptic plasticity at sites of high glutamate activity, triggering local protein synthesis processes that enhance selective memory consolidation. Together, these noradrenergic mechanisms increase perceptual and memory selectivity under arousal. Beyond explaining discrepancies in the emotion-cognition literature, GANE reconciles and extends previous influential theories of LC neuromodulation by highlighting how NE can produce such different outcomes in processing based on priority. PMID:26126507

NCAR Johns Hopkins/CDC Climate and Health Summer Institute

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mearns, Linda O.

2005-01-01

The interactions between climate and health are rife with complexity and present many conceptual and methodological challenges. Possible effects of climate change on health are considered some of the most sensitive impacts of climate change and are a high priority for policy-makers and the public. As a first step toward improving tlit: quality of research, we developed a Climate and Health Workshop (Institute), geared toward teaching students various aspects of how to conduct integrated climate and health research. At the workshop scientists presented selected case studies of climate and health (e.g., heat mortality, vector-borne diseases), thus demonstrating a subset of key analytical tools and databases most useful to researchers in this field. Key research gaps in this research area were discussed. In this six-day Institute (21-28 July 2004, Boulder, Colorado), health scientists and students benefited from lectures and hands-on tools taught by top NCAR scientists. The attendees learned about health databases and epidemiologic methods from leading health scientists from CDC, Johns Hopkins, and other institutions from around the globe.

Evaluation of persistent hydrophobic organic compounds in the Columbia River Basin using semipermeable-membrane devices

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCarthy, K.A.; Gale, R.W.

2001-01-01

Persistent hydrophobic organic compounds are of concern in the Columbia River because they have been correlated with adverse effects on wildlife. We analysed samples from nine main-stem and six tributary sites throughout the Columbia River Basin (Washington and Oregon) for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans, polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides, and priority-pollutant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Because these compounds may have important biological consequences at aqueous concentrations well below the detection limits associated with conventional sampling methods, we used semipermeable-membrane devices to sample water and achieved parts-per-quintillion detection limits. All of these compound classes were prevalent within the basin, but concentrations of many analytes were highest in the vicinity of Portland-Vancouver, indicating that the Willamette subbasin-and perhaps the urban area in particular-is an important source of these compounds. Data collected during basin low-flow conditions in 1997 and again during basin high-flow conditions in 1998 indicate that in-stream processes such as dilution by relatively clean inflow, and flow through island hyporheic zones may be important mechanisms for attenuating dissolved concentrations of hydrophobic compounds.

Brominated flame retardants and seafood safety: a review.

PubMed

Cruz, Rebeca; Cunha, Sara C; Casal, Susana

2015-04-01

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs), frequently applied to industrial and household products to make them less flammable, are highly persistent in the environment and cause multi-organ toxicity in human and wildlife. Based on the review of BFRs presence in seafood published from 2004 to 2014, it is clear that such pollutants are not ideally controlled as the surveys are too restricted, legislation inexistent for some classes, the analytical methodologies diversified, and several factors as food processing and eating habits are generally overlooked. Indeed, while a seafood rich diet presents plenty of nutritional benefits, it can also represent a potential source of these environmental contaminants. Since recent studies have shown that dietary intake constitutes a main route of human exposure to BFRs, it is of major importance to review and enhance these features, since seafood constitutes a chief pathway for human exposure and biomagnification of priority environmental contaminants. In particular, more objective studies focused on the variability factors behind contamination levels, and subsequent human exposure, are necessary to support the necessity for more restricted legislation worldwide. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterization of reactive tracers for C-wells field experiments 1: Electrostatic sorption mechanism, lithium

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

Fuentes, H.R.; Polzer, W.L.; Essington, E.H.

1989-11-01

Lithium (Li{sup +}) was introduced as lithium bromide (LiBr), as a retarded tracer for experiments in the C-wells complex at Yucca Mountain, Nevada Test Site, Nevada. The objective was to evaluate the potential of lithium to sorb predominately by physical forces. lithium was selected as a candidate tracer on the basis of high solubility, good chemical and biological stability, and relatively low sorptivity; lack of bioaccumulation and exclusion as a priority pollutant in pertinent federal environmental regulations; good analytical detectability and low natural background concentrations; and a low cost Laboratory experiments were performed with suspensions of Prow Pass cuttings frommore » drill hole UE-25p{number_sign}1 at depths between 549 and 594 m in J-13 water at a pH of approximately 8 and in the temperature range of 25{degree}C to 45{degree}C. Batch equilibrium and kinetics experiments were performed; estimated thermodynamic constants, relative behavior between adsorption and desorption, and potentiometric studies provided information to infer the physical nature of lithium sorption.« less

Trade-Off Analysis Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dhas, Chris

2000-01-01

NASAs Glenn Research Center (GRC) defines and develops advanced technology for high priority national needs in communications technologies for application to aeronautics and space. GRC tasked Computer Networks and Software Inc. (CNS) to examine protocols and architectures for an In-Space Internet Node. CNS has developed a methodology for network reference models to support NASAs four mission areas: Earth Science, Space Science, Human Exploration and Development of Space (REDS), Aerospace Technology. CNS previously developed a report which applied the methodology, to three space Internet-based communications scenarios for future missions. CNS conceptualized, designed, and developed space Internet-based communications protocols and architectures for each of the independent scenarios. GRC selected for further analysis the scenario that involved unicast communications between a Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) International Space Station (ISS) and a ground terminal Internet node via a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) transfer. This report contains a tradeoff analysis on the selected scenario. The analysis examines the performance characteristics of the various protocols and architectures. The tradeoff analysis incorporates the results of a CNS developed analytical model that examined performance parameters.

Ethical Challenges in the Provision of Dialysis in Resource-Constrained Environments.

PubMed

Luyckx, Valerie A; Miljeteig, Ingrid; Ejigu, Addisu M; Moosa, M Rafique

2017-05-01

The number of patients requiring dialysis by 2030 is projected to double worldwide, with the largest increase expected in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Dialysis is seldom considered a high priority by health care funders, consequently, few LMICs develop policies regarding dialysis allocation. Dialysis facilities may exist, but access remains highly inequitable in LMICs. High out-of-pocket payments make dialysis unsustainable and plunge many families into poverty. Patients, families, and clinicians suffer significant emotional and moral distress from daily life-and-death decisions imposed by dialysis. The health system's obligation to provide financial risk protection is an important component of global and national strategies to achieve universal health coverage. An ethical imperative therefore exists to develop transparent dialysis priority-setting guidelines to facilitate public understanding and acceptance of the realistic limits within the health system, and facilitate fair allocation of scarce resources. In this article, we present ethical challenges faced by patients, families, clinicians, and policy makers where dialysis is not universally accessible and discuss the potential ethical consequences of various dialysis allocation strategies. Finally, we suggest an ethical framework for use in policy development for priority setting of dialysis care. The accountability for reasonableness framework is proposed as a procedurally fair decision-making, priority-setting process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Patients' desire for information about anaesthesia. Scottish and Canadian attitudes.

PubMed

Lonsdale, M; Hutchison, G L

1991-05-01

Patients in Canada and Scotland were asked to complete a pre-operative questionnaire examining their desire for information relating to anaesthesia. In both Canada and Scotland, patients under the age of 50 years had a greater wish to receive information than those who were older (p less than 0.0001). In Canada, female patients were found to be more keen to receive pre-operative information than males of the same age group (p less than 0.05). The priority given to individual pieces of information was remarkably similar in both countries. Details of dangerous complications of anaesthesia and surgery were consistently rated of low priority, with high priority going to postoperative landmarks such as eating and drinking. Both countries rated meeting the anaesthetist before surgery as the highest priority of all.

Analysis of conservation priorities of Iberoamerican cattle based on autosomal microsatellite markers

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Determining the value of livestock breeds is essential to define conservation priorities, manage genetic diversity and allocate funds. Within- and between-breed genetic diversity need to be assessed to preserve the highest intra-specific variability. Information on genetic diversity and risk status is still lacking for many Creole cattle breeds from the Americas, despite their distinct evolutionary trajectories and adaptation to extreme environmental conditions. Methods A comprehensive genetic analysis of 67 Iberoamerican cattle breeds was carried out with 19 FAO-recommended microsatellites to assess conservation priorities. Contributions to global diversity were investigated using alternative methods, with different weights given to the within- and between-breed components of genetic diversity. Information on Iberoamerican plus 15 worldwide cattle breeds was used to investigate the contribution of geographical breed groups to global genetic diversity. Results Overall, Creole cattle breeds showed a high level of genetic diversity with the highest level found in breeds admixed with zebu cattle, which were clearly differentiated from all other breeds. Within-breed kinships revealed seven highly inbred Creole breeds for which measures are needed to avoid further genetic erosion. However, if contribution to heterozygosity was the only criterion considered, some of these breeds had the lowest priority for conservation decisions. The Weitzman approach prioritized highly differentiated breeds, such as Guabalá, Romosinuano, Cr. Patagonico, Siboney and Caracú, while kinship-based methods prioritized mainly zebu-related breeds. With the combined approaches, breed ranking depended on the weights given to the within- and between-breed components of diversity. Overall, the Creole groups of breeds were generally assigned a higher priority for conservation than the European groups of breeds. Conclusions Conservation priorities differed significantly according to the weight given to within- and between-breed genetic diversity. Thus, when establishing conservation programs, it is necessary to also take into account other features. Creole cattle and local isolated breeds retain a high level of genetic diversity. The development of sustainable breeding and crossbreeding programs for Creole breeds, and the added value resulting from their products should be taken into consideration to ensure their long-term survival. PMID:24079454

Setting Priorities for Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research and Identifying Evidence Gaps.

PubMed

Le, Jimmy T; Hutfless, Susan; Li, Tianjing; Bressler, Neil M; Heyward, James; Bittner, Ava K; Glassman, Adam; Dickersin, Kay

2017-01-01

Prioritizing comparative effectiveness research may contribute to obtaining answers that clinicians perceive they need and may minimize research that could be considered wasteful. Our objective was to identify evidence gaps and set priorities for new systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials for managing diabetic retinopathy (DR), including diabetic macular edema (DME). Cross-sectional study. Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network (DRCR.net) investigators. We provided recommendations from the American Academy of Ophthalmology's 2012 Preferred Practice Patterns for Diabetic Retinopathy as 91 answerable clinical research questions about intervention effectiveness to 410 DRCR.net investigators to rate each question's importance from 0 (not important) to 10 (very important) using a 2-round Delphi survey and to suggest additional questions. We considered questions as high priority if at least 75% of respondents to both rounds assigned an importance rating of 5 or more in round 2. We also extracted outcome measures relevant to DR and asked respondents to identify those that must be measured in all studies. We mapped Cochrane reviews published up to March 2016 to high-priority clinical research questions. Ranking of importance of each clinical question. Thirty-two individuals completed rounds 1 and 2 and suggested 15 questions. Among the final list of 106 clinical research questions, 22 questions met our definition of high priority: 9 of 22 concerned the effectiveness of anti-VEGF therapy, and 13 of 22 focused on how often patients should be followed up (re-examination) and treatment effectiveness in patients with specific characteristics (e.g., DME). Outcomes that 75% or more of respondents marked as "must be measured in all studies" included visual acuity and visual loss, death of participants, and intraocular pressure. Only 1 prioritized question was associated with conclusive evidence from a Cochrane systematic review. A limited response rate among DRCR.net members identified 22 comparative effectiveness research questions as high priority for the management of DR, including DME, but few were associated with Cochrane reviews. These results support the need of systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials to address evidence gaps.

Establishing health systems financing research priorities in developing countries using a participatory methodology.

PubMed

Ranson, Kent; Law, Tyler J; Bennett, Sara

2010-06-01

Donor funding for health systems financing (HSF) research is inadequate and often poorly aligned with national priorities. This study aimed to generate consensus about a core set of research issues that urgently require attention in order to facilitate policy development. There were three key inputs into the priority setting process: key-informant interviews with health policy makers, researchers, community and civil society representatives across twenty-four low- and middle-income countries in four regions; an overview of relevant reviews to identify research completed to date; and inputs from 12 key informants (largely researchers) at a consultative workshop. Nineteen priority research questions emerged from key-informant interviews. The overview of reviews was instructive in showing which health financing topics have had comparatively little written about them, despite being identified as important by key informants. The questions ranked as most important at the consultative workshop were: It is hoped that this work on HSF research priorities will complement calls for increased health systems research and evaluation by providing specific suggestions as to where new and existing research resources can best be invested. The list of high priority HSF research questions is being communicated to research funders and researchers in order to seek to influence global patterns of HSF research funding and activity. A "bottom up" approach to setting global research priorities such as that employed here should ensure that priorities are more sensitive to user needs. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatial analysis of ecosystem service relationships to improve targeting of payments for hydrological services

PubMed Central

Manson, Robert H.; Ricketts, Taylor H.; Geissert, Daniel

2018-01-01

Payment for hydrological services (PHS) are popular tools for conserving ecosystems and their water-related services. However, improving the spatial targeting and impacts of PHS, as well as their ability to foster synergies with other ecosystem services (ES), remain challenging. We aimed at using spatial analyses to evaluate the targeting performance of México’s National PHS program in central Veracruz. We quantified the effectiveness of areas targeted for PHS in actually covering areas of high HS provision and social priority during 2003–2013. First, we quantified provisioning and spatial distributions of two target (water yield and soil retention), and one non-target ES (carbon storage) using InVEST. Subsequently, pairwise relationships among ES were quantified by using spatial correlation and overlap analyses. Finally, we evaluated targeting by: (i) prioritizing areas of individual and overlapping ES; (ii) quantifying spatial co-occurrences of these priority areas with those targeted by PHS; (iii) evaluating the extent to which PHS directly contribute to HS delivery; and (iv), testing if PHS targeted areas disproportionately covered areas with high ecological and social priority. We found that modelled priority areas exhibited non-random distributions and distinct spatial patterns. Our results show significant pairwise correlations between all ES suggesting synergistic relationships. However, our analysis showed a significantly lower overlap than expected and thus significant mismatches between PHS targeted areas and all types of priority areas. These findings suggest that the targeting of areas with high HS provisioning and social priority by Mexico’s PHS program could be improved significantly. This study underscores: (1) the importance of using maps of HS provisioning as main targeting criteria in PHS design to channel payments towards areas that require future conservation, and (2) the need for future research that helps balance ecological and socioeconomic targeting criteria. PMID:29462205

Threatened species and the potential loss of phylogenetic diversity: conservation scenarios based on estimated extinction probabilities and phylogenetic risk analysis.

PubMed

Faith, Daniel P

2008-12-01

New species conservation strategies, including the EDGE of Existence (EDGE) program, have expanded threatened species assessments by integrating information about species' phylogenetic distinctiveness. Distinctiveness has been measured through simple scores that assign shared credit among species for evolutionary heritage represented by the deeper phylogenetic branches. A species with a high score combined with a high extinction probability receives high priority for conservation efforts. Simple hypothetical scenarios for phylogenetic trees and extinction probabilities demonstrate how such scoring approaches can provide inefficient priorities for conservation. An existing probabilistic framework derived from the phylogenetic diversity measure (PD) properly captures the idea of shared responsibility for the persistence of evolutionary history. It avoids static scores, takes into account the status of close relatives through their extinction probabilities, and allows for the necessary updating of priorities in light of changes in species threat status. A hypothetical phylogenetic tree illustrates how changes in extinction probabilities of one or more species translate into changes in expected PD. The probabilistic PD framework provided a range of strategies that moved beyond expected PD to better consider worst-case PD losses. In another example, risk aversion gave higher priority to a conservation program that provided a smaller, but less risky, gain in expected PD. The EDGE program could continue to promote a list of top species conservation priorities through application of probabilistic PD and simple estimates of current extinction probability. The list might be a dynamic one, with all the priority scores updated as extinction probabilities change. Results of recent studies suggest that estimation of extinction probabilities derived from the red list criteria linked to changes in species range sizes may provide estimated probabilities for many different species. Probabilistic PD provides a framework for single-species assessment that is well-integrated with a broader measurement of impacts on PD owing to climate change and other factors.

Phylogenetically-informed priorities for amphibian conservation.

PubMed

Isaac, Nick J B; Redding, David W; Meredith, Helen M; Safi, Kamran

2012-01-01

The amphibian decline and extinction crisis demands urgent action to prevent further large numbers of species extinctions. Lists of priority species for conservation, based on a combination of species' threat status and unique contribution to phylogenetic diversity, are one tool for the direction and catalyzation of conservation action. We describe the construction of a near-complete species-level phylogeny of 5713 amphibian species, which we use to create a list of evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered species (EDGE list) for the entire class Amphibia. We present sensitivity analyses to test the robustness of our priority list to uncertainty in species' phylogenetic position and threat status. We find that both sources of uncertainty have only minor impacts on our 'top 100' list of priority species, indicating the robustness of the approach. By contrast, our analyses suggest that a large number of Data Deficient species are likely to be high priorities for conservation action from the perspective of their contribution to the evolutionary history.

Top 40 priorities for science to inform conservation and management policy in the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fleishman, Erica; Blockstein, David E.; Hall, John A.; Mascia, Michael B.; Rudd, Murray A.; Scott, J. Michael; Sutherland, William J.; Bartuska, Ann M.; Brown, A. Gordon; Christen, Catherine A.; Clement, Joel P.; DellaSala, Dominick; Duke, Clifford D.; Fiske, Shirley J.; Gosnell, Hannah; Haney, J. Christopher; Hutchins, Michael; Klein, Mary L.; Marqusee, Jeffrey; Noon, Barry R.; Nordgren, John R.; Orbuch, Paul M.; Powell, Jimmie; Quarles, Steven P.; Saterson, Kathryn A.; Stein, Bruce A.; Webster, Michael S.; Vedder, Amy

2011-01-01

To maximize the utility of research to decisionmaking, especially given limited financial resources, scientists must set priorities for their efforts. We present a list of the top 40 high-priority, multidisciplinary research questions directed toward informing some of the most important current and future decisions about management of species, communities, and ecological processes in the United States. The questions were generated by an open, inclusive process that included personal interviews with decisionmakers, broad solicitation of research needs from scientists and policymakers, and an intensive workshop that included scientifically oriented individuals responsible for managing and developing policy related to natural resources. The process differed from previous efforts to set priorities for conservation research in its focus on the engagement of decisionmakers in addition to researchers. The research priorities emphasized the importance of addressing societal context and exploration of trade-offs among alternative policies and actions, as well as more traditional questions related to ecological processes and functions.

Fluvial processes in Ma'adim Vallis and the potential of Gusev crater as a high priority site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cabrol, Nathalie; Landheim, Ragnild; Greeley, Ronald; Farmer, Jack

1994-01-01

According to exobiology site selection criteria for Mars, the search for potential extinct/extant water dependent life should focus on sites were water flowed and ponded. The Ma'adim Vallis/Gusev crater system is of high priority for exobiology research, because it appears to have involved long term flooding, different periods and rates of sedimentation, and probable episodic ponding. The topics covered include the following: evidence of nonuniform fluvial processes and early overflooding of the plateau and ponding.

Selection of a suitable method for the preparation of polymeric nanoparticles: multi-criteria decision making approach.

PubMed

Krishnamoorthy, Kannan; Mahalingam, Manikandan

2015-03-01

The present study is aimed to select the suitable method for preparation of camptothecin loaded polymeric nanoparticles by utilizing the multi-criteria decision making method. Novel approaches of drug delivery by formulation using nanotechnology are revolutionizing the future of medicine. Recent years have witnessed unprecedented growth of research and application in the area of nanotechnology. Nanoparticles have become an important area of research in the field of drug delivery because they have the ability to deliver a wide range of drug to varying areas of body. Despite of extensive research and development, polymeric nanoparticles are frequently used to improve the therapeutic effect of drugs. A number of techniques are available for the preparation of polymeric nanoparticles. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a method for decision making, which are derived from individual judgements for qualitative factors, using the pair-wise comparison matrix. In AHP, a decision hierarchy is constructed with a goal, criteria and alternatives. The model uses three main criteria 1) Instrument, 2) Process and Output and 3) Cost. In addition, there are eight sub-criteria's as well as eight alternatives. Pair-wise comparison matrixes are used to obtain the overall priority weight and ranking for the selection of suitable method. Nanoprecipitation technique is the most suitable method for the preparation of camptothecin loaded polymeric nanoparticles with the highest overall priority weight of 0.297 CONCLUSION: In particular, the result indicates that the priority weights obtained from AHP could be defined as a multiple output for finding out the most suitable method for preparation of camptothecin loaded polymeric nanoparticles.

Spatial heterogeneity in the Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot affects barcoding accuracy of its freshwater fishes.

PubMed

Geiger, M F; Herder, F; Monaghan, M T; Almada, V; Barbieri, R; Bariche, M; Berrebi, P; Bohlen, J; Casal-Lopez, M; Delmastro, G B; Denys, G P J; Dettai, A; Doadrio, I; Kalogianni, E; Kärst, H; Kottelat, M; Kovačić, M; Laporte, M; Lorenzoni, M; Marčić, Z; Özuluğ, M; Perdices, A; Perea, S; Persat, H; Porcelotti, S; Puzzi, C; Robalo, J; Šanda, R; Schneider, M; Šlechtová, V; Stoumboudi, M; Walter, S; Freyhof, J

2014-11-01

Incomplete knowledge of biodiversity remains a stumbling block for conservation planning and even occurs within globally important Biodiversity Hotspots (BH). Although technical advances have boosted the power of molecular biodiversity assessments, the link between DNA sequences and species and the analytics to discriminate entities remain crucial. Here, we present an analysis of the first DNA barcode library for the freshwater fish fauna of the Mediterranean BH (526 spp.), with virtually complete species coverage (498 spp., 98% extant species). In order to build an identification system supporting conservation, we compared species determination by taxonomists to multiple clustering analyses of DNA barcodes for 3165 specimens. The congruence of barcode clusters with morphological determination was strongly dependent on the method of cluster delineation, but was highest with the general mixed Yule-coalescent (GMYC) model-based approach (83% of all species recovered as GMYC entity). Overall, genetic morphological discontinuities suggest the existence of up to 64 previously unrecognized candidate species. We found reduced identification accuracy when using the entire DNA-barcode database, compared with analyses on databases for individual river catchments. This scale effect has important implications for barcoding assessments and suggests that fairly simple identification pipelines provide sufficient resolution in local applications. We calculated Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered scores in order to identify candidate species for conservation priority and argue that the evolutionary content of barcode data can be used to detect priority species for future IUCN assessments. We show that large-scale barcoding inventories of complex biotas are feasible and contribute directly to the evaluation of conservation priorities. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Application of sensitivity analysis for assessment of de-desertification alternatives in the central Iran by using Triantaphyllou method.

PubMed

Sadeghi Ravesh, Mohammad Hassan; Ahmadi, Hassan; Zehtabian, Gholamreza

2011-08-01

Desertification, land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid regions, is a global environmental problem. With respect to increasing importance of desertification and its complexity, the necessity of attention to the optimal de-desertification alternatives is essential. Therefore, this work presents an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method to objectively select the optimal de-desertification alternatives based on the results of interviews with experts in Khezr Abad region, central Iran as the case study. This model was used in Yazd Khezr Abad region to evaluate the efficiency in presentation of better alternatives related to personal and environmental situations. Obtained results indicate that the criterion "proportion and adaptation to the environment" with the weighted average of 33.6% is the most important criterion from experts viewpoints. While prevention alternatives of land usage unsuitable of reveres and conversion with 22.88% mean weight and vegetation cover development and reclamation with 21.9% mean weight are recognized ordinarily as the most important de-desertification alternatives in region. Finally, sensitivity analysis is performed in detail by varying the objective factor decision weight, the priority weight of subjective factors, and the gain factors. After the fulfillment of sensitivity analysis and determination of the most sensitive criteria and alternatives, the former classification and ranking of alternatives does not change so much, and it was observed that unsuitable land use alternative with the preference degree of 22.7% was still in the first order of priority. The final priority of livestock grazing control alternative was replaced with the alternative of modification of ground water harvesting.

A lock-free priority queue design based on multi-dimensional linked lists

DOE PAGES

Dechev, Damian; Zhang, Deli

2015-04-03

The throughput of concurrent priority queues is pivotal to multiprocessor applications such as discrete event simulation, best-first search and task scheduling. Existing lock-free priority queues are mostly based on skiplists, which probabilistically create shortcuts in an ordered list for fast insertion of elements. The use of skiplists eliminates the need of global rebalancing in balanced search trees and ensures logarithmic sequential search time on average, but the worst-case performance is linear with respect to the input size. In this paper, we propose a quiescently consistent lock-free priority queue based on a multi-dimensional list that guarantees worst-case search time of O(logN)more » for key universe of size N. The novel multi-dimensional list (MDList) is composed of nodes that contain multiple links to child nodes arranged by their dimensionality. The insertion operation works by first injectively mapping the scalar key to a high-dimensional vector, then uniquely locating the target position by using the vector as coordinates. Nodes in MDList are ordered by their coordinate prefixes and the ordering property of the data structure is readily maintained during insertion without rebalancing nor randomization. Furthermore, in our experimental evaluation using a micro-benchmark, our priority queue achieves an average of 50% speedup over the state of the art approaches under high concurrency.« less

A lock-free priority queue design based on multi-dimensional linked lists

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

Dechev, Damian; Zhang, Deli

The throughput of concurrent priority queues is pivotal to multiprocessor applications such as discrete event simulation, best-first search and task scheduling. Existing lock-free priority queues are mostly based on skiplists, which probabilistically create shortcuts in an ordered list for fast insertion of elements. The use of skiplists eliminates the need of global rebalancing in balanced search trees and ensures logarithmic sequential search time on average, but the worst-case performance is linear with respect to the input size. In this paper, we propose a quiescently consistent lock-free priority queue based on a multi-dimensional list that guarantees worst-case search time of O(logN)more » for key universe of size N. The novel multi-dimensional list (MDList) is composed of nodes that contain multiple links to child nodes arranged by their dimensionality. The insertion operation works by first injectively mapping the scalar key to a high-dimensional vector, then uniquely locating the target position by using the vector as coordinates. Nodes in MDList are ordered by their coordinate prefixes and the ordering property of the data structure is readily maintained during insertion without rebalancing nor randomization. Furthermore, in our experimental evaluation using a micro-benchmark, our priority queue achieves an average of 50% speedup over the state of the art approaches under high concurrency.« less

Reference materials for the monitoring of the aquatic environment--a review with special emphasis on organic priority pollutants.

PubMed

Bercaru, Ofelia; Gawlik, Bernd Manfred; Ulberth, Franz; Vandecasteele, Carlo

2003-08-01

During recent years, the awareness of quality assurance and quality control in environmental analyses has constantly increased, especially due to the implementation of new guidelines and regulations at both the national and international level. Achieving comparable results by using certified reference materials is one of the primary concerns of the scientific community. As a result, there is a growing demand for certified reference materials to cover different matrices and pollutants. Moreover, these CRMs should be in close relationship to the determinants and target concentrations required by environmental bodies and European Directives as well. Supplementary information to this paper presents an inventory of reference materials available on the market from different suppliers against the priority pollutants listed in the Water Framework Directive. These CRMs cover matrices such as water, sediment and biota. The use of CRMs in relationship to appropriate analytical methods and relevant determinants is discussed and the need for matrix-CRMs, particularly for organic pollutants is emphasised. The use of proficiency testing schemes as an alternative for the lack of appropriate CRMs and future trends in the production of CRMs within the BCR framework are also discussed.

The science of epidemiology and the methods needed for public health assessments: a review of epidemiology textbooks

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Objectives Epidemiology is often described as ‘the science of public health’. Here we aim to assess the extent that epidemiological methods, as covered in contemporary standard textbooks, provide tools that can assess the relative magnitude of public health problems and can be used to help rank and assess public health priorities. Study Design Narrative literature review. Methods Thirty textbooks were grouped into three categories; pure, extended or applied epidemiology, were reviewed with attention to the ways the discipline is characterised and the nature of the analytical methods described. Results Pure texts tend to present a strict hierarchy of methods with those metrics deemed to best serve aetiological inquiry at the top. Extended and applied texts employ broader definitions of epidemiology but in most cases, the metrics described are also those used in aetiological inquiry and may not be optimal for capturing the consequences and social importance of injuries and disease onsets. Conclusions The primary scientific purpose of epidemiology, even amongst ‘applied’ textbooks, is aetiological inquiry. Authors do not readily extend to methods suitable for assessing public health problems and priorities. PMID:24507570

Link Connectivity and Coverage of Underwater Cognitive Acoustic Networks under Spectrum Constraint

PubMed Central

Wang, Qiu; Cheang, Chak Fong

2017-01-01

Extensive attention has been given to the use of cognitive radio technology in underwater acoustic networks since the acoustic spectrum became scarce due to the proliferation of human aquatic activities. Most of the recent studies on underwater cognitive acoustic networks (UCANs) mainly focus on spectrum management or protocol design. Few efforts have addressed the quality-of-service (QoS) of UCANs. In UCANs, secondary users (SUs) have lower priority to use acoustic spectrum than primary users (PUs) with higher priority to access spectrum. As a result, the QoS of SUs is difficult to ensure in UCANs. This paper proposes an analytical model to investigate the link connectivity and the probability of coverage of SUs in UCANs. In particular, this model takes both topological connectivity and spectrum availability into account, though spectrum availability has been ignored in most recent studies. We conduct extensive simulations to evaluate the effectiveness and the accuracy of our proposed model. Simulation results show that our proposed model is quite accurate. Besides, our results also imply that the link connectivity and the probability of coverage of SUs heavily depend on both the underwater acoustic channel conditions and the activities of PUs. PMID:29215561

Direct screening and confirmation of priority volatile organic pollutants in drinking water.

PubMed

Caro, J; Serrano, A; Gallego, M

2007-01-05

A screening tool was proposed for the rapid detection of eight priority volatile organic pollutants according to European standards in drinking water. The method is based on the direct coupling of a headspace sampler with a mass spectrometer, using a chromatographic column heated to 175 degrees C as an interface. The water sample was subjected to the headspace extraction process and the volatile fraction was introduced directly into the mass spectrometer, without prior chromatographic separation, achieving low detection limits (0.6-1.2 ng/ml) for all compounds. The mass spectrum resulting from the simultaneous ionization and fragmentation of the mixture of molecules constitutes the volatile profile of each sample. An appropriate chemometric treatment of these signals permitted them to be classified, on the basis of their volatile composition, as contaminated or uncontaminated with respect to the legally established concentration levels for these compounds in drinking water, and providing no false negatives. A conventional confirmation method was carried out to analyze positive water samples by using the same instrumental setup as in the screening method, but using an appropriate temperature program in the chromatographic column to separate, identify and quantify each analyte.

Chemical analyses of coal, coal-associated rocks and coal combustion products collected for the National Coal Quality Inventory

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hatch, Joseph R.; Bullock, John H.; Finkelman, Robert B.

2006-01-01

In 1999, the USGS initiated the National Coal Quality Inventory (NaCQI) project to address a need for quality information on coals that will be mined during the next 20-30 years. At the time this project was initiated, the publicly available USGS coal quality data was based on samples primarily collected and analyzed between 1973 and 1985. The primary objective of NaCQI was to create a database containing comprehensive, accurate and accessible chemical information on the quality of mined and prepared United States coals and their combustion byproducts. This objective was to be accomplished through maintaining the existing publicly available coal quality database, expanding the database through the acquisition of new samples from priority areas, and analysis of the samples using updated coal analytical chemistry procedures. Priorities for sampling include those areas where future sources of compliance coal are federally owned. This project was a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), State geological surveys, universities, coal burning utilities, and the coal mining industry. Funding support came from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Community Priorities for Healthy Eating in Older Adults.

PubMed

Jiang, Qianzhi; Cohen, Nancy L; Marra, Melissa Ventura; Woolf, Kathleen; Gilbride, Judith; Francis, Sarah L

2017-01-01

Community planners such as policymakers and health care and nutrition service providers can create an "age-friendly" environment to support healthy eating in older residents by addressing the highest priorities that enable older adults to improve their dietary intake through different food-related community settings. To identify and prioritize these factors that facilitate behavioral change (enablers) and behavioral settings important for older adult nutrition based on the social ecological model, nutrition and aging professionals (n = 30) from two rural (West Virginia, Iowa) and two urban (Massachusetts, New York) city/county regions (communities) participated in an online or live focus group discussion and completed an analytic hierarchy process survey online. Overall, the most important perceived enablers were accessibility and cost, followed by transportation and social support, but their relative importance varied by community. Participants from all communities considered congregate meal sites and food banks among the most important behavioral settings. Participants from most communities considered food stores to be important and also highlighted other settings unique to the area, such as senior housing, neighborhood, and farmers' markets. By targeting interventions to address the most notable enablers and behavioral settings specific to their community, planning groups can enhance their older residents' ability to achieve optimal nutritional health.

A multi-criteria assessment of fishing gear impacts in demersal fisheries.

PubMed

Innes, James P; Pascoe, Sean

2010-01-01

Fishing gears have multiple impacts on the marine environment, and policies to reduce these impacts through modifying fishing gears are becoming common place. Different modifications result in different changes in the set of environmental impacts, and imply different sets of costs and benefits for different stakeholder groups. In this study, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used to quantify the relative importance of the environmental impacts of fishing to different stakeholder groups. Forty eight individuals representing six different stakeholder groups (ecologists, biologists, economists, gear technologists, fishers and fisheries managers) were surveyed. As expected, fishers and gear technologists placed substantially greater importance on reducing discarding of commercial fish species than on habitat damage. Priorities of other stakeholder groups varied, but all placed greater priority on habitats than the commercial sector. The results suggest that management aimed at reducing environmental impacts of fishing broader than just discarding is appropriate, but such moves are likely to be opposed by the fishing industry. The derived weights also have a direct application to fisheries management, as they allow otherwise non-commensurate impacts to be aggregated into an overall impact to compare environmental benefits from alternative modifications of fishing gear. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Fuzzy analytical hierarchy process approach in irrigation networks maintenance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riza Permana, Angga; Rintis Hadiani, Rr.; Syafi'i

2017-11-01

Ponorogo Regency has 440 Irrigation Area with a total area of 17,950 Ha. Due to the limited budget and lack of maintenance cause decreased function on the irrigation. The aim of this study is to make an appropriate system to determine the indices weighted of the rank prioritization criteria for irrigation network maintenance using a fuzzy-based methodology. The criteria that are used such as the physical condition of irrigation networks, area of service, estimated maintenance cost, and efficiency of irrigation water distribution. 26 experts in the field of water resources in the Dinas Pekerjaan Umum were asked to fill out the questionnaire, and the result will be used as a benchmark to determine the rank of irrigation network maintenance priority. The results demonstrate that the physical condition of irrigation networks criterion (W1) = 0,279 has the greatest impact on the assessment process. The area of service (W2) = 0,270, efficiency of irrigation water distribution (W4) = 0,249, and estimated maintenance cost (W3) = 0,202 criteria rank next in effectiveness, respectively. The proposed methodology deals with uncertainty and vague data using triangular fuzzy numbers, and, moreover, it provides a comprehensive decision-making technique to assess maintenance priority on irrigation network.

Patient and public engagement in priority setting: A systematic rapid review of the literature.

PubMed

Manafò, Elizabeth; Petermann, Lisa; Vandall-Walker, Virginia; Mason-Lai, Ping

2018-01-01

Current research suggests that while patients are becoming more engaged across the health delivery spectrum, this involvement occurs most often at the pre-preparation stage to identify 'high-level' priorities in health ecosystem priority setting, and at the preparation phase for health research. The purpose of this systematic rapid review of the literature is to describe the evidence that does exist in relation to patient and public engagement priority setting in both health ecosystem and health research. HealthStar (via OVID); CINAHL; Proquest Databases; and Scholar's Portal. i) published in English; ii) published within the timeframe of 2007-Current (10 years) unless the report/article was formative in synthesizing key considerations of patient engagement in health ecosystem and health research priority setting; iii) conducted in Canada, the US, Europe, UK, Australia/New Zealand, or Scandinavian countries. i) Is the research valid, sound, and applicable?; ii) what outcomes can we potentially expect if we implement the findings from this research?; iii) will the target population (i.e., health researchers and practitioners) be able to use this research?. A summary of findings from each of the respective processes was synthesized to highlight key information that would support decision-making for researchers when determining the best priority setting process to apply for their specific patient-oriented research. Seventy articles from the UK, US, Canada, Netherlands and Australia were selected for review. Results were organized into two tiers of public and patient engagement in prioritization: Tier 1-Deliberative and Tier 2-Consultative. Highly structured patient and public engagement planning activities include the James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnerships (UK), Dialogue Method (Netherlands), Global Evidence Mapping (Australia), and the Deep Inclusion Method/CHoosing All Together (US). The critical study limitations include challenges in comprehensively identifying the patient engagement literature for review, bias in article selection due to the identified scope, missed information due to a more limited use of exhaustive search strategies (e.g., in-depth hand searching), and the heterogeneity of reported study findings. The four public and patient engagement priority setting processes identified were successful in setting priorities that are inclusive and objectively based, specific to the priorities of stakeholders engaged in the process. The processes were robust, strategic and aimed to promote equity in patient voices. Key limitations identified a lack of evaluation data on the success and extent in which patients were engaged. Issues pertaining to feasibility of stakeholder engagement, coordination, communication and limited resources were also considered.

Landscape level reforestation priorities for forest breeding landbirds in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley

USGS Publications Warehouse

Twedt, D.J.; Uihlein, W.B.; Fredrickson, L.H.; King, S.L.; Kaminski, R.M.

2005-01-01

Thousands of ha of cleared wetlands are being reforested annually in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV). Despite the expansive and long-term impacts of reforestation on the biological communities of the MAV, there is generally a lack of landscape level planning in its implementation. To address this deficiency we used raster-based digital data to assess the value of forest restoration to migratory landbirds for each ha within the MAV. Raster themes were developed that reflected distance from 3 existing forest cover parameters: (1) extant forest, (2) contiguous forest patches between 1,012 and 40,000 ha, and (3) forest cores with contiguous area 1 km from an agricultural, urban, or pastoral edge. Two additional raster themes were developed that combined information on the proportion of forest cover and average size of forest patches, respectively, within landscapes of 50,000, 100,000, 150,000, and 200,000 ha. Data from these 5 themes were amalgamated into a single raster using a weighting system that gave increased emphasis to existing forest cores, larger forest patches, and moderately forested landscapes while deemphasizing reforestation near small or isolated forest fragments and within largely agricultural landscapes. This amalgamated raster was then modified by the geographic location of historical forest cover and the current extent of public land ownership to assign a reforestation priority score to each ha in the MAV. However, because reforestation is not required on areas with extant forest cover and because restoration is unlikely on areas of open water and urban communities, these lands were not assigned a reforestation priority score. These spatially explicit reforestation priority scores were used to simulate reforestation of 368,000 ha (5%) of the highest priority lands in the MAV. Targeting restoration to these high priority areas resulted in a 54% increase in forest core - an area of forest core that exceeded the area of simulated reforestation. Bird Conservation Regions, developed within the framework of the Partners in Flight: Mississippi Alluvial Valley Bird Conservation Plan, encompassed a large proportion (circa 70%) of the area with highest priority for reforestation. Similarly, lands with high reforestation priority often were enrolled in the Wetland Reserve Program.

Competing priorities that rival health in adults on probation in Rhode Island: substance use recovery, employment, housing, and food intake.

PubMed

Dong, Kimberly R; Must, Aviva; Tang, Alice M; Beckwith, Curt G; Stopka, Thomas J

2018-02-27

Individuals on probation experience economic disadvantage because their criminal records often prohibit gainful employment, which compromises their ability to access the basic components of wellbeing. Unemployment and underemployment have been studied as distinct phenomenon but no research has examined multiple determinants of health in aggregate or explored how these individuals prioritize each of these factors. This study identified and ranked competing priorities in adults on probation and qualitatively explored how these priorities impact health. We conducted in-depth interviews in 2016 with 22 adults on probation in Rhode Island to determine priority rankings of basic needs. We used Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory and the literature to guide the priorities we pre-selected for probationers to rank. Within a thematic analysis framework, we used a modified ranking approach to identify the priorities chosen by participants and explored themes related to the top four ranked priorities. We found that probationers ranked substance use recovery, employment, housing, and food intake as the top four priorities. Probationers in recovery reported sobriety as the most important issue, a necessary basis to be able to address other aspects of life. Participants also articulated the interrelatedness of difficulties in securing employment, food, and housing; these represent stressors for themselves and their families, which negatively impact health. Participants ranked healthcare last and many reported underinsurance as an issue to accessing care. Adults on probation are often faced with limited economic potential and support systems that consistently place them in high-risk environments with increased risk for recidivism. These findings emphasize the need for policies that address the barriers to securing gainful employment and safe housing. Interventions that reflect probationer priorities are necessary to begin to mitigate the health disparities in this population.

A Descriptive Analysis of End-of-Life Conversations With Long-Term Glioblastoma Survivors.

PubMed

Miranda, Stephen P; Bernacki, Rachelle E; Paladino, Joanna M; Norden, Andrew D; Kavanagh, Jane E; Palmor, Marissa C; Block, Susan D

2018-05-01

Early, high-quality serious illness (SI) conversations are critical for patients with glioblastoma (GBM) but are often mistimed or mishandled. To describe the prevalence, timing, and quality of documented SI conversations and evaluate their focus on patient goals/priorities. Thirty-three patients with GBM enrolled in the control group of a randomized controlled trial of a communication intervention and were followed for 2 years or until death. At baseline, all patients answered a validated question about preferences for life-extending versus comfort-focused care and completed a Life Priorities Survey about their goals/priorities. In this secondary analysis, retrospective chart review was performed for 18 patients with GBM who died. Documented SI conversations were systematically identified and evaluated using a codebook reflecting 4 domains: prognosis, goals/priorities, end-of-life planning, and life-sustaining treatments. Patient goals/priorities were compared to documentation. At baseline, 16 of 24 patients preferred life-extending care. In the Life Priorities Survey, goals/priorities most frequently ranked among the top 3 were "Live as long as possible," "Be mentally aware," "Provide support for family," "Be independent," and "Be at peace." Fifteen of 18 patients had at least 1 documented SI conversation (range: 1-4). Median timing of the first documented SI conversation was 84 days before death (range: 29-231; interquartile range: 46-119). Fifteen patients had documentation about end-of-life planning, with "hospice" and "palliative care" most frequently documented. Five of 18 patients had documentation about their goals. Patients with GBM had multiple goals/priorities with potential treatment implications, but documentation showed SI conversations occurred relatively late and infrequently reflected patient goals/priorities.

Priority setting and implementation in a centralized health system: a case study of Kerman province in Iran.

PubMed

Khayatzadeh-Mahani, Akram; Fotaki, Marianna; Harvey, Gillian

2013-08-01

The question of how priority setting processes work remains topical, contentious and political in every health system across the globe. It is particularly acute in the context of developing countries because of the mismatch between needs and resources, which is often compounded by an underdeveloped capacity for decision making and weak institutional infrastructures. Yet there is limited research into how the process of setting and implementing health priorities works in developing countries. This study aims to address this gap by examining how a national priority setting programme works in the centralized health system of Iran and what factors influence its implementation at the meso and micro levels. We used a qualitative case study approach, incorporating mixed methods: in-depth interviews at three levels and a textual analysis of policy documents. The data analysis showed that the process of priority setting is non-systematic, there is little transparency as to how specific priorities are decided, and the decisions made are separated from their implementation. This is due to the highly centralized system, whereby health priorities are set at the macro level without involving meso or micro local levels or any representative of the public. Furthermore, the two main benefit packages are decided by different bodies (Ministry of Health and Medical Education and Ministry of Welfare and Social Security) and there is no co-ordination between them. The process is also heavily influenced by political pressure exerted by various groups, mostly medical professionals who attempt to control priority setting in accordance with their interests. Finally, there are many weaknesses in the implementation of priorities, resulting in a growing gap between rural and urban areas in terms of access to health services.

Molecularly Imprinted Core-Shell CdSe@SiO2/CDs as a Ratiometric Fluorescent Probe for 4-Nitrophenol Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Mingyue; Gao, Zhao; Yu, Yanjun; Su, Rongxin; Huang, Renliang; Qi, Wei; He, Zhimin

2018-01-01

4-Nitrophenol (4-NP) is a priority pollutant in water and is both carcinogenic and genotoxic to humans and wildlife even at very low concentrations. Thus, we herein fabricated a novel molecularly imprinted core-shell nanohybrid as a ratiometric fluorescent sensor for the highly sensitive and selective detection of 4-NP. This sensor was functioned by the transfer of fluorescence resonance energy between photoluminescent carbon dots (CDs) and 4-NP. This sensor was synthesized by linking organosilane-functionalized CDs to silica-coated CdSe quantum dots (CdSe@SiO2) via Si-O bonds. The nanohybrids were further modified by anchoring a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) layer on the ratiometric fluorescent sensor through a facile sol-gel polymerization method. The morphology, chemical structure, and optical properties of the resulting molecularly imprinted dual-emission fluorescent probe were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopic analysis. The probe was then applied in the detection of 4-NP and exhibited good linearity between 0.051 and 13.7 μg/mL, in addition to a low detection limit of 0.026 μg/mL. Furthermore, the simplicity, reliability, high selectivity, and high sensitivity of the developed sensor demonstrate that the combination of MIPs and ratiometric fluorescence allows the preparation of excellent fluorescent sensors for the detection of trace or ultra-trace analytes.

Benchmarking and gap analysis of faculty mentorship priorities and how well they are met.

PubMed

Bruner, Deborah Watkins; Dunbar, Sandra; Higgins, Melinda; Martyn, Kristy

2016-01-01

There is little consensus among faculty mentoring programs as to best practices. While there are recommendations in the literature to base faculty development programs on gap analyses of faculty ratings of actual and preferred performance in teaching, scholarship and service, no gap analysis was found in the literature. Thus, the purpose of this study was to develop a survey tool to benchmark school of nursing (SON) faculty mentorship priorities and conduct a gap analysis of how well they were being addressed. Senior faculty who lead mentorship as part of their roles in the SON (associate and assistant deans and director of mentorship) developed a survey through (a) asking faculty members for priorities at in-person mentorship seminars, (b) a review of current nursing literature, and (c) input from the SON mentorship advisory board. The final survey included 37 items focused on general job duties, structure of the mentoring program, time management, as well as skills needed for research, teaching, practice, writing and team science. Responses (rated from 0-not important to 5-very high priority) were requested in 4 areas: the first area focused on how high a priority the respondent rated a given item and areas 2 to 4 focused on how well the need was met by one of three resources: their SON primary assigned mentor, other SON resources, or other university resources. There were 63 eligible SON faculty to whom the survey was e-mailed with a 60% (n = 38) response rate. Most of the respondents were clinical track (42.1%) followed by tenure track (39.5%) and research track (15.8%). Half were assistant professors. The percentage of respondents giving a rating of 4 to 5 were calculated and then ranked. Almost all the faculty responding, regardless of track or rank, desired formal mentorship. Among all faculty, the top five priorities were guidance on producing timely publications (70.4%), mentorship on work-life balance (68%), mentorship on putting together a promotion package (61.5%), guidance on test writing (60%), and utilizing technology in the classroom (60%). Priorities varied by faculty track. In terms of the gap between mentorship priorities and how well they were being met, the highest gaps overall were for test writing, using technology in the classroom, curriculum development, lecturing, and developing and managing a research team. As with priorities, the gaps between priorities and how well they were being met varied by track. The priorities and gap analysis were used to guide career development program activities and to develop a plan for future mentor-mentee training and activities. The survey tool demonstrated face validity, variability, and preliminary utility as one method for assessing and guiding improvements in faculty mentorship. Published by Elsevier Inc.

76 FR 40898 - Final Priorities, Requirements, and Selection Criteria; Charter Schools Program (CSP) Grants for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-12

... schools. (3) A multi-year financial and operating model for the organization, a demonstrated commitment of... school model and to expand the number of high-quality charter schools available to students across the... percent threshold in this priority is consistent with the average percentage of students in large urban...

Basic Principles--Outdoor Living Skills Series. Instructor Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deaton, Don

The priorities for sustaining life--air, shelter, water, and food--are the subjects of this module designed to give junior and senior high school students the foundation for safe, rewarding experiences in the outdoors. Five 50-minute lesson plans cover the basic need in order of priority: air (3 minutes to survive without it), shelter (3 hours, in…

The Next Linear Collider Program-News

Science.gov Websites

The Next Linear Collider at SLAC Navbar The Next Linear Collider In The Press The Secretary of Linear Collider is a high-priority goal of this plan. http://www.sc.doe.gov/Sub/Facilities_for_future/20 -term projects in conceputal stages (the Linear Collider is the highest priority project in this

Major Facilities for Materials Research and Related Disciplines.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Academy of Sciences - National Research Council, Washington, DC. Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Resources.

This report presents priorities for new facilities and new capabilities at existing facilities with initial costs of at least $5 million. The new facilities in order of priority are: (1) a 6 GeV synchrotron radiation facility; (2) an advanced steady state neutron facility; (3) a 1 to 2 GeV synchrotron radiation facility; and (4) a high intensity…

Video gaming and sexual violence: rethinking forensic nursing in a digital age.

PubMed

Mercer, Dave; Parkinson, Denis

2014-01-01

This article reports findings from a qualitative study into how forensic nurses, and male personality disordered sexual offenders, talked about "pornography" in one U.K. high-security hospital. Research rationale was rooted in current professional and political debates, adopting a discourse analytic design to situate the project in a clinical context. Semistructured interviews, as co-constructed accounts, explored talk about sexual media, offending, treatment, and risk. Data were analyzed using a version of discourse analysis popular in healthcare research, identifying discursive repertoires, or collective language use, characteristic of the institutional culture. Findings revealed that masculine discourse marginalized female nurses and contradicted therapeutic goals, where men's talk about pornography, sex, and sexual crime represented discriminatory and gendered language. Nursing definitions of pornography were constructed in the context of the client group and an organizational need to manage risk. In a highly controlled environment, with a long-stay population, priority in respondent talk was given to mainstream commercial sexual media and everyday items/images perceived to have embedded sexual meaning. However, little mention was made of contemporary modes of producing/distributing pornography, where sex and sexual violence are enacted in virtual realities of cyberspace. Failure to engage with information technology, and globally mediated sex, is discussed as a growing concern for forensic health workers.

Advanced signal processing analysis of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy data for the discrimination of obsidian sources.

PubMed

Remus, Jeremiah J; Harmon, Russell S; Hark, Richard R; Haverstock, Gregory; Baron, Dirk; Potter, Ian K; Bristol, Samantha K; East, Lucille J

2012-03-01

Obsidian is a natural glass of volcanic origin and a primary resource used by indigenous peoples across North America for making tools. Geochemical studies of obsidian enhance understanding of artifact production and procurement and remain a priority activity within the archaeological community. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an analytical technique being examined as a means for identifying obsidian from different sources on the basis of its 'geochemical fingerprint'. This study tested whether two major California obsidian centers could be distinguished from other obsidian localities and the extent to which subsources could be recognized within each of these centers. LIBS data sets were collected in two different spectral bands (350±130 nm and 690±115 nm) using a Nd:YAG 1064 nm laser operated at ~23 mJ, a Czerny-Turner spectrograph with 0.2-0.3 nm spectral resolution and a high performance imaging charge couple device (ICCD) detector. Classification of the samples was performed using partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLSDA), a common chemometric technique for performing statistical regression on high-dimensional data. Discrimination of samples from the Coso Volcanic Field, Bodie Hills, and other major obsidian areas in north-central California was possible with an accuracy of greater than 90% using either spectral band. © 2012 Optical Society of America

Powdered activated carbons as effective phases for bar adsorptive micro-extraction (BAμE) to monitor levels of triazinic herbicides in environmental water matrices.

PubMed

Neng, N R; Mestre, A S; Carvalho, A P; Nogueira, J M F

2011-02-15

Bar adsorptive micro-extraction using three powdered activated carbons (ACs) as adsorbent phases followed by liquid desorption and high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (BAμE(ACs)-LD/HPLC-DAD), was developed to monitor triazinic herbicides (atrazine, simazine and terbutylazine) in environmental water matrices. ACs used present apparent surface areas around 1000 m(2) g(-1) with an important mesoporous volume and distinct surface chemistry characteristics (pH(PZC) ranging from 6.5 to 10.4). The textural and surface chemistry properties of the ACs adsorbent phases were correlated with the analytical data for a better understanding of the overall enrichment process. Assays performed on 10 mL water samples spiked at the 10.0 μg L(-1) levels under optimized experimental conditions yielded recoveries around 100% for the three herbicides under study. The analytical performance showed good precision (RSD<15.0%), convenient detection limits (≈0.1 μg L(-1)) and suitable linearity (1.0-12.0 μg L(-1)) with good correlation coefficients (r(2)>0.9914). By using the standard addition method, the application of the present method on real water matrices, such as surface water and wastewater, allowed very good performances at the trace level. The proposed methodology proved to be a suitable sorptive extraction alternative for the analysis of priority pollutants with polar characteristics, showing to be easy to implement, reliable, sensitive and requiring a low sample volume to monitor triazinic compounds in water matrices. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

National Rules for Drug–Drug Interactions: Are They Appropriate for Tertiary Hospitals?

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

The application of appropriate rules for drug–drug interactions (DDIs) could substantially reduce the number of adverse drug events. However, current implementations of such rules in tertiary hospitals are problematic as physicians are receiving too many alerts, causing high override rates and alert fatigue. We investigated the potential impact of Korean national DDI rules in a drug utilization review program in terms of their severity coverage and the clinical efficiency of how physicians respond to them. Using lists of high-priority DDIs developed with the support of the U.S. government, we evaluated 706 contraindicated DDI pairs released in May 2015. We evaluated clinical log data from one tertiary hospital and prescription data from two other tertiary hospitals. The measured parameters were national DDI rule coverage for high-priority DDIs, alert override rate, and number of prescription pairs. The coverage rates of national DDI rules were 80% and 3.0% at the class and drug levels, respectively. The analysis of the system log data showed an overall override rate of 79.6%. Only 0.3% of all of the alerts (n = 66) were high-priority DDI rules. These showed a lower override rate of 51.5%, which was much lower than for the overall DDI rules. We also found 342 and 80 unmatched high-priority DDI pairs which were absent in national rules in inpatient orders from the other two hospitals. The national DDI rules are not complete in terms of their coverage of severe DDIs. They also lack clinical efficiency in tertiary settings, suggesting improved systematic approaches are needed. PMID:27822925

Avian Conservation Areas as a Proxy for Contaminated Soil Remediation

PubMed Central

Lin, Wei-Chih; Lin, Yu-Pin; Anthony, Johnathen; Ding, Tsun-Su

2015-01-01

Remediation prioritization frequently falls short of systematically evaluating the underlying ecological value of different sites. This study presents a novel approach to delineating sites that are both contaminated by any of eight heavy metals and have high habitat value to high-priority species. The conservation priority of each planning site herein was based on the projected distributions of eight protected bird species, simulated using 900 outputs of species distribution models (SDMs) and the subsequent application of a systematic conservation tool. The distributions of heavy metal concentrations were generated using a geostatistical joint-simulation approach. The uncertainties in the heavy metal distributions were quantified in terms of variability among 1000 realization sets. Finally, a novel remediation decision-making approach was presented for delineating contaminated sites in need of remediation based on the spatial uncertainties of multiple realizations and the priorities of conservation areas. The results thus obtained demonstrate that up to 42% of areas of high conservation priority are also contaminated by one or more of the heavy metal contaminants of interest. Moreover, as the proportion of the land for proposed remediated increased, the projected area of the pollution-free habitat also increased. Overall uncertainty, in terms of the false positive contamination rate, also increased. These results indicate that the proposed decision-making approach successfully accounted for the intrinsic trade-offs among a high number of pollution-free habitats, low false positive rates and robustness of expected decision outcomes. PMID:26193297

Emotion strengthens high priority memory traces but weakens low priority memory traces

PubMed Central

Sakaki, Michiko; Fryer, Kellie; Mather, Mara

2014-01-01

When encountering emotional events, memory for those events is typically enhanced. But it has been unclear how emotionally arousing events influence memory for preceding information. Does emotional arousal induce retrograde amnesia or retrograde enhancement? The current study revealed that this depends on the top-down goal relevance of the preceding information. Across three studies, we found that emotional arousal induced by one image facilitated memory for the preceding neutral item when people prioritized that neutral item. In contrast, an emotional image impaired memory for the preceding neutral item when people did not prioritize that neutral item. Emotional arousal elicited by negative and positive pictures both showed this pattern of enhancing or impairing memory for the preceding stimulus depending on its priority. These results indicate that emotional arousal amplifies the effects of top-down priority in memory formation. PMID:24311478

Strengthening expertise for health technology assessment and priority-setting in Africa

PubMed Central

Doherty, Jane E; Wilkinson, Thomas; Edoka, Ijeoma; Hofman, Karen

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: Achieving sustainable universal health coverage depends partly on fair priority-setting processes that ensure countries spend scarce resources wisely. While general health economics capacity-strengthening initiatives exist in Africa, less attention has been paid to developing the capacity of individuals, institutions and networks to apply economic evaluation in support of health technology assessment and effective priority-setting. Objective: On the basis of international  lessons, to identify how research organisations and partnerships could contribute to capacity strengthening for health technology assessment and priority-setting in Africa. Methods: A rapid scan was conducted of international formal and grey literature and lessons extracted from the deliberations of two international and regional workshops relating to capacity-building for health technology assessment. ‘Capacity’ was defined in broad terms, including a conducive political environment, strong public institutional capacity to drive priority-setting, effective networking between experts, strong research organisations and skilled researchers. Results: Effective priority-setting requires more than high quality economic research. Researchers have to engage with an array of stakeholders, network closely other research organisations, build partnerships with different levels of government and train the future generation of researchers and policy-makers. In low- and middle-income countries where there are seldom government units or agencies dedicated to health technology assessment, they also have to support the development of an effective priority-setting process that is sensitive to societal and government needs and priorities. Conclusions: Research organisations have an important role to play in contributing to the development of health technology assessment and priority-setting capacity. In Africa, where there are resource and capacity challenges, effective partnerships between local and international researchers, and with key government stakeholders, can leverage existing skills and knowledge to generate a critical mass of individuals and institutions. These would help to meet the priority-setting needs of African countries and contribute to sustainable universal health coverage. PMID:29035166

Regional scale prioritisation for key ecosystem services, renewable energy production and urban development.

PubMed

Casalegno, Stefano; Bennie, Jonathan J; Inger, Richard; Gaston, Kevin J

2014-01-01

Although the importance of addressing ecosystem service benefits in regional land use planning and decision-making is evident, substantial practical challenges remain. In particular, methods to identify priority areas for the provision of key ecosystem services and other environmental services (benefits from the environment not directly linked to the function of ecosystems) need to be developed. Priority areas are locations which provide disproportionally high benefits from one or more service. Here we map a set of ecosystem and environmental services and delineate priority areas according to different scenarios. Each scenario is produced by a set of weightings allocated to different services and corresponds to different landscape management strategies which decision makers could undertake. Using the county of Cornwall, U.K., as a case study, we processed gridded maps of key ecosystem services and environmental services, including renewable energy production and urban development. We explored their spatial distribution patterns and their spatial covariance and spatial stationarity within the region. Finally we applied a complementarity-based priority ranking algorithm (zonation) using different weighting schemes. Our conclusions are that (i) there are two main patterns of service distribution in this region, clustered services (including agriculture, carbon stocks, urban development and plant production) and dispersed services (including cultural services, energy production and floods mitigation); (ii) more than half of the services are spatially correlated and there is high non-stationarity in the spatial covariance between services; and (iii) it is important to consider both ecosystem services and other environmental services in identifying priority areas. Different weighting schemes provoke drastic changes in the delineation of priority areas and therefore decision making processes need to carefully consider the relative values attributed to different services.

Regional Scale Prioritisation for Key Ecosystem Services, Renewable Energy Production and Urban Development

PubMed Central

Casalegno, Stefano; Bennie, Jonathan J.; Inger, Richard; Gaston, Kevin J.

2014-01-01

Although the importance of addressing ecosystem service benefits in regional land use planning and decision-making is evident, substantial practical challenges remain. In particular, methods to identify priority areas for the provision of key ecosystem services and other environmental services (benefits from the environment not directly linked to the function of ecosystems) need to be developed. Priority areas are locations which provide disproportionally high benefits from one or more service. Here we map a set of ecosystem and environmental services and delineate priority areas according to different scenarios. Each scenario is produced by a set of weightings allocated to different services and corresponds to different landscape management strategies which decision makers could undertake. Using the county of Cornwall, U.K., as a case study, we processed gridded maps of key ecosystem services and environmental services, including renewable energy production and urban development. We explored their spatial distribution patterns and their spatial covariance and spatial stationarity within the region. Finally we applied a complementarity-based priority ranking algorithm (zonation) using different weighting schemes. Our conclusions are that (i) there are two main patterns of service distribution in this region, clustered services (including agriculture, carbon stocks, urban development and plant production) and dispersed services (including cultural services, energy production and floods mitigation); (ii) more than half of the services are spatially correlated and there is high non-stationarity in the spatial covariance between services; and (iii) it is important to consider both ecosystem services and other environmental services in identifying priority areas. Different weighting schemes provoke drastic changes in the delineation of priority areas and therefore decision making processes need to carefully consider the relative values attributed to different services. PMID:25250775

Using an innovative criteria weighting tool for stakeholders involvement to rank MSW facility sites with the AHP.

PubMed

De Feo, Giovanni; De Gisi, Sabino

2010-11-01

The main aim of this study was to verify the efficacy of using an innovative criteria weighting tool (the "priority scale") for stakeholders involvement to rank a list of suitable municipal solid waste (MSW) facility sites with the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) technique known as analytic hierarchy process (AHP). One of the main objectives of the study was to verify the behaviour of the "priority scale" with both technical and non-technical decision-makers. All over the world, the siting of MSW treatment or disposal plants is a complex process involving politicians, technicians as well as citizens, where stakeholders who are not effectively involved strongly oppose (or even obstruct) the realization of new facilities. In this study, in order to pursue both the technical (select the best site) and social aims (all the stakeholders have to give their aware contribution), the use of the "priority scale" is suggested as a tool to easily collect non-contradictory criteria preferences by the various decision-makers. Every decision-maker filled in "priority scale", which was subsequently uploaded in the AHP tool in order to indirectly calculate the individual priority of alternatives given by each stakeholder (not using group aggregation techniques). The proposed method was applied to the siting of a composting plant in an area suffering from a serious MSW emergency, which has lasted for over 15 years, in the Campania Region, in Southern Italy. The best site (the "first choice") was taken as the one that appeared the most times at the first place of each decision-maker ranking list. The involved technical and non-technical decision-makers showed the same behaviour in (indirectly) selecting the best site as well as in terms of the most appraised criteria ("absence of areas of the highest value for natural habitats and species of plants and animals"). Moreover, they showed the same AHP inconsistency ratio as well as the same behaviour in comparison with a "balanced decision-maker" (who assigns identical weights to all the considered criteria). Therefore, the proposed criteria weighting tool could be widely as well as easily used for stakeholders involvement to rank MSW facility sites (or other kinds of alternatives) with the AHP or with other MCDM techniques, taking or not into consideration group aggregation methods. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Summary of Martian Dust Filtering Challenges and Current Filter Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Hara, William J., IV

2017-01-01

Traditional air particulate filtering in manned spaceflight (Apollo, Shuttle, ISS, etc.) has used cleanable or replaceable catch filters such as screens and High-Efficiency Particulate Arrestance (HEPA) filters. However, the human mission to Mars architecture will require a new approach. It is Martian dust that is the particulate of concern but the need also applies to particulates generated by crew. The Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG) high-lighted this concern in its Mars Science, Goals, Objectives, Investigations and Priorities document [7], by saying specifically that one high priority investigation will be to "Test ISRU atmospheric processing systems to measure resilience with respect to dust and other environmental challenge performance parameters that are critical to the design of a full-scale system." By stating this as high priority the MEPAG is acknowledging that developing and adequately verifying this capability is critical to success of a human mission to Mars. This architecture will require filtering capabilities that are highly reliable, will not restrict the flow path with clogging, and require little to no maintenance. This paper will summarize why this is the case, the general requirements for developing the technology, and the status of the progress made in this area.

1988 Delphi survey of nursing research priorities for New York State.

PubMed

Shortridge, L; Doswell, W; Evans, M E; Levin, R F; Millor, G K; Carter, E

1989-09-01

In order to inform decisions about nursing research and health care policy, the Council on Nursing Research of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) conducted a Delphi survey to identify the priorities for nursing research in New York state. The Delphi technique is a method of eliciting judgements from experts for the purpose of short-term forecasting and planning. The survey was conducted by mail in three rounds during 1988. Round I required participants to identify three primary research priorities for the nursing profession. In Round II participants ranked the 37 most frequently identified categories from Round I. The highest 16 categories from Round II were ranked by participants in Round III to provide the final 10 nursing research priority categories for New York state. All members of the New York State Nurses Association holding a minimum of a master's degree in nursing were invited to participate. The response rates were: Round I, 34% (N = 872); Round II, 38% (N = 985); Round III 37% (N = 974). Of the 10 nursing research priority categories identified in the final round, 5 relate to nurses, 2 relate to nursing, and 3 relate to clients. None of the high-risk conditions or populations with whom nurses work appear in the top 10, and only 2 of these are ranked in the top 15 priority categories. These priority categories will be used by the NYSNA Council on Nursing Research to influence its future agenda and activities. They can be used by the nursing profession and others for planning, policy making, and establishing nursing research funding priorities.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Impact Analysis of Flow Shaping in Ethernet-AVB/TSN and AFDX from Network Calculus and Simulation Perspective

PubMed Central

He, Feng; Zhao, Lin; Li, Ershuai

2017-01-01

Ethernet-AVB/TSN (Audio Video Bridging/Time-Sensitive Networking) and AFDX (Avionics Full DupleX switched Ethernet) are switched Ethernet technologies, which are both candidates for real-time communication in the context of transportation systems. AFDX implements a fixed priority scheduling strategy with two priority levels. Ethernet-AVB/TSN supports a similar fixed priority scheduling with an additional Credit-Based Shaper (CBS) mechanism. Besides, TSN can support time-triggered scheduling strategy. One direct effect of CBS mechanism is to increase the delay of its flows while decreasing the delay of other priority ones. The former effect can be seen as the shaping restriction and the latter effect can be seen as the shaping benefit from CBS. The goal of this paper is to investigate the impact of CBS on different priority flows, especially on the intermediate priority ones, as well as the effect of CBS bandwidth allocation. It is based on a performance comparison of AVB/TSN and AFDX by simulation in an automotive case study. Furthermore, the shaping benefit is modeled based on integral operation from network calculus perspective. Combing with the analysis of shaping restriction and shaping benefit, some configuration suggestions on the setting of CBS bandwidth are given. Results show that the effect of CBS depends on flow loads and CBS configurations. A larger load of high priority flows in AVB tends to a better performance for the intermediate priority flows when compared with AFDX. Shaping benefit can be explained and calculated according to the changing from the permitted maximum burst. PMID:28531158

Prioritizing conservation areas for coastal plant diversity under increasing urbanization.

PubMed

Doxa, Aggeliki; Albert, Cécile Hélène; Leriche, Agathe; Saatkamp, Arne

2017-10-01

Coastal urban expansion will continue to drive further biodiversity losses, if conservation targets for coastal ecosystems are not defined and met. Prioritizing areas for future protected area networks is thus an urgent task in such urbanization-threatened ecosystems. Our aim is to quantify past and future losses of coastal vegetation priority areas due to urbanization and assess the effectiveness of the existing protected area network for conservation. We conduct a prioritization analysis, based on 82 coastal plants, including common and IUCN red list species, in a highly-urbanized but biotically diverse region, in South-Eastern France. We evaluate the role of protected areas, by taking into account both strict and multi-use areas. We assess the impact of past and future urbanization on high priority areas, by combining prioritization analyses and urbanization models. We show that half of the highly diverse areas have already been lost due to urbanization. Remaining top priority areas are also among the most exposed to future urban expansion. The effectiveness of the existing protected area (PA) network is only partial. While strict PAs coincide well with top priority areas, they only represent less than one third of priority areas. The effectiveness of multi-use PAs, such as the Natura 2000 network, also remains limited. Our approach highlights the impact of urbanization on plant conservation targets. By modelling urbanization, we manage to identify those areas where protection could be more efficient to limit further losses. We suggest to use our approach in the future to expand the PA network in order to achieve the 2020 Aichi biodiversity targets. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tropical montane cloud forests: current threats and opportunities for their conservation and sustainable management in Mexico.

PubMed

Toledo-Aceves, Tarin; Meave, Jorge A; González-Espinosa, Mario; Ramírez-Marcial, Neptalí

2011-03-01

Tropical montane cloud forests (TMCF) are among the most threatened ecosystems globally in spite of their high strategic value for sustainable development due to the key role played by these forests in hydrological cycle maintenance and as reservoirs of endemic biodiversity. Resources for effective conservation and management programs are rarely sufficient, and criteria must be applied to prioritize TMCF for conservation action. This paper reports a priority analysis of the 13 main regions of TMCF distribution in Mexico, based on four criteria: (1) forest quality, (2) threats to forest permanence, (3) threats to forest integrity, and (4) opportunities for conservation. Due to the diverse socio-environmental conditions of the local communities living in Mexican TMCF regions, their associated social characteristics were also evaluated to provide a background for the planning of conservation actions. A set of indicators was defined for the measurement of each criterion. To assign priority values for subregions within each main region, an international team of 40 participants evaluated all the indicators using multicriteria decision-making analysis. This procedure enabled the identification of 15 subregions of critical priority, 17 of high priority, and 10 of medium priority; three more were not analysed due to lack of information. The evaluation revealed a number of subjects that had hitherto been undetected and that may prove useful for prioritization efforts in other regions where TMCF is similarly documented and faces equally severe threats. Based on this analysis, key recommendations are outlined to advance conservation objectives in those TMCF areas that are subjected to high pressure on forest resources. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Meta-analysis in evidence-based healthcare: a paradigm shift away from random effects is overdue.

PubMed

Doi, Suhail A R; Furuya-Kanamori, Luis; Thalib, Lukman; Barendregt, Jan J

2017-12-01

Each year up to 20 000 systematic reviews and meta-analyses are published whose results influence healthcare decisions, thus making the robustness and reliability of meta-analytic methods one of the world's top clinical and public health priorities. The evidence synthesis makes use of either fixed-effect or random-effects statistical methods. The fixed-effect method has largely been replaced by the random-effects method as heterogeneity of study effects led to poor error estimation. However, despite the widespread use and acceptance of the random-effects method to correct this, it too remains unsatisfactory and continues to suffer from defective error estimation, posing a serious threat to decision-making in evidence-based clinical and public health practice. We discuss here the problem with the random-effects approach and demonstrate that there exist better estimators under the fixed-effect model framework that can achieve optimal error estimation. We argue for an urgent return to the earlier framework with updates that address these problems and conclude that doing so can markedly improve the reliability of meta-analytical findings and thus decision-making in healthcare.

Knowledge ecologies, "supple" objects, and different priorities across women's and gender studies programs and departments in the United States, 1970-2010.

PubMed

Wood, Christine Virginia

2015-01-01

This article examines the evolving connections between local conditions and knowledge processes in women's and gender studies, a research field in the social sciences and humanities. Data are historical records from five early-adopting women's and gender studies units in the United States and interviews with affiliated professors. In their formative years, these programs were consistent in their intellectual content. Scholars across sites defined the purpose of women's studies similarly: to address the lack of research on women and social problems of sex inequality. Gradually, scholars incorporated a range of analytic categories into women's studies' agenda, including gender identities and masculinities, leading to diverse understandings and redefinitions of the central objects of analysis. Analytic shifts are reflected in differences in the institutional and intellectual composition of programs and departments. To explain how local departmental conditions affect the conception of core objects of study in gender research, the author builds on the literature on knowledge ecologies and introduces the concept of the "supple object." © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Historical perspective on risk assessment in the federal government.

PubMed

Graham, J D

1995-09-01

This article traces the evolution of risk assessment as an essential analytical tool in the federal government. In many programs and agencies, decisions cannot be made without the benefit of information from risk assessment. Although this analytical tool influences important public health and economic decisions, there is widespread dissatisfaction with the day-to-day practice of risk assessment. The article describes the sources of dissatisfaction that have been voiced by scientists, regulators, interest groups and ordinary citizens. Problems include the use of arbitrary exposure scenarios, the misuse of the 'carcinogen' label, the excessive reliance on animal cancer tests, the lack of formal uncertainty analysis the low priority assigned to noncancer endpoints, the poor communication of risk estimates and the neglect of inequities in the distribution of risk. Despite these limitations, the article argues that more danger rests in efforts to make decisions without any risk assessment. Recent Congressional and Administration interest in risk assessment is encouraging because it offers promise to learn from past mistakes and set in motion steps to enhance the risk assessment process.

A Model for the Development of Hospital Beds Using Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (Fuzzy AHP).

PubMed

Ravangard, Ramin; Bahadori, Mohammadkarim; Raadabadi, Mehdi; Teymourzadeh, Ehsan; Alimomohammadzadeh, Khalil; Mehrabian, Fardin

2017-11-01

This study aimed to identify and prioritize factors affecting the development of military hospital beds and provide a model using fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (Fuzzy AHP). This applied study was conducted in 2016 in Iran using a mixed method. The sample included experts in the field of military health care system. The MAXQDA 10.0 and Expert Choice 10.0 software were used for analyzing the collected data. Geographic situation, demographic status, economic status, health status, health care centers and organizations, financial and human resources, laws and regulations and by-laws, and the military nature of service recipients had effects on the development of military hospital beds. The military nature of service recipients (S=0.249) and economic status (S=0.040) received the highest and lowest priorities, respectively. Providing direct health care services to the military forces in order to maintain their dignity, and according to its effects in the crisis, as well as the necessity for maintaining the security of the armed forces, and the hospital beds per capita based on the existing laws, regulations and bylaws are of utmost importance.

African Language Resource Handbook: A Resource Handbook of the Eighty-two Highest Priority African Languages. Prepublication Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dwyer, David J.; Yankee, Everyl

A directory of the 82 African languages given high priority for instruction in the United States contains a profile for each language that includes its classification and where it is spoken, the number of speakers, dialect situation, usage, orthography status, and listings of related human and institutional resources for the purpose of…

Multi-Material Recycling Manual. The Keep America Beautiful System. Revised Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1987

Solid waste management ranks third after schools and roads in most municipal budgets in the United States. Maximizing the separation of recyclable materials that can be reused may offer the highest priority and best use of our waste and should receive high priority in a solid waste management plan. This manual deals with the recycling of material…

Advancing Deeper Learning under ESSA: Seven Priorities. Turning the Corner Post-Conference Brief. Students at the Center

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heller, Rafael; Gerwin, Carol

2016-01-01

This brief recommends seven ways for supporters of deeper learning to take advantage of the changing education policy landscape, as authority shifts from the federal government to states and local districts. The authors outline priorities to help the nation's high schools move from a largely inequitable system to one that prepares all students for…

Parents who catastrophize about their child's pain prioritize attempts to control pain.

PubMed

Caes, Line; Vervoort, Tine; Eccleston, Christopher; Goubert, Liesbet

2012-08-01

How parents respond to their child in pain is critically important to how both parent and child attempt to cope with pain. We examined the influence of parental catastrophic thinking about child pain on their prioritization for pain control. Using a vignette methodology, parents reported, in response to different pain scenarios, on their imagined motivation for 2 competing goals: to control their child's pain (ie, pain control) or to encourage their child's participation in daily activities (ie, activity engagement). The effects of parent gender, pain intensity, and duration on parental goal priority were also explored. Findings indicated that higher levels of parental catastrophic thoughts were associated with the parents prioritizing child pain control over activity engagement. This effect was significantly moderated by pain duration. Specifically, pain control was more of a priority for those high in catastrophic thinking when the pain was more acute. In contrast, parental catastrophic thoughts had no effect on the pain control strategy favored by parents in situations with longer-lasting pain. Furthermore, independently of parental catastrophic thoughts, heightened priority for pain control was observed in highly intense and chronic pain situations. Moreover, in highly intense pain, priority for pain control was stronger for mothers compared with fathers. Theoretical and clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed. Copyright © 2012 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Delays in Prior Living Kidney Donors Receiving Priority on the Transplant Waiting List

PubMed Central

Klassen, David K.; Kucheryavaya, Anna Y.; Stewart, Darren E.

2016-01-01

Background and objectives Prior living donors (PLDs) receive very high priority on the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) kidney waiting list. Program delays in adding PLDs to the waiting list, setting their status to active, and submitting requests for PLD priority can affect timely access to transplantation. Design, setting, participants, & measurements We used the OPTN and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data to examine timing of (1) listing relative to start of dialysis, (2) activation on the waiting list, and (3) requests for PLD priority relative to listing date. There were 210 PLDs (221 registrations) added to the OPTN kidney waiting list between January 1, 2010 and July 31, 2015. Results As of September 4, 2015, 167 of the 210 PLDs received deceased donor transplants, six received living donor transplants, two died, five were too sick to transplant, and 29 were still waiting. Median waiting time to deceased donor transplant for PLDs was 98 days. Only 40.7% of 221 PLD registrations (n=90) were listed before they began dialysis; 68.3% were in inactive status for <90 days, 17.6% were in inactive status for 90–365 days, 8.6% were in inactive status for 1–2 years, and 5.4% were in inactive status for >2 years. Median time of PLDs waiting in active status before receiving PLD priority was 2 days (range =0–1450); 67.4% of PLDs received PLD priority within 7 days after activation, but 15.4% waited 8–30 days, 8.1% waited 1–3 months, 4.1% waited 3–12 months, and 5.0% waited >1 year in active status for PLD priority. After receiving priority, most were transplanted quickly. Median time in active status with PLD priority before deceased donor transplant was 23 days. Conclusions Fewer than one half of listed PLDs were listed before starting dialysis. Most listed PLDs are immediately set to active status and receive PLD priority quickly, but a substantial number spends time in active status without PLD priority or a large amount of time in inactive status, which affects access to timely transplants. PMID:27591296

Benefits of coastal recreation in Europe: identifying trade-offs and priority regions for sustainable management.

PubMed

Ghermandi, Andrea

2015-04-01

This paper examines the welfare dimension of the recreational services of coastal ecosystems through the application of a meta-analytical value transfer framework, which integrates Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for the characterization of climate, biodiversity, accessibility, and anthropogenic pressure in each of 368 regions of the European coastal zone. The relative contribution of international, domestic, and local recreationists to aggregated regional values is examined. The implications of the analysis for prioritization of conservation areas and identification of good management practices are highlighted through the comparative assessment of estimated recreation values, current environmental pressures, and existing network of protected sites. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Strategic enterprise resource planning in a health-care system using a multicriteria decision-making model.

PubMed

Lee, Chang Won; Kwak, N K

2011-04-01

This paper deals with strategic enterprise resource planning (ERP) in a health-care system using a multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) model. The model is developed and analyzed on the basis of the data obtained from a leading patient-oriented provider of health-care services in Korea. Goal criteria and priorities are identified and established via the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Goal programming (GP) is utilized to derive satisfying solutions for designing, evaluating, and implementing an ERP. The model results are evaluated and sensitivity analyses are conducted in an effort to enhance the model applicability. The case study provides management with valuable insights for planning and controlling health-care activities and services.

Neutral Mass Spectrometry for Venus Atmosphere and Surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mahaffy, Paul

2004-01-01

The nature of the divergent evolution of the terrestrial planets Venus, Earth, and Mars is a fundamental problem in planetary science that is most relevant to understanding the characteristics of small planets we are likely to discover in extrasolar systems and the number of such systems that may support habitable environments. For this reason, the National Research Council's Decadal Survey gives Venus exploration high priority. That report was the basis of the NASA selection of Venus as one of four prime mission targets for the recently initiated New Frontiers Program. If the Decadal Survey priorities are to be realized, in situ Venus exploration must remain a high priority. Remote sensing orbital and in situ atmospheric measurements from entry probe or balloon platforms might be realized under the low cost Discovery missions while both atmospheric and landed surface measurements are envisioned with the intermediate class missions of the New Frontiers Program.

Results from a workshop on research needs for modeling aquifer thermal energy storage systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drost, M. K.

1990-08-01

A workshop an aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system modeling was conducted by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL). The goal of the workshop was to develop a list of high priority research activities that would facilitate the commercial success of ATES. During the workshop, participants reviewed currently available modeling tools for ATES systems and produced a list of significant issues related to modeling ATES systems. Participants assigned a priority to each issue on the list by voting and developed a list of research needs for each of four high-priority research areas; the need for a feasibility study model, the need for engineering design models, the need for aquifer characterization, and the need for an economic model. The workshop participants concluded that ATES commercialization can be accelerated by aggressive development of ATES modeling tools and made specific recommendations for that development.

Intelligent bandwidth compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tseng, D. Y.; Bullock, B. L.; Olin, K. E.; Kandt, R. K.; Olsen, J. D.

1980-02-01

The feasibility of a 1000:1 bandwidth compression ratio for image transmission has been demonstrated using image-analysis algorithms and a rule-based controller. Such a high compression ratio was achieved by first analyzing scene content using auto-cueing and feature-extraction algorithms, and then transmitting only the pertinent information consistent with mission requirements. A rule-based controller directs the flow of analysis and performs priority allocations on the extracted scene content. The reconstructed bandwidth-compressed image consists of an edge map of the scene background, with primary and secondary target windows embedded in the edge map. The bandwidth-compressed images are updated at a basic rate of 1 frame per second, with the high-priority target window updated at 7.5 frames per second. The scene-analysis algorithms used in this system together with the adaptive priority controller are described. Results of simulated 1000:1 bandwidth-compressed images are presented.

Future Directions for Cardiovascular Disease Comparative Effectiveness Research

PubMed Central

Hlatky, Mark A; Douglas, Pamela S; Cook, Nakela L; Wells, Barbara; Benjamin, Emelia J; Dickersin, Kay; Goff, David C; Hirsch, Alan T; Hylek, Elaine M; Peterson, Eric; Roger, Véronique L; Selby, Joseph V; Udelson, James E; Lauer, Michael S

2012-01-01

Comparative effectiveness research (CER) aims to provide decision-makers the evidence needed to evaluate the benefits and harms of alternative clinical management strategies. CER has become a national priority, with considerable new research funding allocated. Cardiovascular disease is a priority area for CER. This workshop report provides an overview of CER methods, with an emphasis on practical clinical trials and observational treatment comparisons. The report also details recommendations to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute for a new framework for evidence development to foster cardiovascular CER, and specific studies to address eight clinical issues identified by the Institute of Medicine as high priorities for cardiovascular CER. PMID:22796257

Modeling Theater Level Logistics For Wargames

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-12-01

Sea Sparrow SM-1MR SM-2MR SM-2ER HARM AIM-54C AIM-9M AIM-9L AIM-7M AMRAAM AGM-65 AGM-62 Penguin TOW II HELLFIRE Guns: 20MM 20MM/76 25MM 40MM Grenade...Priority: 5 EmerPriority: 1 OutSize: FALSE Name: PENGUIN Class: Ammo ProduceAt: 25.00 Length: 84.00 Width: 24.00 Height: 24.00 Weight: 1500.00 Priority: 4...LowRate 26.000 NoneRate 26.000 PENGUIN StockTo 0.00 Deployment: FALSE HighRate: 0.000 MedRate 0.000 LowRate 0.000 NoneRate 0.000 SH-60F Class: Air

Reconstruction of sound source signal by analytical passive TR in the environment with airflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Long; Li, Min; Yang, Debin; Niu, Feng; Zeng, Wu

2017-03-01

In the acoustic design of air vehicles, the time-domain signals of noise sources on the surface of air vehicles can serve as data support to reveal the noise source generation mechanism, analyze acoustic fatigue, and take measures for noise insulation and reduction. To rapidly reconstruct the time-domain sound source signals in an environment with flow, a method combining the analytical passive time reversal mirror (AP-TR) with a shear flow correction is proposed. In this method, the negative influence of flow on sound wave propagation is suppressed by the shear flow correction, obtaining the corrected acoustic propagation time delay and path. Those corrected time delay and path together with the microphone array signals are then submitted to the AP-TR, reconstructing more accurate sound source signals in the environment with airflow. As an analytical method, AP-TR offers a supplementary way in 3D space to reconstruct the signal of sound source in the environment with airflow instead of the numerical TR. Experiments on the reconstruction of the sound source signals of a pair of loud speakers are conducted in an anechoic wind tunnel with subsonic airflow to validate the effectiveness and priorities of the proposed method. Moreover the comparison by theorem and experiment result between the AP-TR and the time-domain beamforming in reconstructing the sound source signal is also discussed.

An advanced approach to traditional round robin CPU scheduling algorithm to prioritize processes with residual burst time nearest to the specified time quantum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swaraj Pati, Mythili N.; Korde, Pranav; Dey, Pallav

2017-11-01

The purpose of this paper is to introduce an optimised variant to the round robin scheduling algorithm. Every algorithm works in its own way and has its own merits and demerits. The proposed algorithm overcomes the shortfalls of the existing scheduling algorithms in terms of waiting time, turnaround time, throughput and number of context switches. The algorithm is pre-emptive and works based on the priority of the associated processes. The priority is decided on the basis of the remaining burst time of a particular process, that is; lower the burst time, higher the priority and higher the burst time, lower the priority. To complete the execution, a time quantum is initially specified. In case if the burst time of a particular process is less than 2X of the specified time quantum but more than 1X of the specified time quantum; the process is given high priority and is allowed to execute until it completes entirely and finishes. Such processes do not have to wait for their next burst cycle.

Implications of prioritizing HIV cure: new momentum to overcome old challenges in HIV.

PubMed

Tucker, Joseph D; Gilbertson, Adam; Lo, Ying-Ru; Vitória, Marco

2016-03-03

Curing HIV is a new strategic priority for several major AIDS organizations. In step with this new priority, HIV cure research and related programs are advancing in low, middle, and high-income country settings. This HIV cure momentum may influence existing HIV programs and research priorities. Despite the early stage of ongoing HIV cure efforts, these changes have directly influenced HIV research funding priorities, pilot programs, and HIV messaging. The building momentum to cure HIV infection may synergize with strategic priorities to better identify adults and infants with very early HIV infection. Although HIV cure represents a new goal, many existing programs and research techniques can be repurposed towards an HIV cure. HIV messages focused on engaging communities towards an HIV cure need to be careful to promote ARV adherence and retention within the HIV continuum of care. An increased emphasis within the AIDS field on finding an HIV cure has several important implications. Strengthening connections between HIV cure research and other areas of HIV research may help to catalyze research and facilitate implementation in the future.

Global Priorities for Marine Biodiversity Conservation

PubMed Central

Selig, Elizabeth R.; Turner, Will R.; Troëng, Sebastian; Wallace, Bryan P.; Halpern, Benjamin S.; Kaschner, Kristin; Lascelles, Ben G.; Carpenter, Kent E.; Mittermeier, Russell A.

2014-01-01

In recent decades, many marine populations have experienced major declines in abundance, but we still know little about where management interventions may help protect the highest levels of marine biodiversity. We used modeled spatial distribution data for nearly 12,500 species to quantify global patterns of species richness and two measures of endemism. By combining these data with spatial information on cumulative human impacts, we identified priority areas where marine biodiversity is most and least impacted by human activities, both within Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) and Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ). Our analyses highlighted places that are both accepted priorities for marine conservation like the Coral Triangle, as well as less well-known locations in the southwest Indian Ocean, western Pacific Ocean, Arctic and Antarctic Oceans, and within semi-enclosed seas like the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas. Within highly impacted priority areas, climate and fishing were the biggest stressors. Although new priorities may arise as we continue to improve marine species range datasets, results from this work are an essential first step in guiding limited resources to regions where investment could best sustain marine biodiversity. PMID:24416151

Global priorities for marine biodiversity conservation.

PubMed

Selig, Elizabeth R; Turner, Will R; Troëng, Sebastian; Wallace, Bryan P; Halpern, Benjamin S; Kaschner, Kristin; Lascelles, Ben G; Carpenter, Kent E; Mittermeier, Russell A

2014-01-01

In recent decades, many marine populations have experienced major declines in abundance, but we still know little about where management interventions may help protect the highest levels of marine biodiversity. We used modeled spatial distribution data for nearly 12,500 species to quantify global patterns of species richness and two measures of endemism. By combining these data with spatial information on cumulative human impacts, we identified priority areas where marine biodiversity is most and least impacted by human activities, both within Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) and Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ). Our analyses highlighted places that are both accepted priorities for marine conservation like the Coral Triangle, as well as less well-known locations in the southwest Indian Ocean, western Pacific Ocean, Arctic and Antarctic Oceans, and within semi-enclosed seas like the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas. Within highly impacted priority areas, climate and fishing were the biggest stressors. Although new priorities may arise as we continue to improve marine species range datasets, results from this work are an essential first step in guiding limited resources to regions where investment could best sustain marine biodiversity.

Rural Clinician Evaluation of Children's Health Care Quality Measures: An Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network (ORPRN) Study.

PubMed

Fagnan, Lyle J; Michaels, LeAnn; Ramsey, Katrina; Shearer, Stefan; Droppers, Oliver; Gallia, Charles

2015-01-01

Responding to quality metrics is an accepted and expected component of the current health care environment. Little is known about which measures physicians identify as a priority when reporting the quality of care to their patients, especially the care of children in rural settings. The objective of this study is for physicians caring for children in rural communities to identify which of the initial core sets of 24 child health quality measures are useful and are a priority for reporting and improving care. A survey was sent to rural Oregon physicians who provide care to children. Of 955 eligible physicians, 172 (18%) completed the survey. The majority of respondents were family physicians (84%), and most respondents (58%) were in private practice. The child health measures stratified into 3 priority tiers: high, medium, and low priority. The top-tier priority measures included childhood immunization status, well-child visits, adolescent immunization status, body mass index assessment, and developmental screening. Dental treatment services, adequate prenatal care, and lower-birth-weight infants were among the lower-tier measures. The priority measures identified by rural family physicians reflect the relevance of the selected measures to their daily practice responsibilities, with missed opportunities to improve community health. © Copyright 2015 by the American Board of Family Medicine.

Identifying priorities for quality improvement at an emergency Department in Ghana.

PubMed

DeWulf, Annelies; Otchi, Elom H; Soghoian, Sari

2017-08-30

Healthcare quality improvement (QI) is a global priority, and understanding the perspectives of frontline healthcare workers can help guide sustainable and meaningful change. We report a qualitative investigation of emergency department (ED) staff priorities for QI at a tertiary care hospital in Ghana. The aims of the study were to educate staff about the World Health Organization's (WHO) definition of quality in healthcare, and to identify an initial focus for building a departmental QI program. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ED staff using open-ended questions to probe their understanding and valuation of the six dimensions of quality defined by the WHO. Participants were then asked to rank the dimensions in order of importance for QI. Qualitative responses were thematically analyzed, and ordinal rank-order was determined for quantitative data regarding QI priorities. Twenty (20) members of staff of different cadres participated, including ED physicians, nurses, orderlies, a security officer, and an accountant. A majority of participants (61%) ranked access to emergency healthcare as high priority for QI. Two recurrent themes - financial accessibility and hospital bed availability - accounted for the majority of discussions, each linked to all the dimensions of healthcare quality. ED staff related all of the WHO quality dimensions to their work, and prioritized access to emergency care as the most important area for improvement. Participants expressed a high degree of motivation to improve healthcare quality, and the study helped with the development of a departmental QI program focused on the broad topic of access to ED services.

Conservation priorities of Iberoamerican pig breeds and their ancestors based on microsatellite information.

PubMed

Cortés, O; Martinez, A M; Cañon, J; Sevane, N; Gama, L T; Ginja, C; Landi, V; Zaragoza, P; Carolino, N; Vicente, A; Sponenberg, P; Delgado, J V

2016-07-01

Criollo pig breeds are descendants from pigs brought to the American continent starting with Columbus second trip in 1493. Pigs currently play a key role in social economy and community cultural identity in Latin America. The aim of this study was to establish conservation priorities among a comprehensive group of Criollo pig breeds based on a set of 24 microsatellite markers and using different criteria. Spain and Portugal pig breeds, wild boar populations of different European geographic origins and commercial pig breeds were included in the analysis as potential genetic influences in the development of Criollo pig breeds. Different methods, differing in the weight given to within- and between-breed genetic variability, were used in order to estimate the contribution of each breed to global genetic diversity. As expected, the partial contribution to total heterozygosity gave high priority to Criollo pig breeds, whereas Weitzman procedures prioritized Iberian Peninsula breeds. With the combined within- and between-breed approaches, different conservation priorities were achieved. The Core Set methodologies highly prioritized Criollo pig breeds (Cr. Boliviano, Cr. Pacifico, Cr. Cubano and Cr. Guadalupe). However, weighing the between- and within-breed components with FST and 1-FST, respectively, resulted in higher contributions of Iberian breeds. In spite of the different conservation priorities according to the methodology used, other factors in addition to genetic information also need to be considered in conservation programmes, such as the economic, cultural or historical value of the breeds involved.

Conservation priorities of Iberoamerican pig breeds and their ancestors based on microsatellite information

PubMed Central

Cortés, O; Martinez, A M; Cañon, J; Sevane, N; Gama, L T; Ginja, C; Landi, V; Zaragoza, P; Carolino, N; Vicente, A; Sponenberg, P; Delgado, J V

2016-01-01

Criollo pig breeds are descendants from pigs brought to the American continent starting with Columbus second trip in 1493. Pigs currently play a key role in social economy and community cultural identity in Latin America. The aim of this study was to establish conservation priorities among a comprehensive group of Criollo pig breeds based on a set of 24 microsatellite markers and using different criteria. Spain and Portugal pig breeds, wild boar populations of different European geographic origins and commercial pig breeds were included in the analysis as potential genetic influences in the development of Criollo pig breeds. Different methods, differing in the weight given to within- and between-breed genetic variability, were used in order to estimate the contribution of each breed to global genetic diversity. As expected, the partial contribution to total heterozygosity gave high priority to Criollo pig breeds, whereas Weitzman procedures prioritized Iberian Peninsula breeds. With the combined within- and between-breed approaches, different conservation priorities were achieved. The Core Set methodologies highly prioritized Criollo pig breeds (Cr. Boliviano, Cr. Pacifico, Cr. Cubano and Cr. Guadalupe). However, weighing the between- and within-breed components with FST and 1-FST, respectively, resulted in higher contributions of Iberian breeds. In spite of the different conservation priorities according to the methodology used, other factors in addition to genetic information also need to be considered in conservation programmes, such as the economic, cultural or historical value of the breeds involved. PMID:27025169

Perioperative leadership: managing change with insights, priorities, and tools.

PubMed

Taylor, David L

2014-07-01

The personal leadership of the perioperative director is a critical factor in the success of any change management initiative. This article presents an approach to perioperative nursing leadership that addresses obstacles that prevent surgical departments from achieving high performance in clinical and financial outcomes. This leadership approach consists of specific insights, priorities, and tools: key insights include self-understanding of personal barriers to leadership and accuracy at understanding economic and strategic considerations related to the OR environment; key priorities include creating a customer-centered organization, focusing on process improvement, and concentrating on culture change; and key tools include using techniques (e.g., direct engagement, collaborative leadership) to align surgical organizations with leadership priorities and mitigate specific perioperative management risks. Included in this article is a leadership development plan for perioperative directors. Copyright © 2014 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Environmental control technology (ECT) for geothermal processes

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

Katz, G.

1982-01-01

The objectives of the environmental control technology (ECT) program are to develop research priorities, research new and alternative technologies and to improve economics and performance of ECT systems. The Interagency Geothermal Coordinating Council, Environmental Control Panel developed priorities and obtained industry input during 1980. H/sub 2/S controls, injection monitoring, solid waste characterization and control and subsidence were reviewed as high priority while noise controls were considered low priority. Since geothermal technology is still developing there is a need to continue researching new and alternative ECT. Often ECT systems must be designed for site specific applications and need modification for usemore » of other sites. Most of the US geothermal experience is found at the Geysers, California where H/sub 2/S abatement is required. Various systems have been tested with mixed results. The bottom line is that the economics and performance of H/sub 2/S abatement systems are less than desirable.« less

Emotion strengthens high-priority memory traces but weakens low-priority memory traces.

PubMed

Sakaki, Michiko; Fryer, Kellie; Mather, Mara

2014-02-01

When people encounter emotional events, their memory for those events is typically enhanced. But it has been unclear how emotionally arousing events influence memory for preceding information. Does emotional arousal induce retrograde amnesia or retrograde enhancement? The current study revealed that this depends on the top-down goal relevance of the preceding information. Across three studies, we found that emotional arousal induced by one image facilitated memory for the preceding neutral item when people prioritized that neutral item. In contrast, an emotionally arousing image impaired memory for the preceding neutral item when people did not prioritize that neutral item. Emotional arousal elicited by both negative and positive pictures showed this pattern of enhancing or impairing memory for the preceding stimulus depending on its priority. These results indicate that emotional arousal amplifies the effects of top-down priority in memory formation.

Priority Planetary Science Missions Identified

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Showstack, Randy

2011-03-01

The U.S. National Research Council's (NRC) planetary science decadal survey report, released on 7 March, lays out a grand vision for priority planetary science missions for 2013-2022 within a tightly constrained fiscal environment. The cost-conscious report, issued by NRC's Committee on the Planetary Science Decadal Survey, identifies high-priority flagship missions, recommends a number of potential midsized missions, and indicates support for some smaller missions. The report states that the highest-priority flagship mission for the decade is the Mars Astrobiology Explorer-Cacher (MAX-C)—the first of three components of a NASA/European Space Agency Mars sample return campaign—provided that the mission scope can be reduced so that MAX-C costs no more than $2.5 billion. The currently estimated mission cost of $3.5 billion “would take up a disproportionate near-term share of the overall budget for NASA's Planetary Science Division,” the report notes.

Sustaining “Meaningful Use” of Health Information Technology in Low-Resource Practices

PubMed Central

Green, Lee A.; Potworowski, Georges; Day, Anya; May-Gentile, Rachelle; Vibbert, Danielle; Maki, Bruce; Kiesel, Leslie

2015-01-01

PURPOSE The implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) has been extensively studied, but their maintenance once implemented has not. The Regional Extension Center (REC) program provides implementation assistance to priority practices—those with limited financial, technical, and organizational resources—but the assistance is time limited. Our objective was to identify potential barriers to maintenance of meaningful use of EHRs in priority primary care practices using a qualitative observational study for federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and priority practices in Michigan. METHODS We conducted cognitive task analysis (CTA) interviews and direct observations of health information technology implementation in FQHCs. In addition, we conducted semistructured interviews with implementation specialists serving priority practices to detect emergent themes relevant to maintenance. RESULTS Maintaining EHR technology will require ongoing expert technical support indefinitely beyond implementation to address upgrades and security needs. Maintaining meaningful use for quality improvement will require ongoing support for leadership and change management. Priority practices not associated with larger systems lack access to the necessary technical expertise, financial resources, and leverage with vendors to continue alone. Rural priority practices are particularly challenged, because expertise is often not available locally. CONCLUSIONS Priority practices, especially in rural areas, are at high risk for falling on the wrong side of a “digital divide” as payers and regulators enact increasing expectations for EHR use and information management. For those without affiliation to maintain the necessary expert staff, ongoing support will be needed for those practices to remain viable. PMID:25583887

Sustaining "meaningful use" of health information technology in low-resource practices.

PubMed

Green, Lee A; Potworowski, Georges; Day, Anya; May-Gentile, Rachelle; Vibbert, Danielle; Maki, Bruce; Kiesel, Leslie

2015-01-01

The implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) has been extensively studied, but their maintenance once implemented has not. The Regional Extension Center (REC) program provides implementation assistance to priority practices-those with limited financial, technical, and organizational resources-but the assistance is time limited. Our objective was to identify potential barriers to maintenance of meaningful use of EHRs in priority primary care practices using a qualitative observational study for federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and priority practices in Michigan. We conducted cognitive task analysis (CTA) interviews and direct observations of health information technology implementation in FQHCs. In addition, we conducted semistructured interviews with implementation specialists serving priority practices to detect emergent themes relevant to maintenance. Maintaining EHR technology will require ongoing expert technical support indefinitely beyond implementation to address upgrades and security needs. Maintaining meaningful use for quality improvement will require ongoing support for leadership and change management. Priority practices not associated with larger systems lack access to the necessary technical expertise, financial resources, and leverage with vendors to continue alone. Rural priority practices are particularly challenged, because expertise is often not available locally. Priority practices, especially in rural areas, are at high risk for falling on the wrong side of a "digital divide" as payers and regulators enact increasing expectations for EHR use and information management. For those without affiliation to maintain the necessary expert staff, ongoing support will be needed for those practices to remain viable. © 2015 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

Towards deep inclusion for equity-oriented health research priority-setting: A working model.

PubMed

Pratt, Bridget; Merritt, Maria; Hyder, Adnan A

2016-02-01

Growing consensus that health research funders should align their investments with national research priorities presupposes that such national priorities exist and are just. Arguably, justice requires national health research priority-setting to promote health equity. Such a position is consistent with recommendations made by the World Health Organization and at global ministerial summits that health research should serve to reduce health inequalities between and within countries. Thus far, no specific requirements for equity-oriented research priority-setting have been described to guide policymakers. As a step towards the explication and defence of such requirements, we propose that deep inclusion is a key procedural component of equity-oriented research priority-setting. We offer a model of deep inclusion that was developed by applying concepts from work on deliberative democracy and development ethics. This model consists of three dimensions--breadth, qualitative equality, and high-quality non-elite participation. Deep inclusion is captured not only by who is invited to join a decision-making process but also by how they are involved and by when non-elite stakeholders are involved. To clarify and illustrate the proposed dimensions, we use the sustained example of health systems research. We conclude by reviewing practical challenges to achieving deep inclusion. Despite the existence of barriers to implementation, our model can help policymakers and other stakeholders design more inclusive national health research priority-setting processes and assess these processes' depth of inclusion. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prioritization of constituents for national- and regional-scale ambient monitoring of water and sediment in the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olsen, Lisa D.; Valder, Joshua F.; Carter, Janet M.; Zogorski, John S.

2013-01-01

A total of 2,541 constituents were evaluated and prioritized for national- and regional-scale ambient monitoring of water and sediment in the United States. This prioritization was done by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in preparation for the upcoming third decade (Cycle 3; 2013–23) of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. This report provides the methods used to prioritize the constituents and the results of that prioritization. Constituents were prioritized by the NAWQA National Target Analyte Strategy (NTAS) work group on the basis of available information on physical and chemical properties, observed or predicted environmental occurrence and fate, and observed or anticipated adverse effects on human health or aquatic life. Constituents were evaluated within constituent groups that were determined on the basis of physical or chemical properties or on uses or sources. Some constituents were evaluated within more than one constituent group. Although comparable objectives were used in the prioritization of constituents within the different constituent groups, differences in the availability of information accessed for each constituent group led to the development of separate prioritization approaches adapted to each constituent group to make best use of available resources. Constituents were assigned to one of three prioritization tiers: Tier 1, those having the highest priority for inclusion in ambient monitoring of water or sediment on a national or regional scale (including NAWQA Cycle 3 monitoring) on the basis of their likelihood of environmental occurrence in ambient water or sediment, or likelihood of effects on human health or aquatic life; Tier 2, those having intermediate priority for monitoring on the basis of their lower likelihood of environmental occurrence or lower likelihood of effects on human health or aquatic life; and Tier 3, those having low or no priority for monitoring on the basis of evidence of nonoccurrence or lack of effects on human health or aquatic life, or of having insufficient evidence of potential occurrence or effects to justify placement into Tier 2. Of the 1,081 constituents determined to be of highest priority for ambient monitoring (Tier 1), 602 were identified for water and 686 were identified for sediment (note that some constituents were evaluated for both water and sediment). These constituents included various types of organic compounds, trace elements and other inorganic constituents, and radionuclides. Some of these constituents are difficult to analyze, whereas others are mixtures, isomers, congeners, salts, and acids of other constituents; therefore, modifications to the list of high-priority constituents for ambient monitoring could be made on the basis of the availability of suitable methods for preparation, extraction, or analysis. An additional 1,460 constituents were placed into Tiers 2 or 3 for water or sediment, including some constituents that had been placed into Tier 1 for a different matrix; 436 constituents were placed into Tier 2 for water and 246 constituents into Tier 2 for sediment; 979 constituents were placed into Tier 3 for water and 779 constituents into Tier 3 for sediment.

Patient and public engagement in priority setting: A systematic rapid review of the literature

PubMed Central

Vandall-Walker, Virginia; Mason-Lai, Ping

2018-01-01

Background Current research suggests that while patients are becoming more engaged across the health delivery spectrum, this involvement occurs most often at the pre-preparation stage to identify ‘high-level’ priorities in health ecosystem priority setting, and at the preparation phase for health research. Objective The purpose of this systematic rapid review of the literature is to describe the evidence that does exist in relation to patient and public engagement priority setting in both health ecosystem and health research. Data sources HealthStar (via OVID); CINAHL; Proquest Databases; and Scholar’s Portal. Study eligibility criteria i) published in English; ii) published within the timeframe of 2007—Current (10 years) unless the report/article was formative in synthesizing key considerations of patient engagement in health ecosystem and health research priority setting; iii) conducted in Canada, the US, Europe, UK, Australia/New Zealand, or Scandinavian countries. Study appraisal and synthesis i) Is the research valid, sound, and applicable?; ii) what outcomes can we potentially expect if we implement the findings from this research?; iii) will the target population (i.e., health researchers and practitioners) be able to use this research?. A summary of findings from each of the respective processes was synthesized to highlight key information that would support decision-making for researchers when determining the best priority setting process to apply for their specific patient-oriented research. Results Seventy articles from the UK, US, Canada, Netherlands and Australia were selected for review. Results were organized into two tiers of public and patient engagement in prioritization: Tier 1—Deliberative and Tier 2—Consultative. Highly structured patient and public engagement planning activities include the James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnerships (UK), Dialogue Method (Netherlands), Global Evidence Mapping (Australia), and the Deep Inclusion Method/CHoosing All Together (US). Limitations The critical study limitations include challenges in comprehensively identifying the patient engagement literature for review, bias in article selection due to the identified scope, missed information due to a more limited use of exhaustive search strategies (e.g., in-depth hand searching), and the heterogeneity of reported study findings. Conclusion The four public and patient engagement priority setting processes identified were successful in setting priorities that are inclusive and objectively based, specific to the priorities of stakeholders engaged in the process. The processes were robust, strategic and aimed to promote equity in patient voices. Key limitations identified a lack of evaluation data on the success and extent in which patients were engaged. Issues pertaining to feasibility of stakeholder engagement, coordination, communication and limited resources were also considered. PMID:29499043

Priority Questions and Horizon Scanning for Conservation: A Comparative Study

PubMed Central

Kark, Salit; Sutherland, William J.; Shanas, Uri; Klass, Keren; Achisar, Hila; Dayan, Tamar; Gavrieli, Yael; Justo-Hanani, Ronit; Mandelik, Yael; Orion, Nir; Pargament, David; Portman, Michelle; Reisman-Berman, Orna; Safriel, Uriel N.; Schaffer, Gad; Steiner, Noa; Tauber, Israel; Levin, Noam

2016-01-01

Several projects aimed at identifying priority issues for conservation with high relevance to policy have recently been completed in several countries. Two major types of projects have been undertaken, aimed at identifying (i) policy-relevant questions most imperative to conservation and (ii) horizon scanning topics, defined as emerging issues that are expected to have substantial implications for biodiversity conservation and policy in the future. Here, we provide the first overview of the outcomes of biodiversity and conservation-oriented projects recently completed around the world using this framework. We also include the results of the first questions and horizon scanning project completed for a Mediterranean country. Overall, the outcomes of the different projects undertaken (at the global scale, in the UK, US, Canada, Switzerland and in Israel) were strongly correlated in terms of the proportion of questions and/or horizon scanning topics selected when comparing different topic areas. However, some major differences were found across regions. There was large variation among regions in the percentage of proactive (i.e. action and response oriented) versus descriptive (non-response oriented) priority questions and in the emphasis given to socio-political issues. Substantial differences were also found when comparing outcomes of priority questions versus horizon scanning projects undertaken for the same region. For example, issues related to climate change, human demography and marine ecosystems received higher priority as horizon scanning topics, while ecosystem services were more emphasized as current priority questions. We suggest that future initiatives aimed at identifying priority conservation questions and horizon scanning topics should allow simultaneous identification of both current and future priority issues, as presented here for the first time. We propose that further emphasis on social-political issues should be explicitly integrated into future related projects. PMID:26815653

Identifying priority areas for ecosystem service management in South African grasslands.

PubMed

Egoh, Benis N; Reyers, Belinda; Rouget, Mathieu; Richardson, David M

2011-06-01

Grasslands provide many ecosystem services required to support human well-being and are home to a diverse fauna and flora. Degradation of grasslands due to agriculture and other forms of land use threaten biodiversity and ecosystem services. Various efforts are underway around the world to stem these declines. The Grassland Programme in South Africa is one such initiative and is aimed at safeguarding both biodiversity and ecosystem services. As part of this developing programme, we identified spatial priority areas for ecosystem services, tested the effect of different target levels of ecosystem services used to identify priority areas, and evaluated whether biodiversity priority areas can be aligned with those for ecosystem services. We mapped five ecosystem services (below ground carbon storage, surface water supply, water flow regulation, soil accumulation and soil retention) and identified priority areas for individual ecosystem services and for all five services at the scale of quaternary catchments. Planning for individual ecosystem services showed that, depending on the ecosystem service of interest, between 4% and 13% of the grassland biome was required to conserve at least 40% of the soil and water services. Thirty-four percent of the biome was needed to conserve 40% of the carbon service in the grassland. Priority areas identified for five ecosystem services under three target levels (20%, 40%, 60% of the total amount) showed that between 17% and 56% of the grassland biome was needed to conserve these ecosystem services. There was moderate to high overlap between priority areas selected for ecosystem services and already-identified terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity priority areas. This level of overlap coupled with low irreplaceability values obtained when planning for individual ecosystem services makes it possible to combine biodiversity and ecosystem services in one plan using systematic conservation planning. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SUPPORT Tools for evidence-informed health Policymaking (STP) 3: Setting priorities for supporting evidence-informed policymaking

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

This article is part of a series written for people responsible for making decisions about health policies and programmes and for those who support these decision makers. Policymakers have limited resources for developing – or supporting the development of – evidence-informed policies and programmes. These required resources include staff time, staff infrastructural needs (such as access to a librarian or journal article purchasing), and ongoing professional development. They may therefore prefer instead to contract out such work to independent units with more suitably skilled staff and appropriate infrastructure. However, policymakers may only have limited financial resources to do so. Regardless of whether the support for evidence-informed policymaking is provided in-house or contracted out, or whether it is centralised or decentralised, resources always need to be used wisely in order to maximise their impact. Examples of undesirable practices in a priority-setting approach include timelines to support evidence-informed policymaking being negotiated on a case-by-case basis (instead of having clear norms about the level of support that can be provided for each timeline), implicit (rather than explicit) criteria for setting priorities, ad hoc (rather than systematic and explicit) priority-setting process, and the absence of both a communications plan and a monitoring and evaluation plan. In this article, we suggest questions that can guide those setting priorities for finding and using research evidence to support evidence-informed policymaking. These are: 1. Does the approach to prioritisation make clear the timelines that have been set for addressing high-priority issues in different ways? 2. Does the approach incorporate explicit criteria for determining priorities? 3. Does the approach incorporate an explicit process for determining priorities? 4. Does the approach incorporate a communications strategy and a monitoring and evaluation plan? PMID:20018110

SUPPORT Tools for evidence-informed health Policymaking (STP) 3: Setting priorities for supporting evidence-informed policymaking.

PubMed

Lavis, John N; Oxman, Andrew D; Lewin, Simon; Fretheim, Atle

2009-12-16

This article is part of a series written for people responsible for making decisions about health policies and programmes and for those who support these decision makers. Policymakers have limited resources for developing--or supporting the development of--evidence-informed policies and programmes. These required resources include staff time, staff infrastructural needs (such as access to a librarian or journal article purchasing), and ongoing professional development. They may therefore prefer instead to contract out such work to independent units with more suitably skilled staff and appropriate infrastructure. However, policymakers may only have limited financial resources to do so. Regardless of whether the support for evidence-informed policymaking is provided in-house or contracted out, or whether it is centralised or decentralised, resources always need to be used wisely in order to maximise their impact. Examples of undesirable practices in a priority-setting approach include timelines to support evidence-informed policymaking being negotiated on a case-by-case basis (instead of having clear norms about the level of support that can be provided for each timeline), implicit (rather than explicit) criteria for setting priorities, ad hoc (rather than systematic and explicit) priority-setting process, and the absence of both a communications plan and a monitoring and evaluation plan. In this article, we suggest questions that can guide those setting priorities for finding and using research evidence to support evidence-informed policymaking. These are: 1. Does the approach to prioritisation make clear the timelines that have been set for addressing high-priority issues in different ways? 2. Does the approach incorporate explicit criteria for determining priorities? 3. Does the approach incorporate an explicit process for determining priorities? 4. Does the approach incorporate a communications strategy and a monitoring and evaluation plan?

Hypertension management research priorities from patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers: A report from the Hypertension Canada Priority Setting Partnership Group.

PubMed

Khan, Nadia; Bacon, Simon L; Khan, Samia; Perlmutter, Sara; Gerlinsky, Carline; Dermer, Mark; Johnson, Lonni; Alves, Finderson; McLean, Donna; Laupacis, Andreas; Pui, Mandy; Berg, Angelique; Flowitt, Felicia

2017-11-01

Patient- and stakeholder-oriented research is vital to improving the relevance of research. The authors aimed to identify the 10 most important research priorities of patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers (family physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and dietitians) for hypertension management. Using the James Lind Alliance approach, a national web-based survey asked patients, caregivers, and care providers to submit their unanswered questions on hypertension management. Questions already answered from randomized controlled trial evidence were removed. A priority setting process of patient, caregiver, and healthcare providers then ranked the final top 10 research priorities in an in-person meeting. There were 386 respondents who submitted 598 questions after exclusions. Of the respondents, 78% were patients or caregivers, 29% lived in rural areas, 78% were aged 50 to 80 years, and 75% were women. The 598 questions were distilled to 42 unique questions and from this list, the top 10 research questions prioritized included determining the combinations of healthy lifestyle modifications to reduce the need for antihypertensive medications, stress management interventions, evaluating treatment strategies based on out-of-office blood pressure compared with conventional (office) blood pressure, education tools and technologies to improve patient motivation and health behavior change, management strategies for ethnic groups, evaluating natural and alternative treatments, and the optimal role of different healthcare providers and caregivers in supporting patients with hypertension. These priorities can be used to guide clinicians, researchers, and funding bodies on areas that are a high priority for hypertension management research for patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers. This also highlights priority areas for improved knowledge translation and delivering patient-centered care. ©2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Crime in woods: role of law enforcement officers in national forests

Treesearch

Joanne F. Tynon; Deborah J. Chavez; Joshua W. R. Baur

2010-01-01

This first nationwide study of US Forest Service (USFS) law enforcement officers (LEOs) examined respondents’ roles in the USFS, what they perceived as their highest work priority, and what their relationship with the rest of the USFS should be. Results show that LEOs believe they have a high priority for protecting forest users and they believe that National Forest...

Searching for Best Direction in Healthcare: Distilling Opportunities, Priorities and Responsibilities.

PubMed

Montague, Terrence; Gogovor, Amédé; Marshall, Lucas; Cochrane, Bonnie; Ahmed, Sara; Torr, Emily; Aylen, John; Nemis-White, Joanna

2016-01-01

Canada's health and its care are evolving. Evidence from serial Health Care in Canada surveys of the public and health professionals over the last two decades reveal a persistent sense of care quality, despite an aging population, decreasing levels of good and excellent health, increasing prevalence of chronic illnesses; and sub-optimal access to timely and patient-centred care. Stakeholders are, however, somewhat pessimistic and many sense complete rebuilding, or major changes, may be necessary. To improve access, the primary health concern of all Canadians - increasing medical and nursing school enrolment, and requiring professionals to work in teams - have attracted increasingly high support from both the public and professionals. However, physicians' support lags behind that of nursing, pharmacy and administrative colleagues; and, currently, only a minority of patients and professionals are actively involved in team care programs. Another example in which high levels of support may not necessarily translate into priority implementation of promising interventions is the realm of patient-centred care. The public and all professionals report a very high level of general support for care provided in a caring and respectful manner. However, while the public rank it second in implementation priority, following timely access, the majority of professionals rank it only fourth. By contrast, there is remarkable pan-stakeholder concordance around interventions to improve the overall health system, with the majority of public and professional stakeholders rating the creation of national supply systems as their top priority to expedite the clinical and cost efficiency of new treatments. There is a similar pan-stakeholder concordance around priority of responsibility to drive innovations, the top three being: federal/provincial governments; research hospitals/regional health authorities; and the pharmaceutical industry. In summary, Canadians are at a healthcare crossroads. Population health is decreasing, chronic diseases are increasing and desire for timely access to patient-centred, team-delivered and technology-supported care remain top concerns. Despite some disconnects between theoretical support for, and priority to implement, promising innovations, there is universal support to optimize resources to make things better. And there is concordance around the leadership best suited to lead innovation. Things can be better.

[Classification of Priority Area for Soil Environmental Protection Around Water Sources: Method Proposed and Case Demonstration].

PubMed

Li, Lei; Wang, Tie-yu; Wang, Xiaojun; Xiao, Rong-bo; Li, Qi-feng; Peng, Chi; Han, Cun-liang

2016-04-15

Based on comprehensive consideration of soil environmental quality, pollution status of river, environmental vulnerability and the stress of pollution sources, a technical method was established for classification of priority area of soil environmental protection around the river-style water sources. Shunde channel as an important drinking water sources of Foshan City, Guangdong province, was studied as a case, of which the classification evaluation system was set up. In detail, several evaluation factors were selected according to the local conditions of nature, society and economy, including the pollution degree of heavy metals in soil and sediment, soil characteristics, groundwater sensitivity, vegetation coverage, the type and location of pollution sources. Data information was mainly obtained by means of field survey, sampling analysis, and remote sensing interpretation. Afterwards, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was adopted to decide the weight of each factor. The basic spatial data layers were set up respectively and overlaid based on the weighted summation assessment model in Geographical Information System (GIS), resulting in a classification map of soil environmental protection level in priority area of Shunde channel. Accordingly, the area was classified to three levels named as polluted zone, risky zone and safe zone, which respectively accounted for 6.37%, 60.90% and 32.73% of the whole study area. Polluted zone and risky zone were mainly distributed in Lecong, Longjiang and Leliu towns, with pollutants mainly resulted from the long-term development of aquaculture and the industries containing furniture, plastic constructional materials and textile and clothing. In accordance with the main pollution sources of soil, targeted and differentiated strategies were put forward. The newly established evaluation method could be referenced for the protection and sustainable utilization of soil environment around the water sources.

Selection of a Suitable Method for the Preparation of Polymeric Nanoparticles: Multi-Criteria Decision Making Approach

PubMed Central

Krishnamoorthy, Kannan; Mahalingam, Manikandan

2015-01-01

Purpose: The present study is aimed to select the suitable method for preparation of camptothecin loaded polymeric nanoparticles by utilizing the multi-criteria decision making method. Novel approaches of drug delivery by formulation using nanotechnology are revolutionizing the future of medicine. Recent years have witnessed unprecedented growth of research and application in the area of nanotechnology. Nanoparticles have become an important area of research in the field of drug delivery because they have the ability to deliver a wide range of drug to varying areas of body. Methods: Despite of extensive research and development, polymeric nanoparticles are frequently used to improve the therapeutic effect of drugs. A number of techniques are available for the preparation of polymeric nanoparticles. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a method for decision making, which are derived from individual judgements for qualitative factors, using the pair-wise comparison matrix. In AHP, a decision hierarchy is constructed with a goal, criteria and alternatives. Results: The model uses three main criteria 1) Instrument, 2) Process and Output and 3) Cost. In addition, there are eight sub-criteria’s as well as eight alternatives. Pair-wise comparison matrixes are used to obtain the overall priority weight and ranking for the selection of suitable method. Nanoprecipitation technique is the most suitable method for the preparation of camptothecin loaded polymeric nanoparticles with the highest overall priority weight of 0.297 Conclusion: In particular, the result indicates that the priority weights obtained from AHP could be defined as a multiple output for finding out the most suitable method for preparation of camptothecin loaded polymeric nanoparticles. PMID:25789220

Social Priorities as Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grubert, E.

2015-12-01

Decision makers' responses to local risks and expected changes to a community from circumstances like natural hazards, human developments, and demographic changes can greatly affect social and environmental outcomes in a community. Translating physical data based in disciplines like engineering and geosciences into positive outcomes for communities can be challenging and often results in conflict that appears to pit "science" against "the public." Scientists can be reluctant to offer recommendations for action based on their work, often (and often correctly) noting that their role is not to make value judgments for a community - particularly for a community that is not their own. Conversely, decision makers can be frustrated by the lack of guidance they receive to help translate data into effective and acceptable action. The solution posed by this submission, given the goal of co-production of knowledge by scientists and decision makers to foster better community outcomes, is to involve the community directly by integrating social scientific methods that address decision making and community engagement to the scientist-decision maker interaction. Specifically, the missing dataset in many scientist-decision maker interactions is the nature of community priorities. Using scientifically valid methods to rigorously collect and characterize community priorities to help recommend tradeoffs between different outcomes indicated by the work of physical and natural scientists can bridge the gap between science and action by involving the community in the process. This submission presents early work on US preferences for different types of social and environmental outcomes designed to integrate directly with engineering and physical science frameworks like Life Cycle Assessment and Environmental Impact Statements. Cardinal preference data are based on surveys of US adults using tools like the Analytical Hierarchy Process, budget allocation, and ranking.

Comparing spatially explicit ecological and social values for natural areas to identify effective conservation strategies.

PubMed

Bryan, Brett Anthony; Raymond, Christopher Mark; Crossman, Neville David; King, Darran

2011-02-01

Consideration of the social values people assign to relatively undisturbed native ecosystems is critical for the success of science-based conservation plans. We used an interview process to identify and map social values assigned to 31 ecosystem services provided by natural areas in an agricultural landscape in southern Australia. We then modeled the spatial distribution of 12 components of ecological value commonly used in setting spatial conservation priorities. We used the analytical hierarchy process to weight these components and used multiattribute utility theory to combine them into a single spatial layer of ecological value. Social values assigned to natural areas were negatively correlated with ecological values overall, but were positively correlated with some components of ecological value. In terms of the spatial distribution of values, people valued protected areas, whereas those natural areas underrepresented in the reserve system were of higher ecological value. The habitats of threatened animal species were assigned both high ecological value and high social value. Only small areas were assigned both high ecological value and high social value in the study area, whereas large areas of high ecological value were of low social value, and vice versa. We used the assigned ecological and social values to identify different conservation strategies (e.g., information sharing, community engagement, incentive payments) that may be effective for specific areas. We suggest that consideration of both ecological and social values in selection of conservation strategies can enhance the success of science-based conservation planning. ©2010 Society for Conservation Biology.

Source-oriented risk assessment of inhalation exposure to ambient polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and contributions of non-priority isomers in urban Nanjing, a megacity located in Yangtze River Delta, China.

PubMed

Zhuo, Shaojie; Shen, Guofeng; Zhu, Ying; Du, Wei; Pan, Xuelian; Li, Tongchao; Han, Yang; Li, Bengang; Liu, Junfeng; Cheng, Hefa; Xing, Baoshan; Tao, Shu

2017-05-01

Sixteen U.S. EPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and eleven non-priority isomers including some dibenzopyrenes were analyzed to evaluate health risk attributable to inhalation exposure to ambient PAHs and contributions of the non-priority PAHs in a megacity Nanjing, east China. The annual average mass concentration of the total 16 EPA priority PAHs in air was 51.1 ± 29.8 ng/m 3 , comprising up to 93% of the mass concentration of all 27 PAHs, however, the estimated Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (ILCR) due to inhalation exposure would be underestimated by 63% on average if only accounting the 16 EPA priority PAHs. The risk would be underestimated by 13% if only particulate PAHs were considered, though gaseous PAHs made up to about 70% of the total mass concentration. During the last fifteen years, ambient Benzo[a]pyrene decreased significantly in the city which was consistent with the declining trend of PAHs emissions. Source contributions to the estimated ILCR were much different from the contributions for the total mass concentration, calling for the introduce of important source-oriented risk assessments. Emissions from gasoline vehicles contributed to 12% of the total mass concentration of 27 PAHs analyzed, but regarding relative contributions to the overall health risk, gasoline vehicle emissions contributed 45% of the calculated ILCR. Dibenzopyrenes were a group of non-priority isomers largely contributing to the calculated ILCR, and vehicle emissions were probably important sources of these high molecular weight isomers. Ambient dibenzo[a,l]pyrene positively correlated with the priority PAH Benzo[g,h,i]perylene. The study indicates that inclusion of non-priority PAHs could be valuable for both PAH source apportionment and health risk assessment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

CorRECTreatment: A Web-based Decision Support Tool for Rectal Cancer Treatment that Uses the Analytic Hierarchy Process and Decision Tree

PubMed Central

Karakülah, G.; Dicle, O.; Sökmen, S.; Çelikoğlu, C.C.

2015-01-01

Summary Background The selection of appropriate rectal cancer treatment is a complex multi-criteria decision making process, in which clinical decision support systems might be used to assist and enrich physicians’ decision making. Objective The objective of the study was to develop a web-based clinical decision support tool for physicians in the selection of potentially beneficial treatment options for patients with rectal cancer. Methods The updated decision model contained 8 and 10 criteria in the first and second steps respectively. The decision support model, developed in our previous study by combining the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method which determines the priority of criteria and decision tree that formed using these priorities, was updated and applied to 388 patients data collected retrospectively. Later, a web-based decision support tool named corRECTreatment was developed. The compatibility of the treatment recommendations by the expert opinion and the decision support tool was examined for its consistency. Two surgeons were requested to recommend a treatment and an overall survival value for the treatment among 20 different cases that we selected and turned into a scenario among the most common and rare treatment options in the patient data set. Results In the AHP analyses of the criteria, it was found that the matrices, generated for both decision steps, were consistent (consistency ratio<0.1). Depending on the decisions of experts, the consistency value for the most frequent cases was found to be 80% for the first decision step and 100% for the second decision step. Similarly, for rare cases consistency was 50% for the first decision step and 80% for the second decision step. Conclusions The decision model and corRECTreatment, developed by applying these on real patient data, are expected to provide potential users with decision support in rectal cancer treatment processes and facilitate them in making projections about treatment options. PMID:25848413

CorRECTreatment: a web-based decision support tool for rectal cancer treatment that uses the analytic hierarchy process and decision tree.

PubMed

Suner, A; Karakülah, G; Dicle, O; Sökmen, S; Çelikoğlu, C C

2015-01-01

The selection of appropriate rectal cancer treatment is a complex multi-criteria decision making process, in which clinical decision support systems might be used to assist and enrich physicians' decision making. The objective of the study was to develop a web-based clinical decision support tool for physicians in the selection of potentially beneficial treatment options for patients with rectal cancer. The updated decision model contained 8 and 10 criteria in the first and second steps respectively. The decision support model, developed in our previous study by combining the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method which determines the priority of criteria and decision tree that formed using these priorities, was updated and applied to 388 patients data collected retrospectively. Later, a web-based decision support tool named corRECTreatment was developed. The compatibility of the treatment recommendations by the expert opinion and the decision support tool was examined for its consistency. Two surgeons were requested to recommend a treatment and an overall survival value for the treatment among 20 different cases that we selected and turned into a scenario among the most common and rare treatment options in the patient data set. In the AHP analyses of the criteria, it was found that the matrices, generated for both decision steps, were consistent (consistency ratio<0.1). Depending on the decisions of experts, the consistency value for the most frequent cases was found to be 80% for the first decision step and 100% for the second decision step. Similarly, for rare cases consistency was 50% for the first decision step and 80% for the second decision step. The decision model and corRECTreatment, developed by applying these on real patient data, are expected to provide potential users with decision support in rectal cancer treatment processes and facilitate them in making projections about treatment options.

High resolution mass spectrometry method and system for analysis of whole proteins and other large molecules

DOEpatents

Reilly, Peter T. A. [Knoxville, TN; Harris, William A [Naperville, IL

2010-03-02

A matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) method and related system for analyzing high molecular weight analytes includes the steps of providing at least one matrix-containing particle inside an ion trap, wherein at least one high molecular weight analyte molecule is provided within the matrix-containing particle, and MALDI on the high molecular weight particle while within the ion trap. A laser power used for ionization is sufficient to completely vaporize the particle and form at least one high molecular weight analyte ion, but is low enough to avoid fragmenting the high molecular weight analyte ion. The high molecular weight analyte ion is extracted out from the ion trap, and is then analyzed using a detector. The detector is preferably a pyrolyzing and ionizing detector.

[Berlin Declaration on Tuberculosis: High Level Follow-Up of High Priority Countries for TB Control in the WHO-EURO Region 'Double Trouble or Double Success? Bringing Together Diseases and Programs' - a symposium report].

PubMed

Castell, S; Hauer, B; Manissero, D; Ulrichs, T; Zaleskis, R; Loddenkemper, R

2010-07-01

The global tuberculosis (TB) situation has deteriorated dramatically since the beginning of the 1990s. In 2007, the WHO identified 18 countries of the WHO European Region as 'high priority countries' and introduced a plan for these countries to improve the situation. To further promote solutions a WHO European Ministerial Forum 'All against Tuberculosis' took place in Berlin in 2007 and resulted in the 'Berlin Declaration' which was commonly endorsed. In October 2009 a meeting was organized by the German Ministry of Health under the title "Berlin Declaration on Tuberculosis: High Level Follow-Up of High Priority Countries for TB Control in the WHO-EURO Region 'Double Trouble or Double Success? Bringing together Diseases and Programs'". This article summarizes the symposium. Besides reporting on the recent epidemiological situation of the WHO-EURO Region (with partly dramatically developments) presentations on psychosocial issues, the role of the EU and the 'Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria', the importance of new tools for the fight against tuberculosis and the need for further political commitment were given. Copyright Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart . New York.

Indoor Air Quality in High Performance Schools

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

High performance schools are facilities that improve the learning environment while saving energy, resources, and money. The key is understanding the lifetime value of high performance schools and effectively managing priorities, time, and budget.

Indoor Air Quality in High Performance Schools

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

2017-02-14

High performance schools are facilities that improve the learning environment while saving energy, resources, and money. The key is understanding the lifetime value of high performance schools and effectively managing priorities, time, and budget.

Communication System and Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sanders, Adam M. (Inventor); Strawser, Philip A. (Inventor)

2014-01-01

A communication system for communicating over high-latency, low bandwidth networks includes a communications processor configured to receive a collection of data from a local system, and a transceiver in communication with the communications processor. The transceiver is configured to transmit and receive data over a network according to a plurality of communication parameters. The communications processor is configured to divide the collection of data into a plurality of data streams; assign a priority level to each of the respective data streams, where the priority level reflects the criticality of the respective data stream; and modify a communication parameter of at least one of the plurality of data streams according to the priority of the at least one data stream.

The current preference for the immuno-analytical ELISA method for quantitation of steroid hormones (endocrine disruptor compounds) in wastewater in South Africa.

PubMed

Manickum, Thavrin; John, Wilson

2015-07-01

The availability of national test centers to offer a routine service for analysis and quantitation of some selected steroid hormones [natural estrogens (17-β-estradiol, E2; estrone, E1; estriol, E3), synthetic estrogen (17-α-ethinylestradiol, EE2), androgen (testosterone), and progestogen (progesterone)] in wastewater matrix was investigated; corresponding internationally used chemical- and immuno-analytical test methods were reviewed. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (immuno-analytical technique) was also assessed for its suitability as a routine test method to quantitate the levels of these hormones at a sewage/wastewater treatment plant (WTP) (Darvill, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa), over a 2-year period. The method performance and other relevant characteristics of the immuno-analytical ELISA method were compared to the conventional chemical-analytical methodology, like gas/liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/LC-MS), and GC-LC/tandem mass spectrometry (MSMS), for quantitation of the steroid hormones in wastewater and environmental waters. The national immuno-analytical ELISA technique was found to be sensitive (LOQ 5 ng/L, LOD 0.2-5 ng/L), accurate (mean recovery 96%), precise (RSD 7-10%), and cost-effective for screening and quantitation of these steroid hormones in wastewater and environmental water matrix. A survey of the most current international literature indicates a fairly equal use of the LC-MS/MS, GC-MS/MS (chemical-analytical), and ELISA (immuno-analytical) test methods for screening and quantitation of the target steroid hormones in both water and wastewater matrix. Internationally, the observed sensitivity, based on LOQ (ng/L), for the steroid estrogens E1, E2, EE2, is, in decreasing order: LC-MSMS (0.08-9.54) > GC-MS (1) > ELISA (5) (chemical-analytical > immuno-analytical). At the national level, the routine, unoptimized chemical-analytical LC-MSMS method was found to lack the required sensitivity for meeting environmental requirements for steroid hormone quantitation. Further optimization of the sensitivity of the chemical-analytical LC-tandem mass spectrometry methods, especially for wastewater screening, in South Africa is required. Risk assessment studies showed that it was not practical to propose standards or allowable limits for the steroid estrogens E1, E2, EE2, and E3; the use of predicted-no-effect concentration values of the steroid estrogens appears to be appropriate for use in their risk assessment in relation to aquatic organisms. For raw water sources, drinking water, raw and treated wastewater, the use of bioassays, with trigger values, is a useful screening tool option to decide whether further examination of specific endocrine activity may be warranted, or whether concentrations of such activity are of low priority, with respect to health concerns in the human population. The achievement of improved quantitation limits for immuno-analytical methods, like ELISA, used for compound quantitation, and standardization of the method for measuring E2 equivalents (EEQs) used for biological activity (endocrine: e.g., estrogenic) are some areas for future EDC research.

Determining What We Stand for Will Guide What We Do: Community Priorities, Ethical Research Paradigms, and Research With Vulnerable Populations

PubMed Central

Treadwell, Henrie M.

2009-01-01

Prisoners, ex-offenders, and the communities they belong to constitute a distinct and highly vulnerable population, and research must be sensitive to their priorities. In light of recent suggestions that scientific experimentation involving prisoners be reconsidered, community-based participatory research can be a valuable tool for determining the immediate concerns of prisoners, such as the receipt of high-quality and dignified health care inside and outside prisons. In building research agendas, more must be done to ensure the participation of communities affected by the resulting policies. PMID:19141599

Study of Using Excess Stock to Reduce Naval Aviation Depot-Level Repairable Piece Part Backorders

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

Designator Code, may get involved to ensure timely receipt. When a high-priority (Issue Priority Group 1) requisition is backordered, a CAS...alternative source for acquiring bit-piece parts is Navy excess material. Excess material is inventory designated by Navy organizations as meeting...potential alternative source for acquiring bit-piece parts is Navy excess material. Excess material is inventory designated by Navy organizations as

GOATS 2005 Integrated, Adaptive Autonomous Acoustic Sensing Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-30

the MOOS-Ivp autonomy software suite to support the rapidly growing application community. In addition a structure, nested repository has been...priority. Thus, track messages (when available) are sent most often, but eventually the priority of the status message will grow high enough to get a...data throughput over the old communications stack. 4 Figure 1 Real-time topside display of BTR data transmitted from Unicorn BF21

Bringing Equity and Quality Learning Together: Institutional Priorities for Tracking and Advancing Underserved Students' Success. Key Findings from a Survey and In-Depth Interviews among Administrators at AAC&U Member Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Association of American Colleges and Universities, 2015

2015-01-01

The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) surveyed Chief Academic Officers at member institutions from July-October 2015 concerning priorities related to learning outcomes, assessment, general education design, high-impact practices, and data tracking and goal setting around equity and quality learning. With support from…

Priorities for clinical research in intracerebral hemorrhage: report from a National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke workshop.

PubMed

2005-03-01

Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is one of the most lethal stroke types. In December 2003, a National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) workshop was convened to develop a consensus for ICH research priorities. The focus was clinical research aimed at acute ICH in patients. Workshop participants were divided into 6 groups: (1) current state of ICH research; (2) basic science; and (3) imaging, (4) medical, (5) surgical, and (6) clinical methodology. Each group formulated research priorities before the workshop. At the workshop, these were discussed and refined. Recent progress in management of hemorrhage growth, intraventricular hemorrhage, and limitations in the benefit of open craniotomy were noted. The workshop identified the importance of developing animal models to reflect human ICH, as well as the phenomena of rebleeding. More human ICH pathology is needed. Real-time, high-field magnets and 3-dimensional imaging, as well as high-resolution tissue probes, are ICH imaging priorities. Trials of acute blood pressure-lowering in ICH and coagulopathy reversal are medical priorities. The exact role of edema in human ICH pathology and its treatment requires intensive study. Trials of minimally invasive surgical techniques including mechanical and chemical surgical adjuncts are critically important. The methodologic challenges include establishing research networks and a multi-specialty approach. Waiver of consent issues and standardizing care in trials are important issues. Encouragement of young investigators from varied backgrounds to enter the ICH research field is critical. Increasing ICH research is crucial. A collaborative approach is likely to yield therapies for this devastating form of brain injury.

Treatment costs and priority setting in health care: A qualitative study

PubMed Central

McKie, John; Shrimpton, Bradley; Richardson, Jeff; Hurworth, Rosalind

2009-01-01

Background The aim of this study is to investigate whether the public believes high cost patients should be a lower priority for public health care than low cost patients, other things being equal, in order to maximise health gains from the health budget. Semi-structured group discussions were used to help participants reflect critically upon their own views and gain exposure to alternative views, and in this way elicit underlying values rather than unreflective preferences. Participants were given two main tasks: first, to select from among three general principles for setting health care priorities the one that comes closest to their own views; second, to allocate a limited hospital budget between two groups of imaginary patients. Forty-one people, varying in age, occupation, income and education level, participated in a total of six group discussions with each group comprising between six and eight people. Results After discussion and deliberation, 30 participants rejected the most cost-effective principle for setting priorities, citing reasons such as 'moral values' and 'a personal belief that we shouldn't discriminate'. Only three participants chose to allocate the entire hospital budget to the low cost patients. Reasons for allocating some money to inefficient (high cost) patients included 'fairness' and the desire to give all patients a 'chance'. Conclusion Participants rejected a single-minded focus on efficiency – maximising health gains – when setting priorities in health care. There was a concern to avoid strategies that deny patients all hope of treatment, and a willingness to sacrifice health gains for a 'fair' public health system. PMID:19416546

Characteristics of Treatment Decisions to Address Challenging Behaviors in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Anixt, Julia S; Meinzen-Derr, Jareen; Estridge, Halley; Smith, Laura; Brinkman, William B

2018-05-01

To describe the characteristics of treatment decisions to address challenging behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Parents of children aged 4 to 15 years with ASD seen in a developmental behavioral pediatric (DBP) clinic completed validated measures to characterize their child's behaviors and their own level of stress. Parents reported their treatment priority before the visit. During the visit, we assessed shared decision making (SDM) using the Observing Patient Involvement (OPTION) scale and alignment of the clinician's treatment plan with the parent's priority. Before and after the visit, parents rated their uncertainty about the treatment plan using the Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS). We calculated descriptive statistics for the measures. Fifty-four families participated. Children were a mean (SD) age of 8.8 (3.3) years, and 87% were male. Children had a variety of behavioral challenges, and parents reported high levels of stress. Commonly reported parent treatment priorities were hyperactivity, tantrums, anxiety, and poor social skills. Levels of SDM were low, with a mean (SD) OPTION score of 24.5 (9.7). Parent priorities were addressed in 65% of treatment plans. Approximately 69% of parents had elevated DCS scores before the visit. Although levels of decisional conflict were lower after the visit compared with before the visit (p < 0.03), 46% of parents continued to report high scores on the DCS. Parents leave DBP visits with feelings of uncertainty about treatment decisions and with treatment plans that do not always address their priorities. SDM interventions hold promise to improve the quality of ASD treatment decisions.

Evidence gaps in advanced cancer care: community-based clinicians' perspectives and priorities for CER.

PubMed

Lowry, Sarah J; Loggers, Elizabeth T; Bowles, Erin J A; Wagner, Edward H

2012-05-01

Although much effort has focused on identifying national comparative effectiveness research (CER) priorities, little is known about the CER priorities of community-based practitioners treating patients with advanced cancer. CER priorities of managed care-based clinicians may be valuable as reflections of both payer and provider research interests. We conducted mixed methods interviews with 10 clinicians (5 oncologists and 5 pharmacists) at 5 health plans within the Health Maintenance Organization Cancer Research Network. We asked, "What evidence do you most wish you had when treating patients with advanced cancer" and questioned participants on their impressions and knowledge of CER and pragmatic clinical trials (PCTs). We conducted qualitative analyses to identify themes across interviews. Ninety percent of participants had heard of CER, 20% had heard of PCTs, and all rated CER/PCTs as highly relevant to patient and health plan decision making. Each participant offered between 3 and 10 research priorities. Half (49%) involved head-to-head treatment comparisons; another 20% involved comparing different schedules or dosing regimens of the same treatment. The majority included alternative outcomes to survival (eg, toxicity, quality of life, noninferiority). Participants cited several limitations to existing evidence, including lack of generalizability, funding biases, and rapid development of new treatments. Head-to-head treatment comparisons remain a major evidence need among community- based oncology clinicians, and CER/PCTs are highly valued methods to address the limitations of traditional randomized trials, answer questions of cost-effectiveness or noninferiority, and inform data-driven dialogue and decision making by all stakeholders.

Priority Setting for Improvement of Cervical Cancer Prevention in Iran.

PubMed

Majidi, Azam; Ghiasvand, Reza; Hadji, Maryam; Nahvijou, Azin; Mousavi, Azam-Sadat; Pakgohar, Minoo; Khodakarami, Nahid; Abedini, Mehrandokht; Amouzegar Hashemi, Farnaz; Rahnamaye Farzami, Marjan; Shahsiah, Reza; Sajedinejhad, Sima; Mohagheghi, Mohammad Ali; Nadali, Fatemeh; Rashidian, Arash; Weiderpass, Elisabete; Mogensen, Ole; Zendehdel, Kazem

2015-11-22

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide. Organized cervical screening and vaccination against human papilloma virus (HPV) have been successful interventions for prevention of invasive cervical cancer (ICC). Because of cultural and religious considerations, ICC has low incidence in Iran and many other Muslim countries. There is no organized cervical screening in these countries. Therefore, ICC is usually diagnosed in advanced stages with poor prognosis in these countries. We performed a priority setting exercise and suggested priorities for prevention of ICC in this setting. We invited experts and researchers to a workshop and asked them to list important suggestions for ICC prevention in Iran. After merging similar items and removing the duplicates, we asked the experts to rank the list of suggested items. We used a strategy grid and Go-zone analysis to determine final list of priorities for ICC prevention in Iran. From 26 final items suggested as priorities for prevention of ICC, the most important priorities were developing national guidelines for cervical screening and quality control protocol for patient follow-up and management of precancerous lesions. In addition, we emphasized considering insurance coverage for cervical screening, public awareness, and research priorities, and establishment of a cervical screening registry. A comprehensive approach and implementation of organized cervical screening program is necessary for prevention of ICC in Iran and other low incidence Muslim countries. Because of high cost for vaccination and low incidence of cervical cancer, we do not recommend HPV vaccination for the time being in Iran. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

Priority Setting for Improvement of Cervical Cancer Prevention in Iran

PubMed Central

Majidi, Azam; Ghiasvand, Reza; Hadji, Maryam; Nahvijou, Azin; Mousavi, Azam-Sadat; Pakgohar, Minoo; Khodakarami, Nahid; Abedini, Mehrandokht; Amouzegar Hashemi, Farnaz; Rahnamaye Farzami, Marjan; Shahsiah, Reza; Sajedinejhad, Sima; Mohagheghi, Mohammad Ali; Nadali, Fatemeh; Rashidian, Arash; Weiderpass, Elisabete; Mogensen, Ole; Zendehdel, Kazem

2016-01-01

Background: Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide. Organized cervical screening and vaccination against human papilloma virus (HPV) have been successful interventions for prevention of invasive cervical cancer (ICC). Because of cultural and religious considerations, ICC has low incidence in Iran and many other Muslim countries. There is no organized cervical screening in these countries. Therefore, ICC is usually diagnosed in advanced stages with poor prognosis in these countries. We performed a priority setting exercise and suggested priorities for prevention of ICC in this setting. Methods: We invited experts and researchers to a workshop and asked them to list important suggestions for ICC prevention in Iran. After merging similar items and removing the duplicates, we asked the experts to rank the list of suggested items. We used a strategy grid and Go-zone analysis to determine final list of priorities for ICC prevention in Iran. Results: From 26 final items suggested as priorities for prevention of ICC, the most important priorities were developing national guidelines for cervical screening and quality control protocol for patient follow-up and management of precancerous lesions. In addition, we emphasized considering insurance coverage for cervical screening, public awareness, and research priorities, and establishment of a cervical screening registry. Conclusion: A comprehensive approach and implementation of organized cervical screening program is necessary for prevention of ICC in Iran and other low incidence Muslim countries. Because of high cost for vaccination and low incidence of cervical cancer, we do not recommend HPV vaccination for the time being in Iran. PMID:27239863

Research priority setting in childhood chronic disease: a systematic review.

PubMed

Odgers, Harrison Lindsay; Tong, Allison; Lopez-Vargas, Pamela; Davidson, Andrew; Jaffe, Adam; McKenzie, Anne; Pinkerton, Ross; Wake, Melissa; Richmond, Peter; Crowe, Sally; Caldwell, Patrina Ha Yuen; Hill, Sophie; Couper, Jennifer; Haddad, Suzy; Kassai, Behrouz; Craig, Jonathan C

2018-04-11

To evaluate research priority setting approaches in childhood chronic diseases and to describe the priorities of stakeholders including patients, caregivers/families and health professionals. We conducted a systematic review of MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and CINAHL from inception to 16 October 2016. Studies that elicited stakeholder priorities for paediatric chronic disease research were eligible for inclusion. Data on the prioritisation process were extracted using an appraisal checklist. Generated priorities were collated into common topic areas. We identified 83 studies (n=15 722). Twenty (24%) studies involved parents/caregivers and four (5%) children. The top three health areas were cancer (11%), neurology (8%) and endocrine/metabolism (8%). Priority topic areas were treatment (78%), disease trajectory (48%), quality of life/psychosocial impact (48%), disease onset/prevention (43%), knowledge/self-management (33%), prevalence (30%), diagnostic methods (28%), access to healthcare (25%) and transition to adulthood (12%). The methods included workshops, Delphi techniques, surveys and focus groups/interviews. Specific methods for collecting and prioritising research topics were described in only 60% of studies. Most reviewed studies were conducted in high-income nations. Research priority setting activities in paediatric chronic disease cover many discipline areas and have elicited a broad range of topics. However, child/caregiver involvement is uncommon, and the methods often lack clarity. A systematic and explicit process that involves patients and families in partnership may help to inform a more patient and family-relevant research agenda in paediatric chronic disease. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Strategic funding priorities in the pharmaceutical sciences allied to Quality by Design (QbD) and Process Analytical Technology (PAT).

PubMed

Aksu, Buket; De Beer, Thomas; Folestad, Staffan; Ketolainen, Jarkko; Lindén, Hans; Lopes, Joao Almeida; de Matas, Marcel; Oostra, Wim; Rantanen, Jukka; Weimer, Marco

2012-09-29

Substantial changes in Pharmaceutical R&D strategy are required to address existing issues of low productivity, imminent patent expirations and pressures on pricing. Moves towards personalized healthcare and increasing diversity in the nature of portfolios including the rise of biopharmaceuticals however have the potential to provide considerable challenges to the establishment of cost effective and robust supply chains. To guarantee product quality and surety of supply for essential medicines it is necessary that manufacturing science keeps pace with advances in pharmaceutical R&D. In this position paper, the EUFEPS QbD and PAT Sciences network make recommendations that European industry, academia and health agencies focus attention on delivering step changes in science and technology in a number of key themes. These subject areas, all underpinned by the sciences allied to QbD and PAT, include product design and development for personalized healthcare, continuous-processing in pharmaceutical product manufacture, quantitative quality risk assessment for pharmaceutical development including life cycle management and the downstream processing of biopharmaceutical products. Plans are being established to gain commitment for inclusion of these themes into future funding priorities for the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI). Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Location of Road Emergency Stations in Fars Province, Using Spatial Multi-Criteria Decision Making.

PubMed

Goli, Ali; Ansarizade, Najmeh; Barati, Omid; Kavosi, Zahra

2015-01-01

To locate the road emergency stations in Fars province based on using spatial multi-criteria decision making (Delphi method). In this study, the criteria affecting the location of road emergency stations have been identified through Delphi method and their importance was determined using Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP). With regard to the importance of the criteria and by using Geographical Information System (GIS), the appropriateness of the existing stations with the criteria and the way of their distribution has been explored, and the appropriate arenas for creating new emergency stations were determined. In order to investigate the spatial distribution pattern of the stations, Moran's Index was used. The accidents (0.318), placement position (0.235), time (0.198), roads (0.160), and population (0.079) were introduced as the main criteria in location road emergency stations. The findings showed that the distribution of the existing stations was clustering (Moran's I=0.3). Three priorities were introduced for establishing new stations. Some arenas including Abade, north of Eghlid and Khoram bid, and small parts of Shiraz, Farashband, Bavanat, and Kazeroon were suggested as the first priority. GIS is a useful and applicable tool in investigating spatial distribution and geographical accessibility to the setting that provide health care, including emergency stations.

Sequestration of priority pollutant PAHs from sediment pore water employing semipermeable membrane devices.

PubMed

Williamson, Kelly S; Petty, Jimmie D; Huckins, James N; Lebo, Jon A; Kaiser, Edwin M

2002-11-01

Semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) were employed to sample sediment pore water in static exposure studies under controlled laboratory conditions using (control pond and formulated) sediments fortified with 15 priority pollutant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PPPAHs). The sediment fortification level of 750 ng/g was selected on the basis of what might be detected in a sediment sample from a contaminated area. The sampling interval consisted of 0, 4, 7, 14, and 28 days for each study. The analytical methodologies, as well as the extraction and sample cleanup procedures used in the isolation, characterization, and quantitation of 15 PPPAHs at different fortification levels in SPMDs, water, and sediment were reported previously (Williamson, M.S. Thesis, University of Missouri-Columbia, USA; Williamson et al., Chemosphere (This issue--PII: S0045-6535(02)00394-6)) and used for this project. Average (mean) extraction recoveries for each PPPAH congener in each matrix are reported and discussed. No procedural blank extracts (controls) were found to contain any PPPAH residues above the method quantitation limit, therefore, no matrix interferences were detected. The focus of this publication is to demonstrate the ability to sequester environmental contaminants, specifically PPPAHs, from sediment pore water using SPMDs and two different types of fortified sediment.

Sequestration of priority pollutant PAHs from sediment pore water employing semipermeable membrane devices

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williamson, K.S.; Petty, J.D.; Huckins, J.N.; Lebo, J.A.; Kaiser, E.M.

2002-01-01

Semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) were employed to sample sediment pore water in static exposure studies under controlled laboratory conditions using (control pond and formulated) sediments fortified with 15 priority pollutant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PPPAHs). The sediment fortification level of 750 ng/g was selected on the basis of what might be detected in a sediment sample from a contaminated area. The sampling interval consisted of 0, 4, 7, 14, and 28 days for each study. The analytical methodologies, as well as the extraction and sample cleanup procedures used in the isolation, characterization, and quantitation of 15 PPPAHs at different fortification levels in SPMDs, water, and sediment were reported previously (Williamson, M.S. Thesis, University of Missouri - Columbia, USA; Williamson et al., Chemosphere (This issue - PII: S0045-6535(02)00394-6)) and used for this project. Average (mean) extraction recoveries for each PPPAH congener in each matrix are reported and discussed. No procedural blank extracts (controls) were found to contain any PPPAH residues above the method quantitation limit, therefore, no matrix interferences were detected. The focus of this publication is to demonstrate the ability to sequester environmental contaminants, specifically PPPAHs, from sediment pore water using SPMDs and two different types of fortified sediment.

Priority queues with bursty arrivals of incoming tasks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masuda, N.; Kim, J. S.; Kahng, B.

2009-03-01

Recently increased accessibility of large-scale digital records enables one to monitor human activities such as the interevent time distributions between two consecutive visits to a web portal by a single user, two consecutive emails sent out by a user, two consecutive library loans made by a single individual, etc. Interestingly, those distributions exhibit a universal behavior, D(τ)˜τ-δ , where τ is the interevent time, and δ≃1 or 3/2 . The universal behaviors have been modeled via the waiting-time distribution of a task in the queue operating based on priority; the waiting time follows a power-law distribution Pw(τ)˜τ-α with either α=1 or 3/2 depending on the detail of queuing dynamics. In these models, the number of incoming tasks in a unit time interval has been assumed to follow a Poisson-type distribution. For an email system, however, the number of emails delivered to a mail box in a unit time we measured follows a power-law distribution with general exponent γ . For this case, we obtain analytically the exponent α , which is not necessarily 1 or 3/2 and takes nonuniversal values depending on γ . We develop the generating function formalism to obtain the exponent α , which is distinct from the continuous time approximation used in the previous studies.

Global neurotrauma research challenges and opportunities.

PubMed

Rubiano, Andrés M; Carney, Nancy; Chesnut, Randall; Puyana, Juan Carlos

2015-11-19

Traumatic injury to the brain or spinal cord is one of the most serious public health problems worldwide. The devastating impact of 'trauma', a term used to define the global burden of disease related to all injuries, is the leading cause of loss of human potential across the globe, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Enormous challenges must be met to significantly advance neurotrauma research around the world, specifically in underserved and austere environments. Neurotrauma research at the global level needs to be contextualized: different regions have their own needs and obstacles. Interventions that are not considered a priority in some regions could be a priority for others. The introduction of inexpensive and innovative interventions, including mobile technologies and e-health applications, focused on policy management improvement are essential and should be applicable to the needs of the local environment. The simple transfer of a clinical question from resource-rich environments to those of low- and middle-income countries that lack sophisticated interventions may not be the best strategy to address these countries' needs. Emphasis on promoting the design of true 'ecological' studies that include the evaluation of human factors in relation to the process of care, analytical descriptions of health systems, and how leadership is best applied in medical communities and society as a whole will become crucial.

Patient-centered priorities for improving medication management and adherence.

PubMed

McMullen, Carmit K; Safford, Monika M; Bosworth, Hayden B; Phansalkar, Shobha; Leong, Amye; Fagan, Maureen B; Trontell, Anne; Rumptz, Maureen; Vandermeer, Meredith L; Brinkman, William B; Burkholder, Rebecca; Frank, Lori; Hommel, Kevin; Mathews, Robin; Hornbrook, Mark C; Seid, Michael; Fordis, Michael; Lambert, Bruce; McElwee, Newell; Singh, Jasvinder A

2015-01-01

The Centers for Education and Research on Therapeutics convened a workshop to examine the scientific evidence on medication adherence interventions from the patient-centered perspective and to explore the potential of patient-centered medication management to improve chronic disease treatment. Patients, providers, researchers, and other stakeholders (N = 28) identified and prioritized ideas for future research and practice. We analyzed stakeholder voting on priorities and reviewed themes in workshop discussions. Ten priority areas emerged. Three areas were highly rated by all stakeholder groups: creating tools and systems to facilitate and evaluate patient-centered medication management plans; developing training on patient-centered prescribing for providers; and increasing patients' knowledge about medication management. However, priorities differed across stakeholder groups. Notably, patients prioritized using peer support to improve medication management while researchers did not. Engaging multiple stakeholders in setting a patient-centered research agenda and broadening the scope of adherence interventions to include other aspects of medication management resulted in priorities outside the traditional scope of adherence research. Workshop participants recognized the potential benefits of patient-centered medication management but also identified many challenges to implementation that require additional research and innovation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Achieving Innovation and Affordability Through Standardization of Materials Development and Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bray, M. H.; Zook, L. M.; Raley, R. E.; Chapman, C.

2011-01-01

The successful expansion of development, innovation, and production within the aeronautics industry during the 20th century was facilitated by collaboration of government agencies with the commercial aviation companies. One of the initial products conceived from the collaboration was the ANC-5 Bulletin, first published in 1937. The ANC-5 Bulletin had intended to standardize the requirements of various government agencies in the design of aircraft structure. The national space policy shift in priority for NASA with an emphasis on transferring the travel to low earth orbit to commercial space providers highlights an opportunity and a need for the national and global space industries. The same collaboration and standardization that is documented and maintained by the industry within MIL-HDBK-5 (MMPDS-01) and MIL-HBDK-17 (nonmetallic mechanical properties) can also be exploited to standardize the thermal performance properties, processing methods, test methods, and analytical methods for use in aircraft and spacecraft design and associated propulsion systems. In addition to the definition of thermal performance description and standardization, the standardization for test methods and analysis for extreme environments (high temperature, cryogenics, deep space radiation, etc) would also be highly valuable to the industry. Its subsequent revisions and conversion to MIL-HDBK-5 and then MMPDS-01 established and then expanded to contain standardized mechanical property design values and other related design information for metallic materials used in aircraft, missiles, and space vehicles. It also includes guidance on standardization of composition, processing, and analytical methods for presentation and inclusion into the handbook. This standardization enabled an expansion of the technologies to provide efficiency and reliability to the consumers. It can be established that many individual programs within the government agencies have been overcome with development costs generated from these nonstandard requirements. Without industry standardization and acceptance, the programs are driven to shoulder the costs of determining design requirements, performance criteria, and then material qualification and certification. A significant investment that the industry could make to both reduce individual program development costs and schedules while expanding commercial space flight capabilities would be to invest in standardizing material performance properties for high temperature, cryogenic, and deep space environments for both metallic and nonmetallic materials.

Modeling the risk of transmission of schistosomiasis in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria using satellite derived environmental data.

PubMed

Ajakaye, Oluwaremilekun G; Adedeji, Oluwatola I; Ajayi, Paul O

2017-07-01

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease and its distribution, in space and time, can be influenced by environmental factors such as rivers, elevation, slope, land surface temperature, land use/cover and rainfall. The aim of this study is to identify the areas with suitable conditions for schistosomiasis transmission on the basis of physical and environmental factors derived from satellite imagery and spatial analysis for Akure North Local Government Area (LGA) of Ondo State. Nigeria. This was done through methodology multicriteria evaluation (MCE) using Saaty's analytical hierarchy process (AHP). AHP is a multi-criteria decision method that uses hierarchical structures to represent a problem and makes decisions based on priority scales. In this research AHP was used to obtain the mapping weight or importance of each individual schistosomiasis risk factor. For the purpose of identifying areas of schistosomiasis risk, this study focused on temperature, drainage, elevation, rainfall, slope and land use/land cover as the factors controlling schistosomiasis incidence in the study area. It is by reclassifying and overlaying these factors that areas vulnerable to schistosomiasis were identified. The weighted overlay analysis was done after each factor was given the appropriate weight derived through the analytical hierarchical process. The prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis in the study area was also determined by parasitological analysis of urine samples collected through random sampling. The results showed varying risk of schistosomiasis with a larger portion of the area (82%) falling under the high and very high risk category. The study also showed that one community (Oba Ile) had the lowest risk of schistosomiasis while the risk increased in the four remaining communities (Iju, Igoba, Ita Ogbolu and Ogbese). The predictions made by the model correlated strongly with observations from field study. The high risk zones corresponded to known endemic communities. This study revealed that environmental factors can be used in identifying and predicting the transmission of schistosomiasis as well as effective monitoring of disease risk in newly established rural and agricultural communities.

Evaluation of purchase intention of customers in two wheeler automobile segment: AHP and TOPSIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sri Yogi, Kottala

2018-03-01

Winning heart of customers is preeminent main design of any business organization in global business environment. This paper explored customer’s priorities while purchasing a two wheeler automobile segment using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) as a multi criteria decision making tools to accomplish the research objectives. Study has been done to analyze different criteria to be considered during purchasing of two wheeler automobiles among respondents using structured questionnaire based on SAATY scale. Based on our previous work on empirical & fuzzy logic approach to product quality and purchase intention of customers in two wheeler- operational, performance, economic, brand value and maintenance aspects are considered as decision criteria of customers while purchasing a two wheeler. The study suggests high pick up during overtaking, petrol saving, reasonable spare parts price, unique in design and identity and easy to change gear as main criterion in purchasing process. We also found some leading two wheeler automobiles models available in Indian market using some objective function criterion in choosing some important characteristics like price, cylinder capacity, brake horse power and weight during purchasing process of two wheeler automobile in Indian market based on respondents perception.

Low-temperature plasma-probe mass spectrometry based method for determination of new psychoactive substances in oral fluid.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaochen; Hua, Zhendong; Yang, Zhaoguang; Li, Haipu; Liu, Huwei; Qiu, Bo; Nie, Honggang

2018-06-15

Owing to the widespread abuse of new psychoactive substances (NPSs), developing a rapid, easily operable method to detect NPSs in oral fluid is of high priority. Their ease of collection and non-invasive nature make oral fluid samples suitable for on-site tests and forensic cases. Herein we report a rapid and sensitive method to screen and quantitate 11 new NPSs in oral fluid. Low-temperature plasma-probe mass spectrometry (LTP-MS) was applied and, to improve the signal intensity, thermally assisted desorption was employed. Tandem mass spectrometry was performed to exclude false positive signals and to decrease noise at the m/z values of interest. Linearity was studied using matrix-matched calibration curves; all the analytes exhibited good linearity with R 2 varying from 0.9907 to 0.9981. The estimated limits of detection (LODs) were in the range of 3.0-15.2 ng/mL, which are comparable to those of immunoassay; relative standard deviations (RSDs) are no greater than 23% at the studied concentration levels. The proposed LTP-MS-based method was promising in forensic and on-site applications to curb the abuse of NPSs. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PARLO: PArallel Run-Time Layout Optimization for Scientific Data Explorations with Heterogeneous Access Pattern

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

Gong, Zhenhuan; Boyuka, David; Zou, X

Download Citation Email Print Request Permissions Save to Project The size and scope of cutting-edge scientific simulations are growing much faster than the I/O and storage capabilities of their run-time environments. The growing gap is exacerbated by exploratory, data-intensive analytics, such as querying simulation data with multivariate, spatio-temporal constraints, which induces heterogeneous access patterns that stress the performance of the underlying storage system. Previous work addresses data layout and indexing techniques to improve query performance for a single access pattern, which is not sufficient for complex analytics jobs. We present PARLO a parallel run-time layout optimization framework, to achieve multi-levelmore » data layout optimization for scientific applications at run-time before data is written to storage. The layout schemes optimize for heterogeneous access patterns with user-specified priorities. PARLO is integrated with ADIOS, a high-performance parallel I/O middleware for large-scale HPC applications, to achieve user-transparent, light-weight layout optimization for scientific datasets. It offers simple XML-based configuration for users to achieve flexible layout optimization without the need to modify or recompile application codes. Experiments show that PARLO improves performance by 2 to 26 times for queries with heterogeneous access patterns compared to state-of-the-art scientific database management systems. Compared to traditional post-processing approaches, its underlying run-time layout optimization achieves a 56% savings in processing time and a reduction in storage overhead of up to 50%. PARLO also exhibits a low run-time resource requirement, while also limiting the performance impact on running applications to a reasonable level.« less

Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry determination of synthetic cathinones and phenethylamines in influent wastewater of eight European cities.

PubMed

Bade, Richard; Bijlsma, Lubertus; Sancho, Juan V; Baz-Lomba, Jose A; Castiglioni, Sara; Castrignanò, Erika; Causanilles, Ana; Gracia-Lor, Emma; Kasprzyk-Hordern, Barbara; Kinyua, Juliet; McCall, Ann-Kathrin; van Nuijs, Alexander L N; Ort, Christoph; Plósz, Benedek G; Ramin, Pedram; Rousis, Nikolaos I; Ryu, Yeonsuk; Thomas, Kevin V; de Voogt, Pim; Zuccato, Ettore; Hernández, Félix

2017-02-01

The popularity of new psychoactive substances (NPS) has grown in recent years, with certain NPS commonly and preferentially consumed even following the introduction of preventative legislation. With the objective to improve the knowledge on the use of NPS, a rapid and very sensitive method was developed for the determination of ten priority NPS (N-ethylcathinone, methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), methylone, butylone, methedrone, mephedrone, naphyrone, 25-C-NBOMe, 25-I-NBOMe and 25-B-NBOMe) in influent wastewater. Sample clean-up and pre-concentration was made by off-line solid phase extraction (SPE) with Oasis MCX cartridges. Isotopically labelled internal standards were used to correct for matrix effects and potential SPE losses. Following chromatographic separation on a C 18 column within 6 min, the compounds were measured by tandem mass spectrometry in positive ionization mode. The method was optimised and validated for all compounds. Limits of quantification were evaluated by spiking influent wastewater samples at 1 or 5 ng/L. An investigation into the stability of these compounds in influent wastewater was also performed, showing that, following acidification at pH 2, all compounds were relatively stable for up to 7 days. The method was then applied to influent wastewater samples from eight European countries, in which mephedrone, methylone and MDPV were detected. This work reveals that although NPS use is not as extensive as for classic illicit drugs, the application of a highly sensitive analytical procedure makes their detection in wastewater possible. The developed analytical methodology forms the basis of a subsequent model-based back-calculation of abuse rate in urban areas (i.e. wastewater-based epidemiology). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Proposed Mars Astrobiology Explorer - Cacher [MAX-C] Rover: First Step in a Potential Sample Return Campaign

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, Carlton C.; Beaty, David W.

2010-01-01

Sample return from Mars has been advocated by numerous scientific advisory panels for over 30 years, most prominently beginning with the National Research Council s [1] strategy for the exploration of the inner solar system, and most recently by the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG s) Next Decade Science Analysis Group [2]. Analysis of samples here on Earth would have enormous advantages over in situ analyses in producing the data quality needed to address many of the complex scientific questions the community has posed about Mars. Instead of a small, predetermined set of analytical techniques, state of the art preparative and instrumental resources of the entire scientific community could be applied to the samples. The analytical emphasis could shift as the meaning of each result becomes better appreciated. These arguments apply both to igneous rocks and to layered sedimentary materials, either of which could contain water and other volatile constituents. In 2009 MEPAG formed the Mid-Range Rover Science Analysis Group (MRR-SAG) to formulate a mission concept that would address two general objectives: (1) conduct high-priority in situ science and (2) make concrete steps towards the potential return of samples to Earth. This analysis resulted in a mission concept named the Mars Astrobiology Explorer-Cacher (MAX-C), which was envisioned for launch in the 2018 opportunity. After extensive discussion, this group concluded that by far the most definitive contribution to sample return by this mission would be to collect and cache, in an accessible location, a suite of compelling samples that could potentially be recovered and returned by a subsequent mission. This would have the effect of separating two of the essential functions of MSR, the acquisition of the sample collection and its delivery to martian orbit, into two missions.

Evaluating the enhancement and improvement of China's technology and financial services platform innovation strategy.

PubMed

Wu, Ching-Sung; Hu, Kuang-Hua; Chen, Fu-Hsiang

2016-01-01

The development of high-tech industry has been prosperous around the world in past decades, while technology and finance have already become the most significant issues in the information era. While high-tech firms are a major force behind a country's economic development, it requires a lot of money for the development process, as well as the financing difficulties for its potential problems, thus, how to evaluate and establish appropriate technology and financial services platforms innovation strategy has become one of the most critical and difficult issues. Moreover, how the chosen intertwined financial environment can be optimized in order that high-tech firms financing problems can be decided has seldom been addressed. Thus, this research aims to establish a technology and financial services platform innovation strategy improvement model, as based on the hybrid MADM model, which addresses the main causal factors and amended priorities in order to strengthen ongoing planning. A DEMATEL technique, as based on Analytic Network Process, as well as modified VIKOR, will be proposed for selecting and re-configuring the aspired technology and financial services platform. An empirical study, as based on China's technology and financial services platform innovation strategy, will be provided for verifying the effectiveness of this proposed methodology. Based on expert interviews, technology and financial services platforms innovation strategy improvement should be made in the following order: credit guarantee platform ( C )_credit rating platform ( B )_investment and finance platform ( A ).

An Overview Of NASA's Solar Sail Propulsion Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garbe, Gregory; Montgomery, Edward E., IV

2003-01-01

Research conducted by the In-Space Propulsion (ISP) Technologies Projects is at the forefront of NASA's efforts to mature propulsion technologies that will enable or enhance a variety of space science missions. The ISP Program is developing technologies from a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 3 through TRL 6. Activities under the different technology areas are selected through the NASA Research Announcement (NRA) process. The ISP Program goal is to mature a suite of reliable advanced propulsion technologies that will promote more cost efficient missions through the reduction of interplanetary mission trip time, increased scientific payload mass fraction, and allowing for longer on-station operations. These propulsion technologies will also enable missions with previously inaccessible orbits (e.g., non-Keplerian, high solar latitudes). The ISP Program technology suite has been prioritized by an agency wide study. Solar Sail propulsion is one of ISP's three high-priority technology areas. Solar sail propulsion systems will be required to meet the challenge of monitoring and predicting space weather by the Office of Space Science s (OSS) Living with a Star (LWS) program. Near-to-mid-term mission needs include monitoring of solar activity and observations at high solar latitudes. Near-term work funded by the ISP solar sail propulsion project is centered around the quantitative demonstration of scalability of present solar sail subsystem designs and concepts to future mission requirements through ground testing, computer modeling and analytical simulations. This talk will review the solar sail technology roadmap, current funded technology development work, future funding opportunities, and mission applications.

New-generation bar adsorptive microextraction (BAμE) devices for a better eco-user-friendly analytical approach-Application for the determination of antidepressant pharmaceuticals in biological fluids.

PubMed

Ide, A H; Nogueira, J M F

2018-05-10

The present contribution aims to design new-generation bar adsorptive microextraction (BAμE) devices that promote an innovative and much better user-friendly analytical approach. The novel BAμE devices were lab-made prepared having smaller dimensions by using flexible nylon-based supports (7.5 × 1.0 mm) coated with convenient sorbents (≈ 0.5 mg). This novel advance allows effective microextraction and back-extraction ('only single liquid desorption step') stages as well as interfacing enhancement with the instrumental systems dedicated for routine analysis. To evaluate the achievements of these improvements, four antidepressant agents (bupropion, citalopram, amitriptyline and trazodone) were used as model compounds in aqueous media combined with liquid chromatography (LC) systems. By using an N-vinylpyrrolidone based-polymer phase good selectivity and efficiency were obtained. Assays performed on 25 mL spiked aqueous samples, yielded average recoveries in between 67.8 ± 12.4% (bupropion) and 88.3 ± 12.1% (citalopram), under optimized experimental conditions. The analytical performance also showed convenient precision (RSD < 12%) and detection limits (50 ng L -1 ), as well as linear dynamic ranges (160-2000 ng L -1 ) with suitable determination coefficients (r 2  > 0.9820). The application of the proposed analytical approach on biological fluids showed negligible matrix effects by using the standard addition methodology. From the data obtained, the new-generation BAμE devices presented herein provide an innovative and robust analytical cycle, are simple to prepare, cost-effective, user-friendly and compatible with the current LC autosampler systems. Furthermore, the novel devices were designed to be disposable and used together with negligible amounts of organic solvents (100 μL) during back-extraction, in compliance with the green analytical chemistry principles. In short, the new-generation BAμE devices showed to be an eco-user-friendly approach for trace analysis of priority compounds in biological fluids and a versatile alternative over other well-stablished sorption-based microextraction techniques. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

PROVIDING PLANT DATA ANALYTICS THROUGH A SEAMLESS DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT

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

Bly, Aaron; Oxstrand, Johanna

As technology continues to evolve and become more integrated into a worker’s daily routine in the Nuclear Power industry the need for easy access to data becomes a priority. Not only does the need for data increase but the amount of data collected increases. In most cases the data is collected and stored in various software applications, many of which are legacy systems, which do not offer any other option to access the data except through the application’s user interface. Furthermore the data gets grouped in “silos” according to work function and not necessarily by subject. Hence, in order tomore » access all the information needed for a particular task or analysis one may have to access multiple applications to gather all the data needed. The industry and the research community have identified the need for a digital architecture and more importantly the need for a Seamless Digital Environment. An SDE provides a means to access multiple applications, gather the data points needed, conduct the analysis requested, and present the result to the user with minimal or no effort by the user. In addition, the nuclear utilities have identified the need for research focused on data analytics. The effort should develop and evaluate use cases for data mining and analytics for employing information from plant sensors and database for use in developing improved business analytics. Idaho National Laboratory is leading such effort, which is conducted in close collaboration with vendors, nuclear utilities, Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, and Electric Power Research Institute. The goal of the study is to research potential approaches to building an analytics solution for equipment reliability, on a small scale, focusing on either a single piece of equipment or a single system. The analytics solution will likely consist of a data integration layer, predictive and machine learning layer and the user interface layer that will display the output of the analysis in a straight forward, easy to consume manner. This paper will describe the study and the initial results.« less

Concentrations and loads of nutrients in the tributaries of the Lake Okeechobee watershed, south-central Florida, water years 2004-2008

USGS Publications Warehouse

Byrne, Michael J.; Wood, Molly S.

2011-01-01

Lake Okeechobee in south-central Florida is the second largest freshwater lake in the contiguous United States. Excessive phosphorus loading, harmful high and low water levels, and rapid expansion of non-native vegetation have threatened the health of the lake in recent decades. A study was conducted to monitor discharge and nutrient concentrations from selected tributaries into Lake Okeechobee and to evaluate nutrient loads. The data analysis was performed at 16 monitoring stations from December 2003 to September 2008. Annual and seasonal discharge measured at monitoring stations is affected by rainfall. Hurricanes affected three wet years (2004, 2005, and the latter part of 2008) and resulted in substantially greater discharge than the drought years of 2006, 2007, and the early part of 2008. Rainfall supplies about 50 percent of the water to Lake Okeechobee, discharge from the Kissimmee River supplies about 25 percent, and discharge from tributaries and groundwater seepage along the lake perimeter collectively provide the remaining 25 percent. Annually, tributary discharge from basins located on the west side of the Kissimmee River is about 5 to 6 times greater than that from basins located on the east side. For the purposes of this study, the basins on the east side of the Kissimmee River are called "priority basins" because of elevated phosphorus concentrations, while those on the west side are called "nonpriority" basins. Total annual discharge in the non-priority basins ranged from 245,000 acre-feet (acre-ft) in 2007 to 1,322,000 acre-ft in 2005, while annual discharge from the priority basins ranged from 41,000 acre-ft in 2007 to 219,000 acre-ft in 2005. Mean total phosphorus concentrations ranged from 0.10 to 0.54 milligrams per liter (mg/L) at the 16 tributaries during 2004–2008. Mean concentrations were significantly higher at priority basin sites than at non-priority basin sites, particularly at Arbuckle Creek and C 41A Canal. Concentrations of organic nitrogen plus ammonia ranged from 1.27 to 2.96 mg/L at the 16 tributaries during 2004–2008. Mean concentrations were highest at Fisheating Creek at Lake Placid (a non-priority site), and lowest at Wolff Creek, Taylor Creek near Grassy Island, and Otter Creek (three priority basin sites), and at Arbuckle Creek (a non-priority basin site). Mean concentrations of nitrite plus nitrate ranged from 0.01 to 0.55 mg/L at the 16 tributaries during 2004–2008. Mean concentrations measured in priority basins were significantly higher than those measured in non-priority basins. Nutrient concentrations were substantially lower in the non-priority basins; however, total loads were substantially higher due to discharge that was 5 to 6 times greater than from the priority basins. Total phosphorus, organic nitrogen plus ammonia, and nitrite plus nitrate loads from the non-priority basins were 1.5, 4.5, and 3.5 times greater, respectively, than were loads from the priority basins. In the non-priority basins, total phosphorus loads ranged from 35 metric tons (MT) in 2007 to 247 MT in 2005. In the priority basins, the loads ranged from 18 MT in 2007 to 136 MT in 2005. In the non-priority basins, organic nitrogen plus ammonia loads ranged from 337 MT in 2007 to 2,817 MT in 2005. In the priority basins, organic nitrogen plus ammonia loads ranged from 85 MT in 2007 to 503 MT in 2005. In the non-priority basins, nitrite plus nitrate loads ranged from 34 MT in 2007 to 143 MT in 2005. In the priority basins, nitrite plus nitrate loads ranged from 4 MT in 2007 to 27 MT in 2005.

Theoretical and experimental physical methods of neutron-capture therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borisov, G. I.

2011-09-01

This review is based to a substantial degree on our priority developments and research at the IR-8 reactor of the Russian Research Centre Kurchatov Institute. New theoretical and experimental methods of neutron-capture therapy are developed and applied in practice; these are: A general analytical and semi-empiric theory of neutron-capture therapy (NCT) based on classical neutron physics and its main sections (elementary theories of moderation, diffuse, reflection, and absorption of neutrons) rather than on methods of mathematical simulation. The theory is, first of all, intended for practical application by physicists, engineers, biologists, and physicians. This theory can be mastered by anyone with a higher education of almost any kind and minimal experience in operating a personal computer.

Recent Progress in Biosensors for Environmental Monitoring: A Review

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The environmental monitoring has been one of the priorities at the European and global scale due to the close relationship between the environmental pollution and the human health/socioeconomic development. In this field, the biosensors have been widely employed as cost-effective, fast, in situ, and real-time analytical techniques. The need of portable, rapid, and smart biosensing devices explains the recent development of biosensors with new transduction materials, obtained from nanotechnology, and for multiplexed pollutant detection, involving multidisciplinary experts. This review article provides an update on recent progress in biosensors for the monitoring of air, water, and soil pollutants in real conditions such as pesticides, potentially toxic elements, and small organic molecules including toxins and endocrine disrupting chemicals. PMID:29244756

Recent Progress in Biosensors for Environmental Monitoring: A Review.

PubMed

Justino, Celine I L; Duarte, Armando C; Rocha-Santos, Teresa A P

2017-12-15

The environmental monitoring has been one of the priorities at the European and global scale due to the close relationship between the environmental pollution and the human health/socioeconomic development. In this field, the biosensors have been widely employed as cost-effective, fast, in situ, and real-time analytical techniques. The need of portable, rapid, and smart biosensing devices explains the recent development of biosensors with new transduction materials, obtained from nanotechnology, and for multiplexed pollutant detection, involving multidisciplinary experts. This review article provides an update on recent progress in biosensors for the monitoring of air, water, and soil pollutants in real conditions such as pesticides, potentially toxic elements, and small organic molecules including toxins and endocrine disrupting chemicals.

Intelligent bandwith compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tseng, D. Y.; Bullock, B. L.; Olin, K. E.; Kandt, R. K.; Olsen, J. D.

1980-02-01

The feasibility of a 1000:1 bandwidth compression ratio for image transmission has been demonstrated using image-analysis algorithms and a rule-based controller. Such a high compression ratio was achieved by first analyzing scene content using auto-cueing and feature-extraction algorithms, and then transmitting only the pertinent information consistent with mission requirements. A rule-based controller directs the flow of analysis and performs priority allocations on the extracted scene content. The reconstructed bandwidth-compressed image consists of an edge map of the scene background, with primary and secondary target windows embedded in the edge map. The bandwidth-compressed images are updated at a basic rate of 1 frame per second, with the high-priority target window updated at 7.5 frames per second. The scene-analysis algorithms used in this system together with the adaptive priority controller are described. Results of simulated 1000:1 band width-compressed images are presented. A video tape simulation of the Intelligent Bandwidth Compression system has been produced using a sequence of video input from the data base.

A data fusion-based methodology for optimal redesign of groundwater monitoring networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosseini, Marjan; Kerachian, Reza

2017-09-01

In this paper, a new data fusion-based methodology is presented for spatio-temporal (S-T) redesigning of Groundwater Level Monitoring Networks (GLMNs). The kriged maps of three different criteria (i.e. marginal entropy of water table levels, estimation error variances of mean values of water table levels, and estimation values of long-term changes in water level) are combined for determining monitoring sub-areas of high and low priorities in order to consider different spatial patterns for each sub-area. The best spatial sampling scheme is selected by applying a new method, in which a regular hexagonal gridding pattern and the Thiessen polygon approach are respectively utilized in sub-areas of high and low monitoring priorities. An Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and a S-T kriging models are used to simulate water level fluctuations. To improve the accuracy of the predictions, results of the ANN and S-T kriging models are combined using a data fusion technique. The concept of Value of Information (VOI) is utilized to determine two stations with maximum information values in both sub-areas with high and low monitoring priorities. The observed groundwater level data of these two stations are considered for the power of trend detection, estimating periodic fluctuations and mean values of the stationary components, which are used for determining non-uniform sampling frequencies for sub-areas. The proposed methodology is applied to the Dehgolan plain in northwestern Iran. The results show that a new sampling configuration with 35 and 7 monitoring stations and sampling intervals of 20 and 32 days, respectively in sub-areas with high and low monitoring priorities, leads to a more efficient monitoring network than the existing one containing 52 monitoring stations and monthly temporal sampling.

What criteria do decision makers in Thailand use to set priorities for vaccine introduction?

PubMed

Pooripussarakul, Siriporn; Riewpaiboon, Arthorn; Bishai, David; Muangchana, Charung; Tantivess, Sripen

2016-08-02

There is a need to identify rational criteria and set priorities for vaccines. In Thailand, many licensed vaccines are being considering for introduction into the Expanded Program on Immunization; thus, the government has to make decisions about which vaccines should be adopted. This study aimed to set priorities for new vaccines and to facilitate decision analysis. We used a best-worst scaling study for rank-ordering of vaccines. The candidate vaccines were determined by a set of criteria, including burden of disease, target age group, budget impact, side effect, effectiveness, severity of disease, and cost of vaccine. The criteria were identified from a literature review and by in-depth, open-ended interviews with experts. The priority-setting model was conducted among three groups of stakeholders, including policy makers, healthcare professionals and healthcare administrators. The vaccine data were mapped and then calculated for the probability of selection. From the candidate vaccines, the probability of hepatitis B vaccine being selected by all respondents (96.67 %) was ranked first. This was followed, respectively, by pneumococcal conjugate vaccine-13 (95.09 %) and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine (90.87 %). The three groups of stakeholders (policy makers, healthcare professionals and healthcare administrators) showed the same ranking trends. Most severe disease, high fever rate and high disease burden showed the highest coefficients for criterion levels being selected by all respondents. This result can be implied that a vaccine which can prevent most severe disease with high disease burden and has low safety has a greater chance of being selected by respondents in this study. The priority setting of vaccines through a multiple-criteria approach could contribute to transparency and accountability in the decision-making process. This is a step forward in the development of an evidence-based approach that meets the need of developing country. The methodology is generalizable but its application to another country would require the criteria as relevant to that country.