Incorporating shrub and snag specific LiDAR data into GAP wildlife models

Treesearch

Teresa J Lorenz; Kerri T Vierling; Jody Vogeler; Jeffrey Lonneker; Jocelyn Aycrigg

2015-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey’s Gap Analysis Program (hereafter, GAP) is a nationally based program that uses land cover, vertebrate distributions, and land ownership to identify locations where gaps in conservation coverage exist, and GAP products are commonly used by government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and private citizens. The GAP land-cover...

Research Ethics Review: Identifying Public Policy and Program Gaps

PubMed Central

Strosberg, Martin A.; Gefenas, Eugenijus; Famenka, Andrei

2014-01-01

We present an analytical frame-work for use by fellows of the Fogarty International Center–sponsored Advanced Certificate Program in Research Ethics for Central and Eastern Europe to identify gaps in the public policies establishing research ethics review systems that impede them from doing their job of protecting human research subjects. The framework, illustrated by examples from post-Communist countries, employs a logic model based on the public policy and public management literature. This paper is part of a collection of papers analyzing the Fogarty International Center’s International Research Ethics Education and Curriculum program. PMID:24782068

Identifying knowledge-attitude-practice gaps to enhance HPV vaccine diffusion.

PubMed

Cohen, Elisia L; Head, Katharine J

2013-01-01

To examine differences in knowledge, attitudes, and related practices among adopters and nonadopters of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, the researchers conducted 83 in-depth interviews with 18- to 26-year-old women. The study identified knowledge-attitude-practice gaps in the context of the HPV vaccine to explain why diffusion of a preventive innovation (such as the HPV vaccine) requires targeted risk communication strategies in order to increase demand. Salient findings included similarities between vaccinated and unvaccinated women's lack of knowledge and uncertainties about HPV and cervical cancer. Vaccinated women who had no knowledge of HPV or no-risk/low-risk perceptions of HPV reported receiving vaccination, indicating HPV risk protection behavior could precede knowledge acquisition for vaccinated women. These vaccinated women identified an interpersonal network supportive of vaccination and reported supportive social influences. Among unvaccinated women, unsupportive vaccination attitudes included low perceived personal risk of HPV. In contrast, unvaccinated women often cited erroneous beliefs that HPV could be avoided by abstinence, monogamy, and knowledge of their partners' sexual history as reasons that the vaccine was not personally relevant. Unvaccinated women cited interpersonal influences that activated short- and long-term vaccination safety and efficacy concerns. Different levels of fear regarding the HPV vaccine may underlie (a) attitudinal differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated women in perceived vaccination value and (b) attitude-practice gaps.

Closing the Math Gap of Native American Students Identified as Learning Disabled

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hankes, Judith; Skoning, Stacey; Fast, Gerald; Mason-Williams, Loretta

2013-01-01

This article serves as an overview of activities and selected assessment findings of a three-year research study titled, Closing the Mathematics Achievement Gap of Native American Students Identified as Learning Disabled Project (CMAG Project). Methods used were problem-based, consistent with those of Cognitively Guided Instruction, and culturally…

School nurses can address existing gaps in school-age sleep research.

PubMed

Willgerodt, Mayumi A; Kieckhefer, Gail M

2013-06-01

Sleep has been linked to a host of physical, behavioral, and emotional outcomes, and research has documented that youth across the globe are experiencing inadequate sleep. Despite this knowledge, however, very little research has been conducted on school-age children; much of the extant research has focused on infants, toddlers, preschoolers, adolescents, and adults. School-age children exhibit increasing independence around health-related behaviors, which provide health professionals the opportunity to educate and promote healthy sleep behaviors. This commentary extends previous research reviews by identifying the current gaps in sleep research, highlighting future directions needed in sleep research, and explaining why school nurses are best suited to address this growing public health issue.

Sustainability Tools Inventory Initial Gap Analysis

EPA Science Inventory

This report identifies a suite of tools that address a comprehensive set of community sustainability concerns. The objective is to discover whether "gaps" exist in the tool suite’s analytic capabilities. These tools address activities that significantly influence resource consu...

Identifying gaps, barriers, and solutions in implementing pressure ulcer prevention programs.

PubMed

Jankowski, Irene M; Nadzam, Deborah Morris

2011-06-01

Patients continue to suffer from pressure ulcers (PUs), despite implementation of evidence-based pressure ulcer (PU) prevention protocols. In 2009, Joint Commission Resources (JCR) and Hill-Rom created the Nurse Safety Scholar-in-Residence (nurse scholar) program to foster the professional development of expert nurse clinicians to become translators of evidence into practice. The first nurse scholar activity has focused on PU prevention. Four hospitals with established PU programs participated in the PU prevention implementation project. Each hospital's team completed an inventory of PU prevention program components and provided copies of accompanying documentation, along with prevalence and incidence data. Site visits to the four participating hospitals were arranged to provide opportunities for more in-depth analysis and support. Following the initial site visit, the project team at each hospital developed action plans for the top three barriers to PU program implementation. A series of conference calls was held between the site visits. Pressure Ulcer Program Gaps and Recommendations. The four hospitals shared common gaps in terms of limitations in staff education and training; lack of physician involvement; limited involvement of unlicensed nursing staff; lack of plan for communicating at-risk status; and limited quality improvement evaluations of bedside practices. Detailed recommendations were identified for addressing each of these gaps. these Recommendations for eliminating gaps have been implemented by the participating teams to drive improvement and to reduce hospital-acquired PU rates. The nurse scholars will continue to study implementation of best practices for PU prevention.

Critical Reflection to Identify Gaps between Espoused Theory and Theory-in-Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savaya, Riki; Gardner, Fiona

2012-01-01

Critical reflection (CR) is a process by which one may identify the assumptions governing one's actions, question them, and develop alternative behaviors. This article presents two cases that demonstrate the use of CR to raise social workers' awareness of gaps between what Schon and Argryis term social workers' "espoused theories" and the…

Using Satellite Data to Identify the Causes of and Potential Solutions for Yield Gaps in India's Wheat Belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, M.; Singh, B.; Srivastava, A.; Malik, R. K.; McDonald, A.; Lobell, D. B.

2017-12-01

Food security will be increasingly challenged by climate change, natural resource degradation, and population growth. Wheat yields, in particular, have already stagnated in many regions and will be further affected by warming temperatures. Despite these challenges, wheat yields can be increased by improving management practices in regions with existing yield gaps. We present two studies that are using satellite data to better understand the factors contributing to yield gaps and potential interventions to close yield gaps in India's main wheat belt, the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP). To identify the magnitude and causes of current yield gaps, we produced 30 meter resolution yield maps from 2001 to 2015 using Landsat sallite data and a new method that translates satellite vegetation indices to yield estimates using crop model simulations, bypassing the need for ground calibration data. This is one of the first attempts to apply this method to a smallholder agriculture system, where ground calibration data are rarely available. We find that yields can be increased by 11% on average and up to 32% in the eastern IGP by improving management to current best practices within a given district. Additionally, if current best practices from the highest-yielding state of Punjab are implemented in the eastern IGP, yields could increase by almost 110%. Considering the factors that most influence yields, later sow dates and warmer temperatures are most associated with low yields across the IGP. This suggests that strategies to reduce the negative effects of heat stress, like earlier sowing and planting heat-tolerant wheat varieties, are critical to increasing wheat yields in this globally-important agricultural region. We also apply this method to high-resolution micro-satellite data (< 5 m) to map field and sub-field level yields across villages in Bihar in the eastern IGP. Using these data, we assess the impacts of a new fertilizer spreader technology and identify whether

Identifying the Gaps in Practice for Combating Lead in Drinking Water in Hong Kong

PubMed Central

Lee, Wai Ling; Jia, Jie; Bao, Yani

2016-01-01

Excessive lead has been found in drinking water in Hong Kong in tests carried out in 2015. Investigations have identified that the problem in public rental housing estates was caused by the problematic solders used in the plumbing, and recommendations on enhancing the quality control system and strengthening the relevant water quality standards have been proposed. The cause for the same problem happening in other premises where soldering has not been adopted for water pipe connections is left unidentified. Considering the unidentified cause and the recommendations made, this study aims to identify the gaps in practice followed in Hong Kong for safeguarding the water quality of new installations. A holistic review of governing ordinances and regulations, products and materials used and the testing and commissioning requirements adopted in Hong Kong and elsewhere in the world were conducted. Based on international practices and parametric analysis, it was found that there are gaps in practices followed in Hong Kong, which are directly and indirectly leading to the lead-in-water crisis. Recommendations for improvement in the quality control system, and the water quality standards including the allowable lead content and leaching limit for products and materials and the testing and commissioning requirements on plumbing installations have been made. The review and the identified gaps would become useful reference for countries in strengthening their relevant water quality standards. PMID:27706062

Identifying the Gaps in Practice for Combating Lead in Drinking Water in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Lee, Wai Ling; Jia, Jie; Bao, Yani

2016-09-30

Excessive lead has been found in drinking water in Hong Kong in tests carried out in 2015. Investigations have identified that the problem in public rental housing estates was caused by the problematic solders used in the plumbing, and recommendations on enhancing the quality control system and strengthening the relevant water quality standards have been proposed. The cause for the same problem happening in other premises where soldering has not been adopted for water pipe connections is left unidentified. Considering the unidentified cause and the recommendations made, this study aims to identify the gaps in practice followed in Hong Kong for safeguarding the water quality of new installations. A holistic review of governing ordinances and regulations, products and materials used and the testing and commissioning requirements adopted in Hong Kong and elsewhere in the world were conducted. Based on international practices and parametric analysis, it was found that there are gaps in practices followed in Hong Kong, which are directly and indirectly leading to the lead-in-water crisis. Recommendations for improvement in the quality control system, and the water quality standards including the allowable lead content and leaching limit for products and materials and the testing and commissioning requirements on plumbing installations have been made. The review and the identified gaps would become useful reference for countries in strengthening their relevant water quality standards.

Identifying Anomalous Behaviour in AIS Data: Loitering and Gaps in Transmission as Indicators of IUU Associated Behaviour.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ford, J.; Peel, D.; Wilcox, C.; Kroodsma, D.

2016-12-01

Identifying anomalous behaviour associated with Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing including supportive activities such as transshipment, is a key step to combating IUU fishing. We use spatial statistical models and Automatic Identification System (AIS) data to identify anomalous activity, specifically various indicators of loitering behaviours (for example, vessels travelling slower than expected, perhaps rendezvousing for transshipment), and gaps in AIS transmissions. Gaps occur for three basic reasons: saturation of the system in locations with high vessel density; poor quality transmissions due to equipment on the vessel or receiver; and intentional disabling of AIS transmitters. Resolving which of these mechanisms is generating gaps in transmissions from a given vessel is a critical task in using AIS to monitor vessels. Moreover, separating saturation and equipment issues from intentional disabling is a useful task in risk identification of IUU associated behaviour. Using this information on loitering behaviour and gaps in transmission, we identify and rank vessels which appear to be acting anomalously, with a focus on identifying potential IUU related activities. This information, combined with other sources of data, could help support enforcement agencies to implement international strategies such as the Port State Measures Agreement. A global list of such vessels and historical evidence of anomalous behaviour, would increase local powers of protection and provide one more step toward transparency within global fisheries.

Decision Points and Considerations for Identifying Rural Districts That Have Closed Student Achievement Gaps. REL 2016-130

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Culbertson, Michael J.; Billig, Shelley H.

2016-01-01

Rural districts have long faced challenges in closing achievement gaps between subgroups of students. This brief report describes key decision points and considerations for decision-makers interested in identifying rural districts that have closed academic achievement gaps. Examining practices in these districts may suggest activities associated…

Identifying Knowledge Gaps in Clinicians Who Evaluate and Treat Vocal Performing Artists in College Health Settings.

PubMed

McKinnon-Howe, Leah; Dowdall, Jayme

2018-05-01

The goal of this study was to identify knowledge gaps in clinicians who evaluate and treat performing artists for illnesses and injuries that affect vocal function in college health settings. This pilot study utilized a web-based cross-sectional survey design incorporating common clinical scenarios to test knowledge of evaluation and management strategies in the vocal performing artist. A web-based survey was administered to a purposive sample of 28 clinicians to identify the approach utilized to evaluate and treat vocal performing artists in college health settings, and factors that might affect knowledge gaps and influence referral patterns to voice specialists. Twenty-eight clinicians were surveyed, with 36% of respondents incorrectly identifying appropriate vocal hygiene measures, 56% of respondents failing to identify symptoms of vocal fold hemorrhage, 84% failing to identify other indications for referral to a voice specialist, 96% of respondents acknowledging unfamiliarity with the Voice Handicap Index and the Singers Voice Handicap Index, and 68% acknowledging unfamiliarity with the Reflux Symptom Index. The data elucidated specific knowledge gaps in college health providers who are responsible for evaluating and treating common illnesses that affect vocal function, and triaging and referring students experiencing symptoms of potential vocal emergencies. Future work is needed to improve the standard of care for this population. Copyright © 2018 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Simulation-based assessment to identify critical gaps in safe anesthesia resident performance.

PubMed

Blum, Richard H; Boulet, John R; Cooper, Jeffrey B; Muret-Wagstaff, Sharon L

2014-01-01

Valid methods are needed to identify anesthesia resident performance gaps early in training. However, many assessment tools in medicine have not been properly validated. The authors designed and tested use of a behaviorally anchored scale, as part of a multiscenario simulation-based assessment system, to identify high- and low-performing residents with regard to domains of greatest concern to expert anesthesiology faculty. An expert faculty panel derived five key behavioral domains of interest by using a Delphi process (1) Synthesizes information to formulate a clear anesthetic plan; (2) Implements a plan based on changing conditions; (3) Demonstrates effective interpersonal and communication skills with patients and staff; (4) Identifies ways to improve performance; and (5) Recognizes own limits. Seven simulation scenarios spanning pre-to-postoperative encounters were used to assess performances of 22 first-year residents and 8 fellows from two institutions. Two of 10 trained faculty raters blinded to trainee program and training level scored each performance independently by using a behaviorally anchored rating scale. Residents, fellows, facilitators, and raters completed surveys. Evidence supporting the reliability and validity of the assessment scores was procured, including a high generalizability coefficient (ρ = 0.81) and expected performance differences between first-year resident and fellow participants. A majority of trainees, facilitators, and raters judged the assessment to be useful, realistic, and representative of critical skills required for safe practice. The study provides initial evidence to support the validity of a simulation-based performance assessment system for identifying critical gaps in safe anesthesia resident performance early in training.

Solutions for filling gaps in accountable care measure sets.

PubMed

Valuck, Tom; Dugan, Donna; Dubois, Robert W; Westrich, Kimberly; Penso, Jerry; McClellan, Mark

2015-10-01

A primary objective of accountable care is to support providers in reforming care to improve outcomes and lower costs. Gaps in accountable care measure sets may cause missed opportunities for improvement and missed signals of problems in care. Measures to balance financial incentives may be particularly important for high-cost conditions or specialty treatments. This study explored gaps in measure sets for specific conditions and offers strategies for more comprehensive measurement that do not necessarily require more measures. A descriptive analysis of measure gaps in accountable care programs and proposed solutions for filling the gaps. We analyzed gaps in 2 accountable care organization measure sets for 20 high-priority clinical conditions by comparing the measures in those sets with clinical guidelines and assessing the use of outcome measures. Where we identified gaps, we looked for existing measures to address the gaps. Gaps not addressed by existing measures were considered areas for measure development or measurement strategy refinement. We found measure gaps across all 20 conditions, including those conditions that are commonly addressed in current measure sets. In addition, we found many gaps that could not be filled by existing measures. Results across all 20 conditions informed recommendations for measure set improvement. Addressing all gaps in accountable care measure sets with more of the same types of measures and approaches to measurement would require an impractical number of measures and would miss the opportunity to use better measures and innovative approaches. Strategies for effectively filling measure gaps include using preferred measure types such as cross-cutting, outcome, and patient-reported measures. Program implementers should also apply new approaches to measurement, including layered and modular models.

Sustainability Tools Inventory - Initial Gaps Analysis | Science ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This report identifies a suite of tools that address a comprehensive set of community sustainability concerns. The objective is to discover whether "gaps" exist in the tool suite’s analytic capabilities. These tools address activities that significantly influence resource consumption, waste generation, and hazard generation including air pollution and greenhouse gases. In addition, the tools have been evaluated using four screening criteria: relevance to community decision making, tools in an appropriate developmental stage, tools that may be transferrable to situations useful for communities, and tools with requiring skill levels appropriate to communities. This document provides an initial gap analysis in the area of community sustainability decision support tools. It provides a reference to communities for existing decision support tools, and a set of gaps for those wishing to develop additional needed tools to help communities to achieve sustainability. It contributes to SHC 1.61.4

Tire Crumb Research Study Literature Review / Gap ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

In order to more fully understand data gaps in human exposure and toxicity to tire crumb materials, ATSDR, CPSC and EPA undertook a collaborative effort in the form of a scientific literature review and subsequent gaps analysis. The first objective of the Literature Review and Gap Analysis (LRGA) collaboration was to identify the existing body of literature related specifically to human exposure to tire crumb materials through the use of synthetic turf athletic fields and playgrounds. The second objective was to characterize and summarize the relevant data from the scientific literature. The final objective was to review the summary information and identify data gaps to build on the current understanding of the state-of-the-science and inform the development of specific research efforts that would be most impactful in the near-term. Because of the need for additional information, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) launched a multi-agency action plan to study key environmental human health questions. The Federal Research Action Plan includes numerous activities, including research studies (U.S. EPA, 2016). A key objective of the Action Plan is to identify key knowledge gaps.

Mind the Gap. A systematic review to identify usability and safety challenges and practices during electronic health record implementation.

PubMed

Ratwani, Raj; Fairbanks, Terry; Savage, Erica; Adams, Katie; Wittie, Michael; Boone, Edna; Hayden, Andrew; Barnes, Janey; Hettinger, Zach; Gettinger, Andrew

2016-11-16

Decisions made during electronic health record (EHR) implementations profoundly affect usability and safety. This study aims to identify gaps between the current literature and key stakeholders' perceptions of usability and safety practices and the challenges encountered during the implementation of EHRs. Two approaches were used: a literature review and interviews with key stakeholders. We performed a systematic review of the literature to identify usability and safety challenges and best practices during implementation. A total of 55 articles were reviewed through searches of PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. We used a qualitative approach to identify key stakeholders' perceptions; semi-structured interviews were conducted with a diverse set of health IT stakeholders to understand their current practices and challenges related to usability during implementation. We used a grounded theory approach: data were coded, sorted, and emerging themes were identified. Conclusions from both sources of data were compared to identify areas of misalignment. We identified six emerging themes from the literature and stakeholder interviews: cost and resources, risk assessment, governance and consensus building, customization, clinical workflow and usability testing, and training. Across these themes, there were misalignments between the literature and stakeholder perspectives, indicating major gaps. Major gaps identified from each of six emerging themes are discussed as critical areas for future research, opportunities for new stakeholder initiatives, and opportunities to better disseminate resources to improve the implementation of EHRs. Our analysis identified practices and challenges across six different emerging themes, illustrated important gaps, and results suggest critical areas for future research and dissemination to improve EHR implementation.

Undecidability of the spectral gap.

PubMed

Cubitt, Toby S; Perez-Garcia, David; Wolf, Michael M

2015-12-10

The spectral gap--the energy difference between the ground state and first excited state of a system--is central to quantum many-body physics. Many challenging open problems, such as the Haldane conjecture, the question of the existence of gapped topological spin liquid phases, and the Yang-Mills gap conjecture, concern spectral gaps. These and other problems are particular cases of the general spectral gap problem: given the Hamiltonian of a quantum many-body system, is it gapped or gapless? Here we prove that this is an undecidable problem. Specifically, we construct families of quantum spin systems on a two-dimensional lattice with translationally invariant, nearest-neighbour interactions, for which the spectral gap problem is undecidable. This result extends to undecidability of other low-energy properties, such as the existence of algebraically decaying ground-state correlations. The proof combines Hamiltonian complexity techniques with aperiodic tilings, to construct a Hamiltonian whose ground state encodes the evolution of a quantum phase-estimation algorithm followed by a universal Turing machine. The spectral gap depends on the outcome of the corresponding 'halting problem'. Our result implies that there exists no algorithm to determine whether an arbitrary model is gapped or gapless, and that there exist models for which the presence or absence of a spectral gap is independent of the axioms of mathematics.

Semiparametric methods to contrast gap time survival functions: Application to repeat kidney transplantation.

PubMed

Shu, Xu; Schaubel, Douglas E

2016-06-01

Times between successive events (i.e., gap times) are of great importance in survival analysis. Although many methods exist for estimating covariate effects on gap times, very few existing methods allow for comparisons between gap times themselves. Motivated by the comparison of primary and repeat transplantation, our interest is specifically in contrasting the gap time survival functions and their integration (restricted mean gap time). Two major challenges in gap time analysis are non-identifiability of the marginal distributions and the existence of dependent censoring (for all but the first gap time). We use Cox regression to estimate the (conditional) survival distributions of each gap time (given the previous gap times). Combining fitted survival functions based on those models, along with multiple imputation applied to censored gap times, we then contrast the first and second gap times with respect to average survival and restricted mean lifetime. Large-sample properties are derived, with simulation studies carried out to evaluate finite-sample performance. We apply the proposed methods to kidney transplant data obtained from a national organ transplant registry. Mean 10-year graft survival of the primary transplant is significantly greater than that of the repeat transplant, by 3.9 months (p=0.023), a result that may lack clinical importance. © 2015, The International Biometric Society.

Using Factors of Socioeconomic Status, Family Support, and Academic Preparation to Explain the Black-White Gap in Mathematics Achievement and Participation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Charity Noel

2012-01-01

The Black-White achievement and participation gap in mathematics is a major concern for educators in America. In order to understand why these gaps exist and have continued to exist over the years, it is important to identify some of the factors that may contribute to them. However, one of the limitations in identifying factors that influence the…

An Investigation to Validate the Grammar and Phonology Screening (GAPS) Test to Identify Children with Specific Language Impairment

PubMed Central

van der Lely, Heather K. J.; Payne, Elisabeth; McClelland, Alastair

2011-01-01

Background The extraordinarily high incidence of grammatical language impairments in developmental disorders suggests that this uniquely human cognitive function is “fragile”. Yet our understanding of the neurobiology of grammatical impairments is limited. Furthermore, there is no “gold-standard” to identify grammatical impairments and routine screening is not undertaken. An accurate screening test to identify grammatical abilities would serve the research, health and education communities, further our understanding of developmental disorders, and identify children who need remediation, many of whom are currently un-diagnosed. A potential realistic screening tool that could be widely administered is the Grammar and Phonology Screening (GAPS) test – a 10 minute test that can be administered by professionals and non-professionals alike. Here we provide a further step in evaluating the validity and accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) of the GAPS test in identifying children who have Specific Language Impairment (SLI). Methods and Findings We tested three groups of children; two groups aged 3;6–6:6, a typically developing (n = 30) group, and a group diagnosed with SLI: (n = 11) (Young (Y)-SLI), and a further group aged 6;9–8;11 with SLI (Older (O)-SLI) (n = 10) who were above the test age norms. We employed a battery of language assessments including the GAPS test to assess the children's language abilities. For Y-SLI children, analyses revealed a sensitivity and specificity at the 5th and 10th percentile of 1.00 and 0.98, respectively, and for O-SLI children at the 10th and 15th percentile .83 and .90, respectively. Conclusions The findings reveal that the GAPS is highly accurate in identifying impaired vs. non-impaired children up to 6;8 years, and has moderate-to-high accuracy up to 9 years. The results indicate that GAPS is a realistic tool for the early identification of grammatical abilities and impairment in young children. A larger

Improving the Pharmacologic Management of Pain in Older Adults: Identifying the Research Gaps and Methods to Address Them

PubMed Central

Reid, M. C.; Bennett, David A.; Chen, Wen G.; Eldadah, Basil A.; Farrar, John T.; Ferrell, Bruce; Gallagher, Rollin M.; Hanlon, Joseph T.; Herr, Keela; Horn, Susan D.; Inturrisi, Charles E.; Lemtouni, Salma; Lin, Yu Woody; Michaud, Kaleb; Morrison, R. Sean; Neogi, Tuhina; Porter, Linda L.; Solomon, Daniel H.; Von Korff, Michael; Weiss, Karen; Witter, James; Zacharoff, Kevin L.

2011-01-01

Objective There has been a growing recognition of the need for better pharmacologic management of chronic pain among older adults. To address this need, the National Institutes of Health Pain Consortium sponsored an “Expert Panel Discussion on the Pharmacological Management of Chronic Pain in Older Adults” conference in September, 2010, to identify research gaps and strategies to address them. Specific emphasis was placed on ascertaining gaps regarding use of opioid and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications because of continued uncertainties regarding their risks and benefits. Design Eighteen panel members provided oral presentations; each was followed by a multidisciplinary panel discussion. Meeting transcripts and panelists’ slide presentations were reviewed to identify the gaps, and the types of studies and research methods panelists suggested could best address them. Results Fifteen gaps were identified in the areas of treatment(e.g., uncertainty regarding the long-term safety and efficacy of commonly prescribed analgesics), epidemiology (e.g., lack of knowledge regarding the course of common pain syndromes), and implementation(e.g., limited understanding of optimal strategies to translate evidence-based pain treatments into practice). Analyses of data from electronic health care databases, observational cohort studies, and ongoing cohort studies (augmented with pain and other relevant outcomes measures) were felt to be practical methods for building an age-appropriate evidence base to improve the pharmacologic management of pain in later life. Conclusions Addressing the gaps presented in the current report was judged by the panel to have substantial potential to improve the health and well being of older adults with chronic pain. PMID:21834914

A knowledge transfer scheme to bridge the gap between science and practice: an integration of existing research frameworks into a tool for practice.

PubMed

Verhagen, Evert; Voogt, Nelly; Bruinsma, Anja; Finch, Caroline F

2014-04-01

Evidence of effectiveness does not equal successful implementation. To progress the field, practical tools are needed to bridge the gap between research and practice and to truly unite effectiveness and implementation evidence. This paper describes the Knowledge Transfer Scheme integrating existing implementation research frameworks into a tool which has been developed specifically to bridge the gap between knowledge derived from research on the one side and evidence-based usable information and tools for practice on the other.

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

Accounting Practitioners Reflect on Faculty Impact: Bridging the Gap between Theory and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Ryan

2014-01-01

A gap exists between the perception of accounting education in the classroom and accounting as it is practiced. This study explores qualitatively the perceptions and experiences of mid-career accounting professionals with respect to the impact of academic faculty on their careers in accounting. The study identifies a perception gap in the…

Obesity educational interventions in U.S. medical schools: a systematic review and identified gaps.

PubMed

Vitolins, Mara Z; Crandall, Sonia; Miller, David; Ip, Eddie; Marion, Gail; Spangler, John G

2012-01-01

Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States. However, physicians feel poorly trained to address the obesity epidemic. This article examines effective training methods for overweight and obesity intervention in undergraduate medical education. Using indexing terms related to overweight, obesity, and medical student education, we conducted a literature searched PubMed PsycINFO, Cochrane, and ERIC for relevant articles in English. References from articles identified were also reviewed to located additional articles. We included all studies that incorporated process or outcome evaluations of obesity educational interventions for U.S. medical students. Of an initial 168 citations, 40 abstracts were retrieved; 11 studies were found to be pertinent to medical student obesity education, but only 5 included intervention and evaluation elements. Quality criteria for inclusion consisted of explicit evaluation of the educational methods used. Data extraction identified participants (e.g., year of medical students), interventions, evaluations, and results. These 5 studies successfully used a variety of teaching methods including hands on training, didactic lectures, role-playing, and standardized patient interaction to increase medical students' knowledge, attitudes, and skills regarding overweight and obesity intervention. Two studies addressed medical student bias toward overweight and obese patients. No studies addressed health disparities in the epidemiology and bias of obesity. Despite the commonly cited "obesity epidemic," there are very few published studies that report the effectiveness of medical school obesity educational programs. Gaps still exist within undergraduate medical education including specific training that addresses obesity and long-term studies showing that such training is retained.

A gap analysis and comprehensive conservation strategy for riverine ecosystems of Missouri

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sowa, Scott P.; Annis, Gust; Morey, Michael E.; Diamond, David D.

2007-01-01

North America harbors an astounding proportion of the world's freshwater species, but it is facing a freshwater biodiversity crisis. A first step to slowing the loss of biodiversity involves identifying gaps in existing efforts to conserve biodiversity and prioritizing opportunities to fill these gaps. In this monograph we detail two separate, but complementary, conservation planning efforts - a Gap Analysis (GAP) and a State Wildlife Action Plan (WAP) - for Missouri that address this first step. The goal of the Missouri Aquatic GAP Project was to identify riverine ecosystems, habitats, and species not adequately represented (i.e., gaps) within existing conservation lands. The goal of the freshwater component of the Missouri Wildlife Action Plan was to identify and map a set of conservation-opportunity areas (COAs) that holistically represent all riverine ecosystems, habitats, and species in Missouri. Since conservation planning is a geographical exercise, both efforts utilized geographic information systems (GIS). Four principal GIS data sets were used in each planning effort: (1) a hierarchical riverine ecosystem classification, (2) predicted species distributions, (3) public ownership/stewardship, and (4) a human-threat index. Results of the gap analyses are not encouraging. Forty five, mostly rare, threatened, or endangered, species are not represented in lands set aside for conserving biodiversity. Results also illustrate the fragmented nature of conservation lands, which are mainly situated in the uplands and fail to provide connectivity among riverine habitats. Furthermore, many conservation lands are severely threatened by an array of human disturbances. In contrast, results of the WAP provide hope that relatively intact riverine ecosystems still exist. A total of 158 COAs, representing ∼6% of the total kilometers of stream in Missouri, were selected for the WAP. This illustrates that a wide spectrum of biodiversity can be represented within a small

Integrating environmental gap analysis with spatial conservation prioritization: a case study from Victoria, Australia.

PubMed

Sharafi, Seyedeh Mahdieh; Moilanen, Atte; White, Matt; Burgman, Mark

2012-12-15

Gap analysis is used to analyse reserve networks and their coverage of biodiversity, thus identifying gaps in biodiversity representation that may be filled by additional conservation measures. Gap analysis has been used to identify priorities for species and habitat types. When it is applied to identify gaps in the coverage of environmental variables, it embodies the assumption that combinations of environmental variables are effective surrogates for biodiversity attributes. The question remains of how to fill gaps in conservation systems efficiently. Conservation prioritization software can identify those areas outside existing conservation areas that contribute to the efficient covering of gaps in biodiversity features. We show how environmental gap analysis can be implemented using high-resolution information about environmental variables and ecosystem condition with the publicly available conservation prioritization software, Zonation. Our method is based on the conversion of combinations of environmental variables into biodiversity features. We also replicated the analysis by using Species Distribution Models (SDMs) as biodiversity features to evaluate the robustness and utility of our environment-based analysis. We apply the technique to a planning case study of the state of Victoria, Australia. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bridging existing governance gaps: five evidence-based actions that boards can take to pursue high quality care.

PubMed

Leggat, Sandra G; Balding, Cathy

2017-11-13

Objective To explore the impact of the organisational quality systems on quality of care in Victorian health services. Methods During 2015 a total of 55 focus groups were conducted with more than 350 managers, clinical staff and board members in eight Victorian health services to explore the effectiveness of health service quality systems. A review of the quality and safety goals and strategies outlined in the strategic and operating plans of the participating health services was also undertaken. Results This paper focuses on the data related to the leadership role of health service boards in ensuring safe, high-quality care. The findings suggest that health service boards are not fully meeting their governance accountability to ensure consistently high-quality care. The data uncovered major clinical governance gaps between stated board and executive aspirations for quality and safety and the implementation of these expectations at point of care. These gaps were further compounded by quality system confusion, over-reliance on compliance, and inadequate staff engagement. Conclusion Based on the existing evidence we propose five specific actions boards can take to close the gaps, thereby supporting improved care for all consumers. What is known about this topic? Effective governance is essential for high-quality healthcare delivery. Boards are required to play an active role in their organisation's pursuit of high quality care. What does this paper add? Recent government reports suggest that Australian health service boards are not fully meeting their governance requirements for high quality, safe care delivery, and our research pinpoints key governance gaps. What are the implications for practitioners? Based on our research findings we outline five evidence-based actions for boards to improve their governance of quality care delivery. These actions focus on an organisational strategy for high-quality care, with the chief executive officer held accountable for

Cochrane systematic reviews are useful to map research gaps for decreasing maternal mortality.

PubMed

Chapman, Evelina; Reveiz, Ludovic; Chambliss, Amy; Sangalang, Stephanie; Bonfill, Xavier

2013-01-01

To use an "evidence-mapping" approach to assess the usefulness of Cochrane reviews in identifying research gaps in the maternal health. The article describes the general mapping, prioritizing, reconciling, and updating approach: (1) identifying gaps in the maternal health research using published systematic reviews and formulating research questions, (2) prioritizing questions using Delphi method, (3) reconciling identified research priorities with the existing literature (i.e., searching of ongoing trials in trials registries), (4) updating the process. A comprehensive search of Cochrane systematic reviews published or updated from January 2006 to March 2011 was performed. We evaluated the "Implications for Research" section to identify gaps in the research. Our search strategy identified 695 references; 178 systematic reviews identifying at least one research gap were used. We formulated 319 research questions, which were classified into 11 different categories based on the direct and indirect causes of maternal mortality: postpartum hemorrhage, abortion, hypertensive disorders, infection/sepsis, caesarean section, diabetes, pregnancy prevention, preterm labor, other direct causes, indirect causes, and health policies and systems. Most research questions concerned the effectiveness of clinical interventions, including drugs (42.6%), nonpharmacologic interventions (16.3%), and health system (14.7%). It is possible to identify gaps in the maternal health research by using this approach. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

GAP Analysis Bulletin Number 15

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maxwell, Jill; Gergely, Kevin; Aycrigg, Jocelyn; Canonico, Gabrielle; Davidson, Anne; Coffey, Nicole

2008-01-01

The Mission of the Gap Analysis Program (GAP) is to promote conservation by providing broad geographic information on biological diversity to resource managers, planners, and policy makers who can use the information to make informed decisions. As part of the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) ?a collaborative program to provide increased access to data and information on the nation?s biological resources--GAP data and analytical tools have been used in hundreds of applications: from basic research to comprehensive state wildlife plans; from educational projects in schools to ecoregional assessments of biodiversity. The challenge: keeping common species common means protecting them BEFORE they become threatened. To do this on a state or regional basis requires key information such as land cover descriptions, predicted distribution maps for native animals, and an assessment of the level of protection currently given to those plants and animals. GAP works cooperatively with Federal, state, and local natural resource professionals and academics to provide this kind of information. GAP activities focus on the creation of state and regional databases and maps that depict patterns of land management, land cover, and biodiversity. These data can be used to identify ?gaps? in conservation--instances where an animal or plant community is not adequately represented on the existing network of conservation lands. GAP is administered through the U.S. Geological Survey. Through building partnerships among disparate groups, GAP hopes to foster the kind of collaboration that is needed to address conservation issues on a broad scale. For more information, contact: John Mosesso National GAP Director 703-648-4079 Kevin Gergely National GAP Operations Manager 208-885-3565

Filling the gap between identified neuroblasts and neurons in crustaceans adds new support for Tetraconata

PubMed Central

Ungerer, Petra; Scholtz, Gerhard

2007-01-01

The complex spatio-temporal patterns of development and anatomy of nervous systems play a key role in our understanding of arthropod evolution. However, the degree of resolution of neural processes is not always detailed enough to claim homology between arthropod groups. One example is neural precursors and their progeny in crustaceans and insects. Pioneer neurons of crustaceans and insects show some similarities that indicate homology. In contrast, the differentiation of insect and crustacean neuroblasts (NBs) shows profound differences and their homology is controversial. For Drosophila and grasshoppers, the complete lineage of several NBs up to formation of pioneer neurons is known. Apart from data on median NBs no comparable results exist for Crustacea. Accordingly, it is not clear where the crustacean pioneer neurons come from and whether there are NBs lateral to the midline homologous to those of insects. To fill this gap, individual NBs in the ventral neuroectoderm of the crustacean Orchestia cavimana were labelled in vivo with a fluorescent dye. A partial neuroblast map was established and for the first time lineages from individual NBs to identified pioneer neurons were established in a crustacean. Our data strongly suggest homology of NBs and their lineages, providing further evidence for a close insect–crustacean relationship. PMID:18048285

Gap Analysis and Conservation Network for Freshwater Wetlands in Central Yangtze Ecoregion

PubMed Central

Xiaowen, Li; Haijin, Zhuge; Li, Mengdi

2013-01-01

The Central Yangtze Ecoregion contains a large area of internationally important freshwater wetlands and supports a huge number of endangered waterbirds; however, these unique wetlands and the biodiversity they support are under the constant threats of human development pressures, and the prevailing conservation strategies generated based on the local scale cannot adequately be used as guidelines for ecoregion-based conservation initiatives for Central Yangtze at the broad scale. This paper aims at establishing and optimizing an ecological network for freshwater wetland conservation in the Central Yangtze Ecoregion based on large-scale gap analysis. A group of focal species and GIS-based extrapolation technique were employed to identify the potential habitats and conservation gaps, and the optimized conservation network was then established by combining existing protective system and identified conservation gaps. Our results show that only 23.49% of the potential habitats of the focal species have been included in the existing nature reserves in the Central Yangtze Ecoregion. To effectively conserve over 80% of the potential habitats for the focal species by optimizing the existing conservation network for the freshwater wetlands in Central Yangtze Ecoregion, it is necessary to establish new wetland nature reserves in 22 county units across Hubei, Anhui, and Jiangxi provinces. PMID:24062632

Gap analysis and conservation network for freshwater wetlands in Central Yangtze Ecoregion.

PubMed

Xiaowen, Li; Haijin, Zhuge; Li, Mengdi

2013-01-01

The Central Yangtze Ecoregion contains a large area of internationally important freshwater wetlands and supports a huge number of endangered waterbirds; however, these unique wetlands and the biodiversity they support are under the constant threats of human development pressures, and the prevailing conservation strategies generated based on the local scale cannot adequately be used as guidelines for ecoregion-based conservation initiatives for Central Yangtze at the broad scale. This paper aims at establishing and optimizing an ecological network for freshwater wetland conservation in the Central Yangtze Ecoregion based on large-scale gap analysis. A group of focal species and GIS-based extrapolation technique were employed to identify the potential habitats and conservation gaps, and the optimized conservation network was then established by combining existing protective system and identified conservation gaps. Our results show that only 23.49% of the potential habitats of the focal species have been included in the existing nature reserves in the Central Yangtze Ecoregion. To effectively conserve over 80% of the potential habitats for the focal species by optimizing the existing conservation network for the freshwater wetlands in Central Yangtze Ecoregion, it is necessary to establish new wetland nature reserves in 22 county units across Hubei, Anhui, and Jiangxi provinces.

Results of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG) Gap Review: Specific Action Team (SAT), Examination of Strategic Knowledge Gaps (SKGs) for Human Exploration of the Moon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shearer, C. K.; Eppler, D.; Farrell, W.; Gruener, J.; Lawrence, S.; Pellis, N.; Spudis, P. D.; Stopar, J.; Zeigler, R.; Neal, C;

Assessing state-wide biodiversity in the Florida Gap analysis project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pearlstine, L.G.; Smith, S.E.; Brandt, L.A.; Allen, Craig R.; Kitchens, W.M.; Stenberg, J.

2002-01-01

The Florida Gap (FI-Gap) project provides an assessment of the degree to which native animal species and natural communities are or are not represented in existing conservation lands. Those species and communities not adequately represented in areas being managed for native species constitute 'gaps' in the existing network of conservation lands. The United States Geological Survey Gap Analysis Program is a national effort and so, eventually, all 50 states will have completed it. The objective of FI-Gap was to provide broad geographic information on the status of terrestrial vertebrates, butterflies, skippers and ants and their respective habitats to address the loss of biological diversity. To model the distributions and potential habitat of all terrestrial species of mammals, breeding birds, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, skippers and ants in Florida, natural land cover was mapped to the level of dominant or co-dominant plant species. Land cover was classified from Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) satellite imagery and auxiliary data such as the national wetlands inventory (NWI), soils maps, aerial imagery, existing land use/land cover maps, and on-the-ground surveys, Wildlife distribution models were produced by identifying suitable habitat for each species within that species' range, Mammalian models also assessed a minimum critical area required for sustainability of the species' population. Wildlife species richness was summarized against land stewardship ranked by an area's mandates for conservation protection. ?? 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mitigating the Mathematical Knowledge Gap between High School and First Year University Chemical Engineering Mathematics Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basitere, Moses; Ivala, Eunice

2015-01-01

This paper reports on a study carried out at a University of Technology, South Africa, aimed at identifying the existence of the mathematical knowledge gap and evaluating the intervention designed to bridge the knowledge gap amongst students studying first year mathematics at the Chemical Engineering Extended Curriculum Program (ECP). In this…

Using a research framework to identify knowledge gaps in research on food marketing to children in Australia.

PubMed

Chapman, Kathy; Kelly, Bridget; King, Lesley

2009-06-01

Research in the field of food marketing to children requires a better understanding of the research gaps in order to inform policy development. The purpose of this paper was to propose a framework for classifying food marketing research, using Australian research on food marketing to children to demonstrate how this framework can be used to determine knowledge gaps. A literature review of research databases and 'grey' material was conducted to identify research from the previous 10 years. Studies were classified according to their research focus, and media type, as either: exposure, including content analyses; effects of exposure, including opinions, attitudes and actions resulting from food marketing exposure; regulations, including the type and level of regulation that applies to food marketing; or breaches of regulations, including instances where marketing regulations have been violated. The majority of Australian research on food marketing to children has focused on television advertising and exposure research. Research has consistently shown that the content of food marketing directed at children is predominately for unhealthy foods. There is a lack of research on the effects of food marketing, which would be valuable to inform policy. The development of a logical framework for food marketing research allows for the identification of research gaps and enables research priorities to be identified.

Preparation of Gap Junctions in Membrane Microdomains for Immunoprecipitation and Mass Spectrometry Interactome Analysis.

PubMed

Fowler, Stephanie; Akins, Mark; Bennett, Steffany A L

2016-01-01

Protein interaction networks at gap junction plaques are increasingly implicated in a variety of intracellular signaling cascades. Identifying protein interactions of integral membrane proteins is a valuable tool for determining channel function. However, several technical challenges exist. Subcellular fractionation of the bait protein matrix is usually required to identify less abundant proteins in complex homogenates. Sufficient solvation of the lipid environment without perturbation of the protein interactome must also be achieved. The present chapter describes the flotation of light and heavy liver tissue membrane microdomains to facilitate the identification and analysis of endogenous gap junction proteins and includes technical notes for translation to other integral membrane proteins, tissues, or cell culture models. These procedures are valuable tools for the enrichment of gap junction membrane compartments and for the identification of gap junction signaling interactomes.

Gap Analysis: Rethinking the Conceptual Foundations

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-30

2 Gap Analysis Background.......................................................................4 Research ...which we are intending, then there could exist a basis for gap in capability and therefore a desire to close the capability gap . What you desire...future reality that can be formulated, definitized, and established or constructed. But, Gap Analysis is not intended to close the space between the

Perspective: Closing the Dietary Fiber Gap: An Ancient Solution for a 21st Century Problem.

PubMed

Thompson, Henry J; Brick, Mark A

2016-07-01

An important gap exists between the daily amounts of fiber recommended in the human diet (28-42 g/d) and that which is actually consumed (median intake, 12-14 g/d). In fact, <5% of Americans meet the recommended intake for dietary fiber, and the magnitude of the gap is large, approximately a 50-70% shortfall. Because considerable evidence indicates that dietary fiber affects normal physiologic function and the onset of chronic diseases and their progression, the fiber gap represents an opportune target at which dietary interventions can be directed. This perspective considers whether a scientific basis exists for the current lack of emphasis on pulse crops, that is, grain legumes (common bean, chickpea, lentils, and garden pea) as a concentrated, inexpensive, and widely available source of dietary fiber. Attention is directed to this topic because the fiber gap has existed for decades with little improvement despite nutrition labeling, consumer education about the value of whole-grain cereal crop-based products, and the introduction of many fiber-enriched foods. The time is long overdue to identify additional approaches that have the potential to close the dietary fiber gap. To this end, the potential role of pulse crops in remediating this gap is examined. © 2016 American Society for Nutrition.

Improvement of effectiveness of existing Casuarina equisetifolia forests in mitigating tsunami damage.

PubMed

Samarakoon, M B; Tanaka, Norio; Iimura, Kosuke

2013-01-15

Coastal vegetation can play a significant role in reducing the severity of a tsunami because the energy associated with the tsunami is dissipated when it passes through coastal vegetation. Field surveys were conducted on the eastern coastline of Sri Lanka to investigate which vegetation species are effective against a tsunami and to evaluate the effectiveness of existing Casuarina equisetifolia forests in tsunami mitigation. Open gaps in C. equisetifolia forests were identified as a disadvantage, and introduction of a new vegetation belt in front or back of the existing C. equisetifolia forest is proposed to reduce the disadvantages of the open gap. Among the many plant species encountered during the field survey, ten species were selected as effective for tsunami disaster mitigation. The selection of appropriate vegetation for the front or back vegetation layer was based on the vegetation thickness per unit area (dN(u)) and breaking moment of each species. A numerical model based on two-dimensional nonlinear long-wave equations was applied to explain the present situation of open gaps in C. equisetifolia forests, and to evaluate the effectiveness of combined vegetation systems. The results of the numerical simulation for existing conditions of C. equisetifolia forests revealed that the tsunami force ratio (R = tsunami force with vegetation/tsunami force without vegetation) was 1.4 at the gap exit. The species selected for the front and back vegetation layers were Pandanus odoratissimus and Manilkara hexandra, respectively. A numerical simulation of the modified system revealed that R was reduced to 0.7 in the combined P. odoratissimus and C. equisetifolia system. However, the combination of C. equisetifolia and M. hexandra did not effectively reduce R at the gap exit. Therefore, P. odoratissimus as the front vegetation layer is proposed to reduce the disadvantages of the open gaps in existing C. equisetifolia forests. The optimal width of P. odoratissimus (W(1

Skills Gaps in Australian Firms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindorff, Margaret

2011-01-01

This paper reports the results of a survey of more than 2000 managers examining perceptions of skills gaps in a range of Australian firms. It finds that three quarters report a skills gap, and almost one third report skills gaps across the whole organisation. Firm size and industry differences exist in perceptions of the effect of the skills gap…

Multifrequency Gap Solitons in Nonlinear Photonic Crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Ping; Zhang, Zhao-Qing

2003-11-01

We predict the existence of multifrequency gap solitons (MFGSs) in both one- and two-dimensional nonlinear photonic crystals. A MFGS is a single intrinsic mode possessing multiple frequencies inside the gap. Its existence is a result of synergic nonlinear coupling among solitons or soliton trains at different frequencies. Its formation can either lower the threshold fields of the respective frequency components or stabilize their excitations. These MFGSs form a new class of stable gap solitons.

Using satellite data to identify the causes of and potential solutions for yield gaps in India’s Wheat Belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, M.; Singh, Balwinder; Srivastava, A. A. K.; Malik, R. K.; McDonald, A. J.; Lobell, D. B.

2017-09-01

Food security will be increasingly challenged by climate change, natural resource degradation, and population growth. Wheat yields, in particular, have already stagnated in many regions and will be further affected by warming temperatures. Despite these challenges, wheat yields can be increased by improving management practices in regions with existing yield gaps. To identify the magnitude and causes of current yield gaps in India, one of the largest wheat producers globally, we produced 30 meter resolution yield maps from 2001 to 2015 across the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP), the nation’s main wheat belt. Yield maps were derived using a new method that translates satellite vegetation indices to yield estimates using crop model simulations, bypassing the need for ground calibration data. This is one of the first attempts to apply this method to a smallholder agriculture system, where ground calibration data are rarely available. We find that yields can be increased by 11% on average and up to 32% in the eastern IGP by improving management to current best practices within a given district. Additionally, if current best practices from the highest-yielding state of Punjab are implemented in the eastern IGP, yields could increase by almost 110%. Considering the factors that most influence yields, later sow dates and warmer temperatures are most associated with low yields across the IGP. This suggests that strategies to reduce the negative effects of heat stress, like earlier sowing and planting heat-tolerant wheat varieties, are critical to increasing wheat yields in this globally-important agricultural region.

Brokering the Research-Practice Gap: A typology.

PubMed

Neal, Jennifer Watling; Neal, Zachary P; Kornbluh, Mariah; Mills, Kristen J; Lawlor, Jennifer A

2015-12-01

Despite widespread recognition of a research-practice gap in multiple service sectors, less is known about how pre-existing communication channels facilitate the flow of information between researchers and practitioners. In the current study, we applied an existing typology of brokerage developed by Gould and Fernandez (Sociol Methodol 19:89-126, 1989) to examine what types of brokerage facilitate information spread between researchers and educational practitioners. Specifically, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 school administrators and staff in two public school districts regarding their experiences searching for information about instructional, health, and social skills programs. Using deductive content analysis, we found evidence of all five types of brokerage identified by Gould and Fernandez (1989). However, only three types of brokerage-gatekeepers, representatives, and liaisons-were involved in the flow of information between school administrators and researchers. Moreover, information transfer often occurred in longer chains that involved multiple, distinct types of brokerage. We conclude with the broad implications of our findings for narrowing the research-practice gap by improving researchers' dissemination efforts and practitioners' search for information.

Creativity and Innovation in Science and Technology: Bridging the Gap between Secondary and Tertiary Levels of Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramma, Yashwantrao; Samy, Martin; Gopee, Ajit

2015-01-01

Purpose: This paper stems from a study which was conducted as a means to first, find out whether there is a gap between the secondary and tertiary education levels, second identify any existing gap in Science and Technology education, and third, examine the impact of the above upon students' creativity and innovativeness at university level. The…

Perspective: Closing the Dietary Fiber Gap: An Ancient Solution for a 21st Century Problem12

PubMed Central

Thompson, Henry J; Brick, Mark A

2016-01-01

An important gap exists between the daily amounts of fiber recommended in the human diet (28–42 g/d) and that which is actually consumed (median intake, 12–14 g/d). In fact, <5% of Americans meet the recommended intake for dietary fiber, and the magnitude of the gap is large, approximately a 50–70% shortfall. Because considerable evidence indicates that dietary fiber affects normal physiologic function and the onset of chronic diseases and their progression, the fiber gap represents an opportune target at which dietary interventions can be directed. This perspective considers whether a scientific basis exists for the current lack of emphasis on pulse crops, that is, grain legumes (common bean, chickpea, lentils, and garden pea) as a concentrated, inexpensive, and widely available source of dietary fiber. Attention is directed to this topic because the fiber gap has existed for decades with little improvement despite nutrition labeling, consumer education about the value of whole-grain cereal crop-based products, and the introduction of many fiber-enriched foods. The time is long overdue to identify additional approaches that have the potential to close the dietary fiber gap. To this end, the potential role of pulse crops in remediating this gap is examined. PMID:27422499

Gap Resolution

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

Labutti, Kurt; Foster, Brian; Lapidus, Alla

Gap Resolution is a software package that was developed to improve Newbler genome assemblies by automating the closure of sequence gaps caused by repetitive regions in the DNA. This is done by performing the follow steps:1) Identify and distribute the data for each gap in sub-projects. 2) Assemble the data associated with each sub-project using a secondary assembler, such as Newbler or PGA. 3) Determine if any gaps are closed after reassembly, and either design fakes (consensus of closed gap) for those that closed or lab experiments for those that require additional data. The software requires as input a genomemore » assembly produce by the Newbler assembler provided by Roche and 454 data containing paired-end reads.« less

Instructional Strategies and Best Practices to Narrow the Mathematics Achievement Gaps between African American, Hispanic, and European American Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bolden, Felicia Mickles

2012-01-01

A persistent mathematics achievement gap between African American, Hispanic, and European American students at one elementary school was the focus of this investigation. The research questions of this single site case study involved understanding why an achievement gap exists, and to identify the instructional strategies and best practices used to…

State of the Art in HIV Drug Resistance: Science and Technology Knowledge Gap.

PubMed

Boucher, Charles A; Bobkova, Marina R; Geretti, Anna Maria; Hung, Chien-Ching; Kaiser, Rolf; Marcelin, Anne-Geneviève; Streinu-Cercel, Adrian; van Wyk, Jean; Dorr, Pat; Vandamme, Anne-Mieke

2018-01-01

Resistance to antiretroviral therapy (ART) threatens the efficacy of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) treatment. We present a review of knowledge gaps in the science and technologies of acquired HIV-1 drug resistance (HIVDR) in an effort to facilitate research, scientific exchange, and progress in clinical management. The expert authorship of this review convened to identify data gaps that exist in the field of HIVDR and discuss their clinical implications. A subsequent literature review of trials and current practices was carried out to provide supporting evidence. Several gaps were identified across HIVDR science and technology. A summary of the major gaps is presented, with an expert discussion of their implications within the context of the wider field. Crucial to optimizing the use of ART will be improved understanding of protease inhibitors and, in particular, integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTI) in the context of HIVDR. Limited experience with INSTI represents an important knowledge gap in HIV resistance science. Utilizing such knowledge in a clinical setting relies on accurate testing and analysis of resistance-associated mutations. As next-generation sequencing becomes more widely available, a gap in the interpretation of data is the lack of a defined, clinically relevant threshold of minority variants. Further research will provide evidence on where such thresholds lie and how they can be most effectively applied. Expert discussion identified a series of gaps in our knowledge of HIVDR. Addressing prefsuch gaps through further research and characterization will facilitate the optimal use of ART therapies and technologies.

Spinal Cord Injury Clinical Registries: Improving Care across the SCI Care Continuum by Identifying Knowledge Gaps.

PubMed

Dvorak, Marcel F; Cheng, Christiana L; Fallah, Nader; Santos, Argelio; Atkins, Derek; Humphreys, Suzanne; Rivers, Carly S; White, Barry A B; Ho, Chester; Ahn, Henry; Kwon, Brian K; Christie, Sean; Noonan, Vanessa K

2017-10-15

Timely access and ongoing delivery of care and therapeutic interventions is needed to maximize recovery and function after traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI). To ensure these decisions are evidence-based, access to consistent, reliable, and valid sources of clinical data is required. The Access to Care and Timing Model used data from the Rick Hansen SCI Registry (RHSCIR) to generate a simulation of healthcare delivery for persons after tSCI and to test scenarios aimed at improving outcomes and reducing the economic burden of SCI. Through model development, we identified knowledge gaps and challenges in the literature and current health outcomes data collection throughout the continuum of SCI care. The objectives of this article were to describe these gaps and to provide recommendations for bridging them. Accurate information on injury severity after tSCI was hindered by difficulties in conducting neurological assessments and classifications of SCI (e.g., timing), variations in reporting, and the lack of a validated SCI-specific measure of associated injuries. There was also limited availability of reliable data on patient factors such as multi-morbidity and patient-reported measures. Knowledge gaps related to structures (e.g., protocols) and processes (e.g., costs) at each phase of care have prevented comprehensive evaluation of system performance. Addressing these knowledge gaps will enhance comparative and cost-effectiveness evaluations to inform decision-making and standards of care. Recommendations to do so were: standardize data element collection and facilitate database linkages, validate and adopt more outcome measures for SCI, and increase opportunities for collaborations with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds.

Spinal Cord Injury Clinical Registries: Improving Care across the SCI Care Continuum by Identifying Knowledge Gaps

PubMed Central

Cheng, Christiana L.; Fallah, Nader; Santos, Argelio; Atkins, Derek; Humphreys, Suzanne; Rivers, Carly S.; White, Barry A.B.; Ho, Chester; Ahn, Henry; Kwon, Brian K.; Christie, Sean; Noonan, Vanessa K.

2017-01-01

Abstract Timely access and ongoing delivery of care and therapeutic interventions is needed to maximize recovery and function after traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI). To ensure these decisions are evidence-based, access to consistent, reliable, and valid sources of clinical data is required. The Access to Care and Timing Model used data from the Rick Hansen SCI Registry (RHSCIR) to generate a simulation of healthcare delivery for persons after tSCI and to test scenarios aimed at improving outcomes and reducing the economic burden of SCI. Through model development, we identified knowledge gaps and challenges in the literature and current health outcomes data collection throughout the continuum of SCI care. The objectives of this article were to describe these gaps and to provide recommendations for bridging them. Accurate information on injury severity after tSCI was hindered by difficulties in conducting neurological assessments and classifications of SCI (e.g., timing), variations in reporting, and the lack of a validated SCI-specific measure of associated injuries. There was also limited availability of reliable data on patient factors such as multi-morbidity and patient-reported measures. Knowledge gaps related to structures (e.g., protocols) and processes (e.g., costs) at each phase of care have prevented comprehensive evaluation of system performance. Addressing these knowledge gaps will enhance comparative and cost-effectiveness evaluations to inform decision-making and standards of care. Recommendations to do so were: standardize data element collection and facilitate database linkages, validate and adopt more outcome measures for SCI, and increase opportunities for collaborations with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds. PMID:28745934

Perioperative and ICU Healthcare Analytics within a Veterans Integrated System Network: a Qualitative Gap Analysis.

PubMed

Mudumbai, Seshadri; Ayer, Ferenc; Stefanko, Jerry

2017-08-01

Health care facilities are implementing analytics platforms as a way to document quality of care. However, few gap analyses exist on platforms specifically designed for patients treated in the Operating Room, Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, and Intensive Care Unit (ICU). As part of a quality improvement effort, we undertook a gap analysis of an existing analytics platform within the Veterans Healthcare Administration. The objectives were to identify themes associated with 1) current clinical use cases and stakeholder needs; 2) information flow and pain points; and 3) recommendations for future analytics development. Methods consisted of semi-structured interviews in 2 phases with a diverse set (n = 9) of support personnel and end users from five facilities across a Veterans Integrated Service Network. Phase 1 identified underlying needs and previous experiences with the analytics platform across various roles and operational responsibilities. Phase 2 validated preliminary feedback, lessons learned, and recommendations for improvement. Emerging themes suggested that the existing system met a small pool of national reporting requirements. However, pain points were identified with accessing data in several information system silos and performing multiple manual validation steps of data content. Notable recommendations included enhancing systems integration to create "one-stop shopping" for data, and developing a capability to perform trends analysis. Our gap analysis suggests that analytics platforms designed for surgical and ICU patients should employ approaches similar to those being used for primary care patients.

Mind the Gap

PubMed Central

Fairbanks, Terry; Savage, Erica; Adams, Katie; Wittie, Michael; Boone, Edna; Hayden, Andrew; Barnes, Janey; Hettinger, Zach; Gettinger, Andrew

2016-01-01

Summary Objective Decisions made during electronic health record (EHR) implementations profoundly affect usability and safety. This study aims to identify gaps between the current literature and key stakeholders’ perceptions of usability and safety practices and the challenges encountered during the implementation of EHRs. Materials and Methods Two approaches were used: a literature review and interviews with key stakeholders. We performed a systematic review of the literature to identify usability and safety challenges and best practices during implementation. A total of 55 articles were reviewed through searches of PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. We used a qualitative approach to identify key stakeholders’ perceptions; semi-structured interviews were conducted with a diverse set of health IT stakeholders to understand their current practices and challenges related to usability during implementation. We used a grounded theory approach: data were coded, sorted, and emerging themes were identified. Conclusions from both sources of data were compared to identify areas of misalignment. Results We identified six emerging themes from the literature and stakeholder interviews: cost and resources, risk assessment, governance and consensus building, customization, clinical work-flow and usability testing, and training. Across these themes, there were misalignments between the literature and stakeholder perspectives, indicating major gaps. Discussion Major gaps identified from each of six emerging themes are discussed as critical areas for future research, opportunities for new stakeholder initiatives, and opportunities to better disseminate resources to improve the implementation of EHRs. Conclusion Our analysis identified practices and challenges across six different emerging themes, illustrated important gaps, and results suggest critical areas for future research and dissemination to improve EHR implementation. PMID:27847961

Hydrogen Safety Sensor Performance and Use Gap Analysis: Preprint

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

Buttner, William J; Burgess, Robert M; Schmidt, Kara

Hydrogen sensors are recognized as an important technology for facilitating the safe implementation of hydrogen as an alternative fuel, and there are numerous reports of a sensor alarm successfully preventing a potentially serious event. However, gaps in sensor metrological specifications, as well as in their performance for some applications, exist.The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Fuel Cell Technology Office published a short list of critical gaps in the 2007 and 2012 multiyear project plans; more detailed gap analyses were independently performed by the JRC and NREL. There have been, however, some significant advances in sensor technologies since these assessments, includingmore » the commercial availability of hydrogen sensors with fast response times (t90 less than 1 s, which had been an elusive DOE target since 2007), improved robustness to chemical poisons, improved selectivity, and improved lifetime and stability. These improvements, however, have not been universal and typically pertain to select platforms or models. Moreover, as hydrogen markets grow and new applications are being explored, more demands will be imposed on sensor performance. The hydrogen sensor laboratories at NREL and JRC are currently updating the hydrogen safety sensor gap analysis through direct interaction with international stakeholders in the hydrogen community, especially end-users. NREL and the JRC are currently organizing a series of workshops (in Europe and the U.S.) with sensor developers, end-users, and other stakeholders in 2017 to identify technology gaps and to develop a path forward to address them. One workshop is scheduled for May 10 in Brussels, Belgium at the Headquarters of the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking. A second workshop is planned at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO, USA. This presentation will review improvements in sensor technologies in the past 5 to 10 years, identify gaps in sensor performance and use requirements, and

Use of electronic data and existing screening tools to identify clinically significant obstructive sleep apnea.

PubMed

Severson, Carl A; Pendharkar, Sachin R; Ronksley, Paul E; Tsai, Willis H

2015-01-01

To assess the ability of electronic health data and existing screening tools to identify clinically significant obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), as defined by symptomatic or severe OSA. The present retrospective cohort study of 1041 patients referred for sleep diagnostic testing was undertaken at a tertiary sleep centre in Calgary, Alberta. A diagnosis of clinically significant OSA or an alternative sleep diagnosis was assigned to each patient through blinded independent chart review by two sleep physicians. Predictive variables were identified from online questionnaire data, and diagnostic algorithms were developed. The performance of electronically derived algorithms for identifying patients with clinically significant OSA was determined. Diagnostic performance of these algorithms was compared with versions of the STOP-Bang questionnaire and adjusted neck circumference score (ANC) derived from electronic data. Electronic questionnaire data were highly sensitive (>95%) at identifying clinically significant OSA, but not specific. Sleep diagnostic testing-determined respiratory disturbance index was very specific (specificity ≥95%) for clinically relevant disease, but not sensitive (<35%). Derived algorithms had similar accuracy to the STOP-Bang or ANC, but required fewer questions and calculations. These data suggest that a two-step process using a small number of clinical variables (maximizing sensitivity) and objective diagnostic testing (maximizing specificity) is required to identify clinically significant OSA. When used in an online setting, simple algorithms can identify clinically relevant OSA with similar performance to existing decision rules such as the STOP-Bang or ANC.

Why conventional detection methods fail in identifying the existence of contamination events.

PubMed

Liu, Shuming; Li, Ruonan; Smith, Kate; Che, Han

2016-04-15

Early warning systems are widely used to safeguard water security, but their effectiveness has raised many questions. To understand why conventional detection methods fail to identify contamination events, this study evaluates the performance of three contamination detection methods using data from a real contamination accident and two artificial datasets constructed using a widely applied contamination data construction approach. Results show that the Pearson correlation Euclidean distance (PE) based detection method performs better for real contamination incidents, while the Euclidean distance method (MED) and linear prediction filter (LPF) method are more suitable for detecting sudden spike-like variation. This analysis revealed why the conventional MED and LPF methods failed to identify existence of contamination events. The analysis also revealed that the widely used contamination data construction approach is misleading. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perceptions and experiences of a gender gap at a Canadian research institute and potential strategies to mitigate this gap: a sequential mixed-methods study

PubMed Central

Mascarenhas, Alekhya; Moore, Julia E.; Tricco, Andrea C.; Hamid, Jemila; Daly, Caitlin; Bain, Julie; Jassemi, Sabrina; Kiran, Tara; Baxter, Nancy; Straus, Sharon E.

2017-01-01

Background: The gender gap in academia is long-standing. Failure to ensure that our academic faculty reflect our student pool and national population deprives Canada of talent. We explored the gender distribution and perceptions of the gender gap at a Canadian university-affiliated, hospital-based research institute. Methods: We completed a sequential mixed-methods study. In phase 1, we used the research institute's registry of scientists (1999-2014) and estimated overall prevalence of a gender gap and the gap with respect to job description (e.g., associate v. full-time) and research discipline. In phase 2, we conducted qualitative interviews to provide context for phase 1 data. Both purposive and snowball sampling were used for recruitment. Results: The institute included 30.1% (n = 62) women and 69.9% (n = 144) men, indicating a 39.8% gender gap. Most full-time scientists (60.3%, n = 70) were clinicians; there were 54.2% more male than female clinician scientists. Ninety-five percent of basic scientists were men, indicating a 90.5% gap. Seven key themes emerged from 21 interviews, including perceived impact of the gender gap, factors perceived to influence the gap, recruitment trends, presence of institutional support, mentorship and suggestions to mitigate the gap. Several factors were postulated to contribute to the gender gap, including unconscious bias in hiring. Interpretation: A substantial gender gap exists within this research institute. Participants identified strategies to address this gap, such as establishing transparent search processes, providing opportunities for informal networking and mentorship of female scientists and establishing institutional support for work-life balance. PMID:28401131

Perceptions and experiences of a gender gap at a Canadian research institute and potential strategies to mitigate this gap: a sequential mixed-methods study.

PubMed

Mascarenhas, Alekhya; Moore, Julia E; Tricco, Andrea C; Hamid, Jemila; Daly, Caitlin; Bain, Julie; Jassemi, Sabrina; Kiran, Tara; Baxter, Nancy; Straus, Sharon E

2017-01-01

The gender gap in academia is long-standing. Failure to ensure that our academic faculty reflect our student pool and national population deprives Canada of talent. We explored the gender distribution and perceptions of the gender gap at a Canadian university-affiliated, hospital-based research institute. We completed a sequential mixed-methods study. In phase 1, we used the research institute's registry of scientists (1999-2014) and estimated overall prevalence of a gender gap and the gap with respect to job description (e.g., associate v. full-time) and research discipline. In phase 2, we conducted qualitative interviews to provide context for phase 1 data. Both purposive and snowball sampling were used for recruitment. The institute included 30.1% ( n = 62) women and 69.9% ( n = 144) men, indicating a 39.8% gender gap. Most full-time scientists (60.3%, n = 70) were clinicians; there were 54.2% more male than female clinician scientists. Ninety-five percent of basic scientists were men, indicating a 90.5% gap. Seven key themes emerged from 21 interviews, including perceived impact of the gender gap, factors perceived to influence the gap, recruitment trends, presence of institutional support, mentorship and suggestions to mitigate the gap. Several factors were postulated to contribute to the gender gap, including unconscious bias in hiring. A substantial gender gap exists within this research institute. Participants identified strategies to address this gap, such as establishing transparent search processes, providing opportunities for informal networking and mentorship of female scientists and establishing institutional support for work-life balance.

GapBlaster-A Graphical Gap Filler for Prokaryote Genomes.

PubMed

de Sá, Pablo H C G; Miranda, Fábio; Veras, Adonney; de Melo, Diego Magalhães; Soares, Siomar; Pinheiro, Kenny; Guimarães, Luis; Azevedo, Vasco; Silva, Artur; Ramos, Rommel T J

2016-01-01

The advent of NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) technologies has resulted in an exponential increase in the number of complete genomes available in biological databases. This advance has allowed the development of several computational tools enabling analyses of large amounts of data in each of the various steps, from processing and quality filtering to gap filling and manual curation. The tools developed for gap closure are very useful as they result in more complete genomes, which will influence downstream analyses of genomic plasticity and comparative genomics. However, the gap filling step remains a challenge for genome assembly, often requiring manual intervention. Here, we present GapBlaster, a graphical application to evaluate and close gaps. GapBlaster was developed via Java programming language. The software uses contigs obtained in the assembly of the genome to perform an alignment against a draft of the genome/scaffold, using BLAST or Mummer to close gaps. Then, all identified alignments of contigs that extend through the gaps in the draft sequence are presented to the user for further evaluation via the GapBlaster graphical interface. GapBlaster presents significant results compared to other similar software and has the advantage of offering a graphical interface for manual curation of the gaps. GapBlaster program, the user guide and the test datasets are freely available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/gapblaster2015/. It requires Sun JDK 8 and Blast or Mummer.

Structural Dynamics of Tropical Moist Forest Gaps

PubMed Central

Hunter, Maria O.; Keller, Michael; Morton, Douglas; Cook, Bruce; Lefsky, Michael; Ducey, Mark; Saleska, Scott; de Oliveira, Raimundo Cosme; Schietti, Juliana

2015-01-01

Gap phase dynamics are the dominant mode of forest turnover in tropical forests. However, gap processes are infrequently studied at the landscape scale. Airborne lidar data offer detailed information on three-dimensional forest structure, providing a means to characterize fine-scale (1 m) processes in tropical forests over large areas. Lidar-based estimates of forest structure (top down) differ from traditional field measurements (bottom up), and necessitate clear-cut definitions unencumbered by the wisdom of a field observer. We offer a new definition of a forest gap that is driven by forest dynamics and consistent with precise ranging measurements from airborne lidar data and tall, multi-layered tropical forest structure. We used 1000 ha of multi-temporal lidar data (2008, 2012) at two sites, the Tapajos National Forest and Ducke Reserve, to study gap dynamics in the Brazilian Amazon. Here, we identified dynamic gaps as contiguous areas of significant growth, that correspond to areas > 10 m2, with height <10 m. Applying the dynamic definition at both sites, we found over twice as much area in gap at Tapajos National Forest (4.8 %) as compared to Ducke Reserve (2.0 %). On average, gaps were smaller at Ducke Reserve and closed slightly more rapidly, with estimated height gains of 1.2 m y-1 versus 1.1 m y-1 at Tapajos. At the Tapajos site, height growth in gap centers was greater than the average height gain in gaps (1.3 m y-1 versus 1.1 m y-1). Rates of height growth between lidar acquisitions reflect the interplay between gap edge mortality, horizontal ingrowth and gap size at the two sites. We estimated that approximately 10 % of gap area closed via horizontal ingrowth at Ducke Reserve as opposed to 6 % at Tapajos National Forest. Height loss (interpreted as repeat damage and/or mortality) and horizontal ingrowth accounted for similar proportions of gap area at Ducke Reserve (13 % and 10 %, respectively). At Tapajos, height loss had a much stronger signal (23

Structural Dynamics of Tropical Moist Forest Gaps.

PubMed

Hunter, Maria O; Keller, Michael; Morton, Douglas; Cook, Bruce; Lefsky, Michael; Ducey, Mark; Saleska, Scott; de Oliveira, Raimundo Cosme; Schietti, Juliana

2015-01-01

Gap phase dynamics are the dominant mode of forest turnover in tropical forests. However, gap processes are infrequently studied at the landscape scale. Airborne lidar data offer detailed information on three-dimensional forest structure, providing a means to characterize fine-scale (1 m) processes in tropical forests over large areas. Lidar-based estimates of forest structure (top down) differ from traditional field measurements (bottom up), and necessitate clear-cut definitions unencumbered by the wisdom of a field observer. We offer a new definition of a forest gap that is driven by forest dynamics and consistent with precise ranging measurements from airborne lidar data and tall, multi-layered tropical forest structure. We used 1000 ha of multi-temporal lidar data (2008, 2012) at two sites, the Tapajos National Forest and Ducke Reserve, to study gap dynamics in the Brazilian Amazon. Here, we identified dynamic gaps as contiguous areas of significant growth, that correspond to areas > 10 m2, with height <10 m. Applying the dynamic definition at both sites, we found over twice as much area in gap at Tapajos National Forest (4.8%) as compared to Ducke Reserve (2.0%). On average, gaps were smaller at Ducke Reserve and closed slightly more rapidly, with estimated height gains of 1.2 m y-1 versus 1.1 m y-1 at Tapajos. At the Tapajos site, height growth in gap centers was greater than the average height gain in gaps (1.3 m y-1 versus 1.1 m y-1). Rates of height growth between lidar acquisitions reflect the interplay between gap edge mortality, horizontal ingrowth and gap size at the two sites. We estimated that approximately 10% of gap area closed via horizontal ingrowth at Ducke Reserve as opposed to 6% at Tapajos National Forest. Height loss (interpreted as repeat damage and/or mortality) and horizontal ingrowth accounted for similar proportions of gap area at Ducke Reserve (13% and 10%, respectively). At Tapajos, height loss had a much stronger signal (23% versus 6

Dinosaur extinction: closing the '3 m gap'.

PubMed

Lyson, Tyler R; Bercovici, Antoine; Chester, Stephen G B; Sargis, Eric J; Pearson, Dean; Joyce, Walter G

2011-12-23

Modern debate regarding the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs was ignited by the publication of the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) asteroid impact theory and has seen 30 years of dispute over the position of the stratigraphically youngest in situ dinosaur. A zone devoid of dinosaur fossils reported from the last 3 m of the Upper Cretaceous, coined the '3 m gap', has helped drive controversy. Here, we report the discovery of the stratigraphically youngest in situ dinosaur specimen: a ceratopsian brow horn found in a poorly rooted, silty, mudstone floodplain deposit located no more than 13 cm below the palynologically defined boundary. The K-T boundary is identified using three criteria: (i) decrease in Cretaceous palynomorphs without subsequent recovery, (ii) the existence of a 'fern spike', and (iii) correlation to a nearby stratigraphic section where primary extraterrestrial impact markers are present (e.g. iridium anomaly, spherules, shocked quartz). The in situ specimen demonstrates that a gap devoid of non-avian dinosaur fossils does not exist and is inconsistent with the hypothesis that non-avian dinosaurs were extinct prior to the K-T boundary impact event.

Bridging the "Expectation Gap" Using Student Preceptors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koerner, Michael

2017-01-01

An "Expectation Gap" can exist between what teachers expect of their students and what effort students expect to and are willing to expend. In order to get students and teachers on the same learning page, this Gap needs remedied. One successful means of bridging the Gap is the use of Student Preceptors.

Reactor Safety Gap Evaluation of Accident Tolerant Components and Severe Accident Analysis

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

Farmer, Mitchell T.; Bunt, R.; Corradini, M.

The overall objective of this study was to conduct a technology gap evaluation on accident tolerant components and severe accident analysis methodologies with the goal of identifying any data and/or knowledge gaps that may exist, given the current state of light water reactor (LWR) severe accident research, and additionally augmented by insights obtained from the Fukushima accident. The ultimate benefit of this activity is that the results can be used to refine the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Reactor Safety Technology (RST) research and development (R&D) program plan to address key knowledge gaps in severe accident phenomena and analyses that affectmore » reactor safety and that are not currently being addressed by the industry or the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).« less

"Gap hunting" to characterize clustered probe signals in Illumina methylation array data.

PubMed

Andrews, Shan V; Ladd-Acosta, Christine; Feinberg, Andrew P; Hansen, Kasper D; Fallin, M Daniele

2016-01-01

The Illumina 450k array has been widely used in epigenetic association studies. Current quality-control (QC) pipelines typically remove certain sets of probes, such as those containing a SNP or with multiple mapping locations. An additional set of potentially problematic probes are those with DNA methylation distributions characterized by two or more distinct clusters separated by gaps. Data-driven identification of such probes may offer additional insights for downstream analyses. We developed a procedure, termed "gap hunting," to identify probes showing clustered distributions. Among 590 peripheral blood samples from the Study to Explore Early Development, we identified 11,007 "gap probes." The vast majority (9199) are likely attributed to an underlying SNP(s) or other variant in the probe, although SNP-affected probes exist that do not produce a gap signals. Specific factors predict which SNPs lead to gap signals, including type of nucleotide change, probe type, DNA strand, and overall methylation state. These expected effects are demonstrated in paired genotype and 450k data on the same samples. Gap probes can also serve as a surrogate for the local genetic sequence on a haplotype scale and can be used to adjust for population stratification. The characteristics of gap probes reflect potentially informative biology. QC pipelines may benefit from an efficient data-driven approach that "flags" gap probes, rather than filtering such probes, followed by careful interpretation of downstream association analyses. Our results should translate directly to the recently released Illumina EPIC array given the similar chemistry and content design.

SOUTHWEST REGIONAL GAP LAND COVER

EPA Science Inventory

The Gap Analysis Program is a national inter-agency program that maps the distribution

of plant communities and selected animal species and compares these distributions with land

stewardship to identify gaps in biodiversity protection. GAP uses remote satellite imag...

Key Gaps for Enabling Plant Growth in Future Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Molly; Motil, Brian; Barta, Dan; Fritsche, Ralph; Massa, Gioia; Quincy, Charlie; Romeyn, Matthew; Wheeler, Ray; Hanford, Anthony

2017-01-01

Growing plants to provide food or psychological benefits to crewmembers is a common vision for the future of human spaceflight, often represented in media and in serious concept studies. The complexity of controlled environment agriculture, and plant growth in microgravity have and continue to be the subject of dedicated scientific research. However, actually implementing these systems in a way that will be cost effective, efficient, and sustainable for future space missions is a complex, multi-disciplinary problem. Key questions exist in many areas: human medical research in nutrition and psychology, horticulture, plant physiology and microbiology, multi-phase microgravity fluid physics, hardware design and technology development, and system design, operations and mission planning. This paper describes key knowledge gaps identified by a multi-disciplinary working group within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It also begins to identify solutions to the simpler questions identified by the group based on work initiated in 2017. Growing plants to provide food or psychological benefits to crewmembers is a common vision for the future of human spaceflight, often represented in media and in serious concept studies. The complexity of controlled environment agriculture, and plant growth in microgravity have and continue to be the subject of dedicated scientific research. However, actually implementing these systems in a way that will be cost effective, efficient, and sustainable for future space missions is a complex, multi-disciplinary problem. Key questions exist in many areas: human medical research in nutrition and psychology, horticulture, plant physiology and microbiology, multi-phase microgravity fluid physics, hardware design and technology development, and system design, operations and mission planning. This paper describes key knowledge gaps identified by a multi-disciplinary working group within the National Aeronautics and Space

Bridging the Gap: Identifying Global Trends in Gender Disparity Among the Radiology Physician Workforce.

PubMed

Cater, Sarah Wallace; Yoon, Sora C; Lowell, Dorothy A; Campbell, James C; Sulioti, Gary; Qin, Rosie; Jiang, Brian; Grimm, Lars J

2018-02-01

Women make up half of American medical school graduates, but remain underrepresented among radiologists. This study sought to determine whether workforce gender disparities exist in other countries, and to identify any country-specific indices associated with increased female representation. In this cross-sectional study, 95 professional radiology organizations in 75 countries were contacted via email to provide membership statistics, including proportion of female members, female members aged 35 or under, and women in society leadership positions. Country-specific metrics collected included gross domestic product, Gini index, percent female medical school enrollment, and Gender Development Index for the purposes of univariate multiple regression analysis. Twenty-nine organizations provided data on 184,888 radiologists, representing 26 countries from Europe (n = 12), North America (n = 2), Central/South America (n = 6), Oceania (n = 2), Asia (n = 3), and Africa (n = 1) for a response rate of 34.7% (26/75). Globally, 33.5% of radiologists are female. Women constitute a higher proportion of younger radiologists, with 48.5% of radiologists aged 35 or under being female. Female representation in radiology is lowest in the United States (27.2%), highest in Thailand (85.0%), and most variable in Europe (mean 40.1%, range 28.8%-68.9%). The proportion of female radiologists was positively associated with a country's Gender Development Index (P = .006), percent female medical student enrollment (P = .001), and Gini index (P = .002), and negatively associated with gross domestic product (P = .03). Women are underrepresented in radiology globally, most notably in the United States. Countries with greater representation of women had higher gender equality and percent female medical school enrollment, suggesting these factors may play a role in the gender gap. Copyright © 2018 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by

A widening gap? Static and dynamic performance differences between specialist and general hospitals.

PubMed

Vera, Antonio; Petratos, Pythagoras; Salge, Torsten Oliver

2018-03-01

This paper develops and tests a dynamic model of hospital focus. It does so by tracing the performance trajectories of specialist and general hospitals to identify whether a performance gap exists and whether it widens or shrinks over time. Our longitudinal analyses of all hospital organizations within the English National Health Service (NHS) reveal not only a notable performance gap between specialist and general hospitals in particular with regards to patient satisfaction that widens over time, but also the emergence of a gap especially with regards to hospital staff job satisfaction. These findings reflect the considerable potential of specialization as a means to enhance hospital effectiveness. However, they also alert health policy makers to the threat of a widening performance gap between specialist and general hospitals with potential negative repercussions at the patient and health system level.

Gaps in affiliation indexing in Scopus and PubMed.

PubMed

Schmidt, Cynthia M; Cox, Roxanne; Fial, Alissa V; Hartman, Teresa L; Magee, Martha L

2016-04-01

The authors sought to determine whether unexpected gaps existed in Scopus's author affiliation indexing of publications written by the University of Nebraska Medical Center or Nebraska Medicine (UNMC/NM) authors during 2014. First, we compared Scopus affiliation identifier search results to PubMed affiliation keyword search results. Then, we searched Scopus using affiliation keywords (UNMC, etc.) and compared the results to PubMed affiliation keyword and Scopus affiliation identifier searches. We found that Scopus's records for approximately 7% of UNMC/NM authors' publications lacked appropriate UNMC/NM author affiliation identifiers, and many journals' publishers were supplying incomplete author affiliation information to PubMed. Institutions relying on Scopus to track their impact should determine whether Scopus's affiliation identifiers will, in fact, identify all articles published by their authors and investigators.

Gaps in affiliation indexing in Scopus and PubMed

PubMed Central

Schmidt, Cynthia M.; Cox, Roxanne; Fial, Alissa V.; Hartman, Teresa L.; Magee, Martha L.

2016-01-01

Objective The authors sought to determine whether unexpected gaps existed in Scopus's author affiliation indexing of publications written by the University of Nebraska Medical Center or Nebraska Medicine (UNMC/NM) authors during 2014. Methods First, we compared Scopus affiliation identifier search results to PubMed affiliation keyword search results. Then, we searched Scopus using affiliation keywords (UNMC, etc.) and compared the results to PubMed affiliation keyword and Scopus affiliation identifier searches. Results We found that Scopus's records for approximately 7% of UNMC/NM authors' publications lacked appropriate UNMC/NM author affiliation identifiers, and many journals' publishers were supplying incomplete author affiliation information to PubMed. Conclusions Institutions relying on Scopus to track their impact should determine whether Scopus's affiliation identifiers will, in fact, identify all articles published by their authors and investigators. PMID:27076801

Practice gaps in the care of mitral valve regurgitation: Insights from the American College of Cardiology mitral regurgitation gap analysis and advisory panel.

PubMed

Wang, Andrew; Grayburn, Paul; Foster, Jill A; McCulloch, Marti L; Badhwar, Vinay; Gammie, James S; Costa, Salvatore P; Benitez, Robert Michael; Rinaldi, Michael J; Thourani, Vinod H; Martin, Randolph P

2016-02-01

The revised 2014 American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association valvular heart disease guidelines provide evidenced-based recommendations for the management of mitral regurgitation (MR). However, knowledge gaps related to our evolving understanding of critical MR concepts may impede their implementation. The ACC conducted a multifaceted needs assessment to characterize gaps, practice patterns, and perceptions related to the diagnosis and treatment of MR. A key project element was a set of surveys distributed to primary care and cardiovascular physicians (cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons). Survey and other gap analysis findings were presented to a panel of 10 expert advisors from specialties of general cardiology, cardiac imaging, interventional cardiology, and cardiac surgeons with expertise in valvular heart disease, especially MR, and cardiovascular education. The panel was charged with assessing the relative importance and potential means of remedying identified gaps to improve care for patients with MR. The survey results identified several knowledge and practice gaps that may limit implementation of evidence-based recommendations for MR care. Specifically, half of primary care physicians reported uncertainty regarding timing of intervention for patients with severe primary or functional MR. Physicians in all groups reported that quantitative indices of MR severity were frequently not reported in clinical echocardiographic interpretations, and that these measurements were not consistently reviewed when provided in reports. In the treatment of MR, nearly 30% of primary care physician and general cardiologists did not know the volume of mitral valve repair surgeries by their reference cardiac surgeons and did not have a standard source to obtain this information. After review of the survey results, the expert panel summarized practice gaps into 4 thematic areas and offered proposals to address deficiencies and promote better alignment

Closing yield gaps: perils and possibilities for biodiversity conservation.

PubMed

Phalan, Ben; Green, Rhys; Balmford, Andrew

2014-04-05

Increasing agricultural productivity to 'close yield gaps' creates both perils and possibilities for biodiversity conservation. Yield increases often have negative impacts on species within farmland, but at the same time could potentially make it more feasible to minimize further cropland expansion into natural habitats. We combine global data on yield gaps, projected future production of maize, rice and wheat, the distributions of birds and their estimated sensitivity to changes in crop yields to map where it might be most beneficial for bird conservation to close yield gaps as part of a land-sparing strategy, and where doing so might be most damaging. Closing yield gaps to attainable levels to meet projected demand in 2050 could potentially help spare an area equivalent to that of the Indian subcontinent. Increasing yields this much on existing farmland would inevitably reduce its biodiversity, and therefore we advocate efforts both to constrain further increases in global food demand, and to identify the least harmful ways of increasing yields. The land-sparing potential of closing yield gaps will not be realized without specific mechanisms to link yield increases to habitat protection (and restoration), and therefore we suggest that conservationists, farmers, crop scientists and policy-makers collaborate to explore promising mechanisms.

The Communication Skills of Accountants: What We Know and the Gaps in Our Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siriwardane, Harshini P.; Durden, Chris H.

2014-01-01

This paper critically reviews 19 studies published between 1972 and 2012 that investigated the written and/or oral communication skills of practicing accountants. The core aim of the review was to identify skills considered important and highlight gaps regarding what is known about existing and desired communication skills in the accounting…

Launch COLA Gap Analysis for Protection of the International Space Station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenkin, Alan B.; McVey, John P.; Peterson, Glenn E.; Sorge, Marlon E.

2013-08-01

For launch missions in general, a collision avoidance (COLA) gap exists between the end of the time interval covered by standard launch COLA screening and the time that other spacecraft can clear a collision with the newly launched objects. To address this issue for the International Space Station (ISS), a COLA gap analysis process has been developed. The first part of the process, nodal separation analysis, identifies launch dates and launch window opportunities when the orbit traces of a launched object and the ISS could cross during the COLA gap. The second and newest part of the analysis process, Monte Carlo conjunction probability analysis, is performed closer to the launch dates of concern to reopen some of the launch window opportunities that would be closed by nodal separation analysis alone. Both parts of the process are described and demonstrated on sample missions.

Estimating yield gaps at the cropping system level.

PubMed

Guilpart, Nicolas; Grassini, Patricio; Sadras, Victor O; Timsina, Jagadish; Cassman, Kenneth G

2017-05-01

Yield gap analyses of individual crops have been used to estimate opportunities for increasing crop production at local to global scales, thus providing information crucial to food security. However, increases in crop production can also be achieved by improving cropping system yield through modification of spatial and temporal arrangement of individual crops. In this paper we define the cropping system yield potential as the output from the combination of crops that gives the highest energy yield per unit of land and time, and the cropping system yield gap as the difference between actual energy yield of an existing cropping system and the cropping system yield potential. Then, we provide a framework to identify alternative cropping systems which can be evaluated against the current ones. A proof-of-concept is provided with irrigated rice-maize systems at four locations in Bangladesh that represent a range of climatic conditions in that country. The proposed framework identified (i) realistic alternative cropping systems at each location, and (ii) two locations where expected improvements in crop production from changes in cropping intensity (number of crops per year) were 43% to 64% higher than from improving the management of individual crops within the current cropping systems. The proposed framework provides a tool to help assess food production capacity of new systems ( e.g. with increased cropping intensity) arising from climate change, and assess resource requirements (water and N) and associated environmental footprint per unit of land and production of these new systems. By expanding yield gap analysis from individual crops to the cropping system level and applying it to new systems, this framework could also be helpful to bridge the gap between yield gap analysis and cropping/farming system design.

The perceived organizational impact of the gender gap across a Canadian department of medicine and proposed strategies to combat it: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Pattani, Reena; Marquez, Christine; Dinyarian, Camellia; Sharma, Malika; Bain, Julie; Moore, Julia E; Straus, Sharon E

2018-04-10

Despite the gender parity existing in medical schools for over three decades, women remain underrepresented in academic medical centers, particularly in senior ranks and in leadership roles. This has consequences for patient care, education, research, and workplace culture within healthcare organizations. This study was undertaken to explore the perspectives of faculty members at a single department of medicine on the impact of the existing gender gap on organizational effectiveness and workplace culture, and to identify systems-based strategies to mitigate the gap. The study took place at a large university department of medicine in Toronto, Canada, with six affiliated hospitals. In this qualitative study, semi-structured individual interviews were conducted between May and September 2016 with full-time faculty members who held clinical and university-based appointments. Transcripts of the interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Three authors independently reviewed the transcripts to determine a preliminary list of codes and establish a coding framework. A modified audit consensus coding approach was applied; a single analyst reviewed all the transcripts and a second analyst audited 20% of the transcripts in each round of coding. Following each round, inter-rater reliability was determined, discrepancies were resolved through discussion, and modifications were made as needed to the coding framework. The analysis revealed faculty members' perceptions of the gender gap, potential contributing factors, organizational impacts, and possible solutions to bridge the gap. Of the 43 full-time faculty members who participated in the survey (29 of whom self-identified as female), most participants were aware of the existing gender gap within academic medicine. Participants described social exclusion, reinforced stereotypes, and unprofessional behaviors as consequences of the gap on organizational effectiveness and culture. They suggested improvements in (1) the

Identifying gaps in conservation networks: of indicators and uncertainty in geographic-based analyses

Treesearch

Curtis H. Flather; Kenneth R. Wilson; Denis J. Dean; William C. McComb

1997-01-01

Mapping of biodiversity elements to expose gaps in. conservation networks has become a common strategy in nature-reserve design. We review a set of critical assumptions and issues that influence the interpretation and implementation of gap analysis, including: (1) the assumption that a subset of taxa can be used to indicate overall diversity patterns, and (2) the...

Principals and School Counselors: Separate Entities in Identifying Achievement Gaps in College Readiness for African American Students With Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Laura A.; Bouknight, Tamisha M.

2015-01-01

This case illustrates an example of how one school relied solely on aggregate data and failed to address the college readiness needs of African American students with disabilities. However, the way in which the school counselor identified this opportunity gap may not have been the most ethical approach, and now she is faced with a dilemma. This…

Quantile Regression for Recurrent Gap Time Data

PubMed Central

Luo, Xianghua; Huang, Chiung-Yu; Wang, Lan

2014-01-01

Summary Evaluating covariate effects on gap times between successive recurrent events is of interest in many medical and public health studies. While most existing methods for recurrent gap time analysis focus on modeling the hazard function of gap times, a direct interpretation of the covariate effects on the gap times is not available through these methods. In this article, we consider quantile regression that can provide direct assessment of covariate effects on the quantiles of the gap time distribution. Following the spirit of the weighted risk-set method by Luo and Huang (2011, Statistics in Medicine 30, 301–311), we extend the martingale-based estimating equation method considered by Peng and Huang (2008, Journal of the American Statistical Association 103, 637–649) for univariate survival data to analyze recurrent gap time data. The proposed estimation procedure can be easily implemented in existing software for univariate censored quantile regression. Uniform consistency and weak convergence of the proposed estimators are established. Monte Carlo studies demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. An application to data from the Danish Psychiatric Central Register is presented to illustrate the methods developed in this article. PMID:23489055

Identifying the gaps: Armenian health care legislation and human rights in patient care protections.

PubMed

Zopunyan, Violeta; Krmoyan, Suren; Quinn, Ryan

2013-12-12

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Republic of Armenia has undergone an extensive legislative overhaul. Although a number of developments have aimed to improve the quality and accessibility of Armenia's health care system, a host of factors has prevented the country from fully introducing measures to ensure respect for human rights in patient care. In particular, inadequate health care financing continues to oblige patients to make both formal and informal payments to obtain basic medical care and services. More generally, a lack of oversight and monitoring mechanisms has obstructed the implementation of Armenia's commitments to human rights in several international agreements. Within the framework of a broader project on promoting human rights in patient care, research was carried out to examine Armenia’s health care legislation with the aim of identifying gaps in comparison with international and regional standards. This research was designed using the 14 rights enshrined in the European Charter on Patient Rights as guiding principles, along with domestic legal acts relevant to the rights of health care providers. The gaps analysis revealed numerous problems with Armenian legislation governing the relationships between stakeholders in health care service delivery. It also identified several practical inconsistencies with the international legal instruments ratified by the Armenian government. These legislative shortcomings are illustrated by highlighting key health-related rights violations experienced by patients and their health care providers, and by indicating opportunities for improved rights protections. A full list of human rights relevant to patient care and recommendations for promoting them in the Armenian context is provided in Tables 1 and 2. A number of initiatives must be undertaken in order to promote the full spectrum of human rights in patient care in Armenia. This section highlights certain recommendations flowing from the findings of

Differences in wage rates for males and females in the health sector: a consideration of unpaid overtime to decompose the gender wage gap.

PubMed

Vecchio, Nerina; Scuffham, Paul A; Hilton, Michael F; Whiteford, Harvey A

2013-02-25

In Australia a persistent and sizable gender wage gap exists. In recent years this gap has been steadily widening. The negative impact of gender wage differentials is the disincentive to work more hours. This implies a substantial cost on the Australian health sector. This study aimed to identify the magnitude of gender wage differentials within the health sector. The investigation accounts for unpaid overtime. Given the limited availability of information, little empirical evidence exists that accounts for unpaid overtime. Information was collected from a sample of 10,066 Australian full-time employees within the health sector. Initially, ordinary least-squares regression was used to identify the gender wage gap when unpaid overtime was included and then excluded from the model. The sample was also stratified by gender and then by occupation to allow for comparisons. Later the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method was employed to identify and quantify the contribution of individual endowments to wage differentials between males and females. The analyses of data revealed a gender wage gap that varied across occupations. The inclusion of unpaid overtime in the analysis led to a slight reduction in the wage differential. The results showed an adjusted wage gap of 16.7%. Unpaid overtime made a significant but small contribution to wage differentials. Being female remained the major contributing factor to the wage gap. Given that wage differentials provide a disincentive to work more hours, serious attempts to deal with the skilled labour shortage in the health sector need to address the gender wage gap.

Differences in wage rates for males and females in the health sector: a consideration of unpaid overtime to decompose the gender wage gap

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background In Australia a persistent and sizable gender wage gap exists. In recent years this gap has been steadily widening. The negative impact of gender wage differentials is the disincentive to work more hours. This implies a substantial cost on the Australian health sector. This study aimed to identify the magnitude of gender wage differentials within the health sector. The investigation accounts for unpaid overtime. Given the limited availability of information, little empirical evidence exists that accounts for unpaid overtime. Methods Information was collected from a sample of 10,066 Australian full-time employees within the health sector. Initially, ordinary least-squares regression was used to identify the gender wage gap when unpaid overtime was included and then excluded from the model. The sample was also stratified by gender and then by occupation to allow for comparisons. Later the Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition method was employed to identify and quantify the contribution of individual endowments to wage differentials between males and females. Results The analyses of data revealed a gender wage gap that varied across occupations. The inclusion of unpaid overtime in the analysis led to a slight reduction in the wage differential. The results showed an adjusted wage gap of 16.7%. Conclusions Unpaid overtime made a significant but small contribution to wage differentials. Being female remained the major contributing factor to the wage gap. Given that wage differentials provide a disincentive to work more hours, serious attempts to deal with the skilled labour shortage in the health sector need to address the gender wage gap. PMID:23433245

Identifying gaps between current and expected ICT competencies of nurses in Serbia.

PubMed

Paunic, Sanja; Stojkovic, Ivana

2014-01-01

Introducing of ICT in the health care system in Serbia started 19 years ago and systematic training of nurses and technicians has not been realized yet. The primary objective of this paper is to determine the gap between the sets of ICT competencies of nurses and technicians acquiring education and experience and the necessary skill set required for their daily work. The qualitative research included questioning of the focus group of experts and 400 nurses and technicians employed in secondary and tertiary health institutions in Serbia. Based on the analysis of existing literature we choose the Informatics competencies for nurses at four levels of practice (Staggers, Gassert, Curran, 2001), and for the purposes of this study, we used a list of competencies of the first, and partially of the second and third level. At the start, the group of 12 experts had the task to eliminate some of listed competencies to express the subjective expectations of the ICT competencies of nurses. After that nurses and medical technicians were expected to grade, by Likert scale, their level of knowledge and skills for each of the 39 competencies, respectively. The answers were analyzed using measure of central tendency and distribution of results was done by median. Comparison of perceived competence of the nurses and the desired/expected level by managers shows that there is difference in 25 of the 39 offered statements. Managers expect that nurses are great users of administrative applications for staff scheduling and for maintaining employee records, while nurses declared that these programs they use relatively poorly or not at all. The larger gap is also observed when it comes to computer skill for documenting patient care--experts expect that nurses do it well, and nurses, again, estimate that their documentation skills are relatively poor. The same situation is with use of ICT for patient education. It can be concluded that further training is required in the field of ICT, either

Agricultural Management Practices Explain Variation in Global Yield Gaps of Major Crops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mueller, N. D.; Gerber, J. S.; Ray, D. K.; Ramankutty, N.; Foley, J. A.

2010-12-01

The continued expansion and intensification of agriculture are key drivers of global environmental change. Meeting a doubling of food demand in the next half-century will further induce environmental change, requiring either large cropland expansion into carbon- and biodiversity-rich tropical forests or increasing yields on existing croplands. Closing the “yield gaps” between the most and least productive farmers on current agricultural lands is a necessary and major step towards preserving natural ecosystems and meeting future food demand. Here we use global climate, soils, and cropland datasets to quantify yield gaps for major crops using equal-area climate analogs. Consistent with previous studies, we find large yield gaps for many crops in Eastern Europe, tropical Africa, and parts of Mexico. To analyze the drivers of yield gaps, we collected sub-national agricultural management data and built a global dataset of fertilizer application rates for over 160 crops. We constructed empirical crop yield models for each climate analog using the global management information for 17 major crops. We find that our climate-specific models explain a substantial amount of the global variation in yields. These models could be widely applied to identify management changes needed to close yield gaps, analyze the environmental impacts of agricultural intensification, and identify climate change adaptation techniques.

Show me the numbers: What data currently exist for non-native species in the USA?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crall, Alycia W.; Meyerson, Laura A.; Stohlgren, Thomas J.; Jarnevich, Catherine S.; Newman, Gregory J.; Graham, James

2006-01-01

Non-native species continue to be introduced to the United States from other countries via trade and transportation, creating a growing need for early detection and rapid response to new invaders. It is therefore increasingly important to synthesize existing data on non-native species abundance and distributions. However, no comprehensive analysis of existing data has been undertaken for non-native species, and there have been few efforts to improve collaboration. We therefore conducted a survey to determine what datasets currently exist for non-native species in the US from county, state, multi-state region, national, and global scales. We identified 319 datasets and collected metadata for 79% of these. Through this study, we provide a better understanding of extant non-native species datasets and identify data gaps (ie taxonomic, spatial, and temporal) to help guide future survey, research, and predictive modeling efforts.

Existence of the Stark-Wannier quantum resonances

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

Sacchetti, Andrea, E-mail: andrea.sacchetti@unimore.it

2014-12-15

In this paper, we prove the existence of the Stark-Wannier quantum resonances for one-dimensional Schrödinger operators with smooth periodic potential and small external homogeneous electric field. Such a result extends the existence result previously obtained in the case of periodic potentials with a finite number of open gaps.

Antimicrobial stewardship in Victorian hospitals: a statewide survey to identify current gaps.

PubMed

James, Rodney S; McIntosh, Kylie A; Luu, Susan B; Cotta, Menino O; Marshall, Caroline; Thursky, Karin A; Buising, Kirsty L

2013-11-18

To determine antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) activities currently being undertaken at Victorian hospitals, identifying gaps when assessed against the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care criteria for effective AMS. A survey open to all Victorian health services, conducted between January and March 2012. Availability of the endorsed prescribing guidelines, antimicrobial prescribing policies, formularies, approval systems for restricted antimicrobials, procedures for postprescription review, auditing and selective reporting of sensitivities. Response rates were 96.4% for public health services and 67.7% for private hospitals. Guidelines were available at all public and 88.1% of private hospitals, and 90.6% of public metropolitan, 45.7% of public regional and 21.4% of private hospitals had antimicrobial prescribing policies. Antimicrobial approval systems were used in 93.8% of public metropolitan, 17.3% of public regional and 4.8% of private hospitals. Prescribing audits were conducted by 62.5% of public metropolitan, 35.8% public regional and 52.4% of private hospitals. Nearly all hospitals had selective laboratory reporting of antimicrobial sensitivities. Few hospitals had dedicated funding for AMS personnel. We identified wide differences between hospital AMS activities. Additional support for AMS is particularly required in the public regional and private hospital sectors, principally in the key areas of policy development, antimicrobial approval systems, prescription review and auditing. Further research is required to develop recommendations for implementation of AMS within the regional and private hospital settings.

Minority Gaps Smaller in Some Pentagon Schools. The Achievement Gap.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Viadero, Debra

2000-01-01

This third in a four-part series on why academic achievement gaps exist explains how U.S. Department of Defense schools for children of military families offer lessons on how to raise academic achievement among minority students. Minority students in these schools do better than their counterparts almost anywhere in the United States on…

Bridging the Gap in Military Robotics (Combler le Fosse Existant dans le Domaine de la Robotique Militaire)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-11-01

systems must be evaluated at the platform level as well ( regenerative braking and similar systems). 4.4.4 The Important Gaps Several gaps on robot...in three main categories : • Mobility function: • Obstacle avoidance and negotiation; • Terrain modelling and classification; and • Transport in

Toward Identifying the Next Generation of Superfund and Hazardous Waste Site Contaminants

PubMed Central

Ela, Wendell P.; Sedlak, David L.; Barlaz, Morton A.; Henry, Heather F.; Muir, Derek C.G.; Swackhamer, Deborah L.; Weber, Eric J.; Arnold, Robert G.; Ferguson, P. Lee; Field, Jennifer A.; Furlong, Edward T.; Giesy, John P.; Halden, Rolf U.; Henry, Tala; Hites, Ronald A.; Hornbuckle, Keri C.; Howard, Philip H.; Luthy, Richard G.; Meyer, Anita K.; Sáez, A. Eduardo; vom Saal, Frederick S.; Vulpe, Chris D.; Wiesner, Mark R.

2011-01-01

Background This commentary evolved from a workshop sponsored by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences titled “Superfund Contaminants: The Next Generation” held in Tucson, Arizona, in August 2009. All the authors were workshop participants. Objectives Our aim was to initiate a dynamic, adaptable process for identifying contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) that are likely to be found in future hazardous waste sites, and to identify the gaps in primary research that cause uncertainty in determining future hazardous waste site contaminants. Discussion Superfund-relevant CECs can be characterized by specific attributes: They are persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic, occur in large quantities, and have localized accumulation with a likelihood of exposure. Although still under development and incompletely applied, methods to quantify these attributes can assist in winnowing down the list of candidates from the universe of potential CECs. Unfortunately, significant research gaps exist in detection and quantification, environmental fate and transport, health and risk assessment, and site exploration and remediation for CECs. Addressing these gaps is prerequisite to a preventive approach to generating and managing hazardous waste sites. Conclusions A need exists for a carefully considered and orchestrated expansion of programmatic and research efforts to identify, evaluate, and manage CECs of hazardous waste site relevance, including developing an evolving list of priority CECs, intensifying the identification and monitoring of likely sites of present or future accumulation of CECs, and implementing efforts that focus on a holistic approach to prevention. PMID:21205582

Toward identifying the next generation of superfund and hazardous waste site contaminants.

PubMed

Ela, Wendell P; Sedlak, David L; Barlaz, Morton A; Henry, Heather F; Muir, Derek C G; Swackhamer, Deborah L; Weber, Eric J; Arnold, Robert G; Ferguson, P Lee; Field, Jennifer A; Furlong, Edward T; Giesy, John P; Halden, Rolf U; Henry, Tala; Hites, Ronald A; Hornbuckle, Keri C; Howard, Philip H; Luthy, Richard G; Meyer, Anita K; Sáez, A Eduardo; Vom Saal, Frederick S; Vulpe, Chris D; Wiesner, Mark R

2011-01-01

This commentary evolved from a workshop sponsored by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences titled "Superfund Contaminants: The Next Generation" held in Tucson, Arizona, in August 2009. All the authors were workshop participants. Our aim was to initiate a dynamic, adaptable process for identifying contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) that are likely to be found in future hazardous waste sites, and to identify the gaps in primary research that cause uncertainty in determining future hazardous waste site contaminants. Superfund-relevant CECs can be characterized by specific attributes: They are persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic, occur in large quantities, and have localized accumulation with a likelihood of exposure. Although still under development and incompletely applied, methods to quantify these attributes can assist in winnowing down the list of candidates from the universe of potential CECs. Unfortunately, significant research gaps exist in detection and quantification, environmental fate and transport, health and risk assessment, and site exploration and remediation for CECs. Addressing these gaps is prerequisite to a preventive approach to generating and managing hazardous waste sites. A need exists for a carefully considered and orchestrated expansion of programmatic and research efforts to identify, evaluate, and manage CECs of hazardous waste site relevance, including developing an evolving list of priority CECs, intensifying the identification and monitoring of likely sites of present or future accumulation of CECs, and implementing efforts that focus on a holistic approach to prevention.

The role of angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors in cardiovascular disease-existing evidence, knowledge gaps, and future directions.

PubMed

Ambrosy, Andrew P; Mentz, Robert J; Fiuzat, Mona; Cleland, John G F; Greene, Stephen J; O'Connor, Christopher M; Teerlink, John R; Zannad, Faiez; Solomon, Scott D

2018-02-21

Although traditional renin-angiotensin system antagonists including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers have revolutionized the treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the pivotal PARADIGM-HF trial demonstrated that sacubitril/valsartan, an angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI), was superior to an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor in reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. However, despite international regulatory approval and strong recommendations in the guidelines, uptake of sacubitril/valsartan has been disappointing. Sacubitril/valsartan is now the focus of a large programme of clinical trials testing the hypothesis that ARNIs may supplant conventional renin-angiotensin system inhibitors across the spectrum of CVD, including hypertension, secondary prevention after myocardial infarction, and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. This review summarizes the existing evidence, knowledge gaps, and future directions of ARNIs in CVD based on discussions between clinical trialists, industry representatives, and regulatory authorities at the 2016 Global CardioVascular Clinical Trialists Forum in Washington, D.C. © 2018 The Authors. European Journal of Heart Failure © 2018 European Society of Cardiology.

Bridging the Civil Military Gap Capitalizing on Crisis

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-01-01

solutions. Researchers identifying the sources of the gap discussed above, have also suggested some methods for reducing the gap . While some are policy...Strategy Research Project DATE: 09 April 2002 PAGES: 42 CLASSIFICATION: Unclassified Researchers have identified a "civil-military gap ," an observable...would indicate a desire by the civilian populous to draw closer to the military, creating an opportunity to close or at least narrow this gap . The media

North-South S and T gap

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

Moghadam, A.A.

1985-01-01

The objectives of this study were (1) to demonstrate the existence of the science and technology (S and T) gap between developed countries (DCs) or the north, and less developed countries (LDCs) or the south; (2) to test the hypothesis that there exists a critical mass with respect to population, gross domestic product (GDP), per capita income, and literacy rate below which S and T development is insignificant; and (3) to recommend possible remedial actions for reducing this gap. The research comprises a thorough review of the existing literature, and an extensive analysis of 1976-78 and 1980-82 statistics for 66more » countries, presenting a global picture of the S and T gap in the free world. A comprehensive account was given of the S and T status for Britain, Germany, United States, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Egypt, and Nigeria. A plot of S and T indicators versus independent variables for the 66 counties clearly indicated the existence of the North-South S and T gap. The test of the critical hypothesis, using t distribution, revealed that population size does not have a significant impact on the development or deployment of S and T. This test with respect to GDP indicated that greater GDPs would facilitate the progress of S and T. The results for per capita income were similar. Adequate infrastructure had the greatest impact on absorption, deployment, and maintenance of S and T for development. It was also indicated that with literacy rates below 40% no significant S and T activity can be expected.« less

Excitonic gap formation in pumped Dirac materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Triola, Christopher; Pertsova, Anna; Markiewicz, Robert S.; Balatsky, Alexander V.

2017-05-01

Recent pump-probe experiments demonstrate the possibility that Dirac materials may be driven into transient excited states describable by two chemical potentials, one for the electrons and one for the holes. Given the Dirac nature of the spectrum, such an inverted population allows the optical tunability of the density of states of the electrons and holes, effectively offering control of the strength of the Coulomb interaction. Here we discuss the feasibility of realizing transient excitonic instabilities in optically pumped Dirac materials. We demonstrate, theoretically, the reduction of the critical coupling leading to the formation of a transient condensate of electron-hole pairs and identify signatures of this state. Furthermore, we provide guidelines for experiments by both identifying the regimes in which such exotic many-body states are more likely to be observed and estimating the magnitude of the excitonic gap for a few important examples of existing Dirac materials. We find a set of material parameters for which our theory predicts large gaps and high critical temperatures and which could be realized in future Dirac materials. We also comment on transient excitonic instabilities in three-dimensional Dirac and Weyl semimetals. This study provides an example of a transient collective instability in driven Dirac materials.

Transportation of Large Wind Components: A Review of Existing Geospatial Data

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

Mooney, Meghan; Maclaurin, Galen

2016-09-01

This report features the geospatial data component of a larger project evaluating logistical and infrastructure requirements for transporting oversized and overweight (OSOW) wind components. The goal of the larger project was to assess the status and opportunities for improving the infrastructure and regulatory practices necessary to transport wind turbine towers, blades, and nacelles from current and potential manufacturing facilities to end-use markets. The purpose of this report is to summarize existing geospatial data on wind component transportation infrastructure and to provide a data gap analysis, identifying areas for further analysis and data collection.

Closing yield gaps: perils and possibilities for biodiversity conservation

PubMed Central

Phalan, Ben; Green, Rhys; Balmford, Andrew

2014-01-01

Increasing agricultural productivity to ‘close yield gaps’ creates both perils and possibilities for biodiversity conservation. Yield increases often have negative impacts on species within farmland, but at the same time could potentially make it more feasible to minimize further cropland expansion into natural habitats. We combine global data on yield gaps, projected future production of maize, rice and wheat, the distributions of birds and their estimated sensitivity to changes in crop yields to map where it might be most beneficial for bird conservation to close yield gaps as part of a land-sparing strategy, and where doing so might be most damaging. Closing yield gaps to attainable levels to meet projected demand in 2050 could potentially help spare an area equivalent to that of the Indian subcontinent. Increasing yields this much on existing farmland would inevitably reduce its biodiversity, and therefore we advocate efforts both to constrain further increases in global food demand, and to identify the least harmful ways of increasing yields. The land-sparing potential of closing yield gaps will not be realized without specific mechanisms to link yield increases to habitat protection (and restoration), and therefore we suggest that conservationists, farmers, crop scientists and policy-makers collaborate to explore promising mechanisms. PMID:24535392

Structural analyses of Legionella LepB reveal a new GAP fold that catalytically mimics eukaryotic RasGAP.

PubMed

Yu, Qin; Hu, Liyan; Yao, Qing; Zhu, Yongqun; Dong, Na; Wang, Da-Cheng; Shao, Feng

2013-06-01

Rab GTPases are emerging targets of diverse bacterial pathogens. Here, we perform biochemical and structural analyses of LepB, a Rab GTPase-activating protein (GAP) effector from Legionella pneumophila. We map LepB GAP domain to residues 313-618 and show that the GAP domain is Rab1 specific with a catalytic activity higher than the canonical eukaryotic TBC GAP and the newly identified VirA/EspG family of bacterial RabGAP effectors. Exhaustive mutation analyses identify Arg444 as the arginine finger, but no catalytically essential glutamine residues. Crystal structures of LepB313-618 alone and the GAP domain of Legionella drancourtii LepB in complex with Rab1-GDP-AlF3 support the catalytic role of Arg444, and also further reveal a 3D architecture and a GTPase-binding mode distinct from all known GAPs. Glu449, structurally equivalent to TBC RabGAP glutamine finger in apo-LepB, undergoes a drastic movement upon Rab1 binding, which induces Rab1 Gln70 side-chain flipping towards GDP-AlF3 through a strong ionic interaction. This conformationally rearranged Gln70 acts as the catalytic cis-glutamine, therefore uncovering an unexpected RasGAP-like catalytic mechanism for LepB. Our studies highlight an extraordinary structural and catalytic diversity of RabGAPs, particularly those from bacterial pathogens.

30 CFR 285.653 - What other reports or notices must I submit to MMS under my approved GAP?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... MMS under my approved GAP? 285.653 Section 285.653 Mineral Resources BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT, REGULATION, AND ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE RENEWABLE ENERGY ALTERNATE USES OF EXISTING... identified measures that were not effective, you must include your recommendations for new mitigation...

Gap-minimal systems of notations and the constructible hierarchy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lucian, M. L.

1972-01-01

If a constructibly countable ordinal alpha is a gap ordinal, then the order type of the set of index ordinals smaller than alpha is exactly alpha. The gap ordinals are the only points of discontinuity of a certain ordinal-valued function. The notion of gap minimality for well ordered systems of notations is defined, and the existence of gap-minimal systems of notations of arbitrarily large constructibly countable length is established.

Energy-gap reduction in heavily doped silicon: Causes and consequences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pantelides, Sokrates T.; Selloni, Annabella; Car, Roberto

1985-02-01

The authors review briefly the existing theoretical treatments of the various effects that contribute to the reduction of the energy gap in heavily doped Si, namely electron-electron and electron-impurity interactions and the effect of disorder in the impurity distribution. They then turn to the longstanding question why energy-gap reductions extracted from three different types of experiments have persistently produced values with substantial discrepancies, making it impossible to compare with theoretical values. First, they demonstrate that a meaningful comparison between theory and experiment can indeed be made if theoretical calculations are carried out for actual quantities that experiments measure, e.g. luminescence spectra, as recently done by Selloni and Pantelides. Then, they demonstrate that, independent of any theoretical calculations, the optical absorption spectra are fully consistent with the luminescence spectra and that the discrepancies in the energy-gap reductions extracted from the two sets of spectra are caused entirely by the curve-fitting procedures used in analyzing optical-absorption data. Finally, they show explicitly that, as already believed by many authors, energy-gap reductions extracted from electrical measurements on transistors do not correspond to true gap reductions. They identify two corrections that must be added to the values extracted from the electrical data in order to arrive at the true gap reductions and show that the resulting values are in good overall agreement with luminescence and absorption data. They, therefore, demonstrate that the observed reduction in emitter injection efficiency in bipolar transistors is not strictly due to a gap reduction, as generally believed, but to three very different effects.

Formation of Degenerate Band Gaps in Layered Systems

PubMed Central

Ignatov, Anton I.; Merzlikin, Alexander M.; Levy, Miguel; Vinogradov, Alexey P.

2012-01-01

In the review, peculiarities of spectra of one-dimensional photonic crystals made of anisotropic and/or magnetooptic materials are considered. The attention is focused on band gaps of a special type—the so called degenerate band gaps which are degenerate with respect to polarization. Mechanisms of formation and properties of these band gaps are analyzed. Peculiarities of spectra of photonic crystals that arise due to the linkage between band gaps are discussed. Particularly, it is shown that formation of a frozen mode is caused by linkage between Brillouin and degenerate band gaps. Also, existence of the optical Borrmann effect at the boundaries of degenerate band gaps and optical Tamm states at the frequencies of degenerate band gaps are analyzed. PMID:28817024

Teachers' instructional goals for science practice: Identifying knowledge gaps using cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farrar, Cynthia Hamen

In AP Biology, the course goal, with respect to scientific acts and reasoning, has recently shifted toward a reform goal of science practice, where the goal is for students to have a scientific perspective that views science as a practice of a community rather than a body of knowledge. Given this recent shift, this study is interested in the gaps that may exist between an individual teacher's instructional goal and the goals of the AP Biology course. A Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) methodology and perspective is used to analyze four teachers' knowledge, practice, and learning. Teachers have content knowledge for teaching, a form of knowledge that is unique for teaching called specialized content knowledge. This specialized content knowledge (SCK) defines their instructional goals, the student outcomes they ultimately aim to achieve with their students. The study employs a cultural-historical continuum of scientific acts and reasoning, which represents the development of the AP Biology goal over time, to study gaps in their instructional goal. The study also analyzes the contradictions within their teaching practice and how teachers address those contradictions to shift their instructional practice and learn. The findings suggest that teachers have different interpretations of the AP Biology goals of science practice, placing their instructional goal at different points along the continuum. Based on the location of their instructional goal, different micro-communities of teachers exist along the continuum, comprised of teachers with a shared goal, language, and culture of their AP Biology teaching. The in-depth study of one teacher's AP Biology teaching, using a CHAT perspective, provides a means for studying the mechanisms that connect SCK to classroom actions and ultimately to instructional practice. CHAT also reveals the nature and importance of contradictions or cognitive dissonance in teacher learning and the types of support teachers need to

40 CFR 152.96 - Documentation of a data gap.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... entitled to claim that a data gap exists. (d) Requirement to obtain permission or make offer to pay. In... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Documentation of a data gap. 152.96...' Rights § 152.96 Documentation of a data gap. Except as provided in paragraph (a) of this section, an...

Bridging the research-practice gap: breaking new ground in health care.

PubMed

Mulhall, A

2001-08-01

Many theorists have discussed the existence of a gap between nursing research and practice. Consequently much time and effort has been expended in trying to devise strategies to bridge this divide. This article explores what the research-practice gap is and discusses five important reasons for it. The issue is then raised as to whether or not there is a gap between evidence and practice, despite the existence of the gap between research and practice. This is explored in relation to the potential conflict between the 'know how' knowledge important in practice and the 'know that' knowledge important in academia. Finally, the concept of practitioner-centred research is described as one strategy that would effectively obliterate the research-practice gap as it is currently conceived.

Experimental evidence of locally resonant sonic band gap in two-dimensional phononic stubbed plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oudich, Mourad; Senesi, Matteo; Assouar, M. Badreddine; Ruzenne, Massimo; Sun, Jia-Hong; Vincent, Brice; Hou, Zhilin; Wu, Tsung-Tsong

2011-10-01

We provide experimental evidence of the existence of a locally resonant sonic band gap in a two-dimensional stubbed plate. Structures consisting of a periodic arrangement of silicone rubber stubs deposited on a thin aluminium plate were fabricated and characterized. Brillouin spectroscopy analysis is carried out to determine the elastic constants of the used rubber. The constants are then implemented in an efficient finite-element model that predicts the band structure and transmission to identify the theoretical band gap. We measure a complete sonic band gap for the out-of-plane Lamb wave modes propagating in various samples fabricated with different stub heights. Frequency domain measurements of full wave field and transmission are performed through a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer. A complete band gap from 1.9 to 2.6 kHz is showed using a sample with 6-mm stub diameter, 5-mm thickness, and 1-cm structure periodicity. Very good agreement between numerical and experimental results is obtained.

Identification and characterization of ten new water gaps in seeds and fruits with physical dormancy and classification of water-gap complexes

PubMed Central

Gama-Arachchige, N. S.; Baskin, J. M.; Geneve, R. L.; Baskin, C. C.

2013-01-01

Background and Aims Physical dormancy (PY) occurs in seeds or fruits of 18 angiosperm families and is caused by a water-impermeable palisade cell layer(s) in seed or fruit coats. Prior to germination, the seed or fruit coat of species with PY must become permeable in order to imbibe water. Breaking of PY involves formation of a small opening(s) (water gap) in a morpho-anatomically specialized area in seeds or fruits known as the water-gap complex. Twelve different water-gap regions in seven families have previously been characterized. However, the water-gap regions had not been characterized in Cucurbitaceae; clade Cladrastis of Fabaceae; subfamilies Bombacoideae, Brownlowioideae and Bythnerioideae of Malvaceae; Nelumbonaceae; subfamily Sapindoideae of Sapindaceae; Rhamnaceae; or Surianaceae. The primary aims of this study were to identify and describe the water gaps of these taxa and to classify all the known water-gap regions based on their morpho-anatomical features. Methods Physical dormancy in 15 species was broken by exposing seeds or fruits to wet or dry heat under laboratory conditions. Water-gap regions of fruits and seeds were identified and characterized by use of microtome sectioning, light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, dye tracking and blocking experiments. Key Results Ten new water-gap regions were identified in seven different families, and two previously hypothesized regions were confirmed. Water-gap complexes consist of (1) an opening that forms after PY is broken; (2) a specialized structure that occludes the gap; and (3) associated specialized tissues. In some species, more than one opening is involved in the initial imbibition of water. Conclusions Based on morpho-anatomical features, three basic water-gap complexes (Types-I, -II and -III) were identified in species with PY in 16 families. Depending on the number of openings involved in initial imbibition, the water-gap complexes were sub-divided into simple and compound. The

Identification and characterization of ten new water gaps in seeds and fruits with physical dormancy and classification of water-gap complexes.

PubMed

Gama-Arachchige, N S; Baskin, J M; Geneve, R L; Baskin, C C

2013-07-01

Physical dormancy (PY) occurs in seeds or fruits of 18 angiosperm families and is caused by a water-impermeable palisade cell layer(s) in seed or fruit coats. Prior to germination, the seed or fruit coat of species with PY must become permeable in order to imbibe water. Breaking of PY involves formation of a small opening(s) (water gap) in a morpho-anatomically specialized area in seeds or fruits known as the water-gap complex. Twelve different water-gap regions in seven families have previously been characterized. However, the water-gap regions had not been characterized in Cucurbitaceae; clade Cladrastis of Fabaceae; subfamilies Bombacoideae, Brownlowioideae and Bythnerioideae of Malvaceae; Nelumbonaceae; subfamily Sapindoideae of Sapindaceae; Rhamnaceae; or Surianaceae. The primary aims of this study were to identify and describe the water gaps of these taxa and to classify all the known water-gap regions based on their morpho-anatomical features. Physical dormancy in 15 species was broken by exposing seeds or fruits to wet or dry heat under laboratory conditions. Water-gap regions of fruits and seeds were identified and characterized by use of microtome sectioning, light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, dye tracking and blocking experiments. Ten new water-gap regions were identified in seven different families, and two previously hypothesized regions were confirmed. Water-gap complexes consist of (1) an opening that forms after PY is broken; (2) a specialized structure that occludes the gap; and (3) associated specialized tissues. In some species, more than one opening is involved in the initial imbibition of water. Based on morpho-anatomical features, three basic water-gap complexes (Types-I, -II and -III) were identified in species with PY in 16 families. Depending on the number of openings involved in initial imbibition, the water-gap complexes were sub-divided into simple and compound. The proposed classification system enables understanding of the

The reasons for the epilepsy treatment gap in Kilifi, Kenya: using formative research to identify interventions to improve adherence to antiepileptic drugs.

PubMed

Carter, Julie A; Molyneux, Catherine S; Mbuba, Caroline K; Jenkins, Jo; Newton, Charles R J C; Hartley, Sally D

2012-12-01

Many people with epilepsy (PWE) in resource-poor countries do not receive appropriate treatment, a phenomenon referred to as the epilepsy treatment gap (ETG). We conducted a qualitative study to explore the reasons for this gap and to identify possible interventions in Kilifi, Kenya. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were carried out of PWE and their caregivers. Individual interviews were conducted of PWE, their caregivers, traditional healers, community health workers and leaders, nurses and doctors. In addition, a series of workshops was conducted, and four factors contributing to the ETG were identified: 1) lack of knowledge about the causes, treatment and prognosis of epilepsy; 2) inaccessibility to antiepileptic drugs; 3) misconceptions about epilepsy derived from superstitions about its origin; 4) and dissatisfaction with the communication skills of health providers. These data indicated possible interventions: 1) education and support for PWE and their caregivers; 2) communication skills training for health providers; 3) and improved drug provision. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparing U.S. Army Systems with Foreign Counterparts: Identifying Possible Capability Gaps and Insights from Other Armies

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-01-01

C O R P O R A T I O N Research Report Comparing U.S. Army Systems with Foreign Counterparts Identifying Possible Capability Gaps and Insights from...Couffer; photo by E. Heidtmann, CC BY 3.0; photo by Black Mammmba, CC BY 3.0; and photo by Vitaly V. Kuzmin, CC BY 3.0. M1A2 Abrams Leopard 2A6 Merkava...photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel N . Woods; photo by Daniel Steger, CC BY-SA 2.5; “MIL_Finlândia-Army_Demo Day 2005 Rovajärvellä

Review and bibliometric analysis of published literature citing data produced by the Gap Analysis Program (GAP)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ratz, Joan M.; Conk, Shannon J.

2014-01-01

The Gap Analysis Program (GAP) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) produces geospatial datasets providing information on land cover, predicted species distributions, stewardship (ownership and conservation status), and an analysis dataset which synthesizes the other three datasets. The intent in providing these datasets is to support the conservation of biodiversity. The datasets are made available at no cost. The initial datasets were created at the state level. More recent datasets have been assembled at regional and national levels. GAP entered an agreement with the Policy Analysis and Science Assistance branch of the USGS to conduct an evaluation to describe the effect that using GAP data has on those who utilize the datasets (GAP users). The evaluation project included multiple components: a discussion regarding use of GAP data conducted with participants at a GAP conference, a literature review of publications that cited use of GAP data, and a survey of GAP users. The findings of the published literature search were used to identify topics to include on the survey. This report summarizes the literature search, the characteristics of the resulting set of publications, the emergent themes from statements made regarding GAP data, and a bibliometric analysis of the publications. We cannot claim that this list includes all publications that have used GAP data. Given the time lapse that is common in the publishing process, more recent datasets may be cited less frequently in this list of publications. Reports or products that used GAP data may be produced but never published in print or released online. In that case, our search strategies would not have located those reports. Authors may have used GAP data but failed to cite it in such a way that the search strategies we used would have located those publications. These are common issues when using a literature search as part of an evaluation project. Although the final list of publications we identified is not

Interrogating the Language Gap of Young Bilingual and Bidialectal Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

García, Ofelia; Otheguy, Ricardo

2017-01-01

This article describes how the belief in the existence of a language gap has negative educational consequences for bilingual and bidialectal children from minoritized communities. This article first positions the idea of the language gap within the "achievement gap" discourse that has long been prevalent in educational circles. We then…

Characterizing the gender gap in introductory physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kost, Lauren E.; Pollock, Steven J.; Finkelstein, Noah D.

2009-06-01

Previous research [S. J. Pollock , Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 3, 1 (2007)] showed that despite the use of interactive engagement techniques, the gap in performance between males and females on a conceptual learning survey persisted from pretest to post-test at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Such findings were counter to previously published work [M. Lorenzo , Am. J. Phys. 74, 118 (2006)]. This study begins by identifying a variety of other gender differences. There is a small but significant difference in the course grades of males and females. Males and females have significantly different prior understandings of physics and mathematics. Females are less likely to take high school physics than males, although they are equally likely to take high school calculus. Males and females also differ in their incoming attitudes and beliefs about physics. This collection of background factors is analyzed to determine the extent to which each factor correlates with performance on a conceptual post-test and with gender. Binned by quintiles, we observe that males and females with similar pretest scores do not have significantly different post-test scores (p>0.2) . The post-test data are then modeled using two regression models (multiple regression and logistic regression) to estimate the gender gap in post-test scores after controlling for these important prior factors. These prior factors account for about 70% of the observed gender gap. The results indicate that the gender gap exists in interactive physics classes at our institution but is largely associated with differences in previous physics and math knowledge and incoming attitudes and beliefs.

The identification of protein domains that mediate functional interactions between Rab-GTPases and RabGAPs using 3D protein modeling.

PubMed

Davie, Jeremiah J; Faitar, Silviu L

2017-01-01

Currently, time-consuming serial in vitro experimentation involving immunocytochemistry or radiolabeled materials is required to identify which of the numerous Rab-GTPases (Rab) and Rab-GTPase activating proteins (RabGAP) are capable of functional interactions. These interactions are essential for numerous cellular functions, and in silico methods of reducing in vitro trial and error would accelerate the pace of research in cell biology. We have utilized a combination of three-dimensional protein modeling and protein bioinformatics to identify domains present in Rab proteins that are predictive of their functional interaction with a specific RabGAP. The RabF2 and RabSF1 domains appear to play functional roles in mediating the interaction between Rabs and RabGAPs. Moreover, the RabSF1 domain can be used to make in silico predictions of functional Rab/RabGAP pairs. This method is expected to be a broadly applicable tool for predicting protein-protein interactions where existing crystal structures for homologs of the proteins of interest are available.

Data gaps in anthropogenically driven local-scale species richness change studies across the Earth's terrestrial biomes.

PubMed

Murphy, Grace E P; Romanuk, Tamara N

2016-05-01

There have been numerous attempts to synthesize the results of local-scale biodiversity change studies, yet several geographic data gaps exist. These data gaps have hindered ecologist's ability to make strong conclusions about how local-scale species richness is changing around the globe. Research on four of the major drivers of global change is unevenly distributed across the Earth's biomes. Here, we use a dataset of 638 anthropogenically driven species richness change studies to identify where data gaps exist across the Earth's terrestrial biomes based on land area, future change in drivers, and the impact of drivers on biodiversity, and make recommendations for where future studies should focus their efforts. Across all drivers of change, the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests and the tropical moist broadleaf forests are the best studied. The biome-driver combinations we have identified as most critical in terms of where local-scale species richness change studies are lacking include the following: land-use change studies in tropical and temperate coniferous forests, species invasion and nutrient addition studies in the boreal forest, and warming studies in the boreal forest and tropics. Gaining more information on the local-scale effects of the specific human drivers of change in these biomes will allow for better predictions of how human activity impacts species richness around the globe.

DISCONTOOLS: a database to identify research gaps on vaccines, pharmaceuticals and diagnostics for the control of infectious diseases of animals.

PubMed

O'Brien, Declan; Scudamore, Jim; Charlier, Johannes; Delavergne, Morgane

2017-01-03

The public and private sector in the EU spend around €800 million per year on animal health and welfare related research. An objective process to identify critical gaps in knowledge and available control tools should aid the prioritisation of research in order to speed up the development of new or improved diagnostics, vaccines and pharmaceuticals and reduce the burden of animal diseases. Here, we describe the construction of a database based on expert consultation for 52 infectious diseases of animals. For each disease, an expert group produced a disease and product analysis document that formed the basis for gap analysis and prioritisation. The prioritisation model was based on a closed scoring system, employing identical weights for six evaluation criteria (disease knowledge; impact on animal health and welfare; impact on public health; impact on wider society; impact on trade; control tools). The diseases were classified into three groups: epizootic diseases, food-producing animal complexes or zoonotic diseases. The highly ranked diseases in the prioritisation model comprised mostly zoonotic and epizootic diseases with important gaps identified in vaccine development and pharmaceuticals, respectively. The most important outcome is the identification of key research needs by disease. The rankings and research needs by disease are provided on a public website ( www.discontools.eu ) which is currently being updated based on new expert consultations. As such, it can become a reference point for funders of research including the European Commission, member states, foundations, trusts along with private industry to prioritise research. This will deliver benefits in terms of animal health and welfare but also public health, societal benefits and a safe and secure food supply.

Spatio-Temporal Gap Analysis of OBIS-SEAMAP Project Data: Assessment and Way Forward

PubMed Central

Kot, Connie Y.; Fujioka, Ei; Hazen, Lucie J.; Best, Benjamin D.; Read, Andrew J.; Halpin, Patrick N.

2010-01-01

The OBIS-SEAMAP project has acquired and served high-quality marine mammal, seabird, and sea turtle data to the public since its inception in 2002. As data accumulated, spatial and temporal biases resulted and a comprehensive gap analysis was needed in order to assess coverage to direct data acquisition for the OBIS-SEAMAP project and for taxa researchers should true gaps in knowledge exist. All datasets published on OBIS-SEAMAP up to February 2009 were summarized spatially and temporally. Seabirds comprised the greatest number of records, compared to the other two taxa, and most records were from shipboard surveys, compared to the other three platforms. Many of the point observations and polyline tracklines were located in northern and central Atlantic and the northeastern and central-eastern Pacific. The Southern Hemisphere generally had the lowest representation of data, with the least number of records in the southern Atlantic and western Pacific regions. Temporally, records of observations for all taxa were the lowest in fall although the number of animals sighted was lowest in the winter. Oceanographic coverage of observations varied by platform for each taxa, which showed that using two or more platforms represented habitat ranges better than using only one alone. Accessible and published datasets not already incorporated do exist within spatial and temporal gaps identified. Other related open-source data portals also contain data that fill gaps, emphasizing the importance of dedicated data exchange. Temporal and spatial gaps were mostly a result of data acquisition effort, development of regional partnerships and collaborations, and ease of field data collection. Future directions should include fostering partnerships with researchers in the Southern Hemisphere while targeting datasets containing species with limited representation. These results can facilitate prioritizing datasets needed to be represented and for planning research for true gaps in space

Spatio-temporal gap analysis of OBIS-SEAMAP project data: assessment and way forward.

PubMed

Kot, Connie Y; Fujioka, Ei; Hazen, Lucie J; Best, Benjamin D; Read, Andrew J; Halpin, Patrick N

2010-09-24

The OBIS-SEAMAP project has acquired and served high-quality marine mammal, seabird, and sea turtle data to the public since its inception in 2002. As data accumulated, spatial and temporal biases resulted and a comprehensive gap analysis was needed in order to assess coverage to direct data acquisition for the OBIS-SEAMAP project and for taxa researchers should true gaps in knowledge exist. All datasets published on OBIS-SEAMAP up to February 2009 were summarized spatially and temporally. Seabirds comprised the greatest number of records, compared to the other two taxa, and most records were from shipboard surveys, compared to the other three platforms. Many of the point observations and polyline tracklines were located in northern and central Atlantic and the northeastern and central-eastern Pacific. The Southern Hemisphere generally had the lowest representation of data, with the least number of records in the southern Atlantic and western Pacific regions. Temporally, records of observations for all taxa were the lowest in fall although the number of animals sighted was lowest in the winter. Oceanographic coverage of observations varied by platform for each taxa, which showed that using two or more platforms represented habitat ranges better than using only one alone. Accessible and published datasets not already incorporated do exist within spatial and temporal gaps identified. Other related open-source data portals also contain data that fill gaps, emphasizing the importance of dedicated data exchange. Temporal and spatial gaps were mostly a result of data acquisition effort, development of regional partnerships and collaborations, and ease of field data collection. Future directions should include fostering partnerships with researchers in the Southern Hemisphere while targeting datasets containing species with limited representation. These results can facilitate prioritizing datasets needed to be represented and for planning research for true gaps in space

Measuring outcomes in adult spinal deformity surgery: a systematic review to identify current strengths, weaknesses and gaps in patient-reported outcome measures.

PubMed

Faraj, Sayf S A; van Hooff, Miranda L; Holewijn, Roderick M; Polly, David W; Haanstra, Tsjitske M; de Kleuver, Marinus

2017-08-01

Adult spinal deformity (ASD) causes severe disability, reduces overall quality of life, and results in a substantial societal burden of disease. As healthcare is becoming more value based, and to facilitate global benchmarking, it is critical to identify and standardize patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). This study aims to identify the current strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in PROMs used for ASD. Studies were included following a systematic search in multiple bibliographic databases between 2000 and 2015. PROMs were extracted and linked to the outcome domains of WHO's International Classification of Functioning and Health (ICF) framework. Subsequently, the clinimetric quality of identified PROMs was evaluated. The literature search identified 144 papers that met the inclusion criteria, and nine frequently used PROMs were identified. These covered 29 ICF outcome domains, which could be grouped into three of the four main ICF chapters: body function (n = 7), activity and participation (n = 19), environmental factors (n = 3), and body structure (n = 0). A low quantity (n = 3) of papers was identified that studied the clinimetric quality of PROMs. The Scoliosis Research Society (SRS)-22 has the highest level of clinimetric quality for ASD. Outcome domains related to mobility and pain were well represented. We identified a gap in current outcome measures regarding neurological and pulmonary function. In addition, no outcome domains were measured in the ICF chapter body structure. These results will serve as a foundation for the process of seeking international consensus on a standard set of outcome domains, accompanied PROMs and contributing factors to be used in future clinical trials and spine registries.

Knowledge gaps among public librarians seeking vaccination information: A qualitative study

PubMed Central

Smith, Catherine Arnott; Hundal, Savreen; Keselman, Alla

2014-01-01

Public libraries have been called the “first responders” to the specialized health information needs of the general public. The challenges inherent in consumer health information (CHI) service are centered around the Patron, the Librarian, the Information Resources, and the Library itself. The pilot study involved interviews with nine individual library workers in eight public libraries in four library systems: the District of Columbia, Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland, and Fairfax County in Virginia. Library workers were asked about common consumer health information requests, the nature of their collections, and the role of public libraries in meeting these information needs. The subjects were also presented with a hypothetical scenario, and their responses suggest knowledge gaps. The findings point to the increasing necessity and importance of training and support for public librarians, as well as the importance of understanding where the medical knowledge gaps exist. Public librarians need to commit to formal evaluation of their skill sets and knowledge gaps, in order to identify areas to which libraries can devote limited resources. PMID:26550002

Human Trafficking in Ethiopia: A Scoping Review to Identify Gaps in Service Delivery, Research, and Policy.

PubMed

Beck, Dana C; Choi, Kristen R; Munro-Kramer, Michelle L; Lori, Jody R

2017-12-01

The purpose of this review is to integrate evidence on human trafficking in Ethiopia and identify gaps and recommendations for service delivery, research and training, and policy. A scoping literature review approach was used to systematically search nursing, medical, psychological, law, and international databases and synthesize information on a complex, understudied topic. The search yielded 826 articles, and 39 met the predetermined criteria for inclusion in the review. Trafficking in Ethiopia has occurred internally and externally in the form of adult and child labor and sex trafficking. There were also some reports of organ trafficking and other closely related human rights violations, such as child marriage, child soldiering, and exploitative intercountry adoption. Risk factors for trafficking included push factors (poverty, political instability, economic problems, and gender discrimination) and pull factors (demand for cheap labor). Trafficking was associated with poor health and economic outcomes for victims. Key recommendations for service delivery, research and training, and policy are identified, including establishing comprehensive services for survivor rehabilitation and reintegration, conducting quantitative health outcomes research, and reforming policy around migration and trafficking. Implementing the recommendations identified by this review will allow policy makers, researchers, and practitioners to take meaningful steps toward confronting human trafficking in Ethiopia.

Clinical trial regulation in Argentina: overview and analysis of regulatory framework, use of existing tools, and researchers' perspectives to identify potential barriers.

PubMed

White, Lauren; Ortiz, Zulma; Cuervo, Luis G; Reveiz, Ludovic

2011-11-01

To review and analyze the regulatory framework of clinical trial registration, use of existing tools (publicly accessible national/international registration databases), and users' perspectives to identify possible barriers to registration compliance by sponsors and researchers in Argentina. Internationally registered trials recruiting patients in Argentina were found through clincialtrials.gov and the International Clinical Trial Registration Platform (ICTRP) and compared with publically available clinical trials registered through the National Administration of Drugs, Foods, and Medical Devices (ANMAT). A questionnaire addressing hypothesized attitudinal, knowledge-related, idiomatic, technical, economic, and regulatory barriers that could discourage or impede registration of clinical trials was developed, and semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with a purposively selected sample of researchers (investigators, sponsors, and monitors) in Argentina. A response rate of 74.3% (n = 29) was achieved, and 27 interviews were ultimately used for analysis. Results suggested that the high proportion of foreign-sponsored or multinational trials (64.8% of all protocols approved by ANMAT from 1994-2006) may contribute to a communication gap between locally based investigators and foreign-based administrative officials. A lack of knowledge about available international registration tools and limited awareness of the importance of registration were also identified as limiting factors for local investigators and sponsors. To increase compliance and promote clinical trial registration in Argentina, national health authorities, sponsors, and local investigators could take the following steps: implement a grassroots educational campaign to improve clinical trial regulation, support local investigator-sponsor-initiated clinical trials, and/or encourage local and regional scientific journal compliance with standards from the International Committee of Medical Journal

Observation of a well-defined hybridization gap and in-gap states on the SmB6 (001) surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Zhixiang; Maldonado, Ana; Paz, Wendel S.; Inosov, Dmytro S.; Schnyder, Andreas P.; Palacios, J. J.; Shitsevalova, Natalya Yu.; Filipov, Vladimir B.; Wahl, Peter

2018-06-01

The rise of topology in condensed-matter physics has generated strong interest in identifying novel quantum materials in which topological protection is driven by electronic correlations. Samarium hexaboride is a Kondo insulator for which it has been proposed that a band inversion between 5 d and 4 f bands gives rise to topologically protected surface states. However, unambiguous proof of the existence and topological nature of these surface states is still missing, and its low-energy electronic structure is still not fully established. Here we present a study of samarium hexaboride by ultralow-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. We obtain clear atomically resolved topographic images of the sample surface. Our tunneling spectra reveal signatures of a hybridization gap with a size of about 8 meV and with a reduction of the differential conductance inside the gap by almost half, and surprisingly, several strong resonances below the Fermi level. The spatial variations of the energy of the resonances point toward a microscopic variation of the electronic states by the different surface terminations. High-resolution tunneling spectra acquired at 100 mK reveal a splitting of the Kondo resonance, possibly due to the crystal electric field.

Closing the gap between research and management

Treesearch

Deborah M. Finch; Marcia Patton-Mallory

1993-01-01

In this paper, we evaluate the reasons for gaps in communication between researchers and natural resource managers and identify methods to close these gaps. Gaps originate from differing patterns of language use, disparities in organizational culture and values, generation of knowledge that is too narrowly-focused to solve complex problems, failure by managers to relay...

The measurement of medial knee gap width using ultrasound.

PubMed

Slane, Laura C; Slane, Josh A; Scheys, Lennart

2017-08-01

Medial knee instability is a key clinical parameter for assessing ligament injury and arthroplasty success, but current methods for measuring stability are typically either qualitative or involve ionizing radiation. The purpose of this study was to perform a preliminary analysis of whether ultrasound (US) could be used as an alternate approach for quantifying medial instability by comparing an US method with an approach mimicking the current gold standard fluoroscopy method. US data from the medial knee were collected, while cadaveric lower limbs (n = 8) were loaded in valgus (10 Nm). During post-processing, the US gap width was measured by identifying the medial edges of the femur and tibia and computing the gap width between these points. For comparison, mimicked fluoroscopy (mFluoro) images were created from specimen-specific bone models, developed from segmented CT scans, and from kinematic data collected during testing. Then, gap width was measured in the mFluoro images based on two different published approaches with gap width measured either at the most medial or at the most distal aspect of the femur. Gap width increased significantly with loading (p < 0.001), and there were no significant differences between the US method (unloaded: 8.7 ± 2.4 mm, loaded: 10.7 ± 2.2 mm) and the mFluoro method that measured gap width at the medial femur. In terms of the change in gap width with load, no correlation with the change in abduction angle was observed, with no correlation between the various methods. Inter-rater reliability for the US method was high (0.899-0.952). Ultrasound shows promise as a suitable alternative for quantifying medial instability without radiation exposure. However, the outstanding limitations of existing approaches and lack of true ground-truth data require that further validation work is necessary to better understand the clinical viability of an US approach for measuring medial knee gap width.

Topological Valley Currents in Gapped Dirac Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lensky, Yuri D.; Song, Justin C. W.; Samutpraphoot, Polnop; Levitov, Leonid S.

2015-06-01

Gapped 2D Dirac materials, in which inversion symmetry is broken by a gap-opening perturbation, feature a unique valley transport regime. Topological valley currents in such materials are dominated by bulk currents produced by electronic states just beneath the gap rather than by edge modes. The system ground state hosts dissipationless persistent valley currents existing even when topologically protected edge modes are absent. Valley currents induced by an external bias are characterized by a quantized half-integer valley Hall conductivity. The undergap currents dominate magnetization and the charge Hall effect in a light-induced valley-polarized state.

Developing a Gap Taxonomy to Address Crew Health Risks in NASA's Human Research Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kundrot, Craig E.; Edwards, J. Michelle

2009-01-01

The mission of NASA's Human Research Program (HRP) is to understand and reduce the risk to crew health and performance in exploration missions. The HRP addresses 27 specific risks by identifying and then filling gaps in understanding the risks and in the ability to disposition the risks. The primary bases for identifying gaps have been past experience and requirements definition. This approach has been very effective in identifying some important, relevant gaps, but may be inadequate for identifying gaps outside the past experience base. We are exploring the use of a gap taxonomy as a comprehensive, underlying conceptual framework that allows a more systematic identification of gaps. The taxonomy is based on these stages in medical care: prediction, prevention, detection/diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, rehabilitation, and lifetime surveillance. This gap taxonomy approach identifies new gaps in HRP health risks. Many of the new gaps suggest risk reduction approaches that are more cost effective than present approaches. A major benefit of the gap taxonomy approach is to identify new, economical approaches that reduce the likelihood and/or consequence of a risk.

Columbia River Component Data Gap Analysis

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

L. C. Hulstrom

2007-10-23

This Data Gap Analysis report documents the results of a study conducted by Washington Closure Hanford (WCH) to compile and reivew the currently available surface water and sediment data for the Columbia River near and downstream of the Hanford Site. This Data Gap Analysis study was conducted to review the adequacy of the existing surface water and sediment data set from the Columbia River, with specific reference to the use of the data in future site characterization and screening level risk assessments.

Review of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) for Automated Vehicles : Identifying Potential Barriers and Challenges for the Certification of Automated Vehicles Using Existing FMVSS

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-03-11

The purpose of this work is to identify instances where the existing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards may pose challenges to the introduction of automated vehicles. It identifies standards requiring further review - both to ensure that existing...

Deconstructing brain-derived neurotrophic factor actions in adult brain circuits to bridge an existing informational gap in neuro-cell biology.

PubMed

Bowling, Heather; Bhattacharya, Aditi; Klann, Eric; Chao, Moses V

2016-03-01

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays an important role in neurodevelopment, synaptic plasticity, learning and memory, and in preventing neurodegeneration. Despite decades of investigations into downstream signaling cascades and changes in cellular processes, the mechanisms of how BDNF reshapes circuits in vivo remain unclear. This informational gap partly arises from the fact that the bulk of studies into the molecular actions of BDNF have been performed in dissociated neuronal cultures, while the majority of studies on synaptic plasticity, learning and memory were performed in acute brain slices or in vivo. A recent study by Bowling-Bhattacharya et al., measured the proteomic changes in acute adult hippocampal slices following treatment and reported changes in proteins of neuronal and non-neuronal origin that may in concert modulate synaptic release and secretion in the slice. In this paper, we place these findings into the context of existing literature and discuss how they impact our understanding of how BDNF can reshape the brain.

Improving care for patients on antiretroviral therapy through a gap analysis framework.

PubMed

Massoud, M Rashad; Shakir, Fazila; Livesley, Nigel; Muhire, Martin; Nabwire, Juliana; Ottosson, Amanda; Jean-Baptiste, Rachel; Megere, Humphrey; Karamagi-Nkolo, Esther; Gaudreault, Suzanne; Marks, Pamela; Jennings, Larissa

2015-07-01

To improve quality of care through decreasing existing gaps in the areas of coverage, retention, and wellness of patients receiving HIV care and treatment. The antiretroviral therapy (ART) Framework utilizes improvement methods and the Chronic Care Model to address the coverage, retention, and wellness gaps in HIV care and treatment. This is a time-series study. The ART Framework was applied in five health centers in Buikwe District, Uganda. Quality improvement teams, consisting of healthcare workers and expert patients, were established in each of the five healthcare facilities. The intervention period was October 2010 to September 2012. It consisted of quality improvement teams analyzing their facility and systems of care from the perspective of the Chronic Care Model to identify areas of improvement. They implemented the ART Framework, collected data and assessed outcomes, focused on self-management support for patients, to improve coverage, retention, and wellness gaps in HIV care and treatment. Coverage was defined as every patient who needs ART in the catchment area, receives it. Retention was defined as every patient who receives ART stays on ART, and wellness defined as having a positive clinical, immunological, and/or virological response to treatment without intolerable or unmanageable side-effects. Results from Buikwe show the gaps in coverage, retention, and wellness greatly decreased a gap in coverage of 44-19%, gap in retention of 49-24%, and gap in wellness of 53-14% during a 2-year intervention period. The ART Framework is an innovative and practical tool for HIV program managers to improve HIV care and treatment.

A Study of Gaps in Network Knowledge Synthesis

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-14

Lincoln Laboratory MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS Technical Report 1195 A Study of Gaps in Network...unlimited. This report is the result of studies performed at Lincoln Laboratory, a federally funded research and development center operated...specifically authorized by the U.S. Government may violate any copyrights that exist in this work. A Study of Gaps in Network Knowledge Synthesis

Finding Platinum-Coating Gaps On Titanium Anodes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bodemeijer, Ronnald; Flowers, Cecil E.

1990-01-01

Simple procedure makes gaps visible to eye. New gap-detection method consists of plating thin layer of non-silver-colored metal like copper or gold on anode. Contrast in color between plated metal and bare anode material makes gaps stand out. If anode passes inspection, copper or gold plate removable by reversal of test-plating current. Remains to be determined whether test plating and removal damages anode. New method simpler and more economical than previous attempts to identify gaps in platinum.

The 2016 Kumamoto-Oita earthquake sequence: aftershock seismicity gap and dynamic triggering in volcanic areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uchide, Takahiko; Horikawa, Haruo; Nakai, Misato; Matsushita, Reiken; Shigematsu, Norio; Ando, Ryosuke; Imanishi, Kazutoshi

2016-11-01

The 2016 Kumamoto-Oita earthquake sequence involving three large events ( M w ≥ 6) in the central Kyushu Island, southwest Japan, activated seismicities in two volcanic areas with unusual and puzzling spatial gaps after the largest earthquake ( M w 7.0) of April 16, 2016. We attempt to reveal the seismic process during the sequence by following seismological data analyses. Our hypocenter relocation result implies that the large events ruptured different faults of a complex fault system. A slip inversion analysis of the largest event indicates a large slip in the seismicity gap (Aso gap) in the caldera of Mt. Aso, which probably released accumulated stress and resulted in little aftershock production. We identified that the largest event dynamically triggered a mid-M6 event at Yufuin (80 km northeast of the epicenter), which is consistent with existence of the 20-km long zone where seismicity was activated and surface offset was observed. These findings will help us study the contribution of the identified complexity in fault geometries and the geotherm in the volcanic areas to the revealed seismic process and consequently improve our understanding of the seismo-volcano tectonics.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

Gap analysis of the European Earth Observation Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Closa, Guillem; Serral, Ivette; Maso, Joan

2016-04-01

Earth Observations (EO) are fundamental to enhance the scientific understanding of the current status of the Earth. Nowadays, there are a lot of EO services that provide large volume of data, and the number of datasets available for different geosciences areas is increasing by the day. Despite this coverage, a glance of the European EO networks reveals that there are still some issues that are not being met; some gaps in specific themes or some thematic overlaps between different networks. This situation requires a clarification process of the actual status of the EO European networks in order to set priorities and propose future actions that will improve the European EO networks. The aim of this work is to detect the existing gaps and overlapping problems among the European EO networks. The analytical process has been done by studying the availability and the completeness of the Essential Variables (EV) data captured by the European EO networks. The concept of EVs considers that there are a number of parameters that are essential to characterize the state and trends of a system without losing significant information. This work generated a database of the existing gaps in the European EO network based on the initial GAIA-CLIM project data structure. For each theme the missing or incomplete data about each EV was indentified. Then, if incomplete, the gap was described by adding its type (geographical extent, vertical extent, temporal extent, spatial resolution, etc), the cost, the remedy, the feasibility, the impact and the priority, among others. Gaps in EO are identified following the ConnectinGEO methodology structured in 5 threads; identification of observation requirements, incorporation of international research programs material, consultation process within the current EO actors, GEOSS Discovery and Access Broker analysis, and industry-driven challenges implementation. Concretely, the presented work focuses on the second thread, which is based on

A gap analysis of meteorological requirements for commercial space operators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stapleton, Nicholas James

Commercial space companies will soon be the primary method of launching people and supplies into orbit. Among the critical aspects of space launches are the meteorological concerns. Laws and regulations pertaining to meteorological considerations have been created to ensure the safety of the space industry and those living around spaceports; but, are they adequate? Perhaps the commercial space industry can turn to the commercial aviation industry to help answer that question. Throughout its history, the aviation industry has dealt with lessons learned from mishaps due to failures in understanding the significance of weather impacts on operations. Using lessons from the aviation industry, the commercial space industry can preempt such accidents and maintain viability as an industry. Using Lanicci's Strategic Planning Model, this study identified the weather needs of the commercial space industry by conducting three gap analyses. First, a comparative analysis was done between laws and regulations in commercial aviation and those in the commercial space industry pertaining to meteorological support, finding a "legislative gap" between the two industries, as no legal guarantee is in place to ensure weather products remain available to the commercial space industry. A second analysis was conducted between the meteorological services provided for the commercial aviation industry and commercial space industry, finding a gap at facilities not located at an established launch facility or airport. At such facilities, many weather observational technologies would not be present, and would need to be purchased by the company operating the spaceport facility. A third analysis was conducted between the meteorological products and regulations that are currently in existence, and those needed for safe operations within the commercial space industry, finding gaps in predicting lightning, electric field charge, and space weather. Recommendations to address these deficiencies have

Meclofenamic acid blocks the gap junction communication between the retinal pigment epithelial cells.

PubMed

Ning, N; Wen, Y; Li, Y; Li, J

2013-11-01

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used to manage the pain and inflammation. NSAIDs can cause serious side effects, including vision problems. However, the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effect of meclofenamic acid (MFA) on retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). In our study, we applied image analysis and whole-cell patch clamp recording to directly measure the effect of MFA on the gap junctional coupling between RPE cells. Analysis of Lucifer yellow (LY) transfer revealed that the gap junction communication existed between RPE cells. Functional experiments using the whole-cell configuration of the patch clamp technique showed that a gap junction conductance also existed between this kind of cells. Importantly, MFA largely inhibited the gap junction conductance and induced the uncoupling of RPE cells. Other NSAIDs, like aspirin and flufenamic acid (FFA), had the same effect. The gap junction functionally existed in RPE cells, which can be blocked by MFA. These findings may explain, at least partially, the vision problems with certain clinically used NSAIDs.

Identifying and Prioritizing Implementation Barriers, Gaps, and Strategies Through the Nigeria Implementation Science Alliance: Getting to Zero in the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV.

PubMed

Ezeanolue, Echezona E; Powell, Byron J; Patel, Dina; Olutola, Ayodotun; Obiefune, Michael; Dakum, Patrick; Okonkwo, Prosper; Gobir, Bola; Akinmurele, Timothy; Nwandu, Anthea; Torpey, Kwasi; Oyeledum, Bolanle; Aina, Muyiwa; Eyo, Andy; Oleribe, Obinna; Ibanga, Ikoedem; Oko, John; Anyaike, Chukwuma; Idoko, John; Aliyu, Muktar H; Sturke, Rachel; Watts, Heather; Siberry, George

2016-08-01

In 2013, Nigeria accounted for 15% of the 1.3 million pregnant women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa and 26% of new infections among children worldwide. Despite this, less than 20% of pregnant women in Nigeria received an HIV test during pregnancy, and only 23% of HIV-infected pregnant women received appropriate intervention following HIV diagnosis. This article reports findings from 2 structured group exercises conducted at the first Nigeria Implementation Science Alliance Conference to identify (1) barriers and research gaps related to prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) and (2) potential strategies and interventions that could address PMTCT challenges. Two 1-hour structured group exercises were conducted with 10 groups of 14-15 individuals (n = 145), who were asked to brainstorm barriers and strategies and to rank their top 3 in each category. Data analysis eliminated duplicate responses and categorized each of the priorities along the HIV care continuum: HIV diagnosis, linkage to care, or retention in care. Participating stakeholders identified 20 unique barriers and research gaps related to PMTCT across the HIV continuum. Twenty-five unique interventions and implementation strategies were identified. Similar to the barriers and research gaps, these interventions and strategies were distributed across the HIV care continuum. The barriers and strategies identified in this study represent important pathways to progress addressing MTCT. The deliberate involvement of state and federal policy makers, program implementers, and researchers helps ensure that they are relevant and actionable.

Identification of Lightning Gaps in Mangrove Forests Using Airborne LIDAR Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, K.

2006-12-01

Mangrove forests are highly dynamic ecosystems and change frequently due to tropical storms, frost, and lightning. These factors can cause gaps in mangrove forests by damaging trees. Compared to gaps generated by storms and frost, gaps caused by lightning strikes are small, ranging from 50 to 300 m2. However, these small gaps may play a critical role in mangrove forest dynamics because of the frequent occurrence of lightning in tropical areas. It has been hypothesized that the turnover of mangrove forests is mainly due to the death and regeneration of trees in lightning gaps. However, there is a lack of data for gap occurrence in mangrove forests to verify this hypothesis. It is impractical to measure gaps through a field survey on a large scale because of the logistic difficulties of muddy mangrove forests. Airborne light detection and ranging (LIDAR) technology is an effective alternative because it provides direct measurements of ground and canopy elevations remotely. This study developed a method to identify lightning gaps in mangrove forests in terms of LIDAR measurements. First, LIDAR points are classified into vegetation and ground measurements using the progressive morphological filter. Second, a digital canopy model (DCM) is generated by subtracting a digital terrain model (DTM) from a digital surface model (DSM). The DSM is generated by interpolating raw LIDAR measurements, and DTM is produced by interpolating ground measurements. Third, a black top-hat mathematical morphological transformation is used to identify canopy gaps. Comparison of identified gap polygons with raw LIDAR measurements and field surveys shows that the proposed method identifies lightning gaps in mangrove forests successfully. The area of lightning gaps in mangrove forests in Everglades National Park is about 3% of total forest area, which verifies that lightning gaps play a critical role in mangrove forest turnover.

Difficulties Using Standardized Tests to Identify the Receptive Expressive Gap in Bilingual Children's Vocabularies.

PubMed

Gibson, Todd A; Oller, D Kimbrough; Jarmulowicz, Linda

2018-03-01

Receptive standardized vocabulary scores have been found to be much higher than expressive standardized vocabulary scores in children with Spanish as L1, learning L2 (English) in school (Gibson et al., 2012). Here we present evidence suggesting the receptive-expressive gap may be harder to evaluate than previously thought because widely-used standardized tests may not offer comparable normed scores. Furthermore monolingual Spanish-speaking children tested in Mexico and monolingual English-speaking children in the US showed other, yet different statistically significant discrepancies between receptive and expressive scores. Results suggest comparisons across widely used standardized tests in attempts to assess a receptive-expressive gap are precarious.

Designing for privacy management in hospitals: Understanding the gap between user activities and IT staff's understandings.

PubMed

Eikey, Elizabeth V; Murphy, Alison R; Reddy, Madhu C; Xu, Heng

2015-12-01

We examined the role of privacy in collaborative clinical work and how it is understood by hospital IT staff. The purpose of our study was to identify the gaps between hospital IT staff members' perceptions of how electronic health record (EHR) users' protect the privacy of patient information and how users actually protect patients' private information in their daily collaborative activities. Since the IT staff play an important role in implementing and maintaining the EHR, any gaps that exist between the IT staff's perceptions of user work practices and the users' actual work practices can result in a number of problems in the configuration, implementation, or customization of the EHR, which can lead to collaboration challenges, interrupted workflow, and privacy breaches. We used qualitative data collection methods for this study. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 hospital IT staff members. We also conducted observations of EHR users in the in-patient units of the same hospital. We identified gaps in IT staff's understandings of users' work activities, especially in regards to privacy-compromising workarounds that are used by users and why they are used. We discuss the reasons why this gap may exist between IT staff and users and ways to improve IT staff's understanding of why users perform certain privacy-compromising workarounds. A hospital's IT staff face a daunting task in ensuring users' collaborative work practices are supported by the system while providing effective privacy mechanisms. In order to achieve both goals, the IT staff must have a clear understanding of their users' practices. However, as this study highlights, there may be a mismatch between the IT staff's understandings of how users protect patient privacy and how users actually protect privacy. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Improving Student Learning: Examining the Teacher Knowing-Doing Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nunnally, Gary S.

2012-01-01

Research literature is full of research-based instructional strategies that highly effective teachers utilize on a consistent and systematic basis. And, it is well known that in multiple fields there exists a gap between what people know and what they actually do, commonly referred to as the knowing-doing gap. This study sought to examine whether…

Pushing Past the Achievement Gap: An Essay on the Language of Deficit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ladson-Billings, Gloria

2007-01-01

Despite the intense focus on the achievement gap that exists between African American, Latino, and other students of color and their White counterparts, the achievement gap discourse keeps us locked in the deficit paradigm. This article challenges us to look at the inherent fallacies of the achievement gap discourse and place students' academic…

Interaction of the Bragg gap with polaritonic gap in opal photonic crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nayer, Eradat; Sivachenko, Andrey Yu; Li, Sergey; Raikh, Mikhail E.; Valy Vardeny, Z.

2001-03-01

Photonic crystals (PC) are a class of artificial structures with a periodic dielectric function. PCs can be a laboratory for testing fundamental processes involving interactions of radiation with matter in novel conditions. We have studied the optical properties of opal PCs that are infiltrated with highly polarizable media such as j-aggregates of cyanine dyes. Opals are self- assembled structures of silica (SiO_2) spheres. We report our studies on clarifying the relationship between a polaritonic gap and a photonic stop band (Bragg gap) when they resonantly coexist in the same structure. Infiltration of opal with polarizable molecules combines the polaritonic and Bragg diffractive effects. Both effects exist independently when the Bragg (at ω=ω_B) and polaritonic (at ω=ω_T) resonances are well separated in frequency. A completely different situation occurs when ωT =ω_B. Such a condition was achieved in opals that were infiltrated with J-aggregates of cyanine dyes that have large Rabi frequency. Our measurements show some dramatic changes in the shape of the reflectivity plateaus, which are due to the interplay between the photonic band gap and the polaritonic gap. The experimental results on reflectivity and its dependence on the light propagation angle and concentration of the cyanie dyes are in agreement with the theoretical calculations. (The work was supported in part by Army Research office DAAD19-00-1-0406.)

Understanding the carbon dioxide gaps.

PubMed

Scheeren, Thomas W L; Wicke, Jannis N; Teboul, Jean-Louis

2018-06-01

The current review attempts to demonstrate the value of several forms of carbon dioxide (CO2) gaps in resuscitation of the critically ill patient as monitor for the adequacy of the circulation, as target for fluid resuscitation and also as predictor for outcome. Fluid resuscitation is one of the key treatments in many intensive care patients. It remains a challenge in daily practice as both a shortage and an overload in intravascular volume are potentially harmful. Many different approaches have been developed for use as target of fluid resuscitation. CO2 gaps can be used as surrogate for the adequacy of cardiac output (CO) and as marker for tissue perfusion and are therefore a potential target for resuscitation. CO2 gaps are easily measured via point-of-care analysers. We shed light on its potential use as nowadays it is not widely used in clinical practice despite its potential. Many studies were conducted on partial CO2 pressure differences or CO2 content (cCO2) differences either alone, or in combination with other markers for outcome or resuscitation adequacy. Furthermore, some studies deal with CO2 gap to O2 gap ratios as target for goal-directed fluid therapy or as marker for outcome. CO2 gap is a sensitive marker of tissue hypoperfusion, with added value over traditional markers of tissue hypoxia in situations in which an oxygen diffusion barrier exists such as in tissue oedema and impaired microcirculation. Venous-to-arterial cCO2 or partial pressure gaps can be used to evaluate whether attempts to increase CO should be made. Considering the potential of the several forms of CO2 measurements and its ease of use via point-of-care analysers, it is recommendable to implement CO2 gaps in standard clinical practice.

Narrowing the Achievement Gap: A Case Study of an Urban School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lugo, Rosalinda

2010-01-01

The goal of this case study was to identify the cultural norms, practices, and programs of an urban school that narrowed the achievement gap. The reason for identifying these factors in a successful school was to add to the body of literature regarding the achievement gap and what a struggling school was able to do to narrow the gap. This case…

Rab3-GAP controls the progression of synaptic homeostasis at a late stage of vesicle release.

PubMed

Müller, Martin; Pym, Edward C G; Tong, Amy; Davis, Graeme W

2011-02-24

Homeostatic signaling systems stabilize neural function through the modulation of neurotransmitter receptor abundance, ion channel density, and presynaptic neurotransmitter release. Molecular mechanisms that drive these changes are being unveiled. In theory, molecular mechanisms may also exist to oppose the induction or expression of homeostatic plasticity, but these mechanisms have yet to be explored. In an ongoing electrophysiology-based genetic screen, we have tested 162 new mutations for genes involved in homeostatic signaling at the Drosophila NMJ. This screen identified a mutation in the rab3-GAP gene. We show that Rab3-GAP is necessary for the induction and expression of synaptic homeostasis. We then provide evidence that Rab3-GAP relieves an opposing influence on homeostasis that is catalyzed by Rab3 and which is independent of any change in NMJ anatomy. These data define roles for Rab3-GAP and Rab3 in synaptic homeostasis and uncover a mechanism, acting at a late stage of vesicle release, that opposes the progression of homeostatic plasticity. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bandgap and pseudohelicity effects over conductance in gapped graphene junctures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navarro-Giraldo, J. A.; Quimbay, C. J.

2018-07-01

We study the conductance in gapped single-layer graphene junctures as a function of bangap, pseudohelicity and charge carriers density. To do it, we first calculate the transmission coefficients of massive charge carries for p–n and n–p–n junctures of gapped single-layer graphene. Next, we calculate the conductance for these two systems using the Landauer formula. Only for the p–n juncture case and non-zero bandgap values, we find the existence of a contribution to the conductance from pseudohelicity inversion states, which is small compared to the contribution from pseudohelicity conservation states. Also, we find for both type of junctures that there exists a window of charge carriers densities values where the conductance is zero (conductance gap), in such a way that the size of this window depends on the squared of the bandgap. We observe that the existence of a bandgap in the system leads to valley mixing and this fact could be useful for the future design of devices based on single-layer graphene.

Gap-junctional channel and hemichannel activity of two recently identified connexin 26 mutants associated with deafness.

PubMed

Dalamon, Viviana; Fiori, Mariana C; Figueroa, Vania A; Oliva, Carolina A; Del Rio, Rodrigo; Gonzalez, Wendy; Canan, Jonathan; Elgoyhen, Ana B; Altenberg, Guillermo A; Retamal, Mauricio A

2016-05-01

Gap-junction channels (GJCs) are formed by head-to-head association of two hemichannels (HCs, connexin hexamers). HCs and GJCs are permeable to ions and hydrophilic molecules of up to Mr ~1 kDa. Hearing impairment of genetic origin is common, and mutations of connexin 26 (Cx26) are its major cause. We recently identified two novel Cx26 mutations in hearing-impaired subjects, L10P and G109V. L10P forms functional GJCs with slightly altered voltage dependence and HCs with decrease ATP/cationic dye selectivity. G109V does not form functional GJCs, but forms functional HCs with enhanced extracellular Ca(2+) sensitivity and subtle alterations in voltage dependence and ATP/cationic dye selectivity. Deafness associated with G109V could result from decreased GJCs activity, whereas deafness associated to L10P may have a more complex mechanism that involves changes in HC permeability.

Identifying Neck and Back Pain in Administrative Data: Defining the right cohort

PubMed Central

Siroka, Andrew M.; Shane, Andrea C.; Trafton, Jodie A.; Wagner, Todd H.

2017-01-01

Structured Abstract Study design We reviewed existing methods for identifying patients with neck and back pain in administrative data. We compared these methods using data from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Objective To answer the following questions: 1) what diagnosis codes should be used to identify patients with neck and back pain in administrative data; 2) because the majority of complaints are characterized as non-specific or mechanical, what diagnosis codes should be used to identify patients with non-specific or mechanical problems in administrative data; and 3) what procedure and surgical codes should be used to identify patients who have undergone a surgical procedure on the neck or back. Summary of background data Musculoskeletal neck and back pain are pervasive problems, associated with chronic pain, disability, and high rates of healthcare utilization. Administrative data have been widely used in formative research which has largely relied on the original work of Volinn, Cherkin, Deyo and Einstadter and the Back Pain Patient Outcomes Assessment Team first published in 1992. Significant variation in reports of incidence, prevalence, and morbidity associated with these problems may be due to non standard or conflicting methods to define study cohorts. Methods A literature review produced seven methods for identifying neck and back pain in administrative data. These code lists were used to search VA data for patients with back and neck problems, and to further categorize each case by spinal segment involved, as non- specific/mechanical and as surgical or not. Results There is considerable overlap in most algorithms. However, gaps remain. Conclusions Gaps are evident in existing methods and a new framework to identify patients with neck and back pain in administrative data is proposed. PMID:22127268

Test Format and the Variation of Gender Achievement Gaps within the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reardon, Sean; Fahle, Erin; Kalogrides, Demetra; Podolsky, Anne; Zarate, Rosalia

2016-01-01

Prior research demonstrates the existence of gender achievement gaps and the variation in the magnitude of these gaps across states. This paper characterizes the extent to which the variation of gender achievement gaps on standardized tests across the United States can be explained by differing state accountability test formats. A comprehensive…

Identifying Food Safety Concerns when Communication Barriers Exist

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neal, Jack A.; Dawson, Mary; Madera, Juan M.

2011-01-01

Abstract: Students must be prepared to lead a diverse workforce. The objective of this study was to establish a teaching method that helps students identify barriers to food safety while working in a simulated environment with communication barriers. This study employed a perspective taking exercise based upon the principles of social learning…

Detecting sign-changing superconducting gap in LiFeAs using quasiparticle interference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altenfeld, D.; Hirschfeld, P. J.; Mazin, I. I.; Eremin, I.

2018-02-01

Using a realistic ten-orbital tight-binding model Hamiltonian fitted to the angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy data on LiFeAs, we analyze the temperature, frequency, and momentum dependencies of quasiparticle interference to identify gap sign changes in a qualitative way, following our original proposal [Phys. Rev. B 92, 184513 (2015), 10.1103/PhysRevB.92.184513]. We show that all features present for the simple two-band model for the sign-changing s+--wave superconducting gap employed previously are still present in the realistic tight-binding approximation and gap values observed experimentally. We discuss various superconducting gap structures proposed for LiFeAs and identify various features of these superconducting gap functions in the quasiparticle interference patterns. On the other hand, we show that it will be difficult to identify the more complicated possible sign structures of the hole pocket gaps in LiFeAs due to the smallness of the pockets and the near proximity of two of the gap energies.

Climate Change and European Water Bodies, a Review of Existing Gaps and Future Research Needs: Findings of the ClimateWater Project.

PubMed

Garnier, Monica; Harper, David M; Blaskovicova, Lotta; Hancz, Gabriella; Janauer, Georg A; Jolánkai, Zsolt; Lanz, Eva; Lo Porto, Antonio; Mándoki, Monika; Pataki, Beata; Rahuel, Jean-Luc; Robinson, Victoria J; Stoate, Chris; Tóth, Eszter; Jolánkai, Géza

2015-08-01

There is general agreement among scientists that global temperatures are rising and will continue to increase in the future. It is also agreed that human activities are the most important causes of these climatic variations, and that water resources are already suffering and will continue to be greatly impaired as a consequence of these changes. In particular, it is probable that areas with limited water resources will expand and that an increase of global water demand will occur, estimated to be around 35-60% by 2025 as a consequence of population growth and the competing needs of water uses. This will cause a growing imbalance between water demand (including the needs of nature) and supply. This urgency demands that climate change impacts on water be evaluated in different sectors using a cross-cutting approach (Contestabile in Nat Clim Chang 3:11-12, 2013). These issues were examined by the EU FP7-funded Co-ordination and support action "ClimateWater" (bridging the gap between adaptation strategies of climate change impacts and European water policies). The project studied adaptation strategies to minimize the water-related consequences of climate change and assessed how these strategies should be taken into consideration by European policies. This article emphasizes that knowledge gaps still exist about the direct effects of climate change on water bodies and their indirect impacts on production areas that employ large amounts of water (e.g., agriculture). Some sectors, such as ecohydrology and alternative sewage treatment technologies, could represent a powerful tool to mitigate climate change impacts. Research needs in these still novel fields are summarized.

Mathematical analysis of the multiband BCS gap equations in superconductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yisong

2005-01-01

In this paper, we present a mathematical analysis for the phonon-dominated multiband isotropic and anisotropic BCS gap equations at any finite temperature T. We establish the existence of a critical temperature T so that, when Texists a unique positive gap solution, representing the superconducting phase; when T>T, the only nonnegative gap solution is the zero solution, representing the normal phase. Furthermore, when T=T, we prove that the only gap solution is the zero solution and that the positive gap solution depend on the temperature Tgap solution tends to zero, which enables us to determine the critical temperature T. In the isotropic case where the entries of the interaction matrix K are all constants, we are able to derive an elegant T equation which says that T depends only on the largest positive eigenvalue of K but does not depend on the other details of K. In the anisotropic case, we may derive a similar T equation in the context of the Markowitz-Kadanoff model and we prove that the presence of anisotropic fluctuations enhances T as in the single-band case. A special consequence of these results is that the half-unity exponent isotope effect may rigorously be proved in the multiband BCS theory, isotropic or anisotropic.

On Pokrovskii's anisotropic gap equations in superconductivity theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yisong

2003-11-01

An existence and uniqueness theorem for Pokrovskii's zero-temperature anisotropic gap equation is proved. Furthermore, it is shown that Pokrovskii's finite-temperature equation is inconsistent with the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory. A reformulation of the anisotropic gap equation is presented along the line of Pokrovskii and it is shown that the new equation is consistent with the BCS theory for the whole temperature range. As an application, the Markowitz-Kadanoff model for anisotropic superconductivity is considered and a rigorous proof of the half-integer-exponent isotope effect is obtained. Furthermore, a sharp estimate of the gap solution near the transition temperature is established.

Research Gaps in Wilderness Medicine.

PubMed

Tritz, Daniel; Dormire, Kody; Brachtenbach, Travis; Gordon, Joshua; Sanders, Donald; Gearheart, David; Crawford, Julia; Vassar, Matt

2018-05-18

Wilderness medicine involves the treatment of individuals in remote, austere environments. Given the high potential for injuries as well as the unique treatment modalities required in wilderness medicine, evidence-based clinical practice guidelines are necessary to provide optimal care. In this study, we identify evidence gaps from low-quality recommendations in wilderness medicine clinical practice guidelines and identify new/ongoing research addressing them. We included relevant clinical practice guidelines from the Wilderness Medical Society and obtained all 1C or 2C level recommendations. Patient/Problem/Population, intervention, comparison, outcome (PICO) questions were created to address each recommendation. Using 24 search strings, we extracted titles, clinical trial registry number, and recruitment status for 8899 articles. We categorized the articles by trial design to infer the effect they may have on future recommendations. Twelve clinical practice guidelines met inclusion criteria. From these we located 275 low-quality recommendations and used them to create 275 PICO questions. Thirty-three articles were relevant to the PICO questions. Heat-related illness had the highest number of relevant articles (n=9), but acute pain and altitude sickness had the most randomized clinical trials (n=6). Overall, few studies were being conducted to address research gaps in wilderness medicine. Heat-related illness had the most new or ongoing research, whereas no studies were being conducted to address gaps in eye injuries, basic wound management, or spine immobilization. Animals, cadavers, and mannequin research are useful in cases in which human evidence is difficult to obtain. Establishing research priorities is recommended for addressing research gaps identified by guideline panels. Copyright © 2018 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evidence & Gap Maps: A tool for promoting evidence informed policy and strategic research agendas.

PubMed

Snilstveit, Birte; Vojtkova, Martina; Bhavsar, Ami; Stevenson, Jennifer; Gaarder, Marie

2016-11-01

A range of organizations are engaged in the production of evidence on the effects of health, social, and economic development programs on human welfare outcomes. However, evidence is often scattered around different databases, web sites, and the gray literature and is often presented in inaccessible formats. Lack of overview of the evidence in a specific field can be a barrier to the use of existing research and prevent efficient use of limited resources for new research. Evidence & Gap Maps (EGMs) aim to address these issues and complement existing synthesis and mapping approaches. EGMs are a new addition to the tools available to support evidence-informed policymaking. To provide an accessible resource for researchers, commissioners, and decision makers, EGMs provide thematic collections of evidence structured around a framework which schematically represents the types of interventions and outcomes of relevance to a particular sector. By mapping the existing evidence using this framework, EGMs provide a visual overview of what we know and do not know about the effects of different programs. They make existing evidence available, and by providing links to user-friendly summaries of relevant studies, EGMs can facilitate the use of existing evidence for decision making. They identify key "gaps" where little or no evidence from impact evaluations and systematic reviews is available and can be a valuable resource to inform a strategic approach to building the evidence base in a particular sector. The article will introduce readers to the concept and methods of EGMs and present a demonstration of the EGM tool using existing examples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Band gap scaling laws in group IV nanotubes.

PubMed

Wang, Chongze; Fu, Xiaonan; Guo, Yangyang; Guo, Zhengxiao; Xia, Congxin; Jia, Yu

2017-03-17

By using the first-principles calculations, the band gap properties of nanotubes formed by group IV elements have been investigated systemically. Our results reveal that for armchair nanotubes, the energy gaps at K points in the Brillouin zone decrease as 1/r scaling law with the radii (r) increasing, while they are scaled by -1/r 2  + C at Γ points, here, C is a constant. Further studies show that such scaling law of K points is independent of both the chiral vector and the type of elements. Therefore, the band gaps of nanotubes for a given radius can be determined by these scaling laws easily. Interestingly, we also predict the existence of indirect band gap for both germanium and tin nanotubes. Our new findings provide an efficient way to determine the band gaps of group IV element nanotubes by knowing the radii, as well as to facilitate the design of functional nanodevices.

The SAT Gender Gap: Identifying the Causes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosser, Phyllis

Questions on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) with the largest score differences between women and men of all racial and ethnic groups were identified. Patterns of difficulty that would explain the SAT's continuing underprediction of female first-year college performance were studied. An item analysis of one form of the June 1986 SAT for 1,112…

Complete band gaps of phononic crystal plates with square rods.

PubMed

El-Naggar, Sahar A; Mostafa, Samia I; Rafat, Nadia H

2012-04-01

Much of previous work has been devoted in studying complete band gaps for bulk phononic crystal (PC). In this paper, we theoretically investigate the existence and widths of these gaps for PC plates. We focus our attention on steel rods of square cross sectional area embedded in epoxy matrix. The equations for calculating the dispersion relation for square rods in a square or a triangular lattice have been derived. Our analysis is based on super cell plane wave expansion (SC-PWE) method. The influence of inclusions filling factor and plate thickness on the existence and width of the phononic band gaps has been discussed. Our calculations show that there is a certain filling factor (f=0.55) below which arrangement of square rods in a triangular lattice is superior to the arrangement in a square lattice. A comparison between square and circular cross sectional rods reveals that the former has superior normalized gap width than the latter in case of a square lattice. This situation is switched in case of a triangular lattice. Moreover, a maximum normalized gap width of 0.7 can be achieved for PC plate of square rods embedded in a square lattice and having height 90% of the lattice constant. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Designing broad phononic band gaps for in-plane modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yang Fan; Meng, Fei; Li, Shuo; Jia, Baohua; Zhou, Shiwei; Huang, Xiaodong

2018-03-01

Phononic crystals are known as artificial materials that can manipulate the propagation of elastic waves, and one essential feature of phononic crystals is the existence of forbidden frequency range of traveling waves called band gaps. In this paper, we have proposed an easy way to design phononic crystals with large in-plane band gaps. We demonstrated that the gap between two arbitrarily appointed bands of in-plane mode can be formed by employing a certain number of solid or hollow circular rods embedded in a matrix material. Topology optimization has been applied to find the best material distributions within the primitive unit cell with maximal band gap width. Our results reveal that the centroids of optimized rods coincide with the point positions generated by Lloyd's algorithm, which deepens our understandings on the formation mechanism of phononic in-plane band gaps.

Is the treatment gap in knee osteoarthritis real? A qualitative study of surgeons' perceptions.

PubMed

Li, Chuan Silvia; Pathy, Rubini; Adili, Anthony; Avram, Victoria; Barasi, Mohamed A; Mundi, Raman; Niroopan, Gavinn; Bhandari, Mohit

2013-01-01

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic condition characterized by loss of joint cartilage that leads to persistent pain, loss of function, and disability. It has been reported that a treatment gap exists in a subset of knee OA patients who are unresponsive to conservative treatment yet are unsuitable for or unwilling to undergo more invasive, irreversible, surgical procedures. Ten orthopedic healthcare professionals participated in a focus group (n=5) and semistructured interviews (n=5). We explored their perceptions on the treatment gap in knee OA patients and their opinions of the KineSpring® Knee Implant System. Among the responses of orthopedic healthcare professionals, we identified seven themes: (1) Delaying operative treatment for knee OA patients is very important. (2) Unrealistic expectations of younger patients play an important role in management of knee OA. (3) A treatment gap does exist. (4) Management of knee OA should be tailored to the individual patient. (5) The ability to delay total knee replacement without compromising the ability to do it in the future is important for the acceptance of the KineSpring System. (6) Improving patient lives by decreasing pain, improving function, and potentially delaying arthroplasty is important. (7) A well-designed randomized control trial and further evidence regarding the KineSpring System is desired. Orthopedic healthcare professionals are enthusiastic about the prospect of the KineSpring System as an option to help close the treatment gap in knee OA. Focusing only on clinical trials with long-term data may be impractical and deprive patients and society of benefits that can be gained while trial data are maturing.

GAPS AND OVERLAPS IN INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ROUECHE, JOHN E.

INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH IN THE JUNIOR COLLEGES IS A RECENT DEVELOPMENT AND UNTIL THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ERIC CLEARINGHOUSE FOR JUNIOR COLLEGE INFORMATION, NO EFFECTIVE MEANS OF DISSEMINATING THE RESULTS OF THIS RESEARCH HAS BEEN AVAILABLE. CERTAIN GAPS EXIST IN TYPES OF RESEARCH, PROBLEMS STUDIED, AND FOCUS--(1) STUDIES OF STUDENTS COMMONLY…

Transient 5-oxoprolinuria: unusually high anion gap acidosis in an infant.

PubMed

Hulley, Sarah L; Perring, Jeff; Manning, Nigel; Olpin, Simon; Yap, Sufin

2015-12-01

Transient 5-oxoprolinuria is a phenomenon that is well recognised in adults. We illustrate an unusual paediatric case of transient 5-oxoprolinuria presenting during an episode of severe sepsis with concomitant paracetamol use. The 15-month-old patient had an extremely high anion gap metabolic acidosis. Adequate resuscitation failed to correct the biochemical disturbance, and high levels of 5-oxoproline were identified. A combination of haemofiltration, replenishment of glutathione stores with N-acetylcysteine and cessation of paracetamol administration resulted in the resolution of the acidosis. Subsequent testing following treatment of the sepsis revealed no ongoing 5-oxoprolinuria. Transient 5-oxoprolinuria has been previously reported in the adult population during episodes of severe sepsis and various pharmaceutical interventions. This case illustrates that it is a phenomenon that should be considered in paediatric patients where a very high anion gap metabolic acidosis exists that cannot be explained by the biochemical indices. • 5-oxoprolinuria in the paediatric population is usually secondary to an inborn error of metabolism. • Transient 5-oxoprolinuria is well recognised in adults during episodes of severe glutathione depletion. • Transient 5-oxoprolinuria is a phenomenon rarely reported in the paediatric population. • It highlights the importance of investigating a high anion gap such that unusual diagnoses are not missed.

Identifying Methods for Monitoring Foodborne Illness: Review of Existing Public Health Surveillance Techniques.

PubMed

Oldroyd, Rachel A; Morris, Michelle A; Birkin, Mark

2018-06-06

Traditional methods of monitoring foodborne illness are associated with problems of untimeliness and underreporting. In recent years, alternative data sources such as social media data have been used to monitor the incidence of disease in the population (infodemiology and infoveillance). These data sources prove timelier than traditional general practitioner data, they can help to fill the gaps in the reporting process, and they often include additional metadata that is useful for supplementary research. The aim of the study was to identify and formally analyze research papers using consumer-generated data, such as social media data or restaurant reviews, to quantify a disease or public health ailment. Studies of this nature are scarce within the food safety domain, therefore identification and understanding of transferrable methods in other health-related fields are of particular interest. Structured scoping methods were used to identify and analyze primary research papers using consumer-generated data for disease or public health surveillance. The title, abstract, and keyword fields of 5 databases were searched using predetermined search terms. A total of 5239 papers matched the search criteria, of which 145 were taken to full-text review-62 papers were deemed relevant and were subjected to data characterization and thematic analysis. The majority of studies (40/62, 65%) focused on the surveillance of influenza-like illness. Only 10 studies (16%) used consumer-generated data to monitor outbreaks of foodborne illness. Twitter data (58/62, 94%) and Yelp reviews (3/62, 5%) were the most commonly used data sources. Studies reporting high correlations against baseline statistics used advanced statistical and computational approaches to calculate the incidence of disease. These include classification and regression approaches, clustering approaches, and lexicon-based approaches. Although they are computationally intensive due to the requirement of training data

Using health technology assessment to identify gaps in evidence and inform study design for comparative effectiveness research.

PubMed

Tunis, Sean R; Turkelson, Charles

2012-12-01

Health technology assessment (HTA) is primarily used as a tool to ensure that clinical and policy decisions are made with the benefit of a systematic analysis of all completed research. This article describes the progress and potential for HTA reports to improve the quality and relevance of future research and to better serve the information needs of patients, clinicians, payers, and other decision makers. We conducted a review of the current published literature and working papers describing past, ongoing, and future initiatives that rely on HTA reports to identify gaps in evidence and improve the design of future research. Although still in a developmental stage, significant progress is under way to improve methods for using HTA reports for the systematic identification of research gaps, prioritization of future research, and improvement of study designs. Several well-defined frameworks have been developed to assist those who produce HTA to become more effective in these additional domains of work. A recurring element of this work is the importance of meaningfully involving stakeholders in the process of defining future research needs and designing studies to address them. Patients, clinicians, and payers are important audiences for completed research and are now recognized as serving an important role in determining what future research is needed. There are substantial opportunities to improve the quality, relevance, and efficiency of clinical research. Recent efforts are beginning to demonstrate the potential to build on the work invested in developing HTA reports to provide a roadmap toward these objectives.

Patterns of Change in U.S. Gender Achievement Gaps during Elementary and Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fahle, Erin

2016-01-01

Research on gender achievement gaps shows they exist, and are largest in the tails of the distribution, starting as early as Kindergarten and persisting through eighth grade. In mathematics, studies find small average gender achievement gaps and larger systematically male-favoring gaps among the highest achieving students. This paper seeks to…

Gap analysis of cultural and religious needs of hospitalized patients.

PubMed

Davidson, Judy E; Boyer, Merri Lynn; Casey, Debra; Matzel, Stephen Chavez; Walden, Chaplain David

2008-01-01

Identify patient and family needs specifically related to an in-hospital birth or death. This study aimed to perform a gap analysis between identified needs and current hospital practice, services, and resources. With the IRB approval, and purposive sampling using the demographics of a community hospital plus subgroups from problematic cases. Twenty-two semistructured interviews were audiotaped, and 6 lectures and 2 panel discussions were videotaped. Transcriptions were distributed to the research team and manually coded for gaps between current practices versus stated needs. Group process was used to form consensus regarding findings. The following subgroups were targeted: Muslim, Baha'i, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Mormon, Jehovah's Witness, Latino, Filipino, Chinese, African American. Gaps in available resources, such as prayer books, rugs, and compasses, were identified. Knowledge gaps included many issues such as the Muslim preference for decreasing sedatives at end of life to be able to recite the sacred prayer while dying. Practice issues such as respecting plain-clothed clergy, the impact of "rule-orientation" on family needs, and the universal need to call clergy early were identified.

Educating the African American Male College Student: The Achievement Gap Factor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moyo, Tawonga Timothy

2013-01-01

The academic achievement gap persists in spite of much concern and talk in both the educational and political arenas. Moreover, literature on the education of African American male students at the college level is scarce; the existing literature is on the achievement gap issue in general. In this phenomenological study, the academic achievement…

Syntactic Change in the Parallel Architecture: The Case of Parasitic Gaps

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Culicover, Peter W.

2017-01-01

In Jackendoff's Parallel Architecture, the well-formed expressions of a language are licensed by correspondences between phonology, syntax, and conceptual structure. I show how this architecture can be used to make sense of the existence of parasitic gap constructions. A parasitic gap is one that is rendered acceptable because of the presence of…

A students' survey of cultural competence as a basis for identifying gaps in the medical curriculum.

PubMed

Seeleman, Conny; Hermans, Jessie; Lamkaddem, Majda; Suurmond, Jeanine; Stronks, Karien; Essink-Bot, Marie-Louise

2014-10-11

competence of medical students and physicians identified gaps in knowledge and culturally competent behaviour. Such data can be used to guide improvement efforts to the diversity content of educational curricula. Based on this study, improvements should focus on increasing knowledge and improving diversity-sensitive consultation behaviour and less on reflection skills. The weak association between overall self-perceived cultural competence and assessed knowledge, reflection ability and consultation behaviour supports the hypothesis that measures of sell-perceived competence are insufficient to assess actual cultural competence.

Large-scale transport across narrow gaps in rod bundles

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

Guellouz, M.S.; Tavoularis, S.

1995-09-01

Flow visualization and how-wire anemometry were used to investigate the velocity field in a rectangular channel containing a single cylindrical rod, which could be traversed on the centreplane to form gaps of different widths with the plane wall. The presence of large-scale, quasi-periodic structures in the vicinity of the gap has been demonstrated through flow visualization, spectral analysis and space-time correlation measurements. These structures are seen to exist even for relatively large gaps, at least up to W/D=1.350 (W is the sum of the rod diameter, D, and the gap width). The above measurements appear to compatible with the fieldmore » of a street of three-dimensional, counter-rotating vortices, whose detailed structure, however, remains to be determined. The convection speed and the streamwise spacing of these vortices have been determined as functions of the gap size.« less

Gap analysis: synergies and opportunities for effective nursing leadership.

PubMed

Davis-Ajami, Mary Lynn; Costa, Linda; Kulik, Susan

2014-01-01

Gap analysis encompasses a comprehensive process to identify, understand, address, and bridge gaps in service delivery and nursing practice. onducting gap analysis provides structure to information gathering and the process of finding sustainable solutions to important deficiencies. Nursing leaders need to recognize, measure, monitor, and execute on feasible actionable solutions to help organizations make adjustments to address gaps between what is desired and the actual real-world conditions contributing to the quality chasm in health care. Gap analysis represents a functional and comprehensive tool to address organizational deficiencies. Using gap analysis proactively helps organizations map out and sustain corrective efforts to close the quality chasm. Gaining facility in gap analysis should help the nursing profession's contribution to narrowing the quality chasm.

Trends in Education Excellence Gaps: A 12-Year International Perspective via the Multilevel Model for Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rutkowski, David; Rutkowski, Leslie; Plucker, Jonathan A.

2012-01-01

A recent study in the USA documented the existence and growth of "excellence gaps" among students. These gaps are similar to the minimum competency achievement gaps that proliferate in policy discussions in many Western countries, but excellence gaps focus on the highest level of achievement rather than minimum competency. We extend this…

Eliminating the Achievement Gap: A White Paper on How Charter Schools Can Help District Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lake, Robin; Hernandez, Alex

2011-01-01

A staggering achievement gap exists between minority and white students in America. The gap is unjust, and it is constraining the country economically, socially, and politically. Intense political pressures, labor contracts, and other forces prevent urban superintendents from closing those gaps. However, partnerships with high-performing charter…

Tensile-strain effect of inducing the indirect-to-direct band-gap transition and reducing the band-gap energy of Ge

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

Inaoka, Takeshi, E-mail: inaoka@phys.u-ryukyu.ac.jp; Furukawa, Takuro; Toma, Ryo

By means of a hybrid density-functional method, we investigate the tensile-strain effect of inducing the indirect-to-direct band-gap transition and reducing the band-gap energy of Ge. We consider [001], [111], and [110] uniaxial tensility and (001), (111), and (110) biaxial tensility. Under the condition of no normal stress, we determine both normal compression and internal strain, namely, relative displacement of two atoms in the primitive unit cell, by minimizing the total energy. We identify those strain types which can induce the band-gap transition, and evaluate the critical strain coefficient where the gap transition occurs. Either normal compression or internal strain operatesmore » unfavorably to induce the gap transition, which raises the critical strain coefficient or even blocks the transition. We also examine how each type of tensile strain decreases the band-gap energy, depending on its orientation. Our analysis clearly shows that synergistic operation of strain orientation and band anisotropy has a great influence on the gap transition and the gap energy.« less

Methodology for Augmenting Existing Paths with Additional Parallel Transects

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

Wilson, John E.

2013-09-30

Visual Sample Plan (VSP) is sample planning software that is used, among other purposes, to plan transect sampling paths to detect areas that were potentially used for munition training. This module was developed for application on a large site where existing roads and trails were to be used as primary sampling paths. Gap areas between these primary paths needed to found and covered with parallel transect paths. These gap areas represent areas on the site that are more than a specified distance from a primary path. These added parallel paths needed to optionally be connected together into a single path—themore » shortest path possible. The paths also needed to optionally be attached to existing primary paths, again with the shortest possible path. Finally, the process must be repeatable and predictable so that the same inputs (primary paths, specified distance, and path options) will result in the same set of new paths every time. This methodology was developed to meet those specifications.« less

Managing Uncertainty in Water Infrastructure Design Using Info-gap Robustness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irias, X.; Cicala, D.

2013-12-01

entirely dependent on four potentially fragile water transmission mains for its day-to-day water supply. Using info-gap analysis, EBMUD is evaluating competing strategies for providing water supply to the island, for example submarine pipelines versus tunnels. The analysis considers not only the likely or 'average' results for each strategy, but also the worst-case performance of each strategy under varying levels of uncertainty. This analysis is improving the quality of the planning process, since it can identify strategies that ensure minimal disruption of water supply following a major earthquake, even if the earthquake and resulting damage fail to conform to our expectations. Results to date are presented, including a discussion of how info-gap analysis complements existing tools for comparing alternative strategies, and how info-gap improves our ability to quantify our tolerance for uncertainty.

The treatment gap in mental health care.

PubMed Central

Kohn, Robert; Saxena, Shekhar; Levav, Itzhak; Saraceno, Benedetto

2004-01-01

Mental disorders are highly prevalent and cause considerable suffering and disease burden. To compound this public health problem, many individuals with psychiatric disorders remain untreated although effective treatments exist. We examine the extent of this treatment gap. We reviewed community-based psychiatric epidemiology studies that used standardized diagnostic instruments and included data on the percentage of individuals receiving care for schizophrenia and other non-affective psychotic disorders, major depression, dysthymia, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and alcohol abuse or dependence. The median rates of untreated cases of these disorders were calculated across the studies. Examples of the estimation of the treatment gap for WHO regions are also presented. Thirty-seven studies had information on service utilization. The median treatment gap for schizophrenia, including other non-affective psychosis, was 32.2%. For other disorders the gap was: depression, 56.3%; dysthymia, 56.0%; bipolar disorder, 50.2%; panic disorder, 55.9%; GAD, 57.5%; and OCD, 57.3%. Alcohol abuse and dependence had the widest treatment gap at 78.1%. The treatment gap for mental disorders is universally large, though it varies across regions. It is likely that the gap reported here is an underestimate due to the unavailability of community-based data from developing countries where services are scarcer. To address this major public health challenge, WHO has adopted in 2002 a global action programme that has been endorsed by the Member States. PMID:15640922

Band gap structures for 2D phononic crystals with composite scatterer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Xiao-qiao; Li, Tuan-jie; Zhang, Jia-long; Zhang, Zhen; Tang, Ya-qiong

2018-05-01

We investigated the band gap structures in two-dimensional phononic crystals with composite scatterer. The composite scatterers are composed of two materials (Bragg scattering type) or three materials (locally resonance type). The finite element method is used to calculate the band gap structure, eigenmodes and transmission spectrum. The variation of the location and width of band gap are also investigated as a function of material ratio in the scatterer. We have found that the change trends the widest band gap of the two phononic crystals are different as the material ratio changing. In addition to this, there are three complete band gaps at most for the Bragg-scattering-type phononic crystals in the first six bands; however, the locally resonance-type phononic crystals exist only two complete band gap at most in the first six bands. The gap-tuning effect can be controlled by the material ratio in the scatterer.

Gender Gaps and Gendered Action in a First-Year Physics Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Day, James; Stang, Jared B.; Holmes, N. G.; Kumar, Dhaneesh; Bonn, D. A.

2016-01-01

It is established that male students outperform female students on almost all commonly used physics concept inventories. However, there is significant variation in the factors that contribute to the gap, as well as the direction in which they influence it. It is presently unknown if such a gender gap exists on the relatively new Concise Data…

A 3-Dimensional Model of Water-Bearing Sequences in the Dominguez Gap Region, Long Beach, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ponti, Daniel J.; Ehman, Kenneth D.; Edwards, Brian D.; Tinsley, John C.; Hildenbrand, Thomas; Hillhouse, John W.; Hanson, Randall T.; McDougall, Kristen; Powell, Charles L.; Wan, Elmira; Land, Michael; Mahan, Shannon; Sarna-Wojcicki, Andrei M.

2007-01-01

A 3-dimensional computer model of the Quaternary sequence stratigraphy in the Dominguez gap region of Long Beach, California has been developed to provide a robust chronostratigraphic framework for hydrologic and tectonic studies. The model consists of 13 layers within a 16.5 by 16.1 km (10.25 by 10 mile) square area and extends downward to an altitude of -900 meters (-2952.76 feet). Ten sequences of late Pliocene to Holocene age are identified and correlated within the model. Primary data to build the model comes from five reference core holes, extensive high-resolution seismic data obtained in San Pedro Bay, and logs from several hundred water and oil wells drilled in the region. The model is best constrained in the vicinity of the Dominguez gap seawater intrusion barrier where a dense network of subsurface data exist. The resultant stratigraphic framework and geologic structure differs significantly from what has been proposed in earlier studies. An important new discovery from this approach is the recognition of ongoing tectonic deformation throughout nearly all of Quaternary time that has impacted the geometry and character of the sequences. Anticlinal folding along a NW-SE trend, probably associated with Quaternary reactivation of the Wilmington anticline, has uplifted and thinned deposits along the fold crest, which intersects the Dominguez gap seawater barrier near Pacific Coast Highway. A W-NW trending fault system that approximately parallels the fold crest has also been identified. This fault progressively displaces all but the youngest sequences down to the north and serves as the southern termination of the classic Silverado aquifer. Uplift and erosion of fining-upward paralic sequences along the crest of the young fold has removed or thinned many of the fine-grained beds that serve to protect the underlying Silverado aquifer from seawater contaminated shallow groundwater. As a result of this process, the potential exists for vertical migration of

Medical Simulation as a Vital Adjunct to Identifying Clinical Life-Threatening Gaps in Austere Environments.

PubMed

Chima, Adaora M; Koka, Rahul; Lee, Benjamin; Tran, Tina; Ogbuagu, Onyebuchi U; Nelson-Williams, Howard; Rosen, Michael; Koroma, Michael; Sampson, John B

2018-04-01

substantial risks to patient care and provides evidence to support the feasibility and value of in-situ simulation-based performance assessment for identifying critical gaps in safe anesthesia care in the low-resource settings. Further investigations may validate the impact and sustainability of simulation based training on skills transfer and retention among anesthesia providers low resource environments. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Smokeless tobacco control policies in South Asia: a gap analysis and recommendations.

PubMed

Khan, Amina; Huque, Rumana; Shah, Sarwat K; Kaur, Jagdish; Baral, Sushil; Gupta, Prakash C; Cherukupalli, Rajeev; Sheikh, Aziz; Selvaraj, Sakthivel; Nargis, Nigar; Cameron, Ian; Siddiqi, Kamran

2014-06-01

Almost a fifth of the world's tobacco is consumed in smokeless form. Its consumption is particularly common in South Asia, where an increasing array of smokeless tobacco (SLT) products is widely available. Mindful of the growing public health threat from SLT, a group of international academics and policy makers recently gathered to identify policy and knowledge gaps and proposed strategies to address these. We reviewed key policy documents and interviewed policy makers and representatives of civil society organizations in 4 South Asian countries: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. We explored if SLT features in existing tobacco control policies and, if so, the extent to which these are implemented and enforced. We also investigated barriers to effective policy formulation and implementation. The findings were presented at an international meeting of experts and were refined in the light of the ensuing discussion in order to inform policy and research recommendations. We found that the existing SLT control policies in these 4 South Asian countries were either inadequate or poorly implemented. Taxes were low and easily evaded; regulatory mechanisms, such as licensing and trading standards, either did not exist or were inadequately enforced to regulate the composition and sales of such products; and there was little or no cessation support for those who wanted to quit. Limited progress has been made so far to address the emerging public health threat posed by SLT consumption in South Asia. International and regional cooperation is required to advocate for effective policy and to address knowledge gaps.

WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) Intervention Guide: a systematic review of evidence from low and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Keynejad, Roxanne C; Dua, Tarun; Barbui, Corrado; Thornicroft, Graham

2018-02-01

Despite mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) disorders being highly prevalent, there is a worldwide gap between service need and provision. WHO launched its Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) in 2008, and the Intervention Guide (mhGAP-IG) in 2010. mhGAP-IG provides evidence-based guidance and tools for assessment and integrated management of priority MNS disorders in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), using clinical decision-making protocols. It targets a non-specialised primary healthcare audience, but has also been used by ministries, non-governmental organisations and academics, for mental health service scale-up in 90 countries. This review aimed to identify evidence to date for mhGAP-IG implementation in LMICs. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Knowledge/Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, LILACS, SciELO/Web of Science, Cochrane, Pubmed databases and Google Scholar for studies reporting evidence, experience or evaluation of mhGAP-IG in LMICs, in any language. Data were extracted from included papers, but heterogeneity prevented meta-analysis. We conducted a systematic review of evidence to date, of mhGAP-IG implementation and evaluation in LMICs. Thirty-three included studies reported 15 training courses, 9 clinical implementations, 3 country contextualisations, 3 economic models, 2 uses as control interventions and 1 use to develop a rating scale. Our review identified the importance of detailed reports of contextual challenges in the field, alongside detailed protocols, qualitative studies and randomised controlled trials. The mhGAP-IG literature is substantial, relative to other published evaluations of clinical practice guidelines: an important contribution to a neglected field. © 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.

Measurement of a superconducting energy gap in a homogeneously amorphous insulator.

PubMed

Sherman, D; Kopnov, G; Shahar, D; Frydman, A

2012-04-27

We present tunneling spectroscopy measurements that directly reveal the existence of a superconducting gap in the insulating state of homogenously disordered amorphous indium oxide films. Two films on both sides of the disorder induced superconductor to insulator transition show the same energy gap scale. This energy gap persists up to relatively high magnetic fields and is observed across the magnetoresistance peak typical of disordered superconductors. The results provide useful information for understanding the nature of the insulating state in the disorder induced superconductor to insulator transition.

ROSS Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities Training Evaluation. Gaps and Recommendations

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

Ala, Maureen; Gruidl, Jeremiah; Buddemeier, Brooke

2015-09-30

This document describes the development of the ROSS SKAs, the cross-mapping of the SKAs to the available training, identifies gaps in the SKA and training, and provides recommendations to address those gaps.

Non-invasive microfluidic gap junction assay.

PubMed

Chen, Sisi; Lee, Luke P

2010-03-01

Gap junctions are protein channels between cells that allow direct electrical and metabolic coupling via the exchange of biomolecules and ions. Their expression, though ubiquitous in most mammalian cell types, is especially important for the proper functioning of cardiac and neuronal systems. Many existing methods for studying gap junction communication suffer from either unquantifiable data or difficulty of use. Here, we measure the extent of dye spread and effective diffusivities through gap junction connected cells using a quantitative microfluidic cell biology platform. After loading dye by hydrodynamic focusing of calcein/AM, dye transfer dynamics into neighboring, unexposed cells can be monitored via timelapse fluorescent microscopy. By using a selective microfluidic dye loading over a confluent layer of cells, we found that high expression of gap junctions in C6 cells transmits calcein across the monolayer with an effective diffusivity of 3.4 x 10(-13) m(2)/s, which are highly coupled by Cx43. We also found that the gap junction blocker 18alpha-GA works poorly in the presence of serum even at high concentrations (50 microM); however, it is highly effective down to 2.5 microM in the absence of serum. Furthermore, when the drug is washed out, dye spread resumes rapidly within 1 min for all doses, indicating the drug does not affect transcriptional regulation of connexins in these Cx43+ cells, in contrast to previous studies. This integrated microfluidic platform enables the in situ monitoring of gap junction communication, yielding dynamic information about intercellular molecular transfer and pharmacological inhibition and recovery.

Bridging the Gap Between Science and Clinical Efficacy: Physiology, Imaging, and Modeling of Aerosols in the Lung.

PubMed

Darquenne, Chantal; Fleming, John S; Katz, Ira; Martin, Andrew R; Schroeter, Jeffry; Usmani, Omar S; Venegas, Jose; Schmid, Otmar

2016-04-01

Development of a new drug for the treatment of lung disease is a complex and time consuming process involving numerous disciplines of basic and applied sciences. During the 2015 Congress of the International Society for Aerosols in Medicine, a group of experts including aerosol scientists, physiologists, modelers, imagers, and clinicians participated in a workshop aiming at bridging the gap between basic research and clinical efficacy of inhaled drugs. This publication summarizes the current consensus on the topic. It begins with a short description of basic concepts of aerosol transport and a discussion on targeting strategies of inhaled aerosols to the lungs. It is followed by a description of both computational and biological lung models, and the use of imaging techniques to determine aerosol deposition distribution (ADD) in the lung. Finally, the importance of ADD to clinical efficacy is discussed. Several gaps were identified between basic science and clinical efficacy. One gap between scientific research aimed at predicting, controlling, and measuring ADD and the clinical use of inhaled aerosols is the considerable challenge of obtaining, in a single study, accurate information describing the optimal lung regions to be targeted, the effectiveness of targeting determined from ADD, and some measure of the drug's effectiveness. Other identified gaps were the language and methodology barriers that exist among disciplines, along with the significant regulatory hurdles that need to be overcome for novel drugs and/or therapies to reach the marketplace and benefit the patient. Despite these gaps, much progress has been made in recent years to improve clinical efficacy of inhaled drugs. Also, the recent efforts by many funding agencies and industry to support multidisciplinary networks including basic science researchers, R&D scientists, and clinicians will go a long way to further reduce the gap between science and clinical efficacy.

Bridging the Gap Between Science and Clinical Efficacy: Physiology, Imaging, and Modeling of Aerosols in the Lung

PubMed Central

Fleming, John S.; Katz, Ira; Martin, Andrew R.; Schroeter, Jeffry; Usmani, Omar S.; Venegas, Jose

2016-01-01

Abstract Development of a new drug for the treatment of lung disease is a complex and time consuming process involving numerous disciplines of basic and applied sciences. During the 2015 Congress of the International Society for Aerosols in Medicine, a group of experts including aerosol scientists, physiologists, modelers, imagers, and clinicians participated in a workshop aiming at bridging the gap between basic research and clinical efficacy of inhaled drugs. This publication summarizes the current consensus on the topic. It begins with a short description of basic concepts of aerosol transport and a discussion on targeting strategies of inhaled aerosols to the lungs. It is followed by a description of both computational and biological lung models, and the use of imaging techniques to determine aerosol deposition distribution (ADD) in the lung. Finally, the importance of ADD to clinical efficacy is discussed. Several gaps were identified between basic science and clinical efficacy. One gap between scientific research aimed at predicting, controlling, and measuring ADD and the clinical use of inhaled aerosols is the considerable challenge of obtaining, in a single study, accurate information describing the optimal lung regions to be targeted, the effectiveness of targeting determined from ADD, and some measure of the drug's effectiveness. Other identified gaps were the language and methodology barriers that exist among disciplines, along with the significant regulatory hurdles that need to be overcome for novel drugs and/or therapies to reach the marketplace and benefit the patient. Despite these gaps, much progress has been made in recent years to improve clinical efficacy of inhaled drugs. Also, the recent efforts by many funding agencies and industry to support multidisciplinary networks including basic science researchers, R&D scientists, and clinicians will go a long way to further reduce the gap between science and clinical efficacy. PMID:26829187

Gap Assessment (FY 13 Update)

DOE Data Explorer

Getman, Dan

2013-09-30

To help guide its future data collection efforts, The DOE GTO funded a data gap analysis in FY2012 to identify high potential hydrothermal areas where critical data are needed. This analysis was updated in FY2013 and the resulting datasets are represented by this metadata. The original process was published in FY 2012 and is available here: https://pangea.stanford.edu/ERE/db/GeoConf/papers/SGW/2013/Esposito.pdf Though there are many types of data that can be used for hydrothermal exploration, five types of exploration data were targeted for this analysis. These data types were selected for their regional reconnaissance potential, and include many of the primary exploration techniques currently used by the geothermal industry. The data types include: 1. well data 2. geologic maps 3. fault maps 4. geochemistry data 5. geophysical data To determine data coverage, metadata for exploration data (including data type, data status, and coverage information) were collected and catalogued from nodes on the National Geothermal Data System (NGDS). It is the intention of this analysis that the data be updated from this source in a semi-automated fashion as new datasets are added to the NGDS nodes. In addition to this upload, an online tool was developed to allow all geothermal data providers to access this assessment and to directly add metadata themselves and view the results of the analysis via maps of data coverage in Geothermal Prospector (http://maps.nrel.gov/gt_prospector). A grid of the contiguous U.S. was created with 88,000 10-km by 10-km grid cells, and each cell was populated with the status of data availability corresponding to the five data types. Using these five data coverage maps and the USGS Resource Potential Map, sites were identified for future data collection efforts. These sites signify both that the USGS has indicated high favorability of occurrence of geothermal resources and that data gaps exist. The uploaded data are contained in two data files for

Review of oil and HNS accidental spills in Europe: identifying major environmental monitoring gaps and drawing priorities.

PubMed

Neuparth, T; Moreira, S M; Santos, M M; Reis-Henriques, M A

2012-06-01

The European Atlantic area has been the scene of a number of extensive shipping incidents with immediate and potential long-term impacts to marine ecosystems. The occurrence of accidental spills at sea requires an effective response that must include a well executed monitoring programme to assess the environmental contamination and damage of the affected marine habitats. Despite a number of conventions and protocols developed by international and national authorities that focused on the preparedness and response to oil and HNS spills, much remains to be done, particularly in relation to the effectiveness of the environmental monitoring programmes implemented after oil and HNS spills. Hence, the present study reviews the status of the environmental monitoring programmes established following the major spill incidents over the last years in European waters, aiming at identifying the key monitoring gaps and drawing priorities for an effective environmental monitoring of accidental spills. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analyzing the "CareGap": assessing gaps in adherence to clinical guidelines in adult soft tissue sarcoma.

PubMed

Waks, Zeev; Goldbraich, Esther; Farkash, Ariel; Torresani, Michele; Bertulli, Rossella; Restifo, Nicola; Locatelli, Paolo; Casali, Paolo; Carmeli, Boaz

2013-01-01

Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) are gaining popularity as tools that assist physicians in optimizing medical care. These systems typically comply with evidence-based medicine and are designed with input from domain experts. Nonetheless, deviations from CDSS recommendations are abundant across a broad spectrum of disorders, raising the question as to why this phenomenon exists. Here, we analyze this gap in adherence to a clinical guidelines-based CDSS by examining the physician treatment decisions for 1329 adult soft tissue sarcoma patients in northern Italy using patient-specific parameters. Dubbing this analysis "CareGap", we find that deviations correlate strongly with certain disease features such as local versus metastatic clinical presentation. We also notice that deviations from the guideline-based CDSS suggestions occur more frequently for patients with shorter survival time. Such observations can direct physicians' attention to distinct patient cohorts that are prone to higher deviation levels from clinical practice guidelines. This illustrates the value of CareGap analysis in assessing quality of care for subsets of patients within a larger pathology.

Bridging the gap in care for children through the clinical nurse leader.

PubMed

O'Grady, Erin L; VanGraafeiland, Brigit

2012-01-01

Care coordination has been identified as a gap in the nursing care of children and families who experience an encounter within the health care system. The educational preparation of the clinical nurse leader (CNL) enables the CNL to address many gaps found in health care. Current evidence suggests various gaps in care, as reported by patients, families, nurses, and other health care providers. Identified gaps in care include problems with communication, coordination, education, research, advocacy, psychological and social support, and the needs of siblings. The CNL may improve quality of care for children through efficient care coordination by acting as a liaison and advocate between the patient, family, and health care team to bridge gaps in the current practices of care.

Bright and dark gap solitons in a negative index Fabry-Pérot etalon.

PubMed

D'Aguanno, Giuseppe; Mattiucci, Nadia; Scalora, Michael; Bloemer, Mark J

2004-11-19

We predict the existence of bright and dark gap solitons in a single slab of negative index material. The formation of gap solitons is made possible by the exceptional interplay between the linear dispersive properties of the negative index etalon and the effect of a cubic nonlinearity.

Estimating Gender Wage Gaps

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDonald, Judith A.; Thornton, Robert J.

2011-01-01

Course research projects that use easy-to-access real-world data and that generate findings with which undergraduate students can readily identify are hard to find. The authors describe a project that requires students to estimate the current female-male earnings gap for new college graduates. The project also enables students to see to what…

Extending existing structural identifiability analysis methods to mixed-effects models.

PubMed

Janzén, David L I; Jirstrand, Mats; Chappell, Michael J; Evans, Neil D

2018-01-01

The concept of structural identifiability for state-space models is expanded to cover mixed-effects state-space models. Two methods applicable for the analytical study of the structural identifiability of mixed-effects models are presented. The two methods are based on previously established techniques for non-mixed-effects models; namely the Taylor series expansion and the input-output form approach. By generating an exhaustive summary, and by assuming an infinite number of subjects, functions of random variables can be derived which in turn determine the distribution of the system's observation function(s). By considering the uniqueness of the analytical statistical moments of the derived functions of the random variables, the structural identifiability of the corresponding mixed-effects model can be determined. The two methods are applied to a set of examples of mixed-effects models to illustrate how they work in practice. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Connection between in-plane upper critical field Hc 2 and gap symmetry in layered d -wave superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jing-Rong; Liu, Guo-Zhu; Zhang, Chang-Jin

2016-07-01

Angle-resolved upper critical field Hc 2 provides an efficient tool to probe the gap symmetry of unconventional superconductors. We revisit the behavior of in-plane Hc 2 in d -wave superconductors by considering both the orbital effect and Pauli paramagnetic effect. After carrying out systematic analysis, we show that the maxima of Hc 2 could be along either nodal or antinodal directions of a d -wave superconducting gap, depending on the specific values of a number of tuning parameters. This behavior is in contrast to the common belief that the maxima of in-plane Hc 2 are along the direction where the superconducting gap takes its maximal value. Therefore, identifying the precise d -wave gap symmetry through fitting experiments results of angle-resolved Hc 2 with model calculations at a fixed temperature, as widely used in previous studies, is difficult and practically unreliable. However, our extensive analysis of angle-resolved Hc 2 show that there is a critical temperature T*: in-plane Hc 2 exhibits its maxima along nodal directions at T existence of π /4 shift of Hc 2 at T* appears to be a general feature. Thus a better method to identify the precise d -wave gap symmetry is to measure Hc 2 at a number of different temperatures, and examine whether there is a π /4 shift in its angular dependence at certain T*. We further show that Landau level mixing does not change this general feature. However, in the presence of Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state, the angular dependence of Hc 2 becomes quite complicated, which makes it more difficult to determine the gap symmetry by measuring Hc 2. Our results indicate that some previous studies on the gap symmetry of CeCu2Si2 are unreliable and need to be reexamined, and also provide a candidate solution to an experimental discrepancy in the angle-resolved Hc 2 in CeCoIn5.

School Counselors: Closing Achievement Gaps and Writing Results Reports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartline, Julie; Cobia, Debra

2012-01-01

Charged with closing the achievement gap for marginalized students, school counselors need to be able to identify gaps, develop interventions, evaluate effectiveness, and share results. This study examined 100 summary results reports submitted by school counselors after having received four days of training on the ASCA National Model. Findings…

How Are Gender Equality and Human Rights Interventions Included in Sexual and Reproductive Health Programmes and Policies: A Systematic Review of Existing Research Foci and Gaps.

PubMed

Hartmann, Miriam; Khosla, Rajat; Krishnan, Suneeta; George, Asha; Gruskin, Sofia; Amin, Avni

2016-01-01

The importance of promoting gender equality and human rights in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) programmes and policies has been affirmed in numerous international and regional agreements, most recently the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Given the critical role of research to determine what works, we aimed to identify research gaps as part of a broader priority setting exercise on integrating gender equality and human rights approaches in SRH programmes and policies. A systematic literature review of reviews was conducted to examine the question: what do we know about how research in the context of SRH programmes and policies has addressed gender equality and human rights and what are the current gaps in research. We searched three databases for reviews that addressed the research question, were published between 1994-2014, and met methodological standards for systematic reviews, qualitative meta-syntheses and other reviews of relevance to the research question. Additional grey literature was identified based on expert input. Articles were appraised by the primary author and examined by an expert panel. An abstraction and thematic analysis process was used to synthesize findings. Of the 3,073 abstracts identified, 56 articles were reviewed in full and 23 were included along with 10 from the grey literature. The majority focused on interventions addressing gender inequalities; very few reviews explicitly included human rights based interventions. Across both topics, weak study designs and use of intermediate outcome measures limited evidence quality. Further, there was limited evidence on interventions that addressed marginalized groups. Better quality studies, longer-term indicators, and measurement of unintended consequences are needed to better understand the impact of these types of interventions on SRH outcomes. Further efforts are needed to cover research on gender equality and human rights issues as they pertain to a broader set of SRH topics

How Are Gender Equality and Human Rights Interventions Included in Sexual and Reproductive Health Programmes and Policies: A Systematic Review of Existing Research Foci and Gaps

PubMed Central

Khosla, Rajat; Krishnan, Suneeta; George, Asha; Gruskin, Sofia; Amin, Avni

2016-01-01

The importance of promoting gender equality and human rights in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) programmes and policies has been affirmed in numerous international and regional agreements, most recently the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Given the critical role of research to determine what works, we aimed to identify research gaps as part of a broader priority setting exercise on integrating gender equality and human rights approaches in SRH programmes and policies. A systematic literature review of reviews was conducted to examine the question: what do we know about how research in the context of SRH programmes and policies has addressed gender equality and human rights and what are the current gaps in research. We searched three databases for reviews that addressed the research question, were published between 1994–2014, and met methodological standards for systematic reviews, qualitative meta-syntheses and other reviews of relevance to the research question. Additional grey literature was identified based on expert input. Articles were appraised by the primary author and examined by an expert panel. An abstraction and thematic analysis process was used to synthesize findings. Of the 3,073 abstracts identified, 56 articles were reviewed in full and 23 were included along with 10 from the grey literature. The majority focused on interventions addressing gender inequalities; very few reviews explicitly included human rights based interventions. Across both topics, weak study designs and use of intermediate outcome measures limited evidence quality. Further, there was limited evidence on interventions that addressed marginalized groups. Better quality studies, longer-term indicators, and measurement of unintended consequences are needed to better understand the impact of these types of interventions on SRH outcomes. Further efforts are needed to cover research on gender equality and human rights issues as they pertain to a broader set of SRH topics

Identifying and Understanding the Gaps in Care Experienced by Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Patients at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

PubMed

Mobley, Erin M; Foster, Kristin J; Terry, William W

2018-06-20

In an effort to counteract the differences in improvement in survival rates of adolescents and young adults (AYA), compared to other age groups with cancer, the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics established an AYA cancer program. This study was conducted to gather feedback from AYAs in an effort to generate actionable data for program development. The target population included patients aged 13-31 treated for malignancy in one of the following disease sites: central nervous system, leukemia, lymphoma, neuroendocrine, sarcoma, and thyroid. A series of four focus groups was held to identify and describe gaps in care and provide suggestions for program development. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was used. Qualitative data were derived from focus group discussion and free-response survey questions, while quantitative data were derived from objective survey questions and electronic medical record data. Across the four focus groups, 24 different AYAs participated, ranging from 8 to 19 individuals per session. Topics discussed included the following: communication, treatment experience, and overall AYA program; finances, work and school, and late effects; relationships, emotions, and spirituality; and body image, infertility, sexuality, risky behavior, and suicide. The results of the analyses corroborated what makes AYAs different from other age groups. The primary theme identified was the unique relationships of AYAs, which can be thought of along a continuum. Information obtained from these analyses has been used to inform specific projects within the development of the AYA program to address patient-identified gaps. For AYAs, the importance of relationships along a continuum should be considered when developing an AYA program, in addition to potential policy or health service research utilization in the future.

Gaps of free-space optics beams with the Beer-Lambert law.

PubMed

Lacaze, Bernard

2009-05-10

Lasers used in free-space optics propagate a beam within a truncated cone. Because of this shape, the intensity cannot follow the Beer-Lambert law. In the case of a homogeneous atmosphere, we calculate the gap from the cylinder case. We will see that the gap exists but is generally very weak and, therefore, that the use of the Beer-Lambert law is a justified approximation.

A study of the influence of forest gaps on fire–atmosphere interactions

Treesearch

Michael T. Kiefer; Warren E. Heilman; Shiyuan Zhong; Joseph J. (Jay) Charney; Xindi (Randy) Bian

2016-01-01

Much uncertainty exists regarding the possible role that gaps in forest canopies play in modulating fire–atmosphere interactions in otherwise horizontally homogeneous forests. This study examines the influence of gaps in forest canopies on atmospheric perturbations induced by a low-intensity fire using the ARPS-CANOPY model, a version of the Advanced Regional...

Arcjet Tests of Different Gap-Filler Options for the Orion PICA Heatshield

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skokova, Kristina; Ellerby, Donald; Blosser, Max; Venkatapathy, Ethiraj; Bouslog, Stan; Reuther, James

2009-01-01

PICA (Phenolic Infiltrated Carbon Ablator) is one of the candidate thermal protection materials for the Orion vehicle. Because PICA is fabricated in blocks, gaps exist between the blocks, similar to the individual ceramic tiles of the Shuttle thermal protection system. The results of this work focus on arcjet test results of different gap-filler options for PICA, performed as part of the Orion TPS Advanced Development Project. The arcjet tests were performed at NASA Ames Research Center on stagnation models 4 inches in diameter at conditions representative of Orion flight conditions for both Lunar and Low Earth Orbit return. Performance of gap-filler options was evaluated based on the extent of backface temperature change, as compared to PICA without gaps, and on the extent of flow penetration into the gap, evident from the gap opening and widening.

Learning in context: identifying gaps in research on the transfer of medical communication skills to the clinical workplace.

PubMed

van den Eertwegh, Valerie; van Dulmen, Sandra; van Dalen, Jan; Scherpbier, Albert J J A; van der Vleuten, Cees P M

2013-02-01

In order to reduce the inconsistencies of findings and the apparent low transfer of communication skills from training to medical practice, this narrative review identifies some main gaps in research on medical communication skills training and presents insights from theories on learning and transfer to broaden the view for future research. Relevant literature was identified using Pubmed, GoogleScholar, Cochrane database, and Web of Science; and analyzed using an iterative procedure. Research findings on the effectiveness of medical communication training still show inconsistencies and variability. Contemporary theories on learning based on a constructivist paradigm offer the following insights: acquisition of knowledge and skills should be viewed as an ongoing process of exchange between the learner and his environment, so called lifelong learning. This process can neither be atomized nor separated from the context in which it occurs. Four contemporary approaches are presented as examples. The following shift in focus for future research is proposed: beyond isolated single factor effectiveness studies toward constructivist, non-reductionistic studies integrating the context. Future research should investigate how constructivist approaches can be used in the medical context to increase effective learning and transition of communication skills. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Filling the Knowledge Gap that Exists Between the Public and Its Leaders and Climate Science Experts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandia, S. A.; Abraham, J. P.; Dash, J. W.; Ashley, M. C.

2012-12-01

There is a gap between what the general public and its elected leaders know about climate change and what climate scientists understand about this critical issue. One such effort by the authors to fill this gap is the Climate Science Rapid Response Team (CSRRT), formed in November 2010 to provide rapid, high-quality climate science information to international news media and lawmakers. Currently, CSRRT has enlisted 250 top climate scientists, including those with expertise on the economics and policy matters, whom are committed to be on call for climate-related inquiries. CSRRT has responded to more than 300 inquiries including, from among many others, The White House, Congress, and local governmental officials, major television and cable news networks, radio programs, mainstream international newspaper outlets, and a broad range of online news providers. CSRRT scientists have also been provided extensive communication training to help encourage the use of jargon-free language so that clear communication with the broader public can be more successful. In addition to the CSRRT, the authors have undertaken several behind the scenes initiatives to increase public awareness about climate change. This presentation will describe the operation of CSRRT along with some of its highlights, as well as offer a peek into the authors' less public efforts that have had a major impact on various climate-related news stories and policy.

Identifying the translational gap in the evaluation of drug-induced QTc interval prolongation

PubMed Central

Chain, Anne SY; Dubois, Vincent FS; Danhof, Meindert; Sturkenboom, Miriam CJM; Della Pasqua, Oscar

2013-01-01

Aims Given the similarities in QTc response between dogs and humans, dogs are used in pre-clinical cardiovascular safety studies. The objective of our investigation was to characterize the PKPD relationships and identify translational gaps across species following the administration of three compounds known to cause QTc interval prolongation, namely cisapride, d, l-sotalol and moxifloxacin. Methods Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data from experiments in conscious dogs and clinical trials were included in this analysis. First, pharmacokinetic modelling and deconvolution methods were applied to derive drug concentrations at the time of each QT measurement. A Bayesian PKPD model was then used to describe QT prolongation, allowing discrimination of drug-specific effects from other physiological factors known to alter QT interval duration. A threshold of ≥10 ms was used to explore the probability of prolongation after drug administration. Results A linear relationship was found to best describe the pro-arrhythmic effects of cisapride, d,l-sotalol and moxifloxacin both in dogs and in humans. The drug-specific parameter (slope) in dogs was statistically significantly different from humans. Despite such differences, our results show that the probability of QTc prolongation ≥10 ms in dogs nears 100% for all three compounds at the therapeutic exposure range in humans. Conclusions Our findings indicate that the slope of PKPD relationship in conscious dogs may be used as the basis for the prediction of drug-induced QTc prolongation in humans. Furthermore, the risk of QTc prolongation can be expressed in terms of the probability associated with an increase ≥10 ms, allowing direct inferences about the clinical relevance of the pro-arrhythmic potential of a molecule. PMID:23351036

Health systems around the world - a comparison of existing health system rankings.

PubMed

Schütte, Stefanie; Acevedo, Paula N Marin; Flahault, Antoine

2018-06-01

Existing health systems all over the world are different due to the different combinations of components that can be considered for their establishment. The ranking of health systems has been a focal points for many years especially the issue of performance. In 2000 the World Health Organization (WHO) performed a ranking to compare the Performance of the health system of the member countries. Since then other health system rankings have been performed and it became an issue of public discussion. A point of contention regarding these rankings is the methodology employed by each of them, since no gold standard exists. Therefore, this review focuses on evaluating the methodologies of each existing health system performance ranking to assess their reproducibility and transparency. A search was conducted to identify existing health system rankings, and a questionnaire was developed for the comparison of the methodologies based on the following indicators: (1) General information, (2) Statistical methods, (3) Data (4) Indicators. Overall nine rankings were identified whereas six of them focused rather on the measurement of population health without any financial component and were therefore excluded. Finally, three health system rankings were selected for this review: "Health Systems: Improving Performance" by the WHO, "Mirror, Mirror on the wall: How the Performance of the US Health Care System Compares Internationally" by the Commonwealth Fund and "the Most efficient Health Care" by Bloomberg. After the completion of the comparison of the rankings by giving them scores according to the indicators, the ranking performed the WHO was considered the most complete regarding the ability of reproducibility and transparency of the methodology. This review and comparison could help in establishing consensus in the field of health system research. This may also help giving recommendations for future health rankings and evaluating the current gap in the literature.

A consumption value-gap analysis for sustainable consumption.

PubMed

Biswas, Aindrila

2017-03-01

Recent studies on consumption behavior have depicted environmental apprehension resulting from across wide consumer segments. However, this has not been widely reflected upon the growth in the market shares for green or environment-friendly products mostly because gaps exist between consumers' expectations and perceptions for those products. Previous studies have highlighted the impact of perceived value on potential demand, consumer satisfaction and behavioral intentions. The necessity to understand the effects of gaps in expected and perceived values on consumers' behavioral intention and potential demand for green products cannot be undermined as it shapes the consumers' inclination to repeated purchase and consumption and thus foster potential market demand. Pertaining to this reason, the study aims to adopt a consumption value-gap model based on the theory of consumption values to assess their impact on sustainable consumption behavior and market demand of green products. Consumption value refers to the level of fulfillment of consumer needs by assessment of net utility derived after effective comparison between the benefits (financial or emotional) and the gives (money, time, or energy). The larger the gaps the higher will be the adversarial impact on behavioral intentions. A structural equation modeling was applied to assess data collected through questionnaire survey. The results indicate that functional value-gap and environmental value-gap has the most adversarial impact on sustainable consumption behavior and market demand for green products.

Connecting Social Disorganization Theory to African-American Outcomes to Explain the Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madyun, Na'im H.

2011-01-01

African-American student achievement outcomes have been and continue to be a critical concern for education researchers. Much of the framing of African-American student outcomes centers on what is known as achievement gaps that exist between African-American and White students. Unfortunately, these gaps have remained roughly the same since the…

Quantifying the Gender Gap in Science Interests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baram-Tsabari, Ayelet; Yarden, Anat

2011-01-01

Nearly 5,000 self-generated science-related K-12 students' questions, classified into seven science subjects, were used to quantitatively measure the gender gap in science interests and its change with age. In this data set, a difference between boys' and girls' science interests did not exist during early childhood, but increased over 20-fold by…

Gap analysis of Mycoplasma bovis disease, diagnosis and control: An aid to identify future development requirements.

PubMed

Calcutt, M J; Lysnyansky, I; Sachse, K; Fox, L K; Nicholas, R A J; Ayling, R D

2018-05-01

There is a worldwide problem of disease caused by Mycoplasma (M.) bovis in cattle; it has a significant detrimental economic and animal welfare impact on cattle rearing. Infection can manifest as a plethora of clinical signs including mastitis, pneumonia, arthritis, keratoconjunctivitis, otitis media and genital disorders that may result in infertility and abortion. Current diagnosis and control information are reviewed and analysed to identify gaps in knowledge of the causative organism in respect of the disease pathology, diagnosis and control methods. The main considerations are as follows: no vaccines are commercially available; antimicrobial resistance is increasing; diagnostic and antimicrobial sensitivity testing needs to be improved; and a pen-side test would facilitate more rapid diagnosis and implementation of treatment with antimicrobials. More data on host susceptibility, stress factors, immune response and infectious dose levels are required. The impact of asymptomatic carriers, M. bovis survival in the environment and the role of wildlife in transmitting the disease also needs investigation. To facilitate development of vaccines, further analysis of more M. bovis genomes, its pathogenic mechanisms, including variable surface proteins, is required, along with reproducible disease models. © 2018 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Depression and stressful environments: identifying gaps in conceptualization and measurement.

PubMed

Hammen, Constance

2016-07-01

Stress is well known as a trigger of depressive reactions, fear, anxiety, and behavioral disorders. However, there are many gaps in the conceptualization and measurement of environmental stress. Exciting developments in the neuroscience of stress have increasingly expanded our knowledge of mechanisms by which stress may affect emotional and behavioral adjustment. Ironically, environmental stress has often been a silent player in human studies of stress processes. There is a significant need for increased efforts to include environmental stress variables in models of internalizing and other disorders. Measurement and conceptualization issues are prominent, and this article makes the case for improved methods of measuring acute, chronic, and early life stress, and for additional conceptualization of the dynamically changing and bidirectional effects of stress on disorder over time. There is a critical need for greater focus on and better measurement of the environment and its impact on emotional and other disorders, with emphasis on developmentally informed hypotheses. Empirical findings and new perspectives may contribute enormously to our understanding of normal and abnormal outcomes, and also to the challenge of effective interventions to promote mental health and optimal functioning.

Detection thresholds for gaps, overlaps, and no-gap-no-overlaps.

PubMed

Heldner, Mattias

2011-07-01

Detection thresholds for gaps and overlaps, that is acoustic and perceived silences and stretches of overlapping speech in speaker changes, were determined. Subliminal gaps and overlaps were categorized as no-gap-no-overlaps. The established gap and overlap detection thresholds both corresponded to the duration of a long vowel, or about 120 ms. These detection thresholds are valuable for mapping the perceptual speaker change categories gaps, overlaps, and no-gap-no-overlaps into the acoustic domain. Furthermore, the detection thresholds allow generation and understanding of gaps, overlaps, and no-gap-no-overlaps in human-like spoken dialogue systems. © 2011 Acoustical Society of America

Inverted File Compression through Document Identifier Reassignment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shieh, Wann-Yun; Chen, Tien-Fu; Shann, Jean Jyh-Jiun; Chung, Chung-Ping

2003-01-01

Discusses the use of inverted files in information retrieval systems and proposes a document identifier reassignment method to reduce the average gap values in an inverted file. Highlights include the d-gap technique; document similarity; heuristic algorithms; file compression; and performance evaluation from a simulation environment. (LRW)

Hand hygiene compliance: is there a theory-practice-ethics gap?

PubMed

Mortell, Manfred

Practice is usually based on tradition, rituals and outdated information; there is often an additional gap between theoretical knowledge and its application in practice. This theory-practice gap has long existed (Allmark, 1995; Hewison et al, 1996). It often arises when theory is ignored because it is seen as idealistic and impractical, even if it is practical and beneficial. Most research relating to the lack of integration between theory and practice has concluded that environmental factors are responsible and will affect learning and practice outcomes. The author believes an additional dimension of ethics is required to bridge the gap between theory and practice. This would be a moral obligation to ensure theory and practice are integrated. To implement new practices effectively, healthcare practitioners must deem these practices worthwhile and relevant to their role. This introduces a new concept that the author calls the theory-practice-ethics gap. This theory-practice-ethics gap must be considered when examining some of the unacceptable outcomes in healthcare practice (Mortell, 2009). The literature suggests that there is a crisis of ethics where theory and practice integrate, and practitioners are failing to fulfil their duty as providers of healthcare and as patient advocates. This article examines the theory-practice-ethics gap when applied to hand hygiene. Non-compliance exists in hand hygiene among practitioners, which may increase patient mortality and morbidity rates, and raise healthcare costs. Infection prevention and control programmes to improve hand hygiene among staff include: ongoing education and training; easy access to facilities such as wash basins; antiseptic/alcohol handgels that are convenient, effective, and skin- and user-friendly; and organisational recognition and support for clinicians in hand washing and handgel practices. Yet these all appear to have failed to achieve the required and desired compliance in hand hygiene.

Gap Junctional Communication in Morphogenesis

PubMed Central

Levin, Michael

2007-01-01

Gap junctions permit the direct passage of small molecules from the cytosol of one cell to that of its neighbor, and thus form a system of cell-cell communication that exists alongside familiar secretion/receptor signaling. Because of the rich potential for regulation of junctional conductance, and directional and molecular gating (specificity), gap junctional communication (GJC) plays a crucial role in many aspects of normal tissue physiology. However, the most exciting role for GJC is in the regulation of information flow that takes place during embryonic development, regeneration, and tumor progression. The molecular mechanisms by which GJC establishes local and long-range instructive morphogenetic cues are just beginning to be understood. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the involvement of GJC in the patterning of both vertebrate and invertebrate systems and discusses in detail several morphogenetic systems in which the properties of this signaling have been molecularly characterized. One model consistent with existing data in the fields of vertebrate left-right patterning and anterior-posterior polarity in flatworm regeneration postulates electrophoretically-guided movement of small molecule morphogens through long-range GJC paths. The discovery of mechanisms controlling embryonic and regenerative GJC-mediated signaling, and identification of the downstream targets of GJC-permeable molecules, represent exciting next areas of research in this fascinating field. PMID:17481700

Evidence Gaps in the Use of Spinal Cord Stimulation for Treating Chronic Spine Conditions.

PubMed

Provenzano, David A; Amirdelfan, Kasra; Kapural, Leonardo; Sitzman, B Todd

2017-07-15

A review of literature. The aim of this study was to define and explore the current evidence gaps in the use of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for treating chronic spine conditions. Although over the last 40 years SCS therapy has undergone significant technological advancements, evidence gaps still exist. A literature review was conducted to define current evidence gaps for the use of SCS. Areas of focus included 1) treatment of cervical spine conditions, 2) treatment of lumbar spine conditions, 3) technological advancement and device selection, 4) appropriate patient selection, 5) the ability to curb pharmacological treatment, and 6) methods to prolong efficacy over time. New SCS strategies using advanced waveforms are explored. The efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of traditional SCS for chronic pain conditions are well-established. Evidence gaps do exist. Recently, advancement in waveforms and programming parameters have allowed for paresthesia-reduced/free stimulation that in specific clinical areas may improve clinical outcomes. New waveforms such as 10-kHz high-frequency have resulted in an improvement in back coverage. To date, clinical efficacy data are more prevalent for the treatment of painful conditions originating from the lumbar spine in comparison to the cervical spine. Evidence gaps still exist that require appropriate study designs with long-term follow-up to better define and improve the use of this therapy for the treatment of chronic spine pain in both the cervical and lumbar regions. N/A.

`G.A.T.E': Gap analysis for TTX evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cacciotti, Ilaria; Di Giovanni, Daniele; Pergolini, Alessandro; Malizia, Andrea; Carestia, Mariachiara; Palombi, Leonardo; Bellecci, Carlo; Gaudio, Pasquale

2016-06-01

A Table Top Exercise (TTX) gap analysis tool was developed with the aim to provide a complete, systematic and objective evaluation of TTXs organized in safety and security fields. A TTX consists in a discussion-based emergency management exercise, organized in a simulated emergency scenario, involving groups of players who are subjected to a set of solicitations (`injects'), in order to evaluate their emergency response abilities. This kind of exercise is devoted to identify strengths and shortfalls and to propose potential and promising changes in the approach to a particular situation. In order to manage the TTX derived data collection and analysis, a gap analysis tool would be very useful and functional at identifying the 'gap' between them and specific areas and actions for improvement, consisting the gap analysis in a comparison between actual performances and optimal/expected ones. In this context, a TTX gap analysis tool was designed, with the objective to provide an evaluation of Team players' competences and performances and TTX organization and structure. The influence of both the players' expertise and the reaction time (difference between expected time and time necessary to actually complete the injects) on the final evaluation of the inject responses was also taken into account.

Identifying Important Gaps in Randomized Controlled Trials of Adult Cardiac Arrest Treatments: A Systematic Review of the Published Literature.

PubMed

Sinha, Shashank S; Sukul, Devraj; Lazarus, John J; Polavarapu, Vivek; Chan, Paul S; Neumar, Robert W; Nallamothu, Brahmajee K

2016-11-01

Cardiac arrest is a major public health concern worldwide. The extent and types of randomized controlled trials (RCT)-our most reliable source of clinical evidence-conducted in these high-risk patients over recent years are largely unknown. We performed a systematic review, identifying all RCTs published in PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library from 1995 to 2014 that focused on the acute treatment of nontraumatic cardiac arrest in adults. We then extracted data on the setting of study populations, types and timing of interventions studied, risk of bias, outcomes reported, and how these factors have changed over time. Over this 20-year period, 92 RCTs were published containing 64 309 patients (median, 225.5 per trial). Of these, 81 RCTs (88.0%) involved out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, whereas 4 (4.3%) involved in-hospital cardiac arrest and 7 (7.6%) included both. Eighteen RCTs (19.6%) were performed in the United States, 68 (73.9%) were performed outside the United States, and 6 (6.5%) were performed in both settings. Thirty-eight RCTs (41.3%) evaluated drug therapy, 39 (42.4%) evaluated device therapy, and 15 (16.3%) evaluated protocol improvements. Seventy-four RCTs (80.4%) examined interventions during the cardiac arrest, 15 (16.3%) examined post cardiac arrest treatment, and 3 (3.3%) studied both. Overall, reporting of the risk of bias was limited. The most common outcome reported was return of spontaneous circulation: 86 (93.5%) with only 22 (23.9%) reporting survival beyond 6 months. Fifty-three RCTs (57.6%) reported global ordinal outcomes, whereas 15 (16.3%) reported quality-of-life. RCTs in the past 5 years were more likely to be focused on protocol improvements and postcardiac arrest care. Important gaps in RCTs of cardiac arrest treatments exist, especially those examining in-hospital cardiac arrest, protocol improvement, postcardiac arrest care, and long-term or quality-of-life outcomes. © 2016 American Heart Association

Identifying Important Gaps in Randomized Controlled Trials of Adult Cardiac Arrest Treatments: A Systematic Review of the Published Literature

PubMed Central

Sinha, Shashank S.; Sukul, Devraj; Lazarus, John J.; Polavarapu, Vivek; Chan, Paul S.; Neumar, Robert W.; Nallamothu, Brahmajee K.

2016-01-01

Background Cardiac arrests are a major public health concern worldwide. The extent and types of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) – our most reliable source of clinical evidence – conducted in these high-risk patients over recent years are largely unknown. Methods and Results We performed a systematic review, identifying all RCTs published in PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library from 1995 to 2014 that focused on acute treatment of non-traumatic cardiac arrest in adults. We then extracted data on the setting of study populations, types and timing of interventions studied, risk of bias, outcomes reported and how these factors have changed over time. Over this twenty-year period, 92 RCTs were published containing 64,309 patients (median, 225.5 per trial). Of these, 81 RCTs (88.0%) involved out-of-hospital cardiac arrest whereas 4 (4.3%) involved in-hospital cardiac arrest and 7 (7.6%) included both. Eighteen RCTs (19.6%) were performed in the U.S., 68 (73.9%) were performed outside the U.S., and 6 (6.5%) were performed in both settings. Thirty-eight RCTs (41.3%) evaluated drug therapy, 39 (42.4%) evaluated device therapy, and 15 (16.3%) evaluated protocol improvements. Seventy-four RCTs (80.4%) examined interventions during the cardiac arrest, 15 (16.3%) examined post-cardiac arrest treatment, and 3 (3.3%) studied both. Overall, reporting of risk of bias was limited. The most common outcome reported was ROSC: 86 (93.5%) with only 22 (23.9%) reporting survival beyond 6 months. Fifty-three RCTs (57.6%) reported global ordinal outcomes whereas 15 (16.3%) reported quality-of-life. RCTs in the last 5 years were more likely to be focused on protocol improvement and post-cardiac arrest care. Conclusions Important gaps in RCTs of cardiac arrest treatments exist, especially those examining in-hospital cardiac arrest, protocol improvement, post-cardiac arrest care, and long-term or quality-of-life outcomes. PMID:27756794

A MSFD complementary approach for the assessment of pressures, knowledge and data gaps in Southern European Seas: The PERSEUS experience.

PubMed

Crise, A; Kaberi, H; Ruiz, J; Zatsepin, A; Arashkevich, E; Giani, M; Karageorgis, A P; Prieto, L; Pantazi, M; Gonzalez-Fernandez, D; Ribera d'Alcalà, M; Tornero, V; Vassilopoulou, V; Durrieu de Madron, X; Guieu, C; Puig, P; Zenetos, A; Andral, B; Angel, D; Altukhov, D; Ayata, S D; Aktan, Y; Balcıoğlu, E; Benedetti, F; Bouchoucha, M; Buia, M-C; Cadiou, J-F; Canals, M; Chakroun, M; Christou, E; Christidis, M G; Civitarese, G; Coatu, V; Corsini-Foka, M; Cozzi, S; Deidun, A; Dell'Aquila, A; Dogrammatzi, A; Dumitrache, C; Edelist, D; Ettahiri, O; Fonda-Umani, S; Gana, S; Galgani, F; Gasparini, S; Giannakourou, A; Gomoiu, M-T; Gubanova, A; Gücü, A-C; Gürses, Ö; Hanke, G; Hatzianestis, I; Herut, B; Hone, R; Huertas, E; Irisson, J-O; İşinibilir, M; Jimenez, J A; Kalogirou, S; Kapiris, K; Karamfilov, V; Kavadas, S; Keskin, Ç; Kideyş, A E; Kocak, M; Kondylatos, G; Kontogiannis, C; Kosyan, R; Koubbi, P; Kušpilić, G; La Ferla, R; Langone, L; Laroche, S; Lazar, L; Lefkaditou, E; Lemeshko, I E; Machias, A; Malej, A; Mazzocchi, M-G; Medinets, V; Mihalopoulos, N; Miserocchi, S; Moncheva, S; Mukhanov, V; Oaie, G; Oros, A; Öztürk, A A; Öztürk, B; Panayotova, M; Prospathopoulos, A; Radu, G; Raykov, V; Reglero, P; Reygondeau, G; Rougeron, N; Salihoglu, B; Sanchez-Vidal, A; Sannino, G; Santinelli, C; Secrieru, D; Shapiro, G; Simboura, N; Shiganova, T; Sprovieri, M; Stefanova, K; Streftaris, N; Tirelli, V; Tom, M; Topaloğlu, B; Topçu, N E; Tsagarakis, K; Tsangaris, C; Tserpes, G; Tuğrul, S; Uysal, Z; Vasile, D; Violaki, K; Xu, J; Yüksek, A; Papathanassiou, E

2015-06-15

PERSEUS project aims to identify the most relevant pressures exerted on the ecosystems of the Southern European Seas (SES), highlighting knowledge and data gaps that endanger the achievement of SES Good Environmental Status (GES) as mandated by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). A complementary approach has been adopted, by a meta-analysis of existing literature on pressure/impact/knowledge gaps summarized in tables related to the MSFD descriptors, discriminating open waters from coastal areas. A comparative assessment of the Initial Assessments (IAs) for five SES countries has been also independently performed. The comparison between meta-analysis results and IAs shows similarities for coastal areas only. Major knowledge gaps have been detected for the biodiversity, marine food web, marine litter and underwater noise descriptors. The meta-analysis also allowed the identification of additional research themes targeting research topics that are requested to the achievement of GES. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Race, ethnicity, recreation, and leisure: An assessment of research gaps

Treesearch

Edwin Gomez

2008-01-01

The purpose of this report is to identify research gaps related to the race/ethnicity and leisure literature. This was done by first highlighting the trends involved in the ethnicity and leisure literature, and then presenting five gaps found in the literature for future researchers to consider.

The Oncogenic Role of RhoGAPs in Basal-Like Breast Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-02-01

cell lines, and mouse models . c) In vivo tumorigenesis and metastasis assays. Milestones: Identify whether ArhGAP11A and RacGAP1 can promote tumor growth...also upregulated in basal (C3(I)-Tag) but not luminal (MMTV-Neu) genetically- engineered mouse models (Fig. 1B). At the protein level, RacGAP1 was...hypothesis that these RhoGAPs are indeed playing an oncogenic role in these cells. Human Tumors Mouse Model Tumors Normal Luminal A Basal-like Normal

Refining Current Scientific Priorities and Identifying New Scientific Gaps in HIV-Related Heart, Lung, Blood, and Sleep Research.

PubMed

Twigg, Homer L; Crystal, Ronald; Currier, Judith; Ridker, Paul; Berliner, Nancy; Kiem, Hans-Peter; Rutherford, George; Zou, Shimian; Glynn, Simone; Wong, Renee; Peprah, Emmanuel; Engelgau, Michael; Creazzo, Tony; Colombini-Hatch, Sandra; Caler, Elisabet

2017-09-01

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) AIDS Program's goal is to provide direction and support for research and training programs in areas of HIV-related heart, lung, blood, and sleep (HLBS) diseases. To better define NHLBI current HIV-related scientific priorities and with the goal of identifying new scientific priorities and gaps in HIV-related HLBS research, a wide group of investigators gathered for a scientific NHLBI HIV Working Group on December 14-15, 2015, in Bethesda, MD. The core objectives of the Working Group included discussions on: (1) HIV-related HLBS comorbidities in the antiretroviral era; (2) HIV cure; (3) HIV prevention; and (4) mechanisms to implement new scientific discoveries in an efficient and timely manner so as to have the most impact on people living with HIV. The 2015 Working Group represented an opportunity for the NHLBI to obtain expert advice on HIV/AIDS scientific priorities and approaches over the next decade.

Overexpression of GAP-43 reveals unexpected properties of hippocampal mossy fibers.

PubMed

Rekart, Jerome L; Routtenberg, Aryeh

2010-01-01

The mossy fiber (MF) system targets the apical dendrites of CA3 pyramidal cells in the stratum lucidum (SL). In mice overexpressing the growth-associated protein GAP-43 there is an apparent ectopic growth of these MFs into the stratum oriens (SO) targeting the basal dendrites of these same pyramidal cells (Aigner et al. (1995) Cell 83:269-278). This is the first evidence to our knowledge that links increased GAP-43 expression with growth of central axons. Here we studied the Aigner et al. transgenic mice but were unable to confirm such growth into SO. However, using quantitative methods we did observe enhanced growth within the regions normally targeted by MFs, for example, the SL in the CA3a region. These contrasting results led us to study MFs with double-immunostaining using an immunohistochemical marker for MFs, the zinc transporter, ZnT3, to visualize the colocalization of transgenic GAP-43 within MFs. Unexpectedly, using both fluorescence and confocal microscopy, we were unable to detect colocalization of GAP-43-positive axons with ZnT3-positive MF axons within the MF pathways, either in the region of the MF axons or in the SL, where MF terminals are abundant. In contrast, the plasma membrane-associated presynaptic marker SNAP-25 did colocalize with transgenic GAP-43-positive terminals in the SL. Synaptophysin, the vesicle-associated presynaptic terminal marker, colocalized with ZnT3 but did not appear to colocalize with GAP-43. The present findings raise important questions about the properties of granule cells and the MF mechanisms that differentially regulate axonal remodeling in the adult hippocampus: (1) Because there appears to be at least two populations of granule cells defined by their differential protein expression, this points to the existence of an intrinsic heterogeneity of granule cell expression beyond that contributed by adult neurogenesis; (2) Giventhe present evidence that growth is induced in mice overexpressing GAP-43 in adjacent non-GAP

Intrinsic energy localization through discrete gap breathers in one-dimensional diatomic granular crystals.

PubMed

Theocharis, G; Boechler, N; Kevrekidis, P G; Job, S; Porter, Mason A; Daraio, C

2010-11-01

We present a systematic study of the existence and stability of discrete breathers that are spatially localized in the bulk of a one-dimensional chain of compressed elastic beads that interact via Hertzian contact. The chain is diatomic, consisting of a periodic arrangement of heavy and light spherical particles. We examine two families of discrete gap breathers: (1) an unstable discrete gap breather that is centered on a heavy particle and characterized by a symmetric spatial energy profile and (2) a potentially stable discrete gap breather that is centered on a light particle and is characterized by an asymmetric spatial energy profile. We investigate their existence, structure, and stability throughout the band gap of the linear spectrum and classify them into four regimes: a regime near the lower optical band edge of the linear spectrum, a moderately discrete regime, a strongly discrete regime that lies deep within the band gap of the linearized version of the system, and a regime near the upper acoustic band edge. We contrast discrete breathers in anharmonic Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU)-type diatomic chains with those in diatomic granular crystals, which have a tensionless interaction potential between adjacent particles, and note that the asymmetric nature of the tensionless interaction potential can lead to hybrid bulk-surface localized solutions.

Intrinsic energy localization through discrete gap breathers in one-dimensional diatomic granular crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Theocharis, G.; Boechler, N.; Kevrekidis, P. G.; Job, S.; Porter, Mason A.; Daraio, C.

2010-11-01

We present a systematic study of the existence and stability of discrete breathers that are spatially localized in the bulk of a one-dimensional chain of compressed elastic beads that interact via Hertzian contact. The chain is diatomic, consisting of a periodic arrangement of heavy and light spherical particles. We examine two families of discrete gap breathers: (1) an unstable discrete gap breather that is centered on a heavy particle and characterized by a symmetric spatial energy profile and (2) a potentially stable discrete gap breather that is centered on a light particle and is characterized by an asymmetric spatial energy profile. We investigate their existence, structure, and stability throughout the band gap of the linear spectrum and classify them into four regimes: a regime near the lower optical band edge of the linear spectrum, a moderately discrete regime, a strongly discrete regime that lies deep within the band gap of the linearized version of the system, and a regime near the upper acoustic band edge. We contrast discrete breathers in anharmonic Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU)-type diatomic chains with those in diatomic granular crystals, which have a tensionless interaction potential between adjacent particles, and note that the asymmetric nature of the tensionless interaction potential can lead to hybrid bulk-surface localized solutions.

Explaining the Class Gap in Training: The Role of Employment Relations and Job Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schindler, Steffen; Weiss, Felix; Hubert, Tobias

2011-01-01

Existing studies consistently find a gap in further education between high- and low-skilled workers, implying a gap in formal training between high- and low-skilled classes. In this paper, we hypothesize that the most important reasons for differences between social classes in further education participation are grounded in job characteristics…

Relating the defect band gap and the density functional band gap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schultz, Peter; Edwards, Arthur

2014-03-01

Density functional theory (DFT) is an important tool to probe the physics of materials. The Kohn-Sham (KS) gap in DFT is typically (much) smaller than the observed band gap for materials in nature, the infamous ``band gap problem.'' Accurate prediction of defect energy levels is often claimed to be a casualty--the band gap defines the energy scale for defect levels. By applying rigorous control of boundary conditions in size-converged supercell calculations, however, we compute defect levels in Si and GaAs with accuracies of ~0.1 eV, across the full gap, unhampered by a band gap problem. Using GaAs as a theoretical laboratory, we show that the defect band gap--the span of computed defect levels--is insensitive to variations in the KS gap (with functional and pseudopotential), these KS gaps ranging from 0.1 to 1.1 eV. The defect gap matches the experimental 1.52 eV gap. The computed defect gaps for several other III-V, II-VI, I-VII, and other compounds also agree with the experimental gap, and show no correlation with the KS gap. Where, then, is the band gap problem? This talk presents these results, discusses why the defect gap and the KS gap are distinct, implying that current understanding of what the ``band gap problem'' means--and how to ``fix'' it--need to be rethought. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Company, for the U.S. Department of Energy's NNSA under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

The global drug gap.

PubMed

Reich, M R

2000-03-17

Global inequities in access to pharmaceutical products exist between rich and poor countries because of market and government failures as well as huge income differences. Multiple policies are required to address this global drug gap for three categories of pharmaceutical products: essential drugs, new drugs, and yet-to-be-developed drugs. Policies should combine "push" approaches of subsidies to support targeted drug development, "pull" approaches of financial incentives such as market guarantees, and "process" approaches aimed at improved institutional capacity. Constructive solutions are needed that can both protect the incentives for research and development and reduce the inequities of access.

Mapping of Malaria Vectors at District Level in India: Changing Scenario and Identified Gaps.

PubMed

Singh, Poonam; Lingala, Mercy Aparna L; Sarkar, Soma; Dhiman, Ramesh C

2017-02-01

Malaria is one of the six major vector-borne diseases in India, the endemicity of which changes with changes in ecological, climatic, and sociodevelopmental conditions. The anopheline vectors are greatly affected by ecological conditions such as deforestation, urbanization, climate and lifestyle. Despite the advent of tools such as Geographic Information System (GIS), the updated information on the distribution of anopheline vectors of malaria is not available. In India, the plan for vector control is organized at subcentral level but information about vectors is unavailable even at the district level. Therefore, a systematic presentation of vector distribution has been made to provide maps in respect of major vector species. A search of the literature for major vector species, that is, Anopheles culicifacies, Anopheles fluviatilis, Anopheles stephensi, Anopheles minimus, and Anopheles dirus sensu lato, since 1927 till 2015 was carried out. Data have been presented as present, absent, and no information about vector species during pre-eradication (1927-1958), posteradication (1959-1999), and current scenario (2000-2015). Vectors' distribution and malaria endemicity were mapped using Arc GIS. Of 630 districts of India, major vectors An. culicifacies, An. fluviatilis, and An. stephensi were present in 420, 241, and 243 districts, respectively. In 183 districts, there is no information on any major malaria vector species although 27 of them from the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Manipur, and Mizoram are highly endemic for malaria, having incidences of 2-40 cases/1000/year. The identified gaps in vector distribution, particularly in malaria endemic areas, necessitate further surveys so as to generate the missing information.

A Critical Assessment of Marine Aquarist Biodiversity Data and Commercial Aquaculture: Identifying Gaps in Culture Initiatives to Inform Local Fisheries Managers

PubMed Central

Murray, Joanna M.; Watson, Gordon J.

2014-01-01

It is widely accepted that if well managed, the marine aquarium trade could provide socio-economic stability to local communities while incentivising the maintenance of coral reefs. However, the trade has also been implicated as having potentially widespread environmental impacts that has in part driven developments in aquaculture to relieve wild collection pressures. This study investigates the biodiversity in hobbyist aquaria (using an online survey) and those species currently available from an aquaculture source (commercial data and hobbyist initiatives) in the context of a traffic light system to highlight gaps in aquaculture effort and identify groups that require fisheries assessments. Two hundred and sixty nine species including clown fish, damsels, dotty backs, angelfish, gobies, sea horses and blennies, have reported breeding successes by hobbyists, a pattern mirrored by the European and US commercial organisations. However, there is a mismatch (high demand and low/non-existent aquaculture) for a number of groups including tangs, starfish, anemones and hermit crabs, which we recommend are priority candidates for local stock assessments. Hobbyist perception towards the concept of a sustainable aquarium trade is also explored with results demonstrating that only 40% of respondents were in agreement with industry and scientists who believe the trade could be an exemplar of a sustainable use of coral reefs. We believe that a more transparent evidence base, including the publication of the species collected and cultured, will go some way to align the concept of a sustainable trade across industry stakeholders and better inform the hobbyist when purchasing their aquaria stock. We conclude by proposing that a certification scheme established with government support is the most effective way to move towards a self-regulating industry. It would prevent industry “greenwashing” from multiple certification schemes, alleviate conservation concerns, and, ultimately

A critical assessment of marine aquarist biodiversity data and commercial aquaculture: identifying gaps in culture initiatives to inform local fisheries managers.

PubMed

Murray, Joanna M; Watson, Gordon J

2014-01-01

It is widely accepted that if well managed, the marine aquarium trade could provide socio-economic stability to local communities while incentivising the maintenance of coral reefs. However, the trade has also been implicated as having potentially widespread environmental impacts that has in part driven developments in aquaculture to relieve wild collection pressures. This study investigates the biodiversity in hobbyist aquaria (using an online survey) and those species currently available from an aquaculture source (commercial data and hobbyist initiatives) in the context of a traffic light system to highlight gaps in aquaculture effort and identify groups that require fisheries assessments. Two hundred and sixty nine species including clown fish, damsels, dotty backs, angelfish, gobies, sea horses and blennies, have reported breeding successes by hobbyists, a pattern mirrored by the European and US commercial organisations. However, there is a mismatch (high demand and low/non-existent aquaculture) for a number of groups including tangs, starfish, anemones and hermit crabs, which we recommend are priority candidates for local stock assessments. Hobbyist perception towards the concept of a sustainable aquarium trade is also explored with results demonstrating that only 40% of respondents were in agreement with industry and scientists who believe the trade could be an exemplar of a sustainable use of coral reefs. We believe that a more transparent evidence base, including the publication of the species collected and cultured, will go some way to align the concept of a sustainable trade across industry stakeholders and better inform the hobbyist when purchasing their aquaria stock. We conclude by proposing that a certification scheme established with government support is the most effective way to move towards a self-regulating industry. It would prevent industry "greenwashing" from multiple certification schemes, alleviate conservation concerns, and, ultimately

[Evidence and Evidence Gaps - an Introduction].

PubMed

Dreier, G; Löhler, J

2016-04-01

Treating patients requires the inclusion of existing evidence in any health care decision, to be able to choose the best diagnosis or treatment measure or to make valid prognosis statements for a particular patient in consideration of the physician's own expertise.The basis are clinical trials, the results of which are ideally gathered in systematic reviews, rated, summarized and published. In addition to the GCP (Good Clinical Practice)-compliant planning, conducting and analysis of clinical studies it is essential, that all study results are made publicly available, in order to avoid publication bias. This includes the public registration of planned and discontinued trials. In the last 25 years, the evidence-based medicine (EbM) has increasingly found its way into clinical practice and research. Here EbM is closely associated with the names Archibald Cochrane and David Sackett. In Germany, both the German Cochrane Centre (DCZ) and the network of evidence-based medicine (DNEbM) were established approximately 15 years ago. In the international Cochrane Collaboration clinicians and other scientists like statisticians interdisciplinary work side by side to develop the methods of evidence-based medicine and to address the topics of evidence generation and processing as well as the transfer of knowledge. Challenge: Existing evidence primarily serves doctors to support their decision-making, but is also the basis for providing scientific proof for a health care intervention's benefit to patients and ultimately payers/health insurances. The closure of existing evidence gaps requires substantial human and financial resources, a complex organizational structure and can only succeed with the involvement of clinical and methodological expertise and specific knowledge in the field of clinical research. In addition, the knowledge must be transferred into practice, using journals, guidelines, conferences, databases, information portals with processed evidence and not least the

Active epilepsy prevalence, the treatment gap, and treatment gap risk profile in eastern China: A population-based study.

PubMed

Ding, Xiaoyan; Zheng, Yang; Guo, Yi; Shen, Chunhong; Wang, Shan; Chen, Feng; Yan, Shengqiang; Ding, Meiping

2018-01-01

We measured the prevalence of active epilepsy and investigated the treatment gap and treatment gap risk profile in eastern China. This was a cross-sectional population-based survey conducted in Zhejiang, China, from October 2013 to March 2014. A total 54,976 people were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. A two-stage questionnaire-based process was used to identify patients with active epilepsy and to record their demographic, socioeconomic, and epilepsy-related features. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze risk factors of the treatment gap in eastern China, as adjusted for age and sex. We interviewed 50,035 people; 118 had active epilepsy (2.4‰), among which the treatment gap was 58.5%. In multivariate analysis, failure to receive appropriate antiepileptic treatment was associated with higher seizure frequency of 12-23 times per year (adjusted odds ratio=6.874; 95% confidence interval [CI]=2.372-19.918), >24 times per year (adjusted odds ratio=19.623; 95% CI=4.999-77.024), and a lack of health insurance (adjusted odds ratio=7.284; 95% CI=1.321-40.154). Eastern China has relatively lower prevalence of active epilepsy and smaller treatment gap. Interventions aimed at reducing seizure frequency, improving the health insurance system should be investigated as potential targets to further bridge the treatment gap. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Effects of Reading Recovery™ on the American Indian/Non-American Indian Achievement Gap

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Mary L.

2012-01-01

Despite the attention being paid to the achievement gap of minorities, the regulations and laws being enacted, the research being conducted, and the funding made available to narrow the achievement gap, there is evidence that shows it still exists for American Indians. This study examined the effects of Reading Recovery, an early literacy…

Gaps between Knowing and Doing: Understanding and Assessing the Barriers to Optimal Health Care

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cochrane, Lorna J.; Olson, Curtis A.; Murray, Suzanne; Dupuis, Martin; Tooman, Tricia; Hayes, Sean

2007-01-01

Introduction: A significant gap exists between science and clinical practice guidelines, on the one hand, and actual clinical practice, on the other. An in-depth understanding of the barriers and incentives contributing to the gap can lead to interventions that effect change toward optimal practice and thus to better care. Methods: A systematic…

Choosing Important Health Outcomes for Comparative Effectiveness Research: An Updated Review and Identification of Gaps.

PubMed

Gorst, Sarah L; Gargon, Elizabeth; Clarke, Mike; Smith, Valerie; Williamson, Paula R

2016-01-01

The COMET (Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials) Initiative promotes the development and application of core outcome sets (COS), including relevant studies in an online database. In order to keep the database current, an annual search of the literature is undertaken. This study aimed to update a previous systematic review, in order to identify any further studies where a COS has been developed. Furthermore, no prioritization for COS development has previously been undertaken, therefore this study also aimed to identify COS relevant to the world's most prevalent health conditions. The methods used in this updated review followed the same approach used in the original review and the previous update. A survey was also sent to the corresponding authors of COS identified for inclusion in this review, to ascertain what lessons they had learnt from developing their COS. Additionally, the COMET database was searched to identify COS that might be relevant to the conditions with the highest global prevalence. Twenty-five reports relating to 22 new studies were eligible for inclusion in the review. Further improvements were identified in relation to the description of the scope of the COS, use of the Delphi technique, and the inclusion of patient participants within the development process. Additionally, 33 published and ongoing COS were identified for 13 of the world's most prevalent conditions. The development of a reporting guideline and minimum standards should contribute towards future improvements in development and reporting of COS. This study has also described a first approach to identifying gaps in existing COS, and to priority setting in this area. Important gaps have been identified, on the basis of global burden of disease, and the development and application of COS in these areas should be considered a priority.

Gaps and Barriers in Services for Children in State Mental Health Plans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gould, Sara R.; Beals-Erickson, Sarah E.; Roberts, Michael C.

2012-01-01

Significant gaps exist in children's mental healthcare, and barriers prevent access to existing services. Current federal initiatives call for state governmental agencies to recognize and resolve deficits in their systems of care. Previous work has acknowledged some of the problems in meeting the mental health needs of children within a system of…

GASP: Gapped Ancestral Sequence Prediction for proteins

PubMed Central

Edwards, Richard J; Shields, Denis C

2004-01-01

Background The prediction of ancestral protein sequences from multiple sequence alignments is useful for many bioinformatics analyses. Predicting ancestral sequences is not a simple procedure and relies on accurate alignments and phylogenies. Several algorithms exist based on Maximum Parsimony or Maximum Likelihood methods but many current implementations are unable to process residues with gaps, which may represent insertion/deletion (indel) events or sequence fragments. Results Here we present a new algorithm, GASP (Gapped Ancestral Sequence Prediction), for predicting ancestral sequences from phylogenetic trees and the corresponding multiple sequence alignments. Alignments may be of any size and contain gaps. GASP first assigns the positions of gaps in the phylogeny before using a likelihood-based approach centred on amino acid substitution matrices to assign ancestral amino acids. Important outgroup information is used by first working down from the tips of the tree to the root, using descendant data only to assign probabilities, and then working back up from the root to the tips using descendant and outgroup data to make predictions. GASP was tested on a number of simulated datasets based on real phylogenies. Prediction accuracy for ungapped data was similar to three alternative algorithms tested, with GASP performing better in some cases and worse in others. Adding simple insertions and deletions to the simulated data did not have a detrimental effect on GASP accuracy. Conclusions GASP (Gapped Ancestral Sequence Prediction) will predict ancestral sequences from multiple protein alignments of any size. Although not as accurate in all cases as some of the more sophisticated maximum likelihood approaches, it can process a wide range of input phylogenies and will predict ancestral sequences for gapped and ungapped residues alike. PMID:15350199

The quality of clinical maternal and neonatal healthcare - a strategy for identifying 'routine care signal functions'.

PubMed

Brenner, Stephan; De Allegri, Manuela; Gabrysch, Sabine; Chinkhumba, Jobiba; Sarker, Malabika; Muula, Adamson S

2015-01-01

A variety of clinical process indicators exists to measure the quality of care provided by maternal and neonatal health (MNH) programs. To allow comparison across MNH programs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), a core set of essential process indicators is needed. Although such a core set is available for emergency obstetric care (EmOC), the 'EmOC signal functions', a similar approach is currently missing for MNH routine care evaluation. We describe a strategy for identifying core process indicators for routine care and illustrate their usefulness in a field example. We first developed an indicator selection strategy by combining epidemiological and programmatic aspects relevant to MNH in LMICs. We then identified routine care process indicators meeting our selection criteria by reviewing existing quality of care assessment protocols. We grouped these indicators into three categories based on their main function in addressing risk factors of maternal or neonatal complications. We then tested this indicator set in a study assessing MNH quality of clinical care in 33 health facilities in Malawi. Our strategy identified 51 routine care processes: 23 related to initial patient risk assessment, 17 to risk monitoring, 11 to risk prevention. During the clinical performance assessment a total of 82 cases were observed. Birth attendants' adherence to clinical standards was lowest in relation to risk monitoring processes. In relation to major complications, routine care processes addressing fetal and newborn distress were performed relatively consistently, but there were major gaps in the performance of routine care processes addressing bleeding, infection, and pre-eclampsia risks. The identified set of process indicators could identify major gaps in the quality of obstetric and neonatal care provided during the intra- and immediate postpartum period. We hope our suggested indicators for essential routine care processes will contribute to streamlining MNH program

Tools for Communication: Novel infrastructure to address patient-perceived gaps in oncology care
.

PubMed

McMullen, Suzanne; Szabo, Shelagh; Halbert, Ronald J; Lai, Catherine; Parikh, Aparna; Bunce, Mikele; Khoury, Raya; Small, Art; Masaquel, Anthony

2017-04-01

Healthcare providers (HCPs) and patient communication are integral to high-quality oncology care. The patient and HCP perspectives are needed to identify gaps in care and develop communication tools.
. This study aimed to understand patient- and HCP-perceived elements of and gaps in high-quality care to develop novel communication tools to improve care. 
. Qualitative interviews were conducted among 16 patients with cancer and 10 HCPs in the United States. Trained interviewers elicited patients' and HCPs' concerns, views, and perceived needs for communication tools. A thematic analysis was used to identify four quality of care domains, depicted in a conceptual model, and two draft communication tools were developed to address identified gaps.
. No patients reported previously using a communication tool, and gaps in communication regarding treatment aims and education were evident. Two tools were developed to assess patients' life and treatment goals and the importance of ongoing education.

Examining the Gender Gap in Introductory Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kost, Lauren; Pollock, Steven; Finkelstein, Noah

2009-05-01

Our previous research[1] showed that despite the use of interactive engagement techniques in the introductory physics course, the gap in performance between males and females on a mechanics conceptual learning survey persisted from pre- to post-test, at our institution. Such findings were counter to previously published work[2]. Follow-up studies[3] identified correlations between student performance on the conceptual learning survey and students' prior physics and math knowledge and their incoming attitudes and beliefs about physics and learning physics. The results indicate that the gender gap at our institution is predominantly associated with differences in males' and females' previous physics and math knowledge, and attitudes and beliefs. Our current work extends these results in two ways: 1) we look at the gender gap in the second semester of the introductory sequence and find results similar to those in the first semester course and 2) we identify ways in which males and females differentially experience several aspects of the introductory course. [1] Pollock, et al, Phys Rev: ST: PER 3, 010107. [2] Lorenzo, et al, Am J Phys 74, 118. [3] Kost, et al, PERC Proceedings 2008.

Bridging the Gap in Knowledge Transfer between Academia and Practitioners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gera, Rajat

2012-01-01

Purpose: The paper intends to identify the causes or gaps in transfer of managerial knowledge between academia and practitioners and to develop a framework that overcomes the gaps through knowledge management, information technology and human resource practices. The paper aims to suggest a strategic approach based on the knowledge transfer cycle.…

Advances, gaps, and future prospects in biological soil crust research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, Bettina; Büdel, Burkhard; Belnap, Jayne

2017-04-01

Research progress has led to the understanding that biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are often complete miniature ecosystems comprising a variety of photosynthesizers (cyanobacteria, algae, lichens, bryophytes), decomposers like bacteria, fungi, and archaea, and heterotrophic organisms, like protozoa, nematodes, and microarthropods feeding on them. Biocrusts are one of the oldest terrestrial ecosystems, playing central roles in the structure and functioning of dryland ecosystems and presumably also influencing global biogeochemical cycles. On the other hand, biocrusts have been shown to be highly sensitive to global change, being easily destroyed by mechanical disturbance and severely threatened by minor changes in climate patterns. Despite the large increase in biocrust research, we still see major knowledge gaps which need to be tackled. Considering biodiversity studies, there are major regions of potential biocrust occurrence, where hardly any studies have been conducted. Molecular identification techniques are increasingly employed, but genetically characterized entities need to be linked with morphologically identified organisms to identify their ecological roles. Although there is a large body of research on the role of biocrusts in water and nutrient budgets, we are still far from closing the overall cycles. Results suggest that not all mechanisms have been identified, yet, leading to sometimes contradictory results between different studies. Knowledge on how to minimize impact to biocrusts during surface-disturbing activities has hardly been gained, and despite research efforts, instructions on effective biocrust restoration are still exemplary. In order to fill these research gaps, novel scientific approaches are needed. We expect that global research networks could be extremely helpful to answer scientific questions by tackling them within different regions, utilizing the same methodological techniques. Global networks could also be used for long

Literacy Gaps by Educational Attainment: A Cross-National Analysis.

PubMed

Park, Hyunjoon; Kyei, Pearl

2011-03-01

Existing cross-national research on educational attainment does not fully address whether the same level of educational attainment generates the same level of literacy skills in different countries. We analyze literacy skills data for young adults from 19 countries in the 1994-1998 International Adult Literacy Survey and find that in all countries, individuals with a higher level of educational attainment tend to have greater literacy skills. However, there is substantial variation across countries in the size of literacy gaps by levels of educational attainment. In particular, young adults in the United States show the largest literacy gaps. Using two-level hierarchical linear models, we find that cross-national differences in the literacy gap between more- and less-educated individuals are systematically linked to the degree of between-school inequality in school resources (instructional materials, class size, teachers' experience and certification).

Using Satellite Data to Unpack Causes of Yield Gaps in India's Wheat Belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, M.; Singh, B.; Srivastava, A.; Malik, R. K.; McDonald, A.; Lobell, D. B.

2016-12-01

India will face significant food security challenges in the coming decades due to climate change, natural resource degradation, and population growth. Yields of wheat, one of India's staple crops, are already stagnating and will be significantly impacted by warming temperatures. Despite these challenges, wheat yields can be enhanced by implementing improved management in regions with existing yield gaps. To identify the magnitude and causes of current yield gaps, we produced 30 m resolution yield maps across India's main wheat belt, the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP), from 2000 to 2015. Yield maps were derived using a new method that translates satellite vegetation indices to yield estimates using crop model simulations, bypassing the need for ground calibration data that rarely exist in smallholder systems. We find that yields can be increased by 5% on average and up to 16% in the eastern IGP by improving management to current best practices within a given district. However, if policies and technologies are put in place to improve management to current best practices in Punjab, the highest yielding state, yields can be increased by 29% in the eastern IGP. Considering which factors most influence wheat yields, we find that later sow dates and warmer temperatures are most associated with low yields across the IGP. This suggests that strategies that reduce the negative effects of heat stress, like earlier sowing and planting heat-tolerant wheat varieties, are critical to India's current and future food security.

The gender earnings gap among pharmacists.

PubMed

Carvajal, Manuel J; Armayor, Graciela M; Deziel, Lisa

2012-01-01

A gender earnings gap exists across professions. Compared with men, women earn consistently lower income levels. The determinants of wages and salaries should be explored to assess whether a gender earnings gap exists in the pharmacy profession. The objectives of this study were to (1) compare the responses of male and female pharmacists' earnings with human-capital stock, workers' preferences, and opinion variables and (2) assess whether the earnings determination models for male and female pharmacists yielded similar results in estimating the wage-and-salary gap through earnings projections, the influence of each explanatory variable, and gender differences in statistical significance. Data were collected through the use of a 37-question survey mailed to registered pharmacists in South Florida, United States. Earnings functions were formulated and tested separately for male and female pharmacists using unlogged and semilog equation forms. Number of hours worked, human-capital stock, job preferences, and opinion variables were hypothesized to explain wage-and-salary differentials. The empirical evidence led to 3 major conclusions: (1) men's and women's earnings sometimes were influenced by different stimuli, and when they responded to the same variables, the effect often was different; (2) although the influence of some explanatory variables on earnings differed in the unlogged and semilog equations, the earnings projections derived from both equation forms for male and female pharmacists were remarkably similar and yielded nearly identical male-female earnings ratios; and (3) controlling for number of hours worked, human-capital stock, job preferences, and opinion variables reduced the initial unadjusted male-female earnings ratios only slightly, which pointed toward the presence of gender bias. After controlling for human-capital stock, job-related characteristics, and opinion variables, male pharmacists continued to earn higher income levels than female

The identification of conduction gaps after pulmonary vein isolation using a new electroanatomic mapping system.

PubMed

Masuda, Masaharu; Fujita, Masashi; Iida, Osamu; Okamoto, Shin; Ishihara, Takayuki; Nanto, Kiyonori; Kanda, Takashi; Tsujimura, Takuya; Matsuda, Yasuhiro; Okuno, Shota; Ohashi, Takuya; Tsuji, Aki; Mano, Toshiaki

2017-11-01

The reconnection of left atrial-pulmonary vein (LA-PV) conduction after the initial procedure of pulmonary vein (PV) isolation is not rare, and is one of the main cause of atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after PV isolation. We investigated feasibility of a new ultrahigh-resolution mapping system using a 64-pole small basket catheter for the identification of LA-PV conduction gaps. This prospective study included 31 consecutive patients (20 with persistent AF) undergoing a second ablation after a PV isolation procedure with LA-PV reconnected conduction at any of the 4 PVs. An LA-PV map was created using the mapping system, and ablation was performed at the estimated gap location. The propagation map identified 54 gaps from 39 ipsilateral PV pairs, requiring manual electrogram reannotation for 23 gaps (43%). Gaps at the anterior and carinal regions of left and right ipsilateral PVs required manual electrogram reannotation more frequently than the other regions. The voltage map could identify the gap only in 19 instances (35%). Electrophysiological properties of the gaps (multiple gaps in the same ipsilateral PVs, conduction time, velocity, width, and length) did not differ between those needing and not needing manual electrogram reannotation. During the gap ablation, either the activation sequence alteration or elimination of PV potentials was observed using a circular catheter placed in the PV, suggesting that all the identified gaps were correct. This new electroanatomic mapping system visualized all the LA-PV gaps in patients undergoing a second AF ablation. Copyright © 2017 Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Topological gaps without masses in driven graphene-like systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iadecola, Thomas; Neupert, Titus; Chamon, Claudio

2014-03-01

We illustrate the possibility of realizing band gaps in graphene-like systems that fall outside the existing classification of gapped Dirac Hamiltonians in terms of masses. As our primary example we consider a band gap arising due to time-dependent distortions of the honeycomb lattice. By means of an exact, invertible, and transport-preserving mapping to a time-independent Hamiltonian, we show that the system exhibits Chern-insulating phases with quantized Hall conductivities +/-e2 / h . The chirality of the corresponding gapless edge modes is controllable by both the frequency of the driving and the manner in which sublattice symmetry is broken by the dynamical lattice modulations. We demonstrate that, while these phases are in the same topological sector as the Haldane model, they are nevertheless separated from the latter by a gap-closing transition unless an extra parameter is added to the Hamiltonian. Finally, we discuss a promising possible realization of this physics in photonic lattices. This work is supported in part by DOE Grant DEF-06ER46316 (T.I. and C.C.).

Urban-Rural Excellence Gaps: Features, Factors, and Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hernández-Torrano, Daniel

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the presence of excellence gaps (i.e., differences between subgroups of students performing at the highest levels of achievement) in a sample of 563 students nominated as gifted by their teachers in urban, semi-urban, and rural settings in Spain. In general, the results suggested the existence of excellence…

Gaps in content-based image retrieval

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deserno, Thomas M.; Antani, Sameer; Long, Rodney

2007-03-01

Content-based image retrieval (CBIR) is a promising technology to enrich the core functionality of picture archiving and communication systems (PACS). CBIR has a potentially strong impact in diagnostics, research, and education. Research successes that are increasingly reported in the scientific literature, however, have not made significant inroads as medical CBIR applications incorporated into routine clinical medicine or medical research. The cause is often attributed without sufficient analytical reasoning to the inability of these applications in overcoming the "semantic gap". The semantic gap divides the high-level scene analysis of humans from the low-level pixel analysis of computers. In this paper, we suggest a more systematic and comprehensive view on the concept of gaps in medical CBIR research. In particular, we define a total of 13 gaps that address the image content and features, as well as the system performance and usability. In addition to these gaps, we identify 6 system characteristics that impact CBIR applicability and performance. The framework we have created can be used a posteriori to compare medical CBIR systems and approaches for specific biomedical image domains and goals and a priori during the design phase of a medical CBIR application. To illustrate the a posteriori use of our conceptual system, we apply it, initially, to the classification of three medical CBIR implementations: the content-based PACS approach (cbPACS), the medical GNU image finding tool (medGIFT), and the image retrieval in medical applications (IRMA) project. We show that systematic analysis of gaps provides detailed insight in system comparison and helps to direct future research.

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.

Identifying topological-band insulator transitions in silicene and other 2D gapped Dirac materials by means of Rényi-Wehrl entropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calixto, M.; Romera, E.

2015-02-01

We propose a new method to identify transitions from a topological insulator to a band insulator in silicene (the silicon equivalent of graphene) in the presence of perpendicular magnetic and electric fields, by using the Rényi-Wehrl entropy of the quantum state in phase space. Electron-hole entropies display an inversion/crossing behavior at the charge neutrality point for any Landau level, and the combined entropy of particles plus holes turns out to be maximum at this critical point. The result is interpreted in terms of delocalization of the quantum state in phase space. The entropic description presented in this work will be valid in general 2D gapped Dirac materials, with a strong intrinsic spin-orbit interaction, isostructural with silicene.

Gendered Pathways? Gender, Mediating Factors, and the Gap in Boys' and Girls' Substance Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whaley, Rachel Bridges; Hayes-Smith, Justin; Hayes-Smith, Rebecca

2013-01-01

A gender gap in alcohol and drug use exists but is somewhat smaller than the gender gap in other forms of delinquency. This article extends studies that examine the gender-delinquency relationship to substance use in particular and estimate the extent to which major risk and protective factors mediate the association between gender and alcohol and…

The Use of Gap Analysis to Increase Student Completion Rates at Travelor Adult School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gil, Blanca Estela

2013-01-01

This project applied the gap analysis problem-solving framework (Clark & Estes, 2008) in order to help develop strategies to increase completion rates at Travelor Adult School. The purpose of the study was to identify whether the knowledge, motivation and organization barriers were contributing to the identified gap. A mixed method approached…

Bridging the Gap Between Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy Making: The Case of Interaction with Kin After Divorce.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Brien, David J.; Garland, T. Neal

Two major gaps have long existed in family studies: first, the gap between theory and research, and second, the gap between scientific research and its application to practice and policy issues. While the four issues of theory, research, practice, and policy-making are often dealt with separately, the four must become closely integrated if real…

Supporting Climate Literacy in the K12 Classroom by Identifying Educators' Perceived Barriers to and Gaps in Resources for Teaching Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tayne, K.

2015-12-01

As K12 teachers seek ways to provide meaningful learning opportunities for students to understand climate change, they often face barriers to teaching about climate and/or lack relevant resources on the topic. In an effort to better understand how to support K12 teachers in this role, a survey about "teaching climate change" was created and distributed. The results of the 2015 survey are presented, based on more than 200 teacher responses. Respondents included National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) members, 2015 STEM Teacher and Researcher (STAR) Fellows and science teachers from several U.S. school districts. The survey identifies teachers' perceived barriers to teaching climate change, for example difficulty integrating climate change concepts into specific core courses (i.e., biology), as well as desired classroom resources, such as climate change project-based learning (PBL) units that connect to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Survey results also indicate possible pathways for federal agencies, non-profits, universities and other organizations to have a more significant impact on climate literacy in the classroom. In response to the survey results, a comprehensive guide is being created to teach climate change in K12 classrooms, addressing barriers and providing resources for teachers. For example, in the survey, some teachers indicated that they lacked confidence in their content knowledge and understanding of climate change, so this guide provides web-based resources to help further an educator's understanding of climate change, as well as opportunities for relevant online and in-person professional development. In this quest for desired resources to teach climate change, gaps in accessible and available online resources are being identified. Information about these "gaps" may help organizations that strive to support climate literacy in the classroom better serve teachers.

SAR backscatter from coniferous forest gaps

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Day, John L.; Davis, Frank W.

1992-01-01

A study is in progress comparing Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) backscatter from coniferous forest plots containing gaps to backscatter from adjacent gap-free plots. Issues discussed are how do gaps in the range of 400 to 1600 sq m (approximately 4-14 pixels at intermediate incidence angles) affect forest backscatter statistics and what incidence angles, wavelengths, and polarizations are most sensitive to forest gaps. In order to visualize the slant-range imaging of forest and gaps, a simple conceptual model is used. This strictly qualitative model has led us to hypothesize that forest radar returns at short wavelengths (eg., C-band) and large incidence angles (e.g., 50 deg) should be most affected by the presence of gaps, whereas returns at long wavelengths and small angles should be least affected. Preliminary analysis of 1989 AIRSAR data from forest near Mt. Shasta supports the hypothesis. Current forest backscatter models such as MIMICS and Santa Barbara Discontinuous Canopy Backscatter Model have in several cases correctly predicted backscatter from forest stands based on inputs of measured or estimated forest parameters. These models do not, however, predict within-stand SAR scene texture, or 'intrinsic scene variability' as Ulaby et al. has referred to it. For instance, the Santa Barbara model, which may be the most spatially coupled of the existing models, is not truly spatial. Tree locations within a simulated pixel are distributed according to a Poisson process, as they are in many natural forests, but tree size is unrelated to location, which is not the case in nature. Furthermore, since pixels of a simulated stand are generated independently in the Santa Barbara model, spatial processes larger than one pixel are not modeled. Using a different approach, Oliver modeled scene texture based on an hypothetical forest geometry. His simulated scenes do not agree well with SAR data, perhaps due to the simple geometric model used. Insofar as texture

Understanding the Gender Gap in Introductory Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finkelstein, Noah; Kost, Lauren; Pollock, Steven

2008-04-01

While it has been suggested interactive engagement (IE) techniques can eliminate the gender gap (the difference in performance between men and women on measures of conceptual learning), we find that, at our institution, the gender gap persisted from pre to posttest in IE classes (Pollock, Physical Review: ST PER. 3, 010107, 2007). This talk reports on a three-part follow-up study that investigates what factors contribute to the gender gap. First, we analyze student grades in different components of the course and find that men and women's course grades are not significantly different (p>0.1), but men outscore women on exams and women outscore men on homework and participation. Second, we compare average posttest scores of men and women who score similarly on the pretest and find that there are no significant differences between men and women's average posttest scores. Finally, we analyze other factors in addition to the pretest score that could influence the posttest score and find that gender does not account for a majorportion of the variation in posttest scores when a measure of mathematics performance is included. These findings indicate that the gender gap exists in interactive physics classes, but may be due in large part to differences in preparation, background, and math skills as assessed by traditional survey instruments.

MIGRATION AND CONSERVATION: FRAMEWORKS, GAPS, AND SYNERGIES IN SCIENCE, LAW, AND MANAGEMENT

PubMed Central

MERETSKY, VICKY J.; ATWELL, JONATHAN W.; HYMAN, JEFFREY B.

2017-01-01

Migratory animals provide unique spectacles of cultural, ecological, and economic importance. However, the process of migration is a source of risk for migratory species as human actions increasingly destroy and fragment habitat, create obstacles to migration, and increase mortality along the migration corridor. As a result, many migratory species are declining in numbers. In the United States, the Endangered Species Act provides some protection against extinction for such species, but no protection until numbers are severely reduced, and no guarantee of recovery to population levels associated with cultural, ecological, or economic significance. Although groups of species receive some protection from statutes such as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act, there is no coordinated system for conservation of migratory species. In addition, information needed to protect migratory species is often lacking, limiting options for land and wildlife managers who seek to support these species. In this Article, we outline the existing scientific, legal, and management information and approaches to migratory species. Our objective is to assess present capacity to protect the species and the phenomenon of migration, and we argue that al three disciplines are necessary for effective conservation. We find significant capacity to support conservation in all three disciplines, but no organization around conservation of migration within any discipline or among the three disciplines. Areas of synergy exist among the disciplines but not as a result of any attempt for coordination. As a result, significant gaps in information and capacity exist that must be addressed if effective conservation of migratory species is to be undertaken. We suggest that all three disciplines cooperate to identify the most pressing research needs, so that these can become targets for relevant funding sources. We identify areas of current risk to migratory species that represent gaps

MIGRATION AND CONSERVATION: FRAMEWORKS, GAPS, AND SYNERGIES IN SCIENCE, LAW, AND MANAGEMENT.

PubMed

Meretsky, Vicky J; Atwell, Jonathan W; Hyman, Jeffrey B

2011-01-01

Migratory animals provide unique spectacles of cultural, ecological, and economic importance. However, the process of migration is a source of risk for migratory species as human actions increasingly destroy and fragment habitat, create obstacles to migration, and increase mortality along the migration corridor. As a result, many migratory species are declining in numbers. In the United States, the Endangered Species Act provides some protection against extinction for such species, but no protection until numbers are severely reduced, and no guarantee of recovery to population levels associated with cultural, ecological, or economic significance. Although groups of species receive some protection from statutes such as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act, there is no coordinated system for conservation of migratory species. In addition, information needed to protect migratory species is often lacking, limiting options for land and wildlife managers who seek to support these species. In this Article, we outline the existing scientific, legal, and management information and approaches to migratory species. Our objective is to assess present capacity to protect the species and the phenomenon of migration, and we argue that al three disciplines are necessary for effective conservation. We find significant capacity to support conservation in all three disciplines, but no organization around conservation of migration within any discipline or among the three disciplines. Areas of synergy exist among the disciplines but not as a result of any attempt for coordination. As a result, significant gaps in information and capacity exist that must be addressed if effective conservation of migratory species is to be undertaken. We suggest that all three disciplines cooperate to identify the most pressing research needs, so that these can become targets for relevant funding sources. We identify areas of current risk to migratory species that represent gaps

30 CFR 285.642 - How do I submit my GAP?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Mineral Resources BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT, REGULATION, AND ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE RENEWABLE ENERGY ALTERNATE USES OF EXISTING FACILITIES ON THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF... submit information on any project easement as part of your original GAP submission or as a revision to...

Literacy Gaps by Educational Attainment: A Cross-National Analysis

PubMed Central

Park, Hyunjoon; Kyei, Pearl

2011-01-01

Existing cross-national research on educational attainment does not fully address whether the same level of educational attainment generates the same level of literacy skills in different countries. We analyze literacy skills data for young adults from 19 countries in the 1994–1998 International Adult Literacy Survey and find that in all countries, individuals with a higher level of educational attainment tend to have greater literacy skills. However, there is substantial variation across countries in the size of literacy gaps by levels of educational attainment. In particular, young adults in the United States show the largest literacy gaps. Using two-level hierarchical linear models, we find that cross-national differences in the literacy gap between more- and less-educated individuals are systematically linked to the degree of between-school inequality in school resources (instructional materials, class size, teachers’ experience and certification). PMID:21818163

Cross-Species Analyses Identify the BNIP-2 and Cdc42GAP Homology (BCH) Domain as a Distinct Functional Subclass of the CRAL_TRIO/Sec14 Superfamily

PubMed Central

Gupta, Anjali Bansal; Wee, Liang En; Zhou, Yi Ting; Hortsch, Michael; Low, Boon Chuan

2012-01-01

The CRAL_TRIO protein domain, which is unique to the Sec14 protein superfamily, binds to a diverse set of small lipophilic ligands. Similar domains are found in a range of different proteins including neurofibromatosis type-1, a Ras GTPase-activating Protein (RasGAP) and Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factors (RhoGEFs). Proteins containing this structural protein domain exhibit a low sequence similarity and ligand specificity while maintaining an overall characteristic three-dimensional structure. We have previously demonstrated that the BNIP-2 and Cdc42GAP Homology (BCH) protein domain, which shares a low sequence homology with the CRAL_TRIO domain, can serve as a regulatory scaffold that binds to Rho, RhoGEFs and RhoGAPs to control various cell signalling processes. In this work, we investigate 175 BCH domain-containing proteins from a wide range of different organisms. A phylogenetic analysis with ∼100 CRAL_TRIO and similar domains from eight representative species indicates a clear distinction of BCH-containing proteins as a novel subclass within the CRAL_TRIO/Sec14 superfamily. BCH-containing proteins contain a hallmark sequence motif R(R/K)h(R/K)(R/K)NL(R/K)xhhhhHPs (‘h’ is large and hydrophobic residue and ‘s’ is small and weekly polar residue) and can be further subdivided into three unique subtypes associated with BNIP-2-N, macro- and RhoGAP-type protein domains. A previously unknown group of genes encoding ‘BCH-only’ domains is also identified in plants and arthropod species. Based on an analysis of their gene-structure and their protein domain context we hypothesize that BCH domain-containing genes evolved through gene duplication, intron insertions and domain swapping events. Furthermore, we explore the point of divergence between BCH and CRAL-TRIO proteins in relation to their ability to bind small GTPases, GAPs and GEFs and lipid ligands. Our study suggests a need for a more extensive analysis of previously uncharacterized BCH, �

Tunable band gaps in bio-inspired periodic composites with nacre-like microstructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yanyu; Wang, Lifeng

2014-08-01

Periodic composite materials have many promising applications due to their unique ability to control the propagation of waves. Here, we report the existence and frequency tunability of complete elastic wave band gaps in bio-inspired periodic composites with nacre-like, brick-and-mortar microstructure. Numerical results show that complete band gaps in these periodic composites derive from local resonances or Bragg scattering, depending on the lattice angle and the volume fraction of each phase in the composites. The investigation of elastic wave propagation in finite periodic composites validates the simulated complete band gaps and further reveals the mechanisms leading to complete band gaps. Moreover, our results indicate that the topological arrangement of the mineral platelets and changes of material properties can be utilized to tune the evolution of complete band gaps. Our finding provides new opportunities to design mechanically robust periodic composite materials for wave absorption under hostile environments, such as for deep water applications.

Dynamical phenomena at the inner edge of the Keeler gap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tajeddine, Radwan; Nicholson, Philip D.; Tiscareno, Matthew S.; Hedman, Matthew M.; Burns, Joseph A.; El Moutamid, Maryame

2017-06-01

We analyze several thousand Cassini ISS images in order to study the inner edge of the Keeler gap in Saturn's outer A ring. We find strong evidence for an m = 32 perturbation with a mean amplitude of radial variation of 4.5 km. Phase analysis yields a pattern speed consistent with the mean motion of Prometheus, indicating that this pattern is generated by the 32:31 Inner Lindblad resonance with Prometheus. In addition, we find evidence of 18-lobed and 20-lobed patterns with amplitudes of ∼1.5 km. These patterns, whose rotation rates correspond to resonance locations ∼4 km interior to the gap edge, are believed to be normal modes. The former is probably related to the nearby 18:17 (m = 18) resonance with Pandora. In addition to these resonant and normal mode patterns, we also observe multiple localized features that appear to move at the local keplerian rate and that persist for only a few months. One hypothesis is that different groups of ring particles at the inner edge of the gap may be reacting differently to the resonance with Prometheus, with local variations in the forced eccentricity and/or pericenter; an alternative hypothesis is the existence of several unseen objects embedded at or near the inner edge of the Keeler gap, similar to those suspected to exist at the outer edges of the A and B rings. In either case, observations of the ring edge at opposite ansae demonstrate that the localized features must be on eccentric orbits.

The Gender Income Gap and the Role of Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bobbitt-Zeher, Donna

2007-01-01

Education is thought to be the pathway to success for disadvantaged groups. Given that young women now match or surpass men's educational achievements on many measures, how do they fare in terms of equal earnings? Would further educational changes matter for closing any existing gap? Analyzing data from the National Educational Longitudinal…

Urban Schools that Have Narrowed the Achievement Gap: Middle School Math Achievement in an Urban Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sagun, Theodore

2010-01-01

The achievement gap is a persistent academic disparity between White and Asian students and ethnic minorities, English Language Learners, and low-income students. The academic disparity exists within the realm of mathematics. Although many factors are cited for contributing to the achievement gap, this study reviews institutional racism, meager…

Gender gap on concept inventories in physics: What is consistent, what is inconsistent, and what factors influence the gap?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madsen, Adrian; McKagan, Sarah B.; Sayre, Eleanor C.

2013-12-01

We review the literature on the gender gap on concept inventories in physics. Across studies of the most commonly used mechanics concept inventories, the Force Concept Inventory and Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation, men’s average pretest scores are always higher than women’s, and in most cases men’s posttest scores are higher as well. The weighted average gender difference on these tests is 13% for pretest scores, 12% for posttest scores, and 6% for normalized gain. This difference is much smaller than the average difference in normalized gain between traditional lecture and interactive engagement (25%), but it is large enough that it could impact the results of studies comparing the effectiveness of different teaching methods. There is sometimes a gender gap on commonly used electricity and magnetism concept inventories, the Brief Electricity and Magnetism Assessment and Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism, but it is usually much smaller and sometimes is zero or favors women. The weighted average gender difference on these tests is 3.7% for pretest scores, 8.5% for posttest scores, and 6% for normalized gain. There are far fewer studies of the gender gap on electricity and magnetism concept inventories and much more variation in the existing studies. Based on our analysis of 26 published articles comparing the impact of 30 factors that could potentially influence the gender gap, no single factor is sufficient to explain the gap. Several high-profile studies that have claimed to account for or reduce the gender gap have failed to be replicated in subsequent studies, suggesting that isolated claims of explanations of the gender gap should be interpreted with caution. For example, claims that the gender gap could be eliminated through interactive engagement teaching methods or through a “values affirmation writing exercise” were not supported by subsequent studies. Suggestions that the gender gap might be reduced by changing the wording of

Gaps and strategies in developing health research capacity: experience from the Nigeria Implementation Science Alliance.

PubMed

Ezeanolue, Echezona E; Menson, William Nii Ayitey; Patel, Dina; Aarons, Gregory; Olutola, Ayodotun; Obiefune, Michael; Dakum, Patrick; Okonkwo, Prosper; Gobir, Bola; Akinmurele, Timothy; Nwandu, Anthea; Khamofu, Hadiza; Oyeledun, Bolanle; Aina, Muyiwa; Eyo, Andy; Oleribe, Obinna; Ibanga, Ikoedem; Oko, John; Anyaike, Chukwuma; Idoko, John; Aliyu, Muktar H; Sturke, Rachel

2018-02-12

Despite being disproportionately burdened by preventable diseases than more advanced countries, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) continue to trail behind other parts of the world in the number, quality and impact of scholarly activities by their health researchers. Our strategy at the Nigerian Implementation Science Alliance (NISA) is to utilise innovative platforms that catalyse collaboration, enhance communication between different stakeholders, and promote the uptake of evidence-based interventions in improving healthcare delivery. This article reports on findings from a structured group exercise conducted at the 2016 NISA Conference to identify (1) gaps in developing research capacity and (2) potential strategies to address these gaps. A 1-hour structured group exercise was conducted with 15 groups of 2-9 individuals (n = 94) to brainstorm gaps for implementation, strategies to address gaps and to rank their top 3 in each category. Qualitative thematic analysis was used. First, duplicate responses were merged and analyses identified emerging themes. Each of the gaps and strategies identified were categorised as falling into the purview of policy-makers, researchers, implementing partners or multiple groups. Participating stakeholders identified 98 gaps and 91 strategies related to increasing research capacity in Nigeria. A total of 45 gaps and an equal number of strategies were ranked; 39 gaps and 43 strategies were then analysed, from which 8 recurring themes emerged for gaps (lack of sufficient funding, poor research focus in education, inadequate mentorship and training, inadequate research infrastructure, lack of collaboration between researchers, research-policy dissonance, lack of motivation for research, lack of leadership buy-in for research) and 7 themes emerged for strategies (increased funding for research, improved research education, improved mentorship and training, improved infrastructure for research, increased collaboration between

Closing the mycetoma knowledge gap.

PubMed

van de Sande, Wendy; Fahal, Ahmed; Ahmed, Sarah Abdalla; Serrano, Julian Alberto; Bonifaz, Alexandro; Zijlstra, Ed

2018-04-01

On 28th May 2016, mycetoma was recognized as a neglected tropical disease by the World Health Organization. This was the result of a 4-year journey starting in February 2013 with a meeting of global mycetoma experts. Knowledge gaps were identified and included the incidence, prevalence, and mapping of mycetoma; the mode of transmission; the development of methods for early diagnosis; and better treatment. In this review, we review the road to recognition, the ISHAM working group meeting in Argentina, and we address the progress made in closing the knowledge gaps since 2013. Progress included adding another 9000 patients to the literature, which allowed us to update the prevalence map on mycetoma. Furthermore, based on molecular phylogeny, species names were corrected and four novel mycetoma causative agents were identified. By mapping mycetoma causative agents an association with Acacia trees was found. For early diagnosis, three different isothermal amplification techniques were developed, and novel antigens were discovered. To develop better treatment strategies for mycetoma patients, in vitro susceptibility tests for the coelomycete agents of black grain mycetoma were developed, and the first randomized clinical trial for eumycetoma started early 2017.

Gapped Spectral Dictionaries and Their Applications for Database Searches of Tandem Mass Spectra*

PubMed Central

Jeong, Kyowon; Kim, Sangtae; Bandeira, Nuno; Pevzner, Pavel A.

2011-01-01

Generating all plausible de novo interpretations of a peptide tandem mass (MS/MS) spectrum (Spectral Dictionary) and quickly matching them against the database represent a recently emerged alternative approach to peptide identification. However, the sizes of the Spectral Dictionaries quickly grow with the peptide length making their generation impractical for long peptides. We introduce Gapped Spectral Dictionaries (all plausible de novo interpretations with gaps) that can be easily generated for any peptide length thus addressing the limitation of the Spectral Dictionary approach. We show that Gapped Spectral Dictionaries are small thus opening a possibility of using them to speed-up MS/MS searches. Our MS-GappedDictionary algorithm (based on Gapped Spectral Dictionaries) enables proteogenomics applications (such as searches in the six-frame translation of the human genome) that are prohibitively time consuming with existing approaches. MS-GappedDictionary generates gapped peptides that occupy a niche between accurate but short peptide sequence tags and long but inaccurate full length peptide reconstructions. We show that, contrary to conventional wisdom, some high-quality spectra do not have good peptide sequence tags and introduce gapped tags that have advantages over the conventional peptide sequence tags in MS/MS database searches. PMID:21444829

The Data Gap in the EHR for Clinical Research Eligibility Screening.

PubMed

Butler, Alex; Wei, Wei; Yuan, Chi; Kang, Tian; Si, Yuqi; Weng, Chunhua

2018-01-01

Much effort has been devoted to leverage EHR data for matching patients into clinical trials. However, EHRs may not contain all important data elements for clinical research eligibility screening. To better design research-friendly EHRs, an important step is to identify data elements frequently used for eligibility screening but not yet available in EHRs. This study fills this knowledge gap. Using the Alzheimer's disease domain as an example, we performed text mining on the eligibility criteria text in Clinicaltrials.gov to identify frequently used eligibility criteria concepts. We compared them to the EHR data elements of a cohort of Alzheimer's Disease patients to assess the data gap by usingthe OMOP Common Data Model to standardize the representations for both criteria concepts and EHR data elements. We identified the most common SNOMED CT concepts used in Alzheimer 's Disease trials, andfound 40% of common eligibility criteria concepts were not even defined in the concept space in the EHR dataset for a cohort of Alzheimer 'sDisease patients, indicating a significant data gap may impede EHR-based eligibility screening. The results of this study can be useful for designing targeted research data collection forms to help fill the data gap in the EHR.

The Gap Between Physicians and the Public in Satisfaction with the National Health Insurance System in Korea

PubMed Central

Kim, Kye-Hyun; Park, Eun-Cheol

2012-01-01

The Korean National Health Insurance (NHI) system was an unprecedented accomplishment that was achieved in a short period of time. In this study, we sought to identify gaps between physicians and the public with respect to attitudes toward the NHI system in Korea. The study population was derived from the 2008 Korean Medical Association Survey, which was conducted to investigate satisfaction with and perceptions of the NHI system among physicians (n = 961) and the public (n = 935). Only 6.5% of the physicians were satisfied with NHI system, and 71.5% were dissatisfied with it. In contrast, 28.3% of the public were satisfied with the NHI system, and 21.4% were dissatisfied. The level of dissatisfaction expressed by physicians (2.03 ± 0.91 on a five-point scale) was also higher than that expressed by the public (3.06 ± 0.84). Despite rapid growth of NHI system, a large gap in satisfaction exists between physicians and the public. PMID:22690087

Automated inspection of gaps on the free-form shape parts by laser scanning technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Sen; Xu, Jian; Tao, Lei; An, Lu; Yu, Yan

2018-01-01

In industrial manufacturing processes, the dimensional inspection of the gaps on the free-form shape parts is critical and challenging, and is directly associated with subsequent assembly and terminal product quality. In this paper, a fast measuring method for automated gap inspection based on laser scanning technologies is presented. The proposed measuring method consists of three steps: firstly, the relative position is determined according to the geometric feature of measuring gap, which considers constraints existing in a laser scanning operation. Secondly, in order to acquire a complete gap profile, a fast and effective scanning path is designed. Finally, the range dimension of the gaps on the free-form shape parts including width, depth and flush, correspondingly, is described in a virtual environment. In the future, an appliance machine based on the proposed method will be developed for the on-line dimensional inspection of gaps on the automobile or aerospace production line.

Statistical analysis of interfacial gap in a cementless stem FE model.

PubMed

Park, Youngbae; Choi, Donok; Hwang, Deuk Soo; Yoon, Yong-San

2009-02-01

In cementless total hip arthroplasty, a fair amount of interfacial gap exists between the femoral stem and the bone. However, the effect of these gaps on the mechanical stability of the stem is poorly understood. In this paper, a finite element model with various interfacial gap definitions is used to quantify the effect of interfacial gaps on the primary stability of a Versys Fiber Metal Taper stem under stair climbing loads. In the first part, 500 random interfacial gap definitions were simulated. The resulting micromotion was approximately inversely proportional to the contact ratio, and the variance of the micromotion was greater with a lower contact ratio. Moreover, when the magnitude of the micromotion was compared between the gap definitions that had contact at a specific site and those that had no contact at that site, it was found that gaps located in the proximal-medial region of the stem surface had the most important effect on the micromotion. In a second trial, 17 gap definitions mimicking a gap pattern that has been observed experimentally were simulated. For a given contact ratio, the micromotion observed in the second trial was lower than the average result of those in the first, where the gaps were placed randomly. In either trial, when the contact ratio was higher than 40%, the micromotion showed no significant difference (first trial) or a gentle slope (-0.24 mum% in the second trial) in relation to the contact ratio. Considering the reported contact ratios for properly implanted stems, variations in the amount of interfacial gap would not likely cause a drastic difference in micromotion, and this effect could be easily overshadowed by other clinical factors. In conclusion, differences in interfacial gaps are not expected to have a noticeable effect on the clinical micromotion of this cementless stem.

Community Composition in Canopy Gaps as Influenced by Presence or Absence of Rhododendron maximum

Treesearch

Christopher T. Rivers; David H. van Lear; Barton D. Clinton; Thomas A. Waldrop

1999-01-01

The process of gap formation and recolonization plays an important role in the structure and composition in southern Appalachian forests. The understory composition existing before a disturbance will shape successional patterns of the future stand. Rhododendron maximum is native to the southern Appalachians and exists as a major understory...

The Global Increase in the Socioeconomic Achievement Gap, 1964-2015. CEPA Working Paper No. 17-04

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chmielewski, Anna K.

2017-01-01

The existence of a "socioeconomic achievement gap"--a disparity in academic achievement between students from high- and low-socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds--is well-known in educational research. The SES achievement gap has been documented across a wide range of countries. What is unknown in most countries is whether the SES…

Ancient Complexity, Opisthokont Plasticity, and Discovery of the 11th Subfamily of Arf GAP Proteins

PubMed Central

Schlacht, Alexander; Mowbrey, Kevin; Elias, Marek; Kahn, Richard A.; Dacks, Joel B.

2013-01-01

The organelle paralogy hypothesis is one model for the acquisition of non-endosymbiotic organelles, generated from molecular evolutionary analyses of proteins encoding specificity in the membrane traffic system. GTPase Activating Proteins (GAPs) for the ADP-ribosylation factor (Arfs) GTPases are additional regulators of the kinetics and fidelity of membrane traffic. Here we describe molecular evolutionary analyses of Arf GAP protein family. Of the ten subfamilies previously defined in humans, we find that five were likely present in the Last Eukaryotic Common Ancestor (LECA). Of the three more recently derived subfamilies, one was likely present in the ancestor of opisthokonts (animals and fungi) and apusomonads (flagellates classified as the sister lineage to opisthokonts), while two arose in the holozoan lineage. We also propose to have identified a novel ancient subfamily (ArfGAPC2), present in diverse eukaryotes but which is lost frequently, including in the opisthokonts. Surprisingly few ancient domains accompanying the ArfGAP domain were identified, in marked contrast to the extensively decorated human Arf GAPs. Phylogenetic analyses of the subfamilies reveal patterns of single and multiple gene duplications specific to the Holozoa, to some degree mirroring evolution of Arf GAP targets, the Arfs. Conservation, and lack thereof, of various residues in the ArfGAP structure provide contextualization of previously identified functional amino acids and their application to Arf GAP biology in general. Overall, our results yield insights into current Arf GAP biology, reveal complexity in the ancient eukaryotic ancestor, and integrate the Arf GAP family into a proposed mechanism for the evolution of non-endosymbiotic organelles. PMID:23433073

Integrating themes, evidence gaps, and research needs identified by workshop on iron screening and supplementation in iron-replete pregnant women and young children.

PubMed

Brannon, Patsy M; Stover, Patrick J; Taylor, Christine L

2017-12-01

This report addresses the evidence and the uncertainties, knowledge gaps, and research needs identified by participants at the NIH workshop related to iron screening and routine iron supplementation of largely iron-replete pregnant women and young children (6-24 mo) in developed countries. The workshop presentations and panel discussions focused on current understanding and knowledge gaps related to iron homeostasis, measurement of and evidence for iron status, and emerging concerns about supplementing iron-replete members of these vulnerable populations. Four integrating themes emerged across workshop presentations and discussion and centered on 1 ) physiologic or developmental adaptations of iron homeostasis to pregnancy and early infancy, respectively, and their implications, 2 ) improvement of the assessment of iron status across the full continuum from iron deficiency anemia to iron deficiency to iron replete to iron excess, 3 ) the linkage of iron status with health outcomes beyond hematologic outcomes, and 4 ) the balance of benefit and harm of iron supplementation of iron-replete pregnant women and young children. Research that addresses these themes in the context of the full continuum of iron status is needed to inform approaches to the balancing of benefits and harms of screening and routine supplementation. © 2017 American Society for Nutrition.

"Prince Charming Syndrome?" Gender gap in preferences for defined contribution pensions in Japan.

PubMed

Watanabe, Satoshi P

2017-01-01

Using survey data collected by the Japan Institute of Life Insurance in 2002, this study finds that a significant gender gap existed in defined contribution (DC) pension knowledge among workers employed at small- to medium-sized private firms in Japan. Even with similar DC knowledge, however, men and women reveal different preferences for DC pensions, indicating that their perceptional responses may widely differ from actual behaviors. Apart from the knowledge gap, the result shows evidence of the Prince Charming Syndrome among female employees as a significant source of the gender gap in DC participation rates. Among corporate pension-covered employees, the gender difference in the efficacy of DC portability is a more significant gap-generating factor. DC tax advantage is particularly favored by pension-covered female employees over male counterparts, reducing the DC preference gap. No similar evidence is found for employees with no corporate pension coverage.

The Quality of Clinical Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare – A Strategy for Identifying ‘Routine Care Signal Functions’

PubMed Central

Brenner, Stephan; De Allegri, Manuela; Gabrysch, Sabine; Chinkhumba, Jobiba; Sarker, Malabika; Muula, Adamson S.

2015-01-01

Background A variety of clinical process indicators exists to measure the quality of care provided by maternal and neonatal health (MNH) programs. To allow comparison across MNH programs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), a core set of essential process indicators is needed. Although such a core set is available for emergency obstetric care (EmOC), the ‘EmOC signal functions’, a similar approach is currently missing for MNH routine care evaluation. We describe a strategy for identifying core process indicators for routine care and illustrate their usefulness in a field example. Methods We first developed an indicator selection strategy by combining epidemiological and programmatic aspects relevant to MNH in LMICs. We then identified routine care process indicators meeting our selection criteria by reviewing existing quality of care assessment protocols. We grouped these indicators into three categories based on their main function in addressing risk factors of maternal or neonatal complications. We then tested this indicator set in a study assessing MNH quality of clinical care in 33 health facilities in Malawi. Results Our strategy identified 51 routine care processes: 23 related to initial patient risk assessment, 17 to risk monitoring, 11 to risk prevention. During the clinical performance assessment a total of 82 cases were observed. Birth attendants’ adherence to clinical standards was lowest in relation to risk monitoring processes. In relation to major complications, routine care processes addressing fetal and newborn distress were performed relatively consistently, but there were major gaps in the performance of routine care processes addressing bleeding, infection, and pre-eclampsia risks. Conclusion The identified set of process indicators could identify major gaps in the quality of obstetric and neonatal care provided during the intra- and immediate postpartum period. We hope our suggested indicators for essential routine care processes

Two-dimensional topological insulators with large bulk energy gap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Z. Q.; Jia, Jin-Feng; Qian, Dong

2016-11-01

Two-dimensional (2D) topological insulators (TIs, or quantum spin Hall insulators) are special insulators that possess bulk 2D electronic energy gap and time-reversal symmetry protected one-dimensional (1D) edge state. Carriers in the edge state have the property of spin-momentum locking, enabling dissipation-free conduction along the 1D edge. The existence of 2D TIs was confirmed by experiments in semiconductor quantum wells. However, the 2D bulk gaps in those quantum wells are extremely small, greatly limiting potential application in future electronics and spintronics. Despite this limitation, 2D TIs with a large bulk gap attracted plenty of interest. In this paper, recent progress in searching for TIs with a large bulk gap is reviewed briefly. We start by introducing some theoretical predictions of these new materials and then discuss some recent important achievements in crystal growth and characterization. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. U1632272, 11574201, and 11521404). D. Q. acknowledges support from the Changjiang Scholars Program, China and the Program for Professor of Special Appointment (Eastern Scholar), China.

Impact of the air gap in nanowire array transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mativetsky, Jeffrey; Yang, Tong; Mehta, Jeremy

Organic and inorganic semiconducting nanowires are promising for flexible electronic, energy harvesting, and sensing applications. Nanowire arrays processed from solution are particularly attractive for their ease of processing coupled with their potential for high performance. Random stacking has been observed, however, to hinder the collective electrical performance of such nanowire arrays. Here, we employ solution-processed organic semiconducting nanowires as a model system to assess the impact of the air gap that exists under a large portion of the active material in nanowire array transistors. Confocal Raman spectroscopy is used to non-invasively quantify the average air gap thickness which is found to be unexpectedly large - two to three times the nanowire diameter. This substantial air gap acts as an additional dielectric layer that diminishes the buildup of charge carriers, and can affect the measured charge carrier mobility and current on/off ratio by more than one order of magnitude. These results establish the importance of taking the air gap into account when fabricating and analyzing the performance of transistors based on one-dimensional nanostructures, such as organic and inorganic nanowires, or carbon nanotubes. NSF CAREER award DMR-1555028, NSF CMMI-1537648 , NSF MRI CMMI-1429176.

[Research progress of larger flexion gap than extension gap in total knee arthroplasty].

PubMed

Zhang, Weisong; Hao, Dingjun

2017-05-01

To summarize the progress of larger flexion gap than extension gap in total knee arthro-plasty (TKA). The domestic and foreign related literature about larger flexion gap than extension gap in TKA, and its impact factors, biomechanical and kinematic features, and clinical results were summarized. During TKA, to adjust the relations of flexion gap and extension gap is one of the key factors of successful operation. The biomechanical, kinematic, and clinical researches show that properly larger flexion gap than extension gap can improve both the postoperative knee range of motion and the satisfaction of patients, but does not affect the stability of the knee joint. However, there are also contrary findings. So adjustment of flexion gap and extension gap during TKA is still in dispute. Larger flexion gap than extension gap in TKA is a new joint space theory, and long-term clinical efficacy, operation skills, and related complications still need further study.

Is sprawl associated with a widening urban-suburban mortality gap?

PubMed

Fan, Yingling; Song, Yan

2009-09-01

This paper examines whether sprawl, featured by low development density, segregated land uses, lack of significant centers, and poor street connectivity, contributes to a widening mortality gap between urban and suburban residents. We employ two mortality datasets, including a national cross-sectional dataset examining the impact of metropolitan-level sprawl on urban-suburban mortality gaps and a longitudinal dataset from Portland examining changes in urban-suburban mortality gaps over time. The national and Portland studies provide the only evidence to date that (1) across metropolitan areas, the size of urban-suburban mortality gaps varies by the extent of sprawl: in sprawling metropolitan areas, urban residents have significant excess mortality risks than suburban residents, while in compact metropolitan areas, urbanicity-related excess mortality becomes insignificant; (2) the Portland metropolitan area not only experienced net decreases in mortality rates but also a narrowing urban-suburban mortality gap since its adoption of smart growth regime in the past decade; and (3) the existence of excess mortality among urban residents in US sprawling metropolitan areas, as well as the net mortality decreases and narrowing urban-suburban mortality gap in the Portland metropolitan area, is not attributable to sociodemographic variations. These findings suggest that health threats imposed by sprawl affect urban residents disproportionately compared to suburban residents and that efforts curbing sprawl may mitigate urban-suburban health disparities.

Ohio Aquatic Gap Analysis-An Assessment of the Biodiversity and Conservation Status of Native Aquatic Animal Species

USGS Publications Warehouse

Covert, S. Alex; Kula, Stephanie P.; Simonson, Laura A.

2007-01-01

The goal of the GAP Analysis Program is to keep common species common by identifying those species and habitats that are not yet adequately represented in the existing matrix of conservation lands. The Gap Analysis Program (GAP) is sponsored by the Biological Resources Discipline of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The Ohio Aquatic GAP (OH-GAP) is a pilot project that is applying the GAP concept to aquatic-specifically, riverine-data. The mission of GAP is to provide regional assessments of the conservation status of native animal species and to facilitate the application of this information to land-management activities. OH-GAP accomplished this through * mapping aquatic habitat types, * mapping the predicted distributions of fish, crayfish, and bivalves, * documenting the presence of aquatic species in areas managed for conservation, * providing GAP results to the public, planners, managers, policy makers, and researchers, and * building cooperation with multiple organizations to apply GAP results to state and regional management activities. Gap analysis is a coarse-scale assessment of aquatic biodiversity and conservation; the goal is to identify gaps in the conservation of native aquatic species. It is not a substitute for biological field studies and monitoring programs. Gap analysis was conducted for the continuously flowing streams in Ohio. Lakes, reservoirs, wetlands, and the Lake Erie islands were not included in this analysis. The streams in Ohio are in the Lake Erie and Ohio River watersheds and pass through six of the level III ecoregions defined by Omernik: the Eastern Corn Belt Plains, Southern Michigan/Northern Indiana Drift Plains, Huron/Erie Lake Plain, Erie Drift Plains, Interior Plateau, and the Western Allegheny Plateau. To characterize the aquatic habitats available to Ohio fish, crayfish, and bivalves, a classification system needed to be developed and mapped. The process of classification includes delineation of areas of relative

Gap Junctions

PubMed Central

Nielsen, Morten Schak; Axelsen, Lene Nygaard; Sorgen, Paul L.; Verma, Vandana; Delmar, Mario; Holstein-Rathlou, Niels-Henrik

2013-01-01

Gap junctions are essential to the function of multicellular animals, which require a high degree of coordination between cells. In vertebrates, gap junctions comprise connexins and currently 21 connexins are known in humans. The functions of gap junctions are highly diverse and include exchange of metabolites and electrical signals between cells, as well as functions, which are apparently unrelated to intercellular communication. Given the diversity of gap junction physiology, regulation of gap junction activity is complex. The structure of the various connexins is known to some extent; and structural rearrangements and intramolecular interactions are important for regulation of channel function. Intercellular coupling is further regulated by the number and activity of channels present in gap junctional plaques. The number of connexins in cell-cell channels is regulated by controlling transcription, translation, trafficking, and degradation; and all of these processes are under strict control. Once in the membrane, channel activity is determined by the conductive properties of the connexin involved, which can be regulated by voltage and chemical gating, as well as a large number of posttranslational modifications. The aim of the present article is to review our current knowledge on the structure, regulation, function, and pharmacology of gap junctions. This will be supported by examples of how different connexins and their regulation act in concert to achieve appropriate physiological control, and how disturbances of connexin function can lead to disease. © 2012 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 2:1981-2035, 2012. PMID:23723031

Simple intrinsic defects in GaP and InP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schultz, Peter A.

2012-02-01

To faithfully simulate evolution of defect chemistry and electrical response in irradiated semiconductor devices requires accurate defect reaction energies and energy levels. In III-Vs, good data is scarce, theory hampered by band gap and supercell problems. I apply density functional theory (DFT) to intrinsic defects in GaP and InP, predicting stable charge states, ground state configurations, defect energy levels, and identifying mobile species. The SeqQuest calculations incorporate rigorous charge boundary conditions removing supercell artifacts, demonstrated converged to the infinite limit. Computed defect levels are not limited by a band gap problem, despite Kohn-Sham gaps much smaller than the experimental gap. As in GaAs, [P.A. Schultz and O.A. von Lilienfeld, Modeling Simul. Mater. Sci. Eng. 17, 084007 (2009)], defects in GaP and InP exhibit great complexity---multitudes of charge states, bistabilities, and negative U systems---but show similarities to each other (and to GaAs). Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Company, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Depression in later life: A closer look at the gender gap.

PubMed

Acciai, Francesco; Hardy, Melissa

2017-11-01

Gender differences in depressive symptoms have been extensively documented, with women reporting a higher number of depressive symptoms than men. However, studies offer different explanations for why such a gap exists. The goal of the current paper is to analyze how much of the observed gender gap in depression may be attributed to (1) compositional versus (2) reporting differences or (3) differences in reactivity to adversities. We contribute to this literature by testing, net of compositional differences, whether the relationship between reporting behavior and depressive symptoms is gendered and whether accounting for the possibility of gender-specific reactivity alters the structure of the gender gap at older ages. Our results show that the observed gender gap in depression (1) only partially derives from compositional differences; (2) is not an artifact of a gender-specific reporting style; and remarkably (3) men appear more sensitive to adversities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Engineering of Genetically Arrested Parasites (GAPs) For a Precision Malaria Vaccine.

PubMed

Kreutzfeld, Oriana; Müller, Katja; Matuschewski, Kai

2017-01-01

Continuous stage conversion and swift changes in the antigenic repertoire in response to acquired immunity are hallmarks of complex eukaryotic pathogens, including Plasmodium species, the causative agents of malaria. Efficient elimination of Plasmodium liver stages prior to blood infection is one of the most promising malaria vaccine strategies. Here, we describe different genetically arrested parasites (GAPs) that have been engineered in Plasmodium berghei, P. yoelii and P. falciparum and compare their vaccine potential. A better understanding of the immunological mechanisms of prime and boost by arrested sporozoites and experimental strategies to enhance vaccine efficacy by further engineering existing GAPs into a more immunogenic form hold promise for continuous improvements of GAP-based vaccines. A critical hurdle for vaccines that elicit long-lasting protection against malaria, such as GAPs, is safety and efficacy in vulnerable populations. Vaccine research should focus on solutions toward turning malaria into a vaccine-preventable disease, which would offer an exciting new path of malaria control.

Bridging the Gap between Second Language Researchers and Teachers: Lessons Learned

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mady, Callie

2012-01-01

With a view to bridging the gap between elementary (primary) and secondary school second language teachers and researchers, the study reported in this paper identified differences in language register, educators' lack of access to research articles and lack of shared space for researchers and educators to communicate as causes of the gap. There is…

The dynamics of chronic gout treatment: medication gaps and return to therapy.

PubMed

Harrold, Leslie R; Andrade, Susan E; Briesacher, Becky; Raebel, Marsha A; Fouayzi, Hassan; Yood, Robert A; Ockene, Ira S

2010-01-01

To identify gaps in therapy with urate-lowering drugs for the treatment of gout as well as factors associated with resuming therapy. From 2 integrated delivery systems, we identified patients 18 years or older with a diagnosis of gout who initiated use of a urate-lowering drug from January 1, 2000 through June 30, 2006 and who had a gap in therapy. A gap was defined as a period of over 60 days after the completion of 1 prescription in which no refill for a urate-lowering drug was obtained. Survival curves were used to assess return to therapy of urate-lowering drugs. Cox proportional hazards analysis estimated the association between covariates and return to therapy. There were 4166 new users of urate-lowering drugs (97% received allopurinol), of whom 2929 (70%) had a gap in therapy. Among those with a gap, in 75% it occurred in the first year of therapy. Fifty percent of patients with a gap returned to therapy within 8 months, and by 4 years it was 75%. Age 45-74 years (<45 referent) and greater duration of urate-lowering drug use before the gap was associated with resuming treatment within 1 year. In contrast, receipt of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or glucocorticoids in the year before the gap was associated with a reduced likelihood of resuming therapy. The majority of gout patients with gaps in urate-lowering drug use returned to treatment. More investigation is needed to better understand why patients may go for months without refilling prescriptions, given the clinical consequences of nonadherence. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sequence-based model of gap gene regulatory network.

PubMed

Kozlov, Konstantin; Gursky, Vitaly; Kulakovskiy, Ivan; Samsonova, Maria

2014-01-01

The detailed analysis of transcriptional regulation is crucially important for understanding biological processes. The gap gene network in Drosophila attracts large interest among researches studying mechanisms of transcriptional regulation. It implements the most upstream regulatory layer of the segmentation gene network. The knowledge of molecular mechanisms involved in gap gene regulation is far less complete than that of genetics of the system. Mathematical modeling goes beyond insights gained by genetics and molecular approaches. It allows us to reconstruct wild-type gene expression patterns in silico, infer underlying regulatory mechanism and prove its sufficiency. We developed a new model that provides a dynamical description of gap gene regulatory systems, using detailed DNA-based information, as well as spatial transcription factor concentration data at varying time points. We showed that this model correctly reproduces gap gene expression patterns in wild type embryos and is able to predict gap expression patterns in Kr mutants and four reporter constructs. We used four-fold cross validation test and fitting to random dataset to validate the model and proof its sufficiency in data description. The identifiability analysis showed that most model parameters are well identifiable. We reconstructed the gap gene network topology and studied the impact of individual transcription factor binding sites on the model output. We measured this impact by calculating the site regulatory weight as a normalized difference between the residual sum of squares error for the set of all annotated sites and for the set with the site of interest excluded. The reconstructed topology of the gap gene network is in agreement with previous modeling results and data from literature. We showed that 1) the regulatory weights of transcription factor binding sites show very weak correlation with their PWM score; 2) sites with low regulatory weight are important for the model output; 3

The Achievement Gap, Revisited: An Empirical Assessment of What We Can Learn from East Asian Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Czehut, Katherine Jessica Drake

2012-01-01

International mathematics assessments have established students in East Asia as among the best in the world and their U.S. counterparts as mediocre. What is not clear is why this "achievement gap" exists. The last major study to address this question, Stevenson and Stigler's (1992) "The Learning Gap," was published prior to…

Women and the Leadership Paradigm: Bridging the Gender Gap.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Growe, Roslin; Montgomery, Paula

The under-representation of qualified women in leadership positions has created a gender gap that exists not only in education but in many areas of the workplace. Society has determined that only males make good leaders; therefore it continues to deny easy access for women seeking leadership roles because they do not fit the norm. Women who seek…

Permanent Income and the Black-White Test Score Gap. NBER Working Paper No. 17610

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rothstein, Jesse; Wozny, Nathan

2011-01-01

Analysts often examine the black-white test score gap conditional on family income. Typically only a current income measure is available. We argue that the gap conditional on permanent income is of greater interest, and we describe a method for identifying this gap using an auxiliary data set to estimate the relationship between current and…

Connexin36 vs. connexin32, "miniature" neuronal gap junctions, and limited electrotonic coupling in rodent suprachiasmatic nucleus.

PubMed

Rash, J E; Olson, C O; Pouliot, W A; Davidson, K G V; Yasumura, T; Furman, C S; Royer, S; Kamasawa, N; Nagy, J I; Dudek, F E

2007-10-26

Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) neurons generate circadian rhythms, and these neurons normally exhibit loosely-synchronized action potentials. Although electrotonic coupling has long been proposed to mediate this neuronal synchrony, ultrastructural studies have failed to detect gap junctions between SCN neurons. Nevertheless, it has been proposed that neuronal gap junctions exist in the SCN; that they consist of connexin32 or, alternatively, connexin36; and that connexin36 knockout eliminates neuronal coupling between SCN neurons and disrupts circadian rhythms. We used confocal immunofluorescence microscopy and freeze-fracture replica immunogold labeling to examine the distributions of connexin30, connexin32, connexin36, and connexin43 in rat and mouse SCN and used whole-cell recordings to re-assess electrotonic and tracer coupling. Connexin32-immunofluorescent puncta were essentially absent in SCN but connexin36 was relatively abundant. Fifteen neuronal gap junctions were identified ultrastructurally, all of which contained connexin36 but not connexin32, whereas nearby oligodendrocyte gap junctions contained connexin32. In adult SCN, one neuronal gap junction was >600 connexons, whereas 75% were smaller than 50 connexons, which may be below the limit of detectability by fluorescence microscopy and thin-section electron microscopy. Whole-cell recordings in hypothalamic slices revealed tracer coupling with neurobiotin in <5% of SCN neurons, and paired recordings (>40 pairs) did not reveal obvious electrotonic coupling or synchronized action potentials, consistent with few neurons possessing large gap junctions. However, most neurons had partial spikes or spikelets (often <1 mV), which remained after QX-314 [N-(2,6-dimethylphenylcarbamoylmethyl)triethylammonium bromide] had blocked sodium-mediated action potentials within the recorded neuron, consistent with spikelet transmission via small gap junctions. Thus, a few "miniature" gap junctions on most SCN neurons appear

Intracellular trafficking pathways of Cx43 gap junction channels.

PubMed

Epifantseva, Irina; Shaw, Robin M

2018-01-01

Gap Junction (GJ) channels, including the most common Connexin 43 (Cx43), have fundamental roles in excitable tissues by facilitating rapid transmission of action potentials between adjacent cells. For instance, synchronization during each heartbeat is regulated by these ion channels at the cardiomyocyte cell-cell border. Cx43 protein has a short half-life, and rapid synthesis and timely delivery of those proteins to particular subdomains are crucial for the cellular organization of gap junctions and maintenance of intracellular coupling. Impairment in gap junction trafficking contributes to dangerous complications in diseased hearts such as the arrhythmias of sudden cardiac death. Of recent interest are the protein-protein interactions with the Cx43 carboxy-terminus. These interactions have significant impact on the full length Cx43 lifecycle and also contribute to trafficking of Cx43 as well as possibly other functions. We are learning that many of the known non-canonical roles of Cx43 can be attributed to the recently identified six endogenous Cx43 truncated isoforms which are produced by internal translation. In general, alternative translation is a new leading edge for proteome expansion and therapeutic drug development. This review highlights recent mechanisms identified in the trafficking of gap junction channels, involvement of other proteins contributing to the delivery of channels to the cell-cell border, and understanding of possible roles of the newly discovered alternatively translated isoforms in Cx43 biology. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Gap Junction Proteins edited by Jean Claude Herve. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Capstone Project Using the Gap Analysis Model: Closing the College Readiness Gap for Latino English Language Learners with a Focus on School Support and School Counseling Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jimenez, Evelyn

2013-01-01

This capstone project applied Clark and Estes' (2008) gap analysis framework to identify performance gaps, develop perceived root causes, validate the causes, and formulate research-based solutions to present to Trojan High School. The purpose was to examine ways to increase the academic achievement of ELL students, specifically Latinos, by…

Ontology of gaps in content-based image retrieval.

PubMed

Deserno, Thomas M; Antani, Sameer; Long, Rodney

2009-04-01

Content-based image retrieval (CBIR) is a promising technology to enrich the core functionality of picture archiving and communication systems (PACS). CBIR has a potential for making a strong impact in diagnostics, research, and education. Research as reported in the scientific literature, however, has not made significant inroads as medical CBIR applications incorporated into routine clinical medicine or medical research. The cause is often attributed (without supporting analysis) to the inability of these applications in overcoming the "semantic gap." The semantic gap divides the high-level scene understanding and interpretation available with human cognitive capabilities from the low-level pixel analysis of computers, based on mathematical processing and artificial intelligence methods. In this paper, we suggest a more systematic and comprehensive view of the concept of "gaps" in medical CBIR research. In particular, we define an ontology of 14 gaps that addresses the image content and features, as well as system performance and usability. In addition to these gaps, we identify seven system characteristics that impact CBIR applicability and performance. The framework we have created can be used a posteriori to compare medical CBIR systems and approaches for specific biomedical image domains and goals and a priori during the design phase of a medical CBIR application, as the systematic analysis of gaps provides detailed insight in system comparison and helps to direct future research.

An automatic method to detect and track the glottal gap from high speed videoendoscopic images.

PubMed

Andrade-Miranda, Gustavo; Godino-Llorente, Juan I; Moro-Velázquez, Laureano; Gómez-García, Jorge Andrés

2015-10-29

The image-based analysis of the vocal folds vibration plays an important role in the diagnosis of voice disorders. The analysis is based not only on the direct observation of the video sequences, but also in an objective characterization of the phonation process by means of features extracted from the recorded images. However, such analysis is based on a previous accurate identification of the glottal gap, which is the most challenging step for a further automatic assessment of the vocal folds vibration. In this work, a complete framework to automatically segment and track the glottal area (or glottal gap) is proposed. The algorithm identifies a region of interest that is adapted along time, and combine active contours and watershed transform for the final delineation of the glottis and also an automatic procedure for synthesize different videokymograms is proposed. Thanks to the ROI implementation, our technique is robust to the camera shifting and also the objective test proved the effectiveness and performance of the approach in the most challenging scenarios that it is when exist an inappropriate closure of the vocal folds. The novelties of the proposed algorithm relies on the used of temporal information for identify an adaptive ROI and the use of watershed merging combined with active contours for the glottis delimitation. Additionally, an automatic procedure for synthesize multiline VKG by the identification of the glottal main axis is developed.

Gender gap or program gap? Students' negotiations of study practice in a course in electromagnetism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andersson, Staffan; Johansson, Anders

2016-12-01

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Gender in Physics.] This study of achievement differences, as reflected by course grades, on a third-semester electromagnetism course at a Swedish research university was motivated by instructor concerns about gender inequalities. Quantitative analysis showed a gender gap in course grades between female and male students for the period of fall 2007 to spring 2013. Dynamics behind this gap were explored through interpretative discourse analysis on interviews of 21 students who had recently passed the course. A recurring pattern was identified in the interviews. Students described studying electromagnetism as either studying to pass or studying to learn. Their choice of practice was influenced by the significance recognized in the course, which primarily was discussed in relation to program affiliation. Students stressed that perceived differences, in their study context, were larger between students affiliated with different programs than between male and female students on the same program. This was supported by quantitative analysis of course grades in relation to study programs, where the grade difference between female and male students on the same program in most cases were not statistically significant. The gender gap in grades for the whole course was related to different achievements on different programs. Programs further from the discipline of physics had lower mean grades and also enrolled a larger fraction of female students. Society-wide gender differences in interest and study choice are reflected in the grades on this single course. These results displace the achievement gap from the level of individuals to that of programs, and the gender gap from a difference in achievement to a difference in study choice. We discuss the implications of this shift of perspective in relation to gender differences for both research and teaching.

Gap solitons in PT-symmetric optical lattices with higher-order diffraction.

PubMed

Ge, Lijuan; Shen, Ming; Ma, Chunlan; Zang, Taocheng; Dai, Lu

2014-12-01

The existence and stability of gap solitons are investigated in the semi-infinite gap of a parity-time (PT)-symmetric periodic potential (optical lattice) with a higher-order diffraction. The Bloch bands and band gaps of this PT-symmetric optical lattice depend crucially on the coupling constant of the fourth-order diffraction, whereas the phase transition point of this PT optical lattice remains unchangeable. The fourth-order diffraction plays a significant role in destabilizing the propagation of dipole solitons. Specifically, when the fourth-order diffraction coupling constant increases, the stable region of the dipole solitons shrinks as new regions of instability appear. However, fundamental solitons are found to be always linearly stable with arbitrary positive value of the coupling constant. We also investigate nonlinear evolution of the PT solitons under perturbation.

GAP Final Technical Report 12-14-04

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

Andrew J. Bordner, PhD, Senior Research Scientist

2004-12-14

The Genomics Annotation Platform (GAP) was designed to develop new tools for high throughput functional annotation and characterization of protein sequences and structures resulting from genomics and structural proteomics, benchmarking and application of those tools. Furthermore, this platform integrated the genomic scale sequence and structural analysis and prediction tools with the advanced structure prediction and bioinformatics environment of ICM. The development of GAP was primarily oriented towards the annotation of new biomolecular structures using both structural and sequence data. Even though the amount of protein X-ray crystal data is growing exponentially, the volume of sequence data is growing even moremore » rapidly. This trend was exploited by leveraging the wealth of sequence data to provide functional annotation for protein structures. The additional information provided by GAP is expected to assist the majority of the commercial users of ICM, who are involved in drug discovery, in identifying promising drug targets as well in devising strategies for the rational design of therapeutics directed at the protein of interest. The GAP also provided valuable tools for biochemistry education, and structural genomics centers. In addition, GAP incorporates many novel prediction and analysis methods not available in other molecular modeling packages. This development led to signing the first Molsoft agreement in the structural genomics annotation area with the University of oxford Structural Genomics Center. This commercial agreement validated the Molsoft efforts under the GAP project and provided the basis for further development of the large scale functional annotation platform.« less

Instructional Strategies and Best Practices for Improving the Achievement Gap in Mathematics: An Exploratory Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lord, Joey

2017-01-01

This qualitative exploratory case study focused on the achievement gap in mathematics that exists in one urban North Carolina middle school and the strategies used by school personnel to narrow this gap. The goal of this research was to determine effective instructional strategies and best practices used to engage students in learning that will…

Monolithic phononic crystals with a surface acoustic band gap from surface phonon-polariton coupling.

PubMed

Yudistira, D; Boes, A; Djafari-Rouhani, B; Pennec, Y; Yeo, L Y; Mitchell, A; Friend, J R

2014-11-21

We theoretically and experimentally demonstrate the existence of complete surface acoustic wave band gaps in surface phonon-polariton phononic crystals, in a completely monolithic structure formed from a two-dimensional honeycomb array of hexagonal shape domain-inverted inclusions in single crystal piezoelectric Z-cut lithium niobate. The band gaps appear at a frequency of about twice the Bragg band gap at the center of the Brillouin zone, formed through phonon-polariton coupling. The structure is mechanically, electromagnetically, and topographically homogeneous, without any physical alteration of the surface, offering an ideal platform for many acoustic wave applications for photonics, phononics, and microfluidics.

Gap junctions modulate glioma invasion by direct transfer of microRNA.

PubMed

Hong, Xiaoting; Sin, Wun Chey; Harris, Andrew L; Naus, Christian C

2015-06-20

The invasiveness of high-grade glioma is the primary reason for poor survival following treatment. Interaction between glioma cells and surrounding astrocytes are crucial to invasion. We investigated the role of gap junction mediated miRNA transfer in this context. By manipulating gap junctions with a gap junction inhibitor, siRNAs, and a dominant negative connexin mutant, we showed that functional glioma-glioma gap junctions suppress glioma invasion while glioma-astrocyte and astrocyte-astrocyte gap junctions promote it in an in vitro transwell invasion assay. After demonstrating that glioma-astrocyte gap junctions are permeable to microRNA, we compared the microRNA profiles of astrocytes before and after co-culture with glioma cells, identifying specific microRNAs as candidates for transfer through gap junctions from glioma cells to astrocytes. Further analysis showed that transfer of miR-5096 from glioma cells to astrocytes is through gap junctions; this transfer is responsible, in part, for the pro-invasive effect. Our results establish a role for glioma-astrocyte gap junction mediated microRNA signaling in modulation of glioma invasive behavior, and that gap junction coupling among astrocytes magnifies the pro-invasive signaling. Our findings reveal the potential for therapeutic interventions based on abolishing alteration of stromal cells by tumor cells via manipulation of microRNA and gap junction channel activity.

Gap junctions modulate glioma invasion by direct transfer of microRNA

PubMed Central

Hong, Xiaoting; Sin, Wun Chey; Harris, Andrew L.; Naus, Christian C.

2015-01-01

The invasiveness of high-grade glioma is the primary reason for poor survival following treatment. Interaction between glioma cells and surrounding astrocytes are crucial to invasion. We investigated the role of gap junction mediated miRNA transfer in this context. By manipulating gap junctions with a gap junction inhibitor, siRNAs, and a dominant negative connexin mutant, we showed that functional glioma-glioma gap junctions suppress glioma invasion while glioma-astrocyte and astrocyte-astrocyte gap junctions promote it in an in vitro transwell invasion assay. After demonstrating that glioma-astrocyte gap junctions are permeable to microRNA, we compared the microRNA profiles of astrocytes before and after co-culture with glioma cells, identifying specific microRNAs as candidates for transfer through gap junctions from glioma cells to astrocytes. Further analysis showed that transfer of miR-5096 from glioma cells to astrocytes is through gap junctions; this transfer is responsible, in part, for the pro-invasive effect. Our results establish a role for glioma-astrocyte gap junction mediated microRNA signaling in modulation of glioma invasive behavior, and that gap junction coupling among astrocytes magnifies the pro-invasive signaling. Our findings reveal the potential for therapeutic interventions based on abolishing alteration of stromal cells by tumor cells via manipulation of microRNA and gap junction channel activity. PMID:25978028

Tropical forests and global change: filling knowledge gaps.

PubMed

Zuidema, Pieter A; Baker, Patrick J; Groenendijk, Peter; Schippers, Peter; van der Sleen, Peter; Vlam, Mart; Sterck, Frank

2013-08-01

Tropical forests will experience major changes in environmental conditions this century. Understanding their responses to such changes is crucial to predicting global carbon cycling. Important knowledge gaps exist: the causes of recent changes in tropical forest dynamics remain unclear and the responses of entire tropical trees to environmental changes are poorly understood. In this Opinion article, we argue that filling these knowledge gaps requires a new research strategy, one that focuses on trees instead of leaves or communities, on long-term instead of short-term changes, and on understanding mechanisms instead of documenting changes. We propose the use of tree-ring analyses, stable-isotope analyses, manipulative field experiments, and well-validated simulation models to improve predictions of forest responses to global change. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Knowledge Gap Versus the Belief Gap and Abstinence-Only Sex Education.

PubMed

Hindman, Douglas Blanks; Yan, Changmin

2015-08-01

The knowledge gap hypothesis predicts widening disparities in knowledge of heavily publicized public affairs issues among socioeconomic status groups. The belief gap hypothesis extends the knowledge gap hypothesis to account for knowledge and beliefs about politically contested issues based on empirically verifiable information. This analysis of 3 national surveys shows belief gaps developed between liberals and conservatives regarding abstinence-only sex education; socioeconomic status-based knowledge gaps did not widen. The findings partially support both belief gap and knowledge gap hypotheses. In addition, the unique contributions of exposure to Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC in this process were investigated. Only exposure to Fox News was linked to beliefs about abstinence-only sex education directly and indirectly through the cultivation of conservative ideology.

Nursing home report card and performance gap.

PubMed

Kim, Ae-Sook

2016-01-01

With the aging of our society, concerns about the quality of nursing homes have been increasing. The Nursing Home Compare (NHC) report card is believed to reduce information asymmetry between the facility and potential residents and, consequently, improve nursing home quality. However, there is limited evidence about how nursing homes use this publicly disseminated performance information. The aim of this study was to analyze the performance gap between nursing home administrators' self-assessment and the NHC report card performance ratings and explore the factors contributing to the gap. All 515 Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes in Indiana were surveyed between August and December 2013. The response rate was approximately 45%. The survey data were compared with the NHC data to identify the gap. Ordered logistic regression analysis was conducted. Despite voluntary participation, a reasonably high response rate, and anonymity, this study found that 62% of respondents either under- or overrated their facilities' performance, with the majority overrating their performance. The following factors were associated with a smaller performance gap: nonprofit or government-owned status, higher staffing levels, a higher percentage of hours worked by registered nurses, and a higher market concentration. Longer work experience and greater county occupancy rates were associated with a larger performance gap. The significant gap implies that administrators either do not regularly review the NHC report card or do not concur with the NHC ratings. To reduce the gap and thereby improve performance, it is necessary to stabilize the administrators' position so that administrators know how they stand in the market and are consequently better equipped to successfully respond to the market. Facilities may also need to provide regular training on current technologies and facilitate use of the NHC report card, targeting administrators who are old and have many years of work

Regression analysis for bivariate gap time with missing first gap time data.

PubMed

Huang, Chia-Hui; Chen, Yi-Hau

2017-01-01

We consider ordered bivariate gap time while data on the first gap time are unobservable. This study is motivated by the HIV infection and AIDS study, where the initial HIV contracting time is unavailable, but the diagnosis times for HIV and AIDS are available. We are interested in studying the risk factors for the gap time between initial HIV contraction and HIV diagnosis, and gap time between HIV and AIDS diagnoses. Besides, the association between the two gap times is also of interest. Accordingly, in the data analysis we are faced with two-fold complexity, namely data on the first gap time is completely missing, and the second gap time is subject to induced informative censoring due to dependence between the two gap times. We propose a modeling framework for regression analysis of bivariate gap time under the complexity of the data. The estimating equations for the covariate effects on, as well as the association between, the two gap times are derived through maximum likelihood and suitable counting processes. Large sample properties of the resulting estimators are developed by martingale theory. Simulations are performed to examine the performance of the proposed analysis procedure. An application of data from the HIV and AIDS study mentioned above is reported for illustration.

Rural Connected Vehicle Gap Analysis : Factors Impeding Deployment and Recommendations for Moving Forward

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-08-25

The intent of the Rural Connected Vehicle Gap Analysis project was to identify any current gaps in the connected vehicle program that may result in a reduced deployment potential in the rural areas of the United States. Through a workshop conducted a...

Global foot-and-mouth disease research update and gap analysis: 3 - vaccines

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In 2014, the Global Foot-and-mouth disease Research Alliance (GFRA) conducted a gap analysis of FMD research. In this paper, we report updated findings in the field of FMD vaccine research. This paper consists of the following four sections: 1) Research priorities identified in the 2010 GFRA gap ana...

Income Inequality and the Online Reading Gap: Teaching Our Way to Success With Online Research and Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leu, Donald J.; Forzani, Elena; Kennedy, Clint

2015-01-01

A recent study in "Reading Research Quarterly" provided evidence that an online reading achievement gap, based on income inequality, exists that is separate and independent from the well-known achievement gap in offline reading. This column briefly reviews the evidence and provides an initial set of instructional suggestions that may be…

Interoperability Gap Challenges for Learning Object Repositories & Learning Management Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mason, Robert T.

2011-01-01

An interoperability gap exists between Learning Management Systems (LMSs) and Learning Object Repositories (LORs). Learning Objects (LOs) and the associated Learning Object Metadata (LOM) that is stored within LORs adhere to a variety of LOM standards. A common LOM standard found in LORs is the Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM)…

Fabrication of 3-D Photonic Band Gap Crystals Via Colloidal Self-Assembly

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Subramaniam, Girija; Blank, Shannon

2005-01-01

The behavior of photons in a Photonic Crystals, PCs, is like that of electrons in a semiconductor in that, it prohibits light propagation over a band of frequencies, called Photonic Band Gap, PBG. Photons cannot exist in these band gaps like the forbidden bands of electrons. Thus, PCs lend themselves as potential candidates for devices based on the gap phenomenon. The popular research on PCs stem from their ability to confine light with minimal losses. Large scale 3-D PCs with a PBG in the visible or near infra red region will make optical transistors and sharp bent optical fibers. Efforts are directed to use PCs for information processing and it is not long before we can have optical integrated circuits in the place of electronic ones.

Assessing the impact of a medical librarian on identification of valid and actionable practice gaps for a continuing medical education committee.

PubMed

Bartkowiak, Barbara A; Safford, Lindsey A; Stratman, Erik J

2014-01-01

Identifying educational needs related to professional practice gaps can be a complex process for continuing medical education (CME) committees and for physicians who submit activity applications. Medical librarians possess unique skills that may be useful for identifying practice gaps relevant to CME committees. We assessed this assumption by assessing a medical librarian's contributions to practice gap identification for the Marshfield Clinic's CME Committee. We reviewed all locally relevant, locally actionable practice gaps identified annually by various stakeholders and presented to our CME Committee from 2010 to 2013. Total numbers of practice gaps identified, total categorized as actionable, and numbers of subsequent activities resulting from these gaps were calculated for each year. Medical librarian totals were compared to those of other CME committee stakeholders to determine the relative contribution. The medical librarian identified unique, actionable published practice gaps that directly contributed to CME activity planning. For each study year, contributions by the medical librarian grew, from 0 of 27 actionable gaps validated by CME Committee in 2010 to 49 of 108 (45.4%) in 2013. With the librarian's assistance, the number of valid practice gaps submitted between 2010 and 2013 by stakeholders climbed from 23 for 155 activities (14.8%) to 133 for 157 activities (84.7%). Medical librarians can provide a valuable service to CME committees by identifying valid professional practice gaps that inform decisions about educational activities aimed at improving clinical practice. Medical librarians bring into deliberations unique information, including national health policy priorities, practice gaps found in the literature, and point-of-care search engine statistics. © 2014 The Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education, and the Council on Continuing Medical Education, Association for

The Differential Valuation of Women's Work: A New Look at the Gender Gap in Lawyers' Incomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dinovitzer, Ronit; Reichman, Nancy; Sterling, Joyce

2009-01-01

This article seeks to identify the mechanisms underlying the gender wage gap among new lawyers. Relying on nationally representative data to examine the salaries of lawyers working fulltime in private practice, we find a gender gap of about 5 percent. Identifying four mechanisms--work profiles, opportunity paths and structures, credentials, and…

Cross-national differences in the gender gap in subjective health in Europe: does country-level gender equality matter?

PubMed

Dahlin, Johanna; Härkönen, Juho

2013-12-01

Multiple studies have found that women report being in worse health despite living longer. Gender gaps vary cross-nationally, but relatively little is known about the causes of comparative differences. Existing literature is inconclusive as to whether gender gaps in health are smaller in more gender equal societies. We analyze gender gaps in self-rated health (SRH) and limiting longstanding illness (LLI) with five waves of European Social Survey data for 191,104 respondents from 28 countries. We use means, odds ratios, logistic regressions, and multilevel random slopes logistic regressions. Gender gaps in subjective health vary visibly across Europe. In many countries (especially in Eastern and Southern Europe), women report distinctly worse health, while in others (such as Estonia, Finland, and Great Britain) there are small or no differences. Logistic regressions ran separately for each country revealed that individual-level socioeconomic and demographic variables explain a majority of these gaps in some countries, but contribute little to their understanding in most countries. In yet other countries, men had worse health when these variables were controlled for. Cross-national variation in the gender gaps exists after accounting for individual-level factors. Against expectations, the remaining gaps are not systematically related to societal-level gender inequality in the multilevel analyses. Our findings stress persistent cross-national variability in gender gaps in health and call for further analysis. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Excellence Gaps: What They Are, Why They Are Bad, and How Smart Contexts Can Address Them … or Make Them Worse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardesty, Jacob; McWilliams, Jenna; Plucker, Jonathan A.

2014-01-01

Every country--and even every community--has populations of students who severely underperform relative to other groups and to their own potential. These performance differences are generally called achievement gaps, and they tend to focus on gaps at basic levels of academic proficiency. But such gaps also exist among the highest levels of…

Closing the clinical gap: translating best practice knowledge to performance with guidelines implementation.

PubMed

Ishii, Lisa E

2013-06-01

Unsustainable health care costs coupled with opportunity for improvement in health care outcomes in the United States are stimulating meaningful transformation in the way we deliver care. One approach in this transformation focuses on minimizing unnecessary variation in physician practices, instead focusing on evidence-based medicine in a more uniform manner. Clinical practice guidelines contain evidence-based recommendations, articulate goals of care, and can help to reduce unnecessary variation. While thousands of clinical practice guidelines are in existence, a clinical gap exists between knowledge and clinical performance. With thoughtful guidelines implementation strategies in place, organizations can begin to close the gap and translate best practice knowledge into care. Health systems that have done this effectively have seen improved clinical outcomes, improved patient satisfaction, and lower cost per patient.

Ultrafast band-gap oscillations in iron pyrite

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

Kolb, B; Kolpak, AM

2013-12-20

With its combination of favorable band gap, high absorption coefficient, material abundance, and low cost, iron pyrite, FeS2, has received a great deal of attention over the past decades as a promising material for photovoltaic applications such as solar cells and photoelectrochemical cells. Devices made from pyrite, however, exhibit open circuit voltages significantly lower than predicted, and despite a recent resurgence of interest in the material, there currently exists no widely accepted explanation for this disappointing behavior. In this paper, we show that phonons, which have been largely overlooked in previous efforts, may play a significant role. Using fully self-consistentmore » GW calculations, we demonstrate that a phonon mode related to the oscillation of the sulfur-sulfur bond distance in the pyrite structure is strongly coupled to the energy of the conduction-band minimum, leading to an ultrafast (approximate to 100 fs) oscillation in the band gap. Depending on the coherency of the phonons, we predict that this effect can cause changes of up to +/- 0.3 eV relative to the accepted FeS2 band gap at room temperature. Harnessing this effect via temperature or irradiation with infrared light could open up numerous possibilities for novel devices such as ultrafast switches and adaptive solar absorbers.« less

Decision Making Under Uncertainty - Bridging the Gap Between End User Needs and Science Capability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verdon-Kidd, D. C.; Kiem, A.; Austin, E. K.

2012-12-01

Successful adaptation outcomes depend on decision making based on the best available climate science information. However, a fundamental barrier exists, namely the 'gap' between information that climate science can currently provide and the information that is practically useful for end users and decision makers. This study identifies the major contributing factors to the 'gap' from an Australian perspective and provides recommendations as to ways in which the 'gap' may be narrowed. This was achieved via a literature review, online survey (targeted to providers of climate information and end users of that information), workshop (where both climate scientists and end users came together to discuss key issues) and focus group. The study confirmed that uncertainty in climate science is a key barrier to adaptation. The issue of uncertainty was found to be multi-faceted, with issues identified in terms of communication of uncertainty, misunderstanding of uncertainty and the lack of tools/methods to deal with uncertainty. There were also key differences in terms of expectations for the future - most end users were of the belief that uncertainty associated with future climate projections would reduce within the next five to 10 years, however producers of climate science information were well aware that this would most likely not be the case. This is a concerning finding as end users may delay taking action on adaptation and risk planning until the uncertainties are reduced - a situation which may never eventuate or may occur after the optimal time for action. Improved communication and packaging of climate information was another key theme that was highlighted in this study. Importantly, it was made clear that improved communication is not just about more glossy brochures and presentations by climate scientists, rather there is a role for a program or group to fill this role (coined a 'knowledge broker' during the workshop and focus group). The role of the 'knowledge

Global disparities in the epilepsy treatment gap: a systematic review.

PubMed

Meyer, Ana-Claire; Dua, Tarun; Ma, Juliana; Saxena, Shekhar; Birbeck, Gretchen

2010-04-01

To describe the magnitude and variation of the epilepsy treatment gap worldwide. We conducted a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature published from 1 January 1987 to 1 September 2007 in all languages using PubMed and EMBASE. The purpose was to identify population-based studies of epilepsy prevalence that reported the epilepsy treatment gap, defined as the proportion of people with epilepsy who require but do not receive treatment. Negative binomial regression models were used to assess trends and associations. The treatment gap was over 75% in low-income countries and over 50% in most lower middle- and upper middle-income countries, while many high-income countries had gaps of less than 10%. However, treatment gaps varied widely both between and within countries. They were significantly higher in rural areas (rate ratio, RR: 2.01; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.40-2.89) and countries with lower World Bank income classification (RR: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.32-1.82). There was no significant trend in treatment gap over time (RR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.79-1.07). There is dramatic global disparity in the care for epilepsy between high- and low- income countries, and between rural and urban settings. Our understanding of the factors affecting the treatment gap is limited; future investigations should explore other potential explanations of the gap.

Key strategies to improve systems for managing patient complaints within health facilities - what can we learn from the existing literature?

PubMed

Mirzoev, Tolib; Kane, Sumit

2018-01-01

Information from patient complaints - a widely accepted measure of patient satisfaction with services - can inform improvements in service quality, and contribute towards overall health systems performance. While analyses of data from patient complaints received much emphasis, there is limited published literature on key interventions to improve complaint management systems. The objectives are two-fold: first, to synthesise existing evidence and provide practical options to inform future policy and practice and, second, to identify key outstanding gaps in the existing literature to inform agenda for future research. We report results of review of the existing literature. Peer-reviewed published literature was searched in OVID Medline, OVID Global Health and PubMed. In addition, relevant citations from the reviewed articles were followed up, and we also report grey literature from the UK and the Netherlands. Effective interventions can improve collection of complaints (e.g. establishing easy-to-use channels and raising patients' awareness of these), analysis of complaint data (e.g. creating structures and spaces for analysis and learning from complaints data), and subsequent action (e.g. timely feedback to complainants and integrating learning from complaints into service quality improvement). No one single measure can be sufficient, and any intervention to improve patient complaint management system must include different components, which need to be feasible, effective, scalable, and sustainable within local context. Effective interventions to strengthen patient complaints systems need to be: comprehensive, integrated within existing systems, context-specific and cognizant of the information asymmetry and the unequal power relations between the key actors. Four gaps in the published literature represent an agenda for future research: limited understanding of contexts of effective interventions, absence of system-wide approaches, lack of evidence from low- and

How accurate is automated gap filling of metabolic models?

PubMed

Karp, Peter D; Weaver, Daniel; Latendresse, Mario

2018-06-19

Reaction gap filling is a computational technique for proposing the addition of reactions to genome-scale metabolic models to permit those models to run correctly. Gap filling completes what are otherwise incomplete models that lack fully connected metabolic networks. The models are incomplete because they are derived from annotated genomes in which not all enzymes have been identified. Here we compare the results of applying an automated likelihood-based gap filler within the Pathway Tools software with the results of manually gap filling the same metabolic model. Both gap-filling exercises were applied to the same genome-derived qualitative metabolic reconstruction for Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum JCM 1217, and to the same modeling conditions - anaerobic growth under four nutrients producing 53 biomass metabolites. The solution computed by the gap-filling program GenDev contained 12 reactions, but closer examination showed that solution was not minimal; two of the twelve reactions can be removed to yield a set of ten reactions that enable model growth. The manually curated solution contained 13 reactions, eight of which were shared with the 12-reaction computed solution. Thus, GenDev achieved recall of 61.5% and precision of 66.6%. These results suggest that although computational gap fillers are populating metabolic models with significant numbers of correct reactions, automatically gap-filled metabolic models also contain significant numbers of incorrect reactions. Our conclusion is that manual curation of gap-filler results is needed to obtain high-accuracy models. Many of the differences between the manual and automatic solutions resulted from using expert biological knowledge to direct the choice of reactions within the curated solution, such as reactions specific to the anaerobic lifestyle of B. longum.

Reducing the Gap between Research and Practice in School Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kehle, Thomas J.; Bray, Melissa A.

2005-01-01

We argue that the existence of the gap is perhaps a result of an overallegiance to the medical model and the lack of measurable criteria regarding the definition of an educated and psychologically healthy student. Further, an additional and equally daunting problem for school psychological practice is that it is influenced by general education…

Identifying children with Special Health Care Needs in Alexandria, Egypt.

PubMed

Wahdan, Iman H; El-Nimr, Nessrin A

2018-05-23

In developing countries, obtaining reliable prevalence rates for children with special health care needs (CSHCN) is challenging. One of the tools used to identify CSHCN is the CSHCN Screener (not available in Arabic). The aim is to test the feasibility of using an Arabic version of CSHCN screener in identifying CSHCN in the Egyptian setup and to estimate their prevalence in Alexandria. A community-based survey was conducted among a representative sample of children using a multistage cluster sampling technique. A pre-designed interviewing questionnaire and the Arabic translation of CSHCN screener were used. The prevalence of CSHCN was 12.2% and 91.8% of them had the three domains of health care needs. The most prevalent conditions requiring special health care were sensory and cognitive impairments and impaired mobility. Type of family was the only significant factor associated with special health care needs. It is concluded that the screener can easily be used and help in identifying the majority of children that need to be the focus of the National health care services. It is recommended that the school health services add the screener to assist depicting the existing gaps in the health care system.

Assembling GHERG: Could "academic crowd-sourcing" address gaps in global health estimates?

PubMed

Rudan, Igor; Campbell, Harry; Marušić, Ana; Sridhar, Devi; Nair, Harish; Adeloye, Davies; Theodoratou, Evropi; Chan, Kit Yee

2015-06-01

In recent months, the World Health Organization (WHO), independent academic researchers, the Lancet and PLoS Medicine journals worked together to improve reporting of population health estimates. The new guidelines for accurate and transparent health estimates reporting (likely to be named GATHER), which are eagerly awaited, represent a helpful move that should benefit the field of global health metrics. Building on this progress and drawing from a tradition of Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group (CHERG)'s successful work model, we would like to propose a new initiative - "Global Health Epidemiology Reference Group" (GHERG). We see GHERG as an informal and entirely voluntary international collaboration of academic groups who are willing to contribute to improving disease burden estimates and respect the principles of the new guidelines - a form of "academic crowd-sourcing". The main focus of GHERG will be to identify the "gap areas" where not much information is available and/or where there is a lot of uncertainty present about the accuracy of the existing estimates. This approach should serve to complement the existing WHO and IHME estimates and to represent added value to both efforts.

Exploration Gap Assessment (FY13 Update)

DOE Data Explorer

Dan Getman

2013-09-30

This submission contains an update to the previous Exploration Gap Assessment funded in 2012, which identify high potential hydrothermal areas where critical data are needed (gap analysis on exploration data). The uploaded data are contained in two data files for each data category: A shape (SHP) file containing the grid, and a data file (CSV) containing the individual layers that intersected with the grid. This CSV can be joined with the map to retrieve a list of datasets that are available at any given site. A grid of the contiguous U.S. was created with 88,000 10-km by 10-km grid cells, and each cell was populated with the status of data availability corresponding to five data types: 1. well data 2. geologic maps 3. fault maps 4. geochemistry data 5. geophysical data

A Gap in TW Hydrae's Disk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2016-01-01

Located a mere 176 light-years away, TW Hydrae is an 8-million-year-old star surrounded by a nearly face-on disk of gas and dust. Recent observations have confirmed the existence of a gap within that disk a particularly intriguing find, since gaps can sometimes signal the presence of a planet.Gaps and PlanetsNumerical simulations have shown that newly-formed planets orbiting within dusty disks can clear the gas and dust out of their paths. This process results in pressure gradients that can be seen in the density structure of the disk, in the form of visible gaps, rings, or spirals.For this reason, finding a gap in a protoplanetary disk can be an exciting discovery. Previous observations of the disk around TW Hydrae had indicated that there might be a gap present, but they were limited in their resolution; despite TW Hydraes relative nearness, attempting to observe the dim light scattered off dust particles in a disk surrounding a distant, bright star is difficult!But a team led by Valerie Rapson (Rochester Institute of Technology, Dudley Observatory) recently set out to follow up on this discovery using a powerful tool: the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI).New ObservationsComparison of the actual image of TW Hydraes disk from GPI (right) to a simulated scattered-light image from a model of a ~0.2 Jupiter-mass planet orbiting in the disk at ~21 AU (left) in two different bands (top: J, bottom: K1).[Adapted from Rapson et al. 2015]GPI is an instrument on the Gemini South Telescope in Chile. Its near-infrared imagers, equipped with extreme adaptive optics, allowed it to probe the disk from ~80 AU all the way in to ~10 AU from the central star, with an unprecedented resolution of ~1.5 AU.These observations from GPI allowed Rapson and collaborators to unambiguously confirm the presence of a gap in TW Hydraes disk. The gap lies at a distance of ~23 AU from the central star (roughly the same distance as Uranus to the Sun), and its ~5 AU wide.Modeled PossibilitiesThere are a

hnRNP-Q1 represses nascent axon growth in cortical neurons by inhibiting Gap-43 mRNA translation

PubMed Central

Williams, Kathryn R.; McAninch, Damian S.; Stefanovic, Snezana; Xing, Lei; Allen, Megan; Li, Wenqi; Feng, Yue; Mihailescu, Mihaela Rita; Bassell, Gary J.

2016-01-01

Posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression by mRNA-binding proteins is critical for neuronal development and function. hnRNP-Q1 is an mRNA-binding protein that regulates mRNA processing events, including translational repression. hnRNP-Q1 is highly expressed in brain tissue, suggesting a function in regulating genes critical for neuronal development. In this study, we have identified Growth-associated protein 43 (Gap-43) mRNA as a novel target of hnRNP-Q1 and have demonstrated that hnRNP-Q1 represses Gap-43 mRNA translation and consequently GAP-43 function. GAP-43 is a neuronal protein that regulates actin dynamics in growth cones and facilitates axonal growth. Previous studies have identified factors that regulate Gap-43 mRNA stability and localization, but it remains unclear whether Gap-43 mRNA translation is also regulated. Our results reveal that hnRNP-Q1 knockdown increased nascent axon length, total neurite length, and neurite number in mouse embryonic cortical neurons and enhanced Neuro2a cell process extension; these phenotypes were rescued by GAP-43 knockdown. Additionally, we have identified a G-quadruplex structure in the 5′ untranslated region of Gap-43 mRNA that directly interacts with hnRNP-Q1 as a means to inhibit Gap-43 mRNA translation. Therefore hnRNP-Q1–mediated repression of Gap-43 mRNA translation provides an additional mechanism for regulating GAP-43 expression and function and may be critical for neuronal development. PMID:26658614

Gender Wage Gaps by College Major in Taiwan: Empirical Evidence from the 1997-2003 Manpower Utilization Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Eric S.

2010-01-01

In this article, we examine the effect of incorporating the fields of study on the explained and unexplained components of the standard Oaxaca decomposition for the gender wage gaps in Taiwan using 1997-2003 Manpower Utilization Survey data. Using several existing and lately developed measures, we inspect the gender wage gap by college major to…

The effect of temporal gap identification on speech perception by users of cochlear implants

PubMed Central

Sagi, Elad; Kaiser, Adam R.; Meyer, Ted A.; Svirsky, Mario A.

2008-01-01

Purpose This study examined the ability of listeners using cochlear implants (CIs) and listeners with normal-hearing (NH) to identify silent gaps of different duration, and the relation of this ability to speech understanding in CI users. Method Sixteen NH adults and eleven postlingually deafened adults with CIs identified synthetic vowel-like stimuli that were either continuous or contained an intervening silent gap ranging from 15 to 90 ms. Cumulative d’, an index of discriminability, was calculated for each participant. Consonant and CNC word identification tasks were administered to the CI group. Results Overall, the ability to identify stimuli with gaps of different duration was better for the NH group than for the CI group. Seven CI users had cumulative d' scores that were no higher than those of any NH listener, and their CNC word scores ranged from 0 to 30%. The other four CI users had cumulative d’ scores within the range of the NH group, and their CNC word scores ranged from 46% to 68%. For the CI group, cumulative d’ scores were significantly correlated with their speech testing scores. Conclusions The ability to identify silent gap duration may help explain individual differences in speech perception by CI users. PMID:18806216

Systemic accident analysis: examining the gap between research and practice.

PubMed

Underwood, Peter; Waterson, Patrick

2013-06-01

The systems approach is arguably the dominant concept within accident analysis research. Viewing accidents as a result of uncontrolled system interactions, it forms the theoretical basis of various systemic accident analysis (SAA) models and methods. Despite the proposed benefits of SAA, such as an improved description of accident causation, evidence within the scientific literature suggests that these techniques are not being used in practice and that a research-practice gap exists. The aim of this study was to explore the issues stemming from research and practice which could hinder the awareness, adoption and usage of SAA. To achieve this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 42 safety experts from ten countries and a variety of industries, including rail, aviation and maritime. This study suggests that the research-practice gap should be closed and efforts to bridge the gap should focus on ensuring that systemic methods meet the needs of practitioners and improving the communication of SAA research. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hollow-Core Photonic Band Gap Fibers for Particle Acceleration

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

Noble, Robert J.; Spencer, James E.; /SLAC

Photonic band gap (PBG) dielectric fibers with hollow cores are being studied both theoretically and experimentally for use as laser driven accelerator structures. The hollow core functions as both a longitudinal waveguide for the transverse-magnetic (TM) accelerating fields and a channel for the charged particles. The dielectric surrounding the core is permeated by a periodic array of smaller holes to confine the mode, forming a photonic crystal fiber in which modes exist in frequency pass-bands, separated by band gaps. The hollow core acts as a defect which breaks the crystal symmetry, and so-called defect, or trapped modes having frequencies inmore » the band gap will only propagate near the defect. We describe the design of 2-D hollow-core PBG fibers to support TM defect modes with high longitudinal fields and high characteristic impedance. Using as-built dimensions of industrially-made fibers, we perform a simulation analysis of the first prototype PBG fibers specifically designed to support speed-of-light TM modes.« less

Phononic Band Gaps in 2D Quadratic and 3D Cubic Cellular Structures.

PubMed

Warmuth, Franziska; Körner, Carolin

2015-12-02

The static and dynamic mechanical behaviour of cellular materials can be designed by the architecture of the underlying unit cell. In this paper, the phononic band structure of 2D and 3D cellular structures is investigated. It is shown how the geometry of the unit cell influences the band structure and eventually leads to full band gaps. The mechanism leading to full band gaps is elucidated. Based on this knowledge, a 3D cellular structure with a broad full band gap is identified. Furthermore, the dependence of the width of the gap on the geometry parameters of the unit cell is presented.

International Space Exploration Coordination Group Assessment of Technology Gaps for Dust Mitigation for the Global Exploration Roadmap

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaier, James R.; Vangen, Scott; Abel, Phil; Agui, Juan; Buffington, Jesse; Calle, Carlos; Mary, Natalie; Smith, Jonathan Drew; Straka, Sharon; Mugnuolo, Raffaele;

Gap state analysis in electric-field-induced band gap for bilayer graphene.

PubMed

Kanayama, Kaoru; Nagashio, Kosuke

2015-10-29

The origin of the low current on/off ratio at room temperature in dual-gated bilayer graphene field-effect transistors is considered to be the variable range hopping in gap states. However, the quantitative estimation of gap states has not been conducted. Here, we report the systematic estimation of the energy gap by both quantum capacitance and transport measurements and the density of states for gap states by the conductance method. An energy gap of ~ 250 meV is obtained at the maximum displacement field of ~ 3.1 V/nm, where the current on/off ratio of ~ 3 × 10(3) is demonstrated at 20 K. The density of states for the gap states are in the range from the latter half of 10(12) to 10(13) eV(-1) cm(-2). Although the large amount of gap states at the interface of high-k oxide/bilayer graphene limits the current on/off ratio at present, our results suggest that the reduction of gap states below ~ 10(11) eV(-1) cm(-2) by continual improvement of the gate stack makes bilayer graphene a promising candidate for future nanoelectronic device applications.

Finite Element Analysis of Composite Joint Configurations with Gaps and Overlaps

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krueger, Ronald

2014-01-01

The goal of the current study is to identify scenarios for which thermal and moisture effects become significant in the loading of a composite structure. In the current work, a simple configuration was defined, and material properties were selected. A Fortran routine was created to automate the mesh generation process. The routine was used to create the models for the initial mesh refinement study. A combination of element length and width suitable for further studies was identified. Also, the effect of the overlap length and gap length on computed shear and through-thickness stresses along the bondline of the joints was studied for the mechanical load case. Further, the influence of neighboring gaps and overlaps on these joint stresses was studied and was found to be negligible. The results suggest that for an initial study it is sufficient to focus on one configuration with fixed overlap and gap lengths to study the effects of mechanical, thermal and moisture loading and combinations thereof on computed joint stresses

The SI-Gap: How British Units Are Impeding Advances in STEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, M. P.; Cook, Courtney J.

2017-11-01

The United States is one of only three countries in the world that remain uncommitted to the metric system. Perhaps to policymakers the decision to hang on to miles, pounds, and gallons is one of tradition. However, as a physics teacher I have seen firsthand how growing up with U.S. Customary Units (commonly called by the pseudonym "British Units") has negatively impacted my students. Sure, they can convert between "British" and SI units; and they can effectively toggle between SI prefixes. However, they typically lack intuition regarding the values they express in SI. This is a major problem, but is by no means a criticism against them. Their disadvantage is the result of a unique learning gap that exists in the United States. I call it the SI(sī)-gap. The SI-gap not only impedes our ability as teachers to inspire students when it comes to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); it also prevents our students from properly assessing the validity of their own results. As we shall soon see, the SI-gap carries consequences beyond the classroom. If we are to solve the problems that relate to the SI-gap, we need to reform the way we introduce SI units to the current generation of students.

Study protocol: identifying and delivering point-of-care information to improve care coordination.

PubMed

Hysong, Sylvia J; Che, Xinxuan; Weaver, Sallie J; Petersen, Laura A

2015-10-19

The need for deliberately coordinated care is noted by many national-level organizations. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently transitioned primary care clinics nationwide into Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACTs) to provide more accessible, coordinated, comprehensive, and patient-centered care. To better serve this purpose, PACTs must be able to successfully sequence and route interdependent tasks to appropriate team members while also maintaining collective situational awareness (coordination). Although conceptual frameworks of care coordination exist, few explicitly articulate core behavioral markers of coordination or the related information needs of team members attempting to synchronize complex care processes across time for a shared patient population. Given this gap, we partnered with a group of frontline primary care personnel at ambulatory care sites to identify the specific information needs of PACT members that will enable them to coordinate their efforts to provide effective, coordinated care. The study has three objectives: (1) development of measurable, prioritized point-of-care criteria for effective PACT coordination; (2) identifying the specific information needed at the point of care to optimize coordination; and (3) assessing the effect of adopting the aforementioned coordination standards on PACT clinicians' coordination behaviors. The study consists of three phases. In phase 1, we will employ the Productivity Measurement and Enhancement System (ProMES), a structured approach to performance measure creation from industrial/organizational psychology, to develop coordination measures with a design team of 6-10 primary care personnel; in phase 2, we will conduct focus groups with the phase 1 design team to identify point-of-care information needs. Phase 3 is a two-arm field experiment (n PACT = 28/arm); intervention arm PACTs will receive monthly feedback reports using the measures developed in phase 1 and attend brief monthly

Lyme disease ecology in a changing world: Consensus, uncertainty and critical gaps for improving control

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kilpatrick, A. Marm; Dobson, Andrew D.M.; Levi, Taal; Salkeld, Daniel J.; Swei, Andrea; Ginsberg, Howard; Kjemtrup, Anne; Padgett, Kerry A.; Jensen, Per A.; Fish, Durland; Ogden, Nick H.; Diuk-Wasser, Maria A.

2017-01-01

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in temperate regions of North America, Europe and Asia, and the number of reported cases has increased in many regions as landscapes have been altered. Although there has been extensive work on the ecology and epidemiology of this disease in both Europe and North America, substantial uncertainty exists about fundamental aspects that determine spatial and temporal variation in both disease risk and human incidence, which hamper effective and efficient prevention and control. Here we describe areas of consensus that can be built on, identify areas of uncertainty and outline research needed to fill these gaps to facilitate predictive models of disease risk and the development of novel disease control strategies. Key areas of uncertainty include: (i) the precise influence of deer abundance on tick abundance, (ii) how tick populations are regulated, (iii) assembly of host communities and tick-feeding patterns across different habitats, (iv) reservoir competence of host species, and (v) pathogenicity for humans of different genotypes of Borrelia burgdorferi. Filling these knowledge gaps will improve Lyme disease prevention and control and provide general insights into the drivers and dynamics of this emblematic multi-host–vector-borne zoonotic disease.

The role of engineered materials in superconducting tunnel junction X-ray detectors - Suppression of quasiparticle recombination losses via a phononic band gap

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rippert, Edward D.; Ketterson, John B.; Chen, Jun; Song, Shenian; Lomatch, Susanne; Maglic, Stevan R.; Thomas, Christopher; Cheida, M. A.; Ulmer, Melville P.

1992-01-01

An engineered structure is proposed that can alleviate quasi-particle recombination losses via the existence of a phononic band gap that overlaps the 2-Delta energy of phonons produced during recombination of quasi-particles. Attention is given to a 1D Kronig-Penny model for phonons normally incident to the layers of a multilayered superconducting tunnel junction as an idealized example. A device with a high density of Bragg resonances is identified as desirable; both Nb/Si and NbN/SiN superlattices have been produced, with the latter having generally superior performance.

Mapping how information about childhood vaccination is communicated in two regions of Cameroon: What is done and where are the gaps?

PubMed

Ames, Heather; Njang, Diangha Mabel; Glenton, Claire; Fretheim, Atle; Kaufman, Jessica; Hill, Sophie; Oku, Afiong; Cliff, Julie; Cartier, Yuri; Bosch-Capblanch, Xavier; Rada, Gabriel; Muloliwa, Artur; Oyo-Ita, Angela; Lewin, Simon

2015-12-21

The 'Communicate to vaccinate' (COMMVAC) project builds research evidence for improving communication with parents and communities about childhood vaccinations in low- and middle-income countries. Understanding and mapping the range of vaccination communication strategies used in different settings is an important component of this work. In this part of the COMMVAC project, our objectives were: (1) to identify the vaccination communication interventions used in two regions of Cameroon; (2) to apply the COMMVAC taxonomy, a global taxonomy of vaccination communication interventions, to these communication interventions to help us classify these interventions, including their purposes and target audiences; and identify whether gaps in purpose or target audiences exist; (3) to assess the COMMVAC taxonomy as a research tool for data collection and analysis. We used the following qualitative methods to identify communication strategies in the Central and North West Regions of Cameroon in the first half of 2014: interviews with program managers, non-governmental organizations, vaccinators, parents and community members; observations and informal conversations during routine immunization clinics and three rounds of the National Polio Immunization Campaign; and document analysis of reports and mass media communications about vaccination. A survey of parents and caregivers was also done. We organised the strategies using the COMMVAC taxonomy and produced a map of Cameroon-specific interventions, which we presented to local stakeholders for feedback. Our map of the interventions used in Cameroon suggests that most childhood vaccination communication interventions focus on national campaigns against polio rather than routine immunisation. The map also indicates that most communication interventions target communities more broadly, rather than parents, and that very few interventions target health workers. The majority of the communication interventions aimed to inform or

Global disparities in the epilepsy treatment gap: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Dua, Tarun; Ma, Juliana; Saxena, Shekhar; Birbeck, Gretchen

2010-01-01

Abstract Objective To describe the magnitude and variation of the epilepsy treatment gap worldwide. Methods We conducted a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature published from 1 January 1987 to 1 September 2007 in all languages using PubMed and EMBASE. The purpose was to identify population-based studies of epilepsy prevalence that reported the epilepsy treatment gap, defined as the proportion of people with epilepsy who require but do not receive treatment. Negative binomial regression models were used to assess trends and associations. Findings The treatment gap was over 75% in low-income countries and over 50% in most lower middle- and upper middle-income countries, while many high-income countries had gaps of less than 10%. However, treatment gaps varied widely both between and within countries. They were significantly higher in rural areas (rate ratio, RR: 2.01; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.40–2.89) and countries with lower World Bank income classification (RR: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.32–1.82). There was no significant trend in treatment gap over time (RR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.79–1.07). Conclusion There is dramatic global disparity in the care for epilepsy between high- and low- income countries, and between rural and urban settings. Our understanding of the factors affecting the treatment gap is limited; future investigations should explore other potential explanations of the gap. PMID:20431789

Key strategies to improve systems for managing patient complaints within health facilities – what can we learn from the existing literature?

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: Information from patient complaints – a widely accepted measure of patient satisfaction with services – can inform improvements in service quality, and contribute towards overall health systems performance. While analyses of data from patient complaints received much emphasis, there is limited published literature on key interventions to improve complaint management systems. Objectives: The objectives are two-fold: first, to synthesise existing evidence and provide practical options to inform future policy and practice and, second, to identify key outstanding gaps in the existing literature to inform agenda for future research. Methods: We report results of review of the existing literature. Peer-reviewed published literature was searched in OVID Medline, OVID Global Health and PubMed. In addition, relevant citations from the reviewed articles were followed up, and we also report grey literature from the UK and the Netherlands. Results: Effective interventions can improve collection of complaints (e.g. establishing easy-to-use channels and raising patients’ awareness of these), analysis of complaint data (e.g. creating structures and spaces for analysis and learning from complaints data), and subsequent action (e.g. timely feedback to complainants and integrating learning from complaints into service quality improvement). No one single measure can be sufficient, and any intervention to improve patient complaint management system must include different components, which need to be feasible, effective, scalable, and sustainable within local context. Conclusions: Effective interventions to strengthen patient complaints systems need to be: comprehensive, integrated within existing systems, context-specific and cognizant of the information asymmetry and the unequal power relations between the key actors. Four gaps in the published literature represent an agenda for future research: limited understanding of contexts of effective interventions

A new approach to high-efficiency multi-band-gap solar cells

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

Barnham, K.W.J.; Duggan, G.

1990-04-01

The advantages of using multi-quantum-well or superlattice systems as the absorbers in concentrator solar cells are discussed. By adjusting the quantum-well width, an effective band-gap variation that covers the high-efficiency region of the solar spectrum can be obtained. Higher efficiencies should result from the ability to optimize separately current and voltage generating factors. Suitable structures to ensure good carrier separation and collection and to obtain higher open-circuit voltages are presented using the (AlGa)As/GaAs/(InGa)As system. Efficiencies above existing single-band-gap limits should be achievable, with upper limits in excess of 40%.

DNA barcoding a nightmare taxon: assessing barcode index numbers and barcode gaps for sweat bees.

PubMed

Gibbs, Jason

2018-01-01

There is an ongoing campaign to DNA barcode the world's >20 000 bee species. Recent revisions of Lasioglossum (Dialictus) (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) for Canada and the eastern United States were completed using integrative taxonomy. DNA barcode data from 110 species of L. (Dialictus) are examined for their value in identification and discovering additional taxonomic diversity. Specimen identification success was estimated using the best close match method. Error rates were 20% relative to current taxonomic understanding. Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) assigned using Refined Single Linkage Analysis (RESL) and barcode gaps using the Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD) method were also assessed. RESL was incongruent for 44.5% of species, although some cryptic diversity may exist. Forty-three of 110 species were part of merged BINs with multiple species. The barcode gap is non-existent for the data set as a whole and ABGD showed levels of discordance similar to the RESL. The viridatum species-group is particularly problematic, so that DNA barcodes alone would be misleading for species delimitation and specimen identification. Character-based methods using fixed nucleotide substitutions could improve specimen identification success in some cases. The use of DNA barcoding for species discovery for standard taxonomic practice in the absence of a well-defined barcode gap is discussed.

Observation of multiple superconducting gaps in Fe1+y Se x Te 1-x through Andreev reflection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de, Debtanu; Diaz-Pinto, Carlos; Wu, Zheng; Hor, Pei-Herng; Peng, Haibing

2011-03-01

Iron-based superconductors have been under intensive study because of the high transition temperature and the intriguing physical mechanisms involving the superconductivity and magnetic orders. Theoretical studies on the role of spin fluctuation suggest unconventional S wave pairing and multiple superconducting (SC) gaps due to the five disjoint Fermi surfaces. However, this multiple SC-gap scenario has yet to be confirmed in experiments. Here we report the experimental observation of five SC gaps in Fe 1+y Se x Te 1-x from Andreev reflection spectra, along with negative differential conductance dips due to the pair breaking related to the largest SC gap. The evolution of the multiple SC gaps is further investigated as a function of both temperature and magnetic field. For the largest SC gap, the Andreev reflection signal persists above bulk Tc, suggesting the existence of phase incoherent Cooper pairs.

Inverse problem of the vibrational band gap of periodically supported beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Xiaona; Shu, Haisheng; Dong, Fuzhen; Zhao, Lei

2017-04-01

The researches of periodic structures have a long history with the main contents confined in the field of forward problem. In this paper, the inverse problem is considered and an overall frame is proposed which includes two main stages, i.e., the band gap criterion and its optimization. As a preliminary investigation, the inverse problem of the flexural vibrational band gap of a periodically supported beam is analyzed. According to existing knowledge of its forward problem, the band gap criterion is given in implicit form. Then, two cases with three independent parameters, namely the double supported case and the triple one, are studied in detail and the explicit expressions of the feasible domain are constructed by numerical fitting. Finally, the parameter optimization of the double supported case with three variables is conducted using genetic algorithm aiming for the best mean attenuation within specified frequency band.

Gage Measures Recessed Gaps

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zepeda, J. L.

1983-01-01

New tool measures separation between recessed parallel surfaces. Tiles have overhanging edges, tool designed to slip into gap from end so it extends through 0.040-inch crack. Measure gaps between 0.200 and 0.400 inch so gap fillers of proper thickness can be selected. Useful in numerous industrial situation involving gap measurements in inaccessable places.

A gap analysis approach to assess patient persistence with glaucoma medication.

PubMed

Lee, Paul P; Walt, John G; Chiang, Tina H; Guckian, Angela; Keener, John

2007-10-01

To develop an alternative method for analysis of patient persistence with prescribed medications using the prostaglandin class of intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering drugs as a model. A retrospective study of prescription refill patterns. Patients with a pharmacy claim for a 2.5 ml bottle of latanoprost, travoprost, or bimatoprost between September 1, 2002 and December 31, 2002 were identified from a retail pharmacy database and were followed up for 12 months. Three separate analyses defined gaps in therapy as spans in excess of 45, 60, or 120 days without a refill for the same medication. Patients were categorized by the number of gaps in therapy and the cumulative length of gaps. A Kaplan-Meier analysis was conducted using a 120-day allowable refill period. For refill periods of 45, 60, and 120 days, 10.6%, 28.6%, and 77.5% of patients, respectively, had no gaps in therapy, and 32.6%, 53.4%, and 86.5%, respectively, had 30 days or fewer off therapy annually. According to the 45-day threshold analysis, 50.7% of patients had three or more gaps vs 18.5% in the 60-day analysis and none in the 120-day analysis. The Kaplan-Meier curve shows 88.6% and 76.1% of patients were persistent for 120 days and one year, respectively. Compared with Kaplan-Meier survival curves, the gap analysis approach may better parallel clinical experience with patient persistence, in which patients stop and restart medications for a variety of reasons over time. This method also may help to identify avenues for investigation of lack of persistency among many patients.

Gender Gaps in Achievement and Participation in Multiple Introductory Biology Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eddy, Sarah L.; Brownell, Sara E.; Wenderoth, Mary Pat

2014-01-01

Although gender gaps have been a major concern in male-dominated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines such as physics and engineering, the numerical dominance of female students in biology has supported the assumption that gender disparities do not exist at the undergraduate level in life sciences. Using data from 23 large…

Gaps in the existing public health informatics training programs: a challenge to the development of a skilled global workforce.

PubMed

Joshi, Ashish; Perin, Douglas Marcel Puricelli

2012-01-01

The objective of this study was to explore public health informatics (PHI) training programs that currently exist to meet the growing demand for a trained global workforce. We used several search engines, scientific databases, and the websites of informatics organizations; sources included PubMed, Google, the American Medical Informatics Organization, and the International Medical Informatics Organization. The search was conducted from May to July 2011 and from January to February 2012 using key words such as informatics, public health informatics, or biomedical informatics along with academic programs, training, certificate, graduate programs, or postgraduate programs. Course titles and catalog descriptions were gathered from the program or institution websites. Variables included PHI program categories, location and mode of delivery, program credits, and costs. Each course was then categorized based on its title and description as available on the Internet. Finally, we matched course titles and descriptions with the competencies for PHIs determined by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Descriptive analysis was performed to report means and frequency distributions for continuous and categorical variables. Stratified analysis was performed to explore average credits and cost per credit among both the public and private institutions. Fifteen PHI programs were identified across 13 different institutions, the majority of which were US-based. The average number of credits and the associated costs required to obtain PHI training were much higher in private as compared to public institutions. The study results suggest that a need for online contextual and cost-effective PHI training programs exists to address the growing needs of professionals worldwide who are using technology to improve public health in their respective countries.

Phononic Band Gaps in 2D Quadratic and 3D Cubic Cellular Structures

PubMed Central

Warmuth, Franziska; Körner, Carolin

2015-01-01

The static and dynamic mechanical behaviour of cellular materials can be designed by the architecture of the underlying unit cell. In this paper, the phononic band structure of 2D and 3D cellular structures is investigated. It is shown how the geometry of the unit cell influences the band structure and eventually leads to full band gaps. The mechanism leading to full band gaps is elucidated. Based on this knowledge, a 3D cellular structure with a broad full band gap is identified. Furthermore, the dependence of the width of the gap on the geometry parameters of the unit cell is presented. PMID:28793713

Do air-gaps behind soft body armour affect protection?

PubMed

Tilsley, Lee; Carr, D J; Lankester, C; Malbon, C

2018-02-01

Body armour typically comprises a fabric garment covering the torso combined with hard armour (ceramic/composite). Some users wear only soft armour which provides protection from sharp weapons and pistol ammunition. It is usually recommended that body armour is worn against the body with no air-gaps being present between the wearer and the armour. However, air-gaps can occur in certain situations such as females around the breasts, in badly fitting armour and where manufacturers have incorporated an air-gap claiming improvements in thermophysiological burden. The effect of an air-gap on the ballistic protection and the back face signature (BFS) as a result of a non-perforating ballistic impact was determined. Armour panels representative of typical police armour (400x400 mm) were mounted on calibrated Roma Plastilina No 1 and impacted with 9 mm Luger FMJ (9×19 mm; full metal jacket; Dynamit Nobel DM11A1B2) ammunition at 365±10 m/s with a range of air-gaps (0-15 mm). Whether or not the ammunition perforated the armour was noted, the BFS was measured and the incidence of pencilling (a severe, deep and narrow BFS) was identified. For 0° impacts, a critical air-gap size of 10 mm is detrimental to armour performance for the armour/ammunition combination assessed in this work. Specifically, the incidences of pencilling were more common with a 10 mm air-gap and resulted in BFS depth:volume ratios ≥1.0. For impacts at 30° the armour was susceptible to perforation irrespective of air-gap. This work suggested that an air-gap behind police body armour might result in an increased likelihood of injury. It is recommended that body armour is worn with no air-gap underneath. © 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.

Mechanics of Fluid-Filled Interstitial Gaps. II. Gap Characteristics in Xenopus Embryonic Ectoderm.

PubMed

Barua, Debanjan; Parent, Serge E; Winklbauer, Rudolf

2017-08-22

The ectoderm of the Xenopus embryo is permeated by a network of channels that appear in histological sections as interstitial gaps. We characterized this interstitial space by measuring gap sizes, angles formed between adjacent cells, and curvatures of cell surfaces at gaps. From these parameters, and from surface-tension values measured previously, we estimated the values of critical mechanical variables that determine gap sizes and shapes in the ectoderm, using a general model of interstitial gap mechanics. We concluded that gaps of 1-4 μm side length can be formed by the insertion of extracellular matrix fluid at three-cell junctions such that cell adhesion is locally disrupted and a tension difference between cell-cell contacts and the free cell surface at gaps of 0.003 mJ/m 2 is generated. Furthermore, a cell hydrostatic pressure of 16.8 ± 1.7 Pa and an interstitial pressure of 3.9 ± 3.6 Pa, relative to the central blastocoel cavity of the embryo, was found to be consistent with the observed gap size and shape distribution. Reduction of cell adhesion by the knockdown of C-cadherin increased gap volume while leaving intracellular and interstitial pressures essentially unchanged. In both normal and adhesion-reduced ectoderm, cortical tension of the free cell surfaces at gaps does not return to the high values characteristic of the free surface of the whole tissue. Copyright © 2017 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Economic Benefits of Closing Educational Achievement Gaps: Promoting Growth and Strengthening the Nation by Improving the Educational Outcomes of Children of Color

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lynch, Robert G.; Oakford, Patrick

2014-01-01

Our nation is currently experiencing growing levels of income and wealth inequality, which are contributing to longstanding racial and ethnic gaps in education outcomes and other areas. This report quantifies the economic benefits of closing one of the most harmful racial and ethnic gaps: the educational achievement gap that exists between black…

[Good agricultural practice (GAP) of Chinese materia medica (CMM) for ten years: achievements, problems and proposals].

PubMed

Guo, Lan-Ping; Zhang, Yan; Zhu, Shou-Dong; Wang, Gui-Hua; Wang, Xiu; Zhang, Xiao-Bo; Chen, Mei-Lan; He, Ya-Li; Han, Bang-Xing; Chen, Nai-Fu; Huang, Lu-Qi

2014-04-01

This paper aims to summarize the achievements during the implementation process of good agricultural practice (GAP) in Chinese Materia Medica (CMM), and on basis of analyzing the existing problems of GAP, to propose further implementation of GAP in TCM growing. Since the launch of GAP in CMM growing ten years ago, it has acquired great achievements, including: (1) The promulgation of a series of measures for the administration of the GAP approval in the CMM growing; (2) The expanded planting area of CMM; (3) The increased awareness of standardized CMM growing among farmers and enterprises; (4) The establishment of GAP implementation bases for CMM growing; (5) The improvement of theory and methodology for CMM growing; (6) The development of a large group of experts and scholars in GAP approval for CMM production. The problems existing in the production include: (1) A deep understanding of GAP and its certification is still needed; (2) The distribution of the certification base is not reasonable; (3) The geo-economics effect and the backward farming practices are thought to be the bottlenecks in the standardization of CMM growing and the scale production of CMM; (4) Low comparative effectiveness limits the development of the GAP; (5) The base of breeding improved variety is blank; (6) The immature of the cultivation technique lead to the risk of production process; (7) The degradation of soil microbial and the continuous cropping obstacle restrict the sustainable development of the GAP base. To further promote the health and orderly GAP in the CMM growing, the authors propose: (1) To change the mode of production; (2) To establish a sound standard system so as to ensure quality products for fair prices; (3) To fully consider the geo-economic culture and vigorously promote the definite cultivating of traditional Chinese medicinal materials; (4) To strengthen the transformation and generalization of basic researches and achievements, in order to provide technical

Gap features of layered iron-selenium-tellurium compound below and above the superconducting transition temperature by break-junction spectroscopy combined with STS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekino, T.; Sugimoto, A.; Gabovich, A. M.

2018-05-01

We studied correlations between the superconducting gap features of Te-substituted FeSe observed by scanning tunnelling spectroscopy (STS) and break-junction tunnelling spectroscopy (BJTS). At bias voltages outside the superconducting gap-energy range, the broad gap structure exists, which becomes the normal-state gap above the critical temperature, T c. Such behaviour is consistent with the model of the partially gapped density-wave superconductor involving both superconducting gaps and pseudogaps, which has been applied by us earlier to high-Tc cuprates. The similarity suggests that the parent electronic spectrum features should have much in common for these classes of materials.

The gap-startle paradigm to assess auditory temporal processing: Bridging animal and human research.

PubMed

Fournier, Philippe; Hébert, Sylvie

2016-05-01

The gap-prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle (GPIAS) paradigm is the primary test used in animal research to identify gap detection thresholds and impairment. When a silent gap is presented shortly before a loud startling stimulus, the startle reflex is inhibited and the extent of inhibition is assumed to reflect detection. Here, we applied the same paradigm in humans. One hundred and fifty-seven normal-hearing participants were tested using one of five gap durations (5, 25, 50, 100, 200 ms) in one of the following two paradigms-gap-embedded in or gap-following-the continuous background noise. The duration-inhibition relationship was observable for both conditions but followed different patterns. In the gap-embedded paradigm, GPIAS increased significantly with gap duration up to 50 ms and then more slowly up to 200 ms (trend only). In contrast, in the gap-following paradigm, significant inhibition-different from 0--was observable only at gap durations from 50 to 200 ms. The finding that different patterns are found depending on gap position within the background noise is compatible with distinct mechanisms underlying each of the two paradigms. © 2016 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Pannexins and gap junction protein diversity.

PubMed

Shestopalov, V I; Panchin, Y

2008-02-01

Gap junctions (GJs) are composed of proteins that form a channel connecting the cytoplasm of adjacent cells. Connexins were initially considered to be the only proteins capable of GJ formation. Another family of GJ proteins (innexins) were first found in invertebrates and were proposed to be renamed pannexins after their orthologs were discovered in vertebrates. The lack of both connexins and pannexins in the genomes of some metazoans suggests that other, still undiscovered GJ proteins exist. In vertebrates, connexins and pannexins co-exist. Here we discuss whether vertebrate pannexins have a nonredundant role in animal physiology. Pannexin channels appear to be suited for ATP and calcium signaling and play a role in the maintenance of calcium homeostasis by mechanisms implicating both GJ and nonjunctional function. Suggested roles in the ischemic death of neurons, schizophrenia, inflammation and tumor suppression have drawn much attention to exploring the molecular properties and cellular functions of pannexins.

A note on anomalous band-gap variations in semiconductors with temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty, P. K.; Mondal, B. N.

2018-03-01

An attempt is made to theoretically study the band-gap variations (ΔEg) in semiconductors with temperature following the works, did by Fan and O'Donnell et al. based on thermodynamic functions. The semiconductor band-gap reflects the bonding energy. An increase in temperature changes the chemical bondings, and electrons are promoted from valence band to conduction band. In their analyses, they made several approximations with respect to temperature and other fitting parameters leading to real values of band-gap variations with linear temperature dependences. In the present communication, we have tried to re-analyse the works, specially did by Fan, and derived an analytical model for ΔEg(T). Because, it was based on the second-order perturbation technique of thermodynamic functions. Our analyses are made without any approximations with respect to temperatures and other fitting parameters mentioned in the text, leading to a complex functions followed by an oscillating nature of the variations of ΔEg. In support of the existence of the oscillating energy band-gap variations with temperature in a semiconductor, possible physical explanations are provided to justify the experimental observation for various materials.

Integrating mental health into primary care in Nigeria: report of a demonstration project using the mental health gap action programme intervention guide.

PubMed

Gureje, Oye; Abdulmalik, Jibril; Kola, Lola; Musa, Emmanuel; Yasamy, Mohammad Taghi; Adebayo, Kazeem

2015-06-21

The World Mental Health Surveys conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) have shown that huge treatment gaps for severe mental disorders exist in both developed and developing countries. This gap is greatest in low and middle income countries (LMICs). Efforts to scale up mental health services in LMICs have to contend with the paucity of mental health professionals and health facilities providing specialist services for mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) disorders. A pragmatic solution is to improve access to care through the facilities that exist closest to the community, via a task-shifting strategy. This study describes a pilot implementation program to integrate mental health services into primary health care in Nigeria. The program was implemented over 18 months in 8 selected local government areas (LGAs) in Osun state of Nigeria, using the WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme Intervention Guide (mhGAP-IG), which had been contextualized for the local setting. A well supervised cascade training model was utilized, with Master Trainers providing training for the Facilitators, who in turn conducted several rounds of training for front-line primary health care workers. The first set of trainings by the Facilitators was supervised and mentored by the Master Trainers and refresher trainings were provided after 9 months. A total of 198 primary care workers, from 68 primary care clinics, drawn from 8 LGAs with a combined population of 966,714 were trained in the detection and management of four MNS conditions: moderate to severe major depression, psychosis, epilepsy, and alcohol use disorders, using the mhGAP-IG. Following training, there was a marked improvement in the knowledge and skills of the health workers and there was also a significant increase in the numbers of persons identified and treated for MNS disorders, and in the number of referrals. Even though substantial retention of gained knowledge was observed nine months after the initial

Planetary Protection Knowledge Gaps for Human Extraterrestrial Missions: Workshop Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Race, Margaret S. (Editor); Johnson, James E. (Editor); Spry, James A. (Editor); Siegel, Bette; Conley, Catharine A.

2015-01-01

This report on Planetary Protection Knowledge Gaps for Human Extraterrestrial Missions summarizes the presentations, deliberations and findings of a workshop at NASA Ames Research Center, March 24-26, 2015, which was attended by more than 100 participants representing a diverse mix of science, engineering, technology, and policy areas. The main objective of the three-day workshop was to identify specific knowledge gaps that need to be addressed to make incremental progress towards the development of NASA Procedural Requirements (NPRs) for Planetary Protection during human missions to Mars.

Detection of muscle gap by L-BIA in muscle injuries: clinical prognosis.

PubMed

Nescolarde, L; Yanguas, J; Terricabras, J; Lukaski, H; Alomar, X; Rosell-Ferrer, J; Rodas, G

2017-06-21

Sport-related muscle injury classifications are based basically on imaging criteria such as ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) without consensus because of a lack of clinical prognostics for return-to-play (RTP), which is conditioned upon the severity of the injury, and this in turn with the muscle gap (muscular fibers retraction). Recently, Futbol Club Barcelona's medical department proposed a new muscle injury classification in which muscle gap plays an important role, with the drawback that it is not always possible to identify by MRI. Localized bioimpedance measurement (L-BIA) has emerged as a non-invasive technique for supporting US and MRI to quantify the disrupted soft tissue structure in injured muscles. To correlate the severity of the injury according to the gap with the RTP, through the percent of change in resistance (R), reactance (Xc) and phase-angle (PA) by L-BIA measurements in 22 muscle injuries. After grouping the data according to the muscle gap (by MRI exam), there were significant differences in R between grade 1 and grade 2f (myotendinous or myofascial muscle injury with feather-like appearance), as well as between grade 2f and grade 2g (myotendinous or myofascial muscle injury with feather and gap). The Xc and PA values decrease significantly between each grade (i.e. 1 versus 2f, 1 versus 2g and 2f versus 2g). In addition, the severity of the muscle gap adversely affected the RTP with significant differences observed between 1 and 2g as well as between 2f and 2g. These results show that L-BIA could aid MRI and US in identifying the severity of an injured muscle according to muscle gap and therefore to accurately predict the RTP.

I Wish I Had (Not) Taken a Gap-Year? The Psychological and Attainment Outcomes of Different Post-School Pathways

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Philip D.; Thoemmes, Felix; Duineveld, Jasper J.; Salmela-Aro, Katariina

2015-01-01

Existing gap-year research indicates a number of benefits of a gap-year at the end of school and before university enrollment. Life span theory of control, however, suggests that direct goal investment, rather than delay, at developmental transitions is associated with more adaptive outcomes. Comparing these perspectives, the authors undertook 2…

Improving Labour Market Outcomes through Education and Training. Issues Paper No. 9. Produced for the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karmel, Tom; Misko, Josie; Blomberg, Davinia; Bednarz, Alice; Atkinson, Georgina

2014-01-01

In recent years, the level of participation and attainment by Indigenous Australians in education and training has improved, yet substantial gaps still exist between Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians. Education has to be a key focus if the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous employment rates is to be closed. This report…

Surgical site infection prevention: a survey to identify the gap between evidence and practice in University of Toronto teaching hospitals.

PubMed

Eskicioglu, Cagla; Gagliardi, Anna R; Fenech, Darlene S; Forbes, Shawn S; McKenzie, Marg; McLeod, Robin S; Nathens, Avery B

2012-08-01

A gap exists between the best evidence and practice with regards to surgical site infection (SSI) prevention. Awareness of evidence is the first step in knowledge translation. A web-based survey was distributed to 59 general surgeons and 68 residents at University of Toronto teaching hospitals. Five domains pertaining to SSI prevention with questions addressing knowledge of prevention strategies, efficacy of antibiotics, strategies for changing practice and barriers to implementation of SSI prevention strategies were investigated. Seventy-six individuals (60%) responded. More than 90% of respondents stated there was evidence for antibiotic prophylaxis and perioperative normothermia and reported use of these strategies. There was a discrepancy in the perceived evidence for and the self-reported use of perioperative hyperoxia, omission of hair removal and bowel preparation. Eighty-three percent of respondents felt that consulting published guidelines is important in making decisions regarding antibiotics. There was also a discrepancy between what respondents felt were important strategies to ensure timely administration of antibiotics and what strategies were in place. Checklists, standardized orders, protocols and formal surveillance programs were rated most highly by 75%-90% of respondents, but less than 50% stated that these strategies were in place at their institutions. Broad-reaching initiatives that increase surgeon and trainee awareness and implementation of multifaceted hospital strategies that engage residents and attending surgeons are needed to change practice.

The serum anion gap in the evaluation of acid-base disorders: what are its limitations and can its effectiveness be improved?

PubMed

Kraut, Jeffrey A; Nagami, Glenn T

2013-11-01

The serum anion gap has been utilized to identify errors in the measurement of electrolytes, to detect paraproteins, and, most relevant to the nephrologist, to evaluate patients with suspected acid-base disorders. In regard to the latter purpose, traditionally an increased anion gap is identified when it exceeds the upper limit of normal for a particular clinical laboratory measurement. However, because there is a wide range of normal values (often 8-10 mEq/L), an increase in anion concentration can be present in the absence of an increased anion gap. In addition, the type of retained anion can affect the magnitude of the increase in anion gap relative to change in serum [HCO3(-)] being greater with lactic acidosis compared with ketoacidosis. This review examines the methods of calculation of the serum anion gap in textbooks and published literature, the effect of perturbations other than changes in acid-base balance, and its effectiveness in identifying mild and more severe disturbances in acid-base balance. Limitations of the present methods of determining the normal anion gap and change in the anion gap are highlighted. The possibility of identifying the baseline value for individuals to optimize the use of the calculation in the detection of metabolic acidosis is suggested.

The Serum Anion Gap in the Evaluation of Acid-Base Disorders: What Are Its Limitations and Can Its Effectiveness Be Improved?

PubMed Central

Nagami, Glenn T.

2013-01-01

Summary The serum anion gap has been utilized to identify errors in the measurement of electrolytes, to detect paraproteins, and, most relevant to the nephrologist, to evaluate patients with suspected acid-base disorders. In regard to the latter purpose, traditionally an increased anion gap is identified when it exceeds the upper limit of normal for a particular clinical laboratory measurement. However, because there is a wide range of normal values (often 8–10 mEq/L), an increase in anion concentration can be present in the absence of an increased anion gap. In addition, the type of retained anion can affect the magnitude of the increase in anion gap relative to change in serum [HCO3−] being greater with lactic acidosis compared with ketoacidosis. This review examines the methods of calculation of the serum anion gap in textbooks and published literature, the effect of perturbations other than changes in acid-base balance, and its effectiveness in identifying mild and more severe disturbances in acid-base balance. Limitations of the present methods of determining the normal anion gap and change in the anion gap are highlighted. The possibility of identifying the baseline value for individuals to optimize the use of the calculation in the detection of metabolic acidosis is suggested. PMID:23833313

Acyl-protein thioesterase 2 catalyzes the deacylation of peripheral membrane-associated GAP-43.

PubMed

Tomatis, Vanesa M; Trenchi, Alejandra; Gomez, Guillermo A; Daniotti, Jose L

2010-11-30

An acylation/deacylation cycle is necessary to maintain the steady-state subcellular distribution and biological activity of S-acylated peripheral proteins. Despite the progress that has been made in identifying and characterizing palmitoyltransferases (PATs), much less is known about the thioesterases involved in protein deacylation. In this work, we investigated the deacylation of growth-associated protein-43 (GAP-43), a dually acylated protein at cysteine residues 3 and 4. Using fluorescent fusion constructs, we measured in vivo the rate of deacylation of GAP-43 and its single acylated mutants in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-K1 and human HeLa cells. Biochemical and live cell imaging experiments demonstrated that single acylated mutants were completely deacylated with similar kinetic in both cell types. By RT-PCR we observed that acyl-protein thioesterase 1 (APT-1), the only bona fide thioesterase shown to mediate deacylation in vivo, is expressed in HeLa cells, but not in CHO-K1 cells. However, APT-1 overexpression neither increased the deacylation rate of single acylated GAP-43 nor affected the steady-state subcellular distribution of dually acylated GAP-43 both in CHO-K1 and HeLa cells, indicating that GAP-43 deacylation is not mediated by APT-1. Accordingly, we performed a bioinformatic search to identify putative candidates with acyl-protein thioesterase activity. Among several candidates, we found that APT-2 is expressed both in CHO-K1 and HeLa cells and its overexpression increased the deacylation rate of single acylated GAP-43 and affected the steady-state localization of diacylated GAP-43 and H-Ras. Thus, the results demonstrate that APT-2 is the protein thioesterase involved in the acylation/deacylation cycle operating in GAP-43 subcellular distribution.

Design challenges and gaps in standards in developing an interoperable zero footprint DI thin client for use in image-enabled electronic health record solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agrawal, Arun; Koff, David; Bak, Peter; Bender, Duane; Castelli, Jane

2015-03-01

The deployment of regional and national Electronic Health Record solutions has been a focus of many countries throughout the past decade. A major challenge for these deployments has been support for ubiquitous image viewing. More specifically, these deployments require an imaging solution that can work over the Internet, leverage any point of service device: desktop, tablet, phone; and access imaging data from any source seamlessly. Whereas standards exist to enable ubiquitous image viewing, few if any solutions exist that leverage these standards and meet the challenge. Rather, most of the currently available web based DI viewing solutions are either proprietary solutions or require special plugins. We developed a true zero foot print browser based DI viewing solution based on the Web Access DICOM Objects (WADO) and Cross-enterprise Document Sharing for Imaging (XDS-I.b) standards to a) demonstrate that a truly ubiquitous image viewer can be deployed; b) identify the gaps in the current standards and the design challenges for developing such a solution. The objective was to develop a viewer, which works on all modern browsers on both desktop and mobile devices. The implementation allows basic viewing functionalities of scroll, zoom, pan and window leveling (limited). The major gaps identified in the current DICOM WADO standards are a lack of ability to allow any kind of 3D reconstruction or MPR views. Other design challenges explored include considerations related to optimization of the solution for response time and low memory foot print.

Applying revised gap analysis model in measuring hotel service quality.

PubMed

Lee, Yu-Cheng; Wang, Yu-Che; Chien, Chih-Hung; Wu, Chia-Huei; Lu, Shu-Chiung; Tsai, Sang-Bing; Dong, Weiwei

2016-01-01

With the number of tourists coming to Taiwan growing by 10-20 % since 2010, the number has increased due to an increasing number of foreign tourists, particularly after deregulation allowed admitting tourist groups, followed later on by foreign individual tourists, from mainland China. The purpose of this study is to propose a revised gap model to evaluate and improve service quality in Taiwanese hotel industry. Thus, service quality could be clearly measured through gap analysis, which was more effective for offering direction in developing and improving service quality. The HOLSERV instrument was used to identify and analyze service gaps from the perceptions of internal and external customers. The sample for this study included three main categories of respondents: tourists, employees, and managers. The results show that five gaps influenced tourists' evaluations of service quality. In particular, the study revealed that Gap 1 (management perceptions vs. customer expectations) and Gap 9 (service provider perceptions of management perceptions vs. service delivery) were more critical than the others in affecting perceived service quality, making service delivery the main area of improvement. This study contributes toward an evaluation of the service quality of the Taiwanese hotel industry from the perspectives of customers, service providers, and managers, which is considerably valuable for hotel managers. It was the aim of this study to explore all of these together in order to better understand the possible gaps in the hotel industry in Taiwan.

A Social Role Theory Perspective on Gender Gaps in Political Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diekman, Amanda B.; Schneider, Monica C.

2010-01-01

Men and women tend to espouse different political attitudes, as widely noted by both journalists and social scientists. A deeper understanding of why and when gender gaps exist is necessary because at least some gender differences in the political realm are both pervasive and impactful. In this article, we apply a social role theory framework to…

The Measured Black-White Wage Gap among Women Is Too Small.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neal, Derek

2004-01-01

Existing work suggests that black-white gaps in potential wages are much larger among men than women and further that black-white differences in patterns of female labor supply are unimportant. However, panel data on wages and income sources demonstrate that the modal young black woman who does not engage in market work is a single mother…

The Gender Gap in Undergraduate Business Programs in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ball, Jennifer Ann

2012-01-01

In the last several years there has been much scholarship in the area of the reverse gender gap in colleges and universities, as there have been more women than men attending and graduating from colleges and universities since the early 1980s. Little if any scholarship exists about students and recent graduates from undergraduate business programs…

Assessing cetacean surveys throughout the Mediterranean Sea: a gap analysis in environmental space.

PubMed

Mannocci, Laura; Roberts, Jason J; Halpin, Patrick N; Authier, Matthieu; Boisseau, Oliver; Bradai, Mohamed Nejmeddine; Cañadas, Ana; Chicote, Carla; David, Léa; Di-Méglio, Nathalie; Fortuna, Caterina M; Frantzis, Alexandros; Gazo, Manel; Genov, Tilen; Hammond, Philip S; Holcer, Draško; Kaschner, Kristin; Kerem, Dani; Lauriano, Giancarlo; Lewis, Tim; Notarbartolo di Sciara, Giuseppe; Panigada, Simone; Raga, Juan Antonio; Scheinin, Aviad; Ridoux, Vincent; Vella, Adriana; Vella, Joseph

2018-02-15

Heterogeneous data collection in the marine environment has led to large gaps in our knowledge of marine species distributions. To fill these gaps, models calibrated on existing data may be used to predict species distributions in unsampled areas, given that available data are sufficiently representative. Our objective was to evaluate the feasibility of mapping cetacean densities across the entire Mediterranean Sea using models calibrated on available survey data and various environmental covariates. We aggregated 302,481 km of line transect survey effort conducted in the Mediterranean Sea within the past 20 years by many organisations. Survey coverage was highly heterogeneous geographically and seasonally: large data gaps were present in the eastern and southern Mediterranean and in non-summer months. We mapped the extent of interpolation versus extrapolation and the proportion of data nearby in environmental space when models calibrated on existing survey data were used for prediction across the entire Mediterranean Sea. Using model predictions to map cetacean densities in the eastern and southern Mediterranean, characterised by warmer, less productive waters, and more intense eddy activity, would lead to potentially unreliable extrapolations. We stress the need for systematic surveys of cetaceans in these environmentally unique Mediterranean waters, particularly in non-summer months.

Tracking the Creation of Tropical Forest Canopy Gaps with UAV Computer Vision Remote Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dandois, J. P.

2015-12-01

The formation of canopy gaps is fundamental for shaping forest structure and is an important component of ecosystem function. Recent time-series of airborne LIDAR have shown great promise for improving understanding of the spatial distribution and size of forest gaps. However, such work typically looks at gap formation across multiple years and important intra-annual variation in gap dynamics remains unknown. Here we present findings on the intra-annual dynamics of canopy gap formation within the 50 ha forest dynamics plot of Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama based on unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing. High-resolution imagery (7 cm GSD) over the 50 ha plot was obtained regularly (≈ every 10 days) beginning October 2014 using a UAV equipped with a point and shoot camera. Imagery was processed into three-dimensional (3D) digital surface models (DSMs) using automated computer vision structure from motion / photogrammetric methods. New gaps that formed between each UAV flight were identified by subtracting DSMs between each interval and identifying areas of large deviation. A total of 48 new gaps were detected from 2014-10-02 to 2015-07-23, with sizes ranging from less than 20 m2 to greater than 350 m2. The creation of new gaps was also evaluated across wet and dry seasons with 4.5 new gaps detected per month in the dry season (Jan. - May) and 5.2 per month outside the dry season (Oct. - Jan. & May - July). The incidence of gap formation was positively correlated with ground-surveyed liana stem density (R2 = 0.77, p < 0.001) at the 1 hectare scale. Further research will consider the role of climate in predicting gap formation frequency as well as site history and other edaphic factors. Future satellite missions capable of observing vegetation structure at greater extents and frequencies than airborne observations will be greatly enhanced by the high spatial and temporal resolution bridging scale made possible by UAV remote sensing.

Studies on two-gap superconductivity in 2H-NbS2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kačmarčík, J.; Pribulová, Z.; Marcenat, C.; Klein, T.; Rodière, P.; Cario, L.; Samuely, P.

2010-12-01

We present the ac-calorimetry measurements of superconducting 2H-NbS2 in the temperature range down to 0.6 K and magnetic fields up to 8 T. The temperature and magnetic field dependence of the electronic specific heat consistently indicate existence of two superconducting energy gaps in the system - one of them with the coupling ratio below the BCS weak-coupling limit and the other above that value. These results support previous findings by scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy measurements [I. Guillamón, H. Suderow, S. Vieira, L. Cario, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 101 (2008) 166407] of two pronounced features in density of states related to a two-gap superconductivity in this system.

Ductile Gap between the Wenchuan and Lushan Earthquakes Revealed from the Two-dimensional Pg Seismic Tomography

PubMed Central

Pei, Shunping; Zhang, Haijiang; Su, Jinrong; Cui, Zhongxiong

2014-01-01

A high-resolution two-dimensional Pg-wave velocity model is obtained for the upper crust around the epicenters of the April 20, 2013 Ms7.0 Lushan earthquake and the May 12, 2008 Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake, China. The tomographic inversion uses 47235 Pg arrival times from 6812 aftershocks recorded by 61 stations around the Lushan and Wenchuan earthquakes. Across the front Longmenshan fault near the Lushan earthquake, there exists a strong velocity contrast with higher velocities to the west and lower velocities to the east. Along the Longmenshan fault system, there exist two high velocity patches showing an “X” shape with an obtuse angle along the near northwest-southeast (NW-SE) direction. They correspond to the Precambrian Pengguan and Baoxing complexes on the surface but with a ~20 km shift, respectively. The aftershock gap of the 2008 Wenchuan and the 2013 Lushan earthquakes is associated with lower velocities. Based on the theory of maximum effective moment criterion, this suggests that the aftershock gap is weak and the ductile deformation is more likely to occur in the upper crust within the gap under the near NW-SE compression. Therefore our results suggest that the large earthquake may be hard to happen within the gap. PMID:25267344

Ductile gap between the Wenchuan and Lushan earthquakes revealed from the two-dimensional Pg seismic tomography.

PubMed

Pei, Shunping; Zhang, Haijiang; Su, Jinrong; Cui, Zhongxiong

2014-09-30

A high-resolution two-dimensional Pg-wave velocity model is obtained for the upper crust around the epicenters of the April 20, 2013 Ms7.0 Lushan earthquake and the May 12, 2008 Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake, China. The tomographic inversion uses 47235 Pg arrival times from 6812 aftershocks recorded by 61 stations around the Lushan and Wenchuan earthquakes. Across the front Longmenshan fault near the Lushan earthquake, there exists a strong velocity contrast with higher velocities to the west and lower velocities to the east. Along the Longmenshan fault system, there exist two high velocity patches showing an "X" shape with an obtuse angle along the near northwest-southeast (NW-SE) direction. They correspond to the Precambrian Pengguan and Baoxing complexes on the surface but with a ~20 km shift, respectively. The aftershock gap of the 2008 Wenchuan and the 2013 Lushan earthquakes is associated with lower velocities. Based on the theory of maximum effective moment criterion, this suggests that the aftershock gap is weak and the ductile deformation is more likely to occur in the upper crust within the gap under the near NW-SE compression. Therefore our results suggest that the large earthquake may be hard to happen within the gap.

Deterministic multidimensional nonuniform gap sampling.

PubMed

Worley, Bradley; Powers, Robert

2015-12-01

Born from empirical observations in nonuniformly sampled multidimensional NMR data relating to gaps between sampled points, the Poisson-gap sampling method has enjoyed widespread use in biomolecular NMR. While the majority of nonuniform sampling schemes are fully randomly drawn from probability densities that vary over a Nyquist grid, the Poisson-gap scheme employs constrained random deviates to minimize the gaps between sampled grid points. We describe a deterministic gap sampling method, based on the average behavior of Poisson-gap sampling, which performs comparably to its random counterpart with the additional benefit of completely deterministic behavior. We also introduce a general algorithm for multidimensional nonuniform sampling based on a gap equation, and apply it to yield a deterministic sampling scheme that combines burst-mode sampling features with those of Poisson-gap schemes. Finally, we derive a relationship between stochastic gap equations and the expectation value of their sampling probability densities. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Discovery and Characterization of a Pourbaix-Stable, 1.8 eV Direct Gap Bismuth Manganate Photoanode

DOE PAGES

Newhouse, Paul F.; Reyes-Lillo, Sebastian E.; Li, Guo; ...

2017-11-13

Solar-driven oxygen evolution is a critical technology for renewably synthesizing hydrogen- and carbon-containing fuels in solar fuel generators. New photoanode materials are needed to meet efficiency and stability requirements, motivating materials explorations for semiconductors with (i) band-gap energy in the visible spectrum and (ii) stable operation in aqueous electrolyte at the electrochemical potential needed to evolve oxygen from water. Motivated by the oxygen evolution competency of many Mn-based oxides, the existence of several Bi-containing ternary oxide photoanode materials, and the variety of known oxide materials combining these elements with Sm, we explore the Bi-Mn-Sm oxide system for new photoanodes. Throughmore » the use of a ferri/ferrocyanide redox couple in high-throughput screening, BiMn 2O 5 and its alloy with Sm are identified as photoanode materials with a near-ideal optical band gap of 1.8 eV. Using density functional theory-based calculations of the mullite Bi 3+ Mn 3+ Mn 4+O 5 phase, we identify electronic analogues to the well-known BiVO 4 photoanode and demonstrate excellent Pourbaix stability above the oxygen evolution Nernstian potential from pH 4.5 to 15. Lastly, our suite of experimental and computational characterization indicates that BiMn 2O 5 is a complex oxide with the necessary optical and chemical properties to be an efficient, stable solar fuel photoanode.« less

Discovery and Characterization of a Pourbaix-Stable, 1.8 eV Direct Gap Bismuth Manganate Photoanode

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

Newhouse, Paul F.; Reyes-Lillo, Sebastian E.; Li, Guo

Solar-driven oxygen evolution is a critical technology for renewably synthesizing hydrogen- and carbon-containing fuels in solar fuel generators. New photoanode materials are needed to meet efficiency and stability requirements, motivating materials explorations for semiconductors with (i) band-gap energy in the visible spectrum and (ii) stable operation in aqueous electrolyte at the electrochemical potential needed to evolve oxygen from water. Motivated by the oxygen evolution competency of many Mn-based oxides, the existence of several Bi-containing ternary oxide photoanode materials, and the variety of known oxide materials combining these elements with Sm, we explore the Bi-Mn-Sm oxide system for new photoanodes. Throughmore » the use of a ferri/ferrocyanide redox couple in high-throughput screening, BiMn 2O 5 and its alloy with Sm are identified as photoanode materials with a near-ideal optical band gap of 1.8 eV. Using density functional theory-based calculations of the mullite Bi 3+ Mn 3+ Mn 4+O 5 phase, we identify electronic analogues to the well-known BiVO 4 photoanode and demonstrate excellent Pourbaix stability above the oxygen evolution Nernstian potential from pH 4.5 to 15. Lastly, our suite of experimental and computational characterization indicates that BiMn 2O 5 is a complex oxide with the necessary optical and chemical properties to be an efficient, stable solar fuel photoanode.« less

DCS: A Case Study of Identification of Knowledge and Disposition Gaps Using Principles of Continuous Risk Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norcross, Jason; Steinberg, Susan; Kundrot, Craig; Charles, John

2011-01-01

The Human Research Program (HRP) is formulated around the program architecture of Evidence-Risk-Gap-Task-Deliverable. Review of accumulated evidence forms the basis for identification of high priority risks to human health and performance in space exploration. Gaps in knowledge or disposition are identified for each risk, and a portfolio of research tasks is developed to fill them. Deliverables from the tasks inform the evidence base with the ultimate goal of defining the level of risk and reducing it to an acceptable level. A comprehensive framework for gap identification, focus, and metrics has been developed based on principles of continuous risk management and clinical care. Research towards knowledge gaps improves understanding of the likelihood, consequence or timeframe of the risk. Disposition gaps include development of standards or requirements for risk acceptance, development of countermeasures or technology to mitigate the risk, and yearly technology assessment related to watching developments related to the risk. Standard concepts from clinical care: prevention, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, rehabilitation, and surveillance, can be used to focus gaps dealing with risk mitigation. The research plan for the new HRP Risk of Decompression Sickness (DCS) used the framework to identify one disposition gap related to establishment of a DCS standard for acceptable risk, two knowledge gaps related to DCS phenomenon and mission attributes, and three mitigation gaps focused on prediction, prevention, and new technology watch. These gaps were organized in this manner primarily based on target for closure and ease of organizing interim metrics so that gap status could be quantified. Additional considerations for the knowledge gaps were that one was highly design reference mission specific and the other gap was focused on DCS phenomenon.

Transformation of nonlinear behaviors: from bright- to dark-gap soliton in a one-dimensional photonic crystal containing a nonlinear indefinite metamaterial defect.

PubMed

Zhang, Wei; Chen, Yuanyuan; Hou, Peng; Shi, Jielong; Wang, Qi

2010-12-01

Nonlinear propagation characteristics are investigated theoretically in a one-dimensional photonic band-gap structure doped with a nonlinear indefinite metamaterial defect for five distinct frequency intervals. It is found from the electric field distribution that there exists the bright gap solitonlike when the nonlinear indefinite metamaterial defect is a cut-off medium, while the dark gap solitonlike can appear in the nonlinear never cut-off defect layer. It is also found that there exists corresponding bistable lateral shift the properties of which are strongly dependent on the permittivity and permeability of nonlinear indefinite metamaterials. Moreover, in contrast to the switch-down threshold value, the switch-up threshold value is more sensitive to the incident frequency.

Inference of RhoGAP/GTPase regulation using single-cell morphological data from a combinatorial RNAi screen.

PubMed

Nir, Oaz; Bakal, Chris; Perrimon, Norbert; Berger, Bonnie

2010-03-01

Biological networks are highly complex systems, consisting largely of enzymes that act as molecular switches to activate/inhibit downstream targets via post-translational modification. Computational techniques have been developed to perform signaling network inference using some high-throughput data sources, such as those generated from transcriptional and proteomic studies, but comparable methods have not been developed to use high-content morphological data, which are emerging principally from large-scale RNAi screens, to these ends. Here, we describe a systematic computational framework based on a classification model for identifying genetic interactions using high-dimensional single-cell morphological data from genetic screens, apply it to RhoGAP/GTPase regulation in Drosophila, and evaluate its efficacy. Augmented by knowledge of the basic structure of RhoGAP/GTPase signaling, namely, that GAPs act directly upstream of GTPases, we apply our framework for identifying genetic interactions to predict signaling relationships between these proteins. We find that our method makes mediocre predictions using only RhoGAP single-knockdown morphological data, yet achieves vastly improved accuracy by including original data from a double-knockdown RhoGAP genetic screen, which likely reflects the redundant network structure of RhoGAP/GTPase signaling. We consider other possible methods for inference and show that our primary model outperforms the alternatives. This work demonstrates the fundamental fact that high-throughput morphological data can be used in a systematic, successful fashion to identify genetic interactions and, using additional elementary knowledge of network structure, to infer signaling relations.

The evolution of massive stars: bridging the gap in the Local Group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Massey, Philip; Neugent, Kathryn F.; Levesque, Emily M.

2017-09-01

The nearby galaxies of the Local Group can act as our laboratories in helping to bridge the gap between theory and observations. In this review, we will describe the complications of identifying samples of OB stars, yellow and red supergiants, and Wolf-Rayet stars, and what we have so far learned from these studies. This article is part of the themed issue 'Bridging the gap: from massive stars to supernovae'.

Level of evidence gap in orthopedic research.

PubMed

Baldwin, Keith D; Bernstein, Joseph; Ahn, Jaimo; McKay, Scott D; Sankar, Wudbhav N

2012-09-01

Level of evidence is the most widely used metric for the quality of a publication, but instances exist in which a Level I study is neither feasible nor desirable. The goal of this study was to evaluate the level of evidence gap in current orthopedic research, which the authors defined as the disparity between the level of evidence that would be required to optimally answer the primary research question and the level of evidence that was actually used. Five orthopedic surgeons (K.D.B., J.B., J.A., S.D.M., W.N.S.) evaluated blinded articles from the first 6 months of 2010 in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (American Volume) (JBJS-Am), classifying the study type and design and extracting a primary research question from each article. Each evaluator then defined the study type and method, along with the level of evidence that would ideally be used to address the primary research question. The level of evidence gap was then calculated by subtracting the actual level of evidence of the manuscript from the level of evidence of the idealized study. Of the 64 JBJS-Am manuscripts eligible for analysis, the average level of evidence was between Level II and III (mean, 2.73). The average level of evidence gap was 1.06 compared with the JBJS-Am-designated level of evidence and 1.28 compared with the evaluators' assessment. Because not all questions require Level I studies, level of evidence alone may not be the best metric for the quality of orthopedic surgery literature. Instead, the authors' concept of a level of evidence gap may be a better tool for assessing the state of orthopedic research publications. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

A resuscitation "dilemma" theory-practice-ethics. Is there a theory-practice-ethics gap?

PubMed

Mortell, Manfred

2009-07-01

The theory-practice-ethics gap - a new paradigm to contemplate. Practices based on tradition, rituals and outdated information are placed into a nonscientific paradigm called the theory-practice gap. Within this paradigm there is often a gap between theoretical knowledge and its application in practice. This theory-practice gap has always existed [Allmark, P., 1995. A classical view of the theory-practice gap in nursing. J. Adv. Nurs. 22 (1), 18-23; Hewison, A. et al., 1996. The theory-practice gap in nursing: a new dimension. J. Adv. Nurs. 24 (4), 754-761]. Its creation is often sited as a culmination of theory being idealistic and impractical, even if practical and beneficial, are often ignored. Most of the evidence relating to the non integration of theory and practice makes the assumption that environmental factors are responsible and will affect learning and practice outcomes, hence the "gap". In fact, it is the author's belief, that to "bridge the gap" between theory and practice an additional component is required, called ethics. A moral duty and obligation ensuring theory and practice integrate. In order to effectively implement new practices, one must deem these practices are worthy and relevant to their role as healthcare providers. Otherwise, we fall victims to providing nothing more than a lip service. This introduces a new concept which the author refers to as the theory-practice-ethics gap. This theory-practice-ethics gap must be considered when reviewing some of the unacceptable outcomes in health care practice. The author believes that there is a crisis of ethics where theory and practice integrate, and as a consequence, malfeasance. We are failing to fulfill our duty as healthcare providers and as patient advocates. One practice of major concern, which the author will endeavor to unfold relates to adult and pediatric resuscitation.

Determining the ’Gap’

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-05-01

Army training doctrine, and by adjusting the curriculum of the officer core in order to close the knowledge gap . The author closes by concluding...fight. The research to find these gaps begins with a process trace of doctrine from 1976 to the present, starting with the advent of Active Defense...discovering the one gap , three were found. Upon further examination below, even these initially perceived gaps dissipate under close scrutiny. Gap

Should we worry about periacetabular interference gaps in hip resurfacing?

PubMed

Gomes, Bruno; Olsen, Michael; Donnelly, Michael; Kumar, Ashesh; Schemitsch, Emil H

2013-02-01

Press-fit acetabular component seating in hip resurfacing can be challenging as a strong interference fit is required. It has not been established whether reducing the acetabular underream minimizes incomplete component seating or leads to increased acetabular loosening. We examined (1) the incidence and natural history of postoperative interference gaps in hip resurfacing and (2) whether reduction of the acetabular underream from 2 mm to 1 mm reduces the incidence of periacetabular interference gaps. Of 327 Birmingham Hip™ Resurfacings (Smith & Nephew Inc, Memphis, TN, USA) performed by a single surgeon from 2005 to 2010, we evaluated 306 hips with a minimum 1-year radiographic followup. Postoperative periacetabular interference gaps were monitored for radiographic gap resolution at latest followup. The frequency of incomplete component seating was compared between acetabula prepared with 1- and 2-mm underream techniques. Minimum followup was 1 year (mean, 2.7 years; range, 1-6 years). Fifty-one percent of the postoperative radiographs demonstrated the presence of a periacetabular interference gap. At latest followup, 96% of these gaps were no longer visible. We observed a reduction in the number of interference gaps identified when acetabular preparation changed from a 2-mm underream (63%) to a 1-mm underream (39%). There were no revisions due to acetabular failure. Periacetabular interference gaps were common in this series but not associated with acetabular component failure. The use of a 1-mm underream is sufficient for adequate short-term press-fit fixation of the acetabular component in Birmingham Hip™ Resurfacing arthroplasty. Level IV, therapeutic study. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Mechanics of Fluid-Filled Interstitial Gaps. I. Modeling Gaps in a Compact Tissue.

PubMed

Parent, Serge E; Barua, Debanjan; Winklbauer, Rudolf

2017-08-22

Fluid-filled interstitial gaps are a common feature of compact tissues held together by cell-cell adhesion. Although such gaps can in principle be the result of weak, incomplete cell attachment, adhesion is usually too strong for this to occur. Using a mechanical model of tissue cohesion, we show that, instead, a combination of local prevention of cell adhesion at three-cell junctions by fluidlike extracellular material and a reduction of cortical tension at the gap surface are sufficient to generate stable gaps. The size and shape of these interstitial gaps depends on the mechanical tensions between cells and at gap surfaces, and on the difference between intracellular and interstitial pressures that is related to the volume of the interstitial fluid. As a consequence of the dependence on tension/tension ratios, the presence of gaps does not depend on the absolute strength of cell adhesion, and similar gaps are predicted to occur in tissues of widely differing cohesion. Tissue mechanical parameters can also vary within and between cells of a given tissue, generating asymmetrical gaps. Within limits, these can be approximated by symmetrical gaps. Copyright © 2017 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

30 CFR 285.650 - When may I begin conducting activities under my GAP?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... GAP? 285.650 Section 285.650 Mineral Resources BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT, REGULATION, AND ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE RENEWABLE ENERGY ALTERNATE USES OF EXISTING FACILITIES ON THE... conducting the approved activities that do not involve a project easement or the construction of facilities...

Mind the Gap: Integrating Science and Policy Cultures and Practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lev, S. M.; Simon, I.

2015-12-01

A 2014 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center asked members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science about their support for active engagement in public policy debates. The survey found that 87% of the respondents supported scientists taking an active role in public policy debates about science and technology (S&T), but most believed that regulations related to areas like land use and clean air and water are not guided by the best science. Despite the demand for actionable scientific information by policy makers, these survey results underscore the gap that exists between the scientific and the public policy communities. There are fundamental differences that exist between the perspectives of these two groups, even within Federal S&T agencies that are required to balance the perspectives of the science and policy communities in order to fulfill their agency mission. In support of an ongoing agency effort to strengthen communication and interaction among staff, we led a Federal S&T agency office through an examination and comparison of goals, processes, external drivers, decision making, and timelines within their organization. This workshop activity provided an opportunity to identify the interdependence of science and policy, as well as the challenges to developing effective science-based policy solutions. The workshop featured strategies for achieving balanced science policy outcomes using examples from a range of Federal S&T agencies. The examples presented during the workshop illustrated best practices for more effective communication and interaction to resolve complex science policy issues. The workshop culminated with a group activity designed to give participants the opportunity to identify the challenges and apply best practices to real world science policy problems. Workshop examples and outcomes will be presented along with lessons learned from this agency engagement activity.

Disappearance of nodal gap across the insulator-superconductor transition in a copper-oxide superconductor.

PubMed

Peng, Yingying; Meng, Jianqiao; Mou, Daixiang; He, Junfeng; Zhao, Lin; Wu, Yue; Liu, Guodong; Dong, Xiaoli; He, Shaolong; Zhang, Jun; Wang, Xiaoyang; Peng, Qinjun; Wang, Zhimin; Zhang, Shenjin; Yang, Feng; Chen, Chuangtian; Xu, Zuyan; Lee, T K; Zhou, X J

2013-01-01

The parent compound of the copper-oxide high-temperature superconductors is a Mott insulator. Superconductivity is realized by doping an appropriate amount of charge carriers. How a Mott insulator transforms into a superconductor is crucial in understanding the unusual physical properties of high-temperature superconductors and the superconductivity mechanism. Here we report high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission measurement on heavily underdoped Bi₂Sr₂-xLaxCuO(₆+δ) system. The electronic structure of the lightly doped samples exhibit a number of characteristics: existence of an energy gap along the nodal direction, d-wave-like anisotropic energy gap along the underlying Fermi surface, and coexistence of a coherence peak and a broad hump in the photoemission spectra. Our results reveal a clear insulator-superconductor transition at a critical doping level of ~0.10 where the nodal energy gap approaches zero, the three-dimensional antiferromagnetic order disappears, and superconductivity starts to emerge. These observations clearly signal a close connection between the nodal gap, antiferromagnetism and superconductivity.

Contaminant exposure and effects--terrestrial vertebrates database: Trends and data gaps for Atlantic Coast estuaries

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rattner, B.A.; Pearson, J.L.; Golden, N.H.; Cohen, J.B.; Erwin, R.M.; Ottinger, M.A.

2000-01-01

In order to examine the condition of biota in Atlantic coast estuaries, a ?Contaminant Exposure and Effects--Terrestrial Vertebrates? database (CEE-TV) has been compiled through computerized search of published literature, review of existing databases, and solicitation of unpublished reports from conservation agencies, private groups, and universities. Summary information has been entered into the database, including species, collection date (1965-present), site coordinates, estuary name, hydrologic unit catalogue code, sample matrix, contaminant concentrations, biomarker and bioindicator responses, and reference source, utilizing a 98-field character and numeric format. Currently, the CEE-TV database contains 3699 georeferenced records representing 190 vertebrate species and >145,000 individuals residing in estuaries from Maine through Florida. This relational database can be directly queried, imported into a Geographic Information System to examine spatial patterns, identify data gaps and areas of concern, generate hypotheses, and focus ecotoxicological field assessments. Information on birds made up the vast majority (83%) of the database, with only a modicum of data on amphibians (75,000 chemical compounds in commerce, only 118 commonly measured environmental contaminants were quantified in tissues of terrestrial vertebrates. There were no CEE-TV data records in 15 of the 67 estuaries located along the Atlantic coast and Florida Gulf coast. The CEE-TV database has a number of potential applications including focusing biomonitoring efforts to generate critically needed ecotoxicological data in the numerous ?gaps? along the coast, reducing uncertainty about contaminant risk, identifying areas for mitigation, restoration or special management, and ranking ecological conditions of estuaries.

Bridging the gap between sample collection and laboratory analysis: using dried blood spots to identify human exposure to chemical agents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamelin, Elizabeth I.; Blake, Thomas A.; Perez, Jonas W.; Crow, Brian S.; Shaner, Rebecca L.; Coleman, Rebecca M.; Johnson, Rudolph C.

2016-05-01

Public health response to large scale chemical emergencies presents logistical challenges for sample collection, transport, and analysis. Diagnostic methods used to identify and determine exposure to chemical warfare agents, toxins, and poisons traditionally involve blood collection by phlebotomists, cold transport of biomedical samples, and costly sample preparation techniques. Use of dried blood spots, which consist of dried blood on an FDA-approved substrate, can increase analyte stability, decrease infection hazard for those handling samples, greatly reduce the cost of shipping/storing samples by removing the need for refrigeration and cold chain transportation, and be self-prepared by potentially exposed individuals using a simple finger prick and blood spot compatible paper. Our laboratory has developed clinical assays to detect human exposures to nerve agents through the analysis of specific protein adducts and metabolites, for which a simple extraction from a dried blood spot is sufficient for removing matrix interferents and attaining sensitivities on par with traditional sampling methods. The use of dried blood spots can bridge the gap between the laboratory and the field allowing for large scale sample collection with minimal impact on hospital resources while maintaining sensitivity, specificity, traceability, and quality requirements for both clinical and forensic applications.

Heat stress intervention research in construction: gaps and recommendations.

PubMed

Yang, Yang; Chan, Albert Ping-Chuen

2017-06-08

Developing heat stress interventions for construction workers has received mounting concerns in recent years. However, limited efforts have been exerted to elaborate the rationale, methodology, and practicality of heat stress intervention in the construction industry. This study aims to review previous heat stress intervention research in construction, to identify the major research gaps in methodological issues, and to offer detailed recommendations for future studies. A total of 35 peer-reviewed journal papers have been identified to develop administrative, environmental or personal engineering interventions to safeguard construction workers. It was found that methodological limitations, such as arbitrary sampling methods and unreliable instruments, could be the major obstacle in undertaking heat stress intervention research. To bridge the identified research gaps, this study then refined a research framework for conducting heat stress intervention studies in the construction industry. The proposed research strategy provides researchers and practitioners with fresh insights into expanding multidisciplinary research areas and solving practical problems in the management of heat stress. The proposed research framework may foster the development of heat stress intervention research in construction, which further aids researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in formulating proper intervention strategies.

Deep and wide gaps by super Earths in low-viscosity discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ginzburg, Sivan; Sari, Re'em

2018-06-01

Planets can open cavities (gaps) in the protoplanetary gaseous discs in which they are born by exerting gravitational torques. Viscosity counters these torques and limits the depletion of the gaps. We present a simple one-dimensional scheme to calculate the gas density profile inside gaps by balancing the gravitational and viscous torques. By generalizing the results of Goodman & Rafikov (2001), our scheme properly accounts for the propagation of angular momentum by density waves. This method allows us to easily study low-viscosity discs, which are challenging for full hydrodynamical simulations. We complement our numerical integration by analytical equations for the gap's steady-state depth and width as a function of the planet's to star's mass ratio μ, the gas disc's aspect ratio h, and its Shakura & Sunyaev viscosity parameter α. Specifically, we focus on low-mass planets (μ < μth ≡ h3) and identify a new low-viscosity regime, α < h(μ/μth)5, in which the classical analytical scaling relations are invalid. Equivalently, this low-viscosity regime applies to every gap that is depleted by more than a factor of (μth/μ)3 relative to the unperturbed density. We show that such gaps are significantly deeper and wider than previously thought, and consequently take a longer time to reach equilibrium.

Health Policy and Systems Research in Twelve Eastern Mediterranean Countries: a stocktaking of production and gaps (2000-2008).

PubMed

El-Jardali, Fadi; Jamal, Diana; Ataya, Nour; Jaafar, Maha; Raouf, Saned; Matta, Claudia; Michael, Saja; Smith, Colette

2011-10-07

The objectives of this study are to: (1) profile the production of Health Policy and Systems Research (HPSR) published between 2000 and 2008 in 12 countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR): Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen; (2) identify gaps; and (3) assess the extent to which existing HPSR produced in the region addresses regional priorities pertaining to Health Financing, Human Resources for Health and the Role of the Non-State Sector. This is the first stocktaking paper of HPSR production and gaps in the EMR. Articles indexed on Medline between years 2000 and 2008 for the 12 study countries were selected. A MeSH term based search was conducted using country names. Articles were assessed using a coding sheet adapted for the region which included themes on: Governance Arrangements, Financial Arrangements, Delivery Arrangements, and Implementation Strategies. Identified articles were matched against regional research priorities to assess the extent to which research production aligns with priorities. A total of 1,487 articles (11.94%) fit the criteria in the coding sheet. Results showed an increase in HPSR production which peaked after 2005. Most identified articles focused on Delivery Arrangements (68.1%), and Implementation Strategies (24.4%). Most HPSR addressed priorities in Human Resources for Health (39%), and some articles focused on Health Financing (12%) and Role of the Non-State Sector (6.1%). Despite global calls for producing and translating HPSR into policy, there are still significant gaps in the EMR. More efforts are needed to produce HPSR and align production and translation with the demand for evidence by policymakers. Findings can help inform and direct future plans and activities for the Evidence Informed Policy Network- EMR, World Health Organization- EMR, and the Middle East and North Africa Health Policy Forum, in addition to being useful for countries that host or are

The evolution of massive stars: bridging the gap in the Local Group.

PubMed

Massey, Philip; Neugent, Kathryn F; Levesque, Emily M

2017-10-28

The nearby galaxies of the Local Group can act as our laboratories in helping to bridge the gap between theory and observations. In this review, we will describe the complications of identifying samples of OB stars, yellow and red supergiants, and Wolf-Rayet stars, and what we have so far learned from these studies.This article is part of the themed issue 'Bridging the gap: from massive stars to supernovae'. © 2017 The Author(s).

Towards Integrating Primary Care with Cancer Care: A Regional Study of Current Gaps and Opportunities in Canada

PubMed Central

Sussman, Jonathan; Bainbridge, Daryl; Evans, William K.

2017-01-01

Background and Objectives: Better integration between cancer care systems and primary care physicians (PCPs) is a goal of most healthcare systems, but little direction exists on how this can be achieved. This study systematically examined the extent of integration between PCPs and a regional cancer program (RCP) to identify opportunities for improvement. Method: Cross-sectional survey of all practising PCPs in the region of interest using a study-specific instrument based on a three-tier conceptualization of integration. Results: Among the 473 PCPs who responded (63% response rate), perceived role clarity and the desire for greater involvement in patient care varied across the care trajectory. Specific gaps were identified in PCPs' understanding of the referral process and patient follow-up after treatment. Conclusion: Our novel survey of PCPs explicated the strategies that could improve their integration in cancer care, including mechanisms to support PCPs in the initial diagnosis of their patients and standardized post-treatment transition plans outlining care roles and responsibilities. PMID:28277204

Small-Gap Flows

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-04-01