Scalable collaborative risk management technology for complex critical systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, Scott; Torgerson, Leigh; Burleigh, Scott; Feather, Martin S.; Kiper, James D.

2004-01-01

We describe here our project and plans to develop methods, software tools, and infrastructure tools to address challenges relating to geographically distributed software development. Specifically, this work is creating an infrastructure that supports applications working over distributed geographical and organizational domains and is using this infrastructure to develop a tool that supports project development using risk management and analysis techniques where the participants are not collocated.

Geographic Information System Tools for Conservation Planning: User's Manual

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fox, Timothy J.; Rohweder, Jason J.; Kenow, K.P.; Korschgen, C.E.; DeHaan, H.C.

2003-01-01

Public and private land managers desire better ways to incorporate landscape, species, and habitat relations into their conservation planning processes. We present three tools, developed for the Environmental Systems Research Institute?s ArcView 3.x platform, applicable to many types of wildlife conservation management and planning efforts. These tools provide managers and planners with the ability to rapidly assess landscape attributes and link these attributes with species-habitat information. To use the tools, the user provides a detailed land cover spatial database and develops a matrix to identify species-habitat relations for the landscape of interest. The tools are applicable to any taxa or suite of taxa for which the required data are available. The user also has the ability to interactively make polygon-specific changes to the landscape and re-examine species-habitat relations. The development of these tools has given resource managers the means to evaluate the merits of proposed landscape management scenarios and to choose the scenario that best fits the goals of the managed area.

Utility of the advanced chronic kidney disease patient management tools: case studies.

PubMed

Patwardhan, Meenal B; Matchar, David B; Samsa, Gregory P; Haley, William E

2008-01-01

Appropriate management of advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) delays or limits its progression. The Advanced CKD Patient Management Toolkit was developed using a process-improvement technique to assist patient management and address CKD-specific management issues. We pilot tested the toolkit in 2 community nephrology practices, assessed the utility of individual tools, and evaluated the impact on conformance to an advanced CKD guideline through patient chart abstraction. Tool use was distinct in the 2 sites and depended on the site champion's involvement, the extent of process reconfiguration demanded by a tool, and its perceived value. Baseline conformance varied across guideline recommendations (averaged 54%). Posttrial conformance increased in all clinical areas (averaged 59%). Valuable features of the toolkit in real-world settings were its ability to: facilitate tool selection, direct implementation efforts in response to a baseline performance audit, and allow selection of tool versions and customizing them. Our results suggest that systematically created, multifaceted, and customizable tools can promote guideline conformance.

Calysto: Risk Management for Commercial Manned Spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dillaman, Gary

2012-01-01

The Calysto: Risk Management for Commercial Manned Spaceflight study analyzes risk management in large enterprises and how to effectively communicate risks across organizations. The Calysto Risk Management tool developed by NASA's Kennedy Space Center's SharePoint team is used and referenced throughout the study. Calysto is a web-base tool built on Microsoft's SharePoint platform. The risk management process at NASA is examined and incorporated in the study. Using risk management standards from industry and specific organizations at the Kennedy Space Center, three methods of communicating and elevating risk are examined. Each method describes details of the effectiveness and plausibility of using the method in the Calysto Risk Management Tool. At the end of the study suggestions are made for future renditions of Calysto.

Tool for Human-Systems Integration Assessment: HSI Scorecard

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitmore, Nihriban; Sandor, Aniko; McGuire, Kerry M.; Berdich, Debbie

2009-01-01

This paper describes the development and rationale for a human-systems integration (HSI) scorecard that can be used in reviews of vehicle specification and design. This tool can be used to assess whether specific HSI related criteria have been met as part of a project milestone or critical event, such as technical reviews, crew station reviews, mockup evaluations, or even review of major plans or processes. Examples of HSI related criteria include Human Performance Capabilities, Health Management, Human System Interfaces, Anthropometry and Biomechanics, and Natural and Induced Environments. The tool is not intended to evaluate requirements compliance and verification, but to review how well the human related systems have been considered for the specific event and to identify gaps and vulnerabilities from an HSI perspective. The scorecard offers common basis, and criteria for discussions among system managers, evaluators, and design engineers. Furthermore, the scorecard items highlight the main areas of system development that need to be followed during system lifecycle. The ratings provide a repeatable quantitative measure to what has been often seen as only subjective commentary. Thus, the scorecard is anticipated to be a useful HSI tool to communicate review results to the institutional and the project office management.

Regulation of Tool-Use within a Blended Course: Student Differences and Performance Effects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lust, Griet; Elen, Jan; Clarebout, Geraldine

2013-01-01

Given the rising popularity of content management systems (CMSs) in higher education, the current study investigates how students use tools in CMS supported courses. More specifically, the current study investigates how students regulate their tool-use throughout the course period by considering the moment tools are used. This temporal dimension…

Impact of mHealth chronic disease management on treatment adherence and patient outcomes: a systematic review.

PubMed

Hamine, Saee; Gerth-Guyette, Emily; Faulx, Dunia; Green, Beverly B; Ginsburg, Amy Sarah

2015-02-24

Adherence to chronic disease management is critical to achieving improved health outcomes, quality of life, and cost-effective health care. As the burden of chronic diseases continues to grow globally, so does the impact of non-adherence. Mobile technologies are increasingly being used in health care and public health practice (mHealth) for patient communication, monitoring, and education, and to facilitate adherence to chronic diseases management. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to evaluate the effectiveness of mHealth in supporting the adherence of patients to chronic diseases management ("mAdherence"), and the usability, feasibility, and acceptability of mAdherence tools and platforms in chronic disease management among patients and health care providers. We searched PubMed, Embase, and EBSCO databases for studies that assessed the role of mAdherence in chronic disease management of diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and chronic lung diseases from 1980 through May 2014. Outcomes of interest included effect of mHealth on patient adherence to chronic diseases management, disease-specific clinical outcomes after intervention, and the usability, feasibility, and acceptability of mAdherence tools and platforms in chronic disease management among target end-users. In all, 107 articles met all inclusion criteria. Short message service was the most commonly used mAdherence tool in 40.2% (43/107) of studies. Usability, feasibility, and acceptability or patient preferences for mAdherence interventions were assessed in 57.9% (62/107) of studies and found to be generally high. A total of 27 studies employed randomized controlled trial (RCT) methods to assess impact on adherence behaviors, and significant improvements were observed in 15 of those studies (56%). Of the 41 RCTs that measured effects on disease-specific clinical outcomes, significant improvements between groups were reported in 16 studies (39%). There is potential for mHealth tools to better facilitate adherence to chronic disease management, but the evidence supporting its current effectiveness is mixed. Further research should focus on understanding and improving how mHealth tools can overcome specific barriers to adherence.

Impact of mHealth Chronic Disease Management on Treatment Adherence and Patient Outcomes: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Hamine, Saee; Faulx, Dunia; Green, Beverly B; Ginsburg, Amy Sarah

2015-01-01

Background Adherence to chronic disease management is critical to achieving improved health outcomes, quality of life, and cost-effective health care. As the burden of chronic diseases continues to grow globally, so does the impact of non-adherence. Mobile technologies are increasingly being used in health care and public health practice (mHealth) for patient communication, monitoring, and education, and to facilitate adherence to chronic diseases management. Objective We conducted a systematic review of the literature to evaluate the effectiveness of mHealth in supporting the adherence of patients to chronic diseases management (“mAdherence”), and the usability, feasibility, and acceptability of mAdherence tools and platforms in chronic disease management among patients and health care providers. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, and EBSCO databases for studies that assessed the role of mAdherence in chronic disease management of diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and chronic lung diseases from 1980 through May 2014. Outcomes of interest included effect of mHealth on patient adherence to chronic diseases management, disease-specific clinical outcomes after intervention, and the usability, feasibility, and acceptability of mAdherence tools and platforms in chronic disease management among target end-users. Results In all, 107 articles met all inclusion criteria. Short message service was the most commonly used mAdherence tool in 40.2% (43/107) of studies. Usability, feasibility, and acceptability or patient preferences for mAdherence interventions were assessed in 57.9% (62/107) of studies and found to be generally high. A total of 27 studies employed randomized controlled trial (RCT) methods to assess impact on adherence behaviors, and significant improvements were observed in 15 of those studies (56%). Of the 41 RCTs that measured effects on disease-specific clinical outcomes, significant improvements between groups were reported in 16 studies (39%). Conclusions There is potential for mHealth tools to better facilitate adherence to chronic disease management, but the evidence supporting its current effectiveness is mixed. Further research should focus on understanding and improving how mHealth tools can overcome specific barriers to adherence. PMID:25803266

Perioperative leadership: managing change with insights, priorities, and tools.

PubMed

Taylor, David L

2014-07-01

The personal leadership of the perioperative director is a critical factor in the success of any change management initiative. This article presents an approach to perioperative nursing leadership that addresses obstacles that prevent surgical departments from achieving high performance in clinical and financial outcomes. This leadership approach consists of specific insights, priorities, and tools: key insights include self-understanding of personal barriers to leadership and accuracy at understanding economic and strategic considerations related to the OR environment; key priorities include creating a customer-centered organization, focusing on process improvement, and concentrating on culture change; and key tools include using techniques (e.g., direct engagement, collaborative leadership) to align surgical organizations with leadership priorities and mitigate specific perioperative management risks. Included in this article is a leadership development plan for perioperative directors. Copyright © 2014 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Grazing systems research: Focusing on the managers-introduction

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Translating experimental results into management guidelines or as bases for specific decisions presents a substantial challenge for scientists, advisors and land managers. While inductive reasoning can be a valuable tool in developing general guidelines, particular wholly science-based relationships...

Using Current and Historic Climate Data and Bayesian Belief Networks to Predict Optimum Satellite Image Acquisition Periods for Detecting Cheatgrass on the Snake River Plain, Idaho

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rope, R. C.; Ames, D. P.; Jerry, T. D.; Cherry, S. J.

2005-12-01

Invasive plant species, such as Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass), cost the United States over $36 billion per year and have encroached upon over 100 million acres while impacting range site productivity, disturbing wildlife habitat, altering the wildland fire regime and frequencies, and reducing biodiversity. Because of these adverse impacts, federal, tribal, state, and county land managers are faced with the challenge of prevention, early detection, management, and monitoring of invasive plants. Often these managers rely on the analysis of remotely sensed imagery as part of their management plan. However, it's difficult to predict specific phenological events that allow for the spectral discrimination of invasive species using only remotely sensed imagery. To address this issue tools are being developed to model and view optimal periods to collect high spatial and/or spectral resolution remotely sensed data for refined detection and mapping of invasive species and for use as a decision support tool for land managers. These tools involve the integration of historic and current climate data (cumulative growing days and precipitation) satellite imagery (MODIS) and Bayesian Belief Networks, and a web ArcIMS application to distribute the information. The general approach is to issue an initial forecast early in the year based on the previous years' data. As the year progresses, air temperature, precipitation and newly acquired low resolution MODIS satellite imagery will be used to update the prediction. Updating will be accomplished using a Bayesian Belief Network model that indicates the probabilistic relationships between prior years' conditions and those of the current year. These tools have specific application in providing a means for which land managers can efficiently and effectively detect, map, and monitor invasive plant species, specifically cheatgrass, in western rangelands. This information can then be integrated into management studies and plans to help land managers more accurately and completely determine areas infested with cheatgrass to aid in their eradication practices and future management plans.

AGWA: The Automated Geospatial Watershed Assessment Tool to Inform Rangeland Management

EPA Science Inventory

Do you want a relatively easy to use tool to assess rangeland soil and water conservation practices on rangeland erosion that is specifically designed to use ecological information? New Decision Support Tools (DSTs) that are easy-to-use, incorporate ecological concepts and rangel...

Human factors in safety and business management.

PubMed

Vogt, Joachim; Leonhardt, Jorg; Koper, Birgit; Pennig, Stefan

2010-02-01

Human factors in safety is concerned with all those factors that influence people and their behaviour in safety-critical situations. In aviation these are, for example, environmental factors in the cockpit, organisational factors such as shift work, human characteristics such as ability and motivation of staff. Careful consideration of human factors is necessary to improve health and safety at work by optimising the interaction of humans with their technical and social (team, supervisor) work environment. This provides considerable benefits for business by increasing efficiency and by preventing incidents/accidents. The aim of this paper is to suggest management tools for this purpose. Management tools such as balanced scorecards (BSC) are widespread instruments and also well known in aviation organisations. Only a few aviation organisations utilise management tools for human factors although they are the most important conditions in the safety management systems of aviation organisations. One reason for this is that human factors are difficult to measure and therefore also difficult to manage. Studies in other domains, such as workplace health promotion, indicate that BSC-based tools are useful for human factor management. Their mission is to develop a set of indicators that are sensitive to organisational performance and help identify driving forces as well as bottlenecks. Another tool presented in this paper is the Human Resources Performance Model (HPM). HPM facilitates the integrative assessment of human factors programmes on the basis of a systematic performance analysis of the whole system. Cause-effect relationships between system elements are defined in process models in a first step and validated empirically in a second step. Thus, a specific representation of the performance processes is developed, which ranges from individual behaviour to system performance. HPM is more analytic than BSC-based tools because HPM also asks why a certain factor is facilitating or obstructing success. A significant need for research and development is seen here because human factors are of increasing importance for organisational success. This paper suggests integrating human factors in safety management of aviation businesses - a top-ranking partner of technology and finance - and managing it with professional tools. The tools HPM and BSC were identified as potentially useful for this purpose. They were successfully applied in case studies briefly presented in this paper. In terms of specific safety-steering tools in the aviation industry, further elaboration and empirical study is crucial. Statement of Relevance: The importance of human factors is recognised by operators at the sharp end of aviation, where flights are conducted or coordinated. At the blunt end, measurement tools are needed to manage operational resources.

Universal versus tailored solutions for alleviating disruptive behavior in hospitals.

PubMed

Berman-Kishony, Talia; Shvarts, Shifra

2015-01-01

Disruptive behavior among hospital staff can negatively affect quality of care. Motivated by a standard on disruptive behavior issued by The Joint Commission (LD 3.10), as well as the desire to improve patient care, minimize liability, and improve staff retention, hospitals are setting policies to prevent and resolve disruptive behaviors. However, it is unknown whether uniform conflict management tools are equally effective among different hospital settings. We surveyed residents and nurses to identify similarities and differences among hospital departments in the antecedents, characteristics, and outcomes of disruptive behaviors, and in the effectiveness of conflict management tools. We used a quantitative questionnaire-based assessment to examine conflict perceptions in eight different hospital departments at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Israel. Most participants (89 %) reported witnessing disruptive behavior either directly or in other parties; the most significant causes were identified as intense work, miscommunication, and problematic personalities. The forms of these behaviors, however, varied significantly between departments, with some more prone to expressed conflicts, while others were characterized by hidden disruptive behaviors. These outcomes were correlated by the antecedents to disruptive behavior, which in turn affected the effectiveness of alleviating strategies and tools. Some tools, such as processes for evaluating complaints, teamwork and conflict management courses, and introducing a behavioral mission statement, are effective across many antecedents. Other tools, however, are antecedent-specific, falling into two principal categories: tools directly removing a specific problem and tools that offer a way to circumvent the problem. Conflict resolution tools and strategies, based on residents and nurse perceptions, may be more effective if tailored to the specific situation, rather than using a "one-size-fits-all" approach.

Talent Management: Emphasis on Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butterfield, Barbara

2008-01-01

Recent discussions among HR practitioners in higher education have focused on talent management; specifically, the concept of developing a college or university talent management approach balanced between planning and action. Talent management as a planning tool looks very similar to workforce planning, but where HR will experience a real…

What we know about the purpose, theoretical foundation, scope and dimensionality of existing self-management measurement tools: A scoping review.

PubMed

Packer, Tanya L; Fracini, America; Audulv, Åsa; Alizadeh, Neda; van Gaal, Betsie G I; Warner, Grace; Kephart, George

2018-04-01

To identify self-report, self-management measures for adults with chronic conditions, and describe their purpose, theoretical foundation, dimensionality (multi versus uni), and scope (generic versus condition specific). A search of four databases (8479 articles) resulted in a scoping review of 28 self-management measures. Although authors identified tools as measures of self-management, wide variation in constructs measured, purpose, and theoretical foundations existed. Subscales on 13 multidimensional tools collectively measure domains of self-management relevant to clients, however no one tool's subscales cover all domains. Viewing self-management as a complex, multidimensional whole, demonstrated that existing measures assess different, related aspects of self-management. Activities and social roles, though important to patients, are rarely measured. Measures with capacity to quantify and distinguish aspects of self-management may promote tailored patient care. In selecting tools for research or assessment, the reason for development, definitions, and theories underpinning the measure should be scrutinized. Our ability to measure self-management must be rigorously mapped to provide comprehensive and system-wide care for clients with chronic conditions. Viewing self-management as a complex whole will help practitioners to understand the patient perspective and their contribution in supporting each individual patient. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interactive Office user's manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Montgomery, Edward E.; Lowers, Benjamin; Nabors, Terri L.

1990-01-01

Given here is a user's manual for Interactive Office (IO), an executive office tool for organization and planning, written specifically for Macintosh. IO is a paperless management tool to automate a related group of individuals into one productive system.

A Methodology for Writing High Quality Requirement Specifications and for Evaluating Existing Ones

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosenberg, Linda; Hammer, Theodore

1999-01-01

Requirements development and management have always been critical in the implementation of software systems-engineers are unable to build what analysts can not define. It is generally accepted that the earlier in the life cycle potential risks are identified the easier it is to eliminate or manage the conditions that introduce that risk. Problems that are not found until testing are approximately 14 times more costly to fix than if the problem was found in the requirement phase. The requirements specification, as the first tangible representation of the capability to be produced, establishes the basis for all of the project's engineering management and assurance functions. If the quality of the requirements specification is poor it can give rise to risks in all areas of the project. Recently, automated tools have become available to support requirements management. The use of these tools not only provides support in the definition and tracing of requirements, but it also opens the door to effective use of metrics in characterizing and assessing the quality of the requirement specifications.

A Methodology for Writing High Quality Requirements Specification and Evaluating Existing Ones

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosenberg, Linda; Hammer, Theodore

1999-01-01

Requirements development and management have always been critical in the implementation of software systems; engineers are unable to build what analysts can't define. It is generally accepted that the earlier in the life cycle potential risks are identified the easier it is to eliminate or manage the conditions that introduce that risk. Problems that are not found until testing are approximately 14 times more costly to fix than if the problem was found in the requirement phase. The requirements specification, as the first tangible representation of the capability to be produced, establishes the basis for all of the project's engineering management and assurance functions. If the quality of the requirements specification is poor it can give rise to risks in all areas of the project. Recently, automated tools have become available to support requirements management. The use of these tools not only provides support in the definition and tracing of requirements, but it also opens the door to effective use of metrics in characterizing and assessing the quality of the requirement specifications.

SAGA: A project to automate the management of software production systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, Roy H.; Beckman, Carol S.; Benzinger, Leonora; Beshers, George; Hammerslag, David; Kimball, John; Kirslis, Peter A.; Render, Hal; Richards, Paul; Terwilliger, Robert

1985-01-01

The SAGA system is a software environment that is designed to support most of the software development activities that occur in a software lifecycle. The system can be configured to support specific software development applications using given programming languages, tools, and methodologies. Meta-tools are provided to ease configuration. The SAGA system consists of a small number of software components that are adapted by the meta-tools into specific tools for use in the software development application. The modules are design so that the meta-tools can construct an environment which is both integrated and flexible. The SAGA project is documented in several papers which are presented.

ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT AS APPLIED TO WATERSHEDS, UTILIZING REMOTE SENSING, DECISION SUPPORT AND VISUALIZATION

EPA Science Inventory

Environmental Systems Management as a conceptual framework and as a set of interdisciplinary analytical approaches will be described within the context of sustainable watershed management, within devergent complex ecosystems. A specific subset of integrated tools are deployed to...

Site-specific management and delineating management zones

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Precision agriculture has been envisioned by futurists for decades. The first Landsat satellite in 1972 caught the public’s eye because it was sold as a technological tool for monitoring and managing natural resources, which was viewed as a potential stepping stone for precision agriculture. Whethe...

AvianBuffer: An interactive tool for characterising and managing wildlife fear responses.

PubMed

Guay, Patrick-Jean; van Dongen, Wouter F D; Robinson, Randall W; Blumstein, Daniel T; Weston, Michael A

2016-11-01

The characterisation and management of deleterious processes affecting wildlife are ideally based on sound scientific information. However, relevant information is often absent, or difficult to access or contextualise for specific management purposes. We describe 'AvianBuffer', an interactive online tool enabling the estimation of distances at which Australian birds respond fearfully to humans. Users can input species assemblages and determine a 'separation distance' above which the assemblage is predicted to not flee humans. They can also nominate the diversity they wish to minimise disturbance to, or a specific separation distance to obtain an estimate of the diversity that will remain undisturbed. The dataset is based upon flight-initiation distances (FIDs) from 251 Australian bird species (n = 9190 FIDs) and a range of human-associated stimuli. The tool will be of interest to a wide audience including conservation managers, pest managers, policy makers, land-use planners, education and public outreach officers, animal welfare proponents and wildlife ecologists. We discuss possible applications of the data, including the construction of buffers, development of codes of conduct, environmental impact assessments and public outreach. This tool will help balance the growing need for biodiversity conservation in areas where humans can experience nature. The online resource will be expanded in future iterations to include an international database of FIDs of both avian and non-avian species.

The role of promotion in alcoholism treatment marketing.

PubMed

Jones, M A; Self, D R; Owens, C A; Kline, T A

1988-01-01

This article is an overview of the promotion function as a part of the ATM's marketing mix. It approaches various promotion decision areas from a managerial perspective, focusing upon some key components of promotion planning. Rather than provide specific operational or implementation details (how to write a brochure) it is more conceptual in nature and offers a framework for promotion planners. The article addresses promotion management, promotion objectives, analysis for promotion planning, the promotion mix, and addresses the benefits and limitations of some specific promotion tools available to the ATM manager. It treats ATMs as a service and reveals specific implications for promotion strategy dictated by services. The article also reports promotion tools employed by Alabama ATMs citing data from the Alabama study.

Relationship between total quality management, critical paths, and outcomes management.

PubMed

Lynn, P A

1996-09-01

Total quality management (TQM), clinical paths, and outcomes management are high-profile strategies in today's health care environment. Each strategy is distinct, yet there are interrelationships among them. TQM supports a customer-focused organizational culture, providing tools and techniques to identify and solve problems. Clinical paths are tools for enhancing patient care coordination and for identifying system-wide and patient population specific issues. Outcomes management is an integrated system for measuring the results in patient populations over time. There is a recent shift in outcomes measurement towards expanding both the nature of the outcomes examined and the timeframes in which they are studied.

The eHealth Enhanced Chronic Care Model: a theory derivation approach.

PubMed

Gee, Perry M; Greenwood, Deborah A; Paterniti, Debora A; Ward, Deborah; Miller, Lisa M Soederberg

2015-04-01

Chronic illnesses are significant to individuals and costly to society. When systematically implemented, the well-established and tested Chronic Care Model (CCM) is shown to improve health outcomes for people with chronic conditions. Since the development of the original CCM, tremendous information management, communication, and technology advancements have been established. An opportunity exists to improve the time-honored CCM with clinically efficacious eHealth tools. The first goal of this paper was to review research on eHealth tools that support self-management of chronic disease using the CCM. The second goal was to present a revised model, the eHealth Enhanced Chronic Care Model (eCCM), to show how eHealth tools can be used to increase efficiency of how patients manage their own chronic illnesses. Using Theory Derivation processes, we identified a "parent theory", the Chronic Care Model, and conducted a thorough review of the literature using CINAHL, Medline, OVID, EMBASE PsychINFO, Science Direct, as well as government reports, industry reports, legislation using search terms "CCM or Chronic Care Model" AND "eHealth" or the specific identified components of eHealth. Additionally, "Chronic Illness Self-management support" AND "Technology" AND several identified eHealth tools were also used as search terms. We then used a review of the literature and specific components of the CCM to create the eCCM. We identified 260 papers at the intersection of technology, chronic disease self-management support, the CCM, and eHealth and organized a high-quality subset (n=95) using the components of CCM, self-management support, delivery system design, clinical decision support, and clinical information systems. In general, results showed that eHealth tools make important contributions to chronic care and the CCM but that the model requires modification in several key areas. Specifically, (1) eHealth education is critical for self-care, (2) eHealth support needs to be placed within the context of community and enhanced with the benefits of the eCommunity or virtual communities, and (3) a complete feedback loop is needed to assure productive technology-based interactions between the patient and provider. The revised model, eCCM, offers insight into the role of eHealth tools in self-management support for people with chronic conditions. Additional research and testing of the eCCM are the logical next steps.

Free web-based modelling platform for managed aquifer recharge (MAR) applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stefan, Catalin; Junghanns, Ralf; Glaß, Jana; Sallwey, Jana; Fatkhutdinov, Aybulat; Fichtner, Thomas; Barquero, Felix; Moreno, Miguel; Bonilla, José; Kwoyiga, Lydia

2017-04-01

Managed aquifer recharge represents a valuable instrument for sustainable water resources management. The concept implies purposeful infiltration of surface water into underground for later recovery or environmental benefits. Over decades, MAR schemes were successfully installed worldwide for a variety of reasons: to maximize the natural storage capacity of aquifers, physical aquifer management, water quality management, and ecological benefits. The INOWAS-DSS platform provides a collection of free web-based tools for planning, management and optimization of main components of MAR schemes. The tools are grouped into 13 specific applications that cover most relevant challenges encountered at MAR sites, both from quantitative and qualitative perspectives. The applications include among others the optimization of MAR site location, the assessment of saltwater intrusion, the restoration of groundwater levels in overexploited aquifers, the maximization of natural storage capacity of aquifers, the improvement of water quality, the design and operational optimization of MAR schemes, clogging development and risk assessment. The platform contains a collection of about 35 web-based tools of various degrees of complexity, which are either included in application specific workflows or used as standalone modelling instruments. Among them are simple tools derived from data mining and empirical equations, analytical groundwater related equations, as well as complex numerical flow and transport models (MODFLOW, MT3DMS and SEAWAT). Up to now, the simulation core of the INOWAS-DSS, which is based on the finite differences groundwater flow model MODFLOW, is implemented and runs on the web. A scenario analyser helps to easily set up and evaluate new management options as well as future development such as land use and climate change and compare them to previous scenarios. Additionally simple tools such as analytical equations to assess saltwater intrusion are already running online. Besides the simulation tools, a web-based data base is under development where geospatial and time series data can be stored, managed, and processed. Furthermore, a web-based information system containing user guides for the various developed tools and applications as well as basic information on MAR and related topics is published and will be regularly expanded as new tools are getting implemented. The INOWAS-DSS including its simulation tools, data base and information system provides an extensive framework to manage, plan and optimize MAR facilities. As the INOWAS-DSS is an open-source software accessible via the internet using standard web browsers, it offers new ways for data sharing and collaboration among various partners and decision makers.

Whither managerialism in the Italian National Health Service?

PubMed

Anessi-Pessina, Eugenio; Cantù, Elena

2006-01-01

In the last decade, the Italian National Health Service has been characterized by the introduction of managerial concepts and techniques, according to the New Public Management paradigm. Recently, these reforms have been increasingly criticized. This article examines the implementation of managerialism in an attempt to evaluate its overall achievements and shortcomings. Overall, managerialism seems to have made good progress: managerial skills are improving; several management tools have been adapted to health-care and public-sector peculiarities; health-care organizations have adopted a wide range of technical solutions to fit their specific needs. At the same time, managerial innovations have often focused on structures as opposed to processes, on the way the organization looks as opposed to the way it works, on the tools it has as opposed to those it actually needs and uses. We thus suggest that research, training and policy-making should stop focusing on the technical features and theoretical virtues of specific tools and should redirect their emphasis on change management.

iTools: a framework for classification, categorization and integration of computational biology resources.

PubMed

Dinov, Ivo D; Rubin, Daniel; Lorensen, William; Dugan, Jonathan; Ma, Jeff; Murphy, Shawn; Kirschner, Beth; Bug, William; Sherman, Michael; Floratos, Aris; Kennedy, David; Jagadish, H V; Schmidt, Jeanette; Athey, Brian; Califano, Andrea; Musen, Mark; Altman, Russ; Kikinis, Ron; Kohane, Isaac; Delp, Scott; Parker, D Stott; Toga, Arthur W

2008-05-28

The advancement of the computational biology field hinges on progress in three fundamental directions--the development of new computational algorithms, the availability of informatics resource management infrastructures and the capability of tools to interoperate and synergize. There is an explosion in algorithms and tools for computational biology, which makes it difficult for biologists to find, compare and integrate such resources. We describe a new infrastructure, iTools, for managing the query, traversal and comparison of diverse computational biology resources. Specifically, iTools stores information about three types of resources--data, software tools and web-services. The iTools design, implementation and resource meta-data content reflect the broad research, computational, applied and scientific expertise available at the seven National Centers for Biomedical Computing. iTools provides a system for classification, categorization and integration of different computational biology resources across space-and-time scales, biomedical problems, computational infrastructures and mathematical foundations. A large number of resources are already iTools-accessible to the community and this infrastructure is rapidly growing. iTools includes human and machine interfaces to its resource meta-data repository. Investigators or computer programs may utilize these interfaces to search, compare, expand, revise and mine meta-data descriptions of existent computational biology resources. We propose two ways to browse and display the iTools dynamic collection of resources. The first one is based on an ontology of computational biology resources, and the second one is derived from hyperbolic projections of manifolds or complex structures onto planar discs. iTools is an open source project both in terms of the source code development as well as its meta-data content. iTools employs a decentralized, portable, scalable and lightweight framework for long-term resource management. We demonstrate several applications of iTools as a framework for integrated bioinformatics. iTools and the complete details about its specifications, usage and interfaces are available at the iTools web page http://iTools.ccb.ucla.edu.

iTools: A Framework for Classification, Categorization and Integration of Computational Biology Resources

PubMed Central

Dinov, Ivo D.; Rubin, Daniel; Lorensen, William; Dugan, Jonathan; Ma, Jeff; Murphy, Shawn; Kirschner, Beth; Bug, William; Sherman, Michael; Floratos, Aris; Kennedy, David; Jagadish, H. V.; Schmidt, Jeanette; Athey, Brian; Califano, Andrea; Musen, Mark; Altman, Russ; Kikinis, Ron; Kohane, Isaac; Delp, Scott; Parker, D. Stott; Toga, Arthur W.

2008-01-01

The advancement of the computational biology field hinges on progress in three fundamental directions – the development of new computational algorithms, the availability of informatics resource management infrastructures and the capability of tools to interoperate and synergize. There is an explosion in algorithms and tools for computational biology, which makes it difficult for biologists to find, compare and integrate such resources. We describe a new infrastructure, iTools, for managing the query, traversal and comparison of diverse computational biology resources. Specifically, iTools stores information about three types of resources–data, software tools and web-services. The iTools design, implementation and resource meta - data content reflect the broad research, computational, applied and scientific expertise available at the seven National Centers for Biomedical Computing. iTools provides a system for classification, categorization and integration of different computational biology resources across space-and-time scales, biomedical problems, computational infrastructures and mathematical foundations. A large number of resources are already iTools-accessible to the community and this infrastructure is rapidly growing. iTools includes human and machine interfaces to its resource meta-data repository. Investigators or computer programs may utilize these interfaces to search, compare, expand, revise and mine meta-data descriptions of existent computational biology resources. We propose two ways to browse and display the iTools dynamic collection of resources. The first one is based on an ontology of computational biology resources, and the second one is derived from hyperbolic projections of manifolds or complex structures onto planar discs. iTools is an open source project both in terms of the source code development as well as its meta-data content. iTools employs a decentralized, portable, scalable and lightweight framework for long-term resource management. We demonstrate several applications of iTools as a framework for integrated bioinformatics. iTools and the complete details about its specifications, usage and interfaces are available at the iTools web page http://iTools.ccb.ucla.edu. PMID:18509477

Share Repository Framework: Component Specification and Otology

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-04-23

Palantir Technologies has created one such software application to support the DoD intelligence community by providing robust capabilities for...managing data from various sources. The Palantir tool is based on user-defined ontologies and supports multiple representation and analysis tools

On the Road to Reuse: Residential Demolition Bid Specification Development Tool Report & Factsheet - September 2013

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The September 2013 EPA Region 5 report and factsheet provide tools to help with waste management plans, waste disposal, handling hazardous materials, and earthwork. The documents also suggest demolition modifications to improve environmental results.

RDMO - Research Data Management Organiser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klar, Jochen; Engelhardt, Claudia; Neuroth, Heike; Enke, Harry; Ludwig, Jens

2017-04-01

The Research Data Management Organiser (RDMO) is a new tool to support the structured planning and implementation of the research data management in a scientific project and, in addition, provide the scientist with a textual Data Management Plan (DMP). While DMP are in principle a great tool to optimise the data management during all stages of a research project and to serve as a roadmap for the various data management tasks, their current usage is strongly focused on the requirements of funding agencies. Existing software tools for DMP creation and editing are useful in that respect, but do not sufficiently support the full data life cycle of a project. The RDMO is meant to be a companion for data management issues during and after the whole project. Starting from a structured interview about the project and the data involved, it organizes the data management along tasks and comprises all relevant stakeholders, i.e. researchers, PIs, institutional data managers, IT departments. Adaptations to discipline-specific or institutional needs are supported. The installation of the tool into local environments and its integration into existing administrative IT infrastructure and work flows is given special consideration. The tool is multilingual (at first German and English). In my talk, I will present the different features of the software, show its current stage of development, and how RDMO can be deployed for your institution.

Challenges of Knowledge Management and Creation in Communities of Practice Organisations of Deaf and Non-Deaf Members: Requirements for a Web Platform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Freitas Guilhermino Trindade, Daniela; Guimaraes, Cayley; Antunes, Diego Roberto; Garcia, Laura Sanchez; Lopes da Silva, Rafaella Aline; Fernandes, Sueli

2012-01-01

This study analysed the role of knowledge management (KM) tools used to cultivate a community of practice (CP) in its knowledge creation (KC), transfer, learning processes. The goal of such observations was to determine requirements that KM tools should address for the specific CP formed by Deaf and non-Deaf members of the CP. The CP studied is a…

Ecosystem services valuation to support decisionmaking on public lands—A case study of the San Pedro River watershed, Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bagstad, Kenneth J.; Semmens, Darius; Winthrop, Rob; Jaworksi, Delilah; Larson, Joel

2012-01-01

This report details the findings of the Bureau of Land Management–U.S. Geological Survey Ecosystem Services Valuation Pilot Study. This project evaluated alternative methods and tools that quantify and value ecosystem services, and it assessed the tools’ readiness for use in the Bureau of Land Management decisionmaking process. We tested these tools on the San Pedro River watershed in northern Sonora, Mexico, and southeast Arizona. The study area includes the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (managed by the Bureau of Land Management), which has been a focal point for conservation activities and scientific research in recent decades. We applied past site-specific primary valuation studies, value transfer, the Wildlife Habitat Benefits Estimation Toolkit, and the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) and Artificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services (ARIES) models to value locally important ecosystem services for the San Pedro River watershed—water, carbon, biodiversity, and cultural values. We tested these approaches on a series of scenarios to evaluate ecosystem service changes and the ability of the tools to accommodate scenarios. A suite of additional tools were either at too early a stage of development to run, were proprietary, or were place-specific tools inappropriate for application to the San Pedro River watershed. We described the strengths and weaknesses of these additional ecosystem service tools against a series of evaluative criteria related to their usefulness for Bureau of Land Management decisionmaking. Using these tools, we quantified gains or losses of ecosystem services under three categories of scenarios: urban growth, mesquite management, and water augmentation. These results quantify tradeoffs and could be useful for decisionmaking within Bureau of Land Management district or field offices. Results are accompanied by a relatively high level of uncertainty associated with model outputs, valuation methods, and discount rates applied. Further guidance on representing uncertainty and applying uncertain results in decisionmaking would benefit both tool developers and those offices in using ecosystem services to compare management tradeoffs. Decisionmakers and Bureau of Land Management managers at the State-, district-, and field-office level would also benefit from continuing model improvements, training, and guidance on tool use that can be provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Department of the Interior. Tradeoffs were identified in the level of effort needed to parameterize and run tools and the amount and quality of information they provide to the decision process. We found the Wildlife Habitat Benefits Estimation Toolkit, Ecosystem Services Review, and United Nations Environment Programme–World Conservation Monitoring Centre Ecosystem Services Toolkit to be immediately feasible for application by the Bureau of Land Management, given proper guidance on their use. It is also feasible for the Bureau of Land Management to use the InVEST model, but in early 2012 the process of parameterizing the model required resources and expertise that are unlikely to be available in most Bureau of Land Management district or field offices. Application of past primary valuation is feasible, but developing new primary-valuation studies is too time consuming for regular application. Value transfer approaches (aside from the Wildlife Habitat Benefits Estimation Toolkit) are best applied carefully on the basis of guidelines described in this report, to reduce transfer error. The ARIES model can provide useful information in regions modeled in the past (Arizona, California, Colorado, and Washington), but it lacks some features that will improve its usability, such as a generalized model that could be applied anywhere in the United States. Eleven other tools described in this report could become useful as the tools more fully develop, in high-profile cases for which additional resources are available for tool application or in case-study regions where place-specific models have already been developed. To improve the value of these tools in decisionmaking, we suggest scientific needs that agencies such as U.S. Geological Survey can help meet—for instance, development and support of data archives. Such archives could greatly reduce resource needs and improve the reliability and consistency of results. Given the rapid state of evolution in the field, periodic follow-up studies on ecosystem services tools would help to ensure that the Bureau of Land Management and other public land management agencies are kept up to date on new tools and features that bring ecosystem services closer to readiness for use in regular decisionmaking.

Systematic review: work-related stress and the HSE management standards.

PubMed

Brookes, K; Limbert, C; Deacy, C; O'Reilly, A; Scott, S; Thirlaway, K

2013-10-01

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has defined six management standards representing aspects of work that, if poorly managed, are associated with lower levels of employee health and productivity, and increased sickness absence. The HSE indicator tool aims to measure organizations' performance in managing the primary stressors identified by the HSE management standards. The aims of the study are to explore how the HSE indicator tool has been implemented within organizations and to identify contexts in which the tool has been used, its psychometric properties and relationships with alternative measures of well-being and stress. Studies that matched specific criteria were included in the review. Abstracts were considered by two researchers to ensure a reliable process. Full texts were obtained when abstracts met the inclusion criteria. Thirteen papers were included in the review. Using factor analysis and measures of reliability, the studies suggest that the HSE indicator tool is a psychometrically sound measure. The tool has been used to measure work-related stress across different occupational groups, with a clear relationship between the HSE tool and alternative measures of well-being. Limitations of the tool and recommendations for future research are discussed. The HSE indicator tool is a psychometrically sound measure of organizational performance against the HSE management standards. As such it can provide a broad overview of sources of work-related stress within organizations. More research is required to explore the use of the tool in the design of interventions to reduce stress, and its use in different contexts and with different cultural and gender groups.

Precision aerial application for site-specific rice crop management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Precision agriculture includes different technologies that allow agricultural professional to use information management tools to optimize agriculture production. The new technologies allow aerial application applicators to improve application accuracy and efficiency, which saves time and money for...

Integrated Learning Management Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Sharon; Cossarin, Mary; Doxsee, Harry; Schwartz, Linda

2004-01-01

Four integrated learning management packages were reviewed: "CentraOne", "IntraLearn", "Lyceum", and "Silicon Chalk". These products provide different combinations of synchronous and asynchronous tools. The current report examines the products in relation to their specific value for distance educators and students.

A Thermal Management Systems Model for the NASA GTX RBCC Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Traci, Richard M.; Farr, John L., Jr.; Laganelli, Tony; Walker, James (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The Vehicle Integrated Thermal Management Analysis Code (VITMAC) was further developed to aid the analysis, design, and optimization of propellant and thermal management concepts for advanced propulsion systems. The computational tool is based on engineering level principles and models. A graphical user interface (GUI) provides a simple and straightforward method to assess and evaluate multiple concepts before undertaking more rigorous analysis of candidate systems. The tool incorporates the Chemical Equilibrium and Applications (CEA) program and the RJPA code to permit heat transfer analysis of both rocket and air breathing propulsion systems. Key parts of the code have been validated with experimental data. The tool was specifically tailored to analyze rocket-based combined-cycle (RBCC) propulsion systems being considered for space transportation applications. This report describes the computational tool and its development and verification for NASA GTX RBCC propulsion system applications.

Using scenario analysis to determine managed care strategy.

PubMed

Krentz, S E; Gish, R S

2000-09-01

In today's volatile healthcare environment, traditional planning tools are inadequate to guide financial managers of provider organizations in developing managed care strategies. These tools often disregard the uncertainty surrounding market forces such as employee benefit structure, the future of Medicare managed care, and the impact of consumer behavior. Scenario analysis overcomes this limitation by acknowledging the uncertain healthcare environment and articulating a set of plausible alternative futures, thus supplying financial executives with the perspective to craft strategies that can improve the market position of their organizations. By being alert for trigger points that might signal the rise of a specific scenario, financial managers can increase their preparedness for changes in market forces.

Integrating Ecosystem-Based Management Principles of Adaptive Management and Stakeholder Engagement in California Fisheries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erickson, A.; Martone, R. G.; Hazen, L.; Mease, L.; Gourlie, D.; Le Cornu, E.; Ourens, R.; Micheli, F.

2016-12-01

California's fisheries management law, the Marine Life Management Act (MLMA) of 1998, signaled a transformative shift from traditional single-species management to an ecosystem-based approach. In response, the fisheries management community in California is striving to integrate new science and management innovations while maximizing its limited capacity. However, data gaps, high compliance costs, capacity constraints, and limited access to the best available data and technologies persist. Here we present two decision support tools being developed to aid California fisheries managers as they continue to implement ecosystem-based management (EBM). First, to practice adaptive management, a key principle of EBM, managers must know whether and how their decisions are meeting their management objectives over time. Based on a cross-walk of MLMA goals with metrics and indicators from sustainable fishery certification programs, we present a flexible and practical tool for tracking fishery management performance in California. We showcase a draft series of decision trees and questionnaires managers can use to quantitatively or qualitatively measure both ecological and social outcomes, helping them to prioritize management options and limited resources. Second, state fisheries managers acknowledge the need for more effective stakeholder engagement to facilitate and inform decision-making and long-term outcomes, another key principle of EBM. Here, we present a pilot version of a decision-support tool to aid managers in choosing the most appropriate stakeholder engagement strategies in various types of decision contexts. This online tool will help staff identify their engagement goals, when they can strategically engage stakeholders based on their needs, and the fishery characteristics that will inform how engagement strategies are tailored to specific contexts. We also share opportunities to expand these EBM tools to other resource management contexts and scales.

Integrating Ecosystem-Based Management Principles of Adaptive Management and Stakeholder Engagement in California Fisheries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erickson, A.; Martone, R. G.; Hazen, L.; Mease, L.; Gourlie, D.; Le Cornu, E.; Ourens, R.; Micheli, F.

2016-02-01

California's fisheries management law, the Marine Life Management Act (MLMA) of 1998, signaled a transformative shift from traditional single-species management to an ecosystem-based approach. In response, the fisheries management community in California is striving to integrate new science and management innovations while maximizing its limited capacity. However, data gaps, high compliance costs, capacity constraints, and limited access to the best available data and technologies persist. Here we present two decision support tools being developed to aid California fisheries managers as they continue to implement ecosystem-based management (EBM). First, to practice adaptive management, a key principle of EBM, managers must know whether and how their decisions are meeting their management objectives over time. Based on a cross-walk of MLMA goals with metrics and indicators from sustainable fishery certification programs, we present a flexible and practical tool for tracking fishery management performance in California. We showcase a draft series of decision trees and questionnaires managers can use to quantitatively or qualitatively measure both ecological and social outcomes, helping them to prioritize management options and limited resources. Second, state fisheries managers acknowledge the need for more effective stakeholder engagement to facilitate and inform decision-making and long-term outcomes, another key principle of EBM. Here, we present a pilot version of a decision-support tool to aid managers in choosing the most appropriate stakeholder engagement strategies in various types of decision contexts. This online tool will help staff identify their engagement goals, when they can strategically engage stakeholders based on their needs, and the fishery characteristics that will inform how engagement strategies are tailored to specific contexts. We also share opportunities to expand these EBM tools to other resource management contexts and scales.

A Flexible Online Metadata Editing and Management System

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

Aguilar, Raul; Pan, Jerry Yun; Gries, Corinna

2010-01-01

A metadata editing and management system is being developed employing state of the art XML technologies. A modular and distributed design was chosen for scalability, flexibility, options for customizations, and the possibility to add more functionality at a later stage. The system consists of a desktop design tool or schema walker used to generate code for the actual online editor, a native XML database, and an online user access management application. The design tool is a Java Swing application that reads an XML schema, provides the designer with options to combine input fields into online forms and give the fieldsmore » user friendly tags. Based on design decisions, the tool generates code for the online metadata editor. The code generated is an implementation of the XForms standard using the Orbeon Framework. The design tool fulfills two requirements: First, data entry forms based on one schema may be customized at design time and second data entry applications may be generated for any valid XML schema without relying on custom information in the schema. However, the customized information generated at design time is saved in a configuration file which may be re-used and changed again in the design tool. Future developments will add functionality to the design tool to integrate help text, tool tips, project specific keyword lists, and thesaurus services. Additional styling of the finished editor is accomplished via cascading style sheets which may be further customized and different look-and-feels may be accumulated through the community process. The customized editor produces XML files in compliance with the original schema, however, data from the current page is saved into a native XML database whenever the user moves to the next screen or pushes the save button independently of validity. Currently the system uses the open source XML database eXist for storage and management, which comes with third party online and desktop management tools. However, access to metadata files in the application introduced here is managed in a custom online module, using a MySQL backend accessed by a simple Java Server Faces front end. A flexible system with three grouping options, organization, group and single editing access is provided. Three levels were chosen to distribute administrative responsibilities and handle the common situation of an information manager entering the bulk of the metadata but leave specifics to the actual data provider.« less

Decision support frameworks and tools for conservation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schwartz, Mark W.; Cook, Carly N.; Pressey, Robert L.; Pullin, Andrew S.; Runge, Michael C.; Salafsky, Nick; Sutherland, William J.; Williamson, Matthew A.

2018-01-01

The practice of conservation occurs within complex socioecological systems fraught with challenges that require transparent, defensible, and often socially engaged project planning and management. Planning and decision support frameworks are designed to help conservation practitioners increase planning rigor, project accountability, stakeholder participation, transparency in decisions, and learning. We describe and contrast five common frameworks within the context of six fundamental questions (why, who, what, where, when, how) at each of three planning stages of adaptive management (project scoping, operational planning, learning). We demonstrate that decision support frameworks provide varied and extensive tools for conservation planning and management. However, using any framework in isolation risks diminishing potential benefits since no one framework covers the full spectrum of potential conservation planning and decision challenges. We describe two case studies that have effectively deployed tools from across conservation frameworks to improve conservation actions and outcomes. Attention to the critical questions for conservation project planning should allow practitioners to operate within any framework and adapt tools to suit their specific management context. We call on conservation researchers and practitioners to regularly use decision support tools as standard practice for framing both practice and research.

DOS Design/Application Tools System/Segment Specification. Volume 3

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-09-01

consume the same information to obtain that information without "manual" translation by people. Solving the information management problem effectively...and consumes ’ even more information than centralized development. Distributed systems cannot be developed successfully by experiment without...human intervention because all tools consume input from and produce output to the same repository. New tools are easily absorbed into the environment

Using Popular Movies in Teaching Cross-Cultural Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pandey, Satish

2012-01-01

Purpose: The present study aims to understand context and dynamics of cognitive learning of students as an outcome of the usage of popular movies as a learning tool in the management classroom and specifically in the context of a course on cross-cultural management issues. Design/methodology/approach: This is an exploratory study based on…

Management Information System for ESD Program Offices.

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-03-01

Management Information System (MIS) functional requirements for the ESD Program Office are defined in terms of the Computer-Aided Design and Specification Tool. The development of the computer data base and a description of the MIS structure is included in the report. This report addresses management areas such as cost/budgeting, scheduling, tracking capabilities, and ECP

Counteracting wetland overgrowth increases breeding and staging bird abundances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehikoinen, Petteri; Lehikoinen, Aleksi; Mikkola-Roos, Markku; Jaatinen, Kim

2017-01-01

Human actions have led to loss and degradation of wetlands, impairing their suitability as habitat especially for waterbirds. Such negative effects may be mitigated through habitat management. To date scientific evidence regarding the impacts of these actions remains scarce. We studied guild specific abundances of breeding and staging birds in response to habitat management on 15 Finnish wetlands. In this study management actions comprised several means of vegetation removal to thwart overgrowth. Management cost efficiency was assessed by examining the association between site-specific costs and bird abundances. Several bird guilds exhibited positive connections with both habitat management as well as with invested funds. Most importantly, however, red-listed species and species with special conservation concern as outlined by the EU showed positive correlations with management actions, underlining the conservation value of wetland management. The results suggest that grazing was especially efficient in restoring overgrown wetlands. As a whole this study makes it clear that wetland habitat management constitutes a feasible conservation tool. The marked association between invested funds and bird abundance may prove to be a valuable tool for decision makers when balancing costs and impact of conservation measures against one another.

Integrating management tools and concepts to develop an estuarine planning support system: A case study of the Humber Estuary, Eastern England.

PubMed

Lonsdale, Jemma-Anne; Weston, Keith; Barnard, Steve; Boyes, Suzanne J; Elliott, Michael

2015-11-15

Estuaries are important because of their multiple uses and users which often makes them challenging to manage since management must strike a balance between the needs of users, the estuaries' ecological and economic value and the context of multiple legislative drivers. To facilitate management we have therefore developed an Estuarine Planning Support System (EPSS) framework using the Humber Estuary, Eastern England, as a case study which integrates the current legislation tools and concepts. This integrated EPSS framework is an improvement on previous approaches for assessing cumulative impacts as it takes into account legislative drivers, management tools and other mechanisms for controlling plans/projects specific to the estuary. It therefore enables managers and users to assess and address both the current state and the way in which a new industrial, port or urban development could impact an estuary in an accessible and understandable framework. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

NIRP Core Software Suite v. 1.0

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

Whitener, Dustin Heath; Folz, Wesley; Vo, Duong

The NIRP Core Software Suite is a core set of code that supports multiple applications. It includes miscellaneous base code for data objects, mathematic equations, and user interface components; and the framework includes several fully-developed software applications that exist as stand-alone tools to compliment other applications. The stand-alone tools are described below. Analyst Manager: An application to manage contact information for people (analysts) that use the software products. This information is often included in generated reports and may be used to identify the owners of calculations. Radionuclide Viewer: An application for viewing the DCFPAK radiological data. Compliments the Mixture Managermore » tool. Mixture Manager: An application to create and manage radionuclides mixtures that are commonly used in other applications. High Explosive Manager: An application to manage explosives and their properties. Chart Viewer: An application to view charts of data (e.g. meteorology charts). Other applications may use this framework to create charts specific to their data needs.« less

The Stand-Alone Microprocessor System: A Valuable Tool in College Admissions and Recruitment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrett, Larry Neal

1983-01-01

The stand-alone microprocessor is seen as one innovative tool that can be used both in the organizational management of decline and in meeting specific organizational needs such as those of the admissions director and staff. The term "microprocessor" is defined. (MLW)

Lessons learned applying CASE methods/tools to Ada software development projects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blumberg, Maurice H.; Randall, Richard L.

1993-01-01

This paper describes the lessons learned from introducing CASE methods/tools into organizations and applying them to actual Ada software development projects. This paper will be useful to any organization planning to introduce a software engineering environment (SEE) or evolving an existing one. It contains management level lessons learned, as well as lessons learned in using specific SEE tools/methods. The experiences presented are from Alpha Test projects established under the STARS (Software Technology for Adaptable and Reliable Systems) project. They reflect the front end efforts by those projects to understand the tools/methods, initial experiences in their introduction and use, and later experiences in the use of specific tools/methods and the introduction of new ones.

Economic figures in herd health programmes as motivation factors for farmers.

PubMed

Anneberg, Inger; Østergaard, Søren; Ettema, Jehan Frans; Kudahl, Anne Braad

2016-11-01

Veterinarians often express frustrations when farmers do not implement their advice, and farmers sometimes shake their heads when they receive veterinary advice which is practically unfeasible. This is the background for the development of a focused 3 page economic report created in cooperation between veterinarians, farmers, advisers and researchers. Based on herd specific key-figures for management, the report presents the short- and long-term economic effects of changes in 15 management areas. Simulations are performed by the dairy herd simulation model "SimHerd". The aim is to assist the veterinarian in identifying the economically most favorable and feasible management improvements and thereby provide more relevant and prioritised advice to the farmer. In the developing process, a prototype of the advisory tool was tested by 15 veterinarians on 55 farms. After the test period, a selection of farmers were asked to take part in a qualitative evaluation questioning them whether they had implemented the action plans suggested on basis of the advisory tool and making them explain what made them agree or disagree on the results from this new advisory tool. The aim of this process was to evaluate the farmers' receptiveness to advice based on these economic analyses. We found that the analysed advisory tool (the report) can be seen as a valuable help and support for some farmers when deciding whether to implement the action plans. However, certain reservations were recognised. The trustworthiness of the tool depends on whether the veterinarians are able to suggest to the farmer which specific management changes are needed to obtain the estimated effects and what the related expenses might be (costs). Without transparency of expenses, time-limits, work hours and so on, farmers may not be convinced by the tool. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The eHealth Enhanced Chronic Care Model: A Theory Derivation Approach

PubMed Central

Greenwood, Deborah A; Paterniti, Debora A; Ward, Deborah; Miller, Lisa M Soederberg

2015-01-01

Background Chronic illnesses are significant to individuals and costly to society. When systematically implemented, the well-established and tested Chronic Care Model (CCM) is shown to improve health outcomes for people with chronic conditions. Since the development of the original CCM, tremendous information management, communication, and technology advancements have been established. An opportunity exists to improve the time-honored CCM with clinically efficacious eHealth tools. Objective The first goal of this paper was to review research on eHealth tools that support self-management of chronic disease using the CCM. The second goal was to present a revised model, the eHealth Enhanced Chronic Care Model (eCCM), to show how eHealth tools can be used to increase efficiency of how patients manage their own chronic illnesses. Methods Using Theory Derivation processes, we identified a “parent theory”, the Chronic Care Model, and conducted a thorough review of the literature using CINAHL, Medline, OVID, EMBASE PsychINFO, Science Direct, as well as government reports, industry reports, legislation using search terms “CCM or Chronic Care Model” AND “eHealth” or the specific identified components of eHealth. Additionally, “Chronic Illness Self-management support” AND “Technology” AND several identified eHealth tools were also used as search terms. We then used a review of the literature and specific components of the CCM to create the eCCM. Results We identified 260 papers at the intersection of technology, chronic disease self-management support, the CCM, and eHealth and organized a high-quality subset (n=95) using the components of CCM, self-management support, delivery system design, clinical decision support, and clinical information systems. In general, results showed that eHealth tools make important contributions to chronic care and the CCM but that the model requires modification in several key areas. Specifically, (1) eHealth education is critical for self-care, (2) eHealth support needs to be placed within the context of community and enhanced with the benefits of the eCommunity or virtual communities, and (3) a complete feedback loop is needed to assure productive technology-based interactions between the patient and provider. Conclusions The revised model, eCCM, offers insight into the role of eHealth tools in self-management support for people with chronic conditions. Additional research and testing of the eCCM are the logical next steps. PMID:25842005

Bridging the gap between finance and clinical operations with activity-based cost management.

PubMed

Storfjell, J L; Jessup, S

1996-12-01

Activity-based cost management (ABCM) is an exciting management tool that links financial information with operations. By determining the costs of specific activities and processes, nurse managers accurately determine true costs of services more accurately than traditional cost accounting methods, and then can target processes for improvement and monitor them for change and improvement. The authors describe the ABCM process applied to nursing management situations.

a Restoration Oriented Hbim System for Cultural Heritage Documentation: the Case Study of Parma Cathedral

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruno, N.; Roncella, R.

2018-05-01

The need to safeguard and preserve Cultural Heritage (CH) is increasing and especially in Italy, where the amount of historical buildings is considerable, having efficient and standardized processes of CH management and conservation becomes strategic. At the time being, there are no tools capable of fulfilling all the specific functions required by Cultural Heritage documentation and, due to the complexity of historical assets, there are no solution as flexible and customizable as CH specific needs require. Nevertheless, BIM methodology can represent the most effective solution, on condition that proper methodologies, tools and functions are made available. The paper describes an ongoing research on the implementation of a Historical BIM system for the Parma cathedral, aimed at the maintenance, conservation and restoration. Its main goal was to give a concrete answer to the lack of specific tools required by Cultural Heritage documentation: organized and coordinated storage and management of historical data, easy analysis and query, time management, 3D modelling of irregular shapes, flexibility, user-friendliness, etc. The paper will describe the project and the implemented methodology, focusing mainly on survey and modelling phases. In describing the methodology, critical issues about the creation of a HBIM will be highlighted, trying to outline a workflow applicable also in other similar contexts.

Toward improved simulation of river operations through integration with a hydrologic model

USGS Publications Warehouse

Morway, Eric D.; Niswonger, Richard G.; Triana, Enrique

2016-01-01

Advanced modeling tools are needed for informed water resources planning and management. Two classes of modeling tools are often used to this end–(1) distributed-parameter hydrologic models for quantifying supply and (2) river-operation models for sorting out demands under rule-based systems such as the prior-appropriation doctrine. Within each of these two broad classes of models, there are many software tools that excel at simulating the processes specific to each discipline, but have historically over-simplified, or at worse completely neglected, aspects of the other. As a result, water managers reliant on river-operation models for administering water resources need improved tools for representing spatially and temporally varying groundwater resources in conjunctive-use systems. A new tool is described that improves the representation of groundwater/surface-water (GW-SW) interaction within a river-operations modeling context and, in so doing, advances evaluation of system-wide hydrologic consequences of new or altered management regimes.

REACH-ER: a tool to evaluate river basin remediation measures for contaminants at the catchment scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Griensven, Ann; Haest, Pieter Jan; Broekx, Steven; Seuntjens, Piet; Campling, Paul; Ducos, Geraldine; Blaha, Ludek; Slobodnik, Jaroslav

2010-05-01

The European Union (EU) adopted the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in 2000 ensuring that all aquatic ecosystems meet ‘good status' by 2015. However, it is a major challenge for river basin managers to meet this requirement in river basins with a high population density as well as intensive agricultural and industrial activities. The EU financed AQUAREHAB project (FP7) specifically examines the ecological and economic impact of innovative rehabilitation technologies for multi-pressured degraded water bodies. For this purpose, a generic collaborative management tool ‘REACH-ER' is being developed that can be used by stakeholders, citizens and water managers to evaluate the ecological and economical effects of different remedial actions on waterbodies. The tool is built using databases from large scale models simulating the hydrological dynamics of the river basing and sub-basins, the costs of the measures and the effectiveness of the measures in terms of ecological impact. Knowledge rules are used to describe the relationships between these data in order to compute the flux concentrations or to compute the effectiveness of measures. The management tool specifically addresses nitrate pollution and pollution by organic micropollutants. Detailed models are also used to predict the effectiveness of site remedial technologies using readily available global data. Rules describing ecological impacts are derived from ecotoxicological data for (mixtures of) specific contaminants (msPAF) and ecological indices relating effects to the presence of certain contaminants. Rules describing the cost-effectiveness of measures are derived from linear programming models identifying the least-cost combination of abatement measures to satisfy multi-pollutant reduction targets and from multi-criteria analysis.

SAGA: A project to automate the management of software production systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, R. H.; Badger, W.; Beckman, C. S.; Beshers, G.; Hammerslag, D.; Kimball, J.; Kirslis, P. A.; Render, H.; Richards, P.; Terwilliger, R.

1984-01-01

The project to automate the management of software production systems is described. The SAGA system is a software environment that is designed to support most of the software development activities that occur in a software lifecycle. The system can be configured to support specific software development applications using given programming languages, tools, and methodologies. Meta-tools are provided to ease configuration. Several major components of the SAGA system are completed to prototype form. The construction methods are described.

HCE Research Coordination Directorate (ReCoorD Database)

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-27

portfolio management is often hidden within broader mission scopes and visibility into those portfolio is often limited at best. Current specialty...specific tracking databases do not exist. Current broad-sweeping portfolio management tools do not exist (not true--define terms?). The HCE receives...requests from a variety of oversight bodies for reports on the current state of project-through- portfolio efforts. Tools such as NIH’s Reporter, while still in development, do not yet appear to meet HCE element requirements.

Dynamic Model Improves Agronomic and Environmental Outcomes for Maize Nitrogen Management over Static Approach.

PubMed

Sela, Shai; van Es, Harold M; Moebius-Clune, Bianca N; Marjerison, Rebecca; Moebius-Clune, Daniel; Schindelbeck, Robert; Severson, Keith; Young, Eric

2017-03-01

Large temporal and spatial variability in soil nitrogen (N) availability leads many farmers across the United States to over-apply N fertilizers in maize ( L.) production environments, often resulting in large environmental N losses. Static Stanford-type N recommendation tools are typically promoted in the United States, but new dynamic model-based decision tools allow for highly adaptive N recommendations that account for specific production environments and conditions. This study compares the Corn N Calculator (CNC), a static N recommendation tool for New York, to Adapt-N, a dynamic simulation tool that combines soil, crop, and management information with real-time weather data to estimate optimum N application rates for maize. The efficiency of the two tools in predicting the Economically Optimum N Rate (EONR) is compared using field data from 14 multiple N-rate trials conducted in New York during the years 2011 through 2015. The CNC tool was used with both realistic grower-estimated potential yields and those extracted from the CNC default database, which were found to be unrealistically low when compared with field data. By accounting for weather and site-specific conditions, the Adapt-N tool was found to increase the farmer profits and significantly improve the prediction of the EONR (RMSE = 34 kg ha). Furthermore, using a dynamic instead of a static approach led to reduced N application rates, which in turn resulted in substantially lower simulated environmental N losses. This study shows that better N management through a dynamic decision tool such as Adapt-N can help reduce environmental impacts while sustaining farm economic viability. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Problem-Based Teaching in International Management: A Political/Economic Risk Assessment Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daly, Paula S.; White, Marion M.; Zisk, Daniel S.; Cavazos, David E.

2013-01-01

This article draws from the current literature to examine problem-based learning (PBL) as a management education tool, and provides an example of how to incorporate PBL into an undergraduate international management course. Also included are an explanation of, and specific guidelines for, a PBL exercise focused on the analysis of "country risk"…

Comparing Textbook Coverage of Lean Management to Academic Research and Industry Practitioner Perceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marley, Kathryn A.; Stodnick, T. Michael; Heyl, Jeff

2013-01-01

Within operations management courses, most instructors choose to devote classroom time to teaching the topic of lean management. However, because the amount of time available for instructors to devote to this topic varies considerably, there is a great deal of latitude on which specific lean tools and techniques should be discussed. The authors…

Operations management: a tool to increase profitability.

PubMed

Mulvehill, M J

2001-03-01

Operations management enables the efficient utilization of the production systems in a business. This paper will address several key elements in the business competency of operations management. Specifically, this discussion will review the components of a material requirement planning system and a "just-in-time" system for inventory control and time management to enable the dentist to monitor a portion of the practice's overhead costs.

Database & information tools for transportation research management : Connecticut transportation research peer exchange report of a thematic peer exchange.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-05-01

Specific objectives of the Peer Exchange were: : Discuss and exchange information about databases and other software : used to support the program-cycles managed by state transportation : research offices. Elements of the program cycle include: :...

Three-Dimensional Modeling of the Hydrodynamics and Transport in Narragansett Bay

EPA Science Inventory

The work presented here addresses the specific needs of physical information required by tasks within the two SSWR projects: SSWR 2.3.A (Nutrient management for sustainability of upland and coastal ecosystems: Building a locally applicable management tool box for application acro...

Pest measurement and management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pest scouting, whether it is done only with ground scouting methods or using remote sensing with some ground-truthing, is an important tool to aid site-specific crop management. Different pests may be monitored at different times and using different methods. Remote sensing has the potential to provi...

Progress in Multi-Disciplinary Data Life Cycle Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, C.; Gasthuber, M.; Giesler, A.; Hardt, M.; Meyer, J.; Prabhune, A.; Rigoll, F.; Schwarz, K.; Streit, A.

2015-12-01

Modern science is most often driven by data. Improvements in state-of-the-art technologies and methods in many scientific disciplines lead not only to increasing data rates, but also to the need to improve or even completely overhaul their data life cycle management. Communities usually face two kinds of challenges: generic ones like federated authorization and authentication infrastructures and data preservation, and ones that are specific to their community and their respective data life cycle. In practice, the specific requirements often hinder the use of generic tools and methods. The German Helmholtz Association project ’’Large-Scale Data Management and Analysis” (LSDMA) addresses both challenges: its five Data Life Cycle Labs (DLCLs) closely collaborate with communities in joint research and development to optimize the communities data life cycle management, while its Data Services Integration Team (DSIT) provides generic data tools and services. We present most recent developments and results from the DLCLs covering communities ranging from heavy ion physics and photon science to high-throughput microscopy, and from DSIT.

A Method for Making Cross-Comparable Estimates of the Benefits of Decision Support Technologies for Air Traffic Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, David; Long, Dou; Etheridge, Mel; Plugge, Joana; Johnson, Jesse; Kostiuk, Peter

1998-01-01

We present a general method for making cross comparable estimates of the benefits of NASA-developed decision support technologies for air traffic management, and we apply a specific implementation of the method to estimate benefits of three decision support tools (DSTs) under development in NASA's advanced Air Transportation Technologies Program: Active Final Approach Spacing Tool (A-FAST), Expedite Departure Path (EDP), and Conflict Probe and Trial Planning Tool (CPTP). The report also reviews data about the present operation of the national airspace system (NAS) to identify opportunities for DST's to reduce delays and inefficiencies.

A software tool to analyze clinical workflows from direct observations.

PubMed

Schweitzer, Marco; Lasierra, Nelia; Hoerbst, Alexander

2015-01-01

Observational data of clinical processes need to be managed in a convenient way, so that process information is reliable, valid and viable for further analysis. However, existing tools for allocating observations fail in systematic data collection of specific workflow recordings. We present a software tool which was developed to facilitate the analysis of clinical process observations. The tool was successfully used in the project OntoHealth, to build, store and analyze observations of diabetes routine consultations.

Testing an Open Source installation and server provisioning tool for the INFN CNAF Tierl Storage system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pezzi, M.; Favaro, M.; Gregori, D.; Ricci, P. P.; Sapunenko, V.

2014-06-01

In large computing centers, such as the INFN CNAF Tier1 [1], is essential to be able to configure all the machines, depending on use, in an automated way. For several years at the Tier1 has been used Quattor[2], a server provisioning tool, which is currently used in production. Nevertheless we have recently started a comparison study involving other tools able to provide specific server installation and configuration features and also offer a proper full customizable solution as an alternative to Quattor. Our choice at the moment fell on integration between two tools: Cobbler [3] for the installation phase and Puppet [4] for the server provisioning and management operation. The tool should provide the following properties in order to replicate and gradually improve the current system features: implement a system check for storage specific constraints such as kernel modules black list at boot time to avoid undesired SAN (Storage Area Network) access during disk partitioning; a simple and effective mechanism for kernel upgrade and downgrade; the ability of setting package provider using yum, rpm or apt; easy to use Virtual Machine installation support including bonding and specific Ethernet configuration; scalability for managing thousands of nodes and parallel installations. This paper describes the results of the comparison and the tests carried out to verify the requirements and the new system suitability in the INFN-T1 environment.

Rescheduling nursing shifts: scoping the challenge and examining the potential of mathematical model based tools.

PubMed

Clark, Alistair; Moule, Pam; Topping, Annie; Serpell, Martin

2015-05-01

To review research in the literature on nursing shift scheduling / rescheduling, and to report key issues identified in a consultation exercise with managers in four English National Health Service trusts to inform the development of mathematical tools for rescheduling decision-making. Shift rescheduling is unrecognised as an everyday time-consuming management task with different imperatives from scheduling. Poor rescheduling decisions can have quality, cost and morale implications. A systematic critical literature review identified rescheduling issues and existing mathematic modelling tools. A consultation exercise with nursing managers examined the complex challenges associated with rescheduling. Minimal research exists on rescheduling compared with scheduling. Poor rescheduling can result in greater disruption to planned nursing shifts and may impact negatively on the quality and cost of patient care, and nurse morale and retention. Very little research examines management challenges or mathematical modelling for rescheduling. Shift rescheduling is a complex and frequent management activity that is more challenging than scheduling. Mathematical modelling may have potential as a tool to support managers to minimise rescheduling disruption. The lack of specific methodological support for rescheduling that takes into account its complexity, increases the likelihood of harm for patients and stress for nursing staff and managers. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Tools, information sources, and methods used in deciding on drug availability in HMOs.

PubMed

Barner, J C; Thomas, J

1998-01-01

The use and importance of specific decision-making tools, information sources, and drug-use management methods in determining drug availability and use in HMOs were studied. A questionnaire was sent to 303 randomly selected HMOs. Respondents were asked to rate their use of each of four formal decision-making tools and its relative importance, as well as the use and importance of eight information sources and 11 methods for managing drug availability and use, on a 5-point scale. The survey response rate was 28%. Approximately half of the respondents reported that their HMOs used decision analysis or multiattribute analysis in deciding on drug availability. If used, these tools were rated as very important. There were significant differences in levels of use by HMO type, membership size, and age. Journal articles and reference books were reported most often as information sources. Retrospective drug-use review was used very often and perceived to be very important in managing drug use. Other management methods were used only occasionally, but the importance placed on these tools when used ranged from moderately to very important. Older organizations used most of the management methods more often than did other HMOs. Decision analysis and multiattribute analysis were the most commonly used tools for deciding on which drugs to make available to HMO members, and reference books and journal articles were the most commonly used information sources. Retrospective and prospective drug-use reviews were the most commonly applied methods for managing HMO members' access to drugs.

Application of the enterprise management tools Lean Six Sigma and PMBOK in developing a program of research management.

PubMed

Hors, Cora; Goldberg, Anna Carla; Almeida, Ederson Haroldo Pereira de; Babio Júnior, Fernando Galan; Rizzo, Luiz Vicente

2012-01-01

Introduce a program for the management of scientific research in a General Hospital employing the business management tools Lean Six Sigma and PMBOK for project management in this area. The Lean Six Sigma methodology was used to improve the management of the institution's scientific research through a specific tool (DMAIC) for identification, implementation and posterior analysis based on PMBOK practices of the solutions found. We present our solutions for the management of institutional research projects at the Sociedade Beneficente Israelita Brasileira Albert Einstein. The solutions were classified into four headings: people, processes, systems and organizational culture. A preliminary analysis of these solutions showed them to be completely or partially compliant to the processes described in the PMBOK Guide. In this post facto study, we verified that the solutions drawn from a project using Lean Six Sigma methodology and based on PMBOK enabled the improvement of our processes dealing with the management of scientific research carried out in the institution and constitutes a model to contribute to the search of innovative science management solutions by other institutions dealing with scientific research in Brazil.

Developing an interactive mobile phone self-report system for self-management of hypertension. Part 2: content validity and usability.

PubMed

Bengtsson, Ulrika; Kjellgren, Karin; Höfer, Stefan; Taft, Charles; Ring, Lena

2014-10-01

Self-management support tools using technology may improve adherence to hypertension treatment. There is a need for user-friendly tools facilitating patients' understanding of the interconnections between blood pressure, wellbeing and lifestyle. This study aimed to examine comprehension, comprehensiveness and relevance of items, and further to evaluate the usability and reliability of an interactive hypertension-specific mobile phone self-report system. Areas important in supporting self-management and candidate items were derived from five focus group interviews with patients and healthcare professionals (n = 27), supplemented by a literature review. Items and response formats were drafted to meet specifications for mobile phone administration and were integrated into a mobile phone data-capture system. Content validity and usability were assessed iteratively in four rounds of cognitive interviews with patients (n = 21) and healthcare professionals (n = 4). Reliability was examined using a test-retest. Focus group analyses yielded six areas covered by 16 items. The cognitive interviews showed satisfactory item comprehension, relevance and coverage; however, one item was added. The mobile phone self-report system was reliable and perceived easy to use. The mobile phone self-report system appears efficiently to capture information relevant in patients' self-management of hypertension. Future studies need to evaluate the effectiveness of this tool in improving self-management of hypertension in clinical practice.

Organization Development Strategies in Educational Policy Planning and Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, B. Kathryn; Biles, Stephen

1990-01-01

This synthesis reviews organizational development (OD) and its decision tools, describes OD applications in educational organizations, explores OD's limitations, and predicts how OD will influence future educational decision making. Findings identify eight specific management and planning areas where OD can be used to improve organizational…

Choice-Based Segmentation as an Enrollment Management Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Mark R.

2002-01-01

This article presents an approach to enrollment management based on target marketing strategies developed from a choice-based segmentation methodology. Students are classified into "switchable" or "non-switchable" segments based on their probability of selecting specific majors. A modified multinomial logit choice model is used to identify…

USGS Science Data Life Cycle Tools - Lessons Learned in moving to the Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frame, M. T.; Mancuso, T.; Hutchison, V.; Zolly, L.; Wheeler, B.; Urbanowski, S.; Devarakonda, R.; Palanisamy, G.

2016-12-01

The U.S Geological Survey (USGS) Core Science Systems has been working for the past year to design, re-architect, and implement several key tools and systems within the USGS Cloud Hosting Service supported by Amazon Web Services (AWS). As a result of emerging USGS data management policies that align with federal Open Data mandates, and as part of a concerted effort to respond to potential increasing user demand due to these policies, the USGS strategically began migrating its core data management tools and services to the AWS environment in hopes of leveraging cloud capabilities (i.e. auto-scaling, replication, etc.). The specific tools included: USGS Online Metadata Editor (OME); USGS Digital Object Identifier (DOI) generation tool; USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC); USGS ScienceBase system; and an integrative tool, the USGS Data Release Workbench, which steps bureau personnel through the process of releasing data. All of these tools existed long before the Cloud was available and presented significant challenges in migrating, re-architecting, securing, and moving to a Cloud based environment. Initially, a `lift and shift' approach, essentially moving as is, was attempted and various lessons learned about that approach will be discussed, along with recommendations that resulted from the development and eventual operational implementation of these tools. The session will discuss lessons learned related to management of these tools in an AWS environment; re-architecture strategies utilized for the tools; time investments through sprint allocations; initial benefits observed from operating within a Cloud based environment; and initial costs to support these data management tools.

Cockpit management and Specific Behavioral Objectives (SBOs)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mudge, R. W.

1987-01-01

One of the primary tools used to accomplish the task of effective training is the specific behavioral objective (SBO). An SBO is simply a statement which specifically identifies a small segment of the final behavior sought, and a little more. The key word is specific. The company pinpoints exactly what it is it wants the pilot to do after completing training, and what it should evaluate from the point of view of both the program and the pilot. It tells the junior crewmember exactly, specifically, what he should monitor and support insofar as the management function is concerned. It gives greater meaning to the term second in command. And finally, it tells the supervisory pilot exactly what he should observe, evaluate, and instruct, insofar as the management function is concerned.

Bombings specific triage (Bost Tool) tool and its application by healthcare professionals.

PubMed

Sanjay, Jaiswal; Ankur, Verma; Tamorish, Kole

2015-01-01

Bombing is a unique incident which produces unique patterns, multiple and occult injuries. Death often is a result of combined blast, ballistic and thermal effect injuries. Various natures of injury, self referrals and arrival by private transportation may lead to "wrong triage" in the emergency department. In India there has been an increase in incidence of bombing in the last 15 years. There is no documented triage tool from the National Disaster Management Authority of India for Bombings. We have tried to develop an ideal bombing specific triage tool which will guide the right patients to the right place at the right time and save more lives. There are three methods of studying the triage tool: 1) real disaster; 2) mock drill; 3) table top exercise. In this study, a table top exercise method was selected. There are two groups, each consisting of an emergency physician, a nurse and a paramedic. By using the proportion test, we found that correct triaging was significantly different (P=0.005) in proportion between the two groups: group B (80%) with triage tool performed better in triaging the bomb blast victims than group A (50%) without the bombing specific triage tool performed. Development of bombing specific triage tool can reduce under triaging.

Bombings specific triage (Bost Tool) tool and its application by healthcare professionals

PubMed Central

Sanjay, Jaiswal; Ankur, Verma; Tamorish, Kole

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Bombing is a unique incident which produces unique patterns, multiple and occult injuries. Death often is a result of combined blast, ballistic and thermal effect injuries. Various natures of injury, self referrals and arrival by private transportation may lead to “wrong triage” in the emergency department. In India there has been an increase in incidence of bombing in the last 15 years. There is no documented triage tool from the National Disaster Management Authority of India for Bombings. We have tried to develop an ideal bombing specific triage tool which will guide the right patients to the right place at the right time and save more lives. METHODS: There are three methods of studying the triage tool: 1) real disaster; 2) mock drill; 3) table top exercise. In this study, a table top exercise method was selected. There are two groups, each consisting of an emergency physician, a nurse and a paramedic. RESULTS: By using the proportion test, we found that correct triaging was significantly different (P=0.005) in proportion between the two groups: group B (80%) with triage tool performed better in triaging the bomb blast victims than group A (50%) without the bombing specific triage tool performed. CONCLUSION: Development of bombing specific triage tool can reduce under triaging. PMID:26693264

A data base processor semantics specification package

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fishwick, P. A.

1983-01-01

A Semantics Specification Package (DBPSSP) for the Intel Data Base Processor (DBP) is defined. DBPSSP serves as a collection of cross assembly tools that allow the analyst to assemble request blocks on the host computer for passage to the DBP. The assembly tools discussed in this report may be effectively used in conjunction with a DBP compatible data communications protocol to form a query processor, precompiler, or file management system for the database processor. The source modules representing the components of DBPSSP are fully commented and included.

Sports Management Faculty External Grant-Writing Activities in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeVinney, Timothy P.

2012-01-01

This study was conducted to fill a void in information, provide relevant, current data for faculty members related to external grant-writing activities related to the academic field of sport management and serve as a tool that may aid in the advancement of external grant-writing efforts within the field of sport management. All data is specific to…

[Design of an educational tool for Primary Care patients with chronic non-specific low back pain].

PubMed

Díaz-Cerrillo, Juan Luis; Rondón-Ramos, Antonio

2015-02-01

Current scientific evidence on the management of chronic non-specific low back pain highlights the benefits of physical exercise. This goal is frequently undermined due to lack of education of the subjects on the multifactorial, benign, and non-specific nature of low back pain, which can lead to a chronic disease with genuine psychosocial risk factors. Its influence may not only interfere with individual decision to adopt more adaptive coping behaviors, but also with the endogenous mechanisms of pain neuromodulation. Thus, the educational strategies and control of these factors have become important objectives to be incorporated into the management of the disorder and research guidelines. This paper presents the theoretical models and the scientific basis on which it has based the design of an educational tool for patients with chronic non-specific low back pain treated in Primary Care physiotherapy. Structure, content and objectives are also presented. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

[Health management in private health insurance].

PubMed

Ziegenhagen, D J; Schilling, M K

2000-09-01

German private health insurance faces new challenges. The classical tools of cost containment are no longer sufficient to keep up with ever increasing expenses for health care, and international competitors with managed care experience from their home markets are on the point of entering business in Germany. Although the American example of managed care is not fully compatible with customer demands and state regulations, some elements of this approach will gradually be introduced. First agreements were signed with networks or individual preferred providers in outpatient care and rehabilitation medicine. Insurance companies become more and more interested in supporting evidence based guidelines and programmes for disease and case management. The pros and cons of various other health management tools are discussed against the specific background of the quite unique German health care system.

A Software Engineering Environment for the Navy.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-03-31

Engineering Pr.cess . - 55 ?art II: Description of A Software Engineering Env.Lonnmeut 1. Data Base ........................................ 7 -3 L.I...Methodology to Tool 1-54 2.2.2.2-6 Flow of Management: Activity to Methodology to Tool 21- 55 2.2.2.2-7 Pipelining for Activity-Specific Tools 11-56 A.1.1-1 A...testing techniques. 2.2. 2 Methodciogies and Tools: Correctness Analysis Pai e T- 4Metboioioo ies aews - Pev2.ews Jeicrmine the in ernai ’ Qolc .. ness and

Collaborative socioeconomic tool development to address management and planning needs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Richardson, Leslie A.; Huber, Christopher; Cullinane Thomas, Catherine; Donovan, Elizabeth; Koontz, Lynne M.

2014-01-01

Public lands and resources managed by the National Park Service (NPS) and other land management agencies provide a wide range of social and economic benefits to both nearby local communities and society as a whole, ranging from job creation, to access to unique recreational opportunities, to subsistence and tribal uses of the land. Over the years, there has been an increased need to identify and analyze the socioeconomic effects of the public’s use of NPS lands and resources, and the wide range of NPS land management decisions. This need stems from laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), increased litigation and appeals on NPS management decisions, as well as an overall need to demonstrate how parks benefit communities and the American public. To address these needs, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and NPS have an ongoing partnership to collaboratively develop socioeconomic tools to support planning needs and resource management. This article discusses two such tools. The first, Assessing Socioeconomic Planning Needs (ASPN), was developed to help NPS planners and managers identify key social and economic issues that can arise as a result of land management actions. The second tool, the Visitor Spending Effects (VSE) model, provides a specific example of a type of analysis that may be recommended by ASPN. The remainder of this article discusses the development, main features, and plans for future versions and applications of both ASPN and the VSE.

[OISO, automatic treatment of patients management in oncogenetics].

PubMed

Guien, Céline; Fabre, Aurélie; Lagarde, Arnaud; Salgado, David; Gensollen-Thiriez, Catherine; Zattara, Hélène; Beroud, Christophe; Olschwang, Sylviane

Oncogenetics is a long-term process, which requires a close relation between patients and medical teams, good familial links allowing lifetime follow-up. Numerous documents are exchanged in between the medical team, which has to frequently interact. We present here a new tool that has been conceived specifically for this management. The tool has been developed according to a model-view-controler approach with the relational system PostgreSQL 9.3. The web site used PHP 5.3, HTML5 and CSS3 languages, completed with JavaScript and jQuery-AJAX functions and two additional modules, FPDF and PHPMailer. The tool allows multiple interactions, clinical data management, mailing and emailing, follow-up plannings. Requests are able to follow all patients and planning automatically, to send information to a large number of patients or physicians, and to report activity. The tool has been designed for oncogenetics and adapted to its different aspects. The CNIL delivered an authorization for use. Secured web access allows the management at a regional level. Its simple concept makes it evolutive according to the constant updates of genetic and clinical management of patients. Copyright © 2017 Société Française du Cancer. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

A new spatial multi-criteria decision support tool for site selection for implementation of managed aquifer recharge.

PubMed

Rahman, M Azizur; Rusteberg, Bernd; Gogu, R C; Lobo Ferreira, J P; Sauter, Martin

2012-05-30

This study reports the development of a new spatial multi-criteria decision analysis (SMCDA) software tool for selecting suitable sites for Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) systems. The new SMCDA software tool functions based on the combination of existing multi-criteria evaluation methods with modern decision analysis techniques. More specifically, non-compensatory screening, criteria standardization and weighting, and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) have been combined with Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) and Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA). This SMCDA tool may be implemented with a wide range of decision maker's preferences. The tool's user-friendly interface helps guide the decision maker through the sequential steps for site selection, those steps namely being constraint mapping, criteria hierarchy, criteria standardization and weighting, and criteria overlay. The tool offers some predetermined default criteria and standard methods to increase the trade-off between ease-of-use and efficiency. Integrated into ArcGIS, the tool has the advantage of using GIS tools for spatial analysis, and herein data may be processed and displayed. The tool is non-site specific, adaptive, and comprehensive, and may be applied to any type of site-selection problem. For demonstrating the robustness of the new tool, a case study was planned and executed at Algarve Region, Portugal. The efficiency of the SMCDA tool in the decision making process for selecting suitable sites for MAR was also demonstrated. Specific aspects of the tool such as built-in default criteria, explicit decision steps, and flexibility in choosing different options were key features, which benefited the study. The new SMCDA tool can be augmented by groundwater flow and transport modeling so as to achieve a more comprehensive approach to the selection process for the best locations of the MAR infiltration basins, as well as the locations of recovery wells and areas of groundwater protection. The new spatial multicriteria analysis tool has already been implemented within the GIS based Gabardine decision support system as an innovative MAR planning tool. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Toward a Conceptual Knowledge Management Framework in Health

PubMed Central

Lau, Francis

2004-01-01

This paper describes a conceptual organizing scheme for managing knowledge within the health setting. First, a brief review of the notions of knowledge and knowledge management is provided. This is followed by a detailed depiction of our proposed knowledge management framework, which focuses on the concepts of production, use, and refinement of three specific knowledge sources-policy, evidence, and experience. These concepts are operationalized through a set of knowledge management methods and tools tailored for the health setting. We include two case studies around knowledge translation on parent-child relations and virtual networks in community health research to illustrate how this knowledge management framework can be operationalized within specific contexts and the issues involved. We conclude with the lessons learned and implications. PMID:18066388

Information therapy: The strategic role of prescribed information in disease self-management.

PubMed

Mettler, Molly; Kemper, Donald W

2006-01-01

Imagine this: evidence-based medical information specifically written for and prescribed to a patient with chronic illness, targeted to that patient's specific "moment in care" and designed to help that patient manage his or her illness. Imagine "information therapy" built into every clinical encounter that a patient has with a physician or other health care service. Information therapy is defined as the timely prescription and availability of evidence-based health information to meet individuals' specific needs and support sound decision making. Information therapy is a new disease management tool that provides cost-effective disease management support to a much larger portion of the chronically ill population than is generally reached. This paper is a practical presentation of information therapy, its role in predictive modeling and disease self-management, and its potential for improving the outcomes of chronic care.

Evaluating service delivery for speech and swallowing problems following paediatric brain injury: an international survey.

PubMed

Morgan, Angela T; Skeat, Jemma

2011-04-01

Little is documented about contemporary management of speech and swallowing disorders associated with paediatric acquired brain injury (ABI). It is therefore challenging for clinicians in this field to benchmark their clinical management against current evidence or practices undertaken in other centres. To address this issue, we aimed to provide much-needed baseline data on speech and language pathology management of speech and swallowing disorders associated with childhood ABI. Key objectives were to: (i) determine whether clinicians use formalized referral criteria, clinical guidelines, protocols or care pathways; and (ii) to document the specific assessment and treatment approaches used. Speech and language pathology managers and clinicians at 31 major paediatric rehabilitation centres across Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland were invited to participate in an online survey. Fifty-one speech and language pathologists responded representing 26 centres (84% response rate). Routine referrals of ABI patients to speech and language pathology occurred relatively infrequently in these centres (12%). Centres utilized assessment protocols (23%) and guidelines (35%) more frequently than treatment guidelines (8%). Multidisciplinary care pathways were applied by 31%. Most centres used adult-based motor speech assessments and informal ('in-house developed') swallowing assessment tools. The limited use of referral criteria, protocols, care pathways and guidelines invites the possibility of unequal care, and less than optimal outcomes. Reliance on adult-based or in-house assessments is inappropriate, yet frequently a necessity due to an absence of paediatric-specific tools in this field. Further research is required in parallel with the formation of consensus groups to support the development of: (i) paediatric-specific assessment tools and management approaches; and (ii) clinical protocols and guidelines. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Role of Social Media in Diabetes Management in the Middle East Region: Systematic Review

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Background Diabetes is a major health care burden in the Middle East region. Social networking tools can contribute to the management of diabetes with improved educational and care outcomes using these popular tools in the region. Objective The objective of this review was to evaluate the impact of social networking interventions on the improvement of diabetes management and health outcomes in patients with diabetes in the Middle East. Methods Peer-reviewed articles from PubMed (1990-2017) and Google Scholar (1990-2017) were identified using various combinations of predefined terms and search criteria. The main inclusion criterion consisted of the use of social networking apps on mobile phones as the primary intervention. Outcomes were grouped according to study design, type of diabetes, category of technological intervention, location, and sample size. Results This review included 5 articles evaluating the use of social media tools in the management of diabetes in the Middle East. In most studies, the acceptance rate for the use of social networking to optimize the management of diabetes was relatively high. Diabetes-specific management tools such as the Saudi Arabia Networking for Aiding Diabetes and Diabetes Intelligent Management System for Iraq systems helped collect patient information and lower hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, respectively. Conclusions The reviewed studies demonstrated the potential of social networking tools being adopted in regions in the Middle East to improve the management of diabetes. Future studies consisting of larger sample sizes spanning multiple regions would provide further insight into the use of social media for improving patient outcomes. PMID:29439941

FOSS Tools for Research Data Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stender, Vivien; Jankowski, Cedric; Hammitzsch, Martin; Wächter, Joachim

2017-04-01

Established initiatives and organizations, e.g. the Initiative for Scientific Cyberinfrastructures (NSF, 2007) or the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI, 2008), promote and foster the development of sustainable research infrastructures. These infrastructures aim the provision of services supporting scientists to search, visualize and access data, to collaborate and exchange information, as well as to publish data and other results. In this regard, Research Data Management (RDM) gains importance and thus requires the support by appropriate tools integrated in these infrastructures. Different projects provide arbitrary solutions to manage research data. However, within two projects - SUMARIO for land and water management and TERENO for environmental monitoring - solutions to manage research data have been developed based on Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) components. The resulting framework provides essential components for harvesting, storing and documenting research data, as well as for discovering, visualizing and downloading these data on the basis of standardized services stimulated considerably by enhanced data management approaches of Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI). In order to fully exploit the potentials of these developments for enhancing data management in Geosciences the publication of software components, e.g. via GitHub, is not sufficient. We will use our experience to move these solutions into the cloud e.g. as PaaS or SaaS offerings. Our contribution will present data management solutions for the Geosciences developed in two projects. A sort of construction kit with FOSS components build the backbone for the assembly and implementation of projects specific platforms. Furthermore, an approach is presented to stimulate the reuse of FOSS RDM solutions with cloud concepts. In further projects specific RDM platforms can be set-up much faster, customized to the individual needs and tools can be added during the run-time.

Seismology software: state of the practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, W. Spencer; Zeng, Zheng; Carette, Jacques

2018-05-01

We analyzed the state of practice for software development in the seismology domain by comparing 30 software packages on four aspects: product, implementation, design, and process. We found room for improvement in most seismology software packages. The principal areas of concern include a lack of adequate requirements and design specification documents, a lack of test data to assess reliability, a lack of examples to get new users started, and a lack of technological tools to assist with managing the development process. To assist going forward, we provide recommendations for a document-driven development process that includes a problem statement, development plan, requirement specification, verification and validation (V&V) plan, design specification, code, V&V report, and a user manual. We also provide advice on tool use, including issue tracking, version control, code documentation, and testing tools.

Seismology software: state of the practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, W. Spencer; Zeng, Zheng; Carette, Jacques

2018-02-01

We analyzed the state of practice for software development in the seismology domain by comparing 30 software packages on four aspects: product, implementation, design, and process. We found room for improvement in most seismology software packages. The principal areas of concern include a lack of adequate requirements and design specification documents, a lack of test data to assess reliability, a lack of examples to get new users started, and a lack of technological tools to assist with managing the development process. To assist going forward, we provide recommendations for a document-driven development process that includes a problem statement, development plan, requirement specification, verification and validation (V&V) plan, design specification, code, V&V report, and a user manual. We also provide advice on tool use, including issue tracking, version control, code documentation, and testing tools.

Momentum Management Tool for Low-Thrust Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swenka, Edward R.; Smith, Brett A.; Vanelli, Charles A.

2010-01-01

A momentum management tool was designed for the Dawn low-thrust interplanetary spacecraft en route to the asteroids Vesta and Ceres, in an effort to better understand the early creation of the solar system. Momentum must be managed to ensure the spacecraft has enough control authority to perform necessary turns and hold a fixed inertial attitude against external torques. Along with torques from solar pressure and gravity-gradients, ion-propulsion engines produce a torque about the thrust axis that must be countered by the four reaction wheel assemblies (RWA). MomProf is a ground operations tool built to address these concerns. The momentum management tool was developed during initial checkout and early cruise, and has been refined to accommodate a wide range of momentum-management issues. With every activity or sequence, wheel speeds and momentum state must be checked to avoid undesirable conditions and use of consumables. MomProf was developed to operate in the MATLAB environment. All data are loaded into MATLAB as a structure to provide consistent access to all inputs by individual functions within the tool. Used in its most basic application, the Dawn momentum tool uses the basic principle of angular momentum conservation, computing momentum in the body frame, and RWA wheel speeds, for all given orientations in the input file. MomProf was designed specifically to be able to handle the changing external torques and frequent de - saturations. Incorporating significant external torques adds complexity since there are various external torques that act under different operational modes.

Organization Made Easy! Tools for Today's Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buck, Frank

2010-01-01

Meet the ever-growing organizational demands of today's changing world with the variety of tools, digital and otherwise, available to you as a teacher. In this book, organization guru Frank Buck shows you how to take expert advantage of the specific electronic and paper-based resources that will help you manage your time and stay on course as a…

Introducing Group-Based Asynchronous Learning to Business Education. Reflections on Effective Course Design and Delivery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Richard; Arnold, Ivo

2004-01-01

This paper explores the contribution of virtual tools to student learning within full-time management programmes. More specifically, the paper focuses on asynchronous communication tools, considering the scope they offer for group-based collaborative learning outside the classroom. We report on the effectiveness of this approach for an economics…

The Science Consistency Review A Tool To Evaluate the Use of Scientific Information in Land Management Decisionmaking

Treesearch

James M. Guldin; David Cawrse; Russell Graham; Miles Hemstrom; Linda Joyce; Steve Kessler; Ranotta McNair; George Peterson; Charles G. Shaw; Peter Stine; Mark Twery; Jeffrey Walter

2003-01-01

The paper outlines a process called the science consistency review, which can be used to evaluate the use of scientific information in land management decisions. Developed with specific reference to land management decisions in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, the process involves assembling a team of reviewers under a review administrator to...

Ecosystem management and economics: a review document prepared as part of the Wine Springs Creek ecosystem management project.

Treesearch

Rex H. Schaberg; Michael G. Jacobson; Frederick W. Cubbage; Robert C. Abt

1995-01-01

The application of economic tools to the challenge of ecosystem management is a process which is still in its early phases. The assumption of nonsubstitutability of goods which is implicit in a goal to sustain specific ecosystems imposes constraints on consumption and utility which are more restrictive than those which would occur in standard neoclassical analysis....

Impacts of four decades of stand density management treatments on wood properties of loblolly pine

Treesearch

M.A. Blazier; A. Clark; J.M. Mahon; M.R. Strub; R.F. Daniels; L.R. Schimleck

2013-01-01

Stand density management is a powerful silvicultural tool for manipulating stand volumes, but it has the potential to alter key wood properties. At a site in northcentral Louisiana, five density management regimes were conducted over a 45-year period. At age 49, a stratified sample of trees was destructively harvested for crown length, taper, and specific gravity...

Advancements in nano-enabled therapeutics for neuroHIV management.

PubMed

Kaushik, Ajeet; Jayant, Rahul Dev; Nair, Madhavan

This viewpoint is a global call to promote fundamental and applied research aiming toward designing smart nanocarriers of desired properties, novel noninvasive strategies to open the blood-brain barrier (BBB), delivery/release of single/multiple therapeutic agents across the BBB to eradicate neurohuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV), strategies for on-demand site-specific release of antiretroviral therapy, developing novel nanoformulations capable to recognize and eradicate latently infected HIV reservoirs, and developing novel smart analytical diagnostic tools to detect and monitor HIV infection. Thus, investigation of novel nanoformulations, methodologies for site-specific delivery/release, analytical methods, and diagnostic tools would be of high significance to eradicate and monitor neuroacquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Overall, these developments will certainly help to develop personalized nanomedicines to cure HIV and to develop smart HIV-monitoring analytical systems for disease management.

Estimation of risk management effects on revenue and purchased feed costs on US dairy farms.

PubMed

Hadrich, Joleen C; Johnson, Kamina K

2015-09-01

Variations in milk and feed prices directly affect dairy farm risk management decisions. This research used data from the 2010 US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Resource Management Surveys phase III dairy survey to examine how risk management tools affected revenues and expenses across US dairy farms. The survey was sent to 26 states and collected information on costs and returns to individual dairy farms. This research used the information from milk sales, crops sales, feed expenses, and farm and operator characteristics, as well as the use of risk management tools. Matching methodology was used to evaluate the effect of 5 independent risk management tools on revenues and expenses: selling milk to a cooperative, using a commodity contract to sell grain, feeding homegrown forage at a basic and intensive level, and use of a nutritionist. Results showed that dairy farms located in the Midwest and East benefit from selling milk to a cooperative and using commodity contracts to sell grain. Across the United States, using a nutritionist increased total feed costs, whereas a feeding program that included more than 65% homegrown forages decreased total feed costs. Results point to benefits from educational programming on risk management tools that are region specific rather than a broad generalization to all US dairy farmers. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Crisis Resource Management in the Delivery Room: Development of Behavioral Markers for Team Performance in Emergency Simulation

PubMed Central

de Tonetti, Gabriele; Geretto, Francesca; Celleno, Danilo

2018-01-01

Human factors are the most relevant issues contributing to adverse events in obstetrics. Specific training of Crisis Resource Management (CRM) skills (i.e., problem solving and team management, resource allocation, awareness of environment, and dynamic decision-making) is now widespread and is often based on High Fidelity Simulation. In order to be used as a guideline in simulated scenarios, CRM skills need to be mapped to specific and observable behavioral markers. For this purpose, we developed a set of observable behaviors related to the main elements of CRM in the delivery room. The observational tool was then adopted in a two-days seminar on obstetric hemorrhage where teams working in obstetric wards of six Italian hospitals took part in simulations. The tool was used as a guide for the debriefing and as a peer-to-peer feedback. It was then rated for its usefulness in facilitating the reflection upon one’s own behavior, its ease of use, and its usefulness for the peer-to-peer feedback. The ratings were positive, with a median of 4 on a 5-point scale. The CRM observational tool has therefore been well-received and presents a promising level of inter-rater agreement. We believe the tool could have value in facilitating debriefing and in the peer-to-peer feedback. PMID:29510491

InstanceCollage: A Tool for the Particularization of Collaborative IMS-LD Scripts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Villasclaras-Fernandez, Eloy D.; Hernandez-Gonzalo, Julio A.; Hernandez-Leo, Davinia; Asensio-Perez, Juan I.; Dimitriadis, Yannis; Martinez-Mones, Alejandra

2009-01-01

Current research work in e-learning and more specifically in the field of CSCL (Computer Supported Collaborative Learning) deals with design of collaborative activities, according to computer-interpretable specifications, such as IMS Learning Design, and their posterior enactment using LMSs (Learning Management Systems). A script that describes…

Using remote sensing and soil physical properties for predicting the spatial distribution of cotton lint yield

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Timely reflectance data from cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production fields provide a useful tool for crop health assessment and site-specific crop management decisions. This field study investigated the relationships among site-specific normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), soil physical...

Solid waste management in primary healthcare centers: application of a facilitation tool 1

PubMed Central

Moreira, Ana Maria Maniero; Günther, Wanda Maria Risso

2016-01-01

Abstract Objectives: to propose a tool to facilitate diagnosis, formulation and evaluation of the Waste Management Plan in Primary Healthcare Centers and to present the results of the application in four selected units. Method: descriptive research, covering the stages of formulation /application of the proposed instrument and the evaluation of waste management performance at the units. Results: the tool consists in five forms; specific indicators of waste generation for outpatients healthcare units were proposed, and performance indicators that give scores for compliance with current legislation. In the studied units it is generated common waste (52-60%), infectious-sharps (31-42%) and recyclable (5-17%). The average rates of generation are: 0,09kg of total waste/outpatient assistance and 0,09kg of infectious-sharps waste/outpatient procedure. The compliance with regulations, initially 26-30%, then reached 30-38% a year later. Conclusion: the tool showed to be easy to use, bypassing the existence of a complex range of existing regulatory requirements, allowed to identify non-conformities, pointed out corrective measures and evaluated the performance of waste management. In this sense, it contributes to decision making and management practices relating to waste, tasks usually assigned to nurses. It is recommended that the tool be applied in similar healthcare units for comparative studies, and implementation of necessary adaptations for other medical services. PMID:27556874

Guidance documents: Continued support to improve operations of fish hatcheries and field sites to reduce the impact or prevent establishment of New Zealand Mudsnails and other invasive mollusks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moffitt, Christine M.

2017-01-01

This project tested and revised a risk assessment/management tool authored by Moffitt and Stockton designed to provide hatchery biologists and others a structure to measure risk and provide tools to control, prevent or eliminate invasive New Zealand mudsnails (NZMS) and other invasive mollusks in fish hatcheries and hatchery operations. The document has two parts: the risk assessment tool, and an appendix that summarizes options for control or management.The framework of the guidance document for risk assessment/hatchery tool combines approaches used by the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) process with those developed by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, in the Tri-National Risk Assessment Guidelines for Aquatic Alien Invasive Species. The framework approach for this attached first document assesses risk potential with two activities: probability of infestation and consequences of infestation. Each activity is treated equally to determine the risk potential. These two activities are divided into seven basic elements that utilize scientific, technical, and other relevant information in the process of the risk assessment. To determine the probability of infestation four steps are used that have scores reported or determined and averaged. This assessment follows a familiar HACCP process to assess pathways of entry, entry potential, colonization potential, spread potential. The economic, environmental and social consequences are considered as economic impact, environmental impact, and social and cultural influences.To test this document, the Principal Investigator worked to identify interested hatchery managers through contacts at regional aquaculture meetings, fish health meetings, and through the network of invasive species managers and scientists participating in the Western Regional Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species and the 100th Meridian Initiative's Columbia River Basin Team, and the Western New Zealand Mudsnail Conference in Seattle. Targeted hatchery workshops were conducted with staff at Dworshak National Fish Hatchery Complex (ID), Similkameen Pond, Oroville WA, and Ringold Springs State Hatchery (WA).As a result of communications with hatchery staff, invasive species managers, and on site assessments of hatchery facilities, the document was modified and enhanced. Additional resources were added to keep it up to date. The result is a more simplified tool that can lead hatchery or management personnel through the process of risk assessment and provide an introduction to the risk management and communication process.In addition to the typical HACCP processes, this tool adds steps to rate and consider uncertainty and the weight of evidence regarding options and monitoring results . Uncertainty of outcome exists in most tools that can be used to control or prevent NZMS or other invasive mollusks from infesting an area. In additional this document emphasizes that specific control tools and plans must be tailored to each specific setting to consider the economic, environmental and social influences. From the testing and evaluation process, there was a strong recognition that a number of control and prevention tools previously suggested and reported in the literature from laboratory and small scale trials may not be compatible with regional and national regulations, economic constraints, social or cultural constraints, engineering or water chemistry characteristics of each facility.The options for control are summarized in the second document, Review of Control Measures for Hatcheries Infested with NZMS (Appendix A) that provides sources for additional resources and specific tools, and guidance regarding the feasibility and success of each approach. This tool also emphasizes that management plans need to be adaptive and incorporate oversight from professionals familiar with measuring risks of fish diseases, and treatments (e.g. the fish health practitioners and water quality and effluent management teams). Finally, with such a team, the adaptive management approach must be ongoing, and become a regular component of hatchery operations.Although it was the intent that this two part document would be included as part of the revised National Management and Control Plan for the NZMS proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and others, it is provided as a stand-alone document.

Assessment of eutrophication in estuaries: Pressure-state-response and source apportionment

Treesearch

David Whitall; Suzanne Bricker

2006-01-01

The National Estuarine Eutrophication Assessment (NEEA) Update Program is a management oriented program designed to improve monitoring and assessment efforts through the development of type specific classification of estuaries that will allow improved assessment methods and development of analytical and research models and tools for managers which will help guide and...

Multiple Attempts for Online Assessments in an Operations Management Course: An Exploration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orchard, Ryan K.

2016-01-01

In learning management systems, tools for online homework assessments include a number of alternatives for the assessment settings, including the ability to permit students to attempt an assessment multiple times, with options for how the multiple attempts are administered. A specific implementation of online assessments in an introductory…

Undergrad and Overweight: An Online Behavioral Weight Management Program for College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvey-Berino, Jean; Pope, Lizzy; Gold, Beth Casey; Leonard, Heather; Belliveau, Cynthia

2012-01-01

Objective: Explore the feasibility of an online behavioral weight management program for college students. Methods: The program focused on behavioral strategies to modify eating and exercise behaviors of students interested in losing weight and/or developing a healthy lifestyle. Specific tools included weekly chat meetings with a facilitator,…

Model Adoption Exchange Payment System: Technical Specifications and User Instructions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ambrosino, Robert J.

This user's manual, designed to meet the needs of adoption exchange administrators and program managers for a formal tool to assist them in the overall management and operation of their program, presents the Model Adoption Exchange Payment System (MAEPS), which was developed to improve the delivery of adoption exchange services throughout the…

Opportunities for adaptive online collaboration to enhance rural land management.

PubMed

Baumber, Alex; Metternicht, Graciela; Ampt, Peter; Cross, Rebecca; Berry, Emily

2018-08-01

Cross-property cooperation has the potential to enhance the effectiveness of environmental management actions that cut across property boundaries. Online tools can facilitate this and overcome barriers to landholder engagement in collaborative management. However, collaborative online tools need to be designed and tailored to users' needs and values, and landholder participation in the development process is critical to ensuring uptake and long-term use. This article presents a case study from the Central Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia, where landholders have been involved in participatory development of a new online collaboration tool. The case study results highlight the significance of issues such as internet access, privacy, technical proficiency and differing stakeholder objectives. A landholder survey identified mapping and the uploading of monitoring data as important functions for the online tool, but these were not rated as highly as functions relating to data security, sharing settings and key term searches. Consequently, we recommend that a future online collaboration tool for the region is not framed specifically as a mapping or citizen science tool, but rather as an adaptive collaboration and communication tool that can incorporate a variety of data types and formats and be modified over time in line with changing landholder needs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Use Cases for Combining Web Services with ArcPython Tools for Enabling Quality Control of Land Remote Sensing Data Products.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krehbiel, C.; Maiersperger, T.; Friesz, A.; Harriman, L.; Quenzer, R.; Impecoven, K.

2016-12-01

Three major obstacles facing big Earth data users include data storage, management, and analysis. As the amount of satellite remote sensing data increases, so does the need for better data storage and management strategies to exploit the plethora of data now available. Standard GIS tools can help big Earth data users whom interact with and analyze increasingly large and diverse datasets. In this presentation we highlight how NASA's Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC) is tackling these big Earth data challenges. We provide a real life use case example to describe three tools and services provided by the LP DAAC to more efficiently exploit big Earth data in a GIS environment. First, we describe the Open-source Project for a Network Data Access Protocol (OPeNDAP), which calls to specific data, minimizing the amount of data that a user downloads and improves the efficiency of data downloading and processing. Next, we cover the LP DAAC's Application for Extracting and Exploring Analysis Ready Samples (AppEEARS), a web application interface for extracting and analyzing land remote sensing data. From there, we review an ArcPython toolbox that was developed to provide quality control services to land remote sensing data products. Locating and extracting specific subsets of larger big Earth datasets improves data storage and management efficiency for the end user, and quality control services provides a straightforward interpretation of big Earth data. These tools and services are beneficial to the GIS user community in terms of standardizing workflows and improving data storage, management, and analysis tactics.

FRACTAL Systems & Project suite: engineering tools for improving development and operation of the systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez-Calpena, A.; Mujica-Alvarez, E.; Osinde-Lopez, J.; García-Vargas, M.

2008-07-01

This paper describes the FRACTAL Systems & Projects suite. This suite is composed by several tools (GECO, DOCMA and SUMO) that provide the capabilities that all organizations need to store and manage the system information generated along the project's lifetime, from the design phase to the operation phase. The amount of information that is generated in a project keeps growing in size and complexity along the project's lifetime, to an extent that it becomes impossible to manage it without the aid of specific computer-based tools. The suite described in this paper is the solution developed by FRACTAL to assist the execution of different scientific projects, mainly related with telescopes and instruments, for astronomical research centres. These tools help the system and project engineers to maintain the technical control of the systems and to ensure an optimal use of the resources. GECO eases the control of the system configuration data; DOCMA provides the means to organise and manage the documents generated in the project; SUMO allows managing and scheduling the operation, the maintenance activities and the resources during the operational phase of a system. These tools improve the project communication making the information available to the authorized users (project team, customers, Consortium's members, etc). Finally and depending on the project needs, these three tools can be used integrated or in an independent manner.

Handheld tools assess medical necessity at the point of care.

PubMed

Pollard, Dan

2002-01-01

An emerging strategy to manage financial risk in clinical practice is to involve the physician at the point of care. Using handheld technology, encounter-specific information along with medical necessity policy can be presented to physicians allowing them to integrate it into their medical decision-making process. Three different strategies are discussed: reference books or paper encounter forms, electronic reference tools, and integrated process tools. The electronic reference tool strategy was evaluated and showed a return on investment exceeding 1200% due to reduced overhead costs associated with rework of claim errors.

Adaptive Management Using Remote Sensing and Ecosystem Modeling in Response to Climate Variability and Invasive Aquatic Plants for the California Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Water Resource

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bubenheim, David; Potter, Christopher; Zhang, Minghua; Madsen, John

2017-01-01

The California Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is the hub for California's water supply and supports important ecosystem services, agriculture, and communities in Northern to Southern California. Expansion of invasive aquatic plants in the Delta coupled with impacts of changing climate and long-term drought is detrimental to the San Francisco Bay/California Delta complex. NASA Ames Research Center and the USDA-ARS partnered with the State of California to develop science-based, adaptive-management strategies for invasive aquatic plant in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Specific mapping tools developed utilizing satellite and airborne platforms provide regular assessments of population dynamics on a landscape scale and support both strategic planning and operational decision making for resource managers. San Joaquin and Sacramento River watersheds water quality input to the Delta is modeled using the Soil-Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and a modified SWAT tool has been customized to account for unique landscape and management of agricultural water supply and drainage within the Delta. Environmental response models for growth of invasive aquatic weeds are being parameterized and coupled with spatial distribution/biomass density mapping and water quality to study ecosystem response to climate and aquatic plant management practices. On the water validation and operational utilization of these tools by management agencies and how they are improving decision making, management effectiveness and efficiency will be discussed. The project combines science, operations, and economics related to integrated management scenarios for aquatic weeds to help land and water resource managers make science-informed decisions regarding management and outcomes.

Current Management Strategy for Active Surveillance in Prostate Cancer.

PubMed

Syed, Jamil S; Javier-Desloges, Juan; Tatzel, Stephanie; Bhagat, Ansh; Nguyen, Kevin A; Hwang, Kevin; Kim, Sarah; Sprenkle, Preston C

2017-02-01

Active surveillance has been increasingly utilized as a strategy for the management of favorable-risk, localized prostate cancer. In this review, we describe contemporary management strategies of active surveillance, with a focus on traditional stratification schemes, new prognostic tools, and patient outcomes. Patient selection, follow-up strategy, and indication for delayed intervention for active surveillance remain centered around PSA, digital rectal exam, and biopsy findings. Novel tools which include imaging, biomarkers, and genetic assays have been investigated as potential prognostic adjuncts; however, their role in active surveillance remains institutionally dependent. Although 30-50% of patients on active surveillance ultimately undergo delayed treatment, the vast majority will remain free of metastasis with a low risk of dying from prostate cancer. The optimal method for patient selection into active surveillance is unknown; however, cancer-specific mortality rates remain excellent. New prognostication tools are promising, and long-term prospective, randomized data regarding their use in active surveillance will be beneficial.

Assessment and management of refractory breathlessness in interstitial lung disease.

PubMed

Speakman, Lucy; Walthall, Helen

2017-09-02

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) refers to a cluster of fibroinflammatory conditions. There are limited treatment options and most patients have severe dyspnoea. The prognosis is poor. This study aims to evaluate current literature on the assessment and management of refractory breathlessness in ILD. Few tools are available to assess dyspnoea in advanced respiratory disease. Holistic assessment requires a combination of tools but there are few disease specific tools. The role of opioids is well established in the reduction of breathlessness, but there is insufficient evidence that benzodiazepines are beneficial. Non-pharmcolological breathlessness intervention services can give patients mastery of their disease, reduced distress due to breathlessness and were more cost effective. More research on holistic interventions for use in advanced disease needs to be done. Patient-reported outcome measures could elicit valuable evidence to describe the benefit of breathlessness management services in advanced respiratory disease.

Integrated Decision-Making Tool to Develop Spent Fuel Strategies for Research Reactors

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

Beatty, Randy L; Harrison, Thomas J

IAEA Member States operating or having previously operated a Research Reactor are responsible for the safe and sustainable management and disposal of associated radioactive waste, including research reactor spent nuclear fuel (RRSNF). This includes the safe disposal of RRSNF or the corresponding equivalent waste returned after spent fuel reprocessing. One key challenge to developing general recommendations lies in the diversity of spent fuel types, locations and national/regional circumstances rather than mass or volume alone. This is especially true given that RRSNF inventories are relatively small, and research reactors are rarely operated at a high power level or duration typical ofmore » commercial power plants. Presently, many countries lack an effective long-term policy for managing RRSNF. This paper presents results of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Coordinated Research Project (CRP) #T33001 on Options and Technologies for Managing the Back End of the Research Reactor Nuclear Fuel Cycle which includes an Integrated Decision Making Tool called BRIDE (Back-end Research reactor Integrated Decision Evaluation). This is a multi-attribute decision-making tool that combines the Total Estimated Cost of each life-cycle scenario with Non-economic factors such as public acceptance, technical maturity etc and ranks optional back-end scenarios specific to member states situations in order to develop a specific member state strategic plan with a preferred or recommended option for managing spent fuel from Research Reactors.« less

The Case for Case-Mix: A New Construct for Hospital Management

PubMed Central

Plomann, Marilyn Peacock; Garzino, Fred R.

1981-01-01

Case-mix is a useful methodology for health care management, planning and control. It provides managers with a powerful tool by providing a framework for relating resource consumption profiles with specific treatment patterns. In the long run, it will assist hospital planners in analyzing the demands which different classes of patients bring to the hospital. Decisions concerning capital financing, facilities planning, new services, and the medical and financial implications of physician activities are more efficiently analyzed within a case-mix framework. In the near term, inventory management, staffing policies and the on-going need for the astute management of cash flow will be postively and decisively affected by the use of case-mix measures. The benefits derived from a case-mix system are not limited to hospitals possessing sophisticated management information systems. The case-mix methodology also provides a useful tool for hospitals with less advanced data processing systems and management practices in applying a variety of management science techniques to their planning and control activities.

Screening_mgmt: a Python module for managing screening data.

PubMed

Helfenstein, Andreas; Tammela, Päivi

2015-02-01

High-throughput screening is an established technique in drug discovery and, as such, has also found its way into academia. High-throughput screening generates a considerable amount of data, which is why specific software is used for its analysis and management. The commercially available software packages are often beyond the financial limits of small-scale academic laboratories and, furthermore, lack the flexibility to fulfill certain user-specific requirements. We have developed a Python module, screening_mgmt, which is a lightweight tool for flexible data retrieval, analysis, and storage for different screening assays in one central database. The module reads custom-made analysis scripts and plotting instructions, and it offers a graphical user interface to import, modify, and display the data in a uniform manner. During the test phase, we used this module for the management of 10,000 data points of various origins. It has provided a practical, user-friendly tool for sharing and exchanging information between researchers. © 2014 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

BanTeC: a software tool for management of corneal transplantation.

PubMed

López-Alvarez, P; Caballero, F; Trias, J; Cortés, U; López-Navidad, A

2005-11-01

Until recently, all cornea information at our tissue bank was managed manually, no specific database or computer tool had been implemented to provide electronic versions of documents and medical reports. The main objective of the BanTeC project was therefore to create a computerized system to integrate and classify all the information and documents used in the center in order to facilitate management of retrieved, transplanted corneal tissues. We used the Windows platform to develop the project. Microsoft Access and Microsoft Jet Engine were used at the database level and Data Access Objects was the chosen data access technology. In short, the BanTeC software seeks to computerize the tissue bank. All the initial stages of the development have now been completed, from specification of needs, program design and implementation of the software components, to the total integration of the final result in the real production environment. BanTeC will allow the generation of statistical reports for analysis to improve our performance.

Role of Social Media in Diabetes Management in the Middle East Region: Systematic Review.

PubMed

Alanzi, Turki

2018-02-13

Diabetes is a major health care burden in the Middle East region. Social networking tools can contribute to the management of diabetes with improved educational and care outcomes using these popular tools in the region. The objective of this review was to evaluate the impact of social networking interventions on the improvement of diabetes management and health outcomes in patients with diabetes in the Middle East. Peer-reviewed articles from PubMed (1990-2017) and Google Scholar (1990-2017) were identified using various combinations of predefined terms and search criteria. The main inclusion criterion consisted of the use of social networking apps on mobile phones as the primary intervention. Outcomes were grouped according to study design, type of diabetes, category of technological intervention, location, and sample size. This review included 5 articles evaluating the use of social media tools in the management of diabetes in the Middle East. In most studies, the acceptance rate for the use of social networking to optimize the management of diabetes was relatively high. Diabetes-specific management tools such as the Saudi Arabia Networking for Aiding Diabetes and Diabetes Intelligent Management System for Iraq systems helped collect patient information and lower hemoglobin A 1c (HbA 1c ) levels, respectively. The reviewed studies demonstrated the potential of social networking tools being adopted in regions in the Middle East to improve the management of diabetes. Future studies consisting of larger sample sizes spanning multiple regions would provide further insight into the use of social media for improving patient outcomes. ©Turki Alanzi. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 13.02.2018.

Towards good dementia care: Awareness and uptake of an online Dementia Pathways tool for rural and regional primary health practitioners.

PubMed

Ollerenshaw, Alison; Wong Shee, Anna; Yates, Mark

2018-04-01

To explore the awareness and usage of an online dementia pathways tool (including decision tree and region-specific dementia services) for primary health practitioners (GPs and nurses) in regional Victoria. Quantitative pilot study using surveys and Google Analytics. A large regional area (48 000 square kilometres, population 220 000) in Victoria. Two hundred and sixty-three GPs and 160 practice nurses were invited to participate, with 42 respondents (GPs, n = 21; practice nurses, n = 21). Primary care practitioners' awareness and usage of the dementia pathways tool. Survey respondents that had used the tool (n = 14) reported accessing information about diagnosis, management and referral. Practitioners reported improvements in knowledge, skills and confidence about core dementia topics. There were 9683 page views between August 2013 and February 2015 (monthly average: 509 page views). The average time spent on page was 2.03 min, with many visitors (68%) spending more than 4 min at the site. This research demonstrates that the tool has been well received by practitioners and has been consistently used since its launch. Health practitioners' valued the content and the availability of local resources. Primary health practitioners reported that the dementia pathways tool provided access to region-specific referral and management resources for all stages of dementia. Such tools have broad transferability in other health areas with further research needed to determine their contribution to learning in the practice setting and over time. © 2017 National Rural Health Alliance Inc.

Managing and learning with multiple models: Objectives and optimization algorithms

USGS Publications Warehouse

Probert, William J. M.; Hauser, C.E.; McDonald-Madden, E.; Runge, M.C.; Baxter, P.W.J.; Possingham, H.P.

2011-01-01

The quality of environmental decisions should be gauged according to managers' objectives. Management objectives generally seek to maximize quantifiable measures of system benefit, for instance population growth rate. Reaching these goals often requires a certain degree of learning about the system. Learning can occur by using management action in combination with a monitoring system. Furthermore, actions can be chosen strategically to obtain specific kinds of information. Formal decision making tools can choose actions to favor such learning in two ways: implicitly via the optimization algorithm that is used when there is a management objective (for instance, when using adaptive management), or explicitly by quantifying knowledge and using it as the fundamental project objective, an approach new to conservation.This paper outlines three conservation project objectives - a pure management objective, a pure learning objective, and an objective that is a weighted mixture of these two. We use eight optimization algorithms to choose actions that meet project objectives and illustrate them in a simulated conservation project. The algorithms provide a taxonomy of decision making tools in conservation management when there is uncertainty surrounding competing models of system function. The algorithms build upon each other such that their differences are highlighted and practitioners may see where their decision making tools can be improved. ?? 2010 Elsevier Ltd.

An Approach to Industrial Stormwater Benchmarks: Establishing and Using Site-Specific Threshold Criteria at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

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

Campbell, C G; Mathews, S

2006-09-07

Current regulatory schemes use generic or industrial sector specific benchmarks to evaluate the quality of industrial stormwater discharges. While benchmarks can be a useful tool for facility stormwater managers in evaluating the quality stormwater runoff, benchmarks typically do not take into account site-specific conditions, such as: soil chemistry, atmospheric deposition, seasonal changes in water source, and upstream land use. Failing to account for these factors may lead to unnecessary costs to trace a source of natural variation, or potentially missing a significant local water quality problem. Site-specific water quality thresholds, established upon the statistical evaluation of historic data take intomore » account these factors, are a better tool for the direct evaluation of runoff quality, and a more cost-effective trigger to investigate anomalous results. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), a federal facility, established stormwater monitoring programs to comply with the requirements of the industrial stormwater permit and Department of Energy orders, which require the evaluation of the impact of effluent discharges on the environment. LLNL recognized the need to create a tool to evaluate and manage stormwater quality that would allow analysts to identify trends in stormwater quality and recognize anomalous results so that trace-back and corrective actions could be initiated. LLNL created the site-specific water quality threshold tool to better understand the nature of the stormwater influent and effluent, to establish a technical basis for determining when facility operations might be impacting the quality of stormwater discharges, and to provide ''action levels'' to initiate follow-up to analytical results. The threshold criteria were based on a statistical analysis of the historic stormwater monitoring data and a review of relevant water quality objectives.« less

76 FR 4870 - New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-27

... substrate and energy data and gear specific habitat vulnerability parameters. This tool will enable a better... vulnerability to particular fishing gears, and the distribution of adverse effects from fishing activities on...

Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer: Preservation of Quality of Life and Well-being.

PubMed

Rosario, Derek J; Greasley, Rosa; Bourke, Liam

2016-12-01

Managing optimal health in castrate-resistant prostate cancer is a complex clinical challenge. Quality of life should be assessed with disease-specific validated tools and can be used in clinical practice to assist in considering management options. Copyright © 2016 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Case Study of Resources Management Planning with Multiple Objectives and Projects

Treesearch

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

1995-01-01

Each National Park Service unit in the United States produces a resources management plan (RMP) every four years or less. The plans commit budgets and personnel to specific projects for four years, but they are prepared with little quantitative and analytical rigor and without formal decisionmaking tools. We have previously described a multiple objective planning...

Visual management support system

Treesearch

Lee Anderson; Jerry Mosier; Geoffrey Chandler

1979-01-01

The Visual Management Support System (VMSS) is an extension of an existing computer program called VIEWIT, which has been extensively used by the U. S. Forest Service. The capabilities of this program lie in the rapid manipulation of large amounts of data, specifically opera-ting as a tool to overlay or merge one set of data with another. VMSS was conceived to...

Expectancy Theory as a Predictor of Faculty Motivation to Use a Course Management System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turcan, Marian

2010-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between the elements of the Expectancy theory and faculty motivation to use a course management system. Specifically it analyzed if the elements of the Expectancy theory (Valence, Instrumentality and Expectancy) were useful in predicting faculty motivation when using Blackboard tools in…

Hydrological modelling in forested systems | Science ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This chapter provides a brief overview of forest hydrology modelling approaches for answering important global research and management questions. Many hundreds of hydrological models have been applied globally across multiple decades to represent and predict forest hydrological processes. The focus of this chapter is on process-based models and approaches, specifically 'forest hydrology models'; that is, physically based simulation tools that quantify compartments of the forest hydrological cycle. Physically based models can be considered those that describe the conservation of mass, momentum and/or energy. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a brief overview of forest hydrology modeling approaches for answering important global research and management questions. The focus of this chapter is on process-based models and approaches, specifically “forest hydrology models”, i.e., physically-based simulation tools that quantify compartments of the forest hydrological cycle.

Invited review: Helping dairy farmers to improve economic performance utilizing data-driving decision support tools.

PubMed

Cabrera, V E

2018-01-01

The objective of this review paper is to describe the development and application of a suite of more than 40 computerized dairy farm decision support tools contained at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) Dairy Management website http://DairyMGT.info. These data-driven decision support tools are aimed to help dairy farmers improve their decision-making, environmental stewardship and economic performance. Dairy farm systems are highly dynamic in which changing market conditions and prices, evolving policies and environmental restrictions together with every time more variable climate conditions determine performance. Dairy farm systems are also highly integrated with heavily interrelated components such as the dairy herd, soils, crops, weather and management. Under these premises, it is critical to evaluate a dairy farm following a dynamic integrated system approach. For this approach, it is crucial to use meaningful data records, which are every time more available. These data records should be used within decision support tools for optimal decision-making and economic performance. Decision support tools in the UW-Dairy Management website (http://DairyMGT.info) had been developed using combination and adaptation of multiple methods together with empirical techniques always with the primary goal for these tools to be: (1) highly user-friendly, (2) using the latest software and computer technologies, (3) farm and user specific, (4) grounded on the best scientific information available, (5) remaining relevant throughout time and (6) providing fast, concrete and simple answers to complex farmers' questions. DairyMGT.info is a translational innovative research website in various areas of dairy farm management that include nutrition, reproduction, calf and heifer management, replacement, price risk and environment. This paper discusses the development and application of 20 selected (http://DairyMGT.info) decision support tools.

Recent advances in applying decision science to managing national forests

USGS Publications Warehouse

Marcot, Bruce G.; Thompson, Matthew P.; Runge, Michael C.; Thompson, Frank R.; McNulty, Steven; Cleaves, David; Tomosy, Monica; Fisher, Larry A.; Andrew, Bliss

2012-01-01

Management of federal public forests to meet sustainability goals and multiple use regulations is an immense challenge. To succeed, we suggest use of formal decision science procedures and tools in the context of structured decision making (SDM). SDM entails four stages: problem structuring (framing the problem and defining objectives and evaluation criteria), problem analysis (defining alternatives, evaluating likely consequences, identifying key uncertainties, and analyzing tradeoffs), decision point (identifying the preferred alternative), and implementation and monitoring the preferred alternative with adaptive management feedbacks. We list a wide array of models, techniques, and tools available for each stage, and provide three case studies of their selected use in National Forest land management and project plans. Successful use of SDM involves participation by decision-makers, analysts, scientists, and stakeholders. We suggest specific areas for training and instituting SDM to foster transparency, rigor, clarity, and inclusiveness in formal decision processes regarding management of national forests.

Competencies development and self-assessment in maintenance management e-training

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papathanassiou, Nikos; Pistofidis, Petros; Emmanouilidis, Christos

2013-10-01

The maintenance management function requires staff to possess a truly multidisciplinary set of skills. This includes competencies from engineering and information technology to health and safety, management and finance, while also taking into account the normative and legislative issues. This body of knowledge is rarely readily available within a single university course. The potential of e-learning in this field is significant, as it is a flexible and less costly alternative to conventional training. Furthermore, trainees can follow their own pace, as their available time is often a commodity. This article discusses the development of tools to support competencies development and self-assessment in maintenance management. Based on requirements arising from professional bodies' guidelines and a user survey, the developed tools implement a dedicated maintenance management training curriculum. The results from pilot testing on academic and industrial user groups are discussed and user evaluations are linked with specific e-learning design issues.

Climate Change Risk Management Consulting: The opportunity for an independent business practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciccozzi, R.

2009-04-01

The Paper outlines the main questions to be addressed with reference to the actual demand of climate change risk management consulting, in the financial services. Moreover, the Project shall also try to investigate if the Catastrophe Modelling Industry can start and manage a business practice specialised on climate change risk exposures. In this context, the Paper aims at testing the possibility to build a sound business case, based upon typical MBA course analysis tools, such as PEST(LE), SWOT, etc. Specific references to the tools to be used and to other contribution from academic literature and general documentation are also discussed in the body of the Paper and listed at the end. The analysis shall also focus on the core competencies required for an independent climate change risk management consulting business practice, with the purpose to outline a valid definition of how to achieve competitive advantage in climate change risk management consulting.

Adaptive Management Using Remote Sensing and Ecosystem Modeling in Response to Climate Variability and Invasive Aquatic Plants for the California Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Water Resource

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bubenheim, D.; Potter, C. S.; Zhang, M.; Madsen, J.

2017-12-01

The California Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is the hub for California's water supply and supports important ecosystem services, agriculture, and communities in Northern and Southern California. Expansion of invasive aquatic plants in the Delta coupled with impacts of changing climate and long-term drought is detrimental to the San Francisco Bay/California Delta complex. NASA Ames Research Center and the USDA-ARS partnered with the State of California to develop science-based, adaptive-management strategies for invasive aquatic plant management in the California Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Specific mapping tools developed utilizing satellite and airborne platforms provide regular assessments of population dynamics on a landscape scale and support both strategic planning and operational decision making for resource managers. San Joaquin and Sacramento River watersheds water quality input to the Delta is modeled using the Soil-Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and a modified SWAT tool has been customized to account for unique landscape and management of agricultural water supply and drainage within the Delta. Environmental response models for growth of invasive aquatic weeds are being parameterized and coupled with spatial distribution/biomass density mapping and water quality to study ecosystem response to climate and aquatic plant management practices. On the water validation and operational utilization of these tools by management agencies and how they improve decision making, management effectiveness and efficiency will be discussed. The project combines science, operations, and economics related to integrated management scenarios for aquatic weeds to help land and water resource managers make science-informed decisions regarding management and outcomes.

Outcomes management of mechanically ventilated patients: utilizing informatics technology.

PubMed

Smith, K R

1998-11-01

This article examines an informatics system developed for outcomes management of the mechanically ventilated adult population, focusing on weaning the patient from mechanical ventilation. The link between medical informatics and outcomes management is discussed, along with the development of methods, tools, and data sets for outcomes management of the mechanically ventilated adult population at an acute care academic institution. Pros and cons of this system are identified, and specific areas for improvement of future health care outcomes medical informatics systems are discussed.

A 2015 Medical Informatics Perspective on Health and Clinical Management: Will Cloud and Prioritization Solutions Be the Future of Health Data Management?

PubMed

Bricon-Souf, N; Conchon, E

2015-08-13

Summarize current excellent research and trends in the field of Health and Clinical management. Synopsis of the articles selected for the IMIA Yearbook 2015 RESULTS: Three papers from international peer-reviewed journals have been selected for the Health and Clinical Management section. Telemedicine is still very active in Health and clinical management, but the new tendencies on which we focus this year were firstly the introduction of cloud for health data management, with some specific security problems, and secondly an emerging expectation of prioritization tools in health care Management.

A conflict management scale for pharmacy.

PubMed

Austin, Zubin; Gregory, Paul A; Martin, Craig

2009-11-12

To develop and establish the validity and reliability of a conflict management scale specific to pharmacy practice and education. A multistage inventory-item development process was undertaken involving 93 pharmacists and using a previously described explanatory model for conflict in pharmacy practice. A 19-item inventory was developed, field tested, and validated. The conflict management scale (CMS) demonstrated an acceptable degree of reliability and validity for use in educational or practice settings to promote self-reflection and self-awareness regarding individuals' conflict management styles. The CMS provides a unique, pharmacy-specific method for individuals to determine and reflect upon their own conflict management styles. As part of an educational program to facilitate self-reflection and heighten self-awareness, the CMS may be a useful tool to promote discussions related to an important part of pharmacy practice.

Network model of project "Lean Production"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khisamova, E. D.

2018-05-01

Economical production implies primarily new approaches to culture of management and organization of production and offers a set of tools and techniques that allows reducing losses significantly and making the process cheaper and faster. Economical production tools are simple solutions that allow one to see opportunities for improvement of all aspects of the business, to reduce losses significantly, to constantly improve the whole spectrum of business processes, to increase significantly the transparency and manageability of the organization, to take advantage of the potential of each employee of the company, to increase competitiveness, and to obtain significant economic benefits without making large financial expenditures. Each of economical production tools solves a specific part of the problems, and only application of their combination will allow one to solve the problem or minimize it to acceptable values. The research of the governance process project "Lean Production" permitted studying the methods and tools of lean production and developing measures for their improvement.

Design and Testing of an Air Force Services Mystery Shopping Program.

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-11-01

Base level Air Force Services’ lodging and foodservice activities use limited service quality measurement tools to determine customer perceptions of... service quality . These tools, specifically management observation and customer comment cards, do not provide a complete picture of service quality . Other... service quality measurement methods such as mystery shopping are rarely used. Bases do not consider using mystery shopping programs because of the

The BonaRes Centre - A virtual institute for soil research in the context of a sustainable bio-economy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wollschläger, Ute; Helming, Katharina; Heinrich, Uwe; Bartke, Stephan; Kögel-Knabner, Ingrid; Russell, David; Eberhardt, Einar; Vogel, Hans-Jörg

2016-04-01

Fertile soils are central resources for the production of biomass and provision of food and energy. A growing world population and latest climate targets lead to an increasing demand for both, food and bio-energy, which require preserving and improving the long-term productivity of soils as a bio-economic resource. At the same time, other soil functions and ecosystem services need to be maintained. To render soil management sustainable, we need to establish a scientific knowledge base about complex soil system processes that allows for the development of model tools to quantitatively predict the impact of a multitude of management measures on soil functions. This, finally, will allow for the provision of site-specific options for sustainable soil management. To face this challenge, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research recently launched the funding program "Soil as a Natural Resource for the Bio-Economy - BonaRes". In a joint effort, ten collaborative projects and the coordinating BonaRes Centre are engaged to close existing knowledge gaps for a profound and systemic understanding of soil functions and their sensitivity to soil management. This presentation provides an overview of the concept of the BonaRes Centre which is responsible for i) setting up a comprehensive data base for soil-related information, ii) the development of model tools aiming to estimate the impact of different management measures on soil functions, and iii) establishing a web-based portal providing decision support tools for a sustainable soil management. A specific focus of the presentation will be laid on the so-called "knowledge-portal" providing the infrastructure for a community effort towards a comprehensive meta-analysis on soil functions as a basis for future model developments.

Enhancing participatory approach in water resources management: development of a survey to evaluate stakeholders needs and priorities related to software capabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foglia, L.; Rossetto, R.; Borsi, I.; Josef, S.; Boukalova, Z.; Triana, F.; Ghetta, M.; Sabbatini, T.; Bonari, E.; Cannata, M.; De Filippis, G.

2016-12-01

The EU H2020 FREEWAT project (FREE and open source software tools for WATer resource management) aims at simplifying the application of EU-water related Directives, by developing an open source and public domain, GIS-integrated platform for planning and management of ground- and surface-water resources. The FREEWAT platform is conceived as a canvas, where several distributed and physically-based simulation codes are virtually integrated. The choice of such codes was supported by the result of a survey performed by means of questionnaires distributed to 14 case study FREEWAT project partners and several stakeholders. This was performed in the first phase of the project within the WP 6 (Enhanced science and participatory approach evidence-based decision making), Task 6.1 (Definition of a "needs/tools" evaluation grid). About 30% among all the invited entities and institutions from several EU and non-EU Countries expressed their interest in contributing to the survey. Most of them were research institutions, government and geoenvironmental companies and river basin authorities.The result of the questionnaire provided a spectrum of needs and priorities of partners/stakeholders, which were addressed during the development phase of the FREEWAT platform. The main needs identified were related to ground- and surface-water quality, sustainable water management, interaction between groundwater/surface-water bodies, and design and management of Managed Aquifer Recharge schemes. Needs and priorities were then connected to the specific EU Directives and Regulations to be addressed.One of the main goals of the questionnaires was to collect information and suggestions regarding the use of existing commercial/open-source software tools to address needs and priorities, and regarding the needs to address specific water-related processes/problems.

DMPTool: New Guidance, Resources, and Outreach for Quality Data Management Plans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruse, P.; Sallans, A.

2013-12-01

A growing number of US federal funding agencies require data management plans (DMP) as part of new research grant proposals. To help researchers with this requirement, several organizations (the California Digital Library, University of Illinois, University of Virginia, Smithsonian Institution, the DataONE consortium and the (UK) Digital Curation Centre) came together to develop the DMPTool in 2011. The goal of the DMPTool is to provide researchers with guidance, links to resources and help with writing data management plans. Thanks to a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, these organizations have been able to develop DMPTool2, adding new features and functionality, while aiming to grow the number of users and funding requirements and build a community around DMP best practices. Researchers create plans in the tool by selecting their desired funding agency. The tool provides specific requirements from the selected agency as well as detailed help with each area of the plan. Users have access to complete DMP life cycle management, tracking changes through creation, editing, submission, evaluation, and publication. They may also perform enhanced keyword searches and view publicly available plans. With role-based user authorization, users may hold various roles within the interface: creators, collaborators, institutional administrators, and tool administrators. Furthermore, partner institutions can add significant value to the process with several special tool features. Along with institutional branding in the interface, they can provide links to resources they provide to users, such as to preservation repositories, consultation services, or news and event items. In addition, partner institutions can provide help with specific plan questions, and even suggest responses. Institutional administrators can also mine data on plans in order to better support researchers. Institutions may be represented in different roles: as a funder, a researcher's affiliate, or as an institution with its own DMP requirements.

Development of modelling method selection tool for health services management: from problem structuring methods to modelling and simulation methods.

PubMed

Jun, Gyuchan T; Morris, Zoe; Eldabi, Tillal; Harper, Paul; Naseer, Aisha; Patel, Brijesh; Clarkson, John P

2011-05-19

There is an increasing recognition that modelling and simulation can assist in the process of designing health care policies, strategies and operations. However, the current use is limited and answers to questions such as what methods to use and when remain somewhat underdeveloped. The aim of this study is to provide a mechanism for decision makers in health services planning and management to compare a broad range of modelling and simulation methods so that they can better select and use them or better commission relevant modelling and simulation work. This paper proposes a modelling and simulation method comparison and selection tool developed from a comprehensive literature review, the research team's extensive expertise and inputs from potential users. Twenty-eight different methods were identified, characterised by their relevance to different application areas, project life cycle stages, types of output and levels of insight, and four input resources required (time, money, knowledge and data). The characterisation is presented in matrix forms to allow quick comparison and selection. This paper also highlights significant knowledge gaps in the existing literature when assessing the applicability of particular approaches to health services management, where modelling and simulation skills are scarce let alone money and time. A modelling and simulation method comparison and selection tool is developed to assist with the selection of methods appropriate to supporting specific decision making processes. In particular it addresses the issue of which method is most appropriate to which specific health services management problem, what the user might expect to be obtained from the method, and what is required to use the method. In summary, we believe the tool adds value to the scarce existing literature on methods comparison and selection.

Representing Human Expertise by the OWL Web Ontology Language to Support Knowledge Engineering in Decision Support Systems.

PubMed

Ramzan, Asia; Wang, Hai; Buckingham, Christopher

2014-01-01

Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) often base their knowledge and advice on human expertise. Knowledge representation needs to be in a format that can be easily understood by human users as well as supporting ongoing knowledge engineering, including evolution and consistency of knowledge. This paper reports on the development of an ontology specification for managing knowledge engineering in a CDSS for assessing and managing risks associated with mental-health problems. The Galatean Risk and Safety Tool, GRiST, represents mental-health expertise in the form of a psychological model of classification. The hierarchical structure was directly represented in the machine using an XML document. Functionality of the model and knowledge management were controlled using attributes in the XML nodes, with an accompanying paper manual for specifying how end-user tools should behave when interfacing with the XML. This paper explains the advantages of using the web-ontology language, OWL, as the specification, details some of the issues and problems encountered in translating the psychological model to OWL, and shows how OWL benefits knowledge engineering. The conclusions are that OWL can have an important role in managing complex knowledge domains for systems based on human expertise without impeding the end-users' understanding of the knowledge base. The generic classification model underpinning GRiST makes it applicable to many decision domains and the accompanying OWL specification facilitates its implementation.

Understanding the behavior of Giardia and Cryptosporidium in an urban watershed: Explanation and application of techniques to collect and evaluate monitoring data

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

Crockett, C.S.; Haas, C.N.

1996-11-01

Due to current proposed regulations requiring monitoring for protozoans and demonstration of adequate protozoan removal depending on source water concentrations detected, many utilities are considering or are engaged in protozoan monitoring activities within their watershed so that proper watershed management and treatment modifications can reduce their impact on drinking water safety and quality. However, due to the difficulties associated with the current analytical methods and sample collection many sampling efforts collect data that cannot be interpreted or lack the tools to interpret the information obtained. Therefore, it is necessary to determine how to develop an effective sampling program tailored tomore » a utility`s specific needs to provide interpretable data and develop tools for evaluating such data. The following case study describes the process in which a utility learned how to collect and interpret monitoring data for their specific needs and provides concepts and tools which other utilities can use to aid in their own macro and microwatershed management efforts.« less

Emergency nurses' evaluation of observational pain assessment tools for older people with cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Fry, Margaret; Arendts, Glenn; Chenoweth, Lynn

2017-05-01

To explore emergency nurses' perceptions of the feasibility and utility of Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia tool in people over 65 with cognitive impairment. The Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia tool was then compared with The Abbey Pain Scale, Doloplus-2 and PACSLAC. The objective was to determine which observational pain assessment tool was the most appropriate for the emergency department context and the cognitively impaired older person. The number of older people with cognitive impairment conditions, such as dementia, presenting to the emergency department is increasing. Approximately 28% of people over 65 years who present will have cognitive impairment. Older people with cognitive impairment often receive suboptimal pain management in the ED. There is limited evidence of the use and/or appropriateness of dementia-specific pain observation assessment tools in the ED. This was a multicentre exploratory qualitative study, which was conducted within a constructivist paradigm. Focus group interviews were conducted with nurses across three hospital emergency departments. Data were subject to thematic analysis. Six focus groups were conducted with 36 nurses over a 12-week period. Four themes emerged from the analysis: 1) cognitive impairment is a barrier to pain management; 2) PAINAD gives structure to pain assessment; 3) PAINAD assists to convey pain intensity; and 4) selection of an appropriate observational pain assessment tool. This study identified that emergency nurses find it challenging to detect, assess and manage pain in cognitively impaired people. While the use of the PAINAD helped to address these challenges compared to other tools, nurses also identified the important role that family and carers can play in pain assessment and management for older people with cognitive impairment. This study has generated new knowledge that has broad application across clinical settings, which can assist to transform pain management practice and reduce human suffering. The use of an observational pain assessment tool can provide for greater practice consistency for patients with communication difficulties. Pain management for older people with cognitive impairment is best achieved by the use an appropriate observational pain assessment tool and with a multidisciplinary approach that includes the person and their family/carer. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

ClimateWizard: A Framework and Easy-to-Use Web-Mapping Tool for Global, Regional, and Local Climate-Change Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Girvetz, E. H.; Zganjar, C.; Raber, G. T.; Hoekstra, J.; Lawler, J. J.; Kareiva, P.

2008-12-01

Now that there is overwhelming evidence of global climate change, scientists, managers and planners (i.e. practitioners) need to assess the potential impacts of climate change on particular ecological systems, within specific geographic areas, and at spatial scales they care about, in order to make better land management, planning, and policy decisions. Unfortunately, this application of climate science to real world decisions and planning has proceeded too slowly because we lack tools for translating cutting-edge climate science and climate-model outputs into something managers and planners can work with at local or regional scales (CCSP 2008). To help increase the accessibility of climate information, we have developed a freely-available, easy-to-use, web-based climate-change analysis toolbox, called ClimateWizard, for assessing how climate has and is projected to change at specific geographic locations throughout the world. The ClimateWizard uses geographic information systems (GIS), web-services (SOAP/XML), statistical analysis platforms (e.g. R- project), and web-based mapping services (e.g. Google Earth/Maps, KML/GML) to provide a variety of different analyses (e.g. trends and departures) and outputs (e.g. maps, graphs, tables, GIS layers). Because ClimateWizard analyzes large climate datasets stored remotely on powerful computers, users of the tool do not need to have fast computers or expensive software, but simply need access to the internet. The analysis results are then provided to users in a Google Maps webpage tailored to the specific climate-change question being asked. The ClimateWizard is not a static product, but rather a framework to be built upon and modified to suit the purposes of specific scientific, management, and policy questions. For example, it can be expanded to include bioclimatic variables (e.g. evapotranspiration) and marine data (e.g. sea surface temperature), as well as improved future climate projections, and climate-change impact analyses involving hydrology, vegetation, wildfire, disease, and food security. By harnessing the power of computer and web- based technologies, the ClimateWizard puts local, regional, and global climate-change analyses in the hands of a wider array of managers, planners, and scientists.

Marrying Two Existing Software Packages into an Efficient Online Tutoring Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byrne, Timothy

2007-01-01

Many teachers today use Learning Management Systems (LMS), several of which are open-source. Specific examples are Claroline and Moodle. However, they are not specifically designed for language learning, and hence not entirely suitable. In this article, I will compare two uses of the Claroline LMS available at Louvain-la-Neuve within the framework…

Total quality management in American industry.

PubMed

Widtfeldt, A K; Widtfeldt, J R

1992-07-01

The definition of total quality management is conformance to customer requirements and specifications, fitness for use, buyer satisfaction, and value at an affordable price. The three individuals who have developed the total quality management concepts in the United States are W.E. Deming, J.M. Juran, and Philip Crosby. The universal principles of total quality management are (a) a customer focus, (b) management commitment, (c) training, (d) process capability and control, and (e) measurement through quality improvement tools. Results from the National Demonstration Project on Quality Improvement in Health Care showed the principles of total quality management could be applied to healthcare.

Color Coded Cards for Student Behavior Management in Higher Education Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alhalabi, Wadee; Alhalabi, Mobeen

2017-01-01

The Color Coded Cards system as a possibly effective class management tool is the focus of this research. The Color Coded Cards system involves each student being given a card with a specific color based on his or her behavior. The main objective of the research is to find out whether this system effectively improves students' behavior, thus…

NCCDS configuration management process improvement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shay, Kathy

1993-01-01

By concentrating on defining and improving specific Configuration Management (CM) functions, processes, procedures, personnel selection/development, and tools, internal and external customers received improved CM services. Job performance within the section increased in both satisfaction and output. Participation in achieving major improvements has led to the delivery of consistent quality CM products as well as significant decreases in every measured CM metrics category.

[GMOs in food: risk assessment, scientific management and regulatory aspects].

PubMed

Casse, F; Hervieu, F

2003-03-01

Genetic transformation constitutes a new tool for improvement of microorganisms, animals and plants used in food. We present foreseeable risks, as well as management measures to avoid unsuspected risks of GMOs. Few risks are specific to GMOs. Present elements of French and European regulations concerning placing on the market and follow up GMOs and other novel foods are described.

Issues in contemporary and potential future molecular diagnostics for dengue.

PubMed

Sekaran, Shamala Devi; Soe, Hui Jen

2017-03-01

Dengue has been the most common arbovirus infection worldwide with 2.5 billion people living in over 100 endemic tropical and subtropical regions. Due to the high number of asymptomatic cases and the signs and symptoms being rather unspecific, dengue cases are often under-reported and might influence dengue surveillance programs. Therefore, a rapid, easy to use, inexpensive, and highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tool is essential for early and accurate diagnosis to ease the clinical management of patients as well as for the development of new interventions. Areas covered: This report discusses the contemporary dengue diagnostic tool, mainly from the aspect of molecular diagnosis where an overview of several nuclei acid amplification tests has been included. Potential molecular diagnostic tools such as biosensor and microarray are also discussed in this report. Expert commentary: Rapidness and accuracy in terms of sensitivity and specificity is imperative in dengue diagnosis for both clinical management and surveillance of dengue to ensure early treatment and corrective control measures can be carried out. In the next five years it is expected that there will be newer tests developed using not only the lateral flow techniques but more specifically biosensors and nanotechnology. These new technologies will have to be validated with the appropriate number and category of samples and to address the issue of cross-reactivity.

Basic principles of stability.

PubMed

Egan, William; Schofield, Timothy

2009-11-01

An understanding of the principles of degradation, as well as the statistical tools for measuring product stability, is essential to management of product quality. Key to this is management of vaccine potency. Vaccine shelf life is best managed through determination of a minimum potency release requirement, which helps assure adequate potency throughout expiry. Use of statistical tools such a least squares regression analysis should be employed to model potency decay. The use of such tools provides incentive to properly design vaccine stability studies, while holding stability measurements to specification presents a disincentive for collecting valuable data. The laws of kinetics such as Arrhenius behavior help practitioners design effective accelerated stability programs, which can be utilized to manage stability after a process change. Design of stability studies should be carefully considered, with an eye to minimizing the variability of the stability parameter. In the case of measuring the degradation rate, testing at the beginning and the end of the study improves the precision of this estimate. Additional design considerations such as bracketing and matrixing improve the efficiency of stability evaluation of vaccines.

Biological effects-based tools for monitoring impacted surface waters in the Great Lakes: a multiagency program in support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ekman, Drew R.; Ankley, Gerald T.; Blazer, Vicki; Collette, Timothy W.; Garcia-Reyero, Natàlia; Iwanowicz, Luke R.; Jorgensen, Zachary G.; Lee, Kathy E.; Mazik, Pat M.; Miller, David H.; Perkins, Edward J.; Smith, Edwin T.; Tietge, Joseph E.; Villeneuve, Daniel L.

2013-01-01

There is increasing demand for the implementation of effects-based monitoring and surveillance (EBMS) approaches in the Great Lakes Basin to complement traditional chemical monitoring. Herein, we describe an ongoing multiagency effort to develop and implement EBMS tools, particularly with regard to monitoring potentially toxic chemicals and assessing Areas of Concern (AOCs), as envisioned by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). Our strategy includes use of both targeted and open-ended/discovery techniques, as appropriate to the amount of information available, to guide a priori end point and/or assay selection. Specifically, a combination of in vivo and in vitro tools is employed by using both wild and caged fish (in vivo), and a variety of receptor- and cell-based assays (in vitro). We employ a work flow that progressively emphasizes in vitro tools for long-term or high-intensity monitoring because of their greater practicality (e.g., lower cost, labor) and relying on in vivo assays for initial surveillance and verification. Our strategy takes advantage of the strengths of a diversity of tools, balancing the depth, breadth, and specificity of information they provide against their costs, transferability, and practicality. Finally, a series of illustrative scenarios is examined that align EBMS options with management goals to illustrate the adaptability and scaling of EBMS approaches and how they can be used in management decisions.

Electronic Handbooks Simplify Process Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2012-01-01

Getting a multitude of people to work together to manage processes across many organizations for example, flight projects, research, technologies, or data centers and others is not an easy task. Just ask Dr. Barry E. Jacobs, a research computer scientist at Goddard Space Flight Center. He helped NASA develop a process management solution that provided documenting tools for process developers and participants to help them quickly learn, adapt, test, and teach their views. Some of these tools included editable files for subprocess descriptions, document descriptions, role guidelines, manager worksheets, and references. First utilized for NASA's Headquarters Directives Management process, the approach led to the invention of a concept called the Electronic Handbook (EHB). This EHB concept was successfully applied to NASA's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, among other NASA programs. Several Federal agencies showed interest in the concept, so Jacobs and his team visited these agencies to show them how their specific processes could be managed by the methodology, as well as to create mockup versions of the EHBs.

Creating an effort tracking tool to improve therapeutic cancer clinical trials workload management and budgeting.

PubMed

James, Pam; Bebee, Patty; Beekman, Linda; Browning, David; Innes, Mathew; Kain, Jeannie; Royce-Westcott, Theresa; Waldinger, Marcy

2011-11-01

Quantifying data management and regulatory workload for clinical research is a difficult task that would benefit from a robust tool to assess and allocate effort. As in most clinical research environments, The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMCCC) Clinical Trials Office (CTO) struggled to effectively allocate data management and regulatory time with frequently inaccurate estimates of how much time was required to complete the specific tasks performed by each role. In a dynamic clinical research environment in which volume and intensity of work ebbs and flows, determining requisite effort to meet study objectives was challenging. In addition, a data-driven understanding of how much staff time was required to complete a clinical trial was desired to ensure accurate trial budget development and effective cost recovery. Accordingly, the UMCCC CTO developed and implemented a Web-based effort-tracking application with the goal of determining the true costs of data management and regulatory staff effort in clinical trials. This tool was developed, implemented, and refined over a 3-year period. This article describes the process improvement and subsequent leveling of workload within data management and regulatory that enhanced the efficiency of UMCCC's clinical trials operation.

75 FR 5328 - Agency Information Collection Request; 60-Day Public Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-02

... center (REC) will be provided with a customer relationship management (CRM) software tool, which they... selecting a CRM vendor. Once this is completed it will submit the specific reports for clearance. [[Page...

GET SMART: EPA'S SMARTE INITIATIVE

EPA Science Inventory

The EPA's Office of Research and Development with the assistance of the U.S.-German Bilateral Working Group and the Interstate Technology Regulatory Council (ITRC), is developing Site-specific Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools (SMART) that will help stakeholders over...

GREENROOF RUNOFF WATER QUALITY

EPA Science Inventory

This project evaluated green roofs as a stormwater management tool. Specifically, runoff quantity and quality from green and flat asphalt roofs was compared. Evapotranspiration from planted green roofs and evaporation unplanted media roofs was also compared, and the influence of ...

ALARA database value in future outage work planning and dose management

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

Miller, D.W.; Green, W.H.

1995-03-01

ALARA database encompassing job-specific duration and man-rem plant specific information over three refueling outages represents an invaluable tool for the outage work planner and ALARA engineer. This paper describes dose-management trends emerging based on analysis of three refueling outages at Clinton Power Station. Conclusions reached based on hard data available from a relational database dose-tracking system is a valuable tool for planning of future outage work. The system`s ability to identify key problem areas during a refueling outage is improving as more outage comparative data becomes available. Trends over a three outage period are identified in this paper in themore » categories of number and type of radiation work permits implemented, duration of jobs, projected vs. actual dose rates in work areas, and accuracy of outage person-rem projection. The value of the database in projecting 1 and 5 year station person-rem estimates is discussed.« less

Advancing data management and analysis in different scientific disciplines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischer, M.; Gasthuber, M.; Giesler, A.; Hardt, M.; Meyer, J.; Prabhune, A.; Rigoll, F.; Schwarz, K.; Streit, A.

2017-10-01

Over the past several years, rapid growth of data has affected many fields of science. This has often resulted in the need for overhauling or exchanging the tools and approaches in the disciplines’ data life cycles. However, this allows the application of new data analysis methods and facilitates improved data sharing. The project Large-Scale Data Management and Analysis (LSDMA) of the German Helmholtz Association has been addressing both specific and generic requirements in its data life cycle successfully since 2012. Its data scientists work together with researchers from the fields such as climatology, energy and neuroscience to improve the community-specific data life cycles, in several cases even all stages of the data life cycle, i.e. from data acquisition to data archival. LSDMA scientists also study methods and tools that are of importance to many communities, e.g. data repositories and authentication and authorization infrastructure.

Use of PRA in Shuttle Decision Making Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boyer, Roger L.; Hamlin, Teri L.

2010-01-01

How do you use PRA to support an operating program? This presentation will explore how the Shuttle Program Management has used the Shuttle PRA in its decision making process. It will reveal how the PRA has evolved from a tool used to evaluate Shuttle upgrades like Electric Auxiliary Power Unit (EAPU) to a tool that supports Flight Readiness Reviews (FRR) and real-time flight decisions. Specific examples of Shuttle Program decisions that have used the Shuttle PRA as input will be provided including how it was used in the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) manifest decision. It will discuss the importance of providing management with a clear presentation of the analysis, applicable assumptions and limitations, along with estimates of the uncertainty. This presentation will show how the use of PRA by the Shuttle Program has evolved overtime and how it has been used in the decision making process providing specific examples.

The Shoreline Management Tool - an ArcMap tool for analyzing water depth, inundated area, volume, and selected habitats, with an example for the lower Wood River Valley, Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Snyder, Daniel T.; Haluska, Tana L.; Respini-Irwin, Darius

2013-01-01

The Shoreline Management Tool is a geographic information system (GIS) based program developed to assist water- and land-resource managers in assessing the benefits and effects of changes in surface-water stage on water depth, inundated area, and water volume. Additionally, the Shoreline Management Tool can be used to identify aquatic or terrestrial habitat areas where conditions may be suitable for specific plants or animals as defined by user-specified criteria including water depth, land-surface slope, and land-surface aspect. The tool can also be used to delineate areas for use in determining a variety of hydrologic budget components such as surface-water storage, precipitation, runoff, or evapotranspiration. The Shoreline Management Tool consists of two parts, a graphical user interface for use with Esri™ ArcMap™ GIS software to interact with the user to define scenarios and map results, and a spreadsheet in Microsoft® Excel® developed to display tables and graphs of the results. The graphical user interface allows the user to define a scenario consisting of an inundation level (stage), land areas (parcels), and habitats (areas meeting user-specified conditions) based on water depth, slope, and aspect criteria. The tool uses data consisting of land-surface elevation, tables of stage/volume and stage/area, and delineated parcel boundaries to produce maps (data layers) of inundated areas and areas that meet the habitat criteria. The tool can be run in a Single-Time Scenario mode or in a Time-Series Scenario mode, which uses an input file of dates and associated stages. The spreadsheet part of the tool uses a macro to process the results from the graphical user interface to create tables and graphs of inundated water volume, inundated area, dry area, and mean water depth for each land parcel based on the user-specified stage. The macro also creates tables and graphs of the area, perimeter, and number of polygons comprising the user-specified habitat areas within each parcel. The Shoreline Management Tool is highly transferable, using easily generated or readily available data. The capabilities of the tool are demonstrated using data from the lower Wood River Valley adjacent to Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes in southern Oregon.

USA Nutrient managment forecasting via the "Fertilizer Forecaster": linking surface runnof, nutrient application and ecohydrology.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drohan, Patrick; Buda, Anthony; Kleinman, Peter; Miller, Douglas; Lin, Henry; Beegle, Douglas; Knight, Paul

2017-04-01

USA and state nutrient management planning offers strategic guidance that strives to educate farmers and those involved in nutrient management to make wise management decisions. A goal of such programs is to manage hotspots of water quality degradation that threaten human and ecosystem health, water and food security. The guidance provided by nutrient management plans does not provide the day-to-day support necessary to make operational decisions, particularly when and where to apply nutrients over the short term. These short-term decisions on when and where to apply nutrients often make the difference between whether the nutrients impact water quality or are efficiently utilized by crops. Infiltrating rainfall events occurring shortly after broadcast nutrient applications are beneficial, given they will wash soluble nutrients into the soil where they are used by crops. Rainfall events that generate runoff shortly after nutrients are broadcast may wash off applied nutrients, and produce substantial nutrient losses from that site. We are developing a model and data based support tool for nutrient management, the Fertilizer Forecaster, which identifies the relative probability of runoff or infiltrating events in Pennsylvania (PA) landscapes in order to improve water quality. This tool will support field specific decisions by farmers and land managers on when and where to apply fertilizers and manures over 24, 48 and 72 hour periods. Our objectives are to: (1) monitor agricultural hillslopes in watersheds representing four of the five Physiographic Provinces of the Chesapeake Bay basin; (2) validate a high resolution mapping model that identifies soils prone to runoff; (3) develop an empirically based approach to relate state-of-the-art weather forecast variables to site-specific rainfall infiltration or runoff occurrence; (4) test the empirical forecasting model against alternative approaches to forecasting runoff occurrence; and (5) recruit farmers from the four watersheds to use web-based forecast maps in daily manure and fertilizer application decisions. Data from on-farm trials is being used to assess farmer fertilizer, manure, and tillage management decisions before and after use of the Fertilizer Forecaster. This data will help us understand not only the effectiveness of the tool, but also characteristics of farmers with the greatest potential to benefit from such a tool. Feedback from on-farm trials will be used to refine a final tool for field deployment. We hope that the Fertilizer Forecaster will serve as the basis for state (USA-PA), regional (Chesapeake Bay), and national changes in nutrient management planning. This Fertilizer Forecaster is an innovative management practice that is designed to enhance the services of aquatic ecosystems by improving water quality and enhance the services of terrestrial ecosystems by increasing the efficiency of nutrient use by targeted crops.

Pair-Wise Trajectory Management-Oceanic (PTM-O) . [Concept of Operations—Version 3.9

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Kenneth M.

2014-01-01

This document describes the Pair-wise Trajectory Management-Oceanic (PTM-O) Concept of Operations (ConOps). Pair-wise Trajectory Management (PTM) is a concept that includes airborne and ground-based capabilities designed to enable and to benefit from, airborne pair-wise distance-monitoring capability. PTM includes the capabilities needed for the controller to issue a PTM clearance that resolves a conflict for a specific pair of aircraft. PTM avionics include the capabilities needed for the flight crew to manage their trajectory relative to specific designated aircraft. Pair-wise Trajectory Management PTM-Oceanic (PTM-O) is a regional specific application of the PTM concept. PTM is sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Concept and Technology Development Project (part of NASA's Airspace Systems Program). The goal of PTM is to use enhanced and distributed communications and surveillance along with airborne tools to permit reduced separation standards for given aircraft pairs, thereby increasing the capacity and efficiency of aircraft operations at a given altitude or volume of airspace.

Software engineering project management - A state-of-the-art report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thayer, R. H.; Lehman, J. H.

1977-01-01

The management of software engineering projects in the aerospace industry was investigated. The survey assessed such features as contract type, specification preparation techniques, software documentation required by customers, planning and cost-estimating, quality control, the use of advanced program practices, software tools and test procedures, the education levels of project managers, programmers and analysts, work assignment, automatic software monitoring capabilities, design and coding reviews, production times, success rates, and organizational structure of the projects.

A health behavior screening tool for non-specific neck pain in office workers: a 1-year prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Areerak, Kantheera; van der Beek, Allard J; Janwantanakul, Prawit

2018-05-09

One effective strategy for management of musculoskeletal disorders is self-management based on the biopsychosocial model. Self-management requires patients to have adequate health literacy, defined as the individual's ability to seek, understand, and utilize health information. Recently, the neck pain-specific health behavior for office workers (NHBOW) questionnaire was developed based upon a conceptual framework of health literacy. The content in the NHBOW relates to the work and exercise behaviors of office workers. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive validity of the NHBOW. At baseline, 342 healthy participants filled out a series of questionnaires, including the NHBOW. The incidence of neck pain was prospectively recorded every month over a 12-month period. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) were calculated. There were 103 (30.7%) incidents of non-specific neck pain among 335 office workers during the 12-month period, and seven participants were lost to follow-up. For the NHBOW, a cut-off score of less than or equal to 8 points (lower scores indicate poorer health behavior) had a sensitivity of 57.3% and a specificity of 96.6%. The positive and negative predictive values were 88.1% and 83.6%, respectively. The AUC was 0.769 (95% CI: 0.706 to 0.832). The NHBOW was an acceptable screening tool for predicting non-specific neck pain in office workers during the 1-year follow-up period, and can be used in occupational and primary care settings.

System engineering toolbox for design-oriented engineers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldberg, B. E.; Everhart, K.; Stevens, R.; Babbitt, N., III; Clemens, P.; Stout, L.

1994-01-01

This system engineering toolbox is designed to provide tools and methodologies to the design-oriented systems engineer. A tool is defined as a set of procedures to accomplish a specific function. A methodology is defined as a collection of tools, rules, and postulates to accomplish a purpose. For each concept addressed in the toolbox, the following information is provided: (1) description, (2) application, (3) procedures, (4) examples, if practical, (5) advantages, (6) limitations, and (7) bibliography and/or references. The scope of the document includes concept development tools, system safety and reliability tools, design-related analytical tools, graphical data interpretation tools, a brief description of common statistical tools and methodologies, so-called total quality management tools, and trend analysis tools. Both relationship to project phase and primary functional usage of the tools are also delineated. The toolbox also includes a case study for illustrative purposes. Fifty-five tools are delineated in the text.

A tool to measure whether business management capacity in general practice impacts on the quality of chronic illness care.

PubMed

Holton, Christine H; Proudfoot, Judith G; Jayasinghe, Upali W; Grimm, Jane; Bubner, Tanya K; Winstanley, Julie; Harris, Mark F; Beilby, Justin J

2010-11-01

Our aim was to develop a tool to identify specific features of the business and financial management of practices that facilitate better quality care for chronic illness in primary care. Domains of management were identified, resulting in the development of a structured interview tool that was administered in 97 primary care practices in Australia. Interview items were screened and subjected to factor analysis, subscales identified and the overall model fit determined. The instrument's validity was assessed against another measure of quality of care. Analysis provided a four-factor solution containing 21 items, which explained 42.5% of the variance in the total scores. The factors related to administrative processes, human resources, marketing analysis and business development. All scores increased significantly with practice size. The business development subscale and total score were higher for rural practices. There was a significant correlation between the business development subscale and quality of care. The indicators of business and financial management in the final tool appear to be useful predictors of the quality of care. The instrument may help inform policy regarding the structure of general practice and implementation of a systems approach to chronic illness care. It can provide information to practices about areas for further development.

Near Real-Time Monitoring of Global Evapotranspiration and its Application to Water Resource Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halverson, G. H.; Fisher, J.; Jewell, L. A.; Moore, G.; Verma, M.; McDonald, T.; Kim, S.; Muniz, A.

2016-12-01

Water scarcity and its impact on agriculture is a pressing world concern. At the heart of this crisis is the balance of water exchange between the land and the atmosphere. The ability to monitor evapotranspiration provides a solution by enabling sustainable irrigation practices. The Priestley-Taylor Jet Propulsion Laboratory model of evapotranspiration has been implemented to meet this need as a daily MODIS product with 1 to 5 km resolution. An automated data pipeline for this model implementation provides daily data with global coverage and near real-time latency using the Geospatial Data Abstraction Library. An interactive map providing on-demand statistical analysis enables water resource managers to monitor rates of water loss. To demonstrate the application of remotely-sensed evapotranspiration to water resource management, a partnership has been arranged with the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer (NMOSE). The online water research management tool was developed to meet the specifications of NMOSE using the Leaflet, GeoServer, and Django frameworks. NMOSE will utilize this tool to monitor drought and fire risk and manage irrigation. Through this test-case, it is hoped that real-time, user-friendly remote sensing tools will be adopted globally to make resource management decisions informed by the NASA Earth Observation System.

A Conflict Management Scale for Pharmacy

PubMed Central

Gregory, Paul A.; Martin, Craig

2009-01-01

Objectives To develop and establish the validity and reliability of a conflict management scale specific to pharmacy practice and education. Methods A multistage inventory-item development process was undertaken involving 93 pharmacists and using a previously described explanatory model for conflict in pharmacy practice. A 19-item inventory was developed, field tested, and validated. Results The conflict management scale (CMS) demonstrated an acceptable degree of reliability and validity for use in educational or practice settings to promote self-reflection and self-awareness regarding individuals' conflict management styles. Conclusions The CMS provides a unique, pharmacy-specific method for individuals to determine and reflect upon their own conflict management styles. As part of an educational program to facilitate self-reflection and heighten self-awareness, the CMS may be a useful tool to promote discussions related to an important part of pharmacy practice. PMID:19960081

Quality of the parent-child interaction in young children with type 1 diabetes mellitus: study protocol.

PubMed

Nieuwesteeg, Anke M; Pouwer, Frans; van Bakel, Hedwig Ja; Emons, Wilco Hm; Aanstoot, Henk-Jan; Odink, Roelof; Hartman, Esther E

2011-04-14

In young children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) parents have full responsibility for the diabetes-management of their child (e.g. blood glucose monitoring, and administering insulin). Behavioral tasks in childhood, such as developing autonomy, and oppositional behavior (e.g. refusing food) may interfere with the diabetes-management to achieve an optimal blood glucose control. Furthermore, higher blood glucose levels are related to more behavioral problems. So parents might need to negotiate with their child on the diabetes-management to avoid this direct negative effect. This interference, the negotiations, and the parent's responsibility for diabetes may negatively affect the quality of parent-child interaction. Nevertheless, there is little knowledge about the quality of interaction between parents and young children with T1DM, and the possible impact this may have on glycemic control and psychosocial functioning of the child. While widely used global parent-child interaction observational methods are available, there is a need for an observational tool specifically tailored to the interaction patterns of parents and children with T1DM. The main aim of this study is to construct a disease-specific observational method to assess diabetes-specific parent-child interaction. Additional aim is to explore whether the quality of parent-child interactions is associated with the glycemic control, and psychosocial functioning (resilience, behavioral problems, and quality of life). First, we will examine which situations are most suitable for observing diabetes-specific interactions. Then, these situations will be video-taped in a pilot study (N = 15). Observed behaviors are described into rating scales, with each scale describing characteristics of parent-child interactional behaviors. Next, we apply the observational tool on a larger scale for further evaluation of the instrument (N = 120). The parents are asked twice (with two years in between) to fill out questionnaires about psychosocial functioning of their child with T1DM. Furthermore, glycemic control (HbA1c) will be obtained from their medical records. A disease-specific observational tool will enable the detailed assessment of the quality of diabetes-specific parent-child interactions. The availability of such a tool will facilitate future (intervention) studies that will yield more knowledge about impact of parent-child interactions on psychosocial functioning, and glycemic control of children with T1DM.

Quality of the parent-child interaction in young children with type 1 diabetes mellitus: study protocol

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background In young children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) parents have full responsibility for the diabetes-management of their child (e.g. blood glucose monitoring, and administering insulin). Behavioral tasks in childhood, such as developing autonomy, and oppositional behavior (e.g. refusing food) may interfere with the diabetes-management to achieve an optimal blood glucose control. Furthermore, higher blood glucose levels are related to more behavioral problems. So parents might need to negotiate with their child on the diabetes-management to avoid this direct negative effect. This interference, the negotiations, and the parent's responsibility for diabetes may negatively affect the quality of parent-child interaction. Nevertheless, there is little knowledge about the quality of interaction between parents and young children with T1DM, and the possible impact this may have on glycemic control and psychosocial functioning of the child. While widely used global parent-child interaction observational methods are available, there is a need for an observational tool specifically tailored to the interaction patterns of parents and children with T1DM. The main aim of this study is to construct a disease-specific observational method to assess diabetes-specific parent-child interaction. Additional aim is to explore whether the quality of parent-child interactions is associated with the glycemic control, and psychosocial functioning (resilience, behavioral problems, and quality of life). Methods/Design First, we will examine which situations are most suitable for observing diabetes-specific interactions. Then, these situations will be video-taped in a pilot study (N = 15). Observed behaviors are described into rating scales, with each scale describing characteristics of parent-child interactional behaviors. Next, we apply the observational tool on a larger scale for further evaluation of the instrument (N = 120). The parents are asked twice (with two years in between) to fill out questionnaires about psychosocial functioning of their child with T1DM. Furthermore, glycemic control (HbA1c) will be obtained from their medical records. Discussion A disease-specific observational tool will enable the detailed assessment of the quality of diabetes-specific parent-child interactions. The availability of such a tool will facilitate future (intervention) studies that will yield more knowledge about impact of parent-child interactions on psychosocial functioning, and glycemic control of children with T1DM. PMID:21492413

How do Air Traffic Controllers Use Automation and Tools Differently During High Demand Situations?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kraut, Joshua M.; Mercer, Joey; Morey, Susan; Homola, Jeffrey; Gomez, Ashley; Prevot, Thomas

2013-01-01

In a human-in-the-loop simulation, two air traffic controllers managed identical airspace while burdened with higher than average workload, and while using advanced tools and automation designed to assist with scheduling aircraft on multiple arrival flows to a single meter fix. This paper compares the strategies employed by each controller, and investigates how the controllers' strategies change while managing their airspace under more normal workload conditions and a higher workload condition. Each controller engaged in different methods of maneuvering aircraft to arrive on schedule, and adapted their strategies to cope with the increased workload in different ways. Based on the conclusions three suggestions are made: that quickly providing air traffic controllers with recommendations and information to assist with maneuvering and scheduling aircraft when burdened with increased workload will improve the air traffic controller's effectiveness, that the tools should adapt to the strategy currently employed by a controller, and that training should emphasize which traffic management strategies are most effective given specific airspace demands.

The need for monetary information within corporate water accounting.

PubMed

Burritt, Roger L; Christ, Katherine L

2017-10-01

A conceptual discussion is provided about the need to add monetary data to water accounting initiatives and how best to achieve this if companies are to become aware of the water crisis and to take actions to improve water management. Analysis of current water accounting initiatives reveals the monetary business case for companies to improve water management is rarely considered, there being a focus on physical information about water use. Three possibilities emerge for mainstreaming the integration of monetization into water accounting: add-on to existing water accounting frameworks and tools, develop new tools which include physical and monetary information from the start, and develop environmental management accounting (EMA) into a water-specific application and set of tools. The paper appraises these three alternatives and concludes that development of EMA would be the best way forward. Suggestions for further research include the need to examine the use of a transdisciplinary method to address the complexities of water accounting. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Developing a customised approach for strengthening tuberculosis laboratory quality management systems toward accreditation

PubMed Central

Trollip, Andre; Erni, Donatelle; Kao, Kekeletso

2017-01-01

Background Quality-assured tuberculosis laboratory services are critical to achieve global and national goals for tuberculosis prevention and care. Implementation of a quality management system (QMS) in laboratories leads to improved quality of diagnostic tests and better patient care. The Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA) programme has led to measurable improvements in the QMS of clinical laboratories. However, progress in tuberculosis laboratories has been slower, which may be attributed to the need for a structured tuberculosis-specific approach to implementing QMS. We describe the development and early implementation of the Strengthening Tuberculosis Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (TB SLMTA) programme. Development The TB SLMTA curriculum was developed by customizing the SLMTA curriculum to include specific tools, job aids and supplementary materials specific to the tuberculosis laboratory. The TB SLMTA Harmonized Checklist was developed from the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Africa Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation checklist, and incorporated tuberculosis-specific requirements from the Global Laboratory Initiative Stepwise Process Towards Tuberculosis Laboratory Accreditation online tool. Implementation Four regional training-of-trainers workshops have been conducted since 2013. The TB SLMTA programme has been rolled out in 37 tuberculosis laboratories in 10 countries using the Workshop approach in 32 laboratories in five countries and the Facility-based approach in five tuberculosis laboratories in five countries. Conclusion Lessons learnt from early implementation of TB SLMTA suggest that a structured training and mentoring programme can build a foundation towards further quality improvement in tuberculosis laboratories. Structured mentoring, and institutionalisation of QMS into country programmes, is needed to support tuberculosis laboratories to achieve accreditation. PMID:28879165

An ORCID based synchronization framework for a national CRIS ecosystem.

PubMed

Mendes Moreira, João; Cunha, Alcino; Macedo, Nuno

2015-01-01

PTCRIS (Portuguese Current Research Information System) is a program aiming at the creation and sustained development of a national integrated information ecosystem, to support research management according to the best international standards and practices. This paper reports on the experience of designing and prototyping a synchronization framework for PTCRIS based on ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID). This framework embraces the "input once, re-use often" principle, and will enable a substantial reduction of the research output management burden by allowing automatic information exchange between the various national systems. The design of the framework followed best practices in rigorous software engineering, namely well-established principles in the research field of consistency management, and relied on formal analysis techniques and tools for its validation and verification. The notion of consistency between the services was formally specified and discussed with the stakeholders before the technical aspects on how to preserve said consistency were explored. Formal specification languages and automated verification tools were used to analyze the specifications and generate usage scenarios, useful for validation with the stakeholder and essential to certificate compliant services.

The Research Data Management Platform (RDMP): A novel, process driven, open-source tool for the management of longitudinal cohorts of clinical data.

PubMed

Nind, Thomas; Galloway, James; McAllister, Gordon; Scobbie, Donald; Bonney, Wilfred; Hall, Christopher; Tramma, Leandro; Reel, Parminder; Groves, Martin; Appleby, Philip; Doney, Alex; Guthrie, Bruce; Jefferson, Emily

2018-05-22

The Health Informatics Centre (HIC) at the University of Dundee provides a service to securely host clinical datasets and extract relevant data for anonymised cohorts to researchers to enable them to answer key research questions. As is common in research using routine healthcare data, the service was historically delivered using ad-hoc processes resulting in the slow provision of data whose provenance was often hidden to the researchers using it. This paper describes the development and evaluation of the Research Data Management Platform (RDMP): an open source tool to load, manage, clean, and curate longitudinal healthcare data for research and provide reproducible and updateable datasets for defined cohorts to researchers. Between 2013 and 2017, RDMP tool implementation tripled the productivity of Data Analysts producing data releases for researchers from 7.1 to 25.3 per month; and reduced the error rate from 12.7% to 3.1%. The effort on data management reduced from a mean of 24.6 to 3.0 hours per data release. The waiting time for researchers to receive data after agreeing a specification reduced from approximately 6 months to less than one week. The software is scalable and currently manages 163 datasets. 1,321 data extracts for research have been produced with the largest extract linking data from 70 different datasets. The tools and processes that encompass the RDMP not only fulfil the research data management requirements of researchers but also support the seamless collaboration of data cleaning, data transformation, data summarisation and data quality assessment activities by different research groups.

Command Center Training Tool (C2T2)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Phillip; Drucker, Nich; Mathews, Reejo; Stanton, Laura; Merkle, Ed

2012-01-01

This abstract presents the training approach taken to create a management-centered, experiential learning solution for the Virginia Port Authority's Port Command Center. The resultant tool, called the Command Center Training Tool (C2T2), follows a holistic approach integrated across the training management cycle and within a single environment. The approach allows a single training manager to progress from training design through execution and AAR. The approach starts with modeling the training organization, identifying the organizational elements and their individual and collective performance requirements, including organizational-specific performance scoring ontologies. Next, the developer specifies conditions, the problems, and constructs that compose exercises and drive experiential learning. These conditions are defined by incidents, which denote a single, multi-media datum, and scenarios, which are stories told by incidents. To these layered, modular components, previously developed meta-data is attached, including associated performance requirements. The components are then stored in a searchable library An event developer can create a training event by searching the library based on metadata and then selecting and loading the resultant modular pieces. This loading process brings into the training event all the previously associated task and teamwork material as well as AAR preparation materials. The approach includes tools within an integrated management environment that places these materials at the fingertips of the event facilitator such that, in real time, the facilitator can track training audience performance and resultantly modify the training event. The approach also supports the concentrated knowledge management requirements for rapid preparation of an extensive AAR. This approach supports the integrated training cycle and allows a management-based perspective and advanced tools, through which a complex, thorough training event can be developed.

A Path to Actionable Climate Science: Perspectives from the Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeCrappeo, Nicole M.; Bisbal, Gustavo A.; Meadow, Alison M.

2018-02-01

The U.S. Department of the Interior Climate Science Centers (CSCs) work with natural and cultural resource managers and scientists to gather information and build tools needed to help fish, wildlife, and ecosystems adapt to the impacts of climate change. The CSCs prioritize the delivery of actionable science products (e.g., synthesized scientific information, maps, decision support tools, etc.) that are focused on key management priorities and co-produced by teams of scientists and managers. In the specific case of the Northwest CSC, we have been successful at promoting and supporting the co-production of actionable climate science at the individual project level, but it has been more difficult to replicate this success at the regional program level. Here we identify the most significant challenges in satisfying this mandate and propose the creation of a Science Advisory Panel to provide improved interface between resource managers and scientists engaged with the Northwest CSC.

A decision support tool for adaptive management of native prairie ecosystems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hunt, Victoria M.; Jacobi, Sarah; Gannon, Jill J.; Zorn, Jennifer E.; Moore, Clinton; Lonsdorf, Eric V.

2016-01-01

The Native Prairie Adaptive Management initiative is a decision support framework that provides cooperators with management-action recommendations to help them conserve native species and suppress invasive species on prairie lands. We developed a Web-based decision support tool (DST) for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey initiative. The DST facilitates cross-organizational data sharing, performs analyses to improve conservation delivery, and requires no technical expertise to operate. Each year since 2012, the DST has used monitoring data to update ecological knowledge that it translates into situation-specific management-action recommendations (e.g., controlled burn or prescribed graze). The DST provides annual recommendations for more than 10,000 acres on 20 refuge complexes in four U.S. states. We describe how the DST promotes the long-term implementation of the program for which it was designed and may facilitate decision support and improve ecological outcomes of other conservation efforts.

Malaria attacks due to P. vivax or P. ovale in two French military teaching hospitals (2000 to 2009).

PubMed

Demaison, X; Rapp, C; de Laval, F; Simon, F

2013-04-01

Non-falciparum malaria is less studied than Plasmodium falciparum malaria, both in endemic and non-endemic zones. A retrospective study was made of the medical files of patients managed for attacks of malaria due to Plasmodium vivax or Plasmodium ovale, between 2000 and 2009, in two French military teaching hospitals. Seventy-five percent of attacks occurred after a stay in French Guiana, in the Comoros Archipelago, or in the Ivory Coast Republic. The most frequent symptoms two months after coming back were a flu-like syndrome with headaches, and occasional digestive symptoms, without any difference between the first attack and recurrence. One third of patients presented with anemia, 78% with thrombocytopenia, and 12% with liver dysfunction. This study was the most important made in France on imported non-falciparum malaria. Military patients and immigrants accounted for a majority of patients due to the specificity of military hospitals and local recruitment. Clinical and biological features were not specific and did not allow guiding the diagnosis. Diagnostic tools were less sensitive for P. ovale. Patient management could be optimized by more efficient diagnostic tools, specific guidelines for the diagnostic and therapeutic management, and a dedicated medical training for family practitioners as well as hospitals practice. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier SAS.

Virtual Beach 3: User's Guide

EPA Science Inventory

Virtual Beach version 3 (VB3) is a decision support tool that constructs site-specific statistical models to predict fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) concentrations at recreational beaches. VB3 is primarily designed for beach managers responsible for making decisions regarding beac...

Green Roofs for Stormwater Runoff Control - Abstract

EPA Science Inventory

This project evaluated green roofs as a stormwater management tool. Specifically, runoff quantity and quality from green and flat asphalt roofs were compared. Evapotranspiration from planted green roofs and evaporation from unplanted media roofs were also compared. The influence...

Green Roofs for Stormwater Runoff Control

EPA Science Inventory

This project evaluated green roofs as a stormwater management tool. Specifically, runoff quantity and quality from green and flat asphalt roofs were compared. Evapotranspiration from planted green roofs and evaporation from unplanted media roofs were also compared. The influence...

Ultrasound technology: A decision-making tool

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

An ultrasound demonstration was conducted for participants (~ 110 people) of the Arkansas Cattle Grower’s Conference, Hope, AR. Evaluation of live animals with ultrasound technology allows beef producers the ability to make selection and management decisions. Specifically, ultrasound at the conclu...

The prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV cascade analysis tool: supporting health managers to improve facility-level service delivery.

PubMed

Gimbel, Sarah; Voss, Joachim; Mercer, Mary Anne; Zierler, Brenda; Gloyd, Stephen; Coutinho, Maria de Joana; Floriano, Florencia; Cuembelo, Maria de Fatima; Einberg, Jennifer; Sherr, Kenneth

2014-10-21

The objective of the prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (pMTCT) cascade analysis tool is to provide frontline health managers at the facility level with the means to rapidly, independently and quantitatively track patient flows through the pMTCT cascade, and readily identify priority areas for clinic-level improvement interventions. Over a period of six months, five experienced maternal-child health managers and researchers iteratively adapted and tested this systems analysis tool for pMTCT services. They prioritized components of the pMTCT cascade for inclusion, disseminated multiple versions to 27 health managers and piloted it in five facilities. Process mapping techniques were used to chart PMTCT cascade steps in these five facilities, to document antenatal care attendance, HIV testing and counseling, provision of prophylactic anti-retrovirals, safe delivery, safe infant feeding, infant follow-up including HIV testing, and family planning, in order to obtain site-specific knowledge of service delivery. Seven pMTCT cascade steps were included in the Excel-based final tool. Prevalence calculations were incorporated as sub-headings under relevant steps. Cells not requiring data inputs were locked, wording was simplified and stepwise drop-offs and maximization functions were included at key steps along the cascade. While the drop off function allows health workers to rapidly assess how many patients were lost at each step, the maximization function details the additional people served if only one step improves to 100% capacity while others stay constant. Our experience suggests that adaptation of a cascade analysis tool for facility-level pMTCT services is feasible and appropriate as a starting point for discussions of where to implement improvement strategies. The resulting tool facilitates the engagement of frontline health workers and managers who fill out, interpret, apply the tool, and then follow up with quality improvement activities. Research on adoption, interpretation, and sustainability of this pMTCT cascade analysis tool by frontline health managers is needed. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02023658, December 9, 2013.

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

Bower, J.C.; Burford, M.J.; Downing, T.R.

The Integrated Baseline System (IBS) is an emergency management planning and analysis tool that is being developed under the direction of the US Army Nuclear and Chemical Agency (USANCA). The IBS Data Management Guide provides the background, as well as the operations and procedures needed to generate and maintain a site-specific map database. Data and system managers use this guide to manage the data files and database that support the administrative, user-environment, database management, and operational capabilities of the IBS. This document provides a description of the data files and structures necessary for running the IBS software and using themore » site map database.« less

Demonstrating and Evaluating an Action Learning Approach to Building Project Management Competence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kotnour, Tim; Starr, Stan; Steinrock, T. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

This paper contributes a description of an action-learning approach to building project management competence. This approach was designed, implemented, and evaluated for use with the Dynacs Engineering Development Contract at the Kennedy Space Center. The aim of the approach was to improve three levels of competence within the organization: individual project management skills, project team performance. and organizational capabilities such as the project management process and tools. The overall steps to the approach, evaluation results, and lessons learned are presented. Managers can use this paper to design a specific action-learning approach for their organization.

Maestro Workflow Conductor

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

Di Natale, Francesco

2017-06-01

MaestroWF is a Python tool and software package for loading YAML study specifications that represents a simulation campaign. The package is capable of parameterizing a study, pulling dependencies automatically, formatting output directories, and managing the flow and execution of the campaign. MaestroWF also provides a set of abstracted objects that can also be used to develop user specific scripts for launching simulation campaigns.

Innovative applications of artificial intelligence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schorr, Herbert; Rappaport, Alain

Papers concerning applications of artificial intelligence are presented, covering applications in aerospace technology, banking and finance, biotechnology, emergency services, law, media planning, music, the military, operations management, personnel management, retail packaging, and manufacturing assembly and design. Specific topics include Space Shuttle telemetry monitoring, an intelligent training system for Space Shuttle flight controllers, an expert system for the diagnostics of manufacturing equipment, a logistics management system, a cooling systems design assistant, and a knowledge-based integrated circuit design critic. Additional topics include a hydraulic circuit design assistant, the use of a connector assembly specification expert system to harness detailed assembly process knowledge, a mixed initiative approach to airlift planning, naval battle management decision aids, an inventory simulation tool, a peptide synthesis expert system, and a system for planning the discharging and loading of container ships.

Diagnostic tools in ocular allergy.

PubMed

Leonardi, A; Doan, S; Fauquert, J L; Bozkurt, B; Allegri, P; Marmouz, F; Rondon, C; Jedrzejczak, M; Hellings, P; Delgado, L; Calder, V

2017-10-01

Ocular allergy (OA) includes a group of common and less frequent hypersensitivity disorders frequently misdiagnosed and not properly managed. The diagnosis of OA is usually based on clinical history and signs and symptoms, with the support of in vivo and in vitro tests when identification of the specific allergen is required. To date, no specific test is available for the diagnosis of the whole spectrum of the different forms of OA. The lack of recommendations on diagnosis of OA is considered a medical need not only for allergists but also for ophthalmologists. This position paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the currently available tools for diagnosing OA to promote a common nomenclature and procedures to be used by different specialists. Questionnaires, sign and symptom grading scales, tests, and potential biomarkers for OA are reviewed. We also identified several unmet needs in the diagnostic tools to generate interest, increase understanding, and inspire further investigations. Tools, recommendations, and algorithms for the diagnosis of OA are proposed for use by both allergists and ophthalmologists. Several unmet needs in the diagnostic tools should be further improved by specific clinical research in OA. © 2017 EAACI and John Wiley and Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd.

Improving Soil Seed Bank Management.

PubMed

Haring, Steven C; Flessner, Michael L

2018-05-08

Problems associated with simplified weed management motivate efforts for diversification. Integrated weed management uses fundamentals of weed biology and applied ecology to provide a framework for diversified weed management programs; the soil seed bank comprises a necessary part of this framework. By targeting seeds, growers can inhibit the propagule pressure on which annual weeds depend for agricultural invasion. Some current management practices affect weed seed banks, such as crop rotation and tillage, but these tools are often used without specific intention to manage weed seeds. Difficulties quantifying the weed seed bank, understanding seed bank phenology, and linking seed banks to emerged weed communities challenge existing soil seed bank management practices. Improved seed bank quantification methods could include DNA profiling of the soil seed bank, mark and recapture, or 3D LIDAR mapping. Successful and sustainable soil seed bank management must constrain functionally diverse and changing weed communities. Harvest weed seed controls represent a step forward, but over-reliance on this singular technique could make it short-lived. Researchers must explore tools inspired by other pest management disciplines, such as gene drives or habitat modification for predatory organisms. Future weed seed bank management will combine multiple complementary practices that enhance diverse agroecosystems. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

An Acuity Tool for Heart Failure Case Management: Quantifying Workload, Service Utilization, and Disease Severity.

PubMed

Kilgore, Matthew D

The cardiology service line director at a health maintenance organization (HMO) in Washington State required a valid, reliable, and practical means for measuring workloads and other productivity factors for six heart failure (HF) registered nurse case managers located across three geographical regions. The Kilgore Heart Failure Case Management (KHFCM) Acuity Tool was systematically designed, developed, and validated to measure workload as a dependent function of the number of heart failure case management (HFCM) services rendered and the duration of times spent on various care duties. Research and development occurred at various HMO-affiliated internal medicine and cardiology offices throughout Western Washington. The concepts, methods, and principles used to develop the KHFCM Acuity Tool are applicable for any type of health care professional aiming to quantify workload using a high-quality objective tool. The content matter, scaling, and language on the KHFCM Acuity Tool are specific to HFCM settings. The content matter and numeric scales for the KHFCM Acuity Tool were developed and validated using a mixed-method participant action research method applied to a group of six outpatient HF case managers and their respective caseloads. The participant action research method was selected, because the application of this method requires research participants to become directly involved in the diagnosis of research problems, the planning and execution of actions taken to address those problems, and the implementation of progressive strategies throughout the course of the study, as necessary, to produce the most credible and practical practice improvements (; ; ; ). Heart failure case managers served clients with New York Heart Association Functional Class III-IV HF (), and encounters were conducted primarily by telephone or in-office consultation. A mix of qualitative and quantitative results demonstrated a variety of quality improvement outcomes achieved by the design and practice application of the KHFCM Acuity Tool. Quality improvement outcomes included a more valid reflection of encounter times and demonstration of the KHFCM Acuity Tool as a reliable, practical, credible, and satisfying tool for reflecting HF case manager workloads and HF disease severity. The KHFCM Acuity Tool defines workload simply as a function of the number of HFCM services performed and the duration of time spent on a client encounter. The design of the tool facilitates the measure of workload, service utilization, and HF disease characteristics, independently from the overall measure of acuity, so that differences in individual case manager practice, as well as client characteristics within sites, across sites, and potentially throughout annual seasons, can be demonstrated. Data produced from long-term applications of the KHFCM Acuity Tool, across all regions, could serve as a driver for establishing systemwide HFCM productivity benchmarks or standards of practice for HF case managers. Data produced from localized applications could serve as a reference for coordinating staffing resources or developing HFCM productivity benchmarks within individual regions or sites.

Comparison of slope instability screening tools following a large storm event and application to forest management and policy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whittaker, Kara A.; McShane, Dan

2012-04-01

The objective of this study was to assess and compare the ability of two slope instability screening tools developed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) to assess landslide risks associated with forestry activities. HAZONE is based on a semi-quantitative method that incorporates the landslide frequency rate and landslide area rate for delivery of mapped landforms. SLPSTAB is a GIS-based model of inherent landform characteristics that utilizes slope geometry derived from DEMs and climatic data. Utilization of slope instability screening tools by geologists, land managers, and regulatory agencies can reduce the frequency and magnitude of landslides. Aquatic habitats are negatively impacted by elevated rates and magnitudes of landslides associated with forest management practices due to high sediment loads and alteration of stream channels and morphology. In 2007 a large storm with heavy rainfall impacted southwestern Washington State trigging over 2500 landslides. This storm event and accompanying landslides provides an opportunity to assess the slope stability screening tools developed by WDNR. Landslide density (up to 6.5 landslides per km2) from the storm was highest in the areas designated by the screening tools as high hazard areas, and both of the screening tools were equal in their ability to predict landslide locations. Landslides that initiated in low hazard areas may have resulted from a variety of site-specific factors that deviated from assumed model values, from the inadequate identification of potentially unstable landforms due to low resolution DEMs, or from the inadequate implementation of the state Forest Practices Rules. We suggest that slope instability screening tools can be better utilized by forest management planners and regulators to meet policy goals regarding minimizing landslide rates and impacts to sensitive aquatic species.

Disease management with ARIMA model in time series.

PubMed

Sato, Renato Cesar

2013-01-01

The evaluation of infectious and noninfectious disease management can be done through the use of a time series analysis. In this study, we expect to measure the results and prevent intervention effects on the disease. Clinical studies have benefited from the use of these techniques, particularly for the wide applicability of the ARIMA model. This study briefly presents the process of using the ARIMA model. This analytical tool offers a great contribution for researchers and healthcare managers in the evaluation of healthcare interventions in specific populations.

An approach of groundwater management in Barcelona City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Criollo, Rotman; Vázquez-Suñé, Enric; Velasco, Violeta; Marazuela, Miguel Angel; Burdons, Silvia; Enrich, Monica; Cardona, Fidel

2017-04-01

Urban groundwater is a valuable resource since its quantity is larger than frequently expected due to additional recharge sources (Lerner, 2002; Vázquez-Suñé et al., 2003). Its interaction with the complex infrastructures network makes the water authorities a challenge to ensure a proper water management. Necessary datasets to ensure a suitable water management have normally different origins and formats. At the same time, the water management of a city involves different decision makers with different knowledges. In this scenario, it is a necessity to create a common environment where different actors would be able to understand and analyze problems in the same way. It should be also necessary to store, analyze and visualize all the required data in the same formats within its geographical context by using standardized specific tools. To apply these recommendations for the urban groundwater management of the Barcelona City Council, we have implemented a software platform developed in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. These GIS-based tools will give support to the users for storing, managing, and analyzing geological, hydrogeological and hydrochemical data in 2D and in a 3D context (Velasco et al., 2013). This implementation will improve the groundwater management in Barcelona city optimizing the analysis and decision making processes. References Lerner, D.N., (2002). Identifying and quantifying urban recharge: a review. Hydrogeology Journal, 10 (1), pp. 143-152 Vázquez-Suñé, E., Sánchez-Vila, X. & Carrera, J. (2005). Introductory review of specific factors influencing urban groundwater, an emerging branch of hydrogeology, with reference to Barcelona, Spain. Hydrogeology Journal, 13: 522. doi:10.1007/s10040-004-0360-2 Velasco, V., Gogu, R., Vázquez-Suñè, E., Garriga A., Ramos, E., Riera, J., Alcaraz, M. (2013). The use of GIS-based 3D geological tools to improve hydrogeological models of sedimentary media in an urban environment. Environmental Earth Sciences 68: 2145. doi:10.1007/s12665-012-1898-2

Plan for conducting an international machine tool task force

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

Sutton, G.P.; McClure, E.R.; Schuman, J.F.

1978-08-28

The basic objectives of the Machine Tool Task Force (MTTF) are to characterize and summarize the state of the art of cutting machine tool technology and to identify promising areas of future R and D. These goals will be accomplished with a series of multidisciplinary teams of prominent experts and individuals experienced in the specialized technologies of machine tools or in the management of machine tool operations. Experts will be drawn from all areas of the machine tool community: machine tool users or buyer organizations, builders, and R and D establishments including universities and government laboratories, both domestic and foreign.more » A plan for accomplishing this task is presented. The area of machine tool technology has been divided into about two dozen technology subjects on which teams of one or more experts will work. These teams are, in turn, organized into four principal working groups dealing, respectively, with machine tool accuracy, mechanics, control, and management systems/utilization. Details are presented on specific subjects to be covered, the organization of the Task Force and its four working groups, and the basic approach to determining the state of the art of technology and the future directions of this technology. The planned review procedure, the potential benefits, our management approach, and the schedule, as well as the key participating personnel and their background are discussed. The initial meeting of MTTF members will be held at a plenary session on October 16 and 17, 1978, in Scottsdale, AZ. The MTTF study will culminate in a conference on September 1, 1980, in Chicago, IL, immediately preceeding the 1980 International Machine Tool Show. At this time, our results will be released to the public; a series of reports will be published in late 1980.« less

Domestic applications for aerospace waste and water management technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Disanto, F.; Murray, R. W.

1972-01-01

Some of the aerospace developments in solid waste disposal and water purification, which are applicable to specific domestic problems are explored. Also provided is an overview of the management techniques used in defining the need, in utilizing the available tools, and in synthesizing a solution. Specifically, several water recovery processes will be compared for domestic applicability. Examples are filtration, distillation, catalytic oxidation, reverse osmosis, and electrodialysis. Solid disposal methods will be discussed, including chemical treatment, drying, incineration, and wet oxidation. The latest developments in reducing household water requirements and some concepts for reusing water will be outlined.

Information for Consumers (Drugs)

MedlinePlus

... Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) REMS is a risk management plan required by FDA for certain prescription drugs, that uses tools beyond routine professional labeling to ensure that the benefits of the drug outweigh its risks. Index to Drug - Specific Information List of drugs ...

Simulation environment and graphical visualization environment: a COPD use-case.

PubMed

Huertas-Migueláñez, Mercedes; Mora, Daniel; Cano, Isaac; Maier, Dieter; Gomez-Cabrero, David; Lluch-Ariet, Magí; Miralles, Felip

2014-11-28

Today, many different tools are developed to execute and visualize physiological models that represent the human physiology. Most of these tools run models written in very specific programming languages which in turn simplify the communication among models. Nevertheless, not all of these tools are able to run models written in different programming languages. In addition, interoperability between such models remains an unresolved issue. In this paper we present a simulation environment that allows, first, the execution of models developed in different programming languages and second the communication of parameters to interconnect these models. This simulation environment, developed within the Synergy-COPD project, aims at helping and supporting bio-researchers and medical students understand the internal mechanisms of the human body through the use of physiological models. This tool is composed of a graphical visualization environment, which is a web interface through which the user can interact with the models, and a simulation workflow management system composed of a control module and a data warehouse manager. The control module monitors the correct functioning of the whole system. The data warehouse manager is responsible for managing the stored information and supporting its flow among the different modules. It has been proved that the simulation environment presented here allows the user to research and study the internal mechanisms of the human physiology by the use of models via a graphical visualization environment. A new tool for bio-researchers is ready for deployment in various use cases scenarios.

On Specifying the Functional Design for a Protected DMS Tool

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-03-01

of a secure data management system in terms of abstract entities. In keeping with this, the model identifies a security policy which is sufficient... policy of the model may be expressed, there- fore, as the rules which mediate the access of subjects to objects. The access authorization of the...level of a subject; however, this possibly is not acknowledged in our model. The specification of the DMS tool embodies this protection policy

An integrated web system to support veterinary activities in Italy for the management of information in epidemic emergencies.

PubMed

Iannetti, S; Savini, L; Palma, D; Calistri, P; Natale, F; Di Lorenzo, A; Cerella, A; Giovannini, A

2014-03-01

The management of public health emergencies is improved by quick, exhaustive and standardized flow of data on disease outbreaks, by using specific tools for data collection, registration and analysis. In this context, the National Information System for the Notification of Outbreaks of Animal Diseases (SIMAN) has been developed in Italy to collect and share data on the notifications of outbreaks of animal diseases. SIMAN is connected through web services to the national database of animals and holdings (BDN) and has been integrated with tools for the management of epidemic emergencies. The website has been updated with a section dedicated to the contingency planning in case of epidemic emergency. EpiTrace is one such useful tool also integrated in the BDN and based on the Social Network Analysis (SNA) and on network epidemiological models. This tool gives the possibility of assessing the risk associated to holdings and animals on the basis of their trade, in order to support the veterinary services in tracing back and forward the animals in case of outbreaks of infectious diseases. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Configuring the Orion Guidance, Navigation, and Control Flight Software for Automated Sequencing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Odegard, Ryan G.; Siliwinski, Tomasz K.; King, Ellis T.; Hart, Jeremy J.

2010-01-01

The Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle is being designed with greater automation capabilities than any other crewed spacecraft in NASA s history. The Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) flight software architecture is designed to provide a flexible and evolvable framework that accommodates increasing levels of automation over time. Within the GN&C flight software, a data-driven approach is used to configure software. This approach allows data reconfiguration and updates to automated sequences without requiring recompilation of the software. Because of the great dependency of the automation and the flight software on the configuration data, the data management is a vital component of the processes for software certification, mission design, and flight operations. To enable the automated sequencing and data configuration of the GN&C subsystem on Orion, a desktop database configuration tool has been developed. The database tool allows the specification of the GN&C activity sequences, the automated transitions in the software, and the corresponding parameter reconfigurations. These aspects of the GN&C automation on Orion are all coordinated via data management, and the database tool provides the ability to test the automation capabilities during the development of the GN&C software. In addition to providing the infrastructure to manage the GN&C automation, the database tool has been designed with capabilities to import and export artifacts for simulation analysis and documentation purposes. Furthermore, the database configuration tool, currently used to manage simulation data, is envisioned to evolve into a mission planning tool for generating and testing GN&C software sequences and configurations. A key enabler of the GN&C automation design, the database tool allows both the creation and maintenance of the data artifacts, as well as serving the critical role of helping to manage, visualize, and understand the data-driven parameters both during software development and throughout the life of the Orion project.

EVA tools and equipment reference book

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fullerton, R. K.

1993-01-01

This document contains a mixture of tools and equipment used throughout the space shuttle-based extravehicular activity (EVA) program. Promising items which have reached the prototype stage of development are also included, but should not be considered certified ready for flight. Each item is described with a photo, a written discussion, technical specifications, dimensional drawings, and points of contact for additional information. Numbers on the upper left-hand corner of each photo may be used to order specific pictures from NASA and contractor photo libraries. Points of contact were classified as either operational or technical. An operational contact is an engineer from JSC Mission Operations Directorate who is familiar with the basic function and on-orbit use of the tool. A technical contact would be the best source of detailed technical specifications and is typically the NASA subsystem manager. The technical information table for each item uses the following terms to describe the availability or status of each hardware item: Standard - Flown on every mission as standard manifest; Flight specific - Potentially available for flight, not flown every mission (flight certification cannot be guaranteed and recertification may be required); Reference only - Item no longer in active inventory or not recommended for future use, some items may be too application-specific for general use; and Developmental - In the prototype stage only and not yet available for flight. The current availability and certification of any flight-specific tool should be verified with the technical point of contact. Those tools built and fit checked for Hubble Space Telescope maintenance are program dedicated and are not available to other customers. Other customers may have identical tools built from the existing, already certified designs as an optional service.

Online tools for individuals with depression and neurologic conditions: A scoping review.

PubMed

Lukmanji, Sara; Pham, Tram; Blaikie, Laura; Clark, Callie; Jetté, Nathalie; Wiebe, Samuel; Bulloch, Andrew; Holroyd-Leduc, Jayna; Macrodimitris, Sophia; Mackie, Aaron; Patten, Scott B

2017-08-01

Patients with neurologic conditions commonly have depression. Online tools have the potential to improve outcomes in these patients in an efficient and accessible manner. We aimed to identify evidence-informed online tools for patients with comorbid neurologic conditions and depression. A scoping review of online tools (free, publicly available, and not requiring a facilitator) for patients with depression and epilepsy, Parkinson disease (PD), multiple sclerosis (MS), traumatic brain injury (TBI), or migraine was conducted. MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Cochrane CENTRAL Register of Controlled Trials were searched from database inception to January 2017 for all 5 neurologic conditions. Gray literature using Google and Google Scholar as well as app stores for both Android and Apple devices were searched. Self-management or self-efficacy online tools were not included unless they were specifically targeted at depression and one of the neurologic conditions and met the other eligibility criteria. Only 4 online tools were identified. Of these 4 tools, 2 were web-based self-management programs for patients with migraine or MS and depression. The other 2 were mobile apps for patients with PD or TBI and depression. No online tools were found for epilepsy. There are limited depression tools for people with neurologic conditions that are evidence-informed, publicly available, and free. Future research should focus on the development of high-quality, evidence-based online tools targeted at neurologic patients.

The Role of Computed Tomography in Blunt Abdominal Trauma.

PubMed

Karki, O B

2015-01-01

Blunt injury trauma is regularly encountered in the emergency department. Diagnostic tools that help in optimum management of blunt abdominal trauma include; Focussed Assessment Sonography for Trauma scan, Diagnostic peritoneal lavage and Computed Tomography scan. The aim of this study is to determine the validity of CT scan as an accurate diagnostic tool and its role in management of patients with blunt abdominal trauma. A prospective analysis of 80 patients of blunt abdomen trauma who were admitted in Manipal Teaching Hospital, Pokhara, Nepal within a span of 15 months was done. Demographic data, mechanism of trauma, management and outcomes were studied. Organ injuries were graded using the Organ Injury Scale guidelines. Most of the patients in our study were in the age group of 21-40 years with an M: F ratio of 2.3:1. Road traffic accident (47.5%) was the most common mechanism of injury. Spleen (27.5%) was the commonest organ injured. CT scan was superior to FAST scan and had sensitivity of 97.3% specificity 75% positive predictive value 98.6%. FAST scan had sensitivity of 78.9%, specificity 50%, positive predictive value 96% with p- value of 0.0034. 81% of patients were conservatively managed. In conjunction with close clinical monitoring, CT scan is reliable in the evaluation and management of blunt abdominal trauma patients. Our study also shows CT as a superior diagnostic modality compared to FAST scan.

Programming Tools: Status, Evaluation, and Comparison

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheng, Doreen Y.; Cooper, D. M. (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

In this tutorial I will first describe the characteristics of scientific applications and their developers, and describe the computing environment in a typical high-performance computing center. I will define the user requirements for tools that support application portability and present the difficulties to satisfy them. These form the basis of the evaluation and comparison of the tools. I will then describe the tools available in the market and the tools available in the public domain. Specifically, I will describe the tools for converting sequential programs, tools for developing portable new programs, tools for debugging and performance tuning, tools for partitioning and mapping, and tools for managing network of resources. I will introduce the main goals and approaches of the tools, and show main features of a few tools in each category. Meanwhile, I will compare tool usability for real-world application development and compare their different technological approaches. Finally, I will indicate the future directions of the tools in each category.

The Managing Emergencies in Paediatric Anaesthesia global rating scale is a reliable tool for simulation-based assessment in pediatric anesthesia crisis management.

PubMed

Everett, Tobias C; Ng, Elaine; Power, Daniel; Marsh, Christopher; Tolchard, Stephen; Shadrina, Anna; Bould, Matthew D

2013-12-01

The use of simulation-based assessments for high-stakes physician examinations remains controversial. The Managing Emergencies in Paediatric Anaesthesia course uses simulation to teach evidence-based management of anesthesia crises to trainee anesthetists in the United Kingdom (UK) and Canada. In this study, we investigated the feasibility and reliability of custom-designed scenario-specific performance checklists and a global rating scale (GRS) assessing readiness for independent practice. After research ethics board approval, subjects were videoed managing simulated pediatric anesthesia crises in a single Canadian teaching hospital. Each subject was randomized to two of six different scenarios. All 60 scenarios were subsequently rated by four blinded raters (two in the UK, two in Canada) using the checklists and GRS. The actual and predicted reliability of the tools was calculated for different numbers of raters using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the Spearman-Brown prophecy formula. Average measures ICCs ranged from 'substantial' to 'near perfect' (P ≤ 0.001). The reliability of the checklists and the GRS was similar. Single measures ICCs showed more variability than average measures ICC. At least two raters would be required to achieve acceptable reliability. We have established the reliability of a GRS to assess the management of simulated crisis scenarios in pediatric anesthesia, and this tool is feasible within the setting of a research study. The global rating scale allows raters to make a judgement regarding a participant's readiness for independent practice. These tools may be used in the future research examining simulation-based assessment. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Botulinum toxin in the management of facial paralysis.

PubMed

Cabin, Jonathan A; Massry, Guy G; Azizzadeh, Babak

2015-08-01

Complete flaccid facial paralysis, as well as the synkinetic and hyperkinetic sequelae of partial recovery, has significant impact on quality of life. Patients suffer from functional deficiencies, cosmetic deformity, discomfort and social consequences leading to emotional distress. Despite an extensive and sophisticated array of available interventions for facial reanimation, most patients have persistent issues that require consistent follow-up. In long-term management, botulinum toxin (BT) injection remains a critical tool in the treatment of the facial paralysis patient, particularly in the case of synkinesis, hyperkinesis and imbalance. We review the recent scientific literature and highlight key principles and developments in the use of BT in the management of facial paralysis, including less common applications for acute facial paralysis, hyperlacrimation and pseudoptosis. We reviewed the literature for the latest advances in the use of BT in facial paralysis, including applications and technique, as well as measurement tools and adjunct exercises. We also share our experience in treating our own patient population. BT continues to be a well tolerated and effective tool in the long-term management of facial paralysis, specifically in treating synkinesis, imbalance and hyperkinesis, as well as hyperlacrimation and pseudoptosis. Consistent measurement tools and adjunct neuromuscular retraining are crucial in the successful deployment of BT. Controversy exists as to whether BT should be used to manage facial paralysis during the acute phase, and whether BT application to the nonparalyzed face can improve long-term recovery in the paralyzed side.

The Joint Commission has provided a tool to change your work force: are you paying attention?

PubMed

Decker, P J; Strader, M K

1998-03-01

Most health care managers wonder how to change employee "attitudes" so that their staff will be more accountable for patient satisfaction, cost reduction, and quality of care. Employees were trained to function in an industry where the power players were the physician and the administrator and now it is exceedingly difficult to get them to switch their attention to the patient and the payer in a market-driven economy. For hospital managers, the answer may be right at their fingertips: The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' standards demanding that employee competence be objectively measured, proven, tracked & trended, improved, and age specific. A comprehensive competence assessment system can save the health care manager enormous work in measuring fewer things, focusing performance assessment on the 20 percent of things that are true problems, and helping to specifically define certain competencies such as customer focus and cost consciousness so that coaching, training, and giving performance feedback is easier. Developing a comprehensive competence assessment system is a powerful tool to change the culture of organizations. Consequently, it is important that managers be aware of those possibilities before they embark on developing "competencies" or before their organizations get too carried away on redesigning systems to satisfy standards.

Surface immuno-functionalisation for the capture and detection of Vibrio species in the marine environment: a new management tool for industrial facilities.

PubMed

Laczka, Olivier F; Labbate, Maurizio; Seymour, Justin R; Bourne, David G; Fielder, Stewart S; Doblin, Martina A

2014-01-01

Bacteria from the genus Vibrio are a common and environmentally important group of bacteria within coastal environments and include species pathogenic to aquaculture organisms. Their distribution and abundance are linked to specific environmental parameters, including temperature, salinity and nutrient enrichment. Accurate and efficient detection of Vibrios in environmental samples provides a potential important indicator of overall ecosystem health while also allowing rapid management responses for species pathogenic to humans or species implicated in disease of economically important aquacultured fish and invertebrates. In this study, we developed a surface immuno-functionalisation protocol, based on an avidin-biotin type covalent binding strategy, allowing specific sandwich-type detection of bacteria from the Vibrio genus. The assay was optimized on 12 diverse Vibrio strains, including species that have implications for aquaculture industries, reaching detection limits between 7×10(3) to 3×10(4) cells mL(-1). Current techniques for the detection of total Vibrios rely on laborious or inefficient analyses resulting in delayed management decisions. This work represents a novel approach for a rapid, accurate, sensitive and robust tool for quantifying Vibrios directly in industrial systems and in the environment, thereby facilitating rapid management responses.

Community and District Empowerment for Scale-up (CODES): a complex district-level management intervention to improve child survival in Uganda: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Waiswa, Peter; O'Connell, Thomas; Bagenda, Danstan; Mullachery, Pricila; Mpanga, Flavia; Henriksson, Dorcus Kiwanuka; Katahoire, Anne Ruhweza; Ssegujja, Eric; Mbonye, Anthony K; Peterson, Stefan Swartling

2016-03-11

Innovative and sustainable strategies to strengthen districts and other sub-national health systems and management are urgently required to reduce child mortality. Although highly effective evidence-based and affordable child survival interventions are well-known, at the district level, lack of data, motivation, analytic and planning capacity often impedes prioritization and management weaknesses impede implementation. The Community and District Empowerment for Scale-up (CODES) project is a complex management intervention designed to test whether districts when empowered with data and management tools can prioritize and implement evidence-based child survival interventions equitably. The CODES strategy combines management, diagnostic, and evaluation tools to identify and analyze the causes of bottlenecks to implementation, build capacity of district management teams to implement context-specific solutions, and to foster community monitoring and social accountability to increase demand for services. CODES combines UNICEF tools designed to systematize priority setting, allocation of resources and problem solving with Community dialogues based on Citizen Report Cards and U-Reports used to engage and empower communities in monitoring health service provision and to demand for quality services. Implementation and all data collection will be by the districts teams or local Community-based Organizations who will be supported by two local implementing partners. The study will be evaluated as a cluster randomized trial with eight intervention and eight comparison districts over a period of 3 years. Evaluation will focus on differences in uptake of child survival interventions and will follow an intention-to-treat analysis. We will also document and analyze experiences in implementation including changes in management practices. By increasing the District Health Management Teams' capacity to prioritize and implement context-specific solutions, and empowering communities to become active partners in service delivery, coverage of child survival interventions will increase. Lessons learned on strengthening district-level managerial capacities and mechanisms for community monitoring may have implications, not only in Uganda but also in other similar settings, especially with regard to accelerating effective coverage of key child survival interventions using locally available resources. ISRCTN15705788 , Date of registration; 24 July 2015.

LHCb migration from Subversion to Git

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clemencic, M.; Couturier, B.; Closier, J.; Cattaneo, M.

2017-10-01

Due to user demand and to support new development workflows based on code review and multiple development streams, LHCb decided to port the source code management from Subversion to Git, using the CERN GitLab hosting service. Although tools exist for this kind of migration, LHCb specificities and development models required careful planning of the migration, development of migration tools, changes to the development model, and redefinition of the release procedures. Moreover we had to support a hybrid situation with some software projects hosted in Git and others still in Subversion, or even branches of one projects hosted in different systems. We present the way we addressed the special LHCb requirements, the technical details of migrating large non standard Subversion repositories, and how we managed to smoothly migrate the software projects following the schedule of each project manager.

NPTool: Towards Scalability and Reliability of Business Process Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braghetto, Kelly Rosa; Ferreira, João Eduardo; Pu, Calton

Currently one important challenge in business process management is provide at the same time scalability and reliability of business process executions. This difficulty becomes more accentuated when the execution control assumes complex countless business processes. This work presents NavigationPlanTool (NPTool), a tool to control the execution of business processes. NPTool is supported by Navigation Plan Definition Language (NPDL), a language for business processes specification that uses process algebra as formal foundation. NPTool implements the NPDL language as a SQL extension. The main contribution of this paper is a description of the NPTool showing how the process algebra features combined with a relational database model can be used to provide a scalable and reliable control in the execution of business processes. The next steps of NPTool include reuse of control-flow patterns and support to data flow management.

Gene editing for skin diseases: designer nucleases as tools for gene therapy of skin fragility disorders.

PubMed

March, Oliver P; Reichelt, Julia; Koller, Ulrich

2018-04-01

What is the topic of this review? This review concerns current gene editing strategies for blistering skin diseases with respect to individual genetic constellations and distinct conditions. What advances does it highlight? Specificity and safety dominate the discussion of gene editing applications for gene therapy, where a number of tools are implemented. Recent developments in this rapidly progressing field pose further questions regarding which tool is best suited for each particular use. The current treatment of inherited blistering skin diseases, such as epidermolysis bullosa (EB), is largely restricted to wound care and pain management. More effective therapeutic strategies are urgently required, and targeting the genetic basis of these severe diseases is now within reach. Here, we describe current gene editing tools and their potential to correct gene function in monogenetic blistering skin diseases. We present the features of the most frequently used gene editing techniques, transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN) and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9), determining their preferential application for specific genetic conditions, including the type of mutational inheritance, the targeting site within the gene or the possibility to target the mutation specifically. Both tools have traits beneficial in specific situations. Promising developments in the field engender gene editing as a potentially powerful therapeutic option for future clinical applications. © 2017 The Authors. Experimental Physiology © 2017 The Physiological Society.

SITE-SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT APPROACHES AND REDEVELOPMENT TOOLS - TECHNOLOGIES (SMARTTECH)

EPA Science Inventory

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) continues an ongoing partnership to gain an understanding of each other's approach to the cleanup of chemical contamination in order to protect human health an...

SITE-SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT APPROACHES AND REDEVELOPMENT TOOLS (SMART) - presentation 04

EPA Science Inventory

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) created a Bilateral Working Group in 1990 to gain a better understanding of each country's efforts in developing and demonstrating remedial technologies (Phase...

Conservation physiology in practice: how physiological knowledge has improved our ability to sustainably manage Pacific salmon during up-river migration.

PubMed

Cooke, Steven J; Hinch, Scott G; Donaldson, Michael R; Clark, Timothy D; Eliason, Erika J; Crossin, Glenn T; Raby, Graham D; Jeffries, Ken M; Lapointe, Mike; Miller, Kristi; Patterson, David A; Farrell, Anthony P

2012-06-19

Despite growing interest in conservation physiology, practical examples of how physiology has helped to understand or to solve conservation problems remain scarce. Over the past decade, an interdisciplinary research team has used a conservation physiology approach to address topical conservation concerns for Pacific salmon. Here, we review how novel applications of tools such as physiological telemetry, functional genomics and laboratory experiments on cardiorespiratory physiology have shed light on the effect of fisheries capture and release, disease and individual condition, and stock-specific consequences of warming river temperatures, respectively, and discuss how these findings have or have not benefited Pacific salmon management. Overall, physiological tools have provided remarkable insights into the effects of fisheries capture and have helped to enhance techniques for facilitating recovery from fisheries capture. Stock-specific cardiorespiratory thresholds for thermal tolerances have been identified for sockeye salmon and can be used by managers to better predict migration success, representing a rare example that links a physiological scope to fitness in the wild population. Functional genomics approaches have identified physiological signatures predictive of individual migration mortality. Although fisheries managers are primarily concerned with population-level processes, understanding the causes of en route mortality provides a mechanistic explanation and can be used to refine management models. We discuss the challenges that we have overcome, as well as those that we continue to face, in making conservation physiology relevant to managers of Pacific salmon.

Conservation physiology in practice: how physiological knowledge has improved our ability to sustainably manage Pacific salmon during up-river migration

PubMed Central

Cooke, Steven J.; Hinch, Scott G.; Donaldson, Michael R.; Clark, Timothy D.; Eliason, Erika J.; Crossin, Glenn T.; Raby, Graham D.; Jeffries, Ken M.; Lapointe, Mike; Miller, Kristi; Patterson, David A.; Farrell, Anthony P.

2012-01-01

Despite growing interest in conservation physiology, practical examples of how physiology has helped to understand or to solve conservation problems remain scarce. Over the past decade, an interdisciplinary research team has used a conservation physiology approach to address topical conservation concerns for Pacific salmon. Here, we review how novel applications of tools such as physiological telemetry, functional genomics and laboratory experiments on cardiorespiratory physiology have shed light on the effect of fisheries capture and release, disease and individual condition, and stock-specific consequences of warming river temperatures, respectively, and discuss how these findings have or have not benefited Pacific salmon management. Overall, physiological tools have provided remarkable insights into the effects of fisheries capture and have helped to enhance techniques for facilitating recovery from fisheries capture. Stock-specific cardiorespiratory thresholds for thermal tolerances have been identified for sockeye salmon and can be used by managers to better predict migration success, representing a rare example that links a physiological scope to fitness in the wild population. Functional genomics approaches have identified physiological signatures predictive of individual migration mortality. Although fisheries managers are primarily concerned with population-level processes, understanding the causes of en route mortality provides a mechanistic explanation and can be used to refine management models. We discuss the challenges that we have overcome, as well as those that we continue to face, in making conservation physiology relevant to managers of Pacific salmon. PMID:22566681

Error management training and simulation education.

PubMed

Gardner, Aimee; Rich, Michelle

2014-12-01

The integration of simulation into the training of health care professionals provides context for decision making and procedural skills in a high-fidelity environment, without risk to actual patients. It was hypothesised that a novel approach to simulation-based education - error management training - would produce higher performance ratings compared with traditional step-by-step instruction. Radiology technology students were randomly assigned to participate in traditional procedural-based instruction (n = 11) or vicarious error management training (n = 11). All watched an instructional video and discussed how well each incident was handled (traditional instruction group) or identified where the errors were made (vicarious error management training). Students then participated in a 30-minute case-based simulation. Simulations were videotaped for performance analysis. Blinded experts evaluated performance using a predefined evaluation tool created specifically for the scenario. Blinded experts evaluated performance using a predefined evaluation tool created specifically for the scenario The vicarious error management group scored higher on observer-rated performance (Mean = 9.49) than students in the traditional instruction group (Mean = 9.02; p < 0.01). These findings suggest that incorporating the discussion of errors and how to handle errors during the learning session will better equip students when performing hands-on procedures and skills. This pilot study provides preliminary evidence for integrating error management skills into medical curricula and for the design of learning goals in simulation-based education. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Case and Administrative Support Tools

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Case and Administrative Support Tools (CAST) is the secure portion of the Office of General Counsel (OGC) Dashboard business process automation tool used to help reduce office administrative labor costs while increasing employee effectiveness. CAST supports business functions which rely on and store Privacy Act sensitive data (PII). Specific business processes included in CAST (and respective PII) are: -Civil Rights Cast Tracking (name, partial medical history, summary of case, and case correspondance). -Employment Law Case Tracking (name, summary of case). -Federal Tort Claims Act Incident Tracking (name, summary of incidents). -Ethics Program Support Tools and Tracking (name, partial financial history). -Summer Honors Application Tracking (name, home address, telephone number, employment history). -Workforce Flexibility Initiative Support Tools (name, alternative workplace phone number). -Resource and Personnel Management Support Tools (name, partial employment and financial history).

A comparative evaluation of five hazard screening tools.

PubMed

Panko, J M; Hitchcock, K; Fung, M; Spencer, P J; Kingsbury, T; Mason, A M

2017-01-01

An increasing number of hazard assessment tools and approaches are being used in the marketplace as a means to differentiate products and ingredients with lower versus higher hazards or to certify what some call greener chemical ingredients in consumer products. Some leading retailers have established policies for product manufacturers and their suppliers to disclose chemical ingredients and their related hazard characteristics often specifying what tools to use. To date, no data exists that show a tool's reliability to provide consistent, credible screening-level hazard scores that can inform greener product selection. We conducted a small pilot study to understand and compare the hazard scoring of several hazard screening tools to determine if hazard and toxicity profiles for chemicals differ. Seven chemicals were selected that represent both natural and man-made chemistries as well as a range of toxicological activity. We conducted the assessments according to each tool provider's guidelines, which included factors such as endpoints, weighting preferences, sources of information, and treatment of data gaps. The results indicate the tools varied in the level of discrimination seen in the scores for these 7 chemicals and that tool classifications of the same chemical varied widely between the tools, ranging from little or no hazard or toxicity to very high hazard or toxicity. The results also highlight the need for transparency in describing the basis for the tool's hazard scores and suggest possible enhancements. Based on this pilot study, tools should not be generalized to fit all situations because their evaluations are context-specific. Before choosing a tool or approach, it is critical that the assessment rationale be clearly defined and matches the selected tool or approach. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:139-154. © 2016 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC. © 2016 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.

An Automated Method for Identifying Inconsistencies within Diagrammatic Software Requirements Specifications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Zhong

1997-01-01

The development of large-scale, composite software in a geographically distributed environment is an evolutionary process. Often, in such evolving systems, striving for consistency is complicated by many factors, because development participants have various locations, skills, responsibilities, roles, opinions, languages, terminology and different degrees of abstraction they employ. This naturally leads to many partial specifications or viewpoints. These multiple views on the system being developed usually overlap. From another aspect, these multiple views give rise to the potential for inconsistency. Existing CASE tools do not efficiently manage inconsistencies in distributed development environment for a large-scale project. Based on the ViewPoints framework the WHERE (Web-Based Hypertext Environment for requirements Evolution) toolkit aims to tackle inconsistency management issues within geographically distributed software development projects. Consequently, WHERE project helps make more robust software and support software assurance process. The long term goal of WHERE tools aims to the inconsistency analysis and management in requirements specifications. A framework based on Graph Grammar theory and TCMJAVA toolkit is proposed to detect inconsistencies among viewpoints. This systematic approach uses three basic operations (UNION, DIFFERENCE, INTERSECTION) to study the static behaviors of graphic and tabular notations. From these operations, subgraphs Query, Selection, Merge, Replacement operations can be derived. This approach uses graph PRODUCTIONS (rewriting rules) to study the dynamic transformations of graphs. We discuss the feasibility of implementation these operations. Also, We present the process of porting original TCM (Toolkit for Conceptual Modeling) project from C++ to Java programming language in this thesis. A scenario based on NASA International Space Station Specification is discussed to show the applicability of our approach. Finally, conclusion and future work about inconsistency management issues in WHERE project will be summarized.

Implementation of quality improvement techniques for management and technical processes in the ACRV project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raiman, Laura B.

1992-01-01

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a cooperative form of doing business that relies on the talents of everyone in an organization to continually improve quality and productivity, using teams and an assortment of statistical and measurement tools. The objective of the activities described in this paper was to implement effective improvement tools and techniques in order to build work processes which support good management and technical decisions and actions which are crucial to the success of the ACRV project. The objectives were met by applications in both the technical and management areas. The management applications involved initiating focused continuous improvement projects with widespread team membership. The technical applications involved applying proven statistical tools and techniques to the technical issues associated with the ACRV Project. Specific activities related to the objective included working with a support contractor team to improve support processes, examining processes involved in international activities, a series of tutorials presented to the New Initiatives Office and support contractors, a briefing to NIO managers, and work with the NIO Q+ Team. On the technical side, work included analyzing data from the large-scale W.A.T.E.R. test, landing mode trade analyses, and targeting probability calculations. The results of these efforts will help to develop a disciplined, ongoing process for producing fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide the ACRV organization .

Is this what you need? Direct feedback help climate change information exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bachelet, D. M.; Brown, M.; Gough, M.; Basin, D.

2015-12-01

The combination of projected climate change and land use adds uncertainty to the long-term effectiveness of current management strategies. Managers need reliable information to adjust their strategies as population density increases. However they are currently overwhelmed by the diversity of available information and the multiplicity of sources. CBI's goal is to centralize and package effectively the usable information for land managers and for the general public in order to increase awareness and promote preparation for the challenges ahead. We are designing conservation planning atlases in Data Basin for a number of landscape conservation cooperatives to address this need. We are adding some user-friendly tools to specifically serve the available climate projections and land use data in a meaningful way. By working closely with a group of managers, our goal is to understand how consideration of these projections figures into the decision-making process and refine the ways we can deliver relevant metrics. We have been holding interviews to gather information and critical feedback on existing climate-related web pages and tools, providing us with benchmarks for improvement. As it turned out, the student-manager dialogue added a component of climate change education and awareness of available tools to the project. Through an iterative process we plan to continue this exchange and address the variety of issues managers continually have to face to maintain healthy ecosystems.

[Assessment of two applications of medication self-management in older patients. Qualitative study].

PubMed

Carrillo, I; Guilabert, M; Pérez-Jover, V; Mira, J J

2015-01-01

The aging population and the growing use of technology are two realities of modern society. Developing tools to support medication self-management to polymedicated elderly may contribute to increase their safety. To know how patients polymedicated and older than 64 years manage dose their medication and assessment the utility of two medication self-management applications, specifically analyzing management systems, medication errors and positive and improvable aspects of each of the tools presented. Seven focal groups with 59 patients from associations and health departments were conducted. In such meetings, they received the applications and they were encouraged to use it. Then, a several group questions were asked them about their health status, how they managed their medication and their assessment about the applications. Most participants reported to use memory strategies to take correctly their medication. They assessed positively the applications although some of them showed resistance to incorporate it in their daily routine. The simple interface and ease of use were the characteristics of the applications most appreciated by patients. Is possible to foster among elderly patients the use of technological tools to support the proper administration of medications with purpose is to decrease errors and increase safety. When designing health applications is necessary to take into account the preferences of those who are targeted. Copyright © 2014 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Implementation of quality improvement techniques for management and technical processes in the ACRV project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raiman, Laura B.

1992-12-01

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a cooperative form of doing business that relies on the talents of everyone in an organization to continually improve quality and productivity, using teams and an assortment of statistical and measurement tools. The objective of the activities described in this paper was to implement effective improvement tools and techniques in order to build work processes which support good management and technical decisions and actions which are crucial to the success of the ACRV project. The objectives were met by applications in both the technical and management areas. The management applications involved initiating focused continuous improvement projects with widespread team membership. The technical applications involved applying proven statistical tools and techniques to the technical issues associated with the ACRV Project. Specific activities related to the objective included working with a support contractor team to improve support processes, examining processes involved in international activities, a series of tutorials presented to the New Initiatives Office and support contractors, a briefing to NIO managers, and work with the NIO Q+ Team. On the technical side, work included analyzing data from the large-scale W.A.T.E.R. test, landing mode trade analyses, and targeting probability calculations. The results of these efforts will help to develop a disciplined, ongoing process for producing fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide the ACRV organization .

SimVascular: An Open Source Pipeline for Cardiovascular Simulation.

PubMed

Updegrove, Adam; Wilson, Nathan M; Merkow, Jameson; Lan, Hongzhi; Marsden, Alison L; Shadden, Shawn C

2017-03-01

Patient-specific cardiovascular simulation has become a paradigm in cardiovascular research and is emerging as a powerful tool in basic, translational and clinical research. In this paper we discuss the recent development of a fully open-source SimVascular software package, which provides a complete pipeline from medical image data segmentation to patient-specific blood flow simulation and analysis. This package serves as a research tool for cardiovascular modeling and simulation, and has contributed to numerous advances in personalized medicine, surgical planning and medical device design. The SimVascular software has recently been refactored and expanded to enhance functionality, usability, efficiency and accuracy of image-based patient-specific modeling tools. Moreover, SimVascular previously required several licensed components that hindered new user adoption and code management and our recent developments have replaced these commercial components to create a fully open source pipeline. These developments foster advances in cardiovascular modeling research, increased collaboration, standardization of methods, and a growing developer community.

An online spatial database of Australian Indigenous Biocultural Knowledge for contemporary natural and cultural resource management.

PubMed

Pert, Petina L; Ens, Emilie J; Locke, John; Clarke, Philip A; Packer, Joanne M; Turpin, Gerry

2015-11-15

With growing international calls for the enhanced involvement of Indigenous peoples and their biocultural knowledge in managing conservation and the sustainable use of physical environment, it is timely to review the available literature and develop cross-cultural approaches to the management of biocultural resources. Online spatial databases are becoming common tools for educating land managers about Indigenous Biocultural Knowledge (IBK), specifically to raise a broad awareness of issues, identify knowledge gaps and opportunities, and to promote collaboration. Here we describe a novel approach to the application of internet and spatial analysis tools that provide an overview of publically available documented Australian IBK (AIBK) and outline the processes used to develop the online resource. By funding an AIBK working group, the Australian Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (ACEAS) provided a unique opportunity to bring together cross-cultural, cross-disciplinary and trans-organizational contributors who developed these resources. Without such an intentionally collaborative process, this unique tool would not have been developed. The tool developed through this process is derived from a spatial and temporal literature review, case studies and a compilation of methods, as well as other relevant AIBK papers. The online resource illustrates the depth and breadth of documented IBK and identifies opportunities for further work, partnerships and investment for the benefit of not only Indigenous Australians, but all Australians. The database currently includes links to over 1500 publically available IBK documents, of which 568 are geo-referenced and were mapped. It is anticipated that as awareness of the online resource grows, more documents will be provided through the website to build the database. It is envisaged that this will become a well-used tool, integral to future natural and cultural resource management and maintenance. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

SO-QT: Collaborative Tool to Project the Future Space Object Population

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stupl, Jan

2017-01-01

Earth orbit gets increasingly congested, a challenge to space operators, both in governments and industry. We present a web tool that provides: 1) data on todays and the historic space object environments, by aggregating object-specific tracking data; and 2) future trends through a collaboration platform to collect information on planed launches. The collaborative platform enables experts to pool and compare their data in order to generate future launch scenarios. The tool is intended to support decision makers and mission designers while they investigate future missions and scholars as they develop strategies for space traffic management.

Group decision-making techniques for natural resource management applications

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coughlan, Beth A.K.; Armour, Carl L.

1992-01-01

This report is an introduction to decision analysis and problem-solving techniques for professionals in natural resource management. Although these managers are often called upon to make complex decisions, their training in the natural sciences seldom provides exposure to the decision-making tools developed in management science. Our purpose is to being to fill this gap. We present a general analysis of the pitfalls of group problem solving, and suggestions for improved interactions followed by the specific techniques. Selected techniques are illustrated. The material is easy to understand and apply without previous training or excessive study and is applicable to natural resource management issues.

Management of Electronic Test Equipment. Volume 3. Organizations, Policies, and Procedures.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-07-01

is not guaranteed. The best example, probably, is the UH - 60 Black Hawk program, where the specific tools used by organizational maintainers were nailed...tools. This innovative and highly effective approach was large!i, Successful. even though it became obvious once the UH - 60 was fielded, that a special...test set was necessary to cope with the electronic control unit assembly of the turbine engine. The UH - 60 example, however, does illustrate that support

Computer software tool REALM for sustainable water allocation and management.

PubMed

Perera, B J C; James, B; Kularathna, M D U

2005-12-01

REALM (REsource ALlocation Model) is a generalised computer simulation package that models harvesting and bulk distribution of water resources within a water supply system. It is a modeling tool, which can be applied to develop specific water allocation models. Like other water resource simulation software tools, REALM uses mass-balance accounting at nodes, while the movement of water within carriers is subject to capacity constraints. It uses a fast network linear programming algorithm to optimise the water allocation within the network during each simulation time step, in accordance with user-defined operating rules. This paper describes the main features of REALM and provides potential users with an appreciation of its capabilities. In particular, it describes two case studies covering major urban and rural water supply systems. These case studies illustrate REALM's capabilities in the use of stochastically generated data in water supply planning and management, modelling of environmental flows, and assessing security of supply issues.

Calibration of the APEX Model to Simulate Management Practice Effects on Runoff, Sediment, and Phosphorus Loss.

PubMed

Bhandari, Ammar B; Nelson, Nathan O; Sweeney, Daniel W; Baffaut, Claire; Lory, John A; Senaviratne, Anomaa; Pierzynski, Gary M; Janssen, Keith A; Barnes, Philip L

2017-11-01

Process-based computer models have been proposed as a tool to generate data for Phosphorus (P) Index assessment and development. Although models are commonly used to simulate P loss from agriculture using managements that are different from the calibration data, this use of models has not been fully tested. The objective of this study is to determine if the Agricultural Policy Environmental eXtender (APEX) model can accurately simulate runoff, sediment, total P, and dissolved P loss from 0.4 to 1.5 ha of agricultural fields with managements that are different from the calibration data. The APEX model was calibrated with field-scale data from eight different managements at two locations (management-specific models). The calibrated models were then validated, either with the same management used for calibration or with different managements. Location models were also developed by calibrating APEX with data from all managements. The management-specific models resulted in satisfactory performance when used to simulate runoff, total P, and dissolved P within their respective systems, with > 0.50, Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency > 0.30, and percent bias within ±35% for runoff and ±70% for total and dissolved P. When applied outside the calibration management, the management-specific models only met the minimum performance criteria in one-third of the tests. The location models had better model performance when applied across all managements compared with management-specific models. Our results suggest that models only be applied within the managements used for calibration and that data be included from multiple management systems for calibration when using models to assess management effects on P loss or evaluate P Indices. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Structured decision making for managing pneumonia epizootics in bighorn sheep

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sells, Sarah N.; Mitchell, Michael S.; Edwards, Victoria L.; Gude, Justin A.; Anderson, Neil J.

2016-01-01

Good decision-making is essential to conserving wildlife populations. Although there may be multiple ways to address a problem, perfect solutions rarely exist. Managers are therefore tasked with identifying decisions that will best achieve desired outcomes. Structured decision making (SDM) is a method of decision analysis used to identify the most effective, efficient, and realistic decisions while accounting for values and priorities of the decision maker. The stepwise process includes identifying the management problem, defining objectives for solving the problem, developing alternative approaches to achieve the objectives, and formally evaluating which alternative is most likely to accomplish the objectives. The SDM process can be more effective than informal decision-making because it provides a transparent way to quantitatively evaluate decisions for addressing multiple management objectives while incorporating science, uncertainty, and risk tolerance. To illustrate the application of this process to a management need, we present an SDM-based decision tool developed to identify optimal decisions for proactively managing risk of pneumonia epizootics in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in Montana. Pneumonia epizootics are a major challenge for managers due to long-term impacts to herds, epistemic uncertainty in timing and location of future epizootics, and consequent difficulty knowing how or when to manage risk. The decision tool facilitates analysis of alternative decisions for how to manage herds based on predictions from a risk model, herd-specific objectives, and predicted costs and benefits of each alternative. Decision analyses for 2 example herds revealed that meeting management objectives necessitates specific approaches unique to each herd. The analyses showed how and under what circumstances the alternatives are optimal compared to other approaches and current management. Managers can be confident that these decisions are effective, efficient, and realistic because they explicitly account for important considerations managers implicitly weigh when making decisions, including competing management objectives, uncertainty in potential outcomes, and risk tolerance.

An independent assessment of the monthly PRISM gridded precipitation product in central Oklahoma

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The development of climate-informed decision support tools for agricultural management requires long-duration location-specific climatologies due to the extreme spatiotemporal variability of precipitation. The traditional source of precipitation data (rain gauges) are too sparsely located to fill t...

Hard Choices for Individual Situations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Landon, Bruce

This paper focuses on faculty use of a decision-making process for complex situations. The analysis part of the process describes and compares course management software focusing on: technical specifications, instructional design values,tools and features, ease of use, and standards compliance. The extensive comparisons provide faculty with…

The adverse outcome pathway: A multifaceted framework supporting 21st century toxicology

EPA Science Inventory

The adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework serves as a knowledge assembly, interpretation, and communication tool designed to support the translation of pathway-specific mechanistic data into responses relevant to assessing and managing risks of chemicals to human health and the...

Soil texture and organic carbon fractions predicted from near-infrared spectroscopy and geostatistics

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Field-specific management could help achieve agricultural sustainability by increasing production and decreasing environmental impacts. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and geostatistics are relatively unexplored tools that could reduce time, labor, and costs of soil analysis. Our objective was to ...

AGREEing on Canadian cardiovascular clinical practice guidelines.

PubMed

Stone, James A; Austford, Leslie; Parker, John H; Gledhill, Norm; Tremblay, Guy; Arthur, Heather M

2008-10-01

The use of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), particularly the routine implementation of evidence-based cardiovascular health maintenance and disease management recommendations, affords both expert and nonexpert practitioners the opportunity to achieve better, and at least theoretically similar, patient outcomes. However, health care practitioners are often stymied in their efforts to follow even well-researched and well-written CPGs as a consequence of contradictory information. The purposeful integration and harmonization of Canadian cardiovascular CPGs, regardless of their specific risk factor or clinical management focus, is critical to their widespread acceptance and implementation. This level of cooperation and coordination among CPG groups and organizations would help to ensure that their clinical practice roadmaps (ie, best practice recommendations) contain clear, concise and complementary, rather than contradictory, patient care information. Similarly, the application of specific tools intended to improve the quality of CPGs, such as the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) assessment tool, may also lead to improvements in CPG quality and potentially enhance their acceptance and implementation.

Guidelines for the diagnosis, prevention and management of osteoporosis.

PubMed

Rossini, M; Adami, S; Bertoldo, F; Diacinti, D; Gatti, D; Giannini, S; Giusti, A; Malavolta, N; Minisola, S; Osella, G; Pedrazzoni, M; Sinigaglia, L; Viapiana, O; Isaia, G C

2016-06-23

Osteoporosis poses a significant public health issue. National Societies have developed Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of this disorder with an effort of adapting specific tools for risk assessment on the peculiar characteristics of a given population. The Italian Society for Osteoporosis, Mineral Metabolism and Bone Diseases (SIOMMMS) has recently revised the previously published Guidelines on the diagnosis, riskassessment, prevention and management of primary and secondary osteoporosis. The guidelines were first drafted by a working group and then approved by the board of SIOMMMS. Subsequently they received also the endorsement of other major Scientific Societies that deal with bone metabolic disease. These recommendations are based on systematic reviews of the best available evidence and explicit consideration of cost effectiveness. When minimal evidence is available, recommendations are based on leading experts' experience and opinion, and on good clinical practice. The osteoporosis prevention should be based on the elimination of specific risk factors. The use of drugs registered for the treatment of osteoporosis are recommended when the benefits overcome the risk, and this is the case only when the risk of fracture is rather high as measured with variables susceptible to pharmacological effect. DeFRA (FRAX® derived fracture risk assessment) is recognized as a useful tool for easily estimate the long-term fracture risk. Several secondary forms of osteoporosis require a specific diagnostic and therapeutic management.

An atmospheric vulnerability assessment framework for environment management and protection based on CAMx.

PubMed

Zhang, Yang; Shen, Jing; Li, Yu

2018-02-01

This paper presents an atmospheric vulnerability assessment framework based on CAMx that should be helpful to assess potential impacts of changes in human, atmospheric environment, and social economic elements of atmospheric vulnerability. It is also a useful and effective tool that can provide policy-guidance for environmental protection and management to reduce the atmospheric vulnerability. The developed framework was applied to evaluate the atmospheric environment vulnerability of 13 cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region for verification. The results indicated that regional disparity of the atmospheric vulnerability existed in the study site. More specifically, the central and southern regions show more atmospheric environment vulnerability than the northern regions. The impact factors of atmospheric environment vulnerability in the BTH region mainly derived from increasing population press, frequently unfavorable meteorological conditions, extensive economic growth of secondary industry, increased environmental pollution, and accelerating population aging. The framework shown in this paper is an interpretative and heuristic tool for a better understanding of atmospheric vulnerability. This framework can also be replicated at different spatial and temporal scales using context-specific datasets to straightly support environmental managers with decision-making. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Imaging informatics-based multimedia ePR system for data management and decision support in rehabilitation research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ximing; Verma, Sneha; Qin, Yi; Sterling, Josh; Zhou, Alyssa; Zhang, Jeffrey; Martinez, Clarisa; Casebeer, Narissa; Koh, Hyunwook; Winstein, Carolee; Liu, Brent

2013-03-01

With the rapid development of science and technology, large-scale rehabilitation centers and clinical rehabilitation trials usually involve significant volumes of multimedia data. Due to the global aging crisis, millions of new patients with age-related chronic diseases will produce huge amounts of data and contribute to soaring costs of medical care. Hence, a solution for effective data management and decision support will significantly reduce the expenditure and finally improve the patient life quality. Inspired from the concept of the electronic patient record (ePR), we developed a prototype system for the field of rehabilitation engineering. The system is subject or patient-oriented and customized for specific projects. The system components include data entry modules, multimedia data presentation and data retrieval. To process the multimedia data, the system includes a DICOM viewer with annotation tools and video/audio player. The system also serves as a platform for integrating decision-support tools and data mining tools. Based on the prototype system design, we developed two specific applications: 1) DOSE (a phase 1 randomized clinical trial to determine the optimal dose of therapy for rehabilitation of the arm and hand after stroke.); and 2) NEXUS project from the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center(RERC, a NIDRR funded Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center). Currently, the system is being evaluated in the context of the DOSE trial with a projected enrollment of 60 participants over 5 years, and will be evaluated by the NEXUS project with 30 subjects. By applying the ePR concept, we developed a system in order to improve the current research workflow, reduce the cost of managing data, and provide a platform for the rapid development of future decision-support tools.

Implementation of Risk Management in NASA's CEV Project- Ensuring Mission Success

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perera, Jeevan; Holsomback, Jerry D.

2005-12-01

Most project managers know that Risk Management (RM) is essential to good project management. At NASA, standards and procedures to manage risk through a tiered approach have been developed - from the global agency-wide requirements down to a program or project's implementation. The basic methodology for NASA's risk management strategy includes processes to identify, analyze, plan, track, control, communicate and document risks. The identification, characterization, mitigation plan, and mitigation responsibilities associated with specific risks are documented to help communicate, manage, and effectuate appropriate closure. This approach helps to ensure more consistent documentation and assessment and provides a means of archiving lessons learned for future identification or mitigation activities.A new risk database and management tool was developed by NASA in 2002 and since has been used successfully to communicate, document and manage a number of diverse risks for the International Space Station, Space Shuttle, and several other NASA projects and programs including at the Johnson Space Center. Organizations use this database application to effectively manage and track each risk and gain insight into impacts from other organization's viewpoint to develop integrated solutions. Schedule, cost, technical and safety issues are tracked in detail through this system.Risks are tagged within the system to ensure proper review, coordination and management at the necessary management level. The database is intended as a day-to- day tool for organizations to manage their risks and elevate those issues that need coordination from above. Each risk is assigned to a managing organization and a specific risk owner who generates mitigation plans as appropriate. In essence, the risk owner is responsible for shepherding the risk through closure. The individual that identifies a new risk does not necessarily get assigned as the risk owner. Whoever is in the best position to effectuate comprehensive closure is assigned as the risk owner. Each mitigation plan includes the specific tasks that will be conducted to either decrease the likelihood of the risk occurring and/or lessen the severity of the consequences if they do occur. As each mitigation task is completed, the responsible managing organization records the completion of the task in the risk database and then re-scores the risk considering the task's results. By keeping scores updated, a managing organization's current top risks and risk posture can be readily identified including the status of any risk in the system.A number of metrics measure risk process trends from data contained in the database. This allows for trend analysis to further identify improvements to the process and assist in the management of all risks. The metrics will also scrutinize both the effectiveness and compliance of risk management requirements.The risk database is an evolving tool and will be continuously improved with capabilities requested by the NASA project community. This paper presents the basic foundations of risk management, the elements necessary for effective risk management, and the capabilities of this new risk database and how it is implemented to support NASA's risk management needs.

An ecological response model for the Cache la Poudre River through Fort Collins

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shanahan, Jennifer; Baker, Daniel; Bledsoe, Brian P.; Poff, LeRoy; Merritt, David M.; Bestgen, Kevin R.; Auble, Gregor T.; Kondratieff, Boris C.; Stokes, John; Lorie, Mark; Sanderson, John

2014-01-01

The ERM was designed to represent the multi-dimensional ecological character of the contemporary urban Poudre River. It provides a scientific foundation that can serve as a decision support tool and foster a more informed community discussion about the future of the river as it provides a better understanding of the likely response of the Poudre River ecosystem to environmental flow management and other stewardship activities. In particular, model results can assist managers in developing specific management actions to achieve desirable goals for key indicators of river health.

Impact of patients' judgment skills on asthma self-management: a pilot study.

PubMed

Londoño, Ana Maria Moreno; Schulz, Peter J

2014-12-02

The majority of current health literacy tools assess functional skills including reading, writing, and numeracy. Although these tools have been able to underline the impact of such skills on individuals' health behaviour, there is a need for comprehensive measures to examine more advanced skills. The individual's ability to use health-related information considering his/her own health context, and judging positive and negative consequences of their decisions has been conceptualized as judgment skills. The present study used a newly developed judgment skills tool to explore asthma self-management practices. Eighty asthma patients were recruited from medical offices during the year 2013. The questionnaire was self-administered and contained health literacy questions, the judgment skill tool, the Asthma Control Test, and several self-management questions. Sixty-nine percent of participants had adequate health literacy, while 24% and 5% had marginal and inadequate levels, respectively. The high-judgment group referred more to their doctor when experiencing asthma problems t(76)=-2.18, P<0.032; complied more with the use of their control medicine t(77)=-3.24, P<0.002 and went more regularly to the doctor t(78)=-1.80, P<0.038 (one-tailed) than the low-judgment group. The judgment skills tool can help identify asthma patients' health information use and reveal how this use may affect some self-management practices. Significance for public healthPatients' health literacy has a great impact on their health behaviours and their health outcomes. Therefore, it has become more and more common to measure health literacy within the healthcare setting to determine the most effective approach to target patients. The measurement of asthma judgment skills contribute to a deeper understanding of patients' asthma self-management in crucial topics for asthma control, and have the advantage of assessing the specific abilities needed for this particular condition, which in turn benefits the translation of the findings from the use of this tool into strategies that directly tackle the needs of asthma patients.

Trust and Privacy Solutions Based on Holistic Service Requirements.

PubMed

Sánchez Alcón, José Antonio; López, Lourdes; Martínez, José-Fernán; Rubio Cifuentes, Gregorio

2015-12-24

The products and services designed for Smart Cities provide the necessary tools to improve the management of modern cities in a more efficient way. These tools need to gather citizens' information about their activity, preferences, habits, etc. opening up the possibility of tracking them. Thus, privacy and security policies must be developed in order to satisfy and manage the legislative heterogeneity surrounding the services provided and comply with the laws of the country where they are provided. This paper presents one of the possible solutions to manage this heterogeneity, bearing in mind these types of networks, such as Wireless Sensor Networks, have important resource limitations. A knowledge and ontology management system is proposed to facilitate the collaboration between the business, legal and technological areas. This will ease the implementation of adequate specific security and privacy policies for a given service. All these security and privacy policies are based on the information provided by the deployed platforms and by expert system processing.

Trust and Privacy Solutions Based on Holistic Service Requirements

PubMed Central

Sánchez Alcón, José Antonio; López, Lourdes; Martínez, José-Fernán; Rubio Cifuentes, Gregorio

2015-01-01

The products and services designed for Smart Cities provide the necessary tools to improve the management of modern cities in a more efficient way. These tools need to gather citizens’ information about their activity, preferences, habits, etc. opening up the possibility of tracking them. Thus, privacy and security policies must be developed in order to satisfy and manage the legislative heterogeneity surrounding the services provided and comply with the laws of the country where they are provided. This paper presents one of the possible solutions to manage this heterogeneity, bearing in mind these types of networks, such as Wireless Sensor Networks, have important resource limitations. A knowledge and ontology management system is proposed to facilitate the collaboration between the business, legal and technological areas. This will ease the implementation of adequate specific security and privacy policies for a given service. All these security and privacy policies are based on the information provided by the deployed platforms and by expert system processing. PMID:26712752

ImTK: an open source multi-center information management toolkit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alaoui, Adil; Ingeholm, Mary Lou; Padh, Shilpa; Dorobantu, Mihai; Desai, Mihir; Cleary, Kevin; Mun, Seong K.

2008-03-01

The Information Management Toolkit (ImTK) Consortium is an open source initiative to develop robust, freely available tools related to the information management needs of basic, clinical, and translational research. An open source framework and agile programming methodology can enable distributed software development while an open architecture will encourage interoperability across different environments. The ISIS Center has conceptualized a prototype data sharing network that simulates a multi-center environment based on a federated data access model. This model includes the development of software tools to enable efficient exchange, sharing, management, and analysis of multimedia medical information such as clinical information, images, and bioinformatics data from multiple data sources. The envisioned ImTK data environment will include an open architecture and data model implementation that complies with existing standards such as Digital Imaging and Communications (DICOM), Health Level 7 (HL7), and the technical framework and workflow defined by the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) Information Technology Infrastructure initiative, mainly the Cross Enterprise Document Sharing (XDS) specifications.

Comparison of an enhanced versus a written feedback model on the management of Medicare inpatients with venous thrombosis.

PubMed

Hayes, R; Bratzler, D; Armour, B; Moore, L; Murray, C; Stevens, B R; Radford, M; Fitzgerald, D; Elward, K; Ballard, D J

2001-03-01

A multistate randomized study conducted under the Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA's) Health Care Quality Improvement Program (HCQIP) offered the opportunity to compare the effect of a written feedback intervention (WFI) with that of an enhanced feedback intervention (EFI) on improving the anticoagulant management of Medicare beneficiaries who present to the hospital with venous thromboembolic disease. Twenty-nine hospitals in five states were randomly assigned to receive written hospital-specific feedback (WFI) of feedback enhanced by the participation of a trained physician, quality improvement tools, and an Anticoagulant Management of Venous Thrombosis (AMVT) project liaison (EFI). Differences in the performance of five quality indicators between baseline and remeasurement were assessed. Quality managers were interviewed to determine perceptions of project implementation. No significant differences in the change from baseline to remeasurement were found between the two intervention groups. Significant improvement in one indicator and significant decline in two indicators were found for one or both groups. Yet 59% of all quality managers perceived the AMVT project as being successful to very successful, and more EFI quality managers perceived success than did WFI managers (71% versus 40%). In the majority of EFI hospitals, physician liaisons played an important role in project implementation. Study results indicated that the addition of a physician liaison, quality improvement tools, and a project liaison did not provide incremental value to hospital-specific feedback for improving quality of care. Future studies with larger sample sizes, lengthier follow-up periods, and interventions that include more of the elements shown to affect practice behavior change are needed to identify an optimal feedback model for use by external quality management organizations.

Tools used to assess medical students competence in procedural skills at the end of a primary medical degree: a systematic review.

PubMed

Morris, Marie C; Gallagher, Tom K; Ridgway, Paul F

2012-01-01

The objective was to systematically review the literature to identify and grade tools used for the end point assessment of procedural skills (e.g., phlebotomy, IV cannulation, suturing) competence in medical students prior to certification. The authors searched eight bibliographic databases electronically - ERIC, Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, Psychinfo, PsychLIT, EBM Reviews and the Cochrane databases. Two reviewers independently reviewed the literature to identify procedural assessment tools used specifically for assessing medical students within the PRISMA framework, the inclusion/exclusion criteria and search period. Papers on OSATS and DOPS were excluded as they focused on post-registration assessment and clinical rather than simulated competence. Of 659 abstracted articles 56 identified procedural assessment tools. Only 11 specifically assessed medical students. The final 11 studies consisted of 1 randomised controlled trial, 4 comparative and 6 descriptive studies yielding 12 heterogeneous procedural assessment tools for analysis. Seven tools addressed four discrete pre-certification skills, basic suture (3), airway management (2), nasogastric tube insertion (1) and intravenous cannulation (1). One tool used a generic assessment of procedural skills. Two tools focused on postgraduate laparoscopic skills and one on osteopathic students and thus were not included in this review. The levels of evidence are low with regard to reliability - κ = 0.65-0.71 and minimum validity is achieved - face and content. In conclusion, there are no tools designed specifically to assess competence of procedural skills in a final certification examination. There is a need to develop standardised tools with proven reliability and validity for assessment of procedural skills competence at the end of medical training. Medicine graduates must have comparable levels of procedural skills acquisition entering the clinical workforce irrespective of the country of training.

Applications of the pipeline environment for visual informatics and genomics computations

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Contemporary informatics and genomics research require efficient, flexible and robust management of large heterogeneous data, advanced computational tools, powerful visualization, reliable hardware infrastructure, interoperability of computational resources, and detailed data and analysis-protocol provenance. The Pipeline is a client-server distributed computational environment that facilitates the visual graphical construction, execution, monitoring, validation and dissemination of advanced data analysis protocols. Results This paper reports on the applications of the LONI Pipeline environment to address two informatics challenges - graphical management of diverse genomics tools, and the interoperability of informatics software. Specifically, this manuscript presents the concrete details of deploying general informatics suites and individual software tools to new hardware infrastructures, the design, validation and execution of new visual analysis protocols via the Pipeline graphical interface, and integration of diverse informatics tools via the Pipeline eXtensible Markup Language syntax. We demonstrate each of these processes using several established informatics packages (e.g., miBLAST, EMBOSS, mrFAST, GWASS, MAQ, SAMtools, Bowtie) for basic local sequence alignment and search, molecular biology data analysis, and genome-wide association studies. These examples demonstrate the power of the Pipeline graphical workflow environment to enable integration of bioinformatics resources which provide a well-defined syntax for dynamic specification of the input/output parameters and the run-time execution controls. Conclusions The LONI Pipeline environment http://pipeline.loni.ucla.edu provides a flexible graphical infrastructure for efficient biomedical computing and distributed informatics research. The interactive Pipeline resource manager enables the utilization and interoperability of diverse types of informatics resources. The Pipeline client-server model provides computational power to a broad spectrum of informatics investigators - experienced developers and novice users, user with or without access to advanced computational-resources (e.g., Grid, data), as well as basic and translational scientists. The open development, validation and dissemination of computational networks (pipeline workflows) facilitates the sharing of knowledge, tools, protocols and best practices, and enables the unbiased validation and replication of scientific findings by the entire community. PMID:21791102

Using Blogs to Support Learning during Internship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chu, Samuel K. W.; Chan, Carol K. K.; Tiwari, Agnes F. Y.

2012-01-01

Blogging has been recommended as a suitable tool for learning during internship due to its associated usefulness in collaborative learning, reflection, communication, and social support. In this study, blogging was incorporated into the internship activities of two discipline-specific groups of interns: information management (n = 53) and nursing…

SITE-SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT APPROACHES AND REDEVELOPMENT TOOLS (SMART) GUIDANCE AND SMARTE (ELECTRONIC)

EPA Science Inventory

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the German Federal Ministry of Eductation and Research B(BMBF) continues an ongoing partnership to gain an understanding of each other's approach to the cleanup of chemical contamination in order to protect human health ...

Managing Mission-Critical Infrastructure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Breeding, Marshall

2012-01-01

In the library context, they depend on sophisticated business applications specifically designed to support their work. This infrastructure consists of such components as integrated library systems, their associated online catalogs or discovery services, and self-check equipment, as well as a Web site and the various online tools and services…

Quantum Dots for Molecular Pathology

PubMed Central

True, Lawrence D.; Gao, Xiaohu

2007-01-01

Assessing malignant tumors for expression of multiple biomarkers provides data that are critical for patient management. Quantum dot-conjugated probes to specific biomarkers are powerful tools that can be applied in a multiplex manner to single tissue sections of biopsies to measure expression levels of multiple biomarkers. PMID:17251330

The Communication Audit as a Library Management Tool.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cortez, Edwin M.; Bunge, Charles A.

1987-01-01

Discusses the relationship between effective organizational communication and specific library contexts and reviews the historical development of communication audits as a means of studying communication effectiveness. The generic structure of such audits is described and two models are presented in detail, including techniques for gathering and…

SITE-SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT APPROACHES AND REDEVELOPMENT TOOLS (SMART) FOR A PRESENTATION ON OCTOBER 2003.

EPA Science Inventory

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) created a Bilateral Working Group in 1990 to gain a better understanding of each country's efforts in developing and demonstrating remedial technologies (Phase...

Value of Telemonitoring and Telemedicine in Heart Failure Management

PubMed Central

Alderighi, Camilla; Rasoini, Raffaele; Mazzanti, Marco; Casolo, Giancarlo

2017-01-01

The use of telemonitoring and telemedicine is a relatively new but quickly developing area in medicine. As new digital tools and applications are being created and used to manage medical conditions such as heart failure, many implications require close consideration and further study, including the effectiveness and safety of these telemonitoring tools in diagnosing, treating and managing heart failure compared to traditional face-to-face doctor–patient interaction. When compared to multidisciplinary intervention programs which are frequently hindered by economic, geographic and bureaucratic barriers, non-invasive remote monitoring could be a solution to support and promote the care of patients over time. Therefore it is crucial to identify the most relevant biological parameters to monitor, which heart failure sub-populations may gain real benefits from telehealth interventions and in which specific healthcare subsets these interventions should be implemented in order to maximise value. PMID:29387464

Value of Telemonitoring and Telemedicine in Heart Failure Management.

PubMed

Gensini, Gian Franco; Alderighi, Camilla; Rasoini, Raffaele; Mazzanti, Marco; Casolo, Giancarlo

2017-11-01

The use of telemonitoring and telemedicine is a relatively new but quickly developing area in medicine. As new digital tools and applications are being created and used to manage medical conditions such as heart failure, many implications require close consideration and further study, including the effectiveness and safety of these telemonitoring tools in diagnosing, treating and managing heart failure compared to traditional face-to-face doctor-patient interaction. When compared to multidisciplinary intervention programs which are frequently hindered by economic, geographic and bureaucratic barriers, non-invasive remote monitoring could be a solution to support and promote the care of patients over time. Therefore it is crucial to identify the most relevant biological parameters to monitor, which heart failure sub-populations may gain real benefits from telehealth interventions and in which specific healthcare subsets these interventions should be implemented in order to maximise value.

FluxCTTX: A LIMS-based tool for management and analysis of cytotoxicity assays data

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Background Cytotoxicity assays have been used by researchers to screen for cytotoxicity in compound libraries. Researchers can either look for cytotoxic compounds or screen "hits" from initial high-throughput drug screens for unwanted cytotoxic effects before investing in their development as a pharmaceutical. These assays may be used as an alternative to animal experimentation and are becoming increasingly important in modern laboratories. However, the execution of these assays in large scale and different laboratories requires, among other things, the management of protocols, reagents, cell lines used as well as the data produced, which can be a challenge. The management of all this information is greatly improved by the utilization of computational tools to save time and guarantee quality. However, a tool that performs this task designed specifically for cytotoxicity assays is not yet available. Results In this work, we have used a workflow based LIMS -- the Flux system -- and the Together Workflow Editor as a framework to develop FluxCTTX, a tool for management of data from cytotoxicity assays performed at different laboratories. The main work is the development of a workflow, which represents all stages of the assay and has been developed and uploaded in Flux. This workflow models the activities of cytotoxicity assays performed as described in the OECD 129 Guidance Document. Conclusions FluxCTTX presents a solution for the management of the data produced by cytotoxicity assays performed at Interlaboratory comparisons. Its adoption will contribute to guarantee the quality of activities in the process of cytotoxicity tests and enforce the use of Good Laboratory Practices (GLP). Furthermore, the workflow developed is complete and can be adapted to other contexts and different tests for management of other types of data. PMID:26696462

[The Balanced Scorecard as a management tool in a public health organization].

PubMed

Villalbí, Joan R; Villalbí, Joan; Guix, Joan; Casas, Conrad; Borrell, Carme; Duran, Júlia; Artazcoz, Lucía; Camprubí, Esteve; Cusí, Meritxell; Rodríguez-Montuquín, Pau; Armengol, Josep M; Jiménez, Guy

2007-01-01

The Balanced Scorecard is a tool for strategic planning in business. We present our experience after introducing this instrument in a public health agency to align daily management practice with strategic objectives. Our management team required deep discussions with external support to clarify the concepts behind the Balanced Scorecard, adapt them to a public organization in the health field distinct from the business sector in which the Balanced Scorecard was designed, and adopt this instrument as a management tool. This process led to definition of the Balanced Scorecard by our Management Committee in 2002, the subsequent evaluation of the degree to which its objectives had been reached, and its periodic redefinition. In addition, second-level Balanced Scorecards were defined for different divisions and services within the agency. The adoption of the Balanced Scorecard by the management team required prior effort to clarify who are the stockholders and who are the clients of a public health organization. The agency's activity and production were also analyzed and a key processes model was defined. Although it is hard to attribute specific changes to a single cause, we believe several improvements in management can be ascribed, at least in part, to the use of the Balanced Scorecard. The systematic use of the Balanced Scorecard produced greater cohesion in the management team and the entire organization and brought the strategic objectives closer to daily management operations. The organization is more attentive to its clients, has taken steps to improve its most complex cross-sectional processes, and has developed further actions for the development and growth of its officers and its entire personnel. At the same time, its management team is more in tune with the needs of the agency's administrative bodies that compose its governing board.

Clean birth kits to improve birth practices: development and testing of a country level decision support tool.

PubMed

Hundley, Vanora A; Avan, Bilal I; Ahmed, Haris; Graham, Wendy J

2012-12-19

Clean birth practices can prevent sepsis, one of the leading causes of both maternal and newborn mortality. Evidence suggests that clean birth kits (CBKs), as part of package that includes education, are associated with a reduction in newborn mortality, omphalitis, and puerperal sepsis. However, questions remain about how best to approach the introduction of CBKs in country. We set out to develop a practical decision support tool for programme managers of public health systems who are considering the potential role of CBKs in their strategy for care at birth. Development and testing of the decision support tool was a three-stage process involving an international expert group and country level testing. Stage 1, the development of the tool was undertaken by the Birth Kit Working Group and involved a review of the evidence, a consensus meeting, drafting of the proposed tool and expert review. In Stage 2 the tool was tested with users through interviews (9) and a focus group, with federal and provincial level decision makers in Pakistan. In Stage 3 the findings from the country level testing were reviewed by the expert group. The decision support tool comprised three separate algorithms to guide the policy maker or programme manager through the specific steps required in making the country level decision about whether to use CBKs. The algorithms were supported by a series of questions (that could be administered by interview, focus group or questionnaire) to help the decision maker identify the information needed. The country level testing revealed that the decision support tool was easy to follow and helpful in making decisions about the potential role of CBKs. Minor modifications were made and the final algorithms are presented. Testing of the tool with users in Pakistan suggests that the tool facilitates discussion and aids decision making. However, testing in other countries is needed to determine whether these results can be replicated and to identify how the tool can be adapted to meet country specific needs.

A SOA-Based Solution to Monitor Vaccination Coverage Among HIV-Infected Patients in Liguria.

PubMed

Giannini, Barbara; Gazzarata, Roberta; Sticchi, Laura; Giacomini, Mauro

2016-01-01

Vaccination in HIV-infected patients constitutes an essential tool in the prevention of the most common infectious diseases. The Ligurian Vaccination in HIV Program is a proposed vaccination schedule specifically dedicated to this risk group. Selective strategies are proposed within this program, employing ICT (Information and Communication) tools to identify this susceptible target group, to monitor immunization coverage over time and to manage failures and defaulting. The proposal is to connect an immunization registry system to an existing regional platform that allows clinical data re-use among several medical structures, to completely manage the vaccination process. This architecture will adopt a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) approach and standard HSSP (Health Services Specification Program) interfaces to support interoperability. According to the presented solution, vaccination administration information retrieved from the immunization registry will be structured according to the specifications within the immunization section of the HL7 (Health Level 7) CCD (Continuity of Care Document) document. Immunization coverage will be evaluated through the continuous monitoring of serology and antibody titers gathered from the hospital LIS (Laboratory Information System) structured into a HL7 Version 3 (v3) Clinical Document Architecture Release 2 (CDA R2).

Fault management for the Space Station Freedom control center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, Colin; Jowers, Steven; Mcnenny, Robert; Culbert, Chris; Kirby, Sarah; Lauritsen, Janet

1992-01-01

This paper describes model based reasoning fault isolation in complex systems using automated digraph analysis. It discusses the use of the digraph representation as the paradigm for modeling physical systems and a method for executing these failure models to provide real-time failure analysis. It also discusses the generality, ease of development and maintenance, complexity management, and susceptibility to verification and validation of digraph failure models. It specifically describes how a NASA-developed digraph evaluation tool and an automated process working with that tool can identify failures in a monitored system when supplied with one or more fault indications. This approach is well suited to commercial applications of real-time failure analysis in complex systems because it is both powerful and cost effective.

An intelligent advisor for the design manager

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, James L.; Padula, Sharon L.

1989-01-01

A design problem is viewed as a complex system divisible into modules. Before the design of a complex system can begin, much time and money are spent in determining the couplings among modules and the presence of iterative loops. This is important because the design manager must know how to group the modules into substems and how to assign subsystems to design teams so that changes in one subsystem will have predictable effects on other subsystems. Determining these subsystems is not an easy, straightforward process and often important couplings are overlooked. Moreover, the planning task must be repeated as new information becomes available or as the design specifications change. The purchase of this research effort is to develop a knowledge-based tool to act as an intelligent advisor for the design manager. This tool identifies the subsystems of a complex design problem, orders them into a well-structured format, and marks the couplings among the subsystems to facilitate the use of multilevel tools. The tool was tested in the decomposition of the COFS (Control of Flexible Structures) mast design which has about 50 modules. This test indicated that this type of approach could lead to a substantial savings by organizing and displaying a complex problem as a sequence of subsystems easily divisible among design teams.

Interest in a digital health tool in veterans with epilepsy: results of a phone survey.

PubMed

Hixson, John D; Van Bebber, Stephanie L; Bertko, Kate M

2015-04-01

Online tools for managing chronic health conditions are becoming increasingly popular. Perceived benefits include ease of use, low costs, and availability but are contingent on patient engagement, Internet access, and digital literacy. This article describes data collected during the recruitment phase of a study evaluating an online self-management platform for epilepsy in a U.S. Veteran population. We used administrative data to identify and contact Veterans with a likely diagnosis of epilepsy in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Veterans who did not respond directly to a mailed invitation were recruited by phone to determine study interest and evaluate digital access. Of the 2,143 Veterans mailed study invitations, phone calls were made to 1,789 who did not specifically decline participation. Among those reached by phone (n = 1,053): 295 (28%) expressed interest in the study and an online tool, 333 (19%) reported a lack of computer and/or Internet access and 425 (40%) were not interested for other reasons. This study suggests an interest in online tools for managing health despite the fact that some Veterans lack computer and/or Internet access. As investment in digital health solutions grows, the VHA should prioritize the widespread provision of digital access to more Veterans. Reprint & Copyright © 2015 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

A Vision for Incorporating Environmental Effects into Nitrogen Management Decision Support Tools for U.S. Maize Production

PubMed Central

Banger, Kamaljit; Yuan, Mingwei; Wang, Junming; Nafziger, Emerson D.; Pittelkow, Cameron M.

2017-01-01

Meeting crop nitrogen (N) demand while minimizing N losses to the environment has proven difficult despite significant field research and modeling efforts. To improve N management, several real-time N management tools have been developed with a primary focus on enhancing crop production. However, no coordinated effort exists to simultaneously address sustainability concerns related to N losses at field- and regional-scales. In this perspective, we highlight the opportunity for incorporating environmental effects into N management decision support tools for United States maize production systems by integrating publicly available crop models with grower-entered management information and gridded soil and climate data in a geospatial framework specifically designed to quantify environmental and crop production tradeoffs. To facilitate advances in this area, we assess the capability of existing crop models to provide in-season N recommendations while estimating N leaching and nitrous oxide emissions, discuss several considerations for initial framework development, and highlight important challenges related to improving the accuracy of crop model predictions. Such a framework would benefit the development of regional sustainable intensification strategies by enabling the identification of N loss hotspots which could be used to implement spatially explicit mitigation efforts in relation to current environmental quality goals and real-time weather conditions. Nevertheless, we argue that this long-term vision can only be realized by leveraging a variety of existing research efforts to overcome challenges related to improving model structure, accessing field data to enhance model performance, and addressing the numerous social difficulties in delivery and adoption of such tool by stakeholders. PMID:28804490

A Vision for Incorporating Environmental Effects into Nitrogen Management Decision Support Tools for U.S. Maize Production.

PubMed

Banger, Kamaljit; Yuan, Mingwei; Wang, Junming; Nafziger, Emerson D; Pittelkow, Cameron M

2017-01-01

Meeting crop nitrogen (N) demand while minimizing N losses to the environment has proven difficult despite significant field research and modeling efforts. To improve N management, several real-time N management tools have been developed with a primary focus on enhancing crop production. However, no coordinated effort exists to simultaneously address sustainability concerns related to N losses at field- and regional-scales. In this perspective, we highlight the opportunity for incorporating environmental effects into N management decision support tools for United States maize production systems by integrating publicly available crop models with grower-entered management information and gridded soil and climate data in a geospatial framework specifically designed to quantify environmental and crop production tradeoffs. To facilitate advances in this area, we assess the capability of existing crop models to provide in-season N recommendations while estimating N leaching and nitrous oxide emissions, discuss several considerations for initial framework development, and highlight important challenges related to improving the accuracy of crop model predictions. Such a framework would benefit the development of regional sustainable intensification strategies by enabling the identification of N loss hotspots which could be used to implement spatially explicit mitigation efforts in relation to current environmental quality goals and real-time weather conditions. Nevertheless, we argue that this long-term vision can only be realized by leveraging a variety of existing research efforts to overcome challenges related to improving model structure, accessing field data to enhance model performance, and addressing the numerous social difficulties in delivery and adoption of such tool by stakeholders.

Research project management 101: insiders' tips from Early Career Scientists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cristini, Luisa; Pabortsava, Katsiaryna; Stichel, Torben

2016-04-01

From the very beginning of their career, it is important for Early Career Scientists (ECS) to develop project management skills to be able to organise their research efficiently. ECS are often in charge of specific tasks within their projects or for their teams. However, without specific training or tools, the successful completion of these assignments will depend entirely on the organisational skills of individual researchers. ECS are thus facing "sink-or-swim" situations, which can be either instructive or disastrous for their projects. Here we provide experience-based tips from fellow ECS that can help manage various project activities, including: 1. Communication with supervisors and peers 2. Lab management 3. Field trips (e.g., oceanographic campaigns) 4. Internships and collaborations with other institutions 5. Literature/background research 6. Conference convening These are potential "life buoys" for ECS, which will help them to carry out these tasks efficiently and successfully.

Multimodal evaluation and management of children with concussion: using our heads and available evidence.

PubMed

Gioia, Gerard A

2015-01-01

Significant attention has been focused on concussions in children, but a dearth of research evidence exists supporting clinical evaluation and management. The primary objective of this review paper is to describe a multimodal, developmentally adapted, standardized concussion assessment and active rehabilitation approach for children as young as 5 years old. This study reviews the CDC-funded research programme, including the development of tools for post-concussion symptom assessment involving the child and parent, measurement of specific neurocognitive functions and assessment of dynamic cognitive exertional effects. A clinical approach to active, individualized, moderated concussion rehabilitation management is presented, including a 10-step guide to symptom management, with a specific focus on the school challenges faced by the recovering student. To better inform concussion practice across the developmental age spectrum, a significant need exists for further research evidence to refine clinical assessment methods and develop effective treatment approaches.

Multimodal Evaluation and Management of Children with Concussion: Using our heads and available evidence

PubMed Central

Gioia, Gerard A.

2015-01-01

Significant attention has been focused on concussions in children but a dearth of research evidence exists supporting clinical evaluation and management. The primary objective of this review paper is to describe a multimodal, developmentally adapted, standardized concussion assessment and active rehabilitation approach for children as young as age five. We review our CDC-funded research program including the development of tools for post-concussion symptom assessment involving the child and parent, measurement of specific neurocognitive functions, and assessment of dynamic cognitive exertional effects. A clinical approach to active, individualized, moderated concussion rehabilitation management is presented, including a ten step guide to symptom management, with a specific focus on the school challenges faced by the recovering student. To better inform concussion practice across the developmental age spectrum, a significant need exists for further research evidence to refine our clinical assessment methods and develop effective treatment approaches. PMID:25356518

WE-G-BRC-02: Risk Assessment for HDR Brachytherapy

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

Mayadev, J.

2016-06-15

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) originated as an industrial engineering technique used for risk management and safety improvement of complex processes. In the context of radiotherapy, the AAPM Task Group 100 advocates FMEA as the framework of choice for establishing clinical quality management protocols. However, there is concern that widespread adoption of FMEA in radiation oncology will be hampered by the perception that implementation of the tool will have a steep learning curve, be extremely time consuming and labor intensive, and require additional resources. To overcome these preconceptions and facilitate the introduction of the tool into clinical practice, themore » medical physics community must be educated in the use of this tool and the ease in which it can be implemented. Organizations with experience in FMEA should share their knowledge with others in order to increase the implementation, effectiveness and productivity of the tool. This session will include a brief, general introduction to FMEA followed by a focus on practical aspects of implementing FMEA for specific clinical procedures including HDR brachytherapy, physics plan review and radiosurgery. A description of common equipment and devices used in these procedures and how to characterize new devices for safe use in patient treatments will be presented. This will be followed by a discussion of how to customize FMEA techniques and templates to one’s own clinic. Finally, cases of common failure modes for specific procedures (described previously) will be shown and recommended intervention methodologies and outcomes reviewed. Learning Objectives: Understand the general concept of failure mode and effect analysis Learn how to characterize new equipment for safety Be able to identify potential failure modes for specific procedures and learn mitigation techniques Be able to customize FMEA examples and templates for use in any clinic.« less

WE-G-BRC-01: Risk Assessment for Radiosurgery

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

Kim, G.

2016-06-15

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) originated as an industrial engineering technique used for risk management and safety improvement of complex processes. In the context of radiotherapy, the AAPM Task Group 100 advocates FMEA as the framework of choice for establishing clinical quality management protocols. However, there is concern that widespread adoption of FMEA in radiation oncology will be hampered by the perception that implementation of the tool will have a steep learning curve, be extremely time consuming and labor intensive, and require additional resources. To overcome these preconceptions and facilitate the introduction of the tool into clinical practice, themore » medical physics community must be educated in the use of this tool and the ease in which it can be implemented. Organizations with experience in FMEA should share their knowledge with others in order to increase the implementation, effectiveness and productivity of the tool. This session will include a brief, general introduction to FMEA followed by a focus on practical aspects of implementing FMEA for specific clinical procedures including HDR brachytherapy, physics plan review and radiosurgery. A description of common equipment and devices used in these procedures and how to characterize new devices for safe use in patient treatments will be presented. This will be followed by a discussion of how to customize FMEA techniques and templates to one’s own clinic. Finally, cases of common failure modes for specific procedures (described previously) will be shown and recommended intervention methodologies and outcomes reviewed. Learning Objectives: Understand the general concept of failure mode and effect analysis Learn how to characterize new equipment for safety Be able to identify potential failure modes for specific procedures and learn mitigation techniques Be able to customize FMEA examples and templates for use in any clinic.« less

WE-G-BRC-03: Risk Assessment for Physics Plan Review

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

Parker, S.

2016-06-15

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) originated as an industrial engineering technique used for risk management and safety improvement of complex processes. In the context of radiotherapy, the AAPM Task Group 100 advocates FMEA as the framework of choice for establishing clinical quality management protocols. However, there is concern that widespread adoption of FMEA in radiation oncology will be hampered by the perception that implementation of the tool will have a steep learning curve, be extremely time consuming and labor intensive, and require additional resources. To overcome these preconceptions and facilitate the introduction of the tool into clinical practice, themore » medical physics community must be educated in the use of this tool and the ease in which it can be implemented. Organizations with experience in FMEA should share their knowledge with others in order to increase the implementation, effectiveness and productivity of the tool. This session will include a brief, general introduction to FMEA followed by a focus on practical aspects of implementing FMEA for specific clinical procedures including HDR brachytherapy, physics plan review and radiosurgery. A description of common equipment and devices used in these procedures and how to characterize new devices for safe use in patient treatments will be presented. This will be followed by a discussion of how to customize FMEA techniques and templates to one’s own clinic. Finally, cases of common failure modes for specific procedures (described previously) will be shown and recommended intervention methodologies and outcomes reviewed. Learning Objectives: Understand the general concept of failure mode and effect analysis Learn how to characterize new equipment for safety Be able to identify potential failure modes for specific procedures and learn mitigation techniques Be able to customize FMEA examples and templates for use in any clinic.« less

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

NONE

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) originated as an industrial engineering technique used for risk management and safety improvement of complex processes. In the context of radiotherapy, the AAPM Task Group 100 advocates FMEA as the framework of choice for establishing clinical quality management protocols. However, there is concern that widespread adoption of FMEA in radiation oncology will be hampered by the perception that implementation of the tool will have a steep learning curve, be extremely time consuming and labor intensive, and require additional resources. To overcome these preconceptions and facilitate the introduction of the tool into clinical practice, themore » medical physics community must be educated in the use of this tool and the ease in which it can be implemented. Organizations with experience in FMEA should share their knowledge with others in order to increase the implementation, effectiveness and productivity of the tool. This session will include a brief, general introduction to FMEA followed by a focus on practical aspects of implementing FMEA for specific clinical procedures including HDR brachytherapy, physics plan review and radiosurgery. A description of common equipment and devices used in these procedures and how to characterize new devices for safe use in patient treatments will be presented. This will be followed by a discussion of how to customize FMEA techniques and templates to one’s own clinic. Finally, cases of common failure modes for specific procedures (described previously) will be shown and recommended intervention methodologies and outcomes reviewed. Learning Objectives: Understand the general concept of failure mode and effect analysis Learn how to characterize new equipment for safety Be able to identify potential failure modes for specific procedures and learn mitigation techniques Be able to customize FMEA examples and templates for use in any clinic.« less

[Assessing program sustainability in public health organizations: a tool-kit application in Haiti].

PubMed

Ridde, V; Pluye, P; Queuille, L

2006-10-01

Public health stakeholders are concerned about program sustainability. However, they usually conceive sustainability in accordance with financial criteria for at least one reason. No simple frameworks are operationally and theoretically sound enough to globally evaluate program sustainability. The present paper aims to describe an application of one framework assessment tool used to evaluate the sustainability level and process of a Nutritional Care Unit managed by a Swiss humanitarian agency to fight against severe child malnutrition in a Haitian area. The managing agency is committed to put this Unit back into the structure of a local public hospital. The evaluation was performed within the sustainability framework proposed in a former article. Data were collected with a combination of tools, semi-structured interviews (n=33, medical and support staff from the agency and the hospital), participatory observation and document review. Data concerned the four characteristics of organizational routines (memory, adaptation, values and rules) enabling assess to the level of sustainability. In addition, data were related to three types of events distinguishing routinization processes from implementation processes: specific events of routinization, routinization-implementation joint events, and specific events of implementation. Data analysis was thematic and results were validated by actors through a feed-back session and written comments. The current level of sustainability of the Nutritional Care Unit within the Hospital is weak: weak memory, high adaptation, weak sharing of values and rules. This may be explained by the sustainability process, and the absence of specific routinization events. The relevance of such processes is reasonable, while it has been strongly challenged in the troublesome Haitian context. Riots have been widespread over the last years, creating difficulties for the Hospital. This experience suggests the proposed framework and sustainability assessment tools are useful when the context permits scrutinization of program sustainability.

Integrated modelling of nitrate loads to coastal waters and land rent applied to catchment-scale water management.

PubMed

Refsgaard, A; Jacobsen, T; Jacobsen, B; Ørum, J-E

2007-01-01

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires an integrated approach to river basin management in order to meet environmental and ecological objectives. This paper presents concepts and full-scale application of an integrated modelling framework. The Ringkoebing Fjord basin is characterized by intensive agricultural production and leakage of nitrate constitute a major pollution problem with respect groundwater aquifers (drinking water), fresh surface water systems (water quality of lakes) and coastal receiving waters (eutrophication). The case study presented illustrates an advanced modelling approach applied in river basin management. Point sources (e.g. sewage treatment plant discharges) and distributed diffuse sources (nitrate leakage) are included to provide a modelling tool capable of simulating pollution transport from source to recipient to analyse the effects of specific, localized basin water management plans. The paper also includes a land rent modelling approach which can be used to choose the most cost-effective measures and the location of these measures. As a forerunner to the use of basin-scale models in WFD basin water management plans this project demonstrates the potential and limitations of comprehensive, integrated modelling tools.

Control banding approaches for nanomaterials.

PubMed

Brouwer, Derk H

2012-07-01

Control banding (CB) has been developed as a pragmatic tool to manage the risk resulting from exposure to a wide variety of potentially hazardous substances in the absence of firm toxicological and exposure information. Currently, the CB approach is applied for emerging risks such as nanoparticles, by the development of various CB-based tools. Six of these are compared. Despite their similarity, i.e. combining hazard and exposure into control or risk bands, the structure, the applicability domains, and the assignment of the hazard and exposure bands, show differences that may affect the consistency of the resulting outcome amongst the various CB tools. The value of the currently available CB tools for nanomaterials can be enhanced by transparently elucidating these differences for user consideration during the selection of a tool for a specific scenario of application.

Toward systematic reviews to understand the determinants of wait time management success to help decision-makers and managers better manage wait times

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Long waits for core specialized services have consistently been identified as a key barrier to access. Governments and organizations at all levels have responded with strategies for better wait list management. While these initiatives are promising, insufficient attention has been paid to factors influencing the implementation and sustainability of wait time management strategies (WTMS) implemented at the organizational level. Methods A systematic review was conducted using the main electronic databases, such as CINAHL, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, to identify articles published between 1990 and 2011 on WTMS for scheduled care implemented at the organizational level or higher and on frameworks for analyzing factors influencing their success. Data was extracted on governance, culture, resources, and tools. We organized a workshop with Canadian healthcare policy-makers and managers to compare our initial findings with their experience. Results Our systematic review included 47 articles: 36 related to implementation and 11 to sustainability. From these, we identified a variety of WTMS initiated at the organizational level or higher, and within these, certain factors that were specific to either implementation or sustainability and others common to both. The main common factors influencing success at the contextual level were stakeholder engagement and strong funding, and at the organizational level, physician involvement, human resources capacity, and information management systems. Specific factors for successful implementation at the contextual level were consultation with front-line actors and common standards and guidelines, and at the organizational level, financial incentives and dedicated staffing. For sustainability, we found no new factors. The workshop participants identified the same major factors as found in the articles and added others, such as information sharing between physicians and managers. Conclusions Factors related to implementation were studied more than those related to sustainability. However, this finding was useful in developing a tool to help managers at the local level monitor the implementation of WTMS and highlighted the need for more research on specific factors for sustainability and to assess the unintended consequences of introducing WTMS in healthcare organizations. PMID:23742217

Toward systematic reviews to understand the determinants of wait time management success to help decision-makers and managers better manage wait times.

PubMed

Pomey, Marie-Pascale; Forest, Pierre-Gerlier; Sanmartin, Claudia; Decoster, Carolyn; Clavel, Nathalie; Warren, Elaine; Drew, Madeleine; Noseworthy, Tom

2013-06-06

Long waits for core specialized services have consistently been identified as a key barrier to access. Governments and organizations at all levels have responded with strategies for better wait list management. While these initiatives are promising, insufficient attention has been paid to factors influencing the implementation and sustainability of wait time management strategies (WTMS) implemented at the organizational level. A systematic review was conducted using the main electronic databases, such as CINAHL, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, to identify articles published between 1990 and 2011 on WTMS for scheduled care implemented at the organizational level or higher and on frameworks for analyzing factors influencing their success. Data was extracted on governance, culture, resources, and tools. We organized a workshop with Canadian healthcare policy-makers and managers to compare our initial findings with their experience. Our systematic review included 47 articles: 36 related to implementation and 11 to sustainability. From these, we identified a variety of WTMS initiated at the organizational level or higher, and within these, certain factors that were specific to either implementation or sustainability and others common to both. The main common factors influencing success at the contextual level were stakeholder engagement and strong funding, and at the organizational level, physician involvement, human resources capacity, and information management systems. Specific factors for successful implementation at the contextual level were consultation with front-line actors and common standards and guidelines, and at the organizational level, financial incentives and dedicated staffing. For sustainability, we found no new factors. The workshop participants identified the same major factors as found in the articles and added others, such as information sharing between physicians and managers. Factors related to implementation were studied more than those related to sustainability. However, this finding was useful in developing a tool to help managers at the local level monitor the implementation of WTMS and highlighted the need for more research on specific factors for sustainability and to assess the unintended consequences of introducing WTMS in healthcare organizations.

Applications of a broad-spectrum tool for conservation and fisheries analysis: aquatic gap analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

McKenna, James E.; Steen, Paul J.; Lyons, John; Stewart, Jana S.

2009-01-01

Natural resources support all of our social and economic activities, as well as our biological existence. Humans have little control over most of the physical, biological, and sociological conditions dictating the status and capacity of natural resources in any particular area. However, the most rapid and threatening influences on natural resources typically are anthropogenic overuse and degradation. In addition, living natural resources (i.e., organisms) do not respect political boundaries, but are aware of their optimal habitat and environmental conditions. Most organisms have wider spatial ranges than the jurisdictional boundaries of environmental agencies that deal with them; even within those jurisdictions, information is patchy and disconnected. Planning and projecting effects of ecological management are difficult, because many organisms, habitat conditions, and interactions are involved. Conservation and responsible resource use involves wise management and manipulation of the aspects of the environment and biological communities that can be effectively changed. Tools and data sets that provide new insights and analysis capabilities can enhance the ability of resource managers to make wise decisions and plan effective, long-term management strategies. Aquatic gap analysis has been developed to provide those benefits. Gap analysis is more than just the assessment of the match or mis-match (i.e., gaps) between habitats of ecological value and areas with an appropriate level of environmental protection (e.g., refuges, parks, preserves), as the name suggests. Rather, a Gap Analysis project is a process which leads to an organized database of georeferenced information and previously available tools to examine conservation and other ecological issues; it provides a geographic analysis platform that serves as a foundation for aquatic ecological studies. This analytical tool box allows one to conduct assessments of all habitat elements within an area of interest. Aquatic gap analysis naturally focuses on aquatic habitats. The analytical tools are largely based on specification of the species-habitat relations for the system and organism group of interest (Morrison et al. 2003; McKenna et al. 2006; Steen et al. 2006; Sowa et al. 2007). The Great Lakes Regional Aquatic Gap Analysis (GLGap) project focuses primarily on lotic habitat of the U.S. Great Lakes drainage basin and associated states and has been developed to address fish and fisheries issues. These tools are unique because they allow us to address problems at a range of scales from the region to the stream segment and include the ability to predict species specific occurrence or abundance for most of the fish species in the study area. The results and types of questions that can be addressed provide better global understanding of the ecological context within which specific natural resources fit (e.g., neighboring environments and resources, and large and small scale processes). The geographic analysis platform consists of broad and flexible geospatial tools (and associated data) with many potential applications. The objectives of this article are to provide a brief overview of GLGap methods and analysis tools, and demonstrate conservation and planning applications of those data and tools. Although there are many potential applications, we will highlight just three: (1) support for the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture (EBTJV), (2) Aquatic Life classification in Wisconsin, and (3) an educational tool that makes use of Google Earth (use of trade or product names does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government) and Internet accessibility.

A decision support system-based procedure for evaluation and monitoring of protected areas sustainability for the Mediterranean region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pediaditi, K.; Buono, F.; Pompigna, F.; Bogliotti, C.; Nurlu, E.; Ladisa, G.; Petropoulos, G. P.

2011-10-01

Despite common acknowledgement of the value of protected areas as instruments in ensuring sustainability, and their promotion for the achievement of policies on halting the loss of biodiversity, there is no common approach today for monitoring and evaluating them. This paper presents a novel integrated nature conservation management procedure developed to monitor and evaluate the sustainability of Mediterranean protected areas. This procedure was successfully implemented and formally evaluated by protected area managers in six Mediterranean countries, results of which are presented here together with an overview of the web-based Decision Support System (DSS) developed to facilitate its wide adoption. The DSS and procedure has been designed and evaluated by managers as a useful tool, which facilitates and provides needed procedural guidance for protected area monitoring whilst minimizing input requirements to do so. The procedure and DSS were developed following a review of existing protected area assessment tools and a detailed primary investigation of the needs and capacity of its intended users. Essentially, the procedure and DSS guides provide the facilities for protected area managers, in following a participatory approach to develop a context-specific sustainability monitoring strategy, for their protected area. Consequently, the procedure is, by design, participatory, context specific, holistic and relevant to protected area management and institutional procedures. The procedure was piloted and formally evaluated in Greece, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Malta and Cyprus. Feedback collected from the pilot evaluations is also summarised herein.

TQM and lean strategy deployment in Italian hospitals.

PubMed

Chiarini, Andrea; Baccarani, Claudio

2016-10-03

Purpose This paper aims to contribute to the debate concerning total quality management (TQM)-Lean strategy in public healthcare by analyzing the deployment path for implementation, the possible benefits that can be achieved and the encountered pitfalls. Design/methodology/approach Three case studies are drawn from three large Italian hospitals with more than 500 beds each and structured with many departments. The hospitals are located in Tuscany, Italy. These three hospitals have embraced TQM and Lean, starting from strategic objectives and their deployment. At the same time, they have also implemented many TQM-Lean tools. The case studies are based on interviews held with four managers in each of these three public hospitals. Findings Results from the interviews show that there is a specific deployment path for TQM-Lean implementation. The hospitals have also achieved benefits linked to patient satisfaction and improved organizational performances. Problems related to organizational and cultural issues, such as senior managers' commitment, staff management, manufacturing culture and tools adaptation, could affect the benefits. Research limitations/implications The research has been carried out in just three Italian public hospitals. Hence, similar investigations could be managed in other countries. Researchers could also use a larger sample and investigate these issues by means of quantitative inquiry. Practical implications Practitioners could try to apply the deployment path revealed by these case studies in other public and private hospitals. Originality/value The results of this research show that there is a specific, new deployment path for implementing TQM-Lean strategy in some public hospitals.

Tool Use Within NASA Software Quality Assurance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shigeta, Denise; Port, Dan; Nikora, Allen P.; Wilf, Joel

2013-01-01

As space mission software systems become larger and more complex, it is increasingly important for the software assurance effort to have the ability to effectively assess both the artifacts produced during software system development and the development process itself. Conceptually, assurance is a straightforward idea - it is the result of activities carried out by an organization independent of the software developers to better inform project management of potential technical and programmatic risks, and thus increase management's confidence in the decisions they ultimately make. In practice, effective assurance for large, complex systems often entails assessing large, complex software artifacts (e.g., requirements specifications, architectural descriptions) as well as substantial amounts of unstructured information (e.g., anomaly reports resulting from testing activities during development). In such an environment, assurance engineers can benefit greatly from appropriate tool support. In order to do so, an assurance organization will need accurate and timely information on the tool support available for various types of assurance activities. In this paper, we investigate the current use of tool support for assurance organizations within NASA, and describe on-going work at JPL for providing assurance organizations with the information about tools they need to use them effectively.

Managing complex research datasets using electronic tools: A meta-analysis exemplar

PubMed Central

Brown, Sharon A.; Martin, Ellen E.; Garcia, Theresa J.; Winter, Mary A.; García, Alexandra A.; Brown, Adama; Cuevas, Heather E.; Sumlin, Lisa L.

2013-01-01

Meta-analyses of broad scope and complexity require investigators to organize many study documents and manage communication among several research staff. Commercially available electronic tools, e.g., EndNote, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Blackboard, Excel, and IBM SPSS Statistics (SPSS), are useful for organizing and tracking the meta-analytic process, as well as enhancing communication among research team members. The purpose of this paper is to describe the electronic processes we designed, using commercially available software, for an extensive quantitative model-testing meta-analysis we are conducting. Specific electronic tools improved the efficiency of (a) locating and screening studies, (b) screening and organizing studies and other project documents, (c) extracting data from primary studies, (d) checking data accuracy and analyses, and (e) communication among team members. The major limitation in designing and implementing a fully electronic system for meta-analysis was the requisite upfront time to: decide on which electronic tools to use, determine how these tools would be employed, develop clear guidelines for their use, and train members of the research team. The electronic process described here has been useful in streamlining the process of conducting this complex meta-analysis and enhancing communication and sharing documents among research team members. PMID:23681256

Managing complex research datasets using electronic tools: a meta-analysis exemplar.

PubMed

Brown, Sharon A; Martin, Ellen E; Garcia, Theresa J; Winter, Mary A; García, Alexandra A; Brown, Adama; Cuevas, Heather E; Sumlin, Lisa L

2013-06-01

Meta-analyses of broad scope and complexity require investigators to organize many study documents and manage communication among several research staff. Commercially available electronic tools, for example, EndNote, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Blackboard, Excel, and IBM SPSS Statistics (SPSS), are useful for organizing and tracking the meta-analytic process as well as enhancing communication among research team members. The purpose of this article is to describe the electronic processes designed, using commercially available software, for an extensive, quantitative model-testing meta-analysis. Specific electronic tools improved the efficiency of (a) locating and screening studies, (b) screening and organizing studies and other project documents, (c) extracting data from primary studies, (d) checking data accuracy and analyses, and (e) communication among team members. The major limitation in designing and implementing a fully electronic system for meta-analysis was the requisite upfront time to decide on which electronic tools to use, determine how these tools would be used, develop clear guidelines for their use, and train members of the research team. The electronic process described here has been useful in streamlining the process of conducting this complex meta-analysis and enhancing communication and sharing documents among research team members.

Number and type of guideline implementation tools varies by guideline, clinical condition, country of origin, and type of developer organization: content analysis of guidelines.

PubMed

Liang, Laurel; Abi Safi, Jhoni; Gagliardi, Anna R

2017-11-15

Guideline implementation tools (GI tools) can improve clinician behavior and patient outcomes. Analyses of guidelines published before 2010 found that many did not offer GI tools. Since 2010 standards, frameworks and instructions for GI tools have emerged. This study analyzed the number and types of GI tools offered by guidelines published in 2010 or later. Content analysis and a published GI tool framework were used to categorize GI tools by condition, country, and type of organization. English-language guidelines on arthritis, asthma, colorectal cancer, depression, diabetes, heart failure, and stroke management were identified in the National Guideline Clearinghouse. Screening and data extraction were in triplicate. Findings were reported with summary statistics. Eighty-five (67.5%) of 126 eligible guidelines published between 2010 and 2017 offered one or more of a total of 464 GI tools. The mean number of GI tools per guideline was 5.5 (median 4.0, range 1 to 28) and increased over time. The majority of GI tools were for clinicians (239, 51.5%), few were for patients (113, 24.4%), and fewer still were to support implementation (66, 14.3%) or evaluation (46, 9.9%). Most clinician GI tools were guideline summaries (116, 48.5%), and most patient GI tools were condition-specific information (92, 81.4%). Government agencies (patient 23.5%, clinician 28.9%, implementation 24.1%, evaluation 23.5%) and developers in the UK (patient 18.5%, clinician 25.2%, implementation 27.2%, evaluation 29.1%) were more likely to generate guidelines that offered all four types of GI tools. Professional societies were more likely to generate guidelines that included clinician GI tools. Many guidelines do not include any GI tools, or a variety of GI tools for different stakeholders that may be more likely to prompt guideline uptake (point-of-care forms or checklists for clinicians, decision-making or self-management tools for patients, implementation and evaluation tools for managers and policy-makers). While this may vary by country and type of organization, and suggests that developers could improve the range of GI tools they develop, further research is needed to identify determinants and potential solutions. Research is also needed to examine the cost-effectiveness of various types of GI tools so that developers know where to direct their efforts and scarce resources.

Design of automation tools for management of descent traffic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Erzberger, Heinz; Nedell, William

1988-01-01

The design of an automated air traffic control system based on a hierarchy of advisory tools for controllers is described. Compatibility of the tools with the human controller, a key objective of the design, is achieved by a judicious selection of tasks to be automated and careful attention to the design of the controller system interface. The design comprises three interconnected subsystems referred to as the Traffic Management Advisor, the Descent Advisor, and the Final Approach Spacing Tool. Each of these subsystems provides a collection of tools for specific controller positions and tasks. This paper focuses primarily on the Descent Advisor which provides automation tools for managing descent traffic. The algorithms, automation modes, and graphical interfaces incorporated in the design are described. Information generated by the Descent Advisor tools is integrated into a plan view traffic display consisting of a high-resolution color monitor. Estimated arrival times of aircraft are presented graphically on a time line, which is also used interactively in combination with a mouse input device to select and schedule arrival times. Other graphical markers indicate the location of the fuel-optimum top-of-descent point and the predicted separation distances of aircraft at a designated time-control point. Computer generated advisories provide speed and descent clearances which the controller can issue to aircraft to help them arrive at the feeder gate at the scheduled times or with specified separation distances. Two types of horizontal guidance modes, selectable by the controller, provide markers for managing the horizontal flightpaths of aircraft under various conditions. The entire system consisting of descent advisor algorithm, a library of aircraft performance models, national airspace system data bases, and interactive display software has been implemented on a workstation made by Sun Microsystems, Inc. It is planned to use this configuration in operational evaluations at an en route center.

Analysis of Decisions Made Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

country petroleum pipelines (Dey, 2003), deciding how best to manage U.S. watersheds (De Steiguer, Duberstein, and Lopes, 2003), and the U. S. Army...many benefits to its use. Primarily these fall under the heading of managing chaos. Specifically, the AHP is a tool that can be used to simplify and...originally. The commonly used scenario is this: the waiter asks if you want chicken or fish, and you reply fish. The waiter then remembers that steak is

Combat Wound Initiative Program

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-07-01

Government as part of that person’s official duties. Deliver~~ by Publishing Technology to: Waiter Reed Army Institute of R~l!il>~~vTP:11~1~:S6;!4!B1...develop a predictive model, which could serve as a clinical decision support tool in the management of complex war wounds. Bayesian belief networks...decisions regarding the surgical management of wounds and estimate overall out- come of patients on the basis of casualty-specific factors in wounded

A hidden view of wildlife conservation: How camera traps aid science, research and management

USGS Publications Warehouse

O'Connell, Allan F.

2015-01-01

Camera traps — remotely activated cameras with infrared sensors — first gained measurable popularity in wildlife conservation in the early 1990s. Today, they’re used for a variety of activities, from species-specific research to broad-scale inventory or monitoring programs that, in some cases, attempt to detect biodiversity across vast landscapes. As this modern tool continues to evolve, it’s worth examining its uses and benefits for wildlife management and conservation.

Ergonomic design intervention strategy for work tools development for women agro based workers in Northeast India.

PubMed

Chakrabarti, Debkumar; Bhattachheriya, Nandita

2012-01-01

Strategy for finding the appropriate strategy for work tool development has become a crucial issue in occupational wellness of varied nature of women workforce of Northeast India. This paper deals with ergonomics intervention through sustainable work tool design development process. Workers who frequently shift to different activities quite often in unorganised small-scale fruit processing units where productivity is directly related to the harvesting season require different work tools relevant to specific tasks and mostly workers themselves manage work tools of their own with available local resources. Whereas in contrast the tea-leaf pluckers are engaged in a single task throughout the year, and the work schedule and work equipment is decided and supplied to them based on the corporate decision where the workers do not have any individual control. Observations confirm the need for organising participatory workshops specific to trade based occupational well-being and different work tools for different tasks in mostly private owned unorganised sector. Implementation of single variety work tool development that supports a crucial component in tea-leaf plucking for which they are engaged in full time employment; and through a corporate decision a single design with its number of users makes a good effect.

CT technology overview.

PubMed

Frazee, D

2001-01-01

I hope that you will find the product matrix to be a useful tool for making comparisons between vendors and scanners. Please keep in mind that the vendors have directly provided the specific answers to the questions within the matrix. Neither the author nor Radiology Management shall be held responsible for any misrepresented or erroneous data.

Essential Distinctiveness: Strategic Alternatives in Updating the Business Core Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alstete, Jeffrey W.

2013-01-01

Purpose: This paper seeks to propose the use of specific strategic management tools for identifying opportunities for gaining competitive advantage in the business core curricula offered at colleges and universities. Design/methodology/approach: A brief review of the literature on business core curriculum innovation and change is examined, and…

Conferencing Tools and the Productivity Paradox

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nibourg, Theodorus

2005-01-01

The previous report in this series discusses current attitudes to distance education technology, with specific reference to the counter-productive effects of learning management systems. The current paper pursues this theme in relation to the evolution of online audio-conferencing systems in DE, and revisits the notion of the "productivity…

Moving to the Patient-Centered Medical Home through the MHS Personal Health Portal

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-24

Record  Family History  Health Information/ Patient Education Materials  Pharmacy Refill  Preventive Health Tools/Reminders  Disease Management...specific patient education materials – Efficiencies – Reduction in appointment No-Shows with patient self- booking – Cost Avoidance – Results via e-mail

Exploring Students' Flow Experiences in Business Simulation Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buil, I.; Catalán, S.; Martínez, E.

2018-01-01

Business simulation games are a motivational and engaging tool for teaching business management. However, relatively little is known about what factors contribute to their success. This study explores the role of flow experienced while using business simulation games. Specifically, this research investigates the influence of challenge, skills,…

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

EPA Science Inventory

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

Minimal and moderate oral sedation in the adult special needs patient.

PubMed

Coke, John M; Edwards, Michael D

2009-04-01

Oral minimal/moderate sedation can be an effective tool to aid in the dental management of adult special needs patients. Specific sedative drugs must be chosen by the dentist that can be used safely and effectively on these patients. This article focuses on a select number of these drugs, specific medical and pharmacologic challenges presented by adult special needs patients, and techniques to safely administer oral minimal and moderate sedation.

Cardiac imaging: working towards fully-automated machine analysis & interpretation.

PubMed

Slomka, Piotr J; Dey, Damini; Sitek, Arkadiusz; Motwani, Manish; Berman, Daniel S; Germano, Guido

2017-03-01

Non-invasive imaging plays a critical role in managing patients with cardiovascular disease. Although subjective visual interpretation remains the clinical mainstay, quantitative analysis facilitates objective, evidence-based management, and advances in clinical research. This has driven developments in computing and software tools aimed at achieving fully automated image processing and quantitative analysis. In parallel, machine learning techniques have been used to rapidly integrate large amounts of clinical and quantitative imaging data to provide highly personalized individual patient-based conclusions. Areas covered: This review summarizes recent advances in automated quantitative imaging in cardiology and describes the latest techniques which incorporate machine learning principles. The review focuses on the cardiac imaging techniques which are in wide clinical use. It also discusses key issues and obstacles for these tools to become utilized in mainstream clinical practice. Expert commentary: Fully-automated processing and high-level computer interpretation of cardiac imaging are becoming a reality. Application of machine learning to the vast amounts of quantitative data generated per scan and integration with clinical data also facilitates a move to more patient-specific interpretation. These developments are unlikely to replace interpreting physicians but will provide them with highly accurate tools to detect disease, risk-stratify, and optimize patient-specific treatment. However, with each technological advance, we move further from human dependence and closer to fully-automated machine interpretation.

A Principled Approach to the Specification of System Architectures for Space Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McKelvin, Mark L. Jr.; Castillo, Robert; Bonanne, Kevin; Bonnici, Michael; Cox, Brian; Gibson, Corrina; Leon, Juan P.; Gomez-Mustafa, Jose; Jimenez, Alejandro; Madni, Azad

2015-01-01

Modern space systems are increasing in complexity and scale at an unprecedented pace. Consequently, innovative methods, processes, and tools are needed to cope with the increasing complexity of architecting these systems. A key systems challenge in practice is the ability to scale processes, methods, and tools used to architect complex space systems. Traditionally, the process for specifying space system architectures has largely relied on capturing the system architecture in informal descriptions that are often embedded within loosely coupled design documents and domain expertise. Such informal descriptions often lead to misunderstandings between design teams, ambiguous specifications, difficulty in maintaining consistency as the architecture evolves throughout the system development life cycle, and costly design iterations. Therefore, traditional methods are becoming increasingly inefficient to cope with ever-increasing system complexity. We apply the principles of component-based design and platform-based design to the development of the system architecture for a practical space system to demonstrate feasibility of our approach using SysML. Our results show that we are able to apply a systematic design method to manage system complexity, thus enabling effective data management, semantic coherence and traceability across different levels of abstraction in the design chain. Just as important, our approach enables interoperability among heterogeneous tools in a concurrent engineering model based design environment.

Evaluation of a clinical tool for early etiology identification in status epilepticus

PubMed Central

Alvarez, Vincent; Westover, M. Brandon; Drislane, Frank W.; Dworetzky, Barbara A.; Curley, David

2016-01-01

Summary Objectives Because early etiologic identification is critical to select appropriate specific status epilepticus (SE) management, we aim to validate a clinical tool we developed that uses history and readily available investigations to guide prompt etiologic assessment. Methods This prospective multicenter study included all adult patients treated for SE of all but anoxic causes from four academic centers. The proposed tool is designed as a checklist covering frequent precipitating factors for SE. The study team completed the checklist at the time the patient was identified by electroencephalography (EEG) request. Only information available in the emergency department or at the time of in-hospital SE identification was used. Concordance between the etiology indicated by the tool and the determined etiology at hospital discharge was analyzed, together with interrater agreement. Results Two hundred twelve patients were included. Concordance between the etiology hypothesis generated using the tool and the finally determined etiology was 88.7% (95% confidence interval (CI) 86.4–89.8) (κ = 0.88). Interrater agreement was 83.3% (95% CI 80.4–96) (κ = 0.81). Significance This tool is valid and reliable for identification early the etiology of an SE. Physicians managing patients in SE may benefit from using it to identify promptly the underlying etiology, thus facilitating selection of the appropriate treatment. PMID:25385281

Exploring the experience of facilitating self-management with minority ethnic stroke survivors: a qualitative study of therapists' perceptions

PubMed Central

Jones, Fiona; Kilbride, Cherry; Victor, Christina

2014-01-01

Purpose: The utility of self-management with people from minority ethnic backgrounds has been questioned, resulting in the development of culturally specific tools. Yet, the use of stroke specific self-management programmes is underexplored in these high risk groups. This article presents the experience of stroke therapists in using a stroke specific self-management programme with stroke survivors from minority ethnic backgrounds. Methods: 26 stroke therapists with experience of using the self-management programme with stroke survivors from minority ethnic backgrounds participated in semi-structured interviews. These were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Results: Three themes were identified. One questioned perceived differences in stroke survivors interaction with self-management based on ethnicity. The other themes contrasted with this view demonstrating two areas in which ethnic and cultural attributes were deemed to influence the self-management process both positively and negatively. Aspects of knowledge of health, illness and recovery, religion, family and the professionals themselves are highlighted. Conclusions: This study indicates that ethnicity should not be considered a limitation to the use of an individualized stroke specific self-management programme. However, it highlights potential facilitators and barriers, many of which relate to the capacity of the professional to effectively navigate cultural and ethnic differences. Implications for Rehabilitation Stroke therapists suggest that ethnicity should not be considered a barrier to successful engagement with a stroke specific self-management programme. Health, illness and recovery beliefs along with religion and the specific role of the family do however need to be considered to maximize the effectiveness of the programme. A number of the facilitators and barriers identified are not unique to stroke survivors from ethnic minority communities, nor shared by all. The therapists skills at negotiating identified barriers to self-management are highlighted as an area for further development. PMID:24670190

District nurses' perceptions of osteoporosis management: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Claesson, A; Toth-Pal, E; Piispanen, P; Salminen, H

2015-07-01

Underdiagnosis of osteoporosis is common. This study investigated Swedish district nurses' perceptions of osteoporosis management. They perceived the condition as having low priority, and the consequences of this perception were insufficient awareness of the condition and perceptions of bone-specific medication as unsafe. They perceived, though, competency when working with fall prevention. Undertreatment of patients with osteoporosis is common. Sweden's medical care strategy dictates prioritisation of various conditions; while guidelines exist, osteoporosis is not prioritised. The aim of this study was to investigate district nurses' perceptions of osteoporosis management within Sweden's primary health care system. Four semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with 13 female district nurses. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. The overall theme was perceiving osteoporosis management as ambiguous. The themes were perceiving barriers and perceiving opportunities. These subthemes were linked to perceiving barriers: (i) insufficient procedures, lack of time and not aware of the condition; (ii) insufficient knowledge about diagnosis and about fracture risk assessment tools; (iii) low priority condition and unclear responsibility for osteoporosis management; and (iv) bone-specific medication was sometimes perceived to be unsafe. These subthemes were linked to perceiving opportunities: (i) professional competency when discussing fall prevention in home visit programs, (ii) willingness to learn more about osteoporosis management, (iii) collaboration with other professionals and (iv) willingness to identify individuals at high risk of fracture. Osteoporosis was reported, by the district nurses, to be a low-priority condition with consequences being unawareness of the condition, insufficient knowledge about bone-specific medications, fracture risk assessment tools and procedures. These may be some of the explanations for the undertreatment of osteoporosis. At the same time, the district nurses described competency performing the home visits, which emerged as an optimal opportunity to discuss fall prevention and to introduce FRAX with the aim to identify individuals at high risk of fracture.

Bridging the Divide between Safety and Risk Management for your Project or Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lutomski, Mike

2005-01-01

This presentation will bridge the divide between these separate but overlapping disciplines and help explain how to use Risk Management as an effective management decision support tool that includes safety. Risk Management is an over arching communication tool used by management to prioritize and effectively mitigate potential problems before they concur. Risk Management encompasses every kind of potential problem that can occur on a program or project. Some of these are safety issues such as hazards that have a specific likelihood and consequence that need to be controlled and included to show an integrated picture of accepted) mitigated, and residual risk. Integrating safety and other assurance disciplines is paramount to accurately representing a program s or projects risk posture. Risk is made up of several components such as technical) cost, schedule, or supportability. Safety should also be a consideration for every risk. The safety component can also have an impact on the technical, cost, and schedule aspect of a given risk. The current formats used for communication of safety and risk issues are not consistent or integrated. The presentation will explore the history of these disciplines, current work to integrate them, and suggestions for integration for the future.

Adolescent asthma self-management: patient and parent-caregiver perspectives on using social media to improve care.

PubMed

Panzera, Anthony D; Schneider, Tali K; Martinasek, Mary P; Lindenberger, James H; Couluris, Marisa; Bryant, Carol A; McDermott, Robert J

2013-12-01

Self-management of asthma can now leverage new media technologies. To optimize implementation they must employ a consumer-oriented developmental approach. This study explored benefits of and barriers to improved asthma self-management and identified key elements for the development of a digital media tool to enhance asthma control. Between August 2010 and January 2011, 18 teens with asthma and 18 parent-caregivers participated in semistructured in-depth interviews to identify mechanisms for improving asthma self-management and propose characteristics for developing a digital media tool to aid such efforts. Teens and caregivers enumerated physician-recommended strategies for asthma management as well as currently employed strategies. Both groups thought of a potential digital media solution as positive, but indicated specific design requirements for such a solution to have utility. Whereas most participants perceived mobile platforms to be viable modes to improve asthma self-management, interest in having social networking capabilities was mixed. A digital media product capable of tracking conditions, triggers, and related asthma activities can be a core element of improved asthma control for youth. Improved asthma control will help decrease school absenteeism. © 2013, American School Health Association.

PET-Tool: a software suite for comprehensive processing and managing of Paired-End diTag (PET) sequence data.

PubMed

Chiu, Kuo Ping; Wong, Chee-Hong; Chen, Qiongyu; Ariyaratne, Pramila; Ooi, Hong Sain; Wei, Chia-Lin; Sung, Wing-Kin Ken; Ruan, Yijun

2006-08-25

We recently developed the Paired End diTag (PET) strategy for efficient characterization of mammalian transcriptomes and genomes. The paired end nature of short PET sequences derived from long DNA fragments raised a new set of bioinformatics challenges, including how to extract PETs from raw sequence reads, and correctly yet efficiently map PETs to reference genome sequences. To accommodate and streamline data analysis of the large volume PET sequences generated from each PET experiment, an automated PET data process pipeline is desirable. We designed an integrated computation program package, PET-Tool, to automatically process PET sequences and map them to the genome sequences. The Tool was implemented as a web-based application composed of four modules: the Extractor module for PET extraction; the Examiner module for analytic evaluation of PET sequence quality; the Mapper module for locating PET sequences in the genome sequences; and the Project Manager module for data organization. The performance of PET-Tool was evaluated through the analyses of 2.7 million PET sequences. It was demonstrated that PET-Tool is accurate and efficient in extracting PET sequences and removing artifacts from large volume dataset. Using optimized mapping criteria, over 70% of quality PET sequences were mapped specifically to the genome sequences. With a 2.4 GHz LINUX machine, it takes approximately six hours to process one million PETs from extraction to mapping. The speed, accuracy, and comprehensiveness have proved that PET-Tool is an important and useful component in PET experiments, and can be extended to accommodate other related analyses of paired-end sequences. The Tool also provides user-friendly functions for data quality check and system for multi-layer data management.

Assessment of the elderly's functional ability to manage their medication: a systematic literature review.

PubMed

Advinha, Ana Margarida; Lopes, Manuel José; de Oliveira-Martins, Sofia

2017-02-01

Background The evaluation of the elderly's ability to manage medication through the use of a validated tool can be a significant step in identifying inabilities and needs, with the objective of increasing their self-care skills, and promoting successful aging. Aim of the review To identify studies assessing the elderly's functional ability to manage their own medication. Method For the search strategy, the PICO method was used: P-Population (elderly), I-Instruments (tools for assessing medication management ability), C-Context (community) and O-Outcomes (functional ability to manage medication). The final search query was run in MEDLINE/PubMed, CINAHL Plus, ISI Web of Science and Scopus. The whole process was developed according to the PRISMA statement. Results The search retrieved 8051 records. In each screening stage, the selection criteria were applied to eliminate records where at least one of the exclusion criteria was verified. At the end of this selection, we obtained a total of 18 papers (17 studies). The results allow the conclusion to be drawn that studies use several different instruments, most of them not validated. The authors agree that medication management abilities decrease as cognitive impairment increases, even if a lot of studies assess only the physical dimension. DRUGS was the instrument most often used. Conclusion Older adults' ability to manage their medication should be assessed using tools specifically built and validate for the purpose. DRUGS (which uses the real regimen taken by the elderly) was the most widely used assessment instrument in the screened studies.

Development of a self-assessment tool for measuring competences of obstetric nurses in rooming-in wards in China

PubMed Central

Zhang, Ju; Ye, Wenqin; Fan, Fan

2015-01-01

Introduction: To provide high-quality nursing care, a reliable and feasible competency assessment tool is critical. Although several questionnaire-based competency assessment tools have been reported, a tool specific for obstetric nurses in rooming-in wards is lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to develop a competency assessment tool for obstetric rooming-in ward nurses. Methods: A literature review was conducted to create an individual intensive interview with 14 nurse managers, educators, and primary nurses in rooming-in wards. Expert reviews (n = 15) were conducted to identify emergent themes in a Delphi fashion. A competency assessment questionnaire was then developed and tested with 246 rooming-in ward nurses in local hospitals. Results: We constructed a three-factor linear model for obstetric rooming-in nurse competency assessment. Further refinement resulted in a self-assessment questionnaire containing three first-tier, 12 second-tier, and 43 third-tier items for easy implementation. The questionnaire was reliable, contained satisfactory content, and had construct validity. Discussion: Our competency assessment tool provides a systematic, easy, and operational subjective evaluation model for nursing managers and administrators to evaluate obstetric rooming-in ward primary nurses. The application of this tool will facilitate various human resources functions, such as nurse training/education effect evaluation, and will eventually promote high-quality nursing care delivery. PMID:26770468

XTCE GOVSAT Tool Suite 1.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rice, J. Kevin

2013-01-01

The XTCE GOVSAT software suite contains three tools: validation, search, and reporting. The Extensible Markup Language (XML) Telemetric and Command Exchange (XTCE) GOVSAT Tool Suite is written in Java for manipulating XTCE XML files. XTCE is a Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) and Object Management Group (OMG) specification for describing the format and information in telemetry and command packet streams. These descriptions are files that are used to configure real-time telemetry and command systems for mission operations. XTCE s purpose is to exchange database information between different systems. XTCE GOVSAT consists of rules for narrowing the use of XTCE for missions. The Validation Tool is used to syntax check GOVSAT XML files. The Search Tool is used to search (i.e. command and telemetry mnemonics) the GOVSAT XML files and view the results. Finally, the Reporting Tool is used to create command and telemetry reports. These reports can be displayed or printed for use by the operations team.

Enabling eHealth as a Pathway for Patient Engagement: a Toolkit for Medical Practice.

PubMed

Graffigna, Guendalina; Barello, Serena; Triberti, Stefano; Wiederhold, Brenda K; Bosio, A Claudio; Riva, Giuseppe

2014-01-01

Academic and managerial interest in patient engagement is rapidly earning attention and becoming a necessary tool for researchers, clinicians and policymakers worldwide to manage the increasing burden of chronic conditions. The concept of patient engagement calls for a reframe of healthcare organizations' models and approaches to care. This also requires innovations in the direction of facilitating the exchanges between the patients and the healthcare. eHealth, namely the use of new communication technologies to provide healthcare, is proved to be proposable to innovate healthcare organizations and to improve exchanges between patients and health providers. However, little attention has been still devoted to how to best design eHealth tools in order to engage patients in their care. eHealth tools have to be appropriately designed according to the specific patients' unmet needs and priorities featuring the different phases of the engagement process. Basing on the Patient Engagement model and on the Positive Technology paradigm, we suggest a toolkit of phase-specific technological resources, highlighting their specific potentialities in fostering the patient engagement process.

Simulation environment and graphical visualization environment: a COPD use-case

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Today, many different tools are developed to execute and visualize physiological models that represent the human physiology. Most of these tools run models written in very specific programming languages which in turn simplify the communication among models. Nevertheless, not all of these tools are able to run models written in different programming languages. In addition, interoperability between such models remains an unresolved issue. Results In this paper we present a simulation environment that allows, first, the execution of models developed in different programming languages and second the communication of parameters to interconnect these models. This simulation environment, developed within the Synergy-COPD project, aims at helping and supporting bio-researchers and medical students understand the internal mechanisms of the human body through the use of physiological models. This tool is composed of a graphical visualization environment, which is a web interface through which the user can interact with the models, and a simulation workflow management system composed of a control module and a data warehouse manager. The control module monitors the correct functioning of the whole system. The data warehouse manager is responsible for managing the stored information and supporting its flow among the different modules. This simulation environment has been validated with the integration of three models: two deterministic, i.e. based on linear and differential equations, and one probabilistic, i.e., based on probability theory. These models have been selected based on the disease under study in this project, i.e., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Conclusion It has been proved that the simulation environment presented here allows the user to research and study the internal mechanisms of the human physiology by the use of models via a graphical visualization environment. A new tool for bio-researchers is ready for deployment in various use cases scenarios. PMID:25471327

Reticle inspection equipment productivity increase using SEMI specification for reticle and pod management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Ron; Downey, Jack; Wood, Jeffrey; Lin, Yen-Hung; Bugata, Bharathi; Fan, Dongsheng; Hess, Carl; Wylie, Mark

2016-10-01

In this work, the SEMI specification for reticle and pod management (E109) with internal reticle library support has been integrated for the first time on KLA-Tencor's TeronTM and TeraScanTM reticle inspection tools. Manufacturing Execution System scheduling reticle jobs and Automated Material Handling System scheduling to transfer pods simultaneously have also been integrated and tested. GLOBALFOUNDRIES collaboratively worked with KLA-Tencor to successfully implement these capabilities. Both library and non-library scenarios have been demonstrated for comparison in a real production environment resulting in productivity increase of approximately 29% by making use of the library. Reticle re-qualification test cases were used for the comparison in this work.

Crisis Communication in the Area of Risk Management: The CriCoRM Project.

PubMed

Scarcella, Carmelo; Antonelli, Laura; Orizio, Grazia; Rossmann, Costanze; Ziegler, Lena; Meyer, Lisa; Garcia-Jimenez, Leonarda; Losada, Jose Carlos; Correia, Joao; Soares, Joana; Covolo, Loredana; Lirangi, Enrico; Gelatti, Umberto

2013-09-02

During the last H1N1 pandemic has emerged the importance of crisis communication as an essential part of health crisis management. The Project aims specifically to improve the understanding of crisis communication dynamics and effective tools and to allow public health institutions to communicate better with the public during health emergencies. THE PROJECT WILL PERFORM DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES: i) state of the art review; ii) identification of key stakeholders; iii) communicational analysis performed using data collected on stakeholder communication activities and their outcomes considering the lessons learnt from the analysis of the reasons for differing public reactions during pandemics; iv) improvement of the existing guidelines; v) development of Web 2.0 tools as web-platform and feed service and implementation of impact assessment algorithms; vi) organization of exercises and training on this issues. In the context of health security policies at an EU level, the project aims to find a common and innovative approach to health crisis communication that was displayed by differing reactions to the H1N1 pandemic policies. The focus on new social media tools aims to enhance the role of e-health, and the project aims to use these tools in the specific field of health institutions and citizens. The development of Web 2.0 tools for health crisis communication will allow an effective two-way exchange of information between public health institutions and citizens. An effective communication strategy will increase population compliance with public health recommendations. Significance for public healthThe specific aim of the project is to develop a European strategy approach on how to communicate with the population and with different stakeholders groups involved in the crisis management process, based on an analysis of the communication process during the H1N1 pandemic (content analysis of press releases, press coverage and forum discussions) and on interviews with key stakeholders in health crisis communication. The development of web 2.0 tools, providing rapid responses will allow real-time verification of awareness of social trends and citizens' response. Furthermore, the project would like to offer these resources to the EU Public Health Institutions and EU citizens to improve their interaction, and hence reinforce citizens' right to patient-centred health care. The project proposal has been designed in accordance with the general principles of ethics and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights with regard to human rights, values, freedom, solidarity, and better protection of European citizens.

Crisis Communication in the Area of Risk Management: The CriCoRM Project

PubMed Central

Scarcella, Carmelo; Antonelli, Laura; Orizio, Grazia; Rossmann, Costanze; Ziegler, Lena; Meyer, Lisa; Garcia-Jimenez, Leonarda; Losada, Jose Carlos; Correia, Joao; Soares, Joana; Covolo, Loredana; Lirangi, Enrico; Gelatti, Umberto

2013-01-01

Background During the last H1N1 pandemic has emerged the importance of crisis communication as an essential part of health crisis management. The Project aims specifically to improve the understanding of crisis communication dynamics and effective tools and to allow public health institutions to communicate better with the public during health emergencies. Design and methods The Project will perform different activities: i) state of the art review; ii) identification of key stakeholders; iii) communicational analysis performed using data collected on stakeholder communication activities and their outcomes considering the lessons learnt from the analysis of the reasons for differing public reactions during pandemics; iv) improvement of the existing guidelines; v) development of Web 2.0 tools as web-platform and feed service and implementation of impact assessment algorithms; vi) organization of exercises and training on this issues. Expected impact of the study for public health In the context of health security policies at an EU level, the project aims to find a common and innovative approach to health crisis communication that was displayed by differing reactions to the H1N1 pandemic policies. The focus on new social media tools aims to enhance the role of e-health, and the project aims to use these tools in the specific field of health institutions and citizens. The development of Web 2.0 tools for health crisis communication will allow an effective two-way exchange of information between public health institutions and citizens. An effective communication strategy will increase population compliance with public health recommendations. Significance for public health The specific aim of the project is to develop a European strategy approach on how to communicate with the population and with different stakeholders groups involved in the crisis management process, based on an analysis of the communication process during the H1N1 pandemic (content analysis of press releases, press coverage and forum discussions) and on interviews with key stakeholders in health crisis communication. The development of web 2.0 tools, providing rapid responses will allow real-time verification of awareness of social trends and citizens’ response. Furthermore, the project would like to offer these resources to the EU Public Health Institutions and EU citizens to improve their interaction, and hence reinforce citizens’ right to patient-centred health care. The project proposal has been designed in accordance with the general principles of ethics and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights with regard to human rights, values, freedom, solidarity, and better protection of European citizens. PMID:25170491

A survey of tools for variant analysis of next-generation genome sequencing data

PubMed Central

Pabinger, Stephan; Dander, Andreas; Fischer, Maria; Snajder, Rene; Sperk, Michael; Efremova, Mirjana; Krabichler, Birgit; Speicher, Michael R.; Zschocke, Johannes

2014-01-01

Recent advances in genome sequencing technologies provide unprecedented opportunities to characterize individual genomic landscapes and identify mutations relevant for diagnosis and therapy. Specifically, whole-exome sequencing using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies is gaining popularity in the human genetics community due to the moderate costs, manageable data amounts and straightforward interpretation of analysis results. While whole-exome and, in the near future, whole-genome sequencing are becoming commodities, data analysis still poses significant challenges and led to the development of a plethora of tools supporting specific parts of the analysis workflow or providing a complete solution. Here, we surveyed 205 tools for whole-genome/whole-exome sequencing data analysis supporting five distinct analytical steps: quality assessment, alignment, variant identification, variant annotation and visualization. We report an overview of the functionality, features and specific requirements of the individual tools. We then selected 32 programs for variant identification, variant annotation and visualization, which were subjected to hands-on evaluation using four data sets: one set of exome data from two patients with a rare disease for testing identification of germline mutations, two cancer data sets for testing variant callers for somatic mutations, copy number variations and structural variations, and one semi-synthetic data set for testing identification of copy number variations. Our comprehensive survey and evaluation of NGS tools provides a valuable guideline for human geneticists working on Mendelian disorders, complex diseases and cancers. PMID:23341494

Data Integration Tool: From Permafrost Data Translation Research Tool to A Robust Research Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilcox, H.; Schaefer, K. M.; Jafarov, E. E.; Strawhacker, C.; Pulsifer, P. L.; Thurmes, N.

2016-12-01

The United States National Science Foundation funded PermaData project led by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) with a team from the Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost (GTN-P) aimed to improve permafrost data access and discovery. We developed a Data Integration Tool (DIT) to significantly speed up the time of manual processing needed to translate inconsistent, scattered historical permafrost data into files ready to ingest directly into the GTN-P. We leverage this data to support science research and policy decisions. DIT is a workflow manager that divides data preparation and analysis into a series of steps or operations called widgets. Each widget does a specific operation, such as read, multiply by a constant, sort, plot, and write data. DIT allows the user to select and order the widgets as desired to meet their specific needs. Originally it was written to capture a scientist's personal, iterative, data manipulation and quality control process of visually and programmatically iterating through inconsistent input data, examining it to find problems, adding operations to address the problems, and rerunning until the data could be translated into the GTN-P standard format. Iterative development of this tool led to a Fortran/Python hybrid then, with consideration of users, licensing, version control, packaging, and workflow, to a publically available, robust, usable application. Transitioning to Python allowed the use of open source frameworks for the workflow core and integration with a javascript graphical workflow interface. DIT is targeted to automatically handle 90% of the data processing for field scientists, modelers, and non-discipline scientists. It is available as an open source tool in GitHub packaged for a subset of Mac, Windows, and UNIX systems as a desktop application with a graphical workflow manager. DIT was used to completely translate one dataset (133 sites) that was successfully added to GTN-P, nearly translate three datasets (270 sites), and is scheduled to translate 10 more datasets ( 1000 sites) from the legacy inactive site data holdings of the Frozen Ground Data Center (FGDC). Iterative development has provided the permafrost and wider scientific community with an extendable tool designed specifically for the iterative process of translating unruly data.

A patient workflow management system built on guidelines.

PubMed Central

Dazzi, L.; Fassino, C.; Saracco, R.; Quaglini, S.; Stefanelli, M.

1997-01-01

To provide high quality, shared, and distributed medical care, clinical and organizational issues need to be integrated. This work describes a methodology for developing a Patient Workflow Management System, based on a detailed model of both the medical work process and the organizational structure. We assume that the medical work process is represented through clinical practice guidelines, and that an ontological description of the organization is available. Thus, we developed tools 1) for acquiring the medical knowledge contained into a guideline, 2) to translate the derived formalized guideline into a computational formalism, precisely a Petri Net, 3) to maintain different representation levels. The high level representation guarantees that the Patient Workflow follows the guideline prescriptions, while the low level takes into account the specific organization characteristics and allow allocating resources for managing a specific patient in daily practice. PMID:9357606

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

Mayer, J.

The U. S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) has the responsibility for cleaning up 60 sites in 22 states that were associated with the legacy of the nation's nuclear weapons program and other research and development activities. These sites are unique and many of the technologies needed to successfully disposition the associated wastes have yet to be developed or would require significant re-engineering to be adapted for future EM cleanup efforts. In 2008, the DOE-EM Engineering and Technology Program (EM-22) released the Engineering and Technology Roadmap in response to Congressional direction and the need to focusmore » on longer term activities required for the completion of the aforementioned cleanup program. One of the strategic initiatives included in the Roadmap was to enhance long term performance monitoring as defined by 'Develop and deploy cost effective long-term strategies and technologies to monitor closure sites (including soil, groundwater, and surface water) with multiple contaminants (organics, metals and radionuclides) to verify integrated long-term cleanup performance'. To support this long-term monitoring (LTM) strategic initiative, EM 22 and the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) organized and held an interactive symposia, known as the 2009 DOE-EM Long-Term Monitoring Technical Forum, to define and prioritize LTM improvement strategies and products that could be realized within a 3 to 5 year investment time frame. This near-term focus on fundamental research would then be used as a foundation for development of applied programs to improve the closure and long-term performance of EM's legacy waste sites. The Technical Forum was held in Atlanta, GA on February 11-12, 2009, and attended by 57 professionals with a focus on identifying those areas of opportunity that would most effectively advance the transition of the current practices to a more effective strategy for the LTM paradigm. The meeting format encompassed three break-out sessions, which focused on needs and opportunities associated with the following LTM technical areas: (1) Performance Monitoring Tools, (2) Systems, and (3) Information Management. The specific objectives of the Technical Forum were to identify: (1) technical targets for reducing EM costs for life-cycle monitoring; (2) cost-effective approaches and tools to support the transition from active to passive remedies at EM waste sites; and (3) specific goals and objectives associated with the lifecycle monitoring initiatives outlined within the Roadmap. The first Breakout Session on LTM performance measurement tools focused on the integration and improvement of LTM performance measurement and monitoring tools that deal with parameters such as ecosystems, boundary conditions, geophysics, remote sensing, biomarkers, ecological indicators and other types of data used in LTM configurations. Although specific tools were discussed, it was recognized that the Breakout Session could not comprehensively discuss all monitoring technologies in the time provided. Attendees provided key references where other organizations have assessed monitoring tools. Three investment sectors were developed in this Breakout Session. The second Breakout Session was on LTM systems. The focus of this session was to identify new and inventive LTM systems addressing the framework for interactive parameters such as infrastructure, sensors, diagnostic features, field screening tools, state of the art characterization monitoring systems/concepts, and ecosystem approaches to site conditions and evolution. LTM systems consist of the combination of data acquisition and management efforts, data processing and analysis efforts and reporting tools. The objective of the LTM systems workgroup was to provide a vision and path towards novel and innovative LTM systems, which should be able to provide relevant, actionable information on system performance in a cost-effective manner. Two investment sectors were developed in this Breakout Session. The last Breakout Session of the Technical Forum was on LTM information management. The session focus was on the development and implementation of novel information management systems for LTM including techniques to address data issues such as: efficient management of large and diverse datasets; consistency and comparability in data management and incorporation of accurate historical information; data interpretation and information synthesis including statistical methods, modeling, and visualization; and linage of data to site management objectives and leveraging information to forge consensus among stakeholders. One investment sector was developed in this Breakout Session.« less

Preferred conservation policies of shark researchers.

PubMed

Shiffman, David S; Hammerschlag, Neil

2016-08-01

There is increasing concern about the conservation status of sharks. However, the presence of numerous different (and potentially mutually exclusive) policies complicates management implementation and public understanding of the process. We distributed an online survey to members of the largest professional shark and ray research societies to assess member knowledge of and attitudes toward different conservation policies. Questions covered society member opinions on conservation and management policies, personal histories of involvement in advocacy and management, and perceptions of the approach of conservation nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to shark conservation. One hundred and two surveys were completed (overall response rate 21%). Respondents considered themselves knowledgeable about and actively involved in conservation and management policy; a majority believed scientists have a responsibility to advocate for conservation (75%), and majorities have sent formal public comments to policymakers (54%) and included policy suggestions in their papers (53%). They believe sustainable shark fisheries are possible, are currently happening today (in a few places), and should be the goal instead of banning fisheries. Respondents were generally less supportive of newer limit-based (i.e., policies that ban exploitation entirely without a species-specific focus) conservation policy tools, such as shark sanctuaries and bans on the sale of shark fins, than of target-based fisheries management tools (i.e., policies that allow for sustainable harvest of species whose populations can withstand it), such as fishing quotas. Respondents were generally supportive of environmental NGO efforts to conserve sharks but raised concerns about some NGOs that they perceived as using incorrect information and focusing on the wrong problems. Our results show there is an ongoing debate in shark conservation and management circles relative to environmental policy on target-based natural resources management tools versus limit-based conservation tools. They also suggest that closer communication between the scientific and environmental NGO communities may be needed to recognize and reconcile differing values and objectives between these groups. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology.

FREEWAT: an HORIZON 2020 project to build open source tools for water management.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foglia, L.; Rossetto, R.; Borsi, I.; Mehl, S.; Velasco Mansilla, V.

2015-12-01

FREEWAT is an HORIZON 2020 EU project. FREEWAT main result will be an open source and public domain GIS integrated modelling environment for the simulation of water quantity and quality in surface water and groundwater with an integrated water management and planning module. FREEWAT aims at promoting water resource management by simplifying the application of the Water Framework Directive and related Directives. Specific objectives of the project are: to coordinate previous EU and national funded research to integrate existing software modules for water management in a single environment into the GIS based FREEWAT and to support the FREEWAT application in an innovative participatory approach gathering technical staff and relevant stakeholders (policy and decision makers) in designing scenarios for application of water policies. The open source characteristics of the platform allow to consider this an initiative "ad includendum", as further institutions or developers may contribute to the development. Core of the platform is the SID&GRID framework (GIS integrated physically-based distributed numerical hydrological model based on a modified version of MODFLOW 2005; Rossetto et al. 2013) in its version ported to QGIS desktop. Activities are carried out on two lines: (i) integration of modules to fulfill the end-users requirements, including tools for producing feasibility and management plans; (ii) a set of activities to fix bugs and to provide a well-integrated interface for the different tools implemented. Further capabilities to be integrated are: - module for water management and planning; - calibration, uncertainty and sensitivity analysis; - module for solute transport in unsaturated zone; - module for crop growth and water requirements in agriculture; - tools for groundwater quality issues and for the analysis, interpretation and visualization of hydrogeological data. Through creating a common environment among water research/professionals, policy makers and implementers, FREEWAT main impact will be on enhancing science- and participatory approach and evidence-based decision making in water resource management, hence producing relevant and appropriate outcomes for policy implementation. Large stakeholders involvement is thought to guarantee results dissemination and exploitation.

Resource management tools based on renewable energy sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jannson, Tomasz; Forrester, Thomas; Boghrat, Pedram; Pradhan, Ranjit; Kostrzewski, Andrew

2012-06-01

Renewable energy is an important source of power for unattended sensors (ground, sea, air), tagging systems, and other remote platforms for Homeland Security and Homeland Defense. Also, Command, Control, Communication, and Intelligence (C3I) systems and technologies often require renewable energy sources for information assurance (IA), in general, and anti-tampering (AT), in particular. However, various geophysical and environmental conditions determine different types of energy harvesting: solar, thermal, vibration, acoustic, hydraulic, wind, and others. Among them, solar energy is usually preferable, but, both a solar habitat and the necessity for night operation can create a need for other types of renewable energy. In this paper, we introduce figures of merit (FoMs) for evaluating preferences of specific energy sources, as resource management tools, based on geophysical conditions. Also, Battery Systemic Modeling is discussed.

High Reliability Organizations--Medication Safety.

PubMed

Yip, Luke; Farmer, Brenna

2015-06-01

High reliability organizations (HROs), such as the aviation industry, successfully engage in high-risk endeavors and have low incidence of adverse events. HROs have a preoccupation with failure and errors. They analyze each event to effect system wide change in an attempt to mitigate the occurrence of similar errors. The healthcare industry can adapt HRO practices, specifically with regard to teamwork and communication. Crew resource management concepts can be adapted to healthcare with the use of certain tools such as checklists and the sterile cockpit to reduce medication errors. HROs also use The Swiss Cheese Model to evaluate risk and look for vulnerabilities in multiple protective barriers, instead of focusing on one failure. This model can be used in medication safety to evaluate medication management in addition to using the teamwork and communication tools of HROs.

American Contact Dermatitis Society Contact Allergy Management Program: An Epidemiologic Tool to Determine Relative Prevalence of Contact Allergens.

PubMed

Scheman, Andrew; Severson, David

2016-01-01

Data on the prevalence of contact allergy in North America are currently reported by groups of academic contact allergy specialists at select academic centers. Sampling of data from numerous centers across North America, including practices performing more limited patch testing, would provide a broader perspective of contact allergen prevalence in North America. The American Contact Dermatitis Society Contact Allergy Management Program is an ideal tool for collection of epidemiologic data regarding contact allergy prevalence in North America. The aim of the study was to identify the relative prevalence of contact allergy to common contact allergens in North America. Mapping of Contact Allergy Management Program (CAMP) data was performed to allow analysis of how frequently searches were performed for various contact allergens. The number of searches performed for specific allergens provides a measure of the relative prevalence of contact allergy to these allergens. The top 35 allergens for the period from November 18, 2012 to November 18, 2013 are reported. Although these data are useful, specific recommendations for minor alterations to CAMP are discussed, which will allow future CAMP data to be stratified and more powerful. With minor modifications, CAMP can provide a quantum leap in the reporting of contact allergy epidemiologic data in North America.

A computer-based specification methodology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Munck, Robert G.

1986-01-01

Standard practices for creating and using system specifications are inadequate for large, advanced-technology systems. A need exists to break away from paper documents in favor of documents that are stored in computers and which are read and otherwise used with the help of computers. An SADT-based system, running on the proposed Space Station data management network, could be a powerful tool for doing much of the required technical work of the Station, including creating and operating the network itself.

D-WISE: Diabetes Web-Centric Information and Support Environment: conceptual specification and proposed evaluation.

PubMed

Abidi, Samina; Vallis, Michael; Raza Abidi, Syed Sibte; Piccinini-Vallis, Helena; Imran, Syed Ali

2014-06-01

To develop and evaluate Diabetes Web-Centric Information and Support Environment (D-WISE) that offers 1) a computerized decision-support system to assist physicians to A) use the Canadian Diabetes Association clinical practice guidelines (CDA CPGs) to recommend evidence-informed interventions; B) offer a computerized readiness assessment strategy to help physicians administer behaviour-change strategies to help patients adhere to disease self-management programs; and 2) a patient-specific diabetes self-management application, accessible through smart mobile devices, that offers behaviour-change interventions to engage patients in self-management. The above-mentioned objectives were pursued through a knowledge management approach that involved 1) Translation of paper-based CDA CPGs and behaviour-change models as computerized decision-support tools that will assist physicians to offer evidence-informed and personalized diabetes management and behaviour-change strategies; 2) Engagement of patients in their diabetes care by generating a diabetes self-management program that takes into account their preferences, challenges and needs; 3) Empowering patients to self-manage their condition by providing them with personalized educational and motivational messages through a mobile self-management application. The theoretical foundation of our research is grounded in behaviour-change models and healthcare knowledge management. We used 1) knowledge modelling to computerize the paper-based CDA CPGs and behaviour-change models, in particular, the behaviour-change strategy elements of A) readiness-to-change assessments; B) motivation-enhancement interventions categorized along the lines of patients' being ready, ambivalent or not ready; and C) self-efficacy enhancement. The CDA CPGs and the behaviour-change models are modelled and computerized in terms of A) a diabetes management ontology that serves as the knowledge resource for all the services offered by D-WISE; B) decision support services that use logic-based reasoning algorithms to utilize the knowledge encoded within the diabetes management ontology to assist physicians by recommending patient-specific diabetes-management interventions and behaviour-change strategies; C) a mobile diabetes self-management application to engage and educate diabetes patients to self-manage their condition in a home-based setting while working in concert with their family physicians. We have been successful in creating and conducting a usability assessment of the physician decision support tool. These results will be published once the patient self- management application has been evaluated. D-WISE will be evaluated through pilot studies measuring 1) the usability of the e-Health interventions; and 2) the impact of the interventions on patients' behaviour changes and diabetes control. Copyright © 2014 Canadian Diabetes Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Climate-Agriculture-Modeling and Decision Tool (CAMDT) for Climate Risk Management in Agriculture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ines, A. V. M.; Han, E.; Baethgen, W.

2017-12-01

Advances in seasonal climate forecasts (SCFs) during the past decades have brought great potential to improve agricultural climate risk managements associated with inter-annual climate variability. In spite of popular uses of crop simulation models in addressing climate risk problems, the models cannot readily take seasonal climate predictions issued in the format of tercile probabilities of most likely rainfall categories (i.e, below-, near- and above-normal). When a skillful SCF is linked with the crop simulation models, the informative climate information can be further translated into actionable agronomic terms and thus better support strategic and tactical decisions. In other words, crop modeling connected with a given SCF allows to simulate "what-if" scenarios with different crop choices or management practices and better inform the decision makers. In this paper, we present a decision support tool, called CAMDT (Climate Agriculture Modeling and Decision Tool), which seamlessly integrates probabilistic SCFs to DSSAT-CSM-Rice model to guide decision-makers in adopting appropriate crop and agricultural water management practices for given climatic conditions. The CAMDT has a functionality to disaggregate a probabilistic SCF into daily weather realizations (either a parametric or non-parametric disaggregation method) and to run DSSAT-CSM-Rice with the disaggregated weather realizations. The convenient graphical user-interface allows easy implementation of several "what-if" scenarios for non-technical users and visualize the results of the scenario runs. In addition, the CAMDT also translates crop model outputs to economic terms once the user provides expected crop price and cost. The CAMDT is a practical tool for real-world applications, specifically for agricultural climate risk management in the Bicol region, Philippines, having a great flexibility for being adapted to other crops or regions in the world. CAMDT GitHub: https://github.com/Agro-Climate/CAMDT

Cloud-based bioinformatics workflow platform for large-scale next-generation sequencing analyses

PubMed Central

Liu, Bo; Madduri, Ravi K; Sotomayor, Borja; Chard, Kyle; Lacinski, Lukasz; Dave, Utpal J; Li, Jianqiang; Liu, Chunchen; Foster, Ian T

2014-01-01

Due to the upcoming data deluge of genome data, the need for storing and processing large-scale genome data, easy access to biomedical analyses tools, efficient data sharing and retrieval has presented significant challenges. The variability in data volume results in variable computing and storage requirements, therefore biomedical researchers are pursuing more reliable, dynamic and convenient methods for conducting sequencing analyses. This paper proposes a Cloud-based bioinformatics workflow platform for large-scale next-generation sequencing analyses, which enables reliable and highly scalable execution of sequencing analyses workflows in a fully automated manner. Our platform extends the existing Galaxy workflow system by adding data management capabilities for transferring large quantities of data efficiently and reliably (via Globus Transfer), domain-specific analyses tools preconfigured for immediate use by researchers (via user-specific tools integration), automatic deployment on Cloud for on-demand resource allocation and pay-as-you-go pricing (via Globus Provision), a Cloud provisioning tool for auto-scaling (via HTCondor scheduler), and the support for validating the correctness of workflows (via semantic verification tools). Two bioinformatics workflow use cases as well as performance evaluation are presented to validate the feasibility of the proposed approach. PMID:24462600

A computational platform to maintain and migrate manual functional annotations for BioCyc databases.

PubMed

Walsh, Jesse R; Sen, Taner Z; Dickerson, Julie A

2014-10-12

BioCyc databases are an important resource for information on biological pathways and genomic data. Such databases represent the accumulation of biological data, some of which has been manually curated from literature. An essential feature of these databases is the continuing data integration as new knowledge is discovered. As functional annotations are improved, scalable methods are needed for curators to manage annotations without detailed knowledge of the specific design of the BioCyc database. We have developed CycTools, a software tool which allows curators to maintain functional annotations in a model organism database. This tool builds on existing software to improve and simplify annotation data imports of user provided data into BioCyc databases. Additionally, CycTools automatically resolves synonyms and alternate identifiers contained within the database into the appropriate internal identifiers. Automating steps in the manual data entry process can improve curation efforts for major biological databases. The functionality of CycTools is demonstrated by transferring GO term annotations from MaizeCyc to matching proteins in CornCyc, both maize metabolic pathway databases available at MaizeGDB, and by creating strain specific databases for metabolic engineering.

CQI: using the Hoshin planning system to design an orientation process.

PubMed

Platt, D; Laird, C

1995-01-01

The Hoshin planning system, developed in Japan after World War II, includes management tools intended specifically for planning new processes. There are seven tools, which can be used individually or in any combination: affinity diagrams, interrelationship digraphs, systematic diagrams, matrix diagrams, process decision program charts, arrow diagrams and prioritization matrices. The radiology department at Carson-Tahoe Hospital formed a CQI team to improve the training of front office clerks. The team quickly discovered that a new orientation program was needed and decided to use Hoshin tools to create one. Using the tools, the team identified and prioritized all relevant factors, described specific tasks needed to complete the planning process and how long each would take, anticipated problems, and assigned areas of responsibility to members of the team. Each time the team grew weary or discouraged, the clarity and organization afforded by the tools helped them feel productive and in control of the process. The team was amazed at the creative ideas they generated through this 3-month-long process. Not only did they develop and implement a new orientation program, they also cultivated a stronger sense of pride and confidence in their work and each other.

Cloud-based bioinformatics workflow platform for large-scale next-generation sequencing analyses.

PubMed

Liu, Bo; Madduri, Ravi K; Sotomayor, Borja; Chard, Kyle; Lacinski, Lukasz; Dave, Utpal J; Li, Jianqiang; Liu, Chunchen; Foster, Ian T

2014-06-01

Due to the upcoming data deluge of genome data, the need for storing and processing large-scale genome data, easy access to biomedical analyses tools, efficient data sharing and retrieval has presented significant challenges. The variability in data volume results in variable computing and storage requirements, therefore biomedical researchers are pursuing more reliable, dynamic and convenient methods for conducting sequencing analyses. This paper proposes a Cloud-based bioinformatics workflow platform for large-scale next-generation sequencing analyses, which enables reliable and highly scalable execution of sequencing analyses workflows in a fully automated manner. Our platform extends the existing Galaxy workflow system by adding data management capabilities for transferring large quantities of data efficiently and reliably (via Globus Transfer), domain-specific analyses tools preconfigured for immediate use by researchers (via user-specific tools integration), automatic deployment on Cloud for on-demand resource allocation and pay-as-you-go pricing (via Globus Provision), a Cloud provisioning tool for auto-scaling (via HTCondor scheduler), and the support for validating the correctness of workflows (via semantic verification tools). Two bioinformatics workflow use cases as well as performance evaluation are presented to validate the feasibility of the proposed approach. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Harnessing ICT Potential: The Adoption and Analysis of ICT Systems for Enhancing the Student Learning Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dawson, Shane; Heathcote, Liz; Poole, Gary

2010-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to examine how effective higher education institutions have been in harnessing the data capture mechanisms from their student information systems, learning management systems and communication tools for improving the student learning experience and informing practitioners of the achievement of specific learning outcomes.…

The effects of climate change and extreme wildfire events on runoff erosion over a mountain watershed

Treesearch

Mingliang Liu; Michael E. Barber; Keith A. Cherkauer; Pete Robichaud; Jennifer C. Adam

2016-01-01

Increases in wildfire occurrence and severity under an altered climate can substantially impact terrestrial ecosystems through enhancing runoff erosion. Improved prediction tools that provide high resolution spatial information are necessary for location-specific soil conservation and watershed management. However, quantifying the magnitude of soil erosion and...

The Architecture of Peer Assessment: Do Academically Successful Students Make Good Teammates in Design Assignments?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tucker, Richard

2013-01-01

This paper considers the relationship between architecture and construction management students' overall academic abilities (as measured by Weighted Average Marks [WAMs]), their peer ratings for contributions to team design assignments (as measured by an online Self-and-Peer-Assessment [SAPA] tool), and their specific abilities as building…

78 FR 72092 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-02

... quantitative studies. Focus groups serve the narrowly defined need for direct and informal opinion on a specific topic and as a qualitative research tool have three major purposes: To obtain information that is useful for developing variables and measures for quantitative studies, To better understand people's...

UNITED STATES AND GERMAN BILATERAL WORKING GROUP ON REDEVELOPMENT OF POTENTIALLY CONTAMINATED SITES SITE-SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT APPROACHES AND REDEVELOPMENT TOOLS - RESOURCE (SMARTRESOURCE)

EPA Science Inventory

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) continues an ongoing partnership to gain an understanding of each other's approach to the cleanup of chemical contamination in order to protect human health ...

Ada Adoption Handbook: A Program Manager’s Guide, Version 2.0

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-10-01

specifically Ada oriented: "* Compilation order tool: A capability that, when given a set of Ada units, determines the com- pilation order. "* Automatic...July 1992. 146. Knapper. R. J., Linn, C. J.. & Salasin, J. Guidelines for Tailoring DOD-S TD-2167A for SOS Software Development. IDA Paper P- 2018

Volcanic alert system (VAS) developed during the 2011-2014 El Hierro (Canary Islands) volcanic process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García, Alicia; Berrocoso, Manuel; Marrero, José M.; Fernández-Ros, Alberto; Prates, Gonçalo; De la Cruz-Reyna, Servando; Ortiz, Ramón

2014-06-01

The 2011 volcanic unrest at El Hierro Island illustrated the need for a Volcanic Alert System (VAS) specifically designed for the management of volcanic crises developing after long repose periods. The VAS comprises the monitoring network, the software tools for analysis of the monitoring parameters, the Volcanic Activity Level (VAL) management, and the assessment of hazard. The VAS presented here focuses on phenomena related to moderate eruptions, and on potentially destructive volcano-tectonic earthquakes and landslides. We introduce a set of new data analysis tools, aimed to detect data trend changes, as well as spurious signals related to instrumental failure. When data-trend changes and/or malfunctions are detected, a watchdog is triggered, issuing a watch-out warning (WOW) to the Monitoring Scientific Team (MST). The changes in data patterns are then translated by the MST into a VAL that is easy to use and understand by scientists, technicians, and decision-makers. Although the VAS was designed specifically for the unrest episodes at El Hierro, the methodologies may prove useful at other volcanic systems.

Eletrobras management program in ergonomics: the pursuit of excellence through maturity levels.

PubMed

Pires, Paulo Roberto de Oliveira Bassil; Rezende, Fagner Fagundes

2012-01-01

Ergonomics for Eletrobras arose from the need in having an environment more suitable to the characteristics and circumstances of employees, in compliance with Regulation Standard no. 17 - Ergonomics (NR17) of the Ministry of Labor and Employment. Being a mixed economy company with regionalized anthropometric characteristics of its employees, the study of ergonomic adjustments and improvement of the concept of Ergonomics were and have been of great importance to the company's production environment. These advances have contributed to the development of specific technical criteria for the purchase of furniture and work tools (accessories), apart from their possible effects on the user. Ergonomics has been perceived as a technical-scientific tool, aimed to study labor interactions, new technologies and specific characteristics of the activities performed. To meet these demands a multidisciplinary Ergonomics Committee was created in Eletrobras, and effectively established the Ergonomics Management Program in the company; This program is marked by well-defined phases with great success in making use of these studies for other types of corporate activities and also facilitating the program control and its maturity levels, even at a business level.

SIRSALE: integrated video database management tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunie, Lionel; Favory, Loic; Gelas, J. P.; Lefevre, Laurent; Mostefaoui, Ahmed; Nait-Abdesselam, F.

2002-07-01

Video databases became an active field of research during the last decade. The main objective in such systems is to provide users with capabilities to friendly search, access and playback distributed stored video data in the same way as they do for traditional distributed databases. Hence, such systems need to deal with hard issues : (a) video documents generate huge volumes of data and are time sensitive (streams must be delivered at a specific bitrate), (b) contents of video data are very hard to be automatically extracted and need to be humanly annotated. To cope with these issues, many approaches have been proposed in the literature including data models, query languages, video indexing etc. In this paper, we present SIRSALE : a set of video databases management tools that allow users to manipulate video documents and streams stored in large distributed repositories. All the proposed tools are based on generic models that can be customized for specific applications using ad-hoc adaptation modules. More precisely, SIRSALE allows users to : (a) browse video documents by structures (sequences, scenes, shots) and (b) query the video database content by using a graphical tool, adapted to the nature of the target video documents. This paper also presents an annotating interface which allows archivists to describe the content of video documents. All these tools are coupled to a video player integrating remote VCR functionalities and are based on active network technology. So, we present how dedicated active services allow an optimized video transport for video streams (with Tamanoir active nodes). We then describe experiments of using SIRSALE on an archive of news video and soccer matches. The system has been demonstrated to professionals with a positive feedback. Finally, we discuss open issues and present some perspectives.

Validation of Caregiver-Centered Delirium Detection Tools: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Rosgen, Brianna; Krewulak, Karla; Demiantschuk, Danielle; Ely, E Wesley; Davidson, Judy E; Stelfox, Henry T; Fiest, Kirsten M

2018-04-18

To summarize the validity of caregiver-centered delirium detection tools in hospitalized adults and assess associated patient and caregiver outcomes. Systematic review. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Scopus from inception to May 15, 2017. Hospitalized adults. Caregiver-centered delirium detection tools. We drafted a protocol from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Two reviewers independently completed abstract and full-text review, data extraction, and quality assessment. We summarized findings using descriptive statistics including mean, median, standard deviation, range, frequencies (percentages), and Cohen's kappa. Studies that reported on the validity of caregiver-centered delirium detection tools or associated patient and caregiver outcomes and were cohort or cross-sectional in design were included. We reviewed 6,056 titles and abstracts, included 6 articles, and identified 6 caregiver-centered tools. All tools were designed to be administered in several minutes or less and had 11 items or fewer. Three tools were caregiver administered (completed independently by caregivers): Family Confusion Assessment Method (FAM-CAM), Informant Assessment of Geriatric Delirium (I-AGeD), and Sour Seven. Three tools were caregiver informed (administered by a healthcare professional using caregiver input): Single Question in Delirium (SQiD), Single Screening Question Delirium (SSQ-Delirium), and Stressful Caregiving Response to Experiences of Dying. Caregiver-administered tools had better psychometric properties (FAM-CAM sensitivity 75%, 95% confidence interval (CI)=35-95%, specificity 91%, 95% CI=74-97%; Sour Seven positive predictive value 89.5%, negative predictive value 90%) than caregiver-informed tools (SQiD: sensitivity 80%, 95% CI=28.4-99.5%; specificity 71%, 95% CI=41.9-91.6%; SSQ-Delirium sensitivity 79.6%, specificity 56.1%). Delirium detection is essential for appropriate delirium management. Caregiver-centered delirium detection tools show promise in improving delirium detection and associated patient and caregiver outcomes. Comparative studies using larger sample sizes and multiple centers are required to determine validity and reliability characteristics. © 2018, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2018, The American Geriatrics Society.

[Contributions of child psychology to the assessment of pain].

PubMed

Zabalia, M

2009-12-01

The efficacy of pain management is subordinated to the efficacy of pain assessment. Children are particularly difficult-to-assess patients. In this area, child psychology can contribute to the development of tools and to improving pain assessment. This paper highlights the relevance of studies on dialog in pain assessment situations and the importance of the specificity of both the patient and his pain. Assessing pain and listening to the patient's complaint means meeting the child in his own world. Nonetheless, it is necessary to use and develop assessment tools that are scientifically validated.

Hierarchthis: An Interactive Interface for Identifying Mission-Relevant Components of the Advanced Multi-Mission Operations System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Litomisky, Krystof

2012-01-01

Even though NASA's space missions are many and varied, there are some tasks that are common to all of them. For example, all spacecraft need to communicate with other entities, and all spacecraft need to know where they are. These tasks use tools and services that can be inherited and reused between missions, reducing systems engineering effort and therefore reducing cost.The Advanced Multi-Mission Operations System, or AMMOS, is a collection of multimission tools and services, whose development and maintenance are funded by NASA. I created HierarchThis, a plugin designed to provide an interactive interface to help customers identify mission-relevant tools and services. HierarchThis automatically creates diagrams of the AMMOS database, and then allows users to show/hide specific details through a graphical interface. Once customers identify tools and services they want for a specific mission, HierarchThis can automatically generate a contract between the Multimission Ground Systems and Services Office, which manages AMMOS, and the customer. The document contains the selected AMMOS components, along with their capabilities and satisfied requirements. HierarchThis reduces the time needed for the process from service selections to having a mission-specific contract from the order of days to the order of minutes.

Meeting the challenge of assessing clinical competence of occupational therapists within a program management environment.

PubMed

Salvatori, Penny; Simonavicius, Nijole; Moore, Joan; Rimmer, Georgina; Patterson, Michele

2008-02-01

Program management models have raised concerns among occupational therapists about professional standards related to clinical competence, performance review procedures, and quality improvement initiatives. This paper describes how a chart-stimulated recall (CSR) peer-review process and interview tool was revised, implemented, and evaluated as a pilot project to assess the clinical competence of occupational therapy staff at a large urban health centre in southern Ontario. Fourteen pairs (n=28) of occupational therapists representing various practice areas participated in this project. Half served as peer assessors and half as interviewees. Peer assessors conducted an independent chart review followed by a one-hour personal interview with a peer partner to discuss clinical management issues related to the client cases. Each interviewer rated his or her partner's clinical competence in eight areas of performance using a 7-point Likert scale. Results indicated that the CSR tool could discriminate among occupational therapists in terms of overall levels of clinical competence and also identify specific areas of concern that could be targeted for professional development. Feedback from participants was positive. The CSR tool was found to be useful for assessing clinical competence of occupational therapists in this large health centre as a quality improvement initiative within that discipline group. Further research is needed to establish the reliability and validity of the CSR tool.

Clinical results of HIS, RIS, PACS integration using data integration CASE tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taira, Ricky K.; Chan, Hing-Ming; Breant, Claudine M.; Huang, Lu J.; Valentino, Daniel J.

1995-05-01

Current infrastructure research in PACS is dominated by the development of communication networks (local area networks, teleradiology, ATM networks, etc.), multimedia display workstations, and hierarchical image storage architectures. However, limited work has been performed on developing flexible, expansible, and intelligent information processing architectures for the vast decentralized image and text data repositories prevalent in healthcare environments. Patient information is often distributed among multiple data management systems. Current large-scale efforts to integrate medical information and knowledge sources have been costly with limited retrieval functionality. Software integration strategies to unify distributed data and knowledge sources is still lacking commercially. Systems heterogeneity (i.e., differences in hardware platforms, communication protocols, database management software, nomenclature, etc.) is at the heart of the problem and is unlikely to be standardized in the near future. In this paper, we demonstrate the use of newly available CASE (computer- aided software engineering) tools to rapidly integrate HIS, RIS, and PACS information systems. The advantages of these tools include fast development time (low-level code is generated from graphical specifications), and easy system maintenance (excellent documentation, easy to perform changes, and centralized code repository in an object-oriented database). The CASE tools are used to develop and manage the `middle-ware' in our client- mediator-serve architecture for systems integration. Our architecture is scalable and can accommodate heterogeneous database and communication protocols.

New risk metrics and mathematical tools for risk analysis: Current and future challenges

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

Skandamis, Panagiotis N., E-mail: pskan@aua.gr; Andritsos, Nikolaos, E-mail: pskan@aua.gr; Psomas, Antonios, E-mail: pskan@aua.gr

The current status of the food safety supply world wide, has led Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) to establishing Risk Analysis as the single framework for building food safety control programs. A series of guidelines and reports that detail out the various steps in Risk Analysis, namely Risk Management, Risk Assessment and Risk Communication is available. The Risk Analysis approach enables integration between operational food management systems, such as Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points, public health and governmental decisions. To do that, a series of new Risk Metrics has been established as follows: i) themore » Appropriate Level of Protection (ALOP), which indicates the maximum numbers of illnesses in a population per annum, defined by quantitative risk assessments, and used to establish; ii) Food Safety Objective (FSO), which sets the maximum frequency and/or concentration of a hazard in a food at the time of consumption that provides or contributes to the ALOP. Given that ALOP is rather a metric of the public health tolerable burden (it addresses the total ‘failure’ that may be handled at a national level), it is difficult to be interpreted into control measures applied at the manufacturing level. Thus, a series of specific objectives and criteria for performance of individual processes and products have been established, all of them assisting in the achievement of FSO and hence, ALOP. In order to achieve FSO, tools quantifying the effect of processes and intrinsic properties of foods on survival and growth of pathogens are essential. In this context, predictive microbiology and risk assessment have offered an important assistance to Food Safety Management. Predictive modelling is the basis of exposure assessment and the development of stochastic and kinetic models, which are also available in the form of Web-based applications, e.g., COMBASE and Microbial Responses Viewer), or introduced into user-friendly softwares, (e.g., Seafood Spoilage Predictor) have evolved the use of information systems in the food safety management. Such tools are updateable with new food-pathogen specific models containing cardinal parameters and multiple dependent variables, including plate counts, concentration of metabolic products, or even expression levels of certain genes. Then, these tools may further serve as decision-support tools which may assist in product logistics, based on their scientifically-based and “momentary” expressed spoilage and safety level.« less

New risk metrics and mathematical tools for risk analysis: Current and future challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skandamis, Panagiotis N.; Andritsos, Nikolaos; Psomas, Antonios; Paramythiotis, Spyridon

2015-01-01

The current status of the food safety supply world wide, has led Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) to establishing Risk Analysis as the single framework for building food safety control programs. A series of guidelines and reports that detail out the various steps in Risk Analysis, namely Risk Management, Risk Assessment and Risk Communication is available. The Risk Analysis approach enables integration between operational food management systems, such as Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points, public health and governmental decisions. To do that, a series of new Risk Metrics has been established as follows: i) the Appropriate Level of Protection (ALOP), which indicates the maximum numbers of illnesses in a population per annum, defined by quantitative risk assessments, and used to establish; ii) Food Safety Objective (FSO), which sets the maximum frequency and/or concentration of a hazard in a food at the time of consumption that provides or contributes to the ALOP. Given that ALOP is rather a metric of the public health tolerable burden (it addresses the total `failure' that may be handled at a national level), it is difficult to be interpreted into control measures applied at the manufacturing level. Thus, a series of specific objectives and criteria for performance of individual processes and products have been established, all of them assisting in the achievement of FSO and hence, ALOP. In order to achieve FSO, tools quantifying the effect of processes and intrinsic properties of foods on survival and growth of pathogens are essential. In this context, predictive microbiology and risk assessment have offered an important assistance to Food Safety Management. Predictive modelling is the basis of exposure assessment and the development of stochastic and kinetic models, which are also available in the form of Web-based applications, e.g., COMBASE and Microbial Responses Viewer), or introduced into user-friendly softwares, (e.g., Seafood Spoilage Predictor) have evolved the use of information systems in the food safety management. Such tools are updateable with new food-pathogen specific models containing cardinal parameters and multiple dependent variables, including plate counts, concentration of metabolic products, or even expression levels of certain genes. Then, these tools may further serve as decision-support tools which may assist in product logistics, based on their scientifically-based and "momentary" expressed spoilage and safety level.

Portfolio Analysis Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barth, Tim; Zapata, Edgar; Benjamin, Perakath; Graul, Mike; Jones, Doug

2005-01-01

Portfolio Analysis Tool (PAT) is a Web-based, client/server computer program that helps managers of multiple projects funded by different customers to make decisions regarding investments in those projects. PAT facilitates analysis on a macroscopic level, without distraction by parochial concerns or tactical details of individual projects, so that managers decisions can reflect the broad strategy of their organization. PAT is accessible via almost any Web-browser software. Experts in specific projects can contribute to a broad database that managers can use in analyzing the costs and benefits of all projects, but do not have access for modifying criteria for analyzing projects: access for modifying criteria is limited to managers according to levels of administrative privilege. PAT affords flexibility for modifying criteria for particular "focus areas" so as to enable standardization of criteria among similar projects, thereby making it possible to improve assessments without need to rewrite computer code or to rehire experts, and thereby further reducing the cost of maintaining and upgrading computer code. Information in the PAT database and results of PAT analyses can be incorporated into a variety of ready-made or customizable tabular or graphical displays.

Using Integrated Earth and Social Science Data for Disaster Risk Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Downs, R. R.; Chen, R. S.; Yetman, G.

2016-12-01

Society faces many different risks from both natural and technological hazards. In some cases, disaster risk managers focus on only a few risks, e.g., in regions where a single hazard such as earthquakes dominate. More often, however, disaster risk managers deal with multiple hazards that pose diverse threats to life, infrastructure, and livelihoods. From the viewpoint of scientists, hazards are often studied based on traditional disciplines such as seismology, hydrology, climatology, and epidemiology. But from the viewpoint of disaster risk managers, data are needed on all hazards in a specific region and on the exposure and vulnerability of population, infrastructure, and economic resources and activity. Such managers also need to understand how hazards, exposures, and vulnerabilities may interact, and human and environmental systems respond, to hazard events, as in the case of the Fukushima nuclear disaster that followed from the Sendai earthquake and tsunami. In this regard, geospatial tools that enable visualization and analysis of both Earth and social science data can support the use case of disaster risk managers who need to quickly assess where specific hazard events occur relative to population and critical infrastructure. Such information can help them assess the potential severity of actual or predicted hazard events, identify population centers or key infrastructure at risk, and visualize hazard dynamics, e.g., earthquakes and their aftershocks or the paths of severe storms. This can then inform efforts to mitigate risks across multiple hazards, including reducing exposure and vulnerability, strengthening system resiliency, improving disaster response mechanisms, and targeting mitigation resources to the highest or most critical risks. We report here on initial efforts to develop hazard mapping tools that draw on open web services and support simple spatial queries about population exposure. The NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) Hazards Mapper, a web-based mapping tool, enables users to estimate population living in areas subject to flood or tornado warnings, near recent earthquakes, or around critical infrastructure. The HazPop mobile app, implemented for iOS devices, utilizes location services to support disaster risk managers working in field conditions.

Tool kit development to refine and visualize essential climate data and information for marine protected areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cecil, L.; Stachniewicz, J.; Shein, K. A.; Ansari, S.; Jarvis, C.

2013-05-01

Marine ecosystem responses to climate variability and change such as changing water temperature, water chemistry (e.g., pH, salinity), water level, or storminess may result in adverse impacts including mass mortality, loss of habitat, increased disease susceptibility, and trophic cascade feedbacks. Unfortunately, while marine ecosystem resource managers are aware of these threats, they often lack sufficient expertise with identifying, accessing and using the many large and complex climate data products that would inform ecosystem-scale climate impact assessments. NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) has been working with the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Climate Center to enhance and expand the functionality of NCDC's Weather and Climate Toolkit (WCT) to begin to address this limitation. The WCT is a freely available, Java-based user interface (http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/wct/) designed to access, analyze, and display a variety of NCDC's georeferenced climate data products (e.g., satellite data, radar, reanalysis datasets, in-situ observations). However, the WCT requires the user to have already identified a data set of interest and gained access to it. This can limit its utility by users who are not knowledgeable about which data sets are relevant to their needs and where those data sets can be found. The Integrated Marine Protected Area Climate Tools (IMPACT) prototype modification to the WCT addresses those requirements through an iterative process between climate scientists and resource managers. The WCT-IMPACT prototype couples a user query approach with a quasi-expert system that determines, retrieves, and loads the appropriate data products for visualization and analysis by the user. Relevant data products are identified based on the environmental variables in which ecosystem managers have indicated an importance to their ecosystems. To improve response time, the user, through the WCT-IMPACT interface, crops (or subsets) the larger gridded data products, such as NOAA's satellite Climate Data Records to the geographic boundaries of each included marine protected area (MPA). These clipped data sets are processed to produce MPA-specific analytics (e.g., files for averages, extremes, peaks over threshold, etc). Once a specific MPA has been selected, the associated data may be visualized, analyzed, and exported to other formats (e.g., netCDF, KML) from within the tool. The WCT-IMPACT tool kit will provide marine ecosystem managers with the capacity to answer such questions as what was the climate like during periods of optimal ecological health, or have climate conditions changed equally across an ecosystem's domain? The WCT-IMPACT extension is being developed specifically to address the needs of marine ecosystem managers to have access to relevant climate data and information for developing ecosystem-scale climate assessments, while retaining the ability for a WCT user to identify and access the full suite of georeferenced climate data provided by NCDC. In this tool kit development scheme, the need to coordinate with the resource managers is paramount and end user participation in an iterative process with the climate scientists is essential.

Non-IgE-mediated gastrointestinal food allergies.

PubMed

Biermé, Priscille; Nowak-Wegrzyn, Anna; Caubet, Jean-Christoph

2017-12-01

We focus on recent advances regarding the epidemiology, physiopathology, diagnosis and managements of non-IgE-mediated gastrointestinal food allergies (non-IgE-GI-FAs), particularly food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES). The first international FPIES diagnostic and management guidelines have been recently published. Although FPIES largely remains a diagnosis of exclusion, it may be more prevalent than previously thought. Ondansetron has emerged as a major tool for the treatment of FPIES acute reactions. Recent data also suggest an important role for innate immune cells in FPIES pathogenesis. Despite major advances in the diagnosis and management of non-IgE-GI-FAs, particularly FPIES, the lack of specific diagnostic tests and biomarkers to guide clinical management remains challenging.

S&T converging trends in dealing with disaster: A review on AI tools

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

Hasan, Abu Bakar, E-mail: abakarh@usim.edu.my; Isa, Mohd Hafez Mohd.

Science and Technology (S&T) has been able to help mankind to solve or minimize problems when arise. Different methodologies, techniques and tools were developed or used for specific cases by researchers, engineers, scientists throughout the world, and numerous papers and articles have been written by them. Nine selected cases such as flash flood, earthquakes, workplace accident, fault in aircraft industry, seismic vulnerability, disaster mitigation and management, and early fault detection in nuclear industry have been studied. This paper looked at those cases, and their results showed nearly 60% uses artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool. This paper also did somemore » review that will help young researchers in deciding the types of AI tools to be selected; thus proving the future trends in S&T.« less

S&T converging trends in dealing with disaster: A review on AI tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, Abu Bakar; Isa, Mohd. Hafez Mohd.

2016-01-01

Science and Technology (S&T) has been able to help mankind to solve or minimize problems when arise. Different methodologies, techniques and tools were developed or used for specific cases by researchers, engineers, scientists throughout the world, and numerous papers and articles have been written by them. Nine selected cases such as flash flood, earthquakes, workplace accident, fault in aircraft industry, seismic vulnerability, disaster mitigation and management, and early fault detection in nuclear industry have been studied. This paper looked at those cases, and their results showed nearly 60% uses artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool. This paper also did some review that will help young researchers in deciding the types of AI tools to be selected; thus proving the future trends in S&T.

Western land managers will need all available tools for adapting to climate change, including grazing: a critique of Beschta et al.

PubMed

Svejcar, Tony; Boyd, Chad; Davies, Kirk; Madsen, Matthew; Bates, Jon; Sheley, Roger; Marlow, Clayton; Bohnert, David; Borman, Mike; Mata-Gonzàlez, Ricardo; Buckhouse, John; Stringham, Tamzen; Perryman, Barry; Swanson, Sherman; Tate, Kenneth; George, Mel; Ruyle, George; Roundy, Bruce; Call, Chris; Jensen, Kevin; Launchbaugh, Karen; Gearhart, Amanda; Vermeire, Lance; Tanaka, John; Derner, Justin; Frasier, Gary; Havstad, Kris

2014-06-01

In a previous article, Beschta et al. (Environ Manag 51(2):474-491, 2013) argue that grazing by large ungulates (both native and domestic) should be eliminated or greatly reduced on western public lands to reduce potential climate change impacts. The authors did not present a balanced synthesis of the scientific literature, and their publication is more of an opinion article. Their conclusions do not reflect the complexities associated with herbivore grazing. Because grazing is a complex ecological process, synthesis of the scientific literature can be a challenge. Legacy effects of uncontrolled grazing during the homestead era further complicate analysis of current grazing impacts. Interactions of climate change and grazing will depend on the specific situation. For example, increasing atmospheric CO₂ and temperatures may increase accumulation of fine fuels (primarily grasses) and thus increase wildfire risk. Prescribed grazing by livestock is one of the few management tools available for reducing fine fuel accumulation. While there are certainly points on the landscape where herbivore impacts can be identified, there are also vast grazed areas where impacts are minimal. Broad scale reduction of domestic and wild herbivores to help native plant communities cope with climate change will be unnecessary because over the past 20-50 years land managers have actively sought to bring populations of native and domestic herbivores in balance with the potential of vegetation and soils. To cope with a changing climate, land managers will need access to all available vegetation management tools, including grazing.

Generating community-built tools for data sharing and analysis in environmental networks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Read, Jordan S.; Gries, Corinna; Read, Emily K.; Klug, Jennifer; Hanson, Paul C.; Hipsey, Matthew R.; Jennings, Eleanor; O'Reilley, Catherine; Winslow, Luke A.; Pierson, Don; McBride, Christopher G.; Hamilton, David

2016-01-01

Rapid data growth in many environmental sectors has necessitated tools to manage and analyze these data. The development of tools often lags behind the proliferation of data, however, which may slow exploratory opportunities and scientific progress. The Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) collaborative model supports an efficient and comprehensive data–analysis–insight life cycle, including implementations of data quality control checks, statistical calculations/derivations, models, and data visualizations. These tools are community-built and openly shared. We discuss the network structure that enables tool development and a culture of sharing, leading to optimized output from limited resources. Specifically, data sharing and a flat collaborative structure encourage the development of tools that enable scientific insights from these data. Here we provide a cross-section of scientific advances derived from global-scale analyses in GLEON. We document enhancements to science capabilities made possible by the development of analytical tools and highlight opportunities to expand this framework to benefit other environmental networks.

Comparison of BrainTool to other UML modeling and model transformation tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikiforova, Oksana; Gusarovs, Konstantins

2017-07-01

In the last 30 years there were numerous model generated software systems offered targeting problems with the development productivity and the resulting software quality. CASE tools developed due today's date are being advertised as having "complete code-generation capabilities". Nowadays the Object Management Group (OMG) is calling similar arguments in regards to the Unified Modeling Language (UML) models at different levels of abstraction. It is being said that software development automation using CASE tools enables significant level of automation. Actual today's CASE tools are usually offering a combination of several features starting with a model editor and a model repository for a traditional ones and ending with code generator (that could be using a scripting or domain-specific (DSL) language), transformation tool to produce the new artifacts from the manually created and transformation definition editor to define new transformations for the most advanced ones. Present paper contains the results of CASE tool (mainly UML editors) comparison against the level of the automation they are offering.

Kinect, a Novel Cutting Edge Tool in Pavement Data Collection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahmoudzadeh, A.; Firoozi Yeganeh, S.; Golroo, A.

2015-12-01

Pavement roughness and surface distress detection is of interest of decision makers due to vehicle safety, user satisfaction, and cost saving. Data collection, as a core of pavement management systems, is required for these detections. There are two major types of data collection: traditional/manual data collection and automated/semi-automated data collection. This paper study different non-destructive tools in detecting cracks and potholes. For this purpose, automated data collection tools, which have been utilized recently are discussed and their applications are criticized. The main issue is the significant amount of money as a capital investment needed to buy the vehicle. The main scope of this paper is to study the approach and related tools that not only are cost-effective but also precise and accurate. The new sensor called Kinect has all of these specifications. It can capture both RGB images and depth which are of significant use in measuring cracks and potholes. This sensor is able to take image of surfaces with adequate resolution to detect cracks along with measurement of distance between sensor and obstacles in front of it which results in depth of defects. This technology has been very recently studied by few researchers in different fields of studies such as project management, biomedical engineering, etc. Pavement management has not paid enough attention to use of Kinect in monitoring and detecting distresses. This paper is aimed at providing a thorough literature review on usage of Kinect in pavement management and finally proposing the best approach which is cost-effective and precise.

Tools assessing nurse manager behaviours and RN job satisfaction: a review of the literature.

PubMed

Feather, Rebecca

2015-09-01

To determine the state of the science in relation to registered nurse (RN) perceptions of nurse manager behaviours that influence registered nurse job satisfaction. Nurse managers have been related by research to the job satisfaction of their staff. However, little is known about how nurses perceive the behaviours of nurse managers as influencing their job satisfaction. A literature search was conducted to identify journal articles that included studies involving instruments of nurse manager behaviours and staff nurse job satisfaction levels. The literature shows a lack of consistency in the definitions of job satisfaction, instrumentation for measurement and conclusions that identify specific management behaviours effective for high levels of job satisfaction of RNs related to staff nurse perceptions. Studies include important aspects of what shapes a healthy work environment for nurses, but no single study identified specific nurse manager behaviours based solely on the perceptions of staff nurses and their job satisfaction. The perceptions of staff nurses are important for hospital administrators and nurse managers in order to know how to improve satisfaction and reduce turnover. Instruments developed based on manager beliefs may not provide data needed to influence a change in management behaviours that results in improved job satisfaction. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[From complexity to simplification: contribution of the EPM Research Unit to producing a toolkit for risk assessment and management of biomechanical overload and WMSDs prevention].

PubMed

Occhipinti, E; Colombini, Daniela

2011-01-01

When studying musculoskeletal disorders and their connection with working conditions (WMSDs), several factors of different nature (mechanical, organizational, psychophysical, individual) and their interrelationship have been considered important in general models for epidemiologic surveys and risk assessment and management. Hence the necessity of a "holistic" (that is to say complex, global, multifactorial and interdisciplinary) approach to MSD prevention, especially when establishing technical norms, guidelines and strategic plans of action at national or international level. On the other hand, considering the widespread presence of these factors and WMSDs in many working contexts, there is a great demand by OSH agencies and operators to develop "simple" tools for risk assessment and management, usable also by non-experts in both developed and developing countries. Both these needs are perfectly justified but are also to a certain extent in conflict. How can we address the problem, i.e., simplify complexity? METHODS AND CRITERIA: The proposals are based on two essential criteria: 1) Act on a step-by-step approach using basic tools first and more complex tools only when necessary. 2) Take into account the complexity and the presence of multiple influencing factors at every step (even if with different degrees of in-depth analysis). The proposals are mainly developed within the framework of an IEA-WHO collaboration initiative for a "Toolkit for MSD prevention" but they are also derived from other converging issues (i.e. ISO application document of LSO series 11228 on manual handling). The proposals consider: 1) A Basic Step devoted to preliminary occupational hazard identification and priority check by operative "key enter" questions (at this step all potential hazards--including those influencing WMSDs--should be considered). This step also can be carried out by non-experts with limited training. 2) First Step, focused on WMSDs risk factors, consisting of a "quick assessment" and mainly addressed to identifying 3 possible conditions: acceptable/no consequences; high risk present/redesign urgently needed; a more detailed analysis (via tools proposed in second step) is necessary. This step can also be carried out by non-experts with only limited training. 3) Second Step, where recognized tools (i.e. from international standards or guidelines) for risk (of WMSDs) estimation are used as a consequence of the first step outcome. Examples of such tools are "adaptations" of the Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation, Liberty Mutual Psychophysical Tables, OCRA Checklist, etc. These tools should be able to adequately take account of most of the influencing factors. For some particular working sectors (i.e. agriculture) these tools need to be specifically adapted. For particular working sectors a database could be envisaged where the most common tasks (with their "variants") are "intrinsically" evaluated by experts and could provide non-experts with the relevant knowledge to be applied to the specific work context. This step can be carried out only by persons with some sort of specific training.

Identifying Cost-Effective Water Resources Management Strategies: Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool (WMOST)

EPA Science Inventory

The Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool (WMOST) is a public-domain software application designed to aid decision makers with integrated water resources management. The tool allows water resource managers and planners to screen a wide-range of management practices for c...

White Paper on the Use of Team Calendars with the JIRA Issue Tracking System and Confluence Collaboration Tools for the xLPR Project

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

Klasky, Hilda B.; Williams, Paul T.; Bass, Bennett Richard

ORNL was tasked by xLPR project management to propose a team calendar for use within the xLPR consortium. Among various options that were considered, the approach judged by ORNL to best fit the needs of the xLPR project is presented in this document. The Atlassian Team Calendars plug-in used with the Confluence collaboration tool was recommended for several reasons, including the advantage that it provides for a tight integration between Confluence (found at https://xlpr.ornl.gov/wiki ) and xLPR s JIRA issue tracking system (found at https://xlpr.ornl.gov/jira ). This document is divided into two parts. The first part (Sections 1-6) consists ofmore » the white paper, which highlights some of the ways that Team Calendars can improve com mun ication between xLPR project managers, group leads, and team members when JIRA is applied for both issue tracking and change-management activities. Specific points emphasized herein are as follows: The Team Calendar application greatly enhances the added value that the JIRA and Confluence tools bring to the xLPR Project. The Team Calendar can improve com mun ication between xLPR project managers, group leads, and team members when JIRA is applied for both issue tracking and change-management activities. The Team Calendar works across different email tools such as Outlook 2011, Outlook 2010, Outlook 2007, Google Calendars and Mac s iCalendar to name a few. xLPR users can now access the wiki Confluence (with embedded Team Calendars) directly from JIRA without having to re-validate their login. The second part consists of an Annex (Section 7), which describes how users can subscribe to Team Calendars from different calendar applications. Specific instructions are given in the Annex that describe how to Import xLPR Team Calendar to Outlook Version Office 2010 Import xLPR Team Calendar to Outlook Version Office 2007 Subscribe to Team Calendar from Google Calendar The reader is directed to Section 4 for instructions on adding events to the Team Calendar or accessing ORNL staff for assistance with such additions. To seek help with your questions and problems regarding the content of this document, please contact Hilda Klasky at klaskyhb@ornl.gov« less

Enhancing compliance at Department of Defense facilities: comparison of three environmental audit tools.

PubMed

Hepler, Jeff A; Neumann, Cathy

2003-04-01

To enhance environmental compliance, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) recently developed and implemented a standardized environmental audit tool called The Environmental Assessment and Management (TEAM) Guide. Utilization of a common audit tool (TEAM Guide) throughout DOD agencies could be an effective agent of positive change. If, however, the audit tool is inappropriate, environmental compliance at DOD facilities could worsen. Furthermore, existing audit systems such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (U.S. EPA's) Generic Protocol for Conducting Environmental Audits of Federal Facilities and the International Organization for Standardization's (ISO's) Standard 14001, "Environmental Management System Audits," may be abandoned even if they offer significant advantages over TEAM Guide audit tool. Widespread use of TEAM Guide should not take place until thorough and independent evaluation has been performed. The purpose of this paper is to compare DOD's TEAM Guide audit tool with U.S. EPA's Generic Protocol for Conducting Environmental Audits of Federal Facilities and ISO 14001, in order to assess which is most appropriate and effective for DOD facilities, and in particular those operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). USACE was selected as a result of one author's recent experience as a district environmental compliance coordinator responsible for the audit mission at this agency. Specific recommendations for enhancing the quality of environmental audits at all DOD facilities also are given.

Cloud-Based Orchestration of a Model-Based Power and Data Analysis Toolchain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Post, Ethan; Cole, Bjorn; Dinkel, Kevin; Kim, Hongman; Lee, Erich; Nairouz, Bassem

2016-01-01

The proposed Europa Mission concept contains many engineering and scientific instruments that consume varying amounts of power and produce varying amounts of data throughout the mission. System-level power and data usage must be well understood and analyzed to verify design requirements. Numerous cross-disciplinary tools and analysis models are used to simulate the system-level spacecraft power and data behavior. This paper addresses the problem of orchestrating a consistent set of models, tools, and data in a unified analysis toolchain when ownership is distributed among numerous domain experts. An analysis and simulation environment was developed as a way to manage the complexity of the power and data analysis toolchain and to reduce the simulation turnaround time. A system model data repository is used as the trusted store of high-level inputs and results while other remote servers are used for archival of larger data sets and for analysis tool execution. Simulation data passes through numerous domain-specific analysis tools and end-to-end simulation execution is enabled through a web-based tool. The use of a cloud-based service facilitates coordination among distributed developers and enables scalable computation and storage needs, and ensures a consistent execution environment. Configuration management is emphasized to maintain traceability between current and historical simulation runs and their corresponding versions of models, tools and data.

A review of Integrated Vehicle Health Management tools for legacy platforms: Challenges and opportunities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esperon-Miguez, Manuel; John, Philip; Jennions, Ian K.

2013-01-01

Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) comprises a set of tools, technologies and techniques for automated detection, diagnosis and prognosis of faults in order to support platforms more efficiently. Specific challenges are faced when IVHM tools are to be retrofitted into legacy vehicles since major modifications are much more challenging than with platforms whose design can still be modified. The topics covered in this Review Paper include the state of the art of IVHM tools and how their characteristics match the requirements of legacy aircraft, a summary of problems faced in the past trying to retrofit IVHM tools both from a technical and organisational perspective and the current level of implementation of IVHM in industry. Although the technology has not reached the level necessary to implement IVHM to its full potential on every kind of component, significant progress has been achieved on rotating equipment, structures or electronics. Attempts to retrofit some of these tools in the past faced both technical difficulties and opposition by some stakeholders, the later being responsible for the failure of technically sound projects in more than one occasion. Nevertheless, despite these difficulties, products and services based on IVHM technology have started to be offered by the manufacturers and, what is more important, demanded by the operators, providing guidance on what the industry would demand from IVHM on legacy aircraft.

Using resistance and resilience concepts to reduce impacts of annual grasses and altered fire regimes on the sagebrush ecosystem and sage-grouse- A strategic multi-scale approach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chambers, Jeanne C.; Pyke, David A.; Maestas, Jeremy D.; Boyd, Chad S.; Campbell, Steve; Espinosa, Shawn; Havlina, Doug; Mayer, Kenneth F.; Wuenschel, Amarina

2014-01-01

This Report provides a strategic approach for conservation of sagebrush ecosystems and Greater Sage- Grouse (sage-grouse) that focuses specifically on habitat threats caused by invasive annual grasses and altered fire regimes. It uses information on factors that influence (1) sagebrush ecosystem resilience to disturbance and resistance to invasive annual grasses and (2) distribution, relative abundance, and persistence of sage-grouse populations to develop management strategies at both landscape and site scales. A sage-grouse habitat matrix links relative resilience and resistance of sagebrush ecosystems with sage-grouse habitat requirements for landscape cover of sagebrush to help decision makers assess risks and determine appropriate management strategies at landscape scales. Focal areas for management are assessed by overlaying matrix components with sage-grouse Priority Areas for Conservation (PACs), breeding bird densities, and specific habitat threats. Decision tools are discussed for determining the suitability of focal areas for treatment and the most appropriate management treatments.

Integrating GIS, Archeology, and the Internet.

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

Sera White; Brenda Ringe Pace; Randy Lee

2004-08-01

At the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory's (INEEL) Cultural Resource Management Office, a newly developed Data Management Tool (DMT) is improving management and long-term stewardship of cultural resources. The fully integrated system links an archaeological database, a historical database, and a research database to spatial data through a customized user interface using ArcIMS and Active Server Pages. Components of the new DMT are tailored specifically to the INEEL and include automated data entry forms for historic and prehistoric archaeological sites, specialized queries and reports that address both yearly and project-specific documentation requirements, and unique field recording forms. The predictivemore » modeling component increases the DMT’s value for land use planning and long-term stewardship. The DMT enhances the efficiency of archive searches, improving customer service, oversight, and management of the large INEEL cultural resource inventory. In the future, the DMT will facilitate data sharing with regulatory agencies, tribal organizations, and the general public.« less

Intelligent systems and advanced user interfaces for design, operation, and maintenance of command management systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Potter, William J.; Mitchell, Christine M.

1993-01-01

Historically, command management systems (CMS) have been large and expensive spacecraft-specific software systems that were costly to build, operate, and maintain. Current and emerging hardware, software, and user interface technologies may offer an opportunity to facilitate the initial formulation and design of a spacecraft-specific CMS as well as to develop a more generic CMS system. New technologies, in addition to a core CMS common to a range of spacecraft, may facilitate the training and enhance the efficiency of CMS operations. Current mission operations center (MOC) hardware and software include Unix workstations, the C/C++ programming languages, and an X window interface. This configuration provides the power and flexibility to support sophisticated and intelligent user interfaces that exploit state-of-the-art technologies in human-machine interaction, artificial intelligence, and software engineering. One of the goals of this research is to explore the extent to which technologies developed in the research laboratory can be productively applied in a complex system such as spacecraft command management. Initial examination of some of these issues in CMS design and operation suggests that application of technologies such as intelligent planning, case-based reasoning, human-machine systems design and analysis tools (e.g., operator and designer models), and human-computer interaction tools (e.g., graphics, visualization, and animation) may provide significant savings in the design, operation, and maintenance of the CMS for a specific spacecraft as well as continuity for CMS design and development across spacecraft. The first six months of this research saw a broad investigation by Georgia Tech researchers into the function, design, and operation of current and planned command management systems at Goddard Space Flight Center. As the first step, the researchers attempted to understand the current and anticipated horizons of command management systems at Goddard. Preliminary results are given on CMS commonalities and causes of low re-use, and methods are proposed to facilitate increased re-use.

Healthcare cost savings estimator tool for chronic disease self-management program: a new tool for program administrators and decision makers.

PubMed

Ahn, SangNam; Smith, Matthew Lee; Altpeter, Mary; Post, Lindsey; Ory, Marcia G

2015-01-01

Chronic disease self-management education (CDSME) programs have been delivered to more than 100,000 older Americans with chronic conditions. As one of the Stanford suite of evidence-based CDSME programs, the chronic disease self-management program (CDSMP) has been disseminated in diverse populations and settings. The objective of this paper is to introduce a practical, universally applicable tool to assist program administrators and decision makers plan implementation efforts and make the case for continued program delivery. This tool was developed utilizing data from a recent National Study of CDSMP to estimate national savings associated with program participation. Potential annual healthcare savings per CDSMP participant were calculated based on averted emergency room visits and hospitalizations. While national data can be utilized to estimate cost savings, the tool has built-in features allowing users to tailor calculations based on their site-specific data. Building upon the National Study of CDSMP's documented potential savings of $3.3 billion in healthcare costs by reaching 5% of adults with one or more chronic conditions, two heuristic case examples were also explored based on different population projections. The case examples show how a small county and large metropolitan city were not only able to estimate healthcare savings ($38,803 for the small county; $732,290 for the large metropolitan city) for their existing participant populations but also to project significant healthcare savings if they plan to reach higher proportions of middle-aged and older adults. Having a tool to demonstrate the monetary value of CDSMP can contribute to the ongoing dissemination and sustainability of such community-based interventions. Next steps will be creating a user-friendly, internet-based version of Healthcare Cost Savings Estimator Tool: CDSMP, followed by broadening the tool to consider cost savings for other evidence-based programs.

Validation of Predictors of Fall Events in Hospitalized Patients With Cancer.

PubMed

Weed-Pfaff, Samantha H; Nutter, Benjamin; Bena, James F; Forney, Jennifer; Field, Rosemary; Szoka, Lynn; Karius, Diana; Akins, Patti; Colvin, Christina M; Albert, Nancy M

2016-10-01

A seven-item cancer-specific fall risk tool (Cleveland Clinic Capone-Albert [CC-CA] Fall Risk Score) was shown to have a strong concordance index for predicting falls; however, validation of the model is needed. The aims of this study were to validate that the CC-CA Fall Risk Score, made up of six factors, predicts falls in patients with cancer and to determine if the CC-CA Fall Risk Score performs better than the Morse Fall Tool. Using a prospective, comparative methodology, data were collected from electronic health records of patients hospitalized for cancer care in four hospitals. Risk factors from each tool were recorded, when applicable. Multivariable models were created to predict the probability of a fall. A concordance index for each fall tool was calculated. The CC-CA Fall Risk Score provided higher discrimination than the Morse Fall Tool in predicting fall events in patients hospitalized for cancer management.

MO-E-9A-01: Risk Based Quality Management: TG100 In Action

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

Huq, M; Palta, J; Dunscombe, P

2014-06-15

One of the goals of quality management in radiation therapy is to gain high confidence that patients will receive the prescribed treatment correctly. To accomplish these goals professional societies such as the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) has published many quality assurance (QA), quality control (QC), and quality management (QM) guidance documents. In general, the recommendations provided in these documents have emphasized on performing device-specific QA at the expense of process flow and protection of the patient against catastrophic errors. Analyses of radiation therapy incidents find that they are most often caused by flaws in the overall therapymore » process, from initial consult through final treatment, than by isolated hardware or computer failures detectable by traditional physics QA. This challenge is shared by many intrinsically hazardous industries. Risk assessment tools and analysis techniques have been developed to define, identify, and eliminate known and/or potential failures, problems, or errors, from a system, process and/or service before they reach the customer. These include, but are not limited to, process mapping, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), fault tree analysis (FTA), and establishment of a quality management program that best avoids the faults and risks that have been identified in the overall process. These tools can be easily adapted to radiation therapy practices because of their simplicity and effectiveness to provide efficient ways to enhance the safety and quality of treatment processes. Task group 100 (TG100) of AAPM has developed a risk-based quality management program that uses these tools. This session will be devoted to a discussion of these tools and how these tools can be used in a given radiotherapy clinic to develop a risk based QM program. Learning Objectives: Learn how to design a process map for a radiotherapy process. Learn how to perform a FMEA analysis for a given process. Learn what Fault tree analysis is all about. Learn how to design a quality management program based upon the information obtained from process mapping, FMEA and FTA.« less

Integrated Systems Health Management (ISHM) Toolkit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Venkatesh, Meera; Kapadia, Ravi; Walker, Mark; Wilkins, Kim

2013-01-01

A framework of software components has been implemented to facilitate the development of ISHM systems according to a methodology based on Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM). This framework is collectively referred to as the Toolkit and was developed using General Atomics' Health MAP (TM) technology. The toolkit is intended to provide assistance to software developers of mission-critical system health monitoring applications in the specification, implementation, configuration, and deployment of such applications. In addition to software tools designed to facilitate these objectives, the toolkit also provides direction to software developers in accordance with an ISHM specification and development methodology. The development tools are based on an RCM approach for the development of ISHM systems. This approach focuses on defining, detecting, and predicting the likelihood of system functional failures and their undesirable consequences.

Cardiac imaging: working towards fully-automated machine analysis & interpretation

PubMed Central

Slomka, Piotr J; Dey, Damini; Sitek, Arkadiusz; Motwani, Manish; Berman, Daniel S; Germano, Guido

2017-01-01

Introduction Non-invasive imaging plays a critical role in managing patients with cardiovascular disease. Although subjective visual interpretation remains the clinical mainstay, quantitative analysis facilitates objective, evidence-based management, and advances in clinical research. This has driven developments in computing and software tools aimed at achieving fully automated image processing and quantitative analysis. In parallel, machine learning techniques have been used to rapidly integrate large amounts of clinical and quantitative imaging data to provide highly personalized individual patient-based conclusions. Areas covered This review summarizes recent advances in automated quantitative imaging in cardiology and describes the latest techniques which incorporate machine learning principles. The review focuses on the cardiac imaging techniques which are in wide clinical use. It also discusses key issues and obstacles for these tools to become utilized in mainstream clinical practice. Expert commentary Fully-automated processing and high-level computer interpretation of cardiac imaging are becoming a reality. Application of machine learning to the vast amounts of quantitative data generated per scan and integration with clinical data also facilitates a move to more patient-specific interpretation. These developments are unlikely to replace interpreting physicians but will provide them with highly accurate tools to detect disease, risk-stratify, and optimize patient-specific treatment. However, with each technological advance, we move further from human dependence and closer to fully-automated machine interpretation. PMID:28277804

Adapting California’s ecosystems to a changing climate

USGS Publications Warehouse

Elizabeth Chornesky,; David Ackerly,; Paul Beier,; Frank Davis,; Flint, Lorraine E.; Lawler, Joshua J.; Moyle, Peter B.; Moritz, Max A.; Scoonover, Mary; Byrd, Kristin B.; Alvarez, Pelayo; Heller, Nicole E.; Micheli, Elisabeth; Weiss, Stuart

2017-01-01

Significant efforts are underway to translate improved understanding of how climate change is altering ecosystems into practical actions for sustaining ecosystem functions and benefits. We explore this transition in California, where adaptation and mitigation are advancing relatively rapidly, through four case studies that span large spatial domains and encompass diverse ecological systems, institutions, ownerships, and policies. The case studies demonstrate the context specificity of societal efforts to adapt ecosystems to climate change and involve applications of diverse scientific tools (e.g., scenario analyses, downscaled climate projections, ecological and connectivity models) tailored to specific planning and management situations (alternative energy siting, wetland management, rangeland management, open space planning). They illustrate how existing institutional and policy frameworks provide numerous opportunities to advance adaptation related to ecosystems and suggest that progress is likely to be greatest when scientific knowledge is integrated into collective planning and when supportive policies and financing enable action.

'Knowing where I am': self-monitoring of blood glucose in diabetes.

PubMed

Meetoo, Danny; Wong, Louise; Fatani, Tughreed

2018-05-24

Although the prevalence of all types of chronic conditions is increasing, diabetes is one of the few long-term metabolic disorders that individuals can successfully manage, monitor and control on a day-to-day basis. Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is considered an essential component of diabetes self-care management. When used appropriately, SMBG can help to identify factors associated with hyper- and hypoglycaemia, facilitate learning, and empower people with diabetes to make changes to improve their glycaemic control. SMBG can be a useful tool for healthcare providers, who can teach individuals to monitor glucose at specific times to assess the effectiveness of medications and guide medication management. However, there is an ongoing debate regarding whether, as is the case with type 1 diabetes, all people with type 2 diabetes should also be given the opportunity to learn about the value of, and skills required to, monitor blood glucose as appropriate to their specific needs.

The levels of edit, second edition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanburen, R.; Buehler, M. F.

1980-01-01

The editorial process is analyzed, and five levels of edit are identified. These levels represent cumulative combinations of nine types of edit: Coordination, Policy, Integrity, Screening, Copy Clarification, Format, Mechanical Style, Language, and Substantive. The levels and types of edit, although developed for specific use with external reports at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, cover the general range of technical editing, especially as it applies to an in-house technical publications organization. Each type of edit is set forth in terms of groups of actions to be performed by editor. The edit-level concept has enhanced understanding and communication among editors, authors, and publications managers concerning the specific editorial work to be done on each manuscript. It has also proved useful as a management tool for estimating and monitoring cost.

Recommendations and Improvements for the Evaluation of Integrated Community-Wide Interventions Approaches.

PubMed

van Koperen, Tessa M; Renders, Carry M; Spierings, Eline J M; Hendriks, Anna-Marie; Westerman, Marjan J; Seidell, Jacob C; Schuit, Albertine J

2016-01-01

Background . Integrated community-wide intervention approaches (ICIAs) are implemented to prevent childhood obesity. Programme evaluation improves these ICIAs, but professionals involved often struggle with performance. Evaluation tools have been developed to support Dutch professionals involved in ICIAs. It is unclear how useful these tools are to intended users. We therefore researched the facilitators of and barriers to ICIA programme evaluation as perceived by professionals and their experiences of the evaluation tools. Methods . Focus groups and interviews with 33 public health professionals. Data were analysed using a thematic content approach. Findings . Evaluation is hampered by insufficient time, budget, and experience with ICIAs, lack of leadership, and limited advocacy for evaluation. Epidemiologists are regarded as responsible for evaluation but feel incompetent to perform evaluation or advocate its need in a political environment. Managers did not prioritise process evaluations, involvement of stakeholders, and capacity building. The evaluation tools are perceived as valuable but too comprehensive considering limited resources. Conclusion . Evaluating ICIAs is important but most professionals are unfamiliar with it and management does not prioritise process evaluation nor incentivize professionals to evaluate. To optimise programme evaluation, more resources and coaching are required to improve professionals' evaluation capabilities and specifically the use of evaluation.

Recommendations and Improvements for the Evaluation of Integrated Community-Wide Interventions Approaches

PubMed Central

Spierings, Eline J. M.; Westerman, Marjan J.; Seidell, Jacob C.; Schuit, Albertine J.

2016-01-01

Background. Integrated community-wide intervention approaches (ICIAs) are implemented to prevent childhood obesity. Programme evaluation improves these ICIAs, but professionals involved often struggle with performance. Evaluation tools have been developed to support Dutch professionals involved in ICIAs. It is unclear how useful these tools are to intended users. We therefore researched the facilitators of and barriers to ICIA programme evaluation as perceived by professionals and their experiences of the evaluation tools. Methods. Focus groups and interviews with 33 public health professionals. Data were analysed using a thematic content approach. Findings. Evaluation is hampered by insufficient time, budget, and experience with ICIAs, lack of leadership, and limited advocacy for evaluation. Epidemiologists are regarded as responsible for evaluation but feel incompetent to perform evaluation or advocate its need in a political environment. Managers did not prioritise process evaluations, involvement of stakeholders, and capacity building. The evaluation tools are perceived as valuable but too comprehensive considering limited resources. Conclusion. Evaluating ICIAs is important but most professionals are unfamiliar with it and management does not prioritise process evaluation nor incentivize professionals to evaluate. To optimise programme evaluation, more resources and coaching are required to improve professionals' evaluation capabilities and specifically the use of evaluation. PMID:28116149

Prostate cancer diagnostics: Clinical challenges and the ongoing need for disruptive and effective diagnostic tools.

PubMed

Sharma, Shikha; Zapatero-Rodríguez, Julia; O'Kennedy, Richard

The increased incidence and the significant health burden associated with carcinoma of the prostate have led to substantial changes in its diagnosis over the past century. Despite technological advancements, the management of prostate cancer has become progressively more complex and controversial for both early and late-stage disease. The limitations and potential harms associated with the use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a diagnostic marker have stimulated significant investigation of numerous novel biomarkers that demonstrate varying capacities to detect prostate cancer and can decrease unnecessary biopsies. However, only a few of these markers have been approved for specific clinical settings while the others have not been adequately validated for use. This review systematically and critically assesses ongoing issues and emerging challenges in the current state of prostate cancer diagnostic tools and the need for disruptive next generation tools based on analysis of combinations of these biomarkers to enhance predictive accuracy which will benefit clinical diagnostics and patient welfare. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Usability test of an internet-based informatics tool for diabetes care providers: the comprehensive diabetes management program.

PubMed

Fonda, Stephanie J; Paulsen, Christine A; Perkins, Joan; Kedziora, Richard J; Rodbard, David; Bursell, Sven-Erik

2008-02-01

Research suggests Internet-based care management tools are associated with improvements in care and patient outcomes. However, although such tools change workflow, rarely is their usability addressed and reported. This article presents a usability study of an Internet-based informatics application called the Comprehensive Diabetes Management Program (CDMP), developed by content experts and technologists. Our aim is to demonstrate a process for conducting a usability study of such a tool and to report results. We conducted the usability test with six diabetes care providers under controlled conditions. Each provider worked with the CDMP in a single session using a "think aloud" process. Providers performed standardized tasks with fictitious patient data, and we observed how they approached these tasks, documenting verbalizations and subjective ratings. The providers then completed a usability questionnaire and interviews. Overall, the scores on the usability questionnaire were neutral to favorable. For specific subdomains of the questionnaire, the providers' reported problems with the application's ease of use, performance, and support features, but were satisfied with its visual appeal and content. The results from the observational and interview data indicated areas for improvement, particularly in navigation and terminology. The usability study identified several issues for improvement, confirming the need for usability testing of Internet-based informatics applications, even those developed by experts. To our knowledge, there have been no other usability studies of an Internet-based informatics application with the functionality of the CDMP. Such studies can form the foundation for translation of Internet-based medical informatics tools into clinical practice.

32 CFR 806b.54 - Information collections, records, and forms or information management tools (IMT).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... information management tools (IMT). 806b.54 Section 806b.54 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued..., records, and forms or information management tools (IMT). (a) Information Collections. No information.../pubfiles/af/37/afman37-139/afman37-139.pdf. (c) Forms or Information Management Tools (Adopted and...

32 CFR 806b.54 - Information collections, records, and forms or information management tools (IMT).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... information management tools (IMT). 806b.54 Section 806b.54 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued..., records, and forms or information management tools (IMT). (a) Information Collections. No information.../pubfiles/af/37/afman37-139/afman37-139.pdf. (c) Forms or Information Management Tools (Adopted and...

32 CFR 806b.54 - Information collections, records, and forms or information management tools (IMT).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... information management tools (IMT). 806b.54 Section 806b.54 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued..., records, and forms or information management tools (IMT). (a) Information Collections. No information.../pubfiles/af/37/afman37-139/afman37-139.pdf. (c) Forms or Information Management Tools (Adopted and...

32 CFR 806b.54 - Information collections, records, and forms or information management tools (IMT).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... information management tools (IMT). 806b.54 Section 806b.54 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued..., records, and forms or information management tools (IMT). (a) Information Collections. No information.../pubfiles/af/37/afman37-139/afman37-139.pdf. (c) Forms or Information Management Tools (Adopted and...

32 CFR 806b.54 - Information collections, records, and forms or information management tools (IMT).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... information management tools (IMT). 806b.54 Section 806b.54 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued..., records, and forms or information management tools (IMT). (a) Information Collections. No information.../pubfiles/af/37/afman37-139/afman37-139.pdf. (c) Forms or Information Management Tools (Adopted and...

The Traffic Management Advisor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nedell, William; Erzberger, Heinz; Neuman, Frank

1990-01-01

The traffic management advisor (TMA) is comprised of algorithms, a graphical interface, and interactive tools for controlling the flow of air traffic into the terminal area. The primary algorithm incorporated in it is a real-time scheduler which generates efficient landing sequences and landing times for arrivals within about 200 n.m. from touchdown. A unique feature of the TMA is its graphical interface that allows the traffic manager to modify the computer-generated schedules for specific aircraft while allowing the automatic scheduler to continue generating schedules for all other aircraft. The graphical interface also provides convenient methods for monitoring the traffic flow and changing scheduling parameters during real-time operation.

Evaluation of clinical pharmacy interventions in a Veterans Affairs medical center primary care clinic.

PubMed

Hough, Augustus; Vartan, Christine M; Groppi, Julie A; Reyes, Sonia; Beckey, Nick P

2013-07-01

The development of an electronic tool to quantify and characterize the interventions made by clinical pharmacy specialists (CPSs) in a primary care setting is described. An electronic clinical tool was developed to document the clinical pharmacy interventions made by CPSs at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. The tool, embedded into the electronic medical record, utilizes a novel reminder dialogue to complete pharmacotherapy visit encounters and allows CPSs to document interventions made during patient care visits. Interventions are documented using specific electronic health factors so that the type and number of interventions made for both disease-specific and other pharmacotherapy interventions can be tracked. These interventions were assessed and analyzed to evaluate the impact of CPSs in the primary care setting. From February 2011 through January 2012, a total of 16,494 pharmacotherapy interventions (therapeutic changes and goals attained) were recorded. The average numbers of interventions documented per patient encounter were 0.96 for the management of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and heart failure and 1.36 for non-disease-specific interventions, independent of those interventions being made by the primary physician or other members of the primary care team. A clinical reminder tool developed to quantify and characterize the interventions provided by CPSs found that for every visit with a CPS, approximately one disease-specific intervention and one additional pharmacotherapy intervention were made, independent of those interventions being made by the primary physician or other members of the primary care team.

Motivational Interviewing Skills in Health Care Encounters (MISHCE): Development and psychometric testing of an assessment tool.

PubMed

Petrova, Tatjana; Kavookjian, Jan; Madson, Michael B; Dagley, John; Shannon, David; McDonough, Sharon K

2015-01-01

Motivational interviewing (MI) has demonstrated a significant impact as an intervention strategy for addiction management, change in lifestyle behaviors, and adherence to prescribed medication and other treatments. Key elements to studying MI include training in MI of professionals who will use it, assessment of skills acquisition in trainees, and the use of a validated skills assessment tool. The purpose of this research project was to develop a psychometrically valid and reliable tool that has been designed to assess MI skills competence in health care provider trainees. The goal was to develop an assessment tool that would evaluate the acquisition and use of specific MI skills and principles, as well as the quality of the patient-provider therapeutic alliance in brief health care encounters. To address this purpose, specific steps were followed, beginning with a literature review. This review contributed to the development of relevant conceptual and operational definitions, selecting a scaling technique and response format, and methods for analyzing validity and reliability. Internal consistency reliability was established on 88 video recorded interactions. The inter-rater and test-retest reliability were established using randomly selected 18 from the 88 interactions. The assessment tool Motivational Interviewing Skills for Health Care Encounters (MISHCE) and a manual for use of the tool were developed. Validity and reliability of MISHCE were examined. Face and content validity were supported with well-defined conceptual and operational definitions and feedback from an expert panel. Reliability was established through internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, and test-retest reliability. The overall internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha) for all fifteen items was 0.75. MISHCE demonstrated good inter-rater reliability and good to excellent test-retest reliability. MISHCE assesses the health provider's level of knowledge and skills in brief disease management encounters. MISHCE also evaluates quality of the patient-provider therapeutic alliance, i.e., the "flow" of the interaction. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Software engineering and Ada in design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oneill, Don

1986-01-01

Modern software engineering promises significant reductions in software costs and improvements in software quality. The Ada language is the focus for these software methodology and tool improvements. The IBM FSD approach, including the software engineering practices that guide the systematic design and development of software products and the management of the software process are examined. The revised Ada design language adaptation is revealed. This four level design methodology is detailed including the purpose of each level, the management strategy that integrates the software design activity with the program milestones, and the technical strategy that maps the Ada constructs to each level of design. A complete description of each design level is provided along with specific design language recording guidelines for each level. Finally, some testimony is offered on education, tools, architecture, and metrics resulting from project use of the four level Ada design language adaptation.

Building Skills for the New Economy: A Policymaker's Handbook. Policy Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atkinson, Robert D.

This paper presents specific steps elected officials, program managers, and other policymakers can take to craft a more effective workforce development system intended to give workers the tools they need to succeed in the new economy. First, the new labor market and work systems are discussed. The paper then lays out eight principles for all…

A basic approach to fire injury of tree stems

Treesearch

R. E. Martin

1963-01-01

Fire has come to be widely used as a tool in wildland management, particularly in the South. Its usefulness in fire hazard reduction, removal of undesirable trees, and changing of cover types has been demonstrated. We are continually trying to improve fire use, however, by learning more of the specific effects of fire on different species of plants.

RADC thermal guide for reliability engineers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morrison, G. N.; Kallis, J. M.; Strattan, L. A.; Jones, I. R.; Lena, A. L.

1982-06-01

This guide was developed to provide a reliability engineer, who is not proficient in thermal design and analysis techniques, with the tools for managing and evaluating the thermal design and production of electronic equipment. It defines the requirements and tasks that should be addressed in system equipment specifications and statements of work, and describes how to evaluate performance.

Chapter 10: Fire and nonnative invasive plants in the Northwest Coastal bioregion

Treesearch

Dawn Anzinger; Steven R. Radosevich

2008-01-01

This chapter discusses the relationship between fire (natural and prescribed) and nonnative plant species within major vegetation communities of the Northwest Coastal bioregion, and specifically addresses the role of fire in promoting nonnative species invasions, the effects of nonnative species on fire regimes, and usefulness of fire as a management tool for...

Tropical forests and fragmentation: A case of South Garo Hills, Meghalaya, North East India

Treesearch

Ashish Kumar; Bruce Marcot; Rohitkumar Patel

2017-01-01

This study presents an ecological assessment of tropical forests at stand and landscape levels to provide knowledge, tools and, indicators to evaluate specific diversity patterns and related ecological processes happening in these tropical forest conditions; and for monitoring landscape changes for managing forest and wildlife resources of Jhum (shifting cultivation)...

Evaluation of a Mobile Learning Organiser for University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corlett, Dan; Sharples, Mike; Bull, Susan; Chan, Tony

2005-01-01

This paper describes a 10-month trial of a mobile learning organiser, developed for use by university students. Implemented on a wireless-enabled Pocket PC hand-held computer, the organiser makes use of existing mobile applications as well as tools designed specifically for students to manage their learning. The trial set out to identify the…

Aerial spray technology: possibilities and limitations for control of pear thrips

Treesearch

Karl Mierzejewski

1991-01-01

The feasibility of using aerial application as a means of managing a pear thrips infestation in maple forest stands is examined, based on existing knowledge of forest aerial application acquired from theoretical and empirical studies. Specific strategies by which aerial application should be performed and potential problem areas are discussed. Two new tools, aircraft...

A case study of assigning conservation value to dispersed habitat units for conservation planning

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rohweder, Jason J.; Sara C. Vacek,; Crimmins, Shawn M.; Thogmartin, Wayne E.

2015-01-01

Resource managers are increasingly tasked with developing habitat conservation plans in the face of numerous, sometimes competing, objectives. These plans must often be implemented across dispersed habitat conservation units that may contribute unequally to overall conservation objectives. Using U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service waterfowl production areas (WPA) in western Minnesota as our conservation landscape, we develop a landscape-scale approach for evaluating the conservation value of dispersed habitat conservation units with multiple conservation priorities. We evaluated conservation value based on a suite of variables directly applicable to conservation management practices, thus providing a direct link between conservation actions and outcomes. We developed spatial models specific to each of these conservation objectives and also developed two freely available prioritization tools to implement these analyses. We found that some WPAs provided high conservation value across a range of conservation objectives, suggesting that managing these specific areas would achieve multiple conservation goals. Conversely, other WPAs provided low conservation value for some objectives, suggesting they would be most effectively managed for a distinct set of specific conservation goals. Approaches such as ours provide a direct means of assessing the conservation value of dispersed habitat conservation units and could be useful in the development of habitat management plans, particularly when faced with multiple conservation objectives.

Use of multicriteria analysis (MCA) for sustainable hydropower planning and management.

PubMed

Vassoney, Erica; Mammoliti Mochet, Andrea; Comoglio, Claudio

2017-07-01

Multicriteria analysis (MCA) is a decision-making tool applied to a wide range of environmental management problems, including renewable energy planning and management. An interesting field of application of MCA is the evaluation and analysis of the conflicting aspects of hydropower (HP) exploitation, affecting the three pillars of sustainability and involving several different stakeholders. The present study was aimed at reviewing the state of the art of MCA applications to sustainable hydropower production and related decision-making problems, based on a detailed analysis of the scientific papers published over the last 15 years on this topic. The papers were analysed and compared, focusing on the specific features of the MCA methods applied in the described case studies, highlighting the general aspects of the MCA application (purpose, spatial scale, software used, stakeholders, etc.) and the specific operational/technical features of the selected MCA technique (methodology, criteria, evaluation, approach, sensitivity, etc.). Some specific limitations of the analysed case studies were identified and a set of "quality indexes" of an exhaustive MCA application were suggested as potential improvements for more effectively support decision-making processes in sustainable HP planning and management problems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Towards adaptive and integrated management paradigms to meet the challenges of water governance.

PubMed

Halbe, J; Pahl-Wostl, C; Sendzimir, J; Adamowski, J

2013-01-01

Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) aims at finding practical and sustainable solutions to water resource issues. Research and practice have shown that innovative methods and tools are not sufficient to implement IWRM - the concept needs to also be integrated in prevailing management paradigms and institutions. Water governance science addresses this human dimension by focusing on the analysis of regulatory processes that influence the behavior of actors in water management systems. This paper proposes a new methodology for the integrated analysis of water resources management and governance systems in order to elicit and analyze case-specific management paradigms. It builds on the Management and Transition Framework (MTF) that allows for the examination of structures and processes underlying water management and governance. The new methodology presented in this paper combines participatory modeling and analysis of the governance system by using the MTF to investigate case-specific management paradigms. The linking of participatory modeling and research on complex management and governance systems allows for the transfer of knowledge between scientific, policy, engineering and local communities. In this way, the proposed methodology facilitates assessment and implementation of transformation processes towards IWRM that require also the adoption of adaptive management principles. A case study on flood management in the Tisza River Basin in Hungary is provided to illustrate the application of the proposed methodology.

Biana: a software framework for compiling biological interactions and analyzing networks

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background The analysis and usage of biological data is hindered by the spread of information across multiple repositories and the difficulties posed by different nomenclature systems and storage formats. In particular, there is an important need for data unification in the study and use of protein-protein interactions. Without good integration strategies, it is difficult to analyze the whole set of available data and its properties. Results We introduce BIANA (Biologic Interactions and Network Analysis), a tool for biological information integration and network management. BIANA is a Python framework designed to achieve two major goals: i) the integration of multiple sources of biological information, including biological entities and their relationships, and ii) the management of biological information as a network where entities are nodes and relationships are edges. Moreover, BIANA uses properties of proteins and genes to infer latent biomolecular relationships by transferring edges to entities sharing similar properties. BIANA is also provided as a plugin for Cytoscape, which allows users to visualize and interactively manage the data. A web interface to BIANA providing basic functionalities is also available. The software can be downloaded under GNU GPL license from http://sbi.imim.es/web/BIANA.php. Conclusions BIANA's approach to data unification solves many of the nomenclature issues common to systems dealing with biological data. BIANA can easily be extended to handle new specific data repositories and new specific data types. The unification protocol allows BIANA to be a flexible tool suitable for different user requirements: non-expert users can use a suggested unification protocol while expert users can define their own specific unification rules. PMID:20105306

Biana: a software framework for compiling biological interactions and analyzing networks.

PubMed

Garcia-Garcia, Javier; Guney, Emre; Aragues, Ramon; Planas-Iglesias, Joan; Oliva, Baldo

2010-01-27

The analysis and usage of biological data is hindered by the spread of information across multiple repositories and the difficulties posed by different nomenclature systems and storage formats. In particular, there is an important need for data unification in the study and use of protein-protein interactions. Without good integration strategies, it is difficult to analyze the whole set of available data and its properties. We introduce BIANA (Biologic Interactions and Network Analysis), a tool for biological information integration and network management. BIANA is a Python framework designed to achieve two major goals: i) the integration of multiple sources of biological information, including biological entities and their relationships, and ii) the management of biological information as a network where entities are nodes and relationships are edges. Moreover, BIANA uses properties of proteins and genes to infer latent biomolecular relationships by transferring edges to entities sharing similar properties. BIANA is also provided as a plugin for Cytoscape, which allows users to visualize and interactively manage the data. A web interface to BIANA providing basic functionalities is also available. The software can be downloaded under GNU GPL license from http://sbi.imim.es/web/BIANA.php. BIANA's approach to data unification solves many of the nomenclature issues common to systems dealing with biological data. BIANA can easily be extended to handle new specific data repositories and new specific data types. The unification protocol allows BIANA to be a flexible tool suitable for different user requirements: non-expert users can use a suggested unification protocol while expert users can define their own specific unification rules.

Intelligent Systems and Advanced User Interfaces for Design, Operation, and Maintenance of Command Management Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, Christine M.

1998-01-01

Historically Command Management Systems (CMS) have been large, expensive, spacecraft-specific software systems that were costly to build, operate, and maintain. Current and emerging hardware, software, and user interface technologies may offer an opportunity to facilitate the initial formulation and design of a spacecraft-specific CMS as well as a to develop a more generic or a set of core components for CMS systems. Current MOC (mission operations center) hardware and software include Unix workstations, the C/C++ and Java programming languages, and X and Java window interfaces representations. This configuration provides the power and flexibility to support sophisticated systems and intelligent user interfaces that exploit state-of-the-art technologies in human-machine systems engineering, decision making, artificial intelligence, and software engineering. One of the goals of this research is to explore the extent to which technologies developed in the research laboratory can be productively applied in a complex system such as spacecraft command management. Initial examination of some of the issues in CMS design and operation suggests that application of technologies such as intelligent planning, case-based reasoning, design and analysis tools from a human-machine systems engineering point of view (e.g., operator and designer models) and human-computer interaction tools, (e.g., graphics, visualization, and animation), may provide significant savings in the design, operation, and maintenance of a spacecraft-specific CMS as well as continuity for CMS design and development across spacecraft with varying needs. The savings in this case is in software reuse at all stages of the software engineering process.

Caseload management methods for use within district nursing teams: a literature review.

PubMed

Roberson, Carole

2016-05-01

Effective and efficient caseload management requires extensive skills to ensure that patients receive the right care by the right person at the right time. District nursing caseloads are continually increasing in size and complexity, which requires specialist district nursing knowledge and skills. This article reviews the literature related to caseload management with the aim of identifying the most effective method for district nursing teams. The findings from this review are that there are different styles and methods of caseload management. The literature review was unable to identify a single validated tool or method, but identified themes for implementing effective caseload management, specifically caseload analysis; workload measurement; work allocation; service and practice development and workforce planning. This review also identified some areas for further research.

An end-users oriented methodology for enhancing the integration of knowledge on soil-water-sediment systems in River Basin Management: an illustration from the AquaTerra project.

PubMed

Merly, Corinne; Chapman, Antony; Mouvet, Christophe

2012-01-01

Research results in environmental and socio-economic sciences are often under-used by stakeholders involved in the management of natural resources. To minimise this gap, the FP6 EU interdisciplinary project AquaTerra (AT) developed an end-users' integration methodology in order to ensure that the data, knowledge and tools related to the soil-water-sediment system that were generated by the project were delivered in a meaningful way for end-users, thus improving their uptake. The methodology and examples of its application are presented in this paper. From the 408 project deliverables, 96 key findings were identified, 53 related to data and knowledge, and 43 describing advanced tools. River Basin Management (RBM) stakeholders workshops identified 8 main RBM issues and 25 specific stakeholders' questions related to RBM which were classified into seven groups of cross-cutting issues, namely scale, climate change, non-climatic change, the need for systemic approaches, communication and participation, international and inter-basin coordination and collaboration, and the implementation of the Water Framework Directive. The integration methodology enabled an assessment of how AT key findings meet stakeholders' demands, and for each main RBM issue and for each specific question, described the added-value of the AT project in terms of knowledge and tools generated, key parameters to consider, and recommendations that can be made to stakeholders and the wider scientific community. Added value and limitations of the integration methodology and its outcomes are discussed and recommendations are provided to further improve integration methodology and bridge the gaps between scientific research data and their potential uptake by end-users.

Approach to assessing the economic impact of insulin-related hypoglycaemia using the novel Local Impact of Hypoglycaemia Tool.

PubMed

Parekh, W A; Ashley, D; Chubb, B; Gillies, H; Evans, M

2015-09-01

To provide estimates of the costs of severe and non-severe insulin-related hypoglycaemia in the UK using the Local Impact of Hypoglycaemia Tool. Rates of hypoglycaemia were extracted from the UK Hypoglycaemia Study Group observational study. The costs of severe and non-severe hypoglycaemic episodes in insulin-treated adults with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes were estimated from UK data sources. The rates and costs were then applied to specific populations to give an estimate of the cost of insulin-related hypoglycaemia for the UK, a specific locality, or a user-defined population. User-specific rates and costs could also be applied. The estimated cost of a hypoglycaemic episode can range from as much as £2,152 for severe episodes (for which the patient is admitted to hospital) to as little as £1.67 for non-severe episodes. With a UK population of 64.1 million, the total estimated cost of managing insulin-related hypoglycaemia is £468.0 m per year (£295.9 m for severe episodes, £172.1 m for non-severe episodes). On a local health economy level, using a hypothetical general population of 100 000, the total cost of managing insulin-related hypoglycaemia is estimated to be £730,052 per year (£461,658 for severe and £268,394 for non-severe episodes). The Local Impact of Hypoglycaemia Tool highlights the economic burden of insulin-related hypoglycaemia. Non-severe episodes are often overlooked because of their low individual cost, but their high frequency makes the cumulative cost substantial. The Local Impact of Hypoglycaemia Tool also shows clinicians and budget-holders the economic impact of lower rates of hypoglycaemia. © 2015 The Authors. Diabetic Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Diabetes UK.

Integrating EO data for applying the Nexus of water, energy and agriculture to monitor SDG Indicators within transboundary river basins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zalidis, G.; Kavvada, A.; Crisman, T.

2016-12-01

The NEXUS of water, energy and agriculture is widely recognized as an integrated approach for innovative management solutions and actions to protect natural resources. Soil Spectral Libraries (SSL) implement the NEXUS approach by combining Earth Observation (EO) and Geospatial Information (GI) data and tools to extract information on soil attributes rapidly, reliably and cost effectively. NEXUS approach for soil resources at large scales- across landscapes or regions- remains a challenge however, especially for stakeholders, and in regards to promoting the concept, disseminating the methodology, and discussing potential benefits at both local and transboundary river basin levels. The CEOS Data Cube is an excellent tool for collecting, processing and disseminating EO data, and providing `Analysis Ready Data' utilized both as a management tool for policy makers, and a tool boosting economic activity and supporting end-users. Thus, it helps supporting the tracking of, and reporting on, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and promoting targeted approaches to address specific SDG Indicators. Although several European projects in the Balkan transboundary river basin areas focus on existing/potential ties to specific SDG Indicators under the leadership of i-BEC, data are lacking for some regions, and there is an exigent need for country/region - specific case studies. A case study in Albania, the 3rd for CEOS and the 1st for Europe, will seek to build synergies between different sectors and activities (water, energy, food) and natural resources, while also accounting for ecosystem climate- regulating functions. This will contribute to the global expansion of the Data Cube initiative, while adding high quality datasets in GEOSS. Engagement of EO ecosystem stakeholders, together with National Statistical Offices, regionally and globally, should exploit the networking capacities of multipliers, maximizing the impact and reach of SSL. The H2020 project GEOCRADLE has already commenced working on the aforementioned engagement road map.

Contextual cloud-based service oriented architecture for clinical workflow.

PubMed

Moreno-Conde, Jesús; Moreno-Conde, Alberto; Núñez-Benjumea, Francisco J; Parra-Calderón, Carlos

2015-01-01

Given that acceptance of systems within the healthcare domain multiple papers highlighted the importance of integrating tools with the clinical workflow. This paper analyse how clinical context management could be deployed in order to promote the adoption of cloud advanced services and within the clinical workflow. This deployment will be able to be integrated with the eHealth European Interoperability Framework promoted specifications. Throughout this paper, it is proposed a cloud-based service-oriented architecture. This architecture will implement a context management system aligned with the HL7 standard known as CCOW.

The Program Manager’s Support System (PMSS). An Executive Overview and System Description,

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-01-01

process. The PMSS tool will, when completed, support the program management process in all stages of program nanagement; that is, birth of the...module, developed as a template on LOTUS 1-2-3, is an application of the Constructive Cost Model (COCOMO) developed by B. Boehm. The DSMC SWCE module, a...developed for a specific program office but can be modified for use by others. It is a "template" system designed to operate on a Zenith Z-150 using Lotus 1

Utility of the Electrocardiogram in Drug Overdose and Poisoning: Theoretical Considerations and Clinical Implications

PubMed Central

Yates, Christopher; Manini, Alex F

2012-01-01

The ECG is a rapidly available clinical tool that can help clinicians manage poisoned patients. Specific myocardial effects of cardiotoxic drugs have well-described electrocardiographic manifestations. In the practice of clinical toxicology, classic ECG changes may hint at blockade of ion channels, alterations of adrenergic tone, or dysfunctional metabolic activity of the myocardium. This review will offer a structured approach to ECG interpretation in poisoned patients with a focus on clinical implications and ECG-based management recommendations in the initial evaluation of patients with acute cardiotoxicity. PMID:22708912

USDA Climate Hubs - delivering usable information and tools to farmers, ranchers and forest land managers - Communication insights from the Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, R.; Steele, R.

2016-12-01

The USDA Climate Hubs were established in 2014 to develop and deliver science-based, region-specific information and technologies, with USDA agencies and partners, to agricultural and natural resource managers to enable climate-informed decision-making. In the two and half years of existence, our regional leads have gained insights into communicating with the agricultural and forestry communities throughout the different regions of the country. Perspectives differ somewhat among regions and sectors. This talk will share those various insights.

Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool (WMOST) Workshop.

EPA Science Inventory

EPA's Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool (WMOST) version 2 is a decision support tool designed to facilitate integrated water management by communities at the small watershed scale. WMOST allows users to look across management options in stormwater (including green i...

Design and application of a tool for structuring, capitalizing and making more accessible information and lessons learned from accidents involving machinery.

PubMed

Sadeghi, Samira; Sadeghi, Leyla; Tricot, Nicolas; Mathieu, Luc

2017-12-01

Accident reports are published in order to communicate the information and lessons learned from accidents. An efficient accident recording and analysis system is a necessary step towards improvement of safety. However, currently there is a shortage of efficient tools to support such recording and analysis. In this study we introduce a flexible and customizable tool that allows structuring and analysis of this information. This tool has been implemented under TEEXMA®. We named our prototype TEEXMA®SAFETY. This tool provides an information management system to facilitate data collection, organization, query, analysis and reporting of accidents. A predefined information retrieval module provides ready access to data which allows the user to quickly identify the possible hazards for specific machines and provides information on the source of hazards. The main target audience for this tool includes safety personnel, accident reporters and designers. The proposed data model has been developed by analyzing different accident reports.

Omics Metadata Management Software (OMMS).

PubMed

Perez-Arriaga, Martha O; Wilson, Susan; Williams, Kelly P; Schoeniger, Joseph; Waymire, Russel L; Powell, Amy Jo

2015-01-01

Next-generation sequencing projects have underappreciated information management tasks requiring detailed attention to specimen curation, nucleic acid sample preparation and sequence production methods required for downstream data processing, comparison, interpretation, sharing and reuse. The few existing metadata management tools for genome-based studies provide weak curatorial frameworks for experimentalists to store and manage idiosyncratic, project-specific information, typically offering no automation supporting unified naming and numbering conventions for sequencing production environments that routinely deal with hundreds, if not thousands of samples at a time. Moreover, existing tools are not readily interfaced with bioinformatics executables, (e.g., BLAST, Bowtie2, custom pipelines). Our application, the Omics Metadata Management Software (OMMS), answers both needs, empowering experimentalists to generate intuitive, consistent metadata, and perform analyses and information management tasks via an intuitive web-based interface. Several use cases with short-read sequence datasets are provided to validate installation and integrated function, and suggest possible methodological road maps for prospective users. Provided examples highlight possible OMMS workflows for metadata curation, multistep analyses, and results management and downloading. The OMMS can be implemented as a stand alone-package for individual laboratories, or can be configured for webbased deployment supporting geographically-dispersed projects. The OMMS was developed using an open-source software base, is flexible, extensible and easily installed and executed. The OMMS can be obtained at http://omms.sandia.gov. The OMMS can be obtained at http://omms.sandia.gov.

Omics Metadata Management Software (OMMS)

PubMed Central

Perez-Arriaga, Martha O; Wilson, Susan; Williams, Kelly P; Schoeniger, Joseph; Waymire, Russel L; Powell, Amy Jo

2015-01-01

Next-generation sequencing projects have underappreciated information management tasks requiring detailed attention to specimen curation, nucleic acid sample preparation and sequence production methods required for downstream data processing, comparison, interpretation, sharing and reuse. The few existing metadata management tools for genome-based studies provide weak curatorial frameworks for experimentalists to store and manage idiosyncratic, project-specific information, typically offering no automation supporting unified naming and numbering conventions for sequencing production environments that routinely deal with hundreds, if not thousands of samples at a time. Moreover, existing tools are not readily interfaced with bioinformatics executables, (e.g., BLAST, Bowtie2, custom pipelines). Our application, the Omics Metadata Management Software (OMMS), answers both needs, empowering experimentalists to generate intuitive, consistent metadata, and perform analyses and information management tasks via an intuitive web-based interface. Several use cases with short-read sequence datasets are provided to validate installation and integrated function, and suggest possible methodological road maps for prospective users. Provided examples highlight possible OMMS workflows for metadata curation, multistep analyses, and results management and downloading. The OMMS can be implemented as a stand alone-package for individual laboratories, or can be configured for webbased deployment supporting geographically-dispersed projects. The OMMS was developed using an open-source software base, is flexible, extensible and easily installed and executed. The OMMS can be obtained at http://omms.sandia.gov. Availability The OMMS can be obtained at http://omms.sandia.gov PMID:26124554

PC tools for project management: Programs and the state-of-the-practice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bishop, Peter C.; Freedman, Glenn B.; Dede, Christopher J.; Lidwell, William; Learned, David

1990-01-01

The use of microcomputer tools for NASA project management; which features are the most useful; the impact of these tools on job performance and individual style; and the prospects for new features in project management tools and related tools are addressed. High, mid, and low end PM tools are examined. The pro's and con's of the tools are assessed relative to various tasks. The strengths and weaknesses of the tools are presented through cases and demonstrations.

Education in the workplace for the physician: clinical management states as an organizing framework.

PubMed

Greenes, R A

2000-01-01

Medical educators are interested in approaches to making selected relevant knowledge available in the context of problem-based care. This is of value both during the process of care and as a means of organizing information for offline self-study. Four trends in health information technology are relevant to achieving the goal and can be expected to play a growing role in the future. First, health care enterprises are developing approaches for access to information resources related to the care of a patient, including clinical data and images but also communication tools, referral and other logistic tools, decision support, and educational materials. Second, information for patients and methods for patient-doctor interaction and decision making are becoming available. Third, computer-based methods for representation of practice guidelines are being developed to support applications that can incorporate their logic. Finally, considering patients as being in particular "clinical management states" (or CMSs) for specific problems, approaches are being developed to use guidelines as a kind of "predictive" framework to enable development of interfaces for problem-based clinical encounters. The guidelines for a CMS can be used to identify the kinds of resources specifically needed for clinical encounters of that type. As the above trends converge to produce problem-specific environments, professional specialty organizations and continuing medical education course designers will need to focus energies on organizing and updating medical knowledge to make it available in CMS-specific contexts.

A Health Systems Approach to Integrated Community Case Management of Childhood Illness: Methods and Tools

PubMed Central

McGorman, Laura; Marsh, David R.; Guenther, Tanya; Gilroy, Kate; Barat, Lawrence M.; Hammamy, Diaa; Wansi, Emmanuel; Peterson, Stefan; Hamer, Davidson H.; George, Asha

2012-01-01

Integrated community case management (iCCM) of childhood illness is an increasingly popular strategy to expand life-saving health services to underserved communities. However, community health approaches vary widely across countries and do not always distribute resources evenly across local health systems. We present a harmonized framework, developed through interagency consultation and review, which supports the design of CCM by using a systems approach. To verify that the framework produces results, we also suggest a list of complementary indicators, including nine global metrics, and a menu of 39 country-specific measures. When used by program managers and evaluators, we propose that the framework and indicators can facilitate the design, implementation, and evaluation of community case management. PMID:23136280

Assisted editing od SensorML with EDI. A bottom-up scenario towards the definition of sensor profiles.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oggioni, Alessandro; Tagliolato, Paolo; Fugazza, Cristiano; Bastianini, Mauro; Pavesi, Fabio; Pepe, Monica; Menegon, Stefano; Basoni, Anna; Carrara, Paola

2015-04-01

Sensor observation systems for environmental data have become increasingly important in the last years. The EGU's Informatics in Oceanography and Ocean Science track stressed the importance of management tools and solutions for marine infrastructures. We think that full interoperability among sensor systems is still an open issue and that the solution to this involves providing appropriate metadata. Several open source applications implement the SWE specification and, particularly, the Sensor Observation Services (SOS) standard. These applications allow for the exchange of data and metadata in XML format between computer systems. However, there is a lack of metadata editing tools supporting end users in this activity. Generally speaking, it is hard for users to provide sensor metadata in the SensorML format without dedicated tools. In particular, such a tool should ease metadata editing by providing, for standard sensors, all the invariant information to be included in sensor metadata, thus allowing the user to concentrate on the metadata items that are related to the specific deployment. RITMARE, the Italian flagship project on marine research, envisages a subproject, SP7, for the set-up of the project's spatial data infrastructure. SP7 developed EDI, a general purpose, template-driven metadata editor that is composed of a backend web service and an HTML5/javascript client. EDI can be customized for managing the creation of generic metadata encoded as XML. Once tailored to a specific metadata format, EDI presents the users a web form with advanced auto completion and validation capabilities. In the case of sensor metadata (SensorML versions 1.0.1 and 2.0), the EDI client is instructed to send an "insert sensor" request to an SOS endpoint in order to save the metadata in an SOS server. In the first phase of project RITMARE, EDI has been used to simplify the creation from scratch of SensorML metadata by the involved researchers and data managers. An interesting by-product of this ongoing work is currently constituting an archive of predefined sensor descriptions. This information is being collected in order to further ease metadata creation in the next phase of the project. Users will be able to choose among a number of sensor and sensor platform prototypes: These will be specific instances on which it will be possible to define, in a bottom-up approach, "sensor profiles". We report on the outcome of this activity.

Comparison of disease-specific quality of life tools in patients with chronic venous disease.

PubMed

Kuet, Mong-Loon; Lane, Tristan Ra; Anwar, Muzaffar A; Davies, Alun H

2014-12-01

This work was presented as a poster in the American Venous Forum 25th Annual Meeting; 28 February 2013; Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Quality of life (QoL) is an important outcome measure in the treatment for chronic venous disease. The Aberdeen Varicose Vein Questionnaire (AVVQ) and the ChronIc Venous Insufficiency quality of life Questionnaire (CIVIQ-14) are two validated disease-specific QoL questionnaires in current use. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between the AVVQ and the CIVIQ-14 to enable better comparison between studies and to compare these disease-specific QoL tools with generic QoL and clinician-driven tools. Adults attending our institution for management of their varicose veins completed the AVVQ, CIVIQ-14 and EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D). Clinical data, CEAP classification and the Venous Clinical Severity Score (VCSS) were collected. The relationship between the AVVQ and CIVIQ-14 scores was analysed using Spearman's correlation. The AVVQ and CIVIQ-14 scores were also analysed with a generic QoL tool (EQ-5D) and a clinician-driven tool, the VCSS. One hundred patients, mean age 57.5 (44 males; 56 females), participated in the study. The median AVVQ score was 21.9 (range 0-74) and the median CIVIQ-14 score was 30 (range 0-89). A strong correlation was demonstrated between the AVVQ and CIVIQ-14 scores (r = 0.8; p < 0.0001). Strong correlation was maintained for patients with C1-3 disease (r = 0.7; p < 0.0001) and C4-6 disease (r = 0.8; p < 0.0001). The VCSS correlated strongly with the AVVQ and CIVIQ-14 scores (r = 0.7; p < 0.0001 and r = 0.7; p < 0.0001, respectively). Both the AVVQ and CIVIQ-14 scores correlated well with the EQ-5D score (r = -0.5; p < 0.0001 and r = -0.7; p < 0.0001, respectively). This study demonstrates that there is good correlation between two widely used varicose vein specific QoL tools (AVVQ and CIVIQ-14) across the whole spectrum of disease severity. Strong correlation exists between these disease-specific QoL tools and generic and clinician-driven tools. Our findings confirm valid comparisons between studies using either disease-specific QoL tool. © The Author(s) 2013 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

GIS-based analysis of drinking-water supply structures: a module for microbial risk assessment.

PubMed

Kistemann, T; Herbst, S; Dangendorf, F; Exner, M

2001-05-01

Water-related infections constitute an important health impact world-wide. A set of tools serving for Microbial Risk Assessment (MRA) of waterborne diseases should comprise the entire drinking-water management system and take into account the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) concept which provides specific Critical Control Points (CCPs) reflecting each step of drinking-water provision. A Geographical Information System (GIS) study concerning water-supply structure (WSS) was conducted in the Rhein-Berg District (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany). As a result, suitability of the existing water databases HYGRIS (hydrological basis geo-information system) and TEIS (drinking-water recording and information system) for the development of a WSS-GIS module could be demonstrated. Spatial patterns within the integrated raw and drinking-water data can easily be uncovered by GIS-specific options. The application of WSS-GIS allows a rapid visualization and analysis of drinking-water supply structure and offers huge advantages concerning microbial monitoring of raw and drinking water as well as recognition and investigation of incidents and outbreaks. Increasing requests regarding health protection and health reporting, demands for a better outbreak management and water-related health impacts of global climate change are major challenges of future water management to be tackled with methods including spatial analysis. GIS is assumed to be a very useful tool to meet these requirements.

NASA's Cryogenic Fluid Management Technology Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tramel, Terri L.; Motil, Susan M.

2008-01-01

The Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) Project's primary objective is to develop storage, transfer, and handling technologies for cryogens that will support the enabling of high performance cryogenic propulsion systems, lunar surface systems and economical ground operations. Such technologies can significantly reduce propellant launch mass and required on-orbit margins, reduce or even eliminate propellant tank fluid boil-off losses for long term missions, and simplify vehicle operations. This paper will present the status of the specific technologies that the CFM Project is developing. The two main areas of concentration are analysis models development and CFM hardware development. The project develops analysis tools and models based on thermodynamics, hydrodynamics, and existing flight/test data. These tools assist in the development of pressure/thermal control devices (such as the Thermodynamic Vent System (TVS), and Multi-layer insulation); with the ultimate goal being to develop a mature set of tools and models that can characterize the performance of the pressure/thermal control devices incorporated in the design of an entire CFM system with minimal cryogen loss. The project does hardware development and testing to verify our understanding of the physical principles involved, and to validate the performance of CFM components, subsystems and systems. This database provides information to anchor our analytical models. This paper describes some of the current activities of the NASA's Cryogenic Fluid Management Project.

Genetic service delivery: infrastructure, assessment and information.

PubMed

Kaye, C I

2012-01-01

Identification of genomic determinants of complex disorders such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease has prompted public health systems to focus on genetic service delivery for prevention of these disorders, adding to their previous efforts in birth defects prevention and newborn screening. This focus is consistent with previously identified obligations of the public health system as well as the core functions of public health identified by the Institute of Medicine. Models of service delivery include provision of services by the primary care provider in conjunction with subspecialists, provision of services through the medical home with co-management by genetics providers, provision of services in conjunction with disorder-specific treatment centers, and provision of services through a network of genetics clinics linked to medical homes. Whatever the model for provision of genetic services, tools to assist providers include facilities for outreach and telemedicine, information technology, just-in-time management plans, and emergency management tools. Assessment tools to determine which care is best are critical for quality improvement and development of best practices. Because the workforce of genetics providers is not keeping pace with the need for services, an understanding of the factors contributing to this lag is important, as is the development of an improved knowledge base in genomics for primary care providers. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Mediator effect of statistical process control between Total Quality Management (TQM) and business performance in Malaysian Automotive Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, M. F.; Rasi, R. Z.; Zakuan, N.; Hisyamudin, M. N. N.

2015-12-01

In today's highly competitive market, Total Quality Management (TQM) is vital management tool in ensuring a company can success in their business. In order to survive in the global market with intense competition amongst regions and enterprises, the adoption of tools and techniques are essential in improving business performance. There are consistent results between TQM and business performance. However, only few previous studies have examined the mediator effect namely statistical process control (SPC) between TQM and business performance. A mediator is a third variable that changes the association between an independent variable and an outcome variable. This study present research proposed a TQM performance model with mediator effect of SPC with structural equation modelling, which is a more comprehensive model for developing countries, specifically for Malaysia. A questionnaire was prepared and sent to 1500 companies from automotive industry and the related vendors in Malaysia, giving a 21.8 per cent rate. Attempts were made at findings significant impact of mediator between TQM practices and business performance showed that SPC is important tools and techniques in TQM implementation. The result concludes that SPC is partial correlation between and TQM and BP with indirect effect (IE) is 0.25 which can be categorised as high moderator effect.

Patient Data Synchronization Process in a Continuity of Care Environment

PubMed Central

Haras, Consuela; Sauquet, Dominique; Ameline, Philippe; Jaulent, Marie-Christine; Degoulet, Patrice

2005-01-01

In a distributed patient record environment, we analyze the processes needed to ensure exchange and access to EHR data. We propose an adapted method and the tools for data synchronization. Our study takes into account the issues of user rights management for data access and of decreasing the amount of data exchanged over the network. We describe a XML-based synchronization model that is portable and independent of specific medical data models. The implemented platform consists of several servers, of local network clients, of workstations running user’s interfaces and of data exchange and synchronization tools. PMID:16779049

A patient-centered electronic tool for weight loss outcomes after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

PubMed

Wood, G Craig; Benotti, Peter; Gerhard, Glenn S; Miller, Elaina K; Zhang, Yushan; Zaccone, Richard J; Argyropoulos, George A; Petrick, Anthony T; Still, Christopher D

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND. Current patient education and informed consent regarding weight loss expectations for bariatric surgery candidates are largely based on averages from large patient cohorts. The variation in weight loss outcomes illustrates the need for establishing more realistic weight loss goals for individual patients. This study was designed to develop a simple web-based tool which provides patient-specific weight loss expectations. METHODS. Postoperative weight measurements after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) were collected and analyzed with patient characteristics known to influence weight loss outcomes. Quantile regression was used to create expected weight loss curves (25th, 50th, and 75th %tile) for the 24 months after RYGB. The resulting equations were validated and used to develop web-based tool for predicting weight loss outcomes. RESULTS. Weight loss data from 2986 patients (2608 in the primary cohort and 378 in the validation cohort) were included. Preoperative body mass index (BMI) and age were found to have a high correlation with weight loss accomplishment (P < 0.0001 for each). An electronic tool was created that provides easy access to patient-specific, 24-month weight loss trajectories based on initial BMI and age. CONCLUSIONS. This validated, patient-centered electronic tool will assist patients and providers in patient teaching, informed consent, and postoperative weight loss management.

Decision Support Methods and Tools

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, Lawrence L.; Alexandrov, Natalia M.; Brown, Sherilyn A.; Cerro, Jeffrey A.; Gumbert, Clyde r.; Sorokach, Michael R.; Burg, Cecile M.

2006-01-01

This paper is one of a set of papers, developed simultaneously and presented within a single conference session, that are intended to highlight systems analysis and design capabilities within the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate (SACD) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center (LaRC). This paper focuses on the specific capabilities of uncertainty/risk analysis, quantification, propagation, decomposition, and management, robust/reliability design methods, and extensions of these capabilities into decision analysis methods within SACD. These disciplines are discussed together herein under the name of Decision Support Methods and Tools. Several examples are discussed which highlight the application of these methods within current or recent aerospace research at the NASA LaRC. Where applicable, commercially available, or government developed software tools are also discussed

MLM Builder: An Integrated Suite for Development and Maintenance of Arden Syntax Medical Logic Modules

PubMed Central

Sailors, R. Matthew

1997-01-01

The Arden Syntax specification for sharable computerized medical knowledge bases has not been widely utilized in the medical informatics community because of a lack of tools for developing Arden Syntax knowledge bases (Medical Logic Modules). The MLM Builder is a Microsoft Windows-hosted CASE (Computer Aided Software Engineering) tool designed to aid in the development and maintenance of Arden Syntax Medical Logic Modules (MLMs). The MLM Builder consists of the MLM Writer (an MLM generation tool), OSCAR (an anagram of Object-oriented ARden Syntax Compiler), a test database, and the MLManager (an MLM management information system). Working together, these components form a self-contained, unified development environment for the creation, testing, and maintenance of Arden Syntax Medical Logic Modules.

Development and validation of an observation tool for the assessment of nursing pain management practices in intensive care unit in a standardized clinical simulation setting.

PubMed

Gosselin, Emilie; Bourgault, Patricia; Lavoie, Stephan; Coleman, Robin-Marie; Méziat-Burdin, Anne

2014-12-01

Pain management in the intensive care unit is often inadequate. There is no tool available to assess nursing pain management practices. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a measuring tool to assess nursing pain management in the intensive care unit during standardized clinical simulation. A literature review was performed to identify relevant components demonstrating optimal pain management in adult intensive care units and to integrate them in an observation tool. This tool was submitted to an expert panel and pretested. It was then used to assess pain management practice during 26 discrete standardized clinical simulation sessions with intensive care nurses. The Nursing Observation Tool for Pain Management (NOTPaM) contains 28 statements grouped into 8 categories, which are grouped into 4 dimensions: subjective assessment, objective assessment, interventions, and reassessment. The tool's internal consistency was calculated at a Cronbach's alpha of 0.436 for the whole tool; the alpha varies from 0.328 to 0.518 for each dimension. To evaluate the inter-rater reliability, intra-class correlation coefficient was used, which was calculated at 0.751 (p < .001) for the whole tool, with variations from 0.619 to 0.920 (p < .01) between dimensions. The expert panel was satisfied with the content and face validity of the tool. The psychometric qualities of the NOTPaM developed in this study are satisfactory. However, the tool could be improved with slight modifications. Nevertheless, it was useful in assessing intensive care nurses' pain management in a standardized clinical simulation. The NOTPaM is the first tool created for this purpose. Copyright © 2014 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool v3

EPA Science Inventory

The Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool (WMOST) is a decision support tool that facilitates integrated water management at the local or small watershed scale. WMOST models the environmental effects and costs of management decisions in a watershed context that is, accou...

Schedule-Aware Workflow Management Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mans, Ronny S.; Russell, Nick C.; van der Aalst, Wil M. P.; Moleman, Arnold J.; Bakker, Piet J. M.

Contemporary workflow management systems offer work-items to users through specific work-lists. Users select the work-items they will perform without having a specific schedule in mind. However, in many environments work needs to be scheduled and performed at particular times. For example, in hospitals many work-items are linked to appointments, e.g., a doctor cannot perform surgery without reserving an operating theater and making sure that the patient is present. One of the problems when applying workflow technology in such domains is the lack of calendar-based scheduling support. In this paper, we present an approach that supports the seamless integration of unscheduled (flow) and scheduled (schedule) tasks. Using CPN Tools we have developed a specification and simulation model for schedule-aware workflow management systems. Based on this a system has been realized that uses YAWL, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Outlook, and a dedicated scheduling service. The approach is illustrated using a real-life case study at the AMC hospital in the Netherlands. In addition, we elaborate on the experiences obtained when developing and implementing a system of this scale using formal techniques.

Review of LCA studies of solid waste management systems – Part I: Lessons learned and perspectives

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

Laurent, Alexis, E-mail: alau@dtu.dk; Bakas, Ioannis; Clavreul, Julie

Highlights: • We perform a critical review of 222 LCA studies of solid waste management systems. • Studies mainly concentrated in Europe with little application in developing countries. • Assessments of relevant waste types apart from household waste have been overlooked. • Local specificities of systems prevent a meaningful generalisation of the LCA results. • LCA should support recommendations representative of the local conditions. - Abstract: The continuously increasing solid waste generation worldwide calls for management strategies that integrate concerns for environmental sustainability. By quantifying environmental impacts of systems, life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool, which can contribute tomore » answer that call. But how, where and to which extent has it been applied to solid waste management systems (SWMSs) until now, and which lessons can be learnt from the findings of these LCA applications? To address these questions, we performed a critical review of 222 published LCA studies of SWMS. We first analysed the geographic distribution and found that the published studies have primarily been concentrated in Europe with little application in developing countries. In terms of technological coverage, they have largely overlooked application of LCA to waste prevention activities and to relevant waste types apart from household waste, e.g. construction and demolition waste. Waste management practitioners are thus encouraged to abridge these gaps in future applications of LCA. In addition to this contextual analysis, we also evaluated the findings of selected studies of good quality and found that there is little agreement in the conclusions among them. The strong dependence of each SWMS on local conditions, such as waste composition or energy system, prevents a meaningful generalisation of the LCA results as we find it in the waste hierarchy. We therefore recommend stakeholders in solid waste management to regard LCA as a tool, which, by its ability of capturing the local specific conditions in the modelling of environmental impacts and benefits of a SWMS, allows identifying critical problems and proposing improvement options adapted to the local specificities.« less

77 FR 72894 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; BATS Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-06

... Change To Expand the Availability of Risk Management Tools November 30, 2012. Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1... Exchange's Risk Management Tool (the ``Tool'') to all Exchange Members.\\3\\ The Tool is currently available... Access Risk Management Tool.\\6\\ This optional service acts as a risk filter by causing the orders of...

An empowerment-based approach to developing innovative e-health tools for self-management.

PubMed

Alpay, Laurence; van der Boog, Paul; Dumaij, Adrie

2011-12-01

E-health is seen as an important technological tool in achieving self-management; however, there is little evidence of how effective e-health is for self-management. Example tools remain experimental and there is limited knowledge yet about the design, use, and effects of this class of tools. By way of introducing a new view on the development of e-health tools dedicated to self-management we aim to contribute to the discussion for further research in this area. Our assumption is that patient empowerment is an important mechanism of e-health self-management and we suggest incorporating it within the development of self-management tools. Important components of empowerment selected from literature are: communication, education and health literacy, information, self-care, decision aids and contact with fellow patients. All components require skills of both patients and the physicians. In this discussion paper we propose how the required skills can be used to specify effective self-management tools.

A Case Study Optimizing Human Resources in Rwanda's First Dental School: Three Innovative Management Tools.

PubMed

Hackley, Donna M; Mumena, Chrispinus H; Gatarayiha, Agnes; Cancedda, Corrado; Barrow, Jane R

2018-06-01

Harvard School of Dental Medicine, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, and the University of Rwanda (UR) are collaborating to create Rwanda's first School of Dentistry as part of the Human Resources for Health (HRH) Rwanda initiative that aims to strengthen the health care system of Rwanda. The HRH oral health team developed three management tools to measure progress in systems-strengthening efforts: 1) the road map is an operations plan for the entire dental school and facilitates delivery of the curriculum and management of human and material resources; 2) each HRH U.S. faculty member develops a work plan with targeted deliverables for his or her rotation, which is facilitated with biweekly flash reports that measure progress and keep the faculty member focused on his or her specific deliverables; and 3) the redesigned HRH twinning model, changed from twinning of an HRH faculty member with a single Rwandan faculty member to twinning with multiple Rwandan faculty members based on shared academic interests and goals, has improved efficiency, heightened engagement of the UR dental faculty, and increased the impact of HRH U.S. faculty members. These new tools enable the team to measure its progress toward the collaborative's goals and understand the successes and challenges in moving toward the planned targets. The tools have been valuable instruments in fostering discussion around priorities and deployment of resources as well as in developing strong relationships, enabling two-way exchange of knowledge, and promoting sustainability.

Pathology economic model tool: a novel approach to workflow and budget cost analysis in an anatomic pathology laboratory.

PubMed

Muirhead, David; Aoun, Patricia; Powell, Michael; Juncker, Flemming; Mollerup, Jens

2010-08-01

The need for higher efficiency, maximum quality, and faster turnaround time is a continuous focus for anatomic pathology laboratories and drives changes in work scheduling, instrumentation, and management control systems. To determine the costs of generating routine, special, and immunohistochemical microscopic slides in a large, academic anatomic pathology laboratory using a top-down approach. The Pathology Economic Model Tool was used to analyze workflow processes at The Nebraska Medical Center's anatomic pathology laboratory. Data from the analysis were used to generate complete cost estimates, which included not only materials, consumables, and instrumentation but also specific labor and overhead components for each of the laboratory's subareas. The cost data generated by the Pathology Economic Model Tool were compared with the cost estimates generated using relative value units. Despite the use of automated systems for different processes, the workflow in the laboratory was found to be relatively labor intensive. The effect of labor and overhead on per-slide costs was significantly underestimated by traditional relative-value unit calculations when compared with the Pathology Economic Model Tool. Specific workflow defects with significant contributions to the cost per slide were identified. The cost of providing routine, special, and immunohistochemical slides may be significantly underestimated by traditional methods that rely on relative value units. Furthermore, a comprehensive analysis may identify specific workflow processes requiring improvement.

Ecosystem Risk Assessment Using the Comprehensive Assessment of Risk to Ecosystems (CARE) Tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Battista, W.; Fujita, R.; Karr, K.

2016-12-01

Effective Ecosystem Based Management requires a localized understanding of the health and functioning of a given system as well as of the various factors that may threaten the ongoing ability of the system to support the provision of valued services. Several risk assessment models are available that can provide a scientific basis for understanding these factors and for guiding management action, but these models focus mainly on single species and evaluate only the impacts of fishing in detail. We have developed a new ecosystem risk assessment model - the Comprehensive Assessment of Risk to Ecosystems (CARE) - that allows analysts to consider the cumulative impact of multiple threats, interactions among multiple threats that may result in synergistic or antagonistic impacts, and the impacts of a suite of threats on whole-ecosystem productivity and functioning, as well as on specific ecosystem services. The CARE model was designed to be completed in as little as two hours, and uses local and expert knowledge where data are lacking. The CARE tool can be used to evaluate risks facing a single site; to compare multiple sites for the suitability or necessity of different management options; or to evaluate the effects of a proposed management action aimed at reducing one or more risks. This analysis can help users identify which threats are the most important at a given site, and therefore where limited management resources should be targeted. CARE can be applied to virtually any system, and can be modified as knowledge is gained or to better match different site characteristics. CARE builds on previous ecosystem risk assessment tools to provide a comprehensive assessment of fishing and non-fishing threats that can be used to inform environmental management decisions across a broad range of systems.

Ecosystem Risk Assessment Using the Comprehensive Assessment of Risk to Ecosystems (CARE) Tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Battista, W.; Fujita, R.; Karr, K.

2016-02-01

Effective Ecosystem Based Management requires a localized understanding of the health and functioning of a given system as well as of the various factors that may threaten the ongoing ability of the system to support the provision of valued services. Several risk assessment models are available that can provide a scientific basis for understanding these factors and for guiding management action, but these models focus mainly on single species and evaluate only the impacts of fishing in detail. We have developed a new ecosystem risk assessment model - the Comprehensive Assessment of Risk to Ecosystems (CARE) - that allows analysts to consider the cumulative impact of multiple threats, interactions among multiple threats that may result in synergistic or antagonistic impacts, and the impacts of a suite of threats on whole-ecosystem productivity and functioning, as well as on specific ecosystem services. The CARE model was designed to be completed in as little as two hours, and uses local and expert knowledge where data are lacking. The CARE tool can be used to evaluate risks facing a single site; to compare multiple sites for the suitability or necessity of different management options; or to evaluate the effects of a proposed management action aimed at reducing one or more risks. This analysis can help users identify which threats are the most important at a given site, and therefore where limited management resources should be targeted. CARE can be applied to virtually any system, and can be modified as knowledge is gained or to better match different site characteristics. CARE builds on previous ecosystem risk assessment tools to provide a comprehensive assessment of fishing and non-fishing threats that can be used to inform environmental management decisions across a broad range of systems.

FluxSuite: a New Scientific Tool for Advanced Network Management and Cross-Sharing of Next-Generation Flux Stations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burba, G. G.; Johnson, D.; Velgersdyk, M.; Beaty, K.; Forgione, A.; Begashaw, I.; Allyn, D.

2015-12-01

Significant increases in data generation and computing power in recent years have greatly improved spatial and temporal flux data coverage on multiple scales, from a single station to continental flux networks. At the same time, operating budgets for flux teams and stations infrastructure are getting ever more difficult to acquire and sustain. With more stations and networks, larger data flows from each station, and smaller operating budgets, modern tools are needed to effectively and efficiently handle the entire process. This would help maximize time dedicated to answering research questions, and minimize time and expenses spent on data processing, quality control and station management. Cross-sharing the stations with external institutions may also help leverage available funding, increase scientific collaboration, and promote data analyses and publications. FluxSuite, a new advanced tool combining hardware, software and web-service, was developed to address these specific demands. It automates key stages of flux workflow, minimizes day-to-day site management, and modernizes the handling of data flows: Each next-generation station measures all parameters needed for flux computations Field microcomputer calculates final fully-corrected flux rates in real time, including computation-intensive Fourier transforms, spectra, co-spectra, multiple rotations, stationarity, footprint, etc. Final fluxes, radiation, weather and soil data are merged into a single quality-controlled file Multiple flux stations are linked into an automated time-synchronized network Flux network manager, or PI, can see all stations in real time, including fluxes, supporting data, automated reports, and email alerts PI can assign rights, allow or restrict access to stations and data: selected stations can be shared via rights-managed access internally or with external institutions Researchers without stations could form "virtual networks" for specific projects by collaborating with PIs from different actual networks This presentation provides detailed examples of FluxSuite currently utilized by two large flux networks in China (National Academy of Sciences & Agricultural Academy of Sciences), and smaller networks with stations in the USA, Germany, Ireland, Malaysia and other locations around the globe.

Facilitating adaptive management in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed through the use of online decision support tools

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mullinx, Cassandra; Phillips, Scott; Shenk, Kelly; Hearn, Paul; Devereux, Olivia

2009-01-01

The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) is attempting to more strategically implement management actions to improve the health of the Nation’s largest estuary. In 2007 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) CBP office began a joint effort to develop a suite of Internetaccessible decision-support tools and to help meet the needs of CBP partners to improve water quality and habitat conditions in the Chesapeake Bay and its watersheds. An adaptive management framework is being used to provide a structured decision process for information and individual tools needed to implement and assess practices to improve the condition of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. The Chesapeake Online Adaptive Support Toolkit (COAST) is a collection of web-based analytical tools and information, organized in an adaptive management framework, intended to aid decisionmakers in protecting and restoring the integrity of the Bay ecosystem. The initial version of COAST is focused on water quality issues. During early and mid- 2008, initial ideas for COAST were shared and discussed with various CBP partners and other potential user groups. At these meetings, test cases were selected to help improve understanding of the types of information and analytical functionality that would be most useful for specific partners’ needs. These discussions added considerable knowledge about the nature of decisionmaking for Federal, State, local and nongovernmental partners. Version 1.0 of COAST, released in early winter of 2008, will be further reviewed to determine improvements needed to address implementation and assessment of water quality practices. Future versions of COAST may address other aspects of ecosystem restoration, including restoration of habitat and living resources and maintaining watershed health.

Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool (WMOST) v3: User Guide

EPA Science Inventory

The Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool (WMOST) is a decision support tool that facilitates integrated water management at the local or small watershed scale. WMOST models the environmental effects and costs of management decisions in a watershed context that is, accou...

Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool (WMOST) v3: Theoretical Documentation

EPA Science Inventory

The Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool (WMOST) is a decision support tool that facilitates integrated water management at the local or small watershed scale. WMOST models the environmental effects and costs of management decisions in a watershed context, accounting fo...

Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool (WMOST) v2: Theoretical Documentation

EPA Science Inventory

The Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool (WMOST) is a decision support tool that evaluates the relative cost-effectiveness of management practices at the local or watershed scale. WMOST models the environmental effects and costs of management decisions in a watershed c...

Development of a tool for assessment and care planning for dementia-related problem behaviors in home and community-based services programs: the Problem Behavior Inventory.

PubMed

Phillips, V L; Diwan, Sadhna; Egner, Amanda

2002-01-01

To describe development, validity, and application of the Problem Behavior Inventory (PBI), a tool to assess dementia-related problem behaviors (DRPBs) in community-based populations. Demographic, contact, and disease-specific data were extracted from client files from a Medicaid-funded home and community-based services program. Primary caregivers completed standard surveys relating to the care recipients' memory, mood, and behaviors. The client (care recipient) completed the Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE). Cognitively impaired clients, enrolled in the Community Care Services Program (CCSP) during a reference month, and their primary caregivers, were identified by CCSP case managers for participation in the study. Primary caregivers completed the Revised Memory and Behavior Problem Checklist (RMBPC). Clients screening positive for the presence of DRPBs based on caregiver responses to the RMBPC were then assessed using the Problem Behavior Inventory (PBI). Within the CCSP sample, the most prevalent behavior was appearing sad or depressed (67%), while the most frequent behavior was seeking attention, occurring at least daily in 58% of the group. The most bothersome behaviors were being sexually inappropriate, wandering, and misbehaving in public. Examination by behavior category (physical, verbal, mood, etc.) revealed a strong relationship between level of bother and behavior frequency. Frequency of verbal behaviors was positively related to MMSE scores, whereas frequency of ADL-related behaviors was inversely related to MMSE scores. Bother scores were not associated with MMSE scores. This study documents that the PBI is a valid, useful, and feasible tool for assessing DRPBs in community populations. Case managers using the PBI can determine specific problem behavior areas among client populations and for individual clients and institute client-specific interventions to address each issue.

CTAS and NASA Air Traffic Management Fact Sheets for En Route Descent Advisor and Surface Management System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Katharine

2004-01-01

The Surface Management System (SMS) is a decision support tool that will help controllers, traffic managers, and NAS users manage the movements of aircraft on the surface of busy airports, improving capacity, efficiency, and flexibility. The Advanced Air Transportation Technologies (AATT) Project at NASA is developing SMS in cooperation with the FAA's Free Flight Phase 2 (FFP2) pro5ram. SMS consists of three parts: a traffic management tool, a controller tool, and a National Airspace System (NAS) information tool.

Regional Cumulative Effects Groundwater Management Associated with Large Resource Development Projects: Integrating Adaptive Management with Monitoring and Modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beckers, J.; Fennell, J.; Scott, M.

2011-12-01

We will present a systematic approach to cumulative effects groundwater management predicated on an integration of traditional tools and the necessary intimate connection between modelling, monitoring and adaptive management, which includes an inventory and gap analysis of available data, consideration for system dynamics in the context of climate variability and change, an assessment of aquifer vulnerability, and consideration for potential future development and overall associated risk to groundwater resources and connected receptors. In our experience, a systematic approach to cumulative effects groundwater management is key to addressing complex challenges associated with large resource development projects, with effects of these projects to aquifer systems often occurring at regional scales and possibly enduring over long time horizons. The principal goal for the groundwater management framework is to manage groundwater resources in a sustainable manner and protect it from over-use. However, proper balances with economic and community objectives need to be taken into account, emphasizing the need for stakeholder engagement in the overall process. Through an understanding of inter-relationships between natural resource and other objectives, legislation, policies and programs across various sectors goals can be developed to achieve the best overall long-term benefits for society and the environment, while minimizing conflicts. The principal goal of monitoring is to evaluate past and current conditions and address data gaps. Long-term monitoring can also be used to improve the hydrogeologic conceptualization of a region. The role of numerical modelling is to quantify the understanding of groundwater flow systems in a region, address uncertainty in this understanding, to quantify potential regional cumulative impacts of current and future development, to provide recommendations for future monitoring locations and targets and for assessing the effectiveness of existing water management guidelines. Each of the three main tools for groundwater management cannot be used in isolation, decision making and regional management is optimized by their proper integration where each tool informs the others. Lastly, water management needs to be adaptive. The tools developed for groundwater management are dynamic, not static, and require regular updating and maintenance as new information becomes available (performance monitoring) and/or new questions and challenges arise. This in turn requires a clear specification of roles and responsibilities of various parties including regulators, operators, stakeholders and consultants. The presentation will introduce our systematic methodology to water management with examples of recent successful implementation from Canada and/or Australia.

The impact of a novel resident leadership training curriculum.

PubMed

Awad, Samir S; Hayley, Barbara; Fagan, Shawn P; Berger, David H; Brunicardi, F Charles

2004-11-01

Today's complex health care environment coupled with the 80-hour workweek mandate has required that surgical resident team interactions evolve from a military command-and-control style to a collaborative leadership style. A novel educational curriculum was implemented with objectives of training the residents to have the capacity/ability to create and manage powerful teams through alignment, communication, and integrity integral tools to practicing a collaborative leadership style while working 80 hours per week. Specific strategies were as follows: (1) to focus on quality of patient care and service while receiving a high education-to-service ratio, and (2) to maximize efficiency through time management. This article shows that leadership training as part of a resident curriculum can significantly increase a resident's view of leadership in the areas of alignment, communication, and integrity; tools previously shown in business models to be vital for effective and efficient teams. This curriculum, over the course of the surgical residency, can provide residents with the necessary tools to deliver efficient quality of care while working within the 80-hour workweek mandate in a more collaborative style environment.

Innovations in health information technologies for chronic pulmonary diseases.

PubMed

Himes, Blanca E; Weitzman, Elissa R

2016-04-05

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are common chronic obstructive lung disorders in the US that affect over 49 million people. There is no cure for asthma or COPD, but clinical guidelines exist for controlling symptoms that are successful in most patients that adhere to their treatment plan. Health information technologies (HITs) are revolutionizing healthcare by becoming mainstream tools to assist patients in self-monitoring and decision-making, and subsequently, driving a shift toward a care model increasingly centered on personal adoption and use of digital and web-based tools. While the number of chronic pulmonary disease HITs is rapidly increasing, most have not been validated as clinically effective tools for the management of disease. Online communities for asthma and COPD patients are becoming sources of empowerment and support, as well as facilitators of patient-centered research efforts. In addition to empowering patients and facilitating disease self-management, HITs offer promise to aid researchers in identifying chronic pulmonary disease endotypes and personalized treatments based on patient-specific profiles that integrate symptom occurrence and medication usage with environmental and genomic data.

The Balanced Scorecard as a management tool for assessing and monitoring strategy implementation in health care organizations.

PubMed

Bisbe, Josep; Barrubés, Joan

2012-10-01

Both prior literature and reported managerial practices have claimed that the Balanced Scorecard is a management tool that can help organizations to effectively implement strategies. In this article, we examine some of the contributions, dilemmas, and limitations of Balanced Scorecards in health care organizations. First, we describe the evolution of Balanced Scorecards from multidimensional performance measurement systems to causal representations of formulated strategies, and analyze the applicability of Balanced Scorecards in health care settings. Next, we discuss several issues under debate regarding Balanced Scorecard adoption in health care organizations. We distinguish between issues related to the design of Balanced Scorecards and those related to the use of these tools. We conclude that the Balanced Scorecard has the potential to contribute to the implementation of strategies through the strategically-oriented performance measurement systems embedded within it. However, effective adoption requires the adaptation of the generic instrument to the specific realities of health care organizations. Full English text available from:www.revespcardiol.org. Copyright © 2012 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

A Sensor-Based Method for Diagnostics of Machine Tool Linear Axes.

PubMed

Vogl, Gregory W; Weiss, Brian A; Donmez, M Alkan

2015-01-01

A linear axis is a vital subsystem of machine tools, which are vital systems within many manufacturing operations. When installed and operating within a manufacturing facility, a machine tool needs to stay in good condition for parts production. All machine tools degrade during operations, yet knowledge of that degradation is illusive; specifically, accurately detecting degradation of linear axes is a manual and time-consuming process. Thus, manufacturers need automated and efficient methods to diagnose the condition of their machine tool linear axes without disruptions to production. The Prognostics and Health Management for Smart Manufacturing Systems (PHM4SMS) project at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) developed a sensor-based method to quickly estimate the performance degradation of linear axes. The multi-sensor-based method uses data collected from a 'sensor box' to identify changes in linear and angular errors due to axis degradation; the sensor box contains inclinometers, accelerometers, and rate gyroscopes to capture this data. The sensors are expected to be cost effective with respect to savings in production losses and scrapped parts for a machine tool. Numerical simulations, based on sensor bandwidth and noise specifications, show that changes in straightness and angular errors could be known with acceptable test uncertainty ratios. If a sensor box resides on a machine tool and data is collected periodically, then the degradation of the linear axes can be determined and used for diagnostics and prognostics to help optimize maintenance, production schedules, and ultimately part quality.

A Sensor-Based Method for Diagnostics of Machine Tool Linear Axes

PubMed Central

Vogl, Gregory W.; Weiss, Brian A.; Donmez, M. Alkan

2017-01-01

A linear axis is a vital subsystem of machine tools, which are vital systems within many manufacturing operations. When installed and operating within a manufacturing facility, a machine tool needs to stay in good condition for parts production. All machine tools degrade during operations, yet knowledge of that degradation is illusive; specifically, accurately detecting degradation of linear axes is a manual and time-consuming process. Thus, manufacturers need automated and efficient methods to diagnose the condition of their machine tool linear axes without disruptions to production. The Prognostics and Health Management for Smart Manufacturing Systems (PHM4SMS) project at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) developed a sensor-based method to quickly estimate the performance degradation of linear axes. The multi-sensor-based method uses data collected from a ‘sensor box’ to identify changes in linear and angular errors due to axis degradation; the sensor box contains inclinometers, accelerometers, and rate gyroscopes to capture this data. The sensors are expected to be cost effective with respect to savings in production losses and scrapped parts for a machine tool. Numerical simulations, based on sensor bandwidth and noise specifications, show that changes in straightness and angular errors could be known with acceptable test uncertainty ratios. If a sensor box resides on a machine tool and data is collected periodically, then the degradation of the linear axes can be determined and used for diagnostics and prognostics to help optimize maintenance, production schedules, and ultimately part quality. PMID:28691039

Self-Management for People with Multiple Sclerosis

PubMed Central

Fraser, Robert; Ehde, Dawn; Amtmann, Dagmar; Johnson, Kurt L.; Johnson, Erica; Kraft, George H.

2013-01-01

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) must manage the day-to-day effects of the disease on their lives. Self-management interventions may be helpful in this challenge. An international, multidisciplinary consensus conference was held on November 15, 2010, by the University of Washington's Rehabilitation Research and Training Center for Multiple Sclerosis (MS RRTC), with funding from the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), to discuss the concept of self-management for people with MS. The specific goals of the consensus conference were as follows: 1) review the current research on self-management and related issues in chronic disability and specifically in MS; 2) review optimal research methodologies, outcome measurement tools, program planning frameworks, and dissemination strategies for self-management research; and 3) establish recommendations on the next steps necessary to develop, adapt, and test self-management interventions for people with MS. The consensus conference and this document are the initial steps toward achieving the stated goals. Participants in the consensus conference concluded that it is necessary to: 1) define an empirically based conceptual model of self-management for people with MS; 2) establish reliable and valid self-management outcome measures; 3) use best practices to validate models of self-management interventions; and 4) plan dissemination and knowledge translation of interventions once their effectiveness is established. PMID:24453769

Concrescent Conversation as a Group Communication Tool in a Chinese University MBA Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akan, Obasi Haki; Andres, Hayward; Medley, Barbara C.

2014-01-01

In order to be more competitive in the global marketplace, China has adopted a long-term plan to reform their higher education system. One specific aim of this plan is to facilitate the achievement of China's goal of building a world-class market-driven economy through the development of an adequate supply of MBA-trained professional managers to…

Teaching and Learning about Economics and Business Using Web GIS Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerski, Joseph J.

2017-01-01

Teaching about economics and business has a long tradition in geography. Planning the optimal site for a business or service in a community; examining the demographics and behavior of a certain target market; studying supply chain management to build a specific product such as a mobile phone or a piece of furniture; and examining median income by…

Effects of landscape position and season of burn on fire temperature in Southern Ohio's mixed oak forests

Treesearch

Doug J. Schwemlein; Roger A. Williams

2007-01-01

The use of fire to maintain and restore oak (Quercus spp.) ecosystems is becoming an increasingly accepted silvicultural tool; however, specific management recommendations have been slow to develop as past studies have shown mixed results. By examining fire temperature in response to landscape position and season of burn, we attempted to offer...

Student Perceptions of the Relationship between Web-Based Instructional Tools and Perceived Attainment of Intended Learning Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parenti, Melissa A.

2012-01-01

With the advent of and continual adaptations related to distance learning, there is a recognized need for up to date research in the area of effectiveness of online education programs. More specifically, assessing the capacity to attain academic goals by use of asynchronous and synchronous learning management systems (LMS) that power distance…

C-ME: A 3D Community-Based, Real-Time Collaboration Tool for Scientific Research and Training

PubMed Central

Kolatkar, Anand; Kennedy, Kevin; Halabuk, Dan; Kunken, Josh; Marrinucci, Dena; Bethel, Kelly; Guzman, Rodney; Huckaby, Tim; Kuhn, Peter

2008-01-01

The need for effective collaboration tools is growing as multidisciplinary proteome-wide projects and distributed research teams become more common. The resulting data is often quite disparate, stored in separate locations, and not contextually related. Collaborative Molecular Modeling Environment (C-ME) is an interactive community-based collaboration system that allows researchers to organize information, visualize data on a two-dimensional (2-D) or three-dimensional (3-D) basis, and share and manage that information with collaborators in real time. C-ME stores the information in industry-standard databases that are immediately accessible by appropriate permission within the computer network directory service or anonymously across the internet through the C-ME application or through a web browser. The system addresses two important aspects of collaboration: context and information management. C-ME allows a researcher to use a 3-D atomic structure model or a 2-D image as a contextual basis on which to attach and share annotations to specific atoms or molecules or to specific regions of a 2-D image. These annotations provide additional information about the atomic structure or image data that can then be evaluated, amended or added to by other project members. PMID:18286178

Epigenomics in cancer management

PubMed Central

Costa, Fabricio F

2010-01-01

The identification of all epigenetic modifications implicated in gene expression is the next step for a better understanding of human biology in both normal and pathological states. This field is referred to as epigenomics, and it is defined as epigenetic changes (ie, DNA methylation, histone modifications and regulation by noncoding RNAs such as microRNAs) on a genomic scale rather than a single gene. Epigenetics modulate the structure of the chromatin, thereby affecting the transcription of genes in the genome. Different studies have already identified changes in epigenetic modifications in a few genes in specific pathways in cancers. Based on these epigenetic changes, drugs against different types of tumors were developed, which mainly target epimutations in the genome. Examples include DNA methylation inhibitors, histone modification inhibitors, and small molecules that target chromatin-remodeling proteins. However, these drugs are not specific, and side effects are a major problem; therefore, new DNA sequencing technologies combined with epigenomic tools have the potential to identify novel biomarkers and better molecular targets to treat cancers. The purpose of this review is to discuss current and emerging epigenomic tools and to address how these new technologies may impact the future of cancer management. PMID:21188117

Towards Automatic Validation and Healing of Citygml Models for Geometric and Semantic Consistency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alam, N.; Wagner, D.; Wewetzer, M.; von Falkenhausen, J.; Coors, V.; Pries, M.

2013-09-01

A steadily growing number of application fields for large 3D city models have emerged in recent years. Like in many other domains, data quality is recognized as a key factor for successful business. Quality management is mandatory in the production chain nowadays. Automated domain-specific tools are widely used for validation of business-critical data but still common standards defining correct geometric modeling are not precise enough to define a sound base for data validation of 3D city models. Although the workflow for 3D city models is well-established from data acquisition to processing, analysis and visualization, quality management is not yet a standard during this workflow. Processing data sets with unclear specification leads to erroneous results and application defects. We show that this problem persists even if data are standard compliant. Validation results of real-world city models are presented to demonstrate the potential of the approach. A tool to repair the errors detected during the validation process is under development; first results are presented and discussed. The goal is to heal defects of the models automatically and export a corrected CityGML model.

RadSearch: a RIS/PACS integrated query tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsao, Sinchai; Documet, Jorge; Moin, Paymann; Wang, Kevin; Liu, Brent J.

2008-03-01

Radiology Information Systems (RIS) contain a wealth of information that can be used for research, education, and practice management. However, the sheer amount of information available makes querying specific data difficult and time consuming. Previous work has shown that a clinical RIS database and its RIS text reports can be extracted, duplicated and indexed for searches while complying with HIPAA and IRB requirements. This project's intent is to provide a software tool, the RadSearch Toolkit, to allow intelligent indexing and parsing of RIS reports for easy yet powerful searches. In addition, the project aims to seamlessly query and retrieve associated images from the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) in situations where an integrated RIS/PACS is in place - even subselecting individual series, such as in an MRI study. RadSearch's application of simple text parsing techniques to index text-based radiology reports will allow the search engine to quickly return relevant results. This powerful combination will be useful in both private practice and academic settings; administrators can easily obtain complex practice management information such as referral patterns; researchers can conduct retrospective studies with specific, multiple criteria; teaching institutions can quickly and effectively create thorough teaching files.

Managing Epilepsy Well: Emerging e-Tools for epilepsy self-management.

PubMed

Shegog, Ross; Bamps, Yvan A; Patel, Archna; Kakacek, Jody; Escoffery, Cam; Johnson, Erica K; Ilozumba, Ukwuoma O

2013-10-01

The Managing Epilepsy Well (MEW) Network was established in 2007 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epilepsy Program to expand epilepsy self-management research. The network has employed collaborative research strategies to develop, test, and disseminate evidence-based, community-based, and e-Health interventions (e-Tools) for epilepsy self-management for people with epilepsy, caregivers, and health-care providers. Since its inception, MEW Network collaborators have conducted formative studies (n=7) investigating the potential of e-Health to support epilepsy self-management and intervention studies evaluating e-Tools (n=5). The MEW e-Tools (the MEW website, WebEase, UPLIFT, MINDSET, and PEARLS online training) and affiliated e-Tools (Texting 4 Control) are designed to complement self-management practices in each phase of the epilepsy care continuum. These tools exemplify a concerted research agenda, shared methodological principles and models for epilepsy self-management, and a communal knowledge base for implementing e-Health to improve quality of life for people with epilepsy. © 2013.

A medical home: value and implications of knowledge management.

PubMed

Orzano, A John; McInerney, Claire R; McDaniel, Reuben R; Meese, Abigail; Alajmi, Bibi; Mohr, Stewart M; Tallia, Alfred F

2009-01-01

Central to the "medical home" concept is the premise that the delivery of effective primary care requires a fundamental shift in relationships among practice members and between practice members and patients. Primary care practices can potentially increase their capacity to deliver effective care through knowledge management (KM), a process of sharing and making existing knowledge available or by developing new knowledge among practice members and patients. KM affects performance by influencing work relationships to enhance learning, decision making, and task execution. We extend our previous work to further characterize, describe, and contrast how primary care practices exhibit KM and explain why KM deserves attention in medical home redesign initiatives. Case studies were conducted, drawn from two higher and lower performing practices, which were purposely selected based on disease management, prevention, and productivity measures from an improvement trial. Observations of operations, clinical encounters, meetings, and interviews with office members and patients were transcribed and coded independently using a KM template developed from a previous secondary analysis. Face-to-face discussions resolved coding differences among research team members. Confirmation of findings was sought from practice participants. Practices manifested varying degrees of KM effectiveness through six interdependent processes and multiple overlapping tools. Social tools, such as face-to-face-communication for sharing and developing knowledge, were often more effective than were expensive technical tools such as an electronic medical record. Tool use was tailored for specific outcomes, interacted with each other, and leveraged by other organizational capacities. Practices with effective KM were more open to adopting and sustaining new ways of functioning, ways reflecting attributes of a medical home. Knowledge management differences occur within and between practices and can explain differences in performance. By relying more on social tools rather than costly, high-tech investment, KM leverages primary care's relationship-centered strength, facilitating practice redesign as a medical home.

Developing "My Asthma Diary": a process exemplar of a patient-driven arts-based knowledge translation tool.

PubMed

Archibald, Mandy M; Hartling, Lisa; Ali, Samina; Caine, Vera; Scott, Shannon D

2018-06-05

Although it is well established that family-centered education is critical to managing childhood asthma, the information needs of parents of children with asthma are not being met through current educational approaches. Patient-driven educational materials that leverage the power of the storytelling and the arts show promise in communicating health information and assisting in illness self-management. However, such arts-based knowledge translation approaches are in their infancy, and little is known about how to develop such tools for parents. This paper reports on the development of "My Asthma Diary" - an innovative knowledge translation tool based on rigorous research evidence and tailored to parents' asthma-related information needs. We used a multi-stage process to develop four eBook prototypes of "My Asthma Diary." We conducted formative research on parents' information needs and identified high quality research evidence on childhood asthma, and used these data to inform the development of the asthma eBooks. We established interdisciplinary consulting teams with health researchers, practitioners, and artists to help iteratively create the knowledge translation tools. We describe the iterative, transdisciplinary process of developing asthma eBooks which incorporates: (I) parents' preferences and information needs on childhood asthma, (II) quality evidence on childhood asthma and its management, and (III) the engaging and informative powers of storytelling and visual art as methods to communicate complex health information to parents. We identified four dominant methodological and procedural challenges encountered during this process: (I) working within an inter-disciplinary team, (II) quantity and ordering of information, (III) creating a composite narrative, and (IV) balancing actual and ideal management scenarios. We describe a replicable and rigorous multi-staged approach to developing a patient-driven, creative knowledge translation tool, which can be adapted for use with different populations and contexts. We identified specific procedural and methodological challenges that others conducting comparable work should consider, particularly as creative, patient-driven knowledge translation strategies continue to emerge across health disciplines.

New Tools for Managing Agricultural P

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nieber, J. L.; Baker, L. A.; Peterson, H. M.; Ulrich, J.

2014-12-01

Best management practices (BMPs) generally focus on retaining nutrients (especially P) after they enter the watershed. This approach is expensive, unsustainable, and has not led to reductions of P pollution at large scales (e.g., Mississippi River). Although source reduction, which results in reducing inputs of nutrients to a watershed, has long been cited as a preferred approach, we have not had tools to guide source reduction efforts at the watershed level. To augment conventional TMDL tools, we developed an "actionable" watershed P balance approach, based largely on watershed-specific information, yet simple enough to be utilized as a practical tool. Interviews with farmers were used to obtain detailed farm management data, data from livestock permits were adjusted based on site visits, stream P fluxes were calculated from 3 years of monitoring data, and expert knowledge was used to model P fluxes through animal operations. The overall P use efficiency. Puse was calculated as the sum of deliberate exports (P in animals, milk, eggs, and crops) divided by deliberate inputs (P inputs of fertilizer, feed, and nursery animals x 100. The crop P use efficiency was 1.7, meaning that more P was exported as products that was deliberately imported; we estimate that this mining would have resulted in a loss of 6 mg P/kg across the watershed. Despite the negative P balance, the equivalent of 5% of watershed input was lost via stream export. Tile drainage, the presence of buffer strips, and relatively flat topography result in dominance of P loads by ortho-P (66%) and low particulate P. This, together with geochemical analysis (ongoing) suggest that biological processes may be at least as important as sediment transport in controlling P loads. We have developed a P balance calculator tool to enable watershed management organizations to develop watershed P balances and identify opportunities for improving the efficiency of P utilization.

Tissue-based biomarkers in prostate cancer

PubMed Central

Clinton, Timothy N.; Bagrodia, Aditya; Lotan, Yair; Margulis, Vitaly; Raj, Ganesh V; Woldu, Solomon L

2017-01-01

Introduction Prostate cancer is a heterogeneous disease. Existing risk stratification tools based on standard clinlicopathologic variables (prostate specific antigen [PSA], Gleason score, and tumor stage) provide a modest degree of predictive ability. Advances in high-throughput sequencing has led to the development of several novel tissue-based biomarkers that can improve prognostication in prostate cancer management. Areas Covered The authors review commercially-available, tissue-based biomarker assays that improve upon existing risk-stratification tools in several areas of prostate cancer management, including the appropriateness of active surveillance and aiding in decision making regarding the use of adjuvant therapy. Additionally, some of the obstacles to the widespread adoption of these biomarkers and discuss several investigational sources of new biomarkers are discussed. Expert Commentary Work is ongoing to answer pertinent clinical questions in prostate cancer management including which patients should undergo biopsy, active surveillance, receive adjuvant therapy, and what systemic therapy is best in the first-line. Incorporation into novel biomarkers may allow for the incorporation of a ‘personalized’ approach to management. Further validation will be required and questions of cost must be considered before wide scale adoption of these biomarkers. Tumor heterogeneity may impose a ceiling on the prognostic ability of biomarkers using currently available techniques. PMID:29226251

SedInConnect: a stand-alone, free and open source tool for the assessment of sediment connectivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crema, Stefano; Cavalli, Marco

2018-02-01

There is a growing call, within the scientific community, for solid theoretic frameworks and usable indices/models to assess sediment connectivity. Connectivity plays a significant role in characterizing structural properties of the landscape and, when considered in combination with forcing processes (e.g., rainfall-runoff modelling), can represent a valuable analysis for an improved landscape management. In this work, the authors present the development and application of SedInConnect: a free, open source and stand-alone application for the computation of the Index of Connectivity (IC), as expressed in Cavalli et al. (2013) with the addition of specific innovative features. The tool is intended to have a wide variety of users, both from the scientific community and from the authorities involved in the environmental planning. Thanks to its open source nature, the tool can be adapted and/or integrated according to the users' requirements. Furthermore, presenting an easy-to-use interface and being a stand-alone application, the tool can help management experts in the quantitative assessment of sediment connectivity in the context of hazard and risk assessment. An application to a sample dataset and an overview on up-to-date applications of the approach and of the tool shows the development potential of such analyses. The modelled connectivity, in fact, appears suitable not only to characterize sediment dynamics at the catchment scale but also to integrate prediction models and as a tool for helping geomorphological interpretation.

Broadening the application of evolutionarily based genetic pest management.

PubMed

Gould, Fred

2008-02-01

Insect- and tick-vectored diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, and Lyme disease cause human suffering, and current approaches for prevention are not adequate. Invasive plants and animals such as Scotch broom, zebra mussels, and gypsy moths continue to cause environmental damage and economic losses in agriculture and forestry. Rodents transmit diseases and cause major pre- and postharvest losses, especially in less affluent countries. Each of these problems might benefit from the developing field of Genetic Pest Management that is conceptually based on principles of evolutionary biology. This article briefly describes the history of this field, new molecular tools in this field, and potential applications of those tools. There will be a need for evolutionary biologists to interact with researchers and practitioners in a variety of other fields to determine the most appropriate targets for genetic pest management, the most appropriate methods for specific targets, and the potential of natural selection to diminish the effectiveness of genetic pest management. In addition to producing environmentally sustainable pest management solutions, research efforts in this area could lead to new insights about the evolution of selfish genetic elements in natural systems and will provide students with the opportunity to develop a more sophisticated understanding of the role of evolutionary biology in solving societal problems.

ePORT, NASA's Computer Database Program for System Safety Risk Management Oversight (Electronic Project Online Risk Tool)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Paul W.

2008-01-01

ePORT (electronic Project Online Risk Tool) provides a systematic approach to using an electronic database program to manage a program/project risk management processes. This presentation will briefly cover the standard risk management procedures, then thoroughly cover NASA's Risk Management tool called ePORT. This electronic Project Online Risk Tool (ePORT) is a web-based risk management program that provides a common framework to capture and manage risks, independent of a programs/projects size and budget. It is used to thoroughly cover the risk management paradigm providing standardized evaluation criterion for common management reporting, ePORT improves Product Line, Center and Corporate Management insight, simplifies program/project manager reporting, and maintains an archive of data for historical reference.

Participatory approach to the development of a knowledge base for problem-solving in diabetes self-management.

PubMed

Cole-Lewis, Heather J; Smaldone, Arlene M; Davidson, Patricia R; Kukafka, Rita; Tobin, Jonathan N; Cassells, Andrea; Mynatt, Elizabeth D; Hripcsak, George; Mamykina, Lena

2016-01-01

To develop an expandable knowledge base of reusable knowledge related to self-management of diabetes that can be used as a foundation for patient-centric decision support tools. The structure and components of the knowledge base were created in participatory design with academic diabetes educators using knowledge acquisition methods. The knowledge base was validated using scenario-based approach with practicing diabetes educators and individuals with diabetes recruited from Community Health Centers (CHCs) serving economically disadvantaged communities and ethnic minorities in New York. The knowledge base includes eight glycemic control problems, over 150 behaviors known to contribute to these problems coupled with contextual explanations, and over 200 specific action-oriented self-management goals for correcting problematic behaviors, with corresponding motivational messages. The validation of the knowledge base suggested high level of completeness and accuracy, and identified improvements in cultural appropriateness. These were addressed in new iterations of the knowledge base. The resulting knowledge base is theoretically grounded, incorporates practical and evidence-based knowledge used by diabetes educators in practice settings, and allows for personally meaningful choices by individuals with diabetes. Participatory design approach helped researchers to capture implicit knowledge of practicing diabetes educators and make it explicit and reusable. The knowledge base proposed here is an important step towards development of new generation patient-centric decision support tools for facilitating chronic disease self-management. While this knowledge base specifically targets diabetes, its overall structure and composition can be generalized to other chronic conditions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Participatory approach to the development of a knowledge base for problem-solving in diabetes self-management

PubMed Central

Cole-Lewis, Heather J.; Smaldone, Arlene M.; Davidson, Patricia R.; Kukafka, Rita; Tobin, Jonathan N.; Cassells, Andrea; Mynatt, Elizabeth D.; Hripcsak, George; Mamykina, Lena

2015-01-01

Objective To develop an expandable knowledge base of reusable knowledge related to self-management of diabetes that can be used as a foundation for patient-centric decision support tools. Materials and methods The structure and components of the knowledge base were created in participatory design with academic diabetes educators using knowledge acquisition methods. The knowledge base was validated using scenario-based approach with practicing diabetes educators and individuals with diabetes recruited from Community Health Centers (CHCs) serving economically disadvantaged communities and ethnic minorities in New York. Results The knowledge base includes eight glycemic control problems, over 150 behaviors known to contribute to these problems coupled with contextual explanations, and over 200 specific action-oriented self-management goals for correcting problematic behaviors, with corresponding motivational messages. The validation of the knowledge base suggested high level of completeness and accuracy, and identified improvements in cultural appropriateness. These were addressed in new iterations of the knowledge base. Discussion The resulting knowledge base is theoretically grounded, incorporates practical and evidence-based knowledge used by diabetes educators in practice settings, and allows for personally meaningful choices by individuals with diabetes. Participatory design approach helped researchers to capture implicit knowledge of practicing diabetes educators and make it explicit and reusable. Conclusion The knowledge base proposed here is an important step towards development of new generation patient-centric decision support tools for facilitating chronic disease self-management. While this knowledge base specifically targets diabetes, its overall structure and composition can be generalized to other chronic conditions. PMID:26547253

Research and guidelines for implementing Fatigue Risk Management Systems for the French regional airlines.

PubMed

Cabon, Philippe; Deharvengt, Stephane; Grau, Jean Yves; Maille, Nicolas; Berechet, Ion; Mollard, Régis

2012-03-01

This paper describes research that aims to provide the overall scientific basis for implementation of a Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) for French regional airlines. The current research has evaluated the use of different tools and indicators that would be relevant candidates for integration into the FRMS. For the Fatigue Risk Management component, results show that biomathematical models of fatigue are useful tools to help an airline to prevent fatigue related to roster design and for the management of aircrew planning. The Fatigue Safety assurance includes two monitoring processes that have been evaluated during this research: systematic monitoring and focused monitoring. Systematic monitoring consists of the analysis of existing safety indicators such as Air Safety Reports (ASR) and Flight Data Monitoring (FDM). Results show a significant relationship between the hours of work and the frequency of ASR. Results for the FDM analysis show that some events are significantly related to the fatigue risk associated with the hours of works. Focused monitoring includes a website survey and specific in-flight observations and data collection. Sleep and fatigue measurements have been collected from 115 aircrews over 12-day periods (including rest periods). Before morning duties, results show a significant sleep reduction of up to 40% of the aircrews' usual sleep needs leading to a clear increase of fatigue during flights. From these results, specific guidelines are developed to help the airlines to implement the FRMS and for the airworthiness to oversight the implementation of the FRMS process. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using resilience and resistance concepts to manage threats to sagebrush ecosystems, Gunnison sage-grouse, and Greater sage-grouse in their eastern range: A strategic multi-scale approach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chambers, Jeanne C.; Beck, Jeffrey L.; Campbell, Steve; Carlson, John; Christiansen, Thomas J.; Clause, Karen J.; Dinkins, Jonathan B.; Doherty, Kevin E.; Griffin, Kathleen A.; Havlina, Douglas W.; Mayer, Kenneth F.; Hennig, Jacob D.; Kurth, Laurie L.; Maestas, Jeremy D.; Manning, Mary E.; Mealor, Brian A.; McCarthy, Clinton; Perea, Marco A.; Pyke, David A.

2016-01-01

This report provides a strategic approach developed by a Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies interagency working group for conservation of sagebrush ecosystems, Greater sage-grouse, and Gunnison sage-grouse. It uses information on (1) factors that influence sagebrush ecosystem resilience to disturbance and resistance to nonnative invasive annual grasses and (2) distribution and relative abundance of sage-grouse populations to address persistent ecosystem threats, such as invasive annual grasses and wildfire, and land use and development threats, such as oil and gas development and cropland conversion, to develop effective management strategies. A sage-grouse habitat matrix links relative resilience and resistance of sagebrush ecosystems with modeled sage-grouse breeding habitat probabilities to help decisionmakers assess risks and determine appropriate management strategies at both landscape and site scales. Areas for targeted management are assessed by overlaying matrix components with Greater sage-grouse Priority Areas for Conservation and Gunnison sage-grouse critical habitat and linkages, breeding bird concentration areas, and specific habitat threats. Decision tools are discussed for determining the suitability of target areas for management and the most appropriate management actions. A similar approach was developed for the Great Basin that was incorporated into the Federal land use plan amendments and served as the basis of a Bureau of Land Management Fire and Invasives Assessment Tool, which was used to prioritize sage-grouse habitat for targeted management activities.

Science-based Forest Management in an Era of Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swanston, C.; Janowiak, M.; Brandt, L.; Butler, P.; Handler, S.; Shannon, D.

2014-12-01

Recognizing the need to provide climate adaptation information, training, and tools to forest managers, the Forest Service joined with partners in 2009 to launch a comprehensive effort called the Climate Change Response Framework (www.forestadaptation.org). The Framework provides a structured approach to help managers integrate climate considerations into forest management plans and then implement adaptation actions on the ground. A planning tool, the Adaptation Workbook, is used in conjunction with vulnerability assessments and a diverse "menu" of adaptation approaches to generate site-specific adaptation actions that meet explicit management objectives. Additionally, a training course, designed around the Adaptation Workbook, leads management organizations through this process of designing on-the-ground adaptation tactics for their management projects. The Framework is now being actively pursued in 20 states in the Northwoods, Central Hardwoods, Central Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic, and New England. The Framework community includes over 100 science and management groups, dozens of whom have worked together to complete six ecoregional vulnerability assessments covering nearly 135 million acres. More than 75 forest and urban forest adaptation strategies and approaches were synthesized from peer-reviewed and gray literature, expert solicitation, and on-the-ground adaptation projects. These are being linked through the Adaptation Workbook process to on-the-ground adaptation tactics being planned and employed in more than 50 adaptation "demonstrations". This presentation will touch on the scientific and professional basis of the vulnerability assessments, and showcase efforts where adaptation actions are currently being implemented in forests.

Development of the competency scale for primary care managers in Thailand: Scale development.

PubMed

Kitreerawutiwong, Keerati; Sriruecha, Chanaphol; Laohasiriwong, Wongsa

2015-12-09

The complexity of the primary care system requires a competent manager to achieve high-quality healthcare. The existing literature in the field yields little evidence of the tools to assess the competency of primary care administrators. This study aimed to develop and examine the psychometric properties of the competency scale for primary care managers in Thailand. The scale was developed using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions among policy makers, managers, practitioners, village health volunteers, and clients. The specific dimensions were extracted from 35 participants. 123 items were generated from the evidence and qualitative data. Content validity was established through the evaluation of seven experts and the original 123 items were reduced to 84 items. The pilot testing was conducted on a simple random sample of 487 primary care managers. Item analysis, reliability testing, and exploratory factor analysis were applied to establish the scale's reliability and construct validity. Exploratory factor analysis identified nine dimensions with 48 items using a five-point Likert scale. Each dimension accounted for greater than 58.61% of the total variance. The scale had strong content validity (Indices = 0.85). Each dimension of Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.70 to 0.88. Based on these analyses, this instrument demonstrated sound psychometric properties and therefore is considered an effective tool for assessment of the primary care manager competencies. The results can be used to improve competency requirements of primary care managers, with implications for health service management workforce development.