Public Science and Participatory Policy Development: Reclaiming Policy as a Democratic Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fine, Michelle; Ayala, Jennifer; Zaal, Mayida

2012-01-01

People witness today in the US what might be considered a "generous hijacking" of educational policy. Policy debates on charters, vouchers, for profit schools, testing and evaluation companies, and "education reform" reveal a triple privatization of educational policy. Varied enactments of educational privatization dot the…

77 FR 39490 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests; Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-03

... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests; Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development; Evaluation of the Carol M. White Physical Education Program SUMMARY: The Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) supports a variety of projects that encourage fitness...

Growing the Field of Health Impact Assessment in the United States: An Agenda for Research and Practice

PubMed Central

Dannenberg, Andrew L.; Bhatia, Rajiv; Cole, Brian L.; Dora, Carlos; Fielding, Jonathan E.; Kraft, Katherine; McClymont-Peace, Diane; Mindell, Jennifer; Onyekere, Chinwe; Roberts, James A.; Ross, Catherine L.; Rutt, Candace D.; Scott-Samuel, Alex; Tilson, Hugh H.

2006-01-01

Health impact assessment (HIA) methods are used to evaluate the impact on health of policies and projects in community design, transportation planning, and other areas outside traditional public health concerns. At an October 2004 workshop, domestic and international experts explored issues associated with advancing the use of HIA methods by local health departments, planning commissions, and other decisionmakers in the United States. Workshop participants recommended conducting pilot tests of existing HIA tools, developing a database of health impacts of common projects and policies, developing resources for HIA use, building workforce capacity to conduct HIAs, and evaluating HIAs. HIA methods can influence decisionmakers to adjust policies and projects to maximize benefits and minimize harm to the public’s health. PMID:16380558

DE-FG02-04ER25606 Identity Federation and Policy Management Guide: Final Report

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

Humphrey, Marty, A

The goal of this 3-year project was to facilitate a more productive dynamic matching between resource providers and resource consumers in Grid environments by explicitly specifying policies. There were broadly two problems being addressed by this project. First, there was a lack of an Open Grid Services Architecture (OGSA)-compliant mechanism for expressing, storing and retrieving user policies and Virtual Organization (VO) policies. Second, there was a lack of tools to resolve and enforce policies in the Open Services Grid Architecture. To address these problems, our overall approach in this project was to make all policies explicit (e.g., virtual organization policies,more » resource provider policies, resource consumer policies), thereby facilitating policy matching and policy negotiation. Policies defined on a per-user basis were created, held, and updated in MyPolMan, thereby providing a Grid user to centralize (where appropriate) and manage his/her policies. Organizationally, the corresponding service was VOPolMan, in which the policies of the Virtual Organization are expressed, managed, and dynamically consulted. Overall, we successfully defined, prototyped, and evaluated policy-based resource management and access control for OGSA-based Grids. This DOE project partially supported 17 peer-reviewed publications on a number of different topics: General security for Grids, credential management, Web services/OGSA/OGSI, policy-based grid authorization (for remote execution and for access to information), policy-directed Grid data movement/placement, policies for large-scale virtual organizations, and large-scale policy-aware grid architectures. In addition to supporting the PI, this project partially supported the training of 5 PhD students.« less

An Introduction to Solar Decision-Making Tools

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

Mow, Benjamin

2017-09-12

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) offers a variety of models and analysis tools to help decision makers evaluate and make informed decisions about solar projects, policies, and programs. This fact sheet aims to help decision makers determine which NREL tool to use for a given solar project or policy question, depending on its scope.

Research Overview: Implications for Public Policy. Higher Education in TAFE. Monograph Series 01/2009

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moodie, Gavin; Wheelahan, Leesa; Billett, Stephen; Kelly, Ann

2009-01-01

A project funded through the National Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation program investigated higher education programs--mostly bachelor's and associate degrees--offered by technical and further education (TAFE) institutes. This overview highlights some of the implications for public policy identified through this project.…

Integrating evidence into policy and sustainable disability services delivery in western New South Wales, Australia: the 'wobbly hub and double spokes' project.

PubMed

Veitch, Craig; Lincoln, Michelle; Bundy, Anita; Gallego, Gisselle; Dew, Angela; Bulkeley, Kim; Brentnall, Jennie; Griffiths, Scott

2012-03-21

Policy that supports rural allied health service delivery is important given the shortage of services outside of Australian metropolitan centres. The shortage of allied health professionals means that rural clinicians work long hours and have little peer or service support. Service delivery to rural and remote communities is further complicated because relatively small numbers of clients are dispersed over large geographic areas. The aim of this five-year multi-stage project is to generate evidence to confirm and develop evidence-based policies and to evaluate their implementation in procedures that allow a regional allied health workforce to more expeditiously respond to disability service need in regional New South Wales, Australia. The project consists of four inter-related stages that together constitute a full policy cycle. It uses mixed quantitative and qualitative methods, guided by key policy concerns such as: access, complexity, cost, distribution of benefits, timeliness, effectiveness, equity, policy consistency, and community and political acceptability. Stage 1 adopts a policy analysis approach in which existing relevant policies and related documentation will be collected and reviewed. Policy-makers and senior managers within the region and in central offices will be interviewed about issues that influence policy development and implementation. Stage 2 uses a mixed methods approach to collecting information from allied health professionals, clients, and carers. Focus groups and interviews will explore issues related to providing and receiving allied health services. Discrete Choice Experiments will elicit staff and client/carer preferences. Stage 3 synthesises Stage 1 and 2 findings with reference to the key policy issues to develop and implement policies and procedures to establish several innovative regional workforce and service provision projects. Stage 4 uses mixed methods to monitor and evaluate the implementation and impact of new or adapted policies that arise from the preceding stages. The project will provide policy makers with research evidence to support consideration of the complex balance between: (i) the equitable allocation of scarce resources; (ii) the intent of current eligibility and prioritisation policies; (iii) workforce constraints (and strengths); and (iv) the most effective, evidence-based clinical practice.

45 CFR 63.6 - Evaluation of applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... he/she determines are specially qualified in the areas of research pursued by this office. The... priorities and objectives for policy research, and by other general or specialized solicitations. Such... evaluation of Policy Research Projects. Review of applications under paragraph (a) of this section will take...

An Educational Leadership Doctoral Project: Teacher Evaluation Policies and Practices at the District Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manchion, Kyrie L.; Bonsignore, Matt; Haley, Tina L.

2012-01-01

This report describes a project focused on quality teacher evaluation practices. Many scholars described the relationship between quality teaching and student learning. Literature suggests a connection between teaching practices and teacher evaluation practices. In addition, scholars recommend educational leaders conduct a periodic review of…

The Childhood Obesity Declines Project: Implications for Research and Evaluation Approaches.

PubMed

Young-Hyman, Deborah; Morris, Kathryn; Kettel Khan, Laura; Dawkins-Lyn, Nicola; Dooyema, Carrie; Harris, Carole; Jernigan, Jan; Ottley, Phyllis; Kauh, Tina

2018-03-01

Childhood obesity remains prevalent and is increasing in some disadvantaged populations. Numerous research, policy and community initiatives are undertaken to impact this pandemic. Understudied are natural experiments. The need to learn from these efforts is paramount. Resulting evidence may not be readily available to inform future research, community initiatives, and policy development/implementation. We discuss the implications of using an adaptation of the Systematic Screening and Assessment (SSA) method to evaluate the Childhood Obesity Declines (COBD) project. The project examined successful initiatives, programs and policies in four diverse communities which were concurrent with significant declines in child obesity. In the context of other research designs and evaluation schemas, rationale for use of SSA is presented. Evidence generated by this method is highlighted and guidance suggested for evaluation of future studies of community-based childhood obesity prevention initiatives. Support for the role of stakeholder collaboratives, in particular the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research, as a synergistic vehicle to accelerate research on childhood obesity is discussed. SSA mapped active processes and provided contextual understanding of multi-level/component simultaneous efforts to reduce rates of childhood obesity in community settings. Initiatives, programs and policies were not necessarily coordinated. And although direct attribution of intervention/initiative/policy components could not be made, the what, by who, how, to whom was temporally associated with statistically significant reductions in childhood obesity. SSA provides evidence for context and processes which are not often evaluated in other data analytic methods. SSA provides an additional tool to layer with other evaluation approaches.

Evaluation of sketch-level VMT quantification tools : strategic growth council grant programs evaluation support project.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-08-01

The State of California has enacted ambitious policies that aim to reduce the states greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Some of these policies focus on reducing the amount of driving throughout the state, measured in vehicle miles traveled (VMT), giv...

Knowledge exchange in the Pacific: The TROPIC (Translational Research into Obesity Prevention Policies for Communities) project

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Policies targeting obesogenic environments and behaviours are critical to counter rising obesity rates and lifestyle-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Policies are likely to be most effective and enduring when they are based on the best available evidence. Evidence-informed policy making is especially challenging in countries with limited resources. The Pacific TROPIC (Translational Research for Obesity Prevention in Communities) project aims to implement and evaluate a tailored knowledge-brokering approach to evidence-informed policy making to address obesity in Fiji, a Pacific nation challenged by increasingly high rates of obesity and concomitant NCDs. Methods The TROPIC project draws on the concept of ‘knowledge exchange’ between policy developers (individuals; organisations) and researchers to deliver a knowledge broking programme that maps policy environments, conducts workshops on evidence-informed policy making, supports the development of evidence-informed policy briefs, and embeds evidence-informed policy making into organisational culture. Recruitment of government and nongovernment organisational representatives will be based on potential to: develop policies relevant to obesity, reach broad audiences, and commit to resourcing staff and building a culture that supports evidence-informed policy development. Workshops will increase awareness of both obesity and policy cycles, as well as develop participants’ skills in accessing, assessing and applying relevant evidence to policy briefs. The knowledge-broking team will then support participants to: 1) develop evidence-informed policy briefs that are both commensurate with national and organisational plans and also informed by evidence from the Pacific Obesity Prevention in Communities project and elsewhere; and 2) collaborate with participating organisations to embed evidence-informed policy making structures and processes. This knowledge broking initiative will be evaluated via data from semi-structured interviews, a validated self-assessment tool, process diaries and outputs. Discussion Public health interventions have rarely targeted evidence-informed policy making structures and processes to reduce obesity and NCDs. This study will empirically advance understanding of knowledge broking processes to extend evidence-informed policy making skills and develop a suite of national obesity-related policies that can potentially improve population health outcomes. PMID:22830984

Social and Economic Policies Matter for Health Equity: Conclusions of the SOPHIE Project.

PubMed

Malmusi, Davide; Muntaner, Carles; Borrell, Carme

2018-01-01

Since 2011, the SOPHIE project has accumulated evidence regarding the influence of social and economic policies on population health levels, as well as on health inequalities according to socioeconomic position, gender, and immigrant status. Through comparative analyses and evaluation case studies across Europe, SOPHIE has shown how these health inequalities vary according to contexts in macroeconomics, social protection, labor market, built environment, housing, gender equity, and immigrant integration and may be reduced by equity-oriented policies in these fields. These studies can help public health and social justice advocates to build a strong case for fairer social and economic policies that will lead to the reduction of health inequalities that most governments have included among their policy goals. In this article, we summarize the main findings and policy implications of the SOPHIE project and the lessons learned on civil society participation in research and results communication.

Northwest Energy Policy Project. Energy conservation policy evaluation: study module IA. Final report. Volume I. Summary report

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

Berney, R.E.; Butcher, W.R.; Carter, L.F.

1977-01-01

This summary report identifies potential energy conservation measures and evaluates measures and policy options not likely to be suitable for adoption in the Pacific Northwest. Potential and incentives for energy conservation are specifically identified in the residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation sectors and through urban design. Selection of preferable policies and estimation of response to policies are next discussed. Finally, a computer impact model for calculating energy savings and changes in the levels of residuals resulting from energy conservation activities is discussed. (MCW)

77 FR 3838 - Notice of Availability of Proposed New Starts/Small Starts Policy Guidance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-25

... Major Capital Investment Projects by describing the detailed measures proposed for evaluation of..., requires the FTA to publish policy guidance regarding the major capital investment program review and... Administration evaluates and rates major new transit investments seeking funding under the discretionary ``New...

78 FR 49372 - Notice of Availability of New Starts and Small Starts Policy Guidance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-14

...-0009] Notice of Availability of New Starts and Small Starts Policy Guidance AGENCY: Federal Transit... Administration (FTA) is issuing final policy guidance to sponsors of New Starts and Small Starts projects. This... framework for the New Starts and Small Starts evaluation and rating process; the policy guidance complements...

Performance evaluation of restaurant food waste and biowaste to biogas pilot projects in China and implications for national policy.

PubMed

De Clercq, Djavan; Wen, Zongguo; Fan, Fei

2017-03-15

The objective of this research was to conduct a performance evaluation of three food waste/biowaste-to-biogas pilot projects across 7 scenarios in China based on multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methodology. The projects ranked included a food waste-biogas project in Beijing, a food waste-biogas project in Suzhou and a co-digestion project producing biomethane in Hainan. The projects were ranked from best to worst based on technical, economic and environmental criteria under the MCDA framework. The results demonstrated that some projects are encountering operational problems. Based on these findings, six national policy recommendations were provided: (1) shift away from capital investment subsidies to performance-based subsidies; (2) re-design feed in tariffs; (3) promote bio-methane and project clustering; (4) improve collection efficiency by incentivizing FW producers to direct waste to biogas projects; (5) incentivize biogas projects to produce multiple outputs; (6) incentivize food waste-based projects to co-digest food waste with other substrates for higher gas output. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Notification: Project Notification Memorandum for OIG Evaluation of EPA's Regulatory Flexibility Act Retrospective Reviews

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Project #OPE-FY11-0024, January 6, 2012. Our overall evaluation objective remains to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of policies and procedures in place for conducting RFA Section 610 retrospective reviews and the concerns regarding past reviews.

Blowing in the wind: evaluating wind energy projects on the national forests

Treesearch

Kerry Schlichting; Evan Mercer

2011-01-01

The 650 million ac of federal lands are facing increased scrutiny for wind energy development. As a result, the US Forest Service has been directed to develop policies and procedures for siting wind energy projects. We incorporate geospatial site suitability analysis with applicable policy and management principles to illustrate the use of a Spatial Decision Support...

Evaluating local policy adoption campaigns in California: Tobacco Retail License (TRL) adoption.

PubMed

Satterlund, Travis D; Treiber, Jeanette; Haun, Sue; Cassady, Diana

2014-06-01

As part of its state-wide "denormalization" campaign, the California Tobacco Control Program has funded local tobacco control projects to secure tobacco retail licenses (TRLs) in their communities. TRL policies generate funding by requiring tobacco retailers within a jurisdiction to obtain a license, which is in addition to the state license that tobacco retailers are legally required to purchase to sell tobacco products. The funding provided by TRLs enables local law enforcement to carry out inspection and enforcement operations. This paper examines the unique processes by which local project campaigns attempt to get TRL policies adopted in communities across the State of California. Twenty-two local projects submitted final evaluation reports pertaining to the adoption of TRLs, and the reports from these projects form the basis of the analysis. Successful campaigns tended to include the following strategies: (1) determining policy readiness; (2) gathering local data; (3) identifying and working with a "champion"; (4) building relationships with local law enforcement agencies and decision makers; and (5) educating community and decision makers. The major challenges faced by local projects included budget cuts and staffing issues, concern about creating an unfavorable environment for business by imposing more regulations and fees, and complaints about using law enforcement resources for tobacco control in light of more "pressing" public safety issues. These challenges proved difficult for local projects to overcome, and also highlight the need for projects to create and carry out strong but flexible tactical plans that incorporate the aforementioned strategies.

Re-examination of sea lamprey control policies for the St. Marys River: Completion of an adaptive management cycle

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, Michael L.; Brenden, Travis O.; Irwin, Brian J.

2015-01-01

The St. Marys River (SMR) historically has been a major producer of sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) in the Laurentian Great Lakes. In the early 2000s, a decision analysis (DA) project was conducted to evaluate sea lamprey control policies for the SMR; this project suggested that an integrated policy of trapping, sterile male releases, and Bayluscide treatment was the most cost-effective policy. Further, it concluded that formal assessment of larval sea lamprey abundance and distribution in the SMR would be valuable for future evaluation of control strategies. We updated this earlier analysis, adding information from annual larval assessments conducted since 1999 and evaluating additional control policies. Bayluscide treatments continued to be critical for sea lamprey control, but high recruitment compensation minimized the effectiveness of trapping and sterile male release under current feasible ranges. Because Bayluscide control is costly, development of strategies to enhance trapping success remains a priority. This study illustrates benefits of an adaptive management cycle, wherein models inform decisions, are updated based on learning achieved from those decisions, and ultimately inform future decisions.

7 CFR 634.50 - Program and project monitoring and evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Secretary for Conservation, Research and Education, USDA, the Director of Economics, Policy Analysis, and... representatives working through NRCWCC. (3) Evaluative reports for the program and each project area will be submitted annually to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Administrator, EPA. (c) Funding. (1) Research...

7 CFR 634.50 - Program and project monitoring and evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Secretary for Conservation, Research and Education, USDA, the Director of Economics, Policy Analysis, and... representatives working through NRCWCC. (3) Evaluative reports for the program and each project area will be submitted annually to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Administrator, EPA. (c) Funding. (1) Research...

7 CFR 634.50 - Program and project monitoring and evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Secretary for Conservation, Research and Education, USDA, the Director of Economics, Policy Analysis, and... representatives working through NRCWCC. (3) Evaluative reports for the program and each project area will be submitted annually to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Administrator, EPA. (c) Funding. (1) Research...

7 CFR 634.50 - Program and project monitoring and evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Secretary for Conservation, Research and Education, USDA, the Director of Economics, Policy Analysis, and... representatives working through NRCWCC. (3) Evaluative reports for the program and each project area will be submitted annually to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Administrator, EPA. (c) Funding. (1) Research...

7 CFR 634.50 - Program and project monitoring and evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Secretary for Conservation, Research and Education, USDA, the Director of Economics, Policy Analysis, and... representatives working through NRCWCC. (3) Evaluative reports for the program and each project area will be submitted annually to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Administrator, EPA. (c) Funding. (1) Research...

An Evaluation of Policy-Related Rehabilitation Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berkowitz, Monroe; And Others

The monograph evaluates the methodological quality and the policy utility of research in the area of rehabilitation of the handicapped. Analysis was based on a multidisciplinary review of 477 sample reports from more than 4,000 screened project reports. Chapter 1 delineates the nature of the study; Chapter 2 reviews the Federal/State…

Policy Forum Report: Statewide Evaluation of Programs and Services for Students with Disabilities (Arlington, Virginia, August 30-31, 1994). Final Report. Project FORUM.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Association of State Directors of Special Education, Alexandria, VA.

This report reviews the outcomes of a forum convened to examine policy and practice issues surrounding the annual evaluation of effectiveness of programs and services for students with disabilities. At the forum, alternative approaches being used by states to implement program evaluation were discussed, along with issues in gathering…

45 CFR 63.2 - Eligibility for award.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... and qualified by educational, scientific, or other relevant competence to carry out a proposed project... part. (b) Project eligible—(1) Policy Research. Any project found by the Assistant Secretary to be a research, pilot, evaluation, or demonstration project within the meaning of this section and § 63.1 shall...

45 CFR 63.2 - Eligibility for award.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... and qualified by educational, scientific, or other relevant competence to carry out a proposed project... part. (b) Project eligible—(1) Policy Research. Any project found by the Assistant Secretary to be a research, pilot, evaluation, or demonstration project within the meaning of this section and § 63.1 shall...

45 CFR 63.2 - Eligibility for award.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... and qualified by educational, scientific, or other relevant competence to carry out a proposed project... part. (b) Project eligible—(1) Policy Research. Any project found by the Assistant Secretary to be a research, pilot, evaluation, or demonstration project within the meaning of this section and § 63.1 shall...

45 CFR 63.2 - Eligibility for award.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... and qualified by educational, scientific, or other relevant competence to carry out a proposed project... part. (b) Project eligible—(1) Policy Research. Any project found by the Assistant Secretary to be a research, pilot, evaluation, or demonstration project within the meaning of this section and § 63.1 shall...

Expedited Permanency Planning: Evaluation of the Kentucky Adoptions Opportunities Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Mavin H.; Barbee, Anita P.; Antle, Becky F.; Sar, Bibhuti

2002-01-01

Presents evaluation findings of a 3-year Kentucky Adoptions Opportunities Project. Notes that a majority of children had one or both parents coping with multiple risk factors including mental illness, substance abuse, mental retardation, or family violence. Discusses major barriers to permanency, as well as policy and practice implications in the…

Development of measurable indicators to enhance public health evidence-informed policy-making.

PubMed

Tudisca, Valentina; Valente, Adriana; Castellani, Tommaso; Stahl, Timo; Sandu, Petru; Dulf, Diana; Spitters, Hilde; Van de Goor, Ien; Radl-Karimi, Christina; Syed, Mohamed Ahmed; Loncarevic, Natasa; Lau, Cathrine Juel; Roelofs, Susan; Bertram, Maja; Edwards, Nancy; Aro, Arja R

2018-05-31

Ensuring health policies are informed by evidence still remains a challenge despite efforts devoted to this aim. Several tools and approaches aimed at fostering evidence-informed policy-making (EIPM) have been developed, yet there is a lack of availability of indicators specifically devoted to assess and support EIPM. The present study aims to overcome this by building a set of measurable indicators for EIPM intended to infer if and to what extent health-related policies are, or are expected to be, evidence-informed for the purposes of policy planning as well as formative and summative evaluations. The indicators for EIPM were developed and validated at international level by means of a two-round internet-based Delphi study conducted within the European project 'REsearch into POlicy to enhance Physical Activity' (REPOPA). A total of 82 researchers and policy-makers from the six European countries (Denmark, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, the United Kingdom) involved in the project and international organisations were asked to evaluate the relevance and feasibility of an initial set of 23 indicators developed by REPOPA researchers on the basis of literature and knowledge gathered from the previous phases of the project, and to propose new indicators. The first Delphi round led to the validation of 14 initial indicators and to the development of 8 additional indicators based on panellists' suggestions; the second round led to the validation of a further 11 indicators, including 6 proposed by panellists, and to the rejection of 6 indicators. A total of 25 indicators were validated, covering EIPM issues related to human resources, documentation, participation and monitoring, and stressing different levels of knowledge exchange and involvement of researchers and other stakeholders in policy development and evaluation. The study overcame the lack of availability of indicators to assess if and to what extent policies are realised in an evidence-informed manner thanks to the active contribution of researchers and policy-makers. These indicators are intended to become a shared resource usable by policy-makers, researchers and other stakeholders, with a crucial impact on fostering the development of policies informed by evidence.

Assessment of Program Impact Through First Grade, Volume II: Impact on Institutions. An Evaluation of Project Developmental Continuity. Interim Report X.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosario, Jose; And Others

As part of a longitudinal study evaluating program effects, this report, the second in a series of six, describes the impact of Project Developmental Continuity (PDC) on the institutional policies and procedures of participating Head Start centers and elementary schools up to the time the evaluation study's cohort of children had completed grade…

Evaluation of Child Care Subsidy Strategies: Implementation of Three Language and Literacy Interventions in Project Upgrade. OPRE 2011-4

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Layzer, Carolyn J.; Layzer, Jean I.; Wolf, Anne

2010-01-01

This report describes the design and implementation of the three interventions tested in Project Upgrade, one of four experiments conducted as part of the Evaluation of Child Care Subsidy Strategies. The evaluation was a multi-site, multi-year effort to determine whether and how different child care subsidy policies and procedures and quality…

Economic evaluation on CO₂-EOR of onshore oil fields in China

DOE PAGES

Wei, Ning; Li, Xiaochun; Dahowski, Robert T.; ...

2015-06-01

Carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO₂-EOR) and sequestration in depleted oil reservoirs is a plausible option for utilizing anthropogenic CO₂ to increase oil production while storing CO₂ underground. Evaluation of the storage resources and cost of potential CO₂-EOR projects is an essential step before the commencement of large-scale deployment of such activities. In this paper, a hybrid techno-economic evaluation method, including a performance model and cost model for onshore CO₂-EOR projects, has been developed based on previous studies. Total 296 onshore oil fields, accounting for about 70% of total mature onshore oil fields in China, were evaluated by the techno-economicmore » method. The key findings of this study are summarized as follows: (1) deterministic analysis shows there are approximately 1.1 billion tons (7.7 billion barrels) of incremental crude oil and 2.2 billion tons CO₂ storage resource for onshore CO₂-EOR at net positive revenue within the Chinese oil fields reviewed under the given operating strategy and economic assumptions. (2) Sensitivity study highlights that the cumulative oil production and cumulative CO₂ storage resource are very sensitive to crude oil price, CO₂ cost, project lifetime, discount rate and tax policy. High oil price, short project lifetime, low discount rate, low CO₂ cost, and low tax policy can greatly increase the net income of the oil enterprise, incremental oil recovery and CO₂ storage resource. (3) From this techno-economic evaluation, the major barriers to large-scale deployment of CO₂-EOR include complex geological conditions, low API of crude oil, high tax policy, and lack of incentives for the CO₂-EOR project.« less

Economic evaluation on CO₂-EOR of onshore oil fields in China

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

Wei, Ning; Li, Xiaochun; Dahowski, Robert T.

Carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO₂-EOR) and sequestration in depleted oil reservoirs is a plausible option for utilizing anthropogenic CO₂ to increase oil production while storing CO₂ underground. Evaluation of the storage resources and cost of potential CO₂-EOR projects is an essential step before the commencement of large-scale deployment of such activities. In this paper, a hybrid techno-economic evaluation method, including a performance model and cost model for onshore CO₂-EOR projects, has been developed based on previous studies. Total 296 onshore oil fields, accounting for about 70% of total mature onshore oil fields in China, were evaluated by the techno-economicmore » method. The key findings of this study are summarized as follows: (1) deterministic analysis shows there are approximately 1.1 billion tons (7.7 billion barrels) of incremental crude oil and 2.2 billion tons CO₂ storage resource for onshore CO₂-EOR at net positive revenue within the Chinese oil fields reviewed under the given operating strategy and economic assumptions. (2) Sensitivity study highlights that the cumulative oil production and cumulative CO₂ storage resource are very sensitive to crude oil price, CO₂ cost, project lifetime, discount rate and tax policy. High oil price, short project lifetime, low discount rate, low CO₂ cost, and low tax policy can greatly increase the net income of the oil enterprise, incremental oil recovery and CO₂ storage resource. (3) From this techno-economic evaluation, the major barriers to large-scale deployment of CO₂-EOR include complex geological conditions, low API of crude oil, high tax policy, and lack of incentives for the CO₂-EOR project.« less

Teacher Evaluation in Secondary Schools: The First Year of Implementation of a Policy of Teacher Supervision and Evaluation in the Five Secondary Schools of Lethbridge School District No. 51. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Townsend, David

This research project was undertaken to investigate, analyze, and document the process of implementing a new policy of teacher supervision and evaluation in the five secondary schools of Lethbridge (Alberta) School District No. 51. The study focused on (1) critical stages in the implementation process; (2) supervisory behavior and supervisory…

Using a Participatory Approach to the Development of a School-Based Physical Activity Policy in an Indigenous Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hogan, Lindsay; Bengoechea, Enrique García; Salsberg, Jon; Jacobs, Judi; King, Morrison; Macaulay, Ann C.

2014-01-01

Background: This study is part of a larger community-based participatory research (CBPR) project to develop, implement, and evaluate the physical activity component of a school-based wellness policy. The policy intervention is being carried out by community stakeholders and academic researchers within the Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention…

Comprehensive evaluation of transportation projects : a toolkit for sketch planning.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-10-01

A quick-response project-planning tool can be extremely valuable in anticipating the congestion, safety, : emissions, and other impacts of large-scale network improvements and policy implementations. This report : identifies the advantages and limita...

Migrant Education Administrative Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina State Dept. of Public Instruction, Raleigh. Div. of Compensatory Education.

Relating specifically to the North Carolina migrant education program's administrative responsibilities, this guide is designed to aid administrators in program management, monitoring project activities, project evaluation, self-assessment, determining needs for training and staff development, site-visit preparation, policy development, and…

Newspaper Content Analysis in Evaluation of a Community-Based Participatory Project to Increase Physical Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Granner, Michelle L.; Sharpe, Patricia A.; Burroughs, Ericka L.; Fields, Regina; Hallenbeck, Joyce

2010-01-01

This study conducted a newspaper content analysis as part of an evaluation of a community-based participatory research project focused on increasing physical activity through policy and environmental changes, which included activities related to media advocacy and media-based community education. Daily papers (May 2003 to December 2005) from both…

An Evaluative Case Study of Project-Based Learning in High School Vocational Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tanner, Andrea P.

2012-01-01

There is growing apprehension among business people, educators, and government policy makers regarding the gap between the skills and knowledge needed for success in the workforce and those provided in school. The purpose of this qualitative evaluative case study was to investigate the effectiveness of project-based learning (PBL) in the…

Can the impact on health of a government policy designed to create more liveable neighbourhoods be evaluated? An overview of the RESIDential Environment Project.

PubMed

Giles-Corti, Billie; Knuiman, Matthew; Pikora, Terri J; Van Neil, Kimberly; Timperio, Anna; Bull, Fiona C L; Shilton, Trevor; Bulsara, Max

2007-01-01

There is growing interest in the impact of community design on the health of residents. In 1998, the Western Australian Government began a trial of new subdivision design codes (i.e. Liveable Neighbourhoods Community Design Code) aimed at creating pedestrian-friendly neighbourhoods to increase walking, cycling and public transport use. The trial provided a unique opportunity for a natural experiment to evaluate the impact of a government planning policy on residents. Nevertheless, evaluations of this kind present a number of methodological challenges in obtaining the highest quality evidence possible. This paper describes the RESIDential Environment Project's study design and discusses how various methodological challenges were overcome.

Universities and Development: Global Cooperation. Policy Briefing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Universities UK, 2010

2010-01-01

This policy briefing aims to demonstrate that universities are key organisations in international development. Universities are involved in a wide range of international development activities, including collaborative research projects, developing entrepreneurial and employability skills and the evaluation of non-governmental organisation (NGO)…

A nursing association's leadership in primary health care: policy, projects, and partnerships in the 1990s.

PubMed

Whyte, N; Stone, S

2000-06-01

This paper documents the work of one provincial nursing association, the Registered Nurses Association of British Columbia (RNABC), to promote primary health care (PHC) as the foundation of the health-care system. In 1990 the RNABC embarked on a comprehensive policy program to influence change from a nursing perspective. A wide array of strategies was used over a 10-year period to help make PHC a reality in British Columbia's health-care system. Successful strategies used during this period included: writing and distributing policy papers, conducting and evaluating demonstration projects, and developing partnerships with other groups. Some of the projects and their outcomes are highlighted, followed by a critical reflection on lessons learned through the various initiatives. Although remarkable achievements were made from the RNABC's policy work during the 1990s, the advancement of PHC requires further collaborative efforts using multiple strategies.

Assessing the value of delay to truckers and carriers.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-07-01

This project evaluates the value of delay (VOD) to commercial vehicle operators due to highway congestion. : The VOD for congestion is a fundamental parameter driving the private sectors response to public freight : projects and policies such as c...

Assessing the value of delay to truckers and carriers.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-07-01

This project evaluates the value of delay (VOD) to commercial vehicle operators due to highway congestion. The VOD for : congestion is a fundamental parameter driving the private sectors response to public freight projects and policies such as cor...

Health impact assessment of Roma housing policies in Central and Eastern Europe: A comparative analysis

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

Molnar, Agnes, E-mail: molnar.agnes@sph.unideb.hu; Adam, Balazs, E-mail: adam.balazs@sph.unideb.hu; Antova, Temenujka, E-mail: t.antova@ncphp.government.bg

2012-02-15

Marginalised Roma communities in European countries live in substandard housing conditions the improvement of which has been one of the major issues of the Decade of Roma Inclusion, the ongoing intergovernmental European Roma programme. The paper presents EU-funded health impact assessments of national Roma housing policies and programmes in 3 Central and Eastern European countries in light of the evaluation of a completed local project in a fourth CEE country so as to compare predicted effects to observed ones. Housing was predicted to have beneficial health effects by improving indoor and outdoor conditions, access to services, and socioeconomic conditions. Negativemore » impacts were predicted only in terms of maintenance expenses and housing tenure. However, observed impacts of the completed local project did not fully support predictions especially in terms of social networks, satisfaction with housing and neighbourhood, and inhabitant safety. In order to improve the predictive value of HIA, more evidence should be produced by the careful evaluation of locally implemented housing projects. In addition, current evidence is in favour of planning Roma housing projects at the local rather than at the national level in alignment with the principle of subsidiarity. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Predictive validity of HIA of national Roma housing policies - in light of current evidence - is low. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Implemented housing projects should be comprehensively evaluated to improve reliability of HIA. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Roma housing projects should be planned at the local rather than at the national level. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer HIA should be used to plan Roma housing projects at the local level.« less

Cost-effectiveness of Project ADAM: a project to prevent sudden cardiac death in high school students.

PubMed

Berger, S; Whitstone, B N; Frisbee, S J; Miner, J T; Dhala, A; Pirrallo, R G; Utech, L M; Sachdeva, R C

2004-01-01

Public access defibrillation (PAD) in the adult population is thought to be both efficacious and cost-effective. Similar programs aimed at children and adolescents have not been evaluated for their cost-effectiveness. This study evaluates the potential cost-effectiveness of implementing Project ADAM, a program targeting children and adolescents in high schools in the Milwaukee Public School System. Project ADAM provides education about cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the warning signs of sudden cardiac death (SCD) and training in the use and placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in high schools. We developed decision analysis models to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the decision to implement Project ADAM in public high schools in Milwaukee. We examined clinical model and public policy applications. Data on costs included estimates of hospital-based charges derived from a pediatric medical center where a series of patients were treated for SCD, educational programming, and the direct costs of one AED and training for 15 personnel per school. We performed sensitivity analyses to assess the variation in outputs with respect to changes to input data. The main outcome measures were Life years saved and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. At an arbitrary societal willingness to pay $100,000 per life year saved, the policy to implement Project ADAM in schools is a cost-effective strategy at a threshold of approximately 5 patients over 5 years for the clinical model and approximately 8 patients over 5 years for the public policy model. Implementation of Project ADAM in high schools in the United States is potentially associated with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio that is favorable.

Which Way Is Better for Teacher Evaluation? The Discourse on Teacher Evaluation in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Juei-Hsin; Chen, Yen-Ting

2016-01-01

There are no summative evaluations for compulsory and basic education in Taiwan. This research discusses and analyzes present teacher evaluation implementation. The implementation of policy nowadays means "Teacher evaluation for professional development". Teacher evaluation for professional development is a voluntary growing project of…

Building School-Community Relationships in Northern Communities: A Sourcebook of Policy Alternatives and Recommendations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ingram, E. J.; McIntosh, R. G.

The 3-part companion volume to the final report of the Education North Evaluation Project serves as a policy development resource book for anyone who must address questions of school-community relations. Part I focuses on the educational issues of concern to policy makers and their advisors in very remote, interracial, poor northern communities.…

Improving value of travel time savings estimation for more effective transportation project evaluation.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-12-01

Estimates of value of time (VOT) and value of travel time savings (VTTS) are critical elements in benefitcost : analyses of transportation projects and in developing congestion pricing policies. In addition, : differences in VTTS among various modes ...

Studying complex interventions: reflections from the FEMHealth project on evaluating fee exemption policies in West Africa and Morocco.

PubMed

Marchal, Bruno; Van Belle, Sara; De Brouwere, Vincent; Witter, Sophie

2013-11-08

The importance of complexity in health care policy-making and interventions, as well as research and evaluation is now widely acknowledged, but conceptual confusion reigns and few applications of complexity concepts in research design have been published. Taking user fee exemption policies as an entry point, we explore the methodological consequences of 'complexity' for health policy research and evaluation. We first discuss the difference between simple, complicated and complex and introduce key concepts of complex adaptive systems theory. We then apply these to fee exemption policies. We describe how the FEMHealth research project attempts to address the challenges of complexity in its evaluation of fee exemption policies for maternal care. We present how the development of a programme theory for fee exemption policies was used to structure the overall design. This allowed for structured discussions on the hypotheses held by the researchers and helped to structure, integrate and monitor the sub-studies. We then show how the choice of data collection methods and tools for each sub-study was informed by the overall design. Applying key concepts from complexity theory proved useful in broadening our view on fee exemption policies and in developing the overall research design. However, we encountered a number of challenges, including maintaining adaptiveness of the design during the evaluation, and ensuring cohesion in the disciplinary diversity of the research teams. Whether the programme theory can fulfil its claimed potential to help making sense of the findings is yet to be tested. Experience from other studies allows for some moderate optimism. However, the biggest challenge complexity throws at health system researchers may be to deal with the unknown unknowns and the consequence that complex issues can only be understood in retrospect. From a complexity theory point of view, only plausible explanations can be developed, not predictive theories. Yet here, theory-driven approaches may help.

77 FR 47337 - Project-Level Predecisional Administrative Review Process

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-08

... upholding environmental standards and encouraging early public input during planning processes. One of the... when they are categorically excluded from analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA... applicable to projects and activities evaluated in an environmental analysis (EA) or environmental impact...

Review and Evaluation of Internal Control in the Department of the Navy.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-03-01

marketing Formulating adver- Controlling placement policies tising programs of advertisements Setting research Deciding on policies research projects Choosing...proper command level. with laws, regulations, treatires, and management policy. The command, base, or unit Written defintions of authorized activities...informa- tion to the members of the operating management ... Management also has a responsibility to maintain its access to the capital market and ... to

Comparative Logic Modeling for Policy Analysis: The Case of HIV Testing Policy Change at the Department of Veterans Affairs

PubMed Central

Langer, Erika M; Gifford, Allen L; Chan, Kee

2011-01-01

Objective Logic models have been used to evaluate policy programs, plan projects, and allocate resources. Logic Modeling for policy analysis has been used rarely in health services research but can be helpful in evaluating the content and rationale of health policies. Comparative Logic Modeling is used here on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) policy statements from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We created visual representations of proposed HIV screening policy components in order to evaluate their structural logic and research-based justifications. Data Sources and Study Design We performed content analysis of VA and CDC HIV testing policy documents in a retrospective case study. Data Collection Using comparative Logic Modeling, we examined the content and primary sources of policy statements by the VA and CDC. We then quantified evidence-based causal inferences within each statement. Principal Findings VA HIV testing policy structure largely replicated that of the CDC guidelines. Despite similar design choices, chosen research citations did not overlap. The agencies used evidence to emphasize different components of the policies. Conclusion Comparative Logic Modeling can be used by health services researchers and policy analysts more generally to evaluate structural differences in health policies and to analyze research-based rationales used by policy makers. PMID:21689094

Notification: Preliminary Research to Evaluate EPA's Use of and Adherence to Quality Management Policies in Chemical Risk Assessments

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Project #OPE-FY14-0012, December 19, 2013. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is starting preliminary research on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) use of and adherence to quality management policies in chemical risk assessments.

Head Start Goes to School: 1992-93 Evaluation Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greene, Andrea; And Others

This document describes first-year outcomes of the Arizona Transition Project, which is part of the National Head Start-Public School Transition Project. The project seeks to maintain the early benefits of Head Start through the primary grades and beyond. Outcomes for 1992-93 relating to children, families, system, and policy for the years K-3…

Challenging official health cost estimates: an alternative view that incorporates the behavioural and economic effects of policy changes.

PubMed

Robbins, A; Robbins, G

1992-01-01

Cost estimates of health care policy changes are extremely important. Historically, however, the US government has done a poor job in projecting the actual cost of new health care programmes. These projections have been inaccurate primarily because government forecasters use 'static' methods that fail to incorporate the change in people's behaviour as a direct result of a new policy. In contrast, 'dynamic' forecasts incorporate the behavioural effects of policy changes on individuals and the economy. Static and dynamic estimates can lead to different results for 4 areas of US health policy: (a) the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act; (b) mandated health benefits; (c) health insurance tax subsidies; and (d) national health insurance. Improving health care policy requires the adoption of dynamic estimation practices, periodic appraisals evaluating the accuracy of official estimates in relation to actual experience, and clear presentation of proposed policy changes and estimates to policymakers and the general public.

Improving Nutrition and Physical Activity Policies and Practices in Early Care and Education in Three States, 2014-2016.

PubMed

Smith, Teresa M; Blaser, Casey; Geno-Rasmussen, Cristy; Shuell, Julie; Plumlee, Catherine; Gargano, Tony; Yaroch, Amy L

2017-08-31

The National Early Care and Education Learning Collaboratives (ECELC) project aims to facilitate best practices in nutrition, physical activity, screen time, and breastfeeding support and infant feeding among early care and education (ECE) programs across multiple states. The project uses a train-the-trainer approach with 5, in-person learning-collaborative sessions, technical assistance, and action planning. We describe the longitudinal practice-based evaluation of the project and assess whether ECE programs evaluated (n = 104) sustained changes in policies and practices 1 year after completing the project. The number of best practices increased from pre-assessment to post-assessment (P < .01) but did not change significantly from post-assessment to follow-up assessment. ECELC shows promise as an approach to incorporate professional development and training focused on improving best practices for environment-level child nutrition and physical activity, which is one strategy among many that are warranted for obesity prevention in young children.

Taiwan Teacher Preparation Program Evaluation: Some Critical Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Tze-Chang

2015-01-01

This paper focuses on the influences and changes of recent Taiwan teacher preparation program evaluation (TTPPE) as one of the national evaluation projects conducted by the Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan. The main concerns are what kind of ideology is transformed through the policy by means of evaluation, and what…

Final Technical Report Power through Policy: "Best Practices" for Cost-Effective Distributed Wind

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

Rhoads-Weaver, Heather; Gagne, Matthew; Sahl, Kurt

2012-02-28

Power through Policy: 'Best Practices' for Cost-Effective Distributed Wind is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded project to identify distributed wind technology policy best practices and to help policymakers, utilities, advocates, and consumers examine their effectiveness using a pro forma model. Incorporating a customized feed from the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE), the Web-based Distributed Wind Policy Comparison Tool (Policy Tool) is designed to assist state, local, and utility officials in understanding the financial impacts of different policy options to help reduce the cost of distributed wind technologies. The project's final products include the Distributed Windmore » Policy Comparison Tool, found at www.windpolicytool.org, and its accompanying documentation: Distributed Wind Policy Comparison Tool Guidebook: User Instructions, Assumptions, and Case Studies. With only two initial user inputs required, the Policy Tool allows users to adjust and test a wide range of policy-related variables through a user-friendly dashboard interface with slider bars. The Policy Tool is populated with a variety of financial variables, including turbine costs, electricity rates, policies, and financial incentives; economic variables including discount and escalation rates; as well as technical variables that impact electricity production, such as turbine power curves and wind speed. The Policy Tool allows users to change many of the variables, including the policies, to gauge the expected impacts that various policy combinations could have on the cost of energy (COE), net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and the simple payback of distributed wind projects ranging in size from 2.4 kilowatts (kW) to 100 kW. The project conducted case studies to demonstrate how the Policy Tool can provide insights into 'what if' scenarios and also allow the current status of incentives to be examined or defended when necessary. The ranking of distributed wind state policy and economic environments summarized in the attached report, based on the Policy Tool's default COE results, highlights favorable market opportunities for distributed wind growth as well as market conditions ripe for improvement. Best practices for distributed wind state policies are identified through an evaluation of their effect on improving the bottom line of project investments. The case studies and state rankings were based on incentives, power curves, and turbine pricing as of 2010, and may not match the current results from the Policy Tool. The Policy Tool can be used to evaluate the ways that a variety of federal and state policies and incentives impact the economics of distributed wind (and subsequently its expected market growth). It also allows policymakers to determine the impact of policy options, addressing market challenges identified in the U.S. DOE's '20% Wind Energy by 2030' report and helping to meet COE targets. In providing a simple and easy-to-use policy comparison tool that estimates financial performance, the Policy Tool and guidebook are expected to enhance market expansion by the small wind industry by increasing and refining the understanding of distributed wind costs, policy best practices, and key market opportunities in all 50 states. This comprehensive overview and customized software to quickly calculate and compare policy scenarios represent a fundamental step in allowing policymakers to see how their decisions impact the bottom line for distributed wind consumers, while estimating the relative advantages of different options available in their policy toolboxes. Interested stakeholders have suggested numerous ways to enhance and expand the initial effort to develop an even more user-friendly Policy Tool and guidebook, including the enhancement and expansion of the current tool, and conducting further analysis. The report and the project's Guidebook include further details on possible next steps. NREL Report No. BK-5500-53127; DOE/GO-102011-3453.« less

Analysis of energy-saving potential in residential buildings in Xiamen City and its policy implications for southern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Fei

The buildings sector is the largest energy-consuming sector in the world. Residential buildings consume about three-quarters of the final energy in the buildings sector. Promoting residential energy savings is in consequence critical for addressing many energy-use-related environmental challenges, such as climate change and air pollution. Given China's robust economic growth and fast urbanization, it is now a critical time to develop policy interventions on residential energy use in the nation. With this as a background, this dissertation explores effective policy intervention opportunities in southern China through analyzing the residential energy-saving potential, using the city of Xiamen as a case study. Four types of residential energy-saving potential are analyzed: technical potential, economic potential, maximum achievable potential (MAP), and possible achievable potential (PAP). Of these, the first two types are characterized as static theoretical evaluation, while the last two represent dynamic evaluation within a certain time horizon. The achievable potential analyses are rarely seen in existing literature. The analytical results reveal that there exists a significant technical potential for residential energy savings of about 20.9-24.9% in the city of Xiamen. Of the technical potential, about two-thirds to four-fifths are cost-effective from the government or society perspective. The cost-effectiveness is evaluated by comparing the "Levelized Cost of Conserved Energy (LCOCE)" of available advanced technical measures with the "Actual Cost" of conserved energy. The "Actual Cost" of energy is defined by adding the environmental externalities costs and hidden government subsidies over the retail prices of energy. The achievable potential analyses are particularly based on two key realistic factors: 1) the gradual ramping-up adoption process of advanced technical measures; and 2) individuals' adoption-decision making on them. For implementing the achievable potential analyses in Xiamen, a residential energy consumption (REC) projection model specifically tailored for southern China is developed. This computational model builds on the Kastovich (1982) adoption-decision theory and the general logic used in the U.S. EIA's (2003) National Energy Modeling System (NEMS). Base on this projection model, Xiamen's REC from the base year 2011 to 2020 is projected. This model can be used as a policy analysis tool to quantitatively evaluate the real-world impact of diverse policy incentives on residential energy use in southern China. The projection results show that the MAP of residential energy savings in Xiamen will be about only 8.3-8.4% in 2020 from a business-as-usual projection. Ten current appropriate and feasible policy interventions are evaluated for analyzing the PAP in Xiamen, which reveals that only about one-fourth to one-half of Xiamen's MAP will possibly be achieved in 2020. Based on the potential analysis for the Xiamen case, a discussion on promoting energy-saving incentive policies for the residential buildings in southern China is given. It suggests that more new, innovative and market-based policies need to be introduced in China in order to realize larger achievable potential for residential energy savings.

Technology Education Demonstration Project. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Appalachian Technology Education Consortium, Morgantown, WV.

Year 1 of the Appalachian Technology Education Consortium Demonstration Project began with formation of an executive committee to serve as the managerial arm and establishment of a board of directors to determine policy direction. Other activities included planning for external evaluation, recruiting of demonstration and observer schools, and…

Policy Analysis: Valuation of Ecosystem Services in the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

PubMed

Banzhaf, H Spencer; Burtraw, Dallas; Criscimagna, Susie Chung; Cosby, Bernard J; Evans, David A; Krupnick, Alan J; Siikamäki, Juha V

2016-03-15

This study estimates the economic value of an increase in ecosystem services attributable to the reduced acidification expected from more stringent air pollution policy. By integrating a detailed biogeochemical model that projects future ecological recovery with economic methods that measure preferences for specific ecological improvements, we estimate the economic value of ecological benefits from new air pollution policies in the Southern Appalachian ecosystem. Our results indicate that these policies generate aggregate benefits of about $3.7 billion, or about $16 per year per household in the region. The study provides currently missing information about the ecological benefits from air pollution policies that is needed to evaluate such policies comprehensively. More broadly, the study also illustrates how integrated biogeochemical and economic assessments of multidimensional ecosystems can evaluate the relative benefits of different policy options that vary by scale and across ecosystem attributes.

A retrospective review of required projects in systems-based practice in a single anesthesiology residency: a 10-year experience.

PubMed

Sakai, Tetsuro; Emerick, Trent D; Patel, Rita M

2015-09-01

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has emphasized in its core competencies and more recently, in its Milestones Project, that residents understand the importance of systems-based practice (SBP). The objectives of the study are to evaluate the quality of residents' SBP projects and to determine the degrees that were subsequently implemented. A retrospective educational observational study. A university-based anesthesiology training institution. One hundred forty-nine anesthesiology residents in their final (postgraduate year 4) year of training who completed SBP projects for the last 10 years (2004-2013). A structured SBP course was provided for postgraduate year 4 anesthesiology residents with deadlines set such as project identification, data collection, and proposal draft. Each resident's written SBP proposal received inputs by 2 members of the department executive steering committee. The SBP projects concluded with oral presentations by each resident to the department executive steering committee, who provided overall scores. All SBP projects were categorized into 7 categories: safety initiatives, economic analysis, process analysis, policy change recommendations, education initiatives, teamwork/communication, and operating room efficiency. Evaluation scores using a Likert scale (1-9, where 9 is the best) were analyzed. The rate of implementation of project ideas within the department based on the presentations to the executive committee was examined. Of 149 projects, policy change recommendations was the most frequently chosen category (46 projects; 30.9%), followed by process analysis (36 projects; 24.2%). The overall evaluation score was 7.6 ± 0.6 (mean ± SD). A total of 53 projects (35.6%) were implemented in the department. There was no statistical difference between SBPs with implementation vs SBPs without implementation in terms of evaluation scores, year of the presentation, or categories. This SBP project has given residents the opportunity to participate in a hospital system change aiming to improve efficiency and safety. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Jordan Water Project: an interdisciplinary evaluation of freshwater vulnerability and security

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorelick, S.; Yoon, J.; Rajsekhar, D.; Muller, M. F.; Zhang, H.; Gawel, E.; Klauer, B.; Klassert, C. J. A.; Sigel, K.; Thilmant, A.; Avisse, N.; Lachaut, T.; Harou, J. J.; Knox, S.; Selby, P. D.; Mustafa, D.; Talozi, S.; Haddad, Y.; Shamekh, M.

2016-12-01

The Jordan Water Project, part of the Belmont Forum projects, is an interdisciplinary, international research effort focused on evaluation of freshwater security in Jordan, one of the most water-vulnerable countries in the world. The team covers hydrology, water resources systems analysis, economics, policy evaluation, geography, risk and remote sensing analyses, and model platform development. The entire project team communally engaged in construction of an integrated hydroeconomic model for water supply policy evaluation. To represent water demand and allocation behavior at multiple levels of decision making,the model integrates biophysical modules that simulate natural and engineered hydrologic phenomena with human behavioral modules. Hydrologic modules include spatially-distributed groundwater and surface-water models for the major aquifers and watersheds throughout Jordan. For the human modules, we adopt a multi-agent modeling approach to represent decision-making processes. The integrated model was developed in Pynsim, a new open-source, object-oriented platform in Python for network-based water resource systems. We continue to explore the impacts of future scenarios and interventions.This project had tremendous encouragement and data support from Jordan's Ministry of Water and Irrigation. Modeling technology is being transferred through a companion NSF/USAID PEER project awarded toJordan University of Science and Technology. Individual teams have also conducted a range of studies aimed at evaluating Jordanian and transboundary surface water and groundwater systems. Surveys, interviews, and econometric analyses enabled us to better understandthe behavior of urban households, farmers, private water resellers, water use pattern of the commercial sector and irrigation water user associations. We analyzed nationwide spatial and temporal statistical trends in rainfall, developed urban and national comparative metrics to quantify water supply vulnerability, improved remote sensing methods to estimate crop-water use, and evaluated the impacts of climate change on future drought severity.

Managing dependencies in forest offset projects: toward a more complete evaluation of reversal risk

Treesearch

David M Cooley; Chrsitopher S Galik; Thomas P Holmes; Carolyn Kousky; Roger M Cooke

2011-01-01

Although forest carbon offsets can play an important role in the implementation of comprehensive climate policy, they also face an inherent risk of reversal. If such risks are positively correlated across projects, it can affect the integrity of larger project portfolios and potentially the entire offsets program. Here, we discuss three types of risks that could affect...

Evaluating employee assistance policy in an HMO-based alcoholism project.

PubMed

Putnam, S L; Stout, R L

1985-01-01

One aspect of successful employee assistance program (EAP) implementation is the adoption of a formal, written policy, reflecting company commitment to EAP guidelines and goals. This study of criteria predictive of such policy adoption was conducted at the occupational alcoholism project of a New England health maintenance organization (HMO). Data on nearly 400 organizations contacted by occupational program consultants (OPCs) over a 20-month period were collected by questionnaire and interview. One third of these organizations adopted employee assistance policies and set about establishing formal programs. Stepwise multiple regression is the principal method used to pinpoint the correlates of policy adoption. Two of the most important of these are the attitudes of contact persons within the organization toward alcoholism and employee assistance programs, particularly their admission of alcohol problems within their social networks; and the consultants' persistence and marketing skills. The adopting organizations also had reputations for being progressive, and actively concerned about employee welfare; they tended to be large, their executives autonomous, and their union membership rates high. Inhibiting policy acceptance were fears that a written policy would jeopardize the reputation and image of the organization, and that an employee assistance program would remove internal control of personal procedures. The adequacy of the evaluative data and methods are discussed, and recommendations are offered in the interests of streamlining the efforts of OPCs and of achieving greater penetration of targeted organizations.

Projected Impact of a Sodium Consumption Reduction Initiative in Argentina: An Analysis from the CVD Policy Model – Argentina

PubMed Central

Konfino, Jonatan; Mekonnen, Tekeshe A.; Coxson, Pamela G.; Ferrante, Daniel; Bibbins-Domingo, Kirsten

2013-01-01

Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in adults in Argentina. Sodium reduction policies targeting processed foods were implemented in 2011 in Argentina, but the impact has not been evaluated. The aims of this study are to use Argentina-specific data on sodium excretion and project the impact of Argentina’s sodium reduction policies under two scenarios - the 2-year intervention currently being undertaken or a more persistent 10 year sodium reduction strategy. Methods We used Argentina-specific data on sodium excretion by sex and projected the impact of the current strategy on sodium consumption and blood pressure decrease. We assessed the projected impact of sodium reduction policies on CVD using the Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Policy Model, adapted to Argentina, modeling two alternative policy scenarios over the next decade. Results Our study finds that the initiative to reduce sodium consumption currently in place in Argentina will have substantial impact on CVD over the next 10 years. Under the current proposed policy of 2-year sodium reduction, the mean sodium consumption is projected to decrease by 319–387 mg/day. This decrease is expected to translate into an absolute reduction of systolic blood pressure from 0.93 mmHg to 1.81 mmHg. This would avert about 19,000 all-cause mortality, 13,000 total myocardial infarctions, and 10,000 total strokes over the next decade. A more persistent sodium reduction strategy would yield even greater CVD benefits. Conclusion The impact of the Argentinean initiative would be effective in substantially reducing mortality and morbidity from CVD. This paper provides evidence-based support to continue implementing strategies to reduce sodium consumption at a population level. PMID:24040085

Of taps and toilets: quasi-experimental protocol for evaluating community-demand-driven projects.

PubMed

Pattanayak, Subhrendu K; Poulos, Christine; Yang, Jui-Chen; Patil, Sumeet R; Wendland, Kelly J

2009-09-01

Sustainable and equitable access to safe water and adequate sanitation are widely acknowledged as vital, yet neglected, development goals. Water supply and sanitation (WSS) policies are justified because of the usual efficiency criteria, but also major equity concerns. Yet, to date there are few scientific impact evaluations showing that WSS policies are effective in delivering social welfare outcomes. This lack of an evaluation culture is partly because WSS policies are characterized by diverse mechanisms, broad goals and the increasing importance of decentralized delivery, and partly because programme administrators are unaware of appropriate methods. We describe a protocol for a quasi-experimental evaluation of a community-demand-driven programme for water and sanitation in rural India, which addresses several evaluation challenges. After briefly reviewing policy and implementation issues in the sector, we describe key features of our protocol, including control group identification, pre-post measurement, programme theory, sample sufficiency and robust indicators. At its core, our protocol proposes to combine propensity score matching and difference-in-difference estimation. We conclude by briefly summarizing how quasi-experimental impact evaluations can address key issues in WSS policy design and when such evaluations are needed.

The Impact of Evaluation: Lessons Drawn from the Evaluations of Five Early Childhood Education Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Granville, Arthur C.; And Others

Five different program evaluations were described to indicate those qualities which make an evaluation effective or not effective. Evaluation effectiveness was defined as impact on decision making or long-term policy formation, and influence upon a variety of audiences. Robert D. Matz described the First Chance Project, and concluded that the…

Teacher Job Satisfaction: Lessons from the TSW Pathfinder Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butt, Graham; Lance, Ann; Fielding, Antony; Gunter, Helen; Rayner, Steve; Thomas, Hywel

2005-01-01

Government policy assumes that modernization and remodelling will be effective as external intervention mechanisms to improve job satisfaction. Based on data collected as part of the evaluation of the "Transforming the School Workforce Pathfinder Project", an argument is presented here which suggests that internal management models may…

Multi-index evaluation of future drought and climate extreme occurrence in Goodwater Creek Experimental Watershed

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Understanding the frequency and occurrence of drought events in historic and projected future climate is essential for managing natural resources and setting policy. This study aims to identify future patterns of meteorological, hydrological and agricultural droughts based on projection from 12 GCM ...

The Evaluation and Research of Multi-Project Programs: Program Component Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Eva L.

1977-01-01

It is difficult to base evaluations on concepts irrelevant to state policy making. Evaluation of a multiproject program requires both time and differentiation of method. Data from the California Early Childhood Program illustrate process variables for program component analysis, and research questions for intraprogram comparison. (CP)

Strategic transport planning and evaluation : the Scandinavian experience.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-12-01

The report is based on a paper presented to the workshop on Projects, Programs and Policies: Evaluation Needs and Capabilities held 6-8 November 2000 in Brussels. The text of the report presents an overview of national strategic transport planning an...

The Role of Dissemination as a Fundamental Part of a Research Project.

PubMed

Marín-González, Esther; Malmusi, Davide; Camprubí, Lluís; Borrell, Carme

2017-04-01

Dissemination and communication of research should be considered as an integral part of any research project. Both help in increasing the visibility of research outputs, public engagement in science and innovation, and confidence of society in research. Effective dissemination and communication are vital to ensure that the conducted research has a social, political, or economical impact. They draw attention of governments and stakeholders to research results and conclusions, enhancing their visibility, comprehension, and implementation. In the European project SOPHIE (Evaluating the Impact of Structural Policies on Health Inequalities and Their Social Determinants and Fostering Change), dissemination was an essential component of the project in order to achieve the purpose of fostering policy change based on research findings. Here we provide our experience and make some recommendations based on our learning. A strong use of online communication (website, Twitter, and Slideshare accounts), the production of informative videos, the research partnership with civil society organizations, and the organization of final concluding scientific events, among other instruments, helped to reach a large public within the scientific community, civil society, and the policy making arena and to influence the public view on the impact on health and equity of certain policies.

Issues in Education and Training for Working Women. Worker Education and Training Policies Project and National Commisssion on Working Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilder, Denise

This paper reviews and summarizes the current and projected status of education and employment, and their relatedness, for working women, and suggests avenues for improvement. It examines women's increasing role in the labor force and the social, economic, and demographic trends and projections relevant to that role. In evaluating the impact on…

A New Social Capital Paradigm for Adult Literacy: Partnerships, Policy and Pedagogy. An Adult Literacy National Project Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balatti, Jo; Black, Stephen; Falk, Ian

2009-01-01

The primary purpose of this project is to produce a set of guidelines on how to deliver adult literacy and numeracy education and training using a social capital approach. Social capital in this project refers to the networks that operate during resourcing, course design, recruitment, teaching and evaluation. The study focused on three specific…

Evolving a Regionally-Based Mechanism for the Provision of Technical Knowledge to SMEs: Lessons for Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lean, Jonathan; Tucker, Jonathan

2005-01-01

This paper describes and evaluates a pilot project undertaken in the South West of England to develop a computer-based system for facilitating effective technical knowledge transfer to small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs). It explores the problem of technical knowledge transfer to SMEs, focusing in particular on the policy context. The…

An evaluated community action project on alcohol.

PubMed

Casswell, S; Gilmore, L

1989-07-01

This article reports outcomes of an evaluated community action program directed toward alcohol problem prevention. In a quasi-experimental design, change was monitored in six cities--two cities with an alcohol-focused community organizer and media campaign, two cities with the media campaign only and two reference cities. The community organizers worked with a local alcohol coordinating committee and other local organizations. They focused on alcohol availability (including the promotion of nonalcoholic beverages), advertising and, to a lesser extent, pricing policies. The media campaign focused on reducing the large-quantity drinking of young men, and generated considerable controversy. Before and after surveys of the general population were carried out to evaluate the outcome of the project. Support for control policies on advertising, availability and price held steady in the treatment communities but dropped in the reference communities. The perception of alcohol being essential to entertaining and as being relatively innocuous decreased significantly in the community-action cities. The project thus appears to have met its objectives in these areas, although primarily by stemming the national trend toward greater support for liberalization.

U.S. Air Quality and Health Benefits from Avoided Climate Change under Greenhouse Gas Mitigation.

PubMed

Garcia-Menendez, Fernando; Saari, Rebecca K; Monier, Erwan; Selin, Noelle E

2015-07-07

We evaluate the impact of climate change on U.S. air quality and health in 2050 and 2100 using a global modeling framework and integrated economic, climate, and air pollution projections. Three internally consistent socioeconomic scenarios are used to value health benefits of greenhouse gas mitigation policies specifically derived from slowing climate change. Our projections suggest that climate change, exclusive of changes in air pollutant emissions, can significantly impact ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution across the U.S. and increase associated health effects. Climate policy can substantially reduce these impacts, and climate-related air pollution health benefits alone can offset a significant fraction of mitigation costs. We find that in contrast to cobenefits from reductions to coemitted pollutants, the climate-induced air quality benefits of policy increase with time and are largest between 2050 and 2100. Our projections also suggest that increasing climate policy stringency beyond a certain degree may lead to diminishing returns relative to its cost. However, our results indicate that the air quality impacts of climate change are substantial and should be considered by cost-benefit climate policy analyses.

Knowledge-exchange in the Pacific: outcomes of the TROPIC (translational research for obesity prevention in communities) project.

PubMed

Kremer, Peter; Mavoa, Helen; Waqa, Gade; Moodie, Marjory; McCabe, Marita; Swinburn, Boyd

2017-04-26

The Pacific TROPIC (Translational Research for Obesity Prevention in Communities) project aimed to design, implement and evaluate a knowledge-broking approach to evidence-informed policy making to address obesity in Fiji. This paper reports on the quantitative evaluation of the knowledge-broking intervention through assessment of participants' perceptions of evidence use and development of policy/advocacy briefs. Selected staff from six organizations - four government Ministries and two nongovernment organizations (NGOs) - participated in the project. The intervention comprised workshops and supported development of policy/advocacy briefs. Workshops addressed obesity and policy cycles and developing participants' skills in accessing, assessing, adapting and applying relevant evidence. A knowledge-broking team supported participants individually and/or in small groups to develop evidence-informed policy/advocacy briefs. A questionnaire survey that included workplace and demographic items and the self-assessment tool "Is Research Working for You?" (IRWFY) was administered pre- and post-intervention. Forty nine individuals (55% female, 69% 21-40 years, 69% middle-senior managers) participated in the study. The duration and level of participant engagement with the intervention activities varied - just over half participated for 10+ months, just under half attended most workshops and approximately one third produced one or more policy briefs. There were few reliable changes on the IRWFY scales following the intervention; while positive changes were found on several scales, these effects were small (d < .2) and only one individual scale (assess) was statistically significant (p < .05). Follow up (N = 1) analyses of individual-level change indicated that while 63% of participants reported increased research utilization post-intervention, this proportion was not different to chance levels. Similar analysis using scores aggregated by organization also revealed no organizational-level change post-intervention. This study empirically evaluated a knowledge-broking program that aimed to extend evidence-informed policy making skills and development of a suite of national policy briefs designed to increase the enactment of obesity-related policies. The findings failed to indicate reliable improvements in research utilization at either the individual or organizational level. Factors associated with fidelity and intervention dose as well as challenges related to organizational support and the measurement of research utilization, are discussed and recommendations for future research presented.

The potential of transnational language policy to promote social inclusion of immigrants: An analysis and evaluation of the European Union's INCLUDE project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bian, Cui

2017-08-01

Language issues and social inclusion consistently remain two major concerns for member countries of the European Union (EU). Despite an increasing awareness of the importance of language learning in migrants' social inclusion, and the promotion of language policies at European and national levels, there is still a lack of common actions at the European level. Challenged by questions as to whether language learning should be prioritised as a human right or as human capital building, how host/mainstream language learning can be reinforced while respecting language diversity, and other problems, member countries still need to find solutions. Confronting these dilemmas, this study analyses the relationship and interactions between language learning and immigrants' social inclusion in different contexts. It explores the potential of enhancing the effectiveness of language policies via a dialogue between policies and practices in different national contexts and research studies in the field of language and social inclusion. The research data are derived from two databases created by a European policy for active social inclusion project called INCLUDE. This project ran from 2013 to 2016 under the EU's lifelong learning programme, with funding support from the European Commission. Through an analysis of these two project databases, the paper reviews recent national language policies and their effect on the social inclusion of migrants. In the second part of her article, the author interprets the process of language learning and social inclusion using poststructuralist theories of language and identity.

Projecting the effects of tobacco control policies in the USA through microsimulation: a study protocol.

PubMed

Tam, Jamie; Levy, David T; Jeon, Jihyoun; Clarke, John; Gilkeson, Scott; Hall, Tim; Feuer, Eric J; Holford, Theodore R; Meza, Rafael

2018-03-23

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the USA but can be reduced through policy interventions. Computational models of smoking can provide estimates of the projected impact of tobacco control policies and can be used to inform public health decision making. We outline a protocol for simulating the effects of tobacco policies on population health outcomes. We extend the Smoking History Generator (SHG), a microsimulation model based on data from the National Health Interview Surveys, to evaluate the effects of tobacco control policies on projections of smoking prevalence and mortality in the USA. The SHG simulates individual life trajectories including smoking initiation, cessation and mortality. We illustrate the application of the SHG policy module for four types of tobacco control policies at the national and state levels: smoke-free air laws, cigarette taxes, increasing tobacco control programme expenditures and raising the minimum age of legal access to tobacco. Smoking initiation and cessation rates are modified by age, birth cohort, gender and years since policy implementation. Initiation and cessation rate modifiers are adjusted for differences across age groups and the level of existing policy coverage. Smoking prevalence, the number of population deaths avoided, and life-years gained are calculated for each policy scenario at the national and state levels. The model only considers direct individual benefits through reduced smoking and does not consider benefits through reduced exposure to secondhand smoke. A web-based interface is being developed to integrate the results of the simulations into a format that allows the user to explore the projected effects of tobacco control policies in the USA. Usability testing is being conducted in which experts provide feedback on the interface. Development of this tool is under way, and a publicly accessible website is available at http://www.tobaccopolicyeffects.org. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Projecting the effects of tobacco control policies in the USA through microsimulation: a study protocol

PubMed Central

Levy, David T; Jeon, Jihyoun; Clarke, John; Gilkeson, Scott; Hall, Tim; Holford, Theodore R; Meza, Rafael

2018-01-01

Introduction Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the USA but can be reduced through policy interventions. Computational models of smoking can provide estimates of the projected impact of tobacco control policies and can be used to inform public health decision making. We outline a protocol for simulating the effects of tobacco policies on population health outcomes. Methods and analysis We extend the Smoking History Generator (SHG), a microsimulation model based on data from the National Health Interview Surveys, to evaluate the effects of tobacco control policies on projections of smoking prevalence and mortality in the USA. The SHG simulates individual life trajectories including smoking initiation, cessation and mortality. We illustrate the application of the SHG policy module for four types of tobacco control policies at the national and state levels: smoke-free air laws, cigarette taxes, increasing tobacco control programme expenditures and raising the minimum age of legal access to tobacco. Smoking initiation and cessation rates are modified by age, birth cohort, gender and years since policy implementation. Initiation and cessation rate modifiers are adjusted for differences across age groups and the level of existing policy coverage. Smoking prevalence, the number of population deaths avoided, and life-years gained are calculated for each policy scenario at the national and state levels. The model only considers direct individual benefits through reduced smoking and does not consider benefits through reduced exposure to secondhand smoke. Ethics and dissemination A web-based interface is being developed to integrate the results of the simulations into a format that allows the user to explore the projected effects of tobacco control policies in the USA. Usability testing is being conducted in which experts provide feedback on the interface. Development of this tool is under way, and a publicly accessible website is available at http://www.tobaccopolicyeffects.org. PMID:29574440

Assessment of evaluations made to healthy eating policies in Europe: a review within the EATWELL Project.

PubMed

Pérez-Cueto, Federico J A; Aschemann-Witzel, Jessica; Shankar, Bhavani; Brambila-Macias, José; Bech-Larsen, Tino; Mazzocchi, Mario; Capacci, Sara; Saba, Anna; Turrini, Aida; Niedzwiedzka, Barbara; Piorecka, Beata; Kozioł-Kozakowska, Agniezska; Wills, Josephine; Traill, W Bruce; Verbeke, Wim

2012-08-01

To identify and assess healthy eating policies at national level which have been evaluated in terms of their impact on awareness of healthy eating, food consumption, health outcome or cost/benefit. Review of policy documents and their evaluations when available. European Member States. One hundred and twenty-one policy documents revised, 107 retained. Of the 107 selected interventions, twenty-two had been evaluated for their impact on awareness or knowledge and twenty-seven for their impact on consumption. Furthermore sixteen interventions provided an evaluation of health impact, while three actions specifically measured any cost/benefit ratio. The indicators used in these evaluations were in most cases not comparable. Evaluation was more often found for public information campaigns, regulation of meals at schools/canteens and nutrition education programmes. The study highlights the need not only to develop harmonized and verifiable procedures but also indicators for measuring effectiveness and success and for comparing between interventions and countries. EU policies are recommended to provide a set of indicators that may be measured consistently and regularly in all countries. Furthermore, public information campaigns should be accompanied by other interventions, as evaluations may show an impact on awareness and intention, but rarely on consumption patterns and health outcome.

Learning at Work. Leeds Adult Learners at Work Project Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Payne, John; And Others

A study evaluated the extent to which Employee Development (ED) projects provided increased opportunities for continuing general education and training for employees in Britain. A questionnaire that sought to relate employer involvement in ED to wider issues of workplace culture, personnel, and training policies was sent to 70 firms; 50 percent…

Multiscale socioeconomic assessment across large ecosystems: lessons from practice

Treesearch

Rebecca J. McLain; Ellen M. Donoghue; Jonathan Kusel; Lita Buttolph; Susan Charnley

2008-01-01

Implementation of ecosystem management projects has created a demand for socioeconomic assessments to predict or evaluate the impacts of ecosystem policies. Social scientists for these assessments face challenges that, although not unique to such projects, are more likely to arise than in smaller scale ones. This article summarizes lessons from our experiences with...

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

Wallace Tyner

The project had three main objectives: to build and incorporate an explicit biomass energy sector within the GTAP analytical framework and data base; to provide an analysis of the impact of renewable fuel standards and other policies in the U.S. and E.U, as well as alternative biofuel policies in other parts of the world, on changes in production, prices, consumption, trade and poverty; and to evaluate environmental impacts of alternative policies for bioenergy development. Progress and outputs related to each objective are reported.

Adapting to Uncertainty: Comparing Methodological Approaches to Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Policy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huda, J.; Kauneckis, D. L.

2013-12-01

Climate change adaptation represents a number of unique policy-making challenges. Foremost among these is dealing with the range of future climate impacts to a wide scope of inter-related natural systems, their interaction with social and economic systems, and uncertainty resulting from the variety of downscaled climate model scenarios and climate science projections. These cascades of uncertainty have led to a number of new approaches as well as a reexamination of traditional methods for evaluating risk and uncertainty in policy-making. Policy makers are required to make decisions and formulate policy irrespective of the level of uncertainty involved and while a debate continues regarding the level of scientific certainty required in order to make a decision, incremental change in the climate policy continues at multiple governance levels. This project conducts a comparative analysis of the range of methodological approaches that are evolving to address uncertainty in climate change policy. It defines 'methodologies' to include a variety of quantitative and qualitative approaches involving both top-down and bottom-up policy processes that attempt to enable policymakers to synthesize climate information into the policy process. The analysis examines methodological approaches to decision-making in climate policy based on criteria such as sources of policy choice information, sectors to which the methodology has been applied, sources from which climate projections were derived, quantitative and qualitative methods used to deal with uncertainty, and the benefits and limitations of each. A typology is developed to better categorize the variety of approaches and methods, examine the scope of policy activities they are best suited for, and highlight areas for future research and development.

Formative evaluation of AARP's Active for Life campaign to improve walking and bicycling environments in two cities.

PubMed

Emery, James; Crump, Carolyn; Hawkins, Margaret

2007-10-01

AARP conducted a 2.5-year social-marketing campaign to improve physical activity levels among older adults in Richmond, Virginia and Madison, Wisconsin. This article presents formative evaluation findings from the campaign's policy/environmental change component. Evaluation data were abstracted from technical-assistance documentation and telephone interviews. Results include 11 policy and 14 environmental changes attained or in-process by campaign closure. Differences between the cities' results are explained through differences in program implementation (e.g., types of changes planned, formalization of partnerships). Project teams took less time deciding to pursue policy change than environmental change; however, planning the policy activities took longer than planning environmental-change activities. Recommendations for future policy/environmental change interventions focus on the selection of strategies; planning for administrative resources; formalizing partnerships to ensure sustainability of impact; ensuring training and technical assistance; and documenting progress. Similar intervention results may be attainable with a multi-year timeframe, adequate part-time coordination, and committed volunteers.

76 FR 43695 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-21

... Project: Networking Suicide Prevention Hotlines--Evaluation of the Lifeline Policies for Helping Callers... approved data collection activities [Evaluation of Networking Suicide Prevention Hotlines Follow-Up Assessment (OMB No. 0930-0274) and Call Monitoring of National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Form (OMB No. 0930...

23 CFR 777.1 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... NATURAL HABITAT § 777.1 Purpose. To provide policy and procedures for the evaluation and mitigation of adverse environmental impacts to wetlands and natural habitat resulting from Federal-aid projects funded...

23 CFR 777.1 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... NATURAL HABITAT § 777.1 Purpose. To provide policy and procedures for the evaluation and mitigation of adverse environmental impacts to wetlands and natural habitat resulting from Federal-aid projects funded...

23 CFR 777.1 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... NATURAL HABITAT § 777.1 Purpose. To provide policy and procedures for the evaluation and mitigation of adverse environmental impacts to wetlands and natural habitat resulting from Federal-aid projects funded...

23 CFR 777.1 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... NATURAL HABITAT § 777.1 Purpose. To provide policy and procedures for the evaluation and mitigation of adverse environmental impacts to wetlands and natural habitat resulting from Federal-aid projects funded...

23 CFR 777.1 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... NATURAL HABITAT § 777.1 Purpose. To provide policy and procedures for the evaluation and mitigation of adverse environmental impacts to wetlands and natural habitat resulting from Federal-aid projects funded...

Measuring the success of community science: the northern California Household Exposure Study.

PubMed

Brown, Phil; Brody, Julia Green; Morello-Frosch, Rachel; Tovar, Jessica; Zota, Ami R; Rudel, Ruthann A

2012-03-01

Environmental health research involving community participation has increased substantially since the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) environmental justice and community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnerships began in the mid-1990s. The goals of these partnerships are to inform and empower better decisions about exposures, foster trust, and generate scientific knowledge to reduce environmental health disparities in low-income, minority communities. Peer-reviewed publication and clinical health outcomes alone are inadequate criteria to judge the success of projects in meeting these goals; therefore, new strategies for evaluating success are needed. We reviewed the methods used to evaluate our project, "Linking Breast Cancer Advocacy and Environmental Justice," to help identify successful CBPR methods and to assist other teams in documenting effectiveness. Although our project precedes the development of the NIEHS Evaluation Metrics Manual, a schema to evaluate the success of projects funded through the Partnerships in Environmental Public Health (PEPH), our work reported here illustrates the record keeping and self-reflection anticipated in NIEHS's PEPH. Evaluation strategies should assess how CBPR partnerships meet the goals of all partners. Our partnership, which included two strong community-based organizations, produced a team that helped all partners gain organizational capacity. Environmental sampling in homes and reporting the results of that effort had community education and constituency-building benefits. Scientific results contributed to a court decision that required cumulative impact assessment for an oil refinery and to new policies for chemicals used in consumer products. All partners leveraged additional funding to extend their work. An appropriate evaluation strategy can demonstrate how CBPR projects can advance science, support community empowerment, increase environmental health literacy, and generate individual and policy action to protect health.

Application of Updated Construction and Demolition Waste Reduction Policy to Army Projects

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

goal of Net Zero waste disposal in landfills. Therefore, projects that involve the removal of existing buildings or structures are directed to...Therefore, projects that involve the removal of existing buildings or structures will evaluate the feasibility of deconstruction and salvage rather than...deconstruction. Therefore, needed new guidance must include consideration of the types of buildings and structures that do (and do not) lend

Writing Portfolios in the Classroom: Policy and Practice, Promise and Peril. Evaluating Writing through Portfolios. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calfee, Robert C., Ed.; Perfumo, Pamela, Ed.

This book presents essays by researchers, practitioners, and policy makers who study the impact of classroom portfolios in the assessment of writing achievement by elementary and middle-grade students. Essays in the book report on a national survey of exemplary projects and presents contributions to a Portfolio Conference held at Stanford…

76 FR 61107 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-03

.... Project: Networking Suicide Prevention Hotlines--Evaluation of the Lifeline Policies for Helping Callers... approved data collection activities [Evaluation of Networking Suicide Prevention Hotlines Follow-Up Assessment (OMB No. 0930-0274) and Call Monitoring of National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Form (OMB No. 0930...

Glossary

MedlinePlus

... Research Grants Funded Projects Patient Evaluation for Professionals Energy Metabolism Review Mitochondrial Structure, Function and Diseases Review ... General Fund! Donor Privacy Policy Donate to… … an Energy for Life Walkathon … an Event … a Family Research ...

Newspaper content analysis in evaluation of a community-based participatory project to increase physical activity.

PubMed

Granner, Michelle L; Sharpe, Patricia A; Burroughs, Ericka L; Fields, Regina; Hallenbeck, Joyce

2010-08-01

This study conducted a newspaper content analysis as part of an evaluation of a community-based participatory research project focused on increasing physical activity through policy and environmental changes, which included activities related to media advocacy and media-based community education. Daily papers (May 2003 to December 2005) from both the intervention and comparison counties were reviewed for topics related to physical activity and an active living environment (e.g. safety, policy, urban design, transportation and recreational resources). A total of 2681 articles from 1764 newspapers were analyzed. The intervention county had a greater proportion of articles on the selected topics. Specifically, the intervention county had a greater proportion of articles in topics related to safety, policy and community initiatives, as well as in sidewalks and recreational facilities; both priority areas for the intervention. Prominence of the articles was assessed using a composite index score. Generally, prominence of the topics analyzed was low. Articles in the sidewalks and recreational facilities topic category in the intervention county had higher prominence scores on average than the comparison county. The study demonstrates that media content analysis can be a valuable component in evaluating community-based interventions.

Political polarization projection: social projection of partisan attitude extremity and attitudinal processes.

PubMed

Van Boven, Leaf; Judd, Charles M; Sherman, David K

2012-07-01

What influences perceptions of political polarization? The authors examine the polarization of people's own political attitudes as a source of perceived polarization: Individuals with more extreme partisan attitudes perceive greater polarization than individuals with less extreme partisan attitudes. This "polarization projection" was demonstrated in 3 studies in which people estimated the distribution of others' political attitudes: one study with a nationally representative sample concerning the 2008 presidential election, and 2 studies concerning university students evaluating a policy regarding scarce resource allocation. These studies demonstrate that polarization projection occurs simultaneously with and independently of simple projection, the tendency to assume that others share one's partisan political attitudes. Polarization projection may occur partly because people assume that others engage in similar attitudinal processes as the self, such as extensive thought and emotional arousal. The projection of various attitudinal processes was demonstrated in a study concerning health care reform policies. Further supporting this explanation, polarization projection increased when people introspected about their own attitudinal processes, which increased the accessibility of those processes. Implications for perceptions of partisanship, social judgment, and civic behavior are discussed.

Developing Arizona Turnaround Leaders to Build High-Capacity Schools in the Midst of Accountability Pressures and Changing Demographics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ylimaki, Rose M.; Brunderman, Lynnette; Bennett, Jeffrey V.; Dugan, Thad

2014-01-01

Today's accountability policies and changing demographics have created conditions in which leaders must rapidly build school capacity and improve outcomes in culturally diverse schools. This article presents findings from a mixed-methods evaluation of an Arizona Turnaround Leadership Development Project. The project drew on studies of turnaround…

A Primer on Bootstrap Factor Analysis as Applied to Health Studies Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lu, Wenhua; Miao, Jingang; McKyer, E. Lisako J.

2014-01-01

Objectives: To demonstrate how the bootstrap method could be conducted in exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with a syntax written in SPSS. Methods: The data obtained from the Texas Childhood Obesity Prevention Policy Evaluation project (T-COPPE project) were used for illustration. A 5-step procedure to conduct bootstrap factor analysis (BFA) was…

Defining a Self-Evaluation Digital Literacy Framework for Secondary Educators: The DigiLit Leicester Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Richard; Atkins, Lucy; Fraser, Josie

2014-01-01

Despite the growing interest in digital literacy within educational policy, guidance for secondary educators in terms of how digital literacy translates into the classroom is lacking. As a result, many teachers feel ill-prepared to support their learners in using technology effectively. The DigiLit Leicester project created an infrastructure for…

Learning to Argue with Intermediate Macro Theory: A Semester-Long Team Writing Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strasser, Georg; Wolfe, Marketa Halova

2014-01-01

The authors describe their experience with integrating a semester-long economic analysis project into an intermediate macroeconomic theory course. Students work in teams of "economic advisors" to write a series of nested reports that analyze the current state of the economy, and propose and evaluate policies for a decision-maker. The…

Using Evaluation to Effect Social Change: Looking through a Community Psychology Lens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cook, James R.

2015-01-01

Program evaluation is generally viewed as a set of mechanisms for collecting and using information to learn about projects, policies and programs, to understand their effects as well as the manner in which they are implemented. AEA has espoused principles for evaluation that place emphasis on competent, honest inquiry that respects the security,…

Carbon Sequestration in Colorado's Lands: A Spatial and Policy Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandt, N.; Brazeau, A.; Browning, K.; Meier, R.

2017-12-01

Managing landscapes to enhance terrestrial carbon sequestration has significant potential to mitigate climate change. While a previous carbon baseline assessment in Colorado has been published (Conant et al, 2007), our study pulls from the existing literature to conduct an updated baseline assessment of carbon stocks and a unique review of carbon policies in Colorado. Through a multi-level spatial analysis based in GIS and informed by a literature review, we established a carbon stock baseline and ran four land use and carbon stock projection scenarios using Monte Carlo simulations. We identified 11 key policy recommendations for improving Colorado's carbon stocks, and evaluated each using Bardach's policy matrix approach (Bardach, 2012). We utilized a series of case studies to support our policy recommendations. We found that Colorado's lands have a carbon stock of 3,334 MMT CO2eq, with Forests and Woodlands holding the largest stocks, at 1,490 and 774 MMT CO2eq respectively. Avoided conversion of all Grasslands, Forests, and Wetlands in Colorado projected over 40 years would increase carbon stocks by 32 MMT CO2eq, 1,053 MMT CO2eq, and 36 MMT CO2eq, respectively. Over the 40-year study period, Forests and Woodlands areas are projected to shrink while Shrublands and Developed areas are projected to grow. Those projections suggest sizable increases in area of future wildfires and development in Colorado. We found that numerous policy opportunities to sequester carbon exist at different jurisdictional levels and across land cover types. The largest opportunities were found in state-level policies and policies impacting Forests, Grasslands, and Wetlands. The passage of statewide emission reduction legislation has the highest potential to impact carbon sequestration, although political and administrative feasibility of this option are relatively low. This study contributes to the broader field of carbon sequestration literature by examining the nexus of carbon stocks and policy at the state level, and serves as a model for future research on the role of terrestrial carbon stocks in climate change mitigation.

Dealing with Unknown Variables in Policy/Program Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nagel, Stuart S.

1983-01-01

Threshold analysis (TA) is introduced as an evaluation model. TA converts unknown variables into questions as to whether a given benefit, cost, or success probability is more or less than a threshold, above which the proposed project would be profitable, and below which it would be unprofitable. (Author/PN)

An Analysis of Health Manpower Models: Volume I.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonder, Seth; And Others

Objectives of the project were to identify and describe problem areas and policy issues confronting health manpower planning agencies at all levels, compile an inventory of models and evaluate their usefulness, and to evaluate the potential usefulness of two models (developed under contract to the Bureau of Health Resources Development) designed…

Excursions in technology policy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Archibald, Robert B.

1995-01-01

This technical report presents a summary of three distinct projects: (1) Measuring economic benefits; (2) Evaluating the SBIR program; and (3) A model for evaluating changes in support for science and technology. the first project deals with the Technology Applications Group (TAG) at NASA Langley Research Center. The mission of TAG is to assist firms interested in commercializing technologies. TAG is a relatively new group as is the emphasis on technology commercialization for NASA. One problem faced by TAG and similar groups at other centers is measuring their effectiveness. The first project this summer, a paper entitled, 'Measuring the Economic Benefits of Technology Transfer from a National Laboratory: A Primer,' focused on this measurement problem. We found that the existing studies of the impact of technology transfer on the economy were conceptually flawed. The 'primer' outlines the appropriate theoretical framework for measuring the economic benefits of technology transfer. The second project discusses, one of the programs of TAG, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. This program has led to over 400 contracts with Small Business since its inception in 1985. The program has never been evaluated. Crucial questions such as those about the extent of commercial successes from the contracts need to be answered. This summer we designed and implemented a performance evaluation survey instrument. The analysis of the data will take place in the fall. The discussion of the third project focuses on a model for evaluating changes in support for science and technology. At present several powerful forces are combining to change the environment for science and technology policy. The end of the cold war eliminated the rationale for federal support for many projects. The new- found Congressional conviction to balance the budget without tax increases combined with demographic changes which automatically increase spending for some politically popular programs will make it difficult to find funding for science and technology. Also, the two political parties have very different conceptions of the appropriate future for research and development spending. All these changes create the potential for serious, perhaps unintended, consequences for the economic future of the country. In a paper entitled, 'A Conceptual Framework for Evaluating the Impact of Changes in Federal Support for Science and Technology,' we introduce a model to evaluate the effects of changes in federal spending for science and technology. This paper both provides a way of organizing informed discussions and points out important research topics for science and technology policy.

34 CFR 603.24 - Criteria for State agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... procedures and policy, and interprets the educational needs and manpower projections of the State's public... other appropriate persons; (ii) Furnishes as a result of the evaluation visit, a written report to the...

34 CFR 603.24 - Criteria for State agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... procedures and policy, and interprets the educational needs and manpower projections of the State's public... other appropriate persons; (ii) Furnishes as a result of the evaluation visit, a written report to the...

34 CFR 603.24 - Criteria for State agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... procedures and policy, and interprets the educational needs and manpower projections of the State's public... other appropriate persons; (ii) Furnishes as a result of the evaluation visit, a written report to the...

34 CFR 603.24 - Criteria for State agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... procedures and policy, and interprets the educational needs and manpower projections of the State's public... other appropriate persons; (ii) Furnishes as a result of the evaluation visit, a written report to the...

34 CFR 603.24 - Criteria for State agencies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... procedures and policy, and interprets the educational needs and manpower projections of the State's public... other appropriate persons; (ii) Furnishes as a result of the evaluation visit, a written report to the...

EMERGY METHODS: VALUABLE INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT TOOLS

EPA Science Inventory

NHEERL's Atlantic Ecology Division is investigating emergy methods as tools for integrated assessment in several projects evaluating environmental impacts, policies, and alternatives for remediation and intervention. Emergy accounting is a methodology that provides a quantitative...

Barriers to adopting and implementing local-level tobacco control policies.

PubMed

Satterlund, Travis D; Cassady, Diana; Treiber, Jeanette; Lemp, Cathy

2011-08-01

Although California communities have been relatively successful in adopting and implementing a wide range of local tobacco control policies, the process has not been without its setbacks and barriers. Little is known about local policy adoption, and this paper examines these processes related to adopting and implementing outdoor smoke-free policies, focusing on the major barriers faced by local-level tobacco control organizations in this process. Ninety-six projects funded by the California Tobacco Control Program submitted final evaluation reports pertaining to an outdoor smoking objective, and the reports from these projects were analyzed. The barriers were grouped in three primary areas: politically polarizing barriers, organizational barriers, and local political orientation. The barriers identified in this study underscore the need for an organized action plan in adopting local tobacco policy. The authors also suggest potential strategies to offset the barriers, including: (1) having a "champion" who helps to carry an objective forward; (2) tapping into a pool of youth volunteers; (3) collecting and using local data as a persuasive tool; (4) educating the community in smoke-free policy efforts; (5) working strategically within the local political climate; and (6) demonstrating to policymakers the constituent support for proposed policy.

Evaluation of the walkable neighborhoods for seniors project in Sacramento County.

PubMed

Hooker, Steven P; Cirill, Lisa A; Geraghty, Anne

2009-07-01

The Walkable Neighborhoods for Seniors project was implemented to foster the creation and promotion of safe and accessible neighborhood walking routes for seniors. This article describes a case study of the efforts put forth by a local task force jointly managed by the Sacramento County Department of Health Services and WALK Sacramento. To facilitate environmental and policy changes that would enable and encourage walking by older adults, these local lead agencies implemented several strategies including organizing a community task force with broad professional and civic representation, conducting environmental audits of selected walking routes, creating walking groups, and advocating for environmental and policy change. Evaluation processes yield information on successes, challenges, and lessons learned that could be applied to similar efforts undertaken by community organizations to improve the walkability of neighborhoods for older adults.

The Potential of Transnational Language Policy to Promote Social Inclusion of Immigrants: An Analysis and Evaluation of the European Union's INCLUDE Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bian, Cui

2017-01-01

Language issues and social inclusion consistently remain two major concerns for member countries of the European Union (EU). Despite an increasing awareness of the importance of language learning in migrants' social inclusion, and the promotion of language policies at European and national levels, there is still a lack of common actions at the…

Comparing climate policy co-benefits in the United States and China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selin, N. E.; Li, M.; Saari, R.; Zhang, D.; Karplus, V. J.; Li, C. T.; Thompson, T. M.; Mulvaney, K. M.; Rausch, S.

2016-12-01

We use modeling approaches that integrate atmospheric chemistry, economic analysis, and health impacts calculations to evaluate and compare the co-benefits of greenhouse gas reduction policies for the U.S. and China. Climate policies can have a variety of co-benefits for air quality, in particular on the concentrations of health-damaging pollutants O3 and PM2.5 as well as toxic pollutants such as mercury. Co-benefits. Controlling CO2 sources such as power plants and vehicles can lead to concomitant reductions in other pollutants such as SO2, NOx, and Hg. Here, we present and discuss our evaluations of co-benefits in the U.S. and China, at both national and regional (state/provincial) scales. In particular, we assess how policy design, stringency, and energy system characteristics affect projected co-benefits and their valuation for human health. We find that at the national scale in both the U.S. and China, monetized co-benefits can offset the costs of carbon policies. U.S. co-benefits exhibit diminishing returns to projected increases in policy stringency, while Chinese co-benefits show different behavior. The magnitude of health-related co-benefits is sensitive to the economic valuation methodology, and to the choice of health impact function, with China-specific functions yielding substantially less co-benefit than those typically used in the U.S. In both cases, we see overall national-scale co-benefits but substantial regional variation at sub-national scales, illustrating the benefits of coupled atmospheric-economic analysis.

[Healthy Cities projects].

PubMed

Takano, Takehito

2002-05-01

This is a review article on "Healthy Cities". The Healthy Cities programme has been developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to tackle urban health and environmental issues in a broad way. It is a kind of comprehensive policy package to carry out individual projects and activities effectively and efficiently. Its key aspects include healthy public policy, vision sharing, high political commitment, establishment of structural organization, strategic health planning, intersectoral collaboration, community participation, setting approach, development of supportive environment for health, formation of city health profile, national and international networking, participatory research, periodic monitoring and evaluation, and mechanisms for sustainability of projects. The present paper covered the Healthy Cities concept and approaches, rapid urbanization in the world, developments of WHO Healthy Cities, Healthy Cities developments in the Western Pacific Region, the health promotion viewpoint, and roles of research.

Accountable to Whom? A Critical Science Counter-Story about a City that Stopped Caring for its Young

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Madeline; Fine, Michelle

2013-01-01

Coming from a critical youth studies perspective, this article sketches a participatory action research project designed by youth and adults in New York City to evaluate the impact of neo-liberal public policies on young people. Through telling the counter-story of the Polling for Justice (PFJ) project, we propose that re-considering…

Policy Innovations in the VET Sector: The Role of Instructors in a Competency-Based Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lowrie, Tom

A 12-month research project evaluated the effects that competency-based approaches have had on the role of instructors in the vocational education and training (VET) sector in Australia. Specifically, the project investigated the levels of understanding of competency based-training (CBT) by instructors in the VET sector in a variety of settings…

Summary of Activities and Policy Studies. Educational Policy and Planning Project. A Government of Indonesia-USAID Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boediono; And Others

The Educational Policy and Planning (EPP) Project assists the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture (MOEC) in establishing an information system to improve policy analysis and formulation. There are five elements of the project strategy: increase the ability of MOEC staff to create and use information for use in policy research, strengthen…

Evaluation of impacts and mitigation assessments for the UMTRA Project: Gunnison and Durango pilot studies. Final report

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

Beranich, S.J.

1994-08-24

This report evaluates the impacts assessment and proposed mitigations provided in environmental documents concerning the US Department of Energy`s (DOE) Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project. The projected impacts and proposed mitigations identified in UMTRA Project environmental documents were evaluated for two UMTRA Project sites. These sites are Gunnison and Durango, which are representative of currently active and inactive UMTRA Project sites, respectively. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation was prepared for the remedial action at Durango and Gunnison as well as for the provision of an alternate water supply system at Gunnison. Additionally, environmental analysis was completed formore » mill site demolition Gunnison, and for a new road related to the Durango remedial action. The results in this report pertain only to the impact assessments prepared by the Regulatory Compliance staff as a part of the NEPA compliance requirements. Similarly, the mitigative measures documented are those that were identified during the NEPA process.« less

Evaluation of Mexican transportation infrastructure projects.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-01-01

This research examined the legal, financial, institutional and policy processes that Mexico uses to plan, finance, construct, and implement its transportation network. It documents through twelve case studies the state of the practice in planning, fi...

Sustainable chronic disease management in remote Australia.

PubMed

Wakerman, John; Chalmers, Elizabeth M; Humphreys, John S; Clarence, Christine L; Bell, Andrew I; Larson, Ann; Lyle, David; Pashen, Dennis R

2005-11-21

The Sharing Health Care Initiative (SHCI) demonstration project, which aimed to improve management of chronic diseases, was implemented in four small remote communities in the Katherine region which are serviced by the Katherine West Health Board, a remote Aboriginal-community-controlled health organisation in the Northern Territory. We reviewed the project proposal, final report, evaluation reports and transitional funding proposal, and supplemented these with in-depth interviews with key individuals. We determined factors critical to the sustainability of the SHCI project in relation to context, community engagement, systems flexibility and adaptability, the availability and effect of information systems, and the human nature of health care and policy. The project had a significant impact on community awareness of chronic disease and an improvement in clinic processes. We found that a number of interrelated factors promoted sustainability, including: An implementation strategy sufficiently flexible to take account of local conditions; A high level of community engagement; Appropriate timeframes, timing and congruence between national policy and local readiness to implement a chronic disease project; Effective communication between participating organisations; Project champions (key individuals) in participating organisations; Effective use of monitoring and evaluation data; and Adequate and ongoing funding. The absence of a number of these factors, such as poor communication, inhibited sustainability. Other factors could both promote and inhibit. For example, the impact of key individuals was important, but could be idiosyncratic and have negative effects.

Retrospective Review of Student Research Projects in a Canadian Master of Science in Physical Therapy Programme and the Perceived Impact on Advisors' Research Capacity, Education, Clinical Practice, Knowledge Translation, and Health Policy.

PubMed

Lacey, Courtney; Scodras, Stephanie; Ardron, Julie; Sellan, Ryan; Garbaczewska, Martyna; O'Brien, Kelly K; Salbach, Nancy M

2018-01-01

Purpose: This study's aim was to characterize the nature of students' research conducted for a Master of Science in Physical Therapy (MScPT) degree programme at a Canadian university and evaluate the lead advisors' perspectives of its impact on their research capacity, education, clinical practice, knowledge translation, and health policy. Methods: We conducted a quantitative, cross-sectional, retrospective review of research reports from 2003 to 2014 to characterize the MScPT students' research and a quantitative, cross-sectional e-survey of lead research advisors to evaluate the impact of this research. Results: Data were abstracted from reports of 201 research projects completed between 2003 and 2014. Projects were conducted primarily in university-affiliated hospitals (41.6%) or the university's physical therapy department (41.1%), and the majority (52.5%) had a clinical focus. Of the 95 lead advisors of 201 projects, 59 advisors (response rate 62.1%) of 119 projects completed the survey questionnaire. The respondents most frequently identified clinical practice (45.1%) and advisors' research capacity (31.4%) as areas positively affected by the students' research. Conclusions: The MScPT students' research projects facilitate the conduct of extensive research internally and across affiliated hospitals. This research appears to advance not only clinical practice but also the ability of lead advisors to undertake research.

The Role of Governance in Connecting Ecosystem Services and Livelihoods: Lessons from Bangladesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allan, A.; Lim, M. M. L.; Islam, N.; Salehin, M.; Rahman, M. M.

2014-12-01

National legal, policy and decision-making frameworks often undervalue or ignore ecosystem services (ES) and the ways in which they can affect livelihoods, and research projects may under-estimate the role of governance in translating research effectively into practice. Better coordination of ES and livelihoods can be fatally undermined by existing institutional frameworks and through poor implementation and follow-up of policy decisions. This can have drastic impacts on resilience as the reality may be very different from the policy intentions. The ESPA Deltas project integrates physical modelling, a multi-season social survey, scenario development and stakeholder engagement, and a governance analysis component has been incorporated into each. The project has comprehensively assessed the legal, policy and institutional context in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta in Bangladesh, identifying barriers to legal and policy implementation through intensive stakeholder engagement and desk study at local, national and international levels. There has been a high degree of agreement in the findings from each of these independent processes and across the districts assessed. This presentation illustrates how the governance research has been incorporated into the development of qualitative scenarios. It also demonstrates the extent to which policy implementation considerations have been factored into the biophysical modelling and social survey work. It identifies the challenges for adaptation strategies in Bangladesh, and draws on successful examples of policy implementation there (e.g. disaster management) to propose governance interventions that might enhance the resilience of delta inhabitants, especially in the light of the informal governance context. This research facilitates implementation of targeted governance interventions and supports the development of tools that can aid policy-makers in evaluating the impact of policy decisions on ecosystem services and livelihoods.

The Role of Governance in Connecting Ecosystem Services and Livelihoods: Lessons from Bangladesh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allan, Andrew; Lim, Michelle; Islam, Nabiul; Salehin, Mashfiqus; Munsur Rahman, Md.

2015-04-01

National legal, policy and decision-making frameworks often undervalue or ignore ecosystem services (ES) and the ways in which they can affect livelihoods, and research projects may under-estimate the role of governance in translating research effectively into practice. Better coordination of ES and livelihoods can be fatally undermined by existing institutional frameworks and through poor implementation and follow-up of policy decisions. This can have drastic impacts on resilience as the reality may be very different from the policy intentions. The ESPA Deltas project integrates physical modelling, a multi-season social survey, scenario development and stakeholder engagement, and a governance analysis component has been incorporated into each. The project has comprehensively assessed the legal, policy and institutional context in Bangladesh, identifying barriers to legal and policy implementation through intensive stakeholder engagement and desk study at local, national and international levels. There has been a high degree of agreement in the findings from each of these independent processes and across the districts assessed. This presentation illustrates how the governance research has been incorporated into the development of qualitative scenarios. It also demonstrates the extent to which policy implementation considerations have been factored into the biophysical modelling and social survey work. It identifies the challenges for adaptation strategies in Bangladesh, and draws on successful examples of policy implementation there (e.g. disaster management) to propose governance interventions that might enhance the resilience of delta inhabitants, especially in the light of the informal governance context. This research facilitates implementation of targeted governance interventions and supports the development of tools that can aid policy-makers in evaluating the impact of policy decisions on ecosystem services and livelihoods.

Manifestations of integrated public health policy in Dutch municipalities.

PubMed

Peters, Dorothee; Harting, Janneke; van Oers, Hans; Schuit, Jantine; de Vries, Nanne; Stronks, Karien

2016-06-01

Integrated public health policy (IPHP) aims at integrating health considerations into policies of other sectors. Since the limited empirical evidence available may hamper its further development, we systematically analysed empirical manifestations of IPHP, by placing policy strategies along a continuum of less-to-more policy integration, going from intersectoral action (IA) to healthy public policy (HPP) to health in all policies (HiAP). Our case study included 34 municipal projects of the Dutch Gezonde Slagkracht Programme (2009-15), which supports the development and implementation of IPHP on overweight, alcohol and drug abuse, and smoking. Our content analysis of project application forms and interviews with all project leaders used a framework approach involving the policy strategies and the following policy variables: initiator, actors, policy goals, determinants and policy instruments. Most projects showed a combination of policy strategies. However, manifestations of IPHP in overweight projects predominantly involved IA. More policy integration was apparent in alcohol/drugs projects (HPP) and in all-theme projects (HiAP). More policy integration was related to broad goal definitions, which allowed for the involvement of actors representing several policy sectors. This enabled the implementation of a mix of policy instruments. Determinants of health were not explicitly used as a starting point of the policy process. If a policy problem justifies policy integration beyond IA, it might be helpful to start from the determinants of health (epidemiological reality), systematically transform them into policy (policy reality) and set broad policy goals, since this gives actors from other sectors the opportunity to participate. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

One Kid at a Time: Evaluative Case Studies and Description of the Alaska Youth Initiative Demonstration Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burchard, John D.; And Others

This monograph presents an evaluative description of the Alaska Youth Initiative (AYI), a community-based interagency program serving children and adolescents with severe emotional and behavioral disorders. Principles of the program include a no reject policy and a "wraparound" service delivery approach. The monograph offers information…

Entrepreneurship Education in the Arab States. Final Evaluation Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamloumi, Jilani

2013-01-01

The report involves the findings of the final evaluation of the regional entrepreneurship education project in Arab States component II (2011-2012) (see ED560497), which is a joint activity between UNESCO and StratREAL Foundation. It aims to help the development of educational policies enabling the integration of entrepreneurship education within…

Indicators of sustainable capacity building for health research: analysis of four African case studies.

PubMed

Bates, Imelda; Taegtmeyer, Miriam; Squire, S Bertel; Ansong, Daniel; Nhlema-Simwaka, Bertha; Baba, Amuda; Theobald, Sally

2011-03-28

Despite substantial investment in health capacity building in developing countries, evaluations of capacity building effectiveness are scarce. By analysing projects in Africa that had successfully built sustainable capacity, we aimed to identify evidence that could indicate that capacity building was likely to be sustainable. Four projects were selected as case studies using pre-determined criteria, including the achievement of sustainable capacity. By mapping the capacity building activities in each case study onto a framework previously used for evaluating health research capacity in Ghana, we were able to identify activities that were common to all projects. We used these activities to derive indicators which could be used in other projects to monitor progress towards building sustainable research capacity. Indicators of sustainable capacity building increased in complexity as projects matured and included- early engagement of stakeholders; explicit plans for scale up; strategies for influencing policies; quality assessments (awareness and experiential stages)- improved resources; institutionalisation of activities; innovation (expansion stage)- funding for core activities secured; management and decision-making led by southern partners (consolidation stage).Projects became sustainable after a median of 66 months. The main challenges to achieving sustainability were high turnover of staff and stakeholders, and difficulties in embedding new activities into existing systems, securing funding and influencing policy development. Our indicators of sustainable capacity building need to be tested prospectively in a variety of projects to assess their usefulness. For each project the evidence required to show that indicators have been achieved should evolve with the project and they should be determined prospectively in collaboration with stakeholders.

Profile of Prior-Service Accessions to the U.S. (United States) Navy: Fiscal Years 1973-1981.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-04-01

ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS 10. PROGRAM ELEMENT. PROJECT. TASK AREA A WORKC UNIT NUMBERS " Institute for Policy Research and Evaluation N-253...research effort aimed at enhancing Navy manpower policy. * *. . . . . . .. - Distribution List Director Technology Programs Office of Naval Research (Code...200) Arlington, VA 22217 Director Research Programs Office of Naval Research (Code 400) Arlington, VA 22217 Manpower, Personnel and Training

Why Government and Non-Governmental Policies and Projects Fail Despite "Evaluations": An Indicator to Measure whether Evaluation Systems Incorporate the Rules of Good Governance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lempert, David H.

2010-01-01

Background: While much has been written in the evaluation literature on the theory of evaluations and on specific cases, there is still no comprehensive and easy to use indicator that can be used to hold organizations to the principles of effective evaluation, to score their quality in several areas, and to offer an immediate diagnostic for…

Students implement the Affordable Care Act: a model for undergraduate teaching and research in community health and sociology.

PubMed

Green, Brandn; Jones, Kristal; Boyd, Neil; Milofsky, Carl; Martin, Eric

2015-06-01

The implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides an opportunity for undergraduate students to observe and experience first-hand changing social policies and their impacts for individuals and communities. This article overviews an action research and teaching project developed at an undergraduate liberal arts university and focused on providing ACA enrollment assistance as a way to support student engagement with community health. The project was oriented around education, enrollment and evaluation activities in the community, and students and faculty together reflected on and analyzed the experiences that came from the research and outreach project. Student learning centered around applying concepts of diversity and political agency to health policy and community health systems. Students reported and faculty observed an unexpected empowerment for students who were able to use their university-learned critical thinking skills to explain complex systems to a wide range of audiences. In addition, because the project was centered at a university with no health professions programs, the project provided students interested in community and public health with the opportunity to reflect on how health and access to health care is conditioned by social context. The structure and pedagogical approaches and implications of the action research and teaching project is presented here as a case study for how to engage undergraduates in questions of community and public health through the lens of health policy and community engagement.

Security and Policy for Group Collaboration

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

Ian Foster; Carl Kesselman

2006-07-31

“Security and Policy for Group Collaboration” was a Collaboratory Middleware research project aimed at providing the fundamental security and policy infrastructure required to support the creation and operation of distributed, computationally enabled collaborations. The project developed infrastructure that exploits innovative new techniques to address challenging issues of scale, dynamics, distribution, and role. To reduce greatly the cost of adding new members to a collaboration, we developed and evaluated new techniques for creating and managing credentials based on public key certificates, including support for online certificate generation, online certificate repositories, and support for multiple certificate authorities. To facilitate the integration ofmore » new resources into a collaboration, we improved significantly the integration of local security environments. To make it easy to create and change the role and associated privileges of both resources and participants of collaboration, we developed community wide authorization services that provide distributed, scalable means for specifying policy. These services make it possible for the delegation of capability from the community to a specific user, class of user or resource. Finally, we instantiated our research results into a framework that makes it useable to a wide range of collaborative tools. The resulting mechanisms and software have been widely adopted within DOE projects and in many other scientific projects. The widespread adoption of our Globus Toolkit technology has provided, and continues to provide, a natural dissemination and technology transfer vehicle for our results.« less

The project organization as a policy tool in implementing welfare reforms in the public sector.

PubMed

Jensen, Christian; Johansson, Staffan; Löfström, Mikael

2013-01-01

Organizational design is considered in policy literature as a forceful policy tool to put policy to action. However, previous research has not analyzed the project organization as a specific form of organizational design and, hence, has not given much attention to such organizations as a strategic choice when selecting policy tools. The purpose of the article is to investigate the project as a policy tool; how do such temporary organizations function as a specific form of organization when public policy is implemented? The article is based on a framework of policy implementation and is illustrated with two welfare reforms in the Swedish public sector, which were organized and implemented as project organizations. The case studies and the analysis show that it is crucial that a project organization fits into the overall governance structure when used as a policy tool. If not, the project will remain encapsulated and will not have sufficient impact on the permanent organizational structure. The concept of encapsulation indicates a need to protect the project from a potential hostile environment. The implication of this is that organizational design as a policy tool is a matter that deserves more attention in the strategic discussion on implementing public policies and on the suitability of using certain policy tools. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Understanding user needs for carbon monitoring information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duren, R. M.; Macauley, M.; Gurney, K. R.; Saatchi, S. S.; Woodall, C. W.; Larsen, K.; Reidmiller, D.; Hockstad, L.; Weitz, M.; Croes, B.; Down, A.; West, T.; Mercury, M.

2015-12-01

The objectives of the Understanding User Needs project for NASA's Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) program are to: 1) engage the user community and identify needs for policy-relevant carbon monitoring information, 2) evaluate current and planned CMS data products with regard to their value for decision making, and 3) explore alternative methods for visualizing and communicating carbon monitoring information and associated uncertainties to decision makers and other stakeholders. To meet these objectives and help establish a sustained link between science and decision-making we have established a multi-disciplinary team that combines expertise in carbon-cycle science, engineering, economics, and carbon management and policy. We will present preliminary findings regarding emerging themes and needs for carbon information that may warrant increased attention by the science community. We will also demonstrate a new web-based tool that offers a common framework for facilitating user evaluation of carbon data products from multiple CMS projects.

Shared Storage Usage Policy | High-Performance Computing | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Shared Storage Usage Policy Shared Storage Usage Policy To use NREL's high-performance computing (HPC) systems, you must abide by the Shared Storage Usage Policy. /projects NREL HPC allocations include storage space in the /projects filesystem. However, /projects is a shared resource and project

Using a participatory approach to the development of a school-based physical activity policy in an Indigenous community.

PubMed

Hogan, Lindsay; García Bengoechea, Enrique; Salsberg, Jon; Jacobs, Judi; King, Morrison; Macaulay, Ann C

2014-12-01

This study is part of a larger community-based participatory research (CBPR) project to develop, implement, and evaluate the physical activity component of a school-based wellness policy. The policy intervention is being carried out by community stakeholders and academic researchers within the Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project, a well-established health promotion organization in the Indigenous community of Kahnawake, Quebec. We explored how a group of stakeholders develop a school physical activity policy in a participatory manner, and examined factors serving as facilitators and barriers to the development process. This case study was guided by an interpretive description approach and draws upon data from documentary analysis and participant observation. A CBPR approach allowed academic researchers and community stakeholders to codevelop a physical activity policy that is both evidence-based and contextually appropriate. The development process was influenced by a variety of barriers and facilitators including working within existing structures, securing appropriate stakeholders, and school contextual factors. This research offers a process framework that others developing school-based wellness policies may use with appropriate modifications based on local environments. © 2014, American School Health Association.

Implementing drought early warning systems: policy lessons and future needs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iglesias, Ana; Werner, Micha; Maia, Rodrigo; Garrote, Luis; Nyabeze, Washington

2014-05-01

Drought forecasting and Warning provides the potential of reducing impacts to society due to drought events. The implementation of effective drought forecasting and warning, however, requires not only science to support reliable forecasting, but also adequate policy and societal response. Here we propose a protocol to develop drought forecasting and early warning based in the international cooperation of African and European institutions in the DEWFORA project (EC, 7th Framework Programme). The protocol includes four major phases that address the scientific knowledge and the social capacity to use the knowledge: (a) What is the science available? Evaluating how signs of impending drought can be detected and predicted, defining risk levels, and analysing of the signs of drought in an integrated vulnerability approach. (b) What are the societal capacities? In this the institutional framework that enables policy development is evaluated. The protocol gathers information on vulnerability and pending hazard in advance so that early warnings can be declared at sufficient lead time and drought mitigation planning can be implemented at an early stage. (c) How can science be translated into policy? Linking science indicators into the actions/interventions that society needs to implement, and evaluating how policy is implemented. Key limitations to planning for drought are the social capacities to implement early warning systems. Vulnerability assessment contributes to identify these limitations and therefore provides crucial information to policy development. Based on the assessment of vulnerability we suggest thresholds for management actions to respond to drought forecasts and link predictive indicators to relevant potential mitigation strategies. Vulnerability assessment is crucial to identify relief, coping and management responses that contribute to a more resilient society. (d) How can society benefit from the forecast? Evaluating how information is provided to potentially affected groups, and how mitigation strategies can be taken in response. This paper presents an outline of the protocol that was developed in the DEWFORA project, outlining the complementary roles of science, policy and societal uptake in effective drought forecasting and warning. A consensus on the need to emphasise the social component of early warning was reached when testing the DEWFORA early warning system protocol among experts from 18 countries.

A model to calculate consistent atmospheric emission projections and its application to Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lumbreras, Julio; Borge, Rafael; de Andrés, Juan Manuel; Rodríguez, Encarnación

Global warming and air quality are headline environmental issues of our time and policy must preempt negative international effects with forward-looking strategies. As part of the revision of the European National Emission Ceilings Directive, atmospheric emission projections for European Union countries are being calculated. These projections are useful to drive European air quality analyses and to support wide-scale decision-making. However, when evaluating specific policies and measures at sectoral level, a more detailed approach is needed. This paper presents an original methodology to evaluate emission projections. Emission projections are calculated for each emitting activity that has emissions under three scenarios: without measures (business as usual), with measures (baseline) and with additional measures (target). The methodology developed allows the estimation of highly disaggregated multi-pollutant, consistent emissions for a whole country or region. In order to assure consistency with past emissions included in atmospheric emission inventories and coherence among the individual activities, the consistent emission projection (CEP) model incorporates harmonization and integration criteria as well as quality assurance/quality check (QA/QC) procedures. This study includes a sensitivity analysis as a first approach to uncertainty evaluation. The aim of the model presented in this contribution is to support decision-making process through the assessment of future emission scenarios taking into account the effect of different detailed technical and non-technical measures and it may also constitute the basis for air quality modelling. The system is designed to produce the information and formats related to international reporting requirements and it allows performing a comparison of national results with lower resolution models such as RAINS/GAINS. The methodology has been successfully applied and tested to evaluate Spanish emission projections up to 2020 for 26 pollutants but the methodology could be adopted for any particular region for different purposes, especially for European countries.

Benefits of mercury controls for the United States.

PubMed

Giang, Amanda; Selin, Noelle E

2016-01-12

Mercury pollution poses risks for both human and ecosystem health. As a consequence, controlling mercury pollution has become a policy goal on both global and national scales. We developed an assessment method linking global-scale atmospheric chemical transport modeling to regional-scale economic modeling to consistently evaluate the potential benefits to the United States of global (UN Minamata Convention on Mercury) and domestic [Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS)] policies, framed as economic gains from avoiding mercury-related adverse health endpoints. This method attempts to trace the policies-to-impacts path while taking into account uncertainties and knowledge gaps with policy-appropriate bounding assumptions. We project that cumulative lifetime benefits from the Minamata Convention for individuals affected by 2050 are $339 billion (2005 USD), with a range from $1.4 billion to $575 billion in our sensitivity scenarios. Cumulative economy-wide benefits to the United States, realized by 2050, are $104 billion, with a range from $6 million to $171 billion. Projected Minamata benefits are more than twice those projected from the domestic policy. This relative benefit is robust to several uncertainties and variabilities, with the ratio of benefits (Minamata/MATS) ranging from ≈1.4 to 3. However, we find that for those consuming locally caught freshwater fish from the United States, rather than marine and estuarine fish from the global market, benefits are larger from US than global action, suggesting domestic policies are important for protecting these populations. Per megagram of prevented emissions, our domestic policy scenario results in US benefits about an order of magnitude higher than from our global scenario, further highlighting the importance of domestic action.

Consumer involvement in Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) projects - lessons from Australia.

PubMed

Kirkpatrick, Carl M J; Roughead, Elizabeth E; Monteith, Gregory R; Tett, Susan E

2005-12-01

It is essential that knowledge gained through health services research is collated and made available for evaluation, for policy purposes and to enable collaboration between people working in similar areas (capacity building). The Australian Quality Use of Medicine (QUM) on-line, web-based project database, known as the QUMmap, was designed to meet these needs for a specific sub-section of health services research related to improving the use of medicines. Australia's National Strategy for Quality Use of Medicines identifies the primacy of consumers as a major principle for quality use of medicines, and aims to support consumer led research. The aim of this study was to determine how consumers as a group have been represented in QUM projects in Australia. A secondary aim was to investigate how the projects with consumer involvement fit into Australia's QUM policy framework. Using the web-based QUMmap, all projects which claimed consumer involvement were identified and stratified into four categories, projects undertaken by; (a) consumers for consumers, (b) health professionals for consumers, (c) health professionals for health professionals, and (d) other. Projects in the first two categories were then classified according to the policy 'building blocks' considered necessary to achieve QUM. Of the 143 'consumer' projects identified, the majority stated to be 'for consumers' were either actually by health professionals for health professionals (c) or by health professionals for consumers (b) (47% and 40% respectively). Only 12 projects (9%) were directly undertaken by consumers or consumer groups for consumers (a). The majority of the health professionals for consumers (b) projects were directed at the provision of services and interventions, but were not focusing on the education, training or skill development of consumers. Health services research relating to QUM is active in Australia and the projects are collated and searchable on the web-based interactive QUMmap. Healthcare professionals appear to be dominating nominally 'consumer focussed' research, with less than half of these projects actively involving the consumers or directly benefiting consumers. The QUMmap provides a valuable tool for policy analysis and for provision of future directions through identification of QUM initiatives.

Engaging Communities to Develop and Sustain Comprehensive Wellness Policies: Louisiana’s Schools Putting Prevention to Work

PubMed Central

Kennedy, Betty Monroe; Bourgeois, Brandi F.; Broyles, Stephanie T.; Katzmarzyk, Peter T.

2014-01-01

Background Tobacco use, obesity, and physical inactivity among Louisiana’s youth pose a serious public health problem. Given the potential of school environments to affect student well-being, the Louisiana Tobacco Control Program developed and tested a pilot program, Schools Putting Prevention to Work. The objective was to assist school districts in developing a comprehensive school wellness policy and engaging their school community to generate environments that support healthful choices and behaviors. Community Context The pilot was implemented in 27 school districts, reaching an estimated 325,000 people across the state. Demographics of participating students were similar to all Louisiana’s public school students. Methods A school wellness project state team advised project development. A subgroup that included contractors and partners implemented and modified the pilot. Sites were selected though an application process. Site representatives received trainings, technical assistance, and funding to organize school-based support-building activities and coordinate a school health advisory council to develop policy and sustain healthy school environments. Project sites reported progress monthly; evaluation included data from sites and project administrators. Outcome Twenty-five comprehensive school wellness policies (covering 100% tobacco-free schools and daily physical activity and healthier cafeteria items) were approved by school boards. Environmental changes such as physical activity breaks, healthier vending options, and tobacco-free campuses were adopted. Interpretation This pilot demonstrated a successful approach to achieving policy and environmental change. The state team engaged and guided school districts to motivate students, parents, faculty/staff/administration, and businesses to establish and maintain opportunities to improve lifestyle health. PMID:24602588

Sweden SimSmoke: the effect of tobacco control policies on smoking and snus prevalence and attributable deaths

PubMed Central

Near, Aimee M.; Blackman, Kenneth; Currie, Laura M.

2014-01-01

Background: This study examines the effect of past tobacco control policies and projects the effect of future policies on smoking and snus use prevalence and associated premature mortality in Sweden. Methods: The established SimSmoke model was adapted with population, smoking rates and tobacco control policy data from Sweden. SimSmoke evaluates the effect of taxes, smoke-free air, mass media, marketing bans, warning labels, cessation treatment and youth access policies on smoking and snus prevalence and the number of deaths attributable to smoking and snus use by gender from 2010 to 2040. Results: Sweden SimSmoke estimates that significant inroads to reducing smoking and snus prevalence and premature mortality can be achieved through tax increases, especially when combined with other policies. Smoking prevalence can be decreased by as much as 26% in the first few years, reaching a 37% reduction within 30 years. Without effective tobacco control policies, almost 54 500 lives will be lost in Sweden due to tobacco use by the year 2040. Conclusion: Besides presenting the benefits of a comprehensive tobacco control strategy, the model identifies gaps in surveillance and evaluation that can help better focus tobacco control policy in Sweden. PMID:24287030

Queensland Alcohol-related violence and Night Time Economy Monitoring project (QUANTEM): a study protocol.

PubMed

Miller, Peter G; Ferris, Jason; Coomber, Kerri; Zahnow, Renee; Carah, Nicholas; Jiang, Heng; Kypri, Kypros; Chikritzhs, Tanya; Clough, Alan; Livingston, Michael; de Andrade, Dominique; Room, Robin; Callinan, Sarah; Curtis, Ashlee; Mayshak, Richelle; Droste, Nicolas; Lloyd, Belinda; Matthews, Sharon; Taylor, Nicholas; Crane, Meredythe; Thorn, Michael; Najman, Jake

2017-10-05

Alcohol-related harm is a substantial burden on the community in Australia and internationally, particularly harm related to risky drinking practices of young people in the night-time economy. This protocol paper describes a study that will report on the changes in a wide range of health and justice outcome measures associated with major policy changes in the state of Queensland, Australia. A key element includes trading hours restrictions for licensed premises to 2 am for the state and 3 am in Safe Night Precincts (SNPs). Other measures introduced include drinks restrictions after midnight, increased patron banning measures for repeat offenders, mandatory ID scanning of patrons in late-night venues, and education campaigns. The primary aim of the study is to evaluate change in the levels of harm due to these policy changes using administrative data (e.g., police, hospital, ambulance, and court data). Other study elements will investigate the impact of the Policy by measuring foot traffic volume in SNPs, using ID scanner data to quantify the volume of people entering venues and measure the effectiveness of banning notices, using patron interviews to quantify the levels of pre-drinking, intoxication and illicit drug use within night-time economy districts, and to explore the impacts of the Policy on business and live music, and costs to the community. The information gathered through this project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Policy and to draw on these findings to inform future prevention and enforcement approaches by policy makers, police, and venue staff.

Process evaluation improves delivery of a nutrition-sensitive agriculture programme in Burkina Faso.

PubMed

Nielsen, Jennifer N; Olney, Deanna K; Ouedraogo, Marcellin; Pedehombga, Abdoulaye; Rouamba, Hippolyte; Yago-Wienne, Fanny

2017-12-26

Evidence is emerging from rigorous evaluations about the effectiveness of nutrition-sensitive agriculture programmes in improving nutritional outcomes. Additional evidence can elucidate how different programme components and pathways contribute and can be optimized for impact. The International Food Policy Research Institute, with Helen Keller International, designed a comprehensive framework to evaluate the delivery, utilization, and impact of Helen Keller International's enhanced homestead food production programme in Burkina Faso. After 18 months of implementation, a process evaluation was conducted to examine programme impact pathways, using key informant and semistructured interviews with implementing agents and beneficiaries, and with residents of control communities. Data were analyzed by International Food Policy Research Institute and reviewed with project managers and partners through multiple workshops to identify opportunities to strengthen implementation. Findings illuminated gaps between intended and actual delivery schemes, including input constraints, knowledge gaps among community agents in agriculture and young child nutrition practices, and lower than expected activity by community volunteers. In response, staff developed measures to overcome water constraints and expand vegetable and poultry production, retrained volunteers in certain techniques of food production and counselling for nutrition behaviour change, added small incentives to motivate volunteers, and shaped both immediate and long-term changes to the programme model. Working closely with International Food Policy Research Institute on the evaluation activities also expanded the repertoire of research methods and skills of Helen Keller International staff. Process evaluation can strengthen programme delivery, utilization, and design. Collaboration between researchers and implementers can improve programme effectiveness, project staff capacity, and advance delivery science. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Promoting Child Safety, Permanence, and Well-Being through Safe and Strong Families, Supportive Communities, and Effective Systems. Policy Matters: Setting and Measuring Benchmarks for State Policies. A Discussion Paper for the "Policy Matters" Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center for the Study of Social Policy, 2009

2009-01-01

The "Policy Matters" project provides coherent, comprehensive information regarding the strength and adequacy of state policies affecting children, families, and communities. The project seeks to establish consensus among policy experts and state leaders regarding the mix of policies believed to offer the best opportunity for improving…

Signature project 1B-integrated land-use, transportation and environmental modeling.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-05-01

Land use and transportation are inextricably linked. Models that capture the dynamics and interactions of both systems are indispensable for evaluating alternative courses of action in policy and investment. These models must be spatially disaggregat...

Technical assistance to Mongolia for civil aviation policy development

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-10-01

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has a long history of involvement in civil aviation in Mongolia. The ADB projects have been evaluated as successful, with Mongolia Civil Aviation Authority (MCAA) now well established, Ulaanbaatar airport managing inc...

EVALUATION AND MONITORING OF ECOSYSTEM HEALTH. (R827676)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Notification: Evaluation of EPA Policies and Responsiveness to Public Petitions on Pesticide Issues

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Project #OPE-FY15-0004, October 15, 2014. The EPA OIG plans to begin preliminary research on the agency's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) process for responding to public petitions.

45 CFR 63.6 - Evaluation of applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... policy objectives; (2) Feasibility of the project; (3) Soundness of research design, statistical... the transmission, distribution, and delivery of health, education, or social service information, and... suitable for dissemination to groups representative of national health, education, and social service...

Analysis of railroad energy efficiency in the United States.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-05-01

The purpose of this study is to provide information about railroad fuel efficiency that may be useful in evaluating transportation energy policies and assessing the sustainability of potential projects. The specific objectives are to (1) develop rail...

The development of the Project NetWork administrative records database for policy evaluation.

PubMed

Rupp, K; Driessen, D; Kornfeld, R; Wood, M

1999-01-01

This article describes the development of SSA's administrative records database for the Project NetWork return-to-work experiment targeting persons with disabilities. The article is part of a series of papers on the evaluation of the Project NetWork demonstration. In addition to 8,248 Project NetWork participants randomly assigned to receive case management services and a control group, the simulation identified 138,613 eligible nonparticipants in the demonstration areas. The output data files contain detailed monthly information on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Disability Insurance (DI) benefits, annual earnings, and a set of demographic and diagnostic variables. The data allow for the measurement of net outcomes and the analysis of factors affecting participation. The results suggest that it is feasible to simulate complex eligibility rules using administrative records, and create a clean and edited data file for a comprehensive and credible evaluation. The study shows that it is feasible to use administrative records data for selecting control or comparison groups in future demonstration evaluations.

Introducing Performance Measurements in the Evaluation of Assistance to Public Administration Reform in Central and Eastern Europe.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buxell, Ingrid T.; Ners, Krysztof J.

This paper focuses on the experience of the Policy Education Centre on Assistance to Transition in providing monitoring and evaluation services to "Support for Improvement in Governance and Management in Central and Eastern European Countries" (SIGMA), a joint project of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the…

Training people with HIV disease for involvement in community planning process: Project LEAP. Learning Empowerment Advocacy, Participation.

PubMed

Halloran, J P; Ross, M W; Huffman, L

1996-01-01

Social and political pressure, as well as public health theory, mandate inclusion of PLWHIV in community planning and policy development processes. Barriers to PLWHIV participation may be cognitive, instrumental, and/or affective. The authors report on development, implementation, and initial evaluation of a pilot project testing a psychoeducational intervention to increase organizational participation by people with HIV. Organizational participation by individual increased from a mean of 0.5 organizations at entry to 2.3 at follow-up. Evaluation data indicate that increases in self-esteem, self-confidence, and specific knowledge, along with demystification of organizational operations, networking, and modeling by project staff contributed to the outcome.

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

Doris, E.; Krasko, V.A.

State and local policymakers show increasing interest in spurring the development of customer-sited distributed generation (DG), in particular solar photovoltaic (PV) markets. Prompted by that interest, this analysis examines the use of state policy as a tool to support the development of a robust private investment market. This analysis builds on previous studies that focus on government subsidies to reduce installation costs of individual projects and provides an evaluation of the impacts of policies on stimulating private market development.

45 CFR 1222.3 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... ACTION Volunteers. (c) Potential sponsoring organizations that have an established governing, policy, or... PARTICIPATION OF PROJECT BENEFICIARIES § 1222.3 Policy. (a) Each potential project sponsor shall establish an advisory group for the project, to include substantial membership of potential project beneficiaries or, to...

Sharpening policy instruments with catchment evaluations and the water quality continuum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jordan, P.; Melland, A. R.; Mellander, P.-E.; Murphy, P.; Shortle, G.; Wall, D.; Mechan, S.; Shine, O.

2012-04-01

There is a scale dichotomy in water quality management in European agricultural catchments due to the fact that impacts identified at river basin scale are mitigated by management that is typically asserted from research at field or plot scale and implemented at farm scale. Evaluations of management impact are then undertaken back at the river basin scale. The policy instruments in place to mitigate water quality impacts are also based on the integration of scientific research and stakeholder negotiations and can sometimes be blunt compromises. Nevertheless, expectations of accruing water quality benefits remain high and sometimes unchallenged. Evaluating all catchment components of a pollution transfer continuum from source to impact enables important elements such as lag time between policy implementation and water quality response, water body sampling frequency and allocation of correct dose-response mechanisms to be assessed. These points are particularly important in complex agricultural catchments where multiple nutrient pollution sources have variable impacts on different water body types - and at different times of year. The tools of catchment water quality policy evaluation are diverse and include metrics of natural resource management, soil and water chemistry, hydrology, ecology and palaeolimnology. Used in combination and with river basin scale and site-specific data inventories, they can provide a powerful suite of evidence for further iterations of water quality policy and projecting realistic expectations of policy success.

Championing mental health at work: emerging practice from innovative projects in the UK.

PubMed

Robinson, Mark; Tilford, Sylvia; Branney, Peter; Kinsella, Karina

2014-09-01

This paper examines the value of participatory approaches within interventions aimed at promoting mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. Specifically the paper explores data from the thematic evaluation of the Mental Health and Employment project strand within the Altogether Better programme being implemented in England in the Yorkshire and Humber region, which was funded through the BIG Lottery and aimed to empower people across the region to lead better lives. The evaluation combined a systematic evidence review with semi-structured interviews across mental health and employment projects. Drawing on both evaluation elements, the paper examines the potential of workplace-based 'business champions' to facilitate organizational culture change within enterprises within a deprived regional socio-economic environment. First, the paper identifies key policy drivers for interventions around mental health and employment, summarizes evidence review findings and describes the range of activities within three projects. The role of the 'business champion' emerged as crucial to these interventions and therefore, secondly, the paper examines how champions' potential to make a difference depends on the work settings and their existing roles, skills and motivation. In particular, champions can proactively coordinate project strands, embed the project, encourage participation, raise awareness, encourage changes to work procedures and strengthen networks and partnerships. The paper explores how these processes can facilitate changes in organizational culture. Challenges of implementation are identified, including achieving leverage with senior management, handover of ownership to fellow employees, assessing impact and sustainability. Finally, implications for policy and practice are discussed, and conclusions drawn concerning the roles of champions within different workplace environments. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Designing, implementing and monitoring social impact mitigation strategies: Lessons from Forest Industry Structural Adjustment Packages

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

Loxton, Edwina A., E-mail: Edwina.Loxton@anu.edu.au; Schirmer, Jacki, E-mail: Jacki.Schirmer@canberra.edu.au; Cooperative Research Centre for Forestry, Hobart, 7001

2013-09-15

Social impact mitigation strategies are implemented by the proponents of policies and projects with the intent of reducing the negative, and increasing the positive social impacts of their activities, and facilitating the achievement of policy/project goals. Evaluation of mitigation strategies is critical to improving their future success and cost-effectiveness. This paper evaluates two Forest Industry Structural Adjustment Packages (FISAP) implemented in Australia in the 1990s to 2000s as part of broader policy changes that reduced access to timber from publicly owned native forests. It assesses the effectiveness of the structure, design, implementation and monitoring of the FISAPs, and highlights themore » interactions between these four elements and their influence on social impacts. The two FISAPs were found to be effective in terms of reducing negative impacts, encouraging positive impacts and contributing towards policy goals, although they did not mitigate negative impacts in all cases, and sometimes interacted with external factors and additional policy changes to contribute to significant short and long term negative impacts. -- Highlights: ► Mitigation strategies aim to reduce negative and enhance positive social impacts ► Mitigation strategy design, implementation, and monitoring are critical to success ► Effective mitigation enhanced the capacity of recipients to respond to change ► Mitigation strategies influenced multiple interacting positive and negative impacts ► Success required good communication, transparency, support, resources and timing.« less

Community-based efforts to prevent obesity: Australia-wide survey of projects.

PubMed

Nichols, Melanie S; Reynolds, Rebecca C; Waters, Elizabeth; Gill, Timothy; King, Lesley; Swinburn, Boyd A; Allender, Steven

2013-08-01

Community-based programs that affect healthy environments and policies have emerged as an effective response to high obesity levels in populations. Apart from limited individual reports, little is currently known about these programs, limiting the potential to provide effective support, to promote effective practice, prevent adverse outcomes and disseminate intervention results and experience. The aim of the present study was to identify the size and reach of current community-based obesity prevention projects in Australia and to examine their characteristics, program features (e.g. intervention setting), capacity and approach to obesity prevention. Detailed survey completed by representatives from community-based obesity prevention initiatives in Australia. There was wide variation in funding, capacity and approach to obesity prevention among the 78 participating projects. Median annual funding was Au$94900 (range Au$2500-$4.46 million). The most common intervention settings were schools (39%). Forty per cent of programs focused on a population group of ≥50000 people. A large proportion of respondents felt that they did not have sufficient resources or staff training to achieve project objectives. Community-based projects currently represent a very large investment by both government and non-government sectors for the prevention of obesity. Existing projects are diverse in size and scope, and reach large segments of the population. Further work is needed to identify the full extent of existing community actions and to monitor their reach and future 'scale up' to ensure that future activities aim for effective integration into systems, policies and environments. SO WHAT? Community-based programs make a substantial contribution to the prevention of obesity and promotion of healthy lifestyles in Australia. A risk of the current intervention landscape is that effective approaches may go unrecognised due to lack of effective evaluations or limitations in program design, duration or size. Policy makers and researchers must recognise the potential contribution of these initiatives, to both public health and knowledge generation, and provide support for strong evaluation and sustainable intervention designs.

San Francisco urban partnership agreement, national evaluation : content analysis test plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-06-01

This report presents the test plan for collecting and analyzing information on outreach activities, media coverage, : and reactions of the public, policy makers, and other groups to the UPA projects for the San Francisco Urban : Partnership Agreement...

Evaluating the role of private investment in infrastructure assets.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-10-01

Public Private Partnership (P3) projects are likely to fundamentally impact entire : transportation systems. However, most studies are focused on system modeling rather than : policy analysis, and few studies have examined the impacts of P3s on real-...

EVALUATION OF ELECTRODEPOSITED LEAD DIOXIDE. (R825549C035)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

EVALUATION OF BIODEGRADABILITY OF NOM AFTER OZONATION. (R826829)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Management of corporate socio-economic policy by the energy corporations

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

Simpson, R.E. Jr.

1982-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of the energy corporations in the mitigation of the socio-economic impacts of rapid development. The study employed an exploratory descriptive research design. The sample was limited to an in-depth study of the socio-economic managerial processes at the Standard Oil Company (Indiana) and the Standard Oil Company of California, two of the nation's largest and wealthiest energy corporations. Findings demonstrated that division managers believe that socio-economic expenses are a normal cost of doing business and can, in fact, lead to cost savings for the corporation. The study confirmed other research findingsmore » that corporate executive management has a further role to play in the design of administrative systems that govern the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of socio-economic policy. The study recommended the development of specific centralized corporate socio-economic policies for energy-impact development, decentralization of policy implementation, integration of trained socio-economic project managers into the formal authority hierarchy, inclusion of specific socio-economic criterion in the formal performance-evaluation system, incorporation of socio-economic expenses into the operating budget format, and the development of a formal corporate-level socio-economic policy-evaluation committee.« less

Policy and procedures for the management and archival storage of data collected for hydrologic investigations, U.S. Geological Survey, Indiana District

USGS Publications Warehouse

Martin, Jeffrey D.; Cohen, David A.

1993-01-01

This report describes the policy and procedures used by the Indiana District of the U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division, to manage and store data collected during hydrologic investigations. It is the policy of the Indiana District that data collected to meet the objectives of projects for hydrologic investigations be documented, organized, and archieved in a manner that (1) facilitates retrieval, evaluation, and use by other District personnel, and (2) enables verifi- cation of data contained in all reports and computer data bases.

Empirical prediction intervals improve energy forecasting

PubMed Central

Kaack, Lynn H.; Apt, Jay; Morgan, M. Granger; McSharry, Patrick

2017-01-01

Hundreds of organizations and analysts use energy projections, such as those contained in the US Energy Information Administration (EIA)’s Annual Energy Outlook (AEO), for investment and policy decisions. Retrospective analyses of past AEO projections have shown that observed values can differ from the projection by several hundred percent, and thus a thorough treatment of uncertainty is essential. We evaluate the out-of-sample forecasting performance of several empirical density forecasting methods, using the continuous ranked probability score (CRPS). The analysis confirms that a Gaussian density, estimated on past forecasting errors, gives comparatively accurate uncertainty estimates over a variety of energy quantities in the AEO, in particular outperforming scenario projections provided in the AEO. We report probabilistic uncertainties for 18 core quantities of the AEO 2016 projections. Our work frames how to produce, evaluate, and rank probabilistic forecasts in this setting. We propose a log transformation of forecast errors for price projections and a modified nonparametric empirical density forecasting method. Our findings give guidance on how to evaluate and communicate uncertainty in future energy outlooks. PMID:28760997

India's Proposed Universal Health Coverage Policy: Evidence for Age Structure Transition Effect and Fiscal Sustainability.

PubMed

Narayana, Muttur Ranganathan

2016-12-01

India's High Level Expert Group on Universal Health Coverage in 2011 recommended a universal, public-funded and national health coverage policy. As a plausible forward-looking macroeconomic reform in the health sector, this policy proposal on universal health coverage (UHC) needs to be evaluated for age structure transition effect and fiscal sustainability to strengthen its current design and future implementation. Macroeconomic analyses of the long-term implications of age structure transition and fiscal sustainability on India's proposed UHC policy. A new measure of age-specific UHC is developed by combining the age profile of public and private health consumption expenditure by using the National Transfer Accounts methodology. Different projections of age-specific public health expenditure are calculated over the period 2005-2100 to account for the age structure transition effect. The projections include changes in: (1) levels of the expenditure as gross domestic product grows, (2) levels and shape of the expenditure as gross domestic product grows and expenditure converges to that of developed countries (or convergence scenario) based on the Lee-Carter model of forecasting mortality rates, and (3) levels of the expenditure as India moves toward a UHC policy. Fiscal sustainability under each health expenditure projection is determined by using the measures of generational imbalance and sustainability gap in the Generational Accounting methodology. Public health expenditure is marked by age specificities and the elderly population is costlier to support for their healthcare needs in the future. Given the discount and productivity growth rates, the proposed UHC is not fiscally sustainable under India's current fiscal policies except for the convergence scenario. However, if the income elasticity of public expenditure on social welfare and health expenditure is less than one, fiscal sustainability of the UHC policy is attainable in all scenarios of projected public health expenditures. These new results strengthen the proposed UHC policy by accounting for age structure transition effect and justifying its sustainability within the framework of India's current fiscal policies. The age structure transition effect is important to incorporate the age-specific cost and benefit of the proposed UHC policy, especially as India moves toward an ageing society. Fiscal sustainability is essential to ensure that the proposed UHC is implementable on a long-term basis and within the framework of current fiscal policies.

Perspectives on the institutional needs of joint implementation projects for China, Egypt, India, Mexico, and Thailand

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

Mabel, M.; Watt, E.; Sathaye, J.

One avenue for reducing the net emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) under the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) is the joint implementation (JI) of policies and projects to the Convention. Although debate on the practical aspects of JI projects is relatively young, it already includes issues concerning the ability of governments to accept JI projects as well as the project participants` capacity to monitor, evaluate, and verify the financial and GHG benefits. The focus of this paper is an in-depth, country-by-country analysis of current and conceivable institutions in potential host countries. To understand these concerns better, in August 1994more » the authors asked colleagues in five developing countries to evaluate their countries` institutional capacity for JI projects. Their perspectives are presented here as individual country case studies. The five countries--Mexico, Egypt, Thailand, India, and China--were chosen because each has significant potential for JI projects.« less

Getting from here to there: evaluating West Virginia's rural nonemergency medical transportation program.

PubMed

Bellamy, Gail R; Stone, Kendall; Richardson, Sally K; Goldsteen, Raymond L

2003-01-01

With funding from the 21st Century Challenge Fund, the West Virginia Rural Health Access Program created Transportation for Health, a demonstration project for rural nonemergency medical transportation. The project was implemented in 3 sites around the state, building on existing transportation systems--specifically, a multicounty transit authority, a joint senior center/transit system, and a senior services center. An evaluation of the project was undertaken to answer 3 major questions: (1) Did the project reach the population of people who need transportation assistance? (2) Are users of the transportation project satisfied with the service? (3) Is the program sustainable? Preliminary results from survey data indicate that the answers to questions 1 and 2 are affirmative. A break-even analysis of all 3 sites begins to identify programmatic and policy issues that challenge the likelihood of financial sustainability, including salary expenses, unreimbursed mileage, and reliance on Medicaid reimbursement.

Research methods of Talking About The Smokes: an International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project study with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.

PubMed

Thomas, David P; Briggs, Viki L; Couzos, Sophia; Davey, Maureen E; Hunt, Jennifer M; Panaretto, Kathryn S; van der Sterren, Anke E; Stevens, Matthew; Nicholson, Anna K; Borland, Ron

2015-06-01

To describe the research methods and baseline sample of the Talking About The Smokes (TATS) project. The TATS project is a collaboration between research institutions and Aboriginal community-controlled health services (ACCHSs) and their state and national representative bodies. It is one of the studies within the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project, enabling national and international comparisons. It includes a prospective longitudinal study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smokers and recent ex-smokers; a survey of non-smokers; repeated cross-sectional surveys of ACCHS staff; and descriptions of the tobacco policies and practices at the ACCHSs. Community members completed face-to-face surveys; staff completed surveys on paper or online. We compared potential biases and the distribution of variables common to the main community baseline sample and unweighted and weighted results of the 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS). The baseline survey (Wave 1) was conducted between April 2012 and October 2013. 2522 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in 35 locations (the communities served by 34 ACCHSs and one community in the Torres Strait), and 645 staff in the ACCHSs. Sociodemographic and general health indicators, smoking status, number of cigarettes smoked per day and quit attempts. The main community baseline sample closely matched the distribution of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in the weighted NATSISS by age, sex, jurisdiction and remoteness. There were inconsistent differences in some sociodemographic factors between our sample and the NATSISS: our sample had higher proportions of unemployed people, but also higher proportions who had completed Year 12 and who lived in more advantaged areas. In both surveys, similar percentages of smokers reported having attempted to quit in the past year, and daily smokers reported similar numbers of cigarettes smoked per day. The TATS project provides a detailed and nationally representative description of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smoking behaviour, attitudes, knowledge and exposure to tobacco control activities and policies, and their association with quitting.

Health care economics, financing, organization, and delivery.

PubMed

Cox, Malcolm; Pacala, James T; Vercellotti, Gregory M; Shea, Judy A

2004-01-01

The US health care system is in a state of rapid evolution, with changing payment, organizational, and management structures. To learn how to function optimally in a system in which care is increasingly managed and competitive, today's medical students must understand the structural and economic underpinnings of the system within which they will practice. At the outset of the Undergraduate Medical Education for the 21st Century (UME-21) project, the great majority of medical school curricula were lacking in areas of health care financing and organizational structure. The institutions involved in the UME-21 project sought to address curricular deficiencies in two broad areas: (1) the structure and financing of the US health care system ("health policy") and (2) the manner in which this system is reflected in the organization and activities of health care providers ("care delivery"). This article discusses the development, implementation, and evaluation of the first of the two areas. Data were abstracted from written reports provided by each of the UME-21 schools to the project's Executive Committee and sponsor. In selected cases, additional data were obtained by personal communications with project directors and evaluators. Local UME-21 project leaders verified all data presented. Curricular philosophy and teaching methods varied widely, but health policy curricula were predominantly preclinical and didactic in nature. At the school level, much was achieved in terms of student knowledge, curricula were generally well received by students, attitudes toward managed care generally moved in a positive direction, and behavior may have been positively influenced as well. At the project level, many potentially interesting changes exist within the 18 schools and between the UME-21 and other schools, but it is not clear whether or what parts of the health policy curricula were responsible for these changes. Nonetheless, as measured by changes in health policy-related items on the Association of American Medical Colleges Graduation Questionnaire, it appears that UME-21 schools outperformed their non-UME-21 counterparts. All of the UME-21 schools were enthusiastic about their health policy innovations, and this extended across all key stakeholders. Most schools avoided focusing on managed care and instead adopted more neutral themes that introduced the same material. Integrating the new material in conjunction with the more traditional aspects of the curriculum was also an effective implementation strategy. Health policy should be incorporated into both the preclinical and clinical years. The former emphasizes health care economics as one of the foundations of medical practice, whereas the latter provides the opportunity for its use on a daily basis in clinical settings. However, like any new curriculum, to achieve equal status with the traditional biomedical curriculum, it must be presented in a scholarly, rigorous, and reasonably comprehensive fashion. Mounting a scholarly health policy curriculum requires a wide-ranging, interdisciplinary faculty. If it is to become a central component of the medical school curriculum, creative approaches to faculty recruitment and development will be needed. This will require both careful educational policy formulation and new investment.

Benefits of mercury controls for the United States

PubMed Central

Selin, Noelle E.

2016-01-01

Mercury pollution poses risks for both human and ecosystem health. As a consequence, controlling mercury pollution has become a policy goal on both global and national scales. We developed an assessment method linking global-scale atmospheric chemical transport modeling to regional-scale economic modeling to consistently evaluate the potential benefits to the United States of global (UN Minamata Convention on Mercury) and domestic [Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS)] policies, framed as economic gains from avoiding mercury-related adverse health endpoints. This method attempts to trace the policies-to-impacts path while taking into account uncertainties and knowledge gaps with policy-appropriate bounding assumptions. We project that cumulative lifetime benefits from the Minamata Convention for individuals affected by 2050 are $339 billion (2005 USD), with a range from $1.4 billion to $575 billion in our sensitivity scenarios. Cumulative economy-wide benefits to the United States, realized by 2050, are $104 billion, with a range from $6 million to $171 billion. Projected Minamata benefits are more than twice those projected from the domestic policy. This relative benefit is robust to several uncertainties and variabilities, with the ratio of benefits (Minamata/MATS) ranging from ≈1.4 to 3. However, we find that for those consuming locally caught freshwater fish from the United States, rather than marine and estuarine fish from the global market, benefits are larger from US than global action, suggesting domestic policies are important for protecting these populations. Per megagram of prevented emissions, our domestic policy scenario results in US benefits about an order of magnitude higher than from our global scenario, further highlighting the importance of domestic action. PMID:26712021

Study of Evaluation OSH Management System Policy Based On Safety Culture Dimensions in Construction Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Latief, Yusuf; Armyn Machfudiyanto, Rossy; Arifuddin, Rosmariani; Mahendra Fira Setiawan, R.; Yogiswara, Yoko

2017-07-01

Safety Culture in the construction industry is very influential on the socio economic conditions that resulted in the country’s competitiveness. Based on the data, the accident rate of construction projects in Indonesia is very high. In the era of the Asian Economic Community (AEC) Indonesian contractor is required to improve competitiveness, one of which is the implementation of the project without zero accident. Research using primary and secondary data validated the results of the literature experts and questionnaire respondents were analyzed using methods SmartPLS, obtained pattern of relationships between dimensions of safety culture to improve the performance of Safety. The results showed that the behaviors and Cost of Safety into dimensions that significantly affect the performance of safety. an increase in visible policy-based on Regulation of Public Work and Housing No 5/PRT/M/2014 to improve to lower the accident rate.

Using Research and Evaluation to Support Programs That Promote Parents' Economic Security and Children's Well-Being. OPRE Report 2018-04

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Christine; Sama-Miller, Emily; Roberts, Lily

2018-01-01

The "Integrated Approaches to Supporting Child Development and Improving Family Economic Security" project was conducted by Mathematica Policy Research and Northwestern University for the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE), in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human…

Information Assurance and Cyber Defence (Assurance de l’information et cyberdefense)

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-11-01

project is that knowledge exchange in a timely fashion is highly significant. Authentication and Authorisation of Users and Services in Federated...Detection, Protection and Countermeasures; • Security Models and Architectures; • Security Policies, Evaluation, Authorisation and Access Control; and...Evaluation, Authorisation and Access Control • Network and Information Security Awareness The topics for the symposium had been established

Energy Portfolio Assessment Tool (EPAT): Sustainable Energy Planning Using the WEF Nexus Approach - Texas Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mroue, A. M.

2017-12-01

The future energy portfolio at the national and subnational levels should consider its impact on water resources and environment. Although energy resources are the main contributors to the national economic growth, these resources must not exploit other primary natural resources. A study of the connections between energy and natural systems, such as water, environment and land is required prior to proceeding to energy development. Policy makers are in need of a tool quantifying the interlinkages across energy, water and the environment, while demonstrating the consequent trade-offs across the nexus systems. The Energy Portfolio Assessment Tool (EPAT) is a tool that enables the policy maker to create different energy portfolio scenarios with various energy and electricity sources, and evaluate the scenario's sustainability environmentally and economically. The Water-Energy-Food nexus systematic approach is the foundation of the EPAT framework. The research evaluates the impact of the current and projected Texas energy portfolios on water and the environment, taking into consideration energy production, electricity generation and policy change. The three scenarios to be assessed include EIA projections for energy production, and EIA projections for electricity generation with and without the Clean Power Plan (CPP). Each scenario is accompanied by tradeoffs across water, land, emissions, energy revenue and electricity cost. The CPP succeeds in mitigating the emissions of the electricity portfolio, but leads to an increase in water consumption and land use. The cost of electricity generation is almost identical with and without environmental conservation. Revenue from energy production increased, but results are majorly influenced by commodity price. Therefore, conservation policies should move from the silo to the nexus mentality to avoid unintended consequences as improving one part of the nexus could end up worsening the other parts.

EVALUATING EMPIRICAL SCALING RELATIONS OF PATTERN METRICS WITH SIMULATED LANDSCAPES. (R827676)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

EVALUATING CROPGRO-SOYBEAN PERFORMANCE FOR USE IN CLIMATE IMPACT STUDIES. (R824997)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Final Project Report to NSF.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Inst. for Science Education, Madison, WI.

The National Institute for Science Education's (NISE) focused mission is to improve mathematics and science education from kindergarten through college. This document reports on NISE's research programs, dissemination programs, and organizational process programs. Contents include: (1) "Systemic Reform: Policy and Evaluation" (William H. Clune and…

EVALUATION AND REHABILITATION OF URBAN STREAMS IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. (R825284)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

DEVELOPMENT AND LABORATORY PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A PERSONAL CASCADE IMPACTOR. (R825270)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

EVALUATING ANNUAL NITROUS OXIDE FLUXES AT THE ECOSYSTEM SCALE. (R824993)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

42 CFR 67.10 - Purpose and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... of the Social Security Act to support research on the outcomes, effectiveness, and appropriateness of... AGENCY FOR HEALTH CARE POLICY AND RESEARCH GRANTS AND CONTRACTS Research Grants for Health Services Research, Evaluation, Demonstration, and Dissemination Projects § 67.10 Purpose and scope. The regulations...

UVM Transportation Research Center signature project 1B : integrated land-use, transportation and environmental modeling.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-05-01

Land use and transportation are inextricably linked. Models that capture the dynamics and interactions : of both systems are indispensable for evaluating alternative courses of action in policy and investment. : These models must be spatially disaggr...

SOME STATISTICAL TOOLS FOR EVALUATING COMPUTER SIMULATIONS: A DATA ANALYSIS. (R825381)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

45 CFR 63.6 - Evaluation of applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... policy objectives; (2) Feasibility of the project; (3) Soundness of research design, statistical... qualifications and experience, including managerial, of personnel; (8) Adequacy of facilities and other resources... demonstrate to other potential users that such methods or techniques are feasible and cost-effective; (3) That...

45 CFR 63.6 - Evaluation of applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... policy objectives; (2) Feasibility of the project; (3) Soundness of research design, statistical... qualifications and experience, including managerial, of personnel; (8) Adequacy of facilities and other resources... demonstrate to other potential users that such methods or techniques are feasible and cost-effective; (3) That...

45 CFR 63.6 - Evaluation of applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... policy objectives; (2) Feasibility of the project; (3) Soundness of research design, statistical... qualifications and experience, including managerial, of personnel; (8) Adequacy of facilities and other resources... demonstrate to other potential users that such methods or techniques are feasible and cost-effective; (3) That...

EVALUATION OF AN AUTOMATED OVOC SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS SYSTEM. (R826372)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

EVALUATING MERCURY TRANSFORMATION MECHANISMS IN A LABORATORY-SCALE COMBUSTION SYSTEM. (R827649)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

CARBON EMISSION TRADING COSTS AND ALLOWANCE ALLOCATIONS: EVALUATING THE OPTIONS. (R828628)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Computational Models Used to Assess US Tobacco Control Policies.

PubMed

Feirman, Shari P; Glasser, Allison M; Rose, Shyanika; Niaura, Ray; Abrams, David B; Teplitskaya, Lyubov; Villanti, Andrea C

2017-11-01

Simulation models can be used to evaluate existing and potential tobacco control interventions, including policies. The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize evidence from computational models used to project population-level effects of tobacco control interventions. We provide recommendations to strengthen simulation models that evaluate tobacco control interventions. Studies were eligible for review if they employed a computational model to predict the expected effects of a non-clinical US-based tobacco control intervention. We searched five electronic databases on July 1, 2013 with no date restrictions and synthesized studies qualitatively. Six primary non-clinical intervention types were examined across the 40 studies: taxation, youth prevention, smoke-free policies, mass media campaigns, marketing/advertising restrictions, and product regulation. Simulation models demonstrated the independent and combined effects of these interventions on decreasing projected future smoking prevalence. Taxation effects were the most robust, as studies examining other interventions exhibited substantial heterogeneity with regard to the outcomes and specific policies examined across models. Models should project the impact of interventions on overall tobacco use, including nicotine delivery product use, to estimate preventable health and cost-saving outcomes. Model validation, transparency, more sophisticated models, and modeling policy interactions are also needed to inform policymakers to make decisions that will minimize harm and maximize health. In this systematic review, evidence from multiple studies demonstrated the independent effect of taxation on decreasing future smoking prevalence, and models for other tobacco control interventions showed that these strategies are expected to decrease smoking, benefit population health, and are reasonable to implement from a cost perspective. Our recommendations aim to help policymakers and researchers minimize harm and maximize overall population-level health benefits by considering the real-world context in which tobacco control interventions are implemented. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Global environment facility: Independent evaluation of the pilot phase; Fonds pour l`environnement mondial: evaluation independante de la phase pilote

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

NONE

1994-12-31

This study responds to a request by participants in the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for an independent evaluation of the pilot phase. It profiles the GEF, discusses its policy framework, and reviews project development procedures and the strategies and projects in each of the GEF`s four focal areas. The study concludes that fundamental changes must occur and recommends specific reforms, such as articulating more clearly the GEF`s mandate, objectives, and strategies; addressing deficiencies in meeting its global focus; improving capacities and procedures within implementing agencies for managing the portfolio; and increasing non-government organization (NGO), country and community-level participation.

The Economics of Tobacco Control: Evidence from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Policy Evaluation Project

PubMed Central

Tauras, John A.; Chaloupka, Frank J.; Quah, Anne Chiew Kin; Fong, Geoffrey T.

2015-01-01

Over the past few decades, the importance of economic research in advancing tobacco control policies has become increasingly clear. Extensive research has demonstrated that increasing tobacco taxes and prices is the single most cost-effective tobacco control measure. The research contained in this supplement adds to this evidence and provides new insights into how smokers respond to tax and price changes using the rich data on purchase behaviors, brand choices, tax avoidance and evasion, and tobacco use collected systematically and consistently across countries and over time by the ITC Project. The findings from this research will help inform policymakers, public health professionals, advocates, and others seeking to maximize the public health and economic benefits from higher taxes. PMID:24500268

The economics of tobacco control: evidence from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Policy Evaluation Project.

PubMed

Tauras, John A; Chaloupka, Frank J; Quah, Anne Chiew Kin; Fong, Geoffrey T

2014-03-01

Over the past few decades, the importance of economic research in advancing tobacco control policies has become increasingly clear. Extensive research has demonstrated that increasing tobacco taxes and prices is the single most cost-effective tobacco control measure. The research contained in this supplement adds to this evidence and provides new insights into how smokers respond to tax and price changes using the rich data on purchase behaviours, brand choices, tax avoidance and evasion, and tobacco use collected systematically and consistently across countries and over time by the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Project. The findings from this research will help inform policymakers, public health professionals, advocates, and others seeking to maximise the public health and economic benefits from higher taxes.

Talking About The Smokes: a large-scale, community-based participatory research project.

PubMed

Couzos, Sophia; Nicholson, Anna K; Hunt, Jennifer M; Davey, Maureen E; May, Josephine K; Bennet, Pele T; Westphal, Darren W; Thomas, David P

2015-06-01

To describe the Talking About The Smokes (TATS) project according to the World Health Organization guiding principles for conducting community-based participatory research (PR) involving indigenous peoples, to assist others planning large-scale PR projects. The TATS project was initiated in Australia in 2010 as part of the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project, and surveyed a representative sample of 2522 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults to assess the impact of tobacco control policies. The PR process of the TATS project, which aimed to build partnerships to create equitable conditions for knowledge production, was mapped and summarised onto a framework adapted from the WHO principles. Processes describing consultation and approval, partnerships and research agreements, communication, funding, ethics and consent, data and benefits of the research. The TATS project involved baseline and follow-up surveys conducted in 34 Aboriginal community-controlled health services and one Torres Strait community. Consistent with the WHO PR principles, the TATS project built on community priorities and strengths through strategic partnerships from project inception, and demonstrated the value of research agreements and trusting relationships to foster shared decision making, capacity building and a commitment to Indigenous data ownership. Community-based PR methodology, by definition, needs adaptation to local settings and priorities. The TATS project demonstrates that large-scale research can be participatory, with strong Indigenous community engagement and benefits.

Sweden SimSmoke: the effect of tobacco control policies on smoking and snus prevalence and attributable deaths.

PubMed

Near, Aimee M; Blackman, Kenneth; Currie, Laura M; Levy, David T

2014-06-01

This study examines the effect of past tobacco control policies and projects the effect of future policies on smoking and snus use prevalence and associated premature mortality in Sweden. The established SimSmoke model was adapted with population, smoking rates and tobacco control policy data from Sweden. SimSmoke evaluates the effect of taxes, smoke-free air, mass media, marketing bans, warning labels, cessation treatment and youth access policies on smoking and snus prevalence and the number of deaths attributable to smoking and snus use by gender from 2010 to 2040. Sweden SimSmoke estimates that significant inroads to reducing smoking and snus prevalence and premature mortality can be achieved through tax increases, especially when combined with other policies. Smoking prevalence can be decreased by as much as 26% in the first few years, reaching a 37% reduction within 30 years. Without effective tobacco control policies, almost 54 500 lives will be lost in Sweden due to tobacco use by the year 2040. Besides presenting the benefits of a comprehensive tobacco control strategy, the model identifies gaps in surveillance and evaluation that can help better focus tobacco control policy in Sweden. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Strengthening capacity to apply health research evidence in policy making: experience from four countries

PubMed Central

Hawkes, Sarah; K Aulakh, Bhupinder; Jadeja, Nidhee; Jimenez, Michelle; Buse, Kent; Anwar, Iqbal; Barge, Sandhya; Odubanjo, M Oladoyin; Shukla, Abhay; Ghaffar, Abdul; Whitworth, Jimmy

2016-01-01

Increasing the use of evidence in policy making means strengthening capacity on both the supply and demand sides of evidence production. However, little experience of strengthening the capacity of policy makers in low- and middle- income countries has been published to date. We describe the experiences of five projects (in Bangladesh, Gambia, India and Nigeria), where collaborative teams of researchers and policy makers/policy influencers worked to strengthen policy maker capacity to increase the use of evidence in policy. Activities were focused on three (interlinked) levels of capacity building: individual, organizational and, occasionally, institutional. Interventions included increasing access to research/data, promoting frequent interactions between researchers and members of the policy communities, and increasing the receptivity towards research/data in policy making or policy-implementing organizations. Teams were successful in building the capacity of individuals to access, understand and use evidence/data. Strengthening organizational capacity generally involved support to infrastructure (e.g. through information technology resources) and was also deemed to be successful. There was less appetite to address the need to strengthen institutional capacity—although this was acknowledged to be fundamental to promoting sustainable use of evidence, it was also recognized as requiring resources, legitimacy and regulatory support from policy makers. Evaluation across the three spheres of capacity building was made more challenging by the lack of agreed upon evaluation frameworks. In this article, we propose a new framework for assessing the impact of capacity strengthening activities to promote the use of evidence/data in policy making. Our evaluation concluded that strengthening the capacity of individuals and organizations is an important but likely insufficient step in ensuring the use of evidence/data in policy-cycles. Sustainability of evidence-informed policy making requires strengthening institutional capacity, as well as understanding and addressing the political environment, and particularly the incentives facing policy makers that supports the use of evidence in policy cycles. PMID:25900967

EVALUATION OF FLOW AND SOLUTE TRANSPORT PARAMETERS FOR HEAP LEACH RECOVERY MATERIALS. (R825289)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

42 CFR 67.103 - Peer review of contract proposals.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 67.103 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FELLOWSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, TRAINING AGENCY FOR HEALTH CARE POLICY AND RESEARCH GRANTS AND CONTRACTS Peer Review of Contracts for Health Services Research, Evaluation, Demonstration, and Dissemination Projects § 67.103 Peer...

Phase 1 report : UVM transportation research center signature project 1B : integrated land use, transportation and environmental modeling.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-07-01

Land use and transportation are inextricably linked. Models that capture the dynamics and interactions of both systems are indispensable for evaluating alternative courses of action in policy and investment. These models must be spatially disaggregat...

A CONTINUOUS FLOW EVALUATION OF THE GALVANIC STRIPPING PROCESS. (R825549C055)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

EVALUATING THE INTERACTION OF BACTERIA WITH BIOMATERIALS USING ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY (R821268)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology National Household Travel Survey Program

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-08-01

This evaluation of the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) Program addresses three key questions: 1) What is the breadth and depth of NHTS usage? 2) What impact does the NHTS Program have on policy, project, or regulatory decision making? 3) How ...

EVALUATION OF METHODS FOR PREDICTING THE TOXICITY OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBON MIXTURES. (R825408)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Evaluating the use of Social Impact Assessment in the context of agricultural development projects in Iran

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

Ahmadvand, Mostafa, E-mail: ahmadvand_2000@yahoo.co; Karami, Ezatollah, E-mail: ekarami@shirazu.ac.i; Zamani, Gholam Hossein, E-mail: zamani@shirazu.ac.i

2009-11-15

The utilisation of Social Impact Assessment (SIA) in Iran is analysed in terms of its policy context and its application in practice. Five case studies where SIA was employed in conjunction with Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for agricultural development projects are evaluated. In addition, the performance of the policy context is assessed. This research revealed that there are legal and institutional constraints to the effective functioning of SIA in Iran, and that there are deficiencies in the operating guidelines. There were serious problems associated with the way SIA was undertaken in all five case studies. Recommendations to improve the policymore » framework for the conduct of SIA are made. The recommendations advocate for a higher profile of SIA within legislation, for social issues to have greater emphasis in official guidelines for the conduct of EIA and SIA, and for a range of measures to increase the professionalism of SIA practice.« less

Enhancing Understanding Of Coupled Human-Natural Systems Through Collaborative Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santelmann, M. V.; Chan, S.; Morzillo, A.; Stebbins, A.; Wright, M.

2012-12-01

In the past decade, it has become clear that the dynamic nature of coupled human-natural systems must be better understood and incorporated into decision making. If the interactions between society and the rest of the ecosystem are poorly represented in system models, our ability to explore the potential consequences of feedbacks between the biophysical system and policy or management actions will be limited. Teams of researchers from three Oregon universities are collaborating with regional experts, water managers, and decision-makers to examine how climate change, population growth, and economic growth may alter the availability and use of water in the Willamette River Basin over the next one hundred years. A central project component is development of a version of the ENVISION modeling framework that will provide decision makers with a way to visualize the Willamette water system and evaluate the interaction of management choices with changing environmental and socioeconomic conditions. Key objectives of the project broader impacts team include: 1) assist with incorporating the human component of the system into the model, (2) fostering growth of the research team as an interdependent, interdisciplinary research community, and (3) communicating effectively with regional stakeholders. Through Learning-Action Networks we have been able to gather insightful, project-relevant knowledge on water use, management, policies and issues that impact water management in the region. We have identified the types of project outputs that managers and decision makers would find useful for anticipating water scarcity and informing integrative water systems responses. Events and processes used to accomplish our objectives began with field trips involving researchers, educators, and other stakeholders. Follow-up meetings and an all day symposium featured focus group interviews, plenary sessions on project progress, and interactive poster sessions in which participants could help identify water related policies and actions they would like to see modeled. Participants assisted in compiling an interactive table of potential policies and actions organized by water use sector and policy type (e.g., regulatory vs. incentive based). Involvement of K-12 educators and development of innovative interdisciplinary courses has enhanced the broader impacts of the project and helped us achieve multiple project objectives. We present plans to build on initial collaborative learning experiences to promote project outcomes that will advance coupled human-natural systems research and enhance the utility of model outcomes in water management.

The process evaluation of It's Your Move!, an Australian adolescent community-based obesity prevention project.

PubMed

Mathews, Louise B; Moodie, Marj M; Simmons, Annie M; Swinburn, Boyd A

2010-07-30

Evidence on interventions for preventing unhealthy weight gain in adolescents is urgently needed. The aim of this paper is to describe the process evaluation for a three-year (2005-2008) project conducted in five secondary schools in the East Geelong/Bellarine region of Victoria, Australia. The project, 'It's Your Move!' aimed to reduce unhealthy weight gain by promoting healthy eating patterns, regular physical activity, healthy body weight, and body size perception amongst youth; and improve the capacity of families, schools, and community organisations to sustain the promotion of healthy eating and physical activity in the region. The project was supported by Deakin University (training and evaluation), a Reference Committee (strategic direction, budgetary approval and monitoring) and a Project Management Committee (project delivery). A workshop of students, teachers and other stakeholders formulated a 10-point action plan, which was then translated into strategies and initiatives specific to each school by the School Project Officers (staff members released from teaching duties one day per week) and trained Student Ambassadors. Baseline surveys informed intervention development. Process data were collected on all intervention activities and these were collated and enumerated, where possible, into a set of mutually exclusive tables to demonstrate the types of strategies and the dose, frequency and reach of intervention activities. The action plan included three guiding objectives, four on nutrition, two on physical activity and one on body image. The process evaluation data showed that a mix of intervention strategies were implemented, including social marketing, one-off events, lunch time and curriculum programs, improvements in infrastructure, and healthy school food policies. The majority of the interventions were implemented in schools and focused on capacity building and healthy eating strategies as physical activity practices were seen by the teachers as already meeting students' needs. While substantial health-promoting activities were conducted (especially related to healthy eating), there remain further opportunities for secondary schools to use a whole-of-school approach through the school curriculum, environment, policies and ethos to improve healthy eating, physical activity and healthy body perceptions in youth. To achieve this, significant, sustained leadership will be required within the education sector generally and within schools specifically.

America’s Strategic Imperative: A National Energy Policy Manhattan Project

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-02-25

AIR WAR COLLEGE AIR UNIVERSITY AMERICA’S STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE: A NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY MANHATTAN PROJECT by John M. Amidon, Lt Col, USAF A...COVERED 00-00-2005 to 00-00-2005 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE America’s Strategic Imperative: A National Energy Policy Manhattan Project 5a. CONTRACT...Peak.......................................................................................................30 A MANHATTAN PROJECT FOR ENERGY

Context-Aware Active Authentication using Touch Gestures, Typing Patterns and Body Movement

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-01

Division Information Directorate This report is published in the interest of scientific and technical information exchange, and its publication does...CA policy clarification memorandum dated 16 Jan 09. 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT Design, develop and evaluate a desktop based active...of this project was to design, develop and evaluate a desktop active authentication system that uses the following keystroke timing based biometric

Housing First and Photovoice: Transforming Lives, Communities, and Systems

PubMed Central

Barile, John P.; Ogawa, Terry Yasuko; Peralta, Nelson; Bugg, Reumell; Lau, John; Lamberton, Thomas; Hall, Corazon; Mori, Victor

2018-01-01

This article presents findings from a community-based participatory evaluation of a Housing First program on the Island of O’ahu. In this study, clients in a Housing First program used Photovoice to evaluate the program and to advocate for progressive housing policies. Written together by members of the Housing First Photovoice group, this collaborative article describes the outcomes from both the Housing First program and the Photovoice project and demonstrates the ways in which participatory program evaluations can interact with client-driven programs like Housing First to produce a cumulative, transformative impact. Findings suggest that community psychologists hoping to re-engage with community mental health systems through enacting transformative change should consider taking a community-based participatory approach to program evaluation because increased client voice in community mental health programs and their evaluations can have far-reaching, transformative impacts for research, practice, and policy. PMID:29323410

Human factors evaluation of remote afterloading brachytherapy. Volume 2, Function and task analysis

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

Callan, J.R.; Gwynne, J.W. III; Kelly, T.T.

1995-05-01

A human factors project on the use of nuclear by-product material to treat cancer using remotely operated afterloaders was undertaken by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The purpose of the project was to identify factors that contribute to human error in the system for remote afterloading brachytherapy (RAB). This report documents the findings from the first phase of the project, which involved an extensive function and task analysis of RAB. This analysis identified the functions and tasks in RAB, made preliminary estimates of the likelihood of human error in each task, and determined the skills needed to perform each RAB task.more » The findings of the function and task analysis served as the foundation for the remainder of the project, which evaluated four major aspects of the RAB system linked to human error: human-system interfaces; procedures and practices; training and qualifications of RAB staff; and organizational practices and policies. At its completion, the project identified and prioritized areas for recommended NRC and industry attention based on all of the evaluations and analyses.« less

Research needs on food marketing to children. Report of the StanMark project.

PubMed

Lobstein, T

2013-03-01

A series of meetings on the topic of children's exposure to the marketing of food and beverages was held between researchers and government officials based in Europe and the Americas during 2010-2011. The meetings resulted in a number of outputs, including observations from policy-makers on the types of evidence they needed to strengthen policy-making. Their observations on the definitions of a child, the specification of foods using nutrient profiling schemes, the types of media carrying marketing messages, and the related policy implementation problems, are summarised in this Short Communication. The paper highlights the need for research which can directly support policy-making and which can evaluate its effectiveness. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Public/Private Partnership behind the Cash and Counseling Demonstration and Evaluation: Its Origins, Challenges, and Unresolved Issues

PubMed Central

Knickman, James R; Stone, Robyn I

2007-01-01

objective To discuss why and how the Cash and Counseling Demonstration came to be designed, implemented, and evaluated through a partnership between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Principal Findings This public/private partnership was created by two colleagues who were motivated by the need for funding to conduct a large-scale demonstration and evaluation, the prestige that both organizations brought to the project, the ability to draw on both organizations' experience and expertise, and the potential to maximize flexibility in the design and implementation of the demonstration. The partnership, which has lasted over a decade and has supported two generations of Cash and Counseling programs, overcame several challenges including getting approval for the project through their respective bureaucracies, managing the decision making process and the ongoing program across the two organizations, dealing with leadership and staff turnover, and reaching consensus on how to apportion credit for the success of the program. Several unresolved issues remain, including how the program gets operationalized within each state, how case management is addressed within the context of a consumer-directed model like Cash and Counseling, how quality is assured in this type of program, and how the Internal Revenue Service views and treats Cash and Counseling and other consumer-directed programs. Conclusion This public/private partnership is an illustration of how public dollars can be leveraged effectively to examine a pressing policy issue and to produce information that can be translated into better policy and practice. The ASPE/RWJF collaboration made it possible to develop, test, and expand a policy-oriented demonstration project that has become a pivotal strategy in most states' efforts to build their home and community-based service systems. PMID:17244288

Developing European guidelines for training care professionals in mental health promotion.

PubMed

Greacen, Tim; Jouet, Emmanuelle; Ryan, Peter; Cserhati, Zoltan; Grebenc, Vera; Griffiths, Chris; Hansen, Bettina; Leahy, Eithne; da Silva, Ksenija Maravic; Sabić, Amra; De Marco, Angela; Flores, Paz

2012-12-27

Although mental health promotion is a priority mental health action area for all European countries, high level training resources and high quality skills acquisition in mental health promotion are still relatively rare. The aim of the current paper is to present the results of the DG SANCO-funded PROMISE project concerning the development of European guidelines for training social and health care professionals in mental health promotion. The PROMISE project brought together a multidisciplinary scientific committee from eight European sites representing a variety of institutions including universities, mental health service providers and public health organisations. The committee used thematic content analysis to filter and analyse European and international policy documents, scientific literature reviews on mental health promotion and existing mental health promotion programmes with regard to identifying quality criteria for training care professionals on this subject. The resulting PROMISE Guidelines quality criteria were then subjected to an iterative feedback procedure with local steering groups and training professionals at all sites with the aim of developing resource kits and evaluation tools for using the PROMISE Guidelines. Scientific committees also collected information from European, national and local stakeholder groups and professional organisations on existing training programmes, policies and projects. The process identified ten quality criteria for training care professionals in mental health promotion: embracing the principle of positive mental health; empowering community stakeholders; adopting an interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach; including people with mental health problems; advocating; consulting the knowledge base; adapting interventions to local contexts; identifying and evaluating risks; using the media; evaluating training, implementation processes and outcomes. The iterative feedback process produced resource kits and evaluation checklists linked with each of these quality criteria in all PROMISE languages. The development of generic guidelines based on key quality criteria for training health and social care professionals in mental health promotion should contribute in a significant way to implementing policy in this important area.

Program of policy studies in science and technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mayo, L. H.

1973-01-01

The application of an interdisciplinary, problem-oriented capability to the performance of total social impact evaluations is discussed. The consequences of introducing new configurations, technological or otherwise into future social environments are presented. The primary characteristics of the program are summarized: (1) emphasis on interdisciplinary, problem-oriented analysis; (2) development of intra- and inter-institutional arrangements for the purpose of analyzing social problems, evaluating existing programs, and assessing the social impacts of prospective policies, programs, and other public actions; (3) focus on methodological approaches to the projection of alternative future social environments, the identification of the effects of the introduction of new policies, programs, or other actions into the social system, and the evaluation of the social impacts of such effects; (4) availability of analytical resources for advisory and research tasks, and provision for use of program facilities as a neutral forum for the discussion of public issues involving involving the impact of advancing technology on social value-institutional processes.

Essays on Energy Technology Innovation Policy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, Gabriel Angelo Sherak

Motivated by global climate change, enhancing innovation systems for energy technologies is seen as one of the largest public policy challenges of the near future. The role of policy in enhancing energy innovation systems takes several forms: public provision of research and develop funding, facilitating the private sector's capability to develop new technologies, and creating incentives for private actors to adopt innovative and appropriate technologies. This dissertation explores research questions that span this range of policies to develop insights in how energy technology innovation policy can be reformed in the face of climate change. The first chapter of this dissertation explores how decision making to allocate public research and development funding could be improved through the integration of expert technology forecasts. I present a framework to evaluate and optimize the U.S. Department of Energy's research and development portfolio of applied energy projects, accounting for spillovers from technical complimentary and competition for the same market share. This project integrates one of the largest and most comprehensive sets of expert elicitations on energy technologies (Anadon et al., 2014b) in a benefit evaluation framework. This work entailed developing a new method for probability distribution sampling that accommodates the information that can be provided by expert elicitations. The results of this project show that public research and development in energy storage and solar photovoltaic technologies has the greatest marginal returns to economic surplus, but the methodology developed in this chapter is broadly applicable to other public and private R&D-sponsoring organizations. The second chapter of this dissertation explores how policies to transfer technologies from federally funded research laboratories to commercialization partners, largely private firms, create knowledge spillovers that lead to further innovation. In this chapter, I study the U.S. Department of Energy's National Laboratories, and provide the first quantitative evidence that technology transfer agreements at the Labs lead to greatly increased rates of innovation spillovers. This chapter also makes a key methodological contribution by introducing a technique to utilize automated text analysis in an empirical matching design that is broadly applicable to other types of social science studies. This work has important implications for how policies should be designed to maximize the social benefits of the $125 billion in annual federal funding allocated to research and development and the extent to which private firms can benefit from technology partnerships with the government. The final chapter of this dissertation explores the effectiveness of international policy to facilitate the deployment of low-emitting energy technologies in developing countries. Together with Joern Huenteler, I examine wind energy deployment in China supported through international climate finance flows under the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism. Utilizing a project-level financial model of wind energy projects parameterized with high-resolution observations of Chinese wind speeds, we find that the environmental benefits of projects financed under the Clean Development Mechanism are substantially lower than reported, as many Chinese wind projects would have been built without the Mechanism's support, and thus do not represent additional clean energy generation. Together, the essays in this dissertation suggest several limitations of energy technology innovation policy and areas for reform. Public funds for energy research and development could be made more effective if decision making approaches were better grounded in available technical expertise and developed in framework that captures the important interactions of technologies in a research and development portfolio. The first chapter of this dissertation suggests a politically feasible path towards this type of reform. Policies to "unlock" publicly sponsored inventions from the organizations that develop them have broad impact on private sector innovation. These policies multiply the effect of public research and development funds, but should be strengthened to more rapidly advance the scientific frontier. The second chapter of this dissertation provides some of the first quantitative evidence to support reform in this area. Finally, international policies to facilitate the deployment of climate-friendly technologies in developing countries face serious implementation challenges. The current paradigm of utilizing carbon markets to fund individual projects that would not have otherwise occurred has failed to encourage energy technology deployment in one of the sectors with the greatest experience with such policies. The third chapter of this dissertation suggests that this failure has been largely due to poorly designed procedural rules, but options for reform are available. Mitigation of global climate change will require broad policy response across the full range of scales, sectors, and policy spheres. Undoubtedly, climate mitigation will result in widespread transformation of energy systems. This dissertation focuses on the role of innovation policy in accelerating the transformation of these systems. The range of policies studied in this dissertation can make climate change mitigation more politically feasible and more cost effective by expanding the set of technological choices available to public and private actors faced with incentives and requirements to lower their greenhouse gas emissions to collectively safe levels.

INTRACELLULAR OXIDANT PRODUCTION AND CYTOKINE RESPONSES IN LUNG MACROPHAGES: EVALUATION OF FLUORESCENT PROBES. (R824790)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

EVALUATING REUSE AND REMANUFACTURING POTENTIAL USING A SIMPLE MODEL FOR PRODUCT VALUE. (R825370C057)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

EVALUATION OF SUPERCRITICAL FLUID EXTRACTION FOR ELIMINATING INTERFERENCES DURING MULTIRESIDUE PATRICIDE ANALYSIS. (R825549C011)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

EVALUATION OF ANEUPLOIDY AND DNA DAMAGE IN HUMAN SPERMATOZOA: APPLICATION IN FIELD STUDIES (R827019)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

EVALUATION OF A THERMOIONIC DETECTOR FOR SELECTIVE DETECTION OF OXYGENATED VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS. (R824970)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Networked Resources, Assessment and Collection Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samson, Sue; Derry, Sebastian; Eggleston, Holly

2004-01-01

This project provides a critical evaluation of networked resources as they relate to the library's collection development policy, identifies areas of the curriculum not well represented, establishes a reliable method of assessing usage across all resources, and develops a framework of quantitative data for collection development decision making.

Project Management as Related to Weapon Development in Navy Research and Development Organizations.

DTIC Science & Technology

of management . AGILE a current development program, is traced from inception to the present and unique management problems are discussed. The authors...evaluation is based on two standards of measurement: compliance with Department of Defense policy and conformance to generally accepted principles

Separation of Prior-Service Reentrants in the U.S. (United States) Navy: A Preliminary Analysis.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-04-01

AND ADDRESS 10. PROGRAM ELEMENT. PROJECT, TASK ’ Institute for Policy Research and Evaluation AREA & WORK UNIT NUMBERS N-253 Burrowes Building, PSU...enlistment a Percent of area reentrants in each district - . . - • . .. .. p. . ia OTHER TECHNICAL REPORTS OF TIllS PROJECTa As part of the project...bOffie of Naval Research Contract No. N00014-82-K-0262. • . . . . Distribution List Director Technology Programs Office of Naval Research (Code 200

How sustainable is Japan's foreign aid policy? An analysis of Japan's official development assistance and funding for energy sector projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamaguchi, Hideka

Japan has adopted a sustainable development strategy since the late 1980s in the effort to address social and environmental damages caused by past Japan-funded projects in partner nations. Even after about a decade and a half of the policy implementation, however, there are few reports which critically examine effects of the adoption of the idea of sustainable development. This dissertation evaluates Japan's foreign aid policy to determine the extent to which new revisions of aid policy have improved the environmental sustainability of the policy. This dissertation reviews the mainstream idea of sustainable development (also known as the sustainable development paradigm in this dissertation) to reveal the nature of the idea of sustainable development that Japan's foreign aid policy depends on. A literature review of two development discourses---modernization theory and ecological modernization theory---and three types of critiques against the sustainable development paradigm---focused on adverse impacts of modern science, globalization, and environmental overuse---reveals core logics of and problems with the sustainable development paradigm. Japan's foreign aid policy impacts on energy sector development in recipient countries is examined by means of a quantitative analysis and a qualitative analysis. Specifically, it examines the effect of Japan's ODA program over fifteen years that proposed to facilitate sustainable development in developing countries. Special emphasis is given to investigation of ODA disbursements in the energy sector and detailed case studies of several individual energy projects are performed. The dissertation discovers that the sustainable development paradigm guiding Japan's ODA has little capacity to accomplish its goals to bring about social and ecological improvement in developing countries. This dissertation finds three fundamental weaknesses in Japanese ODA policy on energy sector development as well as the sustainable development paradigm; first, the heavy reliance on modern science leads to a failure to use local knowledge and practices which can be more sustainable to sustainability; second, the acceptance of the international capitalist system as the basis for project implementation results in little or no long-term sustainability commitment; and third, the compatibility of economic growth with environmental sustainability, which appears unlikely in the context of global economic inequality. As an alternative, this dissertation suggests several policies for promoting energy systems for rural sustainable development in the Global South.

[The Pan American Health Organization's gender equality policy].

PubMed

2006-02-01

The 46th Directing Council of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) approved this past September a document entitled " Proposed PAHO gender equality policy" and urged Member States to implement specific policies accordingly, in collaboration with other government sectors, international organizations, and interested parties from civil society. The approved policy is rooted in principles of gender equality and gender equity, the empowerment of men and women, respect for diversity, and gender mainstreaming. PAHO will integrate and support among its Member States the perspective of gender equality in planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating policies, programs, projects, and research. The aim is among other things, to attain the highest possible health and well-being for men and women during their whole life cycle, as well as in all population groups. Hopefully these measures will help propel the Region toward the attainment of true gender equality.

Technology assessment of solar energy systems: Residential use of fuelwood in the Pacific Northwest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petty, P. N.; Hopp, W. J.

1981-08-01

The evidence of impacts associated with the use of fuelwood for residential space heating in the region including the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho is identified and evaluated. The use of fuelwood for space heating was projected into the future, and then the potential size of the impacts that had been identified and estimated was evaluated. These projections are provided in five year increments beginning in 1980 and proceeding to the year 2000. Policy options are suggested which may mitigate the adverse impacts identified, while preserving the positive effect of reducing residential demand for energy derived from nonrenewable sources.

Development of Policies, Institutions and Procedures for Water Reuse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demouche, L.; Pfiefer, J.; Hanson, A.; Skaggs, R.

2009-12-01

In the arid, water scarce region of New Mexico and West Texas there is growing interest in the potential for water reuse to extend existing supplies and mitigate drought shortage impacts. There are no new sources of water in New Mexico, except reclaimed water. Communities and individuals are uncertain about and have many unanswered questions about polices, institutions involved (agencies), legal and regulatory requirements, and procedures governing water reuse. Issues to be addressed by this project include: the legal ability to reuse water, ownership of water rights, downstream or third party impacts, regulatory and procedural requirements, water quality concerns, state and local agency involvement, and cost effectiveness of water reuse compared to alternative sources. Presently, there is very little implementation or directives in New Mexico policy that addresses reuse, reclamation, or recycled water. The only regulations pertaining to reuse is New Mexico Environmental Department currently allows the use of reclaimed domestic wastewater for irrigation of golf courses and green spaces, which is listed in the Policy for the Above Ground Use of Reclaimed Domestic Wastewater (NMED, 2003). This document identifies the various reclaimed quality classifications that are required for specific applications and the permits required for application. This document does not identify or address policy applications on the distribution, ownership, or trading of reclaimed water. Even though reclaimed water reuse projects are currently being implemented in many cities in the U.S., mainly for commercial and municipal irrigation (golf courses and green space), its potential has not yet been exploited. A policy analysis matrix (PAM) is being designed to identify and examine the policy framework and consequences of non-policy implementation for decision makers and interest groups and assist them in understanding the consequences of policy actions and project outcomes if no laws or regulations are created. The clarity of definitions is critical in policy analysis. Good economic analysis is fascinating for economist, frustrating for noneconomist, and relevant for everyone because it focuses on linkages within an economy—on why one group’s actions influence others in the system. The water reuse PAM is being used to identify the legality of water reuse, ownership of water rights, downstream or third party impacts, regulatory and procedural requirements, water quality concerns, state and local agency involvement, and cost effectiveness of water reuse compared to alternative sources. This project hopes to identify everyone involved in water reuse policy and provide them with clarity about the issues to help in evaluating and making sound policy decisions.

Emergy analysis of a farm biogas project in China: A biophysical perspective of agricultural ecological engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, S. Y.; Zhang, B.; Cai, Z. F.

2010-05-01

This paper aims to present a biophysical understanding of the agricultural ecological engineering by emergy analysis for a farm biogas project in China as a representative case. Accounting for the resource inputs into and accumulation within the project, as well as the outputs to the social system, emergy analysis provides an empirical study in the biophysical dimension of the agricultural ecological engineering. Economic benefits and ecological economic benefits of the farm biogas project indicated by market value and emergy monetary value are discussed, respectively. Relative emergy-based indices such as renewability (R%), emergy yield ratio (EYR), environmental load ratio (ELR) and environmental sustainability index (ESI) are calculated to evaluate the environmental load and local sustainability of the concerned biogas project. The results show that the farm biogas project has more reliance on the local renewable resources input, less environmental pressure and higher sustainability compared with other typical agricultural systems. In addition, holistic evaluation and its policy implications for better operation and management of the biogas project are presented.

Sustainable Energy in Remote Indonesian Grids. Accelerating Project Development

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

Hirsch, Brian; Burman, Kari; Davidson, Carolyn

2015-06-30

Sustainable Energy for Remote Indonesian Grids (SERIG) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded initiative to support Indonesia’s efforts to develop clean energy and increase access to electricity in remote locations throughout the country. With DOE support, the SERIG implementation team consists of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Winrock International’s Jakarta, Indonesia office. Through technical assistance that includes techno-economic feasibility evaluation for selected projects, government-to-government coordination, infrastructure assessment, stakeholder outreach, and policy analysis, SERIG seeks to provide opportunities for individual project development and a collective framework for national replication office.

Knowledge brokering between researchers and policymakers in Fiji to develop policies to reduce obesity: a process evaluation.

PubMed

Waqa, Gade; Mavoa, Helen; Snowdon, Wendy; Moodie, Marj; Schultz, Jimaima; McCabe, Marita; Kremer, Peter; Swinburn, Boyd

2013-07-01

The importance of using research evidence in decisionmaking at the policy level has been increasingly recognized. However, knowledge brokering to engage researchers and policymakers in government and non-government organizations is challenging. This paper describes and evaluates the knowledge exchange processes employed by the Translational Research on Obesity Prevention in Communities (TROPIC) project that was conducted from July 2009 to April 2012 in Fiji. TROPIC aimed to enhance: the evidence-informed decisionmaking skills of policy developers; and awareness and utilization of local and other obesity-related evidence to develop policies that could potentially improve the nation's food and physical activity environments. The specific research question was: Can a knowledge brokering approach advance evidence-informed policy development to improve eating and physical activity environments in Fiji. The intervention comprised: recruiting organizations and individuals; mapping policy environments; analyzing organizational capacity and support for evidence-informed policymaking (EIPM); developing EIPM skills; and facilitating development of evidence-informed policy briefs. Flexible timetabling of activities was essential to accommodate multiple competing priorities at both individual and organizational levels. Process diaries captured the duration, frequency and type of each interaction and/or activity between the knowledge brokering team and participants or their organizations. Partnerships were formalized with high-level officers in each of the six participating organization. Participants (n = 49) developed EIPM skills (acquire, assess, adapt and apply evidence) through a series of four workshops and applied this knowledge to formulate briefs with ongoing one-to-one support from TROPIC team members. A total of 55% of participants completed the 12 to18 month intervention, and 63% produced one or more briefs (total = 20) that were presented to higher-level officers within their organizations. The knowledge brokering team spent an average of 30 hours per participant during the entire TROPIC process. Active engagement of participating organizations from the outset resulted in strong individual and organizational commitment to the project. The TROPIC initiative provided a win-win situation, with participants expanding skills in EIPM and policy development, organizations increasing EIPM capacity, and researchers providing data to inform policy.

Knowledge brokering between researchers and policymakers in Fiji to develop policies to reduce obesity: a process evaluation

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The importance of using research evidence in decisionmaking at the policy level has been increasingly recognized. However, knowledge brokering to engage researchers and policymakers in government and non-government organizations is challenging. This paper describes and evaluates the knowledge exchange processes employed by the Translational Research on Obesity Prevention in Communities (TROPIC) project that was conducted from July 2009 to April 2012 in Fiji. TROPIC aimed to enhance: the evidence-informed decisionmaking skills of policy developers; and awareness and utilization of local and other obesity-related evidence to develop policies that could potentially improve the nation’s food and physical activity environments. The specific research question was: Can a knowledge brokering approach advance evidence-informed policy development to improve eating and physical activity environments in Fiji. Methods The intervention comprised: recruiting organizations and individuals; mapping policy environments; analyzing organizational capacity and support for evidence-informed policymaking (EIPM); developing EIPM skills; and facilitating development of evidence-informed policy briefs. Flexible timetabling of activities was essential to accommodate multiple competing priorities at both individual and organizational levels. Process diaries captured the duration, frequency and type of each interaction and/or activity between the knowledge brokering team and participants or their organizations. Results Partnerships were formalized with high-level officers in each of the six participating organization. Participants (n = 49) developed EIPM skills (acquire, assess, adapt and apply evidence) through a series of four workshops and applied this knowledge to formulate briefs with ongoing one-to-one support from TROPIC team members. A total of 55% of participants completed the 12 to18 month intervention, and 63% produced one or more briefs (total = 20) that were presented to higher-level officers within their organizations. The knowledge brokering team spent an average of 30 hours per participant during the entire TROPIC process. Conclusions Active engagement of participating organizations from the outset resulted in strong individual and organizational commitment to the project. The TROPIC initiative provided a win-win situation, with participants expanding skills in EIPM and policy development, organizations increasing EIPM capacity, and researchers providing data to inform policy. PMID:23816188

76 FR 56973 - Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Final Policy and Permit Guidance for Submarine Cable Projects

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-15

... National Marine Sanctuaries Final Policy and Permit Guidance for Submarine Cable Projects AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of... Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) has developed final policy and permitting guidance for submarine cable projects...

The impact of a change to assessment policy on students from a New Zealand school of nursing.

PubMed

Bland, Marian; Gallagher, Peter

2009-10-01

This article reports the findings of a small scale research project in one multi-sited nursing school in New Zealand. The project sought to evaluate the impact on students of a change in assessment policy which effectively removed resubmission opportunities for academic work in Year Three of a Bachelor of Nursing programme. The instrument was a brief questionnaire distributed to all students (n=125) who enrolled in the third year of the degree in 2005. Students were surveyed at the start (74% response rate) and end of the 2005 academic year (64% response rate). Their responses revealed the stress arising from the policy changes; limited knowledge of policy details; and changes in study habits and relationships with faculty. More specifically the study indicated that most students do not overly concern themselves with the detail of assessment policy even in the light of significant change. Secondly, although most students viewed themselves as potentially disadvantaged by the change, some considered it to be a positive quality improvement initiative. Finally, despite the anxieties students held about the perceived negative impact of the changes, a positive outcome was closer working relationships with lecturers, to ensure that their one and only submission was their best work.

Interchangeable Positions in Interaction Sequences in Science Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rees, Carol; Roth, Wolff-Michael

2017-01-01

Triadic dialogue, the Initiation, Response, Evaluation sequence typical of teacher /student interactions in classrooms, has long been identified as a barrier to students' access to learning, including science learning. A large body of research on the subject has over the years led to projects and policies aimed at increasing opportunities for…

DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF A PROTOTYPE SYSTEM FOR COLLECTING SUB-HOURLY AMBIENT AEROSOL FOR CHEMICAL ANALYSIS. (R825269)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

EVALUATION AND APPLICATION OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY AS A TRACER FOR HYDROGRAPH SEPARATION STUDIES IN URBAN WATERSHEDS. (R828582)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

EVALUATION OF MYELOTOXICITY IN COTTON RATS EXPOSED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS. 1. IN VITRO BONE MARROW PROGENITOR CULTURE. (R826242)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

49 CFR Appendix A to Part 611 - Description of Measures Used for Project Evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... within 1/2-mile of boarding points associated with the proposed system increment. (b) Environmental... in British Thermal Units (BTU), compared to the baseline alternative; and (3) Current Environmental...) Transit-supportive corridor policies; (5) Supportive zoning regulations near transit stations; (6) Tools...

Health Impact Assessment as a Student Service Learning Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stone, Cynthia; Greene, Marion S.

2012-01-01

Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) incorporate a combination of tools, methods, and procedures to evaluate the potential health effects of a proposed program, project, or policy. The university public health department, in collaboration with the county health department, and the local planning organization, developed a curriculum for a…

Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Patterns, Predictions, and Implications for Informing Policy Discussions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torres, Vasti; Zerquera, Desiree

2012-01-01

This article seeks to identify and assess the readiness of "Potential" Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)--institutions located within Latino communities projected to increase the number of Latino/a high school graduates. Institutions are described based on evaluation of institutional missions, planning documents, programs, and marketing…

EVALUATION OF THE CITED2 GENE AND RISK FOR SPINA BIFIDA AND CONGENITAL HEART DEFECTS. (R828292)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Modeling conservation practices in APEX: From the field to the watershed

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The evaluation of USDA conservation programs is required as part of the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP). The Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender (APEX) model was applied to the St. Joseph River Watershed, one of CEAP’s benchmark watersheds. Using a previously calibrated and val...

[14C]PYRENE BOUND RESIDUE EVALUATION USING MIBK FRACTIONATION METHOD FOR CREOSOTE-CONTAMINATED SOIL. (R825549C058)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

[14C] PYRENE BOUND RESIDUE EVALUATION USING MIBK FRACTIONATION METHOD FOR CREOSOTE-CONTAMINATED SOIL. (R825549C051)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

EVALUATION OF MYELOTOXICITY IN COTTON RATS EXPOSED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS. 2. MYELOTOXICITY ASSOCIATED WITH PETROLEUM INDUSTRIAL WASTES. (R826242)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

A GLOBAL SIMULATION OF TROPOSPHERIC OZONE AND RELATED TRACERS: DESCRIPTION AND EVALUATION OF MOZART, VERSION 2. (R826384)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Current Work on Telecommunications Policies and Structures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohlin, Thomas

The studies described in this paper were undertaken to evaluate the usefulness of information-exchange techniques for promoting the quality of life within given regions of a society. The first analysis describes the investigation of projects to enhance the functions of small businesses, joint regional planning, health care, education,…

75 FR 39042 - Solicitation for a Cooperative Agreement: The Norval Morris Project Implementation Phase

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-07

... model designed to provide correctional agencies with a step-by-step approach to promote systemic change..., evidence-based approaches, evaluate their potential to inform correctional policy and practice, create... outside the corrections field to develop interdisciplinary approaches and draw on professional networks...

Integrating stakeholder input into water policy development and analysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Agricultural water use is becoming an issue in much of the South due to population growth. Results of projects evaluating the impacts of conservation strategies aimed at reallocating or extending the life of water supplies are being met with great skepticism by stakeholder groups. In order to gain a...

Center for Agricultural and Rural Development. Annual Report 1987.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iowa State Univ. of Science and Technology, Ames. Center for Agricultural and Rural Development.

This report describes the activities of the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD), Iowa State University, for the year ending June 30, 1987. During this fiscal year, CARD conducted numerous projects including the following: (1) a policy evaluation on agricultural applications of pesticides and ground water quality for the…

Chair Report for the Committee on Research and Graduate Affairs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Broom, Arthur D.

1988-01-01

The report of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy's Committee on Research and Graduate Affairs addresses: graduate program evaluation, women's status in the pharmaceutical sciences, graduate student membership in the association, research needs and funding, animal use in research, a national health policy project, and clinical faculty…

77 FR 54570 - Notice of Submission for OMB Review; Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-05

.... White Physical Education Program (PEP) is authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended. In establishing PEP, Congress acknowledged the critical need to improve physical... of what PEP projects experience related to two new program competitive preference priorities: The...

EVALUATION OF A RECOMBINANT OOCYST PROTEIN (CP41) IN THE DETECTION OF CRYPTOSPORIDIUM-SPECIFIC ANTIBODIES. (R829180)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

FULL SCALE EVALUATION OF IN SITU COMETABOLIC DEGRADATION OF TRICHLOROETHYLENE IN GROUNDWATER THROUGH TOLUENE INJECTION. (R825689C067)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

DESIGN, SYNTHESIS, AND BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASE INHIBITORS DERIVED FROM A MODIFIED PROLINE SCAFFOLD. (R826113)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Factors and Strategies That Influence Faculty Involvement in Public Service

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holland, Barbara A.

2016-01-01

Data from several national research and evaluation projects involving 32 diverse institutions offer insights into what motivates college-faculty involvement in public service and outreach efforts, what faculty find to be obstacles to involvement, and what institutions can do to facilitate involvement. One salient policy supporting faculty…

Audit Report "The Department of Energy's Loan Guarantee Program for Innovative Energy Technologies"

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

None

2009-02-01

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 authorized the Department of Energy to guarantee loans for new or significantly improved energy production technologies that avoid, reduce, or sequester air pollutants and other greenhouse gases. As of December 2008, Congress authorized the Department to make $42.5 billion in loan guarantees to support innovative energy projects. These guarantees were authorized for up to 80% of the total project costs and were designed to promote the commercial use of innovative technologies. Under the terms of the Act, the loan guarantees are contingent upon reasonable prospect of repayment by the borrower. Consistent with the Energymore » Policy Act, the Department is responsible for soliciting and evaluating loan applications, approving loan guarantees, and monitoring project and loan guarantee performance. through December 2008, the Department had issued five solicitations for projects that support innovative clean coal technologies, energy efficiency, renewable energy, advanced electricity transmission and distribution, and nuclear and fossil energy projects. These solicitations were issued in three phases with the first in August 2006, and the final in September 2008. Eleven substantially complete applications requesting approximately $8.2 billion in loan guarantees had been received by the Department in response to the first solicitation. The Department had begun the review of applications and was in the process of completing due diligence procedures necessary to evaluate projects received in response to the first solicitation. Under current plans, the Department is to issue its first loan guarantees in the spring of 2009. Because of the importance of this program as part of an effort to address the Nation's most challenging and pressing energy needs; and, the potential risk of loss to the United States taxpayers should default occur, we initiated this review to evaluate the Department's progress in establishing internal and operational controls over its Loan Guarantee Program.« less

Regional Climate Sensitivity- and Historical-Based Projections to 2100

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hébert, Raphaël.; Lovejoy, Shaun

2018-05-01

Reliable climate projections at the regional scale are needed in order to evaluate climate change impacts and inform policy. We develop an alternative method for projections based on the transient climate sensitivity (TCS), which relies on a linear relationship between the forced temperature response and the strongly increasing anthropogenic forcing. The TCS is evaluated at the regional scale (5° by 5°), and projections are made accordingly to 2100 using the high and low Representative Concentration Pathways emission scenarios. We find that there are large spatial discrepancies between the regional TCS from 5 historical data sets and 32 global climate model (GCM) historical runs and furthermore that the global mean GCM TCS is about 15% too high. Given that the GCM Representative Concentration Pathway scenario runs are mostly linear with respect to their (inadequate) TCS, we conclude that historical methods of regional projection are better suited given that they are directly calibrated on the real world (historical) climate.

Reducing OR Traffic Using Education, Policy Development, and Communication Technology.

PubMed

Esser, Jennifer; Shrinski, Keonemana; Cady, Rhonda; Belew, John

2016-01-01

A bundled approach to surgical site infection (SSI) prevention strategies includes reducing OR traffic. A nurse-led quality improvement (QI) team sought to reduce OR traffic through education and a process change that included wireless communication technology and policy development. The team measured OR traffic by counting the frequency of door openings per hour in seven surgical suites during 305 surgical procedures conducted during similar 22-week periods before and after the QI project intervention. Door openings decreased significantly (P < 0.05) from an average of 37.8 per hour to 32.8 per hour after the QI project intervention. This suggests that our multifaceted approach reduces OR traffic. The next steps of this project include analyzing automatically captured video to understand OR traffic patterns and expanding education to departments and external personnel frequently present in our surgical suites. Future research evaluating the effectiveness of this OR traffic initiative on SSI incidence is recommended. Copyright © 2016 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A dynamic simulation based water resources education tool.

PubMed

Williams, Alison; Lansey, Kevin; Washburne, James

2009-01-01

Educational tools to assist the public in recognizing impacts of water policy in a realistic context are not generally available. This project developed systems with modeling-based educational decision support simulation tools to satisfy this need. The goal of this model is to teach undergraduate students and the general public about the implications of common water management alternatives so that they can better understand or become involved in water policy and make more knowledgeable personal or community decisions. The model is based on Powersim, a dynamic simulation software package capable of producing web-accessible, intuitive, graphic, user-friendly interfaces. Modules are included to represent residential, agricultural, industrial, and turf uses, as well as non-market values, water quality, reservoir, flow, and climate conditions. Supplementary materials emphasize important concepts and lead learners through the model, culminating in an open-ended water management project. The model is used in a University of Arizona undergraduate class and within the Arizona Master Watershed Stewards Program. Evaluation results demonstrated improved understanding of concepts and system interactions, fulfilling the project's objectives.

Shipping emission forecasts and cost-benefit analysis of China ports and key regions' control.

PubMed

Liu, Huan; Meng, Zhi-Hang; Shang, Yi; Lv, Zhao-Feng; Jin, Xin-Xin; Fu, Ming-Liang; He, Ke-Bin

2018-05-01

China established Domestic Emission Control Area (DECA) for sulphur since 2015 to constrain the increasing shipping emissions. However, future DECA policy-makings are not supported due to a lack of quantitive evaluations. To investigate the effects of current and possible Chinese DECAs policies, a model is presented for the forecast of shipping emissions and evaluation of potential costs and benefits of an DECA policy package set in 2020. It includes a port-level and regional-level projection accounting for shipping trade volume growth, share of ship types, and fuel consumption. The results show that without control measures, both SO 2 and particulate matter (PM) emissions are expected to increase by 15.3-61.2% in Jing-Jin-Ji, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Pearl River Delta from 2013 to 2020. However, most emissions can be reduced annually by the establishment of a DECA that depends on the size of the control area and the fuel sulphur content limit. Costs range from 0.667 to 1.561 billion dollars (control regional shipping emissions) based on current fuel price. A social cost method shows the regional control scenarios benefit-cost ratios vary from 4.3 to 5.1 with large uncertainty. Chemical transportation model combined with health model method is used to get the monetary health benefits and then compared with the results from social cost method. This study suggests that Chinese DECAs will reduce the projected emissions at a favorable benefit-cost ratio, and furthermore proposes policy combinations that provide high cost-effective benefits as a reference for future policy-making. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating the impact of climate policies on regional food availability and accessibility using an Integrated Assessment Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilmore, E.; Cui, Y. R.; Waldhoff, S.

2015-12-01

Beyond 2015, eradicating hunger will remain a critical part of the global development agenda through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Efforts to limit climate change through both mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and land use policies may interact with food availability and accessibility in complex and unanticipated ways. Here, we develop projections of regional food accessibility to 2050 under the alternative futures outlined by the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) and under different climate policy targets and structures. We use the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM), an integrated assessment model (IAM), for our projections. We calculate food access as the weighted average of consumption of five staples and the portion of income spend on those commodities and extend the GCAM calculated universal global producer price to regional consumer prices drawing on historical relationships of these prices. Along the SSPs, food access depends largely on expectations of increases in population and economic status. Under a more optimistic scenario, the pressures on food access from increasing demand and rising prices can be counterbalanced by faster economic development. Stringent climate policies that increase commodity prices, however, may hinder vulnerable regions, namely Sub-Saharan Africa, from achieving greater food accessibility.

Building the capacity of health authorities to influence land use and transportation planning: Lessons learned from the Healthy Canada by Design CLASP Project in British Columbia.

PubMed

Miro, Alice; Perrotta, Kim; Evans, Heather; Kishchuk, Natalie A; Gram, Claire; Stanwick, Richard S; Swinkels, Helena M

2014-08-06

The main objective of the Healthy Canada by Design CLASP Initiative in British Columbia (BC) was to develop, implement and evaluate a capacity-building project for health authorities. The desired outcomes of the project were as follows: 1) increased capacity of the participating health authorities to productively engage in land use and transportation planning processes; 2) new and sustained relationships or collaborations among the participating health authorities and among health authorities, local governments and other built environment stakeholders; and 3) indication of health authority influence and/or application of health evidence and tools in land use and transportation plans and policies. This project was designed to enhance the capacity of three regional health authorities, namely Fraser Health, Island Health and Vancouver Coastal Health, and their staff. These were considered the project's participants. The BC regions served by the three health authorities cover the urban, suburban and rural spectrum across relatively large and diverse geographic areas. The populations have broad ranges in socio-economic status, demographic profiles and cultural and political backgrounds. The Initiative provided the three health authorities with a consultant who had several years of experience working on land use and transportation planning. The consultant conducted situational assessments to understand the baseline knowledge and skill gaps, assets and objectives for built environment work for each of the participating health authorities. On the basis of this information, the consultant developed customized capacity-building work plans for each of the health authorities and assisted them with implementation. Capacity-building activities were as follows: researching health and built environment strategies, policies and evidence; transferring health evidence and promising policies and practices from other jurisdictions to local planning contexts; providing training and support with regard to health and the built environment to health authority staff; bringing together public health staff with local planners for networking; and participating in land use planning processes. The project helped to expand the capacity of participating health authorities to influence land use and transportation planning decisions by increasing the content and process expertise of public health staff. The project informed structural changes within health authorities, such as staffing reallocations to advance built environment work after the project. Health authorities also forged new relationships within and across sectors, which facilitated knowledge exchange and access of the public health sector to opportunities to influence built environment decisions. By the end of the project, there was emerging evidence of a health presence in land use policy documents. The project helped to prioritize, accelerate and formalize the participating health authorities' involvement in land use and transportation planning processes. In the long term, this is expected to lead to health policies and programs that consider the built environment, and to built environment policies and practices that integrate population health goals, thereby reducing the risk of chronic diseases.

45 CFR 1222.3 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Policy. 1222.3 Section 1222.3 Public Welfare... PARTICIPATION OF PROJECT BENEFICIARIES § 1222.3 Policy. (a) Each potential project sponsor shall establish an... ACTION Volunteers. (c) Potential sponsoring organizations that have an established governing, policy, or...

Evaluation of caregiver-friendly workplace policy (CFWPs) interventions on the health of full-time caregiver employees (CEs): implementation and cost-benefit analysis.

PubMed

Williams, Allison M; Tompa, Emile; Lero, Donna S; Fast, Janet; Yazdani, Amin; Zeytinoglu, Isik U

2017-09-20

Current Canadian evidence illustrating the health benefits and cost-effectiveness of caregiver-friendly workplace policies is needed if Canadian employers are to adopt and integrate caregiver-friendly workplace policies into their employment practices. The goal of this three-year, three study research project is to provide such evidence for the auto manufacturing and educational services sectors. The research questions being addressed are: What are the impacts for employers (economic) and workers (health) of caregiver-friendly workplace policy intervention(s) for full-time caregiver-employees? What are the impacts for employers, workers and society of the caregiver-friendly workplace policy intervention(s) in each participating workplace? What contextual factors impact the successful implementation of caregiver-friendly workplace policy intervention(s)? Using a pre-post-test comparative case study design, Study A will determine the effectiveness of newly implemented caregiver-friendly workplace policy intervention(s) across two workplaces to determine impacts on caregiver-employee health. A quasi-experimental pre-post design will allow the caregiver-friendly workplace policy intervention(s) to be tested with respect to potential impacts on health, and specifically on caregiver employee mental, psychosocial, and physical health. Framed within a comparative case study design, Study B will utilize cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis approaches to evaluate the economic impacts of the caregiver-friendly workplace policy intervention(s) for each of the two participating workplaces. Framed within a comparative case study design, Study C will undertake an implementation analysis of the caregiver-friendly workplace policy intervention(s) in each participating workplace in order to determine: the degree of support for the intervention(s) (reflected in the workplace culture); how sex and gender are implicated; co-workers' responses to the chosen intervention(s), and; other nuances at play. It is hypothesized that the benefits of the caregiver-friendly workplace policy intervention(s) will include improvements in caregiver-employees' mental, psychosocial and physical health, as well as evidence of cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness for the employer. The expected project results will provide the research evidence for extensive knowledge translation work, to be carried out in collaboration with our knowledge transition partners, to the employer/human resources and occupational health/safety target populations. ISRCTN16187974 Registered August 25, 2016.

32 CFR 644.4 - Reservoir projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2014-07-01 2013-07-01 true Reservoir projects. 644.4 Section 644.4 National... HANDBOOK Project Planning Civil Works § 644.4 Reservoir projects. (a) Joint land acquisition policy for reservoir projects. The joint policies of the Department of the Interior and the Department of the Army...

32 CFR 644.4 - Reservoir projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Reservoir projects. 644.4 Section 644.4 National... HANDBOOK Project Planning Civil Works § 644.4 Reservoir projects. (a) Joint land acquisition policy for reservoir projects. The joint policies of the Department of the Interior and the Department of the Army...

32 CFR 644.4 - Reservoir projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2012-07-01 2011-07-01 true Reservoir projects. 644.4 Section 644.4 National... HANDBOOK Project Planning Civil Works § 644.4 Reservoir projects. (a) Joint land acquisition policy for reservoir projects. The joint policies of the Department of the Interior and the Department of the Army...

Italy SimSmoke: the effect of tobacco control policies on smoking prevalence and smoking attributable deaths in Italy

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background While Italy has implemented some tobacco control policies over the last few decades, which resulted in a decreased smoking prevalence, there is still considerable scope to strengthen tobacco control policies consistent with the World Health Organization (WHO) policy guidelines. The present study aims to evaluate the effect of past and project the effect of future tobacco control policies on smoking prevalence and associated premature mortality in Italy. Methods To assess, individually and in combination, the effect of seven types of policies, we used the SimSmoke simulation model of tobacco control policy. The model uses population, smoking rates and tobacco control policy data for Italy. Results Significant reductions of smoking prevalence and premature mortality can be achieved through tobacco price increases, high intensity media campaigns, comprehensive cessation treatment program, strong health warnings, stricter smoke-free air regulations and advertising bans, and youth access laws. With a comprehensive approach, the smoking prevalence can be decreased by as much as 12% soon after the policies are in place, increasing to a 30% reduction in the next twenty years and a 34% reduction by 30 years in 2040. Without effective tobacco control policies, a total of almost 300 thousand lives will be prematurely lost due to smoking by the year 2040. Conclusion Besides presenting the benefits of a comprehensive tobacco control strategy, the model helps identify information gaps in surveillance and evaluation schemes that will promote the effectiveness of future tobacco control policy in Italy. PMID:22931428

Looking Across and Looking Beyond the Knowledge Frontier: Intellectual Distance, Novelty, and Resource Allocation in Science.

PubMed

Boudreau, Kevin J; Guinan, Eva C; Lakhani, Karim R; Riedl, Christoph

2016-10-01

Selecting among alternative projects is a core management task in all innovating organizations. In this paper, we focus on the evaluation of frontier scientific research projects. We argue that the "intellectual distance" between the knowledge embodied in research proposals and an evaluator's own expertise systematically relates to the evaluations given. To estimate relationships, we designed and executed a grant proposal process at a leading research university in which we randomized the assignment of evaluators and proposals to generate 2,130 evaluator-proposal pairs. We find that evaluators systematically give lower scores to research proposals that are closer to their own areas of expertise and to those that are highly novel. The patterns are consistent with biases associated with boundedly rational evaluation of new ideas. The patterns are inconsistent with intellectual distance simply contributing "noise" or being associated with private interests of evaluators. We discuss implications for policy, managerial intervention, and allocation of resources in the ongoing accumulation of scientific knowledge.

Strengthening capacity to apply health research evidence in policy making: experience from four countries.

PubMed

Hawkes, Sarah; K Aulakh, Bhupinder; Jadeja, Nidhee; Jimenez, Michelle; Buse, Kent; Anwar, Iqbal; Barge, Sandhya; Odubanjo, M Oladoyin; Shukla, Abhay; Ghaffar, Abdul; Whitworth, Jimmy

2016-03-01

Increasing the use of evidence in policy making means strengthening capacity on both the supply and demand sides of evidence production. However, little experience of strengthening the capacity of policy makers in low- and middle- income countries has been published to date. We describe the experiences of five projects (in Bangladesh, Gambia, India and Nigeria), where collaborative teams of researchers and policy makers/policy influencers worked to strengthen policy maker capacity to increase the use of evidence in policy. Activities were focused on three (interlinked) levels of capacity building: individual, organizational and, occasionally, institutional. Interventions included increasing access to research/data, promoting frequent interactions between researchers and members of the policy communities, and increasing the receptivity towards research/data in policy making or policy-implementing organizations. Teams were successful in building the capacity of individuals to access, understand and use evidence/data. Strengthening organizational capacity generally involved support to infrastructure (e.g. through information technology resources) and was also deemed to be successful. There was less appetite to address the need to strengthen institutional capacity-although this was acknowledged to be fundamental to promoting sustainable use of evidence, it was also recognized as requiring resources, legitimacy and regulatory support from policy makers. Evaluation across the three spheres of capacity building was made more challenging by the lack of agreed upon evaluation frameworks. In this article, we propose a new framework for assessing the impact of capacity strengthening activities to promote the use of evidence/data in policy making. Our evaluation concluded that strengthening the capacity of individuals and organizations is an important but likely insufficient step in ensuring the use of evidence/data in policy-cycles. Sustainability of evidence-informed policy making requires strengthening institutional capacity, as well as understanding and addressing the political environment, and particularly the incentives facing policy makers that supports the use of evidence in policy cycles. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

77 FR 47430 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Comment Request; Section 8 Renewal Policy Guide

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-08

..., 1997), required that expiring Section 8 project-based assistance contracts be renewed under MAHRA. Established in the MAHRA policies renewal of Section 8 project-based contracts rent are based on market rents... MAHRA. The Section 8 Renewal Policy Guide sets forth six renewal options from which a project owner may...

The Early Development Instrument as an Evaluation and Improvement Tool for School-Based, Integrated Services for Young Children and Parents: The Toronto First Duty Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corter, Carl; Patel, Sejal; Pelletier, Janette; Bertrand, Jane

2008-01-01

Research Findings: Integrated services for young children and families are part of the new policy landscape in early childhood, but there is limited evidence of the effectiveness of these programs and how they develop on the ground. This study examined the use of the Early Development Instrument (EDI) as both a summative program evaluation tool…

Implementation of a Sustainable Training System for Emergency in Vietnam.

PubMed

Kang, Sunjoo; Seo, Hyejin; Ho, Binh Duy; Nguyen, Phuong Thi Anh

2018-01-01

This study analyzed the project outcomes to share lessons regarding the development of an emergency medicine education system in Vietnam. Retrospective evaluation was implemented using project outcome indicators. A total of 13 training courses were administered, with the collaboration of international experts in Korea and Vietnam. A total of 23 kinds of emergency medicine education equipment were purchased, and a basic life support (BLS) and two advanced cardiac life support labs were remodeled to provide appropriate simulation training. Throughout the 2 years of the project, nine Vietnamese BLS instructors were approved by the Korea Association of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation under American Heart Association. Results of evaluation by Korean international development experts were based on five criteria, provided by the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, were excellent. Success factors were identified as partnership, ownership, commitment, government support, and global networking. Project indicators were all accomplished and received an excellent evaluation by external experts. For sustainable success, healthcare policy and legal regulation to promote high quality and safe service to the Vietnamese people are recommended.

The drive to innovation: The privileging of science and technology knowledge production in Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cauchi, Laura

This dissertation project explored the privileging of knowledge production in science and technology as a Canadian national economic, political and social strategy. The project incorporated the relationship between nation-state knowledge production and how that knowledge is then systematically evaluated, prioritized and validated by systems of health technology assessment (HTA). The entry point into the analysis and this dissertation project was the Scientific Research and Experimental Design (SR&ED) federal tax incentive program as the cornerstone of science and technology knowledge production in Canada. The method of inquiry and analysis examined the submission documents submitted by key stakeholders across the country, representing public, private and academic standpoints, during the public consultation process conducted from 2007 to 2008 and how each of these standpoints is hooked into the public policy interests and institutional structures that produce knowledge in science and technology. Key public meetings, including the public information sessions facilitated by the Canada Revenue Agency and private industry conferences, provided context and guidance regarding the current pervasive public and policy interests that direct and drive the policy debates. Finally, the "Innovation Canada: A Call to Action Review of Federal Support to Research and Development: Expert Panel Report," commonly referred to as "The Jenkins Report" (Jenkins et al., 2011), was critically evaluated as the expected predictor of future public policy changes associated with the SR&ED program and the future implications for the production of knowledge in science and technology. The method of inquiry and analytical lens was a materialist approach that drew on the inspiring frameworks of such scholars as Dorothy Smith, Michel Foucault, Kaushik Sunder Rajan, Melinda Cooper, and, Gilles Deleuze. Ultimately, I strove to illuminate the normalizing force and power of knowledge production in science and technology, and the disciplines and structures that encompass it and are hooked into it where the privileging of such knowledge becomes hegemonic within and by the regimes of knowledge production that created them.

Societal transformation and adaptation necessary to manage dynamics in flood hazard and risk mitigation (TRANS-ADAPT)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuchs, Sven; Thaler, Thomas; Bonnefond, Mathieu; Clarke, Darren; Driessen, Peter; Hegger, Dries; Gatien-Tournat, Amandine; Gralepois, Mathilde; Fournier, Marie; Mees, Heleen; Murphy, Conor; Servain-Courant, Sylvie

2015-04-01

Facing the challenges of climate change, this project aims to analyse and to evaluate the multiple use of flood alleviation schemes with respect to social transformation in communities exposed to flood hazards in Europe. The overall goals are: (1) the identification of indicators and parameters necessary for strategies to increase societal resilience, (2) an analysis of the institutional settings needed for societal transformation, and (3) perspectives of changing divisions of responsibilities between public and private actors necessary to arrive at more resilient societies. This proposal assesses societal transformations from the perspective of changing divisions of responsibilities between public and private actors necessary to arrive at more resilient societies. Yet each risk mitigation measure is built on a narrative of exchanges and relations between people and therefore may condition the outputs. As such, governance is done by people interacting and defining risk mitigation measures as well as climate change adaptation are therefore simultaneously both outcomes of, and productive to, public and private responsibilities. Building off current knowledge this project will focus on different dimensions of adaptation and mitigation strategies based on social, economic and institutional incentives and settings, centring on the linkages between these different dimensions and complementing existing flood risk governance arrangements. The policy dimension of adaptation, predominantly decisions on the societal admissible level of vulnerability and risk, will be evaluated by a human-environment interaction approach using multiple methods and the assessment of social capacities of stakeholders across scales. As such, the challenges of adaptation to flood risk will be tackled by converting scientific frameworks into practical assessment and policy advice. In addressing the relationship between these dimensions of adaptation on different temporal and spatial scales, this project is both scientifically innovative and policy relevant, thereby supporting climate policy needs in Europe towards a concept of risk governance. Key words: climate change adaptation; transformation; flood risk management; resilience; vulnerability; innovative bottom-up developments; multifunctional use

Open the `black box' creativity and innovation: a study of activities in R&D departments. Some prospects for engineering education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millet, Charlyne; Oget, David; Cavallucci, Denis

2017-11-01

Innovation is a key component to the success and longevity of companies. Our research opens the 'black box' of creativity and innovation in R&D teams. We argue that understanding the nature of R&D projects in terms of creativity/innovation, efficiency/inefficiency, is important for designing education policies and improving engineering curriculum. Our research addresses the inventive design process, a lesser known aspect of the innovation process, in 197 R&D departments of industrial sector companies in France. One fundamental issue facing companies is to evaluate processes and results of innovation. Results show that the evaluation of innovation is confined by a lack of methodology of inventive projects. We will be establishing the foundations of a formal ontology for inventive design projects and finally some recommendations for engineering education.

LEAD POISONING IN LAYSAN ALBATROSS (PHOESBASTRIA IMMUTABILIS) CHICKS: EVALUATION OF CONTAMINANT SOURCES ON MIDWAY ATOLL USING STABLE LEAD ISOTOPIC COMPOSITION. (U915730)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

78 FR 46994 - Proposed Collection; 60-Day Comment Request: National Institute of Mental Health Recruitment and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-02

... Project Clearance Liaison, Science Policy and Evaluation Branch, OSPPC, NIMH, NIH, Neuroscience Center... NIMH-sponsored clinical research studies that plan to enroll 150 or more human subjects in a single study. Clinical studies can have difficulty recruiting, and accurate and timely reporting is the best...

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back? The Professionalisation of Further Education Teachers in England

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lucas, Norman

2013-01-01

This paper draws upon two research projects to evaluate a decade of reform concerning the professionalisation of further education teachers, and discusses future prospects under the new coalition government. It suggests that policy initiatives to regulate further education (FE) teachers have taken place within an industrial or occupational…

Designing Coherent Science Education: Implications for Curriculum, Instruction, and Policy. Technology, Education--Connections (TEC) Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kali, Yael, Ed.; Linn, Marcia, Ed.; Roseman, Jo Ellen, Ed.

2008-01-01

This edited collection synthesizes current research on the most promising methods and models for designing coherent science instruction. Arising from the National Science Foundation-funded Delineating and Evaluating Coherent Instructional Designs for Education (DECIDE) project, this volume combines the insights of researchers from two Centers for…

Fringe Benefits Available to Public School Teachers in the Southeast. Research Report. Occasional Papers in Educational Policy Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mabry, Rodney H.; And Others

This project measured and evaluated the fringe benefit element of the teacher compensation package available in the 12 Southeastern Regional Council member states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virgina. Data were collected by contacting members…

EVALUATION OF INFANT METHYLENETETRAHYDROFOLATE REDUCTASE GENOTYPE, MATERNAL VITAMIN USE, AND RISK OF HIGH VERSUS LOW LEVEL SPINA BIFIDA DEFECTS. (R828292)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

CARF Accreditation: Summary of 500 Surveys, 1982-1984. Public Policy Monograph Series Number 21 (A Working Paper).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hemp, Richard; And Others

A project entitled "Using Accreditation Results for Statewide Program Evaluation" reviewed agency and client characteristics and outcomes for surveys conducted between 1980 and 1984 by the Accreditation Council for Services for Mentally Retarded and Other Developmentally Disabled Persons (ACMRDD) and the Commission on the Accreditation of…

FIELD AND LABORATORY EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT OF TALL FESCUE ON PAH DEGRADATION IN AN AGED CREOSOTE-CONTAMINATED SURFACE SOIL. (R828770)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

FIELD AND LABORATORY EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT OF TALL FESCUE ON PAH DEGRADATION IN AN AGED CREOSOTE-CONTAMINATED SURFACE SOIL. (R828770C004)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

FIELD AND LABORATORY EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT OF TALL FESCUE ON PAH DEGRADATAION IN AN AGED CREOSOTE-CONTAMINATED SURFACE SOIL. (R828770)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Resource Allocation Procedure at Queensland University: A Dynamic Modelling Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galbraith, Peter L.; Carss, Brian W.

A structural reorganization of the University of Queensland, Australia, was undertaken to promote efficient resource management, and a resource allocation model was developed to aid in policy evaluation and planning. The operation of the restructured system was based on creating five resource groups to manage the distribution of academic resources…

EVALUATION OF IMMOBILIZED REDOX INDICATORS AS REVERSIBLE, IN SITU REDOX SENSORS FOR DETERMINING FE(III)-REDUCING CONDITIONS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLES. (R825689C028)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Chapter 21: Estimating Net Savings - Common Practices. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

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

Kurnik, Charles W; Violette, Daniel M.; Rathbun, Pamela

This chapter focuses on the methods used to estimate net energy savings in evaluation, measurement, and verification (EM and V) studies for energy efficiency (EE) programs. The chapter provides a definition of net savings, which remains an unsettled topic both within the EE evaluation community and across the broader public policy evaluation community, particularly in the context of attribution of savings to a program. The chapter differs from the measure-specific Uniform Methods Project (UMP) chapters in both its approach and work product. Unlike other UMP resources that provide recommended protocols for determining gross energy savings, this chapter describes and comparesmore » the current industry practices for determining net energy savings but does not prescribe methods.« less

Improving the food provided and food safety practices in out-of-school-hours services.

PubMed

Cooke, Lara; Sangster, Janice; Eccleston, Philippa

2007-04-01

Food provided and food safety and serving practices in out-of-school-hours (OOSH) services. Health promotion strategies, developed in partnership with an advisory committee, were directed at three main areas: supporting local services; developing statewide training and resources; and advocacy. Significant improvements were seen in the food provided, food safety and serving practices and the number of services with planned menus and nutrition and food safety policies. This project is one of the first implemented and evaluated in the OOSH setting. Statistically significant improvements were achieved in the food provided, food safety and serving practices, and menu and policy development. The project also increased the capacity of the OOSH sector to improve children's health by making suitable nutrition and food safety resources and training available to OOSH services across New South Wales.

Promoting a Culture of Tailoring for Systems Engineering Policy Expectations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blankenship, Van A.

2016-01-01

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has developed an integrated systems engineering approach to promote a culture of tailoring for program and project policy requirements. MSFC's culture encourages and supports tailoring, with an emphasis on risk-based decision making, for enhanced affordability and efficiency. MSFC's policy structure integrates the various Agency requirements into a single, streamlined implementation approach which serves as a "one-stop-shop" for our programs and projects to follow. The engineers gain an enhanced understanding of policy and technical expectations, as well as lesson's learned from MSFC's history of spaceflight and science missions, to enable them to make appropriate, risk-based tailoring recommendations. The tailoring approach utilizes a standard methodology to classify projects into predefined levels using selected mission and programmatic scaling factors related to risk tolerance. Policy requirements are then selectively applied and tailored, with appropriate rationale, and approved by the governing authorities, to support risk-informed decisions to achieve the desired cost and schedule efficiencies. The policy is further augmented by implementation tools and lifecycle planning aids which help promote and support the cultural shift toward more tailoring. The MSFC Customization Tool is an integrated spreadsheet that ties together everything that projects need to understand, navigate, and tailor the policy. It helps them classify their project, understand the intent of the requirements, determine their tailoring approach, and document the necessary governance approvals. It also helps them plan for and conduct technical reviews throughout the lifecycle. Policy tailoring is thus established as a normal part of project execution, with the tools provided to facilitate and enable the tailoring process. MSFC's approach to changing the culture emphasizes risk-based tailoring of policy to achieve increased flexibility, efficiency, and effectiveness in project execution, while maintaining appropriate rigor to ensure mission success.

Family presence during trauma activations and medical resuscitations in a pediatric emergency department: an evidence-based practice project.

PubMed

Kingsnorth, Jennifer; O'Connell, Karen; Guzzetta, Cathie E; Edens, Jacki Curreri; Atabaki, Shireen; Mecherikunnel, Anne; Brown, Kathleen

2010-03-01

The existing family presence literature indicates that implementation of a family presence policy can result in positive outcomes. The purpose of our evidence-based practice project was to evaluate a family presence intervention using the 6 A's of the evidence cycle (ask, acquire, appraise, apply, analyze, and adopt/adapt). For step 1 (ask), we propose the following question: Is it feasible to implement a family presence intervention during trauma team activations and medical resuscitations in a pediatric emergency department using national guidelines to ensure appropriate family member behavior and uninterrupted patient care? Regarding steps 2 through 4 (acquire, appraise, and apply), our demonstration project was conducted in a pediatric emergency department during the implementation of a new family presence policy. Our family presence intervention incorporated current appraisal of literature and national guidelines including family screening, family preparation, and use of family presence facilitators. We evaluated whether it was feasible to implement the steps of our intervention and whether the intervention was safe in ensuring uninterrupted patient care. With regard to step 5 (analyze), family presence was evaluated in 106 events, in which 96 families were deemed appropriate and chose to be present. Nearly all families (96%) were screened before entering the room, and all were deemed appropriate candidates. Facilitators guided the family during all events. One family presence event was terminated. In all cases patient care was not interrupted. Regarding step 6 (adopt/adapt), our findings document the feasibility of implementing a family presence intervention in a pediatric emergency department while ensuring uninterrupted patient care. We have adopted family presence as a standard practice. This project can serve as the prototype for others. Copyright (c) 2010 Emergency Nurses Association. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Global environment facility: Independent evaluation of the pilot phase; Fondo para el medio ambiente mundial: evaluacion independiente de la etapa experimental

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

NONE

1994-06-01

This study responds to a request by participants in the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for an independent evaluation of the pilot phase. It profiles the GEF, discusses its policy framework, and reviews project development procedures and the strategies and projects in each of the GEF`s four focal areas. The study concludes that fundamental changes must occur and recommends specific reforms, such as articulating more clearly the GEF`s mandate, objectives, and strategies; addressing deficiencies in meeting its global focus; improving capacities and procedures within implementing agencies for managing the portfolio; and increasing non-government organization (NGO), country and community-level participation.

Student Web Use, Columbia Earthscape, and Their Implications for Online Earth Science Resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haber, J.; Luby, M.; Wittenberg, K.

2002-12-01

For three years, Columbia Earthscape, www.earthscape.org, has served as a test bed for the development and evaluation of Web-based geoscience education. Last fall (EOS Trans. AGU, 82(47), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract ED11A-11, 2001), we described how librarian, scientist, instructor, and student feedback led to sweeping changes in interface and acquisitions. Further assessment has looked at the value of a central online resource for Earth-system science education in light of patterns of study. Columbia Earthscape aimed to create an authoritative resource that reflects the interconnectedness of the Internet, of the disciplines of Earth-systems science, and of research, education, and public policy. Evaluation thus has three parts. The editors and editorial advisory board have evaluated projects for the site for accuracy and relevance to the project?s original context of Earth issues and topical mini-courses. Second, our research sought patterns of student use and library acquisition of Internet sources. Last, we asked if and how students benefit from Columbia Earthscape. We found, first, that while libraries are understandably reluctant to add online resources to strained budgets, almost all students work online; they vary almost solely in personal Web use. Second, Web use does not discourage use of print. Third, researchers often search Columbia Earthscape, but students, especially in schools, prefer browsing by topic of interest. Fourth, if they did not have this resource, most would surf, but many feel lost on the Web, and few say they can judge the quality of materials they used. Fifth, students found Columbia Earthscape helpful, relevant, and current, but most often for its research and policy materials. Many commented on issue-related collections original to Columbia Earthscape. While indeed we intended our Classroom Models and Sample Syllabi primarily as aids to instructor course design, we conclude, first, that students stick anyway to assigned materials and projects. Second, these assignments put students in need of materials not originally meant for education and not easy for students to evaluate. Third, an online resource must not choose simply a card-catalog or search model. In short, many have asked how scientists can support education and outreach and how curricula can integrate research and policy; but students already demand those connections, and a central online resource can help scientists, students, and the public by itself making them.

Policy and practice impacts of applied research: a case study analysis of the New South Wales Health Promotion Demonstration Research Grants Scheme 2000–2006

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Intervention research provides important information regarding feasible and effective interventions for health policy makers, but few empirical studies have explored the mechanisms by which these studies influence policy and practice. This study provides an exploratory case series analysis of the policy, practice and other related impacts of the 15 research projects funded through the New South Wales Health Promotion Demonstration Research Grants Scheme during the period 2000 to 2006, and explored the factors mediating impacts. Methods Data collection included semi-structured interviews with the chief investigators (n = 17) and end-users (n = 29) of each of the 15 projects to explore if, how and under what circumstances the findings had been used, as well as bibliometric analysis and verification using documentary evidence. Data analysis involved thematic coding of interview data and triangulation with other data sources to produce case summaries of impacts for each project. Case summaries were then individually assessed against four impact criteria and discussed at a verification panel meeting where final group assessments of the impact of research projects were made and key influences of research impact identified. Results Funded projects had variable impacts on policy and practice. Project findings were used for agenda setting (raising awareness of issues), identifying areas and target groups for interventions, informing new policies, and supporting and justifying existing policies and programs across sectors. Reported factors influencing the use of findings were: i) nature of the intervention; ii) leadership and champions; iii) research quality; iv) effective partnerships; v) dissemination strategies used; and, vi) contextual factors. Conclusions The case series analysis provides new insights into how and under what circumstances intervention research is used to influence real world policy and practice. The findings highlight that intervention research projects can achieve the greatest policy and practice impacts if they address proximal needs of the policy context by engaging end-users from the inception of projects and utilizing existing policy networks and structures, and using a range of strategies to disseminate findings that go beond traditional peer review publications. PMID:23374280

A developmental evaluation to enhance stakeholder engagement in a wide-scale interactive project disseminating quality improvement data: study protocol for a mixed-methods study

PubMed Central

Laycock, Alison; Bailie, Jodie; Matthews, Veronica; Cunningham, Frances; Harvey, Gillian; Percival, Nikki; Bailie, Ross

2017-01-01

Introduction Bringing together continuous quality improvement (CQI) data from multiple health services offers opportunities to identify common improvement priorities and to develop interventions at various system levels to achieve large-scale improvement in care. An important principle of CQI is practitioner participation in interpreting data and planning evidence-based change. This study will contribute knowledge about engaging diverse stakeholders in collaborative and theoretically informed processes to identify and address priority evidence-practice gaps in care delivery. This paper describes a developmental evaluation to support and refine a novel interactive dissemination project using aggregated CQI data from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary healthcare centres in Australia. The project aims to effect multilevel system improvement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary healthcare. Methods and analysis Data will be gathered using document analysis, online surveys, interviews with participants and iterative analytical processes with the research team. These methods will enable real-time feedback to guide refinements to the design, reports, tools and processes as the interactive dissemination project is implemented. Qualitative data from interviews and surveys will be analysed and interpreted to provide in-depth understanding of factors that influence engagement and stakeholder perspectives about use of the aggregated data and generated improvement strategies. Sources of data will be triangulated to build up a comprehensive, contextualised perspective and integrated understanding of the project's development, implementation and findings. Ethics and dissemination The Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) of the Northern Territory Department of Health and Menzies School of Health Research (Project 2015-2329), the Central Australian HREC (Project 15-288) and the Charles Darwin University HREC (Project H15030) approved the study. Dissemination will include articles in peer-reviewed journals, policy and research briefs. Results will be presented at conferences and quality improvement network meetings. Researchers, clinicians, policymakers and managers developing evidence-based system and policy interventions should benefit from this research. PMID:28710222

Evaluation of implementation viability gap funding (VGF) policy on toll road investment in Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahani, Iris; Tamin, Rizal Z.; Pribadi, Krishna S.; Wibowo, Andreas

2017-11-01

VGF policy for toll road investment in Indonesia must be reviewed. Since 2012 the Government of Indonesia (GOI) has issued viability gap funding (VGF) policy for PPP infrastructure project through ministry of finance decision (PMK) No.223/2012. One of VGF purpose is to improve the financial feasibility. In the toll road investment in Indonesia, the implementation of this policy has some problems. This study aimed to evaluate the policy by seeking implementation constraints so can be given an alternative. This research was conducted qualitatively, included aspects of implementation process VGF policy. The analysis process is based on literature study and in-depth interviews to related parties include business entity, ministry of finance, and the ministry of public works, Indonesia Toll Road Authority (BPJT) and professional societies. The literature review conducted by reviewing existing policies and best practices in countries that already practice VGF. The conclusion of this study are 1) There is a conflict of regulation in viability gap funding (VGF) for toll road investment in Indonesia; 2) If Government of Indonesia (GOI) want implement construction grant as VGF, so the regulation must improve in time limited for submission and clearly define limited given in regulation; 3) If GOI want implement partial construction as VGF, so the regulation must be improve in guideline for submission and given.

Workplace policies and prevalence of knee osteoarthritis: the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project

PubMed Central

Chen, J-C; Linnan, L; Callahan, L F; Yelin, E H; Renner, J B

2007-01-01

Objective Previous studies on work and knee osteoarthritis (KOA) have been primarily focused on physical demands; very little is known about work-related organisational policies and KOA risks and outcomes. We examined the associations between workplace policies and KOA in a community-based population in the USA. Methods The associations between employment offering accommodations (switch to physically less demanding jobs; part-time work for people needing reduced time) and benefits policies (paid sick leave; disability payment) with KOA outcomes (knee symptoms; symptomatic KOA [sKOA]; asymptomatic radiographic KOA [rKOA]) were analysed in participants (n = 1639) aged <65 years old and with completed employment histories and knee radiographs at baseline examination of the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project. Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate the prevalence odds ratios (ORs) of KOA associated with each workplace policy, adjusting for sociodemographic features, lifestyle factors, knee injuries, body mass index and other workplace characteristics. We used propensity score models to evaluate the differential selection in employment offering favourable policies and adjust for this potential bias accordingly. Results Individuals employed in workplaces offering better policies had significantly less knee symptoms. Lower sKOA prevalence was noted in workplaces offering job-switch accommodation (8% vs. 13%), paid sick leave (9% vs. 16%) and disability payment (8% vs. 16%) than their counterparts. In multivariable models, the difference in sKOA prevalence was statistically significant for paid sick leave (adjusted OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.91) and disability payment policies (adjusted OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.85). Even among those without overt knee-related symptoms, a similar pattern of negative association between workplace policies and rKOA was present and remained robust after propensity score adjustment. Conclusion The negative associations between KOA and workplace policies raise concerns about possible employment discrimination or beneficial effects of workplace policies. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the dynamic complexities of KOA risks and outcomes in relation to workplace policies. PMID:17567725

Workplace policies and prevalence of knee osteoarthritis: the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project.

PubMed

Chen, J-C; Linnan, L; Callahan, L F; Yelin, E H; Renner, J B

2007-12-01

Previous studies on work and knee osteoarthritis (KOA) have been primarily focused on physical demands; very little is known about work-related organisational policies and KOA risks and outcomes. We examined the associations between workplace policies and KOA in a community-based population in the USA. The associations between employment offering accommodations (switch to physically less demanding jobs; part-time work for people needing reduced time) and benefits policies (paid sick leave; disability payment) with KOA outcomes (knee symptoms; symptomatic KOA [sKOA]; asymptomatic radiographic KOA [rKOA]) were analysed in participants (n = 1639) aged <65 years old and with completed employment histories and knee radiographs at baseline examination of the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project. Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate the prevalence odds ratios (ORs) of KOA associated with each workplace policy, adjusting for sociodemographic features, lifestyle factors, knee injuries, body mass index and other workplace characteristics. We used propensity score models to evaluate the differential selection in employment offering favourable policies and adjust for this potential bias accordingly. Individuals employed in workplaces offering better policies had significantly less knee symptoms. Lower sKOA prevalence was noted in workplaces offering job-switch accommodation (8% vs. 13%), paid sick leave (9% vs. 16%) and disability payment (8% vs. 16%) than their counterparts. In multivariable models, the difference in sKOA prevalence was statistically significant for paid sick leave (adjusted OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.91) and disability payment policies (adjusted OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.85). Even among those without overt knee-related symptoms, a similar pattern of negative association between workplace policies and rKOA was present and remained robust after propensity score adjustment. The negative associations between KOA and workplace policies raise concerns about possible employment discrimination or beneficial effects of workplace policies. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the dynamic complexities of KOA risks and outcomes in relation to workplace policies.

Use of evidence to support healthy public policy: a policy effectiveness–feasibility loop

PubMed Central

Bowman, Sarah; Critchley, Julia; Capewell, Simon; Husseini, Abdullatif; Maziak, Wasim; Zaman, Shahaduz; Ben Romdhane, Habiba; Fouad, Fouad; Phillimore, Peter; Unal, Belgin; Khatib, Rana; Shoaibi, Azza; Ahmad, Balsam

2012-01-01

Abstract Public policy plays a key role in improving population health and in the control of diseases, including non-communicable diseases. However, an evidence-based approach to formulating healthy public policy has been difficult to implement, partly on account of barriers that hinder integrated work between researchers and policy-makers. This paper describes a “policy effectiveness–feasibility loop” (PEFL) that brings together epidemiological modelling, local situation analysis and option appraisal to foster collaboration between researchers and policy-makers. Epidemiological modelling explores the determinants of trends in disease and the potential health benefits of modifying them. Situation analysis investigates the current conceptualization of policy, the level of policy awareness and commitment among key stakeholders, and what actually happens in practice, thereby helping to identify policy gaps. Option appraisal integrates epidemiological modelling and situation analysis to investigate the feasibility, costs and likely health benefits of various policy options. The authors illustrate how PEFL was used in a project to inform public policy for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes in four parts of the eastern Mediterranean. They conclude that PEFL may offer a useful framework for researchers and policy-makers to successfully work together to generate evidence-based policy, and they encourage further evaluation of this approach. PMID:23226897

Wrestling with the complexity of evaluation for organizations at the boundary of science, policy and practice.

PubMed

Pitt, Ruth; Wyborn, Carina; Page, Glenn; Hutton, Jonathon; Virah Sawmy, Malika; Ryan, Melanie; Gallagher, Louise

2018-04-16

Boundary organizations have been promoted as a measure to improve the effectiveness of conservation efforts by building stronger relationships between scientists, policy makers, industry and practitioners (Cook et al. 2013). While their promise has been discussed in theory, the work of and expectations for boundary organizations are less defined in practice. Biodiversity conservation is characterized by complexity, uncertainty, dissent and tight budgets, so boundary organizations face the challenging task of demonstrating their value to diverse stakeholders. This paper examines the challenges that boundary organizations face when seeking to evaluate their work. While no 'off-the-shelf' solution is available for a given boundary organization, many lessons can be learned from the evaluation literature. This paper synthesizes key areas of decision making to underpin the choice of evaluation approaches, with the aim of encouraging more productive conversations about evaluation of boundary organizations and the projects they deliver. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Policies for Enabling Corporate Sourcing of Renewable Energy Internationally: A 21st Century Power Partnership Report

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

Bird, Lori; Heeter, Jenny; O'Shaughnessy, Eric

This paper explores the policy and regulatory enabling environment for corporate sourcing of renewables. The paper has been developed in support of the Corporate Sourcing of Renewables Campaign, which was launched at the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) meeting in June 2016. Through the campaign, a subset of CEM member governments is collaborating with corporate and nongovernmental organization partners to facilitate increased corporate procurement of renewables and pursue supportive policies for corporate procurement. This paper finds that policy certainty is essential to creating vibrant markets for renewable energy. While policymakers may need to adjust policy mechanisms over time as markets gomore » through different stages of maturity, they must also consider the economic decisions that end-users make in evaluating projects. Policy interaction is also important to consider because buyers seek assurances that their investments in renewables have impact and wish to make clear claims about their renewable energy purchases.« less

The Quality Improvement Demonstration Study: An example of evidence-based policy-making in practice

PubMed Central

Shimkhada, Riti; Peabody, John W; Quimbo, Stella A; Solon, Orville

2008-01-01

Background Randomized trials have long been the gold-standard for evaluating clinical practice. There is growing recognition that rigorous studies are similarly needed to assess the effects of policy. However, these studies are rarely conducted. We report on the Quality Improvement Demonstration Study (QIDS), an example of a large randomized policy experiment, introduced and conducted in a scientific manner to evaluate the impact of large-scale governmental policy interventions. Methods In 1999 the Philippine government proposed sweeping reforms in the National Health Sector Reform Agenda. We recognized the unique opportunity to conduct a social experiment. Our ongoing goal has been to generate results that inform health policy. Early on we concentrated on developing a multi-institutional collaborative effort. The QIDS team then developed hypotheses that specifically evaluated the impact of two policy reforms on both the delivery of care and long-term health status in children. We formed an experimental design by randomizing matched blocks of three communities into one of the two policy interventions plus a control group. Based on the reform agenda, one arm of the experiment provided expanded insurance coverage for children; the other introduced performance-based payments to hospitals and physicians. Data were collected in household, hospital-based patient exit, and facility surveys, as well as clinical vignettes, which were used to assess physician practice. Delivery of services and health status were evaluated at baseline and after the interventions were put in place using difference-in-difference estimation. Results We found and addressed numerous challenges conducting this study, namely: formalizing the experimental design using the existing health infrastructure; securing funding to do research coincident with the policy reforms; recognizing biases and designing the study to account for these; putting in place a broad data collection effort to account for unanticipated findings; introducing sustainable policy interventions based on the reform agenda; and providing results in real-time to policy makers through a combination of venues. Conclusion QIDS demonstrates that a large, prospective, randomized controlled policy experiment can be successfully implemented at a national level as part of sectoral reform. While we believe policy experiments should be used to generate evidence-based health policy, to do this requires opportunity and trust, strong collaborative relationships, and timing. This study nurtures the growing attitude that translation of scientific findings from the bedside to the community can be done successfully and that we should raise the bar on project evaluation and the policy-making process. PMID:18364050

Projections, plans, policies and politics in Prince George: reflections on five years of climate change adaptation in a northern Canadian community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Picketts, I. M.; Dery, S. J.; Curry, J.

2013-12-01

The City of Prince George, in central British Columbia, Canada, has partnered with academics and collaborators for over five years to address climate change adaptation at the local level. The first phase of research involved conducting a detailed overview of past climate trends and future projections for the region using the outputs of GCMs and downscaled RCMs. This information was communicated to senior local staff and community members, and feedback was applied to create a detailed adaptation strategy for the City, which identified priority impacts and outlined potential strategies to address them at the local level. The top priority impacts for Prince George are forest changes, increased flooding, and impacts to transportation infrastructure. During a second implementation phase of the project, eight local initiatives were completed focusing on: incorporating adaptation into a local sustainability plan and land use plan; exploring impacts related to forests, flooding and transportation infrastructure; and assessing trends and projections in freeze-thaw cycles and heavy rainfall events. This presentation will outline the adaptation initiatives undertaken in the City of Prince George during the second phase of research, and evaluate their effectiveness through reflections from interviews with local planners, engineers, managers, community champions and politicians. The initiatives deemed to be most successful - and most likely to be implemented - focus on topics that: are of high public concern; have clear cost implications; incorporate adaptation into policy; and/or incorporate adaptation into an ongoing project. Outcomes highlight challenges local researchers, practitioners and leaders face as they strive to implement proactive adaptation measures in policy and practice without strong support from policy and professional practices, and with a paucity of successful case study examples to build upon. Outcomes also reveal challenges as municipalities strive to do ';more with less' and work within the reality that adaptation is not generally a high public or political priority. Internal capacity and external support are vital for adaptation success at the local level.

Bringing politics and evidence together: policy entrepreneurship and the conception of the At Home/Chez Soi Housing First Initiative for addressing homelessness and mental illness in Canada.

PubMed

Macnaughton, Eric; Nelson, Geoffrey; Goering, Paula

2013-04-01

An interesting question concerns how large-scale (mental) health services policy initiatives come into being, and the role of evidence within the decision-making process behind their origins. This paper illustrates the process by which motivation to address homelessness, in the context of the upcoming 2010 Vancouver Olympics, was leveraged into a pan-Canadian project including sites in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Moncton, New Brunswick. The aim of the initiative was to implement and evaluate an intervention, Housing First, to provide housing and support to previously homeless people with mental illness. This qualitative case study was conducted between December 2009 and December 2010, employing grounded theory, and drawing on archival documents and interviews with 19 key informants involved in the conception of the project. Overall, the findings affirm that policy-making does not follow a rational, linear process of knowledge translation/exchange (KTE) and implementation, whereby evidence-based "products" are brought forward to address objectively determined needs and then "placed into decision-making events" (Lomas, 2007, p. 130). Instead, evidence-based policy making should be understood within the much more complex context of "policy entrepreneurship" (Kingdon, 2003; Mintrom & Norman, 2009) which entails taking advantage of windows of opportunity, and helping to bring together the "streams" of problems, politics, and policy ideas (Kingdon, 2003). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Implementation of Curricular Reform: Tanzania and Papua New Guinea.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saunders, Murray; Vulliamy, Graham

1983-01-01

Discusses the origins and policy characteristics of the Education for Self Reliance project in Tanzania and the Secondary Schools Community Extension Project in Papua New Guinea. Compares the sociopolitical climate, the policy characteristics, the role of academic assessment, policy change, and examples of the existing policy in the two countries.…

Smoke-free policies and the social acceptability of smoking in Uruguay and Mexico: Findings from the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project

PubMed Central

Boado, Marcelo; Sebrié, Ernesto M.; Bianco, Eduardo

2009-01-01

Introduction Little research has been conducted to determine the psychosocial and behavioral impacts of smoke-free policies in middle-income countries. Methods Cross-sectional data were analyzed from the 2006 waves of the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation. Survey comparing adult smokers in Mexico (n = 1,080), where smoke-free legislation at that time was weak, and Uruguay (n = 1,002), where comprehensive smoke-free legislation was implemented. Analyses aimed to determine whether exposure to smoke-free policies and perceived antismoking social norms were associated with smokers’ receiving cues about the bothersome nature of secondhand smoke (SHS), with smokers’ reactance against such cues, and with smokers’ level of support for smoke-free policies in different venues. Results In bivariate analyses, Uruguayan smokers were more likely than Mexican smokers to experience verbal anti-SHS cues, lower reactance against anti-SHS cues, stronger antismoking societal norms, and stronger support for 100% smoke-free policies in enclosed workplaces, restaurants, and bars. In multivariate models for both countries, the strength of voluntary smoke-free policies at home was independently associated with support for smoke-free policies across all venues queried, except for in bars among Uruguayans. Perceived strength of familial antismoking norms was consistently associated with all indicators of the social acceptability of smoking in Uruguay but only with the frequency of receiving anti-SHS verbal cues in Mexico. Discussion These results are generally consistent with previous research indicating that comprehensive smoke-free policies are likely to increase the social unacceptability of smoking and that resistance against such policies is likely to diminish once such policies are in place. PMID:19380383

Smoke-free policies and the social acceptability of smoking in Uruguay and Mexico: findings from the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project.

PubMed

Thrasher, James F; Boado, Marcelo; Sebrié, Ernesto M; Bianco, Eduardo

2009-06-01

Little research has been conducted to determine the psychosocial and behavioral impacts of smoke-free policies in middle-income countries. Cross-sectional data were analyzed from the 2006 waves of the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation. Survey comparing adult smokers in Mexico (n = 1,080), where smoke-free legislation at that time was weak, and Uruguay (n = 1,002), where comprehensive smoke-free legislation was implemented. Analyses aimed to determine whether exposure to smoke-free policies and perceived antismoking social norms were associated with smokers' receiving cues about the bothersome nature of secondhand smoke (SHS), with smokers' reactance against such cues, and with smokers' level of support for smoke-free policies in different venues. In bivariate analyses, Uruguayan smokers were more likely than Mexican smokers to experience verbal anti-SHS cues, lower reactance against anti-SHS cues, stronger antismoking societal norms, and stronger support for 100% smoke-free policies in enclosed workplaces, restaurants, and bars. In multivariate models for both countries, the strength of voluntary smoke-free policies at home was independently associated with support for smoke-free policies across all venues queried, except for in bars among Uruguayans. Perceived strength of familial antismoking norms was consistently associated with all indicators of the social acceptability of smoking in Uruguay but only with the frequency of receiving anti-SHS verbal cues in Mexico. These results are generally consistent with previous research indicating that comprehensive smoke-free policies are likely to increase the social unacceptability of smoking and that resistance against such policies is likely to diminish once such policies are in place.

Evaluating the oil sands reclamation process: Assessing policy capacity and stakeholder access for government and non-governmental organizations operating in Alberta's oil sands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patterson, Tyler

By employing interpretive policy analysis this thesis aims to assess, measure, and explain policy capacity for government and non-government organizations involved in reclaiming Alberta's oil sands. Using this type of analysis to assess policy capacity is a novel approach for understanding reclamation policy; and therefore, this research will provide a unique contribution to the literature surrounding reclamation policy. The oil sands region in northeast Alberta, Canada is an area of interest for a few reasons; primarily because of the vast reserves of bitumen and the environmental cost associated with developing this resource. An increase in global oil demand has established incentive for industry to seek out and develop new reserves. Alberta's oil sands are one of the largest remaining reserves in the world, and there is significant interest in increasing production in this region. Furthermore, tensions in several oil exporting nations in the Middle East remain unresolved, and this has garnered additional support for a supply side solution to North American oil demands. This solution relies upon the development of reserves in both the United States and Canada. These compounding factors have contributed to the increased development in the oil sands of northeastern Alberta. Essentially, a rapid expansion of oil sands operations is ongoing, and is the source of significant disturbance across the region. This disturbance, and the promises of reclamation, is a source of contentious debates amongst stakeholders and continues to be highly visible in the media. If oil sands operations are to retain their social license to operate, it is critical that reclamation efforts be effective. One concern non-governmental organizations (NGOs) expressed criticizes the current monitoring and enforcement of regulatory programs in the oil sands. Alberta's NGOs have suggested the data made available to them originates from industrial sources, and is generally unchecked by government. In an effort to discern the overall status of reclamation in the oil sands this study explores several factors essential to policy capacity: work environment, training, employee attitudes, perceived capacity, policy tools, evidence based work, and networking. Data was collected through key informant interviews with senior policy professionals in government and non-government agencies in Alberta. The following are agencies of interest in this research: Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP); Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (AESRD); Alberta Energy Regulator (AER); Cumulative Environmental Management Association (CEMA); Alberta Environment Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting Agency (AEMERA); Wood Buffalo Environmental Association (WBEA). The aim of this research is to explain how and why reclamation policy is conducted in Alberta's oil sands. This will illuminate government capacity, NGO capacity, and the interaction of these two agency typologies. In addition to answering research questions, another goal of this project is to show interpretive analysis of policy capacity can be used to measure and predict policy effectiveness. The oil sands of Alberta will be the focus of this project, however, future projects could focus on any government policy scenario utilizing evidence-based approaches.

Evaluation of Policy Options for Increasing the Availability of Primary Care Services in Rural Washington State.

PubMed

Friedberg, Mark W; Martsolf, Grant R; White, Chapin; Auerbach, David I; Kandrack, Ryan; Reid, Rachel O; Butcher, Emily; Yu, Hao; Hollands, Simon; Nie, Xiaoyu

2017-01-01

The Washington State legislature has recently considered several policy options to address a perceived shortage of primary care physicians in rural Washington. These policy options include opening the new Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine at Washington State University in 2017; increasing the number of primary care residency positions in the state; expanding educational loan-repayment incentives to encourage primary care physicians to practice in rural Washington; increasing Medicaid payment rates for primary care physicians in rural Washington; and encouraging the adoption of alternative models of primary care, such as medical homes and nurse-managed health centers, that reallocate work from physicians to nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs). RAND Corporation researchers projected the effects that these and other policy options could have on the state's rural primary care workforce through 2025. They project a 7-percent decrease in the number of rural primary care physicians and a 5-percent decrease in the number of urban ones. None of the policy options modeled in this study, on its own, will offset this expected decrease by relying on physicians alone. However, combinations of these strategies or partial reallocation of rural primary care services to NPs and PAs via such new practice models as medical homes and nurse-managed health centers are plausible options for preserving the overall availability of primary care services in rural Washington through 2025.

The French eco-neighbourhood evaluation model: Contributions to sustainable city making and to the evolution of urban practices.

PubMed

Chastenet, Cédissia About-de; Belziti, Daniela; Bessis, Bruno; Faucheux, Franck; Le Sceller, Thibaut; Monaco, François-Xavier; Pech, Pierre

2016-07-01

In this article we discuss whether the French eco-neighbourhood policy tool may be considered as an original experimentation in sustainable urban planning. From scientific literature across a number of countries and especially in European context, we present what kind of policies may achieve eco-neighbourhoods. Then we present what the French framework is, and what tools to promote and elaborate eco-neighbourhoods there are in France. Thirdly, in fact, both French policies, national and local, concerning eco-neighbourhood projects, seem to integrate means of assessing urban projects and this assessment achieves a kind of certification. While the Ministry in charge of Urban Planning has developed the national EcoQuartier ("EcoNeighbourhood" in English) certification, the City of Paris and other local authorities have designed similar tools, which integrate a large number of parameters dealing with urban sustainability and which are designed to evolve over time. Finally, we discuss whether the French tool is really original and whether it prefigures new practices in the field of sustainable urban development. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pathways to policy: Lessons learned in multisectoral collaboration for physical activity and built environment policy development from the Coalitions Linking Action and Science for Prevention (CLASP) initiative.

PubMed

Politis, Christopher E; Mowat, David L; Keen, Deb

2017-06-16

The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer funded 12 large-scale knowledge to action cancer and chronic disease prevention projects between 2009 and 2016 through the Coalitions Linking Action and Science for Prevention (CLASP) initiative. Two projects, Healthy Canada by Design (HCBD) and Children's Mobility, Health and Happiness (CMHH), developed policies to address physical activity and the built environment through a multisectoral approach. A qualitative analysis involving a review of 183 knowledge products and 8 key informant interviews was conducted to understand what policy changes occurred, and the underlying critical success factors, through these projects. Both projects worked at the local level to change physical activity and built environment policy in 203 sites, including municipalities and schools. Both projects brought multisectoral expertise (e.g., public health, land use planning, transportation engineering, education, etc.) together to inform the development of local healthy public policy in the areas of land use, transportation and school travel planning. Through the qualitative analysis of the knowledge products and key informant interviews, 163 policies were attributed to HCBD and CMHH work. Fourteen "pathways to policy" were identified as critical success factors facilitating and accelerating the development and implementation of physical activity and built environment policy. Of the 14 pathways to policy, 8 had a focus on multisectoral collaboration. The lessons learned from the CLASP experience could support enhanced multisectoral collaborations to accelerate the development and implementation of physical activity and built environment policy in new jurisdictions across Canada and internationally.

The role of policy in improving diets: experiences from the Pacific Obesity Prevention in Communities food policy project.

PubMed

Thow, A M; Snowdon, W; Schultz, J T; Leeder, S; Vivili, P; Swinburn, B A

2011-11-01

There is global interest in using multisectoral policy approaches to improve diets, and reduce obesity and non-communicable disease. However, there has been ad hoc implementation, which in some sectors such as the economic sector has been very limited, because of the lack of quality evidence on potential costs and impacts, and the inherent challenges associated with cross-sectoral policy development and implementation. The Pacific Obesity Prevention in Communities food policy project aimed to inform relevant policy development and implementation in Pacific Island countries. The project developed an innovative participatory approach to identifying and assessing potential policy options in terms of their effectiveness and feasibility. It also used policy analysis methodology to assess three policy initiatives to reduce fatty meat availability and four soft drink taxes in the region, in order to identify strategies for supporting effective policy implementation. © 2011 The Authors. obesity reviews © 2011 International Association for the Study of Obesity.

Evaluation of the National School Lunch Program Application/Verification Pilot Projects, Volume V: Analysis of Applications. Nutrition Assistance Program Report Series. Report No. CN-04-AV4

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hulsey, Lara; Gleason, Philip; Ohls, James

2004-01-01

This report, the fifth in a serious of reports about the evaluation of the National School Lunch Program focuses on issues relating to applications for free or reduced-price meals. In particular, it presents (1) an impact analysis of the effects of the pilot policies on the number of applications submitted, and (2) a descriptive analysis of the…

Control of Cattle Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases by Acaricide in Southern Province of Zambia: A Retrospective Evaluation of Animal Health Measures According to Current One Health Concepts.

PubMed

Laing, Gabrielle; Aragrande, Maurizio; Canali, Massimo; Savic, Sara; De Meneghi, Daniele

2018-01-01

One health thinking for health interventions is increasingly being used to capture previously unseen stakeholders and impacts across people, animals, and the environment. The Network for One Health Evaluation (NEOH) proposes a systems-based framework to quantitatively assess integration and highlight the added value (theory of change) that this approach will bring to a project. This case study will retrospectively evaluate the pioneering use of a One Health (OH) approach during an international collaboration (satellite project to tackle production losses due to tick-borne disease in cattle in Southern Zambia in late 1980s). The objective of the evaluation is twofold: retrospective evaluation the OH-ness of the satellite project and identification of costs and benefits. Data for evaluation was recovered from publications, project documents, and witness interviews. A mixed qualitative and quantitative evaluation was undertaken. In this case study, a transdisciplinary approach allowed for the identification of a serious public health risk arising from the unexpected reuse of chemical containers by the local public against advice. Should this pioneering project not have been completed then it is assumed this behavior could have had a large impact on public wellbeing and ultimately reduced regional productivity and compromised welfare. From the economic evaluation, the costs of implementing this OH approach, helping to avoid harm, were small in comparison to overall project costs. The overall OH Index was 0.34. The satellite project demonstrated good OH operations by managing to incorporate the input across multiple dimensions but was slightly weaker on OH infrastructures (OH Ratio = 1.20). These quantitative results can be used in the initial validation and benchmarking of this novel framework. Limitations of the evaluation were mainly a lack of data due to the length of time since project completion and a lack of formal monitoring of program impact. In future health strategy development and execution, routine monitoring and evaluation from an OH perspective (by utilizing the framework proposed by NEOH), could prove valuable or used as a tool for retrospective evaluation of existing policies.

Assessing the effect of desertification controlling projects and policies in northern Shaanxi Province, China by integrating remote sensing and farmer investigation data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Duanyang; Song, Alin; Song, Xiao

2017-12-01

To combat desertification, the Chinese government has launched a series of Desertification Controlling Projects and Policies over the past several decades. However, the effect of these projects and policies remains controversial due to a lack of suitable methods and data to assess them. In this paper, the authors selected the farming-pastoral region of the northern Shaanxi Province in China as a sample region and attempted to assess the effect of Desertification Controlling Projects and Policies launched after 2000 by combining remote sensing and farmer investigation data. The results showed that the combination of these two complementary assessments can provide comprehensive information to support decision-making. According to the remote sensing and Net Primary Production data, the research region experienced an obvious desertification reversion between 2000 and 2010, and approximately 70% of this reversion can be explained by Desertification Controlling Projects and Policies. Farmer investigation data also indicated that these projects and policies were the dominating factor contributing to desertification reversion, and approximately 70% of investigated farmers agreed with this conclusion. However, low supervision and subsidy levels were issues that limited the policy effect. Therefore, it is necessary for the government to enhance supervision, raise subsidy levels, and develop environmental protection regulations to encourage more farmers to participate in desertification control.

Applying a Mixed-Methods Evaluation to Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities

PubMed Central

Brownson, Ross C.; Kemner, Allison L.; Brennan, Laura K.

2016-01-01

From 2008 to 2014, the Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities (HKHC) national program funded 49 communities across the United States and Puerto Rico to implement healthy eating and active living policy, system, and environmental changes to support healthier communities for children and families, with special emphasis on reaching children at highest risk for obesity on the basis of race, ethnicity, income, or geographic location. Evaluators designed a mixed-methods evaluation to capture the complexity of the HKHC projects, understand implementation, and document perceived and actual impacts of these efforts. PMID:25828217

Healthy city projects in developing countries: the first evaluation.

PubMed

Harpham, T; Burton, S; Blue, I

2001-06-01

The 'healthy city' concept has only recently been adopted in developing countries. From 1995 to 1999, the World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, supported healthy city projects (HCPs) in Cox's Bazar (Bangladesh), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Fayoum (Egypt), Managua (Nicaragua) and Quetta (Pakistan). The authors evaluated four of these projects, representing the first major evaluation of HCPs in developing countries. Methods used were stakeholder analysis, workshops, document analysis and interviews with 102 managers/implementers and 103 intended beneficiaries. Municipal health plan development (one of the main components of the healthy city strategy) in these cities was limited, which is a similar finding to evaluations of HCPs in Europe. The main activities selected by the projects were awareness raising and environmental improvements, particularly solid waste disposal. Two of the cities effectively used the 'settings' approach of the healthy city concept, whereby places such as markets and schools are targeted. The evaluation found that stakeholder involvement varied in relation to: (i) the level of knowledge of the project; (ii) the project office location; (iii) the project management structure; and (iv) type of activities (ranging from low stakeholder involvement in capital-intensive infrastructure projects, to high in some settings-type activities). There was evidence to suggest that understanding of environment-health links was increased across stakeholders. There was limited political commitment to the healthy city projects, perhaps due to the fact that most of the municipalities had not requested the projects. Consequently, the projects had little influence on written/expressed municipal policies. Some of the projects mobilized considerable resources, and most projects achieved effective intersectoral collaboration. WHO support enabled the project coordinators to network at national and international levels, and the capacity of these individuals (although not necessarily their institutions) was increased by the project. The average annual running cost of the projects was approximately 132,000 US dollars per city, which is close to the costs of the only other HCP for which a cost analysis has been undertaken, Bangkok (115,000 US dollars per year) Recommendations for these and other HCPs are provided.

Looking Across and Looking Beyond the Knowledge Frontier: Intellectual Distance, Novelty, and Resource Allocation in Science

PubMed Central

Boudreau, Kevin J.; Guinan, Eva C.; Lakhani, Karim R.; Riedl, Christoph

2016-01-01

Selecting among alternative projects is a core management task in all innovating organizations. In this paper, we focus on the evaluation of frontier scientific research projects. We argue that the “intellectual distance” between the knowledge embodied in research proposals and an evaluator’s own expertise systematically relates to the evaluations given. To estimate relationships, we designed and executed a grant proposal process at a leading research university in which we randomized the assignment of evaluators and proposals to generate 2,130 evaluator–proposal pairs. We find that evaluators systematically give lower scores to research proposals that are closer to their own areas of expertise and to those that are highly novel. The patterns are consistent with biases associated with boundedly rational evaluation of new ideas. The patterns are inconsistent with intellectual distance simply contributing “noise” or being associated with private interests of evaluators. We discuss implications for policy, managerial intervention, and allocation of resources in the ongoing accumulation of scientific knowledge. PMID:27746512

Implementation of new clinical programs in the VHA healthcare system: the importance of early collaboration between clinical leadership and research.

PubMed

Wu, R Ryanne; Kinsinger, Linda S; Provenzale, Dawn; King, Heather A; Akerly, Patricia; Barnes, Lottie K; Datta, Santanu K; Grubber, Janet M; Katich, Nicholas; McNeil, Rebecca B; Monte, Robert; Sperber, Nina R; Atkins, David; Jackson, George L

2014-12-01

Collaboration between policy, research, and clinical partners is crucial to achieving proven quality care. The Veterans Health Administration has expended great efforts towards fostering such collaborations. Through this, we have learned that an ideal collaboration involves partnership from the very beginning of a new clinical program, so that the program is designed in a way that ensures quality, validity, and puts into place the infrastructure necessary for a reliable evaluation. This paper will give an example of one such project, the Lung Cancer Screening Demonstration Project (LCSDP). We will outline the ways that clinical, policy, and research partners collaborated in design, planning, and implementation in order to create a sustainable model that could be rigorously evaluated for efficacy and fidelity. We will describe the use of the Donabedian quality matrix to determine the necessary characteristics of a quality program and the importance of the linkage with engineering, information technology, and clinical paradigms to connect the development of an on-the-ground clinical program with the evaluation goal of a learning healthcare organization. While the LCSDP is the example given here, these partnerships and suggestions are salient to any healthcare organization seeking to implement new scientifically proven care in a useful and reliable way.

Enriching the Preparation of Education Researchers and Practitioner-Scholars: Linking School District Research Priorities and University-Based Policy Evaluation Research Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malen, Betty

2017-01-01

This article analyzes a novel effort to strengthen the preparation of both practitioner-scholars and education researchers. It describes a university-district partnership that offers graduate students the opportunity to develop research understandings and skills through participation in a "real" research project and provides district…

Teacher Hiring, Transfer and Evaluation in Los Angeles Unified School District. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New Teacher Project, 2009

2009-01-01

In the spring and summer of 2008, The New Teacher Project (TNTP) partnered with Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to investigate the impact of the school district's policies and practices on the ability of schools to build and maintain strong instructional teams. TNTP's analysis included the following components: (1) Analysis of teacher…

Assessment of DoD Suicide Prevention Processes

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-30

Assessment of DoD Suicide Prevention Processes S E P T E M B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 5 Report No. DODIG-2015-182 Mission Our mission is to provide independent......Objective The objectives of this project were to: 1) evaluate DoD processes used to develop suicide prevention policy and 2) determine what process

Teacher Hiring, Transfer and Evaluation in Pueblo City Schools, CO. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New Teacher Project, 2008

2008-01-01

In the winter and spring of 2008, The New Teacher Project (TNTP) partnered with Pueblo City Schools (PCS) in Pueblo, Colorado to assess the impact of the district's policies and practices on the ability of schools to build and maintain strong instructional teams. TNTP's analysis included the following components: (1) Interviews with a diverse…

STOICHIOMETRIC MODEL FOR EVALUATING THE METABOLIC CAPABILITIES OF THE FACULTATIVE METHYLOTROPH METHYLOBACTERIUM EXTORQUENS AM1, WITH APPLICATION TO RECONSTRUCTION OF C(3) AND C(4) METABOLISM. (R826729)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

SPREADSHEET METHOD FOR EVALUATION OF BIOCHEMICAL REACTION RATE COEFFICIENTS AND THEIR UNCERTAINTIES BY WEIGHTED NONLINEAR LEAST-SQUARES ANALYSIS OF THE INTEGRATED MONOD EQUATION. (R825689C036)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Evaluating the Impact of Infrastructure Rehabilitation Projects on Household Welfare in Rural Georgia. Policy Research Working Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lokshin, Michael; Yemtsov, Ruslan

Economic and political turmoil have led to a dramatic fall in living standards in the Republic of Georgia. Rural areas have been hit particularly hard, suffering from increasing marginalization; worsening access to roads, information, health care facilities and markets; and dilapidation of health and education establishments. In an effort to…

Performance-Based Contracting in Residential Care and Treatment: Driving Policy and Practice Change through Public-Private Partnership in Illinois

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kearney, Kathleen A.; McEwen, Erwin; Bloom-Ellis, Brice; Jordan, Neil

2010-01-01

The National Quality Improvement Center on the Privatization of Child Welfare Services selected Illinois as a demonstration site in 2007 to evaluate performance-based contracting in residential treatment services. This article discusses the first two years of project implementation including developing residential treatment performance indicators,…

Waverly, Iowa Smart Planning Workshop: Policy Options and Project Designs

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This report from the EPA-FEMA technical assistance project in Waverly, IA, presents policy options and project design ideas that could help new development be more resilient to disasters such as floods while bringing multiple benefits.

Geospatial Optimization of Siting Large-Scale Solar Projects

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

Macknick, Jordan; Quinby, Ted; Caulfield, Emmet

2014-03-01

Recent policy and economic conditions have encouraged a renewed interest in developing large-scale solar projects in the U.S. Southwest. However, siting large-scale solar projects is complex. In addition to the quality of the solar resource, solar developers must take into consideration many environmental, social, and economic factors when evaluating a potential site. This report describes a proof-of-concept, Web-based Geographical Information Systems (GIS) tool that evaluates multiple user-defined criteria in an optimization algorithm to inform discussions and decisions regarding the locations of utility-scale solar projects. Existing siting recommendations for large-scale solar projects from governmental and non-governmental organizations are not consistent withmore » each other, are often not transparent in methods, and do not take into consideration the differing priorities of stakeholders. The siting assistance GIS tool we have developed improves upon the existing siting guidelines by being user-driven, transparent, interactive, capable of incorporating multiple criteria, and flexible. This work provides the foundation for a dynamic siting assistance tool that can greatly facilitate siting decisions among multiple stakeholders.« less

TRUST: A Successful Formal-Informal Teacher Education Partnership Designed to Improve and Promote Urban Earth Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sloan, H.; Drantch, K.; Steenhuis, J.

2006-12-01

We present an NSF-funded collaborative formal-informal partnership for urban Earth science teacher preparation and professional development. This model brings together The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) and Brooklyn and Lehman College of the City University of New York (CUNY) to address science-impoverished classrooms that lack highly qualified teachers by focusing on Earth science teacher certification. Project design was based on identified needs in the local communities and schools, careful analysis of content knowledge mastery required for Earth science teacher certification, and existing impediments to certification. The problem-based approach required partners to push policy envelopes and to invent new ways of articulating content and pedagogy at both intra- and inter-institutional levels. One key element of the project is involvement of the local board of education, teachers, and administrators in initial design and ongoing assessment. Project components include formal Earth systems science courses, a summer institute primarily led and delivered by AMNH scientists through an informal series of lectures coupled to workshops led by AMNH educators, a mechanism for assigning course credit for informal experiences, development of new teaching approaches that include teacher action plans and an external program of evaluation. The principal research strand of this project focuses on the resulting model for formal-informal teacher education partnership, the project's impact on participating teachers, policy issues surrounding the model and the changes required for its development and implementation, and its potential for Earth science education reform. As the grant funded portion of the project draws to a close we begin to analyze data collected over the past 3 years. Third-year findings of the project's external evaluation indicate that the problem-based approach has been highly successful, particularly its impact on participating teachers. In addition to presenting these results, participating teachers from the 2004 and 2006 cohorts discuss their TRUST experiences and the subsequent impact the program has had on their respective Earth science teaching practices and professional lives.

48 CFR 22.503 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Policy. 22.503 Section 22.503 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION SOCIOECONOMIC PROGRAMS... Projects 22.503 Policy. (a) Project labor agreements are a tool that agencies may use to promote economy...

Assessment and prevention of acute health effects of weather conditions in Europe, the PHEWE project: background, objectives, design

PubMed Central

Michelozzi, Paola; Kirchmayer, Ursula; Katsouyanni, Klea; Biggeri, Annibale; McGregor, Glenn; Menne, Bettina; Kassomenos, Pavlos; Anderson, Hugh Ross; Baccini, Michela; Accetta, Gabriele; Analytis, Antonis; Kosatsky, Tom

2007-01-01

Background The project "Assessment and prevention of acute health effects of weather conditions in Europe" (PHEWE) had the aim of assessing the association between weather conditions and acute health effects, during both warm and cold seasons in 16 European cities with widely differing climatic conditions and to provide information for public health policies. Methods The PHEWE project was a three-year pan-European collaboration between epidemiologists, meteorologists and experts in public health. Meteorological, air pollution and mortality data from 16 cities and hospital admission data from 12 cities were available from 1990 to 2000. The short-term effect on mortality/morbidity was evaluated through city-specific and pooled time series analysis. The interaction between weather and air pollutants was evaluated and health impact assessments were performed to quantify the effect on the different populations. A heat/health watch warning system to predict oppressive weather conditions and alert the population was developed in a subgroup of cities and information on existing prevention policies and of adaptive strategies was gathered. Results Main results were presented in a symposium at the conference of the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology in Paris on September 6th 2006 and will be published as scientific articles. The present article introduces the project and includes a description of the database and the framework of the applied methodology. Conclusion The PHEWE project offers the opportunity to investigate the relationship between temperature and mortality in 16 European cities, representing a wide range of climatic, socio-demographic and cultural characteristics; the use of a standardized methodology allows for direct comparison between cities. PMID:17456236

Job enrichment: creating meaningful career development opportunities for nurses.

PubMed

Duffield, Christine; Baldwin, Richard; Roche, Michael; Wise, Sarah

2014-09-01

This paper presents an evaluation of a career development policy in South Australia which increased the number of senior staff nurse positions and provided senior registered nurses with time away from clinical duties to undertake agreed projects. We use Kanter's model of structural power and commitment theory to understand the dimensions of this policy. Development strategies for experienced staff who wish to remain at the bedside are needed, especially in smaller health services with limited opportunities for horizontal or vertical mobility. Face-to-face semistructured interviews were conducted with 54 senior staff nurses who participated in the career structure arrangements. The policy enhanced the structure of opportunity in three ways: by increasing the number of senior staff nurse positions, the ladder steps were improved; undertaking strategic projects developed new skills; and the job enrichment approach facilitated time out from the immediate pressures of ward work and challenged nurses in a different way. Through job enrichment, South Australia has found a novel way of providing meaningful career development opportunities for experienced nurses. Methods of job enrichment need to be considered as part of career development policy, especially where movement between clinical facilities is limited and staff wish to remain at the bedside. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Management of major system programs and projects. Handbook

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

This Handbook establishes the detailed policies and processes for implementing NMI 7120.4, 'Management of Major System Programs and Projects'. It constitutes a comprehensive source of the specific policies and processes governing management of major development programs/projects and is intended as a resource to the entire program/project management (PPM) community.

The relationship between health policy and public health interventions: a case study of the DRIVE project to "end" the HIV epidemic among people who inject drugs in Haiphong, Vietnam.

PubMed

Hammett, Theodore M; Trang, Nguyen Thu; Oanh, Khuat Thi Hai; Huong, Nguyen Thi; Giang, Le Minh; Huong, Duong Thi; Nagot, Nicolas; Des Jarlais, Don C

2018-05-01

We present a case study of the effects of health policies on the implementation and potential outcomes of a public health intervention, using the DRIVE project, that aims to 'end' the HIV epidemic among people who inject drugs in Haiphong, Vietnam. DRIVE's success depends on two policy transitions: (1) integration of donor-funded HIV outpatient clinics into public health clinics and expansion of social health insurance; (2) implementation of a "Renovation Plan" for substance use treatment. Interviews and focus group discussions with key informants and review of policy documents and clinic data reveal that both policy transitions are underway but face challenges. DRIVE promises to show how evolving policy affects health interventions and how advocacy based on project data can improve policy. Broad lessons include the importance of clear and consistent policies, vigorous enforcement, and adequate funding of promulgated policies.

Earned print media in advancing tobacco control in Himachal Pradesh, India: a descriptive study.

PubMed

Sharma, Renu; Shewade, Hemant Deepak; Gopalan, Balasubramaniam; Badrel, Ramesh Kumar; Rana, Jugdeep Singh

2017-01-01

The Union-Bloomberg Initiative tobacco control projects were implemented in Himachal Pradesh (a hilly state in North India) from 2007 to 2014. The project focused on the establishment of an administrative framework; increasing the capacity of stakeholders; enforcement of legislation; coalition and networking with multiple stakeholders; awareness generation with focus on earned media and monitoring and evaluation with policy-focussed research. This study aimed to systematically analyse all earned print news items related to the projects. In this cross-sectional descriptive study, quantitative content analysis of earned print news items was carried out using predetermined codes related to areas of tobacco control policies. We also carried out a cost description of the hypothetical value of this earned media. The area of the news item in cm 2 was multiplied by the average rate of space for the paid news item in that particular newspaper. There were 6348 news items: the numbers steadily increased with time. Focus on Monitoring tobacco use, Protecting people from tobacco smoke, Offering help to quit, Warning about dangers of tobacco, Enforcing a ban on tobacco advertising and promotion, Raising tax on tobacco products was seen in 24, 17, 9, 23, 22 and 3% of news items, respectively. Press releases were highest at 44% and report by correspondents at 24%. Further, 55, 23 and 21% news items focused on smoking, smokeless and both forms of tobacco use, respectively. Sixty-six per cent and 34% news items, respectively, were focused on youth and women. The news items had a hypothetical value of US$1503 628.3, which was three times more than the funds spent on all project activities. In the absence of funding for paid media, the project strategically used earned media to promote tobacco control policies in the state.

Integrating Financial Aid and Financial Policies: Case Studies from Five States. Changing Direction: Integrating Higher Education Financial Aid and Financing Policies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, Boulder, CO.

This report is a collection of five state case studies comprising a major component of the first phase of the project, "Changing Direction: Integrating Higher Education Financial Aid and Financing Policies." The project explored state-level strategies to better align financing and financial aid policies and support more informed decision…

A top-down approach to projecting market impacts of climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lemoine, Derek; Kapnick, Sarah

2016-01-01

To evaluate policies to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, economic models require estimates of how future climate change will affect well-being. So far, nearly all estimates of the economic impacts of future warming have been developed by combining estimates of impacts in individual sectors of the economy. Recent work has used variation in warming over time and space to produce top-down estimates of how past climate and weather shocks have affected economic output. Here we propose a statistical framework for converting these top-down estimates of past economic costs of regional warming into projections of the economic cost of future global warming. Combining the latest physical climate models, socioeconomic projections, and economic estimates of past impacts, we find that future warming could raise the expected rate of economic growth in richer countries, reduce the expected rate of economic growth in poorer countries, and increase the variability of growth by increasing the climate's variability. This study suggests we should rethink the focus on global impacts and the use of deterministic frameworks for modelling impacts and policy.

Introduction of Energy and Climate Mitigation Policy Issues in Energy - Environment Model of Latvia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klavs, G.; Rekis, J.

2016-12-01

The present research is aimed at contributing to the Latvian national climate policy development by projecting total GHG emissions up to 2030, by evaluating the GHG emission reduction path in the non-ETS sector at different targets set for emissions reduction and by evaluating the obtained results within the context of the obligations defined by the EU 2030 policy framework for climate and energy. The method used in the research was bottom-up, linear programming optimisation model MARKAL code adapted as the MARKAL-Latvia model with improvements for perfecting the integrated assessment of climate policy. The modelling results in the baseline scenario, reflecting national economic development forecasts and comprising the existing GHG emissions reduction policies and measures, show that in 2030 emissions will increase by 19.1 % compared to 2005. GHG emissions stabilisation and reduction in 2030, compared to 2005, were researched in respective alternative scenarios. Detailed modelling and analysis of the Latvian situation according to the scenario of non-ETS sector GHG emissions stabilisation and reduction in 2030 compared to 2005 have revealed that to implement a cost effective strategy of GHG emissions reduction first of all a policy should be developed that ensures effective absorption of the available energy efficiency potential in all consumer sectors. The next group of emissions reduction measures includes all non-ETS sectors (industry, services, agriculture, transport, and waste management).

Renewable Energy Finance Tracking Initiative (REFTI) Solar Trend Analysis

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

Hubbell, R.; Lowder, T.; Mendelsohn, M.

This report is a summary of the finance trends for small-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) projects (PV <1 MW), large-scale PV projects (PV greater than or equal to 1 MW), and concentrated solar power projects as reported in the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Renewable Energy Finance Tracking Initiative (REFTI). The report presents REFTI data during the five quarterly periods from the fourth quarter of 2009 to the first half of 2011. The REFTI project relies exclusively on the voluntary participation of industry stakeholders for its data; therefore, it does not offer a comprehensive view of the technologies it tracks. Despite thismore » limitation, REFTI is the only publicly available resource for renewable energy project financial terms. REFTI analysis offers usable inputs into the project economic evaluations of developers and investors, as well as the policy assessments of public utility commissions and others in the renewable energy industry.« less

A nationwide survey of patient centered medical home demonstration projects.

PubMed

Bitton, Asaf; Martin, Carina; Landon, Bruce E

2010-06-01

The patient centered medical home has received considerable attention as a potential way to improve primary care quality and limit cost growth. Little information exists that systematically compares PCMH pilot projects across the country. Cross-sectional key-informant interviews. Leaders from existing PCMH demonstration projects with external payment reform. We used a semi-structured interview tool with the following domains: project history, organization and participants, practice requirements and selection process, medical home recognition, payment structure, practice transformation, and evaluation design. A total of 26 demonstrations in 18 states were interviewed. Current demonstrations include over 14,000 physicians caring for nearly 5 million patients. A majority of demonstrations are single payer, and most utilize a three component payment model (traditional fee for service, per person per month fixed payments, and bonus performance payments). The median incremental revenue per physician per year was $22,834 (range $720 to $91,146). Two major practice transformation models were identified--consultative and implementation of the chronic care model. A majority of demonstrations did not have well-developed evaluation plans. Current PCMH demonstration projects with external payment reform include large numbers of patients and physicians as well as a wide spectrum of implementation models. Key questions exist around the adequacy of current payment mechanisms and evaluation plans as public and policy interest in the PCMH model grows.

City-Level Energy Decision Making. Data Use in Energy Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation in U.S. Cities

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

Aznar, Alexandra; Day, Megan; Doris, Elizabeth

2015-07-08

The Cities-LEAP technical report, City-Level Energy Decision Making: Data Use in Energy Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation in U.S. Cities, explores how a sample of cities incorporates data into making energy-related decisions. This report provides the foundation for forthcoming components of the Cities-LEAP project that will help cities improve energy decision making by mapping specific city energy or climate policies and actions to measurable impacts and results.

The commercial evolution of the Titan program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isakowitz, Steven

1988-07-01

The present status evaluation of proprietary efforts to turn the once exclusively government-requirements-oriented Titan launch vehicle into a successful commercial competitor is divided into three phases. The first phase notes recent changes in U.S. space transportation policy and the Titan configurations evaluated for commercial feasibility. The second phase is a development history for the current vehicle's marketing organization and the right-to-use agreement for a launch site. Phase three projects the prospective marketing climate for a commercial Titan vehicle and its planned improvements.

A review of obesity-themed policy briefs.

PubMed

Dodson, Elizabeth A; Eyler, Amy A; Chalifour, Stephanie; Wintrode, Christopher G

2012-09-01

Policy approaches are one of the most promising population-based means of addressing the epidemic of obesity in the U.S., especially as they create supportive environments for healthy living. Policy briefs can be an effective means of disseminating research information to inform obesity prevention efforts; however, they are often ineffective because of length, density, and inaccessibility. The purposes of this project were to identify a collection of obesity-related policy briefs, analyze the content, and make recommendations for model policy briefs. In 2010, online searching strategies were developed with criteria that included a primary topical focus on obesity, written between 2000 and 2010, targeting any population age group, including a policy-change message, and being readily available online. The research team developed a coding tool and used it to analyze briefs. A subsample of the briefs was used for further analysis on dissemination. Analyses were conducted on 100 briefs. Most (72%) were developed between 2005 and 2010; the average length was five pages. The majority had no tables, few figures, and only 36% included photos. The average reading level was high. A lack of monitoring or evaluating dissemination efforts prevailed. Policy briefs represent an effective, often-preferred, potent tool for public health practitioners and researchers to communicate information to policymakers. Recommendations include presenting information clearly, using a concise format, including design elements, noting reference and contact information, employing active and targeted dissemination efforts, and conducting evaluation. Copyright © 2012 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Public policy issues. A Southern California Gas Company project SAGE report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barbieri, R. H.; Hirsberg, A. S.

1978-01-01

The use of solar energy to stretch our supplies of fossil fuels was investigated. Project SAGE (semi-automated ground environment) addresses itself to one application of this goal, solar assistance in central water heating systems for multifamily projects. Public policy issues that affect the rate of adoption of solar energy systems were investigated and policy actions were offered to accelerate the adoption of SAGE and other solar energy systems.

The role of tobacco control policies in reducing smoking and deaths caused by smoking in an Eastern European nation: results from the Albania SimSmoke simulation model.

PubMed

Levy, David T; Ross, Hana; Zaloshnja, Eduard; Shuperka, Roland; Rusta, Meriglena

2008-12-01

The Albania SimSmoke simulation model is used to examine the effects of tobacco control policies. The model is used to consider the projected trends in smoking prevalence and associated smoking-attributable deaths in the absence of new policies, and then to examine the effect of new policies that are consistent with the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC) on these outcomes. The model shows that significant inroads to reducing smoking prevalence and premature mortality can be achieved through tax increases. Acomprehensive strategy to further reduce smoking rates should include a media campaign complete with programs to publicize and enforce clean air laws, a comprehensive cessation treatment program, strong health warnings, advertising bans, and youth access laws. Besides presenting the benefits of a comprehensive tobacco control strategy, the model helps to identify important information needed for both modeling and policymaking. The effectiveness of future tobacco control policy will require proper surveillance and evaluation schemes for Albania.

43 CFR 8.0 - Acquisition of lands for reservoir projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... projects. 8.0 Section 8.0 Public Lands: Interior Office of the Secretary of the Interior JOINT POLICIES OF THE DEPARTMENTS OF THE INTERIOR AND OF THE ARMY RELATIVE TO RESERVOIR PROJECT LANDS § 8.0 Acquisition of lands for reservoir projects. In so far as permitted by law, it is the policy of the Departments...

43 CFR 8.0 - Acquisition of lands for reservoir projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... projects. 8.0 Section 8.0 Public Lands: Interior Office of the Secretary of the Interior JOINT POLICIES OF THE DEPARTMENTS OF THE INTERIOR AND OF THE ARMY RELATIVE TO RESERVOIR PROJECT LANDS § 8.0 Acquisition of lands for reservoir projects. In so far as permitted by law, it is the policy of the Departments...

43 CFR 8.0 - Acquisition of lands for reservoir projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... projects. 8.0 Section 8.0 Public Lands: Interior Office of the Secretary of the Interior JOINT POLICIES OF THE DEPARTMENTS OF THE INTERIOR AND OF THE ARMY RELATIVE TO RESERVOIR PROJECT LANDS § 8.0 Acquisition of lands for reservoir projects. In so far as permitted by law, it is the policy of the Departments...

43 CFR 8.0 - Acquisition of lands for reservoir projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... projects. 8.0 Section 8.0 Public Lands: Interior Office of the Secretary of the Interior JOINT POLICIES OF THE DEPARTMENTS OF THE INTERIOR AND OF THE ARMY RELATIVE TO RESERVOIR PROJECT LANDS § 8.0 Acquisition of lands for reservoir projects. In so far as permitted by law, it is the policy of the Departments...

US Policy Options in Syria: An Argument for Diplomacy

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

student academic research paper are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army...2013 2. REPORT TYPE STRATEGY RESEARCH PROJECT .33 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE US POLICY OPTIONS IN SYRIA: AN...STRATEGY RESEARCH PROJECT US POLICY OPTIONS IN SYRIA: AN ARGUMENT FOR DIPLOMACY by Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey A

Evaluation of regional project to strengthen national health research systems in four countries in West Africa: lessons learned.

PubMed

Sombié, Issiaka; Aidam, Jude; Montorzi, Gabriela

2017-07-12

Since the Commission on Health Research for Development (COHRED) published its flagship report, more attention has been focused on strengthening national health research systems (NHRS). This paper evaluates the contribution of a regional project that used a participatory approach to strengthen NHRS in four post-conflict West African countries - Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Mali. The data from the situation analysis conducted at the start of the project was compared to data from the project's final evaluation, using a hybrid conceptual framework built around four key areas identified through the analysis of existing frameworks. The four areas are governance and management, capacities, funding, and dissemination/use of research findings. The project helped improve the countries' governance and management mechanisms without strengthening the entire NHRS. In the four countries, at least one policy, plan or research agenda was developed. One country put in place a national health research ethics committee, while all four countries could adopt a research information management system. The participatory approach and support from the West African Health Organisation and COHRED were all determining factors. The lessons learned from this project show that the fragile context of these countries requires long-term engagement and that support from a regional institution is needed to address existing challenges and successfully strengthen the entire NHRS.

Collaborative Research for Water Resource Management under Climate Change Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brundiers, K.; Garfin, G. M.; Gober, P.; Basile, G.; Bark, R. H.

2010-12-01

We present an ongoing project to co-produce science and policy called Collaborative Planning for Climate Change: An Integrated Approach to Water-Planning, Climate Downscaling, and Robust Decision-Making. The project responds to motivations related to dealing with sustainability challenges in research and practice: (a) state and municipal water managers seek research that addresses their planning needs; (b) the scientific literature and funding agencies call for more meaningful engagement between science and policy communities, in ways that address user needs, while advancing basic research; and (c) empirical research contributes to methods for the design and implementation of collaborative projects. To understand how climate change might impact water resources and management in the Southwest US, our project convenes local, state, and federal water management practitioners with climate-, hydrology-, policy-, and decision scientists. Three areas of research inform this collaboration: (a) the role of paleo-hydrology in water resources scenario construction; (b) the types of uncertainties that impact decision-making beyond climate and modeling uncertainty; and (c) basin-scale statistical and dynamical downscaling of climate models to generate hydrologic projections for regional water resources planning. The project engages all participants in the research process, from research design to workshops that build capacity for understanding data generation and sources of uncertainty to the discussion of water management decision contexts. A team of “science-practice translators” facilitates the collaboration between academic and professional communities. In this presentation we contextualize the challenges and opportunities of use-inspired science-policy research collaborations by contrasting the initial project design with the process of implementation. We draw from two sources to derive lessons learned: literature on collaborative research, and evaluations provided by participating scientists and water managers throughout the process. Lessons learned include: RESULTS: The research process needs to generate academic (peer-reviewed publications, grant proposals) and applied (usable dataset, communication support) products. Additionally, the project also strives for intangible products, e.g., the research currently continues to support efforts to predict future regional hydroclimatology, whereas management requires a paradigm shift toward anticipation of needs for adapting to multiple possible futures. APPROACH: Collaborative research is not a one-off event or consultation, but a process of mutual engagement that needs to allow for adaptive evolution of the project and its organization. TOPICS: With the acceptance of hydroclimatic non-stationarity, the focus of water managers shifts from reducing scientific uncertainty to enhancing their ability to present academically and politically defensible scenarios to their constituencies. This requires addressing the related need for exploring how to deal with political and institutional uncertainties in decision-making.

Latin American and Caribbean countries' baseline clinical and policy guidelines for responding to intimate partner violence and sexual violence against women.

PubMed

Stewart, Donna E; Aviles, Raquel; Guedes, Alessandra; Riazantseva, Ekaterina; MacMillan, Harriet

2015-07-15

Violence against women is a global public health problem with negative effects on physical, mental, and reproductive health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence (SV) as major targets for prevention and amelioration and recently developed clinical and policy guidelines to assist healthcare providers. This project was undertaken to determine the 2013 baseline national policies and clinical guidelines on IPV and SV within the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region to identify strengths and gaps requiring action. Each Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Regional Office for the Americas (PAHO/WHO) country focal point was contacted to request their current national policy and clinical guidelines (protocol) on IPV/SV. We augmented this by searching the internet and the United Nations Women website. Each country's policy and clinical guideline (where available) was reviewed and entered into a scoring matrix based on WHO Clinical and Policy Guidelines. A total score for each heading and subheading was developed by adding positive responses to identify LAC regional strengths and gaps. We obtained 15 national policies and 12 national clinical guidelines (protocols) from a total of 18 countries ("response" rate 66.7%). National policies were comprehensive in terms of physical, emotional, and sexual violence and recommended good intersectoral collaboration. The greatest gap was in the training of health-care providers. National Guidelines for women-centered care for IPV/SV survivors were strong in the vital areas of privacy, confidentiality, danger assessment, safety planning, and supportive reactions to disclosure. The largest gaps noted were again in training healthcare professionals and strengthening monitoring and evaluation of services. Baseline measurement of policy and clinical guidelines for IPV/SV in LAC PAHO/WHO member countries at the time of issuing the 2013 WHO Clinical and Policy Guidelines reveals some important strengths, but also serious gaps that need to be addressed. The most pressing needs are for concerted training initiatives for healthcare providers and strengthening multisectoral monitoring and evaluation of services. A future evaluation of national policies, clinical guidelines, monitoring and evaluation will need to be conducted to measure the progress of the required scaling-up process.

Evaluating the implementation and active living impacts of a state government planning policy designed to create walkable neighborhoods in Perth, Western Australia.

PubMed

Hooper, Paula; Giles-Corti, Billie; Knuiman, Matthew

2014-01-01

Evaluate the implementation of a government planning policy (Liveable Neighbourhoods Guidelines) and its impacts on residents' walking behaviors. Cross-sectional study of participants from the RESIDential Environments project (RESIDE). Nineteen "liveable" and 17 "conventionally designed" housing developments across Perth, Western Australia. Five hundred ninety-four participants from RESIDE who resided in 36 housing developments. Developed in geographic information systems to assess the on-ground implementation of 43 policy requirements. Policy compliance was defined as the degree to which construction of the developments adhered to the standards outlined. Walking behaviors were measured using the Neighborhood Physical Activity Questionnaire. K-means cluster analyses identified groups of homogeneous developments with respect to policy implementation. Logistic regression with generalized estimating equations estimated the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for the likelihood of undertaking any and ≥ 60 minutes of transport and recreational walking associated with (1) policy compliance and (2) different clusters of developments. There were few significant differences in on-ground outcomes between the two development types. Despite incomplete implementation, the odds of walking for transport increased with overall levels of policy compliance (OR = 1.53, 95% CI 1.13-2.08) and compliance with the community design (OR = 1.3, 95% CI 1.13-1.42), movement network (OR = 2.49, 95% CI 1.38-4.50), and lot layout elements (OR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.06-1.50). Consistent with the aims of the policy, residents in walkable (i.e., liveable) neighborhoods may be more physically active.

Contractor Motivation Theory and Applications.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-03-01

Project Officer, Chief, Test and Evaluation Group , US Army Procurement Research Office, ALMC. BS, Aeronautical Engineering, University of Wyoming, 1963...Contractor Motivation Theory and Applications SEE DISTRIBUTION Inclosed is a copy of subject report for your use . This report describes the DOD contractor...motivation process and various areas for improvement. In particular, it identifies effective incentives that can be used and recommends policy that

Connecting Neighborhood Councils and City Agencies--Evaluation of the Learning and Design Forums and Role of the University as a Mediating Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kathi, Pradeep Chandra

2012-01-01

The School of Planning Policy and Development at the University of Southern California brought together representatives of neighborhood councils and city agencies of the city of Los Angeles together in an action research program. This action research program called the Collaborative Learning Project developed a collaboration process called the…

Real Time Quality Control Methods for Cued EMI Data Collection

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-14

contents be construed as reflecting the official policy or position of the Department of Defense. Reference herein to any specific commercial product...This project evaluated the effectiveness of in-field quality control (QC) procedures during cued electromagnetic induction (EMI) data collection. The...electromagnetic induction ESTCP Environmental Security Technology Certification Program hr hour ISO Industry Standard Object IVS Instrument

Evaluation of Academic Policy Formulation and Implementation Transmountain Early College High School, El Paso, Texas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heidemann, Virginia Margaret

2010-01-01

Transmountain Early College High School (TMECHS) opened in August 2008, created by a partnership between the El Paso Community College (EPCC) and the El Paso Independent School District (EPISD), and supported in its conceptualization, start-up, and first few years operation by grant funding and guidance from the Texas High School Project (THSP)…

Willingness to Pay Survey for Chesapeake Bay Total ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A stated preference survey to collect data on households’ use of Chesapeake Bay and its watershed, and of their preferences for a variety of water quality improvements likely to follow from pollution reduction programs. The goal of the project is to obtain valuation estimates that can be used to evaluate alternative policies and approaches to improving water in the Chesapeake Bay.

COMPARISON AND EVALUATION OF THE SYNTHETIC BIOPOLYMER POLY-L-ASPARTIC ACID AND THE SYNTHETIC "PLASTIC" POLYMER POLY-ACRYLIC ACID FOR USE IN METAL ION-EXCHANGE SYSTEMS. (R826694C651)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Evaluating future success of whitebark pine ecosystem restoration under climate change using simulation modeling

Treesearch

Robert E. Keane; Lisa M. Holsinger; Mary F. Mahalovich; Diana F. Tomback

2017-01-01

Major declines of whitebark pine forests throughout western North America from the combined effects of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) outbreaks, fire exclusion policies, and the exotic disease white pine blister rust (WPBR) have spurred many restoration actions. However, projected future warming and drying may further exacerbate the species’ decline and...

Anticipating forest and range land development in central Oregon (USA) for landscape analysis, with an example application involving mule deer

Treesearch

Jeffrey D. Kline; Alissa Moses; Theresa Burcsu

2010-01-01

Forest policymakers, public lands managers, and scientists in the Pacific Northwest (USA) seek ways to evaluate the landscape-level effects of policies and management through the multidisciplinary development and application of spatially explicit methods and models. The Interagency Mapping and Analysis Project (IMAP) is an ongoing effort to generate landscape-wide...

[Health governance and social protection indicators in Latin-America: strengths, weaknesses and lessons-learned from six Mexican states].

PubMed

Arredondo-López, Armando; Orozco-Núñez, Emanuel

2014-01-01

Evaluative research projects for identifying good practice have been postponed regarding health system reform. This study was thus aimed at identifying health governance and social protection indicators. This study involved evaluative research regarding the health system for the uninsured part of the population in six Mexican states. The primary data was obtained from in-depth interviews with key players from the participating states; official statistics and the results of a macro-project concerned with Mexican health and governance reform and policy was used for secondary. Atlas Ti and Policy Maker software were used for processing and analysing the data. A list of strengths and weaknesses was presented as evidence of health system governance. Accountability at federal level (even though not lacking) was of a prescriptive nature and a system of accountability and transparency regarding the assignment of resources and strategies for the democratisation of health in the states and municipalities was still lacking. All six states had low levels of governance and experienced difficulty in conducting effective reform programmes and strategies involving a lack of precision regarding the rules and roles adopted by different health system actors.

Peace and war: a study of morality and US strategic nuclear policies. Study project report

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

Ginder, D.B.; Hicks, I.

1983-05-01

The paper examines the quesitons of peace and war and the morality of nuclear deterrence. These vital and enduring questions have been again become a focus of societal debate, especially in the light of the Catholic Bishop's pastoral letter. The nuclear debate is all encompassing, raising philosophical, political, social, strategic an religious questions. These issues present problems that each informed citizen will have to discern both morally and politically. The purpose of the paper is not to evaluate the morality of the defense and deterrent policies/strategies of the United States, but to provide the reader with the information to allowmore » him to formulate judgment on this important question and be able to reconcile personal moral values with national policy and strategy.« less

The Solutions Project: Educating the Public and Policy Makers About Solutions to Global Warming, Air Pollution, and Energy Security

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobson, M. Z.

2015-12-01

Three major global problems of our times are global warming, air pollution mortality and morbidity, and energy insecurity. Whereas, policy makers with the support of the public must implement solutions to these problems, it is scientists and engineers who are best equipped to evaluate technically sound, optimal, and efficient solutions. Yet, a disconnect exists between information provided by scientists and engineers and policies implemented. Part of the reason is that scientific information provided to policy makers and the public is swamped out by information provided by lobbyists and another part is the difficulty in providing information to the hundreds of millions of people who need it rather than to just a few thousand. What other ways are available, aside from issuing press releases on scientific papers, for scientists to disseminate information? Three growing methods are through social media, creative media, and storytelling. The Solutions Project is a non-profit non-governmental organization whose goal is to bring forth scientific information about 100% clean, renewable energy plans to the public, businesses, and policy makers using these and related tools. Through the use of social media, the development of engaging internet and video content, and storytelling, the group hopes to increase the dissemination of information for social good. This talk discusses the history and impacts to date of this group and its methods. Please see www.thesolutionsproject.org and 100.org for more information.

The business case for breastfeeding: a successful regional implementation, evaluation, and follow-up.

PubMed

Garvin, Cheza C; Sriraman, Natasha K; Paulson, Amy; Wallace, Elise; Martin, Charley E; Marshall, Liz

2013-08-01

Breastfeeding benefits the health of babies and mothers, but returning to work is a significant barrier for mothers wishing to continue breastfeeding for the recommended 12 months. A resource training kit, The Business Case for Breastfeeding (BC4BF), developed by the Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, was implemented in Southeastern Virginia to assist businesses in developing lactation support programs (LSPs) and eliminating breastfeeding barriers. The primary goals of the 1-year project were to educate 20 businesses about breastfeeding support in the workplace, engage 10 businesses to implement the BC4BF, and assess sustainability via documented policy and environmental changes and integration of the LSP into the business infrastructure. The Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change was adapted to assess stage of organizational change. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tool for measuring community-level policy, systems, and environmental change was adapted to assess worksite policy and environmental changes. Over 20 businesses were educated about the BC4BF. Seventeen engaged in the project. Fourteen significantly increased their stage of change, development of LSPs, written policies, and physical and social environment changes (p≤0.001). A brief follow-up study revealed that all 14 employers maintained their programs 8 months after the program ended, with increased stages of change, policy enforcement, and physical environment (p≤0.05). The BC4BF provided an effective approach to assisting employers in establishing and maintaining LSPs in the workplace across several cities.

A novel framework for analyzing conservation impacts: evaluation, theory, and marine protected areas.

PubMed

Mascia, Michael B; Fox, Helen E; Glew, Louise; Ahmadia, Gabby N; Agrawal, Arun; Barnes, Megan; Basurto, Xavier; Craigie, Ian; Darling, Emily; Geldmann, Jonas; Gill, David; Holst Rice, Susie; Jensen, Olaf P; Lester, Sarah E; McConney, Patrick; Mumby, Peter J; Nenadovic, Mateja; Parks, John E; Pomeroy, Robert S; White, Alan T

2017-07-01

Environmental conservation initiatives, including marine protected areas (MPAs), have proliferated in recent decades. Designed to conserve marine biodiversity, many MPAs also seek to foster sustainable development. As is the case for many other environmental policies and programs, the impacts of MPAs are poorly understood. Social-ecological systems, impact evaluation, and common-pool resource governance are three complementary scientific frameworks for documenting and explaining the ecological and social impacts of conservation interventions. We review key components of these three frameworks and their implications for the study of conservation policy, program, and project outcomes. Using MPAs as an illustrative example, we then draw upon these three frameworks to describe an integrated approach for rigorous empirical documentation and causal explanation of conservation impacts. This integrated three-framework approach for impact evaluation of governance in social-ecological systems (3FIGS) accounts for alternative explanations, builds upon and advances social theory, and provides novel policy insights in ways that no single approach affords. Despite the inherent complexity of social-ecological systems and the difficulty of causal inference, the 3FIGS approach can dramatically advance our understanding of, and the evidentiary basis for, effective MPAs and other conservation initiatives. © 2017 New York Academy of Sciences.

Reflections on science and the governance of alcohol policy.

PubMed

Anderson, Peter; Gual, Antoni

2011-03-01

To consider, briefly, science's role in informing alcohol policy, and how science could help reframe the present governance of alcohol policy. Expression of the two project coordinators' reflections based on discussions during project meetings of the Alcohol Measures for Public Health Research Alliance (AMPHORA) project. Three endeavours are considered important for science's role in informing alcohol policy: modelling studies that help predict the outcomes of differing policy approaches; studying the impact of live policy changes as a powerful set of natural experiments; and, improved study of the impact of integrated, coordinated and joined up alcohol policies, as opposed to the impact of individual alcohol policy measures. Three areas where science can contribute to strengthened alcohol policy governance include: analysis of different governance architectures that might promote joined-up actions between different sectors; the design of better metrics that measure the impact of public and private sector actions on health; and, by identifying incentives that help consumers make choices on the use of alcohol that improve health. The impact of science on better alcohol policy governance can only happen if there is more and better dialogue between scientists and those who design alcohol policy. © 2011 The Authors, Addiction © 2011 Society for the Study of Addiction.

10 CFR 609.1 - Purpose and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... OF ENERGY (CONTINUED) ASSISTANCE REGULATIONS LOAN GUARANTEES FOR PROJECTS THAT EMPLOY INNOVATIVE... for loan guarantees to support Eligible Projects under Section 1703 of Title XVII of the Energy Policy... support Eligible Projects under Section 1703 of Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, as amended...

10 CFR 609.1 - Purpose and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... OF ENERGY (CONTINUED) ASSISTANCE REGULATIONS LOAN GUARANTEES FOR PROJECTS THAT EMPLOY INNOVATIVE... for loan guarantees to support Eligible Projects under Section 1703 of Title XVII of the Energy Policy... support Eligible Projects under Section 1703 of Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, as amended...

10 CFR 609.1 - Purpose and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... OF ENERGY (CONTINUED) ASSISTANCE REGULATIONS LOAN GUARANTEES FOR PROJECTS THAT EMPLOY INNOVATIVE... for loan guarantees to support Eligible Projects under Section 1703 of Title XVII of the Energy Policy... support Eligible Projects under Section 1703 of Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, as amended...

10 CFR 609.1 - Purpose and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... OF ENERGY (CONTINUED) ASSISTANCE REGULATIONS LOAN GUARANTEES FOR PROJECTS THAT EMPLOY INNOVATIVE... for loan guarantees to support Eligible Projects under Section 1703 of Title XVII of the Energy Policy... support Eligible Projects under Section 1703 of Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, as amended...

10 CFR 609.1 - Purpose and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... OF ENERGY (CONTINUED) ASSISTANCE REGULATIONS LOAN GUARANTEES FOR PROJECTS THAT EMPLOY INNOVATIVE... for loan guarantees to support Eligible Projects under Section 1703 of Title XVII of the Energy Policy... support Eligible Projects under Section 1703 of Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, as amended...

The role of ethics in data governance of large neuro-ICT projects.

PubMed

Stahl, Bernd Carsten; Rainey, Stephen; Harris, Emma; Fothergill, B Tyr

2018-05-14

We describe current practices of ethics-related data governance in large neuro-ICT projects, identify gaps in current practice, and put forward recommendations on how to collaborate ethically in complex regulatory and normative contexts. We undertake a survey of published principles of data governance of large neuro-ICT projects. This grounds an approach to a normative analysis of current data governance approaches. Several ethical issues are well covered in the data governance policies of neuro-ICT projects, notably data protection and attribution of work. Projects use a set of similar policies to ensure users behave appropriately. However, many ethical issues are not covered at all. Implementation and enforcement of policies remain vague. The data governance policies we investigated indicate that the neuro-ICT research community is currently close-knit and that shared assumptions are reflected in infrastructural aspects. This explains why many ethical issues are not explicitly included in data governance policies at present. With neuro-ICT research growing in scale, scope, and international involvement, these shared assumptions should be made explicit and reflected in data governance.

Evaluation of the smoking ban in public places in France one year and five years after its implementation: Findings from the ITC France survey

PubMed Central

Fong, Geoffrey T.; Craig, Lorraine V.; Guignard, Romain; Nagelhout, Gera E.; Tait, Megan K.; Driezen, Pete; Kennedy, Ryan David; Boudreau, Christian; Wilquin, Jean-Louis; Deutsch, Antoine; Beck, François

2013-01-01

France implemented a comprehensive smoke-free policy in public places in February 2007 for workplaces, shopping centres, airports, train stations, hospitals and schools. On January 2008, it was extended to meeting places (bars, restaurants, hotels, casinos, nightclubs). This paper evaluates France’s smoke-free law based on the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project in France (the ITC France Project), which conducted a cohort survey of approximately 1,500 smokers and 500 non-smokers before the implementation of the laws (Wave 1, conducted December 2006 to February 2007) and two waves after the implementation (Wave 2, conducted between September-November 2008; and Wave 3, conducted between September-December 2012). Results show that the smoke-free law led to a very significant and near total elimination of indoor smoking in key venues such as bars (from 95.9% to 3.7%) and restaurants (from 64.7% to 2.3%) at Wave 2, which was sustained four years later at Wave 3 (1.4% in restaurants; 6.6% in bars). Smoking in workplaces declined significantly after the law (from 42.6% to 19.3%), which continued to decline at Wave 3 (to 12.8%). Support for the smoke-free law increased significantly after their implementation and continued to increase at Wave 3 (among smokers for bars and restaurants; among smokers and non-smokers for workplaces). The findings demonstrate that smoke-free policies that are implemented in ways consistent with the Guidelines for Article 8 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) lead to substantial and sustained reductions in tobacco smoke in public places while also leading to high levels of support by the public. PMID:24803715

Overview of the Special Issue: A Multi-Model Framework to Achieve Consistent Evaluation of Climate Change Impacts in the United States

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

Waldhoff, Stephanie T.; Martinich, Jeremy; Sarofim, Marcus

2015-07-01

The Climate Change Impacts and Risk Analysis (CIRA) modeling exercise is a unique contribution to the scientific literature on climate change impacts, economic damages, and risk analysis that brings together multiple, national-scale models of impacts and damages in an integrated and consistent fashion to estimate climate change impacts, damages, and the benefits of greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation actions in the United States. The CIRA project uses three consistent socioeconomic, emissions, and climate scenarios across all models to estimate the benefits of GHG mitigation policies: a Business As Usual (BAU) and two policy scenarios with radiative forcing (RF) stabilization targets ofmore » 4.5 W/m2 and 3.7 W/m2 in 2100. CIRA was also designed to specifically examine the sensitivity of results to uncertainties around climate sensitivity and differences in model structure. The goals of CIRA project are to 1) build a multi-model framework to produce estimates of multiple risks and impacts in the U.S., 2) determine to what degree risks and damages across sectors may be lowered from a BAU to policy scenarios, 3) evaluate key sources of uncertainty along the causal chain, and 4) provide information for multiple audiences and clearly communicate the risks and damages of climate change and the potential benefits of mitigation. This paper describes the motivations, goals, and design of the CIRA modeling exercise and introduces the subsequent papers in this special issue.« less

The Timber Resource Inventory Model (TRIM): a projection model for timber supply and policy analysis.

Treesearch

P.L. Tedder; R.N. La Mont; J.C. Kincaid

1987-01-01

TRIM (Timber Resource Inventory Model) is a yield table projection system developed for timber supply projections and policy analysis. TRIM simulates timber growth, inventories, management and area changes, and removals over the projection period. Programs in the TRIM system, card-by-card descriptions of required inputs, table formats, and sample results are presented...

Saudi Governmental Structure and Foreign Policy

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-01-21

goNrUnent Igeny. SAUDI GOVERNMENTAL STRUCTURE AND FOREIGN POLICY BY COLONEL AL-MUTAIRI NAIF Saudi National Guard DISTRI1BUTION STATEMENT A: Approved for...TASK IWOX UNIT ELEMENT NO. NO. NO. AE NO. 11. TITLE (Include Security Classification) Saudi Governmental Structure and Foreign Policy - Uncl 12... STRUCTURE AND FOREIGN POLICY AN INDIVIDUAL STUDY PROJECT by Colonel al-Mutairi Naif Saudi National Guard Mr. James J. Coyle (Project Adviser) IL

Midmarket Solar Policies in the United States: A Guide for Midsized Solar Customers

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

Tian, Tian; Liu, Chang; O'Shaughnessy, Eric

The midscale market for solar photovoltaics (PV) has not experienced the same high growth rate as residential- or utility-scale market segments in the past five years when solar PV deployment increased rapidly. Midscale solar can be defined as behind-the-meter solar PV between 50 kilowatts and 2 megawatts adopted by multi-housing residential, commercial, industrial, non-profit, and other entities. A number of challenges face the midscale segment, including difficulties in contracting, mismatch between tenant lease and PV financing terms, high transaction costs relative to project sizes, and inefficiencies in matching prospective projects with capital. The changing policy landscape across U.S. states providesmore » both opportunities and challenges to midmarket solar. Some states, such as California, are expanding system capacity limits for policies such as net metering, thus enabling a wider range of customers to benefit from excess generation. A number of states and utilities are making changes to rate design to introduce new or higher user fees for solar customers or reduced tariffs for net metering, which decrease the value of solar generation. An understanding of these policies relative to project feasibility and economics is important for prospective customers to make informed decisions to adopt solar PV. This guide complements existing solar policy resources to help potential customers navigate through the policy landscape in order to make informed decisions for their solar investment. The first part of this guide introduces the key solar policies necessary for policy-based decision-making, which involves using knowledge of a solar policy to improve project economics and efficiency. Policies that could result in policy-based decisions include interconnection standards, net metering, user fees, incentives, and third-party ownership policies. The goal of this section is to equip prospective customers and project developers with the tools necessary to understand and use solar policies in a dynamic policy environment. The second part of this guide provides a complete, state-by-state inventory of midmarket solar policies for potential customers and developers to use as reference when making policy-based decisions. Although solar policies are dynamic, the profiles provide a framework for assessing policies to build the parameters that could be used to determine feasibility and structure of a solar PV system for midmarket customers and developers.« less

Adaptation Planning for Water Resources Management in the Context of Scientific Uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lowrey, J.; Kenney, D.

2008-12-01

Several municipalities are beginning to create policies and plans in order to adapt to potential impacts from climate change. A 2007 report from the Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment, 'A Survey of Climate Change Adaptation Planning,' surveyed fourteen cities or counties across the U.S. and Canada that have created or are working towards creating climate change adaptation plans. Informal interactions with water managers in the Intermountain West indicate an eagerness to learn from those who have already begun adapting to potential climate change. Many of those without plans do not feel comfortable making potentially expensive long-term policy decisions based on impacts derived from uncertain climate change projections. This research identifies how decision makers currently consider climate change in adaptation planning despite imperfect information about climate change impacts, particularly in the water sector. Insights are offered into how best to provide information on climate change projections to regional decision makers so that they can begin adaptation planning for a changing climate. This research analyzes how a subset of the fourteen municipalities justified adaptive planning in the face of scientific uncertainty, paying particular attention to water resource adaptation, using the adaptation approaches studied in the 2007 Heinz Center Report. Interviews will be conducted with decision makers to learn how policies will be implemented and evaluated, and to explore resulting changes in policy or planning. Adaptation strategies are not assessed, but are used to identify how the decision makers plan to evaluate their own adaptation policies. In addition to looking at information use in adaptation plans, we compare how the plans orient themselves (adapting to projected impacts vs. increasing resiliency to current climate variability), how they address barriers and opportunities for adaptation, and whether they follow some key steps for successful adaptation as outlined in the literature. This part of the study will identify any consensus among the municipalities already adapting, and see of the decision makers tend to agree with the points of views expressed in the literature. The conclusions here will not only help decision makers trying to adapt, but it will help researchers orient future research to the informational needs of the decision makers. The work is intended to provide useful information for the Western Water Assessment, a NOAA-funded research boundary organization, which provides climate information to water resource managers in the Intermountain West, including the Colorado River Basin.

Understanding Electricity Market Frameworks & Policies

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Toolbox for Renewable Energy Project Development's Understanding Electricity Market Frameworks and Policies page provides an overview of regulated and deregulated electric utility market structures and how they impact project development.

Participants’ perceptions of a knowledge-brokering strategy to facilitate evidence-informed policy-making in Fiji

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Evidence-informed policy-making (EIPM) is optimal when evidence-producers (researchers) and policy developers work collaboratively to ensure the production and use of the best available evidence. This paper examined participants’ perceptions of knowledge-brokering strategies used in the TROPIC (Translational Research in Obesity Prevention in Communities) project to facilitate the use of obesity-related evidence in policy development in Fiji. Method Knowledge-brokers delivered a 12-18 month programme comprising workshops targeting EIPM skills and practical support for developing evidence-informed policy briefs to reduce obesity. The programme was tailored to each of the six participating organizations. Knowledge-brokering strategies included negotiating topics that were aligned to the goals of individual organizations, monitoring and evaluating time-management skills, accommodating other organizational and individual priorities, delivering practical sessions on use of appropriate research tools and supporting individual writing of policy briefs. Two qualitative methods were used to examine individuals’ perceptions of skills obtained, opportunities afforded by the TROPIC project, facilitators and inhibiters to planned policy brief development and suggestions for improved programme delivery. Forty-nine participants completed an electronic word table and then participated in a semi-structured interview. An independent interviewer conducted structured interviews with a high-ranking officer in each organization to examine their perceptions of TROPIC engagement strategies. Data were analyzed descriptively and thematically, with the first author and another experienced qualitative researcher analyzing data sets separately, and then combining analyses. Results Many participants believed that they had increased their skills in acquiring, assessing, adapting and applying evidence, writing policy briefs and presenting evidence-based arguments to higher levels. Many participants preferred one-to-one meetings to group activities to ensure early resolution of developing issues and to refine policy briefs. Perceived barriers to EIPM were lack of knowledge about data sources, inadequate time to develop evidence-informed briefs, and insufficient resources for accessing and managing evidence. Conclusion An innovative knowledge-brokering approach utilizing skill development and mentorship facilitated individual EIPM skills and policy brief development. The TROPIC model could stimulate evidence-based policy action relating to obesity prevention and other policy areas in other Pacific countries and elsewhere. PMID:23919672

Policy Interpretation Network on Children's Health and Environment.

PubMed

van den Hazel, Peter; Zuurbier, Moniek; Bistrup, Marie Louise

2006-10-01

The main objective of PINCHE is to provide policy recommendations aiming at protecting children's health and environment based on completed scientific research. The project focused on four themes: indoor and outdoor air pollutants, carcinogens, neurotoxicants, and noise. The data were evaluated in workpackages on exposure assessment, epidemiology, toxicology, and risk and health impact assessment. The data were analysed according to a framework of questions. The workpackage on socioeconomic factors studied the influence of socioeconomic status on exposures and on health effects. In the workpackage on science-policy interface, recommendations on how to improve children's environmental health were formulated. The policy recommendations resulting from the analysis were grouped according to relevant policy levels: European Commission or the European Parliament, member states and other stakeholders at regional or local level. These recommendations are general guidelines for taking action. Regional differences and variation must be reflected when policy is actually implemented. In addition, recommendations related to education and personal behaviour are presented in the reports. The policy recommendations are important input for policy advisers, policy makers and public health authorities at all policy levels. The recommendations are also of direct relevance to interest groups, such as environmental NGOs including child health and advocacy groups. The policy recommendations for each policy level were prioritized. High priorities were given to reduce exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, transport related air pollution, indoor air and mercury.

Partnering Healthy@Work: an Australian university-government partnership facilitating policy-relevant research.

PubMed

Jose, Kim; Venn, Alison; Jarman, Lisa; Seal, Judy; Teale, Brook; Scott, Jennifer; Sanderson, Kristy

2017-12-01

Research funding is increasingly supporting collaborations between knowledge users and researchers. Partnering Healthy@Work (pH@W), an inaugural recipient of funding through Australia's Partnership for Better Health Grants scheme, was a 5-year partnership between the Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania and the Tasmanian State Service (TSS). The partnerships purpose was to evaluate a comprehensive workplace health promotion programme (Healthy@Work) targeting 30 000 public sector employees; generating new knowledge and influencing workplace health promotion policy and decision-making. This mixed methods study evaluates the partnership between policy-makers and academics and identifies strategies that enabled pH@W to deliver key project outcomes. A pH@W document review was conducted, two partnership assessment tools completed and semi-structured interviews conducted with key policy-makers and academics. Analysis of the partnership assessment tools and interviews found that pH@W had reached a strong level of collaboration. Policy-relevant knowledge was generated about the health of TSS employees and their engagement with workplace health promotion. Knowledge exchange of a conceptual and instrumental nature occurred and was facilitated by the shared grant application, clear governance structures, joint planning, regular information exchange between researchers and policy-makers and research student placements in the TSS. Flexibility and acknowledgement of different priorities and perspectives of partner organizations were identified as critical factors for enabling effective partnership working and research relevance. Academic-policy-maker partnerships can be a powerful mechanism for improving policy relevance of research, but need to incorporate strategies that facilitate regular input from researchers and policy-makers in order to achieve this. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Expectations and high school change: teacher-researcher collaboration to prevent school failure.

PubMed

Weinstein, R S; Soulé, C R; Collins, F; Cone, J; Mehlhorn, M; Simontacchi, K

1991-06-01

Describes the multilevel outcomes of a collaborative preventive intervention for ninth-graders at risk for school failure using qualitative and quasi-experimental methods. Teachers, administrators, and researchers implemented innovative practices communicating positive expectations for low-achieving adolescents in their transition to high school. Changes were made in the practices of curriculum, grouping, evaluation, motivation, student responsibility, and relationships (in the classroom, with parents, and in the school). Both implementation and evaluation evolved as a function of collaboration. Change was promising but not uniform. Project teachers became more positive about students and colleagues, expanded their roles, and changed school tracking policies. The 158 project students, in contrast to the 154 comparison students showed improved grades and disciplinary referrals post-intervention and increased retention in school 1 year later, but their absences rose and improved performance was not maintained. The implications of this analysis for school-based interventions and its evaluation are discussed.

PROCSEE: Policy Challenges for Professional Higher Education in Central and South-Eastern Europe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Policnik, Jasmina; Sauli Miklavcic, Alicia Leonor; Alupei-Durach, Flavia; Nožica, Žarko; Chrást, Ondrej; Voldánová, Iva; Karpíšek, Michal; Dinya, László; Medve, Anna; Wéber, György; Racsko, Réka; Perényi, Petra; Camilleri, Anthony F.

2016-01-01

PROCSEE is a policy-oriented project, aimed at strengthening the provision of professional higher education, by strengthening the policy-work conducted by umbrella organizations representing professional higher education institutions in Central and South-Eastern in Europe. Working together over three years, the project intends to: (1) identify the…

Evaluation of Energy Policy Instruments for the Adoption of Renewable Energy: Case of Wind Energy in the Pacific Northwest U.S

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abotah, Remal

The wide use of renewable energy technologies for generating electricity can be seen as one way of meeting environmental and climate change challenges along with a progression to a low-carbon economy. A large number of policy instruments have been formed and employed to support the adoption of renewable energy technologies in the power generation sector. However, the success of these policies in achieving their goals relies on how effective they are in satisfying their targets and thus increasing renewable energy adoption. One measurement for effectiveness of policy instruments can be their contribution to the input of the process of renewable energy adoption and their effect on satisfying regional goal. The objective of this research is evaluate the effectiveness of energy policy instruments on increasing the adoption of renewable energy by developing a comprehensive evaluation model. Criteria used in this assessment depend on five perspectives that are perceived by decision makers as important for adoption process. The decision model linked the perspectives to policy targets and various energy policy instruments. These perspectives are: economic, social, political, environmental and technical. The research implemented the hierarchical decision model (HDM) to construct a generalized policy assessment framework. Data for wind energy adoption in the Pacific Northwest region were collected as a case study and application for the model. Experts' qualitative judgments were collected and quantified using the pair-wise comparison method and the final rankings and effectiveness of policy alternatives with respect to the mission were identified. Results of this research identified economic feasibility improvement of renewable energy projects as the most influential perspective and that renewable portfolio standards and tax credits are the two most effective criteria to accomplish that. The research also applied sensitivity analysis and scenario analysis to identify the effect of regional perspectives future priority changes on determining the most effective policy for this perspective. Results showed that renewable portfolio standards and tax credits were found to be the two most effective policies among the alternatives assessed. The research model and outcome can serve as policy check tool in policy making for renewable energy development in any region. Based on the overall research findings, policymakers can apply specific policy instruments to support adoption efforts for any given scenario and regional emphasis.

Economic policy, intergenerational equity, and the Social Security Trust Fund buildup.

PubMed

Hambor, J C

1987-10-01

For the next 75 years, the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) system is projected to be close to in balance, on average. For approximately the next 40 years, under current projections, the combined OASDI Trust Fund is expected to continually have excesses of income over outgo, creating a buildup that will peak in 2030 at about +12 1/2 trillion (roughly 23 percent of the gross national product). Thereafter, the system is projected to be in annual deficit continually until the trust fund is exhausted in 2051. This article focuses on two fundamental issues that must be understood if the potential economic consequences of this buildup are to be evaluated properly. The first issue deals with the fact that the nature of Federal economic policy during the buildup period will determine the ultimate economic impact of the buildup. The second issue concerns the effect of the buildup, and its disposition, on the Social Security program's treatment of one generation of workers compared with another. If a fund is actually accumulated as projected, part of the retirement benefits of the "baby-boom" generation will, in effect, be self-financed. If, however, that fund is used for other purposes--directly or indirectly--future cohorts of workers will be required to fully finance benefits promised to the baby-boom retirees.

Assessing the influence of Environmental Impact Assessments on science and policy: an analysis of the Three Gorges Project.

PubMed

Tullos, Desiree

2009-07-01

The need to understand and minimize negative environmental outcomes associated with large dams has both contributed to and benefited from the introduction and subsequent improvements in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. However, several limitations in the EIA process remain, including those associated with the uncertainty and significance of impact projections. These limitations are directly related to the feedback between science and policy, with information gaps in scientific understanding discovered through the EIA process contributing valuable recommendations on critical focus areas for prioritizing and funding research within the fields of ecological conservation and river engineering. This paper presents an analysis of the EIA process for the Three Gorges Project (TGP) in China as a case study for evaluating this feedback between the EIA and science and policy. For one of the best-studied public development projects in the world, this paper presents an investigation into whether patterns exist between the scientific interest (via number of publications) in environmental impacts and (a) the identification of impacts as uncertain or priority by the EIA, (b) decisions or political events associated with the dam, and (c) impact type. This analysis includes the compilation of literature on TGP, characterization of ecosystem interactions and responses to TGP through a hierarchy of impacts, coding of EIA impacts as "uncertain" impacts that require additional study and "priority" impacts that have particularly high significance, mapping of an event chronology to relate policies, institutional changes, and decisions about TGP as "events" that could influence the focus and intensity of scientific investigation, and analysis of the number of publications by impact type and order within the impact hierarchy. From these analyses, it appears that the availability and consistency of scientific information limit the accuracy of environmental impact projections. These analyses also suggest a lack of direct feedback between the EIA process and emerging science, as indicated by the failure of literature to focus on issues related to the design and management of TGP, ultimately challenging the environmental sustainability of the project. While the EIA process has enormous potential for improving both the basic sciences and the planning and sustainability of hydrodevelopment, important institutional changes need to occur for this potential to be realized. This paper concludes with recommendations about those institutional changes needed to improve the feedback between the science and policy, and ultimately the environmental sustainability, of large dams.

Empowerment for Healthy Cities and communities in Korea.

PubMed

Moon, Ji Young; Nam, Eun Woo; Dhakal, Sarita

2014-10-01

The Healthy Cities project started in 1998 in Korea. Around the world, public health and healthy cities are becoming bigger and bigger priorities. Capacity mapping is an important tool for improving a country's health status. This study aims to review the initiation of the Korean "Healthy City" project. Korea follows a bottom-up approach for the development of Healthy City policies and has implemented plans accordingly. Korea has created a unique program through Healthy Cities; it has developed a Healthy City act, indicators for evaluating the program, a health impact assessment program, an award system, and a domestic networking system.

A Comprehensive Study of the Tocks Island Lake Project and Alternatives. Part B. Review of Tocks Island Lake Project.

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-06-01

downstream mainstem of the Delaware River and help repel tidal intrusion of salt water in the mainstem below Philadelphia. The consultant concurs in the...balance of this section which contains three parts: 1) background and policy overview ; 2) overall constraints and im- pacts imposed by implementation of...adopted federal policies and standards; and 3) constraints and impacts on project purposes. VIII.C.2(a) Background and Policy Overview The methodology

A developmental evaluation to enhance stakeholder engagement in a wide-scale interactive project disseminating quality improvement data: study protocol for a mixed-methods study.

PubMed

Laycock, Alison; Bailie, Jodie; Matthews, Veronica; Cunningham, Frances; Harvey, Gillian; Percival, Nikki; Bailie, Ross

2017-07-13

Bringing together continuous quality improvement (CQI) data from multiple health services offers opportunities to identify common improvement priorities and to develop interventions at various system levels to achieve large-scale improvement in care. An important principle of CQI is practitioner participation in interpreting data and planning evidence-based change. This study will contribute knowledge about engaging diverse stakeholders in collaborative and theoretically informed processes to identify and address priority evidence-practice gaps in care delivery. This paper describes a developmental evaluation to support and refine a novel interactive dissemination project using aggregated CQI data from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary healthcare centres in Australia. The project aims to effect multilevel system improvement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary healthcare. Data will be gathered using document analysis, online surveys, interviews with participants and iterative analytical processes with the research team. These methods will enable real-time feedback to guide refinements to the design, reports, tools and processes as the interactive dissemination project is implemented. Qualitative data from interviews and surveys will be analysed and interpreted to provide in-depth understanding of factors that influence engagement and stakeholder perspectives about use of the aggregated data and generated improvement strategies. Sources of data will be triangulated to build up a comprehensive, contextualised perspective and integrated understanding of the project's development, implementation and findings. The Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) of the Northern Territory Department of Health and Menzies School of Health Research (Project 2015-2329), the Central Australian HREC (Project 15-288) and the Charles Darwin University HREC (Project H15030) approved the study. Dissemination will include articles in peer-reviewed journals, policy and research briefs. Results will be presented at conferences and quality improvement network meetings. Researchers, clinicians, policymakers and managers developing evidence-based system and policy interventions should benefit from this research. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Measuring health and disability: supporting policy development. The European MHADIE project.

PubMed

Leonardi, Matilde

2010-01-01

Disability is a multi-dimensional phenomenon arising out of an interaction between the individual's health status and his environment: disability data must reflect this bio-psychosocial model. WHO's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) provides the framework for documenting the interaction between health status and environmental features. MHADIE, a 3-year project supported by a EC 6th Framework Programme Grant, aimed at demonstrating the feasibility and utility of the ICF model in the measurement and description of disability. The ICF model was used as the structure for analysing existing population health surveys and education statistics data. ICF-based tools were used to describe disability in selected health conditions. MHADIE researchers showed that the ICF model is adequate for describing and measuring patterns of disability in clinical samples from different countries cross-sectionally and over time as well as feasible and useful in educational sectors. Valid and reliable information are essential to design, implement or evaluate policies to combat discrimination, promote integration and enhance opportunities. Results made it possible to produce a definition of disability as well as policy recommendations concerning how, in Europe and internationally, the existing sources of data can be harmonized with the ICF model.

NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Report 11: Chronology of selected literature, reports, policy instruments, and significant events affecting Federal Scientific and Technical Information (STI) in the United States

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pinelli, Thomas E.; Henderson, Madeline; Bishop, Ann P.; Doty, Philip

1992-01-01

The chronology is a comprehensive bibliography. It contains 512 entries covering a variety of selected literature, reports, policy instruments, and significant events affecting Federal Scientific and Technical Information (STI) from 1945 to 1990. It includes some publications and events of historic interest which relate to the evaluation of aerospace and aerospace knowledge diffusion. Each entry has been given an item number and items are arranged by columns. To provide an overview of Federal STI developments, the entries are generally arranged by date of publication and event.

Evaluation of costs associated with atmospheric mercury emission reductions from coal combustion in China in 2010 and projections for 2020.

PubMed

Zhang, Yue; Ye, Xuejie; Yang, Tianjun; Li, Jinling; Chen, Long; Zhang, Wei; Wang, Xuejun

2018-01-01

Coal combustion is the most significant anthropogenic mercury emission source in China. In 2013, China signed the Minamata Convention affirming that mercury emissions should be controlled more strictly. Therefore, an evaluation of the costs associated with atmospheric mercury emission reductions from China's coal combustion is essential. In this study, we estimated mercury abatement costs for coal combustion in China for 2010, based on a provincial technology-based mercury emission inventory. In addition, four scenarios were used to project abatement costs for 2020. Our results indicate that actual mercury emission related to coal combustion in 2010 was 300.8Mg, indicating a reduction amount of 174.7Mg. Under a policy-controlled scenario for 2020, approximately 49% of this mercury could be removed using air pollution control devices, making mercury emissions in 2020 equal to or lower than in 2010. The total abatement cost associated with mercury emissions in 2010 was 50.2×10 9 RMB. In contrast, the total abatement costs for 2020 under baseline versus policy-controlled scenarios, having high-energy and low-energy consumption, would be 32.0×10 9 versus 51.2×10 9 , and 27.4×10 9 versus 43.9×10 9 RMB, respectively. The main expense is associated with flue gas desulfurization. The unit abatement cost of mercury emissions in 2010 was 288×10 3 RMB/(kgHg). The unit abatement costs projected for 2020 under a baseline, a policy-controlled, and an United Nations Environmental Programme scenario would be 143×10 3 , 172×10 3 and 1066×10 3 RMB/(kgHg), respectively. These results are much lower than other international ones. However, the relative costs to China in terms of GPD are higher than in most developed countries. We calculated that abatement costs related to mercury emissions accounted for about 0.14% of the GDP of China in 2010, but would be between 0.03% and 0.06% in 2020. This decrease in abatement costs in terms of GDP suggests that various policy-controlled scenarios would be viable. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Metaresearch for Evaluating Reproducibility in Ecology and Evolution.

PubMed

Fidler, Fiona; Chee, Yung En; Wintle, Bonnie C; Burgman, Mark A; McCarthy, Michael A; Gordon, Ascelin

2017-03-01

Recent replication projects in other disciplines have uncovered disturbingly low levels of reproducibility, suggesting that those research literatures may contain unverifiable claims. The conditions contributing to irreproducibility in other disciplines are also present in ecology. These include a large discrepancy between the proportion of "positive" or "significant" results and the average statistical power of empirical research, incomplete reporting of sampling stopping rules and results, journal policies that discourage replication studies, and a prevailing publish-or-perish research culture that encourages questionable research practices. We argue that these conditions constitute sufficient reason to systematically evaluate the reproducibility of the evidence base in ecology and evolution. In some cases, the direct replication of ecological research is difficult because of strong temporal and spatial dependencies, so here, we propose metaresearch projects that will provide proxy measures of reproducibility.

Normalizing the Future Years Defense Program for Funding Policy Changes.

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-01-01

IDA INSTITUTE FOR DEFENSE ANALYSES - Normalizing the Future Years Defense Program for Funding Policy Changes f James L. Wilson, Project... Policy Changes James L.Wilson, Project Leader Timothy J. Graves John A. Lobi Ronald E. Porten PREFACE This paper was prepared by the Institute for...to match the funding policies now in effect for the current and future years. This work was reviewed within IDA by Waynard C. Devers and Stanley A

Substantial variation in the interpretation of financial disclosure policies for orthopaedic society meetings.

PubMed

Jegede, Kolawole; Whang, Peter; Grauer, Jonathan N

2011-07-06

Physician disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is currently controversial. To address this issue, orthopaedic societies have implemented a variety of guidelines related to potential conflict-of-interest disclosure. Transparency is crucial to address the concerns about potential conflict-of-interest disclosure. Nonetheless, prior studies have noted substantial discrepancies in disclosures to societies for individual authors who present their research work at multiple conferences. Our goal was to evaluate the ability of orthopaedic surgeons to interpret disclosure policy statements regarding project-specific or global disclosure instructions. The disclosure policy statements of the ten conferences most frequently attended by this group were collected, and selected statements were compiled into a questionnaire survey that was administered to orthopaedic faculty and trainees at our institution. Subjects were asked to read each statement and identify whether they interpreted the policy to be requesting project-specific disclosures (potential conflict of interest related to the research work in the abstract being submitted) or global disclosure (inclusive of all potential conflicts of interest, including those not associated with the abstract being submitted). The correct responses were identified by communicating with the individual societies and determining the responses desired by the society. The study had a 100% return rate from seventeen orthopaedic faculty, twenty-five orthopaedic residents and fellows, and twenty-five medical students. The average number of incorrect responses to the ten questions was 2.8. Forty-six percent of respondents had three or more incorrect responses, 24% had two incorrect responses, 19% had one incorrect response, and 10% had no incorrect responses. There was no significant difference in responses between those of different training levels. Subjects were no more likely to answer a project-specific question incorrectly than they were to answer a global question incorrectly. This study clearly demonstrated a discrepancy between what societies intend to identify with disclosure policies and what the orthopaedist interprets is intended. Almost half of those completing the survey did not correctly understand the intention of three or more of the policies, even with expected study intent bias. This study showed that the language used in disclosure policy statements and the lack of a uniform policy may be a cause of substantial discrepancies in potential conflict-of-interest disclosure.

Community organizing network for environmental health: using a community health development approach to increase community capacity around reduction of environmental triggers.

PubMed

Parker, Edith A; Chung, Lynna K; Israel, Barbara A; Reyes, Angela; Wilkins, Donele

2010-04-01

The Community Organizing Network for Environmental Health (CONEH), a project of Community Action Against Asthma, used a community health development approach to improve children's asthma-related health through increasing the community's capacity to reduce physical and social environmental triggers for asthma. Three community organizers were hired to work with community groups and residents in neighborhoods in Detroit on the priority areas of air quality, housing, and citizen involvement in the environmental project and policy decision-making. As part of the evaluation of the CONEH project, 20 one-on-one semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted between August and November 2005 involving steering committee members, staff members, and key community organization staff and/or community members. Using data from the evaluation of the CONEH project, this article identifies the dimensions of community capacity that were enhanced as part of a CBPR community health development approach to reducing physical and social environmental triggers associated with childhood asthma and the factors that facilitated or inhibited the enhancement of community capacity.

Community Organizing Network for Environmental Health: Using a Community Health Development Approach to Increase Community Capacity around Reduction of Environmental Triggers

PubMed Central

Chung, Lynna K.; Israel, Barbara A.; Reyes, Angela; Wilkins, Donele

2010-01-01

The Community Organizing Network for Environmental Health (CONEH), a project of Community Action Against Asthma, used a community health development approach to improve children’s asthma-related health through increasing the community’s capacity to reduce physical and social environmental triggers for asthma. Three community organizers were hired to work with community groups and residents in neighborhoods in Detroit on the priority areas of air quality, housing, and citizen involvement in the environmental project and policy decision-making. As part of the evaluation of the CONEH project, 20 one-on-one semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted between August and November 2005 involving steering committee members, staff members, and key community organization staff and/or community members. Using data from the evaluation of the CONEH project, this article identifies the dimensions of community capacity that were enhanced as part of a CBPR community health development approach to reducing physical and social environmental triggers associated with childhood asthma and the factors that facilitated or inhibited the enhancement of community capacity. PMID:20306137

Quantifying and Valuing Potential Climate Change Impacts on Coral Reefs in the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wobus, C. W.; Lane, D.; Buddemeier, R. W.; Ready, R. C.; Shouse, K. C.; Martinich, J.

2012-12-01

Global climate change presents a two-pronged threat to coral reef ecosystems: increasing sea surface temperatures will increase the likelihood of episodic bleaching events, while increasing ocean carbon dioxide concentrations will change the carbonate chemistry that drives coral growth. Because coral reefs have important societal as well as ecological benefits, climate change mitigation policies that ameliorate these impacts may create substantial economic value. We present a model that evaluates both the ecological and the economic impacts of climate change on coral reefs in the United States. We use a coral reef mortality and bleaching model to project future coral reef declines under a range of climate change policy scenarios for south Florida, Puerto Rico and Hawaii. Using a benefits transfer approach, the outputs from the physical model are then used to quantify the economic impacts of these coral reef declines for each of these regions. We find that differing climate change trajectories create substantial changes in projected coral cover and value for Hawaii, but that the ecological and economic benefits of more stringent emissions scenarios are less clear for Florida and Puerto Rico. Overall, our results indicate that the effectiveness of climate change mitigation policies may be region-specific, but that these policies could result in a net increase of nearly $10 billion in economic value from coral reef-related recreational activities alone, over the 21st century.

Effects of Conservation Policies on Forest Cover Change in Giant Panda Habitat Regions, China

PubMed Central

Li, Yu; Viña, Andrés; Yang, Wu; Chen, Xiaodong; Zhang, Jindong; Ouyang, Zhiyun; Liang, Zai; Liu, Jianguo

2014-01-01

After long periods of deforestation, forest transition has occurred globally, but the causes of forest transition in different countries are highly variable. Conservation policies may play important roles in facilitating forest transition around the world, including China. To restore forests and protect the remaining natural forests, the Chinese government initiated two nationwide conservation policies in the late 1990s -- the Natural Forest Conservation Program (NFCP) and the Grain-To-Green Program (GTGP). While some studies have discussed the environmental and socioeconomic effects of each of these policies independently and others have attributed forest recovery to both policies without rigorous and quantitative analysis, it is necessary to rigorously quantify the outcomes of these two conservation policies simultaneously because the two policies have been implemented at the same time. To fill the knowledge gap, this study quantitatively evaluated the effects of the two conservation policies on forest cover change between 2001 and 2008 in 108 townships located in two important giant panda habitat regions -- the Qinling Mountains region in Shaanxi Province and the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuary in Sichuan Province. Forest cover change was evaluated using a land-cover product (MCD12Q1) derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). This product proved to be highly accurate in the study region (overall accuracy was ca. 87%, using 425 ground truth points collected in the field), thus suitable for the forest change analysis performed. Results showed that within the timeframe evaluated, most townships in both regions exhibited either increases or no changes in forest cover. After accounting for a variety of socioeconomic and biophysical attributes, an Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression model suggests that the two policies had statistically significant positive effects on forest cover change after seven years of implementation, while population density, percent agricultural population, road density, and initial forest cover (i.e. in 2001) had significant negative effects. The methods and results from this study will be useful for continuing the implementation of these conservation policies, for the development of future giant panda habitat conservation projects, and for achieving forest sustainability in China and elsewhere. PMID:26146431

Effects of Conservation Policies on Forest Cover Change in Giant Panda Habitat Regions, China.

PubMed

Li, Yu; Viña, Andrés; Yang, Wu; Chen, Xiaodong; Zhang, Jindong; Ouyang, Zhiyun; Liang, Zai; Liu, Jianguo

2013-07-01

After long periods of deforestation, forest transition has occurred globally, but the causes of forest transition in different countries are highly variable. Conservation policies may play important roles in facilitating forest transition around the world, including China. To restore forests and protect the remaining natural forests, the Chinese government initiated two nationwide conservation policies in the late 1990s -- the Natural Forest Conservation Program (NFCP) and the Grain-To-Green Program (GTGP). While some studies have discussed the environmental and socioeconomic effects of each of these policies independently and others have attributed forest recovery to both policies without rigorous and quantitative analysis, it is necessary to rigorously quantify the outcomes of these two conservation policies simultaneously because the two policies have been implemented at the same time. To fill the knowledge gap, this study quantitatively evaluated the effects of the two conservation policies on forest cover change between 2001 and 2008 in 108 townships located in two important giant panda habitat regions -- the Qinling Mountains region in Shaanxi Province and the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuary in Sichuan Province. Forest cover change was evaluated using a land-cover product (MCD12Q1) derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). This product proved to be highly accurate in the study region (overall accuracy was ca. 87%, using 425 ground truth points collected in the field), thus suitable for the forest change analysis performed. Results showed that within the timeframe evaluated, most townships in both regions exhibited either increases or no changes in forest cover. After accounting for a variety of socioeconomic and biophysical attributes, an Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression model suggests that the two policies had statistically significant positive effects on forest cover change after seven years of implementation, while population density, percent agricultural population, road density, and initial forest cover (i.e. in 2001) had significant negative effects. The methods and results from this study will be useful for continuing the implementation of these conservation policies, for the development of future giant panda habitat conservation projects, and for achieving forest sustainability in China and elsewhere.

To Strengthen Policy Guiding Regionalization of Occupational Programs in New Jersey County Community Colleges. A Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martorana, S. V.; And Others

In 1985 a project was developed to strengthen policy guiding regionalization of occupational programs in New Jersey county community colleges. The project had three major goals: to establish a policy for the regionalization of selected occupational programs offered by the colleges; to describe ways that programs could be identified for regional…

Allocation and User Account Policies | High-Performance Computing | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Allocation and User Account Policies Allocation and User Account Policies For using NREL's high . When a project enters the Ended state: User access to project data is disabled. We reserve the right to agreements expire one (1) year after they become active or when the contractual arrangement between the

New Zealand's new alcohol laws: protocol for a mixed-methods evaluation.

PubMed

Maclennan, Brett; Kypri, Kypros; Connor, Jennie; Potiki, Tuari; Room, Robin

2016-01-13

Alcohol consumption is a major cause of mortality and morbidity globally. In response to strong calls from the public for alcohol law reform, the New Zealand Government recently reduced the blood alcohol limit for driving and introduced the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act which aim to (1) improve community input into local decision-making on alcohol; (2) reduce the availability of alcohol; and (3) reduce hazardous drinking and alcohol-related harm. In this project we seek to evaluate the new laws in terms of these objectives. A policy evaluation framework is proposed to investigate the implementation and outcomes of the reforms. We will use quantitative and qualitative methods, employing a pre-post design. Participants include members of the public, local government staff, iwi (Māori tribal groups that function collectively to support their members) and community group representatives. Data will be collected via postal surveys, interviews and analysis of local government documents. Liquor licensing, police and hospital injury data will also be used. Community input into local government decision-making will be operationalised as: the number of objections per license application and the number of local governments adopting a local alcohol policy (LAP). Outcome measures will be the 'restrictiveness' of LAPs compared to previous policies, the number (per 1000 residents) and density (per square kilometre) of alcohol outlets throughout NZ, and the number of weekend late-night (i.e., post 10 pm) trading hours. For consumption and harm, outcomes will be the prevalence of hazardous drinking, harm from own and others' drinking, community amenity effects, rates of assault, and rates of alcohol-involved traffic crashes. Multiple regression will be used to model how the outcomes vary by local government area from before to after the law changes take effect. These measures will be complemented by qualitative analysis of LAP development and public participation in local decision-making on alcohol. The project will evaluate how well the reforms meet their explicit public health objectives.

An Evaluation of Research Ethics in Undergraduate Health Science Research Methodology Programs at a South African University.

PubMed

Coetzee, Tanya; Hoffmann, Willem A; de Roubaix, Malcolm

2015-10-01

The amended research ethics policy at a South African University required the ethics review of undergraduate research projects, prompting the need to explore the content and teaching approach of research ethics education in health science undergraduate programs. Two qualitative data collection strategies were used: document analysis (syllabi and study guides) and semi-structured interviews with research methodology coordinators. Five main themes emerged: (a) timing of research ethics courses, (b) research ethics course content, (c) sub-optimal use of creative classroom activities to facilitate research ethics lectures, (d) understanding the need for undergraduate project research ethics review, and (e) research ethics capacity training for research methodology lecturers and undergraduate project supervisors. © The Author(s) 2015.

Evaluation of authentic science projects on climate change in secondary schools: a focus on gender differences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dijkstra, Elma; Goedhart, Martin

2011-07-01

Background and purpose This study examines secondary-school students' opinions on participating in authentic science projects which are part of an international EU project on climate change research in seven countries. Partnerships between schools and research institutes result in student projects, in which students work with and learn from scientists about the global carbon cycle. This study focuses in particular on differences between male and female students, as female students normally like traditional school science less than male students. Sample and design Data, drawn from 1370 students from 60 secondary schools across Europe, were collected through questionnaires taken at the end of the projects. The evaluated aspects were: organization; enjoyment; difficulty; and impact of the projects. Results The findings suggest that authentic science education is appreciated very much by both male students and even more by female students. The projects had positive impacts on climate change ideas, in particular for female students. Female students felt that they had learned many new things more often than male students. Conclusions Both male and female students have positive opinions about the authentic science projects. The results further point to positive effects of activities in which students have an active role, like hands-on experiments or presentation of results. The findings are placed in the international context of science education and their implications for policy are discussed.

Continued multidisciplinary project-based learning - implementation in health informatics.

PubMed

Wessel, C; Spreckelsen, C

2009-01-01

Problem- and project-based learning are approved methods to train students, graduates and post-graduates in scientific and other professional skills. The students are trained on realistic scenarios in a broader context. For students specializing in health informatics we introduced continued multidisciplinary project-based learning (CM-PBL) at a department of medical informatics. The training approach addresses both students of medicine and students of computer science. The students are full members of an ongoing research project and develop a project-related application or module, or explore or evaluate a sub-project. Two teachers guide and review the students' work. The training on scientific work follows a workflow with defined milestones. The team acts as peer group. By participating in the research team's work the students are trained on professional skills. A research project on a web-based information system on hospitals built the scenario for the realistic context. The research team consisted of up to 14 active members at a time, who were scientists and students of computer science and medicine. The well communicated educational approach and team policy fostered the participation of the students. Formative assessment and evaluation showed a considerable improvement of the students' skills and a high participant satisfaction. Alternative education approaches such as project-based learning empower students to acquire scientific knowledge and professional skills, especially the ability of life-long learning, multidisciplinary team work and social responsibility.

Rochester’s Lead Law: Evaluation of a Local Environmental Health Policy Innovation

PubMed Central

Ayoob, Maria; Morley, Rebecca

2011-01-01

Background: Significant progress has been made in reducing the incidence of childhood lead poisoning in the United States in the past three decades. However, the prevalence of elevated blood lead in children (≥ 10 μg/dL) remains high in some communities, particularly those with high proportions of pre-1978 housing in poor condition. Increasingly, municipalities are using local policy tools to reduce lead poisoning in high-risk areas, but little is known about the effectiveness of such policies. Objectives: In this article, we evaluated the effectiveness of a comprehensive rental housing–based lead law adopted in Rochester, New York, in 2005. Methods: This policy evaluation integrates analyses of city inspections data, a survey of landlords, landlord focus groups, and health department data on children’s blood lead levels from the first 4 years of implementation of the 2005 law. Results: Implementation has proceeded consistent with projected numbers of inspections with nearly all target units inspected in the first 4 years. Higher than expected inspection passage rates suggest that landlords have reduced lead hazards in rental housing affected by the law. Implementation of the lead law does not appear to have had a significant impact on the housing market. Conclusions: Although many uncertainties remain, our analysis suggests that the lead law has had a positive impact on children’s health. Strong enforcement, support for community-based lead programs, and ongoing intergovernmental coordination will be necessary to maintain lead-safe housing in Rochester. Lessons learned from the Rochester experience may inform future local lead poisoning prevention policies in other communities. PMID:22001644

Rochester's lead law: evaluation of a local environmental health policy innovation.

PubMed

Korfmacher, Katrina Smith; Ayoob, Maria; Morley, Rebecca

2012-02-01

Significant progress has been made in reducing the incidence of childhood lead poisoning in the United States in the past three decades. However, the prevalence of elevated blood lead in children (≥ 10 μg/dL) remains high in some communities, particularly those with high proportions of pre-1978 housing in poor condition. Increasingly, municipalities are using local policy tools to reduce lead poisoning in high-risk areas, but little is known about the effectiveness of such policies. In this article, we evaluated the effectiveness of a comprehensive rental housing-based lead law adopted in Rochester, New York, in 2005. This policy evaluation integrates analyses of city inspections data, a survey of landlords, landlord focus groups, and health department data on children's blood lead levels from the first 4 years of implementation of the 2005 law. Implementation has proceeded consistent with projected numbers of inspections with nearly all target units inspected in the first 4 years. Higher than expected inspection passage rates suggest that landlords have reduced lead hazards in rental housing affected by the law. Implementation of the lead law does not appear to have had a significant impact on the housing market. Although many uncertainties remain, our analysis suggests that the lead law has had a positive impact on children's health. Strong enforcement, support for community-based lead programs, and ongoing intergovernmental coordination will be necessary to maintain lead-safe housing in Rochester. Lessons learned from the Rochester experience may inform future local lead poisoning prevention policies in other communities.

An In Service Training Course, (INSET) on ICT Pedagogy in Classroom Instruction for the Greek Primary School Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amanatidis, Nikolaos

2014-01-01

To meet the increasing demand for change in the incorporation of ICT in education the Greek Ministry of Education and the Institute of Educational Policy of Greece, launched a nationwide project of in-service training (INSET) of teachers of the second level, training of teachers in the use and evaluation of ICT pedagogy in classroom instruction.…

Preparing for a "Next Generation" Evaluation of Independent Living Programs for Youth in Foster Care: Project Overview. OPRE Report No. 2014-71

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDaniel, Marla; Courtney, Mark E.; Pergamit, Michael R.; Lowenstein, Christopher

2014-01-01

Youth transitioning out of foster care and into adulthood need multiple supports to navigate the challenges they face. Over the past three decades, federal child welfare policy has significantly increased the availability of those supports. In 1999, the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program was created, increasing the amount of funds potentially…

English Teachers in the Digital Age--A Case Study of Policy and Expert Practice from England

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodwyn, Andy

2011-01-01

This article is a case study of how English teachers in England have coped with the paradigm shift from print to digital literacy. It reviews a large scale national initiative that was intended to upskill all teachers, considers its weak impact and explores the author's involvement in the evaluation of the project's direct value to English…

Gathering Feedback for Teaching: Combining High-Quality Observations with Student Surveys and Achievement Gains. Policy and Practice Summary. MET Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2012

2012-01-01

Research has long been clear that teachers matter more to student learning than any other in-school factor. Improving the quality of teaching is critical to student success. Yet only recently have many states and districts begun to take seriously the importance of evaluating teacher performance and providing teachers with the feedback they need to…

Gathering Feedback for Teaching: Combining High-Quality Observations with Student Surveys and Achievement Gains. Policy and Practice Brief. MET Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kane, Thomas J.; Staiger, Douglas O.

2012-01-01

Research has long been clear that teachers matter more to student learning than any other in-school factor. Improving the quality of teaching is critical to student success. Yet only recently have many states and districts begun to take seriously the importance of evaluating teacher performance and providing teachers with the feedback they need to…

Capacity building toward evidence-based medicine among healthcare professionals at the university of medicine and pharmacy, ho chi minh city, and its related institutes.

PubMed

Nga, LE Thi Quynh; Goto, Aya; Trung, Tran The; Vinh, Nguyen Quang; Khue, Nguyen Thy

2014-02-01

Research capacity development enhances a country's ownership of activities aimed at strengthening its health system. In Vietnam, continuing medical education (CME) is attracting increasing attention with the establishment of legal and policy frameworks. During 2010-2013, the Japan International Cooperation Agency funded a research capacity building project targeting physicians in Ho Chi Minh City. The project had been developed in four previous courses that were conducted in collaboration with Fukushima Medical University and Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy (UMP). The project succeeded in obtaining accreditation as the city's CME course. A total of 262 physicians attended three courses that have a divided set of research competencies. Following the Kirkpatrick Model for evaluating the effectiveness of training programs, we confirmed the participants' positive reaction to the courses (Level 1 evaluation), their perceived increase in knowledge and confidence in research skills (Level 2 evaluation), and application of learned knowledge in their practice (Level 3 evaluation). Presented here is a step-by-step scaling-up model of health research capacity building. Strategies for the further expansion include: further capacity building of instructors; responding to clinicians' specific needs; building a recruiting system with authorization; and improving the Level 3 training evaluation.

Advanced system demonstration for utilization of biomass as an energy source. Environmental report

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

McCollom, M.

1979-01-01

The conclusions and findings of extensive analyses undertaken to assess the environmental impacts and effects of the proposal to assist in an Advanced System Demonstration for Utilization of Biomass as an Energy Source by means of a wood-fueled power plant. Included are a description of the proposed project, a discussion of the existing environment that the project would affect, a summary of the project's impacts on the natural and human environments, a discussion of the project's relationships to other government policies and plans, and an extensive review of the alternatives which were considered in evaluating the proposed action. All findingsmore » of the research undertaken are discussed. More extensive presentations of the methods of analysis used to arrive at the various conclusions are available in ten topical technical appendices.« less

Issues in NASA Program and Project Management. Special Edition: A Collection of Papers on NASA Procedures and Guidance 7120.5A. Volume 14

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoffman, Edward J. (Editor); Lawbaugh, William M. (Editor)

1998-01-01

A key aspect of NASA's new Strategic Management System is improving the way we plan, approve, execute and evaluate our programs and projects. To this end, NASA has developed the NASA Program and Project Management processes and Requirements-NASA Procedures and Guidelines (NPG) 7120.5A, which formally documents the "Provide Aerospace Products and Capabilities" crosscutting process, and defines the processes and requirements that are responsive to the Program/Project Management-NPD 7120.4A. The Program/Project Management-NPD 7120.4A, issued November 14, 1996, provides the policy for managing programs and projects in a new way that is aligned with the new NASA environment. An Agencywide team has spent thousands of hours developing the NASA Program and Project Management Processes and Requirements-NPG 7120.5A. We have created significant flexibility, authority and discretion for the program and project managers to exercise and carry out their duties, and have delegated the responsibility and the accountability for their programs and projects.

Biophysical risks to carbon sequestration and storage in Australian drylands.

PubMed

Nolan, Rachael H; Sinclair, Jennifer; Eldridge, David J; Ramp, Daniel

2018-02-15

Carbon abatement schemes that reduce land clearing and promote revegetation are now an important component of climate change policy globally. There is considerable potential for these schemes to operate in drylands which are spatially extensive. However, projects in these environments risk failure through unplanned release of stored carbon to the atmosphere. In this review, we identify factors that may adversely affect the success of vegetation-based carbon abatement projects in dryland ecosystems, evaluate their likelihood of occurrence, and estimate the potential consequences for carbon storage and sequestration. We also evaluate management strategies to reduce risks posed to these carbon abatement projects. Identified risks were primarily disturbances, including unplanned fire, drought, and grazing. Revegetation projects also risk recruitment failure, thereby failing to reach projected rates of sequestration. Many of these risks are dependent on rainfall, which is highly variable in drylands and susceptible to further variation under climate change. Resprouting vegetation is likely to be less vulnerable to disturbance and have faster recovery rates upon release from disturbance. We conclude that there is a strong impetus for identifying management strategies and risk reduction mechanisms for carbon abatement projects. Risk mitigation would be enhanced by effective co-ordination of mitigation strategies at scales larger than individual abatement project boundaries, and by implementing risk assessment throughout project planning and implementation stages. Reduction of risk is vital for maximising carbon sequestration of individual projects and for reducing barriers to the establishment of new projects entering the market. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Geothermal Induced Seismicity National Environmental Policy Act Review

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

Levine, Aaron L; Cook, Jeffrey J; Beckers, Koenraad J

In 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) contracted with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to assist the BLM in developing and building upon tools to better understand and evaluate induced seismicity caused by geothermal projects. This review of NEPA documents for four geothermal injection or EGS projects reveals the variety of approaches to analyzing and mitigating induced seismicity. With the exception of the Geysers, where induced seismicity has been observed and monitored for an extended period of time due to large volumes of water being piped in to recharge the hydrothermal reservoir, induced seismicity caused by geothermalmore » projects is a relative new area of study. As this review highlights, determining the level of mitigation required for induced seismic events has varied based on project location, when the review took place, whether the project utilized the International Energy Agency or DOE IS protocols, and the federal agency conducting the review. While the NEPA reviews were relatively consistent for seismic monitoring and historical evaluation of seismic events near the project location, the requirements for public outreach and mitigation for induced seismic events once stimulation has begun varied considerably between the four projects. Not all of the projects were required to notify specific community groups or local government entities before beginning the project, and only one of the reviews specifically stated the project proponent would hold meetings with the public to answer questions or address concerns.« less

High-Performance Buildings – Value, Messaging, Financial and Policy Mechanisms

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

McCabe, Molly

At the request of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, an in-depth analysis of the rapidly evolving state of real estate investments, high-performance building technology, and interest in efficiency was conducted by HaydenTanner, LLC, for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Technologies Program. The analysis objectives were • to evaluate the link between high-performance buildings and their market value • to identify core messaging to motivate owners, investors, financiers, and others in the real estate sector to appropriately value and deploy high-performance strategies and technologies across new and existing buildings • to summarize financial mechanisms that facilitate increased investment inmore » these buildings. To meet these objectives, work consisted of a literature review of relevant writings, examination of existing and emergent financial and policy mechanisms, interviews with industry stakeholders, and an evaluation of the value implications through financial modeling. This report documents the analysis methodology and findings, conclusion and recommendations. Its intent is to support and inform the DOE Building Technologies Program on policy and program planning for the financing of high-performance new buildings and building retrofit projects.« less

Strengthening the capacity for health promotion in South Africa through international collaboration.

PubMed

Van den Broucke, Stephan; Jooste, Heila; Tlali, Maki; Moodley, Vimla; Van Zyl, Greer; Nyamwaya, David; Tang, Kwok-Cho

2010-06-01

This paper describes a project to strengthen the capacity for health promotion in two Provinces in South Africa. The project draws on the key health promotion capacity dimensions of partnership and networking, infrastructure, problem-solving capacity, and knowledge transfer. The project was carried out in a partnership between the Provinces, the Ministry of Health of South Africa, the government of Flanders, Belgium, and the World Health Organization (WHO). The project aimed to: (i) integrate health promotion into national, Provincial and district level health policy plans (ii) strengthen the health promotion capacity in the two Provinces; and (iii) support the development of tools to monitor and evaluate health promotion interventions. Starting from a situation analysis and identification of priority health issues and existing actions in each Province, capacity-building workshops were organized for senior participants from various sectors. Community-based health promotion interventions were then planned and implemented in both Provinces. A systematic evaluation of the project involving an internal audit of project activities and results based on document analysis, site visits, focus groups and interviews with key persons demonstrated that stakeholders in both Provinces saw an increase of capacity in terms of networking, knowledge transfer, problem solving, and to a lesser extent infrastructure. Health promotion had been well integrated in the Provincial health plans, and roll-out processes with local stakeholders had started after the conclusion of the project. The development of tools for monitoring and evaluation of health promotion was less well achieved. The project illustrates how capacities to deliver health promotion interventions in a developing country can be enhanced through international collaboration. The conceptual model of capacity building that served as a basis for the project provided a useful framework to plan, identify and assess the key components of health promotion capacity in an African context.

Adult Literacy Action Campaign: Projects around Australia. A Review of State and Territory Level Adult Literacy Projects Funded under the Adult Literacy Action Campaign of the National Policy on Languages. Occasional Paper Number 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Australian Advisory Council on Languages and Multicultural Education, Canberra.

This collection of papers is a review of the adult literacy projects in Australia funded under the 1987-89 Adult Literacy Action Campaign (ALAC) of the National Policy on Languages. Fourteen authors describe various literacy projects and, often, their outcomes. The projects described are grouped in seven areas. On the subject of Literacy Training…

Big concerns with small projects: Evaluating the socio-ecological impacts of small hydropower projects in India.

PubMed

Jumani, Suman; Rao, Shishir; Machado, Siddarth; Prakash, Anup

2017-05-01

Although Small Hydropower Projects (SHPs) are encouraged as sources of clean and green energy, there is a paucity of research examining their socio-ecological impacts. We assessed the perceived socio-ecological impacts of 4 SHPs within the Western Ghats in India by conducting semi-structured interviews with local respondents. Primary interview data were sequentially validated with secondary data, and respondent perceptions were subsequently compared against the expected baseline of assured impacts. We evaluated the level of awareness about SHPs, their perceived socio-economic impacts, influence on resource access and impacts on human-elephant interactions. The general level of awareness about SHPs was low, and assurances of local electricity and employment generation remained largely unfulfilled. Additionally most respondents faced numerous unanticipated adverse impacts. We found a strong relationship between SHP construction and increasing levels of human-elephant conflict. Based on the disparity between assured and actual social impacts, we suggest that policies regarding SHPs be suitably revised.

The policy process for health promotion.

PubMed

Söderberg, Erik; Wikström, Ewa

2015-08-01

The paper aims to contribute to our understanding of the policy process in health promotion by addressing the following questions: What are the characteristics of the policy process in health promotion? How do policy entrepreneurs influence project implementation? This is a qualitative study with an explorative case study design that uses three different data sources: qualitative interviews, written documents and observations. The paper examines several factors (determinants) that influence the policy process and that, to a lesser extent, are addressed by current models in health policy research. Legitimacy, financial capacity, available structure and political timing are all important determinants that influence the policy process. Policy entrepreneurs, with established networks and knowledge of the environment and its procedures, create legitimacy and provide opportunities for action; however, indistinct organizational boundaries among roles and poorly defined individual responsibilities create policy process uncertainty. As a result, there are lengthy discussions and few decisions, both of which delay the progress of a project. This paper's theoretical contribution is its analysis of the relationship of policy-making to linear models, via a discussion of policy entrepreneurs, and their importance in the policy process. The paper concludes that we need to consider the influence of policy entrepreneurs, whom build legitimacy and seize action opportunities by coupling the three streams in the policy process, as they help bring projects to fruition. Furthermore, the study points to the importance of policy entrepreneurs throughout the policy process. The paper has practical implications for practitioners whom work with the implementation of community policies. © 2015 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

A supply model for nurse workforce projection in Malaysia.

PubMed

Abas, Zuraida Abal; Ramli, Mohamad Raziff; Desa, Mohamad Ishak; Saleh, Nordin; Hanafiah, Ainul Nadziha; Aziz, Nuraini; Abidin, Zaheera Zainal; Shibghatullah, Abdul Samad; Rahman, Ahmad Fadzli Nizam Abdul; Musa, Haslinda

2017-08-18

The paper aims to provide an insight into the significance of having a simulation model to forecast the supply of registered nurses for health workforce planning policy using System Dynamics. A model is highly in demand to predict the workforce demand for nurses in the future, which it supports for complete development of a needs-based nurse workforce projection using Malaysia as a case study. The supply model consists of three sub-models to forecast the number of registered nurses for the next 15 years: training model, population model and Full Time Equivalent (FTE) model. In fact, the training model is for predicting the number of newly registered nurses after training is completed. Furthermore, the population model is for indicating the number of registered nurses in the nation and the FTE model is useful for counting the number of registered nurses with direct patient care. Each model is described in detail with the logical connection and mathematical governing equation for accurate forecasting. The supply model is validated using error analysis approach in terms of the root mean square percent error and the Theil inequality statistics, which is mportant for evaluating the simulation results. Moreover, the output of simulation results provides a useful insight for policy makers as a what-if analysis is conducted. Some recommendations are proposed in order to deal with the nursing deficit. It must be noted that the results from the simulation model will be used for the next stage of the Needs-Based Nurse Workforce projection project. The impact of this study is that it provides the ability for greater planning and policy making with better predictions.

Yet To Make the Grade: New Zealand National Government's Early Education Policy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farquhar, Sarah-Eve J.

The early education policy of the National Party government in New Zealand is based on the Parents As First Teachers (PAFT) approach and the New Parents as Teachers project, which originated in the United States in Missouri. It is difficult to assess this project, which is not well-documented. The PAFT policy that parents should be home with…

Multilevel Interventions To Address Health Disparities Show Promise In Improving Population Health.

PubMed

Paskett, Electra; Thompson, Beti; Ammerman, Alice S; Ortega, Alexander N; Marsteller, Jill; Richardson, DeJuran

2016-08-01

Multilevel interventions are those that affect at least two levels of influence-for example, the patient and the health care provider. They can be experimental designs or natural experiments caused by changes in policy, such as the implementation of the Affordable Care Act or local policies. Measuring the effects of multilevel interventions is challenging, because they allow for interaction among levels, and the impact of each intervention must be assessed and translated into practice. We discuss how two projects from the National Institutes of Health's Centers for Population Health and Health Disparities used multilevel interventions to reduce health disparities. The interventions, which focused on the uptake of the human papillomavirus vaccine and community-level dietary change, had mixed results. The design and implementation of multilevel interventions are facilitated by input from the community, and more advanced methods and measures are needed to evaluate the impact of the various levels and components of such interventions. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) data and information policy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcgarry, Frank

1991-01-01

The policies and overall procedures that are used in distributing and in making available products of the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) are discussed. The products include project data and measures, project source code, reports, and software tools.

The role of public policies in reducing smoking prevalence: results from the Michigan SimSmoke tobacco policy simulation model.

PubMed

Levy, David T; Huang, An-Tsun; Havumaki, Joshua S; Meza, Rafael

2016-05-01

Michigan has implemented several of the tobacco control policies recommended by the World Health Organization MPOWER goals. We consider the effect of those policies and additional policies consistent with MPOWER goals on smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable deaths (SADs). The SimSmoke tobacco control policy simulation model is used to examine the effect of past policies and a set of additional policies to meet the MPOWER goals. The model is adapted to Michigan using state population, smoking, and policy data starting in 1993. SADs are estimated using standard attribution methods. Upon validating the model, SimSmoke is used to distinguish the effect of policies implemented since 1993 against a counterfactual with policies kept at their 1993 levels. The model is then used to project the effect of implementing stronger policies beginning in 2014. SimSmoke predicts smoking prevalence accurately between 1993 and 2010. Since 1993, a relative reduction in smoking rates of 22 % by 2013 and of 30 % by 2054 can be attributed to tobacco control policies. Of the 22 % reduction, 44 % is due to taxes, 28 % to smoke-free air laws, 26 % to cessation treatment policies, and 2 % to youth access. Moreover, 234,000 SADs are projected to be averted by 2054. With additional policies consistent with MPOWER goals, the model projects that, by 2054, smoking prevalence can be further reduced by 17 % with 80,000 deaths averted relative to the absence of those policies. Michigan SimSmoke shows that tobacco control policies, including cigarette taxes, smoke-free air laws, and cessation treatment policies, have substantially reduced smoking and SADs. Higher taxes, strong mass media campaigns, and cessation treatment policies would further reduce smoking prevalence and SADs.

The Role of Public Policies in Reducing Smoking Prevalence: Results from the Michigan SimSmoke Tobacco Policy Simulation Model

PubMed Central

Levy, David T.; Huang, An-Tsun; Havumaki, Joshua S.; Meza, Rafael

2016-01-01

Introduction Michigan has implemented several of the tobacco control policies recommended by the World Health Organization MPOWER goals. We consider the effect of those policies and additional policies consistent with MPOWER goals on smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable deaths (SADs). Methods The SimSmoke tobacco control policy simulation model is used to examine the effect of past policies and a set of additional policies to meet the MPOWER goals. The model is adapted to Michigan using state population, smoking and policy data starting in 1993. SADs are estimated using standard attribution methods. Upon validating the model, SimSmoke is used to distinguish the effect of policies implemented since 1993 against a counterfactual with policies kept at their 1993 levels. The model is then used to project the effect of implementing stronger policies beginning in 2014. Results SimSmoke predicts smoking prevalence accurately between 1993 and 2010. Since 1993, a relative reduction in smoking rates of 22% by 2013 and of 30% by 2054 can be attributed to tobacco control policies. Of the 22% reduction, 44% is due to taxes, 28% to smoke-free air laws, 26% to cessation treatment policies, and 2% to youth access. Moreover, 234,000 smoking-attributable deaths are projected to be averted by 2054. With additional policies consistent with MPOWER goals, the model projects that, by 2054, smoking prevalence can be further reduced by 17% with 80,000 deaths averted relative to the absence of those policies. Conclusions Michigan SimSmoke shows that tobacco control policies, including cigarette taxes, smoke-free air laws and cessation treatment policies, have substantially reduced smoking and smoking-attributable deaths. Higher taxes, strong mass media campaigns and cessation treatment policies would further reduce smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable deaths. PMID:26983616

Partners for a healthy city: implementing policies and environmental changes within organizations to promote health.

PubMed

Feyerherm, Laura; Tibbits, Melissa; Wang, Hongmei; Schram, Sarah; Balluff, Mary

2014-07-01

Current research has suggested that obesity prevention efforts should promote policy and environmental changes. The Partners for a Healthy City project, implemented in Douglas County, Nebraska, focused on collaborating with local organizations to help them select and implement 1 or more policies that promoted healthy eating and physical activity. Of the 346 organizations participating in the project and completing the follow-up assessment, 92% implemented at least 1 new policy or expanded an existing policy related to healthy food and drink options and physical activity, totaling 952 individual policy changes. Common policies included providing water as the primary beverage and installing bike racks to support active commuting to and from work. These findings suggest widespread support for policy changes that promote community health.

Partners for a Healthy City: Implementing Policies and Environmental Changes Within Organizations to Promote Health

PubMed Central

Tibbits, Melissa; Wang, Hongmei; Schram, Sarah; Balluff, Mary

2014-01-01

Current research has suggested that obesity prevention efforts should promote policy and environmental changes. The Partners for a Healthy City project, implemented in Douglas County, Nebraska, focused on collaborating with local organizations to help them select and implement 1 or more policies that promoted healthy eating and physical activity. Of the 346 organizations participating in the project and completing the follow-up assessment, 92% implemented at least 1 new policy or expanded an existing policy related to healthy food and drink options and physical activity, totaling 952 individual policy changes. Common policies included providing water as the primary beverage and installing bike racks to support active commuting to and from work. These findings suggest widespread support for policy changes that promote community health. PMID:24832425

A Participatory Regional Partnership Approach to Promote Nutrition and Physical Activity Through Environmental and Policy Change in Rural Missouri.

PubMed

Barnidge, Ellen K; Baker, Elizabeth A; Estlund, Amy; Motton, Freda; Hipp, Pamela R; Brownson, Ross C

2015-06-11

Rural residents are less likely than urban and suburban residents to meet recommendations for nutrition and physical activity. Interventions at the environmental and policy level create environments that support healthy eating and physical activity. Healthier Missouri Communities (Healthier MO) is a community-based research project conducted by the Prevention Research Center in St. Louis with community partners from 12 counties in rural southeast Missouri. We created a regional partnership to leverage resources and enhance environmental and policy interventions to improve nutrition and physical activity in rural southeast Missouri. Partners were engaged in a participatory action planning process that included prioritizing, implementing, and evaluating promising evidence-based interventions to promote nutrition and physical activity. Group interviews were conducted with Healthier MO community partners post intervention to evaluate resource sharing and sustainability efforts of the regional partnership. Community partners identified the benefits and challenges of resource sharing within the regional partnership as well as the opportunities and threats to long-term partnership sustainability. The partners noted that the regional participatory process was difficult, but the benefits outweighed the challenges. Regional rural partnerships may be an effective way to leverage relationships to increase the capacity of rural communities to implement environmental and policy interventions to promote nutrition and physical activity.

Developing Public Education Policy Through Policy Impact Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teddlie, Charles; And Others

1982-01-01

The policy impact model can help state educational planners develop policies for local school districts. The model has four stages: forecasting, goal setting, policy analysis, and implementation. A project in Louisiana is used as a case study.

Adaptation to Climate change Impacts on the Mediterranean islands' Agriculture (ADAPT2CLIMA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giannakopoulos, Christos; Karali, Anna; Lemesios, Giannis; Loizidou, Maria; Papadaskalopoulou, Christina; Moustakas, Konstantinos; Papadopoulou, Maria; Moriondo, Marco; Markou, Marinos; Hatziyanni, Eleni; Pasotti, Luigi

2016-04-01

Agriculture is one of the economic sectors that will likely be hit hardest by climate change, since it directly depends on climatic factors such as temperature, sunlight, and precipitation. The EU LIFE ADAPT2CLIMA (http://adapt2clima.eu/en/) project aims to facilitate the development of adaptation strategies for agriculture by deploying and demonstrating an innovative decision support tool. The ADAPT2CLIMA tool will make it possible to simulate the impacts of climate change on crop production and the effectiveness of selected adaptation options in decreasing vulnerability to climate change in three Mediterranean islands, namely Crete (Greece), Sicily (Italy), and Cyprus. The islands were selected for two reasons: firstly, they figure among the most important cultivation areas at national level. Secondly, they exhibit similarities in terms of location (climate), size, climate change threats faced (coastal agriculture, own water resources), agricultural practices, and policy relevance. In particular, the tool will provide: i) climate change projections; ii) hydrological conditions related to agriculture: iii) a vulnerability assessment of selected crops; iv) an evaluation of the adaptation options identified. The project is expected to contribute significantly to increasing climate resilience of agriculture areas in Sicily, Cyprus and Crete as well as at EU and international level by: • Developing, implementing and demonstrating an innovative and interactive decision support tool (ADAPT2CLIMA tool) for adaptation planning in agriculture that estimates future climate change impacts on local water resources, as well as the climate change vulnerability of the agricultural crop production in the project areas; • Evaluating the technical and economic viability of the implementation of the ADAPT2CLIMA tool; • Developing climate change adaptation strategies for agriculture (including a monitoring plan) for the three project areas and presenting them to the competent authorities for adoption; • Simulating the effectiveness of the implementation of certain adaptation measures to address climate change impacts on agriculture; • Developing a stakeholder engagement strategy; • Increasing the knowledge of the impacts of climate change on the agricultural areas covered by the project, thus enabling well informed decision-making and enhancing readiness for early action in order to address the potential damages and minimize threats posed by climate change; • Developing a framework for mainstreaming agricultural adaptation measures into relevant national and regional policies; • Promoting the replication of the proposed methodology in order to ensure proper coordination of national and regional policies and between authorities.

The Health and Sport Engagement (HASE) Intervention and Evaluation Project: protocol for the design, outcome, process and economic evaluation of a complex community sport intervention to increase levels of physical activity.

PubMed

Mansfield, Louise; Anokye, Nana; Fox-Rushby, Julia; Kay, Tess

2015-10-26

Sport is being promoted to raise population levels of physical activity for health. National sport participation policy focuses on complex community provision tailored to diverse local users. Few quality research studies exist that examine the role of community sport interventions in raising physical activity levels and no research to date has examined the costs and cost-effectiveness of such provision. This study is a protocol for the design, outcome, process and economic evaluation of a complex community sport intervention to increase levels of physical activity, the Health and Sport Engagement (HASE) project part of the national Get Healthy Get Active programme led by Sport England. The HASE study is a collaborative partnership between local community sport deliverers and sport and public health researchers. It involves designing, delivering and evaluating community sport interventions. The aim is to engage previously inactive people in sustained sporting activity for 1×30 min a week and to examine associated health and well-being outcomes. The study uses mixed methods. Outcomes (physical activity, health, well-being costs to individuals) will be measured by a series of self-report questionnaires and attendance data and evaluated using interrupted time series analysis controlling for a range of sociodemographic factors. Resource use will be identified and measured using diaries, interviews and records and presented alongside effectiveness data as incremental cost-effectiveness ratios and cost-effectiveness acceptability curves. A longitudinal process evaluation (focus groups, structured observations, in-depth interview methods) will examine the efficacy of the project for achieving its aim using the principles of thematic analysis. The results of this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, academic conference presentations, Sport England and national public health organisation policy conferences, and practice-based case studies. Ethical approval was obtained through Brunel University London's research ethics committee (reference number RE33-12). Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

EU FP7 project 'CAMbrella' to build European research network for complementary and alternative medicine.

PubMed

Weidenhammer, Wolfgang; Lewith, George; Falkenberg, Torkel; Fønnebø, Vinjar; Johannessen, Helle; Reiter, Bettina; Uehleke, Bernhard; von Ammon, Klaus; Baumhöfener, Franziska; Brinkhaus, Benno

2011-01-01

The status of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) within the EU needs clarification. The definition and terminology of CAM is heterogeneous. The therapies, legal status, regulations and approaches used vary from country to country but there is widespread use by EU citizens. A coordination project funded by the EU has been launched to improve the knowledge about CAM in Europe. The project aims to evaluate the conditions surrounding CAM use and provision in Europe and to develop a roadmap for European CAM research. Specific objectives are to establish an EU network involving centres of research excellence for collaborative projects, to develop consensus-based terminology to describe CAM interventions, to create a knowledge base that facilitates the understanding of patient demand for CAM and its prevalence, to review the current legal status and policies governing CAM provision, and to explore the needs and attitudes of EU citizens with respect to CAM. Based on this information a roadmap will be created that will enable sustainable and prioritised future European research in CAM. CAMbrella encompasses 16 academic research groups from 12 European countries and will run for 36 months starting from January 2010. The project will be delivered in 9 work packages coordinated by a Management Board and directed by a Scientific Steering Committee with support of an Advisory Board. The outcomes generated will be disseminated through the project's website, peer review open access publications and a final conference, with emphasis on current and future EU policies, addressing different target audiences. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Including Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Policies in Electricity Demand Projections

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Find more information on how state and local air agencies can identify on-the-books EE/RE policies, develop a methodology for projecting a jurisdiction's energy demand, and estimate the change in power sector emissions.

Development of GPS survey data management protocols/policy.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-08-01

This project developed a statewide policy and criteria for collecting, analyzing, and managing global position system (GPS) survey data. The research project determined the needs of the Department in adopting the GPS real time kinetic (GPS RTK) stake...

Integration of research advances in modelling and monitoring in support of WFD river basin management planning in the context of climate change.

PubMed

Quevauviller, Philippe; Barceló, Damia; Beniston, Martin; Djordjevic, Slobodan; Harding, Richard J; Iglesias, Ana; Ludwig, Ralf; Navarra, Antonio; Navarro Ortega, Alícia; Mark, Ole; Roson, Roberto; Sempere, Daniel; Stoffel, Markus; van Lanen, Henny A J; Werner, Micha

2012-12-01

The integration of scientific knowledge about possible climate change impacts on water resources has a direct implication on the way water policies are being implemented and evolving. This is particularly true regarding various technical steps embedded into the EU Water Framework Directive river basin management planning, such as risk characterisation, monitoring, design and implementation of action programmes and evaluation of the "good status" objective achievements (in 2015). The need to incorporate climate change considerations into the implementation of EU water policy is currently discussed with a wide range of experts and stakeholders at EU level. Research trends are also on-going, striving to support policy developments and examining how scientific findings and recommendations could be best taken on board by policy-makers and water managers within the forthcoming years. This paper provides a snapshot of policy discussions about climate change in the context of the WFD river basin management planning and specific advancements of related EU-funded research projects. Perspectives for strengthening links among the scientific and policy-making communities in this area are also highlighted. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Integrated agro-hydrological modelling and economic analysis of BMPs to support decision making and policy design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maroy, E.; Rousseau, A. N.; Hallema, D. W.

2012-12-01

With recent efforts and increasing control over point source pollution of freshwater, agricultural non-point pollution sources have become responsible for most of sediment and nutrient loads in North American water systems. Environmental and agricultural agencies have recognised the need for reducing eutrophication and have developed various policies to compel or encourage producers to best management practices (BMPs). Addressing diffuse pollution is challenging considering the complex and cumulative nature of transport processes, high variability in space and time, and prohibitive costs of distributed water quality monitoring. Many policy options exist to push producers to adopt environmentally desirable behaviour while keeping their activity viable, and ensure equitable costs to consumers and tax payers. On the one hand, economic instruments (subsidies, taxes, water quality markets) are designed to maximize cost-effectiveness, so that farmers optimize their production for maximum profit while implementing BMPs. On the other hand, emission standards or regulation of inputs are often easier and less costly to implement. To study economic and environmental impacts of such policies, a distributed modelling approach is needed to deal with the complexity of the system and the large environmental and socio-economic data requirements. Our objective is to integrate agro-hydrological modelling and economic analysis to support decision and policy making processes of BMP implementation. The integrated modelling system GIBSI was developed in an earlier study within the Canadian WEBs project (Watershed Evaluation of BMPs) to evaluate the influence of BMPs on water quality. The case study involved 30 and 15 year records of discharge and water quality measurements respectively, in the Beaurivage River watershed (Quebec, Canada). GIBSI provided a risk-based overview of the impact of BMPs (including vegetated riparian buffer strips, precision slurry application, conversion to grassland and no-till) in terms of sediment, nutrient and pesticide yields and loads. Input data included characteristics of reservoirs, land cover, soil, agricultural management, livestock management and point sources of pollution. The present study continues from there by first assessing the cost-effectiveness of different sets of BMPs, based on farm budgets and environmental criteria selected by the user. We subsequently examine monetary trade-offs between on-farm costs and social value of water quality improvements using cost-benefit ratios. Because water quality is a non-excludable and non-rivalrous good, its benefits to society are evaluated with non-market evaluation techniques mostly based on quality-constrained recreational use of water. From a policy perspective, cost-effectiveness analysis is very helpful in assisting the decision maker in the highly complex process of defining priorities with respect to BMP strategies. With a user-friendly interface for economic analysis integrated into GIBSI, watershed organizations and stakeholders can use such a tool to promote sustainable agricultural practices and water use. This submission is part of Watershed Evaluation of BMPs project (WEBs) funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Ducks Unlimited Canada

Healthcare quality improvement -- policy implications and practicalities.

PubMed

Esain, Ann Elizabeth; Williams, Sharon J; Gakhal, Sandeep; Caley, Lynne; Cooke, Matthew W

2012-01-01

This article aims to explore quality improvement (QI) at individual, group and organisational level. It also aims to identify restraining forces using formative evaluation and discuss implications for current UK policy, particularly quality, innovation, productivity and prevention. Learning events combined with work-based projects, focusing on individual and group responses are evaluated. A total of 11 multi-disciplinary groups drawn from NHS England healthcare Trusts (self-governing operational groups) were sampled. These Trusts have different geographic locations and participants were drawn from primary, secondary and commissioning arms. Mixed methods: questionnaires, observations and reflective accounts were used. The paper finds that solution versus problem identification causes confusion and influences success. Time for problem solving to achieve QI was absent. Feedback and learning structures are often not in place or inflexible. Limited focus on patient-centred services may be related to past assumptions regarding organisational design, hence assumptions and models need to be understood and challenged. The authors revise the Plan, Do, Study; Act (PDSA) model by adding an explicit problem identification step and hence avoiding solution-focused habits; demonstrating the need for more formative evaluations to inform managers and policy makers about healthcare QI processes. - Although UK-centric, the quality agenda is a USA and European theme, findings may help those embarking on this journey or those struggling with QI.

Examining the effectiveness of municipal solid waste management systems: An integrated cost-benefit analysis perspective with a financial cost modeling in Taiwan

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

Weng, Yu-Chi, E-mail: clyde.weng@gmail.com; Fujiwara, Takeshi

2011-06-15

In order to develop a sound material-cycle society, cost-effective municipal solid waste (MSW) management systems are required for the municipalities in the context of the integrated accounting system for MSW management. Firstly, this paper attempts to establish an integrated cost-benefit analysis (CBA) framework for evaluating the effectiveness of MSW management systems. In this paper, detailed cost/benefit items due to waste problems are particularly clarified. The stakeholders of MSW management systems, including the decision-makers of the municipalities and the citizens, are expected to reconsider the waste problems in depth and thus take wise actions with the aid of the proposed CBAmore » framework. Secondly, focusing on the financial cost, this study develops a generalized methodology to evaluate the financial cost-effectiveness of MSW management systems, simultaneously considering the treatment technological levels and policy effects. The impacts of the influencing factors on the annual total and average financial MSW operation and maintenance (O and M) costs are analyzed in the Taiwanese case study with a demonstrative short-term future projection of the financial costs under scenario analysis. The established methodology would contribute to the evaluation of the current policy measures and to the modification of the policy design for the municipalities.« less

Metaresearch for Evaluating Reproducibility in Ecology and Evolution

PubMed Central

Fidler, Fiona; Chee, Yung En; Wintle, Bonnie C.; Burgman, Mark A.; McCarthy, Michael A.; Gordon, Ascelin

2017-01-01

Abstract Recent replication projects in other disciplines have uncovered disturbingly low levels of reproducibility, suggesting that those research literatures may contain unverifiable claims. The conditions contributing to irreproducibility in other disciplines are also present in ecology. These include a large discrepancy between the proportion of “positive” or “significant” results and the average statistical power of empirical research, incomplete reporting of sampling stopping rules and results, journal policies that discourage replication studies, and a prevailing publish-or-perish research culture that encourages questionable research practices. We argue that these conditions constitute sufficient reason to systematically evaluate the reproducibility of the evidence base in ecology and evolution. In some cases, the direct replication of ecological research is difficult because of strong temporal and spatial dependencies, so here, we propose metaresearch projects that will provide proxy measures of reproducibility. PMID:28596617

Review and Evaluation of the VA Enrollee Health Care Projection Model

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

prohibited. RAND PDFs are protected under copyright law. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of our research ...Visit RAND at www.rand.org Explore the RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research View document details For More Information This PDF document was...SUBSTANCE ABUSE TERRORISM AND HOMELAND SECURITY TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE WORKFORCE AND WORKPLACE The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research

A Uniform Profit Policy for Government Acquisition

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-12-01

primarily to evaluate managerial (not economic) performance. The second survey by Gitman and Forrester concentrated on determining the 3 capital...budgeting techniques used by major firms. A list of 268 companies 3 L. J. Gitman , and J. R. Forrester, Jr. , "A Survey of Capital Budgeting Techniques...Approximately 70 percent of the firms responding to the Gitman and Forrester survey required returns of at least 15 percent before considering a project

Environmental Assessment for the Tula Peak Road Intersection

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-07-01

essential habitat and as outlined in the Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP). Long term monitoring will be conducted until the soil is...went beyond the evaluated impact. The actual breach of policy was not discovered until a routine storm water inspection questioned the inadequacy of...project called for disturbing less than one acre, no SWPPP was · originally called for. Upon inspection by the Holloman AFB Storm Water manager, the

AB INITIO AND DENSITY FUNCTION ANALYSIS OF THE ACETYLENE + O2(3S) REACTION SYSTEM AND CHEMEMICAL KINETIC EVALUATION OF ACETYLENE + O2(3S), O2(1D) AND VINYLIDENE + O2(3S). (R824970)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Review, Analysis and Evaluation of Certain Areas and Facets of Policies, Systems, Processes and Management of the U.S. Government Printing Office.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coopers & Lybrand, New York, NY.

Covered in this report of the 1978 project of the Joint Committee on Printing are aspects of three selected areas. Part one, Management Review and Assessment, contains a summary of management and user interviews, a review of GPO's goals and organizational structure, and an assessment of management systems and procedures. The accounting system is…

Earned print media in advancing tobacco control in Himachal Pradesh, India: a descriptive study

PubMed Central

Sharma, Renu; Shewade, Hemant Deepak; Gopalan, Balasubramaniam; Badrel, Ramesh Kumar; Rana, Jugdeep Singh

2017-01-01

Background The Union-Bloomberg Initiative tobacco control projects were implemented in Himachal Pradesh (a hilly state in North India) from 2007 to 2014. The project focused on the establishment of an administrative framework; increasing the capacity of stakeholders; enforcement of legislation; coalition and networking with multiple stakeholders; awareness generation with focus on earned media and monitoring and evaluation with policy-focussed research. This study aimed to systematically analyse all earned print news items related to the projects. Methods In this cross-sectional descriptive study, quantitative content analysis of earned print news items was carried out using predetermined codes related to areas of tobacco control policies. We also carried out a cost description of the hypothetical value of this earned media. The area of the news item in cm2 was multiplied by the average rate of space for the paid news item in that particular newspaper. Results There were 6348 news items: the numbers steadily increased with time. Focus on Monitoring tobacco use, Protecting people from tobacco smoke, Offering help to quit, Warning about dangers of tobacco, Enforcing a ban on tobacco advertising and promotion, Raising tax on tobacco products was seen in 24, 17, 9, 23, 22 and 3% of news items, respectively. Press releases were highest at 44% and report by correspondents at 24%. Further, 55, 23 and 21% news items focused on smoking, smokeless and both forms of tobacco use, respectively. Sixty-six per cent and 34% news items, respectively, were focused on youth and women. The news items had a hypothetical value of US$1503 628.3, which was three times more than the funds spent on all project activities. Conclusions In the absence of funding for paid media, the project strategically used earned media to promote tobacco control policies in the state. PMID:28589021

Assessing the impact of science communication in the development of resilient cities to extreme weather

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vicari, Rosa; Gires, Auguste; Tchiguirinskaia, Ioulia; Schertzer, Daniel

2014-05-01

The combined effects of climate change and increasing urbanisation call for new solutions to achieve urban resiliency to extreme weather. The research projects carried out by the HM&Co team (LEESU & Chair 'Hydrology for Resilient Cities' sponsored by Veolia) need to be supported by communication activities aimed to support community capacity building and cooperation between scientists and their partners and stakeholders. While outreach activities are becoming an integral part of many research projects on climate adaptation, their evaluation is scarce, rather optional, very limited. This work aims to develop quantitative and qualitative evaluation of science communication and to design corresponding assessment tools. It will be examined how evaluation can eventually improve the quality, efficiency and impact of communication activities in enhancing collaboration between scientists, professionals (e.g. water managers, urban planners) and beneficiaries (e.g. concerned citizens, policy makers). The research takes hold on several case studies on projects and programs aiming to increase the resiliency of cities to extreme weather: French projects and programmes such as RadX@IdF and Chair "Hydrology for a resilient city", European projects such as Climate KIC Blue Green Dream and Interreg NWE IVB RainGain and worldwide collaborations (e.g. TOMACS). The evaluation techniques and tools developed in the framework of this work are intended to become a useful support for engineers and researchers involved in projects on urban hydrology where resilience to extreme weather events relies also on effective communication processes between the above mentioned social actors. In particular, one of the purposes of this work is to highlight how auto-evaluation can improve on-going communication activities and create a virtuous circle of planning/implementation/evaluation. This research has links with those on the development of exploration techniques of the unstructured social big data, with a particular focus on digital communications.

Solar Interconnection Standards & Policies

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Toolbox for Renewable Energy Project Development's Solar Interconnection Standards and Policies page provides an overview of the interconnection policy and standards, as well as, resources to help you understand the interconnection policy landscape.

43 CFR 8.0 - Acquisition of lands for reservoir projects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

.... 8.0 Section 8.0 Public Lands: Interior Office of the Secretary of the Interior JOINT POLICIES OF THE DEPARTMENTS OF THE INTERIOR AND OF THE ARMY RELATIVE TO RESERVOIR PROJECT LANDS § 8.0 Acquisition of lands for reservoir projects. In so far as permitted by law, it is the policy of the Departments of the Interior and...

Ethical considerations of research policy for personal genome analysis: the approach of the Genome Science Project in Japan.

PubMed

Minari, Jusaku; Shirai, Tetsuya; Kato, Kazuto

2014-12-01

As evidenced by high-throughput sequencers, genomic technologies have recently undergone radical advances. These technologies enable comprehensive sequencing of personal genomes considerably more efficiently and less expensively than heretofore. These developments present a challenge to the conventional framework of biomedical ethics; under these changing circumstances, each research project has to develop a pragmatic research policy. Based on the experience with a new large-scale project-the Genome Science Project-this article presents a novel approach to conducting a specific policy for personal genome research in the Japanese context. In creating an original informed-consent form template for the project, we present a two-tiered process: making the draft of the template following an analysis of national and international policies; refining the draft template in conjunction with genome project researchers for practical application. Through practical use of the template, we have gained valuable experience in addressing challenges in the ethical review process, such as the importance of sharing details of the latest developments in genomics with members of research ethics committees. We discuss certain limitations of the conventional concept of informed consent and its governance system and suggest the potential of an alternative process using information technology.

Appropriate prescribing in nursing homes demonstration project (APDP) study protocol: pragmatic, cluster-randomized trial and mixed methods process evaluation of an Ontario policy-maker initiative to improve appropriate prescribing of antipsychotics.

PubMed

Desveaux, Laura; Gomes, Tara; Tadrous, Mina; Jeffs, Lianne; Taljaard, Monica; Rogers, Jess; Bell, Chaim M; Ivers, Noah M

2016-03-29

Antipsychotic medications are routinely prescribed in nursing homes to address the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Unfortunately, inappropriate prescribing of antipsychotic medications is common and associated with increased morbidity, adverse drug events, and hospitalizations. Multifaceted interventions can achieve a 12-20 % reduction in antipsychotic prescribing levels in nursing homes. Effective interventions have featured educational outreach and ongoing performance feedback. This pragmatic, cluster-randomized control trial and embedded process evaluation seeks to determine the effect of adding academic detailing to audit and feedback on prescribing of antipsychotic medications in nursing homes, compared with audit and feedback alone. Nursing homes within pre-determined regions of Ontario, Canada, are eligible if they express an interest in the intervention. The academic detailing intervention will be delivered by registered health professionals following an intensive training program including relevant clinical issues and techniques to support health professional behavior change. Physicians in both groups will have the opportunity to access confidential reports summarizing their prescribing patterns for antipsychotics in comparison to the local and provincial average. Participating homes will be allocated to one of the two arms of the study (active/full intervention versus standard audit and feedback) in two waves, with a 2:1 allocation ratio. Homes will be randomized after stratifying for geography, baseline antipsychotic prescription rates, and size, to ensure a balance of characteristics. The primary outcome is antipsychotic dispensing in nursing homes, measured 6 months after allocation; secondary outcomes include clinical outcomes and healthcare utilization. Policy-makers and the public have taken note that antipsychotics are used in nursing homes in Ontario far more than other jurisdictions. Academic detailing can be an effective technique to address challenges in appropriate prescribing in nursing homes, but effect sizes vary widely. This opportunistic, policy-driven evaluation, embedded within a government-initiated demonstration project, was designed to ensure policy-makers receive the best evidence possible regarding whether and how to scale up the intervention. ClinicalTrials.gov NLM Identifier: NCT02604056 .

A system dynamics evaluation model: implementation of health information exchange for public health reporting

PubMed Central

Merrill, Jacqueline A; Deegan, Michael; Wilson, Rosalind V; Kaushal, Rainu; Fredericks, Kimberly

2013-01-01

Objective To evaluate the complex dynamics involved in implementing electronic health information exchange (HIE) for public health reporting at a state health department, and to identify policy implications to inform similar implementations. Materials and methods Qualitative data were collected over 8 months from seven experts at New York State Department of Health who implemented web services and protocols for querying, receipt, and validation of electronic data supplied by regional health information organizations. Extensive project documentation was also collected. During group meetings experts described the implementation process and created reference modes and causal diagrams that the evaluation team used to build a preliminary model. System dynamics modeling techniques were applied iteratively to build causal loop diagrams representing the implementation. The diagrams were validated iteratively by individual experts followed by group review online, and through confirmatory review of documents and artifacts. Results Three casual loop diagrams captured well-recognized system dynamics: Sliding Goals, Project Rework, and Maturity of Resources. The findings were associated with specific policies that address funding, leadership, ensuring expertise, planning for rework, communication, and timeline management. Discussion This evaluation illustrates the value of a qualitative approach to system dynamics modeling. As a tool for strategic thinking on complicated and intense processes, qualitative models can be produced with fewer resources than a full simulation, yet still provide insights that are timely and relevant. Conclusions System dynamics techniques clarified endogenous and exogenous factors at play in a highly complex technology implementation, which may inform other states engaged in implementing HIE supported by federal Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) legislation. PMID:23292910

A system dynamics evaluation model: implementation of health information exchange for public health reporting.

PubMed

Merrill, Jacqueline A; Deegan, Michael; Wilson, Rosalind V; Kaushal, Rainu; Fredericks, Kimberly

2013-06-01

To evaluate the complex dynamics involved in implementing electronic health information exchange (HIE) for public health reporting at a state health department, and to identify policy implications to inform similar implementations. Qualitative data were collected over 8 months from seven experts at New York State Department of Health who implemented web services and protocols for querying, receipt, and validation of electronic data supplied by regional health information organizations. Extensive project documentation was also collected. During group meetings experts described the implementation process and created reference modes and causal diagrams that the evaluation team used to build a preliminary model. System dynamics modeling techniques were applied iteratively to build causal loop diagrams representing the implementation. The diagrams were validated iteratively by individual experts followed by group review online, and through confirmatory review of documents and artifacts. Three casual loop diagrams captured well-recognized system dynamics: Sliding Goals, Project Rework, and Maturity of Resources. The findings were associated with specific policies that address funding, leadership, ensuring expertise, planning for rework, communication, and timeline management. This evaluation illustrates the value of a qualitative approach to system dynamics modeling. As a tool for strategic thinking on complicated and intense processes, qualitative models can be produced with fewer resources than a full simulation, yet still provide insights that are timely and relevant. System dynamics techniques clarified endogenous and exogenous factors at play in a highly complex technology implementation, which may inform other states engaged in implementing HIE supported by federal Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) legislation.

Trans-Nationalization of Educational Policy Making: From European Innovation Projects in Adult Education to an Emerging European Space for Lifelong Learning: What Model for the European Vocational Education and Training Policy?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonnafous, Laurence

2014-01-01

This article is drawn from broader qualitative research on innovation in the field of professional adult training within the framework of European pilot projects such as the LEONARDO projects. This research aims at contributing to a general understanding of the phenomenon of innovation, in the context of European calls for projects, as an…

Evaluating health care interventions in the European Union.

PubMed

McDaid, David; Cookson, Richard

2003-02-01

This paper examines the current state of evaluations of health care interventions in the European Union, from the identification and commissioning of research through to its impact on policy and practice. Material is drawn from a survey conducted for the ASTEC project as well as a review of literature. Although the use of evaluative research has increased substantially in the last decade, both the pace of change and preferred research methodologies employed differ markedly. Much research still concentrates on issues of safety, efficacy and effectiveness, although there is evidence of an increasing emphasis on cost-effectiveness. Many countries are beginning to introduce systems linking economic evaluation to the decision-making process, while networks for the exchange of information continue to evolve. Research capacity in the public sector, although improving, is uneven, in part due to the uncertainty over long term career prospects and competition from industry. Capacity building measures should in particular ensure that dissemination expertise is strengthened, and that more emphasis is placed on developing receptor capacity within different stakeholder groups. Linking knowledge production to changes in practice remains a key challenge. Further research on implementation and impact assessment is required, to help demonstrate the value of evaluations on both policy and practice.

Intelligent Control of a Sensor-Actuator System via Kernelized Least-Squares Policy Iteration

PubMed Central

Liu, Bo; Chen, Sanfeng; Li, Shuai; Liang, Yongsheng

2012-01-01

In this paper a new framework, called Compressive Kernelized Reinforcement Learning (CKRL), for computing near-optimal policies in sequential decision making with uncertainty is proposed via incorporating the non-adaptive data-independent Random Projections and nonparametric Kernelized Least-squares Policy Iteration (KLSPI). Random Projections are a fast, non-adaptive dimensionality reduction framework in which high-dimensionality data is projected onto a random lower-dimension subspace via spherically random rotation and coordination sampling. KLSPI introduce kernel trick into the LSPI framework for Reinforcement Learning, often achieving faster convergence and providing automatic feature selection via various kernel sparsification approaches. In this approach, policies are computed in a low-dimensional subspace generated by projecting the high-dimensional features onto a set of random basis. We first show how Random Projections constitute an efficient sparsification technique and how our method often converges faster than regular LSPI, while at lower computational costs. Theoretical foundation underlying this approach is a fast approximation of Singular Value Decomposition (SVD). Finally, simulation results are exhibited on benchmark MDP domains, which confirm gains both in computation time and in performance in large feature spaces. PMID:22736969