Ethical, legal, and social implications of incorporating genomic information into electronic health records.

PubMed

Hazin, Ribhi; Brothers, Kyle B; Malin, Bradley A; Koenig, Barbara A; Sanderson, Saskia C; Rothstein, Mark A; Williams, Marc S; Clayton, Ellen W; Kullo, Iftikhar J

2013-10-01

The inclusion of genomic data in the electronic health record raises important ethical, legal, and social issues. In this article, we highlight these challenges and discuss potential solutions. We provide a brief background on the current state of electronic health records in the context of genomic medicine, discuss the importance of equitable access to genome-enabled electronic health records, and consider the potential use of electronic health records for improving genomic literacy in patients and providers. We highlight the importance of privacy, access, and security, and of determining which genomic information is included in the electronic health record. Finally, we discuss the challenges of reporting incidental findings, storing and reinterpreting genomic data, and nondocumentation and duty to warn family members at potential genetic risk.

Gay-Straight Alliance Involvement and Youths' Participation in Civic Engagement, Advocacy, and Awareness-Raising.

PubMed

Poteat, V Paul; Calzo, Jerel P; Yoshikawa, Hirokazu

2018-01-01

Civic engagement among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) youth and heterosexual cisgender allies can challenge oppressive systems. Among 295 youth in 33 Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs; 69% LGBQ, 68% cisgender female, 68% white, M age = 16.07), we examined whether greater GSA involvement was associated with greater general civic engagement, as well as participation in greater LGBTQ-specific advocacy and awareness-raising efforts. Further, we tested whether these associations were partly mediated through members' sense of agency. Greater GSA involvement was associated with greater civic engagement, advocacy, and awareness-raising; associations did not differ based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Finally, the association between GSA involvement and civic engagement was partially mediated through youths' greater sense of agency. Agency did not mediate the association between GSA involvement and engagement in advocacy or awareness-raising efforts. The results suggest GSAs are settings with potential to foster students' capacity to be active and engaged citizens.

Leader-Member Exchange Relationships in Health Information Management

PubMed Central

Hunt, T.J.

2014-01-01

This article seeks to raise awareness of the leader-member exchange (LMX) theory of leadership and its potential benefit to the health information management (HIM) profession. A literature review that was conducted identified a leadership challenge for HIM practitioners. The review also provides examples of leadership definitions, and potential benefits of LMX to HIM professionals in leading people and influencing leaders in their organizations. The LMX concept may be an avenue to investigate in preparing future and current HIM professionals for leadership. PMID:24808805

Leader-member exchange relationships in health information management.

PubMed

Hunt, T J

2014-01-01

This article seeks to raise awareness of the leader-member exchange (LMX) theory of leadership and its potential benefit to the health information management (HIM) profession. A literature review that was conducted identified a leadership challenge for HIM practitioners. The review also provides examples of leadership definitions, and potential benefits of LMX to HIM professionals in leading people and influencing leaders in their organizations. The LMX concept may be an avenue to investigate in preparing future and current HIM professionals for leadership.

Assessing Children's Writing Products: The Role of Curriculum Based Measures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dockrell, Julie E.; Connelly, Vincent; Walter, Kirsty; Critten, Sarah

2015-01-01

The assessment of children's writing raises technical and practical challenges. In this paper we examine the potential use of a curriculum based measure for writing (CBM-W) to assess the written texts of pupils in Key Stage 2 (M age 107 months, range 88 to 125). Two hundred and thirty six Year three, five and six pupils completed a standardized…

Fatigue, Wellbeing and Parental Self-Efficacy in Mothers of Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giallo, Rebecca; Wood, Catherine E.; Jellett, Rachel; Porter, Rachelle

2013-01-01

Raising a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) presents significant challenges for parents that potentially have a impact on their health and wellbeing. The current study examined the extent to which parents experience fatigue and its relationship to other aspects of wellbeing and parenting. Fifty mothers of children with an ASD aged 2-5…

Joint STFC Futures/BIR workshop "Cancer care: new detector and sensor technologies and their potential impact", Harwell Oxford, 5-6 October 2011.

PubMed

Camanzi, B; Green, S

2012-12-01

The workshop "Cancer care: new detector and sensor technologies and their potential impact", organised jointly by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and the British Institute of Radiology, brought together representatives from the cancer community (clinicians, medical physicists, National Health Service representatives and general practitioners with an interest in cancer) and STFC-supported scientists involved in basic research in physics and technology. The workshop aimed to raise awareness of the cancer challenge, share knowledge and identify novel solutions in the area of detectors and sensors to addressing the cancer challenge. A further aim of this workshop was to commence discussion on the formation of new multidisciplinary community networks. The workshop identified the synergies between the two communities and the potential for developing new collaborative ideas and projects.

'The stigma attached isn't true of real life': Challenging public perception of dementia through a participatory approach involving people with dementia (Innovative Practice).

PubMed

Reynolds, Laura; Innes, Anthea; Poyner, Christopher; Hambidge, Sarah

2017-02-01

This paper discusses the potential impact of viewing public performances of an orchestra comprising people with dementia, family members, student volunteers and professional symphony orchestra members in contributing to challenging negative perceptions of dementia. Negative perceptions of dementia abound despite recent policy attempts to challenge the stigma associated with the condition. This paper reports on the findings from the performance element of a music project for people with dementia, known as the BUDI Orchestra, designed to replicate the traditional rehearse and perform cycle of musicians. Data were collected via self-completion questionnaires from audience members ( N = 109) at three public performances. The performances exceeded the expectations of the general public, and findings suggest a positive impact on perceptions of dementia, demonstrating the power and potential of participatory approaches showcasing the achievements of those living with dementia when attempting to raise awareness of dementia and challenge negative perceptions.

Research Suggestions in the Design of a Global Graduate Business Program Delivered by Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Puderbaugh, Amy

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper was to examine the unique areas of concern when establishing an eLearning program in the field of global business. A survey of eLearning and a global management subject matter appears. This paper identifies potential challenges in program design and raises practical concerns for future research. [For the full proceedings,…

Risks of nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics? What the scientists say.

PubMed

Hurlimann, T; Menuz, V; Graham, J; Robitaille, J; Vohl, M-C; Godard, B

2014-01-01

Nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics (hereafter NGx) have stimulated expectations for beneficial applications in public health and individuals. Yet, the potential achievability of such promise is not without socioethical considerations that challenge NGx implementation. This paper focuses on the opinions of NGx researchers about potential risks raised by NGx. The results of an online survey show that these researchers (n = 126) are fairly confident about the potential benefits of NGx, and that most downplay its potential risks. Researchers in this field do not believe that NGx will reconfigure foods as medication or transform the conception of eating into a health hazard. The majority think that NGx will produce no added burden on individuals to get tested or to remain compliant with NGx recommendations, nor that NGx will threaten individual autonomy in daily food choice. The majority of researchers do not think that NGx will lead to discrimination against and/or stigmatization of people who do not comply with NGx dietary recommendations. Despite this optimism among NGx researchers, we suggest that key risk factors raised by the socioethical context in which NGx applications will be implemented need to be considered.

Teamwork Reasoning and Multi-Satellite Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marsella, Stacy C.; Plaunt, Christian (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

NASA is rapidly moving towards the use of spatially distributed multiple satellites operating in near Earth orbit and Deep Space. Effective operation of such multi-satellite constellations raises many key research issues. In particular, the satellites will be required to cooperate with each other as a team that must achieve common objectives with a high degree of autonomy from ground based operations. The multi-agent research community has made considerable progress in investigating the challenges of realizing such teamwork. In this report, we discuss some of the teamwork issues that will be faced by multi-satellite operations. The basis of the discussion is a particular proposed mission, the Magnetospheric MultiScale mission to explore Earth's magnetosphere. We describe this mission and then consider how multi-agent technologies might be applied in the design and operation of these missions. We consider the potential benefits of these technologies as well as the research challenges that will be raised in applying them to NASA multi-satellite missions. We conclude with some recommendations for future work.

The educational and awareness purposes of the Paideia approach for heritage management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carbone, F.; Oosterbeek, L.; Costa, C.

2012-06-01

The need to raise awareness among the communities about the challenge of resource use - and, more generally, about the principles of sustainability - is the reason why the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed, in December 2002, the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, 2005-2014 (DESD). For operators and managers of cultural and natural heritage, it represents a profound challenge to their ability to transmit the content of scientific knowledge to the general public in order to empower everyone on the preservation of cultural and natural resources, and to raise awareness about the potential that mankind has at its disposal. In this context, the application of the PAIDEIA APPROACH for the management of cultural heritage is the key to the recovery of socio-economic values intrinsic to these resources. This approach to management is based on the enhancement of cultural (namely archaeological) and natural heritage for social benefit and it involves the tourist trade as a vehicle of knowledge transmission, intercultural dialogue and socio-economic sustainable development.

Network Virtualization - Opportunities and Challenges for Operators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carapinha, Jorge; Feil, Peter; Weissmann, Paul; Thorsteinsson, Saemundur E.; Etemoğlu, Çağrı; Ingþórsson, Ólafur; Çiftçi, Selami; Melo, Márcio

In the last few years, the concept of network virtualization has gained a lot of attention both from industry and research projects. This paper evaluates the potential of network virtualization from an operator's perspective, with the short-term goal of optimizing service delivery and rollout, and on a longer term as an enabler of technology integration and migration. Based on possible scenarios for implementing and using network virtualization, new business roles and models are examined. Open issues and topics for further evaluation are identified. In summary, the objective is to identify the challenges but also new opportunities for telecom operators raised by network virtualization.

The mouse mammary gland as a sentinel organ: distinguishing 'control' populations with diverse environmental histories.

PubMed

Kolla, SriDurgaDevi; Pokharel, Aastha; Vandenberg, Laura N

2017-03-09

There are numerous examples of laboratory animals that were inadvertently exposed to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) during the process of conducting experiments. Controlling contaminations in the laboratory is challenging, especially when their source is unknown. Unfortunately, EDC contaminations can interfere with the interpretation of data during toxicological evaluations. We propose that the male CD-1 mouse mammary gland is a sensitive bioassay to evaluate the inadvertent contamination of animal colonies. We evaluated mammary glands collected from two CD-1 mouse populations with distinct environmental histories. Population 1 was born and raised in a commercial laboratory with unknown EDC exposures; Population 2 was the second generation raised in an animal facility with limited exposures to xenoestrogens from caging, feed, etc. Mammary glands were collected from all animals and evaluated using morphometric techniques to quantify morphological characteristics of the mammary gland. Population 1 (with suspected history of environmental chemical exposure) and Population 2 (with known limited history of xenoestrogen exposure) were morphologically distinguishable in adult males, prepubertal females, and pubertal females. Mammary glands from males raised in the commercial animal facility were significantly more developed, with larger ductal trees and more branching points. The appearance of these mammary glands was consistent with prior reports of male mice exposed to low doses of bisphenol A (BPA) during early development. In females, the two populations were morphologically distinct at both prepuberty and puberty, with the most striking differences observed in the number, size, and density of terminal end buds, e.g. highly proliferative structures found in the developing mammary gland. Collectively, these results suggest that the mouse mammary gland has the potential to be used as a sentinel organ to evaluate and distinguish animal colonies raised in different environmental conditions including potential EDC exposures. Our findings could help researchers that wish to perform a posteriori evaluations to determine whether inadvertent contamination with xenoestrogens (and potentially other EDCs) has occurred in their animal colonies, especially after new materials (feed, caging, water bottles) have been introduced. Finally, our results challenge the relatively common practice of using historical controls in toxicological experiments.

Does the environmental background (intensive v. outdoor systems) influence the behaviour of piglets at weaning?

PubMed

Lau, Y Y W; Pluske, J R; Fleming, P A

2015-08-01

Under intensive pig husbandry, outdoor systems offer a more complex physical and social environment compared with indoor systems (farrowing sheds). As the rearing environment affects behavioural development, it can, therefore, influence behavioural responses of pigs to stressful environments in later stages of production. We tested how the rearing environment influenced behavioural responses to a novel arena test in piglets on the day that they were weaned and mixed into large groups. We recorded video footage and compared the behavioural responses of 30 outdoor-raised and 30 farrowing shed-raised piglets tested in an experimental arena and sequentially exposed to four challenges (each for 5 min) on the day of weaning. Quantitative and qualitative behavioural measures were recorded using time budgets and scoring demeanour or 'qualitative behavioural expression' (using Qualitative Behavioural Assessment (QBA)). When held in isolation (challenge 1), both groups were scored as more 'scared/worried', while outdoor-raised piglets spent more time eating and jumping against the arena walls. Both groups interacted with a plastic ball (challenge 2: exposure to a novel object) during which they were scored as more 'playful/curious' than other challenges. When a food bowl was introduced (challenge 3), farrowing shed-raised piglets were more interested in playing with the food bowl itself, whereas outdoor-raised piglets spent more time eating the feed. Finally, there were no significant differences in social behaviour (challenge 4: introduction of another piglet) between the two groups in terms of the latency to contact each other, amount of time recorded engaged in aggressive/non-aggressive social interactions or QBA scores. Although piglets spent 30% of their time interacting with the other piglet, and half of this time (47%) was engaged in negative interactions (pushing, biting), the levels of aggression were not different between the two groups. Overall, outdoor-raised piglets ate more and were scored as more 'calm/passive', whereas farrowing shed-raised piglets spent more time investigating their environment and were scored as more 'playful/inquisitive'. In conclusion, we did not find differences in behaviour between outdoor-raised and farrowing shed-raised piglets that would highlight welfare issues. The differences found in this study may reflect conflicting affective states, with responses to confinement, neophobia and motivation for exploration evident.

Selection Bias in Students' Evaluation of Teaching: Causes of Student Absenteeism and Its Consequences for Course Ratings and Rankings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolbring, Tobias; Treischl, Edgar

2016-01-01

Systematic sampling error due to self-selection is a common topic in methodological research and a key challenge for every empirical study. Since selection bias is often not sufficiently considered as a potential flaw in research on and evaluations in higher education, the aim of this paper is to raise awareness for the topic using the case of…

Digital Direct-to-Consumer Advertising: A Perfect Storm of Rapid Evolution and Stagnant Regulation

PubMed Central

Mackey, Tim K.

2016-01-01

The adoption and use of digital forms of direct-to-consumer advertising (also known as "eDTCA") is on the rise. At the same time, the universe of eDTCA is expanding, as technology on Internet-based platforms continues to evolve, from static websites, to social media, and nearly ubiquitous use of mobile devices. However, little is known about how this unique form of pharmaceutical marketing impacts consumer behavior, public health, and overall healthcare utilization. The study by Kim analyzing US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notices of violations (NOVs) and warning letters regarding online promotional activities takes us in the right direction, but study results raise as many questions as it does answers. Chief among these are unanswered concerns about the unique regulatory challenges posed by the "disruptive" qualities of eDTCA, and whether regulators have sufficient resources and oversight powers to proactively address potential violations. Further, the globalization of eDTCA via borderless Internet-based technologies raises larger concerns about the potential global impact of this form of health marketing unique to only the United States and New Zealand. Collectively, these challenges make it unlikely that regulatory science will be able to keep apace with the continued rapid evolution of eDTCA unless more creative policy solutions are explored. PMID:27239871

The new productivity challenge.

PubMed

Drucker, P F

1991-01-01

"The single greatest challenge facing managers in the developed countries of the world is to raise the productivity of knowledge and service workers," writes Peter F. Drucker in "The New Productivity Challenge." Productivity, says Drucker, ultimately defeated Karl Marx; it gave common laborers the chance to earn the wages of skilled workers. Now five distinct steps will raise the productivity of knowledge and service workers--and not only stimulate new economic growth but also defuse rising social tensions.

Corporate Funding for Schools of Public Health: Confronting the Ethical and Economic Challenges.

PubMed

Bayer, Ronald; Sampat, Bhaven N

2016-04-01

We discuss the public and private sponsoring of university research and the issues it raises in a context of diminished federal funding. We consider research funding at schools of public health and why these schools have historically had weaker links to industry than have other academic units. We argue that the possibility of enhanced links with industry at schools of public health may raise specific concerns beyond those facing universities generally. Six issues should be considered before entering into these relationships: (1) the effects on research orientation, (2) unacceptability of some funders, (3) potential threats to objectivity and academic freedom, (4) effects on academic standards, (5) the effects on dissemination of knowledge, and (6) reputational risks.

Education for the Creative Cities: Awareness Raising on Urban Challenges and Biocultural Preservation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mammadova, Aida

2018-01-01

Creative Cities are facing the big challenges due to the demographical, environmental and economic issues. In this study we considered to create the educational fieldworks inside the creative city and raise the awareness in youth about the importance of the biocultural preservations to sustain the city's creativity and sustainability. Our…

Neutralizing salivary pH by mouthwashes after an acidic challenge.

PubMed

Dehghan, Mojdeh; Tantbirojn, Daranee; Kymer-Davis, Emily; Stewart, Colette W; Zhang, Yanhui H; Versluis, Antheunis; Garcia-Godoy, Franklin

2017-05-01

The aim of the present study was to test the neutralizing effect of mouthwashes on salivary pH after an acidic challenge. Twelve participants were recruited for three visits, one morning per week. Resting saliva was collected at baseline and after 2-min swishing with 20 mL orange juice as an acidic challenge. Participants then rinsed their mouth for 30 s with 20 mL water (control), an over-the-counter mouthwash (Listerine), or a two-step mouthwash, randomly assigned for each visit. Saliva was collected immediately, 15, and 45 min after rinsing. The pH values of the collected saliva were measured and analyzed with anova, followed by Student-Newman-Keuls post-hoc test (significance level: 0.05). Orange juice significantly lowered salivary pH. Immediately after rinsing, Listerine and water brought pH back to baseline values, with the pH significantly higher in the Listerine group. The two-step mouthwash raised pH significantly higher than Listerine and water, and higher than the baseline value. Salivary pH returned to baseline and was not significantly different among groups at 15 and 45 min post-rinsing. Mouth rinsing after an acidic challenge increased salivary pH. The tested mouthwashes raised pH higher than water. Mouthwashes with a neutralizing effect can potentially reduce tooth erosion from acid exposure. © 2015 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Pathology resident and fellow education in a time of disruptive technologies.

PubMed

Ziai, James M; Smith, Brian R

2012-12-01

The development of disruptive technologies is changing the practice of pathology. Their implementation challenges traditional educational paradigms. Training programs must adapt to these heuristic needs. The dual explosion of new medical knowledge and innovative methodologies adds new practice aspects to the pathologist's areas of expertise. This transformation potentially challenges the traditional core model of training. It raises questions as to how pathology should incorporate future expanding subspecialty needs into educational and practice models. This article examines the impact of these disruptive technologies on resident and fellow education and explores alternative educational and practice models that may better accommodate pathology's future. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Humanlike Robots - Synthetically Mimicking Humans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bar-Cohen, Yoseph

2012-01-01

Nature inspired many inventions and the field of technology that is based on the mimicking or inspiration of nature is widely known as Biomimetics and it is increasingly leading to many new capabilities. There are numerous examples of biomimetic successes including the copying of fins for swimming, and the inspiration of the insects and birds flight. More and more commercial implementations of biomimetics are appearing and behaving lifelike and applications are emerging that are important to our daily life. Making humanlike robots is the ultimate challenge to biomimetics and, for many years, it was considered science fiction, but such robots are becoming an engineering reality. Advances in producing such robot are allowing them to perform impressive functions and tasks. The development of such robots involves addressing many challenges and is raising concerns that are related to fear of their application implications and potential ethical issues. In this paper, the state-of-the-art of humanlike robots, potential applications and challenges will be reviewed.

Pulled from all sides: The sandwich generation at work.

PubMed

O'Sullivan, Ann

2015-01-01

Employees who are members of the "sandwich generation", those who are raising children and assisting older adult family members, are a population at risk for issues related to physical and emotional health, balancing work and family responsibilities, and taking care of themselves. This commentary examines their situation and challenges, some of the potential negative effects of these compounded stressors, and recommends strategies that employers, families, and the individuals themselves can use to create a sustainable work/caregiving situation.

Impact of Education on Grandparents' Actions in Raising Grandchildren

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doggett, Diana; Marken, Dory M.; Caldwell, Diana J.

2014-01-01

Grandparents raising grandchildren represent a population of adults who confront complex interpersonal and environmental challenges. The intent of this case study was to gather and interpret evaluative data to better understand the impact of a 1-day community education program for grandparents who raise their grandchildren. Extension's philosophy…

Public health genomics and personalized prevention: lessons from the COGS project.

PubMed

Pashayan, N; Hall, A; Chowdhury, S; Dent, T; Pharoah, P D P; Burton, H

2013-11-01

Using the principles of public health genomics, we examined the opportunities and challenges of implementing personalized prevention programmes for cancer at the population level. Our model-based estimates indicate that polygenic risk stratification can potentially improve the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of screening programmes. However, compared with 'one-size-fits-all' screening programmes, personalized screening adds further layers of complexity to the organization of screening services and raises ethical, legal and social challenges. Before polygenic inheritance is translated into population screening strategy, evidence from empirical research and engagement with and education of the public and the health professionals are needed. © 2013 The Association for the Publication of the Journal of Internal Medicine.

Exploring New Challenges of High-Resolution SWOT Satellite Altimetry with a Regional Model of the Solomon Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brasseur, P.; Verron, J. A.; Djath, B.; Duran, M.; Gaultier, L.; Gourdeau, L.; Melet, A.; Molines, J. M.; Ubelmann, C.

2014-12-01

The upcoming high-resolution SWOT altimetry satellite will provide an unprecedented description of the ocean dynamic topography for studying sub- and meso-scale processes in the ocean. But there is still much uncertainty on the signal that will be observed. There are many scientific questions that are unresolved about the observability of altimetry at vhigh resolution and on the dynamical role of the ocean meso- and submesoscales. In addition, SWOT data will raise specific problems due to the size of the data flows. These issues will probably impact the data assimilation approaches for future scientific or operational oceanography applications. In this work, we propose to use a high-resolution numerical model of the Western Pacific Solomon Sea as a regional laboratory to explore such observability and dynamical issues, as well as new data assimilation challenges raised by SWOT. The Solomon Sea connects subtropical water masses to the equatorial ones through the low latitude western boundary currents and could potentially modulate the tropical Pacific climate. In the South Western Pacific, the Solomon Sea exhibits very intense eddy kinetic energy levels, while relatively little is known about the mesoscale and submesoscale activities in this region. The complex bathymetry of the region, complicated by the presence of narrow straits and numerous islands, raises specific challenges. So far, a Solomon sea model configuration has been set up at 1/36° resolution. Numerical simulations have been performed to explore the meso- and submesoscales dynamics. The numerical solutions which have been validated against available in situ data, show the development of small scale features, eddies, fronts and filaments. Spectral analysis reveals a behavior that is consistent with the SQG theory. There is a clear evidence of energy cascade from the small scales including the submesoscales, although those submesoscales are only partially resolved by the model. In parallel, investigations have been conducted using image assimilation approaches in order to explore the richness of high-resolution altimetry missions. These investigations illustrate the potential benefit of combining tracer fields (SST, SSS and spiciness) with high-resolution SWOT data to estimate the fine-scale circulation.

Exposing the Myth: Advanced Math Does Not Increase Drop out Rates. Math Works

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Achieve, Inc., 2013

2013-01-01

A common argument against raising math course-taking requirements for all students is that it will cause more students to drop out of high school. But most students who drop out for academic reasons do so not because they are being "too challenged," but rather because they are not being challenged enough. It is important to raise the rigor and…

Electroactive polymer (EAP) actuators for future humanlike robots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bar-Cohen, Yoseph

2009-03-01

Human-like robots are increasingly becoming an engineering reality thanks to recent technology advances. These robots, which are inspired greatly by science fiction, were originated from the desire to reproduce the human appearance, functions and intelligence and they may become our household appliance or even companion. The development of such robots is greatly supported by emerging biologically inspired technologies. Potentially, electroactive polymer (EAP) materials are offering actuation capabilities that allow emulating the action of our natural muscles for making such machines perform lifelike. There are many technical issues related to making such robots including the need for EAP materials that can operate as effective actuators. Beside the technology challenges these robots also raise concerns that need to be addressed prior to forming super capable robots. These include the need to prevent accidents, deliberate harm, or their use in crimes. In this paper, the potential EAP actuators and the challenges that these robots may pose will be reviewed.

Electroactive Polymer (EAP) Actuators for Future Humanlike Robots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bar-Cohen, Yoseph

2009-01-01

Human-like robots are increasingly becoming an engineering reality thanks to recent technology advances. These robots, which are inspired greatly by science fiction, were originated from the desire to reproduce the human appearance, functions and intelligence and they may become our household appliance or even companion. The development of such robots is greatly supported by emerging biologically inspired technologies. Potentially, electroactive polymer (EAP) materials are offering actuation capabilities that allow emulating the action of our natural muscles for making such machines perform lifelike. There are many technical issues related to making such robots including the need for EAP materials that can operate as effective actuators. Beside the technology challenges these robots also raise concerns that need to be addressed prior to forming super capable robots. These include the need to prevent accidents, deliberate harm, or their use in crimes. In this paper, the potential EAP actuators and the challenges that these robots may pose will be reviewed.

Methodological issues associated with preclinical drug development and increased placebo effects in schizophrenia clinical trials.

PubMed

Brown, Matt A; Bishnoi, Ram J; Dholakia, Sara; Velligan, Dawn I

2016-01-20

Recent failures to detect efficacy in clinical trials investigating pharmacological treatments for schizophrenia raise concerns regarding the potential contribution of methodological shortcomings to this research. This review provides an examination of two key methodological issues currently suspected of playing a role in hampering schizophrenia drug development; 1) limitations on the translational utility of preclinical development models, and 2) methodological challenges posed by increased placebo effects. Recommendations for strategies to address these methodological issues are addressed.

What kinds of conservatives does social psychology lack, and why?

PubMed

Ross, Lee

2015-01-01

Although Duarte et al.'s claims about the potential benefits of greater political diversity in the ranks of social psychology are apt, their discussion of the decline in such diversity, the role played by self-selection, and the specific domains they cite in discussing an anti-conservative bias raise issues that merit closer examination. The claim that sound research and analysis challenging liberal orthodoxies fails to receive a fair hearing in our journals and professional discourse is also disputed.

The current revolution in newborn screening: new technology, old controversies.

PubMed

Tarini, Beth A

2007-08-01

Newborn screening has provided a model of a successful public health screening program for the past 40 years. However, the history of newborn screening is not without controversy. Many of these controversies have been rekindled with the introduction of tandem mass spectrometry, a technology that has greatly increased our ability to detect potential disease in asymptomatic newborns. This review highlights the challenges raised by this and future technological advances as we strive to maintain the success of newborn screening in the 21st century.

Unexpectedly large impact of forest management and grazing on global vegetation biomass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erb, Karl-Heinz; Kastner, Thomas; Plutzar, Christoph; Bais, Anna Liza S.; Carvalhais, Nuno; Fetzel, Tamara; Gingrich, Simone; Haberl, Helmut; Lauk, Christian; Niedertscheider, Maria; Pongratz, Julia; Thurner, Martin; Luyssaert, Sebastiaan

2018-01-01

Carbon stocks in vegetation have a key role in the climate system. However, the magnitude, patterns and uncertainties of carbon stocks and the effect of land use on the stocks remain poorly quantified. Here we show, using state-of-the-art datasets, that vegetation currently stores around 450 petagrams of carbon. In the hypothetical absence of land use, potential vegetation would store around 916 petagrams of carbon, under current climate conditions. This difference highlights the massive effect of land use on biomass stocks. Deforestation and other land-cover changes are responsible for 53-58% of the difference between current and potential biomass stocks. Land management effects (the biomass stock changes induced by land use within the same land cover) contribute 42-47%, but have been underestimated in the literature. Therefore, avoiding deforestation is necessary but not sufficient for mitigation of climate change. Our results imply that trade-offs exist between conserving carbon stocks on managed land and raising the contribution of biomass to raw material and energy supply for the mitigation of climate change. Efforts to raise biomass stocks are currently verifiable only in temperate forests, where their potential is limited. By contrast, large uncertainties hinder verification in the tropical forest, where the largest potential is located, pointing to challenges for the upcoming stocktaking exercises under the Paris agreement.

Unexpectedly large impact of forest management and grazing on global vegetation biomass.

PubMed

Erb, Karl-Heinz; Kastner, Thomas; Plutzar, Christoph; Bais, Anna Liza S; Carvalhais, Nuno; Fetzel, Tamara; Gingrich, Simone; Haberl, Helmut; Lauk, Christian; Niedertscheider, Maria; Pongratz, Julia; Thurner, Martin; Luyssaert, Sebastiaan

2018-01-04

Carbon stocks in vegetation have a key role in the climate system. However, the magnitude, patterns and uncertainties of carbon stocks and the effect of land use on the stocks remain poorly quantified. Here we show, using state-of-the-art datasets, that vegetation currently stores around 450 petagrams of carbon. In the hypothetical absence of land use, potential vegetation would store around 916 petagrams of carbon, under current climate conditions. This difference highlights the massive effect of land use on biomass stocks. Deforestation and other land-cover changes are responsible for 53-58% of the difference between current and potential biomass stocks. Land management effects (the biomass stock changes induced by land use within the same land cover) contribute 42-47%, but have been underestimated in the literature. Therefore, avoiding deforestation is necessary but not sufficient for mitigation of climate change. Our results imply that trade-offs exist between conserving carbon stocks on managed land and raising the contribution of biomass to raw material and energy supply for the mitigation of climate change. Efforts to raise biomass stocks are currently verifiable only in temperate forests, where their potential is limited. By contrast, large uncertainties hinder verification in the tropical forest, where the largest potential is located, pointing to challenges for the upcoming stocktaking exercises under the Paris agreement.

Unexpectedly large impact of forest management and grazing on global vegetation biomass

PubMed Central

Erb, K.-H.; Bais, A.L.S.; Carvalhais, N.; Fetzel, T.; Gingrich, S.; Haberl, H.; Lauk, C.; Niedertscheider, M.; Pongratz, J.; Thurner, M.; Luyssaert, S.

2017-01-01

Carbon stocks in vegetation play a key role in the climate system1–4, but their magnitude and patterns, their uncertainties, and the impact of land use on them remain poorly quantified. Based on a consistent integration of state-of-the art datasets, we show that vegetation currently stores ~450 PgC. In the hypothetical absence of land use, potential vegetation would store ~916 PgC, under current climate. This difference singles out the massive effect land use has on biomass stocks. Deforestation and other land-cover changes are responsible for 53-58% of the difference between current and potential biomass stocks. Land management effects, i.e. land-use induced biomass stock changes within the same land cover, contribute 42-47% but are underappreciated in the current literature. Avoiding deforestation hence is necessary but not sufficient for climate-change mitigation. Our results imply that trade-offs exist between conserving carbon stocks on managed land and raising the contribution of biomass to raw material and energy supply for climate change mitigation. Efforts to raise biomass stocks are currently only verifiable in temperate forests, where potentials are limited. In contrast, large uncertainties hamper verification in the tropical forest where the largest potentials are located, pointing to challenges for the upcoming stocktaking exercises under the Paris agreement. PMID:29258288

Manufacturing and Security Challenges in 3D Printing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeltmann, Steven Eric; Gupta, Nikhil; Tsoutsos, Nektarios Georgios; Maniatakos, Michail; Rajendran, Jeyavijayan; Karri, Ramesh

2016-07-01

As the manufacturing time, quality, and cost associated with additive manufacturing (AM) continue to improve, more and more businesses and consumers are adopting this technology. Some of the key benefits of AM include customizing products, localizing production and reducing logistics. Due to these and numerous other benefits, AM is enabling a globally distributed manufacturing process and supply chain spanning multiple parties, and hence raises concerns about the reliability of the manufactured product. In this work, we first present a brief overview of the potential risks that exist in the cyber-physical environment of additive manufacturing. We then evaluate the risks posed by two different classes of modifications to the AM process which are representative of the challenges that are unique to AM. The risks posed are examined through mechanical testing of objects with altered printing orientation and fine internal defects. Finite element analysis and ultrasonic inspection are also used to demonstrate the potential for decreased performance and for evading detection. The results highlight several scenarios, intentional or unintentional, that can affect the product quality and pose security challenges for the additive manufacturing supply chain.

Parents' leisure: the impact of raising a child with Down syndrome.

PubMed

Wayne, Deborah O'Mullan; Krishnagiri, Sheama

2005-01-01

A healthy and productive life depends upon the balance between work, leisure, and activities of daily living. Gaining or regaining that balance is a core concept within occupational therapy. Raising a child with special needs is one factor that challenges parents in achieving a balance. The purpose of this research was to describe factors that affect the leisure occupations of these parents. A qualitative approach was used in which in-depth interviews and the adapted Barth Time Construction were administered to four married couples that were raising children with Down syndrome who were between seven and nine years of age. Data was examined through content analysis. Results indicated that the parents of children with Down syndrome had limitations in time available for leisure, changes in types of leisure engaged in, and an increase in planning for leisure activities. Despite overall satisfaction with the manner in which they allocated their time, parents frequently noted the potential benefits of incorporating more leisure into their daily lives. Limitations of the study include type and size of sample.

Infant lung function tests as endpoints in the ISIS multicenter clinical trial in cystic fibrosis.

PubMed

Davis, Stephanie D; Ratjen, Felix; Brumback, Lyndia C; Johnson, Robin C; Filbrun, Amy G; Kerby, Gwendolyn S; Panitch, Howard B; Donaldson, Scott H; Rosenfeld, Margaret

2016-05-01

The Infant Study of Inhaled Saline (ISIS) in CF was the first multicenter clinical trial to utilize infant pulmonary function tests (iPFTs) as an endpoint. Secondary analysis of ISIS data was conducted in order to assess feasibility of iPFT measures and their associations with respiratory symptoms. Standard deviations were calculated to aid in power calculations for future clinical trials. Seventy-three participants enrolled, 70 returned for the final visit; 62 (89%) and 45 (64%) had acceptable paired functional residual capacity (FRC) and raised volume measurements, respectively. Mean baseline FEV0.5, FEF75 and FRC z-scores were 0.3 (SD: 1.2), -0.2 (SD: 2.0), and 1.8 (SD: 2.0). iPFTs are not appropriate primary endpoints for multicenter clinical trials due to challenges of obtaining acceptable data and near-normal average raised volume measurements. Raised volume measures have potential to serve as secondary endpoints in future clinical CF trials. Copyright © 2015 European Cystic Fibrosis Society. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Weight gain and behavior of Raramuri Criollo versus Corriente steers developed on Chihuahuan Desert rangeland

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Ranchers that raise Criollo cattle must overcome the challenge of lack of markets for weaned calves. Raramuri Criollo (RC) steers are commonly raised for beef and finished on rangelands, while Corriente (CR) are often raised for rodeo sports. No data exist on weight gains and grazing behavior of ran...

Financing of health systems to achieve the health Millennium Development Goals in low-income countries.

PubMed

Fryatt, Robert; Mills, Anne; Nordstrom, Anders

2010-01-30

Concern that underfunded and weak health systems are impeding the achievement of the health Millennium Development Goals in low-income countries led to the creation of a High Level Taskforce on Innovative International Financing for Health Systems in September, 2008. This report summarises the key challenges faced by the Taskforce and its Working Groups. Working Group 1 examined the constraints to scaling up and costs. Challenges included: difficulty in generalisation because of scarce and context-specific health-systems knowledge; no consensus for optimum service-delivery approaches, leading to wide cost differences; no consensus for health benefits; difficulty in quantification of likely efficiency gains; and challenges in quantification of the financing gap owing to uncertainties about financial commitments for health. Working Group 2 reviewed the different innovative mechanisms for raising and channelling funds. Challenges included: variable definitions of innovative finance; small evidence base for many innovative finance mechanisms; insufficient experience in harmonisation of global health initiatives; and inadequate experience in use of international investments to improve maternal, newborn, and child health. The various mechanisms reviewed and finally recommended all had different characteristics, some focusing on specific problems and some on raising resources generally. Contentious issues included the potential role of the private sector, the rights-based approach to health, and the move to results-based aid. The challenges and disagreements that arose during the work of the Taskforce draw attention to the many issues facing decision makers in low-income countries. International donors and recipient governments should work together to improve the evidence base for strengthening health systems, increase long-term commitments, and improve accountability through transparent and inclusive national approaches. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Digital Direct-to-Consumer Advertising: A Perfect Storm of Rapid Evolution and Stagnant Regulation Comment on "Trouble Spots in Online Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Promotion: A Content Analysis of FDA Warning Letters".

PubMed

Mackey, Tim K

2016-02-03

The adoption and use of digital forms of direct-to-consumer advertising (also known as "eDTCA") is on the rise. At the same time, the universe of eDTCA is expanding, as technology on Internet-based platforms continues to evolve, from static websites, to social media, and nearly ubiquitous use of mobile devices. However, little is known about how this unique form of pharmaceutical marketing impacts consumer behavior, public health, and overall healthcare utilization. The study by Kim analyzing US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notices of violations (NOVs) and warning letters regarding online promotional activities takes us in the right direction, but study results raise as many questions as it does answers. Chief among these are unanswered concerns about the unique regulatory challenges posed by the "disruptive" qualities of eDTCA, and whether regulators have sufficient resources and oversight powers to proactively address potential violations. Further, the globalization of eDTCA via borderless Internet-based technologies raises larger concerns about the potential global impact of this form of health marketing unique to only the United States and New Zealand. Collectively, these challenges make it unlikely that regulatory science will be able to keep apace with the continued rapid evolution of eDTCA unless more creative policy solutions are explored. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

Foals raised on pasture with or without daily pyrantel tartrate feed additive: comparison of parasite burdens and host responses following experimental challenge with large and small strongyle larvae.

PubMed

Monahan, C M; Chapman, M R; Taylor, H W; French, D D; Klei, T R

1997-12-31

Three groups of foals were raised under different management programs in this study: Group 1 (n = 6) and Group 2 (n = 6) were raised with their dams on pasture; Group 3 foals (n = 5) were raised under parasite-free conditions. Mares and foals of Group 1 received daily pyrantel tartrate (PT) treatment with their pelleted feed ration, whereas mares and foals of Groups 2 and 3 received only the pelleted ration. Pasture-reared foals were weaned and moved to a heavily contaminated pasture for 5 weeks. Group 1 foals continued to receive daily PT treatment whereas Group 2 foals received only the pelleted feed ration. Following this period, all foals were moved into box stalls. Half of each group was challenged with 10(3) Strongylus vulgaris infective third-stage larvae (L3), 5 x 10(3) Strongylus edentatus L3 and 10(5) mixed cyathostome L3; the remaining half served as unchallenged controls. Necropsy examinations were performed 6-week post-challenge for evaluation of parasite burdens and lesions. Daily PT treatment of Group 1 reduced the patent cyathostome infections of both mares and foals and was effective in reducing pasture burdens of infective larvae. Daily treatment of Group 1 foals during weaning continued to suppress EPG levels; however, it did not prevent large strongyle infections during the weaning period. Group 1 foals were more sensitive to challenge than Group 2 foals, which did not exhibit any post-challenge disturbances. Group 1 foals were equally susceptible to challenge as parasite-free foals.

Reducing restrictive practice in adult services: not only an issue for mental health professionals.

PubMed

Hext, Greg; Clark, Louise L; Xyrichis, Andreas

2018-05-10

Reducing 'restrictive practices' is an issue of national importance, pertinent to all NHS sectors, yet there is poor awareness of the issue in mainstream adult services. Such practices potentially restrict a person's rights to choice, self-determination, privacy and freedom. Challenging behaviour is often the result of unmet needs, communication difficulties or diagnostic overshadowing, but there is a common misconception that patients exhibit such behaviours because of their impaired intellectual abilities or mental health problems. This article seeks to raise awareness of restrictive practices and suggest the way forward. It highlights the importance of good de-escalation skills, which, if adopted early in therapeutic relationships, may help reduce the occurrence of challenging behaviours and situations. Behavioural support plans that adopt a biopsychopharmacosocial approach (BPPS) detail a range of interventions for managing challenging behaviours. Tailored support that follows a BPPS approach could reduce incidents of challenging behaviour, reduce costly observation, improve the patient experience and protect the patient's liberty.

Toward a science of learning systems: a research agenda for the high-functioning Learning Health System.

PubMed

Friedman, Charles; Rubin, Joshua; Brown, Jeffrey; Buntin, Melinda; Corn, Milton; Etheredge, Lynn; Gunter, Carl; Musen, Mark; Platt, Richard; Stead, William; Sullivan, Kevin; Van Houweling, Douglas

2015-01-01

The capability to share data, and harness its potential to generate knowledge rapidly and inform decisions, can have transformative effects that improve health. The infrastructure to achieve this goal at scale--marrying technology, process, and policy--is commonly referred to as the Learning Health System (LHS). Achieving an LHS raises numerous scientific challenges. The National Science Foundation convened an invitational workshop to identify the fundamental scientific and engineering research challenges to achieving a national-scale LHS. The workshop was planned by a 12-member committee and ultimately engaged 45 prominent researchers spanning multiple disciplines over 2 days in Washington, DC on 11-12 April 2013. The workshop participants collectively identified 106 research questions organized around four system-level requirements that a high-functioning LHS must satisfy. The workshop participants also identified a new cross-disciplinary integrative science of cyber-social ecosystems that will be required to address these challenges. The intellectual merit and potential broad impacts of the innovations that will be driven by investments in an LHS are of great potential significance. The specific research questions that emerged from the workshop, alongside the potential for diverse communities to assemble to address them through a 'new science of learning systems', create an important agenda for informatics and related disciplines. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association.

Toward a science of learning systems: a research agenda for the high-functioning Learning Health System

PubMed Central

Friedman, Charles; Rubin, Joshua; Brown, Jeffrey; Buntin, Melinda; Corn, Milton; Etheredge, Lynn; Gunter, Carl; Musen, Mark; Platt, Richard; Stead, William; Sullivan, Kevin; Van Houweling, Douglas

2015-01-01

Objective The capability to share data, and harness its potential to generate knowledge rapidly and inform decisions, can have transformative effects that improve health. The infrastructure to achieve this goal at scale—marrying technology, process, and policy—is commonly referred to as the Learning Health System (LHS). Achieving an LHS raises numerous scientific challenges. Materials and methods The National Science Foundation convened an invitational workshop to identify the fundamental scientific and engineering research challenges to achieving a national-scale LHS. The workshop was planned by a 12-member committee and ultimately engaged 45 prominent researchers spanning multiple disciplines over 2 days in Washington, DC on 11–12 April 2013. Results The workshop participants collectively identified 106 research questions organized around four system-level requirements that a high-functioning LHS must satisfy. The workshop participants also identified a new cross-disciplinary integrative science of cyber-social ecosystems that will be required to address these challenges. Conclusions The intellectual merit and potential broad impacts of the innovations that will be driven by investments in an LHS are of great potential significance. The specific research questions that emerged from the workshop, alongside the potential for diverse communities to assemble to address them through a ‘new science of learning systems’, create an important agenda for informatics and related disciplines. PMID:25342177

Synthetic biology: navigating the challenges ahead.

PubMed

Bhutkar, Arjun

2005-01-01

The emerging field of synthetic biology is broadly defined as the area of intersection of biology and engineering that focuses on the modification or creation of novel biological systems that do not have a counterpart in nature. Potential applications of this technology range from creating systems for environmental cleanup tasks, for medical diagnosis and treatment, to economical generation of hydrogen fuel. This technology is in tis nascent state and there are a number of concerns surrounding its potential applications and the nature of research being performed. With the potential to create hitherto unknown "living organisms", it raises a number of challenges along different dimensions. This article reviews the current state of the technology and analyzes synthetic biology using different lenses: patentability, ethics, and regulation. It proposes a classification system for the products of synthetic biology and provides recommendations in each of the above areas (patentability, ethics, and regulation) in the context of this classification system. These recommendations include an improved framework for patentability testing, ethical principles to guide work in this area, a controlled approval process, and reference frameworks for regulation.

The case of H.S.: the ethics of reporting alcohol dependence in a bus driver.

PubMed

Karol, David E; Schuermeyer, Isabel N; Brooker, Craig A

2007-01-01

The physician's duty to preserve patient confidentiality is challenged when doing so may endanger third parties. We present the case of a bus driver whose alcohol dependence raised concerns of a risk not only to his own health and safety, but to public safety as well. We first examine the legal and ethical obligations to report his alcohol use to his employer and then stress the importance of weighing the potential harm of violating patient-physician confidentiality against the severity of risk to the general public.

When the Plus Sign is a Negative: Challenging and Reinforcing Embodied Stigmas Through Outliers and Counter-Narratives.

PubMed

Lippert, Alexandra

2017-11-30

When individuals become aware of their stigma, they attempt to manage their identity through discourses that both challenge and reinforce power. Identity management is fraught with tensions between the desire to fit normative social constructions and counter the same discourse. This essay explores identity management in the midst of the embodied stigmas concerning unplanned pregnancy during college and raising a biracial son. In doing so, this essay points to the difference between outlier narratives and counter-narratives. The author encourages health communication scholars to explore conditions under which storytelling moves beyond the personal to the political. Emancipatory intent does not guarantee emancipatory outcomes. Storytelling can function therapeutically for individuals while failing to redress forces that constrain human potential and agency.

Emerging perspectives in social neuroscience and neuroeconomics of aging

PubMed Central

Mather, Mara

2011-01-01

This article introduces the special issue of ‘Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience’ on Aging Research, and offers a broad conceptual and methodological framework for considering advances in life course research in social neuroscience and neuroeconomics. The authors highlight key areas of inquiry where aging research is raising new insights about how to conceptualize and examine critical questions about the links between cognition, emotion and motivation in social and economic behavior, as well as challenges that need to be addressed when taking a life course perspective in these fields. They also point to several emerging approaches that hold the potential for addressing these challenges, through bridging approaches from laboratory and population-based science, bridging inquiry across life stages and expanding measurement of core psychological phenotypes. PMID:21482573

Sexually transmitted infections and pre-exposure prophylaxis: challenges and opportunities among men who have sex with men in the US.

PubMed

Scott, Hyman M; Klausner, Jeffrey D

2016-01-01

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) has shown high efficacy in preventing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) in several large clinical trials, and more recently in "real world" reports of clinical implementation and a PrEP demonstration project. Those studies also demonstrated high bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) incidence and raised the discussion of how PrEP may impact STI control efforts, especially in the setting of increasing Neisseria gonorrhoeae antimicrobial resistance and the increase in syphilis cases among MSM. Here, we discuss STIs as a driver of HIV transmission risk among MSM, and the potential opportunities and challenges for STI control afforded by expanded PrEP implementation among high-risk MSM.

Engaging men with penile cancer in qualitative research: reflections from an interview-based study.

PubMed

Witty, Karl; Branney, Peter; Bullen, Kate; White, Alan; Evans, Julie; Eardley, Ian

2014-01-01

To explore the challenges of engaging men with penile cancer in qualitative interview research. Qualitative interviewing offers an ideal tool for exploring men's experiences of illness, complementing and providing context to gendered health inequalities identified in epidemiological research on men. But conducting interviews with men can be challenging and embarking on a qualitative interview study with males can feel like a daunting task, given the limited amount of practical, gender-sensitive guidance for researchers. Reflecting on a researcher's experience of conducting qualitative research on men with penile cancer, this paper explores the potential challenges of interviewing this group, but also documents how engagement and data collection were achieved. This is a reflective paper, informed by the experiences of a male researcher (KW) with no nurse training, who conducted 28 interviews with men who had been treated for penile cancer. The researcher's experiences are reported in chronological order, from the methodological challenges of recruitment to those of conducting the interview. The paper offers a resource for the novice researcher, highlighting some advantages and disadvantages of conducting qualitative interview research as a nurse researcher, as well as recommendations on how to overcome challenges. Engaging men with penile cancer in qualitative interview raises practical, methodological, ethical and emotional challenges for the researcher. However, when these challenges are met, men will talk about their health. Methodological procedures must enable an open and ongoing dialogue with clinical gatekeepers and potential participants to promote engagement. Support from colleagues is essential for any interviewer, no matter how experienced the researcher is.

Muscle activity and spine load during anterior chain whole body linkage exercises: the body saw, hanging leg raise and walkout from a push-up.

PubMed

McGill, Stuart; Andersen, Jordan; Cannon, Jordan

2015-01-01

This study examined anterior chain whole body linkage exercises, namely the body saw, hanging leg raise and walkout from a push-up. Investigation of these exercises focused on which particular muscles were challenged and the magnitude of the resulting spine load. Fourteen males performed the exercises while muscle activity, external force and 3D body segment motion were recorded. A sophisticated and anatomically detailed 3D model used muscle activity and body segment kinematics to estimate muscle force, and thus sensitivity to each individual's choice of motor control for each task. Gradations of muscle activity and spine load characteristics were observed across tasks. On average, the hanging straight leg raise created approximately 3000 N of spine compression while the body saw created less than 2500 N. The hanging straight leg raise created the highest challenge to the abdominal wall (>130% MVC in rectus abdominis, 88% MVC in external oblique). The body saw resulted in almost 140% MVC activation of the serratus anterior. All other exercises produced substantial abdominal challenge, although the body saw did so in the most spine conserving way. These findings, along with consideration of an individual's injury history, training goals and current fitness level, should assist in exercise choice and programme design.

Ethical Issues Raised by Private Practice Physiotherapy Are More Diverse than First Meets the Eye: Recommendations from a Literature Review

PubMed Central

Drolet, Marie-Josée; Williams-Jones, Bryn

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT Purpose: Physiotherapy in private practice differs from physiotherapy practised in a public setting in several ways, the most evident of which is the for-profit nature of private physiotherapy clinics; these differences can generate distinct and challenging ethical issues. The objectives of this article are to identify ethical issues encountered by physiotherapists in private practice settings and to identify potential solutions and recommendations to address these issues. Method: After a literature search of eight databases, 39 studies addressing ethical issues in a private practice context were analyzed. Results: A total of 25 ethical issues emerging from the included studies were classified into three main categories: (1) business and economic issues (e.g., conflicts of interests, inequity in a managed care context, lack of time affecting quality of care); (2) professional issues (e.g., professional autonomy, clinical judgment, treatment effectiveness, professional conduct); and (3) patients' rights and welfare issues (e.g., confidentiality, power asymmetries, paternalism vs. patient autonomy, informed consent). Recommendations as to how physiotherapists could better manage these issues were then identified and categorized. Conclusions: The physiotherapy community should reflect on the challenges raised by private practice so that professionals can be supported—through education, research, and good governance—in providing the best possible care for their patients. PMID:25931663

Public health preparedness: evolution or revolution?

PubMed

Lurie, Nicole; Wasserman, Jeffrey; Nelson, Christopher D

2006-01-01

The recent emphasis on preparedness has created heightened expectations and has raised questions about the extent to which U.S. public health systems have evolved in recent years. This paper describes how public health preparedness is transforming public health agencies. Key signs of change include new partnerships, changes in the workforce, new technologies, and evolving organizational structures. Each of these elements has had some positive impact on public health; however, integration of preparedness with other public health functions remains challenging. The preparedness mission has also raised challenges in the areas of leadership, governance, quality, and accountability.

A means of improving public health in low- and middle-income countries? Benefits and challenges of international public-private partnerships.

PubMed

Kostyak, L; Shaw, D M; Elger, B; Annaheim, B

2017-08-01

In the last two decades international public-private partnerships have become increasingly important to improving public health in low- and middle-income countries. Governments realize that involving the private sector in projects for financing, innovation, development, and distribution can make a valuable contribution to overcoming major health challenges. Private-public partnerships for health can generate numerous benefits but may also raise some concerns. To guide best practice for public-private partnerships for health to maximize benefits and minimize risks, the first step is to identify potential benefits, challenges, and motives. We define motives as the reasons why private partners enter partnerships with a public partner. We conducted a systematic review of the literature using the PRISMA guidelines. We reviewed the literature on the benefits and challenges of public-private partnerships for health in low- and middle-income countries provided by international pharmaceutical companies and other health-related companies. We provide a description of these benefits, challenges, as well as of motives of private partners to join partnerships. An approach of systematic categorization was used to conduct this research. We identified six potential benefits, seven challenges, and three motives. Our main finding was a significant gap in the available academic literature on this subject. Further empirical research using both qualitative and quantitative approaches is required. From the limited information that is readily available, we conclude that public-private partnerships for health imply several benefits but with some noticeable and crucial limitations. In this article, we provide a description of these benefits and challenges, discuss key themes, and conclude that empirical research is required to determine the full extent of the challenges addressed in the literature. Copyright © 2017 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Developing Natural Solutions to Reducing Food Safety Pathogens in Organically Raised Poultry

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Organic poultry production is one of the fastest growing segments of organic agriculture with a 20% increase/yr since the establishment of the National Organic Program (NOP). Restrictions on prophylactic antibiotics used for conventional poultry production raise unique challenges for organic produce...

Philanthropy in health professions education research: determinants of success.

PubMed

Paul, Robert; Hollenberg, Elisa; Hodges, Brian D

2017-05-01

Fund-raising is a new practice in medical education research. This qualitative study explores a cross-sectional analysis of philanthropy in medical education in Canada and Europe and identifies some common characteristics in the fund-raising system, key roles and characteristics of research sites that have had success. Medical education research sites that had received donations greater than Can$100 000 were identified by searching publicly available sources. Interviews were conducted with 25 individuals from these and other sites, in four categories: medical education leaders (n = 9); philanthropy-supported chairholders and researchers (n = 5); donors of over Can$100 000 (n = 7), and advancement professionals (n = 4). Interview transcripts were inductively coded to identify themes. Five factors associated with success in accessing philanthropic sources were identified in the sample: support of the organisation's senior leadership; a charismatic champion who motivates donors; access to an advancement office or foundation; impetus to find funds beyond traditional operating budgets, and understanding of the conceptual and practical dimensions of fund-raising. Three types of donor (medical education insider, donor collective and general philanthropist), four faculty roles (trailblazers, rock stars, 'Who? Me?' people and future fund-raisers) and six stages in the fund-raising cycle were also identified. Philanthropy is a source of funding with the potential to significantly advance education research. Yet competence in fund-raising is not widely developed among medical education research leaders. Successful accessing of philanthropic sources of funding requires the ability to articulate the impact of philanthropy in medical education research in a way that will interest donors. This appears to be challenging for medical education leaders, who tend to frame their work in academic terms and have trouble competing against other fund-raising domains. Medical education research institutes and centres will benefit from developing greater understanding of the conception and practices of fund-raising. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

Sero-discovering versus sero-cognisant: initial challenges and needs of HIV-serodiscordant couples in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

PubMed

Hughes, Shana D; Truong, Hong-Ha M

2017-08-01

This paper focuses on challenges faced by heterosexual couples of mixed HIV status in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and argues for more conceptual nuance in our understanding of 'serodiscordance'. Couples' stories, collected over 11 months of qualitative research, demonstrate how profoundly serodiscordance involves both partners and suggest that the timing of relationship formation relative to HIV diagnosis influenced the particular challenges they confronted. In recognition of this variation, we propose the distinction of 'sero-discovering' from 'sero-cognisant' couples. Though Brazilian health policy strives to address the needs of individuals diagnosed with HIV, the needs of seronegative partners in this cohort received relatively little attention. In addition, the transformation of HIV from a death sentence to a chronic condition both facilitated the formation of serodiscordant unions and raised special challenges for such couples. Conceiving of any person receiving an HIV diagnosis as 'potentially partnered' may help address some of these lacunae while promoting primary prevention within mixed-status couples, and HIV testing more generally. More research with this population is needed.

A recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus-based Lassa fever vaccine protects guinea pigs and macaques against challenge with geographically and genetically distinct Lassa viruses.

PubMed

Safronetz, David; Mire, Chad; Rosenke, Kyle; Feldmann, Friederike; Haddock, Elaine; Geisbert, Thomas; Feldmann, Heinz

2015-04-01

Lassa virus (LASV) is endemic in several West African countries and is the etiological agent of Lassa fever. Despite the high annual incidence and significant morbidity and mortality rates, currently there are no approved vaccines to prevent infection or disease in humans. Genetically, LASV demonstrates a high degree of diversity that correlates with geographic distribution. The genetic heterogeneity observed between geographically distinct viruses raises concerns over the potential efficacy of a "universal" LASV vaccine. To date, several experimental LASV vaccines have been developed; however, few have been evaluated against challenge with various genetically unique Lassa virus isolates in relevant animal models. Here we demonstrate that a single, prophylactic immunization with a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) expressing the glycoproteins of LASV strain Josiah from Sierra Leone protects strain 13 guinea pigs from infection / disease following challenge with LASV isolates originating from Liberia, Mali and Nigeria. Similarly, the VSV-based LASV vaccine yields complete protection against a lethal challenge with the Liberian LASV isolate in the gold-standard macaque model of Lassa fever. Our results demonstrate the VSV-based LASV vaccine is capable of preventing morbidity and mortality associated with non-homologous LASV challenge in two animal models of Lassa fever. Additionally, this work highlights the need for the further development of disease models for geographical distinct LASV strains, particularly those from Nigeria, in order to comprehensively evaluate potential vaccines and therapies against this prominent agent of viral hemorrhagic fever.

Discovering Greatness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ali, Muhammad

2012-01-01

People are confronting the most pressing challenge facing every family, school, and community--raising respectful children in a toxic world. In simpler societies, raising children was a shared task of the whole community, as adults and youth worked in harmony and mutual respect. Today, humans are the only species in creation living out of balance.…

Preparing FCS Professionals: Using Simulations to Raise Awareness and Change Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heiden, Kathleen; Harpel, Tammy

2013-01-01

Many universities offer courses in multiculturalism to broaden students' perspectives, but are the courses effective? This article explores the effects of using simulations to raise awareness and challenge students' perspectives of stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. The results of three simulation activities are presented. Three…

Faith and Fundraising: The Role of Institutional Religious Identity in Advancement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shea, Susan

2011-01-01

How important is the faith associated with an educational institution in raising funds? Do development professionals at faith-based institutions use strategies different from their secular school colleagues? Are there particular challenges to raising money from donors who may already have philanthropic ties to churches or synagogues? Fundraisers…

RAISED between Cultures: New Resources for Working with Children of Immigrant or Refugee Background

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brosinsky, Larissa; Georgis, Rebecca; Gokiert, Rebecca; Mejia, Teresa; Kirova, Anna

2018-01-01

The pressing needs of populations with unique challenges, such as immigrants or refugees, often stimulate important innovation in development of educational techniques and resources. This article highlights the RAISED between Cultures model, a conceptual framework for understanding children's experiences holistically and promoting intercultural…

Providing Parents with the Information They Need

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanley, Laurel; Weber, Christine

2010-01-01

Raising any child is challenging for parents, but raising a gifted child can be especially demanding. Parents benefit from quality information about giftedness as well as effective parenting strategies for working with very bright youngsters. Parents may wish to better motivate their gifted children, helping them to take personal responsibility…

Bridging the Gap: The Challenges of Employing Entrepreneurial Processes within University Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wardale, Dorothy; Lord, Linley

2016-01-01

In Australia and elsewhere, universities face increasing pressure to improve research output and quality, particularly through partnerships with industry. This raises interesting challenges for academic staff with considerable industry experience who are "new" to academe. Some of these challenges were faced by the authors who have been…

Fish consumption by children in Canada: Review of evidence, challenges and future goals

PubMed Central

Wine, Osnat; Osornio-Vargas, Alvaro R; Buka, Irena S

2012-01-01

Fish consumption is of great importance to children’s health and is essential for neurodevelopment, which begins in pregnancy and continues throughout early childhood and into adolescence. However, fish consumption presents conflicting health outcomes associated with its nutritional benefits and its adverse contaminant risks, because both avoiding fish as well as the consumption of contaminated fish can potentially harm children. This may be challenging to communicate. The present review was performed to assess the current knowledge and recommendations around ‘smart’ fish-consumption decisions. Health Canada advises, as well as other advisories and guides, that fish should be consumed for its health benefits, while also informing consumers, especially women and children, to limit certain fish consumption. The current literature must attempt to handle the challenges inherent in communicating the dilemmas of children’s fish consumption. Incorporation of new knowledge translation strategies are proposed as a means to raise the level of knowledge about optimal fish consumption practices. PMID:23633896

The ISECG* Global Exploration Roadmap as Context for Robotic and Human Exploration Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lupisella, Mark

2015-01-01

The International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) Global Exploration Roadmap (GER) provides a broad international context for understanding how robotic missions and robotic assets can enable future human exploration of multiple destinations. This presentation will provide a brief high-level review of the GER with a focus on key robotic missions and robotic assets that can provide enabling technology advancements and that also raise interesting operational challenges in both the near-term and long-term. The GER presently features a variety of robotic missions and robotic assets that can provide important technology advancements as well as operational challenges and improvements, in areas ranging from: (a) leveraging the International Space Station, (b) planetary science robotic missions to potential human destinations, (c) micro-g body proximity operations (e.g. asteroids), (d) autonomous operations, (e) high and low-latency telerobotics, (f) human assisted sample return, and (g) contamination control. This presentation will highlight operational and technology challenges in these areas that have feed forward implications for human exploration.

Design and Analysis of Offshore Macroalgae Biorefineries.

PubMed

Golberg, Alexander; Liberzon, Alexander; Vitkin, Edward; Yakhini, Zohar

2018-03-15

Displacing fossil fuels and their derivatives with renewables, and increasing sustainable food production are among the major challenges facing the world in the coming decades. A possible, sustainable direction for addressing this challenge is the production of biomass and the conversion of this biomass to the required products through a complex system coined biorefinery. Terrestrial biomass and microalgae are possible sources; however, concerns over net energy balance, potable water use, environmental hazards, and uncertainty in the processing technologies raise questions regarding their actual potential to meet the anticipated food, feed, and energy challenges in a sustainable way. Alternative sustainable sources for biorefineries are macroalgae grown and processed offshore. However, implementation of the offshore biorefineries requires detailed analysis of their technological, economic, and environmental performance. In this chapter, the basic principles of marine biorefineries design are shown. The methods to integrate thermodynamic efficiency, investment, and environmental aspects are discussed. The performance improvement by development of new cultivation methods that fit macroalgae physiology and development of new fermentation methods that address macroalgae unique chemical composition is shown.

Conducting interactive experiments online.

PubMed

Arechar, Antonio A; Gächter, Simon; Molleman, Lucas

2018-01-01

Online labor markets provide new opportunities for behavioral research, but conducting economic experiments online raises important methodological challenges. This particularly holds for interactive designs. In this paper, we provide a methodological discussion of the similarities and differences between interactive experiments conducted in the laboratory and online. To this end, we conduct a repeated public goods experiment with and without punishment using samples from the laboratory and the online platform Amazon Mechanical Turk. We chose to replicate this experiment because it is long and logistically complex. It therefore provides a good case study for discussing the methodological and practical challenges of online interactive experimentation. We find that basic behavioral patterns of cooperation and punishment in the laboratory are replicable online. The most important challenge of online interactive experiments is participant dropout. We discuss measures for reducing dropout and show that, for our case study, dropouts are exogenous to the experiment. We conclude that data quality for interactive experiments via the Internet is adequate and reliable, making online interactive experimentation a potentially valuable complement to laboratory studies.

High-risk medical devices, children and the FDA: regulatory challenges facing pediatric mechanical circulatory support devices.

PubMed

Almond, Christopher S D; Chen, Eric A; Berman, Michael R; Less, Joanne R; Baldwin, J Timothy; Linde-Feucht, Sarah R; Hoke, Tracey R; Pearson, Gail D; Jenkins, Kathy; Duncan, Brian W; Zuckerman, Bram D

2007-01-01

Pediatric mechanical circulatory support is a critical unmet need in the United States. Infant- and child-sized ventricular assist devices are currently being developed largely through federal contracts and grants through the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Human testing and marketing of high-risk devices for children raises epidemiologic and regulatory issues that will need to be addressed. Leaders from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), NHLBI, academic pediatric community, and industry convened in January 2006 for the first FDA Workshop on the Regulatory Process for Pediatric Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices. The purpose was to provide the pediatric community with an overview of the federal regulatory process for high-risk medical devices and to review the challenges specific to the development and regulation of pediatric mechanical circulatory support devices. Pediatric mechanical circulatory support present significant epidemiologic, logistic, and financial challenges to industry, federal regulators, and the pediatric community. Early interactions with the FDA, shared appreciation of challenges, and careful planning will be critical to avoid unnecessary delays in making potentially life-saving devices available for children. Collaborative efforts to address these challenges are warranted.

Changes in Space Food over the Last 45 Years

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Scott M.; Lane, Helen W.; Kloeris, Vickie; Perchonok, Michele; Zwart, Sara

2006-01-01

The space food system has improved over the last 45 years. With the advances for a Moon base, there is a potential that foods in space will be more like home cooked foods. However, until that happens, there will continue to be dehydrated and thermostablized foods providing the bulk of the astronauts food. In order for the astronauts to have adequate macronutrients, a food system must be developed including raising plants and food preparation, both a major challenge given the limited water, volume, and power. The lunar kitchens will be very different, but good food is essential to maintain good health.

Pedophiles and stalkers as transplant candidates: one program's experience.

PubMed

Paris, Wayne; Miller, Rachel; Hille, Cheryl; Nour, Bakr; Griggs, Johnny

2005-12-01

Transplant assessment of pedophiles and stalkers presents a challenge for clinicians and requires the ability to separate the science from the hysteria. Although rarely seen in organ transplant clinics, the presence of psychosexual disorders can result in both criminal charges and harsh societal reactions. Clinicians must be able to assess and make informed recommendations about the suitability of the candidate and any potential risks for staff, other patients, and society at large. Six patients (5 pedophiles and 1 stalker) were assessed at our major regional multiorgan transplant program; each patient presented with unique and challenging assessment, treatment, and selection issues for the transplant team. The objectives of this article are to raise awareness of the issues associated with pedophiles and stalkers, and to provide the basis for better-informed discussions based on one program's struggles with its candidate selection and follow-up.

Privacy enhancing techniques - the key to secure communication and management of clinical and genomic data.

PubMed

De Moor, G J E; Claerhout, B; De Meyer, F

2003-01-01

To introduce some of the privacy protection problems related to genomics based medicine and to highlight the relevance of Trusted Third Parties (TTPs) and of Privacy Enhancing Techniques (PETs) in the restricted context of clinical research and statistics. Practical approaches based on two different pseudonymisation models, both for batch and interactive data collection and exchange, are described and analysed. The growing need of managing both clinical and genetic data raises important legal and ethical challenges. Protecting human rights in the realm of privacy, while optimising research potential and other statistical activities is a challenge that can easily be overcome with the assistance of a trust service provider offering advanced privacy enabling/enhancing solutions. As such, the use of pseudonymisation and other innovative Privacy Enhancing Techniques can unlock valuable data sources.

Technology 2.0: A Commentary on Progress, Challenges, and Next Steps.

PubMed

Jones, Deborah J

2017-11-01

This commentary highlights the importance and promise of the innovative strategies described in the Child Maltreatment special issue on "Technology 2.0: A Focus on the Newest Technological Advances in Child Maltreatment Research." The commentary first highlights the collective advancements reflected in the articles in the special issue, with a primary focus on how the authors' work addresses a general challenge in services research that is perhaps nowhere more problematic than in the field of maltreatment. Next, the commentary extends the discussion of these articles to raise remaining gaps in our knowledge, theory, and methodology, which must be the focus of ongoing research if the true potential of technology as a service delivery vehicle is to be realized. Finally, the commentary concludes with a call for subsequent research which will be inspired by the articles in this special issue.

Sea-level rise risks to coastal cities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicholls, Robert J.

2017-04-01

Understanding the consequence of sea-level rise for coastal cities has long lead times and huge political implications. Civilisation has emerged and developed during a period of several thousand years during which in geological terms sea level has been unusually stable. We have now moved out of this period and the challenge will be to develop a long-term proactive assessment approach to manage this challenge. In 2005 there were 136 coastal cities with a population exceeding one million people and a collective population of 400 million people. All these coastal cities are threatened by flooding from the sea to varying degrees and these risks are increasing due to growing exposure (people and assets), rising sea levels due to climate change, and in some cities, significant coastal subsidence due to human agency (drainage and groundwater withdrawals from susceptible soils). In these cities we wish to avoid major flood events, with associated damage and potentially deaths and ultimately decline of the cities. Flood risks grow with sea-level rise as it raises extreme sea levels. As sea levels continue to rise, protection will have to be progressively upgraded. Even with this, the magnitude of losses when flood events do occur would increase as coastal cities expand, and water depths and hence unit damage increase with sea-level rise/subsidence. This makes it critical to also prepare for larger coastal flood disasters than we experience today and raises questions on the limits to adaptation. There is not an extensive literature or significant empirical information on the limits to adaptation in coastal cities. These limits are not predictable in a formal sense - while the rise in mean sea level raises the likelihood of a catastrophic flood, extreme events are what cause damage and trigger a response, be it abandonment, a defence upgrade or something else. There are several types of potential limits that could be categorised into three broad types: • Physical/engineering limits; • Economic/financial limits; • Socio-political limits. These limits will be discussed and their implications considered and place in the context of long-term planning for these issues.

An Overview of Direct Somatic Reprogramming: The Ins and Outs of iPSCs

PubMed Central

Menon, Siddharth; Shailendra, Siny; Renda, Andrea; Longaker, Michael; Quarto, Natalina

2016-01-01

Stem cells are classified into embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. An evolving alternative to conventional stem cell therapies is induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which have a multi-lineage potential comparable to conventionally acquired embryonic stem cells with the additional benefits of being less immunoreactive and avoiding many of the ethical concerns raised with the use of embryonic material. The ability to generate iPSCs from somatic cells provides tremendous promise for regenerative medicine. The breakthrough of iPSCs has raised the possibility that patient-specific iPSCs can provide autologous cells for cell therapy without the concern for immune rejection. iPSCs are also relevant tools for modeling human diseases and drugs screening. However, there are still several hurdles to overcome before iPSCs can be used for translational purposes. Here, we review the recent advances in somatic reprogramming and the challenges that must be overcome to move this strategy closer to clinical application. PMID:26805822

Why did you choose psychiatry? a qualitative study of psychiatry trainees investigating the impact of psychiatry teaching at medical school on career choice.

PubMed

Appleton, A; Singh, S; Eady, N; Buszewicz, M

2017-07-28

There is no consensus regarding the optimal content of the undergraduate psychiatry curriculum as well as factors contributing to young doctors choosing a career in psychiatry. Our aim was to explore factors which had influenced psychiatry trainees' attitudes towards mental health and career choice. Qualitative in-depth interviews with 21 purposively sampled London psychiatry trainees analysed using the Framework method. Early exposure and sufficient time in undergraduate psychiatry placements were important in influencing psychiatry as a career choice and positive role models were often very influential. Integration of psychiatry with teaching about physical health was viewed positively, although concerns were raised about the potential dilution of psychiatry teaching. Foundation posts in psychiatry were very valuable in positively impacting career choice. Other suggestions included raising awareness at secondary school level, challenging negative attitudes amongst all medical educators, and promoting integration within medical specialties. Improvements in teaching psychiatry could improve medical attitudes and promote recruitment into psychiatry.

Loving without Spoiling: And 100 Other Timeless Tips for Raising Terrific Kids.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samalin, Nancy

Noting that raising well-behaved, considerate children requires learning how to balance firm discipline with equal doses of love and humor, this book provides parents with effective and realistic solutions to countless parenting challenges. The strategies are organized into the following categories: (1) "Avoid Power Struggles"; (2) "Minimize Daily…

Raising Standards through INQUIRE in Pre-Service Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elster, D.; Barendziak, T.; Haskamp, F.; Kastenholz, L.

2014-01-01

Raising standards through inquiry-based science education (IBSE)--what are the challenges for pre-service teacher education? What do ongoing teachers and active teachers learn from each other when planning, conducting and evaluating minds-on and hands-on IBSE activities in the classroom? What do they learn "beyond" IBSE? The Bremen…

Impact of Consciousness-Raising Activities on Young English Language Learners' Grammar Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fatemipour, Hamidreza; Hemmati, Shiva

2015-01-01

Grammar Consciousness-Raising (GCR) is an approach to teaching of grammar which learners instead of being taught the given rules, experience language data. The data challenge them to rethink, restructure their existing mental grammar and construct an explicit rule to describe the grammatical feature which the data illustrate (Ellis, 2002). And…

East Indian Families Raising ABCD Adolescents: Cultural and Generational Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poulsen, Shruti S.

2009-01-01

Immigration is a process fraught with both challenges and opportunities for families. In particular, East Indian families with U.S.-born adolescents experience the challenges of bridging cultures across generational divides; they are perceived by others as confused, identity less, and conflicted or as American-Born, Confused Desis (ABCDs). This…

Challenging Circumstances Moderate the Links Between Mothers’ Personality Traits and Their Parenting in Low-Income Families With Young Children

PubMed Central

Kochanska, Grazyna; Kim, Sanghag; Nordling, Jamie Koenig

2013-01-01

The need for research on potential moderators of personality–parenting links has been repeatedly emphasized, yet few studies have examined how varying stressful or challenging circumstances may influence such links. We studied 186 diverse, low-income mother–toddler dyads. Mothers described themselves in terms of Big Five traits, were observed in lengthy interactions with their children, and provided parenting reports. Ecological adversity, assessed as a cumulative index of known risk factors, and the child’s difficulty observed as negative affect and defiance in interactions with mothers were posited as sources of parenting challenge. Mothers high in Neuroticism reported more power assertion. Some personality–parenting relations emerged only under challenging conditions. For mothers raising difficult children, higher Extraversion was linked to increased observed power assertion, but higher Conscientiousness was linked to decreased reported power assertion. There were no such relations for mothers of easy children. By contrast, some relations emerged only in the absence of challenge. Agreeableness was associated with more positive parenting for mothers who lived under conditions of low ecological adversity, and with less reported power for those who had easy children, and Openness was linked to more positive parenting for mothers of easy children. Those traits were unrelated to parenting under challenging conditions. PMID:23066882

The first decade of MALDI protein profiling: a lesson in translational biomarker research.

PubMed

Albrethsen, Jakob

2011-05-16

MALDI protein profiling has identified several important challenges in omics-based biomarker research. First, research into the analytical performance of a novel omics-platform of potential diagnostic impact must be carried out in a critical manner and according to common guidelines. Evaluation studies should be performed at an early time and preferably before massive advancement into explorative biomarker research. In particular, MALDI profiling underscores the need for an adequate understanding of the causal relationship between molecular abundance and the quantitative measure in multivariate biomarker research. Secondly, MALDI profiling has raised awareness of the significant risk of false-discovery in biomarker research due to several confounding factors, including sample processing and unspecific host-response to disease. Here, the experience from MALDI profiling supports that a central challenge in unbiased molecular profiling is to pinpoint the aberrations of clinical interest among potentially massive unspecific changes that can accompany disease. The lessons from the first decade of MALDI protein profiling are relevant for future efforts in advancing omics-based biomarker research beyond the laboratory setting and into clinical verification. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Special Report: E-Waste Management in the United States and Public Health Implications.

PubMed

Seeberger, Jessica; Grandhi, Radhika; Kim, Stephani S; Mase, William A; Reponen, Tiina; Ho, Shuk-mei; Chen, Aimin

2016-10-01

Electronic waste (e-waste) generation is increasing worldwide, and its management becomes a significant challenge because of the many toxicants present in electronic devices. The U.S. is a major producer of e-waste, although its management practice and policy regulation are not sufficient to meet the challenge. We reviewed e-waste generation, current management practices and trends, policy challenges, potential health impact, and toxicant exposure prevention in the U.S. A large amount of toxic metals, flame retardants, and other persistent organic pollutants exist in e-waste or can be released from the disposal of e-waste (e.g., landfill, incineration, recycling). Landfill is still a major method used to dispose of obsolete electronic devices, and only about half of the states have initiated a landfill ban for e-waste. Recycling of e-waste is an increasing trend in the past few years. There is potential, however, for workers to be exposed to a mixture of toxicants in e-waste and these exposures should be curtailed. Perspectives and recommendations are provided regarding managing e-waste in the U.S. to protect public health, including enacting federal legislation, discontinuing landfill disposal, protecting workers in recycling facilities from toxicant exposure, reducing toxicant release into the environment, and raising awareness of this growing environmental health issue among the public.

Cryptography and the Internet: lessons and challenges

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

McCurley, K.S.

1996-12-31

The popularization of the Internet has brought fundamental changes to the world, because it allows a universal method of communication between computers. This carries enormous benefits with it, but also raises many security considerations. Cryptography is a fundamental technology used to provide security of computer networks, and there is currently a widespread engineering effort to incorporate cryptography into various aspects of the Internet. The system-level engineering required to provide security services for the Internet carries some important lessons for researchers whose study is focused on narrowly defined problems. It also offers challenges to the cryptographic research community by raising newmore » questions not adequately addressed by the existing body of knowledge. This paper attempts to summarize some of these lessons and challenges for the cryptographic research community.« less

Ethics and surgical innovation: challenges to the professionalism of surgeons.

PubMed

Angelos, Peter

2013-01-01

The future of surgical progress depends on surgeons finding innovative solutions to their patients' problems. Surgical innovation is critical to advances in surgery. However, surgical innovation also raises a series of ethical issues that challenge the professionalism of surgeons. The very criteria for defining surgical progress have changed as patients may value more than simply reductions in morbidity and mortality. The requirement for informed consent prior to surgery is difficult when an innovative surgical procedure is planned since the risks of the novel operation may not be known. In addition, even if the risks are known in the hands of the innovator, the actual risks to patients when surgeons are learning the new technique are unknown. New techniques often depend on new technology which may be significantly more expensive than traditional techniques. There are no clear criteria to decide which new innovative techniques are going to turn out to be truly beneficial to patients. Many surgical innovations depend on new products which may have been developed as collaborative efforts between surgical device companies and surgeons. Although many currently accepted therapies were developed in this fashion, the collaboration of surgeons and device companies raises the potential for significant harmful conflicts of interest. In the decades to come, careful attention to these and other ethical issues will help to define the future professional standing of surgeons. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and Surgical Associates Ltd. All rights reserved.

Raising the Pay of Schoolteachers: How the Goals Are Being Achieved

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aleksandrova, O. A.; Nenakhova, Iu. S.

2015-01-01

Russian regions have been ordered to raise teaching salaries to the average level for the region's economy in order to address the challenges of teaching shortages and aging personnel, as well as to improve the quality of general education. Based on the results of sociological research carried out in various regions, this article shows that, due…

A Recombinant Vesicular Stomatitis Virus-Based Lassa Fever Vaccine Protects Guinea Pigs and Macaques against Challenge with Geographically and Genetically Distinct Lassa Viruses

PubMed Central

Safronetz, David; Mire, Chad; Rosenke, Kyle; Feldmann, Friederike; Haddock, Elaine; Geisbert, Thomas; Feldmann, Heinz

2015-01-01

Background Lassa virus (LASV) is endemic in several West African countries and is the etiological agent of Lassa fever. Despite the high annual incidence and significant morbidity and mortality rates, currently there are no approved vaccines to prevent infection or disease in humans. Genetically, LASV demonstrates a high degree of diversity that correlates with geographic distribution. The genetic heterogeneity observed between geographically distinct viruses raises concerns over the potential efficacy of a “universal” LASV vaccine. To date, several experimental LASV vaccines have been developed; however, few have been evaluated against challenge with various genetically unique Lassa virus isolates in relevant animal models. Methodologies/principle findings Here we demonstrate that a single, prophylactic immunization with a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) expressing the glycoproteins of LASV strain Josiah from Sierra Leone protects strain 13 guinea pigs from infection / disease following challenge with LASV isolates originating from Liberia, Mali and Nigeria. Similarly, the VSV-based LASV vaccine yields complete protection against a lethal challenge with the Liberian LASV isolate in the gold-standard macaque model of Lassa fever. Conclusions/significance Our results demonstrate the VSV-based LASV vaccine is capable of preventing morbidity and mortality associated with non-homologous LASV challenge in two animal models of Lassa fever. Additionally, this work highlights the need for the further development of disease models for geographical distinct LASV strains, particularly those from Nigeria, in order to comprehensively evaluate potential vaccines and therapies against this prominent agent of viral hemorrhagic fever. PMID:25884628

Ethical and regulatory challenges of research using pervasive sensing and other emerging technologies: IRB perspectives.

PubMed

Nebeker, Camille; Harlow, John; Espinoza Giacinto, Rebeca; Orozco-Linares, Rubi; Bloss, Cinnamon S; Weibel, Nadir

2017-01-01

Vast quantities of personal health information and private identifiable information are being created through mobile apps, wearable sensors, and social networks. While new strategies and tools for obtaining health data have expanded researchers' abilities to design and test personalized and adaptive health interventions, the deployment of pervasive sensing and computational techniques to gather research data is raising ethical challenges for Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) charged with protecting research participants. To explore experiences with, and perceptions about, technology-enabled research, and identify solutions for promoting responsible conduct of this research we conducted focus groups with human research protection program and IRB affiliates. Our findings outline the need for increased collaboration across stakeholders in terms of: (1) shared and dynamic resources that improve awareness of technologies and decrease potential threats to participant privacy and data confidentiality, and (2) development of appropriate and dynamic standards through collaboration with stakeholders in the research ethics community.

Privatisation and outsourcing in wartime: the humanitarian challenges.

PubMed

Carbonnier, Gilles

2006-12-01

The tendency today to privatise many activities hitherto considered the exclusive preserve of the state has given rise to sharp debate. The specific nature of humanitarian emergencies elucidates in particularly stark contrast some of the main challenges connected to the privatisation and outsourcing of essential public services, such as the provision of drinking water and health care. Privatising the realms of defence and security, which are at the very core of state prerogative, raises several legal and humanitarian concerns. This article focuses on the roles and responsibilities of the various parties involved in armed conflicts, especially those of private companies engaged in security, intelligence and interrogation work, and in the provision of water supply and health services. It highlights the need for humanitarian and development actors to grasp better the potential risks and opportunities related to privatisation and outsourcing with a view to supplying effective protection and assistance to communities affected by war.

The significance of cell-related challenges in the clinical application of tissue engineering.

PubMed

Almela, Thafar; Brook, Ian M; Moharamzadeh, Keyvan

2016-12-01

Tissue engineering is increasingly being recognized as a new approach that could alleviate the burden of tissue damage currently managed with transplants or synthetic devices. Making this novel approach available in the future for patients who would potentially benefit is largely dependent on understanding and addressing all those factors that impede the translation of this technology to the clinic. Cell-associated factors in particular raise many challenges, including those related to cell sources, up- and downstream techniques, preservation, and the creation of in vitro microenvironments that enable cells to grow and function as far as possible as they would in vivo. This article highlights the main confounding issues associated with cells in tissue engineering and how these issues may hinder the advancement of therapeutic tissue engineering. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 3157-3163, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Liquid Elevations and Topographic Constraints of Titan's Lacustrine Basins at the end of Cassini: Hydrology and Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayes, A. G., Jr.; Birch, S.; Corlies, P.; Poggiali, V.; Dietrich, W. E.; Howard, A. D.; Kirk, R. L.; Mastrogiuseppe, M.; Malaska, M.; Moore, J. M.; Mitchell, K. L.

2017-12-01

The topographic information provided by Cassini RADAR Altimetry, SAR Topography, and stereo photogrammetry has opened new doors for Titan research by allowing the quantitative analysis of morphologic form as well as relative measurements of liquid elevation. Herein, we investigate the relative elevation of liquid bodies and the three-dimensional morphology of Titan's lacustrine basins in order to provide observables that will constrain connectivity and plausible formation mechanisms. Using delay-Dopler processed altimetry measurements we show that the liquid elevations of Titan's Mare are the same to within measurement error, consistent with an equipotential surface. The liquid elevation of several smaller lakes, however, are found to be several hundreds above this sea level, suggesting that they exist in isolated or perched basins. Within a given topographic basin, the floor elevations of empty lakes are typically higher than the local liquid elevation, suggesting either the presence of an impermeable boundary or local subsurface connectivity. Basins with floors closer to the local phreatic surface appear brighter to both nadir and off-nadir microwave observations than those that are more elevated, indicating a potential change in composition. The majority of Titan's lakes reside in sharp edged depressions whose planform curvature suggests expansion through uniform scarp retreat. Many, but not all, of these basins exhibit flat floors and hundred-meter scale steep-sided raised rims that present a challenge to formation models. Raised rims are found on 57% of all the lakes in our study, including for all lakes >500 km2 in area. With super-resolution altimetry profiles, the raised rims can also be correlated directly with SAR image data, allowing for the identification of raised rims on other lakes, even when they lack topographic data coverage.. The basins are often topographically closed with no evidence for inflow or flow channels at the 300 m resolution of Cassini SAR images. The implications of these observations will be discussed in the context of common basin formation models. We conclude that sublimation and dissolution mechanisms can best match the observed constraints, but that challenges still exist in their implementation.

Antioxidant and Associated Capacities of Camu Camu (Myrciaria dubia): A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Langley, Paul C.; Pergolizzi, Joseph V.; Taylor, Robert

2015-01-01

Abstract An aging population in the United States presents important challenges for patients and physicians. The presence of inflammation can contribute to an accelerated aging process, the increasing presence of comorbidities, oxidative stress, and an increased prevalence of chronic pain. As patient-centered care is embracing a multimodal, integrative approach to the management of disease, patients and physicians are increasingly looking to the potential contribution of natural products. Camu camu, a well-researched and innovative natural product, has the potential to contribute, possibly substantially, to this management paradigm. The key issue is to raise camu camu's visibility through increased emphasis on its robust evidentiary base and its various formulations, as well as making consumers, patients, and physicians more aware of its potential. A program to increase the visibility of camu camu can contribute substantially not only to the management of inflammatory conditions and its positive contribution to overall good health but also to its potential role in many disease states. PMID:25275221

Antioxidant and associated capacities of Camu camu (Myrciaria dubia): a systematic review.

PubMed

Langley, Paul C; Pergolizzi, Joseph V; Taylor, Robert; Ridgway, Caroline

2015-01-01

An aging population in the United States presents important challenges for patients and physicians. The presence of inflammation can contribute to an accelerated aging process, the increasing presence of comorbidities, oxidative stress, and an increased prevalence of chronic pain. As patient-centered care is embracing a multimodal, integrative approach to the management of disease, patients and physicians are increasingly looking to the potential contribution of natural products. Camu camu, a well-researched and innovative natural product, has the potential to contribute, possibly substantially, to this management paradigm. The key issue is to raise camu camu's visibility through increased emphasis on its robust evidentiary base and its various formulations, as well as making consumers, patients, and physicians more aware of its potential. A program to increase the visibility of camu camu can contribute substantially not only to the management of inflammatory conditions and its positive contribution to overall good health but also to its potential role in many disease states.

Airports offer unrealized potential for alternative energy production.

PubMed

DeVault, Travis L; Belant, Jerrold L; Blackwell, Bradley F; Martin, James A; Schmidt, Jason A; Wes Burger, L; Patterson, James W

2012-03-01

Scaling up for alternative energy such as solar, wind, and biofuel raises a number of environmental issues, notably changes in land use and adverse effects on wildlife. Airports offer one of the few land uses where reductions in wildlife abundance and habitat quality are necessary and socially acceptable, due to risk of wildlife collisions with aircraft. There are several uncertainties and limitations to establishing alternative energy production at airports, such as ensuring these facilities do not create wildlife attractants or other hazards. However, with careful planning, locating alternative energy projects at airports could help mitigate many of the challenges currently facing policy makers, developers, and conservationists.

To friend or not to friend: the use of social media in clinical oncology.

PubMed

Wiener, Lori; Crum, Caroline; Grady, Christine; Merchant, Melinda

2012-03-01

Online social networking has replaced more traditional methods of personal and professional communication in many segments of society today. The wide reach and immediacy of social media facilitate dissemination of knowledge in advocacy and cancer education, but the usefulness of social media in personal relationships between patients and providers is still unclear. Although professional guidelines regarding e-mail communication may be relevant to social media, the inherent openness in social networks creates potential boundary and privacy issues in the provider-patient context. This commentary seeks to increase provider awareness of unique issues and challenges raised by the integration of social networking into oncology communications.

Policy forum. Data, privacy, and the greater good.

PubMed

Horvitz, Eric; Mulligan, Deirdre

2015-07-17

Large-scale aggregate analyses of anonymized data can yield valuable results and insights that address public health challenges and provide new avenues for scientific discovery. These methods can extend our knowledge and provide new tools for enhancing health and wellbeing. However, they raise questions about how to best address potential threats to privacy while reaping benefits for individuals and to society as a whole. The use of machine learning to make leaps across informational and social contexts to infer health conditions and risks from nonmedical data provides representative scenarios for reflections on directions with balancing innovation and regulation. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Mass media barriers to social marketing interventions: the example of sun protection in the UK.

PubMed

Kemp, Gillian Ann; Eagle, Lynne; Verne, Julia

2011-03-01

The role of the mass media in communicating health-related information to the wider population is the focus of this paper. Using the example of sun protection within the UK, we highlight some of the major challenges to raising awareness of steadily increasing melanoma rates and of effective sun protection strategies. The implications of potential barriers to official sun protection messages via conflicting messages in the media are discussed in terms of editorial on sun protection and in the way in which television programme content portrays the issues. Implications for public policy and future research conclude the paper.

Iterative Reconstruction Techniques in Abdominopelvic CT: Technical Concepts and Clinical Implementation.

PubMed

Patino, Manuel; Fuentes, Jorge M; Singh, Sarabjeet; Hahn, Peter F; Sahani, Dushyant V

2015-07-01

This article discusses the clinical challenge of low-radiation-dose examinations, the commonly used approaches for dose optimization, and their effect on image quality. We emphasize practical aspects of the different iterative reconstruction techniques, along with their benefits, pitfalls, and clinical implementation. The widespread use of CT has raised concerns about potential radiation risks, motivating diverse strategies to reduce the radiation dose associated with CT. CT manufacturers have developed alternative reconstruction algorithms intended to improve image quality on dose-optimized CT studies, mainly through noise and artifact reduction. Iterative reconstruction techniques take unique approaches to noise reduction and provide distinct strength levels or settings.

Management of raised intracranial pressure and hyperosmolar therapy.

PubMed

Ropper, Allan H

2014-06-01

The management of raised intracranial pressure is undergoing rapid change. The choice of medical treatments to reduce intracranial pressure varies between institutions and regions of the world. The mainstay of therapy, however, continues to be the infusion of a hyperosmolar solution to achieve an osmotic gradient to force the exit of water from the brain. This review introduces the basic concepts of raised intracranial pressure, summarises several recent studies that have challenged dogma in the field, and provides practical advice on hyperosmolar treatment, based on personal experience and a critical reading of the literature.

Safeguards Considerations for Thorium Fuel Cycles

DOE PAGES

Worrall, Louise G.; Worrall, Andrew; Flanagan, George F.; ...

2016-04-21

We report that by around 2025, thorium-based fuel cycles are likely to be deployed internationally. States such as China and India are pursuing research, development, and deployment pathways toward a number of commercial-scale thorium fuel cycles, and they are already building test reactors and the associated fuel cycle infrastructure. In the future, the potential exists for these emerging programs to sell, export, and deploy thorium fuel cycle technology in other states. Without technically adequate international safeguards protocols and measures in place, any future potential clandestine misuse of these fuel cycles could go undetected, compromising the deterrent value of these protocolsmore » and measures. The development of safeguards approaches for thorium-based fuel cycles is therefore a matter of some urgency. Yet, the focus of the international safeguards community remains mainly on safeguarding conventional 235U- and 239Pu-based fuel cycles while the safeguards challenges of thorium-uranium fuel cycles remain largely uninvestigated. This raises the following question: Is the International Atomic Energy Agency and international safeguards system ready for thorium fuel cycles? Furthermore, is the safeguards technology of today sufficiently mature to meet the verification challenges posed by thorium-based fuel cycles? In defining these and other related research questions, the objectives of this paper are to identify key safeguards considerations for thorium-based fuel cycles and to call for an early dialogue between the international safeguards and the nuclear fuel cycle communities to prepare for the potential safeguards challenges associated with these fuel cycles. In this paper, it is concluded that directed research and development programs are required to meet the identified safeguards challenges and to take timely action in preparation for the international deployment of thorium fuel cycles.« less

Securing and sustaining employment: concerns of HIV patients in Singapore.

PubMed

Tan, Si Ying; Ow Yong, Lai Meng; Foong, Jasmin Yuet Ee; Wong, Nicole Huay Sze; Chew, Li Ling; Koh, Yin Ling

2013-01-01

Employment sustainability is one of the most pressing issues inflicting people living with HIV (PLHIV). A qualitative approach was used to elucidate the perceived challenges in sustaining their employment and the perceived barriers in re-entering the workforce for HIV patients. In-depth interviews were conducted with 16 patients from an acute hospital in Singapore. The main challenges raised in sustaining employment were: (1) ability to ensure secrecy of diagnosis from employers, (2) ability to secure financial resources for treatment and sustenance, (3) ability to ensure stable health to meet job requirements, (4) ability to cognitively sit with the concerns of uncertainty and limitations in career, and (5) ability to work through discriminatory workplace practices. The perceived barriers in gaining workforce re-entry were: (1) fear of pre-employment medical screening and potential discriminatory practices at workplace, (2) concerns over health (frequent hospital admissions, physical weakness, and existing medical co-morbidities), and (3) psychosocial challenges (unstable accommodation, older age, financial issues, and trade skills limitation). The overarching factor that influences the success of sustaining and securing an employment among HIV patients is secrecy of the diagnosis. The individuals' health status, financial status and access to healthcare, and other psychosocial challenges further compound the issue.

The exposome concept: a challenge and a potential driver for environmental health research.

PubMed

Siroux, Valérie; Agier, Lydiane; Slama, Rémy

2016-06-01

The exposome concept was defined in 2005 as encompassing all environmental exposures from conception onwards, as a new strategy to evidence environmental disease risk factors. Although very appealing, the exposome concept is challenging in many respects. In terms of assessment, several hundreds of time-varying exposures need to be considered, but increasing the number of exposures assessed should not be done at the cost of increased exposure misclassification. Accurately assessing the exposome currently requires numerous measurements, which rely on different technologies; resulting in an expensive set of protocols. In the future, high-throughput 'omics technologies may be a promising technique to integrate a wide range of exposures from a small numbers of biological matrices. Assessing the association between many exposures and health raises statistical challenges. Due to the correlation structure of the exposome, existing statistical methods cannot fully and efficiently untangle the exposures truly affecting the health outcome from correlated exposures. Other statistical challenges relate to accounting for exposure misclassification or identifying synergistic effects between exposures. On-going exposome projects are trying to overcome technical and statistical challenges. From a public health perspective, a better understanding of the environmental risk factors should open the way to improved prevention strategies. Copyright ©ERS 2016.

Revitalizing Strategy Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vitalone-Raccaro, Nancy A.

2017-01-01

The national focus on teacher accountability and the resulting emphasis on raising the bar for teacher evaluations challenge teachers of students with learning disabilities (LD) to rethink instructional design and delivery. In response to these challenges, this article introduces a two-part protocol for planning and teaching strategy instruction…

Comprehensive Fund-Raising Campaigns: A Basic Guide for Governing Boards of Independent Institutions. Fund-Raising Topics. Board Basics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schrum, Jake B., Ed.

2001-01-01

This guide for the governing boards of independent institutions discusses conducting a comprehensive fund-raising campaign. A comprehensive fund-raising campaign is broader and more strategic than past capital fund raising campaigns. Its financial goals include all potential gifts from annual fund donors, all gifts for the endowment, all gifts for…

Children with chronic continence problems: the challenges for families.

PubMed

Erickson, David V; Ray, Lynne D

2004-01-01

For families who are raising children with myelomeningocele, bowel and bladder incontinence presents unique challenges for everyday life. The Parenting and Childhood Chronicity model is used to describe the work of raising a child with a chronic condition in 6 areas, including medical care, adapted parenting, dealing with the systems, caring for siblings, maintaining relationships, and personal coping (keeping yourself going). This article provides an overview of the physiologic and developmental challenges inherent in this neural tube defect and illustrates the work that is involved in the child's care and the challenges of maintaining a balance in family life. Clinical implications are discussed, including the setting of appropriate expectations, providing parents with accurate information, ensuring that a focus on continence is not at the expense of other important aspects of the child's functioning, and supporting parents in their interaction with the school system. The medical team, consisting of nursing, urology, nephrology, and psychology working together, can be a strong support for families.

London Challenge: Surveys of Pupils and Teachers, 2005. Research Report RR718

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ridley, Kate; Knight, Sarah; Scott, Emma; Benton, Tom; Woodthorpe, Adrian

2006-01-01

The London Challenge is a Department for Education and Skills (DfES) initiative, which aims to raise levels of attainment in London secondary schools and to create a world class education system in the capital. In 2005, London Challenge commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to carry out a survey of Year 7 pupils,…

Debating Standard Language Ideology in the Classroom: Using the "Speak Good English Movement" to Raise Awareness of Global Englishes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, Heath; Galloway, Nicola

2017-01-01

In this article, we describe and evaluate an innovative pedagogical task designed to raise awareness of Global Englishes and to challenge standard language ideology in an English language classroom. The task encouraged the learning and debate of the controversial Speak Good English Movement, which campaigns for Singaporeans to use a…

Raising Their Voices: Engaging Students, Teachers, and Parents to Help End the High School Dropout Epidemic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bridgeland, John M.; Balfanz, Robert; Moore, Laura A.; Friant, Rebecca S.

2010-01-01

High dropout rates continue to be a silent epidemic afflicting the nation's schools. Although some measurable progress is being made in some school districts and states to raise high school graduation rates, and federal, state, and local policies and practices are changing to meet the dropout challenge, the nation's progress is too slow and the…

Strengths Classification of Social Relationships among Cybermothers Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zeman, Laura Dreuth; Swanke, Jayme; Doktor, Judy

2011-01-01

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and their families are different. Parents often surf the Internet in search of supportive solutions to the unique challenges they face. One source of insight for parents raising children with ASD comes from blog writers and the parents who surf the net to read their blogs, or cyberparents. The study…

Ethical Challenges in Biomarker-Driven Drug Development.

PubMed

Hey, Spencer Phillips

2018-01-01

The increasing importance of biomarkers-as drivers of research and drug development activity, surrogate outcomes in clinical trials, and the centerpiece of precision medicine-raises many new ethical challenges. In what follows, I briefly review some of the major ethical challenges and debates already identified in the literature, and then describe a new ethical challenge that arises from the abstract nature of biomarker hypotheses. © 2017 American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

Statistical Challenges in "Big Data" Human Neuroimaging.

PubMed

Smith, Stephen M; Nichols, Thomas E

2018-01-17

Smith and Nichols discuss "big data" human neuroimaging studies, with very large subject numbers and amounts of data. These studies provide great opportunities for making new discoveries about the brain but raise many new analytical challenges and interpretational risks. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

World Class: The Global Challenge to Canadian Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart-Patterson, David

2002-01-01

Globalization challenges governments to improve the quality of and access to postsecondary education while limiting their ability to raise revenue. By stimulating savings and expanding student loans and scholarships, Canada can improve access to postsecondary education. Educational quality can be improved through more effective assessment and…

ACCESS MARS: Study of the viability of Mars Caves as an alternative to surface-based habitation solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perez-Poch, Antoni; Laufer, Ren; Zavaleta, Jhony; Davila, Alfonso; Gallardo, Beatriz; Antonakopoulos, Konstantinos; de Carufel, Guy

This paper summarizes a team project report that was produced during the Summer Space Program of the International Space University, held at NASA-Ames Research Center (CA, USA), by 56 students from 15 countries. Chair of the team project was René Laufer. Facilitators were Alfonso Dévila and Jhonny Zavaleta, and teacher associate supporting the team was a Beatriz Gallardo. Currently proposed Mars missions have identified a number of challenges such as high levels of radiation, harsh climate and limited launch windows. Recently discovered lava tubes on Mars present potential solutions to some of these issues, but raise a variety of intriguing new challenges. These encompass not only technological and engineering considerations, but also legal, ethical and societal issues such as planetary protection and crew safety. This paper assesses the feasibility of overcoming such challenges through the exploitation of Mars caves. Cave suitability is considered with respect to size, type, location and their potential to mitigate hazards. They are also assessed with respect to their potential for scientific work adhering to astrobiology guidelines and the search for extra-terrestrial life. This report compares surface and subsurface habitat options. Engineering challenges arising from the use of caves are addressed along with proposals for alternate architecture solutions. Different types of habitat are described and evaluated. The implications of sub-surface operations on thermal control, communications and power systems are investigated, and recommendations given. Crew selection, training methods and life support system solutions are also addressed. A Mission architecture analysis from the same Team Project is given in another paper from the same authors, at COSPAR 2010 B02 Technical Session. The ACCESS Mars Team concludes that using lava tubes as human habitats is not merely a viable habitat solution for a Mars expedition, but also potentially more beneficial than proposed surface solutions.

The future of the Amazon: new perspectives from climate, ecosystem and social sciences.

PubMed

Betts, Richard A; Malhi, Yadvinder; Roberts, J Timmons

2008-05-27

The potential loss or large-scale degradation of the tropical rainforests has become one of the iconic images of the impacts of twenty-first century environmental change and may be one of our century's most profound legacies. In the Amazon region, the direct threat of deforestation and degradation is now strongly intertwined with an indirect challenge we are just beginning to understand: the possibility of substantial regional drought driven by global climate change. The Amazon region hosts more than half of the world's remaining tropical forests, and some parts have among the greatest concentrations of biodiversity found anywhere on Earth. Overall, the region is estimated to host about a quarter of all global biodiversity. It acts as one of the major 'flywheels' of global climate, transpiring water and generating clouds, affecting atmospheric circulation across continents and hemispheres, and storing substantial reserves of biomass and soil carbon. Hence, the ongoing degradation of Amazonia is a threat to local climate stability and a contributor to the global atmospheric climate change crisis. Conversely, the stabilization of Amazonian deforestation and degradation would be an opportunity for local adaptation to climate change, as well as a potential global contributor towards mitigation of climate change. However, addressing deforestation in the Amazon raises substantial challenges in policy, governance, sustainability and economic science. This paper introduces a theme issue dedicated to a multidisciplinary analysis of these challenges.

Sustaining the Rural Workforce: Nursing Perspectives on Worklife Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunsberger, Mabel; Baumann, Andrea; Blythe, Jennifer; Crea, Mary

2009-01-01

Context: Concerns have been raised about the sustainability of health care workforces in rural settings. According to the literature, rural nurses' work satisfaction varies with the resources and supports available to respond to specific challenges. Given the probable effects of stressors on retention, it is essential to understand the unique…

"What's in It for Us?" Rethinking Corporate Sponsorships in Interscholastic Athletics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McFarland, Allison J.

The challenge of funding new athletic programs with no additional tax revenue has forced school districts to supplement their budgets with gate receipts, team fund raising, and corporate sponsorships. Interscholastic athletic directors and school administrators face the challenge of balancing the concepts of idealism and pragmatism. Corporate…

Raising Concerns about Sharing and Reusing Large-Scale Mathematics Classroom Observation Video Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ing, Marsha; Samkian, Artineh

2018-01-01

There are great opportunities and challenges to sharing large-scale mathematics classroom observation data. This Research Commentary describes the methodological opportunities and challenges and provides a specific example from a mathematics education research project to illustrate how the research questions and framework drove observational…

Special Educators' Perceptions of State Standards in a Large, Urban School District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cramer, Elizabeth D.; Gallo, Rosalia F.

2017-01-01

The implementation of Common Core State Standards raises challenges for teachers, particularly those in urban settings and those who work with students with unique learning challenges, particularly students with disabilities. This article provides the results of a study that surveyed special education teachers' perspectives related to the…

A Challenge to Watson

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Detterman, Douglas K.

2011-01-01

Watson's Jeopardy victory raises the question of the similarity of artificial intelligence and human intelligence. Those of us who study human intelligence issue a challenge to the artificial intelligence community. We will construct a unique battery of tests for any computer that would provide an actual IQ score for the computer. This is the same…

Surveying Parental Mediation: Connections, Challenges and Questions for Media Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mendoza, Kelly

2009-01-01

This paper examines three strategies of parental mediation--coviewing, restrictive mediation, and active mediation--in order to make connections, challenge, and raise questions for media literacy. Coviewing, whether it is intentional practice, or whether it functions to promote media literacy, is explored. Restrictive mediation, how it connects to…

CIPA: A Brief History

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Menuey, Brendan P.

2009-01-01

Passed in 2000, the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) mandates Internet filtering for all public schools and libraries. Challenges to the law have been raised on constitutional grounds by free-speech advocates such as the American Library Association and the American Civil Liberties Union. After losing one such challenge in district court,…

Education Policy in Greece: A Preliminary Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OECD Publishing, 2017

2017-01-01

The future of Greece's well-being will depend on improving educational performance to raise employment and social outcomes. The challenges are significant, as public education expenditure in Greece has declined in recent years and learning outcomes are weak. To help the Greek government address these challenges, this report proposes a set of…

Future Agendas in the Sociology of Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furlong, Andy

2011-01-01

The various contributions to this edition of "Youth Studies Australia" reflect further on future priorities in youth studies. It is argued that contemporary world trends and events are transforming young people's lives and raising a series of important and exciting challenges for the discipline. To address these new challenges, youth…

Maternal experience raising girls with autism spectrum disorder: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Navot, N; Jorgenson, A G; Webb, S J

2017-07-01

A growing line of research has sought to characterize the different presentations of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among boys and girls. Much less is known about maternal experience and mother-child relationship in children with ASD based on child gender. The present qualitative study aimed to investigate the mother-daughter relationship from the perspective of mothers who are raising girls with ASD with normal intelligence and functional verbal communication. Eleven in-depth interviews were conducted with mothers of girls with ASD, ages 10-19 years. Data were analysed in an interactive process commonly used in naturalistic inquiry. Results provide insight into the unique maternal experience of raising a daughter with ASD. Mothers reported a sense of exclusion from the neurotypical population and male-dominant ASD population and transformation in relationship. Themes identified were skepticism and delayed diagnosis, disbelief from others, lack of information about girls with ASD, higher social demands in adolescence, puberty challenges around hygiene, disappointment about physical appearance, vulnerability in relationships and worries about future functioning. The mother-daughter relationship started with an early expectation of a close and intimate relationship that then underwent a transformation, which challenged maternal competence, reshaped expectations and created a different bond between mother and daughter. The findings in this qualitative study highlight the impact of gender on the maternal experience of raising a daughter with ASD and contribute to a better understanding of the needs of both mothers and daughters. These results can help providers support the mother-daughter dyad by recognizing gender-specific challenges. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Arity Raising in Manticore

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergstrom, Lars; Reppy, John

Compilers for polymorphic languages are required to treat values in programs in an abstract and generic way at the source level. The challenges of optimizing the boxing of raw values, flattening of argument tuples, and raising the arity of functions that handle complex structures to reduce memory usage are old ones, but take on newfound import with processors that have twice as many registers. We present a novel strategy that uses both control-flow and type information to provide an arity raising implementation addressing these problems. This strategy is conservative - no matter the execution path, the transformed program will not perform extra operations.

A mobile revolution for healthcare? Setting the agenda for bioethics.

PubMed

Lucivero, Federica; Jongsma, Karin R

2018-06-15

Mobile health (mHealth) is rapidly being implemented and changing our ways of doing, understanding and organising healthcare. mHealth includes wearable devices as well as apps that track fitness, offer wellness programmes or provide tools to manage chronic conditions. According to industry and policy makers, these systems offer efficient and cost-effective solutions for disease prevention and self-management. While this development raises many ethically relevant questions, so far mHealth has received only little attention in medical ethics. This paper provides an overview of bioethical issues raised by mHealth and aims to draw scholarly attention to the ethical significance of its promises and challenges. We show that the overly positive promises of mHealth need to be nuanced and their desirability critically assessed. Finally, we offer suggestions to bioethicists to engage with this emerging trend in healthcare to develop mHealth to its best potential in a morally sound way. © 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.

PGD to reduce reproductive risk: the case of mitochondrial DNA disorders.

PubMed

Bredenoord, A L; Dondorp, W; Pennings, G; De Die-Smulders, C E M; De Wert, G

2008-11-01

This paper discusses the pros and cons of introducing PGD for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) disorders such as NARP (Neurogenic muscle weakness, Ataxia, Retinis Pigmentosa)/Leigh, MELAS (Mitochondrial myopathy, Encephalopathy, Lactic acidosis, and Stroke-like episodes), private mtDNA mutations and LHON (Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy). Although there is little experience with PGD for mtDNA disorders, it is reasonable to assume that in many cases, the best one can achieve is the selection of the 'least' affected embryos for transfer. So instead of 'promising' parents a healthy child, PGD in these cases can only aim at reducing reproductive risk. From an ethical point of view, this raises challenging questions about parental and medical responsibilities. The main argument in favour of PGD is that it offers couples at risk the opportunity of reducing their chances of having a severely affected child. Potential objections are manifold, but we conclude that none of them supplies convincing moral arguments to regard risk-reducing PGD as unacceptable. Nevertheless, introducing this new application of PGD in clinical practice will raise further complex issues of determining conditions for its responsible use.

The Potential of Book Floods for Raising Literacy Levels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elley, Warwick B.

2000-07-01

The problem of raising literacy levels in developing countries is particularly challenging when pupils have their schooling in a non-native language. One promising strategy which has been tried and evaluated in the schools of several developing countries is the Book Flood approach. This article summarises the findings of Book Flood studies in Niue, Fiji, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Solomon Islands, and several other countries. The evidence is now strong that it is possible to double the rate of reading acquisition of Third World primary school pupils with a "Book Flood" of about 100 high-interest books, per class, and short teacher training sessions. The benefits for reading skill and enthusiasm are consistent across diverse cultures, mother tongues and age levels, and they appear to generate corresponding improvements in children's writing, listening comprehension, and related language skills. Such skills are typically found to develop very slowly under traditional textbook styles of teaching. The problems of cost per school and cultural suitability of imported books are addressed. Several countries have adopted Book Flood programmes on a national scale, and others are currently planning to do so.

Potential challenges facing distributed leadership in health care: evidence from the UK National Health Service.

PubMed

Martin, Graeme; Beech, Nic; MacIntosh, Robert; Bushfield, Stacey

2015-01-01

The discourse of leaderism in health care has been a subject of much academic and practical debate. Recently, distributed leadership (DL) has been adopted as a key strand of policy in the UK National Health Service (NHS). However, there is some confusion over the meaning of DL and uncertainty over its application to clinical and non-clinical staff. This article examines the potential for DL in the NHS by drawing on qualitative data from three co-located health-care organisations that embraced DL as part of their organisational strategy. Recent theorising positions DL as a hybrid model combining focused and dispersed leadership; however, our data raise important challenges for policymakers and senior managers who are implementing such a leadership policy. We show that there are three distinct forms of disconnect and that these pose a significant problem for DL. However, we argue that instead of these disconnects posing a significant problem for the discourse of leaderism, they enable a fantasy of leadership that draws on and supports the discourse. © 2014 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2014 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Toxin-neutralizing antibodies protect against Clostridium perfringens-induced necrosis in an intestinal loop model for bovine necrohemorrhagic enteritis.

PubMed

Goossens, Evy; Verherstraeten, Stefanie; Valgaeren, Bonnie R; Pardon, Bart; Timbermont, Leen; Schauvliege, Stijn; Rodrigo-Mocholí, Diego; Haesebrouck, Freddy; Ducatelle, Richard; Deprez, Piet R; Van Immerseel, Filip

2016-06-13

Bovine necrohemorrhagic enteritis is caused by Clostridium perfringens type A. Due to the rapid progress and fatal outcome of the disease, vaccination would be of high value. In this study, C. perfringens toxins, either as native toxins or after formaldehyde inactivation, were evaluated as possible vaccine antigens. We determined whether antisera raised in calves against these toxins were able to protect against C. perfringens challenge in an intestinal loop model for bovine necrohemorrhagic enteritis. Alpha toxin and perfringolysin O were identified as the most immunogenic proteins in the vaccine preparations. All vaccines evoked a high antibody response against the causative toxins, alpha toxin and perfringolysin O, as detected by ELISA. All antibodies were able to inhibit the activity of alpha toxin and perfringolysin O in vitro. However, the antibodies raised against the native toxins were more inhibitory to the C. perfringens-induced cytotoxicity (as tested on bovine endothelial cells) and only these antibodies protected against C. perfringens challenge in the intestinal loop model. Although immunization of calves with both native and formaldehyde inactivated toxins resulted in high antibody titers against alpha toxin and perfringolysin O, only antibodies raised against native toxins protect against C. perfringens challenge in an intestinal loop model for bovine necrohemorrhagic enteritis.

The ethics of data collection: unintended consequences?

PubMed

Wainwright, Delia; Sambrook, Sally

2010-01-01

The aims is to consider the political and ethical challenges involved in conducting ethnographic managerial/organisational behaviour research within the highly regulated health and social care context, in light of the emergence of more stringent "ethical approval" policies and requirements set by Local Research Ethics Committees in the United Kingdom. In the attempt and requirement to protect "vulnerable" employees, this paper aims to present an unintended paradox of consequences when participants voluntarily revealed themselves. The authors briefly review literature on research ethics and present an understanding of the ethical regulations currently existing within the British National Health Service. Within an ethnographic case study exploring the psychological contract, the authors consider the issues that arose during one stage of data collection: a qualitative questionnaire survey with 13 participants, including members of the lead author's team. Incorporating excerpts from the researcher's reflexive journal, the paper exposes the struggles of being an "insider" researcher and the tensions this raises for data analysis when participants voluntarily revealed themselves. Ethnography is at "risk" within health and social care and ethnographic "managerial" research is likely to be unduly restricted and potentially threatened. The evidence suggests that some employees either did not wish to be protected or, conversely, felt compelled to reveal their identities, raising questions of their motivation and creating a paradox of unintended consequences. This paper offers an insight into the challenges of conducting nurse-managerial ethnography in compliance with ethical guidelines, yet disrupted by participants. The findings will be useful to other nurse-researchers attempting to conduct insider research.

To Friend or Not to Friend: The Use of Social Media in Clinical Oncology

PubMed Central

Wiener, Lori; Crum, Caroline; Grady, Christine; Merchant, Melinda

2012-01-01

Online social networking has replaced more traditional methods of personal and professional communication in many segments of society today. The wide reach and immediacy of social media facilitate dissemination of knowledge in advocacy and cancer education, but the usefulness of social media in personal relationships between patients and providers is still unclear. Although professional guidelines regarding e-mail communication may be relevant to social media, the inherent openness in social networks creates potential boundary and privacy issues in the provider-patient context. This commentary seeks to increase provider awareness of unique issues and challenges raised by the integration of social networking into oncology communications. PMID:23077437

Experimental Nanofluidics in an individual Nanotube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siria, Alessandro; Poncharal, Philippe; Biance, Anne Laure; Fulcrand, Remy; Purcell, Stephen; Bocquet, Lyderic

2012-11-01

Building new devices that benefit from the strange transport behavior of fluids at nanoscales is an open and worthy challenge that may lead to new scientific and technological paradigms. We present here a new class of nanofluidic device, made of individual Boron-Nitride (BN) nanotube inserted in a pierced membrane and connecting two macroscopic reservoirs. We explore fluidic transport inside a single BN nanotube under electric fields, pressure drops, chemical gradients, and combinations of these. We show that in this transmembrane geometry, the pressure-driven streaming current is voltage gated, with an apparent electro-osmotic zeta potential raising up to one volt. Further, we measured the current induced by ion concentration gradients and show its dependency on the surface charge.

An Effective Model of Institutional Taxation: Lunatic Asylums in Nineteenth-Century England

PubMed Central

Stebbings, Chantal

2011-01-01

The compulsory establishment of large public lunatic asylums under Act of parliament in the nineteenth century to address the enormous increase in the number of the insane raised legal and practical challenges in relation to their status within the law of tax. As a result of their therapeutic and custodial objectives, these novel institutions required extensive landed property and very specific systems of governance, the fiscal consequences of which potentially undermined those very objectives. This article examines and analyses the nature and legal process of the application of the tax regime to these asylums, concluding that it constituted a rare and effective model of institutional taxation. PMID:21552307

Palliative and End-of-Life Care for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Cancer Patients and Their Caregivers.

PubMed

Cloyes, Kristin G; Hull, William; Davis, Andra

2018-02-01

To identify the unique needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) cancer patients and caregivers, and review recommendations supporting more effective and inclusive palliative and end-of-life care. Published research and clinical guidelines. Transitions in care raise particular challenges for LGBT patients, including provider communication, perceptions of safety and acceptance, and assessing and respecting patients' definitions of family and spirituality. LGBT patients and their caregivers need competent nurses to support them, especially during transitions. Implementing LGBT-inclusive education, training, and practice will improve outcomes for LGBT cancer patients and their caregivers - and potentially all patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

S.E.E. Program Parents' Manual: How to Raise a Child with Epilepsy. Part One: Coping with Fear

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mittan, Robert J.

2005-01-01

Epilepsy has one of the worst social outcomes for child development of the common disabilities. For most children, epilepsy is not nearly the physical challenge that many other chronic health disorders are. The problem in raising a child with epilepsy is much more emotional and social. In this first part of a three-part article series, the author…

United States-Canada Trade and Economic Relationship: Prospects and Challenges

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-05-10

capita income gap has proven worrisome to Canadian policymakers as it raises questions about Canadian productivity and competitiveness (see box). In ...raised living standards in both the United States and Canada, and has strengthened the global competitiveness of producers on both sides of the border...economy, its automotive plants are among the most competitive in North America. Part of the cost advantage traditionally had been due to the weak

United States-Canada Trade and Economic Relationship: Prospects and Challenges

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-10-13

to Canadian policymakers as it raises questions about Canadian productivity and competitiveness (see box). In terms of sectoral components of GDP...Coordinated automotive production has raised living standards in both the United States and Canada, and has strengthened the global competitiveness of producers...problems in other sectors of its economy, its automotive plants are among the most competitive in North America. Part of the cost advantage

Unintended changes in cognition, mood, and behavior arising from cell-based interventions for neurological conditions: ethical challenges.

PubMed

Duggan, P S; Siegel, A W; Blass, D M; Bok, H; Coyle, J T; Faden, R; Finkel, J; Gearhart, J D; Greely, H T; Hillis, A; Hoke, A; Johnson, R; Johnston, M; Kahn, J; Kerr, D; King, P; Kurtzberg, J; Liao, S M; McDonald, J W; McKhann, G; Nelson, K B; Rao, M; Regenberg, A; Smith, K; Solter, D; Song, H; Sugarman, J; Traystman, R J; Vescovi, A; Yanofski, J; Young, W; Mathews, D J H

2009-05-01

The prospect of using cell-based interventions (CBIs) to treat neurological conditions raises several important ethical and policy questions. In this target article, we focus on issues related to the unique constellation of traits that characterize CBIs targeted at the central nervous system. In particular, there is at least a theoretical prospect that these cells will alter the recipients' cognition, mood, and behavior-brain functions that are central to our concept of the self. The potential for such changes, although perhaps remote, is cause for concern and careful ethical analysis. Both to enable better informed consent in the future and as an end in itself, we argue that early human trials of CBIs for neurological conditions must monitor subjects for changes in cognition, mood, and behavior; further, we recommend concrete steps for that monitoring. Such steps will help better characterize the potential risks and benefits of CBIs as they are tested and potentially used for treatment.

The Immunogenicity and Immune Tolerance of Pluripotent Stem Cell Derivatives

PubMed Central

Liu, Xin; Li, Wenjuan; Fu, Xuemei; Xu, Yang

2017-01-01

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can undergo unlimited self-renewal and differentiate into all cell types in human body, and therefore hold great potential for cell therapy of currently incurable diseases including neural degenerative diseases, heart failure, and macular degeneration. This potential is further underscored by the promising safety and efficacy data from the ongoing clinical trials of hESC-based therapy of macular degeneration. However, one main challenge for the clinical application of hESC-based therapy is the allogeneic immune rejection of hESC-derived cells by the recipient. The breakthrough of the technology to generate autologous-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by nuclear reprogramming of patient’s somatic cells raised the possibility that autologous iPSC-derived cells can be transplanted into the patients without the concern of immune rejection. However, accumulating data indicate that certain iPSC-derived cells can be immunogenic. In addition, the genomic instability associated with iPSCs raises additional safety concern to use iPSC-derived cells in human cell therapy. In this review, we will discuss the mechanism underlying the immunogenicity of the pluripotent stem cells and recent progress in developing immune tolerance strategies of human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived allografts. The successful development of safe and effective immune tolerance strategy will greatly facilitate the clinical development of hPSC-based cell therapy. PMID:28626459

The Challenge of Teaching Elementary Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolf, Aline D.

2006-01-01

In this article, Aline Wolf discusses the challenges of teaching elementary reading at present time. She also raises her concern not only about the declining of reading skills, but also about the declining number of books that students actually read which creates a dilemma for teachers. She believes that the Montessori community must give priority…

The Challenges and Opportunities for Chinese Overseas Postgraduates in English Speaking Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Xu

2015-01-01

An increasing number of Chinese students pursue their higher education degree in an overseas university. This research paper sets out to raise a discussion about some of the major challenges that such Chinese postgraduates might experience when studying at universities in English speaking countries drawing from ethnographic and sociological…

Boosting the Supply and Effectiveness of Washington's STEM Teachers. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New Teacher Project, 2010

2010-01-01

In the spring of 2009, the Partnership for Learning (PFL) asked The New Teacher Project (TNTP) to analyze challenges Washington faces in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instruction and to make recommendations to overcome these challenges as part of a new STEM initiative. This initiative aims to dramatically raise student…

Emotional Coaching: A Lesson in Intensity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fonseca, Christine

2011-01-01

Raising gifted children is a challenge, a big challenge. Often a dichotomy of emotions, gifted children can shift from happy and engaging, to angry and explosive, to sullen and withdrawn--all in a matter of minutes. Their behavioral extremes can often cause frustration and confusion in the strongest of parents. But why are these seemingly adept…

Lived Experiences of Parents of Children with Disabilities in Swaziland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thwala, S'lungile K.; Ntinda, Kayi; Hlanze, Buyisile

2015-01-01

Raising a child with disability is a challenge to most parents. The study explored the lived experiences of parents of children with disabilities in Swaziland. The specific objective was to determine the challenges which parents of children with disability encounter at home, school and community, which may hinder them to work collaboratively with…

Supporting Medical Students to Do International Field Research: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pearson, Stephen; Parr, Jennifer; Ullah, Zafar; Omar, Maye

2014-01-01

Field research can benefit medical students' learning through experiential engagement with research and personal exposure to foreign health systems. However, the off-campus nature of the activity raises challenges for teachers. This article presents a case study that illustrates the benefits and challenges of organising a field research project…

Improving Teacher Retention in California Public Schools. Research Brief. Issue #107

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Public Policy Institute of California, 2006

2006-01-01

California public schools face a number of challenges, including low academic performance and a shortage of fully credentialed teachers. One way to address these particular challenges is through teacher retention. Experienced teachers are more effective at raising student test scores, on average, than are teachers in their first year or two of…

Challenging Student Satisfaction through the Education of Desires

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webster, R. Scott

2012-01-01

This article challenges the practice of encouraging teacher educators to strive and raise the levels of student satisfaction in their classes as if such a criterion provides a measure of good teaching. Such a practice involves what Giroux describes as "corporate pedagogy" which conforms to the neoliberal inclination to meet the demands of the…

Muslim Learners in English Schools: A Challenge for School Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shah, Saeeda

2009-01-01

Faith identity is emerging as significant for Muslim students in the post 9/11 scenario, with implications for their education and wider social cohesion. This poses challenges to school leaders, raising issues not only linked to student achievement and performance, but also with regard to students' identity constructions and their educational…

Challenging Texts: How Teaching "Middlesex" Challenged Students' Paradigms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vanderburg, Robert

2009-01-01

"Middlesex" is a book about undiagnosed hermaphrodite coming to terms with his/her socially determined sexuality and his/her choice of sexuality. The protagonist and narrator of the novel, Calliope Stephanides, is raised as a girl because he/she presented feminine genitalia at birth. When Calliope realizes he/she is a hermaphrodite--a realization…

Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services: Historical Concerns and Contemporary Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macy, Rebecca J.; Giattina, Mary C.; Parish, Susan L.; Crosby, Carmen

2010-01-01

More than 20 years ago, concerns were raised about whether domestic violence and sexual assault agencies need for stable funding would conflict with the values that initiated these respective movements. Since then, the movements have evolved considerably. Therefore, it is timely to investigate the challenges domestic violence and sexual assault…

Transnational Graduates and Employability: Challenges for HE Language Departments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wyburd, Jocelyn

2017-01-01

Drawing on the research done for the British Academy's Born Global project, this chapter explores employer demand for the skills graduates in and with languages can develop. The research outcomes raise challenges for Higher Education (HE) professionals to articulate more clearly the nature of language degrees and the transnational profile of their…

Commentary and Challenges to Grusec and Davidov's Domain-Specific Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunn, Judy

2010-01-01

J. E. Grusec and M. Davidov's article (this issue) about domains of parenting and their links with different aspects of childhood outcome raises both interesting questions and challenges. Four of these concerns are discussed in relation to early childhood. First is the issue of bidirectionality. Recent studies highlight the contribution of…

Teaching Geography in an International Region: Challenges of the Pacific Northwest Borderland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicol, Doug; Belec, John; Buckley, Patrick

2003-01-01

Offering a course across an international border, where students and faculty physically travel to both countries throughout the term, raises a host of pedagogical, cartographic, logistic, and cultural challenges. At the same time, two initial classes find the experience rewarding and evaluate the course positively. This paper reviews the offering…

Preparing to understand and use science in the real world: interdisciplinary study concentrations at the Technical University of Darmstadt.

PubMed

Liebert, Wolfgang J

2013-12-01

In order to raise awareness of the ambiguous nature of scientific-technological progress, and of the challenging problems it raises, problems which are not easily addressed by courses in a single discipline and cannot be projected onto disciplinary curricula, Technical University of Darmstadt has established three interdisciplinary study concentrations: "Technology and International Development", "Environmental Sciences", and "Sustainable Shaping of Technology and Science". These three programmes seek to overcome the limitations of strictly disciplinary research and teaching by developing an integrated, problem-oriented approach. For example, one course considers fundamental nuclear dilemmas and uses role-playing techniques to address a controversy in the area of nuclear security. At the same time, incorporating interdisciplinary teaching into a university that is organized around mono- or multi-disciplinary faculties also poses a number of challenges. Recognition in disciplinary curricula, and appropriate organizational support and funding are examples of those challenges. It is expected that science and engineering students, empowered by such interdisciplinary study programmes, will be better prepared to act responsibly with regard to scientific and technological challenges.

Restaurant challenge offers healthful meal options and builds diabetes awareness.

PubMed

Blair, Angela M; Drass, Janice A; Stone, Marylou; Rhoades, Deborah; Baldwin, Susan A; Russ, Kelsey M

2011-01-01

The Frederick Restaurant Challenge is an innovative project based on a collaborative effort among community organizations and partners designed to offer delicious healthful meal options at local restaurants during the month of November for American Diabetes Month. Local restaurants were challenged to participate and submitted recipes for healthful meals to the Frederick County Diabetes Coalition for review by registered dietitians. Diners voted on meals to determine the challenge winner(s), and were eligible to win prizes as well. Publicity prior to and during the month was effective in creating positive news about healthful meals when eating out, raised awareness about diabetes, and provided restaurants with desirable advertising opportunities. Feedback from restaurants and diners was overwhelmingly positive. The purpose of this article is to describe this successful low-budget project to encourage its replication in local communities. The Frederick Restaurant Challenge proved to be a very successful, innovative, low-budget project that met its intended goals: to develop healthful meal options for people with diabetes (or for anyone wishing to eat healthier); to demonstrate that healthful food can taste delicious; and to encourage restaurants to continue offering healthful options on their menus beyond the challenge month. Community interventions such as the Frederick Restaurant Challenge offer unique and important strategies for affecting change and raising awareness not only for people with diabetes but also for the entire community.

Radiotherapy in patients with connective tissue diseases.

PubMed

Giaj-Levra, Niccolò; Sciascia, Savino; Fiorentino, Alba; Fersino, Sergio; Mazzola, Rosario; Ricchetti, Francesco; Roccatello, Dario; Alongi, Filippo

2016-03-01

The decision to offer radiotherapy in patients with connective tissue diseases continues to be challenging. Radiotherapy might trigger the onset of connective tissue diseases by increasing the expression of self-antigens, diminishing regulatory T-cell activity, and activating effectors of innate immunity (dendritic cells) through Toll-like receptor-dependent mechanisms, all of which could potentially lead to breaks of immune tolerance. This potential risk has raised some debate among radiation oncologists about whether patients with connective tissue diseases can tolerate radiation as well as people without connective tissue diseases. Because the number of patients with cancer and connective tissue diseases needing radiotherapy will probably increase due to improvements in medical treatment and longer life expectancy, the issue of interactions between radiotherapy and connective tissue diseases needs to be clearer. In this Review, we discuss available data and evidence for patients with connective tissue diseases treated with radiotherapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Case and commentary: using simulation to address hierarchy issues during medical crises.

PubMed

Calhoun, Aaron W; Boone, Megan C; Miller, Karen H; Pian-Smith, May C M

2013-02-01

Medicine is hierarchical, and both positive and negative effects of this can be exposed and magnified during a crisis. Ideally, hierarchies function in an orderly manner, but when an inappropriate directive is given, the results can be disastrous unless team members are empowered to challenge the order. This article describes a case that uses misdirection and the possibility of simulated "death" to facilitate learning among experienced clinicians about the potentially deadly effects of an unchallenged, inappropriate order. The design of this case, however, raises additional questions regarding both ethics and psychological safety. The ethical concerns that surround the use of misdirection in simulation and the psychological ramifications of incorporating patient death in this context are explored in the commentary. We conclude with a discussion of debriefing strategies that can be used to promote psychological safety during potentially emotionally charged simulations and possible directions for future research.

Leveraging paraprofessionals and family strengths to improve coverage and penetration of nutrition and early child development services.

PubMed

Tomlinson, Mark; Rahman, Atif; Sanders, David; Maselko, Joanna; Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane

2014-01-01

Children need to be protected in intergenerational networks, with parents who have positive mood, resources to feed their children, and skills to promote early childhood development (ECD). Globally, more than 200 million children are raised annually without these resources. This article reviews the potential contributions of increasing coverage and penetration of services for these children, challenges to achieving penetration of services in high-risk families, opportunities created by bundling multiple services within one provider, potential leveraging of paraprofessionals to deliver care, and mobilizing communities to support children in households at high risk for negative outcomes. We end with a number of suggestions for how to ensure the equitable scale-up of integrated ECD and nutrition services that take into account current global priorities, as well as coverage and penetration of services. © 2013 New York Academy of Sciences.

The Fear of Contact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dumas, S.

The search for intelligent alien civilisation is one of the great challenges for mankind. The project to explore the thousand of nearby stars has just begun and may take a long time to be completed. It is not certain that a civilisation at a communication distance exists but the search has to be done. Another similar activity is concerned by the transmission of messages to alien civilisation. It is not an answer to a detected message by SETI but a transmission of messages to potential candidates. Over the past years, questions have been raised to the potential danger for Earth of such activity. It is not a secret that METI goal is to attract attention and invite an answer from a nearby civilisation. It is not a physical answer such as a visiting star ship but a simple radio signal. This paper will present arguments to support METI and refute the idea of danger.

Assessing attainable intensification of global pasture systems at the 5 min x 5 min scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheehan, J. J.; Lynd, L. R.; Allee, A.; Campbell, E. E.; Herrero, M.; Jaiswal, D.; Mueller, N. D.; Lamparelli, R.; Soares, J.

2017-12-01

Two-thirds of the world's agricultural land consist of pastures grazed by livestock. We use a recently published global dataset with information on feed consumption, animal stocks and productivity to analyze the intensification potential of pasture (grazing only) based production of meat and milk. Here we show that global output from pastures occupied by livestock circa 2000 could increase more than five-fold by simply raising their performance to the maximum achieved, climate-adjusted levels observed globally. The largest increases are in South America and sub Saharan Africa, where pasture systems are also more economically important. Furthermore, 40% of the land classified as pasture in the year 2000 had no animals on it. While pastureland currently contributes only a small fraction of total meat and milk production globally, such increases potentially offer an important new degree of freedom in addressing the challenge of sustainable stewardship of the earth's land resources.

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

Loftin, B.; Abramczyk, G.

Destructive testing of an ES-3100 Shipping Container was completed by the Packaging Technology and Pressurized Systems organization within the Savannah River National Laboratory in order to qualify the ES-3100 as a candidate storage and transport package for applications at various facilities at the Savannah River Site. The testing consisted of the detonation of three explosive charges at separate locations on a single ES-3100. The locations for the placement were chosen based the design of the ES-3100 as well as the most likely places for the package to incur damage as a result of the detonation. The testing was completed atmore » an offsite location, which raised challenges as well as allowed for development of new partnerships for this testing and for potential future testing. The results of the testing, the methods used to complete the testing, and similar, potential future work will be discussed.« less

NCCN Biosimilars White Paper: regulatory, scientific, and patient safety perspectives.

PubMed

Zelenetz, Andrew D; Ahmed, Islah; Braud, Edward Louis; Cross, James D; Davenport-Ennis, Nancy; Dickinson, Barry D; Goldberg, Steven E; Gottlieb, Scott; Johnson, Philip E; Lyman, Gary H; Markus, Richard; Matulonis, Ursula A; Reinke, Denise; Li, Edward C; DeMartino, Jessica; Larsen, Jonathan K; Hoffman, James M

2011-09-01

Biologics are essential to oncology care. As patents for older biologics begin to expire, the United States is developing an abbreviated regulatory process for the approval of similar biologics (biosimilars), which raises important considerations for the safe and appropriate incorporation of biosimilars into clinical practice for patients with cancer. The potential for biosimilars to reduce the cost of biologics, which are often high-cost components of oncology care, was the impetus behind the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009, a part of the 2010 Affordable Care Act. In March 2011, NCCN assembled a work group consisting of thought leaders from NCCN Member Institutions and other organizations, to provide guidance regarding the challenges health care providers and other key stakeholders face in incorporating biosimilars in health care practice. The work group identified challenges surrounding biosimilars, including health care provider knowledge, substitution practices, pharmacovigilance, naming and product tracking, coverage and reimbursement, use in off-label settings, and data requirements for approval.

Genetic Testing Integration Panels (GTIPs): A novel approach for considering integration of direct-to-consumer and other new genetic tests into patient care

PubMed Central

Uhlmann, Wendy R.; Sharp, Richard R.

2014-01-01

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of genetic tests available but few tests have practice guidelines. In addition, many tests have become available outside of genetics clinics through direct-to-consumer (DTC) companies and several offer tests not considered standard of care. To address several practical challenges associated with the rapid introduction of clinical and DTC genetic tests, we propose that genetic counselors and geneticists organize expert panels in their institutions to discuss the integration of new tests into patient care. We propose the establishment of Genetic Testing Integration Panels (GTIPs) to bring together local experts in medical genetics, genetic counseling, bioethics and law, health communication and clinical laboratory genetics. We describe key features of this approach and consider some of the potential advantages and limitations of using a GTIP to address the many clinical challenges raised by rapidly emerging clinical and DTC genetic tests. PMID:22246561

DNA vaccines: protective immunizations by parenteral, mucosal, and gene-gun inoculations.

PubMed Central

Fynan, E F; Webster, R G; Fuller, D H; Haynes, J R; Santoro, J C; Robinson, H L

1993-01-01

Plasmid DNAs expressing influenza virus hemagglutinin glycoproteins have been tested for their ability to raise protective immunity against lethal influenza challenges of the same subtype. In trials using two inoculations of from 50 to 300 micrograms of purified DNA in saline, 67-95% of test mice and 25-63% of test chickens have been protected against a lethal influenza challenge. Parenteral routes of inoculation that achieved good protection included intramuscular and intravenous injections. Successful mucosal routes of vaccination included DNA drops administered to the nares or trachea. By far the most efficient DNA immunizations were achieved by using a gene gun to deliver DNA-coated gold beads to the epidermis. In mice, 95% protection was achieved by two immunizations with beads loaded with as little as 0.4 micrograms of DNA. The breadth of routes supporting successful DNA immunizations, coupled with the very small amounts of DNA required for gene-gun immunizations, highlight the potential of this remarkably simple technique for the development of subunit vaccines. Images Fig. 1 PMID:8265577

Chagas disease in Switzerland: history and challenges.

PubMed

Jackson, Y; Chappuis, F

2011-09-15

Chagas disease, endemic in Latin America, is an emerging health problem in Europe affecting an estimated 80,000 persons. Around 60,000 Latin American migrants live in Switzerland, and cases of Chagas disease have been reported since 1979. As of June 2011, 258 cases have been diagnosed, mostly adults in the indeterminate phase of the chronic stage of the disease. Vertical transmission has been identified and there is a high potential for blood- and organ-borne transmission in the absence of systematic screening. Major challenges include (i) raising awareness among migrants and healthcare professionals, (ii) developing national protocols for screening and treatment targeting high-risk groups such as pregnant woman, newborns, migrants from highly endemic areas (e.g. Bolivia), and immunocompromised migrants, (iii) preventing blood- and organ-borne transmission by appropriate screening strategies, (iv) taking into account the social vulnerability of individuals at risk in the design and implementation of public health programmes, and (v) facilitating contacts with the communities at risk through outreach programmes, for example in churches and cultural groups.

The role of Ethiopia's public universities in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Keeffe, Paul

2016-12-01

In recent years, the Ethiopian government has embarked on an ambitious agriculture development strategy aimed at raising Ethiopia to the status of a middle-income-level country by 2025. Encouraged by the international development push behind the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the rapid expansion of public universities has taken centre stage in facilitating the country's aim of equipping a new generation with the expertise needed to fuel the country's economic development. While impressive strides have been made over the last two decades, various development challenges threaten to derail this promising progress. This article examines three of the main challenges - urbanisation, climate change and food security - and the potential for universities to address them. Based on a study using key informant analysis research with 50 experts in Ethiopian education and development, the author concludes that the developing public university system offers promising capabilities to assist the country on its developmental path despite many inherent problems.

Inhaled phage therapy: a promising and challenging approach to treat bacterial respiratory infections.

PubMed

Bodier-Montagutelli, Elsa; Morello, Eric; L'Hostis, Guillaume; Guillon, Antoine; Dalloneau, Emilie; Respaud, Renaud; Pallaoro, Nikita; Blois, Hélène; Vecellio, Laurent; Gabard, Jérôme; Heuzé-Vourc'h, Nathalie

2017-08-01

Bacterial respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are increasingly difficult to treat due to evolving antibiotic resistance. In this context, bacteriophages (or phages) are part of the foreseen alternatives or combination therapies. Delivering phages through the airways seems more relevant to accumulate these natural antibacterial viruses in proximity to their bacterial host, within the infectious site. Areas covered: This review addresses the potential of phage therapy to treat RTIs and discusses preclinical and clinical results of phages administration in this context. Recent phage formulation and aerosolization attempts are also reviewed, raising technical challenges to achieve efficient pulmonary deposition via inhalation. Expert opinion: Overall, the inhalation of phages as antibacterial treatment seems both clinically relevant and technically feasible. Several crucial points still need to be investigated, such as phage product pharmacokinetics and immunogenicity. Furthermore, given phage-specific features, appropriate regulatory and manufacturing guidelines will need to be defined. Finally, randomized controlled clinical trials should be carried out to establish phage therapy's clinical positioning in the antimicrobial arsenal against RTIs.

Respiratory Health in Migrant Populations: A Crisis Overlooked

PubMed Central

Holguin, Fernando; Moughrabieh, M. Anas; Ojeda, Victoria; Patel, Sanjay R.; Peyrani, Paula; Pinedo, Miguel; Celedón, Juan C.; Douglas, Ivor S.; Upson, Dona J.

2017-01-01

The crisis in the Middle East has raised awareness about the challenges encountered by migrant populations, in particular, health-care access and delivery. Similar challenges are encountered by migrant populations around the world, including those entering the United States as refugees and/or survivors of torture as well as Mexicans and other Latin Americans crossing the border. During the 2016 International American Thoracic Society Meeting held in San Francisco, California, a group of researchers and health-care providers discussed these challenges at a minisymposium devoted to the respiratory health of migrants. The discussion focused on the increased incidence of airway diseases among individuals migrating to more developed countries, the problems created by sleep disorders and their implications for cardiovascular and mental health, the challenges inherent in the control of infections in refugee populations, and the problems resulting from deportation. The group also discussed the potential impact of novel strategies made available by Internet-based technologies and how these strategies could be deployed to support worldwide efforts in assisting migrants and refugees, even in countries that find themselves in the direst circumstances. These presentations are summarized in this document, which is not meant to be exhaustive, but to improve awareness about the challenges confronted by migrants and their host nations regarding respiratory health-care access and delivery, and about the need for adequate investment of resources to better define these challenges through research and for the development of efficient strategies for intervention. PMID:28146384

Investigating the origin of AIDS: some ethical dimensions

PubMed Central

Martin, B

2003-01-01

The theory that AIDS originated from contaminated polio vaccines raises a number of challenging issues with ethical dimensions. The Journal of Medical Ethics dealt with a submission about the theory a decade ago; subsequent developments have raised further issues. Four areas of contention are addressed: whether the theory should be investigated; whether anyone should be blamed; whether defamation actions are appropriate, and whether the scientific community has a responsibility to examine unorthodox theories. PMID:12930866

Raising the Cash: A Study of the Role of Leadership in a Capital Campaign

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diaz, Sandra L.

2013-01-01

Institutions of higher education are facing a number of challenges as they compete in the new global economy. Many of these institutions face increasing internal and external challenges, all of which involve additional expenses at a time when resources are diminishing. With growing financial uncertainties caused by fluctuating financial markets…

Lives of Quality in the Face of Challenge in Israel

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neikrug, S.; Roth, D.; Judes, J.

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe and analyse the quality of life of Israeli families raising a child with a disability while challenged with all the usual demands of family life. Methods: Respondents were main caregivers of 103 children with disability receiving services at Beit Issie Shapiro, a service agency in Israel. The…

From Too Little to Too Much: Sorting through the Online Resource Environment in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carrier, Nathalie; Sohn, Jacqueline; Jao, Limin; Shah, Saira

2014-01-01

The Internet is considered to be one of the most important mechanisms for sharing research (Chavkin & Chavkin, 2008), raising questions about the scope and variety of research-based education resources available online. Whereas years ago, the challenge for educators was to find relevant research information for practice, this challenge has…

Community Connection and Change: A Different Conceptualization of School Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Marian

2008-01-01

Many of our schools are situated in communities characterized by high levels of disadvantage, presenting a range of challenges. One possible response is to acknowledge this disadvantage and to try to address some of the problems it raises for students. Another is for the school to be proactive, recognizing the challenges faced by the community and…

The Challenge of Infectious Diseases to the Biomedical Paradigm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foladori, Guillermo

2005-01-01

The resurgence of infectious diseases and the emergence of infectious diseases raise questions on how to cope with the situation. The germ or clinical approach is the hegemonic biomedical paradigm. In this article, the author argues that the spread of infectious diseases has posted a challenge to the biomedical paradigm and shows how lock-in…

The Challenges of Balancing Safety and Security in Implantable Medical Devices.

PubMed

Katzis, Konstantinos; Jones, Richard W; Despotou, George

2016-01-01

Modern Implantable Medical Devices (IMDs), implement capabilities that have contributed significantly to patient outcomes, as well as quality of life. The ever increasing connectivity of IMD's does raise security concerns though there are instances where implemented security measures might impact on patient safety. The paper discusses challenges of addressing both of these attributes in parallel.

The Efficacy of Positive Behavioural Support with the Most Challenging Behaviour: The Evidence and Its Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaVigna, Gary W.; Willis, Thomas J.

2012-01-01

Background: Positive behaviour support (PBS) is behaviour analysis applied in support of people with challenging behaviour. Questions have been raised as to PBS effectiveness, costs, and accessibility. Method: Outcome studies meeting specified criteria for PBS were selected for review. All told, 12 outcome studies encompassing 423 cases were…

Myositis in the head and neck: challenges in diagnosis and management.

PubMed

Ratansi, R; Fabbroni, G; Kanatas, A

2017-09-01

Myositis in the head and neck may present with non-specific symptoms, and radiographically may mimic malignancy. Multidisciplinary management is often essential, and we describe the challenges in an effort to raise awareness of the condition. Copyright © 2017 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Retaining Effective Urban Teachers in the Age of Accountability: How Do Successful Urban Schools Address Staffing Challenges?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Cove Johnstone

2010-01-01

Many urban schools struggle to retain their best teachers because of challenging work environments, poor salaries, and ineffective school leadership. The additional requirements of the No Child Left Behind legislation for teachers to be highly qualified and the increased academic requirements of raising students to a proficient level in reading…

What Causes Reliance on English? Challenges and Instructional Suggestions in a Drive for Using a Target Language Only

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bae, Gyseon; Kim, Eunju

2008-01-01

Given the raised graduation requirement of the proficiency Enhancement Program (PEP) to attain proficiency levels of "2+," "2+," and "2," the importance of target language use has been highly emphasized across language schools at Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC). This article discusses some of the challenges associated…

Science Communication Through Art: Objectives, Challenges, and Outcomes.

PubMed

Lesen, Amy E; Rogan, Ama; Blum, Michael J

2016-09-01

The arts are becoming a favored medium for conveying science to the public. Tracking trending approaches, such as community-engaged learning, alongside challenges and goals can help establish metrics to achieve more impactful outcomes, and to determine the effectiveness of arts-based science communication for raising awareness or shaping public policy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Business Education Students' Evaluation of the Benefits and Challenges Confronting Student Industrial Works Experience Scheme in Edo and Delta States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olumese, H. A.; Ediagbonya, Kennedy

2016-01-01

This research paper specifically investigated Business Education students' evaluation of the benefits and challenges confronting Student Industrial Works Experience Scheme (SIWES) in Edo and Delta States. Two research questions were raised to guide the study and were answered descriptively. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for…

Personalized Medicine and Genomics: Challenges and Opportunities in Assessing Effectiveness, Cost-Effectiveness, and Future Research Priorities

PubMed Central

Conti, Rena; Veenstra, David L.; Armstrong, Katrina; Lesko, Lawrence J.; Grosse, Scott D.

2015-01-01

Personalized medicine is health care that tailors interventions to individual variation in risk and treatment response. Although medicine has long strived to achieve this goal, advances in genomics promise to facilitate this process. Relevant to present-day practice is the use of genomic information to classify individuals according to disease susceptibility or expected responsiveness to a pharmacologic treatment and to provide targeted interventions. A symposium at the annual meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making on 23 October 2007 highlighted the challenges and opportunities posed in translating advances in molecular medicine into clinical practice. A panel of US experts in medical practice, regulatory policy, technology assessment, and the financing and organization of medical innovation was asked to discuss the current state of practice and research on personalized medicine as it relates to their own field. This article reports on the issues raised, discusses potential approaches to meet these challenges, and proposes directions for future work. The case of genetic testing to inform dosing with warfarin, an anticoagulant, is used to illustrate differing perspectives on evidence and decision making for personalized medicine. PMID:20086232

"Meatless days" or "less but better"? Exploring strategies to adapt Western meat consumption to health and sustainability challenges.

PubMed

de Boer, Joop; Schösler, Hanna; Aiking, Harry

2014-05-01

Adapting Western meat consumption to health and sustainability challenges requires an overall reduction of industrially produced animal proteins plus a partial replacement by plant proteins. Combining insights on food, environment, and consumers, this paper aims to explore change strategies that may help to meet these challenges, such as promoting smaller portions of meat ("less"), smaller portions using meat raised in a more sustainable manner ("less but better"), smaller portions and eating more vegetable protein ("less and more varied"), and meatless meals with or without meat substitutes ("veggie-days"). The underlying logic of the strategies was clarified by analyzing dietary choices. A nationwide sample of 1083 Dutch consumers provided information on current eating practices and potential changes. The results show that strategies to change meat eating frequencies and meat portion sizes will appeal to overlapping but partly different segments of consumers and that these strategies can be applied to address consumers in terms of their own preferences. The strategies appeared to have different strengths and weaknesses, making them complementary pathways to facilitate step-by-step changes in the amounts and the sources of protein consumed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The challenge of doing what is right in renal transplantation: balancing equity and utility.

PubMed

Courtney, Aisling E; Maxwell, Alexander P

2009-01-01

Arguably the greatest challenge faced by the transplant community is the disparity between the number of persons waiting for a solid organ transplant and the finite supply of donor organs. For renal transplantation the gap between supply and demand has risen annually reflecting the increasing prevalence of end-stage renal disease versus the relatively static deceased donor organ pool. Maximising the benefit from this scarce resource raises difficult ethical issues. For most patients on dialysis therapy a successful transplant offers improved quality and quantity of life, but the absolute gain in survival provided by a donated organ varies greatly depending on recipient factors such as age and co-morbid illnesses. The philosophies of equity (a fair opportunity for everyone in need to receive a transplant) and utility (optimal profit from each organ) are often competing. National allocation schemes and local policies regarding assessment of potential recipients and acceptance of organs are designed to balance these ethical principles in a standardized and socially acceptable manner. The ongoing debate surrounding these issues and modifications to such policies reflect the evolving clinical picture of renal transplantation and the challenge in maintaining equipoise between renal transplant utility and equity. Copyright 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Electronic health records to facilitate clinical research.

PubMed

Cowie, Martin R; Blomster, Juuso I; Curtis, Lesley H; Duclaux, Sylvie; Ford, Ian; Fritz, Fleur; Goldman, Samantha; Janmohamed, Salim; Kreuzer, Jörg; Leenay, Mark; Michel, Alexander; Ong, Seleen; Pell, Jill P; Southworth, Mary Ross; Stough, Wendy Gattis; Thoenes, Martin; Zannad, Faiez; Zalewski, Andrew

2017-01-01

Electronic health records (EHRs) provide opportunities to enhance patient care, embed performance measures in clinical practice, and facilitate clinical research. Concerns have been raised about the increasing recruitment challenges in trials, burdensome and obtrusive data collection, and uncertain generalizability of the results. Leveraging electronic health records to counterbalance these trends is an area of intense interest. The initial applications of electronic health records, as the primary data source is envisioned for observational studies, embedded pragmatic or post-marketing registry-based randomized studies, or comparative effectiveness studies. Advancing this approach to randomized clinical trials, electronic health records may potentially be used to assess study feasibility, to facilitate patient recruitment, and streamline data collection at baseline and follow-up. Ensuring data security and privacy, overcoming the challenges associated with linking diverse systems and maintaining infrastructure for repeat use of high quality data, are some of the challenges associated with using electronic health records in clinical research. Collaboration between academia, industry, regulatory bodies, policy makers, patients, and electronic health record vendors is critical for the greater use of electronic health records in clinical research. This manuscript identifies the key steps required to advance the role of electronic health records in cardiovascular clinical research.

Cellular therapies for heart disease: unveiling the ethical and public policy challenges.

PubMed

Raval, Amish N; Kamp, Timothy J; Hogle, Linda F

2008-10-01

Cellular therapies have emerged as a potential revolutionary treatment for cardiovascular disease. Promising preclinical results have resulted in a flurry of basic research activity and spawned multiple clinical trials worldwide. However, the optimal cell type and delivery mode have not been determined for target patient populations. Nor have the mechanisms of benefit for the range of cellular interventions been clearly defined. Experiences to date have unveiled a myriad of ethical and public policy challenges which will affect the way researchers and clinicians make decisions for both basic and clinical research. Stem cells derived from embryos are at the forefront of the ethical and political debate, raising issues of which derivation methods are morally and socially permissible to pursue, as much as which are technically feasible. Adult stem cells are less controversial; however, important challenges exist in determining study design, cell processing, delivery mode, and target patient population. Pathways to successful commercialization and hence broad accessibility of cellular therapies for heart disease are only beginning to be explored. Comprehensive, multi-disciplinary and collaborative networks involving basic researchers, clinicians, regulatory officials and policymakers are required to share information, develop research, regulatory and policy standards and enable rational and ethical cell-based treatment approaches.

The 20-year effort to reduce access to mammography screening: historical facts dispute a commentary in Cancer.

PubMed

Kopans, Daniel B; Webb, Matthew L; Cady, Blake

2014-09-15

Mammography screening fulfills all requirements for an effective screening test. It detects many cancers earlier when they are at a smaller size and earlier stage, and it has been demonstrated that this reduces breast cancer deaths in randomized controlled trials. When screening is introduced into the population, the death rate from breast cancer declines. Nevertheless, scientifically unsupported arguments that appear in the medical literature are passed on to the public and continue to confuse women and physicians regarding the value of screening. Methodologically flawed challenges to mammography have been almost continuous since the 1990s. And, as each challenge has been invalidated, a new, specious challenge has been raised. The authors of this report address the long history of misinformation that has developed in the effort to reduce access to screening, and they address the issues raised by commentators concerning their recent publication in this journal. © 2014 American Cancer Society.

The IAU’s involvement in the Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative: achievements and challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruggles, Clive L. N.

2015-08-01

Since 2008 the IAU has worked with UNESCO and its advisory bodies to help recognise, promote and protect all types of astronomical heritage and to encourage nominations for World Heritage Sites relating to astronomy. I will review the main challenges and achievements so far, and suggest how the Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative is likely to develop in the future.Among the main milestones are the first two in a series of Thematic Studies (Ruggles and Cotte, 2010; 2015 in press), which help to establish broad principles for assessing the “value”, and ultimately the potential “outstanding universal value”, of different types of astronomical heritage, and the Portal to the Heritage of Astronomy, linked to the World Heritage Centre’s own website, which helps to raise awareness about important astronomical heritage sites and facilitates the comparative studies that form an essential part of any nomination dossier. Among the most challenging issues for the IAU has been how to recognise and protect the value of the dark night sky at places connected with astronomy—whether ancient sites, indigenous cultural landscapes, or modern observatories. A very significant development for the future is the IAU’s involvement in the “upstream process” whereby, along with UNESCO's advisory bodies, it can enter into discussion with, and give advice to, national authorities considering potential nominations.ReferencesRuggles, C. and Cotte, M., eds (2010) Heritage Sites of Astronomy and Archaeoastronomy: a Thematic Study. ICOMOS-IAU, Paris.

All About ALS

MedlinePlus

... by storm with videos of people pouring ice water on themselves for the Ice Bucket Challenge. The worldwide phenomenon raised awareness—and millions of research dollars—for a fatal disease called ALS. ALS ...

Mapping raised bogs with an iterative one-class classification approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mack, Benjamin; Roscher, Ribana; Stenzel, Stefanie; Feilhauer, Hannes; Schmidtlein, Sebastian; Waske, Björn

2016-10-01

Land use and land cover maps are one of the most commonly used remote sensing products. In many applications the user only requires a map of one particular class of interest, e.g. a specific vegetation type or an invasive species. One-class classifiers are appealing alternatives to common supervised classifiers because they can be trained with labeled training data of the class of interest only. However, training an accurate one-class classification (OCC) model is challenging, particularly when facing a large image, a small class and few training samples. To tackle these problems we propose an iterative OCC approach. The presented approach uses a biased Support Vector Machine as core classifier. In an iterative pre-classification step a large part of the pixels not belonging to the class of interest is classified. The remaining data is classified by a final classifier with a novel model and threshold selection approach. The specific objective of our study is the classification of raised bogs in a study site in southeast Germany, using multi-seasonal RapidEye data and a small number of training sample. Results demonstrate that the iterative OCC outperforms other state of the art one-class classifiers and approaches for model selection. The study highlights the potential of the proposed approach for an efficient and improved mapping of small classes such as raised bogs. Overall the proposed approach constitutes a feasible approach and useful modification of a regular one-class classifier.

An exploratory study of barriers to inclusion in the European workplace.

PubMed

Moody, Louise; Saunders, Janet; Leber, Marjan; Wójcik-Augustyniak, Marzena; Szajczyk, Marek; Rebernik, Nataša

2017-10-01

The European Disability Strategy (2010-2020) seeks to significantly raise the proportion of people with disabilities working in the open labour market. The ERGO WORK project is a collaboration of academic and industrial partners in six European countries, focused on understanding and tackling barriers to workplace inclusion for workers with disabilities. This study sought to explore the perceptions and needs of stakeholders in terms of workplace adaptation to the needs of employees with disabilities. An exploratory online survey was completed by 480 participants across six countries. The analysis suggests that workplaces could be further improved to meet the needs of employees with considerable scope for training within companies to raise awareness about employees' needs, employers' obligations and workplace adaptation. This snapshot suggests there is still a gap between intent and reality in workplace inclusion and further strategies are needed to improve the opportunities for employees with disabilities. The paper argues that ergonomics may have a key role to play in tackling these challenges and adapting the workplace environment and job design to suit the needs of individual employees. Implications for rehabilitation This study suggests there is considerable scope for workplace adaptation and improvements to meet the needs of employees with disabilities. Employers need and want further specialist practitioner guidance to facilitate workplace inclusion and support adaptation to individual needs. Organisations would benefit from training to raise awareness about potential solutions and approaches that would support more widespread employment of people with disabilities.

Design of State-of-the-art Flow Cells for Energy Applications

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

Yang, Ping

The worldwide energy demand is increasing every day and it necessitates rational and efficient usage of renewable energy. Undoubtedly, utilization of renewable energy can address various environmental challenges. However, all current renewable energy resources (wind, solar, and hydroelectric power) are intermittent and fluctuating in their nature that raises an important question of introducing effective energy storage solutions. Utilization of redox flow cells (RFCs) has recently been recognized as a viable technology for large-scale energy storage and, hence, is well suited for integrating renewable energy and balancing electricity grids. In brief, RFC is an electrochemical storage device where energy is storedmore » in chemical bonds, similar to a battery, but with reactants external to the cell. The state-of-the-art in flow cell technology uses an aqueous acidic electrolyte and simple metal redox couples. Thus, there is an urgent call to develop efficient (high-energy density) and low-cost RFCs to meet the efflorescent energy storage demands. To address the first challenge of achieving high-energy density, we plan to design and further modify complexes composed of bifunctional multidentate ligands and specific metal centers, capable of storing as many electrons as possible. In order to address the second challenge of reducing cost of the RFCs, we plan to use iron (Fe) metal as it regularly occupies multiple oxidation states and is the second most abundant metal in the earth’s crust that makes it an ideal metal for improved energy densities, higher potentials, and numbers of electrons per molecule while maintaining potential cost competitiveness. Density functional theory calculations considering solvation effects will be performed to yield accurate predictions of redox potentials.« less

Coding ethical behaviour: the challenges of biological weapons.

PubMed

Rappert, Brian

2003-10-01

Since 11 September 2001 and the anthrax attacks that followed in the US, public and policy concerns about the security threats posed by biological weapons have increased significantly. With this has come an expansion of those activities in civil society deemed as potential sites for applying security controls. This paper examines the assumptions and implications of national and international efforts in one such area: how a balance or integration can take place between security and openness in civilian biomedical research through devising professional codes of conduct for scientists. Future attempts to establish such codes must find a way of reconciling or at least addressing dilemmatic and tension-ridden issues about the appropriateness of research; a topic that raises fundamental questions about the position of science within society.

Limits on silicon nanoelectronics for terascale integration.

PubMed

Meindl, J D; Chen, Q; Davis, J A

2001-09-14

Throughout the past four decades, silicon semiconductor technology has advanced at exponential rates in both performance and productivity. Concerns have been raised, however, that the limits of silicon technology may soon be reached. Analysis of fundamental, material, device, circuit, and system limits reveals that silicon technology has an enormous remaining potential to achieve terascale integration (TSI) of more than 1 trillion transistors per chip. Such massive-scale integration is feasible assuming the development and economical mass production of double-gate metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors with gate oxide thickness of about 1 nanometer, silicon channel thickness of about 3 nanometers, and channel length of about 10 nanometers. The development of interconnecting wires for these transistors presents a major challenge to the achievement of nanoelectronics for TSI.

Review of Florida's Eminent Scholar and Major Gift Challenge Grant Programs. Report No. 96-01.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florida State Legislature, Tallahassee. Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability.

This audit report presents results of a review of the Florida Eminent Scholar and Major Gift Challenge Grant Programs. In four chapters the report: (1) reviews the purpose, scope, and background of the programs; (2) looks at program successes, fees, and expenditures, noting that the programs have raised $219 million in private donations to support…

Romania and the New Cold War Security Challenges

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-09

social media with deep economic repercussions. The continuous changes in the Eastern Europe have a great influence on the Romanian security...environment, raising many challenges for the decision makers. This study tried to decipher this security paradigm, unfolding the Russian economic , political...and military unrest, magnified by the modern era domains such as informational, cyber and social media with deep economic repercussions. The

Teacher Perceptions of Their Roles and Adoption of Educational Technology: Challenges in the Chinese Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhu, Chang

2010-01-01

In the new digital and knowledge society, education is facing great challenges in transitioning from traditional ways of instruction and learning toward more innovative approaches. It also raises great demands for the transformation of the teacher role from that of the traditional knowledge transmitter to a new stance. This article focuses on the…

Executive Programs for Brazilian Mid-Career Public Managers: Pitfalls and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pacheco, Regina Silvia; Franzese, Cibele

2017-01-01

This paper discusses the challenges of professional education for mid-career public managers at graduate level, pointing out pitfalls to avoid and obstacles to face. Analyzing the Brazilian case, the goal is to raise issues that may also be present in other cases. The main argument developed here is that the puzzle faced by graduate programs on…

Complex challenges of maintaining whitebark pine in Greater Yellowstone under climate change: A call for innovative research, management, and policy approaches

Treesearch

Andrew Hansen; Kathryn Ireland; Kristin Legg; Robert Keane; Edward Barge; Martha Jenkins; Michiel Pillet

2016-01-01

Climate suitability is projected to decline for many subalpine species, raising questions about managing species under a deteriorating climate. Whitebark pine (WBP) (Pinus albicaulis) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) crystalizes the challenges that natural resource managers of many high mountain ecosystems will likely face in the coming decades. We...

To Learn and Earn: Arizona's Unfinished Business in Human Capital

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welch, Nancy

2009-01-01

Raising Arizona was the challenge of the 20th century. Sustaining Arizona is now the challenge of the 21st. A crucial part of that task is not just understanding today's knowledge economy, but mastering it. Ray and Charles Eames, the creative geniuses behind many iconic 20th century designs, debuted their film "Powers of 10" in 1977. In…

Assessing the Potential of Stratospheric Balloons for Planetary Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kremic, Tibor; Hibbitts, Karl; Young, Eliot; Landis, Robert; Noll, Keith; Baines, Kevin

2013-01-01

Recent developments in high altitude balloon platform capabilities, specifically long duration flights in excess of 50 days at over 100,000 ft and precision pointing with performance at the arc sec level or better have raised the question whether this platform can be utilized for high-value planetary science observations. In January of 2012 a workshop was held at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio to explore what planetary science can be achieved utilizing such a platform. Over 40 science concepts were identified by the scientists and engineers attending the workshop. Those ideas were captured and then posted to a public website for all interested planetary scientists to review and give their comments. The results of the workshop, and subsequent community review, have demonstrated that this platform appears to have potential for high-value science at very competitive costs. Given these positive results, the assessment process was extended to include 1) examining, in more detail, the requirements for the gondola platform and the mission scenarios 2) identifying technical challenges and 3) developing one or more platform concepts in enough fidelity to enable accurate estimating of development and mission costs. This paper provides a review of the assessment, a summary of the achievable science and the challenges to make that science a reality with this platform.

Assessing the potential of stratospheric balloons for planetary science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kremic, T.; Hibbitts, K.; Young, E.; Landis, R.; Noll, K.; Baines, K.

Recent developments in high altitude balloon platform capabilities, specifically long duration flights in excess of 50 days at over 100,000 ft and precision pointing with performance at the arc sec level or better have raised the question whether this platform can be utilized for high-value planetary science observations. In January of 2012 a workshop was held at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio to explore what planetary science can be achieved utilizing such a platform. Over 40 science concepts were identified by the scientists and engineers attending the workshop. Those ideas were captured and then posted to a public website for all interested planetary scientists to review and give their comments. The results of the workshop, and subsequent community review, have demonstrated that this platform appears to have potential for high-value science at very competitive costs. Given these positive results, the assessment process was extended to include 1) examining, in more detail, the requirements for the gondola platform and the mission scenarios 2) identifying technical challenges and 3) developing one or more platform concepts in enough fidelity to enable accurate estimating of development and mission costs. This paper provides a review of the assessment, a summary of the achievable science and the challenges to make that science a reality with this platform.

Practice parameters facilitating adoption of advanced technologies for enhancing neuropsychological assessment paradigms.

PubMed

Parsons, Thomas D; McMahan, Timothy; Kane, Robert

2018-01-01

Clinical neuropsychologists have long underutilized computer technologies for neuropsychological assessment. Given the rapid advances in technology (e.g. virtual reality; tablets; iPhones) and the increased accessibility in the past decade, there is an on-going need to identify optimal specifications for advanced technologies while minimizing potential sources of error. Herein, we discuss concerns raised by a joint American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology/National Academy of Neuropsychology position paper. Moreover, we proffer parameters for the development and use of advanced technologies in neuropsychological assessments. We aim to first describe software and hardware configurations that can impact a computerized neuropsychological assessment. This is followed by a description of best practices for developers and practicing neuropsychologists to minimize error in neuropsychological assessments using advanced technologies. We also discuss the relevance of weighing potential computer error in light of possible errors associated with traditional testing. Throughout there is an emphasis on the need for developers to provide bench test results for their software's performance on various devices and minimum specifications (documented in manuals) for the hardware (e.g. computer, monitor, input devices) in the neuropsychologist's practice. Advances in computerized assessment platforms offer both opportunities and challenges. The challenges can appear daunting but are a manageable and require informed consumers who can appreciate the issues and ask pertinent questions in evaluating their options.

Towards precision medicine: from quantitative imaging to radiomics

PubMed Central

Acharya, U. Rajendra; Hagiwara, Yuki; Sudarshan, Vidya K.; Chan, Wai Yee; Ng, Kwan Hoong

2018-01-01

Radiology (imaging) and imaging-guided interventions, which provide multi-parametric morphologic and functional information, are playing an increasingly significant role in precision medicine. Radiologists are trained to understand the imaging phenotypes, transcribe those observations (phenotypes) to correlate with underlying diseases and to characterize the images. However, in order to understand and characterize the molecular phenotype (to obtain genomic information) of solid heterogeneous tumours, the advanced sequencing of those tissues using biopsy is required. Thus, radiologists image the tissues from various views and angles in order to have the complete image phenotypes, thereby acquiring a huge amount of data. Deriving meaningful details from all these radiological data becomes challenging and raises the big data issues. Therefore, interest in the application of radiomics has been growing in recent years as it has the potential to provide significant interpretive and predictive information for decision support. Radiomics is a combination of conventional computer-aided diagnosis, deep learning methods, and human skills, and thus can be used for quantitative characterization of tumour phenotypes. This paper discusses the overview of radiomics workflow, the results of various radiomics-based studies conducted using various radiological images such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron-emission tomography (PET), the challenges we are facing, and the potential contribution of radiomics towards precision medicine. PMID:29308604

Eco-evolutionary feedbacks, adaptive dynamics and evolutionary rescue theory

PubMed Central

Ferriere, Regis; Legendre, Stéphane

2013-01-01

Adaptive dynamics theory has been devised to account for feedbacks between ecological and evolutionary processes. Doing so opens new dimensions to and raises new challenges about evolutionary rescue. Adaptive dynamics theory predicts that successive trait substitutions driven by eco-evolutionary feedbacks can gradually erode population size or growth rate, thus potentially raising the extinction risk. Even a single trait substitution can suffice to degrade population viability drastically at once and cause ‘evolutionary suicide’. In a changing environment, a population may track a viable evolutionary attractor that leads to evolutionary suicide, a phenomenon called ‘evolutionary trapping’. Evolutionary trapping and suicide are commonly observed in adaptive dynamics models in which the smooth variation of traits causes catastrophic changes in ecological state. In the face of trapping and suicide, evolutionary rescue requires that the population overcome evolutionary threats generated by the adaptive process itself. Evolutionary repellors play an important role in determining how variation in environmental conditions correlates with the occurrence of evolutionary trapping and suicide, and what evolutionary pathways rescue may follow. In contrast with standard predictions of evolutionary rescue theory, low genetic variation may attenuate the threat of evolutionary suicide and small population sizes may facilitate escape from evolutionary traps. PMID:23209163

Science and society: protecting crop genetic diversity for food security: political, ethical and technical challenges.

PubMed

Esquinas-Alcázar, José

2005-12-01

Crop genetic diversity - which is crucial for feeding humanity, for the environment and for sustainable development - is being lost at an alarming rate. Given the enormous interdependence of countries and generations on this genetic diversity, this loss raises critical socio-economic, ethical and political questions. The recent ratification of a binding international treaty, and the development of powerful new technologies to conserve and use resources more effectively, have raised expectations that must now be fulfilled.

2016 SmartWay Affiliate Challenge Recognition Webinar

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EPA presentation gives an overview of the SmartWay program and showcases the SmartWay Affiliate awardees raising awareness of the benefits of the SmartWay program and sustainable freight transportation.

Research notes : solar powered markers not up to challenge.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-06-01

ODOT performed preliminary tests on eight different models of solar powered raised pavement markers. These included environmental tests (extreme temperatures, immersion), optical performance tests, and observation tests. Federal Highway Administratio...

Teaching a lay theory before college narrows achievement gaps at scale.

PubMed

Yeager, David S; Walton, Gregory M; Brady, Shannon T; Akcinar, Ezgi N; Paunesku, David; Keane, Laura; Kamentz, Donald; Ritter, Gretchen; Duckworth, Angela Lee; Urstein, Robert; Gomez, Eric M; Markus, Hazel Rose; Cohen, Geoffrey L; Dweck, Carol S

2016-06-14

Previous experiments have shown that college students benefit when they understand that challenges in the transition to college are common and improvable and, thus, that early struggles need not portend a permanent lack of belonging or potential. Could such an approach-called a lay theory intervention-be effective before college matriculation? Could this strategy reduce a portion of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic achievement gaps for entire institutions? Three double-blind experiments tested this possibility. Ninety percent of first-year college students from three institutions were randomly assigned to complete single-session, online lay theory or control materials before matriculation (n > 9,500). The lay theory interventions raised first-year full-time college enrollment among students from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds exiting a high-performing charter high school network or entering a public flagship university (experiments 1 and 2) and, at a selective private university, raised disadvantaged students' cumulative first-year grade point average (experiment 3). These gains correspond to 31-40% reductions of the raw (unadjusted) institutional achievement gaps between students from disadvantaged and nondisadvantaged backgrounds at those institutions. Further, follow-up surveys suggest that the interventions improved disadvantaged students' overall college experiences, promoting use of student support services and the development of friendship networks and mentor relationships. This research therefore provides a basis for further tests of the generalizability of preparatory lay theories interventions and of their potential to reduce social inequality and improve other major life transitions.

Teaching a lay theory before college narrows achievement gaps at scale

PubMed Central

Yeager, David S.; Walton, Gregory M.; Brady, Shannon T.; Akcinar, Ezgi N.; Paunesku, David; Keane, Laura; Kamentz, Donald; Ritter, Gretchen; Duckworth, Angela Lee; Urstein, Robert; Gomez, Eric M.; Markus, Hazel Rose; Cohen, Geoffrey L.; Dweck, Carol S.

2016-01-01

Previous experiments have shown that college students benefit when they understand that challenges in the transition to college are common and improvable and, thus, that early struggles need not portend a permanent lack of belonging or potential. Could such an approach—called a lay theory intervention—be effective before college matriculation? Could this strategy reduce a portion of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic achievement gaps for entire institutions? Three double-blind experiments tested this possibility. Ninety percent of first-year college students from three institutions were randomly assigned to complete single-session, online lay theory or control materials before matriculation (n > 9,500). The lay theory interventions raised first-year full-time college enrollment among students from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds exiting a high-performing charter high school network or entering a public flagship university (experiments 1 and 2) and, at a selective private university, raised disadvantaged students’ cumulative first-year grade point average (experiment 3). These gains correspond to 31–40% reductions of the raw (unadjusted) institutional achievement gaps between students from disadvantaged and nondisadvantaged backgrounds at those institutions. Further, follow-up surveys suggest that the interventions improved disadvantaged students’ overall college experiences, promoting use of student support services and the development of friendship networks and mentor relationships. This research therefore provides a basis for further tests of the generalizability of preparatory lay theories interventions and of their potential to reduce social inequality and improve other major life transitions. PMID:27247409

The role of toxicological science in meeting the challenges and opportunities of hydraulic fracturing.

PubMed

Goldstein, Bernard D; Brooks, Bryan W; Cohen, Steven D; Gates, Alexander E; Honeycutt, Michael E; Morris, John B; Orme-Zavaleta, Jennifer; Penning, Trevor M; Snawder, John

2014-06-01

We briefly describe how toxicology can inform the discussion and debate of the merits of hydraulic fracturing by providing information on the potential toxicity of the chemical and physical agents associated with this process, individually and in combination. We consider upstream activities related to bringing chemical and physical agents to the site, on-site activities including drilling of wells and containment of agents injected into or produced from the well, and downstream activities including the flow/removal of hydrocarbon products and of produced water from the site. A broad variety of chemical and physical agents are involved. As the industry expands this has raised concern about the potential for toxicological effects on ecosystems, workers, and the general public. Response to these concerns requires a concerted and collaborative toxicological assessment. This assessment should take into account the different geology in areas newly subjected to hydraulic fracturing as well as evolving industrial practices that can alter the chemical and physical agents of toxicological interest. The potential for ecosystem or human exposure to mixtures of these agents presents a particular toxicological and public health challenge. These data are essential for developing a reliable assessment of the potential risks to the environment and to human health of the rapidly increasing use of hydraulic fracturing and deep underground horizontal drilling techniques for tightly bound shale gas and other fossil fuels. Input from toxicologists will be most effective when employed early in the process, before there are unwanted consequences to the environment and human health, or economic losses due to the need to abandon or rework costly initiatives.

The Role of Toxicological Science in Meeting the Challenges and Opportunities of Hydraulic Fracturing

PubMed Central

Goldstein, Bernard D.; Brooks, Bryan W.; Cohen, Steven D.; Gates, Alexander E.; Honeycutt, Michael E.; Morris, John B.; Orme-Zavaleta, Jennifer; Penning, Trevor M.; Snawder, John

2014-01-01

We briefly describe how toxicology can inform the discussion and debate of the merits of hydraulic fracturing by providing information on the potential toxicity of the chemical and physical agents associated with this process, individually and in combination. We consider upstream activities related to bringing chemical and physical agents to the site, on-site activities including drilling of wells and containment of agents injected into or produced from the well, and downstream activities including the flow/removal of hydrocarbon products and of produced water from the site. A broad variety of chemical and physical agents are involved. As the industry expands this has raised concern about the potential for toxicological effects on ecosystems, workers, and the general public. Response to these concerns requires a concerted and collaborative toxicological assessment. This assessment should take into account the different geology in areas newly subjected to hydraulic fracturing as well as evolving industrial practices that can alter the chemical and physical agents of toxicological interest. The potential for ecosystem or human exposure to mixtures of these agents presents a particular toxicological and public health challenge. These data are essential for developing a reliable assessment of the potential risks to the environment and to human health of the rapidly increasing use of hydraulic fracturing and deep underground horizontal drilling techniques for tightly bound shale gas and other fossil fuels. Input from toxicologists will be most effective when employed early in the process, before there are unwanted consequences to the environment and human health, or economic losses due to the need to abandon or rework costly initiatives. PMID:24706166

Regulation of gap junction conductance by calcineurin through Cx43 phosphorylation: implications for action potential conduction.

PubMed

Jabr, Rita I; Hatch, Fiona S; Salvage, Samantha C; Orlowski, Alejandro; Lampe, Paul D; Fry, Christopher H

2016-11-01

Cardiac arrhythmias are associated with raised intracellular [Ca 2+ ] and slowed action potential conduction caused by reduced gap junction (GJ) electrical conductance (Gj). Ventricular GJs are composed of connexin proteins (Cx43), with Gj determined by Cx43 phosphorylation status. Connexin phosphorylation is an interplay between protein kinases and phosphatases but the precise pathways are unknown. We aimed to identify key Ca 2+ -dependent phosphorylation sites on Cx43 that regulate cardiac gap junction conductance and action potential conduction velocity. We investigated the role of the Ca 2+ -dependent phosphatase, calcineurin. Intracellular [Ca 2+ ] was raised in guinea-pig myocardium by a low-Na solution or increased stimulation. Conduction velocity and Gj were measured in multicellular strips. Phosphorylation of Cx43 serine residues (S365 and S368) and of the intermediary regulator I1 at threonine35 was measured by Western blot. Measurements were made in the presence and absence of inhibitors to calcineurin, I1 or protein phosphatase-1 and phosphatase-2.Raised [Ca 2 + ] i decreased Gj, reduced Cx43 phosphorylation at S365 and increased it at S368; these changes were reversed by calcineurin inhibitors. Cx43-S368 phosphorylation was reversed by the protein kinase C inhibitor chelerythrine. Raised [Ca 2+ ] i also decreased I1 phosphorylation, also prevented by calcineurin inhibitors, to increase activity of the Ca 2+ -independent phosphatase, PPI. The PP1 inhibitor, tautomycin, prevented Cx43-365 dephosphorylation, Cx43-S368 phosphorylation and Gj reduction in raised [Ca 2+ ] i . PP2A had no role. Conduction velocity was reduced by raised [Ca 2+ ] i and reversed by calcineurin inhibitors. Reduced action potential conduction and Gj in raised [Ca 2+ ] are regulated by calcineurin-dependent Cx43-S365 phosphorylation, leading to Cx43-S368 dephosphorylation. The calcineurin action is indirect, via I1 dephosphorylation and subsequent activation of PP1.

Unexpected ethical dilemmas in sex assignment in 46,XY DSD due to 5-alpha reductase type 2 deficiency.

PubMed

Byers, Heather M; Mohnach, Lauren H; Fechner, Patricia Y; Chen, Ming; Thomas, Inas H; Ramsdell, Linda A; Shnorhavorian, Margarett; McCauley, Elizabeth A; Amies Oelschlager, Anne-Marie E; Park, John M; Sandberg, David E; Adam, Margaret P; Keegan, Catherine E

2017-06-01

Sex assignment at birth remains one of the most clinically challenging and controversial topics in 46,XY disorders of sexual development (DSD). This is particularly challenging in deficiency of 5-alpha reductase type 2 given that external genitalia are typically undervirilized at birth but typically virilize at puberty to a variable degree. Historically, most individuals with 5-alpha reductase deficiency were raised females. However, reports that over half of patients who underwent a virilizing puberty adopted an adult male gender identity have challenged this practice. Consensus guidelines on assignment of sex of rearing at birth are equivocal or favor male assignment in the most virilized cases. While a male sex of rearing assignment may avoid lifelong hormonal therapy and/or allow the potential for fertility, female sex assignment may be more consistent with external anatomy in the most severely undervirilized cases. Herein, we describe five patients with 46,XY DSD due 5-alpha-reductase type 2 deficiency, all with a severe phenotype. An inter-disciplinary DSD medical team at one of two academic centers evaluated each patient. This case series illustrates the complicated decision-making process of assignment of sex of rearing at birth in 5-alpha reductase type 2 deficiency and the challenges that arise when the interests of the child, parental wishes, recommendations of the medical team, and state law collide. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Passive transfer of growth-inhibitory antibodies raised against yeast-expressed recombinant Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein-1(19).

PubMed

Gozalo, A; Lucas, C; Cachay, M; Wellde, B T; Hall, T; Bell, B; Wood, J; Watts, D; Wooster, M; Lyon, J A; Moch, J K; Haynes, J D; Williams, J S; Holland, C; Watson, E; Kester, K E; Kaslow, D C; Ballou, W R

1998-12-01

Purified rabbit immunoglobulin raised against yeast-expressed recombinant FVO or 3D7 Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein-1 (MSP-1) 19k-D C terminal fragment (MSP-1(19)) was transfused into malaria-naive Aotus nancymai monkeys that were immediately challenged with FVO asexual stage malaria parasites. Control monkeys received rabbit immunoglobulin raised against the sexual stage antigen Pfs25 or Aotus hyperimmune serum obtained from monkeys immunized by P. falciparum infection and drug cure. Passive transfer of rabbit anti-MSP-1(19) failed to protect against homologous or heterologous challenge and, when compared with negative controls, there were no differences in prepatent periods or time to treatment. Interestingly, rabbit anti-MSP-1(19), but not anti-Pfs25, immunoglobulin, and immune monkey serum prevented the development of antibodies directed against MSP-1(19) fragment by infected monkeys, indicating that the antibodies were reactive with native MSP-1(19) antigen in vivo. The prepatent period and time to treatment was greatly delayed in the two monkeys that received Aotus immune serum, both of which developed a chronic intermittent low level infection. In vitro parasite growth inhibition assays (GIAs) confirmed the presence of inhibitory activity (40% maximum inhibition) in concentrated anti-MSP-1(19) immunoglobulin (4.8 mg/ml), but the peak concentrations we achieved in vivo (1 mg/ml) were not inhibitory in vitro. Subinhibitory levels of anti-MSP-1(19) antibodies achieved by passive transfer were not protective against P. falciparum challenge.

Realising the technological promise of smartphones in addiction research and treatment: An ethical review.

PubMed

Capon, Hannah; Hall, Wayne; Fry, Craig; Carter, Adrian

2016-10-01

Smartphone technologies and mHealth applications (or apps) promise unprecedented scope for data collection, treatment intervention, and relapse prevention when used in the field of substance abuse and addiction. This potential also raises new ethical challenges that researchers, clinicians, and software developers must address. This paper aims to identify ethical issues in the current uses of smartphones in addiction research and treatment. A search of three databases (PubMed, Web of Science and PsycInfo) identified 33 studies involving smartphones or mHealth applications for use in the research and treatment of substance abuse and addiction. A content analysis was conducted to identify how smartphones are being used in these fields and to highlight the ethical issues raised by these studies. Smartphones are being used to collect large amounts of sensitive information, including personal information, geo-location, physiological activity, self-reports of mood and cravings, and the consumption of illicit drugs, alcohol and nicotine. Given that detailed information is being collected about potentially illegal behaviour, we identified the following ethical considerations: protecting user privacy, maximising equity in access, ensuring informed consent, providing participants with adequate clinical resources, communicating clinically relevant results to individuals, and the urgent need to demonstrate evidence of safety and efficacy of the technologies. mHealth technology offers the possibility to collect large amounts of valuable personal information that may enhance research and treatment of substance abuse and addiction. To realise this potential researchers, clinicians and app-developers must address these ethical concerns to maximise the benefits and minimise risks of harm to users. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Immunomodulatory effects of feed-borne Fusarium mycotoxins in chickens infected with coccidia.

PubMed

Girgis, George N; Sharif, Shayan; Barta, John R; Boermans, Herman J; Smith, Trevor K

2008-11-01

The potential for Fusarium mycotoxins to modulate immunity was studied in chickens raised to 10 weeks of age using an enteric coccidial infection model. Experimental diets included: control, diets containing grains naturally contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxins, and diets containing contaminated grains + 0.2% polymeric glucomannan mycotoxin adsorbent (GMA). Contaminated diets contained up to 3.8 microg/g deoxynivalenol (DON), 0.3 microg/g 15-acetyl DON and 0.2 microg/g zearalenone. An optimized mixture (inducing lesions without mortality) of Eimeria acervulina, E. maxima and E. tenella was used to challenge birds at 8 weeks of age. Immune parameters were studied prior to challenge, at the end of the challenge period (7 days post-inoculation, PI), and at the end of the recovery period (14 days PI). Total serum immunoglobulin (Ig) A and IgG concentrations in challenged birds fed the contaminated diet were higher than controls at the end of the challenge period. Serum concentration of IgA, but not IgG, was significantly decreased at the end of the recovery period in birds fed the contaminated diet. The percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ cell populations in blood mononuclear cells decreased significantly at the end of the challenge period in birds fed the control or the contaminated diet compared to their percentages prior to challenge. The pre-challenge percentage of CD8+ population was restored at the end of the recovery period only in birds fed the control diet. Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) gene expression in caecal tonsils was up-regulated in challenged birds fed the contaminated diet at the end of the challenge period. No significant effect of diet was observed on oocyst counts despite the changes in the studied immune parameters. It was concluded that Fusarium mycotoxins modulate the avian immune system. This modulation involves alteration of gene expression but apparently does not enhance susceptibility or resistance to a primary coccidial challenge.

Challenges to Effective Implementation of Christian Religious Studies Curriculum: A Study of Secondary School Pupils in Ebonyi State of Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Njoku, N. C.; Njoku, D. I.

2015-01-01

The study is designed to investigate challenges to effective implementation of Christian Religious Studies among secondary school pupils in Ebonyi state. Two research questions were raised to guide the study. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Ebonyi state is the area of study and the population comprised all the 232 CRS teachers in…

Addressing the Challenges of a New Digital Technologies Curriculum: MOOCs as a Scalable Solution for Teacher Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vivian, Rebecca; Falkner, Katrina; Falkner, Nickolas

2014-01-01

England and Australia have introduced new learning areas, teaching computer science to children from the first year of school. This is a significant milestone that also raises a number of big challenges: the preparation of teachers and the development of resources" at a national scale." Curriculum change is not easy for teachers, in any…

Making Sense of the Atmospheric Science Gender Gap: Do Female and Male Graduate Students Have Different Career Motives, Goals, and Challenges?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canetto, Silvia Sara; Trott, Carlie D.; Thomas, Jenifer J.; Wynstra, Cheryl A.

2012-01-01

There is a persisting gap in the participation of women in atmospheric science (ATS), particularly at the higher levels of ATS education and occupations. This gap raises questions about ATS women's career motives, plans, and challenges relative to men's. To explore these questions, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 female and male ATS…

The insufficiency of associative learning for explaining development: three challenges to the associative account.

PubMed

Bertenthal, Bennett I

2014-04-01

Three challenges to the sufficiency of the associative account for explaining the development of mirror mechanisms are discussed: Genetic predispositions interact with associative learning, infants show predispositions to imitate human as opposed to nonhuman actions, and early and later learning involve different mechanisms. Legitimate objections to an extreme nativist account are raised, but the proposed solution is equally problematic.

Issues of Agency, Discipline and Criticality: An Interplay of Challenges Involved in Teachers Engaging in Research in a Performative School Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lambirth, Andrew; Cabral, Ana

2017-01-01

While the engagement of teachers in research about practice is becoming a prevalent feature of professional learning and career development in the United Kingdom, there is still a lack of research about the challenges of teachers raising questions in the current school setting. Drawing on the principles of teacher research, this article reports on…

[Migration. Opportunities for recruitment of skilled employees in the care sector].

PubMed

Braeseke, G; Merda, M; Bauer, T K; Otten, S; Stroka, M A; Talmann, A E

2013-08-01

A central objective of this study was to estimate the potential workforce for the elderly care sector in Germany and to compare it with the predicted demand for nurses in 2030. The authors describe the opportunities and obstacles in recruiting skilled professionals from EU member states and from countries outside the EU. Different scenarios of how to raise labor input are discussed so as to determine the domestic potential until 2030 in Germany. The results show that only by assuming unrealistic conditions, e. g., expectations of a high full-time working quota or far more working women, can the domestic potential meet the predicted future demands. Therefore, Germany's chances of attracting skilled foreign workers were assessed by analyzing wage differentials, unemployment probabilities, demographic developments, and professional and cultural aspects between the countries. A major finding study is that the German labor market cannot provide enough nursing care professionals for the elderly care sector by 2030. Secondly, most of the other EU member states are facing similar challenges, at least in the long run. Therefore, it is recommendable to intensify collaboration with populous Asian countries in the future.

Potent anti-seizure effects of D-leucine

PubMed Central

Hartman, Adam L.; Santos, Polan; O’Riordan, Kenneth J.; Stafstrom, Carl E.; Hardwick, J. Marie

2015-01-01

There are no effective treatments for millions of patients with intractable epilepsy. High-fat ketogenic diets may provide significant clinical benefit but are challenging to implement. Low carbohydrate levels appear to be essential for the ketogenic diet to work, but the active ingredients in dietary interventions remain elusive, and a role for ketogenesis has been challenged. A potential antiseizure role of dietary protein or of individual amino acids in the ketogenic diet is understudied. We investigated the two exclusively ketogenic amino acids, L-leucine and L-lysine, and found that only L-leucine potently protects mice when administered prior to the onset of seizures induced by kainic acid injection, but not by inducing ketosis. Unexpectedly, the D-enantiomer of leucine, which is found in trace amounts in the brain, worked as well or better than L-leucine against both kainic acid and 6 Hz electroshock-induced seizures. However, unlike L-leucine, D-leucine potently terminated seizures even after the onset of seizure activity. Furthermore, D-leucine, but not L-leucine, reduced long-term potentiation but had no effect on basal synaptic transmission in vitro. In a screen of candidate neuronal receptors, D-leucine failed to compete for binding by cognate ligands, potentially suggesting a novel target. Even at low doses, D-leucine suppressed ongoing seizures at least as effectively as diazepam but without sedative effects. These studies raise the possibility that D-leucine may represent a new class of anti-seizure agents, and that D-leucine may have a previously unknown function in eukaryotes. PMID:26054437

Fund Raising with Panache.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dedman, Robert

1985-01-01

The key to fund raising is the donor, and fund raisers should learn to cultivate potential donors, approach them with goals compatible with their own, supplement their thinking, get them involved, and swamp them with gratitude. (MSE)

Raising more domestic money for health: prospects for low- and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Elovainio, Riku; Evans, David B

2017-04-01

Since the 2007/2008 financial crisis, the rhetoric in the development assistance dialogue has shifted away from raising more international funding for health, to requesting countries to move toward self-sufficiency. This paper examines the potential of 46 countries identified by an international panel in 2009 as being of high need to raise additional funding for health from domestic sources. Economic growth alone would allow 12 of them to reach a level of health spending where their populations could have access to a very basic set of health services. All of them have the potential to raise additional domestic funds through a range of measures that have been tried successfully in other low- and middle-income countries, but they would all remain well below the eventual objective of universal health coverage without increased and predictable external financial support.

Child rearing practices amongst brothel based commercial sex workers.

PubMed

Pardeshi, Geeta; Bhattacharya, S

2006-07-01

The experiences of the commercial sex workers as they fulfill the role of being a parent, have rarely been reported. Considering their socioeconomic background, profession and work pattern, the women are bound to face major challenges. To describe child bearing, family support, dietary practices and various placement options for raising children. A cross-sectional descriptive study of brothel-based commercial sex workers. X2 test, Fisher's Exact test. Some commercial sex workers continued pregnancy with the hope of security and support, while others were compelled to do so, as they report late for medical termination of pregnancy. A group of sex workers (Devdasis) received support during pregnancy, delivery, puerperium and child-rearing. The role and responsibilities of raising the child, depended upon the kind of family support available to the mothers. Being a single parent, stigma of the profession, odd working hours and variable family support were major challenges, while the fact that the women were earning, availability of rehabilitation centers, the homogeneous groups within the brothels, supportive peers and local non governmental organizations were factors which helped them in the process of raising their children. Day care centers and night shelters should be opened up in the red light area where the children can be looked after, during the working hours. The sex workers should be educated about weaning and nutrition. The role of peer workers and NGOs was very important in helping the women raise their children.

The legal and ethical concerns that arise from using complex predictive analytics in health care.

PubMed

Cohen, I Glenn; Amarasingham, Ruben; Shah, Anand; Xie, Bin; Lo, Bernard

2014-07-01

Predictive analytics, or the use of electronic algorithms to forecast future events in real time, makes it possible to harness the power of big data to improve the health of patients and lower the cost of health care. However, this opportunity raises policy, ethical, and legal challenges. In this article we analyze the major challenges to implementing predictive analytics in health care settings and make broad recommendations for overcoming challenges raised in the four phases of the life cycle of a predictive analytics model: acquiring data to build the model, building and validating it, testing it in real-world settings, and disseminating and using it more broadly. For instance, we recommend that model developers implement governance structures that include patients and other stakeholders starting in the earliest phases of development. In addition, developers should be allowed to use already collected patient data without explicit consent, provided that they comply with federal regulations regarding research on human subjects and the privacy of health information. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Moral experience and ethical challenges in an emergency department in Pakistan: emergency physicians' perspectives.

PubMed

Zafar, Waleed

2015-04-01

Emergency departments (ED) are often stressful environments posing unique ethical challenges-issues that primarily raise moral rather than clinical concerns-in patient care. Despite this, there are very few reports of what emergency physicians find ethically challenging in their everyday work. Emergency medicine (EM) is a relatively young but rapidly growing specialty that is gaining acceptance worldwide. The aim of this study was to explore the perspectives of EM residents and physicians regarding the common ethical challenges they face during patient care in one of only two academic EM departments in Pakistan. These challenges could then be addressed in residents' training and departmental practice guidelines. A qualitative research design was employed and in-depth interviews were conducted with ED physicians. Participants were encouraged to think of specific examples from their work, to highlight the particular ethical concerns raised and to describe in detail the process by which those concerns were addressed or left unresolved. Transcripts were analysed using grounded theory methods. Thirteen participants were interviewed and they described four key challenges: how to provide highest quality care with limited resources; how to be truthful to patients; what to do when it is not possible to provide or continue treatment to patients; and when (and when not) to offer life-sustaining treatments. Participants' accounts provided important insights into how physicians tried to resolve these challenges in the 'local moral world' of an ED in Pakistan. The study highlights the need for developing systematic and contextually appropriate mechanisms for resolving common ethical challenges in the EDs and for training residents in moral problem solving. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Research Trends in Wireless Visual Sensor Networks When Exploiting Prioritization

PubMed Central

Costa, Daniel G.; Guedes, Luiz Affonso; Vasques, Francisco; Portugal, Paulo

2015-01-01

The development of wireless sensor networks for control and monitoring functions has created a vibrant investigation scenario, where many critical topics, such as communication efficiency and energy consumption, have been investigated in the past few years. However, when sensors are endowed with low-power cameras for visual monitoring, a new scope of challenges is raised, demanding new research efforts. In this context, the resource-constrained nature of sensor nodes has demanded the use of prioritization approaches as a practical mechanism to lower the transmission burden of visual data over wireless sensor networks. Many works in recent years have considered local-level prioritization parameters to enhance the overall performance of those networks, but global-level policies can potentially achieve better results in terms of visual monitoring efficiency. In this paper, we make a broad review of some recent works on priority-based optimizations in wireless visual sensor networks. Moreover, we envisage some research trends when exploiting prioritization, potentially fostering the development of promising optimizations for wireless sensor networks composed of visual sensors. PMID:25599425

Raising consciousness about the nuclear threat through music

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

Ungerleider, J.H.

1987-01-01

This dissertation examines the use of music, in particular topical collaborative group song writing, as a tool for raising consciousness about the threat of nuclear war. Consciousness raising is one way to overcome the phenomenon of denial and to increase discussion and social action in response to the nuclear threat. This dissertation measures the impact of a group song writing workshop on developing critical problem-solving in adult groups; it reviews how music is applied in psychological research and clinical work, has been used historically as a tool in social-change movements in America, and is used in the contemporary field ofmore » peace education. The perspectives of several theorists who discuss the potential of music to contribute to social change are presented. It is concluded that consciousness about the nuclear threat - in terms of naming and analyzing - can be raised by working with music's potential for developing affective, expressive, and collaborative capabilities in individuals and groups. Potential applications of the group song writing workshop are in schools, with peace organizations, music groups, and in relation to other social issues.« less

Pavlovian conditioning and cross-sensitization studies raise challenges to the hypothesis that overeating is an addictive behavior.

PubMed

Harb, M R; Almeida, O F X

2014-04-29

Elevated glucocorticoid levels and sign tracking (ST) in Pavlovian conditioning are potential biomarkers of compulsive behaviors such as addiction. As overeating is sometimes viewed as a form of addictive behavior, we hypothesized that murine Pavlovian sign trackers would have a greater propensity to overeat and develop obesity. Using a food reward in the classical conditioning paradigm, we show that ST behavior is a robust conditioned response but not a predictor of eating and growth trajectories in mice, thus challenging the view that the development of obesity and drug addiction depend on identical mechanisms. This interpretation was supported by experiments which showed that overweight mice do not display cross-sensitization to an addictive drug (morphine), and conversely, that overweight morphine-sensitized animals do not overconsume a highly rewarding food. Although the rewarding/motivational effects of both food and drugs of abuse are mediated by similar neurochemical mechanisms, obesity and drug addiction represent a summation of other dysfunctional input and output pathways that lead to the emergence of two distinct disorders, each of which would deserve a specific pharmacotherapeutic approach.

Pavlovian conditioning and cross-sensitization studies raise challenges to the hypothesis that overeating is an addictive behavior

PubMed Central

Harb, M R; Almeida, O F X

2014-01-01

Elevated glucocorticoid levels and sign tracking (ST) in Pavlovian conditioning are potential biomarkers of compulsive behaviors such as addiction. As overeating is sometimes viewed as a form of addictive behavior, we hypothesized that murine Pavlovian sign trackers would have a greater propensity to overeat and develop obesity. Using a food reward in the classical conditioning paradigm, we show that ST behavior is a robust conditioned response but not a predictor of eating and growth trajectories in mice, thus challenging the view that the development of obesity and drug addiction depend on identical mechanisms. This interpretation was supported by experiments which showed that overweight mice do not display cross-sensitization to an addictive drug (morphine), and conversely, that overweight morphine-sensitized animals do not overconsume a highly rewarding food. Although the rewarding/motivational effects of both food and drugs of abuse are mediated by similar neurochemical mechanisms, obesity and drug addiction represent a summation of other dysfunctional input and output pathways that lead to the emergence of two distinct disorders, each of which would deserve a specific pharmacotherapeutic approach. PMID:24780921

Topographic organization of the cerebral cortex and brain cartography.

PubMed

Eickhoff, Simon B; Constable, R Todd; Yeo, B T Thomas

2018-04-15

One of the most specific but also challenging properties of the brain is its topographic organization into distinct modules or cortical areas. In this paper, we first review the concept of topographic organization and its historical development. Next, we provide a critical discussion of the current definition of what constitutes a cortical area, why the concept has been so central to the field of neuroimaging and the challenges that arise from this view. A key aspect in this discussion is the issue of spatial scale and hierarchy in the brain. Focusing on in-vivo brain parcellation as a rapidly expanding field of research, we highlight potential limitations of the classical concept of cortical areas in the context of multi-modal parcellation and propose a revised interpretation of cortical areas building on the concept of neurobiological atoms that may be aggregated into larger units within and across modalities. We conclude by presenting an outlook on the implication of this revised concept for future mapping studies and raise some open questions in the context of brain parcellation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Creating Personal Meaning through Technology-Supported Science Inquiry Learning across Formal and Informal Settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anastopoulou, Stamatina; Sharples, Mike; Ainsworth, Shaaron; Crook, Charles; O'Malley, Claire; Wright, Michael

2012-01-01

In this paper, a novel approach to engaging students in personal inquiry learning is described, whereby they carry out scientific investigations that are personally meaningful and relevant to their everyday lives. The learners are supported by software that guides the inquiry process, extending from the classroom into the school grounds, home, or outdoors. We report on a case study of personal inquiry learning with 28 high school students on the topic of healthy eating. An analysis of how the personal inquiry was enacted in the classroom and at home, based on issues identified from a study of interviews with the students and their teacher, is provided. The outcomes showed that students were alerted to challenges associated with fieldwork and how they responded to the uncertainty and challenge of an open investigation. The study, moreover, raised an unexpected difficulty for researchers of finding the 'sweet spot' between scientifically objective but unengaging inquiry topics, and ones that are personally meaningful but potentially embarrassing. Implications for further research are shaped around ways of overcoming this difficulty.

Dopamine: Just the Right Medicine for Membranes

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

Yang, Hao-Cheng; Waldman, Ruben Z.; Wu, Ming-Bang

Mussel-inspired chemistry has attracted widespread interest in membrane science and technology. Demonstrating the rapid growth of this field over the past several years, substantial progress has been achieved in both mussel-inspired chemistry and membrane surface engineering based on mussel-inspired coatings. At this stage, it is valuable to summarize the most recent and distinctive developments, as well as to frame the challenges and opportunities remaining in this field. In this review, recent advances in rapid and controllable deposition of mussel-inspired coatings, dopamine-assisted codeposition technology, and photoinitiated grafting directly on mussel-inspired coatings are presented. Some of these technologies have not yet beenmore » employed directly in membrane science. Beyond discussing advances in conventional membrane processes, emerging applications of mussel-inspired coatings in membranes are discussed, including as a skin layer in nanofiltration, interlayer in metal-organic framework based membranes, hydrophilic layer in Janus membranes, and protective layer in catalytic membranes. Finally, some critical unsolved challenges are raised in this field and some potential pathways are proposed to address them.« less

The New Era of Counterforce

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lieber, Keir

Nuclear deterrence rests on the survivability of nuclear arsenals. For much of the nuclear age, counterforce disarming attacks those aimed at eliminating nuclear forces were nearly impossible because of the ability of potential victims to hide and protect their weapons. However, technological developments are eroding this foundation of nuclear deterrence. Advances rooted in the computer revolution have made nuclear forces around the world far more vulnerable than before. Specifically, two key approaches that countries have relied on to ensure arsenal survivability since the dawn of the nuclear age hardening and concealment have been undercut by leaps in weapons accuracy and a revolution in remote sensing. Various models, methods, and evidence demonstrate the emergence of new possibilities for counterforce disarming strikes. In short, the task of securing nuclear arsenals against attack is a far greater challenge than it was in the past. The new era of counterforce challenges the basis for confidence in contemporary deterrence stability, raises critical issues for national and international security policy, and sheds light on one of the enduring theoretical puzzles of the nuclear era: why international security competition has endured in the shadow of the nuclear revolution.

Whitehead Policy Symposium. The Human Genome Project: Science, law, and social change in the 21st century

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

Nichols, E.K.

2000-02-17

Advances in the biomedical sciences, especially in human genomics, will dramatically influence law, medicine, public health, and many other sectors of our society in the decades ahead. The public already senses the revolutionary nature of genomic knowledge. In the US and Europe, we have seen widespread discussions about genetic discrimination in health insurance; privacy issues raised by the proliferation of DNA data banks; the challenge of interpreting new DNA diagnostic tests; changing definitions of what it means to be healthy; and the science and ethics of cloning animals and human beings. The primary goal of the Whitehead/ASLME Policy Symposium wasmore » to provide a bridge between the research community and professionals, who were just beginning to grasp the potential impact of new genetic technologies on their fields. The ''Human Genome Project: Science, Law, and Social Change in the 21st Century'' initially was designed as a forum for 300-500 physicians, lawyers, consumers, ethicists, and scientists to explore the impact of new genetic technologies and prepare for the challenges ahead.« less

Dopamine: Just the Right Medicine for Membranes

DOE PAGES

Yang, Hao-Cheng; Waldman, Ruben Z.; Wu, Ming-Bang; ...

2018-01-09

Mussel-inspired chemistry has attracted widespread interest in membrane science and technology. Demonstrating the rapid growth of this field over the past several years, substantial progress has been achieved in both mussel-inspired chemistry and membrane surface engineering based on mussel-inspired coatings. At this stage, it is valuable to summarize the most recent and distinctive developments, as well as to frame the challenges and opportunities remaining in this field. In this review, recent advances in rapid and controllable deposition of mussel-inspired coatings, dopamine-assisted codeposition technology, and photoinitiated grafting directly on mussel-inspired coatings are presented. Some of these technologies have not yet beenmore » employed directly in membrane science. Beyond discussing advances in conventional membrane processes, emerging applications of mussel-inspired coatings in membranes are discussed, including as a skin layer in nanofiltration, interlayer in metal-organic framework based membranes, hydrophilic layer in Janus membranes, and protective layer in catalytic membranes. Finally, some critical unsolved challenges are raised in this field and some potential pathways are proposed to address them.« less

The 'over-researched community': An ethics analysis of stakeholder views at two South African HIV prevention research sites.

PubMed

Koen, Jennifer; Wassenaar, Douglas; Mamotte, Nicole

2017-12-01

Health research in resource-limited, multi-cultural contexts raises complex ethical concerns. The term 'over-researched community' (ORC) has been raised as an ethical concern and potential barrier to community participation in research. However, the term lacks conceptual clarity and is absent from established ethics guidelines and academic literature. In light of the concern being raised in relation to research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), a critical and empirical exploration of the meaning of ORC was undertaken. Guided by Emanuel et al.'s (2004) eight principles for ethically sound research in LMICs, this study examines the relevance and meaning of the terms 'over-research' and 'over-researched community' through an analysis of key stakeholder perspectives at two South African research sites. Data were collected between August 2007 and October 2008. 'Over-research' was found to represent a conglomeration of ethical concerns often used as a proxy for standard research ethics concepts. 'Over-research' seemed fundamentally linked to disparate positions and perspectives between different stakeholders in the research interaction, arising from challenges in inter-stakeholder relationships. 'Over-research' might be interpreted to mean exploitation. However, exploitation itself could mean different things. Using the term may lead to obscured understanding of real or perceived ethical concerns, making it difficult to identify and address the underlying concerns. It is recommended that the term be carefully and critically interrogated for clarity when used in research ethics discourse. Because it represents other legitimate concerns, it should not be dismissed without careful exploration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Incorporation of Student-Centered, Practical Applications of Geographic Information Systems to Raise Awareness and Generate Solutions for Local Environmental Issues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilsley, N. A.; Love, C. A.; Minster, J. B. H.

2014-12-01

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) offer a plethora of applications for numerous fields, from geological sciences to urban planning. Therefore, developing a practical GIS curriculum for students from a diverse selection of majors can be challenging, especially since time constraints presented by the course term limit the number of projects that can cater to each student's academic focus. However, open ended assignments that allow students the freedom to personalize their projects present an opportunity to teach the universal functionality of GIS, as well as stimulate curiosity of students from all backgrounds by allowing them to tailor a project to their personal interests. During an introductory GIS course at the University of California, San Diego, projects prompted students to utilize ArcGIS in ways of their choice that raised awareness of local environmental issues, as well as encouraged students to incorporate environmentally sustainable practices into their lives. In view of the frequently stated interest of students to enter careers where they can use their newly learned GIS skills, the educational platform of choice is ESRI's ArcGIS, but the choice of platform remains flexible. As GIS resources become more accessible with the development of programs such as OpenGIS and OpenStreetMap, the potential for GIS to effectively communicate environmental issues to the public is growing fast. Incorporating these environmental issues into a curriculum not only allows students to personalize their education, but also raises awareness of such problems and provides students with the ability to communicate those issues using GIS.

What Medical Writing Means To Me

PubMed Central

Wager, Elizabeth

2007-01-01

This is a personal account based on many years experience as a medical writer. It considers aspects of medical writing with particular focus on the intellectual and ethical dilemmas it can raise. What makes medical writing both so interesting and so challenging is the fact that it often takes place at the border between different disciplines. For example, it straddles both science and art. Ethical issues also arise at the boundaries between academia and commerce. Until recently there have been few guidelines to help navigate such potentially dangerous territory. I have been privileged to be involved in developing two such guidelines and I describe how I hope the Good Publication Practice guidelines for pharmaceutical companies and the European Medical Writers Association guidelines may improve the practice of this fascinating profession, Medical Writing. PMID:22058630

What medical writing means to me.

PubMed

Wager, Elizabeth

2007-01-01

This is a personal account based on many years experience as a medical writer. It considers aspects of medical writing with particular focus on the intellectual and ethical dilemmas it can raise. What makes medical writing both so interesting and so challenging is the fact that it often takes place at the border between different disciplines. For example, it straddles both science and art. Ethical issues also arise at the boundaries between academia and commerce. Until recently there have been few guidelines to help navigate such potentially dangerous territory. I have been privileged to be involved in developing two such guidelines and I describe how I hope the Good Publication Practice guidelines for pharmaceutical companies and the European Medical Writers Association guidelines may improve the practice of this fascinating profession, Medical Writing.

Integrating biodiversity management and indigenous biopiracy protection to promote environmental justice and global health.

PubMed

Mackey, Tim K; Liang, Bryan A

2012-06-01

Many potentially useful medicines arise from developing countries' biodiverse environments and indigenous knowledge. However, global intellectual property rules have resulted in biopiracy, raising serious ethical concerns of environmental justice, exploitation, and health disparities in these populations. Furthermore, state-based approaches have not led to adequate biodiversity protection, management, or resource sharing, which affect access to lifesaving drugs. In response, country delegates adopted the Nagoya Protocol, which aims at promoting biodiversity management, combating biopiracy, and encouraging equitable benefits sharing with indigenous communities. However, the effectiveness of this framework in meeting these objectives remains in question. To address these challenges, we propose a policy building on the Nagoya Protocol that employs a World Health Organization-World Trade Organization Joint Committee on Bioprospecting and Biopiracy.

LIF-dependent signaling: new pieces in the Lego.

PubMed

Mathieu, Marie-Emmanuelle; Saucourt, Claire; Mournetas, Virginie; Gauthereau, Xavier; Thézé, Nadine; Praloran, Vincent; Thiébaud, Pierre; Bœuf, Hélène

2012-03-01

LIF, a member of the IL6 family of cytokine, displays pleiotropic effects on various cell types and organs. Its critical role in stem cell models (e.g.: murine ES, human mesenchymal cells) and its essential non redundant function during the implantation process of embryos, in eutherian mammals, put this cytokine at the core of many studies aiming to understand its mechanisms of action, which could benefit to medical applications. In addition, its conservation upon evolution raised the challenging question concerning the function of LIF in species in which there is no implantation. We present the recent knowledge about the established and potential functions of LIF in different stem cell models, (embryonic, hematopoietic, mesenchymal, muscle, neural stem cells and iPSC). We will also discuss EVO-DEVO aspects of this multifaceted cytokine.

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

Esfahani, M. Nasr; Yilmaz, M.; Sonne, M. R.

The trend towards nanomechanical resonator sensors with increasing sensitivity raises the need to address challenges encountered in the modeling of their mechanical behavior. Selecting the best approach in mechanical response modeling amongst the various potential computational solid mechanics methods is subject to controversy. A guideline for the selection of the appropriate approach for a specific set of geometry and mechanical properties is needed. In this study, geometrical limitations in frequency response modeling of flexural nanomechanical resonators are investigated. Deviation of Euler and Timoshenko beam theories from numerical techniques including finite element modeling and Surface Cauchy-Born technique are studied. The resultsmore » provide a limit beyond which surface energy contribution dominates the mechanical behavior. Using the Surface Cauchy-Born technique as the reference, a maximum error on the order of 50 % is reported for high-aspect ratio resonators.« less

Ethical considerations in placebo-controlled randomised clinical trials.

PubMed

Kaufman, Kenneth R

2015-06-01

Ethical considerations in standard medical care and clinical research are underpinnings to quality medicine. Similarly, the placebo-controlled double-blind randomised clinical trial is the gold standard for medical research and fundamental to the development of evidence-based medicine. Researchers and clinicians are challenged by ethical concerns in the informed consent with a need to maximise understanding and minimise therapeutic misconception. This editorial expands on themes raised by Chen et al 's article 'Disclosing the Potential Impact of Placebo Controls in Antidepressant Trials' and serves as an invitation for further submissions to BJPsych Open on ethics, research design and informed consent. None. © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2015. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) licence.

Trade in health services in the ASEAN region.

PubMed

Arunanondchai, Jutamas; Fink, Carsten

2006-12-01

Promoting quality health services to large population segments is a key ingredient to human and economic development. At its core, healthcare policymaking involves complex trade-offs between promoting equitable and affordable access to a basic set of health services, creating incentives for efficiencies in the healthcare system and managing constraints in government budgets. International trade in health services influences these trade-offs. It presents opportunities for cost savings and access to better quality care, but it also raises challenges in promoting equitable and affordable access. This paper offers a discussion of trade policy in health services for the ASEAN region. It reviews the existing patterns of trade and identifies policy measures that could further harness the benefits from trade in health services and address potential pitfalls that deeper integration may bring about.

How can science education foster students' rooting?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Østergaard, Edvin

2015-06-01

The question of how to foster rooting in science education points towards a double challenge; efforts to prevent (further) uprooting and efforts to promote rooting/re-rooting. Wolff-Michael Roth's paper discusses the uprooting/rooting pair of concepts, students' feeling of alienation and loss of fundamental sense of the earth as ground, and potential consequences for teaching science in a rooted manner. However, the argumentation raises a number of questions which I try to answer. My argumentation rests on Husserl's critique of science and the "ontological reversal", an ontological position where abstract models from science are considered as more real than the everyday reality itself, where abstract, often mathematical, models are taken to be the real causes behind everyday experiences. In this paper, measures towards an "ontological re-reversal" are discussed by drawing on experiences from phenomenon-based science education. I argue that perhaps the most direct and productive way of promoting rooting in science class is by intentionally cultivating the competencies of sensing and aesthetic experience. An aesthetic experience is defined as a precognitive, sensuous experience, an experience that is opened up for through sensuous perception. Conditions for rooting in science education is discussed against three challenges: Restoring the value of aesthetic experience, allowing time for open inquiry and coping with curriculum. Finally, I raise the question whether dimensions like "reality" or "nature" are self-evident for students. In the era of constructivism, with its focus on cognition and knowledge building, the inquiry process itself has become more important than the object of inquiry. I argue that as educators of science teachers we have to emphasize more explicitly "the nature of nature" as a field of exploration.

Sublingual immunization with the phosphate-binding-protein (PstS) reduces oral colonization by Streptococcus mutans.

PubMed

Ferreira, E L; Batista, M T; Cavalcante, R C M; Pegos, V R; Passos, H M; Silva, D A; Balan, A; Ferreira, L C S; Ferreira, R C C

2016-10-01

Bacterial ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters play a crucial role in the physiology and pathogenicity of different bacterial species. Components of ABC transporters have also been tested as target antigens for the development of vaccines against different bacterial species, such as those belonging to the Streptococcus genus. Streptococcus mutans is the etiological agent of dental caries, and previous studies have demonstrated that deletion of the gene encoding PstS, the substrate-binding component of the phosphate uptake system (Pst), reduced the adherence of the bacteria to abiotic surfaces. In the current study, we generated a recombinant form of the S. mutans PstS protein (rPstS) with preserved structural features, and we evaluated the induction of antibody responses in mice after sublingual mucosal immunization with a formulation containing the recombinant protein and an adjuvant derived from the heat-labile toxin from enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strains. Mice immunized with rPstS exhibited systemic and secreted antibody responses, measured by the number of immunoglobulin A-secreting cells in draining lymph nodes. Serum antibodies raised in mice immunized with rPstS interfered with the adhesion of bacteria to the oral cavity of naive mice challenged with S. mutans. Similarly, mice actively immunized with rPstS were partially protected from oral colonization after challenge with the S. mutans NG8 strain. Therefore, our results indicate that S. mutans PstS is a potential target antigen capable of inducing specific and protective antibody responses after sublingual administration. Overall, these observations raise interesting perspectives for the development of vaccines to prevent dental caries. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Drug Development Against the Major Diarrhea-Causing Parasites of the Small Intestine, Cryptosporidium and Giardia

PubMed Central

Miyamoto, Yukiko; Eckmann, Lars

2015-01-01

Diarrheal diseases are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the world, particularly among young children. A limited number of infectious agents account for most of these illnesses, raising the hope that advances in the treatment and prevention of these infections can have global health impact. The two most important parasitic causes of diarrheal disease are Cryptosporidium and Giardia. Both parasites infect predominantly the small intestine and colonize the lumen and epithelial surface, but do not invade deeper mucosal layers. This review discusses the therapeutic challenges, current treatment options, and drug development efforts against cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis. The goals of drug development against Cryptosporidium and Giardia are different. For Cryptosporidium, only one moderately effective drug (nitazoxanide) is available, so novel classes of more effective drugs are a high priority. Furthermore, new genetic technology to identify potential drug targets and better assays for functional evaluation of these targets throughout the parasite life cycle are needed for advancing anticryptosporidial drug design. By comparison, for Giardia, several classes of drugs with good efficacy exist, but dosing regimens are suboptimal and emerging resistance begins to threaten clinical utility. Consequently, improvements in potency and dosing, and the ability to overcome existing and prevent new forms of drug resistance are priorities in antigiardial drug development. Current work on new drugs against both infections has revealed promising strategies and new drug leads. However, the primary challenge for further drug development is the underlying economics, as both parasitic infections are considered Neglected Diseases with low funding priority and limited commercial interest. If a new urgency in medical progress against these infections can be raised at national funding agencies or philanthropic organizations, meaningful and timely progress is possible in treating and possibly preventing cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis. PMID:26635732

A globally nonsingular quaternion-based formulation for all-electric satellite trajectory optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Libraro, Paola

The general electric propulsion orbit-raising maneuver of a spacecraft must contend with four main limiting factors: the longer time of flight, multiple eclipses prohibiting continuous thrusting, long exposure to radiation from the Van Allen belt and high power requirement of the electric engines. In order to optimize a low-thrust transfer with respect to these challenges, the choice of coordinates and corresponding equations of motion used to describe the kinematical and dynamical behavior of the satellite is of critical importance. This choice can potentially affect the numerical optimization process as well as limit the set of mission scenarios that can be investigated. To increase the ability to determine the feasible set of mission scenarios able to address the challenges of an all-electric orbit-raising, a set of equations free of any singularities is required to consider a completely arbitrary injection orbit. For this purpose a new quaternion-based formulation of a spacecraft translational dynamics that is globally nonsingular has been developed. The minimum-time low-thrust problem has been solved using the new set of equations of motion inside a direct optimization scheme in order to investigate optimal low-thrust trajectories over the full range of injection orbit inclinations between 0 and 90 degrees with particular focus on high-inclinations. The numerical results consider a specific mission scenario in order to analyze three key aspects of the problem: the effect of the initial guess on the shape and duration of the transfer, the effect of Earth oblateness on transfer time and the role played by, radiation damage and power degradation in all-electric minimum-time transfers. Finally trade-offs between mass and cost savings are introduced through a test case.

Partial protein domains: evolutionary insights and bioinformatics challenges.

PubMed

Kelley, Lawrence A; Sternberg, Michael J E

2015-05-19

Protein domains are generally thought to correspond to units of evolution. New research raises questions about how such domains are defined with bioinformatics tools and sheds light on how evolution has enabled partial domains to be viable.

The Human as an Experimental System in Molecular Genetics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Ray; Caskey, C. Thomas

1988-01-01

Discusses insights discovered from research into human biology that are raising possibilities for therapy, prevention of disease, and challenges to society in the form of ethical decisions about the appropriate application of genetic information. (Author/RT)

Reframing Conscientious Care: Providing Abortion Care When Law and Conscience Collide

PubMed Central

Lassiter, Dragana; Mercier, Rebecca; Bryant, Amy; Lyerly, Anne Drapkin

2016-01-01

While the concept of conscience has broad philosophical underpinnings relating to moral judgment, agency, and discernments of right and wrong, debates in bioethics have tended to engage the concept primarily vis-à-vis rights of conscientious refusal. Here, we suggest a broader frame for thinking about claims of conscience in healthcare. Drawing on empirical findings from our research with abortion providers in North Carolina, we elucidate an empirically grounded approach to ethically justified care when healthcare providers face legal or institutional policy mandates that raise possible moral conflicts. We highlight, in particular, how providers may be motivated by matters of conscience, including relational concerns, in the active provision of certain forms of care. In so doing, we challenge the dichotomy between conscientious refusal and morally compromised action, demonstrating how providers may work within the constraints of laws or institutional policies that raise moral challenges and act in accordance with conscience. PMID:27120281

Lost in Translation? Challenges and Opportunities for Raising Health and Safety Awareness among a Multinational Workforce in the United Arab Emirates

PubMed Central

Cooling, Robert Fletcher; Aw, Tar-Ching

2012-01-01

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has experienced tremendous economic and industrial growth in the petroleum, airline, maritime and construction sectors, especially since the discovery of oil reserves. Mass recruitment of low skilled or unskilled laborers from less-developed countries has been utilized to satisfy the manpower demands of these fast paced industrial developments. Such workforce recruitment has created an unusual populace demographic, with the total UAE population estimated at 8.3 million, composed of 950,000 Emiratis, with the remainder being multinational expatriate workers, with varying educational qualifications, work experience, religious beliefs, cultural practices, and native languages. These unique characteristics pose a challenge for health and safety professionals tasked with ensuring the UAE workforce adheres to specific occupational health and safety procedures. The paper discusses two case studies that employ a novel multimedia approach to raising health and safety awareness among a multinational workforce. PMID:23251846

Forgiveness and justice: a research agenda for social and personality psychology.

PubMed

Exline, Julie Juola; Worthington, Everett L; Hill, Peter; McCullough, Michael E

2003-01-01

Forgiveness and related constructs (e.g., repentance, mercy, reconciliation) are ripe for study by social and personality psychologists, including those interested in justice. Current trends in social science, law, management, philosophy, and theology suggest a need to expand existing justice frameworks to incorporate alternatives or complements to retribution, including forgiveness and related processes. In this article, we raise five challenging empirical questions about forgiveness. For each question, we briefly review representative research, raise hypotheses, and suggest specific ways in which social and personality psychologists could make distinctive contributions.

Autophagy-Mediated Defense Response of Mouse Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs) to Challenge with Escherichia coli

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-01

antibodies (1 μg/ml) raised against MAP LC3 , Lamp-1, p62 /SQSTM1, p65(NFκB), Nrf2, HSP70, iNOS, and actin (Abcam, Santa Cruz Biotechnology Inc...purified normal donkey serum (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc., Santa Cruz, CA) diluted 1:20. Primary antibodies were raised against MAP LC3 , Lamp-1, p62 ...autophagy MAP ( LC3 ) protein, lysosomal LAMP1 and the ubiquitin-associated target adaptor p62 . A key step in the autophagosome biogenesis is the

Living with students: Lessons learned while pursuing tenure, administration, and raising a family.

PubMed

Humphrey, Michael; Callahan, Janet; Harrison, Geoff

2015-01-01

An emerging promising practice in many universities has been the development of faculty-in-residence programs, in which university faculty members and their family moved into university student residences, sharing common living spaces with students. This case study is centered on two faculty-in-residence living in university residence halls. One was an assistant professor pursuing tenure while raising a young child, while the second was a tenured full professor and associate dean raising two teens. This case study offers the post-experience conclusions of these two faculty-in-residence individuals, noting the benefits and challenges each experienced while living -and working closely with these students outside of the university classroom, all while striving for an optimal balance in managing professional and familial obligations.

Maternal Rearing Environment Impacts Autonomic Nervous System Activity

PubMed Central

Bliss-Moreau, Eliza; Moadab, Gilda; Capitanio, John P.

2017-01-01

While it is now well known that social deprivation during early development permanently perturbs affective responding, accumulating evidence suggests that less severe restriction of the early social environment may also have deleterious effects. In the present report, we evaluate the affective responding of rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) infants raised by their mothers in restricted social environments or by their mothers in large social groups by indexing autonomic nervous system activity. Following a 25-hr evaluation of biobehavioral organization, electrocardiogram and an index of respiration were recorded for ten minutes. This allowed for an evaluation of both heart rate and respiratory sinus arrhythmia, an index of parasympathetic activity, during a challenging situation. Three to four month old infants raised in restricted social environments had significantly higher heart rates and lower respiratory sinus arrhythmia as compared to infants raised in unrestricted social environments, consistent with a more potent stress response to the procedure. These results are consistent with mounting evidence that the environment in which individuals are raised has important consequences for affective processing. PMID:28369889

Social engineering of societal knowledge in livestock science: Can we be more empathetic?

PubMed Central

Ravikumar, R. K.; Thakur, Devesh; Choudhary, Hardev; Kumar, Vivek; Kinhekar, Amol S.; Garg, Tushar; Ponnusamy, K.; Bhojne, G. R.; Shetty, Vasanth M.; Kumar, Vipin

2017-01-01

Questions are raised in effective utilization of farmer’s wisdom by communities in their farming. Planners support to livelihood emphasize mostly of inputs from outside and not setting up sustainable goals. Formal institutions and planners of program are finding constraints and sceptical in wider dissemination of indigenous knowledge research system (IKRS). This is in spite of evidence that considerable number of farmer’s in livestock sector depends on IKRS. In this context, it is pertinent to showcase dissemination potential of these knowledge system(s) in larger geographical areas. The review illustrates different challenges encountered while control of livestock ailments like ectoparasite infestation through IKRS. Several times, it was opinioned to provide or share IKRS to thwart ailments in a specific region. This is interesting as it was narrated how formal system is unable to recognize farmer’s problem and challenges in integrating these sustainable practices. It has to be noted that disseminating activities seldom takes into account the experimental potential of farmers. This review paper articulates various evidences generated in enhancing diffusion thereby dissemination of IKRS. The nature of support extended by IKRS in entrepreneurial activity of smallholder farming units did not get adequate recognition. There needs to be minimum standard protocol in deriving benefit from such low-cost alternative technologies. This will enrich incremental innovation activities as per location specific need and provide scope for wider dissemination. PMID:28246452

Using e-cigarettes in the home to reduce smoking and secondhand smoke: disadvantaged parents' accounts.

PubMed

Rowa-Dewar, Neneh; Rooke, Catriona; Amos, Amanda

2017-02-01

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are subject to considerable public health debate. Most public health experts agree that for smokers who find it particularly challenging to quit, e-cigarettes may reduce harm. E-cigarette use in the home may also reduce children's secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure, although e-cigarette vapour may pose risks. This is the first qualitative study to explore disadvantaged parents' views and experiences of e-cigarettes in relation to reducing SHS exposure in the home. Interviews with 25 disadvantaged parents from Edinburgh who smoked and had children aged 1-3 were conducted in 2013, with 17 re-interviewed in 2014. Accounts of e-cigarette perceptions and use were analysed thematically. E-cigarettes were seen by some as potentially valuable in helping quitting or reducing smoking in difficult circumstances, and protecting children from SHS when smoking outside is constrained. However, parents raised concerns about safety issues and continuing their nicotine addiction. In relation to children, concerns included possible health effects of the vapour, children playing with them and role-modelling e-cigarette use. While significant concerns remain about e-cigarettes, for some parents who find it challenging to quit or safely leave their children to smoke outside, e-cigarettes may offer potential for reducing the harm to them and their children. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Social engineering of societal knowledge in livestock science: Can we be more empathetic?

PubMed

Ravikumar, R K; Thakur, Devesh; Choudhary, Hardev; Kumar, Vivek; Kinhekar, Amol S; Garg, Tushar; Ponnusamy, K; Bhojne, G R; Shetty, Vasanth M; Kumar, Vipin

2017-01-01

Questions are raised in effective utilization of farmer's wisdom by communities in their farming. Planners support to livelihood emphasize mostly of inputs from outside and not setting up sustainable goals. Formal institutions and planners of program are finding constraints and sceptical in wider dissemination of indigenous knowledge research system (IKRS). This is in spite of evidence that considerable number of farmer's in livestock sector depends on IKRS. In this context, it is pertinent to showcase dissemination potential of these knowledge system(s) in larger geographical areas. The review illustrates different challenges encountered while control of livestock ailments like ectoparasite infestation through IKRS. Several times, it was opinioned to provide or share IKRS to thwart ailments in a specific region. This is interesting as it was narrated how formal system is unable to recognize farmer's problem and challenges in integrating these sustainable practices. It has to be noted that disseminating activities seldom takes into account the experimental potential of farmers. This review paper articulates various evidences generated in enhancing diffusion thereby dissemination of IKRS. The nature of support extended by IKRS in entrepreneurial activity of smallholder farming units did not get adequate recognition. There needs to be minimum standard protocol in deriving benefit from such low-cost alternative technologies. This will enrich incremental innovation activities as per location specific need and provide scope for wider dissemination.

An overview of chemical additives present in plastics: Migration, release, fate and environmental impact during their use, disposal and recycling.

PubMed

Hahladakis, John N; Velis, Costas A; Weber, Roland; Iacovidou, Eleni; Purnell, Phil

2018-02-15

Over the last 60 years plastics production has increased manifold, owing to their inexpensive, multipurpose, durable and lightweight nature. These characteristics have raised the demand for plastic materials that will continue to grow over the coming years. However, with increased plastic materials production, comes increased plastic material wastage creating a number of challenges, as well as opportunities to the waste management industry. The present overview highlights the waste management and pollution challenges, emphasising on the various chemical substances (known as "additives") contained in all plastic products for enhancing polymer properties and prolonging their life. Despite how useful these additives are in the functionality of polymer products, their potential to contaminate soil, air, water and food is widely documented in literature and described herein. These additives can potentially migrate and undesirably lead to human exposure via e.g. food contact materials, such as packaging. They can, also, be released from plastics during the various recycling and recovery processes and from the products produced from recyclates. Thus, sound recycling has to be performed in such a way as to ensure that emission of substances of high concern and contamination of recycled products is avoided, ensuring environmental and human health protection, at all times. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interactive Cumulative Burden Assessment: Engaging Stakeholders in an Adaptive, Participatory and Transdisciplinary Approach

PubMed Central

Shrestha, Rehana; van Maarseveen, Martin

2018-01-01

Cumulative burden assessment (CuBA) has the potential to inform planning and decision-making on health disparities related to multiple environmental burdens. However, scholars have raised concerns about the social complexity to be dealt with while conducting CuBA, suggesting that it should be addressed in an adaptive, participatory and transdisciplinary (APT) approach. APT calls for deliberation among stakeholders by engaging them in a process of social learning and knowledge co-production. We propose an interactive stakeholder-based approach that facilitates a science-based stakeholder dialogue as an interface for combining different knowledge domains and engendering social learning in CuBA processes. Our approach allows participants to interact with each other using a flexible and auditable CuBA model implemented within a shared workspace. In two workshops we explored the usefulness and practicality of the approach. Results show that stakeholders were enabled to deliberate on cumulative burdens collaboratively, to learn about the technical uncertainties and social challenges associated with CuBA, and to co-produce knowledge in a realm of both technical and societal challenges. The paper identifies potential benefits relevant for responding to social complexity in the CuBA and further recommends exploration of how our approach can enable or constraint social learning and knowledge co-production in CuBA processes under various institutional, social and political contexts. PMID:29401676

Cognitive remediation in pediatric chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease: rationale, candidate interventions, and applicability.

PubMed

Javalkar, Karina; Ferris, Maria E; Cuttance, Jessica; Hooper, Stephen R

2017-11-01

The purpose of this paper is to address the potential use of cognitive remediation interventions for children and adolescents with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). The prevalence and risk for neurocognitive dysfunction in children with this condition remains high, but, to date, interventions targeting these challenges have not been attempted either individually or as part of a larger treatment program. This is the next logical step in addressing the neurocognitive dysfunction that can be present in pediatric CKD/ESKD, with the field needing to determine the efficacy of cognitive remediation approaches for this population. To our knowledge, this paper is the first to raise this possibility by identifying candidate treatments addressing the neurocognitive challenges observed in children and adolescents with CKD/ESKD. Initially, we present the rationale for the importance of addressing the cognitive difficulties in this population, including an overview of the literature documenting the neurocognitive deficits associated with pediatric-onset CKD/ESKD. This is followed by a review of five candidate cognitive remediation programs that may be applicable to patients with this condition, and associated factors that could affect such treatment. The paper concludes with suggestions for both clinical and research initiatives that could be implemented to examine cognitive remediation as potential components of a larger treatment program for children and adolescents with CKD/ESKD.

Balancing the benefits and risks of public-private partnerships to address the global double burden of malnutrition.

PubMed

Kraak, Vivica I; Harrigan, Paige B; Lawrence, Mark; Harrison, Paul J; Jackson, Michaela A; Swinburn, Boyd

2012-03-01

Transnational food, beverage and restaurant companies, and their corporate foundations, may be potential collaborators to help address complex public health nutrition challenges. While UN system guidelines are available for private-sector engagement, non-governmental organizations (NGO) have limited guidelines to navigate diverse opportunities and challenges presented by partnering with these companies through public-private partnerships (PPP) to address the global double burden of malnutrition. We conducted a search of electronic databases, UN system websites and grey literature to identify resources about partnerships used to address the global double burden of malnutrition. A narrative summary provides a synthesis of the interdisciplinary literature identified. We describe partnership opportunities, benefits and challenges; and tools and approaches to help NGO engage with the private sector to address global public health nutrition challenges. PPP benefits include: raising the visibility of nutrition and health on policy agendas; mobilizing funds and advocating for research; strengthening food-system processes and delivery systems; facilitating technology transfer; and expanding access to medications, vaccines, healthy food and beverage products, and nutrition assistance during humanitarian crises. PPP challenges include: balancing private commercial interests with public health interests; managing conflicts of interest; ensuring that co-branded activities support healthy products and healthy eating environments; complying with ethical codes of conduct; assessing partnership compatibility; and evaluating partnership outcomes. NGO should adopt a systematic and transparent approach using available tools and processes to maximize benefits and minimize risks of partnering with transnational food, beverage and restaurant companies to effectively target the global double burden of malnutrition.

Center islands with raised curbing for rural traffic calming : tech brief.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-02-01

Small rural communities often lack the expertise and resources necessary to address speeding and the persistent challenge of slowing high-speed through traffic. The entrances to communities are especially problematic given that drivers must transitio...

The One in the Purple Suit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sargeant, Hope

2003-01-01

In this article, a parent of a gifted child muses on the challenges of raising her daughter, coping with her daughter's frustrations, her decision to stay home, and her brief envy of a doppelganger, a professional in a purple suit. (CR)

Cold-War Echoes in American Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winn, Ira Jay

1984-01-01

The author believes a cold war ideology permeates our culture and poisons the minds of youth. The challenge to education is to awaken people to a historical and global perspective and raise public consciousness of the necessity for peace. (MD)

Best Practices and Innovations for Managing Codeine Misuse and Dependence.

PubMed

Norman, Ian J; Bergin, Michael; Parry, Charles D; Van Hout, Marie Claire

Promoting and ensuring safe use of codeine containing medicines remains a public health issue given the rise in reporting of misuse and dependence particularly in countries where available over-the-counter (OTC). The aim of this unique study was to identify best practices in management of opioid abuse and dependence, particularly codeine, and innovations to meet challenges surrounding safe and compliant use, patient awareness-raising, reducing health harms and enhancing successful treatment of dependence. A mixed methods approach using three data points was used that included : (1) analysis of data from existing scoping reviews to identify potential areas for innovation (2) interviews with key national stakeholders from public health, pharmaceutical, regulatory, primary care and addiction practice in three distinct regulatory regimes (Ireland, United Kingdom and South Africa); and (3) a circular email request for information on potential innovations to members of the European Medicine's Agency European Network of Centres for Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacovigilance (ENCEPP). Data from these three sources were analysed to identify best practices and opportunities for innovation. Best practices and potential innovations were identified under the nine headings: (1) manufacture; (2) product information and public education; (3) responsible prescribing; (4) monitoring and surveillance; (5) dispensing, screening and brief interventions in community pharmacies; (6) safety in the workplace and on the road; (7) internet supply of codeine and online support; (8) treatment of codeine dependence; and (9) learning resources and training for health professionals. Challenges ensuring availability of codeine containing medicines for legitimate therapeutic use, while minimising misuse, dependence and related health harms warrant consideration of new innovations. Most promising innovative potential lies across the products' retail lifecycle from manufacture to prescriber and community pharmacy practitioner.This article is open to POST-PUBLICATION REVIEW. Registered readers (see "For Readers") may comment by clicking on ABSTRACT on the issue's contents page.

Comparative analysis of the immune responses induced by native versus recombinant versions of the ASP-based vaccine against the bovine intestinal parasite Cooperia oncophora.

PubMed

González-Hernández, Ana; Borloo, Jimmy; Peelaers, Iris; Casaert, Stijn; Leclercq, Georges; Claerebout, Edwin; Geldhof, Peter

2018-01-01

The protective capacities of a native double-domain activation-associated secreted protein (ndd-ASP)-based vaccine against the cattle intestinal nematode Cooperia oncophora has previously been demonstrated. However, protection analysis upon vaccination with a recombinantly produced antigen has never been performed. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to test the protective potential of a Pichia-produced double-domain ASP (pdd-ASP)-based vaccine against C. oncophora. Additionally, we aimed to compare the cellular and humoral mechanisms underlying the vaccine-induced responses by the native (ndd-ASP) and recombinant vaccines. Immunisation of cattle with the native C. oncophora vaccine conferred significant levels of protection after an experimental challenge infection, whereas the recombinant vaccine did not. Moreover, vaccination with ndd-ASP resulted in a higher proliferation of CD4-T cells both systemically and in the small intestinal mucosa when compared with animals vaccinated with the recombinant antigen. In terms of humoral response, although both native and recombinant vaccines induced similar levels of antibodies, animals vaccinated with the native vaccine were able to raise antibodies with greater specificity towards ndd-ASP in comparison with antibodies raised by vaccination with the recombinant vaccine, suggesting a differential immune recognition towards the ndd-ASP and pdd-ASP. Finally, the observation that animals displaying antibodies with higher percentages of recognition towards ndd-ASP also exhibited the lowest egg counts suggests a potential relationship between antibody specificity and protection. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Data sharing and dual-use issues.

PubMed

Bezuidenhout, Louise

2013-03-01

The concept of dual-use encapsulates the potential for well-intentioned, beneficial scientific research to also be misused by a third party for malicious ends. The concept of dual-use challenges scientists to look beyond the immediate outcomes of their research and to develop an awareness of possible future (mis)uses of scientific research. Since 2001 much attention has been paid to the possible need to regulate the dual-use potential of the life sciences. Regulation initiatives fall under two broad categories-those that develop the ethical education of scientists and foster an awareness and responsibility of dual-use issues, and those which assess the regulation of information being generated by current research. Both types of initiatives are premised on a cautious, risk-adverse philosophy which advocates careful examination of all future endpoints of research endeavors. This caution advocated within initiatives such as pre-publication review of journal articles contrasts to the obligation to share underpinning data sharing discussions. As the dual-use debate has yet to make a significant impact on data sharing discussions (and vice versa) it is possible that these two areas of knowledge control may present areas of ethical conflict for scientists, and thus need to be more closely examined. This paper examines the tension between the obligation to share exemplified by data sharing principles and the concerns raised by the risk-cautious culture of the dual-use debates. The paper concludes by reflecting on the issues of responsibility as raised by dual-use as relating to data sharing, such as the chain of custody for shared data.

Building a Grad Nation: Progress and Challenge in Ending the High School Dropout Epidemic. Annual Update 2015

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DePaoli, Jennifer L.; Fox, Joanna Hornig; Ingram, Erin S.; Maushard, Mary; Bridgeland, John M.; Balfanz, Robert

2015-01-01

In 2013, the national high school graduation rate hit a record high of 81.4 percent, and for the third year in a row, the nation remained on pace to meet the 90 percent goal by the Class of 2020. This sixth annual update on America's high school dropout challenge shows that these gains have been made possible by raising graduation rates for…

Challenges, Coping Strategies, and Unmet Needs of Families with a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Goa, India

PubMed Central

Divan, Gauri; Vajaratkar, Vivek; Desai, Miraj U.; Strik-Lievers, Luisa; Patel, Vikram

2016-01-01

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are increasingly recognized in developing countries like India. However, little is known about the experiences of parents raising a child with ASD. This study aimed to describe the experiences of families in Goa, India with a view to understanding the unmet needs of families raising a child with ASD. Twenty in-depth interviews and nine focus group discussions were carried out with families of children with ASD and key community stakeholders such as special educators, teachers, and parents of typically developing children. This qualitative data was triangulated to explore the experiences, life impact, and unmet needs of raising a child with ASD. Key findings suggest that raising a child with ASD puts a tremendous strain on families due to competing commitments, often leading to initial social withdrawal with later reintegration into social networks. Second, the impact is multidimensional, involving the personal sphere but also extending into the wider community with negative experiences of discrimination. Third, parents actively respond to these challenges through a range of approaches with help from existing and new social support networks and health care providers. Fourth, professionals from the health, education, and religious sectors have a low awareness of the unique needs of families living with ASD which leads to a considerable economic and emotional burden on families. Finally, as a consequence of these experiences, several unmet needs can be identified, notably for supporting increasingly isolated families and the limited access to multidisciplinary evidence-based services for ASD. PMID:22473816

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

Moore, Brenna C; Gurule, Angelica V; Bradley, Miranda

Organized by the Environmental Protection Division, the Fourth Annual Student Sustainability Challenge was developed to encourage students to take an active role in contributing to LANL's environmental responsibility, raise awareness of critical environmental issues, and to inspire innovation and ingenuity for better and more sustainable science and technology.

AI in medical education--another grand challenge for medical informatics.

PubMed

Lillehaug, S I; Lajoie, S P

1998-03-01

The potential benefits of artificial intelligence in medicine (AIM) were never realized as anticipated. This paper addresses ways in which such potential can be achieved. Recent discussions of this topic have proposed a stronger integration between AIM applications and health information systems, and emphasize computer guidelines to support the new health care paradigms of evidence-based medicine and cost-effectiveness. These proposals, however, promote the initial definition of AIM applications as being AI systems that can perform or aid in diagnoses. We challenge this traditional philosophy of AIM and propose a new approach aiming at empowering health care workers to become independent self-sufficient problem solvers and decision makers. Our philosophy is based on findings from a review of empirical research that examines the relationship between the health care personnel's level of knowledge and skills, their job satisfaction, and the quality of the health care they provide. This review supports addressing the quality of health care by empowering health care workers to reach their full potential. As an aid in this empowerment process we argue for reviving a long forgotten AIM research area, namely, AI based applications for medical education and training. There is a growing body of research in artificial intelligence in education that demonstrates that the use of artificial intelligence can enhance learning in numerous domains. By examining the strengths of these educational applications and the results from previous AIM research we derive a framework for empowering medical personnel and consequently raising the quality of health care through the use of advanced AI based technology.

Testing an online, dynamic consent portal for large population biobank research.

PubMed

Thiel, Daniel B; Platt, Jodyn; Platt, Tevah; King, Susan B; Fisher, Nicole; Shelton, Robert; Kardia, Sharon L R

2015-01-01

Michigan's BioTrust for Health, a public health research biobank comprised of residual dried bloodspot (DBS) cards from newborn screening contains over 4 million samples collected without written consent. Participant-centric initiatives are IT tools that hold great promise to address the consent challenges in biobank research. Working with Private Access Inc., a pioneer in patient-centric web solutions, we created and pilot tested a dynamic informed consent simulation, paired with an educational website, focusing on consent for research utilizing DBSs in Michigan's BioTrust for Health. Out of 187 pilot testers recruited in 2 groups, 137 completed the consent simulation and exit survey. Over 50% indicated their willingness to set up an account if the simulation went live and to recommend it to others. Participants raised concerns about the process of identity verification and appeared to have little experience with sharing health information online. Applying online, dynamic approaches to address the consent challenges raised by biobanks with legacy sample collections should be explored, given the positive reaction to our pilot test and the strong preference for active consent. Balancing security and privacy with accessibility and ease of use will continue to be a challenge. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Challenges and dilemmas: fieldwork with upland minorities in socialist Vietnam, Laos and southwest China.

PubMed

Turner, Sarah

2010-01-01

The Chinese, Vietnamese and Lao spaces within the upland Southeast Asian massif, sheltering over 80 million people belonging to geographically dispersed and politically fragmented minority populations, have only recently reopened to overseas academic endeavours. Undertaking social sciences research there among ethnic minority groups is underscored by a specific set of challenges, dilemmas, and negotiations. This special issue brings together Western academics and post-fieldwork doctoral students from the realms of social anthropology and human geography, who have conducted in-depth fieldwork among ethnic minorities in upland southwest China, northern Vietnam, and southern Laos. The articles provide insights into the struggles and constraints they faced in the field, set against an understanding of the historical context of field research in these locales. In this unique context that nowadays interweaves economic liberalisation with centralised and authoritarian political structures, the authors explore how they have negotiated and manoeuvred access to ethnic minority voices in complex cultural configurations. The ethical challenges raised and methodological reflections offered will be insightful for others conducting fieldwork in the socialist margins of the Southeast Asian massif and beyond. This specific context is introduced here, followed by a critique of the literature on the core themes that contributors raise.

Could Zinc Whiskers Be Impacting Your Electronic Systems? Raise Your Awareness. Revision D

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sampson, Michael; Brusse, Jay

2003-01-01

During the past several decades electrical short circuits induced by "Zinc Whiskers" have been cited as the root cause of failure for various electronic systems (e.g., apnea monitors, telecom switches). These tiny filaments of zinc that may grow from some zinc-coated items (especially those coated by electroplating processes) have the potential to induce electrical shorts in exposed circuitry. Through this article, the authors describe a particular failure scenario attributed to zinc whiskers that has affected many facilities (including some NASA facilities) that utilized zinc-coated raised "access" floor tiles and support structures. Zinc whiskers that may be growing beneath your raised floor have the potential to wreak havoc on electronic systems operating above the floor.

Hypothermia.

PubMed

Turk, Elisabeth E

2010-06-01

Hypothermia refers to a situation where there is a drop in body core temperature below 35 degrees C. It is a potentially fatal condition. In forensic medicine and pathology, cases of hypothermia often pose a special challenge to experts because of their complex nature, and the often absent or nonspecific nature of morphological findings. The scene of the incident may raise suspicions of a crime initially, due to phenomena such as terminal burrowing behavior and paradoxical undressing. An element of hypothermia often contributes to the cause of death in drug- and alcohol-related fatalities, in the homeless, in immersion deaths, in accidents and in cases of abuse or neglect, making the condition extremely relevant to forensic medical specialists. The aim of this review is to give an overview of the pathophysiological aspects of hypothermia and to illustrate different aspects relevant to forensic medical casework.

Scrambled or bisected mouse eggs and the basis of patterning in mammals.

PubMed

Gardner, R L

1999-04-01

Several findings challenge the notion that specification of cell types and embryonic axes in mammals are rooted entirely in the temporal and spatial relations between cleaving blastomeres. They raise the question as to whether, as in most non-mammalian species, these processes depend on information already present in the egg. However, experiments designed to investigate this possibility directly by perturbing the organization of the zygote or, very recently, by deleting one or other of its polar regions [M. Zernicka-Goetz. Fertile offspring derived from mammalian eggs lacking either animal or vegetal poles. Development 1998;125:4803-4808 (Ref. 1)], have been interpreted to mean that such a role for the egg can be discounted. This conclusion seems premature in view of continuing uncertainty regarding the developmental potential of individual blastomeres in mammals.

Safe and ethical living kidney donation in Qatar: A national health system's approach.

PubMed

Asim, Muhammad; Al-Maslamani, Yousuf; Al-Malki, Hassan

2017-01-01

The increasing incidence of end-stage kidney disease in Qatar has led to growing demand for donor kidneys. The deceased donor kidney program has yet to achieve its full potential; hence, living kidney donation has been widely adopted as an appropriate alternative. The reliance on living kidney donors however, raises a number of social, ethical, and legal concerns surrounding informed consent, voluntarism, psychosocial evaluation, perioperative care, and long-term follow-up of living kidney donors. Many of these concerns become heightened in a multicultural, multilingual society within a Gulf country such as Qatar. This article provides an insight into the challenges that living kidney donation poses in a multiethnic society with significant socioeconomic divides. It also discusses the remedial measures that the Qatari government, healthcare authorities, and transplant community have adopted to address these issues.

Safe and ethical living kidney donation in Qatar: A national health system's approach

PubMed Central

Asim, Muhammad; Al-Maslamani, Yousuf; Al-Malki, Hassan

2017-01-01

The increasing incidence of end-stage kidney disease in Qatar has led to growing demand for donor kidneys. The deceased donor kidney program has yet to achieve its full potential; hence, living kidney donation has been widely adopted as an appropriate alternative. The reliance on living kidney donors however, raises a number of social, ethical, and legal concerns surrounding informed consent, voluntarism, psychosocial evaluation, perioperative care, and long-term follow-up of living kidney donors. Many of these concerns become heightened in a multicultural, multilingual society within a Gulf country such as Qatar. This article provides an insight into the challenges that living kidney donation poses in a multiethnic society with significant socioeconomic divides. It also discusses the remedial measures that the Qatari government, healthcare authorities, and transplant community have adopted to address these issues. PMID:28795019

Flawed gun policy research could endanger public safety.

PubMed Central

Webster, D W; Vernick, J S; Ludwig, J; Lester, K J

1997-01-01

A highly publicized recent study by Lott and Mustard concludes that laws easing restrictions on licenses for carrying concealed firearms in public substantially reduce violent crime. Several serious flaws in the study render the authors' conclusions insupportable. These flaws include misclassification of gun-carrying laws, endogeneity of predictor variables, omission of confounding variables, and failure to control for the cyclical nature of crime trends. Most of these problems should bias results toward overestimating the crime-reducing effects of laws making it easier to carry concealed firearms in public. Lott and Mustard's statistical models produce findings inconsistent with criminological theories and well-established facts about crime, and subsequent reanalysis of their data challenges their conclusions. Public health professionals should understand the methodological issues raised in this commentary, particularly when flawed research could influence the introduction of policies with potentially deleterious consequences. PMID:9224169

[The mixed design in nursing sciences or when a question of research calls for qualitative and quantitative strategies].

PubMed

Bourgault, Patricia; Gallagher, Frances; Michaud, Cécile; Saint-Cyr-Tribble, Denise

2010-12-01

The use of a mixed method research design raises many questions, especially regarding the paradigmatic position. With this paradigm, we may consider the mixed method design as the best way of answering a research question and the latter orients to one of the different subtypes of mixed method design. To illustrate the use of this kind of design, we propose a study such as conducted in nursing sciences. In this article, the challenges raised by the mixed method design, and the place of this type of research in nursing sciences is discussed.

Quantum computing and probability.

PubMed

Ferry, David K

2009-11-25

Over the past two decades, quantum computing has become a popular and promising approach to trying to solve computationally difficult problems. Missing in many descriptions of quantum computing is just how probability enters into the process. Here, we discuss some simple examples of how uncertainty and probability enter, and how this and the ideas of quantum computing challenge our interpretations of quantum mechanics. It is found that this uncertainty can lead to intrinsic decoherence, and this raises challenges for error correction.

Examining the Links between Challenging Behaviors in Youth with ASD and Parental Stress, Mental Health, and Involvement: Applying an Adaptation of the Family Stress Model to Families of Youth with ASD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schiltz, Hillary K.; McVey, Alana J.; Magnus, Brooke; Dolan, Bridget K.; Willar, Kirsten S.; Pleiss, Sheryl; Karst, Jeffrey; Carson, Audrey M.; Caiozzo, Christina; Vogt, Elisabeth; Van Hecke, Amy Vaughan

2018-01-01

Raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) poses unique challenges that may impact parents' mental health and parenting experiences. The current study analyzed self-report data from 77 parents of youth with ASD. A serial multiple mediation model revealed that parenting stress (SIPA) and parental mental health (BAI and BDI-II) appears to…

Economic benefits of supersonic overland operation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Metwally, Munir

1992-01-01

Environmental concerns are likely to impose some restrictions on the next generation of supersonic commercial transport. There is a global concern over the effects of engine emissions on the ozone layer which protects life on Earth from ultraviolet radiation. There is also some concern over community noise. The High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) must meet at least the current subsonic noise certification standards to be compatible with the future subsonic fleet. Concerns over sonic boom represent another environmental and marketing challenge to the HSCT program. The most attractive feature of the supersonic transport is speed, which offers the traveling public significant time-savings on long range routes. The sonic boom issue represents a major environmental and economic challenge as well. Supersonic operation overland produces the most desirable economic results. However, unacceptable overland sonic boom raise levels may force HSCT to use subsonic speeds overland. These environmental and economic challenges are likely to impose some restrictions on supersonic operation, thus introducing major changes to existing route structures and future supersonic network composition. The current subsonic route structure may have to be altered for supersonic transports to avoid sensitive areas in the stratosphere or to minimize overland flight tracks. It is important to examine the alternative route structure and the impact of these restrictions on the economic viability of the overall supersonic operation. Future market potential for HSCT fleets must be large enough to enable engine and airframe manufacturers to build the plane at a cost that provides them with an attractive return on investment and to sell it at a price that allows the airlines to operate with a reasonable margin of profit. Subsonic overland operation of a supersonic aircraft hinders its economic viability. Ways to increase the market potential of supersonic operation are described.

How old is too old? Challenges faced by clinicians concerning age cutoffs for patients undergoing in vitro fertilization.

PubMed

Klitzman, Robert L

2016-07-01

To study how IVF providers view and make decisions concerning age cutoffs and futility (e.g., whether they establish clear cutoffs, and if so, where). In-depth interviews of approximately 1 hour. Not applicable. Interviewees: 27 ART providers (17 physicians, 10 other providers) and 10 patients. Not applicable. Attitudes and decisions concerning age cutoffs were assessed. Providers face several challenges and dilemmas concerning both the content and the process of decision-making about age cutoffs-what age cutoff to use for potential parents (women both using and not using their own eggs) and potential fathers (whether to consider the father's age, and if so, separately or only with the mother's age); what criteria to use in these decisions (how much to consider and weigh the mother's autonomy vs. the future child's well-being); how to make these decisions (e.g., "gut feelings" or perceptions of public opinion); who makes these decisions (e.g., physicians on their own vs. a formal ethics or Quality Assurance committee); and how to present/frame these issues to patients (e.g., how much to discourage older women). Patients' responses to age limitations vary (e.g., minimizing or feeling exceptions to the risks; or lying about their age). These data, the first to explore how providers make decisions about age cutoffs for patients, raise several critical issues. Although the American Society for Reproductive Medicine has addressed several concerns, the present data suggest additional questions and challenges, including inherent uncertainties and ethical conflicts, and have important implications for practice, policy, research, and education. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quantitative and qualitative synthesis of socio-hydrological research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, L.; Gober, P.; Wheater, H. S.; Kajikawa, Y.

2017-12-01

The challenge of climate change adaptation has raised awareness of the feedbacks and interconnections in complex human-natural coupled water systems. This has reinforced the call for a socio-hydrological approach to better understand, and represent in models, the associated system dynamics. Such models can potentially provide the tools to link knowledge about complex water systems to decision-making and policy frameworks. Socio-hydrology, as the subfield of human-natural coupled systems analysis, has been dramatically developed in the past few years. The purpose of this study is to empirically examine work that has been framed under the umbrella of socio-hydrology, to provide insights into the participants and their disciplinary perspectives, and to draw conclusions about where the field is headed. In doing so, we used a combined quantitative and qualitative approach to synthesise current knowledge of socio-hydrology and to propose some promising future directions in this subfield of water sciences. The general statistics of the existing literature showed that socio-hydrological research has become an emerging topic and is drawing more concern and engagement of hydrologists. However, the participation of social scientists is inadequate and greater cross-disciplinary integration is desirable. Current concerns in this subfield of water research centre on two basic challenges: (1) the need to embrace the social dimensions of water-related risks, and (2) the importance of interactions and feedbacks in dynamic socio-hydrological systems. A third challenge identified here relates to the large-scale implications of 1) and 2) above, i.e. virtual water flows as a mechanism to track the human use of water at the global scale. Accordingly, we propose five potential directions with regard to socio-hydrological models, interdisciplinary collaboration and transdisciplinary studies, the science-policy interface, resilience in socio-hydrological systems, and data sharing for human-water system studies.

A Review of the National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana: What Are the Sustainability Threats and Prospects?

PubMed

Alhassan, Robert Kaba; Nketiah-Amponsah, Edward; Arhinful, Daniel Kojo

2016-01-01

The introduction of the national health insurance scheme (NHIS) in Ghana in 2003 significantly contributed to improved health services utilization and health outcomes. However, stagnating active membership, reports of poor quality health care rendered to NHIS-insured clients and cost escalations have raised concerns on the operational and financial sustainability of the scheme. This paper reviewed peer reviewed articles and grey literature on the sustainability challenges and prospects of the NHIS in Ghana. Electronic search was done for literature published between 2003-2016 on the NHIS and its sustainability in Ghana. A total of 66 publications relevant to health insurance in Ghana and other developing countries were retrieved from Cochrane, PubMed, ScienceDirect and Googlescholar for initial screening. Out of this number, 31 eligible peer reviewed articles were selected for final review based on specific relevance to the Ghanaian context. Ability of the NHIS to continue its operations in Ghana is threatened financially and operationally by factors such as: cost escalation, possible political interference, inadequate technical capacity, spatial distribution of health facilities and health workers, inadequate monitoring mechanisms, broad benefits package, large exemption groups, inadequate client education, and limited community engagement. Moreover, poor quality care in NHIS-accredited health facilities potentially reduces clients' trust in the scheme and consequently decreases (re)enrolment rates. These sustainability challenges were reviewed and discussed in this paper. The NHIS continues to play a critical role towards attaining universal health coverage in Ghana albeit confronted by challenges that could potentially collapse the scheme. Averting this possible predicament will largely depend on concerted efforts of key stakeholders such as health insurance managers, service providers, insurance subscribers, policy makers and political actors.

A Review of the National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana: What Are the Sustainability Threats and Prospects?

PubMed Central

Alhassan, Robert Kaba; Nketiah-Amponsah, Edward; Arhinful, Daniel Kojo

2016-01-01

Background The introduction of the national health insurance scheme (NHIS) in Ghana in 2003 significantly contributed to improved health services utilization and health outcomes. However, stagnating active membership, reports of poor quality health care rendered to NHIS-insured clients and cost escalations have raised concerns on the operational and financial sustainability of the scheme. This paper reviewed peer reviewed articles and grey literature on the sustainability challenges and prospects of the NHIS in Ghana. Methods Electronic search was done for literature published between 2003–2016 on the NHIS and its sustainability in Ghana. A total of 66 publications relevant to health insurance in Ghana and other developing countries were retrieved from Cochrane, PubMed, ScienceDirect and Googlescholar for initial screening. Out of this number, 31 eligible peer reviewed articles were selected for final review based on specific relevance to the Ghanaian context. Results Ability of the NHIS to continue its operations in Ghana is threatened financially and operationally by factors such as: cost escalation, possible political interference, inadequate technical capacity, spatial distribution of health facilities and health workers, inadequate monitoring mechanisms, broad benefits package, large exemption groups, inadequate client education, and limited community engagement. Moreover, poor quality care in NHIS-accredited health facilities potentially reduces clients’ trust in the scheme and consequently decreases (re)enrolment rates. These sustainability challenges were reviewed and discussed in this paper. Conclusions The NHIS continues to play a critical role towards attaining universal health coverage in Ghana albeit confronted by challenges that could potentially collapse the scheme. Averting this possible predicament will largely depend on concerted efforts of key stakeholders such as health insurance managers, service providers, insurance subscribers, policy makers and political actors. PMID:27832082

Hybrids in Bloom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sabo, Sandra R.

1994-01-01

College and university fund-raising programs that combine some characteristics of centralization and some of decentralization can be very successful and also pose unique administrative challenges, as illustrated in the experiences of a number of diverse institutions. Collaboration and clear communication are keys to effective administration. (MSE)

Teaching about Narrative.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davies, Gill

1978-01-01

Raises issues involved in the study and teaching of narrative, with reference to both literature and film. Considers the function of realism in narrative fiction and the teaching of theory and practice of those writers and filmmakers who have challenged the realist text by alternative strategies. (JMF)

Hiroshima as Politics and History.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sherwin, Martin J.

1995-01-01

Argues that the objections raised to the Enola Gay exhibit are rooted in Cold War politics. Maintains that this historical myopia exemplifies the need for challenging historical inquiry. Characterizes opposition to the exhibit as largely political and discusses demands made to censor exhibit material. (MJP)

Cultural Diversity and the Imagined Community of the Global Academy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guerin, Cally; Green, Ian

2016-01-01

Transnational academic mobility and the ongoing push towards "internationalization" together raise challenges for the cultural climate of today's universities. This paper explores these issues from the perspective of supervisors of research degrees in an Australian university in which "internationalization" and "academic…

From Internet User to Cyberspace Citizen.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wakabayashi, Ippei

1997-01-01

Discusses social and cultural challenges that Internet technology raises. Highlights include preserving the freedom in cyberspace, the information distribution scheme of the Internet, two-way interactivity, search engines as marketing tools, the insecurity of cyberspace, online safety rules for children, educating children to "walk…

Practical Parenting: Successful Strategies for Solving Your Child's Behaviour Problems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stenhouse, Glen

Recognizing that all parents encounter challenges in raising their children, this book presents practical strategies for solving common behavior problems. Chapter 1, "Bonding," concerns the development of parent-child attachment. Chapter 2, "Encouraging Development," discusses "hot-housing," language development, and…

Mascot Madness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henderson, Nancy

2013-01-01

For institutions around the world, mascots serve many purposes, such as raising school spirit and energizing sports teams. But mascots also can breed discord. In recent decades, some schools have been challenged to replace controversial Native American mascots while others have encountered resistance when introducing different mascot designs.…

Educational Neuroscience: Neuroethical Considerations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lalancette, Helene; Campbell, Stephen R.

2012-01-01

Research design and methods in educational neuroscience involve using neuroscientific tools such as brain image technologies to investigate cognitive functions and inform educational practices. The ethical challenges raised by research in social neuroscience have become the focus of neuroethics, a sub-discipline of bioethics. More specifically…

Mesenchymal Stem and Progenitor Cells in Regeneration: Tissue Specificity and Regenerative Potential

PubMed Central

Pieber, Thomas Rudolf

2017-01-01

It has always been an ambitious goal in medicine to repair or replace morbid tissues for regaining the organ functionality. This challenge has recently gained momentum through considerable progress in understanding the biological concept of the regenerative potential of stem cells. Routine therapeutic procedures are about to shift towards the use of biological and molecular armamentarium. The potential use of embryonic stem cells and invention of induced pluripotent stem cells raised hope for clinical regenerative purposes; however, the use of these interventions for regenerative therapy showed its dark side, as many health concerns and ethical issues arose in terms of using these cells in clinical applications. In this regard, adult stem cells climbed up to the top list of regenerative tools and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) showed promise for regenerative cell therapy with a rather limited level of risk. MSC have been successfully isolated from various human tissues and they have been shown to offer the possibility to establish novel therapeutic interventions for a variety of hard-to-noncurable diseases. There have been many elegant studies investigating the impact of MSC in regenerative medicine. This review provides compact information on the role of stem cells, in particular, MSC in regeneration. PMID:28286525

Exclusive contracts in the hospital setting: a two-edged sword, part 1: legal issues.

PubMed

Portman, Robert M

2007-05-01

Hospitals routinely enter into contracts with radiology groups for the right to be the exclusive provider of radiology services at the facility in exchange for the group agreeing to provide and manage all aspects of that service within the hospital. These "exclusive contracts" generally result in the radiology department and associated equipment being closed off to physicians who are not part of the contracting group. Exclusive contracts are generally considered to be good for physicians who have them and bad for those excluded by them. In fact, while exclusive contracts offer obvious benefits to the physicians who receive them and obvious disadvantages for those who are excluded, they also present pitfalls for physicians in the chosen group. Part I of this article discusses the legal issues raised by exclusive contracts. Although these agreements appear to be anti-competitive, most courts have rejected antitrust challenges to exclusive contracts. Excluded physicians have had much greater success in attacking exclusive contracting arrangements on breach of contract and procedural/due process grounds. Exclusive contracting arrangements can also raise concerns under the Medicare-Medicaid anti-kickback statute if the contracting physicians are required to pay consideration or accept less than fair market value compensation in exchange for exclusive contracts. These agreements can also raise issues under the Stark II physician self-referral law if the contracting physicians are in a position to refer Medicare or Medicaid patients to the hospital. Part II of this article will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of exclusive contracts for physicians covered and not covered by such contracts, as well as strategies for avoiding them or minimizing their potential adverse impact. It also will discuss specific provisions of exclusive contracts that should be included or avoided.

Comparative Measurement of Microcystins in Diverse Surface ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The measurement of microcystins, cyanotoxins associated with cyanobacterial blooms which are increasingly prevalent in inland waters, is complicated by the diversity of congeners which have been observed in the environment. At present, more than 150 microcystin congeners have been identified, and this poses a significant challenge to analytical methods intended to assess human health risks in surface and drinking water systems. The most widely employed analytical method at present is the ADDA-ELISA technique which is potentially sensitive to all microcystins, but it is primarily intended as a semi-quantitative method, and questions have been raised regarding the potential for cross-reactivity and false positives. LC-MS/MS methods targeting specific congeners, such as US EPA Method 544, are intended for use as a secondary confirmation following a positive ELISA response, but these techniques can target only those congeners for which commercial standards are available. Accordingly, they are not suitable for ascertaining the safety of a given water sample, given the potential for omitting unknown microcystin congeners which might be present.An alternative approach involves oxidative transformation of microcystins to a common product, 2-methyl-3-methoxy-4-phenylbutyric acid, or MMPB. Measuring MMPB by LC-MS/MS can potentially provide a metric for the sum of all microcystin congeners present in a sample, subject to the efficiency and overall yield of conversion. The

Comparative measurement of microcystins in diverse surface ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The measurement of microcystins, cyanotoxins associated with cyanobacterial blooms which are increasingly prevalent in inland waters, is complicated by the diversity of congeners which have been observed in the environment. At present, more than 150 microcystin congeners have been identified, and this poses a significant challenge to analytical methods intended to assess human health risks in surface and drinking water systems. The most widely employed analytical method at present is the ADDA-ELISA technique which is potentially sensitive to all microcystins, but it is primarily intended as a semi-quantitative method, and questions have been raised regarding the potential for cross-reactivity and false positives. LC-MS/MS methods targeting specific congeners, such as US EPA Method 544, are intended for use as a secondary confirmation following a positive ELISA response, but these techniques can target only those congeners for which commercial standards are available. Accordingly, they not suitable for ascertaining the safety of a given water sample, given the potential for omitting unknown microcystin congeners which might be present.An alternative approach involves oxidative transformation of microcystins to a common product, 2-methyl-3-methoxy-4-phenylbutyric acid, or MMPB. Measuring MMPB by LC-MS/MS can potentially provide a metric for the sum of all microcystin congeners present in a sample, subject to the efficiency and overall yield of conversion. The pres

Airway mucosal bioelectric potential difference in cystic fibrosis after lung transplantation.

PubMed

Wood, A; Higenbottam, T; Jackson, M; Scott, J; Stewart, S; Wallwork, J

1989-12-01

Bioelectrical potential difference (PD) across the respiratory mucosa is raised in cystic fibrosis (CF). We have recorded airway potentials from seven patients with CF who had undergone heart-lung transplantation and from eight patients without CF who had had transplants for cardiovascular disease; comparison of these populations controls for the effects of denervation and immunosuppressive treatment. Six patients without CF who had not had transplants formed an additional control. PD was recorded during routine fiberoptic bronchoscopy, using a Ringer's-perfused exploring bridge connected across a high impedance amplifier to an intravenous reference bridge. Bronchial lavage and sputum culture revealed no evidence of infection. Bronchial PD was similar in all three groups of patients at equivalent sites. However, nasal PD was raised in the CF group (mean value, 44 mV +/- 3.9 SE) compared with the patients who had transplants for cardiovascular disease (mean, 18 mV +/- 1.1 SE), and the control patients (mean, 15 mV +/- 1.2 SE). We conclude that the epithelial defects that result in raised airway potentials in CF do not recur in the transplanted lung.

Regarding the quantification of peripheral microcirculation--Comparing responses evoked in the in vivo human lower limb by postural changes, suprasystolic occlusion and oxygen breathing.

PubMed

Silva, Henrique; Ferreira, Hugo; Bujan, Ma Julia; Rodrigues, Luis Monteiro

2015-05-01

The human skin is an interesting model to explore microcirculation, particularly if using noninvasive technologies such as LDF (Laser Doppler Flowmetry) and tc (transcutaneous) gasimetry and methods as near as possible from the normal physiological state. In this study, we combined those technologies with three classical approaches--leg raising from supine, suprasystolic occlusion (in the ankle), and normobaric oxygen breathing to explore distal peripheral circulation in the foot. These methods are often cited, but a comparative assessment has not been done. The goal of this study was to identify relevant flow related descriptors, method-related advantages and pitfalls, and eventually, to find the best experimental approach. Volunteers (both genders, 22.1 ± 3.7 years old) were subjected to these methods and variables registered during basal, challenge and stabilization phases. Descriptive and comparative statistics were obtained, adopting a 95% confidence level. All flow-related quantitative descriptors potentially useful for the analysis were identified and compared. As expected, male patients consistently showed higher LDF levels and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and lower tcpO2 values. However, lower results were recorded in the supine position, suggesting a postural dependence. Both leg raising and suprasystolic occlusion produced a hyperemic response after provocation, although different in magnitude, significantly reducing LDF and tcpO2 during provocation. The oxygen breathing method provided the most patient-friendly protocol, consistently reducing LDF (potentially by the inhibition of production of local vasodilators). TEWL increased during the provocation phase in all protocols, although not significantly. Baseline tcpO2 was found to correlate positively with the peak tcpO2 during oxygen breathing and basal LDF with peak flow during leg raising and suprasystolic occlusion. No statistical correlation between TEWL and LDF could be demonstrated under the current experimental conditions. We conclude that although equally useful considering the purpose, these methods involve very different practicalities and do not provide the same information. Also noteworthy, LDF is a highly sensitive indicator that could be further explored to look deeper into blood flow regulating mechanisms. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Breast Cancer Risk Estimation and Personal Insurance: A Qualitative Study Presenting Perspectives from Canadian Patients and Decision Makers

PubMed Central

Dalpé, Gratien; Ngueng Feze, Ida; Salman, Shahad; Joly, Yann; Hagan, Julie; Lévesque, Emmanuelle; Dorval, Véronique; Blouin-Bougie, Jolyane; Amara, Nabil; Dorval, Michel; Simard, Jacques

2017-01-01

Genetic stratification approaches in personalized medicine may considerably improve our ability to predict breast cancer risk for women at higher risk of developing breast cancer. Notwithstanding these advantages, concerns have been raised about the use of the genetic information derived in these processes, outside of the research and medical health care settings, by third parties such as insurers. Indeed, insurance applicants are asked to consent to insurers accessing their medical information (implicitly including genetic) to verify or determine their insurability level, or eligibility to certain insurance products. This use of genetic information may result in the differential treatment of individuals based on their genetic information, which could lead to higher premium, exclusionary clauses or even the denial of coverage. This phenomenon has been commonly referred to as “Genetic Discrimination” (GD). In the Canadian context, where federal Bill S-201, An Act to prohibit and prevent genetic discrimination, has recently been enacted but may be subject to constitutional challenges, information about potential risks to insurability may raise issues in the clinical context. We conducted a survey with women in Quebec who have never been diagnosed with breast cancer to document their perspectives. We complemented the research with data from 14 semi-structured interviews with decision-makers in Quebec to discuss institutional issues raised by the use of genetic information by insurers. Our results provide findings on five main issues: (1) the reluctance to undergo genetic screening test due to insurability concerns, (2) insurers' interest in genetic information, (3) the duty to disclose genetic information to insurers, (4) the disclosure of potential impacts on insurability before genetic testing, and (5) the status of genetic information compared to other health data. Overall, both groups of participants (the women surveyed and the decision-makers interviewed) acknowledged having concerns about GD and reported a need for better communication tools discussing insurability risk. Our conclusions regarding concerns about GD and the need for better communication tools in the clinical setting may be transferable to the broader Canadian context. PMID:28983318

Breast Cancer Risk Estimation and Personal Insurance: A Qualitative Study Presenting Perspectives from Canadian Patients and Decision Makers.

PubMed

Dalpé, Gratien; Ngueng Feze, Ida; Salman, Shahad; Joly, Yann; Hagan, Julie; Lévesque, Emmanuelle; Dorval, Véronique; Blouin-Bougie, Jolyane; Amara, Nabil; Dorval, Michel; Simard, Jacques

2017-01-01

Genetic stratification approaches in personalized medicine may considerably improve our ability to predict breast cancer risk for women at higher risk of developing breast cancer. Notwithstanding these advantages, concerns have been raised about the use of the genetic information derived in these processes, outside of the research and medical health care settings, by third parties such as insurers. Indeed, insurance applicants are asked to consent to insurers accessing their medical information (implicitly including genetic) to verify or determine their insurability level, or eligibility to certain insurance products. This use of genetic information may result in the differential treatment of individuals based on their genetic information, which could lead to higher premium, exclusionary clauses or even the denial of coverage. This phenomenon has been commonly referred to as "Genetic Discrimination" (GD). In the Canadian context, where federal Bill S-201, An Act to prohibit and prevent genetic discrimination , has recently been enacted but may be subject to constitutional challenges, information about potential risks to insurability may raise issues in the clinical context. We conducted a survey with women in Quebec who have never been diagnosed with breast cancer to document their perspectives. We complemented the research with data from 14 semi-structured interviews with decision-makers in Quebec to discuss institutional issues raised by the use of genetic information by insurers. Our results provide findings on five main issues: (1) the reluctance to undergo genetic screening test due to insurability concerns, (2) insurers' interest in genetic information, (3) the duty to disclose genetic information to insurers, (4) the disclosure of potential impacts on insurability before genetic testing, and (5) the status of genetic information compared to other health data. Overall, both groups of participants (the women surveyed and the decision-makers interviewed) acknowledged having concerns about GD and reported a need for better communication tools discussing insurability risk. Our conclusions regarding concerns about GD and the need for better communication tools in the clinical setting may be transferable to the broader Canadian context.

Protective efficacy of an inactivated Eurasian avian-like H1N1 swine influenza vaccine against homologous H1N1 and heterologous H1N1 and H1N2 viruses in mice.

PubMed

Sui, Jinyu; Yang, Dawei; Qiao, Chuanling; Xu, Huiyang; Xu, Bangfeng; Wu, Yunpu; Yang, Huanliang; Chen, Yan; Chen, Hualan

2016-07-19

Eurasian avian-like H1N1 (EA H1N1) swine influenza viruses are prevalent in pigs in Europe and Asia, but occasionally cause human infection, which raises concern about their pandemic potential. Here, we produced a whole-virus inactivated vaccine with an EA H1N1 strain (A/swine/Guangxi/18/2011, SW/GX/18/11) and evaluated its efficacy against homologous H1N1 and heterologous H1N1 and H1N2 influenza viruses in mice. A strong humoral immune response, which we measured by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) and virus neutralization (VN), was induced in the vaccine-inoculated mice upon challenge. The inactivated SW/GX/18/11 vaccine provided complete protection against challenge with homologous SW/GX/18/11 virus in mice and provided effective protection against challenge with heterologous H1N1 and H1N2 viruses with distinctive genomic combinations. Our findings suggest that this EA H1N1 vaccine can provide protection against both homologous H1N1 and heterologous H1N1 or H1N2 virus infection. As such, it is an excellent vaccine candidate to prevent H1N1 swine influenza. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Public Library Trustee and Changing Community Needs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

The Bookmark, 1987

1987-01-01

This issue of "The Bookmark" contains 23 essays examining the challenges facing public library trustees and changing community needs. Topics considered include: the role of the trustee, fund raising, lobbying and the legislative process, library building programs, library automation, literacy, intellectual freedom, information access, preschool…

Williams Syndrome: Daily Challenges and Positive Impact on the Family

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scallan, Susan; Senior, Joyce; Reilly, Colin

2011-01-01

Background: Despite the distinctive physical, cognitive, personality and behavioural characteristics associated with Williams syndrome, few studies to date have examined parental experiences of raising a child with this genetic syndrome. Methods: This explorative pilot study employed predominantly qualitative methodologies via face-to-face…

Patchwork Plagiarism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Janice

2007-01-01

In this Information Age, students produce research projects by piecing together passages quoted verbatim and stitched together with a few introductory or transitional words. They assemble research as patchwork quilts rather than weaving a fabric of new knowledge. This common practice raises ethical issues and poses new challenges for library media…

The Constructivist Concept: Primacy of the Obscure.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thoresen, Carl E.

1988-01-01

Responds to Mahoney and Lyddon's review of constructivism in previous article by raising questions about how the conceptual framework of constructivism can be further examined or challenged scientifically, how a constructivist orientation can be used in clinical and counseling work, and what role behavior plays. (NB)

Laws Must Be Nonpartisan, Not Bipartisan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mulford, Ross Clayton

1996-01-01

Maintains that current campaign finance laws and regulations unfairly advantage incumbents and discourage challengers. This has resulted in the predominance of interest groups, media campaigns, and an emphasis on fund raising over political leadership. Argues for campaign finance laws written to serve the public interest. (MJP)

Early Education Success Is Good Business.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Odell, Mary

1992-01-01

Examines the Riordan Foundation's successful strategy in establishing computer-assisted reading labs in public and private elementary schools nationwide. The foundation provides challenge grants to applicant schools to purchase equipment for the "Writing to Read" program and assists them in raising additional funds from local businesses.…

Grandparent Education: Raising Grandchildren

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strom, Paris S.; Strom, Robert D.

2011-01-01

Grandparent-headed households are increasing in the United States. Most caregivers believe their role will be permanent. The responsibilities are more difficult because previous parenting experiences do not apply to some current challenges, and there are no paradigms to provide guidance. Accordingly, caregivers want to know the goals that…

Challenges of Designing the Next Generation of America's Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duke, Daniel L.

1998-01-01

The Thomas Jefferson Center for Educational Design at the University of Virginia, with associates representing architecture, business, education, engineering, sociology, and technology, wants to redesign both schools and schooling. The goal is to raise standards without destroying hope, promote responsibility without sacrificing safety, expand…

Conjoined Twins: Philosophical Problems and Ethical Challenges

PubMed Central

Savulescu, Julian; Persson, Ingmar

2016-01-01

We examine the philosophical and ethical issues associated with conjoined twins and their surgical separation. In cases in which there is an extensive sharing of organs, but nevertheless two distinguishable functioning brains, there are a number of philosophical and ethical challenges. This is because such conjoined twins: 1. give rise to puzzles concerning our identity, about whether we are identical to something psychological or biological;2. force us to decide whether what matters from an ethical point of view is the biological life of our organisms or the existence of our consciousness or mind;3. raise questions concerning when, if ever, it is morally acceptable to sacrifice one of us to save another;4. force us to reflect on the conditions for ownership of organs and the justification of removal of organs for transplantation which causes the death of the donor;5. raise questions about who should take decisions about life-risking treatments when this cannot be decided by patients themselves. We examine and suggest answers to these questions. PMID:26671962

Challenges, coping strategies, and unmet needs of families with a child with autism spectrum disorder in Goa, India.

PubMed

Divan, Gauri; Vajaratkar, Vivek; Desai, Miraj U; Strik-Lievers, Luisa; Patel, Vikram

2012-06-01

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are increasingly recognized in developing countries like India. However, little is known about the experiences of parents raising a child with ASD. This study aimed to describe the experiences of families in Goa, India with a view to understanding the unmet needs of families raising a child with ASD. Twenty in-depth interviews and nine focus group discussions were carried out with families of children with ASD and key community stakeholders such as special educators, teachers, and parents of typically developing children. This qualitative data was triangulated to explore the experiences, life impact, and unmet needs of raising a child with ASD. Key findings suggest that raising a child with ASD puts a tremendous strain on families due to competing commitments, often leading to initial social withdrawal with later reintegration into social networks. Second, the impact is multidimensional, involving the personal sphere but also extending into the wider community with negative experiences of discrimination. Third, parents actively respond to these challenges through a range of approaches with help from existing and new social support networks and health care providers. Fourth, professionals from the health, education, and religious sectors have a low awareness of the unique needs of families living with ASD which leads to a considerable economic and emotional burden on families. Finally, as a consequence of these experiences, several unmet needs can be identified, notably for supporting increasingly isolated families and the limited access to multidisciplinary evidence-based services for ASD. Autism Res 2012, 5: 190-200. © 2012 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2012 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[The "Ice Bucket Challenge": wondering about the impact of social networks to promote public health interventions].

PubMed

Gualano, Maria Rosaria; Bert, Fabrizio; Gili, Renata; Andriolo, Violetta; Scaioli, Giacomo; Siliquini, Roberta

2015-01-01

The "Ice Bucket Challenge" was an activity launched to promote awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and encourage donations to research for this disease. The campaign went viral on social media during July to August 2014. It consisted in nominating people and challenging them to donate 100 dollars to the ALS Association or pour a bucket of ice water over their head and post the video on the web. Participants in turn then had to challenge others to do the same. The initiative was hugely successful, involved millions of people and, just in the US, collected 35 times more money than in the same time period in 2013. We analyzed possible factors that determined the success of this initiative, to identify strengths and weaknesses of the activity and evaluate the possibility of applying the same model to promote public health interventions. Several features of the challenge were identified as strengths: the involvement of wellknown people from different contexts, the "public platform" which triggers a positive combination of competitiveness, social pressure and narcissism, the chain-letter like method of nomination, the ironic and entertaining nature of the performance. Besides these strengths, weaknesses were also identified: information spread via social media can only partially reach potential donors and supporters, due to the digital divide phenomenon which excludes people who do not have web access. Also, it is not possible to predict if the message will be long-lasting or will cease shortly after the end of the campaign. The latter could be acceptable for fund-raising, where the aim is simply to collect as much money as possible, but not for a public health intervention program, whose success requires that the intended message has a long-lasting effect to produce an effective change in people's behavior. Despite the above-mentioned limits, social networks undeniably show great potential to spread messages to the community and to involve a large number of people. Their use as a complementary tool to increase the effectiveness of public health campaigns should therefore be encouraged.

The Opportunities and Challenges of Bringing New Metrology Equipment to Market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perloff, David S.

2005-09-01

This paper provides an overview of the economic and technological factors which are driving the demand for new metrology and inspection equipment, the challenges and opportunities facing new companies in bringing such equipment to market, and the funding environment in which new companies must raise capital to finance their efforts. Seven metrology companies and one inspection equipment company that have received first-time venture backing since 2000 are used to illustrate how these specialized businesses are launched and funded.

Diversifying bio-petro fuel sources for future energy sustainability and its challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Othman, M. R.; Helwani, Z.; Idris, I.

2018-04-01

Petroleum has been important in the energy industry since 19th century when the refining of paraffin from crude oil began. The industry recently appears to be in a downtown and fragile moment despite the price of oil is slowly rising. Renewable alternatives such as biofuels have gained increasing traction while petroleum fuel seemingly concedes to bio-fuels due to the rising public concern on the environment and stricter emission regulations. To be a strategic fuel in the energy security matrix, both fossil and bio-fuels options should be considered. However, the use of bio-fuels to achieve a degree of carbon neutrality is not without challenges. Among the challenges are land development and socio-political issue, carbon neutrality due to ILUC, high 2G bio-fuel feedstock and production cost, competing technology from electric vehicles and the impending fourth industrial revolution, NOx emissions and variation in biodiesel quality. This paper briefly reviews the potential of fuels source diversification and the challenges and how they can raise up to the challenges in order to be sustainable and attractive. In order to achieve this objective, first carbon credit through carbon trading needs to continue to stabilize the energy price. Second, 1G bio-fuel needs to forgo the use of natural, peat forest, rubber estate since these are an effective carbon sink and oxygen source. Third, advanced bio-fuels with high yield, process economics and sustainability need to be innovated. Fourth, the quality and standard bio-fuel that reduces NOx emission need to be improved. Finally and most importantly, carbon capture technology needs to be deployed immediately in fossil fuel power plants.

Politics, Practices, and Possibilities of Open Educational Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phelan, Liam

2012-01-01

In this article, I reflect on the politics, practices and possibilities of the open educational resources (OER). OER raise important implications for current and potential students, for postsecondary education institutions, and for those currently teaching in higher education. The key questions raised by OER centre on the role of teaching in…

Controversial Issues in Our Schools. Fastback 146.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldstein, William

There is virtually nothing taught in the American public school that is not potentially explosive at some time or place. America's cultural makeup provides for the development of controversy whenever such issues as sex, religion, politics, and economics are raised, and particularly when they are raised in the school environment. School…

Atomic Layer Deposition of Stable LiAlF4 Lithium Ion Conductive Interfacial Layer for Stable Cathode Cycling.

PubMed

Xie, Jin; Sendek, Austin D; Cubuk, Ekin D; Zhang, Xiaokun; Lu, Zhiyi; Gong, Yongji; Wu, Tong; Shi, Feifei; Liu, Wei; Reed, Evan J; Cui, Yi

2017-07-25

Modern lithium ion batteries are often desired to operate at a wide electrochemical window to maximize energy densities. While pushing the limit of cutoff potentials allows batteries to provide greater energy densities with enhanced specific capacities and higher voltage outputs, it raises key challenges with thermodynamic and kinetic stability in the battery. This is especially true for layered lithium transition-metal oxides, where capacities can improve but stabilities are compromised as wider electrochemical windows are applied. To overcome the above-mentioned challenges, we used atomic layer deposition to develop a LiAlF 4 solid thin film with robust stability and satisfactory ion conductivity, which is superior to commonly used LiF and AlF 3 . With a predicted stable electrochemical window of approximately 2.0 ± 0.9 to 5.7 ± 0.7 V vs Li + /Li for LiAlF 4 , excellent stability was achieved for high Ni content LiNi 0.8 Mn 0.1 Co 0.1 O 2 electrodes with LiAlF 4 interfacial layer at a wide electrochemical window of 2.75-4.50 V vs Li + /Li.

Calculating the pre-consumer waste footprint: A screening study of 10 selected products.

PubMed

Laurenti, Rafael; Moberg, Åsa; Stenmarck, Åsa

2017-01-01

Knowledge about the total waste generated by the production of consumer goods can help raise awareness among policy-makers, producers and consumers of the benefits of closing loops in a future circular economy, avoiding unnecessary production and production steps and associated generation of large amounts of waste. In strict life cycle assessment practice, information on waste outputs from intermediate industrial processes of material and energy transformation is translated into and declared as potential environmental impacts, which are often not reported in the final results. In this study, a procedure to extract available intermediate data and perform a systematic pre-consumer waste footprint analysis was developed. The pre-consumer waste footprint concept was tested to analyse 10 generic products, which provided some novel and interesting results for the different product categories and identified a number of challenges that need to be resolved in development of the waste footprint concept. These challenges include standardised data declaration on waste in life cycle assessment, with a separation into waste categories illustrating the implicit environmental and scale of significance of waste types and quantities (e.g. hazardous waste, inert waste, waste for recycling/incineration) and establishment of a common definition of waste throughout sectors and nations.

DNA vaccines targeting heavy chain C-terminal fragments of Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin serotypes A, B, and E induce potent humoral and cellular immunity and provide protection from lethal toxin challenge.

PubMed

Scott, Veronica L; Villarreal, Daniel O; Hutnick, Natalie A; Walters, Jewell N; Ragwan, Edwin; Bdeir, Khalil; Yan, Jian; Sardesai, Niranjan Y; Finnefrock, Adam C; Casimiro, Danilo R; Weiner, David B

2015-01-01

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are deadly, toxic proteins produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum that can cause significant diseases in humans. The use of the toxic substances as potential bioweapons has raised concerns by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United States Military. Currently, there is no licensed vaccine to prevent botulinum intoxication. Here we present an immunogenicity study to evaluate the efficacy of novel monovalent vaccines and a trivalent cocktail DNA vaccine targeting the heavy chain C-terminal fragments of Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin serotypes A, B, and E. These synthetic DNA vaccines induced robust humoral and polyfunctional CD4(+) T-cell responses which fully protected animals against lethal challenge after just 2 immunizations. In addition, naïve animals administered immunized sera mixed with the lethal neurotoxin were 100% protected against intoxication. The data demonstrate the protective efficacy induced by a combinative synthetic DNA vaccine approach. This study has importance for the development of vaccines that provide protective immunity against C. botulinum neurotoxins and other toxins.

From personal tragedy to personal challenge: responses to stigma among sober living home residents and operators

PubMed Central

Heslin, Kevin C.; Singzon, Trudy; Aimiuwu, Otaren; Sheridan, Dave; Hamilton, Alison

2011-01-01

Sober living homes for people attempting to maintain abstinence from alcohol and drugs can act as a buffer against the high rates of substance misuse that are endemic to many urban environments. Sober living homes and other group homes for people with disabilities have faced persistent opposition from neighborhood associations, which raises the question of stigma. This article describes the responses of sober living home residents and operators to the threat of stigma across a diverse set of neighborhoods. Ten focus groups were conducted with 68 residents and operators of 35 sober living homes in Los Angeles County, California, between January 2009 and March 2010. Results showed that few residents reported experiences of blatant stigmatization by neighbors; however, they were well aware of the stereotypes that could be ascribed to them. Despite this potential stigma, residents developed valued identities as helpers in their communities, providing advice to neighbors whose family or friends had substance use problems, and organizing community service activities to improve the appearance of their neighborhoods. With their attention to local context, sober living home residents and operators challenge the personal tragedy approach of much traditional advocacy on health-related stigma. PMID:21707663

An Overview of Current Approaches Toward the Treatment and Prevention of West Nile Virus Infection.

PubMed

Acharya, Dhiraj; Bai, Fengwei

2016-01-01

The persistence of West Nile virus (WNV) infections throughout the USA since its inception in 1999 and its continuous spread throughout the globe calls for an urgent need of effective treatments and prevention measures. Although the licensing of several WNV vaccines for veterinary use provides a proof of concept, similar efforts on the development of an effective vaccine for humans remain still unsuccessful. Increased understanding of biology and pathogenesis of WNV together with recent technological advancements have raised hope that an effective WNV vaccine may be available in the near future. In addition, rapid progress in the structural and functional characterization of WNV and other flaviviral proteins have provided a solid base for the design and development of several classes of inhibitors as potential WNV therapeutics. Moreover, the therapeutic monoclonal antibodies demonstrate an excellent efficacy against WNV in animal models and represent a promising class of WNV therapeutics. However, there are some challenges as to the design and development of a safe and efficient WNV vaccine or therapeutic. In this chapter, we discuss the current approaches, progress, and challenges toward the development of WNV vaccines, therapeutic antibodies, and antiviral drugs.

[Bioethical challenges of stem cell tourism].

PubMed

Ventura-Juncá, Patricio; Erices, Alejandro; Santos, Manuel J

2013-08-01

Stem cells have drawn extraordinary attention from scientists and the general public due to their potential to generate effective therapies for incurable diseases. At the same time, the production of embryonic stem cells involves a serious ethical issue concerning the destruction of human embryos. Although adult stem cells and induced pluripotential cells do not pose this ethical objection, there are other bioethical challenges common to all types of stem cells related particularly to the clinical use of stem cells. Their clinical use should be based on clinical trials, and in special situations, medical innovation, both of which have particular ethical dimensions. The media has raised unfounded expectations in patients and the public about the real clinical benefits of stem cells. At the same time, the number of unregulated clinics is increasing around the world, making direct offers through Internet of unproven stem cell therapies that attract desperate patients that have not found solutions in standard medicine. This is what is called stem cells tourism. This article reviews this situation, its consequences and the need for international cooperation to establish effective regulations to prevent the exploitation of patients and to endanger the prestige of legitimate stem cell research.

The challenges posed by radiation and radionuclide releases to the environment.

PubMed

Wenning, Richard J; Apitz, Sabine E; Backhaus, Thomas; Barnthouse, Lawrence; Batley, Graeme; Brooks, Bryan; Chapman, Peter M; Griffin, Michael; Kapustka, Lawrence; Landis, Wayne; Leung, Kenneth M Y; Linkov, Igor; Seager, Thomas P; Suter, Glenn; Tannenbaum, Lawrence

2011-07-01

The recent accident at the Fukushima I nuclear power plant in Japan (also known as Fukushima Daiichi) captured the world's attention and re-invigorated concerns about the safety of nuclear power technology. The Editors of Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management invited experts in the field to describe the primary issues associated with the control and release of radioactive materials to the environment, particularly those that are of importance to the health of the human populations and the ecological systems that populate our planet. This collection of invited short commentaries aims to inform on the safety of nuclear power plants damaged by natural disasters and provide a primer on the potential environmental impacts. The intent of these invited commentaries is not to fuel the excitement and fears about the Fukushima Daiichi incident; rather, it is to collect views and comments from some of the world's experts on the broad science and policy challenges raised by this event, and to provide high-level views on the science issues that surround this situation in order to improve our collective ability to avoid or at least minimize the consequences of future events. Copyright © 2011 SETAC.

Construction of a linked health and social care database resource--lessons on process, content and culture.

PubMed

Witham, Miles D; Frost, Helen; McMurdo, Marion; Donnan, Peter T; McGilchrist, Mark

2015-01-01

Combining routinely collected health and social care data on older people is essential to advance both service delivery and research for this client group. Little data is available on how to combine health and social care data; this article provides an overview of a successful data linkage process and discusses potential barriers to executing such projects. We successfully obtained and linked data on older people within Dundee from three sources: Dundee Social Work Department database (30,000 individuals aged 65 years and over), healthcare data held on NHS Tayside patients by the Health Informatics Centre (400,000 individuals), Dundee, and the Dundee of Medicine for the Elderly rehabilitation database (4300 individuals). Data were linked, anonymized and transferred to a Safe Haven environment to ensuring confidentiality and strict access control. Challenges were faced around workflows, culture and documentation. Exploiting the resultant data set raises further challenges centered on database documentation, understanding the way data were collected, dealing with missing data, data validity and collection at different time periods. Routinely collected health and social care data sets can be linked, but significant process barriers must be overcome to allow successful linkage and integration of data and its full exploitation.

Worsening of myasthenia gravis after administration of injectable long-acting risperidone for treatment of schizophrenia; first case report and a call for caution.

PubMed

Al-Hashel, Jasem Y; Ismail, Ismail Ibrahim; John, John K; Ibrahim, Mohammed; Ali, Mahmoud

2016-01-01

Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease characterized by muscle weakness due to autoantibodies affecting the neuromuscular junction. Co-occurrence of myasthenia gravis and schizophrenia is very rare and raises a challenge in management of both diseases. Antipsychotic drugs exhibit anticholinergic side effects and have the potentials of worsening myasthenia. Long-acting risperidone is an injectable atypical antipsychotic drug that has not been previously reported to worsen myasthenia gravis in literature. We report the first case report of worsening of myasthenia after receiving long-acting risperidone injection for schizophrenia in a 29-year-old female with both diseases. She started to have worsening 2 weeks following the first injection and her symptoms persisted despite receiving plasma exchange. This could be explained by the pharmacokinetics of the drug. We recommend that long-acting risperidone should be used with caution in patients with myasthenia gravis, and clinicians must be aware of the potential risks of this therapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Potential of Virtual Reality for the Investigation of Awe

PubMed Central

Chirico, Alice; Yaden, David B.; Riva, Giuseppe; Gaggioli, Andrea

2016-01-01

The emotion of awe is characterized by the perception of vastness and a need for accommodation, which can include a positive and/or negative valence. While a number of studies have successfully manipulated this emotion, the issue of how to elicit particularly intense awe experiences in laboratory settings remains. We suggest that virtual reality (VR) is a particularly effective mood induction tool for eliciting awe. VR provides three key assets for improving awe. First, VR provides users with immersive and ecological yet controlled environments that can elicit a sense of “presence,” the subjective experience of “being there” in a simulated reality. Further, VR can be used to generate complex, vast stimuli, which can target specific theoretical facets of awe. Finally, VR allows for convenient tracking of participants’ behavior and physiological responses, allowing for more integrated assessment of emotional experience. We discussed the potential and challenges of the proposed approach with an emphasis on VR’s capacity to raise the signal of reactions to emotions such as awe in laboratory settings. PMID:27881970

Health literacy and asthma.

PubMed

Rosas-Salazar, Christian; Apter, Andrea J; Canino, Glorisa; Celedón, Juan C

2012-04-01

The report "Healthy people" from the US Department of Health and Human Services defines health literacy (HL) as follows: "The degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions." The same report identifies asthma as a public health problem of high priority. Unfortunately, impaired HL is prevalent in our society, and patients with low HL and asthma face multiple challenges as they attempt to manage their disease. Indeed, the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program's current guidelines require patients to have considerable HL and self-management skills. Numerous studies have linked inadequate literacy with poor health outcomes. Unlike many sociodemographic variables, HL can potentially be addressed in the health care setting. The purpose of this review is to raise awareness of the problem, summarize the current evidence linking HL and asthma, and offer strategies to strengthen the communication between patients and health care providers to decrease asthma health disparities. In addition, we discuss potential future directions for research in this field. Copyright © 2012 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Nanoparticles: nanotoxicity aspects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vlastou, Elena; Gazouli, Maria; Ploussi, Agapi; Platoni, Kalliopi; Efstathopoulos, Efstathios P.

2017-11-01

The giant steps towards Nanosciences dictate the need to gain a broad knowledge about not only beneficial but also noxious properties of Nanomaterials. Apart from the remarkable advantages of Nanoparticles (NPs) in medicine and industry, there have been raised plenty of concerns about their potential adverse effects in living organisms and ecosystems as well. Without a doubt, it is of critical importance to ensure that NPs medical and industrial applications are accompanied by the essential safety so that the balance will be tilted in favor of the profits that society will earn. However, the evaluation of NPs toxic effects remains a great challenge for the scientific community due to the wealth of factors that Nanotoxicity depends on. Size, surface area, dosing, shape, surface coating and charge and bulk material are the basic parameters under investigation to assess the risk involved in NPs usage. Our purpose is to highlight NPs physical and chemical properties responsible for induced toxicity, describe the mechanisms that take place in their interaction with cells and organs and finally report the potential harmful consequences that may result from the innovative applications of Nanomaterials.

A hot-electron thermophotonic solar cell demonstrated by thermal up-conversion of sub-bandgap photons

PubMed Central

Farrell, Daniel J.; Sodabanlu, Hassanet; Wang, Yunpeng; Sugiyama, Masakazu; Okada, Yoshitaka

2015-01-01

The direct conversion of solar energy to electricity can be broadly separated into two main categories: photovoltaics and thermal photovoltaics, where the former utilizes gradients in electrical potential and the latter thermal gradients. Conventional thermal photovoltaics has a high theoretical efficiency limit (84%) but in practice cannot be easily miniaturized and is limited by the engineering challenges of sustaining large (>1,000 K) temperature gradients. Here we show a hot-carrier-based thermophotonic solar cell, which combines the compact nature of photovoltaic devices with the potential to reach the high-efficiency regime of thermal photovoltaics. In the device, a thermal gradient of 500 K is established by hot electrons, under Stokes illumination, rather than by raising the temperature of the material itself. Under anti-Stokes (sub-bandgap) illumination we observe a thermal gradient of ∼20 K, which is maintained by steady-state Auger heating of carriers and corresponds to a internal thermal up-conversion efficiency of 30% between the collector and solar cell. PMID:26541415

CE-BLAST makes it possible to compute antigenic similarity for newly emerging pathogens.

PubMed

Qiu, Tianyi; Yang, Yiyan; Qiu, Jingxuan; Huang, Yang; Xu, Tianlei; Xiao, Han; Wu, Dingfeng; Zhang, Qingchen; Zhou, Chen; Zhang, Xiaoyan; Tang, Kailin; Xu, Jianqing; Cao, Zhiwei

2018-05-02

Major challenges in vaccine development include rapidly selecting or designing immunogens for raising cross-protective immunity against different intra- or inter-subtypic pathogens, especially for the newly emerging varieties. Here we propose a computational method, Conformational Epitope (CE)-BLAST, for calculating the antigenic similarity among different pathogens with stable and high performance, which is independent of the prior binding-assay information, unlike the currently available models that heavily rely on the historical experimental data. Tool validation incorporates influenza-related experimental data sufficient for stability and reliability determination. Application to dengue-related data demonstrates high harmonization between the computed clusters and the experimental serological data, undetectable by classical grouping. CE-BLAST identifies the potential cross-reactive epitope between the recent zika pathogen and the dengue virus, precisely corroborated by experimental data. The high performance of the pathogens without the experimental binding data suggests the potential utility of CE-BLAST to rapidly design cross-protective vaccines or promptly determine the efficacy of the currently marketed vaccine against emerging pathogens, which are the critical factors for containing emerging disease outbreaks.

An investor perspective on forming and funding your medical device start-up.

PubMed

Mas, Juan-Pablo; Hsueh, Brian

2017-06-01

Novel and transformative medical technologies of all forms have the potential to make a significant positive impact on the lives of patients and on the health care system, and one common pathway for guiding such innovations from concept through commercialization is via the formation of a company. For entrepreneurs looking to build a medical technology company, several common challenges await, including questions around how and where to raise funding. Here, we review key considerations for the formation of medical technology companies as viewed through the lens of an investor. We survey common sources of capital for early-stage companies, including grants, angel investors, and venture capital, and offer insights into how to differentiate among them to select the best partners for your start-up׳s needs. Finally, we discuss the critical components of pitching your ideas to potential investors, and offer guidance on best practices and common mistakes. We hope this primer on fundamental concepts and the various health care funding alternatives will prepare entrepreneurs to achieve their mission to improve patients׳ lives through commercialization of their medical innovations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Current Situation of Postmenopausal Grandmothers Raising Their Grandchildren

PubMed Central

Jin, Jang Yong

2015-01-01

As the average life expectancy of women increases, the family and social roles of postmenopausal women have become more important. With the growing number of dual-income households, postmenopausal grandmothers occupy a large role in child-rearing. Postmenopausal women mainly experience social changes as a family member along with personal changes. Postmenopausal women face changes in physical and mental aspects due to drastic hormonal changes. Grandmothers sharing the burden of raising children are actually encountering a number of challenges while dealing with hardships to adapt to physical and mental changes at the same time. It is thought to be important to understand the impact of raising grandchildren on physical and mental conditions among grandmothers experiencing hardships between social reality and personal changes from medical perspective based on sociological studies. Focusing mainly on studies on related fields, this study aims to investigate personal and social supports from medical perspective and to device practical measures. PMID:26355272

Challenging empowerment: AIDS-affected South African children and the need for a multi-level relational approach.

PubMed

Ansell, Nicola

2014-01-01

Critics of empowerment have highlighted the concept's mutability, focus on individual transformation, one-dimensionality and challenges of operationalisation. Relating these critiques to children's empowerment raises new challenges. Drawing on scholarship on children's subjecthood and exercise of power, alongside empirical research with children affected by AIDS, I argue that empowerment envisaged as individual self-transformation and increased capacity to act independently offers little basis for progressive change. Rather it is essential to adopt a relational approach that recognises the need to transform power relationships at multiple levels. This analysis has implications for our wider understanding of empowerment in the 21st century.

A questionnaire study to explore the views of people with multiple sclerosis of using smartphone technology for health care purposes.

PubMed

Griffin, Nicola; Kehoe, Maria

2018-06-01

Delivering interventions over the lifetime of people with chronic conditions is an international healthcare challenge. The benefits of technology in healthcare have been demonstrated in many health conditions. This study aims to seek the views of People with multiple sclerosis (MS) of the feasibility and perceived acceptability of smartphone use for healthcare purposes. Using SurveyMonkey™, respondents answered 21 items about their smartphone use and acceptance of smartphones in healthcare. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize data from closed questions. Content analysis was used for open questions. Most of the self-selected 197 respondents were female (138/197;70.1%), aged 42.78 ± 10.29 years, had relapsing-remitting MS (143/187;76.5%), and mobilized without an aid (154/197;78.17%). Most respondents reported having smartphone access (174/191;91.1%) and owning smartphones (167/192;86.97%). Perceived benefits of smartphones included improved healthcare access (119/190;62.63%) and greater independence (124/190;65.26%). The top three concerns included reduced contact with Healthcare Professionals (66/186;35.48%), data security (60/186;32.26%) and visual impairment (47/184;25.54%). These findings suggest that smartphone use is extensive, frequent, and acceptable for healthcare purposes in this self-selected sample. People with MS should be consulted during the design of smartphone-based interventions, as specific concerns were raised. Future studies should explore how this technology may be best used and implemented in practice. Implications for Rehabilitation Smartphones may have the potential to improve the implementation of best practice among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) This study found that smartphone use is widespread among people with MS, the majority of whom would accept using smartphones in healthcare. Some potential issues were raised, and would need to be considered during the development and implementation of smartphone-based interventions. Issues included potential lack of contact with health-care professionals, data security, and visual impairment.

Workplace Learning as a Cultural Technology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solomon, Nicky

2001-01-01

Despite the raised status of learning in workplace culture, workplace learning may be experienced as oppressive or disempowering when it must conform to cultural norms or learner differences are made invisible. Workplace educators should understand culture as an evolving entity and challenge oppressive workplace practices. (Contains 16…

Happy Days: "SLJ's" Job Satisfaction Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kenney, Brian

2009-01-01

"School Library Journal's" ("SLJ's") Job Satisfaction Survey, conducted online in spring 2008, asked school and public librarians about their salaries, pay raises, and opportunities for advancement; level of job satisfaction; major causes of dissatisfaction; on-the-job challenges; and how well they were prepared for their positions, among other…

Training and Public Policy: Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobs, James

Developed by an advisory board of industry and education representatives to raise issues for the consideration of policy makers, community college administrators, labor leaders, and managers in Michigan, this report discusses the increasing significance of training to industry; the challenge to public education and, in particular, to community…

Globalisation, Universities and Professors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forest, James J. F.

Globalization has an increasingly profound impact on a broad range of human activities in political, economic, and cultural areas. From the perspective of higher education, globalization raises a number of challenges and concerns, particularly in preparing students the future leaders of commerce and politics to adequately address the demands of an…

A Study of a Social Annotation Modeling Learning System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samuel, Roy David; Kim, Chanmin; Johnson, Tristan E.

2011-01-01

The transition from classroom instruction to e-learning raises pedagogical challenges for university instructors. A controlled integration of e-learning tools into classroom instruction may offer learners tangible benefits and improved effectiveness. This design-based research (DBR) study engaged students in e-learning activities integrated into…

Using DSG to Build the Capability of Space Weather Forecasting in Deep Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeLuca, E. E.; Golub, L.; Korreck, K.; Savage, S.; McKenzie, D. D.; Rachmeler, L.; Winebarger, A.; Martens, P.

2018-02-01

The prospect of astronaut missions to deep space and off the Sun-Earth line raises new challenges for space weather awareness and forecasting. We need to identify the requirements and pathways that will allow us to protect human life and equipment.

Education in Liquid Modernity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bauman, Zygmunt

2005-01-01

The author initially describes several seminal and interconnected departures from the old social order which are currently happening and which are creating a new and indeed unprecedented setting for the educational process, thereby raising a series of never-before-encountered challenges for the educators. He then details how society is being…

Symposium on International Terrorism Held in Washington, DC on 2-3 December 1985

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-12-01

grievances--an ethnic or religious minority, unemployed university graduates. Their grievances and the vague expectation that revolutionary action will...we increase the psychic production costs for state decision makers. By challenging the behavior and raising public awareness both at home and abroad

Unlikely Alliances: Friendship & People with Developmental Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Brien, John; O'Brien, Connie Lyle

This discussion of friendship in the lives of people with developmental disabilities raises questions which probe the nature of friendship, friendship between people with and without disabilities, and the special challenges involved in making and keeping friends. First, four dimensions of friendship are identified and discussed: (1) attraction…

Phonological Acquisition in Simultaneous Bilingual Mandarin-English Preschoolers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu-Shea, May

2011-01-01

Purpose: Significant challenges face speech-language pathologists when children raised in bilingual environments are referred for speech-language evaluations. The situation is compounded for bilingual Mandarin-English children because no research-based data is available to date. This study is a preliminary examination of phonological acquisition…

The Talent Search Model: Past, Present, and Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swiatek, Mary Ann

2007-01-01

Typical standardized achievement tests cannot provide accurate information about gifted students' abilities because they are not challenging enough for such students. Talent searches solve this problem through above-level testing--using tests designed for older students to raise the ceiling for younger, gifted students. Currently, talent search…

Evaluating Educational Interventions That Induce Service Receipt: A Case Study Application of "City Connects"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowden, A. Brooks; Shand, Robert; Belfield, Clive R.; Wang, Anyi; Levin, Henry M.

2017-01-01

Educational interventions are complex: Often they combine a diagnostic component (identifying student need) with a service component (ensuring appropriate educational resources are provided). This complexity raises challenges for program evaluation. These interventions, which we refer to as "service mediation interventions," affect…

Expanding Vocational Horizons--A Training Manual for Pre-Service Counselors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Indiana Univ., Bloomington. Dept. of Counseling and Guidance.

Intending to offer an innovative approach to preservice training of school counselors, this training manual follows a developmental process which includes activities (primarily interaction exercises) whose purpose is to raise trainee awareness, challenge and revise trainee attitudes while encouraging understanding of the attitudes of adolescent…

Cross-reactive mouse monoclonal antibodies raised against the hemagglutinin of A/Shanghai/1/2013 (H7N9) protect against novel H7 virus isolates in the mouse model.

PubMed

Stadlbauer, Daniel; Amanat, Fatima; Strohmeier, Shirin; Nachbagauer, Raffael; Krammer, Florian

2018-06-20

Influenza viruses remain a major global public health risk. In addition to seasonal influenza viruses, epizootic influenza A H7 subtype viruses of both the Asian and North American lineage are of concern due to their pandemic potential. In China, the simultaneous occurrence of H7N9 zoonotic episodes and seasonal influenza virus epidemics could potentially lead to novel reassortant viruses with the ability to efficiently spread among humans. Recently, the H7N9 virus has evolved into two new lineages, the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta clade. This development has also resulted in viruses with a polybasic cleavage site in the hemagglutinin that are highly pathogenic in avian species and have caused human infections. In addition, an outbreak of a highly pathogenic H7N8 strain was reported in the US state of Indiana in 2016. Furthermore, an H7N2 feline virus strain caused an outbreak in cats in an animal shelter in New York City in 2016, resulting in one human zoonotic event. In this study, mouse monoclonal antibodies previously raised against the hemagglutinin of the A/Shanghai/1/2013 (H7N9) virus were tested for their (cross-) reactivity to these novel H7 viruses. Moreover, the functionality of these antibodies was assessed in vitro in hemagglutination inhibition and microneutralization assays. The therapeutic and prophylactic efficacy of the broadly reactive antibodies against novel H7 viruses was determined in vivo in mouse passive transfer-viral challenge experiments. Our results provide data about the conservation of critical H7 epitopes and could inform the selection of pre-pandemic H7 vaccine strains.

A Comparison of PBDE Serum Concentrations in Mexican and Mexican-American Children Living in California

PubMed Central

Fenster, Laura; Castorina, Rosemary; Marks, Amy R.; Sjödin, Andreas; Rosas, Lisa Goldman; Holland, Nina; Guerra, Armando Garcia; Lopez-Carillo, Lizbeth; Bradman, Asa

2011-01-01

Background: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), which are used as flame retardants, have been found to be higher in residents of California than of other parts of the United States. Objectives: We aimed to investigate the role of immigration to California on PBDE levels in Latino children. Methods: We compared serum PBDE concentrations in a population of first-generation Mexican-American 7-year-old children (n = 264), who were born and raised in California [Center for Health Analysis of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) study], with 5-year-old Mexican children (n = 283), who were raised in the states in Mexico where most CHAMACOS mothers had originated (Proyecto Mariposa). Results: On average, PBDE serum concentrations in the California Mexican-American children were three times higher than their mothers’ levels during pregnancy and seven times higher than concentrations in the children living in Mexico. The PBDE serum concentrations were higher in the Mexican-American children regardless of length of time their mother had resided in California or the duration of the child’s breast-feeding. These data suggest that PBDE serum concentrations in these children resulted primarily from postnatal exposure. Conclusions: Latino children living in California have much higher PBDE serum levels than their Mexican counterparts. Given the growing evidence documenting potential health effects of PBDE exposure, the levels in young children noted in this study potentially present a major public health challenge, especially in California. In addition, as PBDEs are being phased out and replaced by other flame retardants, the health consequences of these chemical replacements should be investigated and weighed against their purported fire safety benefits. PMID:21498147

Lactobacillus crustorum KH: novel prospective probiotic strain isolated from Iranian traditional dairy products.

PubMed

Sharafi, Hakimeh; Derakhshan, Venos; Paknejad, Mojgan; Alidoust, Leila; Tohidi, Azadeh; Pornour, Majid; Hajfarajollah, Hamidreza; Zahiri, Hossein Shahbani; Noghabi, Kambiz Akbari

2015-02-01

In recent years, exploring novel probiotic strains for therapeutic intervention has been raised due to the significant increase in market demand. This study aimed to investigate the certain probiotic properties of 15 Lactobacillus isolates from Iranian traditional dairy products. Among them, a novel potential probiotic strain was isolated and identified as Lactobacillus crustorum. The characteristics of potential probiotics were examined in terms of resistance to acidity, bile, and salinity as well as antibiotic tolerance and antibacterial activity. L. crustorum KH has shown tolerance property to bile (0.3 % w), acidity (pH 2-9), and salinity (1-5 % NaCl) and strong antibacterial activity against tested enteropathogens by well-diffusion assay. Furthermore, in vivo study and histological assays were performed to study whether live and heat-killed cells of L. crustorum KH are able to protect against the challenge of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in the gastrointestinal tract of mice used as an experimental model. Therefore, heat-killed and live cells of L. crustorum KH were inoculated by gavage to different groups of 4-6-week-old female BALB/c mice in doses of 10(8) colony-forming unit (CFU)/dose. Thereafter, these mice were challenged with E. coli O157:H7 also inoculated in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of the animals. The results showed that heat-killed cells of L. crustorum KH exert a protective effect against E. coli O157:H7 colonization at different degrees, being lower than that produced by viable cells.

Ethical issues in surgical innovation.

PubMed

Miller, Megan E; Siegler, Mark; Angelos, Peter

2014-07-01

Innovation is responsible for most advances in the field of surgery. Innovative approaches to solving clinical problems have significantly decreased morbidity and mortality for many surgical procedures, and have led to improved patient outcomes. While innovation is motivated by the surgeon's expectation that the new approach will be beneficial to patients, not all innovations are successful or result in improved patient care. The ethical dilemma of surgical innovation lies in the uncertainty of whether a particular innovation will prove to be a "good thing." This uncertainty creates challenges for surgeons, patients, and the healthcare system. By its very nature, innovation introduces a potential risk to patient safety, a risk that may not be fully known, and it simultaneously fosters an optimism bias. These factors increase the complexity of informed consent and shared decision making for the surgeon and the patient. Innovative procedures and their associated technology raise issues of cost and resource distribution in the contemporary, financially conscious, healthcare environment. Surgeons and institutions must identify and address conflicts of interest created by the development and application of an innovation, always preserving the best interest of the patient above the academic or financial rewards of success. Potential strategies to address the challenges inherent in surgical innovation include collecting and reporting objective outcomes data, enhancing the informed consent process, and adhering to the principles of disclosure and professionalism. As surgeons, we must encourage creativity and innovation while maintaining our ethical awareness and responsibility to patients.

The rationale for accelerating regionally focused climate intervention research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacCracken, Michael C.

2016-12-01

Ten years ago, Paul Crutzen asked whether the time had come to consider undertaking research into intentionally intervening in the climate system so that it might be considered a policy option comparable to reducing emissions for limiting human-induced climate change. Crutzen's article pointed out how little progress had been made in reducing emissions and suggested that resurrecting decades-old ideas for imitating volcanic eruptions as a possible intervention might be needed. Today, model-based simulations, optimistically assuming that nations fulfill their commitments for future emissions reductions, project global average temperature to increase to 3-4°C above its preindustrial level by 2100, a level that Crutzen envisioned as likely to meriting active intervention. While research has begun to explore the means for intervening globally, such interventions raise challenging issues of governance, unintended consequences, intergenerational equity, and more. Initially, focusing research on potential tropospheric and surface-based approaches to altering energy flows as a means for moderating adverse regional impacts might well pose less difficult governance challenges and more regionally constrained evaluations of intended outcomes and unintended consequences. Because natural processes would tend to dissipate most types of tropospheric interventions, adjustments, and even termination, would be possible over periods of weeks to months. In addition to serving their particular purpose, regional interventions would also provide an opportunity for learning more about Earth system behavior and the potential effectiveness and risks of global-scale interventions, if such interventions might eventually be needed to counter-balance especially severe global warming.

Effects of bile acids on human airway epithelial cells: implications for aerodigestive diseases.

PubMed

Aldhahrani, Adil; Verdon, Bernard; Ward, Chris; Pearson, Jeffery

2017-01-01

Gastro-oesophageal reflux and aspiration have been associated with chronic and end-stage lung disease and with allograft injury following lung transplantation. This raises the possibility that bile acids may cause lung injury by damaging airway epithelium. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of bile acid challenge using the immortalised human bronchial epithelial cell line (BEAS-2B). The immortalised human bronchial epithelial cell line (BEAS-2B) was cultured. A 48-h challenge evaluated the effect of individual primary and secondary bile acids. Post-challenge concentrations of interleukin (IL)-8, IL-6 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor were measured using commercial ELISA kits. The viability of the BEAS-2B cells was measured using CellTiter-Blue and MTT assays. Lithocholic acid, deoxycholic acid, chenodeoxycholic acid and cholic acid were successfully used to stimulate cultured BEAS-2B cells at different concentrations. A concentration of lithocholic acid above 10 μmol·L -1 causes cell death, whereas deoxycholic acid, chenodeoxycholic acid and cholic acid above 30 μmol·L -1 was required for cell death. Challenge with bile acids at physiological levels also led to a significant increase in the release of IL-8 and IL6 from BEAS-2B. Aspiration of bile acids could potentially cause cell damage, cell death and inflammation in vivo . This is relevant to an integrated gastrointestinal and lung physiological paradigm of chronic lung disease, where reflux and aspiration are described in both chronic lung diseases and allograft injury.

A critical analysis towards research perspectives: Reply to comments on "Modeling human behavior in economics and social science".

PubMed

Dolfin, M; Leonida, L; Outada, N

2017-12-01

We take advantage of the challenging comments to the modeling approach we proposed in [35] to look ahead at a number of applications of the methods to the alternative questions these comments raise. In turn, our effort results in a number of interesting and valuable research perspectives. The presentation goes along three main lines. In the first line, we summarize briefly the aims and results in [35]. In the second section we give a technical the issues raised and, finally, the focus moves to the above mentioned research perspectives. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A personally controlled electronic health record for Australia

PubMed Central

Pearce, Christopher; Bainbridge, Michael

2014-01-01

Objective On July 1, 2012 Australia launched a personally controlled electronic health record (PCEHR) designed around the needs of consumers. Using a distributed model and leveraging key component national eHealth infrastructure, the PCEHR is designed to enable sharing of any health information about a patient with them and any other health practitioner involved in their care to whom the patient allows access. This paper discusses the consumer-facing part of the program. Method Design of the system was through stakeholder consultation and the development of detailed requirements, followed by clinical design assurance. Results Patients are able to access any posted information through a web-accessible ‘consumer portal.’ Within the portal they are able to assert access controls on all or part of their record. The portal includes areas for consumers to record their own personal information. Discussion The PCEHR has the potential to transform the ability of patients to actively engage in their own healthcare, and to enable the emerging partnership model of health and healthcare in medicine. The ability to access health information traditionally kept within the closed walls of institutions also raises challenges for the profession, both in the language clinicians choose and the ethical issues raised by the changed roles and responsibilities. Conclusions The PCEHR is aimed at connecting all participants and their interventions, and is intended to become a system-wide activity. PMID:24650635

Mind the gap! Lessons from science-based stakeholder dialogue in climate-adapted management of wetlands.

PubMed

Grygoruk, Mateusz; Rannow, Sven

2017-01-15

Effective stakeholder involvement is crucial for the management of protected areas, especially when new challenges like adaptation to climate change need to be addressed. Under these circumstances, science-based stakeholder involvement is required. However, there is often a gap between the information produced by science and the need for information from stakeholders. Along with the design and implementation of adaptive management strategies and policies, efforts must be taken to adjust messages about conservation and adaptation issues, to make them easier to understand, relevant and acceptable for stakeholders. In this paper, the experience of closing the gap between scientific information and the user needs of stakeholders in the Biebrza Valley is documented. The requirements of efficient stakeholder dialogue and the raising of awareness are then indicated. We conclude that many attempts to raise awareness of environmental conservation require improvements. Messages often need to be adjusted for different stakeholders and their various perception levels to efficiently anticipate the potential impacts of the changing climate on ecosystem management. We also revealed that the autonomous adaptation measures implemented by stakeholders to mitigate impacts of climatic change often contradict adaptive management planned and implemented by environmental authorities. We conclude that there is a demand for boundary spanners that can build a bridge between complex scientific outputs and stakeholder needs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The potential impact of a single amino-acid substitution on the efficacy of equine influenza vaccines.

PubMed

Yamanaka, T; Cullinane, A; Gildea, S; Bannai, H; Nemoto, M; Tsujimura, K; Kondo, T; Matsumura, T

2015-07-01

The protection induced by an equine influenza (EI) vaccine strain depends on its antigenic relatedness to the challenge virus. Although the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) recommend that both Florida sublineage clade 1 (Fc1) and clade 2 (Fc2) viruses should be included in EI vaccines, Japanese EI vaccines have not, thus far, been updated to include a Fc2 virus. To evaluate the efficacy of antibodies raised against Japanese EI vaccine strains in the neutralisation of recent Fc2 viruses. Antigenic analysis. Virus neutralisation tests were performed using antisera from experimentally infected horses and from horses that had received a primary course of the currently available vaccines. Antiserum raised against the Japanese EI vaccine strain, A/equine/La Plata/1993, exhibited poor cross-neutralising activity against the Fc2 viruses isolated recently in Ireland and the UK, which have the substitution of alanine to valine at position 144 in antigenic site A of the haemagglutinin gene. In contrast, the antiserum exhibited good cross-neutralising activity against the Fc2 viruses without the substitution. This finding was supported in experiments with antisera collected from vaccinated horses. This suggests that the efficacy of the Japanese EI vaccine for some of the recent Fc2 viruses is suboptimal and that vaccines should be updated in accordance with the OIE recommendations. © 2014 EVJ Ltd.

Impact of gene patents on diagnostic testing: a new patent landscaping method applied to spinocerebellar ataxia

PubMed Central

Berthels, Nele; Matthijs, Gert; Van Overwalle, Geertrui

2011-01-01

Recent reports in Europe and the United States raise concern about the potential negative impact of gene patents on the freedom to operate of diagnosticians and on the access of patients to genetic diagnostic services. Patents, historically seen as legal instruments to trigger innovation, could cause undesired side effects in the public health domain. Clear empirical evidence on the alleged hindering effect of gene patents is still scarce. We therefore developed a patent categorization method to determine which gene patents could indeed be problematic. The method is applied to patents relevant for genetic testing of spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA). The SCA test is probably the most widely used DNA test in (adult) neurology, as well as one of the most challenging due to the heterogeneity of the disease. Typically tested as a gene panel covering the five common SCA subtypes, we show that the patenting of SCA genes and testing methods and the associated licensing conditions could have far-reaching consequences on legitimate access to this gene panel. Moreover, with genetic testing being increasingly standardized, simply ignoring patents is unlikely to hold out indefinitely. This paper aims to differentiate among so-called ‘gene patents' by lifting out the truly problematic ones. In doing so, awareness is raised among all stakeholders in the genetic diagnostics field who are not necessarily familiar with the ins and outs of patenting and licensing. PMID:21811306

Regulatory Compliance in Multi-Tier Supplier Networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goossen, Emray R.; Buster, Duke A.

2014-01-01

Over the years, avionics systems have increased in complexity to the point where 1st tier suppliers to an aircraft OEM find it financially beneficial to outsource designs of subsystems to 2nd tier and at times to 3rd tier suppliers. Combined with challenging schedule and budgetary pressures, the environment in which safety-critical systems are being developed introduces new hurdles for regulatory agencies and industry. This new environment of both complex systems and tiered development has raised concerns in the ability of the designers to ensure safety considerations are fully addressed throughout the tier levels. This has also raised questions about the sufficiency of current regulatory guidance to ensure: proper flow down of safety awareness, avionics application understanding at the lower tiers, OEM and 1st tier oversight practices, and capabilities of lower tier suppliers. Therefore, NASA established a research project to address Regulatory Compliance in a Multi-tier Supplier Network. This research was divided into three major study efforts: 1. Describe Modern Multi-tier Avionics Development 2. Identify Current Issues in Achieving Safety and Regulatory Compliance 3. Short-term/Long-term Recommendations Toward Higher Assurance Confidence This report presents our findings of the risks, weaknesses, and our recommendations. It also includes a collection of industry-identified risks, an assessment of guideline weaknesses related to multi-tier development of complex avionics systems, and a postulation of potential modifications to guidelines to close the identified risks and weaknesses.

Uncertain translation, uncertain benefit and uncertain risk: ethical challenges facing first-in-human trials of induced pluripotent stem (ips) cells.

PubMed

Fung, Ronald K F; Kerridge, Ian H

2013-02-01

The discovery of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells in 2006 was heralded as a major breakthrough in stem cell research. Since then, progress in iPS cell technology has paved the way towards clinical application, particularly cell replacement therapy, which has refueled debate on the ethics of stem cell research. However, much of the discourse has focused on questions of moral status and potentiality, overlooking the ethical issues which are introduced by the clinical testing of iPS cell replacement therapy. First-in-human trials, in particular, raise a number of ethical concerns including informed consent, subject recruitment and harm minimisation as well as the inherent uncertainty and risks which are involved in testing medical procedures on humans for the first time. These issues, while a feature of any human research, become more complex in the case of iPS cell therapy, given the seriousness of the potential risks, the unreliability of available animal models, the vulnerability of the target patient group, and the high stakes of such an intensely public area of science. Our paper will present a detailed case study of iPS cell replacement therapy for Parkinson's disease to highlight these broader ethical and epistemological concerns. If we accept that iPS cell technology is fraught with challenges which go far beyond merely refuting the potentiality of the stem cell line, we conclude that iPS cell research should not replace, but proceed alongside embryonic and adult somatic stem cell research to promote cross-fertilisation of knowledge and better clinical outcomes. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Lives of quality in the face of challenge in Israel.

PubMed

Neikrug, S; Roth, D; Judes, J

2011-12-01

The purpose of this study is to describe and analyse the quality of life of Israeli families raising a child with a disability while challenged with all the usual demands of family life. Respondents were main caregivers of 103 children with disability receiving services at Beit Issie Shapiro, a service agency in Israel. The respondents completed the Family Quality of Life Survey-2006 which operationalises family quality of life (FQOL) as a construct in nine domains of family life. The findings show an underlying pattern within the domains that define FQOL. In general, the findings indicate that the families are strongly challenged to meet the needs of a special child and raise a family meeting the needs of all its members. The respondents report that, within the limits of available opportunities, they had achieved well and they are satisfied with their attainment. In general, our findings seem to reflect in our respondents a sense of resilience and an ability to manage family challenges to achieve a reasonably high FQOL. Domains described as internal to the family were rated highly in terms of FQOL as compared to domains external to the family. The Family Quality of Life Survey-2006 was found to be a valuable tool for identifying and evaluating factors that enhance FQOL. Further research is needed to develop application models for integrating this instrument into the agency's service and evaluation repertoire. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Investing in Upskilling: Gains for Individuals, Employers and Government. Summary Manitoba

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canadian Literacy and Learning Network, 2012

2012-01-01

Canadians share a common interest in finding ways to raise incomes and reduce dependence on income support programs. Canadian Literacy and Learning Network (CLLN) and DataAngel Policy Research Incorporated have produced a report that explores the potential of an investment in adult literacy to simultaneously raise Canadians' earnings and reduce…

Investing in Upskilling: Gains for Individuals, Employers and Government. Summary British Columbia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canadian Literacy and Learning Network, 2012

2012-01-01

Canadians share a common interest in finding ways to raise incomes and reduce dependence on income support programs. Canadian Literacy and Learning Network (CLLN) and DataAngel Policy Research Incorporated have produced a report that explores the potential of an investment in adult literacy to simultaneously raise Canadians' earnings and reduce…

Investing in Upskilling: Gains for Individuals, Employers and Government. Summary Quebec

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canadian Literacy and Learning Network, 2012

2012-01-01

Canadians share a common interest in finding ways to raise incomes and reduce dependence on income support programs. Canadian Literacy and Learning Network (CLLN) and DataAngel Policy Research Incorporated have produced a report that explores the potential of an investment in adult literacy to simultaneously raise Canadians' earnings and reduce…

Investing in Upskilling: Gains for Individuals, Employers and Government. Summary New Brunswick

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canadian Literacy and Learning Network, 2012

2012-01-01

Canadians share a common interest in finding ways to raise incomes and reduce dependence on income support programs. Canadian Literacy and Learning Network (CLLN) and DataAngel Policy Research Incorporated have produced a report that explores the potential of an investment in adult literacy to simultaneously raise Canadians earnings and reduce…

Investing in Upskilling: Gains for Individuals, Employers and Government. Summary Canada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canadian Literacy and Learning Network, 2012

2012-01-01

Canadians share a common interest in finding ways to raise incomes and reduce dependence on income support programs. Canadian Literacy and Learning Network (CLLN) and DataAngel Policy Research Incorporated have produced a report that explores the potential of an investment in adult literacy to simultaneously raise Canadians earnings and reduce…

Investing in Upskilling: Gains for Individuals, Employers and Government. Summary Alberta

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canadian Literacy and Learning Network, 2012

2012-01-01

Canadians share a common interest in finding ways to raise incomes and reduce dependence on income support programs. Canadian Literacy and Learning Network (CLLN) and DataAngel Policy Research Incorporated have produced a report that explores the potential of an investment in adult literacy to simultaneously raise Canadians earnings and reduce…

Investing in Upskilling: Gains for Individuals, Employers and Government. Summary Nova Scotia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canadian Literacy and Learning Network, 2012

2012-01-01

Canadians share a common interest in finding ways to raise incomes and reduce dependence on income support programs. Canadian Literacy and Learning Network (CLLN) and DataAngel Policy Research Incorporated have produced a report that explores the potential of an investment in adult literacy to simultaneously raise Canadians' earnings and reduce…

Investing in Upskilling: Gains for Individuals, Employers and Government. Summary Saskatchewan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canadian Literacy and Learning Network, 2012

2012-01-01

Canadians share a common interest in finding ways to raise incomes and reduce dependence on income support programs. Canadian Literacy and Learning Network (CLLN) and DataAngel Policy Research Incorporated have produced a report that explores the potential of an investment in adult literacy to simultaneously raise Canadians' earnings and reduce…

Investing in Upskilling: Gains for Individuals, Employers and Government. Summary Ontario

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canadian Literacy and Learning Network, 2012

2012-01-01

Canadians share a common interest in finding ways to raise incomes and reduce dependence on income support programs. Canadian Literacy and Learning Network (CLLN) and DataAngel Policy Research Incorporated have produced a report that explores the potential of an investment in adult literacy to simultaneously raise Canadians' earnings and reduce…

Raising the Bar for Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mehta, Jal; Doctor, Joe

2013-01-01

The past year has seen the emergence of a broad consensus on raising the standards for entering the teaching profession. The NEA, AFT, and Council of Chief State School Officers all have said they want higher entry standards. Such an exam would be modeled after other professions and is a potential game changer. If sufficiently rigorous, the exam…

Ruled by Hetero-Norms? Raising Some Moral Questions for Teachers in South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhana, Deevia

2014-01-01

Thirty-eight countries in Africa regard homosexuality as punishable by law with South Africa remaining a standout country advancing constitutional equality on the basis of sexual orientation. In the context of homophobic violence, however, concerns have been raised about schools' potential to improve the educational, moral and social outcomes for…

Updating the Potential of Culture in the Prevention of Corruption

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dorozhkin, Evgenij M.; Kislov, Alexander G.; Syuzeva, Natalya V.; Ozhegova, Anna P.; Kuznetsov, Andrey V.

2016-01-01

The urgency of the problem under investigation is due to the danger and at the same time the prevalence of corruption, so special attention is given to the need to supplement the repressive state and awareness-raising measures forming, especially in educational institutions of special subculture, raising a categorical rejection of corruption. The…

High-energy proton imaging for biomedical applications

DOE PAGES

Prall, Matthias; Durante, Marco; Berger, Thomas; ...

2016-06-10

The charged particle community is looking for techniques exploiting proton interactions instead of X-ray absorption for creating images of human tissue. Due to multiple Coulomb scattering inside the measured object it has shown to be highly non-trivial to achieve sufficient spatial resolution. We present imaging of biological tissue with a proton microscope. This device relies on magnetic optics, distinguishing it from most published proton imaging methods. For these methods reducing the data acquisition time to a clinically acceptable level has turned out to be challenging. In a proton microscope, data acquisition and processing are much simpler. This device even allowsmore » imaging in real time. The primary medical application will be image guidance in proton radiosurgery. Proton images demonstrating the potential for this application are presented. As a result, tomographic reconstructions are included to raise awareness of the possibility of high-resolution proton tomography using magneto-optics.« less

Humanlike robots: the upcoming revolution in robotics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bar-Cohen, Yoseph

2009-08-01

Humans have always sought to imitate the human appearance, functions and intelligence. Human-like robots, which for many years have been a science fiction, are increasingly becoming an engineering reality resulting from the many advances in biologically inspired technologies. These biomimetic technologies include artificial intelligence, artificial vision and hearing as well as artificial muscles, also known as electroactive polymers (EAP). Robots, such as the vacuum cleaner Rumba and the robotic lawnmower, that don't have human shape, are already finding growing use in homes worldwide. As opposed to other human-made machines and devices, this technology raises also various questions and concerns and they need to be addressed as the technology advances. These include the need to prevent accidents, deliberate harm, or their use in crime. In this paper the state-of-the-art of the ultimate goal of biomimetics, the development of humanlike robots, the potentials and the challenges are reviewed.

Suggested improvements for the allergenicity assessment of genetically modified plants used in foods.

PubMed

Goodman, Richard E; Tetteh, Afua O

2011-08-01

Genetically modified (GM) plants are increasingly used for food production and industrial applications. As the global population has surpassed 7 billion and per capita consumption rises, food production is challenged by loss of arable land, changing weather patterns, and evolving plant pests and disease. Previous gains in quantity and quality relied on natural or artificial breeding, random mutagenesis, increased pesticide and fertilizer use, and improved farming techniques, all without a formal safety evaluation. However, the direct introduction of novel genes raised questions regarding safety that are being addressed by an evaluation process that considers potential increases in the allergenicity, toxicity, and nutrient availability of foods derived from the GM plants. Opinions vary regarding the adequacy of the assessment, but there is no documented proof of an adverse effect resulting from foods produced from GM plants. This review and opinion discusses current practices and new regulatory demands related to food safety.

High-energy proton imaging for biomedical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prall, M.; Durante, M.; Berger, T.; Przybyla, B.; Graeff, C.; Lang, P. M.; Latessa, C.; Shestov, L.; Simoniello, P.; Danly, C.; Mariam, F.; Merrill, F.; Nedrow, P.; Wilde, C.; Varentsov, D.

2016-06-01

The charged particle community is looking for techniques exploiting proton interactions instead of X-ray absorption for creating images of human tissue. Due to multiple Coulomb scattering inside the measured object it has shown to be highly non-trivial to achieve sufficient spatial resolution. We present imaging of biological tissue with a proton microscope. This device relies on magnetic optics, distinguishing it from most published proton imaging methods. For these methods reducing the data acquisition time to a clinically acceptable level has turned out to be challenging. In a proton microscope, data acquisition and processing are much simpler. This device even allows imaging in real time. The primary medical application will be image guidance in proton radiosurgery. Proton images demonstrating the potential for this application are presented. Tomographic reconstructions are included to raise awareness of the possibility of high-resolution proton tomography using magneto-optics.

Predictive genetic tests: problems and pitfalls.

PubMed

Davis, J G

1997-12-29

The role that genetic factors play in medicine has expanded, owing to such recent advances as those made by the Human Genome Project and the work that has spun off from it. The project is focusing particularly on localization and characterization of recognized human genetic disorders, which in turn increases awareness of the potential for improved treatment of these disorders. Technical advances in genetic testing in the absence of effective treatment has presented the health profession with major ethical challenges. The example of the identification of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in families at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer is presented to illustrate the issues of the sensitivity of the method, the degree of susceptibility a positive result implies, the need for and availability of counseling and patient education, and confidentiality of the test results. A compelling need exists for adequate education about medical genetics to raise the "literacy" rate among health professionals.

Reappraising the phototoxicity of tretinoin: a report of four controlled clinical trials.

PubMed

Slade, Herbert B; Shroot, Braham; Feldman, Steven R; Cargill, D Innes; Stanfield, Joe

2009-06-01

Retinoids are photoreactive molecules found in skin and retinal tissue. The use of retinoids in pharmacologic doses, applied topically, raises the potential of phototoxicities. Recent review articles and current US drug labeling indicate that tretinoin is a phototoxin. In developing a new formulation of topical all-trans-retinoic acid (tretinoin), formal testing of dermal photoreactions was therefore undertaken. Four prospective, randomized, and controlled trials were carried out in healthy volunteers at two independent research facilities. Two trials examined phototoxicity following 24 h of drug exposure under occlusion (combined n=51), and two examined photoallergenicity following a 3-week, six dose induction phase (combined n=72) followed by challenge. No phototoxic or photoallergic reactions occurred with tretinoin 0.05% in a new gel formulation. The findings in these studies are consistent with previous studies of tretinoin in various formulations, and support the conclusion that tretinoin appears to be neither phototoxic nor photoallergenic in vivo.

Infantile ictal apneas in a child with williams-beuren syndrome.

PubMed

Myers, Kenneth A; McLeod, D Ross; Bello-Espinosa, Luis

2013-02-01

Williams-Beuren syndrome is a genetic disorder rarely associated with seizures. The few described cases of Williams-Beuren syndrome and epilepsy have primarily involved infantile spasms and deletions extending beyond the common deletion region for this disorder. We present the case of a 5-week-old child with ictal apneas and typical Williams-Beuren syndrome deletion. Diagnosis was challenging, because the child had cardiac, respiratory, and gastrointestinal abnormalities typically associated with Williams-Beuren syndrome, which are also associated with cyanotic episodes. The results of interictal electroencephalography were normal, illustrating that prolonged electroencephalography is often essential in evaluation of suspected ictal apneas. Seizure freedom was achieved with carbamazepine. Sudden death is seen in Williams-Beuren syndrome, and this case raises the question whether some of these cases may be related to ictal apneas and could potentially be preventable with appropriate pharmaceutical intervention. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Experiments with a Parallel Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm for Scheduling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Matthew; Johnston, Mark D.

2013-01-01

Evolutionary multi-objective algorithms have great potential for scheduling in those situations where tradeoffs among competing objectives represent a key requirement. One challenge, however, is runtime performance, as a consequence of evolving not just a single schedule, but an entire population, while attempting to sample the Pareto frontier as accurately and uniformly as possible. The growing availability of multi-core processors in end user workstations, and even laptops, has raised the question of the extent to which such hardware can be used to speed up evolutionary algorithms. In this paper we report on early experiments in parallelizing a Generalized Differential Evolution (GDE) algorithm for scheduling long-range activities on NASA's Deep Space Network. Initial results show that significant speedups can be achieved, but that performance does not necessarily improve as more cores are utilized. We describe our preliminary results and some initial suggestions from parallelizing the GDE algorithm. Directions for future work are outlined.

Phylogenetic divergence of cell biological features

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Most cellular features have a range of states, but understanding the mechanisms responsible for interspecific divergence is a challenge for evolutionary cell biology. Models are developed for the distribution of mean phenotypes likely to evolve under the joint forces of mutation and genetic drift in the face of constant selection pressures. Mean phenotypes will deviate from optimal states to a degree depending on the effective population size, potentially leading to substantial divergence in the absence of diversifying selection. The steady-state distribution for the mean can even be bimodal, with one domain being largely driven by selection and the other by mutation pressure, leading to the illusion of phenotypic shifts being induced by movement among alternative adaptive domains. These results raise questions as to whether lineage-specific selective pressures are necessary to account for interspecific divergence, providing a possible platform for the establishment of null models for the evolution of cell-biological traits. PMID:29927740

Squeezing through the Now-or-Never bottleneck: Reconnecting language processing, acquisition, change, and structure.

PubMed

Chater, Nick; Christiansen, Morten H

2016-01-01

If human language must be squeezed through a narrow cognitive bottleneck, what are the implications for language processing, acquisition, change, and structure? In our target article, we suggested that the implications are far-reaching and form the basis of an integrated account of many apparently unconnected aspects of language and language processing, as well as suggesting revision of many existing theoretical accounts. With some exceptions, commentators were generally supportive both of the existence of the bottleneck and its potential implications. Many commentators suggested additional theoretical and linguistic nuances and extensions, links with prior work, and relevant computational and neuroscientific considerations; some argued for related but distinct viewpoints; a few, though, felt traditional perspectives were being abandoned too readily. Our response attempts to build on the many suggestions raised by the commentators and to engage constructively with challenges to our approach.

Fluorescence cystoscopy in the management of bladder cancer: a help for the urologist!

PubMed

Jichlinski, Patrice; Leisinger, Hans-Jurg

2005-01-01

As a disease characterized by a nature polymorphic and fluctuant in its evolution, superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder remains a perpetual therapeutic challenge, and raises a great interest in the development of new diagnostic and surveillance techniques. This paper reviews 10 years of experience of fluorescence cystoscopy, a simple technique perfectly adapted to the current endoscopic equipment. Its principle is to enhance the visual contrast between benign and malignant cells. Three photosensitizing agents are available, two prodrugs: delta-aminolevulinic acid or hexaminolevulinate, and a natural substance: hypericin. With a detection rate of over 90% for carcinoma in situ and a real potential for detecting small tumors overlooked by standard cystoscopy, fluorescence cystoscopy may be clearly recommended in clinical practice. This technique favors a standardization of superficial bladder cancer endoscopic management and is susceptible to have a real impact on the disease recurrence and progression rate.

Parallel Worlds of Public and Commercial Bioactive Chemistry Data

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

The availability of structures and linked bioactivity data in databases is powerfully enabling for drug discovery and chemical biology. However, we now review some confounding issues with the divergent expansions of public and commercial sources of chemical structures. These are associated with not only expanding patent extraction but also increasingly large vendor collections amassed via different selection criteria between SciFinder from Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) and major public sources such as PubChem, ChemSpider, UniChem, and others. These increasingly massive collections may include both real and virtual compounds, as well as so-called prophetic compounds from patents. We address a range of issues raised by the challenges faced resolving the NIH probe compounds. In addition we highlight the confounding of prior-art searching by virtual compounds that could impact the composition of matter patentability of a new medicinal chemistry lead. Finally, we propose some potential solutions. PMID:25415348

Co-Occurring Disorders in Substance Abuse Treatment: Issues and Prospects

PubMed Central

Flynn, Patrick M.; Brown, Barry S.

2008-01-01

This paper explores the epidemiology of co-occurring disorders with an emphasis on the implications of study findings for the functioning and potential of substance abuse treatment. Severity of disorder is discussed as an issue that may have particular significance for the selection of specialized as opposed to traditional substance abuse treatment forms. Exploration is made, as well, of the resources currently available to substance abuse treatment, especially the human resources available, and the implications of resource availability for undertaking initiatives specific to co-occurring disorder. Findings from standard and enhanced treatment for comorbid individuals are examined in an effort to clarify areas of need for specialized and typical treatment personnel. Issues are raised for consideration by the clinical research and treatment provider communities in terms of assessment and diagnosis, manpower and training, and response to the challenge of relapse in this population. PMID:17574791

High-energy proton imaging for biomedical applications

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

Prall, Matthias; Durante, Marco; Berger, Thomas

The charged particle community is looking for techniques exploiting proton interactions instead of X-ray absorption for creating images of human tissue. Due to multiple Coulomb scattering inside the measured object it has shown to be highly non-trivial to achieve sufficient spatial resolution. We present imaging of biological tissue with a proton microscope. This device relies on magnetic optics, distinguishing it from most published proton imaging methods. For these methods reducing the data acquisition time to a clinically acceptable level has turned out to be challenging. In a proton microscope, data acquisition and processing are much simpler. This device even allowsmore » imaging in real time. The primary medical application will be image guidance in proton radiosurgery. Proton images demonstrating the potential for this application are presented. As a result, tomographic reconstructions are included to raise awareness of the possibility of high-resolution proton tomography using magneto-optics.« less

Wrinkling of graphene membranes supported by silica nanoparticles on substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Mahito; Cullen, William; Fuhrer, Michael; Einstein, Theodore; Department of Physics, University of Maryland Team

2011-03-01

The challenging endeavor of modulating the morphology of graphene via a patterned substrate to produce a controlled deformation has great potential importance for strain engineering the electronic properties of graphene. An essential step in this direction is to understand the response of graphene to substrate features of known geometry. Here we employ silica nanoparticles with a diameter of 10-100 nm to uniformly decorate Si O2 and mica substrates before depositing graphene, to promote nanoscale modulation of graphene geometry. The morphology of graphene on this modified substrate is then characterized by atomic force spectroscopy. We find that graphene on the substrate is locally raised by the supporting nanoparticles, and wrinkling propagates radially from the protrusions to form a ridge network which links the protrusions. We discuss the dependence of the wrinkled morphology on nanoparticle diameter and graphene thickness in terms of graphene elasticity and adhesion energy. Supported by NSF-MRSEC, Grant DMR 05-20471

Does the "new philosophy" in predictive, preventive and personalised medicine require new ethics?

PubMed

Gefenas, Eugenijus; Cekanauskaite, Asta; Tuzaite, Egle; Dranseika, Vilius; Characiejus, Dainius

2011-06-01

This paper maps the ethical issues that arise in the context of personalised medicine. First, it highlights the ethical problems related to increased predictive power of modern diagnostic interventions. Such problems emerge because the ability to identify individuals or groups of individuals that can potentially benefit from a particular therapeutic intervention also raises a question of personal responsibility for health-related behaviour and lifestyle. The second major area of ethical concern is related to health prevention and distributive justice. The paper discusses the ethical challenges brought by the personalised medicine in the context of the Additional Protocol to the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine concerning Genetic Testing for Health Purposes. Finally, it notes that the issue of consent in the context of biobanks, the need to rethink the prevalent models of research designs and to communicate relevant findings to the donors of biological materials deserve further discussion.

Humanlike Robots - The Upcoming Revolution in Robotics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bar-Cohen, Yoseph

2009-01-01

Humans have always sought to imitate the human appearance, functions and intelligence. Human-like robots, which for many years have been a science fiction, are increasingly becoming an engineering reality resulting from the many advances in biologically inspired technologies. These biomimetic technologies include artificial intelligence, artificial vision and hearing as well as artificial muscles, also known as electroactive polymers (EAP). Robots, such as the vacuum cleaner Rumba and the robotic lawnmower, that don't have human shape, are already finding growing use in homes worldwide. As opposed to other human-made machines and devices, this technology raises also various questions and concerns and they need to be addressed as the technology advances. These include the need to prevent accidents, deliberate harm, or their use in crime. In this paper the state-of-the-art of the ultimate goal of biomimetics, the development of humanlike robots, the potentials and the challenges are reviewed.

A Review of Water Reclamation Research in China Urban Landscape Design and Planning Practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gan, Wei; Zeng, Tianran

2018-04-01

With the continuously growing demand for better living environment, more and more attention and efforts have been paid to the improvement of urban landscape. However, the expansion of green area and water features are at the cost of high consumption of water resources, which has become prominent problems in cities that suffer from water shortage. At the same time, with the water shortage and water environment deterioration problems that shared globally, water conservation has become an inevitable choice to achieve sustainable social development. Urban landscape is not simply a consuming body of water resources, but also are of water-saving potential and able to perform the function of water storage. Thus, recycling the limited water resources becomes a challenge for every landscape designer. This paper is intended to overview the existing effort of reclaimed water recycle research in China landscape designing fields, and raise recommendations for future research and development.

Identification of Chinese medicinal fungus Cordyceps sinensis by depth-profiling mid-infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Changwen; Zhou, Jianmin; Liu, Jianfeng

2017-02-01

With increased demand for Cordyceps sinensis it needs rapid methods to meet the challenge of identification raised in quality control. In this study Cordyceps sinensis from four typical natural habitats in China was characterized by depth-profiling Fourier transform infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy. Results demonstrated that Cordyceps sinensis samples resulted in typical photoacoustic spectral appearance, but heterogeneity was sensed in the whole sample; due to the heterogeneity Cordyceps sinensis was represented by spectra of four groups including head, body, tail and leaf under a moving mirror velocity of 0.30 cm s- 1. The spectra of the four groups were used as input of a probabilistic neural network (PNN) to identify the source of Cordyceps sinensis, and all the samples were correctly identified by the PNN model. Therefore, depth-profiling Fourier transform infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy provides novel and unique technique to identify Cordyceps sinensis, which shows great potential in quality control of Cordyceps sinensis.

`Getting stuck' in analogue electronics: threshold concepts as an explanatory model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harlow, A.; Scott, J.; Peter, M.; Cowie, B.

2011-10-01

Could the challenge of mastering threshold concepts be a potential factor that influences a student's decision to continue in electronics engineering? This was the question that led to a collaborative research project between educational researchers and the Faculty of Engineering in a New Zealand university. This paper deals exclusively with the qualitative data from this project, which was designed to investigate the high attrition rate of students taking introductory electronics in a New Zealand university. The affordances of the various teaching opportunities and the barriers that students perceived are examined in the light of recent international research in the area of threshold concepts and transformational learning. Suggestions are made to help students move forward in their thinking, without compromising the need for maintaining the element of intellectual uncertainty that is crucial for tertiary teaching. The issue of the timing of assessments as a measure of conceptual development or the crossing of thresholds is raised.

Digital technologies and chronic disease management.

PubMed

Georgeff, Michael

2014-12-01

Digital technologies will become a major part of our healthcare system, with particular impact in primary care. However, many healthcare professionals are not sufficiently informed of the digital technologies available today and how they and their patients can gain substantial benefit from adoption of these technologies. To raise awareness of the potential benefits of using digital technologies for improving practice efficiencies and patient health outcomes. Implementing best practice care for patients with chronic and complex conditions is one of the greatest challenges facing general practice and other primary care providers. It has been suggested that digital technologies could assist by decreasing the administrative burden of care delivery, improving quality of care, increasing practice efficiencies and better supporting patient self-management. In this paper, we consider some areas in the management of chronic and long-term conditions where digital and mobile health solutions can make a difference today.

Transformative Theatre: A Promising Educational Tool for Improving Health Encounters With LGBT Older Adults.

PubMed

Hughes, Anne K; Luz, Clare; Hall, Dennis; Gardner, Penny; Hennessey, Chris Walker; Lammers, Lynn

2016-01-01

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) older adults are often unaware or fearful of aging services that contribute to greater vulnerability, isolation, and risk when services are needed. In addition, they may perceive or experience bias in health care encounters. Providers may not recognize their own biases or their impact on such encounters. In response, a group of LGBT community activists, aging professionals, researchers, and a theatre ensemble developed an interactive theatre experience, described herein, that portrays challenges faced by LGBT older adults needing services. Goals included raising awareness among LGBT older adults and providers about issues such as the limited legal rights of partners, limited family support, and fear of being mistreated as a result of homophobia. Evaluations and feedback reflected the potential of interactive theatre to engage people in sensitive discussions that can lead to increased awareness, reduced bias, practice change, and ultimately improved care for LGBT older adults.

Recent Advances in Nuclear Powered Electric Propulsion for Space Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cassady, R. Joseph; Frisbee, Robert H.; Gilland, James H.; Houts, Michael G.; LaPointe, Michael R.; Maresse-Reading, Colleen M.; Oleson, Steven R.; Polk, James E.; Russell, Derrek; Sengupta, Anita

2007-01-01

Nuclear and radioisotope powered electric thrusters are being developed as primary in-space propulsion systems for potential future robotic and piloted space missions. Possible applications for high power nuclear electric propulsion include orbit raising and maneuvering of large space platforms, lunar and Mars cargo transport, asteroid rendezvous and sample return, and robotic and piloted planetary missions, while lower power radioisotope electric propulsion could significantly enhance or enable some future robotic deep space science missions. This paper provides an overview of recent U.S. high power electric thruster research programs, describing the operating principles, challenges, and status of each technology. Mission analysis is presented that compares the benefits and performance of each thruster type for high priority NASA missions. The status of space nuclear power systems for high power electric propulsion is presented. The paper concludes with a discussion of power and thruster development strategies for future radioisotope electric propulsion systems,

Leading beyond the bottom line: organizational assets for the new economy. 2.

PubMed

Schenke, R; Berkowitz, E; Gaintner, J R; Hickey, M E; Hodge, R H; Ludden, J; Randolph, L M

2000-01-01

Organizations are created to aggregate resources to accomplish some purpose, be it to provide health care, raise a family, or build cars. These resources are assets. A manager has a fiduciary responsibility, by practice, and, in many cases, by law, to make the best use of those assets. Traditionally, we've evaluated the use of assets through financial statements. The troublesome aspect of these financial statements is that they were designed to measure only those things that can be counted simply--financial and physical assets. But our world has moved from an industrial, manufacturing age to an information, service economy and we are learning that intangible assets are as powerful--potentially more powerful--in creating value as are tangible assets. Recognizing the intangible asset value of employees, customers, and the community is the challenge in this new service economy. Effective health care leaders need to leverage and manage all of an organization's assets.

Safety and effectiveness of stem cell therapies in early-phase clinical trials in stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Nagpal, Anjali; Choy, Fong Chan; Howell, Stuart; Hillier, Susan; Chan, Fiona; Hamilton-Bruce, Monica A; Koblar, Simon A

2017-08-30

Stem cells have demonstrated encouraging potential as reparative therapy for patients suffering from post-stroke disability. Reperfusion interventions in the acute phase of stroke have shown significant benefit but are limited by a narrow window of opportunity in which they are beneficial. Thereafter, rehabilitation is the only intervention available. The current review summarises the current evidence for use of stem cell therapies in stroke from early-phase clinical trials. The safety and feasibility of administering different types of stem cell therapies in stroke seem to be reasonably proven. However, the effectiveness needs still to be established through bigger clinical trials with more pragmatic clinical trial designs that address the challenges raised by the heterogeneous nature of stroke per se, as well those due to unique characteristics of stem cells as therapeutic agents.

Patient Mobility in Times of Austerity: A Legal and Policy Analysis of the Petru Case.

PubMed

Frischhut, Markus; Fahy, Nick

2016-03-01

The case-law of the Court of Justice (ECJ) on patient mobility was recently challenged by a ruling that a patient could go to Germany for treatment when facilities in Romanian hospitals were inadequate. Given the reported impact of austerity measures in the field of health care this raises the question; what is the impact of the ECJ's ruling on how Member States can manage expenditure and limit outflows of patients and how should such measures be legally evaluated? The objective of this article is to analyse potential impact on health systems in the context of increasing pressure on public financing for health. While the ECJ mainly referred to the requirement of treatment in due time, we also analyse possible austerity reductions of the basket of care against the background of EU law (i.e., EGJ case-law, patient mobility directive, Charter of Fundamental rights and social security regulation).

Fundamental understanding and practical challenges of anionic redox activity in Li-ion batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Assat, Gaurav; Tarascon, Jean-Marie

2018-05-01

Our increasing dependence on lithium-ion batteries for energy storage calls for continual improvements in the performance of their positive electrodes, which have so far relied solely on cationic redox of transition-metal ions for driving the electrochemical reactions. Great hopes have recently been placed on the emergence of anionic redox—a transformational approach for designing positive electrodes as it leads to a near-doubling of capacity. But questions have been raised about the fundamental origins of anionic redox and whether its full potential can be realized in applications. In this Review, we discuss the underlying science that triggers a reversible and stable anionic redox activity. Furthermore, we highlight its practical limitations and outline possible approaches for improving such materials and designing new ones. We also summarize their chances for market implementation in the face of the competing nickel-based layered cathodes that are prevalent today.

Hydrogen-nitrogen greenhouse warming in Earth's early atmosphere.

PubMed

Wordsworth, Robin; Pierrehumbert, Raymond

2013-01-04

Understanding how Earth has sustained surface liquid water throughout its history remains a key challenge, given that the Sun's luminosity was much lower in the past. Here we show that with an atmospheric composition consistent with the most recent constraints, the early Earth would have been significantly warmed by H(2)-N(2) collision-induced absorption. With two to three times the present-day atmospheric mass of N(2) and a H(2) mixing ratio of 0.1, H(2)-N(2) warming would be sufficient to raise global mean surface temperatures above 0°C under 75% of present-day solar flux, with CO(2) levels only 2 to 25 times the present-day values. Depending on their time of emergence and diversification, early methanogens may have caused global cooling via the conversion of H(2) and CO(2) to CH(4), with potentially observable consequences in the geological record.

Voluntary or involuntary? A neurophysiologic approach to functional movement disorders.

PubMed

Stenner, M-P; Haggard, P

2016-01-01

Patients with functional movement disorders (FMD) experience movements as involuntary that share fundamental characteristics with voluntary actions. This apparent paradox raises questions regarding the possible sources of a subjective experience of action. In addition, it poses a yet unresolved diagnostic challenge, namely how to describe or even quantify this experience in a scientifically and clinically useful way. Here, we describe recent experimental approaches that have shed light on the phenomenology of action in FMD. We first outline the sources and content of a subjective experience of action in healthy humans and discuss how this experience may be created in the brain. Turning to FMD, we describe implicit, behavioral measures that have revealed specific abnormalities in the awareness of action in FMD. Based on these abnormalities, we propose a potential, new solution to the paradox of volition in FMD. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Infection Prevention in the Emergency Department

PubMed Central

Liang, Stephen Y.; Theodoro, Daniel L.; Schuur, Jeremiah D.; Marschall, Jonas

2014-01-01

Infection prevention remains a major challenge in emergency care. Acutely ill and injured patients seeking evaluation and treatment in the emergency department (ED) not only have the potential to spread communicable infectious diseases to healthcare personnel and other patients, but are vulnerable to acquiring new infections associated with the care they receive. This article will evaluate these risks and review the existing literature for infection prevention practices in the ED, ranging from hand hygiene, standard and transmission-based precautions, healthcare personnel vaccination, and environmental controls to strategies for preventing healthcare-associated infections. We will conclude by examining what can be done to optimize infection prevention in the ED and identify gaps in knowledge where further research is needed. Successful implementation of evidence-based practices coupled with innovation of novel approaches and technologies tailored specifically to the complex and dynamic environment of the ED are the keys to raising the standard for infection prevention and patient safety in emergency care. PMID:24721718

Behavioral and Managerial Models That Can Help Improve AIDS Campaign Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simmons, Robert E.; And Others

This paper focuses on the challenge raised by the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic regarding the need to improve the effectiveness of health communication or education campaigns. The paper discusses the behaviors underlying health information processing and particularly what is called the "knowledge but not behavior-change…

Epilogue: Dynamic Morphosyntax in Functional Discourse Grammar

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Velasco, Daniel Garcia; Hengeveld, Kees; Mackenzie, J. Lachlan

2012-01-01

This epilogue addresses the most important topics and challenges for the Morphosyntactic Level in Functional Discourse Grammar that have been raised in the articles in this Special Issue. We begin by exploring the differences between the Morphosyntactic Level in FDG and the treatment of morphosyntactic phenomena in other linguistic frameworks. We…

Strategies and Resources for Enhancing the Achievement of Mobile Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Titus, Dale N.

2007-01-01

Because studies reveal a relationship between high student mobility and low academic achievement, school administrators are faced with the challenge of raising academic achievement in an era of increased student mobility. Wide variations in state requirements create additional difficulties for mobile students, who tend to be disadvantaged in other…

Environmental, social, and economic footprints of current and past beef production systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The beef industry has defined sustainability as raising cattle in a way that is environmentally, economically and socially responsible. Accurately measuring sustainability is challenging, as the beef supply chain is one of the most complex food systems in the world. As the first and largest research...

Data Challenges of Leveraging a Simulation to Assess Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibson, David; Jakl, Peter

2013-01-01

Among the unique affordances of digital simulations are changes in the possibilities for targets as well as the methods of assessment, most significantly, toward integration of thinking with action, embedding of tasks-as-performance of knowledge-in-action, and unobtrusive observational methods. This paper raises and briefly defines key data…

Sexual Enhancement Groups for Dysfunctional Women: An Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leiblum, Sandra R.; Ersner-Hershfield, Robin

1977-01-01

Three groups of women with sexual dysfunction were evaluated pretreatment and posttreatment. Two groups did not involve partner participation, while the third group included partners on two occasions. Results for all groups were similar. The question of whether orgasm through coitus alone is a reasonable goal is raised and challenged. (Author)

Strategic Planning. Alliance Action Information Sheets

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Technical Assistance ALLIANCE for Parent Centers, 2005

2005-01-01

Executive Directors of parent centers have very challenging careers. For example, they need to ensure that high quality services are developed and provided; funds are raised; bills are paid on time; staff are hired, trained and supported; boards are recruited and effective; community awareness is high; and reports are accurate and submitted on…

Teaching Sexuality through Media

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cragin, Becca

2015-01-01

A central project of feminism has been raising awareness of the role cultural formations of sexuality play in women's inequality (Ritzenhoff and Hermes). Feminists who regularly include discussions of sexuality in their teaching are familiar with the pedagogical challenges of the subject as well as its importance. This article is intended for…

Infants with Congenital Zika Virus Infection: A New Challenge for Early Intervention Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porter, Sallie; Mimm, Nancy

2017-01-01

Zika virus infection-associated microcephaly has generated public health and media concern. Unsettling images emerging from Brazil of infants with abnormally small heads have raised concern among women of childbearing age, international travelers, government officials, and health care professionals. The World Health Organization declared the most…

Training for a Transformed Labor Market.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olson, Lawrence

1983-01-01

The author argues that the American labor market is in the midst of historic transition that will challenge human resource development professionals. Sweeping demographic changes will soon combine with a "Second Industrial Revolution" in technology and a quantum leap in the level and quality of foreign competition to raise sharply the importance…

Coordinating the Design and Management of Heterogeneous Datacenter Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guevara, Marisabel

2014-01-01

Heterogeneous design presents an opportunity to improve energy efficiency but raises a challenge in management. Whereas prior work separates the two, we coordinate heterogeneous design and management. We present a market-based resource allocation mechanism that navigates the performance and power trade-offs of heterogeneous architectures. Given…

Experimental infection of calves by two genetically-distinct strains of rift valley fever virus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Recent outbreaks of Rift Valley fever in ruminant livestock, characterized by mass abortion and high mortality rates in neonates, have raised international interest in improving vaccine control strategies. Previously we developed a reliable challenge model for sheep that improves the evaluation of ...

Raising Our Sights

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Humphries, Chris

2009-01-01

Today, people are facing unparalleled and unpredictable challenges. After 15 years of growth, people are in a global recession that may be the deepest for 75 years. Unemployment is rising, and thousands of people throughout the UK are suffering the very personal tragedy of losing their jobs. Certainty is a commodity in even shorter supply than…

No Pass-No Play: Academic Requirements for Extracurricular Activities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cromartie, Martha

1986-01-01

Discusses "no pass-no play" rules adopted by many state legislatures and local school districts that raise the academic standards students must meet before participating in extracurricular activities. Reviews two recent court challenges to the rules' constitutionality, focusing on due process, authority, and participation as a right or…

The Mobile Story: Data-Driven Community Efforts to Raise Graduation Rates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newell, Jeremiah; Akers, Carolyn

2010-01-01

Through sustained community organizing and strategic partnerships, the Mobile (Alabama) County Public School System is improving achievement and creating beat-the-odds schools that set and achieve high academic expectations despite the challenges of poverty and racial disparity. The authors chart how Mobile's Research Alliance for Multiple…

Raise the Bar on Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Englard, Lisa

2010-01-01

In a 1981 diagnostic test, the Ministry of Education in Singapore found its country facing a challenge: Only 46 percent of students in grades 2-4 could solve word problems that were presented without such key words as "altogether" or "left." Yet today, according to results from the Trends in International Mathematics and…

Structured Ethical Reflection in Practitioner Inquiry: Theory, Pedagogy, and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevens, Douglas M.; Brydon-Miller, Mary; Raider-Roth, Miriam

2016-01-01

Practitioner inquiry provides a powerful tool for improving practice and addressing critical issues in classrooms, schools, and broader communities. However, it also raises unique ethical challenges that often go unrecognized and unresolved. Structured Ethical Reflection (SER) provides teacher researchers with a process for identifying core values…

A Theory for Living: Walking with Reggio Emilia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wexler, Alice

2004-01-01

In the past decade, the Reggio Emilia preschools and toddler centers have emerged from Italy as a significant international influence in early childhood education and a challenging presence to the notions held about young children in the United States. The Reggio Emilia approach raises questions about the inherent limitations of the…

Commentary: Minimizing Evaluation Misuse as Principled Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cousins, J. Bradley

2004-01-01

"Ethical Challenges," in my experience, is invariably interesting, often instructive and sometimes amusing. Some of the most engaging stimulus scenarios raise thorny evaluation practice issues that ultimately lead to disparate points of view about the nature of the issue and how to handle it (Datta, 2002; Smith, 2002). Despite my poor performance…

Transnational Education: Concept and Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hussain, Irshad

2007-01-01

Transnational education is a new and permanent reality in educational life. It should be viewed as a positive set of educational opportunities. It raises profound and far-reaching implications for all those involved in higher education. The challenges represented by it may impact at the local, regional, national and global levels and reactions to…

Oregon School Finance Update.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lausberg, Clement H.

The Oregon educational system confronts a set of legislative challenges similar to, yet different from, the rest of the nation. Like the rest of the nation, distrust of government runs high, politicians are wary of raising or restructuring taxes, the economy is expanding, and the November 1994 state election shook up the political leadership of…

Revisiting Cognitive Tools: Shifting the Focus to Tools-in-Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Minchi C.

2012-01-01

Many studies have been conducted on the topics of tools, computers, and technology designed to promote student learning. However, researchers have rarely raised the critical issue of the lack of consensus on conceptualizing "cognitive tools" or the possible challenges associated with previous definitions. By examining the limitations on research…

The Feminist Critique in Epistemological Perspective: Questions of Context in Family Therapy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taggart, Morris

1985-01-01

Presents the feminist critique of systems-based family therapy. Discusses the functions of "punctuation,""boundary," and "closure" in systemic epistemology. Explores implications of a new context for family therapy with respect to women's issues, clinical epistemology, and the challenge to raise novel questions in family therapy. (BH)

The Danger of Deference: A Case of Polite Governance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minor, James T.; Tierney, William G.

2005-01-01

Over the past decade numerous arguments have been put forth that campus governance needs to be reformed to meet new challenges. Rethinking admission standards, implementing distance learning, increasing fund-raising, diversifying the faculty, and creating external partnerships are just a few issues that demand timely and informed decisions. For…

Raising the Next Generation: Bioethical Education for a Post-Genomic Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall-Walker, Christine

2013-01-01

Precollegiate education has paid little attention to the bioethical underpinning of recent innovations. Without a deliberate commitment to bioethical education, confusion and divisiveness regarding genetic testing are likely to challenge harmony in families and further polarize the already fragmented society. This article presents the following…

Sharing a Multimodal Corpus to Study Webcam-Mediated Language Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guichon, Nicolas

2017-01-01

This article proposes a methodology to create a multimodal corpus that can be shared with a group of researchers in order to analyze synchronous online pedagogical interactions. Epistemological aspects involved in studying online interactions from a multimodal and semiotic perspective are addressed. Then, issues and challenges raised by corpus…

Back on Track to Graduate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balfanz, Robert

2011-01-01

The Talent Development program at Johns Hopkins, City Year, and Communities in Schools have created a new middle school and high school model that reduces dropout risk. Diplomas Now integrates strategies that are designed to raise student achievement, promotion, and graduation rates in the nation's most challenged high-poverty secondary schools. A…

School Roofing Asset Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNeil, Dennis

2011-01-01

Maintenance of physical structures always has been a significant challenge for education institutions, but today's economic climate, which has cut budgets to the bone, has raised the stakes. Funding, staffing and resources for proper maintenance are becoming harder to find, and the need for upkeep and maintenance remains constant. Nowhere is this…

ACHP | News

Science.gov Websites

high-performance building district. The Seattle 2030 District recently was chosen as one of the first community partners in the Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Challenge. They saw examples of the Section 106. The discussion was important in identifying a number of issues. One issue raised was that

Pedagogy at the Brink of the Post-Anthropocene

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallin, Jason J.

2017-01-01

The significance of educational research is today predicated on its ability to engage with the ecological, economic, and political challenges of the anthropocene, for where we might take seriously education's commitment to the future necessitates a sustained encounter with the implications and questions raised in the wake of "our"…

A Case Study of a College-Wide First-Year Undergraduate Engineering Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aloul, Fadi; Zualkernan, Imran; Husseini, Ghaleb; El-Hag, Ayman; Al-Assaf, Yousef

2015-01-01

Introductory engineering courses are either programme specific or expose students to engineering as a broad discipline by including materials from various engineering programmes. A common introductory engineering course that spans different engineering programmes raises challenges, including the high cost of resources as well as the lack of…

Challenging Relativism: The Problem of Assessment Criteria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hammersley, Martyn

2009-01-01

This article raises serious questions about the relativist approach to assessing qualitative research that has been championed by John K. Smith and various colleagues. They reject not just empiricism but also what they refer to as "neorealism." Against both these positions, they advance an antirealist, anti-ontological argument to the effect that…

Happy Children: A Challenge to Parents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dreikurs, Rudolf; Soltz, Vicki

The present edition brings back into print a popular parenting book that appeared in 1964 and which sold over half a million copies. It features Anglicized spelling and provides examples that fit the British rather than American culture. The book instructs parents in democratic methods for raising children and it addresses contemporary dilemmas…

Informed Consent Agreements: Standards of Care for Digital Social Work Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mattison, Marian

2018-01-01

The inclusion of remote digital practices (e-mail, texting, blogging, social media) to deliver social work services raises unique ethical and legal challenges for client and practitioner. Competent care necessitates providing clients with information that would materially affect clients' decisions whether to assume the risks, benefits, and…

Challenging Students' Perceptions of Sustainability Using an Earth Systems Science Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Ian F.; Zeegers, Yvonne

2015-01-01

This study investigated whether an Earth Systems-based course focused on raising postgraduate students' awareness of sustainability, from a systems-thinking perspective, would produce graduates with commitment to drive the sustainability agenda forward with a broad perspective. It investigated students' pre and post-course perceptions of…

Philosophy, Kairosophy and the Lesson of Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Papastephanou, Marianna

2014-01-01

The conception of time that dominates in the educational world of today is that of measurable, invested and managed chronological time. It is the conception of time that corresponds to current priorities such as performativity, global synchronization of educational systems, raising standards and meeting the challenges of the market. The…

An Investigation on EFL Teachers' Attitude toward Teaching Profession

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agcam, Reyhan; Babanoglu, Muzaffer Pinar

2016-01-01

Teaching is described as a demanding job that requires in-depth knowledge of subject content, age-specific pedagogy, and many varied skills such as patience, leadership, and creativity. Teaching a foreign language constitutes another challenge for the teachers who are already attached the primary liability in raising generations for contributing…

Informal Spaces in Collaborations: Exploring the Edges/Boundaries of Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lom, Essie; Sullenger, Karen

2011-01-01

Self-directed, informal learning is a less recognized and understood form of professional development. Researching informal learning is almost an oxymoron. The process of studying learning contexts, such as informal, self-directed professional development, raises new challenges for researchers. Gaining insights into self-directed professional…

Strength Training: Institutes Pump up Teachers' Roles as Instructional Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mongiello, Peg; Brady, Deborah; Johnson, George; Berg, Jill Harrison

2009-01-01

In the North Middlesex Regional School District, located in north central Massachusetts near the New Hampshire border, teachers knew that the district had urgent challenges. Isolated programs provided rigor to only some students, student achievement scores showed room for improvement, and a recent accreditation review had raised questions about…

Higher Education Learning Outcomes--Ambiguity and Change in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caspersen, Joakim; Frølich, Nicoline; Muller, Johan

2017-01-01

The emerging interdependent world order poses new challenges for States and citizens alike. For States, interdependence has meant a new concern with integration, whilst for citizens and authorities alike, greater mobility has raised new concerns about recognition of competences, qualifications, quality and transparency. The introduction of…

Developments in Genetic Understanding: Time To Engage with the Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barr, Owen

2002-01-01

This editorial outlines how developments in our understanding of genetic information may raise new challenges for people with learning disabilities, their parents, and professionals working in learning disability services. It concludes by highlighting some key aspects professionals need to consider if they are to support effectively people who…

A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webb, James T.; Gore, Janet L.; Amend, Edward R.; DeVries, Arlene R.

2007-01-01

Raising a gifted child is both a joy and a challenge, yet parents of gifted children have few resources for reliable parenting information. The four authors, who have decades of professional experience with gifted children and their families, provide practical guidance in areas such as: Characteristics of gifted children; Peer relations; Sibling…

Stress Effects in Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) Fry on Pond Survival

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Results from previous studies suggested that channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) fry that were housed in very high traffic areas from hatch until reaching 9 g in size were able to survive experimental challenge with Edwardsiella ictaluri better than siblings who were hatched and raised in very low...

Risk Mechanisms in Development: Some Conceptual and Methodological Considerations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, Thomas G.; Rutter, Michael

1996-01-01

Comments on problems raised in this special issue, focusing on the distinctive aspects of the risk research reported. Highlights issues like sample characteristics, measurement strategies, specificity of risk factors, and risk mechanisms. Discusses the challenges of integrating alternative models of risk, with special references to research into…

The Challenges of Intersectionality: Researching Difference in Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flintoff, A.; Fitzgerald, H.; Scraton, S.

2008-01-01

Researching the intersection of class, race, gender, sexuality and disability raises many issues for educational research. Indeed, Maynard (2002, 33) has recently argued that "difference is one of the most significant, yet unresolved, issues for feminist and social thinking at the beginning of the twentieth century". This paper reviews…

75 FR 71519 - National Family Week, 2010

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-24

..., which aims to protect working families' economic security and raise their standard of living. And the... brave service members and their families who keep our loved ones safe here at home and abroad. This... dreams. As we confront our challenges as a Nation, let us support our families in creating safe...

Why Doesn't This Feel Empowering? The Challenges of Web-Based Intercultural Dialogue

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bali, Maha

2014-01-01

Ellsworth's article entitled "Why doesn't this feel empowering? Working through the repressive myths of critical pedagogy" raises issues about the complex dynamics of implementing critical pedagogy in real classrooms, and the difficulties and paradoxes of putting the empowerment rhetoric into practice. This article analyses the…

The American University: National Treasure or Endangered Species?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ehrenberg, Ronald G. Ed.

This book of nine essays was written to honor Frank H. T. Rhodes, President Emeritus of Cornell University (New York) and addresses ways in which research universities can respond to current challenges. An introductory chapter, "The American University: Dilemmas and Directions" (Ronald G. Ehrenberg), identifies key issues raised in the following…

The Cyberspace Challenge: Modernity, Post-modernity and Reflections on International Networking Policy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodenow, Ronald

1996-01-01

Emergence of global communications networks raises questions about the nature of pluralism, community, delivery of education, construction of knowledge, and role of comparative educators in a postindustrial world. Ownership, access, and definition and distribution of knowledge will become major policy issues. Networking experiences in telemedicine…

Challenges and Innovations in a Community-Based Participatory Randomized Controlled Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodkind, Jessica R.; Amer, Suha; Christian, Charlisa; Hess, Julia Meredith; Bybee, Deborah; Isakson, Brian L.; Baca, Brandon; Ndayisenga, Martin; Greene, R. Neil; Shantzek, Cece

2017-01-01

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are a long-standing and important design for conducting rigorous tests of the effectiveness of health interventions. However, many questions have been raised about the external validity of RCTs, their utility in explicating mechanisms of intervention and participants' intervention experiences, and their…

Adolescent Peer Conflicts: Implications for Students and for Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Opotow, Susan

1991-01-01

Interview data from 40 inner-city seventh graders challenge the stereotype that adolescents' peer conflicts (APCs) are senseless, wasteful, and destructive. Rather, these conflicts raise important micropolitical concerns about power, conflict, coalition, and policy. APCs can increase the relevance of education, play an important role in social…

Preventing Students with Disabilities from Dropping out

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pyle, Nicole; Wexler, Jade

2012-01-01

Schools are tasked with the challenge of not only raising graduation rates for students with and without disabilities but also preparing these students to meet college and career readiness standards. Recent studies and reviews of the literature suggest promising practices to ensure that educators meet these goals by increasing students' engagement…

IT Metrics and Money: One Approach to Public Accountability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daigle, Stephen L.

2004-01-01

Performance measurement can be a difficult political as well as technical challenge for educational institutions at all levels. Performance-based budgeting can raise the stakes still higher by linking resource allocation to a public "report card." The 23-campus system of the California State University (CSU) accepted each of these…

The Quality of Distance Learning in the Situation of Technological Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Targamadze, Aleksandras; Petrauskiene, Ruta

2008-01-01

This paper analyses challenges for higher education raised by the rapid development of information and communication technologies. The paper explores the enhancement of distance education leading to new opportunities to improve quality and develop services in higher education institutions. The paper overviews technical means and systems and also…

Principals Make Assignments Matter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dougherty, Eleanor

2013-01-01

The inner-city high school in Washington, DC, that Guillaume Gendre joined as an assistant principal had a modest reputation for achievement but was nevertheless challenged to raise expectations for student work. In other schools, Gendre had used assignments--a specific kind of instructional task in which students are charged to think about an…

Law and Equal Rights for Educational Opportunity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Sharon

Arguing violation of the equal protection clause of Federal and State constitutions, court actions in several States have challenged the method of financing public education. The issues raised concern interdistrict differentials in assessed valuation of properties. These differentials result in lower per-pupil funds for urban and rural districts…

Protecting Minors from Free Speech.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Joan Kennedy

1997-01-01

Because the Supreme Court has put severe limits on the use of the concepts of national security and protection of women to justify censorship, the predominant strategy has become censorship to protect minors. This article examines the legal concepts of obscenity and material harmful to minors, restrictions on broadcasting, and challenges raised by…

Creating and Maintaining a Safe Space in Experiential Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kisfalvi, Veronika; Oliver, David

2015-01-01

The increasing popularity of experiential learning in management education raises a number of new opportunities and challenges for instructors, particularly with regard to shifting instructor roles and attention to learning through one's emotions. In this article, we draw on psychodynamics--in particular D. W. Winnicott's notions of…

Raising Their Voices: The Politics of Girls' Anger.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Lyn Mikel

Challenging conventional characterization of teenage girlhood as a wasteland of depression, low self-esteem, and passive victimhood, this book presents accounts of young girls showing how their voices are shaped and constrained by socioeconomic class. Based on a year-long study involving conversations with white adolescent girls from the working…

Co-Curricular Leadership Education: Considering Critical Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fincher, Justin; Shalka, Tricia R.

2009-01-01

This article highlights the importance of examining the ways that leadership educators approach leadership education on college campuses. It also raises questions by which co-curricular leadership educators can re-evaluate how they prepare students for leadership that is relevant to meet the challenges of today's world. Through these questions…

IQ Tests Are Not for Machines, Yet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dowe, David L.; Hernandez-Orallo, Jose

2012-01-01

Complex, but specific, tasks--such as chess or "Jeopardy!"--are popularly seen as milestones for artificial intelligence (AI). However, they are not appropriate for evaluating the intelligence of machines or measuring the progress in AI. Aware of this delusion, Detterman has recently raised a challenge prompting AI researchers to evaluate their…

Motivations and concerns about adolescent tuberculosis vaccine trial participation in rural Uganda: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Buregyeya, Esther; Kulane, Asli; Kiguli, Juliet; Musoke, Phillipa; Mayanja, Harriet; Mitchell, Ellen Maeve Hanlon

2015-01-01

Research is being carried out to develop and test new potentially more effective tuberculosis vaccines. Among the vaccines being developed are those that target adolescents. This study explored the stakeholders' perceptions about adolescent participation in a hypothetical tuberculosis vaccine trial in Ugandan adolescents. Focus group discussions with adolescents, parents of infants and adolescents, and key informant interviews with community leaders and traditional healers were conducted. The majority of the respondents expressed potential willingness to allow their children participate in a tuberculosis vaccine trial. Main motivations for potential participation would be being able to learn about health-related issues. Hesitations included the notion that trial participation would distract the youths from their studies, fear of possible side effects of an investigational product, and potential for being sexually exploited by researchers. In addition, bad experiences from participation in previous research and doubts about the importance of research were mentioned. Suggested ways to motivate participation included: improved clarity on study purpose, risks, benefits and better scheduling of study procedures to minimize disruption to participants' academic schedules. Findings from this study suggest that the community is open to potential participation of adolescents in a tuberculosis vaccine trial. However, there is a need to communicate more effectively with the community about the purpose of the trial and its effects, including safety data, in a low-literacy, readily understood format. This raises a challenge to researchers, who cannot know all the potential effects of a trial product before it is tested.

The mothering experience of women with FGM/C raising 'uncut' daughters, in Ivory Coast and in Canada.

PubMed

Koukoui, Sophia; Hassan, Ghayda; Guzder, Jaswant

2017-04-05

While Female Genital Cutting (FGM/C) is a deeply entrenched cultural practice, there is now mounting evidence for a gradual decline in prevalence in a number of geographical areas in Africa and following migration to non-practicing countries. Consequently, there is now a growing number of women with FGM/C who are raising 'uncut' daughters. This study used a qualitative methodology to investigate the experience of women with FGM/C raising daughters who have not been subjected to the ritual. The aim of this study was to shed light on mothers' perception of the meaning and cultural significance of the practice and to gain insight into their mothering experience of 'uncut' girls. To this end, in-depth interviews were conducted with fifteen mothers living in Abidjan, Ivory Coast and in Montreal, Canada (8 and 7, respectively). Thirteen mothers intrinsically refused to perpetuate FGM/C onto their daughters and two diasporic mothers were in favour of FGM/C but forewent the practice for fear of legal repercussions. Whether the eschewing of FGM/C was deliberate or legally imposed, raising 'uncut' daughters had significant consequences in terms of women's mothering experiences. Mothers faced specific challenges pertaining to community and family pressure to have daughters undergo FGM/C, and expressed concerns regarding their daughters' sexuality. Conversely, women's narratives were also infused with pride and hope for their daughters, and revealed an accrued dialogue between the mother-daughter dyad about cultural norms and sexuality. Interestingly, women's mothering experience was also bolstered by the existence of informal networks of support between mothers with FGM/C whose daughters were 'uncut'. These communities of mothers engaged in open dialogue about the consequences of FGM/C and offered reciprocal solidarity and support in their decision to forego FGM/C for their children. Women with FGM/C who are raising 'uncut' daughters in their homeland and in their country of immigration vastly report a positive experience. However, they also face specific challenges related to immigration, psychosocial, and psychosexual considerations, which must be tackled from a multidisciplinary perspective.

Pre-Columbian Agriculture: Construction history of raised fields in Bermeo, in the Bolivian Lowlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodrigues, Leonor; Fehr, Seraina; Lombardo, Umberto; Veit, Heinz

2013-04-01

Since the beginning of the 1960s, research in the Amazon has revealed that in Pre-Columbian times, landscapes that were viewed as challenging living environments were nevertheless altered in several ways. Raised fields agriculture is one of the most impressive phenomena that can be found in South-eastern Amazonia. Pre-Columbian raised fields are earth platforms of differing shape and dimension that are elevated above the landscape's natural surface. The Llanos de Moxos, situated in the Bolivian Lowlands is one of the areas with the highest density of raised fields. In spite of the high interest in raised field agriculture, very few field-based investigations have been performed. As a result, there remains little explanation as to how they were constructed, managed or for what time frame they were in use. Recently, more detailed investigations have been performed on raised fields located in the indigenous community of Bermeo, in the vicinity of San Ignacio de Moxos. Combined data from fieldwork and laboratory analysis including particle size distribution, thin section micromorphology and radiocarbon analyses as well as optically stimulated luminescence analysis has given an insight into the history of their construction. Applied to the Bolivian Lowlands, the current study provides for the first time data showing aspects of the Pre-Columbian management of the raised fields, and a chronological sequence of utilization and abandonment of these fields. Radiocarbon dating has shown that the raised fields had been in use since as early as 900 AD. Two distinct paleosols identified in the field sequence point to the existence of two separate prolonged soil formation periods. The paleosols are characterized by initial stages of Bt-horizons. Each soil sequence indicates therefore a particular stable period of the field during which no new earth was heaped up. This suggests that contrary to the well supported theory that raised fields were managed through continuous accumulation of sediments transported from the canal to the field, the raised fields were more likely built during large, single construction events.

Universal financial protection through National Health Insurance: a stakeholder analysis of the proposed one-time premium payment policy in Ghana.

PubMed

Abiiro, Gilbert Abotisem; McIntyre, Di

2013-05-01

Extending coverage to the informal sector is a key challenge to achieving universal coverage through contributory health insurance schemes. Ghana introduced a mandatory National Health Insurance system in 2004 to provide financial protection for both the formal and informal sectors through a combination of taxes and annual premium payments. As part of its election promise in 2008, the current government (then in opposition) promised to make the payment of premiums 'one-time'. This has been a very controversial policy issue in Ghana. This study sought to contribute to assessing the feasibility of the proposed policy by exploring the understandings of various stakeholders on the policy, their interests or concerns, potential positions, power and influences on it, as well as the general prospects and challenges for its implementation. Data were gathered from a review of relevant documents in the public domain, 28 key informant interviews and six focus group discussions with key stakeholders in Accra and two other districts. The results show that there is a lot of confusion in stakeholders' understanding of the policy issue, and, because of the uncertainties surrounding it, most powerful stakeholders are yet to take clear positions on it. However, stakeholders raised concerns that revolved around issues such as: the meaning of a one-time premium within an insurance scheme context, the affordability of the one-time premium, financing sources and sustainability of the policy, as well as the likely impact of the policy on equity in access to health care. Policy-makers need to clearly explain the meaning of the one-time premium policy and how it will be funded, and critically consider the concerns raised by stakeholders before proceeding with further attempts to implement it. For other countries planning universal coverage reforms, it is important that the terminology of their reforms clearly reflects policy objectives.