Time Work by Overworked Professionals: Strategies in Response to the Stress of Higher Status

PubMed Central

Moen, Phyllis; Lam, Jack; Ammons, Samantha; Kelly, Erin L.

2013-01-01

How are professionals responding to the time strains brought on by the stress of their higher status jobs? Qualitative data from professionals reveal (a) general acceptance of the emerging temporal organization of professional work, including rising time demands and blurred boundaries around work/ nonwork times and places, and (b) time work as strategic responses to work intensification, overloads, and boundarylessness. We detected four time-work strategies: prioritizing time, scaling back obligations, blocking out time, and time shifting of obligations. These strategies are often more work-friendly than family-friendly, but “blocking out time” and “time shifting” suggest promising avenues for work-time policy and practice. PMID:24039337

Achieving Work-Life Balance in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Setting, Part II: Perspectives From Head Athletic Trainers

PubMed Central

Goodman, Ashley; Mazerolle, Stephanie M.; Pitney, William A.

2015-01-01

Context: Work-life balance has been examined at the collegiate level from multiple perspectives except for the athletic trainer (AT) serving in a managerial or leadership role. Objective: To investigate challenges and strategies used in achieving work-life balance from the perspective of the head AT at a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I university. Design: Qualitative study. Setting: Web-based management system. Patients or Other Participants: A total of 18 head ATs (13 men, 5 women; age = 44 ± 8 years, athletic training experience = 22 ± 7 years) volunteered. Data Collection and Analysis: Participants journaled their thoughts and experiences in response to a series of questions. To establish data credibility, we included multiple-analyst triangulation, stakeholder checks, and peer review. We used a general inductive approach to analyze the data. Results: Two higher-order themes emerged from our analysis of the data: organizational challenges and work-life balance strategies. The organizational challenges theme contained 2 lower-order themes: lack of autonomy and role demands. The work-life balance strategies theme contained 3 lower-order themes: prioritization of commitments, strategic boundary setting, and work-family integration. Conclusions: Head ATs are susceptible to experiencing work-life imbalance just as ATs in nonsupervisory roles are. Although not avoidable, the causes are manageable. Head ATs are encouraged to prioritize their personal time, make efforts to spend time away from their demanding positions, and reduce the number of additional responsibilities that can impede time available to spend away from work. PMID:25098746

Respiratory and digestive responses of postprandial Dungeness crabs, Cancer magister, and blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, during hyposaline exposure.

PubMed

Curtis, Daniel L; McGaw, Iain J

2010-02-01

Respiratory responses and gastric processing were examined during hyposaline exposure in two crab species of differing osmoregulatory ability. The efficient osmoregulator, Callinectes sapidus, displayed an immediate increase in oxygen uptake when exposed to low salinity in isolation. In contrast, the weak osmoregulator, Cancer magister, showed no change in oxygen uptake upon acute exposure (<6 h), but slight increases in oxygen uptake tended to occur over longer time scales (12-24 h). These changes were likely attributable to an increase in avoidance activity after 6 h hyposaline exposure. Following feeding in 100% SW, oxygen uptake doubled for both species and remained elevated for 15 h. When postprandial crabs were exposed to low salinities, C. sapidus were able to sum the demands of osmoregulation and digestion. Thus, gastric processes continued unabated in low salinity. Conversely, postprandial C. magister prioritized responses to low salinity over those of digestion, resulting in a decrease in oxygen uptake when exposed to low salinity. This decrease in oxygen uptake corresponded to a reduction in the rate of contraction of the pyloric stomach and a subsequent doubling of gastric evacuation time. The current study is one of the few to illustrate how summation or prioritization of competing physiological systems is manifested in digestive processes.

Prioritizing Information during Working Memory: Beyond Sustained Internal Attention.

PubMed

Myers, Nicholas E; Stokes, Mark G; Nobre, Anna C

2017-06-01

Working memory (WM) has limited capacity. This leaves attention with the important role of allowing into storage only the most relevant information. It is increasingly evident that attention is equally crucial for prioritizing representations within WM as the importance of individual items changes. Retrospective prioritization has been proposed to result from a focus of internal attention highlighting one of several representations. Here, we suggest an updated model, in which prioritization acts in multiple steps: first orienting towards and selecting a memory, and then reconfiguring its representational state in the service of upcoming task demands. Reconfiguration sets up an optimized perception-action mapping, obviating the need for sustained attention. This view is consistent with recent literature, makes testable predictions, and links WM with task switching and action preparation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The behavioral economics of driving after drinking among college drinkers.

PubMed

Teeters, Jenni B; Murphy, James G

2015-05-01

Driving after drinking (DAD) among college students is a significant public health concern, yet little is known about specific theoretical risk factors for DAD, beyond drinking level, among college student drinkers. This study had the following aims: (i) to examine the associations between elevated alcohol demand and DAD, (ii) to determine whether demand decreases in response to a hypothetical driving scenario, (iii) to determine whether drivers who report DAD in the past 3 months would show less of a reduction in demand in response to the hypothetical driving scenario, and (iv) to determine whether delayed reward discounting (DRD) is associated with DAD. Participants were 419 college students who reported at least 1 day of past-month alcohol use. Participants completed 2 alcohol purchase tasks (APTs) that assessed hypothetical alcohol consumption across 17 drink prices with and without a driving scenario, a delay-discounting task, and a series of questions regarding DAD. In logistic regression models that controlled for drinking level, demographics, and sensation seeking, participants reporting higher demand intensity (95% confidence interval [95% CI] [1.04, 2.34]), breakpoint (95% CI [1.23, 2.28]), Omax (95% CI [1.03, 1.53]), and lower elasticity (95% CI [0.15, 1.02]) were more likely to report DAD. Additionally, in analyses of covariance, DAD(+) participants exhibited significantly less of a reduction in demand between the standard and the driving APT (intensity, p < 0.01, breakpoint, p = 0.05, and Omax , p < 0.01). A binary logistic regression model with identical covariates revealed that DRD is not associated with DAD. DAD is associated with elevated/inelastic demand and less sensitivity to a hypothetical driving scenario. Drinkers with elevated demand should be prioritized for DAD intervention efforts. Copyright © 2015 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Parental Work Demands and Parent-Child, Family, and Couple Leisure in Dutch Families: What Gives?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roeters, Anne; Treas, Judith K.

2011-01-01

This study uses data on 898 Dutch couples with minor children to examine whether parental work demands are related differently to one-on-one parent-child, family, and couple leisure activities. The authors presume that the impact of working hours and work arrangements is smaller on activities that are prioritized highly and that are easier and…

Prioritizing critical success factors for reverse logistics implementation using fuzzy-TOPSIS methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agrawal, Saurabh; Singh, Rajesh K.; Murtaza, Qasim

2016-03-01

Electronics industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. In India also, there are high turnovers and growing demand of electronics product especially after post liberalization in early nineties. These products generate e-waste which has become big environmental issue. Industries can handle these e-waste and product returns efficiently by developing reverse logistics (RL) system. A thorough study of critical success factors (CSFs) and their ordered implementation is essential for successful RL implementation. The aim of the study is to review the CSFs, and to prioritize them for RL implementation in Indian electronics industry. Twelve CSFs were identified through literature review, and discussion with the experts from the Indian electronics industry. Fuzzy-Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) approach is proposed for prioritizing these CSFs. Perusal of literature indicates that fuzzy-TOPSIS has not been applied earlier for prioritization of CSFs in Indian electronics industry. Five Indian electronics companies were selected for evaluation of this methodology. Results indicate that most of the identified factors are crucial for the RL implementation. Top management awareness, resource management, economic factors, and contracts terms and conditions are top four prioritized factor, and process capabilities and skilled workers is the least prioritized factor. The findings will be useful for successful RL implementation in Indian electronics industry.

Efficient population-scale variant analysis and prioritization with VAPr.

PubMed

Birmingham, Amanda; Mark, Adam M; Mazzaferro, Carlo; Xu, Guorong; Fisch, Kathleen M

2018-04-06

With the growing availability of population-scale whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing, demand for reproducible, scalable variant analysis has spread within genomic research communities. To address this need, we introduce the Python package VAPr (Variant Analysis and Prioritization). VAPr leverages existing annotation tools ANNOVAR and MyVariant.info with MongoDB-based flexible storage and filtering functionality. It offers biologists and bioinformatics generalists easy-to-use and scalable analysis and prioritization of genomic variants from large cohort studies. VAPr is developed in Python and is available for free use and extension under the MIT License. An install package is available on PyPi at https://pypi.python.org/pypi/VAPr, while source code and extensive documentation are on GitHub at https://github.com/ucsd-ccbb/VAPr. kfisch@ucsd.edu.

Physical activity barriers and facilitators among working mothers and fathers.

PubMed

Mailey, Emily L; Huberty, Jennifer; Dinkel, Danae; McAuley, Edward

2014-06-27

The transition to parenthood is consistently associated with declines in physical activity. In particular, working parents are at risk for inactivity, but research exploring physical activity barriers and facilitators in this population has been scarce. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine perceptions of physical activity among working parents. Working mothers (n = 13) and fathers (n = 12) were recruited to participate in one of four focus group sessions and discuss physical activity barriers and facilitators. Data were analyzed using immersion/crystallization in NVivo 10. Major themes for barriers included family responsibilities, guilt, lack of support, scheduling constraints, and work. Major themes for facilitators included being active with children or during children's activities, being a role model for children, making time/prioritizing, benefits to health and family, and having support available. Several gender differences emerged within each theme, but overall both mothers and fathers reported their priorities had shifted to focus on family after becoming parents, and those who were fitting in physical activity had developed strategies that allowed them to balance their household and occupational responsibilities. The results of this study suggest working mothers and fathers report similar physical activity barriers and facilitators and would benefit from interventions that teach strategies for overcoming barriers and prioritizing physical activity amidst the demands of parenthood. Future interventions might consider targeting mothers and fathers in tandem to create an optimally supportive environment in the home.

Delegate, Collaborate, or Consult? A Capstone Simulation for Senior Nursing Students.

PubMed

Nowell, Lorelli S

2016-01-01

Clinical experiences are educational and fulfilling for both students and faculty; however, challenges arise in providing students with a variety of experiences where the leadership skills of prioritizing, collaborating, consulting, and delegating care can be developed. This article reports on a capstone simulation created to develop and sustain the prioritization, organization, and delegation skills of fourth year nursing students. Through the introduction of a multipatient simulation prior to graduation, nursing students will have a better understanding of the high-level leadership skills practicing registered nurses must possess in today's demanding health care environment.

Priority setting for health in the context of devolution in Kenya: implications for health equity and community-based primary care

PubMed Central

McCollum, Rosalind; Theobald, Sally; Otiso, Lilian; Martineau, Tim; Karuga, Robinson; Barasa, Edwine; Molyneux, Sassy; Taegtmeyer, Miriam

2018-01-01

Abstract Devolution changes the locus of power within a country from central to sub-national levels. In 2013, Kenya devolved health and other services from central government to 47 new sub-national governments (known as counties). This transition seeks to strengthen democracy and accountability, increase community participation, improve efficiency and reduce inequities. With changing responsibilities and power following devolution reforms, comes the need for priority-setting at the new county level. Priority-setting arises as a consequence of the needs and demand for healthcare resources exceeding the resources available, resulting in the need for some means of choosing between competing demands. We sought to explore the impact of devolution on priority-setting for health equity and community health services. We conducted key informant and in-depth interviews with health policymakers, health providers and politicians from 10 counties (n = 269 individuals) and 14 focus group discussions with community members based in 2 counties (n = 146 individuals). Qualitative data were analysed using the framework approach. We found Kenya’s devolution reforms were driven by the need to demonstrate responsiveness to county contexts, with positive ramifications for health equity in previously neglected counties. The rapidity of the process, however, combined with limited technical capacity and guidance has meant that decision-making and prioritization have been captured and distorted for political and power interests. Less visible community health services that focus on health promotion, disease prevention and referral have been neglected within the prioritization process in favour of more tangible curative health services. The rapid transition in power carries a degree of risk of not meeting stated objectives. As Kenya moves forward, decision-makers need to address the community health gap and lay down institutional structures, processes and norms which promote health equity for all Kenyans. PMID:29846599

Strain Prioritization for Natural Product Discovery by a High-Throughput Real-Time PCR Method

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Natural products offer unmatched chemical and structural diversity compared to other small-molecule libraries, but traditional natural product discovery programs are not sustainable, demanding too much time, effort, and resources. Here we report a strain prioritization method for natural product discovery. Central to the method is the application of real-time PCR, targeting genes characteristic to the biosynthetic machinery of natural products with distinct scaffolds in a high-throughput format. The practicality and effectiveness of the method were showcased by prioritizing 1911 actinomycete strains for diterpenoid discovery. A total of 488 potential diterpenoid producers were identified, among which six were confirmed as platensimycin and platencin dual producers and one as a viguiepinol and oxaloterpin producer. While the method as described is most appropriate to prioritize strains for discovering specific natural products, variations of this method should be applicable to the discovery of other classes of natural products. Applications of genome sequencing and genome mining to the high-priority strains could essentially eliminate the chance elements from traditional discovery programs and fundamentally change how natural products are discovered. PMID:25238028

Identifying spatial priorities for protecting ecosystem services

PubMed Central

Luck, Gary W

2012-01-01

Priorities for protecting ecosystem services must be identified to ensure future human well-being. Approaches to broad-scale spatial prioritization of ecosystem services are becoming increasingly popular and are a vital precursor to identifying locations where further detailed analyses of the management of ecosystem services is required (e.g., examining trade-offs among management actions). Prioritization approaches often examine the spatial congruence between priorities for protecting ecosystem services and priorities for protecting biodiversity; therefore, the spatial prioritization method used is crucial because it will influence the alignment of service protection and conservation goals. While spatial prioritization of ecosystem services and prioritization for conservation share similarities, such as the need to document threats and costs, the former differs substantially from the latter owing to the requirement to measure the following components: supply of services; availability of human-derived alternatives to service provision; capacity to meet beneficiary demand; and site dependency in and scale of service delivery. We review studies that identify broad-scale spatial priorities for managing ecosystem services and demonstrate that researchers have used different approaches and included various measures for identifying priorities, and most studies do not consider all of the components listed above. We describe a conceptual framework for integrating each of these components into spatial prioritization of ecosystem services and illustrate our approach using a worked example for water provision. A fuller characterization of the biophysical and social context for ecosystem services that we call for should improve future prioritization and the identification of locations where ecosystem-service management is especially important or cost effective. PMID:24555017

ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION: PRIORITIZATION TO ACHIEVE EMERGENT BENEFITS

EPA Science Inventory

The declining ability of ecosystems to support themselves and the demands placed on them is not new. Initial efforts to counteract these effects and trends focused on individual species (e.g., Endangered Species Act) or environmental media (e.g., Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act)....

A Reevaluation of the Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision Scale-Up Plan in Zimbabwe.

PubMed

Awad, Susanne F; Sgaier, Sema K; Ncube, Gertrude; Xaba, Sinokuthemba; Mugurungi, Owen M; Mhangara, Mutsa M; Lau, Fiona K; Mohamoud, Yousra A; Abu-Raddad, Laith J

2015-01-01

The voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) program in Zimbabwe aims to circumcise 80% of males aged 13-29 by 2017. We assessed the impact of actual VMMC scale-up to date and evaluated the impact of potential alterations to the program to enhance program efficiency, through prioritization of subpopulations. We implemented a recently developed analytical approach: the age-structured mathematical (ASM) model and accompanying three-level conceptual framework to assess the impact of VMMC as an intervention. By September 2014, 364,185 males were circumcised, an initiative that is estimated to avert 40,301 HIV infections by 2025. Through age-group prioritization, the number of VMMCs needed to avert one infection (effectiveness) ranged between ten (20-24 age-group) and 53 (45-49 age-group). The cost per infection averted ranged between $811 (20-24 age-group) and $5,518 (45-49 age-group). By 2025, the largest reductions in HIV incidence rate (up to 27%) were achieved by prioritizing 10-14, 15-19, or 20-24 year old. The greatest program efficiency was achieved by prioritizing 15-24, 15-29, or 15-34 year old. Prioritizing males 13-29 year old was programmatically efficient, but slightly inferior to the 15-24, 15-29, or 15-34 age groups. Through geographic prioritization, effectiveness varied from 9-12 VMMCs per infection averted across provinces. Through risk-group prioritization, effectiveness ranged from one (highest sexual risk-group) to 60 (lowest sexual risk-group) VMMCs per infection averted. The current VMMC program plan in Zimbabwe is targeting an efficient and impactful age bracket (13-29 year old), but program efficiency can be improved by prioritizing a subset of males for demand creation and service availability. The greatest program efficiency can be attained by prioritizing young sexually active males and males whose sexual behavior puts them at higher risk for acquiring HIV.

Pollution Assessment of the Biobío River (Chile): Prioritization of Substances of Concern Under an Ecotoxicological Approach.

PubMed

Alonso, Álvaro; Figueroa, Ricardo; Castro-Díez, Pilar

2017-05-01

The water demand for human activities is rapidly increasing in developing countries. Under these circumstances, preserving aquatic ecosystems should be a priority which requires the development of quality criteria. In this study we perform a preliminary prioritization of the risky substances based on reported ecotoxicological studies and guidelines for the Biobío watershed (Central Chile). Our specific aims are (1) reviewing the scientific information on the aquatic pollution of this watershed, (2) determining the presence and concentration of potential toxic substances in water, sediment and effluents, (3) searching for quality criteria developed by other countries for the selected substances and (4) prioritizing the most risky substances by means of deterministic ecotoxicological risk assessment. We found that paper and mill industries were the main sources of point pollution, while forestry and agriculture were mostly responsible for non-point pollution. The most risky organic substances in the water column were pentachlorophenol and heptachlor, while the most relevant inorganic ones were aluminum, copper, unionized ammonia and mercury. The most risky organic and inorganic substances in the sediment were phenanthrene and mercury, respectively. Our review highlights that an important effort has been done to monitor pollution in the Biobío watershed. However there are emerging pollutants and banned compounds-especially in sediments-that require to be monitored. We suggest that site-specific water quality criteria and sediment quality criteria should be developed for the Biobío watershed, considering the toxicity of mixtures of chemicals to endemic species, and the high natural background level of aluminum in the Biobío.

Pollution Assessment of the Biobío River (Chile): Prioritization of Substances of Concern Under an Ecotoxicological Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alonso, Álvaro; Figueroa, Ricardo; Castro-Díez, Pilar

2017-05-01

The water demand for human activities is rapidly increasing in developing countries. Under these circumstances, preserving aquatic ecosystems should be a priority which requires the development of quality criteria. In this study we perform a preliminary prioritization of the risky substances based on reported ecotoxicological studies and guidelines for the Biobío watershed (Central Chile). Our specific aims are (1) reviewing the scientific information on the aquatic pollution of this watershed, (2) determining the presence and concentration of potential toxic substances in water, sediment and effluents, (3) searching for quality criteria developed by other countries for the selected substances and (4) prioritizing the most risky substances by means of deterministic ecotoxicological risk assessment. We found that paper and mill industries were the main sources of point pollution, while forestry and agriculture were mostly responsible for non-point pollution. The most risky organic substances in the water column were pentachlorophenol and heptachlor, while the most relevant inorganic ones were aluminum, copper, unionized ammonia and mercury. The most risky organic and inorganic substances in the sediment were phenanthrene and mercury, respectively. Our review highlights that an important effort has been done to monitor pollution in the Biobío watershed. However there are emerging pollutants and banned compounds—especially in sediments—that require to be monitored. We suggest that site-specific water quality criteria and sediment quality criteria should be developed for the Biobío watershed, considering the toxicity of mixtures of chemicals to endemic species, and the high natural background level of aluminum in the Biobío.

Nanomaterial (NM) bioactivity profiling by ToxCast high-throughput screening (HTS)

EPA Science Inventory

Rapidly increasing numbers of new NMs and their uses demand efficient tests of NM bioactivity for safety assessment. The EPA’s ToxCast program uses HTS assays to prioritize for targeted testing, identify biological pathways affected, and aid in linking NM properties and potential...

Patterns of Third Mission Engagement among Scientists and Engineers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mejlgaard, Niels; Ryan, Thomas Kjeldager

2017-01-01

In the context of growing societal demand and interdependency, universities need to prioritize their "third mission" activities and balance them against core functions. Individual researchers too are faced with multiple external constituencies and various mechanisms for interaction. The degree, target, and mode of their involvement with…

Physical activity barriers and facilitators among working mothers and fathers

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The transition to parenthood is consistently associated with declines in physical activity. In particular, working parents are at risk for inactivity, but research exploring physical activity barriers and facilitators in this population has been scarce. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine perceptions of physical activity among working parents. Methods Working mothers (n = 13) and fathers (n = 12) were recruited to participate in one of four focus group sessions and discuss physical activity barriers and facilitators. Data were analyzed using immersion/crystallization in NVivo 10. Results Major themes for barriers included family responsibilities, guilt, lack of support, scheduling constraints, and work. Major themes for facilitators included being active with children or during children’s activities, being a role model for children, making time/prioritizing, benefits to health and family, and having support available. Several gender differences emerged within each theme, but overall both mothers and fathers reported their priorities had shifted to focus on family after becoming parents, and those who were fitting in physical activity had developed strategies that allowed them to balance their household and occupational responsibilities. Conclusions The results of this study suggest working mothers and fathers report similar physical activity barriers and facilitators and would benefit from interventions that teach strategies for overcoming barriers and prioritizing physical activity amidst the demands of parenthood. Future interventions might consider targeting mothers and fathers in tandem to create an optimally supportive environment in the home. PMID:24974148

Increased alertness, better than posture prioritization, explains dual-task performance in prosthesis users and controls under increasing postural and cognitive challenge.

PubMed

Howard, Charla L; Perry, Bonnie; Chow, John W; Wallace, Chris; Stokic, Dobrivoje S

2017-11-01

Sensorimotor impairments after limb amputation impose a threat to stability. Commonly described strategies for maintaining stability are the posture first strategy (prioritization of balance) and posture second strategy (prioritization of concurrent tasks). The existence of these strategies was examined in 13 below-knee prosthesis users and 15 controls during dual-task standing under increasing postural and cognitive challenge by evaluating path length, 95% sway area, and anterior-posterior and medial-lateral amplitudes of the center of pressure. The subjects stood on two force platforms under usual (hard surface/eyes open) and difficult (soft surface/eyes closed) conditions, first alone and while performing a cognitive task without and then with instruction on cognitive prioritization. During standing alone, sway was not significantly different between groups. After adding the cognitive task without prioritization instruction, prosthesis users increased sway more under the dual-task than single-task standing (p ≤ 0.028) during both usual and difficult conditions, favoring the posture second strategy. Controls, however, reduced dual-task sway under a greater postural challenge (p ≤ 0.017), suggesting the posture first strategy. With prioritization of the cognitive task, sway was unchanged or reduced in prosthesis users, suggesting departure from the posture second strategy, whereas controls maintained the posture first strategy. Individual analysis of dual tasking revealed that greater postural demand in controls and greater cognitive challenge in prosthesis users led to both reduced sway and improved cognitive performance, suggesting cognitive-motor facilitation. Thus, activation of additional resources through increased alertness, rather than posture prioritization, may explain dual-task performance in both prosthesis users and controls under increasing postural and cognitive challenge.

The SEA of the Future: Prioritizing Productivity. Volume 2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gross, Betheny, Ed.; Jochim, Ashley, Ed.

2013-01-01

"The SEA of the Future" is an education publication series examining how state education agencies can shift from a compliance to a performance-oriented organization through strategic planning and performance management tools to meet growing demands to support education reform while improving productivity. This volume, the second in the…

It's Not about "Us": "Express Newark" Prioritizing the Public Good

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davson, Victor; Englot, Anne Schaper; Fischzang, Chantal; Fleming, Tamara; Kline, Nick

2018-01-01

Publically engaged scholarship demands new ways of working within and outside of the academy. Systems within the university reward faculty for individual achievements. This approach militates against working on collaborative projects because of the difficulty of explaining and quantifying one's contribution. The culture of academia further…

CRITERIA FOR PRIORITIZATION OF ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION

EPA Science Inventory

Prioritization of ecosystem restoration measures is important for state and federal agencies, watershed coalitions, science advisory boards and other groups responsible for decision-making regarding restoration activities. Although widely utilized, the term "restoration prioriti...

A Novel Control Strategy for Autonomous Operation of Isolated Microgrid with Prioritized Loads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, R. Hari; Ushakumari, S.

2018-05-01

Maintenance of power balance between generation and demand is one of the most critical requirements for the stable operation of a power system network. To mitigate the power imbalance during the occurrence of any disturbance in the system, fast acting algorithms are inevitable. This paper proposes a novel algorithm for load shedding and network reconfiguration in an isolated microgrid with prioritized loads and multiple islands, which will help to quickly restore the system in the event of a fault. The performance of the proposed algorithm is enhanced using genetic algorithm and its effectiveness is illustrated with simulation results on modified Consortium for Electric Reliability Technology Solutions (CERTS) microgrid.

Help Wanted: Matching Jobs to Degrees. Complete to Compete Briefing Paper

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carnevale, Anthony

2011-01-01

Job losses during the recession have already created challenges that will endure well beyond the recovery. Governors have an opportunity to strategically prioritize higher education in their states and territories by linking labor market demand with education supply through expansion of existing data systems. Understanding what the job openings…

Model for prioritization of Graduate Medical Education funding at a university setting - Engagement of GME committee with the Clinical Enterprise.

PubMed

Are, Chandrakanth; Suh, Melissa; Carpenter, Lauren; Stoddard, Hugh; Hamm, Vicki; DeVries, Matthew; Goldner, Whitney; Jarzynka, Kimberly; Parker, Jennifer; Simonson, Jean; Talmon, Geoffrey; Vokoun, Chad; Gold, Jeffrey; Mercer, David; Wadman, Michael

2017-07-19

Funding for graduate medical education (GME) is becoming scarce and is likely to worsen. There is a higher degree of accountability and return on investment demanded from public funds dedicated to GME. Academic centers (AC) partnered with clinical enterprises (CE) are finding it increasingly difficult to retain sustainable funding streams for GME activities. To develop and implement a novel algorithmic funding model at one AC in symbiotic partnership with the CE for all 50 GME programs with nearly 500 residents. A new GME Finance and Workforce Committee was convened which was tasked with developing the novel algorithmic financial model to prioritize GME funding. Early outcomes measures that were monitored consisted of: satisfaction of all stakeholders and financial savings. The model was presented to all the stakeholders and was well received and approved. Early signs, demonstrated AC and CE satisfaction with the model, financial savings and increased efficiency. This GME funding model may serve as a template for other academic centers with tailored modifications to suit their local needs, demands and constraints. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chowdhury, Prasun; Saha Misra, Iti

2014-10-01

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

Management and integration of engineering and construction activities: Lessons learned from the AP1000{sup R} nuclear power plant China project

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

McCullough, M. C.; Ebeling-Koning, D.; Evans, M. C.

2012-07-01

The lessons learned during the early phase of design engineering and construction activities for the AP1000 China Project can be applied to any project involving multiple disciplines and multiple organizations. Implementation of a first-of-a-kind design to directly support construction activities utilizing resources assigned to design development and design delivery creates challenges with prioritization of activities, successful closure of issues, and communication between site organizations and the home office. To ensure successful implementation, teams were assigned and developed to directly support construction activities including prioritization of activities, site communication and ensuring closure of site emergent issues. By developing these teams, themore » organization is better suited to meet the demands of the construction schedule while continuing with design evolution of a standard plant and engineering delivery for multiple projects. For a successful project, proper resource utilization and prioritization are key for overcoming obstacles and ensuring success of the engineering organization. (authors)« less

MToolBox: a highly automated pipeline for heteroplasmy annotation and prioritization analysis of human mitochondrial variants in high-throughput sequencing

PubMed Central

Diroma, Maria Angela; Santorsola, Mariangela; Guttà, Cristiano; Gasparre, Giuseppe; Picardi, Ernesto; Pesole, Graziano; Attimonelli, Marcella

2014-01-01

Motivation: The increasing availability of mitochondria-targeted and off-target sequencing data in whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing studies (WXS and WGS) has risen the demand of effective pipelines to accurately measure heteroplasmy and to easily recognize the most functionally important mitochondrial variants among a huge number of candidates. To this purpose, we developed MToolBox, a highly automated pipeline to reconstruct and analyze human mitochondrial DNA from high-throughput sequencing data. Results: MToolBox implements an effective computational strategy for mitochondrial genomes assembling and haplogroup assignment also including a prioritization analysis of detected variants. MToolBox provides a Variant Call Format file featuring, for the first time, allele-specific heteroplasmy and annotation files with prioritized variants. MToolBox was tested on simulated samples and applied on 1000 Genomes WXS datasets. Availability and implementation: MToolBox package is available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/mtoolbox/. Contact: marcella.attimonelli@uniba.it Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. PMID:25028726

Risk-based Prioritization of Facility Decommissioning and Environmental Restoration Projects in the National Nuclear Legacy Liabilities Program at the Chalk River Laboratory - 13564

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

Nelson, Jerel G.; Kruzic, Michael; Castillo, Carlos

2013-07-01

Chalk River Laboratory (CRL), located in Ontario Canada, has a large number of remediation projects currently in the Nuclear Legacy Liabilities Program (NLLP), including hundreds of facility decommissioning projects and over one hundred environmental remediation projects, all to be executed over the next 70 years. Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) utilized WorleyParsons to prioritize the NLLP projects at the CRL through a risk-based prioritization and ranking process, using the WorleyParsons Sequencing Unit Prioritization and Estimating Risk Model (SUPERmodel). The prioritization project made use of the SUPERmodel which has been previously used for other large-scale site prioritization and sequencing ofmore » facilities at nuclear laboratories in the United States. The process included development and vetting of risk parameter matrices as well as confirmation/validation of project risks. Detailed sensitivity studies were also conducted to understand the impacts that risk parameter weighting and scoring had on prioritization. The repeatable prioritization process yielded an objective, risk-based and technically defendable process for prioritization that gained concurrence from all stakeholders, including Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) who is responsible for the oversight of the NLLP. (authors)« less

Surrogate End-of-Life Care Decision Makers' Postbereavement Grief and Guilt Responses.

PubMed

Lovell, Geoff P; Smith, Trish; Kannis-Dymand, Lee

2015-01-01

This article examined differences in familial/friend surrogate decision makers' (N = 93) postbereavement grief and guilt associated with decisions to either prioritize comfort or longevity in determining end-of-life care for decisionally incapacitated adult palliative loved ones. Results demonstrated that participants prioritizing the longevity of loved ones experienced significantly and meaningfully higher levels of grief, complicated grief, and trauma related guilt than those who prioritized comfort.

Respect for persons permits prioritizing treatment for HIV/AIDS.

PubMed

Metz, Thaddeus

2008-08-01

I defend a certain claim about rationing in the context of HIV/AIDS, namely the 'priority thesis' that the state of a developing country with a high rate of HIV should provide highly active anti-retroviral treatment (HAART) to those who would die without it, even if doing so would require not treating most other life-threatening diseases. More specifically,I defend the priority thesis in a negative way by refuting two influential and important arguments against it inspired by the Kantian principle of respect for persons. The 'equality argument' more or less maintains that prioritizing treatment for HIV/AIDS would objectionably treat those who suffer from it as more important than those who do not. The 'responsibility argument' says, roughly, that to ration life-saving treatment by prioritizing those with HIV would wrongly fail to hold people responsible for their actions, since most people infected with HIV could have avoided the foreseeable harm of infection. While it appears that a Kantian must think that one of these two arguments is sound, I maintain that, in fact, respect for persons grounds neither the equality nor responsibility argument against prioritizing HAART and hence at least permits doing so. If this negative defence of the priority thesis succeeds, then conceptual space is opened up for the possibility that respect for persons requires prioritizing HAART which argument I sketch in the conclusion as something to articulate and defend in future work.

Towards sustainable environmental quality: A call to prioritize global research needs

EPA Science Inventory

Identifying, prioritizing, and advancing research priorities are important goals for those engaged in scientific enterprise. Anticipating the greatest scientific needs and challenges presents opportunities to be more agile in response, more efficient in purpose, and more intentio...

A Risk Analysis Approach to Prioritizing Epidemics: Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa as a Case Study

PubMed Central

Chughtai, Abrar Ahmad; MacIntyre, C. Raina

2017-01-01

Abstract The 2014 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak affected several countries worldwide, including six West African countries. It was the largest Ebola epidemic in the history and the first to affect multiple countries simultaneously. Significant national and international delay in response to the epidemic resulted in 28,652 cases and 11,325 deaths. The aim of this study was to develop a risk analysis framework to prioritize rapid response for situations of high risk. Based on findings from the literature, sociodemographic features of the affected countries, and documented epidemic data, a risk scoring framework using 18 criteria was developed. The framework includes measures of socioeconomics, health systems, geographical factors, cultural beliefs, and traditional practices. The three worst affected West African countries (Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia) had the highest risk scores. The scores were much lower in developed countries that experienced Ebola compared to West African countries. A more complex risk analysis framework using 18 measures was compared with a simpler one with 10 measures, and both predicted risk equally well. A simple risk scoring system can incorporate measures of hazard and impact that may otherwise be neglected in prioritizing outbreak response. This framework can be used by public health personnel as a tool to prioritize outbreak investigation and flag outbreaks with potentially catastrophic outcomes for urgent response. Such a tool could mitigate costly delays in epidemic response. PMID:28810081

Computational Approaches and Tools for Exposure Prioritization and Biomonitoring Data Interpretation

EPA Science Inventory

The ability to describe the source-environment-exposure-dose-response continuum is essential for identifying exposures of greater concern to prioritize chemicals for toxicity testing or risk assessment, as well as for interpreting biomarker data for better assessment of exposure ...

Psychiatric Emergency Services for the U.S. Elderly: 2008 and Beyond

PubMed Central

Walsh, Patrick G.; Currier, Glenn; Shah, Manish N.; Lyness, Jeffrey M.; Friedman, Bruce

2008-01-01

In 2011 the oldest baby boomers will turn age 65. Although healthcare researchers have started to examine the future preparedness of the healthcare system for the elderly, psychiatric emergency services (PES) have been widely overlooked. Research is needed to address PES need and demand by older patients, assess the consequences of this need/demand, and establish recommendations to guide PES planning and practice. The authors examined journal articles, review papers, textbooks, and electronic databases related to these topics. We outline the current PES environment in terms of facilities, characteristics, and visits, and discuss current geriatric patient PES use. Factors expected to impact future use are examined, including sociodemographic characteristics, psychiatric illness prevalence, cohort effects, medical comorbidity, mental healthcare resources and utilization, and stigma. Consequences of these on future psychiatric care and well-being of the elderly are then explored, specifically, greater acute services need, more suicide, strained delivery systems, increased hospitalization, and greater costs. The following are proposed to address likely future PES shortcomings: enhance service delivery, increase training, standardize and improve PES, prioritize finances, and promote research. The degree to which the geriatric mental healthcare “crisis” develops will be inversely related to the current system's response to predictable future needs. PMID:18757766

Total Quality Management (TQM) in Self-Financed Technical Institutions: A Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and Force Field Analysis Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thakkar, Jitesh; Deshmukh, S. G.; Shastree, Anil

2006-01-01

Purpose: To explore the potential for adoption of TQM in self-financed technical institutions in the light of new demands and challenges posed by customers/students and society. Design/methodology/approach: The paper presents use of quality function deployment (QFD) which prioritizes technical requirements and correlates them with various…

A Risk Analysis Approach to Prioritizing Epidemics: Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa as a Case Study.

PubMed

Ajisegiri, Whenayon Simeon; Chughtai, Abrar Ahmad; MacIntyre, C Raina

2018-03-01

The 2014 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak affected several countries worldwide, including six West African countries. It was the largest Ebola epidemic in the history and the first to affect multiple countries simultaneously. Significant national and international delay in response to the epidemic resulted in 28,652 cases and 11,325 deaths. The aim of this study was to develop a risk analysis framework to prioritize rapid response for situations of high risk. Based on findings from the literature, sociodemographic features of the affected countries, and documented epidemic data, a risk scoring framework using 18 criteria was developed. The framework includes measures of socioeconomics, health systems, geographical factors, cultural beliefs, and traditional practices. The three worst affected West African countries (Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia) had the highest risk scores. The scores were much lower in developed countries that experienced Ebola compared to West African countries. A more complex risk analysis framework using 18 measures was compared with a simpler one with 10 measures, and both predicted risk equally well. A simple risk scoring system can incorporate measures of hazard and impact that may otherwise be neglected in prioritizing outbreak response. This framework can be used by public health personnel as a tool to prioritize outbreak investigation and flag outbreaks with potentially catastrophic outcomes for urgent response. Such a tool could mitigate costly delays in epidemic response. © 2017 The Authors Risk Analysis published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Risk Analysis.

Tackling Complex Emergency Response Solutions Evaluation Problems in Sustainable Development by Fuzzy Group Decision Making Approaches with Considering Decision Hesitancy and Prioritization among Assessing Criteria.

PubMed

Qi, Xiao-Wen; Zhang, Jun-Ling; Zhao, Shu-Ping; Liang, Chang-Yong

2017-10-02

In order to be prepared against potential balance-breaking risks affecting economic development, more and more countries have recognized emergency response solutions evaluation (ERSE) as an indispensable activity in their governance of sustainable development. Traditional multiple criteria group decision making (MCGDM) approaches to ERSE have been facing simultaneous challenging characteristics of decision hesitancy and prioritization relations among assessing criteria, due to the complexity in practical ERSE problems. Therefore, aiming at the special type of ERSE problems that hold the two characteristics, we investigate effective MCGDM approaches by hiring interval-valued dual hesitant fuzzy set (IVDHFS) to comprehensively depict decision hesitancy. To exploit decision information embedded in prioritization relations among criteria, we firstly define an fuzzy entropy measure for IVDHFS so that its derivative decision models can avoid potential information distortion in models based on classic IVDHFS distance measures with subjective supplementing mechanism; further, based on defined entropy measure, we develop two fundamental prioritized operators for IVDHFS by extending Yager's prioritized operators. Furthermore, on the strength of above methods, we construct two hesitant fuzzy MCGDM approaches to tackle complex scenarios with or without known weights for decision makers, respectively. Finally, case studies have been conducted to show effectiveness and practicality of our proposed approaches.

Tackling Complex Emergency Response Solutions Evaluation Problems in Sustainable Development by Fuzzy Group Decision Making Approaches with Considering Decision Hesitancy and Prioritization among Assessing Criteria

PubMed Central

Qi, Xiao-Wen; Zhang, Jun-Ling; Zhao, Shu-Ping; Liang, Chang-Yong

2017-01-01

In order to be prepared against potential balance-breaking risks affecting economic development, more and more countries have recognized emergency response solutions evaluation (ERSE) as an indispensable activity in their governance of sustainable development. Traditional multiple criteria group decision making (MCGDM) approaches to ERSE have been facing simultaneous challenging characteristics of decision hesitancy and prioritization relations among assessing criteria, due to the complexity in practical ERSE problems. Therefore, aiming at the special type of ERSE problems that hold the two characteristics, we investigate effective MCGDM approaches by hiring interval-valued dual hesitant fuzzy set (IVDHFS) to comprehensively depict decision hesitancy. To exploit decision information embedded in prioritization relations among criteria, we firstly define an fuzzy entropy measure for IVDHFS so that its derivative decision models can avoid potential information distortion in models based on classic IVDHFS distance measures with subjective supplementing mechanism; further, based on defined entropy measure, we develop two fundamental prioritized operators for IVDHFS by extending Yager’s prioritized operators. Furthermore, on the strength of above methods, we construct two hesitant fuzzy MCGDM approaches to tackle complex scenarios with or without known weights for decision makers, respectively. Finally, case studies have been conducted to show effectiveness and practicality of our proposed approaches. PMID:28974045

Strategic Management of Resource Markets: An Exploratory Study of Department of Defense Contractors.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-04-01

prime contractors focusing on (1) the operation and functional content of strategic management systems and their approaches to identifying, prioritizing...Introduction Strategic Planning for Procurement Approaches to Strategic Planning Relationship with the Procurement Process Organizational Demands Studies...planning/management with the same skill, content and commitment, what suggested improvements can come from a study of the approaches used by the more

Criteria for the prioritization of public health interventions for climate-sensitive vector-borne diseases in Quebec.

PubMed

Hongoh, Valerie; Gosselin, Pierre; Michel, Pascal; Ravel, André; Waaub, Jean-Philippe; Campagna, Céline; Samoura, Karim

2017-01-01

Prioritizing resources for optimal responses to an ever growing list of existing and emerging infectious diseases represents an important challenge to public health. In the context of climate change, there is increasing anticipated variability in the occurrence of infectious diseases, notably climate-sensitive vector-borne diseases. An essential step in prioritizing efforts is to identify what considerations and concerns to take into account to guide decisions and thus set disease priorities. This study was designed to perform a comprehensive review of criteria for vector-borne disease prioritization, assess their applicability in a context of climate change with a diverse cross-section of stakeholders in order to produce a baseline list of considerations to use in this decision-making context. Differences in stakeholder choices were examined with regards to prioritization of these criteria for research, surveillance and disease prevention and control objectives. A preliminary list of criteria was identified following a review of the literature. Discussions with stakeholders were held to consolidate and validate this list of criteria and examine their effects on disease prioritization. After this validation phase, a total of 21 criteria were retained. A pilot vector-borne disease prioritization exercise was conducted using PROMETHEE to examine the effects of the retained criteria on prioritization in different intervention domains. Overall, concerns expressed by stakeholders for prioritization were well aligned with categories of criteria identified in previous prioritization studies. Weighting by category was consistent between stakeholders overall, though some significant differences were found between public health and non-public health stakeholders. From this exercise, a general model for climate-sensitive vector-borne disease prioritization has been developed that can be used as a starting point for further public health prioritization exercises relating to research, surveillance, and prevention and control interventions in a context of climate change. Multi-stakeholder engagement in prioritization can help broaden the range of criteria taken into account, offer opportunities for early identification of potential challenges and may facilitate acceptability of any resulting decisions.

Model Meets Data: Challenges and Opportunities to Implement Land Management in Earth System Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pongratz, J.; Dolman, A. J.; Don, A.; Erb, K. H.; Fuchs, R.; Herold, M.; Jones, C.; Luyssaert, S.; Kuemmerle, T.; Meyfroidt, P.

2016-12-01

Land-based demand for food and fibre is projected to increase in the future. In light of global sustainability challenges only part of this increase will be met by expansion of land use into relatively untouched regions. Additional demand will have to be fulfilled by intensification and other adjustments in management of land that already is under agricultural and forestry use. Such land management today occurs on about half of the ice-free land surface, as compared to only about one quarter that has undergone a change in land cover. As the number of studies revealing substantial biogeophysical and biogeochemical effects of land management is increasing, moving beyond land cover change towards including land management has become a key focus for Earth system modeling. However, a basis for prioritizing land management activities for implementation in models is lacking. We lay this basis for prioritization in a collaborative project across the disciplines of Earth system modeling, land system science, and Earth observation. We first assess the status and plans of implementing land management in Earth system and dynamic global vegetation models. A clear trend towards higher complexity of land use representation is visible. We then assess five criteria for prioritizing the implementation of land management activities: (1) spatial extent, (2) evidence for substantial effects on the Earth system, (3) process understanding, (4) possibility to link the management activity to existing concepts and structures of models, (5) availability of data required as model input. While the first three criteria have been assessed by an earlier study for ten common management activities, we review strategies for implementation in models and the availability of required datasets. We can thus evaluate the management activities for their performance in terms of importance for the Earth system, possibility of technical implementation in models, and data availability. This synthesis reveals some "low-hanging" fruits for model implementation, but also challenges for the assessment of land management effects by modeling. The identified gaps can guide prioritization within the data community from the Earth system and Earth system modeling perspective.

Model meets data: Challenges and opportunities to implement land management in Earth System Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pongratz, Julia; Dolman, Han; Don, Axel; Erb, Karl-Heinz; Fuchs, Richard; Herold, Martin; Jones, Chris; Luyssaert, Sebastiaan; Kuemmerle, Tobias; Meyfroidt, Patrick; Naudts, Kim

2017-04-01

Land-based demand for food and fibre is projected to increase in the future. In light of global sustainability challenges only part of this increase will be met by expansion of land use into relatively untouched regions. Additional demand will have to be fulfilled by intensification and other adjustments in management of land that already is under agricultural and forestry use. Such land management today occurs on about half of the ice-free land surface, as compared to only about one quarter that has undergone a change in land cover. As the number of studies revealing substantial biogeophysical and biogeochemical effects of land management is increasing, moving beyond land cover change towards including land management has become a key focus for Earth system modeling. However, a basis for prioritizing land management activities for implementation in models is lacking. We lay this basis for prioritization in a collaborative project across the disciplines of Earth system modeling, land system science, and Earth observation. We first assess the status and plans of implementing land management in Earth system and dynamic global vegetation models. A clear trend towards higher complexity of land use representation is visible. We then assess five criteria for prioritizing the implementation of land management activities: (1) spatial extent, (2) evidence for substantial effects on the Earth system, (3) process understanding, (4) possibility to link the management activity to existing concepts and structures of models, (5) availability of data required as model input. While the first three criteria have been assessed by an earlier study for ten common management activities, we review strategies for implementation in models and the availability of required datasets. We can thus evaluate the management activities for their performance in terms of importance for the Earth system, possibility of technical implementation in models, and data availability. This synthesis reveals some "low-hanging" fruits for model implementation, but also challenges for the assessment of land management effects by modeling. The identified gaps can guide prioritization within the data community from the Earth system and Earth system modeling perspective.

Resources planning for radiological incidents management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamid, Amy Hamijah binti Ab.; Rozan, Mohd Zaidi Abd; Ibrahim, Roliana; Deris, Safaai; Yunus, Muhd. Noor Muhd.

2017-01-01

Disastrous radiation and nuclear meltdown require an intricate scale of emergency health and social care capacity planning framework. In Malaysia, multiple agencies are responsible for implementing radiological and nuclear safety and security. This research project focused on the Radiological Trauma Triage (RTT) System. This system applies patient's classification based on their injury and level of radiation sickness. This classification prioritizes on the diagnostic and treatment of the casualties which include resources estimation of the medical delivery system supply and demand. Also, this system consists of the leading rescue agency organization and disaster coordinator, as well as the technical support and radiological medical response teams. This research implemented and developed the resources planning simulator for radiological incidents management. The objective of the simulator is to assist the authorities in planning their resources while managing the radiological incidents within the Internal Treatment Area (ITA), Reception Area Treatment (RAT) and Hospital Care Treatment (HCT) phases. The majority (75%) of the stakeholders and experts, who had been interviewed, witnessed and accepted that the simulator would be effective to resolve various types of disaster and resources management issues.

Change in Psychosocial Work Factors Predicts Follow-up Employee Strain: An Examination of Australian Employees.

PubMed

Jimmieson, Nerina L; Hobman, Elizabeth V; Tucker, Michelle K; Bordia, Prashant

2016-10-01

This research undertook a time-ordered investigation of Australian employees in regards to their experiences of change in psychosocial work factors across time (decreases, increases, or no change) in the prediction of psychological, physical, attitudinal, and behavioral employee strain. Six hundred and ten employees from 17 organizations participated in Time 1 and Time 2 psychosocial risk assessments (average time lag of 16.7 months). Multi-level regressions examined the extent to which change in exposure to six demands and four resources predicted employee strain at follow-up, after controlling for baseline employee strain. Increases in demands and decreases in resources exacerbated employee strain, but even constant moderate demands and resources resulted in poor employee outcomes, not just constant high or low exposure, respectively. These findings can help employers prioritize hazards, and guide tailored psychosocial organizational interventions.

76 FR 18399 - Changes To Implement the Prioritized Examination Track (Track I) of the Enhanced Examination...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-04

... questioned whether the processing fee was required only if early publication was requested. Response: Both... fee for requesting early publication. Comment 5: A few comments indicated that the fee for prioritized... applicant being unable to amend the claims to place them in independent form after a final rejection where...

Lean Manufacturing and the Infantry: Retaining Quality during Total Mobilization

DTIC Science & Technology

United States last decisive war against a peer threat, World War II, required significant manpower resources. Prioritizing quality manpower ...distribution to technical jobs resulted in the degradation of the infantry, which then required the Army to implement corrective measures to reverse the...deficiency in quality. Should another decisive war occur in the future, the lethality and speed of modern warfare will increase the demand for manpower , which

T-dominance: Prioritized Defense Deployment for BYOD Security (Post Print)

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-10-01

infrastructure. Employees’ demand/ satisfaction , decreased IT acquisition and support cost, and increased use of cloud/virtualization technologies in...example, a report [8] on hijacking hotel Wi-Fi hotspots for drive-by malware attacks on laptops comes close to what we have in mind; practical man-in...obtaining unwarranted privilege, are often ignored for convenience, or circumvented for customization by the users. Rootkits, like iOS Jailbreak5, are

Determinants of Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intent in Home Health Workers: The Role of Job Demands and Resources.

PubMed

Jang, Yuri; Lee, Ahyoung A; Zadrozny, Michelle; Bae, Sung-Heui; Kim, Miyong T; Marti, Nathan C

2017-01-01

Based on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, this study explored the impact of job demands (physical injury and racial/ethnic discrimination) and resources (self-confidence in job performance and recognition by supervisor/organization/society) on home health workers' employee outcomes (job satisfaction and turnover intent). Using data from the National Home Health Aide Survey (N = 3,354), multivariate models of job satisfaction and turnover intent were explored. In both models, the negative impact of demands (physical injury and racial/ethnic discrimination) and the positive impact of resources (self-confidence in job performance and recognition by supervisor and organization) were observed. The overall findings suggest that physical injury and discrimination should be prioritized in prevention and intervention efforts to improve home health workers' safety and well-being. Attention also needs to be paid to ways to bolster work-related efficacy and to promote an organizational culture of appreciation and respect. © The Author(s) 2015.

The effect of requirements prioritization on avionics system conceptual design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorentz, John

This dissertation will provide a detailed approach and analysis of a new collaborative requirements prioritization methodology that has been used successfully on four Coast Guard avionics acquisition and development programs valued at $400M+. A statistical representation of participant study results will be discussed and analyzed in detail. Many technically compliant projects fail to deliver levels of performance and capability that the customer desires. Some of these systems completely meet "threshold" levels of performance; however, the distribution of resources in the process devoted to the development and management of the requirements does not always represent the voice of the customer. This is especially true for technically complex projects such as modern avionics systems. A simplified facilitated process for prioritization of system requirements will be described. The collaborative prioritization process, and resulting artifacts, aids the systems engineer during early conceptual design. All requirements are not the same in terms of customer priority. While there is a tendency to have many thresholds inside of a system design, there is usually a subset of requirements and system performance that is of the utmost importance to the design. These critical capabilities and critical levels of performance typically represent the reason the system is being built. The systems engineer needs processes to identify these critical capabilities, the associated desired levels of performance, and the risks associated with the specific requirements that define the critical capability. The facilitated prioritization exercise is designed to collaboratively draw out these critical capabilities and levels of performance so they can be emphasized in system design. Developing the purpose, scheduling and process for prioritization events are key elements of systems engineering and modern project management. The benefits of early collaborative prioritization flow throughout the project schedule, resulting in greater success during system deployment and operational testing. This dissertation will discuss the data and findings from participant studies, present a literature review of systems engineering and design processes, and test the hypothesis that the prioritization process had no effect on stakeholder sentiment related to the conceptual design. In addition, the "Requirements Rationalization" process will be discussed in detail. Avionics, like many other systems, has transitioned from a discrete electronics engineering, hard engineering discipline to incorporate software engineering as a core process of the technology development cycle. As with other software-based systems, avionics now has significant soft system attributes that must be considered in the design process. The boundless opportunities that exist in software design demand prioritization to focus effort onto the critical functions that the software must provide. This has been a well documented and understood phenomenon in the software development community for many years. This dissertation will attempt to link the effect of software integrated avionics to the benefits of prioritization of requirements in the problem space and demonstrate the sociological and technical benefits of early prioritization practices.

Criteria for the prioritization of public health interventions for climate-sensitive vector-borne diseases in Quebec

PubMed Central

Gosselin, Pierre; Michel, Pascal; Ravel, André; Waaub, Jean-Philippe; Campagna, Céline; Samoura, Karim

2017-01-01

Prioritizing resources for optimal responses to an ever growing list of existing and emerging infectious diseases represents an important challenge to public health. In the context of climate change, there is increasing anticipated variability in the occurrence of infectious diseases, notably climate-sensitive vector-borne diseases. An essential step in prioritizing efforts is to identify what considerations and concerns to take into account to guide decisions and thus set disease priorities. This study was designed to perform a comprehensive review of criteria for vector-borne disease prioritization, assess their applicability in a context of climate change with a diverse cross-section of stakeholders in order to produce a baseline list of considerations to use in this decision-making context. Differences in stakeholder choices were examined with regards to prioritization of these criteria for research, surveillance and disease prevention and control objectives. A preliminary list of criteria was identified following a review of the literature. Discussions with stakeholders were held to consolidate and validate this list of criteria and examine their effects on disease prioritization. After this validation phase, a total of 21 criteria were retained. A pilot vector-borne disease prioritization exercise was conducted using PROMETHEE to examine the effects of the retained criteria on prioritization in different intervention domains. Overall, concerns expressed by stakeholders for prioritization were well aligned with categories of criteria identified in previous prioritization studies. Weighting by category was consistent between stakeholders overall, though some significant differences were found between public health and non-public health stakeholders. From this exercise, a general model for climate-sensitive vector-borne disease prioritization has been developed that can be used as a starting point for further public health prioritization exercises relating to research, surveillance, and prevention and control interventions in a context of climate change. Multi-stakeholder engagement in prioritization can help broaden the range of criteria taken into account, offer opportunities for early identification of potential challenges and may facilitate acceptability of any resulting decisions. PMID:29281726

A Stakeholder-Informed Approach to the Identification of Criteria for the Prioritization of Zoonoses in Canada

PubMed Central

Ng, Victoria; Sargeant, Jan M.

2012-01-01

Background Zoonotic diseases account for over 60% of all communicable diseases causing illness in humans and 75% of recently emerging infectious diseases. As limited resources are available for the control and prevention of zoonotic diseases, it is necessary to prioritize diseases in order to direct resources into those with the greatest needs. The selection of criteria for prioritization has traditionally been on the basis of expert opinion; however, details of the methods used to identify criteria from expert opinion often are not published and a full range of criteria may not be captured by expert opinion. Methodology/Principal Findings This study used six focus groups to identify criteria for the prioritization of zoonotic diseases in Canada. Focus groups included people from the public, animal health professionals and human health professionals. A total of 59 criteria were identified for prioritizing zoonotic diseases. Human-related criteria accounted for the highest proportion of criteria identified (55%), followed by animal-related criteria (26%) then pathogen/disease-related criteria (19%). Similarities and differences were observed in the identification and scoring of criteria for disease prioritization between groups; the public groups were strongly influenced by the individual-level of disease burden, the responsibility of the scientific community in disease prioritization and the experiences of recent events while the professional groups were influenced by the societal- and population-level of disease burden and political and public pressure. Conclusions/Significance This was the first study to describe a mixed semi-quantitative and qualitative approach to deriving criteria for disease prioritization. This was also the first study to involve the opinion of the general public regarding disease prioritization. The number of criteria identified highlights the difficulty in prioritizing zoonotic diseases. The method presented in this paper has formulated a comprehensive list of criteria that can be used to inform future disease prioritization studies. PMID:22238648

Pilot mental workload: how well do pilots really perform?

PubMed

Morris, Charles H; Leung, Ying K

2006-12-15

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of increasing mental demands on various aspects of aircrew performance. In particular, the robustness of the prioritization and allocation hierarchy of aviate-navigate-communicate was examined, a hierarchy commonly used within the aviation industry. A total of 42 trainee pilots were divided into three workload groups (low, medium, high) to complete a desktop, computer-based exercise that simulated combinations of generic flight deck activities: flight control manipulation, rule-based actions and higher level cognitive processing, in addition to Air Traffic Control instructions that varied in length from one chunk of auditory information to seven chunks. It was found that as mental workload and auditory input increased, participants experienced considerable difficulty in carrying out the primary manipulation task. A similar decline in prioritization was also observed. Moreover, when pilots were under a high mental workload their ability to comprehend more than two chunks of auditory data deteriorated rapidly.

The process of development of a prioritization tool for a clinical decision support build within a computerized provider order entry system: Experiences from St Luke's Health System.

PubMed

Wolf, Matthew; Miller, Suzanne; DeJong, Doug; House, John A; Dirks, Carl; Beasley, Brent

2016-09-01

To establish a process for the development of a prioritization tool for a clinical decision support build within a computerized provider order entry system and concurrently to prioritize alerts for Saint Luke's Health System. The process of prioritizing clinical decision support alerts included (a) consensus sessions to establish a prioritization process and identify clinical decision support alerts through a modified Delphi process and (b) a clinical decision support survey to validate the results. All members of our health system's physician quality organization, Saint Luke's Care as well as clinicians, administrators, and pharmacy staff throughout Saint Luke's Health System, were invited to participate in this confidential survey. The consensus sessions yielded a prioritization process through alert contextualization and associated Likert-type scales. Utilizing this process, the clinical decision support survey polled the opinions of 850 clinicians with a 64.7 percent response rate. Three of the top rated alerts were approved for the pre-implementation build at Saint Luke's Health System: Acute Myocardial Infarction Core Measure Sets, Deep Vein Thrombosis Prophylaxis within 4 h, and Criteria for Sepsis. This study establishes a process for developing a prioritization tool for a clinical decision support build within a computerized provider order entry system that may be applicable to similar institutions. © The Author(s) 2015.

Patient-centered prioritization of bladder cancer research.

PubMed

Smith, Angela B; Chisolm, Stephanie; Deal, Allison; Spangler, Alejandra; Quale, Diane Z; Bangs, Rick; Jones, J Michael; Gore, John L

2018-05-04

Patient-centered research requires the meaningful involvement of patients and caregivers throughout the research process. The objective of this study was to create a process for sustainable engagement for research prioritization within oncology. From December 2014 to 2016, a network of engaged patients for research prioritization was created in partnership with the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN): the BCAN Patient Survey Network (PSN). The PSN leveraged an online bladder cancer community with additional recruitment through print advertisements and social media campaigns. Prioritized research questions were developed through a modified Delphi process and were iterated through multidisciplinary working groups and a repeat survey. In year 1 of the PSN, 354 patients and caregivers responded to the research prioritization survey; the number of responses increased to 1034 in year 2. The majority of respondents had non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), and the mean time since diagnosis was 5 years. Stakeholder-identified questions for noninvasive, invasive, and metastatic disease were prioritized by the PSN. Free-text questions were sorted with thematic mapping. Several questions submitted by respondents were among the prioritized research questions. A final prioritized list of research questions was disseminated to various funding agencies, and a highly ranked NMIBC research question was included as a priority area in the 2017 Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute announcement of pragmatic trial funding. Patient engagement is needed to identify high-priority research questions in oncology. The BCAN PSN provides a successful example of an engagement infrastructure for annual research prioritization in bladder cancer. The creation of an engagement network sets the groundwork for additional phases of engagement, including design, conduct, and dissemination. Cancer 2018. © 2018 American Cancer Society. © 2018 American Cancer Society.

Strategic crisis and risk communication during a prolonged natural hazard event: lessons learned from the Canterbury earthquake sequence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wein, A. M.; Potter, S.; Becker, J.; Doyle, E. E.; Jones, J. L.

2015-12-01

While communication products are developed for monitoring and forecasting hazard events, less thought may have been given to crisis and risk communication plans. During larger (and rarer) events responsible science agencies may find themselves facing new and intensified demands for information and unprepared for effectively resourcing communications. In a study of the communication of aftershock information during the 2010-12 Canterbury Earthquake Sequence (New Zealand), issues are identified and implications for communication strategy noted. Communication issues during the responses included reliability and timeliness of communication channels for immediate and short decision time frames; access to scientists by those who needed information; unfamiliar emergency management frameworks; information needs of multiple audiences, audience readiness to use the information; and how best to convey empathy during traumatic events and refer to other information sources about what to do and how to cope. Other science communication challenges included meeting an increased demand for earthquake education, getting attention on aftershock forecasts; responding to rumor management; supporting uptake of information by critical infrastructure and government and for the application of scientific information in complex societal decisions; dealing with repetitive information requests; addressing diverse needs of multiple audiences for scientific information; and coordinating communications within and outside the science domain. For a science agency, a communication strategy would consider training scientists in communication, establishing relationships with university scientists and other disaster communication roles, coordinating messages, prioritizing audiences, deliberating forecasts with community leaders, identifying user needs and familiarizing them with the products ahead of time, and practicing the delivery and use of information via scenario planning and exercises.

Determining procedures for simulation-based training in radiology: a nationwide needs assessment.

PubMed

Nayahangan, Leizl Joy; Nielsen, Kristina Rue; Albrecht-Beste, Elisabeth; Bachmann Nielsen, Michael; Paltved, Charlotte; Lindorff-Larsen, Karen Gilboe; Nielsen, Bjørn Ulrik; Konge, Lars

2018-06-01

New training modalities such as simulation are widely accepted in radiology; however, development of effective simulation-based training programs is challenging. They are often unstructured and based on convenience or coincidence. The study objective was to perform a nationwide needs assessment to identify and prioritize technical procedures that should be included in a simulation-based curriculum. A needs assessment using the Delphi method was completed among 91 key leaders in radiology. Round 1 identified technical procedures that radiologists should learn. Round 2 explored frequency of procedure, number of radiologists performing the procedure, risk and/or discomfort for patients, and feasibility for simulation. Round 3 was elimination and prioritization of procedures. Response rates were 67 %, 70 % and 66 %, respectively. In Round 1, 22 technical procedures were included. Round 2 resulted in pre-prioritization of procedures. In round 3, 13 procedures were included in the final prioritized list. The three highly prioritized procedures were ultrasound-guided (US) histological biopsy and fine-needle aspiration, US-guided needle puncture and catheter drainage, and basic abdominal ultrasound. A needs assessment identified and prioritized 13 technical procedures to include in a simulation-based curriculum. The list may be used as guide for development of training programs. • Simulation-based training can supplement training on patients in radiology. • Development of simulation-based training should follow a structured approach. • The CAMES Needs Assessment Formula explores needs for simulation training. • A national Delphi study identified and prioritized procedures suitable for simulation training. • The prioritized list serves as guide for development of courses in radiology.

A Toxicological Framework for the Prioritization of Children’s Safe Product Act Data

PubMed Central

Smith, Marissa N.; Grice, Joshua; Cullen, Alison; Faustman, Elaine M.

2016-01-01

In response to concerns over hazardous chemicals in children’s products, Washington State passed the Children’s Safe Product Act (CSPA). CSPA requires manufacturers to report the concentration of 66 chemicals in children’s products. We describe a framework for the toxicological prioritization of the ten chemical groups most frequently reported under CSPA. The framework scores lifestage, exposure duration, primary, secondary and tertiary exposure routes, toxicokinetics and chemical properties to calculate an exposure score. Four toxicological endpoints were assessed based on curated national and international databases: reproductive and developmental toxicity, endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity and carcinogenicity. A total priority index was calculated from the product of the toxicity and exposure scores. The three highest priority chemicals were formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate and styrene. Elements of the framework were compared to existing prioritization tools, such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ExpoCast and Toxicological Prioritization Index (ToxPi). The CSPA framework allowed us to examine toxicity and exposure pathways in a lifestage-specific manner, providing a relatively high throughput approach to prioritizing hazardous chemicals found in children’s products. PMID:27104547

Obesity Surgery Score (OSS) for Prioritization in the Bariatric Surgery Waiting List: a Need of Public Health Systems and a Literature Review.

PubMed

Casimiro Pérez, José Antonio; Fernández Quesada, Carlos; Del Val Groba Marco, María; Arteaga González, Iván; Cruz Benavides, Francisco; Ponce, Jaime; de Pablos Velasco, Pedro; Marchena Gómez, Joaquín

2018-04-01

In the last decades, we have experienced an increase in the prevalence of obesity in western countries with a higher demand for bariatric surgery and consequently prolonged waiting times. Currently, in many public hospitals, the only criterion that establishes priority for bariatric surgery is waiting time regardless of obesity severity. We propose a new, simple, and homogeneous clinical prioritization system, the Obesity Surgery Score (OSS), which takes into account simultaneously and equitably the time on surgical waiting list and the obesity severity based on three variables: body mass index, obesity-related comorbidities, and functional limitations. We have reviewed the current literature related to obesity clinical staging systems, and we have carried out an analysis of our patients in waiting list and divided their characteristics according to their degree of severity (A, B, or C) in the OSS. Patients with OSS grade C have a higher mean BMI, greater severity in comorbidities, and greater socio-labor impact. The current surgery waiting time of our series is of 26 months. Currently, 27 patients (51.9%) with OSS grade B and 15 patients (51.7%) with OSS grade C have been on our waiting list for more than 1 year. Since the obesity severity, the waiting time and its clinical consequences are associated with an increase in morbidity and mortality, it is important to apply a structured prioritization system for bariatric surgery waiting list. This allows prioritization of patients at greater risk, improves patient prognosis, and optimizes costs and available health resources.

Operation and Management of Thermostatically Controlled Loads for Providing Regulation Services to Power Grids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanouni, Maziar

The notion of demand-side participation in power systems operation and control is on the verge of realization because of the advancement in the required technologies an tools like communications, smart meters, sensor networks, large data management techniques, large scale optimization method, etc. Therefore, demand-response (DR) programs can be one of the prosperous solutions to accommodate part of the increasing demand for load balancing services which is brought about by the high penetration of intermittent renewable energies in power systems. This dissertation studies different aspects of the DR programs that utilized the thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs) to provide load balancing services. The importance of TCLs among the other loads lie on their flexibility in power consumption pattern while the customer/end-user comfort is not (or minimally) impacted. Chapter 2 discussed a previously presented direct load control (DLC) to control the power consumption of aggregated TCLs. The DLC method performs a power tracking control and based on central approach where a central controller broadcasts the control command to the dispersed TCLs to toggle them on/off. The central controller receives measurement feedback from the TCLs once per couple of minutes to run a successful forecast process. The performance evaluation criteria to evaluate the load balancing service provided by the TCLs are presented. The results are discussed under different scenarios and situation. The numerical results show the proper performance of the DLC method. This DLC method is used as the control method in all the studies in this dissertation. Chapter 3 presents performance improvements for the original method in Chapter 2 by communicating two more pieces of information called forecast parameters (FPs). Communicating improves the forecast process in the DLC and hence, both performance accuracy and the amount of tear-and-wear imposed on the TCLs. Chapter 4 formulates a stochastic optimization model for a load aggregator (LA) to participate in the performance-based regulation markets (PBRM). PBRMs are the recently developed and practiced regulation market structure recommended by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in 2011. In PBRMs, regulation resources are paid based on both regulation capacity bids and the regulation performance including the provided mileage and the performance accuracy. In order to develop the income from the PBRM, the convention of California Independent System Operator (CAISO) is used. In the presented optimization model, the amount of tear-and-wear imposed on the TCLs are confined to prevent abrupt switching of TCLs. In Chapter 5, a two-stage reward allocation mechanism is developed for a LA recruiting TCLs for regulation service provision. The mechanism helps the LA to distribute the total reward (earned from regulation service provision) among the TCLs according to their contribution in the whole provided service. In the first stage, TCLs are prioritized based on their service provision capability. In order to do so, an index called SPCI is presented to quantify TCLs capability/flexibility and therefore, prioritize them. After prioritization TCLs a priority list is constructed in the first stage. In the second stage, a reward curve is constructed representing the functionality of the possible total reward with respect to the number top TCLs in the priority list. Then, the allocated reward to individual TCLs is calculated by applying the incremental method on the constructed reward curve. This presented reward allocation mechanism is based on the definition of maximum service capacity (MSC) for a control group including TCLs. MSC is defined and its calculation method is presented before discussing the two stages of the reward allocation mechanism. The numerical results proves the suitability of the proposed prioritization method as it is observed the TCLs with higher rankings can contribute more to the total reward in comparison to the TCLs with lower rankings in the priority list.

Financial crisis and collapsed banks: psychological distress and work related factors among surviving employees--a nation-wide study.

PubMed

Snorradóttir, Ásta; Vilhjálmsson, Rúnar; Rafnsdóttir, Guðbjörg Linda; Tómasson, Kristinn

2013-09-01

The study considered psychological distress among surviving bank employees differently entangled in downsizing and restructuring following the financial crisis of 2008. A cross-sectional, nationwide study was conducted among surviving employees (N = 1880, response rate 68%). Multivariate analysis was conducted to assess factors associated with psychological distress. In the banks, where all employees experienced rapid and unpredictable organizational changes, psychological distress was higher among employees most entangled in the downsizing and restructuring process. Being subjected to downsizing within own department, salary cut, and transfer to another department, was directly related to increased psychological distress, controlling for background factors. The associations between downsizing, restructuring, and distress were reduced somewhat by adding job demands, job control, and empowering leadership to the model, however, adding social support had little effect on these associations. Employees most entangled in organizational changes are the most vulnerable and should be prioritized in workplace interventions during organizational changes. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[Workers' Health Referral Centers and reporting of work-related injuries in Brazil].

PubMed

Galdino, Adriana; Santana, Vilma Sousa; Ferrite, Silvia

2012-01-01

This study examines the contribution of Workers' Health Referral Centers (CEREST) to the reporting of severe work-related injuries and those involving exposure to biological materials in the Brazilian National Health Reporting System (SINAN), under the Unified National Health System (SUS). The study used data from the Form-SUS and SINAN databases, aggregated for the CEREST coverage areas. Valid data were obtained for 125 CEREST (23 State and 102 regional). A majority of the CEREST were assessed as fully installed. The increase in the reporting of severe work-related accidents was greater when staffing was consistent with the demand, and when teams responded to external demands, including those of the media. For exposures to biological material, CEREST with good physical installations, those that responded to media demands, and those with trained personnel in the sentinel network showed a higher increase in reporting. Infrastructure, staff numbers and training, and responding to external demands are important for increasing notification of work-related accidents and should be prioritized in order to reduce the major underreporting of such accidents.

Development of clinical practice guidelines for supportive care in childhood cancer--prioritization of topics using a Delphi approach.

PubMed

Loeffen, E A H; Mulder, R L; Kremer, L C M; Michiels, E M C; Abbink, F C H; Ball, L M; Segers, H; Mavinkurve-Groothuis, A M C; Smit, F J; Vonk, I J M; Vd Wetering, M D; Tissing, W J E

2015-07-01

Currently, very few guidelines for supportive care for children with cancer exist. In the Netherlands, nationwide guidelines are over 10 years old and mostly based on expert opinion. Consequently, there is growing support and need for clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), which ought to be developed with a well-defined methodology and include a systematic search of literature, evidence summaries, and a transparent description of the decision process for the final recommendations. Development of CPGs is time consuming; therefore, it is important to prioritize topics for which there is the greatest clinical demand. This study aims to prioritize childhood cancer supportive care topics for development of CPGs. A Delphi survey consisting of two rounds was conducted to prioritize relevant childhood cancer supportive care topics for the development of CPGs. A group of experts comprising 15 pediatric oncologists, 15 pediatric oncology nurses, and 15 general pediatricians involved in care for childhood cancer patients were invited to participate. All relevant supportive care topics in childhood cancer were rated. In both rounds, 36 panellists (82%) responded. Agreement between panellists was very good, with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.918 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.849-0.966, p < 0.001) in round 2. The ten topics with the highest score in the final round were infection, sepsis, febrile neutropenia, pain, nausea/vomiting, restrictions in daily life and activities, palliative care, procedural sedation, terminal care, and oral mucositis. We successfully used a Delphi survey to prioritize childhood cancer supportive care topics for the development of CPGs. This is a first step towards uniform and evidence-based Dutch guidelines in supportive care in childhood cancer. Even though performed nationally, we believe that this study can also be regarded as an example starting point for international development of CPGs in the field of supportive care in cancer or any other field for that matter.

Benefits of flexible prioritization in working memory can arise without costs.

PubMed

Myers, Nicholas E; Chekroud, Sammi R; Stokes, Mark G; Nobre, Anna C

2018-03-01

Most recent models conceptualize working memory (WM) as a continuous resource, divided up according to task demands. When an increasing number of items need to be remembered, each item receives a smaller chunk of the memory resource. These models predict that the allocation of attention to high-priority WM items during the retention interval should be a zero-sum game: improvements in remembering cued items come at the expense of uncued items because resources are dynamically transferred from uncued to cued representations. The current study provides empirical data challenging this model. Four precision retrocueing WM experiments assessed cued and uncued items on every trial. This permitted a test for trade-off of the memory resource. We found no evidence for trade-offs in memory across trials. Moreover, robust improvements in WM performance for cued items came at little or no cost to uncued items that were probed afterward, thereby increasing the net capacity of WM relative to neutral cueing conditions. An alternative mechanism of prioritization proposes that cued items are transferred into a privileged state within a response-gating bottleneck, in which an item uniquely controls upcoming behavior. We found evidence consistent with this alternative. When an uncued item was probed first, report of its orientation was biased away from the cued orientation to be subsequently reported. We interpret this bias as competition for behavioral control in the output-driving bottleneck. Other items in WM did not bias each other, making this result difficult to explain with a shared resource model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Uses of research evidence among US state legislators who prioritize behavioral health issues

PubMed Central

Purtle, Jonathan; Dodson, Elizabeth A.; Brownson, Ross C.

2016-01-01

Objective Disseminating behavioral health (BH) research to legislators (i.e., elected policy makers) is widely acknowledged as a priority, but little is known about how research evidence is used and sought by this audience. The primary aim of this exploratory study was to identify the research dissemination preferences and research seeking practices of legislators who prioritize BH issues and describe the role research plays in determining their policy priorities. The secondary aim was to assess if these legislators differ from legislators who do not prioritize BH issues. Methods A telephone-based survey was conducted with 862 US state legislators (response rate 50%). A validated survey instrument was used to assess legislators’ priorities and the factors that determine them, research dissemination preferences, and research seeking practices. Bivariate analyses were conducted to characterize the study population and compare legislators who prioritized BH issues to legislators who did not. Results Legislators who prioritized BH issues were significantly more likely to identify research evidence as a factor that determined policy priorities than legislators who did not prioritize these issues (odds ratio=1.91, 95% CI=1.25–2.90, p=.002). Legislators who prioritized BH issues also attributed more importance to 10-of-12 features of disseminated research (e.g., research being unbiased [p=.014], research telling a story [p=.033]) and engaged in 8-of-11 research seeking and utilization practices (e.g., attending research presentations [p=.012]) more often. Conclusions Legislators who prioritize BH issues actively seek, have distinct preferences for, and are particularly influenced by research evidence. Testing legislator-focused BH research dissemination strategies is an area for future research. PMID:27364817

Nurses' prioritization of enteral nutrition in intensive care units: a national survey.

PubMed

Bloomer, Melissa J; Clarke, Angelique B; Morphet, Julia

2018-05-01

Enteral nutrition is important in critically ill patients to improve patient outcomes, with nurses playing a pivotal role in the delivery and ongoing care of enteral nutrition. A significant deficit in nurses' knowledge and education relating to enteral nutrition has been identified, leading to iatrogenic malnutrition and potentially compromising patient care. Enteral nutrition appears to be prioritized lower than many other aspects of care. However, there is scant research to show how nurses prioritize enteral nutrition. This study aimed to explore how nurses prioritize enteral nutrition when caring for a critically ill patient. A descriptive online questionnaire, administered in May 2014, was utilized to explore the study aim. Descriptive statistics were performed to evaluate quantitative data. Content analysis was used to evaluate qualitative data. A total of 359 responses were included in data analysis (response rate 20.8%). All respondents were registered nurses working within an Australian intensive care unit or high dependency unit. Nurses agreed that enteral nutrition was very important and should be commenced as soon as possible. However, life-saving procedures always took priority and there were often multiple barriers that hindered optimal delivery of enteral nutrition. Respondents relied on their clinical judgement to inform decisions in relation to enteral nutrition in critically ill patients. Most respondents agreed that enteral nutrition was an important aspect of patient care, but acknowledged that other aspects of care were prioritized more highly. Despite this, some delays to enteral nutrition were perceived to be avoidable, and nurses recognized a need to advocate on the patient's behalf to increase the visibility of enteral nutrition. The findings of this study demonstrate that enteral nutrition is often prioritized lower than other competing care needs in the critically ill patient. Given the importance of enteral nutrition to patient recovery, changes to clinical practice to improve enteral nutrition management are necessary. © 2017 British Association of Critical Care Nurses.

[Community prioritization in Barcelona Salut als Barris program].

PubMed

Sánchez-Ledesma, Esther; Pérez, Anna; Vázquez, Noelia; García-Subirats, Irene; Fernández, Ana; Novoa, Ana M; Daban, Ferran

Prioritizing corresponds to the process of selecting and managing health needs identified after diagnosing the community's health needs and assets. Recently, the health needs assessment has been reinforced with the community perspective, providing multiple benefits: it sensitizes and empowers the community about their health, encourages mutual support among its members and promotes their importance by making them responsible for the process of improving their own reality. The objective of this paper is to describe the prioritization of Barcelona Salut als Barris, a community health strategy led by the Barcelona Public Health Agency to promote equity in health in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods of the city. Copyright © 2017 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Minimizing irrigation water demand: An evaluation of shifting planting dates in Sri Lanka.

PubMed

Rivera, Ashley; Gunda, Thushara; Hornberger, George M

2018-05-01

Climate change coupled with increasing demands for water necessitates an improved understanding of the water-food nexus at a scale local enough to inform farmer adaptations. Such assessments are particularly important for nations with significant small-scale farming and high spatial variability in climate, such as Sri Lanka. By comparing historical patterns of irrigation water requirements (IWRs) to rice planting records, we estimate that shifting rice planting dates to earlier in the season could yield water savings of up to 6%. Our findings demonstrate the potential of low-cost adaptation strategies to help meet crop production demands in water-scarce environments. This local-scale assessment of IWRs in Sri Lanka highlights the value of using historical data to inform agricultural management of water resources when high-skilled forecasts are not available. Given national policies prioritizing in-country production and farmers' sensitivities to water stress, decision-makers should consider local degrees of climate variability in institutional design of irrigation management structures.

Implications of the global financial crisis for the response to diseases of poverty within overall health sector development: the case of tuberculosis.

PubMed

Maher, Dermot

2010-01-01

The global financial crisis poses a threat to global health, and may exacerbate diseases of poverty, e.g. HIV, malaria and tuberculosis. Exploring the implications of the global financial crisis for the health sector response to tuberculosis is useful to illustrate the practical problems and propose possible solutions. The response to tuberculosis is considered in the context of health sector development. Problems and solutions are considered in five key areas: financing, prioritization, government regulation, integration and decentralization. Securing health gains in global tuberculosis control depends on protecting expenditure by governments of countries badly affected by tuberculosis and by donors, taking measures to increase efficiencies, prioritizing health expenditures and strengthening government regulation. Lessons learned will be valuable for stakeholders involved in the health sector response to tuberculosis and other diseases of poverty.

Getting it right when budgets are tight: Using optimal expansion pathways to prioritize responses to concentrated and mixed HIV epidemics.

PubMed

Stuart, Robyn M; Kerr, Cliff C; Haghparast-Bidgoli, Hassan; Estill, Janne; Grobicki, Laura; Baranczuk, Zofia; Prieto, Lorena; Montañez, Vilma; Reporter, Iyanoosh; Gray, Richard T; Skordis-Worrall, Jolene; Keiser, Olivia; Cheikh, Nejma; Boonto, Krittayawan; Osornprasop, Sutayut; Lavadenz, Fernando; Benedikt, Clemens J; Martin-Hughes, Rowan; Hussain, S Azfar; Kelly, Sherrie L; Kedziora, David J; Wilson, David P

2017-01-01

Prioritizing investments across health interventions is complicated by the nonlinear relationship between intervention coverage and epidemiological outcomes. It can be difficult for countries to know which interventions to prioritize for greatest epidemiological impact, particularly when budgets are uncertain. We examined four case studies of HIV epidemics in diverse settings, each with different characteristics. These case studies were based on public data available for Belarus, Peru, Togo, and Myanmar. The Optima HIV model and software package was used to estimate the optimal distribution of resources across interventions associated with a range of budget envelopes. We constructed "investment staircases", a useful tool for understanding investment priorities. These were used to estimate the best attainable cost-effectiveness of the response at each investment level. We find that when budgets are very limited, the optimal HIV response consists of a smaller number of 'core' interventions. As budgets increase, those core interventions should first be scaled up, and then new interventions introduced. We estimate that the cost-effectiveness of HIV programming decreases as investment levels increase, but that the overall cost-effectiveness remains below GDP per capita. It is important for HIV programming to respond effectively to the overall level of funding availability. The analytic tools presented here can help to guide program planners understand the most cost-effective HIV responses and plan for an uncertain future.

Prolonged disengagement from distractors near the hands

PubMed Central

Vatterott, Daniel B.; Vecera, Shaun P.

2013-01-01

Because items near our hands are often more important than items far from our hands, the brain processes visual items near our hands differently than items far from our hands. Multiple experiments have attributed this processing difference to spatial attention, but the exact mechanism behind how spatial attention near our hands changes is still under investigation. The current experiments sought to differentiate between two of the proposed mechanisms: a prioritization of the space near the hands and a prolonged disengagement of spatial attention near the hands. To differentiate between these two accounts, we used the additional singleton paradigm in which observers searched for a shape singleton among homogenously shaped distractors. On half the trials, one of the distractors was a different color. Both the prioritization and disengagement accounts predict differently colored distractors near the hands will slow target responses more than differently colored distractors far from the hands, but the prioritization account also predicts faster responses to targets near the hands than far from the hands. The disengagement account does not make this prediction, because attention does not need to be disengaged when the target appears near the hand. We found support for the disengagement account: Salient distractors near the hands slowed responses more than those far from the hands, yet observers did not respond faster to targets near the hands. PMID:23966971

Career Issues and Laboratory Climates: Different Challenges and Opportunities for Women Engineers and Scientists (survey of Fiscal Year 1997 Powre Awardees)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosser, Sue V.; Zieseniss, Mireille

A survey of fiscal year 1997 POWRE (Professional Opportunities for Women in Research and Education) awardees from the National Science Foundation revealed that women engineers and scientists face similar issues, challenges, and opportunities and think that the laboratory climate has similar impacts on their careers. Separating responses of women scientists from those of women engineers revealed that 70% of both groups listed balancing work with family responsibilities as the most difficult issue. Discrepancies in percentages of women, coupled with differences among disciplinary and subdisciplinary cultures within science, engineering, mathematics, and technology fields, complicate work climates and their impact on women's careers. More frequently than women scientists, women engineers listed issues such as (a) low numbers of women leading to isolation, (b) lack of camaraderie and mentoring, (c) gaining credibility/respect from peers and administrators, (d) time management, (e) prioritizing responsibilities due to disproportionate demands, and (f) learning the rules of the game to survive in a male-dominated environment. Women engineers also listed two positive issues more frequently than women scientists: active recruitment/more opportunities for women and impact of successful women in the profession. The small number of women engineers may explain these results and suggests that it may be inappropriate to group them with other women scientists for analysis, programs, and policies.

The Cochrane Library review titles that are important to users of health care, a Cochrane Consumer Network project

PubMed Central

Wale, Janet L.; Belizán, María; Nadel, Jane; Jeffrey, Claire; Vij, Sita L.

2011-01-01

Abstract Background  The Cochrane Consumer Network is an internet‐based community of international users of health care contributing to the work of The Cochrane Collaboration, whose mission is to inform healthcare decision making through development of systematic reviews of best evidence on healthcare interventions. Objective  To prioritize existing review titles listed on The Cochrane Library from a healthcare user perspective, with particular emphasis on patients, carers and health consumers. Design  An online survey was developed and after piloting was made available internationally. The broad dissemination strategy targeted Consumer Network members and Cochrane Review Group editorial staff to identify champions who notified patient support groups and participated in snowballing. The first part of the survey defined criteria that could be applied to review titles and asked survey respondents to rank them. The second part asked respondents to select a health area and prioritize review titles that were of importance to them. Each health area corresponded to a Cochrane Review Group. Results and discussion  Sufficient responses were obtained from 522 valid responses to prioritize review topics in 19 health areas. A total of 321 respondents completed the titles assessment. The types of prioritized interventions were determined by the health area. An important observation was the emphasis on lifestyle and non‐medication therapies in many of the included health areas. The clearest exception to this broad observation was where acute care is required such as antibiotics for acute respiratory tract and HIV‐associated infections and for cardiac conditions. For some cancers, advanced cancer interventions were prioritized. The most important criteria were for the title to convey a clear meaning and the title conveyed that the review would have an impact on health and well‐being. The least important criteria were that the topic was newsworthy or prioritized in the healthcare system. Conclusion  This project was able to identify priority Cochrane review topics for users of health care in 19 of the 50 areas of health care covered by The Cochrane Collaboration. Reviews addressing lifestyle and non‐medical interventions were strongly represented in the prioritized review titles. These findings highlight the importance of developing readable, informative lay summaries to support evidence‐based decision making by healthcare users. PMID:21895902

Design and Implementation of Demand Response Information Interactive Service Platform Based on “Internet Plus” Smart Energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Gaoying; Fan, Jie; Qin, Yuchen; Wang, Dong; Chen, Guangyan

2017-05-01

In order to promote the effective use of demand response load side resources, promote the interaction between supply and demand, enhance the level of customer service and achieve the overall utilization of energy, this paper briefly explain the background significance of design demand response information platform and current situation of domestic and foreign development; Analyse the new demand of electricity demand response combined with the application of Internet and big data technology; Design demand response information platform architecture, construct demand responsive system, analyse process of demand response strategy formulate and intelligent execution implement; study application which combined with the big data, Internet and demand response technology; Finally, from information interaction architecture, control architecture and function design perspective design implementation of demand response information platform, illustrate the feasibility of the proposed platform design scheme implemented in a certain extent.

Lack of support structures in prioritization decision making concerning patients and resources. Interviews with Swedish physicians.

PubMed

Werntoft, Elisabet; Edberg, Anna-Karin

2011-08-01

To investigate physicians' experiences in relation to prioritization and financing in health care in order to gain a deeper understanding of the reasons behind their standpoints. Eighteen physicians, seven women and eleven men, aged 30 to 69 years were interviewed and the text was analyzed using an inductive approach, also described as conventional qualitative content analysis. Experience of setting healthcare priorities and difficult decision making differed widely among the physicians and seemed to be related to the number of years in professional practice. Their view of how resources should be allocated between disciplines/patients showed that they wanted politicians to make the decisions, with support from medical professions. The overwhelming impression of their reasoning showed that they lacked support structures for their decision making and could be understood under the following categories: prioritisation, easier in theory than in practice, and increasing costs threaten the Swedish welfare model. The findings of this study highlight the importance of practical national guidelines concerning vertical prioritization, also as an important measure to make prioritization more distinct and transparent. The physicians further had a need for tools to increase patients' awareness of their health. The findings of this study also showed that an awareness of the actual costs involved might increase the responsibility among both physicians and patients. The physicians' lack of support structures implies an urgent need for practical national guidelines, especially concerning vertical prioritization. This will also make prioritization appear clear and transparent for citizens.

The neural networks of subjectively evaluated emotional conflicts.

PubMed

Rohr, Christiane S; Villringer, Arno; Solms-Baruth, Carolina; van der Meer, Elke; Margulies, Daniel S; Okon-Singer, Hadas

2016-06-01

Previous work on the neural underpinnings of emotional conflict processing has largely focused on designs that instruct participants to ignore a distracter which conflicts with a target. In contrast, this study investigated the noninstructed experience and evaluation of an emotional conflict, where positive or negative cues can be subjectively prioritized. To this end, healthy participants freely watched short film scenes that evoked emotional conflicts while their BOLD responses were measured. Participants' individual ratings of conflict and valence perception during the film scenes were collected immediately afterwards, and the individual ratings were regressed against the BOLD data. Our analyses revealed that (a) amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex were significantly involved in prioritizing positive or negative cues, but not in subjective evaluations of conflict per se, and (b) superior temporal sulcus (STS) and inferior parietal lobule (IPL), which have been implicated in social cognition and emotion control, were involved in both prioritizing positive or negative cues and subjectively evaluating conflict, and may thus constitute "hubs" or "switches" in emotional conflict processing. Psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analyses further revealed stronger functional connectivity between IPL and ventral prefrontal-medial parietal areas in prioritizing negative cues, and stronger connectivity between STS and dorsal-rostral prefrontal-medial parietal areas in prioritizing positive cues. In sum, our results suggest that IPL and STS are important in the subjective evaluation of complex conflicts and influence valence prioritization via prefrontal and parietal control centers. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2234-2246, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Observing prioritization effects on cognition and gait: The effect of increased cognitive load on cognitively healthy older adults' dual-task performance.

PubMed

Maclean, Linda M; Brown, Laura J E; Khadra, H; Astell, Arlene J

2017-03-01

Previous studies exploring the effects of attention-prioritization on cognitively healthy older adults' gait and cognitive dual task (DT) performance have shown DT cost in gait outcomes but inconsistent effects on cognitive performance, which may reflect task difficulty (the cognitive load). This study aimed to identify whether changing the cognitive load during a walking and counting DT improved the challenge/sensitivity of the cognitive task to observe prioritization effects on concurrent gait and cognitive performance outcomes. Seventy-two cognitively healthy older adults (Mean=73years) walked 15m, counted backwards in 3s and 7s as single tasks (ST), and concurrently walked and counted backwards as DTs. Attention-prioritization was examined in Prioritizing Walking (PW) and Prioritizing Counting (PC) DT conditions. Dual-task performance costs (DTC) were calculated for number of correct cognitive responses (CCR) in the counting tasks, and step-time variability and velocity in the gait task. All DT conditions showed a benefit (DTB) for cognitive outcomes with trade-off cost to gait. In the Serial 3s task, the cognitive DTBs increased in PC over the PW condition (p<0.05), with a greater cost to walking velocity (p<0.05). DT effects were more pronounced in the Serial 7s with a lower cognitive DTB when PC than when PW, (p<0.05) with no trade-off increase in cost to gait outcomes (p<0.05). The findings suggest that increased cognitive load during a gait and cognitive DT produces more pronounced gait measures of attention-prioritization in cognitively healthy older adults. A cognitive load effect was also observed in the cognitive outcomes, with unexpected results. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Opinions of Swedish citizens, health-care politicians, administrators and doctors on rationing and health-care financing.

PubMed

Rosén, Per; Karlberg, Ingvar

2002-06-01

To compare the views of citizens and health-care decision-makers on health-care financing, the limits of public health-care, and resource allocation. A postal survey based on a randomized sample of adults taken by the national registration and stratified samples of health-care politicians, administrators, and doctors in five Swedish counties. A total number of 1194 citizens (response rate 60%) and 427 decision-makers (response rate 69%). The general public have high expectations of public health-care, expectations that do not fit with the decision-makers' views on what should be offered. To overcome the discrepancy between demand and resources, physicians prefer increased patient fees and complementary private insurance schemes to a higher degree than do the other respondents. Physicians take a more favourable view of letting politicians on a national level exert a greater influence on resource allocation within public health-care. A majority of physicians want politicians to assume a greater responsibility for the exclusion of certain therapies or diagnoses. Most politicians, on the other hand, prefer physicians to make more rigorous decisions as to which medical indications should entitle a person to public health-care. The gap between public expectations and health-care resources makes it more important to be clear about who should be accountable for resource-allocation decisions in public health-care. Significant differences between physicians' and politicians' opinions on financing and responsibility for prioritization make the question of accountability even more important.

Characterizing the Anomalous Cognition-Emotion Interactions in Externalizing

PubMed Central

Baskin-Sommers, Arielle R.; Curtin, John J.; Larson, Christine L.; Stout, Daniel; Kiehl, Kent A.; Newman, Joseph P.

2012-01-01

Externalizing traits are characterized by exaggerated emotional (e.g., frustration, anger) and behavioral (e.g., drug seeking, reactive aggression) reactions to motivationally-significant stimuli. Explanations for this exaggerated reactivity emphasize attention, executive function, and affective processes, but the associations among these processes is rarely investigated. To examine these interactions, we measure fear potentiated startle (FPS; Experiment 1) and neural activation (Experiment 2) in an instructed fear paradigm that manipulates attentional focus, demands on executive functioning, and emotion. In both studies, exaggerated emotional reactivity associated with externalizing was specific to conditions that focused attention on threat information and placed minimal demands on executive functioning. Results suggest that a crucial cognition-emotion interaction affecting externalizing is the over-prioritization and over-allocation of attention to motivationally-significant information, which in turn, may impair executive and affective regulation. PMID:22579718

Retinotopic patterns of background connectivity between V1 and fronto-parietal cortex are modulated by task demands

PubMed Central

Griffis, Joseph C.; Elkhetali, Abdurahman S.; Burge, Wesley K.; Chen, Richard H.; Visscher, Kristina M.

2015-01-01

Attention facilitates the processing of task-relevant visual information and suppresses interference from task-irrelevant information. Modulations of neural activity in visual cortex depend on attention, and likely result from signals originating in fronto-parietal and cingulo-opercular regions of cortex. Here, we tested the hypothesis that attentional facilitation of visual processing is accomplished in part by changes in how brain networks involved in attentional control interact with sectors of V1 that represent different retinal eccentricities. We measured the strength of background connectivity between fronto-parietal and cingulo-opercular regions with different eccentricity sectors in V1 using functional MRI data that were collected while participants performed tasks involving attention to either a centrally presented visual stimulus or a simultaneously presented auditory stimulus. We found that when the visual stimulus was attended, background connectivity between V1 and the left frontal eye fields (FEF), left intraparietal sulcus (IPS), and right IPS varied strongly across different eccentricity sectors in V1 so that foveal sectors were more strongly connected than peripheral sectors. This retinotopic gradient was weaker when the visual stimulus was ignored, indicating that it was driven by attentional effects. Greater task-driven differences between foveal and peripheral sectors in background connectivity to these regions were associated with better performance on the visual task and faster response times on correct trials. These findings are consistent with the notion that attention drives the configuration of task-specific functional pathways that enable the prioritized processing of task-relevant visual information, and show that the prioritization of visual information by attentional processes may be encoded in the retinotopic gradient of connectivty between V1 and fronto-parietal regions. PMID:26106320

Tanks Focus Area Site Needs Assessment - FY 2001

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

Allen, Robert W.; Josephson, Gary B.; Westsik, Joseph H.

2001-04-30

The TFA uses a systematic process for developing its annual program that draws from the tanks science and technology development needs expressed by the five DOE tank waste sites. TFA's annual program development process is iterative and involves the following steps: Collection of site needs; Needs analysis; Development of technical responses and initial prioritization; Refinement of the program for the next fiscal year; Formulation of the Corporate Review Budget (CRB); Preparation of Program Execution Guidance (PEG) for the next FY Revision of the Multiyear Program Plan (MYPP). This document describes the outcomes of the first phase of this process, frommore » collection of site needs to the initial prioritization of technical activities. The TFA received site needs in October - December 2000. A total of 170 site needs were received, an increase of 30 over the previous year. The needs were analyzed and integrated, where appropriate. Sixty-six distinct technical responses were drafted and prioritized. In addition, seven strategic tasks were approved to compete for available funding in FY 2002 and FY 2003. Draft technical responses were prepared and provided to the TFA Site Representatives and the TFA User Steering Group (USG) for their review and comment. These responses were discussed at a March 15, 2001, meeting where the TFA Management Team established the priority listing in preparation for input to the DOE Office of Science and Technology (OST) budget process. At the time of publication of this document, the TFA continues to finalize technical responses as directed by the TFA Management Team and clarify the intended work scopes for FY 2002 and FY 2003.« less

Scheduling for Multifunction Radar via Two-Slope Benefit Functions

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

planification des visées de suivi et de surveillance pour un radar multifonc- tion. Une technique séquentielle est proposée, selon laquelle on planifie...toutes les demandes de visées. On examine la planification des visées de suivi et de surveillance. Ces travaux proposent une méthode de planification ... planification anticipée et tardive. La méthode proposée pour établir l’ordre de priorité des visées de surveillance permet de réobserver des

Assessing local market and organizational readiness for the integration of complementary and alternative medicine into ambulatory care centers.

PubMed

Makowski, Suzana K E

2004-01-01

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is one of the fastest growing segments of the health care industry today, with studies suggesting that between 30% and 50% of the adult population in the United States uses some form of CAM. Many ambulatory care centers are considering integrating CAM into their clinical services. This article will review some of the national trends and present a framework for assessing local market demand for CAM in order to help prioritize an organization's CAM integration strategy.

Sub-national variation in measles vaccine coverage and outbreak risk: a case study from a 2010 outbreak in Malawi.

PubMed

Kundrick, Avery; Huang, Zhuojie; Carran, Spencer; Kagoli, Matthew; Grais, Rebecca Freeman; Hurtado, Northan; Ferrari, Matthew

2018-06-15

Despite progress towards increasing global vaccination coverage, measles continues to be one of the leading, preventable causes of death among children worldwide. Whether and how to target sub-national areas for vaccination campaigns continues to remain a question. We analyzed three metrics for prioritizing target areas: vaccination coverage, susceptible birth cohort, and the effective reproductive ratio (R E ) in the context of the 2010 measles epidemic in Malawi. Using case-based surveillance data from the 2010 measles outbreak in Malawi, we estimated vaccination coverage from the proportion of cases reporting with a history of prior vaccination at the district and health facility catchment scale. Health facility catchments were defined as the set of locations closer to a given health facility than to any other. We combined these estimates with regional birth rates to estimate the size of the annual susceptible birth cohort. We also estimated the effective reproductive ratio, R E , at the health facility polygon scale based on the observed rate of exponential increase of the epidemic. We combined these estimates to identify spatial regions that would be of high priority for supplemental vaccination activities. The estimated vaccination coverage across all districts was 84%, but ranged from 61 to 99%. We found that 8 districts and 354 health facility catchments had estimated vaccination coverage below 80%. Areas that had highest birth cohort size were frequently large urban centers that had high vaccination coverage. The estimated R E ranged between 1 and 2.56. The ranking of districts and health facility catchments as priority areas varied depending on the measure used. Each metric for prioritization may result in discrete target areas for vaccination campaigns; thus, there are tradeoffs to choosing one metric over another. However, in some cases, certain areas may be prioritized by all three metrics. These areas should be treated with particular concern. Furthermore, the spatial scale at which each metric is calculated impacts the resulting prioritization and should also be considered when prioritizing areas for vaccination campaigns. These methods may be used to allocate effort for prophylactic campaigns or to prioritize response for outbreak response vaccination.

Getting it right when budgets are tight: Using optimal expansion pathways to prioritize responses to concentrated and mixed HIV epidemics

PubMed Central

Kerr, Cliff C.; Haghparast-Bidgoli, Hassan; Estill, Janne; Grobicki, Laura; Baranczuk, Zofia; Prieto, Lorena; Montañez, Vilma; Reporter, Iyanoosh; Gray, Richard T.; Skordis-Worrall, Jolene; Keiser, Olivia; Cheikh, Nejma; Boonto, Krittayawan; Osornprasop, Sutayut; Lavadenz, Fernando; Benedikt, Clemens J.; Martin-Hughes, Rowan; Hussain, S. Azfar; Kelly, Sherrie L.; Kedziora, David J.; Wilson, David P.

2017-01-01

Background Prioritizing investments across health interventions is complicated by the nonlinear relationship between intervention coverage and epidemiological outcomes. It can be difficult for countries to know which interventions to prioritize for greatest epidemiological impact, particularly when budgets are uncertain. Methods We examined four case studies of HIV epidemics in diverse settings, each with different characteristics. These case studies were based on public data available for Belarus, Peru, Togo, and Myanmar. The Optima HIV model and software package was used to estimate the optimal distribution of resources across interventions associated with a range of budget envelopes. We constructed “investment staircases”, a useful tool for understanding investment priorities. These were used to estimate the best attainable cost-effectiveness of the response at each investment level. Findings We find that when budgets are very limited, the optimal HIV response consists of a smaller number of ‘core’ interventions. As budgets increase, those core interventions should first be scaled up, and then new interventions introduced. We estimate that the cost-effectiveness of HIV programming decreases as investment levels increase, but that the overall cost-effectiveness remains below GDP per capita. Significance It is important for HIV programming to respond effectively to the overall level of funding availability. The analytic tools presented here can help to guide program planners understand the most cost-effective HIV responses and plan for an uncertain future. PMID:28972975

Determinants of career satisfaction among pediatric hospitalists: a qualitative exploration

PubMed Central

Leyenaar, JoAnna K.; Capra, Lisa A.; O'Brien, Emily R.; Leslie, Laurel K.; Mackie, Thomas I.

2014-01-01

Objectives To characterize determinants of career satisfaction among pediatric hospitalists working in diverse practice settings, and to develop a framework to conceptualize factors influencing career satisfaction. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with community and tertiary care hospitalists, using purposeful sampling to attain maximum response diversity. We employed close- and open-ended questions to assess levels of career satisfaction and its determinants. Interviews were conducted by telephone, recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Emergent themes were identified and analyzed using an inductive approach to qualitative analysis. Results A total of 30 interviews were conducted with community and tertiary care hospitalists, representing 20 hospital medicine programs and 7 Northeastern states. Qualitative analysis yielded 657 excerpts which were coded and categorized into four domains and associated determinants of career satisfaction: (i) professional responsibilities; (ii) hospital medicine program administration; (iii) hospital and healthcare systems; and (iv) career development. While community and tertiary care hospitalists reported similar levels of career satisfaction, they expressed variation in perspectives across these four domains. While the role of hospital medicine program administration was consistently emphasized by all hospitalists, community hospitalists prioritized resource availability, work schedule and clinical responsibilities while tertiary care hospitalists prioritized diversity in non-clinical responsibilities and career development. Conclusions We illustrate how hospitalists in different organizational settings prioritize both consistent and unique determinants of career satisfaction. Given associations between physician satisfaction and healthcare quality, efforts to optimize modifiable factors within this framework, at both community and tertiary care hospitals, may have broad impacts. PMID:24976348

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

PubMed

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

2016-03-11

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

Study of Methods for Assessing Research Topic Elicitation and pRioritization (SMARTER): Study Protocol to Compare Qualitative Research Methods and Advance Patient Engagement in Research

PubMed Central

Comstock, Bryan

2017-01-01

Background Involving patients as partners in research is a defining characteristic of patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR). While patients’ experiential knowledge of a health condition or treatment may yield research priorities not reflected by researchers and policy makers, the methods for identifying and effectively collaborating with patients are still evolving. Patient registries and crowdsourcing may offer ease of access and convenience to both researchers and patients. Surveys and focus groups, including online modalities, have been described for prioritizing research topics. However, little is known about how these different methods compare in producing consistent priorities and similar perceptions of engagement quality among participants. Objective The aims of this study are (1) to compare how different engagement methods used to elicit patient priorities for research perform as measured by rankings for priorities generated and participant satisfaction; and (2) to determine characteristics of individuals choosing to participate in research prioritization activities. Methods Participants in the Back pain Outcomes using Longitudinal Data (BOLD) patient registry, established to evaluate the natural history of back pain among individuals 65 years and older, and participants on the Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) crowdsourcing platform, to provide input on priorities for research via a questionnaire, are invited. For BOLD participants, we subsequently randomize interested respondents to 1 of 3 interactive prioritization activities to further develop priorities: a Delphi panel, an online crowd voting activity, or an in-person facilitated prioritization activity using nominal group technique (NGT). Participants involved in each activity complete a survey to evaluate the quality of the experience and a subset of these participants discuss their experience further in an interview. Descriptive statistics are used to characterize the rankings produced by each method and compare the top 5 rated topics resulting from each prioritization activity. We use rank-ordered logistic regression models to identify associations of the ranked priority topics with baseline patient characteristics. We analyze responses to the evaluation using a mixed-methods approach wherein we tabulate responses to Likert-scale questions and use content analysis to enumerate themes emerging from interviews for the 3 activities. Results In Phase I, we invite approximately 3000 BOLD participants and 500 Amazon MTurk workers to complete a research topic prioritization survey. Based on these results, we include additional topics into a subsequent prioritization survey. In Phase II, we invite BOLD participants to join 1 of 3 activities: 90 participants for Delphi panel, 100 participants for crowd voting, and 60 participants for focus groups. Of the Phase II participants, 30 will be interviewed to evaluate the activities. Conclusions This study informs decisions about how to conduct outreach to patient registry participants for providing input on research priorities, how individuals 65 years and older wish to participate in engagement activities, and how different research prioritization methods compare in terms of rankings generated and participant satisfaction. PMID:28882810

Opportunities for Automated Demand Response in California’s Dairy Processing Industry

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

Homan, Gregory K.; Aghajanzadeh, Arian; McKane, Aimee

During periods of peak electrical demand on the energy grid or when there is a shortage of supply, the stability of the grid may be compromised or the cost of supplying electricity may rise dramatically, respectively. Demand response programs are designed to mitigate the severity of these problems and improve reliability by reducing the demand on the grid during such critical times. In 2010, the Demand Response Research Center convened a group of industry experts to suggest potential industries that would be good demand response program candidates for further review. The dairy industry was suggested due to the perception thatmore » the industry had suitable flexibility and automatic controls in place. The purpose of this report is to provide an initial description of the industry with regard to demand response potential, specifically automated demand response. This report qualitatively describes the potential for participation in demand response and automated demand response by dairy processing facilities in California, as well as barriers to widespread participation. The report first describes the magnitude, timing, location, purpose, and manner of energy use. Typical process equipment and controls are discussed, as well as common impediments to participation in demand response and automated demand response programs. Two case studies of demand response at dairy facilities in California and across the country are reviewed. Finally, recommendations are made for future research that can enhance the understanding of demand response potential in this industry.« less

Low-cost solution to the grid reliability problem with 100% penetration of intermittent wind, water, and solar for all purposes.

PubMed

Jacobson, Mark Z; Delucchi, Mark A; Cameron, Mary A; Frew, Bethany A

2015-12-08

This study addresses the greatest concern facing the large-scale integration of wind, water, and solar (WWS) into a power grid: the high cost of avoiding load loss caused by WWS variability and uncertainty. It uses a new grid integration model and finds low-cost, no-load-loss, nonunique solutions to this problem on electrification of all US energy sectors (electricity, transportation, heating/cooling, and industry) while accounting for wind and solar time series data from a 3D global weather model that simulates extreme events and competition among wind turbines for available kinetic energy. Solutions are obtained by prioritizing storage for heat (in soil and water); cold (in ice and water); and electricity (in phase-change materials, pumped hydro, hydropower, and hydrogen), and using demand response. No natural gas, biofuels, nuclear power, or stationary batteries are needed. The resulting 2050-2055 US electricity social cost for a full system is much less than for fossil fuels. These results hold for many conditions, suggesting that low-cost, reliable 100% WWS systems should work many places worldwide.

Low-cost solution to the grid reliability problem with 100% penetration of intermittent wind, water, and solar for all purposes

PubMed Central

Jacobson, Mark Z.; Delucchi, Mark A.; Cameron, Mary A.; Frew, Bethany A.

2015-01-01

This study addresses the greatest concern facing the large-scale integration of wind, water, and solar (WWS) into a power grid: the high cost of avoiding load loss caused by WWS variability and uncertainty. It uses a new grid integration model and finds low-cost, no-load-loss, nonunique solutions to this problem on electrification of all US energy sectors (electricity, transportation, heating/cooling, and industry) while accounting for wind and solar time series data from a 3D global weather model that simulates extreme events and competition among wind turbines for available kinetic energy. Solutions are obtained by prioritizing storage for heat (in soil and water); cold (in ice and water); and electricity (in phase-change materials, pumped hydro, hydropower, and hydrogen), and using demand response. No natural gas, biofuels, nuclear power, or stationary batteries are needed. The resulting 2050–2055 US electricity social cost for a full system is much less than for fossil fuels. These results hold for many conditions, suggesting that low-cost, reliable 100% WWS systems should work many places worldwide. PMID:26598655

Is that your pager or mine: a survey of women academic family physicians in dual physician families.

PubMed

Schrager, Sarina; Kolan, Anne; Dottl, Susan L

2007-08-01

This study explored the unique challenges and strategies of women in academic family medicine who are in dual physician families. An e-mail survey was sent to all female physician members of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) who were listed in the on-line database. The survey collected demographic information, details of job descriptions and family life, and included 3 open-ended questions about the experiences of dual physician families. Over 1200 surveys were sent to women physicians in academic family medicine. One hundred fifty-nine surveys were returned. Half of all women worked full time compared to 87% of their partners. Most women reported benefits of having a physician partner including support and having an understanding person at home, though scheduling conflicts and childcare responsibilities contributed to the need for job compromises. Women prioritized finding work-life balance and having supportive partners and mentors as most important to their success as academic family physicians. Dual physician relationships involve rewards and conflicts. More research should explore the competing demands of family life with success in academic medicine.

Making self-care a priority for women at risk of breast cancer-related lymphedema.

PubMed

Radina, M Elise; Armer, Jane M; Stewart, Bob R

2014-05-01

Estimates suggest that between 41% and 94% of breast cancer survivors may develop the chronic condition of secondary lymphedema at some point during their lifetimes. Self-care is critical for effective lymphedema management and risk-reduction. At the same time, women in general have been characterized as engaging in self-sacrificing behaviors in which they choose other-care over self-care. This study explored the self-care experiences of women with breast cancer within the contexts of complex and demanding familial and work-related responsibilities. Participants (N=14) were enrolled in a behavioral-educational intervention aimed at lymphedema risk-reduction. This feminist family theory-informed secondary analysis of qualitative data focused on women's familial roles and the balance or lack of balance between self-sacrifice and self-care. Findings included participants' struggles with time management and prioritizing self-care over care of others as well as making a commitment to self-care. Findings have implications for patient and family-level education and research with regard to gender role-based barriers to self-care and self-care within complex social contexts.

Crisis management systems: staff nurses demand more support from their supervisors.

PubMed

Tzeng, Huey-Ming; Yin, Chang-Yi

2008-08-01

This study illustrates the contributions of the necessity, comprehensiveness, and difference (between necessity and comprehensiveness) levels of crisis management systems to participants' general satisfaction with their working institutions' nursing-related crisis management activities. Crisis management systems include strategic, technical/structural, assessment, public communication, and psychological/cultural aspects. An effective institutional crisis management system might help to decrease the number of incidents related to medical disputes or to prevent a crisis from worsening and becoming disastrous. A cross-sectional survey was administered during a nursing conference held in Taipei, Taiwan, on June 27, 2005. Two hundred ninety questionnaires were distributed, and 121 were retrieved (response rate, 41.7%; nursing administrators and staff). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Ordinal logistic regression analyses show that being a public hospital managed by the government and having more difference on the strategic aspect between the necessity and comprehensiveness levels contribute to lower satisfaction with nursing-related crisis management activities (Nagelkerke R(2) = .441). In addition, staff nurses perceive higher necessity levels on all five aspects compared to nursing administrators. This study provides important insights into how the policies and activities of a medical institution's crisis management system can be prioritized and implemented. It is also important for students in nursing programs and for currently employed nurses to learn how to manage disputes related to nursing practice, so that early resolution can be achieved and crises can be avoided. These results suggest that staff nurses demand more support from their supervisors.

Drivers for the Value of Demand Response under Increased Levels of Wind and Solar Power; NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

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

Hale, Elaine

Demand response may be a valuable flexible resource for low-carbon electric power grids. However, there are as many types of possible demand response as there are ways to use electricity, making demand response difficult to study at scale in realistic settings. This talk reviews our state of knowledge regarding the potential value of demand response in several example systems as a function of increasing levels of wind and solar power, sometimes drawing on the analogy between demand response and storage. Overall, we find demand response to be promising, but its potential value is very system dependent. Furthermore, demand response, likemore » storage, can easily saturate ancillary service markets.« less

Opportunities for Automated Demand Response in California Agricultural Irrigation

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

Olsen, Daniel; Aghajanzadeh, Arian; McKane, Aimee

Pumping water for agricultural irrigation represents a significant share of California’s annual electricity use and peak demand. It also represents a large source of potential flexibility, as farms possess a form of storage in their wetted soil. By carefully modifying their irrigation schedules, growers can participate in demand response without adverse effects on their crops. This report describes the potential for participation in demand response and automated demand response by agricultural irrigators in California, as well as barriers to widespread participation. The report first describes the magnitude, timing, location, purpose, and manner of energy use in California. Typical on-­farm controlsmore » are discussed, as well as common impediments to participation in demand response and automated demand response programs. Case studies of demand response programs in California and across the country are reviewed, and their results along with overall California demand estimates are used to estimate statewide demand response potential. Finally, recommendations are made for future research that can enhance the understanding of demand response potential in this industry.« less

Swedish Sonographers' perceptions of ergonomic problems at work and their suggestions for improvement.

PubMed

Gemark Simonsen, Jenny; Gard, Gunvor

2016-09-15

Sonographers' perceptions of ergonomic and work-related pain problems at work have so far mostly been researched in quantitative studies by questionnaires. There is a need of experience-based research to deepen the knowledge about how sonographers perceive ergonomic problems at work. Therefore, the aim of this qualitative study was to describe sonographers' perceptions of ergonomic problems at work, and their suggestions for improvement strategies. Twenty-two female sonographers were individually interviewed regarding different aspects of their physical working environment. Content analysis was applied. The sonographers perceived different ergonomic problems in their working environment, but to offer patient comfort and to obtain the best possible images were often prioritized over working posture. Echocardiography was considered demanding as the examination is performed with little variation in posture. Ergonomic improvements included reducing the manual handling of the transducer, optimizing the adjustability of equipment, and taking the patient's physique and health into account. As some examinations were perceived to be more ergonomically demanding, variation between examinations was suggested, however, this requires broader skills. Sonography, especially echocardiography is ergonomically demanding but the improvement strategies suggested were perceived useful and applicable.

Mapping evolutionary process: a multi-taxa approach to conservation prioritization

PubMed Central

Thomassen, Henri A; Fuller, Trevon; Buermann, Wolfgang; Milá, Borja; Kieswetter, Charles M; Jarrín-V, Pablo; Cameron, Susan E; Mason, Eliza; Schweizer, Rena; Schlunegger, Jasmin; Chan, Janice; Wang, Ophelia; Peralvo, Manuel; Schneider, Christopher J; Graham, Catherine H; Pollinger, John P; Saatchi, Sassan; Wayne, Robert K; Smith, Thomas B

2011-01-01

Human-induced land use changes are causing extensive habitat fragmentation. As a result, many species are not able to shift their ranges in response to climate change and will likely need to adapt in situ to changing climate conditions. Consequently, a prudent strategy to maintain the ability of populations to adapt is to focus conservation efforts on areas where levels of intraspecific variation are high. By doing so, the potential for an evolutionary response to environmental change is maximized. Here, we use modeling approaches in conjunction with environmental variables to model species distributions and patterns of genetic and morphological variation in seven Ecuadorian amphibian, bird, and mammal species. We then used reserve selection software to prioritize areas for conservation based on intraspecific variation or species-level diversity. Reserves selected using species richness and complementarity showed little overlap with those based on genetic and morphological variation. Priority areas for intraspecific variation were mainly located along the slopes of the Andes and were largely concordant among species, but were not well represented in existing reserves. Our results imply that in order to maximize representation of intraspecific variation in reserves, genetic and morphological variation should be included in conservation prioritization. PMID:25567981

Prioritizing guideline topics: development and evaluation of a practical tool.

PubMed

Ketola, Eeva; Toropainen, Erja; Kaila, Minna; Luoto, Riitta; Mäkelä, Marjukka

2007-08-01

A clear process for selecting and adopting clinical practice guidelines in the new topic areas is needed. The aim of this study is to design and develop a practical tool to assess guideline topics that have been suggested to the organization responsible for producing guidelines. We carried out an iterative development, feasibility and validation study of a guideline topic prioritization tool. The setting included the guideline producer organization and the tax-funded health care system. In the first stage of the tool development, participants were researchers, members of the Current Care Board and experts from health care organizations. In the second stage, the evaluation was done internally within the project by three independent reviewers. The main outcome measures were responses to an evaluation questionnaire, qualitative process feedback and analysis of the performance of the instrument on a random set of guidelines. Evaluations by three independent reviewers revealed good agreement and face validity with respect to its feasibility as a planning tool at the guideline board level. Feedback from board members suggested that the instrument is useful in prioritizing guideline topics. This instrument was accepted for use by the Board. Further developments are needed to ensure feedback and acceptability of the instrument by those proposing topics.

Mapping evolutionary process: a multi-taxa approach to conservation prioritization.

PubMed

Thomassen, Henri A; Fuller, Trevon; Buermann, Wolfgang; Milá, Borja; Kieswetter, Charles M; Jarrín-V, Pablo; Cameron, Susan E; Mason, Eliza; Schweizer, Rena; Schlunegger, Jasmin; Chan, Janice; Wang, Ophelia; Peralvo, Manuel; Schneider, Christopher J; Graham, Catherine H; Pollinger, John P; Saatchi, Sassan; Wayne, Robert K; Smith, Thomas B

2011-03-01

Human-induced land use changes are causing extensive habitat fragmentation. As a result, many species are not able to shift their ranges in response to climate change and will likely need to adapt in situ to changing climate conditions. Consequently, a prudent strategy to maintain the ability of populations to adapt is to focus conservation efforts on areas where levels of intraspecific variation are high. By doing so, the potential for an evolutionary response to environmental change is maximized. Here, we use modeling approaches in conjunction with environmental variables to model species distributions and patterns of genetic and morphological variation in seven Ecuadorian amphibian, bird, and mammal species. We then used reserve selection software to prioritize areas for conservation based on intraspecific variation or species-level diversity. Reserves selected using species richness and complementarity showed little overlap with those based on genetic and morphological variation. Priority areas for intraspecific variation were mainly located along the slopes of the Andes and were largely concordant among species, but were not well represented in existing reserves. Our results imply that in order to maximize representation of intraspecific variation in reserves, genetic and morphological variation should be included in conservation prioritization.

32 CFR 179.1 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Purpose. 179.1 Section 179.1 National Defense Department of Defense OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE CLOSURES AND REALIGNMENT MUNITIONS RESPONSE SITE... Munitions Response Site Prioritization Protocol (MRSPP) (hereinafter referred to as the “rule”) under the...

32 CFR 179.1 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 32 National Defense 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Purpose. 179.1 Section 179.1 National Defense Department of Defense OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE CLOSURES AND REALIGNMENT MUNITIONS RESPONSE SITE... Munitions Response Site Prioritization Protocol (MRSPP) (hereinafter referred to as the “rule”) under the...

32 CFR 179.1 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 32 National Defense 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Purpose. 179.1 Section 179.1 National Defense Department of Defense OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE CLOSURES AND REALIGNMENT MUNITIONS RESPONSE SITE... Munitions Response Site Prioritization Protocol (MRSPP) (hereinafter referred to as the “rule”) under the...

32 CFR 179.1 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 32 National Defense 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Purpose. 179.1 Section 179.1 National Defense Department of Defense OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE CLOSURES AND REALIGNMENT MUNITIONS RESPONSE SITE... Munitions Response Site Prioritization Protocol (MRSPP) (hereinafter referred to as the “rule”) under the...

32 CFR 179.1 - Purpose.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 32 National Defense 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Purpose. 179.1 Section 179.1 National Defense Department of Defense OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE CLOSURES AND REALIGNMENT MUNITIONS RESPONSE SITE... Munitions Response Site Prioritization Protocol (MRSPP) (hereinafter referred to as the “rule”) under the...

The First Shared Online Curriculum Resources for Veterinary Undergraduate Learning and Teaching in Animal Welfare and Ethics in Australia and New Zealand

PubMed Central

Johnson, Jane; Collins, Teresa; Degeling, Christopher; Fawcett, Anne; Fisher, Andrew D.; Freire, Rafael; Hazel, Susan J.; Hood, Jennifer; Lloyd, Janice; Phillips, Clive J. C.; Stafford, Kevin; Tzioumis, Vicky; McGreevy, Paul D.

2015-01-01

Simple Summary There is a need for teaching Animal Welfare and Ethics in veterinary schools and we are developing online resources to meet this need. In this paper we describe how we prioritized the development of these resources by polling experts in the field. Abstract The need for undergraduate teaching of Animal Welfare and Ethics (AWE) in Australian and New Zealand veterinary courses reflects increasing community concerns and expectations about AWE; global pressures regarding food security and sustainability; the demands of veterinary accreditation; and fears that, unless students encounter AWE as part of their formal education, as veterinarians they will be relatively unaware of the discipline of animal welfare science. To address this need we are developing online resources to ensure Australian and New Zealand veterinary graduates have the knowledge, and the research, communication and critical reasoning skills, to fulfill the AWE role demanded of them by contemporary society. To prioritize development of these resources we assembled leaders in the field of AWE education from the eight veterinary schools in Australia and New Zealand and used modified deliberative polling. This paper describes the role of the poll in developing the first shared online curriculum resource for veterinary undergraduate learning and teaching in AWE in Australia and New Zealand. The learning and teaching strategies that ranked highest in the exercise were: scenario-based learning; a quality of animal life assessment tool; the so-called ‘Human Continuum’ discussion platform; and a negotiated curriculum. PMID:26479241

New treatments for advanced cancer: an approach to prioritization

PubMed Central

Ferguson, J S J; Summerhayes, M; Masters, S; Schey, S; Smith, I E

2000-01-01

The allocation of funding for new anticancer treatments within the UK has not kept pace with demand. Clinicians find themselves restricted in the use of licensed drugs which they feel are in the best interests of individual patients. Against this, health authorities have a duty to ensure that scarce resources are used equitably to meet the needs of the local population as a whole. Differential levels of funding for new treatments across the country have led to concerns about rationing by postcode. This paper outlines an approach to the prioritization of new treatment for advanced cancer developed jointly by clinicians and health authorities in South London. The approach involves evidence reviews and consensus meetings. Existing and new treatments are rated on a four-point ‘relative effectiveness scale’, which takes account of the impact of the treatment on quality of life and on survival. The strength of evidence supporting each effectiveness rating is also classified. Health Authorities have used these ratings to determine overall funding levels, while leaving decisions on individual patients to the relevant Trusts. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaign PMID:11044348

Building the road to a regional zoonoses strategy: A survey of zoonoses programmes in the Americas

PubMed Central

Freire de Carvalho, Mary H.; Hoet, Armando E.; Vigilato, Marco A. N.; Pompei, Julio C.; Cosivi, Ottorino; del Rio Vilas, Victor J.

2017-01-01

Background In recent years, global public health security has been threatened by zoonotic disease emergence as exemplified by outbreaks of H5N1 and H1N1 influenza, SARS, and most recently Ebola and Zika. Additionally, endemic zoonoses, such as rabies, burden countries year after year, placing demands on limited finances and personnel. To survey the baseline status of the emerging and endemic zoonoses programmes of the Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) countries, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) conducted a survey of priority emerging and endemic zoonoses, countries´ prioritization criteria and methodologies, and suggestions to strengthen countries capacities and regional approaches to zoonoses control. Methods A fillable online questionnaire was sent to the zoonoses programme managers of the Ministries of Health (MOH) and Ministries of Agriculture (MAg) of 33 LAC countries from January to April of 2015. The questionnaire comprised 36 single, multiple choice and open-ended questions to inform the objectives of the survey. A descriptive exploratory analysis was completed. Results Fifty-four ministries (26 MOH, 25 MAg, and 3 combined responses) in 31 LAC countries responded to the survey. Within the ministries, 22 (85%) MOH, 5 (20%) MAg, and 2 (67%) combined entities indicated they had specialized zoonoses units. For endemic zoonoses, 32 of 54 ministries responded that they conduct formal prioritization exercises, most of them annually (69%). The three priority endemic zoonoses for the MOHs were leptospirosis, rabies, and brucellosis while the three priorities for the MAgs were brucellosis, rabies, and tuberculosis. Diagnosis for rabies and leptospirosis were cited as the capacities most in need of development. The most needed cross-cutting capacity was coordination between stakeholders. For emerging zoonoses, 28 ministries performed formal prioritization exercises. The top prioritization criteria were probability of introduction into the country and impact. The three priority emerging zoonoses for the MOHs were Ebola viral disease, avian influenza, and Chikungunya while for the MAgs were avian influenza, bovine spongiform encephalopathy and West Nile virus disease. Surveillance for avian influenza and Ebola, and diagnosis for BSE were quoted as the capacities most needed. For all zoonoses, the majority of respondents (69%) ranked their relationship with the other Ministry as productive or very productive, and 31% minimally productive. Many countries requested a formal regional network, better regional communication and collaboration, and integrated surveillance. Conclusions The survey is the first comprehensive effort to date to inform the status of zoonoses programmes in LAC. The information collected here will be used to develop a regional strategy for zoonoses (both endemic and emerging), increase efforts, advocacy, and promote prompt identification and management of EIDs and improvement of endemic programmes. PMID:28333986

Building the road to a regional zoonoses strategy: A survey of zoonoses programmes in the Americas.

PubMed

Maxwell, Melody J; Freire de Carvalho, Mary H; Hoet, Armando E; Vigilato, Marco A N; Pompei, Julio C; Cosivi, Ottorino; Del Rio Vilas, Victor J

2017-01-01

In recent years, global public health security has been threatened by zoonotic disease emergence as exemplified by outbreaks of H5N1 and H1N1 influenza, SARS, and most recently Ebola and Zika. Additionally, endemic zoonoses, such as rabies, burden countries year after year, placing demands on limited finances and personnel. To survey the baseline status of the emerging and endemic zoonoses programmes of the Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) countries, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) conducted a survey of priority emerging and endemic zoonoses, countries´ prioritization criteria and methodologies, and suggestions to strengthen countries capacities and regional approaches to zoonoses control. A fillable online questionnaire was sent to the zoonoses programme managers of the Ministries of Health (MOH) and Ministries of Agriculture (MAg) of 33 LAC countries from January to April of 2015. The questionnaire comprised 36 single, multiple choice and open-ended questions to inform the objectives of the survey. A descriptive exploratory analysis was completed. Fifty-four ministries (26 MOH, 25 MAg, and 3 combined responses) in 31 LAC countries responded to the survey. Within the ministries, 22 (85%) MOH, 5 (20%) MAg, and 2 (67%) combined entities indicated they had specialized zoonoses units. For endemic zoonoses, 32 of 54 ministries responded that they conduct formal prioritization exercises, most of them annually (69%). The three priority endemic zoonoses for the MOHs were leptospirosis, rabies, and brucellosis while the three priorities for the MAgs were brucellosis, rabies, and tuberculosis. Diagnosis for rabies and leptospirosis were cited as the capacities most in need of development. The most needed cross-cutting capacity was coordination between stakeholders. For emerging zoonoses, 28 ministries performed formal prioritization exercises. The top prioritization criteria were probability of introduction into the country and impact. The three priority emerging zoonoses for the MOHs were Ebola viral disease, avian influenza, and Chikungunya while for the MAgs were avian influenza, bovine spongiform encephalopathy and West Nile virus disease. Surveillance for avian influenza and Ebola, and diagnosis for BSE were quoted as the capacities most needed. For all zoonoses, the majority of respondents (69%) ranked their relationship with the other Ministry as productive or very productive, and 31% minimally productive. Many countries requested a formal regional network, better regional communication and collaboration, and integrated surveillance. The survey is the first comprehensive effort to date to inform the status of zoonoses programmes in LAC. The information collected here will be used to develop a regional strategy for zoonoses (both endemic and emerging), increase efforts, advocacy, and promote prompt identification and management of EIDs and improvement of endemic programmes.

Energy Efficiency and Demand Response for Residential Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wellons, Christopher J., II

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the costs, feasibility and benefits of implementing energy efficient devices and demand response programs to a residential consumer environment. Energy efficiency and demand response are important for many reasons, including grid stabilization. With energy demand increasing, as the years' pass, the drain on the grid is going up. There are two key solutions to this problem, increasing supply by building more power plants and decreasing demand during peak periods, by increasing participation in demand response programs and by upgrading residential and commercial customers to energy efficient devices, to lower demand throughout the day. This thesis focuses on utilizing demand response methods and energy efficient device to reduce demand. Four simulations were created to analyze these methods. These simulations show the importance of energy efficiency and demand response participation to help stabilize the grid, integrate more alternative energy resources, and reduce emissions from fossil fuel generating facilities. The results of these numerical analyses show that demand response and energy efficiency can be beneficial to consumers and utilities. With demand response being the most beneficial to the utility and energy efficiency, specifically LED lighting, providing the most benefits to the consumer.

Uncertainty and risk in wildland fire management: A review

Treesearch

Matthew P. Thompson; Dave E. Calkin

2011-01-01

Wildland fire management is subject to manifold sources of uncertainty. Beyond the unpredictability of wildfire behavior, uncertainty stems from inaccurate/missing data, limited resource value measures to guide prioritization across fires and resources at risk, and an incomplete scientific understanding of ecological response to fire, of fire behavior response to...

Homeland Security Presidential Directives

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Three of these directives directly affect EPA's role in the national emergency response system: HSPD-5 Management of Domestic Incidents; HSPD-7 Critical Infrastructure Identification, Prioritization, and Protection; and HSPD-8 National Preparedness.

Feasibility of groundwater recharge dam projects in arid environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaafar, H. H.

2014-05-01

A new method for determining feasibility and prioritizing investments for agricultural and domestic recharge dams in arid regions is developed and presented. The method is based on identifying the factors affecting the decision making process and evaluating these factors, followed by determining the indices in a GIS-aided environment. Evaluated parameters include results from field surveys and site visits, land cover and soils data, precipitation data, runoff data and modeling, number of beneficiaries, domestic irrigation demand, reservoir objectives, demography, reservoirs yield and reliability, dam structures, construction costs, and operation and maintenance costs. Results of a case study on more than eighty proposed dams indicate that assessment of reliability, annualized cost/demand satisfied and yield is crucial prior to investment decision making in arid areas. Irrigation demand is the major influencing parameter on yield and reliability of recharge dams, even when only 3 months of the demand were included. Reliability of the proposed reservoirs as related to their standardized size and net inflow was found to increase with increasing yield. High priority dams were less than 4% of the total, and less priority dams amounted to 23%, with the remaining found to be not feasible. The results of this methodology and its application has proved effective in guiding stakeholders for defining most favorable sites for preliminary and detailed design studies and commissioning.

A stress management workshop improves residents' coping skills.

PubMed

McCue, J D; Sachs, C L

1991-11-01

We describe the effectiveness of a stress management workshop designed for physicians. Of the 64 medicine, pediatrics, and medicine-pediatrics residents who agreed to participate in the workshop, the 43 who could be freed from clinical responsibilities constituted the intervention group; the 21 residents who could not be freed from clinical responsibilities were asked to be the nonintervention group. The ESSI Stress Systems Instrument and Maslach Burnout Inventory were administered to control subjects and workshop participants 2 weeks before and 6 weeks after the workshop. The half-day workshops taught management of the stresses of medical practice through: (1) learning and practicing interpersonal skills that increase the availability of social support; (2) prioritization of personal, work, and educational demands; (3) techniques to increase stamina and attend to self-care needs; (4) recognition and avoidance of maladaptive responses; and (5) positive outlook skills. Overall, the ESSI Stress Systems Instrument test scores for the workshop participants improved (+1.27), while the nonintervention group's mean scores declined (-0.65). All 21 individual ESSI Stress Systems Instrument scale items improved for the workshop, compared with eight of 21 items for the nonintervention group. The workshop group improved in the Maslach Burnout Inventory emotional exhaustion scale and deteriorated less than the nonintervention group in the depersonalization scale. We conclude that a modest, inexpensive stress management workshop was received positively, and can lead to significant short-term improvement in stress and burnout test scores for medicine and pediatrics residents.

Study of Methods for Assessing Research Topic Elicitation and pRioritization (SMARTER): Study Protocol to Compare Qualitative Research Methods and Advance Patient Engagement in Research.

PubMed

Lavallee, Danielle C; Comstock, Bryan; Scott, Mary R; Avins, Andrew L; Nerenz, David R; Edwards, Todd C; Patrick, Donald L; Lawrence, Sarah O; Bauer, Zoya; Truitt, Anjali R; Jarvik, Jeffrey G

2017-09-07

Involving patients as partners in research is a defining characteristic of patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR). While patients' experiential knowledge of a health condition or treatment may yield research priorities not reflected by researchers and policy makers, the methods for identifying and effectively collaborating with patients are still evolving. Patient registries and crowdsourcing may offer ease of access and convenience to both researchers and patients. Surveys and focus groups, including online modalities, have been described for prioritizing research topics. However, little is known about how these different methods compare in producing consistent priorities and similar perceptions of engagement quality among participants. The aims of this study are (1) to compare how different engagement methods used to elicit patient priorities for research perform as measured by rankings for priorities generated and participant satisfaction; and (2) to determine characteristics of individuals choosing to participate in research prioritization activities. Participants in the Back pain Outcomes using Longitudinal Data (BOLD) patient registry, established to evaluate the natural history of back pain among individuals 65 years and older, and participants on the Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) crowdsourcing platform, to provide input on priorities for research via a questionnaire, are invited. For BOLD participants, we subsequently randomize interested respondents to 1 of 3 interactive prioritization activities to further develop priorities: a Delphi panel, an online crowd voting activity, or an in-person facilitated prioritization activity using nominal group technique (NGT). Participants involved in each activity complete a survey to evaluate the quality of the experience and a subset of these participants discuss their experience further in an interview. Descriptive statistics are used to characterize the rankings produced by each method and compare the top 5 rated topics resulting from each prioritization activity. We use rank-ordered logistic regression models to identify associations of the ranked priority topics with baseline patient characteristics. We analyze responses to the evaluation using a mixed-methods approach wherein we tabulate responses to Likert-scale questions and use content analysis to enumerate themes emerging from interviews for the 3 activities. In Phase I, we invite approximately 3000 BOLD participants and 500 Amazon MTurk workers to complete a research topic prioritization survey. Based on these results, we include additional topics into a subsequent prioritization survey. In Phase II, we invite BOLD participants to join 1 of 3 activities: 90 participants for Delphi panel, 100 participants for crowd voting, and 60 participants for focus groups. Of the Phase II participants, 30 will be interviewed to evaluate the activities. This study informs decisions about how to conduct outreach to patient registry participants for providing input on research priorities, how individuals 65 years and older wish to participate in engagement activities, and how different research prioritization methods compare in terms of rankings generated and participant satisfaction. ©Danielle C Lavallee, Bryan Comstock, Mary R Scott, Andrew L Avins, David R Nerenz, Todd C Edwards, Donald L Patrick, Sarah O Lawrence, Zoya Bauer, Anjali R Truitt, Jeffrey G Jarvik. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 07.09.2017.

Perceptions of urgency: defining the gap between what physicians and nurses perceive to be an urgent issue.

PubMed

Quan, S D; Morra, D; Lau, F Y; Coke, W; Wong, B M; Wu, R C; Rossos, P G

2013-05-01

Through our research into the design and evaluation of technology systems to improve the quality and safety of clinical communication, we have discovered that physicians and nurses differ in perspective regarding clinical prioritization and desirable response times. This has a number of important consequences including unnecessary interruptions, escalating conflict and deterioration in interprofessional relationships. Understanding the differing perspectives on clinical prioritization, or the gap in perceived urgency, may improve interprofessional relationships. We conducted a mixed-methods study utilizing both qualitative (semi-structured interviews) and quantitative (surveys) methods to determine the gap between perceived urgency among physicians and nurses. The survey comprised of real messages extracted from the clinical communication system that was implemented. Physicians and nurses reviewed the messages and assigned an urgency level to each. The semi-structured interviews used open-ended questions to act as a guide to highlight key themes of interest. Thematic analysis, frequency tabulation, and triangulation were used to analyze the data. Although the surveys demonstrated concordance between physicians and nurses when independently ranking the urgency of clinical messages (kappa=0.66 SE 0.15), agreement was only fair in comparison to the urgency identified by the original nurse who sent the message (kappa=0.22 SE 0.18). We hypothesize that clinical context has a major role in defining urgency and may explain this finding. The survey data was triangulated with the semi-structured interview data and it was determined that the desired response time significantly impacted the sender's message prioritization. For example, shift changes and anxious family members were associated with discordant prioritizations. This study demonstrated that the perceived communication urgency gap between sending nurses and receiving physicians was primarily related to timeframe and context, not clinical condition. Most disagreement occurred when nurses used urgent messaging for time sensitive but not clinically urgent issues in an effort to expedite the resolution of their issue by the physicians. These results indicate the need for clinical communication systems to incorporate decision support around both clinical prioritization and expected response time in their design. Effective interprofessional communication is essential to the provision of safe, quality-based healthcare; these results highlight some of the sociotechnical aspects of health information technology implementation that must be considered. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prioritizing health technologies in a Primary Care Trust.

PubMed

Wilson, Edward; Sussex, Jon; Macleod, Christine; Fordham, Richard

2007-04-01

In the English National Health Service (NHS), Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) are responsible for commissioning health-care services on behalf of their populations. As resources are finite, decisions are required as to which services best fulfil population needs. Evidence on effectiveness varies in quality and availability. Nevertheless, decisions still have to be made. We report the development and pilot application of a multi-criteria prioritization mechanism in an English PCT, capable of accommodating a wide variety of evidence to rank six service developments. The mechanism proved valuable in assisting prioritization decisions and feedback was positive. Two community-based interventions were expected to save money in the long term and were ranked at the top of the list. Based on weighted benefit score and cost, two preventive programmes were ranked third and fourth. Finally, two National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)-approved interventions were ranked fifth and sixth. Sensitivity analysis revealed overlap in benefit scores for some of the interventions, representing diversity of opinion among the scoring panel. The method appears to be a practical approach to prioritization for commissioners of health care, but the pilot also revealed interesting divergences in relative priority between nationally mandated service developments and local health-care priorities.

Implications of agricultural transitions and urbanization for ecosystem services.

PubMed

Cumming, Graeme S; Buerkert, Andreas; Hoffmann, Ellen M; Schlecht, Eva; von Cramon-Taubadel, Stephan; Tscharntke, Teja

2014-11-06

Historically, farmers and hunter-gatherers relied directly on ecosystem services, which they both exploited and enjoyed. Urban populations still rely on ecosystems, but prioritize non-ecosystem services (socioeconomic). Population growth and densification increase the scale and change the nature of both ecosystem- and non-ecosystem-service supply and demand, weakening direct feedbacks between ecosystems and societies and potentially pushing social-ecological systems into traps that can lead to collapse. The interacting and mutually reinforcing processes of technological change, population growth and urbanization contribute to over-exploitation of ecosystems through complex feedbacks that have important implications for sustainable resource use.

Program planning for the community teaching hospital medical library.

PubMed Central

McCorkel, J; Cook, V

1985-01-01

To respond to the increasing demand for information from medical educators and clinicians and to persuade administrators to purchase the newly available microcomputer library systems, medical librarians in community teaching hospitals may find it useful to engage in intermediate term (for example, five-year) program planning. To increase the probability that the plan which emerges will be implemented, the planning process should fit the organizational nexus. Planning involves needs assessment, prioritized program elements, a written plan, and facilities planning (if applicable), which lead to program implementation. Components of a model program plan are presented. PMID:4027443

Guardrail location rating system users manual.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-12-01

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's Division of Maintenance is responsible for identifying and prioritizing locations in need of guardrail. A procedure used by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet was originally developed by the Kentucky Transportat...

Sensitivity of summer stream temperatures to climate variability in the Pacific Northwest

Treesearch

Charles Luce; Brian Staab; Marc Kramer; Seth Wenger; Dan Isaak; Callie McConnell

2014-01-01

Estimating the thermal response of streams to a warming climate is important for prioritizing native fish conservation efforts. While there are plentiful estimates of air temperature responses to climate change, the sensitivity of streams, particularly small headwater streams, to warming temperatures is less well understood. A substantial body of literature correlates...

The special status of sad infant faces: age and valence differences in adults' cortical face processing.

PubMed

Colasante, Tyler; Mossad, Sarah I; Dudek, Joanna; Haley, David W

2017-04-01

Understanding the relative and joint prioritization of age- and valence-related face characteristics in adults' cortical face processing remains elusive because these two characteristics have not been manipulated in a single study of neural face processing. We used electroencephalography to investigate adults' P1, N170, P2 and LPP responses to infant and adult faces with happy and sad facial expressions. Viewing infant vs adult faces was associated with significantly larger P1, N170, P2 and LPP responses, with hemisphere and/or participant gender moderating this effect in select cases. Sad faces were associated with significantly larger N170 responses than happy faces. Sad infant faces were associated with significantly larger N170 responses in the right hemisphere than all other combinations of face age and face valence characteristics. We discuss the relative and joint neural prioritization of infant face characteristics and negative facial affect, and their biological value as distinct caregiving and social cues. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Threat interferes with response inhibition.

PubMed

Hartikainen, Kaisa M; Siiskonen, Anna R; Ogawa, Keith H

2012-05-09

A potential threat, such as a spider, captures attention and engages executive functions to adjust ongoing behavior and avoid danger. We and many others have reported slowed responses to neutral targets in the context of emotional distractors. This behavioral slowing has been explained in the framework of attentional competition for limited resources with emotional stimuli prioritized. Alternatively, slowed performance could reflect the activation of avoidance/freezing-type motor behaviors associated with threat. Although the interaction of attention and emotion has been widely studied, little is known on the interaction between emotion and executive functions. We studied how threat-related stimuli (spiders) interact with executive performance and whether the interaction profile fits with a resource competition model or avoidance/freezing-type motor behaviors. Twenty-one young healthy individuals performed a Go-NoGo visual discrimination reaction time (RT) task engaging several executive functions with threat-related and emotionally neutral distractors. The threat-related distractors had no effect on the RT or the error rate in the Go trials. The NoGo error rate, reflecting failure in response inhibition, increased significantly because of threat-related distractors in contrast to neutral distractors, P less than 0.05. Thus, threat-related distractors temporarily impaired response inhibition. Threat-related distractors associated with increased commission errors and no effect on RT does not suggest engagement of avoidance/freezing-type motor behaviors. The results fit in the framework of the resource competition model. A potential threat calls for evaluation of affective significance as well as inhibition of undue emotional reactivity. We suggest that these functions tax executive resources and may render other executive functions, such as response inhibition, temporarily compromised when the demands for resources exceed availability.

The Importance of Context in Screening in Occupational Health Interventions in Organizations: A Mixed Methods Study.

PubMed

Vignoli, Michela; Nielsen, Karina; Guglielmi, Dina; Tabanelli, Maria C; Violante, Francesco S

2017-01-01

In occupational health interventions, there is a debate as to whether standardized or tailored measures should be used to identify which aspects of the psychosocial work environment should be targeted in order to improve employees' well-being. Using the Job Demands-Resources model, the main aim of the present study is to demonstrate how a mixed methods approach to conducting screening enables the identification of potential context-dependent demands and resources in the workplace, which should to be targeted by the intervention. Specifically, we used a mixed methods exploratory sequential research design. First, we conducted four focus groups ( N = 37) in a sample of employees working in grocery stores in Italy. The qualitative results allowed to identify one possible context-specific job demand: the use of a work scheduling IT software, whose implementation resulted in a high rotation between different market's departments. From the qualitative results, this context-specific demand seemed to be related to workers' well-being. Thus, in a subsequent questionnaire survey ( N = 288), we included this demand together with generic measures of social support and psychological well-being. Results confirmed that this context-specific job demand was related to emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, it was found that social support moderated the relationship between this specific job demand and emotional exhaustion showing among employees whose activities depended on the IT software, employees that perceived higher levels of social support from colleagues experienced lower levels of emotional exhaustion with respect to their colleagues who perceived lower levels of social support. The present study confirms that mixed methods approach is useful in occupational health intervention research and offers a way forward on helping organizations prioritize their intervention activities.

The Importance of Context in Screening in Occupational Health Interventions in Organizations: A Mixed Methods Study

PubMed Central

Vignoli, Michela; Nielsen, Karina; Guglielmi, Dina; Tabanelli, Maria C.; Violante, Francesco S.

2017-01-01

In occupational health interventions, there is a debate as to whether standardized or tailored measures should be used to identify which aspects of the psychosocial work environment should be targeted in order to improve employees’ well-being. Using the Job Demands-Resources model, the main aim of the present study is to demonstrate how a mixed methods approach to conducting screening enables the identification of potential context-dependent demands and resources in the workplace, which should to be targeted by the intervention. Specifically, we used a mixed methods exploratory sequential research design. First, we conducted four focus groups (N = 37) in a sample of employees working in grocery stores in Italy. The qualitative results allowed to identify one possible context-specific job demand: the use of a work scheduling IT software, whose implementation resulted in a high rotation between different market’s departments. From the qualitative results, this context-specific demand seemed to be related to workers’ well-being. Thus, in a subsequent questionnaire survey (N = 288), we included this demand together with generic measures of social support and psychological well-being. Results confirmed that this context-specific job demand was related to emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, it was found that social support moderated the relationship between this specific job demand and emotional exhaustion showing among employees whose activities depended on the IT software, employees that perceived higher levels of social support from colleagues experienced lower levels of emotional exhaustion with respect to their colleagues who perceived lower levels of social support. The present study confirms that mixed methods approach is useful in occupational health intervention research and offers a way forward on helping organizations prioritize their intervention activities. PMID:28848468

A National-Scale Comparison of Resource and Nutrient Demands for Algae-Based Biofuel Production by Lipid Extraction and Hydrothermal Liquefaction

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

Venteris, Erik R.; Skaggs, Richard; Wigmosta, Mark S.

Algae’s high productivity provides potential resource advantages over other fuel crops. However, demand for land, water, and nutrients must be minimized to avoid impacts on food production. We apply our national-scale, open-pond, growth and resource models to assess several biomass to fuel technological pathways based on Chlorella. We compare resource demands between hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) and lipid extraction (LE) to meet 1.89E+10 and 7.95E+10 L yr-1 biofuel targets. We estimate nutrient demands where post-fuel biomass is consumed as co-products and recycling by anaerobic digestion (AD) or catalytic hydrothermal gasification (CHG). Sites are selected through prioritization based on fuel value relativemore » to a set of site-specific resource costs. The highest priority sites are located along the Gulf of Mexico coast, but potential sites exist nationwide. We find that HTL reduces land and freshwater consumption by up to 46% and saline groundwater by around 70%. Without recycling, nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) demand is reduced 33%, but is large relative to current U.S. agricultural consumption. The most nutrient-efficient pathways are LE+CHG for N and HTL+CHG for P (by 42%). Resource gains for HTL+CHG are offset by a 344% increase in N consumption relative to LE+CHG (with potential for further recycling). Nutrient recycling is essential to effective use of alternative nutrient sources. Modeling of utilization availability and costs remains, but we find that for HTL+CHG at the 7.95E+10 L yr-1 production target, municipal sources can offset 17% of N and 40% of P demand and animal manures can generally meet demands.« less

Who cares about health inequalities? Cross-country evidence from the World Health Survey

PubMed Central

King, Nicholas B; Harper, Sam; Young, Meredith E

2013-01-01

Reduction of health inequalities within and between countries is a global health priority, but little is known about the determinants of popular support for this goal. We used data from the World Health Survey to assess individual preferences for prioritizing reductions in health and health care inequalities. We used descriptive tables and regression analysis to study the determinants of preferences for reducing health inequalities as the primary health system goal. Determinants included individual socio-demographic characteristics (age, sex, urban residence, education, marital status, household income, self-rated health, health care use, satisfaction with health care system) and country-level characteristics [gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, disability-free life expectancy, equality in child mortality, income inequality, health and public health expenditures]. We used logistic regression to assess the likelihood that individuals ranked minimizing inequalities first, and rank-ordered logistic regression to compare the ranking of other priorities against minimizing health inequalities. Individuals tended to prioritize health system goals related to overall improvement (improving population health and health care responsiveness) over those related to equality and fairness (minimizing inequalities in health and responsiveness, and promoting fairness of financial contribution). Individuals in countries with higher GDP per capita, life expectancy, and equality in child mortality were more likely to prioritize minimizing health inequalities. PMID:23059735

Adaptive and Pathogenic Responses to Stress by Stem Cells during Development.

PubMed

Mansouri, Ladan; Xie, Yufen; Rappolee, Daniel A

2012-12-10

Cellular stress is the basis of a dose-dependent continuum of responses leading to adaptive health or pathogenesis. For all cells, stress leads to reduction in macromolecular synthesis by shared pathways and tissue and stress-specific homeostatic mechanisms. For stem cells during embryonic, fetal, and placental development, higher exposures of stress lead to decreased anabolism, macromolecular synthesis and cell proliferation. Coupled with diminished stem cell proliferation is a stress-induced differentiation which generates minimal necessary function by producing more differentiated product/cell. This compensatory differentiation is accompanied by a second strategy to insure organismal survival as multipotent and pluripotent stem cells differentiate into the lineages in their repertoire. During stressed differentiation, the first lineage in the repertoire is increased and later lineages are suppressed, thus prioritized differentiation occurs. Compensatory and prioritized differentiation is regulated by at least two types of stress enzymes. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) which mediates loss of nuclear potency factors and stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK) that does not. SAPK mediates an increase in the first essential lineage and decreases in later lineages in placental stem cells. The clinical significance of compensatory and prioritized differentiation is that stem cell pools are depleted and imbalanced differentiation leads to gestational diseases and long term postnatal pathologies.

Adaptive and Pathogenic Responses to Stress by Stem Cells during Development

PubMed Central

Mansouri, Ladan; Xie, Yufen; Rappolee, Daniel A

2012-01-01

Cellular stress is the basis of a dose-dependent continuum of responses leading to adaptive health or pathogenesis. For all cells, stress leads to reduction in macromolecular synthesis by shared pathways and tissue and stress-specific homeostatic mechanisms. For stem cells during embryonic, fetal, and placental development, higher exposures of stress lead to decreased anabolism, macromolecular synthesis and cell proliferation. Coupled with diminished stem cell proliferation is a stress-induced differentiation which generates minimal necessary function by producing more differentiated product/cell. This compensatory differentiation is accompanied by a second strategy to insure organismal survival as multipotent and pluripotent stem cells differentiate into the lineages in their repertoire. During stressed differentiation, the first lineage in the repertoire is increased and later lineages are suppressed, thus prioritized differentiation occurs. Compensatory and prioritized differentiation is regulated by at least two types of stress enzymes. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) which mediates loss of nuclear potency factors and stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK) that does not. SAPK mediates an increase in the first essential lineage and decreases in later lineages in placental stem cells. The clinical significance of compensatory and prioritized differentiation is that stem cell pools are depleted and imbalanced differentiation leads to gestational diseases and long term postnatal pathologies. PMID:24710551

CHANGING HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT PARADIGMS?

PubMed

Husereau, Don; Henshall, Chris; Sampietro-Colom, Laura; Thomas, Sarah

2016-01-01

Health technology assessment (HTA) has to innovate to best support changing health system environments and to help provide access to valuable innovation under fiscal constraint. Issues associated with changing HTA paradigms were identified through scoping and explored through deliberation at a meeting of industry and HTA leaders. Five broad areas of change (engagement, scientific dialogue, research prioritization, adaptive approaches, and real world data) were identified. The meeting focused on two themes derived from these: re-thinking scientific dialogue and multi-stakeholder engagement, and re-thinking value, affordability, and access. Earlier and ongoing engagement to steer the innovation process and help achieve appropriate use across the technology lifecycle was perceived as important but would be resource intensive and would require priority setting. Patients need to be involved throughout, and particularly at the early stages. Further discussion is needed on the type of body best suited to convening the dialogue required. There was agreement that HTA must continue to assess value, but views differed on the role that HTA should play in assessing affordability and on appropriate responses to challenges around affordability. Enhanced horizon scanning could play an important role in preparing for significant future investments. Early and ongoing multi-stakeholder engagement and revisiting approaches to valuing innovation are required. Questions remain as to the most appropriate role for HTA bodies. Changing HTA paradigms extend HTA's traditional remit of being responsive to decision-makers demands to being more proactive and considering whole system value.

The cross-cultural importance of satisfying vital needs.

PubMed

Alvarez, Allen Andrew A

2009-11-01

Ethical beliefs may vary across cultures but there are things that must be valued as preconditions to any cultural practice. Physical and mental abilities vital to believing, valuing and practising a culture are such preconditions and it is always important to protect them. If one is to practise a distinct culture, she must at least have these basic abilities. Access to basic healthcare is one way to ensure that vital abilities are protected. John Rawls argued that access to all-purpose primary goods must be ensured. Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum claim that universal capabilities are what resources are meant to enable. Len Doyal and Ian Gough identify physical health and autonomy as basic needs of every person in every culture. When we disagree on what to prioritize, when resources to satisfy competing demands are scarce, our common needs can provide a point of normative convergence. Need-based rationing, however, has been criticized for being too indeterminate to give guidance for deciding which healthcare services to prioritize and for tending to create a bottomless-pit problem. But there is a difference between needing something (first-order need) and needing to have the ability to need (second-order need). Even if we disagree about which first-order need to prioritize, we must accept the importance of satisfying our second-order need to have the ability to value things. We all have a second-order need for basic healthcare as a means to protect our vital abilities even if we differ in what our cultures consider to be particular first-order needs.

Optimization of pressure gauge locations for water distribution systems using entropy theory.

PubMed

Yoo, Do Guen; Chang, Dong Eil; Jun, Hwandon; Kim, Joong Hoon

2012-12-01

It is essential to select the optimal pressure gauge location for effective management and maintenance of water distribution systems. This study proposes an objective and quantified standard for selecting the optimal pressure gauge location by defining the pressure change at other nodes as a result of demand change at a specific node using entropy theory. Two cases are considered in terms of demand change: that in which demand at all nodes shows peak load by using a peak factor and that comprising the demand change of the normal distribution whose average is the base demand. The actual pressure change pattern is determined by using the emitter function of EPANET to reflect the pressure that changes practically at each node. The optimal pressure gauge location is determined by prioritizing the node that processes the largest amount of information it gives to (giving entropy) and receives from (receiving entropy) the whole system according to the entropy standard. The suggested model is applied to one virtual and one real pipe network, and the optimal pressure gauge location combination is calculated by implementing the sensitivity analysis based on the study results. These analysis results support the following two conclusions. Firstly, the installation priority of the pressure gauge in water distribution networks can be determined with a more objective standard through the entropy theory. Secondly, the model can be used as an efficient decision-making guide for gauge installation in water distribution systems.

Obesity Prevalence by Occupation in Washington State, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

PubMed Central

Lu, Dayu; Fan, Z. Joyce

2014-01-01

Introduction Data that estimate the prevalence of and risk factors for worker obesity by occupation are generally unavailable and could inform the prioritization of workplace wellness programs. The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of obesity by occupation, examine the association of occupational physical activity and a range of health behaviors with obesity, and identify occupations in which workers are at high risk of obesity in Washington State. Methods We conducted descriptive and multivariable analyses among 37,626 employed Washington State respondents using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System in odd numbered years, from 2003 through 2009. We estimated prevalence and prevalence ratios (PRs) by occupational groups adjusting for demographics, occupational physical activity level, smoking, fruit and vegetable consumption, and leisure-time physical activity (LPTA). Results Overall obesity prevalence was 24.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 24.0–25.1). Workers in protective services were 2.46 (95% CI, 1.72–3.50) times as likely to be obese as workers in health diagnosing occupations. Compared with their counterparts, workers who consumed adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables and had adequate LTPA were significantly less likely to be obese (PR = 0.91; 95% CI, 0.86–0.97 and PR = 0.63; 95% CI, 0.60–0.67, respectively). Workers with physically demanding occupational physical activity had a lower PR of obesity (PR = 0.83; 95% CI, 0.78–0.88) than those with nonphysically demanding occupational physical activity. Conclusion Obesity prevalence and health risk behaviors vary substantially by occupation. Employers, policy makers, and health promotion practitioners can use our results to target and prioritize workplace obesity prevention and health behavior promotion programs. PMID:24406093

Design of demand side response model in energy internet demonstration park

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Q.; Liu, D. N.

2017-08-01

The implementation of demand side response can bring a lot of benefits to the power system, users and society, but there are still many problems in the actual operation. Firstly, this paper analyses the current situation and problems of demand side response. On this basis, this paper analyses the advantages of implementing demand side response in the energy Internet demonstration park. Finally, the paper designs three kinds of feasible demand side response modes in the energy Internet demonstration park.

Robust Unit Commitment Considering Uncertain Demand Response

DOE PAGES

Liu, Guodong; Tomsovic, Kevin

2014-09-28

Although price responsive demand response has been widely accepted as playing an important role in the reliable and economic operation of power system, the real response from demand side can be highly uncertain due to limited understanding of consumers' response to pricing signals. To model the behavior of consumers, the price elasticity of demand has been explored and utilized in both research and real practice. However, the price elasticity of demand is not precisely known and may vary greatly with operating conditions and types of customers. To accommodate the uncertainty of demand response, alternative unit commitment methods robust to themore » uncertainty of the demand response require investigation. In this paper, a robust unit commitment model to minimize the generalized social cost is proposed for the optimal unit commitment decision taking into account uncertainty of the price elasticity of demand. By optimizing the worst case under proper robust level, the unit commitment solution of the proposed model is robust against all possible realizations of the modeled uncertain demand response. Numerical simulations on the IEEE Reliability Test System show the e ectiveness of the method. Finally, compared to unit commitment with deterministic price elasticity of demand, the proposed robust model can reduce the average Locational Marginal Prices (LMPs) as well as the price volatility.« less

Household water demand and welfare loss for future Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernhard, Jeroen; Reynaud, Arnaud; Lanzanova, Denis; de Roo, Ad

2015-04-01

Matching the availability of water to its demand in Europe is a major challenge for the future due to expected economic and demographic developments and climate change. This means there is a growing need to estimate future water demand and to optimize the water allocation to all end users to counteract welfare loss. At the European scale it is currently not possible to assess the impact of social and economic changes on future water demand or to prioritize water allocation amongst different sectors based on economic damage without extensive use of assumptions and generalizations. Indeed, our review of existing regional optimization models for Europe reveals that the social-economic component of the water use system needs to be improved by complementing them with detailed water use estimates and cost/benefit functions in order to determine the optimal situation. Our study contributes to closing this knowledge gap for the European household sector by quantifying future water demand and the effect of water pricing, as well as providing a method for the calculation of monetary damage due to unmet demand at the highest spatial resolution possible. We used a water demand function approach in which household water consumption depends upon some exogenous drivers including water price, household income, population and household characteristics and climate conditions. For each European country, the annual water consumption per capita was calculated at regional level (NUTS3) and subsequently disaggregated to five kilometer grid level based on a population density map. In order to produce estimates of water demand, the evolution of the explanatory variables of the water demand functions and population density map were simulated until 2050 based on related variables such as GDP and demographic projections. The results of this study will be integrated into the JRC hydro-economic modelling framework for an assessment of the Water-Agriculture-Energy-Ecosystems Nexus.

Patient inducement, provider priorities, and resource allocation in public mental health systems.

PubMed

Sinaiko, Anna D; McGuire, Thomas G

2006-12-01

Public mental health systems are increasingly facing demands from the criminal justice system and social services agencies to provide services and support in cases in which mental illness contributes to crime, homelessness, or poverty. In this article we analyze how policies from outside public mental health systems affect resource allocation within these systems, using examples from criminal justice. These policies use two types of mechanisms: inducing patients to consume treatment (by offering rewards or imposing penalties) and inducing clinicians to provide treatment (by creating priorities). We propose a classification of these social policies based on whether they affect demand through rewards or penalties or supply through priorities. We then relate the classification to data on patients treated in public systems to evaluate the current prevalence and potential for growth in these outside demands. These inducements impose a set of nonobvious costs on other patients who are not targeted by the policies. Furthermore, they create incentives for both patients and providers to modify their behavior in order to take advantage of rewards, avoid penalties, or better compete for resources with prioritized patients. We consider some policy implications for avoiding unintended consequences of these policies.

Demand reduction analysis for Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Aberdeen, Maryland. Final report

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

NONE

1996-06-01

The objectives of the project are to research, identify, evaluate, and define energy saving projects that meet the Army`s criteria and lead to energy savings at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Aberdeen campus, with respect to electrical demand reduction. Details of the authorization and objectives of this report, which delineates our contractual arrangement with the government, may be found in Section 8.11. Synopsis of Findings Entech Engineering, Inc. metered the Post at the substation level to provide some definition to the $7,000,000 annual electric cost consumed by the 19,500 people who occupy over 1,700 buildings and 13 million square feet onmore » Post Overall, Entech considered means of reducing the demand portion of the electrical cost estimated at over $2,900,000 per year. A total of fourteen (14) Energy Conservation Opportunities (ECOs) were developed and evaluated. ECOs describe the means to reduce energy consumption and operating cost. Of the fourteen (14) ECOs, six (6) have been developed as economically feasible. The remaining eight (8) investigated did not prove to be economically attractive. Table 1.2.1 on the following page displays a summary of all ECOs investigated, prioritized by SIR.« less

Improving Allocation And Management Of The Health Workforce In Zambia.

PubMed

Walsh, Fiona J; Musonda, Mutinta; Mwila, Jere; Prust, Margaret Lippitt; Vosburg, Kathryn Bradford; Fink, Günther; Berman, Peter; Rockers, Peter C

2017-05-01

Building a health workforce in low-income countries requires a focused investment of time and resources, and ministries of health need tools to create staffing plans and prioritize spending on staff for overburdened health facilities. In Zambia a demand-based workload model was developed to calculate the number of health workers required to meet demands for essential health services and inform a rational and optimized strategy for deploying new public-sector staff members to the country's health facilities. Between 2009 and 2011 Zambia applied this optimized deployment policy, allocating new health workers to areas with the greatest demand for services. The country increased its health worker staffing in districts with fewer than one health worker per 1,000 people by 25.2 percent, adding 949 health workers to facilities that faced severe staffing shortages. At facilities that had had low staffing levels, adding a skilled provider was associated with an additional 103 outpatient consultations per quarter. Policy makers in resource-limited countries should consider using strategic approaches to identifying and deploying a rational distribution of health workers to provide the greatest coverage of health services to their populations. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Role Of Spatial Scale In Sub-Area Prioritization To Reduce Impact Of Planned Land Use/Cover Alternations Of Watershed Responses

EPA Science Inventory

An index based methodology is presented that rank the sub-areas in a watershed based on their relative impacts on watershed response to anticipated land developments. We argue in this paper that the spatial locations of such critical areas are dependent on the extent of watershed...

Demand Response Resource Quantification with Detailed Building Energy Models

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

Hale, Elaine; Horsey, Henry; Merket, Noel

Demand response is a broad suite of technologies that enables changes in electrical load operations in support of power system reliability and efficiency. Although demand response is not a new concept, there is new appetite for comprehensively evaluating its technical potential in the context of renewable energy integration. The complexity of demand response makes this task difficult -- we present new methods for capturing the heterogeneity of potential responses from buildings, their time-varying nature, and metrics such as thermal comfort that help quantify likely acceptability of specific demand response actions. Computed with an automated software framework, the methods are scalable.

Sensory Prioritization in Rats: Behavioral Performance and Neuronal Correlates.

PubMed

Lee, Conrad C Y; Diamond, Mathew E; Arabzadeh, Ehsan

2016-03-16

Operating with some finite quantity of processing resources, an animal would benefit from prioritizing the sensory modality expected to provide key information in a particular context. The present study investigated whether rats dedicate attentional resources to the sensory modality in which a near-threshold event is more likely to occur. We manipulated attention by controlling the likelihood with which a stimulus was presented from one of two modalities. In a whisker session, 80% of trials contained a brief vibration stimulus applied to whiskers and the remaining 20% of trials contained a brief change of luminance. These likelihoods were reversed in a visual session. When a stimulus was presented in the high-likelihood context, detection performance increased and was faster compared with the same stimulus presented in the low-likelihood context. Sensory prioritization was also reflected in neuronal activity in the vibrissal area of primary somatosensory cortex: single units responded differentially to the whisker vibration stimulus when presented with higher probability compared with lower probability. Neuronal activity in the vibrissal cortex displayed signatures of multiplicative gain control and enhanced response to vibration stimuli during the whisker session. In conclusion, rats allocate priority to the more likely stimulus modality and the primary sensory cortex may participate in the redistribution of resources. Detection of low-amplitude events is critical to survival; for example, to warn prey of predators. To formulate a response, decision-making systems must extract minute neuronal signals from the sensory modality that provides key information. Here, we identify the behavioral and neuronal correlates of sensory prioritization in rats. Rats were trained to detect whisker vibrations or visual flickers. Stimuli were embedded in two contexts in which either visual or whisker modality was more likely to occur. When a stimulus was presented in the high-likelihood context, detection was faster and more reliable. Neuronal recording from the vibrissal cortex revealed enhanced representation of vibrations in the prioritized context. These results establish the rat as an alternative model organism to primates for studying attention. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/363243-11$15.00/0.

Climate Change and Infectious Disease Risk in Western Europe: A Survey of Dutch Expert Opinion on Adaptation Responses and Actors

PubMed Central

Akin, Su-Mia; Martens, Pim; Huynen, Maud M.T.E.

2015-01-01

There is growing evidence of climate change affecting infectious disease risk in Western Europe. The call for effective adaptation to this challenge becomes increasingly stronger. This paper presents the results of a survey exploring Dutch expert perspectives on adaptation responses to climate change impacts on infectious disease risk in Western Europe. Additionally, the survey explores the expert sample’s prioritization of mitigation and adaptation, and expert views on the willingness and capacity of relevant actors to respond to climate change. An integrated view on the causation of infectious disease risk is employed, including multiple (climatic and non-climatic) factors. The results show that the experts consider some adaptation responses as relatively more cost-effective, like fostering interagency and community partnerships, or beneficial to health, such as outbreak investigation and response. Expert opinions converge and diverge for different adaptation responses. Regarding the prioritization of mitigation and adaptation responses expert perspectives converge towards a 50/50 budgetary allocation. The experts consider the national government/health authority as the most capable actor to respond to climate change-induced infectious disease risk. Divergence and consensus among expert opinions can influence adaptation policy processes. Further research is necessary to uncover prevailing expert perspectives and their roots, and compare these. PMID:26295247

Climate Change and Infectious Disease Risk in Western Europe: A Survey of Dutch Expert Opinion on Adaptation Responses and Actors.

PubMed

Akin, Su-Mia; Martens, Pim; Huynen, Maud M T E

2015-08-18

There is growing evidence of climate change affecting infectious disease risk in Western Europe. The call for effective adaptation to this challenge becomes increasingly stronger. This paper presents the results of a survey exploring Dutch expert perspectives on adaptation responses to climate change impacts on infectious disease risk in Western Europe. Additionally, the survey explores the expert sample's prioritization of mitigation and adaptation, and expert views on the willingness and capacity of relevant actors to respond to climate change. An integrated view on the causation of infectious disease risk is employed, including multiple (climatic and non-climatic) factors. The results show that the experts consider some adaptation responses as relatively more cost-effective, like fostering interagency and community partnerships, or beneficial to health, such as outbreak investigation and response. Expert opinions converge and diverge for different adaptation responses. Regarding the prioritization of mitigation and adaptation responses expert perspectives converge towards a 50/50 budgetary allocation. The experts consider the national government/health authority as the most capable actor to respond to climate change-induced infectious disease risk. Divergence and consensus among expert opinions can influence adaptation policy processes. Further research is necessary to uncover prevailing expert perspectives and their roots, and compare these.

Working Memory Replay Prioritizes Weakly Attended Events.

PubMed

Jafarpour, Anna; Penny, Will; Barnes, Gareth; Knight, Robert T; Duzel, Emrah

2017-01-01

One view of working memory posits that maintaining a series of events requires their sequential and equal mnemonic replay. Another view is that the content of working memory maintenance is prioritized by attention. We decoded the dynamics for retaining a sequence of items using magnetoencephalography, wherein participants encoded sequences of three stimuli depicting a face, a manufactured object, or a natural item and maintained them in working memory for 5000 ms. Memory for sequence position and stimulus details were probed at the end of the maintenance period. Decoding of brain activity revealed that one of the three stimuli dominated maintenance independent of its sequence position or category; and memory was enhanced for the selectively replayed stimulus. Analysis of event-related responses during the encoding of the sequence showed that the selectively replayed stimuli were determined by the degree of attention at encoding. The selectively replayed stimuli had the weakest initial encoding indexed by weaker visual attention signals at encoding. These findings do not rule out sequential mnemonic replay but reveal that attention influences the content of working memory maintenance by prioritizing replay of weakly encoded events. We propose that the prioritization of weakly encoded stimuli protects them from interference during the maintenance period, whereas the more strongly encoded stimuli can be retrieved from long-term memory at the end of the delay period.

49 CFR 37.77 - Purchase or lease of new non-rail vehicles by public entities operating a demand responsive...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... public entities operating a demand responsive system for the general public. 37.77 Section 37.77...-rail vehicles by public entities operating a demand responsive system for the general public. (a) Except as provided in this section, a public entity operating a demand responsive system for the general...

49 CFR 37.77 - Purchase or lease of new non-rail vehicles by public entities operating a demand responsive...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... public entities operating a demand responsive system for the general public. 37.77 Section 37.77...-rail vehicles by public entities operating a demand responsive system for the general public. (a) Except as provided in this section, a public entity operating a demand responsive system for the general...

49 CFR 37.77 - Purchase or lease of new non-rail vehicles by public entities operating a demand responsive...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... public entities operating a demand responsive system for the general public. 37.77 Section 37.77...-rail vehicles by public entities operating a demand responsive system for the general public. (a) Except as provided in this section, a public entity operating a demand responsive system for the general...

49 CFR 37.77 - Purchase or lease of new non-rail vehicles by public entities operating a demand responsive...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... public entities operating a demand responsive system for the general public. 37.77 Section 37.77...-rail vehicles by public entities operating a demand responsive system for the general public. (a) Except as provided in this section, a public entity operating a demand responsive system for the general...

Compromise-based Robust Prioritization of Climate Change Adaptation Strategies for Watershed Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Y.; Chung, E. S.

2014-12-01

This study suggests a robust prioritization framework for climate change adaptation strategies under multiple climate change scenarios with a case study of selecting sites for reusing treated wastewater (TWW) in a Korean urban watershed. The framework utilizes various multi-criteria decision making techniques, including the VIKOR method and the Shannon entropy-based weights. In this case study, the sustainability of TWW use is quantified with indicator-based approaches with the DPSIR framework, which considers both hydro-environmental and socio-economic aspects of the watershed management. Under the various climate change scenarios, the hydro-environmental responses to reusing TWW in potential alternative sub-watersheds are determined using the Hydrologic Simulation Program in Fortran (HSPF). The socio-economic indicators are obtained from the statistical databases. Sustainability scores for multiple scenarios are estimated individually and then integrated with the proposed approach. At last, the suggested framework allows us to prioritize adaptation strategies in a robust manner with varying levels of compromise between utility-based and regret-based strategies.

Identifying and prioritizing industry-level competitiveness factors: evidence from pharmaceutical market

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Pharmaceutical industry is knowledge-intensive and highly globalized, in both developed and developing countries. On the other hand, if companies want to survive, they should be able to compete well in both domestic and international markets. The main purpose of this paper is therefore to develop and prioritize key factors affecting companies’ competitiveness in pharmaceutical industry. Based on an extensive literature review, a valid and reliable questionnaire was designed, which was later filled up by participants from the industry. To prioritize the key factors, we used the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Results The results revealed that human capital and macro-level policies were two key factors placed at the highest rank in respect of their effects on the competitiveness considering the industry-level in pharmaceutical area. Conclusion This study provides fundamental evidence for policymakers and managers in pharma context to enable them formulating better polices to be proactively competitive and responsive to the markets’ needs. PMID:24708770

Identifying and prioritizing industry-level competitiveness factors: evidence from pharmaceutical market.

PubMed

Shabaninejad, Hosein; Mehralian, Gholamhossein; Rashidian, Arash; Baratimarnani, Ahmad; Rasekh, Hamid Reza

2014-04-03

Pharmaceutical industry is knowledge-intensive and highly globalized, in both developed and developing countries. On the other hand, if companies want to survive, they should be able to compete well in both domestic and international markets. The main purpose of this paper is therefore to develop and prioritize key factors affecting companies' competitiveness in pharmaceutical industry. Based on an extensive literature review, a valid and reliable questionnaire was designed, which was later filled up by participants from the industry. To prioritize the key factors, we used the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The results revealed that human capital and macro-level policies were two key factors placed at the highest rank in respect of their effects on the competitiveness considering the industry-level in pharmaceutical area. This study provides fundamental evidence for policymakers and managers in pharma context to enable them formulating better polices to be proactively competitive and responsive to the markets' needs.

Investigation of a supplementary tool to assist in the prioritization of emphasis areas in North American strategic highway safety plans.

PubMed

Park, Peter Y; Young, Jason

2012-03-01

An important potential benefit of a jurisdiction developing an upper-level traffic safety policy statement, such as a strategic highway safety plan (SHSP) or a traffic safety action plan, is the creation of a manageable number of focus areas, known as emphasis areas. The responsible agencies in the jurisdiction can then direct their finite resources in a systematic and strategic way designed to maximize the effort to reduce the number and severity of roadway collisions. In the United States, the federal government through AASHTO has suggested 22 potential emphasis areas. In Canada, CCMTA's 10 potential emphasis areas have been listed for consideration. This study reviewed the SHSP and traffic safety action plan of 53 jurisdictions in North America, and conducted descriptive data analyses to clarify the issues that currently affect the selection and prioritization process of jurisdiction-specific emphasis areas. We found that the current process relies heavily on high-level collision data analysis and communication among the SHSP stakeholders, but may not be the most efficient and effective way of selecting and prioritizing the emphasis areas and allocating safety improvement resources. This study then formulated a formal collision diagnosis test, known as the beta-binomial test, to clarify and illuminate the selection and the prioritization of jurisdiction-specific emphasis areas. We developed numerical examples to demonstrate how engineers can apply the proposed diagnosis test to improve the selection and prioritization of individual jurisdictions' emphasis areas. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Citizen Participation in Patient Prioritization Policy Decisions: An Empirical and Experimental Study on Patients' Characteristics

PubMed Central

Diederich, Adele; Swait, Joffre; Wirsik, Norman

2012-01-01

Health systems worldwide are grappling with the need to control costs to maintain system viability. With the combination of worsening economic conditions, an aging population and reductions in tax revenues, the pressures to make structural changes are expected to continue growing. Common cost control mechanisms, e.g. curtailment of patient access and treatment prioritization, are likely to be adversely viewed by citizens. It seems therefore wise to include them in the decision making processes that lead up to policy changes. In the context of a multilevel iterative mixed-method design a quantitative survey representative of the German population (N = 2031) was conducted to probe the acceptance of priority setting in medicine and to explore the practicability of direct public involvement. Here we focus on preferences for patients' characteristics (medical aspects, lifestyle and socio-economic status) as possible criteria for prioritizing medical services. A questionnaire with closed response options was fielded to gain insight into attitudes toward broad prioritization criteria of patient groups. Furthermore, a discrete choice experiment was used as a rigorous approach to investigate citizens' preferences toward specific criteria level in context of other criteria. Both the questionnaire and the discrete choice experiment were performed with the same sample. The citizens' own health and social situation are included as explanatory variables. Data were evaluated using corresponding analysis, contingency analysis, logistic regression and a multinomial exploded logit model. The results show that some medical criteria are highly accepted for prioritizing patients whereas socio-economic criteria are rejected. PMID:22590619

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

Piette, Mary Ann

California needs new, responsive, demand-side energy technologies to ensure that periods of tight electricity supply on the grid don't turn into power outages. Led by Berkeley Lab's Mary Ann Piette, the California Energy Commission (through its Public Interest Energy Research Program) has established a Demand Response Research Center that addresses two motivations for adopting demand responsiveness: reducing average electricity prices and preventing future electricity crises. The research seeks to understand factors that influence "what works" in Demand Response. Piette's team is investigating the two types of demand response, load response and price response, that may influence and reduce the usemore » of peak electric power through automated controls, peak pricing, advanced communications, and other strategies.« less

Saving Power at Peak Hours (LBNL Science at the Theater)

ScienceCinema

Piette, Mary Ann [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2018-05-23

California needs new, responsive, demand-side energy technologies to ensure that periods of tight electricity supply on the grid don't turn into power outages. Led by Berkeley Lab's Mary Ann Piette, the California Energy Commission (through its Public Interest Energy Research Program) has established a Demand Response Research Center that addresses two motivations for adopting demand responsiveness: reducing average electricity prices and preventing future electricity crises. The research seeks to understand factors that influence "what works" in Demand Response. Piette's team is investigating the two types of demand response, load response and price response, that may influence and reduce the use of peak electric power through automated controls, peak pricing, advanced communications, and other strategies.

Estimating Ridership of Rural Demand-Response Transit Services for the General Public : 21177060-NCTR-NDSU08.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-08-01

The objective of this study is to develop a model for estimating demand for rural demand-response transit services for the general public. Lack of data for demand-response service characteristics and geographic coverage has limited the development of...

Opportunities for Energy Efficiency and Automated Demand Response in Industrial Refrigerated Warehouses in California

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

Lekov, Alex; Thompson, Lisa; McKane, Aimee

2009-05-11

This report summarizes the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's research to date in characterizing energy efficiency and open automated demand response opportunities for industrial refrigerated warehouses in California. The report describes refrigerated warehouses characteristics, energy use and demand, and control systems. It also discusses energy efficiency and open automated demand response opportunities and provides analysis results from three demand response studies. In addition, several energy efficiency, load management, and demand response case studies are provided for refrigerated warehouses. This study shows that refrigerated warehouses can be excellent candidates for open automated demand response and that facilities which have implemented energy efficiencymore » measures and have centralized control systems are well-suited to shift or shed electrical loads in response to financial incentives, utility bill savings, and/or opportunities to enhance reliability of service. Control technologies installed for energy efficiency and load management purposes can often be adapted for open automated demand response (OpenADR) at little additional cost. These improved controls may prepare facilities to be more receptive to OpenADR due to both increased confidence in the opportunities for controlling energy cost/use and access to the real-time data.« less

Growth–Defense Tradeoffs in Plants: A Balancing Act to Optimize Fitness

PubMed Central

Huot, Bethany; Yao, Jian; Montgomery, Beronda L.; He, Sheng Yang

2014-01-01

Growth–defense tradeoffs are thought to occur in plants due to resource restrictions, which demand prioritization towards either growth or defense, depending on external and internal factors. These tradeoffs have profound implications in agriculture and natural ecosystems, as both processes are vital for plant survival, reproduction, and, ultimately, plant fitness. While many of the molecular mechanisms underlying growth and defense tradeoffs remain to be elucidated, hormone crosstalk has emerged as a major player in regulating tradeoffs needed to achieve a balance. In this review, we cover recent advances in understanding growth–defense tradeoffs in plants as well as what is known regarding the underlying molecular mechanisms. Specifically, we address evidence supporting the growth–defense tradeoff concept, as well as known interactions between defense signaling and growth signaling. Understanding the molecular basis of these tradeoffs in plants should provide a foundation for the development of breeding strategies that optimize the growth–defense balance to maximize crop yield to meet rising global food and biofuel demands. PMID:24777989

Ten Demands of Improved Usability in eHealth and Some Progress - Co-Creation by Health and Social Care Professionals.

PubMed

Scandurra, Isabella; Liljequist, David

2016-01-01

Current healthcare organizations often do not accomplish the intended effects of their eHealth systems due to inadequate usability. Commissioned by the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, the usability of current eHealth systems in Swedish health and social care has been analysed from the perspective of their professionals. The objective of the study was to report on current problems, potential solutions as well as to relate these to research in relevant areas. Using a participatory approach, nine workshops were held where health informatics researchers guided staff from different care organizations, representatives of the national associations of health and social care professionals and the national eHealth system vendor organization. This paper presents ten demands that Swedish health and social care professionals find imperative to prioritize. The study emphasizes that development of eHealth systems must be integrated into the care practice improvement process and iteratively evaluated regarding usability.

Anticipating market demand: tracking enrollee satisfaction and health over time.

PubMed

Allen, H

1998-12-01

To assess guidelines, set by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, for the Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS) 1999 CAHPS 2.0H Survey (formerly the HEDIS 1999 Consumer Survey) in the light of user's needs to monitor health plan performance over time, monitor sick enrollees, and prioritize determinants (drivers) of enrollee experience. A two-wave, cross-sectional/longitudinal panel design, consisting of national surveys mailed to employees of three major USA corporations in 1993 and 1995. Samples included employees selected to represent 23 major managed care and indemnity plans in five regions of the USA. In 1993, 14 587 employees responded and in 1995 9018 employees responded (response rates: 51 and 52%). The longitudinal panel sample included 5729 employees who completed both surveys and stayed in the same plan for both years. STUDY MEASURES: The main 1993 and 1995 surveys consisted of 154 and 116 items, respectively. Panel survey content assessed care delivery, plan administration, functional status, well being, and chronic disease. CAHPS 2.0H's point-in-time, cross-sectional design was unable to detect selection bias and led to an inaccurate view of change in performance. CAHPS 2.0H's use of aggregate samples masked key differences between healthy and sick enrollees; e.g. the sick became less satisfied over time. The association-based, statistical techniques that many survey users will employ to prioritize the 'drivers' of enrollee experience in the absence of CAHPS 2.0H guidelines yielded a less efficient account of change than the multi-method/multi-trait approach developed for this project. Consumer experience of plan performance is best understood when the separate contributions of longitudinal membership and movement in and out of plans are clarified, changes in health are identified, changes for sick and healthy enrollees are compared, and plan performance on satisfaction criteria is probed to give confirmation and detail. Changes to the CAHPS 2.0H approach in HEDIS 1999 will facilitate user application of these principles.

29 CFR 20.55 - Second and subsequent notifications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... second and subsequent demands for payment, if payment or other appropriate response is not received within the time specified by the initial demand. Unless a response to the first or second demand indicates that a further demand would be futile or the debtor's response does not require rebuttal, the...

Opportunities for Automated Demand Response in California Wastewater Treatment Facilities

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

Aghajanzadeh, Arian; Wray, Craig; McKane, Aimee

Previous research over a period of six years has identified wastewater treatment facilities as good candidates for demand response (DR), automated demand response (Auto-­DR), and Energy Efficiency (EE) measures. This report summarizes that work, including the characteristics of wastewater treatment facilities, the nature of the wastewater stream, energy used and demand, as well as details of the wastewater treatment process. It also discusses control systems and automated demand response opportunities. Furthermore, this report summarizes the DR potential of three wastewater treatment facilities. In particular, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has collected data at these facilities from control systems, submetered processmore » equipment, utility electricity demand records, and governmental weather stations. The collected data were then used to generate a summary of wastewater power demand, factors affecting that demand, and demand response capabilities. These case studies show that facilities that have implemented energy efficiency measures and that have centralized control systems are well suited to shed or shift electrical loads in response to financial incentives, utility bill savings, and/or opportunities to enhance reliability of service. In summary, municipal wastewater treatment energy demand in California is large, and energy-­intensive equipment offers significant potential for automated demand response. In particular, large load reductions were achieved by targeting effluent pumps and centrifuges. One of the limiting factors to implementing demand response is the reaction of effluent turbidity to reduced aeration at an earlier stage of the process. Another limiting factor is that cogeneration capabilities of municipal facilities, including existing power purchase agreements and utility receptiveness to purchasing electricity from cogeneration facilities, limit a facility’s potential to participate in other DR activities.« less

Mining residential water and electricity demand data in Southern California to inform demand management strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cominola, A.; Spang, E. S.; Giuliani, M.; Castelletti, A.; Loge, F. J.; Lund, J. R.

2016-12-01

Demand side management strategies are key to meet future water and energy demands in urban contexts, promote water and energy efficiency in the residential sector, provide customized services and communications to consumers, and reduce utilities' costs. Smart metering technologies allow gathering high temporal and spatial resolution water and energy consumption data and support the development of data-driven models of consumers' behavior. Modelling and predicting resource consumption behavior is essential to inform demand management. Yet, analyzing big, smart metered, databases requires proper data mining and modelling techniques, in order to extract useful information supporting decision makers to spot end uses towards which water and energy efficiency or conservation efforts should be prioritized. In this study, we consider the following research questions: (i) how is it possible to extract representative consumers' personalities out of big smart metered water and energy data? (ii) are residential water and energy consumption profiles interconnected? (iii) Can we design customized water and energy demand management strategies based on the knowledge of water- energy demand profiles and other user-specific psychographic information? To address the above research questions, we contribute a data-driven approach to identify and model routines in water and energy consumers' behavior. We propose a novel customer segmentation procedure based on data-mining techniques. Our procedure consists of three steps: (i) extraction of typical water-energy consumption profiles for each household, (ii) profiles clustering based on their similarity, and (iii) evaluation of the influence of candidate explanatory variables on the identified clusters. The approach is tested onto a dataset of smart metered water and energy consumption data from over 1000 households in South California. Our methodology allows identifying heterogeneous groups of consumers from the studied sample, as well as characterizing them with respect to consumption profiles features and socio- demographic information. Results show how such better understanding of the considered users' community allows spotting potentially interesting areas for water and energy demand management interventions.

Expeditionary Forensic Support to Joint Force Commanders: What Changes or Considerations are Warranted?

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-10

builders . Human Intelligence (HUMINT) and Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) could then also be prioritized and employed accordingly for optimal 8...responsibility for digital and multimedia forensics, and DIA responsibility for forensic intelligence activities and programs.31 The Army is also currently...aligning functional oversight of Forensics, Biometrics, Law Enforcement, Detainee Operations, and Physical Security 11 under one overarching

[Change in the event-related skin conductivity: an indicator of the immediate importance of elaborate information processing?].

PubMed

Zimmer, H

1992-01-01

In recent psychophysiological conceptualizations of the orienting response (OR) within the framework of information processing, the OR is increasingly considered a "call for processing resources", something which is especially inferred from variations in the event-related skin conductance response (SCR). The present study, therefore, was concerned with certain implications arising from this framework or perspective, particularly in regard to the question of whether stimuli eliciting skin conductance responses obligatorily receive/evoke processing priority or not. In order to examine whether these electrodermal responses denote a capturing of attention or merely a call for processing resources, short (1 s) pure sine tones of 65 dB with sudden onset (commonly used as orienting stimuli) were inserted in a reaction time paradigm with an additional memory load. This demand was primarily given because memory processes play a key role in theories of orienting and habituation. The task was run under two different conditions of complexity, factorially combined with a novelty variation of the added auditory stimuli. The results revealed a substantial deterioration of task performance subsequent to the occurrence of the tones, which, however, was dependent on task complexity and on novelty of the tones. The task impairment is particularly remarkable as subjects were asked to avoid distractions by paying attention to the task and as the tones were introduced as subsidiary and task-irrelevant. Together with the missing effects of task complexity on phasic and tonic electrodermal activity, results suggest that information-processing conceptualizations of the OR can only be a meaningful heuristic contribution to theoretical developments about human orienting and its habituation if the setting of processing priority, its conditions, as well as its implications are adequately taken into account. In addition, it seems to be promising to consider the strength of the SCR as an index of urgency of elaborate, attention-demanding processing and not as a peripheral physiological manifestation of the OR, or, respectively, of a call for unspecific processing resources. Such a view would also do justice to the aspect of prioritization. The sufficient conditions for an OR's occurrence could, in this context, be equated with, among others, some of those which activate a mechanism subserving selective attention and, as a possible result, which lead to further and more elaborate processing of potentially important information.

12 CFR 602.23 - Responses to demands served on FCA employees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Responses to demands served on FCA employees. 602.23 Section 602.23 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS RELEASING....23 Responses to demands served on FCA employees. (a) An employee served with a demand or a subpoena...

32 CFR 179.2 - Applicability and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... MUNITIONS RESPONSE SITE PRIORITIZATION PROTOCOL (MRSPP) § 179.2 Applicability and scope. (a) This part... ordnance (UXO), discarded military munitions (DMM), or munitions constituents (MC), and (3) That are... munitions results from combat operations, (5) Currently operating military munitions storage and...

32 CFR 179.2 - Applicability and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... MUNITIONS RESPONSE SITE PRIORITIZATION PROTOCOL (MRSPP) § 179.2 Applicability and scope. (a) This part... ordnance (UXO), discarded military munitions (DMM), or munitions constituents (MC), and (3) That are... munitions results from combat operations, (5) Currently operating military munitions storage and...

32 CFR 179.2 - Applicability and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... MUNITIONS RESPONSE SITE PRIORITIZATION PROTOCOL (MRSPP) § 179.2 Applicability and scope. (a) This part... ordnance (UXO), discarded military munitions (DMM), or munitions constituents (MC), and (3) That are... munitions results from combat operations, (5) Currently operating military munitions storage and...

32 CFR 179.2 - Applicability and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... MUNITIONS RESPONSE SITE PRIORITIZATION PROTOCOL (MRSPP) § 179.2 Applicability and scope. (a) This part... ordnance (UXO), discarded military munitions (DMM), or munitions constituents (MC), and (3) That are... munitions results from combat operations, (5) Currently operating military munitions storage and...

32 CFR 179.2 - Applicability and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... MUNITIONS RESPONSE SITE PRIORITIZATION PROTOCOL (MRSPP) § 179.2 Applicability and scope. (a) This part... ordnance (UXO), discarded military munitions (DMM), or munitions constituents (MC), and (3) That are... munitions results from combat operations, (5) Currently operating military munitions storage and...

14 Ways To Make More Time for Leadership.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furman, Robert

1999-01-01

Principals can effectively manage their workday by prioritizing paperwork, creating tickler and flyer files, postponing missed phone calls, stashing supplies, structuring agendas, scheduling meetings, recording phone numbers on calendars, avoiding procrastination, delegating responsibility, deputizing delegates, making a faculty suggestion board,…

Recovery Potential Screening for Prioritizing Restoration in Maryland Watersheds

EPA Science Inventory

States’ responsibilities under the Clean Water Act include identifying impaired waters (those not achieving Water Quality Standards) and ultimately restoring them. The high numbers of impaired waters in most states calls for yearly priority-setting decisions on restoration fundin...

Perceptions of Health-Related Community Reentry Challenges among Incarcerated Drug Users in Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Ukraine.

PubMed

Rozanova, Julia; Morozova, Olga; Azbel, Lyuba; Bachireddy, Chethan; Izenberg, Jacob M; Kiriazova, Tetiana; Dvoryak, Sergiy; Altice, Frederick L

2018-05-04

Facing competing demands with limited resources following release from prison, people who inject drugs (PWID) may neglect health needs, with grave implications including relapse, overdose, and non-continuous care. We examined the relative importance of health-related tasks after release compared to tasks of everyday life among a total sample of 577 drug users incarcerated in Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Kyrgyzstan. A proxy measure of whether participants identified a task as applicable (easy or hard) versus not applicable was used to determine the importance of each task. Correlates of the importance of health-related reentry tasks were analyzed using logistic regression, with a parsimonious model being derived using Bayesian lasso method. Despite all participants having substance use disorders and high prevalence of comorbidities, participants in all three countries prioritized finding a source of income, reconnecting with family, and staying out of prison over receiving treatment for substance use disorders, general health conditions, and initiating methadone treatment. Participants with poorer general health were more likely to prioritize treatment for substance use disorders. While prior drug injection and opioid agonist treatment (OAT) correlated with any interest in methadone in all countries, only in Ukraine did a small number of participants prioritize getting methadone as the most important post-release task. While community-based OAT is available in all three countries and prison-based OAT only in Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz prisoners were less likely to choose help staying off drugs and getting methadone. Overall, prisoners consider methadone treatment inapplicable to their pre-release planning. Future studies that involve patient decision-making and scale-up of OAT within prison settings are needed to better improve individual and public health.

Influence networks based on coexpression improve drug target discovery for the development of novel cancer therapeutics.

PubMed

Penrod, Nadia M; Moore, Jason H

2014-02-05

The demand for novel molecularly targeted drugs will continue to rise as we move forward toward the goal of personalizing cancer treatment to the molecular signature of individual tumors. However, the identification of targets and combinations of targets that can be safely and effectively modulated is one of the greatest challenges facing the drug discovery process. A promising approach is to use biological networks to prioritize targets based on their relative positions to one another, a property that affects their ability to maintain network integrity and propagate information-flow. Here, we introduce influence networks and demonstrate how they can be used to generate influence scores as a network-based metric to rank genes as potential drug targets. We use this approach to prioritize genes as drug target candidates in a set of ER⁺ breast tumor samples collected during the course of neoadjuvant treatment with the aromatase inhibitor letrozole. We show that influential genes, those with high influence scores, tend to be essential and include a higher proportion of essential genes than those prioritized based on their position (i.e. hubs or bottlenecks) within the same network. Additionally, we show that influential genes represent novel biologically relevant drug targets for the treatment of ER⁺ breast cancers. Moreover, we demonstrate that gene influence differs between untreated tumors and residual tumors that have adapted to drug treatment. In this way, influence scores capture the context-dependent functions of genes and present the opportunity to design combination treatment strategies that take advantage of the tumor adaptation process. Influence networks efficiently find essential genes as promising drug targets and combinations of targets to inform the development of molecularly targeted drugs and their use.

Influence networks based on coexpression improve drug target discovery for the development of novel cancer therapeutics

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The demand for novel molecularly targeted drugs will continue to rise as we move forward toward the goal of personalizing cancer treatment to the molecular signature of individual tumors. However, the identification of targets and combinations of targets that can be safely and effectively modulated is one of the greatest challenges facing the drug discovery process. A promising approach is to use biological networks to prioritize targets based on their relative positions to one another, a property that affects their ability to maintain network integrity and propagate information-flow. Here, we introduce influence networks and demonstrate how they can be used to generate influence scores as a network-based metric to rank genes as potential drug targets. Results We use this approach to prioritize genes as drug target candidates in a set of ER + breast tumor samples collected during the course of neoadjuvant treatment with the aromatase inhibitor letrozole. We show that influential genes, those with high influence scores, tend to be essential and include a higher proportion of essential genes than those prioritized based on their position (i.e. hubs or bottlenecks) within the same network. Additionally, we show that influential genes represent novel biologically relevant drug targets for the treatment of ER + breast cancers. Moreover, we demonstrate that gene influence differs between untreated tumors and residual tumors that have adapted to drug treatment. In this way, influence scores capture the context-dependent functions of genes and present the opportunity to design combination treatment strategies that take advantage of the tumor adaptation process. Conclusions Influence networks efficiently find essential genes as promising drug targets and combinations of targets to inform the development of molecularly targeted drugs and their use. PMID:24495353

A first-line nurse manager's goal-profile.

PubMed

Johansson, Gunilla; Pörn, Ingmar; Theorell, Töres; Gustafsson, Barbro

2007-01-01

The aim of this case study was to acquire understanding concerning the first-line nurse manager's goal-profile, i.e. prioritization of goals in her work as a first-line nurse manager, through use of an action-theoretic and confirmatory theory. The first-line nurse manager's pivotal role regarding quality of care and development in relation to on-going changes in the health care sector is stressed by many researchers and the transition from nurse to manager is described as a demanding challenge for the first-line nurse manager. The case study described in this paper concerns a first-line nurse manager in an actual working environment in care of older people. Data collection comprised interviews, observations, a job description and policy documents. A hermeneutic interpretation was used for data analysis. The results showed that the first-line nurse manager had three goals in her goal-profile, in the following order of priority: (i) a nurse goal that she had strongly accepted and in which she had excellent control, (ii) an administrator goal that she had accepted and in which she had control, (iii) a leadership goal that she had not accepted and in which she did not have control. Both the administrator and leadership goals were based on her job description, but the nurse goal was a personally chosen goal based on her own self-relation/goal-fulfillment. The first-line nurse manager's prioritized self-identity, based on successful realization of goals in her goal-profile, was decisive in the manifestation of her work. This study contributes to a new understanding of the first-line nurse manager's self-identity related to work in terms of goal acceptance and goal control of prioritized goals. This action-theoretic approach could be a valuable 'key' for understanding leadership (or lack of leadership) in clinical practice.

The contributions of the European Medicines Agency and its pediatric committee to the fight against childhood leukemia.

PubMed

Rose, Klaus; Walson, Philip D

2015-01-01

Although the diagnosis of childhood leukemia is no longer a death sentence, too many patients still die, more with acute myeloid leukemia than with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The European Union pediatric legislation was introduced to improve pharmaceutical treatment of children, but some question whether the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approach is helping children with leukemia. Some have even suggested that the decisions of EMA pediatric committee (PDCO) are counterproductive. This study was designed to investigate the impact of PDCO-issued pediatric investigation plans (PIPs) for leukemia drugs. All PIPs listed under "oncology" were downloaded from the EMA website. Non-leukemia decisions including misclassifications, waivers (no PIP), and solid tumors were discarded. The leukemia decisions were analyzed, compared to pediatric leukemia trials in the database http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, and discussed in the light of current literature. The PDCO leukemia decisions demand clinical trials in pediatric leukemia for all new adult drugs without prioritization. However, because leukemia in children is different and much rarer than in adults, these decisions have resulted in proposed studies that are scientifically and ethically questionable. They are also unnecessary, since once promising new compounds are approved for adults, more appropriate, prioritized pediatric leukemia trials are initiated worldwide without PDCO involvement. EMA/PDCO leukemia PIPs do little to advance the treatment of childhood leukemia. The unintended negative effects of the flawed EMA/PDCO's standardized requesting of non-prioritized testing of every new adult leukemia drug in children with relapsed or refractory disease expose these children to questionable trials, and could undermine public trust in pediatric clinical research. Institutions, investigators, and ethics committees/institutional review boards need to be skeptical of trials triggered by PDCO. New, better ways to facilitate drug development for pediatric leukemia are needed.

Prioritizing care during the acute phase: the prominent role of basic psychosocial life support.

PubMed

Rooze, Magda; Netten, Josee; de Ruyter, Ariëlle; de Vries, Maaike; Helsloot, Ira; de Soir, Erik; Selwood, Philip; Schenk, Henk; Hustinx, Paul; Olinder, Henrik

2008-01-01

The issue of basic psychosocial life support during and after disasters is important. People who are affected by disasters can experience severe distress and may need psychosocial support. However, there still are many questions about service design and effectiveness of psychosocial support. During the process of the Targeted Agenda Program, "Prioritizing Care during the Acute Phase: The Prominent Role of Basic Psychosocial Life Support", a team of experts reached consensus on some important issues concerning psychosocial first aid, civil participation, and risk communication. The experts come from many different backgrounds, which supports the notion that psychosocial care deserves special attention within disaster relief programs involving all disciplines and all responsibilities.

The development of Operational Intervention Levels (OILs) for Soils - A decision support tool in nuclear and radiological emergency response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee Zhi Yi, Amelia; Dercon, Gerd; Blackburn, Carl; Kheng, Heng Lee

2017-04-01

In the event of a large-scale nuclear accident, the swift implementation of response actions is imperative. For food and agriculture, it is important to restrict contaminated food from being produced or gathered, and to put in place systems to prevent contaminated produce from entering the food chain. Emergency tools and response protocols exist to assist food control and health authorities but they tend to focus on radioactivity concentrations in food products as a means of restricting the distribution and sale of contaminated produce. Few, if any, emergency tools or protocols focus on the food production environment, for example radioactivity concentrations in soils. Here we present the Operational Intervention Levels for Soils (OIL for Soils) concept, an optimization tool developed at the IAEA to facilitate agricultural decision making and to improve nuclear emergency preparedness and response capabilities. Effective intervention relies on the prompt availability of radioactivity concentration data and the ability to implement countermeasures. Sampling in food and agriculture can be demanding because it may involve large areas and many sample types. In addition, there are finite resources available in terms of manpower and laboratory support. Consequently, there is a risk that timely decision making will be hindered and food safety compromised due to time taken to sample and analyse produce. However, the OILs for Soils concept developed based on experience in Japan can help in this situation and greatly assist authorities responsible for agricultural production. OILs for Soils - pre-determined reference levels of air dose rates linked to radionuclide concentrations in soils - can be used to trigger response actions particularly important for agricultural and food protection. Key considerations in the development of the OILs for Soils are: (1) establishing a pragmatic sampling approach to prioritize and optimize available resources and data requirements for decision making in agricultural sites: (2) creating a system that is adaptable to different countries, and; (3) developing a framework to calculate default values of OILs for Soils for application during an emergency. The OILs for Soils reference levels are calculated using a mathematical model. Empirical equations, paired with radionuclide data (e.g. Cs-134, Cs-137 and I-131) from the ICRU 53 report, are utilized to determine soil contamination from aerial monitoring air dose rate data. Modelling allows soil contamination values to be readily approximated and this is used to prioritize soil and food sampling sites. Reference levels are based on a model that considers radionuclide transfer factors for up-take into plants, soil density, and soil sampling depth. Decision actions for determined reference levels are suggested for processed foods, animal products, animal feed and crop products (including plants at the growing stage, mature stage, fallow farmland, and forestry products). With these steps, OILs for Soils provide practical guidance that will equip authorities to respond efficiently and help maintain the safety of the food supply during large-scale nuclear or radiological emergency situations.

Working Memory Replay Prioritizes Weakly Attended Events

PubMed Central

Penny, Will; Knight, Robert T.; Duzel, Emrah

2017-01-01

Abstract One view of working memory posits that maintaining a series of events requires their sequential and equal mnemonic replay. Another view is that the content of working memory maintenance is prioritized by attention. We decoded the dynamics for retaining a sequence of items using magnetoencephalography, wherein participants encoded sequences of three stimuli depicting a face, a manufactured object, or a natural item and maintained them in working memory for 5000 ms. Memory for sequence position and stimulus details were probed at the end of the maintenance period. Decoding of brain activity revealed that one of the three stimuli dominated maintenance independent of its sequence position or category; and memory was enhanced for the selectively replayed stimulus. Analysis of event-related responses during the encoding of the sequence showed that the selectively replayed stimuli were determined by the degree of attention at encoding. The selectively replayed stimuli had the weakest initial encoding indexed by weaker visual attention signals at encoding. These findings do not rule out sequential mnemonic replay but reveal that attention influences the content of working memory maintenance by prioritizing replay of weakly encoded events. We propose that the prioritization of weakly encoded stimuli protects them from interference during the maintenance period, whereas the more strongly encoded stimuli can be retrieved from long-term memory at the end of the delay period. PMID:28824955

Protecting Consumers from Contaminated Drinking Water during Natural Disasters

EPA Science Inventory

Natural disasters can cause damage and destruction to local water supplies affecting millions of people. Communities should plan for and designate an authorized team to manage and prioritize emergency response in devastated areas. Sections 2.0 and 3.0 describe the Environmental...

22 CFR 9.11 - Systematic declassification review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... Section 9.11 Foreign Relations DEPARTMENT OF STATE GENERAL SECURITY INFORMATION REGULATIONS § 9.11 Systematic declassification review. The Information and Privacy Coordinator shall be responsible for... Information and Privacy Coordinator shall prioritize such review on the basis of researcher interest and the...

Achieving the HIV Prevention Impact of Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision: Lessons and Challenges for Managing Programs

PubMed Central

Sgaier, Sema K.; Reed, Jason B.; Thomas, Anne; Njeuhmeli, Emmanuel

2014-01-01

Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) is capable of reducing the risk of sexual transmission of HIV from females to males by approximately 60%. In 2007, the WHO and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) recommended making VMMC part of a comprehensive HIV prevention package in countries with a generalized HIV epidemic and low rates of male circumcision. Modeling studies undertaken in 2009–2011 estimated that circumcising 80% of adult males in 14 priority countries in Eastern and Southern Africa within five years, and sustaining coverage levels thereafter, could avert 3.4 million HIV infections within 15 years and save US$16.5 billion in treatment costs. In response, WHO/UNAIDS launched the Joint Strategic Action Framework for accelerating the scale-up of VMMC for HIV prevention in Southern and Eastern Africa, calling for 80% coverage of adult male circumcision by 2016. While VMMC programs have grown dramatically since inception, they appear unlikely to reach this goal. This review provides an overview of findings from the PLOS Collection “Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention: Improving Quality, Efficiency, Cost Effectiveness, and Demand for Services during an Accelerated Scale-up.” The use of devices for VMMC is also explored. We propose emphasizing management solutions to help VMMC programs in the priority countries achieve the desired impact of averting the greatest possible number of HIV infections. Our recommendations include advocating for prioritization and funding of VMMC, increasing strategic targeting to achieve the goal of reducing HIV incidence, focusing on programmatic efficiency, exploring the role of new technologies, rethinking demand creation, strengthening data use for decision-making, improving governments' program management capacity, strategizing for sustainability, and maintaining a flexible scale-up strategy informed by a strong monitoring, learning, and evaluation platform. PMID:24800840

Achieving the HIV prevention impact of voluntary medical male circumcision: lessons and challenges for managing programs.

PubMed

Sgaier, Sema K; Reed, Jason B; Thomas, Anne; Njeuhmeli, Emmanuel

2014-05-01

Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) is capable of reducing the risk of sexual transmission of HIV from females to males by approximately 60%. In 2007, the WHO and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) recommended making VMMC part of a comprehensive HIV prevention package in countries with a generalized HIV epidemic and low rates of male circumcision. Modeling studies undertaken in 2009-2011 estimated that circumcising 80% of adult males in 14 priority countries in Eastern and Southern Africa within five years, and sustaining coverage levels thereafter, could avert 3.4 million HIV infections within 15 years and save US$16.5 billion in treatment costs. In response, WHO/UNAIDS launched the Joint Strategic Action Framework for accelerating the scale-up of VMMC for HIV prevention in Southern and Eastern Africa, calling for 80% coverage of adult male circumcision by 2016. While VMMC programs have grown dramatically since inception, they appear unlikely to reach this goal. This review provides an overview of findings from the PLOS Collection "Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention: Improving Quality, Efficiency, Cost Effectiveness, and Demand for Services during an Accelerated Scale-up." The use of devices for VMMC is also explored. We propose emphasizing management solutions to help VMMC programs in the priority countries achieve the desired impact of averting the greatest possible number of HIV infections. Our recommendations include advocating for prioritization and funding of VMMC, increasing strategic targeting to achieve the goal of reducing HIV incidence, focusing on programmatic efficiency, exploring the role of new technologies, rethinking demand creation, strengthening data use for decision-making, improving governments' program management capacity, strategizing for sustainability, and maintaining a flexible scale-up strategy informed by a strong monitoring, learning, and evaluation platform.

Mothers' and Clinicians' Priorities for Obesity Prevention Among Black, High-Risk Infants.

PubMed

Virudachalam, Senbagam; Gruver, Rachel S; Gerdes, Marsha; Power, Thomas J; Magge, Sheela N; Shults, Justine; Faerber, Jennifer A; Kalra, Gurpreet K; Bishop-Gilyard, Chanelle T; Suh, Andrew W; Berkowitz, Robert I; Fiks, Alexander G

2016-07-01

Despite many recommended strategies for obesity prevention during infancy, effectively delivering recommendations to parents in clinical settings is challenging, especially among high-risk populations. This study describes and compares mothers' and clinicians' priorities for obesity prevention during infancy, to facilitate more-effective obesity prevention messaging. A discrete choice experiment using maximum difference scaling was administered in 2013 and analyzed in 2013-2014. Twenty-nine low-income, obese mothers of infants and 30 pediatric clinicians from three urban primary care practices rated the relative importance of 16 items relevant to obesity prevention during infancy, in response to this question: Which topic would be most helpful [for new mothers] to learn about to prevent your [their] child from becoming overweight? Response options encompassed the domains of feeding, sleep, parenting (including physical activity and screen time), and maternal self-care. Mothers (all Medicaid-enrolled and black; mean age, 27 years; mean BMI, 35 kg/m(2)) and clinicians (97% female, 87% pediatricians, 13% nurse practitioners) both highly prioritized recognizing infant satiety and hunger cues, and appropriate feeding volume. Mothers rated infant physical activity and maintaining regular routines as 3.5 times more important than clinicians did (p<0.001). Clinicians rated breastfeeding as 3.4 times more important than mothers did (p<0.001). Neither group prioritized learning about screen time or maternal self-care. Low-income, obese, black mothers of infants highly prioritized learning about many effective obesity prevention strategies, including recognizing hunger and satiety cues, promoting infant activity, and maintaining regular routines. Clinicians may frame preventive guidance to be responsive to these priorities. Copyright © 2016 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy - Establishing the key unanswered research questions within gastrointestinal endoscopy.

PubMed

Rees, Colin J; Ngu, Wee Sing; Regula, Jaroslaw; Bisschops, Raf; Saftoiu, Adrian; Dekker, Evelien; Gralnek, Ian; Ciocirlan, Mihai; Dinis-Ribeiro, Mario; Jover, Rodrigo; Meisner, Søren; Spada, Cristiano; Hassan, Cesare; Valori, Roland; Hucl, Tomas; Le Moine, Olivier; Domagk, Dirk; Kaminski, Michal F; Bretthauer, Michael; Rutter, Matthew D; Aabakken, Lars; Ponchon, Thierry; Fockens, Paul; Siersema, Peter D

2016-10-01

Background and study aim: Gastrointestinal endoscopy is a rapidly evolving research field. The European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) plays a key role in shaping opinion and endoscopy activity throughout Europe and further afield. Establishing key unanswered questions within the field of endoscopy and prioritizing those that are important enables researchers and funders to appropriately allocate resources. Methods: Over 2 years, the ESGE Research Committee gathered information on research priorities and refined them through a modified Delphi approach. Consultations were held with the ESGE Governing Board and Quality Improvement Committee to identify important unanswered questions. Research workshops were held at the 21st United European Gastroenterology Week. Research questions were refined by the ESGE Research Committee and Governing Board, compiled into an online survey, and distributed to all ESGE members, who were invited to rank each question by priority. Results: The final questionnaire yielded 291 responses from over 60 countries. The three countries with the highest response rates were Spain, Italy, and United Kingdom. Most responders were from teaching hospitals (62 %) and were specialist endoscopists (51 %). Responses were analyzed with weighted rankings, resulting in prioritization of 26 key unanswered questions. The top ranked generic questions were: 1) How do we define the correct surveillance interval following endoscopic diagnosis? 2) How do we correctly utilize advanced endoscopic imaging? 3) What are the best markers of endoscopy quality? Conclusion: Following this comprehensive process, the ESGE has identified and ranked the key unanswered questions within the field of gastrointestinal endoscopy. Researchers, funders, and journals should prioritize studies that seek to answer these important questions. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Ensembles of 21st Century Colorado River Flow Projections Exhibit Substantial Diversity in Response to Seasonal Hydroclimatic Scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McAfee, S. A.; Woodhouse, C. A.; McCabe, G. J., Jr.; Pederson, G. T.

2016-12-01

Approximately 40 million people depend on the Colorado River, and that number is likely to grow in the future, making the River's response to projected increases in temperature and possible changes in precipitation a critical societal issue. By far the most common way of approaching the problem is synthesize results obtained by forcing a hydrological model with a set of downscaled future climate scenarios. One weakness with this type of analysis is that full hydrologic model simulations can be computationally demanding, and so the number of potential climate futures is generally somewhat limited. Here we sidestep that issue by using a very large set of synthetic climate futures to drive a simple statistical model of water year flow at Lees Ferry. 62,500 climate series, comprising 500 iterations of 125 unique combinations of summer temperature changes ranging from 0 to +4°C and summer and winter precipitation changes ranging from -20 to +20% were input into the flow model. Without substantial temperature increases, significant increases in the occurrence of very low flows (<75%) were unlikely, even with sharp decreases in temperature. Conversely, increases in precipitation, could buffer the effect of summer temperature increases up to about 3°C on mean water year flows. While very simple models like this one are inappropriate for some questions, they do provide an effective way of prioritizing and framing more complex investigations, and facilitate conversations with stakeholders about research directions.

Relative Importance Assigned to Health Care Rationing Principles at the Bedside: Evidence From a Portuguese and Bulgarian Survey.

PubMed

Pinho, Micaela Moreira; Pinto Borges, Ana

Activity was undertaken to develop a Prioritization Scoring Index for Portugal and Bulgaria that weights the importance given to ethical rationing principles that should guide decisions at the bedside. Data from two random samples of 355 Portuguese and 298 Bulgarian members of the public were collected from an online questionnaire. Questions asked about the level of importance given to specific issues related to patient's prioritization criteria. Responses were analyzed quantitatively with the SPSS. In the process of selecting the patient to treat, Portuguese and Bulgarian respondents seem unanimous in giving greater importance to (i) the treatment outcomes, (ii) the severity of illness, (iii) children, and (iv) patients' fragility. In general, Portuguese and Bulgarian respondents allocate more than 50% of the prioritization weight to equity considerations, approximately 35% to efficiency considerations, and 5% to lottery selection. Even so, Bulgarian respondents rate highly the equity and less the efficiency consideration than Portuguese respondents. Although the pursuit of efficiency seems to be valued by respondents, their major concern seems to be with the reduction of inequalities in health.

Directly e-mailing authors of newly published papers encourages community curation

PubMed Central

Bunt, Stephanie M.; Grumbling, Gary B.; Field, Helen I.; Marygold, Steven J.; Brown, Nicholas H.; Millburn, Gillian H.

2012-01-01

Much of the data within Model Organism Databases (MODs) comes from manual curation of the primary research literature. Given limited funding and an increasing density of published material, a significant challenge facing all MODs is how to efficiently and effectively prioritize the most relevant research papers for detailed curation. Here, we report recent improvements to the triaging process used by FlyBase. We describe an automated method to directly e-mail corresponding authors of new papers, requesting that they list the genes studied and indicate (‘flag’) the types of data described in the paper using an online tool. Based on the author-assigned flags, papers are then prioritized for detailed curation and channelled to appropriate curator teams for full data extraction. The overall response rate has been 44% and the flagging of data types by authors is sufficiently accurate for effective prioritization of papers. In summary, we have established a sustainable community curation program, with the result that FlyBase curators now spend less time triaging and can devote more effort to the specialized task of detailed data extraction. Database URL: http://flybase.org/ PMID:22554788

Chairmanship of the Neptune/Pluto outer planets science working group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stern, S. Alan

1993-11-01

The Outer Planets Science Working Group (OPSWG) is the NASA Solar System Exploration Division (SSED) scientific steering committee for the Outer Solar System missions. OPSWG consists of 19 members and is chaired by Dr. S. Alan Stern. This proposal summarizes the FY93 activities of OPSWG, describes a set of objectives for OPSWG in FY94, and outlines the SWG's activities for FY95. As chair of OPSWG, Dr. Stern will be responsible for: organizing priorities, setting agendas, conducting meetings of the Outer Planets SWG; reporting the results of OPSWG's work to SSED; supporting those activities relating to OPSWG work, such as briefings to the SSES, COMPLEX, and OSS; supporting the JPL/SAIC Pluto study team; and other tasks requested by SSED. As the Scientific Working Group (SWG) for Jupiter and the planets beyond, OPSWG is the SSED SWG chartered to study and develop mission plans for all missions to the giant planets, Pluto, and other distant objects in the remote outer solar system. In that role, OPSWG is responsible for: defining and prioritizing scientific objectives for missions to these bodies; defining and documenting the scientific goals and rationale behind such missions; defining and prioritizing the datasets to be obtained in these missions; defining and prioritizing measurement objectives for these missions; defining and documenting the scientific rationale for strawman instrument payloads; defining and prioritizing the scientific requirements for orbital tour and flyby encounter trajectories; defining cruise science opportunities plan; providing technical feedback to JPL and SSED on the scientific capabilities of engineering studies for these missions; providing documentation to SSED concerning the scientific goals, objectives, and rationale for the mission; interfacing with other SSED and OSS committees at the request of SSED's Director or those committee chairs; providing input to SSED concerning the structure and content of the Announcement of Opportunity for payload and scientific team selection for such missions; and providing other technical or programmatic inputs concerning outer solar system missions at the request of the Director of SSED.

Chairmanship of the Neptune/Pluto outer planets science working group

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stern, S. Alan

1993-01-01

The Outer Planets Science Working Group (OPSWG) is the NASA Solar System Exploration Division (SSED) scientific steering committee for the Outer Solar System missions. OPSWG consists of 19 members and is chaired by Dr. S. Alan Stern. This proposal summarizes the FY93 activities of OPSWG, describes a set of objectives for OPSWG in FY94, and outlines the SWG's activities for FY95. As chair of OPSWG, Dr. Stern will be responsible for: organizing priorities, setting agendas, conducting meetings of the Outer Planets SWG; reporting the results of OPSWG's work to SSED; supporting those activities relating to OPSWG work, such as briefings to the SSES, COMPLEX, and OSS; supporting the JPL/SAIC Pluto study team; and other tasks requested by SSED. As the Scientific Working Group (SWG) for Jupiter and the planets beyond, OPSWG is the SSED SWG chartered to study and develop mission plans for all missions to the giant planets, Pluto, and other distant objects in the remote outer solar system. In that role, OPSWG is responsible for: defining and prioritizing scientific objectives for missions to these bodies; defining and documenting the scientific goals and rationale behind such missions; defining and prioritizing the datasets to be obtained in these missions; defining and prioritizing measurement objectives for these missions; defining and documenting the scientific rationale for strawman instrument payloads; defining and prioritizing the scientific requirements for orbital tour and flyby encounter trajectories; defining cruise science opportunities plan; providing technical feedback to JPL and SSED on the scientific capabilities of engineering studies for these missions; providing documentation to SSED concerning the scientific goals, objectives, and rationale for the mission; interfacing with other SSED and OSS committees at the request of SSED's Director or those committee chairs; providing input to SSED concerning the structure and content of the Announcement of Opportunity for payload and scientific team selection for such missions; and providing other technical or programmatic inputs concerning outer solar system missions at the request of the Director of SSED.

75 FR 15362 - Demand Response Compensation in Organized Wholesale Energy Markets

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-29

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 18 CFR Part 35 [Docket No. RM10-17-000... FERC ] 61,213, PJM Interconnection, LLC, Docket No. EL09-68-000 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Table of... Emergency Demand Response; NYISO's Emergency Demand Response Program; PJM's Emergency Load Response; and ISO...

Applying Costs, Risks and Values Evaluation (CRAVE) methodology to Engineering Support Request (ESR) prioritization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joglekar, Prafulla N.

1994-01-01

Given limited budget, the problem of prioritization among Engineering Support Requests (ESR's) with varied sizes, shapes, and colors is a difficult one. At the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), the recently developed 4-Matrix (4-M) method represents a step in the right direction as it attempts to combine the traditional criteria of technical merits only with the new concern for cost-effectiveness. However, the 4-M method was not adequately successful in the actual prioritization of ESRs for the fiscal year 1995 (FY95). This research identifies a number of design issues that should help us to develop better methods. It emphasizes that given the variety and diversity of ESR's one should not expect that a single method could help in the assessment of all ESR's. One conclusion is that a methodology such as Costs, Risks, and Values Evaluation (CRAVE) should be adopted. It also is clear that the development of methods such as 4-M requires input not only from engineers with technical expertise in ESR's but also from personnel with adequate background in the theory and practice of cost-effectiveness analysis. At KSC, ESR prioritization is one part of the Ground Support Working Teams (GSWT) Integration Process. It was discovered that the more important barriers to the incorporation of cost-effectiveness considerations in ESR prioritization lie in this process. The culture of integration, and the corresponding structure of review by a committee of peers, is not conducive to the analysis and confrontation necessary in the assessment and prioritization of ESR's. Without assistance from appropriately trained analysts charged with the responsibility to analyze and be confrontational about each ESR, the GSWT steering committee will continue to make its decisions based on incomplete understanding, inconsistent numbers, and at times, colored facts. The current organizational separation of the prioritization and the funding processes is also identified as an important barrier to the pursuit of cost-effectiveness. Perhaps the greatest barrier is that, at the working level, KSC's culture is so preoccupied with technical concerns that it seems almost oblivious to any cost concerns, let alone cost-effectiveness concerns. It is recommended that we must urgently begin to change that culture and seek a better balance between these two concerns.

Providing Reliability Services through Demand Response: A Prelimnary Evaluation of the Demand Response Capabilities of Alcoa Inc.

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

Starke, Michael R; Kirby, Brendan J; Kueck, John D

2009-02-01

Demand response is the largest underutilized reliability resource in North America. Historic demand response programs have focused on reducing overall electricity consumption (increasing efficiency) and shaving peaks but have not typically been used for immediate reliability response. Many of these programs have been successful but demand response remains a limited resource. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) report, 'Assessment of Demand Response and Advanced Metering' (FERC 2006) found that only five percent of customers are on some form of demand response program. Collectively they represent an estimated 37,000 MW of response potential. These programs reduce overall energy consumption, lower greenmore » house gas emissions by allowing fossil fuel generators to operate at increased efficiency and reduce stress on the power system during periods of peak loading. As the country continues to restructure energy markets with sophisticated marginal cost models that attempt to minimize total energy costs, the ability of demand response to create meaningful shifts in the supply and demand equations is critical to creating a sustainable and balanced economic response to energy issues. Restructured energy market prices are set by the cost of the next incremental unit of energy, so that as additional generation is brought into the market, the cost for the entire market increases. The benefit of demand response is that it reduces overall demand and shifts the entire market to a lower pricing level. This can be very effective in mitigating price volatility or scarcity pricing as the power system responds to changing demand schedules, loss of large generators, or loss of transmission. As a global producer of alumina, primary aluminum, and fabricated aluminum products, Alcoa Inc., has the capability to provide demand response services through its manufacturing facilities and uniquely through its aluminum smelting facilities. For a typical aluminum smelter, electric power accounts for 30% to 40% of the factory cost of producing primary aluminum. In the continental United States, Alcoa Inc. currently owns and/or operates ten aluminum smelters and many associated fabricating facilities with a combined average load of over 2,600 MW. This presents Alcoa Inc. with a significant opportunity to respond in areas where economic opportunities exist to help mitigate rising energy costs by supplying demand response services into the energy system. This report is organized into seven chapters. The first chapter is the introduction and discusses the intention of this report. The second chapter contains the background. In this chapter, topics include: the motivation for Alcoa to provide demand response; ancillary service definitions; the basics behind aluminum smelting; and a discussion of suggested ancillary services that would be particularly useful for Alcoa to supply. Chapter 3 is concerned with the independent system operator, the Midwest ISO. Here the discussion examines the evolving Midwest ISO market structure including specific definitions, requirements, and necessary components to provide ancillary services. This section is followed by information concerning the Midwest ISO's classifications of demand response parties. Chapter 4 investigates the available opportunities at Alcoa's Warrick facility. Chapter 5 involves an in-depth discussion of the regulation service that Alcoa's Warrick facility can provide and the current interactions with Midwest ISO. Chapter 6 reviews future plans and expectations for Alcoa providing ancillary services into the market. Last, chapter 7, details the conclusion and recommendations of this paper.« less

Vaccine stabilization: research, commercialization, and potential impact.

PubMed

Kristensen, Debra; Chen, Dexiang; Cummings, Ray

2011-09-22

All vaccines are susceptible to damage by elevated temperatures and many are also damaged by freezing. The distribution, storage, and use of vaccines therefore present challenges that could be reduced by enhanced thermostability, with resulting improvements in vaccine effectiveness. Formulation and processing technologies exist that can improve the stability of vaccines at temperature extremes, however, customization is required for individual vaccines and results are variable. Considerations affecting decisions about stabilization approaches include development cost, manufacturing cost, and the ease of use of the final product. Public sector agencies can incentivize vaccine developers to prioritize stabilization efforts through advocacy and by implementing policies that increase demand for thermostable vaccines. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Advanced Communication Architectures and Technologies for Missions to the Outer Planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhasin, K.; Hayden, J. L.

2001-01-01

Missions to the outer planets would be considerably enhanced by the implementation of a future space communication infrastructure that utilizes relay stations placed at strategic locations in the solar system. These relay stations would operate autonomously and handle remote mission command and data traffic on a prioritized demand access basis. Such a system would enhance communications from that of the current direct communications between the planet and Earth. The system would also provide high rate data communications to outer planet missions, clear communications paths during times when the sun occults the mission spacecraft as viewed from Earth, and navigational "lighthouses" for missions utilizing onboard autonomous operations. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

What makes home health workers think about leaving their job? The role of physical injury and organizational support.

PubMed

Lee, Ahyoung Anna; Jang, Yuri

2016-01-01

Based on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, this study explored the role of physical injury and organizational support in predicting home health workers' turnover intention. In a sample of home health workers in Central Texas (n = 150), about 37% reported turnover intention. The logistic regression model showed that turnover intention was 3.23 times more likely among those who had experienced work-related injury. On the other hand, organizational support was found to reduce the likelihood of turnover intention. Findings suggest that injury and organizational support should be prioritized in prevention and intervention efforts to promote home health workers' safety and retention.

32 CFR 179.5 - Responsibilities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... populate all the data elements within any or all of the three hazard evaluation modules that comprise the... in the application of the rule and making sequencing recommendations. (1) To ensure EPA, other... assurance panel of Component personnel to review, initially, all MRS prioritization decisions. Once the...

Comparison of cell type specificities of stress pathway reporter assay ensemble response to environmental chemicals.

EPA Science Inventory

The large number of environmental compounds that currently need characterization and prioritization for further toxicological study is a serious regulatory challenge facing the EPA. In addition to these agents comprising of pesticides, inerts, and high-production volume chemical...

Selective impairment of masked priming in dual-task performance.

PubMed

Fischer, Rico; Kiesel, Andrea; Kunde, Wilfried; Schubert, Torsten

2011-03-01

This study investigated the impact of divided attention on masked priming. In a dual-task setting, two tasks had to be carried out in close temporal succession: a tone discrimination task and a masked priming task. The order of the tasks was varied between experiments, and attention was always allocated to the first task-that is, the first task was prioritized. The priming task was the second (nonprioritized) task in Experiment 1 and the first (prioritized) task in Experiment 2. In both experiments, "novel" prime stimuli associated with semantic processing were essentially ineffective. However, there was intact priming by another type of prime stimuli associated with response priming. Experiment 3 showed that all these prime stimuli can reveal significant priming effects during a task-switching paradigm in which both tasks were performed consecutively. We conclude that dual-task specific interference processes (e.g., the simultaneous coordination of multiple stimulus-response rules) selectively impair priming that is assumed to rely on semantic processing.

Demand Response and Energy Storage Integration Study

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

Ma, Ookie; Cheung, Kerry; Olsen, Daniel J.

2016-03-01

Demand response and energy storage resources present potentially important sources of bulk power system services that can aid in integrating variable renewable generation. While renewable integration studies have evaluated many of the challenges associated with deploying large amounts of variable wind and solar generation technologies, integration analyses have not yet fully incorporated demand response and energy storage resources. This report represents an initial effort in analyzing the potential integration value of demand response and energy storage, focusing on the western United States. It evaluates two major aspects of increased deployment of demand response and energy storage: (1) Their operational valuemore » in providing bulk power system services and (2) Market and regulatory issues, including potential barriers to deployment.« less

Demand Response and Energy Storage Integration Study

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

Ma, Ookie; Cheung, Kerry

Demand response and energy storage resources present potentially important sources of bulk power system services that can aid in integrating variable renewable generation. While renewable integration studies have evaluated many of the challenges associated with deploying large amounts of variable wind and solar generation technologies, integration analyses have not yet fully incorporated demand response and energy storage resources. This report represents an initial effort in analyzing the potential integration value of demand response and energy storage, focusing on the western United States. It evaluates two major aspects of increased deployment of demand response and energy storage: (1) Their operational valuemore » in providing bulk power system services and (2) Market and regulatory issues, including potential barriers to deployment.« less

Morphological plasticity reduces the effect of poor developmental conditions on fledging age in mourning doves

PubMed Central

Miller, David A.

2010-01-01

Developmental plasticity can be integral in adapting organisms to the environment experienced during growth. Adaptive plastic responses may be especially important in prioritizing development in response to stress during ontogeny. To evaluate this, I examined how developmental conditions for mourning doves related to early growth and how this affected fledging age, an important life-history transition for birds. The life history of mourning doves is consistent with strong selective pressure to minimize fledging age. Therefore, I predicted that in the face of nutritional stress associated with experimental brood-size increases, young would prioritize growth to structures that promote early fledging to reduce the effect of slowed overall growth on fledging age. Increasing brood size slowed overall structural growth of nestlings and affected the relative allocation of growth among different body parts. Total wing area was the best predictor of fledging age and individuals from larger broods had larger wings relative to overall body size. Although nestlings from larger broods fledged at later ages owing to slower overall growth, prioritization of wing growth reduced this effect by an estimated 1.6 days relative to the delay if plasticity among body parts had not occurred. This was an 11 per cent reduction in the predicted developmental time it took to reach this important life-history transition. Results demonstrate that preferential allocation to wing growth can affect the timing of this life-history transition and that morphological plasticity during development can have adaptive near-term effects during avian development. PMID:20129984

Evaluation of an advanced physical diagnosis course using consumer preferences methods: the nominal group technique.

PubMed

Coker, Joshua; Castiglioni, Analia; Kraemer, Ryan R; Massie, F Stanford; Morris, Jason L; Rodriguez, Martin; Russell, Stephen W; Shaneyfelt, Terrance; Willett, Lisa L; Estrada, Carlos A

2014-03-01

Current evaluation tools of medical school courses are limited by the scope of questions asked and may not fully engage the student to think on areas to improve. The authors sought to explore whether a technique to study consumer preferences would elicit specific and prioritized information for course evaluation from medical students. Using the nominal group technique (4 sessions), 12 senior medical students prioritized and weighed expectations and topics learned in a 100-hour advanced physical diagnosis course (4-week course; February 2012). Students weighted their top 3 responses (top = 3, middle = 2 and bottom = 1). Before the course, 12 students identified 23 topics they expected to learn; the top 3 were review sensitivity/specificity and high-yield techniques (percentage of total weight, 18.5%), improving diagnosis (13.8%) and reinforce usual and less well-known techniques (13.8%). After the course, students generated 22 topics learned; the top 3 were practice and reinforce advanced maneuvers (25.4%), gaining confidence (22.5%) and learn the evidence (16.9%). The authors observed no differences in the priority of responses before and after the course (P = 0.07). In a physical diagnosis course, medical students elicited specific and prioritized information using the nominal group technique. The course met student expectations regarding education of the evidence-based physical examination, building skills and confidence on the proper techniques and maneuvers and experiential learning. The novel use for curriculum evaluation may be used to evaluate other courses-especially comprehensive and multicomponent courses.

SHEDS-HT: An Integrated Probabilistic Exposure Model for ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) researchers are developing a strategy for highthroughput (HT) exposure-based prioritization of chemicals under the ExpoCast program. These novel modeling approaches for evaluating chemicals based on their potential for biologically relevant human exposures will inform toxicity testing and prioritization for chemical risk assessment. Based on probabilistic methods and algorithms developed for The Stochastic Human Exposure and Dose Simulation Model for Multimedia, Multipathway Chemicals (SHEDS-MM), a new mechanistic modeling approach has been developed to accommodate high-throughput (HT) assessment of exposure potential. In this SHEDS-HT model, the residential and dietary modules of SHEDS-MM have been operationally modified to reduce the user burden, input data demands, and run times of the higher-tier model, while maintaining critical features and inputs that influence exposure. The model has been implemented in R; the modeling framework links chemicals to consumer product categories or food groups (and thus exposure scenarios) to predict HT exposures and intake doses. Initially, SHEDS-HT has been applied to 2507 organic chemicals associated with consumer products and agricultural pesticides. These evaluations employ data from recent USEPA efforts to characterize usage (prevalence, frequency, and magnitude), chemical composition, and exposure scenarios for a wide range of consumer products. In modeling indirec

Pupillary Response to Cognitive Demand in Parkinson’s Disease: A Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Kahya, Melike; Moon, Sanghee; Lyons, Kelly E.; Pahwa, Rajesh; Akinwuntan, Abiodun E.; Devos, Hannes

2018-01-01

Previous studies have shown that pupillary response, a physiological measure of cognitive workload, reflects cognitive demand in healthy younger and older adults. However, the relationship between cognitive workload and cognitive demand in Parkinson’s disease (PD) remains unclear. The aim of this pilot study was to examine the pupillary response to cognitive demand in a letter-number sequencing (LNS) task between 16 non-demented individuals with PD (age, median (Q1–Q3): 68 (62–72); 10 males) and 10 control participants (age: 63 (59–67); 2 males), matched for age, education, and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) scores. A mixed model analysis was employed to investigate cognitive workload changes as a result of incremental cognitive demand for both groups. As expected, no differences were found in cognitive scores on the LNS between groups. Cognitive workload, exemplified by greater pupil dilation, increased with incremental cognitive demand in both groups (p = 0.003). No significant between-group (p = 0.23) or interaction effects were found (p = 0.45). In addition, individuals who achieved to complete the task at higher letter-number (LN) load responded differently to increased cognitive demand compared with those who completed at lower LN load (p < 0.001), regardless of disease status. Overall, the findings indicated that pupillary response reflects incremental cognitive demand in non-demented people with PD and healthy controls. Further research is needed to investigate the pupillary response to incremental cognitive demand of PD patients with dementia compared to non-demented PD and healthy controls. Highlights -Pupillary response reflects cognitive demand in both non-demented people with PD and healthy controls-Although not significant due to insufficient power, non-demented individuals with PD had increased cognitive workload compared to the healthy controls throughout the testing-Pupillary response may be a valid measure of cognitive demand in non-demented individuals with PD-In future, pupillary response might be used to detect cognitive impairment in individuals with PD PMID:29692720

Pros and cons of conjoint analysis of discrete choice experiments to define classification and response criteria in rheumatology.

PubMed

Taylor, William J

2016-03-01

Conjoint analysis of choice or preference data has been used in marketing for over 40 years but has appeared in healthcare settings much more recently. It may be a useful technique for applications within the rheumatology field. Conjoint analysis in rheumatology contexts has mainly used the approaches implemented in 1000Minds Ltd, Dunedin, New Zealand, Sawtooth Software, Orem UT, USA. Examples include classification criteria, composite response criteria, service prioritization tools and utilities assessment. Limitations imposed by very many attributes can be managed using new techniques. Conjoint analysis studies of classification and response criteria suggest that the assumption of equal weighting of attributes cannot be met, which challenges traditional approaches to composite criteria construction. Weights elicited through choice experiments with experts can derive more accurate classification criteria, than unweighted criteria. Studies that find significant variation in attribute weights for composite response criteria for gout make construction of such criteria problematic. Better understanding of various multiattribute phenomena is likely to increase with increased use of conjoint analysis, especially when the attributes concern individual perceptions or opinions. In addition to classification criteria, some applications for conjoint analysis that are emerging in rheumatology include prioritization tools, remission criteria, and utilities for life areas.

Text Mining in Cancer Gene and Pathway Prioritization

PubMed Central

Luo, Yuan; Riedlinger, Gregory; Szolovits, Peter

2014-01-01

Prioritization of cancer implicated genes has received growing attention as an effective way to reduce wet lab cost by computational analysis that ranks candidate genes according to the likelihood that experimental verifications will succeed. A multitude of gene prioritization tools have been developed, each integrating different data sources covering gene sequences, differential expressions, function annotations, gene regulations, protein domains, protein interactions, and pathways. This review places existing gene prioritization tools against the backdrop of an integrative Omic hierarchy view toward cancer and focuses on the analysis of their text mining components. We explain the relatively slow progress of text mining in gene prioritization, identify several challenges to current text mining methods, and highlight a few directions where more effective text mining algorithms may improve the overall prioritization task and where prioritizing the pathways may be more desirable than prioritizing only genes. PMID:25392685

Text mining in cancer gene and pathway prioritization.

PubMed

Luo, Yuan; Riedlinger, Gregory; Szolovits, Peter

2014-01-01

Prioritization of cancer implicated genes has received growing attention as an effective way to reduce wet lab cost by computational analysis that ranks candidate genes according to the likelihood that experimental verifications will succeed. A multitude of gene prioritization tools have been developed, each integrating different data sources covering gene sequences, differential expressions, function annotations, gene regulations, protein domains, protein interactions, and pathways. This review places existing gene prioritization tools against the backdrop of an integrative Omic hierarchy view toward cancer and focuses on the analysis of their text mining components. We explain the relatively slow progress of text mining in gene prioritization, identify several challenges to current text mining methods, and highlight a few directions where more effective text mining algorithms may improve the overall prioritization task and where prioritizing the pathways may be more desirable than prioritizing only genes.

Modeling Reproductive Toxicity for Chemical Prioritization into an Integrated Testing Strategy

EPA Science Inventory

The EPA ToxCast research program uses a high-throughput screening (HTS) approach for predicting the toxicity of large numbers of chemicals. Phase-I tested 309 well-characterized chemicals in over 500 assays of different molecular targets, cellular responses and cell-states. Of th...

An Auxiliary Method To Reduce Potential Adverse Impacts Of Projected Land Developments: Subwatershed Prioritization

EPA Science Inventory

An index based method is developed that ranks the subwatersheds of a watershed based on their relative impacts on watershed response to anticipated land developments, and then applied to an urbanizing watershed in Eastern Pennsylvania. Simulations with a semi-distributed hydrolo...

The Analysis of Genomic Dose-Response Data in the EPA ToxCast™ Program

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. EPA must assess the potential adverse effects of thousands of chemicals, often with limited toxicity information. Accurate toxicity predictions will help prioritize chemicals for further testing, focusing resources on the greater potential hazards or risks. In vitro geno...

Piped water consumption in Ghana: A case study of temporal and spatial patterns of clean water demand relative to alternative water sources in rural small towns.

PubMed

Kulinkina, Alexandra V; Kosinski, Karen C; Liss, Alexander; Adjei, Michael N; Ayamgah, Gilbert A; Webb, Patrick; Gute, David M; Plummer, Jeanine D; Naumova, Elena N

2016-07-15

Continuous access to adequate quantities of safe water is essential for human health and socioeconomic development. Piped water systems (PWSs) are an increasingly common type of water supply in rural African small towns. We assessed temporal and spatial patterns in water consumption from public standpipes of four PWSs in Ghana in order to assess clean water demand relative to other available water sources. Low water consumption was evident in all study towns, which manifested temporally and spatially. Temporal variability in water consumption that is negatively correlated with rainfall is an indicator of rainwater preference when it is available. Furthermore, our findings show that standpipes in close proximity to alternative water sources such as streams and hand-dug wells suffer further reductions in water consumption. Qualitative data suggest that consumer demand in the study towns appears to be driven more by water quantity, accessibility, and perceived aesthetic water quality, as compared to microbiological water quality or price. In settings with chronic under-utilization of improved water sources, increasing water demand through household connections, improving water quality with respect to taste and appropriateness for laundry, and educating residents about health benefits of using piped water should be prioritized. Continued consumer demand and sufficient revenue generation are important attributes of a water service that ensure its function over time. Our findings suggest that analyzing water consumption of existing metered PWSs in combination with qualitative approaches may enable more efficient planning of community-based water supplies and support sustainable development. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Informational content, literacy demands, and usability of websites offering health-related genetic tests directly to consumers.

PubMed

Lachance, Christina R; Erby, Lori A H; Ford, Beth M; Allen, Vincent C; Kaphingst, Kimberly A

2010-05-01

As direct-to-consumer genetic testing becomes more available, a diverse group of consumers, including those with limited health literacy, may consider testing. In light of concerns raised about direct-to-consumer genetic testing, this study sought to critically examine whether the informational content, literacy demands, and usability of health-related direct-to-consumer websites met existing recommendations. A content analysis was performed on 29 health-related direct-to-consumer websites. Two coders independently evaluated each website for informational content (e.g., benefits, limitations), literacy demands (e.g., reading level), and usability (e.g., ease of navigation). Most sites presented health conditions and some markers for which they tested, benefits of testing, a description of the testing process, and their privacy policy. Fewer cited scientific literature, explained test limitations, or provided an opportunity to consult a health professional. Key informational content was difficult to locate on most sites. Few sites gave sample disease risk estimates or used common language and explained technical terms consistently. Average reading level was grade 15. The quality of informational content, literacy demands, and usability across health-related direct-to-consumer websites varied widely. Many users would struggle to find and understand the important information. For consumers to better understand the content on these sites and evaluate the meaning of the tests for their health, sites should lower the demands placed on users by distilling and prioritizing the key informational content while simultaneously attending to the reading level and usability elements. In the absence of regulation compelling such changes, government agencies or professional organizations may need to increase consumer and provider awareness of these issues.

An Adaptive Staggered Dose Design for a Normal Endpoint.

PubMed

Wu, Joseph; Menon, Sandeep; Chang, Mark

2015-01-01

In a clinical trial where several doses are compared to a control, a multi-stage design that combines both the selection of the best dose and the confirmation of this selected dose is desirable. An example is the two-stage drop-the-losers or pick-the-winner design, where inferior doses are dropped after interim analysis. Selection of target dose(s) can be based on ranking of observed effects, hypothesis testing with adjustment for multiplicity, or other criteria at interim stages. A number of methods have been proposed and have made significant gains in trial efficiency. However, many of these designs started off with all doses with equal allocation and did not consider prioritizing the doses using existing dose-response information. We propose an adaptive staggered dose procedure that allows explicit prioritization of doses and applies error spending scheme that favors doses with assumed better responses. This design starts off with only a subset of the doses and adaptively adds new doses depending on interim results. Using simulation, we have shown that this design performs better in terms of increased statistical power than the drop-the-losers design given strong prior information of dose response.

Multi-Action Planning for Threat Management: A Novel Approach for the Spatial Prioritization of Conservation Actions

PubMed Central

Cattarino, Lorenzo; Hermoso, Virgilio; Carwardine, Josie; Kennard, Mark J.; Linke, Simon

2015-01-01

Planning for the remediation of multiple threats is crucial to ensure the long term persistence of biodiversity. Limited conservation budgets require prioritizing which management actions to implement and where. Systematic conservation planning traditionally assumes that all the threats in priority sites are abated (fixed prioritization approach). However, abating only the threats affecting the species of conservation concerns may be more cost-effective. This requires prioritizing individual actions independently within the same site (independent prioritization approach), which has received limited attention so far. We developed an action prioritization algorithm that prioritizes multiple alternative actions within the same site. We used simulated annealing to find the combination of actions that remediate threats to species at the minimum cost. Our algorithm also accounts for the importance of selecting actions in sites connected through the river network (i.e., connectivity). We applied our algorithm to prioritize actions to address threats to freshwater fish species in the Mitchell River catchment, northern Australia. We compared how the efficiency of the independent and fixed prioritization approach varied as the importance of connectivity increased. Our independent prioritization approach delivered more efficient solutions than the fixed prioritization approach, particularly when the importance of achieving connectivity was high. By spatially prioritizing the specific actions necessary to remediate the threats affecting the target species, our approach can aid cost-effective habitat restoration and land-use planning. It is also particularly suited to solving resource allocation problems, where consideration of spatial design is important, such as prioritizing conservation efforts for highly mobile species, species facing climate change-driven range shifts, or minimizing the risk of threats spreading across different realms. PMID:26020794

Multi-action planning for threat management: a novel approach for the spatial prioritization of conservation actions.

PubMed

Cattarino, Lorenzo; Hermoso, Virgilio; Carwardine, Josie; Kennard, Mark J; Linke, Simon

2015-01-01

Planning for the remediation of multiple threats is crucial to ensure the long term persistence of biodiversity. Limited conservation budgets require prioritizing which management actions to implement and where. Systematic conservation planning traditionally assumes that all the threats in priority sites are abated (fixed prioritization approach). However, abating only the threats affecting the species of conservation concerns may be more cost-effective. This requires prioritizing individual actions independently within the same site (independent prioritization approach), which has received limited attention so far. We developed an action prioritization algorithm that prioritizes multiple alternative actions within the same site. We used simulated annealing to find the combination of actions that remediate threats to species at the minimum cost. Our algorithm also accounts for the importance of selecting actions in sites connected through the river network (i.e., connectivity). We applied our algorithm to prioritize actions to address threats to freshwater fish species in the Mitchell River catchment, northern Australia. We compared how the efficiency of the independent and fixed prioritization approach varied as the importance of connectivity increased. Our independent prioritization approach delivered more efficient solutions than the fixed prioritization approach, particularly when the importance of achieving connectivity was high. By spatially prioritizing the specific actions necessary to remediate the threats affecting the target species, our approach can aid cost-effective habitat restoration and land-use planning. It is also particularly suited to solving resource allocation problems, where consideration of spatial design is important, such as prioritizing conservation efforts for highly mobile species, species facing climate change-driven range shifts, or minimizing the risk of threats spreading across different realms.

Interoperability of Demand Response Resources Demonstration in NY

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

Wellington, Andre

2014-03-31

The Interoperability of Demand Response Resources Demonstration in NY (Interoperability Project) was awarded to Con Edison in 2009. The objective of the project was to develop and demonstrate methodologies to enhance the ability of customer sited Demand Response resources to integrate more effectively with electric delivery companies and regional transmission organizations.

Opportunities for Energy Efficiency and Open Automated Demand Response in Wastewater Treatment Facilities in California -- Phase I Report

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

Lekov, Alex; Thompson, Lisa; McKane, Aimee

This report summarizes the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory?s research to date in characterizing energy efficiency and automated demand response opportunities for wastewater treatment facilities in California. The report describes the characteristics of wastewater treatment facilities, the nature of the wastewater stream, energy use and demand, as well as details of the wastewater treatment process. It also discusses control systems and energy efficiency and automated demand response opportunities. In addition, several energy efficiency and load management case studies are provided for wastewater treatment facilities.This study shows that wastewater treatment facilities can be excellent candidates for open automated demand response and thatmore » facilities which have implemented energy efficiency measures and have centralized control systems are well-suited to shift or shed electrical loads in response to financial incentives, utility bill savings, and/or opportunities to enhance reliability of service. Control technologies installed for energy efficiency and load management purposes can often be adapted for automated demand response at little additional cost. These improved controls may prepare facilities to be more receptive to open automated demand response due to both increased confidence in the opportunities for controlling energy cost/use and access to the real-time data.« less

29 CFR 20.78 - Notifications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... designee) of the creditor Labor Department agency shall send appropriate written demands to the debtor in... written demands at not more than 30-day intervals will normally be made unless a response to the first or second demand indicates that a further demand would be futile and the debtor's response does not require...

29 CFR 20.78 - Notifications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... designee) of the creditor Labor Department agency shall send appropriate written demands to the debtor in... written demands at not more than 30-day intervals will normally be made unless a response to the first or second demand indicates that a further demand would be futile and the debtor's response does not require...

Attentional effects on orientation judgements are dependent on memory consolidation processes.

PubMed

Haskell, Christie; Anderson, Britt

2016-11-01

Are the effects of memory and attention on perception synergistic, antagonistic, or independent? Tested separately, memory and attention have been shown to affect the accuracy of orientation judgements. When multiple stimuli are presented sequentially versus simultaneously, error variance is reduced. When a target is validly cued, precision is increased. What if they are manipulated together? We combined memory and attention manipulations in an orientation judgement task to answer this question. Two circular gratings were presented sequentially or simultaneously. On some trials a brief luminance cue preceded the stimuli. Participants were cued to report the orientation of one of the two gratings by rotating a response grating. We replicated the finding that error variance is reduced on sequential trials. Critically, we found interacting effects of memory and attention. Valid cueing reduced the median, absolute error only when two stimuli appeared together and improved it to the level of performance on uncued sequential trials, whereas invalid cueing always increased error. This effect was not mediated by cue predictiveness; however, predictive cues reduced the standard deviation of the error distribution, whereas nonpredictive cues reduced "guessing". Our results suggest that, when the demand on memory is greater than a single stimulus, attention is a bottom-up process that prioritizes stimuli for consolidation. Thus attention and memory are synergistic.

Biodiversity at risk under future cropland expansion and intensification.

PubMed

Kehoe, Laura; Romero-Muñoz, Alfredo; Polaina, Ester; Estes, Lyndon; Kreft, Holger; Kuemmerle, Tobias

2017-08-01

Agriculture is the leading driver of biodiversity loss. However, its future impact on biodiversity remains unclear, especially because agricultural intensification is often neglected, and high path-dependency is assumed when forecasting agricultural development-although the past suggests that shock events leading to considerable agricultural change occur frequently. Here, we investigate the possible impacts on biodiversity of pathways of expansion and intensification. Our pathways are not built to reach equivalent production targets, and therefore they should not be directly compared; they instead highlight areas at risk of high biodiversity loss across the entire option space of possible agricultural change. Based on an extensive database of biodiversity responses to agriculture, we find 30% of species richness and 31% of species abundances potentially lost because of agricultural expansion across the Amazon and Afrotropics. Only 21% of high-risk expansion areas in the Afrotropics overlap with protected areas (compared with 43% of the Neotropics). Areas at risk of biodiversity loss from intensification are found in India, Eastern Europe and the Afromontane region (7% species richness, 13% abundance loss). Many high-risk regions are not adequately covered by conservation prioritization schemes, and have low national conservation spending and high agricultural growth. Considering rising agricultural demand, we highlight areas where timely land-use planning may proactively mitigate biodiversity loss.

Emergency Preparedness for a Mass Gathering: the 2015 Papal Visit to Philadelphia.

PubMed

Paras, Emma; Butler, Matthew; Maguire, Brian F; Scarfone, Rich

2017-04-01

In September 2015, Pope Francis visited Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and led outdoor events over the course of 2 days. As a result, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) was faced with the challenge of planning for and responding to a mass gathering that was anticipated to be one of the largest in US history. As a result of unprecedented traffic restrictions, it was anticipated that patients, staff, and vendors would have severe challenges accessing the hospital, along with impaired communications from widespread cell phone service disruption. Previous mass gatherings have proven a need for early, detailed planning with multidisciplinary stakeholders, but little has been published on the impact of mass gatherings on area hospitals. This lack of data makes it difficult to predict the extent to which demand for hospital services would be increased and which services would be most affected. Early, coordinated planning allowed CHOP leaders to delegate responsibilities to those with specific expertise, prioritize needs, prevent duplication of efforts, and ensure engagement and accountability from key stakeholders. Emergency preparedness-led efforts including housing almost 1000 employees for 3 consecutive nights and assisting families with access allowed our hospital to maintain operations. The planning strategies shared here will provide emergency preparedness planners with a blueprint for future mass gathering preparedness. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:267-276).

How to Obtain a 100% Reliable Grid with Clean, Renewable Wind, Water, and Solar Providing 100% of all Raw Energy for All Purposes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobson, M. Z.; Delucchi, M. A.; Cameron, M. A.; Frew, B. A.

2016-12-01

The greatest concern facing the large-scale integration of wind, water, and solar (WWS) into a power grid is the high cost of avoiding load loss caused by WWS variability and uncertainty. This talk discusses the recent development of a new grid integration model to address this issue. The model finds low-cost, no-load-loss, non-unique solutions to this problem upon electrification of all U.S. energy sectors (electricity, transportation, heating/cooling, and industry) while accounting for wind and solar time-series data from a 3-D global weather model that simulates extreme events and competition among wind turbines for available kinetic energy. Solutions are obtained by prioritizing storage for heat (in soil and water); cold (in ice and water); and electricity (in phase-change materials, pumped hydro, hydropower, and hydrogen); and using demand response. No natural gas, biofuels, or stationary batteries are needed. The resulting 2050-2055 U.S. electricity social cost for a full system is much less than for fossil fuels. These results hold for many conditions, suggesting that low-cost, stable 100% WWS systems should work many places worldwide. The paper this talk is based on was published in PNAS, 112, 15,060-15,065, 2015, doi:10.1073/pnas.1510028112.

NASA Net Zero Energy Buildings Roadmap

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

Pless, S.; Scheib, J.; Torcellini, P.

In preparation for the time-phased net zero energy requirement for new federal buildings starting in 2020, set forth in Executive Order 13514, NASA requested that the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to develop a roadmap for NASA's compliance. NASA detailed a Statement of Work that requested information on strategic, organizational, and tactical aspects of net zero energy buildings. In response, this document presents a high-level approach to net zero energy planning, design, construction, and operations, based on NREL's first-hand experience procuring net zero energy construction, and based on NREL and other industry research on net zero energy feasibility. The strategicmore » approach to net zero energy starts with an interpretation of the executive order language relating to net zero energy. Specifically, this roadmap defines a net zero energy acquisition process as one that sets an aggressive energy use intensity goal for the building in project planning, meets the reduced demand goal through energy efficiency strategies and technologies, then adds renewable energy in a prioritized manner, using building-associated, emission- free sources first, to offset the annual energy use required at the building; the net zero energy process extends through the life of the building, requiring a balance of energy use and production in each calendar year.« less

Prevention of surgical resident attrition by a novel selection strategy.

PubMed

Kelz, Rachel R; Mullen, James L; Kaiser, Larry R; Pray, Lori A; Shea, Gregory P; Drebin, Jeff A; Wirtalla, Chris J; Morris, Jon B

2010-09-01

We modified the resident selection strategy in an attempt to reduce resident attrition (RA). Despite implementation of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education work rules, lifestyle and generational priorities have fostered a persistent and relatively high attrition rate for surgical trainees. An independent external review of residents who left the training program and a detailed analysis of the resident selection strategy were performed by an organizational management expert. Modifications implemented in 2005 (the intervention) included standardization of the screening and interview format. Applicants were required to submit a 500 words essay related to stress management, organizational skills, future aspirations, and prioritization abilities. Their responses formed the basis of an extended, personalized, and structured interview script. Candidate characteristics and RA were compared for the 5 years before and after the intervention, using Fisher exact test or chi2. Age, sex, birthplace, medical school ranking, step 1 score, and American Board of Surgey In-Training Examination performance were not significantly different between the selection strategy groups. Risk factors for RA included ABSITE performance and gender. Resident performance and subsequent RA were significantly affected by the resident selection strategy. RA was dramatically reduced following the intervention. A custom designed process to identify candidates most likely to succeed substantially improved resident retention in a demanding academic training program.

Machine-learning-based Brokers for Real-time Classification of the LSST Alert Stream

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narayan, Gautham; Zaidi, Tayeb; Soraisam, Monika D.; Wang, Zhe; Lochner, Michelle; Matheson, Thomas; Saha, Abhijit; Yang, Shuo; Zhao, Zhenge; Kececioglu, John; Scheidegger, Carlos; Snodgrass, Richard T.; Axelrod, Tim; Jenness, Tim; Maier, Robert S.; Ridgway, Stephen T.; Seaman, Robert L.; Evans, Eric Michael; Singh, Navdeep; Taylor, Clark; Toeniskoetter, Jackson; Welch, Eric; Zhu, Songzhe; The ANTARES Collaboration

2018-05-01

The unprecedented volume and rate of transient events that will be discovered by the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) demand that the astronomical community update its follow-up paradigm. Alert-brokers—automated software system to sift through, characterize, annotate, and prioritize events for follow-up—will be critical tools for managing alert streams in the LSST era. The Arizona-NOAO Temporal Analysis and Response to Events System (ANTARES) is one such broker. In this work, we develop a machine learning pipeline to characterize and classify variable and transient sources only using the available multiband optical photometry. We describe three illustrative stages of the pipeline, serving the three goals of early, intermediate, and retrospective classification of alerts. The first takes the form of variable versus transient categorization, the second a multiclass typing of the combined variable and transient data set, and the third a purity-driven subtyping of a transient class. Although several similar algorithms have proven themselves in simulations, we validate their performance on real observations for the first time. We quantitatively evaluate our pipeline on sparse, unevenly sampled, heteroskedastic data from various existing observational campaigns, and demonstrate very competitive classification performance. We describe our progress toward adapting the pipeline developed in this work into a real-time broker working on live alert streams from time-domain surveys.

Reducing non-collision injuries in special transportation services by enhanced safety culture.

PubMed

Wretstrand, Anders; Petzäll, Jan; Bylund, Per-Olof; Falkmer, Torbjörn

2010-04-01

Previous research has pointed out that non-collision injuries occur among wheelchair users in Special Transportation Services (STS - a demand-responsive transport mode). The organization of such modes is also quite complex, involving both stakeholders and key personnel at different levels. Our objective was therefore to qualitatively explore the state of safety, as perceived and discussed within a workplace context. Focus groups were held with drivers of both taxi companies and bus companies. The results indicated that passengers run the risk of being injured without being involved in a vehicle collision. The pertinent organizational and corporate culture did not prioritize safety. The drivers identified some relatively clear-cut safety threats, primarily before and after a ride, at vehicle standstill. The driver's work place seemed to be surrounded with a reactive instead of proactive structure. We conclude that not only vehicle and wheelchair technical safety must be considered in STS, but also system safety. Instead of viewing drivers' error as a cause, it should be seen as a symptom of systems failure. Human error is connected to aspects of tools, tasks, and operating environment. Enhanced understanding and influence of these connections within STS and accessible public transport systems will promote safety for wheelchair users. Copyright 2009 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tailoring health programming to clergy: findings from a study of United Methodist clergy in North Carolina.

PubMed

Proeschold-Bell, Rae Jean; LeGrand, Sara; Wallace, Amanda; James, John; Moore, H Edgar; Swift, Robin; Toole, David

2012-01-01

Research indicating high rates of chronic disease among some clergy groups highlights the need for health programming for clergy. Like any group united by similar beliefs and norms, clergy may find culturally tailored health programming more accessible and effective. There is an absence of research on what aspects clergy find important for clergy health programs. We conducted 11 focus groups with United Methodist Church pastors and district superintendents. Participants answered open-ended questions about clergy health program desires and ranked program priorities from a list of 13 possible programs. Pastors prioritized health club memberships, retreats, personal trainers, mental health counseling, and spiritual direction. District superintendents prioritized for pastors: physical exams, peer support groups, health coaching, retreats, health club memberships, and mental health counseling. District superintendents prioritized for themselves: physical exams, personal trainers, health coaching, retreats, and nutritionists. Additionally, through qualitative analysis, nine themes emerged concerning health and health programs: (a) clergy defined health holistically, and they expressed a desire for (b) schedule flexibility, (c) accessibility in rural areas, (d) low cost programs, (e) institutional support, (f) education on physical health, and (g) the opportunity to work on their health in connection with others. They also expressed concern about (h) mental health stigma and spoke about (i) the tension between prioritizing healthy behaviors and fulfilling vocational responsibilities. The design of future clergy health programming should consider these themes and the priorities clergy identified for health programming.

Prioritization of zoonotic diseases of public health significance in Vietnam.

PubMed

Trang, Do Thuy; Siembieda, Jennifer; Huong, Nguyen Thi; Hung, Pham; Ky, Van Dang; Bandyopahyay, Santanu; Olowokure, Babatunde

2015-12-30

Prioritization of zoonotic diseases is critical as it facilitates optimization of resources, greater understanding of zoonotic diseases and implementation of policies promoting multisectoral collaboration. This study aimed to establish strategic priorities for zoonotic diseases in Vietnam taking a key stakeholder approach. Two weeks prior to a workshop on zoonotic diseases a questionnaire was developed and posted to key professionals involved in different areas of zoonotic disease management in Vietnam. Respondents were asked to assess the relative priority of 12 zoonotic diseases using a number of evidence-based criteria, and to provide suggestions to strengthen multisectoral collaboration. A response rate of 69% (51/74) was obtained, and 75% (38/51) respondents worked in non-international Vietnamese organizations. Respondents identified the top five diseases for prioritization in Vietnam as: avian influenza, rabies, Streptococcus suis infection, pandemic influenza and foodborne bacterial diseases. The three criteria most used to rank diseases were severity of disease, outbreak potential and public attention. Avian influenza was ranked as the number one priority zoonotic disease in Vietnam by 57% of the respondents, followed by rabies (18%). Respondents identified coordination mechanisms, information sharing and capacity building as the most important areas for strengthening to enhance multisectoral collaboration. This study is the first systematic and broad-based attempt to prioritize zoonotic diseases of public health significance in Vietnam using key stakeholders, and a comparative and transparent method. There is limited literature for policy makers and planners on this topic and the results of this study can be used to guide decision-making.

Promoting biodiversity values of small forest patches in agricultural landscapes: Ecological drivers and social demand.

PubMed

Varela, Elsa; Verheyen, Kris; Valdés, Alicia; Soliño, Mario; Jacobsen, Jette B; De Smedt, Pallieter; Ehrmann, Steffen; Gärtner, Stefanie; Górriz, Elena; Decocq, Guillaume

2018-04-01

Small forest patches embedded in agricultural (and peri-urban) landscapes in Western Europe play a key role for biodiversity conservation with a recognized capacity of delivering a wide suite of ecosystem services. Measures aimed to preserve these patches should be both socially desirable and ecologically effective. This study presents a joint ecologic and economic assessment conducted on small forest patches in Flanders (Belgium) and Picardie (N France). In each study region, two contrasted types of agricultural landscapes were selected. Open field (OF) and Bocage (B) landscapes are distinguished by the intensity of their usage and higher connectivity in the B landscapes. The social demand for enhancing biodiversity and forest structure diversity as well as for increasing the forest area at the expenses of agricultural land is estimated through an economic valuation survey. These results are compared with the outcomes of an ecological survey where the influence of structural features of the forest patches on the associated herbaceous diversity is assessed. The ecological and economic surveys show contrasting results; increasing tree species richness is ecologically more important for herbaceous diversity in the patch, but both tree species richness and herbaceous diversity obtain insignificant willingness to pay estimates. Furthermore, although respondents prefer the proposed changes to take place in the region where they live, we find out that social preferences and ecological effectiveness do differ between landscapes that represent different intensities of land use. Dwellers where the landscape is perceived as more "degraded" attach more value to diversity enhancement, suggesting a prioritization of initiatives in these area. In contrast, the ecological analyses show that prioritizing the protection and enhancement of the relatively better-off areas is more ecologically effective. Our study calls for a balance between ecological effectiveness and welfare benefits, suggesting that cost effectiveness studies should consider these approaches jointly. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention: New Mathematical Models for Strategic Demand Creation Prioritizing Subpopulations by Age and Geography.

PubMed

Hankins, Catherine; Warren, Mitchell; Njeuhmeli, Emmanuel

2016-01-01

Over 11 million voluntary medical male circumcisions (VMMC) have been performed of the projected 20.3 million needed to reach 80% adult male circumcision prevalence in priority sub-Saharan African countries. Striking numbers of adolescent males, outside the 15-49-year-old age target, have been accessing VMMC services. What are the implications of overall progress in scale-up to date? Can mathematical modeling provide further insights on how to efficiently reach the male circumcision coverage levels needed to create and sustain further reductions in HIV incidence to make AIDS no longer a public health threat by 2030? Considering ease of implementation and cultural acceptability, decision makers may also value the estimates that mathematical models can generate of immediacy of impact, cost-effectiveness, and magnitude of impact resulting from different policy choices. This supplement presents the results of mathematical modeling using the Decision Makers' Program Planning Tool Version 2.0 (DMPPT 2.0), the Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA2008) model, and the age structured mathematical (ASM) model. These models are helping countries examine the potential effects on program impact and cost-effectiveness of prioritizing specific subpopulations for VMMC services, for example, by client age, HIV-positive status, risk group, and geographical location. The modeling also examines long-term sustainability strategies, such as adolescent and/or early infant male circumcision, to preserve VMMC coverage gains achieved during rapid scale-up. The 2016-2021 UNAIDS strategy target for VMMC is an additional 27 million VMMC in high HIV-prevalence settings by 2020, as part of access to integrated sexual and reproductive health services for men. To achieve further scale-up, a combination of evidence, analysis, and impact estimates can usefully guide strategic planning and funding of VMMC services and related demand-creation strategies in priority countries. Mid-course corrections now can improve cost-effectiveness and scale to achieve the impact needed to help turn the HIV pandemic on its head within 15 years.

Joint Planning Of Energy Storage and Transmission Considering Wind-Storage Combined System and Demand Side Response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Y.; Liu, B. Z.; Wang, K. Y.; Ai, X.

2017-12-01

In response to the new requirements of the operation mode of wind-storage combined system and demand side response for transmission network planning, this paper presents a joint planning of energy storage and transmission considering wind-storage combined system and demand side response. Firstly, the charge-discharge strategy of energy storage system equipped at the outlet of wind farm and demand side response strategy are analysed to achieve the best comprehensive benefits through the coordination of the two. Secondly, in the general transmission network planning model with wind power, both energy storage cost and demand side response cost are added to the objective function. Not only energy storage operation constraints and but also demand side response constraints are introduced into the constraint condition. Based on the classical formulation of TEP, a new formulation is developed considering the simultaneous addition of the charge-discharge strategy of energy storage system equipped at the outlet of the wind farm and demand side response strategy, which belongs to a typical mixed integer linear programming model that can be solved by mature optimization software. The case study based on the Garver-6 bus system shows that the validity of the proposed model is verified by comparison with general transmission network planning model. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that the joint planning model can gain more economic benefits through setting up different cases.

A Mixed Prioritization Operators Strategy Using A Single Measurement Criterion For AHP Application Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuen, Kevin Kam Fung

2009-10-01

The most appropriate prioritization method is still one of the unsettled issues of the Analytic Hierarchy Process, although many studies have been made and applied. Interestingly, many AHP applications apply only Saaty's Eigenvector method as many studies have found that this method may produce rank reversals and have proposed various prioritization methods as alternatives. Some methods have been proved to be better than the Eigenvector method. However, these methods seem not to attract the attention of researchers. In this paper, eight important prioritization methods are reviewed. A Mixed Prioritization Operators Strategy (MPOS) is developed to select a vector which is prioritized by the most appropriate prioritization operator. To verify this new method, a case study of high school selection is revised using the proposed method. The contribution is that MPOS is useful for solving prioritization problems in the AHP.

Deciding how NHS money is spent: a survey of general public and medical views.

PubMed

Lees, Ann; Scott, Nicholas; Scott, Sheila N; MacDonald, Sara; Campbell, Christine

2002-03-01

To examine the validity of the Prioritization Scoring Index (PSI) methodology by obtaining the views of our local population and clinicians regarding the criteria and weightings that should be used in deciding how NHS money is spent. We have used a PSI in Argyll and Clyde to allocate new money since 1996 and to determine priorities for our 1999/2000-2003/2004 Health Improvement Programme (HIP). Since the criteria and weightings for this methodology were developed subjectively, we sought to validate these by consulting local people and to change our methodology to take account of wider population views. A postal questionnaire was sent to 1969 members of the general public, all 314 general practitioners and all 189 hospital consultants in Argyll and Clyde in March 1999. A reminder was sent after 4 weeks. Questions were asked about general funding and prioritization in the NHS and about specific issues relating to potential criteria for prioritization, including those used in our PSI methodology. Responses were analysed quantitatively in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and qualitatively through examination of the responses to open questions. The response rate was 51% for the general public and 71% for GPs and consultants. Respondents from the general public were broadly representative of the Argyll and Clyde population. The main findings were that: greater importance should be given to care that improves health, quality of life or prevents ill health rather than to cost, or to government and local health board priorities; half of the general public and most clinicians thought there should be a limit on NHS funding; extra money for the NHS should come from the national lottery (general public) or higher taxes on cigarettes and alcohol (clinicians); doctors should have the greatest influence in deciding how NHS money is spent; a higher priority should not be given to the health-care needs of younger people rather than older people. Our public and clinicians would allocate approximately 50% of the prioritization weighting to direct patient benefits, 25% to the cost of health-care and 25% to strategic health issues. Consideration of public and clinician views suggests that a revised PSI should place greater weight on benefits to patients and lower weight on the cost of health-care.

Deciding how NHS money is spent: a survey of general public and medical views

PubMed Central

Lees, Ann; Scott, Nicholas; Scott, Sheila N.; MacDonald, Sara; Campbell, Christine

2002-01-01

Objectives To examine the validity of the Prioritization Scoring Index (PSI) methodology by obtaining the views of our local population and clinicians regarding the criteria and weightings that should be used in deciding how NHS money is spent. Background We have used a PSI in Argyll and Clyde to allocate new money since 1996 and to determine priorities for our 1999/2000–2003/2004 Health Improvement Programme (HIP). Since the criteria and weightings for this methodology were developed subjectively, we sought to validate these by consulting local people and to change our methodology to take account of wider population views. Methods A postal questionnaire was sent to 1969 members of the general public, all 314 general practitioners and all 189 hospital consultants in Argyll and Clyde in March 1999. A reminder was sent after 4 weeks. Questions were asked about general funding and prioritization in the NHS and about specific issues relating to potential criteria for prioritization, including those used in our PSI methodology. Responses were analysed quantitatively in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and qualitatively through examination of the responses to open questions. Results The response rate was 51% for the general public and 71% for GPs and consultants. Respondents from the general public were broadly representative of the Argyll and Clyde population. The main findings were that: greater importance should be given to care that improves health, quality of life or prevents ill health rather than to cost, or to government and local health board priorities; half of the general public and most clinicians thought there should be a limit on NHS funding; extra money for the NHS should come from the national lottery (general public) or higher taxes on cigarettes and alcohol (clinicians); doctors should have the greatest influence in deciding how NHS money is spent; a higher priority should not be given to the health‐care needs of younger people rather than older people. Our public and clinicians would allocate approximately 50% of the prioritization weighting to direct patient benefits, 25% to the cost of health‐care and 25% to strategic health issues. Conclusions Consideration of public and clinician views suggests that a revised PSI should place greater weight on benefits to patients and lower weight on the cost of health‐care. PMID:11906541

Low demand for nontraditional cookstove technologies.

PubMed

Mobarak, Ahmed Mushfiq; Dwivedi, Puneet; Bailis, Robert; Hildemann, Lynn; Miller, Grant

2012-07-03

Biomass combustion with traditional cookstoves causes substantial environmental and health harm. Nontraditional cookstove technologies can be efficacious in reducing this adverse impact, but they are adopted and used at puzzlingly low rates. This study analyzes the determinants of low demand for nontraditional cookstoves in rural Bangladesh by using both stated preference (from a nationally representative survey of rural women) and revealed preference (assessed by conducting a cluster-randomized trial of cookstove prices) approaches. We find consistent evidence across both analyses suggesting that the women in rural Bangladesh do not perceive indoor air pollution as a significant health hazard, prioritize other basic developmental needs over nontraditional cookstoves, and overwhelmingly rely on a free traditional cookstove technology and are therefore not willing to pay much for a new nontraditional cookstove. Efforts to improve health and abate environmental harm by promoting nontraditional cookstoves may be more successful by designing and disseminating nontraditional cookstoves with features valued more highly by users, such as reduction of operating costs, even when those features are not directly related to the cookstoves' health and environmental impacts.

Low demand for nontraditional cookstove technologies

PubMed Central

Mobarak, Ahmed Mushfiq; Dwivedi, Puneet; Bailis, Robert; Hildemann, Lynn; Miller, Grant

2012-01-01

Biomass combustion with traditional cookstoves causes substantial environmental and health harm. Nontraditional cookstove technologies can be efficacious in reducing this adverse impact, but they are adopted and used at puzzlingly low rates. This study analyzes the determinants of low demand for nontraditional cookstoves in rural Bangladesh by using both stated preference (from a nationally representative survey of rural women) and revealed preference (assessed by conducting a cluster-randomized trial of cookstove prices) approaches. We find consistent evidence across both analyses suggesting that the women in rural Bangladesh do not perceive indoor air pollution as a significant health hazard, prioritize other basic developmental needs over nontraditional cookstoves, and overwhelmingly rely on a free traditional cookstove technology and are therefore not willing to pay much for a new nontraditional cookstove. Efforts to improve health and abate environmental harm by promoting nontraditional cookstoves may be more successful by designing and disseminating nontraditional cookstoves with features valued more highly by users, such as reduction of operating costs, even when those features are not directly related to the cookstoves’ health and environmental impacts. PMID:22689941

Renewable Energy Resources Portfolio Optimization in the Presence of Demand Response

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

Behboodi, Sahand; Chassin, David P.; Crawford, Curran

In this paper we introduce a simple cost model of renewable integration and demand response that can be used to determine the optimal mix of generation and demand response resources. The model includes production cost, demand elasticity, uncertainty costs, capacity expansion costs, retirement and mothballing costs, and wind variability impacts to determine the hourly cost and revenue of electricity delivery. The model is tested on the 2024 planning case for British Columbia and we find that cost is minimized with about 31% renewable generation. We also find that demand responsive does not have a significant impact on cost at themore » hourly level. The results suggest that the optimal level of renewable resource is not sensitive to a carbon tax or demand elasticity, but it is highly sensitive to the renewable resource installation cost.« less

Exploring the Self-Ownership Effect: Separating Stimulus and Response Biases

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Golubickis, Marius; Falben, Johanna K.; Cunningham, William A.; Macrae, C. Neil

2018-01-01

Although ownership is acknowledged to exert a potent influence on various aspects of information processing, the origin of these effects remains largely unknown. Based on the demonstration that self-relevance facilitates perceptual judgments (i.e., the self-prioritization effect), here we explored the possibility that ownership enhances object…

Mothers' amygdala response to positive or negative infant affect is modulated by personal relevance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Understanding, prioritizing and responding to infant affective cues is a key component of motherhood, with long-term implications for infant socio-emotional development. This important task includes identifying unique characteristics of one's own infant, as they relate to differences in affect valen...

Growth and physiological responses of isohydric and anisohydric poplars to drought

Treesearch

Ziv Attia; Jean-Christophe Domec; Ram Oren; Danielle A. Way; Menachem Moshelion

2015-01-01

Understanding how different plants prioritize carbon gain and drought vulnerability under a variable water supply is important for predicting which trees will maximize woody biomass production under different environmental conditions. Here, Populus balsamifera (BS, isohydric genotype), P. simonii (SI, previously uncharacterized stomatal behaviour), and their cross, P....

Spatial pattern and scale influence invader demographic response to simulated precipitation change in an annual grassland community

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

It is important to predict which invasive species will benefit from future changes in climate, and thereby identify those invaders that need particular attention and prioritization of management efforts. Because establishment, persistence, and spread determine invasion success, this prediction requ...

Student Engagement in Neo-Liberal Times: What Is Missing?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zepke, Nick

2018-01-01

Quality teaching is increasingly prioritized in higher education. One reason is that government funding requires students to succeed in their studies and be ready for employment. In response, educators throughout the Western world have generated large quantities of evidence-based, practical, often uncritical research about what works to improve…

Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Service Goal Priorities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macy, Rebecca J.; Johns, Natalie; Rizo, Cynthia F.; Martin, Sandra L.; Giattina, Mary

2011-01-01

We investigated agency directors' perspectives about how service goals should be prioritized for domestic violence and sexual assault service subtypes, including crisis, legal advocacy, medical advocacy, counseling, support group, and shelter services. A sample of 97 (94% response rate) North Carolina domestic violence and/or sexual assault agency…

Basal area growth, carbon isotope discrimination, and intrinsic water use efficiency after fertilization of Douglas-fir in the Oregon Coast Range

EPA Science Inventory

Many hectares of intensively managed Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii Mirb. Franco) stands in western North America are fertilized with nitrogen to increase growth rates. Understanding the mechanisms of response facilitates prioritization of stands for treatment. The objective ...

Gas Phase Probe Molecules for Assessing In vitro Metabolism to Infer an In vivo Response

EPA Science Inventory

Efficient and accurate in vitro high-throughput screening (HTS) methods use cellular and molecular based adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) as central elements for exposure assessment and chemical prioritization. However, not all AOPs are based on human or animal systems biology, bu...

Dose response screening of the Toxcast chemical library using a Zebrafish developmental assay

EPA Science Inventory

As part of the chemical screening and prioritization research program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the toxicity of the 320 ToxCaspM Phase I chemicals was assessed using a vertebrate screen of developmental toxicity. Zebrafish embryos/larvae (Danio rerio) were expo...

Predictive Endocrine Testing in the 21st Century Using In Vitro Assays of Estrogen Receptor Signaling Responses

EPA Science Inventory

Thousands of environmental chemicals are subject to regulatory review for their potential to be endocrine disruptors (ED). In vitro high-throughput screening (HTS) assays have emerged as a potential tool for prioritizing chemicals for ED-related whole-animal tests. In this study,...

Energy Efficiency Roadmap for Uganda, Making Energy Efficiency Count. Executive Summary

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

de la Rue du Can, Stephane; Pudleiner, David; Jones, David

Like many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda has focused its energy sector investments largely on increasing energy access by increasing energy supply. The links between energy efficiency and energy access, the importance of energy efficiency in new energy supply, and the multiple benefits of energy efficiency for the level and quality of energy available, have been largely overlooked. Implementing energy efficiency in parallel with expanding both the electricity grid and new clean energy generation reduces electricity demand and helps optimize the power supply so that it can serve more customers reliably at minimum cost. Ensuring efficient appliances are incorporated intomore » energy access efforts provides improved energy services to customers. Energy efficiency is an important contributor to access to modern energy. This Energy Efficiency Roadmap for Uganda (Roadmap) is a response to the important role that electrical energy efficiency can play in meeting Uganda’s energy goals. Power Africa and the United Nations Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) initiatives collaborated with more than 24 stakeholders in Uganda to develop this document. The document estimates that if the most efficient technologies on the market were adopted, 2,224 gigawatt hours could be saved in 2030 across all sectors, representing 31% of the projected load. This translates into 341 megawatts of peak demand reductions, energy access to an additional 6 million rural customers and reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 10.6 million tonnes in 2030. The Roadmap also finds that 91% of this technical potential is cost-effective, and 47% is achievable under conservative assumptions. The Roadmap prioritizes recommendations for implementing energy efficiency and maximizing benefits to meet the goals and priorities established in Uganda’s 2015 SEforALL Action Agenda. One important step is to create and increase demand for efficiency through long-term enabling policies and financial incentives combined with development of technical expertise in the labor force to allow for the promotion of new business models, such as energy service companies. A combination of enabling policies, financial schemes, regulations, enforcement, and skill development are needed to open the energy efficiency market.« less

Development of Medical Technology for Contingency Response to Marrow Toxic Agents

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-02

authored three peer-reviewed manuscripts: o a manuscript in press for Leukemia on response to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant incident o a...outcomes following unrelated adult donor transplantation. Continually working to increase the genetic diversity of the Registry helps to ensure that more...for the 2012 tabletop exercise focused on patient triage and prioritization of care following detonation of a 1kT improvised nuclear device in a

Automated Demand Response for Energy Sustainability

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-01

project’s stated performance objectives. Emerging opportunities to participate in wholesale electricity markets can provide important economic, energy, and...Response in Wholesale Electricity Markets ..................................................... 7 Figure 5. Demand Bidding Communication and Control...resource in response to market or reliability conditions Demand Bidding Program DR programs that encourage customers to bid into an electricity market

Industrial Scale Energy Systems Integration; NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

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

Ruth, Mark

2015-07-28

The industrial sector consumes 25% of the total energy in the U.S. and produces 18% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Energy Systems Integration (ESI) opportunities can reduce those values and increase the profitability of that sector. This presentation outlines several options. Combined heat and power (CHP) is an option that is available today for many applications. In some cases, it can be extended to trigeneration by adding absorbtion cooling. Demand response is another option in use by the industrial sector - in 2012, industry provided 47% of demand response capacity. A longer term option that combines the benefits ofmore » CHP with those of demand response is hybrid energy systems (HESs). Two possible HESs are described and development implications discussed. extended to trigeneration by adding absorbtion cooling. Demand response is another option in use by the industrial sector - in 2012, industry provided 47% of demand response capacity. A longer term option that combines the benefits of CHP with those of demand response is hybrid energy systems (HESs). Two possible HESs are described and development implications discussed.« less

Soil Quality Indexing Strategies for Evaluating Sugarcane Expansion in Brazil

PubMed Central

Cherubin, Maurício R.; Karlen, Douglas L.; Cerri, Carlos E. P.; Franco, André L. C.; Tormena, Cássio A.; Davies, Christian A.; Cerri, Carlos C.

2016-01-01

Increasing demand for biofuel has intensified land-use change (LUC) for sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) expansion in Brazil. Assessments of soil quality (SQ) response to this LUC are essential for quantifying and monitoring sustainability of sugarcane production over time. Since there is not a universal methodology for assessing SQ, we conducted a field-study at three sites within the largest sugarcane-producing region of Brazil to develop a SQ index (SQI). The most common LUC scenario (i.e., native vegetation to pasture to sugarcane) was evaluated using six SQI strategies with varying complexities. Thirty eight soil indicators were included in the total dataset. Two minimum datasets were selected: one using principal component analysis (7 indicators) and the other based on expert opinion (5 indicators). Non-linear scoring curves were used to interpret the indicator values. Weighted and non-weighted additive methods were used to combine individual indicator scores into an overall SQI. Long-term conversion from native vegetation to extensive pasture significantly decreased overall SQ. In contrast, conversion from pasture to sugarcane had no significant impact on overall SQ at the regional scale, but site-specific responses were found. In general, sugarcane production improved chemical attributes (i.e., higher macronutrient levels and lower soil acidity); however it has negative effects on physical and biological attributes (i.e., higher soil compaction and structural degradation as well as lower soil organic carbon (SOC), abundance and diversity of macrofauna and microbial activity). Overall, we found that simple, user-friendly strategies were as effective as more complex ones for identifying SQ changes. Therefore, as a protocol for SQ assessments in Brazilian sugarcane areas, we recommend using a small number of indicators (e.g., pH, P, K, Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure -VESS scores and SOC concentration) and proportional weighting to reflect chemical, physical and biological processes within the soil. Our SQ evaluations also suggest that current approaches for expanding Brazilian sugarcane production by converting degraded pasture land to cropland can be a sustainable strategy for meeting increasing biofuel demand. However, management practices that alleviate negative impacts on soil physical and biological indicators must be prioritized within sugarcane producing areas to prevent unintentional SQ degradation over time. PMID:26938642

Soil Quality Indexing Strategies for Evaluating Sugarcane Expansion in Brazil.

PubMed

Cherubin, Maurício R; Karlen, Douglas L; Cerri, Carlos E P; Franco, André L C; Tormena, Cássio A; Davies, Christian A; Cerri, Carlos C

2016-01-01

Increasing demand for biofuel has intensified land-use change (LUC) for sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) expansion in Brazil. Assessments of soil quality (SQ) response to this LUC are essential for quantifying and monitoring sustainability of sugarcane production over time. Since there is not a universal methodology for assessing SQ, we conducted a field-study at three sites within the largest sugarcane-producing region of Brazil to develop a SQ index (SQI). The most common LUC scenario (i.e., native vegetation to pasture to sugarcane) was evaluated using six SQI strategies with varying complexities. Thirty eight soil indicators were included in the total dataset. Two minimum datasets were selected: one using principal component analysis (7 indicators) and the other based on expert opinion (5 indicators). Non-linear scoring curves were used to interpret the indicator values. Weighted and non-weighted additive methods were used to combine individual indicator scores into an overall SQI. Long-term conversion from native vegetation to extensive pasture significantly decreased overall SQ. In contrast, conversion from pasture to sugarcane had no significant impact on overall SQ at the regional scale, but site-specific responses were found. In general, sugarcane production improved chemical attributes (i.e., higher macronutrient levels and lower soil acidity); however it has negative effects on physical and biological attributes (i.e., higher soil compaction and structural degradation as well as lower soil organic carbon (SOC), abundance and diversity of macrofauna and microbial activity). Overall, we found that simple, user-friendly strategies were as effective as more complex ones for identifying SQ changes. Therefore, as a protocol for SQ assessments in Brazilian sugarcane areas, we recommend using a small number of indicators (e.g., pH, P, K, Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure -VESS scores and SOC concentration) and proportional weighting to reflect chemical, physical and biological processes within the soil. Our SQ evaluations also suggest that current approaches for expanding Brazilian sugarcane production by converting degraded pasture land to cropland can be a sustainable strategy for meeting increasing biofuel demand. However, management practices that alleviate negative impacts on soil physical and biological indicators must be prioritized within sugarcane producing areas to prevent unintentional SQ degradation over time.

The Role of Demand Response in Reducing Water-Related Power Plant Vulnerabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macknick, J.; Brinkman, G.; Zhou, E.; O'Connell, M.; Newmark, R. L.; Miara, A.; Cohen, S. M.

2015-12-01

The electric sector depends on readily available water supplies for reliable and efficient operation. Elevated water temperatures or low water levels can trigger regulatory or plant-level decisions to curtail power generation, which can affect system cost and reliability. In the past decade, dozens of power plants in the U.S. have curtailed generation due to water temperatures and water shortages. Curtailments occur during the summer, when temperatures are highest and there is greatest demand for electricity. Climate change could alter the availability and temperature of water resources, exacerbating these issues. Constructing alternative cooling systems to address vulnerabilities can be capital intensive and can also affect power plant efficiencies. Demand response programs are being implemented by electric system planners and operators to reduce and shift electricity demands from peak usage periods to other times of the day. Demand response programs can also play a role in reducing water-related power sector vulnerabilities during summer months. Traditionally, production cost modeling and demand response analyses do not include water resources. In this effort, we integrate an electricity production cost modeling framework with water-related impacts on power plants in a test system to evaluate the impacts of demand response measures on power system costs and reliability. Specifically, we i) quantify the cost and reliability implications of incorporating water resources into production cost modeling, ii) evaluate the impacts of demand response measures on reducing system costs and vulnerabilities, and iii) consider sensitivity analyses with cooling systems to highlight a range of potential benefits of demand response measures. Impacts from climate change on power plant performance and water resources are discussed. Results provide key insights to policymakers and practitioners for reducing water-related power plant vulnerabilities via lower cost methods.

78 FR 21928 - Demand Response Coalition v. PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.; Notice of Complaint

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-12

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. EL13-57-000] Demand Response Coalition v. PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.; Notice of Complaint Take notice that on April 3, 2013, pursuant to... Demand Response Coalition \\1\\ (Complainant) filed a formal complaint against the PJM Interconnection, L.L...

How Drug Control Policy and Practice Undermine Access to Controlled Medicines

PubMed Central

Csete, Joanne; Wilson, Duncan; Fox, Edward; Wolfe, Daniel; Rasanathan, Jennifer J. K.

2017-01-01

Abstract Drug conventions serve as the cornerstone for domestic drug laws and impose a dual obligation upon states to prevent the misuse of controlled substances while ensuring their adequate availability for medical and scientific purposes. Despite the mandate that these obligations be enforced equally, the dominant paradigm enshrined in the drug conventions is an enforcement-heavy criminal justice response to controlled substances that prohibits and penalizes their misuse. Prioritizing restrictive control is to the detriment of ensuring adequate availability of and access to controlled medicines, thereby violating the rights of people who need them. This paper argues that the drug conventions’ prioritization of criminal justice measures—including efforts to prevent non-medical use of controlled substances—undermines access to medicines and infringes upon the right to health and the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress. While the effects of criminalization under drug policy limit the right to health in multiple ways, we draw on research and documented examples to highlight the impact of drug control and criminalization on access to medicines. The prioritization and protection of human rights—specifically the right to health and the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress—are critical to rebalancing drug policy. PMID:28630556

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health's Health Hazard Assessment: putting the "health" into hazard assessment.

PubMed

Dean, Brandon; Bagwell, Dee Ann; Dora, Vinita; Khan, Sinan; Plough, Alonzo

2013-01-01

A ll communities, explicitly or implicitly, assess and prepare for the natural and manmade hazards that they know could impact their community. The commonality of hazard-based threats in most all communities does not usually result in standard or evidence-based preparedness practice and outcomes across those communities. Without specific efforts to build a shared perspective and prioritization, "all-hazards" preparedness can result in a random hodgepodge of priorities and preparedness strategies, resulting in diminished emergency response capabilities. Traditional risk assessments, with a focus on physical infrastructure, do not present the potential health and medical impacts of specific hazards and threats. With the implementation of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's capability-based planning, there is broad recognition that a health-focused hazard assessment process--that engages the "Whole of Community"--is needed. Los Angeles County's Health Hazard Assessment and Prioritization tool provides a practical and innovative approach to enhance existing planning capacities. Successful utilization of this tool can provide a way for local and state health agencies and officials to more effectively identify the health consequences related to hazard-specific threats and risk, determine priorities, and develop improved and better coordinated agency planning, including community engagement in prioritization.

Prioritizing registered donors in organ allocation: an ethical appraisal of the Israeli organ transplant law.

PubMed

Lavee, Jacob; Brock, Dan W

2012-12-01

A new organ transplant law in Israel, which gives priority in organ allocation to candidates who in various ways support organ donation, has resulted in a significant increase in organ donation in 2011. We provide an ethical analysis of the new law. We note that by continuing to require opt-in consent, the Israeli law has an ethical advantage over opt-out laws, which may result in some use of organs from donors who have not consented. We discuss the fair response to 'free-riding' candidates who, usually for religious reasons, are opposed to donation, but nevertheless seek a transplant, who will not receive any priority over candidates who have been registered donors for at least 3 years before listing. We spell out several reasons why it is potentially unfair to prioritize patients whose first-degree relatives are registered donors, whereas it is fair to prioritize candidates who have been living directed or nondirected donors. Finally, we note the difficulty of ensuring public awareness of the priority system, which is necessary for its fairness. Athough needing some modifications, the new Israeli law is based on sound ethical approach that seems to begin already to bear fruits.

How Drug Control Policy and Practice Undermine Access to Controlled Medicines.

PubMed

Burke-Shyne, Naomi; Csete, Joanne; Wilson, Duncan; Fox, Edward; Wolfe, Daniel; Rasanathan, Jennifer J K

2017-06-01

Drug conventions serve as the cornerstone for domestic drug laws and impose a dual obligation upon states to prevent the misuse of controlled substances while ensuring their adequate availability for medical and scientific purposes. Despite the mandate that these obligations be enforced equally, the dominant paradigm enshrined in the drug conventions is an enforcement-heavy criminal justice response to controlled substances that prohibits and penalizes their misuse. Prioritizing restrictive control is to the detriment of ensuring adequate availability of and access to controlled medicines, thereby violating the rights of people who need them. This paper argues that the drug conventions' prioritization of criminal justice measures-including efforts to prevent non-medical use of controlled substances-undermines access to medicines and infringes upon the right to health and the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress. While the effects of criminalization under drug policy limit the right to health in multiple ways, we draw on research and documented examples to highlight the impact of drug control and criminalization on access to medicines. The prioritization and protection of human rights-specifically the right to health and the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress-are critical to rebalancing drug policy.

Demand Intensity, Market Parameters and Policy Responses towards Demand and Supply of Private Supplementary Tutoring in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kwok, Percy Lai Yin

2010-01-01

Based on some longitudinal studies of private tutoring in twelve cities, towns, municipalities and provinces of China, the paper endeavours to depict demand intensity, articulate market parameters and reflect on policy responses towards the demand-supply mechanism of the vast shadowy educational phenomena at primary and secondary levels. Such…

Integrated Platform for Automated Sustainable Demand Response in Smart Grids

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

Zois, Vassilis; Frincu, Marc; Prasanna, Viktor K.

2014-10-08

Demand Response(DR) is a common practice used by utility providers to regulate energy demand. It is used at periods of high demand to minimize the peak to average consumption ratio. Several methods have been Demand Response(DR) is a common praon using information about the baseline consumption and the consumption during DR. Our goal is to provide a sustainable reduction to ensure the elimination of peaks in demand. The proposed system includes an adaptation mechanism for when the provided solution does not meet the DR requirements. We conducted a series of experiments using consumption data from a real life micro gridmore » to evaluate the efficiency as well as the robustness of our solution.« less

Integrating co-morbid depression and chronic physical disease management: identifying and resolving failures in self-regulation.

PubMed

Detweiler-Bedell, Jerusha B; Friedman, Michael A; Leventhal, Howard; Miller, Ivan W; Leventhal, Elaine A

2008-12-01

Research suggests that treatments for depression among individuals with chronic physical disease do not improve disease outcomes significantly, and chronic disease management programs do not necessarily improve mood. For individuals experiencing co-morbid depression and chronic physical disease, demands on the self-regulation system are compounded, leading to a rapid depletion of self-regulatory resources. Because disease and depression management are not integrated, patients lack the understanding needed to prioritize self-regulatory goals in a way that makes disease and depression management synergistic. A framework in which the management of co-morbidity is considered alongside the management of either condition alone offers benefits to researchers and practitioners and may help improve clinical outcomes.

Nursing Students’ Views on Promoting Successful Breastfeeding in Sweden

PubMed Central

Pajalic, Zada

2014-01-01

Promoting breastfeeding is important work for health-care personnel in the Swedish context. This promotion is multifaceted and demands the ongoing development of knowledge and competence among both health-care personnel and patients. The aim of the present study was to describe the nursing students’ perspectives on breastfeeding in Sweden. Data were obtained in the form of written reflections from nursing students (n=65) and examined using manifest content analysis. The results show that the factors of importance in promoting successful breastfeeding are information about breastfeeding’s benefits, traditions and cultural acceptance of the practice, and by government prohibition of infant formula. We conclude that knowledge about the benefits of breastfeeding needs to be prioritized continuously during education. PMID:25169002

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

Kim, Woohyun; Katipamula, Srinivas; Lutes, Robert G.

This report describes how the intelligent load control (ILC) algorithm can be implemented to achieve peak demand reduction while minimizing impacts on occupant comfort. The algorithm was designed to minimize the additional sensors and minimum configuration requirements to enable a scalable and cost-effective implementation for both large and small-/medium-sized commercial buildings. The ILC algorithm uses an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to dynamically prioritize the available curtailable loads based on both quantitative (deviation of zone conditions from set point) and qualitative rules (types of zone). Although the ILC algorithm described in this report was highly tailored to work with rooftop units,more » it can be generalized for application to other building loads such as variable-air-volume (VAV) boxes and lighting systems.« less

The key to successful management of STS operations: An integrated production planning system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, W. A.; Thomasen, C. T.

1985-01-01

Space Transportation System operations managers are being confronted with a unique set of challenges as a result of increasing flight rates, the demand for flight manifest/production schedule flexibility and an emphasis on continued cost reduction. These challenges have created the need for an integrated production planning system that provides managers with the capability to plan, schedule, status and account for an orderly flow of products and services across a large, multi-discipline organization. With increased visibility into the end-to-end production flow for individual and parallel missions in process, managers can assess the integrated impact of changes, identify and measure the interrelationships of resource, schedule, and technical performance requirements and prioritize productivity enhancements.

Integrating Co-Morbid Depression and Chronic Physical Disease Management: Identifying and Resolving Failures in Self-Regulation

PubMed Central

Detweiler-Bedell, Jerusha B.; Friedman, Michael A.; Leventhal, Howard; Miller, Ivan W.; Leventhal, Elaine A.

2008-01-01

Research suggests that treatments for depression among individuals with chronic physical disease do not improve disease outcomes significantly, and chronic disease management programs do not necessarily improve mood. For individuals experiencing co-morbid depression and chronic physical disease, demands on the self-regulation system are compounded, leading to a rapid depletion of self-regulatory resources. Because disease and depression management are not integrated, patients lack the understanding needed to prioritize self-regulatory goals in a way that makes disease and depression management synergistic. A framework in which the management of co-morbidity is considered alongside the management of either condition alone offers benefits to researchers and practitioners and may help improve clinical outcomes. PMID:18848740

Comparative recreational assessment of Karaganda city public green spaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akylbekova, I. S.; Zengina, T. Yu

2018-01-01

This article represents evaluation of recreation environment on the territory of the large industrial city of Karaganda, located in the dry steppe zone of Central Kazakhstan. A comparison of quantitative and qualitative indicators, level of recreational attractiveness and providing the citizens with public green spaces, allowed to make a more complete characterization the urban recreation places and to identify the city districts, which require prioritized fundraising for development of existing parks and public gardens, and for creation of new territories of recreational purpose. Based on the results of conducted expert assessment and sociological survey of visitors, the main problems of urban green areas were identified and also the most high-demand trends and practical recommendations for their improvement and further use were proposed.

Ethical framework of assistive devices: review and reflection.

PubMed

Mansouri, Nazanin; Goher, Khaled; Hosseini, Seyed Ebrahim

2017-01-01

The population of ageing is growing significantly over the world, and there is an emerging demand for better healthcare services and more care centres. Innovations of Information and Communication Technology has resulted in development of various types of assistive robots to fulfil elderly's needs and independency, whilst carrying out daily routine tasks. This makes it vital to have a clear understanding of elderly's needs and expectations from assistive robots. This paper addresses current ethical issues to understand elderly's prime needs. Also, we consider other general ethics with the purpose of applying these theories to form a proper ethics framework. In the ethics framework, the ethical concerns of senior citizens will be prioritized to satisfy elderly's needs and also to diminish related expenses to healthcare services.

Organizational Strategies for Building Capacity in Evidence-Based Oncology Nursing Practice: A Case Report of an Australian Tertiary Cancer Center.

PubMed

Chan, Raymond Javan; Bowers, Alison; Barton-Burke, Margaret

2017-03-01

The ever-increasing cancer care demand has posed a challenge for oncology nurses to deliver evidence-based, innovative care. Despite efforts to promote evidence-based practice, barriers remain and executives find it difficult to implement evidence-based practice efficiently. Using the successful experience of an Australian tertiary cancer center, this paper depicts 4 effective strategies for facilitating evidence-based practice at the organizational level-the Embedded Scholar: Enabler, Enactor, and Engagement (4 Es) Model-includes a 12-week evidence-based practice program that prioritizes relevant research proposed by clinical staff and endorses high-quality, evidence-based point-of-care resources. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

Marks, Gary; Wilcox, Edmund; Olsen, Daniel

California agricultural irrigation consumes more than ten billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually and has significant potential for contributing to a reduction of stress on the grid through demand response, permanent load shifting, and energy efficiency measures. To understand this potential, a scoping study was initiated for the purpose of determining the associated opportunities, potential, and adoption challenges in California agricultural irrigation. The primary research for this study was conducted in two ways. First, data was gathered and parsed from published sources that shed light on where the best opportunities for load shifting and demand response lie within the agriculturalmore » irrigation sector. Secondly, a small limited survey was conducted as informal face-to-face interviews with several different California growers to get an idea of their ability and willingness to participate in permanent load shifting and/or demand response programs. Analysis of the data obtained from published sources and the survey reveal demand response and permanent load shifting opportunities by growing region, irrigation source, irrigation method, grower size, and utility coverage. The study examines some solutions for demand response and permanent load shifting in agricultural irrigation, which include adequate irrigation system capacity, automatic controls, variable frequency drives, and the contribution from energy efficiency measures. The study further examines the potential and challenges for grower acceptance of demand response and permanent load shifting in California agricultural irrigation. As part of the examination, the study considers to what extent permanent load shifting, which is already somewhat accepted within the agricultural sector, mitigates the need or benefit of demand response for agricultural irrigation. Recommendations for further study include studies on how to gain grower acceptance of demand response as well as other related studies such as conducting a more comprehensive survey of California growers.« less

An energy balance concept for habitability.

PubMed

Hoehler, Tori M

2007-12-01

Habitability can be formulated as a balance between the biological demand for energy and the corresponding potential for meeting that demand by transduction of energy from the environment into biological process. The biological demand for energy is manifest in two requirements, analogous to the voltage and power requirements of an electrical device, which must both be met if life is to be supported. These requirements exhibit discrete (non-zero) minima whose magnitude is set by the biochemistry in question, and they are increased in quantifiable fashion by (i) deviations from biochemically optimal physical and chemical conditions and (ii) energy-expending solutions to problems of resource limitation. The possible rate of energy transduction is constrained by (i) the availability of usable free energy sources in the environment, (ii) limitations on transport of those sources into the cell, (iii) upper limits on the rate at which energy can be stored, transported, and subsequently liberated by biochemical mechanisms (e.g., enzyme saturation effects), and (iv) upper limits imposed by an inability to use "power" and "voltage" at levels that cause material breakdown. A system is habitable when the realized rate of energy transduction equals or exceeds the biological demand for energy. For systems in which water availability is considered a key aspect of habitability (e.g., Mars), the energy balance construct imposes additional, quantitative constraints that may help to prioritize targets in search-for-life missions. Because the biological need for energy is universal, the energy balance construct also helps to constrain habitability in systems (e.g., those envisioned to use solvents other than water) for which little constraint currently exists.

Socio-economic inequity in demand for insecticide-treated nets, in-door residual house spraying, larviciding and fogging in Sudan.

PubMed

Onwujekwe, Obinna; Malik, El-Fatih Mohamed; Mustafa, Sara Hassan; Mnzava, Abraham

2005-12-15

In order to optimally prioritize and use public and private budgets for equitable malaria vector control, there is a need to determine the level and determinants of consumer demand for different vector control tools. To determine the demand from people of different socio-economic groups for indoor residual house-spraying (IRHS), insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), larviciding with chemicals (LWC), and space spraying/fogging (SS) and the disease control implications of the result. Ratings and levels of willingness-to-pay (WTP) for the vector control tools were determined using a random cross-sectional sample of 720 householdes drawn from two states. WTP was elicited using the bidding game. An asset-based socio-economic status (SES) index was used to explore whether WTP was related to SES of the respondents. IRHS received the highest proportion of highest preferred rating (41.0%) followed by ITNs (23.1%). However, ITNs had the highest mean WTP followed by IRHS, while LWC had the least. The regression analysis showed that SES was positively and statistically significantly related to WTP across the four vector control tools and that the respondents' rating of IRHS and ITNs significantly explained their levels of WTP for the two tools. People were willing to pay for all the vector-control tools, but the demand for the vector control tools was related to the SES of the respondents. Hence, it is vital that there are public policies and financing mechanisms to ensure equitable provision and utilisation of vector control tools, as well as protecting the poor from cost-sharing arrangements.

Patient needs and research priorities in the enteral nutrition market - a quantitative prioritization analysis.

PubMed

Weenen, T C; Jentink, A; Pronker, E S; Commandeur, H R; Claassen, E; Boirie, Y; Singer, P

2014-10-01

A quantitative systematic identification and prioritization of unmet needs and research opportunities in relation to enteral nutrition was conducted by means of a tailor-made health research prioritization process. The research objectives were reached by conducting qualitative interviews followed by quantitative questionnaires targeting enteral nutrition key opinion leaders (KOLs). (1) Define disease areas that deserve more research attention; (2) Rank importance of product characteristics of tube feeding (TF) and oral nutritional supplements (ONS); (3) Assess involvement of KOLs in enteral nutrition R&D process. KOLs ranked three product characteristics and three disease areas that deserve additional research attention. From these, overall priority scores were calculated by multiplying ranks for both product characteristics and disease areas. 17 qualitative interviews were conducted and 77 questionnaires (response rate 35%) were completed and returned. (1) Disease areas in ONS and TF with highest priorities are: ONS: general malnutrition & geriatrics, TF: intensive care. (2) TF product characteristics with highest priorities are: composition and clinical evidence from a KOL perspective; tolerance and ease of use from a patient perspective. ONS product characteristics with highest priorities are: composition, clinical evidence and taste from a KOL perspective; taste from a patient perspective. We find a high discrepancy between product characteristic prioritization from a KOL and patient perspective. (3) Although 62% of all KOLs give advice to enteral nutrition companies on patient needs, they under-influence the setting of research priorities by enteral nutrition companies. This study provides a systematic approach to achieve research prioritization in enteral nutrition. In addition to providing new directions for enteral nutrition research and development, this study highlights the relevance of involving KOLs in the identification of research priorities as they have the ability to provide a balanced view of the unmet patient needs. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

Curriculum development for a national cardiotocography education program: a Delphi survey to obtain consensus on learning objectives.

PubMed

Thellesen, Line; Hedegaard, Morten; Bergholt, Thomas; Colov, Nina P; Hoegh, Stinne; Sorensen, Jette L

2015-08-01

To define learning objectives for a national cardiotocography (CTG) education program based on expert consensus. A three-round Delphi survey. One midwife and one obstetrician from each maternity unit in Denmark were appointed based on CTG teaching experience and clinical obstetric experience. Following national and international guidelines, the research group determined six topics as important when using CTG: fetal physiology, equipment, indication, interpretation, clinical management, and communication/responsibility. In the first Delphi round, participants listed one to five learning objectives within the predefined topics. Responses were analyzed by a directed approach to content analysis. Phrasing was modified in accordance with Bloom's taxonomy. In the second and third Delphi rounds, participants rated each objective on a five-point relevance scale. Consensus was predefined as objectives with a mean rating value of ≥ 3. A prioritized list of CTG learning objectives. A total of 42 midwives and obstetricians from 21 maternity units were invited to participate, of whom 26 completed all three Delphi rounds, representing 18 maternity units. The final prioritized list included 40 objectives. The highest ranked objectives emphasized CTG interpretation and clinical management. The lowest ranked objectives emphasized fetal physiology. Mean ratings of relevance ranged from 3.15 to 5.00. National consensus on CTG learning objectives was achieved using the Delphi methodology. This was an initial step in developing a valid CTG education program. A prioritized list of objectives will clarify which topics to emphasize in a CTG education program. © 2015 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

ProphTools: general prioritization tools for heterogeneous biological networks.

PubMed

Navarro, Carmen; Martínez, Victor; Blanco, Armando; Cano, Carlos

2017-12-01

Networks have been proven effective representations for the analysis of biological data. As such, there exist multiple methods to extract knowledge from biological networks. However, these approaches usually limit their scope to a single biological entity type of interest or they lack the flexibility to analyze user-defined data. We developed ProphTools, a flexible open-source command-line tool that performs prioritization on a heterogeneous network. ProphTools prioritization combines a Flow Propagation algorithm similar to a Random Walk with Restarts and a weighted propagation method. A flexible model for the representation of a heterogeneous network allows the user to define a prioritization problem involving an arbitrary number of entity types and their interconnections. Furthermore, ProphTools provides functionality to perform cross-validation tests, allowing users to select the best network configuration for a given problem. ProphTools core prioritization methodology has already been proven effective in gene-disease prioritization and drug repositioning. Here we make ProphTools available to the scientific community as flexible, open-source software and perform a new proof-of-concept case study on long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) to disease prioritization. ProphTools is robust prioritization software that provides the flexibility not present in other state-of-the-art network analysis approaches, enabling researchers to perform prioritization tasks on any user-defined heterogeneous network. Furthermore, the application to lncRNA-disease prioritization shows that ProphTools can reach the performance levels of ad hoc prioritization tools without losing its generality. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

Nutritional recommendations for synchronized swimming.

PubMed

Robertson, Sherry; Benardot, Dan; Mountjoy, Margo

2014-08-01

The sport of synchronized swimming is unique, because it combines speed, power, and endurance with precise synchronized movements and high-risk acrobatic maneuvers. Athletes must train and compete while spending a great amount of time underwater, upside down, and without the luxury of easily available oxygen. This review assesses the scientific evidence with respect to the physiological demands, energy expenditure, and body composition in these athletes. The role of appropriate energy requirements and guidelines for carbohydrate, protein, fat, and micronutrients for elite synchronized swimmers are reviewed. Because of the aesthetic nature of the sport, which prioritizes leanness, the risks of energy and macronutrient deficiencies are of significant concern. Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport and disordered eating/eating disorders are also of concern for these female athletes. An approach to the healthy management of body composition in synchronized swimming is outlined. Synchronized swimmers should be encouraged to consume a well-balanced diet with sufficient energy to meet demands and to time the intake of carbohydrate, protein, and fat to optimize performance and body composition. Micronutrients of concern for this female athlete population include iron, calcium, and vitamin D. This article reviews the physiological demands of synchronized swimming and makes nutritional recommendations for recovery, training, and competition to help optimize athletic performance and to reduce risks for weight-related medical issues that are of particular concern for elite synchronized swimmers.

Can the generic antiretroviral industry support access to a universal antiretroviral regimen?

PubMed

Amole, Carolyn D; Middlecote, Caroline; Prabhu, Vineet R; Kumarasamy, N

2017-07-01

The generic antiretroviral (ARV) industry played a critical role in the massive scale-up of HIV treatment in low-income and middle-income countries since 2000. As the global community looks ahead to a universal antiretroviral regimen, this article considers the industry's role in supporting universal access to affordable, simpler, more durable, and tolerable HIV treatment regimens. Generic manufacturers made treatment scale-up in low-income and middle-income countries possible through reducing prices, combining molecules from different originator companies to develop optimal fixed-dose combinations, and investing in production capacity to meet escalating demand. Achieving scale-up of a universal regimen will require continued partnership in these areas. Collaboration on the demand and supply sides of the ARV marketplace will be required to foster a healthy and sustainable marketplace for new regimens. This includes clear priority setting from the global treatment community on priority products; predictable demand; regulatory prioritization of optimal products; effective tendering and procurement practices that enable multiple suppliers to participate in the market; coordinated product introduction efforts between Ministries of Health, partners, and civil society; and transparency from both buyers and suppliers to promote and monitor supply security. New regimens will benefit people living with HIV, as well as buyers and generic suppliers, by maximizing existing production capacity and treatment budgets to reach the 90-90-90 goals.

Assessing the Robustness of Chemical Prioritizations Based on ToxCast Chemical Profiling

EPA Science Inventory

A central goal of the U.S. EPA’s ToxCast™ program is to provide empirical, scientific evidence to aid in prioritizing the toxicity testing of thousands of chemicals. The agency has developed a prioritization approach, the Toxicological Prioritization Index (ToxPi™), that calculat...

Mining for Evidence in Enterprise Corpora

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Almquist, Brian Alan

2011-01-01

The primary research aim of this dissertation is to identify the strategies that best meet the information retrieval needs as expressed in the "e-discovery" scenario. This task calls for a high-recall system that, in response to a request for all available relevant documents to a legal complaint, effectively prioritizes documents from an…

Challenges Faced by Prospective Teachers in Universities and Solution Proposals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kiral, Erkan

2016-01-01

The number of universities in Turkey has reached to 193, among which 72 of them have their own faculties of education. The problem of quantity in teacher training seems to be eliminated; however, training qualified teachers has become a prioritized issue. Many responsibilities fall to universities in training qualified teachers including…

Transnational Challenges and U.S. National Security: Defining and Prioritizing Borderless Threats

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-11-01

borders Forced: human trafficking; natural disaster response; displacement; refugees Semi-voluntary: Economic migrants; urbanization; effects of...2016; the Zika virus epidemic, 2015-16); bio-weapons 8 Spread of ideology A system of religious, social, political, economic ...slavery; refugees; migrants; gender/religious/ethnic discrimination International economic flows Challenges related to international financial

Slow Cultural Approach vs. Radical Materialistic Change: Making the School Curriculum Responsive to Globalisation in Small Island Countries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boufoy-Bastick, Beatrice

School curricula reflect the sociocultural values held by society. As such, curricula may adopt: (1) a philosophically humanistic, individual-sensitive orientation, or (2) an economically-driven, social development orientation. This first orientation supports self-realization and prioritizes a broad-based and multidisciplinary school curriculum.…

Prioritizing School Integration in ESSA State Implementation Plans. Issue Brief No. 6

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hilton, Michael

2016-01-01

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is the latest reauthorization of the country's premier K-12 education law, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Under ESSA state education agencies (SEAs), along with local education agencies (LEAs) and the communities they serve assume significant new responsibilities, ranging from the formulation of…

The Mechanism by Which Interpersonal Coping Flexibility Influences Self-Esteem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gan, Yiqun; Liu, Jun

2012-01-01

The objectives of the present study were to conceptualize interpersonal coping flexibility and to explore how it influences personal adaptation. Two hundred sixty two university students were classified based on their responses to prompts about their degree of prioritizing harmony and the number of coping strategies they employed when dealing with…

Using Stimulation of the Diving Reflex in Humans to Teach Integrative Physiology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choate, Julia K.; Denton, Kate M.; Evans, Roger G.; Hodgson, Yvonne

2014-01-01

During underwater submersion, the body responds by conserving O[subscript 2] and prioritizing blood flow to the brain and heart. These physiological adjustments, which involve the nervous, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems, are known as the diving response and provide an ideal example of integrative physiology. The diving reflex can be…

78 FR 80376 - Federal Acquisition Regulation; Prioritizing Sources of Supplies and Services for Use by the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-31

... that use of FSS is not mandatory. Rather, as part of good market research, agencies are encouraged to... of their market research before considering open market sources. Comment: One respondent recommended...'s needs. Response: This type of documentation may be appropriate as part of the market research...

Gender Differences in Restricting Work Efforts because of Family Responsibilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maume, David J.

2006-01-01

In egalitarian families, we might expect that men and women similarly prioritize work and family obligations. Yet, prior research examining gender differences in work-family priorities often use measures that imperfectly reflect those priorities. Drawing two samples of full-time married workers from the 1992 National Study of the Changing…

Tox21: Putting a Lens on the Vision of Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century

EPA Science Inventory

In response to the release of the NRC report on "Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century, a Vision and Strategy" (NRC, 2007), two NIH institutes and EPA formed a collaboration (Tox21) to 1) identify mechanisms of chemically induced biological activity, 2) prioritize chemicals for mo...

Environmental initiative prioritization with a Delphi approach: a case study.

PubMed

Gokhale, A A

2001-08-01

India is fast finding its place in the industrialized world and that is beginning to raise its environmental consciousness. The Delphi technique was used to prioritize specific needs and articulate a sustainable urban improvement strategy for the city of Mumbai (formerly Bombay). The Delphi technique is a means of achieving consensual validity among raters by providing them feedback regarding other raters' responses. Mumbai has several indigenous environmental groups that were tapped for activists and leaders; the study was conducted using ten environmentalists. In the initial phases the responses resulted in a range of possible program alternatives. The last two stages helped to seek out information that generated a consensus on the part of the respondent group. Statistical analysis methods included a hierarchical cluster analysis, mean, median, mode, and percent of agreement calculations using SPSS software. The face-to-face discussion in phase 4 clarified some issues and helped the group as a whole to outline the strategy for putting in place the essential elements of a framework to improve the quality of life in an urban environment.

12 CFR 602.24 - Responses to demands served on non-FCA employees or entities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Responses to demands served on non-FCA employees or entities. 602.24 Section 602.24 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATIVE... Not a Named Party § 602.24 Responses to demands served on non-FCA employees or entities. If you are...

Research on electricity market operation mechanism and its benefit of demand side participation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Shuai; Yan, Xu; Qin, Li-juan; Lin, Xi-qiao; Zeng, Bo

2017-08-01

Demand response plays an important role in maintaining the economic stability of the system, and has the characteristics of high efficiency, low cost, fast response, good environmental benefits and so on. Demand side resource is an important part of electricity market. The research of demand side resources in our country is still in the initial stage, but the opening of the electricity sales side provides a broad prospect for the development of electricity market. This paper summarizes the main types of demand side resources in our country, analyzes the economic principle of demand response from the micro perspective, puts forward some suggestions on the operation mechanism of China’s demand side resources participating in the electricity market under the condition of electricity sales side opening, analyzes the current situation of pricing in the electricity wholesale market and sets up the pricing strategy of the centralized wholesale market with the demand side power supply participating in quotation, which makes the social and economic benefits reach the maximum.

The contributions of the European Medicines Agency and its pediatric committee to the fight against childhood leukemia

PubMed Central

Rose, Klaus; Walson, Philip D

2015-01-01

Background Although the diagnosis of childhood leukemia is no longer a death sentence, too many patients still die, more with acute myeloid leukemia than with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The European Union pediatric legislation was introduced to improve pharmaceutical treatment of children, but some question whether the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approach is helping children with leukemia. Some have even suggested that the decisions of EMA pediatric committee (PDCO) are counterproductive. This study was designed to investigate the impact of PDCO-issued pediatric investigation plans (PIPs) for leukemia drugs. Methods All PIPs listed under “oncology” were downloaded from the EMA website. Non-leukemia decisions including misclassifications, waivers (no PIP), and solid tumors were discarded. The leukemia decisions were analyzed, compared to pediatric leukemia trials in the database http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, and discussed in the light of current literature. Results The PDCO leukemia decisions demand clinical trials in pediatric leukemia for all new adult drugs without prioritization. However, because leukemia in children is different and much rarer than in adults, these decisions have resulted in proposed studies that are scientifically and ethically questionable. They are also unnecessary, since once promising new compounds are approved for adults, more appropriate, prioritized pediatric leukemia trials are initiated worldwide without PDCO involvement. Conclusion EMA/PDCO leukemia PIPs do little to advance the treatment of childhood leukemia. The unintended negative effects of the flawed EMA/PDCO’s standardized requesting of non-prioritized testing of every new adult leukemia drug in children with relapsed or refractory disease expose these children to questionable trials, and could undermine public trust in pediatric clinical research. Institutions, investigators, and ethics committees/institutional review boards need to be skeptical of trials triggered by PDCO. New, better ways to facilitate drug development for pediatric leukemia are needed. PMID:26604845

Aggregate modeling of fast-acting demand response and control under real-time pricing

DOE PAGES

Chassin, David P.; Rondeau, Daniel

2016-08-24

This paper develops and assesses the performance of a short-term demand response (DR) model for utility load control with applications to resource planning and control design. Long term response models tend to underestimate short-term demand response when induced by prices. This has two important consequences. First, planning studies tend to undervalue DR and often overlook its benefits in utility demand management program development. Second, when DR is not overlooked, the open-loop DR control gain estimate may be too low. This can result in overuse of load resources, control instability and excessive price volatility. Our objective is therefore to develop amore » more accurate and better performing short-term demand response model. We construct the model from first principles about the nature of thermostatic load control and show that the resulting formulation corresponds exactly to the Random Utility Model employed in economics to study consumer choice. The model is tested against empirical data collected from field demonstration projects and is shown to perform better than alternative models commonly used to forecast demand in normal operating conditions. Finally, the results suggest that (1) existing utility tariffs appear to be inadequate to incentivize demand response, particularly in the presence of high renewables, and (2) existing load control systems run the risk of becoming unstable if utilities close the loop on real-time prices.« less

Aggregate modeling of fast-acting demand response and control under real-time pricing

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

Chassin, David P.; Rondeau, Daniel

This paper develops and assesses the performance of a short-term demand response (DR) model for utility load control with applications to resource planning and control design. Long term response models tend to underestimate short-term demand response when induced by prices. This has two important consequences. First, planning studies tend to undervalue DR and often overlook its benefits in utility demand management program development. Second, when DR is not overlooked, the open-loop DR control gain estimate may be too low. This can result in overuse of load resources, control instability and excessive price volatility. Our objective is therefore to develop amore » more accurate and better performing short-term demand response model. We construct the model from first principles about the nature of thermostatic load control and show that the resulting formulation corresponds exactly to the Random Utility Model employed in economics to study consumer choice. The model is tested against empirical data collected from field demonstration projects and is shown to perform better than alternative models commonly used to forecast demand in normal operating conditions. Finally, the results suggest that (1) existing utility tariffs appear to be inadequate to incentivize demand response, particularly in the presence of high renewables, and (2) existing load control systems run the risk of becoming unstable if utilities close the loop on real-time prices.« less

Aggregate modeling of fast-acting demand response and control under real-time pricing

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

Chassin, David P.; Rondeau, Daniel

This paper develops and assesses the performance of a short-term demand response (DR) model for utility load control with applications to resource planning and control design. Long term response models tend to underestimate short-term demand response when induced by prices. This has two important consequences. First, planning studies tend to undervalue DR and often overlook its benefits in utility demand management program development. Second, when DR is not overlooked, the open-loop DR control gain estimate may be too low. This can result in overuse of load resources, control instability and excessive price volatility. Our objective is therefore to develop amore » more accurate and better performing short-term demand response model. We construct the model from first principles about the nature of thermostatic load control and show that the resulting formulation corresponds exactly to the Random Utility Model employed in economics to study consumer choice. The model is tested against empirical data collected from field demonstration projects and is shown to perform better than alternative models commonly used to forecast demand in normal operating conditions. The results suggest that (1) existing utility tariffs appear to be inadequate to incentivize demand response, particularly in the presence of high renewables, and (2) existing load control systems run the risk of becoming unstable if utilities close the loop on real-time prices.« less

A Quantitative and Novel Approach to the Prioritization of Zoonotic Diseases in North America: A Public Perspective

PubMed Central

Ng, Victoria; Sargeant, Jan M.

2012-01-01

Background Zoonoses account for over half of all communicable diseases causing illness in humans. As there are limited resources available for the control and prevention of zoonotic diseases, a framework for their prioritization is necessary to ensure resources are directed into those of highest importance. Although zoonotic outbreaks are a significant burden of disease in North America, the systematic prioritization of zoonoses in this region has not been previously evaluated. Methodology/Principal Findings This study describes the novel use of a well-established quantitative method, conjoint analysis (CA), to identify the relative importance of 21 key characteristics of zoonotic diseases that can be used for their prioritization in Canada and the US. Relative importance weights from the CA were used to develop a point-scoring system to derive a recommended list of zoonoses for prioritization in Canada and the US. Over 1,500 participants from the general public were recruited to complete the online survey (761 from Canada and 778 from the US). Hierarchical Bayes models were fitted to the survey data to derive CA-weighted scores. Scores were applied to 62 zoonotic diseases of public health importance in Canada and the US to rank diseases in order of priority. Conclusions/Significance This was the first study to describe a systematic and quantitative approach to the prioritization of zoonoses in North America involving public participants. We found individuals with no prior knowledge or experience in prioritizing zoonoses were capable of producing meaningful results using CA as a novel quantitative approach to prioritization. More similarities than differences were observed between countries suggesting general agreement in disease prioritization between Canadians and Americans. We demonstrate CA as a potential tool for the prioritization of zoonoses; other prioritization exercises may also consider this approach. PMID:23133639

Identifying and Prioritizing Information Needs and Research Priorities of Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Practitioners.

PubMed

Siegfried, Alexa L; Carbone, Eric G; Meit, Michael B; Kennedy, Mallory J; Yusuf, Hussain; Kahn, Emily B

2017-10-01

This study describes findings from an assessment conducted to identify perceived knowledge gaps, information needs, and research priorities among state, territorial, and local public health preparedness directors and coordinators related to public health emergency preparedness and response (PHPR). The goal of the study was to gather information that would be useful for ensuring that future funding for research and evaluation targets areas most critical for advancing public health practice. We implemented a mixed-methods approach to identify and prioritize PHPR research questions. A web survey was sent to all state, city, and territorial health agencies funded through the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Cooperative Agreement program and a sample of local health departments (LHDs). Three focus groups of state and local practitioners and subject matter experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were subsequently conducted, followed by 3 meetings of an expert panel of PHPR practitioners and CDC experts to prioritize and refine the research questions. We identified a final list of 44 research questions that were deemed by study participants as priority topics where future research can inform PHPR programs and practice. We identified differences in perceived research priorities between PHEP awardees and LHD survey respondents; the number of research questions rated as important was greater among LHDs than among PHEP awardees (75%, n=33, compared to 24%, n=15). The research questions identified provide insight into public health practitioners' perceived knowledge gaps and the types of information that would be most useful for informing and advancing PHPR practice. The study also points to a higher level of information need among LHDs than among PHEP awardees. These findings are important for CDC and the PHPR research community to ensure that future research studies are responsive to practitioners' needs and provide the information required to enhance their capacity to meet the needs of the communities and jurisdictions they serve. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:552-561).

Executive control of stimulus-driven and goal-directed attention in visual working memory.

PubMed

Hu, Yanmei; Allen, Richard J; Baddeley, Alan D; Hitch, Graham J

2016-10-01

We examined the role of executive control in stimulus-driven and goal-directed attention in visual working memory using probed recall of a series of objects, a task that allows study of the dynamics of storage through analysis of serial position data. Experiment 1 examined whether executive control underlies goal-directed prioritization of certain items within the sequence. Instructing participants to prioritize either the first or final item resulted in improved recall for these items, and an increase in concurrent task difficulty reduced or abolished these gains, consistent with their dependence on executive control. Experiment 2 examined whether executive control is also involved in the disruption caused by a post-series visual distractor (suffix). A demanding concurrent task disrupted memory for all items except the most recent, whereas a suffix disrupted only the most recent items. There was no interaction when concurrent load and suffix were combined, suggesting that deploying selective attention to ignore the distractor did not draw upon executive resources. A final experiment replicated the independent interfering effects of suffix and concurrent load while ruling out possible artifacts. We discuss the results in terms of a domain-general episodic buffer in which information is retained in a transient, limited capacity privileged state, influenced by both stimulus-driven and goal-directed processes. The privileged state contains the most recent environmental input together with goal-relevant representations being actively maintained using executive resources.

Multiomics Data Triangulation for Asthma Candidate Biomarkers and Precision Medicine.

PubMed

Pecak, Matija; Korošec, Peter; Kunej, Tanja

2018-06-01

Asthma is a common complex disorder and has been subject to intensive omics research for disease susceptibility and therapeutic innovation. Candidate biomarkers of asthma and its precision treatment demand that they stand the test of multiomics data triangulation before they can be prioritized for clinical applications. We classified the biomarkers of asthma after a search of the literature and based on whether or not a given biomarker candidate is reported in multiple omics platforms and methodologies, using PubMed and Web of Science, we identified omics studies of asthma conducted on diverse platforms using keywords, such as asthma, genomics, metabolomics, and epigenomics. We extracted data about asthma candidate biomarkers from 73 articles and developed a catalog of 190 potential asthma biomarkers (167 human, 23 animal data), comprising DNA loci, transcripts, proteins, metabolites, epimutations, and noncoding RNAs. The data were sorted according to 13 omics types: genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, interactomics, metabolomics, ncRNAomics, glycomics, lipidomics, environmental omics, pharmacogenomics, phenomics, and integrative omics. Importantly, we found that 10 candidate biomarkers were apparent in at least two or more omics levels, thus promising potential for further biomarker research and development and precision medicine applications. This multiomics catalog reported herein for the first time contributes to future decision-making on prioritization of biomarkers and validation efforts for precision medicine in asthma. The findings may also facilitate meta-analyses and integrative omics studies in the future.

A global strategy for road building.

PubMed

Laurance, William F; Clements, Gopalasamy Reuben; Sloan, Sean; O'Connell, Christine S; Mueller, Nathan D; Goosem, Miriam; Venter, Oscar; Edwards, David P; Phalan, Ben; Balmford, Andrew; Van Der Ree, Rodney; Arrea, Irene Burgues

2014-09-11

The number and extent of roads will expand dramatically this century. Globally, at least 25 million kilometres of new roads are anticipated by 2050; a 60% increase in the total length of roads over that in 2010. Nine-tenths of all road construction is expected to occur in developing nations, including many regions that sustain exceptional biodiversity and vital ecosystem services. Roads penetrating into wilderness or frontier areas are a major proximate driver of habitat loss and fragmentation, wildfires, overhunting and other environmental degradation, often with irreversible impacts on ecosystems. Unfortunately, much road proliferation is chaotic or poorly planned, and the rate of expansion is so great that it often overwhelms the capacity of environmental planners and managers. Here we present a global scheme for prioritizing road building. This large-scale zoning plan seeks to limit the environmental costs of road expansion while maximizing its benefits for human development, by helping to increase agricultural production, which is an urgent priority given that global food demand could double by mid-century. Our analysis identifies areas with high environmental values where future road building should be avoided if possible, areas where strategic road improvements could promote agricultural development with relatively modest environmental costs, and 'conflict areas' where road building could have sizeable benefits for agriculture but with serious environmental damage. Our plan provides a template for proactively zoning and prioritizing roads during the most explosive era of road expansion in human history.

Strategic planning and radiology practice management in the new health care environment.

PubMed

Sharpe, Richard E; Mehta, Tejas S; Eisenberg, Ronald L; Kruskal, Jonathan B

2015-01-01

Current comprehensive health care reform in the United States demands that policy makers, insurers, providers, and patients work in reshaping the health care system to deliver care that is both more affordable and of higher quality. A tectonic shift is under way that runs contrary to the traditional goal of radiology groups to perform and interpret large numbers of imaging examinations. In fact, radiology service requisitions now must be evaluated for their appropriateness, possibly resulting in a reduction in the number of imaging studies performed. To be successful, radiology groups will have to restructure their business practices and strategies to align with the emerging health care paradigm. This article outlines a four-stage strategic framework that has aided corporations in achieving their goals and that can be readily adapted and applied by radiologists. The four stages are (a) definition and articulation of a purpose, (b) clear definition of strategic goals, (c) prioritization of specific strategic enablers, and (d) implementation of processes for tracking progress and enabling continuous adaptation. The authors provide practical guidance for applying specific tools such as analyses of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (so-called SWOT analyses), prioritization matrices, and balanced scorecards to accomplish each stage. By adopting and applying these tools within the strategic framework outlined, radiology groups can position themselves to succeed in the evolving health care environment. RSNA, 2015

Prioritization of Candidate Genes in QTL Regions for Physiological and Biochemical Traits Underlying Drought Response in Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

PubMed Central

Gudys, Kornelia; Guzy-Wrobelska, Justyna; Janiak, Agnieszka; Dziurka, Michał A.; Ostrowska, Agnieszka; Hura, Katarzyna; Jurczyk, Barbara; Żmuda, Katarzyna; Grzybkowska, Daria; Śróbka, Joanna; Urban, Wojciech; Biesaga-Koscielniak, Jolanta; Filek, Maria; Koscielniak, Janusz; Mikołajczak, Krzysztof; Ogrodowicz, Piotr; Krystkowiak, Karolina; Kuczyńska, Anetta; Krajewski, Paweł; Szarejko, Iwona

2018-01-01

Drought is one of the most adverse abiotic factors limiting growth and productivity of crops. Among them is barley, ranked fourth cereal worldwide in terms of harvested acreage and production. Plants have evolved various mechanisms to cope with water deficit at different biological levels, but there is an enormous challenge to decipher genes responsible for particular complex phenotypic traits, in order to develop drought tolerant crops. This work presents a comprehensive approach for elucidation of molecular mechanisms of drought tolerance in barley at the seedling stage of development. The study includes mapping of QTLs for physiological and biochemical traits associated with drought tolerance on a high-density function map, projection of QTL confidence intervals on barley physical map, and the retrievement of positional candidate genes (CGs), followed by their prioritization based on Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis. A total of 64 QTLs for 25 physiological and biochemical traits that describe plant water status, photosynthetic efficiency, osmoprotectant and hormone content, as well as antioxidant activity, were positioned on a consensus map, constructed using RIL populations developed from the crosses between European and Syrian genotypes. The map contained a total of 875 SNP, SSR and CGs, spanning 941.86 cM with resolution of 1.1 cM. For the first time, QTLs for ethylene, glucose, sucrose, maltose, raffinose, α-tocopherol, γ-tocotrienol content, and catalase activity, have been mapped in barley. Based on overlapping confidence intervals of QTLs, 11 hotspots were identified that enclosed more than 60% of mapped QTLs. Genetic and physical map integration allowed the identification of 1,101 positional CGs within the confidence intervals of drought response-specific QTLs. Prioritization resulted in the designation of 143 CGs, among them were genes encoding antioxidants, carboxylic acid biosynthesis enzymes, heat shock proteins, small auxin up-regulated RNAs, nitric oxide synthase, ATP sulfurylases, and proteins involved in regulation of flowering time. This global approach may be proposed for identification of new CGs that underlies QTLs responsible for complex traits. PMID:29946328

Prioritizing Restoration in the Hangman Creek Watershed: Predicting Baseflow through Sub-basin Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navickis-Brasch, A. S.; Fiedler, F. R.

2013-12-01

Land use changes since European settlement have significantly impaired the beneficial uses of Coeur d'Alene (CDA) Tribe water bodies in the Hangman Creek watershed. The cumulative impacts have resulted in a 303 (d) designation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), extirpated the only salmon run on the reservation, and reduced tributary connectivity by isolating many native fish populations. Considering salmon were an essential part of tribal identity and cultural activities, the tribe initiated a 100-year management plan to restore the 155,000-acre portion of the Hangman Creek watershed located on the CDA reservation. The restoration management plan focuses on sustaining subsistence and cultural activities by reestablishing stream connectivity and providing sustainable aquatic habitats as well as restoring watershed processes and improving water quality. Ultimately, the restoration goal is to improve the habitat suitability of Hangman Creek for the eventual return of salmon. To accomplish these goals, it is essential to prioritize and sequence activities that most effectively support restoration. While watershed modeling provides a commonly accepted holistic approach to simulating watershed responses, it appears the effectiveness of models in predicting restoration success, particularly with respect to the effects of restoration on baseflow, have not been well documented. In addition, creating a representative watershed model capable of accounting for a watershed scale spatial and temporal variability generally requires extensive field measurements. This presents a challenge for developing a model of Hangman Creek, since the watershed is mostly ungauged with only limited data available at a few monitoring sites. Our approach to developing a restoration prioritization plan is to first model a subbasin in the watershed with similar characteristics and restoration goals, then utilize the subbasin model to project future baseflow responses in the larger watershed. The Sheep Creek sub-basin of Hangman Creek is one of the first sites to begin restoration and potentially reestablish 2.1 miles of the tributary connectivity to Hangman Creek by realigning the creek back to its historical path. In this work we prioritize restoration efforts based on predicted baseflow responses to restoration using a subbasin model of Sheep Creek. This model will first be calibrated to the extent possible with current alignment groundwater and streamflow data. Then using available ground water and streamflow data collected after the creek is realigned, baseflow response to restoration in the newly aligned Sheep Creek will be predicted and compared to actual conditions. Additional data available for creating the subbasin model includes a newly installed weather station and stream gauge, liDar data, and recently monitored water quality conditions. This poster will present the details of the approach and initial results, and will explicitly consider how the interdisciplinary aspects of the project inform the approach.

Demands on attention and the role of response priming in visual discrimination of feature conjunctions.

PubMed

Fournier, Lisa R; Herbert, Rhonda J; Farris, Carrie

2004-10-01

This study examined how response mapping of features within single- and multiple-feature targets affects decision-based processing and attentional capacity demands. Observers judged the presence or absence of 1 or 2 target features within an object either presented alone or with distractors. Judging the presence of 2 features relative to the less discriminable of these features alone was faster (conjunction benefits) when the task-relevant features differed in discriminability and were consistently mapped to responses. Conjunction benefits were attributed to asynchronous decision priming across attended, task-relevant dimensions. A failure to find conjunction benefits for disjunctive conjunctions was attributed to increased memory demands and variable feature-response mapping for 2- versus single-feature targets. Further, attentional demands were similar between single- and 2-feature targets when response mapping, memory demands, and discriminability of the task-relevant features were equated between targets. Implications of the findings for recent attention models are discussed. (c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved

Stockpiling Ventilators for Influenza Pandemics.

PubMed

Huang, Hsin-Chan; Araz, Ozgur M; Morton, David P; Johnson, Gregory P; Damien, Paul; Clements, Bruce; Meyers, Lauren Ancel

2017-06-01

In preparing for influenza pandemics, public health agencies stockpile critical medical resources. Determining appropriate quantities and locations for such resources can be challenging, given the considerable uncertainty in the timing and severity of future pandemics. We introduce a method for optimizing stockpiles of mechanical ventilators, which are critical for treating hospitalized influenza patients in respiratory failure. As a case study, we consider the US state of Texas during mild, moderate, and severe pandemics. Optimal allocations prioritize local over central storage, even though the latter can be deployed adaptively, on the basis of real-time needs. This prioritization stems from high geographic correlations and the slightly lower treatment success assumed for centrally stockpiled ventilators. We developed our model and analysis in collaboration with academic researchers and a state public health agency and incorporated it into a Web-based decision-support tool for pandemic preparedness and response.

Air Force Energy Plan 2010

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-11-24

production on Air Bases  Field the Critical Asset Prioritization Methodology ( CAPM ) tool  Manage costs  Provide energy leadership throughout the Air...residing on military installations • Field the Critical Asset Prioritization Methodology ( CAPM ) tool. This CAPM tool will allow prioritization of Air...fielding of the Critical Asset Prioritization Methodology ( CAPM ) tool and the adoption of financial standards to enable transparency across Air

32 CFR 1805.4 - Procedure for production.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... responsibility for the information sought in the demand shall determine whether any information or materials may properly be produced in response to the demand, except that NACIC Counsel may assert any and all legal... demand for production is made upon an employee, the employee shall immediately notify NACIC Counsel, who...

Quantitative metrics for assessing predicted climate change pressure on North American tree species

Treesearch

Kevin M. Potter; William W. Hargrove

2013-01-01

Changing climate may pose a threat to forest tree species, forcing three potential population-level responses: toleration/adaptation, movement to suitable environmental conditions, or local extirpation. Assessments that prioritize and classify tree species for management and conservation activities in the face of climate change will need to incorporate estimates of the...

Developing Toxicogenomics as a Research Tool by Applying Benchmark Dose-Response Modeling to inform Chemical Mode of Action and Tumorigenic Potency

EPA Science Inventory

ABSTRACT Results of global gene expression profiling after short-term exposures can be used to inform tumorigenic potency and chemical mode of action (MOA) and thus serve as a strategy to prioritize future or data-poor chemicals for further evaluation. This compilation of cas...

Preventing School Bullying: Should Schools Prioritize an Authoritative School Discipline Approach over Security Measures?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerlinger, Julie; Wo, James C.

2016-01-01

A common response to school violence features the use of security measures to deter serious and violent incidents. However, a second approach, based on school climate theory, suggests that schools exhibiting authoritative school discipline (i.e., high structure and support) might more effectively reduce school disorder. We tested these approaches…

Case Study 3: Species vulnerability assessment for the Middle Rio Grande, New Mexico

Treesearch

Deborah M. Finch; Megan Friggens; Karen Bagne

2011-01-01

This case study describes a method for scoring terrestrial species that have potential to be vulnerable to climate change. The assessment tool seeks to synthesize complex information related to projected climate changes into a predictive tool for species conservation. The tool was designed to aid managers in prioritizing species management actions in response to...

Perceived Work-Life Balance Ability, Job Satisfaction, and Professional Commitment among Agriculture Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sorensen, Tyson J.; McKim, Aaron J.

2014-01-01

Agriculture teachers participate in various work and life roles, which can create challenges when trying to balance the pressures and responsibilities associated with each role. When one is unable to balance and prioritize between roles, both satisfaction and professional commitment may be reduced. The purpose of this study was to describe Oregon…

The Budget Response: Fiscal Year 2013. CEF's Position Statement on President Obama's FY 2013 Budget Request

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mandlawitz, Myrna, Ed.

2011-01-01

The Committee for Education Funding (CEF), a coalition of over 90 national education associations and institutions from preschool to postgraduate education, applauds President Obama's Fiscal Year 2013 budget for prioritizing investment in education as a proven strategy to increase jobs and improve our nation's economic growth and competitiveness.…

Native-American & Euro-American Cultures: A Comparative Look at the Intersection between Language & Worldview

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hain-Jamall, Doe A. S.

2013-01-01

According to this author, the Earth is in trouble. Decades of mining, over-fishing, and the pumping of toxic chemicals into the atmosphere have taken an enormous toll on an otherwise robust and healthy planetary ecosystem. Those responsible have prioritized financial gain over sustainability, over life--plant, animal, and human. Short-term profit…

Aggressive effects of prioritizing popularity in early adolescence.

PubMed

Cillessen, Antonius H N; Mayeux, Lara; Ha, Thao; de Bruyn, Eddy H; LaFontana, Kathryn M

2014-01-01

This study examined the moderating effects of prioritizing popularity on the association between early adolescents' popularity and their aggressive, leadership, and prosocial behaviors with peers. Participants were 288 14-year-olds from The Netherlands who completed a sociometric instrument and an assessment of how much they prioritized popularity over other personal goals. Results indicated that prioritizing popularity was distinct from actual popularity in the peer group. Further, prioritizing popularity moderated the association of popularity with aggressive and leadership behaviors, with adolescents who were both popular and who prioritized popularity being particularly aggressive and scoring high on leadership behaviors. This trend was especially true for boys. The same moderating effect was not found for prosocial behaviors. Motivational and social-cognitive factors in the dynamics of peer popularity are highlighted. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Self-Prioritization Beyond Perception.

PubMed

Schäfer, Sarah; Wentura, Dirk; Frings, Christian

2015-01-01

Recently, Sui, He, and Humphreys (2012) introduced a new paradigm to measure perceptual self-prioritization processes. It seems that arbitrarily tagging shapes to self-relevant words (I, my, me, and so on) leads to speeded verification times when matching self-relevant word shape pairings (e.g., me - triangle) as compared to non-self-relevant word shape pairings (e.g., stranger - circle). In order to analyze the level at which self-prioritization takes place we analyzed whether the self-prioritization effect is due to a tagging of the self-relevant label and the particular associated shape or due to a tagging of the self with an abstract concept. In two experiments participants showed standard self-prioritization effects with varying stimulus features or different exemplars of a particular stimulus-category suggesting that self-prioritization also works at a conceptual level.

Using high frequency consumption data to identify demand response potential for solar energy integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, L.; Borgeson, S.; Fredman, D.; Hans, L.; Spurlock, A.; Todd, A.

2015-12-01

California's renewable portfolio standard (2012) requires the state to get 33% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Increased share of variable renewable sources such as solar and wind in the California electricity system may require more grid flexibility to insure reliable power services. Such grid flexibility can be potentially provided by changes in end use electricity consumptions in response to grid conditions (demand-response). In the solar case, residential consumption in the late afternoon can be used as reserve capacity to balance the drop in solar generation. This study presents our initial attempt to identify, from a behavior perspective, residential demand response potentials in relation to solar ramp events using a data-driven approach. Based on hourly residential energy consumption data, we derive representative daily load shapes focusing on discretionary consumption with an innovative clustering analysis technique. We aggregate the representative load shapes into behavior groups in terms of the timing and rhythm of energy use in the context of solar ramp events. Households of different behavior groups that are active during hours with high solar ramp rates are identified for capturing demand response potential. Insights into the nature and predictability of response to demand-response programs are provided.

Lessons learned from stakeholder-driven sustainability analysis of six national HIV programmes.

PubMed

Katz, Itamar; Glandon, Douglas; Wong, Wendy; Kargbo, Brima; Ombam, Regina; Singh, Shanti; Ramsammy, Leslie; Tal-Dia, Anta; Seck, Ibrahima; Osika, John S

2014-05-01

In light of the decline in donor HIV funding, HIV programmes increasingly need to assess their available and potential resources and maximize their utilization. This article presents lessons learned related to how countries have addressed the sustainability of HIV programmes in a stakeholder-driven sustainability analysis. During HIV/AIDS Programme Sustainability Analysis Tool (HAPSAT) applications in six countries (Benin, Guyana, Kenya, Lesotho, Sierra Leone and South Sudan), stakeholders identified key sustainability challenges for their HIV responses. Possible policy approaches were prepared, and those related to prioritization and resource mobilization are analysed in this article. The need to prioritize evidence-based interventions and apply efficiency measures is being accepted by countries. Five of the six countries in this study requested that the HAPSAT team prepare 'prioritization' strategies. Countries recognize the need to prepare for an alternative to 'universal access by 2015', acknowledging that their capacity might be insufficient to reach such high-coverage levels by then. There is further acceptance of the importance of reaching the most-at-risk, marginalized populations, as seen, for example, in South Sudan and Sierra Leone. However, the pace at which resources are shifting towards these populations is slow. Finally, only two of the six countries, Kenya and Benin, chose to examine options for generating additional financial resources beyond donor funding. In Kenya, three non-donor sources were recommended, yet even if all were to be implemented, it would cover only 25% of the funding needed. Countries are increasingly willing to address the challenges of HIV programme sustainability, yet in different ways and with varying urgency. To secure achievements made to date and maximize future impact, countries would benefit from strengthening their strategic plans, operational plans and funding proposals with concrete timelines and responsibilities for addressing sustainability issues.

[What is purchased, how and from whom by Seguro Popular in Mexico? Experience with strategic purchasing at national level and in a pioneer institution].

PubMed

González-Block, Miguel Ángel

2017-01-01

To analyze the scope of demand subsidies through strategic purchasing of health services. Interviews and document analyses at national level and a case study of the state of Hidalgo. SPSS explicitly prioritizes interventions to be financed and regulates prices and expenditure ceilings. Public providers are predominantly funded through the purchasing of inputs and the contracting of human resources, in the absence of competition and with a low degree of managerial autonomy. Seguro Popular in Hidalgo has diversified service providers and payment mechanisms. SPSS has ample opportunity to extend and deepen strategic purchasing. Greater decision-making autonomy of payers and providers is required, as well as regulations to promote provider networks in competitive environments.

The consumer health gap: are we innovating for the future or simply addressing the past?

PubMed

Cafazzo, Joseph A

2014-01-01

The pace of adoption of consumer health solutions appears to be slow, despite some documented success. Reasons why the health system is not embracing this success are complex but not entirely unexpected. The barriers continue to be more a reflection of the state of our health system itself than of the patients who are demanding more involvement in the management of their care. The solution may lie in our willingness to be bolder in our vision for our future health system: for consumer health solutions to drive our focus on the management of chronic illness and self-care. The investments we make will require a measured prioritizing of the patient over the provider in building the health information technology systems of tomorrow.

Development of Maintenance METRICS to Forecast Resource Demands of Weapon Systems (Parameter Prioritization). Revision A.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-10-01

LUV ’ ,czL t . . =U =~Q U F- =L U - L’ I -Li =CDM : :< ) -cC :c I -J -L =- LO 0i < i 0 -:CLU Li V) i = L.) LU -l Q0LUF C C-cnr 0...LUJ -n L -L c*-rJ . X : C\\JC\\ -- C -o 0-< c LQOOC*J LO (L)’ I CC\\ LA ’ .J ~j( co LL.<U~ LC Lo LU LU LU LU; LU; LU LU; LU Lo LU LU, LU LUv LU LUr LU...AD-AO97 b92 BOEING AEROSPACE C0 SEATTLE VA PRODUCT SPOIT/,EMV-."¢ I /6 1/3 OVELOPMENT OF MAINTENANCE METRICS TO FORECAST RESOUltCE OEMANOS--ETC(U)

Enhancing Collaborative Learning through Group Intelligence Software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Yin Leng; Macaulay, Linda A.

Employers increasingly demand not only academic excellence from graduates but also excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively in teams. This paper discusses the role of Group Intelligence software in helping to develop these higher order skills in the context of an enquiry based learning (EBL) project. The software supports teams in generating ideas, categorizing, prioritizing, voting and multi-criteria decision making and automatically generates a report of each team session. Students worked in a Group Intelligence lab designed to support both face to face and computer-mediated communication and employers provided feedback at two key points in the year long team project. Evaluation of the effectiveness of Group Intelligence software in collaborative learning was based on five key concepts of creativity, participation, productivity, engagement and understanding.

Are visual threats prioritized without awareness? A critical review and meta-analysis involving 3 behavioral paradigms and 2696 observers.

PubMed

Hedger, Nicholas; Gray, Katie L H; Garner, Matthew; Adams, Wendy J

2016-09-01

Given capacity limits, only a subset of stimuli give rise to a conscious percept. Neurocognitive models suggest that humans have evolved mechanisms that operate without awareness and prioritize threatening stimuli over neutral stimuli in subsequent perception. In this meta-analysis, we review evidence for this 'standard hypothesis' emanating from 3 widely used, but rather different experimental paradigms that have been used to manipulate awareness. We found a small pooled threat-bias effect in the masked visual probe paradigm, a medium effect in the binocular rivalry paradigm and highly inconsistent effects in the breaking continuous flash suppression paradigm. Substantial heterogeneity was explained by the stimulus type: the only threat stimuli that were robustly prioritized across all 3 paradigms were fearful faces. Meta regression revealed that anxiety may modulate threat-biases, but only under specific presentation conditions. We also found that insufficiently rigorous awareness measures, inadequate control of response biases and low level confounds may undermine claims of genuine unconscious threat processing. Considering the data together, we suggest that uncritical acceptance of the standard hypothesis is premature: current behavioral evidence for threat-sensitive visual processing that operates without awareness is weak. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Comparative analysis of protein interactome networks prioritizes candidate genes with cancer signatures.

PubMed

Li, Yongsheng; Sahni, Nidhi; Yi, Song

2016-11-29

Comprehensive understanding of human cancer mechanisms requires the identification of a thorough list of cancer-associated genes, which could serve as biomarkers for diagnoses and therapies in various types of cancer. Although substantial progress has been made in functional studies to uncover genes involved in cancer, these efforts are often time-consuming and costly. Therefore, it remains challenging to comprehensively identify cancer candidate genes. Network-based methods have accelerated this process through the analysis of complex molecular interactions in the cell. However, the extent to which various interactome networks can contribute to prediction of candidate genes responsible for cancer is still enigmatic. In this study, we evaluated different human protein-protein interactome networks and compared their application to cancer gene prioritization. Our results indicate that network analyses can increase the power to identify novel cancer genes. In particular, such predictive power can be enhanced with the use of unbiased systematic protein interaction maps for cancer gene prioritization. Functional analysis reveals that the top ranked genes from network predictions co-occur often with cancer-related terms in literature, and further, these candidate genes are indeed frequently mutated across cancers. Finally, our study suggests that integrating interactome networks with other omics datasets could provide novel insights into cancer-associated genes and underlying molecular mechanisms.

regSNPs: a strategy for prioritizing regulatory single nucleotide substitutions

PubMed Central

Teng, Mingxiang; Ichikawa, Shoji; Padgett, Leah R.; Wang, Yadong; Mort, Matthew; Cooper, David N.; Koller, Daniel L.; Foroud, Tatiana; Edenberg, Howard J.; Econs, Michael J.; Liu, Yunlong

2012-01-01

Motivation: One of the fundamental questions in genetics study is to identify functional DNA variants that are responsible to a disease or phenotype of interest. Results from large-scale genetics studies, such as genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and the availability of high-throughput sequencing technologies provide opportunities in identifying causal variants. Despite the technical advances, informatics methodologies need to be developed to prioritize thousands of variants for potential causative effects. Results: We present regSNPs, an informatics strategy that integrates several established bioinformatics tools, for prioritizing regulatory SNPs, i.e. the SNPs in the promoter regions that potentially affect phenotype through changing transcription of downstream genes. Comparing to existing tools, regSNPs has two distinct features. It considers degenerative features of binding motifs by calculating the differences on the binding affinity caused by the candidate variants and integrates potential phenotypic effects of various transcription factors. When tested by using the disease-causing variants documented in the Human Gene Mutation Database, regSNPs showed mixed performance on various diseases. regSNPs predicted three SNPs that can potentially affect bone density in a region detected in an earlier linkage study. Potential effects of one of the variants were validated using luciferase reporter assay. Contact: yunliu@iupui.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online PMID:22611130

Developing a programmatic approach to investigating and remediating many unrelated comprehensive environmental response, compensation, and liability act sites at Kelly Air Force Base

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

Kamp, G.; Regan, P.; Ninesteel, R.

1988-01-01

Kelly Air Force Base (AFB), which was founded in 1917, is involved in logistics and maintenance activities supporting the Air Logistics Command. In addition, Kelly AFB hosts over 50 tenant organizations representing the Air Force, Department of Defense, and other government agencies. Over the years waste disposal from this complex was conducted in a manner that led to the identification of over 30 sites to be included in the Installation Restoration Program (IRP) after the Phase 1 investigation. A methodology was needed to prioritize the Remedial Investigations and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) activities for the sites. A Strategy Plan was developedmore » that involved reviewing and interpreting existing data, identifying data voids relative to site specific RI/FS activities, and developing methodology to prioritize activities. Sites were prioritized, and a comprehensive IRP planning document was developed. One data deficiency was revealed -- the lack of understanding of the Basewide hydrogeologic conditions necessary to establish an effective restoration program. A Hydrogeologic Investigation was initiated to provide this data. This data will allow better interpretation of the interaction of the sites, particularly those in close proximity, and improved planning of remediation activities.« less

Refrigerated Warehouse Demand Response Strategy Guide

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

Scott, Doug; Castillo, Rafael; Larson, Kyle

This guide summarizes demand response measures that can be implemented in refrigerated warehouses. In an appendix, it also addresses related energy efficiency opportunities. Reducing overall grid demand during peak periods and energy consumption has benefits for facility operators, grid operators, utility companies, and society. State wide demand response potential for the refrigerated warehouse sector in California is estimated to be over 22.1 Megawatts. Two categories of demand response strategies are described in this guide: load shifting and load shedding. Load shifting can be accomplished via pre-cooling, capacity limiting, and battery charger load management. Load shedding can be achieved by lightingmore » reduction, demand defrost and defrost termination, infiltration reduction, and shutting down miscellaneous equipment. Estimation of the costs and benefits of demand response participation yields simple payback periods of 2-4 years. To improve demand response performance, it’s suggested to install air curtains and another form of infiltration barrier, such as a rollup door, for the passageways. Further modifications to increase efficiency of the refrigeration unit are also analyzed. A larger condenser can maintain the minimum saturated condensing temperature (SCT) for more hours of the day. Lowering the SCT reduces the compressor lift, which results in an overall increase in refrigeration system capacity and energy efficiency. Another way of saving energy in refrigerated warehouses is eliminating the use of under-floor resistance heaters. A more energy efficient alternative to resistance heaters is to utilize the heat that is being rejected from the condenser through a heat exchanger. These energy efficiency measures improve efficiency either by reducing the required electric energy input for the refrigeration system, by helping to curtail the refrigeration load on the system, or by reducing both the load and required energy input.« less

Chalcopyrite—bearer of a precious, non-precious metal

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kimball, Bryn E.

2013-01-01

The mineral chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) is the world's most abundant source of copper, a metal component in virtually every piece of electrical equipment. It is the main copper mineral in several different ore deposit types, the most important of which are porphyry deposits. Chalcopyrite is unstable at the Earth's surface, so it weathers from sulphide outcrops and mine waste piles, contributing acid and dissolved copper to what is known as acid rock drainage. If not prevented, dissolved copper from chalcopyrite weathering will be transported downstream, potentially harming ecosystems along the way. Pristine areas are becoming targets for future copper supply as we strive to meet ever-increasing demands for copper by developed and developing nations. Additionally, our uses for copper are expanding to include technology such as solar energy production. This has lead to the processing of increasingly lower grade ores, which is possible, in part, due to advances in bio-leaching (i.e. metal extraction catalysed by micro-organisms). Although copper is plentiful, it is still a nonrenewable resource. Future copper supply promises to fall short of demand and the volatility of the copper market may continue if we do not prioritize copper use and improve copper recycling and ore extraction efficiency.

Growth-defense tradeoffs in plants: a balancing act to optimize fitness.

PubMed

Huot, Bethany; Yao, Jian; Montgomery, Beronda L; He, Sheng Yang

2014-08-01

Growth-defense tradeoffs are thought to occur in plants due to resource restrictions, which demand prioritization towards either growth or defense, depending on external and internal factors. These tradeoffs have profound implications in agriculture and natural ecosystems, as both processes are vital for plant survival, reproduction, and, ultimately, plant fitness. While many of the molecular mechanisms underlying growth and defense tradeoffs remain to be elucidated, hormone crosstalk has emerged as a major player in regulating tradeoffs needed to achieve a balance. In this review, we cover recent advances in understanding growth-defense tradeoffs in plants as well as what is known regarding the underlying molecular mechanisms. Specifically, we address evidence supporting the growth-defense tradeoff concept, as well as known interactions between defense signaling and growth signaling. Understanding the molecular basis of these tradeoffs in plants should provide a foundation for the development of breeding strategies that optimize the growth-defense balance to maximize crop yield to meet rising global food and biofuel demands. © The Author 2014. Published by the Molecular Plant Shanghai Editorial Office in association with Oxford University Press on behalf of CSPB and IPPE, SIBS, CAS.

Projections of water resources availability in Crete for the 21st century under the global change perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koutroulis, A. G.; Tsanis, I. K.; Jacob, D.

2012-04-01

A robust signal of a warmer and drier climate over the western Mediterranean region is projected from the majority of climate models. This effect appears more pronounced during warm periods, when the seasonal decrease of precipitation can exceed control climatology by 25-30%. The rapid development of Crete in the last 30 years has exerted strong pressures on the natural resources of the region. Urbanization and growth of agriculture, tourism and industry had strong impact on the water resources of island by substantially increasing water demand. The objective of this study is to analyze and assess the impact of global change on the water resources status for the island of Crete for a range of 24 different scenarios of projected hydro-climatological regime, demand and supply potential. Water resources application issues analyzed and facilitated within this study, focusing on a refinement of the future water demands of the island, and comparing with "state of the art" global climate model (GCM) results and an ensemble of regional climate models (RCMs) under three different emission scenarios, to estimate water resources availability, during the 21st century. A robust signal of water scarcity is projected for all the combinations of emission (A2, A1B and B1), demand and infrastructure scenarios. Despite the uncertainty of the assessments, the quantitative impact of the projected changes on water availability indicates that climate change plays an equally important role to water use and management in controlling future water status in a Mediterranean island like the island of Crete. The outcome of this analysis will assist in short and long-term strategic water resources planning by prioritizing water related infrastructure development.

Socio-economic inequity in demand for insecticide-treated nets, in-door residual house spraying, larviciding and fogging in Sudan

PubMed Central

Onwujekwe, Obinna; Malik, El-Fatih Mohamed; Mustafa, Sara Hassan; Mnzava, Abraham

2005-01-01

Background In order to optimally prioritize and use public and private budgets for equitable malaria vector control, there is a need to determine the level and determinants of consumer demand for different vector control tools. Objectives To determine the demand from people of different socio-economic groups for indoor residual house-spraying (IRHS), insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), larviciding with chemicals (LWC), and space spraying/fogging (SS) and the disease control implications of the result. Methods Ratings and levels of willingness-to-pay (WTP) for the vector control tools were determined using a random cross-sectional sample of 720 householdes drawn from two states. WTP was elicited using the bidding game. An asset-based socio-economic status (SES) index was used to explore whether WTP was related to SES of the respondents. Results IRHS received the highest proportion of highest preferred rating (41.0%) followed by ITNs (23.1%). However, ITNs had the highest mean WTP followed by IRHS, while LWC had the least. The regression analysis showed that SES was positively and statistically significantly related to WTP across the four vector control tools and that the respondents' rating of IRHS and ITNs significantly explained their levels of WTP for the two tools. Conclusion People were willing to pay for all the vector-control tools, but the demand for the vector control tools was related to the SES of the respondents. Hence, it is vital that there are public policies and financing mechanisms to ensure equitable provision and utilisation of vector control tools, as well as protecting the poor from cost-sharing arrangements. PMID:16356177

[Priorization of facilitators for the implementation of medication review with follow-up service in Spanish community pharmacies through exploratory factor analysis].

PubMed

Gil, Modesta Inmaculada; Benrimoj, Shalom Isaac; Martínez-Martínez, Fernando; Cardero, Manuel; Gastelurrutia, Miguel Ángel

2013-01-01

to prioritize previously identified in Spain facilitators for the implementation of new Pharmaceutical Services that allow designing strategies for the implementation of Medication Review with follow-up (MRFup) service. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA). A draft of a questionnaire was performed based on a previous literature review and following the RAND/UCLA methodology. An expert panel worked with it and generated a definitive questionnaire which, after piloting, was used with a representative sample of pharmacists, owners or staff members, who were working in community pharmacy, using computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) methodology. To understand underlying constructs in the questionnaire an EFA was performed. Different approaches were tested such as principal components factor analysis and principal axis factoring method. The best interpretability was achieved using the Factorization of Principal axis method with Direct Oblimin rotation, which explained the 40.0% of total variance. This produced four factors defined as: «Incentives», «External campaigns», «Expert in MRFup» and «Professionalism of the pharmacist». It can be stated that for implementation and sustainability of MRFup Service it is necessary being paid; also it must be explained to health professional and society in general. Practice of MRFup service demands pharmacists receiving a more clinical education and assuming more responsibilities as health professionals. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

Selecting islands and shoals for conservation based on biological and aesthetic criteria

USGS Publications Warehouse

Knutson, M.G.; Leopold, D.J.; Smardon, R.C.

1993-01-01

Consideration of biological quality has long been an important component of rating areas for conservation. Often these same areas are highly valued by people for aesthetic reasons, creating demands for housing and recreation that may conflict with protection plans for these habitats. Most methods of selecting land for conservation purposes use biological factors alone. For some land areas, analysis of aesthetic qualities is also important in describing the scenic value of undisturbed land. A method for prioritizing small islands and shoals based on both biological and visual quality factors is presented here. The study included 169 undeveloped islands and shoals a??0.8 ha in the Thousand Islands Region of the St. Lawrence River, New York. Criteria such as critical habitat for uncommon plant and animal species were considered together with visual quality and incorporated into a rating system that ranked the islands and shoals according to their priority for conservation management and protection from development. Biological factors were determined based on previous research and a field survey. Visual quality was determined by visual diagnostic criteria developed from public responses to photographs of a sample of islands. Variables such as elevation, soil depth, and type of plant community can be used to classify islands into different categories of visual quality but are unsuccessful in classifying islands into categories of overall biological quality.

Exploration technology prioritization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dula, Alex

1992-01-01

A series of outlines and graphs describing NASA's Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) technology prioritization are presented. Prioritization criteria and preliminary critical technology priorities for a first lunar outpost and a Mars and permanently-manned lunar mission are addressed.

False memory and importance: can we prioritize encoding without consequence?

PubMed

Bui, Dung C; Friedman, Michael C; McDonough, Ian M; Castel, Alan D

2013-10-01

Given the large amount of information that we encounter, we often must prioritize what information we attempt to remember. Although critical for everyday functioning, relatively little research has focused on how people prioritize the encoding of information. Recent research has shown that people can and do selectively remember information assigned with higher, relative to lower, importance. However, the mechanisms underlying this prioritization process and the consequences of these processes are still not well understood. In the present study, we sought to better understand these prioritization processes and whether implementing these processes comes at the cost of memory accuracy, by increasing false memories. We used a modified form of the Deese/Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm, in which participants studied DRM lists, with each list paired with low, medium, or high point values. In Experiment 1, encoding higher values led to more false memories than did encoding lower values, possibly because prioritizing information enhanced relational processing among high-value words. In Experiment 2, disrupting relational processing selectively reduced false memories for high-value words. Finally, in Experiment 3, facilitating relational processing selectively increased false memories for low-value words. These findings suggest that while prioritizing information can enhance true memory, this process concomitantly increases false memories. Furthermore, the mechanism underlying these prioritization processes depends on the ability to successfully engage in relational processing. Thus, how we prioritize the encoding of incoming information can come at a cost in terms of accurate memory.

A GIS Approach to Prioritizing Habitat for Restoration Using Neotropical Migrant Songbird Criteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holzmueller, Eric J.; Gaskins, Michael D.; Mangun, Jean C.

2011-07-01

Restoration efforts to increase wildlife habitat quality in agricultural landscapes have limited funding and are typically done on a first come, first serve basis. In order to increase the efficiency of these restoration efforts, a prioritized ranking system is needed to obtain the greatest increase in habitat quality possible for the fewest amount of hectares restored. This project examines the use of a GIS based multi-criteria approach to prioritize lands for reforestation along the Kaskaskia River in Illinois. Loss of forested area and corresponding increase in forest fragmentation has decreased songbird habitat quality across the Midwestern United States. We prioritized areas for reforestation based on nine landscape metrics: available agricultural land, forest cover gaps, edge density, proximity to river, 200 m corridor area, total forest core area, fringe core area, distance to primary core value, and primary core area. The multi-criteria analysis revealed that high priority areas for reforestation were most likely to be close to the riparian corridor and existing large blocks of forest. Analysis of simulated reforestation (0, 0.5, 1.0, 5.0 10.0, 25.0, and 50.0% of highest priority parcels reforested) revealed different responses for multiple landscape metrics used to quantify forest fragmentation following reforestation, but indicated that the study area would get the greatest rate of return on reforestation efforts by reforesting 10.0% of the highest priority areas. This project demonstrates how GIS and a multi-criteria analysis approach can be used to increase the efficiency of restoration projects. This approach should be considered by land managers when attempting to identify the location and quantity of area for restoration within a landscape.

A GIS approach to prioritizing habitat for restoration using neotropical migrant songbird criteria.

PubMed

Holzmueller, Eric J; Gaskins, Michael D; Mangun, Jean C

2011-07-01

Restoration efforts to increase wildlife habitat quality in agricultural landscapes have limited funding and are typically done on a first come, first serve basis. In order to increase the efficiency of these restoration efforts, a prioritized ranking system is needed to obtain the greatest increase in habitat quality possible for the fewest amount of hectares restored. This project examines the use of a GIS based multi-criteria approach to prioritize lands for reforestation along the Kaskaskia River in Illinois. Loss of forested area and corresponding increase in forest fragmentation has decreased songbird habitat quality across the Midwestern United States. We prioritized areas for reforestation based on nine landscape metrics: available agricultural land, forest cover gaps, edge density, proximity to river, 200 m corridor area, total forest core area, fringe core area, distance to primary core value, and primary core area. The multi-criteria analysis revealed that high priority areas for reforestation were most likely to be close to the riparian corridor and existing large blocks of forest. Analysis of simulated reforestation (0, 0.5, 1.0, 5.0 10.0, 25.0, and 50.0% of highest priority parcels reforested) revealed different responses for multiple landscape metrics used to quantify forest fragmentation following reforestation, but indicated that the study area would get the greatest rate of return on reforestation efforts by reforesting 10.0% of the highest priority areas. This project demonstrates how GIS and a multi-criteria analysis approach can be used to increase the efficiency of restoration projects. This approach should be considered by land managers when attempting to identify the location and quantity of area for restoration within a landscape.

Differentiating Pathway-Specific From Nonspecific Effects in High-Throughput Toxicity Data: A Foundation for Prioritizing Adverse Outcome Pathway Development.

PubMed

Fay, Kellie A; Villeneuve, Daniel L; Swintek, Joe; Edwards, Stephen W; Nelms, Mark D; Blackwell, Brett R; Ankley, Gerald T

2018-06-01

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ToxCast program has screened thousands of chemicals for biological activity, primarily using high-throughput in vitro bioassays. Adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) offer a means to link pathway-specific biological activities with potential apical effects relevant to risk assessors. Thus, efforts are underway to develop AOPs relevant to pathway-specific perturbations detected in ToxCast assays. Previous work identified a "cytotoxic burst" (CTB) phenomenon wherein large numbers of the ToxCast assays begin to respond at or near test chemical concentrations that elicit cytotoxicity, and a statistical approach to defining the bounds of the CTB was developed. To focus AOP development on the molecular targets corresponding to ToxCast assays indicating pathway-specific effects, we conducted a meta-analysis to identify which assays most frequently respond at concentrations below the CTB. A preliminary list of potentially important, target-specific assays was determined by ranking assays by the fraction of chemical hits below the CTB compared with the number of chemicals tested. Additional priority assays were identified using a diagnostic-odds-ratio approach which gives greater ranking to assays with high specificity but low responsivity. Combined, the two prioritization methods identified several novel targets (e.g., peripheral benzodiazepine and progesterone receptors) to prioritize for AOP development, and affirmed the importance of a number of existing AOPs aligned with ToxCast targets (e.g., thyroperoxidase, estrogen receptor, aromatase). The prioritization approaches did not appear to be influenced by inter-assay differences in chemical bioavailability. Furthermore, the outcomes were robust based on a variety of different parameters used to define the CTB.

Comparison of modeling approaches to prioritize chemicals based on estimates of exposure and exposure potential

PubMed Central

Mitchell, Jade; Arnot, Jon A.; Jolliet, Olivier; Georgopoulos, Panos G.; Isukapalli, Sastry; Dasgupta, Surajit; Pandian, Muhilan; Wambaugh, John; Egeghy, Peter; Cohen Hubal, Elaine A.; Vallero, Daniel A.

2014-01-01

While only limited data are available to characterize the potential toxicity of over 8 million commercially available chemical substances, there is even less information available on the exposure and use-scenarios that are required to link potential toxicity to human and ecological health outcomes. Recent improvements and advances such as high throughput data gathering, high performance computational capabilities, and predictive chemical inherency methodology make this an opportune time to develop an exposure-based prioritization approach that can systematically utilize and link the asymmetrical bodies of knowledge for hazard and exposure. In response to the US EPA’s need to develop novel approaches and tools for rapidly prioritizing chemicals, a “Challenge” was issued to several exposure model developers to aid the understanding of current systems in a broader sense and to assist the US EPA’s effort to develop an approach comparable to other international efforts. A common set of chemicals were prioritized under each current approach. The results are presented herein along with a comparative analysis of the rankings of the chemicals based on metrics of exposure potential or actual exposure estimates. The analysis illustrates the similarities and differences across the domains of information incorporated in each modeling approach. The overall findings indicate a need to reconcile exposures from diffuse, indirect sources (far-field) with exposures from directly, applied chemicals in consumer products or resulting from the presence of a chemical in a microenvironment like a home or vehicle. Additionally, the exposure scenario, including the mode of entry into the environment (i.e. through air, water or sediment) appears to be an important determinant of the level of agreement between modeling approaches. PMID:23707726

Modeling Reef Fish Biomass, Recovery Potential, and Management Priorities in the Western Indian Ocean.

PubMed

McClanahan, Timothy R; Maina, Joseph M; Graham, Nicholas A J; Jones, Kendall R

2016-01-01

Fish biomass is a primary driver of coral reef ecosystem services and has high sensitivity to human disturbances, particularly fishing. Estimates of fish biomass, their spatial distribution, and recovery potential are important for evaluating reef status and crucial for setting management targets. Here we modeled fish biomass estimates across all reefs of the western Indian Ocean using key variables that predicted the empirical data collected from 337 sites. These variables were used to create biomass and recovery time maps to prioritize spatially explicit conservation actions. The resultant fish biomass map showed high variability ranging from ~15 to 2900 kg/ha, primarily driven by human populations, distance to markets, and fisheries management restrictions. Lastly, we assembled data based on the age of fisheries closures and showed that biomass takes ~ 25 years to recover to typical equilibrium values of ~1200 kg/ha. The recovery times to biomass levels for sustainable fishing yields, maximum diversity, and ecosystem stability or conservation targets once fishing is suspended was modeled to estimate temporal costs of restrictions. The mean time to recovery for the whole region to the conservation target was 8.1(± 3SD) years, while recovery to sustainable fishing thresholds was between 0.5 and 4 years, but with high spatial variation. Recovery prioritization scenario models included one where local governance prioritized recovery of degraded reefs and two that prioritized minimizing recovery time, where countries either operated independently or collaborated. The regional collaboration scenario selected remote areas for conservation with uneven national responsibilities and spatial coverage, which could undermine collaboration. There is the potential to achieve sustainable fisheries within a decade by promoting these pathways according to their social-ecological suitability.

Comparison of modeling approaches to prioritize chemicals based on estimates of exposure and exposure potential.

PubMed

Mitchell, Jade; Arnot, Jon A; Jolliet, Olivier; Georgopoulos, Panos G; Isukapalli, Sastry; Dasgupta, Surajit; Pandian, Muhilan; Wambaugh, John; Egeghy, Peter; Cohen Hubal, Elaine A; Vallero, Daniel A

2013-08-01

While only limited data are available to characterize the potential toxicity of over 8 million commercially available chemical substances, there is even less information available on the exposure and use-scenarios that are required to link potential toxicity to human and ecological health outcomes. Recent improvements and advances such as high throughput data gathering, high performance computational capabilities, and predictive chemical inherency methodology make this an opportune time to develop an exposure-based prioritization approach that can systematically utilize and link the asymmetrical bodies of knowledge for hazard and exposure. In response to the US EPA's need to develop novel approaches and tools for rapidly prioritizing chemicals, a "Challenge" was issued to several exposure model developers to aid the understanding of current systems in a broader sense and to assist the US EPA's effort to develop an approach comparable to other international efforts. A common set of chemicals were prioritized under each current approach. The results are presented herein along with a comparative analysis of the rankings of the chemicals based on metrics of exposure potential or actual exposure estimates. The analysis illustrates the similarities and differences across the domains of information incorporated in each modeling approach. The overall findings indicate a need to reconcile exposures from diffuse, indirect sources (far-field) with exposures from directly, applied chemicals in consumer products or resulting from the presence of a chemical in a microenvironment like a home or vehicle. Additionally, the exposure scenario, including the mode of entry into the environment (i.e. through air, water or sediment) appears to be an important determinant of the level of agreement between modeling approaches. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modeling Reef Fish Biomass, Recovery Potential, and Management Priorities in the Western Indian Ocean

PubMed Central

McClanahan, Timothy R.; Maina, Joseph M.; Graham, Nicholas A. J.; Jones, Kendall R.

2016-01-01

Fish biomass is a primary driver of coral reef ecosystem services and has high sensitivity to human disturbances, particularly fishing. Estimates of fish biomass, their spatial distribution, and recovery potential are important for evaluating reef status and crucial for setting management targets. Here we modeled fish biomass estimates across all reefs of the western Indian Ocean using key variables that predicted the empirical data collected from 337 sites. These variables were used to create biomass and recovery time maps to prioritize spatially explicit conservation actions. The resultant fish biomass map showed high variability ranging from ~15 to 2900 kg/ha, primarily driven by human populations, distance to markets, and fisheries management restrictions. Lastly, we assembled data based on the age of fisheries closures and showed that biomass takes ~ 25 years to recover to typical equilibrium values of ~1200 kg/ha. The recovery times to biomass levels for sustainable fishing yields, maximum diversity, and ecosystem stability or conservation targets once fishing is suspended was modeled to estimate temporal costs of restrictions. The mean time to recovery for the whole region to the conservation target was 8.1(± 3SD) years, while recovery to sustainable fishing thresholds was between 0.5 and 4 years, but with high spatial variation. Recovery prioritization scenario models included one where local governance prioritized recovery of degraded reefs and two that prioritized minimizing recovery time, where countries either operated independently or collaborated. The regional collaboration scenario selected remote areas for conservation with uneven national responsibilities and spatial coverage, which could undermine collaboration. There is the potential to achieve sustainable fisheries within a decade by promoting these pathways according to their social-ecological suitability. PMID:27149673

An Approach for Integrating the Prioritization of Functional and Nonfunctional Requirements

PubMed Central

Dabbagh, Mohammad; Lee, Sai Peck

2014-01-01

Due to the budgetary deadlines and time to market constraints, it is essential to prioritize software requirements. The outcome of requirements prioritization is an ordering of requirements which need to be considered first during the software development process. To achieve a high quality software system, both functional and nonfunctional requirements must be taken into consideration during the prioritization process. Although several requirements prioritization methods have been proposed so far, no particular method or approach is presented to consider both functional and nonfunctional requirements during the prioritization stage. In this paper, we propose an approach which aims to integrate the process of prioritizing functional and nonfunctional requirements. The outcome of applying the proposed approach produces two separate prioritized lists of functional and non-functional requirements. The effectiveness of the proposed approach has been evaluated through an empirical experiment aimed at comparing the approach with the two state-of-the-art-based approaches, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and hybrid assessment method (HAM). Results show that our proposed approach outperforms AHP and HAM in terms of actual time-consumption while preserving the quality of the results obtained by our proposed approach at a high level of agreement in comparison with the results produced by the other two approaches. PMID:24982987

An approach for integrating the prioritization of functional and nonfunctional requirements.

PubMed

Dabbagh, Mohammad; Lee, Sai Peck

2014-01-01

Due to the budgetary deadlines and time to market constraints, it is essential to prioritize software requirements. The outcome of requirements prioritization is an ordering of requirements which need to be considered first during the software development process. To achieve a high quality software system, both functional and nonfunctional requirements must be taken into consideration during the prioritization process. Although several requirements prioritization methods have been proposed so far, no particular method or approach is presented to consider both functional and nonfunctional requirements during the prioritization stage. In this paper, we propose an approach which aims to integrate the process of prioritizing functional and nonfunctional requirements. The outcome of applying the proposed approach produces two separate prioritized lists of functional and non-functional requirements. The effectiveness of the proposed approach has been evaluated through an empirical experiment aimed at comparing the approach with the two state-of-the-art-based approaches, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and hybrid assessment method (HAM). Results show that our proposed approach outperforms AHP and HAM in terms of actual time-consumption while preserving the quality of the results obtained by our proposed approach at a high level of agreement in comparison with the results produced by the other two approaches.

Settling the score: variant prioritization and Mendelian disease

PubMed Central

Eilbeck, Karen; Quinlan, Aaron; Yandell, Mark

2018-01-01

When investigating Mendelian disease using exome or genome sequencing, distinguishing disease-causing genetic variants from the multitude of candidate variants is a complex, multidimensional task. Many prioritization tools and online interpretation resources exist, and professional organizations have offered clinical guidelines for review and return of prioritization results. In this Review, we describe the strengths and weaknesses of widely used computational approaches, explain their roles in the diagnostic and discovery process and discuss how they can inform (and misinform) expert reviewers. We place variant prioritization in the wider context of gene prioritization, burden testing and genotype–phenotype association, and we discuss opportunities and challenges introduced by whole-genome sequencing. PMID:28804138

Michigan's Statewide Travel Demand Model

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-09-01

The Travel Demand and Intermodal Services Section of Michigan's Department of Transportation is responsible for the development, maintenance and application of the Statewide Travel Demand Model. Michigan's Statewide and Urban Travel Demand Models are...

Demand Response Compensation Methodologies: Case Studies for Mexico

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

Gagne, Douglas A; Settle, Donald E; Aznar, Alexandra Y

This report examines various compensation methodologies for demand response programs in Mexico. This report presents three case studies, including New England, California, and Hawaii. Demand response (DR) can refer to a variety of approaches to changing the amount and timing of customers' electricity use, allowing the electricity supplier to more easily balance electricity supply and demand. The level of compensation for a DR program will depend greatly upon both the regulatory context of the electricity supplier, as well as the economic circumstances of the DR providers. For a regulated utility, a proposed compensation level may need to pass regulatory approval.more » To determine the value of DR resources, a regulatory body typically seeks to determine the costs that the utility would avoid if demand-side resources 'produce' energy.« less

Priority rating : stormwater outfall prioritization scheme

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-10-01

The prioritization system, which compares the impacts of one outfall to another : and makes a determination of their overall impacts, was developed in the : Prioritization Method for Retrofitting Highways with Stormwater BMPs, prepared : by the Water...

Workload, study methods, and motivation of students within a BVSc program.

PubMed

Parkinson, Tim J; Gilling, Marg; Suddaby, Gordon T

2006-01-01

The workloads, study methods, and motivation of students in a five-year BVSc program were studied using questionnaires and focus groups. Students in each year of the program were asked, on three occasions over an academic year, to record details of their out-of-class study time for each course they were taking and to record the study methods they used, how they prioritized their time between subjects, and how they allocated time to study and leisure activities. Mean response rates were 57% (range: 43-85%). Overall mean out-of-class study time ranged from 19 hours per week in Year 2 to 28 hours per week in Year 4. Study time was related to the level of interest the student had in the subject, the demands of assessments, and the number of subjects being studied. Study methods were related to students' perceptions of the requirements of the subject as well as to their interest in it. Reliance on memorization and the use of set study materials were the predominant methods for courses with low interest scores, whereas higher interest was associated with a broad range of study methods. Leisure time was ring-fenced, especially when workloads were high. Students' motivation was high when they were studying subjects that were new or were seen as relevant to clinical practice; when working with animals or with enthusiastic faculty members; and when involved in subjects more tightly focused on the ultimate goal of becoming a practitioner. It was poor when students were faced with high workloads, disciplines becoming "stale," excessive detail, and low perceptions of relevance. Constant assessment activities were also seen as a burden. In terms of good learning practices, workload and the demands of assessment were considered to be antagonistic. A tension between these perceptions of students and the values of faculty in terms of the development of critical thinking skills in the program is evident.

Prioritizing pharmaceuticals in municipal wastewater

EPA Science Inventory

Oral presentation at SETAC North America 32nd annual meeting, describing our prioritization of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), based on estimates of risks posed by API residues originating from municipal wastewater. Goals of this project include prioritization of APIs f...

Centralized and Decentralized Control for Demand Response

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

Lu, Shuai; Samaan, Nader A.; Diao, Ruisheng

2011-04-29

Demand response has been recognized as an essential element of the smart grid. Frequency response, regulation and contingency reserve functions performed traditionally by generation resources are now starting to involve demand side resources. Additional benefits from demand response include peak reduction and load shifting, which will defer new infrastructure investment and improve generator operation efficiency. Technical approaches designed to realize these functionalities can be categorized into centralized control and decentralized control, depending on where the response decision is made. This paper discusses these two control philosophies and compares their relative advantages and disadvantages in terms of delay time, predictability, complexity,more » and reliability. A distribution system model with detailed household loads and controls is built to demonstrate the characteristics of the two approaches. The conclusion is that the promptness and reliability of decentralized control should be combined with the predictability and simplicity of centralized control to achieve the best performance of the smart grid.« less

28 CFR 0.177a - Antitrust civil investigative demands.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... JUSTICE Assigning Responsibility Concerning Applications for Orders Compelling Testimony or Production of..., United States Code, to compel testimony in response to antitrust civil investigative demands for oral...

Development of risk matrices for evaluating climatic change responses of forested habitats

Treesearch

Louis R. Iverson; Stephen N. Matthews; Anantha M. Prasad; Matthew P. Peters; Gary. Yohe

2012-01-01

We present an approach to assess and compare risk from climate change among multiple species through a risk matrix, in which managers can quickly prioritize for species that need to have strategies developed, evaluated further, or watched. We base the matrix upon earlier work towards the National Climate Assessment for potential damage to infrastructures from climate...

A GIS-based method to evaluate undeveloped BLM lands in Alaska

Treesearch

Jason Geck

2007-01-01

As Alaska’s largest land management agency, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has responsibility for over 87 million acres (35 million ha) of public lands throughout the state. By using datasets and Landsat scenes within a Geographical Information System (GIS), this study prioritizes wilderness protection through the ranking of BLM blocks (contiguous land parcels),...

REPORT OF THE AOU CONSERVATION COMMITTEE ON THE PARTNERS IN FLIGHT SPECIES PRIORITIZATION PLAN

Treesearch

STEVEN R. J. BEISSINGER; MICHAEL REED; JR. WUNDERLE; DEBORAH M. FINCH

2000-01-01

Partners in Flight (PIF) is a coalition of federal, state, and local government agencies; nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); philanthropic foundations; and industry that is working to conserve the birds of the Western Hemisphere. PIF was launched in 1990 in response to growing concerns about declines in the populations of many landbirds, and to spearhead the...

Forum Guide to Ensuring Equal Access to Education Websites: Introduction to Electronic Information Accessibility Standards. NFES 2011-807

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Forum on Education Statistics, 2011

2011-01-01

This guide is designed for use by information technology administrators, data specialists, and program staff responsible for the "content" in data reports, as well as education leaders (e.g., administrators who prioritize tasks for technical and data staff), and other stakeholders who have an interest in seeing that schools, school…

2D Hydrodynamic Based Logic Modeling Tool for River Restoration Decision Analysis: A Quantitative Approach to Project Prioritization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandrowski, D.; Lai, Y.; Bradley, N.; Gaeuman, D. A.; Murauskas, J.; Som, N. A.; Martin, A.; Goodman, D.; Alvarez, J.

2014-12-01

In the field of river restoration sciences there is a growing need for analytical modeling tools and quantitative processes to help identify and prioritize project sites. 2D hydraulic models have become more common in recent years and with the availability of robust data sets and computing technology, it is now possible to evaluate large river systems at the reach scale. The Trinity River Restoration Program is now analyzing a 40 mile segment of the Trinity River to determine priority and implementation sequencing for its Phase II rehabilitation projects. A comprehensive approach and quantitative tool has recently been developed to analyze this complex river system referred to as: 2D-Hydrodynamic Based Logic Modeling (2D-HBLM). This tool utilizes various hydraulic output parameters combined with biological, ecological, and physical metrics at user-defined spatial scales. These metrics and their associated algorithms are the underpinnings of the 2D-HBLM habitat module used to evaluate geomorphic characteristics, riverine processes, and habitat complexity. The habitat metrics are further integrated into a comprehensive Logic Model framework to perform statistical analyses to assess project prioritization. The Logic Model will analyze various potential project sites by evaluating connectivity using principal component methods. The 2D-HBLM tool will help inform management and decision makers by using a quantitative process to optimize desired response variables with balancing important limiting factors in determining the highest priority locations within the river corridor to implement restoration projects. Effective river restoration prioritization starts with well-crafted goals that identify the biological objectives, address underlying causes of habitat change, and recognizes that social, economic, and land use limiting factors may constrain restoration options (Bechie et. al. 2008). Applying natural resources management actions, like restoration prioritization, is essential for successful project implementation (Conroy and Peterson, 2013). Evaluating tradeoffs and examining alternatives to improve fish habitat through optimization modeling is not just a trend but rather the scientific strategy by which management needs embrace and apply in its decision framework.

The current crisis in emergency care and the impact on disaster preparedness.

PubMed

Cherry, Robert A; Trainer, Marcia

2008-05-01

The Homeland Security Act (HSA) of 2002 provided for the designation of a critical infrastructure protection program. This ultimately led to the designation of emergency services as a targeted critical infrastructure. In the context of an evolving crisis in hospital-based emergency care, the extent to which federal funding has addressed disaster preparedness will be examined. After 9/11, federal plans, procedures and benchmarks were mandated to assure a unified, comprehensive disaster response, ranging from local to federal activation of resources. Nevertheless, insufficient federal funding has contributed to a long-standing counter-trend which has eroded emergency medical care. The causes are complex and multifactorial, but they have converged to present a severely overburdened system that regularly exceeds emergency capacity and capabilities. This constant acute overcrowding, felt in communities all across the country, indicates a nation at risk. Federal funding has not sufficiently prioritized the improvements necessary for an emergency care infrastructure that is critical for an all hazards response to disaster and terrorist emergencies. Currently, the nation is unable to meet presidential preparedness mandates for emergency and disaster care. Federal funding strategies must therefore be re-prioritized and targeted in a way that reasonably and consistently follows need.

Europe's Shifting Response to HIV/AIDS: From Human Rights to Risk Management.

PubMed

Smith, Julia

2016-12-01

Despite a history of championing HIV/AIDS as a human rights issue, and a rhetorical commitment to health as a human right, European states and institutions have shifted from a rights-based response to a risk management approach to HIV/AIDS since the economic recession of 2008. An interdisciplinary perspective is applied to analyze health policy changes at the national, regional, and global levels by drawing on data from key informant interviews, and institutional and civil society documents. It is demonstrated that, in the context of austerity measures, member states such as the UK and Greece reduced commitments to rights associated with HIV/AIDS; at the regional level, the EU failed to develop rights-based approaches to address the vulnerabilities and health care needs of key populations affected by HIV/AIDS, particularly migrants and sex workers; and at the global level, the EU backtracked on commitments to global health and is prioritizing the intellectual property rights of pharmaceutical companies over the human rights of people living with HIV/AIDS. The focus within and from the EU is on containment, efficiency, and cost reduction. The rights of those most affected are no longer prioritized.

Europe’s Shifting Response to HIV/AIDS

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Abstract Despite a history of championing HIV/AIDS as a human rights issue, and a rhetorical commitment to health as a human right, European states and institutions have shifted from a rights-based response to a risk management approach to HIV/AIDS since the economic recession of 2008. An interdisciplinary perspective is applied to analyze health policy changes at the national, regional, and global levels by drawing on data from key informant interviews, and institutional and civil society documents. It is demonstrated that, in the context of austerity measures, member states such as the UK and Greece reduced commitments to rights associated with HIV/AIDS; at the regional level, the EU failed to develop rights-based approaches to address the vulnerabilities and health care needs of key populations affected by HIV/AIDS, particularly migrants and sex workers; and at the global level, the EU backtracked on commitments to global health and is prioritizing the intellectual property rights of pharmaceutical companies over the human rights of people living with HIV/AIDS. The focus within and from the EU is on containment, efficiency, and cost reduction. The rights of those most affected are no longer prioritized. PMID:28559682

Multivoxel patterns in face-sensitive temporal regions reveal an encoding schema based on detecting life in a face.

PubMed

Looser, Christine E; Guntupalli, Jyothi S; Wheatley, Thalia

2013-10-01

More than a decade of research has demonstrated that faces evoke prioritized processing in a 'core face network' of three brain regions. However, whether these regions prioritize the detection of global facial form (shared by humans and mannequins) or the detection of life in a face has remained unclear. Here, we dissociate form-based and animacy-based encoding of faces by using animate and inanimate faces with human form (humans, mannequins) and dog form (real dogs, toy dogs). We used multivariate pattern analysis of BOLD responses to uncover the representational similarity space for each area in the core face network. Here, we show that only responses in the inferior occipital gyrus are organized by global facial form alone (human vs dog) while animacy becomes an additional organizational priority in later face-processing regions: the lateral fusiform gyri (latFG) and right superior temporal sulcus. Additionally, patterns evoked by human faces were maximally distinct from all other face categories in the latFG and parts of the extended face perception system. These results suggest that once a face configuration is perceived, faces are further scrutinized for whether the face is alive and worthy of social cognitive resources.

A Review of Player Monitoring Approaches in Basketball: Current Trends and Future Directions.

PubMed

Fox, Jordan L; Scanlan, Aaron T; Stanton, Robert

2017-07-01

Fox, JL, Scanlan, AT, and Stanton, R. A review of player monitoring approaches in basketball: current trends and future directions. J Strength Cond Res 31(7): 2021-2029, 2017-Effective monitoring of players in team sports such as basketball requires an understanding of the external demands and internal responses, as they relate to training phases and competition. Monitoring of external demands and internal responses allows coaching staff to determine the dose-response associated with the imposed training load (TL), and subsequently, if players are adequately prepared for competition. This review discusses measures reported in the literature for monitoring the external demands and internal responses of basketball players during training and competition. The external demands of training and competition were primarily monitored using time-motion analysis, with limited use of microtechnology being reported. Internal responses during training were typically measured using hematological markers, heart rate, various TL models, and perceptual responses such as rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Heart rate was the most commonly reported indicator of internal responses during competition with limited reporting of hematological markers or RPE. These findings show a large discrepancy between the reporting of external and internal measures and training and competition demands. Microsensors, however, may be a practical and convenient method of player monitoring in basketball to overcome the limitations associated with current approaches while allowing for external demands and internal responses to be recorded simultaneously. The triaxial accelerometers of microsensors seem well suited for basketball and warrant validation to definitively determine their place in the monitoring of basketball players. Coaching staff should make use of this technology by tracking individual player responses across the annual plan and using real-time monitoring to minimize factors such as fatigue and injury risk.

Task-relevant information is prioritized in spatiotemporal contextual cueing.

PubMed

Higuchi, Yoko; Ueda, Yoshiyuki; Ogawa, Hirokazu; Saiki, Jun

2016-11-01

Implicit learning of visual contexts facilitates search performance-a phenomenon known as contextual cueing; however, little is known about contextual cueing under situations in which multidimensional regularities exist simultaneously. In everyday vision, different information, such as object identity and location, appears simultaneously and interacts with each other. We tested the hypothesis that, in contextual cueing, when multiple regularities are present, the regularities that are most relevant to our behavioral goals would be prioritized. Previous studies of contextual cueing have commonly used the visual search paradigm. However, this paradigm is not suitable for directing participants' attention to a particular regularity. Therefore, we developed a new paradigm, the "spatiotemporal contextual cueing paradigm," and manipulated task-relevant and task-irrelevant regularities. In four experiments, we demonstrated that task-relevant regularities were more responsible for search facilitation than task-irrelevant regularities. This finding suggests our visual behavior is focused on regularities that are relevant to our current goal.

Stockpiling Ventilators for Influenza Pandemics

PubMed Central

Araz, Ozgur M.; Morton, David P.; Johnson, Gregory P.; Damien, Paul; Clements, Bruce; Meyers, Lauren Ancel

2017-01-01

In preparing for influenza pandemics, public health agencies stockpile critical medical resources. Determining appropriate quantities and locations for such resources can be challenging, given the considerable uncertainty in the timing and severity of future pandemics. We introduce a method for optimizing stockpiles of mechanical ventilators, which are critical for treating hospitalized influenza patients in respiratory failure. As a case study, we consider the US state of Texas during mild, moderate, and severe pandemics. Optimal allocations prioritize local over central storage, even though the latter can be deployed adaptively, on the basis of real-time needs. This prioritization stems from high geographic correlations and the slightly lower treatment success assumed for centrally stockpiled ventilators. We developed our model and analysis in collaboration with academic researchers and a state public health agency and incorporated it into a Web-based decision-support tool for pandemic preparedness and response. PMID:28518041

A clinically driven variant prioritization framework outperforms purely computational approaches for the diagnostic analysis of singleton WES data.

PubMed

Stark, Zornitza; Dashnow, Harriet; Lunke, Sebastian; Tan, Tiong Y; Yeung, Alison; Sadedin, Simon; Thorne, Natalie; Macciocca, Ivan; Gaff, Clara; Oshlack, Alicia; White, Susan M; James, Paul A

2017-11-01

Rapid identification of clinically significant variants is key to the successful application of next generation sequencing technologies in clinical practice. The Melbourne Genomics Health Alliance (MGHA) variant prioritization framework employs a gene prioritization index based on clinician-generated a priori gene lists, and a variant prioritization index (VPI) based on rarity, conservation and protein effect. We used data from 80 patients who underwent singleton whole exome sequencing (WES) to test the ability of the framework to rank causative variants highly, and compared it against the performance of other gene and variant prioritization tools. Causative variants were identified in 59 of the patients. Using the MGHA prioritization framework the average rank of the causative variant was 2.24, with 76% ranked as the top priority variant, and 90% ranked within the top five. Using clinician-generated gene lists resulted in ranking causative variants an average of 8.2 positions higher than prioritization based on variant properties alone. This clinically driven prioritization approach significantly outperformed purely computational tools, placing a greater proportion of causative variants top or in the top 5 (permutation P-value=0.001). Clinicians included 40 of the 49 WES diagnoses in their a priori list of differential diagnoses (81%). The lists generated by PhenoTips and Phenomizer contained 14 (29%) and 18 (37%) of these diagnoses respectively. These results highlight the benefits of clinically led variant prioritization in increasing the efficiency of singleton WES data analysis and have important implications for developing models for the funding and delivery of genomic services.

Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention: New Mathematical Models for Strategic Demand Creation Prioritizing Subpopulations by Age and Geography

PubMed Central

Hankins, Catherine; Warren, Mitchell

2016-01-01

Over 11 million voluntary medical male circumcisions (VMMC) have been performed of the projected 20.3 million needed to reach 80% adult male circumcision prevalence in priority sub-Saharan African countries. Striking numbers of adolescent males, outside the 15-49-year-old age target, have been accessing VMMC services. What are the implications of overall progress in scale-up to date? Can mathematical modeling provide further insights on how to efficiently reach the male circumcision coverage levels needed to create and sustain further reductions in HIV incidence to make AIDS no longer a public health threat by 2030? Considering ease of implementation and cultural acceptability, decision makers may also value the estimates that mathematical models can generate of immediacy of impact, cost-effectiveness, and magnitude of impact resulting from different policy choices. This supplement presents the results of mathematical modeling using the Decision Makers’ Program Planning Tool Version 2.0 (DMPPT 2.0), the Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA2008) model, and the age structured mathematical (ASM) model. These models are helping countries examine the potential effects on program impact and cost-effectiveness of prioritizing specific subpopulations for VMMC services, for example, by client age, HIV-positive status, risk group, and geographical location. The modeling also examines long-term sustainability strategies, such as adolescent and/or early infant male circumcision, to preserve VMMC coverage gains achieved during rapid scale-up. The 2016–2021 UNAIDS strategy target for VMMC is an additional 27 million VMMC in high HIV-prevalence settings by 2020, as part of access to integrated sexual and reproductive health services for men. To achieve further scale-up, a combination of evidence, analysis, and impact estimates can usefully guide strategic planning and funding of VMMC services and related demand-creation strategies in priority countries. Mid-course corrections now can improve cost-effectiveness and scale to achieve the impact needed to help turn the HIV pandemic on its head within 15 years. PMID:27783613

Smart Buildings and Demand Response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiliccote, Sila; Piette, Mary Ann; Ghatikar, Girish

2011-11-01

Advances in communications and control technology, the strengthening of the Internet, and the growing appreciation of the urgency to reduce demand side energy use are motivating the development of improvements in both energy efficiency and demand response (DR) systems in buildings. This paper provides a framework linking continuous energy management and continuous communications for automated demand response (Auto-DR) in various times scales. We provide a set of concepts for monitoring and controls linked to standards and procedures such as Open Automation Demand Response Communication Standards (OpenADR). Basic building energy science and control issues in this approach begin with key building components, systems, end-uses and whole building energy performance metrics. The paper presents a framework about when energy is used, levels of services by energy using systems, granularity of control, and speed of telemetry. DR, when defined as a discrete event, requires a different set of building service levels than daily operations. We provide examples of lessons from DR case studies and links to energy efficiency.

47 CFR 10.410 - Prioritization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Prioritization. 10.410 Section 10.410 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL COMMERCIAL MOBILE ALERT SYSTEM Alert Message Requirements § 10.410 Prioritization. A Participating CMS Provider is required to transmit Presidential Alerts...

Analysis of gender-based differences among surgeons in Japan: results of a survey conducted by the Japan Surgical Society. Part. 2: personal life.

PubMed

Kawase, Kazumi; Nomura, Kyoko; Tominaga, Ryuji; Iwase, Hirotaka; Ogawa, Tomoko; Shibasaki, Ikuko; Shimada, Mitsuo; Taguchi, Tomoaki; Takeshita, Emiko; Tomizawa, Yasuko; Nomura, Sachiyo; Hanazaki, Kazuhiro; Hanashi, Tomoko; Yamashita, Hiroko; Kokudo, Norihiro; Maeda, Kotaro

2018-03-01

To assess the true conditions and perceptions of the personal lives of men and women working as surgeons in Japan. In 2014, all e-mail subscribed members of the Japan Surgical Society (JSS, n = 29,861) were invited to complete a web-based survey. The questions covered demographic information, work environment, and personal life (including marital status, childcare, and nursing care for adult family members). In total, 6211 surgeons (5586 men and 625 women) returned the questionnaires, representing a response rate of 20.8%. Based on the questionnaire responses, surgeons generally prioritize work and spend most of their time at work, although women with children prioritize their family over work; men spend significantly fewer hours on domestic work/childcare than do their female counterparts (men 0.76 h/day vs. women 2.93 h/day, p < 0.01); and both men and women surgeons, regardless of their age or whether they have children, place more importance on the role of women in the family. The personal lives of Japanese surgeons differed significantly according to gender and whether they have children. The conservative idea that women should bear primary responsibility for the family still pertains for both men and women working as surgeons in Japan.

Mobile phone use for a social strategy to improve antiretroviral refill experience at a low-resource HIV clinic: patient responses from Nigeria.

PubMed

Adetunji, Adedotun A; Muyibi, Sufiyan A; Imhansoloeva, Martins; Ibraheem, Olusola M; Sunmola, Adegbenga; Kolawole, Olubunmi O; Akinrinsola, Oluwasina O; Ojo-Osagie, James O; Mosuro, Olusola A; Abiolu, Josephine O; Irabor, Achiaka E; Okonkwo, Prosper; Adewole, Isaac F; Taiwo, Babafemi O

2017-05-01

In sub-Saharan African areas where antiretroviral (ARV) drugs are not available through community pharmacies, clinic-based pharmacies are often the primary source of ARV drug refills. Social pressure is mounting on treatment providers to adjust ARV refill services towards user-friendly approaches which prioritize patients' convenience and engage their resourcefulness. By this demand, patients may be signalling dissatisfaction with the current provider-led model of monthly visits to facility-based pharmacies for ARV refill. Mobile phones are increasingly popular in sub-Saharan Africa, and have been used to support ARV treatment goals in this setting. A patient-centred response to on-going social pressure requires treatment providers to view ARV refill activities through the eyes of patients who are negotiating the challenges of day-to-day life while contemplating their next refill appointment. Using focus groups of five categories of adult patients receiving combination ARV therapy, we conducted this cross-sectional qualitative study to provide insight into modifiable gaps between patients' expectations and experiences of the use of mobile phones in facility-based ARV refill service at a public HIV clinic in Nigeria. A notable finding was patients' preference for harnessing informal social support (through intermediaries with mobile phones) to maintain adherence to ARV refill appointments when they could not present in person. This evolving social support strategy also has the potential to enhance defaulter tracking. Our study findings may inform the development of ARV refill strategies and the design of future qualitative studies on client-provider communication by mobile phones in under-resourced HIV treatment programmes.

Science Autonomy in Robotic Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roush, Ted L.; DeVincenzi, Donald (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Historical mission operations have involved: (1) return of scientific data; (2) evaluation of these data by scientists; (3) recommendations for future mission activity by scientists; (4) commands for these transmitted to the craft; and (5) the activity being undertaken. This cycle is repeated throughout the mission with command opportunities once or twice per day. For a rover, this historical cycle is not amenable to rapid long range traverses or rapid response to any novel or unexpected situations. In addition to real-time response issues, imaging and/or spectroscopic devices can produce tremendous data volumes during a traverse. However, such data volumes can rapidly exceed on-board memory capabilities prior to the ability to transmit it to Earth. Additionally, the necessary communication band-widths are restrictive enough so that only a small portion of these data can actually be returned to Earth. Such scenarios suggest enabling some science decisions to be made on-board the robots. These decisions involve automating various aspects of scientific discovery instead of the electromechanical control, health, and navigation issues associated with robotic operations. The robot retains access to the full data fidelity obtained by its scientific sensors, and is in the best position to implement actions based upon these data. Such an approach would eventually enable the robot to alter observations and assure only the highest quality data is obtained for analysis. Additionally, the robot can begin to understand what is scientifically interesting and implement alternative observing sequences, because the observed data deviate from expectations based upon current theories/models of planetary processes. Such interesting data and/or conclusions can then be prioritized and selectively transmitted to Earth; reducing memory and communications demands. Results of Ames' current work in this area will be presented.

Robotic Exploration: The Role of Science Autonomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roush, Ted L.; DeVincenzi, Donald (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Historical mission operations have involved: (1) return of scientific data; (2) evaluation of these data by scientists; (3) recommendations for future mission activity by scientists; (4) commands for these transmitted to the craft; and (5) the activity being, undertaken. This cycle is repeated throughout the mission with command opportunities once or twice per day. For a rover, this historical cycle is not amenable to rapid long range traverses or rapid response to any novel or unexpected situations. In addition to real-time response issues, imaging and/or spectroscopic devices can produce tremendous data volumes during a traverse. However, such data volumes can rapidly exceed on-board memory capabilities prior to the ability to transmit it to Earth. Additionally, the necessary communication band-widths are restrictive enough so that only a small portion of these data can actually be returned to Earth. Such scenarios suggest enabling some science decisions to be made on-board the robots. These decisions involve automating various aspects of scientific discovery instead of the electromechanical control, health, and navigation issues associated with robotic operations. The robot retains access to the full data fidelity obtained by its scientific sensors, and is in the best position to implement actions based upon these data. Such an approach would eventually enable the robot to alter observations and assure only the highest quality data is obtained for analysis. Additionally, the robot can begin to understand what is scientifically interesting and implement alternative observing sequences, because the observed data deviate from expectations based upon current theories/models of planetary processes. Such interesting data and/or conclusions can then be prioritized and selectively transmitted to Earth; reducing memory and communications demands. Results of Ames' current work in this area will be presented.

Hazard Science in Support of Community Resiliency: The Response of the Multi Hazards Demonstration Project to the 2009 Station Fire in Los Angeles County

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, L. M.; Bawden, G. W.; Bowers, J.; Cannon, S.; Cox, D. A.; Fisher, R.; Keeley, J.; Perry, S. C.; Plumlee, G. S.; Wood, N. J.

2009-12-01

The “Station” fire, the largest fire in the history of Los Angeles County in southern California, began on August 26, 2009 and as of the abstract deadline had burned over 150,000 acres of the Angeles National Forest. This fire creates both a demand and an opportunity for hazards science to be used by the communities directly hit by the fire, as well as those downstream of possible postfire impacts. The Multi Hazards Demonstration Project of the USGS is deploying several types of scientific response, including 1) evaluation of potential debris-flow hazards and associated risk, 2) monitoring physical conditions in burned areas and the hydrologic response to rainstorms, 3) increased streamflow monitoring, 4) ash analysis and ground water contamination, 5) ecosystem response and endangered species rescue, 6) lidar data acquisition for evaluations of biomass loss, detailed mapping of the physical processes that lead to debris-flow generation, and other geologic investigations. The Multi Hazards Demonstration Project is working with the southern California community to use the resulting information to better manage the social consequences of the fire and its secondary hazards. In particular, we are working with Los Angeles County to determine what information they need to prioritize recovery efforts. For instance, maps of hazards specific to debris flow potential can help identify the highest priority areas for debris flow mitigation efforts. These same maps together with ecosystem studies will help land managers determine whether individuals from endangered species should be removed to zoos or other refuges during the rainy months. The ash analysis will help water managers prevent contamination to water supplies. Plans are just beginning for a public information campaign with Los Angeles County about the risk posed by potential debris flows that should be underway in December. Activities from the fire response will support the development of the Wildfire Scenario in 2011, which will examine implications of land-use decisions in the frequency of fires in southern California.

76 FR 21936 - Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee-New Task

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-19

... ARAC activity and solicits membership for the new Rulemaking Prioritization Working Group. FOR FURTHER... Rulemaking Prioritization Working Group will specifically address, in part, Recommendation 22: ``The... available * * *.'' The objective of the Rulemaking Prioritization Working Group is to provide advice and...

The prioritization of mobility improvements using a multicriteria prioritization algorithm : final report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-07-01

A prioritization process has been prepared by the University of California, Davis, for use by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) in selecting multimodal mobility improvement projects to fund, given a budget constraint. The process involve...

On the demand for prescription drugs: heterogeneity in price responses.

PubMed

Skipper, Niels

2013-07-01

This paper estimates the price elasticity of demand for prescription drugs using an exogenous shift in consumer co-payment caused by a reform in the Danish subsidy scheme for the general public. Using purchasing records for the entire Danish population, I show that the average price response for the most commonly used drug yields demand elasticities in the range of -0.36 to -0.5. The reform is shown to affect women, the elderly, and immigrants the most. Furthermore, this paper shows significant heterogeneity in the price response over different types of antibiotics, suggesting that the price elasticity of demand varies considerably even across relatively similar drugs. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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

PubMed Central

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

2016-01-01

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

A large-scale benchmark of gene prioritization methods.

PubMed

Guala, Dimitri; Sonnhammer, Erik L L

2017-04-21

In order to maximize the use of results from high-throughput experimental studies, e.g. GWAS, for identification and diagnostics of new disease-associated genes, it is important to have properly analyzed and benchmarked gene prioritization tools. While prospective benchmarks are underpowered to provide statistically significant results in their attempt to differentiate the performance of gene prioritization tools, a strategy for retrospective benchmarking has been missing, and new tools usually only provide internal validations. The Gene Ontology(GO) contains genes clustered around annotation terms. This intrinsic property of GO can be utilized in construction of robust benchmarks, objective to the problem domain. We demonstrate how this can be achieved for network-based gene prioritization tools, utilizing the FunCoup network. We use cross-validation and a set of appropriate performance measures to compare state-of-the-art gene prioritization algorithms: three based on network diffusion, NetRank and two implementations of Random Walk with Restart, and MaxLink that utilizes network neighborhood. Our benchmark suite provides a systematic and objective way to compare the multitude of available and future gene prioritization tools, enabling researchers to select the best gene prioritization tool for the task at hand, and helping to guide the development of more accurate methods.

Using concept mapping to design an indicator framework for addiction treatment centres.

PubMed

Nabitz, Udo; van Den Brink, Wim; Jansen, Paul

2005-06-01

The objective of this study is to determine an indicator framework for addiction treatment centres based on the demands of stakeholders and in alignment with the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model. The setting is the Jellinek Centre based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, which serves as a prototype for an addiction treatment centre. Concept mapping was used in the construction of the indicator framework. During the 1-day workshop, 16 stakeholders generated, prioritized and sorted 73 items concerning quality and performance. Multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis was applied in constructing a framework consisting of two dimensions and eight clusters. The horizontal axis of the indicator framework is named 'Organization' and has two poles, namely, 'Processes' and 'Results'. The vertical axis is named ' Task' and the poles are named 'Efficient treatment' and 'Prevention programs'. The eight clusters in the two-dimensional framework are arranged in the following, prioritized sequence: 'Efficient treatment network', 'Effective service', ' Target group', 'Quality of life', 'Efficient service', 'Knowledge transfer', 'Reducing addiction related problems', and 'Prevention programs'. The most important items in the framework are: 'patients are satisfied with their treatment', 'early interventions', and 'efficient treatment chain'. The indicator framework aligns with three clusters of the results criteria of the EFQM Excellence Model. It is based on the stakeholders' perspectives and is believed to be specific for addiction treatment centres. The study demonstrates that concept mapping is a suitable strategy for generating indicator frameworks.

Electric Water Heater Modeling and Control Strategies for Demand Response

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

Diao, Ruisheng; Lu, Shuai; Elizondo, Marcelo A.

2012-07-22

Abstract— Demand response (DR) has a great potential to provide balancing services at normal operating conditions and emergency support when a power system is subject to disturbances. Effective control strategies can significantly relieve the balancing burden of conventional generators and reduce investment on generation and transmission expansion. This paper is aimed at modeling electric water heaters (EWH) in households and tests their response to control strategies to implement DR. The open-loop response of EWH to a centralized signal is studied by adjusting temperature settings to provide regulation services; and two types of decentralized controllers are tested to provide frequency supportmore » following generator trips. EWH models are included in a simulation platform in DIgSILENT to perform electromechanical simulation, which contains 147 households in a distribution feeder. Simulation results show the dependence of EWH response on water heater usage . These results provide insight suggestions on the need of control strategies to achieve better performance for demand response implementation. Index Terms— Centralized control, decentralized control, demand response, electrical water heater, smart grid« less

REGIONAL PRIORITIZATIONS OF BIODIVERSITY AND SEDIMENT RETENTION FUNCTIONS: FINDINGS AND MANAGEMENT RELEVANCE

EPA Science Inventory

The synoptic approach is a landscape-level assessment tool for geographic prioritization of wetland protection and restoration efforts. Prioritization becomes necessary when effort ? including time and money ? is limited, forcing managers to select a subset of locations. The ap...

Incorporating exposure information into the toxicological prioritization index decision support framework

EPA Science Inventory

The Toxicological Prioritization Index (ToxPi) decision support framework was previously developed to facilitate incorporation of diverse data to prioritize chemicals based on potential hazard. This ToxPi index was demonstrated by considering results of bioprofiling related to po...

Use of a quality improvement tool, the prioritization matrix, to identify and prioritize triage software algorithm enhancement.

PubMed

North, Frederick; Varkey, Prathiba; Caraballo, Pedro; Vsetecka, Darlene; Bartel, Greg

2007-10-11

Complex decision support software can require significant effort in maintenance and enhancement. A quality improvement tool, the prioritization matrix, was successfully used to guide software enhancement of algorithms in a symptom assessment call center.

Inter-Individual Variability in High-Throughput Risk Prioritization of Environmental Chemicals (Sot)

EPA Science Inventory

We incorporate realistic human variability into an open-source high-throughput (HT) toxicokinetics (TK) modeling framework for use in a next-generation risk prioritization approach. Risk prioritization involves rapid triage of thousands of environmental chemicals, most which have...

Inter-individual variability in high-throughput risk prioritization of environmental chemicals (IVIVE)

EPA Science Inventory

We incorporate inter-individual variability into an open-source high-throughput (HT) toxicokinetics (TK) modeling framework for use in a next-generation risk prioritization approach. Risk prioritization involves rapid triage of thousands of environmental chemicals, most which hav...

ExpoCast: Exposure Science for Prioritization and Toxicity Testing (S)

EPA Science Inventory

The US EPA is completing the Phase I pilot for a chemical prioritization research program, called ToxCast. Here EPA is developing methods for using computational chemistry, high-throughput screening, and toxicogenomic technologies to predict potential toxicity and prioritize limi...

ExpoCast: Exposure Science for Prioritization and Toxicity Testing

EPA Science Inventory

The US EPA is completing the Phase I pilot for a chemical prioritization research program, called ToxCastTM. Here EPA is developing methods for using computational chemistry, high-throughput screening, and toxicogenomic technologies to predict potential toxicity and prioritize l...

Better service, greater efficiency : transit management for demand response systems

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-01-01

This brochure briefly describes different technologies which can enhance demand response transit systems. It covers automated scheduling and dispatching, mobile data terminals, electronic identification cards, automatic vehicle location, and geograph...

Family history of problem drinking is associated with less sensitivity of alcohol demand to a next-day responsibility.

PubMed

Murphy, James G; Yurasek, Ali M; Meshesha, Lidia Z; Dennhardt, Ashley A; MacKillop, James; Skidmore, Jessica R; Martens, Matthew P

2014-07-01

Behavioral economic demand curves measure alcohol consumption as a function of price and may capture clinically relevant individual differences in alcohol-reinforcing efficacy. This study used a novel, behavioral-economic, hypothetical demand-curve paradigm to examine the association between family history of alcohol misuse and individual differences in both alcohol demand and the relative sensitivity of alcohol demand to next-day responsibilities. Participants were 207 college students (47% male, 68.5% White, 27.4% African American, Mage = 19.5 years) who reported at least one heavy drinking episode (5/4 or more drinks on one occasion for a man/woman) in the past month and completed two versions of an alcohol purchase task (APT) that assessed hypothetical alcohol consumption across 17 drink prices. In one APT (standard), students imagined they had no next-day responsibilities, and in the other, they imagined having a 10:00 a.m. test the next day. A series of analyses of covariance indicated that participants with at least one biological parent or grandparent who had misused alcohol reported similar levels of alcohol demand on the standard APT but significantly less sensitivity to the next-day academic responsibility as measured by the percentage of reduction in demand intensity and breakpoint across the no-responsibility and next-day-test conditions. These findings provide initial evidence that APTs might clarify one potential mechanism of risk conferred by family history. Young adult heavy drinkers with a family history of problematic drinking may be less sensitive to next-day responsibilities that might modulate drinking in drinkers without a family history of alcohol problems.

Prioritizing ToxCast Chemicals Across Multiple Sectors of Toxicity Using ToxPi

EPA Science Inventory

The Toxicological Prioritization Index (ToxPi™) framework was developed as a decision-support tool to aid in the rational prioritization of chemicals for integrated toxicity testing. ToxPi consolidates information from multiple domains—including ToxCast™ in vitro bioactivity prof...

Human variability in high-throughput risk prioritization of environmental chemicals (Texas AM U. webinar)

EPA Science Inventory

We incorporate inter-individual variability into an open-source high-throughput (HT) toxicokinetics (TK) modeling framework for use in a next-generation risk prioritization approach. Risk prioritization involves rapid triage of thousands of environmental chemicals, most which hav...

Prioritization of Disease Susceptibility Genes Using LSM/SVD.

PubMed

Gong, Lejun; Yang, Ronggen; Yan, Qin; Sun, Xiao

2013-12-01

Understanding the role of genetics in diseases is one of the most important tasks in the postgenome era. It is generally too expensive and time consuming to perform experimental validation for all candidate genes related to disease. Computational methods play important roles for prioritizing these candidates. Herein, we propose an approach to prioritize disease genes using latent semantic mapping based on singular value decomposition. Our hypothesis is that similar functional genes are likely to cause similar diseases. Measuring the functional similarity between known disease susceptibility genes and unknown genes is to predict new disease susceptibility genes. Taking autism as an instance, the analysis results of the top ten genes prioritized demonstrate they might be autism susceptibility genes, which also indicates our approach could discover new disease susceptibility genes. The novel approach of disease gene prioritization could discover new disease susceptibility genes, and latent disease-gene relations. The prioritized results could also support the interpretive diversity and experimental views as computational evidence for disease researchers.

Real-Time Human Ambulation, Activity, and Physiological Monitoring: Taxonomy of Issues, Techniques, Applications, Challenges and Limitations

PubMed Central

Khusainov, Rinat; Azzi, Djamel; Achumba, Ifeyinwa E.; Bersch, Sebastian D.

2013-01-01

Automated methods of real-time, unobtrusive, human ambulation, activity, and wellness monitoring and data analysis using various algorithmic techniques have been subjects of intense research. The general aim is to devise effective means of addressing the demands of assisted living, rehabilitation, and clinical observation and assessment through sensor-based monitoring. The research studies have resulted in a large amount of literature. This paper presents a holistic articulation of the research studies and offers comprehensive insights along four main axes: distribution of existing studies; monitoring device framework and sensor types; data collection, processing and analysis; and applications, limitations and challenges. The aim is to present a systematic and most complete study of literature in the area in order to identify research gaps and prioritize future research directions. PMID:24072027

Methodological systematic review identifies major limitations in prioritization processes for updating.

PubMed

Martínez García, Laura; Pardo-Hernandez, Hector; Superchi, Cecilia; Niño de Guzman, Ena; Ballesteros, Monica; Ibargoyen Roteta, Nora; McFarlane, Emma; Posso, Margarita; Roqué I Figuls, Marta; Rotaeche Del Campo, Rafael; Sanabria, Andrea Juliana; Selva, Anna; Solà, Ivan; Vernooij, Robin W M; Alonso-Coello, Pablo

2017-06-01

The aim of the study was to identify and describe strategies to prioritize the updating of systematic reviews (SRs), health technology assessments (HTAs), or clinical guidelines (CGs). We conducted an SR of studies describing one or more methods to prioritize SRs, HTAs, or CGs for updating. We searched MEDLINE (PubMed, from 1966 to August 2016) and The Cochrane Methodology Register (The Cochrane Library, Issue 8 2016). We hand searched abstract books, reviewed reference lists, and contacted experts. Two reviewers independently screened the references and extracted data. We included 14 studies. Six studies were classified as descriptive (6 of 14, 42.9%) and eight as implementation studies (8 of 14, 57.1%). Six studies reported an updating strategy (6 of 14, 42.9%), six a prioritization process (6 of 14, 42.9%), and two a prioritization criterion (2 of 14, 14.2%). Eight studies focused on SRs (8 of 14, 57.1%), six studies focused on CGs (6 of 14, 42.9%), and none were about HTAs. We identified 76 prioritization criteria that can be applied when prioritizing documents for updating. The most frequently cited criteria were as follows: available evidence (19 of 76, 25.0%), clinical relevance (10 of 76; 13.2%), and users' interest (10 of 76; 13.2%). There is wide variability and suboptimal reporting of the methods used to develop and implement processes to prioritize updating of SRs, HTAs, and CGs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Military Construction: Process and Outcomes

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-14

the Army’s Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management (ACSIM), the service’s senior officer responsible for setting installations-related...with the governor as its commander in chief and the Adjutant General (TAG) as its senior military officer .11 Each National Guard is a joint organization...encompasses several steps:  determination of need by the local installation commander and engineering office ,  vetting and prioritization of

Basal area growth, carbon isotope discrimination, and intrinsic water use efficiency after fertilization of Douglas-fir in the Oregon Coast Range

Treesearch

Eladio H. Cornejo-Oviedo; Steven L. Voelker; Douglas B. Mainwaring; Douglas A. Maguire; Frederick C. Meinzer; J. Renée Brooks

2017-01-01

Many hectares of intensively managed Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii Mirb. Franco) stands in western North America are fertilized with nitrogen (N) to increase growth rates, but only about ⅔ of all stands respond. Understanding the mechanisms of response facilitates prioritization of stands for treatment. The primary objective of this study was...

Influencing Transnational Terrorist Organizations: Using Influence Nets to Prioritize Factors

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-06-01

Essentially, there is an impenetrable glass ceiling for those not of the required genealogical line. Coupled with a relatively insignificant say in...attitudes and perceptions . 2.6. Defensive Measures Examples of defensive measures include target hardening, security measures, emergency response...and Muslim resentment toward the United States stems from our Israeli-Palestinian policy. Haddad and Khashan’s survey of Lebanese -Muslim opinion found

Demand effects on positive response distortion by police officer applicants on the Revised NEO Personality Inventory.

PubMed

Detrick, Paul; Chibnall, John T; Call, Cynthia

2010-09-01

Understanding and detecting response distortion is important in the high-demand circumstances of personnel selection. In this article, we describe positive response distortion on the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R; Costa & McCrae, 1992) among police officer applicants under high and low demand conditions. Positive response distortion primarily reflected denial/minimization of Neuroticism and accentuation of traits associated with moralistic bias (Agreeableness and Conscientiousness). Validity of the NEO PI-R research validity scale, Positive Presentation Management, was weakly supported with respect to the Neuroticism domain only. Results will be useful in interpreting personality inventory results in the police personnel selection process.

The impact of health economic evaluations in Sweden.

PubMed

Heintz, Emelie; Arnberg, Karl; Levin, Lars-Åke; Liliemark, Jan; Davidson, Thomas

2014-01-01

The responsibility for healthcare in Sweden is shared by the central government, county councils and municipalities. The counties and municipalities are free to make their own prioritizations within the framework of the state healthcare laws. To guide prioritization of healthcare resources in Sweden, there is consensus that cost-effectiveness constitutes one of the three principles. The objective of this paper is to describe how cost-effectiveness, and hence health economic evaluations (HEE), have a role in pricing decisions, reimbursement of pharmaceuticals as well as the overall prioritization and allocation of resources in the Swedish healthcare system. There are various organizations involved in the processes of implementing health technologies in the Swedish healthcare system, several of which consider or produce HEEs when assessing different technologies: the Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency (TLV), the county councils' group on new drug therapies (NLT), the National Board of Health and Welfare, the Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment (SBU), regional HTA agencies and the Public Health Agency of Sweden. The only governmental agency that has official and mandatory guidelines for how to perform HEE is TLV (LFNAR 2003:2). Even though HEEs may seem to have a clear and explicit role in the decision-making processes in the Swedish healthcare system, there are various obstacles and challenges in the use and dissemination of the results. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

Prioritizing ecological restoration among sites in multi-stressor landscapes.

PubMed

Neeson, Thomas M; Smith, Sigrid D P; Allan, J David; McIntyre, Peter B

2016-09-01

Most ecosystems are impacted by multiple local and long-distance stressors, many of which interact in complex ways. We present a framework for prioritizing ecological restoration efforts among sites in multi-stressor landscapes. Using a simple model, we show that both the economic and sociopolitical costs of restoration will typically be lower at sites with a relatively small number of severe problems than at sites with numerous lesser problems. Based on these results, we propose using cumulative stress and evenness of stressor impact as complementary indices that together reflect key challenges of restoring a site to improved condition. To illustrate this approach, we analyze stressor evenness across the world's rivers and the Laurentian Great Lakes. This exploration reveals that evenness and cumulative stress are decoupled, enabling selection of sites where remediating a modest number of high-intensity stressors could substantially reduce cumulative stress. Just as species richness and species evenness are fundamental axes of biological diversity, we argue that cumulative stress and stressor evenness constitute fundamental axes for identifying restoration opportunities in multi-stressor landscapes. Our results highlight opportunities to boost restoration efficiency through strategic use of multi-stressor datasets to identify sites that maximize ecological response per stressor remediated. This prioritization framework can also be expanded to account for the feasibility of remediation and the expected societal benefits of restoration projects. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

Electrophysiological evidence for biased competition in V1 for fear expressions.

PubMed

West, Greg L; Anderson, Adam A K; Ferber, Susanne; Pratt, Jay

2011-11-01

When multiple stimuli are concurrently displayed in the visual field, they must compete for neural representation at the processing expense of their contemporaries. This biased competition is thought to begin as early as primary visual cortex, and can be driven by salient low-level stimulus features. Stimuli important for an organism's survival, such as facial expressions signaling environmental threat, might be similarly prioritized at this early stage of visual processing. In the present study, we used ERP recordings from striate cortex to examine whether fear expressions can bias the competition for neural representation at the earliest stage of retinotopic visuo-cortical processing when in direct competition with concurrently presented visual information of neutral valence. We found that within 50 msec after stimulus onset, information processing in primary visual cortex is biased in favor of perceptual representations of fear at the expense of competing visual information (Experiment 1). Additional experiments confirmed that the facial display's emotional content rather than low-level features is responsible for this prioritization in V1 (Experiment 2), and that this competition is reliant on a face's upright canonical orientation (Experiment 3). These results suggest that complex stimuli important for an organism's survival can indeed be prioritized at the earliest stage of cortical processing at the expense of competing information, with competition possibly beginning before encoding in V1.

A patient-centered research agenda for the care of the acutely ill older patient.

PubMed

Wald, Heidi L; Leykum, Luci K; Mattison, Melissa L P; Vasilevskis, Eduard E; Meltzer, David O

2015-05-01

Hospitalists and others acute-care providers are limited by gaps in evidence addressing the needs of the acutely ill older adult population. The Society of Hospital Medicine sponsored the Acute Care of Older Patients Priority Setting Partnership to develop a research agenda focused on bridging this gap. Informed by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute framework for identification and prioritization of research areas, we adapted a methodology developed by the James Lind Alliance to engage diverse stakeholders in the research agenda setting process. The work of the Partnership proceeded through 4 steps: convening, consulting, collating, and prioritizing. First, the steering committee convened a partnership of 18 stakeholder organizations in May 2013. Next, stakeholder organizations surveyed members to identify important unanswered questions in the acute care of older persons, receiving 1299 responses from 580 individuals. Finally, an extensive and structured process of collation and prioritization resulted in a final list of 10 research questions in the following areas: advanced-care planning, care transitions, delirium, dementia, depression, medications, models of care, physical function, surgery, and training. With the changing demographics of the hospitalized population, a workforce with limited geriatrics training, and gaps in evidence to inform clinical decision making for acutely ill older patients, the identified research questions deserve the highest priority in directing future research efforts to improve care for the older hospitalized patient and enrich training. © 2015 Society of Hospital Medicine.

Parents who catastrophize about their child's pain prioritize attempts to control pain.

PubMed

Caes, Line; Vervoort, Tine; Eccleston, Christopher; Goubert, Liesbet

2012-08-01

How parents respond to their child in pain is critically important to how both parent and child attempt to cope with pain. We examined the influence of parental catastrophic thinking about child pain on their prioritization for pain control. Using a vignette methodology, parents reported, in response to different pain scenarios, on their imagined motivation for 2 competing goals: to control their child's pain (ie, pain control) or to encourage their child's participation in daily activities (ie, activity engagement). The effects of parent gender, pain intensity, and duration on parental goal priority were also explored. Findings indicated that higher levels of parental catastrophic thoughts were associated with the parents prioritizing child pain control over activity engagement. This effect was significantly moderated by pain duration. Specifically, pain control was more of a priority for those high in catastrophic thinking when the pain was more acute. In contrast, parental catastrophic thoughts had no effect on the pain control strategy favored by parents in situations with longer-lasting pain. Furthermore, independently of parental catastrophic thoughts, heightened priority for pain control was observed in highly intense and chronic pain situations. Moreover, in highly intense pain, priority for pain control was stronger for mothers compared with fathers. Theoretical and clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed. Copyright © 2012 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Two-and-a-half-year-olds succeed at a traditional false-belief task with reduced processing demands.

PubMed

Setoh, Peipei; Scott, Rose M; Baillargeon, Renée

2016-11-22

When tested with traditional false-belief tasks, which require answering a standard question about the likely behavior of an agent with a false belief, children perform below chance until age 4 y or later. When tested without such questions, however, children give evidence of false-belief understanding much earlier. Are traditional tasks difficult because they tap a more advanced form of false-belief understanding (fundamental-change view) or because they impose greater processing demands (processing-demands view)? Evidence that young children succeed at traditional false-belief tasks when processing demands are reduced would support the latter view. In prior research, reductions in inhibitory-control demands led to improvements in young children's performance, but often only to chance (instead of below-chance) levels. Here we examined whether further reductions in processing demands might lead to success. We speculated that: (i) young children could respond randomly in a traditional low-inhibition task because their limited information-processing resources are overwhelmed by the total concurrent processing demands in the task; and (ii) these demands include those from the response-generation process activated by the standard question. This analysis suggested that 2.5-y-old toddlers might succeed at a traditional low-inhibition task if response-generation demands were also reduced via practice trials. As predicted, toddlers performed above chance following two response-generation practice trials; toddlers failed when these trials either were rendered less effective or were used in a high-inhibition task. These results support the processing-demands view: Even toddlers succeed at a traditional false-belief task when overall processing demands are reduced.

Knowledge-guided gene prioritization reveals new insights into the mechanisms of chemoresistance.

PubMed

Emad, Amin; Cairns, Junmei; Kalari, Krishna R; Wang, Liewei; Sinha, Saurabh

2017-08-11

Identification of genes whose basal mRNA expression predicts the sensitivity of tumor cells to cytotoxic treatments can play an important role in individualized cancer medicine. It enables detailed characterization of the mechanism of action of drugs. Furthermore, screening the expression of these genes in the tumor tissue may suggest the best course of chemotherapy or a combination of drugs to overcome drug resistance. We developed a computational method called ProGENI to identify genes most associated with the variation of drug response across different individuals, based on gene expression data. In contrast to existing methods, ProGENI also utilizes prior knowledge of protein-protein and genetic interactions, using random walk techniques. Analysis of two relatively new and large datasets including gene expression data on hundreds of cell lines and their cytotoxic responses to a large compendium of drugs reveals a significant improvement in prediction of drug sensitivity using genes identified by ProGENI compared to other methods. Our siRNA knockdown experiments on ProGENI-identified genes confirmed the role of many new genes in sensitivity to three chemotherapy drugs: cisplatin, docetaxel, and doxorubicin. Based on such experiments and extensive literature survey, we demonstrate that about 73% of our top predicted genes modulate drug response in selected cancer cell lines. In addition, global analysis of genes associated with groups of drugs uncovered pathways of cytotoxic response shared by each group. Our results suggest that knowledge-guided prioritization of genes using ProGENI gives new insight into mechanisms of drug resistance and identifies genes that may be targeted to overcome this phenomenon.

Blockchain Based Decentralized Management of Demand Response Programs in Smart Energy Grids.

PubMed

Pop, Claudia; Cioara, Tudor; Antal, Marcel; Anghel, Ionut; Salomie, Ioan; Bertoncini, Massimo

2018-01-09

In this paper, we investigate the use of decentralized blockchain mechanisms for delivering transparent, secure, reliable, and timely energy flexibility, under the form of adaptation of energy demand profiles of Distributed Energy Prosumers, to all the stakeholders involved in the flexibility markets (Distribution System Operators primarily, retailers, aggregators, etc.). In our approach, a blockchain based distributed ledger stores in a tamper proof manner the energy prosumption information collected from Internet of Things smart metering devices, while self-enforcing smart contracts programmatically define the expected energy flexibility at the level of each prosumer, the associated rewards or penalties, and the rules for balancing the energy demand with the energy production at grid level. Consensus based validation will be used for demand response programs validation and to activate the appropriate financial settlement for the flexibility providers. The approach was validated using a prototype implemented in an Ethereum platform using energy consumption and production traces of several buildings from literature data sets. The results show that our blockchain based distributed demand side management can be used for matching energy demand and production at smart grid level, the demand response signal being followed with high accuracy, while the amount of energy flexibility needed for convergence is reduced.

Method for Estimating Patronage of Demand Responsive Transportation Systems

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1977-12-01

This study has developed a method for estimating patronage of demand responsive transportation (DRT) systems. This procedure requires as inputs a description of the intended service area, current work trip patterns, characteristics of the served popu...

Paratransit and Transit Integration Areawide Demand Responsive Transportation System - Program Analysis

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1977-04-01

The Urban Mass Transportation Administration carries out research and developmet on Areawide Demand Responsive Transportation (AWDRT) systems as part of the Bus and Paratransit Technoloy activities. AWDRT systems are basically the interation of flexi...

An Integrated Hydrologic-Economic Modeling Tool for Evaluating Water Management Responses to Climate Change in the Boise River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, R. D.; Taylor, R. G.; Stodick, L. D.; Contor, B. A.

2009-12-01

A recent federal interagency report on climate change and water management (Brekke et. al., 2009) describes several possible management responses to the impacts of climate change on water supply and demand. Management alternatives include changes to water supply infrastructure, reservoir system operations, and water demand policies. Water users in the Bureau of Reclamation’s Boise Project (located in the Lower Boise River basin in southwestern Idaho) would be among those impacted both hydrologically and economically by climate change. Climate change and management responses to climate change are expected to cause shifts in water supply and demand. Supply shifts would result from changes in basin precipitation patterns, and demand shifts would result from higher evapotranspiration rates and a longer growing season. The impacts would also extend to non-Project water users in the basin, since most non-Project groundwater pumpers and drain water diverters rely on hydrologic externalities created by seepage losses from Boise Project water deliveries. An integrated hydrologic-economic model was developed for the Boise basin to aid Reclamation in evaluating the hydrologic and economic impacts of various management responses to climate change. A spatial, partial-equilibrium, economic optimization model calculates spatially-distinct equilibrium water prices and quantities, and maximizes a social welfare function (the sum of consumer and producers surpluses) for all agricultural and municipal water suppliers and demanders (both Project and non-Project) in the basin. Supply-price functions and demand-price functions are exogenous inputs to the economic optimization model. On the supply side, groundwater and river/reservoir models are used to generate hydrologic responses to various management alternatives. The response data is then used to develop water supply-price functions for Project and non-Project water users. On the demand side, crop production functions incorporating crop distribution, evapotranspiration rates, irrigation efficiencies, and crop prices are used to develop water demand-price functions for agricultural water users. Demand functions for municipal and industrial water users are also developed. Recent applications of the integrated model have focused on the hydrologic and economic impacts of demand management alternatives, including large-scale canal lining conservation measures, and market-based water trading between canal diverters and groundwater pumpers. A supply management alternative being investigated involves revising reservoir rule curves to compensate for climate change impacts on timing of reservoir filling.

Resolving response, decision, and strategic control: evidence for a functional topography in dorsomedial prefrontal cortex.

PubMed

Venkatraman, Vinod; Rosati, Alexandra G; Taren, Adrienne A; Huettel, Scott A

2009-10-21

The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) plays a central role in aspects of cognitive control and decision making. Here, we provide evidence for an anterior-to-posterior topography within the DMPFC using tasks that evoke three distinct forms of control demands--response, decision, and strategic--each of which could be mapped onto independent behavioral data. Specifically, we identify three spatially distinct regions within the DMPFC: a posterior region associated with control demands evoked by multiple incompatible responses, a middle region associated with control demands evoked by the relative desirability of decision options, and an anterior region that predicts control demands related to deviations from an individual's preferred decision-making strategy. These results provide new insight into the functional organization of DMPFC and suggest how recent controversies about its role in complex decision making and response mapping can be reconciled.

Resolving Response, Decision, and Strategic Control: Evidence for a Functional Topography in Dorsomedial Prefrontal Cortex

PubMed Central

Venkatraman, Vinod; Rosati, Alexandra G.; Taren, Adrienne A.; Huettel, Scott A.

2009-01-01

The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) plays a central role in aspects of cognitive control and decision making. Here, we provide evidence for an anterior-to-posterior topography within the DMPFC using tasks that evoke three distinct forms of control demands – response, decision, and strategic – each of which could be mapped on to independent behavioral data. Specifically, we identify three spatially distinct regions within the DMPFC: a posterior region associated with control demands evoked by multiple incompatible responses, a middle region associated with control demands evoked by the relative desirability of decision options, and an anterior region that predicts control demands related to deviations from an individual's preferred decision-making strategy. These results provide new insight into the functional organization of DMPFC, and suggest how recent controversies about its role in complex decision making and response mapping can be reconciled. PMID:19846703

77 FR 69637 - Development of Prioritized Therapeutic Area Data Standards; Request for Comments

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-20

... develop the data standards in collaboration with CDISC and other open standards organizations. FDA is...] Development of Prioritized Therapeutic Area Data Standards; Request for Comments AGENCY: Food and Drug... announcing the intent to prioritize and develop therapeutic area data standards to facilitate the conduct of...

Decision making in prioritization of required operational capabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreeva, P.; Karev, M.; Kovacheva, Ts.

2015-10-01

The paper describes an expert heuristic approach to prioritization of required operational capabilities in the field of defense. Based on expert assessment and by application of the method of Analytical Hierarchical Process, a methodology for their prioritization has been developed. It has been applied to practical simulation decision making games.

76 FR 78566 - Changes To Implement the Prioritized Examination for Requests for Continued Examination

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-19

... America Invents Act includes provisions for prioritized examination of patent applications. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office) implemented the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act prioritized... claims were found allowable, or add new claims, subject only to the limitations applicable to any...

ToxPi Prioritization and Profiling of 1060 ToxCast Chemicals Across Multiple Sectors of Toxicological Concern

EPA Science Inventory

The Toxicological Prioritization Index (ToxPi™) framework was developed as a decision-support tool to aid in the prioritization of chemicals for integrated toxicity testing. ToxPi consolidates information from multiple domains - including ToxCast™ in vitro bioactivity profiles (a...

The Focusing of Responsibility: An Alternative Hypothesis in Help-Demanding Situations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Misavage, Robert; Richardson, James T.

The "diffusion of responsibility" hypothesis as an explanation of helping behavior (or lack of same) is qualified by suggesting that the hypothesis applies only in non-interacting situations. It is hypothesized that interacting groups who are aware of a help-demanding situation actually focus the responsibility and, therefore, take action as a…

22 CFR 1506.5 - Demand for payment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... total of three progressively stronger written demands at approximately 30-day intervals will normally be made, unless a response or other information indicates that additional written demands would either be unnecessary or futile. When necessary to protect the Government's interest, written demand may be preceded by...

Earthquake impact scale

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wald, D.J.; Jaiswal, K.S.; Marano, K.D.; Bausch, D.

2011-01-01

With the advent of the USGS prompt assessment of global earthquakes for response (PAGER) system, which rapidly assesses earthquake impacts, U.S. and international earthquake responders are reconsidering their automatic alert and activation levels and response procedures. To help facilitate rapid and appropriate earthquake response, an Earthquake Impact Scale (EIS) is proposed on the basis of two complementary criteria. On the basis of the estimated cost of damage, one is most suitable for domestic events; the other, on the basis of estimated ranges of fatalities, is generally more appropriate for global events, particularly in developing countries. Simple thresholds, derived from the systematic analysis of past earthquake impact and associated response levels, are quite effective in communicating predicted impact and response needed after an event through alerts of green (little or no impact), yellow (regional impact and response), orange (national-scale impact and response), and red (international response). Corresponding fatality thresholds for yellow, orange, and red alert levels are 1, 100, and 1,000, respectively. For damage impact, yellow, orange, and red thresholds are triggered by estimated losses reaching $1M, $100M, and $1B, respectively. The rationale for a dual approach to earthquake alerting stems from the recognition that relatively high fatalities, injuries, and homelessness predominate in countries in which local building practices typically lend themselves to high collapse and casualty rates, and these impacts lend to prioritization for international response. In contrast, financial and overall societal impacts often trigger the level of response in regions or countries in which prevalent earthquake resistant construction practices greatly reduce building collapse and resulting fatalities. Any newly devised alert, whether economic- or casualty-based, should be intuitive and consistent with established lexicons and procedures. Useful alerts should also be both specific (although allowably uncertain) and actionable. In this analysis, an attempt is made at both simple and intuitive color-coded alerting criteria; yet the necessary uncertainty measures by which one can gauge the likelihood for the alert to be over- or underestimated are preserved. The essence of the proposed impact scale and alerting is that actionable loss information is now available in the immediate aftermath of significant earthquakes worldwide on the basis of quantifiable loss estimates. Utilizing EIS, PAGER's rapid loss estimates can adequately recommend alert levels and suggest appropriate response protocols, despite the uncertainties; demanding or awaiting observations or loss estimates with a high level of accuracy may increase the losses. ?? 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Arts and Humanities Research, Redefining Public Benefit, and Research Prioritization in Ireland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibson, Andrew G.; Hazelkorn, Ellen

2017-01-01

This article looks at the effects of a national policy of research prioritization in the years following Ireland's economic crisis. A national research prioritization exercise initiated by policymakers redefined the purpose of higher education research, and designed policies in line with this approach. Placing research for enterprise to the fore,…

20180311 - Development of a Tool for Systematic Integration of Traditional and New Approach Methods for Prioritizing Chemical Lists (SOT)

EPA Science Inventory

Multiple chemical regulatory bodies (US EPA, ECHA, OECD, Health Canada) are currently tasked with prioritizing chemicals for in-depth risk assessments. These prioritization efforts are driven by the fact that there are many chemicals in commerce, or in the environment for which d...

From Prioritizing Objects to Prioritizing Cues: A Developmental Shift for Cognitive Control

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chevalier, Nicolas; Dauvier, Bruno; Blaye, Agnès

2018-01-01

Emerging cognitive control supports increasingly adaptive behaviors and predicts life success, while low cognitive control is a major risk factor during childhood. It is therefore essential to understand how it develops. The present study provides evidence for an age-related shift in the type of information that children prioritize in their…

Development of a Tool for Systematic Integration of Traditional and New Approach Methods for Prioritizing Chemical Lists

EPA Science Inventory

Multiple chemical regulatory bodies (US EPA, ECHA, OECD, Health Canada) are currently tasked with prioritizing chemicals for in-depth risk assessments. These prioritization efforts are driven by the fact that there are many chemicals in commerce, or in the environment for which d...

The Effect of a Workload-Preview on Task-Prioritization and Task-Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minotra, Dev

2012-01-01

With increased volume and sophistication of cyber attacks in recent years, maintaining situation awareness and effective task-prioritization strategy is critical to the task of cybersecurity analysts. However, high levels of mental-workload associated with the task of cybersecurity analyst's limits their ability to prioritize tasks.…

Processing Demands Impact 3-Year-Olds' Performance in a Spontaneous-Response Task: New Evidence for the Processing-Load Account of Early False-Belief Understanding.

PubMed

Scott, Rose M; Roby, Erin

2015-01-01

Prior to age four, children succeed in non-elicited-response false-belief tasks but fail elicited-response false-belief tasks. To explain this discrepancy, the processing-load account argues that the capacity to represent beliefs emerges in infancy, as indicated by early success on non-elicited-response tasks, but that children's ability to demonstrate this capacity depends on the processing demands of the task and children's processing skills. When processing demands exceed young children's processing abilities, such as in standard elicited-response tasks, children fail despite their capacity to represent beliefs. Support for this account comes from recent evidence that reducing processing demands improves young children's performance: when demands are sufficiently reduced, 2.5-year-olds succeed in elicited-response tasks. Here we sought complementary evidence for the processing-load account by examining whether increasing processing demands impeded children's performance in a non-elicited-response task. 3-year-olds were tested in a preferential-looking task in which they heard a change-of-location false-belief story accompanied by a picture book; across children, we manipulated the amount of linguistic ambiguity in the story. The final page of the book showed two images: one that was consistent with the main character's false belief and one that was consistent with reality. When the story was relatively unambiguous, children looked reliably longer at the false-belief-consistent image, successfully demonstrating their false-belief understanding. When the story was ambiguous, however, this undermined children's performance: looking times to the belief-consistent image were correlated with verbal ability, and only children with verbal skills in the upper quartile of the sample demonstrated a significant preference for the belief-consistent image. These results support the processing-load account by demonstrating that regardless of whether a task involves an elicited response, children's performance depends on the processing demands of the task and their processing skills. These findings also have implications for alternative, deflationary accounts of early false-belief understanding.

Processing Demands Impact 3-Year-Olds’ Performance in a Spontaneous-Response Task: New Evidence for the Processing-Load Account of Early False-Belief Understanding

PubMed Central

Scott, Rose M.; Roby, Erin

2015-01-01

Prior to age four, children succeed in non-elicited-response false-belief tasks but fail elicited-response false-belief tasks. To explain this discrepancy, the processing-load account argues that the capacity to represent beliefs emerges in infancy, as indicated by early success on non-elicited-response tasks, but that children’s ability to demonstrate this capacity depends on the processing demands of the task and children’s processing skills. When processing demands exceed young children’s processing abilities, such as in standard elicited-response tasks, children fail despite their capacity to represent beliefs. Support for this account comes from recent evidence that reducing processing demands improves young children’s performance: when demands are sufficiently reduced, 2.5-year-olds succeed in elicited-response tasks. Here we sought complementary evidence for the processing-load account by examining whether increasing processing demands impeded children’s performance in a non-elicited-response task. 3-year-olds were tested in a preferential-looking task in which they heard a change-of-location false-belief story accompanied by a picture book; across children, we manipulated the amount of linguistic ambiguity in the story. The final page of the book showed two images: one that was consistent with the main character’s false belief and one that was consistent with reality. When the story was relatively unambiguous, children looked reliably longer at the false-belief-consistent image, successfully demonstrating their false-belief understanding. When the story was ambiguous, however, this undermined children’s performance: looking times to the belief-consistent image were correlated with verbal ability, and only children with verbal skills in the upper quartile of the sample demonstrated a significant preference for the belief-consistent image. These results support the processing-load account by demonstrating that regardless of whether a task involves an elicited response, children’s performance depends on the processing demands of the task and their processing skills. These findings also have implications for alternative, deflationary accounts of early false-belief understanding. PMID:26562840

Feeding styles and child weight status among recent immigrant mother-child dyads.

PubMed

Tovar, Alison; Hennessy, Erin; Pirie, Alex; Must, Aviva; Gute, David M; Hyatt, Raymond R; Kamins, Christina Luongo; Hughes, Sheryl O; Boulos, Rebecca; Sliwa, Sarah; Galvão, Heloisa; Economos, Christina D

2012-05-29

Research has shown that parental feeding styles may influence children's food consumption, energy intake, and ultimately, weight status. We examine this relationship, among recent immigrants to the US. Given that immigrant parents and children are at greater risk for becoming overweight/obese with increased time in the US, identification of risk factors for weight gain is critical. Baseline data was collected on 383 mother-child dyads enrolled in Live Well, a community-based, participatory, randomized controlled lifestyle intervention to prevent weight gain in recent immigrant mothers. Socio-demographic information together with heights and weights were collected for both mother and child. Acculturation, behavioral data, and responses to the Caregiver's Feeding Styles Questionnaire (CFSQ) were also obtained from the mother. The children's average age was 6.2 ± 2.7 years, 58% male. Mothers had been in the country for an average of 6.0 ± 3.3 years, and are Brazilian (36%), Haitian (34%) and Latino (30%). Seventy-two percent of the mothers were overweight/obese, while 43% of the children were overweight/obese. Fifteen percent of mothers reported their feeding style as being high demanding/high responsive; 32% as being high demanding/low responsive; 34% as being low demanding/high responsive and 18% as being low demanding/low responsive. In bivariate analyses, feeding styles significantly differed by child BMIz-score, ethnic group, and mother's perceived stress. In multiple linear regression, a low demanding/high responsive feeding style was found to be positively associated (ß = 0.56) with a higher child weight as compared to high demanding/high responsive, controlling for known covariates (p = 0.01). Most mothers report having a low demanding/high responsive feeding style, which is associated with higher child weight status in this diverse immigrant population. This finding adds to the growing literature that suggests this type of feeding style may be a risk factor for childhood obesity. Further research is needed to help understand the larger socio-cultural context and its influence on feeding dynamics among immigrant families and families of lower incomes. How parents establish a certain feeding style in their home country compared to when they move to the US "obesogenic" environment, should also be explored.

The First Shared Online Curriculum Resources for Veterinary Undergraduate Learning and Teaching in Animal Welfare and Ethics in Australia and New Zealand.

PubMed

Johnson, Jane; Collins, Teresa; Degeling, Christopher; Fawcett, Anne; Fisher, Andrew D; Freire, Rafael; Hazel, Susan J; Hood, Jennifer; Lloyd, Janice; Phillips, Clive J C; Stafford, Kevin; Tzioumis, Vicky; McGreevy, Paul D

2015-05-29

The need for undergraduate teaching of Animal Welfare and Ethics (AWE) in Australian and New Zealand veterinary courses reflects increasing community concerns and expectations about AWE; global pressures regarding food security and sustainability; the demands of veterinary accreditation; and fears that, unless students encounter AWE as part of their formal education, as veterinarians they will be relatively unaware of the discipline of animal welfare science. To address this need we are developing online resources to ensure Australian and New Zealand veterinary graduates have the knowledge, and the research, communication and critical reasoning skills, to fulfill the AWE role demanded of them by contemporary society. To prioritize development of these resources we assembled leaders in the field of AWE education from the eight veterinary schools in Australia and New Zealand and used modified deliberative polling. This paper describes the role of the poll in developing the first shared online curriculum resource for veterinary undergraduate learning and teaching in AWE in Australia and New Zealand. The learning and teaching strategies that ranked highest in the exercise were: scenario-based learning; a quality of animal life assessment tool; the so-called 'Human Continuum' discussion platform; and a negotiated curriculum.

Using WNTR to Model Water Distribution System Resilience ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Water Network Tool for Resilience (WNTR) is a new open source Python package developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Sandia National Laboratories to model and evaluate resilience of water distribution systems. WNTR can be used to simulate a wide range of disruptive events, including earthquakes, contamination incidents, floods, climate change, and fires. The software includes the EPANET solver as well as a WNTR solver with the ability to model pressure-driven demand hydraulics, pipe breaks, component degradation and failure, changes to supply and demand, and cascading failure. Damage to individual components in the network (i.e. pipes, tanks) can be selected probabilistically using fragility curves. WNTR can also simulate different types of resilience-enhancing actions, including scheduled pipe repair or replacement, water conservation efforts, addition of back-up power, and use of contamination warning systems. The software can be used to estimate potential damage in a network, evaluate preparedness, prioritize repair strategies, and identify worse case scenarios. As a Python package, WNTR takes advantage of many existing python capabilities, including parallel processing of scenarios and graphics capabilities. This presentation will outline the modeling components in WNTR, demonstrate their use, give the audience information on how to get started using the code, and invite others to participate in this open source project. This pres

Psychosocial working conditions and diabetes self-management at work: A qualitative study.

PubMed

Loerbroks, Adrian; Nguyen, Xuan Quynh; Vu-Eickmann, Patricia; Krichbaum, Michael; Kulzer, Bernhard; Icks, Andrea; Angerer, Peter

2018-06-01

We conducted a qualitative study to expand our current understanding of the potential link between psychosocial working conditions and diabetes self-management at work. Thirty employed adults with diabetes mellitus living in Germany (n = 19 with type 1, n = 11 with type 2, 57% female, aged 24-64 years) were recruited. Using a topic guide, we carried out in-depth interviews in face-to-face contact or by telephone. Interviews were transcribed and content-analyzed using MaxQDA. Psychosocial working conditions perceived to detrimentally affect self-management activities included, amongst others, a high workload, poor job control, unhygienic working environments, the requirement to work under high or fluctuating temperature, perceived social norms at the workplace, and the attitude to prioritize work-related demands as opposed to diabetes-related demands. The types of self-management activities considered to be adversely affected related to glucose monitoring, insulin injections, dietary control, the ability to recognize hypoglycemia and health care use. Various types of occupational psychosocial factors may determine diabetes self-management practices at the workplace. Quantitative studies are needed to confirm our observations. Subsequently, interventions could be developed and evaluated to improve opportunities to adequately engage into diabetes self-management at work. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[A Triage Scale for Mental Health, an Emerging Practice, a Value-Add for Measuring Demand for Mental Health Services].

PubMed

Boucher, Lucie

Objectives The article aims to present two studies supporting the development of l'Échelle brève de triage RIFCAS en santé mentale 0-99 ans, a measuring instrument used to determine - based on the level of customer demand, seriousness, and urgent need for intervention - the priority of a mental health service across all age groups.Methods Both versions have been subject to a measurement interjudge agreement that is compared against the judgment of professionals and other comparison tools.Results The results produced by the interjudge agreement reflect significant correlations with the priorities established by l'Échelle brève de triage RIFCAS en santé mentale 0-99 ans, the judgment of professional experts and the usual instruments used.Conclusion The final version of the triage scale provides an objective measure for the priority that should be given to all mental health service requests - these encompass all recognized and essential clinical information. Clinicians can rely on a reliable and proven instrument to prioritize service requests before placing them on the waiting list. The use of this instrument facilitates the development of a common procedure between professionals and ensures a fair and safe treatment of users.

Prioritized service system behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliver, Huw

2001-07-01

Internet technology is becoming the infrastructure of the future for any information that can be transmitted digitally, including voice, audio, video and data services of all kinds. The trend to integrate voice and data traffic observed in the Internet is expected to continue until the full integration of all media types is achieved. At the same time it is obvious that the business model employed for current Internet usage is not sustainable for the creation of an infrastructure suitable to support a diverse and ever-increasing range of application services. Currently the Internet provides only a single class of best-effort service and prices are mainly built on flat-fee, access based schemes. We propose the use of pricing mechanisms for controlling demand for scarce resources, in order to improve the economic efficiency of the system. Standard results in economic theory suggest that increasing the value of the network services to the users is beneficial to both the users and the network operator (since he can charge them more and get back a bigger percentage of their surplus). Using pricing mechanisms helps in that respect. When demand is high, prices are being raised and hence deter the users with low valuation for the service to use it. This leaves resources to be available for the users that value them more, and hence are ready to pay more.

Modeling Personalized Email Prioritization: Classification-based and Regression-based Approaches

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

Yoo S.; Yang, Y.; Carbonell, J.

2011-10-24

Email overload, even after spam filtering, presents a serious productivity challenge for busy professionals and executives. One solution is automated prioritization of incoming emails to ensure the most important are read and processed quickly, while others are processed later as/if time permits in declining priority levels. This paper presents a study of machine learning approaches to email prioritization into discrete levels, comparing ordinal regression versus classier cascades. Given the ordinal nature of discrete email priority levels, SVM ordinal regression would be expected to perform well, but surprisingly a cascade of SVM classifiers significantly outperforms ordinal regression for email prioritization. Inmore » contrast, SVM regression performs well -- better than classifiers -- on selected UCI data sets. This unexpected performance inversion is analyzed and results are presented, providing core functionality for email prioritization systems.« less

Prioritizing sewer rehabilitation projects using AHP-PROMETHEE II ranking method.

PubMed

Kessili, Abdelhak; Benmamar, Saadia

2016-01-01

The aim of this paper is to develop a methodology for the prioritization of sewer rehabilitation projects for Algiers (Algeria) sewer networks to support the National Sanitation Office in its challenge to make decisions on prioritization of sewer rehabilitation projects. The methodology applies multiple-criteria decision making. The study includes 47 projects (collectors) and 12 criteria to evaluate them. These criteria represent the different issues considered in the prioritization of the projects, which are structural, hydraulic, environmental, financial, social and technical. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used to determine weights of the criteria and the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE II) method is used to obtain the final ranking of the projects. The model was verified using the sewer data of Algiers. The results have shown that the method can be used for prioritizing sewer rehabilitation projects.

Prioritizing Zoonotic Diseases: Differences in Perspectives Between Human and Animal Health Professionals in North America.

PubMed

Ng, V; Sargeant, J M

2016-05-01

Zoonoses pose a significant burden of illness in North America. Zoonoses represent an additional threat to public health because the natural reservoirs are often animals, particularly wildlife, thus eluding control efforts such as quarantine, vaccination and social distancing. As there are limited resources available, it is necessary to prioritize diseases in order to allocate resources to those posing the greatest public health threat. Many studies have attempted to prioritize zoonoses, but challenges exist. This study uses a quantitative approach, conjoint analysis (CA), to overcome some limitations of traditional disease prioritization exercises. We used CA to conduct a zoonoses prioritization study involving a range of human and animal health professionals across North America; these included epidemiologists, public health practitioners, research scientists, physicians, veterinarians, laboratory technicians and nurses. A total of 699 human health professionals (HHP) and 585 animal health professionals (AHP) participated in this study. We used CA to prioritize 62 zoonotic diseases using 21 criteria. Our findings suggest CA can be used to produce reasonable criteria scores for disease prioritization. The fitted models were satisfactory for both groups with a slightly better fit for AHP compared to HHP (84.4% certainty fit versus 83.6%). Human-related criteria were more influential for HHP in their decision to prioritize zoonoses, while animal-related criteria were more influential for AHP resulting in different disease priority lists. While the differences were not statistically significant, a difference of one or two ranks could be considered important for some individuals. A potential solution to address the varying opinions is discussed. The scientific framework for disease prioritization presented can be revised on a regular basis by updating disease criteria to reflect diseases as they evolve over time; such a framework is of value allowing diseases of highest impact to be identified routinely for resource allocation. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Multisectoral prioritization of zoonotic diseases in Uganda, 2017: A One Health perspective

PubMed Central

Bulage, Lilian; Kihembo, Christine; Nantima, Noelina; Monje, Fred; Ndumu, Deo; Sentumbwe, Juliet; Mbolanyi, Betty; Aruho, Robert; Kaboyo, Winyi; Mutonga, David; Basler, Colin; Paige, Sarah; Barton Behravesh, Casey

2018-01-01

Background Zoonotic diseases continue to be a public health burden globally. Uganda is especially vulnerable due to its location, biodiversity, and population. Given these concerns, the Ugandan government in collaboration with the Global Health Security Agenda conducted a One Health Zoonotic Disease Prioritization Workshop to identify zoonotic diseases of greatest national concern to the Ugandan government. Materials and methods The One Health Zoonotic Disease Prioritization tool, a semi-quantitative tool developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was used for the prioritization of zoonoses. Workshop participants included voting members and observers representing multiple government and non-governmental sectors. During the workshop, criteria for prioritization were selected, and questions and weights relevant to each criterion were determined. We used a decision tree to provide a ranked list of zoonoses. Participants then established next steps for multisectoral engagement for the prioritized zoonoses. A sensitivity analysis demonstrated how criteria weights impacted disease prioritization. Results Forty-eight zoonoses were considered during the workshop. Criteria selected to prioritize zoonotic diseases were (1) severity of disease in humans in Uganda, (2) availability of effective control strategies, (3) potential to cause an epidemic or pandemic in humans or animals, (4) social and economic impacts, and (5) bioterrorism potential. Seven zoonotic diseases were identified as priorities for Uganda: anthrax, zoonotic influenza viruses, viral hemorrhagic fevers, brucellosis, African trypanosomiasis, plague, and rabies. Sensitivity analysis did not indicate significant changes in zoonotic disease prioritization based on criteria weights. Discussion One Health approaches and multisectoral collaborations are crucial to the surveillance, prevention, and control strategies for zoonotic diseases. Uganda used such an approach to identify zoonoses of national concern. Identifying these priority diseases enables Uganda’s National One Health Platform and Zoonotic Disease Coordination Office to address these zoonoses in the future with a targeted allocation of resources. PMID:29715287

A Handbook For Acquiring Demand-Responsive Transit Software, Tcrp Report 18

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-01-01

THIS HANDBOOK WILL BE OF INTEREST TO AGENCIES ENGAGED IN MANAGING AND OPERATING DEMAND-RESPONSIVE TRANSIT (DRT) SERVICES. THE HANDBOOK IS INTENDED TO ASSIST DRTPROVIDERS WITH ASSESSMENT OF SOFTWARE NEEDS AND PROCUREMENT OF SOFTWARE TO MEET THOSE NEED...

Modeling Demand-Responsive Feeder Systems in the UTPS Framework

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1978-07-01

For the transit planner considering alternative future transit designs, there has been little in the way of analytical tools available to assess the impact of demand-responsive transportation (DRT) systems. The intent of this report is to provide the...

Evaluating the use of transfers for improving demand responsive systems adopting zoning strategies.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-08-01

Due to widely dispersed population density over large and sparsely suburban/rural areas, : conventional fixed route transit services hardly satisfy the travel needs of their residents. As an : alternative, demand responsive transit (DRT) systems have...

Auto-DR and Pre-cooling of Buildings at Tri-City Corporate Center

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

Yin, Rongxin; Xu, Peng; Kiliccote, Sila

2008-11-01

Over the several past years, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has conducted field tests for different pre-cooling strategies in different commercial buildings within California. The test results indicated that pre-cooling strategies were effective in reducing electric demand in these buildings during peak periods. This project studied how to optimize pre-cooling strategies for eleven buildings in the Tri-City Corporate Center, San Bernardino, California with the assistance of a building energy simulation tool -- the Demand Response Quick Assessment Tool (DRQAT) developed by LBNL's Demand Response Research Center funded by the California Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program. From themore » simulation results of these eleven buildings, optimal pre-cooling and temperature reset strategies were developed. The study shows that after refining and calibrating initial models with measured data, the accuracy of the models can be greatly improved and the models can be used to predict load reductions for automated demand response (Auto-DR) events. This study summarizes the optimization experience of the procedure to develop and calibrate building models in DRQAT. In order to confirm the actual effect of demand response strategies, the simulation results were compared to the field test data. The results indicated that the optimal demand response strategies worked well for all buildings in the Tri-City Corporate Center. This study also compares DRQAT with other building energy simulation tools (eQUEST and BEST). The comparison indicate that eQUEST and BEST underestimate the actual demand shed of the pre-cooling strategies due to a flaw in DOE2's simulation engine for treating wall thermal mass. DRQAT is a more accurate tool in predicting thermal mass effects of DR events.« less

Opportunities for Open Automated Demand Response in Wastewater Treatment Facilities in California - Phase II Report. San Luis Rey Wastewater Treatment Plant Case Study

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

Thompson, Lisa; Lekov, Alex; McKane, Aimee

2010-08-20

This case study enhances the understanding of open automated demand response opportunities in municipal wastewater treatment facilities. The report summarizes the findings of a 100 day submetering project at the San Luis Rey Wastewater Treatment Plant, a municipal wastewater treatment facility in Oceanside, California. The report reveals that key energy-intensive equipment such as pumps and centrifuges can be targeted for large load reductions. Demand response tests on the effluent pumps resulted a 300 kW load reduction and tests on centrifuges resulted in a 40 kW load reduction. Although tests on the facility?s blowers resulted in peak period load reductions ofmore » 78 kW sharp, short-lived increases in the turbidity of the wastewater effluent were experienced within 24 hours of the test. The results of these tests, which were conducted on blowers without variable speed drive capability, would not be acceptable and warrant further study. This study finds that wastewater treatment facilities have significant open automated demand response potential. However, limiting factors to implementing demand response are the reaction of effluent turbidity to reduced aeration load, along with the cogeneration capabilities of municipal facilities, including existing power purchase agreements and utility receptiveness to purchasing electricity from cogeneration facilities.« less

Salicylic acid signaling inhibits apoplastic reactive oxygen species signaling

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are used by plants as signaling molecules during stress and development. Given the amount of possible challenges a plant face from their environment, plants need to activate and prioritize between potentially conflicting defense signaling pathways. Until recently, most studies on signal interactions have focused on phytohormone interaction, such as the antagonistic relationship between salicylic acid (SA)-jasmonic acid and cytokinin-auxin. Results In this study, we report an antagonistic interaction between SA signaling and apoplastic ROS signaling. Treatment with ozone (O3) leads to a ROS burst in the apoplast and induces extensive changes in gene expression and elevation of defense hormones. However, Arabidopsis thaliana dnd1 (defense no death1) exhibited an attenuated response to O3. In addition, the dnd1 mutant displayed constitutive expression of defense genes and spontaneous cell death. To determine the exact process which blocks the apoplastic ROS signaling, double and triple mutants involved in various signaling pathway were generated in dnd1 background. Simultaneous elimination of SA-dependent and SA-independent signaling components from dnd1 restored its responsiveness to O3. Conversely, pre-treatment of plants with SA or using mutants that constitutively activate SA signaling led to an attenuation of changes in gene expression elicited by O3. Conclusions Based upon these findings, we conclude that plants are able to prioritize the response between ROS and SA via an antagonistic action of SA and SA signaling on apoplastic ROS signaling. PMID:24898702

Defining a risk-informed framework for whole-of-government lessons learned: A Canadian perspective.

PubMed

Friesen, Shaye K; Kelsey, Shelley; Legere, J A Jim

Lessons learned play an important role in emergency management (EM) and organizational agility. Virtually all aspects of EM can derive benefit from a lessons learned program. From major security events to exercises, exploiting and applying lessons learned and "best practices" is critical to organizational resilience and adaptiveness. A robust lessons learned process and methodology provides an evidence base with which to inform decisions, guide plans, strengthen mitigation strategies, and assist in developing tools for operations. The Canadian Safety and Security Program recently supported a project to define a comprehensive framework that would allow public safety and security partners to regularly share event response best practices, and prioritize recommendations originating from after action reviews. This framework consists of several inter-locking elements: a comprehensive literature review/environmental scan of international programs; a survey to collect data from end users and management; the development of a taxonomy for organizing and structuring information; a risk-informed methodology for selecting, prioritizing, and following through on recommendations; and standardized templates and tools for tracking recommendations and ensuring implementation. This article discusses the efforts of the project team, which provided "best practice" advice and analytical support to ensure that a systematic approach to lessons learned was taken by the federal community to improve prevention, preparedness, and response activities. It posits an approach by which one might design a systematic process for information sharing and event response coordination-an approach that will assist federal departments to institutionalize a cross-government lessons learned program.

Salicylic acid signaling inhibits apoplastic reactive oxygen species signaling.

PubMed

Xu, Enjun; Brosché, Mikael

2014-06-04

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are used by plants as signaling molecules during stress and development. Given the amount of possible challenges a plant face from their environment, plants need to activate and prioritize between potentially conflicting defense signaling pathways. Until recently, most studies on signal interactions have focused on phytohormone interaction, such as the antagonistic relationship between salicylic acid (SA)-jasmonic acid and cytokinin-auxin. In this study, we report an antagonistic interaction between SA signaling and apoplastic ROS signaling. Treatment with ozone (O3) leads to a ROS burst in the apoplast and induces extensive changes in gene expression and elevation of defense hormones. However, Arabidopsis thaliana dnd1 (defense no death1) exhibited an attenuated response to O3. In addition, the dnd1 mutant displayed constitutive expression of defense genes and spontaneous cell death. To determine the exact process which blocks the apoplastic ROS signaling, double and triple mutants involved in various signaling pathway were generated in dnd1 background. Simultaneous elimination of SA-dependent and SA-independent signaling components from dnd1 restored its responsiveness to O3. Conversely, pre-treatment of plants with SA or using mutants that constitutively activate SA signaling led to an attenuation of changes in gene expression elicited by O3. Based upon these findings, we conclude that plants are able to prioritize the response between ROS and SA via an antagonistic action of SA and SA signaling on apoplastic ROS signaling.

Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Website Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

IRR inter-rater reliability KPI key performance indicator N17 U.S Navy 21st Century Sailor Office NASASV National Association of Services Against...determine if progress is being made to achieve the desired goal; this is typically done by establishing key performance indicators 22 ( KPI ). After...defining the KPIs , organizations must prioritize the potential solutions and devise a plan for making small incremental changes to accurately assess the

Carbon dynamics of forest in Washington, USA: 21st century projections based on climate-driven changes in fire regimes

Treesearch

Crystal L. Raymond; Donald McKenzie

2012-01-01

During the 21st century, climate-driven changes in fire regimes will be a key agent of change in forests of the U.S. Pacific Northwest (PNW). Understanding the response of forest carbon (C) dynamics to increases in fire will help quantify limits on the contribution of forest C storage to climate change mitigation and prioritize forest types for...

Price elasticity matrix of demand in power system considering demand response programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qu, Xinyao; Hui, Hongxun; Yang, Shengchun; Li, Yaping; Ding, Yi

2018-02-01

The increasing renewable energy power generations have brought more intermittency and volatility to the electric power system. Demand-side resources can improve the consumption of renewable energy by demand response (DR), which becomes one of the important means to improve the reliability of power system. In price-based DR, the sensitivity analysis of customer’s power demand to the changing electricity prices is pivotal for setting reasonable prices and forecasting loads of power system. This paper studies the price elasticity matrix of demand (PEMD). An improved PEMD model is proposed based on elasticity effect weight, which can unify the rigid loads and flexible loads. Moreover, the structure of PEMD, which is decided by price policies and load types, and the calculation method of PEMD are also proposed. Several cases are studied to prove the effectiveness of this method.

Pathway deregulation and expression QTLs in response to Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection in swine.

PubMed

Reiner, Gerald; Dreher, Felix; Drungowski, Mario; Hoeltig, Doris; Bertsch, Natalie; Selke, Martin; Willems, Hermann; Gerlach, Gerald Friedrich; Probst, Inga; Tuemmler, Burkhardt; Waldmann, Karl-Heinz; Herwig, Ralf

2014-12-01

Actinobacillus (A.) pleuropneumoniae is among the most important pathogens in pig. The agent causes severe economic losses due to decreased performance, the occurrence of acute or chronic pleuropneumonia, and an increase in death incidence. Since therapeutics cannot be used in a sustainable manner, and vaccination is not always available, new prophylactic measures are urgently needed. Recent research has provided evidence for a genetic predisposition in susceptibility to A. pleuropneumoniae in a Hampshire × German Landrace F2 family with 170 animals. The aim of the present study is to characterize the expression response in this family in order to unravel resistance and susceptibility mechanisms and to prioritize candidate genes for future fine mapping approaches. F2 pigs differed distinctly in clinical, pathological, and microbiological parameters after challenge with A. pleuropneumoniae. We monitored genome-wide gene expression from the 50 most and 50 least susceptible F2 pigs and identified 171 genes differentially expressed between these extreme phenotypes. We combined expression QTL analyses with network analyses and functional characterization using gene set enrichment analysis and identified a functional hotspot on SSC13, including 55 eQTL. The integration of the different results provides a resource for candidate prioritization for fine mapping strategies, such as TF, TFRC, RUNX1, TCN1, HP, CD14, among others.

An auxiliary method to reduce potential adverse impacts of projected land developments: subwatershed prioritization.

PubMed

Kalin, Latif; Hantush, Mohamed M

2009-02-01

An index based method is developed that ranks the subwatersheds of a watershed based on their relative impacts on watershed response to anticipated land developments, and then applied to an urbanizing watershed in Eastern Pennsylvania. Simulations with a semi-distributed hydrologic model show that computed low- and high-flow frequencies at the main outlet increase significantly with the projected landscape changes in the watershed. The developed index is utilized to prioritize areas in the urbanizing watershed based on their contributions to alterations in the magnitude of selected flow characteristics at two spatial resolutions. The low-flow measure, 7Q10, rankings are shown to mimic the spatial trend of groundwater recharge rates, whereas average annual maximum daily flow, QAMAX, and average monthly median of daily flows, QMMED, rankings are influenced by both recharge and proximity to watershed outlet. Results indicate that, especially with the higher resolution, areas having quicker responses are not necessarily the more critical areas for high-flow scenarios. Subwatershed rankings are shown to vary slightly with the location of water quality/quantity criteria enforcement. It is also found that rankings of subwatersheds upstream from the site of interest, which could be the main outlet or any interior point in the watershed, may be influenced by the time scale of the hydrologic processes.

The Trauma Patient Tracking System: implementing a wireless monitoring infrastructure for emergency response.

PubMed

Maltz, Jonathan; C Ng, Thomas; Li, Dustin; Wang, Jian; Wang, Kang; Bergeron, William; Martin, Ron; Budinger, Thomas

2005-01-01

In mass trauma situations, emergency personnel are challenged with the task of prioritizing the care of many injured victims. We propose a trauma patient tracking system (TPTS) where first-responders tag all patients with a wireless monitoring device that continuously reports the location of each patient. The system can be used not only to prioritize patient care, but also to determine the time taken for each patient to receive treatment. This is important in training emergency personnel and in identifying bottlenecks in the disaster response process. In situations where biochemical agents are involved, a TPTS may be employed to determine sites of cross-contamination. In order to track patient location in both outdoor and indoor environments, we employ both Global Positioning System (GPS) and Television/ Radio Frequency (TVRF) technologies. Each patient tag employs IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi)/TCP/IP networking to communicate with a central server via any available Wi-Fi basestation. A key component to increase TPTS fault-tolerance is a mobile Wi-Fi basestation that employs redundant Internet connectivity to ensure that tags at the disaster scene can send information to the central server even when local infrastructure is unavailable for use. We demonstrate the robustness of the system in tracking multiple patients in a simulated trauma situation in an urban environment.

The Current Crisis in Emergency Care and the Impact on Disaster Preparedness

PubMed Central

Cherry, Robert A; Trainer, Marcia

2008-01-01

Background The Homeland Security Act (HSA) of 2002 provided for the designation of a critical infrastructure protection program. This ultimately led to the designation of emergency services as a targeted critical infrastructure. In the context of an evolving crisis in hospital-based emergency care, the extent to which federal funding has addressed disaster preparedness will be examined. Discussion After 9/11, federal plans, procedures and benchmarks were mandated to assure a unified, comprehensive disaster response, ranging from local to federal activation of resources. Nevertheless, insufficient federal funding has contributed to a long-standing counter-trend which has eroded emergency medical care. The causes are complex and multifactorial, but they have converged to present a severely overburdened system that regularly exceeds emergency capacity and capabilities. This constant acute overcrowding, felt in communities all across the country, indicates a nation at risk. Federal funding has not sufficiently prioritized the improvements necessary for an emergency care infrastructure that is critical for an all hazards response to disaster and terrorist emergencies. Summary Currently, the nation is unable to meet presidential preparedness mandates for emergency and disaster care. Federal funding strategies must therefore be re-prioritized and targeted in a way that reasonably and consistently follows need. PMID:18452615

Motivational changes in response to blocked goals and foreshortened time: testing alternatives to socioemotional selectivity theory.

PubMed

Fung, Helene H; Carstensen, Laura L

2004-03-01

Socioemotional selectivity theory contends that when people perceive time as limited, they prioritize emotionally meaningful goals. Although empirical support for the theory has been found in several studies, 2 alternative explanations for the pattern of findings remain: (a) emotional goals are pursued by default because nonemotional goals are blocked, and (b) emotional goals are pursued in search of emotional support rather than emotional meaning. This study tested these alternatives by examining social goals in response to blocked goals and foreshortened time. Findings reveal distinct motivational patterns, as reflected in social preferences and self-reported social goals, in response to the 2 types of constraints.

The value of demand response in Florida

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

Stoll, Brady; Buechler, Elizabeth; Hale, Elaine

Many electrical loads may be operated flexibly to provide grid services, including peaking capacity, reserves, and load shifting. The authors model 14 demand end uses in Florida and analyze their operational impacts and overall value for a wide range of solar penetrations and grid flexibility options. They find demand response is able to reduce production costs, reduce the number of low-load hours for traditional generators, reduce starting of gas generators, and reduce curtailment.

The value of demand response in Florida

DOE PAGES

Stoll, Brady; Buechler, Elizabeth; Hale, Elaine

2017-11-10

Many electrical loads may be operated flexibly to provide grid services, including peaking capacity, reserves, and load shifting. The authors model 14 demand end uses in Florida and analyze their operational impacts and overall value for a wide range of solar penetrations and grid flexibility options. They find demand response is able to reduce production costs, reduce the number of low-load hours for traditional generators, reduce starting of gas generators, and reduce curtailment.

Two-and-a-half-year-olds succeed at a traditional false-belief task with reduced processing demands

PubMed Central

Scott, Rose M.; Baillargeon, Renée

2016-01-01

When tested with traditional false-belief tasks, which require answering a standard question about the likely behavior of an agent with a false belief, children perform below chance until age 4 y or later. When tested without such questions, however, children give evidence of false-belief understanding much earlier. Are traditional tasks difficult because they tap a more advanced form of false-belief understanding (fundamental-change view) or because they impose greater processing demands (processing-demands view)? Evidence that young children succeed at traditional false-belief tasks when processing demands are reduced would support the latter view. In prior research, reductions in inhibitory-control demands led to improvements in young children’s performance, but often only to chance (instead of below-chance) levels. Here we examined whether further reductions in processing demands might lead to success. We speculated that: (i) young children could respond randomly in a traditional low-inhibition task because their limited information-processing resources are overwhelmed by the total concurrent processing demands in the task; and (ii) these demands include those from the response-generation process activated by the standard question. This analysis suggested that 2.5-y-old toddlers might succeed at a traditional low-inhibition task if response-generation demands were also reduced via practice trials. As predicted, toddlers performed above chance following two response-generation practice trials; toddlers failed when these trials either were rendered less effective or were used in a high-inhibition task. These results support the processing-demands view: Even toddlers succeed at a traditional false-belief task when overall processing demands are reduced. PMID:27821728

Mapping and Eradication Prioritization Modeling of Red Sesbania ( Sesbania punicea) Populations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robison, Ramona; Barve, Nita; Owens, Christina; Skurka Darin, Gina; DiTomaso, Joseph M.

2013-07-01

Red sesbania is an invasive South American shrub that has rapidly expanded its range along California waterways, emphasizing the need to prioritize eradication sites at a regional scale. To accomplish this, we updated baseline location data in summer 2010 using field surveys throughout the state. We collected relevant GPS attribute data for GIS analysis and eradication prioritization modeling. The regional survey identified upstream and downstream extents for each watershed, as well as outliers in urban areas. We employed the Weed Heuristics: Invasive Population Prioritization for Eradication Tool (WHIPPET) to prioritize red sesbania sites for eradication, and revised the WHIPPET model to consider directional propagule flow of a riparian species. WHIPPET prioritized small populations isolated from larger infestations, as well as outliers in residential areas. When we compared five experts' assessments of a stratified sample of the red sesbania populations to WHIPPET's prioritization results, there was a positive, but nonsignificant, correlation. The combination of WHIPPET and independent expert opinion suggests that small, isolated populations and upstream source populations should be the primary targets for eradication. Particular attention should be paid to these small populations in watersheds where red sesbania is a new introduction. The use of this model in conjunction with evaluation by the land manager may help prevent the establishment of new seed sources and protect uninfested riparian corridors and their adjacent watersheds.

Mapping and eradication prioritization modeling of red sesbania (Sesbania punicea) populations.

PubMed

Robison, Ramona; Barve, Nita; Owens, Christina; Skurka Darin, Gina; DiTomaso, Joseph M

2013-07-01

Red sesbania is an invasive South American shrub that has rapidly expanded its range along California waterways, emphasizing the need to prioritize eradication sites at a regional scale. To accomplish this, we updated baseline location data in summer 2010 using field surveys throughout the state. We collected relevant GPS attribute data for GIS analysis and eradication prioritization modeling. The regional survey identified upstream and downstream extents for each watershed, as well as outliers in urban areas. We employed the Weed Heuristics: Invasive Population Prioritization for Eradication Tool (WHIPPET) to prioritize red sesbania sites for eradication, and revised the WHIPPET model to consider directional propagule flow of a riparian species. WHIPPET prioritized small populations isolated from larger infestations, as well as outliers in residential areas. When we compared five experts' assessments of a stratified sample of the red sesbania populations to WHIPPET's prioritization results, there was a positive, but nonsignificant, correlation. The combination of WHIPPET and independent expert opinion suggests that small, isolated populations and upstream source populations should be the primary targets for eradication. Particular attention should be paid to these small populations in watersheds where red sesbania is a new introduction. The use of this model in conjunction with evaluation by the land manager may help prevent the establishment of new seed sources and protect uninfested riparian corridors and their adjacent watersheds.

A predictive model to inform adaptive management of double-crested cormorants and fisheries in Michigan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tsehaye, Iyob; Jones, Michael L.; Irwin, Brian J.; Fielder, David G.; Breck, James E.; Luukkonen, David R.

2015-01-01

The proliferation of double-crested cormorants (DCCOs; Phalacrocorax auritus) in North America has raised concerns over their potential negative impacts on game, cultured and forage fishes, island and terrestrial resources, and other colonial water birds, leading to increased public demands to reduce their abundance. By combining fish surplus production and bird functional feeding response models, we developed a deterministic predictive model representing bird–fish interactions to inform an adaptive management process for the control of DCCOs in multiple colonies in Michigan. Comparisons of model predictions with observations of changes in DCCO numbers under management measures implemented from 2004 to 2012 suggested that our relatively simple model was able to accurately reconstruct past DCCO population dynamics. These comparisons helped discriminate among alternative parameterizations of demographic processes that were poorly known, especially site fidelity. Using sensitivity analysis, we also identified remaining critical uncertainties (mainly in the spatial distributions of fish vs. DCCO feeding areas) that can be used to prioritize future research and monitoring needs. Model forecasts suggested that continuation of existing control efforts would be sufficient to achieve long-term DCCO control targets in Michigan and that DCCO control may be necessary to achieve management goals for some DCCO-impacted fisheries in the state. Finally, our model can be extended by accounting for parametric or ecological uncertainty and including more complex assumptions on DCCO–fish interactions as part of the adaptive management process.

Public awareness, concerns, and priorities about anthropogenic impacts on marine environments.

PubMed

Gelcich, Stefan; Buckley, Paul; Pinnegar, John K; Chilvers, Jason; Lorenzoni, Irene; Terry, Geraldine; Guerrero, Matias; Castilla, Juan Carlos; Valdebenito, Abel; Duarte, Carlos M

2014-10-21

Numerous international bodies have advocated the development of strategies to achieve the sustainability of marine environments. Typically, such strategies are based on information from expert groups about causes of degradation and policy options to address them, but these strategies rarely take into account assessed information about public awareness, concerns, and priorities. Here we report the results of a pan-European survey of public perceptions about marine environmental impacts as a way to inform the formation of science and policy priorities. On the basis of 10,106 responses to an online survey from people in 10 European nations, spanning a diversity of socioeconomic and geographical areas, we examine the public's informedness and concern regarding marine impacts, trust in different information sources, and priorities for policy and funding. Results show that the level of concern regarding marine impacts is closely associated with the level of informedness and that pollution and overfishing are two areas prioritized by the public for policy development. The level of trust varies greatly among different information sources and is highest for academics and scholarly publications but lower for government or industry scientists. Results suggest that the public perceives the immediacy of marine anthropogenic impacts and is highly concerned about ocean pollution, overfishing, and ocean acidification. Eliciting public awareness, concerns, and priorities can enable scientists and funders to understand how the public relates to marine environments, frame impacts, and align managerial and policy priorities with public demand.

Public awareness, concerns, and priorities about anthropogenic impacts on marine environments

PubMed Central

Gelcich, Stefan; Buckley, Paul; Pinnegar, John K.; Chilvers, Jason; Lorenzoni, Irene; Terry, Geraldine; Guerrero, Matias; Castilla, Juan Carlos; Valdebenito, Abel; Duarte, Carlos M.

2014-01-01

Numerous international bodies have advocated the development of strategies to achieve the sustainability of marine environments. Typically, such strategies are based on information from expert groups about causes of degradation and policy options to address them, but these strategies rarely take into account assessed information about public awareness, concerns, and priorities. Here we report the results of a pan-European survey of public perceptions about marine environmental impacts as a way to inform the formation of science and policy priorities. On the basis of 10,106 responses to an online survey from people in 10 European nations, spanning a diversity of socioeconomic and geographical areas, we examine the public’s informedness and concern regarding marine impacts, trust in different information sources, and priorities for policy and funding. Results show that the level of concern regarding marine impacts is closely associated with the level of informedness and that pollution and overfishing are two areas prioritized by the public for policy development. The level of trust varies greatly among different information sources and is highest for academics and scholarly publications but lower for government or industry scientists. Results suggest that the public perceives the immediacy of marine anthropogenic impacts and is highly concerned about ocean pollution, overfishing, and ocean acidification. Eliciting public awareness, concerns, and priorities can enable scientists and funders to understand how the public relates to marine environments, frame impacts, and align managerial and policy priorities with public demand. PMID:25288740

Gliptins in managing diabetes - Reviewing computational strategy.

PubMed

Sneha, P; Doss, C George Priya

2016-12-01

The pace of anti-diabetic drug discovery is very slow in spite of increasing rate of prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes which remains a major public health concern. Though extensive research steps are taken in the past decade, yet craves for better new treatment strategies to overcome the current scenario. One such general finding is the evolution of gliptins which discriminately inhibits DPP4 (Dipeptidyl peptidase-4) enzyme. Although the mechanism of action of gliptin is highly target oriented and accurate, still its long-term use stands unknown. This step calls for a fast, flexible, and cost-effective strategies to meet the demands of producing arrays of high-content lead compounds with improved efficiency for better clinical success. The present review highlights the available gliptins in the market and also other naturally occurring DPP4 enzyme inhibitors. Along with describing the known inhibitors and their origin in this review, we attempted to identify a probable new lead compounds using advanced computational techniques. In this context, computational methods that integrate the knowledge of proteins and drug responses were utilized in prioritizing targets and designing drugs towards clinical trials with better efficacy. The compounds obtained as a result of virtual screening were compared with the commercially available gliptin in the market to have better efficiency in the identification and validation of the potential DPP4 inhibitors. The combinatorial computational methods used in the present study identified Compound 1: 25022354 as promising inhibitor. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Teaching at the Bedside. Maximal Impact in Minimal Time.

PubMed

Carlos, William G; Kritek, Patricia A; Clay, Alison S; Luks, Andrew M; Thomson, Carey C

2016-04-01

Academic physicians encounter many demands on their time including patient care, quality and performance requirements, research, and education. In an era when patient volume is prioritized and competition for research funding is intense, there is a risk that medical education will become marginalized. Bedside teaching, a responsibility of academic physicians regardless of professional track, is challenged in particular out of concern that it generates inefficiency, and distractions from direct patient care, and can distort physician-patient relationships. At the same time, the bedside is a powerful location for teaching as learners more easily engage with educational content when they can directly see its practical relevance for patient care. Also, bedside teaching enables patients and family members to engage directly in the educational process. Successful bedside teaching can be aided by consideration of four factors: climate, attention, reasoning, and evaluation. Creating a safe environment for learning and patient care is essential. We recommend that educators set expectations about use of medical jargon and engagement of the patient and family before they enter the patient room with trainees. Keep learners focused by asking relevant questions of all members of the team and by maintaining a collective leadership style. Assess and model clinical reasoning through a hypothesis-driven approach that explores the rationale for clinical decisions. Focused, specific, real-time feedback is essential for the learner to modify behaviors for future patient encounters. Together, these strategies may alleviate challenges associated with bedside teaching and ensure it remains a part of physician practice in academic medicine.

Learning from the design and implementation of large-scale programs to improve infant and young child feeding.

PubMed

Baker, Jean; Sanghvi, Tina; Hajeebhoy, Nemat; Abrha, Teweldebrhan Hailu

2013-09-01

Improving and sustaining infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices requires multiple interventions reaching diverse target groups over a sustained period of time. These interventions, together with improved maternal nutrition, are the cornerstones for realizing a lifetime of benefitsfrom investing in nutrition during the 1000 day period. Summarize major lessons from Alive & Thrive's work to improve IYCF in three diverse settings--Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Vietnam. Draw lessons from reports, studies, surveys, routine monitoring, and discussions on the drivers of successful design and implementation of lYCF strategies. Teaming up with carefully selected implementing partners with strong commitment is a critical first step. As programs move to implementation at scale, strategic systems strengthening is needed to avoid operational bottlenecks. Performance of adequate IYCF counseling takes more than training; it requires rational task allocation, substantial follow up, and recognition of frontline workers. Investing in community demand for IYCF services should be prioritized, specifically through social mobilization and relevant media for multiple audiences. Design of behavior change communication and its implementation must be flexible and responsive to shifts in society's use of media and other social changes. Private sector creative agencies and media companies are well equipped to market IYCF. Scaling up core IYCF interventions and maintaining quality are facilitated by national-level coordinating and information exchange mechanisms using evidence on quality and coverage. It is possible to deliver quality IYCF interventions at scale, while creating new knowledge, tools, and approaches that can be adapted by others

The Effects of Demand-Responsive Parking on Transit Usage and Congestion: Evidence From Sfpark

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-09-01

Parking is a serious issue in many urban areas, especially those experiencing rapid population growth. To address this problem, some cities have implemented demand-responsive pricing programs, where parking prices vary depending on the occupancy rate...

Validation of educational assessments: a primer for simulation and beyond.

PubMed

Cook, David A; Hatala, Rose

2016-01-01

Simulation plays a vital role in health professions assessment. This review provides a primer on assessment validation for educators and education researchers. We focus on simulation-based assessment of health professionals, but the principles apply broadly to other assessment approaches and topics. Validation refers to the process of collecting validity evidence to evaluate the appropriateness of the interpretations, uses, and decisions based on assessment results. Contemporary frameworks view validity as a hypothesis, and validity evidence is collected to support or refute the validity hypothesis (i.e., that the proposed interpretations and decisions are defensible). In validation, the educator or researcher defines the proposed interpretations and decisions, identifies and prioritizes the most questionable assumptions in making these interpretations and decisions (the "interpretation-use argument"), empirically tests those assumptions using existing or newly-collected evidence, and then summarizes the evidence as a coherent "validity argument." A framework proposed by Messick identifies potential evidence sources: content, response process, internal structure, relationships with other variables, and consequences. Another framework proposed by Kane identifies key inferences in generating useful interpretations: scoring, generalization, extrapolation, and implications/decision. We propose an eight-step approach to validation that applies to either framework: Define the construct and proposed interpretation, make explicit the intended decision(s), define the interpretation-use argument and prioritize needed validity evidence, identify candidate instruments and/or create/adapt a new instrument, appraise existing evidence and collect new evidence as needed, keep track of practical issues, formulate the validity argument, and make a judgment: does the evidence support the intended use? Rigorous validation first prioritizes and then empirically evaluates key assumptions in the interpretation and use of assessment scores. Validation science would be improved by more explicit articulation and prioritization of the interpretation-use argument, greater use of formal validation frameworks, and more evidence informing the consequences and implications of assessment.

Emotional content modulates response inhibition and perceptual processing.

PubMed

Yang, Suyong; Luo, Wenbo; Zhu, Xiangru; Broster, Lucas S; Chen, Taolin; Li, Jinzhen; Luo, Yuejia

2014-11-01

In this study, event-related potentials were used to investigate the effect of emotion on response inhibition. Participants performed an emotional go/no-go task that required responses to human faces associated with a "go" valence (i.e., emotional, neutral) and response inhibition to human faces associated with a "no-go" valence. Emotional content impaired response inhibition, as evidenced by decreased response accuracy and N2 amplitudes in no-go trials. More importantly, emotional expressions elicited larger N170 amplitudes than neutral expressions, and this effect was larger in no-go than in go trials, indicating that the perceptual processing of emotional expression had priority in inhibitory trials. In no-go trials, correlation analysis showed that increased N170 amplitudes were associated with decreased N2 amplitudes. Taken together, our findings suggest that emotional content impairs response inhibition due to the prioritization of emotional content processing. Copyright © 2014 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Blockchain Based Decentralized Management of Demand Response Programs in Smart Energy Grids

PubMed Central

Pop, Claudia; Cioara, Tudor; Antal, Marcel; Anghel, Ionut; Salomie, Ioan; Bertoncini, Massimo

2018-01-01

In this paper, we investigate the use of decentralized blockchain mechanisms for delivering transparent, secure, reliable, and timely energy flexibility, under the form of adaptation of energy demand profiles of Distributed Energy Prosumers, to all the stakeholders involved in the flexibility markets (Distribution System Operators primarily, retailers, aggregators, etc.). In our approach, a blockchain based distributed ledger stores in a tamper proof manner the energy prosumption information collected from Internet of Things smart metering devices, while self-enforcing smart contracts programmatically define the expected energy flexibility at the level of each prosumer, the associated rewards or penalties, and the rules for balancing the energy demand with the energy production at grid level. Consensus based validation will be used for demand response programs validation and to activate the appropriate financial settlement for the flexibility providers. The approach was validated using a prototype implemented in an Ethereum platform using energy consumption and production traces of several buildings from literature data sets. The results show that our blockchain based distributed demand side management can be used for matching energy demand and production at smart grid level, the demand response signal being followed with high accuracy, while the amount of energy flexibility needed for convergence is reduced. PMID:29315250

Pigeons' demand and preference for specific and generalized conditioned reinforcers in a token economy.

PubMed

Tan, Lavinia; Hackenberg, Timothy D

2015-11-01

Pigeons' demand and preference for specific and generalized tokens was examined in a token economy. Pigeons could produce and exchange different colored tokens for food, for water, or for food or water. Token production was measured across three phases, which examined: (1) across-session price increases (typical demand curve method); (2) within-session price increases (progressive-ratio, PR, schedule); and (3) concurrent pairwise choices between the token types. Exponential demand curves were fitted to the response data and accounted for over 90% total variance. Demand curve parameter values, Pmax , Omax and α showed that demand was ordered in the following way: food tokens, generalized tokens, water tokens, both in Phase 1 and in Phase 3. This suggests that the preferences were predictable on the basis of elasticity and response output from the demand analysis. Pmax and Omax values failed to consistently predict breakpoints and peak response rates in the PR schedules in Phase 2, however, suggesting limits on a unitary conception of reinforcer efficacy. The patterns of generalized token production and exchange in Phase 3 suggest that the generalized tokens served as substitutes for the specific food and water tokens. Taken together, the present findings demonstrate the utility of behavioral economic concepts in the analysis of generalized reinforcement. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Factors associated with recognition and prioritization for falling, and the effect on fall incidence in community dwelling older adults.

PubMed

Jansen, Sofie; Schoe, Jolanda; van Rijn, Marjon; Abu-Hanna, Ameen; Moll van Charante, Eric P; van der Velde, Nathalie; de Rooij, Sophia E

2015-12-17

Recent trials have shown that multifactorial fall interventions vary in effectiveness, possibly due to lack of adherence to the interventions. The aim of this study was to examine what proportion of older adults recognize their falls risk and prioritize for fall-preventive care, and which factors are associated with this prioritization. Observational study within the intervention arm of a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) on the effect of preventive interventions for geriatric problems in older community-dwellers at risk of functional decline.  general practices in the Netherlands. Participants were community dwellers (70+) in whom falling was identified as a condition. A comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) was performed by a registered community care nurse. Participants were asked which of the identified conditions they recognized and prioritized for in a preventive care plan, and subsequent interventions were started. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify which factors were associated with this prioritization. Fall-incidence was measured during one-year follow-up. The RCT included 6668 participants, 3430 were in the intervention arm. Of those, 1209 were at risk of functional decline, of whom 936 underwent CGA. In 380 participants (41 %), falling was identified as a condition; 62 (16 %) recognized this and 37 (10 %) prioritized for it. Factors associated with prioritization for falls-prevention were: recurrent falls in the past year (OR 2.2 [95 % CI 1.1-4.4]), severe fear-of-falling (OR 2.7 [1.2-6.0]) and use of a walking aid (2.3 [1.1-5.0]). Sixty participants received a preventive intervention for falling; 29 had prioritized for falling. Incidence of falls was higher in the priority group than the non-priority group (67 % vs. 37 % respectively) during first six months of follow-up, but similar between groups after 12 months (40.7 % vs. 44.4 %). The proportion of community-dwellers at risk of falls that recognizes this risk and prioritizes for preventive care is small. Recurrent falls in the past year, severe fear-of-falling and use of a walking aid were associated with prioritization. Prioritization was associated with a greater fall-risk during first six months, which appeared to level out at one-year follow-up. These results could aid in the identification of community-dwellings likely to benefit from fall-preventive interventions. NTR2653 , 17 December 2010.

The Influence of Load and Speed on Individuals' Movement Behavior.

PubMed

Frost, David M; Beach, Tyson A C; Callaghan, Jack P; McGill, Stuart M

2015-09-01

Because individuals' movement patterns have been linked to their risk of future injury, movement evaluations have become a topic of interest. However, if individuals adapt their movement behavior in response to the demands of a task, the utility of evaluations comprising only low-demand activities could have limited application with regard to the prediction of future injury. This investigation examined the impact of load and speed on individuals' movement behavior. Fifty-two firefighters performed 5 low-demand (i.e., light load, low movement speed) whole-body tasks (i.e., lift, squat, lunge, push, and pull). Each task was then modified by increasing the speed, external load, or speed and load. Select measures of motion were used to characterize the performance of each task, and comparisons were made between conditions. The participants adapted their movement behavior in response to the external demands of a task (64 and 70% of all the variables were influenced [p ≤ 0.05] by changing the load and speed, respectively), but in a manner unique to the task and type of demand. The participants exhibited greater spine and frontal plane knee motion in response to an increase in speed when compared with increasing loads. However, there were a large number of movement strategies exhibited by individual firefighters that differed from the group's response. The data obtained here imply that individuals may not be physically prepared to perform safely or effectively when a task's demands are elevated simply because they exhibit the ability to perform a low-demand activity with competence. Therefore, movement screens comprising only low-demand activities may not adequately reflect an individual's capacity, or their risk of injury, and could adversely affect any recommendations that are made for training or job performance.

UV-crosslinkable and thermo-responsive chitosan hybrid hydrogel for NIR-triggered localized on-demand drug delivery.

PubMed

Wang, Lei; Li, Baoqiang; Xu, Feng; Xu, Zheheng; Wei, Daqing; Feng, Yujie; Wang, Yaming; Jia, Dechang; Zhou, Yu

2017-10-15

Innovative drug delivery technologies based on smart hydrogels for localized on-demand drug delivery had aroused great interest. To acquire smart UV-crosslinkable chitosan hydrogel for NIR-triggered localized on-demanded drug release, a novel UV-crosslinkable and thermo-responsive chitosan was first designed and synthesized by grafting with poly N-isopropylacrylamide, acetylation of methacryloyl groups and embedding with photothermal carbon. The UV-crosslinkable unit (methacryloyl groups) endowed chitosan with gelation via UV irradiation. The thermo-responsive unit (poly N-isopropylacrylamide) endowed chitosan hydrogel with temperature-triggered volume shrinkage and reversible swelling/de-swelling behavior. The chitosan hybrid hydrogel embedded with photothermal carbon exhibited distinct NIR-triggered volume shrinkage (∼42% shrinkage) in response to temperature elevation as induced by NIR laser irradiation. As a demonstration, doxorubicin release rate was accelerated and approximately 40 times higher than that from non-irradiated hydrogels. The UV-crosslinkable and thermal-responsive hybrid hydrogel served as in situ forming hydrogel-based drug depot is developed for NIR-triggered localized on-demand release. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

State Injury Programs’ Response to the Opioid Epidemic: The Role of CDC’s Core Violence and Injury Prevention Program

PubMed Central

Deokar, Angela J.; Dellapenna, Alan; DeFiore-Hyrmer, Jolene; Laidler, Matt; Millet, Lisa; Morman, Sara; Myers, Lindsey

2018-01-01

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Core Violence and Injury Prevention Program (Core) supports capacity of state violence and injury prevention programs to implement evidence-based interventions. Several Core-funded states prioritized prescription drug overdose (PDO) and leveraged their systems to identify and respond to the epidemic before specific PDO prevention funding was available through CDC. This article describes activities employed by Core-funded states early in the epidemic. Four case examples illustrate states’ approaches within the context of their systems and partners. While Core funding is not sufficient to support a comprehensive PDO prevention program, having Core in place at the beginning of the emerging epidemic had critical implications for identifying the problem and developing systems that were later expanded as additional resources became available. Important components included staffing support to bolster programmatic and epidemiological capacity; diverse and collaborative partnerships; and use of surveillance and evidence-informed best practices to prioritize decision-making. PMID:29189501

Image-based tracking and sensor resource management for UAVs in an urban environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samant, Ashwin; Chang, K. C.

2010-04-01

Coordination and deployment of multiple unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) requires a lot of human resources in order to carry out a successful mission. The complexity of such a surveillance mission is significantly increased in the case of an urban environment where targets can easily escape from the UAV's field of view (FOV) due to intervening building and line-of-sight obstruction. In the proposed methodology, we focus on the control and coordination of multiple UAVs having gimbaled video sensor onboard for tracking multiple targets in an urban environment. We developed optimal path planning algorithms with emphasis on dynamic target prioritizations and persistent target updates. The command center is responsible for target prioritization and autonomous control of multiple UAVs, enabling a single operator to monitor and control a team of UAVs from a remote location. The results are obtained using extensive 3D simulations in Google Earth using Tangent plus Lyapunov vector field guidance for target tracking.

State Injury Programs' Response to the Opioid Epidemic: The Role of CDC's Core Violence and Injury Prevention Program.

PubMed

Deokar, Angela J; Dellapenna, Alan; DeFiore-Hyrmer, Jolene; Laidler, Matt; Millet, Lisa; Morman, Sara; Myers, Lindsey

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Core Violence and Injury Prevention Program (Core) supports capacity of state violence and injury prevention programs to implement evidence-based interventions. Several Core-funded states prioritized prescription drug overdose (PDO) and leveraged their systems to identify and respond to the epidemic before specific PDO prevention funding was available through CDC. This article describes activities employed by Core-funded states early in the epidemic. Four case examples illustrate states' approaches within the context of their systems and partners. While Core funding is not sufficient to support a comprehensive PDO prevention program, having Core in place at the beginning of the emerging epidemic had critical implications for identifying the problem and developing systems that were later expanded as additional resources became available. Important components included staffing support to bolster programmatic and epidemiological capacity; diverse and collaborative partnerships; and use of surveillance and evidence-informed best practices to prioritize decision-making.