Sample records for specific issues arise

  1. The provision of neuropsychological services in rural/regional settings: professional and ethical issues.

    PubMed

    Allott, Kelly; Lloyd, Susan

    2009-07-01

    Despite rapid growth of the discipline of clinical neuropsychology during recent times, there is limited information regarding the identification and management of professional and ethical issues associated with the practice of neuropsychology within rural settings. The aim of this article is to outline the characteristics unique to practicing neuropsychology in rural communities and to describe the potential professional and ethical dilemmas that might arise. Issues are illustrated using examples from neuropsychological practice in a rural/regional setting in Victoria, Australia. Relative to urban regions, there is an inequality in the distribution of psychologists, including neuropsychologists, in rural areas. The unique characteristics of rural and regional communities that impact on neuropsychological practice are: 1) limited resources in expertise, technology, and community services, 2) greater travel distances and costs, 3) professional isolation, and 4) beliefs about psychological services. These characteristics lower the threshold for particular ethical issues. The ethical issues that require anticipation and careful management include: 1) professional competence, 2) multiple relationships, and 3) confidentiality. Through increased awareness and management of rural-specific professional and ethical issues, rural neuropsychologists can experience their work as rewarding and enjoyable. Specific guidelines for identifying, managing, and resolving ethically and professionally challenging situations that may arise during rural practice are provided.

  2. Statistical issues in searches for new phenomena in High Energy Physics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lyons, Louis; Wardle, Nicholas

    2018-03-01

    Many analyses of data in High Energy Physics are concerned with searches for New Physics. We review the statistical issues that arise in such searches, and then illustrate these using the specific example of the recent successful search for the Higgs boson, produced in collisions between high energy protons at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider.

  3. Focus on Federal-State Relations in Educational Finance.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hinchcliffe, Keith

    1989-01-01

    Examined are issues that arise from the way educational services are financed in countries organized along federal principles. Financing of the education system is discussed; specifically in the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, India, and Nigeria. (SI)

  4. Internal Versus External DSLs for Trace Analysis: Extended Abstract

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barringer, Howard; Havelund, Klaus

    2011-01-01

    This tutorial explores the design and implementation issues arising in the development of domain-specific languages for trace analysis. It introduces the audience to the general concepts underlying such special-purpose languages building upon the authors' own experiences in developing both external domain specific languages and systems, such as EAGLE, HAWK, RULER and LOGSCOPE, and the more recent internal domain-specific language and system TRACECONTRACT within the SCALA language.

  5. The Full Spectrum of Clinical Ethical Issues in Kidney Failure. Findings of a Systematic Qualitative Review.

    PubMed

    Kahrass, Hannes; Strech, Daniel; Mertz, Marcel

    2016-01-01

    When treating patients with kidney failure, unavoidable ethical issues often arise. Current clinical practice guidelines some of them, but lack comprehensive information about the full range of relevant ethical issues in kidney failure. A systematic literature review of such ethical issues supports medical professionalism in nephrology, and offers a solid evidential base for efforts that aim to improve ethical conduct in health care. To identify the full spectrum of clinical ethical issues that can arise for patients with kidney failure in a systematic and transparent manner. A systematic review in Medline (publications in English or German between 2000 and 2014) and Google Books (with no restrictions) was conducted. Ethical issues were identified by qualitative text analysis and normative analysis. The literature review retrieved 106 references that together mentioned 27 ethical issues in clinical care of kidney failure. This set of ethical issues was structured into a matrix consisting of seven major categories and further first and second-order categories. The systematically-derived matrix helps raise awareness and understanding of the complexity of ethical issues in kidney failure. It can be used to identify ethical issues that should be addressed in specific training programs for clinicians, clinical practice guidelines, or other types of policies dealing with kidney failure.

  6. The Full Spectrum of Clinical Ethical Issues in Kidney Failure. Findings of a Systematic Qualitative Review

    PubMed Central

    Kahrass, Hannes; Strech, Daniel; Mertz, Marcel

    2016-01-01

    Background When treating patients with kidney failure, unavoidable ethical issues often arise. Current clinical practice guidelines some of them, but lack comprehensive information about the full range of relevant ethical issues in kidney failure. A systematic literature review of such ethical issues supports medical professionalism in nephrology, and offers a solid evidential base for efforts that aim to improve ethical conduct in health care. Aim To identify the full spectrum of clinical ethical issues that can arise for patients with kidney failure in a systematic and transparent manner. Method A systematic review in Medline (publications in English or German between 2000 and 2014) and Google Books (with no restrictions) was conducted. Ethical issues were identified by qualitative text analysis and normative analysis. Results The literature review retrieved 106 references that together mentioned 27 ethical issues in clinical care of kidney failure. This set of ethical issues was structured into a matrix consisting of seven major categories and further first and second-order categories. Conclusions The systematically-derived matrix helps raise awareness and understanding of the complexity of ethical issues in kidney failure. It can be used to identify ethical issues that should be addressed in specific training programs for clinicians, clinical practice guidelines, or other types of policies dealing with kidney failure. PMID:26938863

  7. Learned Effectiveness: An Empirical Validation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wells, Tracey L.

    All too often when issues arise concerning the "underclass," African Americans, and more specifically African American males are disproportionately represented in that description. Black males have been referred to as endangered in areas of education, economics, health and overall self-efficacy. This data would suggest hopelessness in…

  8. The Dyslexic Student and Mathematics in Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perkin, Glynis; Croft, Tony

    2007-01-01

    Difficulties that are encountered by dyslexic undergraduates with their learning and understanding of mathematics are explored. Specific consideration is given to issues arising through mathematical content, its delivery, the procedures and processes of doing mathematics, and its assessment. Particular difficulties, which have emerged through…

  9. Linking Research and Teaching: Context, Conflict and Complementarity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pan, Wei; Cotton, Debby; Murray, Paul

    2014-01-01

    Although research and teaching have often been regarded as complementary in enhancing the quality of student learning, little previous research has explored the conflicts associated with linking the two activities. This paper aims to examine specific issues arising within the environmental building disciplines at a UK university, and to explore…

  10. Critical Issues in Electronic Media: SUNY Series in Film History and Theory.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Penny, Simon, Ed.

    This interdisciplinary sourcebook offers critical perspectives directly related to, or arising from, the practice of electronic media art. It sketches the changing topology of culture as it enters electronic space and specifically addresses questions of art practice in that space. The volume contains 13 papers: (1) "Suck on This, Planet of…

  11. Developmental Disorders of Language and Literacy: Special Issue

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marshall, Chloe R.; Messaoud-Galusi, Souhila

    2010-01-01

    Language and literacy are cognitive skills of exceptional complexity. It is therefore not surprising that they are at risk of impairment either during development or as a result of damage (e.g. stroke) later in life. Impaired language and literacy can arise from a general learning impairment. However, two developmental disorders, specific language…

  12. 43 CFR 4.903 - What definitions apply to this subpart?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... decision by the MMS or a delegated State denying a lessee's, designee's, or payor's written request for the... accounting arising from the same issue or cause as the specifically stated underpayment, the stated amount of royalties due plus the estimated amount due under the restructured accounting, subject to paragraphs (1) and...

  13. Proxy-Produced Ethnographic Work: What Are the Problems, Issues, and Dilemmas Arising from Proxy-Ethnography?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martinussen, Marie; Højbjerg, Karin; Tamborg, Andreas Lindenskov

    2018-01-01

    This article addresses the implications of researcher-student cooperation in the production of empirical material. For the student to replace the experienced researcher and work under the researcher's supervision, we call such work proxy-produced ethnographic work. Although there are clear advantages, the specific relations and positions arising…

  14. Excel in the Accounting Curriculum: Perceptions from Accounting Professors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ramachandran Rackliffe, Usha; Ragland, Linda

    2016-01-01

    Public accounting firms emphasize the importance of accounting graduates being proficient in Excel. Since many accounting graduates often aspire to work in public accounting, a question arises as to whether there should be an emphasis on Excel in accounting education. The purpose of this paper is to specifically look at this issue by examining…

  15. Finding the Discipline: Assessing Student Activity in "Second Life"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grant, Scott; Clerehan, Rosemary

    2011-01-01

    For the second-language learner, the affordances of a virtual world have the potential to confer benefits conventionally aligned with real world experiences. However, little is known about the pedagogical benefits linked to the specific characteristics of the virtual world, let alone the issues arising for staff hoping to assess students'…

  16. Diagnosis and management of Alzheimer's disease: past, present and future ethical issues.

    PubMed

    Gauthier, S; Leuzy, A; Racine, E; Rosa-Neto, P

    2013-11-01

    There is great interest in the ethical issues associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias given the prevalence of AD and the evolving neuroscience landscape in matters of diagnoses and therapeutics. Much of the ethics discussion arises in the tension between the principle of not doing harm (principle of non-maleficence) in this vulnerable population and the development of effective treatments (principle of beneficence). Autonomy and capacity issues are also numerous, wide-ranging, and concern (1) day to day affairs such as driving safely and spending money wisely, (2) life-time events such as designating a legal representative in case of incapacity, making a will, (3) consenting to treatment and diagnostic procedures, (4) participating in research. The latter issue is particularly thorny and illustrates well the complexity of tackling concerns related to capacity. The impetus to protect AD patients has partly led to ethics regulation and policies making research on inapt patients more difficult because of stringent requirements for signed informed consent or for showing the value of the research to this specific patient population. New issues are arising that relate to earlier diagnosis using biomarkers and (possibly soon) the use of drugs that modify disease progression. We here summarize and discuss the different ethical issues associated with AD from a historical perspective, with emphasis on diagnostic and treatments issues. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Ethics for pandemics beyond influenza: Ebola, drug-resistant tuberculosis, and anticipating future ethical challenges in pandemic preparedness and response.

    PubMed

    Smith, Maxwell J; Silva, Diego S

    2015-01-01

    The unprecedented outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa has raised several novel ethical issues for global outbreak preparedness. It has also illustrated that familiar ethical issues in infectious disease management endure despite considerable efforts to understand and mitigate such issues in the wake of past outbreaks. To improve future global outbreak preparedness and response, we must examine these shortcomings and reflect upon the current state of ethical preparedness. To this end, we focus our efforts in this article on the examination of one substantial area: ethical guidance in pandemic plans. We argue that, due in part to their focus on considerations arising specifically in relation to pandemics of influenza origin, pandemic plans and their existing ethical guidance are ill-equipped to anticipate and facilitate the navigation of unique ethical challenges that may arise in other infectious disease pandemics. We proceed by outlining three reasons why this is so, and situate our analysis in the context of the EVD outbreak and the threat posed by drug-resistant tuberculosis: (1) different infectious diseases have distinct characteristics that challenge anticipated or existing modes of pandemic prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery, (2) clear, transparent, context-specific ethical reasoning and justification within current influenza pandemic plans are lacking, and (3) current plans neglect the context of how other significant pandemics may manifest. We conclude the article with several options for reflecting upon and ultimately addressing ethical issues that may emerge with different infectious disease pandemics.

  18. Issues Arising on the Use of Hand-Held Calculators in Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    D'Ambrosio, Ubiratan

    This paper notes three objections to the use of hand-held calculators in schools: they would (1) block reasoning, (2) make individuals machine-dependent, and (3) broaden the gap between developed and underdeveloped nations. Each is addressed, with specific examples used to refute them. The belief is strongly expressed that calculators can aid in…

  19. Constructing the Cosmopolitan Subject: Teaching Secondary School Literature in Singapore

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Poon, Angelia Mui Cheng

    2010-01-01

    This article discusses the ambitious educational reforms of the Singapore government in response to the challenges of globalization vis-a-vis the specific issues arising from the case of teaching Literature in secondary schools. It shows how the Singapore state is invested in a particular view of globalization and argues how recent scholarly moves…

  20. Ethical Issues in Internet Research: International Good Practice and Irish Research Ethics Documents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Felzmann, Heike

    2013-01-01

    This chapter discusses the main research ethical concerns that arise in internet research and reviews existing research ethical guidance in the Irish context in relation to its application to internet research. The chapter begins with a brief outline of high profile cases in the early history of the internet that highlighted specific emerging…

  1. What Ethical Issues Really Arise in Practice at an Academic Medical Center? A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Clinical Ethics Consultations from 2008 to 2013.

    PubMed

    Wasson, Katherine; Anderson, Emily; Hagstrom, Erika; McCarthy, Michael; Parsi, Kayhan; Kuczewski, Mark

    2016-09-01

    As the field of clinical ethics consultation sets standards and moves forward with the Quality Attestation process, questions should be raised about what ethical issues really do arise in practice. There is limited data on the type and number of ethics consultations conducted across different settings. At Loyola University Medical Center, we conducted a retrospective review of our ethics consultations from 2008 through 2013. One hundred fifty-six cases met the eligibility criteria. We analyzed demographic data on these patients and conducted a content analysis of the ethics consultation write-ups coding both the frequency of ethical issues and most significant, or key, ethical issue per case. Patients for whom ethics consultation was requested were typically male (55.8 %), white (57.1 %), between 50 and 69 years old (38.5 %), of non-Hispanic origin (85.9 %), and of Roman Catholic faith (43.6 %). Nearly half (47.4 %) were in the intensive care unit and 44.2 % died in the hospital. The most frequent broad ethical categories were decision-making (93.6 %), goals of care/treatment (80.8 %), and end-of-life (73.1 %). More specifically, capacity (57.1 %), patient's wishes/autonomy (54.5 %), and surrogate decision maker (51.3 %) were the most frequent particular ethical issues. The most common key ethical issues were withdrawing/withholding treatment (12.8 %), patient wishes/autonomy (12.2 %), and capacity (11.5 %). Our findings provide additional data to inform the training of clinical ethics consultants regarding the ethical issues that arise in practice. A wider research agenda should be formed to collect and compare data across institutions to improve education and training in our field.

  2. The Translation of Cognitive Paradigms for Patient Research

    PubMed Central

    Luck, Steven J.; Gold, James M.

    2008-01-01

    Many cognitive tasks have been developed by basic scientists to isolate and measure specific cognitive processes in healthy young adults, and these tasks have the potential to provide important information about cognitive dysfunction in psychiatric disorders, both in psychopathology research and in clinical trials. However, several practical and conceptual challenges arise in translating these tasks for patient research. Here we outline a paradigm development strategy—which involves iteratively testing modifications of the tasks in college students, in older healthy adults, and in patients—that we have used to successfully translate a large number of cognitive tasks for use in schizophrenia patients. This strategy makes it possible to make the tasks patient friendly while maintaining their cognitive precision. We also outline several measurement issues that arise in these tasks, including differences in baseline performance levels and speed-accuracy trade-offs, and we provide suggestions for addressing these issues. Finally, we present examples of 2 experiments, one of which exemplifies our recommendations regarding measurement issues and was a success and one of which was a painful but informative failure. PMID:18487226

  3. Identifying Unique Ethical Challenges of Indigenous Field-Workers: A Commentary on Alexander and Richman's "Ethical Dilemmas in Evaluations Using Indigenous Research Workers"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Nick L.

    2008-01-01

    In contrast with nonindigenous workers, to what extent do unique ethical problems arise when indigenous field-workers participate in field studies? Three aspects of study design and operation are considered: data integrity issues, risk issues, and protection issues. Although many of the data quality issues that arise with the use of indigenous…

  4. Communities of Practice and On-Line Support for Dissemination and Implementation of Innovation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stuckey, Bronwyn; Buehring, Anna; Fraser, Sally

    New tools, whether developed organizationally, commercially, or within a domain may represent innovation in the workplace and can be part of larger scale reform and change. The focus of this research is on exploring the roster of issues arising as the theory of communities of practice is applied to specific cases of online professional development…

  5. Evidence-Based Practice in Special Education and Cultural Adaptations: Challenges and Implications for Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Mian; Lam, Yeana

    2017-01-01

    Many issues arise in the discussion of the evidence-based practice (EBP) movement and implementation science in special education and specific educational practices for students with severe disabilities. Yet cultural adaptations of EBPs, which have emerged as an area of research in other fields, are being left out as a focus of EBP discourse. The…

  6. Pure Lovelock gravity and Chern-Simons theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Concha, P. K.; Durka, R.; Inostroza, C.; Merino, N.; Rodríguez, E. K.

    2016-07-01

    We explore the possibility of finding pure Lovelock gravity as a particular limit of a Chern-Simons action for a specific expansion of the AdS algebra in odd dimensions. We derive in detail this relation at the level of the action in five and seven dimensions. We provide a general result for higher dimensions and discuss some issues arising from the obtained dynamics.

  7. Goals 2000 and the Role of the National Education Standards and Improvement Council.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mulcahy, D. G.

    The National Education Standards and Improvement Council (NESIC) was established in the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. One of NESIC's duties is to identify areas in which specific educational standards ought to be developed. Several complex issues arise in carrying out this duty, such as: the need for standards in such non-content areas as…

  8. Closing the Guantanamo Detection Center: Legal Issues

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-04-14

    issues likely to arise as a result of executive and legislative action to close the Guantanamo detention facility. It discusses legal issues related to...detention or other wartime actions taken by the Executive. The Bush Administration initially believed that Guantanamo was largely beyond the...C. Henning. This report provides an overview of major legal issues that are likely to arise as a result of executive and legislative action to

  9. Clinical supervision of psychotherapy: essential ethics issues for supervisors and supervisees.

    PubMed

    Barnett, Jeffrey E; Molzon, Corey H

    2014-11-01

    Clinical supervision is an essential aspect of every mental health professional's training. The importance of ensuring that supervision is provided competently, ethically, and legally is explained. The elements of the ethical practice of supervision are described and explained. Specific issues addressed include informed consent and the supervision contract, supervisor and supervisee competence, attention to issues of diversity and multicultural competence, boundaries and multiple relationships in the supervision relationship, documentation and record keeping by both supervisor and supervisee, evaluation and feedback, self-care and the ongoing promotion of wellness, emergency coverage, and the ending of the supervision relationship. Additionally, the role of clinical supervisor as mentor, professional role model, and gatekeeper for the profession are discussed. Specific recommendations are provided for ethically and effectively conducting the supervision relationship and for addressing commonly arising dilemmas that supervisors and supervisees may confront. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Introduction to the Special Issue: Precarious Solidarity-Preferential Access in Canadian Health Care.

    PubMed

    Reid, Lynette

    2017-06-01

    Systems of universal health coverage may aspire to provide care based on need and not ability to pay; the complexities of this aspiration (conceptual, practical, and ethical) call for normative analysis. This special issue arises in the wake of a judicial inquiry into preferential access in the Canadian province of Alberta, the Vertes Commission. I describe this inquiry and set out a taxonomy of forms of differential and preferential access. Papers in this special issue focus on the conceptual specification of health system boundaries (the concept of medical need) and on the normative questions raised by complex models of funding and delivery of care, where patients, providers, and services cross system boundaries.

  11. Balancing dual roles in end-of-life research.

    PubMed

    Martin, Wanda; Grey, Meredith; Webber, Terry; Robinson, Linnea; Hartt, Nancy; Cairns, Moira; Stajduhar, Kelli

    2007-01-01

    Ethical and practical issues are sure to arise from the majority of research studies done with palliative populations. Whether it is feeling opportunistic, being emotionally available, or struggling with witnessing a gap in service and needs of the participants receiving care, nurses involved in research find a way to balance both roles to meet the needs of the participants as well as the study (McIlfatrick, Sullivan, & McKenna, 2006). This paper highlights some of the practical and ethical issues that arise when frontline nurses also take on the role of research assistant for studies with palliative populations. Specifically, the authors highlight their personal experiences based on their research assistant work on a study examining family caregiver coping in end-of-life cancer care. The authors discuss the "balancing act" of taking on these dual roles and offer recommendations on how to be with and approach people when doing research at the end of life using a framework based on Swanson's Theory of Caring (1991).

  12. A guide to the EEOC's final regulations on the Americans with Disabilities Act.

    PubMed

    Shaller, E H; Rosen, D A

    The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently issued its final regulations on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Although the regulations offer some guidance for employers on how to comply with the Act, they fail to provide specific answers to the many complicated compliance questions that will surely arise. Further, the regulations are almost totally silent on certain critical issues related to insurance, workers' compensation, and potential conflicts between ADA obligations and terms of collective bargaining agreements. The EEOC has essentially left the resolution of many important ADA questions to case-by-case determination and the litigation process.

  13. Critical Issues in Evaluating National-Level Health Data Warehouses in LMICs: Kenya Case Study.

    PubMed

    Gesicho, Milka B; Babic, Ankica; Were, Martin C

    2017-01-01

    Low-Middle-Income-Countries (LMICs) are beginning to adopt national health data warehousing (NHDWs) for making strategic decisions and for improving health outcomes. Given the numerous challenges likely to be faced in establishment of NHDWs by LMICs, it is prudent that evaluations are done in relation to the data warehouses (DWs), in order to identify and mitigate critical issues that arise. When critic issues are not identified, DWs are prone to suboptimal implementation with compromised outcomes. Despite the fact that several publications exist on evaluating DWs, evaluations specific to health data warehouses are scanty, with almost none evaluating NHDWs more so in LMICs. This paper uses a systematic approach guided by an evaluation framework to identify critical issues to be considered in evaluating Kenya's NHDW.

  14. Ethics in oncology: consulting for the investment industry.

    PubMed

    Berlin, Jordan; Bruinooge, Suanna S; Tannock, Ian F

    2007-02-01

    As Ethics Committee Chair, I am pleased to introduce the first in an ongoing series of ethics vignettes. These columns, which are based on true-to-life situations that arise in oncology research and practice, are intended to identify and explore important ethical issues and provide commentary that is specific to oncology. Please look for them periodically in both the Journal of Clinical Oncology and the Journal of Oncology Practice. The idea for publishing vignettes evolved through the joint efforts of the Ethics Committee and the Board of Directors. Rather than adopt a single set of ethical principles that applies vaguely to any situation and well to none, the Committee and the Board preferred to tackle ethical dilemmas individually, specifically, and directly. Because the Ethics Committee thought the ethical and legal implications of physician interactions with the investment industry were so important and timely, it chose to address this topic in both a position article, which was previously published in the January 20, 2007, issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology (J Clin Oncol 25:338-340, 2007) and in its first vignette column. The Ethics Committee hopes this column will be the first of several that ASCO members will find helpful as they grapple with the many ethical issues that arise in daily practice in the field of oncology. Because these columns are intended to address the concerns of ASCO members, the Committee welcomes suggestions for future topics at vignettes@asco.org. Martin D. Abeloff, MD, Chair, Ethics Committee.

  15. Closing the Guantanamo Detention Center: Legal Issues

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-07-20

    to arise as a result of executive and legislative action to close the Guantanamo detention facility. It discusses legal issues related to the...combatants could pursue legal challenges regarding their detention or other wartime actions taken by the Executive. The Bush Administration initially...that are likely to arise as a result of executive and legislative action to close the Guantanamo detention facility. It discusses legal issues

  16. Closing the Guantanamo Detention Center: Legal Issues

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-11-17

    immigration consequences. This report provides an overview of major legal issues likely to arise as a result of executive and legislative action to...legal challenges regarding their detention or other wartime actions taken by the Executive. The Bush Administration initially believed that Guantanamo...major legal issues that are likely to arise as a result of executive and legislative action to close the Guantanamo detention facility. It discusses

  17. Processes and Challenges in Identifying Learning Disabilities among Students Who Are English Language Learners in Three New York State Districts. Issues & Answers. REL 2010-No. 085

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sanchez, Maria Teresa; Parker, Caroline; Akbayin, Bercem; McTigue, Anna

    2010-01-01

    Using interviews with district and school personnel and documents from state and district web sites in three districts in New York State, the study examines practices for identifying learning disabilities among students who are English language learners and the challenges that arise. Specifically, two research questions guided the project: (1)…

  18. Rocking & Rolling: Supporting Infants, Toddlers, and Their Families. Understanding the Influence of Culture on Caregiving Practices . . . From the inside out

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Im, Janice; Parlakian, Rebecca; Sanchez, Sylvia

    2007-01-01

    Everyone brings specific values, beliefs, and assumptions about child rearing and child development to their work with infants and toddlers. Even two teachers who share the same ethnic culture may not share the same beliefs about what is best for young children. Conflicts around these issues can arise with colleagues and families in early care and…

  19. Ethical Issues in mHealth Research Involving Persons Living with HIV/AIDS and Substance Abuse

    PubMed Central

    Labrique, Alain B.; Kirk, Gregory D.; Westergaard, Ryan P.; Merritt, Maria W.

    2013-01-01

    We aim to raise awareness and stimulate dialogue among investigators and research ethics committees regarding ethical issues that arise specifically in the design and conduct of mHealth research involving persons living with HIV/AIDS and substance abuse. Following a brief background discussion of mHealth research in general, we offer a case example to illustrate the characteristics of mHealth research involving people living with HIV/AIDS and substance abuse. With reference to a well-established systematic general ethical framework for biomedical research with human participants, we identify a range of ethical issues that have particular salience for the protection of participants in mHealth research on HIV/AIDS and substance abuse. PMID:24171110

  20. Nurses' perceptions of ethical issues in the care of older people.

    PubMed

    Rees, Jenny; King, Lindy; Schmitz, Karl

    2009-07-01

    The aim of this thematic literature review is to explore nurses' perceptions of ethical issues in the care of older people. Electronic databases were searched from September 1997 to September 2007 using specific key words with tight inclusion criteria, which revealed 17 primary research reports. The data analysis involved repeated reading of the findings and sorting of those findings into four themes. These themes are: sources of ethical issues for nurses; differences in perceptions between nurses and patients/relatives; nurses' personal responses to ethical issues; and the patient-nurse relationship. The findings reveal that ageism is one of the major sources of the ethical issues that arise for nurses caring for older people. Education and organizational change can combat ageist attitudes. Wider training is required in the care of older people, workplace skills, palliative care and pain management for older people. The demands of a changing global demography will necessitate further research in this field.

  1. Creating Effective Dialogue Around Climate Change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kiehl, J. T.

    2015-12-01

    Communicating climate change to people from diverse sectors of society has proven to be difficult in the United States. It is widely recognized that difficulties arise from a number of sources, including: basic science understanding, the psychologically affect laden content surrounding climate change, and the diversity of value systems that exist in our society. I explore ways of working with the affect that arises around climate change and describe specific methods to work with the resistance often encountered when communicating this important issue. The techniques I describe are rooted in psychology and group process and provide means for creating more effective narratives to break through the barriers to communicating climate change science. Examples are given from personal experiences in presenting climate change to diverse groups.

  2. Information Virtulization in Virtual Environments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bryson, Steve; Kwak, Dochan (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    Virtual Environments provide a natural setting for a wide range of information visualization applications, particularly wlieit the information to be visualized is defined on a three-dimensional domain (Bryson, 1996). This chapter provides an overview of the issues that arise when designing and implementing an information visualization application in a virtual environment. Many design issues that arise, such as, e.g., issues of display, user tracking are common to any application of virtual environments. In this chapter we focus on those issues that are special to information visualization applications, as issues of wider concern are addressed elsewhere in this book.

  3. 76 FR 77053 - Proposed Collection; Income, Excise, and Estate and Gift Taxes Effective Dates, etc.

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-09

    ... Estate and Gift Taxes Effective Dates, etc. AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION... gift taxes; effective dates and other issues arising under the employee benefit provisions of the tax..., Excise, and Estate and Gift Taxes Effective Dates and Other Issues Arising Under the Employee Benefit...

  4. Addressing the need for staff support among nurses caring for the AIDS population.

    PubMed

    Pasacreta, J V; Jacobsen, P B

    1989-01-01

    More and more nurses are caring for individuals with AIDS-spectrum disorders. When nurses become involved in hospital-based AIDS treatment, major psychosocial issues can arise. In settings where nursing personnel have limited or no experience working with patients with AIDS, fear of contagion is a major issue. This fear has both rational and irrational components. In general, providing up-to-date information in a small group setting can effectively reduce irrational fears. Rational fears, which are not as easily dealt with, should be a stimulus for behavior change (e.g., adoption of precautionary guidelines for reducing the possibility of accidental infection). Different issues arise among nurses specializing in AIDS care and include burnout, a sense of professional isolation, and the need to establish personal boundaries in dealing with patients. Guidelines are offered for establishing a group approach to address these concerns and to handle the sensitive issues that may arise.

  5. Biobased chemicals: the convergence of green chemistry with industrial biotechnology.

    PubMed

    Philp, Jim C; Ritchie, Rachael J; Allan, Jacqueline E M

    2013-04-01

    Policy issues around biobased chemicals are similar to those for biobased plastics. However, there are significant differences that arise from differences in production volumes and the more specific applications of most chemicals. The drivers for biobased chemicals production are similar to those for biobased plastics, particularly the environmental drivers. However, in Europe, biobased chemical production is further driven by the need to improve the competitiveness of the chemicals industry. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. The ethics of research on stored biological samples: outcomes of a Workshop.

    PubMed

    Vaz, Manjulika; Sridhar, T S; Pai, Sanjay A

    2016-01-01

    Research is often conducted using laboratory samples and data. The ethical issues that arise in a study involving residual samples are considerably different from those arising in a prospective study. Some of these ethical issues concern the risks to confidentiality, individual autonomy, trust in and credibility of the researcher or the research, commercialisation and even the nomenclature involved.

  7. Exercise redox biochemistry: Conceptual, methodological and technical recommendations.

    PubMed

    Cobley, James N; Close, Graeme L; Bailey, Damian M; Davison, Gareth W

    2017-08-01

    Exercise redox biochemistry is of considerable interest owing to its translational value in health and disease. However, unaddressed conceptual, methodological and technical issues complicate attempts to unravel how exercise alters redox homeostasis in health and disease. Conceptual issues relate to misunderstandings that arise when the chemical heterogeneity of redox biology is disregarded: which often complicates attempts to use redox-active compounds and assess redox signalling. Further, that oxidised macromolecule adduct levels reflect formation and repair is seldom considered. Methodological and technical issues relate to the use of out-dated assays and/or inappropriate sample preparation techniques that confound biochemical redox analysis. After considering each of the aforementioned issues, we outline how each issue can be resolved and provide a unifying set of recommendations. We specifically recommend that investigators: consider chemical heterogeneity, use redox-active compounds judiciously, abandon flawed assays, carefully prepare samples and assay buffers, consider repair/metabolism, use multiple biomarkers to assess oxidative damage and redox signalling. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Coupling Considerations in Assembly Language

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2018-01-05

    report discusses coupling issues arising in assembly language source code, as contrasted to similar issues arising in high order language (HOL...Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) require compliance with DO-178B and DO-178C, which contain guidelines relating to data and control coupling. The...considered unknown, but its effect on development and maintenance will serve as indicators on whether the coupling measure is high or low. Both

  9. On operator strategic behavior

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hancock, P. A.

    1991-01-01

    Deeper and more detailed knowledge as to how human operators such as pilots respond, singly and in groups, to demands on their performance which arise from technical systems will support the manipulation of such systems' design in order to accommodate the foibles of human behavior. Efforts to understand how self-autonomy impacts strategic behavior and such related issues as error generation/recognition/correction are still in their infancy. The present treatment offers both general and aviation-specific definitions of strategic behavior as precursors of prospective investigations.

  10. Implant ethics

    PubMed Central

    Hansson, S

    2005-01-01

    Implant ethics is defined here as the study of ethical aspects of the lasting introduction of technological devices into the human body. Whereas technological implants relieve us of some of the ethical problems connected with transplantation, other difficulties arise that are in need of careful analysis. A systematic approach to implant ethics is proposed. The major specific problems are identified as those concerning end of life issues (turning off devices), enhancement of human capabilities beyond normal levels, mental changes and personal identity, and cultural effects. PMID:16131553

  11. [International legal aspects of responsibility of states and international organizations for the spread of epidemics, pandemics and mass disease].

    PubMed

    Kholikov, I V; Sazonova, K L

    2015-08-01

    The present article deals with international legal issues that arise in case when various mass diseases go beyond any national jurisdiction. The emphasis is made on the problem of international responsibility, which different actors have to bear in such cases. The authors also examine the implementation of responsibility mechanism, including the indentication of the relevant international court, authorized to establish such liability and identify the specific forms of its realization.

  12. Electronic Health Record in Italy and Personal Data Protection.

    PubMed

    Bologna, Silvio; Bellavista, Alessandro; Corso, Pietro Paolo; Zangara, Gianluca

    2016-06-01

    The present article deals with the Italian Electronic Health Record (hereinafter EHR), recently introduced by Act 221/2012, with a specific focus on personal data protection. Privacy issues--e.g., informed consent, data processing, patients' rights and minors' will--are discussed within the framework of recent e-Health legislation, national Data Protection Code, the related Data Protection Authority pronouncements and EU law. The paper is aimed at discussing the problems arising from a complex, fragmentary and sometimes uncertain legal framework on e-Health.

  13. Dedifferentiated liposarcoma of thigh with chondrosarcomatous dedifferentiated component.

    PubMed

    Yoon, Richard S; Benevenia, Joseph; Beebe, Kathleen S; Hameed, Meera

    2010-11-01

    Liposarcomas are common soft-issue sarcomas arising predominantly in deep soft tissue and the retroperitoneum with varied mortality and recurrence rates, largely dependent on histologic type. Thought to arise de novo, liposarcomas typically are classified into 5 types based on strict morphologic characteristics: well-differentiated, dedifferentiated, myxoid, round cell, and pleomorphic. More specifically, dedifferentiated liposarcoma, a common type most prevalent in the retroperitoneum, often has 2 distinct components, a well-differentiated lipomatous component and a dedifferentiated nonlipomatous component composed of sarcomas, such as myxofibrosarcomas or other spindle-cell sarcomas. Morphology typically ranges from low- to high-grade components, most commonly exhibiting myxofibrosarcoma and malignant fibrous histiocytoma components. However, the case reported in this article is unique-the dedifferentiated component exhibited only chondrosarcomatous differentiation-and it is, to our knowledge, the first such case to be described.

  14. To research (or not) that is the question: ethical issues in research when medical care is disrupted by political action: a case study from Eldoret, Kenya

    PubMed Central

    House, Darlene R; Marete, Irene; Meslin, Eric M

    2016-01-01

    While considerable attention has been focused on understanding the myriad of ethical analysis in international research in low and middle income countries, new issues always arise that have not been anticipated in guidelines or studied extensively. The disruption of medical care arising as a direct result of political actions, including strikes, postelection violence and related activities, is one such issue that leaves physician-researchers struggling to manage often conflicting professional responsibilities. This paper discusses the ethical conflicts that arise for physician-researchers, particularly when disruption threatens the completion of a study or completion is possible but at the expense of not addressing unmet medical needs of patients. We review three pragmatic strategies and the ethical issues arising from each: not starting research, stopping research that has already started, and continuing research already initiated. We argue that during episodes of medical care disruption, research that has been started can be continued only if the ethical standards imposed at the beginning of the study can continue to be met; however, studies that have been approved but not yet started should not begin until the disruption has ended and ethical standards can again be assured. PMID:26474601

  15. Ethical questions must be considered for electronic health records.

    PubMed

    Spriggs, Merle; Arnold, Michael V; Pearce, Christopher M; Fry, Craig

    2012-09-01

    National electronic health record initiatives are in progress in many countries around the world but the debate about the ethical issues and how they are to be addressed remains overshadowed by other issues. The discourse to which all others are answerable is a technical discourse, even where matters of privacy and consent are concerned. Yet a focus on technical issues and a failure to think about ethics are cited as factors in the failure of the UK health record system. In this paper, while the prime concern is the Australian Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR), the discussion is relevant to and informed by the international context. The authors draw attention to ethical and conceptual issues that have implications for the success or failure of electronic health records systems. Important ethical issues to consider as Australia moves towards a PCEHR system include: issues of equity that arise in the context of personal control, who benefits and who should pay, what are the legitimate uses of PCEHRs, and how we should implement privacy. The authors identify specific questions that need addressing.

  16. The moral foundations of scientific ethics and responsibility.

    PubMed

    Camenisch, P F

    1996-02-01

    Any significant involvement of AADR/IADR in ensuring responsible research among their members must be grounded in a widely accepted consensus that there are good moral reasons for such involvement. One important source of such reasons is AADR/IADR's identity as a scientific research, a professional, and a dental association. These identities and the commitments to society and to clients implicit in them generate several mutually reinforcing reasons for taking responsibility for the reliability of members' research. With regard to scientific research, these reasons arise from what it means to do such research, and from the various ways the larger society supports that activity. With regard to the professional dimension, the reasons arise from what it means to be a profession in this society and can be best seen in relation to the four major characteristics of professions. With regard to AADR/IADR's being a dental profession, such reasons arise from dental researchers' specific role in the dental family of professions' goal of delivering optimal care to the clients of practitioners. The clients' perspective, specifically the need to be able to trust that one will receive the best care possible, is a final source for such reasons. Two current issues, the sharing of findings and commercial/industrial support for research, give new urgency to this question of the Association's role in ensuring responsible research.

  17. Faith-to-faith at the bedside: theological and ethical issues in ecumenical clinical chaplaincy.

    PubMed

    Mellon, Brad F

    2003-04-01

    Chaplains who serve in a clinical context often minister to patients representing a wide variety of faiths. In order to offer the best pastoral care possible, the chaplain should first possess a set of personal theological convictions as a foundation for ministry. Second, he or she needs to be sensitive to the beliefs and practices of the patients. Third, it is vital to develop a relationship of acceptance and trust not only with patients under their care, but also with family members and caregivers as well. At times, situations will arise that are purely religious or theological. In a clinical setting, however, the questions and problems that arise more often are both theological and ethical. It is beneficial for the chaplain to be involved in an ethics committee, where the specifics of each case can be discussed, and staff can offer counsel to patients and their families. This study examines issues that chaplains face at the bedside, such as terminal care, life-prolonging treatments, dementia, persistent vegetative state, and euthanasia-assisted suicide. We will discover that those who are involved in clinical pastoral ministry will be called upon to be a comforter, mediator, educator, ethicist, and counselor.

  18. Guidance for Catastrophic Emergency Situations Involving Asbestos

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This document addresses the types of asbestos issues that may arise during catastrophic events and how EPA has addressed such issues. It replaces the Guidelines for Catastrophic Emergency Situations Involving Asbestos which was issued in 1992.

  19. Ethical Issues in Transnational Eye Banking.

    PubMed

    Martin, Dominique E; Kelly, Richard; Jones, Gary L A; Machin, Heather; Pollock, Graeme A

    2017-02-01

    To review ethical issues that may arise in the setting of transnational eye banking activities, such as when exporting or importing corneal tissue for transplantation. A principle-based normative analysis of potential common dilemmas in transnational eye banking activities was performed. Transnational activities in eye banking, like those in other fields involving procurement and use of medical products of human origin, may present a number of ethical issues for policy makers and professionals. Key ethical concerns include the potential impact of export or import activities on self-sufficiency of corneal tissue supply within exporting and importing countries; potential disclosure requirements when obtaining consent or authorization for ocular tissue donation when donations may be exported; and difficulties inherent in assuring equity in the allocation of tissues available for export and in establishing and respecting standards of safety and quality across different jurisdictions. Further analysis of specific ethical issues in eye banking is necessary to inform development of guidelines and other governance tools that will assist policy makers and professionals to support ethical practice.

  20. Ethical dilemmas in pediatric and adolescent psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.

    PubMed

    Cole, Cristie M; Falcone, Tatiana; Caplan, Rochelle; Timmons-Mitchell, Jane; Jares, Kristine; Ford, Paul J

    2014-08-01

    To date, only a very narrow window of ethical dilemmas in psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) has been explored. Numerous distinct ethical dilemmas arise in diagnosing and treating pediatric and adolescent patients with PNESs. Important ethical values at stake include trust, transparency, confidentiality, professionalism, autonomy of all stakeholders, and justice. In order to further elucidate the ethical challenges in caring for this population, an ethical analysis of the special challenges faced in four specific domains is undertaken: (1) conducting and communicating a diagnosis of PNESs, (2) advising patients about full transparency and disclosure to community including patients' peers, (3) responding to requests to continue antiepileptic drugs, and (4) managing challenges arising from school policy and procedure. An analysis of these ethical issues is essential for the advancement of best care practices that promote the overall well-being of patients and their families. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Ethical Dilemmas in Pediatric and Adolescent Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures

    PubMed Central

    Cole, Cristie M.; Falcone, Tatiana; Caplan, Rochelle; Timmons-Mitchell, Jane; Jares, Kristine; Ford, Paul J.

    2014-01-01

    To date only a very narrow window of ethical dilemmas in psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) have been explored. Numerous distinct ethical dilemmas arise in diagnosing and treating pediatric and adolescent patients with PNES. Important ethical values at stake include trust, transparency, confidentiality, professionalism, autonomy of all stakeholders and justice. In order to further elucidate the ethical challenges in caring for this population, an ethical analysis of the special challenges faced in four specific domains is undertaken: (1) conducting and communicating a diagnosis of PNES; (2) advising patients about full transparency and disclosure to community including patients’ peers; (3) responding to requests to continue anti-epileptic drugs; and (4) managing challenges arising from school policy and procedure. An analysis of these ethical issues is essential for the advancement of best care practices that promote the overall well-being of patients and their families. PMID:25022823

  2. Identification and Characterization of Key Human Performance Issues and Research in the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, Paul U.; Sheridan, Tom; Poage, james L.; Martin, Lynne Hazel; Jobe, Kimberly K.

    2010-01-01

    This report identifies key human-performance-related issues associated with Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) research in the NASA NextGen-Airspace Project. Four Research Focus Areas (RFAs) in the NextGen-Airspace Project - namely Separation Assurance (SA), Airspace Super Density Operations (ASDO), Traffic Flow Management (TFM), and Dynamic Airspace Configuration (DAC) - were examined closely. In the course of the research, it was determined that the identified human performance issues needed to be analyzed in the context of NextGen operations rather than through basic human factors research. The main gaps in human factors research in NextGen were found in the need for accurate identification of key human-systems related issues within the context of specific NextGen concepts and better design of the operational requirements for those concepts. By focusing on human-system related issues for individual concepts, key human performance issues for the four RFAs were identified and described in this report. In addition, mixed equipage airspace with components of two RFAs were characterized to illustrate potential human performance issues that arise from the integration of multiple concepts.

  3. Monitoring ethical, legal, and social issues in developing population genetic databases.

    PubMed

    Austin, Melissa A; Harding, Sarah E; McElroy, Courtney E

    2003-01-01

    To characterize ethical, legal, and social issues unique to population genetic database research and to determine the relevance of international recommendations and guidelines for addressing these issues in the development of "genebank" projects globally. Building on our previous description of eight international genebanks, we conducted a comprehensive electronic search and literature review of relevant publications and consulted national and international documents applicable to genebank research. We identified and characterized five categories of ethical, legal, and social issues unique to genebank development: sponsorship and benefit-sharing, neutrality and regulatory power of ethics committees, public engagement, consent, and data protection. We illustrate these issues with examples from specific genebanks. Not all of the issues are addressed in current international guidelines, many of which are nonspecific and unenforceable. The trend of genebank development promises to provide new discoveries to the field of medical science and to greatly improve public health. However, there is a growing need for more explicit, enforceable, and coordinated international guidelines relevant to the development and implementation of genebanks. By comparing ethical, legal and social issues as they arise in genebanks, researchers can better evaluate how to best use these projects to improve public health while protecting participating populations.

  4. Statistics and Discoveries at the LHC (1/4)

    ScienceCinema

    Cowan, Glen

    2018-02-09

    The lectures will give an introduction to statistics as applied in particle physics and will provide all the necessary basics for data analysis at the LHC. Special emphasis will be placed on the the problems and questions that arise when searching for new phenomena, including p-values, discovery significance, limit setting procedures, treatment of small signals in the presence of large backgrounds. Specific issues that will be addressed include the advantages and drawbacks of different statistical test procedures (cut-based, likelihood-ratio, etc.), the look-elsewhere effect and treatment of systematic uncertainties.

  5. Statistics and Discoveries at the LHC (3/4)

    ScienceCinema

    Cowan, Glen

    2018-02-19

    The lectures will give an introduction to statistics as applied in particle physics and will provide all the necessary basics for data analysis at the LHC. Special emphasis will be placed on the the problems and questions that arise when searching for new phenomena, including p-values, discovery significance, limit setting procedures, treatment of small signals in the presence of large backgrounds. Specific issues that will be addressed include the advantages and drawbacks of different statistical test procedures (cut-based, likelihood-ratio, etc.), the look-elsewhere effect and treatment of systematic uncertainties.

  6. Statistics and Discoveries at the LHC (4/4)

    ScienceCinema

    Cowan, Glen

    2018-05-22

    The lectures will give an introduction to statistics as applied in particle physics and will provide all the necessary basics for data analysis at the LHC. Special emphasis will be placed on the the problems and questions that arise when searching for new phenomena, including p-values, discovery significance, limit setting procedures, treatment of small signals in the presence of large backgrounds. Specific issues that will be addressed include the advantages and drawbacks of different statistical test procedures (cut-based, likelihood-ratio, etc.), the look-elsewhere effect and treatment of systematic uncertainties.

  7. Statistics and Discoveries at the LHC (2/4)

    ScienceCinema

    Cowan, Glen

    2018-04-26

    The lectures will give an introduction to statistics as applied in particle physics and will provide all the necessary basics for data analysis at the LHC. Special emphasis will be placed on the the problems and questions that arise when searching for new phenomena, including p-values, discovery significance, limit setting procedures, treatment of small signals in the presence of large backgrounds. Specific issues that will be addressed include the advantages and drawbacks of different statistical test procedures (cut-based, likelihood-ratio, etc.), the look-elsewhere effect and treatment of systematic uncertainties.

  8. Application of parameter estimation to aircraft stability and control: The output-error approach

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Maine, Richard E.; Iliff, Kenneth W.

    1986-01-01

    The practical application of parameter estimation methodology to the problem of estimating aircraft stability and control derivatives from flight test data is examined. The primary purpose of the document is to present a comprehensive and unified picture of the entire parameter estimation process and its integration into a flight test program. The document concentrates on the output-error method to provide a focus for detailed examination and to allow us to give specific examples of situations that have arisen. The document first derives the aircraft equations of motion in a form suitable for application to estimation of stability and control derivatives. It then discusses the issues that arise in adapting the equations to the limitations of analysis programs, using a specific program for an example. The roles and issues relating to mass distribution data, preflight predictions, maneuver design, flight scheduling, instrumentation sensors, data acquisition systems, and data processing are then addressed. Finally, the document discusses evaluation and the use of the analysis results.

  9. HIV and travel.

    PubMed

    Schuhwerk, M A; Richens, J; Zuckerman, Jane N

    2006-01-01

    There is a high demand for travel among HIV-positive individual. This demand arises partly from those who have benefited from advances in antiretroviral therapy as well as those with disease progression. The key to a successful and uneventful holiday lies in careful pre-trip planning, yet many patients fail to obtain advice before travelling. Travel advice for HIV patients is becoming increasingly specialized. In addition to advice on common travel-related infectious diseases, HIV-positive travellers are strongly advised to carry information with them and they need specific advice regarding country entry restrictions, HIV inclusive travel insurance, safety of travel vaccinations and highly active antiretroviral therapy-related issues. A wide range of relevant issues for the HIV-positive traveller are discussed in this review and useful websites can be found at the end.

  10. Watermarking techniques for electronic delivery of remote sensing images

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barni, Mauro; Bartolini, Franco; Magli, Enrico; Olmo, Gabriella

    2002-09-01

    Earth observation missions have recently attracted a growing interest, mainly due to the large number of possible applications capable of exploiting remotely sensed data and images. Along with the increase of market potential, the need arises for the protection of the image products. Such a need is a very crucial one, because the Internet and other public/private networks have become preferred means of data exchange. A critical issue arising when dealing with digital image distribution is copyright protection. Such a problem has been largely addressed by resorting to watermarking technology. A question that obviously arises is whether the requirements imposed by remote sensing imagery are compatible with existing watermarking techniques. On the basis of these motivations, the contribution of this work is twofold: assessment of the requirements imposed by remote sensing applications on watermark-based copyright protection, and modification of two well-established digital watermarking techniques to meet such constraints. More specifically, the concept of near-lossless watermarking is introduced and two possible algorithms matching such a requirement are presented. Experimental results are shown to measure the impact of watermark introduction on a typical remote sensing application, i.e., unsupervised image classification.

  11. Illustrative assessment of human health issues arising from the potential release of chemotoxic substances from a generic geological disposal facility for radioactive waste.

    PubMed

    Wilson, James C; Thorne, Michael C; Towler, George; Norris, Simon

    2011-12-01

    Many countries have a programme for developing an underground geological disposal facility for radioactive waste. A case study is provided herein on the illustrative assessment of human health issues arising from the potential release of chemotoxic and radioactive substances from a generic geological disposal facility (GDF) for radioactive waste. The illustrative assessment uses a source-pathway-receptor methodology and considers a number of human exposure pathways. Estimated exposures are compared with authoritative toxicological assessment criteria. The possibility of additive and synergistic effects resulting from exposures to mixtures of chemical contaminants or a combination of radiotoxic and chemotoxic substances is considered. The case study provides an illustration of how to assess human health issues arising from chemotoxic species released from a GDF for radioactive waste and highlights potential difficulties associated with a lack of data being available with which to assess synergistic effects. It also highlights how such difficulties can be addressed.

  12. 2 CFR 215.41 - Recipient responsibilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS (OMB CIRCULAR A-110) Post Award Requirements Procurement Standards § 215.41... contractual responsibilities arising under its contract(s). The recipient is the responsible authority... contractual and administrative issues arising out of procurements entered into in support of an award or other...

  13. To research (or not) that is the question: ethical issues in research when medical care is disrupted by political action: a case study from Eldoret, Kenya.

    PubMed

    House, Darlene R; Marete, Irene; Meslin, Eric M

    2016-01-01

    While considerable attention has been focused on understanding the myriad of ethical analysis in international research in low and middle income countries, new issues always arise that have not been anticipated in guidelines or studied extensively. The disruption of medical care arising as a direct result of political actions, including strikes, postelection violence and related activities, is one such issue that leaves physician-researchers struggling to manage often conflicting professional responsibilities. This paper discusses the ethical conflicts that arise for physician-researchers, particularly when disruption threatens the completion of a study or completion is possible but at the expense of not addressing unmet medical needs of patients. We review three pragmatic strategies and the ethical issues arising from each: not starting research, stopping research that has already started, and continuing research already initiated. We argue that during episodes of medical care disruption, research that has been started can be continued only if the ethical standards imposed at the beginning of the study can continue to be met; however, studies that have been approved but not yet started should not begin until the disruption has ended and ethical standards can again be assured. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  14. Laparoscopic approach to gastrointestinal malignancies: Toward the future with caution

    PubMed Central

    Bencini, Lapo; Bernini, Marco; Farsi, Marco

    2014-01-01

    After the rapid acceptance of laparoscopy to manage multiple benign diseases arising from gastrointestinal districts, some surgeons started to treat malignancies by the same way. However, if the limits of laparoscopy for benign diseases are mainly represented by technical issues, oncologic outcomes remain the foundation of any procedures to cure malignancies. Cancerous patients represent an important group with peculiar aspects including reduced survival expectancy, worsened quality of life due to surgery itself and adjuvant therapies, and challenging psychological impact. All these issues could, potentially, receive a better management with a laparoscopic surgical approach. In order to confirm such aspects, similarly to testing the newest weapons (surgical or pharmacologic) against cancer, long-term follow-up is always recommendable to assess the real benefits in terms of overall survival, cancer-free survival and quality of life. Furthermore, it seems of crucial importance that surgeons will be correctly trained in specific oncologic principles of surgical oncology as well as in modern miniinvasive technologies. Therefore, laparoscopic treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies requires more caution and deep analysis of published evidences, as compared to those achieved for inflammatory bowel diseases, gastroesophageal reflux disease or diverticular disease. This review tries to examine the evidence available to date for the use of laparoscopy and robotics in malignancies arising from the gastrointestinal district. PMID:24587655

  15. Security risks in nuclear waste management: Exceptionalism, opaqueness and vulnerability.

    PubMed

    Vander Beken, Tom; Dorn, Nicholas; Van Daele, Stijn

    2010-01-01

    This paper analyses some potential security risks, concerning terrorism or more mundane forms of crime, such as fraud, in management of nuclear waste using a PEST scan (of political, economic, social and technical issues) and some insights of criminologists on crime prevention. Nuclear waste arises as spent fuel from ongoing energy generation or other nuclear operations, operational contamination or emissions, and decommissioning of obsolescent facilities. In international and EU political contexts, nuclear waste management is a sensitive issue, regulated specifically as part of the nuclear industry as well as in terms of hazardous waste policies. The industry involves state, commercial and mixed public-private bodies. The social and cultural dimensions--risk, uncertainty, and future generations--resonate more deeply here than in any other aspect of waste management. The paper argues that certain tendencies in regulation of the industry, claimed to be justified on security grounds, are decreasing transparency and veracity of reporting, opening up invisible spaces for management frauds, and in doing allowing a culture of impunity in which more serious criminal or terrorist risks could arise. What is needed is analysis of this 'exceptional' industry in terms of the normal cannons of risk assessment - a task that this paper begins. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Family Issues In the Workplace: Are Students On Track

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Waner, Karen K.; Winter, Janet K.; Breshears, Ronald G.

    2005-01-01

    Employees attempting to balance careers and families have made family issues a major concern in the workplace. Equity issues arise, however, for employees who do not have family responsibilities. In this study, the authors sought to determine whether students' and employees' perceptions of family issues differed in their responses to nine…

  17. The Right to Live and Die. Canadian Critical Issues Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eisenberg, John; Bourne, Paula

    One of a series adapted from the Canadian Public Issues Project, this book is designed to stimulate discussion and reflection about controversial issues through case studies. The book is based on high school units originally drawn from cases in newspapers, journals, books, legal documents, and government reports. Conflicts from issues arising over…

  18. Automated constraint checking of spacecraft command sequences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Horvath, Joan C.; Alkalaj, Leon J.; Schneider, Karl M.; Spitale, Joseph M.; Le, Dang

    1995-01-01

    Robotic spacecraft are controlled by onboard sets of commands called "sequences." Determining that sequences will have the desired effect on the spacecraft can be expensive in terms of both labor and computer coding time, with different particular costs for different types of spacecraft. Specification languages and appropriate user interface to the languages can be used to make the most effective use of engineering validation time. This paper describes one specification and verification environment ("SAVE") designed for validating that command sequences have not violated any flight rules. This SAVE system was subsequently adapted for flight use on the TOPEX/Poseidon spacecraft. The relationship of this work to rule-based artificial intelligence and to other specification techniques is discussed, as well as the issues that arise in the transfer of technology from a research prototype to a full flight system.

  19. Ethical Issues in Editing Scholarly Journals.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stryker, Sheldon

    1990-01-01

    Discusses ethical issues that arise when serving as an editor of a scholarly journal. Suggests treating these issues using paradigm-based decisions; decisions based on personal sociological predilections and commitments; and reasonable referee-assignment policies. Notes how conflicts of interest inevitably accompanying such a position. (NL)

  20. Assessing Campus Climates for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Students: Methodological and Political Issues

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Robert D.; Gortmaker, Valerie J.

    2009-01-01

    Methodological and political issues arise during the designing, conducting, and reporting of campus-climate studies for LGBT students. These issues interact; making a decision about a methodological issue (e.g., sample size) has an impact on a political issue (e.g., how well the findings will be received). Ten key questions that must be addressed…

  1. 'Virtual' central business office: how UMMS improved revenue cycle performance.

    PubMed

    Henciak, Bill; Fontaine, Christine; Fields, Keith; Parks, Stacy

    2010-06-01

    Based on its experience with implementing a virtual central business office, UMMS recommends the following steps to ensure the success of such an initiative: Define the process flow for the organization's day-today revenue cycle operations prior to implementation. Then select best practices and milestones for managing accounts. Identify any possible technology issues that could arise during implementation prior to go live. Hold a midproject debriefing with staff. Develop an organizational chart that details who is responsible for handling issues that arise during implementation and afterward.

  2. The role of ethics in information technology decisions: a case-based approach to biomedical informatics education.

    PubMed

    Anderson, James G

    2004-03-18

    The purpose of this paper is to propose a case-based approach to instruction regarding ethical issues raised by the use of information technology (IT) in healthcare. These issues are rarely addressed in graduate degree and continuing professional education programs in health informatics. There are important reasons why ethical issues need to be addressed in informatics training. Ethical issues raised by the introduction of information technology affect practice and are ubiquitous. These issues are frequently among the most challenging to young practitioners who are ill prepared to deal with them in practice. First, the paper provides an overview of methods of moral reasoning that can be used to identify and analyze ethical problems in health informatics. Second, we provide a framework for defining cases that involve ethical issues and outline major issues raised by the use of information technology. Specific cases are used as examples of new dilemmas that are posed by the introduction of information technology in healthcare. These cases are used to illustrate how ethics can be integrated with the other elements of informatics training. The cases discussed here reflect day-to-day situations that arise in health settings that require decisions. Third, an approach that can be used to teach ethics in health informatics programs is outlined and illustrated.

  3. A phase code for memory could arise from circuit mechanisms in entorhinal cortex

    PubMed Central

    Hasselmo, Michael E.; Brandon, Mark P.; Yoshida, Motoharu; Giocomo, Lisa M.; Heys, James G.; Fransen, Erik; Newman, Ehren L.; Zilli, Eric A.

    2009-01-01

    Neurophysiological data reveals intrinsic cellular properties that suggest how entorhinal cortical neurons could code memory by the phase of their firing. Potential cellular mechanisms for this phase coding in models of entorhinal function are reviewed. This mechanism for phase coding provides a substrate for modeling the responses of entorhinal grid cells, as well as the replay of neural spiking activity during waking and sleep. Efforts to implement these abstract models in more detailed biophysical compartmental simulations raise specific issues that could be addressed in larger scale population models incorporating mechanisms of inhibition. PMID:19656654

  4. Atmospheric guidance law for planar skip trajectories

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mease, K. D.; Mccreary, F. A.

    1985-01-01

    The applicability of an approximate, closed-form, analytical solution to the equations of motion, as a basis for a deterministic guidance law for controlling the in-plane motion during a skip trajectory, is investigated. The derivation of the solution by the method of matched asymptotic expansions is discussed. Specific issues that arise in the application of the solution to skip trajectories are addressed. Based on the solution, an explicit formula for the approximate energy loss due to an atmospheric pass is derived. A guidance strategy is proposed that illustrates the use of the approximate solution. A numerical example shows encouraging performance.

  5. Incorporating ethical principles into clinical research protocols: a tool for protocol writers and ethics committees

    PubMed Central

    Li, Rebecca H; Wacholtz, Mary C; Barnes, Mark; Boggs, Liam; Callery-D'Amico, Susan; Davis, Amy; Digilova, Alla; Forster, David; Heffernan, Kate; Luthin, Maeve; Lynch, Holly Fernandez; McNair, Lindsay; Miller, Jennifer E; Murphy, Jacquelyn; Van Campen, Luann; Wilenzick, Mark; Wolf, Delia; Woolston, Cris; Aldinger, Carmen; Bierer, Barbara E

    2016-01-01

    A novel Protocol Ethics Tool Kit (‘Ethics Tool Kit’) has been developed by a multi-stakeholder group of the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Center of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard. The purpose of the Ethics Tool Kit is to facilitate effective recognition, consideration and deliberation of critical ethical issues in clinical trial protocols. The Ethics Tool Kit may be used by investigators and sponsors to develop a dedicated Ethics Section within a protocol to improve the consistency and transparency between clinical trial protocols and research ethics committee reviews. It may also streamline ethics review and may facilitate and expedite the review process by anticipating the concerns of ethics committee reviewers. Specific attention was given to issues arising in multinational settings. With the use of this Tool Kit, researchers have the opportunity to address critical research ethics issues proactively, potentially speeding the time and easing the process to final protocol approval. PMID:26811365

  6. Foundations of translational ecology

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Enquist, Carolyn A. F.; Jackson, Stephen T.; Garfin, Gregg M.; Davis, Frank W.; Gerber, Leah R.; Littell, Jeremy; Tank, Jennifer L.; Terando, Adam; Wall, Tamara U.; Halpern, Benjamin S.; Morelli, Toni L.; Hiers, J. Kevin; McNie, Elizabeth; Stephenson, Nathan L.; Williamson, Matthew A.; Woodhouse, Connie A.; Yung, Laurie; Brunson, Mark W.; Hall, Kimberly R.; Hallett, Lauren M.; Lawson, Dawn M.; Moritz, Max A.; Nydick, Koren R.; Pairis, Amber; Ray, Andrea J.; Regan, Claudia M.; Safford, Hugh D.; Schwartz, Mark W.; Shaw, M. Rebecca

    2017-01-01

    Ecologists who specialize in translational ecology (TE) seek to link ecological knowledge to decision making by integrating ecological science with the full complement of social dimensions that underlie today's complex environmental issues. TE is motivated by a search for outcomes that directly serve the needs of natural resource managers and decision makers. This objective distinguishes it from both basic and applied ecological research and, as a practice, it deliberately extends research beyond theory or opportunistic applications. TE is uniquely positioned to address complex issues through interdisciplinary team approaches and integrated scientist–practitioner partnerships. The creativity and context‐specific knowledge of resource managers, practitioners, and decision makers inform and enrich the scientific process and help shape use‐driven, actionable science. Moreover, addressing research questions that arise from on‐the‐ground management issues – as opposed to the top‐down or expert‐oriented perspectives of traditional science – can foster the high levels of trust and commitment that are critical for long‐term, sustained engagement between partners.

  7. Ethical Issues in Stem Cell Research

    PubMed Central

    Lo, Bernard; Parham, Lindsay

    2009-01-01

    Stem cell research offers great promise for understanding basic mechanisms of human development and differentiation, as well as the hope for new treatments for diseases such as diabetes, spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease, and myocardial infarction. However, human stem cell (hSC) research also raises sharp ethical and political controversies. The derivation of pluripotent stem cell lines from oocytes and embryos is fraught with disputes about the onset of human personhood. The reprogramming of somatic cells to produce induced pluripotent stem cells avoids the ethical problems specific to embryonic stem cell research. In any hSC research, however, difficult dilemmas arise regarding sensitive downstream research, consent to donate materials for hSC research, early clinical trials of hSC therapies, and oversight of hSC research. These ethical and policy issues need to be discussed along with scientific challenges to ensure that stem cell research is carried out in an ethically appropriate manner. This article provides a critical analysis of these issues and how they are addressed in current policies. PMID:19366754

  8. Ethical Concerns: Negotiating Truth and Trust

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGarvey, Lynn M.; Sterenberg, Gladys

    2009-01-01

    Few studies in mathematics education explicitly address ethical issues arising from student interactions. The ethical concerns held by students are expressed in their words, actions, and interactions. The purpose of this article is to explore the ethical nature of copying as it arises in a mathematics classroom. We investigate the basis for…

  9. Down to the last drop.

    PubMed

    1996-11-01

    The November 1996 issue of the UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization Source journal covers issues concerning governance, bioethics, environment, and education. In addition to its regular letter to the editor, insights, page and screen, and people were presented wherein it paid tribute to the organizer of Black Art Festival, Mr. Leopold Sedar Senghor. Specifically, in the Governance section, it reports the unusual gathering of politicians and political activists to examine the viability of democracy in Latin America. In Bioethics, it tackles the tough decisions arising with new reproductive technologies while the Environment section presents the agenda for the 21st century to save planet Earth. The Education section reports the outcome of the International Conference on Education held in Geneva, which restores teachers to their rightful places in Education. The global water crisis is the main feature of this paper.

  10. Regulation of immunotherapeutic products for cancer and FDA’s role in product development and clinical evaluation

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Immunotherapeutics include drugs and biologics that render therapeutic benefit by harnessing the power of the immune system. The promise of immune-mediated therapies is target specificity with a consequent reduction in off-target side effects. Recent scientific advances have led to clinical trials of both active and passive immunotherapeutic products that have the potential to convert life-ending diseases into chronic but manageable conditions. Clinical trials investigating immunotherapeutics are ongoing with some trials at advanced stages of development. However, as with many products involving novel mechanisms of action, major regulatory and scientific issues arising with clinical use of immunotherapeutic products remain to be addressed. In this review, we address issues related to different immunotherapeutics and provide recommendations for the characterization and evaluation of these products during various stages of product and clinical development. PMID:24764535

  11. Religion's Return to Higher Education: A Primer

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jacobsen, Douglas; Jacobsen, Rhonda Hustedt

    2013-01-01

    Board meetings usually focus on nuts-and-bolts issues--action items and financial matters that require immediate discussion and prompt decisions. But larger philosophical issues also sometimes float to the surface--matters having to do with institutional mission, campus ethos, or educational styles--and when these kinds of issues arise, it is…

  12. 76 FR 66720 - Public Meeting of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-10-27

    ... Viers, Communications Director, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, 1425 New... nation's leaders in medicine, science, ethics, religion, law, and engineering. The Commission advises the President on bioethical issues arising from advances in biomedicine and related areas of science and...

  13. 78 FR 71615 - Public Meeting of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-11-29

    ... Issues, 1425 New York Avenue NW, Suite C-100, Washington, DC 20005. Telephone: 202-233-3960. Email... bioethics, science, medicine, technology, engineering, law, philosophy, theology, or other areas of the humanities or social sciences. The Commission advises the President on bioethical issues arising from...

  14. Employment Issues in Higher Education: A Legal Compendium.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sagan, Jean S., Ed.; Rebel, Thomas P., Ed.

    This volume contains 32 articles and sample documents treating legal issues in higher education employment focusing on major issues arising in a non-unionized setting. The first of six sections contains seven articles on the employment relationship in general that touch on current legal trends in employee selection procedures, employment…

  15. Some Enduring Issues of Cyberspace Technology: A Medium Theory Perspective.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gladney, George Albert

    1996-01-01

    Uses insights from medium theory to show how several issues arising from past communications revolutions apply to the potential impacts of cyberspace technology. Includes these issues: monopoly of knowledge and creation of information elites; threats to cultural stability and homogenization; and harnessing of epistemological strengths and…

  16. The Coverage Issue

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yoshinobu, Stan; Jones, Matthew G.

    2012-01-01

    A significant issue mathematics instructors face is how to cover all the material. Mathematics teachers of all levels have some external and internal pressures to "get through" all the required material. The authors define "the coverage issue" to be the set of difficulties that arise in attempting to cover a lengthy list of topics. Principal among…

  17. Integrated Network Analyses for Functional Genomic Studies in Cancer

    PubMed Central

    Wilson, Jennifer L.; Hemann, Michael T.; Fraenkel, Ernest; Lauffenburger, Douglas A.

    2013-01-01

    RNA-interference (RNAi) studies hold great promise for functional investigation of the significance of genetic variations and mutations, as well as potential synthetic lethalities, for understanding and treatment of cancer, yet technical and conceptual issues currently diminish the potential power of this approach. While numerous research groups are usefully employing this kind of functional genomic methodology to identify molecular mediators of disease severity, response, and resistance to treatment, findings are generally confounded by “off-target” effects. These effects arise from a variety of issues beyond non-specific reagent behavior, such as biological cross-talk and feedback processes so thus can occur even with specific perturbation. Interpreting RNAi results in a network framework instead of merely as individual “hits” or “targets” leverages contributions from all hit/target contributions to pathways via their relationships with other network nodes. This interpretation can ameliorate dependence on individual reagent performance and increase confidence in biological validation. Here we provide background on RNAi studies in cancer applications, review key challenges with functional genomics, and motivate the use of network models grounded in pathway analyses. PMID:23811269

  18. Concepts and Categories: A Cognitive Neuropsychological Perspective

    PubMed Central

    Mahon, Bradford Z.; Caramazza, Alfonso

    2010-01-01

    One of the most provocative and exciting issues in cognitive science is how neural specificity for semantic categories of common objects arises in the functional architecture of the brain. More than two decades of research on the neuropsychological phenomenon of category-specific semantic deficits has generated detailed claims about the organization and representation of conceptual knowledge. More recently, researchers have sought to test hypotheses developed on the basis of neuropsychological evidence with functional imaging. From those two fields, the empirical generalization emerges that object domain and sensory modality jointly constrain the organization of knowledge in the brain. At the same time, research within the embodied cognition framework has highlighted the need to articulate how information is communicated between the sensory and motor systems, and processes that represent and generalize abstract information. Those developments point toward a new approach for understanding category specificity in terms of the coordinated influences of diverse regions and cognitive systems. PMID:18767921

  19. Activity Systems and Conflict Resolution in an Online Professional Communication Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walker, Kristin

    2004-01-01

    Conflicts often arise in online professional communication class discussions as students discuss sensitive ethical issues relating to the workplace. When conflicts arise in an online class, the activity system of the class has to be kept in balance for the course to continue functioning effectively. Activity theory and distributed learning theory…

  20. Issues of Learning and Knowledge in Technology Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCormick, Robert

    2004-01-01

    This article examines issues that arise from learning and knowledge in technology education. The issues examined are, first, the definition of technological knowledge and what the nature of that knowledge should be, where the concern is with "how" we define and think about that knowledge, especially in the context of how students learn and use…

  1. Engaging Children: Research Issues around Participation and Environmental Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hacking, Elisabeth Barratt; Barratt, Robert; Scott, William

    2007-01-01

    In this article we explore a number of issues arising from the papers in this special issue of "Environmental Education Research." The papers focus on current examples of childhood environment research in the UK together with research reviews from the UK, the US and Australia. In order to provide a framework for considering and…

  2. 77 FR 41789 - Public Meeting of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-16

    ... Issues, 1425 New York Avenue NW., Suite C-100, Washington, DC 20005. Telephone: 202-233-3960. Email... leaders in medicine, science, ethics, religion, law, and engineering. The Commission advises the President on bioethical issues arising from advances in biomedicine and related areas of science and technology...

  3. 78 FR 20647 - Public Meeting of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-05

    ... Bioethical Issues, 1425 New York Avenue NW, Suite C-100, Washington, DC 20005. Telephone: 202-233-3960. Email... Commission. The Bioethics Commission is an advisory panel of the nation's leaders in medicine, science... issues arising from advances in biomedicine and related areas of science and technology. The Bioethics...

  4. The Professional's Last Will and Testament.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lancaster, James M.

    2003-01-01

    In this article a case study illustrates the initial issues arising from the sudden death of key personnel, and then offers an outline for the Professional's Last Will and Testament. This document includes attention to logistical issues and planning for organizational change. It begins with short-term transition issues and continues through other,…

  5. Introduction: Religious and Spiritual Issues in Medical Genetics

    PubMed Central

    Fanning, Joseph B.; Clayton, Ellen Wright

    2009-01-01

    This article provides an overview of a special issue on the religious and spiritual concerns that arise in the provision of genetic services. It introduces some of the challenges in defining religion and spirituality and provides contexts and summaries for the empirical and normative research that appears in the issue. PMID:19170098

  6. 75 FR 51240 - New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-19

    ... definition that may be considered in Amendment 15 based on results from the recent stock assessment. If time permits the Committee may discuss other issues. Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda... issues arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action under section 305(c) of the...

  7. The Relevance of Rodent-Specific Tumors in Cancer Risk Assessment

    EPA Science Inventory

    Laboratory animal species have organs that do not specifically occur in humans and somtimes tumors arise in these organs. The lack of direct site concordance frequently results in significant debate on the human relevance of tumors that arise from rodent specific organs. The re...

  8. Highway reservation system design and its application to freight transportation.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-05-01

    Congestion and safety associated with freight trucks are key issues that arise in the context of highway : transportation, especially in the heavily-traveled commercial corridors. To address these issues, truck-only lanes for freight trucks have been...

  9. Emerging ethical perspectives in the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats genome-editing debate

    PubMed Central

    Camporesi, Silvia; Cavaliere, Giulia

    2016-01-01

    This paper provides an overview of the ethical issues in the international clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) genome editing debate from March 2015 to September 2016. We present the regulatory framework for embryo research in the UK, and explain why CRISPR is not a significant break with the past. We discuss the ethical issues arising from CRISPR applications beyond human embryos, namely the use of gene drive-engineered mosquitoes to eradicate diseases, engineering nonhuman animals to harvest organs for human transplant and engineering crops. We discuss the experiments that have demonstrated the technical feasibility of cultivating embryos in vitro for up to 14 days, and possibly beyond this limit, and the ethical issues arising from the proposal to extend the limit beyond 14 days. PMID:28757883

  10. Emerging ethical perspectives in the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats genome-editing debate.

    PubMed

    Camporesi, Silvia; Cavaliere, Giulia

    2016-11-01

    This paper provides an overview of the ethical issues in the international clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) genome editing debate from March 2015 to September 2016. We present the regulatory framework for embryo research in the UK, and explain why CRISPR is not a significant break with the past. We discuss the ethical issues arising from CRISPR applications beyond human embryos, namely the use of gene drive-engineered mosquitoes to eradicate diseases, engineering nonhuman animals to harvest organs for human transplant and engineering crops. We discuss the experiments that have demonstrated the technical feasibility of cultivating embryos in vitro for up to 14 days, and possibly beyond this limit, and the ethical issues arising from the proposal to extend the limit beyond 14 days.

  11. Exchangeability in the case-crossover design

    PubMed Central

    Mittleman, Murray A; Mostofsky, Elizabeth

    2014-01-01

    In cohort and case-control studies, confounding that arises as a result of differences in the distribution of determinants of the outcome between exposure groups leading to non-exchangeability are addressed by restriction, matching or with statistical models. In case-only studies, this issue is addressed by comparing each individual with his/herself. Although case-only designs use self-matching and only include individuals who develop the outcome of interest, issues of non-exchangeability are identical to those that arise in traditional case-control and cohort studies. In this review, we describe one type of case-only design, the case-crossover design, and discuss how the concept of exchangeability can be used to understand issues of confounding, carryover effects, period effects and selection bias in case-crossover studies. PMID:24756878

  12. Evidence-Based Ethics for Neurology and Psychiatry Research

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Scott Y. H.

    2004-01-01

    Summary: American bioethics, historically arising out of theology and philosophy, has been dominated by the method of normative analysis. Ethics as policy, however, requires in addition a solid evidence base. This paper discusses the background conditions that make neurotherapeutics research particularly challenging. Three key ethical issues are discussed within an evidence-based ethics framework: the ethical challenges arising from changes in the financial incentive structures for academic researchers and their institutions, the challenges of risk-benefit analysis for neurotherapeutics protocols testing innovative interventions, and the evolving issues surrounding impaired decision-making capacity and surrogate consent for research. For each of these issues, selected empirical data are reviewed, areas for further inquiry are noted, and the need for development of novel methods for bioethics policy research is discussed. PMID:15717040

  13. The Problems of Diagnosis and Remediation of Dyscalculia.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Price, Nigel; Youe, Simon

    2000-01-01

    Focuses on the problems of diagnosis and remediation of dyscalculia. Explores whether there is justification for believing that specific difficulty with mathematics arises jointly with a specific language problem, or whether a specific difficulty with mathematics can arise independently of problems with language. Uses a case study to illuminate…

  14. Ethics of fetal tissue transplantation.

    PubMed Central

    Sanders, L M; Giudice, L; Raffin, T A

    1993-01-01

    Now that the Clinton Administration has overturned the ban on federal funding for fetal tissue transplantation, old ethical issues renew their relevance and new ethical issues arise. Is fetal tissue transplantation necessary and beneficial? Are fetal rights violated by the use of fetal tissue in research? Is there a moral danger that the potential of fetal tissue donation will encourage elective abortions? Should pregnant women be allowed to designate specific fetal transplant recipients? What criteria should be used to select fetal tissue transplants? Whose consent should be required for the use of fetal tissue for transplantation? We review the current state of clinical research with fetal tissue transplantation, the legal history of fetal tissue research, the major arguments against the use of fetal tissue for transplantation, and the new postmoratorium ethical dilemmas. We include recommendations for guidelines to govern the medical treatment of fetal tissue in transplantation. Images PMID:8236984

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

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Papathanassiou, Nikos; Pistofidis, Petros; Emmanouilidis, Christos

    2013-10-01

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

  16. Should psychiatrists ‘Google’ their patients?

    PubMed Central

    Ashby, G. Alice; O'Brien, Aileen; Bowman, Deborah; Hooper, Carwyn; Stevens, Toby; Lousada, Esther

    2015-01-01

    Since its beginnings in the 1980s the internet has come to shape our everyday lives, but doctors still seem rather afraid of it. This anxiety may be explained by the fact that researchers and regulatory bodies focus less on the way that the internet can be used to enhance clinical work and more on the potential and perceived risks that this technology poses in terms of boundary violations and accidental breaches of confidentiality. Some aspects of the internet's impact on medicine have been better researched than others, for example, whether email communication, social media and teleconferencing psychotherapy could be used to improve the delivery of care. However, few authors have considered the specific issue of searching online for information about patients and much of the guidance published by regulatory organisations eludes this issue. In this article we provide clinical examples where the question ‘should I Google the patient?’ may arise and present questions for future research. PMID:26755985

  17. 5 CFR 2610.307 - Further proceedings.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 2610.307 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS ORGANIZATION AND PROCEDURES... written submissions or, as to issues other than substantial justification (such as the applicant's... further proceedings shall be held only when necessary for full and fair resolution of the issues arising...

  18. Mixed-Methods Design in Biology Education Research: Approach and Uses

    PubMed Central

    Warfa, Abdi-Rizak M.

    2016-01-01

    Educational research often requires mixing different research methodologies to strengthen findings, better contextualize or explain results, or minimize the weaknesses of a single method. This article provides practical guidelines on how to conduct such research in biology education, with a focus on mixed-methods research (MMR) that uses both quantitative and qualitative inquiries. Specifically, the paper provides an overview of mixed-methods design typologies most relevant in biology education research. It also discusses common methodological issues that may arise in mixed-methods studies and ways to address them. The paper concludes with recommendations on how to report and write about MMR. PMID:27856556

  19. Laboratory Assays in Evaluation of Lynch Syndrome in Patients with Endometrial Carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Djordjevic, Bojana; Broaddus, Russell R

    2016-06-01

    This article reviews the main tissue testing modalities for Lynch Syndrome in the pathology laboratory, such as immunohistochemistry and PCR based analyses, and discusses their routine application, interpretation pitfalls, and troubleshooting of common technical performance issues. Discrepancies between laboratory and genetic testing may arise, and are examined in the context of the complexity of molecular abnormalities associated with Lynch Syndrome. The merits of targeted versus universal screening in a changing healthcare climate are addressed. In the absence of comprehensive screening programs, specific tumor topography and histological features that may prompt pathologist-initiated molecular tumor testing are outlined. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Issues in assessing the contribution of research and development to productivity growth

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Griliches, Z.

    1979-01-01

    The article outlines the production function approach to the estimation of the returns to R&D and then proceeds to discuss in turn two very difficult problems: the measurement of output in R&D intensive industries and the definition and measurement of the stock of R&D 'capital'. Multicollinearity and simultaneity are taken up in the next section and another section is devoted to estimation and inference problems arising more specifically in the R&D context. Several recent studies of returns to R&D are then surveyed, and the paper concludes with suggestions for ways of expanding the current data base in this field.

  1. Behavioral genetics and criminal responsibility at the courtroom.

    PubMed

    Tatarelli, Roberto; Del Casale, Antonio; Tatarelli, Caterina; Serata, Daniele; Rapinesi, Chiara; Sani, Gabriele; Kotzalidis, Georgios D; Girardi, Paolo

    2014-04-01

    Several questions arise from the recent use of behavioral genetic research data in the courtroom. Ethical issues concerning the influence of biological factors on human free will, must be considered when specific gene patterns are advocated to constrain court's judgment, especially regarding violent crimes. Aggression genetics studies are both difficult to interpret and inconsistent, hence, in the absence of a psychiatric diagnosis, genetic data are currently difficult to prioritize in the courtroom. The judge's probabilistic considerations in formulating a sentence must take into account causality, and the latter cannot be currently ensured by genetic data. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Mergers and acquisitions: what has changed.

    PubMed

    2011-01-01

    The Healthcare Financial Management Association's Principles and Practices (P&P) Board prepares background papers to provide views on an issue from a variety of sources and is intended to produce a thorough understanding of the issue. The purpose of this background paper is to provide clarity around certain issues arising in business combinations of not-for-profit entities.

  3. Drowning in Disinfection Byproducts? Swimming Pool Water Quality

    EPA Science Inventory

    Disinfection is mandatory for swimming pools, because transmission of disease by bacteria, virus and protozoa is the most significant health issue. However another issue arises, and care should be taken to minimize the risks from disinfection by-products (DBPs). Public pools are ...

  4. Sharing of track by transit and freight railroads : liability and insurance issues

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2005-09-21

    This report explores the issues of liability and insurance that arise in planning and operating track shared between light rail transit and freight railroads. Shared track operations involve some unique risks, and insurance is used to mitigate or man...

  5. Food for thought: how do we respect our learners' right to privacy?

    PubMed

    DeSilets, Lynore D

    2011-01-01

    Issues can arise in relation to the privacy rights of continuing nursing education participants. This column explores four of those issues and offers possible solutions so that the privacy of our learners is protected. Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

  6. Ethical issues in human genome epidemiology: a case study based on the Japanese American Family Study in Seattle, Washington.

    PubMed

    Austin, Melissa A

    2002-04-01

    Recent completion of the draft sequence of the human genome has been greeted with both excitement and skepticism, and the potential of this accomplishment for advancing public health has been tempered by ethical concerns about the protection of human subjects. This commentary explores ethical issues arising in human genome epidemiology by using a case study approach based on the ongoing Japanese American Family Study at the University of Washington in Seattle (1994-2003). Ethical issues encountered in designing the study, collecting the data, and reporting the study results are considered. When developing studies, investigators must consider whether to restrict the study to specific racial or ethnic groups and whether community involvement is appropriate. Once the study design is in place, further ethical issues emerge, including obtaining informed consent for DNA banking and protecting the privacy and confidentiality of family members. Finally, investigators must carefully consider whether to report genotype results to study participants and whether pedigrees illustrating the results of the study will be published. Overall, the promise of genomics for improving public health must be pursued based on the fundamental ethical principles of respect for persons, beneficence, and justice.

  7. Best research practices in psychology: Illustrating epistemological and pragmatic considerations with the case of relationship science.

    PubMed

    Finkel, Eli J; Eastwick, Paul W; Reis, Harry T

    2015-02-01

    In recent years, a robust movement has emerged within psychology to increase the evidentiary value of our science. This movement, which has analogs throughout the empirical sciences, is broad and diverse, but its primary emphasis has been on the reduction of statistical false positives. The present article addresses epistemological and pragmatic issues that we, as a field, must consider as we seek to maximize the scientific value of this movement. Regarding epistemology, this article contrasts the false-positives-reduction (FPR) approach with an alternative, the error balance (EB) approach, which argues that any serious consideration of optimal scientific practice must contend simultaneously with both false-positive and false-negative errors. Regarding pragmatics, the movement has devoted a great deal of attention to issues that frequently arise in laboratory experiments and one-shot survey studies, but it has devoted less attention to issues that frequently arise in intensive and/or longitudinal studies. We illustrate these epistemological and pragmatic considerations with the case of relationship science, one of the many research domains that frequently employ intensive and/or longitudinal methods. Specifically, we examine 6 research prescriptions that can help to reduce false-positive rates: preregistration, prepublication sharing of materials, postpublication sharing of data, close replication, avoiding piecemeal publication, and increasing sample size. For each, we offer concrete guidance not only regarding how researchers can improve their research practices and balance the risk of false-positive and false-negative errors, but also how the movement can capitalize upon insights from research practices within relationship science to make the movement stronger and more inclusive. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

  8. Laboratory Evaluation of Energy Recovery Ventilators

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

    Kosar, D.

    Over the years, building scientists have characterized the relationship between building airtightness, exhaust-only appliances airflows, and building depressurization. Now, as the use of deep retrofit measures and new construction practices is growing to realize lower infiltration levels in increasingly tighter envelopes, performance issues can arise with the operation of exhaust-only appliances in a depressurized home. As the depressurization levels climb in tighter homes, many of these exhaust-only appliances see their rated airflows reduced and other related performance issues arise as a result. If sufficiently depressurized, atmospherically vented combustion appliances that may be present in the home can backdraft as well.more » Furthermore, when exhaust-only appliances operate and the tight home becomes depressurized, water vapor intrusion from outdoors can raise additional issues of mold in the building envelope in more humid climates.« less

  9. Assessing Method to Identifying Water Resilience Against Natural and Climate Change Hazards.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Amril, Rofi; Maryono

    2018-02-01

    A geographic region may become vulnerable toward water resources in a variety of ways. Common issues arise when man-made infrastructure such as housing, industrial, agriculture and other spatial land use policy implementation exceeds more than desired level. Vulnerability of a region due to water resources could be interpreted as the inability of the region to sustaining economic and social activity associated to socio-economic water availability. This study assess four aspects of water resilience: water quantity, water distribution, water quality, and water requirements. Literature review then followed by interview with academic expert used as method of study. This study found that four aspect of water vulnerability mostly have been applied to asses water resource vulnerability. Each aspect have a specific characteristic and could be define more specific and detail indicator according to the local content.

  10. Assessing the Effect of an Old and New Methodology for Scale Conversion on Examinee Scores

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rizavi, Saba; Smith, Robert; Carey, Jill

    2002-01-01

    Research has been done to look at the benefits of BILOG over LOGIST as well as the potential issues that can arise if transition from LOGIST to BILOG is desired. A serious concern arises when comparability is required between previously calibrated LOGIST parameter estimates and currently calibrated BILOG estimates. It is imperative to obtain an…

  11. Ethical Issues in Continuing Professional Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lawler, Patricia Ann

    2000-01-01

    Continuing professional education practitioners often face ethical dilemmas regarding their obligations to multiple stakeholders and issues arising in new arenas such as the workplace, distance education, and collaboration with business. Codes of ethics can guide practice, but practitioners should also identify their personal core values system…

  12. Issues related to development of antiepileptogenic therapies.

    PubMed

    Pitkänen, Asla; Nehlig, Astrid; Brooks-Kayal, Amy R; Dudek, F Edward; Friedman, Daniel; Galanopoulou, Aristea S; Jensen, Frances E; Kaminski, Rafal M; Kapur, Jaideep; Klitgaard, Henrik; Löscher, Wolfgang; Mody, Istvan; Schmidt, Dieter

    2013-08-01

    Several preclinical proof-of-concept studies have provided evidence for positive treatment effects on epileptogenesis. However, none of these hypothetical treatments has advanced to the clinic. The experience in other fields of neurology such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis has indicated several problems in the design of preclinical studies, which likely contribute to failures in translating the positive preclinical data to the clinic. The Working Group on "Issues related to development of antiepileptogenic therapies" of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) and the American Epilepsy Society (AES) has considered the possible problems that arise when moving from proof-of-concept antiepileptogenesis (AEG) studies to preclinical AEG trials, and eventually to clinical AEG trials. This article summarizes the discussions and provides recommendations on how to design a preclinical AEG monotherapy trial in adult animals. We specifically address study design, animal and model selection, number of studies needed, issues related to administration of the treatment, outcome measures, statistics, and reporting. In addition, we give recommendations for future actions to advance the preclinical AEG testing. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2013 International League Against Epilepsy.

  13. Incorporating ethical principles into clinical research protocols: a tool for protocol writers and ethics committees.

    PubMed

    Li, Rebecca H; Wacholtz, Mary C; Barnes, Mark; Boggs, Liam; Callery-D'Amico, Susan; Davis, Amy; Digilova, Alla; Forster, David; Heffernan, Kate; Luthin, Maeve; Lynch, Holly Fernandez; McNair, Lindsay; Miller, Jennifer E; Murphy, Jacquelyn; Van Campen, Luann; Wilenzick, Mark; Wolf, Delia; Woolston, Cris; Aldinger, Carmen; Bierer, Barbara E

    2016-04-01

    A novel Protocol Ethics Tool Kit ('Ethics Tool Kit') has been developed by a multi-stakeholder group of the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Center of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard. The purpose of the Ethics Tool Kit is to facilitate effective recognition, consideration and deliberation of critical ethical issues in clinical trial protocols. The Ethics Tool Kit may be used by investigators and sponsors to develop a dedicated Ethics Section within a protocol to improve the consistency and transparency between clinical trial protocols and research ethics committee reviews. It may also streamline ethics review and may facilitate and expedite the review process by anticipating the concerns of ethics committee reviewers. Specific attention was given to issues arising in multinational settings. With the use of this Tool Kit, researchers have the opportunity to address critical research ethics issues proactively, potentially speeding the time and easing the process to final protocol approval. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  14. 16 CFR 3.13 - Adjudicative hearing on issues arising in rulemaking proceedings under the Fair Packaging and...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... material to the issues raised by such objections or other issues specified by the Commission. In such case...) Parties. Any person who petitions for issuance, amendment, or repeal of a rule or order, and any person... filed in the proceeding. Upon written application to the Administrative Law Judge and a showing of good...

  15. Ethics in Educational Technology: Towards a Framework for Ethical Decision Making in and for the Discipline

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Spector, J. Michael

    2016-01-01

    This special issue of "ETR&D" is devoted to ethics in the broad domain of educational technology. Many ethical issues arise involving the study and use of educational technologies. A well-known issue involves the digital divide and the degree to which the introduction of new technologies is increasing the digital divide and…

  16. School Politics and Conflict in Racially Isolated Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Michel, George J.

    1991-01-01

    Compares areas and levels of political conflict in racially isolated school districts by surveying six superintendents from racially isolated African-American schools and six superintendents from racially isolated white schools. Similar issues arise at every conflict level with small variations among issues between African-American and white…

  17. Research Issues Arising from the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Womer, Frank B.

    This symposium deals with recent issues in the development of the National Assessment model. General goals are outlined and the following topics are discussed: "Objectives and Exercises" (Jack C. Merwin); "Sampling" (A. Finkner); and "Data Analysis" (John Milholland). (CK) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt…

  18. Ethical Issues in the Mental Health Treatment of Gender Dysphoric Adolescents.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Swann, Stephanie; Herbert, Sarah E.

    1999-01-01

    Examines ethical dilemmas arising when treating adolescents with gender dysphoria, discussing ethical and legal issues pertinent to treating any adolescent and highlighting gender dysphoric adolescents. Reviews legal decisions, existing data on adolescent decision making, and ethical principles for resolving complex situations. Illustrates ethical…

  19. Patient Power: Complex Issues Need Complex Answers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wiener, Carolyn; And Others

    1980-01-01

    Discusses ethical and practical questions that arise in physician/patient interactions as a result of the rising prevalence of chronic illness, the growth of medical technology, and the increased differentiation of medical specialization. Issues considered include patients' rights, medical malpractice, informed consent, and the patient self-help…

  20. Colour, vision and coevolution in avian brood parasitism.

    PubMed

    Stoddard, Mary Caswell; Hauber, Mark E

    2017-07-05

    The coevolutionary interactions between avian brood parasites and their hosts provide a powerful system for investigating the diversity of animal coloration. Specifically, reciprocal selection pressure applied by hosts and brood parasites can give rise to novel forms and functions of animal coloration, which largely differ from those that arise when selection is imposed by predators or mates. In the study of animal colours, avian brood parasite-host dynamics therefore invite special consideration. Rapid advances across disciplines have paved the way for an integrative study of colour and vision in brood parasite-host systems. We now know that visually driven host defences and host life history have selected for a suite of phenotypic adaptations in parasites, including mimicry, crypsis and supernormal stimuli. This sometimes leads to vision-based host counter-adaptations and increased parasite trickery. Here, we review vision-based adaptations that arise in parasite-host interactions, emphasizing that these adaptations can be visual/sensory, cognitive or phenotypic in nature. We highlight recent breakthroughs in chemistry, genomics, neuroscience and computer vision, and we conclude by identifying important future directions. Moving forward, it will be essential to identify the genetic and neural bases of adaptation and to compare vision-based adaptations to those arising in other sensory modalities.This article is part of the themed issue 'Animal coloration: production, perception, function and application'. © 2017 The Author(s).

  1. Biomimetic extracellular matrix mediated somatic stem cell differentiation: applications in dental pulp tissue regeneration

    PubMed Central

    Ravindran, Sriram; George, Anne

    2015-01-01

    Dental caries is one of the most widely prevalent infectious diseases in the world. It affects more than half of the world's population. The current treatment for necrotic dental pulp tissue arising from dental caries is root canal therapy. This treatment results in loss of tooth sensitivity and vitality making it prone for secondary infections. Over the past decade, several tissue-engineering approaches have attempted regeneration of the dental pulp tissue. Although several studies have highlighted the potential of dental stem cells, none have transitioned into a clinical setting owing to limited availability of dental stem cells and the need for growth factor delivery systems. Our strategy is to utilize the intact ECM of pulp cells to drive lineage specific differentiation of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells. From a clinical perspective, pulp ECM scaffolds can be generated using cell lines and patient specific somatic stem cells can be used for regeneration. Our published results have shown the feasibility of using pulp ECM scaffolds for odontogenic differentiation of non-dental mesenchymal cells. This focused review discusses the issues surrounding dental pulp tissue regeneration and the potential of our strategy to overcome these issues. PMID:25954205

  2. Closing the Guantanamo Detention Center: Legal Issues

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-09-14

    immigration law. This report provides an overview of major legal issues likely to arise as a result of executive and legislative action to close the...possibility that suspected enemy combatants could pursue legal challenges regarding their detention or other wartime actions taken by the Executive. The...and legislative action to close the Guantanamo detention facility. It discusses legal issues related to the transfer or release of Guantanamo detainees

  3. Nature of Science, Scientific Inquiry, and Socio-Scientific Issues Arising from Genetics: A Pathway to Developing a Scientifically Literate Citizenry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lederman, Norman G.; Antink, Allison; Bartos, Stephen

    2014-01-01

    The primary focus of this article is to illustrate how teachers can use contemporary socio-scientific issues to teach students about nature of scientific knowledge as well as address the science subject matter embedded in the issues. The article provides an initial discussion about the various aspects of nature of scientific knowledge that are…

  4. Designing Trend-Monitoring Sounds for Helicopters: Methodological Issues and an Application

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Edworthy, Judy; Hellier, Elizabeth; Aldrich, Kirsteen; Loxley, Sarah

    2004-01-01

    This article explores methodological issues in sonification and sound design arising from the design of helicopter monitoring sounds. Six monitoring sounds (each with 5 levels) were tested for similarity and meaning with 3 different techniques: hierarchical cluster analysis, linkage analysis, and multidimensional scaling. In Experiment 1,…

  5. School Transportation Issues, Laws and Concerns: Implications for Future Administrators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Durick, Jody M.

    2010-01-01

    Nearly all building administrators are confronted with a variety of transportation issues. Challenges, concerns and questions can arise from various aspects, including student misbehaviors, transportation laws and its implications at the school level, to importance and implementation of a school bus safety program. As new and upcoming future…

  6. Florida's Information Policy: Problems and Issues in the Information Age.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Florida State Legislature, Tallahassee.

    This report examines the major issues arising from the impact of information technology on the creation of government information and its storage, processing, and recordkeeping, based on information gathered through a literature search, several mailed questionnaires, and three public hearings. An outline of the background of the information policy…

  7. Corporate restructuring--strategic planning and redesign of employee benefits.

    PubMed

    Macey, S J

    1996-12-01

    Many intricate legal, actuarial, design and fiduciary issues arise during corporate restructuring. It is critical to create a process approach that clearly defines and evaluates the human resource and benefits issues that are involved, giving consideration to legal and regulatory, operational, administrative, financial and labor-related concerns.

  8. Teaching an Issues-Based Interdisciplinary Course: Diversity in Management and Marketing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hazen, Mary Ann; Higby, Mary A.

    2005-01-01

    The authors examine their experiences of coteaching an intensive, interdisciplinary elective course for MBA students: Diversity in Management and Marketing. They address otherness, dialogue, energy, and change within this course and clarify issues that can arise when coteaching interdisciplinary courses. The authors list implications for…

  9. Validity Issues in Clinical Assessment.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foster, Sharon L.; Cone, John D.

    1995-01-01

    Validation issues that arise with measures of constructs and behavior are addressed with reference to general reasons for using assessment procedures in clinical psychology. A distinction is made between the representational phase of validity assessment and the elaborative validity phase in which the meaning and utility of scores are examined.…

  10. Perspectives on National Health Insurance and Rehabilitation. Emerging Issues in Rehabilitation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dorken, Herbert; LaRocca, Joseph

    Major research findings are synthesized and innovations of current concern to vocational rehabilitation professionals are reported in this paper on national health insurance (NHI) and rehabilitation. Discussion covers the following topics: the concept of insurance, forms of health insurance, issues arising from hearings on NHI, perspectives of…

  11. You've Been Served: Surviving a Deposition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wodarz, Nan

    2010-01-01

    School business managers are in the unique position of supervising the areas of the operation that present the greatest opportunities for legal issues to arise. New construction and renovation projects are strewn with legal land mines. The possibility of lawsuits hovers like a black cloud over personnel issues. Opportunities for transportation or…

  12. Ethical issues in public health surveillance: a systematic qualitative review.

    PubMed

    Klingler, Corinna; Silva, Diego Steven; Schuermann, Christopher; Reis, Andreas Alois; Saxena, Abha; Strech, Daniel

    2017-04-04

    Public health surveillance is not ethically neutral and yet, ethics guidance and training for surveillance programmes is sparse. Development of ethics guidance should be based on comprehensive and transparently derived overviews of ethical issues and arguments. However, existing overviews on surveillance ethics are limited in scope and in how transparently they derived their results. Our objective was accordingly to provide an overview of ethical issues in public health surveillance; in addition, to list the arguments put forward with regards to arguably the most contested issue in surveillance, that is whether to obtain informed consent. Ethical issues were defined based on principlism. We assumed an ethical issue to arise in surveillance when a relevant normative principle is not adequately considered or two principles come into conflict. We searched Pubmed and Google Books for relevant publications. We analysed and synthesized the data using qualitative content analysis. Our search strategy retrieved 525 references of which 83 were included in the analysis. We identified 86 distinct ethical issues arising in the different phases of the surveillance life-cycle. We further identified 20 distinct conditions that make it more or less justifiable to forego informed consent procedures. This is the first systematic qualitative review of ethical issues in public health surveillance resulting in a comprehensive ethics matrix that can inform guidelines, reports, strategy papers, and educational material and raise awareness among practitioners.

  13. OVERVIEW OF TOXICOKINETIC ISSUES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Perflouroalkyl acids and related chemistries have physical chemical properties arising from the chemistry of the carbon-fluorine bond that differentiate their biological activity, including pharmacokinetics.

  14. Autonomic responses to exercise: where is central command?

    PubMed

    Williamson, J W

    2015-03-01

    A central command is thought to involve a signal arising in a central area of the brain eliciting a parallel activation of the autonomic nervous system and skeletal muscle contraction during exercise. Although much of the neural circuitry involved in autonomic control has been identified, defining the specific higher brain region(s) serving in a central command capacity has proven more challenging. Investigators have been faced with redundancies in regulatory systems, feedback mechanisms and the complexities ofhuman neural connectivity. Several studies have attempted to address these issues and provide more definitive neuroanatomical information. However, none have clearly answered the question, "where is central command?" Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Imaging and Screening of Cancer of the Small Bowel.

    PubMed

    Kim, Jin Sil; Park, Seong Ho; Hansel, Stephanie; Fletcher, Joel G

    2017-11-01

    Delayed diagnosis of small bowel cancers frequently occurs and may arise because of many factors, including low incidence of disease, difficult endoscopic access, lack of mucosal mass or abnormality, subtle radiologic features, and low index of clinical suspicion. As small bowel cancers are rare and their causes are largely unknown, routine population-based screening of asymptomatic patients to find precursor lesions or early cancers is ineffective. However, targeted screening/surveillance strategies are used in specific at-risk and symptomatic patient populations. This article reviews issues regarding early diagnosis of small bowel cancers, with focus on state-of-the-art cross-sectional imaging techniques. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Hamiltonian models for the propagation of irrotational surface gravity waves over a variable bottom

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Compelli, A.; Ivanov, R.; Todorov, M.

    2017-12-01

    A single incompressible, inviscid, irrotational fluid medium bounded by a free surface and varying bottom is considered. The Hamiltonian of the system is expressed in terms of the so-called Dirichlet-Neumann operators. The equations for the surface waves are presented in Hamiltonian form. Specific scaling of the variables is selected which leads to approximations of Boussinesq and Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) types, taking into account the effect of the slowly varying bottom. The arising KdV equation with variable coefficients is studied numerically when the initial condition is in the form of the one-soliton solution for the initial depth. This article is part of the theme issue 'Nonlinear water waves'.

  17. Humidity measurements in passive heat and moisture exchangers applications: a critical issue.

    PubMed

    Dubini, G; Fumero, R

    2000-01-01

    A reliable, quantitative assessment of humidification performances of passive heat and moisture exchangers in mechanically-ventilated patients is still to be achieved, although relevant efforts have been made to date. One of the major problems to tackle consists in the difficulty of humidity measurements, both in vivo (during either anaesthesia or intensive care unit treatments) and in vitro set-ups. In this paper a review of the basic operation principles of humidity sensors as well as an analysis of their usage within in vivo and in vitro tests are presented. Particular attention is devoted to the limitations arising from the specific measurement set-up, as they may affect the results notably.

  18. Environmental noise spectroscopy with qubits subjected to dynamical decoupling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Szańkowski, P.; Ramon, G.; Krzywda, J.; Kwiatkowski, D.; Cywiński, Ł.

    2017-08-01

    A qubit subjected to pure dephasing due to classical Gaussian noise can be turned into a spectrometer of this noise by utilizing its readout under properly chosen dynamical decoupling (DD) sequences to reconstruct the power spectral density of the noise. We review the theory behind this DD-based noise spectroscopy technique, paying special attention to issues that arise when the environmental noise is non-Gaussian and/or it has truly quantum properties. While we focus on the theoretical basis of the method, we connect the discussed concepts with specific experiments, and provide an overview of environmental noise models relevant for solid-state based qubits, including quantum-dot based spin qubits, superconducting qubits, and NV centers in diamond.

  19. Improving flight condition situational awareness through Human Centered Design.

    PubMed

    Craig, Carol

    2012-01-01

    In aviation, there is currently a lack of accurate and timely situational information, specifically weather data, which is essential when dealing with the unpredictable complexities that can arise while flying. For example, weather conditions that require immediate evasive action by the flight crew, such as isolated heavy rain, micro bursts, and atmospheric turbulence, require that the flight crew receive near real-time and precise information about the type, position, and intensity of those conditions. Human factors issues arise in considering how to display the various sources of weather information to the users of that information and how to integrate this display into the existing environment. In designing weather information display systems, it is necessary to meet the demands of different users, which requires an examination of the way in which the users process and use weather information. Using Human Centered Design methodologies and concepts will result in a safer, more efficient and more intuitive solution. Specific goals of this approach include 1) Enabling better fuel planning; 2) Allowing better divert strategies; 3) Ensuring pilots, navigators, dispatchers and mission planners are referencing weather from the same sources; 4) Improving aircrew awareness of aviation hazards such as turbulence, icing, hail and convective activity; 5) Addressing inconsistent availability of hazard forecasts outside the United States Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ); and 6) Promoting goal driven approaches versus event driven (prediction).

  20. 31 CFR 535.335 - Claim arising out of events in Iran.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Claim arising out of events in Iran... General Definitions § 535.335 Claim arising out of events in Iran. For purposes of § 535.216, a claim is one “arising out of events” of the type specified only if such event is the specific act that is the...

  1. 31 CFR 535.335 - Claim arising out of events in Iran.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Claim arising out of events in Iran... General Definitions § 535.335 Claim arising out of events in Iran. For purposes of § 535.216, a claim is one “arising out of events” of the type specified only if such event is the specific act that is the...

  2. 31 CFR 535.335 - Claim arising out of events in Iran.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Claim arising out of events in Iran... General Definitions § 535.335 Claim arising out of events in Iran. For purposes of § 535.216, a claim is one “arising out of events” of the type specified only if such event is the specific act that is the...

  3. A Mobile and Intelligent Patient Diary for Chronic Disease Self-Management.

    PubMed

    Van Woensel, William; Roy, Patrice C; Abidi, Samina R; Abidi, Syed S R

    2015-01-01

    By involving patients in their own long-term care, patient self-management approaches aim to increase self-sufficiency and reduce healthcare costs. For example, electronic patient diaries enable patients to collect health data autonomously, increasing self-reliance and reducing strain on health professionals. By deploying patient diaries on mobile platforms, health data collection can occur at any time and place, increasing the mobility of chronic patients who typically need to enter health data frequently. Importantly, an opportunity also arises for mobile clinical decision support, where health feedback is directly issued to patients without relying on connectivity or remote servers. Regardless of the specific self-management strategy, patient and healthcare provider adoption are crucial. Tailoring the system towards the particular patient and toward institution-specific clinical pathways is essential to increasing acceptance. In this paper we discuss a mobile patient diary realizing both the opportunities and challenges of mobile deployment.

  4. Self responses along cingulate cortex reveal quantitative neural phenotype for high functioning autism

    PubMed Central

    Chiu, Pearl H.; Kayali, M. Amin; Kishida, Kenneth T.; Tomlin, Damon; Klinger, Laura G.; Klinger, Mark R.; Montague, P. Read

    2014-01-01

    Summary Attributing behavioral outcomes correctly to oneself or to other agents is essential for all productive social exchange. We approach this issue in high-functioning males with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using two separate fMRI paradigms. First, using a visual imagery task, we extract a basis set for responses along the cingulate cortex of control subjects that reveals an agent-specific eigenvector (self eigenmode) associated with imagining oneself executing a specific motor act. Second, we show that the same self eigenmode arises during one's own decision (the self phase) in an interpersonal exchange game (iterated trust game). Third, using this exchange game, we show that ASD males exhibit a severely diminished self eigenmode when playing the game with a human partner. This diminished response covaries parametrically with their behaviorally assessed symptom severity suggesting its value as an objective endophenotype. These findings may provide a quantitative assessment tool for high functioning ASD. PMID:18255038

  5. Myasthenia gravis and related disorders: Pathology and molecular pathogenesis.

    PubMed

    Ha, James C; Richman, David P

    2015-04-01

    Disorders affecting the presynaptic, synaptic, and postsynaptic portions of the neuromuscular junction arise from various mechanisms in children and adults, including acquired autoimmune or toxic processes as well as genetic mutations. Disorders include autoimmune myasthenia gravis associated with acetylcholine receptor, muscle specific kinase or Lrp4 antibodies, Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, nerve terminal hyperexcitability syndromes, Guillain Barré syndrome, botulism, organophosphate poisoning and a number of congenital myasthenic syndromes. This review focuses on the various molecular and pathophysiological mechanisms of these disorders, characterization of which has been crucial to the development of treatment strategies specific for each pathogenic mechanism. In the future, further understanding of the underlying processes may lead to more effective and targeted therapies of these disorders. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Neuromuscular Diseases: Pathology and Molecular Pathogenesis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. 76 FR 69545 - Conditions and Requirements for Relying on Component Part Testing or Certification, or Another...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-11-08

    ... to section 14(d) of the CPSA to section 14(i) of the CPSA due to renumbering arising out of H.R. 2715... CPSA to cite section 14(i) of the CPSA, as a result of renumbering arising out of H.R. 2715. 4... INFORMATION: I. Introduction A. What is the purpose of the final rule? Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal...

  7. The value of using top-down and bottom-up approaches for building trust and transparency in biobanking.

    PubMed

    Meslin, Eric M

    2010-01-01

    With the domestic and international proliferation of biobanks and their associated connections to health information databases, scholarly attention has been turning from the ethical issues arising from the construction of biobanks to the ethical issues that emerge in their operation and management. Calls for greater transparency in governance structures, coupled with stern reminders of the value of maintaining public trust, are seen as critical components in the success of these resources. Two different approaches have been adopted for addressing these types of ethical issues: the first is a 'top-down' approach which focuses on developing policy, procedures, regulations and guidelines to aid decision-makers. The second is a 'bottom-up' approach, which begins with those who are most affected by the issues and attempts to inductively develop consensus recommendations and policy. While both approaches have merit, I argue that more work needs to be done on 'bottom-up' strategies if trust and transparency are to be more than mere slogans. Using 2 case examples from Indiana, the paper summarizes data from a set of surveys we recently conducted that address issues arising from biobanks that provide some insight into issues associated with trust and transparency. Copyright 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  8. Resolving Ethical Issues when Conducting Sexuality Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bruess, Clint E.; Greenberg, Jerrold S.

    2008-01-01

    Ethical issues about conducting sexuality education often arise. This paper describes one system of ethics and how the sexuality educator can use that system to determine whether an action is moral or immoral and, therefore, the appropriate action to take for that sexuality educator to be consistent with his or her values. Ethical principles are…

  9. Ethical Issues Concerning the Use of Videoconferencing To Supervise International Social Work Field Practicum Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Panos, Patrick T.; Panos, Angelea; Cox, Shirley E.; Roby, Jini L.; Matheson, Kenneth W.

    2002-01-01

    Examines current ethical guidelines affecting the use of videoconferencing in the supervision of social work students nationally and internationally. Suggests protocols to address ethical and professional practice issues that are likely to arise as a result of using videoconferencing to conduct supervision across international borders. (EV)

  10. True and False Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse: Assessment and Case Management.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ney, Tara, Ed.

    This book addresses the clinical, legal, and ethical issues arising in child sexual abuse cases; the assessment and case management of allegations; research issues; and practice recommendations. Chapter titles are as follows: "Assessing Allegations in Child Sexual Abuse: An Overview" (Tara Ney); "The Nature of Allegations of Child…

  11. Young People with Cancer: A Handbook for Parents. Revised Edition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Cancer Inst. (NIH), Bethesda, MD.

    This book informs parents and families of children and young adults with cancer about the most common types of cancer in the young, treatments and their side effects, and common issues that arise with a cancer diagnosis. Aspects of the disease, including characteristics of leukemia and solid tumors, are described. Treatment issues discussed…

  12. Addressing the Context of E-Learning: Using Transactional Distance Theory to Inform Design

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benson, Robyn; Samarawickrema, Gayani

    2009-01-01

    The rapidly expanding range of options available for innovative e-learning approaches based on emerging technologies has given renewed importance to teaching and learning issues that have long been familiar to distance educators. These issues arise from the separation between learners, and between teacher and learners, which occurs when learning…

  13. 77 FR 2298 - Public Meeting of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-01-17

    ..., 1425 New York Avenue NW., Suite C-100, Washington, DC 20005. Telephone: (202) 233-3960. Email: Hillary... nation's leaders in medicine, science, ethics, religion, law, and engineering. The Commission advises the President on bioethical issues arising from advances in biomedicine and related areas of science and...

  14. 77 FR 26012 - Public Meeting of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-02

    ... New York Ave. NW., Suite C-100, Washington, DC 20005. Telephone: (202) 233-3960. Email: Hillary.Viers... nation's leaders in medicine, science, ethics, religion, law, and engineering. The Commission advises the President on bioethical issues arising from advances in biomedicine and related areas of science and...

  15. Employment Protection of School Psychologists: A Cautionary Case

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zirkel, Perry A.

    2013-01-01

    This article addresses legal issues arising from a district's decision not to renew the employment contract of a 61-year-old school psychologist after 9 years of service. The case focuses on the issues of age discrimination and whistleblowing, although it raises other questions of current relevance to school psychologists, such as the…

  16. Developing the Training Market. Issues and Best Practice Arising from State/Territory Pilot Activities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Western Australia Dept. Training, Perth.

    Competitive tendering processes have emerged within Australia's vocational education and training (VET) sector as part of a more general drive to increase efficiency and effectiveness in public administration and government program delivery. Despite the persistence of several issues and stakeholder concerns that must be explored and resolved,…

  17. Review of the Literature on Children with Special Educational Needs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alkahtani, Mohammed Ali

    2016-01-01

    This study outlines the literature relevant to the Cross-cultural issues and the politics of SEN and the different perspectives arising from the literature on this widely debated issue are addressed. In addition, the origin of the term "special educational needs" (SEN), its definitions and the types of special education needs are…

  18. Educational Psychologists' Use of Therapeutic Interventions: Issues Arising from Two Exploratory Case Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Atkinson, Cathy; Corban, Ian; Templeton, Jenny

    2011-01-01

    This article considers the evolving role of the educational psychologist (EP) in providing therapeutic support to children and young people. Through two small-scale research studies, EPs' use of therapeutic interventions and issues in delivering them are explored. Findings reveal use of a range of therapeutic interventions in different contexts…

  19. Conflict or Support: Work and Family in Middle and Old Age.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goodman, Jane; Waters, Elinor B.

    1985-01-01

    Describes several career and family issues that may arise for adults and suggests possible counseling interventions. Several assumptions are made about the work/family connection: renegotiation of work/family balance continues throughout work life; a variety of demographic variables affect work/family roles; and some issues relate more to roles…

  20. Regulating the helping hand: improving legal preparedness for cross-border disaster medicine.

    PubMed

    Fisher, David

    2010-01-01

    Medical care is a highly regulated field in nearly every country. Therefore, it is not surprising that legal issues regularly arise in cross-border disaster operations that have with the potential to profoundly impact the effectiveness of international assistance. Little attention has been paid to preparing for and addressing these kinds of issues. This paper will report on research by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on International Disaster Response Law, and discuss new developments in the international legal framework for addressing these issues. For seven years, the IFRC has studied legal issues in cross-border disaster assistance. Its activities have included several dozen case studies, a global survey of governments and humanitarian stakeholders, and a series of meetings and high-level conferences. The IFRC has found a consistent set of regulatory problems in major disaster relief operations related to the entry and regulation of international relief. These include some issues specific to the health field, such as the regulation of drug donations and the recognition of foreign medical qualifications. To address the gaps in domestic and international regulatory structures, the IFRC spearheaded the development of new international guidelines. The legal risks for international health providers in disaster settings are real and should be better integrated into program planning. Governments must become more proactive in ensuring that legal frameworks are flexible enough to mitigate these problems.

  1. Pre-inflation from the multiverse: can it solve the quadrupole problem in the cosmic microwave background?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morais, João; Bouhmadi-López, Mariam; Krämer, Manuel; Robles-Pérez, Salvador

    2018-03-01

    We analyze a quantized toy model of a universe undergoing eternal inflation using a quantum-field-theoretical formulation of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation. This so-called third quantization method leads to the picture that the eternally inflating universe is converted to a multiverse in which sub-universes are created and exhibit a distinctive phase in their evolution before reaching an asymptotic de Sitter phase. From the perspective of one of these sub-universes, we can thus analyze the pre-inflationary phase that arises naturally. Assuming that our observable universe is represented by one of those sub-universes, we calculate how this pre-inflationary phase influences the power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies and analyze whether it can explain the observed discrepancy of the power spectrum on large scales, i.e. the quadrupole issue in the CMB. While the answer to this question is negative in the specific model analyzed here, we point out a possible resolution of this issue.

  2. Pre-inflation from the multiverse: can it solve the quadrupole problem in the cosmic microwave background?

    PubMed

    Morais, João; Bouhmadi-López, Mariam; Krämer, Manuel; Robles-Pérez, Salvador

    2018-01-01

    We analyze a quantized toy model of a universe undergoing eternal inflation using a quantum-field-theoretical formulation of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation. This so-called third quantization method leads to the picture that the eternally inflating universe is converted to a multiverse in which sub-universes are created and exhibit a distinctive phase in their evolution before reaching an asymptotic de Sitter phase. From the perspective of one of these sub-universes, we can thus analyze the pre-inflationary phase that arises naturally. Assuming that our observable universe is represented by one of those sub-universes, we calculate how this pre-inflationary phase influences the power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies and analyze whether it can explain the observed discrepancy of the power spectrum on large scales, i.e. the quadrupole issue in the CMB. While the answer to this question is negative in the specific model analyzed here, we point out a possible resolution of this issue.

  3. Space, our next frontier; Proceedings of the conference, Dallas, TX, June 7, 8, 1984

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

    Musgrave, G.

    1985-01-01

    The present conference on space development encompasses space commercialization, legislative, legal, and insurance-related factors in current space programs, political aspects of space militarization and governmental control, the military future uses of space and their consequences, command and control issues arising in space, economic influences on space policy, and recent developments in space solar power generation concepts. Attention is given to public opinion surveys concerning the scientific, military, and economic uses of space, the Leasecraft orbital industrial infrastructure concept, capitalism and democracy in space development, the current status of space law on commercialization topics, the nature of Ballistic Missile Defense, themore » Soviet Space threat, the High Frontier concept for space defense, lunar solar power systems, solar power satellites, and the utilization of lunar resources for the reduction of lunar base construction costs. Such specific technical issues as microgravity crystal growth and directional solidification, electrophoresis operations for pharmaceuticals, and technical barriers to commercial access to space, are also noted.« less

  4. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis, reproductive freedom, and deliberative democracy.

    PubMed

    Farrelly, Colin

    2009-04-01

    In this paper I argue that the account of deliberative democracy advanced by Amy Gutmann and Dennis Thompson (1996, 2004) is a useful normative theory that can help enhance our deliberations about public policy in morally pluralistic societies. More specifically, I illustrate how the prescriptions of deliberative democracy can be applied to the issue of regulating non-medical uses of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), such as gender selection. Deliberative democracy does not aim to win a philosophical debate among rival first-order theories, such as libertarianism, egalitarianism or feminism. Rather, it advances a second-order analysis that strives to help us determine what would constitute a reasonable balance between the conflicting fundamental values that arise in the context of regulating PGD. I outline a theoretical model (called the Reasonable Genetic Intervention Model) that brings these issues to the fore. Such a model incorporates the concern for both procedural and substantive principles; and it does so in way that takes provisionality seriously.

  5. An Overview of the Regulation of Low Dose Radiation in the Nuclear and Non-nuclear Industries

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

    Menon, Shankar; Valencia, Luis; Teunckens, Lucien

    Now that increasing numbers of nuclear power stations are reaching the end of their commercially useful lives, the management of the large quantities of very low level radioactive material that arises during their decommissioning has become a major subject of discussion, with very significant economic implications. Much of this material can, in an environmentally advantageous manner, be recycled for reuse without radiological restrictions. Much larger quantities--2-3 orders of magnitude larger--of material, radiologically similar to the candidate material for recycling from the nuclear industry, arise in non-nuclear industries like coal, fertilizer, oil and gas, mining, etc. In such industries, naturally occurringmore » radioactivity is artificially concentrated in products, by-products or waste to form TENORM (Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material). It is only in the last decade that the international community has become aware of the prevalence of TENORM, specially the activity levels and quantities arising in so many non-nuclear industries. The first reaction of international organizations seems to have been to propose different standards for the nuclear and non-nuclear industries, with very stringent release criteria for radioactive material from the regulated nuclear industry and up to thirty to a hundred times more liberal criteria for the release/exemption of TENORM from the as yet unregulated non-nuclear industries. There are significant strategic issues that need to be discussed and resolved. Some examples of these are: - Disposal aspects of long-lived nuclides, - The use of radioactive residues in building materials, - Commercial aspects of differing and discriminating criteria in competing power industries in a world of deregulated electric power production. Of even greater importance is the need for the discussion of certain basic issues, such as - The quantitative risk levels of exposure to ionizing radiation, - The need for in-depth studies on populations of the naturally high background dose level areas of the world, - The validity of the various calculation codes currently used to arrive at mass specific clearance levels for redundant material. The paper discusses these and other strategic issues regarding the management of redundant low radiation material from both the nuclear and non-nuclear industries, underlining the need for consistency in regulatory treatment.« less

  6. Ethical issues faced by field primatologists: asking the relevant questions.

    PubMed

    Fedigan, Linda Marie

    2010-09-01

    Field primatologists face unusual ethical issues. We study animals rather than people and receive research approval from animal care rather than ethics committees. However, animal care evaluation forms are developed from concerns about laboratory animal research and are based on the "Three R's" for humane treatment of captive experimental subjects (replacement, reduction and refinement), which are only debatably relevant to field research. Scientists who study wild, free-ranging primates in host countries experience many ethical dilemmas seldom dealt with in animal care forms. This paper reviews the ethical issues many field primatologists say they face and how these might be better addressed by animal care forms. The ethical issues arising for field researchers are divided into three categories: "Presence, Protocols and People" and for each the most frequent issues are described. The most commonly mentioned ethical concern arising from our presence in the field is the possibility of disease transmission. Although most primate field studies employ only observational protocols, the practice of habituating our study animals to close human presence is an ethical concern for many since it can lessen the animals' fear of all humans, thereby facilitating undesirable behaviors (e.g., crop-raiding) and rendering them vulnerable to harm. Field primatologists who work in host countries must observe national laws and local traditions. As conservationists, primatologists must often negotiate between the resource needs and cultural practices of local people and the interests of the nonhuman primates. Many say they face more ethical dilemmas arising from human interactions than from research on the animals per se. This review concludes with suggestions for relevant questions to ask on animal care forms, and actions that field primatologists can take to better inform animal care committees about the common ethical issues we experience as well as how to develop guidelines for addressing them. (c) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  7. Climate, environmental and socio-economic change: weighing up the balance in vector-borne disease transmission

    DOE PAGES

    Parham, Paul E.; Waldock, Joanna; Christophides, George K.; ...

    2015-02-16

    Arguably one of the most important effects of climate change is the potential impact on human health. While this is likely to take many forms, the implications for future transmission of vector-borne diseases (VBDs), given their ongoing contribution to global disease burden, are both extremely important and highly uncertain. In part, this is due not only to data limitations and methodological challenges when integrating climate-driven VBD models and climate change projections, but, perhaps most crucially, the multitude of epidemiological, ecological, and socioeconomic factors that drive VBD transmission, and this complexity has generated considerable debate over the last 10-15 years. Inmore » this article, and Theme Issue, we seek to elucidate current knowledge around this topic, identify key themes and uncertainties, evaluate ongoing challenges and open research questions, and, crucially, offer some solutions for the field moving forwards. Although many of these challenges are ubiquitous across multiple VBDs, more specific issues also arise in different vector-pathogen systems. This Theme Issue seeks to cover both, reflected in the breadth and depth of the topics and VBD-systems considered, itself strongly indicative of the challenging, but necessary, multidisciplinary nature of this research field.« less

  8. Genetics objective structured clinical exams at the Maimonides Infants & Children's Hospital of Brooklyn, New York.

    PubMed

    Altshuler, Lisa; Kachur, Elizabeth; Krinshpun, Shifra; Sullivan, Deborah

    2008-11-01

    In 2003, the Maimonides Infants & Children's Hospital received a Title VII Residency Training in Primary Care grant to integrate genetic-specific competencies into postgraduate pediatrics education. As part of that endeavor, mandatory yearly genetics objective structured clinical exams (OSCEs) were instituted for third-year residents. This article reports on the first three years of experience with this innovative educational tool.After an overview of genetic concepts, dysmorphology, and communication styles, residents complete a five-station OSCE and receive feedback from standardized patients and from the faculty who observe them. After this clinical exercise, the residents participate in a small-group debriefing session to share strategies for effective communication and clinical case management and to discuss the ethical issues that arise with these genetic cases.In three years, 60 residents have completed the genetics OSCE program. Evaluation data demonstrate that the program has been effective in both introducing genetic-specific challenges and assessing residents' clinical skills. It has helped trainees self-identify both strengths and further training needs. Pre- and postsurveys among the trainees show increased comfort levels in performing 5 of 12 genetic-related clinical tasks.We conclude that genetics OSCEs are an enriching educational tool. Merely providing trainees and practicing physicians with the latest scientific information is unlikely to prepare them for counseling patients about complex genetic issues. Developing proficiency requires focused practice and effective feedback.This article is part of a theme issue of Academic Medicine on the Title VII health professions training programs.

  9. Thinking Ethically about Professional Practice in Adapted Physical Activity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goodwin, Donna L.; Rossow-Kimball, Brenda

    2012-01-01

    There has been little critical exploration of the ethical issues that arise in professional practice common to adapted physical activity. We cannot avoid moral issues as we inevitably will act in ways that will negatively affect the well-being of others. We will make choices, which in our efforts to support others, may hurt by violating dignity or…

  10. The Place of Learning Quantum Theory in Physics Teacher Education: Motivational Elements Arising from the Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Körhasan, Nilüfer Didis

    2015-01-01

    Quantum theory is one of the most successful theories in physics. Because of its abstract, mathematical, and counter-intuitive nature, many students have problems learning the theory, just as teachers experience difficulty in teaching it. Pedagogical research on quantum theory has mainly focused on cognitive issues. However, affective issues about…

  11. Positive Discipline A to Z: 1001 Solutions to Everyday Parenting Problems.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nelsen, Jane; And Others

    This book is a parenting reference work that offers background on common disciplinary problems and parenting issues, advice on how to handle problems and issues as they arise, and insight into how to avoid disciplinary problems in the future. The book is divided into three sections: Basic Positive Discipline Parenting Tools, Positive Discipline…

  12. 26 CFR 1.1244(c)-1 - Section 1244 stock defined.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... November 6, 1978. (2) The term post-November 1978 stock means stock issued after November 6, 1978. In order... evidenced by a security, or arises out of the performance of personal services. (2) The following examples... subparagraph (1) of this paragraph: Example 1. A taxpayer owns stock of Corporation X issued to him prior to...

  13. 26 CFR 1.1244(c)-1 - Section 1244 stock defined.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... November 6, 1978. (2) The term post-November 1978 stock means stock issued after November 6, 1978. In order... evidenced by a security, or arises out of the performance of personal services. (2) The following examples... subparagraph (1) of this paragraph: Example 1. A taxpayer owns stock of Corporation X issued to him prior to...

  14. 78 FR 33843 - Request for Comments on Issues Related to Incidental Findings That Arise in the Clinical...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-05

    ... by email to [email protected]bioethics.gov or by mail to the following address: Public Commentary, Presidential... Study of Bioethical Issues. Telephone: 202-233-3960. E-Mail: [email protected]bioethics.gov . Additional information may be obtained at http://www.bioethics.gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 24, 2009, the...

  15. Rights and Responsibilities in the Digital Age: Problems with Stronger Copyright in an Information Society.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eisenschitz, Tamara; Turner, Paul

    1997-01-01

    Discusses three issues: (1) copyright and the effects of technological change and the trend to commodify information; (2) the interests involved; and (3) the "Green Paper," a proposal by the European Commission to address copyright issues arising from digitization of protected works. Safeguarding free information access can be achieved…

  16. Symmetry of the Adiabatic Condition in the Piston Problem

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anacleto, Joaquim; Ferreira, J. M.

    2011-01-01

    This study addresses a controversial issue in the adiabatic piston problem, namely that of the piston being adiabatic when it is fixed but no longer so when it can move freely. It is shown that this apparent contradiction arises from the usual definition of adiabatic condition. The issue is addressed here by requiring the adiabatic condition to be…

  17. 75 FR 30409 - Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-Ethics...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-01

    ... Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention--Ethics Subcommittee (ES) In... to the ACD, CDC, regarding a broad range of public health ethics questions and issues arising from... address public health ethics issues and coordination of these efforts with the CDC Office of State, Tribal...

  18. 75 FR 72831 - Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-Ethics...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-11-26

    ... Committee to the Director (ACD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)--Ethics Subcommittee (ES... counsel to the ACD, CDC, regarding a broad range of public health ethics questions and issues arising from... strategy for addressing its charge to provide a preliminary overview to the ACD on ethical issues related...

  19. Illustration of a Multilevel Model for Meta-Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de la Torre, Jimmy; Camilli, Gregory; Vargas, Sadako; Vernon, R. Fox

    2007-01-01

    In this article, the authors present a multilevel (or hierarchical linear) model that illustrates issues in the application of the model to data from meta-analytic studies. In doing so, several issues are discussed that typically arise in the course of a meta-analysis. These include the presence of non-zero between-study variability, how multiple…

  20. 28 CFR 68.53 - Review of an interlocutory order of an Administrative Law Judge in cases arising under section...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ..., within thirty (30) days of the date of an Administrative Law Judge's interlocutory order, issue an order... an Administrative Law Judge's interlocutory order if: (1) An Administrative Law Judge, when issuing... proceedings. Review of an Administrative Law Judge's interlocutory order will not stay the proceeding unless...

  1. 28 CFR 68.53 - Review of an interlocutory order of an Administrative Law Judge in cases arising under section...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ..., within thirty (30) days of the date of an Administrative Law Judge's interlocutory order, issue an order... an Administrative Law Judge's interlocutory order if: (1) An Administrative Law Judge, when issuing... proceedings. Review of an Administrative Law Judge's interlocutory order will not stay the proceeding unless...

  2. 28 CFR 68.53 - Review of an interlocutory order of an Administrative Law Judge in cases arising under section...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ..., within thirty (30) days of the date of an Administrative Law Judge's interlocutory order, issue an order... an Administrative Law Judge's interlocutory order if: (1) An Administrative Law Judge, when issuing... proceedings. Review of an Administrative Law Judge's interlocutory order will not stay the proceeding unless...

  3. 28 CFR 68.53 - Review of an interlocutory order of an Administrative Law Judge in cases arising under section...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ..., within thirty (30) days of the date of an Administrative Law Judge's interlocutory order, issue an order... an Administrative Law Judge's interlocutory order if: (1) An Administrative Law Judge, when issuing... proceedings. Review of an Administrative Law Judge's interlocutory order will not stay the proceeding unless...

  4. Conflict in Multiculturalism Classes: Too Much Heat or Too Little?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meacham, Jack

    1995-01-01

    The issues that arise in a college course on multiculturalism can touch students very personally and may be a first opportunity for many students to talk face-to-face about important social issues. Anticipating when students may become defensive, angry, hurt, or when conflict might erupt will help faculty know when to lower or raise the…

  5. Conceptually and Methodologically Vexing Issues in Teacher Knowledge Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reutzel, D. Ray; Dole, Janice A.; Read, Sylvia; Fawson, Parker; Herman, Kerry; Jones, Cindy D.; Sudweeks, Richard; Fargo, Jamison

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to describe the vexing issues that arise as researchers try to define and assess the knowledge teachers need to teach reading and writing effectively in the primary grades. Over the past several years, the authors of this article have developed and tested an assessment system of teacher knowledge under a grant titled…

  6. Mixing Qualitative and Quantitative Methods: Insights into Design and Analysis Issues

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lieber, Eli

    2009-01-01

    This article describes and discusses issues related to research design and data analysis in the mixing of qualitative and quantitative methods. It is increasingly desirable to use multiple methods in research, but questions arise as to how best to design and analyze the data generated by mixed methods projects. I offer a conceptualization for such…

  7. Testimony in Narrative Educational Research: A Qualitative Interview, Narrative Analysis and Epistemological Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Christopher, Justin

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to assess issues that arise in the context of epistemological claims in narrative educational research by means of narrative analysis and epistemological evaluation. The research questions which guided the study were: 1) To what extent is epistemology considered by narrative educational researchers?; 2) What issues do…

  8. Nudge or not: can incentives change health behaviours?

    PubMed

    Ries, Nola M

    2012-01-01

    The approach of "nudging" people toward healthier behaviours is currently in vogue, and user financial incentives (UFIs) are one possible nudge tool. Interesting debates arise as to the criteria UFIs must meet to qualify as a nudge. The more pressing issue, however, is to determine how UFIs can be structured and implemented to motivate and sustain health behaviour change. To date, Canadian public health strategies to promote physical activity and balanced nutrition focus mainly on information provision, with some product regulation measures and indirect financial incentives. Governments cannot afford direct UFI programs to incent all 60% of overweight and obese Canadians to reduce their body mass, but governments could consider UFIs targeted to specific risk groups where a shorter-term intervention could have long-term payoffs.

  9. [Phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy: Brain pathologies applications].

    PubMed

    Menuel, C; Guillevin, R; Costalat, R; Perrin, M; Sahli-Amor, M; Martin-Duverneuil, N; Chiras, J

    2010-05-01

    Until recent years, brain applications of (31)P magnetic resonance spectroscopy were poor. Arising of clinical high field strength magnets (three Tesla) as well as dedicated brain coils (eg: bird cage), using specific and useful sequences providing appropriate spatial localisation and signal to noise ratio brought highlights on multinuclear spectroscopy. Better understanding of brain metabolism emphasizes the role of phosphoenergetic compounds and its potential issues in tumoral, metabolic and degenerative diseases. In the present paper, we report 1 year of experience and preliminary results for 40 patients as well as review of the literature. By successive in vivo determination and quantitation of numerous metabolites it allows, multinuclear spectroscopy may provide additional information to biomathematical models of brain metabolism. Copyright 2009. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

  10. Hamiltonian models for the propagation of irrotational surface gravity waves over a variable bottom.

    PubMed

    Compelli, A; Ivanov, R; Todorov, M

    2018-01-28

    A single incompressible, inviscid, irrotational fluid medium bounded by a free surface and varying bottom is considered. The Hamiltonian of the system is expressed in terms of the so-called Dirichlet-Neumann operators. The equations for the surface waves are presented in Hamiltonian form. Specific scaling of the variables is selected which leads to approximations of Boussinesq and Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) types, taking into account the effect of the slowly varying bottom. The arising KdV equation with variable coefficients is studied numerically when the initial condition is in the form of the one-soliton solution for the initial depth.This article is part of the theme issue 'Nonlinear water waves'. © 2017 The Author(s).

  11. Ethical issues in research with children and young people.

    PubMed

    Matutina, Robin E

    2009-10-01

    This article, which concentrates largely on literature from the United States, discusses the ethical aspects of research with children, beginning with the historical ill-treatment of children and extending to the present-day protections. Researchers struggle to find the balance that would most benefit this vulnerable population. Children must be protected but society deserves the knowledge that can only be gained through child-specific research. Ethical questions arise through the presentation of historical and current cases of children involved in or excluded from research. Examples of ethical dilemmas are presented in an effort to allow the reader to learn from the past while seeking to provide research-based care today. Strategies are included to help safeguard the autonomy of the child who participates in research.

  12. Blending quantitative and qualitative methods in language research and intervention.

    PubMed

    Brinton, Bonnie; Fujiki, Martin

    2003-05-01

    Best practice in speech-language pathology should be informed by current research findings. Traditional research methods are not always geared to address some of the complex, individual questions that arise in clinical intervention, however. Qualitative research methods may provide useful tools for bridging the gap from research to practice. Combinations of qualitative and quantitative procedures may be particularly helpful in sorting out some of the important issues surrounding language intervention in both clinical and research contexts. Examples of research blending qualitative and quantitative methods, as well as the case study of Sid, an 11-year-old boy with specific language impairment, are presented to illustrate how a combination of procedures can be used to enhance language research and intervention.

  13. Visualizing the Heterogeneity of Effects in the Analysis of Associations of Multiple Myeloma with Glyphosate Use. Comments on Sorahan, T. Multiple Myeloma and Glyphosate Use: A Re-Analysis of US Agricultural Health Study (AHS) Data. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2015, 12, 1548-1559.

    PubMed

    Burstyn, Igor; De Roos, Anneclaire J

    2016-12-22

    We address a methodological issue of the evaluation of the difference in effects in epidemiological studies that may arise, for example, from stratum-specific analyses or differences in analytical decisions during data analysis. We propose a new simulation-based method to quantify the plausible extent of such heterogeneity, rather than testing a hypothesis about its existence. We examine the contribution of the method to the debate surrounding risk of multiple myeloma and glyphosate use and propose that its application contributes to a more balanced weighting of evidence.

  14. Visualizing the Heterogeneity of Effects in the Analysis of Associations of Multiple Myeloma with Glyphosate Use. Comments on Sorahan, T. Multiple Myeloma and Glyphosate Use: A Re-Analysis of US Agricultural Health Study (AHS) Data. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2015, 12, 1548–1559

    PubMed Central

    Burstyn, Igor; De Roos, Anneclaire J.

    2016-01-01

    We address a methodological issue of the evaluation of the difference in effects in epidemiological studies that may arise, for example, from stratum-specific analyses or differences in analytical decisions during data analysis. We propose a new simulation-based method to quantify the plausible extent of such heterogeneity, rather than testing a hypothesis about its existence. We examine the contribution of the method to the debate surrounding risk of multiple myeloma and glyphosate use and propose that its application contributes to a more balanced weighting of evidence. PMID:28025514

  15. The challenges and opportunities of conducting a clinical trial in a low resource setting: the case of the Cameroon mobile phone SMS (CAMPS) trial, an investigator initiated trial.

    PubMed

    Mbuagbaw, Lawrence; Thabane, Lehana; Ongolo-Zogo, Pierre; Lang, Trudie

    2011-06-09

    Conducting clinical trials in developing countries often presents significant ethical, organisational, cultural and infrastructural challenges to researchers, pharmaceutical companies, sponsors and regulatory bodies. Globally, these regions are under-represented in research, yet this population stands to gain more from research in these settings as the burdens on health are greater than those in developed resourceful countries. However, developing countries also offer an attractive setting for clinical trials because they often have larger treatment naive populations with higher incidence rates of disease and more advanced stages. These factors can present a reduction in costs and time required to recruit patients. So, balance needs to be found where research can be encouraged and supported in order to bring maximum public health benefits to these communities. The difficulties with such trials arise from problems with obtaining valid informed consent, ethical compensation mechanisms for extremely poor populations, poor health infrastructure and considerable socio-economic and cultural divides. Ethical concerns with trials in developing countries have received attention, even though many other non-ethical issues may arise. Local investigator initiated trials also face a variety of difficulties that have not been adequately reported in literature. This paper uses the example of the Cameroon Mobile Phone SMS trial to describe in detail, the specific difficulties encountered in an investigator-initiated trial in a developing country. It highlights administrative, ethical, financial and staff related issues, proposes solutions and gives a list of additional documentation to ease the organisational process.

  16. Proceedings of the seventh Northern region paediatric colloquium.

    PubMed

    Barkla, Xanthe; Kaplan, Carole

    2014-01-01

    Ethical and legal dilemmas frequently arise in paediatric practice. Given the nature of the speciality, these issues are relevant to both the medical and legal professions. To this end, senior figures from the medical and legal professions in the Northern region have met on a regular basis in order to discuss anonymised case material. We report on the proceedings of the seventh such meeting. Six cases are described and key points arising from the subsequent discussion are presented.

  17. Biomedical research and the commercialization agenda: a review of main considerations for neuroscience.

    PubMed

    Caulfield, Timothy; Ogbogu, Ubaka

    2008-01-01

    This article reviews a range of issues associated with the commercialization of biomedical research and speculates on how these issues might apply to the neuroscience context. Drawing on existing studies of the impact of research commercialization activities on various areas of biotechnology research, the authors explore normative benchmarks for assessing and resolving issues likely to arise from the commercialization of neuroscientific research, including such topics as patenting, marketing pressures, and representations of research prospects.

  18. Accountable Care Organizations and Transaction Cost Economics.

    PubMed

    Mick, Stephen S Farnsworth; Shay, Patrick D

    2016-12-01

    Using a Transaction Cost Economics (TCE) approach, this paper explores which organizational forms Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) may take. A critical question about form is the amount of vertical integration that an ACO may have, a topic central to TCE. We posit that contextual factors outside and inside an ACO will produce variable transaction costs (the non-production costs of care) such that the decision to integrate vertically will derive from a comparison of these external versus internal costs, assuming reasonably rational management abilities. External costs include those arising from environmental uncertainty and complexity, small numbers bargaining, asset specificity, frequency of exchanges, and information "impactedness." Internal costs include those arising from human resource activities including hiring and staffing, training, evaluating (i.e., disciplining, appraising, or promoting), and otherwise administering programs. At the extreme, these different costs may produce either total vertical integration or little to no vertical integration with most ACOs falling in between. This essay demonstrates how TCE can be applied to the ACO organization form issue, explains TCE, considers ACO activity from the TCE perspective, and reflects on research directions that may inform TCE and facilitate ACO development. © The Author(s) 2016.

  19. Privacy and ethics in pediatric environmental health research-part II: protecting families and communities.

    PubMed

    Fisher, Celia B

    2006-10-01

    In pediatric environmental health research, information about family members is often directly sought or indirectly obtained in the process of identifying child risk factors and helping to tease apart and identify interactions between genetic and environmental factors. However, federal regulations governing human subjects research do not directly address ethical issues associated with protections for family members who are not identified as the primary "research participant." Ethical concerns related to family consent and privacy become paramount as pediatric environmental health research increasingly turns to questions of gene-environment interactions. In this article I identify issues arising from and potential solutions for the privacy and informed consent challenges of pediatric environmental health research intended to adequately protect the rights and welfare of children, family members, and communities. I first discuss family members as secondary research participants and then the specific ethical challenges of longitudinal research on late-onset environmental effects and gene-environment interactions. I conclude with a discussion of the confidentiality and social risks of recruitment and data collection of research conducted within small or unique communities, ethnic minority populations, and low-income families. The responsible conduct of pediatric environmental health research must be conceptualized as a goodness of fit between the specific research context and the unique characteristics of subjects and other family stakeholders.

  20. Exploring Issues of Quality of Service in a Next Generation Internet Testbed: A Case Study Using PathMaster

    PubMed Central

    Shifman, Mark A.; Sayward, Frederick G.; Mattie, Mark E.; Miller, Perry L.

    2002-01-01

    This case study describes a project that explores issues of quality of service (QoS) relevant to the next-generation Internet (NGI), using the PathMaster application in a testbed environment. PathMaster is a prototype computer system that analyzes digitized cell images from cytology specimens and compares those images against an image database, returning a ranked set of “similar” cell images from the database. To perform NGI testbed evaluations, we used a cluster of nine parallel computation workstations configured as three subclusters using Cisco routers. This architecture provides a local “simulated Internet” in which we explored the following QoS strategies: (1) first-in-first-out queuing, (2) priority queuing, (3) weighted fair queuing, (4) weighted random early detection, and (5) traffic shaping. The study describes the results of using these strategies with a distributed version of the PathMaster system in the presence of different amounts of competing network traffic and discusses certain of the issues that arise. The goal of the study is to help introduce NGI QoS issues to the Medical Informatics community and to use the PathMaster NGI testbed to illustrate concretely certain of the QoS issues that arise. PMID:12223501

  1. Developmental models for estimating ecological responses to environmental variability: structural, parametric, and experimental issues.

    PubMed

    Moore, Julia L; Remais, Justin V

    2014-03-01

    Developmental models that account for the metabolic effect of temperature variability on poikilotherms, such as degree-day models, have been widely used to study organism emergence, range and development, particularly in agricultural and vector-borne disease contexts. Though simple and easy to use, structural and parametric issues can influence the outputs of such models, often substantially. Because the underlying assumptions and limitations of these models have rarely been considered, this paper reviews the structural, parametric, and experimental issues that arise when using degree-day models, including the implications of particular structural or parametric choices, as well as assumptions that underlie commonly used models. Linear and non-linear developmental functions are compared, as are common methods used to incorporate temperature thresholds and calculate daily degree-days. Substantial differences in predicted emergence time arose when using linear versus non-linear developmental functions to model the emergence time in a model organism. The optimal method for calculating degree-days depends upon where key temperature threshold parameters fall relative to the daily minimum and maximum temperatures, as well as the shape of the daily temperature curve. No method is shown to be universally superior, though one commonly used method, the daily average method, consistently provides accurate results. The sensitivity of model projections to these methodological issues highlights the need to make structural and parametric selections based on a careful consideration of the specific biological response of the organism under study, and the specific temperature conditions of the geographic regions of interest. When degree-day model limitations are considered and model assumptions met, the models can be a powerful tool for studying temperature-dependent development.

  2. Community Involvement During Emergency Responses

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Involvement occurs in different forms, but is always geared towards improving the public's understanding of the presence of hazardous substances in the community, and how to address any issues that may arise.

  3. Hospital closure: Phoenix, Hydra or Titanic?

    PubMed

    Dunne, T; Davis, S

    1996-01-01

    Very little has been published about the effects of hospital closure in terms of the service, financial or management issues of the process. Attempts through a case-study format to redress the balance and as such represents the reflections of practitioners who have recently undergone the experience of hospital closure and the often neglected issues arising both during and after the process.

  4. The Evolution of an Undergraduate Service Course--How To Cope with Success of an Age of Dinosaurs Class.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Montgomery, Homer

    2003-01-01

    Discusses how to address the issue of a course becoming too popular. Uses as an example the Age of Dinosaurs course at the University of Texas at Dallas. Describes some issues that can arise such as classroom overflow, overwhelmed labs, cheating, testing methods, and asynchronous instruction. Recommends looking to web-based course management…

  5. The Birth of University Affiliated Early Childhood Centres of Excellence: Investing in Children, Families and Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krog, Soezin; Nel, Norma

    2015-01-01

    The wellbeing of young children is of national and international concern. Urgent action is therefore required to address issues of children's wellbeing, and failure to do so will have adverse consequences for children today and in generations to come. This paper addresses issues arising from recently published literature in the areas of Early…

  6. Research Ethics in Emerging Forms of Online Learning: Issues Arising from a Hypothetical Study on a MOOC

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Esposito, Antonella

    2012-01-01

    This paper is concerned with how research ethics is evolving along with emerging online research methods and settings. In particular, it focuses on ethics issues implied in a hypothetical virtual ethnography study aiming to gain insights on participants' experience in an emergent context of networked learning, namely a MOOC--Massive Online Open…

  7. The transfer of a health insurance/managed care business.

    PubMed

    Gavin, John N; Goodman, George; Goroff, David B

    2007-01-01

    The owners of a health insurance/managed care business may want to sell that business for a variety of reasons. Health care provider systems may want to exit that business due to operating losses, difficulty in complying with regulations, the inherent conflict in operating that business as part of a provider system, or the desire to focus on being a health care provider. Health insurers/HMOs may want to sell all or a portion of their business due to operating losses, difficulty in servicing a particular market, or a desire to focus on other markets. No matter what reason prompts a seller to undertake a sale, a sale of health insurance/managed care business can be a complicated transaction involving a multitude of issues. This article will focus first on the ways in which such a sale may be structured. The article will then discuss some transactional issues that may arise in the negotiations for the sale of a health insurance/managed care business. The article will then focus on some particular legal issues that arise in each sale-e.g., antitrust, HIPAA, regulatory approvals, and charitable issues. Finally, this article will provide an overview of tax structuring considerations.

  8. Incontinence and the duty to provide care.

    PubMed

    Dimond, Bridgit

    Bridgit Dimond considers the legal implications of failing to adequately assess the continence needs of vulnerable people. A typical situation is used to illustrate the legal issues that arise (Box 1).

  9. Business Ethics 101 for the biotech industry.

    PubMed

    MacDonald, Chris

    2004-01-01

    Biotechnology companies face ethical challenges of two distinct types: bioethical challenges faced on account of the nature of work in the life sciences, and corporate ethical challenges on account of their nature as commercial entities. The latter set of challenges has received almost no attention at all in the academic literature or media. This paper begins to remedy that lacuna, examining ethical issues that arise specifically on account of the status of biotech companies as commercial entities. The focus here is on three representative issues: product safety, corporate social responsibility, and corporate governance. It is argued that each of these issues poses particular ethical challenges for companies in the biotech sector. In the area of product safety, it is noted that biotech companies face particular challenges in determining what counts as a "safe" product, given the contentious nature of what might count as a "harm" in the biotech field. In the area of corporate social responsibility, the adoption of a "stakeholder approach" and an attempt to manage the social consequences of products pose special challenges for biotech companies. This is due to the enormous range of groups and individuals claiming to have a stake in the doings of such companies, and the trenchant controversies over just what the social consequences of various biotechnologies might be. In the area of corporate governance, biotech companies need to seek out and follow best practices regarding the ways in which information, authority, and influence flow between a company's shareholders, managers, and Board of Directors, if they are to avoid duplicating the ethical and financial scandal that brought down ImClone. An important meta-issue, here--one that renders each of these corporate ethical challenges more vexing--is the difficulty of finding the appropriate benchmarks for ethical corporate behavior in a field as controversial, and as rapidly evolving, as biotechnology. Three programmatic suggestions can be made: Firstly, scholars and others interested in the ethical performance of the biotech sector must seek out and build opportunities for richer interdisciplinary collaboration. Secondly, companies within the biotech sector must seek out expertise and build capacity and competency in dealing with the corporate ethical issues that arise in their sector. Finally, companies in the biotech sector should explore the opportunities for collective problem solving afforded by the existence of local, national, and international industry associations such as the Biotechnology Industry Organization, BIOTECanada, and EuropaBio.

  10. Serum Amyloid A-Positive Hepatocellular Neoplasm: A New Type of Tumor Arising in Patients with Advanced Alcoholic Disease.

    PubMed

    Sasaki, Motoko; Nakanuma, Yasuni

    2015-09-01

    This chapter reviews a new type of hepatocellular neoplasm, serum amyloid A-positive hepatocellular neoplasm (SAA-HN), which arises in patients with advanced alcoholic liver disease such as cirrhosis. SAA-HNs share histological and immunohistochemical features with inflammatory hepatocellular adenoma, for example, a strong immunoreactivity for SAA. Clinicopathological features and issues regarding SAA-HN are reviewed with emphasis regarding its potential to develop into hepatocellular carcinoma. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  11. Legal implications of monitoring workers for carcinogenic and mutagenic risk.

    PubMed

    Damme, C J

    1982-01-01

    Many industries have initiated testing programs designed to identify workers who are especially vulnerable to workplace assaults by carcinogenic or mutagenic agents. This paper examines a number of legal issues attendant on such programs, including disclosure and consent, confidentiality, and other potential liability-producing factors. This paper also briefly looks at the legal issues that might arise if the federal government were to mandate similar programs. Finally, the basic rationale of industrial monitoring programs is discussed within the context of the emerging legal issues.

  12. Prevention, communication and equity in environmental epidemiology: ethical issues.

    PubMed

    Pagliarani, Giovanna; Botti, Caterina

    2011-01-01

    In environmental epidemiology research, decisions about when and how to intervene requires adequate ethical reflection. In fact, different kinds of issues may arise about: research methods and knowledge production; management of the results in terms of their overall assessments or for the implementation of preventive actions; reclamation intervention. In this contribution we propose to consider three topics we regard as crucial to this ethical debate: the reporting of conclusive research data; the correct application of the precautionary principle; and the environmental equity issues.

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

    Amy Honchar

    The contribution of funds from DOE supported publication costs of a special issue of Deep Sea Research arising from presentations at the First U.S. Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) Meeting held 4-6 May, 2009 to review the US implementation plan and its coordination with other monitoring activities. The special issue includes a total of 16 papers, including publications from three DOE-supported investigators (ie Sevellec, F., and A.V. Fedorov; Hu et. al., and Wan et. al.,). The special issue addresses DOE interests in understanding and simulation/modeling of abrupt climate change.

  14. Ethical issues in geriatric psychiatry.

    PubMed

    Rabins, Peter V; Black, Betty S

    2010-01-01

    The high rates of medical illness in older people, the high prevalence of cognitive disorder in the elderly, and the high prevalence of frailty in late life raise issues that occur infrequently in the care of younger adults. This article discusses the ethical issues that commonly arise in the setting of these medical and psychiatric morbidities, and emphasizes the need for clinicians and researchers to be knowledgeable about the belief systems and values of individual patients, of their carers when relevant, of themselves, and of research participants.

  15. Ethical issues and best practice in clinically based genomic research: Exeter Stakeholders Meeting Report.

    PubMed

    Carrieri, D; Bewshea, C; Walker, G; Ahmad, T; Bowen, W; Hall, A; Kelly, S

    2016-09-27

    Current guidelines on consenting individuals to participate in genomic research are diverse. This creates problems for participants and also for researchers, particularly for clinicians who provide both clinical care and research to their patients. A group of 14 stakeholders met on 7 October 2015 in Exeter to discuss the ethical issues and the best practice arising in clinically based genomic research, with particular emphasis on the issue of returning results to study participants/patients in light of research findings affecting research and clinical practices. The group was deliberately multidisciplinary to ensure that a diversity of views was represented. This report outlines the main ethical issues, areas of best practice and principles underlying ethical clinically based genomic research discussed during the meeting. The main point emerging from the discussion is that ethical principles, rather than being formulaic, should guide researchers/clinicians to identify who the main stakeholders are to consult with for a specific project and to incorporate their voices/views strategically throughout the lifecycle of each project. We believe that the mix of principles and practical guidelines outlined in this report can contribute to current debates on how to conduct ethical clinically based genomic research. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  16. 77 FR 50637 - Schedule of Fees Authorized

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-22

    ... direct and indirect costs must be taken into account in the computation of these costs. Since we last... thereof; or (4) Raise novel legal or policy issues arising out of legal mandates, the President's...

  17. Understanding Business Models in Pharmacy Schools.

    PubMed

    Holdford, David A

    2017-06-01

    The objectives of this article are to define business models, contrast the business models in pharmacy schools, and discuss issues that can arise from misunderstandings about whom pharmacy schools serve and how they do so.

  18. 7 CFR 1780.68 - Owner's contractual responsibility.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... of all contractual and administrative issues arising out of procurement entered into in support of a.... Matters concerning violation of laws are to be referred to the applicable local, State, or Federal authority. ...

  19. Accounting for Parcel-Allocation Variability in Practice: Combining Sources of Uncertainty and Choosing the Number of Allocations.

    PubMed

    Sterba, Sonya K; Rights, Jason D

    2016-01-01

    Item parceling remains widely used under conditions that can lead to parcel-allocation variability in results. Hence, researchers may be interested in quantifying and accounting for parcel-allocation variability within sample. To do so in practice, three key issues need to be addressed. First, how can we combine sources of uncertainty arising from sampling variability and parcel-allocation variability when drawing inferences about parameters in structural equation models? Second, on what basis can we choose the number of repeated item-to-parcel allocations within sample? Third, how can we diagnose and report proportions of total variability per estimate arising due to parcel-allocation variability versus sampling variability? This article addresses these three methodological issues. Developments are illustrated using simulated and empirical examples, and software for implementing them is provided.

  20. [Current problems arising from not having biosafety level 4 laboratories in Japan--qualitative study of infectious disease experts].

    PubMed

    Yamamoto, Yuko; Horiguchi, Itsuko; Marui, Eiji

    2009-09-01

    No public consensus exists yet on handling Biosafety Level 4 agents and no laboratory is operational at BSL4 in Japan. A discussion that includes neighboring residents and experts should be initiated to communicate risks. In this article, we present the current situation and prioritize problems we presently face. A three-stage Delphi survey was conducted. The subjects were twenty-two persons with extensive experience and knowledge of infectious diseases. Seven projections and issues were made with regard to the problems arising from the lack of an operational BSL4 laboratory. These were tabulated by the KJ method. The top seven projections were scored, such that the top received 7 points and the last received 1 point. A total of 51 projections were obtained for the first part of the survey, 39 for the second, and 29 for the last. The projection with the highest score was that it is impossible to cope with newly emerging infectious diseases. The second was that complete diagnoses are impossible without a BSL4 laboratory. All projections and issues were divided into the following four main groups: issues for researchers and laboratory staff, clinical practice and research on BSL4 agents, domestic and global security, and Japan's international position. We clarified possible problem arising from not having BSL4 laboratories in Japan. The identification of projections by the Delphi survey in this study should be considered as one of many attempts to develop effective risk communication strategies.

  1. Legal Issues in the Use of Student Test Scores and Value-Added Models (VAM) to Determine Educational Quality

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pullin, Diana

    2013-01-01

    A growing number of states and local schools across the country have adopted educator evaluation and accountability programs based on the use of student test scores and value-added models (VAM). A wide array of potential legal issues could arise from the implementation of these programs. This article uses legal analysis and social science evidence…

  2. Policy issues in interconnecting networks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Leiner, Barry M.

    1989-01-01

    To support the activities of the Federal Research Coordinating Committee (FRICC) in creating an interconnected set of networks to serve the research community, two workshops were held to address the technical support of policy issues that arise when interconnecting such networks. The workshops addressed the required and feasible technologies and architectures that could be used to satisfy the desired policies for interconnection. The results of the workshop are documented.

  3. The Academic Administrator and the Law: What Every Dean and Department Chair Needs To Know. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Toma, J. Douglas; Palm, Richard L.

    This digest summarizes the role of the dean or department chair in dealing with legal issues in higher education. It considers the types of legal issues which might arise for these administrators (such as contract and tort matters for staff and students), the erosion of the legislative and judicial deference given to academic decision making, and…

  4. Some core contested concepts.

    PubMed

    Chomsky, Noam

    2015-02-01

    Core concepts of language are highly contested. In some cases this is legitimate: real empirical and conceptual issues arise. In other cases, it seems that controversies are based on misunderstanding. A number of crucial cases are reviewed, and an approach to language is outlined that appears to have strong conceptual and empirical motivation, and to lead to conclusions about a number of significant issues that differ from some conventional beliefs.

  5. Issues in the Medication Management Process in People Who Have Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Qualitative Study of the Caregivers' Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Erickson, Steven R.; Salgado, Teresa M.; Tian, Xi

    2016-01-01

    People who have intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often rely on caregivers to assist in the medication management process. The aim of this study was to learn from caregivers, who are either family or support staff, what major issues arise throughout the process of managing medication and how these might be addressed. Problems…

  6. Reneging: A Topic to Promote Engaging Discussions about Law and Ethics in a Business Law or Legal Environment Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murphy, Tonia Hap

    2009-01-01

    This article is intended for business law and legal environment instructors who want to help students understand how they might react when presented with an ethical conflict, no matter how big or how small. The article discusses not only the compelling ethical issues that may arise in reneging cases, but also legal issues. The article provides…

  7. Issues of Shared Parenting of LGBTQ Children and Youth in Foster Care: Preparing Foster Parents for New Roles

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Craig-Oldsen, Heather; Craig, J. Ann; Morton, Thomas

    2006-01-01

    Foster parents have increasingly assumed new and challenging roles during the past decade. Meeting the developmental, attachment, and grieving needs of children and youth in out of home care is challenging by itself, but can become even more difficult with the issues that arise when the child is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning…

  8. Modeling ozone episodes in the Baltimore-Washington region

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ryan, William F.

    1994-01-01

    Surface ozone (O3) concentrations in excess of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) continue to occur in metropolitan areas in the United States despite efforts to control emissions of O3 precursors. Future O3 control strategies will be based on results from modeling efforts that have just begun in many areas. Two initial questions that arise are model sensitivity to domain-specific conditions and the selection of episodes for model evaluation and control strategy development. For the Baltimore-Washington region (B-W), the presence of the Chesapeake Bay introduces a number of issues relevant to model sensitivity. In this paper, the specific questions of the determination of model volume (mixing height) for the Urban Airshed Model (UAM) is discussed and various alternative methods compared. For the latter question, several analytic approaches, Cluster Analysis and classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis are undertaken to determine meteorological conditions associated with severe O3 events in the B-W domain.

  9. Architecture of PFC supports analogy, but PFC is not an analogy machine.

    PubMed

    Speed, Ann

    2010-06-01

    In the preceding discussion paper, I proposed a theory of prefrontal cortical organization that was fundamentally intended to address the question: How does prefrontal cortex (PFC) support the various functions for which it seems to be selectively recruited? In so doing, I chose to focus on a particular function, analogy, that seems to have been largely ignored in the theoretical treatments of PFC, but that does underlie many other cognitive functions (Hofstadter, 2001 ; Holyoak & Thagard, 1997 ). At its core, this paper was intended to use analogy as a foundation for exploring one possibility for prefrontal function in general, although it is easy to see how the analogy-specific interpretation arises (as in the comment by Ibáñez). In an attempt to address this more foundational question, this response will step away from analogy as a focus, and will address first the various comments from the perspective of the initial motivation for developing this theory, and then specific issues raised by the commentators.

  10. Patient-specific surgical simulator for the pre-operative planning of single-incision laparoscopic surgery with bimanual robots.

    PubMed

    Turini, Giuseppe; Moglia, Andrea; Ferrari, Vincenzo; Ferrari, Mauro; Mosca, Franco

    2012-01-01

    The trend of surgical robotics is to follow the evolution of laparoscopy, which is now moving towards single-incision laparoscopic surgery. The main drawback of this approach is the limited maneuverability of the surgical tools. Promising solutions to improve the surgeon's dexterity are based on bimanual robots. However, since both robot arms are completely inserted into the patient's body, issues related to possible unwanted collisions with structures adjacent to the target organ may arise. This paper presents a simulator based on patient-specific data for the positioning and workspace evaluation of bimanual surgical robots in the pre-operative planning of single-incision laparoscopic surgery. The simulator, designed for the pre-operative planning of robotic laparoscopic interventions, was tested by five expert surgeons who evaluated its main functionalities and provided an overall rating for the system. The proposed system demonstrated good performance and usability, and was designed to integrate both present and future bimanual surgical robots.

  11. A multidimensional framework for assessing patient room configurations.

    PubMed

    Pati, Debajyoti; Harvey, Thomas E; Reyers, Evelyn; Evans, Jennie; Waggener, Laurie; Serrano, Marjorie; Saucier, Rachel; Nagle, Tina

    2009-01-01

    A framework for multidimensional assessment of patient room configurations is presented. Twenty-three issues are considered and categorized under six domains of assessment: (1) patient safety, (2) staff efficiency, (3) circulation, (4) infection control, (5) patient considerations, and (6) family amenities. Use of the framework to rank issues by importance and assess six alternative patient room configurations by a diverse group of experts in a symposium is described. One of the key questions posed during inpatient room design is the location of the bathroom. What issues are affected by the variations in room configuration that arise from bathroom location? A complete articulation of the issues that potentially are affected by room configuration is not available in the literature. The list of issues was developed by the authors in preparation for a symposium. The symposium was organized in May 2007 and attended by 14 experts from four institutions. Six alternative room configurations were used. Variations in the configurations included: (1) three same-handed and three mirror-image rooms; (2) three outboard, two inboard, and one nested bathroom; and (3) three rooms with footwall bathrooms and three with headwall bathrooms. In a four-step process, the attendees ranked the issues, discussed them in detail, rated each room configuration against each issue on a seven-point suitability scale, and conducted an overall assessment of the six configurations. Based on the ratings and rankings provided by the symposium participants, outboard bathroom locations were found to be most suitable, followed by nested and inboard configurations. Furthermore, configurations with patient bathrooms located on the footwall were rated as more suitable than headwall locations. The authors recommend, however, that the framework be used to determine a suitable room configuration in a specific context, rather than to identify configurations that will perform well universally.

  12. Design, Specification and Construction of Specialized Measurement System in the Experimental Building

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fedorczak-Cisak, Malgorzata; Kwasnowski, Pawel; Furtak, Marcin; Hayduk, Grzegorz

    2017-10-01

    Experimental buildings for “in situ” research are a very important tool for collecting data on energy efficiency of the energy-saving technologies. One of the most advanced building of this type in Poland is the Maloposkie Laboratory of Energy-saving Buildings at Cracow University of Technology. The building itself is used by scientists as a research object and research tool to test energy-saving technologies. It is equipped with a specialized measuring system consisting of approx. 3 000 different sensors distributed in technical installations and structural elements of the building (walls, ceilings, cornices) and the ground. The authors of the paper will present the innovative design and technology of this specialized instrumentation. They will discuss issues arising during the implementation and use of the building.

  13. Gene Editing: A View Through the Prism of Inherited Metabolic Disorders.

    PubMed

    Davison, James

    2018-04-01

    Novel technological developments mean that gene editing - making deliberately targeted alterations in specific genes - is now a clinical reality. The inherited metabolic disorders, a group of clinically significant, monogenic disorders, provide a useful paradigm to explore some of the many ethical issues that arise from this technological capability. Fundamental questions about the significance of the genome, and of manipulating it by selection or editing, are reviewed, and a particular focus on the legislative process that has permitted the development of mitochondrial donation techniques is considered. Ultimately, decisions about what we should do with gene editing must be determined by reference to other non-genomic texts that determine what it is to be human - rather than simply to undertake gene editing because it can be done.

  14. Ethical issues concerning New Zealand sports doctors

    PubMed Central

    Anderson, L; Gerrard, D

    2005-01-01

    Success in sport can provide a source of national pride for a society, and vast financial and personal rewards for an individual athlete. It is therefore not surprising that many athletes will go to great lengths in pursuit of success. The provision of healthcare for elite sports people has the potential to create many ethical issues for sports doctors; however there has been little discussion of them to date. This study highlights these issues. Respondents to a questionnaire identified many ethical matters, common to other areas of medicine. However they also raised problems unique to sports medicine. Some of these ethical difficulties arise out of the place of the sports doctor within the hierarchy of sport. Yet others arise out of the special relationship between sports doctors and individual players/athletes. This study raises some important questions regarding the governance of healthcare in sport, and what support and guidance is available to sports doctors. As medical and scientific intervention in sport escalates, there is a risk that demands for enhanced performance may compromise the health of the athlete, and the role the sports doctor plays remains a critical question. PMID:15681672

  15. Launching the Greek forensic DNA database. The legal framework and arising ethical issues.

    PubMed

    Voultsos, Polychronis; Njau, Samuel; Tairis, Nikolaos; Psaroulis, Dimitrios; Kovatsi, Leda

    2011-11-01

    Since the creation of the first national DNA database in Europe in 1995, many European countries have legislated laws for initiating and regulating their own databases. The Greek government legislated a law in 2008, by which the National DNA Database of Greece was founded and regulated. According to this law, only DNA profiles from convicted criminals were recorded. Nevertheless, a year later, in 2009, the law was amended to permit the creation of an expanded database including innocent people and children. Unfortunately, the new law is very vague in many aspects and does not respect the principle of proportionality. Therefore, according to our opinion, it will soon need to be re-amended. Furthermore, prior to legislating the new law, there was no debate with the community itself in order to clarify what system would best suit Greece and what the citizens would be willing to accept. We present the current legal framework in Greece, we highlight issues that need to be clarified and we discuss possible ethical issues that may arise. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Interim Enforcement Program Response Guidance to Public Data Access Issues

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Written to assist EPA and states when the ECHO web site was launched, this document provides guidance on questions that can arise when compliance and enforcement data are made available to the public.

  17. Some Ethical-Moral Concerns in Administration.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Enns, Frederick

    1981-01-01

    Presents and analyzes moral-ethical issues that arise in administration and concludes that past descriptive, objective, and scientific approaches to administration have failed to take full account of the moral-ethical dimension of human existence. (Author/WD)

  18. Understanding Business Models in Pharmacy Schools

    PubMed Central

    Holdford, David A.

    2017-01-01

    The objectives of this article are to define business models, contrast the business models in pharmacy schools, and discuss issues that can arise from misunderstandings about whom pharmacy schools serve and how they do so. PMID:28720910

  19. Ethical Issues and Practical Challenges in Suicide Research.

    PubMed

    Hom, Melanie A; Podlogar, Matthew C; Stanley, Ian H; Joiner, Thomas E

    2017-03-01

    Research with human subjects represents a critical avenue for suicide prevention efforts; however, such research is not without its ethical and practical challenges. Specifically, given the nature of research with individuals at elevated risk for suicide (e.g., increased concerns regarding participant safety, adverse events, liability, difficulties often arise during the institutional review board (IRB) evaluation and approval process. This paper aims to discuss IRB-related issues associated with suicide prevention research, including researcher and IRB panel member responsibilities, suicide risk assessment and management ethics and procedures, informed consent considerations, preparation of study protocols, and education and training. Points to consider and components to potentially include in an IRB application for suicide-related research are additionally provided. Literature relevant to ethics in suicide research and suicide risk assessment and management was reviewed and synthesized. Suicide research can be conducted in accordance with ethical principles while also furthering the science of suicide prevention. Despite the challenging nature of suicide prevention research, empirically informed solutions exist to address difficulties that may emerge in interfacing with IRBs. There remain areas for improvement in the IRB approval process that warrant further investigation and work.

  20. The agrarian myth and policy responses to farm safety.

    PubMed Central

    Kelsey, T W

    1994-01-01

    Agriculture's status as one of the nation's most hazardous occupations has been an impetus for a reexamination of the federal role in agricultural safety and for various proposals to make farming safer. During the 1970s congressional debate and farm group testimony that led to agriculture's current exemption from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's enforcement efforts, regulation foes made use of the "Agrarian Myth." The myth portrays farmers as the bedrock of democracy, suffering so that society may prosper and living a natural life away from the artificiality and evils of cities. Despite the inaccuracy of its images, the myth is a potent symbol in American culture, and its influence could arise again in current policy debates. This paper examines specific issues that may be obscured by the myth but that must be addressed in any agricultural safety policy debate. It then recommends that responses to agricultural safety be carefully considered and that value judgements about what the issues are, who would benefit, and who would bear the costs be explicitly discussed during debate. Images p1172-a p1173-a p1174-a PMID:8017549

  1. Green ergonomics: challenges and opportunities.

    PubMed

    Hanson, Margaret A

    2013-01-01

    Addressing the causes and consequences of environmental degradation presents significant challenges for humankind. This paper considers what ergonomics/human factors (E/HF) professionals can contribute to understanding and tackling some of the issues that arise through the movement towards a more environmentally sustainable economy. These issues are considered in relation to work in green industries (specifically, sustainable energy production, recycling and organic food production), and there is a need to ensure that these jobs are safe and healthy; the design of products and systems that are 'environmentally friendly' to facilitate their acceptability and use and how E/HF professionals can contribute to understanding and promoting behavioural change relating to environmental choices. The activities of some international organisations in this area are identified and the potential for E/HF involvement is considered. The implications for the E/HF profession are discussed. This paper considers how ergonomics/human factors professionals can contribute to the movement towards more sustainable and 'environmentally friendly' design and work. Potential challenges and opportunities are discussed in relation to jobs in green industries, products and systems and behaviour change.

  2. Communication strategies and intensive interaction therapy meet the theology of the body: bioethics in dialogue with people with profound disabilities.

    PubMed

    Matthews, Pia

    2013-01-01

    Academic bioethics does not appear to be interested in communication and its ethical concerns unless communication is to do with issues such as capacity, consent, truth telling and confidentiality. In contrast practitioners are interested in actually communicating with their patients and they are often particularly perplexed when it comes to people with profound disabilities where communication appears disrupted. Although some new and not so new communication strategies, and especially intensive interaction, are available, little has been written on either the ethical concerns these may present or the deeper concepts that underpin them. This article explores the practical applications of some of these communication strategies. By engaging these strategies with theology, and specifically Pope John Paul's Theology of the Body, this article identifies and addresses some significant ethical issues that may arise, notably the risk of dualism and of objectifying the human person. Moreover it provides communication strategies with a rationale that goes beyond practicalities to one based on respect for human dignity, justice and solidarity.

  3. Patterns of trauma induced by motorboat and ferry propellers as illustrated by three known cases from Rhode Island.

    PubMed

    Semeraro, Dominique; Passalacqua, Nicholas V; Symes, Steven; Gilson, Thomas

    2012-11-01

    Understanding patterns of trauma is important to determining cause and manner of death. A thorough evaluation of taphonomy, trauma, and bone fracture mechanisms is necessary to reconstruct the circumstances of the death. This study examines the skeletal trauma caused by boat propeller strikes in terms of wound characteristics and location based on three cases from Rhode Island. These case studies review the traumatic characteristics caused by propeller injuries and highlight the anatomic regions most likely to sustain skeletal trauma. With this information, investigators may be able to identify propeller trauma even in severely decomposed remains. The discussion of boat propeller trauma also raises issues regarding how forensic anthropologists and forensic pathologists classify trauma (specifically blunt force vs. sharp) and highlights semantic issues arising in trauma classification. The study also discusses why these propeller cases should be classified as blunt trauma rather than sharp or chop/hack trauma. Ultimately, the authors urge consistency and communication between pathologist and forensic anthropologists performing trauma analyses. © 2012 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

  4. The agrarian myth and policy responses to farm safety.

    PubMed

    Kelsey, T W

    1994-07-01

    Agriculture's status as one of the nation's most hazardous occupations has been an impetus for a reexamination of the federal role in agricultural safety and for various proposals to make farming safer. During the 1970s congressional debate and farm group testimony that led to agriculture's current exemption from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's enforcement efforts, regulation foes made use of the "Agrarian Myth." The myth portrays farmers as the bedrock of democracy, suffering so that society may prosper and living a natural life away from the artificiality and evils of cities. Despite the inaccuracy of its images, the myth is a potent symbol in American culture, and its influence could arise again in current policy debates. This paper examines specific issues that may be obscured by the myth but that must be addressed in any agricultural safety policy debate. It then recommends that responses to agricultural safety be carefully considered and that value judgements about what the issues are, who would benefit, and who would bear the costs be explicitly discussed during debate.

  5. [Nudge strategies at a glance: an overview. More freedom or new paternalism?

    PubMed

    Leone, Luca

    2016-01-01

    Under the theoretical assumptions of individual bounded rationality and of behavioural psychology about human actions and agency, nudge has been promoted as an alternative to traditional regulatory tools, characterized by being inexpensive, choice-preserving, and bound to promote legitimate goals and citizens' welfare within through specific choice architectures. Applicable to several domains, health included, the nudging approach runs in connection with requests and needs arising from marketing strategies, with the aim of maximizing economic rationality and efficiency. However, as nudge was framed having in mind the notion of consumer, it fails to fully meet the values connected to the idea of citizenship. Most nudges strategies seem to imply a top-down vision - though soft paternalistic - where pre-defined and often black-boxed values pretend to define individual and collective directions. The representational and ethical issues surrounding nudge, the psychological mechanisms working behind it, and the correlated legal issues request a precise and accurate scrutiny, if we want nudging interventions to be legitimately and democratically framed within policy strategies and human agency not to be disregarded, but empowered by behaviourally-based actions.

  6. On your marks, get set, go!-lessons from the UK in enhancing employability of graduates and postgraduates.

    PubMed

    Fahnert, Beatrix

    2015-10-01

    Employers expect graduates and postgraduates to demonstrate their education through more than good grades. Learning activities that develop subject skills during formalized programmes of undergraduate and postgraduate study also develop employability skills, if the curriculum is suitably aligned, and developmental planning is supported. Only little extra provision is required, but all development needs to be explicitly signposted to the learner, and the curriculum should be developed in consultation with employers. This review aims to raise awareness of current issues in the context of enhancing employability that arise from an increased global competition on the job market and the expectation of the Higher Education sector to produce work-ready graduates and postgraduates that are well equipped to adapt to a quickly changing work environment particularly due to transferable skills. In the context of lessons from the UK, these current issues and employability are discussed, and approaches to Personal Development Planning that prepare students for lifelong learning and that enable communicating and evidencing achievement are addressed. Issues specific to postgraduates, how actual work experience should be maximized as well as other career influences such as learned societies and social networking are highlighted. © FEMS 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  7. Lessons Learned from Undergraduate Students in Designing a Science-Based Course in Bioethics

    PubMed Central

    Loike, John D.; Rush, Brittany S.; Schweber, Adam; Fischbach, Ruth L.

    2013-01-01

    Columbia University offers two innovative undergraduate science-based bioethics courses for student majoring in biosciences and pre–health studies. The goals of these courses are to introduce future scientists and healthcare professionals to the ethical questions they will confront in their professional lives, thus enabling them to strategically address these bioethical dilemmas. These courses incorporate innovative pedagogical methods, case studies, and class discussions to stimulate the students to think creatively about bioethical issues emerging from new biotechnologies. At the end of each course, each student is required to submit a one-page strategy detailing how he or she would resolve a bioethical dilemma. Based on our experience in teaching these courses and on a qualitative analysis of the students’ reflections, we offer recommendations for creating an undergraduate science-based course in bioethics. General recommendations include: 1) integrating the science of emerging biotechnologies, their ethical ramifications, and contemporary bioethical theories into interactive class sessions; 2) structuring discussion-based classes to stimulate students to consider the impact of their moral intuitions when grappling with bioethical issues; and 3) using specific actual and futuristic case studies to highlight bioethical issues and to help develop creative problem-solving skills. Such a course sparks students’ interests in both science and ethics and helps them analyze bioethical challenges arising from emerging biotechnologies. PMID:24297296

  8. The global collaboration on traumatic stress.

    PubMed

    Schnyder, Ulrich; Schäfer, Ingo; Aakvaag, Helene F; Ajdukovic, Dean; Bakker, Anne; Bisson, Jonathan I; Brewer, Douglas; Cloitre, Marylène; Dyb, Grete A; Frewen, Paul; Lanza, Juliana; Le Brocque, Robyne; Lueger-Schuster, Brigitte; Mwiti, Gladys K; Oe, Misari; Rosner, Rita; Schellong, Julia; Shigemura, Jun; Wu, Kitty; Olff, Miranda

    2017-01-01

    Trauma is a global issue. The great majority of the global burden of disease arising from mental health conditions occurs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), among populations in political, economic, and/or cultural transition and those struck by forced migration. These mental health problems frequently arise as a result of traumatic events that adversely affect adults, children, and families, including war, mass violence, natural disasters, and accidents. In response to this, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) launched the Global Initiative to have a stronger global impact on trauma-related issues. As part of this initiative, the Global Collaboration was established by representatives of eight professional organizations active in the field of traumatic stress. The group decided to focus on childhood abuse and neglect as its first collaboration. They collected guidelines worldwide, providing the basis for a synthesized core guide for prevention and treatment that can be customized for specific cultural contexts. The resulting 'Internet information on Childhood Abuse and Neglect' (iCAN) is a comprehensive guide for adults who have been affected by childhood abuse and neglect, as well as for the survivors' significant others. It is currently provided in eight languages, and is freely available at the homepage of ISTSS and other websites. A second achievement of the Global Collaboration is the validation of the Computerized Childhood Attachment and Relational Trauma Screen (CARTS), a self-report measure designed to measure occurrences of childhood maltreatment, and its translation into multiple languages, including Croatian, Dutch, French, Georgian, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Russian, and Spanish. A study is currently planned to collect normative responses to the questionnaire, and to conduct cross-cultural comparisons. The Global Collaboration's success may be seen as an encouraging step towards a truly global structure in the field of traumatic stress.

  9. Responding to Terrorism: Challenges for Democracy. Teacher's Resource Book [and Student Text]. Public Policy Debate in the Classroom. Choices for the 21st Century Education Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blackadar, Andy

    This curriculum material, part of a continuing series on current and historical international issues, addresses the issues arising from the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. On the morning of September 11, 2001, as people watched in horror, terrorist attacks were successfully launched against the United…

  10. The gap between law and ethics in human embryonic stem cell research: overcoming the effect of U.S. federal policy on research advances and public benefit.

    PubMed

    Taylor, Patrick L

    2005-10-01

    Key ethical issues arise in association with the conduct of stem cell research by research institutions in the United States. These ethical issues, summarized in detail, receive no adequate translation into federal laws or regulations, also described in this article. U.S. Federal policy takes a passive approach to these ethical issues, translating them simply into limitations on taxpayer funding, and foregoes scientific and ethical leadership while protecting intellectual property interests through a laissez faire approach to stem cell patents and licenses. Those patents and licenses, far from being scientifically and ethically neutral in effect, virtually prohibit commercially sponsored research that could otherwise be a realistic alternative to the federal funding gap. The lack of federal funding and related data-sharing principles, combined with the effect of U.S. patent policy, the lack of key agency guidance, and the proliferation of divergent state laws arising from the lack of Federal leadership, significantly impede ethical stem cell research in the United States, without coherently supporting any consensus ethical vision. Research institutions must themselves implement steps, described in the article, to integrate addressing ethical review with the many legal compliance issues U.S. federal and state laws create.

  11. Toward high throughput optical metamaterial assemblies.

    PubMed

    Fontana, Jake; Ratna, Banahalli R

    2015-11-01

    Optical metamaterials have unique engineered optical properties. These properties arise from the careful organization of plasmonic elements. Transitioning these properties from laboratory experiments to functional materials may lead to disruptive technologies for controlling light. A significant issue impeding the realization of optical metamaterial devices is the need for robust and efficient assembly strategies to govern the order of the nanometer-sized elements while enabling macroscopic throughput. This mini-review critically highlights recent approaches and challenges in creating these artificial materials. As the ability to assemble optical metamaterials improves, new unforeseen opportunities may arise for revolutionary optical devices.

  12. 29 CFR 95.41 - Recipient responsibilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ..., AND OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, AND WITH COMMERCIAL ORGANIZATIONS, FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS, ORGANIZATIONS UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS, AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Post-Award... of all contractual and administrative issues arising out of procurements entered into in support of...

  13. 29 CFR 95.41 - Recipient responsibilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ..., AND OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, AND WITH COMMERCIAL ORGANIZATIONS, FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS, ORGANIZATIONS UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS, AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Post-Award... of all contractual and administrative issues arising out of procurements entered into in support of...

  14. 29 CFR 95.41 - Recipient responsibilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ..., AND OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, AND WITH COMMERCIAL ORGANIZATIONS, FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS, ORGANIZATIONS UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS, AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Post-Award... of all contractual and administrative issues arising out of procurements entered into in support of...

  15. 78 FR 64194 - Revocation of Statement of Policy on Public Participation in Rulemaking

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-10-28

    ... assertion with respect to the meat purchasing activities of USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). In... legal or policy issue arising out of legal mandates, the President's priorities, or the principles set...

  16. 29 CFR 24.110 - Decision and orders of the Administrative Review Board.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... administrative law judge issued under the Energy Reorganization Act, other than that portion of the order... privileges of employment, and compensatory damages. In cases arising under the Safe Drinking Water Act or the...

  17. 20 CFR 435.41 - Recipient responsibilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 435.41 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION UNIFORM ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANTS AND AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS..., regarding the settlement and satisfaction of all contractual and administrative issues arising out of...

  18. 20 CFR 435.41 - Recipient responsibilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 435.41 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION UNIFORM ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANTS AND AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS..., regarding the settlement and satisfaction of all contractual and administrative issues arising out of...

  19. 20 CFR 435.41 - Recipient responsibilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 435.41 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION UNIFORM ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANTS AND AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS..., regarding the settlement and satisfaction of all contractual and administrative issues arising out of...

  20. 20 CFR 435.41 - Recipient responsibilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 435.41 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION UNIFORM ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANTS AND AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS..., regarding the settlement and satisfaction of all contractual and administrative issues arising out of...

  1. 20 CFR 435.41 - Recipient responsibilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 435.41 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION UNIFORM ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANTS AND AGREEMENTS WITH INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS..., regarding the settlement and satisfaction of all contractual and administrative issues arising out of...

  2. Ethical issues and addiction.

    PubMed

    Lambert, Binta; Scheiner, Melissa; Campbell, Deborah

    2010-04-01

    The epidemic of substance abuse continues to pose a significant challenge to clinicians nationwide. Although there is a tendency to simply associate drug abuse with poverty, the problem affects every social stratum gender and race; and pregnant women are no exception. Caring for pregnant, substance-using women and their infants presents complex legal and ethical issues. Debate is ongoing about whether criminal penalties should be imposed on women based solely on their use of alcohol and other drugs during pregnancy. Furthermore, controversies persist about the rights and wishes of pregnant women versus the interests of their fetuses. For health professionals, conflict arises when the pregnant woman chooses behaviors that have the potential to harm the developing fetus. The ethical dilemma arises from competing autonomy-based and beneficence-based obligations to the maternal-fetal dyad. This chapter explores the ethics-based conflicts in the delivery of health care to drug abusing pregnant women.

  3. Can ethnography save the life of medical ethics?

    PubMed

    Hoffmaster, B

    1992-12-01

    Since its inception contemporary medical ethics has been regarded by many of its practitioners as 'applied ethics', that is, the application of philosophical theories to the moral problems that arise in health care. This 'applied ethics' model of medical ethics is, however, beset with internal and external difficulties. The internal difficulties point out that the model is intrinsically flawed. The external difficulties arise because the model does not fit work in the field. Indeed, the strengths of that work are its highly nuanced, particularized analyses of cases and issues and its appreciation of the circumstances and contexts that generate and structure these cases and issues. A shift away from a theory-driven 'applied ethics' to a more situational, contextual approach to medical ethics opens the way for ethnographic studies of moral problems in health care as well as a conception of moral theory that is more responsive to the empirical dimensions of those problems.

  4. Computer ethics and teritary level education in Hong Kong

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

    Wong, E.Y.W.; Davison, R.M.; Wade, P.W.

    1994-12-31

    This paper seeks to highlight some ethical issues relating to the increasing proliferation of Information Technology into our everyday lives. The authors explain their understanding of computer ethics, and give some reasons why the study of computer ethics is becoming increasingly pertinent. The paper looks at some of the problems that arise in attempting to develop appropriate ethical concepts in a constantly changing environment, and explores some of the ethical dilemmas arising from the increasing use of computers. Some initial research undertaken to explore the ideas and understanding of tertiary level students in Hong Kong on a number of ethicalmore » issues of interest is described, and our findings discussed. We hope that presenting this paper and eliciting subsequent discussion will enable us to draw up more comprehensive guidelines for the teaching of computer related ethics to tertiary level students, as well as reveal some directions for future research.« less

  5. Privacy and Ethics in Pediatric Environmental Health Research—Part II: Protecting Families and Communities

    PubMed Central

    Fisher, Celia B.

    2006-01-01

    Background In pediatric environmental health research, information about family members is often directly sought or indirectly obtained in the process of identifying child risk factors and helping to tease apart and identify interactions between genetic and environmental factors. However, federal regulations governing human subjects research do not directly address ethical issues associated with protections for family members who are not identified as the primary “research participant.” Ethical concerns related to family consent and privacy become paramount as pediatric environmental health research increasingly turns to questions of gene–environment interactions. Objectives In this article I identify issues arising from and potential solutions for the privacy and informed consent challenges of pediatric environmental health research intended to adequately protect the rights and welfare of children, family members, and communities. Discussion I first discuss family members as secondary research participants and then the specific ethical challenges of longitudinal research on late-onset environmental effects and gene–environment interactions. I conclude with a discussion of the confidentiality and social risks of recruitment and data collection of research conducted within small or unique communities, ethnic minority populations, and low-income families. Conclusions The responsible conduct of pediatric environmental health research must be conceptualized as a goodness of fit between the specific research context and the unique characteristics of subjects and other family stakeholders. PMID:17035154

  6. Information systems - Issues in global habitability

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Norman, S. D.; Brass, J. A.; Jones, H.; Morse, D. R.

    1984-01-01

    The present investigation is concerned with fundamental issues, related to information considerations, which arise in an interdisciplinary approach to questions of global habitability. Information system problems and issues are illustrated with the aid of an example involving biochemical cycling and biochemical productivity. The estimation of net primary production (NPP) as an important consideration in the overall global habitability issue is discussed. The NPP model requires three types of data, related to meteorological information, a land surface inventory, and the vegetation structure. Approaches for obtaining and processing these data are discussed. Attention is given to user requirements, information system requirements, workstations, network communications, hardware/software access, and data management.

  7. Camouflage through colour change: mechanisms, adaptive value and ecological significance

    PubMed Central

    Flores, Augusto A. V.

    2017-01-01

    Animals from a wide range of taxonomic groups are capable of colour change, of which camouflage is one of the main functions. A considerable amount of past work on this subject has investigated species capable of extremely rapid colour change (in seconds). However, relatively slow colour change (over hours, days, weeks and months), as well as changes arising via developmental plasticity are probably more common than rapid changes, yet less studied. We discuss three key areas of colour change and camouflage. First, we review the mechanisms underpinning colour change and developmental plasticity for camouflage, including cellular processes, visual feedback, hormonal control and dietary factors. Second, we discuss the adaptive value of colour change for camouflage, including the use of different camouflage types. Third, we discuss the evolutionary–ecological implications of colour change for concealment, including what it can tell us about intraspecific colour diversity, morph-specific strategies, and matching to different environments and microhabitats. Throughout, we discuss key unresolved questions and present directions for future work, and highlight how colour change facilitates camouflage among habitats and arises when animals are faced with environmental changes occurring over a range of spatial and temporal scales. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Animal coloration: production, perception, function and application’. PMID:28533459

  8. Social learning and human mate preferences: a potential mechanism for generating and maintaining between-population diversity in attraction

    PubMed Central

    Little, Anthony C.; Jones, Benedict C.; DeBruine, Lisa M.; Caldwell, Christine A.

    2011-01-01

    Inspired by studies demonstrating mate-choice copying effects in non-human species, recent studies of attractiveness judgements suggest that social learning also influences human preferences. In the first part of our article, we review evidence for social learning effects on preferences in humans and other animals. In the second part, we present new empirical evidence that social learning not only influences the attractiveness of specific individuals, but can also generalize to judgements of previously unseen individuals possessing similar physical traits. The different conditions represent different populations and, once a preference arises in a population, social learning can lead to the spread of preferences within that population. In the final part of our article, we discuss the theoretical basis for, and possible impact of, biases in social learning whereby individuals may preferentially copy the choices of those with high status or better access to critical information about potential mates. Such biases could mean that the choices of a select few individuals carry the greatest weight, rapidly generating agreement in preferences within a population. Collectively, these issues suggest that social learning mechanisms encourage the spread of preferences for certain traits once they arise within a population and so may explain certain cross-cultural differences. PMID:21199841

  9. Camouflage through colour change: mechanisms, adaptive value and ecological significance.

    PubMed

    Duarte, Rafael C; Flores, Augusto A V; Stevens, Martin

    2017-07-05

    Animals from a wide range of taxonomic groups are capable of colour change, of which camouflage is one of the main functions. A considerable amount of past work on this subject has investigated species capable of extremely rapid colour change (in seconds). However, relatively slow colour change (over hours, days, weeks and months), as well as changes arising via developmental plasticity are probably more common than rapid changes, yet less studied. We discuss three key areas of colour change and camouflage. First, we review the mechanisms underpinning colour change and developmental plasticity for camouflage, including cellular processes, visual feedback, hormonal control and dietary factors. Second, we discuss the adaptive value of colour change for camouflage, including the use of different camouflage types. Third, we discuss the evolutionary-ecological implications of colour change for concealment, including what it can tell us about intraspecific colour diversity, morph-specific strategies, and matching to different environments and microhabitats. Throughout, we discuss key unresolved questions and present directions for future work, and highlight how colour change facilitates camouflage among habitats and arises when animals are faced with environmental changes occurring over a range of spatial and temporal scales.This article is part of the themed issue 'Animal coloration: production, perception, function and application'. © 2017 The Authors.

  10. Development of the EORTC QLQ-CAX24, A Questionnaire for Cancer Patients With Cachexia.

    PubMed

    Wheelwright, Sally J; Hopkinson, Jane B; Darlington, Anne-Sophie; Fitzsimmons, Deborah F; Fayers, Peter; Balstad, Trude R; Bredart, Anne; Hammerlid, Eva; Kaasa, Stein; Nicolatou-Galitis, Ourania; Pinto, Monica; Schmidt, Heike; Solheim, Tora S; Strasser, Florian; Tomaszewska, Iwona M; Johnson, Colin D

    2017-02-01

    Cachexia is commonly found in cancer patients and has profound consequences; yet there is only one questionnaire that examines the patient's perspective. To report a rigorously developed module for patient self-reported impact of cancer cachexia. Module development followed published guidelines. Patients from across the cancer cachexia trajectory were included. In Phase 1, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) issues were generated from a literature review and interviews with patients in four countries. The issues were revised based on patient and health care professional (HCP) input. In Phase 2, questionnaire items were formulated and translated into the languages required for Phase 3, the pilot phase, in which patients from eight countries scored the relevance and importance of each item, and provided qualitative feedback. A total of 39 patients and 12 HCPs took part in Phase 1. The literature review produced 68 HRQOL issues, with 22 new issues arising from the patient interviews. After patient and HCP input, 44 issues were formulated into questionnaire items in Phase 2. One hundred ten patients took part in Phase 3. One item was reworded, and 20 items were deleted as a consequence of patient feedback. The QLQ-CAX24 is a cancer cachexia-specific questionnaire, comprising 24 items, for HRQOL assessment in clinical trials and practice. It contains five multi-item scales (food aversion, eating and weight-loss worry, eating difficulties, loss of control, and physical decline) and four single items. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. MULTIMEDIA EXPOSURE MODELING

    EPA Science Inventory

    This task addresses a number of issues that arise in multimedia modeling with an emphasis on interactions among the atmosphere and multiple other environmental media. Approaches for working with multiple types of models and the data sets are being developed. Proper software tool...

  12. The problem with multiple robots

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Huber, Marcus J.; Kenny, Patrick G.

    1994-01-01

    The issues that can arise in research associated with multiple, robotic agents are discussed. Two particular multi-robot projects are presented as examples. This paper was written in the hope that it might ease the transition from single to multiple robot research.

  13. 29 CFR 95.41 - Recipient responsibilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, AND WITH COMMERCIAL ORGANIZATIONS, FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS, ORGANIZATIONS UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS, AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Post-Award Requirements... contractual and administrative issues arising out of procurements entered into in support of an award or other...

  14. Legal Challenges and Pitfalls for Start-up Companies - 48 Common Questions and Answers.

    PubMed

    Staehelin, Matthias

    2014-12-01

    Transforming a business idea into reality requires a legal implementation plan. The following 48 questions and answers address key issues that typically arise in start-up situations. Early planning can help avoid costly mistakes.

  15. Report: Audit of EPA’s Fiscal 2005 and 2004 Consolidated Financial Statements

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Report #2006-1-00015, November 14, 2005. EPA converted to a new payroll system in fiscal 2005. While EPA was able to resolve many issues arising from the conversion, we noted several reportable conditions.

  16. 43 CFR 12.941 - Recipient responsibilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... to such Federal, State or local authority as may have proper jurisdiction. ... responsible authority, without recourse to the Federal awarding agency, regarding the settlement and satisfaction of all contractual and administrative issues arising out of procurements entered into in support...

  17. Clinical Ethics in Gabon: The Spectrum of Clinical Ethical Issues Based on Findings from In-Depth Interviews at Three Public Hospitals.

    PubMed

    Sippel, Daniel; Marckmann, Georg; Ndzie Atangana, Etienne; Strech, Daniel

    2015-01-01

    Unlike issues in biomedical research ethics, ethical challenges arising in daily clinical care in Sub-Saharan African countries have not yet been studied in a systematic manner. However this has to be seen as a distinct entity as we argue in this paper. Our aim was to give an overview of the spectrum of clinical ethical issues and to understand what influences clinical ethics in the Sub-Saharan country of Gabon. In-depth interviews with 18 health care professionals were conducted at three hospital sites in Gabon. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a grounded theory approach (open and axial coding), giving a qualitative spectrum of categories for clinical ethical issues. Validity was checked at a meeting with study participants and other health care experts in Gabon after analysis of the data. Twelve main categories (with 28 further-specified subcategories) for clinical ethical issues were identified and grouped under three core categories: A) micro level: "confidentiality and information", "interpersonal, relational and behavioral issues", "psychological strain of individuals", and "scarce resources"; B) meso level: "structural issues of medical institutions", "issues with private clinics", "challenges connected to the family", and "issues of education, training and competence"; and C) macro level: "influence of society, culture, religion and superstition", "applicability of western medicine", "structural issues on the political level", and "legal issues". Interviewees reported a broad spectrum of clinical ethical issues that go beyond challenges related to scarce financial and human resources. Specific socio-cultural, historical and educational backgrounds also played an important role. In fact these influences are central to an understanding of clinical ethics in the studied local context. Further research in the region is necessary to put our study into perspective. As many participants reported a lack of awareness of ethical issues amongst other health care professionals in daily clinical practice, we suggest that international organizations and national medical schools should consider infrastructure and tools to improve context-sensitive capacity building in clinical ethics for Sub-Saharan African countries like Gabon.

  18. Frequency-specific attentional modulation in human primary auditory cortex and midbrain.

    PubMed

    Riecke, Lars; Peters, Judith C; Valente, Giancarlo; Poser, Benedikt A; Kemper, Valentin G; Formisano, Elia; Sorger, Bettina

    2018-07-01

    Paying selective attention to an audio frequency selectively enhances activity within primary auditory cortex (PAC) at the tonotopic site (frequency channel) representing that frequency. Animal PAC neurons achieve this 'frequency-specific attentional spotlight' by adapting their frequency tuning, yet comparable evidence in humans is scarce. Moreover, whether the spotlight operates in human midbrain is unknown. To address these issues, we studied the spectral tuning of frequency channels in human PAC and inferior colliculus (IC), using 7-T functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) and frequency mapping, while participants focused on different frequency-specific sounds. We found that shifts in frequency-specific attention alter the response gain, but not tuning profile, of PAC frequency channels. The gain modulation was strongest in low-frequency channels and varied near-monotonically across the tonotopic axis, giving rise to the attentional spotlight. We observed less prominent, non-tonotopic spatial patterns of attentional modulation in IC. These results indicate that the frequency-specific attentional spotlight in human PAC as measured with FMRI arises primarily from tonotopic gain modulation, rather than adapted frequency tuning. Moreover, frequency-specific attentional modulation of afferent sound processing in human IC seems to be considerably weaker, suggesting that the spotlight diminishes toward this lower-order processing stage. Our study sheds light on how the human auditory pathway adapts to the different demands of selective hearing. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. From monopoly to markets: Milestones along the road. Occasional paper {number_sign}25

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

    Olson, W.P.

    1998-08-01

    This report analyzes developments in the electric utility industry using the tools of transaction cost economics. During the last thirty years, the tools of economic analysis have been substantially expanded--notably, Oliver Williamson, building on the insights of Coase and others, has made significant contributions through his work in developing the new institutional economics, of which transaction cost economics reasoning plays a major role. Because of the relevance of the new institutional economics to public utilities and public utility regulation, the theoretical insights of the new institutional economics have been applied to many aspects of public utility industry structure, governance, andmore » regulation. The contributions of Joskow and Schmalensee are most notable, but many other economists have made theoretical and empirical contributions. These insights are very applicable to the issues that policymakers and regulators are likely to address as electric restructuring progresses. The goal of this report is to synthesize the theoretical work on the new institutional economics with the recent developments in the electric utility industry--most notably, the rapid trend toward competition in electric generation, both in the US and abroad. Transaction-cost-economics reasoning provides an analytical structure for understanding the implications of asset specificity, asymmetric and imperfect information, reputation effects, ex ante contracting costs, ex post contract maladaption issues, and issues that arise because contracts are incomplete. The insights that transaction cost economics can provide are very timely to the debates currently going on with respect to electric restructuring issues.« less

  20. "Suspended animation," my mother's wife and cultural discernment: considerations for genetic research among immigrants.

    PubMed

    Kissell, Judith Lee

    2005-01-01

    One of the most difficult contemporary issues facing the bioethics of clinical research is balancing the maintaining of a universality of ethics standards with a sensitivity to cultural issues and differences. The concept of "vulnerability" for research subjects is especially apt for investigating the ethical and cultural issues surrounding the conduct of genetic research among new immigrants to the United States, using the Sudanese Nuer and Dinka tribes, recently settled in the Midwest, as an example. Issues of cultural vulnerability arise for some immigrants, related to relationship to the earth and to kinship issues, that threaten the narrative richness of a subject's life as well as the way she situates herself in the world.

  1. Managing flood risks in the Mekong Delta: How to address emerging challenges under climate change and socioeconomic developments.

    PubMed

    Hoang, Long Phi; Biesbroek, Robbert; Tri, Van Pham Dang; Kummu, Matti; van Vliet, Michelle T H; Leemans, Rik; Kabat, Pavel; Ludwig, Fulco

    2018-02-24

    Climate change and accelerating socioeconomic developments increasingly challenge flood-risk management in the Vietnamese Mekong River Delta-a typical large, economically dynamic and highly vulnerable delta. This study identifies and addresses the emerging challenges for flood-risk management. Furthermore, we identify and analyse response solutions, focusing on meaningful configurations of the individual solutions and how they can be tailored to specific challenges using expert surveys, content analysis techniques and statistical inferences. Our findings show that the challenges for flood-risk management are diverse, but critical challenges predominantly arise from the current governance and institutional settings. The top-three challenges include weak collaboration, conflicting management objectives and low responsiveness to new issues. We identified 114 reported solutions and developed six flood management strategies that are tailored to specific challenges. We conclude that the current technology-centric flood management approach is insufficient given the rapid socioecological changes. This approach therefore should be adapted towards a more balanced management configuration where technical and infrastructural measures are combined with institutional and governance resolutions. Insights from this study contribute to the emerging repertoire of contemporary flood management solutions, especially through their configurations and tailoring to specific challenges.

  2. Seminary Formation: A Case Study from the Pontifical Beda College, Rome

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Strange, Roderick

    2015-01-01

    This case study account reviews issues related to seminary formation and education at the Beda College, Rome, including Fundamentals of Formation, Community Life, Organizing Formation, Intellectual Formation, Spiritual Formation, Pastoral Formation, and the challenges arising in these fields.

  3. 78 FR 28569 - Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Age in Federally Assisted Programs or Activities

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-15

    ... the rights and obligations of recipients thereof; or (4) raise novel legal or policy issues arising...)(1), or increases in funding as a result of changed computation of formula awards. (2) NEH will not...

  4. Understanding and Validity in Qualitative Research.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maxwell, Joseph A.

    1992-01-01

    Details the philosophical and practical dimensions of five types of validity used in qualitative research: descriptive, interpretive, theoretical, generalizable, and evaluative, with corresponding issues of understanding. Presents this typology as a checklist of the kinds of threats to validity that may arise. (SK)

  5. Achievement Motivation: From the Perspective of Learned Hopelessness.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Au, Chung-park

    1995-01-01

    Introduces the concept of learned hopelessness, with special attention on its development from the helplessness theory of depression, and its application to studies of achievement motivation. Highlights conceptual and assessment issues that arise in researching learned hopelessness and achievement motivation. (DSK)

  6. Medicinal Plants.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Phillipson, J. David

    1997-01-01

    Highlights the demand for medicinal plants as pharmaceuticals and the demand for health care treatments worldwide and the issues that arise from this. Discusses new drugs from plants, anticancer drugs, antiviral drugs, antimalarial drugs, herbal remedies, quality, safety, efficacy, and conservation of plants. Contains 30 references. (JRH)

  7. Cold Confusion.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fogle, Pamela W.

    1991-01-01

    Public relations issues arising from the University of Utah's controversial announcement of research claiming achievement of nuclear fusion at room temperature are discussed. They include problems occurring before and after the initial press conference, secrecy vs. openness, research ethics, and effects lasting past the original incident and…

  8. A Preliminary Assessment of the Benefits of Reducing Formaldehyde Exposures (1984)

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The report reviews a variety of regulatory responses that EPA might consider in developing regulatory strategies for controlling human exposures under the Toxic Substance Control Act and previewed issues that may arise in a regulatory impact analysis.

  9. MEETING IN CHINA: EMERGING ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS AND CURRENT ISSUES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Much has been achieved in the way of environmental protection over the last 30 years. However, as we learn more, new concerns arise (including potential adverse health effects, bioaccumulation, and widespread distribution). This presentation will discuss emerging environmental c...

  10. MEETING IN NEW ZEALAND: EMERGING ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS AND CURRENT ISSUES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Much has been achieved in the way of environmental protection over the last 30 years. However, as we learn more, new concerns arise (including potential adverse health effects, bioaccumulation, and widespread distribution). This presentation will discuss emerging environmental c...

  11. MEETING IN GERMANY: EMERGING ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS AND CURRENT ISSUES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Much has been achieved in the way of environmental protection over the last 30 years. However, as we learn more, new concerns arise (including potential adverse health effects, bioaccumulation, and widespread distribution). This presentation will discuss emerging environmental c...

  12. Transnational Environmental Problems--The United States, Canada, Mexico.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilcher, Marshall E.

    1983-01-01

    Examines problems associated with transboundary environmental pollution, focusing on problems arising between the United States and Mexico and between the United States and Canada. Also discusses new organizational forms developed to bring transboundary issues to a higher policy-making level. (JN)

  13. 22 CFR 145.41 - Recipient responsibilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Post-Award Requirements Procurement... responsible authority, without recourse to the Department, regarding the settlement and satisfaction of all contractual and administrative issues arising out of procurements entered into in support of an award or other...

  14. 36 CFR 1210.41 - Recipient responsibilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... HIGHER EDUCATION, HOSPITALS, AND OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Post-Award Requirements Procurement... responsible authority, without recourse to the NHPRC, regarding the settlement and satisfaction of all contractual and administrative issues arising out of procurements entered into in support of an award or other...

  15. 10 CFR 600.141 - Recipient responsibilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... referred to such Federal, State or local authority as may have proper jurisdiction. ... contract(s). The recipient is the responsible authority, without recourse to DOE regarding the settlement and satisfaction of all contractual and administrative issues arising out of procurements entered into...

  16. Loop transfer recovery for general nonminimum phase discrete time systems. I - Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chen, Ben M.; Saberi, Ali; Sannuti, Peddapullaiah; Shamash, Yacov

    1992-01-01

    A complete analysis of loop transfer recovery (LTR) for general nonstrictly proper, not necessarily minimum phase discrete time systems is presented. Three different observer-based controllers, namely, `prediction estimator' and full or reduced-order type `current estimator' based controllers, are used. The analysis corresponding to all these three controllers is unified into a single mathematical framework. The LTR analysis given here focuses on three fundamental issues: (1) the recoverability of a target loop when it is arbitrarily given, (2) the recoverability of a target loop while taking into account its specific characteristics, and (3) the establishment of necessary and sufficient conditions on the given system so that it has at least one recoverable target loop transfer function or sensitivity function. Various differences that arise in LTR analysis of continuous and discrete systems are pointed out.

  17. Wetland mitigation banking for the oil and gas industry: Assessment, conclusions, and recommendations

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

    Wilkey, P.L.; Sundell, R.C.; Bailey, K.A.

    1994-01-01

    Wetland mitigation banks are already in existence in the United States, and the number is increasing. To date, most of these banks have been created and operated for mitigation of impacts arising from highway or commercial development and have not been associated with the oil and gas industry. Argonne National Laboratory evaluated the positive and negative aspects of wetland mitigation banking for the oil and gas industry by examining banks already created for other uses by federal, state, and private entities. Specific issues addressed in this study include (1) the economic, ecological, and technical effectiveness of existing banks; (2) themore » changing nature of local, state, and federal jurisdiction; and (3) the unique regulatory and jurisdictional problems affecting bank developments associated with the oil and gas industry.« less

  18. Building Irish families through surrogacy: medical and judicial issues for the advanced reproductive technologies

    PubMed Central

    Sills, Eric Scott; Healy, Clifford M

    2008-01-01

    Surrogacy involves one woman (surrogate mother) carrying a child for another person/s (commissioning person/couple), based on a mutual agreement requiring the child to be handed over to the commissioning person/couple following birth. Reasons for seeking surrogacy include situations where a woman has non-functional or absent reproductive organs, or as a remedy for recurrent pregnancy loss. Additionally, surrogacy may find application in any medical context where pregnancy is contraindicated, or where a couple consisting of two males seek to become parents through oocyte donation. Gestational surrogacy is one of the main issues at the forefront of bioethics and the advanced reproductive technologies, representing an important challenge to medical law. This analysis reviews the history of surrogacy and clinical and legal issues pertaining to this branch of reproductive medicine. Interestingly, the Medical Council of Ireland does not acknowledge surrogacy in its current practice guidelines, nor is there specific legislation addressing surrogacy in Ireland at present. We therefore have developed a contract-based model for surrogacy in which, courts in Ireland may consider when confronted with a surrogacy dispute, and formulated a system to resolve any potential dispute arising from a surrogacy arrangement. While the 2005 report by the Commission on Assisted Human Reproduction (CAHR) is an expert opinion guiding the Oireachtas' development of specific legislation governing assisted human reproduction and surrogacy, our report represents independent scholarship on the contractual elements of surrogacy with particular focus on how Irish courts might decide on surrogacy matters in a modern day Ireland. This joint medico-legal collaborative also reviews the contract for services arrangement between the commissioning person/s and the surrogate, and the extent to which the contract may be enforced. PMID:18983640

  19. What Occupational Health Needs Arise in Workplaces Following Disasters? A Joint Analysis of Eight Cases of Disaster in Japan.

    PubMed

    Tateishi, Seiichiro; Igarashi, Yu; Hara, Tatsuhiko; Ide, Hiroshi; Miyamoto, Toshiaki; Kobashi, Masaki; Inoue, Megumi; Matsuoka, Juri; Kawashima, Megumi; Okada, Takeo; Mori, Koji

    2015-08-01

    To identify occupational health needs arising after disasters. Using semistructured interviews with expert informants, we jointly analyzed the needs arising in eight disaster cases that threatened the lives or health of workers in Japan. Various types of health issues occurred in a wide range of employees. In total, we identified 100 needs in six phases after disasters and classified them across nine categories of worker characteristics. The proportion of health needs on the list that were applicable in each case varied from 13% to 49%. More needs arose when the companies were responsible for the disaster and when employee lives were lost. We also assessed the list as fairly comprehensive. The list developed in this study is expected to be effective for anticipating occupational health needs after disasters.

  20. Qualitative research on the attitudes toward teenage sexual behavior of Chinese British families: methodological issues.

    PubMed

    Yu, Juping

    2009-04-01

    Qualitative approaches have been increasingly used to explore ethnic differences in teenage sexual behavior, and methodological issues of conducting such research often remain unaddressed. This article discusses issues related to sampling, rapport, language, and ethnical considerations arising while undertaking research on attitudes toward teenage sexual behavior held by Chinese British families. It highlights the value of using snowball sampling, the importance of establishing rapport, and some advantages of matching the ethnic background between researcher and participants. The researcher's gender and social and cultural backgrounds affect research processes and findings, and this itself merits further reflection.

  1. Ethical Issues in Live-Donor Reimbursement Program.

    PubMed

    Voo, T C; Koh, S; Campbell, A V

    2016-04-01

    Reimbursement of expenses and costs incurred by live organ donation is permitted in many countries to encourage donation and to protect the welfare of live donors. Potential ethical issues may arise with reimbursement programs and their implementation, which vary across countries. This paper discusses some ethical issues with live donor reimbursement to stimulate discussion on how to ethically enhance its implementation to improve outcomes for both donors and recipients. In addition, we will consider whether reimbursement should be supplemented with compensation for nonfinancial losses, such as pain and suffering, to encourage live donation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Ethics and the psychiatry journal editor: responsibilities and dilemmas.

    PubMed

    Greenberg, David; D Strous, Rael

    2014-01-01

    An array of potential ethical stumbling blocks awaits the editors of scientific journals. There are issues of particular relevance to mental health journals, and others unique to local journals with a relatively small circulation and low impact factor. The blind review system, conflict of interests, redundant publication, fraud and plagiarism, guest and ghost authorship and ghost writing, advertising, language and stigma, patient consent, and "rigging" the Impact Factor are all issues of importance. It is critical that editors are aware and informed of these important issues, and have an accessible forum for evaluating problems as they arise.

  3. The B4 school check behaviour measures: findings from the Hawke's Bay evaluation.

    PubMed

    Hedley, Cath; Thompson, Shona; Morris Matthews, Kay; Pentecost, Mandy; Wivell, Judy; Frost, Ariana Stockdale; Morris, Helen

    2012-11-01

    The Before (B4) School Check is a free health and development check delivered by specifically trained nurses to four year old children throughout New Zealand, aimed to identify and address any health, behavioural, social or developmental concerns that could affect a child's ability to get the most benefit from school. Reported here are the results of an evaluation of the B4 School Checks in Hawke's Bay, focusing specifically on children assessed at the 84 School Check with behaviour issues as determined by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Health Hawke's Bay (HHB) records were reviewed to understand the number and demographics of the children assessed with behaviour issues at the B4 School Checks up to 31 August 2011, and the interventions to which they were referred. Telephone Interviews were conducted with 36 parents/caregivers of these children to address the questions, what difference did the B4 School Check make to children assessed with behaviour issues and what aspects of the B4 School Check delivery contributed to successful outcomes for these children? Results showed that child behaviour issues in Hawke's Bay were identified in more boys than girls and concentrated in more deprived families. Māori children were represented in numbers disproportional to the regional population. The majority of referrals for child behaviour directed parents/caregivers to non-governmental organisations for family support and parenting programmes. Thematic analysis was applied to the qualitative data derived from the interviews with parents/caregivers and results indicated high levels of satisfaction with the B4 School Check for behaviour and the referred outcomes. Implications for nursing practice arise from these findings in that they identify factors which contribute to what does and does not work well for achieving successful outcomes from the B4 School Check for behaviour.

  4. Thermal issues at the SSC

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ranganathan, Raj P.; Dao, Bui V.

    1992-01-01

    A variety of heat transfer problems arise in the design of the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC). One class of problems is to minimize heat leak from the ambient to the SSC rings, since the rings contain superconducting magnets maintained at a temperature of 4 K. Another arises from the need to dump the beam of protrons (traveling around the SSC rings) on to absorbers during an abort of the collider. Yet another category of problems is the cooling of equipment to dissipate the heat generated during operation. An overview of these problems and sample heat transfer results are given in this paper.

  5. Legionnaire's Disease: Cardiac Manifestations.

    PubMed

    Brusch, John L

    2017-03-01

    Most cardiac infections with Legionella are secondary to bacteremias arising from a pulmonary focus. Other possible sites of origin are infected sternotomy wounds or equipment contaminated by Legionella spp. Legionella endocarditis is truly a "stealth" infection, with almost no hallmarks of bacterial endocarditis. The key step in making the diagnosis of Legionella endocarditis is for the physician to be aware of the clinical causes of culture-negative infective endocarditis and to include Legionella cardiac involvement in this differential. Many times the issue of endocarditis arises only on examination of resected valvular material. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. The Scope of Our Affective Influences: When and How Naturally Occurring Positive, Negative, and Neutral Affects Alter Judgment.

    PubMed

    Gasper, Karen; Danube, Cinnamon L

    2016-03-01

    To determine how naturally arising affect alters judgment, we examined whether (a) affective states exert a specific, rather than a general, influence on valenced-specific judgments; (b) neutral affect is associated with increased neutral judgments, independent of positive, negative, and ambivalent affects, and whether neutral judgments are associated with behavioral disengagement; and (c) the informational value of naturally arising states may be difficult to alter via salience and relevance manipulations. The results support several conclusions: (a) Affective states exerted a judgment-specific effect-positive affect was most strongly associated with positive judgments, negative affect with negative judgments, and neutral affect with neutral judgments. (b) Neutral affect influenced judgments, taking into account positive, negative, and ambivalent affects; and neutral judgments predicted behavioral disengagement. (c) With the exception of negative affect, naturally arising affective states typically influenced judgments regardless of their salience and relevance. © 2016 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

  7. Performance issues for domain-oriented time-driven distributed simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nicol, David M.

    1987-01-01

    It has long been recognized that simulations form an interesting and important class of computations that may benefit from distributed or parallel processing. Since the point of parallel processing is improved performance, the recent proliferation of multiprocessors requires that we consider the performance issues that naturally arise when attempting to implement a distributed simulation. Three such issues are: (1) the problem of mapping the simulation onto the architecture, (2) the possibilities for performing redundant computation in order to reduce communication, and (3) the avoidance of deadlock due to distributed contention for message-buffer space. These issues are discussed in the context of a battlefield simulation implemented on a medium-scale multiprocessor message-passing architecture.

  8. Stepwise Approach to Accessible MOOC Development.

    PubMed

    Draffan, E A; Wald, Mike; Dickens, Kate; Zimmermann, Gottfried; Kelle, Sebastian; Miesenberger, Klaus; Petz, Andrea

    2015-01-01

    Developing resources for online learning in its many guises and more recently for MOOCs has been discussed across the educational sector, usually by individuals working for one institution or organisation. Rarely are there discussions that highlight the issues of collaborative working on content that is delivered over a period of weeks for a wide range of abilities and skills. In particular there is a reluctance to face the issues presented by barriers to access for those with disabilities and even the issues that could arise should an academic be unable to access the development platform to present content. This paper aims to approach these issues by providing guidance in a series of practical steps that highlight an inclusive design approach.

  9. Security Aspects of Smart Cards vs. Embedded Security in Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Advanced Mobile Network Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meyerstein, Mike; Cha, Inhyok; Shah, Yogendra

    The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standardisation group currently discusses advanced applications of mobile networks such as Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication. Several security issues arise in these contexts which warrant a fresh look at mobile networks’ security foundations, resting on smart cards. This paper contributes a security/efficiency analysis to this discussion and highlights the role of trusted platform technology to approach these issues.

  10. Breach of Faith: The Abuse of Confidentiality in Faculty Rooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lopiparo, Jerry

    1977-01-01

    Problems can arise from comments made in faculty rooms about students and their families. The author recommends bringing the issue of gossip into the open in each school district in order for individual teachers to realize its ramifications and destructiveness. (GC)

  11. Finance.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rossmiller, Richard A.

    Two constitutional issues continued to dominate litigation related to school finance during 1977. Questions concerning the spending of public funds for the benefit of students attending private schools (for example, Wolman v. Walter) continued to arise in both state and federal courts. Also, cases involving the constitutionality of state school…

  12. Declining State Capacity, Voluntarism, and the Globalization of the Not-for-Profit Sector.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lindenberg, Marc

    1999-01-01

    Explores the rapid growth and internationalization of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and discusses the forms the process is taking, and what future structures may emerge. Analyzes issues that arise as NGOs globalize and makes recommendations for policymakers. (JOW)

  13. Research as Relationship: Ethics and School-University Collaboration.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vare, Jonatha W.

    This paper illustrates a researcher/teacher's "situated," (using the workplace as a cultural context) and "gendered" (following the female's subjective preference for context and relationship) understanding of ethics and school-university collaboration. It discusses two ethical issues that arise when school and university…

  14. EMERGING ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS AND CURRENT ISSUES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Much has been achieved in the way of environmental protection over the last 30 years. However, as we learn more, new concerns arise. This presentation will discuss emerging environmental contaminants that the U.S. EPA and other agencies are currently concerned about. Emerging c...

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

    Gaba, J.M.

    Three areas are addressed in this paper: generic issues that arise simply in the process of decision-making under environmental statutes; different decision-making standards under various environmental statutes; and efforts to legislate a {open_quotes}safe{close_quotes} or {open_quotes}acceptable{close_quotes} risk from exposure to carcinogenic chemicals.

  16. Ferreting Out Terms and Conditions.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ebbinghouse, Carol

    1999-01-01

    Discusses problems for information professionals arising from traditional copyright legislation, as well as from the proposed Uniform Commercial Code 2B on information licensing. Highlights include responsibility of information consumers; World Wide Web terms and conditions, including those of newspapers and publishers; privacy issues; database…

  17. Clinical Ethics in Gabon: The Spectrum of Clinical Ethical Issues Based on Findings from In-Depth Interviews at Three Public Hospitals

    PubMed Central

    Sippel, Daniel; Marckmann, Georg; Ndzie Atangana, Etienne; Strech, Daniel

    2015-01-01

    Introduction Unlike issues in biomedical research ethics, ethical challenges arising in daily clinical care in Sub-Saharan African countries have not yet been studied in a systematic manner. However this has to be seen as a distinct entity as we argue in this paper. Our aim was to give an overview of the spectrum of clinical ethical issues and to understand what influences clinical ethics in the Sub-Saharan country of Gabon. Materials and Methods In-depth interviews with 18 health care professionals were conducted at three hospital sites in Gabon. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a grounded theory approach (open and axial coding), giving a qualitative spectrum of categories for clinical ethical issues. Validity was checked at a meeting with study participants and other health care experts in Gabon after analysis of the data. Results Twelve main categories (with 28 further-specified subcategories) for clinical ethical issues were identified and grouped under three core categories: A) micro level: “confidentiality and information”, “interpersonal, relational and behavioral issues”, “psychological strain of individuals”, and “scarce resources”; B) meso level: “structural issues of medical institutions”, “issues with private clinics”, “challenges connected to the family”, and “issues of education, training and competence”; and C) macro level: “influence of society, culture, religion and superstition”, “applicability of western medicine”, “structural issues on the political level”, and “legal issues”. Discussion Interviewees reported a broad spectrum of clinical ethical issues that go beyond challenges related to scarce financial and human resources. Specific socio-cultural, historical and educational backgrounds also played an important role. In fact these influences are central to an understanding of clinical ethics in the studied local context. Further research in the region is necessary to put our study into perspective. As many participants reported a lack of awareness of ethical issues amongst other health care professionals in daily clinical practice, we suggest that international organizations and national medical schools should consider infrastructure and tools to improve context-sensitive capacity building in clinical ethics for Sub-Saharan African countries like Gabon. PMID:26161655

  18. Measurement error in performance studies of health information technology: lessons from the management literature.

    PubMed

    Litwin, A S; Avgar, A C; Pronovost, P J

    2012-01-01

    Just as researchers and clinicians struggle to pin down the benefits attendant to health information technology (IT), management scholars have long labored to identify the performance effects arising from new technologies and from other organizational innovations, namely the reorganization of work and the devolution of decision-making authority. This paper applies lessons from that literature to theorize the likely sources of measurement error that yield the weak statistical relationship between measures of health IT and various performance outcomes. In so doing, it complements the evaluation literature's more conceptual examination of health IT's limited performance impact. The paper focuses on seven issues, in particular, that likely bias downward the estimated performance effects of health IT. They are 1.) negative self-selection, 2.) omitted or unobserved variables, 3.) mis-measured contextual variables, 4.) mismeasured health IT variables, 5.) lack of attention to the specific stage of the adoption-to-use continuum being examined, 6.) too short of a time horizon, and 7.) inappropriate units-of-analysis. The authors offer ways to counter these challenges. Looking forward more broadly, they suggest that researchers take an organizationally-grounded approach that privileges internal validity over generalizability. This focus on statistical and empirical issues in health IT-performance studies should be complemented by a focus on theoretical issues, in particular, the ways that health IT creates value and apportions it to various stakeholders.

  19. Homoaffective parentage--specifically, a matter of medically assisted reproduction: a parallel between Brazil and Portugal.

    PubMed

    Chaves, Marianna

    2011-09-01

    In the field of homosexuality an issue still excessively polemical is the one concerning the possibility of paternity or maternity (biological or adoptive) as a right to be exercised by homosexuals. An even more controversial issue is that of homosexuals' access to assisted reproductive techniques. Carrying out an analysis of two countries, Brazil and Portugal face this with opposite approaches in legislation and legal doctrine. In Brazil, the issue is not legislatively regulated. In Portugal, there is regulatory law. The question that arises is: what is better an extremely reductive and discriminatory law or a true legal vacuum? Several questions may be raised in this context. The first one is: is there indeed a right to parenthood? What to say about surrogacy? In these cases is the commandment of the child's best interest being heeded, which is the vector for any decision relating to an infant or teenager? Differences of understanding will always exist, especially in such a sensitive field as Family Law. But one fact must be accepted: any resolution and legislation in this context must be based on the principle of the best interests of the - born or unborn - child and other constitutional principles as equality, freedom, non-discrimination and human dignity, forgetting the prejudice rooted in society and the unfounded conjectures of homophobic judgments.

  20. Ethical challenges in mental health research among internally displaced people: ethical theory and research implementation

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Millions of people undergo displacement in the world. Internally displaced people (IDP) are especially vulnerable as they are not protected by special legislation in contrast to other migrants. Research conducted among IDPs must be correspondingly sensitive in dealing with ethical issues that may arise. Muslim IDPs in Puttalam district in the North-Western province of Sri Lanka were initially displaced from Northern Sri Lanka due to the conflict in 1991. In the backdrop of a study exploring the prevalence of common mental disorders among the IDPs, researchers encountered various ethical challenges. These included inter-related issues of autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, confidentiality and informed consent, and how these were tailored in a culture-specific way to a population that has increased vulnerability. This paper analyses how these ethical issues were perceived, detected and managed by the researchers, and the role of ethics review committees in mental health research concerning IDPs. The relevance of guidelines and methodologies in the context of an atypical study population and the benefit versus risk potential of research for IDPs are also discussed. The limitations that were encountered while dealing with ethical challenges during the study are discussed. The concept of post-research ethical conduct audit is suggested to be considered as a potential step to minimize the exploitation of vulnerable populations such as IDPs in mental health research. PMID:23497333

  1. Materials-related issues in the safety and licensing of nuclear fusion facilities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Taylor, N.; Merrill, B.; Cadwallader, L.; Di Pace, L.; El-Guebaly, L.; Humrickhouse, P.; Panayotov, D.; Pinna, T.; Porfiri, M.-T.; Reyes, S.; Shimada, M.; Willms, S.

    2017-09-01

    Fusion power holds the promise of electricity production with a high degree of safety and low environmental impact. Favourable characteristics of fusion as an energy source provide the potential for this very good safety and environmental performance. But to fully realize the potential, attention must be paid in the design of a demonstration fusion power plant (DEMO) or a commercial power plant to minimize the radiological hazards. These hazards arise principally from the inventory of tritium and from materials that become activated by neutrons from the plasma. The confinement of these radioactive substances, and prevention of radiation exposure, are the primary goals of the safety approach for fusion, in order to minimize the potential for harm to personnel, the public, and the environment. The safety functions that are implemented in the design to achieve these goals are dependent on the performance of a range of materials. Degradation of the properties of materials can lead to challenges to key safety functions such as confinement. In this paper the principal types of material that have some role in safety are recalled. These either represent a potential source of hazard or contribute to the amelioration of hazards; in each case the related issues are reviewed. The resolution of these issues lead, in some instances, to requirements on materials specifications or to limits on their performance.

  2. Ethical challenges in mental health research among internally displaced people: ethical theory and research implementation.

    PubMed

    Siriwardhana, Chesmal; Adikari, Anushka; Jayaweera, Kaushalya; Sumathipala, Athula

    2013-03-12

    Millions of people undergo displacement in the world. Internally displaced people (IDP) are especially vulnerable as they are not protected by special legislation in contrast to other migrants. Research conducted among IDPs must be correspondingly sensitive in dealing with ethical issues that may arise. Muslim IDPs in Puttalam district in the North-Western province of Sri Lanka were initially displaced from Northern Sri Lanka due to the conflict in 1991. In the backdrop of a study exploring the prevalence of common mental disorders among the IDPs, researchers encountered various ethical challenges. These included inter-related issues of autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, confidentiality and informed consent, and how these were tailored in a culture-specific way to a population that has increased vulnerability. This paper analyses how these ethical issues were perceived, detected and managed by the researchers, and the role of ethics review committees in mental health research concerning IDPs. The relevance of guidelines and methodologies in the context of an atypical study population and the benefit versus risk potential of research for IDPs are also discussed. The limitations that were encountered while dealing with ethical challenges during the study are discussed. The concept of post-research ethical conduct audit is suggested to be considered as a potential step to minimize the exploitation of vulnerable populations such as IDPs in mental health research.

  3. Gas Migration Project: Risk Assessment Tool and Computational Analyses to Investigate Wellbore/Mine Interactions, Secretary's Potash Area, Southeastern New Mexico

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

    Sobolik, Steven R.; Hadgu, Teklu; Rechard, Robert P.

    The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), US Department of the Interior has asked Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) to perform scientific studies relevant to technical issues that arise in the development of co-located resources of potash and petroleum in southeastern New Mexico in the Secretary’s Potash Area. The BLM manages resource development, issues permits and interacts with the State of New Mexico in the process of developing regulations, in an environment where many issues are disputed by industry stakeholders. The present report is a deliverable of the study of the potential for gas migration from a wellbore to a mine openingmore » in the event of wellbore leakage, a risk scenario about which there is disagreement among stakeholders and little previous site specific analysis. One goal of this study was to develop a framework that required collaboratively developed inputs and analytical approaches in order to encourage stakeholder participation and to employ ranges of data values and scenarios. SNL presents here a description of a basic risk assessment (RA) framework that will fulfill the initial steps of meeting that goal. SNL used the gas migration problem to set up example conceptual models, parameter sets and computer models and as a foundation for future development of RA to support BLM resource development.« less

  4. Military nutrition: maintaining health and rebuilding injured tissue.

    PubMed

    Hill, Neil; Fallowfield, Joanne; Price, Susan; Wilson, Duncan

    2011-01-27

    Food and nutrition are fundamental to military capability. Historical examples demonstrate that a failure to supply adequate nutrition to armies inevitably leads to disaster; however, innovative measures to overcome difficulties in feeding reap benefits, and save lives. In barracks, UK Armed Forces are currently fed according to the relatively new Pay As You Dine policy, which has attracted criticism from some quarters. The recently introduced Multi-Climate Ration has been developed specifically to deal with issues arising from Iraq and the current conflict in Afghanistan. Severely wounded military personnel are likely to lose a significant amount of their muscle mass, in spite of the best medical care. Nutritional support is unable to prevent this, but can ameliorate the effects of the catabolic process. Measuring and quantifying nutritional status during critical illness is difficult. A consensus is beginning to emerge from studies investigating the effects of nutritional interventions on how, what and when to feed patients with critical illness. The Ministry of Defence is currently undertaking research to address specific concerns related to nutrition as well as seeking to promote healthy eating in military personnel.

  5. Competition Between Transients in the Rate of Approach to a Fixed Point

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Day, Judy; Rubin, Jonathan E.; Chow, Carson C.

    2009-01-01

    The goal of this paper is to provide and apply tools for analyzing a specific aspect of transient dynamics not covered by previous theory. The question we address is whether one component of a perturbed solution to a system of differential equations can overtake the corresponding component of a reference solution as both converge to a stable node at the origin, given that the perturbed solution was initially farther away and that both solutions are nonnegative for all time. We call this phenomenon tolerance, for its relation to a biological effect. We show using geometric arguments that tolerance will exist in generic linear systems with a complete set of eigenvectors and in excitable nonlinear systems. We also define a notion of inhibition that may constrain the regions in phase space where the possibility of tolerance arises in general systems. However, these general existence theorems do not not yield an assessment of tolerance for specific initial conditions. To address that issue, we develop some analytical tools for determining if particular perturbed and reference solution initial conditions will exhibit tolerance.

  6. Military nutrition: maintaining health and rebuilding injured tissue

    PubMed Central

    Hill, Neil; Fallowfield, Joanne; Price, Susan; Wilson, Duncan

    2011-01-01

    Food and nutrition are fundamental to military capability. Historical examples demonstrate that a failure to supply adequate nutrition to armies inevitably leads to disaster; however, innovative measures to overcome difficulties in feeding reap benefits, and save lives. In barracks, UK Armed Forces are currently fed according to the relatively new Pay As You Dine policy, which has attracted criticism from some quarters. The recently introduced Multi-Climate Ration has been developed specifically to deal with issues arising from Iraq and the current conflict in Afghanistan. Severely wounded military personnel are likely to lose a significant amount of their muscle mass, in spite of the best medical care. Nutritional support is unable to prevent this, but can ameliorate the effects of the catabolic process. Measuring and quantifying nutritional status during critical illness is difficult. A consensus is beginning to emerge from studies investigating the effects of nutritional interventions on how, what and when to feed patients with critical illness. The Ministry of Defence is currently undertaking research to address specific concerns related to nutrition as well as seeking to promote healthy eating in military personnel. PMID:21149358

  7. Evolving Applications, Technological Challenges and Future Opportunities in Neuromodulation: Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Deep Brain Stimulation Think Tank

    PubMed Central

    Ramirez-Zamora, Adolfo; Giordano, James J.; Gunduz, Aysegul; Brown, Peter; Sanchez, Justin C.; Foote, Kelly D.; Almeida, Leonardo; Starr, Philip A.; Bronte-Stewart, Helen M.; Hu, Wei; McIntyre, Cameron; Goodman, Wayne; Kumsa, Doe; Grill, Warren M.; Walker, Harrison C.; Johnson, Matthew D.; Vitek, Jerrold L.; Greene, David; Rizzuto, Daniel S.; Song, Dong; Berger, Theodore W.; Hampson, Robert E.; Deadwyler, Sam A.; Hochberg, Leigh R.; Schiff, Nicholas D.; Stypulkowski, Paul; Worrell, Greg; Tiruvadi, Vineet; Mayberg, Helen S.; Jimenez-Shahed, Joohi; Nanda, Pranav; Sheth, Sameer A.; Gross, Robert E.; Lempka, Scott F.; Li, Luming; Deeb, Wissam; Okun, Michael S.

    2018-01-01

    The annual Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Think Tank provides a focal opportunity for a multidisciplinary ensemble of experts in the field of neuromodulation to discuss advancements and forthcoming opportunities and challenges in the field. The proceedings of the fifth Think Tank summarize progress in neuromodulation neurotechnology and techniques for the treatment of a range of neuropsychiatric conditions including Parkinson's disease, dystonia, essential tremor, Tourette syndrome, obsessive compulsive disorder, epilepsy and cognitive, and motor disorders. Each section of this overview of the meeting provides insight to the critical elements of discussion, current challenges, and identified future directions of scientific and technological development and application. The report addresses key issues in developing, and emphasizes major innovations that have occurred during the past year. Specifically, this year's meeting focused on technical developments in DBS, design considerations for DBS electrodes, improved sensors, neuronal signal processing, advancements in development and uses of responsive DBS (closed-loop systems), updates on National Institutes of Health and DARPA DBS programs of the BRAIN initiative, and neuroethical and policy issues arising in and from DBS research and applications in practice. PMID:29416498

  8. The science of science: From the perspective of complex systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zeng, An; Shen, Zhesi; Zhou, Jianlin; Wu, Jinshan; Fan, Ying; Wang, Yougui; Stanley, H. Eugene

    2017-11-01

    The science of science (SOS) is a rapidly developing field which aims to understand, quantify and predict scientific research and the resulting outcomes. The problem is essentially related to almost all scientific disciplines and thus has attracted attention of scholars from different backgrounds. Progress on SOS will lead to better solutions for many challenging issues, ranging from the selection of candidate faculty members by a university to the development of research fields to which a country should give priority. While different measurements have been designed to evaluate the scientific impact of scholars, journals and academic institutions, the multiplex structure, dynamics and evolution mechanisms of the whole system have been much less studied until recently. In this article, we review the recent advances in SOS, aiming to cover the topics from empirical study, network analysis, mechanistic models, ranking, prediction, and many important related issues. The results summarized in this review significantly deepen our understanding of the underlying mechanisms and statistical rules governing the science system. Finally, we review the forefront of SOS research and point out the specific difficulties as they arise from different contexts, so as to stimulate further efforts in this emerging interdisciplinary field.

  9. Evolving Applications, Technological Challenges and Future Opportunities in Neuromodulation: Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Deep Brain Stimulation Think Tank.

    PubMed

    Ramirez-Zamora, Adolfo; Giordano, James J; Gunduz, Aysegul; Brown, Peter; Sanchez, Justin C; Foote, Kelly D; Almeida, Leonardo; Starr, Philip A; Bronte-Stewart, Helen M; Hu, Wei; McIntyre, Cameron; Goodman, Wayne; Kumsa, Doe; Grill, Warren M; Walker, Harrison C; Johnson, Matthew D; Vitek, Jerrold L; Greene, David; Rizzuto, Daniel S; Song, Dong; Berger, Theodore W; Hampson, Robert E; Deadwyler, Sam A; Hochberg, Leigh R; Schiff, Nicholas D; Stypulkowski, Paul; Worrell, Greg; Tiruvadi, Vineet; Mayberg, Helen S; Jimenez-Shahed, Joohi; Nanda, Pranav; Sheth, Sameer A; Gross, Robert E; Lempka, Scott F; Li, Luming; Deeb, Wissam; Okun, Michael S

    2017-01-01

    The annual Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Think Tank provides a focal opportunity for a multidisciplinary ensemble of experts in the field of neuromodulation to discuss advancements and forthcoming opportunities and challenges in the field. The proceedings of the fifth Think Tank summarize progress in neuromodulation neurotechnology and techniques for the treatment of a range of neuropsychiatric conditions including Parkinson's disease, dystonia, essential tremor, Tourette syndrome, obsessive compulsive disorder, epilepsy and cognitive, and motor disorders. Each section of this overview of the meeting provides insight to the critical elements of discussion, current challenges, and identified future directions of scientific and technological development and application. The report addresses key issues in developing, and emphasizes major innovations that have occurred during the past year. Specifically, this year's meeting focused on technical developments in DBS, design considerations for DBS electrodes, improved sensors, neuronal signal processing, advancements in development and uses of responsive DBS (closed-loop systems), updates on National Institutes of Health and DARPA DBS programs of the BRAIN initiative, and neuroethical and policy issues arising in and from DBS research and applications in practice.

  10. Single, childless working women's construction of wellbeing: On balance, being dynamic and tensions between them.

    PubMed

    Engler, Kim; Frohlich, Katherine; Descarries, Francine; Fernet, Mylène

    2011-01-01

    Single, childless working women (SCWW) are a notable proportion of the female workforce. The budding research on this population suggests that they have issues of wellbeing that may be tied to specific needs of both their workplaces and their personal lives, and hence, distinct work-life dynamics that require attention. This study explores how SCWW construct their wellbeing. The sample was composed of 22 SCWW aged 29 to 45. A discourse analysis of the transcripts of semi-structured interviews with these women was performed. Most women drew on an interpretative repertoire of "wellbeing as balance" (e.g., diversification and reasonable dosing of life's dimensions). It was associated with a recurrent subject position we have termed "the dynamic woman" whose intensity transfused talk of the activities in her life. Here, work becomes a "passion" and a source of appreciated challenges. However, a dilemma could arise from these constructions for positioning oneself in relation to the cadence of one's active life or rather, in articulating an unambiguous claim to balance. Balance/dosing and dynamicity/passion can be uneasy bedfellows. Our analyses raise questions about possible counter[balancing] discourses and further argue the relevance of work-life issues for SCWW.

  11. Ethical questions for resource managers.

    Treesearch

    G.H. Reeves; D.L. Bottom; M.H. Brookes

    1992-01-01

    The decisions of natural resource managers are not simply scientific issues but involve fundamental questions of ethics. Conflicts in fisheries management, forestry, and other applied sciences arise from social and economic factors that affect natural resource values. Administrative processes, cost-benefit analyses, and various management "myths" have been...

  12. 77 FR 23128 - Rules Governing Hearings Before the Agency of Original Jurisdiction and the Board of Veterans...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-18

    ... rights and obligations of recipients thereof; or (4) Raise novel legal or policy issues arising out of.... 38 CFR 3.160(e)... Reopened claim. 38 CFR 20.305..... Rule 305. Computation of time limit for filing...

  13. Embedding Career Issues in Advanced Psychology Major Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Halonen, Jane S.; Dunn, Dana S.

    2018-01-01

    Despite the popularity of the psychology major, complaints regularly arise about the value of majoring in psychology. This article reviews the workforce advantages that accrue to successful psychology students and encourages new strategies for emphasizing the professional development goal in the American Psychological Association's…

  14. DETECTING BENTHIC COMMUNITY DIFFERENCES: INFLUENCE OF STATISTICAL INDEX AND SEASON

    EPA Science Inventory

    An accurate assessment of estuarine condition is critical to determining whether there has been a change from baseline or 'natural' conditions; benthic communities are routinely used as an ecological endpoint to make this assessment. We addressed two issues which arise when attem...

  15. Origins and identities of key manure odor components

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Odor is just one of many environmental issues associated with animal manures. Odor arises from a number of different locations in animal production systems, but the chemistry and biochemical origin is similar across sites. A complex mixture of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and inorganic compoun...

  16. Approaching the "smart growth" issue : a look at best practices used by transportation planning organizations.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2000-01-01

    A fundamental public policy decision implicitly addressed by agencies responsible for urban transportation planning is the right of the individual versus the goal of the community. This question arises in considering the role that state and local off...

  17. 40 CFR 164.122 - Final order and order of suspension.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    .... 164.122 Section 164.122 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED... RODENTICIDE ACT, ARISING FROM REFUSALS TO REGISTER, CANCELLATIONS OF REGISTRATIONS, CHANGES OF CLASSIFICATIONS... Environmental Appeals Board shall issue a final decision and order. Such final order may accept or reject in...

  18. 40 CFR 164.122 - Final order and order of suspension.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    .... 164.122 Section 164.122 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED... RODENTICIDE ACT, ARISING FROM REFUSALS TO REGISTER, CANCELLATIONS OF REGISTRATIONS, CHANGES OF CLASSIFICATIONS... Environmental Appeals Board shall issue a final decision and order. Such final order may accept or reject in...

  19. ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY: EMERGING CONTAMINANTS AND CURRENT ISSUES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Much has been achieved in the way of environmental protection over the last 30 years. However, as we learn more, new concerns arise. This presentation will discuss chemical and microbial contaminants that the U.S. EPA and other agencies are currently concerned about. In this gr...

  20. Education in the Scottish Parliament.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Donn, Gari

    2000-01-01

    Reviews some educational issues arising during the first year of the new Scottish Parliament. Discusses facility problems and funding needs of small rural schools, debate over what constitutes standards and which performance indicators should be included in legislation, proposed accountability structures for local education authorities, and the…

  1. 29 CFR 95.41 - Recipient responsibilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Procurement Standards § 95.41 Recipient responsibilities. The standards contained in this section do not... the responsible authority, without recourse to DOL, regarding the settlement and satisfaction of all contractual and administrative issues arising out of procurements entered into in support of an award or other...

  2. Professional Diversity in Libraries.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaufman, Paula T.

    1992-01-01

    Outlines issues of concern in the management of nonlibrarian professionals in research libraries, argued to be significantly different from the management of professional librarians. Differing professional value systems, conflicts and tension that can arise, and organizational teamwork are discussed with a focus on effective reward structures. (15…

  3. Municipal solid waste incineration in China and the issue of acidification: A review.

    PubMed

    Ji, Longjie; Lu, Shengyong; Yang, Jie; Du, Cuicui; Chen, Zhiliang; Buekens, Alfons; Yan, Jianhua

    2016-04-01

    In China, incineration is essential for reducing the volume of municipal solid waste arising in its numerous megacities. The evolution of incinerator capacity has been huge, yet it creates strong opposition from a small, but vocal part of the population. The characteristics of Chinese municipal solid waste are analysed and data presented on its calorific value and composition. These are not so favourable for incineration, since the sustained use of auxiliary fuel is necessary for ensuring adequate combustion temperatures. Also, the emission standard for acid gases is more lenient in China than in the European Union, so special attention should be paid to the issue of acidification arising from flue gas. Next, the techniques used in flue gas cleaning in China are reviewed and the acidification potential by cleaned flue gas is estimated. Still, acidification induced by municipal solid waste incinerators remains marginal compared with the effects of coal-fired power plants. © The Author(s) 2016.

  4. Deception, discrimination, and fear of reprisal: lessons in ethics from third-year medical students.

    PubMed

    Caldicott, Catherine V; Faber-Langendoen, Kathy

    2005-09-01

    To systematically examine ethical conflicts reported by all State University of New York Upstate Medical University third-year students, compare them with conflicts reported in the literature, and identify content areas that compel new or renewed emphasis in national educational objectives, standard curricula, and texts. From 1999 to 2002, all third-year students submitted papers for a required bioethics course. These papers depicted ethical issues arising during clinical clerkships. The authors devised a checklist of ethical issues; after analyzing the students' papers, the authors applied the checklist to the papers to create a taxonomy. Three hundred twenty-seven students submitted 688 cases involving 40 ethical issues. The most common issues were deliberate lies or deceptions (n = 68), patients' right to refuse recommended treatment (n = 48), and insistence on futile treatment (n = 46). Students perceived overt and subtle discrimination toward patients, reflected in substandard or excessive treatment. In 81 cases (12%), students expressed reluctance to speak up about moral conflict for fear of reprisal. This fear was expressed in 18 (45%) of the 40 issues-particularly student-specific (36 [52% of 69]) and quality of care (7 [24% of 29])-and most frequently in cases involving surgery (p < .025) and obstetrics-gynecology patients (p < .01). Students discerned ethical dilemmas in both "usual and customary" and seemingly incidental situations. Students who described fear of speaking up perceived a tradeoff between academic survival and patients' interests. The cases demonstrated that students still lacked the tools to navigate ethical dilemmas effectively. The authors propose that moral courage is within the realm of professional expectations for medical students; its cultivation is an appropriate formal objective for medical education.

  5. [AVIATION MEDICINE: THEORETICAL CONCEPTS AND FOCAL FUNDAMENTAL AND PRACTICAL ISSUES (for the 80th anniversary of the Research Test Center of Aerospace Medicine and Military Ergonomics)].

    PubMed

    Zhdanko, I M; Pisarev, A A; Vorona, A A; Lapa, V V; Khomenko, M N

    2015-01-01

    The article discloses postulates of theoretical concepts that make the methodological basis for addressing the real-world aviation medicine challenges of humanizing aviator's environment, labor content and means, and health and performance maintenance. Under consideration are focal fundamental and practical issues arising with the technological progress in aviation and dealt with at the AF CRI Research Test Center of Aerospace Medicine and Military Ergonomics.

  6. Albanians in the Greek informal economy.

    PubMed

    Droukas, E

    1998-04-01

    "This article addresses the issue of Albanian immigration to Greece, underlines its special character and discusses the problems arising from the Greek immigration policy which, so far, has focused on short-term, inefficient and sometimes conflicting solutions. This article also delineates the current situation of Albanian immigrants, who constitute the largest group amongst all immigrants in Greece and who are largely undocumented. It examines the controversial issue of Albanian criminality, and the social construction of negative stereotypes through prejudicial representations of Albanians by the Greek media." excerpt

  7. Issues and Theoretical Constructs Regarding Parent Education for Autism Spectrum Disorders

    PubMed Central

    Koegel, Lynn K.; Koegel, Robert L.; Ence, Whitney A.

    2013-01-01

    Participation of parents of children with autism is commonplace in most comprehensive intervention programs, yet, there is limited research relating to the best practices in this area. This article provides an overview of parent education programs for young children with autism and details data-driven procedures which are associated with improved parent and child outcomes. In addition, we provide a troubleshooting guide based on the literature for professionals regarding a variety of complex issues which may arise during parent education. PMID:21336525

  8. Automatic item generation implemented for measuring artistic judgment aptitude.

    PubMed

    Bezruczko, Nikolaus

    2014-01-01

    Automatic item generation (AIG) is a broad class of methods that are being developed to address psychometric issues arising from internet and computer-based testing. In general, issues emphasize efficiency, validity, and diagnostic usefulness of large scale mental testing. Rapid prominence of AIG methods and their implicit perspective on mental testing is bringing painful scrutiny to many sacred psychometric assumptions. This report reviews basic AIG ideas, then presents conceptual foundations, image model development, and operational application to artistic judgment aptitude testing.

  9. Cancer survivorship: Advancing the concept in the context of colorectal cancer.

    PubMed

    Drury, Amanda; Payne, Sheila; Brady, Anne-Marie

    2017-08-01

    Previous conceptualizations of cancer survivorship have focused on heterogeneous cancer survivors, with little consideration of the validity of conclusions for homogeneous tumour groups. This paper aims to examine the concept of cancer survivorship in the context of colorectal cancer (CRC). Rodgers' (1989) Evolutionary Method of Concept Analysis guided this study. A systematic search of PUBMED, CINAHL, PsycINFO and The Cochrane Library was conducted in November 2016 to identify studies of CRC survivorship. The Braun and Clarke (2006) framework guided the analysis and interpretation of data extracted from eighty-five publications. Similar to general populations of cancer survivors, CRC survivors experience survivorship as an individual, life-changing process, punctuated by uncertainty and a duality of positive and negative outcomes affecting quality of life. However, CRC survivors experience specific concerns arising from the management of their disease. The concept of cancer survivorship has evolved over the past decade as the importance of navigating the healthcare system and its resources, and the constellation of met and unmet needs of cancer survivors are realised. The results highlight core similarities between survivorship in the context of CRC and other tumour groups, but underlines issues specific to CRC survivorship. Communication and support are key issues in survivorship care which may detrimentally affect CRC survivors' well-being if they are inadequately addressed. Healthcare professionals (HCP's) therefore have a duty to ensure cancer survivors' health, information and supportive care needs are met in the aftermath of treatment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Invited Commentary: Agent-Based Models-Bias in the Face of Discovery.

    PubMed

    Keyes, Katherine M; Tracy, Melissa; Mooney, Stephen J; Shev, Aaron; Cerdá, Magdalena

    2017-07-15

    Agent-based models (ABMs) have grown in popularity in epidemiologic applications, but the assumptions necessary for valid inference have only partially been articulated. In this issue, Murray et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2017;186(2):131-142) provided a much-needed analysis of the consequence of some of these assumptions, comparing analysis using an ABM to a similar analysis using the parametric g-formula. In particular, their work focused on the biases that can arise in ABMs that use parameters drawn from distinct populations whose causal structures and baseline outcome risks differ. This demonstration of the quantitative issues that arise in transporting effects between populations has implications not only for ABMs but for all epidemiologic applications, because making use of epidemiologic results requires application beyond a study sample. Broadly, because health arises within complex, dynamic, and hierarchical systems, many research questions cannot be answered statistically without strong assumptions. It will require every tool in our store of methods to properly understand population dynamics if we wish to build an evidence base that is adequate for action. Murray et al.'s results provide insight into these assumptions that epidemiologists can use when selecting a modeling approach. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  11. Analysis of temporal dynamics in imagery during acute limb ischemia and reperfusion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Irvine, John M.; Regan, John; Spain, Tammy A.; Caruso, Joseph D.; Rodriquez, Maricela; Luthra, Rajiv; Forsberg, Jonathon; Crane, Nicole J.; Elster, Eric

    2014-03-01

    Ischemia and reperfusion injuries present major challenges for both military and civilian medicine. Improved methods for assessing the effects and predicting outcome could guide treatment decisions. Specific issues related to ischemia and reperfusion injury can include complications arising from tourniquet use, such as microvascular leakage in the limb, loss of muscle strength and systemic failures leading to hypotension and cardiac failure. Better methods for assessing the viability of limbs/tissues during ischemia and reducing complications arising from reperfusion are critical to improving clinical outcomes for at-risk patients. The purpose of this research is to develop and assess possible prediction models of outcome for acute limb ischemia using a pre-clinical model. Our model relies only on non-invasive imaging data acquired from an animal study. Outcome is measured by pathology and functional scores. We explore color, texture, and temporal features derived from both color and thermal motion imagery acquired during ischemia and reperfusion. The imagery features form the explanatory variables in a model for predicting outcome. Comparing model performance to outcome prediction based on direct observation of blood chemistry, blood gas, urinalysis, and physiological measurements provides a reference standard. Initial results show excellent performance for the imagery-base model, compared to predictions based direct measurements. This paper will present the models and supporting analysis, followed by recommendations for future investigations.

  12. Critical perspectives on causality and inference in brain networks: Allusions, illusions, solutions?. Comment on: "Foundational perspectives on causality in large-scale brain networks" by M. Mannino and S.L. Bressler

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Diwadkar, Vaibhav A.

    2015-12-01

    The human brain is an impossibly difficult cartographic landscape to map out. Within it's convoluted and labyrinthine structure is folded a million years of phylogeny, somehow expressed in the ontogeny of the specific organism; an ontogeny that conceals idiosyncratic effects of countless genes, and then the (perhaps) countably infinite effects of processes of the organism's lifespan subsequently resulting in remarkable heterogeneity [1,2]. The physical brain itself is therefore a nearly un-decodable ;time machine; motivating more questions than frameworks for answering those questions: Why has evolution endowed it with the general structure that is possesses [3]; Is there regularity in macroscopic metrics of structure across species [4]; What are the most meaningful structural units in the brain: molecules, neurons, cortical columns or cortical maps [5]? Remarkably, understanding the intricacies of structure is perhaps not even the most difficult aspect of understanding the human brain. In fact, and as recently argued, a central issue lies in resolving the dialectic between structure and function: how does dynamic function arises from static (at least at the time scales at which human brain function is experimentally studied) brain structures [6]? In other words, if the mind is the brain ;in action;, how does it arise?

  13. Sustainable student retention and gender issues in mathematics for ICT study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Divjak, Blazenka; Ostroski, Mirela; Vidacek Hains, Violeta

    2010-04-01

    This article reports on the research whose specific objective is to improve student retention in mathematics included in the first-year ICT study programme by means of improving teaching methods, with an emphasis on gender issues. Two principal reasons for this research are, first, the fact that first-year mathematics courses are often viewed as an obstacle for retention in studying ICT, and second, the fact that female students are strongly underrepresented in ICT. Furthermore, according to recently introduced research, changes in pedagogy and the content of mathematics have been evaluated. Those changes are directed towards competency-based and student-centred education and are heavily supported by technology-based learning. Although only minor gender differences in different skills have been detected, the pass rate for female students is constantly higher than that for male students. Therefore, the reasons for the better performance of female students have been investigated taking into account both the motivation for study and learning styles. The primary sources of data used in the first year of research comprised questionnaires (n = 130) together with classroom and on-line assessment material for 263 students. In the next year, 160 students of Information Systems participated in the survey, the central topic of which was the motivation for study. Additionally, the research focused on finding out if the motivation factors are gender specific. The research was conducted in Croatia where no research on a similar topic had been previously available. In terms of the specific features of the socio-cultural environment, conducting such a research in Croatia proved to be worthwhile, particularly considering the possibility of comparing the obtained results with those arising from other environments.

  14. Ethics Issues for the College/University Lawyer.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Connell, Mary Ann

    This paper addresses recurring ethical questions faced by college and university attorneys concerning who is the client, representation of individual and institutional defendants, and the witness-advocate rule. It also provides an overview of ethical considerations which can arise when the college/university attorney participates in the…

  15. Entrance into Registered Nursing--Issues and Problems.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Herd, Ruby H.

    Following a description of the facilities, programs, and students of El Centro College (Texas), this paper reviews the conflicts arising between the mandates of external certifying boards, the expectations of hospital administrators and other medical personnel, and the realities of community college philosophy, planning, staffing and budgeting for…

  16. Revealing Greenwashing: A Consumers' Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brouwer, Anne

    2016-01-01

    A significant problem arising in discursive green marketing practices is the growth of greenwashing; companies providing irrelevant, exaggerated or false information regarding a product's sustainable qualities. This has given rise to a number of issues yet has so far fallen short of being rigorously investigated. In this study, focus group…

  17. Environmental Law: Fundamentals for Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Day, David R.

    This booklet outlines the environmental problems most likely to arise in schools. An overview provides a fundamental analysis of environmental issues rather than comprehensive analysis and advice. The text examines the concerns that surround superfund cleanups, focusing on the legal framework, and furnishes some practical pointers, such as what to…

  18. Interculturalism and Teaching Music in Grammar Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Begic, Amir; Begic, Jasna Šulentic; Pušic, Ivana

    2017-01-01

    The concept of intercultural education should be aimed at better understanding of ourselves and others, discovering similarities and differences, recognizing preconceptions, and cooperation in accomplishing our common goals. Intercultural education can be very useful in resolving the issues that arise when different groups live together. Also,…

  19. User Acceptance Of Atis Products And Services: A Briefing Book On The Current Status Of Jpo Research

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1996-03-01

    - TO SUMMARIZE THE ISSUES THAT ARISE IN GAINING A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF CUSTOMER ACCEPTANCE ("WHY IS IT VITALLY IMPORTANT?" "WHY IS IT A GOVERNMENTAL INTEREST?" "HOW CAN THE INFORMATION BE USED?") : - TO SUMMARIZE THE RESEARCH STRATEGY THAT OUR ...

  20. Applications of advanced intervention technologies to enhance microbial food safety

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Food safety issues may arise due to chemical and/or microbial contaminations. Foodborne pathogens typically are the major reasons in food related outbreaks that result in human sickness/death, product disposal/waste and other economic losses. The food industry is continuously seeking better interv...

  1. Self-Concept and Self-Esteem: A Cross-Cultural Perspective.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wood, Melinda

    1991-01-01

    Describes issues of self-concept and self-esteem that arise when people find themselves living in a cross-cultural environment. Discusses Western definition of self-concept and other self-concept models. Discusses self-esteem and integration and adjustment as it relates to bicultural persons. (ABL)

  2. ENVIRONMENTAL MASS SPECTROMETRY: EMERGING CONTAMINANTS AND CURRENT ISSUES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Much has been achieved in the way of environmental protection over the last 30 years. However, as we learn more, new concerns arise. This presentation will discuss chemical and microbial contaminants that the U.S. EPA and other agencies are currently concerned about. In this gr...

  3. Researching Values in Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Halliday, John

    2002-01-01

    Considers methodological issues that arise when values form the main focus of empirical educational research. Includes discussion of the idea that social science, in general, and educational research, in particular, are forms of moral inquiry. Outlines a methodology of educational research, drawing from work by Imre Lakatos, Alasdair MacIntyre,…

  4. Encopresis in Children on the Autistic Spectrum.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Radford, Jo; Anderson, Maggie

    2003-01-01

    Outlines problems faced by parents and caregivers of a child with encopresis. Differentiates between knowledge, skill, and volition issues when dealing with the encoprectic child; and suggests possible causal frameworks for the behavior. Concludes with suggestions for managing the teaching/learning situation arising from this behavior. (Author/KB)

  5. Understanding Gender-Based Wage Discrimination: Legal Interpretation and Trends of Pay Equity in Higher Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Luna, Gaye

    1990-01-01

    Traces the history of laws and litigation concerning pay equity issues, also referred to as wage equity and comparable worth. Suggests that universities and colleges identify possible problems and take voluntary corrective measures before pay-equity problems arise. (MLF)

  6. Managing Mental Health Crises of Foreign College Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oropeza, Barbara A. Clark; And Others

    1991-01-01

    Notes that student services professionals manage a number of mental health crises as part of their job responsibilities. Examines some issues that arise from assisting foreign college students experiencing such crises, with special focus on psychiatric committal, withdrawal from school, and return to the home country. (Author)

  7. Good, now keep going: challenging the status quo in STEM pipeline and access programs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wiseman, Dawn; Herrmann, Randy

    2018-03-01

    This contribution engages in conversation with McMahon, Griese, and Kenyon (this issue) to consider how the SURE program they describe represents a pragmatic approach to addressing the issue of underrepresentation of Indigenous people in STEM post-secondary programs. We explore how such programs are generally positioned and how they might be positioned differently to challenge the status quo within Western post-secondary institutions. The challenge arises from moving beyond the immediate pragmatics of addressing an identifiable issue framed as a problem to considering how post-secondary institutions and people developing access recruitment programs might begin unlearning colonialism.

  8. The Relationship between Sexual Selection and Sexual Conflict

    PubMed Central

    Kokko, Hanna; Jennions, Michael D.

    2014-01-01

    Evolutionary conflicts of interest arise whenever genetically different individuals interact and their routes to fitness maximization differ. Sexual selection favors traits that increase an individual’s competitiveness to acquire mates and fertilizations. Sexual conflict occurs if an individual of sex A’s relative fitness would increase if it had a “tool” that could alter what an individual of sex B does (including the parental genes transferred), at a cost to B’s fitness. This definition clarifies several issues: Conflict is very common and, although it extends outside traits under sexual selection, sexual selection is a ready source of sexual conflict. Sexual conflict and sexual selection should not be presented as alternative explanations for trait evolution. Conflict is closely linked to the concept of a lag load, which is context-dependent and sex-specific. This makes it possible to ask if one sex can “win.” We expect higher population fitness if females win. PMID:25038050

  9. Random multispace quantization as an analytic mechanism for BioHashing of biometric and random identity inputs.

    PubMed

    Teoh, Andrew B J; Goh, Alwyn; Ngo, David C L

    2006-12-01

    Biometric analysis for identity verification is becoming a widespread reality. Such implementations necessitate large-scale capture and storage of biometric data, which raises serious issues in terms of data privacy and (if such data is compromised) identity theft. These problems stem from the essential permanence of biometric data, which (unlike secret passwords or physical tokens) cannot be refreshed or reissued if compromised. Our previously presented biometric-hash framework prescribes the integration of external (password or token-derived) randomness with user-specific biometrics, resulting in bitstring outputs with security characteristics (i.e., noninvertibility) comparable to cryptographic ciphers or hashes. The resultant BioHashes are hence cancellable, i.e., straightforwardly revoked and reissued (via refreshed password or reissued token) if compromised. BioHashing furthermore enhances recognition effectiveness, which is explained in this paper as arising from the Random Multispace Quantization (RMQ) of biometric and external random inputs.

  10. A Note on Recurring Misconceptions When Fitting Nonlinear Mixed Models.

    PubMed

    Harring, Jeffrey R; Blozis, Shelley A

    2016-01-01

    Nonlinear mixed-effects (NLME) models are used when analyzing continuous repeated measures data taken on each of a number of individuals where the focus is on characteristics of complex, nonlinear individual change. Challenges with fitting NLME models and interpreting analytic results have been well documented in the statistical literature. However, parameter estimates as well as fitted functions from NLME analyses in recent articles have been misinterpreted, suggesting the need for clarification of these issues before these misconceptions become fact. These misconceptions arise from the choice of popular estimation algorithms, namely, the first-order linearization method (FO) and Gaussian-Hermite quadrature (GHQ) methods, and how these choices necessarily lead to population-average (PA) or subject-specific (SS) interpretations of model parameters, respectively. These estimation approaches also affect the fitted function for the typical individual, the lack-of-fit of individuals' predicted trajectories, and vice versa.

  11. Using external data sources to improve audit trail analysis.

    PubMed

    Herting, R L; Asaro, P V; Roth, A C; Barnes, M R

    1999-01-01

    Audit trail analysis is the primary means of detection of inappropriate use of the medical record. While audit logs contain large amounts of information, the information required to determine useful user-patient relationships is often not present. Adequate information isn't present because most audit trail analysis systems rely on the limited information available within the medical record system. We report a feature of the STAR (System for Text Archive and Retrieval) audit analysis system where information available in the medical record is augmented with external information sources such as: database sources, Light-weight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) server sources, and World Wide Web (WWW) database sources. We discuss several issues that arise when combining the information from each of these disparate information sources. Furthermore, we explain how the enhanced person specific information obtained can be used to determine user-patient relationships that might signify a motive for inappropriately accessing a patient's medical record.

  12. The cardiometabolic effect of current management of polycystic ovary syndrome: strategies of prevention and treatment.

    PubMed

    Baldani, Dinka Pavicic; Skrgatic, Lana; Ougouag, Roya; Kasum, Miro

    2018-02-01

    Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the commonest endocrine disorder amongst women of reproductive age, which is characterized by reproductive and cardiometabolic disturbances with long-term health repercussions. Insulin resistance (IR), impaired glucose tolerance, type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2), obesity and dyslipidemia occur more in women with PCOS than in age-comparable women without PCOS. Long term data regarding risks or benefits of medical intervention for metabolic dysfunction of PCOS are lacking. Therapies, such as oral contraceptives (OCPs) and anti-androgenic medications used to manage the reproductive manifestations of PCOS, may themselves be the cause of cardiometabolic perturbations. Hence, strategies regarding the management of reproductive issues in PCOS encompass a patient-specific tailored approach. Factors that influence the cardiometabolic side effects arising during treatment of the reproductive manifestations of PCOS (hirsutism/anovulation) are also discussed in this paper in order to build future strategies to minimize the overall cardiometabolic risk.

  13. The use of propofol by gastroenterologists: medico-legal issues.

    PubMed

    Axon, Andrew E

    2010-01-01

    The increasing use of non-anesthesiologist-administered propofol for sedation during gastrointestinal endoscopy has both clinical and legal consequences. As medical practices develop, the law of clinical negligence will be applied in the context of such developments. While the law will recognize the desirability of advanced techniques and methods, in circumstances where an injury or adverse outcome occurs, the facts of a particular case will be scrutinized to determine whether or not the duty of care between patient and clinician has been breached. This paper considers a number of specific matters likely to arise in the context of a clinical negligence/malpractice claim resulting from the use of non-anesthesiologist-administered propofol, in particular the role and standard of care expected of gastroenterologist and/or anesthetic provider, the relevance of FDA labeling, the implementation and use of protocols, the importance of patient selection and informed consent. Copyright 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  14. Homoeopathy and the treatment of alcohol-related problems.

    PubMed

    Rogers, J

    1997-02-01

    This paper discusses the use of homoeopathy in the work of a community alcohol team, focusing on the application of homoeopathy for treating sleep disorder in alcohol-dependent clients. This work is placed in the context of the historical use of homoeopathy for treating 'alcoholism' and of the increasing use of complementary therapies in mainstream health care and in drug and alcohol agencies. Issues of research methodology and measurement of outcomes are examined. Examples of some specific homoeopathic treatments, together with a case report, are given to illustrate the potential uses of this form of therapy. It is concluded that homoeopathy can provide a valid and effective therapy to help clients break the cycle of dependence on alcohol. A number of further research questions arise and much clinical and research work needs to be done by those attempting to bring complementary therapies into drug and alcohol treatment.

  15. Conceptual frameworks and methods for advancing invasion ecology.

    PubMed

    Heger, Tina; Pahl, Anna T; Botta-Dukát, Zoltan; Gherardi, Francesca; Hoppe, Christina; Hoste, Ivan; Jax, Kurt; Lindström, Leena; Boets, Pieter; Haider, Sylvia; Kollmann, Johannes; Wittmann, Meike J; Jeschke, Jonathan M

    2013-09-01

    Invasion ecology has much advanced since its early beginnings. Nevertheless, explanation, prediction, and management of biological invasions remain difficult. We argue that progress in invasion research can be accelerated by, first, pointing out difficulties this field is currently facing and, second, looking for measures to overcome them. We see basic and applied research in invasion ecology confronted with difficulties arising from (A) societal issues, e.g., disparate perceptions of invasive species; (B) the peculiarity of the invasion process, e.g., its complexity and context dependency; and (C) the scientific methodology, e.g., imprecise hypotheses. To overcome these difficulties, we propose three key measures: (1) a checklist for definitions to encourage explicit definitions; (2) implementation of a hierarchy of hypotheses (HoH), where general hypotheses branch into specific and precisely testable hypotheses; and (3) platforms for improved communication. These measures may significantly increase conceptual clarity and enhance communication, thus advancing invasion ecology.

  16. Prone positioning for head and neck reconstructive surgery.

    PubMed

    Mobley, Steven Ross; Miller, Brian Thomas; Astor, Frank C; Fine, Bradley; Halliday, N James

    2007-11-01

    Certain head and neck surgical cases require the patient to be positioned prone. Such positioning carries with it an attendant subset of risks and complications not otherwise encountered in more traditional supine positioning. Gaining awareness of these risks and complications, and developing proactive positioning strategies, will enable the surgical team to position the patient optimally for the procedure and provide for every consideration of patient safety. This article consists of a specific literature review of those issues directly related to the anatomical and physiological concerns arising from prone positioning. Particular attention is paid to the cardiopulmonary, renal, ophthalmologic, and neurological vulnerabilities unique to this position. Proper planning by the surgical team and utilization of the correct equipment are a necessity. A tailored approach to the needs of the individual patient and an intimate awareness of the potential pitfalls will contribute to better outcomes when using the prone position.

  17. Biobanks for non-clinical purposes and the new law on forensic biobanks: does the Italian context protect the rights of minors?

    PubMed

    Tozzo, Pamela; Pegoraro, Renzo; Caenazzo, Luciana

    2010-12-01

    Biobanks are an important resource for medical research. Genetic research on biological material from minors can yield valuable information that can improve our understanding of genetic-environmental interactions and the genesis and development of early onset genetic disorders. The major ethical concerns relating to biobanks concern consent, privacy, confidentiality, commercialisation, and the right to know or not to know. However, research on paediatric data raises specific governance and ethical questions with regard to consent and privacy. We have considered the Italian normative context focusing on what is mentioned in each document on the ethical and legal requirements that guarantee the rights of minors. We found out that there is no systematic reflection on the ethical and policy issues arising from the participation of minors in biobank research. Moreover, we have focused on the same aspects for the new Italian Law on the National Forensic Biobank.

  18. A Scoping Review of Frailty and Acute Care in Middle-Aged and Older Individuals with Recommendations for Future Research

    PubMed Central

    Hogan, David B.; Maxwell, Colleen J.; Afilalo, Jonathan; Arora, Rakesh C.; Bagshaw, Sean M.; Basran, Jenny; Bergman, Howard; Bronskill, Susan E.; Carter, Caitlin A.; Dixon, Elijah; Hemmelgarn, Brenda; Madden, Kenneth; Mitnitski, Arnold; Rolfson, Darryl; Stelfox, Henry T.; Tam-Tham, Helen; Wunsch, Hannah

    2017-01-01

    There is general agreement that frailty is a state of heightened vulnerability to stressors arising from impairments in multiple systems leading to declines in homeostatic reserve and resiliency, but unresolved issues persist about its detection, underlying pathophysiology, and relationship with aging, disability, and multimorbidity. A particularly challenging area is the relationship between frailty and hospitalization. Based on the deliberations of a 2014 Canadian expert consultation meeting and a scoping review of the relevant literature between 2005 and 2015, this discussion paper presents a review of the current state of knowledge on frailty in the acute care setting, including its prevalence and ability to both predict the occurrence and outcomes of hospitalization. The examination of the available evidence highlighted a number of specific clinical and research topics requiring additional study. We conclude with a series of consensus recommendations regarding future research priorities in this important area. PMID:28396706

  19. Government 101: how an idea becomes law.

    PubMed

    Griffith, James T

    2006-01-01

    The passing of a law is frequently accompanied by media attention and citizen apathy. In today's healthcare delivery situation, we should understand how a bill becomes law and what happens to the idea that engenders that process. Laws arise from the recommendations of ordinary citizens, but the recommendations follow a complicated process developed by the writers of our constitution to prevent abuses. Laws begin as ideas, they become bills considered by the legislature, they are expanded and enforced by the executive branch, and they are further interpreted by the judiciary branch. The laws governing healthcare issues are particularly complex, as most arise from the state legislatures.

  20. Audio Spectrogram Representations for Processing with Convolutional Neural Networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wyse, L.

    2017-05-01

    One of the decisions that arise when designing a neural network for any application is how the data should be represented in order to be presented to, and possibly generated by, a neural network. For audio, the choice is less obvious than it seems to be for visual images, and a variety of representations have been used for different applications including the raw digitized sample stream, hand-crafted features, machine discovered features, MFCCs and variants that include deltas, and a variety of spectral representations. This paper reviews some of these representations and issues that arise, focusing particularly on spectrograms for generating audio using neural networks for style transfer.

  1. An overview of current approaches and future challenges in physiological monitoring

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Horst, Richard L.

    1988-01-01

    Sufficient evidence exists from laboratory studies to suggest that physiological measures can be useful as an adjunct to behavioral and subjective measures of human performance and capabilities. Thus it is reasonable to address the conceptual and engineering challenges that arise in applying this technology in operational settings. Issues reviewed include the advantages and disadvantages of constructs such as mental states, the need for physiological measures of performance, areas of application for physiological measures in operational settings, which measures appear to be most useful, problem areas that arise in the use of these measures in operational settings, and directions for future development.

  2. Recent advances in cross-cultural measurement in psychiatric epidemiology: utilizing 'what matters most' to identify culture-specific aspects of stigma.

    PubMed

    Yang, Lawrence Hsin; Thornicroft, Graham; Alvarado, Ruben; Vega, Eduardo; Link, Bruce George

    2014-04-01

    While stigma measurement across cultures has assumed growing importance in psychiatric epidemiology, it is unknown to what extent concepts arising from culture have been incorporated. We utilize a formulation of culture-as the everyday interactions that 'matter most' to individuals within a cultural group-to identify culturally-specific stigma dynamics relevant to measurement. A systematic literature review from January 1990 to September 2012 was conducted using PsycINFO, Medline and Google Scholar to identify articles studying: (i) mental health stigma-related concepts; (ii) ≥ 1 non-Western European cultural group. From 5292 abstracts, 196 empirical articles were located. The vast majority of studies (77%) utilized adaptations of existing Western-developed stigma measures to new cultural groups. Extremely few studies (2.0%) featured quantitative stigma measures derived within a non-Western European cultural group. A sizeable amount (16.8%) of studies employed qualitative methods to identify culture-specific stigma processes. The 'what matters most' perspective identified cultural ideals of the everyday activities that comprise 'personhood' of 'preserving lineage' among specific Asian groups, 'fighting hard to overcome problems and taking advantage of immigration opportunities' among specific Latino-American groups, and 'establishing trust among religious institutions due to institutional discrimination' among African-American groups. These essential cultural interactions shaped culture-specific stigma manifestations. Mixed method studies (3.6%) corroborated these qualitative results. Quantitatively-derived, culturally-specific stigma measures were lacking. Further, the vast majority of qualitative studies on stigma were conducted without using stigma-specific frameworks. We propose the 'what matters most' approach to address this key issue in future research.

  3. Trials and Tribulations: The ‘Use’ (and ‘Misuse’) of Evidence in Public Policy

    PubMed Central

    Deeming, Christopher

    2013-01-01

    Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are increasingly playing a central role in shaping policy for development. By comparison, social experimentation has not driven the great transformation of welfare within the developed world. This introduces a range of issues for those interested in the nature of research evidence for making policy. In this article we will seek a greater understanding of why the RCT is increasingly seen as the ‘gold standard’ for policy experiments in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), but not in the more advanced liberal democracies, and we will explore the implications of this. One objection to the use of RCTs, however can be cost, but implementing policies and programmes without good evidence or a good understanding of their effectiveness is unlikely to be a good use of resources either. Other issues arise. Trials are often complex to run and ethical concerns often arise in social ‘experiments’ with human subjects. However, rolling out untested policies may also be morally objectionable. This article sheds new light on the relationship between evidence and evaluation in public policy in both the global north and developing south. It also tackles emerging issues concerning the ‘use’ and ‘misuse’ of evidence and evaluation within public policy. PMID:23935229

  4. The Social Implications of Light at Night

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Henshaw, Colin

    2015-08-01

    Summary: It has been shown that Light at Night (LAN) has serious implications for both the environment and human health. What is considered here are the social implications that arise from these problems, and what needs to be done to redress these issues.Introduction: Light at Night is a serious environmental problem whose environmental and medical implications have been seriously underestimated. If no action is taken the problem will become progressively worse and may reach a point where nothing can be done about it. The issues arising from it need to be identified andappropriate action taken to mitigate these issues as far as possible. Hopefully this can be done amicably by self regulation within communities, but if this fails then stringent anti-light pollution legislation will have to be enacted. Some countries and local authorities have already begun to make faltering steps in this direction1, but so far the measures taken have been minimal and largely ineffective. Light at Night (and the light pollution resulting from it) therefore remains a problem and continues to get worse despite the measures already taken to reduce it. Domes of scattered light continue to hang above our cities, killing off our wildlife and endangering public health. Attitudes need to change and urgent measures need to be taken in order to reduce or eliminate its impact.

  5. The social development of children with severe learning difficulties: a case study of an inclusive education initiative between two primary schools in Oxfordshire, UK.

    PubMed

    Dew-Hughes, D; Blandford, S

    1999-08-01

    This case study of primary age children in two linked Oxfordshire schools investigated the contribution of staff attitudes and practices to inequalities in education, and contrasted the socialisation of children with similar learning difficulties in different educational placements. Participant observation of a group of children and carers in a special school suggested areas of more rigorous inquiry. Structured observations compared this group with a matched sample of children with similar learning difficulties in a mainstream setting. Staff on both sites were invited to comment on findings arising from analysed data in order to identify attitudes and policies which might account for the observed differences in practice. The study was engendered by experience of differences arising from educational placement. The theoretical stance arose through reviewing previous work, predominantly the debate on inclusive education, and the wider issues of human rights and equal opportunities embedded in the social development of people with disabilities. The theoretical framework underpinning this study is established in some depth. The project was designed to investigate issues of the wider social perspective, by conducting a micro-study of one model of educational inclusion whose outcomes have direct relevance to those issues.

  6. Issues and solutions for storage, retrieval, and searching of MPEG-7 documents

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chang, Yuan-Chi; Lo, Ming-Ling; Smith, John R.

    2000-10-01

    The ongoing MPEG-7 standardization activity aims at creating a standard for describing multimedia content in order to facilitate the interpretation of the associated information content. Attempting to address a broad range of applications, MPEG-7 has defined a flexible framework consisting of Descriptors, Description Schemes, and Description Definition Language. Descriptors and Description Schemes describe features, structure and semantics of multimedia objects. They are written in the Description Definition Language (DDL). In the most recent revision, DDL applies XML (Extensible Markup Language) Schema with MPEG-7 extensions. DDL has constructs that support inclusion, inheritance, reference, enumeration, choice, sequence, and abstract type of Description Schemes and Descriptors. In order to enable multimedia systems to use MPEG-7, a number of important problems in storing, retrieving and searching MPEG-7 documents need to be solved. This paper reports on initial finding on issues and solutions of storing and accessing MPEG-7 documents. In particular, we discuss the benefits of using a virtual document management framework based on XML Access Server (XAS) in order to bridge the MPEG-7 multimedia applications and database systems. The need arises partly because MPEG-7 descriptions need customized storage schema, indexing and search engines. We also discuss issues arising in managing dependence and cross-description scheme search.

  7. De novo design of protein homo-oligomers with modular hydrogen bond network-mediated specificity

    PubMed Central

    Boyken, Scott E.; Chen, Zibo; Groves, Benjamin; Langan, Robert A.; Oberdorfer, Gustav; Ford, Alex; Gilmore, Jason; Xu, Chunfu; DiMaio, Frank; Pereira, Jose Henrique; Sankaran, Banumathi; Seelig, Georg; Zwart, Peter H.; Baker, David

    2017-01-01

    In nature, structural specificity in DNA and proteins is encoded quite differently: in DNA, specificity arises from modular hydrogen bonds in the core of the double helix, whereas in proteins, specificity arises largely from buried hydrophobic packing complemented by irregular peripheral polar interactions. Here we describe a general approach for designing a wide range of protein homo-oligomers with specificity determined by modular arrays of central hydrogen bond networks. We use the approach to design dimers, trimers, and tetramers consisting of two concentric rings of helices, including previously not seen triangular, square, and supercoiled topologies. X-ray crystallography confirms that the structures overall, and the hydrogen bond networks in particular, are nearly identical to the design models, and the networks confer interaction specificity in vivo. The ability to design extensive hydrogen bond networks with atomic accuracy is a milestone for protein design and enables the programming of protein interaction specificity for a broad range of synthetic biology applications. PMID:27151862

  8. Ethical Considerations in Tissue Engineering Research: Case Studies in Translation

    PubMed Central

    Baker, Hannah B.; McQuilling, John P.

    2016-01-01

    Tissue engineering research is a complex process that requires investigators to focus on the relationship between their research and anticipated gains in both knowledge and treatment improvements. The ethical considerations arising from tissue engineering research are similarly complex when addressing the translational progression from bench to bedside, and investigators in the field of tissue engineering act as moral agents at each step of their research along the translational pathway, from early benchwork and preclinical studies to clinical research. This review highlights the ethical considerations and challenges at each stage of research, by comparing issues surrounding two translational tissue engineering technologies: the bioartificial pancreas and a tissue engineered skeletal muscle construct. We present relevant ethical issues and questions to consider at each step along the translational pathway, from the basic science bench to preclinical research to first-in-human clinical trials. Topics at the bench level include maintaining data integrity, appropriate reporting and dissemination of results, and ensuring that studies are designed to yield results suitable for advancing research. Topics in preclinical research include the principle of “modest translational distance” and appropriate animal models. Topics in clinical research include key issues that arise in early-stage clinical trials, including selection of patient-subjects, disclosure of uncertainty, and defining success. The comparison of these two technologies and their ethical issues brings to light many challenges for translational tissue engineering research and provides guidance for investigators engaged in development of any tissue engineering technology. PMID:26282436

  9. Ethical considerations in tissue engineering research: Case studies in translation.

    PubMed

    Baker, Hannah B; McQuilling, John P; King, Nancy M P

    2016-04-15

    Tissue engineering research is a complex process that requires investigators to focus on the relationship between their research and anticipated gains in both knowledge and treatment improvements. The ethical considerations arising from tissue engineering research are similarly complex when addressing the translational progression from bench to bedside, and investigators in the field of tissue engineering act as moral agents at each step of their research along the translational pathway, from early benchwork and preclinical studies to clinical research. This review highlights the ethical considerations and challenges at each stage of research, by comparing issues surrounding two translational tissue engineering technologies: the bioartificial pancreas and a tissue engineered skeletal muscle construct. We present relevant ethical issues and questions to consider at each step along the translational pathway, from the basic science bench to preclinical research to first-in-human clinical trials. Topics at the bench level include maintaining data integrity, appropriate reporting and dissemination of results, and ensuring that studies are designed to yield results suitable for advancing research. Topics in preclinical research include the principle of "modest translational distance" and appropriate animal models. Topics in clinical research include key issues that arise in early-stage clinical trials, including selection of patient-subjects, disclosure of uncertainty, and defining success. The comparison of these two technologies and their ethical issues brings to light many challenges for translational tissue engineering research and provides guidance for investigators engaged in development of any tissue engineering technology. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. 20 CFR 410.637 - Hearing on new issues.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ..., TITLE IV-BLACK LUNG BENEFITS (1969- ) Determinations of Disability, Other Determinations, Administrative... party or his own motion, in addition to the matters brought before him by the request for hearing, give... or a related matter, and whether arising subsequent to the request for hearing, which may affect the...

  11. 20 CFR 410.637 - Hearing on new issues.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ..., TITLE IV-BLACK LUNG BENEFITS (1969- ) Determinations of Disability, Other Determinations, Administrative... party or his own motion, in addition to the matters brought before him by the request for hearing, give... or a related matter, and whether arising subsequent to the request for hearing, which may affect the...

  12. Some Core Contested Concepts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chomsky, Noam

    2015-01-01

    Core concepts of language are highly contested. In some cases this is legitimate: real empirical and conceptual issues arise. In other cases, it seems that controversies are based on misunderstanding. A number of crucial cases are reviewed, and an approach to language is outlined that appears to have strong conceptual and empirical motivation, and…

  13. Introduction--Intervening: The Value of Campus-Community Partnerships

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nickoson, Lee; Blair, Kristine

    2014-01-01

    The basis for this special issue of "Feminist Teacher" arises from a white paper ["Women's Studies as Civic Engagement: Research and Recommendations" (Orr)] presented at the 2011 National Women's Studies Association, which provides strategies feminists can adopt to continue the mission to foster social change in the community…

  14. Specialized ADR To Settle Faculty Employment Disputes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DiNardo, Lawrence C.; Sherrill, John A.; Palmer, Anna R.

    2001-01-01

    Presents an innovative approach to resolution of faculty employment disputes at institutions of higher education. Discusses the framework in which faculty employment issues arise, the current state of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) as it is relevant to employment disputes, and the substantial benefits which could be achieved by developing a…

  15. [The concept of well-being in the workplace].

    PubMed

    Grosjean, Vincent

    2014-11-01

    The concept of wellbeing in the workplace. The concept of wellbeing in the workplace has been highlighted in different countries to promote actions relating to occupational health. Theories arising from positive psychology help to improve understanding of the issues surrounding wellbeing at work, notably in the framework of team management.

  16. Qualitative Research in PBL in Health Sciences Education: A Review

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jin, Jun; Bridges, Susan

    2016-01-01

    Context: Qualitative methodologies are relatively new in health sciences education research, especially in the area of problem-based learning (PBL). A key advantage of qualitative approaches is the ability to gain in-depth, textured insights into educational phenomena. Key methodological issues arise, however, in terms of the strategies of…

  17. 12 CFR 989.2 - Audit requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... General of the United States. (d) An independent, external auditor must meet at least twice each year with.... (e) Finance Board examiners shall have unrestricted access to all auditors' work papers and to the auditors to address substantive accounting issues that may arise during the course of any audit. [65 FR...

  18. Critical Issues in Adult Numeracy Practice--Contradictions and Strategies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaye, David

    2014-01-01

    This paper discusses the critical situations I have been asked to "improve" by providing professional development for teams of adult numeracy and functional mathematics teachers in the post-16 sector in London. These situations have not been identified through any research process, but arise from internal management reviews of course…

  19. Oops, You're Stepping on My Boundaries!

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marshall, Anne

    Boundaries are limits that define us as separate from others. Although this concept is a familiar one in personal and addictions counseling, it is seldom discussed in career development or career counseling. Yet boundary issues arise constantly in working relationships, in the job-application process, among employees, and especially with…

  20. Evaluation of urinary speciated arsenic in NHANES: Issues in interpretation in the context of potential inorganic arsenic exposure

    EPA Science Inventory

    Urinary dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) are among the commonly used biomarkers for inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure, but may also arise from seafood consumption and organoarsenical pesticide applications. We examined speciated urinary arsenic data from...

  1. [Clinical Responses To Infants and Families.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fenichel, Emily, Ed.

    1995-01-01

    This journal issue focuses on family service clinical responses to infants and families. In "The Therapeutic Relationship as Human Connectedness," Jeree H. Pawl stresses the importance of caregivers creating in children the sense and experience of human connectedness that arises from the feeling of existing in the mind of someone…

  2. University-Industry Relationships in Dentistry: Past, Present, Future.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barnett, Michael L.

    2002-01-01

    Presents an overview of the evolution of academic-industry partnerships in dentistry and their value to each of the partners; discusses details to be considered by investigators seeking to work with industry; and reviews some of the issues and dilemmas that can arise from academic-industry interactions. (EV)

  3. Raising the Bar: Aiming for Public Value

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Munley, Mary Ellen

    2010-01-01

    Striving to provide public good and maximize public value strike many as highly abstract and idealistic ideas. Written in the form of an interview, this article, written from the perspective of a practitioner, addresses some of the pragmatic issues that arise when trying to conceptualize approaches to museum offerings and demonstrate their…

  4. Analysis of Core Questions in the Theory-Practice Gap.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hawley, Steve; Branch, Jan

    Problems arising from a state mandate that school-based and college- or university-based teacher education programs be cooperatively developed are examined. The following issues raised from the school district perspective are considered: (1) What mechanisms will be established to insure ongoing communication between college and field-based staff?…

  5. An Ethics Challenge for School Counselors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Froeschle, Janet G.; Crews, Charles

    2010-01-01

    Ethical issues arise more often for school counselors than for those who work in other settings (Remley, 2002). The challenge of working not only with minors but also with other stakeholders including parents, teachers, school administrators, and community members sets the stage for potential legal and ethical dilemmas. Awareness and adherence to…

  6. Education and the Possibility of Outsider Understanding

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bridges, David

    2009-01-01

    In education issues to do with insider and outsider understanding arise in debates about religious education and about certain areas of research, and in argument about education for international understanding. Here I challenge the dichotomy between insider and outsider, arguing that a more collectivist view of human identity combined with…

  7. Effects of Tasks on BOLD Signal Responses to Sentence Contrasts: Review and Commentary

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Caplan, David; Gow, David

    2012-01-01

    Functional neuroimaging studies of syntactic processing have been interpreted as identifying the neural locations of parsing and interpretive operations. However, current behavioral studies of sentence processing indicate that many operations occur simultaneously with parsing and interpretation. In this review, we point to issues that arise in…

  8. Polarity at Many Levels

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Flannery, Maura C.

    2004-01-01

    An attempt is made to find how polarity arises and is maintained, which is a central issue in development. It is a fundamental attribute of living things and cellular polarity is also important in the development of multicellular organisms and controversial new work indicates that polarization in mammals may occur much earlier than previously…

  9. Perspectives on Technology in Learning and Teaching Languages

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kern, Richard

    2006-01-01

    Rapid evolution of communication technologies has changed language pedagogy and language use, enabling new forms of discourse, new forms of authorship, and new ways to create and participate in communities. The first section of this article identifies and discusses four key issues arising from the recent technology-related literature (the status…

  10. The Role of Librarians in Promoting Digital Wellness: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Loos, Amber T.

    2017-01-01

    This article describes a digital wellness workshop that was developed for university students at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The library workshop series explores the physical and psychological issues that can arise from overuse of digital technologies, especially related to academic performance in college students. Workshop…

  11. Salesperson Ethics: An Interactive Computer Simulation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Castleberry, Stephen

    2014-01-01

    A new interactive computer simulation designed to teach sales ethics is described. Simulation learner objectives include gaining a better understanding of legal issues in selling; realizing that ethical dilemmas do arise in selling; realizing the need to be honest when selling; seeing that there are conflicting demands from a salesperson's…

  12. Involving People in the Analysis: Listening, Reflecting, Discounting Nothing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Richardson, Malcolm

    2002-01-01

    This article explores methodological issues arising from a research project that involved six people with learning difficulties in researching aspects of their own lives. These included how participants were included in data analysis and the researcher's role. It stresses the importance of the researcher listening to participants, taking time to…

  13. Right and Wrong Online. Teaching Your Children Ethics in Cyberspace.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Our Children, 1998

    1998-01-01

    Parents must describe and reinforce the importance of truthfulness, responsibility, and respect when their children use the Internet. The paper presents potential situations that could arise and discusses issues related to the law online, copyrighted materials, copying or distributing software, privacy, hacking, and obscenity. A sidebar offers…

  14. The Message-Attitude-Behavior Relationship: Communication Behaviors of Organizations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grunig, James E.

    1982-01-01

    Addresses communication between organizations and publics. Proposes an expanded theory of communication behavior that explains when publics will become active and interpenetrate the organization. Uses this theory in a study to identify publics that arise from corporate public affairs issues and suggests how the corporate communication manager…

  15. Welcoming the Stranger

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gallagher, Eugene V.

    2007-01-01

    Thinking about teaching as an act of intellectual hospitality has the potential to shape productively how teachers conceive of their own roles in the classroom, their interactions with students, and their execution of crucial tasks. It also offers a path to helpful reflection about a persistent issue that arises particularly for the many faculty…

  16. Economics and Finance of Lifelong Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Verry, Donald

    This book represents one result of the international conference on "Lifelong Learning as an Affordable Investment," held December 6-8, 2000 in Ottawa, Canada. It examines the economic and financial issues that arise in implementing lifelong learning and considers how the public and private sectors are actually addressing or might address…

  17. Inhibiting Intuitive Thinking in Mathematics Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomas, Michael O. J.

    2015-01-01

    The papers in this issue describe recent collaborative research into the role of inhibition of intuitive thinking in mathematics education. This commentary reflects on this research from a mathematics education perspective and draws attention to some of the challenges that arise in collaboration between research fields with different cultures,…

  18. 76 FR 8403 - Biorefinery Assistance Guaranteed Loans

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-02-14

    ... obligations of recipients thereof; or (4) Raise novel legal or policy issues arising out of legal mandates... requirement. In addition, the Agency clarified that the borrower must have or obtain legal authority prior to... feedstock sourced from National Forest system lands or public lands. Added ``or sold to'' when referring to...

  19. Trends in Literacy Software Publication and Marketing: Multicultural Themes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Balajthy, Ernest

    This article provides data and discussion of multicultural theme-related issues arising from analysis of a detailed database of commercial software products targeted to reading and literacy education. The database consisted of 1152 titles, representing the offerings of 104 publishers and distributors. Of the titles, 62 were identified as having…

  20. 29 CFR 24.110 - Decision and orders of the Administrative Review Board.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... ENERGY REORGANIZATION ACT OF 1974, AS AMENDED Litigation § 24.110 Decision and orders of the... issued under the Energy Reorganization Act, other than that portion of the order awarding compensatory... employment, and compensatory damages. In cases arising under the Safe Drinking Water Act or the Toxic...

  1. 29 CFR 24.110 - Decision and orders of the Administrative Review Board.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... ENERGY REORGANIZATION ACT OF 1974, AS AMENDED Litigation § 24.110 Decision and orders of the... issued under the Energy Reorganization Act, other than that portion of the order awarding compensatory... employment, and compensatory damages. In cases arising under the Safe Drinking Water Act or the Toxic...

  2. 29 CFR 24.110 - Decision and orders of the Administrative Review Board.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... ENERGY REORGANIZATION ACT OF 1974, AS AMENDED Litigation § 24.110 Decision and orders of the... issued under the Energy Reorganization Act, other than that portion of the order awarding compensatory... employment, and compensatory damages. In cases arising under the Safe Drinking Water Act or the Toxic...

  3. 29 CFR 24.110 - Decision and orders of the Administrative Review Board.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... ENERGY REORGANIZATION ACT OF 1974, AS AMENDED Litigation § 24.110 Decision and orders of the... issued under the Energy Reorganization Act, other than that portion of the order awarding compensatory... employment, and compensatory damages. In cases arising under the Safe Drinking Water Act or the Toxic...

  4. IMPACT OF BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON WATER QUALITY OF TWO SMALL WATERSHEDS IN INDIANA: ROLE OF SPATIAL SCALE

    EPA Science Inventory

    Transport and fate of sediments and nutrients within watersheds have important implications for water quality and water resources. Water quality issues often arise because sediments serve as carriers for various pollutants such as nutrients, pathogens, and toxic substances. The C...

  5. Indigenous Autoethnography: Formulating Our Knowledge, Our Way

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Houston, Jennifer

    2007-01-01

    This paper seeks to engage the cultural interface where Indigenous knowledge meets Western academia, by questioning the validity of traditional research methods. Firstly, it is a response to the challenges facing Indigenous people confronted with the ethical and methodological issues arising from academic research. Secondly, it is a journey "into"…

  6. Open University Staff Development Materials for Tutors of Open Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Langley, Anne; Perkins, Isabel

    1999-01-01

    Discusses the evolution of staff development and the new Supporting Open Learners' (SOL) materials at the United Kingdom Open University. Outlines objectives of the SOL program. Discusses issues arising from use of SOL materials, including instructional attitudes; modelling good practice; developing the reflective practitioner; perceived value;…

  7. Creativity in the Workplace: People, Problems, and Structures.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mumford, Michael D.; Simonton, Dean Keith

    1997-01-01

    This introductory article argues that creativity and innovation are key requirements for the growth and adaptation of organizations. Articles focusing on how creativity and innovation can be encouraged in the workplace are reviewed. Useful directions for future research are discussed along with the methodological issues likely to arise. (Author/CR)

  8. Conflict as a Catalyst for Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jehangir, Rashne R.

    2012-01-01

    The author challenges her students and herself to engage with tough issues like class, race, gender, disability, and homophobia. In this article, she discusses how she helps them learn from, and even embrace, the conflict that inevitably arises. Constructive management of classroom conflict begins with creating a cooperative learning environment…

  9. Stop, Look, and Listen: Children Ahead.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stirling, Nora

    This play, commissioned by Project Head Start, is designed to stimulate discussion and deepen understanding of key issues surrounding the confusion and conflicts that often arise when parents and professionals become entangled in disputes over "who is in charge" of the Head Start program. Guidelines for a discussion session following presentation…

  10. 40 CFR 164.25 - Filing copies of notification of intent to cancel registration or change classification or...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... intent to cancel registration or change classification or refusal to register, and statement of issues. 164.25 Section 164.25 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) PESTICIDE... ACT, ARISING FROM REFUSALS TO REGISTER, CANCELLATIONS OF REGISTRATIONS, CHANGES OF CLASSIFICATIONS...

  11. A Constructivist Approach To Teaching Transplantation Technology in Science.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dawson, Vaille

    1996-01-01

    Addresses the facilitative role of teachers in helping students develop the ability to evaluate ethical issues that arise from transplantation technology. Describes the implementation and evaluation of a bioethics unit. Findings indicate that student-centered strategies can provide opportunities for students to clarify, reflect critically on, and…

  12. EMERGING ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS AND CURRENT ISSUES, MEETING IN SEATTLE, WA

    EPA Science Inventory

    Much has been achieved in the way of environmental protection over the last 30 years. However, as we learn more, new concerns arise. This presentation will discuss chemical and microbial contaminants that the U.S. EPA and other agencies are currently concerned about. In this gr...

  13. Why Academic Depth and Rigour in University-Based Coursework Matters for Prospective Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rusznyak, Lee; Balfour, Robert; Van Vollenhoven, Willie; Sosibo, Lungi

    2016-01-01

    This special issue of "Perspectives in Education" arises from a symposium entitled "Academic depth and rigour in initial teacher education" jointly organised by four universities in South Africa. The symposium, held in October 2014, attracted 125 delegates from 18 South African higher education institutions (HEIs).…

  14. Applying Recursive Sensitivity Analysis to Multi-Criteria Decision Models to Reduce Bias in Defense Cyber Engineering Analysis

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-10-28

    techniques such as regression analysis, correlation, and multicollinearity assessment to identify the change and error on the input to the model...between many of the independent or predictor variables, the issue of multicollinearity may arise [18]. VII. SUMMARY Accurate decisions concerning

  15. Knowledge and Vision in Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kennedy, Mary M.

    2006-01-01

    The author challenges the role of knowledge in teaching by pointing out the variety of issues and concerns teachers must simultaneously address. Teachers use two strategies to manage their multidimensional space: They develop integrated habits and rules of thumb for handling situations as they arise, and they plan their lessons by envisioning them…

  16. The Resilient Mind: The Psychology of Academic Resilience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morales, Erik E.

    2008-01-01

    Using six years of data chronicling the experiences of 50 academically resilient college students, this article focuses on the seldom-researched area of the psychology of academic resilience. Ubiquitous stressors such as subpar public schooling and the lack of social and cultural capital; psychosocial issues that arise during the resilience…

  17. From Information to Moral Issues: Dilemmas in Drug Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Powney, Janet; Lowden, Kevin

    2001-01-01

    Reviews alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use by youth in the United Kingdom, and explores some problems with drug education in Scottish schools. Discusses teachers' lack of confidence in their own credibility as drug educators; moral dilemmas arising from values conflicts between teachers, students, and families; teacher responsibilities; and…

  18. What Matters to Career K-12 Educators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harris, Mary M.

    2014-01-01

    Case studies about issues arising from education policy were written between 2003 and 2011 by doctoral candidates in Curriculum and Instruction who were career K-12 educators. Literary analysis was employed in grouping 57 case studies, which described primarily situations that occurred in school districts in one large metropolitan area, by topic…

  19. Social Work Continuing Education: Current Issues and Future Direction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kurzman, Paul A.

    2016-01-01

    Continuing education is arising as an area of rapid growth and increased attention in the social work profession. Conceptually, the impetus and focus are on the promotion of the principles of lifelong learning and professional replenishment; but pragmatically, the driving force has been the virtually universal requirement of continuing education…

  20. Researching "With", Not "On": Engaging Marginalised Learners in the Research Process

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Atkins, Liz

    2013-01-01

    This paper discusses practical and methodological issues arising from a case study exploring the hopes, aspirations and learning identities of three groups of students undertaking low-level broad vocational programmes in two English general further education colleges. Working within a social justice theoretical framework the paper outlines the…

  1. Educational Malpractice: Fantasy or Reality?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Braverman, June R.

    1982-01-01

    Three educational malpractice cases and the issues arising from them are examined in this article. The cases are examined in terms of whether school administrators, teachers, and guidance counselors owe a legal duty to students to exercise the ordinary skill and competence of a reasonable and prudent member of their profession; whether educators…

  2. Common diseases of black bass: implications for conservation and management

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Disease issues relevant to black bass populations arise from infectious as well as noninfectious etiologies. While disease outbreaks can occur via direct means, as is the case with primary pathogens, mortality events can also be linked to factors that disrupt the delicate balance between the enviro...

  3. Gender and the Counselor Preparation Literature: Issues of Authorship and Content.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dykeman, Cass; Doyle, Stacey L.

    In the counseling profession, women constitute the majority of clients and practitioners. Given this situation, two questions arise concerning counselor preparation literature: (1) To what extent have women authored counselor preparation literature? (2) To what degree has this literature considered gender? In order to establish a context for…

  4. Science, Technology, Society: Opportunities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lux, Donald G., Ed.

    1992-01-01

    Recognizing the potential pitfalls resulting from a lack of human foresight lies at the heart of the science-technology-society (STS) movement. This issue of "Theory Into Practice" is the second part of a two-part series that examines the educational opportunities arising as educators attempt to develop student understanding of STS. In the first…

  5. Educating Boys: Tempering Rhetoric with Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Froese-Germain, Bernie

    2006-01-01

    In the context of boys' declining academic achievement in schools in relation to girls, this article highlights some critical issues arising from the debate on boys' education. The emphasis is on the contribution of feminist analysis and other perspectives to broaden and contextualize the debate. This includes, for example, the need to carefully…

  6. Hans Kueng's Paradigm Theology and Some Educational Implications.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    von Dietze, Erich

    1998-01-01

    Identifies some controversies and issues that arise from Hans Kueng's adaptation of Thomas Kuhn's paradigm theory to theology, particularly those associated with the conflict presented between the educational theory advocated by Kuhn and that contained in Kueng's wider thinking. Argues that the dilemma presents ironies that Kueng must somehow…

  7. Students and Real World Applications: Still a Challenging Mix

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Galbraith, Peter

    2013-01-01

    Rhetoric about the importance of students being equipped to apply mathematics to relevant problems arising in their lives, individually, as citizens, and in the workplace has never been matched by serious policy or curricular support. This paper identifies and elaborates authenticity implications for addressing this issue, and describes aspects of…

  8. Developing Simulations in Multi-User Virtual Environments to Enhance Healthcare Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rogers, Luke

    2011-01-01

    Computer-based clinical simulations are a powerful teaching and learning tool because of their ability to expand healthcare students' clinical experience by providing practice-based learning. Despite the benefits of traditional computer-based clinical simulations, there are significant issues that arise when incorporating them into a flexible,…

  9. Literacy Instruction for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students: A Collection of Articles and Commentaries.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Opitz, Michael F., Ed.

    Addressing issues arising from increasing student diversity, this book brings together articles from "The Reading Teacher,""Journal of Reading," and "Language Arts" which offer teaching strategies, ways to capitalize on differences, and ways to use multicultural literature. Each section includes introductions by…

  10. Setting the Stage: Global Competition in Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bagley, Sylvia S.; Portnoi, Laura M.

    2014-01-01

    In this chapter, the issue editors set the stage for the chapters that follow by delineating recent developments in higher education and common strategies for creating globally competitive higher education institutions. The editors consider social justice concerns that arise with global competition and contend that contextualized priorities can…

  11. WEB-BASED MODELING OF A FERTILIZER SOLUTION SPILL IN THE OHIO RIVER

    EPA Science Inventory

    Environmental computer models are usually desktop models. Some web-enabled models are beginning to appear where the user can use a browser to run the models on a central web server. Several issues arise when a desktop model is transferred to a web architecture. This paper discuss...

  12. Teaching Controversial Materials: Teaching about the Nuclear Issue.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wall, Joseph

    1986-01-01

    Describes difficulties encountered in presenting a college course on nuclear weapons and disarmament. Maintains that such courses must strive for a fuller historical account of the arms race, in addition to stressing the humanistic and ethical questions involved. Warns that controversy will arise and concludes that even blind anger is preferable…

  13. Implementation Challenges for a Constructivist Physical Education Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhu, Xihe; Ennis, Catherine D.; Chen, Ang

    2011-01-01

    Background: Curriculum fidelity describes the extent to which a curriculum is implemented faithfully as planned. Curriculum fidelity issues may arise when teachers implement the curriculum inconsistently due to differences in philosophy, barriers in the setting, or other local concerns. Purpose: The study examined challenges that a teacher faced…

  14. The roadmap for estimation of cell-type-specific neuronal activity from non-invasive measurements

    PubMed Central

    Uhlirova, Hana; Kılıç, Kıvılcım; Tian, Peifang; Sakadžić, Sava; Thunemann, Martin; Desjardins, Michèle; Saisan, Payam A.; Nizar, Krystal; Yaseen, Mohammad A.; Hagler, Donald J.; Vandenberghe, Matthieu; Djurovic, Srdjan; Andreassen, Ole A.; Silva, Gabriel A.; Masliah, Eliezer; Vinogradov, Sergei; Buxton, Richard B.; Einevoll, Gaute T.; Boas, David A.; Dale, Anders M.; Devor, Anna

    2016-01-01

    The computational properties of the human brain arise from an intricate interplay between billions of neurons connected in complex networks. However, our ability to study these networks in healthy human brain is limited by the necessity to use non-invasive technologies. This is in contrast to animal models where a rich, detailed view of cellular-level brain function with cell-type-specific molecular identity has become available due to recent advances in microscopic optical imaging and genetics. Thus, a central challenge facing neuroscience today is leveraging these mechanistic insights from animal studies to accurately draw physiological inferences from non-invasive signals in humans. On the essential path towards this goal is the development of a detailed ‘bottom-up’ forward model bridging neuronal activity at the level of cell-type-specific populations to non-invasive imaging signals. The general idea is that specific neuronal cell types have identifiable signatures in the way they drive changes in cerebral blood flow, cerebral metabolic rate of O2 (measurable with quantitative functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging), and electrical currents/potentials (measurable with magneto/electroencephalography). This forward model would then provide the ‘ground truth’ for the development of new tools for tackling the inverse problem—estimation of neuronal activity from multimodal non-invasive imaging data. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Interpreting BOLD: a dialogue between cognitive and cellular neuroscience’. PMID:27574309

  15. The two faces of selective memory retrieval: recall specificity of the detrimental but not the beneficial effect.

    PubMed

    Bäuml, Karl-Heinz T; Dobler, Ina M

    2015-01-01

    Depending on the degree to which the original study context is accessible, selective memory retrieval can be detrimental or beneficial for the recall of other memories (Bäuml & Samenieh, 2012). Prior work has shown that the detrimental effect of memory retrieval is typically recall specific and does not arise after restudy trials, whereas recall specificity of the beneficial effect has not been examined to date. Addressing the issue, we compared in 2 experiments the effects of retrieval and restudy on recall of other items, when access to the study context was (largely) maintained and when access to the study context was impaired (in Experiment 1 by using the listwise directed-forgetting task, in Experiment 2 by using a prolonged retention interval). In both experiments, selective retrieval but not restudy induced forgetting of other items when context access was maintained, which replicates prior work. In contrast, when context access was impaired, both selective retrieval and restudy induced beneficial effects on other memories. These findings suggest that the detrimental but not the beneficial effect of selective memory retrieval is recall specific. The results are consistent with a recent 2-factor account of selective memory retrieval that attributes the detrimental effect to inhibition or blocking but the beneficial effect to context reactivation processes. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

  16. Enhanced Cell-Specific Ablation in Zebrafish Using a Triple Mutant of Escherichia Coli Nitroreductase

    PubMed Central

    Mathias, Jonathan R.; Zhang, Zhanying; Saxena, Meera T.

    2014-01-01

    Abstract Transgenic expression of bacterial nitroreductase (NTR) facilitates chemically-inducible targeted cell ablation. In zebrafish, the NTR system enables studies of cell function and cellular regeneration. Metronidazole (MTZ) has become the most commonly used prodrug substrate for eliciting cell loss in NTR-expressing transgenic zebrafish due to the cell-specific nature of its cytotoxic derivatives. Unfortunately, MTZ treatments required for effective cell ablation border toxic effects, and, thus, likely incur undesirable nonspecific effects. Here, we tested whether a triple mutant variant of NTR, previously shown to display improved activity in bacterial assays, can solve this issue by promoting cell ablation in zebrafish using reduced prodrug treatment regimens. We generated several complementary transgenic zebrafish lines expressing either wild-type or mutant NTR (mutNTR) in specific neural cell types, and assayed prodrug-induced cell ablation kinetics using confocal time series imaging and plate reader-based quantification of fluorescent reporters expressed in targeted cell types. The results show that cell ablation can be achieved in mutNTR expressing transgenic lines with markedly shortened prodrug exposure times and/or at lower prodrug concentrations. The mutNTR variant characterized here can circumvent problematic nonspecific/toxic effects arising from low prodrug conversion efficiency, thus increasing the effectiveness and versatility of this selective cell ablation methodology. PMID:24428354

  17. Enhanced cell-specific ablation in zebrafish using a triple mutant of Escherichia coli nitroreductase.

    PubMed

    Mathias, Jonathan R; Zhang, Zhanying; Saxena, Meera T; Mumm, Jeff S

    2014-04-01

    Transgenic expression of bacterial nitroreductase (NTR) facilitates chemically-inducible targeted cell ablation. In zebrafish, the NTR system enables studies of cell function and cellular regeneration. Metronidazole (MTZ) has become the most commonly used prodrug substrate for eliciting cell loss in NTR-expressing transgenic zebrafish due to the cell-specific nature of its cytotoxic derivatives. Unfortunately, MTZ treatments required for effective cell ablation border toxic effects, and, thus, likely incur undesirable nonspecific effects. Here, we tested whether a triple mutant variant of NTR, previously shown to display improved activity in bacterial assays, can solve this issue by promoting cell ablation in zebrafish using reduced prodrug treatment regimens. We generated several complementary transgenic zebrafish lines expressing either wild-type or mutant NTR (mutNTR) in specific neural cell types, and assayed prodrug-induced cell ablation kinetics using confocal time series imaging and plate reader-based quantification of fluorescent reporters expressed in targeted cell types. The results show that cell ablation can be achieved in mutNTR expressing transgenic lines with markedly shortened prodrug exposure times and/or at lower prodrug concentrations. The mutNTR variant characterized here can circumvent problematic nonspecific/toxic effects arising from low prodrug conversion efficiency, thus increasing the effectiveness and versatility of this selective cell ablation methodology.

  18. Double dissociation of semantic categories in Alzheimer's disease.

    PubMed

    Gonnerman, L M; Andersen, E S; Devlin, J T; Kempler, D; Seidenberg, M S

    1997-04-01

    Data that demonstrate distinct patterns of semantic impairment in Alzheimer's disease (AD) are presented. Findings suggest that while groups of mild-moderate patients may not display category specific impairments, some individual patients do show selective impairment of either natural kinds or artifacts. We present a model of semantic organization in which category specific impairments arise from damage to distributed features underlying different types of categories. We incorporate the crucial notions of intercorrelations and distinguishing features, allowing us to demonstrate (1) how category specific impairments can result from widespread damage and (2) how selective deficits in AD reflect different points in the progression of impairment. The different patterns of impairment arise from an interaction between the nature of the semantic categories and the progression of damage.

  19. Highly Concurrent Scalar Processing.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1986-01-01

    rearrangement arise from data dependencies between instructions, hence it is critical that artificial - dependencies are eliminated whenever possible...An important class of artificial depen- *. dencies arise due to register reuse. In the following example, no parallelism can be • . exploited in the...specific procedure call site. The use of inteligent procedure expansion techniques is expected to be crucial to the achievement of high performance

  20. Ruby on Rails Issue Tracker

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rodriguez, Juan Jared

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this report is to detail the tasks accomplished as a NASA NIFS intern for the summer 2014 session. This internship opportunity is to develop an issue tracker Ruby on Rails web application to improve the communication of developmental anomalies between the Support Software Computer Software Configuration Item (CSCI) teams, System Build and Information Architecture. As many may know software development is an arduous, time consuming, collaborative effort. It involves nearly as much work designing, planning, collaborating, discussing, and resolving issues as effort expended in actual development. This internship opportunity was put in place to help alleviate the amount of time spent discussing issues such as bugs, missing tests, new requirements, and usability concerns that arise during development and throughout the life cycle of software applications once in production.

  1. Nurses' perceptions of ethical issues related to patients' rights law.

    PubMed

    Yakov, Gila; Shilo, Yehudit; Shor, Tzippy

    2010-07-01

    August 2006 marked the 10th anniversary of landmark legislation when Israel's parliament passed the unique Patient's Rights Law. This law underscores the importance of medical ethics in Israeli society. During a seminar at the Shaare Zedek School of Nursing, third-year students performed a qualitative research study investigating ethical issues arising in the field of nursing, and how nursing staff dealt with these issues in relation to the law. The research was conducted using semistructured questionnaires. The results showed that the staff participants knew the law, but did not differentiate between legal and ethical problems. The establishment of a framework for dealing with these issues would help to promote professional ethics, encourage broad-based agreements related to ethical decisions, reduce ethical conflict, and increase implementation of the law on patients' rights.

  2. Training effectiveness assessment: Methodological problems and issues

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cross, Kenneth D.

    1992-01-01

    The U.S. military uses a large number of simulators to train and sustain the flying skills of helicopter pilots. Despite the enormous resources required to purchase, maintain, and use those simulators, little effort has been expended in assessing their training effectiveness. One reason for this is the lack of an evaluation methodology that yields comprehensive and valid data at a practical cost. Some of these methodological problems and issues that arise in assessing simulator training effectiveness, as well as problems with the classical transfer-of-learning paradigm were discussed.

  3. Workplace violence and psychiatric practice.

    PubMed

    Beck, J C; Schouten, R

    2000-01-01

    The authors provide an overview of what is known about workplace violence and discuss how to deal with issues of workplace violence that arise in clinical practice. They review myths and facts about workplace violence, including research on prevention. Legal issues relating to the psychiatrist as employer and the Americans with Disability Act are presented. General principles of violence assessment are reviewed and the authors then discuss the psychiatrist as consultant to the workplace and as clinician treating a victim or perpetrator of workplace violence. Three cases illustrate the general principles provided.

  4. Informed consent: clinical and legal issues in family practice.

    PubMed

    Searight, H R; Barbarash, R A

    1994-04-01

    While patient informed consent is an important clinical and legal dimension of specialty medical care, many important issues arise in primary care. Family physicians are in a unique position to implement informed consent discussions in the ethical spirit in which the doctrine was intended. Because of their long-term relationships with patients and sensitivity to psychosocial issues, family physicians can engage patients in collaborative health care decision making. Primary care physicians are optimally suited to assess patients' understanding of medical information and their competence. Instead of viewing the informed consent process simply as a necessary legal requirement, it should be a method for educating patients and allowing them to participate in their health care decision making.

  5. Drug use and abuse: the ethical issues.

    PubMed

    Almond, B

    1992-01-01

    Drug abuse is both a personal and a public issue, raising questions about individual rights and the boundaries of law, as well as about national sovereignty and international control. Ethical issues that arise under these headings may be related to certain broad ethical positions. The implications of adopting utilitarian assumptions may be contrasted with basing ethics on a theory of individual rights, closely related to a theory of human nature. Neither position justifies a libertarian presumption against control, for, first, an individual decision to expose one's mind and personality to the control of drugs cannot be ethically justified and, second, there are no ethical reasons, nor any compelling arguments from social and political theory, for decriminalizing non-medical drug use.

  6. Ethical Issues in Sports Medicine

    PubMed Central

    Greenfield, Bruce H.; West, Charles Robert

    2012-01-01

    Ethical issues present a challenge for health care professionals working with athletes of sports teams. Health care professionals—including the team physician, the physical therapist, and the athletic trainer—are faced with the challenge of returning an athlete to competition as quickly as possible but as safely as possible. Conflicts of interest arise due to conflicting obligations of the team physician to the athlete and other members of the sports organization, including coaches and the team owner. The multiple stakeholders involved in sports teams challenge the traditional notion of confidentiality and autonomy. The aims of this article are to explicate the ethics of sports medicine, highlight the ethical issues, and provide some strategies and suggestions for ethical decision making. PMID:24179585

  7. Biomedical surveillance: rights conflict with rights.

    PubMed

    Atherley, G; Johnston, N; Tennassee, M

    1986-10-01

    Medical screening and biomedical monitoring violate individual rights. Such conflicts of right with right are acted upon synergistically by uncertainty which, in some important respects, increases rather than decreases as a result of research. Issues of rightness and wrongness, ethical issues, arise because the human beings who are subjects of medical screening and biological monitoring often have little or no option whether to be subjected to them. We identify issues of rightness and wrongness of biomedical surveillance for various purposes of occupational health and safety. We distinguish between social validity and scientific validity. We observe that principles are well established for scientific validity, but not for social validity. We support guidelines as a way forward.

  8. The deaf strong hospital program: a model of diversity and inclusion training for first-year medical students.

    PubMed

    Thew, Denise; Smith, Scott R; Chang, Christopher; Starr, Matt

    2012-11-01

    Recent research indicates that the cultural competence training students receive during medical school might not adequately address the issues that arise when caring for patients of different cultures. Because of their unique communication, linguistic, and cultural issues, incorporating deaf people who use sign language into cultural competence education at medical schools might help to bridge this gap in cross-cultural education. The Deaf Strong Hospital (DSH) program at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, started in 1998, exposes first-year medical students to the issues that are relevant to providing effective patient care and to establishing multicultural sensitivity early in their medical education. Because medical students better acquire cross-cultural competence through hands-on experience rather than through lectures, the DSH program, which includes a role-reversal exercise in which medical students play the role of the patients, provides such a model for other medical schools and health care training centers to use in teaching future health care providers how to address the relevant cultural, linguistic, and communication needs of both their deaf patients and their non-English-speaking patients. This article describes the DSH program curriculum, shares findings from both medical students' short-term and long-term postprogram evaluations, and provides a framework for the implementation of a broader cultural and linguistic sensitivity training program specific to working with and improving the quality of health care among deaf people.

  9. Teaching ethics using popular songs: feeling and thinking.

    PubMed

    O'Mathúna, Dónal P

    2008-01-01

    A connection has long been made between music and moral education. Recent discussions have focused on concerns that certain lyrics can lead to acceptance of violence, suicide, inappropriate views of women, and other unethical behaviour. Debate over whether such connections exist at least illustrates that popular songs engage listeners with ethical issues; this arises from the unique blend of emotional and cognitive reactions to music. And while the emotional side of ethics has received less attention than other aspects of ethics, it is important and music can be a powerful and unique tool to introduce the emotional aspects of ethics. Music appeals to almost everyone. Throughout history songs have rallied people to action and drawn people into deeper reflection. Music engages our emotions, our imagination and our intellect. Students already spend many hours listening to songs, some of which address ethical issues; it is thus an ideal pedagogic aid in teaching subjects like ethics. This article will discuss how carefully selected songs can encourage thoughtful reflection and critical thinking about ethical issues: a number of specific examples will be described, along with a discussion of the general practicalities of using popular songs in teaching ethics and a demonstration of how students learn to listen critically and actively reflect on the ethical messages they receive. The enjoyment of music helps to engage students with ethics and its relevance for their lives and careers. This article aims to share some of the excitement and enthusiasm that popular songs have brought to my teaching of ethics.

  10. Cardiovascular diseases and periodontology.

    PubMed

    Seymour, R A; Preshaw, P M; Thomason, J M; Ellis, J S; Steele, J G

    2003-04-01

    Cardiovascular diseases represent a widespread heterogeneous group of conditions that have significant morbidity and mortality. The various diseases and their treatments can have an impact upon the periodontium and the delivery of periodontal care. In this paper we consider three main topics and explore their relationship to the periodontist and the provision of periodontal treatment. The areas reviewed include the effect of cardiovascular drugs on the periodontium and management of patients with periodontal diseases; the risk of infective endocarditis arising from periodontal procedures; the inter-relationship between periodontal disease and coronary artery disease. Calcium-channel blockers and beta-adrenoceptor blockers cause gingival overgrowth and tooth demineralisation, respectively. Evidence suggests that stopping anticoagulant therapy prior to periodontal procedures is putting patients at a greater risk of thromboembolic disorders compared to the risk of prolonged bleeding. The relationship between dentistry and infective endocarditis remains a controversial issue. It would appear that spontaneous bacteraemia arising from a patient's oral hygiene practices is more likely to be the cause of endocarditis than one-off periodontal procedures. The efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis is uncertain (and unlikely to be proven), and the risk of death from penicillin appears to be greater than the risk of death arising from infective endocarditis. Finally, the association between periodontal disease and coronary artery disease has been explored and there seem to be many issues with respect to data handling interpretation. Many putative mechanisms have been suggested; however, these only further highlight the need for intervention studies.

  11. Ethical issues in the development and implementation of nutrition-related public health policies and interventions: A scoping review.

    PubMed

    Hurlimann, Thierry; Peña-Rosas, Juan Pablo; Saxena, Abha; Zamora, Gerardo; Godard, Béatrice

    2017-01-01

    The limited integration of ethics in nutrition-related public health policies and interventions is one major concern for those who have the task of implementing them. Ethical challenges that are overlooked during the development of such interventions could raise serious ethical issues during their implementation and even after. As a result, these decision makers need technical support and ethical guidance for adaptation of interventions to local (cultural, social, economic, etc.) contexts. The goal of this scoping review is to delineate and "map" the range of ethical issues in nutrition-related public health interventions, as well as the range of the various fields in which they may arise. A scoping review of empirical research and conceptual literature was conducted following the framework of Arksey and O'Malley. Searches using PubMed with Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) categories and Advanced Search Builder as well as in the Global Health Library were performed. The final sample consists of 169 publications. The ethics of public health prevention or treatment of obesity and non-communicable diseases is the most explicitly and frequently discussed subject. In comparison, ethical issues raised by public health interventions in the fields of undernutrition, breastfeeding, vitamin/mineral supplementation and food fortification, food security, food sustainability and food safety are addressed in a lower proportion of the sample. The results illustrate the various natures, types, and scopes of existing public health nutrition-related interventions, and the various ethical issues that may be raised by these interventions, in addition to the numerous and different contexts in which they may be implemented. The ethical issues faced in the development and implementation of nutrition-related public health interventions are varied and cannot be equated with, nor generalized about, when dealing with specific activities in this field. More importantly, these ethical issues cannot be managed without a careful consideration for the complexity of contexts in which nutrition-related interventions are expected to be implemented. These interventions engage a variety of actors with diverse perspectives and interests. We discuss these challenges and also comment on the importance of considering ethical impacts in the monitoring and evaluation of such interventions. General ethical frameworks or recommendations-although useful-cannot be expected to provide policy makers, implementators and other public health personnel with sufficient practical ethical guidance as they cannot consider and anticipate the particularities of all specific nutrition-related public health interventions and the complexity of the contexts in which they are implemented. Further research is needed in order to develop more targeted ethical frameworks.

  12. Providers must plan for accrual of medical malpractice claims.

    PubMed

    Zatorski, R

    1988-11-01

    Because of the change in accounting regulations that requires accrual for certain medical malpractice claims, healthcare providers could soon be experiencing significant effects on their financial results. AICPA Statement Position 87-1, "Accounting for Asserted and Unasserted Medical Malpractice Claims of Health Care Providers and Related Issues," states that if healthcare providers have not transferred all risk for medical malpractice claims arising out of occurrences prior to the financial statement date to a third party, some accrual will be required. Providers need to prepare themselves for the financial problems that could arise from these reporting guidelines. Estimating the potential accrual amounts with advanced planning and extensive data gathering and analysis could lower a healthcare provider's financial risk.

  13. Legal and ethical values in the resolution of research-related disputes: how can IRBS respond to participant complaints?

    PubMed

    Underhill, Kristen

    2014-02-01

    Under US federal regulations, participants providing informed consent must receive information regarding whom to contact in case of a research-related injury or complaint. Although informed consent processes routinely direct participants to contact institutional review boards (IRBs) with questions or concerns, there has been little empirical study of the ways in which IRBs act to resolve participants' research-related complaints. This article explores available literature on participant complaints, considers the responsibilities of IRBs in dispute resolution, and outlines a research agenda. As a case study, this review considers disputes arising from HIV/AIDS research, focusing on novel issues arising from biomedical HIV prevention trials.

  14. Legal and Ethical Values in the Resolution of Research-Related Disputes: How Can IRBs Respond to Participant Complaints?

    PubMed Central

    Underhill, Kristen

    2014-01-01

    Under U.S. federal regulations, participants providing informed consent must receive information regarding whom to contact in case of a research-related injury or complaint. Although informed consent processes routinely direct participants to contact institutional review boards (IRBs) with questions or concerns, there has been little empirical study of the ways in which IRBs act to resolve participants' research-related complaints. This article explores available literature on participant complaints, considers the responsibilities of IRBs in dispute resolution, and outlines a research agenda. As a case study, this review considers disputes arising from HIV/AIDS research, focusing on novel issues arising from biomedical HIV prevention trials. PMID:24572085

  15. Review paper: Organ transplants: ethical, social, and religious issues in a multicultural society.

    PubMed

    Robson, Noor Zurani Md Haris; Razack, Azad Hassan; Dublin, Norman

    2010-07-01

    Recent advances in the fields of organ donation and organ transplant have introduced new hope for the treatment of serious diseases. However, this promise has been accompanied by several issues. The most common issue raised is ethical implications, but in a multicultural society like Malaysia, additional concerns arise pertaining to social and religious issues. These concerns needs to be addressed as attitudes toward and acceptability of organ donation varies according to social, culture, and religion. The diverse cultural, religious, and traditional concepts pertaining to organ donation may hamper its acceptability and cause a lack of willingness to donate organs. The purpose of this article is to briefly explore the ethical issues involved in organ transplant and the various religious opinions on organ donation. It is hoped that this knowledge and understanding may benefit both health care providers and patients in a multicultural society like Malaysia.

  16. The future of South East Asian rainforests in a changing landscape and climate.

    PubMed

    Hector, Andy; Fowler, David; Nussbaum, Ruth; Weilenmann, Maja; Walsh, Rory P D

    2011-11-27

    With a focus on the Danum Valley area of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, this special issue has as its theme the future of tropical rainforests in a changing landscape and climate. The global environmental context to the issue is briefly given before the contents and rationale of the issue are summarized. Most of the papers are based on research carried out as part of the Royal Society South East Asia Rainforest Research Programme. The issue is divided into five sections: (i) the historical land-use and land management context; (ii) implications of land-use change for atmospheric chemistry and climate change; (iii) impacts of logging, forest fragmentation (particularly within an oil palm plantation landscape) and forest restoration on ecosystems and their functioning; (iv) the response and resilience of rainforest systems to climatic and land-use change; and (v) the scientific messages and policy implications arising from the research findings presented in the issue.

  17. Ethical Perspectives on Evaluating Community College Faculty

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stumpf, Dan; King, Stephanie; Blendinger, Jack; Davis, Ed

    2013-01-01

    Because the process of faculty evaluation in the community college gives rise to ethical concerns about what is evaluated, who is involved in the process, and how data are collected and used, the purpose of this paper is to provide a meaningful ethical perspective for conducting faculty evaluation. The authors discuss ethical issues that arise in…

  18. Intradistrict Public School Funding Equity, Community Resources, and Performance in Nashville, Tennessee

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Klein, Christopher C.

    2008-01-01

    A large literature finds that resources are not significant determinants of student performance. These results may arise because resources really do not matter in public education or because local school districts allocate additional resources to poorer performing schools. To shed light on this issue, a unique data set for the Metropolitan…

  19. Competence and Competency-based Training: What the Literature Says

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guthrie, Hugh

    2009-01-01

    This literature review, commissioned by the National Quality Council, provides a historical account of the development of competency-based training in Australia and summarises the issues arising from the range of reviews conducted on elements of the national training system. It also explores the variety of ways in which competence is conceived…

  20. Teacher Learning in the In-Between: Encountering an "Invisible Barrier"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henderson, Linda

    2014-01-01

    Since early childhood has become the focus of national and supranational political spaces, issues around teacher learning have also gained a firm position in the debates. This has seen the literature on teacher learning largely being positioned within a managerial/alternative dichotomy, arising from a resistance to technical-rationalist discourses…

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