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

PubMed Central

Ng, Victoria; Sargeant, Jan M.

2012-01-01

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

Endocrine Profiling and Prioritization of Environmental Chemicals Using ToxCast Data

PubMed Central

Reif, David M.; Martin, Matthew T.; Tan, Shirlee W.; Houck, Keith A.; Judson, Richard S.; Richard, Ann M.; Knudsen, Thomas B.; Dix, David J.; Kavlock, Robert J.

2010-01-01

Background The prioritization of chemicals for toxicity testing is a primary goal of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ToxCast™ program. Phase I of ToxCast used a battery of 467 in vitro, high-throughput screening assays to assess 309 environmental chemicals. One important mode of action leading to toxicity is endocrine disruption, and the U.S. EPA’s Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP) has been charged with screening pesticide chemicals and environmental contaminants for their potential to affect the endocrine systems of humans and wildlife. Objective The goal of this study was to develop a flexible method to facilitate the rational prioritization of chemicals for further evaluation and demonstrate its application as a candidate decision-support tool for EDSP. Methods Focusing on estrogen, androgen, and thyroid pathways, we defined putative endocrine profiles and derived a relative rank or score for the entire ToxCast library of 309 unique chemicals. Effects on other nuclear receptors and xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes were also considered, as were pertinent chemical descriptors and pathways relevant to endocrine-mediated signaling. Results Combining multiple data sources into an overall, weight-of-evidence Toxicological Priority Index (ToxPi) score for prioritizing further chemical testing resulted in more robust conclusions than any single data source taken alone. Conclusions Incorporating data from in vitro assays, chemical descriptors, and biological pathways in this prioritization schema provided a flexible, comprehensive visualization and ranking of each chemical’s potential endocrine activity. Importantly, ToxPi profiles provide a transparent visualization of the relative contribution of all information sources to an overall priority ranking. The method developed here is readily adaptable to diverse chemical prioritization tasks. PMID:20826373

Determining and prioritizing competencies in the undergraduate internal medicine curriculum in Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Almoallim, H

2011-08-01

To determine knowledge and skills competencies in internal medicine for the undergraduate curriculum in Saudi Arabia, competencies were identified based on group work utilizing common textbooks. The Delphi Technique was used as a consensus method to determine and prioritize competencies in internal medicine. A group of 20 clinicians rated the identified competencies from 0-3 (0: no need to know, 1: interesting to know, 2: should know and 3: must know). After formulating the results, a second Delphi round was conducted with 5 experts in internal medicine. A total of 1513 knowledge competencies and 189 skills competencies were determined and prioritized. The competencies corresponded to the 12 systems in internal medicine. All competencies rated 2.2-3.0 were produced separately and considered core competencies for the undergraduate internal medicine curriculum. Determining and prioritizing competencies should influence the curriculum reform process.

A Fault Tree Approach to Analysis of Organizational Communication Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Witkin, Belle Ruth; Stephens, Kent G.

Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) is a method of examing communication in an organization by focusing on: (1) the complex interrelationships in human systems, particularly in communication systems; (2) interactions across subsystems and system boundaries; and (3) the need to select and "prioritize" channels which will eliminate noise in the…

Incorporating evolutionary measures into conservation prioritization.

PubMed

Redding, David W; Mooers, Arne Ø

2006-12-01

Conservation prioritization is dominated by the threat status of candidate species. However, species differ markedly in the shared genetic information they embody, and this information is not taken into account if species are prioritized by threat status alone. We developed a system of prioritization that incorporates both threat status and genetic information and applied it to 9546 species of birds worldwide. We devised a simple measure of a species' genetic value that takes into account the shape of the entire taxonomic tree of birds. This measure approximates the evolutionary history that each species embodies and sums to the phylogenetic diversity of the entire taxonomic tree. We then combined this genetic value with each species' probability of extinction to create a species-specific measure of expected loss of genetic information. The application of our methods to the world's avifauna showed that ranking species by expected loss of genetic information may help preserve bird evolutionary history by upgrading those threatened species with fewer close relatives. We recommend developing a mechanism to incorporate a species' genetic value into the prioritization framework.

Prioritizing sewer rehabilitation projects using AHP-PROMETHEE II ranking method.

PubMed

Kessili, Abdelhak; Benmamar, Saadia

2016-01-01

The aim of this paper is to develop a methodology for the prioritization of sewer rehabilitation projects for Algiers (Algeria) sewer networks to support the National Sanitation Office in its challenge to make decisions on prioritization of sewer rehabilitation projects. The methodology applies multiple-criteria decision making. The study includes 47 projects (collectors) and 12 criteria to evaluate them. These criteria represent the different issues considered in the prioritization of the projects, which are structural, hydraulic, environmental, financial, social and technical. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used to determine weights of the criteria and the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE II) method is used to obtain the final ranking of the projects. The model was verified using the sewer data of Algiers. The results have shown that the method can be used for prioritizing sewer rehabilitation projects.

Prioritization methodology for chemical replacement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldberg, Ben; Cruit, Wendy; Schutzenhofer, Scott

1995-01-01

This methodology serves to define a system for effective prioritization of efforts required to develop replacement technologies mandated by imposed and forecast legislation. The methodology used is a semi quantitative approach derived from quality function deployment techniques (QFD Matrix). QFD is a conceptual map that provides a method of transforming customer wants and needs into quantitative engineering terms. This methodology aims to weight the full environmental, cost, safety, reliability, and programmatic implications of replacement technology development to allow appropriate identification of viable candidates and programmatic alternatives.

Prioritizing chemicals for environmental management in China based on screening of potential risks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Xiangyi; Mao, Yan; Sun, Jinye; Shen, Yingwa

2014-03-01

The rapid development of China's chemical industry has created increasing pressure to improve the environmental management of chemicals. To bridge the large gap between the use and safe management of chemicals, we performed a comprehensive review of the international methods used to prioritize chemicals for environmental management. By comparing domestic and foreign methods, we confirmed the presence of this gap and identified potential solutions. Based on our literature review, we developed an appropriate screening method that accounts for the unique characteristics of chemical use within China. The proposed method is based on an evaluation using nine indices of the potential hazard posed by a chemical: three environmental hazard indices (persistence, bioaccumulation, and eco-toxicity), four health hazard indices (acute toxicity, carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, and reproductive and developmental toxicity), and two environmental exposure hazard indices (chemical amount and utilization pattern). The results of our screening agree with results of previous efforts from around the world, confirming the validity of the new system. The classification method will help decisionmakers to prioritize and identify the chemicals with the highest environmental risk, thereby providing a basis for improving chemical management in China.

Model predictive control system and method for integrated gasification combined cycle power generation

DOEpatents

Kumar, Aditya; Shi, Ruijie; Kumar, Rajeeva; Dokucu, Mustafa

2013-04-09

Control system and method for controlling an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant are provided. The system may include a controller coupled to a dynamic model of the plant to process a prediction of plant performance and determine a control strategy for the IGCC plant over a time horizon subject to plant constraints. The control strategy may include control functionality to meet a tracking objective and control functionality to meet an optimization objective. The control strategy may be configured to prioritize the tracking objective over the optimization objective based on a coordinate transformation, such as an orthogonal or quasi-orthogonal projection. A plurality of plant control knobs may be set in accordance with the control strategy to generate a sequence of coordinated multivariable control inputs to meet the tracking objective and the optimization objective subject to the prioritization resulting from the coordinate transformation.

Evaluating alterations in Zebrafish retino-tectal projections as an indication of developmental neurotoxicity

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. EPA is developing alternative screening methods to identify putative developmental neurotoxicants and prioritize chemicals for additional testing. One method developmentally exposes zebrafish embryos and assesses nervous system structure at 2 days post-fertilization (dpf...

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

PubMed

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

2016-09-01

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

Explicit criteria for prioritization of cataract surgery

PubMed Central

Ma Quintana, José; Escobar, Antonio; Bilbao, Amaia

2006-01-01

Background Consensus techniques have been used previously to create explicit criteria to prioritize cataract extraction; however, the appropriateness of the intervention was not included explicitly in previous studies. We developed a prioritization tool for cataract extraction according to the RAND method. Methods Criteria were developed using a modified Delphi panel judgment process. A panel of 11 ophthalmologists was assembled. Ratings were analyzed regarding the level of agreement among panelists. We studied the effect of all variables on the final panel score using general linear and logistic regression models. Priority scoring systems were developed by means of optimal scaling and general linear models. The explicit criteria developed were summarized by means of regression tree analysis. Results Eight variables were considered to create the indications. Of the 310 indications that the panel evaluated, 22.6% were considered high priority, 52.3% intermediate priority, and 25.2% low priority. Agreement was reached for 31.9% of the indications and disagreement for 0.3%. Logistic regression and general linear models showed that the preoperative visual acuity of the cataractous eye, visual function, and anticipated visual acuity postoperatively were the most influential variables. Alternative and simple scoring systems were obtained by optimal scaling and general linear models where the previous variables were also the most important. The decision tree also shows the importance of the previous variables and the appropriateness of the intervention. Conclusion Our results showed acceptable validity as an evaluation and management tool for prioritizing cataract extraction. It also provides easy algorithms for use in clinical practice. PMID:16512893

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) contamination of fish in urban lakes: a prioritization methodology for lake management.

PubMed

Xiao, Feng; Gulliver, John S; Simcik, Matt F

2013-12-15

The contamination of urban lakes by anthropogenic pollutants such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is a worldwide environmental problem. Large-scale, long-term monitoring of urban lakes requires careful prioritization of available resources, focusing efforts on potentially impaired lakes. Herein, a database of PFOS concentrations in 304 fish caught from 28 urban lakes was used for development of an urban-lake prioritization framework by means of exploratory data analysis (EDA) with the aid of a geographical information system. The prioritization scheme consists of three main tiers: preliminary classification, carried out by hierarchical cluster analysis; predictor screening, fulfilled by a regression tree method; and model development by means of a neural network. The predictive performance of the newly developed model was assessed using a training/validation splitting method and determined by an external validation set. The application of the model in the U.S. state of Minnesota identified 40 urban lakes that may contain elevated levels of PFOS; these lakes were not previously considered in PFOS monitoring programs. The model results also highlight ongoing industrial/commercial activities as a principal determinant of PFOS pollution in urban lakes, and suggest vehicular traffic as an important source and surface runoff as a primary pollution carrier. In addition, the EDA approach was further compared to a spatial interpolation method (kriging), and their advantages and disadvantages were discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prioritization of strategies to approach the judicialization of health in Latin America and the Caribbean

PubMed Central

Pinzón-Flórez, Carlos Eduardo; Chapman, Evelina; Cubillos, Leonardo; Reveiz, Ludovic

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To describe strategies that contribute to the comprehensive approach to the judicialization of health in countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. METHODS A search was structured to identify articles presenting strategies to approach the judicialization of health. A survey was designed, which included actors of the health system and judiciary sector. We prioritized the strategies qualified by more than the 50.0% of the participants as “very relevant”. Strategies were categorized according to: governance, provision of services, human resources, information systems, financing, and medical products. RESULTS We included 64 studies, which identified 50 strategies, related to the sub-functions and components of health systems. Of the 165 people who answered the survey, 80.0% were aged 35-64 years. The distribution of men and women was homogeneous. Half of the respondents were from Colombia (20.0%), Uruguay (16.9%), and Argentina (12.7%). We prioritized strategies that addressed aspects of generation of useful scientific evidence for decision making according to the health needs of the population, empowerment for the society, and creating spaces for discussion of measures of inclusion or exclusion of health technologies. The executive and judiciary decision makers prioritized questions that dealt with strategies that would ensure accountability. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study contribute to the identification of effective strategies to approach the phenomenon of judicialization of health, guaranteeing the right to health. PMID:27598786

Prioritizing conservation activities using reserve site selection methods and population viability analysis.

PubMed

Newbold, Stephen C; Siikamäki, Juha

2009-10-01

In recent years a large literature on reserve site selection (RSS) has developed at the interface between ecology, operations research, and environmental economics. Reserve site selection models use numerical optimization techniques to select sites for a network of nature reserves for protecting biodiversity. In this paper, we develop a population viability analysis (PVA) model for salmon and incorporate it into an RSS framework for prioritizing conservation activities in upstream watersheds. We use spawner return data for three closely related salmon stocks in the upper Columbia River basin and estimates of the economic costs of watershed protection from NOAA to illustrate the framework. We compare the relative cost-effectiveness of five alternative watershed prioritization methods, based on various combinations of biological and economic information. Prioritization based on biological benefit-economic cost comparisons and accounting for spatial interdependencies among watersheds substantially outperforms other more heuristic methods. When using this best-performing prioritization method, spending 10% of the cost of protecting all upstream watersheds yields 79% of the biological benefits (increase in stock persistence) from protecting all watersheds, compared to between 20% and 64% for the alternative methods. We also find that prioritization based on either costs or benefits alone can lead to severe reductions in cost-effectiveness.

Associative list processing unit

DOEpatents

Hemmert, Karl Scott; Underwood, Keith D.

2013-01-29

An associative list processing unit and method comprising employing a plurality of prioritized cell blocks and permitting inserts to occur in a single clock cycle if all of the cell blocks are not full. Also, an associative list processing unit and method comprising employing a plurality of prioritized cell blocks and using a tree of prioritized multiplexers descending from the plurality of cell blocks.

The effect of requirements prioritization on avionics system conceptual design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorentz, John

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

IN VITRO SCREENING OF DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROTOXICANTS IN RAT PRIMARY CORTICAL NEURONS USING HIGH CONTENT IMAGE

EPA Science Inventory

There is a need for more efficient and cost-effective methods for identifying, characterizing and prioritizing chemicals which may result in developmental neurotoxicity. One approach is to utilize in vitro test systems which recapitulate the critical processes of nervous system d...

Prioritization of catchments based on soil erosion using remote sensing and GIS.

PubMed

Khadse, Gajanan K; Vijay, Ritesh; Labhasetwar, Pawan K

2015-06-01

Water and soil are the most essential natural resources for socioeconomic development and sustenance of life. A study of soil and water dynamics at a watershed level facilitates a scientific approach towards their conservation and management. Remote sensing and Geographic Information System are tools that help to plan and manage natural resources on watershed basis. Studies were conducted for the formulation of catchment area treatment plan based on watershed prioritization with soil erosion studies using remote sensing techniques, corroborated with Geographic Information System (GIS), secondary data and ground truth information. Estimation of runoff and sediment yield is necessary in prioritization of catchment for the design of soil conservation structures and for identifying the critical erosion-prone areas of a catchment for implementation of best management plan with limited resources. The Universal Soil Loss Equation, Sediment Yield Determination and silt yield index methods are used for runoff and soil loss estimation for prioritization of the catchments. On the basis of soil erosion classes, the watersheds were grouped into very high, high, moderate and low priorities. High-priority watersheds need immediate attention for soil and water conservation, whereas low-priority watershed having good vegetative cover and low silt yield index may not need immediate attention for such treatments.

Prioritization of Companion Animal Transmissible Diseases for Policy Intervention in Europe.

PubMed

Cito, F; Rijks, J; Rantsios, A T; Cunningham, A A; Baneth, G; Guardabassi, L; Kuiken, T; Giovannini, A

2016-07-01

A number of papers have been published on the prioritization of transmissible diseases in farm animals and wildlife, based either on semiquantitative or truly quantitative methods, but there is no published literature on the prioritization of transmissible diseases in companion animals. In this study, available epidemiological data for diseases transmissible from companion animals to man were analysed with the aim of developing a procedure suitable for their prioritization within a European framework. A new method and its associated questionnaire and scoring system were designed based on methods described by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). Modifications were applied to allow for the paucity of specific information on companion animal transmissible diseases. The OIE method was also adapted to the subject and to the regional scope of the interprofessional network addressing zoonotic diseases transmitted via companion animals in Europe: the Companion Animals multisectoriaL interprofessionaL Interdisciplinary Strategic Think tank On zoonoses (CALLISTO). Adaptations were made based on information collected from expert groups on viral, bacterial and parasitic diseases using a structured questionnaire, in which all questions were closed-ended. The expert groups were asked to select the most appropriate answer for each question taking into account the relevance and reliability of the data available in the scientific literature. Subsequently, the scoring of the answers obtained for each disease covered by the questionnaire was analysed to obtain two final overall scores, one for human health impact and one for agricultural economic impact. The adapted method was then applied to select the 15 most important pathogens (five for each pathogen group: viral, bacterial and parasitic) on the basis of their overall impact on public health and agriculture. The result of the prioritization exercise was a joint priority list (available at www.callistoproject.eu) of relevant pathogens according to these two criteria. As the scope of CALLISTO was comprehensive in terms of geographical area, animal species involved and impact of the diseases, the list of prioritized diseases had to accommodate the realities in different European countries and the differences in biology and animal-human relationships in a wide range of species including cats and dogs, pet pigs and sheep as well as captive reptiles. The methodology presented in this paper can be used to generate accurate priority lists according to narrower and more specific objectives. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

An Extreme-Value Approach to Anomaly Vulnerability Identification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Everett, Chris; Maggio, Gaspare; Groen, Frank

2010-01-01

The objective of this paper is to present a method for importance analysis in parametric probabilistic modeling where the result of interest is the identification of potential engineering vulnerabilities associated with postulated anomalies in system behavior. In the context of Accident Precursor Analysis (APA), under which this method has been developed, these vulnerabilities, designated as anomaly vulnerabilities, are conditions that produce high risk in the presence of anomalous system behavior. The method defines a parameter-specific Parameter Vulnerability Importance measure (PVI), which identifies anomaly risk-model parameter values that indicate the potential presence of anomaly vulnerabilities, and allows them to be prioritized for further investigation. This entails analyzing each uncertain risk-model parameter over its credible range of values to determine where it produces the maximum risk. A parameter that produces high system risk for a particular range of values suggests that the system is vulnerable to the modeled anomalous conditions, if indeed the true parameter value lies in that range. Thus, PVI analysis provides a means of identifying and prioritizing anomaly-related engineering issues that at the very least warrant improved understanding to reduce uncertainty, such that true vulnerabilities may be identified and proper corrective actions taken.

SU-E-T-502: Initial Results of a Comparison of Treatment Plans Produced From Automated Prioritized Planning Method and a Commercial Treatment Planning System

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

Tiwari, P; Chen, Y; Hong, L

2015-06-15

Purpose We developed an automated treatment planning system based on a hierarchical goal programming approach. To demonstrate the feasibility of our method, we report the comparison of prostate treatment plans produced from the automated treatment planning system with those produced by a commercial treatment planning system. Methods In our approach, we prioritized the goals of the optimization, and solved one goal at a time. The purpose of prioritization is to ensure that higher priority dose-volume planning goals are not sacrificed to improve lower priority goals. The algorithm has four steps. The first step optimizes dose to the target structures, whilemore » sparing key sensitive organs from radiation. In the second step, the algorithm finds the best beamlet weight to reduce toxicity risks to normal tissue while holding the objective function achieved in the first step as a constraint, with a small amount of allowed slip. Likewise, the third and fourth steps introduce lower priority normal tissue goals and beam smoothing. We compared with prostate treatment plans from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center developed using Eclipse, with a prescription dose of 72 Gy. A combination of liear, quadratic, and gEUD objective functions were used with a modified open source solver code (IPOPT). Results Initial plan results on 3 different cases show that the automated planning system is capable of competing or improving on expert-driven eclipse plans. Compared to the Eclipse planning system, the automated system produced up to 26% less mean dose to rectum and 24% less mean dose to bladder while having the same D95 (after matching) to the target. Conclusion We have demonstrated that Pareto optimal treatment plans can be generated automatically without a trial-and-error process. The solver finds an optimal plan for the given patient, as opposed to database-driven approaches that set parameters based on geometry and population modeling.« less

ProphTools: general prioritization tools for heterogeneous biological networks.

PubMed

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

2017-12-01

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

ExpoCast: Exposure Science for Prioritization and Toxicity Testing (S)

EPA Science Inventory

The US EPA is completing the Phase I pilot for a chemical prioritization research program, called ToxCast. Here EPA is developing methods for using computational chemistry, high-throughput screening, and toxicogenomic technologies to predict potential toxicity and prioritize limi...

ExpoCast: Exposure Science for Prioritization and Toxicity Testing

EPA Science Inventory

The US EPA is completing the Phase I pilot for a chemical prioritization research program, called ToxCastTM. Here EPA is developing methods for using computational chemistry, high-throughput screening, and toxicogenomic technologies to predict potential toxicity and prioritize l...

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

PubMed Central

Diederich, Adele; Swait, Joffre; Wirsik, Norman

2012-01-01

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

Text Mining in Cancer Gene and Pathway Prioritization

PubMed Central

Luo, Yuan; Riedlinger, Gregory; Szolovits, Peter

2014-01-01

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

Text mining in cancer gene and pathway prioritization.

PubMed

Luo, Yuan; Riedlinger, Gregory; Szolovits, Peter

2014-01-01

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

Profiling Cholinesterase Adduction: A High-Throughput Prioritization Method for Organophosphate Exposure Samples

PubMed Central

Carter, Melissa D.; Crow, Brian S.; Pantazides, Brooke G.; Watson, Caroline M.; deCastro, B. Rey; Thomas, Jerry D.; Blake, Thomas A.; Johnson, Rudolph C.

2017-01-01

A high-throughput prioritization method was developed for use with a validated confirmatory method detecting organophosphorus nerve agent exposure by immunomagnetic separation-HPLC-MS/MS. A ballistic gradient was incorporated into this analytical method in order to profile unadducted butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) in clinical samples. With Zhang, et al. 1999’s Z′-factor of 0.88 ± 0.01 (SD) of control analytes and Z-factor of 0.25 ± 0.06 (SD) of serum samples, the assay is rated an “excellent assay” for the synthetic peptide controls used and a “double assay” when used to prioritize clinical samples. Hits, defined as samples containing BChE Ser-198 adducts or no BChE present, were analyzed in a confirmatory method for identification and quantitation of the BChE adduct, if present. The ability to prioritize samples by highest exposure for confirmatory analysis is of particular importance in an exposure to cholinesterase inhibitors such as organophosphorus nerve agents where a large number of clinical samples may be collected. In an initial blind screen, 67 out of 70 samples were accurately identified giving an assay accuracy of 96% and yielded no false negatives. The method is the first to provide a high-throughput prioritization assay for profiling adduction of Ser-198 BChE in clinical samples. PMID:23954929

A Macro Analysis of DoD Logistics Systems. Volume 3. A Framework for Policy-Level Logistics Management

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-12-01

prioritization. 5 (We have chosen to use a variation of Saaty’s method in our hierarchical analysis, discussed in chapter 5, but for a purpose different ...the word "framework" to refer to an abstract structure for think- ing through policy-tieel management problems. This structure raises method - ological...readiness and logistics system performance, and we relied heavily on "structural" and trend analysis. By structural analysis, we meant a formal method for

47 CFR 10.410 - Prioritization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Prioritization. 10.410 Section 10.410 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL COMMERCIAL MOBILE ALERT SYSTEM Alert Message Requirements § 10.410 Prioritization. A Participating CMS Provider is required to transmit Presidential Alerts...

Updating and improving methodology for prioritizing highway project locations on the strategic intermodal system (SIS).

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-04-01

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District One developed the Congestion Management Process : (CMP) system to prioritize low-cost, near-term highway improvements on the Strategic Intermodal System (SIS). : The existing CMP system is desi...

Validation of the Tactical Air Force’s Decision Making Process to Prioritize Modifications Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-12-01

were presented. The second part of the thesis proposed the alternative methods of decision analysis and PROMETHEE to solve TAF’s . prioritization...of decision analysis (DA) and Preference Ranking Orqanization Method for Enrichment Evaluations ( PROMETHEE ) will be explained. First, the...dollars. However, once this task is successfully accomplished, TAF would be able to use DA to prioritize their mods. The PROMETHEE is a "new class of

A large-scale benchmark of gene prioritization methods.

PubMed

Guala, Dimitri; Sonnhammer, Erik L L

2017-04-21

In order to maximize the use of results from high-throughput experimental studies, e.g. GWAS, for identification and diagnostics of new disease-associated genes, it is important to have properly analyzed and benchmarked gene prioritization tools. While prospective benchmarks are underpowered to provide statistically significant results in their attempt to differentiate the performance of gene prioritization tools, a strategy for retrospective benchmarking has been missing, and new tools usually only provide internal validations. The Gene Ontology(GO) contains genes clustered around annotation terms. This intrinsic property of GO can be utilized in construction of robust benchmarks, objective to the problem domain. We demonstrate how this can be achieved for network-based gene prioritization tools, utilizing the FunCoup network. We use cross-validation and a set of appropriate performance measures to compare state-of-the-art gene prioritization algorithms: three based on network diffusion, NetRank and two implementations of Random Walk with Restart, and MaxLink that utilizes network neighborhood. Our benchmark suite provides a systematic and objective way to compare the multitude of available and future gene prioritization tools, enabling researchers to select the best gene prioritization tool for the task at hand, and helping to guide the development of more accurate methods.

Probe molecules (PrM) approach in adverse outcome pathway (AOP) based high throughput screening (HTS): in vivo discovery for developing in vitro target methods

EPA Science Inventory

Efficient and accurate adverse outcome pathway (AOP) based high-throughput screening (HTS) methods use a systems biology based approach to computationally model in vitro cellular and molecular data for rapid chemical prioritization; however, not all HTS assays are grounded by rel...

Dual indices for prioritizing investment in decentralized HIV services at Nigerian primary health care facilities

PubMed Central

Oyediran, Kola’ A; Mullen, Stephanie; Kolapo, Usman M

2016-01-01

Decentralizing health services, including those for HIV prevention and treatment, is one strategy for maximizing the use of limited resources and expanding treatment options; yet few methods exist for systematically identifying where investments for service expansion might be most effective, in terms of meeting needs and rapid availability of improved services. The Nigerian Government, the United States Government under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program and other donors are expanding services for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV to primary health care facilities in Nigeria. Nigerian primary care facilities vary greatly in their readiness to deliver HIV/AIDS services. In 2012, MEASURE Evaluation assessed 268 PEPFAR-supported primary health care facilities in Nigeria and developed a systematic method for prioritizing these facilities for expansion of PMTCT services. Each assessed facility was scored based on two indices with multiple, weighted variables: one measured facility readiness to provide PMTCT services, the other measured local need for the services and feasibility of expansion. These two scores were compiled and the summary score used as the basis for prioritizing facilities for PMTCT service expansion. The rationale was that using need and readiness to identify where to expand PMTCT services would result in more efficient allocation of resources. A review of the results showed that the indices achieved the desired effect—that is prioritizing facilities with high need even when readiness was problematic and also prioritizing facilities where rapid scale-up was feasible. This article describes the development of the two-part index and discusses advantages of using this approach when planning service expansion. The authors' objective is to contribute to development of methodologies for prioritizing investments in HIV, as well as other public health arenas, that should improve cost-effectiveness and strengthen services and systems in resource-limited countries. PMID:26363172

Dual indices for prioritizing investment in decentralized HIV services at Nigerian primary health care facilities.

PubMed

Fronczak, Nancy; Oyediran, Kola' A; Mullen, Stephanie; Kolapo, Usman M

2016-04-01

Decentralizing health services, including those for HIV prevention and treatment, is one strategy for maximizing the use of limited resources and expanding treatment options; yet few methods exist for systematically identifying where investments for service expansion might be most effective, in terms of meeting needs and rapid availability of improved services. The Nigerian Government, the United States Government under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program and other donors are expanding services for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV to primary health care facilities in Nigeria. Nigerian primary care facilities vary greatly in their readiness to deliver HIV/AIDS services. In 2012, MEASURE Evaluation assessed 268 PEPFAR-supported primary health care facilities in Nigeria and developed a systematic method for prioritizing these facilities for expansion of PMTCT services. Each assessed facility was scored based on two indices with multiple, weighted variables: one measured facility readiness to provide PMTCT services, the other measured local need for the services and feasibility of expansion. These two scores were compiled and the summary score used as the basis for prioritizing facilities for PMTCT service expansion. The rationale was that using need and readiness to identify where to expand PMTCT services would result in more efficient allocation of resources. A review of the results showed that the indices achieved the desired effect-that is prioritizing facilities with high need even when readiness was problematic and also prioritizing facilities where rapid scale-up was feasible. This article describes the development of the two-part index and discusses advantages of using this approach when planning service expansion. The authors' objective is to contribute to development of methodologies for prioritizing investments in HIV, as well as other public health arenas, that should improve cost-effectiveness and strengthen services and systems in resource-limited countries. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Flexible methods for segmentation evaluation: results from CT-based luggage screening.

PubMed

Karimi, Seemeen; Jiang, Xiaoqian; Cosman, Pamela; Martz, Harry

2014-01-01

Imaging systems used in aviation security include segmentation algorithms in an automatic threat recognition pipeline. The segmentation algorithms evolve in response to emerging threats and changing performance requirements. Analysis of segmentation algorithms' behavior, including the nature of errors and feature recovery, facilitates their development. However, evaluation methods from the literature provide limited characterization of the segmentation algorithms. To develop segmentation evaluation methods that measure systematic errors such as oversegmentation and undersegmentation, outliers, and overall errors. The methods must measure feature recovery and allow us to prioritize segments. We developed two complementary evaluation methods using statistical techniques and information theory. We also created a semi-automatic method to define ground truth from 3D images. We applied our methods to evaluate five segmentation algorithms developed for CT luggage screening. We validated our methods with synthetic problems and an observer evaluation. Both methods selected the same best segmentation algorithm. Human evaluation confirmed the findings. The measurement of systematic errors and prioritization helped in understanding the behavior of each segmentation algorithm. Our evaluation methods allow us to measure and explain the accuracy of segmentation algorithms.

Decision making in prioritization of required operational capabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreeva, P.; Karev, M.; Kovacheva, Ts.

2015-10-01

The paper describes an expert heuristic approach to prioritization of required operational capabilities in the field of defense. Based on expert assessment and by application of the method of Analytical Hierarchical Process, a methodology for their prioritization has been developed. It has been applied to practical simulation decision making games.

Acquiring Enterprise Systems as a Portfolio of Real Options

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-30

expanded beyond valuing individual projects by the real options method to the valuation of a portfolio of options. Bardhan , Bagchi, and Soustad (2004... Bardhan , I., Bagchi, S., & Soustad, R. (2004). Prioritizing a portfolio of information technology investment projects. Journal of Management

The use of SWOT analysis to explore and prioritize conservation and development strategies for local cattle breeds.

PubMed

Martín-Collado, D; Díaz, C; Mäki-Tanila, A; Colinet, F; Duclos, D; Hiemstra, S J; Gandini, G

2013-06-01

SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis is a tool widely used to help in decision making in complex systems. It suits to exploring the issues and measures related to the conservation and development of local breeds, as it allows the integration of many driving factors influencing breed dynamics. We developed a quantified SWOT method as a decision-making tool for identification and ranking of conservation and development strategies of local breeds, and applied it to a set of 13 cattle breeds of six European countries. The method has four steps: definition of the system, identification and grouping of the driving factors, quantification of the importance of driving factors and identification and prioritization of the strategies. The factors were determined following a multi-stakeholder approach and grouped with a three-level structure. Animal genetic resources expert groups ranked the factors, and a quantification process was implemented to identify and prioritize strategies. The proposed SWOT methodology allows analyzing the dynamics of local cattle breeds in a structured and systematic way. It is a flexible tool developed to assist different stakeholders in defining the strategies and actions. The quantification process allows the comparison of the driving factors and the prioritization of the strategies for the conservation and development of local cattle breeds. We identified 99 factors across the breeds. Although the situation is very heterogeneous, the future of these breeds may be promising. The most important strengths and weaknesses were related to production systems and farmers. The most important opportunities were found in marketing new products, whereas the most relevant threats were found in selling the current products. The across-breed strategies utility decreased as they gained specificity. Therefore, the strategies at European level should focus on general aspects and be flexible enough to be adapted to the country and breed specificities.

An extensive analysis of disease-gene associations using network integration and fast kernel-based gene prioritization methods.

PubMed

Valentini, Giorgio; Paccanaro, Alberto; Caniza, Horacio; Romero, Alfonso E; Re, Matteo

2014-06-01

In the context of "network medicine", gene prioritization methods represent one of the main tools to discover candidate disease genes by exploiting the large amount of data covering different types of functional relationships between genes. Several works proposed to integrate multiple sources of data to improve disease gene prioritization, but to our knowledge no systematic studies focused on the quantitative evaluation of the impact of network integration on gene prioritization. In this paper, we aim at providing an extensive analysis of gene-disease associations not limited to genetic disorders, and a systematic comparison of different network integration methods for gene prioritization. We collected nine different functional networks representing different functional relationships between genes, and we combined them through both unweighted and weighted network integration methods. We then prioritized genes with respect to each of the considered 708 medical subject headings (MeSH) diseases by applying classical guilt-by-association, random walk and random walk with restart algorithms, and the recently proposed kernelized score functions. The results obtained with classical random walk algorithms and the best single network achieved an average area under the curve (AUC) across the 708 MeSH diseases of about 0.82, while kernelized score functions and network integration boosted the average AUC to about 0.89. Weighted integration, by exploiting the different "informativeness" embedded in different functional networks, outperforms unweighted integration at 0.01 significance level, according to the Wilcoxon signed rank sum test. For each MeSH disease we provide the top-ranked unannotated candidate genes, available for further bio-medical investigation. Network integration is necessary to boost the performances of gene prioritization methods. Moreover the methods based on kernelized score functions can further enhance disease gene ranking results, by adopting both local and global learning strategies, able to exploit the overall topology of the network. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hesitant fuzzy linguistic multicriteria decision-making method based on generalized prioritized aggregation operator.

PubMed

Wu, Jia-ting; Wang, Jian-qiang; Wang, Jing; Zhang, Hong-yu; Chen, Xiao-hong

2014-01-01

Based on linguistic term sets and hesitant fuzzy sets, the concept of hesitant fuzzy linguistic sets was introduced. The focus of this paper is the multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) problems in which the criteria are in different priority levels and the criteria values take the form of hesitant fuzzy linguistic numbers (HFLNs). A new approach to solving these problems is proposed, which is based on the generalized prioritized aggregation operator of HFLNs. Firstly, the new operations and comparison method for HFLNs are provided and some linguistic scale functions are applied. Subsequently, two prioritized aggregation operators and a generalized prioritized aggregation operator of HFLNs are developed and applied to MCDM problems. Finally, an illustrative example is given to illustrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method, which are then compared to the existing approach.

An ensemble rank learning approach for gene prioritization.

PubMed

Lee, Po-Feng; Soo, Von-Wun

2013-01-01

Several different computational approaches have been developed to solve the gene prioritization problem. We intend to use the ensemble boosting learning techniques to combine variant computational approaches for gene prioritization in order to improve the overall performance. In particular we add a heuristic weighting function to the Rankboost algorithm according to: 1) the absolute ranks generated by the adopted methods for a certain gene, and 2) the ranking relationship between all gene-pairs from each prioritization result. We select 13 known prostate cancer genes in OMIM database as training set and protein coding gene data in HGNC database as test set. We adopt the leave-one-out strategy for the ensemble rank boosting learning. The experimental results show that our ensemble learning approach outperforms the four gene-prioritization methods in ToppGene suite in the ranking results of the 13 known genes in terms of mean average precision, ROC and AUC measures.

The Method for Assigning Priority Levels (MAPLe): A new decision-support system for allocating home care resources

PubMed Central

Hirdes, John P; Poss, Jeff W; Curtin-Telegdi, Nancy

2008-01-01

Background Home care plays a vital role in many health care systems, but there is evidence that appropriate targeting strategies must be used to allocate limited home care resources effectively. The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a methodology for prioritizing access to community and facility-based services for home care clients. Methods Canadian and international data based on the Resident Assessment Instrument – Home Care (RAI-HC) were analyzed to identify predictors for nursing home placement, caregiver distress and for being rated as requiring alternative placement to improve outlook. Results The Method for Assigning Priority Levels (MAPLe) algorithm was a strong predictor of all three outcomes in the derivation sample. The algorithm was validated with additional data from five other countries, three other provinces, and an Ontario sample obtained after the use of the RAI-HC was mandated. Conclusion The MAPLe algorithm provides a psychometrically sound decision-support tool that may be used to inform choices related to allocation of home care resources and prioritization of clients needing community or facility-based services. PMID:18366782

Data-Driven Approach To Determine Popular Proteins for Targeted Proteomics Translation of Six Organ Systems.

PubMed

Lam, Maggie P Y; Venkatraman, Vidya; Xing, Yi; Lau, Edward; Cao, Quan; Ng, Dominic C M; Su, Andrew I; Ge, Junbo; Van Eyk, Jennifer E; Ping, Peipei

2016-11-04

Amidst the proteomes of human tissues lie subsets of proteins that are closely involved in conserved pathophysiological processes. Much of biomedical research concerns interrogating disease signature proteins and defining their roles in disease mechanisms. With advances in proteomics technologies, it is now feasible to develop targeted proteomics assays that can accurately quantify protein abundance as well as their post-translational modifications; however, with rapidly accumulating number of studies implicating proteins in diseases, current resources are insufficient to target every protein without judiciously prioritizing the proteins with high significance and impact for assay development. We describe here a data science method to prioritize and expedite assay development on high-impact proteins across research fields by leveraging the biomedical literature record to rank and normalize proteins that are popularly and preferentially published by biomedical researchers. We demonstrate this method by finding priority proteins across six major physiological systems (cardiovascular, cerebral, hepatic, renal, pulmonary, and intestinal). The described method is data-driven and builds upon the collective knowledge of previous publications referenced on PubMed to lend objectivity to target selection. The method and resulting popular protein lists may also be useful for exploring biological processes associated with various physiological systems and research topics, in addition to benefiting ongoing efforts to facilitate the broad translation of proteomics technologies.

Technology Alignment and Portfolio Prioritization (TAPP): Advanced Methods in Strategic Analysis, Technology Forecasting and Long Term Planning for Human Exploration and Operations, Advanced Exploration Systems and Advanced Concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Funaro, Gregory V.; Alexander, Reginald A.

2015-01-01

The Advanced Concepts Office (ACO) at NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center is expanding its current technology assessment methodologies. ACO is developing a framework called TAPP that uses a variety of methods, such as association mining and rule learning from data mining, structure development using a Technological Innovation System (TIS), and social network modeling to measure structural relationships. The role of ACO is to 1) produce a broad spectrum of ideas and alternatives for a variety of NASA's missions, 2) determine mission architecture feasibility and appropriateness to NASA's strategic plans, and 3) define a project in enough detail to establish an initial baseline capable of meeting mission objectives ACO's role supports the decision­-making process associated with the maturation of concepts for traveling through, living in, and understanding space. ACO performs concept studies and technology assessments to determine the degree of alignment between mission objectives and new technologies. The first step in technology assessment is to identify the current technology maturity in terms of a technology readiness level (TRL). The second step is to determine the difficulty associated with advancing a technology from one state to the next state. NASA has used TRLs since 1970 and ACO formalized them in 1995. The DoD, ESA, Oil & Gas, and DoE have adopted TRLs as a means to assess technology maturity. However, "with the emergence of more complex systems and system of systems, it has been increasingly recognized that TRL assessments have limitations, especially when considering [the] integration of complex systems." When performing the second step in a technology assessment, NASA requires that an Advancement Degree of Difficulty (AD2) method be utilized. NASA has used and developed or used a variety of methods to perform this step: Expert Opinion or Delphi Approach, Value Engineering or Value Stream, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), Technique for the Order of Prioritization by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), and other multi­-criteria decision-making methods. These methods can be labor-intensive, often contain cognitive or parochial bias, and do not consider the competing prioritization between mission architectures. Strategic Decision-Making (SDM) processes cannot be properly understood unless the context of the technology is understood. This makes assessing technological change particularly challenging due to the relationships "between incumbent technology and the incumbent (innovation) system in relation to the emerging technology and the emerging innovation system." The central idea in technology dynamics is to consider all activities that contribute to the development, diffusion, and use of innovations as system functions. Bergek defines system functions within a TIS to address what is actually happening and has a direct influence on the ultimate performance of the system and technology development. ACO uses similar metrics and is expanding these metrics to account for the structure and context of the technology. At NASA technology and strategy is strongly interrelated. NASA's Strategic Space Technology Investment Plan (SSTIP) prioritizes those technologies essential to the pursuit of NASA's missions and national interests. The SSTIP is strongly coupled with NASA's Technology Roadmaps to provide investment guidance during the next four years, within a twenty-year horizon. This paper discusses the methods ACO is currently developing to better perform technology assessments while taking into consideration Strategic Alignment, Technology Forecasting, and Long Term Planning.

Prioritizing PubMed articles for the Comparative Toxicogenomic Database utilizing semantic information

PubMed Central

Wilbur, W. John

2012-01-01

The Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) contains manually curated literature that describes chemical–gene interactions, chemical–disease relationships and gene–disease relationships. Finding articles containing this information is the first and an important step to assist manual curation efficiency. However, the complex nature of named entities and their relationships make it challenging to choose relevant articles. In this article, we introduce a machine learning framework for prioritizing CTD-relevant articles based on our prior system for the protein–protein interaction article classification task in BioCreative III. To address new challenges in the CTD task, we explore a new entity identification method for genes, chemicals and diseases. In addition, latent topics are analyzed and used as a feature type to overcome the small size of the training set. Applied to the BioCreative 2012 Triage dataset, our method achieved 0.8030 mean average precision (MAP) in the official runs, resulting in the top MAP system among participants. Integrated with PubTator, a Web interface for annotating biomedical literature, the proposed system also received a positive review from the CTD curation team. PMID:23160415

Prioritizing PubMed articles for the Comparative Toxicogenomic Database utilizing semantic information.

PubMed

Kim, Sun; Kim, Won; Wei, Chih-Hsuan; Lu, Zhiyong; Wilbur, W John

2012-01-01

The Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) contains manually curated literature that describes chemical-gene interactions, chemical-disease relationships and gene-disease relationships. Finding articles containing this information is the first and an important step to assist manual curation efficiency. However, the complex nature of named entities and their relationships make it challenging to choose relevant articles. In this article, we introduce a machine learning framework for prioritizing CTD-relevant articles based on our prior system for the protein-protein interaction article classification task in BioCreative III. To address new challenges in the CTD task, we explore a new entity identification method for genes, chemicals and diseases. In addition, latent topics are analyzed and used as a feature type to overcome the small size of the training set. Applied to the BioCreative 2012 Triage dataset, our method achieved 0.8030 mean average precision (MAP) in the official runs, resulting in the top MAP system among participants. Integrated with PubTator, a Web interface for annotating biomedical literature, the proposed system also received a positive review from the CTD curation team.

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

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

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

20180311 - Development of a Tool for Systematic Integration of Traditional and New Approach Methods for Prioritizing Chemical Lists (SOT)

EPA Science Inventory

Multiple chemical regulatory bodies (US EPA, ECHA, OECD, Health Canada) are currently tasked with prioritizing chemicals for in-depth risk assessments. These prioritization efforts are driven by the fact that there are many chemicals in commerce, or in the environment for which d...

Development of a Tool for Systematic Integration of Traditional and New Approach Methods for Prioritizing Chemical Lists

EPA Science Inventory

Multiple chemical regulatory bodies (US EPA, ECHA, OECD, Health Canada) are currently tasked with prioritizing chemicals for in-depth risk assessments. These prioritization efforts are driven by the fact that there are many chemicals in commerce, or in the environment for which d...

Neurotoxicity in Aquatic Systems: Evaluation of Anthropogenic Trace Substances

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is evaluating methods to screen and prioritize large numbers of chemicals for developmental toxicity, as well as acute and developmental neurotoxicity. In this endeavor, one of our focuses is on contaminants found in drinking water. To exp...

Disease gene prioritization by integrating tissue-specific molecular networks using a robust multi-network model.

PubMed

Ni, Jingchao; Koyuturk, Mehmet; Tong, Hanghang; Haines, Jonathan; Xu, Rong; Zhang, Xiang

2016-11-10

Accurately prioritizing candidate disease genes is an important and challenging problem. Various network-based methods have been developed to predict potential disease genes by utilizing the disease similarity network and molecular networks such as protein interaction or gene co-expression networks. Although successful, a common limitation of the existing methods is that they assume all diseases share the same molecular network and a single generic molecular network is used to predict candidate genes for all diseases. However, different diseases tend to manifest in different tissues, and the molecular networks in different tissues are usually different. An ideal method should be able to incorporate tissue-specific molecular networks for different diseases. In this paper, we develop a robust and flexible method to integrate tissue-specific molecular networks for disease gene prioritization. Our method allows each disease to have its own tissue-specific network(s). We formulate the problem of candidate gene prioritization as an optimization problem based on network propagation. When there are multiple tissue-specific networks available for a disease, our method can automatically infer the relative importance of each tissue-specific network. Thus it is robust to the noisy and incomplete network data. To solve the optimization problem, we develop fast algorithms which have linear time complexities in the number of nodes in the molecular networks. We also provide rigorous theoretical foundations for our algorithms in terms of their optimality and convergence properties. Extensive experimental results show that our method can significantly improve the accuracy of candidate gene prioritization compared with the state-of-the-art methods. In our experiments, we compare our methods with 7 popular network-based disease gene prioritization algorithms on diseases from Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database. The experimental results demonstrate that our methods recover true associations more accurately than other methods in terms of AUC values, and the performance differences are significant (with paired t-test p-values less than 0.05). This validates the importance to integrate tissue-specific molecular networks for studying disease gene prioritization and show the superiority of our network models and ranking algorithms toward this purpose. The source code and datasets are available at http://nijingchao.github.io/CRstar/ .

Awareness and perceived fairness of option B+ in Malawi: a population-level perspective

PubMed Central

Yeatman, Sara; Trinitapoli, Jenny

2017-01-01

Abstract Introduction: Policies for rationing antiretroviral therapy (ART) have been subject to on-going ethical debates. Introduced in Malawi in 2011, Option B+ prioritized HIV-positive pregnant women for lifelong ART regardless of the underlying state of their immune system, shifting the logic of allocation away from medical eligibility. Despite the rapid expansion of this policy, we know little about how it has been understood and interpreted by the people it affects. Methods: We assessed awareness and perceived fairness of the prioritization system for ART among a population-based sample of young women (n = 1440) and their partners (n = 574) in southern Malawi. We use a card-sort technique to elicit understandings of who gets ART under Option B+ and who should be prioritized, and we compare perceptions to actual ART policy using sequence analysis and optimal matching. We then use ordered logistic regression to identify the factors associated with policy awareness. Results: In 2015, only 30.7% of women and 21.1% of male partners understood how ART was being distributed. There was widespread confusion around whether otherwise healthy HIV-positive pregnant women could access ART under Option B + . Nonetheless, more young adults thought that the fairest policy should prioritize such women than believed the actual policy did. Women who were older, more educated or had recently engaged with the health system through antenatal care or ART had more accurate understandings of Option B + . Among men, policy awareness was lower, and was patterned only by education. Conclusions: Although most respondents were unaware that Option B+ afforded ART access to healthy-pregnant women, Malawians support the prioritization of pregnant women. Countries adopting Option B+ or other new ART policies such as universal test-and-treat should communicate the policies and their rationales to the public – such transparency would be more consistent with a fair and ethical process and could additionally serve to clarify confusion and enhance retention.​​ PMID:28362070

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

PubMed

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

2013-05-01

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

Applying Technology Ranking and Systems Engineering in Advanced Life Support

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Harry; Luna, Bernadette (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

According to the Advanced Life Support (ALS) Program Plan, the Systems Modeling and Analysis Project (SMAP) has two important tasks: 1) prioritizing investments in ALS Research and Technology Development (R&TD), and 2) guiding the evolution of ALS systems. Investments could be prioritized simply by independently ranking different technologies, but we should also consider a technology's impact on system design. Guiding future ALS systems will require SMAP to consider many aspects of systems engineering. R&TD investments can be prioritized using familiar methods for ranking technology. The first step is gathering data on technology performance, safety, readiness level, and cost. Then the technologies are ranked using metrics or by decision analysis using net present economic value. The R&TD portfolio can be optimized to provide the maximum expected payoff in the face of uncertain future events. But more is needed. The optimum ALS system can not be designed simply by selecting the best technology for each predefined subsystem. Incorporating a new technology, such as food plants, can change the specifications of other subsystems, such as air regeneration. Systems must be designed top-down starting from system objectives, not bottom-up from selected technologies. The familiar top-down systems engineering process includes defining mission objectives, mission design, system specification, technology analysis, preliminary design, and detail design. Technology selection is only one part of systems analysis and engineering, and it is strongly related to the subsystem definitions. ALS systems should be designed using top-down systems engineering. R&TD technology selection should consider how the technology affects ALS system design. Technology ranking is useful but it is only a small part of systems engineering.

Developing a performance measurement approach to benefit/cost freight project prioritization.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-10-01

Future reauthorizations of the federal transportation bill will require a comprehensive and quantitative analysis of the freight benefits : of proposed freight system projects. To prioritize public investments in freight systems and to insure conside...

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

PubMed Central

Ng, Victoria; Sargeant, Jan M.

2012-01-01

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

Group Decision Support System to Aid the Process of Design and Maintenance of Large Scale Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-03-23

from a fuzzy set of user requirements. The overall objective of the project is to develop a system combining the characteristics of a compact computer... AHP ) for hierarchical prioritization. 4) Individual Evaluation and Selection of Alternatives - Allows the decision maker to individually evaluate...its concept of outranking relations. The AHP method supports complex decision problems by successively decomposing and synthesizing various elements

NDRC: A Disease-Causing Genes Prioritized Method Based on Network Diffusion and Rank Concordance.

PubMed

Fang, Minghong; Hu, Xiaohua; Wang, Yan; Zhao, Junmin; Shen, Xianjun; He, Tingting

2015-07-01

Disease-causing genes prioritization is very important to understand disease mechanisms and biomedical applications, such as design of drugs. Previous studies have shown that promising candidate genes are mostly ranked according to their relatedness to known disease genes or closely related disease genes. Therefore, a dangling gene (isolated gene) with no edges in the network can not be effectively prioritized. These approaches tend to prioritize those genes that are highly connected in the PPI network while perform poorly when they are applied to loosely connected disease genes. To address these problems, we propose a new disease-causing genes prioritization method that based on network diffusion and rank concordance (NDRC). The method is evaluated by leave-one-out cross validation on 1931 diseases in which at least one gene is known to be involved, and it is able to rank the true causal gene first in 849 of all 2542 cases. The experimental results suggest that NDRC significantly outperforms other existing methods such as RWR, VAVIEN, DADA and PRINCE on identifying loosely connected disease genes and successfully put dangling genes as potential candidate disease genes. Furthermore, we apply NDRC method to study three representative diseases, Meckel syndrome 1, Protein C deficiency and Peroxisome biogenesis disorder 1A (Zellweger). Our study has also found that certain complex disease-causing genes can be divided into several modules that are closely associated with different disease phenotype.

Methodological systematic review identifies major limitations in prioritization processes for updating.

PubMed

Martínez García, Laura; Pardo-Hernandez, Hector; Superchi, Cecilia; Niño de Guzman, Ena; Ballesteros, Monica; Ibargoyen Roteta, Nora; McFarlane, Emma; Posso, Margarita; Roqué I Figuls, Marta; Rotaeche Del Campo, Rafael; Sanabria, Andrea Juliana; Selva, Anna; Solà, Ivan; Vernooij, Robin W M; Alonso-Coello, Pablo

2017-06-01

The aim of the study was to identify and describe strategies to prioritize the updating of systematic reviews (SRs), health technology assessments (HTAs), or clinical guidelines (CGs). We conducted an SR of studies describing one or more methods to prioritize SRs, HTAs, or CGs for updating. We searched MEDLINE (PubMed, from 1966 to August 2016) and The Cochrane Methodology Register (The Cochrane Library, Issue 8 2016). We hand searched abstract books, reviewed reference lists, and contacted experts. Two reviewers independently screened the references and extracted data. We included 14 studies. Six studies were classified as descriptive (6 of 14, 42.9%) and eight as implementation studies (8 of 14, 57.1%). Six studies reported an updating strategy (6 of 14, 42.9%), six a prioritization process (6 of 14, 42.9%), and two a prioritization criterion (2 of 14, 14.2%). Eight studies focused on SRs (8 of 14, 57.1%), six studies focused on CGs (6 of 14, 42.9%), and none were about HTAs. We identified 76 prioritization criteria that can be applied when prioritizing documents for updating. The most frequently cited criteria were as follows: available evidence (19 of 76, 25.0%), clinical relevance (10 of 76; 13.2%), and users' interest (10 of 76; 13.2%). There is wide variability and suboptimal reporting of the methods used to develop and implement processes to prioritize updating of SRs, HTAs, and CGs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

PubMed Central

Comstock, Bryan

2017-01-01

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

Flexible methods for segmentation evaluation: Results from CT-based luggage screening

PubMed Central

Karimi, Seemeen; Jiang, Xiaoqian; Cosman, Pamela; Martz, Harry

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND Imaging systems used in aviation security include segmentation algorithms in an automatic threat recognition pipeline. The segmentation algorithms evolve in response to emerging threats and changing performance requirements. Analysis of segmentation algorithms’ behavior, including the nature of errors and feature recovery, facilitates their development. However, evaluation methods from the literature provide limited characterization of the segmentation algorithms. OBJECTIVE To develop segmentation evaluation methods that measure systematic errors such as oversegmentation and undersegmentation, outliers, and overall errors. The methods must measure feature recovery and allow us to prioritize segments. METHODS We developed two complementary evaluation methods using statistical techniques and information theory. We also created a semi-automatic method to define ground truth from 3D images. We applied our methods to evaluate five segmentation algorithms developed for CT luggage screening. We validated our methods with synthetic problems and an observer evaluation. RESULTS Both methods selected the same best segmentation algorithm. Human evaluation confirmed the findings. The measurement of systematic errors and prioritization helped in understanding the behavior of each segmentation algorithm. CONCLUSIONS Our evaluation methods allow us to measure and explain the accuracy of segmentation algorithms. PMID:24699346

Data Mining and Pattern Recognition Models for Identifying Inherited Diseases: Challenges and Implications.

PubMed

Iddamalgoda, Lahiru; Das, Partha S; Aponso, Achala; Sundararajan, Vijayaraghava S; Suravajhala, Prashanth; Valadi, Jayaraman K

2016-01-01

Data mining and pattern recognition methods reveal interesting findings in genetic studies, especially on how the genetic makeup is associated with inherited diseases. Although researchers have proposed various data mining models for biomedical approaches, there remains a challenge in accurately prioritizing the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) associated with the disease. In this commentary, we review the state-of-art data mining and pattern recognition models for identifying inherited diseases and deliberate the need of binary classification- and scoring-based prioritization methods in determining causal variants. While we discuss the pros and cons associated with these methods known, we argue that the gene prioritization methods and the protein interaction (PPI) methods in conjunction with the K nearest neighbors' could be used in accurately categorizing the genetic factors in disease causation.

Assessment and Application of National Environmental Databases and Mapping Tools at the Local Level to Two Community Case Studies

EPA Science Inventory

Communities are concerned over pollution levels and seek methods to systematically identify and prioritize the environmental stressors in their communities. Geographic information system (GIS) maps of environmental information can be useful tools for communities in their assessm...

A Set of Planning Tools for School Leaders & Teams: Differentiated Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miles, Bruce H.

This presentation outline with overheads demonstrates differentiated planning, a system with four separate planning methods designed to reduce confusion and increase staff commitment to planning efforts. Differentiated planning involves: (1) prioritization (used for single question issues, multiple question issues, and as a follow-up to the…

ASSESSMENT OF CHEMICAL EFFECTS ON NEURITE OUTGROWTH, NEURONAL POLARIZATION AND SYNAPTOGENESIS IN RAT CORTICAL NEURONS USING HIGH CONTENT IMAGE ANALYSIS

EPA Science Inventory

There is a need for efficient, cost-effective methods for screening and prioritization of potential developmental neurotoxicants. One approach uses in vitro cell culture models that can recapitulate the critical processes of nervous system development. In vitro, primary cultures ...

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

EPA Science Inventory

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

Systems and methods for distributing power using photovoltaic resources and a shifting battery system

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

Mammoli, Andrea A.; Lavrova, Olga; Arellano, Brian

The present invention is an apparatus and method for delivering energy using a renewable resource. The method includes providing a photovoltaic energy source and applying energy storage to the photovoltaic energy source via a battery storage unit. The energy output from the photovoltaic energy source and the battery system is controlled using a battery control system. The battery control system predicts peak load, develops a schedule that includes when to begin discharging power and when to stop discharging power, shifts power to the battery storage unit when excess power is available, and prioritizes the functionality of the battery storage unitmore » and the photovoltaic energy source.« less

An Automated System Combining Safety Signal Detection and Prioritization from Healthcare Databases: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Arnaud, Mickael; Bégaud, Bernard; Thiessard, Frantz; Jarrion, Quentin; Bezin, Julien; Pariente, Antoine; Salvo, Francesco

2018-04-01

Signal detection from healthcare databases is possible, but is not yet used for routine surveillance of drug safety. One challenge is to develop methods for selecting signals that should be assessed with priority. The aim of this study was to develop an automated system combining safety signal detection and prioritization from healthcare databases and applicable to drugs used in chronic diseases. Patients present in the French EGB healthcare database for at least 1 year between 2005 and 2015 were considered. Noninsulin glucose-lowering drugs (NIGLDs) were selected as a case study, and hospitalization data were used to select important medical events (IME). Signal detection was performed quarterly from 2008 to 2015 using sequence symmetry analysis. NIGLD/IME associations were screened if one or more exposed case was identified in the quarter, and three or more exposed cases were identified in the population at the date of screening. Detected signals were prioritized using the Longitudinal-SNIP (L-SNIP) algorithm based on strength (S), novelty (N), and potential impact of signal (I), and pattern of drug use (P). Signals scored in the top 10% were identified as of high priority. A reference set was built based on NIGLD summaries of product characteristics (SPCs) to compute the performance of the developed system. A total of 815 associations were screened and 241 (29.6%) were detected as signals; among these, 58 (24.1%) were prioritized. The performance for signal detection was sensitivity = 47%; specificity = 80%; positive predictive value (PPV) 33%; negative predictive value = 82%. The use of the L-SNIP algorithm increased the early identification of positive controls, restricted to those mentioned in the SPCs after 2008: PPV = 100% versus PPV = 14% with its non-use. The system revealed a strong new signal with dipeptidylpeptidase-4 inhibitors and venous thromboembolism. The developed system seems promising for the routine use of healthcare data for safety surveillance of drugs used in chronic diseases.

Prioritizing Contaminants for Monitoring and Management

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA researcher presents work to develop methods and tools that integrate chemical monitoring with pathway-based bioactivity measurements, which will help provide screening-level assessments useful to identify and prioritize emerging contaminants.

Attitudes of Germans towards distributive issues in the German health system.

PubMed

Ahlert, Marlies; Pfarr, Christian

2016-05-01

Social health care systems are inevitably confronted with the scarcity of resources and the resulting distributional challenges. Since prioritization implies distributional effects, decisions regarding respective rules should take citizens' preferences into account. In this study we concentrate on two distributive issues in the German health system: firstly, we analyze the acceptance of prioritizing decisions concerning the treatment of certain patient groups, in this case patients who all need a heart operation. We focus on the patient criteria smoking behavior, age and whether the patient has or does not have young children. Secondly, we investigate Germans' opinions towards income-dependent health services. The results reveal the strong effects of individuals' attitudes regarding general aspects of the health system on priorities, e.g. that individuals with an unhealthy lifestyle should not be prioritized. In addition, experience of limited access to health services is found to have a strong influence on citizens' attitudes, too. Finally, decisions on different prioritization criteria are found to be not independent.

DEVELOPMENT OF EPA'S TOXCAST PROGRAM FOR PRIORITIZING THE TOXICITY TESTING OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS.

EPA Science Inventory

EPA is developing methods for utilizing computational chemistry, high-throughput screening (HTS)and genomic technologies to predict potential toxicity and prioritize the use of limited testing resources.

Prioritizing lean management practices in public and private hospitals.

PubMed

Hussain, Matloub; Malik, Mohsin

2016-05-16

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to prioritize 21 healthcare wastes in public and private hospitals of United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach - Seven healthcare wastes linked with lean management are further decomposed in to sub-criteria and to deal with this complexity of multi criteria decision-making process, analytical hierarchical process (AHP) method is used in this research. Findings - AHP framework for this study resulted in a ranking of 21 healthcare wastes in public and private hospitals of UAE. It has been found that management in private healthcare systems of UAE is putting more emphasis on the inventory waste. On the other hand, over processing waste has got highest weight in public hospitals of UAE. Research limitations/implications - The future directions of this research would be to apply a lean set of tools for the value stream optimization of the prioritized key improvement areas. Practical implications - This is a contribution to the continuing research into lean management, giving practitioners and designers a practical way for measuring and implementing lean practices across health organizations. Originality/value - The contribution of this research, through successive stages of data collection, measurement analysis and refinement, is a set of reliable and valid framework that can be subsequently used in conceptualization, prioritization of the waste reduction strategies in healthcare management.

Prioritizing Training To Maximize Results: The 3 Box System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kearns, Paul

2003-01-01

Considers fundamentals of effective training and focuses on the evaluation of training. Describes the 3 Box System, which provides a framework for discussing: (1) basic training needs and priorities; (2) added value training, including ROI (return on investment); evaluation; and (3) prioritizing training budgets. (LRW)

Participatory methods for research prioritization in primary care: an analysis of the World Café approach in Ireland and the USA.

PubMed

MacFarlane, Anne; Galvin, Rose; O'Sullivan, Madeleine; McInerney, Chris; Meagher, Eoghan; Burke, Daniel; LeMaster, Joseph W

2017-06-01

There are increasing imperatives for patients and members of the public to engage as partners in identifying health research priorities. The use of participatory methods to engage stakeholders in health care in research prioritization is not commonly reported. This article analyses the use of World Cafés as a participatory method for research prioritization with marginalized communities in Ireland and the USA. The principles of purposeful and snowball sampling were followed in both settings and a diverse range of community and health care stakeholders participated (n = 63 Ireland and n = 55 USA). The principles for a classic World Café were employed but there were novel features in each setting as well. Stewart et al.'s (Patients' and clinicians' research priorities. Health Expect 2011; 14: 439-48, conceptual framework for patient engagement was adapted and used to comparatively analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the World Cafés, focusing on agenda setting, engagement with research processes, interactional features and outputs. Design principles for World Cafés were found to align with high-quality patient engagement for research prioritization in both settings. They served to facilitate meaningful collaboration among stakeholder groups in research prioritization (research agenda setting) and explored research priorities (engagement with research). The café ambience, emphasis on hospitality and self-facilitation created an environment for dialogues within and across participating groups (interactional features). There was a commitment to follow-up actions with reference to possible subsequent research (outputs). The World Café is a valuable, participatory, flexible method that can be used with community and health care stakeholders for research prioritization with marginalized communities. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

Dynamical tuning for MPC using population games: A water supply network application.

PubMed

Barreiro-Gomez, Julian; Ocampo-Martinez, Carlos; Quijano, Nicanor

2017-07-01

Model predictive control (MPC) is a suitable strategy for the control of large-scale systems that have multiple design requirements, e.g., multiple physical and operational constraints. Besides, an MPC controller is able to deal with multiple control objectives considering them within the cost function, which implies to determine a proper prioritization for each of the objectives. Furthermore, when the system has time-varying parameters and/or disturbances, the appropriate prioritization might vary along the time as well. This situation leads to the need of a dynamical tuning methodology. This paper addresses the dynamical tuning issue by using evolutionary game theory. The advantages of the proposed method are highlighted and tested over a large-scale water supply network with periodic time-varying disturbances. Finally, results are analyzed with respect to a multi-objective MPC controller that uses static tuning. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Environmental risk analysis and prioritization of pharmaceuticals in a developing world context.

PubMed

Mansour, Fatima; Al-Hindi, Mahmoud; Saad, Walid; Salam, Darine

2016-07-01

The impact of residual pharmaceuticals on the aquatic environment has gained widespread attention over the past years. Various studies have established the occurrence of pharmaceutical compounds in different water bodies throughout the world. In view of the absence of occurrence data in a number of developing world countries, and given the limited availability of analytical resources in these countries, it is prudent to devise methodologies to prioritize pharmaceuticals for environmental monitoring purposes that are site specific. In this work, several prioritization approaches are used to rank the 88 most commonly consumed pharmaceuticals in Lebanon. A simultaneous multi-criteria decision analysis method utilizing the exposure, persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity (EPBT) approach is applied to a smaller subset of the original list (69 pharmaceuticals). Several base cases are investigated and sensitivity analysis is applied to one of these base case runs. The similarities and differences in the overall ranking of individual, and classes of, pharmaceuticals for the base cases and the sensitivity runs are elucidated. An environmental risk assessment (ERA), where predicted environmental concentrations (PEC) and risk quotients (RQ) are determined at different dilution factors, is performed as an alternative method of prioritization for a total of 84 pharmaceuticals. The ERA results indicate that metformin and amoxicillin have the highest PECs while 17β-estradiol, naftidrofuryl and dimenhydrinate have the highest RQs. The two approaches, EPBT prioritization and ERA, are compared and a priority list consisting of 26 pharmaceuticals of various classes is developed. Nervous system and alimentary tract and metabolism pharmaceuticals (9/26 and 5/26 respectively) constitute more than half of the numbers on the priority list with the balance consisting of anti-infective (4/26), musculo-skeletal (3/26), genito-urinary (2/26), respiratory (2/26) and cardiovascular (1/26) pharmaceuticals. This list will serve as a basis for the selection of candidate compounds to focus on for future monitoring campaigns. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Plan of study to quantify the hydrologic relations between the Rio Grande and the Santa Fe Group aquifer system near Albuquerque, central New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

McAda, D.P.

1996-01-01

The Albuquerque Basin in central New Mexico covers an area of about 3,060 square miles. Ground water from the Santa Fe Group aquifer system of the Albuquerque Basin is the principal source of water for municipal, domestic, commercial, and industrial uses in the Albuquerque area, an area of about 410 square miles. Ground- water withdrawal in the basin has increased from about 97,000 acre-feet in 1970 to about 171,000 acre-feet in 1994. About 92 percent of the 1994 total was withdrawn in the Albuquerque area. Management of ground water in the Albuquerque Basin is related to the surface water in the Rio Grande. Because the aquifer system is hydraulically connected to the Rio Grande and water in the river is fully appropriated, the ability to reliably estimate the effects of ground-water withdrawals on flow in the river is important. This report describes the components of the Rio Grande/Santa Fe Group aquifer system in the Albuquerque area and the data availability and data and interpretation needs relating to those components, and presents a plan of study to quantify the hydrologic relations between the Rio Grande and the Santa Fe Group aquifer system. The information needs related to the components of the river/aquifer system are prioritized. Information that is necessary to improve the understanding or quantification of a component in the river/aquifer system is prioritized as essential. Information that could add additional understanding of the system, but would not be necessary to improve the quantification of the system, is prioritized as useful. The study elements are prioritized in the same manner as the information needs; study elements designed to provide information considered necessary to improve the quantification of the system are prioritized as essential, and those designed to provide information that would add additional understanding of the system, but would not be necessary to improve the quantification of the system, are prioritized as useful.

Which health technologies should be funded? A prioritization framework based explicitly on value for money

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Deciding which health technologies to fund involves confronting some of the most difficult choices in medicine. As for other countries, the Israeli health system is faced each year with having to make these difficult decisions. The Public National Advisory Committee, known as ‘the Basket Committee’, selects new technologies for the basic list of health care that all Israelis are entitled to access, known as the ‘health basket’. We introduce a framework for health technology prioritization based explicitly on value for money that enables the main variables considered by decision-makers to be explicitly included. Although the framework’s exposition is in terms of the Basket Committee selecting new technologies for Israel’s health basket, we believe that the framework would also work well for other countries. Methods Our proposed prioritization framework involves comparing four main variables for each technology: 1. Incremental benefits, including ‘equity benefits’, to Israel’s population; 2. Incremental total cost to Israel’s health system; 3. Quality of evidence; and 4. Any additional ‘X-factors’ not elsewhere included, such as strategic or legal factors, etc. Applying methodology from multi-criteria decision analysis, the multiple dimensions comprising the first variable are aggregated via a points system. Results The four variables are combined for each technology and compared across the technologies in the ‘Value for Money (VfM) Chart’. The VfM Chart can be used to identify technologies that are good value for money, and, given a budget constraint, to select technologies that should be funded. This is demonstrated using 18 illustrative technologies. Conclusions The VfM Chart is an intuitively appealing decision-support tool for helping decision-makers to focus on the inherent tradeoffs involved in health technology prioritization. Such deliberations can be performed in a systematic and transparent fashion that can also be easily communicated to stakeholders, including the general public. Possible future research includes pilot-testing the VfM Chart using real-world data. Ideally, this would involve working with the Basket Committee. Likewise, the framework could be tested and applied by health technology prioritization agencies in other countries. PMID:23181391

Computational structural mechanics for engine structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chamis, Christos C.

1988-01-01

The computational structural mechanics (CSM) program at Lewis encompasses the formulation and solution of structural mechanics problems and the development of integrated software systems to computationally simulate the performance, durability, and life of engine structures. It is structured to supplement, complement, and, whenever possible, replace costly experimental efforts. Specific objectives are to investigate unique advantages of parallel and multiprocessing for reformulating and solving structural mechanics and formulating and solving multidisciplinary mechanics and to develop integrated structural system computational simulators for predicting structural performance, evaluating newly developed methods, and identifying and prioritizing improved or missing methods.

Computational structural mechanics for engine structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chamis, Christos C.

1989-01-01

The computational structural mechanics (CSM) program at Lewis encompasses the formulation and solution of structural mechanics problems and the development of integrated software systems to computationally simulate the performance, durability, and life of engine structures. It is structured to supplement, complement, and, whenever possible, replace costly experimental efforts. Specific objectives are to investigate unique advantages of parallel and multiprocessing for reformulating and solving structural mechanics and formulating and solving multidisciplinary mechanics and to develop integrated structural system computational simulators for predicting structural performance, evaluating newly developed methods, and identifying and prioritizing improved or missing methods.

Inheritance-mode specific pathogenicity prioritization (ISPP) for human protein coding genes.

PubMed

Hsu, Jacob Shujui; Kwan, Johnny S H; Pan, Zhicheng; Garcia-Barcelo, Maria-Mercè; Sham, Pak Chung; Li, Miaoxin

2016-10-15

Exome sequencing studies have facilitated the detection of causal genetic variants in yet-unsolved Mendelian diseases. However, the identification of disease causal genes among a list of candidates in an exome sequencing study is still not fully settled, and it is often difficult to prioritize candidate genes for follow-up studies. The inheritance mode provides crucial information for understanding Mendelian diseases, but none of the existing gene prioritization tools fully utilize this information. We examined the characteristics of Mendelian disease genes under different inheritance modes. The results suggest that Mendelian disease genes with autosomal dominant (AD) inheritance mode are more haploinsufficiency and de novo mutation sensitive, whereas those autosomal recessive (AR) genes have significantly more non-synonymous variants and regulatory transcript isoforms. In addition, the X-linked (XL) Mendelian disease genes have fewer non-synonymous and synonymous variants. As a result, we derived a new scoring system for prioritizing candidate genes for Mendelian diseases according to the inheritance mode. Our scoring system assigned to each annotated protein-coding gene (N = 18 859) three pathogenic scores according to the inheritance mode (AD, AR and XL). This inheritance mode-specific framework achieved higher accuracy (area under curve  = 0.84) in XL mode. The inheritance-mode specific pathogenicity prioritization (ISPP) outperformed other well-known methods including Haploinsufficiency, Recessive, Network centrality, Genic Intolerance, Gene Damage Index and Gene Constraint scores. This systematic study suggests that genes manifesting disease inheritance modes tend to have unique characteristics. ISPP is included in KGGSeq v1.0 (http://grass.cgs.hku.hk/limx/kggseq/), and source code is available from (https://github.com/jacobhsu35/ISPP.git). mxli@hku.hkSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

ToxCast: Developing Predictive Signatures of Chemically Induced Toxicity (S)

EPA Science Inventory

ToxCast, the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s chemical prioritization research program, is developing methods for utilizing computational chemistry, bioactivity profiling and toxicogenomic data to predict potential for toxicity and prioritize limited testing resour...

THE TOXCAST PROGRAM FOR PRIORITIZING TOXICITY TESTING OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS

EPA Science Inventory

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is developing methods for utilizing computational chemistry, high-throughput screening (HTS) and various toxicogenomic technologies to predict potential for toxicity and prioritize limited testing resources towards chemicals...

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

PubMed

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

2017-09-07

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

Prioritization of brain MRI volumes using medical image perception model and tumor region segmentation.

PubMed

Mehmood, Irfan; Ejaz, Naveed; Sajjad, Muhammad; Baik, Sung Wook

2013-10-01

The objective of the present study is to explore prioritization methods in diagnostic imaging modalities to automatically determine the contents of medical images. In this paper, we propose an efficient prioritization of brain MRI. First, the visual perception of the radiologists is adapted to identify salient regions. Then this saliency information is used as an automatic label for accurate segmentation of brain lesion to determine the scientific value of that image. The qualitative and quantitative results prove that the rankings generated by the proposed method are closer to the rankings created by radiologists. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A chemical risk ranking and scoring method for the selection of harmful substances to be specially controlled in occupational environments.

PubMed

Shin, Saemi; Moon, Hyung-Il; Lee, Kwon Seob; Hong, Mun Ki; Byeon, Sang-Hoon

2014-11-20

This study aimed to devise a method for prioritizing hazardous chemicals for further regulatory action. To accomplish this objective, we chose appropriate indicators and algorithms. Nine indicators from the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals were used to identify categories to which the authors assigned numerical scores. Exposure indicators included handling volume, distribution, and exposure level. To test the method devised by this study, sixty-two harmful substances controlled by the Occupational Safety and Health Act in Korea, including acrylamide, acrylonitrile, and styrene were ranked using this proposed method. The correlation coefficients between total score and each indicator ranged from 0.160 to 0.641, and those between total score and hazard indicators ranged from 0.603 to 0.641. The latter were higher than the correlation coefficients between total score and exposure indicators, which ranged from 0.160 to 0.421. Correlations between individual indicators were low (-0.240 to 0.376), except for those between handling volume and distribution (0.613), suggesting that each indicator was not strongly correlated. The low correlations between each indicator mean that the indicators and independent and were well chosen for prioritizing harmful chemicals. This method proposed by this study can improve the cost efficiency of chemical management as utilized in occupational regulatory systems.

Technology Alignment and Portfolio Prioritization (TAPP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Funaro, Gregory V.; Alexander, Reginald A.

2015-01-01

Technology Alignment and Portfolio Prioritization (TAPP) is a method being developed by the Advanced Concepts Office, at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. The TAPP method expands on current technology assessment methods by incorporating the technological structure underlying technology development, e.g., organizational structures and resources, institutional policy and strategy, and the factors that motivate technological change. This paper discusses the methods ACO is currently developing to better perform technology assessments while taking into consideration Strategic Alignment, Technology Forecasting, and Long Term Planning.

EPAS TOXCAST PROGRAM FOR PREDICTING HAZARD AND PRIORITIZING TOXICITY TESTING OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS(S).

EPA Science Inventory

EPAs National Center for Computational Toxicology is developing methods that apply computational chemistry, high-throughput screening (HTS) and genomic technologies to predict potential toxicity and prioritize the use of limited testing resources.

An intelligent healthcare management system: a new approach in work-order prioritization for medical equipment maintenance requests.

PubMed

Hamdi, Naser; Oweis, Rami; Abu Zraiq, Hamzeh; Abu Sammour, Denis

2012-04-01

The effective maintenance management of medical technology influences the quality of care delivered and the profitability of healthcare facilities. Medical equipment maintenance in Jordan lacks an objective prioritization system; consequently, the system is not sensitive to the impact of equipment downtime on patient morbidity and mortality. The current work presents a novel software system (EQUIMEDCOMP) that is designed to achieve valuable improvements in the maintenance management of medical technology. This work-order prioritization model sorts medical maintenance requests by calculating a priority index for each request. Model performance was assessed by utilizing maintenance requests from several Jordanian hospitals. The system proved highly efficient in minimizing equipment downtime based on healthcare delivery capacity, and, consequently, patient outcome. Additionally, a preventive maintenance optimization module and an equipment quality control system are incorporated. The system is, therefore, expected to improve the reliability of medical equipment and significantly improve safety and cost-efficiency.

Identifying and Prioritizing Critical Hardwood Resources

Treesearch

Sam C. Doak; Sharon Johnson; Marlyce Myers

1991-01-01

A logical framework is required to provide a focus for the implementation of a variety of landowner incentive techniques in accordance with existing goals to protect and enhance hardwood resources. A system is presented for identifying and prioritizing critical hardwood resources for site specific conservation purposes. Flexibility is built into this system so that...

Cybersecurity and Resilience | Energy Systems Integration Facility | NREL

Science.gov Websites

, and offer prioritized action items to improve organizational protocols. The team is also helping and provide a prioritized list of action items for gaps in security controls. Security architectures

Architecture-led Requirements and Safety Analysis of an Aircraft Survivability Situational Awareness System

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-01

quality attributes. Prioritization of the utility tree leafs driven by mission goals help the user ensure that critical requirements are well-specified...Methods: State of the Art and Future Directions”, ACM Computing Surveys. 1996. 10 Laitenberger, Oliver , “A Survey of Software Inspection Technologies, Handbook on Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering”. 2002.

Characterization of ToxCast Phase II compounds disruption of spontaneous network activity in cortical networks grown on multi-well microelectrode array (mwMEA) plates.

EPA Science Inventory

The development of multi-well microelectrode array (mwMEA) systems has increased in vitro screening throughput making them an effective method to screen and prioritize large sets of compounds for potential neurotoxicity. In the present experiments, a multiplexed approach was used...

Prioritization of Disease Susceptibility Genes Using LSM/SVD.

PubMed

Gong, Lejun; Yang, Ronggen; Yan, Qin; Sun, Xiao

2013-12-01

Understanding the role of genetics in diseases is one of the most important tasks in the postgenome era. It is generally too expensive and time consuming to perform experimental validation for all candidate genes related to disease. Computational methods play important roles for prioritizing these candidates. Herein, we propose an approach to prioritize disease genes using latent semantic mapping based on singular value decomposition. Our hypothesis is that similar functional genes are likely to cause similar diseases. Measuring the functional similarity between known disease susceptibility genes and unknown genes is to predict new disease susceptibility genes. Taking autism as an instance, the analysis results of the top ten genes prioritized demonstrate they might be autism susceptibility genes, which also indicates our approach could discover new disease susceptibility genes. The novel approach of disease gene prioritization could discover new disease susceptibility genes, and latent disease-gene relations. The prioritized results could also support the interpretive diversity and experimental views as computational evidence for disease researchers.

ToxCast: Using high throughput screening to identify profiles of biological activity

EPA Science Inventory

ToxCast, the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s chemical prioritization research program, is developing methods for utilizing computational chemistry and bioactivity profiling to predict potential for toxicity and prioritize limited testing resources (www.epa.gov/toc...

Applications of high throughput screening to identify profiles of biological activity

EPA Science Inventory

ToxCast, the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s chemical prioritization research program, is developing methods for utilizing computational chemistry and bioactivity profiling to predict potential for toxicity and prioritize limited testing resources (www.epa.gov/toc...

Predictive In Vitro Screening of Environmental Chemicals – The ToxCast Project

EPA Science Inventory

ToxCast, the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s chemical prioritization research program, is developing methods for utilizing computational chemistry and bioactivity profiling to predict potential for toxicity and prioritize limited testing resources (www.epa.gov/toc...

EPA'S TOXCAST PROGRAM FOR PREDICTING HAZARD AND PRIORITIZING TOXICITY TESTING OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS

EPA Science Inventory

EPA is developing methods for utilizing computational chemistry, high-throughput screening (HTS) and various toxicogenomic technologies to predict potential for toxicity and prioritize limited testing resources towards chemicals that likely represent the greatest hazard to human ...

Development of procedures for identifying high-crash locations and prioritizing safety improvements

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-06-01

The objectives of this study were to review and analyze the current procedures for identifying high-crash locations and evaluating and prioritizing roadway safety improvements at high-crash locations, and to recommend improved methods. Several tasks ...

Development of procedures for identifying high-crash locations and prioritizing safety improvements.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-06-01

The objectives of this study were to review and analyze the current procedures for identifying high-crash locations and evaluating and prioritizing roadway safety improvements at high-crash locations, and to recommend improved methods. Several tasks ...

DOD Financial Management: Improvements Needed in the Navys Audit Readiness Efforts for Fund Balance with Treasury

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-08-01

prioritization of key information technology limits management’s ability to focus audit readiness efforts on the systems with the highest risk...corrective actions for the higher-risk systems first. For an audit readiness plan for key information technology systems, the Navy provided a schedule...prioritization of key information technology systems used in the FBWT process limits management’s ability to focus audit readiness efforts on the most

Informed actions: where to cost effectively manage multiple threats to species to maximize return on investment.

PubMed

Auerbach, Nancy A; Tulloch, Ayesha I T; Possingham, Hugh P

Conservation practitioners, faced with managing multiple threats to biodiversity and limited funding, must prioritize investment in different management actions. From an economic perspective, it is routine practice to invest where the highest rate of return is expected. This return-on-investment (ROI) thinking can also benefit species conservation, and researchers are developing sophisticated approaches to support decision-making for cost-effective conservation. However, applied use of these approaches is limited. Managers may be wary of “black-box” algorithms or complex methods that are difficult to explain to funding agencies. As an alternative, we demonstrate the use of a basic ROI analysis for determining where to invest in cost-effective management to address threats to species. This method can be applied using basic geographic information system and spreadsheet calculations. We illustrate the approach in a management action prioritization for a biodiverse region of eastern Australia. We use ROI to prioritize management actions for two threats to a suite of threatened species: habitat degradation by cattle grazing, and predation by invasive red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). We show how decisions based on cost-effective threat management depend upon how expected benefits to species are defined and how benefits and costs co-vary. By considering a combination of species richness, restricted habitats, species vulnerability, and costs of management actions, small investments can result in greater expected benefit compared with management decisions that consider only species richness. Furthermore, a landscape management strategy that implements multiple actions is more efficient than managing only for one threat, or more traditional approaches that don't consider ROI. Our approach provides transparent and logical decision support for prioritizing different actions intended to abate threats associated with multiple species; it is of use when managers need a justifiable and repeatable approach to investment.

ProDiGe: Prioritization Of Disease Genes with multitask machine learning from positive and unlabeled examples

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Elucidating the genetic basis of human diseases is a central goal of genetics and molecular biology. While traditional linkage analysis and modern high-throughput techniques often provide long lists of tens or hundreds of disease gene candidates, the identification of disease genes among the candidates remains time-consuming and expensive. Efficient computational methods are therefore needed to prioritize genes within the list of candidates, by exploiting the wealth of information available about the genes in various databases. Results We propose ProDiGe, a novel algorithm for Prioritization of Disease Genes. ProDiGe implements a novel machine learning strategy based on learning from positive and unlabeled examples, which allows to integrate various sources of information about the genes, to share information about known disease genes across diseases, and to perform genome-wide searches for new disease genes. Experiments on real data show that ProDiGe outperforms state-of-the-art methods for the prioritization of genes in human diseases. Conclusions ProDiGe implements a new machine learning paradigm for gene prioritization, which could help the identification of new disease genes. It is freely available at http://cbio.ensmp.fr/prodige. PMID:21977986

Prioritizing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) candidate genes in COPD-related networks

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yihua; Li, Wan; Feng, Yuyan; Guo, Shanshan; Zhao, Xilei; Wang, Yahui; He, Yuehan; He, Weiming; Chen, Lina

2017-01-01

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a multi-factor disease, which could be caused by many factors, including disturbances of metabolism and protein-protein interactions (PPIs). In this paper, a weighted COPD-related metabolic network and a weighted COPD-related PPI network were constructed base on COPD disease genes and functional information. Candidate genes in these weighted COPD-related networks were prioritized by making use of a gene prioritization method, respectively. Literature review and functional enrichment analysis of the top 100 genes in these two networks suggested the correlation of COPD and these genes. The performance of our gene prioritization method was superior to that of ToppGene and ToppNet for genes from the COPD-related metabolic network or the COPD-related PPI network after assessing using leave-one-out cross-validation, literature validation and functional enrichment analysis. The top-ranked genes prioritized from COPD-related metabolic and PPI networks could promote the better understanding about the molecular mechanism of this disease from different perspectives. The top 100 genes in COPD-related metabolic network or COPD-related PPI network might be potential markers for the diagnosis and treatment of COPD. PMID:29262568

Prioritizing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) candidate genes in COPD-related networks.

PubMed

Zhang, Yihua; Li, Wan; Feng, Yuyan; Guo, Shanshan; Zhao, Xilei; Wang, Yahui; He, Yuehan; He, Weiming; Chen, Lina

2017-11-28

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a multi-factor disease, which could be caused by many factors, including disturbances of metabolism and protein-protein interactions (PPIs). In this paper, a weighted COPD-related metabolic network and a weighted COPD-related PPI network were constructed base on COPD disease genes and functional information. Candidate genes in these weighted COPD-related networks were prioritized by making use of a gene prioritization method, respectively. Literature review and functional enrichment analysis of the top 100 genes in these two networks suggested the correlation of COPD and these genes. The performance of our gene prioritization method was superior to that of ToppGene and ToppNet for genes from the COPD-related metabolic network or the COPD-related PPI network after assessing using leave-one-out cross-validation, literature validation and functional enrichment analysis. The top-ranked genes prioritized from COPD-related metabolic and PPI networks could promote the better understanding about the molecular mechanism of this disease from different perspectives. The top 100 genes in COPD-related metabolic network or COPD-related PPI network might be potential markers for the diagnosis and treatment of COPD.

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

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joglekar, Prafulla N.

1994-01-01

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

Applications of high throughput screening to identify profiles of biological activity relevant to carcinogenesis

EPA Science Inventory

ToxCast, the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s chemical prioritization research program, is developing methods for utilizing computational chemistry and bioactivity profiling to predict potential for toxicity and prioritize limited testing resources (www.epa.gov/toc...

Prioritizing Measures of Digital Patient Engagement: A Delphi Expert Panel Study

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Background Establishing a validated scale of patient engagement through use of information technology (ie, digital patient engagement) is the first step to understanding its role in health and health care quality, outcomes, and efficient implementation by health care providers and systems. Objective The aim of this study was to develop and prioritize measures of digital patient engagement based on patients’ use of the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)’s MyHealtheVet (MHV) portal, focusing on the MHV/Blue Button and Secure Messaging functions. Methods We aligned two models from the information systems and organizational behavior literatures to create a theory-based model of digital patient engagement. On the basis of this model, we conducted ten key informant interviews to identify potential measures from existing VA studies and consolidated the measures. We then conducted three rounds of modified Delphi rating by 12 national eHealth experts via Web-based surveys to prioritize the measures. Results All 12 experts completed the study’s three rounds of modified Delphi ratings, resulting in two sets of final candidate measures representing digital patient engagement for Secure Messaging (58 measures) and MHV/Blue Button (71 measures). These measure sets map to Donabedian’s three types of quality measures: (1) antecedents (eg, patient demographics); (2) processes (eg, a novel measure of Web-based care quality); and (3) outcomes (eg, patient engagement). Conclusions This national expert panel study using a modified Delphi technique prioritized candidate measures to assess digital patient engagement through patients’ use of VA’s My HealtheVet portal. The process yielded two robust measures sets prepared for future piloting and validation in surveys among Veterans. PMID:28550008

A Quantitative Approach to the Prioritization of Zoonotic Diseases in North America: A Health Professionals’ Perspective

PubMed Central

Ng, Victoria; Sargeant, Jan M.

2013-01-01

Background Currently, zoonoses account for 58% to 61% of all communicable diseases causing illness in humans globally and up to 75% of emerging human pathogens. Although the impact of zoonoses on animal health and public health in North America is significant, there has been no published research involving health professionals on the prioritization of zoonoses in this region. Methodology/Principal Findings We used conjoint analysis (CA), a well-established quantitative method in market research, to identify the relative importance of 21 key characteristics of zoonotic diseases for their prioritization in Canada and the US. Relative importance weights from the CA were used to develop a point-scoring system to derive a recommended list of zoonoses for prioritization in Canada and the US. Study participants with a background in epidemiology, public health, medical sciences, veterinary sciences and infectious disease research were recruited to complete the online survey (707 from Canada and 764 from the US). Hierarchical Bayes models were fitted to the survey data to derive CA-weighted scores for disease criteria. Scores were applied to 62 zoonotic diseases to rank diseases in order of priority. Conclusions/Significance We present the first zoonoses prioritization exercise involving health professionals in North America. Our previous study indicated individuals with no prior knowledge in infectious diseases were capable of producing meaningful results with acceptable model fits (79.4%). This study suggests health professionals with some knowledge in infectious diseases were capable of producing meaningful results with better-fitted models than the general public (83.7% and 84.2%). Despite more similarities in demographics and model fit between the combined public and combined professional groups, there was more uniformity across priority lists between the Canadian public and Canadian professionals and between the US public and US professionals. Our study suggests that CA can be used as a potential tool for the prioritization of zoonoses. PMID:23991057

A simple approach to optimal control of invasive species.

PubMed

Hastings, Alan; Hall, Richard J; Taylor, Caz M

2006-12-01

The problem of invasive species and their control is one of the most pressing applied issues in ecology today. We developed simple approaches based on linear programming for determining the optimal removal strategies of different stage or age classes for control of invasive species that are still in a density-independent phase of growth. We illustrate the application of this method to the specific example of invasive Spartina alterniflora in Willapa Bay, WA. For all such systems, linear programming shows in general that the optimal strategy in any time step is to prioritize removal of a single age or stage class. The optimal strategy adjusts which class is the focus of control through time and can be much more cost effective than prioritizing removal of the same stage class each year.

Interactogeneous: Disease Gene Prioritization Using Heterogeneous Networks and Full Topology Scores

PubMed Central

Gonçalves, Joana P.; Francisco, Alexandre P.; Moreau, Yves; Madeira, Sara C.

2012-01-01

Disease gene prioritization aims to suggest potential implications of genes in disease susceptibility. Often accomplished in a guilt-by-association scheme, promising candidates are sorted according to their relatedness to known disease genes. Network-based methods have been successfully exploiting this concept by capturing the interaction of genes or proteins into a score. Nonetheless, most current approaches yield at least some of the following limitations: (1) networks comprise only curated physical interactions leading to poor genome coverage and density, and bias toward a particular source; (2) scores focus on adjacencies (direct links) or the most direct paths (shortest paths) within a constrained neighborhood around the disease genes, ignoring potentially informative indirect paths; (3) global clustering is widely applied to partition the network in an unsupervised manner, attributing little importance to prior knowledge; (4) confidence weights and their contribution to edge differentiation and ranking reliability are often disregarded. We hypothesize that network-based prioritization related to local clustering on graphs and considering full topology of weighted gene association networks integrating heterogeneous sources should overcome the above challenges. We term such a strategy Interactogeneous. We conducted cross-validation tests to assess the impact of network sources, alternative path inclusion and confidence weights on the prioritization of putative genes for 29 diseases. Heat diffusion ranking proved the best prioritization method overall, increasing the gap to neighborhood and shortest paths scores mostly on single source networks. Heterogeneous associations consistently delivered superior performance over single source data across the majority of methods. Results on the contribution of confidence weights were inconclusive. Finally, the best Interactogeneous strategy, heat diffusion ranking and associations from the STRING database, was used to prioritize genes for Parkinson’s disease. This method effectively recovered known genes and uncovered interesting candidates which could be linked to pathogenic mechanisms of the disease. PMID:23185389

Developing Methods Using ToxCast Data for the Classification and Prioritization of Antimicrobials and Inerts

EPA Science Inventory

Improved chemical risk management and increased efficiency of chemical prioritization, classification and assessment are major goals within EPA. Towards achieving these goals, EPA's ToxCast™ research program has been designed to rapidly screen hundreds to thousands of chemicals' ...

ToxCast: Developing Predictive Signatures of Chemically Induced Toxicity (Developing Predictive Bioactivity Signatures from ToxCasts HTS Data)

EPA Science Inventory

ToxCast, the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s chemical prioritization research program, is developing methods for utilizing computational chemistry, bioactivity profiling and toxicogenomic data to predict potential for toxicity and prioritize limited testing resour...

Combining FMEA with DEMATEL models to solve production process problems

PubMed Central

Tsai, Sang-Bing; Zhou, Jie; Gao, Yang; Wang, Jiangtao; Li, Guodong; Zheng, Yuxiang; Ren, Peng; Xu, Wei

2017-01-01

Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is an analysis tool for identifying and preventing flaws or defects in products during the design and process planning stage, preventing the repeated occurrence of problems, reducing the effects of these problems, enhancing product quality and reliability, saving costs, and improving competitiveness. However, FMEA can only analyze one influence factor according to its priority, rendering this method ineffective for systems containing multiple FMs whose effects are simultaneous or interact with one another. Accordingly, when FMEA fails to identify the influence factors and the factors being influenced, the most crucial problems may be placed in lower priority or remain unresolved. Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) facilitates the determination of cause and effect factors; by identifying the causal factors that should be prioritized, prompt and effective solutions to core problems can be derived, thereby enhancing performance. Using the photovoltaic cell manufacturing industry in China as the research target, the present study combined FMEA with DEMATEL to amend the flaws of FMEA and enhance its effectiveness. First, FMEA was used to identify items requiring improvement. Then, DEMATEL was employed to examine the interactive effects and causal relationships of these items. Finally, the solutions to the problems were prioritized. The proposed method effectively combined the advantages of FMEA and DEMATEL to facilitate the identification of core problems and prioritization of solutions in the Chinese photovoltaic cell industry. PMID:28837663

Combining FMEA with DEMATEL models to solve production process problems.

PubMed

Tsai, Sang-Bing; Zhou, Jie; Gao, Yang; Wang, Jiangtao; Li, Guodong; Zheng, Yuxiang; Ren, Peng; Xu, Wei

2017-01-01

Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is an analysis tool for identifying and preventing flaws or defects in products during the design and process planning stage, preventing the repeated occurrence of problems, reducing the effects of these problems, enhancing product quality and reliability, saving costs, and improving competitiveness. However, FMEA can only analyze one influence factor according to its priority, rendering this method ineffective for systems containing multiple FMs whose effects are simultaneous or interact with one another. Accordingly, when FMEA fails to identify the influence factors and the factors being influenced, the most crucial problems may be placed in lower priority or remain unresolved. Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) facilitates the determination of cause and effect factors; by identifying the causal factors that should be prioritized, prompt and effective solutions to core problems can be derived, thereby enhancing performance. Using the photovoltaic cell manufacturing industry in China as the research target, the present study combined FMEA with DEMATEL to amend the flaws of FMEA and enhance its effectiveness. First, FMEA was used to identify items requiring improvement. Then, DEMATEL was employed to examine the interactive effects and causal relationships of these items. Finally, the solutions to the problems were prioritized. The proposed method effectively combined the advantages of FMEA and DEMATEL to facilitate the identification of core problems and prioritization of solutions in the Chinese photovoltaic cell industry.

Access to Essential Medicines in Pakistan: Policy and Health Systems Research Concerns

PubMed Central

Zaidi, Shehla; Bigdeli, Maryam; Aleem, Noureen; Rashidian, Arash

2013-01-01

Introduction Inadequate access to essential medicines is a common issue within developing countries. Policy response is constrained, amongst other factors, by a dearth of in-depth country level evidence. We share here i) gaps related to access to essential medicine in Pakistan; and ii) prioritization of emerging policy and research concerns. Methods An exploratory research was carried out using a health systems perspective and applying the WHO Framework for Equitable Access to Essential Medicine. Methods involved key informant interviews with policy makers, providers, industry, NGOs, experts and development partners, review of published and grey literature, and consultative prioritization in stakeholder’s Roundtable. Findings A synthesis of evidence found major gaps in essential medicine access in Pakistan driven by weaknesses in the health care system as well as weak pharmaceutical regulation. 7 major policy concerns and 11 emerging research concerns were identified through consultative Roundtable. These related to weaknesses in medicine registration and quality assurance systems, unclear and counterproductive pricing policies, irrational prescribing and sub-optimal drug availability. Available research, both locally and globally, fails to target most of the identified policy concerns, tending to concentrate on irrational prescriptions. It overlooks trans-disciplinary areas of policy effectiveness surveillance, consumer behavior, operational pilots and pricing interventions review. Conclusion Experience from Pakistan shows that policy concerns related to essential medicine access need integrated responses across various components of the health systems, are poorly addressed by existing evidence, and require an expanded health systems research agenda. PMID:23717442

A GIS-based method to evaluate undeveloped BLM lands in Alaska

Treesearch

Jason Geck

2007-01-01

As Alaska’s largest land management agency, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has responsibility for over 87 million acres (35 million ha) of public lands throughout the state. By using datasets and Landsat scenes within a Geographical Information System (GIS), this study prioritizes wilderness protection through the ranking of BLM blocks (contiguous land parcels),...

A research agenda to reinforce rabies control: A qualitative and quantitative prioritization

PubMed Central

Hemrika, Tessa; Claassen, Eric; van de Burgwal, Linda H. M.

2018-01-01

Background Despite the existence of safe and effective vaccines, rabies disease still causes an estimated 59,000 human deaths a year in the endemic areas in Asia and Africa. These numbers reflect severe drawbacks regarding the implementation of PrEP and PEP in endemic settings, such as lack of political will and low priority given to rabies. Since these contextual factors have proven to be persistent, there is an urgency to improve current strategies or develop novel approaches in order to control rabies disease in the future. Methods/Findings This study aimed to identify and systematically prioritize the research needs, through interviews and questionnaires with key-opinion-leaders (KOLs). A total of 46 research needs were identified and prioritized. The top research needs are considered very high priority based on both importance for rabies control and need for improvement. KOLs agree that animal rabies control remains most important for rabies control, while research on human host, agent (rabies virus) and the environment should be prioritized in terms of need for improvement. A wide variety in perceptions is observed between and within the disciplines of virology, public health and veterinary health and between KOLs with more versus those with less experience in the field. Conclusion/Significance The results of this study give well-defined, prioritized issues that stress the drawbacks that are experienced by KOLs in daily practice. The most important research domains are: 1) cheap and scalable production system for RIG 2) efficacy of dog mass vaccination programs and 3) cheap human vaccines. Addressing these research needs should exist next to and may reinforce current awareness and mass vaccination campaigns. The differences in perspectives between actors revealed in this study are informative for effective execution of the One Health research agenda. PMID:29727444

Evaluating wildland fire danger and prioritizing vegetation and fuels treatments

Treesearch

Paul F. Hessburg; Keith M. Reynolds; Robert E. Keane; Kevin M. James; R. Brion Salter

2010-01-01

We present a prototype decision support system for evaluating wild-land fire danger and prioritizing subwatersheds for vegetation and fuels treatment. We demonstrate the use of the system with an example from the Rocky Mountain region in the State of Utah, which represents a planning area of about 4.8 million ha and encompasses 575 complete subwatersheds. In a logic...

Modeling Personalized Email Prioritization: Classification-based and Regression-based Approaches

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

Yoo S.; Yang, Y.; Carbonell, J.

2011-10-24

Email overload, even after spam filtering, presents a serious productivity challenge for busy professionals and executives. One solution is automated prioritization of incoming emails to ensure the most important are read and processed quickly, while others are processed later as/if time permits in declining priority levels. This paper presents a study of machine learning approaches to email prioritization into discrete levels, comparing ordinal regression versus classier cascades. Given the ordinal nature of discrete email priority levels, SVM ordinal regression would be expected to perform well, but surprisingly a cascade of SVM classifiers significantly outperforms ordinal regression for email prioritization. Inmore » contrast, SVM regression performs well -- better than classifiers -- on selected UCI data sets. This unexpected performance inversion is analyzed and results are presented, providing core functionality for email prioritization systems.« less

Tidal wetlands of the Yaquina and Alsea River estuaries, Oregon: Geographic Information Systems layer development and recommendations for National Wetlands Inventory revisions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brophy, Laura S.; Reusser, Deborah A.; Janousek, Christopher N.

2013-01-01

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) layers of current, and likely former, tidal wetlands in two Oregon estuaries were generated by enhancing the 2010 National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) data with expert local field knowledge, Light Detection and Ranging-derived elevations, and 2009 aerial orthophotographs. Data were generated for two purposes: First, to enhance the NWI by recommending revised Cowardin classifications for certain NWI wetlands within the study area; and second, to generate GIS data for the 1999 Yaquina and Alsea River Basins Estuarine Wetland Site Prioritization study. Two sets of GIS products were generated: (1) enhanced NWI shapefiles; and (2) shapefiles of prioritization sites. The enhanced NWI shapefiles contain recommended changes to the Cowardin classification (system, subsystem, class, and/or modifiers) for 286 NWI polygons in the Yaquina estuary (1,133 acres) and 83 NWI polygons in the Alsea estuary (322 acres). These enhanced NWI shapefiles also identify likely former tidal wetlands that are classified as upland in the current NWI (64 NWI polygons totaling 441 acres in the Yaquina estuary; 16 NWI polygons totaling 51 acres in the Alsea estuary). The former tidal wetlands were identified to assist strategic planning for tidal wetland restoration. Cowardin classifications for the former tidal wetlands were not provided, because their current hydrology is complex owing to dikes, tide gates, and drainage ditches. The scope of this project did not include the field evaluation that would be needed to determine whether the former tidal wetlands are currently wetlands, and if so, determine their correct Cowardin classification. The prioritization site shapefiles contain 49 prioritization sites totaling 2,177 acres in the Yaquina estuary, and 39 prioritization sites totaling 1,045 acres in the Alsea estuary. The prioritization sites include current and former (for example, diked) tidal wetlands, and provide landscape units appropriate for basin-scale wetland restoration and conservation action planning. Several new prioritization sites (not included in the 1999 prioritization) were identified in each estuary, consisting of NWI polygons formerly classified as nontidal wetland or upland. The GIS products of this project improve the accuracy and utility of the NWI data, and provide useful tools for estuarine resource management.

High-throughput dietary exposure predictions for chemical migrants from food contact substances for use in chemical prioritization

EPA Science Inventory

Under the ExpoCast program, United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) researchers have developed a high-throughput (HT) framework for estimating aggregate exposures to chemicals from multiple pathways to support rapid prioritization of chemicals. Here, we present method...

Assessment and application of national environmental databases and mapping tools at the local level to two community case studies.

PubMed

Hammond, Davyda; Conlon, Kathryn; Barzyk, Timothy; Chahine, Teresa; Zartarian, Valerie; Schultz, Brad

2011-03-01

Communities are concerned over pollution levels and seek methods to systematically identify and prioritize the environmental stressors in their communities. Geographic information system (GIS) maps of environmental information can be useful tools for communities in their assessment of environmental-pollution-related risks. Databases and mapping tools that supply community-level estimates of ambient concentrations of hazardous pollutants, risk, and potential health impacts can provide relevant information for communities to understand, identify, and prioritize potential exposures and risk from multiple sources. An assessment of existing databases and mapping tools was conducted as part of this study to explore the utility of publicly available databases, and three of these databases were selected for use in a community-level GIS mapping application. Queried data from the U.S. EPA's National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment, Air Quality System, and National Emissions Inventory were mapped at the appropriate spatial and temporal resolutions for identifying risks of exposure to air pollutants in two communities. The maps combine monitored and model-simulated pollutant and health risk estimates, along with local survey results, to assist communities with the identification of potential exposure sources and pollution hot spots. Findings from this case study analysis will provide information to advance the development of new tools to assist communities with environmental risk assessments and hazard prioritization. © 2010 Society for Risk Analysis.

47 CFR 10.410 - Prioritization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Prioritization. 10.410 Section 10.410 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL COMMERCIAL MOBILE ALERT SYSTEM Alert Message... required to transmit Imminent Threat Alerts and AMBER Alerts on a first in-first out (FIFO) basis. ...

Endocrine Profiling and Prioritization Using ToxCast Assays

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. EPA's Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP) is charged with screening pesticide chemicals and environmental contaminants for their potential to affect the endocrine systems of humans and wildlife (http://www.epa.gov/endo/). The prioritization of chemicals for test...

Prioritization of candidate disease genes by topological similarity between disease and protein diffusion profiles.

PubMed

Zhu, Jie; Qin, Yufang; Liu, Taigang; Wang, Jun; Zheng, Xiaoqi

2013-01-01

Identification of gene-phenotype relationships is a fundamental challenge in human health clinic. Based on the observation that genes causing the same or similar phenotypes tend to correlate with each other in the protein-protein interaction network, a lot of network-based approaches were proposed based on different underlying models. A recent comparative study showed that diffusion-based methods achieve the state-of-the-art predictive performance. In this paper, a new diffusion-based method was proposed to prioritize candidate disease genes. Diffusion profile of a disease was defined as the stationary distribution of candidate genes given a random walk with restart where similarities between phenotypes are incorporated. Then, candidate disease genes are prioritized by comparing their diffusion profiles with that of the disease. Finally, the effectiveness of our method was demonstrated through the leave-one-out cross-validation against control genes from artificial linkage intervals and randomly chosen genes. Comparative study showed that our method achieves improved performance compared to some classical diffusion-based methods. To further illustrate our method, we used our algorithm to predict new causing genes of 16 multifactorial diseases including Prostate cancer and Alzheimer's disease, and the top predictions were in good consistent with literature reports. Our study indicates that integration of multiple information sources, especially the phenotype similarity profile data, and introduction of global similarity measure between disease and gene diffusion profiles are helpful for prioritizing candidate disease genes. Programs and data are available upon request.

Impaired Prioritization of Novel Onset Stimuli in Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keehn, Brandon; Joseph, Robert M.

2008-01-01

Background: Deficiency in the adaptive allocation of attention to relevant environmental stimuli is an associated feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Recent evidence suggests that individuals with ASD may be specifically impaired in attentional prioritization of novel onsets. Method: We investigated modulation of attention by novel onset…

Using County-Level Public Health Data to Prioritize Medical Education Topics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sumner, Walton, II; Schootman, Mario; Asaro, Philip; Yan, Yan; Hagen, Michael D.

2008-01-01

Introduction: Medical education topics might be locally prioritized using public health data on health outcomes and risk factors unrelated to quality of care. Methods: The Missouri Information for Community Assessment (MICA) supplied preventable hospitalization rates (PHRs) for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, heart…

Using Alternative Approaches to Prioritize Testing for the Universe of Chemicals with Potential for Human Exposure (WC9)

EPA Science Inventory

One use of alternative methods is to target animal use at only those chemicals and tests that are absolutely necessary. We discuss prioritization of testing based on high-throughput screening assays (HTS), QSAR modeling, high-throughput toxicokinetics (HTTK), and exposure modelin...

The utility of human ADME data for prioritizing the evaluation of pharmaceuticals in the environment.

EPA Science Inventory

To proceed in the investigation of potential effects of pharmaceuticals in the environment, a cohesive data collection strategy is paramount. Given the lack of data for aquatic species, prioritization seems a logical starting point. Several methods have been put forward, for exam...

Methods and apparatus for integrating, organizing, and accessing flight planning and other data on multifunction cockpit displays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gibbs, Michael J. (Inventor); Adams, Michael B. (Inventor); Chase, Karl L. (Inventor); Van Omen, Debi (Inventor); Lewis, Daniel E. (Inventor); McCrobie, Daniel E. (Inventor)

2003-01-01

A method and system for displaying a flight plan such that an entire flight plan is viewable through the use of scrolling devices is disclosed. The flight plan display may also include a method and system for collapsing and expanding a flight plan display, have provisions for the conspicuous marking of changes to a flight plan, the use of tabs to switch between various displays of data, and access to a navigation database that allows a user to view information about various navigational aids. The database may also the access to the information about the navigational aids to be prioritized based on proximity to the current position of the aircraft.

2D Hydrodynamic Based Logic Modeling Tool for River Restoration Decision Analysis: A Quantitative Approach to Project Prioritization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandrowski, D.; Lai, Y.; Bradley, N.; Gaeuman, D. A.; Murauskas, J.; Som, N. A.; Martin, A.; Goodman, D.; Alvarez, J.

2014-12-01

In the field of river restoration sciences there is a growing need for analytical modeling tools and quantitative processes to help identify and prioritize project sites. 2D hydraulic models have become more common in recent years and with the availability of robust data sets and computing technology, it is now possible to evaluate large river systems at the reach scale. The Trinity River Restoration Program is now analyzing a 40 mile segment of the Trinity River to determine priority and implementation sequencing for its Phase II rehabilitation projects. A comprehensive approach and quantitative tool has recently been developed to analyze this complex river system referred to as: 2D-Hydrodynamic Based Logic Modeling (2D-HBLM). This tool utilizes various hydraulic output parameters combined with biological, ecological, and physical metrics at user-defined spatial scales. These metrics and their associated algorithms are the underpinnings of the 2D-HBLM habitat module used to evaluate geomorphic characteristics, riverine processes, and habitat complexity. The habitat metrics are further integrated into a comprehensive Logic Model framework to perform statistical analyses to assess project prioritization. The Logic Model will analyze various potential project sites by evaluating connectivity using principal component methods. The 2D-HBLM tool will help inform management and decision makers by using a quantitative process to optimize desired response variables with balancing important limiting factors in determining the highest priority locations within the river corridor to implement restoration projects. Effective river restoration prioritization starts with well-crafted goals that identify the biological objectives, address underlying causes of habitat change, and recognizes that social, economic, and land use limiting factors may constrain restoration options (Bechie et. al. 2008). Applying natural resources management actions, like restoration prioritization, is essential for successful project implementation (Conroy and Peterson, 2013). Evaluating tradeoffs and examining alternatives to improve fish habitat through optimization modeling is not just a trend but rather the scientific strategy by which management needs embrace and apply in its decision framework.

Baseline Assessment and Prioritization Framework for IVHM Integrity Assurance Enabling Capabilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, Eric G.; DiVito, Benedetto L.; Jacklin, Stephen A.; Miner, Paul S.

2009-01-01

Fundamental to vehicle health management is the deployment of systems incorporating advanced technologies for predicting and detecting anomalous conditions in highly complex and integrated environments. Integrated structural integrity health monitoring, statistical algorithms for detection, estimation, prediction, and fusion, and diagnosis supporting adaptive control are examples of advanced technologies that present considerable verification and validation challenges. These systems necessitate interactions between physical and software-based systems that are highly networked with sensing and actuation subsystems, and incorporate technologies that are, in many respects, different from those employed in civil aviation today. A formidable barrier to deploying these advanced technologies in civil aviation is the lack of enabling verification and validation tools, methods, and technologies. The development of new verification and validation capabilities will not only enable the fielding of advanced vehicle health management systems, but will also provide new assurance capabilities for verification and validation of current generation aviation software which has been implicated in anomalous in-flight behavior. This paper describes the research focused on enabling capabilities for verification and validation underway within NASA s Integrated Vehicle Health Management project, discusses the state of the art of these capabilities, and includes a framework for prioritizing activities.

Prioritization for Plastic Surgery Procedures Aimed to Improve Quality of Life: Moral Considerations

PubMed Central

Kolby, Lars; Elander, Anna

2017-01-01

Background: Different health conditions are treated in a Plastic Surgery unit, including those cases whose main goal is to enable patients to feel and integrate better within society and therefore improving quality of life, rather then physical functions. Methods: We discuss moral principles that can be used as a guide for health professionals to revise and create policies for plastic surgery patients presenting with non–life-threatening conditions. Results: A specific anatomical feature is not always an indicator of patient’s well-being and quality of life, and therefore it cannot be used as the sole parameter to identify the worst-off and prioritize the provision of health care. A policy should identify who preoperatively are the worst-off and come to some plausible measure of how much they can be expected to benefit from an operation. Policies that do not track these principles in any reliable way can cause discrimination. Conclusions: A patient-centered operating system and patient’s informed preferences might be implemented in the process of prioritizing health. In circumstances when the effectiveness of a specific treatment is unproven, professionals should not make assumptions based on their own values. PMID:28894658

Integrating environmental gap analysis with spatial conservation prioritization: a case study from Victoria, Australia.

PubMed

Sharafi, Seyedeh Mahdieh; Moilanen, Atte; White, Matt; Burgman, Mark

2012-12-15

Gap analysis is used to analyse reserve networks and their coverage of biodiversity, thus identifying gaps in biodiversity representation that may be filled by additional conservation measures. Gap analysis has been used to identify priorities for species and habitat types. When it is applied to identify gaps in the coverage of environmental variables, it embodies the assumption that combinations of environmental variables are effective surrogates for biodiversity attributes. The question remains of how to fill gaps in conservation systems efficiently. Conservation prioritization software can identify those areas outside existing conservation areas that contribute to the efficient covering of gaps in biodiversity features. We show how environmental gap analysis can be implemented using high-resolution information about environmental variables and ecosystem condition with the publicly available conservation prioritization software, Zonation. Our method is based on the conversion of combinations of environmental variables into biodiversity features. We also replicated the analysis by using Species Distribution Models (SDMs) as biodiversity features to evaluate the robustness and utility of our environment-based analysis. We apply the technique to a planning case study of the state of Victoria, Australia. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prioritizing equipment for replacement.

PubMed

Capuano, Mike

2010-01-01

It is suggested that clinical engineers take the lead in formulating evaluation processes to recommend equipment replacement. Their skill, knowledge, and experience, combined with access to equipment databases, make them a logical choice. Based on ideas from Fennigkoh's scheme, elements such as age, vendor support, accumulated maintenance cost, and function/risk were used.6 Other more subjective criteria such as cost benefits and efficacy of newer technology were not used. The element of downtime was also omitted due to the data element not being available. The resulting Periop Master Equipment List and its rationale was presented to the Perioperative Services Program Council. They deemed the criteria to be robust and provided overwhelming acceptance of the list. It was quickly put to use to estimate required capital funding, justify items already thought to need replacement, and identify high-priority ranked items for replacement. Incorporating prioritization criteria into an existing equipment database would be ideal. Some commercially available systems do have the basic elements of this. Maintaining replacement data can be labor-intensive regardless of the method used. There is usually little time to perform the tasks necessary for prioritizing equipment. However, where appropriate, a clinical engineering department might be able to conduct such an exercise as shown in the following case study.

Controller for thermostatically controlled loads

DOEpatents

Lu, Ning; Zhang, Yu; Du, Pengwei; Makarov, Yuri V.

2016-06-07

A system and method of controlling aggregated thermostatically controlled appliances (TCAs) for demand response is disclosed. A targeted load profile is formulated and a forecasted load profile is generated. The TCAs within an "on" or "off" control group are prioritized based on their operating temperatures. The "on" or "off" status of the TCAs is determined. Command signals are sent to turn on or turn off the TCAs.

Methods for medical device and equipment procurement and prioritization within low- and middle-income countries: findings of a systematic literature review.

PubMed

Diaconu, Karin; Chen, Yen-Fu; Cummins, Carole; Jimenez Moyao, Gabriela; Manaseki-Holland, Semira; Lilford, Richard

2017-08-18

Forty to 70 % of medical devices and equipment in low- and middle-income countries are broken, unused or unfit for purpose; this impairs service delivery to patients and results in lost resources. Undiscerning procurement processes are at the heart of this issue. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to August 2013 with no time or language restrictions to identify what product selection or prioritization methods are recommended or used for medical device and equipment procurement planning within low- and middle-income countries. We explore the factors/evidence-base proposed for consideration within such methods and identify prioritization criteria. We included 217 documents (corresponding to 250 texts) in the narrative synthesis. Of these 111 featured in the meta-summary. We identify experience and needs-based methods used to reach procurement decisions. Equipment costs (including maintenance) and health needs are the dominant issues considered. Extracted data suggest that procurement officials should prioritize devices with low- and middle-income country appropriate technical specifications - i.e. devices and equipment that can be used given available human resources, infrastructure and maintenance capacity. Suboptimal device use is directly linked to incomplete costing and inadequate consideration of maintenance services and user training during procurement planning. Accurate estimation of life-cycle costing and careful consideration of device servicing are of crucial importance.

Scuba: scalable kernel-based gene prioritization.

PubMed

Zampieri, Guido; Tran, Dinh Van; Donini, Michele; Navarin, Nicolò; Aiolli, Fabio; Sperduti, Alessandro; Valle, Giorgio

2018-01-25

The uncovering of genes linked to human diseases is a pressing challenge in molecular biology and precision medicine. This task is often hindered by the large number of candidate genes and by the heterogeneity of the available information. Computational methods for the prioritization of candidate genes can help to cope with these problems. In particular, kernel-based methods are a powerful resource for the integration of heterogeneous biological knowledge, however, their practical implementation is often precluded by their limited scalability. We propose Scuba, a scalable kernel-based method for gene prioritization. It implements a novel multiple kernel learning approach, based on a semi-supervised perspective and on the optimization of the margin distribution. Scuba is optimized to cope with strongly unbalanced settings where known disease genes are few and large scale predictions are required. Importantly, it is able to efficiently deal both with a large amount of candidate genes and with an arbitrary number of data sources. As a direct consequence of scalability, Scuba integrates also a new efficient strategy to select optimal kernel parameters for each data source. We performed cross-validation experiments and simulated a realistic usage setting, showing that Scuba outperforms a wide range of state-of-the-art methods. Scuba achieves state-of-the-art performance and has enhanced scalability compared to existing kernel-based approaches for genomic data. This method can be useful to prioritize candidate genes, particularly when their number is large or when input data is highly heterogeneous. The code is freely available at https://github.com/gzampieri/Scuba .

How Do Teachers Prioritize the Adoption of Technology in the Classroom?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurt, Serhat

2012-01-01

This study examined whether teachers prioritize the use of technology. More specifically, this paper focused on how Turkish teachers think about the importance of technology and technological tools for their daily routines. The research design employed both qualitative and quantitative methods. The data were collected through document analyses,…

TOXCAST, A TOOL FOR CATEGORIZATION AND PRIORITIZATION OF CHEMICAL HAZARD BASED ON MULTI-DIMENSIONAL INFORMATION DOMAINS

EPA Science Inventory

Across several EPA Program Offices (e.g., OPPTS, OW, OAR), there is a clear need to develop strategies and methods to screen large numbers of chemicals for potential toxicity, and to use the resulting information to prioritize the use of testing resources towards those entities a...

Chapter 15: Disease Gene Prioritization

PubMed Central

Bromberg, Yana

2013-01-01

Disease-causing aberrations in the normal function of a gene define that gene as a disease gene. Proving a causal link between a gene and a disease experimentally is expensive and time-consuming. Comprehensive prioritization of candidate genes prior to experimental testing drastically reduces the associated costs. Computational gene prioritization is based on various pieces of correlative evidence that associate each gene with the given disease and suggest possible causal links. A fair amount of this evidence comes from high-throughput experimentation. Thus, well-developed methods are necessary to reliably deal with the quantity of information at hand. Existing gene prioritization techniques already significantly improve the outcomes of targeted experimental studies. Faster and more reliable techniques that account for novel data types are necessary for the development of new diagnostics, treatments, and cure for many diseases. PMID:23633938

Informing watershed connectivity barrier prioritization decisions: A synthesis

USGS Publications Warehouse

McKay, S. K.; Cooper, A. R.; Diebel, M.W.; Elkins, D.; Oldford, G.; Roghair, C.; Wieferich, Daniel J.

2017-01-01

Water resources and transportation infrastructure such as dams and culverts provide countless socio-economic benefits; however, this infrastructure can also disconnect the movement of organisms, sediment, and water through river ecosystems. Trade-offs associated with these competing costs and benefits occur globally, with applications in barrier addition (e.g. dam and road construction), reengineering (e.g. culvert repair), and removal (e.g. dam removal and aging infrastructure). Barrier prioritization provides a unique opportunity to: (i) restore and reconnect potentially large habitat patches quickly and effectively and (ii) avoid impacts prior to occurrence in line with the mitigation hierarchy (i.e. avoid then minimize then mitigate). This paper synthesizes 46 watershed-scale barrier planning studies and presents a procedure to guide barrier prioritization associated with connectivity for aquatic organisms. We focus on practical issues informing prioritization studies such as available data sets, methods, techniques, and tools. We conclude with a discussion of emerging trends and issues in barrier prioritization and key opportunities for enhancing the body of knowledge.

Advances in liver transplantation allocation systems.

PubMed

Schilsky, Michael L; Moini, Maryam

2016-03-14

With the growing number of patients in need of liver transplantation, there is a need for adopting new and modifying existing allocation policies that prioritize patients for liver transplantation. Policy should ensure fair allocation that is reproducible and strongly predictive of best pre and post transplant outcomes while taking into account the natural history of the potential recipients liver disease and its complications. There is wide acceptance for allocation policies based on urgency in which the sickest patients on the waiting list with the highest risk of mortality receive priority. Model for end-stage liver disease and Child-Turcotte-Pugh scoring system, the two most universally applicable systems are used in urgency-based prioritization. However, other factors must be considered to achieve optimal allocation. Factors affecting pre-transplant patient survival and the quality of the donor organ also affect outcome. The optimal system should have allocation prioritization that accounts for both urgency and transplant outcome. We reviewed past and current liver allocation systems with the aim of generating further discussion about improvement of current policies.

Using model-based screening to help discover unknown environmental contaminants.

PubMed

McLachlan, Michael S; Kierkegaard, Amelie; Radke, Michael; Sobek, Anna; Malmvärn, Anna; Alsberg, Tomas; Arnot, Jon A; Brown, Trevor N; Wania, Frank; Breivik, Knut; Xu, Shihe

2014-07-01

Of the tens of thousands of chemicals in use, only a small fraction have been analyzed in environmental samples. To effectively identify environmental contaminants, methods to prioritize chemicals for analytical method development are required. We used a high-throughput model of chemical emissions, fate, and bioaccumulation to identify chemicals likely to have high concentrations in specific environmental media, and we prioritized these for target analysis. This model-based screening was applied to 215 organosilicon chemicals culled from industrial chemical production statistics. The model-based screening prioritized several recognized organosilicon contaminants and generated hypotheses leading to the selection of three chemicals that have not previously been identified as potential environmental contaminants for target analysis. Trace analytical methods were developed, and the chemicals were analyzed in air, sewage sludge, and sediment. All three substances were found to be environmental contaminants. Phenyl-tris(trimethylsiloxy)silane was present in all samples analyzed, with concentrations of ∼50 pg m(-3) in Stockholm air and ∼0.5 ng g(-1) dw in sediment from the Stockholm archipelago. Tris(trifluoropropyl)trimethyl-cyclotrisiloxane and tetrakis(trifluoropropyl)tetramethyl-cyclotetrasiloxane were found in sediments from Lake Mjøsa at ∼1 ng g(-1) dw. The discovery of three novel environmental contaminants shows that models can be useful for prioritizing chemicals for exploratory assessment.

Smoking Gun or Circumstantial Evidence? Comparison of Statistical Learning Methods using Functional Annotations for Prioritizing Risk Variants.

PubMed

Gagliano, Sarah A; Ravji, Reena; Barnes, Michael R; Weale, Michael E; Knight, Jo

2015-08-24

Although technology has triumphed in facilitating routine genome sequencing, new challenges have been created for the data-analyst. Genome-scale surveys of human variation generate volumes of data that far exceed capabilities for laboratory characterization. By incorporating functional annotations as predictors, statistical learning has been widely investigated for prioritizing genetic variants likely to be associated with complex disease. We compared three published prioritization procedures, which use different statistical learning algorithms and different predictors with regard to the quantity, type and coding. We also explored different combinations of algorithm and annotation set. As an application, we tested which methodology performed best for prioritizing variants using data from a large schizophrenia meta-analysis by the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. Results suggest that all methods have considerable (and similar) predictive accuracies (AUCs 0.64-0.71) in test set data, but there is more variability in the application to the schizophrenia GWAS. In conclusion, a variety of algorithms and annotations seem to have a similar potential to effectively enrich true risk variants in genome-scale datasets, however none offer more than incremental improvement in prediction. We discuss how methods might be evolved for risk variant prediction to address the impending bottleneck of the new generation of genome re-sequencing studies.

A computational approach to candidate gene prioritization for X-linked mental retardation using annotation-based binary filtering and motif-based linear discriminatory analysis

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Several computational candidate gene selection and prioritization methods have recently been developed. These in silico selection and prioritization techniques are usually based on two central approaches - the examination of similarities to known disease genes and/or the evaluation of functional annotation of genes. Each of these approaches has its own caveats. Here we employ a previously described method of candidate gene prioritization based mainly on gene annotation, in accompaniment with a technique based on the evaluation of pertinent sequence motifs or signatures, in an attempt to refine the gene prioritization approach. We apply this approach to X-linked mental retardation (XLMR), a group of heterogeneous disorders for which some of the underlying genetics is known. Results The gene annotation-based binary filtering method yielded a ranked list of putative XLMR candidate genes with good plausibility of being associated with the development of mental retardation. In parallel, a motif finding approach based on linear discriminatory analysis (LDA) was employed to identify short sequence patterns that may discriminate XLMR from non-XLMR genes. High rates (>80%) of correct classification was achieved, suggesting that the identification of these motifs effectively captures genomic signals associated with XLMR vs. non-XLMR genes. The computational tools developed for the motif-based LDA is integrated into the freely available genomic analysis portal Galaxy (http://main.g2.bx.psu.edu/). Nine genes (APLN, ZC4H2, MAGED4, MAGED4B, RAP2C, FAM156A, FAM156B, TBL1X, and UXT) were highlighted as highly-ranked XLMR methods. Conclusions The combination of gene annotation information and sequence motif-orientated computational candidate gene prediction methods highlight an added benefit in generating a list of plausible candidate genes, as has been demonstrated for XLMR. Reviewers: This article was reviewed by Dr Barbara Bardoni (nominated by Prof Juergen Brosius); Prof Neil Smalheiser and Dr Dustin Holloway (nominated by Prof Charles DeLisi). PMID:21668950

Risk-Based Prioritization Method for the Classification of Groundwater Pollution from Hazardous Waste Landfills.

PubMed

Yang, Yu; Jiang, Yong-Hai; Lian, Xin-Ying; Xi, Bei-Dou; Ma, Zhi-Fei; Xu, Xiang-Jian; An, Da

2016-12-01

Hazardous waste landfill sites are a significant source of groundwater pollution. To ensure that these landfills with a significantly high risk of groundwater contamination are properly managed, a risk-based ranking method related to groundwater contamination is needed. In this research, a risk-based prioritization method for the classification of groundwater pollution from hazardous waste landfills was established. The method encompasses five phases, including risk pre-screening, indicator selection, characterization, classification and, lastly, validation. In the risk ranking index system employed here, 14 indicators involving hazardous waste landfills and migration in the vadose zone as well as aquifer were selected. The boundary of each indicator was determined by K-means cluster analysis and the weight of each indicator was calculated by principal component analysis. These methods were applied to 37 hazardous waste landfills in China. The result showed that the risk for groundwater contamination from hazardous waste landfills could be ranked into three classes from low to high risk. In all, 62.2 % of the hazardous waste landfill sites were classified in the low and medium risk classes. The process simulation method and standardized anomalies were used to validate the result of risk ranking; the results were consistent with the simulated results related to the characteristics of contamination. The risk ranking method was feasible, valid and can provide reference data related to risk management for groundwater contamination at hazardous waste landfill sites.

The role of risk-based prioritization in total quality management

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

Bennett, C.T.

1994-10-01

The climate in which government managers must make decisions grows more complex and uncertain. All stakeholders - the public, industry, and Congress - are demanding greater consciousness, responsibility, and accountability of programs and their budgets. Yet, managerial decisions have become multifaceted, involve greater risk, and operate over much longer time periods. Over the last four or five decades, as policy analysis and decisions became more complex, scientists from psychology, operations research, systems science, and economics have developed a more or less coherent process called decision analysis to aid program management. The process of decision analysis - a systems theoretic approachmore » - provides the backdrop for this paper. The Laboratory Integrated Prioritization System (LIPS) has been developed as a systems analytic and risk-based prioritization tool to aid the management of the Tri-Labs` (Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, and Sandia) operating resources. Preliminary analyses of the effects of LIPS has confirmed the practical benefits of decision and systems sciences - the systematic, quantitative reduction in uncertainty. To date, the use of LIPS - and, hence, its value - has been restricted to resource allocation within the Tri-Labs` operations budgets. This report extends the role of risk-based prioritization to the support of DOE Total Quality Management (TQM) programs. Furthermore, this paper will argue for the requirement to institutionalize an evolutionary, decision theoretic approach to the policy analysis of the Department of Energy`s Program Budget.« less

Expert system application for prioritizing preventive actions for shift work: shift expert.

PubMed

Esen, Hatice; Hatipoğlu, Tuğçen; Cihan, Ahmet; Fiğlali, Nilgün

2017-09-19

Shift patterns, work hours, work arrangements and worker motivations have increasingly become key factors for job performance. The main objective of this article is to design an expert system that identifies the negative effects of shift work and prioritizes mitigation efforts according to their importance in preventing these negative effects. The proposed expert system will be referred to as the shift expert. A thorough literature review is conducted to determine the effects of shift work on workers. Our work indicates that shift work is linked to demographic variables, sleepiness and fatigue, health and well-being, and social and domestic conditions. These parameters constitute the sections of a questionnaire designed to focus on 26 important issues related to shift work. The shift expert is then constructed to provide prevention advice at the individual and organizational levels, and it prioritizes this advice using a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process model, which considers comparison matrices provided by users during the prioritization process. An empirical study of 61 workers working on three rotating shifts is performed. After administering the questionnaires, the collected data are analyzed statistically, and then the shift expert produces individual and organizational recommendations for these workers.

Cognitive models of pilot categorization and prioritization of flight-deck information

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jonsson, Jon E.; Ricks, Wendell R.

1995-01-01

In the past decade, automated systems on modern commercial flight decks have increased dramatically. Pilots now regularly interact and share tasks with these systems. This interaction has led human factors research to direct more attention to the pilot's cognitive processing and mental model of the information flow occurring on the flight deck. The experiment reported herein investigated how pilots mentally represent and process information typically available during flight. Fifty-two commercial pilots participated in tasks that required them to provide similarity ratings for pairs of flight-deck information and to prioritize this information under two contextual conditions. Pilots processed the information along three cognitive dimensions. These dimensions included the flight function and the flight action that the information supported and how frequently pilots refer to the information. Pilots classified the information as aviation, navigation, communications, or systems administration information. Prioritization results indicated a high degree of consensus among pilots, while scaling results revealed two dimensions along which information is prioritized. Pilot cognitive workload for flight-deck tasks and the potential for using these findings to operationalize cognitive metrics are evaluated. Such measures may be useful additions for flight-deck human performance evaluation.

A vulnerability assessment of 300 species in Florida: threats from sea level rise, land use, and climate change.

PubMed

Reece, Joshua Steven; Noss, Reed F; Oetting, Jon; Hoctor, Tom; Volk, Michael

2013-01-01

Species face many threats, including accelerated climate change, sea level rise, and conversion and degradation of habitat from human land uses. Vulnerability assessments and prioritization protocols have been proposed to assess these threats, often in combination with information such as species rarity; ecological, evolutionary or economic value; and likelihood of success. Nevertheless, few vulnerability assessments or prioritization protocols simultaneously account for multiple threats or conservation values. We applied a novel vulnerability assessment tool, the Standardized Index of Vulnerability and Value, to assess the conservation priority of 300 species of plants and animals in Florida given projections of climate change, human land-use patterns, and sea level rise by the year 2100. We account for multiple sources of uncertainty and prioritize species under five different systems of value, ranging from a primary emphasis on vulnerability to threats to an emphasis on metrics of conservation value such as phylogenetic distinctiveness. Our results reveal remarkable consistency in the prioritization of species across different conservation value systems. Species of high priority include the Miami blue butterfly (Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri), Key tree cactus (Pilosocereus robinii), Florida duskywing butterfly (Ephyriades brunnea floridensis), and Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium). We also identify sources of uncertainty and the types of life history information consistently missing across taxonomic groups. This study characterizes the vulnerabilities to major threats of a broad swath of Florida's biodiversity and provides a system for prioritizing conservation efforts that is quantitative, flexible, and free from hidden value judgments.

Method and system for entering data within a flight plan entry field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gibbs, Michael J. (Inventor); Van Omen, Debi (Inventor); Adams, Michael B. (Inventor); Chase, Karl L. (Inventor); Lewis, Daniel E. (Inventor); McCrobie, Daniel E. (Inventor)

2005-01-01

The present invention provides systems, apparatus and methods for entering data into a flight plan entry field which facilitates the display and editing of aircraft flight-plan data. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method for entering multiple waypoint and procedure identifiers at once within a single a flight plan entry field. In another embodiment, the present invention provides for the partial entry of any waypoint or procedure identifiers, and thereafter relating the identifiers with an aircraft's flight management system to anticipate the complete text entry for display. In yet another embodiment, the present invention discloses a method to automatically provide the aircraft operator with selectable prioritized arrival and approach routing identifiers by a single manual selection. In another embodiment, the present invention is a method for providing the aircraft operator with selectable alternate patterns to a new runway.

Identifying and prioritizing lower value services from Dutch specialist guidelines and a comparison with the UK do-not-do list.

PubMed

Wammes, Joost Johan Godert; van den Akker-van Marle, M Elske; Verkerk, Eva W; van Dulmen, Simone A; Westert, Gert P; van Asselt, Antoinette D I; Kool, R B

2016-11-25

The term 'lower value services' concerns healthcare that is of little or no value to the patient and consequently should not be provided routinely, or not be provided at all. De-adoption of lower value care may occur through explicit recommendations in clinical guidelines. The present study aimed to generate a comprehensive list of lower value services for the Netherlands that assesses the type of care and associated medical conditions. The list was compared with the NICE do-not-do list (United Kingdom). Finally, the feasibility of prioritizing the list was studied to identify conditions where de-adoption is warranted. Dutch clinical guidelines (published from 2010 to 2015) were searched for lower value services. The lower value services identified were categorized by type of care (diagnostics, treatment with and without medication), type of lower value service (not routinely provided or not provided at all), and ICD10 codes (international classification of diseases). The list was prioritized per ICD10 code, based on the number of lower value services per ICD10 code, prevalence, and burden of disease. A total of 1366 lower value services were found in the 193 Dutch guidelines included in our study. Of the lower value services, 30% covered diagnostics, 29% related to surgical and medical treatment without drugs primarily, and 39% related to drug treatment. The majority (77%) of all lower value services was on care that should not be offered at all, whereas the other 23% recommended on care that should not be offered routinely. ICD10 chapters that included most lower value services were neoplasms and diseases of the nervous system. Dutch guidelines appear to contain more lower value services than UK guidelines. The prioritization processes revealed several conditions, including back pain, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and ischemic heart diseases, where lower value services most likely occur and de-adoption is warranted. In this study, a comprehensive list of lower value services for Dutch hospital care was developed. A feasible method for prioritizing lower value services was established. Identifying and prioritizing lower value services is the first of several necessary steps in reducing them.

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

PubMed

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

2018-06-01

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

A method to assess the population-level consequences of wind energy facilities on bird and bat species: Chapter

USGS Publications Warehouse

Diffendorfer, James E.; Beston, Julie A.; Merrill, Matthew; Stanton, Jessica C.; Corum, Margo D.; Loss, Scott R.; Thogmartin, Wayne E.; Johnson, Douglas H.; Erickson, Richard A.; Heist, Kevin W.

2016-01-01

For this study, a methodology was developed for assessing impacts of wind energy generation on populations of birds and bats at regional to national scales. The approach combines existing methods in applied ecology for prioritizing species in terms of their potential risk from wind energy facilities and estimating impacts of fatalities on population status and trend caused by collisions with wind energy infrastructure. Methods include a qualitative prioritization approach, demographic models, and potential biological removal. The approach can be used to prioritize species in need of more thorough study as well as to identify species with minimal risk. However, the components of this methodology require simplifying assumptions and the data required may be unavailable or of poor quality for some species. These issues should be carefully considered before using the methodology. The approach will increase in value as more data become available and will broaden the understanding of anthropogenic sources of mortality on bird and bat populations.

HitWalker2: visual analytics for precision medicine and beyond.

PubMed

Bottomly, Daniel; McWeeney, Shannon K; Wilmot, Beth

2016-04-15

The lack of visualization frameworks to guide interpretation and facilitate discovery is a potential bottleneck for precision medicine, systems genetics and other studies. To address this we have developed an interactive, reproducible, web-based prioritization approach that builds on our earlier work. HitWalker2 is highly flexible and can utilize many data types and prioritization methods based upon available data and desired questions, allowing it to be utilized in a diverse range of studies such as cancer, infectious disease and psychiatric disorders. Source code is freely available at https://github.com/biodev/HitWalker2 and implemented using Python/Django, Neo4j and Javascript (D3.js and jQuery). We support major open source browsers (e.g. Firefox and Chromium/Chrome). wilmotb@ohsu.edu Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. Additional information/instructions are available at https://github.com/biodev/HitWalker2/wiki. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

Biomedical Simulation Models of Human Auditory Processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bicak, Mehmet M. A.

2012-01-01

Detailed acoustic engineering models that explore noise propagation mechanisms associated with noise attenuation and transmission paths created when using hearing protectors such as earplugs and headsets in high noise environments. Biomedical finite element (FE) models are developed based on volume Computed Tomography scan data which provides explicit external ear, ear canal, middle ear ossicular bones and cochlea geometry. Results from these studies have enabled a greater understanding of hearing protector to flesh dynamics as well as prioritizing noise propagation mechanisms. Prioritization of noise mechanisms can form an essential framework for exploration of new design principles and methods in both earplug and earcup applications. These models are currently being used in development of a novel hearing protection evaluation system that can provide experimentally correlated psychoacoustic noise attenuation. Moreover, these FE models can be used to simulate the effects of blast related impulse noise on human auditory mechanisms and brain tissue.

Addressing maternal and child health in post-conflict Afghanistan: the way forward.

PubMed

Singh, P K; Rai, R K; Alagarajan, M

2013-09-01

Afghanistan's maternal and child mortality rates are among the highest in the world. The country faces challenges to meet the Millennium Development Goals set for 2015 which can be attributed to multiple causes related to accessibility, affordability and availability of health-care services. This report addresses the challenges in strengthening maternal and child health care in Afghanistan, as well discussing the areas to be prioritized. In order to ensure sound maternal and child health care in Afghanistan, policy-makers must prioritize monitoring and surveillance systems, integrating maternal and child health care with rights-based family planning methods, building human resources, offering incentives (such as the provision of a conditional cash transfer to women) and promoting action-oriented, community-based interventions. On a wider scale, the focus must be to improve the health infrastructure, organizing international collaboration and expanding sources of funding.

Ranking of small scale proposals for water system repair using the Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix (RIAM)

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

Shakib-Manesh, T.E.; Hirvonen, K.O.; Jalava, K.J.

2014-11-15

Environmental impacts of small scale projects are often assessed poorly, or not assessed at all. This paper examines the usability of the Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix (RIAM) as a tool to prioritize project proposals for small scale water restoration projects in relation to proposals' potential to improve the environment. The RIAM scoring system was used to assess and rank the proposals based on their environmental impacts, the costs of the projects to repair the harmful impacts, and the size of human population living around the sites. A four-member assessment group (The expert panel) gave the RIAM-scores to the proposals. Themore » assumed impacts of the studied projects at the Eastern Finland water systems were divided into the ecological and social impacts. The more detailed assessment categories of the ecological impacts in this study were impacts on landscape, natural state, and limnology. The social impact categories were impacts to recreational use of the area, fishing, industry, population, and economy. These impacts were scored according to their geographical and social significance, their magnitude of change, their character, permanence, reversibility, and cumulativeness. The RIAM method proved to be an appropriate and recommendable method for the small-scale assessment and prioritizing of project proposals. If the assessments are well documented, the RIAM can be a method for easy assessing and comparison of the various kinds of projects. In the studied project proposals there were no big surprises in the results: the best ranks were received by the projects, which were assumed to return watersheds toward their original state.« less

Technology management: case study of an integrated health system.

PubMed

Dahl, D H; McFarlan, T K

1994-12-01

Technology management has assumed a role of vital importance in today's health care environment. Capital reserves and operating income have been stretched by pervasive and expensive technologies, while overall reimbursement has been reduced. It is imperative for hospitals to develop and consistently use technology management processes that begin prior to a technology's introduction in the hospital and continue throughout its life cycle. At Samaritan Health System (SHS), an integrated health care delivery system based in Phoenix, technology management provides tools to improve decision making and assist in the system's integration strategy as well as control expenses. SHS uses a systemwide technology-specific plan to guide acquisition and/or funding decisions. This plan describes how particular technologies can help achieve SHS' organizational goals such as promoting system integration and/or improving patient outcomes while providing good economic value. After technologies are targeted in this systemwide plan they are prioritized using a two-stage capital prioritization process. The first stage of the capital prioritization process considers the quantitative and qualitative factors critical for equitable capital distribution across the system. The second stage develops a sense of ownership among the parties that affect and are affected by the allocation at a facility level. This process promotes an efficient, effective, equitable, and defensible approach to resource allocation and technology decision making. Minimizing equipment maintenance expenditures is also an integral part of technology management at SHS. The keys to reducing maintenance expenditures are having a process in place that supports a routine fiscal evaluation of maintenance coverage options and ensuring that manufacturers are obligated to provide critical maintenance resources at the time of equipment purchase. Maintenance service options under consideration in this report include full-service contracts with the manufacturer, insurance coverage, time and materials, and independent service vendors/in-house support. Careful consideration of all the ramifications of each option is warranted because there are substantial cost differences among these methods. At SHS, technology management efforts resulted in equipment purchases and maintenance negotiations representing savings of more than $1.5 million in a single year. SHS undertakes an intensive review of purchases and maintenance expenditures, using the techniques described in this report, with the objective of reducing expenses by 10% per year. This report describes the technology management methods that SHS uses to achieve these results.

Goal-Prioritization for Teachers, Coaches, and Students: A Developmental Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Symonds, Matthew L.; Tapps, Tyler

2016-01-01

The objective of this article is to provide background on types of goals, a system for writing goals, and a framework for goal-prioritization that can be implemented in classroom and/or sport settings. Goal-setting is the process of developing a desired outcome to serve as the purpose of one's actions.

Development of human factors guidelines for advanced traveler information systems and commercial vehicle operations : definition and prioritization of research studies

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-03-01

The goal of the activities documented in this report was to produce a prioritized list of candidate studies and issues that would guide data acquisition in this project. This goal was accomplished in three steps. First, 91 issues were compiled from e...

Vehicle-based Methane Mapping Helps Find Natural Gas Leaks and Prioritize Leak Repairs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Fischer, J. C.; Weller, Z.; Roscioli, J. R.; Lamb, B. K.; Ferrara, T.

2017-12-01

Recently, mobile methane sensing platforms have been developed to detect and locate natural gas (NG) leaks in urban distribution systems and to estimate their size. Although this technology has already been used in targeted deployment for prioritization of NG pipeline infrastructure repair and replacement, one open question regarding this technology is how effective the resulting data are for prioritizing infrastructure repair and replacement. To answer this question we explore the accuracy and precision of the natural gas leak location and emission estimates provided by methane sensors placed on Google Street View (GSV) vehicles. We find that the vast majority (75%) of methane emitting sources detected by these mobile platforms are NG leaks and that the location estimates are effective at identifying the general location of leaks. We also show that the emission rate estimates from mobile detection platforms are able to effectively rank NG leaks for prioritizing leak repair. Our findings establish that mobile sensing platforms are an efficient and effective tool for improving the safety and reducing the environmental impacts of low-pressure NG distribution systems by reducing atmospheric methane emissions.

A Vulnerability Assessment of 300 Species in Florida: Threats from Sea Level Rise, Land Use, and Climate Change

PubMed Central

Reece, Joshua Steven; Noss, Reed F.; Oetting, Jon; Hoctor, Tom; Volk, Michael

2013-01-01

Species face many threats, including accelerated climate change, sea level rise, and conversion and degradation of habitat from human land uses. Vulnerability assessments and prioritization protocols have been proposed to assess these threats, often in combination with information such as species rarity; ecological, evolutionary or economic value; and likelihood of success. Nevertheless, few vulnerability assessments or prioritization protocols simultaneously account for multiple threats or conservation values. We applied a novel vulnerability assessment tool, the Standardized Index of Vulnerability and Value, to assess the conservation priority of 300 species of plants and animals in Florida given projections of climate change, human land-use patterns, and sea level rise by the year 2100. We account for multiple sources of uncertainty and prioritize species under five different systems of value, ranging from a primary emphasis on vulnerability to threats to an emphasis on metrics of conservation value such as phylogenetic distinctiveness. Our results reveal remarkable consistency in the prioritization of species across different conservation value systems. Species of high priority include the Miami blue butterfly (Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri), Key tree cactus (Pilosocereus robinii), Florida duskywing butterfly (Ephyriades brunnea floridensis), and Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium). We also identify sources of uncertainty and the types of life history information consistently missing across taxonomic groups. This study characterizes the vulnerabilities to major threats of a broad swath of Florida’s biodiversity and provides a system for prioritizing conservation efforts that is quantitative, flexible, and free from hidden value judgments. PMID:24260447

Prioritizing treatment of second-growth forests using LiDAR

Treesearch

Lathrop P. Leonard; Daryl Van Dyke

2012-01-01

We used multi-return light detecting and ranging (LiDAR) to develop a costeffective method for describing forest conditions and prioritizing stands for treatment in over 14,000 ha of second-growth forests (11 to 85 years old) in Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park (DNCRSP). DNCRSP consists primarily of redwood and Douglas-fir dominated forests with scattered tanoak...

Abundance models improve spatial and temporal prioritization of conservation resources.

PubMed

Johnston, Alison; Fink, Daniel; Reynolds, Mark D; Hochachka, Wesley M; Sullivan, Brian L; Bruns, Nicholas E; Hallstein, Eric; Merrifield, Matt S; Matsumoto, Sandi; Kelling, Steve

2015-10-01

Conservation prioritization requires knowledge about organism distribution and density. This information is often inferred from models that estimate the probability of species occurrence rather than from models that estimate species abundance, because abundance data are harder to obtain and model. However, occurrence and abundance may not display similar patterns and therefore development of robust, scalable, abundance models is critical to ensuring that scarce conservation resources are applied where they can have the greatest benefits. Motivated by a dynamic land conservation program, we develop and assess a general method for modeling relative abundance using citizen science monitoring data. Weekly estimates of relative abundance and occurrence were compared for prioritizing times and locations of conservation actions for migratory waterbird species in California, USA. We found that abundance estimates consistently provided better rankings of observed counts than occurrence estimates. Additionally, the relationship between abundance and occurrence was nonlinear and varied by species and season. Across species, locations prioritized by occurrence models had only 10-58% overlap with locations prioritized by abundance models, highlighting that occurrence models will not typically identify the locations of highest abundance that are vital for conservation of populations.

Urban flood simulation and prioritization of critical urban sub-catchments using SWMM model and PROMETHEE II approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babaei, Sahar; Ghazavi, Reza; Erfanian, Mahdi

2018-06-01

Urban runoff increased due to augment of impervious surfaces. In order to flood mitigation during rainy season, determination of critical urban sub-catchments is very important for urban planners. Due to lack of information, adopting a simulation approach is one of the practical ways to identify the surcharged junctions and critical sub-catchments. Occurrence of destructive floods in the rainy seasons indicates the inappropriateness of the urban drainage system in Urmia. The main aims of this study were to estimate the surface runoff of urban sub-catchments using SWMM, to evaluate the accuracy of the drainage system of the study urban area and to prioritize sub-catchments using PROMETHEE II approach and SWMM. In the present study, the occurrence of rainfall event of the Urmia city (West Azerbaijan province, Iran) used for estimation of runoff depth. The study area was divided into 22 sub-catchments. For calibration and validation of model parameters, 3 rainfall events and their related runoff were measured. According to sensitivity analysis CN was the most sensitive parameter for model calibration. Amount of surcharged conduits and junctions indicates that the drainage system of the study area has not enough capacity for converting of the runoff and. For 10 year return period, depth of channels should increase by 20% for prevention of flooding in these sub-catchments. Sub-catchments were prioritized using PROMETHEE II approach and its results were compared with SWMM simulation outcomes. Based on SWMM simulation, S11, S7, S18, S16 and S1 sub-catchments are more critical sub-catchments respectively, while according to PROMETHEE method, S1, S11, S16, S14 and S18 are determined as the critical areas.

A prioritized set of physiological measurements for future spaceflight experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1978-01-01

A set of desired experimental measurements to be obtained in future spaceflights in four areas of physiological investigation are identified. The basis for identifying the measurements was the physiological systems analysis performed on Skylab data and related ground-based studies. An approach for prioritizing the measurement list is identified and discussed with the use of examples. A prioritized measurement list is presented for each of the following areas; cardiopulmonary, fluid-renal and electrolyte, hematology and immunology, and musculoskeletal. Also included is a list of interacting stresses and other factors present in spaceflight experiments whose effects may need to be quantified.

Priority Queuing Models for Hospital Intensive Care Units and Impacts to Severe Case Patients

PubMed Central

Hagen, Matthew S.; Jopling, Jeffrey K; Buchman, Timothy G; Lee, Eva K.

2013-01-01

This paper examines several different queuing models for intensive care units (ICU) and the effects on wait times, utilization, return rates, mortalities, and number of patients served. Five separate intensive care units at an urban hospital are analyzed and distributions are fitted for arrivals and service durations. A system-based simulation model is built to capture all possible cases of patient flow after ICU admission. These include mortalities and returns before and after hospital exits. Patients are grouped into 9 different classes that are categorized by severity and length of stay (LOS). Each queuing model varies by the policies that are permitted and by the order the patients are admitted. The first set of models does not prioritize patients, but examines the advantages of smoothing the operating schedule for elective surgeries. The second set analyzes the differences between prioritizing admissions by expected LOS or patient severity. The last set permits early ICU discharges and conservative and aggressive bumping policies are contrasted. It was found that prioritizing patients by severity considerably reduced delays for critical cases, but also increased the average waiting time for all patients. Aggressive bumping significantly raised the return and mortality rates, but more conservative methods balance quality and efficiency with lowered wait times without serious consequences. PMID:24551379

Factoring economic costs into conservation planning may not improve agreement over priorities for protection.

PubMed

Armsworth, Paul R; Jackson, Heather B; Cho, Seong-Hoon; Clark, Melissa; Fargione, Joseph E; Iacona, Gwenllian D; Kim, Taeyoung; Larson, Eric R; Minney, Thomas; Sutton, Nathan A

2017-12-21

Conservation organizations must redouble efforts to protect habitat given continuing biodiversity declines. Prioritization of future areas for protection is hampered by disagreements over what the ecological targets of conservation should be. Here we test the claim that such disagreements will become less important as conservation moves away from prioritizing areas for protection based only on ecological considerations and accounts for varying costs of protection using return-on-investment (ROI) methods. We combine a simulation approach with a case study of forests in the eastern United States, paying particular attention to how covariation between ecological benefits and economic costs influences agreement levels. For many conservation goals, agreement over spatial priorities improves with ROI methods. However, we also show that a reliance on ROI-based prioritization can sometimes exacerbate disagreements over priorities. As such, accounting for costs in conservation planning does not enable society to sidestep careful consideration of the ecological goals of conservation.

Use of a modified Delphi panel to identify and weight criteria for prioritization of zoonotic diseases in Switzerland.

PubMed

Stebler, N; Schuepbach-Regula, G; Braam, P; Falzon, L C

2015-09-01

Zoonotic diseases have a significant impact on public health globally. To prevent or reduce future zoonotic outbreaks, there is a constant need to invest in research and surveillance programs while updating risk management strategies. However, given the limited resources available, disease prioritization based on the need for their control and surveillance is important. This study was performed to identify and weight disease criteria for the prioritization of zoonotic diseases in Switzerland using a semi-quantitative research method based on expert opinion. Twenty-eight criteria relevant for disease control and surveillance, classified under five domains, were selected following a thorough literature review, and these were evaluated and weighted by seven experts from the Swiss Federal Veterinary Office using a modified Delphi panel. The median scores assigned to each criterion were then used to rank 16 notifiable and/or emerging zoonoses in Switzerland. The experts weighted the majority of the criteria similarly, and the top three criteria were Severity of disease in humans, incidence and prevalence of the disease in humans and treatment in humans. Based on these weightings, the three highest ranked diseases were Avian Influenza, Bovine Spongiform Encephalitis, and Bovine Tuberculosis. Overall, this study provided a preliminary list of criteria relevant for disease prioritization in Switzerland. These were further evaluated in a companion study which involved a quantitative prioritization method and multiple stakeholders. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prioritizing Chemicals and Data Requirements for Screening-Level Exposure and Risk Assessment

PubMed Central

Brown, Trevor N.; Wania, Frank; Breivik, Knut; McLachlan, Michael S.

2012-01-01

Background: Scientists and regulatory agencies strive to identify chemicals that may cause harmful effects to humans and the environment; however, prioritization is challenging because of the large number of chemicals requiring evaluation and limited data and resources. Objectives: We aimed to prioritize chemicals for exposure and exposure potential and obtain a quantitative perspective on research needs to better address uncertainty in screening assessments. Methods: We used a multimedia mass balance model to prioritize > 12,000 organic chemicals using four far-field human exposure metrics. The propagation of variance (uncertainty) in key chemical information used as model input for calculating exposure metrics was quantified. Results: Modeled human concentrations and intake rates span approximately 17 and 15 orders of magnitude, respectively. Estimates of exposure potential using human concentrations and a unit emission rate span approximately 13 orders of magnitude, and intake fractions span 7 orders of magnitude. The actual chemical emission rate contributes the greatest variance (uncertainty) in exposure estimates. The human biotransformation half-life is the second greatest source of uncertainty in estimated concentrations. In general, biotransformation and biodegradation half-lives are greater sources of uncertainty in modeled exposure and exposure potential than chemical partition coefficients. Conclusions: Mechanistic exposure modeling is suitable for screening and prioritizing large numbers of chemicals. By including uncertainty analysis and uncertainty in chemical information in the exposure estimates, these methods can help identify and address the important sources of uncertainty in human exposure and risk assessment in a systematic manner. PMID:23008278

Assessing Attentional Prioritization of Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labels using Change Detection

PubMed Central

Becker, Mark W.; Sundar, Raghav Prashant; Bello, Nora; Alzahabi, Reem; Weatherspoon, Lorraine; Bix, Laura

2015-01-01

We used a change detection method to evaluate attentional prioritization of nutrition information that appears in the traditional “Nutrition Facts Panel” and in front-of-pack nutrition labels. Results provide compelling evidence that front-of-pack labels attract attention more readily than the Nutrition Facts Panel, even when participants are not specifically tasked with searching for nutrition information. Further, color-coding the relative nutritional value of key nutrients within the front-of-pack label resulted in increased attentional prioritization of nutrition information, but coding using facial icons did not significantly increase attention to the label. Finally, the general pattern of attentional prioritization across front-of-pack designs was consistent across a diverse sample of participants. Our results indicate that color-coded, front-of-pack nutrition labels increase attention to the nutrition information of packaged food, a finding that has implications for current policy discussions regarding labeling change. PMID:26851468

Patients' views on priority setting in neurosurgery: A qualitative study.

PubMed

Gunaratnam, Caroline; Bernstein, Mark

2016-01-01

Accountability for Reasonableness is an ethical framework which has been implemented in various health care systems to improve and evaluate the fairness of priority setting. This framework is grounded on four mandatory conditions: relevance, publicity, appeals, and enforcement. There have been few studies which have evaluated the patient stakeholders' acceptance of this framework; certainly no studies have been done on patients' views on the prioritization system for allocating patients for operating time in a system with pressure on the resource of inpatient beds. The aim of this study is to examine neurosurgical patients' views on the prioritization of patients for operating theater (OT) time on a daily basis at a tertiary and quaternary referral neurosurgery center. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with thirty-seven patients, recruited from the neurosurgery clinic at Toronto Western Hospital. Family members and friends who accompanied the patient to their clinic visit were encouraged to contribute to the discussion. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and subjected to thematic analysis using open and axial coding. Overall, patients are supportive of the concept of a priority-setting system based on fairness, but felt that a few changes would help to improve the fairness of the current system. These changes include lowering the level of priority given to volume-funded cases and providing scheduled surgeries that were previously canceled a higher level of prioritization. Good communication, early notification, and rescheduling canceled surgeries as soon as possible were important factors that directly reflected the patients' confidence level in their doctor, the hospital, and the health care system. This study is the first clinical qualitative study of patients' perspective on a prioritization system used for allocating neurosurgical patients for OT time on a daily basis in a socialized not-for-profit health care system with fixed resources.

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

PubMed Central

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

2016-01-01

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

Multisectoral prioritization of zoonotic diseases in Uganda, 2017: A One Health perspective

PubMed Central

Bulage, Lilian; Kihembo, Christine; Nantima, Noelina; Monje, Fred; Ndumu, Deo; Sentumbwe, Juliet; Mbolanyi, Betty; Aruho, Robert; Kaboyo, Winyi; Mutonga, David; Basler, Colin; Paige, Sarah; Barton Behravesh, Casey

2018-01-01

Background Zoonotic diseases continue to be a public health burden globally. Uganda is especially vulnerable due to its location, biodiversity, and population. Given these concerns, the Ugandan government in collaboration with the Global Health Security Agenda conducted a One Health Zoonotic Disease Prioritization Workshop to identify zoonotic diseases of greatest national concern to the Ugandan government. Materials and methods The One Health Zoonotic Disease Prioritization tool, a semi-quantitative tool developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was used for the prioritization of zoonoses. Workshop participants included voting members and observers representing multiple government and non-governmental sectors. During the workshop, criteria for prioritization were selected, and questions and weights relevant to each criterion were determined. We used a decision tree to provide a ranked list of zoonoses. Participants then established next steps for multisectoral engagement for the prioritized zoonoses. A sensitivity analysis demonstrated how criteria weights impacted disease prioritization. Results Forty-eight zoonoses were considered during the workshop. Criteria selected to prioritize zoonotic diseases were (1) severity of disease in humans in Uganda, (2) availability of effective control strategies, (3) potential to cause an epidemic or pandemic in humans or animals, (4) social and economic impacts, and (5) bioterrorism potential. Seven zoonotic diseases were identified as priorities for Uganda: anthrax, zoonotic influenza viruses, viral hemorrhagic fevers, brucellosis, African trypanosomiasis, plague, and rabies. Sensitivity analysis did not indicate significant changes in zoonotic disease prioritization based on criteria weights. Discussion One Health approaches and multisectoral collaborations are crucial to the surveillance, prevention, and control strategies for zoonotic diseases. Uganda used such an approach to identify zoonoses of national concern. Identifying these priority diseases enables Uganda’s National One Health Platform and Zoonotic Disease Coordination Office to address these zoonoses in the future with a targeted allocation of resources. PMID:29715287

A Gene Module-Based eQTL Analysis Prioritizing Disease Genes and Pathways in Kidney Cancer.

PubMed

Yang, Mary Qu; Li, Dan; Yang, William; Zhang, Yifan; Liu, Jun; Tong, Weida

2017-01-01

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common and most aggressive form of renal cell cancer (RCC). The incidence of RCC has increased steadily in recent years. The pathogenesis of renal cell cancer remains poorly understood. Many of the tumor suppressor genes, oncogenes, and dysregulated pathways in ccRCC need to be revealed for improvement of the overall clinical outlook of the disease. Here, we developed a systems biology approach to prioritize the somatic mutated genes that lead to dysregulation of pathways in ccRCC. The method integrated multi-layer information to infer causative mutations and disease genes. First, we identified differential gene modules in ccRCC by coupling transcriptome and protein-protein interactions. Each of these modules consisted of interacting genes that were involved in similar biological processes and their combined expression alterations were significantly associated with disease type. Then, subsequent gene module-based eQTL analysis revealed somatic mutated genes that had driven the expression alterations of differential gene modules. Our study yielded a list of candidate disease genes, including several known ccRCC causative genes such as BAP1 and PBRM1 , as well as novel genes such as NOD2, RRM1, CSRNP1, SLC4A2, TTLL1 and CNTN1. The differential gene modules and their driver genes revealed by our study provided a new perspective for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the disease. Moreover, we validated the results in independent ccRCC patient datasets. Our study provided a new method for prioritizing disease genes and pathways.

FIFRA Scientific Advisory Panel Minutes No. 21015-04. A set of scientific issues being considered by the Environmental Protection Agency regarding integrated endocrine bioactivity and exposure-based prioritization & screening

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

On December 2-4, 2014, the US Environmental Protection Agency convened a public meeting of the FIFRA Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) to address scientific issues associated with the agency’s “Integrated Endocrine Bioactivity and Exposure-Based Prioritization and Screening” methods. EPA is proposing ...

Fine-mapping additive and dominant SNP effects using group-LASSO and Fractional Resample Model Averaging

PubMed Central

Sabourin, Jeremy; Nobel, Andrew B.; Valdar, William

2014-01-01

Genomewide association studies sometimes identify loci at which both the number and identities of the underlying causal variants are ambiguous. In such cases, statistical methods that model effects of multiple SNPs simultaneously can help disentangle the observed patterns of association and provide information about how those SNPs could be prioritized for follow-up studies. Current multi-SNP methods, however, tend to assume that SNP effects are well captured by additive genetics; yet when genetic dominance is present, this assumption translates to reduced power and faulty prioritizations. We describe a statistical procedure for prioritizing SNPs at GWAS loci that efficiently models both additive and dominance effects. Our method, LLARRMA-dawg, combines a group LASSO procedure for sparse modeling of multiple SNP effects with a resampling procedure based on fractional observation weights; it estimates for each SNP the robustness of association with the phenotype both to sampling variation and to competing explanations from other SNPs. In producing a SNP prioritization that best identifies underlying true signals, we show that: our method easily outperforms a single marker analysis; when additive-only signals are present, our joint model for additive and dominance is equivalent to or only slightly less powerful than modeling additive-only effects; and, when dominance signals are present, even in combination with substantial additive effects, our joint model is unequivocally more powerful than a model assuming additivity. We also describe how performance can be improved through calibrated randomized penalization, and discuss how dominance in ungenotyped SNPs can be incorporated through either heterozygote dosage or multiple imputation. PMID:25417853

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2016-03-01

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

Prioritizing Genes Related to Nicotine Addiction Via a Multi-source-Based Approach.

PubMed

Liu, Xinhua; Liu, Meng; Li, Xia; Zhang, Lihua; Fan, Rui; Wang, Ju

2015-08-01

Nicotine has a broad impact on both the central and peripheral nervous systems. Over the past decades, an increasing number of genes potentially involved in nicotine addiction have been identified by different technical approaches. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying nicotine addiction remain largely unknown. Under such situation, prioritizing the candidate genes for further investigation is becoming increasingly important. In this study, we presented a multi-source-based gene prioritization approach for nicotine addiction by utilizing the vast amounts of information generated from for nicotine addiction study during the past years. In this approach, we first collected and curated genes from studies in four categories, i.e., genetic association analysis, genetic linkage analysis, high-throughput gene/protein expression analysis, and literature search of single gene/protein-based studies. Based on these resources, the genes were scored and a weight value was determined for each category. Finally, the genes were ranked by their combined scores, and 220 genes were selected as the prioritized nicotine addiction-related genes. Evaluation suggested the prioritized genes were promising targets for further analysis and replication study.

Prioritization of in silico models and molecular descriptors for the assessment of ready biodegradability

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

Fernández, Alberto; Rallo, Robert; Giralt, Francesc

2015-10-15

Ready biodegradability is a key property for evaluating the long-term effects of chemicals on the environment and human health. As such, it is used as a screening test for the assessment of persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substances. Regulators encourage the use of non-testing methods, such as in silico models, to save money and time. A dataset of 757 chemicals was collected to assess the performance of four freely available in silico models that predict ready biodegradability. They were applied to develop a new consensus method that prioritizes the use of each individual model according to its performance on chemical subsetsmore » driven by the presence or absence of different molecular descriptors. This consensus method was capable of almost eliminating unpredictable chemicals, while the performance of combined models was substantially improved with respect to that of the individual models. - Highlights: • Consensus method to predict ready biodegradability by prioritizing multiple QSARs. • Consensus reduced the amount of unpredictable chemicals to less than 2%. • Performance increased with the number of QSAR models considered. • The absence of 2D atom pairs contributed significantly to the consensus model.« less

Application of the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls to prioritize and promote safer methods of pest control: a case study.

PubMed

Weinberg, Justine Lew; Bunin, Lisa J; Das, Rupali

2009-01-01

In 2005, the California Department of Public Health, Occupational Health Branch (OHB) investigated an incident of pesticide exposure and identified 27 vineyard workers who became ill due to drift of cyfluthrin, a pesticide being applied to a neighboring orange field to control katydids. Another pest, citrus thrips, was also present in the field. We investigated safer alternatives for katydid and thrips control to prevent illness due to pesticide exposure and used the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls to prioritize the control methods. OHB evaluated factors that contributed to pesticide exposure and identified safer alternatives by conducting literature reviews on katydid and thrips control, drift prevention technology, and other relevant topics, and by interviewing integrated pest management advisors, conventional and organic growers, equipment manufacturers, county agricultural commissioners, pest control advisors, regulatory agencies, and others. We prioritized methods using the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls. We identified safer pest control practices that incorporated hazard elimination, chemical substitution, engineering controls, and administrative controls, including employer policies and government regulations.

Gene Prioritization of Resistant Rice Gene against Xanthomas oryzae pv. oryzae by Using Text Mining Technologies

PubMed Central

Xia, Jingbo; Zhang, Xing; Yuan, Daojun; Chen, Lingling; Webster, Jonathan; Fang, Alex Chengyu

2013-01-01

To effectively assess the possibility of the unknown rice protein resistant to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, a hybrid strategy is proposed to enhance gene prioritization by combining text mining technologies with a sequence-based approach. The text mining technique of term frequency inverse document frequency is used to measure the importance of distinguished terms which reflect biomedical activity in rice before candidate genes are screened and vital terms are produced. Afterwards, a built-in classifier under the chaos games representation algorithm is used to sieve the best possible candidate gene. Our experiment results show that the combination of these two methods achieves enhanced gene prioritization. PMID:24371834

Gene prioritization of resistant rice gene against Xanthomas oryzae pv. oryzae by using text mining technologies.

PubMed

Xia, Jingbo; Zhang, Xing; Yuan, Daojun; Chen, Lingling; Webster, Jonathan; Fang, Alex Chengyu

2013-01-01

To effectively assess the possibility of the unknown rice protein resistant to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, a hybrid strategy is proposed to enhance gene prioritization by combining text mining technologies with a sequence-based approach. The text mining technique of term frequency inverse document frequency is used to measure the importance of distinguished terms which reflect biomedical activity in rice before candidate genes are screened and vital terms are produced. Afterwards, a built-in classifier under the chaos games representation algorithm is used to sieve the best possible candidate gene. Our experiment results show that the combination of these two methods achieves enhanced gene prioritization.

Identifying spatial priorities for protecting ecosystem services

PubMed Central

Luck, Gary W

2012-01-01

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

Prioritization in Comparative Effectiveness Research: The CANCERGEN Experience in Cancer Genomics

PubMed Central

Thariani, Rahber; Wong, William; Carlson, Josh J; Garrison, Louis; Ramsey, Scott; Deverka, Patricia A; Esmail, Laura; Rangarao, Sneha; Hoban, Carolyn J; Baker, Laurence H; Veenstra, David L

2012-01-01

Background Systematic approaches to stakeholder-informed research prioritization are a central focus of comparative effectiveness research. Genomic testing in cancer is an ideal area to refine such approaches given rapid innovation and potentially significant impacts on patient outcomes. Objective To develop and pilot-test a stakeholder-informed approach to prioritizing genomic tests for future study in collaboration with the cancer clinical trials consortium SWOG. Methods We conducted a landscape-analysis to identify genomic tests in oncology using a systematic search of published and unpublished studies, and expert consultation. Clinically valid tests suitable for evaluation in a comparative study were presented to an external stakeholder group. Domains to guide the prioritization process were identified with stakeholder input, and stakeholders ranked tests using multiple voting rounds. Results A stakeholder group was created including representatives from patient-advocacy groups, payers, test developers, regulators, policy-makers, and community-based oncologists. We identified nine domains for research prioritization with stakeholder feedback: population impact; current standard of care, strength of association; potential clinical benefits, potential clinical harms, economic impacts, evidence of need, trial feasibility, and market factors. The landscape-analysis identified 635 studies; of 9 tests deemed to have sufficient clinical validity, 6 were presented to stakeholders. Two tests in lung cancer (ERCC1 and EGFR) and one test in breast cancer (CEA/CA15-3/CA27.29) were identified as top research priorities. Conclusions Use of a diverse stakeholder group to inform research prioritization is feasible in a pragmatic and timely manner. Additional research is needed to optimize search strategies, stakeholder group composition and integration with existing prioritization mechanisms. PMID:22274803

Health and wellbeing boards: public health decision making bodies or political pawns?

PubMed

Greaves, Z; McCafferty, S

2017-02-01

Health and Wellbeing boards in England are uniquely constituted; embedded in the local authorities with membership drawn from a range of stakeholders and partner organizations. This raises the question of how decision making functions of the boards reflects wider public health decision making, if criteria are applied to decision making, and what prioritization processes, if any, are used. Qualitative research methods were employed and five local boards were approached, interview dyads were conducted with the boards Chair and Director of Public Health across four of these (n = 4). Three questions were addressed: how are decisions made? What are the criteria applied to decision making? And how are criteria then prioritized? A thematic approach was used to analyse data identifying codes and extracting key themes. Equity, effectiveness and consistency with strategies of board and partners were most consistently identified by participants as criteria influencing decisions. Prioritization was described as an engaged and collaborative process, but criteria were not explicitly referenced in the decision making of the boards which instead made unstructured prioritization of population sub-groups or interventions agreed by consensus. Criteria identified are broadly consistent with those used in wider public health practice but additionally incorporated criteria which recognizes the political siting of the boards. The study explored the variety in different board's approaches to prioritization and identified a lack of clarity and rigour in the identification and use of criteria in prioritization processes. Decision making may benefit from the explicit inclusion of criteria in the prioritization process. Copyright © 2016 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating wildland fire danger and prioritizing vegetation and fuels treatments

Treesearch

Paul F. Hessburg; Keith M. Reynolds; Robert E. Keane; Kevin M. James; R. Brion Salter

2008-01-01

We present a decision-support application that evaluates danger of severe wildland fire and prioritizes subwatersheds for vegetation and fuels treatment. We demonstrate the use of the system with an example from the Rocky Mountain region in Utah; a planning area of 4.8 million ha encompassing 575 subwatersheds. In a logic model, we evaluate fire danger as a function of...

Air Force Energy Program Policy Memorandum

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-16

Critical Asset Prioritization Methodology ( CAPM ) tool Manage costs. 3.4.2.5. Metrics Percentage of alternative/renewable fuel used for aviation fuel...supporting critical assets residing on military installations Field the Critical Asset Prioritization Methodology ( CAPM ) tool by Spring 2008. This CAPM ...Increase the number of flexible fuel systems • Identify/develop privately financed/operated energy production on Air Bases • Field the Critical

Prioritizing veterinary pharmaceuticals for aquatic environment in Korea.

PubMed

Kim, Younghee; Jung, Jinyong; Kim, Myunghyun; Park, Jeongim; Boxall, Alistair B A; Choi, Kyungho

2008-09-01

Pharmaceutical residues may have serious impacts on nontarget biological organisms in aquatic ecosystems, and have therefore precipitated numerous investigations worldwide. Many pharmaceutical compounds available on the market need to be prioritized based on their potential ecological and human health risks in order to develop sound management decisions. We prioritized veterinary pharmaceuticals in Korea by their usage, potential to enter the environment, and toxicological hazard. Twenty compounds were identified in the top priority class, most of which were antibiotics. Among these compounds, 8 were identified as deserving more immediate attention: amoxicillin, enramycin, fenbendazole, florfenicol, ivermectin, oxytetracycline, tylosin, and virginiamycin. A limitation of this study is that we initially screened veterinary pharmaceuticals by sales tonnage for veterinary use only. However, this is the first attempt to prioritize veterinary pharmaceuticals in Korea, and it provides important concepts for developing environmental risk management plans for such contaminants in aquatic systems. Copyright © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Communicable Diseases Prioritized for Surveillance and Epidemiological Research: Results of a Standardized Prioritization Procedure in Germany, 2011

PubMed Central

Balabanova, Yanina; Gilsdorf, Andreas; Buda, Silke; Burger, Reinhard; Eckmanns, Tim; Gärtner, Barbara; Groß, Uwe; Haas, Walter; Hamouda, Osamah; Hübner, Johannes; Jänisch, Thomas; Kist, Manfred; Kramer, Michael H.; Ledig, Thomas; Mielke, Martin; Pulz, Matthias; Stark, Klaus; Suttorp, Norbert; Ulbrich, Uta; Wichmann, Ole; Krause, Gérard

2011-01-01

Introduction To establish strategic priorities for the German national public health institute (RKI) and guide the institute's mid-term strategic decisions, we prioritized infectious pathogens in accordance with their importance for national surveillance and epidemiological research. Methods We used the Delphi process with internal (RKI) and external experts and a metric-consensus approach to score pathogens according to ten three-tiered criteria. Additional experts were invited to weight each criterion, leading to the calculation of a median weight by which each score was multiplied. We ranked the pathogens according to the total weighted score and divided them into four priority groups. Results 127 pathogens were scored. Eighty-six experts participated in the weighting; “Case fatality rate” was rated as the most important criterion. Twenty-six pathogens were ranked in the highest priority group; among those were pathogens with internationally recognised importance (e.g., Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Influenza virus, Hepatitis C virus, Neisseria meningitides), pathogens frequently causing large outbreaks (e.g., Campylobacter spp.), and nosocomial pathogens associated with antimicrobial resistance. Other pathogens in the highest priority group included Helicobacter pylori, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Varicella zoster virus and Hantavirus. Discussion While several pathogens from the highest priority group already have a high profile in national and international health policy documents, high scores for other pathogens (e.g., Helicobacter pylori, Respiratory syncytial virus or Hantavirus) indicate a possible under-recognised importance within the current German public health framework. A process to strengthen respective surveillance systems and research has been started. The prioritization methodology has worked well; its modular structure makes it potentially useful for other settings. PMID:21991334

Biomarker Identification for Prostate Cancer and Lymph Node Metastasis from Microarray Data and Protein Interaction Network Using Gene Prioritization Method

PubMed Central

Arias, Carlos Roberto; Yeh, Hsiang-Yuan; Soo, Von-Wun

2012-01-01

Finding a genetic disease-related gene is not a trivial task. Therefore, computational methods are needed to present clues to the biomedical community to explore genes that are more likely to be related to a specific disease as biomarker. We present biomarker identification problem using gene prioritization method called gene prioritization from microarray data based on shortest paths, extended with structural and biological properties and edge flux using voting scheme (GP-MIDAS-VXEF). The method is based on finding relevant interactions on protein interaction networks, then scoring the genes using shortest paths and topological analysis, integrating the results using a voting scheme and a biological boosting. We applied two experiments, one is prostate primary and normal samples and the other is prostate primary tumor with and without lymph nodes metastasis. We used 137 truly prostate cancer genes as benchmark. In the first experiment, GP-MIDAS-VXEF outperforms all the other state-of-the-art methods in the benchmark by retrieving the truest related genes from the candidate set in the top 50 scores found. We applied the same technique to infer the significant biomarkers in prostate cancer with lymph nodes metastasis which is not established well. PMID:22654636

Prediction of novel synthetic pathways for the production of desired chemicals.

PubMed

Cho, Ayoun; Yun, Hongseok; Park, Jin Hwan; Lee, Sang Yup; Park, Sunwon

2010-03-28

There have been several methods developed for the prediction of synthetic metabolic pathways leading to the production of desired chemicals. In these approaches, novel pathways were predicted based on chemical structure changes, enzymatic information, and/or reaction mechanisms, but the approaches generating a huge number of predicted results are difficult to be applied to real experiments. Also, some of these methods focus on specific pathways, and thus are limited to expansion to the whole metabolism. In the present study, we propose a system framework employing a retrosynthesis model with a prioritization scoring algorithm. This new strategy allows deducing the novel promising pathways for the synthesis of a desired chemical together with information on enzymes involved based on structural changes and reaction mechanisms present in the system database. The prioritization scoring algorithm employing Tanimoto coefficient and group contribution method allows examination of structurally qualified pathways to recognize which pathway is more appropriate. In addition, new concepts of binding site covalence, estimation of pathway distance and organism specificity were taken into account to identify the best synthetic pathway. Parameters of these factors can be evolutionarily optimized when a newly proven synthetic pathway is registered. As the proofs of concept, the novel synthetic pathways for the production of isobutanol, 3-hydroxypropionate, and butyryl-CoA were predicted. The prediction shows a high reliability, in which experimentally verified synthetic pathways were listed within the top 0.089% of the identified pathway candidates. It is expected that the system framework developed in this study would be useful for the in silico design of novel metabolic pathways to be employed for the efficient production of chemicals, fuels and materials.

Development of fuzzy multi-criteria approach to prioritize locations of treated wastewater use considering climate change scenarios.

PubMed

Chung, Eun-Sung; Kim, Yeonjoo

2014-12-15

This study proposed a robust prioritization framework to identify the priorities of treated wastewater (TWW) use locations with consideration of various uncertainties inherent in the climate change scenarios and the decision-making process. First, a fuzzy concept was applied because future forecast precipitation and their hydrological impact analysis results displayed significant variances when considering various climate change scenarios and long periods (e.g., 2010-2099). Second, various multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) techniques including weighted sum method (WSM), Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and fuzzy TOPSIS were introduced to robust prioritization because different MCDM methods use different decision philosophies. Third, decision making method under complete uncertainty (DMCU) including maximin, maximax, minimax regret, Hurwicz, and equal likelihood were used to find robust final rankings. This framework is then applied to a Korean urban watershed. As a result, different rankings were obviously appeared between fuzzy TOPSIS and non-fuzzy MCDMs (e.g., WSM and TOPSIS) because the inter-annual variability in effectiveness was considered only with fuzzy TOPSIS. Then, robust prioritizations were derived based on 18 rankings from nine decadal periods of RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. For more robust rankings, five DMCU approaches using the rankings from fuzzy TOPSIS were derived. This framework combining fuzzy TOPSIS with DMCU approaches can be rendered less controversial among stakeholders under complete uncertainty of changing environments. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hypothesis-driven and field-validated method to prioritize fragmentation mitigation efforts in road projects.

PubMed

Vanthomme, Hadrien; Kolowski, Joseph; Nzamba, Brave S; Alonso, Alfonso

2015-10-01

The active field of connectivity conservation has provided numerous methods to identify wildlife corridors with the aim of reducing the ecological effect of fragmentation. Nevertheless, these methods often rely on untested hypotheses of animal movements, usually fail to generate fine-scale predictions of road crossing sites, and do not allow managers to prioritize crossing sites for implementing road fragmentation mitigation measures. We propose a new method that addresses these limitations. We illustrate this method with data from southwestern Gabon (central Africa). We used stratified random transect surveys conducted in two seasons to model the distribution of African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), forest buffalo (Syncerus caffer nanus), and sitatunga (Tragelaphus spekii) in a mosaic landscape along a 38.5 km unpaved road scheduled for paving. Using a validation data set of recorded crossing locations, we evaluated the performance of three types of models (local suitability, local least-cost movement, and regional least-cost movement) in predicting actual road crossings for each species, and developed a unique and flexible scoring method for prioritizing road sections for the implementation of road fragmentation mitigation measures. With a data set collected in <10 weeks of fieldwork, the method was able to identify seasonal changes in animal movements for buffalo and sitatunga that shift from a local exploitation of the site in the wet season to movements through the study site in the dry season, whereas elephants use the entire study area in both seasons. These three species highlighted the need to use species- and season-specific modeling of movement. From these movement models, the method ranked road sections for their suitability for implementing fragmentation mitigation efforts, allowing managers to adjust priority thresholds based on budgets and management goals. The method relies on data that can be obtained in a period compatible with environmental impact assessment constraints, and is flexible enough to incorporate other potential movement models and scoring criteria. This approach improves upon available methods and can help inform prioritization of road and other linear infrastructure segments that require impact mitigation methods to ensure long-term landscape connectivity.

Developing an Approach to Prioritize River Restoration using Data Extracted from Flood Risk Information System Databases.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vimal, S.; Tarboton, D. G.; Band, L. E.; Duncan, J. M.; Lovette, J. P.; Corzo, G.; Miles, B.

2015-12-01

Prioritizing river restoration requires information on river geometry. In many states in the US detailed river geometry has been collected for floodplain mapping and is available in Flood Risk Information Systems (FRIS). In particular, North Carolina has, for its 100 Counties, developed a database of numerous HEC-RAS models which are available through its Flood Risk Information System (FRIS). These models that include over 260 variables were developed and updated by numerous contractors. They contain detailed surveyed or LiDAR derived cross-sections and modeled flood extents for different extreme event return periods. In this work, over 4700 HEC-RAS models' data was integrated and upscaled to utilize detailed cross-section information and 100-year modelled flood extent information to enable river restoration prioritization for the entire state of North Carolina. We developed procedures to extract geomorphic properties such as entrenchment ratio, incision ratio, etc. from these models. Entrenchment ratio quantifies the vertical containment of rivers and thereby their vulnerability to flooding and incision ratio quantifies the depth per unit width. A map of entrenchment ratio for the whole state was derived by linking these model results to a geodatabase. A ranking of highly entrenched counties enabling prioritization for flood allowance and mitigation was obtained. The results were shared through HydroShare and web maps developed for their visualization using Google Maps Engine API.

Risk-based Classification of Incidents

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenwell, William S.; Knight, John C.; Strunk, Elisabeth A.

2003-01-01

As the penetration of software into safety-critical systems progresses, accidents and incidents involving software will inevitably become more frequent. Identifying lessons from these occurrences and applying them to existing and future systems is essential if recurrences are to be prevented. Unfortunately, investigative agencies do not have the resources to fully investigate every incident under their jurisdictions and domains of expertise and thus must prioritize certain occurrences when allocating investigative resources. In the aviation community, most investigative agencies prioritize occurrences based on the severity of their associated losses, allocating more resources to accidents resulting in injury to passengers or extensive aircraft damage. We argue that this scheme is inappropriate because it undervalues incidents whose recurrence could have a high potential for loss while overvaluing fairly straightforward accidents involving accepted risks. We then suggest a new strategy for prioritizing occurrences based on the risk arising from incident recurrence.

Computational structural mechanics for engine structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chamis, C. C.

1989-01-01

The computational structural mechanics (CSM) program at Lewis encompasses: (1) fundamental aspects for formulating and solving structural mechanics problems, and (2) development of integrated software systems to computationally simulate the performance/durability/life of engine structures. It is structured to mainly supplement, complement, and whenever possible replace, costly experimental efforts which are unavoidable during engineering research and development programs. Specific objectives include: investigate unique advantages of parallel and multiprocesses for: reformulating/solving structural mechanics and formulating/solving multidisciplinary mechanics and develop integrated structural system computational simulators for: predicting structural performances, evaluating newly developed methods, and for identifying and prioritizing improved/missing methods needed. Herein the CSM program is summarized with emphasis on the Engine Structures Computational Simulator (ESCS). Typical results obtained using ESCS are described to illustrate its versatility.

Rehabilitation Practitioners' Prioritized Care Processes in Hip Fracture Post-Acute Care

PubMed Central

Kim, Lauren H.; Leland, Natalie E.

2017-01-01

Aims Occupational and physical therapy in post-acute care (PAC) has reached the point where quality indicators for hip fracture are needed. This study characterizes the practitioners' prioritized hip fracture rehabilitation practices, which can guide future quality improvement initiatives. Methods Ninety-two practitioners participating in a parent mixed methods study were asked to rank a series of evidence-based best practices across five clinical domains (assessment, intervention, discharge planning, caregiver training and patient education). Results Prioritized practices reflected patient-practitioner collaboration, facilitating an effective discharge, and preventing adverse events. The highest endorsed care processes include: developing meaningful goals with patient input (84%) in assessment, using assistive devices in intervention (75%) and patient education (65%), engaging the patient and caregiver (50%) in discharge planning, and fall prevention (60%) in caregiver education. Conclusions Practitioners identified key care priorities. This study lays the foundation for future work evaluating the extent to which these practices are delivered in PAC. PMID:28989216

The Complexity Trap

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

proactively and effectively to today’s international environment, prioritization is the key first step —and precisely the opposite reaction to the complacency...formidable than just endless grains of sand.”32 This is not to deny the possibility of nonlinear phenomena, butterfly effects, self-organizing systems...The first step is replac- ing the current reactive worship of complexity with proactive prioritization. To escape the complexity trap, let us dare

Points to consider for prioritizing clinical genetic testing services: a European consensus process oriented at accountability for reasonableness

PubMed Central

Severin, Franziska; Borry, Pascal; Cornel, Martina C; Daniels, Norman; Fellmann, Florence; Victoria Hodgson, Shirley; Howard, Heidi C; John, Jürgen; Kääriäinen, Helena; Kayserili, Hülya; Kent, Alastair; Koerber, Florian; Kristoffersson, Ulf; Kroese, Mark; Lewis, Celine; Marckmann, Georg; Meyer, Peter; Pfeufer, Arne; Schmidtke, Jörg; Skirton, Heather; Tranebjærg, Lisbeth; Rogowski, Wolf H

2015-01-01

Given the cost constraints of the European health-care systems, criteria are needed to decide which genetic services to fund from the public budgets, if not all can be covered. To ensure that high-priority services are available equitably within and across the European countries, a shared set of prioritization criteria would be desirable. A decision process following the accountability for reasonableness framework was undertaken, including a multidisciplinary EuroGentest/PPPC-ESHG workshop to develop shared prioritization criteria. Resources are currently too limited to fund all the beneficial genetic testing services available in the next decade. Ethically and economically reflected prioritization criteria are needed. Prioritization should be based on considerations of medical benefit, health need and costs. Medical benefit includes evidence of benefit in terms of clinical benefit, benefit of information for important life decisions, benefit for other people apart from the person tested and the patient-specific likelihood of being affected by the condition tested for. It may be subject to a finite time window. Health need includes the severity of the condition tested for and its progression at the time of testing. Further discussion and better evidence is needed before clearly defined recommendations can be made or a prioritization algorithm proposed. To our knowledge, this is the first time a clinical society has initiated a decision process about health-care prioritization on a European level, following the principles of accountability for reasonableness. We provide points to consider to stimulate this debate across the EU and to serve as a reference for improving patient management. PMID:25248395

Points to consider for prioritizing clinical genetic testing services: a European consensus process oriented at accountability for reasonableness.

PubMed

Severin, Franziska; Borry, Pascal; Cornel, Martina C; Daniels, Norman; Fellmann, Florence; Victoria Hodgson, Shirley; Howard, Heidi C; John, Jürgen; Kääriäinen, Helena; Kayserili, Hülya; Kent, Alastair; Koerber, Florian; Kristoffersson, Ulf; Kroese, Mark; Lewis, Celine; Marckmann, Georg; Meyer, Peter; Pfeufer, Arne; Schmidtke, Jörg; Skirton, Heather; Tranebjærg, Lisbeth; Rogowski, Wolf H

2015-06-01

Given the cost constraints of the European health-care systems, criteria are needed to decide which genetic services to fund from the public budgets, if not all can be covered. To ensure that high-priority services are available equitably within and across the European countries, a shared set of prioritization criteria would be desirable. A decision process following the accountability for reasonableness framework was undertaken, including a multidisciplinary EuroGentest/PPPC-ESHG workshop to develop shared prioritization criteria. Resources are currently too limited to fund all the beneficial genetic testing services available in the next decade. Ethically and economically reflected prioritization criteria are needed. Prioritization should be based on considerations of medical benefit, health need and costs. Medical benefit includes evidence of benefit in terms of clinical benefit, benefit of information for important life decisions, benefit for other people apart from the person tested and the patient-specific likelihood of being affected by the condition tested for. It may be subject to a finite time window. Health need includes the severity of the condition tested for and its progression at the time of testing. Further discussion and better evidence is needed before clearly defined recommendations can be made or a prioritization algorithm proposed. To our knowledge, this is the first time a clinical society has initiated a decision process about health-care prioritization on a European level, following the principles of accountability for reasonableness. We provide points to consider to stimulate this debate across the EU and to serve as a reference for improving patient management.

Prioritizing interventions to manage polypharmacy in Australian aged care facilities.

PubMed

Jokanovic, Natali; Wang, Kate N; Dooley, Michael J; Lalic, Samanta; Tan, Edwin Ck; Kirkpatrick, Carl M; Bell, J Simon

Polypharmacy is highly prevalent in residential aged care facilities (RACFs). Although polypharmacy is sometimes unavoidable, polypharmacy has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality. To identify and prioritize a range of potential interventions to manage polypharmacy in RACFs from the perspectives of health care professionals, health policy and consumer representatives. Two nominal group technique (NGT) sessions were convened in August 2015. A purposive sample (n = 19) of clinicians, researchers, managers and representatives of consumer, professional and health policy organizations were asked to nominate interventions to address the prevalence and appropriateness of medication use. Participants were then asked to prioritize five interventions suitable for possible implementation at the system level. Six of 16 potential interventions were prioritized highest for possible implementation in clinical practice, with two interventions prioritized as second highest. The top interventions in rank order were 'implementation of a pharmacist-led medication reconciliation service for new residents,' 'conduct facility-level audits and feedback to staff and health care professionals,' 'develop deprescribing scripts to assist clinician-resident discussion,' 'develop or revise prescribing guidelines specific to older people with multimorbidity in RACFs,' 'implement electronic medication charts and records' and 'better support Medication Advisory Committees (MACs) to address medication appropriateness.' This study prioritized a range of potential interventions that may be used to assist clinicians and policy makers develop a comprehensive strategy to manage polypharmacy in RACFs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Approaches, tools and methods used for setting priorities in health research in the 21st century

PubMed Central

Yoshida, Sachiyo

2016-01-01

Background Health research is difficult to prioritize, because the number of possible competing ideas for research is large, the outcome of research is inherently uncertain, and the impact of research is difficult to predict and measure. A systematic and transparent process to assist policy makers and research funding agencies in making investment decisions is a permanent need. Methods To obtain a better understanding of the landscape of approaches, tools and methods used to prioritize health research, I conducted a methodical review using the PubMed database for the period 2001–2014. Results A total of 165 relevant studies were identified, in which health research prioritization was conducted. They most frequently used the CHNRI method (26%), followed by the Delphi method (24%), James Lind Alliance method (8%), the Combined Approach Matrix (CAM) method (2%) and the Essential National Health Research method (<1%). About 3% of studies reported no clear process and provided very little information on how priorities were set. A further 19% used a combination of expert panel interview and focus group discussion (“consultation process”) but provided few details, while a further 2% used approaches that were clearly described, but not established as a replicable method. Online surveys that were not accompanied by face–to–face meetings were used in 8% of studies, while 9% used a combination of literature review and questionnaire to scrutinise the research options for prioritization among the participating experts. Conclusion The number of priority setting exercises in health research published in PubMed–indexed journals is increasing, especially since 2010. These exercises are being conducted at a variety of levels, ranging from the global level to the level of an individual hospital. With the development of new tools and methods which have a well–defined structure – such as the CHNRI method, James Lind Alliance Method and Combined Approach Matrix – it is likely that the Delphi method and non–replicable consultation processes will gradually be replaced by these emerging tools, which offer more transparency and replicability. It is too early to say whether any single method can address the needs of most exercises conducted at different levels, or if better results may perhaps be achieved through combination of components of several methods. PMID:26401271

Implications of adopting a biodiversity-based vulnerability index versus a shoreline environmental sensitivity index on management and policy planning along coastal areas.

PubMed

Harik, G; Alameddine, I; Maroun, R; Rachid, G; Bruschi, D; Astiaso Garcia, D; El-Fadel, M

2017-02-01

In this study, a multi-criteria index was developed to assess anthropogenic stressors along the Mediterranean coastline. The index aimed at geo-locating pollution hotspots for informed decision making related to coastal zone management. The index was integrated in a Geographical Information System based geodatabase implemented at several pilot areas along the Northern (Italy and France), Eastern (Lebanon), and Southern (Tunisia) Mediterranean coastlines. The generated stressor maps were coupled with a biodiversity richness index and an environmental sensitivity index to produce vulnerability maps that can form the basis for prioritizing management and mitigation interventions towards the identification of pollution hotspots and the promotion of sustainable coastal zone management. The results identified significant differences between the two assessment methods, which can bias prioritization in decision making and policy planning depending on stakeholders' interests. The discrepancies emphasize the need for transparency and understanding of the underlying foundations behind vulnerability indices and mapping development. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Eco-innovative design approach: Integrating quality and environmental aspects in prioritizing and solving engineering problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakroun, Mahmoud; Gogu, Grigore; Pacaud, Thomas; Thirion, François

2014-09-01

This study proposes an eco-innovative design process taking into consideration quality and environmental aspects in prioritizing and solving technical engineering problems. This approach provides a synergy between the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the nonquality matrix, the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ), morphological analysis and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). In the sequence of these tools, LCA assesses the environmental impacts generated by the system. Then, for a better consideration of environmental aspects, a new tool is developed, the non-quality matrix, which defines the problem to be solved first from an environmental point of view. The TRIZ method allows the generation of new concepts and contradiction resolution. Then, the morphological analysis offers the possibility of extending the search space of solutions in a design problem in a systematic way. Finally, the AHP identifies the promising solution(s) by providing a clear logic for the choice made. Their usefulness has been demonstrated through their application to a case study involving a centrifugal spreader with spinning discs.

A random set scoring model for prioritization of disease candidate genes using protein complexes and data-mining of GeneRIF, OMIM and PubMed records.

PubMed

Jiang, Li; Edwards, Stefan M; Thomsen, Bo; Workman, Christopher T; Guldbrandtsen, Bernt; Sørensen, Peter

2014-09-24

Prioritizing genetic variants is a challenge because disease susceptibility loci are often located in genes of unknown function or the relationship with the corresponding phenotype is unclear. A global data-mining exercise on the biomedical literature can establish the phenotypic profile of genes with respect to their connection to disease phenotypes. The importance of protein-protein interaction networks in the genetic heterogeneity of common diseases or complex traits is becoming increasingly recognized. Thus, the development of a network-based approach combined with phenotypic profiling would be useful for disease gene prioritization. We developed a random-set scoring model and implemented it to quantify phenotype relevance in a network-based disease gene-prioritization approach. We validated our approach based on different gene phenotypic profiles, which were generated from PubMed abstracts, OMIM, and GeneRIF records. We also investigated the validity of several vocabulary filters and different likelihood thresholds for predicted protein-protein interactions in terms of their effect on the network-based gene-prioritization approach, which relies on text-mining of the phenotype data. Our method demonstrated good precision and sensitivity compared with those of two alternative complex-based prioritization approaches. We then conducted a global ranking of all human genes according to their relevance to a range of human diseases. The resulting accurate ranking of known causal genes supported the reliability of our approach. Moreover, these data suggest many promising novel candidate genes for human disorders that have a complex mode of inheritance. We have implemented and validated a network-based approach to prioritize genes for human diseases based on their phenotypic profile. We have devised a powerful and transparent tool to identify and rank candidate genes. Our global gene prioritization provides a unique resource for the biological interpretation of data from genome-wide association studies, and will help in the understanding of how the associated genetic variants influence disease or quantitative phenotypes.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanouni, Maziar

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

Approaches, tools and methods used for setting priorities in health research in the 21(st) century.

PubMed

Yoshida, Sachiyo

2016-06-01

Health research is difficult to prioritize, because the number of possible competing ideas for research is large, the outcome of research is inherently uncertain, and the impact of research is difficult to predict and measure. A systematic and transparent process to assist policy makers and research funding agencies in making investment decisions is a permanent need. To obtain a better understanding of the landscape of approaches, tools and methods used to prioritize health research, I conducted a methodical review using the PubMed database for the period 2001-2014. A total of 165 relevant studies were identified, in which health research prioritization was conducted. They most frequently used the CHNRI method (26%), followed by the Delphi method (24%), James Lind Alliance method (8%), the Combined Approach Matrix (CAM) method (2%) and the Essential National Health Research method (<1%). About 3% of studies reported no clear process and provided very little information on how priorities were set. A further 19% used a combination of expert panel interview and focus group discussion ("consultation process") but provided few details, while a further 2% used approaches that were clearly described, but not established as a replicable method. Online surveys that were not accompanied by face-to-face meetings were used in 8% of studies, while 9% used a combination of literature review and questionnaire to scrutinise the research options for prioritization among the participating experts. The number of priority setting exercises in health research published in PubMed-indexed journals is increasing, especially since 2010. These exercises are being conducted at a variety of levels, ranging from the global level to the level of an individual hospital. With the development of new tools and methods which have a well-defined structure - such as the CHNRI method, James Lind Alliance Method and Combined Approach Matrix - it is likely that the Delphi method and non-replicable consultation processes will gradually be replaced by these emerging tools, which offer more transparency and replicability. It is too early to say whether any single method can address the needs of most exercises conducted at different levels, or if better results may perhaps be achieved through combination of components of several methods.

Acute Gastrointestinal Illness Risks in North Carolina Community Water Systems: A Methodological Comparison.

PubMed

DeFelice, Nicholas B; Johnston, Jill E; Gibson, Jacqueline MacDonald

2015-08-18

The magnitude and spatial variability of acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) cases attributable to microbial contamination of U.S. community drinking water systems are not well characterized. We compared three approaches (drinking water attributable risk, quantitative microbial risk assessment, and population intervention model) to estimate the annual number of emergency department visits for AGI attributable to microorganisms in North Carolina community water systems. All three methods used 2007-2013 water monitoring and emergency department data obtained from state agencies. The drinking water attributable risk method, which was the basis for previous U.S. Environmental Protection Agency national risk assessments, estimated that 7.9% of annual emergency department visits for AGI are attributable to microbial contamination of community water systems. However, the other methods' estimates were more than 2 orders of magnitude lower, each attributing 0.047% of annual emergency department visits for AGI to community water system contamination. The differences in results between the drinking water attributable risk method, which has been the main basis for previous national risk estimates, and the other two approaches highlight the need to improve methods for estimating endemic waterborne disease risks, in order to prioritize investments to improve community drinking water systems.

Toward better drug repositioning: prioritizing and integrating existing methods into efficient pipelines.

PubMed

Jin, Guangxu; Wong, Stephen T C

2014-05-01

Recycling old drugs, rescuing shelved drugs and extending patents' lives make drug repositioning an attractive form of drug discovery. Drug repositioning accounts for approximately 30% of the newly US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs and vaccines in recent years. The prevalence of drug-repositioning studies has resulted in a variety of innovative computational methods for the identification of new opportunities for the use of old drugs. Questions often arise from customizing or optimizing these methods into efficient drug-repositioning pipelines for alternative applications. It requires a comprehensive understanding of the available methods gained by evaluating both biological and pharmaceutical knowledge and the elucidated mechanism-of-action of drugs. Here, we provide guidance for prioritizing and integrating drug-repositioning methods for specific drug-repositioning pipelines. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prioritizing land management efforts at a landscape scale: a case study using prescribed fire in Wisconsin.

PubMed

Hmielowski, Tracy L; Carter, Sarah K; Spaul, Hannah; Helmers, David; Radeloff, Volker C; Zedler, Paul

2016-06-01

One challenge in the effort to conserve biodiversity is identifying where to prioritize resources for active land management. Cost-benefit analyses have been used successfully as a conservation tool to identify sites that provide the greatest conservation benefit per unit cost. Our goal was to apply cost-benefit analysis to the question of how to prioritize land management efforts, in our case the application of prescribed fire to natural landscapes in Wisconsin, USA. We quantified and mapped frequently burned communities and prioritized management units based on a suite of indices that captured ecological benefits, management effort, and the feasibility of successful long-term management actions. Data for these indices came from LANDFIRE, Wisconsin's Wildlife Action Plan, and a nationwide wildland-urban interface assessment. We found that the majority of frequently burned vegetation types occurred in the southern portion of the state. However, the highest priority areas for applying prescribed fire occurred in the central, northwest, and northeast portion of the state where frequently burned vegetation patches were larger and where identified areas of high biological importance area occurred. Although our focus was on the use of prescribed fire in Wisconsin, our methods can be adapted to prioritize other land management activities. Such prioritization is necessary to achieve the greatest possible benefits from limited funding for land management actions, and our results show that it is feasible at scales that are relevant for land management decisions.

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

PubMed

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

2018-04-01

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

Incorporating Active Runway Crossings in Airport Departure Scheduling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gupta, Gautam; Malik, Waqar; Jung, Yoon C.

2010-01-01

A mixed integer linear program is presented for deterministically scheduling departure and ar rival aircraft at airport runways. This method addresses different schemes of managing the departure queuing area by treating it as first-in-first-out queues or as a simple par king area where any available aircraft can take-off ir respective of its relative sequence with others. In addition, this method explicitly considers separation criteria between successive aircraft and also incorporates an optional prioritization scheme using time windows. Multiple objectives pertaining to throughput and system delay are used independently. Results indicate improvement over a basic first-come-first-serve rule in both system delay and throughput. Minimizing system delay results in small deviations from optimal throughput, whereas minimizing throughput results in large deviations in system delay. Enhancements for computational efficiency are also presented in the form of reformulating certain constraints and defining additional inequalities for better bounds.

Biomine: predicting links between biological entities using network models of heterogeneous databases.

PubMed

Eronen, Lauri; Toivonen, Hannu

2012-06-06

Biological databases contain large amounts of data concerning the functions and associations of genes and proteins. Integration of data from several such databases into a single repository can aid the discovery of previously unknown connections spanning multiple types of relationships and databases. Biomine is a system that integrates cross-references from several biological databases into a graph model with multiple types of edges, such as protein interactions, gene-disease associations and gene ontology annotations. Edges are weighted based on their type, reliability, and informativeness. We present Biomine and evaluate its performance in link prediction, where the goal is to predict pairs of nodes that will be connected in the future, based on current data. In particular, we formulate protein interaction prediction and disease gene prioritization tasks as instances of link prediction. The predictions are based on a proximity measure computed on the integrated graph. We consider and experiment with several such measures, and perform a parameter optimization procedure where different edge types are weighted to optimize link prediction accuracy. We also propose a novel method for disease-gene prioritization, defined as finding a subset of candidate genes that cluster together in the graph. We experimentally evaluate Biomine by predicting future annotations in the source databases and prioritizing lists of putative disease genes. The experimental results show that Biomine has strong potential for predicting links when a set of selected candidate links is available. The predictions obtained using the entire Biomine dataset are shown to clearly outperform ones obtained using any single source of data alone, when different types of links are suitably weighted. In the gene prioritization task, an established reference set of disease-associated genes is useful, but the results show that under favorable conditions, Biomine can also perform well when no such information is available.The Biomine system is a proof of concept. Its current version contains 1.1 million entities and 8.1 million relations between them, with focus on human genetics. Some of its functionalities are available in a public query interface at http://biomine.cs.helsinki.fi, allowing searching for and visualizing connections between given biological entities.

Pre-Visit Prioritization for Complex Patients with Diabetes: Randomized Trial Design and Implementation within an Integrated Health Care System

PubMed Central

Grant, Richard W; Uratsu, Connie S; Hansen, Karen R; Altschuler, Andrea; Kim, Eileen; Fireman, Bruce; Adams, Alyce S; Schmittdiel, Julie A; Heisler, Michele

2016-01-01

Background/Aims Despite robust evidence to guide clinical care, most patients with diabetes do not meet all goals of risk factor control. Improved patient-provider communication during time-limited primary care visits may represent one strategy for improving diabetes care. Methods We designed a controlled, cluster-randomized, multi-site intervention (Pre-Visit Prioritization for Complex Patients with Diabetes) that enables patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes to identify their top priorities prior to a scheduled visit and sends these priorities to the primary care physician progress note in the electronic medical record. In this paper, we describe strategies to address challenges to implementing our health IT-based intervention study within a large health care system. Results This study is being conducted in 30 primary care practices within a large integrated care delivery system in Northern California. Over a 12-week period (3/1/2015 – 6/6/2015), 146 primary care physicians consented to enroll in the study (90.1%) and approved contact with 2496 of their patients (97.6%). Implementation challenges included: (1) Navigating research vs. quality improvement requirements; (2) Addressing informed consent considerations; and (3) Introducing a new clinical tool into a highly time-constrained workflow. Strategies for successfully initiating this study included engagement with institutional leaders, Institutional Review Board members, and clinical stakeholders at multiple stages both before and after notice of Federal funding; flexibility by the research team in study design; and strong support from institutional leadership for “self-learning health system” research. Conclusions By paying careful attention to identifying and collaborating with a wide range of key clinical stakeholders, we have shown that researchers embedded within a learning care system can successfully apply rigorous clinical trial methods to test new care innovations. PMID:26820612

[Demographic change and the need for prioritization in health care: position of the German Medical Association].

PubMed

Fuchs, C

2010-05-01

The German health care system will face major challenges in the near future. Progress in medicine as well as demographic change will combine to drastically exacerbate the scarcity of resources in the health care system. The word scarcity in this case not only refers to the availability of funds. Other resources, e.g., staff, attention, time, and organs for transplantation, are also becoming scarce. It is conceivable that, in the future, it will no longer be possible to provide medical services for all patients to the same extent as in the past. If the necessary resources are not available in the health care system, if the potential for saving resources has been more or less exhausted, and if rationing shall not be an option, the only option to resort to will be prioritization. Prioritization in the health care sector denotes a supply of services according to specific, predetermined criteria. A broad and open public debate, which would have to be accompanied as well as moderated by the Health Council ("Gesundheitsrat"), is essential for determining such criteria.

The French human biomonitoring program: First lessons from the perinatal component and future needs.

PubMed

Dereumeaux, Clémentine; Fillol, Clémence; Charles, Marie-Aline; Denys, Sébastien

2017-03-01

This paper presents a progress report of the French human biomonitoring (HBM) program established in 2010. This program has been designed to provide a national representative estimation of the French population's exposure to various environmental chemicals and to study the determinants of exposure. This program currently consists in two surveys: a perinatal component related to a selection of 4145 pregnant women who have been enrolled in the Elfe cohort (the French Longitudinal Study since Childhood) in 2011, and a general population survey related to adults aged 18-74 years and children as from 6 years (Esteban). The aim of this manuscript is to present highlights of the French human biomonitoring program with particular focus on the prioritization of biomarkers to be analyzed in the program and the selection of biomarkers applied to both program components. The Delphi method was used to establish a consensual list of prioritized biomarkers in 2011. First results of the perinatal component of the French HBM program have shown that the biomarkers prioritized were relevant, as almost all pregnant women were exposed to them. However, for some biomarkers, levels' decreases have been observed which may partly be explained by measures taken to prohibit some of these chemicals (e.g. atrazine) and by industrial processes evolutions leading to the substitution of others (e.g. bisphenol A, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate/DEHP, dialkyl phosphates). Therefore, the list of biomarkers to be monitored in the French HBM program has been implemented to include some substitutes of biomarkers prioritized in the first instance (e.g. bisphenol S, F). Finally, this method combines rigor and flexibility and helped us to build a prioritized list that will be shared and supported by many if not all actors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Research for better health: the Panamanian priority-setting experience and the need for a new process

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Panama is, economically, the fastest growing country in Central America and is making efforts to improve management mechanisms for research and innovation. However, due to contextual factors, the Panamanian Health Research System is not well developed and is poorly coordinated with the Health System. Likewise, despite recent efforts to define a National Health Research Agenda, implementing this agenda and aligning it with Panamanians’ health needs remains difficult. This articles aims to review Panama’s experience in health research priority setting by analyzing the fairness of previous prioritization processes in order to promote an agreed-upon national agenda aligned with public health needs. Methods The three health research prioritization processes performed in Panama between 2006 and 2011 were analyzed based on the guidelines established by the four “Accountability for Reasonableness” principles, namely “relevance”, “publicity”, “revision”, and “enforcement”, which provide a framework for evaluating priority-setting fairness. Results The three health research priority-setting events performed in Panama during the reference period demonstrated a heterogeneous pattern of decision-making strategies, stakeholder group composition, and prioritization outcomes. None of the three analyzed events featured an open discussion process with the scientific community, health care providers, or civil society in order to reach consensus. Conclusions This investigation makes evident the lack of a strategy to encourage open discussion by the multiple stakeholders and interest groups that should be involved during the priority-setting process. The analysis reveals the need for a new priority-setting exercise that validates the National Agenda, promotes its implementation by the National Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, and empowers multiple stakeholders; such an exercise would, in turn, favor the implementation of the agenda. PMID:25117661

A Spatially Explicit Method for Prioritizing AIS Surveillance ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Choosing where to sample for aquatic invasive species (AIS) is a daunting challenge in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Management resources are finite hence it is important that monitoring efforts concentrate on those sites with the highest risk of introduction based on transparent criteria and assumptions and the best available data. Here we describe the development of a site prioritization method designed to address such challenges. The U.S. waters of the Great Lakes and tributaries were divided into standardized management units (9 km x 9 km). An index of invasion pressure was defined using a standardized set of spatial surrogates to estimate cumulative propagule pressure for each management unit. Weighting multipliers were applied to the attributed spatial surrogate data so that both historic patterns and future predicted patterns of introduction were incorporated into the final calculation of the index of invasion pressure for each management unit. Of the total of 5,953 management units in the U.S. Great Lakes basin (land and water), about 1,800 units have attributes resulting in index scores greater than zero. The site prioritization method can be used to select surveillance priorities for fish, invertebrates, and/or plants across the U.S. waters of the Great Lakes basin. not applicable

Complementarity and Area-Efficiency in the Prioritization of the Global Protected Area Network.

PubMed

Kullberg, Peter; Toivonen, Tuuli; Montesino Pouzols, Federico; Lehtomäki, Joona; Di Minin, Enrico; Moilanen, Atte

2015-01-01

Complementarity and cost-efficiency are widely used principles for protected area network design. Despite the wide use and robust theoretical underpinnings, their effects on the performance and patterns of priority areas are rarely studied in detail. Here we compare two approaches for identifying the management priority areas inside the global protected area network: 1) a scoring-based approach, used in recently published analysis and 2) a spatial prioritization method, which accounts for complementarity and area-efficiency. Using the same IUCN species distribution data the complementarity method found an equal-area set of priority areas with double the mean species ranges covered compared to the scoring-based approach. The complementarity set also had 72% more species with full ranges covered, and lacked any coverage only for half of the species compared to the scoring approach. Protected areas in our complementarity-based solution were on average smaller and geographically more scattered. The large difference between the two solutions highlights the need for critical thinking about the selected prioritization method. According to our analysis, accounting for complementarity and area-efficiency can lead to considerable improvements when setting management priorities for the global protected area network.

Objectives, criteria and methods for using molecular genetic data in priority setting for conservation of animal genetic resources.

PubMed

Boettcher, P J; Tixier-Boichard, M; Toro, M A; Simianer, H; Eding, H; Gandini, G; Joost, S; Garcia, D; Colli, L; Ajmone-Marsan, P

2010-05-01

The genetic diversity of the world's livestock populations is decreasing, both within and across breeds. A wide variety of factors has contributed to the loss, replacement or genetic dilution of many local breeds. Genetic variability within the more common commercial breeds has been greatly decreased by selectively intense breeding programmes. Conservation of livestock genetic variability is thus important, especially when considering possible future changes in production environments. The world has more than 7500 livestock breeds and conservation of all of them is not feasible. Therefore, prioritization is needed. The objective of this article is to review the state of the art in approaches for prioritization of breeds for conservation, particularly those approaches that consider molecular genetic information, and to identify any shortcomings that may restrict their application. The Weitzman method was among the first and most well-known approaches for utilization of molecular genetic information in conservation prioritization. This approach balances diversity and extinction probability to yield an objective measure of conservation potential. However, this approach was designed for decision making across species and measures diversity as distinctiveness. For livestock, prioritization will most commonly be performed among breeds within species, so alternatives that measure diversity as co-ancestry (i.e. also within-breed variability) have been proposed. Although these methods are technically sound, their application has generally been limited to research studies; most existing conservation programmes have effectively primarily based decisions on extinction risk. The development of user-friendly software incorporating these approaches may increase their rate of utilization.

Research Priorities for Studies Linking Intake of Low-Calorie Sweeteners and Potentially Related Health Outcomes

PubMed Central

Bright, Oliver-John M; Wang, Ding Ding; Shams-White, Marissa; Bleich, Sara N; Foreyt, John; Franz, Marion; Johnson, Guy; Manning, Beth Trickett; Mattes, Rick; Pi-Sunyer, Xavier; Schneeman, Barbara; Parrott, James Scott; Steffen, Dan; Sylvetsky, Allison; Ziegler, Paula

2017-01-01

Abstract Background: In a world of finite research funding, efforts to prioritize future research topics are increasingly necessary. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify and prioritize the direction of future research in the broad area of low-calorie sweetener (LCS) intake and potentially related health outcomes by using a novel method that incorporates evidence mapping in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Future Research Needs (FRN) process. Methods: A diverse expert stakeholder panel was convened and engaged to identify research gaps and prioritize future research needs. An independent research team hosted a number of interactive webinars and elicited feedback through surveys and individual interviews with the stakeholder panel, which included policymakers, lay audience members, health providers, a research funder, individuals with food industry experience, and researchers of several different specialties. Results: The stakeholder panel generated and ranked a list of 18 FRN questions across 5 broad research areas. Overall, stakeholder panel members unanimously agreed that the research questions that will have the largest public health impact are those that address outcomes related to body weight, appetite, and dietary intake. Although the LCSs included in this FRN project have all been Generally Recognized as Safe by the FDA or approved as food additives, the recurrent concerns and confusions with regard to the “safety” of LCSs by consumers underscore the importance of communicating the science to the general public. Conclusion: Our project provides evidence that engaging a diverse expert stakeholder panel is an effective method of translating gaps in nutrition research into prioritized areas of future research.

Network-based differential gene expression analysis suggests cell cycle related genes regulated by E2F1 underlie the molecular difference between smoker and non-smoker lung adenocarcinoma

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Differential gene expression (DGE) analysis is commonly used to reveal the deregulated molecular mechanisms of complex diseases. However, traditional DGE analysis (e.g., the t test or the rank sum test) tests each gene independently without considering interactions between them. Top-ranked differentially regulated genes prioritized by the analysis may not directly relate to the coherent molecular changes underlying complex diseases. Joint analyses of co-expression and DGE have been applied to reveal the deregulated molecular modules underlying complex diseases. Most of these methods consist of separate steps: first to identify gene-gene relationships under the studied phenotype then to integrate them with gene expression changes for prioritizing signature genes, or vice versa. It is warrant a method that can simultaneously consider gene-gene co-expression strength and corresponding expression level changes so that both types of information can be leveraged optimally. Results In this paper, we develop a gene module based method for differential gene expression analysis, named network-based differential gene expression (nDGE) analysis, a one-step integrative process for prioritizing deregulated genes and grouping them into gene modules. We demonstrate that nDGE outperforms existing methods in prioritizing deregulated genes and discovering deregulated gene modules using simulated data sets. When tested on a series of smoker and non-smoker lung adenocarcinoma data sets, we show that top differentially regulated genes identified by the rank sum test in different sets are not consistent while top ranked genes defined by nDGE in different data sets significantly overlap. nDGE results suggest that a differentially regulated gene module, which is enriched for cell cycle related genes and E2F1 targeted genes, plays a role in the molecular differences between smoker and non-smoker lung adenocarcinoma. Conclusions In this paper, we develop nDGE to prioritize deregulated genes and group them into gene modules by simultaneously considering gene expression level changes and gene-gene co-regulations. When applied to both simulated and empirical data, nDGE outperforms the traditional DGE method. More specifically, when applied to smoker and non-smoker lung cancer sets, nDGE results illustrate the molecular differences between smoker and non-smoker lung cancer. PMID:24341432

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

PubMed

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

2017-10-02

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

Advances on a Decision Analytic Approach to Exposure-Based Chemical Prioritization.

PubMed

Wood, Matthew D; Plourde, Kenton; Larkin, Sabrina; Egeghy, Peter P; Williams, Antony J; Zemba, Valerie; Linkov, Igor; Vallero, Daniel A

2018-05-11

The volume and variety of manufactured chemicals is increasing, although little is known about the risks associated with the frequency and extent of human exposure to most chemicals. The EPA and the recent signing of the Lautenberg Act have both signaled the need for high-throughput methods to characterize and screen chemicals based on exposure potential, such that more comprehensive toxicity research can be informed. Prior work of Mitchell et al. using multicriteria decision analysis tools to prioritize chemicals for further research is enhanced here, resulting in a high-level chemical prioritization tool for risk-based screening. Reliable exposure information is a key gap in currently available engineering analytics to support predictive environmental and health risk assessments. An elicitation with 32 experts informed relative prioritization of risks from chemical properties and human use factors, and the values for each chemical associated with each metric were approximated with data from EPA's CP_CAT database. Three different versions of the model were evaluated using distinct weight profiles, resulting in three different ranked chemical prioritizations with only a small degree of variation across weight profiles. Future work will aim to include greater input from human factors experts and better define qualitative metrics. © 2018 Society for Risk Analysis.

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

PubMed Central

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

2017-01-01

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

SNPranker 2.0: a gene-centric data mining tool for diseases associated SNP prioritization in GWAS.

PubMed

Merelli, Ivan; Calabria, Andrea; Cozzi, Paolo; Viti, Federica; Mosca, Ettore; Milanesi, Luciano

2013-01-01

The capability of correlating specific genotypes with human diseases is a complex issue in spite of all advantages arisen from high-throughput technologies, such as Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS). New tools for genetic variants interpretation and for Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) prioritization are actually needed. Given a list of the most relevant SNPs statistically associated to a specific pathology as result of a genotype study, a critical issue is the identification of genes that are effectively related to the disease by re-scoring the importance of the identified genetic variations. Vice versa, given a list of genes, it can be of great importance to predict which SNPs can be involved in the onset of a particular disease, in order to focus the research on their effects. We propose a new bioinformatics approach to support biological data mining in the analysis and interpretation of SNPs associated to pathologies. This system can be employed to design custom genotyping chips for disease-oriented studies and to re-score GWAS results. The proposed method relies (1) on the data integration of public resources using a gene-centric database design, (2) on the evaluation of a set of static biomolecular annotations, defined as features, and (3) on the SNP scoring function, which computes SNP scores using parameters and weights set by users. We employed a machine learning classifier to set default feature weights and an ontological annotation layer to enable the enrichment of the input gene set. We implemented our method as a web tool called SNPranker 2.0 (http://www.itb.cnr.it/snpranker), improving our first published release of this system. A user-friendly interface allows the input of a list of genes, SNPs or a biological process, and to customize the features set with relative weights. As result, SNPranker 2.0 returns a list of SNPs, localized within input and ontologically enriched genes, combined with their prioritization scores. Different databases and resources are already available for SNPs annotation, but they do not prioritize or re-score SNPs relying on a-priori biomolecular knowledge. SNPranker 2.0 attempts to fill this gap through a user-friendly integrated web resource. End users, such as researchers in medical genetics and epidemiology, may find in SNPranker 2.0 a new tool for data mining and interpretation able to support SNPs analysis. Possible scenarios are GWAS data re-scoring, SNPs selection for custom genotyping arrays and SNPs/diseases association studies.

Quality assessment of Isfahan Medical Faculty web site electronic services and prioritizing solutions using analytic hierarchy process approach

PubMed Central

Hajrahimi, Nafiseh; Dehaghani, Sayed Mehdi Hejazi; Hajrahimi, Nargess; Sarmadi, Sima

2014-01-01

Context: Implementing information technology in the best possible way can bring many advantages such as applying electronic services and facilitating tasks. Therefore, assessment of service providing systems is a way to improve the quality and elevate these systems including e-commerce, e-government, e-banking, and e-learning. Aims: This study was aimed to evaluate the electronic services in the website of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in order to propose solutions to improve them. Furthermore, we aim to rank the solutions based on the factors that enhance the quality of electronic services by using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. Materials and Methods: Non-parametric test was used to assess the quality of electronic services. The assessment of propositions was based on Aqual model and they were prioritized using AHP approach. The AHP approach was used because it directly applies experts’ deductions in the model, and lead to more objective results in the analysis and prioritizing the risks. After evaluating the quality of the electronic services, a multi-criteria decision making frame-work was used to prioritize the proposed solutions. Statistical Analysis Used: Non-parametric tests and AHP approach using Expert Choice software. Results: The results showed that students were satisfied in most of the indicators. Only a few indicators received low satisfaction from students including, design attractiveness, the amount of explanation and details of information, honesty and responsiveness of authorities, and the role of e-services in the user's relationship with university. After interviewing with Information and Communications Technology (ICT) experts at the university, measurement criteria, and solutions to improve the quality were collected. The best solutions were selected by EC software. According to the results, the solution “controlling and improving the process in handling users complaints” is of the utmost importance and authorities have to have it on the website and place great importance on updating this process. Conclusions: Although, 4 out of the 22 indicators used in the test hypothesis were not confirmed, the results show that these assumptions are accepted at 95% confidence level. To improve the quality of electronic services, special attention should be paid to “services interaction.” As the results showed having “controlling and improving the process in handling users complaints” on the website is the first and most important one and the process of “changing brand/factory name/address in the text of the factory license/renewal or modification of manufacturing license/changing the formula” is the least important one. PMID:25540790

ExMC Work Prioritization Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simon, Matthew

2015-01-01

Last year, NASA's Human Research Program (HRP) introduced the concept of a "Path to Risk Reduction" (PRR), which will provide a roadmap that shows how the work being done within each HRP element can be mapped to reducing or closing exploration risks. Efforts are currently underway within the Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) Element to develop a structured, repeatable process for prioritizing work utilizing decision analysis techniques and risk estimation tools. The goal of this effort is to ensure that the work done within the element maximizes risk reduction for future exploration missions in a quantifiable way and better aligns with the intent and content of the Path to Risk Reduction. The Integrated Medical Model (IMM) will be used to identify those conditions that are major contributors of medical risk for a given design reference mission. For each of these conditions, potential prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment methods will be identified. ExMC will then aim to prioritize its potential investments in these mitigation methods based upon their potential for risk reduction and other factors such as vehicle performance impacts, near term schedule needs, duplication with external efforts, and cost. This presentation will describe the process developed to perform this prioritization and inform investment discussions in future element planning efforts. It will also provide an overview of the required input information, types of process participants, figures of merit, and the expected outputs of the process.

Effective stakeholder participation in setting research priorities using a Global Evidence Mapping approach.

PubMed

Clavisi, Ornella; Bragge, Peter; Tavender, Emma; Turner, Tari; Gruen, Russell L

2013-05-01

We present a multistep process for identifying priority research areas in rehabilitation and long-term care of traumatic brain-injured (TBI) patients. In particular, we aimed to (1) identify which stakeholders should be involved; (2) identify what methods are appropriate; (3) examine different criteria for the generation of research priority areas; and (4) test the feasibility of linkage and exchange among researchers, decision makers, and other potential users of the research. Potential research questions were identified and developed using an initial scoping meeting and preliminary literature search, followed by a facilitated mapping workshop and an online survey. Identified research questions were then prioritized against specific criteria (clinical importance, novelty, and controversy). Existing evidence was then mapped to the high-priority questions using usual processes for search, screening, and selection. A broad range of stakeholders were then brought together at a forum to identify priority research themes for future research investment. Using clinical and research leaders, smaller targeted planning workshops prioritized specific research projects for each of the identified themes. Twenty-six specific questions about TBI rehabilitation were generated, 14 of which were high priority. No one method identified all high-priority questions. Methods that relied solely on the views of clinicians and researchers identified fewer high-priority questions compared with methods that used broader stakeholder engagement. Evidence maps of these high-priority questions yielded a number of evidence gaps. Priority questions and evidence maps were then used to inform a research forum, which identified 12 priority themes for future research. Our research demonstrates the value of a multistep and multimethod process involving many different types of stakeholders for prioritizing research to improve the rehabilitation outcomes of people who have suffered TBI. Enhancing stakeholder representation can be augmented using a combination of methods and a process of linkage and exchange. This process can inform decisions about prioritization of research areas. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fundamental Technology Development for Gas-Turbine Engine Health Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mercer, Carolyn R.; Simon, Donald L.; Hunter, Gary W.; Arnold, Steven M.; Reveley, Mary S.; Anderson, Lynn M.

2007-01-01

Integrated vehicle health management technologies promise to dramatically improve the safety of commercial aircraft by reducing system and component failures as causal and contributing factors in aircraft accidents. To realize this promise, fundamental technology development is needed to produce reliable health management components. These components include diagnostic and prognostic algorithms, physics-based and data-driven lifing and failure models, sensors, and a sensor infrastructure including wireless communications, power scavenging, and electronics. In addition, system assessment methods are needed to effectively prioritize development efforts. Development work is needed throughout the vehicle, but particular challenges are presented by the hot, rotating environment of the propulsion system. This presentation describes current work in the field of health management technologies for propulsion systems for commercial aviation.

Automatic signal extraction, prioritizing and filtering approaches in detecting post-marketing cardiovascular events associated with targeted cancer drugs from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).

PubMed

Xu, Rong; Wang, Quanqiu

2014-02-01

Targeted drugs dramatically improve the treatment outcomes in cancer patients; however, these innovative drugs are often associated with unexpectedly high cardiovascular toxicity. Currently, cardiovascular safety represents both a challenging issue for drug developers, regulators, researchers, and clinicians and a concern for patients. While FDA drug labels have captured many of these events, spontaneous reporting systems are a main source for post-marketing drug safety surveillance in 'real-world' (outside of clinical trials) cancer patients. In this study, we present approaches to extracting, prioritizing, filtering, and confirming cardiovascular events associated with targeted cancer drugs from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). The dataset includes records of 4,285,097 patients from FAERS. We first extracted drug-cardiovascular event (drug-CV) pairs from FAERS through named entity recognition and mapping processes. We then compared six ranking algorithms in prioritizing true positive signals among extracted pairs using known drug-CV pairs derived from FDA drug labels. We also developed three filtering algorithms to further improve precision. Finally, we manually validated extracted drug-CV pairs using 21 million published MEDLINE records. We extracted a total of 11,173 drug-CV pairs from FAERS. We showed that ranking by frequency is significantly more effective than by the five standard signal detection methods (246% improvement in precision for top-ranked pairs). The filtering algorithm we developed further improved overall precision by 91.3%. By manual curation using literature evidence, we show that about 51.9% of the 617 drug-CV pairs that appeared in both FAERS and MEDLINE sentences are true positives. In addition, 80.6% of these positive pairs have not been captured by FDA drug labeling. The unique drug-CV association dataset that we created based on FAERS could facilitate our understanding and prediction of cardiotoxic events associated with targeted cancer drugs. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, R. Hari; Ushakumari, S.

2018-05-01

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

Awareness and perceived fairness of Option B+ in Malawi: A population-level perspective

PubMed

Yeatman, Sara; Trinitapoli, Jenny

2017-03-08

Policies for rationing antiretroviral therapy (ART) have been subject to on-going ethical debates. Introduced in Malawi in 2011, Option B+ prioritized HIV-positive pregnant women for lifelong ART regardless of the underlying state of their immune system, shifting the logic of allocation away from medical eligibility. Despite the rapid expansion of this policy, we know little about how it has been understood and interpreted by the people it affects. We assessed awareness and perceived fairness of the prioritization system for ART among a population-based sample of young women (n = 1440) and their partners (n = 574) in southern Malawi. We use a card-sort technique to elicit understandings of who gets ART under Option B+ and who should be prioritized, and we compare perceptions to actual ART policy using sequence analysis and optimal matching. We then use ordered logistic regression to identify the factors associated with policy awareness. In 2015, only 30.7% of women and 21.1% of male partners understood how ART was being distributed. There was widespread confusion around whether otherwise healthy HIV-positive pregnant women could access ART under Option B + . Nonetheless, more young adults thought that the fairest policy should prioritize such women than believed the actual policy did. Women who were older, more educated or had recently engaged with the health system through antenatal care or ART had more accurate understandings of Option B + . Among men, policy awareness was lower, and was patterned only by education. Although most respondents were unaware that Option B+ afforded ART access to healthy-pregnant women, Malawians support the prioritization of pregnant women. Countries adopting Option B+ or other new ART policies such as universal test-and-treat should communicate the policies and their rationales to the public - such transparency would be more consistent with a fair and ethical process and could additionally serve to clarify confusion and enhance retention.​​.

Determination and prioritizing of addiction prevention factors in delfan city, iran.

PubMed

Mirzaei, Davod; Zamani, Bibi Eshrat; Mousavi, Sayyed Hojat

2011-01-01

In recent decades, drug abuse has been one of the most important problems of human societies and has been imposing enormous charges to them. Exposing addicts to infectious diseases, social and economic harmful impacts, expensive and reversibility of treatment methods have caused that drug abuse prevention programs be more inexpensive and more effective than treatment. One of the most important methods of drug abuse prevention is identification and prioritization of them according to scientific methods. The purpose of this study was to investigate addiction prevention methods among adolescents and teenagers from the viewpoints of addicts, their parents, authorities and prioritizing the prevention methods based on analytical hierarchy process (AHP) model in Delfan city, Iran. Statistical samples included 17 authorities, 42 addicts, and 23 parents that have been selected through purposive sampling. Data collection instruments involved structured and semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed based on quantitative and qualitative methods, encoding and categorization. In this study, AHP model was used for prioritizing the prevention methods. This model is one of the most efficient and comprehensive designed techniques for multi-criteria decision making; it formulates the possibility of natural complex problems as hierarchy. The results indicated that the most important methods of drug abuse prevention were using media, case studies, planning for leisure times, educating social skills, integrating drug prevention methods in religious customs and respect to teenagers. Among these factors, the media and respect to adolescents with weights 0.3321 and 0.2389 had the highest preferences for the prevention of drug addiction, respectively. Planning for leisure time with weight of 0.1349 had the lowest importance than media and teenager respectful factor and higher priority than religion customs, dating and learning lessons factors. On the contrary, integrating in religion customs, using case studies with weights 0.1145, 0.1114 and 0.0680 had the lowest preferences, respectively, and can be considered in later settings. The interviewees mentioned the most important addiction prevention methods in respect to teenagers, religious customs, media, dating skills, learning lessons from examples and attention to the leisure times among which the media has been the most efficient method. Because, publicity of the media as a national media is available to the public and it is not dedicated for a special group or class of people and everyone can use it regardless of his literacy and knowledge level.

Risk-based prioritization method for the classification of groundwater pesticide pollution from agricultural regions.

PubMed

Yang, Yu; Lian, Xin-Ying; Jiang, Yong-Hai; Xi, Bei-Dou; He, Xiao-Song

2017-11-01

Agricultural regions are a significant source of groundwater pesticide pollution. To ensure that agricultural regions with a significantly high risk of groundwater pesticide contamination are properly managed, a risk-based ranking method related to groundwater pesticide contamination is needed. In the present paper, a risk-based prioritization method for the classification of groundwater pesticide pollution from agricultural regions was established. The method encompasses 3 phases, including indicator selection, characterization, and classification. In the risk ranking index system employed here, 17 indicators involving the physicochemical properties, environmental behavior characteristics, pesticide application methods, and inherent vulnerability of groundwater in the agricultural region were selected. The boundary of each indicator was determined using K-means cluster analysis based on a survey of a typical agricultural region and the physical and chemical properties of 300 typical pesticides. The total risk characterization was calculated by multiplying the risk value of each indicator, which could effectively avoid the subjectivity of index weight calculation and identify the main factors associated with the risk. The results indicated that the risk for groundwater pesticide contamination from agriculture in a region could be ranked into 4 classes from low to high risk. This method was applied to an agricultural region in Jiangsu Province, China, and it showed that this region had a relatively high risk for groundwater contamination from pesticides, and that the pesticide application method was the primary factor contributing to the relatively high risk. The risk ranking method was determined to be feasible, valid, and able to provide reference data related to the risk management of groundwater pesticide pollution from agricultural regions. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:1052-1059. © 2017 SETAC. © 2017 SETAC.

Priority System for Multimodal and Intermodal Transportation Planning

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

Prioritization is an increasingly important concept for transportation system planning and programming. The resources for capital improvements to state and regional transportation systems are stagnant or declining. At the same time, population growth...

Prioritization of Zoonotic Diseases in Kenya, 2015

PubMed Central

Bitek, Austine; Osoro, Eric; Pieracci, Emily G.; Muema, Josephat; Mwatondo, Athman; Kungu, Mathew; Nanyingi, Mark; Gharpure, Radhika; Njenga, Kariuki; Thumbi, Samuel M.

2016-01-01

Introduction Zoonotic diseases have varying public health burden and socio-economic impact across time and geographical settings making their prioritization for prevention and control important at the national level. We conducted systematic prioritization of zoonotic diseases and developed a ranked list of these diseases that would guide allocation of resources to enhance their surveillance, prevention, and control. Methods A group of 36 medical, veterinary, and wildlife experts in zoonoses from government, research institutions and universities in Kenya prioritized 36 diseases using a semi-quantitative One Health Zoonotic Disease Prioritization tool developed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with slight adaptations. The tool comprises five steps: listing of zoonotic diseases to be prioritized, development of ranking criteria, weighting criteria by pairwise comparison through analytical hierarchical process, scoring each zoonotic disease based on the criteria, and aggregation of scores. Results In order of importance, the participants identified severity of illness in humans, epidemic/pandemic potential in humans, socio-economic burden, prevalence/incidence and availability of interventions (weighted scores assigned to each criteria were 0.23, 0.22, 0.21, 0.17 and 0.17 respectively), as the criteria to define the relative importance of the diseases. The top five priority diseases in descending order of ranking were anthrax, trypanosomiasis, rabies, brucellosis and Rift Valley fever. Conclusion Although less prominently mentioned, neglected zoonotic diseases ranked highly compared to those with epidemic potential suggesting these endemic diseases cause substantial public health burden. The list of priority zoonotic disease is crucial for the targeted allocation of resources and informing disease prevention and control programs for zoonoses in Kenya. PMID:27557120

Sequence-Based Prioritization of Nonsynonymous Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms for the Study of Disease Mutations

PubMed Central

Jiang, Rui ; Yang, Hua ; Zhou, Linqi ; Kuo, C.-C. Jay ; Sun, Fengzhu ; Chen, Ting 

2007-01-01

The increasing demand for the identification of genetic variation responsible for common diseases has translated into a need for sophisticated methods for effectively prioritizing mutations occurring in disease-associated genetic regions. In this article, we prioritize candidate nonsynonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) through a bioinformatics approach that takes advantages of a set of improved numeric features derived from protein-sequence information and a new statistical learning model called “multiple selection rule voting” (MSRV). The sequence-based features can maximize the scope of applications of our approach, and the MSRV model can capture subtle characteristics of individual mutations. Systematic validation of the approach demonstrates that this approach is capable of prioritizing causal mutations for both simple monogenic diseases and complex polygenic diseases. Further studies of familial Alzheimer diseases and diabetes show that the approach can enrich mutations underlying these polygenic diseases among the top of candidate mutations. Application of this approach to unclassified mutations suggests that there are 10 suspicious mutations likely to cause diseases, and there is strong support for this in the literature. PMID:17668383

[Which infectious diseases should be prioritized in educating Japanese population?].

PubMed

Horiguchi, Itsuko; Kishiwagi, Tomoko; Marui, Eiji

2008-03-01

We studied which infections would be prioritized in educating the general population of Japan. Subjects were 25 physicians and veterinarians in charge of infection control in infections control divisions of local and national governments. We conducted a questionnaire using the Delphi method. Based on (1) epidemiological and clinical characteristics, (2) knowledge level, awareness, and behavior of general population and healthcare professionals, and (3) social background and coping skills we selected 24 diseases for prioritization Tuberculosis was first, followed by influenza, HIV/AIDS, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli infection (O157), and genital chlamydial infection. Three animal-derived infections ranked in the top 10. We have not yet found which the priority of infections should be prioritized in educating the general population on infections. Although our findings are too few to make any generations about, several studies back the reasons why diseases were singled out in our study. Given the fact that most high-ranked infections have ever been educated, education thus far appears to have been highly ineffective way, meaning that more effective ways of education on infection must be found in future.

The Insertion of Human Factors Concerns into NextGen Programmatic Decisions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beard, Bettina L.; Holbrook, Jon Brian; Seely, Rachel

2013-01-01

Since the costs of proposed improvements in air traffic management exceed available funding, FAA decision makers must select and prioritize what actually gets implemented. We discuss a set of methods to help forecast operational and human performance issues and benefits before new automation is introduced. This strategy could minimize the impact of politics, assist decision makers in selecting and prioritizing potential improvements, make the process more transparent and strengthen the link between the engineering and human factors domains.

Care in post-traumatic syndrome due to gender violence: a case report.

PubMed

Sánchez-Herrero, Héctor; Duarte-Clíments, Gonzalo; González-Pérez, Teodoro; Sánchez-Gómez, María Begoña; Gomariz-Bolarín, David

This article describes a clinical case of a patient attended at a continuous care point for a generalized anxiety disorder, principally due to abuse suffered from her ex partner. The patient was followed up at family nursing clinic, and the appropriate nursing interventions were developed to cover a series of needs prioritized by nurses using the AREA method and taking into account the prioritization of the user herself. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Balancing alternative land uses in conservation prioritization.

PubMed

Moilanen, Atte; Anderson, Barbara J; Eigenbrod, Felix; Heinemeyer, Andreas; Roy, David B; Gillings, Simon; Armsworth, Paul R; Gaston, Kevin J; Thomas, Chris D

2011-07-01

Pressure on ecosystems to provide various different and often conflicting services is immense and likely to increase. The impacts and success of conservation prioritization will be enhanced if the needs of competing land uses are recognized at the planning stage. We develop such methods and illustrate them with data about competing land uses in Great Britain, with the aim of developing a conservation priority ranking that balances between needs of biodiversity conservation, carbon storage, agricultural value, and urban development potential. While both carbon stocks and biodiversity are desirable features from the point of view of conservation, they compete with the needs of agriculture and urban development. In Britain the greatest conflicts exist between biodiversity and urban areas, while the largest carbon stocks occur mostly in Scotland in areas with low agricultural or urban pressure. In our application, we were able successfully to balance the spatial allocation of alternative land uses so that conflicts between them were much smaller than had they been developed separately. The proposed methods and software, Zonation, are applicable to structurally similar prioritization problems globally.

An integrated network of Arabidopsis growth regulators and its use for gene prioritization.

PubMed

Sabaghian, Ehsan; Drebert, Zuzanna; Inzé, Dirk; Saeys, Yvan

2015-12-01

Elucidating the molecular mechanisms that govern plant growth has been an important topic in plant research, and current advances in large-scale data generation call for computational tools that efficiently combine these different data sources to generate novel hypotheses. In this work, we present a novel, integrated network that combines multiple large-scale data sources to characterize growth regulatory genes in Arabidopsis, one of the main plant model organisms. The contributions of this work are twofold: first, we characterized a set of carefully selected growth regulators with respect to their connectivity patterns in the integrated network, and, subsequently, we explored to which extent these connectivity patterns can be used to suggest new growth regulators. Using a large-scale comparative study, we designed new supervised machine learning methods to prioritize growth regulators. Our results show that these methods significantly improve current state-of-the-art prioritization techniques, and are able to suggest meaningful new growth regulators. In addition, the integrated network is made available to the scientific community, providing a rich data source that will be useful for many biological processes, not necessarily restricted to plant growth.

An application of the AHP in water resources management: a case study on urban drainage rehabilitation in Medan City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarigan, A. P. M.; Rahmad, D.; Sembiring, R. A.; Iskandar, R.

2018-02-01

This paper illustrates an application of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) as a potential decision-making method in water resource management related to drainage rehabilitation. The prioritization problem of urban drainage rehabilitation in Medan City due to limited budget is used as a study case. A hierarchical structure is formed for the prioritization criteria and the alternative drainages to be rehabilitated. Based on the AHP, the prioritization criteria are ranked and a descending-order list of drainage is made in order to select the most favorable drainages to have rehabilitation. A sensitivity analysis is then conducted to check the consistency of the final decisions in case of minor changes in judgements. The results of AHP computed manually are compared with that using the software Expert Choice. It is observed that the top three ranked drainages are consistent, and both results of the AHP methods, calculated manually and performed using Expert Choice, are in agreement. It is hoped that the application of the AHP will help the decision-making process by the city government in the problem of urban drainage rehabilitation.

Library fingerprints: a novel approach to the screening of virtual libraries.

PubMed

Klon, Anthony E; Diller, David J

2007-01-01

We propose a novel method to prioritize libraries for combinatorial synthesis and high-throughput screening that assesses the viability of a particular library on the basis of the aggregate physical-chemical properties of the compounds using a naïve Bayesian classifier. This approach prioritizes collections of related compounds according to the aggregate values of their physical-chemical parameters in contrast to single-compound screening. The method is also shown to be useful in screening existing noncombinatorial libraries when the compounds in these libraries have been previously clustered according to their molecular graphs. We show that the method used here is comparable or superior to the single-compound virtual screening of combinatorial libraries and noncombinatorial libraries and is superior to the pairwise Tanimoto similarity searching of a collection of combinatorial libraries.

Approach to technology prioritization in support of moon initiatives in the framework of ESA exploration technology roadmaps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aleina, Sara Cresto; Viola, Nicole; Fusaro, Roberta; Saccoccia, Giorgio

2017-10-01

Exploration technology roadmaps have been developed by ESA in the past few years and the latest edition has been released in 2015. Scope of these technology roadmaps, elaborated in consultation with the different ESA stakeholders (e.g. European Industries and Research Entities), is to provide a powerful tool for strategic, programmatic and technical decisions in support of the European role within an International Space Exploration context. In the context of preparation for possible future European Moon exploration initiatives, the technology roadmaps have been used to highlight the role of technology within Missions, Building Blocks and Operational Capabilities of relevance. In particular, as part of reference missions to the Moon that would fit in the time frame 2020 to 2030, ESA has addressed the definition of lunar surface exploration missions in line with its space exploration strategy, with the common mission goals of returning samples from the Moon and Mars and expanding human presence to these destinations in a step-wise approach. The roadmaps for the procurement of technologies required for the first mission elements of the above strategy have been elaborated through their main building blocks, i.e. Visual navigation, Hazard detection and avoidance; Sample acquisition, processing and containment system; Surface mobility elements; Tele-robotic and autonomous control systems; and Storable propulsion modules and equipment. Technology prioritization methodologies have been developed in support of the ESA Exploration Technology Roadmaps, in order to provide logical and quantitative instruments to verify choices of prioritization that can be carried out based on important, but non-quantitative factors. These methodologies, which are thoroughly described in the first part of the paper, proceed through subsequent steps. First, technology prioritization's criteria are selected; then decision trees are developed to highlight all feasible paths of combination of technology prioritization's criteria and to assess the final achievement of each path, i.e. the cost-effectiveness. The risk associated to each path is also evaluated. In the second part of the paper, these prioritization methodologies have been applied to some of the building blocks of relevance for the mission concepts under evaluation at ESA (such as Tele-robotic and autonomous control systems; Storable propulsion modules and equipment) and the results are presented to highlight the approach for an effective TRL increase. Eventually main conclusions are drawn.

Determinants of career satisfaction among pediatric hospitalists: a qualitative exploration

PubMed Central

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

2014-01-01

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

Prioritizing Health: A Systematic Approach to Scoping Determinants in Health Impact Assessment.

PubMed

McCallum, Lindsay C; Ollson, Christopher A; Stefanovic, Ingrid L

2016-01-01

The determinants of health are those factors that have the potential to affect health, either positively or negatively, and include a range of personal, social, economic, and environmental factors. In the practice of health impact assessment (HIA), the stage at which the determinants of health are considered for inclusion is during the scoping step. The scoping step is intended to identify how the HIA will be carried out and to set the boundaries (e.g., temporal and geographical) for the assessment. There are several factors that can help to inform the scoping process, many of which are considered in existing HIA tools and guidance; however, a systematic method of prioritizing determinants was found to be lacking. In order to analyze existing HIA scoping tools that are available, a systematic literature review was conducted, including both primary and gray literature. A total of 10 HIA scoping tools met the inclusion/exclusion criteria and were carried forward for comparative analysis. The analysis focused on minimum elements and practice standards of HIA scoping that have been established in the field. The analysis determined that existing approaches lack a clear, systematic method of prioritization of health determinants for inclusion in HIA. This finding led to the development of a Systematic HIA Scoping tool that addressed this gap. The decision matrix tool uses factors, such as impact, public concern, and data availability, to prioritize health determinants. Additionally, the tool allows for identification of data gaps and provides a transparent method for budget allocation and assessment planning. In order to increase efficiency and improve utility, the tool was programed into Microsoft Excel. Future work in the area of HIA methodology development is vital to the ongoing success of the practice and utilization of HIA as a reliable decision-making tool.

Technology for the Future: In-Space Technology Experiments Program, part 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Breckenridge, Roger A. (Compiler); Clark, Lenwood G. (Compiler); Willshire, Kelli F. (Compiler); Beck, Sherwin M. (Compiler); Collier, Lisa D. (Compiler)

1991-01-01

The purpose of the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST) In-Space Technology Experiments Program In-STEP 1988 Workshop was to identify and prioritize technologies that are critical for future national space programs and require validation in the space environment, and review current NASA (In-Reach) and industry/ university (Out-Reach) experiments. A prioritized list of the critical technology needs was developed for the following eight disciplines: structures; environmental effects; power systems and thermal management; fluid management and propulsion systems; automation and robotics; sensors and information systems; in-space systems; and humans in space. This is part two of two parts and contains the critical technology presentations for the eight theme elements and a summary listing of critical space technology needs for each theme.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2016-12-01

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

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-04-01

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

Prioritizing GWAS Results: A Review of Statistical Methods and Recommendations for Their Application

PubMed Central

Cantor, Rita M.; Lange, Kenneth; Sinsheimer, Janet S.

2010-01-01

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have rapidly become a standard method for disease gene discovery. A substantial number of recent GWAS indicate that for most disorders, only a few common variants are implicated and the associated SNPs explain only a small fraction of the genetic risk. This review is written from the viewpoint that findings from the GWAS provide preliminary genetic information that is available for additional analysis by statistical procedures that accumulate evidence, and that these secondary analyses are very likely to provide valuable information that will help prioritize the strongest constellations of results. We review and discuss three analytic methods to combine preliminary GWAS statistics to identify genes, alleles, and pathways for deeper investigations. Meta-analysis seeks to pool information from multiple GWAS to increase the chances of finding true positives among the false positives and provides a way to combine associations across GWAS, even when the original data are unavailable. Testing for epistasis within a single GWAS study can identify the stronger results that are revealed when genes interact. Pathway analysis of GWAS results is used to prioritize genes and pathways within a biological context. Following a GWAS, association results can be assigned to pathways and tested in aggregate with computational tools and pathway databases. Reviews of published methods with recommendations for their application are provided within the framework for each approach. PMID:20074509

OVA: integrating molecular and physical phenotype data from multiple biomedical domain ontologies with variant filtering for enhanced variant prioritization.

PubMed

Antanaviciute, Agne; Watson, Christopher M; Harrison, Sally M; Lascelles, Carolina; Crinnion, Laura; Markham, Alexander F; Bonthron, David T; Carr, Ian M

2015-12-01

Exome sequencing has become a de facto standard method for Mendelian disease gene discovery in recent years, yet identifying disease-causing mutations among thousands of candidate variants remains a non-trivial task. Here we describe a new variant prioritization tool, OVA (ontology variant analysis), in which user-provided phenotypic information is exploited to infer deeper biological context. OVA combines a knowledge-based approach with a variant-filtering framework. It reduces the number of candidate variants by considering genotype and predicted effect on protein sequence, and scores the remainder on biological relevance to the query phenotype.We take advantage of several ontologies in order to bridge knowledge across multiple biomedical domains and facilitate computational analysis of annotations pertaining to genes, diseases, phenotypes, tissues and pathways. In this way, OVA combines information regarding molecular and physical phenotypes and integrates both human and model organism data to effectively prioritize variants. By assessing performance on both known and novel disease mutations, we show that OVA performs biologically meaningful candidate variant prioritization and can be more accurate than another recently published candidate variant prioritization tool. OVA is freely accessible at http://dna2.leeds.ac.uk:8080/OVA/index.jsp. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. umaan@leeds.ac.uk. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

Prioritization Methodology for Chemical Replacement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruit, W.; Schutzenhofer, S.; Goldberg, B.; Everhart, K.

1993-01-01

This project serves to define an appropriate methodology for effective prioritization of efforts required to develop replacement technologies mandated by imposed and forecast legislation. The methodology used is a semiquantitative approach derived from quality function deployment techniques (QFD Matrix). This methodology aims to weigh the full environmental, cost, safety, reliability, and programmatic implications of replacement technology development to allow appropriate identification of viable candidates and programmatic alternatives. The results are being implemented as a guideline for consideration for current NASA propulsion systems.

Trends in Nonfatal Agricultural Injury in Maine and New Hampshire: Results From a Low-Cost Passive Surveillance System.

PubMed

Scott, Erika; Bell, Erin; Hirabayashi, Liane; Krupa, Nicole; Jenkins, Paul

2017-01-01

Agriculture is a dangerous industry, and although data on fatal injuries exist, less is known about nonfatal injuries. The purpose of this study is to describe trends in agricultural morbidity in Maine and New Hampshire from 2008 to 2010 using a newly established passive surveillance system. This passive system is supplied by injury cases gathered from prehospital care reports and hospital data. Demographics and specifics of the event were recorded for each incident case. The average age of injured people in Maine and New Hampshire was 41.7. Women constituted 43.8% of all agricultural injuries. Machinery- (n = 303) and animal- (n = 523) related injuries accounted for most agricultural incidents. Of all injured women, over 60% sustained injuries due to animal-related causes. Agricultural injuries were spread across the two states, with clustering in southern New Hampshire and south central Maine, with additional injuries in the Aroostook County area, which is located in the northeast part of the state. Seasonal variation in agricultural injuries was evident with peaks in the summer months. There was some overlap between the agricultural and logging industry for tree-related work. Our methods are able to capture traumatic injury in agriculture in sufficient detail to prioritize interventions and to evaluate outcomes. The system is low-cost and has the potential to be sustained over a long period. Differences in rates of animal- and machinery-related injuries suggest the need for state-specific safety prioritization.

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

PubMed Central

Chughtai, Abrar Ahmad; MacIntyre, C. Raina

2017-01-01

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

A ranking system for prescribed burn prioritization in Table Mountain National Park, South Africa.

PubMed

Cowell, Carly Ruth; Cheney, Chad

2017-04-01

To aid prescribed burn decision making in Table Mountain National Park, in South Africa a priority ranking system was tested. Historically a wildfire suppression strategy was adopted due to wildfires threatening urban areas close to the park, with few prescribed burns conducted. A large percentage of vegetation across the park exceeded the ecological threshold of 15 years. We held a multidisciplinary workshop, to prioritize areas for prescribed burning. Fire Management Blocks were mapped and assessed using the following seven categories: (1) ecological, (2) management, (3) tourism, (4) infrastructure, (5) invasive alien vegetation, (6) wildland-urban interface and (7) heritage. A priority ranking system was used to score each block. The oldest or most threatened vegetation types were not necessarily the top priority blocks. Selected blocks were burnt and burning fewer large blocks proved more effective economically, ecologically and practically due to the limited burning days permitted. The prioritization process was efficient as it could be updated annually following prescribed burns and wildfire incidents. Integration of prescribed burn planning and wildfire suppression strategies resulted in a reduction in operational costs. We recommend protected areas make use of a priority ranking system developed with expert knowledge and stakeholder engagement to determine objective prescribed burn plans. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A proven knowledge-based approach to prioritizing process information

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Corsberg, Daniel R.

1991-01-01

Many space-related processes are highly complex systems subject to sudden, major transients. In any complex process control system, a critical aspect is rapid analysis of the changing process information. During a disturbance, this task can overwhelm humans as well as computers. Humans deal with this by applying heuristics in determining significant information. A simple, knowledge-based approach to prioritizing information is described. The approach models those heuristics that humans would use in similar circumstances. The approach described has received two patents and was implemented in the Alarm Filtering System (AFS) at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL). AFS was first developed for application in a nuclear reactor control room. It has since been used in chemical processing applications, where it has had a significant impact on control room environments. The approach uses knowledge-based heuristics to analyze data from process instrumentation and respond to that data according to knowledge encapsulated in objects and rules. While AFS cannot perform the complete diagnosis and control task, it has proven to be extremely effective at filtering and prioritizing information. AFS was used for over two years as a first level of analysis for human diagnosticians. Given the approach's proven track record in a wide variety of practical applications, it should be useful in both ground- and space-based systems.

High Pressure Coolant Injection system risk-based inspection guide for Hatch Nuclear Power Station

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

DiBiasio, A.M.

1993-05-01

A review of the operating experience for the High Pressure Coolant Injection (HPCI) system at the Hatch Nuclear Power Station, Units 1 and 2, is described in this report. The information for this review was obtained from Hatch Licensee Event Reports (LERs) that were generated between 1980 and 1992. These LERs have been categorized into 23 failure modes that have been prioritized based on probabilistic risk assessment considerations. In addition, the results of the Hatch operating experience review have been compared with the results of a similar, industry wide operating, experience review. This comparison provides an indication of areas inmore » the Hatch HPCI system that should be given increased attention in the prioritization of inspection resources.« less

Based on Real Time Remote Health Monitoring Systems: A New Approach for Prioritization "Large Scales Data" Patients with Chronic Heart Diseases Using Body Sensors and Communication Technology.

PubMed

Kalid, Naser; Zaidan, A A; Zaidan, B B; Salman, Omar H; Hashim, M; Albahri, O S; Albahri, A S

2018-03-02

This paper presents a new approach to prioritize "Large-scale Data" of patients with chronic heart diseases by using body sensors and communication technology during disasters and peak seasons. An evaluation matrix is used for emergency evaluation and large-scale data scoring of patients with chronic heart diseases in telemedicine environment. However, one major problem in the emergency evaluation of these patients is establishing a reasonable threshold for patients with the most and least critical conditions. This threshold can be used to detect the highest and lowest priority levels when all the scores of patients are identical during disasters and peak seasons. A practical study was performed on 500 patients with chronic heart diseases and different symptoms, and their emergency levels were evaluated based on four main measurements: electrocardiogram, oxygen saturation sensor, blood pressure monitoring, and non-sensory measurement tool, namely, text frame. Data alignment was conducted for the raw data and decision-making matrix by converting each extracted feature into an integer. This integer represents their state in the triage level based on medical guidelines to determine the features from different sources in a platform. The patients were then scored based on a decision matrix by using multi-criteria decision-making techniques, namely, integrated multi-layer for analytic hierarchy process (MLAHP) and technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). For subjective validation, cardiologists were consulted to confirm the ranking results. For objective validation, mean ± standard deviation was computed to check the accuracy of the systematic ranking. This study provides scenarios and checklist benchmarking to evaluate the proposed and existing prioritization methods. Experimental results revealed the following. (1) The integration of TOPSIS and MLAHP effectively and systematically solved the patient settings on triage and prioritization problems. (2) In subjective validation, the first five patients assigned to the doctors were the most urgent cases that required the highest priority, whereas the last five patients were the least urgent cases and were given the lowest priority. In objective validation, scores significantly differed between the groups, indicating that the ranking results were identical. (3) For the first, second, and third scenarios, the proposed method exhibited an advantage over the benchmark method with percentages of 40%, 60%, and 100%, respectively. In conclusion, patients with the most and least urgent cases received the highest and lowest priority levels, respectively.

Dynamic Task Optimization in Remote Diabetes Monitoring Systems.

PubMed

Suh, Myung-Kyung; Woodbridge, Jonathan; Moin, Tannaz; Lan, Mars; Alshurafa, Nabil; Samy, Lauren; Mortazavi, Bobak; Ghasemzadeh, Hassan; Bui, Alex; Ahmadi, Sheila; Sarrafzadeh, Majid

2012-09-01

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, but careful symptom monitoring can prevent adverse events. A real-time patient monitoring and feedback system is one of the solutions to help patients with diabetes and their healthcare professionals monitor health-related measurements and provide dynamic feedback. However, data-driven methods to dynamically prioritize and generate tasks are not well investigated in the domain of remote health monitoring. This paper presents a wireless health project (WANDA) that leverages sensor technology and wireless communication to monitor the health status of patients with diabetes. The WANDA dynamic task management function applies data analytics in real-time to discretize continuous features, applying data clustering and association rule mining techniques to manage a sliding window size dynamically and to prioritize required user tasks. The developed algorithm minimizes the number of daily action items required by patients with diabetes using association rules that satisfy a minimum support, confidence and conditional probability thresholds. Each of these tasks maximizes information gain, thereby improving the overall level of patient adherence and satisfaction. Experimental results from applying EM-based clustering and Apriori algorithms show that the developed algorithm can predict further events with higher confidence levels and reduce the number of user tasks by up to 76.19 %.

Dynamic Task Optimization in Remote Diabetes Monitoring Systems

PubMed Central

Suh, Myung-kyung; Woodbridge, Jonathan; Moin, Tannaz; Lan, Mars; Alshurafa, Nabil; Samy, Lauren; Mortazavi, Bobak; Ghasemzadeh, Hassan; Bui, Alex; Ahmadi, Sheila; Sarrafzadeh, Majid

2016-01-01

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, but careful symptom monitoring can prevent adverse events. A real-time patient monitoring and feedback system is one of the solutions to help patients with diabetes and their healthcare professionals monitor health-related measurements and provide dynamic feedback. However, data-driven methods to dynamically prioritize and generate tasks are not well investigated in the domain of remote health monitoring. This paper presents a wireless health project (WANDA) that leverages sensor technology and wireless communication to monitor the health status of patients with diabetes. The WANDA dynamic task management function applies data analytics in real-time to discretize continuous features, applying data clustering and association rule mining techniques to manage a sliding window size dynamically and to prioritize required user tasks. The developed algorithm minimizes the number of daily action items required by patients with diabetes using association rules that satisfy a minimum support, confidence and conditional probability thresholds. Each of these tasks maximizes information gain, thereby improving the overall level of patient adherence and satisfaction. Experimental results from applying EM-based clustering and Apriori algorithms show that the developed algorithm can predict further events with higher confidence levels and reduce the number of user tasks by up to 76.19 %. PMID:27617297

Cochrane systematic reviews are useful to map research gaps for decreasing maternal mortality.

PubMed

Chapman, Evelina; Reveiz, Ludovic; Chambliss, Amy; Sangalang, Stephanie; Bonfill, Xavier

2013-01-01

To use an "evidence-mapping" approach to assess the usefulness of Cochrane reviews in identifying research gaps in the maternal health. The article describes the general mapping, prioritizing, reconciling, and updating approach: (1) identifying gaps in the maternal health research using published systematic reviews and formulating research questions, (2) prioritizing questions using Delphi method, (3) reconciling identified research priorities with the existing literature (i.e., searching of ongoing trials in trials registries), (4) updating the process. A comprehensive search of Cochrane systematic reviews published or updated from January 2006 to March 2011 was performed. We evaluated the "Implications for Research" section to identify gaps in the research. Our search strategy identified 695 references; 178 systematic reviews identifying at least one research gap were used. We formulated 319 research questions, which were classified into 11 different categories based on the direct and indirect causes of maternal mortality: postpartum hemorrhage, abortion, hypertensive disorders, infection/sepsis, caesarean section, diabetes, pregnancy prevention, preterm labor, other direct causes, indirect causes, and health policies and systems. Most research questions concerned the effectiveness of clinical interventions, including drugs (42.6%), nonpharmacologic interventions (16.3%), and health system (14.7%). It is possible to identify gaps in the maternal health research by using this approach. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An integrated miRNA functional screening and target validation method for organ morphogenesis.

PubMed

Rebustini, Ivan T; Vlahos, Maryann; Packer, Trevor; Kukuruzinska, Maria A; Maas, Richard L

2016-03-16

The relative ease of identifying microRNAs and their increasing recognition as important regulators of organogenesis motivate the development of methods to efficiently assess microRNA function during organ morphogenesis. In this context, embryonic organ explants provide a reliable and reproducible system that recapitulates some of the important early morphogenetic processes during organ development. Here we present a method to target microRNA function in explanted mouse embryonic organs. Our method combines the use of peptide-based nanoparticles to transfect specific microRNA inhibitors or activators into embryonic organ explants, with a microRNA pulldown assay that allows direct identification of microRNA targets. This method provides effective assessment of microRNA function during organ morphogenesis, allows prioritization of multiple microRNAs in parallel for subsequent genetic approaches, and can be applied to a variety of embryonic organs.

A Framework for Assessment of Aviation Safety Technology Portfolios

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Sharon M.; Reveley, Mary S.

2014-01-01

The programs within NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) conduct research and development to improve the national air transportation system so that Americans can travel as safely as possible. NASA aviation safety systems analysis personnel support various levels of ARMD management in their fulfillment of system analysis and technology prioritization as defined in the agency's program and project requirements. This paper provides a framework for the assessment of aviation safety research and technology portfolios that includes metrics such as projected impact on current and future safety, technical development risk and implementation risk. The paper also contains methods for presenting portfolio analysis and aviation safety Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) output results to management using bubble charts and quantitative decision analysis techniques.

Optimizing the construction of devices to control inaccesible surfaces - case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niţu, E. L.; Costea, A.; Iordache, M. D.; Rizea, A. D.; Babă, Al

2017-10-01

The modern concept for the evolution of manufacturing systems requires multi-criteria optimization of technological processes and equipments, prioritizing associated criteria according to their importance. Technological preparation of the manufacturing can be developed, depending on the volume of production, to the limit of favourable economical effects related to the recovery of the costs for the design and execution of the technological equipment. Devices, as subsystems of the technological system, in the general context of modernization and diversification of machines, tools, semi-finished products and drives, are made in a multitude of constructive variants, which in many cases do not allow their identification, study and improvement. This paper presents a case study in which the multi-criteria analysis of some structures, based on a general optimization method, of novelty character, is used in order to determine the optimal construction variant of a control device. The rational construction of the control device confirms that the optimization method and the proposed calculation methods are correct and determine a different system configuration, new features and functions, and a specific method of working to control inaccessible surfaces.

Evaluating the impact of prioritization of antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in New York City

PubMed Central

Kessler, Jason; Myers, Julie E.; Nucifora, Kimberly A.; Mensah, Nana; Toohey, Christopher; Khademi, Amin; Cutler, Blayne; Braithwaite, R. Scott

2015-01-01

Objective To compare the value and effectiveness of different prioritization strategies of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in New York City (NYC). Design Mathematical modeling utilized as clinical trial is not feasible. Methods Using a model accounting for both sexual and parenteral transmission of HIV we compare different prioritization strategies (PPS) for PrEP to two scenarios—no PrEP and PrEP for all susceptible at-risk individuals. The PPS included PrEP for all MSM, only high-risk MSM, high-risk heterosexuals, and injection drug users, and all combinations of these four strategies. Outcomes included HIV infections averted, and incremental cost effectiveness (per-infection averted) ratios. Initial assumptions regarding PrEP included a 44% reduction in HIV transmission, 50% uptake in the prioritized population and an annual cost per person of $9,762. Sensitivity analyses on key parameters were conducted. Results Prioritization to all MSM results in a 19% reduction in new HIV infections. Compared to PrEP for all persons at-risk this PPS retains 79% of the preventative effect at 15% of the total cost. PrEP prioritized to only high-risk MSM results in a reduction in new HIV infections of 15%. This PPS retains 60% of the preventative effect at 6% of the total cost. There are diminishing returns when PrEP utilization is expanded beyond this group. Conclusions PrEP implementation is relatively cost-inefficient under our initial assumptions. Our results suggest that PrEP should first be promoted among MSM who are at particularly high-risk of HIV acquisition. Further expansion beyond this group may be cost-effective, but is unlikely to be cost-saving. PMID:25493594

A probabilistic method to diagnose faults of air handling units

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dey, Debashis

Air handling unit (AHU) is one of the most extensively used equipment in large commercial buildings. This device is typically customized and lacks quality system integration which can result in hardwire failures and controller errors. Air handling unit Performance Assessment Rules (APAR) is a fault detection tool that uses a set of expert rules derived from mass and energy balances to detect faults in air handling units. APAR is computationally simple enough that it can be embedded in commercial building automation and control systems and relies only upon sensor data and control signals that are commonly available in these systems. Although APAR has many advantages over other methods, for example no training data required and easy to implement commercially, most of the time it is unable to provide the diagnosis of the faults. For instance, a fault on temperature sensor could be fixed bias, drifting bias, inappropriate location, complete failure. Also a fault in mixing box can be return and outdoor damper leak or stuck. In addition, when multiple rules are satisfied the list of faults increases. There is no proper way to have the correct diagnosis for rule based fault detection system. To overcome this limitation we proposed Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) as a diagnostic tool. BBN can be used to simulate diagnostic thinking of FDD experts through a probabilistic way. In this study we developed a new way to detect and diagnose faults in AHU through combining APAR rules and Bayesian Belief network. Bayesian Belief Network is used as a decision support tool for rule based expert system. BBN is highly capable to prioritize faults when multiple rules are satisfied simultaneously. Also it can get information from previous AHU operating conditions and maintenance records to provide proper diagnosis. The proposed model is validated with real time measured data of a campus building at University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA).The results show that BBN is correctly able to prioritize faults which can be verified by manual investigation.

Orbit transfer rocket engine technology program: Automated preflight methods concept definition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Erickson, C. M.; Hertzberg, D. W.

1991-01-01

The possibility of automating preflight engine checkouts on orbit transfer engines is discussed. The minimum requirements in terms of information and processing necessary to assess the engine'e integrity and readiness to perform its mission were first defined. A variety of ways for remotely obtaining that information were generated. The sophistication of these approaches varied from a simple preliminary power up, where the engine is fired up for the first time, to the most advanced approach where the sensor and operational history data system alone indicates engine integrity. The critical issues and benefits of these methods were identified, outlined, and prioritized. The technology readiness of each of these automated preflight methods were then rated on a NASA Office of Exploration scale used for comparing technology options for future mission choices. Finally, estimates were made of the remaining cost to advance the technology for each method to a level where the system validation models have been demonstrated in a simulated environment.

An integration of genome-wide association study and gene expression profiling to prioritize the discovery of novel susceptibility Loci for osteoporosis-related traits.

PubMed

Hsu, Yi-Hsiang; Zillikens, M Carola; Wilson, Scott G; Farber, Charles R; Demissie, Serkalem; Soranzo, Nicole; Bianchi, Estelle N; Grundberg, Elin; Liang, Liming; Richards, J Brent; Estrada, Karol; Zhou, Yanhua; van Nas, Atila; Moffatt, Miriam F; Zhai, Guangju; Hofman, Albert; van Meurs, Joyce B; Pols, Huibert A P; Price, Roger I; Nilsson, Olle; Pastinen, Tomi; Cupples, L Adrienne; Lusis, Aldons J; Schadt, Eric E; Ferrari, Serge; Uitterlinden, André G; Rivadeneira, Fernando; Spector, Timothy D; Karasik, David; Kiel, Douglas P

2010-06-10

Osteoporosis is a complex disorder and commonly leads to fractures in elderly persons. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have become an unbiased approach to identify variations in the genome that potentially affect health. However, the genetic variants identified so far only explain a small proportion of the heritability for complex traits. Due to the modest genetic effect size and inadequate power, true association signals may not be revealed based on a stringent genome-wide significance threshold. Here, we take advantage of SNP and transcript arrays and integrate GWAS and expression signature profiling relevant to the skeletal system in cellular and animal models to prioritize the discovery of novel candidate genes for osteoporosis-related traits, including bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine (LS) and femoral neck (FN), as well as geometric indices of the hip (femoral neck-shaft angle, NSA; femoral neck length, NL; and narrow-neck width, NW). A two-stage meta-analysis of GWAS from 7,633 Caucasian women and 3,657 men, revealed three novel loci associated with osteoporosis-related traits, including chromosome 1p13.2 (RAP1A, p = 3.6x10(-8)), 2q11.2 (TBC1D8), and 18q11.2 (OSBPL1A), and confirmed a previously reported region near TNFRSF11B/OPG gene. We also prioritized 16 suggestive genome-wide significant candidate genes based on their potential involvement in skeletal metabolism. Among them, 3 candidate genes were associated with BMD in women. Notably, 2 out of these 3 genes (GPR177, p = 2.6x10(-13); SOX6, p = 6.4x10(-10)) associated with BMD in women have been successfully replicated in a large-scale meta-analysis of BMD, but none of the non-prioritized candidates (associated with BMD) did. Our results support the concept of our prioritization strategy. In the absence of direct biological support for identified genes, we highlighted the efficiency of subsequent functional characterization using publicly available expression profiling relevant to the skeletal system in cellular or whole animal models to prioritize candidate genes for further functional validation.

Information prioritization for control and automation of space operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ray, Asock; Joshi, Suresh M.; Whitney, Cynthia K.; Jow, Hong N.

1987-01-01

The applicability of a real-time information prioritization technique to the development of a decision support system for control and automation of Space Station operations is considered. The steps involved in the technique are described, including the definition of abnormal scenarios and of attributes, measures of individual attributes, formulation and optimization of a cost function, simulation of test cases on the basis of the cost function, and examination of the simulation scenerios. A list is given comparing the intrinsic importances of various Space Station information data.

'Emerging technologies for the changing global market' - Prioritization methodology for chemical replacement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruit, Wendy; Schutzenhofer, Scott; Goldberg, Ben; Everhart, Kurt

1993-01-01

This project served to define an appropriate methodology for effective prioritization of technology efforts required to develop replacement technologies mandated by imposed and forecast legislation. The methodology used is a semiquantitative approach derived from quality function deployment techniques (QFD Matrix). This methodology aims to weight the full environmental, cost, safety, reliability, and programmatic implications of replacement technology development to allow appropriate identification of viable candidates and programmatic alternatives. The results will be implemented as a guideline for consideration for current NASA propulsion systems.

Can Zebrafish be used to Identify Developmentally Neurotoxic Chemicals

EPA Science Inventory

Can Zebrafish be Used to Identify Developmentally Neurotoxic Chemicals? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is evaluating methods to screen and prioritize large numbers of chemicals for developmental neurotoxicity. We are exploring behavioral methods using zebrafish by desig...

Catchment-wide wetland assessment and prioritization using the multi-criteria decision-making method TOPSIS.

PubMed

Liu, Canran; Frazier, Paul; Kumar, Lalit; Macgregor, Catherine; Blake, Nigel

2006-08-01

It is widely accepted that wetland ecosystems are under threat worldwide. Many communities are now trying to establish wetland rehabilitation programs, but are confounded by a lack of objective information on wetland condition or significance. In this study, a multi-criteria decision-making method, TOPSIS (the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution), was adapted to assist in the role of assessing wetland condition and rehabilitation priority in the Clarence River Catchment (New South Wales, Australia). Using 13 GIS data layers that described wetland character, wetland protection, and wetland threats, the wetlands were ranked in terms of condition. Through manipulation of the original model, the wetlands were prioritized for rehabilitation. The method offered a screening tool for the managers in choosing potential candidate wetlands for rehabilitation in a region.

Prioritization of constituents for national- and regional-scale ambient monitoring of water and sediment in the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olsen, Lisa D.; Valder, Joshua F.; Carter, Janet M.; Zogorski, John S.

2013-01-01

A total of 2,541 constituents were evaluated and prioritized for national- and regional-scale ambient monitoring of water and sediment in the United States. This prioritization was done by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in preparation for the upcoming third decade (Cycle 3; 2013–23) of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. This report provides the methods used to prioritize the constituents and the results of that prioritization. Constituents were prioritized by the NAWQA National Target Analyte Strategy (NTAS) work group on the basis of available information on physical and chemical properties, observed or predicted environmental occurrence and fate, and observed or anticipated adverse effects on human health or aquatic life. Constituents were evaluated within constituent groups that were determined on the basis of physical or chemical properties or on uses or sources. Some constituents were evaluated within more than one constituent group. Although comparable objectives were used in the prioritization of constituents within the different constituent groups, differences in the availability of information accessed for each constituent group led to the development of separate prioritization approaches adapted to each constituent group to make best use of available resources. Constituents were assigned to one of three prioritization tiers: Tier 1, those having the highest priority for inclusion in ambient monitoring of water or sediment on a national or regional scale (including NAWQA Cycle 3 monitoring) on the basis of their likelihood of environmental occurrence in ambient water or sediment, or likelihood of effects on human health or aquatic life; Tier 2, those having intermediate priority for monitoring on the basis of their lower likelihood of environmental occurrence or lower likelihood of effects on human health or aquatic life; and Tier 3, those having low or no priority for monitoring on the basis of evidence of nonoccurrence or lack of effects on human health or aquatic life, or of having insufficient evidence of potential occurrence or effects to justify placement into Tier 2. Of the 1,081 constituents determined to be of highest priority for ambient monitoring (Tier 1), 602 were identified for water and 686 were identified for sediment (note that some constituents were evaluated for both water and sediment). These constituents included various types of organic compounds, trace elements and other inorganic constituents, and radionuclides. Some of these constituents are difficult to analyze, whereas others are mixtures, isomers, congeners, salts, and acids of other constituents; therefore, modifications to the list of high-priority constituents for ambient monitoring could be made on the basis of the availability of suitable methods for preparation, extraction, or analysis. An additional 1,460 constituents were placed into Tiers 2 or 3 for water or sediment, including some constituents that had been placed into Tier 1 for a different matrix; 436 constituents were placed into Tier 2 for water and 246 constituents into Tier 2 for sediment; 979 constituents were placed into Tier 3 for water and 779 constituents into Tier 3 for sediment.

Optimal dynamic control of invasions: applying a systematic conservation approach.

PubMed

Adams, Vanessa M; Setterfield, Samantha A

2015-06-01

The social, economic, and environmental impacts of invasive plants are well recognized. However, these variable impacts are rarely accounted for in the spatial prioritization of funding for weed management. We examine how current spatially explicit prioritization methods can be extended to identify optimal budget allocations to both eradication and control measures of invasive species to minimize the costs and likelihood of invasion. Our framework extends recent approaches to systematic prioritization of weed management to account for multiple values that are threatened by weed invasions with a multi-year dynamic prioritization approach. We apply our method to the northern portion of the Daly catchment in the Northern Territory, which has significant conservation values that are threatened by gamba grass (Andropogon gayanus), a highly invasive species recognized by the Australian government as a Weed of National Significance (WONS). We interface Marxan, a widely applied conservation planning tool, with a dynamic biophysical model of gamba grass to optimally allocate funds to eradication and control programs under two budget scenarios comparing maximizing gain (MaxGain) and minimizing loss (MinLoss) optimization approaches. The prioritizations support previous findings that a MinLoss approach is a better strategy when threats are more spatially variable than conservation values. Over a 10-year simulation period, we find that a MinLoss approach reduces future infestations by ~8% compared to MaxGain in the constrained budget scenarios and ~12% in the unlimited budget scenarios. We find that due to the extensive current invasion and rapid rate of spread, allocating the annual budget to control efforts is more efficient than funding eradication efforts when there is a constrained budget. Under a constrained budget, applying the most efficient optimization scenario (control, minloss) reduces spread by ~27% compared to no control. Conversely, if the budget is unlimited it is more efficient to fund eradication efforts and reduces spread by ~65% compared to no control.

Identification of lung cancer histology-specific variants applying Bayesian framework variant prioritization approaches within the TRICL and ILCCO consortia

PubMed Central

Brenner, Darren R.; Amos, Christopher I.; Brhane, Yonathan; Timofeeva, Maria N.; Caporaso, Neil; Wang, Yufei; Christiani, David C.; Bickeböller, Heike; Yang, Ping; Albanes, Demetrius; Stevens, Victoria L.; Gapstur, Susan; McKay, James; Boffetta, Paolo; Zaridze, David; Szeszenia-Dabrowska, Neonilia; Lissowska, Jolanta; Rudnai, Peter; Fabianova, Eleonora; Mates, Dana; Bencko, Vladimir; Foretova, Lenka; Janout, Vladimir; Krokan, Hans E.; Skorpen, Frank; Gabrielsen, Maiken E.; Vatten, Lars; Njølstad, Inger; Chen, Chu; Goodman, Gary; Lathrop, Mark; Vooder, Tõnu; Välk, Kristjan; Nelis, Mari; Metspalu, Andres; Broderick, Peter; Eisen, Timothy; Wu, Xifeng; Zhang, Di; Chen, Wei; Spitz, Margaret R.; Wei, Yongyue; Su, Li; Xie, Dong; She, Jun; Matsuo, Keitaro; Matsuda, Fumihiko; Ito, Hidemi; Risch, Angela; Heinrich, Joachim; Rosenberger, Albert; Muley, Thomas; Dienemann, Hendrik; Field, John K.; Raji, Olaide; Chen, Ying; Gosney, John; Liloglou, Triantafillos; Davies, Michael P.A.; Marcus, Michael; McLaughlin, John; Orlow, Irene; Han, Younghun; Li, Yafang; Zong, Xuchen; Johansson, Mattias; Liu, Geoffrey; Tworoger, Shelley S.; Le Marchand, Loic; Henderson, Brian E.; Wilkens, Lynne R.; Dai, Juncheng; Shen, Hongbing; Houlston, Richard S.; Landi, Maria T.; Brennan, Paul; Hung, Rayjean J.

2015-01-01

Large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have likely uncovered all common variants at the GWAS significance level. Additional variants within the suggestive range (0.0001> P > 5×10−8) are, however, still of interest for identifying causal associations. This analysis aimed to apply novel variant prioritization approaches to identify additional lung cancer variants that may not reach the GWAS level. Effects were combined across studies with a total of 33456 controls and 6756 adenocarcinoma (AC; 13 studies), 5061 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC; 12 studies) and 2216 small cell lung cancer cases (9 studies). Based on prior information such as variant physical properties and functional significance, we applied stratified false discovery rates, hierarchical modeling and Bayesian false discovery probabilities for variant prioritization. We conducted a fine mapping analysis as validation of our methods by examining top-ranking novel variants in six independent populations with a total of 3128 cases and 2966 controls. Three novel loci in the suggestive range were identified based on our Bayesian framework analyses: KCNIP4 at 4p15.2 (rs6448050, P = 4.6×10−7) and MTMR2 at 11q21 (rs10501831, P = 3.1×10−6) with SCC, as well as GAREM at 18q12.1 (rs11662168, P = 3.4×10−7) with AC. Use of our prioritization methods validated two of the top three loci associated with SCC (P = 1.05×10−4 for KCNIP4, represented by rs9799795) and AC (P = 2.16×10−4 for GAREM, represented by rs3786309) in the independent fine mapping populations. This study highlights the utility of using prior functional data for sequence variants in prioritization analyses to search for robust signals in the suggestive range. PMID:26363033

Identification of lung cancer histology-specific variants applying Bayesian framework variant prioritization approaches within the TRICL and ILCCO consortia.

PubMed

Brenner, Darren R; Amos, Christopher I; Brhane, Yonathan; Timofeeva, Maria N; Caporaso, Neil; Wang, Yufei; Christiani, David C; Bickeböller, Heike; Yang, Ping; Albanes, Demetrius; Stevens, Victoria L; Gapstur, Susan; McKay, James; Boffetta, Paolo; Zaridze, David; Szeszenia-Dabrowska, Neonilia; Lissowska, Jolanta; Rudnai, Peter; Fabianova, Eleonora; Mates, Dana; Bencko, Vladimir; Foretova, Lenka; Janout, Vladimir; Krokan, Hans E; Skorpen, Frank; Gabrielsen, Maiken E; Vatten, Lars; Njølstad, Inger; Chen, Chu; Goodman, Gary; Lathrop, Mark; Vooder, Tõnu; Välk, Kristjan; Nelis, Mari; Metspalu, Andres; Broderick, Peter; Eisen, Timothy; Wu, Xifeng; Zhang, Di; Chen, Wei; Spitz, Margaret R; Wei, Yongyue; Su, Li; Xie, Dong; She, Jun; Matsuo, Keitaro; Matsuda, Fumihiko; Ito, Hidemi; Risch, Angela; Heinrich, Joachim; Rosenberger, Albert; Muley, Thomas; Dienemann, Hendrik; Field, John K; Raji, Olaide; Chen, Ying; Gosney, John; Liloglou, Triantafillos; Davies, Michael P A; Marcus, Michael; McLaughlin, John; Orlow, Irene; Han, Younghun; Li, Yafang; Zong, Xuchen; Johansson, Mattias; Liu, Geoffrey; Tworoger, Shelley S; Le Marchand, Loic; Henderson, Brian E; Wilkens, Lynne R; Dai, Juncheng; Shen, Hongbing; Houlston, Richard S; Landi, Maria T; Brennan, Paul; Hung, Rayjean J

2015-11-01

Large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have likely uncovered all common variants at the GWAS significance level. Additional variants within the suggestive range (0.0001> P > 5×10(-8)) are, however, still of interest for identifying causal associations. This analysis aimed to apply novel variant prioritization approaches to identify additional lung cancer variants that may not reach the GWAS level. Effects were combined across studies with a total of 33456 controls and 6756 adenocarcinoma (AC; 13 studies), 5061 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC; 12 studies) and 2216 small cell lung cancer cases (9 studies). Based on prior information such as variant physical properties and functional significance, we applied stratified false discovery rates, hierarchical modeling and Bayesian false discovery probabilities for variant prioritization. We conducted a fine mapping analysis as validation of our methods by examining top-ranking novel variants in six independent populations with a total of 3128 cases and 2966 controls. Three novel loci in the suggestive range were identified based on our Bayesian framework analyses: KCNIP4 at 4p15.2 (rs6448050, P = 4.6×10(-7)) and MTMR2 at 11q21 (rs10501831, P = 3.1×10(-6)) with SCC, as well as GAREM at 18q12.1 (rs11662168, P = 3.4×10(-7)) with AC. Use of our prioritization methods validated two of the top three loci associated with SCC (P = 1.05×10(-4) for KCNIP4, represented by rs9799795) and AC (P = 2.16×10(-4) for GAREM, represented by rs3786309) in the independent fine mapping populations. This study highlights the utility of using prior functional data for sequence variants in prioritization analyses to search for robust signals in the suggestive range. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Are exposure predictions, used for the prioritization of pharmaceuticals in the environment, fit for purpose?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Burns, Emily E.; Thomas-Oates, Jane; Kolpin, Dana W.; Furlong, Edward T.; Boxall, Alistair B.A.

2017-01-01

Prioritization methodologies are often used for identifying those pharmaceuticals that pose the greatest risk to the natural environment and to focus laboratory testing or environmental monitoring toward pharmaceuticals of greatest concern. Risk-based prioritization approaches, employing models to derive exposure concentrations, are commonly used, but the reliability of these models is unclear. The present study evaluated the accuracy of exposure models commonly used for pharmaceutical prioritization. Targeted monitoring was conducted for 95 pharmaceuticals in the Rivers Foss and Ouse in the City of York (UK). Predicted environmental concentration (PEC) ranges were estimated based on localized prescription, hydrological data, reported metabolism, and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) removal rates, and were compared with measured environmental concentrations (MECs). For the River Foss, PECs, obtained using highest metabolism and lowest WWTP removal, were similar to MECs. In contrast, this trend was not observed for the River Ouse, possibly because of pharmaceutical inputs unaccounted for by our modeling. Pharmaceuticals were ranked by risk based on either MECs or PECs. With 2 exceptions (dextromethorphan and diphenhydramine), risk ranking based on both MECs and PECs produced similar results in the River Foss. Overall, these findings indicate that PECs may well be appropriate for prioritization of pharmaceuticals in the environment when robust and local data on the system of interest are available and reflective of most source inputs. 

Advanced building energy management system demonstration for Department of Defense buildings.

PubMed

O'Neill, Zheng; Bailey, Trevor; Dong, Bing; Shashanka, Madhusudana; Luo, Dong

2013-08-01

This paper presents an advanced building energy management system (aBEMS) that employs advanced methods of whole-building performance monitoring combined with statistical methods of learning and data analysis to enable identification of both gradual and discrete performance erosion and faults. This system assimilated data collected from multiple sources, including blueprints, reduced-order models (ROM) and measurements, and employed advanced statistical learning algorithms to identify patterns of anomalies. The results were presented graphically in a manner understandable to facilities managers. A demonstration of aBEMS was conducted in buildings at Naval Station Great Lakes. The facility building management systems were extended to incorporate the energy diagnostics and analysis algorithms, producing systematic identification of more efficient operation strategies. At Naval Station Great Lakes, greater than 20% savings were demonstrated for building energy consumption by improving facility manager decision support to diagnose energy faults and prioritize alternative, energy-efficient operation strategies. The paper concludes with recommendations for widespread aBEMS success. © 2013 New York Academy of Sciences.

Tennessee long-range transportation plan : project evaluation system

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-12-01

The Project Evaluation System (PES) Report is an analytical methodology to aid programming efforts and prioritize multimodal investments. The methodology consists of both quantitative and qualitative evaluation criteria built upon the Guiding Princip...

Prioritizing health technologies in a Primary Care Trust.

PubMed

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

2007-04-01

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

A public resource facilitating clinical use of genomes

PubMed Central

Ball, Madeleine P.; Thakuria, Joseph V.; Zaranek, Alexander Wait; Clegg, Tom; Rosenbaum, Abraham M.; Wu, Xiaodi; Angrist, Misha; Bhak, Jong; Bobe, Jason; Callow, Matthew J.; Cano, Carlos; Chou, Michael F.; Chung, Wendy K.; Douglas, Shawn M.; Estep, Preston W.; Gore, Athurva; Hulick, Peter; Labarga, Alberto; Lee, Je-Hyuk; Lunshof, Jeantine E.; Kim, Byung Chul; Kim, Jong-Il; Li, Zhe; Murray, Michael F.; Nilsen, Geoffrey B.; Peters, Brock A.; Raman, Anugraha M.; Rienhoff, Hugh Y.; Robasky, Kimberly; Wheeler, Matthew T.; Vandewege, Ward; Vorhaus, Daniel B.; Yang, Joyce L.; Yang, Luhan; Aach, John; Ashley, Euan A.; Drmanac, Radoje; Kim, Seong-Jin; Li, Jin Billy; Peshkin, Leonid; Seidman, Christine E.; Seo, Jeong-Sun; Zhang, Kun; Rehm, Heidi L.; Church, George M.

2012-01-01

Rapid advances in DNA sequencing promise to enable new diagnostics and individualized therapies. Achieving personalized medicine, however, will require extensive research on highly reidentifiable, integrated datasets of genomic and health information. To assist with this, participants in the Personal Genome Project choose to forgo privacy via our institutional review board- approved “open consent” process. The contribution of public data and samples facilitates both scientific discovery and standardization of methods. We present our findings after enrollment of more than 1,800 participants, including whole-genome sequencing of 10 pilot participant genomes (the PGP-10). We introduce the Genome-Environment-Trait Evidence (GET-Evidence) system. This tool automatically processes genomes and prioritizes both published and novel variants for interpretation. In the process of reviewing the presumed healthy PGP-10 genomes, we find numerous literature references implying serious disease. Although it is sometimes impossible to rule out a late-onset effect, stringent evidence requirements can address the high rate of incidental findings. To that end we develop a peer production system for recording and organizing variant evaluations according to standard evidence guidelines, creating a public forum for reaching consensus on interpretation of clinically relevant variants. Genome analysis becomes a two-step process: using a prioritized list to record variant evaluations, then automatically sorting reviewed variants using these annotations. Genome data, health and trait information, participant samples, and variant interpretations are all shared in the public domain—we invite others to review our results using our participant samples and contribute to our interpretations. We offer our public resource and methods to further personalized medical research. PMID:22797899

Use of inverse spatial conservation prioritization to avoid biological diversity loss outside protected areas.

PubMed

Kareksela, Santtu; Moilanen, Atte; Tuominen, Seppo; Kotiaho, Janne S

2013-12-01

Globally expanding human land use sets constantly increasing pressure for maintenance of biological diversity and functioning ecosystems. To fight the decline of biological diversity, conservation science has broken ground with methods such as the operational model of systematic conservation planning (SCP), which focuses on design and on-the-ground implementation of conservation areas. The most commonly used method in SCP is reserve selection that focuses on the spatial design of reserve networks and their expansion. We expanded these methods by introducing another form of spatial allocation of conservation effort relevant for land-use zoning at the landscape scale that avoids negative ecological effects of human land use outside protected areas. We call our method inverse spatial conservation prioritization. It can be used to identify areas suitable for economic development while simultaneously limiting total ecological and environmental effects of that development at the landscape level by identifying areas with highest economic but lowest ecological value. Our method is not based on a priori targets, and as such it is applicable to cases where the effects of land use on, for example, individual species or ecosystem types are relatively small and would not lead to violation of regional or national conservation targets. We applied our method to land-use allocation to peat mining. Our method identified a combination of profitable production areas that provides the needed area for peat production while retaining most of the landscape-level ecological value of the ecosystem. The results of this inverse spatial conservation prioritization are being used in land-use zoning in the province of Central Finland. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

Synergistic target combination prediction from curated signaling networks: Machine learning meets systems biology and pharmacology.

PubMed

Chua, Huey Eng; Bhowmick, Sourav S; Tucker-Kellogg, Lisa

2017-10-01

Given a signaling network, the target combination prediction problem aims to predict efficacious and safe target combinations for combination therapy. State-of-the-art in silico methods use Monte Carlo simulated annealing (mcsa) to modify a candidate solution stochastically, and use the Metropolis criterion to accept or reject the proposed modifications. However, such stochastic modifications ignore the impact of the choice of targets and their activities on the combination's therapeutic effect and off-target effects, which directly affect the solution quality. In this paper, we present mascot, a method that addresses this limitation by leveraging two additional heuristic criteria to minimize off-target effects and achieve synergy for candidate modification. Specifically, off-target effects measure the unintended response of a signaling network to the target combination and is often associated with toxicity. Synergy occurs when a pair of targets exerts effects that are greater than the sum of their individual effects, and is generally a beneficial strategy for maximizing effect while minimizing toxicity. mascot leverages on a machine learning-based target prioritization method which prioritizes potential targets in a given disease-associated network to select more effective targets (better therapeutic effect and/or lower off-target effects); and on Loewe additivity theory from pharmacology which assesses the non-additive effects in a combination drug treatment to select synergistic target activities. Our experimental study on two disease-related signaling networks demonstrates the superiority of mascot in comparison to existing approaches. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Aviation System Analysis Capability Executive Assistant Analyses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, Eileen; Kostiuk, Peter

1999-01-01

This document describes the analyses that may be incorporated into the Aviation System Analysis Capability Executive Assistant. The document will be used as a discussion tool to enable NASA and other integrated aviation system entities to evaluate, discuss, and prioritize analyses.

Recommendations for Developing Alternative Test Methods for Screening and Prioritization of Chemicals for Developmental Neurotoxicity

EPA Science Inventory

Developmental neurotoxicity testing (DNT) is perceived by many stakeholders to be an area in critical need of alternative methods to current animal testing protocols and gUidelines. An immediate goal is to develop test methods that are capable of screening large numbers of chemic...

A Priority-Based View of Future Challenges in International Nuclear Safeguards.

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

Matteucci, Kayla

The international nuclear safeguards community is faced with a host of challenges in the coming years, many of which have been outlined but have not been described in terms of their urgency. Literature regarding safeguards challenges is either broad and devoid of any reference to prioritization or tailored to a specific problem and removed from the overall goals of the safeguards community. For example, developing new methods of environmental sampling, improving containment and surveillance (C/S) technologies to increase efficiency and decrease inspection time, advancing nuclear material accountancy (NMA) techniques, and planning safeguards approaches for new types of nuclear facilities aremore » all important. They have not, however, been distinctly prioritized at a high level within the safeguards community. Based on a review of existing literature and interviews with experts on these upcoming challenges, this paper offers a high-level summary of present and future priorities in safeguards, with attention both to what is feasible and to what is most imperative. In doing so, the paper addresses the potential repercussions for failing to prioritize, with a focus on the risk of diversion of nuclear material. Within the context of shifts in the American political landscape, and keeping in mind that nonproliferation issues may take a backseat to others in the near future, a prioritized view of safeguards objectives will be vital. In the interest of expanding upon this work, the paper offers several potential conceptual models for prioritization which can be explored in greater depth upon further research.« less

A systematic collaborative process for assessing launch vehicle propulsion technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Odom, Pat R.

1999-01-01

A systematic, collaborative process for prioritizing candidate investments in space transportation systems technologies has been developed for the NASA Space Transportation Programs Office. The purpose of the process is to provide a repeatable and auditable basis for selecting technology investments to enable achievement of NASA's strategic space transportation objectives. The paper describes the current multilevel process and supporting software tool that has been developed. Technologies are prioritized across system applications to produce integrated portfolios for recommended funding. An example application of the process to the assessment of launch vehicle propulsion technologies is described and illustrated. The methodologies discussed in the paper are expected to help NASA and industry ensure maximum returns from technology investments under constrained budgets.

Designing monitoring programs for chemicals of emerging concern in potable reuse--what to include and what not to include?

PubMed

Drewes, J E; Anderson, P; Denslow, N; Olivieri, A; Schlenk, D; Snyder, S A; Maruya, K A

2013-01-01

This study discussed a proposed process to prioritize chemicals for reclaimed water monitoring programs, selection of analytical methods required for their quantification, toxicological relevance of chemicals of emerging concern regarding human health, and related issues. Given that thousands of chemicals are potentially present in reclaimed water and that information about those chemicals is rapidly evolving, a transparent, science-based framework was developed to guide prioritization of which compounds of emerging concern (CECs) should be included in reclaimed water monitoring programs. The recommended framework includes four steps: (1) compile environmental concentrations (e.g., measured environmental concentration or MEC) of CECs in the source water for reuse projects; (2) develop a monitoring trigger level (MTL) for each of these compounds (or groups thereof) based on toxicological relevance; (3) compare the environmental concentration (e.g., MEC) to the MTL; CECs with a MEC/MTL ratio greater than 1 should be prioritized for monitoring, compounds with a ratio less than '1' should only be considered if they represent viable treatment process performance indicators; and (4) screen the priority list to ensure that a commercially available robust analytical method is available for that compound.

A qualitative study of implementation and adaptations to Progressive Tinnitus Management (PTM) delivery.

PubMed

Tuepker, Anaïs; Elnitsky, Christine; Newell, Summer; Zaugg, Tara; Henry, James A

2018-01-01

Tinnitus is a common condition, especially prevalent among military Veterans. Progressive Tinnitus Management (PTM) is an interdisciplinary, structured, stepped-care approach to providing clinical services, including teaching coping skills, to people bothered by tinnitus. PTM has been shown to be effective at reducing functional distress, but implementation of the intervention outside of a research setting has not been studied, even though dissemination is underway within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) system in the United States. This study was designed to address a gap in knowledge of PTM clinical implementation to date, with a focus on factors facilitating or hindering implementation in VHA audiology and mental health clinic contexts, and whether implementing sites had developed intervention adaptations. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 21 audiology and mental health clinicians and service chiefs across a regional service network. Interviews were transcribed and coded using a hybrid inductive-deductive analytic approach guided by existing implementation research frameworks and then iteratively developed for emergent themes. PTM prioritization was rare overall, with providers across disciplines challenged by lack of capacity for implementation, but with differences by discipline in challenges to prioritization. Where PTM was prioritized and delivered, this was facilitated by perception of unique value, provider's own experience of tinnitus, observation/experience with PTM delivery, intervention fit with provider's skills, and an environment with supportive leadership and adaptive reserve. PTM was frequently adapted to local contexts to address delivery challenges and diversify patient options. Adaptations included shifting from group to individual formats, reducing or combining sessions, and employing novel therapeutic approaches. Existing adaptations highlight the need to better understand mechanisms underlying PTM's effectiveness, and research on the impact of adaptations on patient outcomes is an important next step. Prioritization of PTM is a key barrier to the scale up and spread of this evidence-based intervention. Developing clinician champions may facilitate dissemination, especially if accompanied by signals of systemic prioritization. Novel approaches exposing clinicians and administrators to PTM may identify and develop clinical champions. Acknowledging the potential for PTM adaptations may make delivery more feasible in the context of existing system constraints and priorities.

Which health technologies should be funded? A prioritization framework based explicitly on value for money.

PubMed

Golan, Ofra; Hansen, Paul

2012-11-26

Deciding which health technologies to fund involves confronting some of the most difficult choices in medicine. As for other countries, the Israeli health system is faced each year with having to make these difficult decisions. The Public National Advisory Committee, known as 'the Basket Committee', selects new technologies for the basic list of health care that all Israelis are entitled to access, known as the 'health basket'. We introduce a framework for health technology prioritization based explicitly on value for money that enables the main variables considered by decision-makers to be explicitly included. Although the framework's exposition is in terms of the Basket Committee selecting new technologies for Israel's health basket, we believe that the framework would also work well for other countries. Our proposed prioritization framework involves comparing four main variables for each technology: 1. Incremental benefits, including 'equity benefits', to Israel's population; 2. Incremental total cost to Israel's health system; 3. Quality of evidence; and 4. Any additional 'X-factors' not elsewhere included, such as strategic or legal factors, etc. Applying methodology from multi-criteria decision analysis, the multiple dimensions comprising the first variable are aggregated via a points system. The four variables are combined for each technology and compared across the technologies in the 'Value for Money (VfM) Chart'. The VfM Chart can be used to identify technologies that are good value for money, and, given a budget constraint, to select technologies that should be funded. This is demonstrated using 18 illustrative technologies. The VfM Chart is an intuitively appealing decision-support tool for helping decision-makers to focus on the inherent tradeoffs involved in health technology prioritization. Such deliberations can be performed in a systematic and transparent fashion that can also be easily communicated to stakeholders, including the general public. Possible future research includes pilot-testing the VfM Chart using real-world data. Ideally, this would involve working with the Basket Committee. Likewise, the framework could be tested and applied by health technology prioritization agencies in other countries.

Atlas of susceptibility to pollution in marinas. Application to the Spanish coast.

PubMed

Gómez, Aina G; Ondiviela, Bárbara; Fernández, María; Juanes, José A

2017-01-15

An atlas of susceptibility to pollution of 320 Spanish marinas is provided. Susceptibility is assessed through a simple, fast and low cost empirical method estimating the flushing capacity of marinas. The Complexity Tidal Range Index (CTRI) was selected among eleven empirical methods. The CTRI method was selected by means of statistical analyses because: it contributes to explain the system's variance; it is highly correlated to numerical model results; and, it is sensitive to marinas' location and typology. The process of implementation to the Spanish coast confirmed its usefulness, versatility and adaptability as a tool for the environmental management of marinas worldwide. The atlas of susceptibility, assessed through CTRI values, is an appropriate instrument to prioritize environmental and planning strategies at a regional scale. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

PubMed

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

2018-03-01

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

Weighting Criteria and Prioritizing of Heat stress indices in surface mining using a Delphi Technique and Fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS Method.

PubMed

Asghari, Mehdi; Nassiri, Parvin; Monazzam, Mohammad Reza; Golbabaei, Farideh; Arabalibeik, Hossein; Shamsipour, Aliakbar; Allahverdy, Armin

2017-01-01

Heat stress as a physical harmful agent can increase the risk of health and safety problems in different workplaces such as mining. Although there are different indices to assess the heat stress imposed on workers, choosing the best index for a specific workplace is so important. Since various criteria affect an index applicability, extracting the most effective ones and determining their weights help to prioritize the existing indices and select the optimal index. In order to achieve this aim, present study compared some heat stress indices using effective methods. The viewpoints of occupational health experts and the qualitative Delphi methods were used to extract the most important criteria. Then, the weights of 11 selected criteria were determined by Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process. Finally, fuzzy TOPSIS technique was applied for choosing the most suitable heat stress index. According to result, simplicity, reliability, being low cost, and comprehensiveness were the most determinative criteria for a heat stress index. Based on these criteria and their weights, the existing indices were prioritized. Eventually, wet bulb glob temperature appropriated the first priority and it was proposed as an applicable index for evaluating the heat stress at outdoor hot environments such as surface mines. The use of these strong methods allows introducing the most simple, precise, and applicable tool for evaluation the heat stress in hot environments. It seems that WBGT acts as an appropriate index for assessing the heat stress in mining activities at outdoors.

Augmenting the Deliberative Method for Ranking Risks.

PubMed

Susel, Irving; Lasley, Trace; Montezemolo, Mark; Piper, Joel

2016-01-01

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) characterized and prioritized the physical cross-border threats and hazards to the nation stemming from terrorism, market-driven illicit flows of people and goods (illegal immigration, narcotics, funds, counterfeits, and weaponry), and other nonmarket concerns (movement of diseases, pests, and invasive species). These threats and hazards pose a wide diversity of consequences with very different combinations of magnitudes and likelihoods, making it very challenging to prioritize them. This article presents the approach that was used at DHS to arrive at a consensus regarding the threats and hazards that stand out from the rest based on the overall risk they pose. Due to time constraints for the decision analysis, it was not feasible to apply multiattribute methodologies like multiattribute utility theory or the analytic hierarchy process. Using a holistic approach was considered, such as the deliberative method for ranking risks first published in this journal. However, an ordinal ranking alone does not indicate relative or absolute magnitude differences among the risks. Therefore, the use of the deliberative method for ranking risks is not sufficient for deciding whether there is a material difference between the top-ranked and bottom-ranked risks, let alone deciding what the stand-out risks are. To address this limitation of ordinal rankings, the deliberative method for ranking risks was augmented by adding an additional step to transform the ordinal ranking into a ratio scale ranking. This additional step enabled the selection of stand-out risks to help prioritize further analysis. © 2015 Society for Risk Analysis.

The CICT Earth Science Systems Analysis Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pell, Barney; Coughlan, Joe; Biegel, Bryan; Stevens, Ken; Hansson, Othar; Hayes, Jordan

2004-01-01

Contents include the following: Computing Information and Communications Technology (CICT) Systems Analysis. Our modeling approach: a 3-part schematic investment model of technology change, impact assessment and prioritization. A whirlwind tour of our model. Lessons learned.

Identification and Prioritization of Relationships between Environmental Stressors and Adverse Human Health Impacts.

PubMed

Bell, Shannon M; Edwards, Stephen W

2015-11-01

There are > 80,000 chemicals in commerce with few data available describing their impacts on human health. Biomonitoring surveys, such as the NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey), offer one route to identifying possible relationships between environmental chemicals and health impacts, but sparse data and the complexity of traditional models make it difficult to leverage effectively. We describe a workflow to efficiently and comprehensively evaluate and prioritize chemical-health impact relationships from the NHANES biomonitoring survey studies. Using a frequent itemset mining (FIM) approach, we identified relationships between chemicals and health biomarkers and diseases. The FIM method identified 7,848 relationships between 219 chemicals and 93 health outcomes/biomarkers. Two case studies used to evaluate the FIM rankings demonstrate that the FIM approach is able to identify published relationships. Because the relationships are derived from the vast majority of the chemicals monitored by NHANES, the resulting list of associations is appropriate for evaluating results from targeted data mining or identifying novel candidate relationships for more detailed investigation. Because of the computational efficiency of the FIM method, all chemicals and health effects can be considered in a single analysis. The resulting list provides a comprehensive summary of the chemical/health co-occurrences from NHANES that are higher than expected by chance. This information enables ranking and prioritization on chemicals or health effects of interest for evaluation of published results and design of future studies. Bell SM, Edwards SW. 2015. Identification and prioritization of relationships between environmental stressors and adverse human health impacts. Environ Health Perspect 123:1193-1199; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409138.

[Knowledge and attitudes of health professionals to the living will declaration process].

PubMed

Contreras-Fernández, Eugenio; Rivas-Ruiz, Francisco; Castilla-Soto, Jose; Méndez-Martínez, Camila

2015-10-01

To identify the underlying interests of the Living Will Declaration (LWD) process and to determine the consensus, using a questionnaire, of the knowledge and attitudes of health professionals. A study was performed in two phases using a Delphi technique with a Rand method. 1. Dimensions proposed: generation of ideas and their subsequent prioritizing; 2. Proposal and prioritizing of items grouped into blocks of Knowledge and Attitudes, developed between August 2012 and January 2013. The work was carried out by initial telephone contact with panellists, and then later by the panellists belonged to the Andalusia Public Health System. The criteria for selecting the eight components of the panel were knowledge and experience in the field of the freedom of the patient in Andalusia. The Knowledge identified included: 1 A) Legal and general aspects; 2 A) A conceptual definition; 3 A) Standardised LWD documents: 4 A) Practical experience; 5 A) Procedure and registering of the LWDs. The second block included Attitudes: 1 B) Attitudes of the professional in the application of LWDs in clinical practice, and 2 B) Attitudes of the professional in «complex» ethical scenarios The 7 panellists who finally took part proposed 165 items. After applying the prioritizing criteria, scores, and scenario selection, 58 (35.2%) items were identified as suitable scenarios. The proposed questionnaire included wide parcels of concepts and contents that, once validated, will help to measure the training interventions carried out on health professionals in order to improve knowledge and attitudes on the subject of LWDs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

[Prioritization and Consentation of Criteria for the Appraisal, Funding and Evaluation of Projects from the German Innovationsfonds: A multi-perspective Delphi study].

PubMed

Schmitt, J; Petzold, T; Nellessen-Martens, G; Pfaff, H

2015-09-01

The German Innovationsfonds provides the chance for evidence-based developments of the German healthcare system. Prioritization of recommendations for an effective, efficient, fair, transparent, and sustainable granting of funds through a transparent, evidence-driven consensus-process involving all relevant stakeholder groups. Representatives from health and research policy, payers, patient representatives, healthcare providers, and scientists were invited to nominate participants for an electronic 3 round iterative Delphi-study to prioritize the thematic focus, requirements concerning study methods, the team of applicants, evaluation, utilization of study results, and for the selection of reviewers. Criteria considered as relevant by at least 60% of the panel (consensus definition) in the first 2 Delphi rounds were rated as facultative, preferable, or obligatory criteria for project funding. Data were analyzed descriptively. ( Datenbank Versorgungsforschung Deutschland VfD_15_003561). All invited stakeholder groups except payers participated. 34 (85%) of 40 nominated representatives participated in the Delphi-study. A total of 64 criteria were consented as relevant for project review and funding concerning the thematic focus (n=28), methodological requirements (n=13), requirements for applicants (n=4), for the evaluation (n=4), utilization (n=6), and selection of peer reviewers (n=9). It is the collective responsibility of all stakeholders to spend the designated funds as efficient and sustainable as possible. The consented recommendations shall serve decision makers as a resource for the granting of funds and the evaluation of the Innovationsfonds. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

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

PubMed Central

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

2013-01-01

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

Estrogen receptor expert system overview and examples

EPA Science Inventory

The estrogen receptor expert system (ERES) is a rule-based system developed to prioritize chemicals based upon their potential for binding to the ER. The ERES was initially developed to predict ER affinity of chemicals from two specific EPA chemical inventories, antimicrobial pe...

DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVEMENT OF TEMPORAL ALLOCATION FACTOR FILES

EPA Science Inventory

The report gives results of a project to: (1) evaluate the quality and completeness of data and methods being used for temporal allocation of emissions data, (2) identify and prioritize needed improvements to current methods for developing temporal allocation factors (TAFs), and ...

Studies on the Behavior of Larval Zebrafish for Developmental Neurotoxicity Screening

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is evaluating methods to screen and prioritize large numbers of chemicals for developmental toxicity. We are exploring methods to detect developmentally neurotoxic chemicals using zebrafish behavior at 6 days of age. The behavioral paradig...

Priority-setting in New Zealand: translating principles into practice.

PubMed

Ashton, T; Cumming, J; Devlin, N

2000-07-01

In May 1998 the New Zealand Health Funding Authority released a discussion paper which proposed a principles-based approach to setting purchasing priorities that incorporates the economic methods of programme budgeting and marginal analysis, and cost-utility analysis. The principles upon which the process was to be based are effectiveness, cost, equity of health outcomes, Maori health and acceptability. This essay describes and critiques issues associated with translating the principles into practice, most particularly the proposed methods for evaluating the effectiveness and measuring the cost of services. It is argued that the proposals make an important contribution towards the development of a method for prioritizing services which challenges our thinking about those services and their goals, and which is systematic, explicit, and transparent. The shift towards 'thinking at the margin' and systematically reviewing the value for money of competing claims on resources is likely to improve the quality of decision-making compared with the status quo. This does not imply that prioritization can, or should, be undertaken by means of any simple formula. Any prioritization process should always be guided by informed judgement. The approach is more appropriate for some services than for others. Key methodological issues that need further consideration include the choice of instrument for measuring health gains, the identification of marginal services, how to combine qualitative and quantitative information, and how to ensure consistency across different levels of decision-making.

Prioritization of in silico models and molecular descriptors for the assessment of ready biodegradability.

PubMed

Fernández, Alberto; Rallo, Robert; Giralt, Francesc

2015-10-01

Ready biodegradability is a key property for evaluating the long-term effects of chemicals on the environment and human health. As such, it is used as a screening test for the assessment of persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substances. Regulators encourage the use of non-testing methods, such as in silico models, to save money and time. A dataset of 757 chemicals was collected to assess the performance of four freely available in silico models that predict ready biodegradability. They were applied to develop a new consensus method that prioritizes the use of each individual model according to its performance on chemical subsets driven by the presence or absence of different molecular descriptors. This consensus method was capable of almost eliminating unpredictable chemicals, while the performance of combined models was substantially improved with respect to that of the individual models. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of the Learning Health System Researcher Core Competencies.

PubMed

Forrest, Christopher B; Chesley, Francis D; Tregear, Michelle L; Mistry, Kamila B

2017-08-04

To develop core competencies for learning health system (LHS) researchers to guide the development of training programs. Data were obtained from literature review, expert interviews, a modified Delphi process, and consensus development meetings. The competencies were developed from August to December 2016 using qualitative methods. The literature review formed the basis for the initial draft of a competency domain framework. Key informant semi-structured interviews, a modified Delphi survey, and three expert panel (n = 19 members) consensus development meetings produced the final set of competencies. The iterative development process yielded seven competency domains: (1) systems science; (2) research questions and standards of scientific evidence; (3) research methods; (4) informatics; (5) ethics of research and implementation in health systems; (6) improvement and implementation science; and (7) engagement, leadership, and research management. A total of 33 core competencies were prioritized across these seven domains. The real-world milieu of LHS research, the embeddedness of the researcher within the health system, and engagement of stakeholders are distinguishing characteristics of this emerging field. The LHS researcher core competencies can be used to guide the development of learning objectives, evaluation methods, and curricula for training programs. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

Chairmanship of the Neptune/Pluto outer planets science working group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stern, S. Alan

1993-11-01

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

Chairmanship of the Neptune/Pluto outer planets science working group

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stern, S. Alan

1993-01-01

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

Are automatic systems the future of motorcycle safety? A novel methodology to prioritize potential safety solutions based on their projected effectiveness.

PubMed

Gil, Gustavo; Savino, Giovanni; Piantini, Simone; Baldanzini, Niccolò; Happee, Riender; Pierini, Marco

2017-11-17

Motorcycle riders are involved in significantly more crashes per kilometer driven than passenger car drivers. Nonetheless, the development and implementation of motorcycle safety systems lags far behind that of passenger cars. This research addresses the identification of the most effective motorcycle safety solutions in the context of different countries. A knowledge-based system of motorcycle safety (KBMS) was developed to assess the potential for various safety solutions to mitigate or avoid motorcycle crashes. First, a set of 26 common crash scenarios was identified from the analysis of multiple crash databases. Second, the relative effectiveness of 10 safety solutions was assessed for the 26 crash scenarios by a panel of experts. Third, relevant information about crashes was used to weigh the importance of each crash scenario in the region studied. The KBMS method was applied with an Italian database, with a total of more than 1 million motorcycle crashes in the period 2000-2012. When applied to the Italian context, the KBMS suggested that automatic systems designed to compensate for riders' or drivers' errors of commission or omission are the potentially most effective safety solution. The KBMS method showed an effective way to compare the potential of various safety solutions, through a scored list with the expected effectiveness of each safety solution for the region to which the crash data belong. A comparison of our results with a previous study that attempted a systematic prioritization of safety systems for motorcycles (PISa project) showed an encouraging agreement. Current results revealed that automatic systems have the greatest potential to improve motorcycle safety. Accumulating and encoding expertise in crash analysis from a range of disciplines into a scalable and reusable analytical tool, as proposed with the use of KBMS, has the potential to guide research and development of effective safety systems. As the expert assessment of the crash scenarios is decoupled from the regional crash database, the expert assessment may be reutilized, thereby allowing rapid reanalysis when new crash data become available. In addition, the KBMS methodology has potential application to injury forecasting, driver/rider training strategies, and redesign of existing road infrastructure.

Structure, function and five basic needs of the global health research system

PubMed Central

Rudan, Igor; Sridhar, Devi

2016-01-01

Background Two major initiatives that were set up to support and co–ordinate global health research efforts have been largely discontinued in recent years: the Global Forum for Health Research and World Health Organization's Department for Research Policy and Cooperation. These developments provide an interesting case study into the factors that contribute to the sustainability of initiatives to support and co–ordinate global health research in the 21st century. Methods We reviewed the history of attempts to govern, support or co–ordinate research in global health. Moreover, we studied the changes and shifts in funding flows attributed to global health research. This allowed us to map the structure of the global health research system, as it has evolved under the increased funding contributions of the past decade. Bearing in mind its structure, core functions and dynamic nature, we proposed a framework on how to effectively support the system to increase its efficiency. Results Based on our framework, which charted the structure and function of the global health research system and exposed places and roles for many stakeholders within the system, five basic needs emerged: (i) to co–ordinate funding among donors more effectively; (ii) to prioritize among many research ideas; (iii) to quickly recognize results of successful research; (iv) to ensure broad and rapid dissemination of results and their accessibility; and (v) to evaluate return on investments in health research. Conclusion The global health research system has evolved rapidly and spontaneously. It has not been optimally efficient, but it is possible to identify solutions that could improve this. There are already examples of effective responses for the need of prioritization of research questions (eg, the CHNRI method), quick recognition of important research (eg, systems used by editors of the leading journals) and rapid and broadly accessible publication of the new knowledge (eg, PLoS One journal as an example). It is still necessary to develop tools that could assist donors to co–ordinate funding and ensure more equity between areas in the provided support, and to evaluate the value for money invested in health research. PMID:26401270

Prioritizing causal disease genes using unbiased genomic features.

PubMed

Deo, Rahul C; Musso, Gabriel; Tasan, Murat; Tang, Paul; Poon, Annie; Yuan, Christiana; Felix, Janine F; Vasan, Ramachandran S; Beroukhim, Rameen; De Marco, Teresa; Kwok, Pui-Yan; MacRae, Calum A; Roth, Frederick P

2014-12-03

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the developed world. Human genetic studies, including genome-wide sequencing and SNP-array approaches, promise to reveal disease genes and mechanisms representing new therapeutic targets. In practice, however, identification of the actual genes contributing to disease pathogenesis has lagged behind identification of associated loci, thus limiting the clinical benefits. To aid in localizing causal genes, we develop a machine learning approach, Objective Prioritization for Enhanced Novelty (OPEN), which quantitatively prioritizes gene-disease associations based on a diverse group of genomic features. This approach uses only unbiased predictive features and thus is not hampered by a preference towards previously well-characterized genes. We demonstrate success in identifying genetic determinants for CVD-related traits, including cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and conduction system and cardiomyopathy phenotypes. Using OPEN, we prioritize genes, including FLNC, for association with increased left ventricular diameter, which is a defining feature of a prevalent cardiovascular disorder, dilated cardiomyopathy or DCM. Using a zebrafish model, we experimentally validate FLNC and identify a novel FLNC splice-site mutation in a patient with severe DCM. Our approach stands to assist interpretation of large-scale genetic studies without compromising their fundamentally unbiased nature.

Monitoring components of GypsES

Treesearch

Lukas P. Schaub; F. William Ravlin; Jesse A. Logan; Shelby J. Fleischer

1991-01-01

The manager needs tools for assistance in planning and interpreting monitoring systems. We are building a system that designs sampling programs by interpreting data about Gypsy Moth, stand condition and management objectives. The system prioritizes areas within the management unit within budgetary constraints and defines the areas to be monitored. The system proposes...

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

PubMed Central

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

2015-01-01

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

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

PubMed

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

2015-01-01

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

Are exposure predictions, used for the prioritization of pharmaceuticals in the environment, fit for purpose?

PubMed

Burns, Emily E; Thomas-Oates, Jane; Kolpin, Dana W; Furlong, Edward T; Boxall, Alistair B A

2017-10-01

Prioritization methodologies are often used for identifying those pharmaceuticals that pose the greatest risk to the natural environment and to focus laboratory testing or environmental monitoring toward pharmaceuticals of greatest concern. Risk-based prioritization approaches, employing models to derive exposure concentrations, are commonly used, but the reliability of these models is unclear. The present study evaluated the accuracy of exposure models commonly used for pharmaceutical prioritization. Targeted monitoring was conducted for 95 pharmaceuticals in the Rivers Foss and Ouse in the City of York (UK). Predicted environmental concentration (PEC) ranges were estimated based on localized prescription, hydrological data, reported metabolism, and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) removal rates, and were compared with measured environmental concentrations (MECs). For the River Foss, PECs, obtained using highest metabolism and lowest WWTP removal, were similar to MECs. In contrast, this trend was not observed for the River Ouse, possibly because of pharmaceutical inputs unaccounted for by our modeling. Pharmaceuticals were ranked by risk based on either MECs or PECs. With 2 exceptions (dextromethorphan and diphenhydramine), risk ranking based on both MECs and PECs produced similar results in the River Foss. Overall, these findings indicate that PECs may well be appropriate for prioritization of pharmaceuticals in the environment when robust and local data on the system of interest are available and reflective of most source inputs. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:2823-2832. © 2017 SETAC. © 2017 SETAC.

Component Prioritization Schema for Achieving Maximum Time and Cost Benefits from Software Testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srivastava, Praveen Ranjan; Pareek, Deepak

Software testing is any activity aimed at evaluating an attribute or capability of a program or system and determining that it meets its required results. Defining the end of software testing represents crucial features of any software development project. A premature release will involve risks like undetected bugs, cost of fixing faults later, and discontented customers. Any software organization would want to achieve maximum possible benefits from software testing with minimum resources. Testing time and cost need to be optimized for achieving a competitive edge in the market. In this paper, we propose a schema, called the Component Prioritization Schema (CPS), to achieve an effective and uniform prioritization of the software components. This schema serves as an extension to the Non Homogenous Poisson Process based Cumulative Priority Model. We also introduce an approach for handling time-intensive versus cost-intensive projects.

Conversion between network-level and project-level units of measure for use in a bridge-management system.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-01-01

VDOT is implementing Pontis 3.0 to provide the analytical component of its Bridge Management System (BMS). This system prioritizes bridge maintenance, repair, rehabilitation, and replacement (MRR & R) needs using cost/benefit analysis. The accuracy o...

System Study: Technology Assessment and Prioritizing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

The objective of this NASA funded project is to assess and prioritize advanced technologies required to achieve the goals for an "Intelligent Propulsion System" through collaboration among GEAE, NASA, and Georgia Tech. Key GEAE deliverables are parametric response surface equations (RSE's) relating technology features to system benefits (sfc, weight, fuel burn, design range, acoustics, emission, etc...) and listings of Technology Impact Matrix (TIM) with benefits, debits, and approximate readiness status. TIM has been completed for GEAE and NASA proposed technologies. The combined GEAE and NASA TIM input requirement is shown in Table.1. In the course of building the RSE's and TIM, significant parametric technology modeling and RSE accuracy improvements were accomplished. GEAE has also done preliminary ranking of the technologies using Georgia Tech/GEAE USA developed technology evaluation tools. System level impact was performed by combining beneficial technologies with minimum conflict among various system figures of merits to assess their overall benefits to the system. The shortfalls and issues with modeling the proposed technologies are identified, and recommendations for future work are also proposed.

Outstanding Research Issues in Systematic Technology Prioritization for New Space Missions: Workshop Proceedings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weisbin, C. R. (Editor)

2004-01-01

A workshop entitled, "Outstanding Research Issues in Systematic Technology Prioritization for New Space Missions," was convened on April 21-22, 2004 in San Diego, California to review the status of methods for objective resource allocation, to discuss the research barriers remaining, and to formulate recommendations for future development and application. The workshop explored the state-of-the-art in decision analysis in the context of being able to objectively allocate constrained technical resources to enable future space missions and optimize science return. This article summarizes the highlights of the meeting results.

Planning and Assessing To Improve Campus-Community Engagement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bringle, Robert G.; Hatcher, Julie; Hamilton, Sharon; Young, Peter

2001-01-01

Presents two methods for assessing the scholarship of engagement at the institutional level: (1) Comprehensive Assessment of the Scholarship of Engagement (CASE), a systematic method that compiles information about service learning and community engagement, identifies campus strengths, and prioritizes planning areas; and (2) an institutional…

50 CFR 216.275 - Requirements for monitoring and reporting.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Navy shall complete an Integrated Comprehensive Monitoring Plan (ICMP) in 2009. This planning and adaptive management tool shall include: (1) A method for prioritizing monitoring projects that clearly... potentially modify subsequent monitoring and mitigation. (4) An adaptive management plan. (5) A method for...

Assessing Locomotor Activity in Larval Zebrafish: Influence of Extrinsic and Intrinsic Variables

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is evaluating methods to screen and prioritize large numbers of chemicals for developmental toxicity. We are exploring methods to detect developmentally neurotoxic chemicals using zebrafish behavior at 6 days of age. The behavioral paradig...

Studies of the Variables Affecting Behavior of Larval Zebrafish for Developmental Neurotoxicity Testing

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is evaluating methods to screen and prioritize large numbers of chemicals for developmental toxicity. We are exploring methods to detect developmentally neurotoxic chemicals using zebrafish behavior at 6 days of age. The behavioral paradig...

Functional Assays and Alternative Species: Using Larval Zebrafish in Developmental Neurotoxicity Screening

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is developing and evaluating methods to screen and prioritize large numbers of chemicals for developmental toxicity. Towards this goal, we are exploring methods to detect developmental neurotoxicants in very young larval zebrafish. We have...

What's wrong with hazard-ranking systems? An expository note.

PubMed

Cox, Louis Anthony Tony

2009-07-01

Two commonly recommended principles for allocating risk management resources to remediate uncertain hazards are: (1) select a subset to maximize risk-reduction benefits (e.g., maximize the von Neumann-Morgenstern expected utility of the selected risk-reducing activities), and (2) assign priorities to risk-reducing opportunities and then select activities from the top of the priority list down until no more can be afforded. When different activities create uncertain but correlated risk reductions, as is often the case in practice, then these principles are inconsistent: priority scoring and ranking fails to maximize risk-reduction benefits. Real-world risk priority scoring systems used in homeland security and terrorism risk assessment, environmental risk management, information system vulnerability rating, business risk matrices, and many other important applications do not exploit correlations among risk-reducing opportunities or optimally diversify risk-reducing investments. As a result, they generally make suboptimal risk management recommendations. Applying portfolio optimization methods instead of risk prioritization ranking, rating, or scoring methods can achieve greater risk-reduction value for resources spent.

NDE system for determining wood guardrail post integrity.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-10-01

Wood guardrail posts degrade over time and a nondestructive evaluation (NDE) inspection system is needed to determine the condition : of the nearly 2 million posts along our highways to prioritize future investments in maintenance. A robust, cost-eff...

Pre-Visit Prioritization for complex patients with diabetes: Randomized trial design and implementation within an integrated health care system.

PubMed

Grant, Richard W; Uratsu, Connie S; Estacio, Karen R; Altschuler, Andrea; Kim, Eileen; Fireman, Bruce; Adams, Alyce S; Schmittdiel, Julie A; Heisler, Michele

2016-03-01

Despite robust evidence to guide clinical care, most patients with diabetes do not meet all goals of risk factor control. Improved patient-provider communication during time-limited primary care visits may represent one strategy for improving diabetes care. We designed a controlled, cluster-randomized, multi-site intervention (Pre-Visit Prioritization for Complex Patients with Diabetes) that enables patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes to identify their top priorities prior to a scheduled visit and sends these priorities to the primary care physician progress note in the electronic medical record. In this paper, we describe strategies to address challenges to implementing our health IT-based intervention study within a large health care system. This study is being conducted in 30 primary care practices within a large integrated care delivery system in Northern California. Over a 12-week period (3/1/2015-6/6/2015), 146 primary care physicians consented to enroll in the study (90.1%) and approved contact with 2496 of their patients (97.6%). Implementation challenges included: (1) navigating research vs. quality improvement requirements; (2) addressing informed consent considerations; and (3) introducing a new clinical tool into a highly time-constrained workflow. Strategies for successfully initiating this study included engagement with institutional leaders, Institutional Review Board members, and clinical stakeholders at multiple stages both before and after notice of Federal funding; flexibility by the research team in study design; and strong support from institutional leadership for "self-learning health system" research. By paying careful attention to identifying and collaborating with a wide range of key clinical stakeholders, we have shown that researchers embedded within a learning care system can successfully apply rigorous clinical trial methods to test new care innovations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A novel governance system for enterprise information services.

PubMed

Shabot, M M; Polaschek, J X; Duncan, R G; Langberg, M L; Jones, D T

1999-01-01

The authors created a novel system for governing the enterprise information services (IS) of a large health care system. The governance organization is comprised of key members of the attending medical staff, hospital and health system administration, and the IS department. A method for defining the requirements and business case for proposed new systems was developed for use by departments requesting new or expanded information services. A Technology Architecture Guideline document was developed and approved to provide a framework for supported hardware and software technologies. IS policies are approved by the main governance council. All project proposals are reviewed by specialized governance committees and, if approved, are launched for further development. Fully developed proposals are reviewed, approved and prioritized for funding by the governance council. This novel organization provides the methodology and structure for enlightened peer review and funding for well developed IS project proposals.

A novel governance system for enterprise information services.

PubMed Central

Shabot, M. M.; Polaschek, J. X.; Duncan, R. G.; Langberg, M. L.; Jones, D. T.

1999-01-01

The authors created a novel system for governing the enterprise information services (IS) of a large health care system. The governance organization is comprised of key members of the attending medical staff, hospital and health system administration, and the IS department. A method for defining the requirements and business case for proposed new systems was developed for use by departments requesting new or expanded information services. A Technology Architecture Guideline document was developed and approved to provide a framework for supported hardware and software technologies. IS policies are approved by the main governance council. All project proposals are reviewed by specialized governance committees and, if approved, are launched for further development. Fully developed proposals are reviewed, approved and prioritized for funding by the governance council. This novel organization provides the methodology and structure for enlightened peer review and funding for well developed IS project proposals. PMID:10566433

Framing research for state policymakers who place a priority on cancer

PubMed Central

Brownson, Ross C.; Dodson, Elizabeth A.; Kerner, Jon F.; Moreland-Russell, Sarah

2016-01-01

Purpose Despite the potential for reducing the cancer burden via state policy change, few data exist on how best to disseminate research information to influence state legislators' policy choices. We explored: 1) the relative importance of core framing issues (source, presentation, timeliness) among policymakers who prioritize cancer and those who do not prioritize cancer and 2) the predictors of use of research in policymaking. Methods Cross-sectional data were collected from US state policymakers (i.e., legislators elected to state Houses or Senates) from January through October 2012 (n=862). One-way analysis of variance was performed to investigate the association of the priority of cancer variable with outcome variables. Multivariate logistic regression models examined predictors of the influence of research information. Results Legislators who prioritized cancer tended to rate characteristics that make research information useful higher than those who did not prioritize cancer. Among differences that were statistically significant were three items in the “source” domain (relevance, delivered by someone respected, supports one's own position), one item in the “presentation” domain (telling a story related to constituents), and two items in the “timeliness” domain (high current state priority, feasible when information is received). Participants who prioritized cancer risk factors were 80% more likely to rate research information as one of their top reasons for choosing an issue on which to work. Conclusions Our results suggest the importance of narrative forms of communication and that research information needs to be relevant to the policymakers' constituents in a brief, concise format. PMID:27299656

Use of a Diagnostic Score to Prioritize Computed Tomographic (CT) Imaging for Patients Suspected of Ischemic Stroke Who May Benefit from Thrombolytic Therapy

PubMed Central

Bots, Michiel L.; Selvarajah, Sharmini; Kappelle, L. Jaap; Abdul Aziz, Zariah; Sidek, Norsima Nazifah; Vaartjes, Ilonca

2016-01-01

Background A shortage of computed tomographic (CT) machines in low and middle income countries often results in delayed CT imaging for patients suspected of a stroke. Yet, time constraint is one of the most important aspects for patients with an ischemic stroke to benefit from thrombolytic therapy. We set out to assess whether application of the Siriraj Stroke Score is able to assist physicians in prioritizing patients with a high probability of having an ischemic stroke for urgent CT imaging. Methods From the Malaysian National Neurology Registry, we selected patients aged 18 years and over with clinical features suggesting of a stroke, who arrived in the hospital 4.5 hours or less from ictus. The prioritization of receiving CT imaging was left to the discretion of the treating physician. We applied the Siriraj Stroke Score to all patients, refitted the score and defined a cut-off value to best distinguish an ischemic stroke from a hemorrhagic stroke. Results Of the 2176 patients included, 73% had an ischemic stroke. Only 33% of the ischemic stroke patients had CT imaging within 4.5 hours. The median door-to-scan time for these patients was 4 hours (IQR: 1;16). With the recalibrated score, it would have been possible to prioritize 95% (95% CI: 94%–96%) of patients with an ischemic stroke for urgent CT imaging. Conclusions In settings where CT imaging capacity is limited, we propose the use of the Siriraj Stroke Score to prioritize patients with a probable ischemic stroke for urgent CT imaging. PMID:27768752

Effect of Aggregation Operators on Network-Based Disease Gene Prioritization: A Case Study on Blood Disorders.

PubMed

Grewal, Nivit; Singh, Shailendra; Chand, Trilok

2017-01-01

Owing to the innate noise in the biological data sources, a single source or a single measure do not suffice for an effective disease gene prioritization. So, the integration of multiple data sources or aggregation of multiple measures is the need of the hour. The aggregation operators combine multiple related data values to a single value such that the combined value has the effect of all the individual values. In this paper, an attempt has been made for applying the fuzzy aggregation on the network-based disease gene prioritization and investigate its effect under noise conditions. This study has been conducted for a set of 15 blood disorders by fusing four different network measures, computed from the protein interaction network, using a selected set of aggregation operators and ranking the genes on the basis of the aggregated value. The aggregation operator-based rankings have been compared with the "Random walk with restart" gene prioritization method. The impact of noise has also been investigated by adding varying proportions of noise to the seed set. The results reveal that for all the selected blood disorders, the Mean of Maximal operator has relatively outperformed the other aggregation operators for noisy as well as non-noisy data.

An Integration of Genome-Wide Association Study and Gene Expression Profiling to Prioritize the Discovery of Novel Susceptibility Loci for Osteoporosis-Related Traits

PubMed Central

Demissie, Serkalem; Soranzo, Nicole; Bianchi, Estelle N.; Grundberg, Elin; Liang, Liming; Richards, J. Brent; Estrada, Karol; Zhou, Yanhua; van Nas, Atila; Moffatt, Miriam F.; Zhai, Guangju; Hofman, Albert; van Meurs, Joyce B.; Pols, Huibert A. P.; Price, Roger I.; Nilsson, Olle; Pastinen, Tomi; Cupples, L. Adrienne; Lusis, Aldons J.; Schadt, Eric E.; Ferrari, Serge; Uitterlinden, André G.

2010-01-01

Osteoporosis is a complex disorder and commonly leads to fractures in elderly persons. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have become an unbiased approach to identify variations in the genome that potentially affect health. However, the genetic variants identified so far only explain a small proportion of the heritability for complex traits. Due to the modest genetic effect size and inadequate power, true association signals may not be revealed based on a stringent genome-wide significance threshold. Here, we take advantage of SNP and transcript arrays and integrate GWAS and expression signature profiling relevant to the skeletal system in cellular and animal models to prioritize the discovery of novel candidate genes for osteoporosis-related traits, including bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine (LS) and femoral neck (FN), as well as geometric indices of the hip (femoral neck-shaft angle, NSA; femoral neck length, NL; and narrow-neck width, NW). A two-stage meta-analysis of GWAS from 7,633 Caucasian women and 3,657 men, revealed three novel loci associated with osteoporosis-related traits, including chromosome 1p13.2 (RAP1A, p = 3.6×10−8), 2q11.2 (TBC1D8), and 18q11.2 (OSBPL1A), and confirmed a previously reported region near TNFRSF11B/OPG gene. We also prioritized 16 suggestive genome-wide significant candidate genes based on their potential involvement in skeletal metabolism. Among them, 3 candidate genes were associated with BMD in women. Notably, 2 out of these 3 genes (GPR177, p = 2.6×10−13; SOX6, p = 6.4×10−10) associated with BMD in women have been successfully replicated in a large-scale meta-analysis of BMD, but none of the non-prioritized candidates (associated with BMD) did. Our results support the concept of our prioritization strategy. In the absence of direct biological support for identified genes, we highlighted the efficiency of subsequent functional characterization using publicly available expression profiling relevant to the skeletal system in cellular or whole animal models to prioritize candidate genes for further functional validation. PMID:20548944

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

EPA Science Inventory

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

Enhancing and generalizing the two-level screening approach incorporating the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) methods, phase 2 [summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-05-01

University of Central Florida researchers : developed a novel method to locate hotspots : and hot zones, locations where a higher than : average number of collisions take place and : which should be prioritized for investigation : and intervention by...

Studies of the Variables Affecting Behavior of Larval Zebrafish for Developmental Neurotoxicity Testing*

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is evaluating methods to screen and prioritize large numbers of chemicals for developmental toxicity. We are exploring methods to screen for developmentally neurotoxic chemicals using zebrafish behavior at 6 days of age. The behavioral par...

Associative list processing unit

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

Hemmert, Karl Scott; Underwood, Keith D

2014-04-01

An associative list processing unit and method comprising employing a plurality of prioritized cell blocks and permitting inserts to occur in a single clock cycle if all of the cell blocks are not full.

Use of a GIS-based hybrid artificial neural network to prioritize the order of pipe replacement in a water distribution network.

PubMed

Ho, Cheng-I; Lin, Min-Der; Lo, Shang-Lien

2010-07-01

A methodology based on the integration of a seismic-based artificial neural network (ANN) model and a geographic information system (GIS) to assess water leakage and to prioritize pipeline replacement is developed in this work. Qualified pipeline break-event data derived from the Taiwan Water Corporation Pipeline Leakage Repair Management System were analyzed. "Pipe diameter," "pipe material," and "the number of magnitude-3( + ) earthquakes" were employed as the input factors of ANN, while "the number of monthly breaks" was used for the prediction output. This study is the first attempt to manipulate earthquake data in the break-event ANN prediction model. Spatial distribution of the pipeline break-event data was analyzed and visualized by GIS. Through this, the users can swiftly figure out the hotspots of the leakage areas. A northeastern township in Taiwan, frequently affected by earthquakes, is chosen as the case study. Compared to the traditional processes for determining the priorities of pipeline replacement, the methodology developed is more effective and efficient. Likewise, the methodology can overcome the difficulty of prioritizing pipeline replacement even in situations where the break-event records are unavailable.

DincRNA: a comprehensive web-based bioinformatics toolkit for exploring disease associations and ncRNA function.

PubMed

Cheng, Liang; Hu, Yang; Sun, Jie; Zhou, Meng; Jiang, Qinghua

2018-06-01

DincRNA aims to provide a comprehensive web-based bioinformatics toolkit to elucidate the entangled relationships among diseases and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) from the perspective of disease similarity. The quantitative way to illustrate relationships of pair-wise diseases always depends on their molecular mechanisms, and structures of the directed acyclic graph of Disease Ontology (DO). Corresponding methods for calculating similarity of pair-wise diseases involve Resnik's, Lin's, Wang's, PSB and SemFunSim methods. Recently, disease similarity was validated suitable for calculating functional similarities of ncRNAs and prioritizing ncRNA-disease pairs, and it has been widely applied for predicting the ncRNA function due to the limited biological knowledge from wet lab experiments of these RNAs. For this purpose, a large number of algorithms and priori knowledge need to be integrated. e.g. 'pair-wise best, pairs-average' (PBPA) and 'pair-wise all, pairs-maximum' (PAPM) methods for calculating functional similarities of ncRNAs, and random walk with restart (RWR) method for prioritizing ncRNA-disease pairs. To facilitate the exploration of disease associations and ncRNA function, DincRNA implemented all of the above eight algorithms based on DO and disease-related genes. Currently, it provides the function to query disease similarity scores, miRNA and lncRNA functional similarity scores, and the prioritization scores of lncRNA-disease and miRNA-disease pairs. http://bio-annotation.cn:18080/DincRNAClient/. biofomeng@hotmail.com or qhjiang@hit.edu.cn. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

MorphDB: Prioritizing Genes for Specialized Metabolism Pathways and Gene Ontology Categories in Plants.

PubMed

Zwaenepoel, Arthur; Diels, Tim; Amar, David; Van Parys, Thomas; Shamir, Ron; Van de Peer, Yves; Tzfadia, Oren

2018-01-01

Recent times have seen an enormous growth of "omics" data, of which high-throughput gene expression data are arguably the most important from a functional perspective. Despite huge improvements in computational techniques for the functional classification of gene sequences, common similarity-based methods often fall short of providing full and reliable functional information. Recently, the combination of comparative genomics with approaches in functional genomics has received considerable interest for gene function analysis, leveraging both gene expression based guilt-by-association methods and annotation efforts in closely related model organisms. Besides the identification of missing genes in pathways, these methods also typically enable the discovery of biological regulators (i.e., transcription factors or signaling genes). A previously built guilt-by-association method is MORPH, which was proven to be an efficient algorithm that performs particularly well in identifying and prioritizing missing genes in plant metabolic pathways. Here, we present MorphDB, a resource where MORPH-based candidate genes for large-scale functional annotations (Gene Ontology, MapMan bins) are integrated across multiple plant species. Besides a gene centric query utility, we present a comparative network approach that enables researchers to efficiently browse MORPH predictions across functional gene sets and species, facilitating efficient gene discovery and candidate gene prioritization. MorphDB is available at http://bioinformatics.psb.ugent.be/webtools/morphdb/morphDB/index/. We also provide a toolkit, named "MORPH bulk" (https://github.com/arzwa/morph-bulk), for running MORPH in bulk mode on novel data sets, enabling researchers to apply MORPH to their own species of interest.

Environmental and human risk hierarchy of pesticides: A prioritization method, based on monitoring, hazard assessment and environmental fate.

PubMed

Tsaboula, Aggeliki; Papadakis, Emmanouil-Nikolaos; Vryzas, Zisis; Kotopoulou, Athina; Kintzikoglou, Katerina; Papadopoulou-Mourkidou, Euphemia

2016-05-01

A pesticide prioritization approach was developed and implemented in the Pinios River Basin of Central Greece. It takes under consideration the Level of Environmental Risk containing information on the frequency of occurrence of pesticides above environmental thresholds, the intensity of this occurrence and the spatial distribution as well as information about the fate and behavior of pesticides in the environment and the potential to have adverse impact on humans' health. Original 3-year monitoring data from 102 Stationary Sampling Sites located on rivers and their tributaries, reservoirs, streams and irrigation/drainage canals giving rise to a collection of 2382 water samples resulting in 7088 data sets, were included in this integrated prioritization study. Among 302 monitored active ingredients, 119 were detected at least once and the concentrations found in the aquatic systems for 41% of compounds were higher than the respective lowest Predicted Non-Effect Concentration (PNEC) values. Sixteen and 5 pesticides were found with risk ratios (MECmax/PNEC) above 10 (high concern) and 100 (very high concern), respectively. However, pesticides with maximum Measured Environmental Concentration (MECmax) values exceeding by 1000 times the respective lowest PNEC values were also found which were considered of extremely high concern; in the latter group were included prometryn, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, λ-cyhalothrin, cypermethrin, α-cypermethrin deltamethrin, ethalfluralin and phosmet. The sensitivity of the analytical methods used in the monitoring study was considered inadequate to meet the toxicological endpoints for 32 pesticides. The widest distribution of occurrence in the Stationary Sampling Sites of the monitoring program was found for the pesticides, prometryn, fluometuron, terbuthylazine, S-metolachlor, chlorpyrifos, diphenylamine, acetochlor, alachlor, 2,4-D, etridiazole, imidacloprid and lindane (γ-ΗCH). Among the 27 priority pesticides included in the Directive 2013/39/EU, in the present study 13 pesticides were considered as candidates for River Basin Specific Pollutants (RBSP) for the River Basin of Pinios. Among the 30 pesticide specific pollutants that were established by the Greek authorities, in the present study only 6 were considered as candidates for RBSP for the river basin of Pinios. As a result of the implementation of the prioritization approach developed in this study a total of 71 pesticides were identified as being RBSP for the river basin of Pinios. The higher Level of Environmental Risk was found to be exerted by the organophosphorus insecticide chlorpyrifos, followed by lindane and prometryn. The present study provides background information for important decisions to be made concerning the selection of pesticides which should be included in the target analyte list of new monitoring and screening programs of surface water quality in the Pinios River Basin. In addition, the prioritization approach proposed here can be useful for the development of River Basin Management Plans. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Medical device procurement in low- and middle-income settings: protocol for a systematic review

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Medical device procurement processes for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are a poorly understood and researched topic. To support LMIC policy formulation in this area, international public health organizations and research institutions issue a large body of predominantly grey literature including guidelines, manuals and recommendations. We propose to undertake a systematic review to identify and explore the medical device procurement methodologies suggested within this and further literature. Procurement facilitators and barriers will be identified, and methodologies for medical device prioritization under resource constraints will be discussed. Methods/design Searches of both bibliographic and grey literature will be conducted to identify documents relating to the procurement of medical devices in LMICs. Data will be extracted according to protocol on a number of pre-specified issues and variables. First, data relating to the specific settings described within the literature will be noted. Second, information relating to medical device procurement methodologies will be extracted, including prioritization of procurement under resource constraints, the use of evidence (e.g. cost-effectiveness evaluations, burden of disease data) as well as stakeholders participating in procurement processes. Information relating to prioritization methodologies will be extracted in the form of quotes or keywords, and analysis will include qualitative meta-summary. Narrative synthesis will be employed to analyse data otherwise extracted. The PRISMA guidelines for reporting will be followed. Discussion The current review will identify recommended medical device procurement methodologies for LMICs. Prioritization methods for medical device acquisition will be explored. Relevant stakeholders, facilitators and barriers will be discussed. The review is aimed at both LMIC decision makers and the international research community and hopes to offer a first holistic conceptualization of this topic. PMID:25336161

Constructing an integrated gene similarity network for the identification of disease genes.

PubMed

Tian, Zhen; Guo, Maozu; Wang, Chunyu; Xing, LinLin; Wang, Lei; Zhang, Yin

2017-09-20

Discovering novel genes that are involved human diseases is a challenging task in biomedical research. In recent years, several computational approaches have been proposed to prioritize candidate disease genes. Most of these methods are mainly based on protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. However, since these PPI networks contain false positives and only cover less half of known human genes, their reliability and coverage are very low. Therefore, it is highly necessary to fuse multiple genomic data to construct a credible gene similarity network and then infer disease genes on the whole genomic scale. We proposed a novel method, named RWRB, to infer causal genes of interested diseases. First, we construct five individual gene (protein) similarity networks based on multiple genomic data of human genes. Then, an integrated gene similarity network (IGSN) is reconstructed based on similarity network fusion (SNF) method. Finally, we employee the random walk with restart algorithm on the phenotype-gene bilayer network, which combines phenotype similarity network, IGSN as well as phenotype-gene association network, to prioritize candidate disease genes. We investigate the effectiveness of RWRB through leave-one-out cross-validation methods in inferring phenotype-gene relationships. Results show that RWRB is more accurate than state-of-the-art methods on most evaluation metrics. Further analysis shows that the success of RWRB is benefited from IGSN which has a wider coverage and higher reliability comparing with current PPI networks. Moreover, we conduct a comprehensive case study for Alzheimer's disease and predict some novel disease genes that supported by literature. RWRB is an effective and reliable algorithm in prioritizing candidate disease genes on the genomic scale. Software and supplementary information are available at http://nclab.hit.edu.cn/~tianzhen/RWRB/ .

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Y.; Chung, E. S.

2014-12-01

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

Prioritizing Environmental Risk of Prescription Pharmaceuticals

PubMed Central

Dong, Zhao; Senn, David B.; Moran, Rebecca E.

2015-01-01

Low levels of pharmaceutical compounds have been detected in aquatic environments worldwide, but their human and ecological health risks associated with low dose environmental exposure is largely unknown due to the large number of these compounds and a lack of information. Therefore prioritization and ranking methods are needed for screening target compounds for research and risk assessment. Previous efforts to rank pharmaceutical compounds have often focused on occurrence data and have paid less attention to removal mechanisms such as human metabolism. This study proposes a simple prioritization approach based on number of prescriptions and toxicity information, accounting for metabolism and wastewater treatment removal, and can be applied to unmeasured compounds. The approach was performed on the 200 most-prescribed drugs in the U.S. in 2009. Our results showed that under-studied compounds such as levothyroxine and montelukast sodium received the highest scores, suggesting the importance of removal mechanisms in influencing the ranking, and the need for future environmental research to include other less-studied but potentially harmful pharmaceutical compounds. PMID:22813724

Combining genetic and demographic information to prioritize conservation efforts for anadromous alewife and blueback herring

PubMed Central

Palkovacs, Eric P; Hasselman, Daniel J; Argo, Emily E; Gephard, Stephen R; Limburg, Karin E; Post, David M; Schultz, Thomas F; Willis, Theodore V

2014-01-01

A major challenge in conservation biology is the need to broadly prioritize conservation efforts when demographic data are limited. One method to address this challenge is to use population genetic data to define groups of populations linked by migration and then use demographic information from monitored populations to draw inferences about the status of unmonitored populations within those groups. We applied this method to anadromous alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis), species for which long-term demographic data are limited. Recent decades have seen dramatic declines in these species, which are an important ecological component of coastal ecosystems and once represented an important fishery resource. Results show that most populations comprise genetically distinguishable units, which are nested geographically within genetically distinct clusters or stocks. We identified three distinct stocks in alewife and four stocks in blueback herring. Analysis of available time series data for spawning adult abundance and body size indicate declines across the US ranges of both species, with the most severe declines having occurred for populations belonging to the Southern New England and the Mid-Atlantic Stocks. While all alewife and blueback herring populations deserve conservation attention, those belonging to these genetic stocks warrant the highest conservation prioritization. PMID:24567743

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

PubMed

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

2017-01-01

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

Water System Adaptation To Hydrological Changes: Module 14, Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and Prioritization Tools in Water System Adaptation

EPA Science Inventory

This course will introduce students to the fundamental principles of water system adaptation to hydrological changes, with emphasis on data analysis and interpretation, technical planning, and computational modeling. Starting with real-world scenarios and adaptation needs, the co...

38 CFR 59.50 - Priority list.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... systems or features is necessary to remedy a cited threat to the lives or safety of residents and program... utility systems or features; such applications will be prioritized in accordance with the criteria in...) All other projects (e.g., nurse call systems, patient lifts). (ii) Priority group 1—subpriority 2. An...

38 CFR 59.50 - Priority list.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... systems or features is necessary to remedy a cited threat to the lives or safety of residents and program... utility systems or features; such applications will be prioritized in accordance with the criteria in...) All other projects (e.g., nurse call systems, patient lifts). (ii) Priority group 1—subpriority 2. An...

An Innovative Community-Based Model for Improving Preventive Care in Rural Counties

PubMed Central

Scheid, Dewey; Zhao, Daniel; Mishra, Bhawani; Greever-Rice, Tracy

2017-01-01

Objectives This quasi-experimental pilot study aimed to implement and evaluate a sustainable, rural community-based patient outreach model for preventive care provided through primary care practices located in a rural county in Oklahoma. A Wellness Coordinator (WC) working with primary care practices (PCPs), the county health department, the county hospital, and a health information exchange (HIE) organization helped county residents receive evidence-based preventive services. Methods The WC used a community wellness registry connected to electronic medical records via HIE and called patients at the county level based on PCP-prioritized and tailored protocols. The registry flagged patient-level preventive care gaps, tracked outreach efforts, and documented the delivery of preventive services throughout the community. Return on investment (ROI) for prioritized preventive services was estimated in participating organizations. Results Six of the seven primary care practices in the county expressed interest in the project. Three of these practices fully implemented the 1-year outreach program starting in mid-2015. The regional HIE supplied periodic data updates for 9,138 county residents to help the coordinators address care gaps using the community registry. A total of 5,034 outreach calls were made by the WC in the first year and 7,776 prioritized recommendations were offered when care gaps were detected. Of the 5,034 distinct patients who received a call, 1146 (22%) were up-to-date on all prioritized services, while 3,888 (78%) were due for at least one of the selected services. Healthcare organizations in the county significantly improved the delivery of selected preventive services (mean increase: 35% across 10 services; p= 0.004; range: 3% to 215%) and realized a mean ROI of 80% for these services (range: 32% to 122%). The health system that employed the WC earned an estimated revenue of $52,000 realizing a 40% ROI for the coordinator position. Conclusions Although more research is needed, our pilot study suggests that it may be feasible and cost-effective to implement an innovative, county-level patient outreach program for improving preventive care in rural settings. PMID:28923810

Assessment of Impact of Monoenergetic Photon Sources on Prioritized Nonproliferation Applications: Simulation Study Report

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

Geddes, Cameron; Ludewigt, Bernhard; Valentine, John

Near-monoenergetic photon sources (MPSs) have the potential to improve sensitivity at greatly reduced dose in existing applications and enable new capabilities in other applications. MPS advantages include the ability to select energy, energy spread, flux, and pulse structures to deliver only the photons needed for the application, while suppressing extraneous dose and background. Some MPSs also offer narrow divergence photon beams which can target dose and/or mitigate scattering contributions to image contrast degradation. Current broad-band, bremsstrahlung photon sources (e.g., linacs and betatrons) deliver unnecessary dose that in some cases also interferes with the signature to be detected and/or restricts operations,more » and must be collimated (reducing flux) to generate narrow divergence beams. While MPSs can in principle resolve these issues, they are technically challenging to produce. Candidate MPS technologies for nonproliferation applications are now being developed, each of which have different properties (e.g. broad divergence vs. narrow). Within each technology, source parameters trade off against one another (e.g. flux vs. energy spread), representing a large operation space. To guide development, requirements for each application of interest must be defined and simulations conducted to define MPS parameters that deliver benefit relative to current systems. The present project conducted a broad assessment of potential nonproliferation applications where MPSs may provide new capabilities or significant performance enhancement (reported separately), which led to prioritization of several applications for detailed analysis. The applications prioritized were: cargo screening and interdiction of Special Nuclear Materials (SNM), detection of hidden SNM, treaty/dismantlement verification, and spent fuel dry storage cask content verification. High resolution imaging for stockpile stewardship was considered as a sub-area of the treaty topic, as it is also of interest for future treaty use. This report presents higher-fidelity calculations and modeling results to quantitatively evaluate the prioritized applications, and to derive the key MPS properties that drive application benefit. Simulations focused on the conventional signatures of radiography, photofission, and NRF to enable comparison to present methods and evaluation of benefit.« less

The Flat and Direct Way to R and S Configurations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brun, Y.; Leblanc, P.

1983-01-01

Discusses a simple, effective way of teaching S and R configurations for chiral molecules containing asymmetric centers. The method involves converting wedge/spatial representations to Fischer projections and prioritizing groups according to the Cahn-Ingold-Prelog sequence rules. Two examples illustrating the method are included. (JN)

Identification and Prioritization of Chemical Mixtures from Environmental Residue Data

EPA Science Inventory

High throughput toxicity testing has greatly improved the speed at which single chemicals can be screened using in vitro methods. However, people are not exposed to a single chemical at a time, rather to a mixture of chemicals. Even with the increased speed of these methods, te...

Methods for identifying high collision concentration locations (HCCL) for potential safety improvements : phase II, Evaluation of alternative methods for identifying HCCL.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-01-01

The objective of network screening should ideally be to not only identify sites for safety : investigation but also to prioritize those sites efficiently. Using roadway, intersection, and : collision data from California, this study compared the perf...

A New Method for Generating Distribution of Biomonitoring Equivalents to Support Exposure Assessment and Prioritization

EPA Science Inventory

Biomonitoring data are now available for hundreds of chemicals through state and national health surveys. Exposure guidance values also exist for many of these chemicals. Several methods are frequently used to evaluate biomarker data with respect to a guidance value. The “biomoni...

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

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

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

2013-07-01

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

The impact of health economic evaluations in Sweden.

PubMed

Heintz, Emelie; Arnberg, Karl; Levin, Lars-Åke; Liliemark, Jan; Davidson, Thomas

2014-01-01

The responsibility for healthcare in Sweden is shared by the central government, county councils and municipalities. The counties and municipalities are free to make their own prioritizations within the framework of the state healthcare laws. To guide prioritization of healthcare resources in Sweden, there is consensus that cost-effectiveness constitutes one of the three principles. The objective of this paper is to describe how cost-effectiveness, and hence health economic evaluations (HEE), have a role in pricing decisions, reimbursement of pharmaceuticals as well as the overall prioritization and allocation of resources in the Swedish healthcare system. There are various organizations involved in the processes of implementing health technologies in the Swedish healthcare system, several of which consider or produce HEEs when assessing different technologies: the Dental and Pharmaceutical Benefits Agency (TLV), the county councils' group on new drug therapies (NLT), the National Board of Health and Welfare, the Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment (SBU), regional HTA agencies and the Public Health Agency of Sweden. The only governmental agency that has official and mandatory guidelines for how to perform HEE is TLV (LFNAR 2003:2). Even though HEEs may seem to have a clear and explicit role in the decision-making processes in the Swedish healthcare system, there are various obstacles and challenges in the use and dissemination of the results. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

Integrated In-space Transportation Plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farris, B.; Eberle, B.; Woodcock, G.; Negast, B.; Johnson, Les (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The purpose of this report is to provide the reader with a readily accessible reference volume and history for the Integrated In-Space Transportation Plan (IISTP) phase I effort. This report was prepared by Gray Research, Inc. as a partial fulfillment of the Integrated Technology Assessment Center subcontract No. 4400037135 in support of the IISTP phase I effort within the In-Space Investment Area of the Advanced Space Transportation Program managed at Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama. Much of the data used in the preparation of this report was taken from analyses, briefings, and reports prepared by the vast number of dedicated engineers and scientists who participated in the IISTP phase I effort. The opinions and ideas expressed in this report are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of NASA in whole or in part. Reaching the outer solar system is a struggle against time and distance. The most distant planets are 4.5 to 6 billion kilometers from the Sun and to reach them in any reasonable time requires much higher values of specific impulse than can be achieved with conventional chemical rockets. In addition, the few spacecraft that have reached beyond Jupiter have used gravity assist, mainly by Jupiter, that is only available for a few months' period every 13 or so years. This permits only very infrequent missions and mission planners are very reluctant to accept travel times greater than about ten years since this is about the maximum for which one can have a realistic program plan. Advanced In-Space Propulsion (ISP) technologies will enable much more effective exploration of our Solar System and will permit mission designers to plan missions to "fly anytime, anywhere and complete a host of science objectives at the destinations' with greater reliability and safety. With a wide range of possible missions and candidate propulsion technologies with very diverse characteristics, the question of which technologies are "best" for future missions is a difficult one. The primary focus of the IISTP Phase I efforts were to: Develop, iterate and baseline future NASA requirements for In-Space Transportation; Define preliminary integrated architectures utilizing advanced ISP technologies; Identify and prioritize ISP technologies. The primary efforts of the IISTP Phase I process was to: Address Customer defined missions, mission priorities, mission requirements and technology preferences. Provide a forum for Technologists to advocate and have sufficiently considered any ISP technology for any mission of interest defined by the customer. Perform Systems analyses of the customer defined prioritized mission set to the degree necessary to support evaluation and prioritization of each technology advocated by the technologists. Perform Cost analyses on each of the technologies that were determined by systems analyses to be viable candidates for the customer defined mission set. Integrate all customers, technologists, systems, cost, program and project inputs into the final IISTP Prioritized set of technologies. The primary products of the IISTP Phase I effort were: Prioritized set of advanced ISP technologies that meet customer-provided requirements for customer prioritized mission sets; Recommendations of relative technology payoffs to guide augmentation investments.

Integrated In-Space Transportation Plan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farris, B.; Eberle, B.; Woodcock, G.; Negast, B.

2002-10-01

The purpose of this report is to provide the reader with a readily accessible reference volume and history for the Integrated In-Space Transportation Plan (IISTP) phase I effort. This report was prepared by Gray Research, Inc. as a partial fulfillment of the Integrated Technology Assessment Center subcontract No. 4400037135 in support of the IISTP phase I effort within the In-Space Investment Area of the Advanced Space Transportation Program managed at Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama. Much of the data used in the preparation of this report was taken from analyses, briefings, and reports prepared by the vast number of dedicated engineers and scientists who participated in the IISTP phase I effort. The opinions and ideas expressed in this report are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of NASA in whole or in part. Reaching the outer solar system is a struggle against time and distance. The most distant planets are 4.5 to 6 billion kilometers from the Sun and to reach them in any reasonable time requires much higher values of specific impulse than can be achieved with conventional chemical rockets. In addition, the few spacecraft that have reached beyond Jupiter have used gravity assist, mainly by Jupiter, that is only available for a few months' period every 13 or so years. This permits only very infrequent missions and mission planners are very reluctant to accept travel times greater than about ten years since this is about the maximum for which one can have a realistic program plan. Advanced In-Space Propulsion (ISP) technologies will enable much more effective exploration of our Solar System and will permit mission designers to plan missions to "fly anytime, anywhere and complete a host of science objectives at the destinations' with greater reliability and safety. With a wide range of possible missions and candidate propulsion technologies with very diverse characteristics, the question of which technologies are "best" for future missions is a difficult one. The primary focus of the IISTP Phase I efforts were to: Develop, iterate and baseline future NASA requirements for In-Space Transportation; Define preliminary integrated architectures utilizing advanced ISP technologies; Identify and prioritize ISP technologies. The primary efforts of the IISTP Phase I process was to: Address Customer defined missions, mission priorities, mission requirements and technology preferences. Provide a forum for Technologists to advocate and have sufficiently considered any ISP technology for any mission of interest defined by the customer. Perform Systems analyses of the customer defined prioritized mission set to the degree necessary to support evaluation and prioritization of each technology advocated by the technologists. Perform Cost analyses on each of the technologies that were determined by systems analyses to be viable candidates for the customer defined mission set. Integrate all customers, technologists, systems, cost, program and project inputs into the final IISTP Prioritized set of technologies. The primary products of the IISTP Phase I effort were: Prioritized set of advanced ISP technologies that meet customer-provided requirements for customer prioritized mission sets; Recommendations of relative technology payoffs to guide augmentation investments.

A Research Agenda for Radiation Oncology: Results of the Radiation Oncology Institute's Comprehensive Research Needs Assessment

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

Jagsi, Reshma, E-mail: rjagsi@med.umich.edu; Bekelman, Justin E.; Brawley, Otis W.

Purpose: To promote the rational use of scarce research funding, scholars have developed methods for the systematic identification and prioritization of health research needs. The Radiation Oncology Institute commissioned an independent, comprehensive assessment of research needs for the advancement of radiation oncology care. Methods and Materials: The research needs assessment used a mixed-method, qualitative and quantitative social scientific approach, including structured interviews with diverse stakeholders, focus groups, surveys of American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) members, and a prioritization exercise using a modified Delphi technique. Results: Six co-equal priorities were identified: (1) Identify and develop communication strategies to help patientsmore » and others better understand radiation therapy; (2) Establish a set of quality indicators for major radiation oncology procedures and evaluate their use in radiation oncology delivery; (3) Identify best practices for the management of radiation toxicity and issues in cancer survivorship; (4) Conduct comparative effectiveness studies related to radiation therapy that consider clinical benefit, toxicity (including quality of life), and other outcomes; (5) Assess the value of radiation therapy; and (6) Develop a radiation oncology registry. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this prioritization exercise is the only comprehensive and methodologically rigorous assessment of research needs in the field of radiation oncology. Broad dissemination of these findings is critical to maximally leverage the impact of this work, particularly because grant funding decisions are often made by committees on which highly specialized disciplines such as radiation oncology are not well represented.« less

Positioning women's and children's health in African union policy-making: a policy analysis

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background With limited time to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, progress towards improving women's and children's health needs to be accelerated. With Africa accounting for over half of the world's maternal and child deaths, the African Union (AU) has a critical role in prioritizing related policies and catalysing required investments and action. In this paper, the authors assess the evolution of African Union policies related to women's and children's health, and analyze how these policies are prioritized and framed. Methods The main method used in this policy analysis was a document review of all African Union policies developed from 1963 to 2010, focusing specifically on policies that explicitly mention health. The findings from this document review were discussed with key actors to identify policy implications. Results With over 220 policies in total, peace and security is the most common AU policy topic. Social affairs and other development issues became more prominent in the 1990s. The number of policies that mentioned health rose steadily over the years (with 1 policy mentioning health in 1963 to 7 in 2010). This change was catalysed by factors such as: a favourable shift in AU priorities and systems towards development issues, spurred by the transition from the Organization of African Unity to the African Union; the mandate of the African Commission on Human and People's Rights; health-related advocacy initiatives, such as the Campaign for the Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA); action and accountability requirements arising from international human rights treaties, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and new health-funding mechanisms, such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Prioritization of women's and children's health issues in AU policies has been framed primarily by human rights, advocacy and accountability considerations, more by economic and health frames looking at investments and impact. AU policies related to reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health also use fewer policy frames than do AU policies related to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Conclusion We suggest that more effective prioritization of women's and children's health in African Union policies would be supported by widening the range of policy frames used (notably health and economic) and strengthening the evidence base of all policy frames used. In addition, we suggest it would be beneficial if the partner groups advocating for women's and children's health were multi-stakeholder, and included, for instance, health care professionals, regional institutions, parliamentarians, the media, academia, NGOs, development partners and the public and private sectors. PMID:22340362

Prioritization methodology for chemical replacement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruit, Wendy; Goldberg, Ben; Schutzenhofer, Scott

1995-01-01

Since United States of America federal legislation has required ozone depleting chemicals (class 1 & 2) to be banned from production, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and industry have been required to find other chemicals and methods to replace these target chemicals. This project was initiated as a development of a prioritization methodology suitable for assessing and ranking existing processes for replacement 'urgency.' The methodology was produced in the form of a workbook (NASA Technical Paper 3421). The final workbook contains two tools, one for evaluation and one for prioritization. The two tools are interconnected in that they were developed from one central theme - chemical replacement due to imposed laws and regulations. This workbook provides matrices, detailed explanations of how to use them, and a detailed methodology for prioritization of replacement technology. The main objective is to provide a GUIDELINE to help direct the research for replacement technology. The approach for prioritization called for a system which would result in a numerical rating for the chemicals and processes being assessed. A Quality Function Deployment (QFD) technique was used in order to determine numerical values which would correspond to the concerns raised and their respective importance to the process. This workbook defines the approach and the application of the QFD matrix. This technique: (1) provides a standard database for technology that can be easily reviewed, and (2) provides a standard format for information when requesting resources for further research for chemical replacement technology. Originally, this workbook was to be used for Class 1 and Class 2 chemicals, but it was specifically designed to be flexible enough to be used for any chemical used in a process (if the chemical and/or process needs to be replaced). The methodology consists of comparison matrices (and the smaller comparison components) which allow replacement technology to be quantitatively compared in several categories, and a QFD matrix which allows process/chemical pairs to be rated against one another for importance (using consistent categories). Depending on the need for application, one can choose the part(s) needed or have the methodology completed in its entirety. For example, if a program needs to show the risk of changing a process/chemical one may choose to use part of Matrix A and Matrix C. If a chemical is being used, and the process must be changed; one might use the Process Concerns part of Matrix D for the existing process and all possible replacement processes. If an overall analysis of a program is needed, one may request the QFD to be completed.

Understanding the effects of different social data on selecting priority conservation areas.

PubMed

Karimi, Azadeh; Tulloch, Ayesha I T; Brown, Greg; Hockings, Marc

2017-12-01

Conservation success is contingent on assessing social and environmental factors so that cost-effective implementation of strategies and actions can be placed in a broad social-ecological context. Until now, the focus has been on how to include spatially explicit social data in conservation planning, whereas the value of different kinds of social data has received limited attention. In a regional systematic conservation planning case study in Australia, we examined the spatial concurrence of a range of spatially explicit social values and land-use preferences collected using a public participation geographic information system and biological data. We used Zonation to integrate the social data with the biological data in a series of spatial-prioritization scenarios to determine the effect of the different types of social data on spatial prioritization compared with biological data alone. The type of social data (i.e., conservation opportunities or constraints) significantly affected spatial prioritization outcomes. The integration of social values and land-use preferences under different scenarios was highly variable and generated spatial prioritizations 1.2-51% different from those based on biological data alone. The inclusion of conservation-compatible values and preferences added relatively few new areas to conservation priorities, whereas including noncompatible economic values and development preferences as costs significantly changed conservation priority areas (48.2% and 47.4%, respectively). Based on our results, a multifaceted conservation prioritization approach that combines spatially explicit social data with biological data can help conservation planners identify the type of social data to collect for more effective and feasible conservation actions. © 2017 Society for Conservation Biology.

SOAP Opera: Self as Object and Agent in Prioritizing Attention.

PubMed

Truong, Grace; Todd, Rebecca M

2017-06-01

A growing body of evidence has demonstrated that multiple sources of salience tune attentional sets toward aspects of the environment, including affectively and motivationally significant categories of stimuli such as angry faces and reward-associated target locations. Recent evidence further indicates that objects that have gained personal significance through ownership can elicit similar attentional prioritization. Here we discuss current research on sources of attentional prioritization that shape our awareness of the visual world from moment to moment and the underlying neural systems and contextualize what is known about attentional prioritization of our possessions within that research. We review behavioral and neuroimaging research on the influence of self-relevance and ownership on cognition and discuss challenges to this literature stemming from different modes of conceptualizing and operationalizing the self. We argue that ownership taps into both "self-as-object," which characterizes the self as an object with a constellation of traits and attributes, and "self-as-subject," which characterizes the self as an agentic perceiver and knower. Despite an abundance of research probing neural and behavioral indices of self-as-object and its effects on attention, there exists a paucity of research on the influence of self-relevance of attention when self is operationalized from the perspective of a first-person subject. To begin to address this gap, we propose the Self as Ownership in Attentional Prioritization (SOAP) framework to explain how ownership increases salience through attention to external representations of self-identity (i.e., self as object) and attention to contextually mediated permission to act (i.e., self as subject).

The carrier safety measurement system (CSMS) effectiveness test by behavior analysis and safety improvement categories (BASICs)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-01-24

The Carrier Safety Measurement System (CSMS) is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrations (FMCSA's) workload prioritization tool. This tool is used to identify carriers with potential safety issues so that they are subject to interventions ...

Assessing the Robustness of Chemical Prioritizations Based on ToxCast Chemical Profiling

EPA Science Inventory

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

Data from clinical notes: a perspective on the tension between structure and flexible documentation

PubMed Central

Denny, Joshua C; Xu, Hua; Lorenzi, Nancy; Stead, William W; Johnson, Kevin B

2011-01-01

Clinical documentation is central to patient care. The success of electronic health record system adoption may depend on how well such systems support clinical documentation. A major goal of integrating clinical documentation into electronic heath record systems is to generate reusable data. As a result, there has been an emphasis on deploying computer-based documentation systems that prioritize direct structured documentation. Research has demonstrated that healthcare providers value different factors when writing clinical notes, such as narrative expressivity, amenability to the existing workflow, and usability. The authors explore the tension between expressivity and structured clinical documentation, review methods for obtaining reusable data from clinical notes, and recommend that healthcare providers be able to choose how to document patient care based on workflow and note content needs. When reusable data are needed from notes, providers can use structured documentation or rely on post-hoc text processing to produce structured data, as appropriate. PMID:21233086

An Advanced Orbiting Systems Approach to Quality of Service in Space-Based Intelligent Communication Networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Riha, Andrew P.

2005-01-01

As humans and robotic technologies are deployed in future constellation systems, differing traffic services will arise, e.g., realtime and non-realtime. In order to provide a quality of service framework that would allow humans and robotic technologies to interoperate over a wide and dynamic range of interactions, a method of classifying data as realtime or non-realtime is needed. In our paper, we present an approach that leverages the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) Advanced Orbiting Systems (AOS) data link protocol. Specifically, we redefine the AOS Transfer Frame Replay Flag in order to provide an automated store-and-forward approach on a per-service basis for use in the next-generation Interplanetary Network. In addition to addressing the problem of intermittent connectivity and associated services, we propose a follow-on methodology for prioritizing data through further modification of the AOS Transfer Frame.

Triage for coronary artery bypass graft surgery in Canada: Do patients agree on who should come first?

PubMed Central

Shufelt, Katy; Chong, Alice; Alter, David A

2007-01-01

Background The extent to which clinical and non-clinical factors impact on the waiting-list prioritization preferences of patients in the queue is unknown. Using a series of hypothetical scenarios, the objective of this study was to examine the extent to which clinical and non-clinical factors impacted on how patients would prioritize others relative to themselves in the coronary artery bypass surgical queue. Methods Ninety-one consecutive eligible patients awaiting coronary artery bypass grafting surgery at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (median waiting-time duration prior to survey of 8 weeks) were given a self-administered survey consisting of nine scenarios in which clinical and non-clinical characteristic profiles of hypothetical patients (also awaiting coronary artery bypass surgery) were varied. For each scenario, patients were asked where in the queue such hypothetical patients should be placed relative to themselves. Results The eligible response rate was 65% (59/91). Most respondents put themselves marginally ahead of a hypothetical patient with identical clinical and non-clinical characteristics as themselves. There was a strong tendency for respondents to place patients of higher clinical acuity ahead of themselves in the queue (P < 0.0001). Social independence among young individuals was a positively valued attribute (P < 0.0001), but neither age per se nor financial status, directly impacted on patients waiting-list priority preferences. Conclusion While patient perceptions generally reaffirmed a bypass surgical triage process based on principals of equity and clinical acuity, the valuation of social independence may justify further debate with regard to the inclusion of non-clinical factors in waiting-list prioritization management systems in Canada, as elsewhere. PMID:17651503

Development and Validation of a Standardized Tool for Prioritization of Information Sources.

PubMed

Akwar, Holy; Kloeze, Harold; Mukhi, Shamir

2016-01-01

To validate the utility and effectiveness of a standardized tool for prioritization of information sources for early detection of diseases. The tool was developed with input from diverse public health experts garnered through survey. Ten raters used the tool to evaluate ten information sources and reliability among raters was computed. The Proc mixed procedure with random effect statement and SAS Macros were used to compute multiple raters' Fleiss Kappa agreement and Kendall's Coefficient of Concordance. Ten disparate information sources evaluated obtained the following composite scores: ProMed 91%; WAHID 90%; Eurosurv 87%; MediSys 85%; SciDaily 84%; EurekAl 83%; CSHB 78%; GermTrax 75%; Google 74%; and CBC 70%. A Fleiss Kappa agreement of 50.7% was obtained for ten information sources and 72.5% for a sub-set of five sources rated, which is substantial agreement validating the utility and effectiveness of the tool. This study validated the utility and effectiveness of a standardized criteria tool developed to prioritize information sources. The new tool was used to identify five information sources suited for use by the KIWI system in the CEZD-IIR project to improve surveillance of infectious diseases. The tool can be generalized to situations when prioritization of numerous information sources is necessary.

Towards a Comparative Index of Seaport Climate-Risk: Development of Indicators from Open Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McIntosh, R. D.; Becker, A.

2016-02-01

Seaports represent an example of coastal infrastructure that is at once critical to global trade, constrained to the land-sea interface, and exposed to weather and climate hazards. Seaports face impacts associated with projected changes in sea level, sedimentation, ocean chemistry, wave dynamics, temperature, precipitation, and storm frequency and intensity. Port decision-makers have the responsibility to enhance resilience against these impacts. At the multi-port (regional or national) scale, policy-makers must prioritize adaptation efforts to maximize the efficiency of limited physical and financial resources. Prioritization requires comparing across seaports, and comparison requires a standardized assessment method, but efforts to date have either been limited in scope to exposure-only assessments or limited in scale to evaluate one port in isolation from a system of ports. In order to better understand the distribution of risk across ports and to inform transportation resilience policy, we are developing a comparative assessment method to measure the relative climate-risk faced by a sample of ports. Our mixed-methods approach combines a quantitative, data-driven, indicator-based assessment with qualitative data collected via expert-elicitation. In this presentation, we identify and synthesize over 120 potential risk indicators from open data sources. Indicators represent exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity for a pilot sample of 20 ports. Our exploratory data analysis, including Principal Component Analysis, uncovered sources of variance between individual ports and between indicators. Next steps include convening an expert panel representing the perspectives of multiple transportation system agencies to find consensus on a suite of robust indicators and metrics for maritime freight node climate risk assessment. The index will be refined based on expert feedback, the sample size expanded, and additional indicators sought from closed data sources. Developing standardized indicators from available data is an essential step in risk assessment, as robust indicators can help policy-makers monitor resilience strategy implementation, target and justify resource expenditure for adaptation schemes, communicate adaptation to stakeholders, and benchmark progress.

BetaSCPWeb: side-chain prediction for protein structures using Voronoi diagrams and geometry prioritization

PubMed Central

Ryu, Joonghyun; Lee, Mokwon; Cha, Jehyun; Laskowski, Roman A.; Ryu, Seong Eon; Kim, Deok-Soo

2016-01-01

Many applications, such as protein design, homology modeling, flexible docking, etc. require the prediction of a protein's optimal side-chain conformations from just its amino acid sequence and backbone structure. Side-chain prediction (SCP) is an NP-hard energy minimization problem. Here, we present BetaSCPWeb which efficiently computes a conformation close to optimal using a geometry-prioritization method based on the Voronoi diagram of spherical atoms. Its outputs are visual, textual and PDB file format. The web server is free and open to all users at http://voronoi.hanyang.ac.kr/betascpweb with no login requirement. PMID:27151195

Quality assessment of Isfahan Medical Faculty web site electronic services and prioritizing solutions using analytic hierarchy process approach.

PubMed

Hajrahimi, Nafiseh; Dehaghani, Sayed Mehdi Hejazi; Hajrahimi, Nargess; Sarmadi, Sima

2014-01-01

Implementing information technology in the best possible way can bring many advantages such as applying electronic services and facilitating tasks. Therefore, assessment of service providing systems is a way to improve the quality and elevate these systems including e-commerce, e-government, e-banking, and e-learning. This study was aimed to evaluate the electronic services in the website of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in order to propose solutions to improve them. Furthermore, we aim to rank the solutions based on the factors that enhance the quality of electronic services by using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. Non-parametric test was used to assess the quality of electronic services. The assessment of propositions was based on Aqual model and they were prioritized using AHP approach. The AHP approach was used because it directly applies experts' deductions in the model, and lead to more objective results in the analysis and prioritizing the risks. After evaluating the quality of the electronic services, a multi-criteria decision making frame-work was used to prioritize the proposed solutions. Non-parametric tests and AHP approach using Expert Choice software. The results showed that students were satisfied in most of the indicators. Only a few indicators received low satisfaction from students including, design attractiveness, the amount of explanation and details of information, honesty and responsiveness of authorities, and the role of e-services in the user's relationship with university. After interviewing with Information and Communications Technology (ICT) experts at the university, measurement criteria, and solutions to improve the quality were collected. The best solutions were selected by EC software. According to the results, the solution "controlling and improving the process in handling users complaints" is of the utmost importance and authorities have to have it on the website and place great importance on updating this process. Although, 4 out of the 22 indicators used in the test hypothesis were not confirmed, the results show that these assumptions are accepted at 95% confidence level. To improve the quality of electronic services, special attention should be paid to "services interaction." As the results showed having "controlling and improving the process in handling users complaints" on the website is the first and most important one and the process of "changing brand/factory name/address in the text of the factory license/renewal or modification of manufacturing license/changing the formula" is the least important one.

Higher Risk Periods for Suicide Among VA Patients Receiving Depression Treatment

PubMed Central

Valenstein, Marcia; Kim, Hyungjin Myra; Ganoczy, Dara; McCarthy, John F.; Zivin, Kara; Austin, Karen L.; Hoggatt, Katherine; Eisenberg, Daniel; Piette, John D.; Blow, Frederic C.; Olfson, Mark

2010-01-01

Background Health systems with limited resources may have the greatest impact on suicide if their prevention efforts target the highest-risk treatment groups during the highest-risk periods. To date, few health systems have carefully segmented their depression treatment populations by level of risk and prioritized prevention efforts on this basis. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 887,859 VA patients receiving depression treatment between 4/1/1999 and 9/30/2004. We calculated suicide rates for five sequential 12-week periods following treatment events that health systems could readily identify: psychiatric hospitalizations, new antidepressant starts (>6 months without fills), “other” antidepressant starts, and dose changes. Using piecewise exponential models, we examined whether rates differed across time-periods. We also examined whether suicide rates differed by age-group in these periods. Results Over all time periods, the suicide rate was 114/100,000 person-years (95% CI; 108,120). In the first 12-week periods, suicide rates were: 568/100,000 p-y (95% CI; 493,651) following psychiatric hospitalizations; 210/100,000 p-y (95% CI; 187, 236) following new antidepressant starts; 193/100,000 p-y (95% CI; 167, 222) following other starts; and 154/100,000 p-y (95% CI; 133, 177) following dose changes. Suicide rates remained above the base rate for 48 weeks following hospital discharge and 12 weeks following antidepressant events. Adults aged 61–80 years were at highest risk in the first 12-weeks periods Conclusions To have the greatest impact on suicide, health systems should prioritize prevention efforts following psychiatric hospitalizations. If resources allow, closer monitoring may also be warranted in the first 12 weeks following antidepressant starts, across all age-groups. PMID:18945495

Can we use GIS as a historic city's heritage management system? The case study of Hermoupolis-Syros

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatzigrigoriou, Pavlos

2016-08-01

Because of the severe economic crisis, Greek historic heritage is in risk. Historic cities as Hermoupolis, were dealing with this risk years before the crisis. The current situation needed drastic action, with innovative low cost ideas. The historic building stock in Hermoupolis counts more than 1.200 buildings. By recording the pathology, the GIS and the D.B.M.S "HERMeS" with the appropriate algorithms identify the historic buildings in risk. In the first application of the system those buildings were 160, with a rate of 2.4 historic buildings collapse every year. The prioritization of interventions in these buildings is critical, as it is not possible to lower the collapsing risk simultaneously in 160 buildings, but neither the interventions can be judged solely by the reactions of local residents. Bearing in mind the fact that one, given the current economic conditions, has to make best use of the funds for this purpose, it is proved that the relevant decision requires multi criteria analysis method of prioritizing interventions. Specifically, the analysis takes into account the risk of collapse of each building, but in connection with a series of other variables, such as the role of building in Hermoupolis, the position in the city, the influence in other areas of interest, the social impact etc. The final result is a catalogue with historic buildings and a point system, which reflects the risk of loosing the building. The point system leads to a Conservation Plan for the city of Hermoupolis, giving the hierarchy of interventions that must be done in order to save the maximum architecture heritage with the minimum funds, postponing the risk of collapsing. In 2015, EU and EUROPA-NOSTRA awarded the above-mentioned project in the category of "Research and Digitization".

Prioritizing Avian Species for Their Risk of Population-Level Consequences from Wind Energy Development

PubMed Central

Beston, Julie A.; Diffendorfer, Jay E.; Loss, Scott R.; Johnson, Douglas H.

2016-01-01

Recent growth in the wind energy industry has increased concerns about its impacts on wildlife populations. Direct impacts of wind energy include bird and bat collisions with turbines whereas indirect impacts include changes in wildlife habitat and behavior. Although many species may withstand these effects, species that are long-lived with low rates of reproduction, have specialized habitat preferences, or are attracted to turbines may be more prone to declines in population abundance. We developed a prioritization system to identify the avian species most likely to experience population declines from wind facilities based on their current conservation status and their expected risk from turbines. We developed 3 metrics of turbine risk that incorporate data on collision fatalities at wind facilities, population size, life history, species’ distributions relative to turbine locations, number of suitable habitat types, and species’ conservation status. We calculated at least 1 measure of turbine risk for 428 avian species that breed in the United States. We then simulated 100,000 random sets of cutoff criteria (i.e., the metric values used to assign species to different priority categories) for each turbine risk metric and for conservation status. For each set of criteria, we assigned each species a priority score and calculated the average priority score across all sets of criteria. Our prioritization system highlights both species that could potentially experience population decline caused by wind energy and species at low risk of population decline. For instance, several birds of prey, such as the long-eared owl, ferruginous hawk, Swainson’s hawk, and golden eagle, were at relatively high risk of population decline across a wide variety of cutoff values, whereas many passerines were at relatively low risk of decline. This prioritization system is a first step that will help researchers, conservationists, managers, and industry target future study and management activity. PMID:26963254

Prioritizing avian species for their risk of population-level consequences from wind energy development

USGS Publications Warehouse

Beston, Julie A.; Diffendorfer, James E.; Loss, Scott; Johnson, Douglas H.

2016-01-01

Recent growth in the wind energy industry has increased concerns about its impacts on wildlife populations. Direct impacts of wind energy include bird and bat collisions with turbines whereas indirect impacts include changes in wildlife habitat and behavior. Although many species may withstand these effects, species that are long-lived with low rates of reproduction, have specialized habitat preferences, or are attracted to turbines may be more prone to declines in population abundance. We developed a prioritization system to identify the avian species most likely to experience population declines from wind facilities based on their current conservation status and their expected risk from turbines. We developed 3 metrics of turbine risk that incorporate data on collision fatalities at wind facilities, population size, life history, species’ distributions relative to turbine locations, number of suitable habitat types, and species’ conservation status. We calculated at least 1 measure of turbine risk for 428 avian species that breed in the United States. We then simulated 100,000 random sets of cutoff criteria (i.e., the metric values used to assign species to different priority categories) for each turbine risk metric and for conservation status. For each set of criteria, we assigned each species a priority score and calculated the average priority score across all sets of criteria. Our prioritization system highlights both species that could potentially experience population decline caused by wind energy and species at low risk of population decline. For instance, several birds of prey, such as the long-eared owl, ferruginous hawk, Swainson’s hawk, and golden eagle, were at relatively high risk of population decline across a wide variety of cutoff values, whereas many passerines were at relatively low risk of decline. This prioritization system is a first step that will help researchers, conservationists, managers, and industry target future study and management activity.

Prioritizing Avian Species for Their Risk of Population-Level Consequences from Wind Energy Development.

PubMed

Beston, Julie A; Diffendorfer, Jay E; Loss, Scott R; Johnson, Douglas H

2016-01-01

Recent growth in the wind energy industry has increased concerns about its impacts on wildlife populations. Direct impacts of wind energy include bird and bat collisions with turbines whereas indirect impacts include changes in wildlife habitat and behavior. Although many species may withstand these effects, species that are long-lived with low rates of reproduction, have specialized habitat preferences, or are attracted to turbines may be more prone to declines in population abundance. We developed a prioritization system to identify the avian species most likely to experience population declines from wind facilities based on their current conservation status and their expected risk from turbines. We developed 3 metrics of turbine risk that incorporate data on collision fatalities at wind facilities, population size, life history, species' distributions relative to turbine locations, number of suitable habitat types, and species' conservation status. We calculated at least 1 measure of turbine risk for 428 avian species that breed in the United States. We then simulated 100,000 random sets of cutoff criteria (i.e., the metric values used to assign species to different priority categories) for each turbine risk metric and for conservation status. For each set of criteria, we assigned each species a priority score and calculated the average priority score across all sets of criteria. Our prioritization system highlights both species that could potentially experience population decline caused by wind energy and species at low risk of population decline. For instance, several birds of prey, such as the long-eared owl, ferruginous hawk, Swainson's hawk, and golden eagle, were at relatively high risk of population decline across a wide variety of cutoff values, whereas many passerines were at relatively low risk of decline. This prioritization system is a first step that will help researchers, conservationists, managers, and industry target future study and management activity.

What Data to Use for Forest Conservation Planning? A Comparison of Coarse Open and Detailed Proprietary Forest Inventory Data in Finland

PubMed Central

Lehtomäki, Joona; Tuominen, Sakari; Toivonen, Tuuli; Leinonen, Antti

2015-01-01

The boreal region is facing intensifying resource extraction pressure, but the lack of comprehensive biodiversity data makes operative forest conservation planning difficult. Many countries have implemented forest inventory schemes and are making extensive and up-to-date forest databases increasingly available. Some of the more detailed inventory databases, however, remain proprietary and unavailable for conservation planning. Here, we investigate how well different open and proprietary forest inventory data sets suit the purpose of conservation prioritization in Finland. We also explore how much priorities are affected by using the less accurate but open data. First, we construct a set of indices for forest conservation value based on quantitative information commonly found in forest inventories. These include the maturity of the trees, tree species composition, and site fertility. Secondly, using these data and accounting for connectivity between forest types, we investigate the patterns in conservation priority. For prioritization, we use Zonation, a method and software for spatial conservation prioritization. We then validate the prioritizations by comparing them to known areas of high conservation value. We show that the overall priority patterns are relatively consistent across different data sources and analysis options. However, the coarse data cannot be used to accurately identify the high-priority areas as it misses much of the fine-scale variation in forest structures. We conclude that, while inventory data collected for forestry purposes may be useful for forest conservation purposes, it needs to be detailed enough to be able to account for more fine-scaled features of high conservation value. These results underline the importance of making detailed inventory data publicly available. Finally, we discuss how the prioritization methodology we used could be integrated into operative forest management, especially in countries in the boreal zone. PMID:26317227

What Data to Use for Forest Conservation Planning? A Comparison of Coarse Open and Detailed Proprietary Forest Inventory Data in Finland.

PubMed

Lehtomäki, Joona; Tuominen, Sakari; Toivonen, Tuuli; Leinonen, Antti

2015-01-01

The boreal region is facing intensifying resource extraction pressure, but the lack of comprehensive biodiversity data makes operative forest conservation planning difficult. Many countries have implemented forest inventory schemes and are making extensive and up-to-date forest databases increasingly available. Some of the more detailed inventory databases, however, remain proprietary and unavailable for conservation planning. Here, we investigate how well different open and proprietary forest inventory data sets suit the purpose of conservation prioritization in Finland. We also explore how much priorities are affected by using the less accurate but open data. First, we construct a set of indices for forest conservation value based on quantitative information commonly found in forest inventories. These include the maturity of the trees, tree species composition, and site fertility. Secondly, using these data and accounting for connectivity between forest types, we investigate the patterns in conservation priority. For prioritization, we use Zonation, a method and software for spatial conservation prioritization. We then validate the prioritizations by comparing them to known areas of high conservation value. We show that the overall priority patterns are relatively consistent across different data sources and analysis options. However, the coarse data cannot be used to accurately identify the high-priority areas as it misses much of the fine-scale variation in forest structures. We conclude that, while inventory data collected for forestry purposes may be useful for forest conservation purposes, it needs to be detailed enough to be able to account for more fine-scaled features of high conservation value. These results underline the importance of making detailed inventory data publicly available. Finally, we discuss how the prioritization methodology we used could be integrated into operative forest management, especially in countries in the boreal zone.

Prioritization and willingness to pay for bariatric surgery: the patient perspective

PubMed Central

Gill, Richdeep S.; Majumdar, Sumit R.; Wang, Xiaoming; Tuepah, Rebecca; Klarenbach, Scott W.; Birch, Daniel W.; Karmali, Shahzeer; Sharma, Arya M.; Padwal, Raj S.

2014-01-01

Background Access to publicly funded bariatric surgery is limited, potential candidates face lengthy waits, and no universally accepted prioritization criteria exist. We examined patients’ perspectives regarding prioritization for surgery. Methods We surveyed consecutively recruited patients awaiting bariatric surgery about 9 hypothetical scenarios describing patients waiting for surgery. Respondents were asked to rank the priority of these hypothetical patients on the wait list relative to their own. Scenarios examined variations in age, clinical severity, functional impairment, social dependence and socioeconomic status. Willingness to pay for faster access was assessed using a 5-point ordinal scale and analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. Results The 99 respondents had mean age of 44.7 ± 9.9 years, 76% were women, and the mean body mass index was 47.3 ± SD 7.6. The mean wait for surgery was 34.4 ± 9.4 months. Respondents assigned similar priority to hypothetical patients with characteristics identical to theirs (p = 0.22) and higher priority (greater urgency) to those exhibiting greater clinical severity (p < 0.001) and functional impairment (p = 0.003). Lower priority was assigned to patients at the extremes of age (p = 0.006), on social assistance (p < 0.001) and of high socioeconomic status (p < 0.001). Most (85%) respondents disagreed with payment to expedite access, although participants earning more than $80 000/year were less likely to disagree. Conclusion Most patients waiting for bariatric surgery consider greater clinical severity and functional impairments related to obesity to be important prioritization indicators and disagreed with paying for faster access. These findings may help inform future efforts to develop acceptable prioritization strategies for publicly funded bariatric surgery. PMID:24461224

Systematic Prioritization and Integrative Analysis of Copy Number Variations in Schizophrenia Reveal Key Schizophrenia Susceptibility Genes

PubMed Central

Luo, Xiongjian; Huang, Liang; Han, Leng; Luo, Zhenwu; Hu, Fang; Tieu, Roger; Gan, Lin

2014-01-01

Schizophrenia is a common mental disorder with high heritability and strong genetic heterogeneity. Common disease-common variants hypothesis predicts that schizophrenia is attributable in part to common genetic variants. However, recent studies have clearly demonstrated that copy number variations (CNVs) also play pivotal roles in schizophrenia susceptibility and explain a proportion of missing heritability. Though numerous CNVs have been identified, many of the regions affected by CNVs show poor overlapping among different studies, and it is not known whether the genes disrupted by CNVs contribute to the risk of schizophrenia. By using cumulative scoring, we systematically prioritized the genes affected by CNVs in schizophrenia. We identified 8 top genes that are frequently disrupted by CNVs, including NRXN1, CHRNA7, BCL9, CYFIP1, GJA8, NDE1, SNAP29, and GJA5. Integration of genes affected by CNVs with known schizophrenia susceptibility genes (from previous genetic linkage and association studies) reveals that many genes disrupted by CNVs are also associated with schizophrenia. Further protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis indicates that protein products of genes affected by CNVs frequently interact with known schizophrenia-associated proteins. Finally, systematic integration of CNVs prioritization data with genetic association and PPI data identifies key schizophrenia candidate genes. Our results provide a global overview of genes impacted by CNVs in schizophrenia and reveal a densely interconnected molecular network of de novo CNVs in schizophrenia. Though the prioritized top genes represent promising schizophrenia risk genes, further work with different prioritization methods and independent samples is needed to confirm these findings. Nevertheless, the identified key candidate genes may have important roles in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, and further functional characterization of these genes may provide pivotal targets for future therapeutics and diagnostics. PMID:24664977

Value-of-information analysis within a stakeholder-driven research prioritization process in a US setting: an application in cancer genomics.

PubMed

Carlson, Josh J; Thariani, Rahber; Roth, Josh; Gralow, Julie; Henry, N Lynn; Esmail, Laura; Deverka, Pat; Ramsey, Scott D; Baker, Laurence; Veenstra, David L

2013-05-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and outcomes of incorporating value-of-information (VOI) analysis into a stakeholder-driven research prioritization process in a US-based setting. . Within a program to prioritize comparative effectiveness research areas in cancer genomics, over a period of 7 months, we developed decision-analytic models and calculated upper-bound VOI estimates for 3 previously selected genomic tests. Thirteen stakeholders representing patient advocates, payers, test developers, regulators, policy makers, and community-based oncologists ranked the tests before and after receiving VOI results. The stakeholders were surveyed about the usefulness and impact of the VOI findings. The estimated upper-bound VOI ranged from $33 million to $2.8 billion for the 3 research areas. Seven stakeholders indicated the results modified their rankings, 9 stated VOI data were useful, and all indicated they would support its use in future prioritization processes. Some stakeholders indicated expected value of sampled information might be the preferred choice when evaluating specific Limitations. Our study was limited by the size and the potential for selection bias in the composition of the external stakeholder group, lack of a randomized design to assess effect of VOI data on rankings, and the use of expected value of perfect information v. expected value of sample information methods. Value of information analyses may have a meaningful role in research topic prioritization for comparative effectiveness research in the United States, particularly when large differences in VOI across topic areas are identified. Additional research is needed to facilitate the use of more complex value of information analyses in this setting.

Total Quality Management of Information System for Quality Assessment of Pesantren Using Fuzzy-SERVQUAL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faizah, Arbiati; Syafei, Wahyul Amien; Isnanto, R. Rizal

2018-02-01

This research proposed a model combining an approach of Total Quality Management (TQM) and Fuzzy method of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) to asses service quality. TQM implementation was as quality management orienting on customer's satisfaction by involving all stakeholders. SERVQUAL model was used to measure quality service based on five dimensions such as tangible, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. Fuzzy set theory was to accommodate subjectivity and ambiguity of quality assessment. Input data consisted of indicator data and quality assessment aspect. Input data was, then, processed to be service quality assessment questionnaires of Pesantren by using Fuzzy method to get service quality score. This process consisted of some steps as follows : inputting dimension and questionnaire data to data base system, filling questionnaire through system, then, system calculated fuzzification, defuzzification, gap of quality expected and received by service receivers, and calculating each dimension rating showing quality refinement priority. Rating of each quality dimension was, then, displayed at dashboard system to enable users to see information. From system having been built, it could be known that tangible dimension had the highest gap, -0.399, thus it needs to be prioritized and gets evaluation and refinement action soon.

Georgia concrete pavement performance and longevity.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-02-01

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has effectively utilized its pavement management system (PMS) to make informed, data-driven pavement maintenance decisions, including project selection, project prioritization, and funding allocation. C...

Homeland Security Presidential Directives

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

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

A culture of safety: a business strategy for medical practices.

PubMed

Saxton, James W; Finkelstein, Maggie M; Marles, Adam F

2012-01-01

Physician practices can enhance their economics by taking patient safety to a new level within their practices. Patient safety has a lot to do with systems and processes that occur not only at the hospital but also within a physician's practice. Historically, patient safety measures have been hospital-focused and -driven, largely due to available resources; however, physician practices can impact patient safety, efficiently and effectively, with a methodical plan involving assessment, prioritization, and compliance. With the ever-increasing focus of reimbursement on quality and patient safety, physician practices that implement a true culture of safety now could see future economic benefits using this business strategy.

Using the Delphi Method for Selecting Effective Rehabilitation Practices for Case Study Research: Methods, Challenges, and Solutions and Implications for Future Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fleming, Allison R.; Boeltzig-Brown, Heike; Foley, Susan M.

2015-01-01

Purpose: We describe a modified Delphi method used to select effective state vocational rehabilitation agency practices to prioritize rehabilitation services for individuals with most significant disabilities within the context of Order of Selection, an area where there is little known and published. Specifically, we describe how we applied the…

Phenotypic mapping of metabolic profiles using self-organizing maps of high-dimensional mass spectrometry data.

PubMed

Goodwin, Cody R; Sherrod, Stacy D; Marasco, Christina C; Bachmann, Brian O; Schramm-Sapyta, Nicole; Wikswo, John P; McLean, John A

2014-07-01

A metabolic system is composed of inherently interconnected metabolic precursors, intermediates, and products. The analysis of untargeted metabolomics data has conventionally been performed through the use of comparative statistics or multivariate statistical analysis-based approaches; however, each falls short in representing the related nature of metabolic perturbations. Herein, we describe a complementary method for the analysis of large metabolite inventories using a data-driven approach based upon a self-organizing map algorithm. This workflow allows for the unsupervised clustering, and subsequent prioritization of, correlated features through Gestalt comparisons of metabolic heat maps. We describe this methodology in detail, including a comparison to conventional metabolomics approaches, and demonstrate the application of this method to the analysis of the metabolic repercussions of prolonged cocaine exposure in rat sera profiles.

Technology for the Future: In-Space Technology Experiments Program, part 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Breckenridge, Roger A. (Compiler); Clark, Lenwood G. (Compiler); Willshire, Kelli F. (Compiler); Beck, Sherwin M. (Compiler); Collier, Lisa D. (Compiler)

1991-01-01

The purpose of the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST) In-Space Technology Experiment Program (In-STEP) 1988 Workshop was to identify and prioritize technologies that are critical for future national space programs and require validation in the space environment, and review current NASA (In-Reach) and industry/university (Out-Reach) experiments. A prioritized list of the critical technology needs was developed for the following eight disciplines: structures; environmental effects; power systems and thermal management; fluid management and propulsion systems; automation and robotics; sensors and information systems; in-space systems; and humans in space. This is part one of two parts and is the executive summary and experiment description. The executive summary portion contains keynote addresses, strategic planning information, and the critical technology needs summaries for each theme. The experiment description portion contains brief overviews of the objectives, technology needs and backgrounds, descriptions, and development schedules for current industry, university, and NASA space flight technology experiments.

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

PubMed Central

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

2017-01-01

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

Solar Program Assessment: Environmental Factors - Solar Total Energy Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Energy Research and Development Administration, Washington, DC. Div. of Solar Energy.

The purpose of this report is to present and prioritize the major environmental, safety, and social/institutional issues associated with the further development of Solar Total Energy Systems (STES). Solar total energy systems represent a specific application of the Federally-funded solar technologies. To provide a background for this analysis, the…

Identifying and prioritizing ungulate migration routes for landscape-level conservation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sawyer, Hall; Kauffman, Matthew J.; Nielson, Ryan M.; Horne, Jon S.

2009-01-01

As habitat loss and fragmentation increase across ungulate ranges, identifying and prioritizing migration routes for conservation has taken on new urgency. Here we present a general framework using the Brownian bridge movement model (BBMM) that: (1) provides a probabilistic estimate of the migration routes of a sampled population, (2) distinguishes between route segments that function as stopover sites vs. those used primarily as movement corridors, and (3) prioritizes routes for conservation based upon the proportion of the sampled population that uses them. We applied this approach to a migratory mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) population in a pristine area of southwest Wyoming, USA, where 2000 gas wells and 1609 km of pipelines and roads have been proposed for development. Our analysis clearly delineated where migration routes occurred relative to proposed development and provided guidance for on-the-ground conservation efforts. Mule deer migration routes were characterized by a series of stopover sites where deer spent most of their time, connected by movement corridors through which deer moved quickly. Our findings suggest management strategies that differentiate between stopover sites and movement corridors may be warranted. Because some migration routes were used by more mule deer than others, proportional level of use may provide a reasonable metric by which routes can be prioritized for conservation. The methods we outline should be applicable to a wide range of species that inhabit regions where migration routes are threatened or poorly understood.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chowdhury, Prasun; Saha Misra, Iti

2014-10-01

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

Abbott Physicochemical Tiering (APT)--a unified approach to HTS triage.

PubMed

Cox, Philip B; Gregg, Robert J; Vasudevan, Anil

2012-07-15

The selection of the highest quality chemical matter from high throughput screening (HTS) is the ultimate aim of any triage process. Typically there are many hundreds or thousands of hits capable of modulating a given biological target in HTS with a wide range of physicochemical properties that should be taken into consideration during triage. Given the multitude of physicochemical properties that define drug-like space, a system needs to be in place that allows for a rapid selection of chemical matter based on a prioritized range of these properties. With this goal in mind, we have developed a tool, coined Abbott Physicochemical Tiering (APT) that enables hit prioritization based on ranges of these important physicochemical properties. This tool is now used routinely at Abbott to help prioritize hits out of HTS during the triage process. Herein we describe how this tool was developed and validated using Abbott internal high throughput ADME data (HT-ADME). Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In Silico Systems Biology Analysis of Variants of Uncertain Significance in Lynch Syndrome Supports the Prioritization of Functional Molecular Validation.

PubMed

Borras, Ester; Chang, Kyle; Pande, Mala; Cuddy, Amanda; Bosch, Jennifer L; Bannon, Sarah A; Mork, Maureen E; Rodriguez-Bigas, Miguel A; Taggart, Melissa W; Lynch, Patrick M; You, Y Nancy; Vilar, Eduardo

2017-10-01

Lynch syndrome (LS) is a genetic condition secondary to germline alterations in the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes with 30% of changes being variants of uncertain significance (VUS). Our aim was to perform an in silico reclassification of VUS from a large single institutional cohort that will help prioritizing functional validation. A total of 54 VUS were detected with 33 (61%) novel variants. We integrated family history, pathology, and genetic information along with supporting evidence from eight different in silico tools at the RNA and protein level. Our assessment allowed us to reclassify 54% (29/54) of the VUS as probably damaging, 13% (7/54) as possibly damaging, and 28% (15/54) as probably neutral. There are more than 1,000 VUS reported in MMR genes and our approach facilitates the prioritization of further functional efforts to assess the pathogenicity to those classified as probably damaging. Cancer Prev Res; 10(10); 580-7. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

Prioritizing Measures of Digital Patient Engagement: A Delphi Expert Panel Study.

PubMed

Garvin, Lynn A; Simon, Steven R

2017-05-26

Establishing a validated scale of patient engagement through use of information technology (ie, digital patient engagement) is the first step to understanding its role in health and health care quality, outcomes, and efficient implementation by health care providers and systems. The aim of this study was to develop and prioritize measures of digital patient engagement based on patients' use of the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)'s MyHealtheVet (MHV) portal, focusing on the MHV/Blue Button and Secure Messaging functions. We aligned two models from the information systems and organizational behavior literatures to create a theory-based model of digital patient engagement. On the basis of this model, we conducted ten key informant interviews to identify potential measures from existing VA studies and consolidated the measures. We then conducted three rounds of modified Delphi rating by 12 national eHealth experts via Web-based surveys to prioritize the measures. All 12 experts completed the study's three rounds of modified Delphi ratings, resulting in two sets of final candidate measures representing digital patient engagement for Secure Messaging (58 measures) and MHV/Blue Button (71 measures). These measure sets map to Donabedian's three types of quality measures: (1) antecedents (eg, patient demographics); (2) processes (eg, a novel measure of Web-based care quality); and (3) outcomes (eg, patient engagement). This national expert panel study using a modified Delphi technique prioritized candidate measures to assess digital patient engagement through patients' use of VA's My HealtheVet portal. The process yielded two robust measures sets prepared for future piloting and validation in surveys among Veterans. ©Lynn A Garvin, Steven R Simon. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 26.05.2017.

Efficient and equitable design of marine protected areas in Fiji through inclusion of stakeholder-specific objectives in conservation planning.

PubMed

Gurney, Georgina G; Pressey, Robert L; Ban, Natalie C; Álvarez-Romero, Jorge G; Jupiter, Stacy; Adams, Vanessa M

2015-10-01

The efficacy of protected areas varies, partly because socioeconomic factors are not sufficiently considered in planning and management. Although integrating socioeconomic factors into systematic conservation planning is increasingly advocated, research is needed to progress from recognition of these factors to incorporating them effectively in spatial prioritization of protected areas. We evaluated 2 key aspects of incorporating socioeconomic factors into spatial prioritization: treatment of socioeconomic factors as costs or objectives and treatment of stakeholders as a single group or multiple groups. Using as a case study the design of a system of no-take marine protected areas (MPAs) in Kubulau, Fiji, we assessed how these aspects affected the configuration of no-take MPAs in terms of trade-offs between biodiversity objectives, fisheries objectives, and equity in catch losses among fisher stakeholder groups. The achievement of fisheries objectives and equity tended to trade-off concavely with increasing biodiversity objectives, indicating that it is possible to achieve low to mid-range biodiversity objectives with relatively small losses to fisheries and equity. Importantly, the extent of trade-offs depended on the method used to incorporate socioeconomic data and was least severe when objectives were set for each fisher stakeholder group explicitly. We found that using different methods to incorporate socioeconomic factors that require similar data and expertise can result in plans with very different impacts on local stakeholders. © 2015 Society for Conservation Biology.

Rapid Analysis of Pharmacology for Infectious Diseases

PubMed Central

Hopkins, Andrew L; Bickerton, G. Richard; Carruthers, Ian M; Boyer, Stephen K; Rubin, Harvey; Overington, John P

2011-01-01

Pandemic, epidemic and endemic infectious diseases are united by a common problem: how do we rapidly and cost-effectively identify potential pharmacological interventions to treat infections? Given the large number of emerging and neglected infectious diseases and the fact that they disproportionately afflict the poorest members of the global society, new ways of thinking are required to develop high productivity discovery systems that can be applied to a large number of pathogens. The growing availability of parasite genome data provides the basis for developing methods to prioritize, a priori potential drug targets and analyze the pharmacological landscape of an infectious disease. Thus the overall objective of infectious disease informatics is to enable the rapid generation of plausible, novel medical hypotheses of test-able pharmacological experiments, by uncovering undiscovered relationships in the wealth of biomedical literature and databases that were collected for other purposes. In particular our goal is to identify potential drug targets present in a pathogen genome and prioritize which pharmacological experiments are most likely to discover drug-like lead compounds rapidly against a pathogen (i.e. which specific compounds and drug targets should be screened, in which assays and where they can be sourced). An integral part of the challenge is the development and integration of methods to predict druggability, essentiality, synthetic lethality and polypharmocology in pathogen genomes, while simultaneously integrating the inevitable issues of chemical tractability and the potential for acquired drug resistance from the start. PMID:21401504

Different hip and knee priority score systems: are they good for the same thing?

PubMed

Escobar, Antonio; Quintana, Jose Maria; Espallargues, Mireia; Allepuz, Alejandro; Ibañez, Berta

2010-10-01

The aim of the present study was to compare two priority tools used for joint replacement for patients on waiting lists, which use two different methods. Two prioritization tools developed and validated by different methodologies were used on the same cohort of patients. The first, an IRYSS hip and knee priority score (IHKPS) developed by RAND method, was applied while patients were on the waiting list. The other, a Catalonia hip-knee priority score (CHKPS) developed by conjoint analysis, was adapted and applied retrospectively. In addition, all patients fulfilled pre-intervention the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). Correlation between them was studied by Pearson correlation coefficient (r). Agreement was analysed by means of intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), Kendall coefficient and Cohern kappa. The relationship between IHKPS, CHKPS and baseline WOMAC scores by r coefficient was studied. The sample consisted of 774 consecutive patients. Pearson correlation coefficient between IHKPS and CHKPS was 0.79. The agreement study showed that ICC was 0.74, Kendall coefficient 0.86 and kappa 0.66. Finally, correlation between CHKPS and baseline WOMAC ranged from 0.43 to 0.64. The results according to the relationship between IHKPS and WOMAC ranged from 0.50 to 0.74. Results support the hypothesis that if the final objective of the prioritization tools is to organize and sort patients on the waiting list, although they use different methodologies, the results are similar. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Investigating habitat value to inform contaminant remediation options: approach

Treesearch

Rebecca A. Efroymson; Mark J. Peterson; Christopher J. Welsh; Daniel L. Druckenbrod; Michael G. Ryon; John G. Smith; William W. Hargrove; Neil R. Giffen; W. Kelly Roy; Harry D. Quarles

2008-01-01

Habitat valuation methods are most often developed and used to prioritize candidate lands for conservation. In this study the intent of habitat valuation was to inform the decision-making process for remediation of chemical contaminants on specific lands or surface water bodies. Methods were developed to summarize dimensions of habitat value for six representative...

A fuzzy pattern matching method based on graph kernel for lithography hotspot detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nitta, Izumi; Kanazawa, Yuzi; Ishida, Tsutomu; Banno, Koji

2017-03-01

In advanced technology nodes, lithography hotspot detection has become one of the most significant issues in design for manufacturability. Recently, machine learning based lithography hotspot detection has been widely investigated, but it has trade-off between detection accuracy and false alarm. To apply machine learning based technique to the physical verification phase, designers require minimizing undetected hotspots to avoid yield degradation. They also need a ranking of similar known patterns with a detected hotspot to prioritize layout pattern to be corrected. To achieve high detection accuracy and to prioritize detected hotspots, we propose a novel lithography hotspot detection method using Delaunay triangulation and graph kernel based machine learning. Delaunay triangulation extracts features of hotspot patterns where polygons locate irregularly and closely one another, and graph kernel expresses inner structure of graphs. Additionally, our method provides similarity between two patterns and creates a list of similar training patterns with a detected hotspot. Experiments results on ICCAD 2012 benchmarks show that our method achieves high accuracy with allowable range of false alarm. We also show the ranking of the similar known patterns with a detected hotspot.

Automated sidewalk quality and safety assessment system.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-09-01

Sidewalks are often unsafe, exposing pedestrians, wheelchairs users, travelers with strollers, and persons carrying heavy : loads to unnecessary risk. However, prioritizing sidewalk repairs and improvements requires knowledge about the : current syst...

Horizon scanning of new and emerging medical technology in Australia: its relevance to Medical Services Advisory Committee health technology assessments and public funding.

PubMed

O'Malley, Sue P; Jordan, Ernest

2009-07-01

In 1998, a formal process using full health technology assessments (HTAs) was implemented to determine the suitability for public subsidy of new and emerging medical technologies in the Australian private healthcare sector. This process is overseen by the Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC). In 2004, horizon scanning was introduced in Australia with the stated objective of identifying new and emerging medical technologies into the public healthcare sector, with consideration to the publicly subsidized private healthcare sector. How well horizon scanning works in identifying new and emerging technologies suitable for government subsidized funding in the private healthcare sector is examined in this study. A descriptive evaluation of the impact of horizon scanning as an early alert and awareness system identifying new and emerging technologies before these technologies are submitted to MSAC for a full HTA. All MSAC HTAs commenced after the introduction of horizon scanning in 2004 were cross-checked with the list of Prioritizing Summaries or Horizon Scanning Reports to determine whether a prior Prioritizing Summary or Horizon Scanning Report had been carried out. Of the forty-three technologies that were the subject of a full MSAC HTAs in the time period examined, only eleven had been the subject of either a Prioritizing Summary or Horizon Scanning Report. As a result of a full MSAC HTA, twelve of the technologies that were not the subject of a Prioritizing Summary or Horizon Scanning Report were given positive recommendations for public funding. Horizon scanning was set up to scan the introduction of new and emerging medical technologies into the public healthcare sector, with consideration to the publicly subsidized private healthcare sector. Based on the number of new and emerging technologies that have been the subject of a full MSAC HTA without first being subjected to either a Prioritizing Summary or Horizon Scanning Report, horizon scanning in Australia does not function as an "early alert and awareness system" for funding in the publicly subsidized private healthcare sector in Australia.

A Practical Application of Value of Information and Prospective Payback of Research to Prioritize Evaluative Research.

PubMed

Andronis, Lazaros; Billingham, Lucinda J; Bryan, Stirling; James, Nicholas D; Barton, Pelham M

2016-04-01

Efforts to ensure that funded research represents "value for money" have led to increasing calls for the use of analytic methods in research prioritization. A number of analytic approaches have been proposed to assist research funding decisions, the most prominent of which are value of information (VOI) and prospective payback of research (PPoR). Despite the increasing interest in the topic, there are insufficient VOI and PPoR applications on the same case study to contrast their methods and compare their outcomes. We undertook VOI and PPoR analyses to determine the value of conducting 2 proposed research programs. The application served as a vehicle for identifying differences and similarities between the methods, provided insight into the assumptions and practical requirements of undertaking prospective analyses for research prioritization, and highlighted areas for future research. VOI and PPoR were applied to case studies representing proposals for clinical trials in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer and prostate cancer. Decision models were built to synthesize the evidence available prior to the funding decision. VOI (expected value of perfect and sample information) and PPoR (PATHS model) analyses were undertaken using the developed models. VOI and PPoR results agreed in direction, suggesting that the proposed trials would be cost-effective investments. However, results differed in magnitude, largely due to the way each method conceptualizes the possible outcomes of further research and the implementation of research results in practice. Compared with VOI, PPoR is less complex but requires more assumptions. Although the approaches are not free from limitations, they can provide useful input for research funding decisions. © The Author(s) 2015.

Leveraging multiple gene networks to prioritize GWAS candidate genes via network representation learning.

PubMed

Wu, Mengmeng; Zeng, Wanwen; Liu, Wenqiang; Lv, Hairong; Chen, Ting; Jiang, Rui

2018-06-03

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have successfully discovered a number of disease-associated genetic variants in the past decade, providing an unprecedented opportunity for deciphering genetic basis of human inherited diseases. However, it is still a challenging task to extract biological knowledge from the GWAS data, due to such issues as missing heritability and weak interpretability. Indeed, the fact that the majority of discovered loci fall into noncoding regions without clear links to genes has been preventing the characterization of their functions and appealing for a sophisticated approach to bridge genetic and genomic studies. Towards this problem, network-based prioritization of candidate genes, which performs integrated analysis of gene networks with GWAS data, has emerged as a promising direction and attracted much attention. However, most existing methods overlook the sparse and noisy properties of gene networks and thus may lead to suboptimal performance. Motivated by this understanding, we proposed a novel method called REGENT for integrating multiple gene networks with GWAS data to prioritize candidate genes for complex diseases. We leveraged a technique called the network representation learning to embed a gene network into a compact and robust feature space, and then designed a hierarchical statistical model to integrate features of multiple gene networks with GWAS data for the effective inference of genes associated with a disease of interest. We applied our method to six complex diseases and demonstrated the superior performance of REGENT over existing approaches in recovering known disease-associated genes. We further conducted a pathway analysis and showed that the ability of REGENT to discover disease-associated pathways. We expect to see applications of our method to a broad spectrum of diseases for post-GWAS analysis. REGENT is freely available at https://github.com/wmmthu/REGENT. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Integrating the Ergonomics Techniques with Multi Criteria Decision Making as a New Approach for Risk Management: An Assessment of Repetitive Tasks -Entropy Case Study.

PubMed

Khandan, Mohammad; Nili, Majid; Koohpaei, Alireza; Mosaferchi, Saeedeh

2016-01-01

Nowadays, the health work decision makers need to analyze a huge amount of data and consider many conflicting evaluation criteria and sub-criteria. Therefore, an ergonomic evaluation in the work environment in order to the control occupational disorders is considered as the Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) problem. In this study, the ergonomic risks factors, which may influence health, were evaluated in a manufacturing company in 2014. Then entropy method was applied to prioritize the different risk factors. This study was done with a descriptive-analytical approach and 13 tasks were included from total number of employees who were working in the seven halls of an ark opal manufacturing (240). Required information was gathered by the demographic questionnaire and Assessment of Repetitive Tasks (ART) method for repetitive task assessment. In addition, entropy was used to prioritize the risk factors based on the ergonomic control needs. The total exposure score based on the ART method calculated was equal to 30.07 ±12.43. Data analysis illustrated that 179 cases (74.6% of tasks) were in the high level of risk area and 13.8% were in the medium level of risk. ART- entropy results revealed that based on the weighted factors, higher value belongs to grip factor and the lowest value was related to neck and hand posture and duration. Based on the limited financial resources, it seems that MCDM in many challenging situations such as control procedures and priority approaches could be used successfully. Other MCDM methods for evaluating and prioritizing the ergonomic problems are recommended.

[The application and evaluation of the system theory for community health assessment in a rural village].

PubMed

Wu, Guey-Hau; Liou, Yiing-Mei; Huang, Lian-Hua

2004-10-01

In assessing the health of a community is important to select tools appropriate to the community's characteristics. The framework for this paper is the system framework for community assessment developed by Trotter, Smith and Maurer (2000); the data were collected by windshield survey, literature review, interview, and observation. Through data analysis and the identification of the community's problem, the authors prioritize those problems in accordance with Goeppinger and Schuste's (1992) criteria. They illustrate the practicality and local applicability of this method by means of a local case. Finally, the authors evaluate the framework in terms of concept clearance, variable classification, and indicator measurement. In addition, they propose concrete suggestions for community workers to consider in the selection of assessment tools, and to enrich nursing knowledge.

Predictive Modeling of Developmental Toxicity

EPA Science Inventory

The use of alternative methods in conjunction with traditional in vivo developmental toxicity testing has the potential to (1) reduce cost and increase throughput of testing the chemical universe, (2) prioritize chemicals for further targeted toxicity testing and risk assessment,...

Stakeholder prioritization of zoonoses in Japan with analytic hierarchy process method.

PubMed

Kadohira, M; Hill, G; Yoshizaki, R; Ota, S; Yoshikawa, Y

2015-05-01

There exists an urgent need to develop iterative risk assessment strategies of zoonotic diseases. The aim of this study is to develop a method of prioritizing 98 zoonoses derived from animal pathogens in Japan and to involve four major groups of stakeholders: researchers, physicians, public health officials, and citizens. We used a combination of risk profiling and analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Profiling risk was accomplished with semi-quantitative analysis of existing public health data. AHP data collection was performed by administering questionnaires to the four stakeholder groups. Results showed that researchers and public health officials focused on case fatality as the chief important factor, while physicians and citizens placed more weight on diagnosis and prevention, respectively. Most of the six top-ranked diseases were similar among all stakeholders. Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, severe acute respiratory syndrome, and Ebola fever were ranked first, second, and third, respectively.

Preparing for the Millennium.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scaglione, Chris

1998-01-01

In 2000, any automated system that processes dates may stop working completely or produce unexpected or unwanted results. School administrators should obtain a complete listing of all currently used systems, prioritize them, contact hardware and software providers to verify Y2K compliance, develop resolution plans with vendors, develop assessment…

Diagnostic Peptide Discovery: Prioritization of Pathogen Diagnostic Markers Using Multiple Features

PubMed Central

Carmona, Santiago J.; Sartor, Paula A.; Leguizamón, María S.; Campetella, Oscar E.; Agüero, Fernán

2012-01-01

The availability of complete pathogen genomes has renewed interest in the development of diagnostics for infectious diseases. Synthetic peptide microarrays provide a rapid, high-throughput platform for immunological testing of potential B-cell epitopes. However, their current capacity prevent the experimental screening of complete “peptidomes”. Therefore, computational approaches for prediction and/or prioritization of diagnostically relevant peptides are required. In this work we describe a computational method to assess a defined set of molecular properties for each potential diagnostic target in a reference genome. Properties such as sub-cellular localization or expression level were evaluated for the whole protein. At a higher resolution (short peptides), we assessed a set of local properties, such as repetitive motifs, disorder (structured vs natively unstructured regions), trans-membrane spans, genetic polymorphisms (conserved vs. divergent regions), predicted B-cell epitopes, and sequence similarity against human proteins and other potential cross-reacting species (e.g. other pathogens endemic in overlapping geographical locations). A scoring function based on these different features was developed, and used to rank all peptides from a large eukaryotic pathogen proteome. We applied this method to the identification of candidate diagnostic peptides in the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. We measured the performance of the method by analyzing the enrichment of validated antigens in the high-scoring top of the ranking. Based on this measure, our integrative method outperformed alternative prioritizations based on individual properties (such as B-cell epitope predictors alone). Using this method we ranked 10 million 12-mer overlapping peptides derived from the complete T. cruzi proteome. Experimental screening of 190 high-scoring peptides allowed the identification of 37 novel epitopes with diagnostic potential, while none of the low scoring peptides showed significant reactivity. Many of the metrics employed are dependent on standard bioinformatic tools and data, so the method can be easily extended to other pathogen genomes. PMID:23272069

Guardrail location rating system users manual.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-12-01

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

Synthesis of juvenile lamprey migration and passage research and monitoring at Columbia and Snake River Dams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mesa, Matthew G.; Weiland, Lisa K.; Christiansen, Helena E.

2016-01-01

We compiled and summarized previous sources of data and research results related to the presence, numbers, and migration timing characteristics of juvenile (eyed macropthalmia) and larval (ammocoetes) Pacific lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus, in the Columbia River basin (CRB). Included were data from various screw trap collections, data from historic fyke net studies, catch records of lampreys at JBS facilities, turbine cooling water strainer collections, and information on the occurrence of lampreys in the diets of avian and piscine predators. We identified key data gaps and uncertainties that should be addressed in a juvenile lamprey passage research program. The goal of this work was to summarize information from disparate sources so that managers can use it to prioritize and guide future research and monitoring efforts related to the downstream migration of juvenile Pacific lamprey within the CRB. A common finding in all datasets was the high level of variation observed for CRB lamprey in numbers present, timing and spatial distribution. This will make developing monitoring programs to accurately characterize lamprey migrations and passage more challenging. Primary data gaps centered around our uncertainty on the numbers of juvenile and larval present in the system which affects the ability to assign risk to passage conditions and prioritize management actions. Recommendations include developing standardized monitoring methods, such as at juvenile bypass systems (JBS’s), to better document numbers and timing of lamprey migrations at dams, and use biotelemetry tracking techniques to estimate survival potentials for different migration histories.

Air Force Energy Plan 2010

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-11-24

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

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

PubMed Central

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

2011-01-01

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

Prioritization of pharmaceuticals for potential environmental hazard through leveraging a large-scale mammalian pharmacological dataset.

PubMed

Berninger, Jason P; LaLone, Carlie A; Villeneuve, Daniel L; Ankley, Gerald T

2016-04-01

The potential for pharmaceuticals in the environment to cause adverse ecological effects is of increasing concern. Given the thousands of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) that can enter the aquatic environment through human and/or animal (e.g., livestock) waste, a current challenge in aquatic toxicology is identifying those that pose the greatest risk. Because empirical toxicity information for aquatic species is generally lacking for pharmaceuticals, an important data source for prioritization is that generated during the mammalian drug development process. Applying concepts of species read-across, mammalian pharmacokinetic data were used to systematically prioritize APIs by estimating their potential to cause adverse biological consequences to aquatic organisms, using fish as an example. Mammalian absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) data (e.g., peak plasma concentration, apparent volume of distribution, clearance rate, and half-life) were collected and curated, creating the Mammalian Pharmacokinetic Prioritization For Aquatic Species Targeting (MaPPFAST) database representing 1070 APIs. From these data, a probabilistic model and scoring system were developed and evaluated. Individual APIs and therapeutic classes were ranked based on clearly defined read-across assumptions for translating mammalian-derived ADME parameters to estimate potential hazard in fish (i.e., greatest predicted hazard associated with lowest mammalian peak plasma concentrations, total clearance and highest volume of distribution, half-life). It is anticipated that the MaPPFAST database and the associated API prioritization approach will help guide research and/or inform ecological risk assessment. Published 2015 Wiley Periodicals Inc. on behalf of SETAC. This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.

Data-mining of potential antitubercular activities from molecular ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines.

PubMed

Jamal, Salma; Scaria, Vinod

2014-01-01

Background. Traditional Chinese medicine encompasses a well established alternate system of medicine based on a broad range of herbal formulations and is practiced extensively in the region for the treatment of a wide variety of diseases. In recent years, several reports describe in depth studies of the molecular ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines on the biological activities including anti-bacterial activities. The availability of a well-curated dataset of molecular ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines and accurate in-silico cheminformatics models for data mining for antitubercular agents and computational filters to prioritize molecules has prompted us to search for potential hits from these datasets. Results. We used a consensus approach to predict molecules with potential antitubercular activities from a large dataset of molecular ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines available in the public domain. We further prioritized 160 molecules based on five computational filters (SMARTSfilter) so as to avoid potentially undesirable molecules. We further examined the molecules for permeability across Mycobacterial cell wall and for potential activities against non-replicating and drug tolerant Mycobacteria. Additional in-depth literature surveys for the reported antitubercular activities of the molecular ingredients and their sources were considered for drawing support to prioritization. Conclusions. Our analysis suggests that datasets of molecular ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines offer a new opportunity to mine for potential biological activities. In this report, we suggest a proof-of-concept methodology to prioritize molecules for further experimental assays using a variety of computational tools. We also additionally suggest that a subset of prioritized molecules could be used for evaluation for tuberculosis due to their additional effect against non-replicating tuberculosis as well as the additional hepato-protection offered by the source of these ingredients.

Data-mining of potential antitubercular activities from molecular ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines

PubMed Central

Jamal, Salma

2014-01-01

Background. Traditional Chinese medicine encompasses a well established alternate system of medicine based on a broad range of herbal formulations and is practiced extensively in the region for the treatment of a wide variety of diseases. In recent years, several reports describe in depth studies of the molecular ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines on the biological activities including anti-bacterial activities. The availability of a well-curated dataset of molecular ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines and accurate in-silico cheminformatics models for data mining for antitubercular agents and computational filters to prioritize molecules has prompted us to search for potential hits from these datasets. Results. We used a consensus approach to predict molecules with potential antitubercular activities from a large dataset of molecular ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines available in the public domain. We further prioritized 160 molecules based on five computational filters (SMARTSfilter) so as to avoid potentially undesirable molecules. We further examined the molecules for permeability across Mycobacterial cell wall and for potential activities against non-replicating and drug tolerant Mycobacteria. Additional in-depth literature surveys for the reported antitubercular activities of the molecular ingredients and their sources were considered for drawing support to prioritization. Conclusions. Our analysis suggests that datasets of molecular ingredients of traditional Chinese medicines offer a new opportunity to mine for potential biological activities. In this report, we suggest a proof-of-concept methodology to prioritize molecules for further experimental assays using a variety of computational tools. We also additionally suggest that a subset of prioritized molecules could be used for evaluation for tuberculosis due to their additional effect against non-replicating tuberculosis as well as the additional hepato-protection offered by the source of these ingredients. PMID:25081126

A research agenda to reinforce rabies control: A qualitative and quantitative prioritization.

PubMed

Neevel, Anne M G; Hemrika, Tessa; Claassen, Eric; van de Burgwal, Linda H M

2018-05-01

Despite the existence of safe and effective vaccines, rabies disease still causes an estimated 59,000 human deaths a year in the endemic areas in Asia and Africa. These numbers reflect severe drawbacks regarding the implementation of PrEP and PEP in endemic settings, such as lack of political will and low priority given to rabies. Since these contextual factors have proven to be persistent, there is an urgency to improve current strategies or develop novel approaches in order to control rabies disease in the future. This study aimed to identify and systematically prioritize the research needs, through interviews and questionnaires with key-opinion-leaders (KOLs). A total of 46 research needs were identified and prioritized. The top research needs are considered very high priority based on both importance for rabies control and need for improvement. KOLs agree that animal rabies control remains most important for rabies control, while research on human host, agent (rabies virus) and the environment should be prioritized in terms of need for improvement. A wide variety in perceptions is observed between and within the disciplines of virology, public health and veterinary health and between KOLs with more versus those with less experience in the field. The results of this study give well-defined, prioritized issues that stress the drawbacks that are experienced by KOLs in daily practice. The most important research domains are: 1) cheap and scalable production system for RIG 2) efficacy of dog mass vaccination programs and 3) cheap human vaccines. Addressing these research needs should exist next to and may reinforce current awareness and mass vaccination campaigns. The differences in perspectives between actors revealed in this study are informative for effective execution of the One Health research agenda.

Aggressive effects of prioritizing popularity in early adolescence.

PubMed

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

2014-01-01

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

Self-Prioritization Beyond Perception.

PubMed

Schäfer, Sarah; Wentura, Dirk; Frings, Christian

2015-01-01

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

Experience of being a low priority patient during waiting time at an emergency department

PubMed Central

Dahlen, Ingrid; Westin, Lars; Adolfsson, Annsofie

2012-01-01

Background Work in the emergency department is characterized by fast and efficient medical efforts to save lives, but can also involve a long waiting time for patients. Patients are given a priority rating upon their arrival in the clinic based on the seriousness of their problem, and nursing care for lower priority patients is given a lower prioritization. Regardless of their medical prioritization, all patients have a right to expect good nursing care while they are waiting. The purpose of this study was to illustrate the experience of the low prioritized patient during their waiting time in the emergency department. Methods A phenomenological hermeneutic research method was used to analyze an interview transcript. Data collection consisted of narrative interviews. The interviewees were 14 patients who had waited more than three hours for surgical, orthopedic, or other medical care. Results The findings resulted in four different themes, ie, being dependent on care, being exposed, being vulnerable, and being secure. Lower priority patients are not paid as much attention by nursing staff. Patients reported feeling powerless, insulted, and humiliated when their care was delayed without their understanding what was happening to them. Not understanding results in exposure that violates self-esteem. Conclusion The goal of the health care provider must be to minimize and prevent suffering, prevent feelings of vulnerability, and to create conditions for optimal patient well being. PMID:22334799

Targeted Assessment for Prevention of Healthcare-Associated Infections: A New Prioritization Metric.

PubMed

Soe, Minn M; Gould, Carolyn V; Pollock, Daniel; Edwards, Jonathan

2015-12-01

To develop a method for calculating the number of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) that must be prevented to reach a HAI reduction goal and identifying and prioritizing healthcare facilities where the largest reductions can be achieved. Acute care hospitals that report HAI data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network. METHODS :The cumulative attributable difference (CAD) is calculated by subtracting a numerical prevention target from an observed number of HAIs. The prevention target is the product of the predicted number of HAIs and a standardized infection ratio goal, which represents a HAI reduction goal. The CAD is a numeric value that if positive is the number of infections to prevent to reach the HAI reduction goal. We calculated the CAD for catheter-associated urinary tract infections for each of the 3,639 hospitals that reported such data to National Healthcare Safety Network in 2013 and ranked the hospitals by their CAD values in descending order. Of 1,578 hospitals with positive CAD values, preventing 10,040 catheter-associated urinary tract infections at 293 hospitals (19%) with the highest CAD would enable achievement of the national 25% catheter-associated urinary tract infection reduction goal. The CAD is a new metric that facilitates ranking of facilities, and locations within facilities, to prioritize HAI prevention efforts where the greatest impact can be achieved toward a HAI reduction goal.

A methodology for statewide intermodal freight transportation planning.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-01-01

The researchers developed a methodology for statewide freight transportation planning that focuses on identifying and prioritizing infrastructure needs to improve the intermodal freight transportation system. It is designed to provide the framework f...

Decision support model for assessing aquifer pollution hazard and prioritizing groundwater resources management in the wet Pampa plain, Argentina.

PubMed

Lima, M Lourdes; Romanelli, Asunción; Massone, Héctor E

2013-06-01

This paper gives an account of the implementation of a decision support system for assessing aquifer pollution hazard and prioritizing subwatersheds for groundwater resources management in the southeastern Pampa plain of Argentina. The use of this system is demonstrated with an example from Dulce Stream Basin (1,000 km(2) encompassing 27 subwatersheds), which has high level of agricultural activities and extensive available data regarding aquifer geology. In the logic model, aquifer pollution hazard is assessed as a function of two primary topics: groundwater and soil conditions. This logic model shows the state of each evaluated landscape with respect to aquifer pollution hazard based mainly on the parameters of the DRASTIC and GOD models. The decision model allows prioritizing subwatersheds for groundwater resources management according to three main criteria including farming activities, agrochemical application, and irrigation use. Stakeholder participation, through interviews, in combination with expert judgment was used to select and weight each criterion. The resulting subwatershed priority map, by combining the logic and decision models, allowed identifying five subwatersheds in the upper and middle basin as the main aquifer protection areas. The results reasonably fit the natural conditions of the basin, identifying those subwatersheds with shallow water depth, loam-loam silt texture soil media and pasture land cover in the middle basin, and others with intensive agricultural activity, coinciding with the natural recharge area to the aquifer system. Major difficulties and some recommendations of applying this methodology in real-world situations are discussed.

Identifying chemicals that are planetary boundary threats.

PubMed

MacLeod, Matthew; Breitholtz, Magnus; Cousins, Ian T; de Wit, Cynthia A; Persson, Linn M; Rudén, Christina; McLachlan, Michael S

2014-10-07

Rockström et al. proposed a set of planetary boundaries that delimit a "safe operating space for humanity". Many of the planetary boundaries that have so far been identified are determined by chemical agents. Other chemical pollution-related planetary boundaries likely exist, but are currently unknown. A chemical poses an unknown planetary boundary threat if it simultaneously fulfills three conditions: (1) it has an unknown disruptive effect on a vital Earth system process; (2) the disruptive effect is not discovered until it is a problem at the global scale, and (3) the effect is not readily reversible. In this paper, we outline scenarios in which chemicals could fulfill each of the three conditions, then use the scenarios as the basis to define chemical profiles that fit each scenario. The chemical profiles are defined in terms of the nature of the effect of the chemical and the nature of exposure of the environment to the chemical. Prioritization of chemicals in commerce against some of the profiles appears feasible, but there are considerable uncertainties and scientific challenges that must be addressed. Most challenging is prioritizing chemicals for their potential to have a currently unknown effect on a vital Earth system process. We conclude that the most effective strategy currently available to identify chemicals that are planetary boundary threats is prioritization against profiles defined in terms of environmental exposure combined with monitoring and study of the biogeochemical processes that underlie vital Earth system processes to identify currently unknown disruptive effects.

It Don't Mean a Thing if It Ain't Got Musicality: A Music-First Method for Teaching Historically Rooted Jazz Dance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liebhard, Erinn

2015-01-01

This article proposes a method for teaching jazz dance technique according to music concepts and prioritizing deep embodiment of music. This method addresses what can be seen as a disconnect between current practices and historical understanding in jazz dance today, a gap that can be bridged with education empowering students to make innovative…

Application of economic principles in healthcare priority setting.

PubMed

Bate, Angela; Mitton, Craig

2006-06-01

In healthcare, resources are often insufficient to meet all claims on them. In this respect, resources are considered scarce and have to be managed by prioritizing between competing claims. Economics as a discipline explicitly addresses this reality by acknowledging resource scarcity. However, the extent to which economics actually influences such prioritizing decisions in healthcare is unclear. The purpose of this paper is to review the use of economics in priority setting decision making. We outline the key principles of economics as they apply to priority setting and review the methods reported in the literature with respect to these. We find that these methods, even economic methods (e.g., those typically used in conducting economic evaluations such as cost-effectiveness analyses) do not tend to explicitly incorporate economic principles. We argue therefore that these methods, when applied to the context of priority setting, are not sufficient and that what is required is a broader framework that can incorporate the output from economic methods yet also be pragmatically applicable. We then go on to present an alternative approach - namely program budgeting and marginal analysis. Finally, we put forward our case for using program budgeting and marginal analysis in priority setting practice and set out some future research challenges.

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

PubMed

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

2018-06-15

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

BetaSCPWeb: side-chain prediction for protein structures using Voronoi diagrams and geometry prioritization.

PubMed

Ryu, Joonghyun; Lee, Mokwon; Cha, Jehyun; Laskowski, Roman A; Ryu, Seong Eon; Kim, Deok-Soo

2016-07-08

Many applications, such as protein design, homology modeling, flexible docking, etc. require the prediction of a protein's optimal side-chain conformations from just its amino acid sequence and backbone structure. Side-chain prediction (SCP) is an NP-hard energy minimization problem. Here, we present BetaSCPWeb which efficiently computes a conformation close to optimal using a geometry-prioritization method based on the Voronoi diagram of spherical atoms. Its outputs are visual, textual and PDB file format. The web server is free and open to all users at http://voronoi.hanyang.ac.kr/betascpweb with no login requirement. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Emerging Methods and Systems for Observing Life in the Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chavez, F.; Pearlman, J.; Simmons, S. E.

2016-12-01

There is a growing need for observations of life in the sea at time and space scales consistent with those made for physical and chemical parameters. International programs such as the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) and Marine Biodiversity Observation Networks (MBON) are making the case for expanded biological observations and working diligently to prioritize essential variables. Here we review past, present and emerging systems and methods for observing life in the sea from the perspective of maintaining continuous observations over long time periods. Methods that rely on ships with instrumentation and over-the-side sample collections will need to be supplemented and eventually replaced with those based from autonomous platforms. Ship-based optical and acoustic instruments are being reduced in size and power for deployment on moorings and autonomous vehicles. In parallel a new generation of low power, improved resolution sensors are being developed. Animal bio-logging is evolving with new, smaller and more sophisticated tags being developed. New genomic methods, capable of assessing multiple trophic levels from a single water sample, are emerging. Autonomous devices for genomic sample collection are being miniaturized and adapted to autonomous vehicles. The required processing schemes and methods for these emerging data collections are being developed in parallel with the instrumentation. An evolving challenge will be the integration of information from these disparate methods given that each provides their own unique view of life in the sea.

Ontology-Based Data Integration of Open Source Electronic Medical Record and Data Capture Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guidry, Alicia F.

2013-01-01

In low-resource settings, the prioritization of clinical care funding is often determined by immediate health priorities. As a result, investment directed towards the development of standards for clinical data representation and exchange are rare and accordingly, data management systems are often redundant. Open-source systems such as OpenMRS and…

Targeting the-Dopaminergic Nervous System: Altering Behavior in Larval Zebrafish

EPA Science Inventory

Zebrafish (Dania rerio) are becoming an important model system in studying the effects of environmental chemicals on behavior. In order to develop a rapid in vivo screen to prioritize toxic chemicals, we have begun assessing the acute locomotor effects of drugs that act on the do...

Prioritizing and selecting pharmaceuticals to test the read-across approach: using human clearance rates to predict biotransformation in fish

EPA Science Inventory

Many active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) have been detected in aquatic systems around the world. These systems typically receive continual municipal sewage inputs, which results in pseudo-persistent exposures of aquatic animals to APIs, thus enhancing their bioaccumulative p...

A rule-based expert system for chemical prioritization using effects-based chemical categories

EPA Science Inventory

A rule-based expert system (ES) was developed to predict chemical binding to the estrogen receptor (ER) patterned on the research approaches championed by Gilman Veith to whom this article and journal issue are dedicated. The ERES was built to be mechanistically-transparent and m...

Understanding and Advancing Campus Sustainability Using a Systems Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Posner, Stephen M.; Stuart, Ralph

2013-01-01

Purpose: University campuses behave as complex systems, and sustainability in higher education is best seen as an emergent quality that arises from interactions both within an institution and between the institution and the environmental and social contexts in which it operates. A framework for strategically prioritizing campus sustainability work…

Using patient engagement in the design and rationale of a trial for women with depression in obstetrics and gynecology practices.

PubMed

Poleshuck, Ellen; Wittink, Marsha; Crean, Hugh; Gellasch, Tara; Sandler, Mardy; Bell, Elaine; Juskiewicz, Iwona; Cerulli, Catherine

2015-07-01

Significant health disparities exist among socioeconomically disadvantaged women, who experience elevated rates of depression and increased risk for poor depression treatment engagement and outcomes. We aimed to use stakeholder input to develop innovative methods for a comparative effectiveness trial to address the needs of socioeconomically disadvantaged women with depression in women's health practices. Using a community advisory board, focus groups, and individual patient input, we determined the feasibility and acceptability of an electronic psychosocial screening and referral tool; developed and finalized a prioritization tool for women with depression; and piloted the prioritization tool. Two intervention approaches, enhanced screening and referral using an electronic psychosocial screening, and mentoring using the prioritization tool, were developed as intervention options for socioeconomically disadvantaged women attending women's health practices. We describe the developmental steps and the final design for the comparative effectiveness trial evaluating both intervention approaches. Stakeholder input allowed us to develop an acceptable clinical trial of two patient-centered interventions with patient-driven outcomes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

PubMed Central

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

2012-01-01

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

Self-Paced Prioritized Curriculum Learning With Coverage Penalty in Deep Reinforcement Learning.

PubMed

Ren, Zhipeng; Dong, Daoyi; Li, Huaxiong; Chen, Chunlin; Zhipeng Ren; Daoyi Dong; Huaxiong Li; Chunlin Chen; Dong, Daoyi; Li, Huaxiong; Chen, Chunlin; Ren, Zhipeng

2018-06-01

In this paper, a new training paradigm is proposed for deep reinforcement learning using self-paced prioritized curriculum learning with coverage penalty. The proposed deep curriculum reinforcement learning (DCRL) takes the most advantage of experience replay by adaptively selecting appropriate transitions from replay memory based on the complexity of each transition. The criteria of complexity in DCRL consist of self-paced priority as well as coverage penalty. The self-paced priority reflects the relationship between the temporal-difference error and the difficulty of the current curriculum for sample efficiency. The coverage penalty is taken into account for sample diversity. With comparison to deep Q network (DQN) and prioritized experience replay (PER) methods, the DCRL algorithm is evaluated on Atari 2600 games, and the experimental results show that DCRL outperforms DQN and PER on most of these games. More results further show that the proposed curriculum training paradigm of DCRL is also applicable and effective for other memory-based deep reinforcement learning approaches, such as double DQN and dueling network. All the experimental results demonstrate that DCRL can achieve improved training efficiency and robustness for deep reinforcement learning.

Assessing sound exposure from shipping in coastal waters using a single hydrophone and Automatic Identification System (AIS) data.

PubMed

Merchant, Nathan D; Witt, Matthew J; Blondel, Philippe; Godley, Brendan J; Smith, George H

2012-07-01

Underwater noise from shipping is a growing presence throughout the world's oceans, and may be subjecting marine fauna to chronic noise exposure with potentially severe long-term consequences. The coincidence of dense shipping activity and sensitive marine ecosystems in coastal environments is of particular concern, and noise assessment methodologies which describe the high temporal variability of sound exposure in these areas are needed. We present a method of characterising sound exposure from shipping using continuous passive acoustic monitoring combined with Automatic Identification System (AIS) shipping data. The method is applied to data recorded in Falmouth Bay, UK. Absolute and relative levels of intermittent ship noise contributions to the 24-h sound exposure level are determined using an adaptive threshold, and the spatial distribution of potential ship sources is then analysed using AIS data. This technique can be used to prioritize shipping noise mitigation strategies in coastal marine environments. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Data-driven freeway performance evaluation framework for project prioritization and decision making.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-01-01

This report describes methods that potentially can be incorporated into the performance monitoring and planning processes for freeway performance evaluation and decision making. Reliability analysis was conducted on the selected I-15 corridor by empl...

Data-driven freeway performance evaluation framework for project prioritization and decision making.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-03-01

This report describes methods that potentially can be incorporated into the performance monitoring and planning : processes for freeway performance evaluation and decision making. Reliability analysis is conducted on the selected : I-15 corridor by e...

Wood Protection Research Council: Research Priorities 2013

Treesearch

Carol A Clausen; Frederick Green III; Grant T. Kirker; Stan T. Lebow

2014-01-01

This report summarizes presentations and comments from the inaugural Wood Protection Research Council meeting. Research needs for the wood protection industry were identified and prioritized. Methods for successfully addressing research needs were discussed by industry, academia, and association representatives.

Soil loss estimation and prioritization of sub-watersheds of Kali River basin, Karnataka, India, using RUSLE and GIS.

PubMed

Markose, Vipin Joseph; Jayappa, K S

2016-04-01

Most of the mountainous regions in tropical humid climatic zone experience severe soil loss due to natural factors. In the absence of measured data, modeling techniques play a crucial role for quantitative estimation of soil loss in such regions. The objective of this research work is to estimate soil loss and prioritize the sub-watersheds of Kali River basin using Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model. Various thematic layers of RUSLE factors such as rainfall erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), topographic factor (LS), crop management factor (C), and support practice factor (P) have been prepared by using multiple spatial and non-spatial data sets. These layers are integrated in geographic information system (GIS) environment and estimated the soil loss. The results show that ∼42 % of the study area falls under low erosion risk and only 6.97 % area suffer from very high erosion risk. Based on the rate of soil loss, 165 sub-watersheds have been prioritized into four categories-very high, high, moderate, and low erosion risk. Anthropogenic activities such as deforestation, construction of dams, and rapid urbanization are the main reasons for high rate of soil loss in the study area. The soil erosion rate and prioritization maps help in implementation of a proper watershed management plan for the river basin.

Humanizing Aggregated Data: Developing Personas to Prioritize User Needs for Earthquake Early Warning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burkett, E. R.; Jayanty, N. K.; Sellnow, D. D.; Given, D. D.; DeGroot, R. M.

2016-12-01

Methods that use storytelling to gather and synthesize data from people can be advantageous in understanding user needs and designing successful communication products. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we research and prioritize user needs for the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning system (http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2014/3083/), drawing on best practices from social and behavioral science, risk communication, and human-centered design. We apply quantitative and qualitative human data collection methods including user surveys, interviews, journey maps, personas, and scenarios. Human-centered design methods leverage storytelling (a) in the acquisition of qualitative behavioral data (e.g. with journey mapping), (b) through goal-driven behaviors and needs that are synthesized into a persona as a composite model of the data, and (c) within context scenarios (the story plot or projected circumstances) in which the persona is placed in context to inform the design of relevant and usable products or services. ShakeAlert, operated by the USGS and partners, has transitioned into a production prototype phase in which users are permitted to begin testing pilot implementations to take protective actions in response to an earthquake alert. While a subset of responses will be automated (e.g., opening fire house doors), other applications of the technology will alert individuals by broadcast, public address, or mobile device notifications and require self-protective behavioral decisions (e.g., "Drop, Cover, and Hold On"). To better understand ShakeAlert user decisions and needs, we use human-centered design methods to synthesize aggregated behavioral data into "personas," which model the common behavioral patterns that can be used to guide plans for the ShakeAlert interface, messaging, and training. We present user data, methods, and resulting personas that will inform decisions moving forward to shape ShakeAlert messaging and training that will be most usable by alert recipients.

White Paper: A Defect Prioritization Method Based on the Risk Priority Number

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-11-01

adapted The Failure Modes and Effects Analysis ( FMEA ) method employs a measurement technique called Risk Priority Number (RPN) to quantify the...Up to an hour 16-60 1.5 Brief Interrupt 0-15 1 Table 1 – Time Scaling Factors In the FMEA formulation, RPN is a product of the three categories

Investigation of Multi-Criteria Decision Consistency: A Triplex Approach to Optimal Oilfield Portfolio Investment Decisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qaradaghi, Mohammed

Complexity of the capital intensive oil and gas portfolio investments is continuously growing. It is manifested in the constant increase in the type, number and degree of risks and uncertainties, which consequently lead to more challenging decision making problems. A typical complex decision making problem in petroleum exploration and production (E&P) is the selection and prioritization of oilfields/projects in a portfolio investment. Prioritizing oilfields maybe required for different purposes, including the achievement of a targeted production and allocation of limited available development resources. These resources cannot be distributed evenly nor can they be allocated based on the oilfield size or production capacity alone since various other factors need to be considered simultaneously. These factors may include subsurface complexity, size of reservoir, plateau production and needed infrastructure in addition to other issues of strategic concern, such as socio-economic, environmental and fiscal policies, particularly when the decision making involves governments or national oil companies. Therefore, it would be imperative to employ decision aiding tools that not only address these factors, but also incorporate the decision makers' preferences clearly and accurately. However, the tools commonly used in project portfolio selection and optimization, including intuitive approaches, vary in their focus and strength in addressing the different criteria involved in such decision problems. They are also disadvantaged by a number of drawbacks, which may include lacking the capacity to address multiple and interrelated criteria, uncertainty and risk, project relationship with regard to value contribution and optimum resource utilization, non-monetary attributes, decision maker's knowledge and expertise, in addition to varying levels of ease of use and other practical and theoretical drawbacks. These drawbacks have motivated researchers to investigate other tools and techniques that can provide more flexibility and inclusiveness in the decision making process, such as Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods. However, it can be observed that the MCDM literature: 1) is primarily focused on suggesting certain MCDM techniques to specific problems without providing sufficient evidence for their selection, 2) is inadequate in addressing MCDM in E&P portfolio selection and prioritization compared with other fields, and 3) does not address prioritizing brownfields (i.e., developed oilfields). This research study aims at addressing the above drawbacks through combining three MCDM methods (i.e., AHP, PROMETHEE and TOPSIS) into a single decision making tool that can support optimal oilfield portfolio investment decisions by helping determine the share of each oilfield of the total development resources allocated. Selecting these methods is reinforced by a pre-deployment and post-deployment validation framework. In addition, this study proposes a two-dimensional consistency test to verify the output coherence or prioritization stability of the MCDM methods in comparison with an intuitive approach. Nine scenarios representing all possible outcomes of the internal and external consistency tests are further proposed to reach a conclusion. The methodology is applied to a case study of six major oilfields in Iraq to generate percentage shares of each oilfield of a total production target that is in line with Iraq's aspiration to increase oil production. However, the methodology is intended to be applicable to other E&P portfolio investment prioritization scenarios by taking the specific contextual characteristics into consideration.

By Inferno's Light: Characterizing TESS Object of Interest Host Stars for Prioritizing Our Search for Habitable Planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Unterborn, C. T.; Desch, S. J.; Johnson, J. A.; Panero, W. R.; Teske, J. K.; Hinkel, N. R.

2016-12-01

The Earth is unique in our Solar System. It is the only planet known to undergo plate tectonics. It has a magnetic field as result of an outer liquid iron core that protects the surface from Solar radiation. What is not known, however, is whether the Earth is unique among all terrestrial planets outside our Solar System. The population of potentially Earth-like planets will only continue to grow. The TESS mission, launching in 2017, is designed to identify rocky planets around bright, nearby stars across the whole sky. Of the 5,000 potential transit-like signals detected, only 100 will be selected for follow-up spectroscopy. From this subsample, only 50 planets are expected to have both mass and radius measurements, thus allowing for detailed modeling of the planetary interior and potential surface processes. As we search for habitable worlds within this sample, then, understanding which TESS objects of interest (TOI) warrant detailed and time-intensive follow-up observations is of paramount importance. Recent surveys of dwarf planetary host and non-host stars find variations in the major terrestrial planet element abundances (Mg, Fe, Si) of between 10% and 400% of Solar. Additionally, the terrestrial exoplanet record shows planets ranging in size from sub-Mercury to super-Earth. How this stellar compositional diversity is translated into resultant exoplanet physical properties including its mineralogy and structure is not known. Here, we present results of models blending equilibrium condensation sequence computations for determining initial planetesimal composition with geophysical interior calculations for multiple stellar abundance catalogues. This benchmarked and generalized approach allows us to predict the mineralogy and structure of an "average" exoplanet in these planetary systems, thus informing their potential to be "Earth-like." This combination of astro- and geophysical models provides us with a self-consistent method with which to compare planetary systems, thus improving our ability to prioritize "Earth-like" targets for follow-up observations within the TOI dataset. Furthermore, the methods described herein afford us an opportunity to explore rocky planet diversity as a whole and truly begin to answer the question, "Is the Earth special?"

Clustering analysis of water distribution systems: identifying critical components and community impacts.

PubMed

Diao, K; Farmani, R; Fu, G; Astaraie-Imani, M; Ward, S; Butler, D

2014-01-01

Large water distribution systems (WDSs) are networks with both topological and behavioural complexity. Thereby, it is usually difficult to identify the key features of the properties of the system, and subsequently all the critical components within the system for a given purpose of design or control. One way is, however, to more explicitly visualize the network structure and interactions between components by dividing a WDS into a number of clusters (subsystems). Accordingly, this paper introduces a clustering strategy that decomposes WDSs into clusters with stronger internal connections than external connections. The detected cluster layout is very similar to the community structure of the served urban area. As WDSs may expand along with urban development in a community-by-community manner, the correspondingly formed distribution clusters may reveal some crucial configurations of WDSs. For verification, the method is applied to identify all the critical links during firefighting for the vulnerability analysis of a real-world WDS. Moreover, both the most critical pipes and clusters are addressed, given the consequences of pipe failure. Compared with the enumeration method, the method used in this study identifies the same group of the most critical components, and provides similar criticality prioritizations of them in a more computationally efficient time.

Exploration technology prioritization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dula, Alex

1992-01-01

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

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

PubMed

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

2013-10-01

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

Implementing a national early awareness and alert system for new and emerging health technologies in Italy: the COTE Project.

PubMed

Migliore, Antonio; Perrini, Maria Rosaria; Jefferson, Tom; Cerbo, Marina

2012-07-01

The aim of this study was to establish a national Early Awareness and Alert (EAA) system for the identification and assessment of new and emerging health technologies in Italy. In 2008, Agenas, a public body supporting Regions and the Ministry of Health (MoH) in health services research, started a project named COTE (Observatory of New and Emerging Health Technologies) with the ultimate aim of implementing a national EAA system. The COTE project involved all stakeholders (MoH, Regions, Industry, Universities, technical government bodies, and Scientific Societies), in defining the key characteristics and methods of the EAA system. Agreement with stakeholders was reached using three separate workshops. During the workshops, participants shared and agreed methods for identification of new and emerging health technologies, prioritization, and assessment. The structure of the Horizon Scanning (HS) reports was discussed and defined. The main channels for dissemination of outputs were identified as the EuroScan database, and the stakeholders' Web portals. During the final workshop, Agenas presented the first three HS reports produced at national level and proposed the establishment of a permanent national EAA system. The COTE Project created the basis for a permanent national EAA system in Italy. An infrastructure to enable the stakeholders network to grow was created, methods to submit new and emerging health technologies for possible evaluation were established, methods for assessment of the technologies selected were defined, and the stakeholders involvement was delineated (in the identification, assessment, and dissemination stages).

HIV, tuberculosis, and noncommunicable diseases: what is known about the costs, effects, and cost-effectiveness of integrated care?

PubMed

Hyle, Emily P; Naidoo, Kogieleum; Su, Amanda E; El-Sadr, Wafaa M; Freedberg, Kenneth A

2014-09-01

Unprecedented investments in health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have resulted in more than 8 million individuals on antiretroviral therapy. Such individuals experience dramatically increased survival but are increasingly at risk of developing common noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Integrating clinical care for HIV, other infectious diseases, and NCDs could make health services more effective and provide greater value. Cost-effectiveness analysis is a method to evaluate the clinical benefits and costs associated with different health care interventions and offers guidance for prioritization of investments and scale-up, especially as resources are increasingly constrained. We first examine tuberculosis and HIV as 1 example of integrated care already successfully implemented in several LMICs; we then review the published literature regarding cervical cancer and depression as 2 examples of NCDs for which integrating care with HIV services could offer excellent value. Direct evidence of the benefits of integrated services generally remains scarce; however, data suggest that improved effectiveness and reduced costs may be attained by integrating additional services with existing HIV clinical care. Further investigation into clinical outcomes and costs of care for NCDs among people living with HIV in LMICs will help to prioritize specific health care services by contributing to an understanding of the affordability and implementation of an integrated approach.

Identifying and Classifying Pollution Hotspots to Guide Watershed Management in a Large Multiuse Watershed.

PubMed

Su, Fangli; Kaplan, David; Li, Lifeng; Li, Haifu; Song, Fei; Liu, Haisheng

2017-03-03

In many locations around the globe, large reservoir sustainability is threatened by land use change and direct pollution loading from the upstream watershed. However, the size and complexity of upstream basins makes the planning and implementation of watershed-scale pollution management a challenge. In this study, we established an evaluation system based on 17 factors, representing the potential point and non-point source pollutants and the environmental carrying capacity which are likely to affect the water quality in the Dahuofang Reservoir and watershed in northeastern China. We used entropy methods to rank 118 subwatersheds by their potential pollution threat and clustered subwatersheds according to the potential pollution type. Combining ranking and clustering analyses allowed us to suggest specific areas for prioritized watershed management (in particular, two subwatersheds with the greatest pollution potential) and to recommend the conservation of current practices in other less vulnerable locations (91 small watersheds with low pollution potential). Finally, we identified the factors most likely to influence the water quality of each of the 118 subwatersheds and suggested adaptive control measures for each location. These results provide a scientific basis for improving the watershed management and sustainability of the Dahuofang reservoir and a framework for identifying threats and prioritizing the management of watersheds of large reservoirs around the world.

Preventing delayed diagnosis of cancer: clinicians’ views on main problems and solutions

PubMed Central

Car, Lorainne Tudor; Papachristou, Nikolaos; Urch, Catherine; Majeed, Azeem; El–Khatib, Mona; Aylin, Paul; Atun, Rifat; Car, Josip; Vincent, Charles

2016-01-01

Background Delayed diagnosis is a major contributing factor to the UK’s lower cancer survival compared to many European countries. In the UK, there is a significant national variation in early cancer diagnosis. Healthcare providers can offer an insight into local priorities for timely cancer diagnosis. In this study, we aimed to identify the main problems and solutions relating to delay cancer diagnosis according to cancer care clinicians. Methods We developed and implemented a new priority–setting approach called PRIORITIZE and invited North West London cancer care clinicians to identify and prioritize main causes for and solutions to delayed diagnosis of cancer care. Results Clinicians identified a number of concrete problems and solutions relating to delayed diagnosis of cancer. Raising public awareness, patient education as well as better access to specialist care and diagnostic testing were seen as the highest priorities. The identified suggestions focused mostly on the delays during referrals from primary to secondary care. Conclusions Many identified priorities were feasible, affordable and converged around common themes such as public awareness, care continuity and length of consultation. As a timely, proactive and scalable priority–setting approach, PRIORITZE could be implemented as a routine preventative system for determining patient safety issues by frontline staff. PMID:28028437

Identifying and Classifying Pollution Hotspots to Guide Watershed Management in a Large Multiuse Watershed

PubMed Central

Su, Fangli; Kaplan, David; Li, Lifeng; Li, Haifu; Song, Fei; Liu, Haisheng

2017-01-01

In many locations around the globe, large reservoir sustainability is threatened by land use change and direct pollution loading from the upstream watershed. However, the size and complexity of upstream basins makes the planning and implementation of watershed-scale pollution management a challenge. In this study, we established an evaluation system based on 17 factors, representing the potential point and non-point source pollutants and the environmental carrying capacity which are likely to affect the water quality in the Dahuofang Reservoir and watershed in northeastern China. We used entropy methods to rank 118 subwatersheds by their potential pollution threat and clustered subwatersheds according to the potential pollution type. Combining ranking and clustering analyses allowed us to suggest specific areas for prioritized watershed management (in particular, two subwatersheds with the greatest pollution potential) and to recommend the conservation of current practices in other less vulnerable locations (91 small watersheds with low pollution potential). Finally, we identified the factors most likely to influence the water quality of each of the 118 subwatersheds and suggested adaptive control measures for each location. These results provide a scientific basis for improving the watershed management and sustainability of the Dahuofang reservoir and a framework for identifying threats and prioritizing the management of watersheds of large reservoirs around the world. PMID:28273834

Prioritizing comparative effectiveness research for cancer diagnostics using a regional stakeholder approach

PubMed Central

Klein, Gregory; Gold, Laura S; Sullivan, Sean D; Buist, Diana SM; Ramsey, Scott; Kreizenbeck, Karma; Snell, Kyle; Loggers, Elizabeth Trice; Gifford, Joseph; Watkins, John B; Kessler, Larry

2012-01-01

Aims This paper describes our process to engage regional stakeholders for prioritizing comparative effectiveness research (CER) in cancer diagnostics. We also describe a novel methodology for incorporating stakeholder data and input to inform the objectives of selected CER studies. Materials & methods As an integrated component to establishing the infrastructure for community-based CER on diagnostic technologies, we have assembled a regional stakeholder group composed of local payers, clinicians and state healthcare representatives to not only identify and prioritize CER topics most important to the western Washington State region, but also to inform the study design of selected research areas. A landscape analysis process combining literature searches, expert consultations and stakeholder discussions was used to identify possible CER topics in cancer diagnostics. Stakeholders prioritized the top topics using a modified Delphi/group-nominal method and a standardized evaluation criteria framework to determine a final selected CER study area. Implementation of the selected study was immediate due to a unique American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding structure involving the same researchers and stakeholders in both the prioritization and execution phases of the project. Stakeholder engagement was enhanced after study selection via a rapid analysis of a subset of payers’ internal claims, coordinated by the research team, to obtain summary data of imaging patterns of use. Results of this preliminary analysis, which we termed an ‘internal analysis,’ were used to determine with the stakeholders the most important and feasible study objectives. Results Stakeholders identified PET and MRI in cancers including breast, lung, lymphoma and colorectal as top priorities. In an internal analysis of breast cancer imaging, summary data from three payers demonstrated utilization rates of advanced imaging increased between 2002 and 2009 in the study population, with a great deal of variability in use between different health plans. Assessing whether breast MRI affects treatment decisions was the top breast cancer study objective selected by the stakeholders. There were other high-priority research areas including whether MRI use improved survival that were not deemed feasible with the length of follow-up time following MRI adoption. Conclusion Continuous stakeholder engagement greatly enhanced their enthusiasm for the project. We believe CER implementation will be more successful when undertaken by regional stakeholders. PMID:23105966

A risk assessment methodology for critical transportation infrastructure.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-01-01

Infrastructure protection typifies a problem of risk assessment and management in a large-scale system. This study offers a methodological framework to identify, prioritize, assess, and manage risks. It includes the following major considerations: (1...

Settling the score: variant prioritization and Mendelian disease

PubMed Central

Eilbeck, Karen; Quinlan, Aaron; Yandell, Mark

2018-01-01

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

State Injury Programs’ Response to the Opioid Epidemic: The Role of CDC’s Core Violence and Injury Prevention Program

PubMed Central

Deokar, Angela J.; Dellapenna, Alan; DeFiore-Hyrmer, Jolene; Laidler, Matt; Millet, Lisa; Morman, Sara; Myers, Lindsey

2018-01-01

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Core Violence and Injury Prevention Program (Core) supports capacity of state violence and injury prevention programs to implement evidence-based interventions. Several Core-funded states prioritized prescription drug overdose (PDO) and leveraged their systems to identify and respond to the epidemic before specific PDO prevention funding was available through CDC. This article describes activities employed by Core-funded states early in the epidemic. Four case examples illustrate states’ approaches within the context of their systems and partners. While Core funding is not sufficient to support a comprehensive PDO prevention program, having Core in place at the beginning of the emerging epidemic had critical implications for identifying the problem and developing systems that were later expanded as additional resources became available. Important components included staffing support to bolster programmatic and epidemiological capacity; diverse and collaborative partnerships; and use of surveillance and evidence-informed best practices to prioritize decision-making. PMID:29189501

State Injury Programs' Response to the Opioid Epidemic: The Role of CDC's Core Violence and Injury Prevention Program.

PubMed

Deokar, Angela J; Dellapenna, Alan; DeFiore-Hyrmer, Jolene; Laidler, Matt; Millet, Lisa; Morman, Sara; Myers, Lindsey

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Core Violence and Injury Prevention Program (Core) supports capacity of state violence and injury prevention programs to implement evidence-based interventions. Several Core-funded states prioritized prescription drug overdose (PDO) and leveraged their systems to identify and respond to the epidemic before specific PDO prevention funding was available through CDC. This article describes activities employed by Core-funded states early in the epidemic. Four case examples illustrate states' approaches within the context of their systems and partners. While Core funding is not sufficient to support a comprehensive PDO prevention program, having Core in place at the beginning of the emerging epidemic had critical implications for identifying the problem and developing systems that were later expanded as additional resources became available. Important components included staffing support to bolster programmatic and epidemiological capacity; diverse and collaborative partnerships; and use of surveillance and evidence-informed best practices to prioritize decision-making.

In Vitro Pulmonary Toxicity of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles

EPA Science Inventory

Nanomaterials (NMs) encompass a diversity of materials with unique physicochemical characteristics which raise concerns about their potential risk to human health. Rapid predictive testing methods are needed to characterize NMs health effects as well as to screen and prioritize N...

New High Throughput Methods to Estimate Chemical Exposure

EPA Science Inventory

EPA has made many recent advances in high throughput bioactivity testing. However, concurrent advances in rapid, quantitative prediction of human and ecological exposures have been lacking, despite the clear importance of both measures for a risk-based approach to prioritizing an...

Prioritizing investments in health technology assessment. Can we assess potential value for money?

PubMed

Davies, L; Drummond, M; Papanikolaou, P

2000-01-01

The objective was to develop an economic prioritization model to assist those involved in the selection and prioritization of health technology assessment topics and commissioning of HTA projects. The model used decision analytic techniques to estimate the expected costs and benefits of the health care interventions that were the focus of the HTA question(s) considered by the NHS Health Technology Assessment Programme in England. Initial estimation of the value for money of HTA was conducted for several topics considered in 1997 and 1998. The results indicate that, using information routinely available in the literature and from the vignettes, it was not possible to estimate the absolute value of HTA with any certainty for this stage of the prioritization process. Overall, the results were uncertain for 65% of the HTA questions or topics analyzed. The relative costs of the interventions or technologies compared to existing costs of care and likely levels of utilization were critical factors in most of the analyses. The probability that the technology was effective with the HTA and the impact of the HTA on utilization rates were also key determinants of expected costs and benefits. The main conclusion was that it is feasible to conduct ex ante assessments of the value for money of HTA for specific topics. However, substantial work is required to ensure that the methods used are valid, reliable, consistent, and an efficient use of valuable research time.

Identifying and prioritizing ungulate migration routes for landscape-level conservation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sawyer, H.; Kauffman, M.J.; Nielson, R.M.; Horne, J.S.

2009-01-01

As habitat loss and fragmentation increase across ungulate ranges, identifying and prioritizing migration routes for conservation has taken on new urgency. Here we present a general framework using the Brownian bridge movement model (BBMM) that: (1) provides a probabilistic estimate of the migration routes of a sampled population, (2) distinguishes between route segments that function as stopover sites vs. those used primarily as movement corridors, and (3) prioritizes routes for conservation based upon the proportion of the sampled population that uses them. We applied this approach to a migratory mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) population in a pristine area of southwest Wyoming, USA, where 2000 gas wells and 1609 km of pipelines and roads have been proposed for development. Our analysis clearly delineated where migration routes occurred relative to proposed development and provided guidance for on-the-ground conservation efforts. Mule deer migration routes were characterized by a series of stopover sites where deer spent most of their time, connected by movement corridors through which deer moved quickly. Our findings suggest management strategies that differentiate between stopover sites and movement corridors may be warranted. Because some migration routes were used by more mule deer than others, proportional level of use may provide a reasonable metric by which routes can be prioritized for conservation. The methods we outline should be applicable to a wide range of species that inhabit regions where migration routes are threatened or poorly understood. ?? 2009 by the Ecological Society of America.

Prioritization of zoonotic diseases of public health significance in Vietnam.

PubMed

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

2015-12-30

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

Prioritizing the Compensation Mechanisms for Nurses Working in Emergency Department of Hospital Using Fuzzy DEMATEL Technique: A Survey from Iran

PubMed Central

Mamikhani, Jahanara; Tofighi, Shahram; Sadeghifar, Jamil; Heydari, Majied; Jenab, Vahied Hosseini

2014-01-01

Aim and Background: Nursing professionals are the most important human resources that provide care in the Emergency Departments at hospitals. Therefore appropriate compensation for the services provided by them is considered as a priority. This study aims to identify and prioritize the factors affecting the compensation for services provided by the EDs nurses. Methods: Twenty four nurses, hospital administrators, local and national health authorities participated in a cross sectional study conducted in 2012. The participants discussed on different compensation mechanisms for nurses’ of EDs, in six groups according to Focus Group Discussion (FGD) technique, resulted in the adopted mechanisms. Opinions of the participants on the mechanisms were obtained via paired matrices using fuzzy logic. Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) technique was used for prioritizing the adopted mechanisms. Findings: Among the compensation mechanisms for nurses of ED services, both Monthly fixed amounts (9.0382) and increasing the number of vacation days (9.0189) had highest importance. The lowest importance was given to the performance-based payment (8.9897). Monthly fixed amounts, increasing the number of vacation days, decreasing the working hours and performance-based payment were recognized as effective factors. Other mechanisms are prioritized as use of the facilities, increase in emergency tariff, job promotions, non-cash payments, continuing education, and persuasive years. Conclusion: According to the results, the nurses working in the EDS of the hospitals were more likely to receive non-cash benefits than cash benefits as compensation. PMID:24576368

Innovative method for prioritizing emerging disinfection by-products (DBPs) in drinking water on the basis of their potential impact on public health.

PubMed

Hebert, Armelle; Forestier, Delphine; Lenes, Dorothée; Benanou, David; Jacob, Severine; Arfi, Catherine; Lambolez, Lucie; Levi, Yves

2010-05-01

Providing microbiologically safe drinking water is a major public health issue. However, chemical disinfection can produce unintended health hazards involving disinfection by-products (DBPs). In an attempt to clarify the potential public health concerns associated with emerging disinfection by-products (EDBPs), this study was intended to help to identify those suspected of posing potential related health effects. In view of the ever-growing list of EDBPs in drinking water and the lack of consensus about them, we have developed an innovative prioritization method that would allow us to address this issue. We first set up an exhaustive database including all the current published data relating to EDBPs in drinking water (toxicity, occurrence, epidemiology and international or local guidelines/regulations). We then developed a ranking method intended to prioritize the EDBPs. This method, which was based on a calculation matrix with different coefficients, was applied to the data regarding their potential contribution to the health risk assessment process. This procedure allowed us to identify and rank three different groups of EDBPs: Group I, consisting of the most critical EDBPs with regard to their potential health effects, has moderate occurrence but the highest toxicity. Group II has moderate to elevated occurrence and is associated with relevant toxicity, and Group III has very low occurrence and unknown or little toxicity. The EDBPs identified as posing the greatest potential risk using this method were as follows: NDMA and other nitrosamines, MX and other halofuranones, chlorate, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol and pentachlorophenol, hydrazine, and two unregulated halomethanes, dichloromethane and tetrachloromethane. Our approach allowed us to define the EDBPs that it is most important to monitor in order to assess population exposure and related public health issues, and thus to improve drinking water treatment and distribution. It is also important to extend our knowledge about exposure to mixtures of emerging DBPs and possible related health effects.

Applying Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) Simple Scoring as an Evidence-based HTA Methodology for Evaluating Off-Patent Pharmaceuticals (OPPs) in Emerging Markets.

PubMed

Brixner, Diana; Maniadakis, Nikos; Kaló, Zoltán; Hu, Shanlian; Shen, Jie; Wijaya, Kalman

2017-09-01

Off-patent pharmaceuticals (OPPs) represent more than 60% of the pharmaceutical market in many emerging countries, where they are frequently evaluated primarily on cost rather than with health technology assessment. OPPs are assumed to be identical to the originators. Branded and unbranded generic versions can, however, vary from the originator in active pharmaceutical ingredients, dosage, consistency formulation, excipients, manufacturing processes, and distribution, for example. These variables can alter the efficacy and safety of the product, negatively impacting both the anticipated cost savings and the population's health. In addition, many health care systems lack the resources or expertise to evaluate such products, and current assessment methods can be complex and difficult to adapt to a health system's needs. Multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) simple scoring is an evidence-based health technology assessment methodology for evaluating OPPs, especially in emerging countries in which resources are limited but decision makers still must balance affordability with factors such as drug safety, level interchangeability, manufacturing site and active pharmaceutical ingredient quality, supply track record, and real-life outcomes. MCDA simple scoring can be applied to pharmaceutical pricing, reimbursement, formulary listing, and drug procurement. In November 2015, a workshop was held at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research Annual Meeting in Milan to refine and prioritize criteria that can be used in MCDA simple scoring for OPPs, resulting in an example MCDA process and 22 prioritized criteria that health care systems in emerging countries can easily adapt to their own decision-making processes. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impacts of Intelligent Automated Quality Control on a Small Animal APD-Based Digital PET Scanner

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charest, Jonathan; Beaudoin, Jean-François; Bergeron, Mélanie; Cadorette, Jules; Arpin, Louis; Lecomte, Roger; Brunet, Charles-Antoine; Fontaine, Réjean

2016-10-01

Stable system performance is mandatory to warrant the accuracy and reliability of biological results relying on small animal positron emission tomography (PET) imaging studies. This simple requirement sets the ground for imposing routine quality control (QC) procedures to keep PET scanners at a reliable optimal performance level. However, such procedures can become burdensome to implement for scanner operators, especially taking into account the increasing number of data acquisition channels in newer generation PET scanners. In systems using pixel detectors to achieve enhanced spatial resolution and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), the QC workload rapidly increases to unmanageable levels due to the number of independent channels involved. An artificial intelligence based QC system, referred to as Scanner Intelligent Diagnosis for Optimal Performance (SIDOP), was proposed to help reducing the QC workload by performing automatic channel fault detection and diagnosis. SIDOP consists of four high-level modules that employ machine learning methods to perform their tasks: Parameter Extraction, Channel Fault Detection, Fault Prioritization, and Fault Diagnosis. Ultimately, SIDOP submits a prioritized faulty channel list to the operator and proposes actions to correct them. To validate that SIDOP can perform QC procedures adequately, it was deployed on a LabPET™ scanner and multiple performance metrics were extracted. After multiple corrections on sub-optimal scanner settings, a 8.5% (with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of [7.6, 9.3]) improvement in the CNR, a 17.0% (CI: [15.3, 18.7]) decrease of the uniformity percentage standard deviation, and a 6.8% gain in global sensitivity were observed. These results confirm that SIDOP can indeed be of assistance in performing QC procedures and restore performance to optimal figures.