Medicare Program; Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Model (APM) Incentive Under the Physician Fee Schedule, and Criteria for Physician-Focused Payment Models. Final rule with comment period.

PubMed

2016-11-04

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) repeals the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) methodology for updates to the physician fee schedule (PFS) and replaces it with a new approach to payment called the Quality Payment Program that rewards the delivery of high-quality patient care through two avenues: Advanced Alternative Payment Models (Advanced APMs) and the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for eligible clinicians or groups under the PFS. This final rule with comment period establishes incentives for participation in certain alternative payment models (APMs) and includes the criteria for use by the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) in making comments and recommendations on physician-focused payment models (PFPMs). Alternative Payment Models are payment approaches, developed in partnership with the clinician community, that provide added incentives to deliver high-quality and cost-efficient care. APMs can apply to a specific clinical condition, a care episode, or a population. This final rule with comment period also establishes the MIPS, a new program for certain Medicare-enrolled practitioners. MIPS will consolidate components of three existing programs, the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), the Physician Value-based Payment Modifier (VM), and the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program for Eligible Professionals (EPs), and will continue the focus on quality, cost, and use of certified EHR technology (CEHRT) in a cohesive program that avoids redundancies. In this final rule with comment period we have rebranded key terminology based on feedback from stakeholders, with the goal of selecting terms that will be more easily identified and understood by our stakeholders.

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

Rhinefrank, Kenneth; Lamb, Bradford; Prudell, Joseph

This Project aims to satisfy objectives of the DOE’s Water Power Program by completing a system detailed design (SDD) and other important activities in the first phase of a utility-scale grid-connected ocean wave energy demonstration. In early 2012, Columbia Power (CPwr) had determined that further cost and performance optimization was necessary in order to commercialize its StingRAY wave energy converter (WEC). CPwr’s progress toward commercialization, and the requisite technology development path, were focused on transitioning toward a commercial-scale demonstration. This path required significant investment to be successful, and the justification for this investment required improved annual energy production (AEP) andmore » lower capital costs. Engineering solutions were developed to address these technical and cost challenges, incorporated into a proposal to the US Department of Energy (DOE), and then adapted to form the technical content and statement of project objectives of the resulting Project (DE-EE0005930). Through Project cost-sharing and technical collaboration between DOE and CPwr, and technical collaboration with Oregon State University (OSU), National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) and other Project partners, we have demonstrated experimentally that these conceptual improvements have merit and made significant progress towards a certified WEC system design at a selected and contracted deployment site at the Wave Energy Test Site (WETS) at the Marine Corps Base in Oahu, HI (MCBH).« less

40 CFR 57.605 - Consent.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... such agency determines are needed to evaluate the technical or economic merits of the program; (c... discussions of progress, interpretation of data and results, and any other similar purposes as deemed...

Human Exploration Framework Team: Strategy and Status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Muirhead, Brian K.; Sherwood, Brent; Olson, John

2011-01-01

Human Exploration Framework Team (HEFT) was formulated to create a decision framework for human space exploration that drives out the knowledge, capabilities and infrastructure NASA needs to send people to explore multiple destinations in the Solar System in an efficient, sustainable way. The specific goal is to generate an initial architecture that can evolve into a long term, enterprise-wide architecture that is the basis for a robust human space flight enterprise. This paper will discuss the initial HEFT activity which focused on starting up the cross-agency team, getting it functioning, developing a comprehensive development and analysis process and conducting multiple iterations of the process. The outcome of this process will be discussed including initial analysis of capabilities and missions for at least two decades, keeping Mars as the ultimate destination. Details are provided on strategies that span a broad technical and programmatic trade space, are analyzed against design reference missions and evaluated against a broad set of figures of merit including affordability, operational complexity, and technical and programmatic risk.

48 CFR 15.606-1 - Receipt and initial review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... CONTRACTING METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES CONTRACTING BY NEGOTIATION Unsolicited Proposals 15.606-1 Receipt and... information for evaluation; (5) Has overall scientific, technical, or socioeconomic merit; (6) Has been...

48 CFR 15.606-1 - Receipt and initial review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... CONTRACTING METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES CONTRACTING BY NEGOTIATION Unsolicited Proposals 15.606-1 Receipt and... information for evaluation; (5) Has overall scientific, technical, or socioeconomic merit; (6) Has been...

48 CFR 15.606-1 - Receipt and initial review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... CONTRACTING METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES CONTRACTING BY NEGOTIATION Unsolicited Proposals 15.606-1 Receipt and... information for evaluation; (5) Has overall scientific, technical, or socioeconomic merit; (6) Has been...

48 CFR 15.606-1 - Receipt and initial review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... CONTRACTING METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES CONTRACTING BY NEGOTIATION Unsolicited Proposals 15.606-1 Receipt and... information for evaluation; (5) Has overall scientific, technical, or socioeconomic merit; (6) Has been...

48 CFR 15.606-1 - Receipt and initial review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... CONTRACTING METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES CONTRACTING BY NEGOTIATION Unsolicited Proposals 15.606-1 Receipt and... information for evaluation; (5) Has overall scientific, technical, or socioeconomic merit; (6) Has been...

A comparison of EEOC closures involving hiring versus other prevalent discrimination issues under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

PubMed

McMahon, Brian T; Hurley, Jessica E; West, Steven L; Chan, Fong; Roessler, Richard; Rumrill, Phillip D

2008-06-01

This article describes findings from a causal comparative study of the Merit Resolution rate for allegations of Hiring discrimination that were filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) between 1992 and 2005. An allegation is the Charging Party's perception of discrimination, but a Merit Resolution is one in which the EEOC has determined that a discriminatory event did indeed occur. A Non-Merit Resolution is an allegation that is closed due to a technicality or lacks sufficient evidence to conclude that discrimination occurred. Merit favors the Charging Party; Non-Merit favors the Employer. The Merit Resolution rate of 19,527 closed Hiring allegations is compared and contrasted to that of 259,680 allegations aggregated from six other prevalent forms of discrimination including Discharge and Constructive Discharge, Reasonable Accommodation, Disability Harassment and Intimidation, and Terms and Conditions of Employment. Tests of Proportion distributed as chi-square are used to form comparisons along a variety of subcategories of Merit and Non-Merit outcomes. The overall Merit Resolution rate for Hiring is 26% compared to Non-Hiring at 20.6%. Employers are less likely to settle claims of hiring discrimination without mediation, and less likely to accept the remedies recommended by the EEOC when hiring discrimination has been determined. Hiring is not an unusual discrimination issue in that the overwhelming majority of allegations are still closed in favor of the Employer. However, it is counterintuitive that hiring has a higher merit resolution rate than other prevalent issues. This finding contradicts the assumption that hiring is an "invisible process." Considering that the EEOC makes merit determinations at a competitive rate, it is clear that hiring is sufficiently transparent.

Preliminary Investigation on Battery Sizing Investigation for Thrust Vector Control on Ares I and Ares V Launch Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Thomas B.

2011-01-01

An investigation into the merits of battery powered Electro Hydrostatic Actuation (EHA) for Thrust Vector Control (TVC) of the Ares I and Ares V launch vehicles is described. A top level trade study was conducted to ascertain the technical merits of lithium-ion (Li-ion) and thermal battery performance to determine the preferred choice of an energy storage system chemistry that provides high power discharge capability for a relatively short duration.

The Perceived Association of Merit Pay and Teacher Qualities in Two Middle Schools in a Southeastern State

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balls, John Daniel

2013-01-01

This dissertation determined the perceived association of merit pay and teacher qualities in the sample schools. The research focused on the association of merit pay and levels of teacher qualities and if a relationship exists between teacher performance-based compensation and teacher qualities/performance. The indications and suggestions of this…

Aero-space plane figures of merit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunt, James L.; Martin, John G.

1992-01-01

The design environment of the aerospace plane is variable rich, intricately networked and sensitivity intensive. To achieve a viable design necessitates addressing three principal elements: knowledge of the 'figures of merit' and their relationships, the synthesis procedure, and the synergistic integration of advanced technologies across the discipline spectrum. This paper focuses on the 'figures of merit' that create the design of an aerospace plane.

Optimization of Automobile Crush Characteristics: Technical Report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1975-10-01

A methodology is developed for the evaluation and optimization of societal costs of two-vehicle automobile collisions. Costs considered in a Figure of Merit include costs of injury/mortality, occupant compartment penetration, collision damage repairs...

A methodology for spacecraft technology insertion analysis balancing benefit, cost, and risk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bearden, David Allen

Emerging technologies are changing the way space missions are developed and implemented. Technology development programs are proceeding with the goal of enhancing spacecraft performance and reducing mass and cost. However, it is often the case that technology insertion assessment activities, in the interest of maximizing performance and/or mass reduction, do not consider synergistic system-level effects. Furthermore, even though technical risks are often identified as a large cost and schedule driver, many design processes ignore effects of cost and schedule uncertainty. This research is based on the hypothesis that technology selection is a problem of balancing interrelated (and potentially competing) objectives. Current spacecraft technology selection approaches are summarized, and a Methodology for Evaluating and Ranking Insertion of Technology (MERIT) that expands on these practices to attack otherwise unsolved problems is demonstrated. MERIT combines the modern techniques of technology maturity measures, parametric models, genetic algorithms, and risk assessment (cost and schedule) in a unique manner to resolve very difficult issues including: user-generated uncertainty, relationships between cost/schedule and complexity, and technology "portfolio" management. While the methodology is sufficiently generic that it may in theory be applied to a number of technology insertion problems, this research focuses on application to the specific case of small (<500 kg) satellite design. Small satellite missions are of particular interest because they are often developed under rigid programmatic (cost and schedule) constraints and are motivated to introduce advanced technologies into the design. MERIT is demonstrated for programs procured under varying conditions and constraints such as stringent performance goals, not-to-exceed costs, or hard schedule requirements. MERIT'S contributions to the engineering community are its: unique coupling of the aspects of performance, cost, and schedule; assessment of system level impacts of technology insertion; procedures for estimating uncertainties (risks) associated with advanced technology; and application of heuristics to facilitate informed system-level technology utilization decisions earlier in the conceptual design phase. MERIT extends the state of the art in technology insertion assessment selection practice and, if adopted, may aid designers in determining the configuration of complex systems that meet essential requirements in a timely, cost-effective manner.

Development of ClearPEM-Sonic, a multimodal mammography system for PET and Ultrasound

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cucciati, G.; Auffray, E.; Bugalho, R.; Cao, L.; Di Vara, N.; Farina, F.; Felix, N.; Frisch, B.; Ghezzi, A.; Juhan, V.; Jun, D.; Lasaygues, P.; Lecoq, P.; Mensah, S.; Mundler, O.; Neves, J.; Paganoni, M.; Peter, J.; Pizzichemi, M.; Siles, P.; Silva, J. C.; Silva, R.; Tavernier, S.; Tessonnier, L.; Varela, J.

2014-03-01

ClearPEM-Sonic is an innovative imaging device specifically developed for breast cancer. The possibility to work in PEM-Ultrasound multimodality allows to obtain metabolic and morphological information increasing the specificity of the exam. The ClearPEM detector is developed to maximize the sensitivity and the spatial resolution as compared to Whole-Body PET scanners. It is coupled with a 3D ultrasound system, the SuperSonic Imagine Aixplorer that improves the specificity of the exam by providing a tissue elasticity map. This work describes the ClearPEM-Sonic project focusing on the technological developments it has required, the technical merits (and limits) and the first multimodal images acquired on a dedicated phantom. It finally presents selected clinical case studies that confirm the value of PEM information.

Monitoring and Evaluating Nonpoint Source Watershed Projects

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This guide is written primarily for those who develop and implement monitoring plans for watershed management projects. it can also be used evaluate the technical merits of monitoring proposals they might sponsor. It is an update to the 1997 Guide.

5 CFR 1204.21 - Submission.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Administrative Personnel MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD ORGANIZATION AND PROCEDURES AVAILABILITY OF OFFICIAL INFORMATION Appeals § 1204.21 Submission. (a) A person may appeal the following actions, or failure to act by... technically not possible to reproduce electronically maintained information in the requester's preferred...

5 CFR 1204.21 - Submission.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Administrative Personnel MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD ORGANIZATION AND PROCEDURES AVAILABILITY OF OFFICIAL INFORMATION Appeals § 1204.21 Submission. (a) A person may appeal the following actions, or failure to act by... technically not possible to reproduce electronically maintained information in the requester's preferred...

5 CFR 1204.21 - Submission.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Administrative Personnel MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD ORGANIZATION AND PROCEDURES AVAILABILITY OF OFFICIAL INFORMATION Appeals § 1204.21 Submission. (a) A person may appeal the following actions, or failure to act by... technically not possible to reproduce electronically maintained information in the requester's preferred...

5 CFR 1204.21 - Submission.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Administrative Personnel MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD ORGANIZATION AND PROCEDURES AVAILABILITY OF OFFICIAL INFORMATION Appeals § 1204.21 Submission. (a) A person may appeal the following actions, or failure to act by... technically not possible to reproduce electronically maintained information in the requester's preferred...

5 CFR 1204.21 - Submission.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Administrative Personnel MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD ORGANIZATION AND PROCEDURES AVAILABILITY OF OFFICIAL INFORMATION Appeals § 1204.21 Submission. (a) A person may appeal the following actions, or failure to act by... technically not possible to reproduce electronically maintained information in the requester's preferred...

Technology Diffusion. [SITE 2001 Section].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strudler, Neal, Ed.; Niederhauser, Dale S., Ed.

This document contains the following papers on technology diffusion from the SITE (Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education) 2001 conference: (1) "A Response to Technology Integration in Teacher Education for Merit, Tenure, and Promotion" (Cindy L. Anderson and David Starrett); (2) "Online Technical Support…

77 FR 77121 - Hispanic Council on Federal Employment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-31

.... Reviewing leading practices in strategic human resources management planning; b. Providing advice on ways to... technical expertise regarding strategic human resources management planning and the merit systems principles... OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT Hispanic Council on Federal Employment AGENCY: Office of Personnel...

A Figure of Merit: Quantifying the Probability of a Nuclear Reactor Accident.

PubMed

Wellock, Thomas R

In recent decades, probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) has become an essential tool in risk analysis and management in many industries and government agencies. The origins of PRA date to the 1975 publication of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Reactor Safety Study led by MIT professor Norman Rasmussen. The "Rasmussen Report" inspired considerable political and scholarly disputes over the motives behind it and the value of its methods and numerical estimates of risk. The Report's controversies have overshadowed the deeper technical origins of risk assessment. Nuclear experts had long sought to express risk in a "figure of merit" to verify the safety of weapons and, later, civilian reactors. By the 1970s, technical advances in PRA gave the methodology the potential to serve political ends, too. The Report, it was hoped, would prove nuclear power's safety to a growing chorus of critics. Subsequent attacks on the Report's methods and numerical estimates damaged the NRC's credibility. PRA's fortunes revived when the 1979 Three Mile Island accident demonstrated PRA's potential for improving the safety of nuclear power and other technical systems. Nevertheless, the Report's controversies endure in mistrust of PRA and its experts.

16 CFR 1061.12 - Commission consideration on merits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Commission consideration on merits. 1061.12 Section 1061.12 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION GENERAL APPLICATIONS FOR EXEMPTION... available and relevant information on the proposal. (c) The Commission's evaluation will focus on: (1...

44 CFR 152.9 - Reconsideration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... HOMELAND SECURITY FIRE PREVENTION AND CONTROL ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANT PROGRAM § 152.9... technical or procedural error in the processing of the application and can substantiate such assertions. As... experts, we cannot consider requests for reconsideration based upon the merits of an original application...

Report: Region 6 Needs to Improve Oversight Practices

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Report #10-P-0100, April 14, 2010. Region 6’s documentation of its oversight was not sufficient to determine whether CANM’s allegations had merit or whether NMED’s actions and decisions with regard to the MWL monitoring wells were technically sound.

Evaluation of ERDA-sponsored coal feed system development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phen, R. L.; Luckow, W. K.; Mattson, L.; Otth, D.; Tsou, P.

1977-01-01

Coal feeders were evaluated based upon criteria such as technical feasibility, performance (i.e. ability to meet process requirements), projected life cycle costs, and projected development cost. An initial set of feeders was selected based on the feeders' cost savings potential compared with baseline lockhopper systems. Additional feeders were considered for selection based on: (1) increasing the probability of successful feeder development; (2) application to specific processes; and (3) technical merit. A coal feeder development program is outlined.

48 CFR 2035.71 - Broad agency announcements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., approaches, or concepts demonstrated by the proposal. (2) Overall scientific, technical, or economic merits... personnel who are critical in achieving the proposal objectives. (5) Potential contribution of the effort to... clarification purposes only and must be coordinated through the Division of Contracts and Property Management...

Accelerators (4/5)

ScienceCinema

Metral, Elias

2017-12-09

1a) Introduction and motivation 1b) History and accelerator types 2) Transverse beam dynamics 3a) Longitudinal beam dynamics 3b) Figure of merit of a synchrotron/collider 3c) Beam control 4) Main limiting factors 5) Technical challenges Prerequisite knowledge: Previous knowledge of accelerators is not required.

7 CFR 4280.121 - Servicing grants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS AND GRANTS Rural Energy for America Program General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Grants § 4280.121 Servicing grants. (a... technical merit score for the project remains the same or is higher. Prior to changing a contractor or...

7 CFR 4280.121 - Servicing grants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS AND GRANTS Rural Energy for America Program General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Grants § 4280.121 Servicing grants. (a... technical merit score for the project remains the same or is higher. Prior to changing a contractor or...

7 CFR 4280.121 - Servicing grants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS AND GRANTS Rural Energy for America Program General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Grants § 4280.121 Servicing grants. (a... technical merit score for the project remains the same or is higher. Prior to changing a contractor or...

7 CFR 4280.129 - Evaluation of guaranteed loan applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

...-COOPERATIVE SERVICE AND RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS AND GRANTS Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program Section B. Guaranteed Loans § 4280.129 Evaluation of... both the borrower and project are eligible, the project has technical merit, there is reasonable...

7 CFR 4280.129 - Evaluation of guaranteed loan applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...-COOPERATIVE SERVICE AND RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOANS AND GRANTS Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program Section B. Guaranteed Loans § 4280.129 Evaluation of... both the borrower and project are eligible, the project has technical merit, there is reasonable...

42 CFR 66.206 - Grant awards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... other pertinent factors: (i) The scientific, technical, or educational merit of the proposed program...; (vii) The reasonableness of the proposed budget in relation to the proposed program; and (viii) The... of such awards will be made after consideration of such factors as the grantee's progress and...

Evaluation Strategy. Paper Preservation Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

FMC Corp., Gastonia, NC. Lithium Div.

After a decade of slow but steady progress, the pace of development of technologies to deacidify and strengthen deteriorating books and documents has quickened significantly. These developments accentuate the need for the conservation community to scientifically evaluate the technical merits of potential processes. This draft evaluation strategy…

Accelerators (5/5)

ScienceCinema

None

2018-05-16

1a) Introduction and motivation; 1b) History and accelerator types; 2) Transverse beam dynamics; 3a) Longitudinal beam dynamics; 3b) Figure of merit of a synchrotron/collider; 3c) Beam control; 4) Main limiting factors; 5) Technical challenges Prerequisite knowledge: Previous knowledge of accelerators is not required.

7 CFR 3403.4 - Three-phase program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

..., AND EXTENSION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH GRANTS PROGRAM Program Description § 3403.4 Three-phase program. The Small Business Innovation Research Grants Program is... technical merit and feasibility of the proposed effort and the quality of performance of the small business...

7 CFR 3411.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... experience to give expert advice on the scientific and technical merit of grant applications or the relevance... RESEARCH INITIATIVE COMPETITIVE GRANTS PROGRAM General § 3411.2 Definitions. As used in this part and in... the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) and any other officer or...

Defense Acquisition Research Journal. Volume 24, Number 1, Issue 80, January 2017

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-01-01

call 703-960-6802 or 800-755-8805, or e-mail dauaa2@aol.com. ISSUE 80 JANUARY 2017 VOL. 24 NO. 1 1 We’re on the Web at: http://www.dau.mil...technical proposals, use white papers as an initial screen- ing process. The initial screening based solely on technical merit will help industry and...mda.mil) Dr. Thomas A . Mazzuchi is cha ir of the Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied

Satellite power system (SPS) concept definition study. Volume 3: Experimental verification definition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hanley, G. M.

1980-01-01

An evolutionary Satellite Power Systems development plan was prepared. Planning analysis was directed toward the evolution of a scenario that met the stated objectives, was technically possible and economically attractive, and took into account constraining considerations, such as requirements for very large scale end-to-end demonstration in a compressed time frame, the relative cost/technical merits of ground testing versus space testing, and the need for large mass flow capability to low Earth orbit and geosynchronous orbit at reasonable cost per pound.

40 CFR 45.130 - Evaluation of applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... ASSISTANCE TRAINING ASSISTANCE § 45.130 Evaluation of applications. (a) Consistent with 40 CFR 30.301, the appropriate EPA program office staff will review training applications in accordance with the following... technical merit; (2) Competency of the proposed staff in relation to the type of project proposed; (3...

42 CFR 52h.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... areas under review, to give expert advice on the scientific and technical merit of grant applications or... PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GRANTS SCIENTIFIC PEER REVIEW OF RESEARCH GRANT APPLICATIONS AND RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CONTRACT PROJECTS § 52h.2 Definitions. As used in this...

42 CFR 52h.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... areas under review, to give expert advice on the scientific and technical merit of grant applications or... PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GRANTS SCIENTIFIC PEER REVIEW OF RESEARCH GRANT APPLICATIONS AND RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CONTRACT PROJECTS § 52h.2 Definitions. As used in this...

The human genome: Some assembly required. Final report

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

NONE

1994-12-31

The Human Genome Project promises to be one of the most rewarding endeavors in modern biology. The cost and the ethical and social implications, however, have made this project the source of considerable debate both in the scientific community and in the public at large. The 1994 Graduate Student Symposium addresses the scientific merits of the project, the technical issues involved in accomplishing the task, as well as the medical and social issues which stem from the wealth of knowledge which the Human Genome Project will help create. To this end, speakers were brought together who represent the diverse areasmore » of expertise characteristic of this multidisciplinary project. The keynote speaker addresses the project`s motivations and goals in the larger context of biological and medical sciences. The first two sessions address relevant technical issues, data collection with a focus on high-throughput sequencing methods and data analysis with an emphasis on identification of coding sequences. The third session explores recent advances in the understanding of genetic diseases and possible routes to treatment. Finally, the last session addresses some of the ethical, social and legal issues which will undoubtedly arise from having a detailed knowledge of the human genome.« less

Continuous flow technology vs. the batch-by-batch approach to produce pharmaceutical compounds.

PubMed

Cole, Kevin P; Johnson, Martin D

2018-01-01

For the manufacture of small molecule drugs, many pharmaceutical innovator companies have recently invested in continuous processing, which can offer significant technical and economic advantages over traditional batch methodology. This Expert Review will describe the reasons for this interest as well as many considerations and challenges that exist today concerning continuous manufacturing. Areas covered: Continuous processing is defined and many reasons for its adoption are described. The current state of continuous drug substance manufacturing within the pharmaceutical industry is summarized. Current key challenges to implementation of continuous manufacturing are highlighted, and an outlook provided regarding the prospects for continuous within the industry. Expert commentary: Continuous processing at Lilly has been a journey that started with the need for increased safety and capability. Over twelve years the original small, dedicated group has grown to more than 100 Lilly employees in discovery, development, quality, manufacturing, and regulatory designing in continuous drug substance processing. Recently we have focused on linked continuous unit operations for the purpose of all-at-once pharmaceutical manufacturing, but the technical and business drivers that existed in the very beginning for stand-alone continuous unit operations in hybrid processes have persisted, which merits investment in both approaches.

7 CFR 4280.129 - Evaluation of RES and EEI guaranteed loan applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... GRANTS Rural Energy for America Program General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement... Agency will evaluate each application and make a determination as to whether the borrower and project are eligible, the project has technical merit, there is reasonable assurance of repayment, there is sufficient...

7 CFR 4280.129 - Evaluation of RES and EEI guaranteed loan applications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... GRANTS Rural Energy for America Program General Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement... Agency will evaluate each application and make a determination as to whether the borrower and project are eligible, the project has technical merit, there is reasonable assurance of repayment, there is sufficient...

A Research Proposal to Evaluate the Merits of Writing across the Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dana, Heather; Hancock, Carol; Phillips, JoDee

2011-01-01

Students live in an information and knowledge management economy in which the dissemination and analysis of information requires intellectual, technical and interpersonal skills. As a direct response to higher education's challenge to produce more engineers, scientists, and business professionals, universities have increased the numbers of…

Swimming Pools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ministry of Housing and Local Government, London (England).

Technical and engineering data are set forth on the design and construction of swimming pools. Consideration is given to site selection, pool construction, the comparative merits of combining open air and enclosed pools, and alternative uses of the pool. Guidelines are presented regarding--(1) pool size and use, (2) locker and changing rooms, (3)…

Electric Motor Thermal Management R&D

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

Bennion, Kevin

2016-06-07

Thermal management enables more efficient and cost-effective motors. This Annual Merit Review presentation describes the technical accomplishments and progress in electric motor thermal management R&D over the last year. This project supports a broad industry demand for data, analysis methods, and experimental techniques to improve and better understand motor thermal management.

A Preliminary Report on Teaching Academic Readiness. Technical Report #34.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Au, Kathryn H.

This Kamehameha Early Education Program (KEEP) report describes the development of a systematic program for teaching academic readiness skills to kindergarten children who require special help to develop attentional behaviors. The progress of eight kindergarten children (five boys and three girls) is described to illustrate the merit of the…

Electric Motor Thermal Management

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

Bennion, Kevin S

Thermal management enables more efficient and cost-effective motors. This Annual Merit Review presentation describes the technical accomplishments and progress in electric motor thermal management R&D over the last year. This project supports a broad industry demand for data, analysis methods, and experimental techniques to improve and better understand motor thermal management.

USSR Report, Agriculture, No. 1384

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-06-09

haylage . The merits of this crop were highly valued even 5,000 years ago. However, in the past only individual countries were able to attain its...and haylage . 7,360 farms do not have repair shops, 17,000 do not have centers for technical service. This prevents both high productivity of machinery

Proposal for management and alkalinity transformation of bauxite residue in China.

PubMed

Xue, Shengguo; Kong, Xiangfeng; Zhu, Feng; Hartley, William; Li, Xiaofei; Li, Yiwei

2016-07-01

Bauxite residue is a hazardous solid waste produced during the production of alumina. Its high alkalinity is a potential threat to the environment which may disrupt the surrounding ecological balance of its disposal areas. China is one of the major global producers of alumina and bauxite residue, but differences in alkalinity and associated chemistry exist between residues from China and those from other countries. A detailed understanding of the chemistry of bauxite residue remains the key to improving its management, both in terms of minimizing environmental impacts and reducing its alkaline properties. The nature of bauxite residue and the chemistry required for its transformation are still poorly understood. This review focuses on various transformation processes generated from the Bayer process, sintering process, and combined Bayer-sintering process in China. Problems associated with transformation mechanisms, technical methods, and relative merits of these technologies are reviewed, while current knowledge gaps and research priorities are recommended. Future research should focus on transformation chemistry and its associated mechanisms and for the development of a clear and economic process to reduce alkalinity and soda in bauxite residue.

A systematic review of workplace ergonomic interventions with economic analyses.

PubMed

Tompa, Emile; Dolinschi, Roman; de Oliveira, Claire; Amick, Benjamin C; Irvin, Emma

2010-06-01

This article reports on a systematic review of workplace ergonomic interventions with economic evaluations. The review sought to answer the question: "what is the credible evidence that incremental investment in ergonomic interventions is worth undertaking?" Past efforts to synthesize evidence from this literature have focused on effectiveness, whereas this study synthesizes evidence on the cost-effectiveness/financial merits of such interventions. Through a structured journal database search, 35 intervention studies were identified in nine industrial sectors. A qualitative synthesis approach, known as best evidence synthesis, was used rather than a quantitative approach because of the diversity of study designs and statistical analyses found across studies. Evidence on the financial merits of interventions was synthesized by industrial sector. In the manufacturing and warehousing sector strong evidence was found in support of the financial merits of ergonomic interventions from a firm perspective. In the administrative support and health care sectors moderate evidence was found, in the transportation sector limited evidence, and in remaining sectors insufficient evidence. Most intervention studies focus on effectiveness. Few consider their financial merits. Amongst the few that do, several had exemplary economic analyses, although more than half of the studies had low quality economic analyses. This may be due to the low priority given to economic analysis in this literature. Often only a small part of the overall evaluation of many studies focused on evaluating their cost-effectiveness.

Advanced beamed-energy and field propulsion concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Myrabo, L. N.

1983-01-01

Specific phenomena which might lead to major advances in payload, range and terminal velocity of very advanced vehicle propulsion are studied. The effort focuses heavily on advanced propulsion spinoffs enabled by current government-funded investigations in directed-energy technology: i.e., laser, microwave, and relativistic charged particle beams. Futuristic (post-year 2000) beamed-energy propulsion concepts which indicate exceptional promise are identified and analytically investigated. The concepts must be sufficiently developed to permit technical understanding of the physical processes involved, assessment of the enabling technologies, and evaluation of their merits over conventional systems. Propulsion concepts that can be used for manned and/or unmanned missions for purposes of solar system exploration, planetary landing, suborbital flight, transport to orbit, and escape are presented. Speculations are made on the chronology of milestones in beamed-energy propulsion development, such as in systems applications of defense, satellite orbit-raising, global aerospace transportation, and manned interplanetary carriers.

New Directions in Space: A Report on the Lunar and Mars Initiatives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seitz, Frederick; Hawkins, Willis; Jastrow, Robert; Nierenberg, William A.

1990-01-01

This report focuses on one aspect of the current space program: The establishment of a manned base on the Moon and the manned exploration of Mars. These missions were announced by the President last year as a major U.S. space policy objective to be implemented under the leadership of the Vice President, acting as Chairman of the National Space Council. On March 8, 1990, the White House released Presidential guidelines for the execution of the lunar and Mars programs. The guidelines stressed the need for new approaches and the development of innovative technologies with a potential for major cost, schedule and performance improvements. They also called for a competitive environment, with several years allotted to the definition of at least two significantly different human space exploration "reference architectures." Selection of the final technical concepts for the mission is scheduled to occur only after the relative merits of the competing reference architectures have been evaluated.

Civic Engagement, Graduate Education, and the Broader Impacts Criterion of the National Science Foundation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lima, Marybeth

2017-01-01

The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds research proposals on the basis of two review criteria: intellectual merit (IM) and broader impacts (BI). The intellectual merit criterion is well-established and understood, but the broader impacts criterion, which is focused on the ways in which research can benefit society and/or meet NSF-identified…

Faculty and Administrator Perspectives of Merit Pay Compensation Systems in Private Higher Education: A Mixed Methods Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Power, Anne L.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study is to explore faculty and administrator perspectives of faculty merit pay compensation systems in private, higher education institutions. The study focuses on 10 small, private, four-year institutions which are religiously affiliated. All institutions are located in Nebraska, Iowa, and…

The Right Stuff: White Male Perspectives on Merit, Measurement, and Affirmative Action Admissions to Graduate Professional Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lipson, Helen D.

This exploratory study examines several facets of everyday perspectives on merit and the meritocratic allocation of rewards and opportunities, focusing on race-targeted, affirmative action admissions of Blacks and Latinos to law schools, medical schools, and Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs. Subjects were 32 white, male college…

Pedagogical Merit Review of Animal Use for Education in Canada

PubMed Central

Griffin, Gilly

2016-01-01

There are two components to the review of animal based protocols in Canada: review for the merit of the study itself, and review of the ethical acceptability of the work. Despite the perceived importance for the quality assurance these reviews provide; there are few studies of the peer-based merit review system for animal-based protocols for research and education. Institutional animal care committees (ACC)s generally rely on the external peer review of scientific merit for animal-based research. In contrast, peer review for animal based teaching/training is dependent on the review of pedagogical merit carried out by the ACC itself or another committee within the institution. The objective of this study was to evaluate the views of ACC members about current practices and policies as well as alternate policies for the review of animal based teaching/training. We conducted a national web-based survey of ACC members with both quantitative and qualitative response options. Responses from 167 ACC members indicated broad concerns about administrative burden despite strong support for both the current and alternate policies. Participants’ comments focused mostly on the merit review process (54%) relative to the efficiency (21%), impact (13%), and other (12%) aspects of evaluation. Approximately half (49%) of the comments were classified into emergent themes that focused on some type of burden: burden from additional pedagogical merit review (16%), a limited need for the review (12%), and a lack of resources (expertise 11%; people/money 10%). Participants indicated that the current system for pedagogical merit review is effective (60%); but most also indicated that there was at least some challenge (86%) with the current peer review process. There was broad support for additional guidance on the justification, criteria, types of animal use, and objectives of pedagogical merit review. Participants also supported the ethical review and application of the Three Rs in the review process. A clear priority from participants in the survey was updating guidance to better facilitate the merit review process of animal-based protocols for education. Balancing the need for improved guidance with the reality of limited resources at local institutions will be essential to do this successfully; a familiar dilemma to both scientists and policy makers alike. PMID:27352243

Pedagogical Merit Review of Animal Use for Education in Canada.

PubMed

Avey, Marc T; Griffin, Gilly

2016-01-01

There are two components to the review of animal based protocols in Canada: review for the merit of the study itself, and review of the ethical acceptability of the work. Despite the perceived importance for the quality assurance these reviews provide; there are few studies of the peer-based merit review system for animal-based protocols for research and education. Institutional animal care committees (ACC)s generally rely on the external peer review of scientific merit for animal-based research. In contrast, peer review for animal based teaching/training is dependent on the review of pedagogical merit carried out by the ACC itself or another committee within the institution. The objective of this study was to evaluate the views of ACC members about current practices and policies as well as alternate policies for the review of animal based teaching/training. We conducted a national web-based survey of ACC members with both quantitative and qualitative response options. Responses from 167 ACC members indicated broad concerns about administrative burden despite strong support for both the current and alternate policies. Participants' comments focused mostly on the merit review process (54%) relative to the efficiency (21%), impact (13%), and other (12%) aspects of evaluation. Approximately half (49%) of the comments were classified into emergent themes that focused on some type of burden: burden from additional pedagogical merit review (16%), a limited need for the review (12%), and a lack of resources (expertise 11%; people/money 10%). Participants indicated that the current system for pedagogical merit review is effective (60%); but most also indicated that there was at least some challenge (86%) with the current peer review process. There was broad support for additional guidance on the justification, criteria, types of animal use, and objectives of pedagogical merit review. Participants also supported the ethical review and application of the Three Rs in the review process. A clear priority from participants in the survey was updating guidance to better facilitate the merit review process of animal-based protocols for education. Balancing the need for improved guidance with the reality of limited resources at local institutions will be essential to do this successfully; a familiar dilemma to both scientists and policy makers alike.

Young children consider merit when sharing resources with others.

PubMed

Kanngiesser, Patricia; Warneken, Felix

2012-01-01

MERIT IS A KEY PRINCIPLE OF FAIRNESS: rewards should be distributed according to how much someone contributed to a task. Previous research suggests that children have an early ability to take merit into account in third-party situations but that merit-based sharing in first-party contexts does not emerge until school-age. Here we provide evidence that three- and five-year-old children already use merit to share resources with others, even when sharing is costly for the child. In Study 1, a child and a puppet-partner collected coins that were later exchanged for rewards. We varied the work-contribution of both partners by manipulating how many coins each partner collected. Children kept fewer stickers in trials in which they had contributed less than in trials in which they had contributed more than the partner, showing that they took merit into account. Few children, however, gave away more than half of the stickers when the partner had worked more. Study 2 confirmed that children related their own work-contribution to their partner's, rather than simply focusing on their own contribution. Taken together, these studies show that merit-based sharing is apparent in young children; however it remains constrained by a self-serving bias.

Revaluation Of Wrocław Public Use Buildings In Years 2005 - 2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirschke, Paweł

2015-09-01

In the years 2005-2013 in Wroclaw, there was commissioned to use hundreds of public buildings, including fifty revalued monuments These were: offices, museums, theatres, science and education facilities, as well as commercial buildings: banks, department stores, office buildings and hotels. The success of these projects was the merit of Wroclaw scientists who nurtured these outstanding works of architecture and convince the public to the fact that they stand for works which cannot be missed. The merit of architects and conservators was professionally prepared projects and effective supervision of investment, making the implementation of technical and program objectives not colliding with protection of historic material of the objects.

The Benchmarking Capacity of a General Outcome Measure of Academic Language in Science and Social Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mooney, Paul; Lastrapes, Renée E.

2016-01-01

The amount of research evaluating the technical merits of general outcome measures of science and social studies achievement is growing. This study targeted criterion validity for critical content monitoring. Questions addressed the concurrent criterion validity of alternate presentation formats of critical content monitoring and the measure's…

7 CFR 3403.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... means a small business concern that is at least 51 percent owned by one or more women, or in the case of... scientific technical merit of the grant applications in those fields, who review on an individual basis one...) Substantially the same research is proposed for funding in more than one grant application submitted to the same...

Dry coal feeder development program at Ingersoll-Rand Research, Incorporated. [for coal gasification systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mistry, D. K.; Chen, T. N.

1977-01-01

A dry coal screw feeder for feeding coal into coal gasification reactors operating at pressures up to 1500 psig is described. Results on the feeder under several different modes of operation are presented. In addition, three piston feeder concepts and their technical and economical merits are discussed.

Investigating the Merits of Pair Work on a Text Editing Task in ESL Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Storch, Neomy

2007-01-01

Although the literature on language pedagogy encourages the use of pair work in the second language classroom, students sometimes seem reluctant to work in pairs, particularly on grammar-focused tasks. This study investigated the merits of pair work by comparing pair and individual work on an editing task and by analysing the nature of pair…

42 CFR § 414.1465 - Physician-focused payment models.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2017-10-01

... 42 Public Health 3 2017-10-01 2017-10-01 false Physician-focused payment models. § 414.1465... Merit-Based Incentive Payment System and Alternative Payment Model Incentive § 414.1465 Physician-focused payment models. (a) Definition. A physician-focused payment model (PFPM) is an Alternative Payment...

A Longitudinal Field Study Comparing a Multiplicative and an Additive Model of Motivation and Ability. Technical Report No. 11.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrett, Gerald V.; And Others

The relative contribution of motivation to ability measures in predicting performance criteria of sales personnel from successive fiscal periods was investigated. In this context, the merits of a multiplicative and additive combination of motivation and ability measures were examined. The relationship between satisfaction and motivation and…

77 FR 40037 - Notice of the Peer Review Meeting for EPA's Draft Report Entitled An Assessment of Potential...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-06

... panel is charged with reviewing the scientific and technical merit of the draft assessment. The panel... written public comments received through the official public docket. The final peer review report prepared..., without visual aids or written material. All members of the public, including registered observers and...

Criminal Prohibition of Wrongful Re‑identification: Legal Solution or Minefield for Big Data?

PubMed

Phillips, Mark; Dove, Edward S; Knoppers, Bartha M

2017-12-01

The collapse of confidence in anonymization (sometimes also known as de-identification) as a robust approach for preserving the privacy of personal data has incited an outpouring of new approaches that aim to fill the resulting trifecta of technical, organizational, and regulatory privacy gaps left in its wake. In the latter category, and in large part due to the growth of Big Data-driven biomedical research, falls a growing chorus of calls for criminal and penal offences to sanction wrongful re-identification of "anonymized" data. This chorus cuts across the fault lines of polarized privacy law scholarship that at times seems to advocate privacy protection at the expense of Big Data research or vice versa. Focusing on Big Data in the context of biomedicine, this article surveys the approaches that criminal or penal law might take toward wrongful re-identification of health data. It contextualizes the strategies within their respective legal regimes as well as in relation to emerging privacy debates focusing on personal data use and data linkage and assesses the relative merit of criminalization. We conclude that this approach suffers from several flaws and that alternative social and legal strategies to deter wrongful re-identification may be preferable.

Translations on Eastern Europe, Scientific Affairs, Number 591.

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-07-10

of the Sea conferences and negotiations, territorial seas and straits, coastal and international seabed economic areas, marine pollution...technological levels, and the economic effectiveness of their production. The People’s Republic of Bulgaria, for example, is the second country in...optimization of the technological processes and achieving high technical- economic para- meters—merit a particularly high appraisal. In this context, we

Satellite Power Systems (SPS): Concept development and evaluation program: Preliminary assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

A preliminary assessment of a potential Satellite Power System (SPS) is provided. The assessment includes discussion of technical and economic feasibility; the effects of microwave power transmission beams on biological, ecological, and electromagnetic systems; the impact of SPS construction, deployment, and operations on the biosphere and on society; and the merits of SPS compared to other future energy alternatives.

2017 DOE Vehicle Technologies Office Annual Merit Review

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

None, None

The 2017 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program and Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR) was held June 5-9, 2017, in Washington, DC. The review encompassed work done by the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program and VTO: 263 individual activities were reviewed for VTO by 191 reviewers. Exactly 1,241 individual review responses were received for the VTO technical reviews. The objective of the meeting was to review the accomplishments and plans for VTO over the previous 12 months, and provide an opportunity for industry, government, and academia to give inputsmore » to DOE with a structured and formal methodology. The meeting also provided attendees with a forum for interaction and technology information transfer.« less

2016 DOE Vehicle Technologies Office Annual Merit Review

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

None, None

The 2016 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program and Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR) was held June 6-9, 2016, in Washington, DC. The review encompassed work done by the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program and VTO: 226 individual activities were reviewed for VTO, by 171 reviewers. A total of 1,044 individual review responses were received for the VTO technical reviews. The objective of the meeting was to review the accomplishments and plans for VTO over the previous 12 months, and provide an opportunity for industry, government, and academia tomore » give inputs to DOE with a structured and formal methodology. The meeting also provided attendees with a forum for interaction and technology information transfer.« less

2015 DOE Vehicle Technologies Office Annual Merit Review

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

None, None

The 2015 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) and Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR) was held June 8-12, 2015, in Arlington, Virginia. The review encompassed all of the work done by the FCTO and the VTO: 258 individual activities were reviewed for VTO, by 170 reviewers. A total of 1,095 individual review responses were received for the VTO technical reviews. The objective of the meeting was to review the accomplishments and plans for VTO over the previous 12 months, and provide an opportunity for industry, government, and academia tomore » give inputs to DOE on the Office with a structured and formal methodology. The meeting also provided attendees with a forum for interaction and technology information transfer.« less

Science education in the Boy Scouts of America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hintz, Rachel Sterneman

This study of science education in the Boy Scouts of America focused on males with Boy Scout experience. The mixed-methods study topics included: merit badge standards compared with National Science Education Standards, Scout responses to open-ended survey questions, the learning styles of Scouts, a quantitative assessment of science content knowledge acquisition using the Geology merit badge, and a qualitative analysis of interview responses of Scouts, Scout leaders, and scientists who were Scouts. The merit badge requirements of the 121 current merit badges were mapped onto the National Science Education Standards: 103 badges (85.12%) had at least one requirement meeting the National Science Education Standards. In 2007, Scouts earned 1,628,500 merit badges with at least one science requirement, including 72,279 Environmental Science merit badges. "Camping" was the "favorite thing about Scouts" for 54.4% of the boys who completed the survey. When combined with other outdoor activities, what 72.5% of the boys liked best about Boy Scouts involved outdoor activity. The learning styles of Scouts tend to include tactile and/or visual elements. Scouts were more global and integrated than analytical in their thinking patterns; they also had a significant intake element in their learning style. Earning a Geology merit badge at any location resulted in a significant gain of content knowledge; the combined treatment groups for all location types had a 9.13% gain in content knowledge. The amount of content knowledge acquired through the merit badge program varied with location; boys earning the Geology merit badge at summer camp or working as a troop with a merit badge counselor tended to acquire more geology content knowledge than boys earning the merit badge at a one-day event. Boys retained the content knowledge learned while earning the merit badge. Scientists, Scout leaders, and Scouts felt that Scouts learned science through participation in the Boy Scout program, both in the merit badge program and also through activities, trips, outdoors, in meetings, and through rank advancement. On an open-ended questionnaire, 75.2% of Scouts reported that doing merit badges helped them do better in school. Scout leaders indicated that the overall Scouting environment introduced boys to science. Scout scientists credited Boy Scouts with providing experiences that interested and/or helped them in their scientific careers.

Publishing SNP genotypes of human embryonic stem cell lines: policy statement of the International Stem Cell Forum Ethics Working Party.

PubMed

Knoppers, Bartha M; Isasi, Rosario; Benvenisty, Nissim; Kim, Ock-Joo; Lomax, Geoffrey; Morris, Clive; Murray, Thomas H; Lee, Eng Hin; Perry, Margery; Richardson, Genevra; Sipp, Douglas; Tanner, Klaus; Wahlström, Jan; de Wert, Guido; Zeng, Fanyi

2011-09-01

Novel methods and associated tools permitting individual identification in publicly accessible SNP databases have become a debatable issue. There is growing concern that current technical and ethical safeguards to protect the identities of donors could be insufficient. In the context of human embryonic stem cell research, there are no studies focusing on the probability that an hESC line donor could be identified by analyzing published SNP profiles and associated genotypic and phenotypic information. We present the International Stem Cell Forum (ISCF) Ethics Working Party's Policy Statement on "Publishing SNP Genotypes of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines (hESC)". The Statement prospectively addresses issues surrounding the publication of genotypic data and associated annotations of hESC lines in open access databases. It proposes a balanced approach between the goals of open science and data sharing with the respect for fundamental bioethical principles (autonomy, privacy, beneficence, justice and research merit and integrity).

A Review of Computational Methods for Finding Non-Coding RNA Genes

PubMed Central

Abbas, Qaisar; Raza, Syed Mansoor; Biyabani, Azizuddin Ahmed; Jaffar, Muhammad Arfan

2016-01-01

Finding non-coding RNA (ncRNA) genes has emerged over the past few years as a cutting-edge trend in bioinformatics. There are numerous computational intelligence (CI) challenges in the annotation and interpretation of ncRNAs because it requires a domain-related expert knowledge in CI techniques. Moreover, there are many classes predicted yet not experimentally verified by researchers. Recently, researchers have applied many CI methods to predict the classes of ncRNAs. However, the diverse CI approaches lack a definitive classification framework to take advantage of past studies. A few review papers have attempted to summarize CI approaches, but focused on the particular methodological viewpoints. Accordingly, in this article, we summarize in greater detail than previously available, the CI techniques for finding ncRNAs genes. We differentiate from the existing bodies of research and discuss concisely the technical merits of various techniques. Lastly, we review the limitations of ncRNA gene-finding CI methods with a point-of-view towards the development of new computational tools. PMID:27918472

Assessment of A. I. D. environmental programs: Energy conservation in Pakistan. Technical report

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

Church, P.; Kumar, K.; Sowers, F.

1993-09-01

This report highlights a model of environmental management that appears to work in the current political and economic context of Pakistan. The model focuses on energy conservation. This evaluation examines how the U.S. Agency for International Development (A.I.D.) has assisted Pakistan in using market forces to promote the adoption of energy conservation practices and technologies. The central operating hypothesis of the evaluation is that the adoption of energy conservation practices and technologies responds to market incentives. The field study concludes that the Pakistani program of energy conservation activities, set in motion with A.I.D. support, cannot easily be reversed. With changesmore » in political and economic policies toward the environment in Pakistan, greater and more sustainable impact is possible. The experience of Pakistan energy conservation program raises three issues that merit careful examination both in the contexts of Pakistan's future program implementation and in other countries: The role of program subsidies; The role of nonproject assistance; and The involvement of nongovernmental organizations.« less

Narrating practice: reflective accounts and the textual construction of reality.

PubMed

Taylor, Carolyn

2003-05-01

Two approaches dominate current thinking in health and welfare: evidence-based practice and reflective practice. Whilst there is debate about the merits of evidence-based practice, reflective practice is generally accepted with critical debate as an important educational tool. Where critique does exist it tends to adopt a Foucauldian approach, focusing on the surveillance and self-regulatory aspects of reflective practice. This article acknowledges the critical purchase on the concept of reflective practice offered by Foucauldian approaches but argues that microsociological and discourse analytic approaches can further illuminate the subject and thus serve as a complement to them. The claims of proponents of reflective practice are explored, in opposition to the technical-rational approach of evidence-based practice. Reflective practice tends to adopt a naive or romantic realist position and fails to acknowledge the ways in which reflective accounts construct the world of practice. Microsociological approaches can help us to understand reflective accounts as examples of case-talk, constructed in a narrative form in the same way as case records and presentations.

Skylab student project.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kleinknecht, K. S.; Powers, J. E., Jr.

1972-01-01

Review of the Skylab student project conceived to stimulate interest in science and technology by directly involving students in a major research program. Under this project, over 4000 students, ranging in age from 11 to 19 years, submitted proposals from which 301 regional winners and, then, 25 national winners were selected on the basis of their scientific and technical merits. Descriptions are presented of the proposal of these 25 national winners.

A socio-technical critique of tiered services: implications for interprofessional care.

PubMed

Hood, Rick

2015-01-01

In the health and social care sector, tiered services have become an increasingly influential way of organising professional expertise to address the needs of vulnerable people. Drawing on its application to UK child welfare services, this paper discusses the merits of the tiered model from a socio-technical perspective - an approach that has emerged from the fields of accident analysis and systems design. The main elements of a socio-technical critique are outlined and used to explore how tiered services provide support to families and prevent harm to children. Attention is drawn to the distribution of expertise and resources in a tiered system, and to the role of referral and gate-keeping procedures in dispersing accountability for outcomes. An argument is made for designing systems "against demand", and the paper concludes by discussing some alternative models of multi-agency provision.

Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma in weightlessness: a feasibility study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kirkpatrick, Andrew W.; Hamilton, Douglas R.; Nicolaou, Savvas; Sargsyan, Ashot E.; Campbell, Mark R.; Feiveson, Alan; Dulchavsky, Scott A.; Melton, Shannon; Beck, George; Dawson, David L.

2003-01-01

BACKGROUND: The Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) examines for fluid in gravitationally dependent regions. There is no prior experience with this technique in weightlessness, such as on the International Space Station, where sonography is currently the only diagnostic imaging tool. STUDY DESIGN: A ground-based (1 g) porcine model for sonography was developed. We examined both the feasibility and the comparative performance of the FAST examination in parabolic flight. Sonographic detection and fluid behavior were evaluated in four animals during alternating weightlessness (0 g) and hypergravity (1.8 g) periods. During flight, boluses of fluid were incrementally introduced into the peritoneal cavity. Standardized sonographic windows were recorded. Postflight, the video recordings were divided into 169 20-second segments for subsequent interpretation by 12 blinded ultrasonography experts. Reviewers first decided whether a video segment was of sufficient diagnostic quality to analyze (determinate). Determinate segments were then analyzed as containing or not containing fluid. A probit regression model compared the probability of a positive fluid diagnosis to actual fluid levels (0 to 500 mL) under both 0-g and 1.8-g conditions. RESULTS: The in-flight sonographers found real-time scanning and interpretation technically similar to that of terrestrial conditions, as long as restraint was maintained. On blinded review, 80% of the recorded ultrasound segments were considered determinate. The best sensitivity for diagnosis in 0 g was found to be from the subhepatic space, with probability of a positive fluid diagnosis ranging from 9% (no fluid) to 51% (500 mL fluid). CONCLUSIONS: The FAST examination is technically feasible in weightlessness, and merits operational consideration for clinical contingencies in space.

2013 DOE Vehicle Technologies Office Annual Merit Review

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

none,

The 2013 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) and Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR) was held May 13-17, 2013, in Crystal City, Virginia. The review encompassed all of the work done by the FCTO and the VTO: a total of 287 individual activities were reviewed for VTO, by a total of 187 reviewers. A total of 1,382 individual review responses were received for the VTO technical reviews. The objective of the meeting was to review the accomplishments and plans for VTO over the previous 12 months, and provide anmore » opportunity for industry, government, and academia to give inputs to DOE on the Office with a structured and formal methodology. The meeting also provided attendees with a forum for interaction and technology information transfer.« less

2014 DOE Vehicle Technologies Office Annual Merit Review

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

None

The 2014 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) and Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) Annual Merit Review and Peer Evaluation Meeting (AMR) was held June 16-20, 2014, in Washington, DC. The review encompassed all of the work done by the FCTO and the VTO: a total of 295 individual activities were reviewed for VTO, by a total of 179 reviewers. A total of 1,354 individual review responses were received for the VTO technical reviews. The objective of the meeting was to review the accomplishments and plans for VTO over the previous 12 months, and provide an opportunitymore » for industry, government, and academia to give inputs to DOE on the Office with a structured and formal methodology. The meeting also provided attendees with a forum for interaction and technology information transfer.« less

Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 567: Miscellaneous Soil Sites - Nevada National Security Site, Nevada

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

Matthews, Patrick

2014-12-01

This Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report presents information supporting the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 567: Miscellaneous Soil Sites, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada. The purpose of this Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report is to provide justification and documentation supporting the recommendation that no further corrective action is needed for CAU 567 based on the implementation of the corrective actions. The corrective actions implemented at CAU 567 were developed based on an evaluation of analytical data from the CAI, the assumed presence of COCs at specific locations, and the detailed and comparative analysis of the CAAs. The CAAs weremore » selected on technical merit focusing on performance, reliability, feasibility, safety, and cost. The implemented corrective actions meet all requirements for the technical components evaluated. The CAAs meet all applicable federal and state regulations for closure of the site. Based on the implementation of these corrective actions, the DOE, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office provides the following recommendations: • No further corrective actions are necessary for CAU 567. • The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection issue a Notice of Completion to the DOE, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office for closure of CAU 567. • CAU 567 be moved from Appendix III to Appendix IV of the FFACO.« less

USSR and Eastern Europe Scientific Abstracts, Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Number 24.

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-11-12

GERMANY DUMMER, Joachim, graduate mathematician, and KLEIN, Richard, graduate engineer, Radio Works Combine State Enterprise, Erfurt DIGITAL FRONT PANEL ...operation, performance, and applications of a digital front panel display instrument was described and illustrated with circuit diagrams, block diagrams...technics, various digital and alphabetic panels , holography, and possibly the screens of cathode-ray tubes. One of the chief merits of "ftiros" is the

Low CTE glass, SiC & Beryllium for lightweight mirror substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geyl, Roland; Cayrel, Marc

2005-10-01

This paper is intended to analyze the relative merits of low CTE glass, SiC and Beryllium as candidates for lightweight mirror substrates in connection with real practical experience and example or three major projects using these three materials and running presently at SAGEM-REOSC. Beryllium and SiC have nice thermal and mechanical properties but machined glass ceramic can still well compete technically or economically in some cases.

Electrical and Thermal Transport Property Studies of High-Temperature Thermoelectric Materials.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-06-01

THERMAL TRANSPORT PROPERTY STUDIES OF HIGH-TEMPERATURE THERMOELECTRIC MATERIALS: INTERIM TECHNICAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD MAY 15, 1984 TO MAY 15, 1985 J. L...transport property data base has been expanded oy continued measurements in several systems under study, and a theoretical model for thermoelectric ...6.0 REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.1 APPENDIX A - THERMOELECTRIC PROPERTY DATA . . . . . . . A. I 1l FIGURES 3.1 Dimensionless Figure of Merit

Advanced NSTS propulsion system verification study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, Charles

1989-01-01

The merits of propulsion system development testing are discussed. The existing data base of technical reports and specialists is utilized in this investigation. The study encompassed a review of all available test reports of propulsion system development testing for the Saturn stages, the Titan stages, and the Space Shuttle main propulsion system. The knowledge on propulsion system development and system testing available from specialists and managers was also 'tapped' for inclusion.

Proceedings of the Chornobyl phytoremediation and biomass energy conversion workshop (in English;Russian)

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

Hartley, J.; Tokarevsky, V.

1998-06-01

Many concepts, systems, technical approaches, technologies, ideas, agreements, and disagreements were vigorously discussed during the course of the 2-day workshop. The workshop was successful in generating intensive discussions on the merits of the proposed concept that includes removal of radionuclides by plants and trees (phytoremediation) to clean up soil in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ), use of the resultant biomass (plants and trees) to generate electrical power, and incorporation of ash in concrete casks to be used as storage containers in a licensed repository for low-level waste. Twelve years after the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) Unit 4 accident, whichmore » occurred on April 26, 1986, the primary 4radioactive contamination of concern is from radioactive cesium ({sup 137}Cs) and strontium ({sup 90}Sr). The {sup 137}Cs and {sup 90}Sr were widely distributed throughout the CEZ. The attendees from Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Denmark and the US provided information, discussed and debated the following issues considerably: distribution and characteristics of radionuclides in CEZ; efficacy of using trees and plants to extract radioactive cesium (Cs) and strontium (Sr) from contaminated soil; selection of energy conversion systems and technologies; necessary infrastructure for biomass harvesting, handling, transportation, and energy conversion; radioactive ash and emission management; occupational health and safety concerns for the personnel involved in this work; and economics. The attendees concluded that the overall concept has technical and possibly economic merits. However, many issues (technical, economic, risk) remain to be resolved before a viable commercial-scale implementation could take place.« less

Student Target Marketing Strategies for Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewison, Dale M.; Hawes, Jon M.

2007-01-01

As colleges and universities adopt marketing orientations to an ever-increasing extent, the relative merits of mass marketing and target marketing must also be explored. Researchers identify buyer types as potential students focused on quality, value or economy. On the other axis, learner types are described as those who focus on career,…

Clean Water for Developing Countries.

PubMed

Pandit, Aniruddha B; Kumar, Jyoti Kishen

2015-01-01

Availability of safe drinking water, a vital natural resource, is still a distant dream to many around the world, especially in developing countries. Increasing human activity and industrialization have led to a wide range of physical, chemical, and biological pollutants entering water bodies and affecting human lives. Efforts to develop efficient, economical, and technologically sound methods to produce clean water for developing countries have increased worldwide. We focus on solar disinfection, filtration, hybrid filtration methods, treatment of harvested rainwater, herbal water disinfection, and arsenic removal technologies. Simple, yet innovative water treatment devices ranging from use of plant xylem as filters, terafilters, and hand pumps to tippy taps designed indigenously are methods mentioned here. By describing the technical aspects of major water disinfection methods relevant for developing countries on medium to small scales and emphasizing their merits, demerits, economics, and scalability, we highlight the current scenario and pave the way for further research and development and scaling up of these processes. This review focuses on clean drinking water, especially for rural populations in developing countries. It describes various water disinfection techniques that are not only economically viable and energy efficient but also employ simple methodologies that are effective in reducing the physical, chemical, and biological pollutants found in drinking water to acceptable limits.

Exploration of operator method digital optical computers for application to NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

Digital optical computer design has been focused primarily towards parallel (single point-to-point interconnection) implementation. This architecture is compared to currently developing VHSIC systems. Using demonstrated multichannel acousto-optic devices, a figure of merit can be formulated. The focus is on a figure of merit termed Gate Interconnect Bandwidth Product (GIBP). Conventional parallel optical digital computer architecture demonstrates only marginal competitiveness at best when compared to projected semiconductor implements. Global, analog global, quasi-digital, and full digital interconnects are briefly examined as alternative to parallel digital computer architecture. Digital optical computing is becoming a very tough competitor to semiconductor technology since it can support a very high degree of three dimensional interconnect density and high degrees of Fan-In without capacitive loading effects at very low power consumption levels.

Biological imaging with coherent Raman scattering microscopy: a tutorial

PubMed Central

Alfonso-García, Alba; Mittal, Richa; Lee, Eun Seong; Potma, Eric O.

2014-01-01

Abstract. Coherent Raman scattering (CRS) microscopy is gaining acceptance as a valuable addition to the imaging toolset of biological researchers. Optimal use of this label-free imaging technique benefits from a basic understanding of the physical principles and technical merits of the CRS microscope. This tutorial offers qualitative explanations of the principles behind CRS microscopy and provides information about the applicability of this nonlinear optical imaging approach for biological research. PMID:24615671

Measuring the Wealth of School Districts for the Apportionment of Aid to Public Schools in New York State: Full Valuation vs. Personal Income.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York State Div. of the Budget, Albany.

The purpose of this study was to assess the merit of using personal income in the determination of a school district's fiscal capacity for the apportionment of New York state aid. Both personal income and full valuation of real property suffer from technical weaknesses, but improvements in the data are possible if the state is willing to…

Method for Examination and Documentation of Basic Information and Metadata from Published Reports Relevant to the Study of Stormwater Runoff Quality

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dionne, Shannon G.; Granato, Gregory E.; Tana, Cameron K.

1999-01-01

A readily accessible archive of information that is valid, current, and technically defensible is needed to make informed highway-planning, design, and management decisions. The National Highway Runoff Water-Quality Data and Methodology Synthesis (NDAMS) is a cataloging and assessment of the documentation of information relevant to highway-runoff water quality available in published reports. The report review process is based on the NDAMS review sheet, which was designed by the USGS with input from the FHWA, State transportation agencies, and the regulatory community. The report-review process is designed to determine the technical merit of the existing literature in terms of current requirements for data documentation, data quality, quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC), and technical issues that may affect the use of historical data. To facilitate the review process, the NDAMS review sheet is divided into 12 sections: (1) administrative review information, (2) investigation and report information, (3) temporal information, (4) location information (5) water-quality-monitoring information, (6) sample-handling methods, (7) constituent information, (8) sampling focus and matrix, (9) flow monitoring methods, (10) field QA/QC, (11) laboratory, and (12) uncertainty/error analysis. This report describes the NDAMS report reviews and metadata documentation methods and provides an overview of the approach and of the quality-assurance and quality-control program used to implement the review process. Detailed information, including a glossary of relevant terms, a copy of the report-review sheets, and reportreview instructions are completely documented in a series of three appendixes included with this report. Therefore the reviews are repeatable and the methods can be used by transportation research organizations to catalog new reports as they are published.

Exergy: its potential and limitations in environmental science and technology.

PubMed

Dewulf, Jo; Van Langenhove, Herman; Muys, Bart; Bruers, Stijn; Bakshi, Bhavik R; Grubb, Geoffrey F; Paulus, D M; Sciubba, Enrico

2008-04-01

New technologies, either renewables-based or not, are confronted with both economic and technical constraints. Their development takes advantage of considering the basic laws of economics and thermodynamics. With respect to the latter, the exergy concept pops up. Although its fundamentals, that is, the Second Law of Thermodynamics, were already established in the 1800s, it is only in the last years that the exergy concept has gained a more widespread interest in process analysis, typically employed to identify inefficiencies. However, exergy analysis today is implemented far beyond technical analysis; it is also employed in environmental, (thermo)economic, and even sustainability analysis of industrial systems. Because natural ecosystems are also subjected to the basic laws of thermodynamics, it is another subject of exergy analysis. After an introduction on the concept itself, this review focuses on the potential and limitations of the exergy conceptin (1) ecosystem analysis, utilized to describe maximum storage and maximum dissipation of energy flows (2); industrial system analysis: from single process analysis to complete process chain analysis (3); (thermo)economic analysis, with extended exergy accounting; and (4) environmental impact assessment throughout the whole life cycle with quantification of the resource intake and emission effects. Apart from technical system analysis, it proves that exergy as a tool in environmental impact analysis may be the most mature field of application, particularly with respect to resource and efficiency accounting, one of the major challenges in the development of sustainable technology. Far less mature is the exergy analysis of natural ecosystems and the coupling with economic analysis, where a lively debate is presently going on about the actual merits of an exergy-based approach.

Invited review: overview of new traits and phenotyping strategies in dairy cattle with a focus on functional traits

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

For several decades, breeding goals in dairy cattle focused on increased milk production. However, many functional traits have negative genetic correlations with milk yield and reductions in genetic merit for health and fitness have been observed. Herd management has been challenged to compensate fo...

Figures of merit for microwave photonic phase shifters based on semiconductor optical amplifiers.

PubMed

Sancho, Juan; Lloret, Juan; Gasulla, Ivana; Sales, Salvador; Capmany, José

2012-05-07

We theoretically and experimentally compare the performance of two fully tunable phase shifter structures based on semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA) by means of several figures of merit common to microwave photonic systems. A single SOA stage followed by a tailored notch filter is compared with a cascaded implementation comprising three SOA-based phase shifter stages. Attention is focused on the assessment of the RF net gain, noise figure and nonlinear distortion. Recommendations on the performance optimization of this sort of approaches are detailed.

The impact of using old germplasm on genetic merit and diversity-A cattle breed case study.

PubMed

Eynard, Sonia E; Windig, Jack J; Hulsegge, Ina; Hiemstra, Sipke-Joost; Calus, Mario P L

2018-05-29

Artificial selection and high genetic gains in livestock breeds led to a loss of genetic diversity. Current genetic diversity conservation actions focus on long-term maintenance of breeds under selection. Gene banks play a role in such actions by storing genetic materials for future use and the recent development of genomic information is facilitating characterization of gene bank material for better use. Using the Meuse-Rhine-Issel Dutch cattle breed as a case study, we inferred the potential role of germplasm of old individuals for genetic diversity conservation of the current population. First, we described the evolution of genetic merit and diversity over time and then we applied the optimal contribution (OC) strategy to select individuals for maximizing genetic diversity, or maximizing genetic merit while constraining loss of genetic diversity. In the past decades, genetic merit increased while genetic diversity decreased. Genetic merit and diversity were both higher in an OC scenario restricting the rate of inbreeding when old individuals were considered for selection, compared to considering only animals from the current population. Thus, our study shows that gene bank material, in the form of old individuals, has the potential to support long-term maintenance and selection of breeds. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics Published by Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Figures of Merit for Lunar Simulants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slane, Frederick A.; Rickman, Douglas L.

2012-01-01

At an earlier SRR the concept for an international standard on Lunar regolith simulants was presented. The international standard, ISO 10788, Lunar Simulants, has recently been published. This paper presents the final content of the standard. Therefore, we are presenting an update of the following: The collection and analysis of lunar samples from 1969 to present has yielded large amounts of data. Published analyses give some idea of the complex nature of the regolith at all scales, rocks, soils and the smaller particulates commonly referred to as dust. Data recently acquired in support of NASA s simulant effort has markedly increased our knowledge and quantitatively demonstrates that complexity. It is anticipated that future analyses will further add to the known complexity. In an effort to communicate among the diverse technical communities performing research on or research using regolith samples and simulants, a set of Figures of Merit (FoM) have been devised. The objective is to allow consistent and concise comparative communication between researchers from multiple organizations and nations engaged in lunar exploration. This paper describes Figures of Merit in a new international standard for Lunar Simulants. The FoM methodology uses scientific understanding of the lunar samples to formulate parameters which are reproducibly quantifiable. Contaminants and impurities in the samples are also addressed.

How Do We Know What Is Happening Online?: A Triangulated Approach to Data Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Charalampidi, Marina; Hammond, Michael

2016-01-01

This paper discusses the process of analysing online discussion and argues for the merits of mixed methods. Much research of online participation and e-learning has been either message focused or person focused analysis. The former covers methodologies such as content and discourse analysis, the latter interviewing and surveys. The paper discusses…

Small Business Innovation Research. Program solicitation. Closing date: July 21, 1992

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) invites small businesses to submit Phase 1 proposals in response to its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Solicitation 92-1. Firms with research or research and development capabilities (R/R&D) in science or engineering in any of the areas listed are encouraged to participate. This, the tenth annual SBIR solicitation by NASA, describes the program, identifies eligibility requirements, describes the proposal evaluation and award selection process, and provides other information to assist those interested in participating in NASA's SBIR program. It also identifies, in Section 8.0, the technical topics and subtopics in which SBIR Phase 1 proposals are solicited in 1992. These topics and subtopics cover a broad range of current NASA interests but do not necessarily include all areas in which NASA plans or currently conducts research. The NASA SBIR program seeks innovative approaches that respond to the needs, technical requirements, and new opportunities described in the subtopics. The focus is on innovation through the use of emerging technologies, novel applications of existing technologies, exploitation of scientific breakthroughs, or new capabilities or major improvements to existing technologies. NASA plans to select about 320 high-quality research or research and development proposals for Phase 1 contract awards on the basis of this Solicitation. Phase 1 contracts are normally six months in duration and funded up to $50,000, including profit. Selections will be based on the competitive merits of the offers and on NASA needs and priorities.

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

Neill, Robert H.

Since all efforts to date to dispose of HLW in the US have been unsuccessful, the following specific actions need to be taken if we are serious about such disposal: - The requirement in the EPA environmental radiation protection standards to predict the behavior of these unwanted residuals for one million years is meaningless. The Standards must be revisited. - Characterize two sites. There are myriad ways a site can be found to be unacceptable. Additionally, the existing HLW inventory requires a second repository. - Congress should specify incentives to states under consideration for a site. Perhaps 5% of totalmore » cost would be appropriate. - An independent technical review group should be established in such states to evaluate a proposed repository similar to the New Mexico Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG) for the WIPP Project because the state's interests are not necessarily the same as DOE's. - Acceptance or rejection of a proposed site should be based on technical issues, not social ones. Professionals in this field should present papers identifying the merits of HLW disposal in their own state. The scarcity of such research suggests Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) syndrome. - Medical diagnostic ionizing radiation exposure to the US public is now 8,000 times greater than radiation exposure from nuclear energy. People accept this believing the benefits outweigh any risks. A major effort needs to focus on both benefits as well as risks of radioactive waste disposal. - DOE needs to announce preferences of host rock formations, incentives for states, and potential consequences should we fail to act. (author)« less

Evaluation of solar cells for potential space satellite power applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

The evaluation focused on the following subjects: (1) the relative merits of alternative solar cell materials, based on performance and availability, (2) the best manufacturing methods for various solar cell options and the effects of extremely large production volumes on their ultimate costs and operational characteristics, (3) the areas of uncertainty in achieving large solar cell production volumes, (4) the effects of concentration ratios on solar array mass and system performance, (5) the factors influencing solar cell life in the radiation environment during transport to and in geosynchronous orbit, and (6) the merits of conducting solar cell manufacturing operations in space.

Fort Ord’s Merit-Reward System: A Contingency Management Program in Basic Combat Training,

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-01-01

medicine colleague, Dr. Llewellyn Legters , that the recommendation emerged to develop and test a contingency management system for basic training. One...1965, 16, 438. 9Datel, W. E., & Legters , L. J. Reinforcement measurement in a social system. Journal of Biological Psychology, 1971, 13 (1), 33-38 13...ODatel, W. E., & Legters , L. J. The psychology of the Army recruit. Journal of Biological Psychology, 1970-71, 12, 34-40. l1Datel, W. E. Technical

How Do We Know What Is Happening Online?: A Mixed Methods Approach to Analysing Online Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Charalampidi, Marina; Hammond, Michael

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss the process of analysing online discussion and argue for the merits of mixed methods. Much research of online participation and e-learning has been either message-focused or person-focused. The former covers methodologies such as content and discourse analysis, the latter interviewing and surveys.…

Stirling engine alternatives for the terrestrial solar application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stearns, J.

1985-01-01

The first phase of the present study of Stirling engine alternatives for solar thermal-electric generation has been completed. Development risk levels are considered to be high for all engines evaluated. Free-piston type and Ringbom-type Stirling engine-alternators are not yet developed for the 25 to 50-kW electrical power range, although smaller machines have demonstrated the inherent robustness of the machines. Kinematic-type Stirling engines are presently achieving a 3500 hr lifetime or longer on critical components, and lifetime must still be further extended for the solar application. Operational and technical characteristics of all types of Stirling engines have been reviewed with engine developers. Technical work of merit in progress in each engine development organization should be recognized and supported in an appropriate manner.

A qualitative appraisal of stakeholder reactions to a tool for burden of disease-based health system budgeting in Ghana.

PubMed

Awoonor-Williams, John Koku; Schmitt, Margaret L; Tiah, Janet; Ndago, Joyce; Asuru, Rofina; Bawah, Ayaga A; Phillips, James F

2016-01-01

In 2010, the Ghana Health Service launched a program of cooperation with the Tanzania Ministry of Health and Social Welfare that was designed to adapt Tanzania's PLANREP budgeting and reporting tool to Ghana's primary health care program. The product of this collaboration is a system of budgeting, data visualization, and reporting that is known as the District Health Planning and Reporting Tool (DiHPART). This study was conducted to evaluate the design and implementation processes (technical, procedures, feedback, maintenance, and monitoring) of the DiHPART tool in northern Ghana. This paper reports on a qualitative appraisal of user reactions to the DiHPART system and implications of pilot experience for national scale-up. A total of 20 health officials responsible for financial planning operations were drawn from the national, regional, and district levels of the health system and interviewed in open-ended discussions about their reactions to DiHPART and suggestions for systems development. The findings show that technical shortcomings merit correction before scale-up can proceed. The review makes note of features of the software system that could be developed, based on experience gained from the pilot. Changes in the national system of financial reporting and budgeting complicate DiHPART utilization. This attests to the importance of pursuing a software application framework that anticipates the need for automated software generation. Despite challenges encountered in the pilot, the results lend support to the notion that evidence-based budgeting merits development and implementation in Ghana.

Does the First Amendment Guarantee a Right to Conduct Scientific Experiments?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Attanasio, John B.

1987-01-01

An analysis of first amendment guarantees focuses on the federal government's power to regulate experiments, arguing that they do not merit the stringent level of first amendment protection offered by strict scrutiny or related standards. (Author/MSE)

7 CFR 662.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Definitions. 662.2 Section 662.2 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF... States through a merit-based, natural resource focused process. Obligated means a specific binding...

Integrated Power and Attitude Control Systems for Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oglevie, R. E.; Eisenhaure, D. B.

1985-01-01

Integrated Power and Attitude Control Systems (IPACS) studies performed over a decade ago established the feasibility of simultaneously storing electrical energy in wheels and utilizing the resulting momentum for spacecraft attitude control. It was shown that such a system possessed many advantages over other contemporary energy storage and attitude control systems in many applications. More recent technology advances in composite rotors, magnetic bearings, and power control electronics have triggered new optimism regarding the feasibility and merits of such a system. The paper presents the results of a recent study whose focus was to define an advanced IPACS and to evaluate its merits for the Space Station application. A system and component design concept is developed to establish the system performance capability. A system level trade study, including life-cycle costing, is performed to define the merits of the system relative to two other candidate systems. It is concluded that an advanced IPACS concept is not only feasible, but offers substantial savings in mass, and life-cycle cost.

Partially annotated bibliography for computer protection and related topics

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

Huskamp, J.C.

1976-07-20

References for the commonly cited technical papers in the area of computer protection are given. Great care is taken to exclude papers with no technical content or merit. For the purposes of this bibliography, computer protection is broadly defined to encompass all facets of the protection problem. The papers cover, but are not limited to, the topics of protection features in operating systems (e.g., MULTICS and HYDRA), hardware implementations of protection facilities (e.g., Honeywell 6180, System 250, BCC 5000, B6500), data base protection controls, confinement and protection models. Since computer protection is related to many other areas in computer sciencemore » and electrical engineering, a bibliography of related areas is included after the protection bibliography. These sections also include articles of general interest in the named areas which are not necessarily related to protection.« less

Evolving the Land Information System into a Cloud Computing Service

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

Houser, Paul R.

The Land Information System (LIS) was developed to use advanced flexible land surface modeling and data assimilation frameworks to integrate extremely large satellite- and ground-based observations with advanced land surface models to produce continuous high-resolution fields of land surface states and fluxes. The resulting fields are extremely useful for drought and flood assessment, agricultural planning, disaster management, weather and climate forecasting, water resources assessment, and the like. We envisioned transforming the LIS modeling system into a scientific cloud computing-aware web and data service that would allow clients to easily setup and configure for use in addressing large water management issues.more » The focus of this Phase 1 project was to determine the scientific, technical, commercial merit and feasibility of the proposed LIS-cloud innovations that are currently barriers to broad LIS applicability. We (a) quantified the barriers to broad LIS utility and commercialization (high performance computing, big data, user interface, and licensing issues); (b) designed the proposed LIS-cloud web service, model-data interface, database services, and user interfaces; (c) constructed a prototype LIS user interface including abstractions for simulation control, visualization, and data interaction, (d) used the prototype to conduct a market analysis and survey to determine potential market size and competition, (e) identified LIS software licensing and copyright limitations and developed solutions, and (f) developed a business plan for development and marketing of the LIS-cloud innovation. While some significant feasibility issues were found in the LIS licensing, overall a high degree of LIS-cloud technical feasibility was found.« less

Target R and D for high power proton beam applications

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

Fabich, A.

High power targets are one of the major issues in an accelerator complex for future HEP physic studies. The paper will review status of studies worldwide. It will focus on the status of the MERIT mercury-jet target experiment at CERN.

7 CFR 662.4 - Regional Equity implementation procedure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Section 662.4 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) NATURAL RESOURCES... through a merit-based, natural resource focused allocation process as determined by the Chief. (b... priorities; (B) Historic trends in program interest; and (C) State priority natural resource concerns. (ii...

The Benefits of Health Maintenance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenstein, Alan H.

1987-01-01

The article focuses on the merits of a comprehensive, medically-oriented health maintenance/risk assessment program, and suggests that such conditions as heart disease, cancer, and arteriosclerosis can be prevented or postponed through proper nutrition, weight control, exercise, smoking cessation, and stress management. (Author/CB)

Proposal for An Algorithm for Screening for Undernutrition in Hospitalized Children.

PubMed

Huysentruyt, Koen; De Schepper, Jean; Bontems, Patrick; Alliet, Philippe; Peeters, Ellen; Roelants, Mathieu; Van Biervliet, Stephanie; Hauser, Bruno; Vandenplas, Yvan

2016-11-01

The prevalence of disease-related undernutrition in hospitalized children has not decreased significantly in the last decades in Europe. A recent large multicentric European study reported a percentage of underweight children ranging across countries from 4.0% to 9.3%. Nutritional screening has been put forward as a strategy to detect and prevent undernutrition in hospitalized children. It allows timely implementation of adequate nutritional support and prevents further nutritional deterioration of hospitalized children. In this article, a hands-on practical guideline for the implementation of a nutritional care program in hospitalized children is provided. The difference between nutritional status (anthropometry with or without additional technical investigations) at admission and nutritional risk (the risk of the need for a nutritional intervention or the risk for nutritional deterioration during hospital stay) is the focus of this article. Based on the quality control circle principle of Deming, a nutritional care algorithm, with detailed instructions specific for the pediatric population was developed and implementation in daily practice is proposed. Further research is required to prove the applicability and the merit of this algorithm. It can, however, serve as a basis to provide European or even wider guidelines.

Integrated luminometer for the determination of trace metals in seawater using fluorescence, phosphorescence and chemiluminescence detection

PubMed Central

Achterberg, E. P.; Bowie, A. R.; Cannizzaro, V.; Charles, S.; Costa, J. M.; Dubois, F.; Pereiro, R.; San Vicente, B.; Sanz-Medel, A.; Vandeloise, R.; Donckt, E. Vander; Wollast, P.; Yunus, S.

2002-01-01

The paper describes an integrated luminometer able to perform fluorescence (FL), room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) and chemiluminescence (CL) measurements on seawater samples. The technical details of the instrumentation are presented together with flow injection (FI) manifolds for the determination of cadmium and zinc (by FL), lead (RTP) and cobalt (CL). The analytical figures of merit are given for each manifold and results are presented for the determination of the four trace metals in seawater reference materials (NASS-5, SLEW-2) and Scheldt estuarine water samples. PMID:18924742

Funding options for research: facing the market as well as government.

PubMed

Mitchell, G; Nossal, G

1999-06-01

Parasitology is a challenge. At one level, the structural and genetic complexities of parasites provide ample technical challenges in regard to an understanding of parasite variability and adaptability, epidemiological diversity, drug resistance, etc. The intricacies of host parasite relationships including the immunology of parasitism will continually surprise yet frustrate the vaccine developer and keep the bravest immunoparasitologist busy and creative for decades. As if the technical considerations were not challenging enough, we see difficulties arising in sustaining a research endeavour and preserving a critical mass of researchers through the generation of high-level, long-term funding support. Contributing to this situation is the fact that most parasitic diseases of major impact in humans are largely centred around the rural poor in tropical, less industrially-developed countries and therefore of little or of fickle interest to the strictly commercially oriented. Moreover, the focus in the rural industries has moved away from aspects of on-farm production with lower priority given to studies on even the 'economically-important' parasites of livestock. It is contended that this may change again with pressures and clear marketing advantages to preserving a 'clean and green' image for Australia's primary industries. Overall, the extraordinary technical and conceptual advances in recent times have been tempered by uncertainties in research funding and severe cuts from some traditional sources for both fundamental and strategic/applied research in Parasitology. Several have highlighted the fact that deliverables in terms of new methods of disease control have been sparse and some claims made in the past have certainly been exaggerated. Yet the prospects and achievements at the front end of the long R&D pathway have never been brighter. In this article we examine the merits of a 'portfolio approach' to generating research funds in Parasitology and Science and Technology in Australia more generally, with an emphasis on strategies that, through welding good science with clear, medium-term product objectives, increase research funding opportunities.

Trajectory Optimization for Missions to Small Bodies with a Focus on Scientific Merit.

PubMed

Englander, Jacob A; Vavrina, Matthew A; Lim, Lucy F; McFadden, Lucy A; Rhoden, Alyssa R; Noll, Keith S

2017-01-01

Trajectory design for missions to small bodies is tightly coupled both with the selection of targets for a mission and with the choice of spacecraft power, propulsion, and other hardware. Traditional methods of trajectory optimization have focused on finding the optimal trajectory for an a priori selection of destinations and spacecraft parameters. Recent research has expanded the field of trajectory optimization to multidisciplinary systems optimization that includes spacecraft parameters. The logical next step is to extend the optimization process to include target selection based not only on engineering figures of merit but also scientific value. This paper presents a new technique to solve the multidisciplinary mission optimization problem for small-bodies missions, including classical trajectory design, the choice of spacecraft power and propulsion systems, and also the scientific value of the targets. This technique, when combined with modern parallel computers, enables a holistic view of the small body mission design process that previously required iteration among several different design processes.

Enhancing the Thermoelectric Figure of Merit by Low-Dimensional Electrical Transport in Phonon-Glass Crystals.

PubMed

Mi, Xue-Ya; Yu, Xiaoxiang; Yao, Kai-Lun; Huang, Xiaoming; Yang, Nuo; Lü, Jing-Tao

2015-08-12

Low-dimensional electronic and glassy phononic transport are two important ingredients of highly efficient thermoelectric materials, from which two branches of thermoelectric research have emerged. One focuses on controlling electronic transport in the low dimension, while the other focuses on multiscale phonon engineering in the bulk. Recent work has benefited much from combining these two approaches, e.g., phonon engineering in low-dimensional materials. Here we propose to employ the low-dimensional electronic structure in bulk phonon-glass crystals as an alternative way to increase the thermoelectric efficiency. Through first-principles electronic structure calculations and classical molecular dynamics simulations, we show that the π-π-stacking bis(dithienothiophene) molecular crystal is a natural candidate for such an approach. This is determined by the nature of its chemical bonding. Without any optimization of the material parameters, we obtained a maximum room-temperature figure of merit, ZT, of 1.48 at optimal doping, thus validating our idea.

Science education beyond the classroom

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

Harle, E.J.; Van Natta, D.; Powell, M.L.

1993-12-31

The Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (YMP) sponsors a variety of classroom-oriented projects and activities for teachers who request them. Also available, though, are extra-curricular programs. One notably successful program is a workshop designed to award girl and boy scouts with geology and atomic energy merit badges. There was a tremendous response to this workshop--it attracted 450 requests within the first week of its announcement. Since October 1991, the YMP has sponsored five such girl scout workshops and four boy scout workshops, attended by a total of 400 scouts. These workshops demonstrate that highly technical subjects can be taught simplymore » through hands-on activities. The idea behind them is not to teach scouts what to think but, rather, how to think. For adults meanwhile, the YMP offers a monthly lecture series, with each lecture averaging 45 minutes in length with 35 people in attendance. These lectures center on such subjects as volcanoes, earthquakes and hydrology. They are usually delivered by YMP technical staff members, who have learned that complex technical issues are best addressed in a small-group format.« less

Gabor Filters and Neural Networks for Segmentation of Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-12-01

unending enthusiasm focused my efforts. I would also like to thank Dr Matthew Kabrisky and Maj Rogers for their enlightening pattern recognition courses...merit in neurophysiology . Specifically, interest in the Gabor function results from recent research demonstrating its close approximation to measured

Alignment control study for the solar optical telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Analysis of the alignment and focus errors than can be tolerated, methods of sensing such errors, and mechanisms to make the necessary corrections were addressed. Alternate approaches and their relative merits were considered. The results of this study indicate that adequate alignment control can be achieved.

Evolution of Elections Management in Tanzania

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norman, A. S.; Mdegella, O. M.; Lubawa, R. M.

2011-01-01

This paper provides a discussion on the evolution of elections management in Tanzania with a focus on technological advancement in administering registration of voters. The paper provides the merits that permanent voters register has brought over the thumb practice. It traces the management of elections during colonialism, after independence…

Quantitative Technique for Comparing Simulant Materials through Figures of Merit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rickman, Doug; Hoelzer, Hans; Fourroux, Kathy; Owens, Charles; McLemore, Carole; Fikes, John

2007-01-01

The 1989 workshop report entitled Workshop on Production and Uses of Simulated Lunar Materials and the Lunar Regolith Simulant Materials: Recommendations for Standardization, Production, and Usage, NASA Technical Publication both identified and reinforced a need for a set of standards and requirements for the production and usage of the Lunar simulant materials. As NASA prepares to return to the Moon, and set out to Mars, a set of early requirements have been developed for simulant materials and the initial methods to produce and measure those simulants have been defined. Addressed in the requirements document are: 1) a method for evaluating the quality of any simulant of a regolith, 2) the minimum characteristics for simulants of Lunar regolith, and 3) a method to produce simulants needed for NASA's Exploration mission. As an extension of the requirements document a method to evaluate new and current simulants has been rigorously defined through the mathematics of Figures of Merit (FoM). Requirements and techniques have been developed that allow the simulant provider to compare their product to a standard reference material through Figures of Merit. Standard reference material may be physical material such as the Apollo core samples or material properties predicted for any landing site. The simulant provider is not restricted to providing a single "high fidelity" simulant, which may be costly to produce. The provider can now develop "lower fidelity" simulants for engineering applications such as drilling and mobility applications.

A qualitative appraisal of stakeholder reactions to a tool for burden of disease–based health system budgeting in Ghana

PubMed Central

Awoonor-Williams, John Koku; Schmitt, Margaret L.; Tiah, Janet; Ndago, Joyce; Asuru, Rofina; Bawah, Ayaga A.; Phillips, James F.

2016-01-01

Background In 2010, the Ghana Health Service launched a program of cooperation with the Tanzania Ministry of Health and Social Welfare that was designed to adapt Tanzania's PLANREP budgeting and reporting tool to Ghana's primary health care program. The product of this collaboration is a system of budgeting, data visualization, and reporting that is known as the District Health Planning and Reporting Tool (DiHPART). Objective This study was conducted to evaluate the design and implementation processes (technical, procedures, feedback, maintenance, and monitoring) of the DiHPART tool in northern Ghana. Design This paper reports on a qualitative appraisal of user reactions to the DiHPART system and implications of pilot experience for national scale-up. A total of 20 health officials responsible for financial planning operations were drawn from the national, regional, and district levels of the health system and interviewed in open-ended discussions about their reactions to DiHPART and suggestions for systems development. Results The findings show that technical shortcomings merit correction before scale-up can proceed. The review makes note of features of the software system that could be developed, based on experience gained from the pilot. Changes in the national system of financial reporting and budgeting complicate DiHPART utilization. This attests to the importance of pursuing a software application framework that anticipates the need for automated software generation. Conclusions Despite challenges encountered in the pilot, the results lend support to the notion that evidence-based budgeting merits development and implementation in Ghana. PMID:27246868

High temporal and spatial resolution studies of bone cells using real-time confocal reflection microscopy.

PubMed

Boyde, A; Vesely, P; Gray, C; Jones, S J

1994-01-01

Chick and rat bone-derived cells were mounted in sealed coverslip-covered chambers; individual osteoclasts (but also osteoblasts) were selected and studied at 37 degrees C using three different types of high-speed scanning confocal microscopes: (1) A Noran Tandem Scanning Microscope (TSM) was used with a low light level, cooled CCD camera for image transfer to a Noran TN8502 frame store-based image analysing computer to make time lapse movie sequences using 0.1 s exposure periods, thus losing some of the advantage of the high frame rate of the TSM. Rapid focus adjustment using computer controlled piezo drivers permitted two or more focus planes to be imaged sequentially: thus (with additional light-source shuttering) the reflection confocal image could be alternated with the phase contrast image at a different focus. Individual cells were followed for up to 5 days, suggesting no significant irradiation problem. (2) Exceptional temporal and spatial resolution is available in video rate laser confocal scanning microscopes (VRCSLMs). We used the Noran Odyssey unitary beam VRCSLM with an argon ion laser at 488 nm and acousto-optic deflection (AOD) on the line axis: this instrument is truly and adjustably confocal in the reflection mode. (3) We also used the Lasertec 1LM11 line scan instrument, with an He-Ne laser at 633 nm, and AOD for the frame scan. We discuss the technical problems and merits of the different approaches. The VRCSLMs documented rapid, real-time oscillatory motion: all the methods used show rapid net movement of organelles within bone cells. The interference reflection mode gives particularly strong contrasts in confocal instruments. Phase contrast and other interference methods used in the microscopy of living cells can be used simultaneously in the TSM.

Evaluation of nonmetallic thermal protection materials for the manned space shuttle. Volume 1, task 1: Assessment of technical risks associated with utilization of nonmetallic thermal protection system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilkinson, W. H.; Kirkhart, F. P.; Kistler, C. W.; Duckworth, W. H.; Ungar, E. W.; Foster, E. L.

1970-01-01

Technical problems of design and flight qualification of the proposed classes of surface insulation materials and leading edge materials were reviewed. A screening test plan, a preliminary design data test plan and a design data test plan were outlined. This program defined the apparent critical differences between the surface insulators and the leading edge materials, structuring specialized screening test plans for each of these two classes of materials. Unique testing techniques were shown to be important in evaluating the structural interaction aspects of the surface insulators and a separate task was defined to validate the test plan. In addition, a compilation was made of available information on proposed material (including metallic TPS), previous shuttle programs, pertinent test procedures, and other national programs of merit. This material was collected and summarized in an informally structured workbook.

Effects of Decentralized Execution on the German Army During the Marne Campaign of 1914

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-12

larger segment of society, established a deliberate development system for those officers, and encouraged promotion through merit. The evolution of the...Staff organized under a country-oriented system . The different departments within the General Staff focused on surrounding countries that could become

The Class Size Debate.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mishel, Lawrence, Ed.; Rothstein, Richard, Ed.

This collection of papers debates the merits of smaller class sizes and research methods used to evaluate the efficacy of this education reform measure. Four chapters focus on (1) "Understanding the Magnitude and Effect of Class Size on Student Achievement" (Alan B. Krueger), which discusses expenditures per student and economic criterion; (2)…

Educated beyond Our Intelligence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weaver, W. Timothy

1986-01-01

Discusses the effects of a hypothetical policy restricting entry to American colleges on the basis of academic standards, with those failing to meet the standard being forced to go to work. Examines the merits of the policy in the context of conservative and liberal educational reform movements. Focuses on the perceived economic and social…

Dramaturgical and Music-Theoretical Approaches to Improvisation Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huovinen, Erkki; Tenkanen, Atte; Kuusinen, Vesa-Pekka

2011-01-01

The aim of this article is to assess the relative merits of two approaches to teaching musical improvisation: a music-theoretical approach, focusing on chords and scales, and a "dramaturgical" one, emphasizing questions of balance, variation and tension. Adult students of music pedagogy, with limited previous experience in improvisation,…

Feminist Counseling/Therapy for the 21st Century.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Worell, Judith; Robinson, Damon

1993-01-01

Responds to earlier article by Carolyn Zerbe Enns on feminist counseling and psychotherapy. Acknowledges productive impact of Enns's review, but raises some concerns related to the conception of history and some of the conclusions that are reached. Discusses two important parameters that merit more attention, focusing on the future of feminist…

The Relative Merits of PBL (Problem-Based Learning) in University Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benson, Steve

2012-01-01

In Australia, academic workloads are increasing, and university funding is decreasing. Academics and university managers are engaging in risk adverse behavior and tending to focus on customer satisfaction and student retention, potentially at the expense of academic standards. Conventional approaches to pedagogy minimize adverse student feedback,…

Community-Based Coalitions' Capacity for Sustainable Action: The Role of Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wells, Rebecca; Ford, Eric W.; McClure, Jennifer A.; Holt, Michelle L.; Ward, Ann

2007-01-01

Given both the importance and difficulty of promoting community-based public health coalitions, their capacity for sustainable action merits systematic examination. The current study addresses this need, focusing specifically on the "relational" dimension of capacity, that is, how relationships both among members and with external actors affect…

Educational Accountability: A Qualitatively Driven Mixed-Methods Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Jori N.; Ryan, Katherine E.

2011-01-01

This article discusses the importance of mixed-methods research, in particular the value of qualitatively driven mixed-methods research for quantitatively driven domains like educational accountability. The article demonstrates the merits of qualitative thinking by describing a mixed-methods study that focuses on a middle school's system of…

Science Education in the Boy Scouts of America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hintz, Rachel Sterneman

2009-01-01

This study of science education in the Boy Scouts of America focused on males with Boy Scout experience. The mixed-methods study topics included: merit badge standards compared with National Science Education Standards, Scout responses to open-ended survey questions, the learning styles of Scouts, a quantitative assessment of science content…

The Merits of Emeriti

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fishman, Seth Matthew

2012-01-01

The silver tide of faculty retirement continues to ebb and flow. While much of today's scholarship on faculty retirement focuses on the financial implications for colleges and universities, arguing that older faculty members clog up the faculty pipeline, cost more in salary and benefits, and are ineffective teachers who fear technology, little…

Consequences of Femtosecond Laser Filament Generation Conditions in Standoff Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

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

Harilal, Sivanandan S.; Yeak, J.; Brumfield, Brian E.

2016-08-08

We investigate the role of femtosecond laser focusing conditions on ablation properties and its implications on analytical merits and standoff detection applications. Femtosecond laser pulses can be used for ablation either by tightly focusing or by using filaments generated during its propagation. We evaluated the persistence of atomic, and molecular emission features as well as time evolution of the fundamental properties (temperature and density) of ablation plumes generated using different methods.

Wheel configurations for combined energy storage and attitude control systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oglevie, R. E.

1985-01-01

Integrated power and attitude control system (IPACS) studies performed over a decade ago established the feasibility of simultaneously storing electrical energy in wheels and utilizing the resulting momentum for spacecraft attitude control. It was shown that such a system possessed many advantages over other contemporary energy storage and attitude control systems in many applications. More recent technology advances in composite rotors, magnetic bearings, and power control electronics have triggered new optimism regarding the feasibility and merits of such a system. This paper presents the results of a recent study whose focus was to define an advanced IPACS and to evaluate its merits for the Space Station application. Emphasis is given to the selection of the wheel configuration to perform the combined functions. A component design concept is developed to establish the system performance capability. A system-level trade study, including life-cycle costing, is performed to define the merits of the system relative to two other candidate systems. It is concluded that an advanced IPACS concept is not only feasible but offers substantial savings in mass and life-cycle cost.

Reflections on different governance styles in regulating science: a contribution to 'Responsible Research and Innovation'.

PubMed

Landeweerd, Laurens; Townend, David; Mesman, Jessica; Van Hoyweghen, Ine

2015-01-01

In European science and technology policy, various styles have been developed and institutionalised to govern the ethical challenges of science and technology innovations. In this paper, we give an account of the most dominant styles of the past 30 years, particularly in Europe, seeking to show their specific merits and problems. We focus on three styles of governance: a technocratic style, an applied ethics style, and a public participation style. We discuss their merits and deficits, and use this analysis to assess the potential of the recently established governance approach of 'Responsible Research and Innovation' (RRI). Based on this analysis, we reflect on the current shaping of RRI in terms of 'doing governance'.

Rapid multispectral cw multiplexing technique for photon migration measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siegel, Andrew M.; Boas, David A.

2001-06-01

A discussion of photon migration will introduce both some fundamental limitations and practical concerns which directly affect the design and construction of DOT instrumentation. The utility of four different multiplexing schemes will be discussed and then contrasted in light of these concerns. The relative merits of each scheme will be used to determine which measurements they are best suited for, given some of the realistic technical, legal, and practical issues common to the medical research community. Within this context, the unique advantages offered by a variant of time-division multiplexing; Pulse-TDM, will be introduced and explained.

Multiple Chronic Conditions and Healthcare Costs among Adults

PubMed Central

Sambamoorthi, Usha; Tan, Xi; Deb, Arijita

2015-01-01

The prevalence of multiple chronic conditions (MCC) is increasing among individuals of all ages. MCC are associated with poor health outcomes. The presence of MCC has profound healthcare utilization and cost implications for public and private insurance payers, individuals, and families. Investigators have used a variety of definitions for MCC to evaluate costs associated with MCC. The objective of this article is to examine the current literature in estimating excess costs associated with MCC among adults. The discussion highlights some of the theoretical and technical merits of various MCC definitions and models used to estimate the excess costs associated with MCC. PMID:26400220

Injector Beam Dynamics for a High-Repetition Rate 4th-Generation Light Source

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

Papadopoulos, C. F.; Corlett, J.; Emma, P.

2013-05-20

We report on the beam dynamics studies and optimization methods for a high repetition rate (1 MHz) photoinjector based on a VHF normal conducting electron source. The simultaneous goals of beamcompression and reservation of 6-dimensional beam brightness have to be achieved in the injector, in order to accommodate a linac driven FEL light source. For this, a parallel, multiobjective optimization algorithm is used. We discuss the relative merits of different injector design points, as well as the constraints imposed on the beam dynamics by technical considerations such as the high repetition rate.

Review—Multifunctional Materials for Enhanced Li-Ion Batteries Durability: A Brief Review of Practical Options

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

Banerjee, Anjan; Shilina, Yuliya; Ziv, Baruch

Transition metal (TM) ions dissolution from positive electrodes, migration to and deposition on negative electrodes, followed by Mn-catalyzed reactions of solvents and anions, with loss of Li+ ions, is a major degradation (DMDCR) mechanism in Li-ion batteries (LIBs) with spinel positive electrode materials. While the details of the DMDCR mechanism are still under debate, it is clear that HF and other acid species’ attack is the main cause in solutions with LiPF6 electrolyte. We first review the work on various mitigation measures for the DMDCR mechanism, now spanning more than two decades. We then discuss recent progress on our understandingmore » of Mn species in electrolyte solutions and the extension of a mitigation measure first proposed by Tarascon and coworkers in 1999, namely chelation of TM cations, to Mn cation trapping, HF scavenging, and alkali metal ions dispensing multi-functional materials. We focus on practicable, drop-in technical solutions, based on placing such materials in the inter-electrode space, with significant benefits for LIBs performance: increased capacity retention during operation at room and above-ambient temperatures as well as robust (both maximally ionically conducting and electronically insulating) solid-electrolyte interfaces, having reduced charge transfer and film resistances at both negative and positive electrodes. We illustrate the multifunctional materials approach with both new and previously published data. We also discuss and offer our evaluation regarding the merits and drawbacks of the various mitigation measures, with an eye for practically relevant technical solutions capable to meet both the performance requirements and cost constraints for commercial LIBs, and end with recommendations for future work.« less

Core ITAC for Career-Focused Education. Integrated Technical & Academic Competencies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohio State Univ., Columbus. Vocational Instructional Materials Lab.

This document introduces the underlying principles and components of Ohio's Integrated Technical and Academic Competencies (ITAC) system of career-focused education, which combines high-level academics and technical skills with a real-life context for learning that maximizes students' present and future academic and career success. The document…

Reforming EIA systems: A critical review of proposals in Brazil

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

Fonseca, Alberto, E-mail: albertof@em.ufop.br; Sánchez, Luis Enrique; Ribeiro, José Claudio Junqueira

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) systems are under pressure in many countries, driven by a call for efficiency and streamlining. Such a phenomenon is particularly clear in Brazil, where, in the past few years, a number of influential associations put forward documents proposing significant changes to environmental licensing and impact assessment regulations. So far, there is no publicly available information about any initiative towards scrutinizing those proposals. The objective of this study was to critically review the merits and drawbacks of the changes proposed in those documents. The analysis triangulated content analysis, focus group and online survey data. The focus groupmore » included ten seasoned Brazilian EIA specialists; the survey, based on Likert-scale and open-ended questions, resulted in 322 valid responses from EIA professionals. Results show that the proposals generally agree that the current EIA system, while playing a key role in mitigating impacts and enhancing project design, needs many changes. Nonetheless, the proposals neither offered solutions to overcome political, technical and budget barriers, nor established a sense of priority of the most urgent issues. Findings from the focus group and the survey signaled that a number of proposed actions might face public outcry, and that those changes that do not depend on legislative action are more likely to be implementable. Previous studies about EIA reform focused mostly on the context of developed countries after changes had taken place. This study, while addressing the perspective of a large developing country in a “before-reform” stage, shows that capacity-building is a key requirement in EIA reform. - Highlights: • Brazil's EIA system is under strong pressure for change. • Findings corroborate ineffectiveness in current system. • There are tensions as to the best approaches to overcome problems. • Exact effects of proposals are uncertain. • Low institutional capacity can play strong role in driving EIA reform.« less

High-Minded Utilitarian Public Relations Students Dance to Two Drummers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Ni; Culbertson, Hugh M.

2018-01-01

Many critics view "deontology" (focusing largely on the merits of an action itself) and "utilitarianism" (evaluation of an action based on its projected consequences) as rival approaches to ethical decision making. This survey of public relations students at three universities in the United States and one each in Hong Kong and…

Improving Introductory Astronomy Education in American Colleges and Universities: A Review of Recent Progress

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waller, William H.; Slater, Timothy F.

2011-01-01

Over the past 15 years, professional astronomers, their societies, and associated funding agencies have collaborated to improve astronomy teaching and learning at the introductory undergraduate level. Many nonscience majors and preservice teachers enroll in these introductory astronomy courses, thus meriting the focused attention. In this review…

Some Reflections on Problem Posing: A Conversation with Marion Walter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baxter, Juliet A.

2005-01-01

Marion Walter, an internationally acclaimed mathematics educator discusses about problem posing, focusing on both the merits of problem posing and techniques to encourage problem posing. She believes that playful attitude toward problem variables is an essential part of an inquiring mind and the more opportunities that learners have, to change a…

Restoration ecology: A new forest management paradigm, or another merit badge for foresters?

Treesearch

Michael R. Wagner; William M. Block; Brian W. Geils; Karl F Wenger

2000-01-01

Focusing on the Southwest but raising questions that are more broadly applicable, we compare ecological restoration with conventional management regimes -- multiple-use management, ecosystem management, and managing for specific resourse objectives. That restoration assumes a holistic prespective and active intervention does not distinguish it from other approaches to...

Is Outdoor Education a Discipline? Provocations and Possibilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyment, Janet E.; Potter, Tom G.

2015-01-01

Outdoor education is often undervalued. As such, we believe there is merit in critiquing the field and focusing more attention on its value and importance. This paper seeks to offer a critical exploration of "if" and "how" outdoor education is a discipline. The paper begins with a brief overview of the literature that seeks to…

Strategic Planning Evaluation of Creating a New Professional Association

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arendale, David; Barrow, Hilda; Carpenter, Kathy; Hodges, Russ; McGrath, Jane; Newell, Pat; Norton, Jan

2007-01-01

Creating a new professional association to more effectively serve both current and potential new members has been the focus of the College Reading and Learning Association/National Association for Developmental (CRLA/NADE) Working Group. The group considered not only the issue of effectiveness, but also the merits of expanding the mission and…

Credentials versus Performance: Review of the Teacher Performance Pay Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Podgursky, Michael; Springer, Matthew G.

2007-01-01

In this article we examine the economic case for merit or performance-based pay for K-12 teachers. We review several areas of germane research. The direct evaluation literature on these incentive plans is slender; highly diverse in terms of methodology, targeted populations, and programs evaluated; and primarily focused on short-run motivational…

Assessing the Merits of International Service-Learning in Developing Professionalism in Mass Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Motley, Phillip; Sturgill, Amanda

2013-01-01

This project assessed how an international service-learning course affected mass communication students' knowledge of professionalism. Using written reflections and focus group transcripts from four courses that took place in Central America, we observed that placing students in immersive environments, where they are able to work on authentic…

VASSAR: Value assessment of system architectures using rules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selva, D.; Crawley, E. F.

A key step of the mission development process is the selection of a system architecture, i.e., the layout of the major high-level system design decisions. This step typically involves the identification of a set of candidate architectures and a cost-benefit analysis to compare them. Computational tools have been used in the past to bring rigor and consistency into this process. These tools can automatically generate architectures by enumerating different combinations of decisions and options. They can also evaluate these architectures by applying cost models and simplified performance models. Current performance models are purely quantitative tools that are best fit for the evaluation of the technical performance of mission design. However, assessing the relative merit of a system architecture is a much more holistic task than evaluating performance of a mission design. Indeed, the merit of a system architecture comes from satisfying a variety of stakeholder needs, some of which are easy to quantify, and some of which are harder to quantify (e.g., elegance, scientific value, political robustness, flexibility). Moreover, assessing the merit of a system architecture at these very early stages of design often requires dealing with a mix of: a) quantitative and semi-qualitative data; objective and subjective information. Current computational tools are poorly suited for these purposes. In this paper, we propose a general methodology that can used to assess the relative merit of several candidate system architectures under the presence of objective, subjective, quantitative, and qualitative stakeholder needs. The methodology called VASSAR (Value ASsessment for System Architectures using Rules). The major underlying assumption of the VASSAR methodology is that the merit of a system architecture can assessed by comparing the capabilities of the architecture with the stakeholder requirements. Hence for example, a candidate architecture that fully satisfies all critical sta- eholder requirements is a good architecture. The assessment process is thus fundamentally seen as a pattern matching process where capabilities match requirements, which motivates the use of rule-based expert systems (RBES). This paper describes the VASSAR methodology and shows how it can be applied to a large complex space system, namely an Earth observation satellite system. Companion papers show its applicability to the NASA space communications and navigation program and the joint NOAA-DoD NPOESS program.

Exploring the cost and value of private versus shared bedrooms in nursing homes.

PubMed

Calkins, Margaret; Cassella, Christine

2007-04-01

There is debate about the relative merits and costs of private versus shared bedrooms in nursing homes, particularly in light of the current efforts at creating both cost-efficient and person-centered care facilities. The purpose of this project was to explore the extent to which there is evidence-based information that supports the merits of three different bedroom configurations: traditional shared, enhanced shared, and private. We developed a framework of four broad domains that were related to the different bedroom configurations: psychosocial, clinical, operational, and construction or building factors. Within each dimension, we identified individual factors through the literature, interviews, and focus groups, with the goal of determining the breadth, depth, and quality of evidence supporting the benefits of one configuration over another. The vast majority of factors identified in this study, regardless of whether there was solid empirical data, information from the focus groups, or other anecdotal evidence, indicated better outcomes associated with private rooms over shared rooms in nursing homes. Cost estimates suggest that construction cost (plus debt service) differences range from roughly $20,506 per bed for a traditional shared room to $36,515 for a private one, and that such differences are recouped in less than 2 years if beds are occupied, and in less than 3 months if a shared bed remains unoccupied at average private-pay room costs. Despite limited empirical evidence in some areas, this project provides the foundation for an evidence-based life-cycle costing perspective regarding the relative merits of different bedroom configurations.

Direct application of geothermal energy at the L'eggs Product Plant, Las Cruces, New Mexico. Final report

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

Not Available

1981-02-01

The study program to determine the feasibility of interfacing a potential geothermal resource of Dona Ana County, New Mexico L'eggs Product industrial process is discussed in this final report. Five separate sites were evaluated initially as to geothermal potential and technical feasibility. Preliminary analysis revealed that three sites were considered normal, but that two sites (about three miles from the L'eggs Plant) had very high shallow subsurface temperature gradients (up to 14.85/sup 0/F/100 ft). An initial engineering analysis showed that to meet the L'eggs plant temperature and energy requirements a geothermal fluid temperature of about 250/sup 0/F and 200 gpmmore » flow rate would be necessary. A brief economic comparison indicated that the L'eggs plant site and a geothermal site approximately four miles from the plant did merit further investigation. Detailed engineering and economic design and analysis of these two sites (including the drilling of an 1873 feet deep temperature gradient test hole at the L'eggs Plant) showed that development of the four mile distant site was technically feasible and was the more economic option. It was determined that a single-stage flash system interface design would be most appropriate for the L'eggs Plant. Approximately 39 billion Btu/yr of fossil fuel could be replaced with geothermal energy at the L'eggs facility for a total installed system cost of slightly over $2 million. The projected economic payback period was calculated to be 9.2 years before taxes. This payback was not considered acceptable by L'eggs Products, Inc., to merit additional design or construction work at this time.« less

Water Recovery from Brines to Further Close the Water Recovery Loop in Human Spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, W. Andrew; Barta, Daniel J.; Anderson, Molly S.; Lange, Kevin E.; Hanford, Anthony J.; Shull, Sarah A.; Carter, D. Layne

2014-01-01

Further closure of water recovery systems will be necessary for future long duration human exploration missions. NASA's Space Technology Roadmap for Human Health, Life Support and Habitation Systems specified a milestone to advance water management technologies during the 2015 to 2019 timeframe to achieve 98% H2O recovery from a mixed wastewater stream containing condensate, urine, hygiene, laundry, and water derived from waste. This goal can only be achieved by either reducing the amount of brines produced by a water recovery system or by recovering water from wastewater brines. NASA convened a Technical Interchange Meeting (TIM) on the topic of Water Recovery from Brines (WRB) that was held on January14-15th, 2014 at Johnson Space Center. Objectives of the TIM were to review systems and architectures that are sources of brines and the composition of brines they produce, review the state of the art in NASA technology development and perspectives from other industries, capture the challenges and difficulties in developing brine processing hardware, identify key figures of merit and requirements to focus technology development and evaluate candidate technologies, and identify other critical issues including microgravity sensitivity, and concepts of operation, safety. This paper represents an initial summary of findings from the workshop.

Green survivability in Fiber-Wireless (FiWi) broadband access network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yejun; Guo, Lei; Gong, Bo; Ma, Rui; Gong, Xiaoxue; Zhang, Lincong; Yang, Jiangzi

2012-03-01

Fiber-Wireless (FiWi) broadband access network is a promising "last mile" access technology, because it integrates wireless and optical access technologies in terms of their respective merits, such as high capacity and stable transmission from optical access technology, and easy deployment and flexibility from wireless access technology. Since FiWi is expected to carry a large amount of traffic, numerous traffic flows may be interrupted by the failure of network components. Thus, survivability in FiWi is a key issue aiming at reliable and robust service. However, the redundant deployment of backup resource required for survivability usually causes huge energy consumption, which aggravates the global warming and accelerates the incoming of energy crisis. Thus, the energy-saving issue should be considered when it comes to survivability design. In this paper, we focus on the green survivability in FiWi, which is an innovative concept and remains untouched in the previous works to our best knowledge. We first review and discuss some challenging issues about survivability and energy-saving in FiWi, and then we propose some instructive solutions for its green survivability design. Therefore, our work in this paper will provide the technical references and research motivations for the energy-efficient and survivable FiWi development in the future.

Yin and yang, or peas in a pod? Individual-sport versus team-sport athletes and altitude training

PubMed Central

Aughey, Robert J; Buchheit, Martin; Garvican-Lewis, Laura A; Roach, Gregory D; Sargent, Charli; Billaut, François; Varley, Matthew C; Bourdon, Pitre C; Gore, Christopher J

2013-01-01

The question of whether altitude training can enhance subsequent sea-level performance has been well investigated over many decades. However, research on this topic has focused on athletes from individual or endurance sports, with scant number of studies on team-sport athletes. Questions that need to be answered include whether this type of training may enhance team-sport athlete performance, when success in team-sport is often more based on technical and tactical ability rather than physical capacity per se. This review will contrast and compare athletes from two sports representative of endurance (cycling) and team-sports (soccer). Specifically, we draw on the respective competition schedules, physiological capacities, activity profiles and energetics of each sport to compare the similarities between athletes from these sports and discuss the relative merits of altitude training for these athletes. The application of conventional live-high, train-high; live-high, train-low; and intermittent hypoxic training for team-sport athletes in the context of the above will be presented. When the above points are considered, we will conclude that dependent on resources and training objectives, altitude training can be seen as an attractive proposition to enhance the physical performance of team-sport athletes without the need for an obvious increase in training load. PMID:24255910

Implications for Focusing Research in Career and Technical Education and Workforce Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lambeth, Jeanea M.; Joerger, Richard M.; Elliot, Jack

2009-01-01

Education and educational research is shaped by philosophy, psychology, practice, and ever changing educational policies. Previous studies have expressed a need for a relevant and focused research agenda for career and technical education (CTE), workforce development education and career and technical education. A need for a relevant and timely…

76 FR 52955 - Medicare Program; Meeting of the Technical Advisory Panel on Medicare Trustee Reports

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-24

... Panel's discussion is expected to be very technical in nature and will focus on the actuarial and... discussion is expected to focus on highly technical aspects of estimation involving economics and actuarial science. Panelists are not restricted, however, in the topics that they choose to discuss. Procedure and...

76 FR 58514 - Medicare Program; Meeting of the Technical Advisory Panel on Medicare Trustee Reports

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-21

... to be very technical in nature and will focus on the actuarial and economic assumptions and methods... discussion is expected to focus on highly technical aspects of estimation involving economics and actuarial science. Panelists are not restricted, however, in the topics that they choose to discuss. Procedure and...

The Merit of Merit: Notes on the Arguments for and Against Merit Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fassiotto, Michael E.

The types of merit pay increments and arguments for and against merit increments are reviewed, along with important variables a college should address when considering merit increments. The least common system at colleges and universities today is that of determining the entire faculty salary on the basis of merit. Most common at the university…

Do no harm: is it time to rethink the Hippocratic Oath?

PubMed

Walton, Merrilyn; Kerridge, Ian

2014-01-01

The 1964 revision of the Hippocratic Oath addressed the disconnection in language and context between the classical doctrine and 20th century medicine. Now, 50 years later, we argue that any revision of the Oath must be responsive to the significant social, technical and political changes that have occurred in health care. This paper examines the ways in which health care and the health professions have changed over the last half-century and describes a range of environmental and contextual features that expose the inadequacies of the 1964 Oath in the worlds of today and the future. We note the constancy of the doctor-patient dyad in contemporary ethical codes and consider from the perspective of patient safety those aspects of care that might fall short of the optimum if the focus on the doctor is retained. We ask whether there is any merit in maintaining a focus on the ethics or professionalism of doctors, or whether more of our attention should be directed towards the ethics of health care itself. Patient safety is widely acknowledged as a major health issue. Being open about the interdependency of doctors, the complex socio-political nature of health care, and the inevitability of errors and adverse events need not challenge the authority of the doctor. Rather, openness about both the ways in which medicine has changed and the harms that doctors may (inadvertently) cause might afford medicine the opportunity to build a different relationship with patients (and with society more broadly), that recognises complexity, human fallibility and the uncertainty of medicine. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

About an Extreme Achievable Current in Plasma Focus Installation of Mather Type

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

Nikulin, V. Ya.; Polukhin, S. N.; Vikhrev, V. V.

A computer simulation and analytical analysis of the discharge process in Plasma Focus has shown that there is an upper limit to the current which can be achieved in Plasma Focus installation of Mather type by only increasing the capacity of the condenser bank. The maximum current achieved for various plasma focus installations of 1 MJ level is discussed. For example, for the PF-1000 (IFPiLM) and 1 MJ Frascati PF, the maximum current is near 2 MA. Thus, the commonly used method of increasing the energy of the PF installation by increasing of the capacity has no merit. Alternative optionsmore » in order to increase the current are discussed.« less

How Effective Are Self- and Peer Assessment of Oral Presentation Skills Compared with Teachers' Assessments?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Grez, Luc; Valcke, Martin; Roozen, Irene

2012-01-01

Assessment of oral presentation skills is an underexplored area. The study described here focuses on the agreement between professional assessment and self- and peer assessment of oral presentation skills and explores student perceptions about peer assessment. The study has the merit of paying attention to the inter-rater reliability of the…

General Astrophysics and Comparative Planetology with the Terrestrial Planet Finder Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuchner, Marc J. (Editor)

2005-01-01

This document discusses the potential of the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) for general astrophysics beyond its base mission, focusing on science obtainable with no or minimal modifications to the mission design, but also exploring possible modifications of TPF with high scientific merit and no impact on the basic search for extrasolar Earth analogs.

Interviewer Gender Effect on Acquiescent Response Style in 11 Asian Countries and Societies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Mingnan; Wang, Yichen

2016-01-01

Although there is a large body of literature on interviewer gender effect, there are still two areas that merit further research. First, very limited attention has been paid to non-Western settings. Second, previous research has focused on responses to a limited number of survey questions and ignored other broader response behaviors. In this…

Reduction in Force. An Analysis of the Policies and their Implementation. Topical Paper No. 48.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lombardi, John

Reduction in force (RIF) policies in community colleges are analyzed. The analysis focuses on the following topics: Regulations on Academic Freedom and Tenure (Gillis, 1971); RIF and Merit; Number of Colleges Involved in RIF; Strategies for Obviating RIF; Need for Carefully Prepared Policies and Procedures; RIF Policies; Faculty Participation;…

Facts Are More Important than Novelty: Replication in the Education Sciences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Makel, Matthew C.; Plucker, Jonathan A.

2014-01-01

Despite increased attention to methodological rigor in education research, the field has focused heavily on experimental design and not on the merit of replicating important results. The present study analyzed the complete publication history of the current top 100 education journals ranked by 5-year impact factor and found that only 0.13% of…

The Uses of Equality in an Elite School in India: Enterprise and Merit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sriprakash, Arathi; Qi, Jing; Singh, Michael

2017-01-01

This article examines the different uses of equality in one elite international school in India. We focus on how conceptions of equality can be enrolled into particular scripts of benevolence and gifting through which elite distinctions are constituted and enacted. Our analysis of interviews with students, teachers and parents in the school…

The Application of Promising Counseling Approaches in Various Educational Settings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bingham, Ronald D.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the need for aggressive innovation and to focus upon selected counseling approaches which appear to the author to have merit in meeting clients' needs. The need for different or innovative counseling is evident when one considers such problem areas as low achievement, the dropout rate, and increasing…

Maintenance Model of Integrated Psychosocial Treatment in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder: A Pilot Feasibility Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, Amy E.; Henry, David B.; Pavuluri, Mani N.

2007-01-01

Objective: The chronic and refractory course of pediatric bipolar disorder merits the study of adjunctive psychosocial interventions designed to facilitate long-term improvements. The objective of this study is to conduct a pilot study of a maintenance model of the child- and family-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy program (CFF-CBT), which…

Thermoelectric and Structural Properties of Zr-/Hf-Based Half-Heusler Compounds Produced at a Large Scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zillmann, D.; Waag, A.; Peiner, E.; Feyand, M.-H.; Wolyniec, A.

2018-02-01

The half-Heusler (HH) systems are promising candidates for thermoelectric (TE) applications since they have shown high figures of merit ( zT) of ˜ 1, which are directly related to the energy conversion efficiency. To use HH compounds for TE devices, the materials must be phase-stable at operating temperatures up to 600°C. Currently, only a few HH compositions are available in large quantities. Hence, we focus on the TE and structural properties of three commercially available Zr-/Hf-based HH compounds in this publication. In particular, we evaluate the thermal conductivities and the figures of merit and critically discuss uncertainties and propagation error in the measurements. We find thermal conductivities of less than 6.0 W K^{-1}m^{-1} for all investigated materials and notably high figures of merit of 0.93 and 0.60 for n- and p-type compounds, respectively, at 600°C. Additionally, our investigations reveal that the grain structures of all materials also contain secondary phases like HfO2, Sn-Ni and Ti-Zr-Sn rich phases while an additional SnO_2 phase was found following several hours of harsh heat treatment at 800°C.

Due diligence responsibilities of the professional geologist

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

Hobbs, G.W.

1991-03-01

Whether in the role of independent consultant or company employee, a geologist has certain professional obligations in the evaluation of an oil and gas submittal from a third party. 'Due diligence' is the term used to describe the analysis of an investment opportunity. Due diligence involves a multidisciplinary examination of both the technical and business aspects of a submittal. In addition to the obvious geological considerations, prospect evaluations should include relevant details about the specific technical documentation reviewed, information sources, and how the data were verified. Full disclosure of ownership, technical risks, and negative aspects of the prospect should bemore » included along with the positive elements. After the geological analysis is completed, the economic merits of the prospect should be analyzed, incorporating all lease burdens and terms of participation into the calculations. Estimated exploration, development, and operating costs, together with projected annual production, cash flow, and reserves must be examined as to their reasonableness. Finally, the due diligence review should include a thorough check on the reputation, financial condition, technical and managerial expertise, and prior track record of the operator. Bank, trade, legal, and prior partner references should be contacted. The successful professional geologist in today's competitive world must have multidisciplinary skills. A solid background in geology and geophysics, a basic understanding of the principles of petroleum engineering and economics, and the wits of a private eye are needed for good due diligence work.« less

Deep drilling continues, though records don't show it

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

Not Available

1989-02-01

This article discusses how, although current prices may not appear to merit the expense of drilling for deep gas today, operators are looking beyond the immediate future. Faith in the future of deep gas drillers onward. Current prices may not justify it, but there is still a great deal of interest in the really deep plays. Technically, there was only one drilling record in 1988. The E.L. Spence Trust 1, in Missouri's Reelfoot Rift region of the Mississippi embayment, was drilled to the Lamotte formation at 10,089 ft. This well surpassed the old record of 4,906 ft set back inmore » 1966.« less

Automated Array Assembly, Phase 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daiello, R. V.

1978-01-01

The purpose of the overall program is to establish technological readiness and provide verification for the elements of a manufacturing sequence which would ultimately be suitable for the large-scale production of silicon solar-array modules at a selling price of less than $500/kW. A program and process plan for accomplishing this objective was developed and put into operation. Three junction-formation processes are shown; since cost analysis shows that they do not differ greatly in cost, each should be considered for technical merits and possible future cost reduction. The progress made in the various process steps of the plan is described, and conclusions are presented.

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

PubMed

Djordjevic, Bojana; Broaddus, Russell R

2016-06-01

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

2013 Geothermal Technologies Office Peer Review Report

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

Geothermal Technologies Office

Geothermal Technologies Office conducted its annual program peer review in April of 2013. The review provided an independent, expert evaluation of the technical progress and merit of GTO-funded projects. Further, the review was a forum for feedback and recommendations on future GTO strategic planning. During the course of the peer review, DOE-funded projects were evaluated for 1) their contribution to the mission and goals of the GTO and 2) their progress against stated project objectives. Principal Investigators (PIs) came together in sessions organized by topic “tracks” to disseminate information, progress, and results to a panel of independent experts as wellmore » as attendees.« less

Java and its future in biomedical computing.

PubMed Central

Rodgers, R P

1996-01-01

Java, a new object-oriented computing language related to C++, is receiving considerable attention due to its use in creating network-sharable, platform-independent software modules (known as "applets") that can be used with the World Wide Web. The Web has rapidly become the most commonly used information-retrieval tool associated with the global computer network known as the Internet, and Java has the potential to further accelerate the Web's application to medical problems. Java's potentially wide acceptance due to its Web association and its own technical merits also suggests that it may become a popular language for non-Web-based, object-oriented computing. PMID:8880677

Using the TOEFL to measure the reading proficiency levels of deaf college applicants.

PubMed

LoMaglio, L J

1991-07-01

The TOEFL is widely used by colleges and universities in the United States and Canada to measure the English language proficiency levels of hearing international applicants. At the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, a faculty committee recommended that this popular test instrument be used to measure the English reading skills of deaf international applicants to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. This study examined the merits of using the TOEFL to measure the English reading ability of hearing post-secondary international students seeking admission to English-based colleges and universities. Forty-one hearing foreign students were tested in the fall of 1989 at the English Language Institute at SUNY Buffalo. The instruments chosen were both the TOEFL and the California Achievement Test of reading ability. The majority of the research subjects who scored between 400 and 500 on the TOEFL achieved a grade level of less than 8.0 on the California Achievement Test.

LOW NOx EMISSIONS IN A FUEL FLEXIBLE GAS TURBINE

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

Raymond Drnevich; James Meagher; Vasilis Papavassiliou

2004-08-01

In alignment with Vision 21 goals, a study is presented here on the technical and economic potential for developing a gas turbine combustor that is capable of generating less that 2 ppm NOx emissions, firing on either coal synthesis gas or natural gas, and being implemented on new and existing systems. The proposed solution involves controlling the quantity of H2 contained in the fuel. The presence of H2 leads to increased flame stability such that the combustor can be operated at lower temperatures and produce less thermal NOx. Coal gas composition would be modified using a water gas shift converter,more » and natural gas units would implement a catalytic partial oxidation (CPOX) reactor to convert part of the natural gas feed to a syngas before fed back into the combustor. While both systems demonstrated technical merit, the economics involved in implementing such a system are marginal at best. Therefore, Praxair has decided not to pursue the technology any further at this time.« less

Meningitis and Climate: From Science to Practice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perez Garcia-Pando, Carlos; Thomson, Madeleine C.; Stanton, Michelle C.; Diggle, Peter J.; Hopson, Thomas; Pandya, Rajul; Miller, Ron L.; Hugonnet, Stephane

2014-01-01

Meningococcal meningitis is a climate sensitive infectious disease. The regional extent of the Meningitis Belt in Africa, where the majority of epidemics occur, was originally defined by Lapeysonnie in the 1960s. A combination of climatic and environmental conditions and biological and social factors have been associated to the spatial and temporal patterns of epidemics observed since the disease first emerged in West Africa over a century ago. However, there is still a lack of knowledge and data that would allow disentangling the relative effects of the diverse risk factors upon epidemics. The Meningitis Environmental Risk Information Technologies Initiative (MERIT), a collaborative research-to-practice consortium, seeks to inform national and regional prevention and control strategies across the African Meningitis Belt through the provision of new data and tools that better determine risk factors. In particular MERIT seeks to consolidate a body of knowledge that provides evidence of the contribution of climatic and environmental factors to seasonal and year-to-year variations in meningococcal meningitis incidence at both district and national scales. Here we review recent research and practice seeking to provide useful information for the epidemic response strategy of National Ministries of Health in the Meningitis Belt of Africa. In particular the research and derived tools described in this paper have focused at "getting science into policy and practice" by engaging with practitioner communities under the umbrella of MERIT to ensure the relevance of their work to operational decision-making. We limit our focus to that of reactive vaccination for meningococcal meningitis. Important but external to our discussion is the development and implementation of the new conjugate vaccine, which specifically targets meningococcus A

Color-quality control using color-difference formulas: progress and problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melgosa, M.; Gómez-Robledo, L.; García, P. A.; Morillas, S.; Fernández-Maloigne, C.; Richard, N.; Huang, M.; Li, C.; Cui, G.

2017-08-01

We report on some recent advances in industrial color-difference evaluation focused in three main fields: Development of reliable experimental visual datasets; proposal of new color spaces and color-difference formulas; tools to evaluate the merits of color-difference formulas. The use of fuzzy techniques to assign consistency degrees to color pairs in combined visual datasets is described. The CIE/ISO joint proposal of the CIEDE2000 color-difference formula as a standard will facilitate the communication among companies and users. The CIE recommendation of the STRESS index to assess observers' variability and relative merits of different color-difference formulas is reported. Power functions are an efficient method to improve the performance of modern color-difference formulas. We need of advanced color-difference formulas accounting for new materials with different kind of textures and gonioapparent effects.

Developing and Testing a New Measurement Instrument for Documenting Instrumental Knowledge Utilisation: The Degrees of Knowledge Utilization (DoKU) Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bøllingtoft Knudsen, Søren

2018-01-01

Focus on evidence-based policymaking is greater than ever, and public spending on evaluations is rising. A primary merit of these expenditures is that politicians actually use new knowledge instrumentally--to influence and inform decision making. Nevertheless, we know surprisingly little about whether and how research-based knowledge is utilised.…

Computer Assisted Instruction: A Review of the Reviews. Research Report 85-01.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stennett, R. G.

This review of the literature on computer assisted instruction (CAI) focuses on the use of CAI with grades K-13, and specifically assesses the relative merits of traditional instruction and CAI in promoting student achievement. Also assessed are the applications of CAI in the area of special education. Three types of reviews are used exclusively:…

Tracking Myself: African American High School Students Talk about the Effects of Curricular Differentiation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanley, Darrius; Chambers, Terah T. Venzant

2018-01-01

Research on the merit of school tracking policies has long been at the center of heated educational debate. Unfortunately, while the trend in studies looking at tracking in schools has continued, the student perspective has been underutilized in much of this previous research. Recently, however, there has been a surge in research that focuses on…

Lessons Learned from Lessons Learned: The Fit between Online Education "Best Practices" and Small School Reality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lovvorn, Al S.; Barth, Michael M.; Morris, R. Franklin, Jr.; Timmerman, John E.

2009-01-01

Schools of all types and sizes are exploring the merits and facets of online learning approaches; but, the online delivery literature has focused on "best practices" generated primarily through the experiences of larger schools that are on the leading edge of this innovation. Small public schools, on the other hand, are faced with unique…

Dangerous Mind Games: Are We Ready to Overhaul the Teaching Profession? Education Outlook. No. 4

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dale, Jack D.

2011-01-01

In today's school reform discussions, the teaching profession is often mistakenly viewed as a singular activity. Evaluating teachers for their performance in the classroom assumes that the focus should be on each individual teacher. Merit pay and performance pay both assume that student achievement is the result of only the individual teacher. But…

77 FR 12831 - City of Wadsworth, Ohio; Notice of Scoping Meeting and Environmental Site Review and Soliciting...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-02

... Commission relating to the merits of an issue that may affect the responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they must also serve a copy of the document on that resource agency. k. The application is not... meeting and one public meeting. The agency scoping meeting will focus on resource agency and non...

EDUCATION: Gates Gives Cambridge a Rival to Rhodes.

PubMed

Cohen, J

2000-10-20

Thanks to a new $210 million trust announced on 11 October by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Cambridge University is launching a new high-visibility scholars' program, which each year will fund at least 225 students from outside the United Kingdom. The university will select Gates Cambridge Scholars based on merit, not need, focusing on academic ability and leadership potential.

Storytelling at Its Best: Using the StartUp Podcast in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teckchandani, Atul; Obstfeld, David

2017-01-01

This article discusses the virtues of using podcasts in the classroom by focusing on the pedagogical merits of one podcast: StartUp. The StartUp podcast provides a compelling first-person account of the entrepreneurial journey, as told by an award-winning radio journalist. Episodes from the podcast can be used to engage students and improve their…

Pre-Service Teachers' Shifting Perceptions of Cross-Curricular Practice: The Impact of School Experience in Mediating Professional Insight

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heywood, David; Parker, Joan; Jolley, Nina

2012-01-01

Contemporary educational debate in curriculum organisation and pedagogy has focused on the merits or otherwise of integrating disciplines for more effective learning. A wide range of terms is used to describe the various traditions associated with the presentation and structure of the curriculum and there are various perspectives on the purposes…

Evolution of Scientific and Technical Information Distribution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Esler, Sandra; Nelson, Michael L.

1998-01-01

World Wide Web (WWW) and related information technologies are transforming the distribution of scientific and technical information (STI). We examine 11 recent, functioning digital libraries focusing on the distribution of STI publications, including journal articles, conference papers, and technical reports. We introduce 4 main categories of digital library projects: based on the architecture (distributed vs. centralized) and the contributor (traditional publisher vs. authoring individual/organization). Many digital library prototypes merely automate existing publishing practices or focus solely on the digitization of the publishing cycle output, not sampling and capturing elements of the input. Still others do not consider for distribution the large body of "gray literature." We address these deficiencies in the current model of STI exchange by suggesting methods for expanding the scope and target of digital libraries by focusing on a greater source of technical publications and using "buckets," an object-oriented construct for grouping logically related information objects, to include holdings other than technical publications.

Learning How (and How Not) to Weld: Vocational Learning in Technical Vocational Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asplund, Stig-Börje; Kilbrink, Nina

2018-01-01

This article focuses on vocational learning in technical vocational education in upper-secondary school, with a special focus on the object of learning to weld. A concrete teaching situation where the learning object to weld is the focus of the interaction between a vocational teacher and an upper-secondary student was documented by a video camera…

On KEK B-Factory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugawara, H.

2009-07-01

There are two principles which the management of a research institute like KEK must respect when dealing with such big project as B-Factory. One is the scientific merit of the project and the other is the organizational consideration which includes financial, human, technical and historical elements. Ideally, the two principles are to be fully taken into account. But, in many cases, one or the other is only partially fulfilled due to unavoidable circumstances. The lack of flexibility to respond to all possible situations is more dangerous and may lead to a disaster as in the case of SSC. I will describe the process which lead to the successful construction, operation and physics presentations of KEK B-Factory following faithfully the official records.

Current Status of Percutaneous Transhepatic Biliary Drainage in Palliation of Malignant Obstructive Jaundice: A Review

PubMed Central

Chandrashekhara, SH; Gamanagatti, S; Singh, Anuradha; Bhatnagar, Sushma

2016-01-01

Malignancies leading to obstructive jaundice present too late to perform surgery with a curative intent. Due to inexorably progressing hyperbilirubinemia with its consequent deleterious effects, drainage needs to established even in advanced cases. Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) are widely used palliative procedures each with its own merits and lacunae. With the current state-of-the-art PTBD technique consequent upon procedural and hardware improvement, it is equaling ERCP regarding technical success and complications. In addition, there is a reduction in immediate procedure-related mortality with proven survival benefit. Nonetheless, it is the only imminent lifesaving procedure in cholangitis and sepsis. PMID:27803558

The Conversion and Sustainable Use of Alumina Refinery Residues: Global Solution Examples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fergusson, Lee

This paper introduces current industry best practice for the conversion of alumina refinery residues (or "red mud") from hazardous waste to benign, inert material. The paper will examine four neutralization methods and Basecon Technology, a sustainable conversion process. The paper will consider ways through which this converted material can be combined and processed for sustainable applications in the treatment of hazardous waste streams (such as industrial wastewater and sludges, biosolids, and CCA wastes), contaminated brownfield sites, and mine site wastes. Recent discoveries and applications, such as the successful treatment of high levels of radium in drinking water in the USA, will also be discussed. Examples of global solutions and their technical merits will be assessed.

TECHNICAL AND MEDICAL ASPECTS OF NUCLAR-POWERED AIRPLANES: THE ROLE OF NUCLEAR POWER IN THE ATMOSPHERE AND IN SPACE (in Swedish)

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

von Ublisch, H.

1961-01-01

An evaluation is given of the merits of potential nuclear propulsion systems for aircraft and rockets as well as of small nuclear power plants for auxiliary use in space exploration. The protection of personnel and passengers against gamma and high-velocity radiation is discussed, and the shielding properties of various materials are analysed. Mobile shielding would be required for airplanes even when landed and the reactor is shut down. No significant pollutton of the atmosphere is expected from leaking reactors, but accidents constitute a real danger. The prospects of realizing the ion motor and the photon motor are speculated upon. (auth)

An advanced pitch change mechanism incorporating a hybrid traction drive

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steinetz, B. M.; Loewenthal, S. H.; Sargisson, D. F.; White, G.

1984-01-01

A design of a propeller pitch control mechanism is described that meets the demanding requirements of a high-power, advanced turboprop. In this application, blade twisting moment torque can be comparable to that of the main reduction gearbox output: precise pitch control, reliability and compactness are all at a premium. A key element in the design is a compact, high-ratio hybrid traction drive which offers low torque ripple and high torsional stiffness. The traction drive couples a high speed electric motor/alternator unit to a ball screw that actuates the blade control links. The technical merits of this arrangement and the performance characteristics of the traction drive are discussed.

Applicability of the control configured design approach to advanced earth orbital transportation systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hepler, A. K.; Zeck, H.; Walker, W. H.; Shafer, D. E.

1978-01-01

The applicability of the control configured design approach (CCV) to advanced earth orbital transportation systems was studied. The baseline system investigated was fully reusable vertical take-off/horizontal landing single-stage-to-orbit vehicle and had mission requirements similar to the space shuttle orbiter. Technical analyses were made to determine aerodynamic, flight control and subsystem design characteristics. Figures of merit were assessed on vehicle dry weight and orbital payload. The results indicated that the major parameters for CCV designs are hypersonic trim, aft center of gravity, and control surface heating. Optimized CCV designs can be controllable and provide substantial payload gains over conventional non-CCV design vertical take-off vehicles.

Interdependent figure-of-merit software development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramohalli, K.; Kirsch, T.

1989-01-01

This program was undertaken in order to understand the complex nature of interdependent performance in space missions. At the first step in a planned sequence of progress, a spread sheet program was developed to evaluate different fuel/oxidizer combinations for a specific Martian mission. This program is to be linked with output attained using sophisticated software produced by Gordon and McBride. The programming to date makes use of 11 independent parameters. Optimization is essential when faced with the incredible magnitude of costs, risks, and benefits involved with space exploration. A system of weights needs to be devised on which to measure the options. It was the goal to devise a Figure of Merit (FoM) on which different choices can be presented and made. The plan was to model typical missions to Mars, identify the parameters, and vary them until the best one is found. Initially, most of the focus was placed on propellant selection.

Evaluation of homogeneous electrocatalysts by cyclic voltammetry.

PubMed

Rountree, Eric S; McCarthy, Brian D; Eisenhart, Thomas T; Dempsey, Jillian L

2014-10-06

The pursuit of solar fuels has motivated extensive research on molecular electrocatalysts capable of evolving hydrogen from protic solutions, reducing CO2, and oxidizing water. Determining accurate figures of merit for these catalysts requires the careful and appropriate application of electroanalytical techniques. This Viewpoint first briefly presents the fundamentals of cyclic voltammetry and highlights practical experimental considerations before focusing on the application of cyclic voltammetry for the characterization of electrocatalysts. Key metrics for comparing catalysts, including the overpotential (η), potential for catalysis (E(cat)), observed rate constant (k(obs)), and potential-dependent turnover frequency, are discussed. The cyclic voltammetric responses for a general electrocatalytic one-electron reduction of a substrate are presented along with methods to extract figures of merit from these data. The extension of this analysis to more complex electrocatalytic schemes, such as those responsible for H2 evolution and CO2 reduction, is then discussed.

When Is Homework Worth the Time?: Evaluating the Association between Homework and Achievement in High School Science and Math

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maltese, Adam V.; Tai, Robert H.; Fan, Xitao

2012-01-01

Even with the history of debate over the merits of homework, there are significant gaps in the research record regarding its benefit to students. The focus of this study is on the association between time spent on homework and academic performance in science and math by assessing survey and transcript data from two nationally representative…

Effectiveness of California Higher Education Legislation (Senate Bill 1644) and National Implications of Higher Education as a Right or Privilege

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quinto, John E.; Hauser, Linda

2014-01-01

California legislature made a policy change with Senate Bill (SB) 1644 (2000), shifting Cal Grant Programs to focus on entitlement; counter to the national trend of merit based grant programs. This article describes a study examining effectiveness and extent to which SB 1644 is meeting its legislative objectives: increase in higher education…

Teacher Incentive Pay and Educational Outcomes: Evidence from the NYC Bonus Program. Program on Education Policy and Governance Working Papers Series. PEPG 10-07

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodman, Sarena; Turner, Lesley

2010-01-01

Teacher compensation schemes are often criticized for lacking a performance-based component. Proponents of merit pay argue that linking teacher salaries to student achievement will incentivize teachers to focus on raising student achievement and stimulate innovation across the school system as a whole. In this paper, we utilize a policy experiment…

Interpreting Degenerate Solutions in Unfolding by Use of the Vector Model and the Compensatory Distance Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Deun, K.; Groenen, P. J. F.; Heiser, W. J.; Busing, F. M. T. A.; Delbeke, L.

2005-01-01

In this paper, we reconsider the merits of unfolding solutions based on loss functions involving a normalization on the variance per subject. In the literature, solutions based on Stress-2 are often diagnosed to be degenerate in the majority of cases. Here, the focus lies on two frequently occurring types of degeneracies. The first type typically…

Faith, Education, and Choice: A Study of the Educational Choices of Catholic Parents in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, N.Y

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bott, Christopher Bruce

2017-01-01

School choice is a research topic that is often associated with public funds supporting educational alternatives. While much of the school choice research literature focuses on this category, additional types of school choice merit examination. This study examines how Catholic parents chose high schools for their children within the geographic…

Output Control Using Feedforward And Cascade Controllers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seraji, Homayoun

1990-01-01

Report presents theoretical study of open-loop control elements in single-input, single-output linear system. Focus on output-control (servomechanism) problem, in which objective is to find control scheme that causes output to track certain command inputs and to reject certain disturbance inputs in steady state. Report closes with brief discussion of characteristics and relative merits of feedforward, cascade, and feedback controllers and combinations thereof.

Reliability and safety of the electrical power supply complex of the Hanford production reactors

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

Robbins, F.D.

Safety has been and must continue to be the inviolable modulus by which the operation of a nuclear reactor must be judged. A malfunction in any reactor may well result in a release of fission products which may dissipate over a wide geographical area. Such dissipation may place the health, happiness and even the lives of the people in the region in serious jeopardy. As a result, the property damage and liability cost may reach astronomical values in the order of magnitude of billions of dollars. Reliability of the electrical network is an indispensable factor in attaining a high ordermore » of safety assurance. Progress in the peaceful use of atomic energy may take the form of electrical power generation using the nuclear reactor as a source of thermal energy. In view of these factors it seems appropriate and profitable that a critical engineering study be made of the safety and reliability of the Hanford reactors without regard to cost economics. This individual and independent technical engineering analysis was made without regard to Hanford traditional engineering and administration assignments. The main objective has been to focus attention on areas which seem to merit further detailed study on conditions which seem to need adjustment but most of all on those changes which will improve reactor safety. This report is the result of such a study.« less

Social Support and HIV-related Risk Behaviors: A Systematic Review of the Global Literature

PubMed Central

Li, Xiaoming; Stanton, Bonita

2013-01-01

Existing empirical evidence has well documented the role of social support in both physical and psychological well-being among various populations. In the context of HIV prevention, the rapid increase of studies on social support merits a systematic review to synthesize the current global literature on association between social support and HIV-related risk behaviors. The current review reveals a complex picture of this relationship across diverse populations. Existing studies indicate that higher levels of social support are related to fewer HIV-related risk behaviors among female sex workers and people living with HIV/AIDS and heterosexual adults in general. However, influences of social support on HIV-related risk behaviors are inconsistent within drug users, men who have sex with men and adolescents. These variations in findings may be attributed to different measurement of social support in different studies, specific context of social support for diverse population, or various characteristics of the social networks the study population obtained support from. Future studies are needed to explore the mechanism of how social support affects HIV-related risk behaviors. HIV prevention intervention efforts need to focus on the positive effect of social support for various vulnerable and at-risk populations. Future efforts also need to incorporate necessary structure change and utilize technical innovation in order to maximize the protective role of social support in HIV risk prevention or reduction. PMID:23921582

Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate Integrated Systems Research Program (ISRP) and UAS Integration in the NAS Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolfe, Jean

2010-01-01

Program Goal: Conduct research at an integrated system-level on promising concepts and technologies and explore, assess, or demonstrate the benefits in a relevant environment.Criteria for selection of projects for Integrated Systems Research: a) Technology has attained enough maturity in the foundational research program that they merit more in-depth evaluation at an integrated system level in a relevant environment. b) Technologies which systems analysis indicates have the most potential for contributing to the simultaneous attainment of goals. c) Technologies identified through stakeholder input as having potential for simultaneous attainment of goals. d) Research not being done by other government agencies and appropriate for NASA to conduct. e) Budget augmentation. Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) Project Explore and assess new vehicle concepts and enabling technologies through system-level experimentation to simultaneously reduce fuel burn, noise, and emissions Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration in the National Airspace System (NAS) Project Contribute capabilities that reduce technical barriers related to the safety and operational challenges associated with enabling routine UAS access to the NAS Innovative Concepts for Green Aviation (ICGA) Project Spur innovation by offering research opportunities to the broader aeronautics community through peer-reviewed proposals, with a focus on making aviation more eco-friendly. Establish incentive prizes similar to the Centennial Challenges and sponsor innovation demonstrations of selected technologies that show promise of reducing aviation s impact on the environment

Semiclassical limit of the focusing NLS: Whitham equations and the Riemann-Hilbert Problem approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tovbis, Alexander; El, Gennady A.

2016-10-01

The main goal of this paper is to put together: a) the Whitham theory applicable to slowly modulated N-phase nonlinear wave solutions to the focusing nonlinear Schrödinger (fNLS) equation, and b) the Riemann-Hilbert Problem approach to particular solutions of the fNLS in the semiclassical (small dispersion) limit that develop slowly modulated N-phase nonlinear wave in the process of evolution. Both approaches have their own merits and limitations. Understanding of the interrelations between them could prove beneficial for a broad range of problems involving the semiclassical fNLS.

Merit Pay for Teachers. The Best of ERIC on Educational Management, Number 74.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management, Eugene, OR.

Included in this annotated bibliography of 11 publications on merit pay are reports covering various approaches to merit increases and the successes of a merit pay program in California's Round Valley School District, an Educational Research Service review of current research and practice on merit and incentive pay for teachers, an ERIC…

Development of new maskless manufacturing method for anti-reflection structure and application to large-area lens with curved surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Kazuya; Takaoka, Toshimitsu; Fukui, Hidetoshi; Haruta, Yasuyuki; Yamashita, Tomoya; Kitagawa, Seiichiro

2016-03-01

In general, thin-film coating process is widely applied on optical lens surface as anti-reflection function. In normal production process, at first lens is manufactured by molding, then anti-reflection is added by thin-film coating. In recent years, instead of thin-film coating, sub-wavelength structures adding on surface of molding die are widely studied and development to keep anti-reflection performance. As merits, applying sub-wavelength structure, coating process becomes unnecessary and it is possible to reduce man-hour costs. In addition to cost merit, these are some technical advantages on this study. Adhesion of coating depends on material of plastic, and it is impossible to apply anti-reflection function on arbitrary surface. Sub-wavelength structure can solve both problems. Manufacturing method of anti-reflection structure can be divided into two types mainly. One method is with the resist patterning, and the other is mask-less method that does not require patterning. What we have developed is new mask-less method which is no need for resist patterning and possible to impart an anti-reflection structure to large area and curved lens surface, and can be expected to apply to various market segments. We report developed technique and characteristics of production lens.

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

Tagestad, Jerry D.; Bolte, John; Guzy, Michael

During this final year of the Pacific Northwest Regional Collaboratory we focused significantly on continuing the relationship between technical teams and government end-users. The main theme of the year was integration. This took the form of data integration via our web portal and integration of our technologies with the end users. The PNWRC's technical portfolio is based on EOS strategies, and focuses on 'applications of national priority: water management, invasive species, coastal management and ecological forecasting.' The products of our technical approaches have been well received by the community of focused end-users. The objective this year was to broaden thatmore » community and develop external support to continue and operationalize product development.« less

Non-technical skills evaluation in the critical care air ambulance environment: introduction of an adapted rating instrument--an observational study.

PubMed

Myers, Julia A; Powell, David M C; Psirides, Alex; Hathaway, Karyn; Aldington, Sarah; Haney, Michael F

2016-03-08

In the isolated and dynamic health-care setting of critical care air ambulance transport, the quality of clinical care is strongly influenced by non-technical skills such as anticipating, recognising and understanding, decision making, and teamwork. However there are no published reports identifying or applying a non-technical skills framework specific to an intensive care air ambulance setting. The objective of this study was to adapt and evaluate a non-technical skills rating framework for the air ambulance clinical environment. In the first phase of the project the anaesthetists' non-technical skills (ANTS) framework was adapted to the air ambulance setting, using data collected directly from clinician groups, published literature, and field observation. In the second phase experienced and inexperienced inter-hospital transport clinicians completed a simulated critical care air transport scenario, and their non-technical skills performance was independently rated by two blinded assessors. Observed and self-rated general clinical performance ratings were also collected. Rank-based statistical tests were used to examine differences in the performance of experienced and inexperienced clinicians, and relationships between different assessment approaches and assessors. The framework developed during phase one was referred to as an aeromedical non-technical skills framework, or AeroNOTS. During phase two 16 physicians from speciality training programmes in intensive care, emergency medicine and anaesthesia took part in the clinical simulation study. Clinicians with inter-hospital transport experience performed more highly than those without experience, according to both AeroNOTS non-technical skills ratings (p = 0.001) and general performance ratings (p = 0.003). Self-ratings did not distinguish experienced from inexperienced transport clinicians (p = 0.32) and were not strongly associated with either observed general performance (r(s) = 0.4, p = 0.11) or observed non-technical skills performance (r(s) = 0.4, p = 0.1). This study describes a framework which characterises the non-technical skills required by critical care air ambulance clinicians, and distinguishes higher and lower levels of performance. The AeroNOTS framework could be used to facilitate education and training in non-technical skills for air ambulance clinicians, and further evaluation of this rating system is merited.

Washtenaw Technical Middle College--High School for the High Tech.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vandenberg, Victoria

1996-01-01

An alternative high school, called a technical middle college, focuses on preparing students for technical careers; it is articulated with Washtenaw Community College. The curriculum integrates applied academics, especially math and science, with work-based learning, giving students technical knowledge and workplace experience. (Author/JOW)

Strategy and gaps for modeling, simulation, and control of hybrid systems

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

Rabiti, Cristian; Garcia, Humberto E.; Hovsapian, Rob

2015-04-01

The purpose of this report is to establish a strategy for modeling and simulation of candidate hybrid energy systems. Modeling and simulation is necessary to design, evaluate, and optimize the system technical and economic performance. Accordingly, this report first establishes the simulation requirements to analysis candidate hybrid systems. Simulation fidelity levels are established based on the temporal scale, real and synthetic data availability or needs, solution accuracy, and output parameters needed to evaluate case-specific figures of merit. Accordingly, the associated computational and co-simulation resources needed are established; including physical models when needed, code assembly and integrated solutions platforms, mathematical solvers,more » and data processing. This report first attempts to describe the figures of merit, systems requirements, and constraints that are necessary and sufficient to characterize the grid and hybrid systems behavior and market interactions. Loss of Load Probability (LOLP) and effective cost of Effective Cost of Energy (ECE), as opposed to the standard Levelized Cost of Electricty (LCOE), are introduced as technical and economical indices for integrated energy system evaluations. Financial assessment methods are subsequently introduced for evaluation of non-traditional, hybrid energy systems. Algorithms for coupled and iterative evaluation of the technical and economic performance are subsequently discussed. This report further defines modeling objectives, computational tools, solution approaches, and real-time data collection and processing (in some cases using real test units) that will be required to model, co-simulate, and optimize; (a) an energy system components (e.g., power generation unit, chemical process, electricity management unit), (b) system domains (e.g., thermal, electrical or chemical energy generation, conversion, and transport), and (c) systems control modules. Co-simulation of complex, tightly coupled, dynamic energy systems requires multiple simulation tools, potentially developed in several programming languages and resolved on separate time scales. Whereas further investigation and development of hybrid concepts will provide a more complete understanding of the joint computational and physical modeling needs, this report highlights areas in which co-simulation capabilities are warranted. The current development status, quality assurance, availability and maintainability of simulation tools that are currently available for hybrid systems modeling is presented. Existing gaps in the modeling and simulation toolsets and development needs are subsequently discussed. This effort will feed into a broader Roadmap activity for designing, developing, and demonstrating hybrid energy systems.« less

78 FR 29239 - Final Priority; Technical Assistance To Improve State Data Capacity-National Technical Assistance...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-20

... reporting requirements. Changes: None. Focus TA on Assessment and Discipline Data Comment: Three commenters agreed with the importance of focusing on assessment and discipline data, and two commenters agreed with... decisions and actions associated with data collection and reporting. One commenter stated that assessment...

Module greenhouse with high efficiency of transformation of solar energy, utilizing active and passive glass optical rasters

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

Korecko, J.; Jirka, V.; Sourek, B.

2010-10-15

Since the eighties of the 20th century, various types of linear glass rasters for architectural usage have been developed in the Czech Republic made by the continuous melting technology. The development was focused on two main groups of rasters - active rasters with linear Fresnel lenses in fixed installation and with movable photo-thermal and/or photo-thermal/photo-voltaic absorbers. The second group are passive rasters based on total reflection of rays on an optical prism. During the last years we have been working on their standardization, exact measuring of their optical and thermal-technical characteristics and on creation of a final product that couldmore » be applied in solar architecture. With the project supported by the Ministry of Environment of the Czech Republic we were able to build an experimental greenhouse using these active and passive optical glass rasters. The project followed the growing number of technical objectives. The concept of the greenhouse consisted of interdependence construction - structural design of the greenhouse with its technological equipment securing the required temperature and humidity conditions in the interior of the greenhouse. This article aims to show the merits of the proposed scheme and presents the results of the mathematical model in the TRNSYS environment through which we could predict the future energy balance carried out similar works, thus optimizing the investment and operating costs. In this article description of various technology applications for passive and active utilization of solar radiation is presented, as well as some results of short-term and long-term experiments, including evaluation of 1-year operation of the greenhouse from the energy and interior temperature viewpoints. A comparison of the calculated energy flows in the greenhouse to real measured values, for verification of the installed model is also involved. (author)« less

The merit of meritocracy.

PubMed

Son Hing, Leanne S; Bobocel, D Ramona; Zanna, Mark P; Garcia, Donna M; Gee, Stephanie S; Orazietti, Katie

2011-09-01

We argue that the preference for the merit principle is a separate construct from hierarchy-legitimizing ideologies (i.e., system justification beliefs, prejudice, social dominance orientation), including descriptive beliefs that meritocracy currently exists in society. Moreover, we hypothesized that prescriptive beliefs about merit should have a stronger influence on reactions to the status quo when hierarchy-legitimizing ideologies are weak (vs. strong). In 4 studies, participants' preference for the merit principle and hierarchy-legitimizing ideologies were assessed; later, the participants evaluated organizational selection practices that support or challenge the status quo. Participants' prescriptive and descriptive beliefs about merit were separate constructs; only the latter predicted other hierarchy-legitimizing ideologies. In addition, as hypothesized, among participants who weakly endorsed hierarchy-legitimizing ideologies, the stronger their preference for the merit principle, the more they opposed selection practices that were perceived to be merit violating but the more they supported practices that were perceived to be merit restoring. In contrast, those who strongly endorsed hierarchy-legitimizing ideologies were always motivated to support the status quo, regardless of their preference for the merit principle. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.

ORD Scientific and Engineering Technical Support for RPMs – Ground Water Technical Support Center

EPA Science Inventory

ORD Scientific and Engineering Technical Support for RPMs (and Others) is a hybrid informational and panel session that focuses on the technical support available from EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) to RPMs and other EPA cleanup program staff. Examples of technica...

Project T.E.A.M. (Technical Education Advancement Modules). Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenville Technical Coll., SC.

Project TEAM (Technical Education Advancement Modules), a cooperative demonstration program for high technology training, created an introductory technical training program and a consumer education package emphasizing the benefits of technical training. The curriculum and training focus of the project began with an assessment of employee needs in…

Research in intelligent biomedical clothing vs. realities in the European textile business.

PubMed

Walter, Lutz

2004-01-01

In order to make intelligent biomedical clothing a market reality, a critical mass of scientific, technical and industrial capacities from various disciplines and industries must be successfully brought together. The textiles and clothing sector, i.e. the industry that transform natural or man-made fibres into yarns then with a myriad of processing options into complex tissues and finally into clothing, is undoubtedly a crucial element in such development. With Europe disposing of the world's most diverse, productive and innovative textiles and clothing industry, in addition to relevant expertise and resources in other scientific disciplines and industrial sectors, it could play a leading role in the advancement of the concept of intelligent biomedical clothing. In this process, a great number of challenges--firstly scientific and technical in nature--still need to be overcome and support from public funding programmes could constitute the necessary trigger for research and industrial efforts to be seriously undertaken. In view of the great benefits of such new products for the individual consumer, national health care systems and the society as a whole, a concerted effort in private-public partnership seems merited.

Potential Alternatives Report for Validation of Alternative Low-Emission Surface PreparationlDepainting Technologies for Structural Steel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lewis, Pattie

2006-01-01

For this project, particulates and solvents used during the depainting process of steel structures were the identified hazardous material (HazMat) targeted for elimination or reduction. This Potential Alternatives Report (PAR) provides technical analyses of identified alternatives to the current coating removal processes, criteria used to select alternatives for further analysis, and a list of those alternatives recommended for testing. The initial coating removal alternatives list was compiled using literature searches and center participant recommendations. The involved project participants initially considered fifteen (15) alternatives. In late 2004, stakeholders down-selected the list and identified specific processes as potential alternatives to the current depainting methods. The selected alternatives were: 1. Plastic Blast Media 2. Hard Abrasive Media 3. Sponge Blast Media 4. Mechanical Removal with Vacuum Attachment 5. Liquid Nitrogen 6. Laser Coating Removal Available information about these processes was used to analyze the technical merits and the potential environmental, safety, and occupational health (ESOH) impacts of these methods. A preliminary cost benefit analysis will be performed to determine if implementation of alternative technologies is economically justified. NASA AP2

Optimization in the design of a 12 gigahertz low cost ground receiving system for broadcast satellites. Volume 1: System design, performance, and cost analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ohkubo, K.; Han, C. C.; Albernaz, J.; Janky, J. M.; Lusignan, B. B.

1972-01-01

The technical and economical feasibility of using the 12 GHz band for broadcasting from satellites were examined. Among the assigned frequency bands for broadcast satellites, the 12 GHz band system offers the most channels. It also has the least interference on and from the terrestrial communication links. The system design and analysis are carried out on the basis of a decision analysis model. Technical difficulties in achieving low-cost 12 GHz ground receivers are solved by making use of a die cast aluminum packaging, a hybrid integrated circuit mixer, a cavity stabilized Gunn oscillator and other state-of-the-art microwave technologies for the receiver front-end. A working model was designed and tested, which used frequency modulation. A final design for the 2.6 GHz system ground receiver is also presented. The cost of the ground-terminal was analyzed and minimized for a given figure-of-merit (a ratio of receiving antenna gain to receiver system noise temperature). The results were used to analyze the performance and cost of the whole satellite system.

An Analysis of the Effects of State Financial Aid Policy on the Timing of Postsecondary Enrollment: A Focus on Income and Race Differences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Ji Yun

2011-01-01

The driving force behind the recent increase in financial aid for college education is the rapid growth of state merit-based grant programs that provide scholarships to students who meet predefined standards of academic preparation at the state level, and this trend represents one of the most pronounced policy shifts away from a long tradition of…

Marine Corps Promotion System: Rewarding Merit or Seniority?

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-23

friendship, family, intimacy). As a Marine moves up the Hierarchy of Needs , new, more intrinsic motivations begin to occur along the lines of esteem...a career could be very beneficial to growth in leadership through the stages of Maslow’s Hierarchy of 19 Needs . The next section is focused...gathering and maintaining the data needed , and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or

Ethics in international health research: a perspective from the developing world.

PubMed Central

Bhutta, Zulfiqar Ahmed

2002-01-01

Health research plays a pivotal role in addressing inequities in health and human development, but to achieve these objectives the research must be based on sound scientific and ethical principles. Although it is accepted that ethics play a central role in health research in developing countries, much of the recent debate has focused on controversies surrounding internationally sponsored research and has taken place largely without adequate participation of the developing countries. The relationship between ethical guidelines and regulations, and indigenously sponsored and public health research has not been adequately explored. For example, while the fundamental principles of ethical health research, such as community participation, informed consent, and shared benefits and burdens, remain sacrosanct other issues, such as standards of care and prior agreements, merit greater public debate within developing countries. In particular, the relationship of existing ethical guidelines to epidemiological and public health research merits further exploration. In order to support health research in developing countries that is both relevant and meaningful, the focus must be on developing health research that promotes equity and on developing local capacity in bioethics. Only through such proactive measures can we address the emerging ethical dilemmas and challenges that globalization and the genomics revolution will bring in their wake. PMID:11953789

English Skills for Engineers Required by the English Technical Writing Test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kyouno, Noboru

Japanese English education has focused mainly on teaching passive skills such as reading and listening, whereas actual business activities in society require active skills such as writing and speaking in addition to the passive skills. This educational situation is estimated to be a reason Japanese engineers are less confident in writing and speaking than in reading and listening. This paper focuses on details of the English Technical Writing Test provided by the Japan Society of Technical Communication and emphasizes the importance of the active skills, mainly focusing on what skills should be taught in the future and how to develop these skills. This paper also stresses the necessity of learning rhetoric-related skills, concept of information words, as well as paragraph reading and writing skills based on the concept of the 3Cs (Correct, Clear, and Concise) as a means to develop technical writing skills for engineers.

10 CFR 600.13 - Merit review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... ENERGY (CONTINUED) ASSISTANCE REGULATIONS FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE RULES General § 600.13 Merit review. (a) It is the policy of DOE that discretionary financial assistance be awarded through a merit-based selection process. A merit review means a thorough, consistent, and objective examination of applications...

10 CFR 600.13 - Merit review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... ENERGY (CONTINUED) ASSISTANCE REGULATIONS FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE RULES General § 600.13 Merit review. (a) It is the policy of DOE that discretionary financial assistance be awarded through a merit-based selection process. A merit review means a thorough, consistent, and objective examination of applications...

10 CFR 600.13 - Merit review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... ENERGY (CONTINUED) ASSISTANCE REGULATIONS FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE RULES General § 600.13 Merit review. (a) It is the policy of DOE that discretionary financial assistance be awarded through a merit-based selection process. A merit review means a thorough, consistent, and objective examination of applications...

10 CFR 600.13 - Merit review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... ENERGY (CONTINUED) ASSISTANCE REGULATIONS FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE RULES General § 600.13 Merit review. (a) It is the policy of DOE that discretionary financial assistance be awarded through a merit-based selection process. A merit review means a thorough, consistent, and objective examination of applications...

10 CFR 600.13 - Merit review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... ENERGY (CONTINUED) ASSISTANCE REGULATIONS FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE RULES General § 600.13 Merit review. (a) It is the policy of DOE that discretionary financial assistance be awarded through a merit-based selection process. A merit review means a thorough, consistent, and objective examination of applications...

Calibration for single multi-mode fiber digital scanning microscopy imaging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Zhe; Liu, Guodong; Liu, Bingguo; Gan, Yu; Zhuang, Zhitao; Chen, Fengdong

2015-11-01

Single multimode fiber (MMF) digital scanning imaging system is a development tendency of modern endoscope. We concentrate on the calibration method of the imaging system. Calibration method comprises two processes, forming scanning focused spots and calibrating the couple factors varied with positions. Adaptive parallel coordinate algorithm (APC) is adopted to form the focused spots at the multimode fiber (MMF) output. Compare with other algorithm, APC contains many merits, i.e. rapid speed, small amount calculations and no iterations. The ratio of the optics power captured by MMF to the intensity of the focused spots is called couple factor. We setup the calibration experimental system to form the scanning focused spots and calculate the couple factors for different object positions. The experimental result the couple factor is higher in the center than the edge.

4 CFR 5.3 - Merit pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE PERSONNEL SYSTEM COMPENSATION § 5.3 Merit pay. The Comptroller General may promulgate regulations establishing a merit pay system for such employees of the Government Accountability Office as the Comptroller General considers appropriate. The merit pay system shall be designed to carry out purposes...

4 CFR 5.3 - Merit pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE PERSONNEL SYSTEM COMPENSATION § 5.3 Merit pay. The Comptroller General may promulgate regulations establishing a merit pay system for such employees of the Government Accountability Office as the Comptroller General considers appropriate. The merit pay system shall be designed to carry out purposes...

4 CFR 5.3 - Merit pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE PERSONNEL SYSTEM COMPENSATION § 5.3 Merit pay. The Comptroller General may promulgate regulations establishing a merit pay system for such employees of the Government Accountability Office as the Comptroller General considers appropriate. The merit pay system shall be designed to carry out purposes...

4 CFR 5.3 - Merit pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE PERSONNEL SYSTEM COMPENSATION § 5.3 Merit pay. The Comptroller General may promulgate regulations establishing a merit pay system for such employees of the Government Accountability Office as the Comptroller General considers appropriate. The merit pay system shall be designed to carry out purposes...

4 CFR 5.3 - Merit pay.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE PERSONNEL SYSTEM COMPENSATION § 5.3 Merit pay. The Comptroller General may promulgate regulations establishing a merit pay system for such employees of the Government Accountability Office as the Comptroller General considers appropriate. The merit pay system shall be designed to carry out purposes...

Future Directions for Research on Online Technical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horvitz, Brian S.

2017-01-01

Most research on online learning in higher education has been focused on general education at four-year institutions. There is a need for more research that focuses on online and hybrid education at community colleges in technical education fields. This issue includes articles from eight National Science Foundation funded projects doing innovative…

Influence of End Customer Exposure on Product Design within an Epistemic Game Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markovetz, Matthew R.; Clark, Renee M.; Swiecki, Zachari; Irgens, Golnaz Arastoopour; Chesler, Naomi C.; Shaffer, David W.; Bodnar, Cheryl A.

2017-01-01

Engineering product design requires both technical aptitude and an understanding of the nontechnical requirements in the marketplace, economic or otherwise. Engineering education has long focused on the technical side of product design, but there is increasing demand for market-aware engineers in industry. Market-awareness and customer-focus are…

Cultivating Advanced Technical Writing Skills through a Graduate-Level Course on Writing Research Proposals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Brian D.; Dempsey, Jillian L.

2017-01-01

A graduate-level course focused on original research proposals is introduced to address the uneven preparation in technical writing of new chemistry graduate students. This course focuses on writing original research proposals. The general course structure features extensive group discussions, small-group activities, and regular in-class…

Teaching the History of Technical Communication: A Lesson with Franklin and Hoover.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Todd, Jeff

2003-01-01

Provides and defends four guidelines as a foundation to study ways to incorporate history into classroom lessons: maintain a continued research interest in teaching history; limit to technical rather than scientific discourse; focus on English-language texts; and focus on American texts, authors, and practices. Works within the guidelines to show…

Soft Skills: The New Curriculum for Hard-Core Technical Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bancino, Randy; Zevalkink, Claire

2007-01-01

In this article, the authors talk about the importance of soft skills for hard-core technical professionals. In many technical professions, the complete focus of education and training is on technical topics either directly or indirectly related to a career or discipline. Students are generally required to master various mathematics skills,…

75 FR 5784 - Guidance on Preparation of Market-Based Rate Filings and Electric Quarterly Reports by Public...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-04

... Preparation of Market-Based Rate Filings and Electric Quarterly Reports by Public Utilities; Notice of Technical Conference January 28, 2010. Take notice that Commission staff will convene a technical conference... final agenda of the technical conference. The March 3, 2010 technical conference will focus on the...

A Case Study of Technical Assistance to Demonstration Programs for Young Handicapped Children. Part II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Behr, Shirley K.; And Others

A project to provide technical assistance to staffs of two demonstration programs for preschool handicapped children and their families is described. The focus was technical assistance developed and exercised by the Technical Assistance Development System (TADS), which assisted in the development of the Handicapped Children's Early Education…

Engineering Technical Review Planning Briefing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gardner, Terrie

2012-01-01

The general topics covered in the engineering technical planning briefing are 1) overviews of NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), and Engineering, 2) the NASA Systems Engineering(SE) Engine and its implementation , 3) the NASA Project Life Cycle, 4) MSFC Technical Management Branch Services in relation to the SE Engine and the Project Life Cycle , 5) Technical Reviews, 6) NASA Human Factor Design Guidance , and 7) the MSFC Human Factors Team. The engineering technical review portion of the presentation is the primary focus of the overall presentation and will address the definition of a design review, execution guidance, the essential stages of a technical review, and the overall review planning life cycle. Examples of a technical review plan content, review approaches, review schedules, and the review process will be provided and discussed. The human factors portion of the presentation will focus on the NASA guidance for human factors. Human factors definition, categories, design guidance, and human factor specialist roles will be addressed. In addition, the NASA Systems Engineering Engine description, definition, and application will be reviewed as background leading into the NASA Project Life Cycle Overview and technical review planning discussion.

4 CFR 2.4 - Merit system principles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... motivated, competent, honest and productive workers. In a merit system, employees are hired, promoted... 4 Accounts 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Merit system principles. 2.4 Section 2.4 Accounts GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE PERSONNEL SYSTEM PURPOSE AND GENERAL PROVISION § 2.4 Merit system principles...

4 CFR 2.4 - Merit system principles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... motivated, competent, honest and productive workers. In a merit system, employees are hired, promoted... 4 Accounts 1 2014-01-01 2013-01-01 true Merit system principles. 2.4 Section 2.4 Accounts GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE PERSONNEL SYSTEM PURPOSE AND GENERAL PROVISION § 2.4 Merit system principles...

4 CFR 2.4 - Merit system principles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... motivated, competent, honest and productive workers. In a merit system, employees are hired, promoted... 4 Accounts 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Merit system principles. 2.4 Section 2.4 Accounts GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE PERSONNEL SYSTEM PURPOSE AND GENERAL PROVISION § 2.4 Merit system principles...

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

French, Troy

Le Norman Energy Company conducted research on field application of alkaline-surfactant-polymer (ASP) flooding as a part of the U.S. Department of Energy's plan to maximize the production of our domestic oil resources. In addition to having substantial technical merit, the process uses chemicals that are environmentally acceptable. Le Norman's field project is located in the Sho-Vel-Tum (OK) oil field, which was a major producer of crude oil in past years, but has since been extensively waterflooded. This reservoir in this portion of the field is typical of many shallow reservoirs in the Oklahoma-Kansas area and is a good demonstration sitemore » for that area. The pay zones are located approximately 700 ft. deep, and this project is the shallowest field test for ASP flooding.« less

The Atacama Large Aperture Submm/mm Telescope (AtLAST) Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertoldi, Frank

2018-01-01

In the past decade a strong case has been made for the construction of a next generation, 25 to 40-meter large submillimeter telescope, most notably through the CCAT and the Japanese LST projects. Although much effort had been spent on detailed science cases and technological studies, none of these projects have yet secured funding to advance to construction. We invite the interested community to join a study of the scientific merit, technical implementation, and financial path toward what we coin the "Atacama Large Submillimeter Telescope" (AtLAST). Through this community workshop, working groups, and a final report to be released in early 2019, we hope to motivate the global astronomy community to value and support the realization of such a facility.

An advanced pitch change mechanism incorporating a hybrid traction drive

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steinetz, B. M.; Sargisson, D. F.; White, G.; Loewenthal, S. H.

1984-01-01

A design of a propeller pitch control mechanism is described that meets the demanding requirements of a high-power, advanced turboprop. In this application, blade twisting moment torque can be comparable to that of the main reduction gearbox output: precise pitch control, reliability and compactness are all at a premium. A key element in the design is a compact, high-ratio hybrid traction drive which offers low torque ripple and high torsional stiffness. The traction drive couples a high speed electric motor/alternator unit to a ball screw that actuates the blade control links. The technical merits of this arrangement and the performance characteristics of the traction drive are discussed. Comparisons are made to the more conventional pitch control mechanisms.

4 CFR 2.4 - Merit system principles.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 4 Accounts 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Merit system principles. 2.4 Section 2.4 Accounts GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE PERSONNEL SYSTEM PURPOSE AND GENERAL PROVISION § 2.4 Merit system principles. (a) Merit personnel systems are based on the principle that an organization is best served by...

5 CFR 315.611 - Appointment of certain veterans who have competed under agency merit promotion announcements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... competed under agency merit promotion announcements. 315.611 Section 315.611 Administrative Personnel... who have competed under agency merit promotion announcements. (a) Agency authority. An agency may... competition under a merit promotion announcement open to candidates outside the agency's workforce; and (2...

7 CFR 3400.22 - Merit review for education and extension activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Merit review for education and extension activities...) COOPERATIVE STATE RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND EXTENSION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SPECIAL RESEARCH GRANTS PROGRAM Peer and Merit Review Arranged by Grantees § 3400.22 Merit review for education and...

Laboratory Directed Research and Development 1998 Annual Report

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

Pam Hughes; Sheila Bennett eds.

1999-07-14

The Laboratory's Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program encourages the advancement of science and the development of major new technical capabilities from which future research and development will grow. Through LDRD funding, Pacific Northwest continually replenishes its inventory of ideas that have the potential to address major national needs. The LDRD program has enabled the Laboratory to bring to bear its scientific and technical capabilities on all of DOE's missions, particularly in the arena of environmental problems. Many of the concepts related to environmental cleanup originally developed with LDRD funds are now receiving programmatic support from DOE, LDRD-funded work inmore » atmospheric sciences is now being applied to DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program. We also have used concepts initially explored through LDRD to develop several winning proposals in the Environmental Management Science Program. The success of our LDRD program is founded on good management practices that ensure funding is allocated and projects are conducted in compliance with DOE requirements. We thoroughly evaluate the LDRD proposals based on their scientific and technical merit, as well as their relevance to DOE's programmatic needs. After a proposal is funded, we assess progress annually using external peer reviews. This year, as in years past, the LDRD program has once again proven to be the major enabling vehicle for our staff to formulate new ideas, advance scientific capability, and develop potential applications for DOE's most significant challenges.« less

Systematized contact between inventors and industry. Final technical report

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

Not Available

1992-07-31

A total of 139 inventions by private (individual) inventors were submitted to Technology Targeting Incorporated. Each inventor was told of the nature of the DOE-supported Project, through informational and promotional efforts by TTI, and each completed an Invention Submittal Form developed by TTI to describe the essential nature of the claimed invention. Many also submitted detailed descriptions, drawings, technical reports and similar supplemental materials giving a more comprehensive view of their inventions. Each invention was reviewed for technical and commercial merit, as well as for appropriateness of marketing through the Technology Targeting DataBase{trademark} (hereafter ``DATABASE). Overall, participating inventors were enthusiasticmore » about the Project and felt participation in it was rewording. Even when not selected for marketing, inventors were given an analysis of their inventions which could help them enhance the inventions and improve marketing efforts. Inventors whose inventions were selected for marketing were shown how to professionally market the inventions, including the format for Non Confidential Invention Summaries, the preferred form for Confidential Disclosure Agreements, targeting of business decision-makers responsible for technology evaluation, and the like; some of these inventors are still interacting with industrial contacts provided by TTI through this Project. All inventors received copies of patent abstracts uncovered in the prior art searches for their inventions and a copy of TTI`s booklet, Patent Law Basics for Individual Inventors.« less

Systematized contact between inventors and industry. [Final Technical Report

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

Not Available

1992-07-31

A total of 139 inventions by private (individual) inventors were submitted to Technology Targeting Incorporated. Each inventor was told of the nature of the DOE-supported Project, through informational and promotional efforts by TTI, and each completed an Invention Submittal Form developed by TTI to describe the essential nature of the claimed invention. Many also submitted detailed descriptions, drawings, technical reports and similar supplemental materials giving a more comprehensive view of their inventions. Each invention was reviewed for technical and commercial merit, as well as for appropriateness of marketing through the Technology Targeting DataBase[trademark] (hereafter DATABASE). Overall, participating inventors were enthusiasticmore » about the Project and felt participation in it was rewording. Even when not selected for marketing, inventors were given an analysis of their inventions which could help them enhance the inventions and improve marketing efforts. Inventors whose inventions were selected for marketing were shown how to professionally market the inventions, including the format for Non Confidential Invention Summaries, the preferred form for Confidential Disclosure Agreements, targeting of business decision-makers responsible for technology evaluation, and the like; some of these inventors are still interacting with industrial contacts provided by TTI through this Project. All inventors received copies of patent abstracts uncovered in the prior art searches for their inventions and a copy of TTI's booklet, Patent Law Basics for Individual Inventors.« less

Chess players' fame versus their merit.

PubMed

Simkin, M V; Roychowdhury, V P

2015-12-12

We investigate a pool of international chess title holders born between 1901 and 1943. Using Elo ratings, we compute for every player his expected score in a game with a randomly selected player from the pool. We use this figure as the player's merit. We measure players' fame as the number of Google hits. The correlation between fame and merit is 0.38. At the same time, the correlation between the logarithm of fame and merit is 0.61. This suggests that fame grows exponentially with merit.

EDITORIAL: ECRH physics and technology in ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luce, T. C.

2008-05-01

It is a great pleasure to introduce you to this special issue containing papers from the 4th IAEA Technical Meeting on ECRH Physics and Technology in ITER, which was held 6-8 June 2007 at the IAEA Headquarters in Vienna, Austria. The meeting was attended by more than 40 ECRH experts representing 13 countries and the IAEA. Presentations given at the meeting were placed into five separate categories EC wave physics: current understanding and extrapolation to ITER Application of EC waves to confinement and stability studies, including active control techniques for ITER Transmission systems/launchers: state of the art and ITER relevant techniques Gyrotron development towards ITER needs System integration and optimisation for ITER. It is notable that the participants took seriously the focal point of ITER, rather than simply contributing presentations on general EC physics and technology. The application of EC waves to ITER presents new challenges not faced in the current generation of experiments from both the physics and technology viewpoints. High electron temperatures and the nuclear environment have a significant impact on the application of EC waves. The needs of ITER have also strongly motivated source and launcher development. Finally, the demonstrated ability for precision control of instabilities or non-inductive current drive in addition to bulk heating to fusion burn has secured a key role for EC wave systems in ITER. All of the participants were encouraged to submit their contributions to this special issue, subject to the normal publication and technical merit standards of Nuclear Fusion. Almost half of the participants chose to do so; many of the others had been published in other publications and therefore could not be included in this special issue. The papers included here are a representative sample of the meeting. The International Advisory Committee also asked the three summary speakers from the meeting to supply brief written summaries (O. Sauter: EC wave physics and applications, M. Thumm: Source and transmission line development, and S. Cirant: ITER specific system designs). These summaries are included in this issue to give a more complete view of the technical meeting. Finally, it is appropriate to mention the future of this meeting series. With the ratification of the ITER agreement and the formation of the ITER International Organization, it was recognized that meetings conducted by outside agencies with an exclusive focus on ITER would be somewhat unusual. However, the participants at this meeting felt that the gathering of international experts with diverse specialities within EC wave physics and technology to focus on using EC waves in future fusion devices like ITER was extremely valuable. It was therefore recommended that this series of meetings continue, but with the broader focus on the application of EC waves to steady-state and burning plasma experiments including demonstration power plants. As the papers in this special issue show, the EC community is already taking seriously the challenges of applying EC waves to fusion devices with high neutron fluence and continuous operation at high reliability.

An Assessment of the "Diploma in Computer Engineering" Course in the Technical Education System in Nepal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basnet, Kul Bahadur; Kim, Jinsoo

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the Diploma in Computer Engineering (DCE) courses offered at affiliated schools of the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) with a focus on the goals of the curriculum and employment opportunities. Document analysis, questionnaires, focus group discussions and semi-structured…

Strategic Business Plan for Economic Development Contract Services, July 1995-June 1997.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox Valley Technical Coll., Appleton, WI.

This plan describes the contract training and technical assistance services provided by Wisconsin's Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) to area employers, focusing on the status of the services and ways to improve delivery for the July 1995 to June 1997 period. Following an executive summary, the second section focuses on contract services…

Focus on Mentee-Mentor Relationships: The 10th Grade Implementation of iMentor's College Ready Program. Technical Appendices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merrill, Lisa; Kang, David; Siman, Nina; Soltani, Jasmine

2016-01-01

This document presents the technical appendices that accompany the full report entitled:"Focus on Mentee-Mentor Relationships: The 10th Grade Implementation of iMentor's College Ready Program." The appendices include: (1) Mentor Survey Construct Items; (2) Qualative Data Collection and Analysis Methods; and (3) Methods for Estimating the…

76 FR 36539 - Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation; Medicare Program; Meeting of the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-22

... discussion is expected to be very technical in nature and will focus on the actuarial and economic... discussion is expected to focus on highly technical aspects of estimation involving economics and actuarial science. Panelists are not restricted, however, in the topics that they choose to discuss. Procedure and...

76 FR 19360 - Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation; Medicare Program; Meeting of the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-07

... be very technical in nature and will focus on the actuarial and economic assumptions and methods by... discussion is expected to focus on highly technical aspects of estimation involving economics and actuarial science. Panelists are not restricted, however, in the topics that they choose to discuss. Procedure and...

Non-technical skills training to enhance patient safety.

PubMed

Gordon, Morris

2013-06-01

  Patient safety is an increasingly recognised issue in health care. Systems-based and organisational methods of quality improvement, as well as education focusing on key clinical areas, are common, but there are few reports of educational interventions that focus on non-technical skills to address human factor sources of error. A flexible model for non-technical skills training for health care professionals has been designed based on the best available evidence, and with sound theoretical foundations.   Educational sessions to improve non-technical skills in health care have been described before. The descriptions lack the details to allow educators to replicate and innovate further.   A non-technical skills training course that can be delivered as either a half- or full-day intervention has been designed and delivered to a number of mixed groups of undergraduate medical students and doctors in postgraduate training. Participant satisfaction has been high and patient safety attitudes have improved post-intervention.   This non-technical skills educational intervention has been built on a sound evidence base, and is described so as to facilitate replication and dissemination. With the key themes laid out, clinical educators will be able to build interventions focused on numerous clinical issues that pay attention to human factor contributors to safety. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Merit Pay Plans for Teachers: Status and Descriptions. ERS Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Educational Research Service, Arlington, VA.

This report, an update of the 1978 survey of national merit pay plans for teachers, provides descriptive data on currently operating merit pay plans and state level activities. Outlining current research, the report points out that neither a commonly acceptable definition of merit pay nor a generally acceptable method of determining meritorious…

The Impact of Merit-Based Financial Aid on College Enrollment: A Field Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monks, James

2009-01-01

Merit-based financial aid awards have become increasingly prevalent in the pricing policies of higher education institutions. This study utilizes an experiment to estimate the efficacy of merit-aid awards in achieving the institutional objective of attracting the most academically desirable applicants. I find that merit aid has a statistically…

Who Should We Help? The Negative Social Consequences of Merit Scholarships.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heller, Donald E., Ed.; Marin, Patricia, Ed.

This is a collection of papers from a 2001 symposium at Harvard University entitled "State Merit Aid Programs: College Access and Equity." After a Foreword by Gary Orfield, the seven papers are (1) "State Merit Scholarship Programs: An Introduction" (Donald E. Heller); (2) "Merit Scholarships and College Access: Evidence…

Technical Services Research Needs for the 1990s.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veaner, Allen B.

1983-01-01

Research needs in area of library technical services are identified, focusing on costs, the catalog, bibliographic data, new cataloging code, subject access in online catalogs, acquisitions, serials control system, universal technical processing terminals, data storage devices, robots and artificial intelligence, bibliographic instruction, and…

Technical and Vocational Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vocational Training, 1993

1993-01-01

This issue focuses on the various forms that secondary technical and vocational education takes in different European Community Member States. "The Future for Skilled Workers" is an interview with Burkart Lutz, a German researcher. Other articles are as follows: "Contradictions in Technical and Vocational Education: The…

Relationship between dairy cow genetic merit and profit on commercial spring calving dairy farms.

PubMed

Ramsbottom, G; Cromie, A R; Horan, B; Berry, D P

2012-07-01

Because not all animal factors influencing profitability can be included in total merit breeding indices for profitability, the association between animal total merit index and true profitability, taking cognisance of all factors associated with costs and revenues, is generally not known. One method to estimate such associations is at the herd level, associating herd average genetic merit with herd profitability. The objective of this study was to primarily relate herd average genetic merit for a range of traits, including the Irish total merit index, with indicators of performance, including profitability, using correlation and multiple regression analyses. Physical, genetic and financial performance data from 1131 Irish seasonal calving pasture-based dairy farms were available following edits; data on some herds were available for more than 1 year of the 3-year study period (2007 to 2009). Herd average economic breeding index (EBI) was associated with reduced herd average phenotypic milk yield but with greater milk composition, resulting in higher milk prices. Moderate positive correlations (0.26 to 0.61) existed between genetic merit for an individual trait and average herd performance for that trait (e.g. genetic merit for milk yield and average per cow milk yield). Following adjustment for year, stocking rate, herd size and quantity of purchased feed in the multiple regression analysis, average herd EBI was positively and linearly associated with net margin per cow and per litre as well as gross revenue output per cow and per litre. The change in net margin per cow per unit change in the total merit index was €1.94 (s.e. = 0.42), which was not different from the expectation of €2. This study, based on a large data set of commercial herds with accurate information on profitability and genetic merit, confirms that, after accounting for confounding factors, the change in herd profitability per unit change in herd genetic merit for the total merit index is within expectations.

An International Round-Robin Study, Part II: Thermal Diffusivity, Specific Heat and Thermal Conductivity

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

Wang, Hsin; Porter, Wallace D; Bottner, Harold

2013-01-01

For bulk thermoelectrics, figure-of-merit, ZT, still needs to improve from the current value of 1.0 - 1.5 to above 2 to be competitive to other alternative technologies. In recent years, the most significant improvements in ZT were mainly due to successful reduction of thermal conductivity. However, thermal conductivity cannot be measured directly at high temperatures. The combined measurements of thermal diffusivity and specific heat and density are required. It has been shown that thermal conductivity is the property with the greatest uncertainty and has a direct influence on the accuracy of the figure of merit. The International Energy Agency (IEA)more » group under the implementing agreement for Advanced Materials for Transportation (AMT) has conducted two international round-robins since 2009. This paper is Part II of the international round-robin testing of transport properties of bulk bismuth telluride. The main focuses in Part II are on thermal diffusivity, specific heat and thermal conductivity.« less

Neural computations underpinning the strategic management of influence in advice giving.

PubMed

Hertz, Uri; Palminteri, Stefano; Brunetti, Silvia; Olesen, Cecilie; Frith, Chris D; Bahrami, Bahador

2017-12-19

Research on social influence has focused mainly on the target of influence (e.g., consumer and voter); thus, the cognitive and neurobiological underpinnings of the source of the influence (e.g., politicians and salesmen) remain unknown. Here, in a three-sided advice-giving game, two advisers competed to influence a client by modulating their own confidence in their advice about which lottery the client should choose. We report that advisers' strategy depends on their level of influence on the client and their merit relative to one another. Moreover, blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signal in the temporo-parietal junction is modulated by adviser's current level of influence on the client, and relative merit prediction error affects activity in medial-prefrontal cortex. Both types of social information modulate ventral striatum response. By demonstrating what happens in our mind and brain when we try to influence others, these results begin to explain the biological mechanisms that shape inter-individual differences in social conduct.

Studying action representation in children via motor imagery.

PubMed

Gabbard, Carl

2009-12-01

The use of motor imagery is a widely used experimental paradigm for the study of cognitive aspects of action planning and control in adults. Furthermore, there are indications that motor imagery provides a window into the process of action representation. These notions complement internal model theory suggesting that such representations allow predictions (estimates) about the mapping of the self to parameters of the external world; processes that enable successful planning and execution of action. The ability to mentally represent action is important to the development of motor control. This paper presents a critical review of motor imagery research conducted with children (typically developing and special populations) with focus on its merits and possible shortcomings in studying action representation. Included in the review are age-related findings, possible brain structures involved, experimental paradigms, and recommendations for future work. The merits of this review are associated with the apparent increasing attraction for using and studying motor imagery to understand the developmental aspects of action processing in children.

Feasibility of Energy-Autonomous Wireless Microsensors for Biomedical Applications: Powering and Communication.

PubMed

Goodarzy, Farhad; Skafidas, Efstratios Stan; Gambini, Simone

2015-01-01

In this review, biomedical-related wireless miniature devices such as implantable medical devices, neural prostheses, embedded neural systems, and body area network systems are investigated and categorized. The two main subsystems of such designs, the RF subsystem and the energy source subsystem, are studied in detail. Different application classes are considered separately, focusing on their specific data rate and size characteristics. Also, the energy consumption of state-of-the-art communication practices is compared to the energy that can be generated by current energy scavenging devices, highlighting gaps and opportunities. The RF subsystem is classified, and the suitable architecture for each category of applications is highlighted. Finally, a new figure of merit suitable for wireless biomedical applications is introduced to measure the performance of these devices and assist the designer in selecting the proper system for the required application. This figure of merit can effectively fill the gap of a much required method for comparing different techniques in simulation stage before a final design is chosen for implementation.

Crystal Lattice Controlled SiGe Thermoelectric Materials with High Figure of Merit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Hyun-Jung; Park, Yeonjoon; King, Glen C.; Lee, Kunik; Choi, Sang H.

2010-01-01

Direct energy conversion between thermal and electrical energy, based on thermoelectric (TE) effect, has the potential to recover waste heat and convert it to provide clean electric power. The energy conversion efficiency is related to the thermoelectric figure of merit ZT expressed as ZT=S(exp 2)(sigma)T/Kappa, T is temperature, S is the Seebeck coefficient, sigma is conductance and Kappa is thermal conductivity. For a lower thermal conductivity Kappa and high power factor (S(exp 2)(sigma)), our current strategy is the development of rhombohedrally strained single crystalline SiGe materials that are highly [111]-oriented twinned. The development of a SiGe "twin lattice structure (TLS)" plays a key role in phonon scattering. The TLS increases the electrical conductivity and decreases thermal conductivity due to phonon scattering at stacking faults generated from the 60 X rotated primary twin structure. To develop high performance materials, the substrate temperature, chamber working pressure, and DC sputtering power are controlled for the aligned growth production of SiGe layer and TLS on a c-plane sapphire. Additionally, a new elevated temperature thermoelectric characterization system, that measures the thermal diffusivity and Seebeck effect nondestructively, was developed. The material properties were characterized at various temperatures and optimized process conditions were experimentally determined. The present paper encompasses the technical discussions toward the development of thermoelectric materials and the measurement techniques.

Development of a behavioural marker system for scrub practitioners' non-technical skills (SPLINTS system).

PubMed

Mitchell, Lucy; Flin, Rhona; Yule, Steven; Mitchell, Janet; Coutts, Kathy; Youngson, George

2013-04-01

Adverse events still occur despite ongoing efforts to reduce harm to patients. Contributory factors to adverse events are often due to limitations in clinicians' non-technical skills (e.g. communication, situation awareness), rather than deficiencies in technical competence. We developed a behavioural rating system to provide a structured means for teaching and assessing scrub practitioners' (i.e. nurse, technician, operating department practitioner) non-technical skills. Psychologists facilitated focus groups (n = 4) with experienced scrub practitioners (n = 16; 4 in each group) to develop a preliminary taxonomy. Focus groups reviewed lists of non-technical-skill-related behaviours that were extracted from an interview study. The focus groups labelled skill categories and elements and also provided examples of good and poor behaviours for those skills. An expert panel (n = 2 psychologists; n = 1 expert nurse) then used an iterative process to individually and collaboratively review and refine those data to produce a prototype skills taxonomy. A preliminary taxonomy containing eight non-technical skill categories with 28 underlying elements was produced. The expert panel reduced this to three categories (situation awareness, communication and teamwork, task management), each with three underlying elements. The system was called the Scrub Practitioners' List of Intraoperative Non-Technical Skills system. A scoring system and a user handbook were also developed. A prototype behavioural rating system for scrub practitioners' non-technical skills was developed, to aid in teaching and providing formative assessment. This important aspect of performance is not currently explicitly addressed in any educational route to qualify as a scrub practitioner. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Pros and Cons and Current Status of Merit Pay in the Public Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adkins, Gary A.

During the 1920's merit pay became the most preferred system of teacher compensation; however, today fewer than 4 percent of the school systems in the United States use merit pay plans. The National Education Association suggests that merit pay is a "bogus issue" obscuring more significant areas of education needing reform, and the…

Paying for Better Teaching: Merit Pay and Its Alternatives. OAP Monograph Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bacharach, Samuel B.; And Others

President Reagan's promotion of merit pay as the main vehicle of educational change has prompted a sharp debate. This monograph presents arguments for and against merit pay and assesses its relative worth as a means of improving American education. First, merit pay is defined as a compensation system linking individual teachers' salaries to…

75 FR 25885 - The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) is Providing Notice of the Opportunity to File Amicus...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-10

... MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) is Providing Notice of the Opportunity to File Amicus Briefs in the Matter of Larry L. Evans v. Department of Veterans Affairs, MSPB Docket Number AT-3330-09-0953- I-1. AGENCY: Merit Systems Protection Board. ACTION: Notice...

75 FR 20007 - The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) Is Providing Notice of the Opportunity To File Amicus...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-16

... MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) Is Providing Notice of the Opportunity To File Amicus Briefs in the Matter of Hyginus U. Aguzie v. Office of Personnel Management, MSPB Docket Number DC-0731- 09-0261-R-1 AGENCY: Merit Systems Protection Board. ACTION: Notice...

The Unfortunate Human Factor: A Selective History of Human Factors for Technical Communicators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Robert R.

1994-01-01

Reviews moments in the history of human factors that are especially relevant to the field of technical communications. Discusses human factors research that is applicable to technical communications. Focuses on qualitative usability research, minimalism, and human activity interface design. (HB)

Technical Mathematics: Restructure of Technical Mathematics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flannery, Carol A.

Designed to accompany a series of videotapes, this textbook provides information, examples, problems, and solutions relating to mathematics and its applications in technical fields. Chapter I deals with basic arithmetic, providing information on fractions, decimals, ratios, proportions, percentages, and order of operations. Chapter II focuses on…

Annotated bibliography of structural equation modelling: technical work.

PubMed

Austin, J T; Wolfle, L M

1991-05-01

Researchers must be familiar with a variety of source literature to facilitate the informed use of structural equation modelling. Knowledge can be acquired through the study of an expanding literature found in a diverse set of publishing forums. We propose that structural equation modelling publications can be roughly classified into two groups: (a) technical and (b) substantive applications. Technical materials focus on the procedures rather than substantive conclusions derived from applications. The focus of this article is the former category; included are foundational/major contributions, minor contributions, critical and evaluative reviews, integrations, simulations and computer applications, precursor and historical material, and pedagogical textbooks. After a brief introduction, we annotate 294 articles in the technical category dating back to Sewall Wright (1921).

Making the Good Even Better: Feedback from easyCBM Focus Groups, School Year 2009/2010. Technical Report # 1001

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald; Lai, Cheng-Fei

2010-01-01

This technical report provides a summary of feedback from teachers, administrators, and support personnel who used the easyCBM progress monitoring and benchmark assessment system during school year 2009/2010. Data were gathered from semi-structured focus groups conducted during the 2010 easyCBM August Institute at the University of Oregon. Results…

Potentials of acousto-optical spectrum analysis on a basis of a novel algorithm of the collinear wave heterodyning in a large-aperture KRS-5 crystalline cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shcherbakov, Alexandre S.; Maximov, Jewgenij; Bliznetsov, Alexej M.; Sanchez Perez, Karla J.

2011-03-01

The technique under proposal for a precise spectrum analysis within an algorithm of the collinear wave heterodyning implies a two-stage integrated processing, namely, the wave heterodyning of a signal in a square-law nonlinear medium and then the optical processing in the same solid state cell. The technical advantage of this approach lies in providing a direct multichannel parallel processing of ultra-high-frequency radio-wave signals with essentially improved frequency resolution. This technique imposes specific requirements on the cell's material. We focus our attention on the solid solutions of thallium chalcogenides and take the TlBr-TlI (thallium bromine-thallium iodine) solution, which forms KRS-5 cubic-symmetry crystals with the mass-ratio 58% of TlBr to 42% of TlI. Analysis shows that the acousto-optical cell made of a KRS-5 crystal oriented along the [111]-axis and the corresponding longitudinal elastic mode for producing the dynamic diffractive grating can be exploited. With the acoustic velocity of about 1.92 × 105 cm/s and attenuation of ~10 dB/(cm GHz2), a similar cell is capable of providing an optical aperture of ~5.0 cm and one of the highest figures of acousto-optical merit in solid states in the visible range. Such a cell is rather desirable for the application to direct 5000-channel parallel spectrum analysis with an improved up to 10-5 relative frequency resolution.

Reengineering observatory operations for the time domain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seaman, Robert L.; Vestrand, W. T.; Hessman, Frederic V.

2014-07-01

Observatories are complex scientific and technical institutions serving diverse users and purposes. Their telescopes, instruments, software, and human resources engage in interwoven workflows over a broad range of timescales. These workflows have been tuned to be responsive to concepts of observatory operations that were applicable when various assets were commissioned, years or decades in the past. The astronomical community is entering an era of rapid change increasingly characterized by large time domain surveys, robotic telescopes and automated infrastructures, and - most significantly - of operating modes and scientific consortia that span our individual facilities, joining them into complex network entities. Observatories must adapt and numerous initiatives are in progress that focus on redesigning individual components out of the astronomical toolkit. New instrumentation is both more capable and more complex than ever, and even simple instruments may have powerful observation scripting capabilities. Remote and queue observing modes are now widespread. Data archives are becoming ubiquitous. Virtual observatory standards and protocols and astroinformatics data-mining techniques layered on these are areas of active development. Indeed, new large-aperture ground-based telescopes may be as expensive as space missions and have similarly formal project management processes and large data management requirements. This piecewise approach is not enough. Whatever challenges of funding or politics facing the national and international astronomical communities it will be more efficient - scientifically as well as in the usual figures of merit of cost, schedule, performance, and risks - to explicitly address the systems engineering of the astronomical community as a whole.

The effect factors of potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystallization in aqueous solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Cun; Sun, Fei; Liu, Xuzhao

2017-01-01

The effects of cooling rate and pH on the potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystallization process were studied by means of batch crystallization process. The experiment shows that with the increase of cooling rate, the metastable zone width increase and the induction period decrease. When the pH is 3.0, the metastable zone width and induction period are both the minimum, while the crystallization rate is the highest. The crystallization products were characterized by scanning election microscope. Potassium Dihydrogen Phosphate (KDP) is a kind of excellent nonlinear optical materials, and belongs to tetragonal system, and ideal shape is aggregate of tetragonal prism and tetragonal dipyramid, the (100) cone is alternating accumulation by double positive ions and double negative ions [1-4]. The crystals of aqueous solution method to grow have large electro-optical nonlinear coefficient and high loser-damaged threshold, and it is the only nonlinear optical crystal could be used in inertial confinement fusion (ICF), KDP crystals are the ideal system to study the native defects of complex oxide insulating material [5-7]. With the development of photovoltaic technology, KDP crystals growth and performance have become a research focus worldwide [8, 9]. The merits of the crystallization process directly affect the quality of KDP products, so the study of the effect of crystallization conditions has an important significance on industrial production. This paper studied the change rule of metastable zone width, induction period, crystallization rate and particle size distribution in crystal process, and discussed the technical condition of KDP crystallization.

Treatment of alumina refinery waste (red mud) through neutralization techniques: A review.

PubMed

Rai, Suchita; Wasewar, K L; Agnihotri, A

2017-06-01

In the Bayer process of extraction of alumina from bauxite, the insoluble product generated after bauxite digestion with sodium hydroxide at elevated temperature and pressure is known as 'red mud' or 'bauxite residue'. This alumina refinery waste is highly alkaline in nature with a pH of 10.5-12.5 and is conventionally disposed of in mostly clay-lined land-based impoundments. The alkaline constituents in the red mud impose severe and alarming environmental problems, such as soil and air pollution. Keeping in view sustainable re-vegetation and residue management, neutralization/treatment of red mud using different techniques is the only alternative to make the bauxite residue environmentally benign. Hence, neutralization techniques, such as using mineral acids, acidic waste (pickling liquor waste), coal dust, superphosphate and gypsum as amenders, CO 2 , sintering with silicate material and seawater for treatment of red mud have been studied in detail. This paper is based upon and emphasizes the experimental work carried out for all the neutralization techniques along with a comprehensive review of each of the processes. The scope, applicability, limitations and feasibility of these processes have been compared exhaustively. Merits and demerits have been discussed using flow diagrams. All the techniques described are technically feasible, wherein findings obtained with seawater neutralization can be set as a benchmark for future work. Further studies should be focused on exploring the economical viability of these processes for better waste management and disposal of red mud.

45 CFR 2516.520 - How does a State, Indian tribe, or community-based entity review the merits of an application?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... entity review the merits of an application? 2516.520 Section 2516.520 Public Welfare Regulations Relating...-LEARNING PROGRAMS Application Review § 2516.520 How does a State, Indian tribe, or community-based entity review the merits of an application? In reviewing the merits of an application for a subgrant under this...

Why Do so Few Public School Districts Use Merit Pay?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldhaber, Dan; DeArmond, Michael; Player, Daniel; Choi, Hyung-Jai

2008-01-01

This article presents a principal-agent model in the context of public schools to help explain the use of merit pay for teachers. The model considers how both the nature of teaching and the political costs of union resistance affect school district merit pay decisions. Our results support the idea that merit pay is more likely in environments…

Mathematical Formalism for Designing Wide-Field X-Ray Telescopes: Mirror Nodal Positions and Detector Tilts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elsner, R. F.; O'Dell, S. L.; Ramsey, B. D.; Weisskopf, M. C.

2011-01-01

We provide a mathematical formalism for optimizing the mirror nodal positions along the optical axis and the tilt of a commonly employed detector configuration at the focus of a x-ray telescope consisting of nested mirror shells with known mirror surface prescriptions. We adopt the spatial resolution averaged over the field-of-view as the figure of merit M. A more complete description appears in our paper in these proceedings.

Ablative therapy for liver tumours

PubMed Central

Dick, E A; Taylor-Robinson, S D; Thomas, H C; Gedroyc, W M W

2002-01-01

Established ablative therapies for the treatment of primary and secondary liver tumours, including percutaneous ethanol injection, cryotherapy, and radiofrequency ablation, are discussed. Newer techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging guided laser interstitial thermal therapy of liver tumours has produced a median survival rate of 40.8 months after treatment. The merits of this newly emerging technique are discussed, together with future developments, such as focused ultrasound therapy, which holds the promise of non-invasive thermoablation treatment on an outpatient basis. PMID:11950826

How Engineers Perceive the Importance of Ethics in Finland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taajamaa, Ville; Majanoja, Anne-Maarit; Bairaktarova, Diana; Airola, Antti; Pahikkala, Tapio; Sutinen, Erkki

2018-01-01

Success in complex and holistic engineering practices requires more than problem-solving abilities and technical competencies. Engineering education must offer proficient technical competences and also train engineers to think and act ethically. A technical "engineering-like" focus and demand have made educators and students overlook the…

Factors that Influence Women's Technical Skill Development in Outdoor Adventure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warren, Karen; Loeffler, TA

2006-01-01

This article provides a theoretical foundation for understanding women's technical skill development (TSD) in outdoor adventure. An examination of societal and biological factors influencing women's TSD focuses on gender role socialization, sense of competence, technical conditioning, sexism, spatial ability, and risk-taking. The article suggests…

Future considerations for clinical dermatology in the setting of 21st century American policy reform: The Medicare Access and Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act and the Merit-based Incentive Payment System.

PubMed

Barbieri, John S; Miller, Jeffrey J; Nguyen, Harrison P; Forman, Howard P; Bolognia, Jean L; VanBeek, Marta J

2017-06-01

As the implementation of the Medicare Access and Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act begins, many dermatologists who provide Medicare Part B services will be subject to the reporting requirements of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). Clinicians subject to MIPS will receive a composite score based on performance across 4 categories: quality, advancing care information, improvement activities, and cost. Depending on their overall MIPS score, clinicians will be eligible for a positive or negative payment adjustment. Quality will replace the Physician Quality Reporting System and clinicians will report on 6 measures from a list of over 250 options. Advancing care information will replace meaningful use and will assess clinicians on activities related to integration of electronic health record technology into their practice. Improvement activities will require clinicians to attest to completion of activities focused on improvements in care coordination, beneficiary engagement, and patient safety. Finally, cost will be determined automatically from Medicare claims data. In this article, we will provide a detailed review of the Medicare Access and Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act with a focus on MIPS and briefly discuss the potential implications for dermatologists. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"Am I Famous Yet?" Judging Scholarly Merit in Psychological Science: An Introduction.

PubMed

Sternberg, Robert J

2016-11-01

The purpose of this symposium is to consider new ways of judging merit in academia, especially with respect to research in psychological science. First, I discuss the importance of merit-based evaluation and the purpose of this symposium. Next, I review some previous ideas about judging merit-especially creative merit-and I describe some of the main criteria used by institutions today for judging the quality of research in psychological science. Finally, I suggest a new criterion that institutions and individuals might use and draw some conclusions. © The Author(s) 2016.

Review of Related Literature and Research: History of Merit Pay, Differentiated Staffing, and Incentive Pay Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guernsey, Marsha A.

This paper reviews selected literature pertaining to merit pay, differentiated staffing, and incentive pay programs. The first section reviews the history of these alternatives to the single salary schedule, beginning with an account of two experimental merit pay plans in the early 20th century. During the 1920s, merit pay plans gave way to the…

Touchstone Education: New Charter with Experienced Leader Learns from Extending Teachers' Reach. An Opportunity Culture Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrett, Sharon Kebschull; Han, Jiye Grace

2013-01-01

In 2012, Touchstone Education opened its first school, Merit Preparatory Charter School of Newark ("Merit Prep Newark"), in New Jersey, with 84 sixth-graders, 90 percent of whom are low-income, with most entering Merit Prep several years behind grade level. In reading and science, Merit Prep Newark has shown strong early results in its…

Risk Aversion and Support for Merit Pay: Theory and Evidence from Minnesota's Q Comp Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nadler, Carl; Wiswall, Matthew

2011-01-01

Recent research attributes the lack of merit pay in teaching to the resistance of teachers. This article examines whether the structure of merit pay affects the types of teachers who support it. We develop a model of the relative utility teachers receive from merit pay versus the current fixed schedule of raises. We show that if teachers are risk…

How Do We Teach Usability? An Investigation of Usability Instruction in Technical Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chong, Felicia

2013-01-01

This dissertation investigates the curricular implementation of usability instruction in technical communication. Though there are a plethora of publications and studies on usability in technical communication, little discussion focuses on usability instruction in the classroom or its implementation in the curriculum. Thus, this exploratory…

Impact of Automation on Technical Services.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rooks, Dana C.; Thompson, Linda L.

1988-01-01

Discusses the impact of automation on library technical services, and the need for library managers to be aware of the issues involved and to plan for future developments. The discussion focuses on the areas of job related concerns of technical staff, organizational structures, recruitment and training, and ergonomic considerations. (CLB)

A Green Campus Culture in Wisconsin

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jorgensen, Haley

2006-01-01

This article features information about the Nicolet Area Technical College in Rhinelander, Wisconsin for preserving the environment as a school-wide initiative. In 2003, Nicolet became the first of the state's 16 technical colleges to embrace a campus-wide focus on renewable energy. In cooperation with the Wisconsin Technical College System…

Teaching Technical Writing: Focusing on Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santelmann, Patricia Kelly

In preparing students for business writing, a technical writing class should foster (1) a sensitivity to audience and an understanding of the business or technical organizational audience, (2) analytical problem solving that precedes any but the simplest writing task, (3) understanding of the patterns of organization that make information clear to…

A Sharper Focus on Technical Workers: How to Educate and Train for the Global Economy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lamos, Erin; Simon, Martin; Waits, Mary Jo

2010-01-01

This report presents a case study of the Automotive Manufacturing Technical Education Collaborative (AMTEC), which brings together auto manufacturers and community colleges across 12 states to identify and implement wide-ranging improvements in technical education for automotive manufacturing workers. A "Big Collaboration"--AMTEC…

The Boston Study: Analysis of a Major Metropolitan Business- and Technical-Communication Market.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buchholz, William J.

1989-01-01

Presents a year-long study of the duties, skills, and knowledge required of business- and technical-communication professionals in Boston, Massachusetts. Focuses on six categories of practice: technical communication, publishing, public relations, marketing, development, and training. Suggests that in the next decade communication practitioners…

A Decision Support Tool to Evaluate Sources and Sinks of Nitrogen within a Watershed Framework

EPA Science Inventory

Human transformation of the nitrogen (N) cycle is causing a number of environmental and human health problems. Federal, state and local authorities focusing on management of N loadings face both technical and non-technical challenges. One technical issue is that we need a bette...

Trends in Career and Technical Education Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rojewski, Jay W.; Asunda, Paul; Kim, Soo Jung

2008-01-01

The purpose of this literature review was to identify current trends and issues in research focusing on career and technical education (CTE). The primary sources of literature for this review included all research articles published in three refereed scholarly journals--"Career and Technical Education Research," "Journal of Career and Technical…

Choosing Schools and Choosing Content: The Case of Career and Technical Education. Issue Focus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosen, Rachel

2017-01-01

The public discussion around school choice often focuses on the types of schools families can choose from--public, charter, magnet, or private--and the importance of having a choice, rather than on the content of what they may be choosing. In the high school choice process, some form of career and technical education (CTE) is likely to arise as an…

Developing a plan for primary health care facilities in Soweto, South Africa. Part II: Applying locational criteria.

PubMed

Doherty, J; Rispel, L; Webb, N

1996-12-01

This article is the second of a two-part series describing the development of a ten-year plan for primary health care facility development in Soweto. The first article concentrated on the political problems and general methodological approach of the project. This second article describes how the technical problem of planning in the context of scanty information was overcome. The reasoning behind the various assumptions and criteria which were used to assist the planning of the location of facilities is explained, as well as the process by which they were applied. The merits and limitations of this planning approach are discussed, and it is suggested that the approach may be useful to other facility planners, particularly in the developing world.

A Single Conjunction Risk Assessment Metric: the F-Value

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frigm, Ryan Clayton; Newman, Lauri K.

2009-01-01

The Conjunction Assessment Team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center provides conjunction risk assessment for many NASA robotic missions. These risk assessments are based on several figures of merit, such as miss distance, probability of collision, and orbit determination solution quality. However, these individual metrics do not singly capture the overall risk associated with a conjunction, making it difficult for someone without this complete understanding to take action, such as an avoidance maneuver. The goal of this analysis is to introduce a single risk index metric that can easily convey the level of risk without all of the technical details. The proposed index is called the conjunction "F-value." This paper presents the concept of the F-value and the tuning of the metric for use in routine Conjunction Assessment operations.

Actuarial analysis of surgical results: rationale and method.

PubMed

Grunkemeier, G L; Starr, A

1977-11-01

The use of time-related methods of statistical analysis is essential for valid evaluation of the long-term results of a surgical procedure. Accurate comparison of two procedures or two prosthetic devices is possible only when the length of follow-up is properly accounted for. The purpose of this report is to make the technical aspects of the acturial, or life table, method easily accessible to the surgeon, with emphasis on the motivation for and the rationale behind it. This topic is illustrated in terms of heart valve prostheses, a field that is rapidly developing. Both the authors and readers of articles must be aware that controversies surrounding the relative merits of various prosthetic designs or operative procedures can be settled only if proper time-related methods of analysis are utilized.

Line trace micro-opto-electro-device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Deer; Lu, Si; Yan, Yingbai; Pang, Lin; Jin, Guofan

2001-05-01

Since micro robot has merits on small size and flexible movements, it could be used under many situations. A lot of novel designs of micro-robot have been developed recently. However, as miniaturizing the size of the micro-robot, the number of its sensor gets restricted. Then the information from the detectors becomes lack. This makes the micro robot difficult to acquire its status. A micro robot tracing a line has been designed in our lab. With the help of optoelectronic detection and logical algorithm, the micro robot could follow a black line printed on the white ground exactly. The micro robot's intelligence is realized through the program in its microprocessor. The technical details of the micro robot are as follows: dimensions: 30mm*25mm*35**; velocity: 60mm/s.

Lunar Regolith Figures of Merit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rickman, Doug; Scjrader. Cjrostoam; Jpe (zer. Jams); Fourroux, Kathy

2009-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the lunar regolith figures of merit. The contents include: 1) A quick review of Figures-of-Merit (FoM); 2) Software Implementation of FoM Algorithms; and 3) Demonstration of the Software.

Bioelectrical Impedance Methods for Noninvasive Health Monitoring: A Review

PubMed Central

Bera, Tushar Kanti

2014-01-01

Under the alternating electrical excitation, biological tissues produce a complex electrical impedance which depends on tissue composition, structures, health status, and applied signal frequency, and hence the bioelectrical impedance methods can be utilized for noninvasive tissue characterization. As the impedance responses of these tissue parameters vary with frequencies of the applied signal, the impedance analysis conducted over a wide frequency band provides more information about the tissue interiors which help us to better understand the biological tissues anatomy, physiology, and pathology. Over past few decades, a number of impedance based noninvasive tissue characterization techniques such as bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), electrical impedance plethysmography (IPG), impedance cardiography (ICG), and electrical impedance tomography (EIT) have been proposed and a lot of research works have been conducted on these methods for noninvasive tissue characterization and disease diagnosis. In this paper BIA, EIS, IPG, ICG, and EIT techniques and their applications in different fields have been reviewed and technical perspective of these impedance methods has been presented. The working principles, applications, merits, and demerits of these methods has been discussed in detail along with their other technical issues followed by present status and future trends. PMID:27006932

Peer consultation on relationship between PAC profile and toxicity of petroleum substances.

PubMed

Patterson, Jacqueline; Maier, Andrew; Kohrman-Vincent, Melissa; Dourson, Michael L

2013-11-01

An expert peer consultation panel reviewed a report by the PAC Analysis Task Group, which hypothesized that systemic, developmental, and reproductive toxicity observed in repeated-dose dermal toxicity studies was related to polycyclic aromatic compound (PAC) content. Peer consultations seek to solicit scientific and technical input from experts on the scientific basis and merits of the subject report. This peer consultation panel included nine scientists with expertise in petroleum chemistry, biostatistics, toxicology, risk assessment, structure activity, and reproductive and developmental toxicology. The panel evaluated the technical quality of the PAC report and provided recommendations for improving the statistical and biological approaches. The PAC report authors revised their methods and documentation, which are published elsewhere in this supplement. A review of the post peer consultation manuscripts confirmed that many of the key suggestions from expert panel members were considered and incorporated. In cases where the PAC report authors did not fully incorporate panel suggestions from the peer consultation, they have provided an explanation and support for their decision. This peer consultation demonstrates the value of formal engagement of peers in development of new scientific methods and approaches. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Risk Aversion and Support for Merit Pay: Theory and Evidence from Minnesota's Q Comp Program. Working Paper #09-05

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nadler, Carl; Wiswall, Matthew

2009-01-01

Recent research attributes the lack of merit pay in teaching to the resistance of teachers. This paper examines whether the structure of merit pay affects the types of teachers who support it. We develop a model of the relative utility teachers receive from merit pay versus the current fixed schedule of raises. We show that if teachers are risk…

75 FR 65404 - Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-22

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit... & Regenerative Medicine Subcommittee of the Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit..., examination, reference to, [[Page 65405

EPA Collaboration with Israel

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The United States and Israel focus on scientific and technical collaboration to protect the environment, by exchanging scientific and technical information, arranging visits of scientific personnel, cooperating in scientific symposia and workshops, etc.

A Summary of Technical Problems Associated With Broadband Cable Teleservices Development. A Survey of Technical Requirements for Broadband Cable Teleservices; Volume One.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McManamon, P. M.; Utlaut, W. F.

The results of a survey of cable television (CATV) and related technological industries are summarized. In this, the first of a series of seven reports, attention is focused upon some major technical factors which need to be considered in order that a transition from the technical state of today's cable television and services to new teleservices…

A small step for science, a big one for commerce.

PubMed

Birkett, Liam

2005-01-01

The excellent work that is being performed in medical science advances is to be admired and applauded. In each case the quest is for perfection and to bring the task in hand to its final solution. Along the way there are milestones being passed that may be overlooked, as to their particular merits, because the eyes are focused all the time on the ultimate goal. The conference highlights so many areas of interest and endeavour some of which parallel, duplicate, overlap and/or compliment others.

Photonic integrated circuits based on silica and polymer PLC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izuhara, T.; Fujita, J.; Gerhardt, R.; Sui, B.; Lin, W.; Grek, B.

2013-03-01

Various methods of hybrid integration of photonic circuits are discussed focusing on merits and challenges. Material platforms discussed in this report are mainly polymer and silica. We categorize the hybridization methods using silica and polymer waveguides into two types, chip-to-chip and on-chip integration. General reviews of these hybridization technologies from the past works are reviewed. An example for each method is discussed in details. We also discuss current status of our silica PLC hybrid integration technology.

Summary and overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

The merits, shortcomings, and future outlook of thermal IR remote sensing are appraised from a philosophical and speculative point of view in the light of the HCMM experiments. Two key questions stemming from HCMM addressed are: thermal remote sensing from space platforms now on a solid foundation in terms of demonstrated applications of real utility as well as theory, and where should NASA's research be focused in thermal remote sensing and are the potential applications sufficient to justify inclusion of thermal sensors in later generations of Earth resources satellites.

The role of the optimization process in illumination design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gauvin, Michael A.; Jacobsen, David; Byrne, David J.

2015-07-01

This paper examines the role of the optimization process in illumination design. We will discuss why the starting point of the optimization process is crucial to a better design and why it is also important that the user understands the basic design problem and implements the correct merit function. Both a brute force method and the Downhill Simplex method will be used to demonstrate optimization methods with focus on using interactive design tools to create better starting points to streamline the optimization process.

Biohydrogenesis in the Thermotogales

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

Kelly, Robert M.; Blum, Paul H.; Noll, Kenneth M.

The production and consumption of molecular hydrogen drives the physiology and bioenergetics of many microorganisms in hydrothermal environments. As such, the potential of these microorganisms as model systems to probe fundamental issues related to biohydrogen production merits consideration. It is important to understand how carbon/energy sources relate to the disposition of reducing power and, ultimately, the formation of molecular hydrogen by high temperature microorganisms. This project focused on bacteria in the thermophilic order Thermotogales, fermentative anaerobes that produce H 2 from simple and complex carbohydrates.

ILGWU Worker-Family Education Program. ESL/Technical Curriculum Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedman, Judy; Friedman, Deidre

The curriculum for the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) English as a Second Language (ESL) and technical classes is a collection of instructional materials and suggestions focusing on workplace-related topics and issues. This guide is intended for use in classes where one technical and one ESL teacher are present and where…

High Tech and the Upward Mobility of Non-Technical People.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kammire, Linda L.

The social and psychological effects of rapid technological advancement in the computer industry is the subject of this paper, which focuses on the concerns of people with non-technical backgrounds. It describes the career series, High Tech for Non-Technical People, created by the Georgia State University Career Development Center. The three…

Computer Supported Education at Fox Valley Technical Institute. IBM Application Brief.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

International Business Machines Corp., White Plains, NY.

Fox Valley Technical Institute (FVTI) has developed an approach to education which emphasizes competency-based, round-the-clock education entailing short terms, flexible class schedules, and individualized instruction and which has as its focus strong computer support at classroom, technical, and management levels. The college provides 6,000…

Emphasis: Technical Education. Conference Report (St. Louis, Mo., May 12-14, 1966).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association of Junior Colleges, Washington, DC.

The purpose of this conference was to bring expertise in the field of technical education to bear upon the identification and resolution of problems inhibiting the expansion of programs at the junior college level. Sixty-four participants were involved. The conference focused upon the relationships of technical education to: society, college…

Technical Writing 1987: Galloping Off in at Least Two Directions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stohrer, Freda F.

Technical writing instructors generally agree about the absolute need for communication skills throughout the technological work place, but a survey of technical writing journal articles shows a lack of focus on ways to address business's needs for on-the-job literacy. One major advance within the profession in recent years has been the…

A Question of Trust: Predictive Conditions for Adaptive and Technical Leadership in Educational Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daly, Alan J.; Chrispeels, Janet

2008-01-01

Recent studies have suggested that educational leaders enacting a balance of technical and adaptive leadership have an effect on increasing student achievement. Technical leadership focuses on problem-solving or first-order changes within existing structures and paradigms. Adaptive leadership involves deep or second-order changes that alter…

Space Shuttle Technical Conference, Part 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chaffee, Norman (Compiler)

1985-01-01

The retrospective presentation provides technical disciplinary focus in the following technical areas: (1) integrated avionics; (2) guidance, navigation, and control; (3) aerodynamics; (4) structures; (5) life support, environmental control, and crew station; (6) ground operations; (7) propulsion and power; (8) communications and tracking; (9) mechanics and mechanical systems; and (10) thermal and contamination environments and protection systems.

Enhancing Non-Technical Skills by a Multidisciplinary Engineering Summer School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larsen, Peter Gorm; Kristiansen, Erik Lasse; Bennedsen, Jens; Bjerge, Kim

2017-01-01

In general engineering studies focus on the technical skills in their own discipline. However, in their subsequent industrial careers, a significant portion of their time needs to be devoted to non-technical skills. In addition, in an increasingly globalised world collaboration in teams across cultures and disciplines is paramount to the creation…

TADS and Technical Assistance: Readings on System Design, Needs Assessment, Consultation, and Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trohanis, Pascal L., Ed.

The document reviews the technical assistance process used by TADS (Technical Assistance Development System), a project to provide support to HCEEP (Handicapped Children's Early Education Program) demonstration projects serving young handicapped children and their families. Chapter 1, by P. Trohanis, focuses on a number of questions that people…

Merit pay: viable?

PubMed

Farmer, C R

1978-01-01

Can an organization really have a meaningful relationship between its merit pay program and motivation of its employees? C. Richard Farmer of Armstrong Cork says yes--if. If the approach to granting merit pay increases is coupled with a salary structure attuned to economic and competitive conditions, and if it is communicated effectively and openly to the employees, then it automatically translates labor market activity, performance, and the cost of living into a meaningful increase. Position descriptions, evaluations, and performance appraisals are some of the tools essential to a viable merit pay program. But besides these definite do's, the author outlines some of the don'ts of merit pay programs, such as centralized administration of the program--policies, programs, and procedures may be centralized, but their administration must be carried out by those close to the individual employees and work units. Above all, the merit pay program must be based on performance, not longevity.

A Comparative Study of the Trends in Career and Technical Education Among European Countries, the United States, and the Republic of China.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Robert T. Y.

Theories influencing the development of trends in career and technical education (CTE) in Europe, the United States, and the Republic of China (Taiwan)were examined. The analysis established that, when determining the goals of CTE and areas of focus of efforts to improve CTE curricula and delivery, European countries focus on theories related to…

KSC SBIR/STTR 2004 Program Year Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

The Kennedy Space Center Level III SBIR/STTR management staff is under the Technology Transfer Office within the Spaceport Engineering and Technology Directorate. The SBIR and STTR programs provide an opportunity for small high technology companies and research institutions to participate in Government-sponsored research and development (R&D) programs in key technology areas. The SBIR program was established by Congress in 1982 to provide increased opportunities for small businesses to participate in R&D programs, increase employment, and improve U.S. competitiveness. The program's specific objectives are to stimulate U.S. technological innovation, use small businesses to meet Federal research and development needs, increase private sector commercialization of innovations, and foster and encourage participation by socially disadvantaged businesses. Legislation enacted in December 2000 reauthorized the program and strengthened emphasis on pursuing commercial applications of SBIR projects. An SBIR Phase I contract is the opportunity to establish the feasibility and technical merit of a proposed innovation. Selected competitively, the Phase I contract lasts for 6 months and is funded up to $70,000. SBIR Phase II contracts continue the most promising Phase I projects based on scientific! technical merit, expected value to NASA, company capability, and commercial potential. Phase II contracts are usually for a period of 24 months and may not exceed $600,000. NASA usually selects approximately 40 percent of Phase I projects to continue to the Phase II level. Phase III is the process of furthering the development of a product to make it commercially available. The STTR program awards contracts to small business concerns for cooperative R&D with a nonprofit research institution. Research institutions include nonprofit research organizations, Federal laboratories, or universities. The goal of the program established by Congress is to facilitate the transfer of technology developed by a research institution through the entrepreneurship of a small business. The STIR program is smaller in funding than the SBIR program. While the proposal is submitted by the small business concern, at least 30 percent of the funding and work must originate with the research institution. STTR Phase I projects receive up to $100K for a one-year effort, and a Phase II contract receives up to $600K for two years.

Equal, global, local: discourses in Taiwan's international medical graduate debate.

PubMed

Ho, Ming-Jung; Shaw, Kevin; Liu, Tzu-Hung; Norris, Jessie; Chiu, Yu-Ting

2015-01-01

With the globalisation of medicine, the role of international medical graduates (IMGs) has expanded. Nonetheless, the experiences of native-born IMGs remain under-researched. In Taiwan, public controversy has unfolded around IMGs educated in Poland, calling into question the meaning(s) of equality in policy and medicine. In focusing on the return of IMGs to their countries of origin, this study adds to the growing literature concerning equality and globalisation in medical education. The primary research aim was to analyse how stakeholders in the IMG debate use equality in their arguments. The authors set out to frame the dispute within the recent history of Taiwanese medical governance. An overarching objective was to contribute a critical, historical view of how discourses of globalisation and equality construct different policy approaches to international medical education. The authors performed a critical discourse analysis of a public policy dispute in Taiwan, assembling an archive from online interactions, government reports and news articles. Coding focused on stakeholders' uses of equality to generate broader discourses. International and domestic Taiwanese students conceived of equality differently, referencing both 'equality of opportunity' and 'equality of outcome' within localisation and globalisation frameworks, respectively. The dominance of localisation discourse is reflected in hostile online rhetoric towards Poland-educated IMGs. Rhetorical disagreements over equality in medical education trace shifting state policies, from earlier attempts to remove barriers for IMGs to the present-day push to regulate IMGs for acculturation and quality assurance. The global Internet had a double-sided influence, facilitating both democratic political mobilization and the spread of hate speech. The policy debate in Taiwan mirrors discourses in Canada, where IMGs are likewise conceived either as globally competent physicians or as lacking in merit and technical competence. Future research could investigate the discursive formation and evidential basis of policies regulating international medical education. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Lost in translation: assessing effectiveness of focus group questioning techniques to develop improved translation of terminology used in HIV prevention clinical trials.

PubMed

Mack, Natasha; Ramirez, Catalina B; Friedland, Barbara; Nnko, Soori

2013-01-01

Achieving participant comprehension has proven to be one of the most difficult, practical, and ethical challenges of HIV prevention clinical trials. It becomes even more challenging when local languages do not have equivalent scientific and technical vocabularies, rendering communication of scientific concepts in translated documents extremely difficult. Even when bilingual lexicons are developed, there is no guarantee that participants understand the terminology as translated. We conducted twelve focus groups with women of reproductive age in Mwanza, Tanzania to explore the effectiveness of four questioning techniques for: (1) assessing participants' familiarity with existing technical terms and concepts, (2) generating a list of acceptable technical and non-technical terms, (3) testing our definitions of technical terms, and (4) verifying participants' preferences for terms. Focus groups were transcribed, translated, and qualitatively analyzed. A translation process that uses all four questioning techniques in a step-wise approach is an effective way to establish a baseline understanding of participants' familiarity with research terms, to develop and test translatable definitions, and to identify participants' preferred terminology for international HIV clinical research. This may help to ensure that important concepts are not "lost in translation." The results emphasize the importance of using a variety of techniques depending on the level of participant familiarity with research concepts, the existence of colloquial or technical terms in the target language, and the inherent complexity of the terms.

Lost in Translation: Assessing Effectiveness of Focus Group Questioning Techniques to Develop Improved Translation of Terminology Used in HIV Prevention Clinical Trials

PubMed Central

Mack, Natasha; Ramirez, Catalina B.; Friedland, Barbara; Nnko, Soori

2013-01-01

Introduction Achieving participant comprehension has proven to be one of the most difficult, practical, and ethical challenges of HIV prevention clinical trials. It becomes even more challenging when local languages do not have equivalent scientific and technical vocabularies, rendering communication of scientific concepts in translated documents extremely difficult. Even when bilingual lexicons are developed, there is no guarantee that participants understand the terminology as translated. Methods We conducted twelve focus groups with women of reproductive age in Mwanza, Tanzania to explore the effectiveness of four questioning techniques for: (1) assessing participants' familiarity with existing technical terms and concepts, (2) generating a list of acceptable technical and non-technical terms, (3) testing our definitions of technical terms, and (4) verifying participants' preferences for terms. Focus groups were transcribed, translated, and qualitatively analyzed. Results and Discussion A translation process that uses all four questioning techniques in a step-wise approach is an effective way to establish a baseline understanding of participants' familiarity with research terms, to develop and test translatable definitions, and to identify participants' preferred terminology for international HIV clinical research. This may help to ensure that important concepts are not “lost in translation.” The results emphasize the importance of using a variety of techniques depending on the level of participant familiarity with research concepts, the existence of colloquial or technical terms in the target language, and the inherent complexity of the terms. PMID:24040075

Mental Health Advisory Team-Korea (8th Army) Technical Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-30

10 2.3 Comparison Groups for Analyses...10 2.4 Focus Groups ............................................................................................................... 11...46 8.7 Perceptions of Staffing Challenges: Survey and Focus Group Data .............................. 48 9 SOLDIER FOCUS GROUP SUMMARY

Technical Writing: Library Resources for Engineers. A Self-Paced Workbook for the University of Arkansas Libraries. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dew, Stephen H.

This self-paced library workbook is a course requirement of all "technical writing" freshman English classes at the University of Arkansas. The technical writing course is required of all engineering students, and its major focus is on writing a term paper containing a bibliography produced through library research. The workbook…

75 FR 76468 - Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation; Medicare Program; Meeting of the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-08

... Evaluation; Medicare Program; Meeting of the Technical Advisory Panel on Medicare Trustee Reports AGENCY... announces a public meeting of the Technical Advisory Panel on Medicare Trustee Reports (Panel). Notice of... long run. The Panel's discussion is expected to be very technical in nature and will focus on the...

A comparison of a technical and a participatory application of social impact assessment.

Treesearch

Dennis R Becker; Charles C Harris; Erik A Nielsen; William J. McLaughlin

2004-01-01

Results of independent applications of a technical and a participatory approach to SIA are compared for an assessment of impacts of the proposed removal of hydroelectric dams to recover threatened and endangered salmon in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The analysis focuses on empirical differences and similarities between the technical social analysis...

77 FR 26553 - Medicare Program; Meeting of the Medicare Economic Index Technical Advisory Panel-May 21, 2012

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-04

...] Medicare Program; Meeting of the Medicare Economic Index Technical Advisory Panel--May 21, 2012 AGENCY... announces that a public meeting of the Medicare Economic Index Technical Advisory Panel (``the Panel'') will... Economic Index (MEI). This first meeting will focus on MEI inputs and input weights. This meeting is open...

Administrators' Perceptions of Career and Technical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haussman, Charles E.

2012-01-01

Career and technical education was founded on the common practice of apprenticeships integrated into the public schools at the beginning of the 20th century as manual arts, which continued to evolve into a culture and practice of its own as vocational education, and into what is now career and technical education, with an evolving focus on college…

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lean, Jonathan; Tucker, Jonathan

2005-01-01

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

Toward the 21st Century: Preparing Strategic Thinkers in Vocational, Technical, and Occupational Education for Building Learning Communities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Groff, Warren H.

The 1992 component of Emergence of Vocational, Technical, and Occupational Education (E-VTO) focused on preparing strategic thinkers in vocational, technical, and occupational education (VTO) for building learning communities. The E-VTO seminar was one of the two seminars that comprised the VTO specialization of Nova University's doctoral program…

Repositioning Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) for Youths Employment and National Security in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ogbunaya, T. C.; Udoudo, Ekereobong S.

2015-01-01

The paper focused on repositioning Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) for youth's employment and national security in Nigeria. It examined briefly the concepts of technical vocational education and training (TVET), youths, unemployment and national security as well as the effects of unemployment on national security in Nigeria.…

European dry cooling tower operating experience

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

DeSteese, J.G.; Simhan, K.

1976-03-01

Interviews were held with representatives of major plants and equipment manufacturers to obtain current information on operating experience with dry cooling towers in Europe. The report documents the objectives, background, and organizational details of the study, and presents an itemized account of contacts made to obtain information. Plant selection was based on a merit index involving thermal capacity and length of service. A questionnaire was used to organize operational data, when available, into nine major categories of experience. Information was also solicited concerning the use of codes and standards to ensure the achievement of cooling tower performance. Several plant operatorsmore » provided finned-tube samples for metallographic analysis. Additionally, information on both operating experience and developing technology was supplied by European technical societies and research establishments. Information obtained from these contacts provides an updated and representative sample of European experience with dry cooling towers, which supplements some of the detailed reviews already available in the literature. In addition, the study presents categorized operating experience with installations which have not been reviewed so extensively, but nevertheless, have significant operational histories when ranked by the merit index. The contacts and interviews reported in the survey occurred between late March and October 1975. The study was motivated by the expressed interest of U.S. utility industry representatives who expect European experience to provide a basis of confidence that dry cooling is a reliable technology, applicable when necessary, to U.S. operating requirements.« less

77 FR 69504 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Emergency Reinstatement of Previously Approved Collection

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-19

... MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD Agency Information Collection Activities; Emergency Reinstatement of Previously Approved Collection AGENCY: Merit Systems Protection Board. ACTION: Notice of emergency reinstatement. SUMMARY: The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) is requesting approval from the Office of...

Problems with the Small Business Administration’s Merit Appraisal and Compensation System.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-09-21

TAD-AI07 181 GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE WASHINGTON DC FEDERAL PERS-ETC F/6 5/9 PROBLEMS WITH THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION’S MERIT APPRAIS--ETC(U...Adninistrator, Small Business Administration Dear Mr. Car D Subjec::/ Problems with the Small Business Administra- tjon’s Merit Appraisal and Compensation...System, (rLP68 8i 71). We reviewed the Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) performance appraisal/merit pay program as part of our review of

Design of general apochromatic drift-quadrupole beam lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindstrøm, C. A.; Adli, E.

2016-07-01

Chromatic errors are normally corrected using sextupoles in regions of large dispersion. In low emittance linear accelerators, use of sextupoles can be challenging. Apochromatic focusing is a lesser-known alternative approach, whereby chromatic errors of Twiss parameters are corrected without the use of sextupoles, and has consequently been subject to renewed interest in advanced linear accelerator research. Proof of principle designs were first established by Montague and Ruggiero and developed more recently by Balandin et al. We describe a general method for designing drift-quadrupole beam lines of arbitrary order in apochromatic correction, including analytic expressions for emittance growth and other merit functions. Worked examples are shown for plasma wakefield accelerator staging optics and for a simple final focus system.

Preschoolers' understanding of merit in two Asian societies.

PubMed

Chevallier, Coralie; Xu, Jing; Adachi, Kuniko; van der Henst, Jean-Baptiste; Baumard, Nicolas

2015-01-01

Recent research in moral psychology have suggested that children make judgments about distributive justice early on in development, and in particular they appear to be able to use merit when distributing the benefits of a collective action. This prediction has recently been validated in various western cultures but it is unknown whether it also applies to more collectivistic cultures, in which the group might be favoured over the individual, and need over merit. Here, we investigate merit-based distributions among 81 children belonging to two Asian societies, China and Japan (mean age = 5.0 years). In line with the idea that children's moral psychology develops early, we found that Chinese and Japanese children are able to use merit to distribute the benefits of a collective action.

A survey-based cross-sectional study of doctors’ expectations and experiences of non-technical skills for Out of Hours work

PubMed Central

Brown, Michael; Shaw, Dominick; Sharples, Sarah; Jeune, Ivan Le; Blakey, John

2015-01-01

Objectives The skill set required for junior doctors to work efficiently and safely Out of Hours (OoH) in hospitals has not been established. This is despite the OoH period representing 75% of the year and it being the time of highest mortality. We set out to explore the expectations of medical students and experiences of junior doctors of the non-technical skills needed to work OoH. Design Survey-based cross-sectional study informed by focus groups. Setting Online survey with participants from five large teaching hospitals across the UK. Participants 300 Medical Students and Doctors Outcome measure Participants ranked the importance of non-technical skills, as identified by literature review and focus groups, needed for OoH care. Results The focus groups revealed a total of eight non-technical skills deemed to be important. In the survey ‘Task Prioritisation’ (mean rank 1.617) was consistently identified as the most important non-technical skill. Stage of training affected the ranking of skills, with significant differences for ‘Communication with Senior Doctors’, ‘Dealing with Clinical Isolation’, ‘Task Prioritisation’ and ‘Communication with Patients’. Importantly, there was a significant discrepancy between the medical student expectations and experiences of doctors undertaking work. Conclusions Our findings suggest that medical staff particularly value task prioritisation skills; however, these are not routinely taught in medical schools. The discrepancy between expectations of students and experience of doctors reinforces the idea that there is a gap in training. Doctors of different grades place different importance on specific non-technical skills with implications for postgraduate training. There is a pressing need for medical schools and deaneries to review non-technical training to include more than communication skills. PMID:25687899

75 FR 3542 - Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-21

... unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. Disclosure would also reveal research proposals and research... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit... (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that the Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit...

Short communication: Genetic lag represents commercial herd genetic merit more accurately than the 4-path selection model.

PubMed

Dechow, C D; Rogers, G W

2018-05-01

Expectation of genetic merit in commercial dairy herds is routinely estimated using a 4-path genetic selection model that was derived for a closed population, but commercial herds using artificial insemination sires are not closed. The 4-path model also predicts a higher rate of genetic progress in elite herds that provide artificial insemination sires than in commercial herds that use such sires, which counters other theoretical assumptions and observations of realized genetic responses. The aim of this work is to clarify whether genetic merit in commercial herds is more accurately reflected under the assumptions of the 4-path genetic response formula or by a genetic lag formula. We demonstrate by tracing the transmission of genetic merit from parents to offspring that the rate of genetic progress in commercial dairy farms is expected to be the same as that in the genetic nucleus. The lag in genetic merit between the nucleus and commercial farms is a function of sire and dam generation interval, the rate of genetic progress in elite artificial insemination herds, and genetic merit of sires and dams. To predict how strategies such as the use of young versus daughter-proven sires, culling heifers following genomic testing, or selective use of sexed semen will alter genetic merit in commercial herds, genetic merit expectations for commercial herds should be modeled using genetic lag expectations. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

NASA preferred reliability-practices for design and test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lisk, Ronald C.

1992-01-01

NASA HQ established the NASA R&M Steering Committee (R&MSC) comprised of membership from each NASA field center. The primary charter of the R&MSC is to obtain, record, and share the best design practices that NASA has applied to successful space flight programs and current design considerations (guidelines) that should enhance flight reliability on emerging programs. The practices and guidelines are being assembled in a living document for distribution to NASA centers and the aerospace community. The document will be updated annually with additional practices and guidelines as contributions from the centers are reviewed and approved by the R&MSC. Practices and guidelines are not requirements, but rather a means of sharing procedures and techniques that a given center and the R&MSC together feel have strong technical merit and application to the design of space-related equipment.

A training paradigm to enhance performance and safe use of an innovative neuroendovascular device

PubMed Central

Ricci, Donald R.; Marotta, Thomas R.; Riina, Howard A.; Wan, Martina; De Vries, Joost

2016-01-01

Training has been important to facilitate the safe use of new devices designed to repair vascular structures. This paper outlines the generic elements of a training program for vascular devices and uses as an example the actual training requirements for a novel device developed for the treatment of bifurcation intracranial aneurysms. Critical elements of the program include awareness of the clinical problem, technical features of device, case selection, and use of a simulator. Formal proctoring, evaluation of the training, and recording the clinical outcomes complement these elements. Interventional physicians should embrace the merits of a training module to improve the user experience, and vendors, physicians, and patients alike should be aligned in the goal of device training to improve its success rate and minimize complications of the procedure. PMID:27867466

Advanced Technology System Scheduling Governance Model

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

Ang, Jim; Carnes, Brian; Hoang, Thuc

In the fall of 2005, the Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) Program appointed a team to formulate a governance model for allocating resources and scheduling the stockpile stewardship workload on ASC capability systems. This update to the original document takes into account the new technical challenges and roles for advanced technology (AT) systems and the new ASC Program workload categories that must be supported. The goal of this updated model is to effectively allocate and schedule AT computing resources among all three National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) laboratories for weapons deliverables that merit priority on this class of resource. Themore » process outlined below describes how proposed work can be evaluated and approved for resource allocations while preserving high effective utilization of the systems. This approach will provide the broadest possible benefit to the Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP).« less

Need for Cost Optimization of Space Life Support Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Harry W.; Anderson, Grant

2017-01-01

As the nation plans manned missions that go far beyond Earth orbit to Mars, there is an urgent need for a robust, disciplined systems engineering methodology that can identify an optimized Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLSS) architecture for long duration deep space missions. But unlike the previously used Equivalent System Mass (ESM), the method must be inclusive of all driving parameters and emphasize the economic analysis of life support system design. The key parameter for this analysis is Life Cycle Cost (LCC). LCC takes into account the cost for development and qualification of the system, launch costs, operational costs, maintenance costs and all other relevant and associated costs. Additionally, an effective methodology must consider system technical performance, safety, reliability, maintainability, crew time, and other factors that could affect the overall merit of the life support system.

Marine biomass: New York State species and site studies. Annual report 1 Dec 80-30 Nov 81

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

Squires, D.F.; McKay, L.; Brinkhuis, B.

1982-03-01

Nine species of indigenous New York seaweeds were surveyed for potential as feedstock for methanogenesis. Laminaria and Gracilaria are primary candidates on the basis of growth studies and gas yield data provided by General Electric. Agardhiella, Codium and Fucus merit further study. A two species (warm and cool water) cropping system appears feasible in terms of year-round sustained yield. Initial data suggest nitrogen is not limiting in New York coastal waters. Preliminary data from raft culture experiments suggest that some species' yields may be higher in the field than in the laboratory. Important technical gains were made in affixing attached-growth-modemore » species to substrates. Sites for use in larger scale experimental structures around Long Island were evaluated for their environmental and use-conflict parameters.« less

Knowledge Workers' Perceptions of Performance Ratings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Alan D.; Rupp, William T.

2004-01-01

One major purpose of performance appraisals is to determine individual merit, especially where pay for performance systems are employed. Based upon expectancy theory, high performance ratings should entail high merit increases while low performance ratings result in low merit increases. However, it appears that decoupling performance ratings and…

5 CFR 335.106 - Special selection procedures for certain veterans under merit promotion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... veterans under merit promotion. 335.106 Section 335.106 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PROMOTION AND INTERNAL PLACEMENT General Provisions § 335.106 Special selection procedures for certain veterans under merit promotion. Preference eligibles or veterans who have...

Annual Report: Unconventional Fossil Energy Resource Program (30 September 2013)

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

Soong, Yee; Guthrie, George

2013-09-30

Yee Soong, Technical Coordinator, George Guthrie, Focus Area Lead, UFER Annual Report, NETL-TRS-UFER-2013, NETL Technical Report Series, U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, Pittsburgh, PA, 2013, p 14.

CTE: Education for a Strong Economy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conneely, Nancy; Hyslop, Alisha

2018-01-01

For nearly a century, career and technical education (CTE) programs across the United States have focused on equipping students with technical and life skills to help them become productive citizens. This brief report presents the benefits of CTE.

Mass Customized Technical Textiles in the B2B Sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gebhardt, R.; Barteld, M.; Grafmüller, L.; Mosig, T.; Weiß, M.

2017-10-01

Mass Customization is a great opportunity for textile companies for both staying competitive in high-wage countries and offering inexpensive, customized products. Within the area of Technical Textiles, this study focuses on the B2B sector and shows the status quo, potentials and strengths. Both management and technological issues are addressed. For the former, business models and the value co-creation process are dealt with, for the latter, the focus is on modelling.

Climate for Articulation. Report of a Conference of Vocational Directors and Technical College Presidents and Directors in South Carolina, October 12-14, 1978.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Robert H., Ed.

A summary is presented of the proceedings of a South Carolina conference of vocational and technical college presidents and directors which focused on (1) the articulation of selected secondary level vocational education and similar postsecondary level technical institution programs and (2) mutual concerns of vocational directors and technical…

Linked Learning: Can Career and Technical Education Programs Take California High Schools into the 21st Century?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Brian Edward

2012-01-01

This qualitative study explored the ability of a linked learning career and technical education program to engage fully students and thereby increase at-risk students' persistence in school. The focus was to identify the degree to which linked learning career and technical education programs provide a community atmosphere, increase and maintained…

Repositioning the Facilities in Technical College Workshops for Efficiency: A Case Study of North Central Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Umar, Ibrahim Y.; Ma'aji, Abdullahi S.

2010-01-01

This article focuses on assessing the facilities in Government Technical College workshops in the context of a developing country. A descriptive survey design was adopted. Two research questions and a hypothesis were formulated to guide the study. A 35-item questionnaire was developed based on the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE)…

The Changing Role of Vocational and Technical Education and Training (VOTEC). Women in Vocational and Technical Education: Changes and Challenges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France).

Changes in the vocational and technical education (VTE) opportunities available for women in Organisation for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD) member countries in response to changing labor markets and job skill requirements were discussed at a June 1994 meeting of experts. The discussions focused on the following issues: gender differences…

75 FR 72872 - Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-26

... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit...-463 (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that a meeting of the Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board will be held on December 13-14, 2010, at the Hilton Alexandria Old...

42 CFR 21.46 - Merit roll.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... candidates for appointment as officers shall assign a numerical rating to each candidate for appointment in... expired merit roll. If two candidates who were examined at the same time receive the same numerical rating... candidate whose name is being transferred from an expired to a new merit roll has the same numerical rating...

42 CFR 21.46 - Merit roll.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... candidates for appointment as officers shall assign a numerical rating to each candidate for appointment in... expired merit roll. If two candidates who were examined at the same time receive the same numerical rating... candidate whose name is being transferred from an expired to a new merit roll has the same numerical rating...

42 CFR 21.46 - Merit roll.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... candidates for appointment as officers shall assign a numerical rating to each candidate for appointment in... expired merit roll. If two candidates who were examined at the same time receive the same numerical rating... candidate whose name is being transferred from an expired to a new merit roll has the same numerical rating...

42 CFR 21.46 - Merit roll.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... candidates for appointment as officers shall assign a numerical rating to each candidate for appointment in... expired merit roll. If two candidates who were examined at the same time receive the same numerical rating... candidate whose name is being transferred from an expired to a new merit roll has the same numerical rating...

42 CFR 21.46 - Merit roll.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... candidates for appointment as officers shall assign a numerical rating to each candidate for appointment in... expired merit roll. If two candidates who were examined at the same time receive the same numerical rating... candidate whose name is being transferred from an expired to a new merit roll has the same numerical rating...

Net merit as a measure of lifetime profit: 2018 revision

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The lifetime net merit (NM$) index ranks dairy animals based on their combined genetic merit for economically important traits. Indexes are updated periodically to include new traits and to reflect prices expected in the next few years. The August 2018 update of NM$ includes genetic evaluations for ...

75 FR 40036 - Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-13

.... Disclosure would also reveal research proposals and research underway which could lead to the loss of these... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit... (Federal Advisory Committee Act) that the Rehabilitation Research and Development Service Scientific Merit...

Value-Added Merit Pay.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Twomey, Daniel F.

The purpose of merit pay is to reward employees for their accomplishments and motivate them to continue improving. Critics of merit pay say the increased extrinsic motivation that it prompts is more than offset by the decrease in intrinsic motivation. Supporters of performance-based pay claim several benefits of the practice. This study addressed…

An Accounting Program Merit Pay Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindsay, David H.; Campbell, Annhenrie; Tan, Kim B.; Wagner, Andrew

2010-01-01

Basing the compensation of accounting professors on merit pay in order to encourage better teaching, research and service is controversial. Before the effectiveness of merit-based salary plans can be examined empirically, it must be determined which accounting programs use such a system. In this study, the 852 accounting programs in the United…

Preschoolers’ Understanding of Merit in Two Asian Societies

PubMed Central

Chevallier, Coralie; Xu, Jing; Adachi, Kuniko; van der Henst, Jean-Baptiste; Baumard, Nicolas

2015-01-01

Recent research in moral psychology have suggested that children make judgments about distributive justice early on in development, and in particular they appear to be able to use merit when distributing the benefits of a collective action. This prediction has recently been validated in various western cultures but it is unknown whether it also applies to more collectivistic cultures, in which the group might be favoured over the individual, and need over merit. Here, we investigate merit-based distributions among 81 children belonging to two Asian societies, China and Japan (mean age = 5.0 years). In line with the idea that children’s moral psychology develops early, we found that Chinese and Japanese children are able to use merit to distribute the benefits of a collective action. PMID:25970346

Allegation of ethnic minorities from 1993-2008: an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) study.

PubMed

Arango-Lasprilla, Juan Carlos; Ketchum, Jessica M; Hurley, Jessica; Getachew, Almaz M; Gary, Kelli Williams

2014-01-01

Approximately 25% of working-aged Americans with disabilities work full or part time, yet still face discrimination despite the passing of the American's with Disabilities Act (ADA) over 20 years ago. To determine if the proportion of allegations of ADA Title I workplace discrimination with merit closed at any year between 1993 and 2008 differs among Whites, African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians; to determine if there was a change over time from 1993 to 2008 in merit closure rate within each race/ethnicity group; and to determine whether changes over time between 1993 and 2008 in the merit closure rate differ among the race/ethnicity groups. Logistic regression was used for this cross-sectional panel study to model the merit closure rate for each ethnic group from 1993 to 2008 using 318,587 charging parties from the EEOC database. All ethnic groups exhibited significant changes over time in the merit closure rate. There were significant differences in the closure rates among the race/ethnicity groups specifically at closure years 1995-2000, 2002, 2003, and 2006. Finally, there was evidence that the trends in merit closure rates over time differed significantly among the race/ethnicity groups. There was significant evidence that the proportion of claims closed with merit was significantly different among the racial/ethnicity groups.

Framework for incorporating simulation into urology training.

PubMed

Arora, Sonal; Lamb, Benjamin; Undre, Shabnam; Kneebone, Roger; Darzi, Ara; Sevdalis, Nick

2011-03-01

• Changes to working hours, new technologies and increased accountability have rendered the need for alternative training environments for urologists. • Simulation offers a promising arena for learning to take place in a safe, realistic setting. • Despite its benefits, the incorporation of simulation into urological training programmes remains minimal. • The current status and future directions of simulation for training in technical and non-technical skills are reviewed as they pertain to urology. • A framework is presented for how simulation-based training could be incorporated into the entire urological curriculum. • The literature on simulation in technical and non-technical skills training is reviewed, with a specific focus upon urology. • To fully integrate simulation into a training curriculum, its possibilities for addressing all the competencies required by a urologist must be realized. • At an early stage of training, simulation has been used to develop basic technical skills and cognitive skills, such as decision-making and communication. • At an intermediate stage, the studies focus upon more advanced technical skills learnt with virtual reality simulators. • Non-technical skills training would include leadership and could be delivered with in situ models. • At the final stage, experienced trainees can practise technical and non-technical skills in full crisis simulations situated within a fully-simulated operating rooms. • Simulation can provide training in the technical and non-technical skills required to be a competent urologist. • The framework presented may guide how best to incorporate simulation into training curricula. • Future work should determine whether acquired skills transfer to clinical practice and improve patient care. © 2010 THE AUTHORS. BJU INTERNATIONAL © 2010 BJU INTERNATIONAL.

Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership (BAIHP)

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

McIlvaine, Janet; Chandra, Subrato; Barkaszi, Stephen

This final report summarizes the work conducted by the Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership (www.baihp.org) for the period 9/1/99-6/30/06. BAIHP is led by the Florida Solar Energy Center of the University of Central Florida and focuses on factory built housing. In partnership with over 50 factory and site builders, work was performed in two main areas--research and technical assistance. In the research area--through site visits in over 75 problem homes, we discovered the prime causes of moisture problems in some manufactured homes and our industry partners adopted our solutions to nearly eliminate this vexing problem. Through testing conducted in overmore » two dozen housing factories of six factory builders we documented the value of leak free duct design and construction which was embraced by our industry partners and implemented in all the thousands of homes they built. Through laboratory test facilities and measurements in real homes we documented the merits of 'cool roof' technologies and developed an innovative night sky radiative cooling concept currently being tested. We patented an energy efficient condenser fan design, documented energy efficient home retrofit strategies after hurricane damage, developed improved specifications for federal procurement for future temporary housing, compared the Building America benchmark to HERS Index and IECC 2006, developed a toolkit for improving the accuracy and speed of benchmark calculations, monitored the field performance of over a dozen prototype homes and initiated research on the effectiveness of occupancy feedback in reducing household energy use. In the technical assistance area we provided systems engineering analysis, conducted training, testing and commissioning that have resulted in over 128,000 factory built and over 5,000 site built homes which are saving their owners over $17,000,000 annually in energy bills. These include homes built by Palm Harbor Homes, Fleetwood, Southern Energy Homes, Cavalier and the manufacturers participating in the Northwest Energy Efficient Manufactured Home program. We worked with over two dozen Habitat for Humanity affiliates and helped them build over 700 Energy Star or near Energy Star homes. We have provided technical assistance to several show homes constructed for the International builders show in Orlando, FL and assisted with other prototype homes in cold climates that save 40% over the benchmark reference. In the Gainesville Fl area we have several builders that are consistently producing 15 to 30 homes per month in several subdivisions that meet the 30% benchmark savings goal. We have contributed to the 2006 DOE Joule goals by providing two community case studies meeting the 30% benchmark goal in marine climates.« less

Information technology industry certification's impact on undergraduate student perception of instructor effectiveness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andersson, David L.

The field of Computer Information Systems (CIS) or Information Technology (IT) is experiencing rapid change. A 2003 study analyzing the IT degree programs and those of competing disciplines at 10 post-secondary institutions concluded that information technology programs are perceived differently from information systems and computer science programs and are significantly less focused on both math and pure science subjects. In Information Technology programs, voluntary professional certifications, generally known in the Information Technology field as "IT" certifications, are used as indicators of professional skill. A descriptive study noting one subject group's responses to items that were nearly identical except for IT certification information was done to investigate undergraduate CIS/IT student perceptions of IT industry certified instructors. The subject group was comprised of undergraduate CIS/IT students from a regionally accredited private institution and a public institution. The methodology was descriptive, based on a previous model by Dr. McKillip, Professor of Psychology, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, utilizing a web-based survey instrument with a Likert scale, providing for voluntary anonymous responses outside the classroom over a ten day window. The results indicated that IT certification affected student perceptions of instructor effectiveness, teaching methodology, and student engagement in the class, and to a lesser degree, instructor technical qualifications. The implications suggest that additional research on this topic is merited. Although the study was not designed to examine the precise cause and effect, an important implication is that students may be motivated to attend classes taught by instructors they view as more confident and effective and that teachers with IT industry certification can better engage their students.

Automated identification of diagnosis and co-morbidity in clinical records.

PubMed

Cano, C; Blanco, A; Peshkin, L

2009-01-01

Automated understanding of clinical records is a challenging task involving various legal and technical difficulties. Clinical free text is inherently redundant, unstructured, and full of acronyms, abbreviations and domain-specific language which make it challenging to mine automatically. There is much effort in the field focused on creating specialized ontology, lexicons and heuristics based on expert knowledge of the domain. However, ad-hoc solutions poorly generalize across diseases or diagnoses. This paper presents a successful approach for a rapid prototyping of a diagnosis classifier based on a popular computational linguistics platform. The corpus consists of several hundred of full length discharge summaries provided by Partners Healthcare. The goal is to identify a diagnosis and assign co-morbidi-ty. Our approach is based on the rapid implementation of a logistic regression classifier using an existing toolkit: LingPipe (http://alias-i.com/lingpipe). We implement and compare three different classifiers. The baseline approach uses character 5-grams as features. The second approach uses a bag-of-words representation enriched with a small additional set of features. The third approach reduces a feature set to the most informative features according to the information content. The proposed systems achieve high performance (average F-micro 0.92) for the task. We discuss the relative merit of the three classifiers. Supplementary material with detailed results is available at: http:// decsai.ugr.es/~ccano/LR/supplementary_ material/ We show that our methodology for rapid prototyping of a domain-unaware system is effective for building an accurate classifier for clinical records.

Prototype design for a predictive model to improve evacuation operations : technical report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-08-01

Mass evacuations of the Texas Gulf Coast remain a difficult challenge. These events are massive in scale, : highly complex, and entail an intricate, ever-changing conglomeration of technical and jurisdictional issues. : This project focused primarily...

Satellite-tracking and Earth dynamics research programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

The major focus for operations during this period was the preliminary MERIT Campaign and its intensive tracking of LAGEOS for polar motion and Earth rotation studies. The data acquired from LAGEOS were used for other geophysical investigations, including studies of crustal dynamics, and Earth and ocean tides, and for the general development of precision orbit determination. The network performed regular tracking of several other retroreflector satellites including GEOS-1, GEOS-3, BE-C, and Starlette for refined determinations of station coordinates and Earth's gravity field and for studies of solid Earth dynamics.

[Applications of DNA identification technology in protection of wild animals].

PubMed

Ni, Ping-Ya; Pei, Li; Ge, Wen-Dong; Zhang, Ying; Yang, Xue-Ying; Xu, Xiao-Yu; Tu, Zheng

2011-12-01

With the development of biotechnology, forensic DNA identification technology in protection of wild animals has been used more and more widely. This review introduces the global status of wildlife crime and the relevant protection to wildlife, outlines the practical applications of forensic DNA identification technology with regard to species identification, determination of geographic origin, individual identification and paternity identification. It focus on the techniques commonly used in DNA typing and their merits and demerits, as well as the problems and prospects of forensic DNA technology for wildlife conservation.

Pet roundworms and hookworms: a continuing need for global worming.

PubMed

Traversa, Donato

2012-05-10

Ascarids and ancylostomatids are the most important parasites affecting dogs and cats worldwide, in terms of diffusion and risk for animal and human health. Different misconceptions have led the general public and pet owners to minimize the importance of these intestinal worms. A low grade of interest is also registered among veterinary professions, although there is a significant merit in keeping our guard up against these parasites. This article reviews current knowledge of ascarids and ancylostomatids, with a special focus on pathogenicity, epidemiology and control methods in veterinary and human medicine.

Pet roundworms and hookworms: A continuing need for global worming

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Ascarids and ancylostomatids are the most important parasites affecting dogs and cats worldwide, in terms of diffusion and risk for animal and human health. Different misconceptions have led the general public and pet owners to minimize the importance of these intestinal worms. A low grade of interest is also registered among veterinary professions, although there is a significant merit in keeping our guard up against these parasites. This article reviews current knowledge of ascarids and ancylostomatids, with a special focus on pathogenicity, epidemiology and control methods in veterinary and human medicine. PMID:22574783

Employee Reactions to Merit Pay: Cognitive Approach and Social Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Yingchun

2010-01-01

The dissertation aims to tackle one of the most pressing questions facing the merit pay system researchers and practitioners: Why do merit pay raises have such a small effect on employees' satisfaction, commitment and job performance? My approach to the study of this question is to develop explanatory frameworks from two perspectives: cognitive…

Development of a lifetime merit-based selection index for US dairy grazing systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pasture-based dairy producers in the US face costs, revenues and management challenges that differ from those associated with conventional dairy production systems. Three Grazing Merit indexes (GM$1, GM$2, and GM$3), parallel to the US Lifetime Net Merit (NM$) index, were constructed using economic ...

Merit Aid to College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baum, Sandra R.; Schwartz, Saul

1988-01-01

Merit scholarships, an attempt to maintain the number and quality of students in the face of declining enrollments, are a bad idea for society and for individual institutions. Merit aid will assist students who would have attended college anyway and hurt needy students who might not be able to attend. Includes two tables, eight notes, and 11…

76 FR 6197 - Health Services Research and Development Service Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-03

... Patient Response to Care; HSR 3-Informatics and Research Methods Development; HSR 4-Mental and Behavioral... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Health Services Research and Development Service Merit Review Board... Advisory Committee Act) that a meeting of the Health Services Research and Development Service Merit Review...

76 FR 76772 - Submission for Review: Standard Form 1153: Claim for Unpaid Compensation of Deceased Civilian...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-08

... and request for comments. SUMMARY: Merit System Audit and Compliance, Office of Personnel Management... Management, Merit System Audit and Compliance, Room 6484, 1900 E Street NW., Washington, DC 20415, or sent... instructions if more room is needed to list designated beneficiaries. Analysis Agency: Merit System Audit and...

76 FR 54809 - Submission for Review: Standard Form 1153: Claim for Unpaid Compensation of Deceased Civilian...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-02

... and request for comments. SUMMARY: Merit System Audit and Compliance, Office of Personnel Management..., U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Merit System Audit and Compliance, Room 6484, 1900 E Street, NW... Classification and Pay Claims Program Manager, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Merit System Audit and...

3 CFR 13518 - Executive Order 13518 of November 9, 2009. Employment of Veterans in the Federal Government

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... opportunities for veterans within the executive branch, consistent with merit system principles and veterans... in section 4 of this order, merit system principles, the agency's strategic human capital plan, and... employment opportunities for veterans within the agency, consistent with law and merit system principles...

An Optimization Model for the Allocation of University Based Merit Aid

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sugrue, Paul K.

2010-01-01

The allocation of merit-based financial aid during the college admissions process presents postsecondary institutions with complex and financially expensive decisions. This article describes the application of linear programming as a decision tool in merit based financial aid decisions at a medium size private university. The objective defined for…

The New Merit Aid

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dynarski, Susan

2004-01-01

Merit aid, a discount to college costs contingent upon academic performance, is nothing new. Colleges and private organizations have long rewarded high-achieving, college-bound high school students with scholarships. While merit aid has a long history in the private sector, it has not played a major role in the public sector. At the state level,…

Marketing Merit Aid: The Response of Flagship Campuses to State Merit Aid Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ness, Erik C.; Lips, Adam J. A.

2011-01-01

This study examines the differences in the portfolio of institutional scholarships and the marketing of these awards between flagship campuses with and without state merit aid programs. Using content analysis techniques to analyze institutional websites of the 16 Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) flagship campuses, three thematic responses…

Examining the Impact of State Level Merit-Aid Policies on Advanced Placement Participation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kramer, Dennis A., II

2016-01-01

This study examines the impact of merit-aid programs on secondary course taking patterns. Specifically, this study uses difference-in-differences to analyze state-level Advanced Placement (AP) participation and examination data pre and post merit-aid adoption. Results indicate increases in AP participation and number of total examinations after…

Rewarding Teachers: Issues and Incentives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newcombe, Ellen

This paper discusses some of the issues behind the current debate on merit pay for teachers. A brief history is presented of performance-based compensation systems. The difficulties in arriving at a consensus on a valid definition of merit pay are pointed out, and examples are presented of various merit plans, such as master teaching plans, career…

Merit Pay and Music Education: A Motivation Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vagi, Robert

2014-01-01

Recently, state and federal legislators have emphasized teacher quality in their efforts to improve public education. Many reformers believe that merit pay may prove invaluable in attracting highly qualified educators to the workforce and retaining them, as well as in improving students' test scores. While merit pay's ability to recruit and retain…

Merit: Who, What, and Why.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aupperle, Eric M.

1998-01-01

Looks back at the innovations/tribulations that went into the making of Merit Network, Inc., Michigan's pioneering Internet provider. Today, Merit is serving as the GigaPoP organization for its two current Internet2 members, Michigan State University and University of Michigan, and will provision a vBNS connection for Wayne State University.…

Profiles of Merit Pay Provisions in Ohio School Districts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willis, Chris; Ingle, W. Kyle

2018-01-01

A small number of districts in Ohio from a variety of locales have adopted merit pay provisions. Using Springer's (2009) taxonomy of teacher compensation, we analyzed compensation provisions of these districts. We asked: What are the characteristics of these districts? What criteria are used to determine merit? Who is determining who receives…

Native Amazonian Children Forego Egalitarianism in Merit-Based Tasks When They Learn to Count

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jara-Ettinger, Julian; Gibson, Edward; Kidd, Celeste; Piantadosi, Steve

2016-01-01

Cooperation often results in a final material resource that must be shared, but deciding how to distribute that resource is not straightforward. A distribution could count as fair if all members receive an equal reward ("egalitarian distributions"), or if each member's reward is proportional to their merit ("merit-based…

Third International Mathematics and Science Study 1999 Video Study Technical Report: Volume 2--Science. Technical Report. NCES 2011-049

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garnier, Helen E.; Lemmens, Meike; Druker, Stephen L.; Roth, Kathleen J.

2011-01-01

This second volume of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 1999 Video Study Technical Report focuses on every aspect of the planning, implementation, processing, analysis, and reporting of the science components of the TIMSS 1999 Video Study. The report is intended to serve as a record of the actions and documentation of…

Improving Secondary Career and Technical Education through Professional Development: Alternative Certification and Use of Technical Assessment Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Research Center for Career and Technical Education, 2011

2011-01-01

Secondary career and technical education (CTE) is a field in transition. It is moving from a primary focus on preparing students for entry-level employment to preparing them for continuing education and training as well as employment. The rapid pace of change in technology and the global economy has created a demand for workers who are able to…

Focus: A Forum on Teaching and Learning in Utah Community and Technical Colleges, Volume II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carpenter, Don A., Ed.

1983-01-01

A series of articles is presented on teaching and learning in Utah community and technical colleges. After an editorial comment by J. Marvin Higbee on the goals and purposes of the Utah Association of Community Colleges, V. Lowell Hansen discusses the role of the technical instructor in the information society of the 1980's. Next, Ace G.…

Meeting the Needs of Career and Technical Education: Observations from Graduates of a High School Health Science Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Avey, Matthew R.

2012-01-01

Career and Technical education has been around for some time, and has often been shaped by the current economic landscape of the country. While current evolving trends focus on relevance for students in the school setting, a coexistence with college preparation curriculum is now the new trend in modern technical education. New programs have…

Laparoscopic liver resection: wedge resections to living donor hepatectomy, are we heading in the right direction?

PubMed

Cherian, P Thomas; Mishra, Ashish Kumar; Kumar, Palaniappen; Sachan, Vijayant Kumar; Bharathan, Anand; Srikanth, Gadiyaram; Senadhipan, Baiju; Rela, Mohamad S

2014-10-07

Despite inception over 15 years ago and over 3000 completed procedures, laparoscopic liver resection has remained mainly in the domain of selected centers and enthusiasts. Requirement of extensive open liver resection (OLR) experience, in-depth understanding of anatomy and considerable laparoscopic technical expertise may have delayed wide application. However healthy scepticism of its actual benefits and presence of a potential publication bias; concern about its safety and technical learning curve, are probably equally responsible. Given that a large proportion of our work, at least in transplantation is still OLR, we have attempted to provide an entirely unbiased, mature opinion of its pros and cons in the current invited review. We have divided this review into two sections as we believe they merit separate attention on technical and ethical grounds. The first part deals with laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) in patients who present with benign or malignant liver pathology, wherein we have discussed its overall outcomes; its feasibility based on type of pathology and type of resection and included a small section on application of LLR in special scenarios like cirrhosis. The second part deals with the laparoscopic living donor hepatectomy (LDH) experience to date, including its potential impact on transplantation in general. Donor safety, graft outcomes after LDH and criterion to select ideal donors for LLR are discussed. Within each section we have provided practical points to improve safety in LLR and attempted to reach reasonable recommendations on the utilization of LLR for units that wish to develop such a service.

Improved Emergency Egress Lighting System for the ISS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eaton, Leslie L.; Barr, Don A.

2005-01-01

Emergency lights provide illumination in corridors, stairwells, ramps, escalators, aisles, and exit passageways during power failures. Safety and visibility are critical during a power outage. If emergency lights fail to operate properly, the building occupants can become disoriented. Four documents in a collection discuss different topics relating to a proposed improved emergency egress lighting system (EELS) for the International Space Station (ISS). While the present EELS is designed around rows of green-light-emitting diodes, the proposed system contains strips of electroluminescent tape using different colors for each egress path. The proposed EELS can be powered by the same battery currently used by the present EELS, but would require an inverter because electroluminescent devices require AC. Electroluminescent devices also require significantly less current and, depending on the color, would emit 3 to 8 times the light of the present EELS. In addition, they could operate for up to 75 hours (versus .20 minutes for the present system). The first document contains a one-page summary of the proposal and an evaluation of technical merit. The second document summarizes the motivation for, and the design of, the proposed EELS. The third document addresses relevant aspects of the measurement of spectral sensitivity and the psychophysics of perception of light. The fourth document presents additional background information and technical specifications for the electroluminescent tapes.

Technical and economic viability of automated highway systems : preliminary analysis

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

Technical and economic investigations of automated highway systems (AHS) are addressed. It has generally been accepted that such systems show potential to alleviate urban traffic congestion, so most of the AHS research has been focused instead on tec...

Generation and focusing of pulsed intense ion beams. Technical progress report, 1 October 1982 - 30 September, 1983

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

Hammer, D.A.; Kusse, B.R.; Sudan, R.N.

1983-07-01

The progress on this contract is described in three parts. The first deals with the technical operation of the LION accelerator. The second and third parts are concerned with the experimental results.

Non-technical skills of the operating theatre scrub nurse: literature review.

PubMed

Mitchell, Lucy; Flin, Rhona

2008-07-01

This paper is a report of a review to identify the non-technical (cognitive and social) skills used by scrub nurses. Recognition that failures in non-technical skills contributed to accidents in high-risk industries led to the development of research programmes to study the role of cognition and social interactions in operational safety. Recently, psychological research in operating theatres has revealed the importance of non-technical skills in safe and efficient performance. Most of the studies to date have focused on anaesthetists and surgeons. On-line sources and university library catalogues, publications of the Association for Perioperative Practice, National Association of Theatre Nurses and Association of Peri-Operative Registered Nurses were searched in 2007. Studies were included in the review if they presented data from scrub nurses on one or more of their non-technical skills. These findings were examined in relation to an existing medical non-technical skills framework with categories of communication, teamwork, leadership, situation awareness and decision-making. Of 424 publications retrieved, 13 were reviewed in detail. Ten concerned communication and eight of those also had data on teamwork. In 11 papers teamwork was examined, and one focused on nurses' situation awareness, teamwork and communication. None of the papers we reviewed examined leadership or decision-making by scrub nurses. Further work is needed to identify formally the non-technical skills which are important to the role of scrub nurse and then to design training in the identified non-technical skills during the education and development of scrub nurses.

Volumetric Imaging and Characterization of Focusing Waveguide Grating Couplers

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

Katzenmeyer, Aaron Michael; McGuinness, Hayden James Evans; Starbuck, Andrew Lea

Volumetric imaging of focusing waveguide grating coupler emission with high spatial resolution in the visible (λ = 637.3 nm) is demonstrated using a scanning near-field optical microscope with long z-axis travel range. Stacks of 2-D images recorded at fixed distance from the device are compiled to yield 3-D visualization of the light emission pattern and enable extraction of parameters, such as spot size, angle of emission, and focal height. Measurements of such parameters are not prevalent in the literature yet are necessary for efficacious design and integration. As a result, it is observed that finite-difference time-domain simulations based on fabricationmore » layout files do not perfectly predict in-hand device behavior, underscoring the merit of experimental validation, particularly for critical application.« less

Volumetric Imaging and Characterization of Focusing Waveguide Grating Couplers

DOE PAGES

Katzenmeyer, Aaron Michael; McGuinness, Hayden James Evans; Starbuck, Andrew Lea; ...

2017-08-29

Volumetric imaging of focusing waveguide grating coupler emission with high spatial resolution in the visible (λ = 637.3 nm) is demonstrated using a scanning near-field optical microscope with long z-axis travel range. Stacks of 2-D images recorded at fixed distance from the device are compiled to yield 3-D visualization of the light emission pattern and enable extraction of parameters, such as spot size, angle of emission, and focal height. Measurements of such parameters are not prevalent in the literature yet are necessary for efficacious design and integration. As a result, it is observed that finite-difference time-domain simulations based on fabricationmore » layout files do not perfectly predict in-hand device behavior, underscoring the merit of experimental validation, particularly for critical application.« less

Merit Pay: Good for Teachers?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drevitch, Gary

2006-01-01

When asked to share her thoughts about merit-pay for teachers, one second-grade teacher said that it is a touchy subject. Other teachers, however, have a different take on the increasingly talked-about alternative pay systems. Whatever their viewpoint, merit-pay is an issue to watch. More and more districts are considering it and it could mean new…

"Education Will Get You to the Station": Marginalized Students' Experiences and Perceptions of Merit in Accessing University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Carl E.; Taylor, Leanne

2008-01-01

This article explores how four minority students in a university access program reconciled their presence on merit. They shared their experiences over two years through their application statements, life history interviews, weekly group sessions, and personal journal entries. Consistent with the discourse of merit, participants believed that by…

The Politics of Determining Merit Aid Eligibility Criteria: An Analysis of the Policy Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ness, Erik C.

2010-01-01

Despite the scholarly attention on the effects of merit aid on college access and choice, particularly on the significant effect that states' varied eligibility criteria play, no studies have examined the policy process through which merit aid criteria are determined. This is surprising given the recent attention to state-level policy dynamics and…

Making Sense of the Educational Present: Problematising the "Merit Turn" in the Italian Eduscape

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grimaldi, Emiliano; Barzano, Giovanna

2014-01-01

This article problematises the recent "merit turn" in the Italian education system. It addresses the analysis of how the global idea of "merit as lever for modernisation" and its related technologies have flowed into a regional education space through a set of four policy trajectories. It explores how these have partially…

49 CFR 1103.19 - Advising upon the merits of a client's cause.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 8 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Advising upon the merits of a client's cause. 1103... Practitioner's Duties and Responsibilities Toward A Client § 1103.19 Advising upon the merits of a client's cause. A practitioner shall try to obtain full knowledge of his client's cause before advising thereon...

75 FR 39734 - Health Services Research and Development Service Merit Review Board; Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-12

... from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On September 2, the subcommittee on Health Services Research 7 for Pilot Proposal... DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Health Services Research and Development Service Merit Review Board... Advisory Committee Act) that a meeting of the Health Services Research and Development Service Merit Review...

Refining scientific writing skills with feedback that works for students and instructors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiani, Leily S.; Menke, Carrie

2015-10-01

Evaluation of student learning through assessment of communication skills is a generally important component of undergraduate education and particularly so for promotion of interdisciplinary research conducted by future scientists. To better build these skills we aim to quantify the effectiveness of feedback on student writing of technical reports in an upper-division physics lab course. In one implementation, feedback utilization - in the form of observing commented technical reports, attending office hours or emailing rough drafts of their reports was monitored then correlated with improvement in student writing. The improvement in student writing is quantified as the single-student normalized gain. A slight positive relationship was found between the number of times a student utilized feedback and the improvement in student writing. A subsequent study involved correlation of two complimentary assessments of student work. In the first assessment students received consistent feedback throughout the semester on all sections of a technical report in the form of highlighted bullet points in a detailed rubric. In the second assessment method students received varying amounts of feedback for each section of the technical paper throughout the semester with a focus on one section each week and follow-up feedback on previously covered sections. This approach provides focused feedback that can be scalable to larger classes. The number of highlighted bullet points in the rubric clearly decreases as a function of the focused feedback implementation. From this we conclude that student writing improves with the focused feedback method.

The Zernike expansion--an example of a merit function for 2D/3D registration based on orthogonal functions.

PubMed

Dong, Shuo; Kettenbach, Joachim; Hinterleitner, Isabella; Bergmann, Helmar; Birkfellner, Wolfgang

2008-01-01

Current merit functions for 2D/3D registration usually rely on comparing pixels or small regions of images using some sort of statistical measure. Problems connected to this paradigm the sometimes problematic behaviour of the method if noise or artefacts (for instance a guide wire) are present on the projective image. We present a merit function for 2D/3D registration which utilizes the decomposition of the X-ray and the DRR under comparison into orthogonal Zernike moments; the quality of the match is assessed by an iterative comparison of expansion coefficients. Results in a imaging study on a physical phantom show that--compared to standard cross--correlation the Zernike moment based merit function shows better robustness if histogram content in images under comparison is different, and that time expenses are comparable if the merit function is constructed out of a few significant moments only.

Introduction of Core Based Subjects in the Curriculum of Technical and Vocational Institutions in Ghana: Assessment of Its Effect on Practical Training Sessions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

William, Otu

2015-01-01

Technical education among other things focuses on training the skill manpower needs of the youth in most countries of which Ghana is no exception. This study looks at Ghana Education Service technical and vocational sector reform programme introduced in 2010 with emphasis on the introduction of compulsory core based subjects and its effect on…

[OurPuppet - Caring support with an interactive puppet for informal caregivers : Opportunities and challenges in the social and technical developmental process].

PubMed

Kuhlmann, Andrea; Reuter, Verena; Schramek, Renate; Dimitrov, Todor; Görnig, Matthias; Matip, Eva-Maria; Matthies, Olaf; Naroska, Edwin

2018-01-01

The "OurPuppet" project comprises a sensor-based, interactive puppet that will be developed to communicate with people in need of care during a short period of absence of the informal caregiver. Specially qualified puppet guides will support the use of the new technical development. They instruct people with dementia and caregivers on how to use the puppet and supervise the (informal) care relationship through discussions on a regular basis. The article shows the specific components of users' needs for which the concrete technical development should find answers. It also focuses on the opportunities and challenges for the technical and social developmental process accompanied by these demands. The analysis of the users' needs is based on a participatory approach. Semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with informal caregivers, nurses and volunteers in order to identify typical situations in home care settings. The interviews were paraphrased and summarized in order to deduce inductive categories (qualitative data analysis), which describe everyday situations that the technical system should address. Such analyses provide information about the needs of potential users and indicate how to design such technical systems. Furthermore, opportunities and challenges of the development process as well as important contextual information were identified.

Owning the program technical baseline for future space systems acquisition: program technical baseline tracking tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Tien M.; Guillen, Andy T.; Hant, James J.; Kizer, Justin R.; Min, Inki A.; Siedlak, Dennis J. L.; Yoh, James

2017-05-01

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has recognized the needs for owning the program and technical knowledge within the Air Force concerning the systems being acquired to ensure success. This paper extends the previous work done by the authors [1-2] on the "Resilient Program Technical Baseline Framework for Future Space Systems" and "Portfolio Decision Support Tool (PDST)" to the development and implementation of the Program and Technical Baseline (PTB) Tracking Tool (PTBTL) for the DOD acquisition life cycle. The paper describes the "simplified" PTB tracking model with a focus on the preaward phases and discusses how to implement this model in PDST.

Comparison of modal test results - Multipoint sine versus single-point random. [for Mariner Jupiter/Saturn spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leppert, E. L.; Lee, S. H.; Day, F. D.; Chapman, P. C.; Wada, B. K.

1976-01-01

The Mariner Jupiter/Saturn (MJS) spacecraft was subjected to the traditional multipoint sine dwell (MPSD) modal test using 111 accelerometer channels, and also to single-point random (SPR) testing using 26 accelerometer channels, and the two methods are compared according to cost, schedule, and technical criteria. A measure of comparison between the systems was devised in terms of the cumulative difference in the kinetic energy distribution of the common accelerometers. The SPR and MPSD method show acceptable agreement with respect to frequencies and mode damping. The merit of the SPR method is that the excitation points are minimized and the test article can be committed to other uses while data analysis is performed. The MPSD approach allows validity of the data to be determined as the test progresses. Costs are about the same for the two methods.

Elastic and photo-elastic characteristics of laser crystals potassium rare-earth tungstates KRE(WO₄)₂, where RE=Y, Yb, Gd and Lu.

PubMed

Mazur, M M; Velikovskiy, D Yu; Mazur, L I; Pavluk, A A; Pozhar, V E; Pustovoit, V I

2014-07-01

The elastic and photo-elastic characteristics of four laser crystals KY(WO₄)₂, KGd(WO₄)₂, KYb(WO₄)₂, and KLu(WO₄)₂ are presented. The first pair was reported early, and the last two materials have been investigated for the first time. The full matrix of elastic constants of these monoclinic crystals has been determined. Also, acousto-optical figure of merit for all the basic geometries of isotropic diffraction has been measured. It is proved that potassium rare-earth tungstates has rather good acousto-optical properties and particularly can take place of fused silica in technical applications required high power laser radiation. All the results demonstrate good prospect of these optically bi-axial laser crystals for development of new effective acousto-optical devices. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparative performance of solar thermal power generation concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wen, L.; Wu, Y. C.

1976-01-01

A performance comparison is made between the central receiver system (power tower) and a distributed system using either dishes or troughs and lines to transport fluids to the power station. These systems were analyzed at a rated capacity of 30 MW of thermal energy delivered in the form of superheated steam at 538 C (1000 F) and 68 atm (1000 psia), using consistent weather data, collector surface waviness, pointing error, and electric conversion efficiency. The comparisons include technical considerations for component requirements, land utilization, and annual thermal energy collection rates. The relative merits of different representative systems are dependent upon the overall conversion as expressed in the form of performance factors in this paper. These factors are essentially indices of the relative performance effectiveness for different concepts based upon unit collector area. These performance factors enable further economic tradeoff studies of systems to be made by comparing them with projected production costs for these systems.

Technology Assessment for Large Vertical-Lift Transport Tiltrotors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Germanowski, Peter J.; Stille, Brandon L.; Strauss, Michael P.

2010-01-01

The technical community has identified rotor efficiency as a critical enabling technology for large vertical-lift transport (LVLT) rotorcraft. The size and performance of LVLT aircraft will be far beyond current aircraft capabilities, enabling a transformational change in cargo transport effectiveness. Two candidate approaches for achieving high efficiency were considered for LVLT applications: a variable-diameter tiltrotor (VDTR) and a variable-speed tiltrotor (VSTR); the former utilizes variable-rotor geometry and the latter utilizes variable-rotor speed. Conceptual aircraft designs were synthesized for the VDTR and VSTR and compared to a conventional tiltrotor (CTR). The aircraft were optimized to a common objective function and bounded by a set of physical- and requirements-driven constraints. The resulting aircraft were compared for weight, size, performance, handling qualities, and other attributes. These comparisons established a measure of the relative merits of the variable-diameter and -speed rotor systems as enabling technologies for LVLT capability.

Another Look at the Great Area-Coverage Controversy of the 1950's

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanchard, Walter

2005-09-01

In the immediate aftermath of WW2 there sprang up an international argument over the relative merits for aerial navigation of area-coverage radio navaids versus point-source systems. The United States was in favour of point-source whereas the UK proposed area-coverage, systems for which had successfully been demonstrated under very adverse conditions during the war. It rumbled on for many years, not being finally settled until the ICAO Montreal Conference of 1959 decided for point-source. Since then, VOR/DME/ADF/ILS have been the standard aviation radio navaids and there seems little likelihood of any change in the near future, GNSS notwithstanding, if one discounts the phasing-out of ADF. It now seems sufficiently in the past to perhaps allow a dispassionate evaluation of the technical arguments used at the time the political ones can be left to another place and time.

Kilogram-scale prexasertib monolactate monohydrate synthesis under continuous-flow CGMP conditions.

PubMed

Cole, Kevin P; Groh, Jennifer McClary; Johnson, Martin D; Burcham, Christopher L; Campbell, Bradley M; Diseroad, William D; Heller, Michael R; Howell, John R; Kallman, Neil J; Koenig, Thomas M; May, Scott A; Miller, Richard D; Mitchell, David; Myers, David P; Myers, Steven S; Phillips, Joseph L; Polster, Christopher S; White, Timothy D; Cashman, Jim; Hurley, Declan; Moylan, Robert; Sheehan, Paul; Spencer, Richard D; Desmond, Kenneth; Desmond, Paul; Gowran, Olivia

2017-06-16

Advances in drug potency and tailored therapeutics are promoting pharmaceutical manufacturing to transition from a traditional batch paradigm to more flexible continuous processing. Here we report the development of a multistep continuous-flow CGMP (current good manufacturing practices) process that produced 24 kilograms of prexasertib monolactate monohydrate suitable for use in human clinical trials. Eight continuous unit operations were conducted to produce the target at roughly 3 kilograms per day using small continuous reactors, extractors, evaporators, crystallizers, and filters in laboratory fume hoods. Success was enabled by advances in chemistry, engineering, analytical science, process modeling, and equipment design. Substantial technical and business drivers were identified, which merited the continuous process. The continuous process afforded improved performance and safety relative to batch processes and also improved containment of a highly potent compound. Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Getting Geology Students Into the Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nocerino, J.

2011-12-01

The importance of field schools to practicing geologists is unquestionable; yet, the opportunities to experience field geology are dwindling. The Geological Society of America (GSA), in cooperation with ExxonMobil, are currently offering three programs to support and encourage field geology. The GSA/ExxonMobil Bighorn Basin Field award is a field seminar in the Bighorn Basin of north-central Wyoming emphasizing multi-disciplinary integrated basin analysis. The GSA/ExxonMobil Field Camp Scholar Award provides undergraduate students 2,000 each to attend the field camp of their choice based on diversity, economic/financial need, and merit. Finally, the GSA/ExxonMobil Field Camp Excellence Award provides one geologic field camp leader an award of 10,000 to assist with their summer field camp season based on safety awareness, diversity, and technical excellence. This non-profit/industry collaboration has proven very successful and in 2011 over 300 geology students and professors have applied for these awards.

Feasibility and applications of the spin-echo modulation option for a small angle neutron scattering instrument at the European Spallation Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusmin, A.; Bouwman, W. G.; van Well, A. A.; Pappas, C.

2017-06-01

We describe theoretical and practical aspects of spin-echo modulated small-angle neutron scattering (SEMSANS) as well as the potential combination with SANS. Based on the preliminary technical designs of SKADI (a SANS instrument proposed for the European Spallation Source) and a SEMSANS add-on, we assess the practicability, feasibility and scientific merit of a combined SANS and SEMSANS setup by calculating tentative SANS and SEMSANS results for soft matter, geology and advanced material samples that have been previously studied by scattering methods. We conclude that lengths from 1 nm up to 0.01 mm can be observed simultaneously in a single measurement. Thus, the combination of SANS and SEMSANS instrument is suited for the simultaneous observation of a wide range of length scales, e.g. for time-resolved studies of kinetic processes in complex multiscale systems.

Perforated gastric ulcer--reappraisal of surgical options.

PubMed

Madiba, T E; Nair, R; Mulaudzi, T V; Thomson, S R

2005-08-01

The available operative procedures for perforated gastric ulcer are gastrectomy, ulcer excision and omental patch closure. This study analysed the outcome of these operative options in a single institution. Seventy-two patients (mean age 43 years, 62 males) with perforated gastric ulcers were managed by laparotomy. There were 34 lesser curve (incisural) and 38 antral ulcers. Partial gastrectomy was performed in 27 patients, ulcer excision in 27 and simple patch closure in 18. Two ulcers were malignant. The mortality rate was 18% (26% for gastrectomy, 19% for ulcer excision and 5% for patch closure). Shock on admission (p = 0.006) and Candida (p = 0.020) in the histological specimen were predictive of poor outcome. Hospital stay was similar in the 3 groups. Omental patch closure and ulcer excision are as effective as gastrectomy in the management of perforated gastric ulcer and merit consideration as first-line therapy in technically applicable cases.

Preliminary System Analysis of In Situ Resource Utilization for Mars Human Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rapp, Donald; Andringa, Jason; Easter, Robert; Smith, Jeffrey H .; Wilson, Thomas; Clark, D. Larry; Payne, Kevin

2005-01-01

We carried out a system analysis of processes for utilization of Mars resources to support human exploration of Mars by production of propellants from indigenous resources. Seven ISRU processes were analyzed to determine mass. power and propellant storage volume requirements. The major elements of each process include C02 acquisition, chemical conversion, and storage of propellants. Based on a figure of merit (the ratio of the mass of propellants that must be brought from Earth in a non-ISRU mission to the mass of the ISRU system. tanks and feedstocks that must be brought from Earth for a ISRU mission) the most attractive process (by far); is one where indigenous Mars water is accessible and this is processed via Sabatier/Electrolysis to methane and oxygen. These processes are technically relatively mature. Other processes with positive leverage involve reverse water gas shift and solid oxide electrolysis.

Performance and techno-economic assessment of several solid-liquid separation technologies for processing dilute-acid pretreated corn stover.

PubMed

Sievers, David A; Tao, Ling; Schell, Daniel J

2014-09-01

Solid-liquid separation of pretreated lignocellulosic biomass slurries is a critical unit operation employed in several different processes for production of fuels and chemicals. An effective separation process achieves good recovery of solute (sugars) and efficient dewatering of the biomass slurry. Dilute acid pretreated corn stover slurries were subjected to pressure and vacuum filtration and basket centrifugation to evaluate the technical and economic merits of these technologies. Experimental performance results were used to perform detailed process simulations and economic analysis using a 2000 tonne/day biorefinery model to determine differences between the various filtration methods and their process settings. The filtration processes were able to successfully separate pretreated slurries into liquor and solid fractions with estimated sugar recoveries of at least 95% using a cake washing process. A continuous vacuum belt filter produced the most favorable process economics. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Does Merit-Based Aid Improve College Affordability? Testing the Bennett Hypothesis in the Era of Merit-Based Aid

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jungmin

2016-01-01

This study tested the Bennett hypothesis by examining whether four-year colleges changed listed tuition and fees, the amount of institutional grants per student, and room and board charges after their states implemented statewide merit-based aid programs. According to the Bennett hypothesis, increases in government financial aid make it easier for…

Teacher Merit Pay. The Progress of Education Reform. Volume 11, Number 3

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Education Commission of the States (NJ1), 2010

2010-01-01

Merit pay programs for educators -- sometimes referred to a "pay for performance" -- attempt to tie a teacher's compensation to his/her performance in the classroom. While the idea of merit pay for classroom teachers has been around for several decades, only now is it starting to be implemented in a growing number of districts around the…

How Money Helps Keep Students in College: The Relationship between Family Finances, Merit-Based Aid, and Retention in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olbrecht, Alexandre M.; Romano, Christopher; Teigen, Jeremy

2016-01-01

In this paper, we leverage detailed, individual-level student data to understand the relationships between family finances, merit-based aid, and first-year student retention. With three cohorts of student data that comprise family financial status, institutional merit scholarships, and many of the other known correlates of student retention, we…

Public Entrepreneurs and the Adoption of Broad-Based Merit Aid beyond the Southeastern United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ingle, William Kyle; Petroff, Ruth Ann

2013-01-01

The concentration of broad-based merit aid adoption in the southeastern United States has been well noted in the literature. However, there are states that have adopted broad-based merit aid programs outside of the Southeast. Guided by multiple theoretical frameworks, including innovation diffusion theory (e.g., Gray, 1973, 1994; Rogers, 2003),…

A New Merit Function for Evaluating the Flaw Tolerance of Composite Laminates. Pt. 2; Arbitrary Size Holes and Center Cracks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mikulas, Martin M., Jr.; Sumpter, Rod

1999-01-01

In a previous paper, a new merit function for determining the strength performance of flawed composite laminates was presented. This previous analysis was restricted to circular hole flaws that were large enough that failure could be predicted using the laminate stress concentration factor. In this paper, the merit function is expanded to include the flaw cases of an arbitrary size circular hole or a center crack. Failure prediction for these cases is determined using the point stress criterion. An example application of the merit function is included for a wide range of graphite/epoxy laminates.

A New Merit Function for Evaluating the Flaw Tolerance of Composite Laminates. Part 2; Arbitrary Size Holes and Center Cracks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, Mikulas M., Jr.; Sumpter, Rod

2000-01-01

In a previous paper, a new merit function for determining the strength performance of flawed composite laminates was presented. This previous analysis was restricted to circular hole flaws that were large enough that failure could be predicted using the laminate stress concentration factor. In this paper, the merit function is expanded to include the flaw cases of an arbitrary size circular hole or center crack. Failure prediction for these cases is determined using the point stress criterion. An example application of the merit function is included for a wide range of graphite/epoxy laminates.

A New Merit Function for Evaluating the Flaw Tolerance of Composite Laminates. Part 2; Arbitrary Size Holes and Center Cracks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mikulas, Martin M., Jr.; Sumpter, Rod

1997-01-01

In a previous paper, a new merit function for determining the strength performance of flawed composite laminates was presented. This previous analysis was restricted to circular hole flaws that were large enough that failure could be predicted using the laminate stress concentration factor. In this paper, the merit function is expanded to include the flaw cases of an arbitrary size circular hole or a center crack. Failure prediction for these cases is determined using the point stress criterion. An example application of the merit function is included for a wide range of graphite/epoxy laminates.

Dimensionless figure of merit and its efficiency estimation for transient response of thermoelectric module based on impedance spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otsuka, Mioko; Hasegawa, Yasuhiro; Arisaka, Taichi; Shinozaki, Ryo; Morita, Hiroyuki

2017-11-01

The dimensionless figure of merit and its efficiency for the transient response of a Π-shaped thermoelectric module are estimated according to the theory of impedance spectroscopy. The effective dimensionless figure of merit is described as a function of the product of the characteristic time to reduce the temperature and the representative angular frequency of the module, which is expressed by the thermal diffusivity and the length of the elements used. The characteristic time required for achieving a higher dimensionless figure of merit and efficiency is derived quantitatively for the transient response using the properties of a commercial thermoelectric module.

It's only a dream if you wake up: Young adults' achievement expectations, opportunities, and meritocratic beliefs.

PubMed

Shane, Jacob; Heckhausen, Jutta

2017-02-01

The present paper examines university graduates' beliefs about how meritocratic socioeconomic status (SES) attainment in U.S. society is for themselves (merit agency beliefs) and for most other people (merit societal beliefs), and how these distinct beliefs are differentially associated with labour market experiences and achievement-goal attitudes and expectations in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Data from a 10-month longitudinal study of 217 graduates from the 2013 class of a large public U.S. university were analysed using multilevel modelling. The results indicate that most participants optimistically expected to attain upward social mobility. Furthermore, participants' merit agency beliefs were reflective of their labour market prospects and experiences, and calibrated their achievement-goal attitudes and expectations. However, participants' merit societal beliefs were not associated with these labour market experiences and achievement-goal attitudes and expectations. The distinction between merit agency beliefs and merit societal beliefs may be motivationally beneficial by allowing individuals to continue striving toward the uncertain long-term goal pursuit of upward social mobility despite the short-term struggles and setbacks many young adults are likely to experience in the aftermath of the Great Recession. © 2017 International Union of Psychological Science.

An integral design strategy combining optical system and image processing to obtain high resolution images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jiaoyang; Wang, Lin; Yang, Ying; Gong, Rui; Shao, Xiaopeng; Liang, Chao; Xu, Jun

2016-05-01

In this paper, an integral design that combines optical system with image processing is introduced to obtain high resolution images, and the performance is evaluated and demonstrated. Traditional imaging methods often separate the two technical procedures of optical system design and imaging processing, resulting in the failures in efficient cooperation between the optical and digital elements. Therefore, an innovative approach is presented to combine the merit function during optical design together with the constraint conditions of image processing algorithms. Specifically, an optical imaging system with low resolution is designed to collect the image signals which are indispensable for imaging processing, while the ultimate goal is to obtain high resolution images from the final system. In order to optimize the global performance, the optimization function of ZEMAX software is utilized and the number of optimization cycles is controlled. Then Wiener filter algorithm is adopted to process the image simulation and mean squared error (MSE) is taken as evaluation criterion. The results show that, although the optical figures of merit for the optical imaging systems is not the best, it can provide image signals that are more suitable for image processing. In conclusion. The integral design of optical system and image processing can search out the overall optimal solution which is missed by the traditional design methods. Especially, when designing some complex optical system, this integral design strategy has obvious advantages to simplify structure and reduce cost, as well as to gain high resolution images simultaneously, which has a promising perspective of industrial application.

School Organizational Innovative Indicators for Technical Universities and Institutes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Su-Chang; Hsiao, Hsi-Chi; Chang, Jen-Chia; Shen, Chien-Hua; Chou, Chun-Mei

2010-01-01

This study aimed to construct the organizational innovation indicators of technical universities and institutes. This study held a group discussion and expert focus meeting and afterward, this study generalized seven facets of school organizational innovation: leadership innovation, administration innovation, student guidance and activity…

A survey-based cross-sectional study of doctors' expectations and experiences of non-technical skills for Out of Hours work.

PubMed

Brown, Michael; Shaw, Dominick; Sharples, Sarah; Jeune, Ivan Le; Blakey, John

2015-02-16

The skill set required for junior doctors to work efficiently and safely Out of Hours (OoH) in hospitals has not been established. This is despite the OoH period representing 75% of the year and it being the time of highest mortality. We set out to explore the expectations of medical students and experiences of junior doctors of the non-technical skills needed to work OoH. Survey-based cross-sectional study informed by focus groups. Online survey with participants from five large teaching hospitals across the UK. 300 Medical Students and Doctors Participants ranked the importance of non-technical skills, as identified by literature review and focus groups, needed for OoH care. The focus groups revealed a total of eight non-technical skills deemed to be important. In the survey 'Task Prioritisation' (mean rank 1.617) was consistently identified as the most important non-technical skill. Stage of training affected the ranking of skills, with significant differences for 'Communication with Senior Doctors', 'Dealing with Clinical Isolation', 'Task Prioritisation' and 'Communication with Patients'. Importantly, there was a significant discrepancy between the medical student expectations and experiences of doctors undertaking work. Our findings suggest that medical staff particularly value task prioritisation skills; however, these are not routinely taught in medical schools. The discrepancy between expectations of students and experience of doctors reinforces the idea that there is a gap in training. Doctors of different grades place different importance on specific non-technical skills with implications for postgraduate training. There is a pressing need for medical schools and deaneries to review non-technical training to include more than communication skills. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Technical aspects of neurostimulation: Focus on equipment, electric field modeling, and stimulation protocols.

PubMed

Klooster, D C W; de Louw, A J A; Aldenkamp, A P; Besseling, R M H; Mestrom, R M C; Carrette, S; Zinger, S; Bergmans, J W M; Mess, W H; Vonck, K; Carrette, E; Breuer, L E M; Bernas, A; Tijhuis, A G; Boon, P

2016-06-01

Neuromodulation is a field of science, medicine, and bioengineering that encompasses implantable and non-implantable technologies for the purpose of improving quality of life and functioning of humans. Brain neuromodulation involves different neurostimulation techniques: transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), and deep brain stimulation (DBS), which are being used both to study their effects on cognitive brain functions and to treat neuropsychiatric disorders. The mechanisms of action of neurostimulation remain incompletely understood. Insight into the technical basis of neurostimulation might be a first step towards a more profound understanding of these mechanisms, which might lead to improved clinical outcome and therapeutic potential. This review provides an overview of the technical basis of neurostimulation focusing on the equipment, the present understanding of induced electric fields, and the stimulation protocols. The review is written from a technical perspective aimed at supporting the use of neurostimulation in clinical practice. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving the 'how' and 'what' decisions of elite table tennis players.

PubMed

Raab, Markus; Masters, Rich S W; Maxwell, Jonathan P

2005-06-01

Training methods in sport usually focus on improving either technical or tactical aspects of performance, ignoring the fact that successful performance requires the athlete to simultaneously decide what movement to perform and how it should be executed. Young elite table tennis players were trained, in a first phase, to improve their forehand and backhand movements and, in a second phase, to make a tactical switch between forehand and backhand movements. Half of the players took part in behavioral training focusing on how to perform the required movements, whereas half received additional video feedback about their technical and tactical performance (decision training). The results indicate that improvements of how decisions (techniques) and what decisions (tactics) can occur as a consequence of combining technical and tactical training. These results were stable in delayed Post-test analyses of competitive matches. It was concluded that a combination of both technical and tactical training is beneficial to elite table tennis performers, particularly during early seasonal training programs.

Thermoelectric Properties of Novel One-dimensional and Two-dimensional Systems Based on MoS2 Nanoribbons and Sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arab, Abbas

Atomically thin materials such as hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have attracted a lot of interest since the discovery of Graphene. Potential use of Graphene in semiconductor industry has been hindered by the fact that graphene is a semi metal with zero band gap. The difficulties in engineering band gap in graphene turn the focus light to inherent semiconducting two-dimensional (2D) materials; TMDCs. Bulk of TMDCs are formed by layers vertically stacked and weakly bonded together via weak van der Waals interactions. These weak interlayer forces make it possible to obtain monolayer by using scotch tape exfoliation or lithium-ion intercalation. Among the semiconducting members of TMDCs, MoS 2 is the most appealing candidate, partly due to its thermal stability and also for its natural abundance. Intensive study of electronic properties of MoS2 has revealed the desirable band gap (1.2 eV), good carrier xmobility (which is close to those of silicon thin films and graphene nanoribbons), thermal stability and a surface free from dangling bonds make it a perfect candidate for electronic and opto-electronic applications. Despite the fact that MoS2 has a high Seebeck coefficient, its thermoelectric properties have not studied as well as it should be. In this work, we have studied thermoelectric properties of monolayer and fewlayer MoS2 sheets in both armchair and zigzag orientations and also of monolayer MoS2 armchair nanoribbons. Density functional theory (DFT) using non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) method in ballistic transport regime of Landauer-Buttiker formulation in linear transport approximation has been implemented to calculate the transmission spectra and consequently electronic transport coefficients. Phonon transmission spectra are calculated based on parameterization of Stillinger-Weber potential. Thermoelectric figure of merit, ZT, is calculated using these electronic and phonon transmission spectra. In the case of MoS2 sheets, thermoelectric properties of monolayer, bilayer, trilayer and quadlayer in armchair and zigzag directions have been studied. Our results show that as number of layers increase from monolayer to quadlayer, both transmission spectrum and phonon thermal conductance increase. In addition, strong electronic and thermal anisotropy is found between zigzag and armchair orientations. Transmission coefficient and phonon thermal conductance of zigzag orientation is higher than those of armchair with the same number of layers. Electrical conductance and phonon thermal conductance are competing forces in achieving a high thermoelectric figure of merit. Advantage of having a higher electrical conductance in zigzag orientation has been nullified by having a higher phonon thermal conductance. In fact, our results show higher thermoelectric xifigure of merit for armchair oriented than zigzag oriented sheets. Also as number of layer decreases from quadlayer to monolayer, we are witnessing a higher thermoelectric figure of merit for both armchair and zigzag oriented sheets. Hence, the highest achieved thermoelectric figure of merit was obtained by monolayer armchair MoS2 sheet for both p-type and n-type semiconducting behavior. In case of MoS2 armchair nanoribbons, effect of several factors has been studied; width of nanoribbon, Sulfur vacancy and edge roughness. The electronic properties of nanoribbons are dominated by the presence of edge states that are dependent on the number of zigzag chains across the nanoribbon. In addition, it is found that the phonon thermal conductance of monolayer MoS2 armchair nanoribbon is smaller compared to MoS2 monolayer armchair sheet. This outcome can be explained by phonon edge scattering. The effect of this phonon edge scattering is more pronounced in narrower nanoribbons compared to wide ones which leads to higher thermoelectric figure of merit for narrow nanoribbons. The effect of edge roughness and sulfur vacancy on thermoelectric behavior of MoS2 nanoribbons is also studied. Our result shows that edge roughness decreased the thermoelectric figure of merit compared to those of a perfect nanoribbon as its impact on electrical conductance is more severe than on phonon thermal conductance. Sulfur vacancy, however, improved thermoelectric figure of merit of MoS2 nanoribbons. It has been shown that thermoelectric figure of merit as high as 4 and 3 at T = 500K can be achieved n-doped and p-doped MoS2 nanoribbons. The ability of getting a high thermoelectric figure of merit for both n-type and p-type behavior from the same material will be a huge boost to thermoelectric industry if realized.

The role of non-technical skills in surgery

PubMed Central

Agha, Riaz A.; Fowler, Alexander J.; Sevdalis, Nick

2015-01-01

Non-technical skills are of increasing importance in surgery and surgical training. A traditional focus on technical skills acquisition and competence is no longer enough for the delivery of a modern, safe surgical practice. This review discusses the importance of non-technical skills and the values that underpin successful modern surgical practice. This narrative review used a number of sources including written and online, there was no specific search strategy of defined databases. Modern surgical practice requires; technical and non-technical skills, evidence-based practice, an emphasis on lifelong learning, monitoring of outcomes and a supportive institutional and health service framework. Finally these requirements need to be combined with a number of personal and professional values including integrity, professionalism and compassionate, patient-centred care. PMID:26904193

Medical education resources initiative for teens program in baltimore: A model pipeline program built on four pillars.

PubMed

Mains, Tyler E; Wilcox, Mark V; Wright, Scott M

2016-01-01

Less than 6% of U.S. medical school applicants are African-American. The lack of diversity among physicians, by race as well as other measures, confers a negative impact on the American healthcare system because underrepresented minority (URM) physicians are more likely to practice in underserved communities and deliver more equitable, culturally competent care. MERIT (Medical Education Resources Initiative for Teens) is a nonprofit organization based in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. MERIT prepares URM high school students for health careers by providing a holistic support system for seven consecutive years. The program model, which utilizes weekly Saturday sessions, summer internships, and longitudinal mentoring, is built on four foundational pillars: (1) Ignite the Fire, (2) Illuminate the Path, (3) Create the Toolkit, and (4) Sustain the Desire. Since 2011, MERIT has supported 51 students in the Baltimore City Public School System. For the past two years, 100% (n = 14) of MERIT seniors enrolled in universities, compared to only 20.2% of Baltimore City students overall. While it is too early to know whether MERIT alumni will realize their goals of becoming healthcare professionals, they are currently excelling in universities and over 75% (n = 17) are still planning to pursue graduate degrees in health-related fields. After piloting an effective program model, MERIT now has three key priorities moving forward: (1) Creating a sustainable and thriving organization, (2) increasing the number of scholars the program supports in Baltimore, and (3) expanding MERIT to other cities.

Using Approximations to Accelerate Engineering Design Optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Torczon, Virginia; Trosset, Michael W.

1998-01-01

Optimization problems that arise in engineering design are often characterized by several features that hinder the use of standard nonlinear optimization techniques. Foremost among these features is that the functions used to define the engineering optimization problem often are computationally intensive. Within a standard nonlinear optimization algorithm, the computational expense of evaluating the functions that define the problem would necessarily be incurred for each iteration of the optimization algorithm. Faced with such prohibitive computational costs, an attractive alternative is to make use of surrogates within an optimization context since surrogates can be chosen or constructed so that they are typically much less expensive to compute. For the purposes of this paper, we will focus on the use of algebraic approximations as surrogates for the objective. In this paper we introduce the use of so-called merit functions that explicitly recognize the desirability of improving the current approximation to the objective during the course of the optimization. We define and experiment with the use of merit functions chosen to simultaneously improve both the solution to the optimization problem (the objective) and the quality of the approximation. Our goal is to further improve the effectiveness of our general approach without sacrificing any of its rigor.

Reader-Centered Technical Writing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narayanan, M.

2012-12-01

Technical writing is an essential part of professional communication and in recent years it has shifted from a genre-based approach. Formerly, technical writing primarily focused on generating templates of documents and sometimes it was creating or reproducing traditional forms with minor modifications and updates. Now, technical writing looks at the situations surrounding the need to write. This involves deep thinking about the goals and objectives of the project on hand. Furthermore, one observes that it is very important for any participatory process to have the full support of management. This support needs to be well understood and believed by employees. Professional writing may be very persuasive in some cases. When presented in the appropriate context, technical writing can persuade a company to improve work conditions ensuring employee safety and timely production. However, one must recognize that lot of professional writing still continues to make use of reports and instruction manuals. Normally, technical and professional writing addresses four aspects. Objective: The need for generating a given professionally written technical document and the goals the document is expected to achieve and accomplish. Clientele: The clientele who will utilize the technical document. This may include the people in the organization. This may also include "unintended readers." Customers: The population that may be affected by the content of the technical document generated. This includes the stakeholders who will be influenced. Environment: The background in which the document is created. Also, the nature of the situation that warranted the generation of the document. Swiss Psychologist Jean Piaget's view of Learning focuses on three aspects. The author likes to extend Jean Piaget's ideas to students, who are asked to prepare and submit Reader-Centered Technical Writing reports and exercises. Assimilation: Writers may benefit specifically, by assimilating a new object into an old schema. This reinforces basic engineering and mathematical design concepts. Accommodation: Here, it may work in a different manner. Writers may have to accommodate an old schema to a new object. This helps engineers to focus more on applications. Adaptation: Assimilation and accommodation are the two sides of adaptation, Jean Piaget's term for what most of us would call learning. Mathematical design concepts generated by students should be suitable for creative engineering applications. References : Phillips, D. C. and Soltis, Jonas F. (2003) "Piagetian Structures and Psychological Constructivism," in Perspectives on Learning (4th edition). New York: Teachers College Press. Salvo, Michael J. (2001). Ethics of Engagement: User-Centered Design and Rhetorical Methodology. Technical Communication Quarterly Volume 10, Issue 3, 2001. pages 273-290. http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/piaget.html http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/624/01/

Reinventing the American High School for the 21st Century: Strengthening a New Vision for the American High School through the Experiences and Resources of Career and Technical Education. A Position Paper

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meeder, Hans

2006-01-01

The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), on behalf of career and technical education (CTE) professionals in the United States, advocates for clearly focusing American high schools on the goal of preparing every student for full participation in a spectrum of college opportunities, meaningful work, career advancement, and active…

Center for Space Transportation and Applied Research Fifth Annual Technical Symposium Proceedings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

This Fifth Annual Technical Symposium, sponsored by the UT-Calspan Center for Space Transportation and Applied Research (CSTAR), is organized to provide an overview of the technical accomplishments of the Center's five Research and Technology focus areas during the past year. These areas include chemical propulsion, electric propulsion, commerical space transportation, computational methods, and laser materials processing. Papers in the area of artificial intelligence/expert systems are also presented.

Teacher Merit Pay: What Do We Know? The Progress of Education Reform. Volume 11, Number 3

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Education Commission of the States (NJ3), 2010

2010-01-01

Merit pay programs for educators--sometimes referred to a "pay for performance"--attempt to tie a teacher's compensation to his/her performance in the classroom. While the idea of merit pay for classroom teachers has been around for several decades, only now is it starting to be implemented in a growing number of districts around the…

78 FR 10175 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-13

... patient or provider characteristics, physical environment and layout; technical training and support... practice, and, in particular, the technical aspects of clinicians using the health IT system. The focus...; the extent and adequacy of training or instruction patients received in using the health IT; attitudes...

Scientific Jargon, Good and Bad

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirst, Russel

2003-01-01

Scientific and technical jargon--specialized vocabulary, usually Latinate--plays a vital role in scientific and technical communication. But its proper use continues to be a point of discussion because of our concern with audience adaptation, rhetorical exigence, rhetorical purpose, and ethics. We've focused on teaching students--and on convincing…