A regret theory approach to decision curve analysis: a novel method for eliciting decision makers' preferences and decision-making.

PubMed

Tsalatsanis, Athanasios; Hozo, Iztok; Vickers, Andrew; Djulbegovic, Benjamin

2010-09-16

Decision curve analysis (DCA) has been proposed as an alternative method for evaluation of diagnostic tests, prediction models, and molecular markers. However, DCA is based on expected utility theory, which has been routinely violated by decision makers. Decision-making is governed by intuition (system 1), and analytical, deliberative process (system 2), thus, rational decision-making should reflect both formal principles of rationality and intuition about good decisions. We use the cognitive emotion of regret to serve as a link between systems 1 and 2 and to reformulate DCA. First, we analysed a classic decision tree describing three decision alternatives: treat, do not treat, and treat or no treat based on a predictive model. We then computed the expected regret for each of these alternatives as the difference between the utility of the action taken and the utility of the action that, in retrospect, should have been taken. For any pair of strategies, we measure the difference in net expected regret. Finally, we employ the concept of acceptable regret to identify the circumstances under which a potentially wrong strategy is tolerable to a decision-maker. We developed a novel dual visual analog scale to describe the relationship between regret associated with "omissions" (e.g. failure to treat) vs. "commissions" (e.g. treating unnecessary) and decision maker's preferences as expressed in terms of threshold probability. We then proved that the Net Expected Regret Difference, first presented in this paper, is equivalent to net benefits as described in the original DCA. Based on the concept of acceptable regret we identified the circumstances under which a decision maker tolerates a potentially wrong decision and expressed it in terms of probability of disease. We present a novel method for eliciting decision maker's preferences and an alternative derivation of DCA based on regret theory. Our approach may be intuitively more appealing to a decision-maker, particularly in those clinical situations when the best management option is the one associated with the least amount of regret (e.g. diagnosis and treatment of advanced cancer, etc).

A regret theory approach to decision curve analysis: A novel method for eliciting decision makers' preferences and decision-making

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Decision curve analysis (DCA) has been proposed as an alternative method for evaluation of diagnostic tests, prediction models, and molecular markers. However, DCA is based on expected utility theory, which has been routinely violated by decision makers. Decision-making is governed by intuition (system 1), and analytical, deliberative process (system 2), thus, rational decision-making should reflect both formal principles of rationality and intuition about good decisions. We use the cognitive emotion of regret to serve as a link between systems 1 and 2 and to reformulate DCA. Methods First, we analysed a classic decision tree describing three decision alternatives: treat, do not treat, and treat or no treat based on a predictive model. We then computed the expected regret for each of these alternatives as the difference between the utility of the action taken and the utility of the action that, in retrospect, should have been taken. For any pair of strategies, we measure the difference in net expected regret. Finally, we employ the concept of acceptable regret to identify the circumstances under which a potentially wrong strategy is tolerable to a decision-maker. Results We developed a novel dual visual analog scale to describe the relationship between regret associated with "omissions" (e.g. failure to treat) vs. "commissions" (e.g. treating unnecessary) and decision maker's preferences as expressed in terms of threshold probability. We then proved that the Net Expected Regret Difference, first presented in this paper, is equivalent to net benefits as described in the original DCA. Based on the concept of acceptable regret we identified the circumstances under which a decision maker tolerates a potentially wrong decision and expressed it in terms of probability of disease. Conclusions We present a novel method for eliciting decision maker's preferences and an alternative derivation of DCA based on regret theory. Our approach may be intuitively more appealing to a decision-maker, particularly in those clinical situations when the best management option is the one associated with the least amount of regret (e.g. diagnosis and treatment of advanced cancer, etc). PMID:20846413

5 CFR 511.701 - Effective dates generally.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...) Except as provided in § 511.703, classification actions may not be made retroactive. (b) Office of Personnel Management's classification decision. (1) The effective date of a classification decision made by... CLASSIFICATION UNDER THE GENERAL SCHEDULE Effective Dates of Position Classification Actions or Decisions § 511...

5 CFR 511.701 - Effective dates generally.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

...) Except as provided in § 511.703, classification actions may not be made retroactive. (b) Office of Personnel Management's classification decision. (1) The effective date of a classification decision made by... CLASSIFICATION UNDER THE GENERAL SCHEDULE Effective Dates of Position Classification Actions or Decisions § 511...

24 CFR 58.4 - Assumption authority.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

..., decision-making, and action that would otherwise apply to HUD under NEPA and other provisions of law that... environmental review, decision-making and action for programs authorized by the Native American Housing... separate decision regarding assumption of responsibilities for each of these Acts and communicate that...

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 204: Storage Bunkers, Nevada Test Site, Nevada (December 2002, Revision No.: 0), Including Record of Technical Change No. 1

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

NNSA /NSO

The Corrective Action Investigation Plan contains the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Operations Office's approach to collect the data necessary to evaluate corrective action alternatives appropriate for the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 204 under the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order. Corrective Action Unit 204 is located on the Nevada Test Site approximately 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. This CAU is comprised of six Corrective Action Sites (CASs) which include: 01-34-01, Underground Instrument House Bunker; 02-34-01, Instrument Bunker; 03-34-01, Underground Bunker; 05-18-02, Chemical Explosives Storage; 05-33-01, Kay Blockhouse; 05-99-02, Explosive Storage Bunker.more » Based on site history, process knowledge, and previous field efforts, contaminants of potential concern for Corrective Action Unit 204 collectively include radionuclides, beryllium, high explosives, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls, total petroleum hydrocarbons, silver, warfarin, and zinc phosphide. The primary question for the investigation is: ''Are existing data sufficient to evaluate appropriate corrective actions?'' To address this question, resolution of two decision statements is required. Decision I is to ''Define the nature of contamination'' by identifying any contamination above preliminary action levels (PALs); Decision II is to ''Determine the extent of contamination identified above PALs. If PALs are not exceeded, the investigation is completed. If PALs are exceeded, then Decision II must be resolved. In addition, data will be obtained to support waste management decisions. Field activities will include radiological land area surveys, geophysical surveys to identify any subsurface metallic and nonmetallic debris, field screening for applicable contaminants of potential concern, collection and analysis of surface and subsurface soil samples from biased locations, and step-out sampling to define the extent of contamination, as necessary. The results of this field investigation will support a defensible evaluation of corrective action alternatives in the corrective action decision document.« less

Reasoning and Action: Implementation of a Decision-Making Program in Sport.

PubMed

Gil-Arias, Alexander; Moreno, M Perla; García-Mas, Alex; Moreno, Alberto; García-González, Luíz; Del Villar, Fernando

2016-09-20

The objective of this study was to apply a decision training programme, based on the use of video-feedback and questioning, in real game time, in order to improve decision-making in volleyball attack actions. A three-phase quasi-experimental design was implemented: Phase A (pre-test), Phase B (Intervention) and Phase C (Retention). The sample was made up of 8 female Under-16 volleyball players, who were divided into two groups: experimental group (n = 4) and control group (n = 4). The independent variable was the decision training program, which was applied for 11 weeks in a training context, more specifically in a 6x6 game situation. The player had to analyze the reasons and causes of the decision taken. The dependent variable was decision-making, which was assessed based on systematic observation, using the "Game Performance Assessment Instrument" (GPAI) (Oslin, Mitchell, & Griffin, 1998). Results showed that, after applying the decision training program, the experimental group showed a significantly higher average percentage of successful decisions than the control group F(1, 6) = 11.26; p = .015; η2 p = .652; 95% CI [056, 360]. These results highlight the need to complement the training process with cognitive tools such as video-feedback and questioning in order to improve athletes' decision-making.

Mesencephalic representations of recent experience influence decision making

PubMed Central

Thompson, John A; Costabile, Jamie D; Felsen, Gidon

2016-01-01

Decisions are influenced by recent experience, but the neural basis for this phenomenon is not well understood. Here, we address this question in the context of action selection. We focused on activity in the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg), a mesencephalic region that provides input to several nuclei in the action selection network, in well-trained mice selecting actions based on sensory cues and recent trial history. We found that, at the time of action selection, the activity of many PPTg neurons reflected the action on the previous trial and its outcome, and the strength of this activity predicted the upcoming choice. Further, inactivating the PPTg predictably decreased the influence of recent experience on action selection. These findings suggest that PPTg input to downstream motor regions, where it can be integrated with other relevant information, provides a simple mechanism for incorporating recent experience into the computations underlying action selection. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.16572.001 PMID:27454033

Motor Decisions Are Not Black and White: Selecting Actions in the “Gray Zone”

PubMed Central

Comalli, D. M.; Persand, D.; Adolph, K. E.

2017-01-01

In many situations, multiple actions are possible to achieve a goal. How do people select a particular action among equally possible alternatives? In six experiments, we determined whether action selection is consistent and biased toward one decision by observing participants’ decisions to go over or under a horizontal bar set at varying heights. We assessed the height at which participants transitioned from going over to under the bar within a “gray zone”—the range of bar heights at which going over and under were both possible. In Experiment 1, participants’ transition points were consistently located near the upper boundary of the gray zone, indicating a bias to go over rather than under the bar. Moreover, transitional behaviors were clustered tightly into a small region, indicating that decisions were highly consistent. Subsequent experiments examined potential influences on action selection. In Experiment 2, participants wore ankle weights to increase the cost of going over the bar. In Experiment 3, they were tested on a padded surface that made crawling under the bar more comfortable. In Experiment 4, we introduced a secondary task that required participants to crawl immediately after navigating the bar. None of these manipulations altered participants’ decisions relative to Experiment 1. In Experiment 5, participants started in a crawling position, which led to significantly lower transition points. In Experiment 6, we tested 5- to 6-year-old children as in Experiment 1 to determine the effects of social pressure on action selection. Children displayed lower transition points, larger transition regions, and reduced ability to go over the bar compared to adults. Across experiments, results indicate that adults have a strong and robust bias for upright locomotion. PMID:28293691

Model-Based Reinforcement Learning under Concurrent Schedules of Reinforcement in Rodents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huh, Namjung; Jo, Suhyun; Kim, Hoseok; Sul, Jung Hoon; Jung, Min Whan

2009-01-01

Reinforcement learning theories postulate that actions are chosen to maximize a long-term sum of positive outcomes based on value functions, which are subjective estimates of future rewards. In simple reinforcement learning algorithms, value functions are updated only by trial-and-error, whereas they are updated according to the decision-maker's…

25 CFR 23.62 - Appeals from decision or action by Area Director under subpart D.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... subpart D. 23.62 Section 23.62 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HUMAN SERVICES INDIAN CHILD WELFARE ACT Appeals § 23.62 Appeals from decision or action by Area Director under subpart D... regulations of this part. These appeals shall be filed with the Interior Board of Indian Appeals in accordance...

Employing Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance: Organizing, Training, and Equipping to Get It Right

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-02-01

facilitate effective employment across all spectra and that an adequate ISR- specific C2 structure be established. Lastly, it addresses artificial seams...becomes too great. Thus, unless an individual is specifically tasked to perform a tactical controller role under the senior intelli - gence duty...into joint operations enabling rapid decisions based on actionable intelli - gence.൚ It also highlights the requirement of synchronizing all actions

Corrective Action Decision Document for Corrective Action Unit 428: Area 3 Septic Waste Systems 1 and 5, Tonopah Test Range, Nevada

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

U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office

2000-02-08

This Corrective Action Decision Document identifies and rationalizes the US Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office's selection of a recommended corrective action alternative (CAA) appropriate to facilitate the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 428, Septic Waste Systems 1 and 5, under the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order. Located in Area 3 at the Tonopah Test Range (TTR) in Nevada, CAU 428 is comprised of two Corrective Action Sites (CASs): (1) CAS 03-05-002-SW01, Septic Waste System 1 and (2) CAS 03-05-002- SW05, Septic Waste System 5. A corrective action investigation performed in 1999 detected analyte concentrations that exceeded preliminarymore » action levels; specifically, contaminants of concern (COCs) included benzo(a) pyrene in a septic tank integrity sample associated with Septic Tank 33-1A of Septic Waste System 1, and arsenic in a soil sample associated with Septic Waste System 5. During this investigation, three Corrective Action Objectives (CAOs) were identified to prevent or mitigate exposure to contents of the septic tanks and distribution box, to subsurface soil containing COCs, and the spread of COCs beyond the CAU. Based on these CAOs, a review of existing data, future use, and current operations in Area 3 of the TTR, three CAAs were developed for consideration: Alternative 1 - No Further Action; Alternative 2 - Closure in Place with Administrative Controls; and Alternative 3 - Clean Closure by Excavation and Disposal. These alternatives were evaluated based on four general corrective action standards and five remedy selection decision factors. Based on the results of the evaluation, the preferred CAA was Alternative 3. This alternative meets all applicable state and federal regulations for closure of the site and will eliminate potential future exposure pathways to the contaminated soils at the Area 3 Septic Waste Systems 1 and 5.« less

Dynamic Integration of Value Information into a Common Probability Currency as a Theory for Flexible Decision Making

PubMed Central

Christopoulos, Vassilios; Schrater, Paul R.

2015-01-01

Decisions involve two fundamental problems, selecting goals and generating actions to pursue those goals. While simple decisions involve choosing a goal and pursuing it, humans evolved to survive in hostile dynamic environments where goal availability and value can change with time and previous actions, entangling goal decisions with action selection. Recent studies suggest the brain generates concurrent action-plans for competing goals, using online information to bias the competition until a single goal is pursued. This creates a challenging problem of integrating information across diverse types, including both the dynamic value of the goal and the costs of action. We model the computations underlying dynamic decision-making with disparate value types, using the probability of getting the highest pay-off with the least effort as a common currency that supports goal competition. This framework predicts many aspects of decision behavior that have eluded a common explanation. PMID:26394299

A Structured approach to incidental take decision making

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGowan, Conor P.

2013-01-01

Decision making related to incidental take of endangered species under U.S. law lends itself well to a structured decision making approach. Incidental take is the permitted killing, harming, or harassing of a protected species under the law as long as that harm is incidental to an otherwise lawful activity and does not “reduce appreciably the probability of survival and recovery in the wild.” There has been inconsistency in the process used for determining incidental take allowances across species and across time for the same species, and structured decision making has been proposed to improve decision making. I use an example decision analysis to demonstrate the process and its applicability to incidental take decisions, even under significant demographic uncertainty and multiple, competing objectives. I define the example problem, present an objectives statement and a value function, use a simulation model to assess the consequences of a set of management actions, and evaluate the tradeoffs among the different actions. The approach results in transparent and repeatable decisions.

48 CFR 3.705 - Procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... under the terms of the contracts involved. (c) Decision-making process. Agency procedures governing the voiding and rescinding decision-making process shall be as informal as is practicable, consistent with the... an action is being considered under this subpart. (b) Decision. Following an assessment of the facts...

43 CFR 30.273 - What action will the judge take to record title?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... PROBATE HEARINGS PROCEDURES Tribal Purchase of Interests Under Special Statutes § 30.273 What action will...) File the complete record, including the decision, with the LTRO as provided in § 30.233; (c) Furnish a... decision to each interested party. ...

When irrelevance matters: Stimulus-response binding in decision making under uncertainty.

PubMed

Nett, Nadine; Bröder, Arndt; Frings, Christian

2015-11-01

According to distractor-based response retrieval (Frings, Rothermund, & Wentura, 2007), irrelevant information will be integrated with the response to the relevant stimuli and further, the immediate repetition of irrelevant information can retrieve the previously executed response thereby influencing responding to the current target (leading either to benefits or costs if the retrieved response is compatible or incompatible, respectively, to the currently demanded response). We analyzed whether this effect also holds for decisions rather than simple motoric reactions. The hypothesis was tested in 4 experiments in which participants had to decide as fast as possible which disease an imagined patient suffered from. The decisions were based on 2 cues; 1 did not give any hint for a disease (the irrelevant cue), whereas the other did (the relevant cue). We found a significant influence of repeating the irrelevant cue on decision behavior. That is, participants tended to repeat their decision if the irrelevant cue was repeated in the following decision situation. Thus, stimulus-response binding which typically is discussed in basic processes of perception and action has also implications for arguably more deliberative cognitive processes in decision making under uncertainty. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Setting the most robust effluent level under severe uncertainty: application of information-gap decision theory to chemical management.

PubMed

Yokomizo, Hiroyuki; Naito, Wataru; Tanaka, Yoshinari; Kamo, Masashi

2013-11-01

Decisions in ecological risk management for chemical substances must be made based on incomplete information due to uncertainties. To protect the ecosystems from the adverse effect of chemicals, a precautionary approach is often taken. The precautionary approach, which is based on conservative assumptions about the risks of chemical substances, can be applied selecting management models and data. This approach can lead to an adequate margin of safety for ecosystems by reducing exposure to harmful substances, either by reducing the use of target chemicals or putting in place strict water quality criteria. However, the reduction of chemical use or effluent concentrations typically entails a financial burden. The cost effectiveness of the precautionary approach may be small. Hence, we need to develop a formulaic methodology in chemical risk management that can sufficiently protect ecosystems in a cost-effective way, even when we do not have sufficient information for chemical management. Information-gap decision theory can provide the formulaic methodology. Information-gap decision theory determines which action is the most robust to uncertainty by guaranteeing an acceptable outcome under the largest degree of uncertainty without requiring information about the extent of parameter uncertainty at the outset. In this paper, we illustrate the application of information-gap decision theory to derive a framework for setting effluent limits of pollutants for point sources under uncertainty. Our application incorporates a cost for reduction in pollutant emission and a cost to wildlife species affected by the pollutant. Our framework enables us to settle upon actions to deal with severe uncertainty in ecological risk management of chemicals. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neural Correlates of Temporal Credit Assignment in the Parietal Lobe

PubMed Central

Eisenberg, Ian; Gottlieb, Jacqueline

2014-01-01

Empirical studies of decision making have typically assumed that value learning is governed by time, such that a reward prediction error arising at a specific time triggers temporally-discounted learning for all preceding actions. However, in natural behavior, goals must be acquired through multiple actions, and each action can have different significance for the final outcome. As is recognized in computational research, carrying out multi-step actions requires the use of credit assignment mechanisms that focus learning on specific steps, but little is known about the neural correlates of these mechanisms. To investigate this question we recorded neurons in the monkey lateral intraparietal area (LIP) during a serial decision task where two consecutive eye movement decisions led to a final reward. The underlying decision trees were structured such that the two decisions had different relationships with the final reward, and the optimal strategy was to learn based on the final reward at one of the steps (the “F” step) but ignore changes in this reward at the remaining step (the “I” step). In two distinct contexts, the F step was either the first or the second in the sequence, controlling for effects of temporal discounting. We show that LIP neurons had the strongest value learning and strongest post-decision responses during the transition after the F step regardless of the serial position of this step. Thus, the neurons encode correlates of temporal credit assignment mechanisms that allocate learning to specific steps independently of temporal discounting. PMID:24523935

Precautionary principles: a jurisdiction-free framework for decision-making under risk.

PubMed

Ricci, Paolo F; Cox, Louis A; MacDonald, Thomas R

2004-12-01

Fundamental principles of precaution are legal maxims that ask for preventive actions, perhaps as contingent interim measures while relevant information about causality and harm remains unavailable, to minimize the societal impact of potentially severe or irreversible outcomes. Such principles do not explain how to make choices or how to identify what is protective when incomplete and inconsistent scientific evidence of causation characterizes the potential hazards. Rather, they entrust lower jurisdictions, such as agencies or authorities, to make current decisions while recognizing that future information can contradict the scientific basis that supported the initial decision. After reviewing and synthesizing national and international legal aspects of precautionary principles, this paper addresses the key question: How can society manage potentially severe, irreversible or serious environmental outcomes when variability, uncertainty, and limited causal knowledge characterize their decision-making? A decision-analytic solution is outlined that focuses on risky decisions and accounts for prior states of information and scientific beliefs that can be updated as subsequent information becomes available. As a practical and established approach to causal reasoning and decision-making under risk, inherent to precautionary decision-making, these (Bayesian) methods help decision-makers and stakeholders because they formally account for probabilistic outcomes, new information, and are consistent and replicable. Rational choice of an action from among various alternatives--defined as a choice that makes preferred consequences more likely--requires accounting for costs, benefits and the change in risks associated with each candidate action. Decisions under any form of the precautionary principle reviewed must account for the contingent nature of scientific information, creating a link to the decision-analytic principle of expected value of information (VOI), to show the relevance of new information, relative to the initial (and smaller) set of data on which the decision was based. We exemplify this seemingly simple situation using risk management of BSE. As an integral aspect of causal analysis under risk, the methods developed in this paper permit the addition of non-linear, hormetic dose-response models to the current set of regulatory defaults such as the linear, non-threshold models. This increase in the number of defaults is an important improvement because most of the variants of the precautionary principle require cost-benefit balancing. Specifically, increasing the set of causal defaults accounts for beneficial effects at very low doses. We also show and conclude that quantitative risk assessment dominates qualitative risk assessment, supporting the extension of the set of default causal models.

Goal-directed, habitual and Pavlovian prosocial behavior

PubMed Central

Gęsiarz, Filip; Crockett, Molly J.

2015-01-01

Although prosocial behaviors have been widely studied across disciplines, the mechanisms underlying them are not fully understood. Evidence from psychology, biology and economics suggests that prosocial behaviors can be driven by a variety of seemingly opposing factors: altruism or egoism, intuition or deliberation, inborn instincts or learned dispositions, and utility derived from actions or their outcomes. Here we propose a framework inspired by research on reinforcement learning and decision making that links these processes and explains characteristics of prosocial behaviors in different contexts. More specifically, we suggest that prosocial behaviors inherit features of up to three decision-making systems employed to choose between self- and other- regarding acts: a goal-directed system that selects actions based on their predicted consequences, a habitual system that selects actions based on their reinforcement history, and a Pavlovian system that emits reflexive responses based on evolutionarily prescribed priors. This framework, initially described in the field of cognitive neuroscience and machine learning, provides insight into the potential neural circuits and computations shaping prosocial behaviors. Furthermore, it identifies specific conditions in which each of these three systems should dominate and promote other- or self- regarding behavior. PMID:26074797

Model-based hierarchical reinforcement learning and human action control

PubMed Central

Botvinick, Matthew; Weinstein, Ari

2014-01-01

Recent work has reawakened interest in goal-directed or ‘model-based’ choice, where decisions are based on prospective evaluation of potential action outcomes. Concurrently, there has been growing attention to the role of hierarchy in decision-making and action control. We focus here on the intersection between these two areas of interest, considering the topic of hierarchical model-based control. To characterize this form of action control, we draw on the computational framework of hierarchical reinforcement learning, using this to interpret recent empirical findings. The resulting picture reveals how hierarchical model-based mechanisms might play a special and pivotal role in human decision-making, dramatically extending the scope and complexity of human behaviour. PMID:25267822

2D/3D video content adaptation decision engine based on content classification and user assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernandes, Rui; Andrade, M. T.

2017-07-01

Multimedia adaptation depends on several factors, such as the content itself, the consumption device and its characteristics, the transport and access networks and the user. An adaptation decision engine, in order to provide the best possible Quality of Experience to a user, needs to have information about all variables that may influence its decision. For the aforementioned factors, we implement content classification, define device classes, consider limited bandwidth scenarios and categorize user preferences based on a subjective quality evaluation test. The results of these actions generate vital information to pass to the adaptation decision engine so that its operation may provide the indication of the most suitable adaptation to perform that delivers the best possible outcome for the user under the existing constraints.

Chevron v Echazabal: Public Health Issues Raised by the “Threat-to-Self” Defense to Adverse Employment Actions

PubMed Central

Barnes, Mark; Cleaveland, Kimberlee A.; Florencio, Patrik S.

2003-01-01

In June of 2002, the US Supreme Court upheld a regulation that allows employers, under the Americans with Disabilities Act, to make disability-related employment decisions based on risks to an employee’s own personal health or safety. Previous judicial decisions had allowed employers to make employment decisions based on the threat that a worker’s medical condition posed to others but had not addressed the issue of risk posed to an employee’s health by his or her own disability. The authors comment on the potential effects of the court’s decision for occupational health practitioners charged with assessing the degree of risk and harm of a particular workplace environment and for public health efforts aimed at curbing workplace injury and sickness. PMID:12660192

No Further Action Decision Under CERCLA, Study Area 43B, Historic Gas Station Sites, Fort Devens, Massachusetts

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-01-01

I U.S. Army EnvironmentalCenter NO FURTHER ACTION DECISION UNDER CERCLA * STUDY AREA 43B HISTORIC GAS STATION SITES U FORT DEVENS , MASSACHUSETTS I I... FORT DEVENS , MASSACHUSETTS I I i * Prepared for: U.S. Army Environmental Center Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland Contract DAAA15-91-0008 I Prepared...HISTORIC GAS STATION SITES FORT DEVENS , MASSACHUSETTS TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Title Page No. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Testosterone, Cortisol and Financial Risk-Taking

PubMed Central

Herbert, Joe

2018-01-01

Both testosterone and cortisol have major actions on financial decision-making closely related to their primary biological functions, reproductive success and response to stress, respectively. Financial risk-taking represents a particular example of strategic decisions made in the context of choice under conditions of uncertainty. Such decisions have multiple components, and this article considers how much we know of how either hormone affects risk-appetite, reward value, information processing and estimation of the costs and benefits of potential success or failure, both personal and social. It also considers how far we can map these actions on neural mechanisms underlying risk appetite and decision-making, with particular reference to areas of the brain concerned in either cognitive or emotional functions. PMID:29867399

Individual vision and peak distribution in collective actions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Peng

2017-06-01

People make decisions on whether they should participate as participants or not as free riders in collective actions with heterogeneous visions. Besides of the utility heterogeneity and cost heterogeneity, this work includes and investigates the effect of vision heterogeneity by constructing a decision model, i.e. the revised peak model of participants. In this model, potential participants make decisions under the joint influence of utility, cost, and vision heterogeneities. The outcomes of simulations indicate that vision heterogeneity reduces the values of peaks, and the relative variance of peaks is stable. Under normal distributions of vision heterogeneity and other factors, the peaks of participants are normally distributed as well. Therefore, it is necessary to predict distribution traits of peaks based on distribution traits of related factors such as vision heterogeneity and so on. We predict the distribution of peaks with parameters of both mean and standard deviation, which provides the confident intervals and robust predictions of peaks. Besides, we validate the peak model of via the Yuyuan Incident, a real case in China (2014), and the model works well in explaining the dynamics and predicting the peak of real case.

Decision-making under surprise and uncertainty: Arsenic contamination of water supplies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Randhir, Timothy O.; Mozumder, Pallab; Halim, Nafisa

2018-05-01

With ignorance and potential surprise dominating decision making in water resources, a framework for dealing with such uncertainty is a critical need in hydrology. We operationalize the 'potential surprise' criterion proposed by Shackle, Vickers, and Katzner (SVK) to derive decision rules to manage water resources under uncertainty and ignorance. We apply this framework to managing water supply systems in Bangladesh that face severe, naturally occurring arsenic contamination. The uncertainty involved with arsenic in water supplies makes the application of conventional analysis of decision-making ineffective. Given the uncertainty and surprise involved in such cases, we find that optimal decisions tend to favor actions that avoid irreversible outcomes instead of conventional cost-effective actions. We observe that a diversification of the water supply system also emerges as a robust strategy to avert unintended outcomes of water contamination. Shallow wells had a slight higher optimal level (36%) compare to deep wells and surface treatment which had allocation levels of roughly 32% under each. The approach can be applied in a variety of other cases that involve decision making under uncertainty and surprise, a frequent situation in natural resources management.

49 CFR 1115.1 - Scope of rule.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... other than initial decisions. For each category, this rule describes the types of appeal permitted, the requirements to be observed in filing an appeal, provisions for stay of the action, and the status of the action in the absence of a stay. (c) Appeals from the decisions of employees acting under authority...

10 CFR 2.206 - Requests for action under this subpart.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., authenticate, distribute, and archive the submission, and process and retrieve it a single page at a time... Director's decision under this section that no proceeding will be instituted or other action taken in whole...

Police officer response to the injured officer: a survey-based analysis of medical care decisions.

PubMed

Sztajnkrycer, Matthew D; Callaway, David W; Baez, Amado Alejandro

2007-01-01

No widely accepted, specialized medical training exists for police officers confronted with medical emergencies while under conditions of active threat. The purpose of this study was to assess medical decision-making capabilities of law enforcement personnel under these circumstances. Web-based surveys were administered to all sworn officers within the county jurisdiction. Thirty-eight key actions were predetermined for nine injured officer scenarios, with each correct action worth one point. Descriptive statistics and t-tests were used to analyze results. Ninety-seven officers (65.1% response rate) responded to the survey. The majority of officers (68.0%) were trained to the first-responder level. Overall mean score for the scenarios was 15.5 +/- 3.6 (range 7-25). A higher level of medical training (EMT-B/P versus first responder) was associated with a higher mean score (16.6 +/- 3.4, p = 0.05 vs. 15.0 +/- 3.6, p = 0.05). Tactical unit assignment was associated with a lower score compared with non-assigned officers (13.5 +/- 2.9 vs. 16.0 +/- 3.6, p = 0.0085). No difference was noted based upon previous military experience. Ninety-two percent of respondents expressed interest in a law enforcement-oriented advanced first-aid course. Tactical medical decision-making capability, as assessed through the nine scenarios, was sub-optimal. In this post 9/11 era, development of law enforcement-specific medical training appears appropriate.

Emotion and Deliberative Reasoning in Moral Judgment

PubMed Central

Cummins, Denise Dellarosa; Cummins, Robert C.

2012-01-01

According to an influential dual-process model, a moral judgment is the outcome of a rapid, affect-laden process and a slower, deliberative process. If these outputs conflict, decision time is increased in order to resolve the conflict. Violations of deontological principles proscribing the use of personal force to inflict intentional harm are presumed to elicit negative affect which biases judgments early in the decision-making process. This model was tested in three experiments. Moral dilemmas were classified using (a) decision time and consensus as measures of system conflict and (b) the aforementioned deontological criteria. In Experiment 1, decision time was either unlimited or reduced. The dilemmas asked whether it was appropriate to take a morally questionable action to produce a “greater good” outcome. Limiting decision time reduced the proportion of utilitarian (“yes”) decisions, but contrary to the model’s predictions, (a) vignettes that involved more deontological violations logged faster decision times, and (b) violation of deontological principles was not predictive of decisional conflict profiles. Experiment 2 ruled out the possibility that time pressure simply makes people more like to say “no.” Participants made a first decision under time constraints and a second decision under no time constraints. One group was asked whether it was appropriate to take the morally questionable action while a second group was asked whether it was appropriate to refuse to take the action. The results replicated that of Experiment 1 regardless of whether “yes” or “no” constituted a utilitarian decision. In Experiment 3, participants rated the pleasantness of positive visual stimuli prior to making a decision. Contrary to the model’s predictions, the number of deontological decisions increased in the positive affect rating group compared to a group that engaged in a cognitive task or a control group that engaged in neither task. These results are consistent with the view that early moral judgments are influenced by affect. But they are inconsistent with the view that (a) violation of deontological principles are predictive of differences in early, affect-based judgment or that (b) engaging in tasks that are inconsistent with the negative emotional responses elicited by such violations diminishes their impact. PMID:22973255

No Further Action Decision Under CERCLA Study 43R Historic Gas Station Sites Fort Devens, Massachusetts

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-01-01

in accordance with the same. E Date RAC Environmental Coordinator m U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY JAMES P. BYRý% Date Fort Devens Remedial...CERCLA STUDY AREA 43R HISTORIC GAS STATION SITES FORT DEVENS , MASSACHUSETTS CONTRACT DAAA15-91-D-0008 U.S. ARMY ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER ABERDEEN PROVING...ACTION DECISION UNDER CERCLA STUDY AREA 43R HISTORIC GAS STATION SITES FORT DEVENS , MASSACHUSETTS I * Prepared for: U.S. Army Environmental Center

24 CFR 55.12 - Inapplicability of 24 CFR part 55 to certain categories of proposed actions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... proposed actions. (a) The decision making steps in § 55.20 (b), (c) and (g) (steps 2, 3 and 7) shall not... the footprint of the structure and paved areas is not significantly increased. (b) The decision making...'s actions under section 223(f) of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1715n(f)) for the purchase or...

GMDPtoolbox: A Matlab library for designing spatial management policies. Application to the long-term collective management of an airborne disease

PubMed Central

Aubertot, Jean-Noël; Peyrard, Nathalie; Sabbadin, Régis

2017-01-01

Designing management policies in ecology and agroecology is complex. Several components must be managed together while they strongly interact spatially. Decision choices must be made under uncertainty on the results of the actions and on the system dynamics. Furthermore, the objectives pursued when managing ecological systems or agroecosystems are usually long term objectives, such as biodiversity conservation or sustainable crop production. The framework of Graph-Based Markov Decision Processes (GMDP) is well adapted to the qualitative modeling of such problems of sequential decision under uncertainty. Spatial interactions are easily modeled and integrated control policies (combining several action levers) can be designed through optimization. The provided policies are adaptive, meaning that management actions are decided at each time step (for instance yearly) and the chosen actions depend on the current system state. This framework has already been successfully applied to forest management and invasive species management. However, up to now, no “easy-to-use” implementation of this framework was available. We present GMDPtoolbox, a Matlab toolbox which can be used both for the design of new management policies and for comparing policies by simulation. We provide an illustration of the use of the toolbox on a realistic crop disease management problem: the design of long term management policy of blackleg of canola using an optimal combination of three possible cultural levers. This example shows how GMDPtoolbox can be used as a tool to support expert thinking. PMID:28982151

GMDPtoolbox: A Matlab library for designing spatial management policies. Application to the long-term collective management of an airborne disease.

PubMed

Cros, Marie-Josée; Aubertot, Jean-Noël; Peyrard, Nathalie; Sabbadin, Régis

2017-01-01

Designing management policies in ecology and agroecology is complex. Several components must be managed together while they strongly interact spatially. Decision choices must be made under uncertainty on the results of the actions and on the system dynamics. Furthermore, the objectives pursued when managing ecological systems or agroecosystems are usually long term objectives, such as biodiversity conservation or sustainable crop production. The framework of Graph-Based Markov Decision Processes (GMDP) is well adapted to the qualitative modeling of such problems of sequential decision under uncertainty. Spatial interactions are easily modeled and integrated control policies (combining several action levers) can be designed through optimization. The provided policies are adaptive, meaning that management actions are decided at each time step (for instance yearly) and the chosen actions depend on the current system state. This framework has already been successfully applied to forest management and invasive species management. However, up to now, no "easy-to-use" implementation of this framework was available. We present GMDPtoolbox, a Matlab toolbox which can be used both for the design of new management policies and for comparing policies by simulation. We provide an illustration of the use of the toolbox on a realistic crop disease management problem: the design of long term management policy of blackleg of canola using an optimal combination of three possible cultural levers. This example shows how GMDPtoolbox can be used as a tool to support expert thinking.

Naturalistic decision-making in expert badminton players.

PubMed

Macquet, A C; Fleurance, P

2007-09-01

This paper reports on a study of naturalistic decision-making in expert badminton players. These decisions are frequently taken under time-pressured conditions, yet normally lead to successful performance. Two male badminton teams participated in this study. Self-confrontation interviews were used to collect data. Inductive data analysis revealed three types of intentions during a rally: to maintain the rally; to take the advantage; and to finish the point. It also revealed eight types of decision taken in this situation: to ensure an action; to observe the opponent's response to an action; to realize a limited choice; to influence the opponent's decision; to put pressure on an opponent; to surprise the opponent; to reproduce an efficient action; and to play wide. A frequent decision was to put pressure on the opponent. Different information and knowledge was linked to specific decisions. The results are discussed in relation to research that has considered naturalistic decision-making.

Research implications of science-informed, value-based decision making.

PubMed

Dowie, Jack

2004-01-01

In 'Hard' science, scientists correctly operate as the 'guardians of certainty', using hypothesis testing formulations and value judgements about error rates and time discounting that make classical inferential methods appropriate. But these methods can neither generate most of the inputs needed by decision makers in their time frame, nor generate them in a form that allows them to be integrated into the decision in an analytically coherent and transparent way. The need for transparent accountability in public decision making under uncertainty and value conflict means the analytical coherence provided by the stochastic Bayesian decision analytic approach, drawing on the outputs of Bayesian science, is needed. If scientific researchers are to play the role they should be playing in informing value-based decision making, they need to see themselves also as 'guardians of uncertainty', ensuring that the best possible current posterior distributions on relevant parameters are made available for decision making, irrespective of the state of the certainty-seeking research. The paper distinguishes the actors employing different technologies in terms of the focus of the technology (knowledge, values, choice); the 'home base' mode of their activity on the cognitive continuum of varying analysis-to-intuition ratios; and the underlying value judgements of the activity (especially error loss functions and time discount rates). Those who propose any principle of decision making other than the banal 'Best Principle', including the 'Precautionary Principle', are properly interpreted as advocates seeking to have their own value judgements and preferences regarding mode location apply. The task for accountable decision makers, and their supporting technologists, is to determine the best course of action under the universal conditions of uncertainty and value difference/conflict.

23 CFR 771.139 - Limitations on actions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Limitations on actions. 771.139 Section 771.139 Highways... indicating that such decisions are final within the meaning of 23 U.S.C. 139(l). Claims arising under Federal law seeking judicial review of any such decisions are barred unless filed within 180 days after...

Democracy under uncertainty: the wisdom of crowds and the free-rider problem in group decision making.

PubMed

Kameda, Tatsuya; Tsukasaki, Takafumi; Hastie, Reid; Berg, Nathan

2011-01-01

We introduce a game theory model of individual decisions to cooperate by contributing personal resources to group decisions versus by free riding on the contributions of other members. In contrast to most public-goods games that assume group returns are linear in individual contributions, the present model assumes decreasing marginal group production as a function of aggregate individual contributions. This diminishing marginal returns assumption is more realistic and generates starkly different predictions compared to the linear model. One important implication is that, under most conditions, there exist equilibria where some, but not all, members of a group contribute, even with completely self-interested motives. An agent-based simulation confirmed the individual and group advantages of the equilibria in which behavioral asymmetry emerges from a game structure that is a priori perfectly symmetric for all agents (all agents have the same payoff function and action space but take different actions in equilibria). A behavioral experiment demonstrated that cooperators and free riders coexist in a stable manner in groups performing with the nonlinear production function. A collateral result demonstrated that, compared to a dictatorial decision scheme guided by the best member in a group, the majority/plurality decision rules can pool information effectively and produce greater individual net welfare at equilibrium, even if free riding is not sanctioned. This is an original proof that cooperation in ad hoc decision-making groups can be understood in terms of self-interested motivations and that, despite the free-rider problem, majority/plurality decision rules can function robustly as simple, efficient social decision heuristics.

Courses of action for effects based operations using evolutionary algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haider, Sajjad; Levis, Alexander H.

2006-05-01

This paper presents an Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs) based approach to identify effective courses of action (COAs) in Effects Based Operations. The approach uses Timed Influence Nets (TINs) as the underlying mathematical model to capture a dynamic uncertain situation. TINs provide a concise graph-theoretic probabilistic approach to specify the cause and effect relationships that exist among the variables of interest (actions, desired effects, and other uncertain events) in a problem domain. The purpose of building these TIN models is to identify and analyze several alternative courses of action. The current practice is to use trial and error based techniques which are not only labor intensive but also produce sub-optimal results and are not capable of modeling constraints among actionable events. The EA based approach presented in this paper is aimed to overcome these limitations. The approach generates multiple COAs that are close enough in terms of achieving the desired effect. The purpose of generating multiple COAs is to give several alternatives to a decision maker. Moreover, the alternate COAs could be generalized based on the relationships that exist among the actions and their execution timings. The approach also allows a system analyst to capture certain types of constraints among actionable events.

Toward better public health reporting using existing off the shelf approaches: A comparison of alternative cancer detection approaches using plaintext medical data and non-dictionary based feature selection.

PubMed

Kasthurirathne, Suranga N; Dixon, Brian E; Gichoya, Judy; Xu, Huiping; Xia, Yuni; Mamlin, Burke; Grannis, Shaun J

2016-04-01

Increased adoption of electronic health records has resulted in increased availability of free text clinical data for secondary use. A variety of approaches to obtain actionable information from unstructured free text data exist. These approaches are resource intensive, inherently complex and rely on structured clinical data and dictionary-based approaches. We sought to evaluate the potential to obtain actionable information from free text pathology reports using routinely available tools and approaches that do not depend on dictionary-based approaches. We obtained pathology reports from a large health information exchange and evaluated the capacity to detect cancer cases from these reports using 3 non-dictionary feature selection approaches, 4 feature subset sizes, and 5 clinical decision models: simple logistic regression, naïve bayes, k-nearest neighbor, random forest, and J48 decision tree. The performance of each decision model was evaluated using sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve. Decision models parameterized using automated, informed, and manual feature selection approaches yielded similar results. Furthermore, non-dictionary classification approaches identified cancer cases present in free text reports with evaluation measures approaching and exceeding 80-90% for most metrics. Our methods are feasible and practical approaches for extracting substantial information value from free text medical data, and the results suggest that these methods can perform on par, if not better, than existing dictionary-based approaches. Given that public health agencies are often under-resourced and lack the technical capacity for more complex methodologies, these results represent potentially significant value to the public health field. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A decision-based perspective for the design of methods for systems design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mistree, Farrokh; Muster, Douglas; Shupe, Jon A.; Allen, Janet K.

1989-01-01

Organization of material, a definition of decision based design, a hierarchy of decision based design, the decision support problem technique, a conceptual model design that can be manufactured and maintained, meta-design, computer-based design, action learning, and the characteristics of decisions are among the topics covered.

Shemya Air Force Base, Alaska No Further Action Decision document for Hg-1. Final report

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

Not Available

1993-03-05

This document is being prepared to document that a No Further Action Decision (NFAD) document is appropriate for the Hg-1 site at Shemya Air Force Base (AFB), Alaska, under the Air Force Installation Restoration Program (IRP). The IRP is a Department of Defense (DOD) program established to identify and remediate hazardous waste problems on DOD property that result from past practices. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) draft document {open_quotes}No Further Action Criteria for DOD Military/FUD Sites{close_quotes} has been used as a guide in preparing this document. Air Force personnel have stated that the Hg-1 site may have beenmore » used to store mercury and PCB-contaminated material. The site was added to the IRP in 1987, and later that year a field investigation was conducted at the site. Soil samples were collected and analyzed for mercury, EP toxicity, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and dioxin. All concentrations of contaminants found in Area Hg-1 are below regulatory action levels for PCBs (40 CFR 761) and mercury (55 FR 30798) or below detection levels for dioxin/furans. Therefore, leaving these soils in place is acceptable.« less

Shemya Air Force Base, Alaska No Further Action Decision document for Hg-1

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

Not Available

1993-03-05

This document is being prepared to document that a No Further Action Decision (NFAD) document is appropriate for the Hg-1 site at Shemya Air Force Base (AFB), Alaska, under the Air Force Installation Restoration Program (IRP). The IRP is a Department of Defense (DOD) program established to identify and remediate hazardous waste problems on DOD property that result from past practices. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) draft document [open quotes]No Further Action Criteria for DOD Military/FUD Sites[close quotes] has been used as a guide in preparing this document. Air Force personnel have stated that the Hg-1 site maymore » have been used to store mercury and PCB-contaminated material. The site was added to the IRP in 1987, and later that year a field investigation was conducted at the site. Soil samples were collected and analyzed for mercury, EP toxicity, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and dioxin. All concentrations of contaminants found in Area Hg-1 are below regulatory action levels for PCBs (40 CFR 761) and mercury (55 FR 30798) or below detection levels for dioxin/furans. Therefore, leaving these soils in place is acceptable.« less

No Further Action Decision Under CERCLA Study Area 43Q Historic Gas Station Sites Fort Devens, Massachusetts

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-01-01

the same. ,J ES C. CHAMBERS Date RAC Environmental Coordinator I U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY -t JAMES P. BYR4 Date3 Fort Devens Refiedial...CERCLA STUDY AREA 43Q HISTORIC GAS STATION SITES FORT DEVENS , MASSACHUSETTS , CONTRACT DAAA15-91-D-0008 U.S. ARMY ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER ABERDEEN PROVING...ACTION DECISION UNDER CERCLA STUDY AREA 43Q HISTORIC GAS STATION SITES 5 FORT DEVENS , MASSACHUSETTS V a I i Prepared for: U.S. Army Environmental Center

No Further Action Decision Under CERCLA Study Area 43K Historic Gas Station Sites Fort Devens, Massachusetts

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-01-01

with the same. AMES C. CHAMBERS Date RAC Environmental Coordinator U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY JAMES P. BYRNE Date Fort Devens l(emedial...STATION SITES FORT DEVENS , MASSACHUSETTS CONTRACT DAAA15-91-D-0008 U.S. ARMY ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MARYLAND JANUARY 1995 PRINTED ON...Distribution Unlimited U.S. ArmyEnvironmentalCenter NO FURTHER ACTION DECISION UNDER CERCLA STUDY AREA 43K HISTORIC GAS STATION SITES FORT DEVENS ,9

Goal-Directed Decision Making with Spiking Neurons.

PubMed

Friedrich, Johannes; Lengyel, Máté

2016-02-03

Behavioral and neuroscientific data on reward-based decision making point to a fundamental distinction between habitual and goal-directed action selection. The formation of habits, which requires simple updating of cached values, has been studied in great detail, and the reward prediction error theory of dopamine function has enjoyed prominent success in accounting for its neural bases. In contrast, the neural circuit mechanisms of goal-directed decision making, requiring extended iterative computations to estimate values online, are still unknown. Here we present a spiking neural network that provably solves the difficult online value estimation problem underlying goal-directed decision making in a near-optimal way and reproduces behavioral as well as neurophysiological experimental data on tasks ranging from simple binary choice to sequential decision making. Our model uses local plasticity rules to learn the synaptic weights of a simple neural network to achieve optimal performance and solves one-step decision-making tasks, commonly considered in neuroeconomics, as well as more challenging sequential decision-making tasks within 1 s. These decision times, and their parametric dependence on task parameters, as well as the final choice probabilities match behavioral data, whereas the evolution of neural activities in the network closely mimics neural responses recorded in frontal cortices during the execution of such tasks. Our theory provides a principled framework to understand the neural underpinning of goal-directed decision making and makes novel predictions for sequential decision-making tasks with multiple rewards. Goal-directed actions requiring prospective planning pervade decision making, but their circuit-level mechanisms remain elusive. We show how a model circuit of biologically realistic spiking neurons can solve this computationally challenging problem in a novel way. The synaptic weights of our network can be learned using local plasticity rules such that its dynamics devise a near-optimal plan of action. By systematically comparing our model results to experimental data, we show that it reproduces behavioral decision times and choice probabilities as well as neural responses in a rich set of tasks. Our results thus offer the first biologically realistic account for complex goal-directed decision making at a computational, algorithmic, and implementational level. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/361529-18$15.00/0.

Goal-Directed Decision Making with Spiking Neurons

PubMed Central

Lengyel, Máté

2016-01-01

Behavioral and neuroscientific data on reward-based decision making point to a fundamental distinction between habitual and goal-directed action selection. The formation of habits, which requires simple updating of cached values, has been studied in great detail, and the reward prediction error theory of dopamine function has enjoyed prominent success in accounting for its neural bases. In contrast, the neural circuit mechanisms of goal-directed decision making, requiring extended iterative computations to estimate values online, are still unknown. Here we present a spiking neural network that provably solves the difficult online value estimation problem underlying goal-directed decision making in a near-optimal way and reproduces behavioral as well as neurophysiological experimental data on tasks ranging from simple binary choice to sequential decision making. Our model uses local plasticity rules to learn the synaptic weights of a simple neural network to achieve optimal performance and solves one-step decision-making tasks, commonly considered in neuroeconomics, as well as more challenging sequential decision-making tasks within 1 s. These decision times, and their parametric dependence on task parameters, as well as the final choice probabilities match behavioral data, whereas the evolution of neural activities in the network closely mimics neural responses recorded in frontal cortices during the execution of such tasks. Our theory provides a principled framework to understand the neural underpinning of goal-directed decision making and makes novel predictions for sequential decision-making tasks with multiple rewards. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Goal-directed actions requiring prospective planning pervade decision making, but their circuit-level mechanisms remain elusive. We show how a model circuit of biologically realistic spiking neurons can solve this computationally challenging problem in a novel way. The synaptic weights of our network can be learned using local plasticity rules such that its dynamics devise a near-optimal plan of action. By systematically comparing our model results to experimental data, we show that it reproduces behavioral decision times and choice probabilities as well as neural responses in a rich set of tasks. Our results thus offer the first biologically realistic account for complex goal-directed decision making at a computational, algorithmic, and implementational level. PMID:26843636

Beliefs about Meditating among University Students, Faculty, and Staff: A Theory-Based Salient Belief Elicitation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lederer, Alyssa M.; Middlestadt, Susan E.

2014-01-01

Objective: Stress impacts college students, faculty, and staff alike. Although meditation has been found to decrease stress, it is an underutilized strategy. This study used the Reasoned Action Approach (RAA) to identify beliefs underlying university constituents' decision to meditate. Participants: N = 96 students, faculty, and staff at a large…

Habits as action sequences: hierarchical action control and changes in outcome value

PubMed Central

Dezfouli, Amir; Lingawi, Nura W.; Balleine, Bernard W.

2014-01-01

Goal-directed action involves making high-level choices that are implemented using previously acquired action sequences to attain desired goals. Such a hierarchical schema is necessary for goal-directed actions to be scalable to real-life situations, but results in decision-making that is less flexible than when action sequences are unfolded and the decision-maker deliberates step-by-step over the outcome of each individual action. In particular, from this perspective, the offline revaluation of any outcomes that fall within action sequence boundaries will be invisible to the high-level planner resulting in decisions that are insensitive to such changes. Here, within the context of a two-stage decision-making task, we demonstrate that this property can explain the emergence of habits. Next, we show how this hierarchical account explains the insensitivity of over-trained actions to changes in outcome value. Finally, we provide new data that show that, under extended extinction conditions, habitual behaviour can revert to goal-directed control, presumably as a consequence of decomposing action sequences into single actions. This hierarchical view suggests that the development of action sequences and the insensitivity of actions to changes in outcome value are essentially two sides of the same coin, explaining why these two aspects of automatic behaviour involve a shared neural structure. PMID:25267824

Empirical Evaluation of a Decision-Analytic Aid.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-05-01

scenarios may be attributable to the use of the Baye- sian revision model by the latter group . In the A scenarios, as well as in the NA scenarios, aided...inten- tions and to make a decision by recommending one of four prespecified courses of action. The use of the aiding package significantly increased...courses of action. The use of the aiding package significantly in- I creased the number of correct decisions under the attack version of the scenarios

Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 541: Small Boy Nevada National Security Site and Nevada Test and Training Range, Nevada, Revision 0 with ROTC-1

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

Kidman, Raymond; Matthews, Patrick

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 541 based on the no further action alternative listed in Table ES-1.

A multiple-scenario assessment of the effect of a continuous-care, guideline-based decision support system on clinicians' compliance to clinical guidelines.

PubMed

Shalom, Erez; Shahar, Yuval; Parmet, Yisrael; Lunenfeld, Eitan

2015-04-01

To quantify the effect of a new continuous-care guideline (GL)-application engine, the Picard decision support system (DSS) engine, on the correctness and completeness of clinicians' decisions relative to an established clinical GL, and to assess the clinicians' attitudes towards a specific DSS. Thirty-six clinicians, including residents at different training levels and board-certified specialists at an academic OB/GYN department that handles around 15,000 deliveries annually, agreed to evaluate our continuous-care guideline-based DSS and to perform a cross-over assessment of the effects of using our guideline-based DSS. We generated electronic patient records that realistically simulated the longitudinal course of six different clinical scenarios of the preeclampsia/eclampsia/toxemia (PET) GL, encompassing 60 different decision points in total. Each clinician managed three scenarios manually without the Picard DSS engine (Non-DSS mode) and three scenarios when assisted by the Picard DSS engine (DSS mode). The main measures in both modes were correctness and completeness of actions relative to the PET GL. Correctness was further decomposed into necessary and redundant actions, relative to the guideline and the actual patient data. At the end of the assessment, a questionnaire was administered to the clinicians to assess their perceptions regarding use of the DSS. With respect to completeness, the clinicians applied approximately 41% of the GL's recommended actions in the non-DSS mode. Completeness increased to the performance of approximately 93% of the guideline's recommended actions, when using the DSS mode. With respect to correctness, approximately 94.5% of the clinicians' decisions in the non-DSS mode were correct. However, these included 68% of the actions that were correct but redundant, given the patient's data (e.g., repeating tests that had been performed), and 27% of the actions, which were necessary in the context of the GL and of the given scenario. Only 5.5% of the decisions were definite errors. In the DSS mode, 94% of the clinicians' decisions were correct, which included 3% that were correct but redundant, and 91% of the actions that were correct and necessary in the context of the GL and of the given scenario. Only 6% of the DSS-mode decisions were erroneous. The DSS was assessed by the clinicians as potentially useful. Support from the GL-based DSS led to uniformity in the quality of the decisions, regardless of the particular clinician, any particular clinical scenario, any particular decision point, or any decision type within the scenarios. Using the DSS dramatically enhances completeness (i.e., performance of guideline-based recommendations) and seems to prevent the performance of most of the redundant actions, but does not seem to affect the rate of performance of incorrect actions. The redundancy rate is enhanced by similar recent findings in recent studies. Clinicians mostly find this support to be potentially useful for their daily practice. A continuous-care GL-based DSS, such as the Picard DSS engine, has the potential to prevent most errors of omission by ensuring uniformly high quality of clinical decision making (relative to a GL-based norm), due to the increased adherence (i.e., completeness) to the GL, and most of the errors of commission that increase therapy costs, by reducing the rate of redundant actions. However, to prevent clinical errors of commission, the DSS needs to be accompanied by additional modules, such as automated control of the quality of the physician's actual actions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Helping decision makers frame, analyze, and implement decisions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Runge, Michael C.; McDonald-Madden, Eve

2018-01-01

All decisions have the same recognizable elements. Context, objectives, alternatives, consequences, and deliberation. Decision makers and analysts familiar with these elements can quickly see the underlying structure of a decision.There are only a small number of classes of decisions. These classes differ in the cognitive and scientific challenge they present to the decision maker; the ability to recognize the class of decision leads a decision maker to tools to aid in the analysis.Sometimes we need more information, sometimes we don’t. The role of science in a decision-making process is to provide the predictions that link the alternative actions to the desired outcomes. Investing in more science is only valuable if it helps to choose a better action.Implementation. The successful integration of decision analysis into environmental decisions requires careful attention to the decision, the people, and the institutions involved.

Health plan liability and ERISA: the expanding scope of state legislation.

PubMed

Hellinger, Fred J; Young, Gary J

2005-02-01

The federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) supersedes state laws as they relate to employer-based health care plans. Thus, cases brought under ERISA are heard in federal courts. We examined the intent, scope, and impact of recent laws passed in 10 states attempting to expand the legal rights of health plan enrollees to sue their plans. In June 2004, the US Supreme Court ruled that state-law causes of action brought under the Texas Health Care Liability Act involving coverage decisions by Aetna Health Inc and CIGNA Health Care of Texas were preempted by ERISA. The full implications of this decision are not evident at present.

Health Plan Liability and ERISA: The Expanding Scope of State Legislation

PubMed Central

Hellinger, Fred J.; Young, Gary J.

2005-01-01

The federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) supersedes state laws as they relate to employer-based health care plans. Thus, cases brought under ERISA are heard in federal courts. We examined the intent, scope, and impact of recent laws passed in 10 states attempting to expand the legal rights of health plan enrollees to sue their plans. In June 2004, the US Supreme Court ruled that state-law causes of action brought under the Texas Health Care Liability Act involving coverage decisions by Aetna Health Inc and CIGNA Health Care of Texas were preempted by ERISA. The full implications of this decision are not evident at present. PMID:15671453

5 CFR 841.306 - Reconsideration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... FERS are affected by an OPM decision (under § 841.305) stating the right to request reconsideration may request OPM to review its initial decision. (b) Actions covered elsewhere. (1) A request for... a decision to collect a debt will be made in accordance with § 845.204(b). (3) A decision on court...

Neurocognitive mechanisms underlying value-based decision-making: from core values to economic value

PubMed Central

Brosch, Tobias; Sander, David

2013-01-01

Value plays a central role in practically every aspect of human life that requires a decision: whether we choose between different consumer goods, whether we decide which person we marry or which political candidate gets our vote, we choose the option that has more value to us. Over the last decade, neuroeconomic research has mapped the neural substrates of economic value, revealing that activation in brain regions such as ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), ventral striatum or posterior cingulate cortex reflects how much an individual values an option and which of several options he/she will choose. However, while great progress has been made exploring the mechanisms underlying concrete decisions, neuroeconomic research has been less concerned with the questions of why people value what they value, and why different people value different things. Social psychologists and sociologists have long been interested in core values, motivational constructs that are intrinsically linked to the self-schema and are used to guide actions and decisions across different situations and different time points. Core value may thus be an important determinant of individual differences in economic value computation and decision-making. Based on a review of recent neuroimaging studies investigating the neural representation of core values and their interactions with neural systems representing economic value, we outline a common framework that integrates the core value concept and neuroeconomic research on value-based decision-making. PMID:23898252

Using Decision Structures for Policy Analysis in Software Product-line Evolution - A Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarang, Nita; Sanglikar, Mukund A.

Project management decisions are the primary basis for project success (or failure). Mostly, such decisions are based on an intuitive understanding of the underlying software engineering and management process and have a likelihood of being misjudged. Our problem domain is product-line evolution. We model the dynamics of the process by incorporating feedback loops appropriate to two decision structures: staffing policy, and the forces of growth associated with long-term software evolution. The model is executable and supports project managers to assess the long-term effects of possible actions. Our work also corroborates results from earlier studies of E-type systems, in particular the FEAST project and the rules for software evolution, planning and management.

From creatures of habit to goal-directed learners: Tracking the developmental emergence of model-based reinforcement learning

PubMed Central

Decker, Johannes H.; Otto, A. Ross; Daw, Nathaniel D.; Hartley, Catherine A.

2016-01-01

Theoretical models distinguish two decision-making strategies that have been formalized in reinforcement-learning theory. A model-based strategy leverages a cognitive model of potential actions and their consequences to make goal-directed choices, whereas a model-free strategy evaluates actions based solely on their reward history. Research in adults has begun to elucidate the psychological mechanisms and neural substrates underlying these learning processes and factors that influence their relative recruitment. However, the developmental trajectory of these evaluative strategies has not been well characterized. In this study, children, adolescents, and adults, performed a sequential reinforcement-learning task that enables estimation of model-based and model-free contributions to choice. Whereas a model-free strategy was evident in choice behavior across all age groups, evidence of a model-based strategy only emerged during adolescence and continued to increase into adulthood. These results suggest that recruitment of model-based valuation systems represents a critical cognitive component underlying the gradual maturation of goal-directed behavior. PMID:27084852

The role of flight planning in aircrew decision performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pepitone, Dave; King, Teresa; Murphy, Miles

1989-01-01

The role of flight planning in increasing the safety and decision-making performance of the air transport crews was investigated in a study that involved 48 rated airline crewmembers on a B720 simulator with a model-board-based visual scene and motion cues with three degrees of freedom. The safety performance of the crews was evaluated using videotaped replays of the flight. Based on these evaluations, the crews could be divided into high- and low-safety groups. It was found that, while collecting information before flights, the high-safety crews were more concerned with information about alternative airports, especially the fuel required to get there, and were characterized by making rapid and appropriate decisions during the emergency part of the flight scenario, allowing these crews to make an early diversion to other airports. These results suggest that contingency planning that takes into account alternative courses of action enhances rapid and accurate decision-making under time pressure.

Biomass Burning Emissions – The Importance of Reducing Uncertainties for Improved Regulatory Decision; an EPA Perspective

EPA Science Inventory

Biomass burning emissions from wildland and prescribed fires can have far reaching impacts in several of EPA’s regulatory programs under the Clean Air Act, ultimately affecting decisions on actions taken under State Implementation Plans (SIPs), and programs such as Visibility and...

75 FR 55842 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Financial Industry Regulatory Authority; Order Granting Approval...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-14

... specified in the proposed rule: i. Clarify the time frames within which members must take action to effect... a final decision of a FINRA officer or the UPC Committee under NASD Rule 11890 (Clearly Erroneous... refusal by a member to take action necessary to effectuate a final decision of a FINRA officer or the UPC...

77 FR 46411 - Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-03

... orderly procedures for membership and disciplinary actions. The Commission's review of decisions of... disciplinary, membership denial, registration, and member responsibility actions to the Commission for review... AGENCY: Commodity Futures Trading Commission. ACTION: Notice; Information Collection 3038-0043, Rules...

34 CFR 303.424 - Civil action.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2011-07-01 2010-07-01 true Civil action. 303.424 Section 303.424 Education... Civil action. Any party aggrieved by the findings and decision regarding an administrative complaint has the right to bring a civil action in State or Federal court under section 639(a)(1) of the Act...

34 CFR 303.424 - Civil action.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Civil action. 303.424 Section 303.424 Education... Civil action. Any party aggrieved by the findings and decision regarding an administrative complaint has the right to bring a civil action in State or Federal court under section 639(a)(1) of the Act...

Evaluation of the legal consequences of action affects neural activity and emotional experience during the resolution of moral dilemmas.

PubMed

Pletti, Carolina; Sarlo, Michela; Palomba, Daniela; Rumiati, Rino; Lotto, Lorella

2015-03-01

In any modern society killing is regarded as a severe violation of the legal codes that is subjected to penal judgment. Therefore, it is likely that people take legal consequences into account when deciding about the hypothetical killing of one person in classic moral dilemmas, with legal concerns contributing to decision-making. In particular, by differing for the degree of intentionality and emotional salience, Footbridge- and Trolley-type dilemmas might promote differential assignment of blame and punishment while implicating the same severity of harm. The present study was aimed at comparing the neural activity, subjective emotional reactions, and behavioral choices in two groups of participants who either took (Legal group) or did not take (No Legal group) legal consequences into account when deciding on Footbridge-type and Trolley-type moral dilemmas. Stimulus- and response-locked ERPs were measured to investigate the neural activity underlying two separate phases of the decision process. No difference in behavioral choices was found between groups. However, the No Legal group reported greater overall emotional impact, associated with lower preparation for action, suggesting greater conflict between alternative motor responses representing the different decision choices. In contrast, the Legal group showed an overall dampened affective experience during decision-making associated with greater overall action readiness and intention to act, reflecting lower conflict in responding. On these bases, we suggest that in moral dilemmas legal consequences of actions provide a sort of reference point on which people can rely to support a decision, independent of dilemma type. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Caudate Microstimulation Increases Value of Specific Choices.

PubMed

Santacruz, Samantha R; Rich, Erin L; Wallis, Joni D; Carmena, Jose M

2017-11-06

Value-based decision-making involves an assessment of the value of items available and the actions required to obtain them. The basal ganglia are highly implicated in action selection and goal-directed behavior [1-4], and the striatum in particular plays a critical role in arbitrating between competing choices [5-9]. Previous work has demonstrated that neural activity in the caudate nucleus is modulated by task-relevant action values [6, 8]. Nonetheless, how value is represented and maintained in the striatum remains unclear since decision-making in these tasks relied on spatially lateralized responses, confounding the ability to generalize to a more abstract choice task [6, 8, 9]. Here, we investigate striatal value representations by applying caudate electrical stimulation in macaque monkeys (n = 3) to bias decision-making in a task that divorces the value of a stimulus from motor action. Electrical microstimulation is known to induce neural plasticity [10, 11], and caudate microstimulation in primates has been shown to accelerate associative learning [12, 13]. Our results indicate that stimulation paired with a particular stimulus increases selection of that stimulus, and this effect was stimulus dependent and action independent. The modulation of choice behavior using microstimulation was best modeled as resulting from changes in stimulus value. Caudate neural recordings (n = 1) show that changes in value-coding neuron activity are stimulus value dependent. We argue that caudate microstimulation can differentially increase stimulus values independent of action, and unilateral manipulations of value are sufficient to mediate choice behavior. These results support potential future applications of microstimulation to correct maladaptive plasticity underlying dysfunctional decision-making related to neuropsychiatric conditions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cortical and Hippocampal Correlates of Deliberation during Model-Based Decisions for Rewards in Humans

PubMed Central

Bornstein, Aaron M.; Daw, Nathaniel D.

2013-01-01

How do we use our memories of the past to guide decisions we've never had to make before? Although extensive work describes how the brain learns to repeat rewarded actions, decisions can also be influenced by associations between stimuli or events not directly involving reward — such as when planning routes using a cognitive map or chess moves using predicted countermoves — and these sorts of associations are critical when deciding among novel options. This process is known as model-based decision making. While the learning of environmental relations that might support model-based decisions is well studied, and separately this sort of information has been inferred to impact decisions, there is little evidence concerning the full cycle by which such associations are acquired and drive choices. Of particular interest is whether decisions are directly supported by the same mnemonic systems characterized for relational learning more generally, or instead rely on other, specialized representations. Here, building on our previous work, which isolated dual representations underlying sequential predictive learning, we directly demonstrate that one such representation, encoded by the hippocampal memory system and adjacent cortical structures, supports goal-directed decisions. Using interleaved learning and decision tasks, we monitor predictive learning directly and also trace its influence on decisions for reward. We quantitatively compare the learning processes underlying multiple behavioral and fMRI observables using computational model fits. Across both tasks, a quantitatively consistent learning process explains reaction times, choices, and both expectation- and surprise-related neural activity. The same hippocampal and ventral stream regions engaged in anticipating stimuli during learning are also engaged in proportion to the difficulty of decisions. These results support a role for predictive associations learned by the hippocampal memory system to be recalled during choice formation. PMID:24339770

Planning Protective Action Decision-Making: Evacuate or Shelter-in-Place

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

Sorensen, J.H.

Appropriate protective action recommendations or decisions (PARs/PADs) are needed to achieve maximum protection of a population at risk. The factors that affect protective action decisions are complex but fairly well documented. Protective action decisions take into account population distributions, projected or actual exposure to a chemical substance, availability of adequate shelters, evacuation time estimates, and other relevant factors. To choose in-place sheltering, there should be a reasonable assurance that the movement of people beyond their residence, workplace, or school will endanger the health and safety of the public more so than allowing them to remain in place. The decision tomore » evacuate the public should be based on the reasonable assurance that the movement of people to an area outside of an affected area is in the best interest of their health and safety, and is of minimal risk to them. In reality, an evacuation decision is also a resource-dependent decision. The availability of transportation and other resources, including shelters, may factor heavily in the protective action decision-making process. All strategies to protect the health and safety of the public from a release of hazardous chemicals are explicitly considered during emergency decision making. Each institutional facility (such as hospitals, schools, day care centers, correctional facilities, assisted living facilities or nursing homes) in the community should be considered separately to determine what special protective actions may be necessary. Deciding whether to evacuate or to shelter-in-place is one of the most important questions facing local emergency planners responding to a toxic chemical release. That such a complex decision with such important potential consequences must be made with such urgency places tremendous responsibility on the planners and officials involved. Researchers have devoted considerable attention to the evacuation/shelter-in-place protection decision. While several decision aids have been developed, no single approach has achieved widespread acceptance based on validity, utility, and effectiveness (Ujihara 1989, Mannan and Kilpatrick 2000). In the absence of an agreed-upon methodology for making this decision, the best strategy for local emergency planners and officials is a thorough understanding of all the components affecting the decision. This paper summarizes what is currently known about the evacuation/shelter-in-place protection decision and points to available literature that more thoroughly explores the individual components of the decision. The next section summarizes the major issues in protective action decision process. This is followed by a discussion of all the factors that may bear on the protective action decision process. The final section address how to make a protective action decision.« less

Predicting individual differences in decision-making process from signature movement styles: an illustrative study of leaders.

PubMed

Connors, Brenda L; Rende, Richard; Colton, Timothy J

2013-01-01

There has been a surge of interest in examining the utility of methods for capturing individual differences in decision-making style. We illustrate the potential offered by Movement Pattern Analysis (MPA), an observational methodology that has been used in business and by the US Department of Defense to record body movements that provide predictive insight into individual differences in decision-making motivations and actions. Twelve military officers participated in an intensive 2-h interview that permitted detailed and fine-grained observation and coding of signature movements by trained practitioners using MPA. Three months later, these subjects completed four hypothetical decision-making tasks in which the amount of information sought out before coming to a decision, as well as the time spent on the tasks, were under the partial control of the subject. A composite MPA indicator of how a person allocates decision-making actions and motivations to balance both Assertion (exertion of tangible movement effort on the environment to make something occur) and Perspective (through movements that support shaping in the body to perceive and create a suitable viewpoint for action) was highly correlated with the total number of information draws and total response time-individuals high on Assertion reached for less information and had faster response times than those high on Perspective. Discussion focuses on the utility of using movement-based observational measures to capture individual differences in decision-making style and the implications for application in applied settings geared toward investigations of experienced leaders and world statesmen where individuality rules the day.

Predicting individual differences in decision-making process from signature movement styles: an illustrative study of leaders

PubMed Central

Connors, Brenda L.; Rende, Richard; Colton, Timothy J.

2013-01-01

There has been a surge of interest in examining the utility of methods for capturing individual differences in decision-making style. We illustrate the potential offered by Movement Pattern Analysis (MPA), an observational methodology that has been used in business and by the US Department of Defense to record body movements that provide predictive insight into individual differences in decision-making motivations and actions. Twelve military officers participated in an intensive 2-h interview that permitted detailed and fine-grained observation and coding of signature movements by trained practitioners using MPA. Three months later, these subjects completed four hypothetical decision-making tasks in which the amount of information sought out before coming to a decision, as well as the time spent on the tasks, were under the partial control of the subject. A composite MPA indicator of how a person allocates decision-making actions and motivations to balance both Assertion (exertion of tangible movement effort on the environment to make something occur) and Perspective (through movements that support shaping in the body to perceive and create a suitable viewpoint for action) was highly correlated with the total number of information draws and total response time—individuals high on Assertion reached for less information and had faster response times than those high on Perspective. Discussion focuses on the utility of using movement-based observational measures to capture individual differences in decision-making style and the implications for application in applied settings geared toward investigations of experienced leaders and world statesmen where individuality rules the day. PMID:24069012

10 CFR 780.10 - Decision of the Board.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Decision of the Board. 780.10 Section 780.10 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY PATENT COMPENSATION BOARD REGULATIONS General Provisions § 780.10 Decision of the Board. The decision of the Board in any proceeding under this part shall constitute the final action of the...

10 CFR 780.10 - Decision of the Board.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Decision of the Board. 780.10 Section 780.10 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY PATENT COMPENSATION BOARD REGULATIONS General Provisions § 780.10 Decision of the Board. The decision of the Board in any proceeding under this part shall constitute the final action of the...

Sequential selection of economic good and action in medial frontal cortex of macaques during value-based decisions

PubMed Central

Chen, Xiaomo; Stuphorn, Veit

2015-01-01

Value-based decisions could rely either on the selection of desired economic goods or on the selection of the actions that will obtain the goods. We investigated this question by recording from the supplementary eye field (SEF) of monkeys during a gambling task that allowed us to distinguish chosen good from chosen action signals. Analysis of the individual neuron activity, as well as of the population state-space dynamic, showed that SEF encodes first the chosen gamble option (the desired economic good) and only ~100 ms later the saccade that will obtain it (the chosen action). The action selection is likely driven by inhibitory interactions between different SEF neurons. Our results suggest that during value-based decisions, the selection of economic goods precedes and guides the selection of actions. The two selection steps serve different functions and can therefore not compensate for each other, even when information guiding both processes is given simultaneously. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09418.001 PMID:26613409

49 CFR 511.78 - Prohibited communications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... the date of issuance of a complaint and ending upon final NHTSA action in the matter. (b) Definitions. (1) “Decision-maker” means those NHTSA personnel who render decisions in adjudicative proceedings under this part, or who advise officials who render such decisions, including: (i) The Administrator...

Building a Lego wall: Sequential action selection.

PubMed

Arnold, Amy; Wing, Alan M; Rotshtein, Pia

2017-05-01

The present study draws together two distinct lines of enquiry into the selection and control of sequential action: motor sequence production and action selection in everyday tasks. Participants were asked to build 2 different Lego walls. The walls were designed to have hierarchical structures with shared and dissociated colors and spatial components. Participants built 1 wall at a time, under low and high load cognitive states. Selection times for correctly completed trials were measured using 3-dimensional motion tracking. The paradigm enabled precise measurement of the timing of actions, while using real objects to create an end product. The experiment demonstrated that action selection was slowed at decision boundary points, relative to boundaries where no between-wall decision was required. Decision points also affected selection time prior to the actual selection window. Dual-task conditions increased selection errors. Errors mostly occurred at boundaries between chunks and especially when these required decisions. The data support hierarchical control of sequenced behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

5 CFR 1201.127 - Judicial review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... PROCEDURES Procedures for Original Jurisdiction Cases Special Counsel Disciplinary Actions § 1201.127 Judicial review. (a) An employee subject to a final Board decision imposing disciplinary action under 5 U.S... appropriate United States district court. 5 U.S.C. 1508. Special Counsel Corrective Actions ...

The values underlying team decision-making in work rehabilitation for musculoskeletal disorders.

PubMed

Loisel, Patrick; Falardeau, Marlène; Baril, Raymond; José-Durand, Marie; Langley, Ann; Sauvé, Sandrine; Gervais, Julie

2005-05-20

This paper presents the results of a qualitative study on the values underlying the decision-making process of an interdisciplinary team working in a work rehabilitation facility of a Québec teaching hospital. In order to document the values underlying the decision-making process, a single case observational study was conducted. Interdisciplinary team weekly discussions on ongoing cases of 22 workers absent from work due to musculoskeletal disorders were videotaped. All discourses were transcribed and analyzed following an inductive and iterative approach. The values identified were validated by feedback from team members. Ten common decision values emerged from the data: (1) team unity and credibility, (2) collaboration with stakeholders, (3) worker's internal motivation, (4) worker's adherence to the program, (5) worker's reactivation, (6) single message, (7) reassurance, (8) graded intervention, (9) pain management and (10) return to work as a therapy. The analysis of these values led to the design of a model describing interrelations between them. This study throws light on some mechanisms underlying the decisions made by the team and determining its action. This improves understanding of the actions taken by an interdisciplinary team in work rehabilitation and may facilitate knowledge transfer in the training of other teams.

Designing a solution to enable agency-academic scientific collaboration for disasters

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mease, Lindley A.; Gibbs-Plessl, Theodora; Erickson, Ashley; Ludwig, Kristin A.; Reddy, Christopher M.; Lubchenco, Jane

2017-01-01

As large-scale environmental disasters become increasingly frequent and more severe globally, people and organizations that prepare for and respond to these crises need efficient and effective ways to integrate sound science into their decision making. Experience has shown that integrating nongovernmental scientific expertise into disaster decision making can improve the quality of the response, and is most effective if the integration occurs before, during, and after a crisis, not just during a crisis. However, collaboration between academic, government, and industry scientists, decision makers, and responders is frequently difficult because of cultural differences, misaligned incentives, time pressures, and legal constraints. Our study addressed this challenge by using the Deep Change Method, a design methodology developed by Stanford ChangeLabs, which combines human-centered design, systems analysis, and behavioral psychology. We investigated underlying needs and motivations of government agency staff and academic scientists, mapped the root causes underlying the relationship failures between these two communities based on their experiences, and identified leverage points for shifting deeply rooted perceptions that impede collaboration. We found that building trust and creating mutual value between multiple stakeholders before crises occur is likely to increase the effectiveness of problem solving. We propose a solution, the Science Action Network, which is designed to address barriers to scientific collaboration by providing new mechanisms to build and improve trust and communication between government administrators and scientists, industry representatives, and academic scientists. The Science Action Network has the potential to ensure cross-disaster preparedness and science-based decision making through novel partnerships and scientific coordination.

No Further Action Decision Under Cercla Study Area 61Z Building 202 Historic Motor Pool

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-01-01

appropriate response actions are implemented at Fort Devens under CERCLA. AOC 61Z is the former site of a motor pool at the corner of Carey and St. Mihiel...provided recommendations for response actions with the objective of identifying priorities for environmental restoration at Fort Devens . Areas...a final permit that included a list of Solid Waste Management Units requiring corrective action . In December 1989, Fort Devens was placed on the

Mechanisms underlying selecting objects for action

PubMed Central

Wulff, Melanie; Laverick, Rosanna; Humphreys, Glyn W.; Wing, Alan M.; Rotshtein, Pia

2015-01-01

We assessed the factors which affect the selection of objects for action, focusing on the role of action knowledge and its modulation by distracters. Fourteen neuropsychological patients and 10 healthy aged-matched controls selected pairs of objects commonly used together among distracters in two contexts: with real objects and with pictures of the same objects presented sequentially on a computer screen. Across both tasks, semantically related distracters led to slower responses and more errors than unrelated distracters and the object actively used for action was selected prior to the object that would be passively held during the action. We identified a sub-group of patients (N = 6) whose accuracy was 2SDs below the controls performances in the real object task. Interestingly, these impaired patients were more affected by the presence of unrelated distracters during both tasks than intact patients and healthy controls. Note that the impaired patients had lesions to left parietal, right anterior temporal and bilateral pre-motor regions. We conclude that: (1) motor procedures guide object selection for action, (2) semantic knowledge affects action-based selection, (3) impaired action decision making is associated with the inability to ignore distracting information and (4) lesions to either the dorsal or ventral visual stream can lead to deficits in making action decisions. Overall, the data indicate that impairments in everyday tasks can be evaluated using a simulated computer task. The implications for rehabilitation are discussed. PMID:25954177

A behavioural and neural evaluation of prospective decision-making under risk

PubMed Central

Symmonds, Mkael; Bossaerts, Peter; Dolan, Raymond J.

2010-01-01

Making the best choice when faced with a chain of decisions requires a person to judge both anticipated outcomes and future actions. Although economic decision-making models account for both risk and reward in single choice contexts there is a dearth of similar knowledge about sequential choice. Classical utility-based models assume that decision-makers select and follow an optimal pre-determined strategy, irrespective of the particular order in which options are presented. An alternative model involves continuously re-evaluating decision utilities, without prescribing a specific future set of choices. Here, using behavioral and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, we studied human subjects in a sequential choice task and use these data to compare alternative decision models of valuation and strategy selection. We provide evidence that subjects adopt a model of re-evaluating decision utilities, where available strategies are continuously updated and combined in assessing action values. We validate this model by using simultaneously-acquired fMRI data to show that sequential choice evokes a pattern of neural response consistent with a tracking of anticipated distribution of future reward, as expected in such a model. Thus, brain activity evoked at each decision point reflects the expected mean, variance and skewness of possible payoffs, consistent with the idea that sequential choice evokes a prospective evaluation of both available strategies and possible outcomes. PMID:20980595

A behavioral and neural evaluation of prospective decision-making under risk.

PubMed

Symmonds, Mkael; Bossaerts, Peter; Dolan, Raymond J

2010-10-27

Making the best choice when faced with a chain of decisions requires a person to judge both anticipated outcomes and future actions. Although economic decision-making models account for both risk and reward in single-choice contexts, there is a dearth of similar knowledge about sequential choice. Classical utility-based models assume that decision-makers select and follow an optimal predetermined strategy, regardless of the particular order in which options are presented. An alternative model involves continuously reevaluating decision utilities, without prescribing a specific future set of choices. Here, using behavioral and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, we studied human subjects in a sequential choice task and use these data to compare alternative decision models of valuation and strategy selection. We provide evidence that subjects adopt a model of reevaluating decision utilities, in which available strategies are continuously updated and combined in assessing action values. We validate this model by using simultaneously acquired fMRI data to show that sequential choice evokes a pattern of neural response consistent with a tracking of anticipated distribution of future reward, as expected in such a model. Thus, brain activity evoked at each decision point reflects the expected mean, variance, and skewness of possible payoffs, consistent with the idea that sequential choice evokes a prospective evaluation of both available strategies and possible outcomes.

Interference effects of categorization on decision making.

PubMed

Wang, Zheng; Busemeyer, Jerome R

2016-05-01

Many decision making tasks in life involve a categorization process, but the effects of categorization on subsequent decision making has rarely been studied. This issue was explored in three experiments (N=721), in which participants were shown a face stimulus on each trial and performed variations of categorization-decision tasks. On C-D trials, they categorized the stimulus and then made an action decision; on X-D trials, they were told the category and then made an action decision; on D-alone trials, they only made an action decision. An interference effect emerged in some of the conditions, such that the probability of an action on the D-alone trials (i.e., when there was no explicit categorization before the decision) differed from the total probability of the same action on the C-D or X-D trials (i.e., when there was explicit categorization before the decision). Interference effects are important because they indicate a violation of the classical law of total probability, which is assumed by many cognitive models. Across all three experiments, a complex pattern of interference effects systematically occurred for different types of stimuli and for different types of categorization-decision tasks. These interference effects present a challenge for traditional cognitive models, such as Markov and signal detection models, but a quantum cognition model, called the belief-action entanglement (BAE) model, predicted that these results could occur. The BAE model employs the quantum principles of superposition and entanglement to explain the psychological mechanisms underlying the puzzling interference effects. The model can be applied to many important and practical categorization-decision situations in life. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Neuronal correlates of decisions to speak and act: Spontaneous emergence and dynamic topographies in a computational model of frontal and temporal areas

PubMed Central

Garagnani, Max; Pulvermüller, Friedemann

2013-01-01

The neural mechanisms underlying the spontaneous, stimulus-independent emergence of intentions and decisions to act are poorly understood. Using a neurobiologically realistic model of frontal and temporal areas of the brain, we simulated the learning of perception–action circuits for speech and hand-related actions and subsequently observed their spontaneous behaviour. Noise-driven accumulation of reverberant activity in these circuits leads to their spontaneous ignition and partial-to-full activation, which we interpret, respectively, as model correlates of action intention emergence and action decision-and-execution. Importantly, activity emerged first in higher-association prefrontal and temporal cortices, subsequently spreading to secondary and finally primary sensorimotor model-areas, hence reproducing the dynamics of cortical correlates of voluntary action revealed by readiness-potential and verb-generation experiments. This model for the first time explains the cortical origins and topography of endogenous action decisions, and the natural emergence of functional specialisation in the cortex, as mechanistic consequences of neurobiological principles, anatomical structure and sensorimotor experience. PMID:23489583

40 CFR 300.700 - Activities by other persons.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... action is conducted in accordance with the preauthorization decision document, and costs are reasonable... preauthorization decision document. (8) For a claim to be awarded under section 111 of CERCLA, EPA must certify that the costs were necessary and consistent with the preauthorization decision document. (e) Section...

34 CFR 300.516 - Civil action.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2014-07-01 2013-07-01 true Civil action. 300.516 Section 300.516 Education... DISABILITIES Procedural Safeguards Due Process Procedures for Parents and Children § 300.516 Civil action. (a... aggrieved by the findings and decision under § 300.514(b), has the right to bring a civil action with...

34 CFR 300.516 - Civil action.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Civil action. 300.516 Section 300.516 Education... DISABILITIES Procedural Safeguards Due Process Procedures for Parents and Children § 300.516 Civil action. (a... aggrieved by the findings and decision under § 300.514(b), has the right to bring a civil action with...

34 CFR 300.516 - Civil action.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Civil action. 300.516 Section 300.516 Education... DISABILITIES Procedural Safeguards Due Process Procedures for Parents and Children § 300.516 Civil action. (a... aggrieved by the findings and decision under § 300.514(b), has the right to bring a civil action with...

34 CFR 303.438 - Civil action.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2014-07-01 2013-07-01 true Civil action. 303.438 Section 303.438 Education... Section 639 of the Act § 303.438 Civil action. Any party aggrieved by the findings and decision issued pursuant to a due process complaint has the right to bring a civil action in State or Federal court under...

34 CFR 303.438 - Civil action.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Civil action. 303.438 Section 303.438 Education... Section 639 of the Act § 303.438 Civil action. Any party aggrieved by the findings and decision issued pursuant to a due process complaint has the right to bring a civil action in State or Federal court under...

34 CFR 303.438 - Civil action.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Civil action. 303.438 Section 303.438 Education... Section 639 of the Act § 303.438 Civil action. Any party aggrieved by the findings and decision issued pursuant to a due process complaint has the right to bring a civil action in State or Federal court under...

34 CFR 300.516 - Civil action.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Civil action. 300.516 Section 300.516 Education... DISABILITIES Procedural Safeguards Due Process Procedures for Parents and Children § 300.516 Civil action. (a... aggrieved by the findings and decision under § 300.514(b), has the right to bring a civil action with...

34 CFR 300.516 - Civil action.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2011-07-01 2010-07-01 true Civil action. 300.516 Section 300.516 Education... DISABILITIES Procedural Safeguards Due Process Procedures for Parents and Children § 300.516 Civil action. (a... aggrieved by the findings and decision under § 300.514(b), has the right to bring a civil action with...

Value of information analysis for interventional and counterfactual Bayesian networks in forensic medical sciences.

PubMed

Constantinou, Anthony Costa; Yet, Barbaros; Fenton, Norman; Neil, Martin; Marsh, William

2016-01-01

Inspired by real-world examples from the forensic medical sciences domain, we seek to determine whether a decision about an interventional action could be subject to amendments on the basis of some incomplete information within the model, and whether it would be worthwhile for the decision maker to seek further information prior to suggesting a decision. The method is based on the underlying principle of Value of Information to enhance decision analysis in interventional and counterfactual Bayesian networks. The method is applied to two real-world Bayesian network models (previously developed for decision support in forensic medical sciences) to examine the average gain in terms of both Value of Information (average relative gain ranging from 11.45% and 59.91%) and decision making (potential amendments in decision making ranging from 0% to 86.8%). We have shown how the method becomes useful for decision makers, not only when decision making is subject to amendments on the basis of some unknown risk factors, but also when it is not. Knowing that a decision outcome is independent of one or more unknown risk factors saves us from the trouble of seeking information about the particular set of risk factors. Further, we have also extended the assessment of this implication to the counterfactual case and demonstrated how answers about interventional actions are expected to change when some unknown factors become known, and how useful this becomes in forensic medical science. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Brain network response underlying decisions about abstract reinforcers.

PubMed

Mills-Finnerty, Colleen; Hanson, Catherine; Hanson, Stephen Jose

2014-12-01

Decision making studies typically use tasks that involve concrete action-outcome contingencies, in which subjects do something and get something. No studies have addressed decision making involving abstract reinforcers, where there are no action-outcome contingencies and choices are entirely hypothetical. The present study examines these kinds of choices, as well as whether the same biases that exist for concrete reinforcer decisions, specifically framing effects, also apply during abstract reinforcer decisions. We use both General Linear Model as well as Bayes network connectivity analysis using the Independent Multi-sample Greedy Equivalence Search (IMaGES) algorithm to examine network response underlying choices for abstract reinforcers under positive and negative framing. We find for the first time that abstract reinforcer decisions activate the same network of brain regions as concrete reinforcer decisions, including the striatum, insula, anterior cingulate, and VMPFC, results that are further supported via comparison to a meta-analysis of decision making studies. Positive and negative framing activated different parts of this network, with stronger activation in VMPFC during negative framing and in DLPFC during positive, suggesting different decision making pathways depending on frame. These results were further clarified using connectivity analysis, which revealed stronger connections between anterior cingulate, insula, and accumbens during negative framing compared to positive. Taken together, these results suggest that not only do abstract reinforcer decisions rely on the same brain substrates as concrete reinforcers, but that the response underlying framing effects on abstract reinforcers also resemble those for concrete reinforcers, specifically increased limbic system connectivity during negative frames. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dysfunctions of decision-making and cognitive control as transdiagnostic mechanisms of mental disorders: advances, gaps, and needs in current research.

PubMed

Goschke, Thomas

2014-01-01

Disadvantageous decision-making and impaired volitional control over actions, thoughts, and emotions are characteristics of a wide range of mental disorders such as addiction, eating disorders, depression, and anxiety disorders and may reflect transdiagnostic core mechanisms and possibly vulnerability factors. Elucidating the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms is a precondition for moving from symptom-based to mechanism-based disorder classifications and ultimately mechanism-targeted interventions. However, despite substantial advances in basic research on decision-making and cognitive control, there are still profound gaps in our current understanding of dysfunctions of these processes in mental disorders. Central unresolved questions are: (i) to which degree such dysfunctions reflect transdiagnostic mechanisms or disorder-specific patterns of impairment; (ii) how phenotypical features of mental disorders relate to dysfunctional control parameter settings and aberrant interactions between large-scale brain systems involved in habit and reward-based learning, performance monitoring, emotion regulation, and cognitive control; (iii) whether cognitive control impairments are consequences or antecedent vulnerability factors of mental disorders; (iv) whether they reflect generalized competence impairments or context-specific performance failures; (v) whether not only impaired but also chronic over-control contributes to mental disorders. In the light of these gaps, needs for future research are: (i) an increased focus on basic cognitive-affective mechanisms underlying decision and control dysfunctions across disorders; (ii) longitudinal-prospective studies systematically incorporating theory-driven behavioural tasks and neuroimaging protocols to assess decision-making and control dysfunctions and aberrant interactions between underlying large-scale brain systems; (iii) use of latent-variable models of cognitive control rather than single tasks; (iv) increased focus on the interplay of implicit and explicit cognitive-affective processes; (v) stronger focus on computational models specifying neurocognitive mechanisms underlying phenotypical expressions of mental disorders. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

5 CFR 511.702 - Agency or Office classification appeal decisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Agency or Office classification appeal... REGULATIONS CLASSIFICATION UNDER THE GENERAL SCHEDULE Effective Dates of Position Classification Actions or Decisions § 511.702 Agency or Office classification appeal decisions. (a) Subject to § 511.703, the...

5 CFR 511.702 - Agency or Office classification appeal decisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Agency or Office classification appeal... REGULATIONS CLASSIFICATION UNDER THE GENERAL SCHEDULE Effective Dates of Position Classification Actions or Decisions § 511.702 Agency or Office classification appeal decisions. (a) Subject to § 511.703, the...

42 CFR 401.625 - Effect of CMS claims collection decisions on appeals.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Effect of CMS claims collection decisions on... Compromise § 401.625 Effect of CMS claims collection decisions on appeals. Any action taken under this..., is not an initial determination for purposes of CMS appeal procedures. ...

A randomized comparison between league tables and funnel plots to inform health care decision-making.

PubMed

Anell, Anders; Hagberg, Oskar; Liedberg, Fredrik; Ryden, Stefan

2016-12-01

Comparison of provider performance is commonly used to inform health care decision-making. Little attention has been paid to how data presentations influence decisions. This study analyzes differences in suggested actions by decision-makers informed by league tables or funnel plots. Decision-makers were invited to a survey and randomized to compare hospital performance using either league tables or funnel plots for four different measures within the area of cancer care. For each measure, decision-makers were asked to suggest actions towards 12-16 hospitals (no action, ask for more information, intervene) and provide feedback related to whether the information provided had been useful. Swedish health care. Two hundred and twenty-one decision-makers at administrative and clinical levels. Data presentations in the form of league tables or funnel plots. Number of actions suggested by participants. Proportion of appropriate actions. For all four measures, decision-makers tended to suggest more actions based on the information provided in league tables compared to funnel plots (44% vs. 21%, P < 0.001). Actions were on average more appropriate for funnel plots. However, when using funnel plots, decision-makers more often missed to react even when appropriate. The form of data presentation had an influence on decision-making. With league tables, decision-makers tended to suggest more actions compared to funnel plots. A difference in sensitivity and specificity conditioned by the form of presentation could also be identified, with different implications depending on the purpose of comparisons. Explanations and visualization aids are needed to support appropriate actions. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Towards knowledge-based systems in clinical practice: development of an integrated clinical information and knowledge management support system.

PubMed

Kalogeropoulos, Dimitris A; Carson, Ewart R; Collinson, Paul O

2003-09-01

Given that clinicians presented with identical clinical information will act in different ways, there is a need to introduce into routine clinical practice methods and tools to support the scientific homogeneity and accountability of healthcare decisions and actions. The benefits expected from such action include an overall reduction in cost, improved quality of care, patient and public opinion satisfaction. Computer-based medical data processing has yielded methods and tools for managing the task away from the hospital management level and closer to the desired disease and patient management level. To this end, advanced applications of information and disease process modelling technologies have already demonstrated an ability to significantly augment clinical decision making as a by-product. The wide-spread acceptance of evidence-based medicine as the basis of cost-conscious and concurrently quality-wise accountable clinical practice suffices as evidence supporting this claim. Electronic libraries are one-step towards an online status of this key health-care delivery quality control environment. Nonetheless, to date, the underlying information and knowledge management technologies have failed to be integrated into any form of pragmatic or marketable online and real-time clinical decision making tool. One of the main obstacles that needs to be overcome is the development of systems that treat both information and knowledge as clinical objects with same modelling requirements. This paper describes the development of such a system in the form of an intelligent clinical information management system: a system which at the most fundamental level of clinical decision support facilitates both the organised acquisition of clinical information and knowledge and provides a test-bed for the development and evaluation of knowledge-based decision support functions.

"Everyman" and his Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinney, John E.

Although we have accumulated much factual data on environmental conditions, interrelationships, and consequences of actions, our decisions are based on political expediency, pressure, mob action, and emotion. Believing that decisions regarding the environment and pollution control are not technical but socioeconomic, crusaders have refused…

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

Strategic decision making under climate change: a case study on Lake Maggiore water system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Micotti, M.; Soncini Sessa, R.; Weber, E.

2014-09-01

Water resources planning processes involve different kinds of decisions that are generally evaluated under a stationary climate scenario assumption. In general, the possible combinations of interventions are mutually compared as single alternatives. However, the ongoing climate change requires us to reconsider this approach. Indeed, what have to be compared are not individual alternatives, but families of alternatives, characterized by the same structural decisions, i.e. by actions that have long-term effects and entail irrevocable changes in the system. The rationale is that the structural actions, once they have been implemented, cannot be easily modified, while the management decisions can be adapted to the evolving conditions. This paper considers this methodological problem in a real case study, in which a strategic decision has to be taken: a new barrage was proposed to regulate Lake Maggiore outflow, but, alternatively, either the present barrage can be maintained with its present regulation norms or with a new one. The problem was dealt with by multi-criteria decision analysis involving many stakeholders and two decision-makers. An exhaustive set of indicators was defined in the participatory process, conducted under the integrated water resource management paradigm, and many efficient (in Pareto sense) regulation policies were identified. The paper explores different formulations of a global index to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of the classes of alternatives under both stationary and changing hydrological scenarios in order to assess their adaptability to the ongoing climate change.

From Creatures of Habit to Goal-Directed Learners: Tracking the Developmental Emergence of Model-Based Reinforcement Learning.

PubMed

Decker, Johannes H; Otto, A Ross; Daw, Nathaniel D; Hartley, Catherine A

2016-06-01

Theoretical models distinguish two decision-making strategies that have been formalized in reinforcement-learning theory. A model-based strategy leverages a cognitive model of potential actions and their consequences to make goal-directed choices, whereas a model-free strategy evaluates actions based solely on their reward history. Research in adults has begun to elucidate the psychological mechanisms and neural substrates underlying these learning processes and factors that influence their relative recruitment. However, the developmental trajectory of these evaluative strategies has not been well characterized. In this study, children, adolescents, and adults performed a sequential reinforcement-learning task that enabled estimation of model-based and model-free contributions to choice. Whereas a model-free strategy was apparent in choice behavior across all age groups, a model-based strategy was absent in children, became evident in adolescents, and strengthened in adults. These results suggest that recruitment of model-based valuation systems represents a critical cognitive component underlying the gradual maturation of goal-directed behavior. © The Author(s) 2016.

Interfacing to the brain’s motor decisions

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

It has been long known that neural activity, recorded with electrophysiological methods, contains rich information about a subject’s motor intentions, sensory experiences, allocation of attention, action planning, and even abstract thoughts. All these functions have been the subject of neurophysiological investigations, with the goal of understanding how neuronal activity represents behavioral parameters, sensory inputs, and cognitive functions. The field of brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) strives for a somewhat different goal: it endeavors to extract information from neural modulations to create a communication link between the brain and external devices. Although many remarkable successes have been already achieved in the BMI field, questions remain regarding the possibility of decoding high-order neural representations, such as decision making. Could BMIs be employed to decode the neural representations of decisions underlying goal-directed actions? In this review we lay out a framework that describes the computations underlying goal-directed actions as a multistep process performed by multiple cortical and subcortical areas. We then discuss how BMIs could connect to different decision-making steps and decode the neural processing ongoing before movements are initiated. Such decision-making BMIs could operate as a system with prediction that offers many advantages, such as shorter reaction time, better error processing, and improved unsupervised learning. To present the current state of the art, we review several recent BMIs incorporating decision-making components. PMID:28003406

[Decision-making and apathy in early stage of Alzheimer's disease and in mild cognitive impairment].

PubMed

Jacus, Jean-Pierre; Bayard, Sophie; Raffard, Stéphane; Gély-Nargeot, Marie-Christine

2013-06-01

Decision-making and apathy have common neuropsychological processes and neuroanatomical substrates. However, their links in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) remain unclear. in order to evaluate these links, we compared 3 groups of 20 control subjects to 20 patients with MCI and 20 patients with mild AD. All participants completed the mini mental state examination (MMSE), the Lille apathy rating scale (LARS, a multidimensional scale of apathy), the game of dice task (GDT, assessing decision under risk) and the Iowa gambling task (IGT, assessing decision under ambiguity). 60% of patients in both clinical groups were apathetic versus 5% of control subjects. In both clinical groups the IGT and GDT net scores were comparable (respectively: p = 0.76 and p = 0.84), while the control group had higher scores than MCI and AD's groups (respectively, GDT p < 0.02 and p < 0.05; IGT: p < 0.05 and p < 0.05). Cognitive impairment increased the risk of disadvantageous choices in decision under risk (× 6), and under ambiguity (× 3.5). No global contribution of apathy was found for decision-making performances (all PS > 0.05), but on the LARS, the "intellectual curiosity" (cognitive dimension) was a predictor for the performances on GDT's (OR = 1.73, p = 0.05), while the "action initiation" (behavioral dimension) was a predictor of those on IGT (OR = 1.57, p = 0.05). these results highlight the behavioral and the cognitive sensitivity of the IGT and the GDT, and are analyzed according to Levy and Dubois's model of apathy, and to the three steps of the decision-making process of Gleichgerrcht et al. (2010). However, more researches are necessary to explain the causality links between action initiation and decision under ambiguity.

Integrating land cover modeling and adaptive management to conserve endangered species and reduce catastrophic fire risk

USGS Publications Warehouse

Breininger, David; Duncan, Brean; Eaton, Mitchell J.; Johnson, Fred; Nichols, James

2014-01-01

Land cover modeling is used to inform land management, but most often via a two-step process, where science informs how management alternatives can influence resources, and then, decision makers can use this information to make decisions. A more efficient process is to directly integrate science and decision-making, where science allows us to learn in order to better accomplish management objectives and is developed to address specific decisions. Co-development of management and science is especially productive when decisions are complicated by multiple objectives and impeded by uncertainty. Multiple objectives can be met by the specification of tradeoffs, and relevant uncertainty can be addressed through targeted science (i.e., models and monitoring). We describe how to integrate habitat and fuel monitoring with decision-making focused on the dual objectives of managing for endangered species and minimizing catastrophic fire risk. Under certain conditions, both objectives might be achieved by a similar management policy; other conditions require tradeoffs between objectives. Knowledge about system responses to actions can be informed by developing hypotheses based on ideas about fire behavior and then applying competing management actions to different land units in the same system state. Monitoring and management integration is important to optimize state-specific management decisions and to increase knowledge about system responses. We believe this approach has broad utility and identifies a clear role for land cover modeling programs intended to inform decision-making.

Processing and Integration of Contextual Information in Monkey Ventrolateral Prefrontal Neurons during Selection and Execution of Goal-Directed Manipulative Actions.

PubMed

Bruni, Stefania; Giorgetti, Valentina; Bonini, Luca; Fogassi, Leonardo

2015-08-26

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is deemed to underlie the complexity, flexibility, and goal-directedness of primates' behavior. Most neurophysiological studies performed so far investigated PFC functions with arm-reaching or oculomotor tasks, thus leaving unclear whether, and to which extent, PFC neurons also play a role in goal-directed manipulative actions, such as those commonly used by primates during most of their daily activities. Here we trained two macaques to perform or withhold grasp-to-eat and grasp-to-place actions, depending on the combination of two subsequently presented cues: an auditory go/no-go cue (high/low tone) and a visually presented target (food/object). By varying the order of presentation of the two cues, we could segment and independently evaluate the processing and integration of contextual information allowing the monkey to make a decision on whether or not to act, and what action to perform. We recorded 403 task-related neurons from the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC): unimodal sensory-driven (37%), motor-related (21%), unimodal sensory-and-motor (23%), and multisensory (19%) neurons. Target and go/no-go selectivity characterized most of the recorded neurons, particularly those endowed with motor-related discharge. Interestingly, multisensory neurons appeared to encode a behavioral decision independently from the sensory modality of the stimulus allowing the monkey to make it: some of them reflected the decision to act or refraining from acting (56%), whereas others (44%) encoded the decision to perform (or withhold) a specific action (e.g., grasp-to-eat). Our findings indicate that VLPFC neurons play a role in the processing of contextual information underlying motor decision during goal-directed manipulative actions. We demonstrated that macaque ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) neurons show remarkable selectivity for different aspects of the contextual information allowing the monkey to select and execute goal-directed manipulative actions. Interestingly, a set of these neurons provide multimodal representations of the intended goal of a forthcoming action, encoding a behavioral decision (e.g., grasp-to-eat) independently from the sensory information allowing the monkey to make it. Our findings expand the available knowledge on prefrontal functions by showing that VLPFC neurons play a role in the selection and execution of goal-directed manipulative actions resembling those of common primates' foraging behaviors. On these bases, we propose that VLPFC may host an abstract "vocabulary" of the intended goals pursued by primates in their natural environment. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/3511877-14$15.00/0.

Expected Reachability-Time Games

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forejt, Vojtěch; Kwiatkowska, Marta; Norman, Gethin; Trivedi, Ashutosh

In an expected reachability-time game (ERTG) two players, Min and Max, move a token along the transitions of a probabilistic timed automaton, so as to minimise and maximise, respectively, the expected time to reach a target. These games are concurrent since at each step of the game both players choose a timed move (a time delay and action under their control), and the transition of the game is determined by the timed move of the player who proposes the shorter delay. A game is turn-based if at any step of the game, all available actions are under the control of precisely one player. We show that while concurrent ERTGs are not always determined, turn-based ERTGs are positionally determined. Using the boundary region graph abstraction, and a generalisation of Asarin and Maler's simple function, we show that the decision problems related to computing the upper/lower values of concurrent ERTGs, and computing the value of turn-based ERTGs are decidable and their complexity is in NEXPTIME ∩ co-NEXPTIME.

The Brazilian Air Force Health System: Workforce-Needs Estimation Using System Dynamics

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

workforce in the system. 3. Non- intervention This forecast provides a potential scenario of workforce numbers, based solely on actual numbers derived from...present knowledge and actions taken under the assumption that no unexpected interventions will occur. It is a red flag that guides future decisions...represented as a distribution. Bartholomew (1974) establishes a stochastic model of manpower systems as a probabilistic description of the

38 CFR 20.1410 - Rule 1410. Stays pending court action.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... court action. 20.1410 Section 20.1410 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS... Clear and Unmistakable Error § 20.1410 Rule 1410. Stays pending court action. The Board will stay its consideration of a motion under this subpart upon receiving notice that the Board decision that is the subject...

38 CFR 20.1410 - Rule 1410. Stays pending court action.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... court action. 20.1410 Section 20.1410 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS... Clear and Unmistakable Error § 20.1410 Rule 1410. Stays pending court action. The Board will stay its consideration of a motion under this subpart upon receiving notice that the Board decision that is the subject...

With you or against you: social orientation dependent learning signals guide actions made for others.

PubMed

Christopoulos, George I; King-Casas, Brooks

2015-01-01

In social environments, it is crucial that decision-makers take account of the impact of their actions not only for oneself, but also on other social agents. Previous work has identified neural signals in the striatum encoding value-based prediction errors for outcomes to oneself; also, recent work suggests that neural activity in prefrontal cortex may similarly encode value-based prediction errors related to outcomes to others. However, prior work also indicates that social valuations are not isomorphic, with social value orientations of decision-makers ranging on a cooperative to competitive continuum; this variation has not been examined within social learning environments. Here, we combine a computational model of learning with functional neuroimaging to examine how individual differences in orientation impact neural mechanisms underlying 'other-value' learning. Across four experimental conditions, reinforcement learning signals for other-value were identified in medial prefrontal cortex, and were distinct from self-value learning signals identified in striatum. Critically, the magnitude and direction of the other-value learning signal depended strongly on an individual's cooperative or competitive orientation toward others. These data indicate that social decisions are guided by a social orientation-dependent learning system that is computationally similar but anatomically distinct from self-value learning. The sensitivity of the medial prefrontal learning signal to social preferences suggests a mechanism linking such preferences to biases in social actions and highlights the importance of incorporating heterogeneous social predispositions in neurocomputational models of social behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc.

With you or against you: Social orientation dependent learning signals guide actions made for others

PubMed Central

Christopoulos, George I.; King-Casas, Brooks

2014-01-01

In social environments, it is crucial that decision-makers take account of the impact of their actions not only for oneself, but also on other social agents. Previous work has identified neural signals in the striatum encoding value-based prediction errors for outcomes to oneself; also, recent work suggests neural activity in prefrontal cortex may similarly encode value-based prediction errors related to outcomes to others. However, prior work also indicates that social valuations are not isomorphic, with social value orientations of decision-makers ranging on a cooperative to competitive continuum; this variation has not been examined within social learning environments. Here, we combine a computational model of learning with functional neuroimaging to examine how individual differences in orientation impact neural mechanisms underlying ‘other-value’ learning. Across four experimental conditions, reinforcement learning signals for other-value were identified in medial prefrontal cortex, and were distinct from self-value learning signals identified in striatum. Critically, the magnitude and direction of the other-value learning signal depended strongly on an individual’s cooperative or competitive orientation towards others. These data indicate that social decisions are guided by a social orientation-dependent learning system that is computationally similar but anatomically distinct from self-value learning. The sensitivity of the medial prefrontal learning signal to social preferences suggests a mechanism linking such preferences to biases in social actions and highlights the importance of incorporating heterogeneous social predispositions in neurocomputational models of social behavior. PMID:25224998

Risk communication of terrorist acts, natural disasters, and criminal violence: comparing the processes of understanding and responding.

PubMed

Heilbrun, Kirk; Wolbransky, Melinda; Shah, Sanjay; Kelly, Rebecca

2010-01-01

Risk communication is an important vehicle for the scientific understanding of the perception of and response to various kinds of threats. The present study provides apparently the first empirical attempt to compare perceptions, decision-making, and anticipated action in response to threats of three kinds: natural disaster, violent crime, and terrorism. A total of 258 college undergraduates were surveyed using a vignette-based, 2 × 2 × 3 between-subjects design that systematically manipulated threat imminence (high vs. low), risk level (high vs. low), and nature of the threat (natural disaster vs. crime vs. terrorism). There were substantial differences in participants' perceptions and reported actions in response to natural disaster, relative to the other domains of risk, under conditions of high risk. The risk of natural disaster was more likely to lead participants to report that they would change their daily activities and to relocate. It was also more likely than terrorism to lead to action securing the home. It appears that the mechanisms for perception, decision-making, and action in response to threats cannot be generalized in a straightforward way across these domains of threat. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Maintaining homeostasis by decision-making.

PubMed

Korn, Christoph W; Bach, Dominik R

2015-05-01

Living organisms need to maintain energetic homeostasis. For many species, this implies taking actions with delayed consequences. For example, humans may have to decide between foraging for high-calorie but hard-to-get, and low-calorie but easy-to-get food, under threat of starvation. Homeostatic principles prescribe decisions that maximize the probability of sustaining appropriate energy levels across the entire foraging trajectory. Here, predictions from biological principles contrast with predictions from economic decision-making models based on maximizing the utility of the endpoint outcome of a choice. To empirically arbitrate between the predictions of biological and economic models for individual human decision-making, we devised a virtual foraging task in which players chose repeatedly between two foraging environments, lost energy by the passage of time, and gained energy probabilistically according to the statistics of the environment they chose. Reaching zero energy was framed as starvation. We used the mathematics of random walks to derive endpoint outcome distributions of the choices. This also furnished equivalent lotteries, presented in a purely economic, casino-like frame, in which starvation corresponded to winning nothing. Bayesian model comparison showed that--in both the foraging and the casino frames--participants' choices depended jointly on the probability of starvation and the expected endpoint value of the outcome, but could not be explained by economic models based on combinations of statistical moments or on rank-dependent utility. This implies that under precisely defined constraints biological principles are better suited to explain human decision-making than economic models based on endpoint utility maximization.

Maintaining Homeostasis by Decision-Making

PubMed Central

Korn, Christoph W.; Bach, Dominik R.

2015-01-01

Living organisms need to maintain energetic homeostasis. For many species, this implies taking actions with delayed consequences. For example, humans may have to decide between foraging for high-calorie but hard-to-get, and low-calorie but easy-to-get food, under threat of starvation. Homeostatic principles prescribe decisions that maximize the probability of sustaining appropriate energy levels across the entire foraging trajectory. Here, predictions from biological principles contrast with predictions from economic decision-making models based on maximizing the utility of the endpoint outcome of a choice. To empirically arbitrate between the predictions of biological and economic models for individual human decision-making, we devised a virtual foraging task in which players chose repeatedly between two foraging environments, lost energy by the passage of time, and gained energy probabilistically according to the statistics of the environment they chose. Reaching zero energy was framed as starvation. We used the mathematics of random walks to derive endpoint outcome distributions of the choices. This also furnished equivalent lotteries, presented in a purely economic, casino-like frame, in which starvation corresponded to winning nothing. Bayesian model comparison showed that—in both the foraging and the casino frames—participants’ choices depended jointly on the probability of starvation and the expected endpoint value of the outcome, but could not be explained by economic models based on combinations of statistical moments or on rank-dependent utility. This implies that under precisely defined constraints biological principles are better suited to explain human decision-making than economic models based on endpoint utility maximization. PMID:26024504

Linking science and decision making to promote an ecology for the city: practices and opportunities

Treesearch

Morgan Grove; Daniel L. Childers; Michael Galvin; Sarah J. Hines; Tischa Munoz-Erickson; Erika S. Svendsen

2016-01-01

To promote urban sustainability and resilience, there is an increasing demand for actionable science that links science and decision making based on social–ecological knowledge. Approaches, frameworks, and practices for such actionable science are needed and have only begun to emerge. We propose that approaches based on the co- design and co- production of knowledge...

Dopamine D1 Receptors in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex Regulate Effort-Based Decision Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schweimer, Judith; Hauber, Wolfgang

2006-01-01

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has been implicated in encoding whether or not an action is worth performing in view of the expected benefit and the cost of performing the action. Dopamine input to the ACC may be critical for this form of effort-based decision making; however, the role of distinct ACC dopamine receptors is yet unknown.…

Decision making under uncertainty: Recommendations for the Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS)

Treesearch

Matthew P. Thompson

2015-01-01

The management of wildfire is a dynamic, complex, and fundamentally uncertain enterprise. Fire managers face uncertainties regarding fire weather and subsequent influence on fire behavior, the effects of fire on socioeconomic and ecological resources, and the efficacy of alternative suppression actions on fire outcomes. In these types of difficult decision environments...

Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 105: Area 2 Yucca Flat Atmospheric Test Sites, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 1

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

Matthews, Patrick

2014-01-01

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 105 based on the implementation of the corrective actions. Corrective action investigation (CAI) activities were performed from October 22, 2012, through May 23, 2013, as set forth in the Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 105: Area 2 Yucca Flat Atmospheric Test Sites; and in accordance with the Soils Activity Quality Assurance Plan, which establishes requirements, technical planning, and general quality practices.

Simple Plans or Sophisticated Habits? State, Transition and Learning Interactions in the Two-Step Task.

PubMed

Akam, Thomas; Costa, Rui; Dayan, Peter

2015-12-01

The recently developed 'two-step' behavioural task promises to differentiate model-based from model-free reinforcement learning, while generating neurophysiologically-friendly decision datasets with parametric variation of decision variables. These desirable features have prompted its widespread adoption. Here, we analyse the interactions between a range of different strategies and the structure of transitions and outcomes in order to examine constraints on what can be learned from behavioural performance. The task involves a trade-off between the need for stochasticity, to allow strategies to be discriminated, and a need for determinism, so that it is worth subjects' investment of effort to exploit the contingencies optimally. We show through simulation that under certain conditions model-free strategies can masquerade as being model-based. We first show that seemingly innocuous modifications to the task structure can induce correlations between action values at the start of the trial and the subsequent trial events in such a way that analysis based on comparing successive trials can lead to erroneous conclusions. We confirm the power of a suggested correction to the analysis that can alleviate this problem. We then consider model-free reinforcement learning strategies that exploit correlations between where rewards are obtained and which actions have high expected value. These generate behaviour that appears model-based under these, and also more sophisticated, analyses. Exploiting the full potential of the two-step task as a tool for behavioural neuroscience requires an understanding of these issues.

Simple Plans or Sophisticated Habits? State, Transition and Learning Interactions in the Two-Step Task

PubMed Central

Akam, Thomas; Costa, Rui; Dayan, Peter

2015-01-01

The recently developed ‘two-step’ behavioural task promises to differentiate model-based from model-free reinforcement learning, while generating neurophysiologically-friendly decision datasets with parametric variation of decision variables. These desirable features have prompted its widespread adoption. Here, we analyse the interactions between a range of different strategies and the structure of transitions and outcomes in order to examine constraints on what can be learned from behavioural performance. The task involves a trade-off between the need for stochasticity, to allow strategies to be discriminated, and a need for determinism, so that it is worth subjects’ investment of effort to exploit the contingencies optimally. We show through simulation that under certain conditions model-free strategies can masquerade as being model-based. We first show that seemingly innocuous modifications to the task structure can induce correlations between action values at the start of the trial and the subsequent trial events in such a way that analysis based on comparing successive trials can lead to erroneous conclusions. We confirm the power of a suggested correction to the analysis that can alleviate this problem. We then consider model-free reinforcement learning strategies that exploit correlations between where rewards are obtained and which actions have high expected value. These generate behaviour that appears model-based under these, and also more sophisticated, analyses. Exploiting the full potential of the two-step task as a tool for behavioural neuroscience requires an understanding of these issues. PMID:26657806

A Tribute to Charlie Chaplin: Induced Positive Affect Improves Reward-Based Decision-Learning in Parkinson’s Disease

PubMed Central

Ridderinkhof, K. Richard; van Wouwe, Nelleke C.; Band, Guido P. H.; Wylie, Scott A.; Van der Stigchel, Stefan; van Hees, Pieter; Buitenweg, Jessika; van de Vijver, Irene; van den Wildenberg, Wery P. M.

2012-01-01

Reward-based decision-learning refers to the process of learning to select those actions that lead to rewards while avoiding actions that lead to punishments. This process, known to rely on dopaminergic activity in striatal brain regions, is compromised in Parkinson’s disease (PD). We hypothesized that such decision-learning deficits are alleviated by induced positive affect, which is thought to incur transient boosts in midbrain and striatal dopaminergic activity. Computational measures of probabilistic reward-based decision-learning were determined for 51 patients diagnosed with PD. Previous work has shown these measures to rely on the nucleus caudatus (outcome evaluation during the early phases of learning) and the putamen (reward prediction during later phases of learning). We observed that induced positive affect facilitated learning, through its effects on reward prediction rather than outcome evaluation. Viewing a few minutes of comedy clips served to remedy dopamine-related problems associated with frontostriatal circuitry and, consequently, learning to predict which actions will yield reward. PMID:22707944

Addendum to the Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 529: Area 25 Contaminated Materials, Nevada Test Site, Nevada, Revision 1

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

Krauss, Mark J

This document constitutes an addendum to the Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 529: Area 25 Contaminated Materials, Nevada Test Site, Nevada as described in the document Recommendations and Justifications To Remove Use Restrictions Established under the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order dated September 2013. The Use Restriction (UR) Removal document was approved by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection on October 16, 2013. The approval of the UR Removal document constituted approval of each of the recommended UR removals. In conformance with the URmore » Removal document, this addendum consists of: This page that refers the reader to the UR Removal document for additional information The cover, title, and signature pages of the UR Removal document The NDEP approval letter The corresponding section of the UR Removal document This addendum provides the documentation justifying the cancellation of the UR for CAS 25-23-17, Contaminated Wash (Parcel H). This UR was established as part of FFACO corrective actions and was based on the presence of total petroleum hydrocarbon diesel-range organics contamination at concentrations greater than the NDEP action level at the time of the initial investigation.« less

Learner Autonomy in a Task-Based 3D World and Production

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collentine, Karina

2011-01-01

This study contributes to the research on learner autonomy by examining the relationship between Little's (1991) notions of "independent action" and "decision-making", input, and L2 production in computer-assisted language learning (CALL). Operationalizing "independent action" and "decision-making" with Dam's (1995) definition that focuses on…

5 CFR 511.703 - Retroactive effective date.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... CLASSIFICATION UNDER THE GENERAL SCHEDULE Effective Dates of Position Classification Actions or Decisions § 511... if the employee is wrongfully demoted. (b) Downgrading. (1) The effective date of a classification appellate certificate or agency appellate decision can be retroactive only if it corrects a classification...

Health professionals' decision-making in wound management: a grounded theory.

PubMed

Gillespie, Brigid M; Chaboyer, Wendy; St John, Winsome; Morley, Nicola; Nieuwenhoven, Paul

2015-06-01

To develop a conceptual understanding of the decision-making processes used by healthcare professionals in wound care practice. With the global move towards using an evidence-base in standardizing wound care practices and the need to reduce hospital wound care costs, it is important to understand health professionals' decision-making in this important yet under-researched area. A grounded theory approach was used to explore clinical decision-making of healthcare professionals in wound care practice. Interviews were conducted with 20 multi-disciplinary participants from nursing, surgery, infection control and wound care who worked at a metropolitan hospital in Australia. Data were collected during 2012-2013. Constant comparative analysis underpinned by Strauss and Corbin's framework was used to identify clinical decision-making processes. The core category was 'balancing practice-based knowledge with evidence-based knowledge'. Participants' clinical practice and actions embedded the following processes: 'utilizing the best available information', 'using a consistent approach in wound assessment' and 'using a multidisciplinary approach'. The substantive theory explains how practice and evidence knowledge was balanced and the variation in use of intuitive practice-based knowledge versus evidence-based knowledge. Participants considered patients' needs and preferences, costs, outcomes, technologies, others' expertise and established practices. Participants' decision-making tended to be more heavily weighted towards intuitive practice-based processes. These findings offer a better understanding of the processes used by health professionals' in their decision-making in wound care. Such an understanding may inform the development of evidence-based interventions that lead to better patient outcomes. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

76 FR 20633 - Record of Decision (ROD) for the Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) 2005 Actions at Fort...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-13

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army Record of Decision (ROD) for the Base Closure and... decision on how to implement property disposal in accordance with the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (the Base Closure Act), Public Law 101-510, as amended, following the closure of Fort...

Weighing costs and losses: A decision making game using probabilistic forecasts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Werner, Micha; Ramos, Maria-Helena; Wetterhall, Frederik; Cranston, Michael; van Andel, Schalk-Jan; Pappenberger, Florian; Verkade, Jan

2017-04-01

Probabilistic forecasts are increasingly recognised as an effective and reliable tool to communicate uncertainties. The economic value of probabilistic forecasts has been demonstrated by several authors, showing the benefit to using probabilistic forecasts over deterministic forecasts in several sectors, including flood and drought warning, hydropower, and agriculture. Probabilistic forecasting is also central to the emerging concept of risk-based decision making, and underlies emerging paradigms such as impact-based forecasting. Although the economic value of probabilistic forecasts is easily demonstrated in academic works, its evaluation in practice is more complex. The practical use of probabilistic forecasts requires decision makers to weigh the cost of an appropriate response to a probabilistic warning against the projected loss that would occur if the event forecast becomes reality. In this paper, we present the results of a simple game that aims to explore how decision makers are influenced by the costs required for taking a response and the potential losses they face in case the forecast flood event occurs. Participants play the role of one of three possible different shop owners. Each type of shop has losses of quite different magnitude, should a flood event occur. The shop owners are presented with several forecasts, each with a probability of a flood event occurring, which would inundate their shop and lead to those losses. In response, they have to decide if they want to do nothing, raise temporary defences, or relocate their inventory. Each action comes at a cost; and the different shop owners therefore have quite different cost/loss ratios. The game was played on four occasions. Players were attendees of the ensemble hydro-meteorological forecasting session of the 2016 EGU Assembly, professionals participating at two other conferences related to hydrometeorology, and a group of students. All audiences were familiar with the principles of forecasting and water-related risks, and one of the audiences comprised a group of experts in probabilistic forecasting. Results show that the different shop owners do take the costs of taking action and the potential losses into account in their decisions. Shop owners with a low cost/loss ratio were found to be more inclined to take actions based on the forecasts, though the absolute value of the losses also increased the willingness to take action. Little differentiation was found between the different groups of players.

Analytic method for evaluating players' decisions in team sports: Applications to the soccer goalkeeper.

PubMed

Lamas, Leonardo; Drezner, Rene; Otranto, Guilherme; Barrera, Junior

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to define a method for evaluating a player's decisions during a game based on the success probability of his actions and for analyzing the player strategy inferred from game actions. There were developed formal definitions of i) the stochastic process of player decisions in game situations and ii) the inference process of player strategy based on his game decisions. The method was applied to the context of soccer goalkeepers. A model of goalkeeper positioning, with geometric parameters and solutions to optimize his position based on the ball position and trajectory, was developed. The model was tested with a sample of 65 professional goalkeepers (28.8 ± 4.1 years old) playing for their national teams in 2010 and 2014 World Cups. The goalkeeper's decisions were compared to decisions from a large dataset of other goalkeepers, defining the probability of success in each game circumstance. There were assessed i) performance in a defined set of classes of game plays; ii) entropy of goalkeepers' decisions; and iii) the effect of goalkeepers' positioning updates on the outcome (save or goal). Goalkeepers' decisions were similar to the ones with the lowest probability of goal on the dataset. Goalkeepers' entropy varied between 24% and 71% of the maximum possible entropy. Positioning dynamics in the instants that preceded the shot indicated that, in goals and saves, goalkeepers optimized their position before the shot in 21.87% and 83.33% of the situations, respectively. These results validate a method to discriminate successful performance. In conclusion, this method enables a more precise assessment of a player's decision-making ability by consulting a representative dataset of equivalent actions to define the probability of his success. Therefore, it supports the evaluation of the player's decision separately from his technical skill execution, which overcomes the scientific challenge of discriminating the evaluation of a player's decision performance from the action result.

Analytic method for evaluating players’ decisions in team sports: Applications to the soccer goalkeeper

PubMed Central

Drezner, Rene; Otranto, Guilherme; Barrera, Junior

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to define a method for evaluating a player’s decisions during a game based on the success probability of his actions and for analyzing the player strategy inferred from game actions. There were developed formal definitions of i) the stochastic process of player decisions in game situations and ii) the inference process of player strategy based on his game decisions. The method was applied to the context of soccer goalkeepers. A model of goalkeeper positioning, with geometric parameters and solutions to optimize his position based on the ball position and trajectory, was developed. The model was tested with a sample of 65 professional goalkeepers (28.8 ± 4.1 years old) playing for their national teams in 2010 and 2014 World Cups. The goalkeeper’s decisions were compared to decisions from a large dataset of other goalkeepers, defining the probability of success in each game circumstance. There were assessed i) performance in a defined set of classes of game plays; ii) entropy of goalkeepers’ decisions; and iii) the effect of goalkeepers’ positioning updates on the outcome (save or goal). Goalkeepers’ decisions were similar to the ones with the lowest probability of goal on the dataset. Goalkeepers’ entropy varied between 24% and 71% of the maximum possible entropy. Positioning dynamics in the instants that preceded the shot indicated that, in goals and saves, goalkeepers optimized their position before the shot in 21.87% and 83.33% of the situations, respectively. These results validate a method to discriminate successful performance. In conclusion, this method enables a more precise assessment of a player’s decision-making ability by consulting a representative dataset of equivalent actions to define the probability of his success. Therefore, it supports the evaluation of the player’s decision separately from his technical skill execution, which overcomes the scientific challenge of discriminating the evaluation of a player’s decision performance from the action result. PMID:29408923

75 FR 39715 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.; Notice of Filing of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-12

... that a refusal by a member to take action necessary to effectuate a final decision of a FINRA officer... necessary to effectuate a final decision of a FINRA officer or the UPC Committee under the UPC Code (FINRA Rule 11000 Series) or other FINRA rules that permit review of FINRA decisions by the UPC Committee...

48 CFR 6101.26 - Reconsideration; amendment of decisions; new hearings [Rule 26].

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... amend a decision or order for any reason that would justify such action on motion of a party. (d) Effect... for granting a new hearing. Upon granting a motion for a new hearing, the Board will take additional... issue a new decision. (b) Procedure. Any motion under 6101.26 (Rule 26) shall comply with the provisions...

48 CFR 6101.26 - Reconsideration; amendment of decisions; new hearings [Rule 26].

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... amend a decision or order for any reason that would justify such action on motion of a party. (d) Effect... for granting a new hearing. Upon granting a motion for a new hearing, the Board will take additional... issue a new decision. (b) Procedure. Any motion under 6101.26 (Rule 26) shall comply with the provisions...

Reinforcement learning signals in the human striatum distinguish learners from nonlearners during reward-based decision making.

PubMed

Schönberg, Tom; Daw, Nathaniel D; Joel, Daphna; O'Doherty, John P

2007-11-21

The computational framework of reinforcement learning has been used to forward our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying reward learning and decision-making behavior. It is known that humans vary widely in their performance in decision-making tasks. Here, we used a simple four-armed bandit task in which subjects are almost evenly split into two groups on the basis of their performance: those who do learn to favor choice of the optimal action and those who do not. Using models of reinforcement learning we sought to determine the neural basis of these intrinsic differences in performance by scanning both groups with functional magnetic resonance imaging. We scanned 29 subjects while they performed the reward-based decision-making task. Our results suggest that these two groups differ markedly in the degree to which reinforcement learning signals in the striatum are engaged during task performance. While the learners showed robust prediction error signals in both the ventral and dorsal striatum during learning, the nonlearner group showed a marked absence of such signals. Moreover, the magnitude of prediction error signals in a region of dorsal striatum correlated significantly with a measure of behavioral performance across all subjects. These findings support a crucial role of prediction error signals, likely originating from dopaminergic midbrain neurons, in enabling learning of action selection preferences on the basis of obtained rewards. Thus, spontaneously observed individual differences in decision making performance demonstrate the suggested dependence of this type of learning on the functional integrity of the dopaminergic striatal system in humans.

Modeling Search Behaviors during the Acquisition of Expertise in a Sequential Decision-Making Task.

PubMed

Moënne-Loccoz, Cristóbal; Vergara, Rodrigo C; López, Vladimir; Mery, Domingo; Cosmelli, Diego

2017-01-01

Our daily interaction with the world is plagued of situations in which we develop expertise through self-motivated repetition of the same task. In many of these interactions, and especially when dealing with computer and machine interfaces, we must deal with sequences of decisions and actions. For instance, when drawing cash from an ATM machine, choices are presented in a step-by-step fashion and a specific sequence of choices must be performed in order to produce the expected outcome. But, as we become experts in the use of such interfaces, is it possible to identify specific search and learning strategies? And if so, can we use this information to predict future actions? In addition to better understanding the cognitive processes underlying sequential decision making, this could allow building adaptive interfaces that can facilitate interaction at different moments of the learning curve. Here we tackle the question of modeling sequential decision-making behavior in a simple human-computer interface that instantiates a 4-level binary decision tree (BDT) task. We record behavioral data from voluntary participants while they attempt to solve the task. Using a Hidden Markov Model-based approach that capitalizes on the hierarchical structure of behavior, we then model their performance during the interaction. Our results show that partitioning the problem space into a small set of hierarchically related stereotyped strategies can potentially capture a host of individual decision making policies. This allows us to follow how participants learn and develop expertise in the use of the interface. Moreover, using a Mixture of Experts based on these stereotyped strategies, the model is able to predict the behavior of participants that master the task.

Develop a Prototype Personal Health Record Application (PHR-A) that Captures Information About Daily Living Important for Diabetes and Provides Decision Support with Actionable Advice for Diabetes Self Care

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-01

designed an Internet-based and mobile application (software) to assist with the following domains pertinent to diabetes self-management: 1...management that provides education, reminders, and support. The new tool is an internet-based and mobile application (software), now called Tracking...is mobile , provides decision support with actionable options, and is based on user input, will enhance diabetes self-care, improve glycemic control

Decision Support Framework Implementation Of The Web-Based Environmental Decision Analysis DASEES: Decision Analysis For A Sustainable Environment, Economy, And Society

EPA Science Inventory

Solutions to pervasive environmental problems often are not amenable to a straightforward application of science-based actions. These problems encompass large-scale environmental policy questions where environmental concerns, economic constraints, and societal values conflict ca...

Decision Making: New Paradigm for Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wales, Charles E.; And Others

1986-01-01

Defines education's new paradigm as schooling based on decision making, the critical thinking skills serving it, and the knowledge base supporting it. Outlines a model decision-making process using a hypothetical breakfast problem; a late riser chooses goals, generates ideas, develops an action plan, and implements and evaluates it. (4 references)…

Information processing in decision-making systems.

PubMed

van der Meer, Matthijs; Kurth-Nelson, Zeb; Redish, A David

2012-08-01

Decisions result from an interaction between multiple functional systems acting in parallel to process information in very different ways, each with strengths and weaknesses. In this review, the authors address three action-selection components of decision-making: The Pavlovian system releases an action from a limited repertoire of potential actions, such as approaching learned stimuli. Like the Pavlovian system, the habit system is computationally fast but, unlike the Pavlovian system permits arbitrary stimulus-action pairings. These associations are a "forward'' mechanism; when a situation is recognized, the action is released. In contrast, the deliberative system is flexible but takes time to process. The deliberative system uses knowledge of the causal structure of the world to search into the future, planning actions to maximize expected rewards. Deliberation depends on the ability to imagine future possibilities, including novel situations, and it allows decisions to be taken without having previously experienced the options. Various anatomical structures have been identified that carry out the information processing of each of these systems: hippocampus constitutes a map of the world that can be used for searching/imagining the future; dorsal striatal neurons represent situation-action associations; and ventral striatum maintains value representations for all three systems. Each system presents vulnerabilities to pathologies that can manifest as psychiatric disorders. Understanding these systems and their relation to neuroanatomy opens up a deeper way to treat the structural problems underlying various disorders.

Information Processing in Decision-Making Systems

PubMed Central

van der Meer, Matthijs; Kurth-Nelson, Zeb; Redish, A. David

2015-01-01

Decisions result from an interaction between multiple functional systems acting in parallel to process information in very different ways, each with strengths and weaknesses. In this review, the authors address three action-selection components of decision-making: The Pavlovian system releases an action from a limited repertoire of potential actions, such as approaching learned stimuli. Like the Pavlovian system, the habit system is computationally fast but, unlike the Pavlovian system permits arbitrary stimulus-action pairings. These associations are a “forward” mechanism; when a situation is recognized, the action is released. In contrast, the deliberative system is flexible but takes time to process. The deliberative system uses knowledge of the causal structure of the world to search into the future, planning actions to maximize expected rewards. Deliberation depends on the ability to imagine future possibilities, including novel situations, and it allows decisions to be taken without having previously experienced the options. Various anatomical structures have been identified that carry out the information processing of each of these systems: hippocampus constitutes a map of the world that can be used for searching/imagining the future; dorsal striatal neurons represent situation-action associations; and ventral striatum maintains value representations for all three systems. Each system presents vulnerabilities to pathologies that can manifest as psychiatric disorders. Understanding these systems and their relation to neuroanatomy opens up a deeper way to treat the structural problems underlying various disorders. PMID:22492194

From Forecasters to the General Public: A Communication Tool to Understand Decision-making Challenges in Weather-related Early Warning Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terti, G.; Ruin, I.; Kalas, M.; Lorini, V.; Sabbatini, T.; i Alonso, A. C.

2017-12-01

New technologies are currently adopted worldwide to improve weather forecasts and communication of the corresponding warnings to the end-users. "EnhANcing emergency management and response to extreme WeatHER and climate Events" (ANYWHERE) project is an innovating action that aims at developing and implementing a European decision-support platform for weather-related risks integrating cutting-edge forecasting technology. The initiative is built in a collaborative manner where researchers, developers, potential users and other stakeholders meet frequently to define needs, capabilities and challenges. In this study, we propose a role-playing game to test the added value of the ANYWHERE platform on i) the decision-making process and the choice of warning levels under uncertainty, ii) the management of the official emergency response and iii) the crisis communication and triggering of protective actions at different levels of the warning system (from hazard detection to citizen response). The designed game serves as an interactive communication tool. Here, flood and flash flood focused simulations seek to enhance participant's understanding of the complexities and challenges embedded in various levels of the decision-making process under the threat of weather disasters (e.g., forecasting/warnings, official emergency actions, self-protection). Also, we facilitate collaboration and coordination between the participants who belong to different national or local agencies/authorities across Europe. The game is first applied and tested in ANYWHERE's workshop in Helsinki (September, 2017) where about 30-50 people, including researchers, forecasters, civil protection and representatives of related companies, are anticipated to play the simulation. The main idea is to provide to the players a virtual case study that well represents realistic uncertainties and dilemmas embedded in the real-time forecasting-warning processes. At the final debriefing step the participants are encouraged to exchange knowledge, thoughts and insights on their capability or difficulty to decide and communicate their action based on the available information and given constrains. Such feedback will be analyzed and presented and future potentialities for the application of the game will be discussed.

DELTAMETHRIN AND ESFENVALERATE INHIBIT SPONTANEOUS NETWORK ACTIVITY IN RAT CORTICAL NEURONS IN VITRO.

EPA Science Inventory

Understanding pyrethroid actions on neuronal networks will help to establish a mode of action for these compounds, which is needed for cumulative risk decisions under the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996. However, pyrethroid effects on spontaneous activity in networks of inter...

How Decisions Evolve: The Temporal Dynamics of Action Selection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scherbaum, Stefan; Dshemuchadse, Maja; Fischer, Rico; Goschke, Thomas

2010-01-01

To study the process of decision-making under conflict, researchers typically analyze response latency and accuracy. However, these tools provide little evidence regarding how the resolution of conflict unfolds over time. Here, we analyzed the trajectories of mouse movements while participants performed a continuous version of a spatial conflict…

29 CFR 1983.109 - Decision and orders of the administrative law judge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (CONTINUED) PROCEDURES FOR THE HANDLING OF RETALIATION COMPLAINTS UNDER SECTION 219 OF THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2008. Litigation § 1983.109 Decision and... in the adverse action alleged in the complaint. (b) If the complainant has satisfied the burden set...

29 CFR 1983.109 - Decision and orders of the administrative law judge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (CONTINUED) PROCEDURES FOR THE HANDLING OF RETALIATION COMPLAINTS UNDER SECTION 219 OF THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2008. Litigation § 1983.109 Decision and... in the adverse action alleged in the complaint. (b) If the complainant has satisfied the burden set...

Dissociable neural representations of reinforcement and belief prediction errors underlie strategic learning

PubMed Central

Zhu, Lusha; Mathewson, Kyle E.; Hsu, Ming

2012-01-01

Decision-making in the presence of other competitive intelligent agents is fundamental for social and economic behavior. Such decisions require agents to behave strategically, where in addition to learning about the rewards and punishments available in the environment, they also need to anticipate and respond to actions of others competing for the same rewards. However, whereas we know much about strategic learning at both theoretical and behavioral levels, we know relatively little about the underlying neural mechanisms. Here, we show using a multi-strategy competitive learning paradigm that strategic choices can be characterized by extending the reinforcement learning (RL) framework to incorporate agents’ beliefs about the actions of their opponents. Furthermore, using this characterization to generate putative internal values, we used model-based functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate neural computations underlying strategic learning. We found that the distinct notions of prediction errors derived from our computational model are processed in a partially overlapping but distinct set of brain regions. Specifically, we found that the RL prediction error was correlated with activity in the ventral striatum. In contrast, activity in the ventral striatum, as well as the rostral anterior cingulate (rACC), was correlated with a previously uncharacterized belief-based prediction error. Furthermore, activity in rACC reflected individual differences in degree of engagement in belief learning. These results suggest a model of strategic behavior where learning arises from interaction of dissociable reinforcement and belief-based inputs. PMID:22307594

Dissociable neural representations of reinforcement and belief prediction errors underlie strategic learning.

PubMed

Zhu, Lusha; Mathewson, Kyle E; Hsu, Ming

2012-01-31

Decision-making in the presence of other competitive intelligent agents is fundamental for social and economic behavior. Such decisions require agents to behave strategically, where in addition to learning about the rewards and punishments available in the environment, they also need to anticipate and respond to actions of others competing for the same rewards. However, whereas we know much about strategic learning at both theoretical and behavioral levels, we know relatively little about the underlying neural mechanisms. Here, we show using a multi-strategy competitive learning paradigm that strategic choices can be characterized by extending the reinforcement learning (RL) framework to incorporate agents' beliefs about the actions of their opponents. Furthermore, using this characterization to generate putative internal values, we used model-based functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate neural computations underlying strategic learning. We found that the distinct notions of prediction errors derived from our computational model are processed in a partially overlapping but distinct set of brain regions. Specifically, we found that the RL prediction error was correlated with activity in the ventral striatum. In contrast, activity in the ventral striatum, as well as the rostral anterior cingulate (rACC), was correlated with a previously uncharacterized belief-based prediction error. Furthermore, activity in rACC reflected individual differences in degree of engagement in belief learning. These results suggest a model of strategic behavior where learning arises from interaction of dissociable reinforcement and belief-based inputs.

An Interactive Model of Career Decision Making.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amundson, Norman E.

1995-01-01

The decision-making model described highlights the interaction between contextual factors, decision triggers, establishing a frame of the problem, reframing, and action planning. The interactive perspective is based on process and change. Career counseling with an interactive decision-making approach requires an acknowledgment of external…

Review of ecological-based risk management approaches used at five Army Superfund sites.

PubMed

Poucher, Sherri L; Tracey, Gregory A; Johnson, Mark S; Haines, Laurie B

2012-04-01

Factors used in environmental remedial decision making concerning ecological risk are not well understood or necessarily consistent. Recent Records of Decision (RODs) for Army CERCLA sites were reviewed to select case studies where remedial management occurred in response to ecological risks. Thirty-four Army RODs were evaluated representing decisions promulgated between 1996 and 2004. Five were selected based on assessments that remedial actions were clearly linked to concern for ecological receptors. The Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) approach and the subsequent risk management process were reviewed for each site. The case studies demonstrated that the ERA findings, as well as critical management decisions regarding interpretation of identified ecological risks, were determinants of remedial action objectives. Decisions regarding the selection of remedial alternatives were based on a set of criteria prescribed by Superfund requirements and guidance. Remedial alternative evaluations require protection of human health and the environment, but protective conditions were determined using different methods at each site. Examining the remedial management process for the 5 case study sites revealed that uncertainty in the risk assessment and decisions regarding appropriate spatial scales for both risk assessment and remediation were important factors influencing remedial action decisions. The case reviews also revealed that levels of documentation were variable from site to site. In the future, more detailed documentation of decision criteria and the development of criteria that consider the resilience of the site will result in more technically defensible ecological risk management. Copyright © 2011 SETAC.

On the role of budget sufficiency, cost efficiency, and uncertainty in species management

USGS Publications Warehouse

van der Burg, Max Post; Bly, Bartholomew B.; Vercauteren, Tammy; Grand, James B.; Tyre, Andrew J.

2014-01-01

Many conservation planning frameworks rely on the assumption that one should prioritize locations for management actions based on the highest predicted conservation value (i.e., abundance, occupancy). This strategy may underperform relative to the expected outcome if one is working with a limited budget or the predicted responses are uncertain. Yet, cost and tolerance to uncertainty rarely become part of species management plans. We used field data and predictive models to simulate a decision problem involving western burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) using prairie dog colonies (Cynomys ludovicianus) in western Nebraska. We considered 2 species management strategies: one maximized abundance and the other maximized abundance in a cost-efficient way. We then used heuristic decision algorithms to compare the 2 strategies in terms of how well they met a hypothetical conservation objective. Finally, we performed an info-gap decision analysis to determine how these strategies performed under different budget constraints and uncertainty about owl response. Our results suggested that when budgets were sufficient to manage all sites, the maximizing strategy was optimal and suggested investing more in expensive actions. This pattern persisted for restricted budgets up to approximately 50% of the sufficient budget. Below this budget, the cost-efficient strategy was optimal and suggested investing in cheaper actions. When uncertainty in the expected responses was introduced, the strategy that maximized abundance remained robust under a sufficient budget. Reducing the budget induced a slight trade-off between expected performance and robustness, which suggested that the most robust strategy depended both on one's budget and tolerance to uncertainty. Our results suggest that wildlife managers should explicitly account for budget limitations and be realistic about their expected levels of performance.

United States Air Force 611th Air Support Group/Civil Engineering Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. Decision document for no further response action planned Oliktok Point Radar Installation, Alaska. Final report

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

Karmi, S.

1996-06-03

This Decision Document discusses the selection of no further action as the recommended action for four sites located at the Oliktok Point radar installation. The United States Air Force (Air Force) completed a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study and a Risk Assessment for the eight sites located at the Oliktok Point installation (U.S. Air Force 1996a,b). Based on the findings of these activities, four sites are recommended for no further action.

Knowledge focus via software agents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henager, Donald E.

2001-09-01

The essence of military Command and Control (C2) is making knowledge intensive decisions in a limited amount of time using uncertain, incorrect, or outdated information. It is essential to provide tools to decision-makers that provide: * Management of friendly forces by treating the "friendly resources as a system". * Rapid assessment of effects of military actions againt the "enemy as a system". * Assessment of how an enemy should, can, and could react to friendly military activities. Software agents in the form of mission agents, target agents, maintenance agents, and logistics agents can meet this information challenge. The role of each agent is to know all the details about its assigned mission, target, maintenance, or logistics entity. The Mission Agent would fight for mission resources based on the mission priority and analyze the effect that a proposed mission's results would have on the enemy. The Target Agent (TA) communicates with other targets to determine its role in the system of targets. A system of TAs would be able to inform a planner or analyst of the status of a system of targets, the effect of that status, adn the effect of attacks on that system. The system of TAs would also be able to analyze possible enemy reactions to attack by determining ways to minimize the effect of attack, such as rerouting traffic or using deception. The Maintenance Agent would scheudle maintenance events and notify the maintenance unit. The Logistics Agent would manage shipment and delivery of supplies to maintain appropriate levels of weapons, fuel and spare parts. The central idea underlying this case of software agents is knowledge focus. Software agents are createad automatically to focus their attention on individual real-world entities (e.g., missions, targets) and view the world from that entities perspective. The agent autonomously monitors the entity, identifies problems/opportunities, formulates solutions, and informs the decision-maker. The agent must be able to communicate to receive and disseminate information and provide the decision-maker with assistance via focused knowledge. THe agent must also be able to monitor the state of its own environment and make decisions necessary to carry out its delegated tasks. Agents bring three elements to the C2 domain that offer to improve decision-making. First, they provide higher-quality feedback and provide it more often. In doing so, the feedback loop becomes nearly continuous, reducing or eliminating delays in situation updates to decision-makers. Working with the most current information possible improves the control process, thus enabling effects based operations. Second, the agents accept delegation of actions and perform those actions following an established process. Agents' consistent actions reduce the variability of human input and stabilize the control process. Third, through the delegation of actions, agents ensure 100 percent consideration of plan details.

7 CFR 1900.55 - Adverse action procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... whether the adverse decision is appealable. A participant has the right to request the Director of NAD to... to NAD under 7 CFR part 11. (c) Participants also have the right under section 275 of the Act to seek...

Nash Equilibria in Theory of Reasoned Action

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almeida, Leando; Cruz, José; Ferreira, Helena; Pinto, Alberto Adrego

2009-08-01

Game theory and Decision Theory have been applied to many different areas such as Physics, Economics, Biology, etc. In its application to Psychology, we introduce, in the literature, a Game Theoretical Model of Planned Behavior or Reasoned Action by establishing an analogy between two specific theories. In this study we take in account that individual decision-making is an outcome of a process where group decisions can determine individual probabilistic behavior. Using Game Theory concepts, we describe how intentions can be transformed in behavior and according to the Nash Equilibrium, this process will correspond to the best individual decision/response taking in account the collective response. This analysis can be extended to several examples based in the Game Theoretical Model of Planned Behavior or Reasoned Action.

Models of morality

PubMed Central

Crockett, Molly J.

2013-01-01

Moral dilemmas engender conflicts between two traditions: consequentialism, which evaluates actions based on their outcomes, and deontology, which evaluates actions themselves. These strikingly resemble two distinct decision-making architectures: a model-based system that selects actions based on inferences about their consequences; and a model-free system that selects actions based on their reinforcement history. Here, I consider how these systems, along with a Pavlovian system that responds reflexively to rewards and punishments, can illuminate puzzles in moral psychology. PMID:23845564

75 FR 13772 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request, 1660-NEW...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-23

... impact of its actions on the environment, look at potential alternatives to that action, inform both decision-makers and the public of those impacts through a transparent process, and pursue mitigation if... and existing laws and regulations related to environment and historic preservation. Compliance under...

Lifestyles of the Student Leader: Making Decisions Based on the C.O.R.E.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hart, Falicia; Kean, Andy

1996-01-01

Key characteristics of an effective college student leader are defined: consistency in word and action; ownership of responsibility for actions and leadership position; development of healthy relationships with friends, coworkers, mentors, and mentees; and ethical decision making. It is argued that leadership is a full-time job and that student…

EPA Administrative Law Judge Legal Documents

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This dataset contains Decisions and Orders originating from EPAs Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ), which is an independent office in the Office of the Administrator of the EPA. The Administrative Law Judges conduct hearings and render decisions in proceedings between the EPA and persons, businesses, government entities, and other organizations which are or are alleged to be regulated under environmental laws. Administrative Law Judges preside in enforcement and permit proceedings in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act. Most enforcement actions initiated by the EPA are for the assessment of civil penalties. The Decisions and Orders are organized into three categories: (1) alphabetical listing by the respondent involved, (2) reverse chronological listing by date, and (3) Decisions and Orders under FIFRA Section 6. This dataset includes Decisions and Orders dating back to 1989 in the Reverse Chronological list, Decisions and Orders dating back to 1997 in the Alphabetical list, and a few Decisions and Orders dating back to 1974 under FIFRA Section 6.

Professionalism and clinical autonomy in the practice of medicine.

PubMed

Morreim, E Haavi

2002-11-01

Professionalism in medicine requires a reasonable measure of freedom for physicians to determine patients needs based on their own judgment. However, because virtually every medical decision is also a spending decision, third-party payers concerned about rising health care costs have introduced cost-containment tactics that significantly limit physicians accustomed autonomy. In response, groups of physicians have filed class-action lawsuits against managed care plans, alleging causes of action such as fraud, breach of contract, extortion, and violations of federal RICO (Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) law. Such litigation may have merits, but it also faces significant obstacles, in part because the contracts involved may not actually have promised the broad measure of clinical autonomy that the physicians allege was promised, then denied. As physicians seek to restore and retain their professional autonomy, it will be important for them to be increasingly proactive in structuring or modifying the contracts under whose terms they practice as some physicians have successfully done.

43 CFR 4.1605 - Action by the Office of Hearings and Appeals.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Action by the Office of Hearings and Appeals. 4.1605 Section 4.1605 Public Lands: Interior Office of the Secretary of the Interior DEPARTMENT HEARINGS AND APPEALS PROCEDURES Special Procedural Rules Applicable to Appeals of Decisions Made Under OMB Circular A-76 § 4.1605 Action by the Offic...

Superfund record of decision (EPA Region 3): Stanley Kessler Superfund Site, King of Prussia, PA, September 1994

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

Not Available

1994-09-29

This decision document presents the final selected remedial action for the Stanley Kessler Superfund Site (the Site). The selected remedy for the Site will restore contaminated ground water to its beneficial use by cleaning up the ground water to background levels as established by EPA or the appropriate Maximum Contaminant Levels or non-zero Maximum Contaminant Level Goals established under the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act whichever is more stringent. The selected remedy is the only planned action for the Site.

29 CFR 24.109 - Decision and orders of the administrative law judge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... factor in the unfavorable personnel action alleged in the complaint. (b) In cases under the Energy..., and compensatory damages. In cases arising under the Safe Drinking Water Act or the Toxic Substances... attorney fees) reasonably incurred. (2) In cases brought under the Energy Reorganization Act, when an...

29 CFR 4.102 - Administration of the Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., to make rules and regulations, issue orders, make decisions, and take other appropriate action under... authority and enforcement powers of the Secretary under the Act are coextensive with the authority and powers under the Walsh-Healey Act. Curtiss Wright Corp. v. McLucas 364 F. Supp. 750, 769 (D NJ 1973). ...

Vulnerability-based evaluation of water supply design under climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umit Taner, Mehmet; Ray, Patrick; Brown, Casey

2015-04-01

Long-lived water supply infrastructures are strategic investments in the developing world, serving the purpose of balancing water deficits compounded by both population growth and socio-economic development. Robust infrastructure design under climate change is compelling, and often addressed by focusing on the outcomes of climate model projections ('scenario-led' planning), or by identifying design options that are less vulnerable to a wide range of plausible futures ('vulnerability-based' planning). Decision-Scaling framework combines these two approaches by first applying a climate stress test on the system to explore vulnerabilities across many traces of the future, and then employing climate projections to inform the decision-making process. In this work, we develop decision scaling's nascent risk management concepts further, directing actions on vulnerabilities identified during the climate stress test. In the process, we present a new way to inform climate vulnerability space using climate projections, and demonstrate the use of multiple decision criteria to guide to a final design recommendation. The concepts are demonstrated for a water supply project in the Mombasa Province of Kenya, planned to provide domestic and irrigation supply. Six storage design capacities (from 40 to 140 million cubic meters) are explored through a stress test, under a large number climate traces representing both natural climate variability and plausible climate changes. Design outcomes are simulated over a 40-year planning period with a coupled hydrologic-water resources systems model and using standard reservoir operation rules. Resulting performance is expressed in terms of water supply reliability and economic efficiency. Ensemble climate projections are used for assigning conditional likelihoods to the climate traces using a statistical distance measure. The final design recommendations are presented and discussed for the decision criteria of expected regret, satisficing, and conditional value-at-risk (CVaR).

Superfund Record of Decision (EPA Region 5): Novaco Industries, MI. (First remedial action), (Amendment), September 1991. Final report

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

Not Available

The 2.6-acre Novaco Industries site is a one building site in Temperance, Michigan. Land use in the area is predominantly residential and agricultural. The estimated 85 residences located within 1/2 mile of the site use the underlying sand/gravel and limestone aquifer as their drinking water supply. A 1986 Record of Decision (ROD) addressed a final remedy for ground water contamination and provided for ground water pumping and treatment using electrochemical reduction/ion exchange polishing, followed by onsite discharge to surface water. The ROD amends the 1986 ROD. The amended remedial action for the site is no further action.

77 FR 5781 - Record of Decision for the Air Space Training Initiative Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-06

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Air Force Record of Decision for the Air Space Training Initiative Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina Final Environmental Impact Statement ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA) of a Record of Decision (ROD). SUMMARY: On December 9, 2011, the United States Air Force...

77 FR 47826 - Record of Decision for F35A Training Basing Final Environmental Impact Statement

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-10

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Air Force Record of Decision for F35A Training Basing Final Environmental Impact Statement ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA) of a Record of Decision ([email protected]us.af.mil . Henry Williams Jr., Acting Air Force Federal Register Liaison Officer. [FR Doc...

From conditional oughts to qualitative decision theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pearl, Judea

1994-01-01

The primary theme of this investigation is a decision theoretic account of conditional ought statements (e.g., 'You ought to do A, if C') that rectifies glaring deficiencies in classical deontic logic. The resulting account forms a sound basis for qualitative decision theory, thus providing a framework for qualitative planning under uncertainty. In particular, we show that adding causal relationships (in the form of a single graph) as part of an epistemic state is sufficient to facilitate the analysis of action sequences, their consequences, their interaction with observations, their expected utilities, and the synthesis of plans and strategies under uncertainty.

32 CFR 1901.23 - Notification of decision and right of appeal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Notification of decision and right of appeal. 1901.23 Section 1901.23 National Defense Other Regulations Relating to National Defense CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY PUBLIC RIGHTS UNDER THE PRIVACY ACT OF 1974 Action on Privacy Act Requests § 1901.23...

32 CFR 1901.23 - Notification of decision and right of appeal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Notification of decision and right of appeal. 1901.23 Section 1901.23 National Defense Other Regulations Relating to National Defense CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY PUBLIC RIGHTS UNDER THE PRIVACY ACT OF 1974 Action on Privacy Act Requests § 1901.23...

32 CFR 1901.45 - Notification of decision and right of judicial review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Notification of decision and right of judicial review. 1901.45 Section 1901.45 National Defense Other Regulations Relating to National Defense CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY PUBLIC RIGHTS UNDER THE PRIVACY ACT OF 1974 Action on Privacy Act Administrative Appeals...

32 CFR 1901.45 - Notification of decision and right of judicial review.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Notification of decision and right of judicial review. 1901.45 Section 1901.45 National Defense Other Regulations Relating to National Defense CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY PUBLIC RIGHTS UNDER THE PRIVACY ACT OF 1974 Action on Privacy Act Administrative Appeals...

76 FR 41590 - Equal Credit Opportunity

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-15

... the credit decision; (2) the range of possible scores under the model used; (3) up to four key factors that adversely affected the consumer's credit score (or up to five factors if the number of inquiries... credit score was a factor in the adverse action decision, even if it was not a significant factor, the...

29 CFR 1983.109 - Decision and orders of the administrative law judge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (CONTINUED) PROCEDURES FOR THE HANDLING OF RETALIATION COMPLAINTS UNDER SECTION 219 OF THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2008 Litigation § 1983.109 Decision and... action alleged in the complaint. (b) If the complainant has satisfied the burden set forth in the prior...

29 CFR 1983.109 - Decision and orders of the administrative law judge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (CONTINUED) PROCEDURES FOR THE HANDLING OF RETALIATION COMPLAINTS UNDER SECTION 219 OF THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2008 Litigation § 1983.109 Decision and... action alleged in the complaint. (b) If the complainant has satisfied the burden set forth in the prior...

Mental workload as a key factor in clinical decision making.

PubMed

Byrne, Aidan

2013-08-01

The decision making process is central to the practice of a clinician and has traditionally been described in terms of the hypothetico-deductive model. More recently, models adapted from cognitive psychology, such as the dual process and script theories have proved useful in explaining patterns of practice not consistent with purely cognitive based practice. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of mental workload as a key determinant of the type of cognitive processing used by clinicians. Published research appears to be consistent with 'schemata' based cognition as the principle mode of working for those engaged in complex tasks under time pressure. Although conscious processing of factual data is also used, it may be the primary mode of cognition only in situations where time pressure is not a factor. Further research on the decision making process should be based on outcomes which are not dependant on conscious recall of past actions or events and include a measure of mental workload. This further appears to support the concept of the patient, within the clinical environment, as the most effective learning resource.

CORRRECTIVE ACTION DECISION DOCUMENT FOR CORRECTIVE ACTION UNIT 427: AREA 3 SEPTIC WASTE SYSTEMS 2 AND 6, TONOPAH TEST RANGE, NEVADA, REVISION 0, JUNE 1998

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

ITLV.

1998-06-01

This Corrective Action Decision Document has been prepared for the Area 3 Septic Waste Systems 2 and 6 (Corrective Action Unit 427) in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order of 1996 (FFACO, 1996). Corrective Action Unit 427 is located at the Tonopah Test Range, Nevada, and is comprised of the following Corrective Action Sites, each an individual septic waste system (DOE/NV, 1996a): Septic Waste System 2 is Corrective Action Site Number 03-05-002-SW02. Septic Waste System 6 is Corrective Action Site Number 03-05-002-SW06. The purpose of this Corrective Action Decision Document is to identify and provide a rationalemore » for the selection of a recommended corrective action alternative for each Corrective Action Site. The scope of this Correction Action Decision Document consists of the following tasks: Develop corrective action objectives. Identify corrective action alternative screening criteria. Develop corrective action alternatives. Perform detailed and comparative evaluations of the corrective action alternatives in relation to the corrective action objectives and screening criteria. Recommend and justify a preferred corrective action alternative for each CAS. From November 1997 through January 1998, a corrective action investigation was performed as set forth in the Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit No. 427: Area 3 Septic Waste System Numbers 2 and 6, Tonopah Test Range, Nevada (DOE/NV, 1997b). Details can be found in Appendix A of this document. The results indicated that contamination is present in some portions of the CAU and not in others as described in Table ES-1 and shown in Figure A.2-2 of Appendix A. Based on the potential exposure pathways, the following corrective action objectives have been identified for Corrective Action Unit 427: Prevent or mitigate human exposure to subsurface soils containing TPH at concentrations greater than 100 milligrams per kilogram (NAC, 1996b). Close Septic Tank 33-5 in accordance with Nevada Administrative Code 459 (NAC, 1996c). Prevent adverse impacts to groundwater quality. Based on the review of existing data, future land use, and current operations at the Tonopah Test Range, the following alternatives were developed for consideration at the Area 3 Septic Waste Systems 2 and 6: Alternative 1 - No Further Action Alternative 2 - Closure of Septic Tank 33-5 and Administrative Controls Alternative 3 - Closure of Septic Tank 33-5, Excavation, and Disposal The corrective action alternatives were evaluated based on four general corrective action standards and five remedy selection decision factors. Based on the results of this evaluation, the preferred alternative for Corrective Action Unit 427 is Alternative 2, Closure of Septic Tank 33-5 and Administrative Controls. The preferred corrective action alternative was evaluated on technical merit, focusing on performance, reliability, feasibility, and safety. The alternative was judged to meet all requirements for the technical components evaluated. The alternative meets all applicable state and federal regulations for closure of the site and will reduce potential future exposure pathways to the contaminated soils. During corrective action implementation, this alternative will present minimal potential threat to site workers who come in contact with the waste. However, procedures will be developed and implemented to ensure worker health and safety.« less

Superfund record of decision (EPA Region 9): Mather Air Force Base, Soil and Groundwater operable units, Sacramento, CA, June 21, 1996

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

NONE

The decision document presents the selected remedial actions for the Soil Operable Unit (OU) Sites and Groundwater OU Plumes, at the formerly active Mather Air Force Base (AFB), Sacramento County, California. The purpose of the Record of Decision (ROD) is to decide the appropriate level of remediation necessary to protect human health and the environment, and determine what requirements are applicable or relevant and appropriate requirements (ARARs) based on the groundwater beneficial use designation and site-specific conditions. The ROD has been divided into seven sections which specifically address the range of selected remedial actions for the Soil OU sites andmore » Groundwater OU plumes.« less

Achieving full connectivity of sites in the multiperiod reserve network design problem

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jafari, Nahid; Nuse, Bryan L.; Moore, Clinton; Dilkina, Bistra; Hepinstall-Cymerman, Jeffrey

2017-01-01

The conservation reserve design problem is a challenge to solve because of the spatial and temporal nature of the problem, uncertainties in the decision process, and the possibility of alternative conservation actions for any given land parcel. Conservation agencies tasked with reserve design may benefit from a dynamic decision system that provides tactical guidance for short-term decision opportunities while maintaining focus on a long-term objective of assembling the best set of protected areas possible. To plan cost-effective conservation over time under time-varying action costs and budget, we propose a multi-period mixed integer programming model for the budget-constrained selection of fully connected sites. The objective is to maximize a summed conservation value over all network parcels at the end of the planning horizon. The originality of this work is in achieving full spatial connectivity of the selected sites during the schedule of conservation actions.

Final Record of Decision for the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office Yard (AOC 32) and Petroleum, Oil, and Lubricants Storage Area (AOC 43A) Devens, Massachusetts.

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-02-01

decision document presents the U.S. Army’s (Army’s) selected remedial actions for AOCs 32 DRMO Yard, including Underground Storage Tank (UST) #13...of commencing the remedial action to ensure that the remedy at each AOC continues to provide adequate protection of human health and the environment... Devens , Massachusetts RAO remedial action objective RBC risk-based concentration RCRA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act RI remedial

Embodied Choice: How Action Influences Perceptual Decision Making

PubMed Central

Lepora, Nathan F.; Pezzulo, Giovanni

2015-01-01

Embodied Choice considers action performance as a proper part of the decision making process rather than merely as a means to report the decision. The central statement of embodied choice is the existence of bidirectional influences between action and decisions. This implies that for a decision expressed by an action, the action dynamics and its constraints (e.g. current trajectory and kinematics) influence the decision making process. Here we use a perceptual decision making task to compare three types of model: a serial decision-then-action model, a parallel decision-and-action model, and an embodied choice model where the action feeds back into the decision making. The embodied model incorporates two key mechanisms that together are lacking in the other models: action preparation and commitment. First, action preparation strategies alleviate delays in enacting a choice but also modify decision termination. Second, action dynamics change the prospects and create a commitment effect to the initially preferred choice. Our results show that these two mechanisms make embodied choice models better suited to combine decision and action appropriately to achieve suitably fast and accurate responses, as usually required in ecologically valid situations. Moreover, embodied choice models with these mechanisms give a better account of trajectory tracking experiments during decision making. In conclusion, the embodied choice framework offers a combined theory of decision and action that gives a clear case that embodied phenomena such as the dynamics of actions can have a causal influence on central cognition. PMID:25849349

Embodied choice: how action influences perceptual decision making.

PubMed

Lepora, Nathan F; Pezzulo, Giovanni

2015-04-01

Embodied Choice considers action performance as a proper part of the decision making process rather than merely as a means to report the decision. The central statement of embodied choice is the existence of bidirectional influences between action and decisions. This implies that for a decision expressed by an action, the action dynamics and its constraints (e.g. current trajectory and kinematics) influence the decision making process. Here we use a perceptual decision making task to compare three types of model: a serial decision-then-action model, a parallel decision-and-action model, and an embodied choice model where the action feeds back into the decision making. The embodied model incorporates two key mechanisms that together are lacking in the other models: action preparation and commitment. First, action preparation strategies alleviate delays in enacting a choice but also modify decision termination. Second, action dynamics change the prospects and create a commitment effect to the initially preferred choice. Our results show that these two mechanisms make embodied choice models better suited to combine decision and action appropriately to achieve suitably fast and accurate responses, as usually required in ecologically valid situations. Moreover, embodied choice models with these mechanisms give a better account of trajectory tracking experiments during decision making. In conclusion, the embodied choice framework offers a combined theory of decision and action that gives a clear case that embodied phenomena such as the dynamics of actions can have a causal influence on central cognition.

No Further Action Decision Under CERCLA Study Area 43N Historic Gas Station Sites Fort Devens, Massachusetts

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-01-01

SITES FORT DEVENS , MASSACHUSETTS CONTRACT DAAA15-91-0008 U.S. ARMY ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MARYLAND JANUARY 1995 PRINTED ON...HISTORIC GAS STATION SITES FORT DEVENS , MASSACHUSETTS I . Prepared for: U.S. Army Environmental Center Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland Contract DAAA15-91...DECISION UNDER CERCLA STUDY AREA 43N HISTORIC GAS STATION SITES FORT DEVENS , MASSACHUSETTS 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS U Section Title Page No. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

State estimation bias induced by optimization under uncertainty and error cost asymmetry is likely reflected in perception.

PubMed

Shimansky, Y P

2011-05-01

It is well known from numerous studies that perception can be significantly affected by intended action in many everyday situations, indicating that perception and related decision-making is not a simple, one-way sequence, but a complex iterative cognitive process. However, the underlying functional mechanisms are yet unclear. Based on an optimality approach, a quantitative computational model of one such mechanism has been developed in this study. It is assumed in the model that significant uncertainty about task-related parameters of the environment results in parameter estimation errors and an optimal control system should minimize the cost of such errors in terms of the optimality criterion. It is demonstrated that, if the cost of a parameter estimation error is significantly asymmetrical with respect to error direction, the tendency to minimize error cost creates a systematic deviation of the optimal parameter estimate from its maximum likelihood value. Consequently, optimization of parameter estimate and optimization of control action cannot be performed separately from each other under parameter uncertainty combined with asymmetry of estimation error cost, thus making the certainty equivalence principle non-applicable under those conditions. A hypothesis that not only the action, but also perception itself is biased by the above deviation of parameter estimate is supported by ample experimental evidence. The results provide important insights into the cognitive mechanisms of interaction between sensory perception and planning an action under realistic conditions. Implications for understanding related functional mechanisms of optimal control in the CNS are discussed.

Value choices and considerations when limiting intensive care treatment: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Halvorsen, K; Førde, R; Nortvedt, P

2009-01-01

To shed light on the values and considerations that affect the decision-making processes and the decisions to limit intensive care treatment. Qualitative methodology with participant observation and in-depth interviews, with an emphasis on eliciting the underlying rationale of the clinicians' actions and choices when limiting treatment. Informants perceived over-treatment in intensive care medicine as a dilemma. One explanation was that the decision-making base was somewhat uncertain, complex and difficult. The informants claimed that those responsible for taking decisions from the admitting ward prolonged futile treatment because they may bear guilt or responsibility for something that had gone wrong during the course of treatment. The assessments of the patient's situation made by physicians from the admitting ward were often more organ-oriented and the expectations were less realistic than those of clinicians in the intensive care unit who frequently had a more balanced and overall perspective. Aspects such as the personality and the speciality of those involved, the culture of the unit and the degree of interdisciplinary cooperation were important issues in the decision-making processes. Under-communicated considerations jeopardise the principle of equal treatment. If intensive care patients are to be ensured equal treatment, strategies for interdisciplinary, transparent and appropriate decision-making processes must be developed in which open and hidden values are rendered visible, power structures disclosed, employees respected and the various perspectives of the treatment given their legitimate place.

Structured decision making as a conceptual framework to identify thresholds for conservation and management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Martin, J.; Runge, M.C.; Nichols, J.D.; Lubow, B.C.; Kendall, W.L.

2009-01-01

Thresholds and their relevance to conservation have become a major topic of discussion in the ecological literature. Unfortunately, in many cases the lack of a clear conceptual framework for thinking about thresholds may have led to confusion in attempts to apply the concept of thresholds to conservation decisions. Here, we advocate a framework for thinking about thresholds in terms of a structured decision making process. The purpose of this framework is to promote a logical and transparent process for making informed decisions for conservation. Specification of such a framework leads naturally to consideration of definitions and roles of different kinds of thresholds in the process. We distinguish among three categories of thresholds. Ecological thresholds are values of system state variables at which small changes bring about substantial changes in system dynamics. Utility thresholds are components of management objectives (determined by human values) and are values of state or performance variables at which small changes yield substantial changes in the value of the management outcome. Decision thresholds are values of system state variables at which small changes prompt changes in management actions in order to reach specified management objectives. The approach that we present focuses directly on the objectives of management, with an aim to providing decisions that are optimal with respect to those objectives. This approach clearly distinguishes the components of the decision process that are inherently subjective (management objectives, potential management actions) from those that are more objective (system models, estimates of system state). Optimization based on these components then leads to decision matrices specifying optimal actions to be taken at various values of system state variables. Values of state variables separating different actions in such matrices are viewed as decision thresholds. Utility thresholds are included in the objectives component, and ecological thresholds may be embedded in models projecting consequences of management actions. Decision thresholds are determined by the above-listed components of a structured decision process. These components may themselves vary over time, inducing variation in the decision thresholds inherited from them. These dynamic decision thresholds can then be determined using adaptive management. We provide numerical examples (that are based on patch occupancy models) of structured decision processes that include all three kinds of thresholds. ?? 2009 by the Ecological Society of America.

Neuro-cognitive mechanisms of decision making in joint action: a human-robot interaction study.

PubMed

Bicho, Estela; Erlhagen, Wolfram; Louro, Luis; e Silva, Eliana Costa

2011-10-01

In this paper we present a model for action preparation and decision making in cooperative tasks that is inspired by recent experimental findings about the neuro-cognitive mechanisms supporting joint action in humans. It implements the coordination of actions and goals among the partners as a dynamic process that integrates contextual cues, shared task knowledge and predicted outcome of others' motor behavior. The control architecture is formalized by a system of coupled dynamic neural fields representing a distributed network of local but connected neural populations. Different pools of neurons encode task-relevant information about action means, task goals and context in the form of self-sustained activation patterns. These patterns are triggered by input from connected populations and evolve continuously in time under the influence of recurrent interactions. The dynamic model of joint action is evaluated in a task in which a robot and a human jointly construct a toy object. We show that the highly context sensitive mapping from action observation onto appropriate complementary actions allows coping with dynamically changing joint action situations. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Motivational states influence effort-based decision making in rats: the role of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens.

PubMed

Mai, Bettina; Sommer, Susanne; Hauber, Wolfgang

2012-03-01

Decision-making policies are subject to modulation by changing motivational states. However, so far, little is known about the neurochemical mechanisms that bridge motivational states with decision making. Here we examined whether dopamine (DA) in the nucleus accumbens core (AcbC) modulates the effects of motivational states on effort-based decision making. Using a cost-benefit T-maze task in rats, we examined the effects of AcbC DA depletions on effort-based decision making, in particular on the sensitivity of effort-based decision making to a shift from a hungry to a sated state. The results demonstrated that, relative to sham controls, rats with AcbC DA depletion in a hungry as well as in a sated state had a reduced preference for effortful but large-reward action. This finding provides further support for the notion that AcbC DA regulates how much effort to invest for rewards. Importantly, our results further revealed that effort-based decision making in lesioned rats, as in sham controls, was still sensitive to a shift from a hungry to a sated state; that is, their preferences for effortful large-reward actions became lower after a shift from a restricted to a free-feeding regimen. These finding indicate that AcbC DA is not necessarily involved in mediating the effects of a shift in motivational state on decision-making policies.

Attributions of responsibility and affective reactions to decision outcomes.

PubMed

Zeelenberg, M; van der Pligt, J; de Vries, N K

2000-06-01

Immediate affective reactions to outcomes are more intense following decisions to act than following decisions not to act. This finding holds for both positive and negative outcomes. We relate this "actor-effect" to attribution theory and argue that decision makers are seen as more responsible for outcomes when these are the result of a decision to act as compared to a decision not to act. Experiment 1 (N = 80) tests the main assumption underlying our reasoning and shows that affective reactions to decision outcomes are indeed more intense when the decision maker is seen as more responsible. Experiment 2 (N = 40) tests whether the actor effect can be predicted on the basis of differential attributions following action and inaction. Participants read vignettes in which active and passive actors obtained a positive or negative outcome. Action resulted in more intense affect than inaction, and positive outcomes resulted in more intense affect than negative outcomes. Experiment 2 further shows that responsibility attributions and affective reactions to outcomes are highly correlated; that is, more extreme affective reactions are associated with more internal attributions. We discuss the implications for research on post-decisional reactions.

United States Air Force 611th Air Support Group/Civil Engineering Squadron Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. Decision document for no further response action planned: Barter Island Radar Installation, Alaska. Final report, December 1995-May 1996

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

Karmi, S.; Madden, J.; Borsetti, R.

1996-05-03

This Decision Document discusses the selection of no further action as the recommended action for nine sites located at the Barter Island radar installation. The United States Air Force (Air Force) completed a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study and a Risk Assessment for the 14 sites located at the Barter Island installation (U.S. Air Force 1996a,b). Based on the findings of these activities, nine sites are recommended for no further action.

Integrated analysis for population estimation, management impact evaluation, and decision-making for a declining species

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crawford, Brian A.; Moore, Clinton; Norton, Terry M.; Maerz, John C.

2018-01-01

A challenge for making conservation decisions is predicting how wildlife populations respond to multiple, concurrent threats and potential management strategies, usually under substantial uncertainty. Integrated modeling approaches can improve estimation of demographic rates necessary for making predictions, even for rare or cryptic species with sparse data, but their use in management applications is limited. We developed integrated models for a population of diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) impacted by road-associated threats to (i) jointly estimate demographic rates from two mark-recapture datasets, while directly estimating road mortality and the impact of management actions deployed during the study; and (ii) project the population using population viability analysis under simulated management strategies to inform decision-making. Without management, population extirpation was nearly certain due to demographic impacts of road mortality, predators, and vegetation. Installation of novel flashing signage increased survival of terrapins that crossed roads by 30%. Signage, along with small roadside barriers installed during the study, increased population persistence probability, but the population was still predicted to decline. Management strategies that included actions targeting multiple threats and demographic rates resulted in the highest persistence probability, and roadside barriers, which increased adult survival, were predicted to increase persistence more than other actions. Our results support earlier findings showing mitigation of multiple threats is likely required to increase the viability of declining populations. Our approach illustrates how integrated models may be adapted to use limited data efficiently, represent system complexity, evaluate impacts of threats and management actions, and provide decision-relevant information for conservation of at-risk populations.

Decision making under uncertainty: a quasimetric approach.

PubMed

N'Guyen, Steve; Moulin-Frier, Clément; Droulez, Jacques

2013-01-01

We propose a new approach for solving a class of discrete decision making problems under uncertainty with positive cost. This issue concerns multiple and diverse fields such as engineering, economics, artificial intelligence, cognitive science and many others. Basically, an agent has to choose a single or series of actions from a set of options, without knowing for sure their consequences. Schematically, two main approaches have been followed: either the agent learns which option is the correct one to choose in a given situation by trial and error, or the agent already has some knowledge on the possible consequences of his decisions; this knowledge being generally expressed as a conditional probability distribution. In the latter case, several optimal or suboptimal methods have been proposed to exploit this uncertain knowledge in various contexts. In this work, we propose following a different approach, based on the geometric intuition of distance. More precisely, we define a goal independent quasimetric structure on the state space, taking into account both cost function and transition probability. We then compare precision and computation time with classical approaches.

Scalable approximate policies for Markov decision process models of hospital elective admissions.

PubMed

Zhu, George; Lizotte, Dan; Hoey, Jesse

2014-05-01

To demonstrate the feasibility of using stochastic simulation methods for the solution of a large-scale Markov decision process model of on-line patient admissions scheduling. The problem of admissions scheduling is modeled as a Markov decision process in which the states represent numbers of patients using each of a number of resources. We investigate current state-of-the-art real time planning methods to compute solutions to this Markov decision process. Due to the complexity of the model, traditional model-based planners are limited in scalability since they require an explicit enumeration of the model dynamics. To overcome this challenge, we apply sample-based planners along with efficient simulation techniques that given an initial start state, generate an action on-demand while avoiding portions of the model that are irrelevant to the start state. We also propose a novel variant of a popular sample-based planner that is particularly well suited to the elective admissions problem. Results show that the stochastic simulation methods allow for the problem size to be scaled by a factor of almost 10 in the action space, and exponentially in the state space. We have demonstrated our approach on a problem with 81 actions, four specialities and four treatment patterns, and shown that we can generate solutions that are near-optimal in about 100s. Sample-based planners are a viable alternative to state-based planners for large Markov decision process models of elective admissions scheduling. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 569: Area 3 Yucca Flat Atmospheric Test Sites Nevada National Security Site, Nevada with ROTC 1, Revision 0

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

Sloop, Christy

2013-04-01

This Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report presents information supporting the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 569: Area 3 Yucca Flat Atmospheric Test Sites, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada. CAU 569 comprises the following nine corrective action sites (CASs): • 03-23-09, T-3 Contamination Area • 03-23-10, T-3A Contamination Area • 03-23-11, T-3B Contamination Area • 03-23-12, T-3S Contamination Area • 03-23-13, T-3T Contamination Area • 03-23-14, T-3V Contamination Area • 03-23-15, S-3G Contamination Area • 03-23-16, S-3H Contamination Area • 03-23-21, Pike Contamination Area The purpose of this Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report is to provide justification and documentation supportingmore » the recommendation that no further corrective action is needed for CAU 569 based on the implementation of the corrective actions listed in Table ES-2.« less

PG&E and Silkwood

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

NONE

1992-12-31

The Supreme Court rendered its decision in PG&E in April 1983. The decision involved a challenge by a nuclear utility to a California state moratorium on the construction of new commercial nuclear power plants until the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission could determine that there is a demonstrated and federally approved solution for the permanent disposal of high-level nuclear waste. The moratorium was based not on a state concern with the radiological hazards associated with new nuclear plants but, ostensibly on a state concern with the economics of new nuclear plants. In particular, the state had concluded thatmore » a new nuclear plant, in the absence of a solution for the permanent disposal of the high-level nuclear waste it would generate, would be an uneconomical and uncertain source of electric power. The nuclear utility that challenged the moratorium argued that its prohibition to new nuclear plant construction was in fact based on a state concern with radiation hazards. However, the Court accepted California`s {open_quotes}avowed economic purpose{close_quotes} and declined to second-guess the basis for the moratorium. The Court rendered its decision in Silkwood in January 1984. The decision involved an action brought by the administrator of the estate for a deceased employee of a nuclear fuel facility regulated by the NRC. Brought under Oklahoma state common law of torts, the action was for damages for radiological injuries suffered as a result of alleged plutonium contamination. A jury returned a verdict for the administrator as well as an award of actual and punitive damages.« less

Evidence and opportunities for integrating landscape ecology into natural resource planning across multiple-use landscapes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Trammel, E. Jamie; Carter, Sarah; Haby, Travis S.; Taylor, Jason J.

2018-01-01

Enhancing natural resource management has been a focus of landscape ecology since its inception, but numerous authors argue that landscape ecology has not yet been effective in achieving the underlying goal of planning and designing sustainable landscapes. We developed nine questions reflecting the application of fundamental research topics in landscape ecology to the landscape planning process and reviewed two recent landscape-scale plans in western North America for evidence of these concepts in plan decisions. Both plans considered multiple resources, uses, and values, including energy development, recreation, conservation, and protection of cultural and historic resources. We found that land use change and multiscale perspectives of resource uses and values were very often apparent in planning decisions. Pattern-process relationships, connectivity and fragmentation, ecosystem services, landscape history, and climate change were reflected less frequently. Landscape sustainability was considered only once in the 295 decisions reviewed, and outputs of landscape models were not referenced. We suggest six actionable opportunities for further integrating landscape ecology concepts into landscape planning efforts: 1) use landscape sustainability as an overarching goal, 2) adopt a broad ecosystem services framework, 3) explore the role of landscape history more comprehensively, 4) regularly consider and accommodate potential effects of climate change, 5) use landscape models to support plan decisions, and 6) promote a greater presence of landscape ecologists within agencies that manage large land bases and encourage active involvement in agency planning efforts. Together these actions may improve the defensibility, durability, and sustainability of landscape plan decisions.

Producing More Actionable Science Isn't the Problem; It's Providing Decision-Makers with Access to Right Actionable Knowledge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trexler, M.

2017-12-01

Policy-makers today have almost infinite climate-relevant scientific and other information available to them. The problem for climate change decision-making isn't missing science or inadequate knowledge of climate risks; the problem is that the "right" climate change actionable knowledge isn't getting to the right decision-maker, or is getting there too early or too late to effectively influence her decision-making. Actionable knowledge is not one-size-fit-all, and for a given decision-maker might involve scientific, economic, or risk-based information. Simply producing more and more information as we are today is not the solution, and actually makes it harder for individual decision-makers to access "their" actionable knowledge. The Climatographers began building the Climate Web five years ago to test the hypothesis that a knowledge management system could help navigate the gap between infinite information and individual actionable knowledge. Today the Climate Web's more than 1,500 index terms allow instant access to almost any climate change topic. It is a curated public-access knowledgebase of more than 1,000 books, 2,000 videos, 15,000 reports and articles, 25,000 news stories, and 3,000 websites. But it is also much more, linking together tens of thousands of individually extracted ideas and graphics, and providing Deep Dives into more than 100 key topics from changing probability distributions of extreme events to climate communications best practices to cognitive dissonance in climate change decision-making. The public-access Climate Web is uniquely able to support cross-silo learning, collaboration, and actionable knowledge dissemination. The presentation will use the Climate Web to demonstrate why knowledge management should be seen as a critical component of science and policy-making collaborations.

Installation restoration program. Decision document for soil and groundwater at the storage area at the USMC Subleased Area, Site 3. 144th Fighter Wing, California Air National Guard, Fresno Air Terminal, California

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

NONE

1996-01-01

Decision Document for IRP Site No. 3 - Storage Area at the USMC Sublease Area, California Air National Guard, 144th Fighter Wing, Fresno Air Terminal, Fresno, California. This report documents the data, conclusion, and recommendation to support a No Further Remedial Action Planned decision at Site 3 under the IRP.

Dopamine modulates the neural representation of subjective value of food in hungry subjects.

PubMed

Medic, Nenad; Ziauddeen, Hisham; Vestergaard, Martin D; Henning, Elana; Schultz, Wolfram; Farooqi, I Sadaf; Fletcher, Paul C

2014-12-10

Although there is a rich literature on the role of dopamine in value learning, much less is known about its role in using established value estimations to shape decision-making. Here we investigated the effect of dopaminergic modulation on value-based decision-making for food items in fasted healthy human participants. The Becker-deGroot-Marschak auction, which assesses subjective value, was examined in conjunction with pharmacological fMRI using a dopaminergic agonist and an antagonist. We found that dopamine enhanced the neural response to value in the inferior parietal gyrus/intraparietal sulcus, and that this effect predominated toward the end of the valuation process when an action was needed to record the value. Our results suggest that dopamine is involved in acting upon the decision, providing additional insight to the mechanisms underlying impaired decision-making in healthy individuals and clinical populations with reduced dopamine levels. Copyright © 2014 the authors 0270-6474/14/3416856-09$15.00/0.

75 FR 3901 - Notice of Availability of Record of Decision for the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-25

... NSWC PCD Study Area. The proposed action is required for the Navy to successfully meet current and..., test, and evaluate systems within the NSWC PCD Study Area. In its decision, the Navy considered... outside the U.S. or its territories under Executive Order (EO) 12114, Environmental Effects Abroad of...

Superfund Record of Decision (EPA Region 4): Milan Army Ammunition Plant, O-Line Ponds Area, Milan, TN, September 1993

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

Not Available

1993-09-01

The decision document presents the selected remedial action for Operable Unit Two (OU2) at the O-Line Ponds Area, Milan Army Ammunition Plant, Milan, Tennessee. The goal of the overall cleanup activities at the site is to prevent migration of contaminants from soil at the site and to prevent exposures to these contaminants, so that no adverse health effects will result from current or future off-post or on-post use. Soil contaminated with explosives compounds is known to exist in the O-Line Ponds area, and under current conditions, this contamination poses a potential threat to groundwater at the site. Currently contaminated groundwatermore » is being addressed by separate remedial actions under different Operable Units (OUs).« less

Dropping Out of High School: An Application of the Theory of Reasoned Action.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prestholdt, Perry H.; Fisher, Jack L.

To develop and test a theoretical model, based on the Theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975), for understanding and predicting the decision to stay in or drop out of school, to identify the specific beliefs that are the basis of that decision, and to evaluate the use of moderator variables (sex, race) to individualize the model,…

No Further Action Decision Under CERCLA Study Area 43L Historic Gas Station Sites Fort Devens, Massachusetts

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-01-01

AES C. CHAMBERS Date RAC Environmental Coordinator U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY JAMES P. BY/NE ) Date Fort Devens Remedial Project Manager...CERCLA STUDY AREA 43L HISTORIC GAS STATION SITES FORT DEVENS , MASSACHUSETTS CONTRACT DAAA15-91-D-0008 U.S. ARMY ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER ABERDEEN PROVING...DECISION UNDER CERCLA STUDY AREA 43L HISTORIC GAS STATION SITES ! FORT DEVENS , MASSACHUSETTS I I I 5 Prepared for: U.S. Army Environmental Center I

Beyond stereotypes of adolescent risk taking: Placing the adolescent brain in developmental context☆

PubMed Central

Romer, Daniel; Reyna, Valerie F.; Satterthwaite, Theodore D.

2017-01-01

Recent neuroscience models of adolescent brain development attribute the morbidity and mortality of this period to structural and functional imbalances between more fully developed limbic regions that subserve reward and emotion as opposed to those that enable cognitive control. We challenge this interpretation of adolescent development by distinguishing risk-taking that peaks during adolescence (sensation seeking and impulsive action) from risk taking that declines monotonically from childhood to adulthood (impulsive choice and other decisions under known risk). Sensation seeking is primarily motivated by exploration of the environment under ambiguous risk contexts, while impulsive action, which is likely to be maladaptive, is more characteristic of a subset of youth with weak control over limbic motivation. Risk taking that declines monotonically from childhood to adulthood occurs primarily under conditions of known risks and reflects increases in executive function as well as aversion to risk based on increases in gist-based reasoning. We propose an alternative Lifespan Wisdom Model that highlights the importance of experience gained through exploration during adolescence. We propose, therefore, that brain models that recognize the adaptive roles that cognition and experience play during adolescence provide a more complete and helpful picture of this period of development. PMID:28777995

Characterization of the Decision Network for Wing Expansion in Drosophila Using Targeted Expression of the TRPM8 Channel

PubMed Central

Peabody, Nathan C.; Pohl, Jascha B.; Diao, Fengqiu; Vreede, Andrew P.; Sandstrom, David J.; Wang, Howard; Zelensky, Paul K.; White, Benjamin H.

2009-01-01

After emergence, adult flies and other insects select a suitable perch and expand their wings. Wing expansion is governed by the hormone bursicon and can be delayed under adverse environmental conditions. How environmental factors delay bursicon release and alter perch selection and expansion behaviors has not been investigated in detail. Here we provide evidence that in Drosophila the motor programs underlying perch selection and wing expansion have different environmental dependencies. Using physical manipulations, we demonstrate that the decision to perch is based primarily on environmental valuations and is incrementally delayed under conditions of increasing perturbation and confinement. In contrast, the all-or-none motor patterns underlying wing expansion are relatively invariant in length regardless of environmental conditions. Using a novel technique for targeted activation of neurons, we show that the highly stereotyped wing expansion motor patterns can be initiated by stimulation of NCCAP, a small network of central neurons that regulates the release of bursicon. Activation of this network using the cold-sensitive rat TRPM8 channel is sufficient to trigger all essential behavioral and somatic processes required for wing expansion. The delay of wing expansion under adverse circumstances thus couples an environmentally-sensitive decision network to a command-like network that initiates a fixed action pattern. Because NCCAP mediates environmentally-insensitive ecdysis-related behaviors in Drosophila development prior to adult emergence, the study of wing expansion promises insights not only into how networks mediate behavioral choices, but also into how decision networks develop. PMID:19295141

A strategy for monitoring and managing declines in an amphibian community.

PubMed

Grant, Evan H Campbell; Zipkin, Elise F; Nichols, James D; Campbell, J Patrick

2013-12-01

Although many taxa have declined globally, conservation actions are inherently local. Ecosystems degrade even in protected areas, and maintaining natural systems in a desired condition may require active management. Implementing management decisions under uncertainty requires a logical and transparent process to identify objectives, develop management actions, formulate system models to link actions with objectives, monitor to reduce uncertainty and identify system state (i.e., resource condition), and determine an optimal management strategy. We applied one such structured decision-making approach that incorporates these critical elements to inform management of amphibian populations in a protected area managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Climate change is expected to affect amphibian occupancy of wetlands and to increase uncertainty in management decision making. We used the tools of structured decision making to identify short-term management solutions that incorporate our current understanding of the effect of climate change on amphibians, emphasizing how management can be undertaken even with incomplete information. Estrategia para Monitorear y Manejar Disminuciones en una Comunidad de Anfibios. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

Decision making as a window on cognition.

PubMed

Shadlen, Michael N; Kiani, Roozbeh

2013-10-30

A decision is a commitment to a proposition or plan of action based on information and values associated with the possible outcomes. The process operates in a flexible timeframe that is free from the immediacy of evidence acquisition and the real time demands of action itself. Thus, it involves deliberation, planning, and strategizing. This Perspective focuses on perceptual decision making in nonhuman primates and the discovery of neural mechanisms that support accuracy, speed, and confidence in a decision. We suggest that these mechanisms expose principles of cognitive function in general, and we speculate about the challenges and directions before the field. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modeling Perceptual Decision Processes

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-17

Ratcliff, & Wagenmakers, in press). Previous research suggests that playing action video games improves performance on sensory, perceptual, and...estimate the contribution of several underlying psychological processes. Their analysis indicated that playing action video games leads to faster...third condition in which no video games were played at all. Behavioral data and diffusion model parameters showed similar practice effects for the

Women's Rights Project--Sports Packet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Civil Liberties Union, New York, NY. Women's Rights Project.

This document represents a model legal case for defending a girl who wants to play soccer on her high school's all male soccer team. Contained are descriptions of the parties involved, the statement of claim, the causes of action, the laws that action is taken under, and former court decisions that might have bearing on the case. Also included are…

The accountability for reasonableness approach to guide priority setting in health systems within limited resources--findings from action research at district level in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia.

PubMed

Byskov, Jens; Marchal, Bruno; Maluka, Stephen; Zulu, Joseph M; Bukachi, Salome A; Hurtig, Anna-Karin; Blystad, Astrid; Kamuzora, Peter; Michelo, Charles; Nyandieka, Lillian N; Ndawi, Benedict; Bloch, Paul; Olsen, Oystein E

2014-08-20

Priority-setting decisions are based on an important, but not sufficient set of values and thus lead to disagreement on priorities. Accountability for Reasonableness (AFR) is an ethics-based approach to a legitimate and fair priority-setting process that builds upon four conditions: relevance, publicity, appeals, and enforcement, which facilitate agreement on priority-setting decisions and gain support for their implementation. This paper focuses on the assessment of AFR within the project REsponse to ACcountable priority setting for Trust in health systems (REACT). This intervention study applied an action research methodology to assess implementation of AFR in one district in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia, respectively. The assessments focused on selected disease, program, and managerial areas. An implementing action research team of core health team members and supporting researchers was formed to implement, and continually assess and improve the application of the four conditions. Researchers evaluated the intervention using qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods. The values underlying the AFR approach were in all three districts well-aligned with general values expressed by both service providers and community representatives. There was some variation in the interpretations and actual use of the AFR in the decision-making processes in the three districts, and its effect ranged from an increase in awareness of the importance of fairness to a broadened engagement of health team members and other stakeholders in priority setting and other decision-making processes. District stakeholders were able to take greater charge of closing the gap between nationally set planning and the local realities and demands of the served communities within the limited resources at hand. This study thus indicates that the operationalization of the four broadly defined and linked conditions is both possible and seems to be responding to an actual demand. This provides arguments for the continued application and further assessment of the potential of AFR in supporting priority-setting and other decision-making processes in health systems to achieve better agreed and more sustainable health improvements linked to a mutual democratic learning with potential wider implications.

The accountability for reasonableness approach to guide priority setting in health systems within limited resources – findings from action research at district level in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Priority-setting decisions are based on an important, but not sufficient set of values and thus lead to disagreement on priorities. Accountability for Reasonableness (AFR) is an ethics-based approach to a legitimate and fair priority-setting process that builds upon four conditions: relevance, publicity, appeals, and enforcement, which facilitate agreement on priority-setting decisions and gain support for their implementation. This paper focuses on the assessment of AFR within the project REsponse to ACcountable priority setting for Trust in health systems (REACT). Methods This intervention study applied an action research methodology to assess implementation of AFR in one district in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia, respectively. The assessments focused on selected disease, program, and managerial areas. An implementing action research team of core health team members and supporting researchers was formed to implement, and continually assess and improve the application of the four conditions. Researchers evaluated the intervention using qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods. Results The values underlying the AFR approach were in all three districts well-aligned with general values expressed by both service providers and community representatives. There was some variation in the interpretations and actual use of the AFR in the decision-making processes in the three districts, and its effect ranged from an increase in awareness of the importance of fairness to a broadened engagement of health team members and other stakeholders in priority setting and other decision-making processes. Conclusions District stakeholders were able to take greater charge of closing the gap between nationally set planning and the local realities and demands of the served communities within the limited resources at hand. This study thus indicates that the operationalization of the four broadly defined and linked conditions is both possible and seems to be responding to an actual demand. This provides arguments for the continued application and further assessment of the potential of AFR in supporting priority-setting and other decision-making processes in health systems to achieve better agreed and more sustainable health improvements linked to a mutual democratic learning with potential wider implications. PMID:25142148

State-dependent resource harvesting with lagged information about system states

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, Fred A.; Fackler, Paul L.; Boomer, G Scott; Zimmerman, Guthrie S.; Williams, Byron K.; Nichols, James D.; Dorazio, Robert

2016-01-01

Markov decision processes (MDPs), which involve a temporal sequence of actions conditioned on the state of the managed system, are increasingly being applied in natural resource management. This study focuses on the modification of a traditional MDP to account for those cases in which an action must be chosen after a significant time lag in observing system state, but just prior to a new observation. In order to calculate an optimal decision policy under these conditions, possible actions must be conditioned on the previous observed system state and action taken. We show how to solve these problems when the state transition structure is known and when it is uncertain. Our focus is on the latter case, and we show how actions must be conditioned not only on the previous system state and action, but on the probabilities associated with alternative models of system dynamics. To demonstrate this framework, we calculated and simulated optimal, adaptive policies for MDPs with lagged states for the problem of deciding annual harvest regulations for mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) in the United States. In this particular example, changes in harvest policy induced by the use of lagged information about system state were sufficient to maintain expected management performance (e.g. population size, harvest) even in the face of an uncertain system state at the time of a decision.

Age Discrimination--Notice--Filing Notice of Intent to Sue Within 180 Days After the Alleged Violation Is a Jurisdictional Prerequisite to an Action Under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Hiscott v. General Elec. Co., 521 F. 2d 632 (6th Cir. 1975)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stiltner, L. Del

1976-01-01

The Hiscott decision indicates that the court will require notice to meet specific standards before an individual's right to maintain a civil action under the ADEA becomes operative. It also suggests that strict compliance with the 180-day notice provision will continue to be a condition precedent to suit. (Author/LBH)

Use of online health information to manage children's health care: a prospective study investigating parental decisions.

PubMed

Walsh, Anne M; Hamilton, Kyra; White, Katherine M; Hyde, Melissa K

2015-04-02

The use of the internet to access information is rapidly increasing; however, the quality of health information provided on various online sites is questionable. We aimed to examine the underlying factors that guide parents' decisions to use online information to manage their child's health care, a behaviour which has not yet been explored systematically. Parents (N = 391) completed a questionnaire assessing the standard theory of planned behaviour (TPB) measures of attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control (PBC), and intention as well as the underlying TPB belief-based items (i.e., behavioural, normative, and control beliefs) in addition to a measure of perceived risk and demographic variables. Two months later, consenting parents completed a follow-up telephone questionnaire which assessed the decisions they had made regarding their use of online information to manage their child's health care during the previous 2 months. We found support for the TPB constructs of attitude, subjective norm, and PBC as well as the additional construct of perceived risk in predicting parents' intentions to use online information to manage their child's health care, with further support found for intentions, but not PBC, in predicting parents' behaviour. The results of the TPB belief-based analyses also revealed important information about the critical beliefs that guide parents' decisions to engage in this child health management behaviour. This theory-based investigation to understand parents' motivations and online information-seeking behaviour is key to developing recommendations and policies to guide more appropriate help-seeking actions among parents.

Temporal Precision of Neuronal Information in a Rapid Perceptual Judgment

PubMed Central

Ghose, Geoffrey M.; Harrison, Ian T.

2009-01-01

In many situations, such as pedestrians crossing a busy street or prey evading predators, rapid decisions based on limited perceptual information are critical for survival. The brevity of these perceptual judgments constrains how neuronal signals are integrated or pooled over time because the underlying sequence of processes, from sensation to perceptual evaluation to motor planning and execution, all occur within several hundred milliseconds. Because most previous physiological studies of these processes have relied on tasks requiring considerably longer temporal integration, the neuronal basis of such rapid decisions remains largely unexplored. In this study, we examine the temporal precision of neuronal activity associated with a rapid perceptual judgment. We find that the activity of individual neurons over tens of milliseconds can reliably convey information about sensory events and was well correlated with the animals' judgments. There was a strong correlation between sensory reliability and the correlation with behavioral choice, suggesting that rapid decisions were preferentially based on the most reliable sensory signals. We also find that a simple model in which the responses of a small number of individual neurons (<5) are summed can completely explain behavioral performance. These results suggest that neuronal circuits are sufficiently precise to allow for cognitive decisions to be based on small numbers of action potentials from highly reliable neurons. PMID:19109454

Temporal precision of neuronal information in a rapid perceptual judgment.

PubMed

Ghose, Geoffrey M; Harrison, Ian T

2009-03-01

In many situations, such as pedestrians crossing a busy street or prey evading predators, rapid decisions based on limited perceptual information are critical for survival. The brevity of these perceptual judgments constrains how neuronal signals are integrated or pooled over time because the underlying sequence of processes, from sensation to perceptual evaluation to motor planning and execution, all occur within several hundred milliseconds. Because most previous physiological studies of these processes have relied on tasks requiring considerably longer temporal integration, the neuronal basis of such rapid decisions remains largely unexplored. In this study, we examine the temporal precision of neuronal activity associated with a rapid perceptual judgment. We find that the activity of individual neurons over tens of milliseconds can reliably convey information about sensory events and was well correlated with the animals' judgments. There was a strong correlation between sensory reliability and the correlation with behavioral choice, suggesting that rapid decisions were preferentially based on the most reliable sensory signals. We also find that a simple model in which the responses of a small number of individual neurons (<5) are summed can completely explain behavioral performance. These results suggest that neuronal circuits are sufficiently precise to allow for cognitive decisions to be based on small numbers of action potentials from highly reliable neurons.

Integrating Climate Change Scenarios and Co-developed Policy Scenarios to Inform Coastal Adaptation: Results from a Tillamook County, Oregon Knowledge to Action Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lipiec, E.; Ruggiero, P.; Serafin, K.; Bolte, J.; Mills, A.; Corcoran, P.; Stevenson, J.; Lach, D.

2014-12-01

Local decision-makers often lack both the information and tools to reduce their community's overall vulnerability to current and future climate change impacts. Managers are restricted in their actions by the scale of the problem, inherent scientific uncertainty, limits of information exchange, and the global nature of available data, rendering place-based strategies difficult to generate. Several U.S. Pacific Northwest coastal communities are already experiencing chronic erosion and flooding, hazards only to be exacerbated by sea level rise and changing patterns of storminess associated with climate change. To address these issues, a knowledge to action network (KTAN) consisting of local Tillamook County stakeholders and Oregon State University researchers, was formed to project future flooding and erosion impacts and determine possible adaptation policies to reduce vulnerability. Via an iterative scenario planning process, the KTAN has developed four distinct adaptation policy scenarios, including 'Status Quo', 'Hold The Line', 'ReAlign', and 'Laissez-Faire'. These policy scenarios are being integrated with a range of climate change scenarios within the modeling framework Envision, a multi-agent GIS-based tool, which allows for the combination of physical processes data, probabilistic climate change information, coastal flood and erosion models, and stakeholder driven adaptation strategies into distinct plausible future scenarios. Because exact physical and social responses to climate change are impossible to ascertain, information about the differences between possible future scenarios can provide valuable information to decision-makers and the community at large. For example, the fewest projected coastal flood and erosion impacts to buildings occur under the 'ReAlign' policy scenario (i.e., adaptation strategies that move dwellings away from the coast) under both low and high climate change scenarios, especially in comparison to the 'Status Quo' or 'Hold The Line' scenarios. Statistical analysis of the scenario-based variations in impacts to private and public resources can help guide future adaptation policy implementation and support Oregon's coastal communities for years to come.

Value focused rationality in AIDS policy.

PubMed

Wenstøp, F; Magnus, P

2001-07-01

A health policy analysis to contain the effects of the HIV epidemic in Norway has been carried out. It was performed as a Multi Criteria Decision Analysis where participants in a decision panel used personal values to weight benefits and costs of alternative policies. The analysis is of particular interest since Norway afterwards adopted a controversial HIV policy: the authorities warned the general population against sexual relations with immigrants from countries south of Sahara. The policy might reap benefits, but a certain cost was to stigmatise that group. This paper describes the analysis and defends the underlying consequentialistic ethics against other approaches involving rule-based ethics and benefit-cost analysis. The main argument is based on Hume's insight that reason alone does not prompt action; values will always be involved and should therefore be more explicitly focused on. The paper concludes that we need an extended notion of rationality that includes well-foundedness of values. Decision-makers should try to reach an emotional equilibrium where their values concerning the issue at hand become stable. The paradigm of decision analysis provides useful methods to approach this situation, although it must be considered only an input to policy rather than something producing a final answer.

Moving data off the shelf and into action: an intervention to improve data-informed decision making in Côte d'Ivoire.

PubMed

Nutley, Tara; Gnassou, Léontine; Traore, Moussa; Bosso, Abitche Edwige; Mullen, Stephanie

2014-01-01

Improving a health system requires data, but too often they are unused or under-used by decision makers. Without interventions to improve the use of data in decision making, health systems cannot meet the needs of the populations they serve. In 2008, in Côte d'Ivoire, data were largely unused in health decision-making processes. To implement and evaluate an intervention to improve the use of data in decision making in Cote d'Ivoire. From 2008 to 2012, Cote d'Ivoire sought to improve the use of national health data through an intervention that broadens participation in and builds links between data collection and decision-making processes; identifies information needs; improves data quality; builds capacity to analyze, synthesize, and interpret data; and develops policies to support data use. To assess the results, a Performance of Routine Information System Management Assessment was conducted before and after the intervention using a combination of purposeful and random sampling. In 2008, the sample consisted of the central level, 12 districts, and 119 facilities, and in 2012, the sample consisted of the central level, 20 districts, and 190 health facilities. To assess data use, we developed dichotomous indicators: discussions of analysis findings, decisions taken based on the analysis, and decisions referred to upper management for action. We aggregated the indicators to generate a composite, continuous index of data use. From 2008 to 2012, the district data-use score increased from 40 to 70%; the facility score remained the same - 38%. The central score is not reported, because of a methodological difference in the two assessments. The intervention improved the use of data in decision making at the district level in Côte d'Ivoire. This study provides an example of, and guidance for, implementing a large-scale intervention to improve data-informed decision making.

Risk Assessment Approach for the Hanford Site River Corridor Closure Project

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

Thomson, J.E.; Weiss, S.G.; Sands, J.P.

2007-07-01

The river corridor portion of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site includes the 100 Area and 300 Area, which border the Columbia River and cover 565 km{sup 2} (218 mi{sup 2}). The River Corridor Closure (RCC) Project scope of work includes 486 contaminated facilities, 4 of 9 deactivated plutonium production reactors, and 370 waste disposal sites. DOE's cleanup actions in the river corridor were initiated in 1994 under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1981 (42 U.S.C. 9601, et seq.) (CERCLA) and included source and groundwater operable units (OUs). DOE's RCC Project, awarded to Washingtonmore » Closure Hanford (WCH) in 2005, focuses on source OUs and has allowed cleanup actions to continue in the 100 and 300 Areas with completion by 2013. The regulatory authorization for cleanup actions at source OUs in the river corridor consists primarily of interim action records of decision (RODs), which were supported by qualitative risk assessments and limited field investigations. A key to establishing final cleanup decisions and proceeding toward final CERCLA closeout is completion of quantitative baseline risk assessment activities. Baseline risk assessment is necessary to determine whether cleanup actions are protective of human health and the environment and to identify any course corrections needed to ensure that current and future cleanup actions are protective. Because cleanup actions are ongoing under interim action RODs, it is desirable to establish the final cleanup decision bases as early as possible to minimize the impacts of any identified course corrections to the cleanup approach. Risk assessment is being performed by WCH as the River Corridor Baseline Risk Assessment (RCBRA). The RCBRA uses a multi-step process that summarizes existing data; uses the data quality objectives process to identify both data gaps and unresolved issues through public workshops; and solicits input from regulators, trustees, and stakeholders. Sampling and analysis plans are then developed to document quality requirements and identify field sample collection approaches. After required data are collected, the risks to human health and the environment are assessed. Sampling of upland, riparian, and near-shore environments for the 100/300 Area Component was performed in 2005 and 2006. The 100/300 Area Component includes former operational/reactor areas. The results of these efforts will be incorporated into a mid-2007 draft risk assessment report for the 100/300 Area Component of the RCBRA. Adapting methodology developed from the 100/300 Area Component, the Inter-Areas risk assessment will be conducted for the riparian and near-shore environments. The Inter-Areas Component includes shoreline areas between former operational areas addressed in the 100/300 Area Component. The Inter-Areas risk assessment will supplement results from the 100/300 Area Component to provide a more complete analysis of residual risks in the river corridor. Plans for the final element of the RCBRA, the Columbia River Component, are being developed by DOE and currently is not part of the RCC Project. The Columbia River Component includes the reach of the Columbia River located adjacent to the Hanford Site and reaches downstream to an undetermined boundary. Recommendations for final cleanup decisions at source units within the river corridor, based in part on the risk assessment results, will be presented for future public review in a River Corridor Source Unit Proposed Plan. To form an integrated cleanup approach for the river corridor, the RCBRA results for the source units require integration with risk assessment results from groundwater cleanup actions managed by other contractors. WCH's risk assessment task includes development of an integration strategy for activities leading up to the final regulatory decisions for all OUs in the river corridor. (authors)« less

Striatal action-value neurons reconsidered.

PubMed

Elber-Dorozko, Lotem; Loewenstein, Yonatan

2018-05-31

It is generally believed that during economic decisions, striatal neurons represent the values associated with different actions. This hypothesis is based on studies, in which the activity of striatal neurons was measured while the subject was learning to prefer the more rewarding action. Here we show that these publications are subject to at least one of two critical confounds. First, we show that even weak temporal correlations in the neuronal data may result in an erroneous identification of action-value representations. Second, we show that experiments and analyses designed to dissociate action-value representation from the representation of other decision variables cannot do so. We suggest solutions to identifying action-value representation that are not subject to these confounds. Applying one solution to previously identified action-value neurons in the basal ganglia we fail to detect action-value representations. We conclude that the claim that striatal neurons encode action-values must await new experiments and analyses. © 2018, Elber-Dorozko et al.

78 FR 77106 - U.S. Air Force Reminder Re: United Launch Alliance (ULA) Consent Order and Recent Change in...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-20

...: Headquarters Air Force, Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force (Space). ACTION: Publicize Consent Order... Force (Space), as the Compliance Officer under the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Decision and Order... Under Secretary of the Air Force (Space). This position is now held by Dr. Troy Meink. [[Page 77107...

Health policy making through operative actions: a case study of provider capacity reduction in a public safety-net system.

PubMed

Tataw, David B

2014-01-01

This article describes and assesses the implications of policy decisions affecting health provider capacity in the Los Angeles County municipal safety-net health system from 1980 to 2000. Although never articulated in law or a county ordinance, the county pursued a sustained and discernable policy of cost reductions that affected capacity at King/Drew Medical Center from 1980 to 2000 without the input of beneficiaries or their advocates. Year after year, the county reduced personnel, supplies, and available beds either by reducing formal budgets or through operative actions of facility administrators that prevented the implementation of formally approved expenditures. This policy appears to have undermined the hospital system's mission of providing health services to at-risk populations with nowhere else to go. Decision making during the two decades under study revealed a decision-making pattern that challenged traditional models of policy decision making.

Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 105: Area 2 Yucca Flat Atmospheric Test Sites, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 0

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

Matthews, Patrick

2013-09-01

This Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report presents information supporting the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 105: Area 2 Yucca Flat Atmospheric Test Sites, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada. CAU 105 comprises the following five corrective action sites (CASs): -02-23-04 Atmospheric Test Site - Whitney Closure In Place -02-23-05 Atmospheric Test Site T-2A Closure In Place -02-23-06 Atmospheric Test Site T-2B Clean Closure -02-23-08 Atmospheric Test Site T-2 Closure In Place -02-23-09 Atmospheric Test Site - Turk Closure In Place The purpose of this Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report is to provide justification and documentation supporting the recommendation that nomore » further corrective action is needed for CAU 105 based on the implementation of the corrective actions. Corrective action investigation (CAI) activities were performed from October 22, 2012, through May 23, 2013, as set forth in the Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 105: Area 2 Yucca Flat Atmospheric Test Sites; and in accordance with the Soils Activity Quality Assurance Plan, which establishes requirements, technical planning, and general quality practices.« less

75 FR 65463 - Record of Decision (ROD) for the Implementation of the Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) 2005...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-25

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army Record of Decision (ROD) for the Implementation of the Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) 2005 Actions at Fort Monroe, VA AGENCY: Department of the Army... Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (the Base Closure Act), Public Law 101-510, as amended...

Decision Rules Used in Academic Program Closure: Where the Rubber Meets the Road.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eckel, Peter D.

2002-01-01

Adopted a decision/action rationality framework to explore the criteria used to close academic programs at four universities. Findings suggested that decisions are based upon criteria other than those usually stated (e.g., cost, quality, and centrality), and that process leads to criteria generation. (EV)

78 FR 77430 - Endangered and Threatened Species; Recovery Plans

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-23

... Plan identifies substantive recovery actions needed to achieve recovery by addressing the systemic... consistent approach to section 7 consultations under the ESA and to other ESA decisions. For example, the...

Under Pressure: Response Urgency Modulates Striatal and Insula Activity during Decision-Making under Risk

PubMed Central

Jones, Catherine L.; Minati, Ludovico; Harrison, Neil A.; Ward, Jamie; Critchley, Hugo D.

2011-01-01

When deciding whether to bet in situations that involve potential monetary loss or gain (mixed gambles), a subjective sense of pressure can influence the evaluation of the expected utility associated with each choice option. Here, we explored how gambling decisions, their psychophysiological and neural counterparts are modulated by an induced sense of urgency to respond. Urgency influenced decision times and evoked heart rate responses, interacting with the expected value of each gamble. Using functional MRI, we observed that this interaction was associated with changes in the activity of the striatum, a critical region for both reward and choice selection, and within the insula, a region implicated as the substrate of affective feelings arising from interoceptive signals which influence motivational behavior. Our findings bridge current psychophysiological and neurobiological models of value representation and action-programming, identifying the striatum and insular cortex as the key substrates of decision-making under risk and urgency. PMID:21677769

Under pressure: response urgency modulates striatal and insula activity during decision-making under risk.

PubMed

Jones, Catherine L; Minati, Ludovico; Harrison, Neil A; Ward, Jamie; Critchley, Hugo D

2011-01-01

When deciding whether to bet in situations that involve potential monetary loss or gain (mixed gambles), a subjective sense of pressure can influence the evaluation of the expected utility associated with each choice option. Here, we explored how gambling decisions, their psychophysiological and neural counterparts are modulated by an induced sense of urgency to respond. Urgency influenced decision times and evoked heart rate responses, interacting with the expected value of each gamble. Using functional MRI, we observed that this interaction was associated with changes in the activity of the striatum, a critical region for both reward and choice selection, and within the insula, a region implicated as the substrate of affective feelings arising from interoceptive signals which influence motivational behavior. Our findings bridge current psychophysiological and neurobiological models of value representation and action-programming, identifying the striatum and insular cortex as the key substrates of decision-making under risk and urgency.

RPA Field Simulations:Dilemma Training for Legal and Ethical Decision Making

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-07

Simulation  Two phases in RPA Field Simulation – classroom phase and field phase  Purpose: link theoretical understanding/ moral reasoning with...rapid, informed decision-making/ moral behavior IRREGULAR WARFARE  U.S. dominates conventional warfare, but irregular warfare falls under Things...aspects: Mental simulation of action Modify Implement Will it work? MORAL REASONING/BEHAVIOR Military-Leader Responsibility requires

Motor planning under temporal uncertainty is suboptimal when the gain function is asymmetric

PubMed Central

Ota, Keiji; Shinya, Masahiro; Kudo, Kazutoshi

2015-01-01

For optimal action planning, the gain/loss associated with actions and the variability in motor output should both be considered. A number of studies make conflicting claims about the optimality of human action planning but cannot be reconciled due to their use of different movements and gain/loss functions. The disagreement is possibly because of differences in the experimental design and differences in the energetic cost of participant motor effort. We used a coincident timing task, which requires decision making with constant energetic cost, to test the optimality of participant's timing strategies under four configurations of the gain function. We compared participant strategies to an optimal timing strategy calculated from a Bayesian model that maximizes the expected gain. We found suboptimal timing strategies under two configurations of the gain function characterized by asymmetry, in which higher gain is associated with higher risk of zero gain. Participants showed a risk-seeking strategy by responding closer than optimal to the time of onset/offset of zero gain. Meanwhile, there was good agreement of the model with actual performance under two configurations of the gain function characterized by symmetry. Our findings show that human ability to make decisions that must reflect uncertainty in one's own motor output has limits that depend on the configuration of the gain function. PMID:26236227

Ubiquitous Log Odds: A Common Representation of Probability and Frequency Distortion in Perception, Action, and Cognition

PubMed Central

Zhang, Hang; Maloney, Laurence T.

2012-01-01

In decision from experience, the source of probability information affects how probability is distorted in the decision task. Understanding how and why probability is distorted is a key issue in understanding the peculiar character of experience-based decision. We consider how probability information is used not just in decision-making but also in a wide variety of cognitive, perceptual, and motor tasks. Very similar patterns of distortion of probability/frequency information have been found in visual frequency estimation, frequency estimation based on memory, signal detection theory, and in the use of probability information in decision-making under risk and uncertainty. We show that distortion of probability in all cases is well captured as linear transformations of the log odds of frequency and/or probability, a model with a slope parameter, and an intercept parameter. We then consider how task and experience influence these two parameters and the resulting distortion of probability. We review how the probability distortions change in systematic ways with task and report three experiments on frequency distortion where the distortions change systematically in the same task. We found that the slope of frequency distortions decreases with the sample size, which is echoed by findings in decision from experience. We review previous models of the representation of uncertainty and find that none can account for the empirical findings. PMID:22294978

Technical Guidance for Assessing Environmental Justice in ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Technical Guidance for Assessing Environmental Justice in Regulatory Analysis (also referred to as the Environmental Justice Technical Guidance or EJTG) is intended for use by Agency analysts, including risk assessors, economists, and other analytic staff that conduct analyses to evaluate EJ concerns in the context of regulatory actions. Senior EPA managers and decision makers also may find this document useful to understand analytic expectations and to ensure that EJ concerns are appropriately considered in the development of analyses to support regulatory actions under EPA’s action development process. Specifically, the document outlines approaches and methods to help Agency analysts evaluate EJ concerns. The document provides overarching direction to analysts by outlining a series of questions that will ensure the decision maker has appropriate information about baseline risks across population groups, and how those risks are distributed under the options being considered. In addition, the document provides a set of recommendations and requirements as well as best practices for use in analyzing and reporting results from consideration of EJ concerns. These principles will help ensure consistency, quality, and transparency across regulatory actions, while allowing for flexibility needed across different regulatory actions. The purpose of the EJTG is ensure consistency, quality, and transparency in considering environmental justice, while allowing f

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

Matthews, Patrick K.

This Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report presents information supporting the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 550: Smoky Contamination Area, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada. CAU 550 includes 19 corrective action sites (CASs), which consist of one weapons-related atmospheric test (Smoky), three safety experiments (Ceres, Oberon, Titania), and 15 debris sites (Table ES-1). The CASs were sorted into the following study groups based on release potential and technical similarities: • Study Group 1, Atmospheric Test • Study Group 2, Safety Experiments • Study Group 3, Washes • Study Group 4, Debris The purpose of this document is to provide justificationmore » and documentation supporting the conclusion that no further corrective action is needed for CAU 550 based on implementation of the corrective actions listed in Table ES-1. Corrective action investigation (CAI) activities were performed between August 2012 and October 2013 as set forth in the Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 550: Smoky Contamination Area; and in accordance with the Soils Activity Quality Assurance Plan. The approach for the CAI was to investigate and make data quality objective (DQO) decisions based on the types of releases present. The purpose of the CAI was to fulfill data needs as defined during the DQO process. The CAU 550 dataset of investigation results was evaluated based on a data quality assessment. This assessment demonstrated the dataset is complete and acceptable for use in fulfilling the DQO data needs.« less

Predicting explorative motor learning using decision-making and motor noise.

PubMed

Chen, Xiuli; Mohr, Kieran; Galea, Joseph M

2017-04-01

A fundamental problem faced by humans is learning to select motor actions based on noisy sensory information and incomplete knowledge of the world. Recently, a number of authors have asked whether this type of motor learning problem might be very similar to a range of higher-level decision-making problems. If so, participant behaviour on a high-level decision-making task could be predictive of their performance during a motor learning task. To investigate this question, we studied performance during an explorative motor learning task and a decision-making task which had a similar underlying structure with the exception that it was not subject to motor (execution) noise. We also collected an independent measurement of each participant's level of motor noise. Our analysis showed that explorative motor learning and decision-making could be modelled as the (approximately) optimal solution to a Partially Observable Markov Decision Process bounded by noisy neural information processing. The model was able to predict participant performance in motor learning by using parameters estimated from the decision-making task and the separate motor noise measurement. This suggests that explorative motor learning can be formalised as a sequential decision-making process that is adjusted for motor noise, and raises interesting questions regarding the neural origin of explorative motor learning.

Predicting explorative motor learning using decision-making and motor noise

PubMed Central

Galea, Joseph M.

2017-01-01

A fundamental problem faced by humans is learning to select motor actions based on noisy sensory information and incomplete knowledge of the world. Recently, a number of authors have asked whether this type of motor learning problem might be very similar to a range of higher-level decision-making problems. If so, participant behaviour on a high-level decision-making task could be predictive of their performance during a motor learning task. To investigate this question, we studied performance during an explorative motor learning task and a decision-making task which had a similar underlying structure with the exception that it was not subject to motor (execution) noise. We also collected an independent measurement of each participant’s level of motor noise. Our analysis showed that explorative motor learning and decision-making could be modelled as the (approximately) optimal solution to a Partially Observable Markov Decision Process bounded by noisy neural information processing. The model was able to predict participant performance in motor learning by using parameters estimated from the decision-making task and the separate motor noise measurement. This suggests that explorative motor learning can be formalised as a sequential decision-making process that is adjusted for motor noise, and raises interesting questions regarding the neural origin of explorative motor learning. PMID:28437451

Difficult decisions: Migration from Small Island Developing States under climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelman, Ilan

2015-04-01

The impacts of climate change on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are leading to discussions regarding decision-making about the potential need to migrate. Despite the situation being well-documented, with many SIDS aiming to raise the topic to prominence and to take action for themselves, limited support and interest has been forthcoming from external sources. This paper presents, analyzes, and critiques a decision-making flowchart to support actions for SIDS dealing with climate change-linked migration. The flowchart contributes to identifying the pertinent topics to consider and the potential support needed to implement decision-making. The flowchart has significant limitations and there are topics which it cannot resolve. On-the-ground considerations include who decides, finances, implements, monitors, and enforces each decision. Additionally, views within communities differ, hence mechanisms are needed for dealing with differences, while issues to address include moral and legal blame for any climate change-linked migration, the ultimate goal of the decision-making process, the wider role of migration in SIDS communities and the right to judge decision-making and decisions. The conclusions summarize the paper, emphasizing the importance of considering contexts beyond climate change and multiple SIDS voices.

Inert Reassessment Document for PEG Fatty Acid Esters

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The tolerance reassessment decision document and action memorandum for the PEG fatty acid ester date September 28, 2005, included two tolerance exemptions (under 40 CFR 180.910 and $) CFR 180.930, respectively)

United States Air Force 611th Air Support Group/Civil Engineering Squadron Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. Decision document for no further response action planned: Bullen Point Radar Installation, Alaska. Final report

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

Karmi, S.

1996-05-24

This Decision Document discusses the selection of no further action as the recommended action for two sites located at the Bullen Point radar installation. The United States Air Force (Air Force) completed a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study and a Risk Assessment for the five sites located at the Bullen Point installation (U.S. Air Force 1996a,b). Based on the findings of these activities, two sites are recommended for no further action. Sites at the Bullen Point radar installation recommended for no further action are: Old Landfill/Dump Site East (LF06) and Drum Storage Area (SS10).

SU-D-BRB-05: Quantum Learning for Knowledge-Based Response-Adaptive Radiotherapy

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

El Naqa, I; Ten, R

Purpose: There is tremendous excitement in radiotherapy about applying data-driven methods to develop personalized clinical decisions for real-time response-based adaptation. However, classical statistical learning methods lack in terms of efficiency and ability to predict outcomes under conditions of uncertainty and incomplete information. Therefore, we are investigating physics-inspired machine learning approaches by utilizing quantum principles for developing a robust framework to dynamically adapt treatments to individual patient’s characteristics and optimize outcomes. Methods: We studied 88 liver SBRT patients with 35 on non-adaptive and 53 on adaptive protocols. Adaptation was based on liver function using a split-course of 3+2 fractions with amore » month break. The radiotherapy environment was modeled as a Markov decision process (MDP) of baseline and one month into treatment states. The patient environment was modeled by a 5-variable state represented by patient’s clinical and dosimetric covariates. For comparison of classical and quantum learning methods, decision-making to adapt at one month was considered. The MDP objective was defined by the complication-free tumor control (P{sup +}=TCPx(1-NTCP)). A simple regression model represented state-action mapping. Single bit in classical MDP and a qubit of 2-superimposed states in quantum MDP represented the decision actions. Classical decision selection was done using reinforcement Q-learning and quantum searching was performed using Grover’s algorithm, which applies uniform superposition over possible states and yields quadratic speed-up. Results: Classical/quantum MDPs suggested adaptation (probability amplitude ≥0.5) 79% of the time for splitcourses and 100% for continuous-courses. However, the classical MDP had an average adaptation probability of 0.5±0.22 while the quantum algorithm reached 0.76±0.28. In cases where adaptation failed, classical MDP yielded 0.31±0.26 average amplitude while the quantum approach averaged a more optimistic 0.57±0.4, but with high phase fluctuations. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that quantum machine learning approaches provide a feasible and promising framework for real-time and sequential clinical decision-making in adaptive radiotherapy.« less

Theory of choice in bandit, information sampling and foraging tasks.

PubMed

Averbeck, Bruno B

2015-03-01

Decision making has been studied with a wide array of tasks. Here we examine the theoretical structure of bandit, information sampling and foraging tasks. These tasks move beyond tasks where the choice in the current trial does not affect future expected rewards. We have modeled these tasks using Markov decision processes (MDPs). MDPs provide a general framework for modeling tasks in which decisions affect the information on which future choices will be made. Under the assumption that agents are maximizing expected rewards, MDPs provide normative solutions. We find that all three classes of tasks pose choices among actions which trade-off immediate and future expected rewards. The tasks drive these trade-offs in unique ways, however. For bandit and information sampling tasks, increasing uncertainty or the time horizon shifts value to actions that pay-off in the future. Correspondingly, decreasing uncertainty increases the relative value of actions that pay-off immediately. For foraging tasks the time-horizon plays the dominant role, as choices do not affect future uncertainty in these tasks.

Common decisions made and actions taken during small-animal consultations at eight first-opinion practices in the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Robinson, N J; Brennan, M L; Cobb, M; Dean, R S

2017-04-01

In order for veterinary surgeons to undertake an evidence-based approach to making decisions about their patients, it is important that new evidence is generated to support the clinical decision-making process. Many of the decisions are likely to be around the actions taken to treat or manage health problems discussed during the consultation, and little is currently known about the factors which affect the type of action taken. The aim of this study was to determine the decisions made and actions taken for health problems discussed during first-opinion small-animal consultations, as well as identifying factors which may affect the decision-making process. Data were gathered during direct observation of small-animal consultations conducted by 62 veterinary surgeons in eight first-opinion practices in the United Kingdom. For each patient presented, data were gathered on all health problems discussed during the consultation. The decision made (whether an action was taken or not) and the action taken where applicable (e.g. therapeutic treatment with antibiotics) was also recorded. A three-level multivariable logistic-regression model was developed, with problem (Level 1) nested within patient (Level 2) nested within consulting veterinary surgeon (Level 3), and a binary outcome variable of action versus no action. At least one action was taken for 69% (n=2203/3192) of all problems discussed. Therapeutic treatment was the most common action taken (n=1286/3192 problems; 40.3%), followed by management advice (n=1040/3192; 32.6%) and diagnostic work-up (n=323/3192; 10.1%). The most common therapeutic treatment was antibiotics (n=386/1286; 30%), while the most common management advice given was dietary advice (n=509/1040; 48.9%). The three explanatory variables remaining in the final model were whether the problem was a presenting or non-presenting problem, the type of diagnosis made, and the body system affected. Explanatory variables which did not remain in the final model were patient signalment, problem history, consultation type, clinical examination type, and who raised the problem (veterinary surgeon or owner). For over two-thirds of problems discussed, an action was taken which suggests these problems may be seen as important by the veterinary surgeon and/or pet owner. No action was taken for almost a third of cases which could represent 'watchful waiting', which has been highlighted as important in human healthcare. Future research should focus on the common actions taken, further exploring the complex decision-making process, and examining the effect of the decisions made on long-term patient outcomes. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 252: Area 25 Engine Test Stand 1 Decontamination Pad, Nevada Test Site, Nevada

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

DOE /NV

This Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report (CADD/CR) has been prepared for Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 252: Area 25 Engine Test Stand-1 Decontamination Pad, in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO). Located at the Nevada Test Site in Nevada, CAU 252 consists of only one Corrective Action Site (25-07-04, Decontamination Pad). This CADD/CR identifies and rationalizes the U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office's (DOE/NV's) recommendation that no corrective action is deemed necessary at CAU 252. The Corrective Action Decision Document and Closure Report have been combined into one report because the potential contaminants of concern weremore » either not detected during the corrective action investigation or were only present at naturally occurring concentrations. Based on the field results, neither corrective action or a corrective action plan is required at this site. A Notice of Completion to DOE/NV is being requested from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection for closure of CAU 252, as well as a request that this site be moved from Appendix III to Appendix IV of the FFACO. Further, no use restrictions are required to be placed on this CAU.« less

Ending on a positive: Examining the role of safety leadership decisions, behaviours and actions in a safety critical situation.

PubMed

Donovan, Sarah-Louise; Salmon, Paul M; Horberry, Timothy; Lenné, Michael G

2018-01-01

Safety leadership is an important factor in supporting safe performance in the workplace. The present case study examined the role of safety leadership during the Bingham Canyon Mine high-wall failure, a significant mining incident in which no fatalities or injuries were incurred. The Critical Decision Method (CDM) was used in conjunction with a self-reporting approach to examine safety leadership in terms of decisions, behaviours and actions that contributed to the incidents' safe outcome. Mapping the analysis onto Rasmussen's Risk Management Framework (Rasmussen, 1997), the findings demonstrate clear links between safety leadership decisions, and emergent behaviours and actions across the work system. Communication and engagement based decisions featured most prominently, and were linked to different leadership practices across the work system. Further, a core sub-set of CDM decision elements were linked to the open flow and exchange of information across the work system, which was critical to supporting the safe outcome. The findings provide practical implications for the development of safety leadership capability to support safety within the mining industry. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

42 CFR 457.203 - Administrative and judicial review of action on State plan material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... determines that his or her original decision was incorrect, CMS will pay the State a lump sum equal to any... with the Administrator's action on State plan material under § 457.150 may, within 60 days after... of hearing. Within 30 days after receipt of the request, the Administrator notifies the State of the...

Views of Administrators and Teachers on Participation in Decision Making at School (The City of Ankara Sample)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gulcan, Murat Gurkan

2011-01-01

Any kind of practices at schools are made based on a planned and programmed process. There is a decision taken prior to every action and it is important at what level these decisions are taken. Development of participative management approach at schools positively affects the teaching process. Education staff participation in decisions causes…

Parietal neurons encode expected gains in instrumental information

PubMed Central

Foley, Nicholas C.; Kelly, Simon P.; Mhatre, Himanshu; Gottlieb, Jacqueline

2017-01-01

In natural behavior, animals have access to multiple sources of information, but only a few of these sources are relevant for learning and actions. Beyond choosing an appropriate action, making good decisions entails the ability to choose the relevant information, but fundamental questions remain about the brain’s information sampling policies. Recent studies described the neural correlates of seeking information about a reward, but it remains unknown whether, and how, neurons encode choices of instrumental information, in contexts in which the information guides subsequent actions. Here we show that parietal cortical neurons involved in oculomotor decisions encode, before an information sampling saccade, the reduction in uncertainty that the saccade is expected to bring for a subsequent action. These responses were distinct from the neurons’ visual and saccadic modulations and from signals of expected reward or reward prediction errors. Therefore, even in an instrumental context when information and reward gains are closely correlated, individual cells encode decision variables that are based on informational factors and can guide the active sampling of action-relevant cues. PMID:28373569

Modeling Mixed Groups of Humans and Robots with Reflexive Game Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarasenko, Sergey

The Reflexive Game Theory is based on decision-making principles similar to the ones used by humans. This theory considers groups of subjects and allows to predict which action from the set each subject in the group will choose. It is possible to influence subject's decision in a way that he will make a particular choice. The purpose of this study is to illustrate how robots can refrain humans from risky actions. To determine the risky actions, the Asimov's Three Laws of robotics are employed. By fusing the RGT's power to convince humans on the mental level with Asimov's Laws' safety, we illustrate how robots in the mixed groups of humans and robots can influence on human subjects in order to refrain humans from risky actions. We suggest that this fusion has a potential to device human-like motor behaving and looking robots with the human-like decision-making algorithms.

Adaptive harvest management of North American waterfowl populations - recent successes and future prospects

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nichols, J.D.; Runge, M.C.; Johnson, F.A.; Williams, B.K.; Schodde, Richard; Hannon, Susan; Scheiffarth, Gregor; Bairlein, Franz

2006-01-01

The history of North American waterfowl harvest management has been characterized by attempts to use population monitoring data to make informed harvest management decisions. Early attempts can be characterized as intuitive decision processes, and later efforts were guided increasingly by population models and associated predictions. In 1995, a formal adaptive management process was implemented, and annual decisions about duck harvest regulations in the United States are still based on this process. This formal decision process is designed to deal appropriately with the various forms of uncertainty that characterize management decisions, environmental uncertainty, structural uncertainty, partial controllability and partial observability. The key components of the process are (1) objectives, (2) potential management actions, (3) model(s) of population response to management actions, (4) credibility measures for these models, and (5) a monitoring program. The operation of this iterative process is described, and a brief history of a decade of its use is presented. Future challenges range from social and political issues such as appropriate objectives and management actions, to technical issues such as multispecies management, geographic allocation of harvest, and incorporation of actions that include habitat acquisition and management.

Networks of conforming or nonconforming individuals tend to reach satisfactory decisions.

PubMed

Ramazi, Pouria; Riehl, James; Cao, Ming

2016-11-15

Binary decisions of agents coupled in networks can often be classified into two types: "coordination," where an agent takes an action if enough neighbors are using that action, as in the spread of social norms, innovations, and viral epidemics, and "anticoordination," where too many neighbors taking a particular action causes an agent to take the opposite action, as in traffic congestion, crowd dispersion, and division of labor. Both of these cases can be modeled using linear-threshold-based dynamics, and a fundamental question is whether the individuals in such networks are likely to reach decisions with which they are satisfied. We show that, in the coordination case, and perhaps more surprisingly, also in the anticoordination case, the agents will indeed always tend to reach satisfactory decisions, that is, the network will almost surely reach an equilibrium state. This holds for every network topology and every distribution of thresholds, for both asynchronous and partially synchronous decision-making updates. These results reveal that irregular network topology, population heterogeneity, and partial synchrony are not sufficient to cause cycles or nonconvergence in linear-threshold dynamics; rather, other factors such as imitation or the coexistence of coordinating and anticoordinating agents must play a role.

Decision-making under uncertainty: results from an experiment conducted at EGU 2012

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramos, Maria-Helena; van Andel, Schalk Jan; Pappenberger, Florian

2013-04-01

Do probabilistic forecasts lead to better decisions? At the EGU General Assembly 2012, we conducted a laboratory-style experiment to address this question. Several cases of flood forecasts and a choice of actions to take were presented as part of a game to participants, who acted as decision makers. Participants were prompted to make decisions when forecasts were provided with and without uncertainty information. They had to decide whether to open or not a gate which was the inlet of a retention basin designed to protect a town. The rules were such that: if they decided to open the gate, the retention basin was flooded and the farmers in this basin demanded a compensation for flooding their land; if they decided not to open the gate and a flood occurred on the river, the town was flooded and they had to pay a fine to the town. Participants were encouraged to keep note of their individual decisions in a worksheet. About 100 worksheets were collected at the end of the game and the results of their evaluation are presented here. In general, they show that decisions are based on a combination of what is displayed by the expected (forecast) value and what is given by the uncertainty information. In the absence of uncertainty information, decision makers are compelled towards a more risk-averse attitude. Besides, more money was lost by a large majority of participants when they had to make decisions without uncertainty information. Limitations of the experiment setting are discussed, as well as the importance of the development of training tools to increase effectiveness in the use of probabilistic predictions to support decisions under uncertainty.

77 FR 47372 - New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-08

... species and area- based `extra-SASI' materials intended to support decision making related to adverse...). Recommendations from this group will be brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if... group for discussion, those issues may not be the subject of formal action during this meeting. Action...

Markov Decision Process Measurement Model.

PubMed

LaMar, Michelle M

2018-03-01

Within-task actions can provide additional information on student competencies but are challenging to model. This paper explores the potential of using a cognitive model for decision making, the Markov decision process, to provide a mapping between within-task actions and latent traits of interest. Psychometric properties of the model are explored, and simulation studies report on parameter recovery within the context of a simple strategy game. The model is then applied to empirical data from an educational game. Estimates from the model are found to correlate more strongly with posttest results than a partial-credit IRT model based on outcome data alone.

Superfund record of decision (EPA Region 1): Tansitor Electronics, Inc., Bennington, VT, September 29, 1995

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

NONE

1996-03-01

This Decision Document presents the selected remedial action for the Tansitor Electronics, Inc. Superfund Site in Bennington, Vermont. This ROD sets forth the selected remedy for the Tansitor Electronics, Inc. Superfund Site, which includes management of migration components to obtain a comprehensive remedy. This ROD does not include any source control component because EPA`s risk assessment concluded that the surface and subsurface soils did not present an unacceptable risk either under current conditions or under a potential future residential scenario.

Computer-aided diagnostic strategy selection.

PubMed

Greenes, R A

1986-03-01

Determination of the optimal diagnostic work-up strategy for the patient is becoming a major concern for the practicing physician. Overlap of the indications for various diagnostic procedures, differences in their invasiveness or risk, and high costs have made physicians aware of the need to consider the choice of procedure carefully, as well as its relation to management actions available. In this article, the author discusses research approaches that aim toward development of formal decision analytic methods to allow the physician to determine optimal strategy; clinical algorithms or rules as guides to physician decisions; improved measures for characterizing the performance of diagnostic tests; educational tools for increasing the familiarity of physicians with the concepts underlying these measures and analytic procedures; and computer-based aids for facilitating the employment of these resources in actual clinical practice.

Interrupting behaviour: Minimizing decision costs via temporal commitment and low-level interrupts.

PubMed

Lloyd, Kevin; Dayan, Peter

2018-01-01

Ideal decision-makers should constantly assess all sources of information about opportunities and threats, and be able to redetermine their choices promptly in the face of change. However, perpetual monitoring and reassessment impose inordinate sensing and computational costs, making them impractical for animals and machines alike. The obvious alternative of committing for extended periods of time to limited sensory strategies associated with particular courses of action can be dangerous and wasteful. Here, we explore the intermediate possibility of making provisional temporal commitments whilst admitting interruption based on limited broader observation. We simulate foraging under threat of predation to elucidate the benefits of such a scheme. We relate our results to diseases of distractibility and roving attention, and consider mechanistic substrates such as noradrenergic neuromodulation.

Interrupting behaviour: Minimizing decision costs via temporal commitment and low-level interrupts

PubMed Central

Dayan, Peter

2018-01-01

Ideal decision-makers should constantly assess all sources of information about opportunities and threats, and be able to redetermine their choices promptly in the face of change. However, perpetual monitoring and reassessment impose inordinate sensing and computational costs, making them impractical for animals and machines alike. The obvious alternative of committing for extended periods of time to limited sensory strategies associated with particular courses of action can be dangerous and wasteful. Here, we explore the intermediate possibility of making provisional temporal commitments whilst admitting interruption based on limited broader observation. We simulate foraging under threat of predation to elucidate the benefits of such a scheme. We relate our results to diseases of distractibility and roving attention, and consider mechanistic substrates such as noradrenergic neuromodulation. PMID:29338004

Corrective Action Decision Document for Corrective Action Unit 204: Storage Bunkers, Nevada Test Site, Nevada: Revision 0, Including Errata Sheet

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

U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office

2004-04-01

This Corrective Action Decision Document identifies the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office's corrective action alternative recommendation for each of the corrective action sites (CASs) within Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 204: Storage Bunkers, Nevada Test Site (NTS), Nevada, under the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order. An evaluation of analytical data from the corrective action investigation, review of current and future operations at each CAS, and a detailed comparative analysis of potential corrective action alternatives were used to determine the appropriate corrective action for each CAS. There are six CASs in CAU 204, which aremore » all located between Areas 1, 2, 3, and 5 on the NTS. The No Further Action alternative was recommended for CASs 01-34-01, 02-34-01, 03-34-01, and 05-99-02; and a Closure in Place with Administrative Controls recommendation was the preferred corrective action for CASs 05-18-02 and 05-33-01. These alternatives were judged to meet all requirements for the technical components evaluated as well as applicable state and federal regulations for closure of the sites and will eliminate potential future exposure pathways to the contaminated media at CAU 204.« less

18 CFR 385.602 - Submission of settlement offers (Rule 602).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... settlement issues, if the record contains substantial evidence upon which to base a reasoned decision or the... reasonably be based; or (B) Take other action which the Commission determines to be appropriate. (iii) If... contains substantial evidence from which the Commission may reach a reasoned decision on the merits of the...

Making Sense of Experienced Teachers' Interactive Decisions: Implications for Expertise in Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gün, Bahar

2014-01-01

Teachers' decision making has always been an area of curiosity in many studies related to teachers and teaching. One approach to understanding teachers' decisions is through the analysis of their reflection-in-action behaviours. This study, based on the premise that one can gain understanding from examining experienced teachers' classroom…

Mass Conflagration: An Analysis and Adaptation of the Shipboard Damage Control Organization

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-03-01

the span of control narrows, as each supervisor is able to better monitor the actions and environment of his subordinates. (6) Communciation and... computed decision is reached by the decision makers, often based on a prior formal doctrine or methodology. [Ref. 4:p. 364] While no decision process

Optimal policy for value-based decision-making.

PubMed

Tajima, Satohiro; Drugowitsch, Jan; Pouget, Alexandre

2016-08-18

For decades now, normative theories of perceptual decisions, and their implementation as drift diffusion models, have driven and significantly improved our understanding of human and animal behaviour and the underlying neural processes. While similar processes seem to govern value-based decisions, we still lack the theoretical understanding of why this ought to be the case. Here, we show that, similar to perceptual decisions, drift diffusion models implement the optimal strategy for value-based decisions. Such optimal decisions require the models' decision boundaries to collapse over time, and to depend on the a priori knowledge about reward contingencies. Diffusion models only implement the optimal strategy under specific task assumptions, and cease to be optimal once we start relaxing these assumptions, by, for example, using non-linear utility functions. Our findings thus provide the much-needed theory for value-based decisions, explain the apparent similarity to perceptual decisions, and predict conditions under which this similarity should break down.

Optimal policy for value-based decision-making

PubMed Central

Tajima, Satohiro; Drugowitsch, Jan; Pouget, Alexandre

2016-01-01

For decades now, normative theories of perceptual decisions, and their implementation as drift diffusion models, have driven and significantly improved our understanding of human and animal behaviour and the underlying neural processes. While similar processes seem to govern value-based decisions, we still lack the theoretical understanding of why this ought to be the case. Here, we show that, similar to perceptual decisions, drift diffusion models implement the optimal strategy for value-based decisions. Such optimal decisions require the models' decision boundaries to collapse over time, and to depend on the a priori knowledge about reward contingencies. Diffusion models only implement the optimal strategy under specific task assumptions, and cease to be optimal once we start relaxing these assumptions, by, for example, using non-linear utility functions. Our findings thus provide the much-needed theory for value-based decisions, explain the apparent similarity to perceptual decisions, and predict conditions under which this similarity should break down. PMID:27535638

NATO Guide for Judgment-Based Operational Analysis in Defence Decision Making (Guide OTAN pour l’analyse operationnelle basee sur le jugement dans la prise de decision de defense). Client-Oriented Volume

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

disputed thus leading to informed debate about the actions to take. The advice will lead to an informed debate about the pros and cons of...his preferred courses of action, compare pros and cons . Figure 4 illustrates how each phase may include tasks (and methods) that are typical of...options. Output: A compilation of the pros and cons of the three options. An example of presenting the data for this generic acquisition study is

11 CFR 9007.3 - Extensions of time.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... FINANCING EXAMINATIONS AND AUDITS; REPAYMENTS § 9007.3 Extensions of time. (a) It is the policy of the... right or taking of any such action before making decisions or determinations under 11 CFR part 9007. [56...

Beliefs Underlying the Decision to Eat Breakfast: The Role of Theory-based Behavioral Analysis in the Development of Policy, Communication and Educational Interventions for Healthy Eating.

PubMed

Middlestadt, Susan E; Stevenson, Laurel D; Hung, Chia-Ling; Roditis, Maria Leia; Fly, Alyce D; Sheats, Jylana L

2011-01-01

Policy, communication, and education efforts to influence any social or health outcome are more effective if based on an understanding of the underlying behaviors and their determinants. This conceptual paper outlines how behavioral theory can help design interventions for one healthy eating behavior, eating breakfast. More specifically, the paper illustrates how a prominent health behavior theory, the Reasoned Action Approach, can be used to guide formative research to identify factors underlying people's decisions. Select findings are presented from three studies of beliefs underlying eating breakfast: online surveys with 1185 undergraduates from a large university in Indiana; in-depth interviews with 61 adults from four Indiana worksites; and 63 in-depth interviews with students from three middle schools in rural Indiana. Analyses of data from the undergraduates demonstrated the role of self-efficacy. Analyses of data from the working adults revealed the importance of normative beliefs about what employers believed. Analyses comparing consequences perceived by adults with those perceived by middle school students found that both groups believed that eating breakfast would provide energy but only middle school students believed that eating breakfast would improve alertness. For each finding, the theory is presented, the finding is described, implications for interventions are suggested, and the need for additional research is outlined. In sum, theory-based behavioral research can help develop interventions at intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental levels that are warranted to encourage healthy eating.

The Evidential Basis of Decision Making in Plant Disease Management.

PubMed

Hughes, Gareth

2017-08-04

The evidential basis for disease management decision making is provided by data relating to risk factors. The decision process involves an assessment of the evidence leading to taking (or refraining from) action on the basis of a prediction. The primary objective of the decision process is to identify-at the time the decision is made-the control action that provides the best predicted end-of-season outcome, calculated in terms of revenue or another appropriate metric. Data relating to disease risk factors may take a variety of forms (e.g., continuous, discrete, categorical) on measurement scales in a variety of units. Log 10 -likelihood ratios provide a principled basis for the accumulation of evidence based on such data and allow predictions to be made via Bayesian updating of prior probabilities.

What is a food and what is a medicinal product in the European Union? Use of the benchmark dose (BMD) methodology to define a threshold for "pharmacological action".

PubMed

Lachenmeier, Dirk W; Steffen, Christian; el-Atma, Oliver; Maixner, Sibylle; Löbell-Behrends, Sigrid; Kohl-Himmelseher, Matthias

2012-11-01

The decision criterion for the demarcation between foods and medicinal products in the EU is the significant "pharmacological action". Based on six examples of substances with ambivalent status, the benchmark dose (BMD) method is evaluated to provide a threshold for pharmacological action. Using significant dose-response models from literature clinical trial data or epidemiology, the BMD values were 63mg/day for caffeine, 5g/day for alcohol, 6mg/day for lovastatin, 769mg/day for glucosamine sulfate, 151mg/day for Ginkgo biloba extract, and 0.4mg/day for melatonin. The examples for caffeine and alcohol validate the approach because intake above BMD clearly exhibits pharmacological action. Nevertheless, due to uncertainties in dose-response modelling as well as the need for additional uncertainty factors to consider differences in sensitivity within the human population, a "borderline range" on the dose-response curve remains. "Pharmacological action" has proven to be not very well suited as binary decision criterion between foods and medicinal product. The European legislator should rethink the definition of medicinal products, as the current situation based on complicated case-by-case decisions on pharmacological action leads to an unregulated market flooded with potentially illegal food supplements. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Addendum to the Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 321: Area 22 Weather Station Fuel Storage Nevada Test Site, Nevada, Revision 0

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

Lynn Kidman

This document constitutes an addendum to the August 2001, Corrective Action Decision Document / Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 321: Area 22 Weather Station Fuel Storage as described in the document Recommendations and Justifications for Modifications for Use Restrictions Established under the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (UR Modification document) dated February 2008. The UR Modification document was approved by NDEP on February 26, 2008. The approval of the UR Modification document constituted approval of each of the recommended UR modifications. In conformance with the UR Modificationmore » document, this addendum consists of: • This cover page that refers the reader to the UR Modification document for additional information • The cover and signature pages of the UR Modification document • The NDEP approval letter • The corresponding section of the UR Modification document This addendum provides the documentation justifying the cancellation of the UR for CAS 22-99-05, Fuel Storage Area. This UR was established as part of a Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO) corrective action and is based on the presence of contaminants at concentrations greater than the action levels established at the time of the initial investigation (FFACO, 1996; as amended August 2006). Since this UR was established, practices and procedures relating to the implementation of risk-based corrective actions (RBCA) have changed. Therefore, this UR was re-evaluated against the current RBCA criteria as defined in the Industrial Sites Project Establishment of Final Action Levels (NNSA/NSO, 2006c). This re-evaluation consisted of comparing the original data (used to define the need for the UR) to risk-based final action levels (FALs) developed using the current Industrial Sites RBCA process. The re-evaluation resulted in a recommendation to remove the UR because contamination is not present at the site above the risk-based FALs. Requirements for inspecting and maintaining this UR will be canceled, and the postings and signage at this site will be removed. Fencing and posting may be present at this site that are unrelated to the FFACO UR such as for radiological control purposes as required by the NV/YMP Radiological Control Manual (NNSA/NSO, 2004f). This modification will not affect or modify any non-FFACO requirements for fencing, posting, or monitoring at this site.« less

Dual learning processes underlying human decision-making in reversal learning tasks: functional significance and evidence from the model fit to human behavior

PubMed Central

Bai, Yu; Katahira, Kentaro; Ohira, Hideki

2014-01-01

Humans are capable of correcting their actions based on actions performed in the past, and this ability enables them to adapt to a changing environment. The computational field of reinforcement learning (RL) has provided a powerful explanation for understanding such processes. Recently, the dual learning system, modeled as a hybrid model that incorporates value update based on reward-prediction error and learning rate modulation based on the surprise signal, has gained attention as a model for explaining various neural signals. However, the functional significance of the hybrid model has not been established. In the present study, we used computer simulation in a reversal learning task to address functional significance in a probabilistic reversal learning task. The hybrid model was found to perform better than the standard RL model in a large parameter setting. These results suggest that the hybrid model is more robust against the mistuning of parameters compared with the standard RL model when decision-makers continue to learn stimulus-reward contingencies, which can create abrupt changes. The parameter fitting results also indicated that the hybrid model fit better than the standard RL model for more than 50% of the participants, which suggests that the hybrid model has more explanatory power for the behavioral data than the standard RL model. PMID:25161635

Planning Under Continuous Time and Resource Uncertainty: A Challenge for AI

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bresina, John; Dearden, Richard; Meuleau, Nicolas; Smith, David; Washington, Rich; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

There has been considerable work in Al on decision-theoretic planning and planning under uncertainty. Unfortunately, all of this work suffers from one or more of the following limitations: 1) it relies on very simple models of actions and time, 2) it assumes that uncertainty is manifested in discrete action outcomes, and 3) it is only practical for very small problems. For many real world problems, these assumptions fail to hold. A case in point is planning the activities for a Mars rover. For this domain none of the above assumptions are valid: 1) actions can be concurrent and have differing durations, 2) there is uncertainty concerning action durations and consumption of continuous resources like power, and 3) typical daily plans involve on the order of a hundred actions. We describe the rover problem, discuss previous work on planning under uncertainty, and present a detailed. but very small, example illustrating some of the difficulties of finding good plans.

An Intuitionistic Fuzzy Logic Models for Multicriteria Decision Making Under Uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jana, Biswajit; Mohanty, Sachi Nandan

2017-04-01

The purpose of this paper is to enhance the applicability of the fuzzy sets for developing mathematical models for decision making under uncertainty, In general a decision making process consist of four stages, namely collection of information from various sources, compile the information, execute the information and finally take the decision/action. Only fuzzy sets theory is capable to quantifying the linguistic expression to mathematical form in complex situation. Intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFSs) which reflects the fact that the degree of non membership is not always equal to one minus degree of membership. There may be some degree of hesitation. Thus, there are some situations where IFS theory provides a more meaningful and applicable to cope with imprecise information present for solving multiple criteria decision making problem. This paper emphasis on IFSs, which is help for solving real world problem in uncertainty situation.

GUIDED TOUR OF A WEB-BASED ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION TOOLKIT

EPA Science Inventory

Decision-making regarding the targeting of vulnerable resources and prioritization of actions requires synthesis of data on condition, vulnerability, and feasibility of risk management alternatives. EP A's Regional Vulnerability Assessment (ReV A) Program has evaluated existing a...

Neural Signature of Value-Based Sensorimotor Prioritization in Humans

PubMed Central

Blangero, Annabelle

2017-01-01

In situations in which impending sensory events demand fast action choices, we must be ready to prioritize higher-value courses of action to avoid missed opportunities. When such a situation first presents itself, stimulus–action contingencies and their relative value must be encoded to establish a value-biased state of preparation for an impending sensorimotor decision. Here, we sought to identify neurophysiological signatures of such processes in the human brain (both female and male). We devised a task requiring fast action choices based on the discrimination of a simple visual cue in which the differently valued sensory alternatives were presented 750–800 ms before as peripheral “targets” that specified the stimulus–action mapping for the upcoming decision. In response to the targets, we identified a discrete, transient, spatially selective signal in the event-related potential (ERP), which scaled with relative value and strongly predicted the degree of behavioral bias in the upcoming decision both across and within subjects. This signal is not compatible with any hitherto known ERP signature of spatial selection and also bears novel distinctions with respect to characterizations of value-sensitive, spatially selective activity found in sensorimotor areas of nonhuman primates. Specifically, a series of follow-up experiments revealed that the signal was reliably invoked regardless of response laterality, response modality, sensory feature, and reward valence. It was absent, however, when the response deadline was relaxed and the strategic need for biasing removed. Therefore, more than passively representing value or salience, the signal appears to play a versatile and active role in adaptive sensorimotor prioritization. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In many situations such as fast-moving sports, we must be ready to act fast in response to sensory events and, in our preparation, prioritize courses of action that lead to greater rewards. Although behavioral effects of value biases in sensorimotor decision making have been widely studied, little is known about the neural processes that set these biases in place beforehand. Here, we report the discovery of a transient, spatially selective neural signal in humans that encodes the relative value of competing decision alternatives and strongly predicts behavioral value biases in decisions made ∼500 ms later. Follow-up manipulations of value differential, reward valence, response modality, sensory features, and time constraints establish that the signal reflects an active, feature- and effector-general preparatory mechanism for value-based prioritization. PMID:28982706

Don't Think, Just Feel the Music: Individuals with Strong Pavlovian-to-Instrumental Transfer Effects Rely Less on Model-based Reinforcement Learning.

PubMed

Sebold, Miriam; Schad, Daniel J; Nebe, Stephan; Garbusow, Maria; Jünger, Elisabeth; Kroemer, Nils B; Kathmann, Norbert; Zimmermann, Ulrich S; Smolka, Michael N; Rapp, Michael A; Heinz, Andreas; Huys, Quentin J M

2016-07-01

Behavioral choice can be characterized along two axes. One axis distinguishes reflexive, model-free systems that slowly accumulate values through experience and a model-based system that uses knowledge to reason prospectively. The second axis distinguishes Pavlovian valuation of stimuli from instrumental valuation of actions or stimulus-action pairs. This results in four values and many possible interactions between them, with important consequences for accounts of individual variation. We here explored whether individual variation along one axis was related to individual variation along the other. Specifically, we asked whether individuals' balance between model-based and model-free learning was related to their tendency to show Pavlovian interferences with instrumental decisions. In two independent samples with a total of 243 participants, Pavlovian-instrumental transfer effects were negatively correlated with the strength of model-based reasoning in a two-step task. This suggests a potential common underlying substrate predisposing individuals to both have strong Pavlovian interference and be less model-based and provides a framework within which to interpret the observation of both effects in addiction.

Trial-Type Dependent Frames of Reference for Value Comparison

PubMed Central

Hunt, Laurence T.; Woolrich, Mark W.; Rushworth, Matthew F. S.; Behrens, Timothy E. J.

2013-01-01

A central question in cognitive neuroscience regards the means by which options are compared and decisions are resolved during value-guided choice. It is clear that several component processes are needed; these include identifying options, a value-based comparison, and implementation of actions to execute the decision. What is less clear is the temporal precedence and functional organisation of these component processes in the brain. Competing models of decision making have proposed that value comparison may occur in the space of alternative actions, or in the space of abstract goods. We hypothesized that the signals observed might in fact depend upon the framing of the decision. We recorded magnetoencephalographic data from humans performing value-guided choices in which two closely related trial types were interleaved. In the first trial type, each option was revealed separately, potentially causing subjects to estimate each action's value as it was revealed and perform comparison in action-space. In the second trial type, both options were presented simultaneously, potentially leading to comparison in abstract goods-space prior to commitment to a specific action. Distinct activity patterns (in distinct brain regions) on the two trial types demonstrated that the observed frame of reference used for decision making indeed differed, despite the information presented being formally identical, between the two trial types. This provides a potential reconciliation of conflicting accounts of value-guided choice. PMID:24068906

The SAM framework: modeling the effects of management factors on human behavior in risk analysis.

PubMed

Murphy, D M; Paté-Cornell, M E

1996-08-01

Complex engineered systems, such as nuclear reactors and chemical plants, have the potential for catastrophic failure with disastrous consequences. In recent years, human and management factors have been recognized as frequent root causes of major failures in such systems. However, classical probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) techniques do not account for the underlying causes of these errors because they focus on the physical system and do not explicitly address the link between components' performance and organizational factors. This paper describes a general approach for addressing the human and management causes of system failure, called the SAM (System-Action-Management) framework. Beginning with a quantitative risk model of the physical system, SAM expands the scope of analysis to incorporate first the decisions and actions of individuals that affect the physical system. SAM then links management factors (incentives, training, policies and procedures, selection criteria, etc.) to those decisions and actions. The focus of this paper is on four quantitative models of action that describe this last relationship. These models address the formation of intentions for action and their execution as a function of the organizational environment. Intention formation is described by three alternative models: a rational model, a bounded rationality model, and a rule-based model. The execution of intentions is then modeled separately. These four models are designed to assess the probabilities of individual actions from the perspective of management, thus reflecting the uncertainties inherent to human behavior. The SAM framework is illustrated for a hypothetical case of hazardous materials transportation. This framework can be used as a tool to increase the safety and reliability of complex technical systems by modifying the organization, rather than, or in addition to, re-designing the physical system.

Who Really Wants an Ambitious Large-Scale Restoration of the Seine Estuary? A Strategic Analysis of a Science-Policy Interface Locked in a Stalemate.

PubMed

Coreau, Audrey; Narcy, Jean-Baptiste; Lumbroso, Sarah

2018-05-01

The development of ecosystem knowledge is an essential condition for effective environmental management but using available knowledge to solve environmental controversies is still difficult in "real" situations. This paper explores the conditions under which ecological knowledge could contribute to the environmental strategies and actions of stakeholders at science-policy interface. Ecological restoration of the Seine estuary is an example of an environmental issue whose overall management has run into difficulties despite the production of a large amount of knowledge by a dedicated organization, GIP Seine Aval. Thanks to an action-research project, based on a futures study, we analyze the reasons of these difficulties and help the GIP Seine Aval adopt a robust strategy to overcome them. According to our results, most local stakeholders involved in the large-scale restoration project emphasize the need for a clear divide between knowledge production and environmental action. This kind of divide may be strategic in a context where the robustness of environmental decisions is strongly depending on the mobilization of "neutral" scientific knowledge. But in our case study, this rather blocks action because some powerful stakeholders continuously ask for more knowledge before taking action. The construction and analysis of possible future scenarios has led to three alternative strategies being identified to counter this stalemate situation: (1) to circumvent difficulties by creating indirect links between knowledge and actions; (2) to use knowledge to sustain advocacy for the interests of each and every stakeholder; (3) to involve citizens in decisions about knowledge production and use, so that environmental issues weight more on the local political agenda.

A web-based spatial decision support system for spatial planning and governance in the Guangdong Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Qitao; Zhang, Hong-ou; Chen, Fengui; Dou, Jie

2008-10-01

After three decades' rapid economic development, Guangdong province faces to thorny problems related to pollution, resource shortage and environmental deterioration. What is worse, the future accelerated development, urbanization and industrialization also comes at the cost of regional imbalance with economic gaps growing and the quality of life in different regions degrading. Development and Reform Commission of Guangdong Province (GDDRC) started a spatial planning project under the national frame in 2007. The prospective project is expected to enhance the equality of different regions and balance the economic development with environmental protection and improved sustainability. This manuscript presents the results of scientific research aiming to develop a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) for this spatial planning project. The system composes four modules include the User interface module (UIM), Spatial Analyze module (SAM), Database management module (DMM) and Help module (HM) base on ArcInfo, JSP/Servlet, JavaScript, MapServer, Visual C++ and Visual Basic technologies. The web-based SDSS provides a user-friendly tool for local decision makers, regional planners and other stakeholders in understanding and visualizing the different territorial dimensions of economic development against sustainable environmental and exhausted resources, and in defining, comparing and prioritizing specific territorially-based actions in order to prevent non-sustainable development and implement relevant politics.

Distinct effects of apathy and dopamine on effort-based decision-making in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Le Heron, Campbell; Plant, Olivia; Manohar, Sanjay; Ang, Yuen-Siang; Jackson, Matthew; Lennox, Graham; Hu, Michele T; Husain, Masud

2018-05-01

Effort-based decision-making is a cognitive process crucial to normal motivated behaviour. Apathy is a common and disabling complication of Parkinson's disease, but its aetiology remains unclear. Intriguingly, the neural substrates associated with apathy also subserve effort-based decision-making in animal models and humans. Furthermore, the dopaminergic system plays a core role in motivating effortful behaviour for reward, and its dysfunction has been proposed to play a crucial role in the aetiology of apathy in Parkinson's disease. We hypothesized that disrupted effort-based decision-making underlies the syndrome of apathy in Parkinson's disease, and that this disruption may be modulated by the dopaminergic system. An effort-based decision-making task was administered to 39 patients with Parkinson's disease, with and without clinical apathy, ON and OFF their normal dopaminergic medications across two separate sessions, as well as 32 healthy age- and gender-matched controls. On a trial-by-trial basis, participants decided whether to accept or reject offers of monetary reward in return for exerting different levels of physical effort via handheld, individually calibrated dynamometers. Effort and reward were manipulated independently, such that offers spanned the full range of effort/reward combinations. Apathy was assessed using the Lille apathy rating scale. Motor effects of the dopamine manipulation were assessed using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part three motor score. The primary outcome variable was choice (accept/decline offer) analysed using a hierarchical generalized linear mixed effects model, and the vigour of squeeze (Newtons exerted above required force). Both apathy and dopamine depletion were associated with reduced acceptance of offers. However, these effects were driven by dissociable patterns of responding. While apathy was characterized by increased rejection of predominantly low reward offers, dopamine increased responding to high effort, high reward offers, irrespective of underlying motivational state. Dopamine also exerted a main effect on motor vigour, increasing force production independently of reward offered, while apathy did not affect this measure. The findings demonstrate that disrupted effort-based decision-making underlies Parkinson's disease apathy, but in a manner distinct to that caused by dopamine depletion. Apathy is associated with reduced incentivization by the rewarding outcomes of actions. In contrast, dopamine has a general effect in motivating behaviour for high effort, high reward options without altering the response pattern that characterizes the apathetic state. Thus, the motivational deficit observed in Parkinson's disease appears not to be simply secondary to dopaminergic depletion of mesocorticolimbic pathways, suggesting non-dopaminergic therapeutic strategies for apathy may be important future targets.

Beyond stereotypes of adolescent risk taking: Placing the adolescent brain in developmental context.

PubMed

Romer, Daniel; Reyna, Valerie F; Satterthwaite, Theodore D

2017-10-01

Recent neuroscience models of adolescent brain development attribute the morbidity and mortality of this period to structural and functional imbalances between more fully developed limbic regions that subserve reward and emotion as opposed to those that enable cognitive control. We challenge this interpretation of adolescent development by distinguishing risk-taking that peaks during adolescence (sensation seeking and impulsive action) from risk taking that declines monotonically from childhood to adulthood (impulsive choice and other decisions under known risk). Sensation seeking is primarily motivated by exploration of the environment under ambiguous risk contexts, while impulsive action, which is likely to be maladaptive, is more characteristic of a subset of youth with weak control over limbic motivation. Risk taking that declines monotonically from childhood to adulthood occurs primarily under conditions of known risks and reflects increases in executive function as well as aversion to risk based on increases in gist-based reasoning. We propose an alternative Life-span Wisdom Model that highlights the importance of experience gained through exploration during adolescence. We propose, therefore, that brain models that recognize the adaptive roles that cognition and experience play during adolescence provide a more complete and helpful picture of this period of development. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Superfund record of decision (EPA Region 4): Marine Corps Base (site 35), operable unit 10, Camp Lejeune, NC, September 22, 1995

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

NONE

1996-01-01

This decision document presents the selected remedy for surficial groundwater for a portion of Operable Unit (OU) No. 10 (Site 35), Marine Corps Base (MCB), Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Five Remedial Action Alternatives (RAAs) were evaluated as part of an interim remedial investigation/feasibility study for surficial groundwater at OU No. 10 (Site 35). These RAAs included RAA 1 (No Action), RAA 2 (No Action With Institutional Controls), RAA 3 (Groundwater Collection and On-site Treatment), RAA 4 (In Situ Air Sparging and Off-Gas Carbon Adsorption) and RAA 5 (In Well Aeration and Off-Gas Adsorption). After all five RAAs were compared tomore » established criteria, RAA 5 was selected as the preferred alternative.« less

Influence of uncertainty on framed decision-making with moral dilemma

PubMed Central

Mermillod, Martial; Le Pennec, Jean-Luc; Dutheil, Frédéric; Mondillon, Laurie

2018-01-01

In cases of impending natural disasters, most events are uncertain and emotionally relevant, both critical factors for decision-making. Moreover, for exposed individuals, the sensitivity to the framing of the consequences (gain or loss) and the moral judgments they have to perform (e.g., evacuate or help an injured person) constitute two central effects that have never been examined in the same context of decision-making. In a framed decision-making task with moral dilemma, we investigated whether uncertainty (i.e., unpredictably of events) and a threatening context would influence the framing effect (actions framed in loss are avoided in comparison to the ones framed in gain) and the personal intention effect (unintentional actions are more morally acceptable in comparison to intentional actions) on the perceived moral acceptability of taking action. Considering the impact of uncertainty and fear on the processes underlying these effects, we assumed that these emotions would lead to the negation of the two effects. Our results indicate that the exposure to uncertain events leads to the negation of the framing effect, but does not influence the moral acceptability and the effect of personal intention. We discuss our results in the light of dual-process models (i.e. systematic vs. heuristic), appraisal theories, and neurocognitive aspects. These elements highlight the importance of providing solutions to cope with uncertainty, both for scientists and local populations exposed to natural hazards. PMID:29847589

Influence of uncertainty on framed decision-making with moral dilemma.

PubMed

Merlhiot, Gaëtan; Mermillod, Martial; Le Pennec, Jean-Luc; Dutheil, Frédéric; Mondillon, Laurie

2018-01-01

In cases of impending natural disasters, most events are uncertain and emotionally relevant, both critical factors for decision-making. Moreover, for exposed individuals, the sensitivity to the framing of the consequences (gain or loss) and the moral judgments they have to perform (e.g., evacuate or help an injured person) constitute two central effects that have never been examined in the same context of decision-making. In a framed decision-making task with moral dilemma, we investigated whether uncertainty (i.e., unpredictably of events) and a threatening context would influence the framing effect (actions framed in loss are avoided in comparison to the ones framed in gain) and the personal intention effect (unintentional actions are more morally acceptable in comparison to intentional actions) on the perceived moral acceptability of taking action. Considering the impact of uncertainty and fear on the processes underlying these effects, we assumed that these emotions would lead to the negation of the two effects. Our results indicate that the exposure to uncertain events leads to the negation of the framing effect, but does not influence the moral acceptability and the effect of personal intention. We discuss our results in the light of dual-process models (i.e. systematic vs. heuristic), appraisal theories, and neurocognitive aspects. These elements highlight the importance of providing solutions to cope with uncertainty, both for scientists and local populations exposed to natural hazards.

16 CFR 1502.20 - Authority of presiding officer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... pleadings; (j) Rule on motions and other procedural matters; (k) Rule on motions for summary decision under... determines that no party will be prejudiced, the ends of justice will be served, and the action is in...

16 CFR 1502.20 - Authority of presiding officer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... pleadings; (j) Rule on motions and other procedural matters; (k) Rule on motions for summary decision under... determines that no party will be prejudiced, the ends of justice will be served, and the action is in...

21 CFR 12.70 - Authority of presiding officer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... other procedural matters; (k) Rule on motions for summary decision under § 12.93; (l) Conduct the... party will be prejudiced, the ends of justice will be served, and the action is in accordance with law...

21 CFR 12.70 - Authority of presiding officer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... other procedural matters; (k) Rule on motions for summary decision under § 12.93; (l) Conduct the... party will be prejudiced, the ends of justice will be served, and the action is in accordance with law...

21 CFR 12.70 - Authority of presiding officer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... other procedural matters; (k) Rule on motions for summary decision under § 12.93; (l) Conduct the... party will be prejudiced, the ends of justice will be served, and the action is in accordance with law...

21 CFR 12.70 - Authority of presiding officer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... other procedural matters; (k) Rule on motions for summary decision under § 12.93; (l) Conduct the... party will be prejudiced, the ends of justice will be served, and the action is in accordance with law...

16 CFR 1502.20 - Authority of presiding officer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... pleadings; (j) Rule on motions and other procedural matters; (k) Rule on motions for summary decision under... determines that no party will be prejudiced, the ends of justice will be served, and the action is in...

16 CFR 1502.20 - Authority of presiding officer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... pleadings; (j) Rule on motions and other procedural matters; (k) Rule on motions for summary decision under... determines that no party will be prejudiced, the ends of justice will be served, and the action is in...

77 FR 1669 - Endangered and Threatened Species; Recovery Plan for the Southern California Steelhead Distinct...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-11

... Plan identifies substantive recovery actions needed to achieve recovery by addressing the systemic... consistent approach to section 7 consultations under the ESA and to other ESA decisions. For example, the...

Navigating complex decision spaces: Problems and paradigms in sequential choice

PubMed Central

Walsh, Matthew M.; Anderson, John R.

2015-01-01

To behave adaptively, we must learn from the consequences of our actions. Doing so is difficult when the consequences of an action follow a delay. This introduces the problem of temporal credit assignment. When feedback follows a sequence of decisions, how should the individual assign credit to the intermediate actions that comprise the sequence? Research in reinforcement learning provides two general solutions to this problem: model-free reinforcement learning and model-based reinforcement learning. In this review, we examine connections between stimulus-response and cognitive learning theories, habitual and goal-directed control, and model-free and model-based reinforcement learning. We then consider a range of problems related to temporal credit assignment. These include second-order conditioning and secondary reinforcers, latent learning and detour behavior, partially observable Markov decision processes, actions with distributed outcomes, and hierarchical learning. We ask whether humans and animals, when faced with these problems, behave in a manner consistent with reinforcement learning techniques. Throughout, we seek to identify neural substrates of model-free and model-based reinforcement learning. The former class of techniques is understood in terms of the neurotransmitter dopamine and its effects in the basal ganglia. The latter is understood in terms of a distributed network of regions including the prefrontal cortex, medial temporal lobes cerebellum, and basal ganglia. Not only do reinforcement learning techniques have a natural interpretation in terms of human and animal behavior, but they also provide a useful framework for understanding neural reward valuation and action selection. PMID:23834192

Adaptive History Biases Result from Confidence-Weighted Accumulation of past Choices

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Perceptual decision-making is biased by previous events, including the history of preceding choices: observers tend to repeat (or alternate) their judgments of the sensory environment more often than expected by chance. Computational models postulate that these so-called choice history biases result from the accumulation of internal decision signals across trials. Here, we provide psychophysical evidence for such a mechanism and its adaptive utility. Male and female human observers performed different variants of a challenging visual motion discrimination task near psychophysical threshold. In a first experiment, we decoupled categorical perceptual choices and motor responses on a trial-by-trial basis. Choice history bias was explained by previous perceptual choices, not motor responses, highlighting the importance of internal decision signals in action-independent formats. In a second experiment, observers performed the task in stimulus environments containing different levels of autocorrelation and providing no external feedback about choice correctness. Despite performing under overall high levels of uncertainty, observers adjusted both the strength and the sign of their choice history biases to these environments. When stimulus sequences were dominated by either repetitions or alternations, the individual degree of this adjustment of history bias was about as good a predictor of individual performance as individual perceptual sensitivity. The history bias adjustment scaled with two proxies for observers' confidence about their previous choices (accuracy and reaction time). Together, our results are consistent with the idea that action-independent, confidence-modulated decision variables are accumulated across choices in a flexible manner that depends on decision-makers' model of their environment. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Decisions based on sensory input are often influenced by the history of one's preceding choices, manifesting as a bias to systematically repeat (or alternate) choices. We here provide support for the idea that such choice history biases arise from the context-dependent accumulation of a quantity referred to as the decision variable: the variable's sign dictates the choice and its magnitude the confidence about choice correctness. We show that choices are accumulated in an action-independent format and a context-dependent manner, weighted by the confidence about their correctness. This confidence-weighted accumulation of choices enables decision-makers to flexibly adjust their behavior to different sensory environments. The bias adjustment can be as important for optimizing performance as one's sensitivity to the momentary sensory input. PMID:29371318

Adaptive History Biases Result from Confidence-weighted Accumulation of Past Choices.

PubMed

Braun, Anke; Urai, Anne E; Donner, Tobias H

2018-01-25

Perceptual decision-making is biased by previous events, including the history of preceding choices: Observers tend to repeat (or alternate) their judgments of the sensory environment more often than expected by chance. Computational models postulate that these so-called choice history biases result from the accumulation of internal decision signals across trials. Here, we provide psychophysical evidence for such a mechanism and its adaptive utility. Male and female human observers performed different variants of a challenging visual motion discrimination task near psychophysical threshold. In a first experiment, we decoupled categorical perceptual choices and motor responses on a trial-by-trial basis. Choice history bias was explained by previous perceptual choices, not motor responses, highlighting the importance of internal decision signals in action-independent formats. In a second experiment, observers performed the task in stimulus environments containing different levels of auto-correlation and providing no external feedback about choice correctness. Despite performing under overall high levels of uncertainty, observers adjusted both the strength and the sign of their choice history biases to these environments. When stimulus sequences were dominated by either repetitions or alternations, the individual degree of this adjustment of history bias was about as good a predictor of individual performance as individual perceptual sensitivity. The history bias adjustment scaled with two proxies for observers' confidence about their previous choices (accuracy and reaction time). Taken together, our results are consistent with the idea that action-independent, confidence-modulated decision variables are accumulated across choices in a flexible manner that depends on decision-makers' model of their environment. Significance statement: Decisions based on sensory input are often influenced by the history of one's preceding choices, manifesting as a bias to systematically repeat (or alternate) choices. We here provide support for the idea that such choice history biases arise from the context-dependent accumulation of a quantity referred to as the decision variable: the variable's sign dictates the choice and its magnitude the confidence about choice correctness. We show that choices are accumulated in an action-independent format and a context-dependent manner, weighted by the confidence about their correctness. This confidence-weighted accumulation of choices enables decision-makers to flexibly adjust their behavior to different sensory environments. The bias adjustment can be as important for optimizing performance as one's sensitivity to the momentary sensory input. Copyright © 2018 Braun et al.

Computational Complexity and Human Decision-Making.

PubMed

Bossaerts, Peter; Murawski, Carsten

2017-12-01

The rationality principle postulates that decision-makers always choose the best action available to them. It underlies most modern theories of decision-making. The principle does not take into account the difficulty of finding the best option. Here, we propose that computational complexity theory (CCT) provides a framework for defining and quantifying the difficulty of decisions. We review evidence showing that human decision-making is affected by computational complexity. Building on this evidence, we argue that most models of decision-making, and metacognition, are intractable from a computational perspective. To be plausible, future theories of decision-making will need to take into account both the resources required for implementing the computations implied by the theory, and the resource constraints imposed on the decision-maker by biology. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Play and Learn: Potentials of Game-Based Learning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pivec, Maja

2008-01-01

Learners are encouraged to combine knowledge from different areas to choose a solution or to make a decision at acertain point. Learners can test how the outcome of the game changes based on their decisions and actions. Learners are encouraged to contact other team members and discuss and negotiate subsequent steps, thus improving their social skills.

21 CFR 516.123 - Informal conferences regarding agency administrative actions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... Director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine or his or her designee, excluding the Director of the Office... response to that decision. (g) Internal agency review of a decision must be based on the information in the..., the matter will be returned to the appropriate lower level in the agency for reevaluation based on the...

21 CFR 516.123 - Informal conferences regarding agency administrative actions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... Director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine or his or her designee, excluding the Director of the Office... response to that decision. (g) Internal agency review of a decision must be based on the information in the..., the matter will be returned to the appropriate lower level in the agency for reevaluation based on the...

21 CFR 516.123 - Informal conferences regarding agency administrative actions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... Director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine or his or her designee, excluding the Director of the Office... response to that decision. (g) Internal agency review of a decision must be based on the information in the..., the matter will be returned to the appropriate lower level in the agency for reevaluation based on the...

78 FR 44102 - Record of Decision for F35A Training Basing Final Environmental Impact Statement

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-23

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Air Force Record of Decision for F35A Training Basing Final Environmental Impact Statement ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA). SUMMARY: On June 26, 2013... Fornof, 266 F Street West, Building 901, Randolph AFB, 78150-4319, (210) 652-1961, [email protected]us.af...

Individual differences in bodily freezing predict emotional biases in decision making

PubMed Central

Ly, Verena; Huys, Quentin J. M.; Stins, John F.; Roelofs, Karin; Cools, Roshan

2014-01-01

Instrumental decision making has long been argued to be vulnerable to emotional responses. Literature on multiple decision making systems suggests that this emotional biasing might reflect effects of a system that regulates innately specified, evolutionarily preprogrammed responses. To test this hypothesis directly, we investigated whether effects of emotional faces on instrumental action can be predicted by effects of emotional faces on bodily freezing, an innately specified response to aversive relative to appetitive cues. We tested 43 women using a novel emotional decision making task combined with posturography, which involves a force platform to detect small oscillations of the body to accurately quantify postural control in upright stance. On the platform, participants learned whole body approach-avoidance actions based on monetary feedback, while being primed by emotional faces (angry/happy). Our data evidence an emotional biasing of instrumental action. Thus, angry relative to happy faces slowed instrumental approach relative to avoidance responses. Critically, individual differences in this emotional biasing effect were predicted by individual differences in bodily freezing. This result suggests that emotional biasing of instrumental action involves interaction with a system that controls innately specified responses. Furthermore, our findings help bridge (animal and human) decision making and emotion research to advance our mechanistic understanding of decision making anomalies in daily encounters as well as in a wide range of psychopathology. PMID:25071491

A new computational account of cognitive control over reinforcement-based decision-making: Modeling of a probabilistic learning task.

PubMed

Zendehrouh, Sareh

2015-11-01

Recent work on decision-making field offers an account of dual-system theory for decision-making process. This theory holds that this process is conducted by two main controllers: a goal-directed system and a habitual system. In the reinforcement learning (RL) domain, the habitual behaviors are connected with model-free methods, in which appropriate actions are learned through trial-and-error experiences. However, goal-directed behaviors are associated with model-based methods of RL, in which actions are selected using a model of the environment. Studies on cognitive control also suggest that during processes like decision-making, some cortical and subcortical structures work in concert to monitor the consequences of decisions and to adjust control according to current task demands. Here a computational model is presented based on dual system theory and cognitive control perspective of decision-making. The proposed model is used to simulate human performance on a variant of probabilistic learning task. The basic proposal is that the brain implements a dual controller, while an accompanying monitoring system detects some kinds of conflict including a hypothetical cost-conflict one. The simulation results address existing theories about two event-related potentials, namely error related negativity (ERN) and feedback related negativity (FRN), and explore the best account of them. Based on the results, some testable predictions are also presented. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fatigue modulates dopamine availability and promotes flexible choice reversals during decision making.

PubMed

Iodice, Pierpaolo; Ferrante, Claudio; Brunetti, Luigi; Cabib, Simona; Protasi, Feliciano; Walton, Mark E; Pezzulo, Giovanni

2017-04-03

During decisions, animals balance goal achievement and effort management. Despite physical exercise and fatigue significantly affecting the levels of effort that an animal exerts to obtain a reward, their role in effort-based choice and the underlying neurochemistry are incompletely known. In particular, it is unclear whether fatigue influences decision (cost-benefit) strategies flexibly or only post-decision action execution and learning. To answer this question, we trained mice on a T-maze task in which they chose between a high-cost, high-reward arm (HR), which included a barrier, and a low-cost, low-reward arm (LR), with no barrier. The animals were parametrically fatigued immediately before the behavioural tasks by running on a treadmill. We report a sharp choice reversal, from the HR to LR arm, at 80% of their peak workload (PW), which was temporary and specific, as the mice returned to choose the HC when the animals were successively tested at 60% PW or in a two-barrier task. These rapid reversals are signatures of flexible choice. We also observed increased subcortical dopamine levels in fatigued mice: a marker of individual bias to use model-based control in humans. Our results indicate that fatigue levels can be incorporated in flexible cost-benefits computations that improve foraging efficiency.

Probability judgments of agency: rational or irrational?

PubMed

Schmidt, Thomas; Heumüller, Vera C

2010-03-01

We studied how people attribute action outcomes to their own actions under conditions of uncertainty. Participants chose between left and right keypresses to produce an action effect (a corresponding left or right light), while a computer player made a simultaneous keypress decision. In each trial, a random generator determined which of the players controlled the action effect at varying probabilities, and participants then judged which player had produced it. Participants' effect control ranged from 20% to 80%, varied blockwise, and they could use trial-by-trial feedback to optimize the accuracy of their agency judgments. Participants tended to attribute action effects to themselves (agency bias), probably reflecting a rational guessing strategy of always naming the more likely player. However, participants systematically neglected information favoring the computer player as the agent, even under conditions where this bias could only harm judgment accuracy. We conclude that agency biases have both rational and irrational components.

Description and status update on GELLO: a proposed standardized object-oriented expression language for clinical decision support.

PubMed

Sordo, Margarita; Boxwala, Aziz A; Ogunyemi, Omolola; Greenes, Robert A

2004-01-01

A major obstacle to sharing computable clinical knowledge is the lack of a common language for specifying expressions and criteria. Such a language could be used to specify decision criteria, formulae, and constraints on data and action. Al-though the Arden Syntax addresses this problem for clinical rules, its generalization to HL7's object-oriented data model is limited. The GELLO Expression language is an object-oriented language used for expressing logical conditions and computations in the GLIF3 (GuideLine Interchange Format, v. 3) guideline modeling language. It has been further developed under the auspices of the HL7 Clinical Decision Support Technical Committee, as a proposed HL7 standard., GELLO is based on the Object Constraint Language (OCL), because it is vendor-independent, object-oriented, and side-effect-free. GELLO expects an object-oriented data model. Although choice of model is arbitrary, standardization is facilitated by ensuring that the data model is compatible with the HL7 Reference Information Model (RIM).

At Least I Tried: The Relationship between Regulatory Focus and Regret Following Action vs. Inaction

PubMed Central

Itzkin, Adi; Van Dijk, Dina; Azar, Ofer H.

2016-01-01

Regret is an unpleasant feeling that may arise following decisions that ended poorly, and may affect the decision-maker's well-being and future decision making. Some studies show that a decision to act leads to greater regret than a decision not to act when both resulted in failure, because the latter is usually the norm. In some cases, when the norm is to act, this pattern is reversed. We suggest that the decision maker's regulatory focus, affects regret after action or inaction. Specifically, promotion-focused individuals, who tend to be more proactive, view action as more normal than prevention-focused individuals, and therefore experience regulatory fit when an action decision is made. Hence, we hypothesized that promotion-focused individuals will feel less regret than prevention-focused individuals when a decision to act ended poorly. In addition, we hypothesized that a trigger for change implied in the situation, decreases the level of regret following action. We tested our hypotheses on a sample of 330 participants enrolled in an online survey. The participants received six decision scenarios, in which they were asked to evaluate the level of regret following action and inaction. Individual regulatory focus was measured by two different scales. Promotion-focused individuals attributed less regret than prevention-focused individuals to action decisions. Regret following inaction was not affected by regulatory focus. In addition, a trigger for change decreases regret following action. Orthodox people tend to attribute more regret than non-orthodox to a person who made an action decision. The results contribute to the literature by showing that not only the situation but also the decision maker's orientation affects the regret after action vs. inaction. PMID:27833581

Heuristic reasoning and cognitive biases: Are they hindrances to judgments and decision making in orthodontics?

PubMed

Hicks, E Preston; Kluemper, G Thomas

2011-03-01

Studies show that our brains use 2 modes of reasoning: heuristic (intuitive, automatic, implicit processing) and analytic (deliberate, rule-based, explicit processing). The use of intuition often dominates problem solving when innovative, creative thinking is required. Under conditions of uncertainty, we default to an even greater reliance on the heuristic processing. In health care settings and other such environments of increased importance, this mode becomes problematic. Since choice heuristics are quickly constructed from fragments of memory, they are often biased by prior evaluations of and preferences for the alternatives being considered. Therefore, a rigorous and systematic decision process notwithstanding, clinical judgments under uncertainty are often flawed by a number of unwitting biases. Clinical orthodontics is as vulnerable to this fundamental failing in the decision-making process as any other health care discipline. Several of the more common cognitive biases relevant to clinical orthodontics are discussed in this article. By raising awareness of these sources of cognitive errors in our clinical decision making, our intent was to equip the clinician to take corrective action to avoid them. Our secondary goal was to expose this important area of empirical research and encourage those with expertise in the cognitive sciences to explore, through further research, the possible relevance and impact of cognitive heuristics and biases on the accuracy of orthodontic judgments and decision making. Copyright © 2011 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Beliefs and Willingness to Act about Global Warming: Where to Focus Science Pedagogy?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skamp, Keith; Boyes, Eddie; Stanisstreet, Martin

2013-01-01

Science educators have a key role in empowering students to take action to reduce global warming. This involves assisting students to understand its causes as well as taking pedagogical decisions that have optimal probabilities of leading to students being motivated to take actions based on empirically based science beliefs. To this end New South…

Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 274: Septic Systems, Nevada Test Site, Nevada, Rev. No.: 0

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

Grant Evenson

2006-09-01

This Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report has been prepared for Corrective Action Unit 274, Septic Systems, Nevada Test Site (NTS), Nevada in accordance with the ''Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order'' (1996). Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 274 is comprised of five corrective action sites (CASs): (1) CAS 03-02-01, WX-6 ETS Building Septic System; (2) CAS 06-02-01, Cesspool; (3) CAS 09-01-01, Spill Site; (4) CAS 09-05-01, Leaching Pit; and (5) CAS 20-05-01, Septic System. The purpose of this Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report is to provide justification and documentation supporting the closure of CAU 274 with no further corrective action. Tomore » achieve this, corrective action investigation (CAI) activities were performed from November 14 through December 17, 2005 as set forth in the CAU 274 Corrective Action Investigation Plan. The purpose of the CAI was to fulfill the following data needs as defined during the data quality objective (DQO) process: (1) Determine whether contaminants of concern (COCs) are present. (2) If contaminants of concern are present, determine their nature and extent. (3) Provide sufficient information and data to complete appropriate corrective actions. The CAU 274 dataset from the investigation results was evaluated based on the data quality indicator parameters. This evaluation demonstrated the quality and acceptability of the dataset for use in fulfilling the DQO data needs. Analytes detected during the CAI were evaluated against final action levels (FALs) established in this document. No analytes were detected at concentrations exceeding the FALs. No COCs have been released to the soil at CAU 274, and corrective action is not required. Therefore, the DQO data needs were met, and it was determined that no corrective action based on risk to human receptors is necessary for the site. All FALs were calculated using the industrial site worker scenario except for benzo(a)pyrene, which was calculated based on the occasional use scenario. Benzo(a)pyrene was detected above the preliminary action level at CAS 20-05-01; however, it was not identified as a COC because the concentration was below the FAL. As a best management practice and to ensure that future site workers are not exposed to this site contaminant for more than this decision-basis exposure duration, an administrative use restriction was established around the leachfield at CAS 20-05-01. In addition, the removal of the septic tanks and septic tank contents at CASs 03-02-01, 06-02-01, and 20-05-01 was performed.« less

PROBING HUMAN AND MONKEY ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX IN VARIABLE ENVIRONMENTS

PubMed Central

Walton, Mark E.; Mars, Rogier B.

2008-01-01

Previous research has identified the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) as an important node in the neural network underlying decision making in primates. Decision making can, however, be studied under large variety of circumstances, ranging from the standard well-controlled lab situation to more natural, stochastic settings during which multiple agents interact. Here, we illustrate how these different varieties of decision making studied can influence theories of ACC function in monkeys. Converging evidence from unit recordings and lesions studies now suggest that the ACC is important for interpreting outcome information according to the current task context to guide future action selection. We then apply this framework to the study of human ACC function and discuss its potential implications. PMID:18189014

Engineer Company Force Structure Force Modularization in Support of Decisive Action. Does the Corps of Engineers Need to Re-Structure Engineer Construction Companies Again in order to Support Decisive Actions?

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-16

Regional Command RCP Route Clearance Platoon RSOI Reception, Staging, Onward Movement, Integration SBCT Stryker Brigade Combat Team TOE Table of...Point (ASPs), and field hospital platforms; prepare river crossing sites; and support port repair due to Hydraulic Excavator (HYEX), provides force...platforms, FARPS, supply routes, roads, control points, fire bases, tank ditches, ASPs, and field hospital platforms; prepare river crossing sites; and

Simulating post-wildfire forest trajectories under alternative climate and management scenarios

Treesearch

Alicia Azpeleta Tarancon; Peter Z. Fule; Kristen L. Shive; Carolyn H. Sieg; Andrew Sanchez Meador; Barbara Strom

2014-01-01

Post-fire predictions of forest recovery under future climate change and management actions are necessary for forest managers to make decisions about treatments. We applied the Climate-Forest Vegetation Simulator (Climate-FVS), a new version of a widely used forest management model, to compare alternative climate and management scenarios in a severely burned...

17 CFR 21.03 - Selected special calls-duties of foreign brokers, domestic and foreign traders, futures...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... the threat of a market manipulation, corner, squeeze, or other market disorder exists on any reporting... or may be adversely affected or aggrieved by action taken by the Commission under paragraph (f) of... transmit the same and a recommended decision to the Commission. The Commission's directive under paragraph...

Sample Federal Facility Land Use Control ROD Checklist and Suggested Language (LUC Checklist)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The LUC Checklist provides direction on describing and documenting land use controls (LUCs) in federal facility actrions under CERCLA in Records of Decision (RODs), remedial designs (RDs), and remedial action work plans (RAWPs).

17 CFR 171.11 - Sanctions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... RESPONSIBILITY ACTIONS General Provisions § 171.11 Sanctions. In the event a party fails to fulfill his... appeal or summary reversal of the decision under appeal. Sanctions may be imposed on the motion of a party or on the Commission's own motion. ...

17 CFR 171.11 - Sanctions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... RESPONSIBILITY ACTIONS General Provisions § 171.11 Sanctions. In the event a party fails to fulfill his... appeal or summary reversal of the decision under appeal. Sanctions may be imposed on the motion of a party or on the Commission's own motion. ...

Pilot interaction with automated airborne decision making systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hammer, John M.; Wan, C. Yoon; Vasandani, Vijay

1987-01-01

The current research is focused on detection of human error and protection from its consequences. A program for monitoring pilot error by comparing pilot actions to a script was described. It dealt primarily with routine errors (slips) that occurred during checklist activity. The model to which operator actions were compared was a script. Current research is an extension along these two dimensions. The ORS fault detection aid uses a sophisticated device model rather than a script. The newer initiative, the model-based and constraint-based warning system, uses an even more sophisticated device model and is to prevent all types of error, not just slips or bad decision.

30 CFR 774.11 - Post-permit issuance requirements for regulatory authorities and other actions based on ownership...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... actions, we, the regulatory authority, must enter into AVS the data shown in the following table— We must enter into AVS all . . . Within 30 days after . . . (1) permit records the permit is issued or... enter the results of each enforcement action, including administrative and judicial decisions, into AVS...

Social Priorities as Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grubert, E.

2015-12-01

Decision makers' responses to local risks and expected changes to a community from circumstances like natural hazards, human developments, and demographic changes can greatly affect social and environmental outcomes in a community. Translating physical data based in disciplines like engineering and geosciences into positive outcomes for communities can be challenging and often results in conflict that appears to pit "science" against "the public." Scientists can be reluctant to offer recommendations for action based on their work, often (and often correctly) noting that their role is not to make value judgments for a community - particularly for a community that is not their own. Conversely, decision makers can be frustrated by the lack of guidance they receive to help translate data into effective and acceptable action. The solution posed by this submission, given the goal of co-production of knowledge by scientists and decision makers to foster better community outcomes, is to involve the community directly by integrating social scientific methods that address decision making and community engagement to the scientist-decision maker interaction. Specifically, the missing dataset in many scientist-decision maker interactions is the nature of community priorities. Using scientifically valid methods to rigorously collect and characterize community priorities to help recommend tradeoffs between different outcomes indicated by the work of physical and natural scientists can bridge the gap between science and action by involving the community in the process. This submission presents early work on US preferences for different types of social and environmental outcomes designed to integrate directly with engineering and physical science frameworks like Life Cycle Assessment and Environmental Impact Statements. Cardinal preference data are based on surveys of US adults using tools like the Analytical Hierarchy Process, budget allocation, and ranking.

Flight deck engine advisor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shontz, W. D.; Records, R. M.; Antonelli, D. R.

1992-01-01

The focus of this project is on alerting pilots to impending events in such a way as to provide the additional time required for the crew to make critical decisions concerning non-normal operations. The project addresses pilots' need for support in diagnosis and trend monitoring of faults as they affect decisions that must be made within the context of the current flight. Monitoring and diagnostic modules developed under the NASA Faultfinder program were restructured and enhanced using input data from an engine model and real engine fault data. Fault scenarios were prepared to support knowledge base development activities on the MONITAUR and DRAPhyS modules of Faultfinder. An analysis of the information requirements for fault management was included in each scenario. A conceptual framework was developed for systematic evaluation of the impact of context variables on pilot action alternatives as a function of event/fault combinations.

Application of decision science to resilience management in Jamaica Bay

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eaton, Mitchell; Fuller, Angela K.; Johnson, Fred A.; Hare, M. P.; Stedman, Richard C.; Sanderson, E.W.; Solecki, W. D.; Waldman, J.R.; Paris, A. S.

2016-01-01

This book highlights the growing interest in management interventions designed to enhance the resilience of the Jamaica Bay socio-ecological system. Effective management, whether the focus is on managing biological processes or human behavior or (most likely) both, requires decision makers to anticipate how the managed system will respond to interventions (i.e., via predictions or projections). In systems characterized by many interacting components and high uncertainty, making probabilistic predictions is often difficult and requires careful thinking not only about system dynamics, but also about how management objectives are specified and the analytic method used to select the preferred action(s). Developing a clear statement of the problem(s) and articulation of management objectives is often best achieved by including input from managers, scientists and other stakeholders affected by the decision through a process of joint problem framing (Marcot and others 2012; Keeney and others 1990). Using a deliberate, coherent and transparent framework for deciding among management alternatives to best meet these objectives then ensures a greater likelihood for successful intervention. Decision science provides the theoretical and practical basis for developing this framework and applying decision analysis methods for making complex decisions under uncertainty and risk.

Surviving at Any Cost: Guilt Expression Following Extreme Ethical Conflicts in a Virtual Setting

PubMed Central

Cristofari, Cécile; Guitton, Matthieu J.

2014-01-01

Studying human behavior in response to large-scale catastrophic events, particularly how moral challenges would be undertaken under extreme conditions, is an important preoccupation for contemporary scientists and decision leaders. However, researching this issue was hindered by the lack of readily available models. Immersive virtual worlds could represent a solution, by providing ways to test human behavior in controlled life-threatening situations. Using a massively multi-player zombie apocalypse setting, we analysed spontaneously reported feelings of guilt following ethically questionable actions related to survival. The occurrence and magnitude of guilt depended on the nature of the consequences of the action. Furthermore, feelings of guilt predicted long-lasting changes in behavior, displayed as compensatory actions. Finally, actions inflicting immediate harm to others appeared mostly prompted by panic and were more commonly regretted. Thus, extreme conditions trigger a reduction of the impact of ethical norms in decision making, although awareness of ethicality is retained to a surprising extent. PMID:25007261

Surviving at any cost: guilt expression following extreme ethical conflicts in a virtual setting.

PubMed

Cristofari, Cécile; Guitton, Matthieu J

2014-01-01

Studying human behavior in response to large-scale catastrophic events, particularly how moral challenges would be undertaken under extreme conditions, is an important preoccupation for contemporary scientists and decision leaders. However, researching this issue was hindered by the lack of readily available models. Immersive virtual worlds could represent a solution, by providing ways to test human behavior in controlled life-threatening situations. Using a massively multi-player zombie apocalypse setting, we analysed spontaneously reported feelings of guilt following ethically questionable actions related to survival. The occurrence and magnitude of guilt depended on the nature of the consequences of the action. Furthermore, feelings of guilt predicted long-lasting changes in behavior, displayed as compensatory actions. Finally, actions inflicting immediate harm to others appeared mostly prompted by panic and were more commonly regretted. Thus, extreme conditions trigger a reduction of the impact of ethical norms in decision making, although awareness of ethicality is retained to a surprising extent.

Goal-Directed Decision Making as Probabilistic Inference: A Computational Framework and Potential Neural Correlates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solway, Alec; Botvinick, Matthew M.

2012-01-01

Recent work has given rise to the view that reward-based decision making is governed by two key controllers: a habit system, which stores stimulus-response associations shaped by past reward, and a goal-oriented system that selects actions based on their anticipated outcomes. The current literature provides a rich body of computational theory…

49 CFR 26.87 - What procedures does a recipient use to remove a DBE's eligibility?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... proceedings. If, based on notification by the firm of a change in its circumstances or other information that... personnel that did not take part in actions leading to or seeking to implement the proposal to remove the...) Grounds for decision. You must not base a decision to remove eligibility on a reinterpretation or changed...

Expert Assessment of Human-Human Stigmergy

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-10-01

paradigm for marker based stigmergy is the use of pheromones by certain social insects to coordinate their actions. Most insect species use a few...dozen distinct pheromone “flavors,” and thus use qualitative as well as quantitative decision-making. In engineered systems, stigmergic markers can...Gradient following in a single pheromone field Ant cemetery clustering Qualitative Decisions based on combinations of pheromones Wasp nest

49 CFR 26.87 - What procedures does a recipient use to remove a DBE's eligibility?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... proceedings. If, based on notification by the firm of a change in its circumstances or other information that... personnel that did not take part in actions leading to or seeking to implement the proposal to remove the...) Grounds for decision. You must not base a decision to remove eligibility on a reinterpretation or changed...

Greenhouse gas emissions trading in U.S. States: observations and lessons from the OTC NOx Budget Program

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

Andrew Aulisi; Alexander E. Farrell; Jonathan Pershing

2005-07-01

A number of U.S. states are considering market-based policies to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The experience gained from emissions trading for sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) offers a useful body of information and data to draw on to design a GHG emissions trading system. This report examines NOx trading under the Ozone Transport Commission (OTC) NOx Budget Program, which resulted principally from the leadership, decisions, and actions by a group of states, ultimately becoming the first multilateral cap-and-trade system for emissions of air pollutants. 72 refs.

Ethics of knowing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Mijung

2015-12-01

The gap between knowledge and action has become a critical concern in the discussion of participatory scientific literacy for citizenship where one's decision making and action are central to alleviate socioscientific and environmental challenges in the current society. With the emphasis of action, Hoeg, Lemelin, and Bencze suggest an activist approach to bring out the responsibility of knowledge through one's action. This article will further discuss the integrity of knowing and action based on Varela's immediate coping and Levinas' notion of hostage toward others.

A Subjective Rational Choice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vinogradov, G. P.

2017-01-01

The problem of constructing a choice model of an agent with endogenous purposes of evolution is under debate. It is demonstrated that its solution requires the development of well-known methods of decision-making while taking into account the relation of action mode motivation to an agent’s ambition to implement subjectively understood interests and the environment state. The latter is submitted for consideration as a purposeful state situation model that exists only in the mind of an agent. It is the situation that is a basis for getting an insight into the agent’s ideas on the possible selected action mode results. The agent’s ambition to build his confidence in the feasibility of the action mode and the possibility of achieving the desired state requires him to use the procedures of forming an idea model based on the measured values of environment state. This leads to the gaming approach for the choice problem and its solution can be obtained on a set of trade-off alternatives.

[Ethical and philosophical dimensions of decision-making in public health].

PubMed

Grémy, F

2008-01-01

Decisions in public health, or in individual health care, are taken by people (individuals or collective) for other people (individuals or collective). Human values, that is to say what is connected to Ethics, should be to the fore, de jure. Too often, under the pretext that they refer to subjectivity, they appear only after very many technical considerations. The latter, in a scientist society, are supposed to deserve a claim to objectivity, this being of course illusory. The author, placing himself in the line of Levinas, Ricoeur, and also of Kant, for whom the "What must I do?" is the most fundamental question any human being has to face, develops four reasons which plead for the pre-eminence of ethics as the foundation of decisions in a policy for public health. 1) He reminds us the intangible values, which are on one side uniqueness and universality of mankind, and on the other side the singularity of the human person. 2) He insists on the ethical wreck which threatens the whole health- and healthcare systems. 3) He sets out some results of modern neurophysiological research (AR Damasio's work), joining an intuition of Aristoteles: the decision making process implies two phases: deliberation the aim of which is to list the different possible actions to undertake, then the choice between those actions. Damasio shows that the lack of emotions inhibits the choice, especially when decision implies human values. 4) Finally, he insists, after E. Morin, on the practical and theoretical difficulties in taking a "good" decision, and on what Morin calls "ecology of action". The results of a decision may completely escape from the decision-makers aims, very often for unexpected social and psychological reasons.

The role of conviction and narrative in decision-making under radical uncertainty.

PubMed

Tuckett, David; Nikolic, Milena

2017-08-01

We propose conviction narrative theory (CNT) to broaden decision-making theory in order to better understand and analyse how subjectively means-end rational actors cope in contexts in which the traditional assumptions in decision-making models fail to hold. Conviction narratives enable actors to draw on their beliefs, causal models, and rules of thumb to identify opportunities worth acting on, to simulate the future outcome of their actions, and to feel sufficiently convinced to act. The framework focuses on how narrative and emotion combine to allow actors to deliberate and to select actions that they think will produce the outcomes they desire. It specifies connections between particular emotions and deliberative thought, hypothesising that approach and avoidance emotions evoked during narrative simulation play a crucial role. Two mental states, Divided and Integrated, in which narratives can be formed or updated, are introduced and used to explain some familiar problems that traditional models cannot.

The role of conviction and narrative in decision-making under radical uncertainty

PubMed Central

Tuckett, David; Nikolic, Milena

2017-01-01

We propose conviction narrative theory (CNT) to broaden decision-making theory in order to better understand and analyse how subjectively means–end rational actors cope in contexts in which the traditional assumptions in decision-making models fail to hold. Conviction narratives enable actors to draw on their beliefs, causal models, and rules of thumb to identify opportunities worth acting on, to simulate the future outcome of their actions, and to feel sufficiently convinced to act. The framework focuses on how narrative and emotion combine to allow actors to deliberate and to select actions that they think will produce the outcomes they desire. It specifies connections between particular emotions and deliberative thought, hypothesising that approach and avoidance emotions evoked during narrative simulation play a crucial role. Two mental states, Divided and Integrated, in which narratives can be formed or updated, are introduced and used to explain some familiar problems that traditional models cannot. PMID:28804217

A Probabilistic Strategy for Understanding Action Selection

PubMed Central

Kim, Byounghoon; Basso, Michele A.

2010-01-01

Brain regions involved in transforming sensory signals into movement commands are the likely sites where decisions are formed. Once formed, a decision must be read-out from the activity of populations of neurons to produce a choice of action. How this occurs remains unresolved. We recorded from four superior colliculus (SC) neurons simultaneously while monkeys performed a target selection task. We implemented three models to gain insight into the computational principles underlying population coding of action selection. We compared the population vector average (PVA), winner-takes-all (WTA) and a Bayesian model, maximum a posteriori estimate (MAP) to determine which predicted choices most often. The probabilistic model predicted more trials correctly than both the WTA and the PVA. The MAP model predicted 81.88% whereas WTA predicted 71.11% and PVA/OLE predicted the least number of trials at 55.71 and 69.47%. Recovering MAP estimates using simulated, non-uniform priors that correlated with monkeys’ choice performance, improved the accuracy of the model by 2.88%. A dynamic analysis revealed that the MAP estimate evolved over time and the posterior probability of the saccade choice reached a maximum at the time of the saccade. MAP estimates also scaled with choice performance accuracy. Although there was overlap in the prediction abilities of all the models, we conclude that movement choice from populations of neurons may be best understood by considering frameworks based on probability. PMID:20147560

Selective increase of intention-based economic decisions by noninvasive brain stimulation to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

PubMed

Nihonsugi, Tsuyoshi; Ihara, Aya; Haruno, Masahiko

2015-02-25

The intention behind another's action and the impact of the outcome are major determinants of human economic behavior. It is poorly understood, however, whether the two systems share a core neural computation. Here, we investigated whether the two systems are causally dissociable in the brain by integrating computational modeling, functional magnetic resonance imaging, and transcranial direct current stimulation experiments in a newly developed trust game task. We show not only that right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activity is correlated with intention-based economic decisions and that ventral striatum and amygdala activity are correlated with outcome-based decisions, but also that stimulation to the DLPFC selectively enhances intention-based decisions. These findings suggest that the right DLPFC is involved in the implementation of intention-based decisions in the processing of cooperative decisions. This causal dissociation of cortical and subcortical backgrounds may indicate evolutionary and developmental differences in the two decision systems. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/53412-08$15.00/0.

78 FR 52999 - Notice of Final Federal Agency Actions on Proposed Highway in Indiana

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-27

... and 23 U.S.C. 128]. 4. Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7401-7671(q). 5. Section 4(f) of the Department of... that the FHWA and the USFWS have made decisions that are subject to 23 U.S.C. 139(l)(1) and are final... the Tier 1 decisions must have been filed by October 15, 2007, to avoid being barred under 23 U.S.C...

Decision-Making under Criteria Uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kureychik, V. M.; Safronenkova, I. B.

2018-05-01

Uncertainty is an essential part of a decision-making procedure. The paper deals with the problem of decision-making under criteria uncertainty. In this context, decision-making under uncertainty, types and conditions of uncertainty were examined. The decision-making problem under uncertainty was formalized. A modification of the mathematical decision support method under uncertainty via ontologies was proposed. A critical distinction of the developed method is ontology usage as its base elements. The goal of this work is a development of a decision-making method under criteria uncertainty with the use of ontologies in the area of multilayer board designing. This method is oriented to improvement of technical-economic values of the examined domain.

Risk Communication Emergency Response Preparedness: Contextual Assessment of the Protective Action Decision Model.

PubMed

Heath, Robert L; Lee, Jaesub; Palenchar, Michael J; Lemon, Laura L

2018-02-01

Studies are continuously performed to improve risk communication campaign designs to better prepare residents to act in the safest manner during an emergency. To that end, this article investigates the predictive ability of the protective action decision model (PADM), which links environmental and social cues, predecision processes (attention, exposure, and comprehension), and risk decision perceptions (threat, alternative protective actions, and stakeholder norms) with protective action decision making. This current quasi-longitudinal study of residents (N = 400 for each year) in a high-risk (chemical release) petrochemical manufacturing community investigated whether PADM core risk perceptions predict protective action decision making. Telephone survey data collected at four intervals (1995, 1998, 2002, 2012) reveal that perceptions of protective actions and stakeholder norms, but not of threat, currently predict protective action decision making (intention to shelter in place). Of significance, rather than threat perceptions, perception of Wally Wise Guy (a spokes-character who advocates shelter in place) correlates with perceptions of protective action, stakeholder norms, and protective action decision making. Wally's response-efficacy advice predicts residents' behavioral intentions to shelter in place, thereby offering contextually sensitive support and refinement for PADM. © 2017 Society for Risk Analysis.

Connecting Inquiry and Values in Science Education. An Approach Based on John Dewey's Philosophy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Eun Ah; Brown, Matthew J.

2018-03-01

Conducting scientific inquiry is expected to help students make informed decisions; however, how exactly it can help is rarely explained in science education standards. According to classroom studies, inquiry that students conduct in science classes seems to have little effect on their decision-making. Predetermined values play a large role in students' decision-making, but students do not explore these values or evaluate whether they are appropriate to the particular issue they are deciding, and they often ignore relevant scientific information. We explore how to connect inquiry and values, and how this connection can contribute to informed decision-making based on John Dewey's philosophy. Dewey argues that scientific inquiry should include value judgments and that conducting inquiry can improve the ability to make good value judgments. Value judgment is essential to informed, rational decision-making, and Dewey's ideas can explain how conducting inquiry can contribute to make an informed decision through value judgment. According to Dewey, each value judgment during inquiry is a practical judgment guiding action, and students can improve their value judgments by evaluating their actions during scientific inquiry. Thus, we suggest that students need an opportunity to explore values through scientific inquiry and that practicing value judgment will help informed decision-makings.

A work-centered cognitively based architecture for decision support: the work-centered infomediary layer (WIL) model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zachary, Wayne; Eggleston, Robert; Donmoyer, Jason; Schremmer, Serge

2003-09-01

Decision-making is strongly shaped and influenced by the work context in which decisions are embedded. This suggests that decision support needs to be anchored by a model (implicit or explicit) of the work process, in contrast to traditional approaches that anchor decision support to either context free decision models (e.g., utility theory) or to detailed models of the external (e.g., battlespace) environment. An architecture for cognitively-based, work centered decision support called the Work-centered Informediary Layer (WIL) is presented. WIL separates decision support into three overall processes that build and dynamically maintain an explicit context model, use the context model to identify opportunities for decision support and tailor generic decision-support strategies to the current context and offer them to the system-user/decision-maker. The generic decision support strategies include such things as activity/attention aiding, decision process structuring, work performance support (selective, contextual automation), explanation/ elaboration, infosphere data retrieval, and what if/action-projection and visualization. A WIL-based application is a work-centered decision support layer that provides active support without intent inferencing, and that is cognitively based without requiring classical cognitive task analyses. Example WIL applications are detailed and discussed.

41 CFR 60-741.44 - Required contents of affirmative action programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... individuals with disabilities. (7) The contractor, in making hiring decisions, should consider applicants with... employment decisions are based only on valid job requirements. The policy shall state that employees and.... Individuals with disabilities should be made available for participation in career days, youth motivation...

A Framework for Dynamic Constraint Reasoning Using Procedural Constraints

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jonsson, Ari K.; Frank, Jeremy D.

1999-01-01

Many complex real-world decision and control problems contain an underlying constraint reasoning problem. This is particularly evident in a recently developed approach to planning, where almost all planning decisions are represented by constrained variables. This translates a significant part of the planning problem into a constraint network whose consistency determines the validity of the plan candidate. Since higher-level choices about control actions can add or remove variables and constraints, the underlying constraint network is invariably highly dynamic. Arbitrary domain-dependent constraints may be added to the constraint network and the constraint reasoning mechanism must be able to handle such constraints effectively. Additionally, real problems often require handling constraints over continuous variables. These requirements present a number of significant challenges for a constraint reasoning mechanism. In this paper, we introduce a general framework for handling dynamic constraint networks with real-valued variables, by using procedures to represent and effectively reason about general constraints. The framework is based on a sound theoretical foundation, and can be proven to be sound and complete under well-defined conditions. Furthermore, the framework provides hybrid reasoning capabilities, as alternative solution methods like mathematical programming can be incorporated into the framework, in the form of procedures.

An adaptive approach to invasive plant management on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-owned native prairies in the Prairie Pothole Region: decision support under uncertainity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gannon, Jill J.; Moore, Clinton T.; Shaffer, Terry L.; Flanders-Wanner, Bridgette

2011-01-01

Much of the native prairie managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) is extensively invaded by the introduced cool-season grasses smooth brome (Bromus inermis) and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis). The central challenge to managers is selecting appropriate management actions in the face of biological and environmental uncertainties. We describe the technical components of a USGS management project, and explain how the components integrate and inform each other, how data feedback from individual cooperators serves to reduce uncertainty across the whole region, and how a successful adaptive management project is coordinated and maintained on a large scale. In partnership with the Service, the U.S. Geological Survey is developing an adaptive decision support framework to assist managers in selecting management actions under uncertainty and maximizing learning from management outcomes. The framework is built around practical constraints faced by refuge managers and includes identification of the management objective and strategies, analysis of uncertainty and construction of competing decision models, monitoring, and mechanisms for model feedback and decision selection. Nineteen Service field stations, spanning four states of the PPR, are participating in the project. They share a common management objective, available management strategies, and biological uncertainties. While the scope is broad, the project interfaces with individual land managers who provide refuge-specific information and receive updated decision guidance that incorporates understanding gained from the collective experience of all cooperators.

Values-Based Self-Reflective Action Research for Promoting Gender Equality: Some Unexpected Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Lesley

2014-01-01

The idea of using values as a means of guiding our research decisions and judging the validity of our claims of knowledge is well established in literature on the self-reflective genre of action research. Values in action research should always result in virtuous behaviour--to promote the general social good. However, ideas of what constitutes the…

Neural Signature of Value-Based Sensorimotor Prioritization in Humans.

PubMed

Blangero, Annabelle; Kelly, Simon P

2017-11-01

In situations in which impending sensory events demand fast action choices, we must be ready to prioritize higher-value courses of action to avoid missed opportunities. When such a situation first presents itself, stimulus-action contingencies and their relative value must be encoded to establish a value-biased state of preparation for an impending sensorimotor decision. Here, we sought to identify neurophysiological signatures of such processes in the human brain (both female and male). We devised a task requiring fast action choices based on the discrimination of a simple visual cue in which the differently valued sensory alternatives were presented 750-800 ms before as peripheral "targets" that specified the stimulus-action mapping for the upcoming decision. In response to the targets, we identified a discrete, transient, spatially selective signal in the event-related potential (ERP), which scaled with relative value and strongly predicted the degree of behavioral bias in the upcoming decision both across and within subjects. This signal is not compatible with any hitherto known ERP signature of spatial selection and also bears novel distinctions with respect to characterizations of value-sensitive, spatially selective activity found in sensorimotor areas of nonhuman primates. Specifically, a series of follow-up experiments revealed that the signal was reliably invoked regardless of response laterality, response modality, sensory feature, and reward valence. It was absent, however, when the response deadline was relaxed and the strategic need for biasing removed. Therefore, more than passively representing value or salience, the signal appears to play a versatile and active role in adaptive sensorimotor prioritization. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In many situations such as fast-moving sports, we must be ready to act fast in response to sensory events and, in our preparation, prioritize courses of action that lead to greater rewards. Although behavioral effects of value biases in sensorimotor decision making have been widely studied, little is known about the neural processes that set these biases in place beforehand. Here, we report the discovery of a transient, spatially selective neural signal in humans that encodes the relative value of competing decision alternatives and strongly predicts behavioral value biases in decisions made ∼500 ms later. Follow-up manipulations of value differential, reward valence, response modality, sensory features, and time constraints establish that the signal reflects an active, feature- and effector-general preparatory mechanism for value-based prioritization. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/3710725-13$15.00/0.

7 CFR 3.78 - Written decision following a hearing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... the debt at this hearing is the final agency action on this matter regarding the existence and amount of the debt for purposes of executing salary offset under 5 U.S.C. 5514. However, even if the hearing... existence and amount of a debt is subject to referral to Treasury under § 3.33 in the same manner as any...

7 CFR 3.78 - Written decision following a hearing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... the debt at this hearing is the final agency action on this matter regarding the existence and amount of the debt for purposes of executing salary offset under 5 U.S.C. 5514. However, even if the hearing... existence and amount of a debt is subject to referral to Treasury under § 3.33 in the same manner as any...

Martin v. Wilks [12 June 1989].

PubMed

1989-01-01

The UI Supreme Court held that court-approved affirmative action settlements can be challenged by white employees. The case involved white firefighters who challenged a plan agreed to by the City of Birmingham, Alabama, under which whites and blacks would be hired in equal numbers until a racial balance in the number of firefighters was reached that approximated the racial balance in the work force. This decision is also applicable to affirmative action settlements involving women.

The alcoholic brain: neural bases of impaired reward-based decision-making in alcohol use disorders.

PubMed

Galandra, Caterina; Basso, Gianpaolo; Cappa, Stefano; Canessa, Nicola

2018-03-01

Neuroeconomics is providing insights into the neural bases of decision-making in normal and pathological conditions. In the neuropsychiatric domain, this discipline investigates how abnormal functioning of neural systems associated with reward processing and cognitive control promotes different disorders, and whether such evidence may inform treatments. This endeavor is crucial when studying different types of addiction, which share a core promoting mechanism in the imbalance between impulsive subcortical neural signals associated with immediate pleasurable outcomes and inhibitory signals mediated by a prefrontal reflective system. The resulting impairment in behavioral control represents a hallmark of alcohol use disorders (AUDs), a chronic relapsing disorder characterized by excessive alcohol consumption despite devastating consequences. This review aims to summarize available magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evidence on reward-related decision-making alterations in AUDs, and to envision possible future research directions. We review functional MRI (fMRI) studies using tasks involving monetary rewards, as well as MRI studies relating decision-making parameters to neurostructural gray- or white-matter metrics. The available data suggest that excessive alcohol exposure affects neural signaling within brain networks underlying adaptive behavioral learning via the implementation of prediction errors. Namely, weaker ventromedial prefrontal cortex activity and altered connectivity between ventral striatum and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex likely underpin a shift from goal-directed to habitual actions which, in turn, might underpin compulsive alcohol consumption and relapsing episodes despite adverse consequences. Overall, these data highlight abnormal fronto-striatal connectivity as a candidate neurobiological marker of impaired choice in AUDs. Further studies are needed, however, to unveil its implications in the multiple facets of decision-making.

Evidence-Based Practice: The Psychology of EBP Implementation.

PubMed

Rousseau, Denise M; Gunia, Brian C

2016-01-01

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is an approach used in numerous professions that focuses attention on evidence quality in decision making and action. We review research on EBP implementation, identifying critical underlying psychological factors facilitating and impeding its use. In describing EBP and the forms of evidence it employs, we highlight the challenges individuals face in appraising evidence quality, particularly that of their personal experience. We next describe critical EBP competencies and the challenges underlying their acquisition: foundational competencies of critical thinking and domain knowledge, and functional competencies such as question formulation, evidence search and appraisal, and outcome evaluation. We then review research on EBP implementation across diverse fields from medicine to management and organize findings around three key contributors to EBP: practitioner ability, motivation, and opportunity to practice (AMO). Throughout, important links between psychology and EBP are highlighted, along with the contributions psychological research can make to further EBP development and implementation.

Beliefs about meditating among university students, faculty, and staff: a theory-based salient belief elicitation.

PubMed

Lederer, Alyssa M; Middlestadt, Susan E

2014-01-01

Stress impacts college students, faculty, and staff alike. Although meditation has been found to decrease stress, it is an underutilized strategy. This study used the Reasoned Action Approach (RAA) to identify beliefs underlying university constituents' decision to meditate. N=96 students, faculty, and staff at a large midwestern university during spring 2012. A survey measured the RAA global constructs and elicited the beliefs underlying intention to meditate. Thematic and frequency analyses and multiple regression were performed. Quantitative analyses showed that intention to meditate was significantly predicted (R2=.632) by attitude, perceived norm, and perceived behavioral control. Qualitative analyses revealed advantages (eg, reduced stress; feeling calmer), disadvantages (eg, takes time; will not work), and facilitating circumstances (eg, having more time; having quiet space) of meditating. Results of this theory-based research suggest how college health professionals can encourage meditation practice through individual, interpersonal, and environmental interventions.

Sustainable water management under future uncertainty with eco-engineering decision scaling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poff, N. Leroy; Brown, Casey M.; Grantham, Theodore E.; Matthews, John H.; Palmer, Margaret A.; Spence, Caitlin M.; Wilby, Robert L.; Haasnoot, Marjolijn; Mendoza, Guillermo F.; Dominique, Kathleen C.; Baeza, Andres

2016-01-01

Managing freshwater resources sustainably under future climatic and hydrological uncertainty poses novel challenges. Rehabilitation of ageing infrastructure and construction of new dams are widely viewed as solutions to diminish climate risk, but attaining the broad goal of freshwater sustainability will require expansion of the prevailing water resources management paradigm beyond narrow economic criteria to include socially valued ecosystem functions and services. We introduce a new decision framework, eco-engineering decision scaling (EEDS), that explicitly and quantitatively explores trade-offs in stakeholder-defined engineering and ecological performance metrics across a range of possible management actions under unknown future hydrological and climate states. We illustrate its potential application through a hypothetical case study of the Iowa River, USA. EEDS holds promise as a powerful framework for operationalizing freshwater sustainability under future hydrological uncertainty by fostering collaboration across historically conflicting perspectives of water resource engineering and river conservation ecology to design and operate water infrastructure for social and environmental benefits.

Sustainable water management under future uncertainty with eco-engineering decision scaling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Poff, N LeRoy; Brown, Casey M; Grantham, Theodore E.; Matthews, John H; Palmer, Margaret A.; Spence, Caitlin M; Wilby, Robert L.; Haasnoot, Marjolijn; Mendoza, Guillermo F; Dominique, Kathleen C; Baeza, Andres

2015-01-01

Managing freshwater resources sustainably under future climatic and hydrological uncertainty poses novel challenges. Rehabilitation of ageing infrastructure and construction of new dams are widely viewed as solutions to diminish climate risk, but attaining the broad goal of freshwater sustainability will require expansion of the prevailing water resources management paradigm beyond narrow economic criteria to include socially valued ecosystem functions and services. We introduce a new decision framework, eco-engineering decision scaling (EEDS), that explicitly and quantitatively explores trade-offs in stakeholder-defined engineering and ecological performance metrics across a range of possible management actions under unknown future hydrological and climate states. We illustrate its potential application through a hypothetical case study of the Iowa River, USA. EEDS holds promise as a powerful framework for operationalizing freshwater sustainability under future hydrological uncertainty by fostering collaboration across historically conflicting perspectives of water resource engineering and river conservation ecology to design and operate water infrastructure for social and environmental benefits.

Conflict Resolution as Near-Threshold Decision-Making: A Spiking Neural Circuit Model with Two-Stage Competition for Antisaccadic Task

PubMed Central

Wang, Xiao-Jing

2016-01-01

Automatic responses enable us to react quickly and effortlessly, but they often need to be inhibited so that an alternative, voluntary action can take place. To investigate the brain mechanism of controlled behavior, we investigated a biologically-based network model of spiking neurons for inhibitory control. In contrast to a simple race between pro- versus anti-response, our model incorporates a sensorimotor remapping module, and an action-selection module endowed with a “Stop” process through tonic inhibition. Both are under the modulation of rule-dependent control. We tested the model by applying it to the well known antisaccade task in which one must suppress the urge to look toward a visual target that suddenly appears, and shift the gaze diametrically away from the target instead. We found that the two-stage competition is crucial for reproducing the complex behavior and neuronal activity observed in the antisaccade task across multiple brain regions. Notably, our model demonstrates two types of errors: fast and slow. Fast errors result from failing to inhibit the quick automatic responses and therefore exhibit very short response times. Slow errors, in contrast, are due to incorrect decisions in the remapping process and exhibit long response times comparable to those of correct antisaccade responses. The model thus reveals a circuit mechanism for the empirically observed slow errors and broad distributions of erroneous response times in antisaccade. Our work suggests that selecting between competing automatic and voluntary actions in behavioral control can be understood in terms of near-threshold decision-making, sharing a common recurrent (attractor) neural circuit mechanism with discrimination in perception. PMID:27551824

Conflict Resolution as Near-Threshold Decision-Making: A Spiking Neural Circuit Model with Two-Stage Competition for Antisaccadic Task.

PubMed

Lo, Chung-Chuan; Wang, Xiao-Jing

2016-08-01

Automatic responses enable us to react quickly and effortlessly, but they often need to be inhibited so that an alternative, voluntary action can take place. To investigate the brain mechanism of controlled behavior, we investigated a biologically-based network model of spiking neurons for inhibitory control. In contrast to a simple race between pro- versus anti-response, our model incorporates a sensorimotor remapping module, and an action-selection module endowed with a "Stop" process through tonic inhibition. Both are under the modulation of rule-dependent control. We tested the model by applying it to the well known antisaccade task in which one must suppress the urge to look toward a visual target that suddenly appears, and shift the gaze diametrically away from the target instead. We found that the two-stage competition is crucial for reproducing the complex behavior and neuronal activity observed in the antisaccade task across multiple brain regions. Notably, our model demonstrates two types of errors: fast and slow. Fast errors result from failing to inhibit the quick automatic responses and therefore exhibit very short response times. Slow errors, in contrast, are due to incorrect decisions in the remapping process and exhibit long response times comparable to those of correct antisaccade responses. The model thus reveals a circuit mechanism for the empirically observed slow errors and broad distributions of erroneous response times in antisaccade. Our work suggests that selecting between competing automatic and voluntary actions in behavioral control can be understood in terms of near-threshold decision-making, sharing a common recurrent (attractor) neural circuit mechanism with discrimination in perception.

Human judgment vs. quantitative models for the management of ecological resources.

PubMed

Holden, Matthew H; Ellner, Stephen P

2016-07-01

Despite major advances in quantitative approaches to natural resource management, there has been resistance to using these tools in the actual practice of managing ecological populations. Given a managed system and a set of assumptions, translated into a model, optimization methods can be used to solve for the most cost-effective management actions. However, when the underlying assumptions are not met, such methods can potentially lead to decisions that harm the environment and economy. Managers who develop decisions based on past experience and judgment, without the aid of mathematical models, can potentially learn about the system and develop flexible management strategies. However, these strategies are often based on subjective criteria and equally invalid and often unstated assumptions. Given the drawbacks of both methods, it is unclear whether simple quantitative models improve environmental decision making over expert opinion. In this study, we explore how well students, using their experience and judgment, manage simulated fishery populations in an online computer game and compare their management outcomes to the performance of model-based decisions. We consider harvest decisions generated using four different quantitative models: (1) the model used to produce the simulated population dynamics observed in the game, with the values of all parameters known (as a control), (2) the same model, but with unknown parameter values that must be estimated during the game from observed data, (3) models that are structurally different from those used to simulate the population dynamics, and (4) a model that ignores age structure. Humans on average performed much worse than the models in cases 1-3, but in a small minority of scenarios, models produced worse outcomes than those resulting from students making decisions based on experience and judgment. When the models ignored age structure, they generated poorly performing management decisions, but still outperformed students using experience and judgment 66% of the time. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

40 CFR 1.27 - Offices of the Associate Administrators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Agency decision-making processes, assessing the impact of Headquarters actions on Regional operations... Regional Operations. The Office of Regional Operations, under the supervision of an Associate Administrator... communications link between the Administrator/Deputy Administrator and the Regional Administrators. It provides a...

47 CFR 73.23 - AM broadcast station applications affected by international agreements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... consistency with international relationships and as to which no final decision has been rendered, whenever action under this section becomes appropriate because of inconsistency with international relationships... international agreements. 73.23 Section 73.23 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED...

Deriving empirical benchmarks from existing monitoring datasets for rangeland adaptive management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Under adaptive management, goals and decisions for managing rangeland resources are shaped by requirements like the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) Land Health Standards, which specify desired conditions. Without formalized, quantitative benchmarks for triggering management actions, adaptive man...

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 140: Waste Dumps, Burn Pits, and Storage Area, Nevada Test Site, Nevada, July 2002, Rev. No. 0

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

NNSA /NV

This Corrective Action Investigation Plan contains the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Operations Office's approach to collect the data necessary to evaluate corrective action alternatives appropriate for the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 140 under the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order. Corrective Action Unit 140 consists of nine Corrective Action Sites (CASs): 05-08-01, Detonation Pits; 05-08-02, Debris Pits; 05-17-01, Hazardous Waste Accumulation Site (Buried); 05-19-01, Waste Disposal Site; 05-23-01, Gravel Gertie; 05-35-01, Burn Pit; 05-99-04, Burn Pit; 22-99-04, Radioactive Waste Dump; 23-17-01, Hazardous Waste Storage Area. All nine of these CASs are located withinmore » Areas 5, 22, and 23 of the Nevada Test Site (NTS) in Nevada, approximately 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. This CAU is being investigated because disposed waste may be present without appropriate controls (i.e., use restrictions, adequate cover) and hazardous and/or radioactive constituents may be present or migrating at concentrations and locations that could potentially pose a threat to human health and the environment. The NTS has been used for various research and development projects including nuclear weapons testing. The CASs in CAU 140 were used for testing, material storage, waste storage, and waste disposal. A two-phase approach has been selected to collect information and generate data to satisfy needed resolution criteria and resolve the decision statements. Phase I will determine if contaminants of potential concern (COPCs) are present in concentrations exceeding preliminary action levels. This data will be evaluated at all CASs. Phase II will determine the extent of the contaminant(s) of concern (COCs). This data will only be evaluated for CASs with a COC identified during Phase I. Based on process knowledge, the COPCs for CAU 140 include volatile organics, semivolatile organics, petroleum hydrocarbons, explosive residues, herbicides, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, metals, and radionuclides. The results of this field investigation will support a defensible evaluation of corrective action alternatives in the corrective action decision document.« less

Cost-benefit decision circuitry: proposed modulatory role for acetylcholine.

PubMed

Fobbs, Wambura C; Mizumori, Sheri J Y

2014-01-01

In order to select which action should be taken, an animal must weigh the costs and benefits of possible outcomes associate with each action. Such decisions, called cost-benefit decisions, likely involve several cognitive processes (including memory) and a vast neural circuitry. Rodent models have allowed research to begin to probe the neural basis of three forms of cost-benefit decision making: effort-, delay-, and risk-based decision making. In this review, we detail the current understanding of the functional circuits that subserve each form of decision making. We highlight the extensive literature by detailing the ability of dopamine to influence decisions by modulating structures within these circuits. Since acetylcholine projects to all of the same important structures, we propose several ways in which the cholinergic system may play a local modulatory role that will allow it to shape these behaviors. A greater understanding of the contribution of the cholinergic system to cost-benefit decisions will permit us to better link the decision and memory processes, and this will help us to better understand and/or treat individuals with deficits in a number of higher cognitive functions including decision making, learning, memory, and language. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Retrospective revaluation in sequential decision making: a tale of two systems.

PubMed

Gershman, Samuel J; Markman, Arthur B; Otto, A Ross

2014-02-01

Recent computational theories of decision making in humans and animals have portrayed 2 systems locked in a battle for control of behavior. One system--variously termed model-free or habitual--favors actions that have previously led to reward, whereas a second--called the model-based or goal-directed system--favors actions that causally lead to reward according to the agent's internal model of the environment. Some evidence suggests that control can be shifted between these systems using neural or behavioral manipulations, but other evidence suggests that the systems are more intertwined than a competitive account would imply. In 4 behavioral experiments, using a retrospective revaluation design and a cognitive load manipulation, we show that human decisions are more consistent with a cooperative architecture in which the model-free system controls behavior, whereas the model-based system trains the model-free system by replaying and simulating experience.

Using gaming to help nursing students understand ethics.

PubMed

Metcalf, Barbara L; Yankou, Dawn

2003-05-01

The authors developed an ethics game that uses specially designed ethical situations for students to consider. Two students argue a course of action based on the scenario and defend that action using content discussed in class. Substantive issues include decision-making models, values as they pertain to the situation, professional responsibilities, ethical principles, social expectations, and legal requirements. Points are awarded based on how compelling each argument is. All students have an opportunity to participate. The benefits of using the game are that students gain confidence in their ability to defend an ethical decision, are able to see ethical situations from more than one perspective, and have an opportunity to clarify values. In addition, ethical principles and decision-making models are brought to life in a fun way. Difficulties involved in using the game include class size and limited time between the students learning course content and using it in the game.

41 CFR 60-250.44 - Required contents of affirmative action programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... veterans. (8) The contractor, in making hiring decisions, should consider applicants who are known special... decisions are based only on valid job requirements. The policy shall state that employees and applicants... career days, youth motivation programs, and related activities in their communities. (6) The contractor...

41 CFR 60-300.44 - Required contents of affirmative action programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... medal veterans. (8) The contractor, in making hiring decisions, should consider applicants who are known... decisions are based only on valid job requirements. The policy shall state that employees and applicants... participation in career days, youth motivation programs, and related activities in their communities. (6) The...

17 CFR 171.1 - Scope of rules.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... the aggrieved party's appeal; (2) A decision in an arbitration action brought pursuant to section 17(b... associated with a member based solely on that person's failure to pay an arbitration award or a settlement... to pursue the right to appeal an adverse decision to the Appeals Committee of the National Futures...

17 CFR 171.1 - Scope of rules.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... the aggrieved party's appeal; (2) A decision in an arbitration action brought pursuant to section 17(b... associated with a member based solely on that person's failure to pay an arbitration award or a settlement... to pursue the right to appeal an adverse decision to the Appeals Committee of the National Futures...

Integrating Land Cover Modeling and Adaptive Management to Conserve Endangered Species and Reduce Catastrophic Fire Risk

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Breininger, David; Duncan, Brean; Eaton, Mitchell; Johnson, Fred; Nichols, James

2014-01-01

Land cover modeling is used to inform land management, but most often via a two-step process where science informs how management alternatives can influence resources and then decision makers can use this to make decisions. A more efficient process is to directly integrate science and decision making, where science allows us to learn to better accomplish management objectives and is developed to address specific decisions. Co-development of management and science is especially productive when decisions are complicated by multiple objectives and impeded by uncertainty. Multiple objectives can be met by specification of tradeoffs, and relevant uncertainty can be addressed through targeted science (i.e., models and monitoring). We describe how to integrate habitat and fuels monitoring with decision making focused on dual objectives of managing for endangered species and minimizing catastrophic fire risk. Under certain conditions, both objectives might be achieved by a similar management policy, but habitat trajectories suggest tradeoffs. Knowledge about system responses to actions can be informed by applying competing management actions to different land units in the same system state and by ideas about fire behavior. Monitoring and management integration is important to optimize state-specific management decisions and increase knowledge about system responses. We believe this approach has broad utility for and cover modeling programs intended to inform decision making.

The Role of Human Factors/Ergonomics in the Science of Security: Decision Making and Action Selection in Cyberspace.

PubMed

Proctor, Robert W; Chen, Jing

2015-08-01

The overarching goal is to convey the concept of science of security and the contributions that a scientifically based, human factors approach can make to this interdisciplinary field. Rather than a piecemeal approach to solving cybersecurity problems as they arise, the U.S. government is mounting a systematic effort to develop an approach grounded in science. Because humans play a central role in security measures, research on security-related decisions and actions grounded in principles of human information-processing and decision-making is crucial to this interdisciplinary effort. We describe the science of security and the role that human factors can play in it, and use two examples of research in cybersecurity--detection of phishing attacks and selection of mobile applications--to illustrate the contribution of a scientific, human factors approach. In these research areas, we show that systematic information-processing analyses of the decisions that users make and the actions they take provide a basis for integrating the human component of security science. Human factors specialists should utilize their foundation in the science of applied information processing and decision making to contribute to the science of cybersecurity. © 2015, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

A Web-Based Decision Support System for Assessing Regional Water-Quality Conditions and Management Actions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Booth, N. L.; Everman, E.; Kuo, I.; Sprague, L.; Murphy, L.

2011-12-01

A new web-based decision support system has been developed as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Assessment Program's (NAWQA) effort to provide ready access to Spatially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) results of stream water-quality conditions and to offer sophisticated scenario testing capabilities for research and water-quality planning via an intuitive graphical user interface with a map-based display. The SPARROW Decision Support System (DSS) is delivered through a web browser over an Internet connection, making it widely accessible to the public in a format that allows users to easily display water-quality conditions, distribution of nutrient sources, nutrient delivery to downstream waterbodies, and simulations of altered nutrient inputs including atmospheric and agricultural sources. The DSS offers other features for analysis including various background map layers, model output exports, and the ability to save and share prediction scenarios. SPARROW models currently supported by the DSS are based on the modified digital versions of the 1:500,000-scale River Reach File (RF1) and 1:100,000-scale National Hydrography Dataset (medium-resolution, NHDPlus) stream networks. The underlying modeling framework and server infrastructure illustrate innovations in the information technology and geosciences fields for delivering SPARROW model predictions over the web by performing intensive model computations and map visualizations of the predicted conditions within the stream network.

Geometry-based ensembles: toward a structural characterization of the classification boundary.

PubMed

Pujol, Oriol; Masip, David

2009-06-01

This paper introduces a novel binary discriminative learning technique based on the approximation of the nonlinear decision boundary by a piecewise linear smooth additive model. The decision border is geometrically defined by means of the characterizing boundary points-points that belong to the optimal boundary under a certain notion of robustness. Based on these points, a set of locally robust linear classifiers is defined and assembled by means of a Tikhonov regularized optimization procedure in an additive model to create a final lambda-smooth decision rule. As a result, a very simple and robust classifier with a strong geometrical meaning and nonlinear behavior is obtained. The simplicity of the method allows its extension to cope with some of today's machine learning challenges, such as online learning, large-scale learning or parallelization, with linear computational complexity. We validate our approach on the UCI database, comparing with several state-of-the-art classification techniques. Finally, we apply our technique in online and large-scale scenarios and in six real-life computer vision and pattern recognition problems: gender recognition based on face images, intravascular ultrasound tissue classification, speed traffic sign detection, Chagas' disease myocardial damage severity detection, old musical scores clef classification, and action recognition using 3D accelerometer data from a wearable device. The results are promising and this paper opens a line of research that deserves further attention.

The Warfighter Associate: decision-support software agent for the management of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) assets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchler, Norbou; Marusich, Laura R.; Sokoloff, Stacey

2014-06-01

A unique and promising intelligent agent plug-in technology for Mission Command Systems— the Warfighter Associate (WA)— is described that enables individuals and teams to respond more effectively to the cognitive challenges of Mission Command, such as managing limited intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) assets and information sharing in a networked environment. The WA uses a doctrinally-based knowledge representation to model role-specific workflows and continuously monitors the state of the operational environment to enable decision-support, delivering the right information to the right person at the right time. Capabilities include: (1) analyzing combat events reported in chat rooms and other sources for relevance based on role, order-of-battle, time, and geographic location, (2) combining seemingly disparate pieces of data into meaningful information, (3) driving displays to provide users with map based and textual descriptions of the current tactical situation, and (4) recommending courses of action with respect to necessary staff collaborations, execution of battle-drills, re-tasking of ISR assets, and required reporting. The results of a scenario-based human-in-the-loop experiment are reported. The underlying WA knowledge-graph representation serves as state traces, measuring aspects of Soldier decision-making performance (e.g. improved efficiency in allocating limited ISR assets) across runtime as dynamic events unfold on a simulated battlefield.

Can one do good medical ethics without principles?

PubMed

Macklin, Ruth

2015-01-01

The criteria for determining what it is to do good medical ethics are the quality of ethical analysis and ethical justifications for decisions and actions. Justifications for decisions and actions rely on ethical principles, be they the 'famous four' or subsidiary ethical principles relevant to specific contexts. Examples from clinical ethics, research ethics and public health ethics reveal that even when not stated explicitly, principles are involved in ethical justifications. Principles may come into conflict, however, and the resolution of an ethical dilemma requires providing good reasons for preferring one principle over another. 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.

Bringing a humanistic approach to cancer clinical trials

PubMed Central

Arai, Roberto Jun; Longo, Elaine Santana; Sponton, Maria Helena; Del Pilar Estevez Diz, Maria

2017-01-01

In this article, we describe some practical aspects that promote the humanisation of clinical research. Actions are not limited to improving the communication skills of medical staff but also include maintenance of care continuity, accessible written information, and application of theoretic models such as shared decision-making and management of stress in decision-making under uncertainty. We believe that a comprehensive strategy will increase patients’ motivation to participate in and adhere to clinical research. PMID:28596804

Stochastic Dynamics Underlying Cognitive Stability and Flexibility

PubMed Central

Ueltzhöffer, Kai; Armbruster-Genç, Diana J. N.; Fiebach, Christian J.

2015-01-01

Cognitive stability and flexibility are core functions in the successful pursuit of behavioral goals. While there is evidence for a common frontoparietal network underlying both functions and for a key role of dopamine in the modulation of flexible versus stable behavior, the exact neurocomputational mechanisms underlying those executive functions and their adaptation to environmental demands are still unclear. In this work we study the neurocomputational mechanisms underlying cue based task switching (flexibility) and distractor inhibition (stability) in a paradigm specifically designed to probe both functions. We develop a physiologically plausible, explicit model of neural networks that maintain the currently active task rule in working memory and implement the decision process. We simplify the four-choice decision network to a nonlinear drift-diffusion process that we canonically derive from a generic winner-take-all network model. By fitting our model to the behavioral data of individual subjects, we can reproduce their full behavior in terms of decisions and reaction time distributions in baseline as well as distractor inhibition and switch conditions. Furthermore, we predict the individual hemodynamic response timecourse of the rule-representing network and localize it to a frontoparietal network including the inferior frontal junction area and the intraparietal sulcus, using functional magnetic resonance imaging. This refines the understanding of task-switch-related frontoparietal brain activity as reflecting attractor-like working memory representations of task rules. Finally, we estimate the subject-specific stability of the rule-representing attractor states in terms of the minimal action associated with a transition between different rule states in the phase-space of the fitted models. This stability measure correlates with switching-specific thalamocorticostriatal activation, i.e., with a system associated with flexible working memory updating and dopaminergic modulation of cognitive flexibility. These results show that stochastic dynamical systems can implement the basic computations underlying cognitive stability and flexibility and explain neurobiological bases of individual differences. PMID:26068119

Exploring Agricultural Livelihood Transitions with an Agent-Based Virtual Laboratory: Global Forces to Local Decision-Making

PubMed Central

Magliocca, Nicholas R.; Brown, Daniel G.; Ellis, Erle C.

2013-01-01

Rural populations are undergoing rapid changes in both their livelihoods and land uses, with associated impacts on ecosystems, global biogeochemistry, and climate change. A primary challenge is, thus, to explain these shifts in terms of the actors and processes operating within a variety of land systems in order to understand how land users might respond locally to future changes in broader-scale environmental and economic conditions. Using ‘induced intensification’ theory as a benchmark, we develop a generalized agent-based model to investigate mechanistic explanations of relationships between agricultural intensity and population density, environmental suitability, and market influence. Land-use and livelihood decisions modeled from basic micro-economic theories generated spatial and temporal patterns of agricultural intensification consistent with predictions of induced intensification theory. Further, agent actions in response to conditions beyond those described by induced intensification theory were explored, revealing that interactions among environmental constraints, population pressure, and market influence may produce transitions to multiple livelihood regimes of varying market integration. The result is new hypotheses that could modify and enrich understanding of the classic relationship between agricultural intensity and population density. The strength of this agent-based model and the experimental results is the generalized form of the decision-making processes underlying land-use and livelihood transitions, creating the prospect of a virtual laboratory for systematically generating hypotheses of how agent decisions and interactions relate to observed land-use and livelihood patterns across diverse land systems. PMID:24039892

Health decision making: lynchpin of evidence-based practice.

PubMed

Spring, Bonnie

2008-01-01

Health decision making is both the lynchpin and the least developed aspect of evidence-based practice. The evidence-based practice process requires integrating the evidence with consideration of practical resources and patient preferences and doing so via a process that is genuinely collaborative. Yet, the literature is largely silent about how to accomplish integrative, shared decision making. for evidence-based practice are discussed for 2 theories of clinician decision making (expected utility and fuzzy trace) and 2 theories of patient health decision making (transtheoretical model and reasoned action). Three suggestions are offered. First, it would be advantageous to have theory-based algorithms that weight and integrate the 3 data strands (evidence, resources, preferences) in different decisional contexts. Second, patients, not providers, make the decisions of greatest impact on public health, and those decisions are behavioral. Consequently, theory explicating how provider-patient collaboration can influence patient lifestyle decisions made miles from the provider's office is greatly needed. Third, although the preponderance of data on complex decisions supports a computational approach, such an approach to evidence-based practice is too impractical to be widely applied at present. More troublesomely, until patients come to trust decisions made computationally more than they trust their providers' intuitions, patient adherence will remain problematic. A good theory of integrative, collaborative health decision making remains needed.

Health Decision Making: Lynchpin of Evidence-Based Practice

PubMed Central

Spring, Bonnie

2008-01-01

Health decision making is both the lynchpin and the least developed aspect of evidence-based practice. The evidence-based practice process requires integrating the evidence with consideration of practical resources and patient preferences and doing so via a process that is genuinely collaborative. Yet, the literature is largely silent about how to accomplish integrative, shared decision making. Implications for evidence-based practice are discussed for 2 theories of clinician decision making (expected utility and fuzzy trace) and 2 theories of patient health decision making (transtheoretical model and reasoned action). Three suggestions are offered. First, it would be advantageous to have theory-based algorithms that weight and integrate the 3 data strands (evidence, resources, preferences) in different decisional contexts. Second, patients, not providers, make the decisions of greatest impact on public health, and those decisions are behavioral. Consequently, theory explicating how provider-patient collaboration can influence patient lifestyle decisions made miles from the provider's office is greatly needed. Third, although the preponderance of data on complex decisions supports a computational approach, such an approach to evidence-based practice is too impractical to be widely applied at present. More troublesomely, until patients come to trust decisions made computationally more than they trust their providers’ intuitions, patient adherence will remain problematic. A good theory of integrative, collaborative health decision making remains needed. PMID:19015288

The effect of small-sided games with different levels of opposition on the tactical behaviour of young footballers with different levels of sport expertise.

PubMed

Práxedes, Alba; Moreno, Alberto; Gil-Arias, Alexander; Claver, Fernando; Del Villar, Fernando

2018-01-01

To optimize players' tactical abilities, coaches need to design training sessions with representative learning tasks, such as, small-sided games. Moreover, it is necessary to adapt the complexity of the tasks to the skill level of the athletes to maximally improve their perceptual, visual and attentive abilities. The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of two teaching programs, each utilizing modified games with varied levels of opposition, on decision-making and action execution in young players with different levels of sports expertise. 19 football players (U12), separated into two ability groups (Average versus Low skill-level), participated in a series of training sessions that were spread over 4 phases: Pre-intervention 1, Intervention 1 (teaching program based on modified games with numerical superiority in attack), Pre-intervention 2 and Intervention 2 (teaching program based on modified games with numerical equality). Each intervention phase lasted 14 sessions. Decision-making and the execution of pass action during league matches over the same period were evaluated using the Game Performance Evaluation Tool (GPET). The Average skill-level group showed significant differences after the first intervention in decision-making and execution of the pass action (decision-making, p = .015; execution, p = .031), but not after the second intervention (decision-making, p = 1.000; execution, p = 1.000). For the Low skill-level group, significant differences were only observed in the execution of passing between the first and last phases (p = .014). These findings seem to indicate that for groups with an average level of expertise, training with numerical superiority in attack provides players with more time to make better decisions and to better execute actions. However, for lower-level groups programs may take longer to facilitate improvement. Nevertheless, numerical equality did not result in improvement for either group.

Probabilistic approach to decision making under uncertainty during volcanic crises. Retrospective analysis of the 2011 eruption of El Hierro, in the Canary Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sobradelo, Rosa; Martí, Joan; Kilburn, Christopher; López, Carmen

2014-05-01

Understanding the potential evolution of a volcanic crisis is crucial to improving the design of effective mitigation strategies. This is especially the case for volcanoes close to densely-populated regions, where inappropriate decisions may trigger widespread loss of life, economic disruption and public distress. An outstanding goal for improving the management of volcanic crises, therefore, is to develop objective, real-time methodologies for evaluating how an emergency will develop and how scientists communicate with decision makers. Here we present a new model BADEMO (Bayesian Decision Model) that applies a general and flexible, probabilistic approach to managing volcanic crises. The model combines the hazard and risk factors that decision makers need for a holistic analysis of a volcanic crisis. These factors include eruption scenarios and their probabilities of occurrence, the vulnerability of populations and their activities, and the costs of false alarms and failed forecasts. The model can be implemented before an emergency, to identify actions for reducing the vulnerability of a district; during an emergency, to identify the optimum mitigating actions and how these may change as new information is obtained; and after an emergency, to assess the effectiveness of a mitigating response and, from the results, to improve strategies before another crisis occurs. As illustrated by a retrospective analysis of the 2011 eruption of El Hierro, in the Canary Islands, BADEMO provides the basis for quantifying the uncertainty associated with each recommended action as an emergency evolves, and serves as a mechanism for improving communications between scientists and decision makers.

Addendum to the Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 406: Area 3 Building 03-74 & Building 03-58 Underground Discharge Points and Corrective Action Unit 429: Area 3 Building 03-55 & Area 9 Building 09-52 Underground Discharge Points, Tonopah Test Range, Nevada, Revision 0

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

Lynn Kidman

This document constitutes an addendum to the March 2000, Corrective Action Decision Document / Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 406: Area 3 Building 03-74 & 03-58 Underground Discharge Points and Corrective Action Unit 429: Area 3 Building 03-55 & Area 9 Building 09-52 Underground Discharge Points (TTR) as described in the document Recommendations and Justifications for Modifications for Use Restrictions Established under the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (UR Modification document) dated February 2008. The UR Modification document was approved by NDEP on February 26, 2008. Themore » approval of the UR Modification document constituted approval of each of the recommended UR modifications. In conformance with the UR Modification document, this addendum consists of: • This cover page that refers the reader to the UR Modification document for additional information • The cover and signature pages of the UR Modification document • The NDEP approval letter • The corresponding section of the UR Modification document This addendum provides the documentation justifying the cancellation of the UR for CAS 03-51-001-0355 – Photo Shop UDP, Drains in CAU 429. It should be noted that there are no changes to CAU 406. This UR was established as part of a Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO) corrective action and is based on the presence of contaminants at concentrations greater than the action levels established at the time of the initial investigation (FFACO, 1996; as amended August 2006). Since this UR was established, practices and procedures relating to the implementation of risk-based corrective actions (RBCA) have changed. Therefore, this UR was re-evaluated against the current RBCA criteria as defined in the Industrial Sites Project Establishment of Final Action Levels (NNSA/NSO, 2006c). This re-evaluation consisted of comparing the original data (used to define the need for the UR) to risk-based final action levels (FALs) developed using the current Industrial Sites RBCA process. The re-evaluation resulted in a recommendation to remove the UR because contamination is not present at the site above the risk-based FALs. Requirements for inspecting and maintaining this UR will be canceled, and the postings and signage at this site will be removed. Fencing and posting may be present at this site that are unrelated to the FFACO UR such as for radiological control purposes as required by the NV/YMP Radiological Control Manual (NNSA/NSO, 2004f). This modification will not affect or modify any non-FFACO requirements for fencing, posting, or monitoring at this site.« less

Planning for Action: The Impact of an Asthma Action Plan Decision Support Tool Integrated into an Electronic Health Record (EHR) at a Large Health Care System.

PubMed

Kuhn, Lindsay; Reeves, Kelly; Taylor, Yhenneko; Tapp, Hazel; McWilliams, Andrew; Gunter, Andrew; Cleveland, Jeffrey; Dulin, Michael

2015-01-01

Asthma is a chronic airway disease that can be difficult to manage, resulting in poor outcomes and high costs. Asthma action plans assist patients with self-management, but provider compliance with this recommendation is limited in part because of guideline complexity. This project aimed to embed an electronic asthma action plan decision support tool (eAAP) into the medical record to streamline evidence-based guidelines for providers at the point of care, create individualized patient handouts, and evaluate effects on disease outcomes. eAAP development occurred in 4 phases: web-based prototype creation, multidisciplinary team engagement, pilot, and system-wide dissemination. Medical record and hospital billing data compared frequencies of asthma exacerbations before and after eAAP receipt with matched controls. Between December 2012 and September 2014, 5174 patients with asthma (∼10%) received eAAPs. Results showed an association between eAAP receipt and significant reductions in pediatric asthma exacerbations, including 33% lower odds of requiring oral steroids (P < .001), compared with controls. Equivalent adult measures were not statistically significant. This study supports existing evidence that patient self-management plays an important role in reducing asthma exacerbations. We show the feasibility of leveraging technology to provide guideline-based decision support through an eAAP, addressing known challenges of implementation into routine practice. © Copyright 2015 by the American Board of Family Medicine.

Action Research and Differentiating Reading Instruction in Mississippi: Fourth-Grade Students' Reading Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mims, Wyn, M.; Lockley, Jeannie

2017-01-01

A fourth-grade teacher utilized action research in order to make data-driven decisions about reading interventions with her students. The teacher decided on a broad intervention, which was differentiating reading instruction, implemented differentiated instruction, collected data and continuously adjusted interventions based on monitoring data.…

Action Research as Instructional Supervision: Suggestions for Principals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glanz, Jeffrey

2005-01-01

Supervision based on collaboration, participative decision making, and reflective practice is the hallmark of a viable school improvement program that is designed to promote teaching and learning. Action research has gradually emerged as an important form of instructional supervision to engage teachers in reflective practice about their teaching…

Dynamic Decision Making under Uncertainty and Partial Information

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-01-30

order to address these problems, we investigated efficient computational methodologies for dynamic decision making under uncertainty and partial...information. In the course of this research, we developed and studied efficient simulation-based methodologies for dynamic decision making under...uncertainty and partial information; (ii) studied the application of these decision making models and methodologies to practical problems, such as those

48 CFR 609.405-70 - Termination action decision.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...) For overseas posts, A/OPE. (b) Termination for default. Termination for default under a contract's default clause is appropriate when the circumstances giving rise to the debarment or suspension also constitute a default in the contractor's performance of that contract. Debarment or suspension of the...

16 CFR 5.61 - Prehearing procedures; motions; interlocutory appeals; summary decision; discovery; compulsory...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Actions Concerning Postemployment Conflict of Interest § 5.61 Prehearing procedures; motions... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Prehearing procedures; motions... involved in proceedings under this part, the Commission anticipates that extensive motions, prehearing...

16 CFR 5.61 - Prehearing procedures; motions; interlocutory appeals; summary decision; discovery; compulsory...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Actions Concerning Postemployment Conflict of Interest § 5.61 Prehearing procedures; motions... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Prehearing procedures; motions... involved in proceedings under this part, the Commission anticipates that extensive motions, prehearing...

Multi-agent simulation of generation expansion in electricity markets.

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

Botterud, A; Mahalik, M. R.; Veselka, T. D.

2007-06-01

We present a new multi-agent model of generation expansion in electricity markets. The model simulates generation investment decisions of decentralized generating companies (GenCos) interacting in a complex, multidimensional environment. A probabilistic dispatch algorithm calculates prices and profits for new candidate units in different future states of the system. Uncertainties in future load, hydropower conditions, and competitors actions are represented in a scenario tree, and decision analysis is used to identify the optimal expansion decision for each individual GenCo. We test the model using real data for the Korea power system under different assumptions about market design, market concentration, and GenCo'smore » assumed expectations about their competitors investment decisions.« less

Corrective Action Decision Document/Corrective Action Plan for Corrective Action Unit 97: Yucca Flat/Climax Mine Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 1

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

Farnham, Irene

This corrective action decision document (CADD)/corrective action plan (CAP) has been prepared for Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 97, Yucca Flat/Climax Mine, Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), Nevada. The Yucca Flat/Climax Mine CAU is located in the northeastern portion of the NNSS and comprises 720 corrective action sites. A total of 747 underground nuclear detonations took place within this CAU between 1957 and 1992 and resulted in the release of radionuclides (RNs) in the subsurface in the vicinity of the test cavities. The CADD portion describes the Yucca Flat/Climax Mine CAU data-collection and modeling activities completed during the corrective action investigationmore » (CAI) stage, presents the corrective action objectives, and describes the actions recommended to meet the objectives. The CAP portion describes the corrective action implementation plan. The CAP presents CAU regulatory boundary objectives and initial use-restriction boundaries identified and negotiated by DOE and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP). The CAP also presents the model evaluation process designed to build confidence that the groundwater flow and contaminant transport modeling results can be used for the regulatory decisions required for CAU closure. The UGTA strategy assumes that active remediation of subsurface RN contamination is not feasible with current technology. As a result, the corrective action is based on a combination of characterization and modeling studies, monitoring, and institutional controls. The strategy is implemented through a four-stage approach that comprises the following: (1) corrective action investigation plan (CAIP), (2) CAI, (3) CADD/CAP, and (4) closure report (CR) stages.« less

An innovative approach to addressing childhood obesity: a knowledge-based infrastructure for supporting multi-stakeholder partnership decision-making in Quebec, Canada.

PubMed

Addy, Nii Antiaye; Shaban-Nejad, Arash; Buckeridge, David L; Dubé, Laurette

2015-01-23

Multi-stakeholder partnerships (MSPs) have become a widespread means for deploying policies in a whole of society strategy to address the complex problem of childhood obesity. However, decision-making in MSPs is fraught with challenges, as decision-makers are faced with complexity, and have to reconcile disparate conceptualizations of knowledge across multiple sectors with diverse sets of indicators and data. These challenges can be addressed by supporting MSPs with innovative tools for obtaining, organizing and using data to inform decision-making. The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the development of a knowledge-based infrastructure to support MSP decision-making processes. The paper emerged from a study to define specifications for a knowledge-based infrastructure to provide decision support for community-level MSPs in the Canadian province of Quebec. As part of the study, a process assessment was conducted to understand the needs of communities as they collect, organize, and analyze data to make decisions about their priorities. The result of this process is a "portrait", which is an epidemiological profile of health and nutrition in their community. Portraits inform strategic planning and development of interventions, and are used to assess the impact of interventions. Our key findings indicate ambiguities and disagreement among MSP decision-makers regarding causal relationships between actions and outcomes, and the relevant data needed for making decisions. MSP decision-makers expressed a desire for easy-to-use tools that facilitate the collection, organization, synthesis, and analysis of data, to enable decision-making in a timely manner. Findings inform conceptual modeling and ontological analysis to capture the domain knowledge and specify relationships between actions and outcomes. This modeling and analysis provide the foundation for an ontology, encoded using OWL 2 Web Ontology Language. The ontology is developed to provide semantic support for the MSP process, defining objectives, strategies, actions, indicators, and data sources. In the future, software interacting with the ontology can facilitate interactive browsing by decision-makers in the MSP in the form of concepts, instances, relationships, and axioms. Our ontology also facilitates the integration and interpretation of community data, and can help in managing semantic interoperability between different knowledge sources. Future work will focus on defining specifications for the development of a database of indicators and an information system to help decision-makers to view, analyze and organize indicators for their community. This work should improve MSP decision-making in the development of interventions to address childhood obesity.

An Innovative Approach to Addressing Childhood Obesity: A Knowledge-Based Infrastructure for Supporting Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Decision-Making in Quebec, Canada

PubMed Central

Addy, Nii Antiaye; Shaban-Nejad, Arash; Buckeridge, David L.; Dubé, Laurette

2015-01-01

Multi-stakeholder partnerships (MSPs) have become a widespread means for deploying policies in a whole of society strategy to address the complex problem of childhood obesity. However, decision-making in MSPs is fraught with challenges, as decision-makers are faced with complexity, and have to reconcile disparate conceptualizations of knowledge across multiple sectors with diverse sets of indicators and data. These challenges can be addressed by supporting MSPs with innovative tools for obtaining, organizing and using data to inform decision-making. The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the development of a knowledge-based infrastructure to support MSP decision-making processes. The paper emerged from a study to define specifications for a knowledge-based infrastructure to provide decision support for community-level MSPs in the Canadian province of Quebec. As part of the study, a process assessment was conducted to understand the needs of communities as they collect, organize, and analyze data to make decisions about their priorities. The result of this process is a “portrait”, which is an epidemiological profile of health and nutrition in their community. Portraits inform strategic planning and development of interventions, and are used to assess the impact of interventions. Our key findings indicate ambiguities and disagreement among MSP decision-makers regarding causal relationships between actions and outcomes, and the relevant data needed for making decisions. MSP decision-makers expressed a desire for easy-to-use tools that facilitate the collection, organization, synthesis, and analysis of data, to enable decision-making in a timely manner. Findings inform conceptual modeling and ontological analysis to capture the domain knowledge and specify relationships between actions and outcomes. This modeling and analysis provide the foundation for an ontology, encoded using OWL 2 Web Ontology Language. The ontology is developed to provide semantic support for the MSP process, defining objectives, strategies, actions, indicators, and data sources. In the future, software interacting with the ontology can facilitate interactive browsing by decision-makers in the MSP in the form of concepts, instances, relationships, and axioms. Our ontology also facilitates the integration and interpretation of community data, and can help in managing semantic interoperability between different knowledge sources. Future work will focus on defining specifications for the development of a database of indicators and an information system to help decision-makers to view, analyze and organize indicators for their community. This work should improve MSP decision-making in the development of interventions to address childhood obesity. PMID:25625409

Participatory Action Research in Public Mental Health and a School of Nursing: Qualitative Findings from an Academic-Community Partnership

PubMed Central

Mahone, Irma H.; Farrell, Sarah P.; Hinton, Ivora; Johnson, Robert; Moody, David; Rifkin, Karen; Moore, Kenneth; Becker, Marcia; Barker, Margaret

2011-01-01

Summary An academic-community partnership between a school of nursing (SON) at a public university (the University of Virginia, or UVA) and a public mental health clinic developed around a shared goal of finding an acceptable shared decision making (SDM) intervention targeting medication use by persons with serious mental illness. The planning meetings of the academic-community partnership were recorded and analyzed. Issues under the partnership process included 1) clinic values and priorities, 2) research agenda, 3) ground rules, and 4) communication. Issues under the SDM content included: 1) barriers, 2) information exchange, 3) positive aspects of shared decision making, and 4) technology. Using participatory-action research (PAR), the community clinic was able to raise questions and concerns throughout the process, be actively involved in research activities (such as identifying stakeholders and co-leading focus groups), participate in the reflective activities on the impact of SDM on practice and policy, and feel ownership of the SDM intervention. PMID:22163075

Attending to detail by communal spider-eating spiders.

PubMed

Jackson, Robert R; Nelson, Ximena J

2012-07-01

Communal predators may often need to make especially intricate foraging decisions, as a predator's success may depend on the actions of its neighbours. Here,we consider the decisions made by Portia africana, a jumping spider (Salticidae) that preys on other spiders, including Oecobius amboseli (Oecobiidae), a small prey spider that lives under small sheets of silk (nests) on the walls of buildings. P. africana juveniles settle near oecobiid nests and then ambush oecobiids as they leave or enter the nest. Two or more P. africana juveniles sometimes settle at the same nest and, when an oecobiid is captured, the P. africana juveniles may share the meal. We investigated the joining decisions made by naïve P. africana juveniles. Experiments were based on using lures (dead spiders positioned in lifelike posture) arranged in a series of 17 different scenes defined by the presence/absence of a nest, the lure types present and the configuration of the lures and the nest. Our findings imply that P. africana juveniles make remarkably precise predatory decisions, with the variables that matter including whether a nest is present, the identity of spiders inside and outside a nest and how spiders are positioned relative to each other and the nest.

A cortical network model of cognitive and emotional influences in human decision making.

PubMed

Nazir, Azadeh Hassannejad; Liljenström, Hans

2015-10-01

Decision making (DM)(2) is a complex process that appears to involve several brain structures. In particular, amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) seem to be essential in human decision making, where both emotional and cognitive aspects are taken into account. In this paper, we present a computational network model representing the neural information processing of DM, from perception to behavior. We model the population dynamics of the three neural structures (amygdala, OFC and LPFC), as well as their interaction. In our model, the neurodynamic activity of amygdala and OFC represents the neural correlates of secondary emotion, while the activity of certain neural populations in OFC alone represents the outcome expectancy of different options. The cognitive/rational aspect of DM is associated with LPFC. Our model is intended to give insights on the emotional and cognitive processes involved in DM under various internal and external contexts. Different options for actions are represented by the oscillatory activity of cell assemblies, which may change due to experience and learning. Knowledge and experience of the outcome of our decisions and actions can eventually result in changes in our neural structures, attitudes and behaviors. Simulation results may have implications for how we make decisions for our individual actions, as well as for societal choices, where we take examples from transport and its impact on CO2 emissions and climate change. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Extracting decision rules from police accident reports through decision trees.

PubMed

de Oña, Juan; López, Griselda; Abellán, Joaquín

2013-01-01

Given the current number of road accidents, the aim of many road safety analysts is to identify the main factors that contribute to crash severity. To pinpoint those factors, this paper shows an application that applies some of the methods most commonly used to build decision trees (DTs), which have not been applied to the road safety field before. An analysis of accidents on rural highways in the province of Granada (Spain) between 2003 and 2009 (both inclusive) showed that the methods used to build DTs serve our purpose and may even be complementary. Applying these methods has enabled potentially useful decision rules to be extracted that could be used by road safety analysts. For instance, some of the rules may indicate that women, contrary to men, increase their risk of severity under bad lighting conditions. The rules could be used in road safety campaigns to mitigate specific problems. This would enable managers to implement priority actions based on a classification of accidents by types (depending on their severity). However, the primary importance of this proposal is that other databases not used here (i.e. other infrastructure, roads and countries) could be used to identify unconventional problems in a manner easy for road safety managers to understand, as decision rules. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Corrective Action Decision Document for Corrective Action Unit 340: Pesticide Release sites, Nevada Test Site, Nevada

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

DOE /NV

This Corrective Action Decision Document has been prepared for Corrective Action Unit 340, the NTS Pesticide Release Sites, in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order of 1996 (FFACO, 1996). Corrective Action Unit 340 is located at the Nevada Test Site, Nevada, and is comprised of the following Corrective Action Sites: 23-21-01, Area 23 Quonset Hut 800 Pesticide Release Ditch; 23-18-03, Area 23 Skid Huts Pesticide Storage; and 15-18-02, Area 15 Quonset Hut 15-11 Pesticide Storage. The purpose of this Corrective Action Decision Document is to identify and provide a rationale for the selection of a recommended correctivemore » action alternative for each Corrective Action Site. The scope of this Corrective Action Decision Document consists of the following tasks: Develop corrective action objectives; Identify corrective action alternative screening criteria; Develop corrective action alternatives; Perform detailed and comparative evaluations of the corrective action alternatives in relation to the corrective action objectives and screening criteria; and Recommend and justify a preferred corrective action alternative for each Corrective Action Site.« less

Superfund record of decision (EPA Region 9): Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant Site, Riverbank, CA, March 1994

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

Not Available

1994-07-01

This decision document presents the selected remedial actions for the Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant (RBAAP) in Riverbank, California. This sitewide ROD contains two response actions that address the media of concern at RBAAP. This ROD also documents the decision that no further action is warranted at the Evaporation/Percolation (E/P) ponds. The two response actions for this ROD are a groundwater response action and a landfill response action.

Multinational Experiment 7. Regional Analysis: Western Indian Ocean

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

its five Working Groups as observers. Decisions must be taken by consensus by the members of CGPCS. As of February 2013 representatives of71...action against pirate supply bases onshore. The decision was implemented for the first time on May 15 as helicopters destroyed a number of fast...regime. As of early 2013, however, we do not believe that those efforts have been decisive in reducing piracy activities. Presently, two regimes

Decision Making under Ambiguity and Objective Risk in Higher Age - A Review on Cognitive and Emotional Contributions.

PubMed

Liebherr, Magnus; Schiebener, Johannes; Averbeck, Heike; Brand, Matthias

2017-01-01

The ability of decision making plays a highly relevant role in our survival, but is adversely affected during the process of aging. The present review aims to provide a better understanding of age-related differences in decision making and the role of cognitive and emotional factors in this context. We reviewed the literature about age-effects on decision-making performance, focusing on decision making under ambiguous and objective risk. In decisions under ambiguous risks, as measured by the Iowa Gambling Task, decisions are based on the experiences with consequences. In this case, many articles have attributed age-related impairments in decision making to changes in emotional and somatic reward- and punishment processing. In decisions under objective risks, as measured for example by the Game of Dice Task, decisions can be based on explicit information about risks and consequences. In this case, age-related changes have been attributed mainly to a cognitive decline, particularly impaired executive functions. However, recent findings challenge these conclusions. The present review summarizes neuropsychological and neurophysiological findings of age-related differences in decision making under ambiguous and objective risk. In this context, the relevance of learning, but also of cognitive and emotional contributors - responsible for age-related differences in decision making - are additionally pointed out.

Decision Making under Ambiguity and Objective Risk in Higher Age – A Review on Cognitive and Emotional Contributions

PubMed Central

Liebherr, Magnus; Schiebener, Johannes; Averbeck, Heike; Brand, Matthias

2017-01-01

The ability of decision making plays a highly relevant role in our survival, but is adversely affected during the process of aging. The present review aims to provide a better understanding of age-related differences in decision making and the role of cognitive and emotional factors in this context. We reviewed the literature about age-effects on decision-making performance, focusing on decision making under ambiguous and objective risk. In decisions under ambiguous risks, as measured by the Iowa Gambling Task, decisions are based on the experiences with consequences. In this case, many articles have attributed age-related impairments in decision making to changes in emotional and somatic reward- and punishment processing. In decisions under objective risks, as measured for example by the Game of Dice Task, decisions can be based on explicit information about risks and consequences. In this case, age-related changes have been attributed mainly to a cognitive decline, particularly impaired executive functions. However, recent findings challenge these conclusions. The present review summarizes neuropsychological and neurophysiological findings of age-related differences in decision making under ambiguous and objective risk. In this context, the relevance of learning, but also of cognitive and emotional contributors – responsible for age-related differences in decision making – are additionally pointed out. PMID:29270145

Identification of metrics to monitor salt marsh integrity on National Wildlife Refuges in relation to conservation and management objectives

USGS Publications Warehouse

Neckles, Hilary A.; Guntenspergen, Glenn R.; Shriver, W. George; Danz, Nicholas P.; Wiest, Whitney A.; Nagel, Jessica L.; Olker, Jennifer H.

2013-01-01

Implementation of these metrics for quantitative assessment of NWRS salt marsh integrity in FWS Region 5 requires developing sampling designs for each refuge. Additionally, it is important to determine how the monitoring information will be used within a management context. SDM should be used to complete the analysis of salt marsh management decisions. The next steps would involve 1) prioritizing and weighting the management objectives; 2) predicting responses to individual management actions in terms of objectives and metrics; 3) using multiattribute utility theory to convert all measurable attributes to a common utility scale; 4) determining the total management benefit of each action by summing utilities across objectives; and 5) maximizing the total management benefits within cost constraints for each refuge. This process would allow the optimum management decisions for NWRS salt marshes to be selected and implemented based directly on monitoring data and current understanding of marsh responses to management actions. Monitoring the outcome of management actions would then allow new monitoring data to be incorporated into subsequent decisions. 

Heuristics and Biases in Military Decision Making

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-10-01

rationality and is based on a linear, step-based model that generates a specific course of action and is useful for the examination of problems that...exhibit stability and are underpinned by assumptions of “technical- rationality .”5 The Army values MDMP as the sanctioned approach for solving...theory) which sought to describe human behavior as a rational maximization of cost-benefit decisions, Kahne- man and Tversky provided a simple

The game of making decisions under uncertainty: How sure must one be?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Werner, Micha; Verkade, Jan; Wetterhall, Fredrik; van Andel, Schalk-Jan; Ramos, Maria-Helena

2016-04-01

Probabilistic hydrometeorological forecasting is now widely accepted to be more skillful than deterministic forecasts, and is increasingly being integrated into operational practice. Provided they are reliable and unbiased, probabilistic forecasts have the advantage that they give decision maker not only the forecast value, but also the uncertainty associated to that prediction. Though that information provides more insight, it does now leave the forecaster/decision maker with the challenge of deciding at what level of probability of a threshold being exceeded the decision to act should be taken. According to the cost-loss theory, that probability should be related to the impact of the threshold being exceeded. However, it is not entirely clear how easy it is for decision makers to follow that rule, even when the impact of a threshold being exceeded, and the actions to choose from are known. To continue the tradition in the "Ensemble Hydrometeorological Forecast" session, we will address the challenge of making decisions based on probabilistic forecasts through a game to be played with the audience. We will explore how decisions made differ depending on the known impacts of the forecasted events. Participants will be divided into a number of groups with differing levels of impact, and will be faced with a number of forecast situations. They will be asked to make decisions and record the consequence of those decisions. A discussion of the differences in the decisions made will be presented at the end of the game, with a fuller analysis later posted on the HEPEX web site blog (www.hepex.org).

Integrating Research into Decision Making: Providing Examples for an Informal Action Research Model. Research Report No. 83-24.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Losak, John; Morris, Cathy

One promising avenue for increasing the utilization of institutional research data is the informal action research model. While formal action research stresses the involvement of researchers throughout the decision-making process, the informal model stresses participation in the later stages of decision making. Informal action research requires…

The conscious mind and its emergent properties; an analysis based on decision theory.

PubMed

Morris, James A

2011-08-01

The process of conscious and unconscious decision making is analyzed using decision theory. An essential part of an optimum decision strategy is the assessment of values and costs associated with correct and incorrect decisions. In the case of unconscious decisions this involves an automatic process akin to computation using numerical values. But for conscious decisions the conscious mind must experience the outcome of the decision as pleasure or pain. It is suggested that the rules of behavior are programmed in our genes but modified by experience of the society in which we are reared. Our unconscious then uses the rules to reward or punish our conscious mind for the decisions it makes. This is relevant to concepts of altruism and religion in society. It is consistent with the observation that we prefer beauty to utility. The decision theory equations also explain the paradox that a single index of happiness can be applied in society. The symptoms of mental illness can be due to appropriate or inappropriate action by the unconscious. The former indicates a psychological conflict between conscious and unconscious decision making. Inappropriate action indicates that a pathological process has switched on genetic networks that should be switched off. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Balancing habitat delivery for breeding marsh birds and nonbreeding waterfowl: An integrated waterbird management and monitoring approach at Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri

USGS Publications Warehouse

Loges, Brian W.; Lyons, James E.; Tavernia, Brian G.

2017-08-23

The Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge (CCNWR) in the Mississippi River flood plain of eastern Missouri provides high quality emergent marsh and moist-soil habitat benefitting both nesting marsh birds and migrating waterfowl. Staff of CCNWR manipulate water levels and vegetation in the 17 units of the CCNWR to provide conditions favorable to these two important guilds. Although both guilds include focal species at multiple planning levels and complement objectives to provide a diversity of wetland community types and water regimes, additional decision support is needed for choosing how much emergent marsh and moist-soil habitat should be provided through annual management actions.To develop decision guidance for balanced delivery of high-energy waterfowl habitat and breeding marsh bird habitat, two measureable management objectives were identified: nonbreeding Anas Linnaeus (dabbling duck) use-days and Rallus elegans (king rail) occupancy of managed units. Three different composite management actions were identified to achieve these objectives. Each composite management action is a unique combination of growing season water regime and soil disturbance. The three composite management actions are intense moist-soil management (moist-soil), intermediate moist-soil (intermediate), and perennial management, which idles soils disturbance (perennial). The two management objectives and three management options were used in a multi-criteria decision analysis to indicate resource allocations and inform annual decision making. Outcomes of the composite management actions were predicted in two ways and multi-criteria decision analysis was used with each set of predictions. First, outcomes were predicted using expert-elicitation techniques and a panel of subject matter experts. Second, empirical data from the Integrated Waterbird Management and Monitoring Initiative collected between 2010 and 2013 were used; where data were lacking, expert judgment was used. Also, a Bayesian decision model was developed that can be updated with monitoring data in an adaptive management framework.Optimal resource allocations were identified in the form of portfolios of composite management actions for the 17 units in the framework. A constrained optimization (linear programming) was used to maximize an objective function that was based on the sum of dabbling duck and king rail utility. The constraints, which included management costs and a minimum energetic carrying capacity (total moist-soil acres), were applied to balance habitat delivery for dabbling ducks and king rails. Also, the framework was constrained in some cases to apply certain management actions of interest to certain management units; these constraints allowed for a variety of hypothetical Habitat Management Plans, including one based on output from a hydrogeomorphic study of the refuge. The decision analysis thus created numerous refuge-wide scenarios, each representing a unique mix of options (one for each of 17 units) and associated benefits (i.e., outcomes with respect to two management objectives).Prepared in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the decision framework presented here is designed as a decision-aiding tool for CCNWR managers who ultimately make difficult decisions each year with multiple objectives, multiple management units, and the complexity of natural systems. The framework also provides a way to document hypotheses about how the managed system functions. Furthermore, the framework identifies specific monitoring needs and illustrates precisely how monitoring data will be used for decision-aiding and adaptive management.

An Investigation of Data Overload in Team-Based Distributed Cognition Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hellar, David Benjamin

2009-01-01

The modern military command center is a hybrid system of computer automated surveillance and human oriented decision making. In these distributed cognition systems, data overload refers simultaneously to the glut of raw data processed by information technology systems and the dearth of actionable knowledge useful to human decision makers.…

Route Planning and Route Choice: An Empirical Investigation into Information Processing and Decision Making in Orienteering.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seiler, Roland

1989-01-01

Investigates kinds of map information selected and supplementary information desired by experienced orienteers. Reports that, based on lab and field studies, that contour lines were the most important map information, followed by information reducing physical or technical requirements. Concludes action theory is applicable to decision-making…

76 FR 552 - Pesticides; Availability of Pesticide Registration Notice Regarding the Residential Exposure...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-05

... interested persons about important policies, procedures, and registration related decisions, and serve to...: Richard P. Dumas, Pesticide Re- evaluation Division, Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental... applicability of this action to a particular entity, consult the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION...

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

PubMed

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

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

State Action 5: Role-Based, Timely Access to Information for Authorized Stakeholders. State Actions to Change the Culture around Data--from Building to Using Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Data Quality Campaign, 2010

2010-01-01

Data are only useful if people are able to access, understand and use them. Without access to the right information, stakeholders are forced to make decisions based on anecdote, experience or instinct. For information to be useful, it must be timely, readily available, and easy to understand. This brief highlights the importance of implementing…

Science support for managing migratory waterfowl.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fleskes, Joseph P.; Miller, Michael R.; Takekawa, John Y.

2003-01-01

Migratory birds in North America are an international resource shared by Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Ultimate population management authority in the U.S. lies with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), but states participate in development of management decisions through the Flyway system. The FWS, state wildlife agencies, and nongovernmental organizations participate through independent actions and cooperative Joint Ventures under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) to acquire, protect, restore, and enhance wetlands and other habitats critical to the long-term conservation of breeding, migrating, and wintering waterfowl. A thorough base of scientific information is required to support and evaluate waterfowl populations and habitat management in North America.

Distributed decision making in action: diagnostic imaging investigations within the bigger picture.

PubMed

Makanjee, Chandra R; Bergh, Anne-Marie; Hoffmann, Willem A

2018-03-01

Decision making in the health care system - specifically with regard to diagnostic imaging investigations - occurs at multiple levels. Professional role players from various backgrounds are involved in making these decisions, from the point of referral to the outcomes of the imaging investigation. The aim of this study was to map the decision-making processes and pathways involved when patients are referred for diagnostic imaging investigations and to explore distributed decision-making events at the points of contact with patients within a health care system. A two-phased qualitative study was conducted in an academic public health complex with the district hospital as entry point. The first phase included case studies of 24 conveniently selected patients, and the second phase involved 12 focus group interviews with health care providers. Data analysis was based on Rapley's interpretation of decision making as being distributed across time, situations and actions, and including different role players and technologies. Clinical decisions incorporating imaging investigations are distributed across the three vital points of contact or decision-making events, namely the initial patient consultation, the diagnostic imaging investigation and the post-investigation consultation. Each of these decision-making events is made up of a sequence of discrete decision-making moments based on the transfer of retrospective, current and prospective information and its transformation into knowledge. This paper contributes to the understanding of the microstructural processes (the 'when' and 'where') involved in the distribution of decisions related to imaging investigations. It also highlights the interdependency in decision-making events of medical and non-medical providers within a single medical encounter. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Society of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy and New Zealand Institute of Medical Radiation Technology.

17 CFR 171.42 - Notice of a final decision of the National Futures Association in a member responsibility action.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... ACTIONS Commission Review of Decisions by the National Futures Association In Member Responsibility Actions § 171.42 Notice of a final decision of the National Futures Association in a member responsibility... the Proceeding Clerk and Secretary of the Commission, with a written notice of any final decision in a...

17 CFR 171.42 - Notice of a final decision of the National Futures Association in a member responsibility action.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... ACTIONS Commission Review of Decisions by the National Futures Association In Member Responsibility Actions § 171.42 Notice of a final decision of the National Futures Association in a member responsibility... the Proceeding Clerk and Secretary of the Commission, with a written notice of any final decision in a...

17 CFR 171.42 - Notice of a final decision of the National Futures Association in a member responsibility action.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... ACTIONS Commission Review of Decisions by the National Futures Association In Member Responsibility Actions § 171.42 Notice of a final decision of the National Futures Association in a member responsibility... the Proceeding Clerk and Secretary of the Commission, with a written notice of any final decision in a...

17 CFR 171.42 - Notice of a final decision of the National Futures Association in a member responsibility action.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... ACTIONS Commission Review of Decisions by the National Futures Association In Member Responsibility Actions § 171.42 Notice of a final decision of the National Futures Association in a member responsibility... the Proceeding Clerk and Secretary of the Commission, with a written notice of any final decision in a...

Corrective Action Decision Document/Closure Report for Corrective Action Unit 571: Area 9 Yucca Flat Plutonium Dispersion Sites, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada, Revision 0

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

Matthews, Patrick

2014-08-01

The purpose of this CADD/CR is to provide documentation and justification that no further corrective action is needed for the closure of CAU 571 based on the implementation of corrective actions. This includes a description of investigation activities, an evaluation of the data, and a description of corrective actions that were performed. The CAIP provides information relating to the scope and planning of the investigation. Therefore, that information will not be repeated in this document.

Argumentation for Decision Making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amgoud, Leila

Decision making, often viewed as a form of reasoning toward action, has raised the interest of many scholars including economists, psychologists, and computer scientists for a long time. Any decision problem amounts to selecting the “best” or sufficiently “good” action(s) that are feasible among different alternatives, given some available information about the current state of the world and the consequences of potential actions. Available information may be incomplete or pervaded with uncertainty. Besides, the goodness of an action is judged by estimating how much its possible consequences fit the preferences of the decision maker. This agent is assumed to behave in a rational way [29] amgoud-woold, at least in the sense that his decisions should be as much as possible consistent with his preferences.

Factual and Counterfactual Action-Outcome Mappings Control Choice between Goal-Directed Actions in Rats.

PubMed

Laurent, Vincent; Balleine, Bernard W

2015-04-20

The capacity to extract causal knowledge from the environment allows us to predict future events and to use those predictions to decide on a course of action. Although evidence of such causal reasoning has long been described, recent evidence suggests that using predictive knowledge to guide decision-making in this way is predicated on reasoning about causes in two quite distinct ways: choosing an action can be based on the interaction between predictive information and the consequences of that action, or, alternatively, actions can be selected based on the consequences that they do not produce. The latter counterfactual reasoning is highly adaptive because it allows us to use information about both present and absent events to guide decision-making. Nevertheless, although there is now evidence to suggest that animals other than humans, including rats and birds, can engage in causal reasoning of one kind or another, there is currently no evidence that they use counterfactual reasoning to guide choice. To assess this question, we gave rats the opportunity to learn new action-outcome relationships, after which we probed the structure of this learning by presenting excitatory and inhibitory cues predicting that the specific outcomes of their actions would either occur or would not occur. Whereas the excitors biased choice toward the action delivering the predicted outcome, the inhibitory cues selectively elevated actions predicting the absence of the inhibited outcome, suggesting that rats encoded the counterfactual action-outcome mappings and were able to use them to guide choice. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An architecture for a continuous, user-driven, and data-driven application of clinical guidelines and its evaluation.

PubMed

Shalom, Erez; Shahar, Yuval; Lunenfeld, Eitan

2016-02-01

Design, implement, and evaluate a new architecture for realistic continuous guideline (GL)-based decision support, based on a series of requirements that we have identified, such as support for continuous care, for multiple task types, and for data-driven and user-driven modes. We designed and implemented a new continuous GL-based support architecture, PICARD, which accesses a temporal reasoning engine, and provides several different types of application interfaces. We present the new architecture in detail in the current paper. To evaluate the architecture, we first performed a technical evaluation of the PICARD architecture, using 19 simulated scenarios in the preeclampsia/toxemia domain. We then performed a functional evaluation with the help of two domain experts, by generating patient records that simulate 60 decision points from six clinical guideline-based scenarios, lasting from two days to four weeks. Finally, 36 clinicians made manual decisions in half of the scenarios, and had access to the automated GL-based support in the other half. The measures used in all three experiments were correctness and completeness of the decisions relative to the GL. Mean correctness and completeness in the technical evaluation were 1±0.0 and 0.96±0.03 respectively. The functional evaluation produced only several minor comments from the two experts, mostly regarding the output's style; otherwise the system's recommendations were validated. In the clinically oriented evaluation, the 36 clinicians applied manually approximately 41% of the GL's recommended actions. Completeness increased to approximately 93% when using PICARD. Manual correctness was approximately 94.5%, and remained similar when using PICARD; but while 68% of the manual decisions included correct but redundant actions, only 3% of the actions included in decisions made when using PICARD were redundant. The PICARD architecture is technically feasible and is functionally valid, and addresses the realistic continuous GL-based application requirements that we have defined; in particular, the requirement for care over significant time frames. The use of the PICARD architecture in the domain we examined resulted in enhanced completeness and in reduction of redundancies, and is potentially beneficial for general GL-based management of chronic patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Department of the Interior Southeast Climate Science Center synthesis report 2011–15—Projects, products, and science priorities

USGS Publications Warehouse

Varela Minder, Elda; Lascurain, Aranzazu R.; McMahon, Gerard

2016-09-28

IntroductionIn 2009, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Ken Salazar established a network of eight regional Climate Science Centers (CSCs) that, along with the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs), would help define and implement the Department's climate adaptation response. The Southeast Climate Science Center (SE CSC) was established at North Carolina State University (NCSU) in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2010, under a 5-year cooperative agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), to identify and address the regional challenges presented by climate change and variability in the Southeastern United States. All eight regional CSC hosts, including NCSU, were selected through a competitive process.Since its opening, the focus of the SE CSC has been on working with partners in the identification and development of research-based information that can assist managers, including cultural and natural resource managers, in adapting to global change processes, such as climate and land use change, that operate at local to global scales and affect resources important to the DOI mission. The SE CSC was organized to accomplish three goals:Provide co-produced, researched based, actionable science that supports transparent global change adaptation decisions.Convene conversations among decision makers, scientists, and managers to identify key ecosystem adaptation decisions driven by climate and land use change, the values and objectives that will be used to make decisions, and the research-based information needed to assess adaptation options.Build the capacity of natural resource professionals, university faculty, and students to understand and frame natural resource adaptation decisions and develop and use research-based information to make adaptation decisions.This report provides an overview of the SE CSC and the projects developed by the SE CSC since its inception. An important goal of this report is to provide a framework for understanding the evolution of the SE CSC science agenda, which has evolved over the first 5 years of the Center’s operation.

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…

The plethora of publics and their participation in policy making: How can they properly participate?

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

Carnes, S.A.

This paper examines the theoretical bases of publics and stakeholder participation in decision making, with special attention to mixed issues, including federal government actions such as remedial action programs and hazardous facility sitings. Empowerment associated with participation is addressed, focusing on differences between power and authority.

Attitudes towards Affirmative Action: Effects of Procedural Rationale and Candidates' Qualifications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mann, Jeffrey A.; Fasolo, Peter M.

This study examined whether individuals in higher education who are exposed to a hiring rationale based on a diversity value (minority group differences are valuable and should be relevant criteria for employment decisions in higher education) will rate affirmative action as fairer than those exposed to a compensation rationale (minority status is…

Place Learning Overrides Innate Behaviors in "Drosophila"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baggett, Vincent; Mishra, Aditi; Kehrer, Abigail L.; Robinson, Abbey O.; Shaw, Paul; Zars, Troy

2018-01-01

Animals in a natural environment confront many sensory cues. Some of these cues bias behavioral decisions independent of experience, and action selection can reveal a stimulus-response (S-R) connection. However, in a changing environment it would be a benefit for an animal to update behavioral action selection based on experience, and learning…

A Biologically Plausible Computational Theory for Value Integration and Action Selection in Decisions with Competing Alternatives

PubMed Central

Christopoulos, Vassilios; Bonaiuto, James; Andersen, Richard A.

2015-01-01

Decision making is a vital component of human and animal behavior that involves selecting between alternative options and generating actions to implement the choices. Although decisions can be as simple as choosing a goal and then pursuing it, humans and animals usually have to make decisions in dynamic environments where the value and the availability of an option change unpredictably with time and previous actions. A predator chasing multiple prey exemplifies how goals can dynamically change and compete during ongoing actions. Classical psychological theories posit that decision making takes place within frontal areas and is a separate process from perception and action. However, recent findings argue for additional mechanisms and suggest the decisions between actions often emerge through a continuous competition within the same brain regions that plan and guide action execution. According to these findings, the sensorimotor system generates concurrent action-plans for competing goals and uses online information to bias the competition until a single goal is pursued. This information is diverse, relating to both the dynamic value of the goal and the cost of acting, creating a challenging problem in integrating information across these diverse variables in real time. We introduce a computational framework for dynamically integrating value information from disparate sources in decision tasks with competing actions. We evaluated the framework in a series of oculomotor and reaching decision tasks and found that it captures many features of choice/motor behavior, as well as its neural underpinnings that previously have eluded a common explanation. PMID:25803729

Distinction between Externally vs. Internally Guided Decision-Making: Operational Differences, Meta-Analytical Comparisons and Their Theoretical Implications

PubMed Central

Nakao, Takashi; Ohira, Hideki; Northoff, Georg

2012-01-01

Most experimental studies of decision-making have specifically examined situations in which a single less-predictable correct answer exists (externally guided decision-making under uncertainty). Along with such externally guided decision-making, there are instances of decision-making in which no correct answer based on external circumstances is available for the subject (internally guided decision-making). Such decisions are usually made in the context of moral decision-making as well as in preference judgment, where the answer depends on the subject’s own, i.e., internal, preferences rather than on external, i.e., circumstantial, criteria. The neuronal and psychological mechanisms that allow guidance of decisions based on more internally oriented criteria in the absence of external ones remain unclear. This study was undertaken to compare decision-making of these two kinds empirically and theoretically. First, we reviewed studies of decision-making to clarify experimental–operational differences between externally guided and internally guided decision-making. Second, using multi-level kernel density analysis, a whole-brain-based quantitative meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies was performed. Our meta-analysis revealed that the neural network used predominantly for internally guided decision-making differs from that for externally guided decision-making under uncertainty. This result suggests that studying only externally guided decision-making under uncertainty is insufficient to account for decision-making processes in the brain. Finally, based on the review and results of the meta-analysis, we discuss the differences and relations between decision-making of these two types in terms of their operational, neuronal, and theoretical characteristics. PMID:22403525

Reward and decision processes in the brains of humans and nonhuman primates.

PubMed

Sirigu, Angela; Duhamel, Jean-René

2016-03-01

Choice behavior requires weighing multiple decision variables, such as utility, uncertainty, delay, or effort, that combine to define a subjective value for each considered option or course of action. This capacity is based on prior learning about potential rewards (and punishments) that result from prior actions. When made in a social context, decisions can involve strategic thinking about the intentions of others and about the impact of others' behavior on one's own outcome. Valuation is also influenced by different emotions that serve to adaptively regulate our choices in order to, for example, stay away from excessively risky gambles, prevent future regrets, or avoid personal rejection or conflicts. Drawing on economic theory and on advances in the study of neuronal mechanisms, we review relevant recent experiments in nonhuman primates and clinical observations made in neurologically impaired patients suffering from impaired decision-making capacities.

Robust Bayesian decision theory applied to optimal dosage.

PubMed

Abraham, Christophe; Daurès, Jean-Pierre

2004-04-15

We give a model for constructing an utility function u(theta,d) in a dose prescription problem. theta and d denote respectively the patient state of health and the dose. The construction of u is based on the conditional probabilities of several variables. These probabilities are described by logistic models. Obviously, u is only an approximation of the true utility function and that is why we investigate the sensitivity of the final decision with respect to the utility function. We construct a class of utility functions from u and approximate the set of all Bayes actions associated to that class. Then, we measure the sensitivity as the greatest difference between the expected utilities of two Bayes actions. Finally, we apply these results to weighing up a chemotherapy treatment of lung cancer. This application emphasizes the importance of measuring robustness through the utility of decisions rather than the decisions themselves. Copyright 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A decision support tool for adaptive management of native prairie ecosystems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hunt, Victoria M.; Jacobi, Sarah; Gannon, Jill J.; Zorn, Jennifer E.; Moore, Clinton; Lonsdorf, Eric V.

2016-01-01

The Native Prairie Adaptive Management initiative is a decision support framework that provides cooperators with management-action recommendations to help them conserve native species and suppress invasive species on prairie lands. We developed a Web-based decision support tool (DST) for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey initiative. The DST facilitates cross-organizational data sharing, performs analyses to improve conservation delivery, and requires no technical expertise to operate. Each year since 2012, the DST has used monitoring data to update ecological knowledge that it translates into situation-specific management-action recommendations (e.g., controlled burn or prescribed graze). The DST provides annual recommendations for more than 10,000 acres on 20 refuge complexes in four U.S. states. We describe how the DST promotes the long-term implementation of the program for which it was designed and may facilitate decision support and improve ecological outcomes of other conservation efforts.

Reward and decision processes in the brains of humans and nonhuman primates

PubMed Central

Sirigu, Angela; Duhamel, Jean-René

2016-01-01

Choice behavior requires weighing multiple decision variables, such as utility, uncertainty, delay, or effort, that combine to define a subjective value for each considered option or course of action. This capacity is based on prior learning about potential rewards (and punishments) that result from prior actions. When made in a social context, decisions can involve strategic thinking about the intentions of others and about the impact of others' behavior on one's own outcome. Valuation is also influenced by different emotions that serve to adaptively regulate our choices in order to, for example, stay away from excessively risky gambles, prevent future regrets, or avoid personal rejection or conflicts. Drawing on economic theory and on advances in the study of neuronal mechanisms, we review relevant recent experiments in nonhuman primates and clinical observations made in neurologically impaired patients suffering from impaired decision-making capacities. PMID:27069379

Bayesian inference and decision theory - A framework for decision making in natural resource management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dorazio, R.M.; Johnson, F.A.

2003-01-01

Bayesian inference and decision theory may be used in the solution of relatively complex problems of natural resource management, owing to recent advances in statistical theory and computing. In particular, Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms provide a computational framework for fitting models of adequate complexity and for evaluating the expected consequences of alternative management actions. We illustrate these features using an example based on management of waterfowl habitat.

CORRECTIVE ACTION DECISION DOCUMENT FOR AREA 9 UXO LANDFILL, TONOPAH TEST RNGE, CAU 453, REVISION 0, MARCH 1998

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

none

1998-03-01

This Corrective Action Decision Document (CADD) has been prepared for the Area 9 Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Landfill (Corrective Action Unit [CAU] 453) in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO) of 1996. Corrective Action Unit 453 is located at the Tonopah Test Range (TTR), Nevada, and is comprised of three individual landfill cells located northwest of Area 9. The cells are listed as one Corrective Action Site (CAS) 09-55-001-0952. The landfill cells have been designated as: � Cell A9-1 � Cell A9-2 � Cell A9-3 The purpose of this CADD is to identify and provide a rationalemore » for the selection of a recommended corrective action alternative for CAU 453. The scope of this CADD consists of the following tasks: � Develop corrective action objectives. � Identify corrective action alternative screening criteria. � Develop corrective action alternatives. � Perform detailed and comparative evaluations of the corrective action alternatives in relation to the corrective action objectives and screening criteria. � Recommend and justify a preferred corrective action alternative for the CAU. In June and July 1997, a corrective action investigation was performed that consisted of activities set forth in the Corrective Action Investigation Plan (CAIP) (DOE/NV, 1997). Subsurface investigation of the soils surrounding the cells revealed no contaminants of concern (COCs) above preliminary action levels. The cell contents were not investigated due to the potential for live UXO. Details concerning the analytical and investigation results can be found in Appendix A of this CADD. Based on the potential exposure pathways, the following corrective action objectives have been identified for CAU 453: � Prevent or mitigate human exposure to subsurface soils containing COCs, solid waste, and/or UXO. � Prevent adverse impacts to groundwater quality. Based on the review of existing data, future land use, and current operations at the TTR, the following alternatives have been developed for consideration at the Area 9 UXO Landfill CAU: � Alternative 1 - No Further Action � Alternative 2 - Closure in Place by Administrative Controls � Alternative 3 - Closure in Place by Capping � Alternative 4 - Clean Closure by Removal The corrective action alternatives were evaluated based on four general corrective action standards and five remedy selection decision factors. Based on the results of this evaluation, Alternative 2, Closure in Place by Administrative Controls, was selected as the preferred corrective action alternative. The preferred corrective action alternative was evaluated on its technical merits, focusing on performance, reliability, feasibility, and safety. The alternative was judged to meet all requirements for the technical components evaluated and to represent the most cost-effective corrective action. The alternative meets all applicable state and federal regulations for closure of the site and will reduce potential future exposure pathways to the contents of the landfill. During corrective action implementation, this alternative will present minimal potential threat to site workers. However, appropriate health and safety procedures will be developed and implemented.« less

[Forensic-psychiatric criteria for evaluating the capacity to take decisions freely and consciously and to express one's will].

PubMed

Kocur, Józef; Trendak, Wiesława

2009-01-01

The report presents the current views on the development, course, as well as mechanisms underlying some disorders in the sphere of motivational processes, and especially in the sphere of will expression, aspirations and actions. The authors also analyze various aspects of the effect that is exerted by such disorders on such mental and psychosomatic functions that determine the validity of will declaration. The report emphasizes the necessity for separate evaluation of the ability to consciously or freely express will and reach decisions. Another important issue discussed in the paper is the prerequisite of including the effect of a given specific legal situation and factors other than psychopathological that can modify motivation, behavior and actions undertaken by the evaluated person.

Crew decision making under stress

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Orasanu, J.

1992-01-01

Flight crews must make decisions and take action when systems fail or emergencies arise during flight. These situations may involve high stress. Full-missiion flight simulation studies have shown that crews differ in how effectively they cope in these circumstances, judged by operational errors and crew coordination. The present study analyzed the problem solving and decision making strategies used by crews led by captains fitting three different personality profiles. Our goal was to identify more and less effective strategies that could serve as the basis for crew selection or training. Methods: Twelve 3-member B-727 crews flew a 5-leg mission simulated flight over 1 1/2 days. Two legs included 4 abnormal events that required decisions during high workload periods. Transcripts of videotapes were analyzed to describe decision making strategies. Crew performance (errors and coordination) was judged on-line and from videotapes by check airmen. Results: Based on a median split of crew performance errors, analyses to date indicate a difference in general strategy between crews who make more or less errors. Higher performance crews showed greater situational awareness - they responded quickly to cues and interpreted them appropriately. They requested more decision relevant information and took into account more constraints. Lower performing crews showed poorer situational awareness, planning, constraint sensitivity, and coordination. The major difference between higher and lower performing crews was that poorer crews made quick decisions and then collected information to confirm their decision. Conclusion: Differences in overall crew performance were associated with differences in situational awareness, information management, and decision strategy. Captain personality profiles were associated with these differences, a finding with implications for crew selection and training.

United States Air Force 611th Civil Engineer Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. Final engineering evaluation/cost analysis: Petroleum, oil, and lubricants area, Galena Airport, Alaska

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

NONE

1996-02-05

This decision document presents the selected removal action for the Installation Restoration Program (IRP) site ST005, otherwise known as the POL Tank Farm, at Galena Airport, Alaska. This decision is based on the administrative record for this site, specifically the draft Remedial Investigation Report (March 1995) and the Treatability Study Report (January 1995) (PB95-225314). The information from these documents is summarized, along with an analysis of potential removal action alternatives in the Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA).

Cooperative Drought Adaptation: Integrating Infrastructure Development, Conservation, and Water Transfers into Adaptive Policy Pathways

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeff, H. B.; Characklis, G. W.; Reed, P. M.; Herman, J. D.

2015-12-01

Water supply policies that integrate portfolios of short-term management decisions with long-term infrastructure development enable utilities to adapt to a range of future scenarios. An effective mix of short-term management actions can augment existing infrastructure, potentially forestalling new development. Likewise, coordinated expansion of infrastructure such as regional interconnections and shared treatment capacity can increase the effectiveness of some management actions like water transfers. Highly adaptable decision pathways that mix long-term infrastructure options and short-term management actions require decision triggers capable of incorporating the impact of these time-evolving decisions on growing water supply needs. Here, we adapt risk-based triggers to sequence a set of potential infrastructure options in combination with utility-specific conservation actions and inter-utility water transfers. Individual infrastructure pathways can be augmented with conservation or water transfers to reduce the cost of meeting utility objectives, but they can also include cooperatively developed, shared infrastructure that expands regional capacity to transfer water. This analysis explores the role of cooperation among four water utilities in the 'Research Triangle' region of North Carolina by formulating three distinct categories of adaptive policy pathways: independent action (utility-specific conservation and supply infrastructure only), weak cooperation (utility-specific conservation and infrastructure development with regional transfers), and strong cooperation (utility specific conservation and jointly developed of regional infrastructure that supports transfers). Results suggest that strong cooperation aids the utilities in meeting their individual objections at substantially lower costs and with fewer irreversible infrastructure options.

Prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases through evidence-based public health: implementing the NCD 2020 action plan.

PubMed

Diem, Günter; Brownson, Ross C; Grabauskas, Vilius; Shatchkute, Aushra; Stachenko, Sylvie

2016-09-01

The control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) was addressed by the declaration of the 66th United Nations (UN) General Assembly followed by the World Health Organization's (WHO) NCD 2020 action plan. There is a clear need to better apply evidence in public health settings to tackle both behaviour-related factors and the underlying social and economic conditions. This article describes concepts of evidence-based public health (EBPH) and outlines a set of actions that are essential for successful global NCD prevention. The authors describe the importance of knowledge translation with the goal of increasing the effectiveness of public health services, relying on both quantitative and qualitative evidence. In particular, the role of capacity building is highlighted because it is fundamental to progress in controlling NCDs. Important challenges for capacity building include the need to bridge diverse disciplines, build the evidence base across countries and the lack of formal training in public health sciences. As brief case examples, several successful capacity-building efforts are highlighted to address challenges and further evidence-based decision making. The need for a more comprehensive public health approach, addressing social, environmental and cultural conditions, has led to government-wide and society-wide strategies that are now on the agenda due to efforts such as the WHO's NCD 2020 action plan and Health 2020: the European Policy for Health and Wellbeing. These efforts need research to generate evidence in new areas (e.g. equity and sustainability), training to build public health capacity and a continuous process of improvement and knowledge generation and translation. © The Author(s) 2015.

A Web-Based Decision Support System for Assessing Regional Water-Quality Conditions and Management Actions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Booth, N.L.; Everman, E.J.; Kuo, I.-L.; Sprague, L.; Murphy, L.

2011-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Assessment Program has completed a number of water-quality prediction models for nitrogen and phosphorus for the conterminous United States as well as for regional areas of the nation. In addition to estimating water-quality conditions at unmonitored streams, the calibrated SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) models can be used to produce estimates of yield, flow-weighted concentration, or load of constituents in water under various land-use condition, change, or resource management scenarios. A web-based decision support infrastructure has been developed to provide access to SPARROW simulation results on stream water-quality conditions and to offer sophisticated scenario testing capabilities for research and water-quality planning via a graphical user interface with familiar controls. The SPARROW decision support system (DSS) is delivered through a web browser over an Internet connection, making it widely accessible to the public in a format that allows users to easily display water-quality conditions and to describe, test, and share modeled scenarios of future conditions. SPARROW models currently supported by the DSS are based on the modified digital versions of the 1:500,000-scale River Reach File (RF1) and 1:100,000-scale National Hydrography Dataset (medium-resolution, NHDPlus) stream networks. ?? 2011 American Water Resources Association. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

46 CFR 150.170 - Right of appeal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Right of appeal. 150.170 Section 150.170 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) CERTAIN BULK DANGEROUS CARGOES COMPATIBILITY OF CARGOES § 150.170 Right of appeal. Any person directly affected by a decision or action taken under this...

46 CFR 147.33 - Right of appeal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Right of appeal. 147.33 Section 147.33 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) DANGEROUS CARGOES HAZARDOUS SHIPS' STORES General Provisions § 147.33 Right of appeal. Any person directly affected by a decision or action taken under this...

46 CFR 147.33 - Right of appeal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Right of appeal. 147.33 Section 147.33 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) DANGEROUS CARGOES HAZARDOUS SHIPS' STORES General Provisions § 147.33 Right of appeal. Any person directly affected by a decision or action taken under this...

46 CFR 150.170 - Right of appeal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Right of appeal. 150.170 Section 150.170 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) CERTAIN BULK DANGEROUS CARGOES COMPATIBILITY OF CARGOES § 150.170 Right of appeal. Any person directly affected by a decision or action taken under this...

46 CFR 150.170 - Right of appeal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Right of appeal. 150.170 Section 150.170 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) CERTAIN BULK DANGEROUS CARGOES COMPATIBILITY OF CARGOES § 150.170 Right of appeal. Any person directly affected by a decision or action taken under this...

46 CFR 150.170 - Right of appeal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Right of appeal. 150.170 Section 150.170 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) CERTAIN BULK DANGEROUS CARGOES COMPATIBILITY OF CARGOES § 150.170 Right of appeal. Any person directly affected by a decision or action taken under this...

46 CFR 147.33 - Right of appeal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Right of appeal. 147.33 Section 147.33 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) DANGEROUS CARGOES HAZARDOUS SHIPS' STORES General Provisions § 147.33 Right of appeal. Any person directly affected by a decision or action taken under this...

46 CFR 147.33 - Right of appeal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Right of appeal. 147.33 Section 147.33 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) DANGEROUS CARGOES HAZARDOUS SHIPS' STORES General Provisions § 147.33 Right of appeal. Any person directly affected by a decision or action taken under this...

25 CFR 273.73 - Other appeals.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Other appeals. 273.73 Section 273.73 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ASSISTANCE ACT PROGRAM EDUCATION CONTRACTS UNDER JOHNSON-O'MALLEY ACT Appeals § 273.73 Other appeals. Any decision or action taken...

25 CFR 273.73 - Other appeals.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2012-04-01 2011-04-01 true Other appeals. 273.73 Section 273.73 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ASSISTANCE ACT PROGRAM EDUCATION CONTRACTS UNDER JOHNSON-O'MALLEY ACT Appeals § 273.73 Other appeals. Any decision or action taken...

25 CFR 273.73 - Other appeals.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Other appeals. 273.73 Section 273.73 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ASSISTANCE ACT PROGRAM EDUCATION CONTRACTS UNDER JOHNSON-O'MALLEY ACT Appeals § 273.73 Other appeals. Any decision or action taken...

25 CFR 273.73 - Other appeals.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Other appeals. 273.73 Section 273.73 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ASSISTANCE ACT PROGRAM EDUCATION CONTRACTS UNDER JOHNSON-O'MALLEY ACT Appeals § 273.73 Other appeals. Any decision or action taken...

25 CFR 273.73 - Other appeals.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Other appeals. 273.73 Section 273.73 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR INDIAN SELF-DETERMINATION AND EDUCATION ASSISTANCE ACT PROGRAM EDUCATION CONTRACTS UNDER JOHNSON-O'MALLEY ACT Appeals § 273.73 Other appeals. Any decision or action taken...

46 CFR 169.113 - Right of appeal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Right of appeal. 169.113 Section 169.113 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) NAUTICAL SCHOOLS SAILING SCHOOL VESSELS General Provisions § 169.113 Right of appeal. Any person directly affected by a decision or action taken under this...

46 CFR 147.33 - Right of appeal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Right of appeal. 147.33 Section 147.33 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) DANGEROUS CARGOES HAZARDOUS SHIPS' STORES General Provisions § 147.33 Right of appeal. Any person directly affected by a decision or action taken under this...

46 CFR 150.170 - Right of appeal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Right of appeal. 150.170 Section 150.170 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) CERTAIN BULK DANGEROUS CARGOES COMPATIBILITY OF CARGOES § 150.170 Right of appeal. Any person directly affected by a decision or action taken under this...

76 FR 18990 - Revision of Patent Term Extension and Adjustment Provisions Relating to Appellate Review and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-06

... of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit) underscore the importance of making information... Information Disclosure Statements AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Commerce. ACTION: Notice... pursuant to or under a decision in the review reversing an adverse determination of patentability. The...

21 CFR 16.42 - Presiding officer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... under § 16.40 is not precluded by this section from prior participation in the investigation or action that is the subject of the hearing. If there has been prior participation, the Commissioner or the..., if the Commissioner's authority to make a final decision has been delegated to a center director, the...

29 CFR 18.29 - Authority of administrative law judge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) General powers. In any proceeding under this part, the administrative law judge shall have all powers...) Issue decisions and orders; (6) Take any action authorized by the Administrative Procedure Act; (7) Exercise, for the purpose of the hearing and in regulating the conduct of the proceeding, such powers...

46 CFR 169.113 - Right of appeal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Right of appeal. 169.113 Section 169.113 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) NAUTICAL SCHOOLS SAILING SCHOOL VESSELS General Provisions § 169.113 Right of appeal. Any person directly affected by a decision or action taken under this...

78 FR 23558 - Pesticide Products; Registration Applications for New Active Ingredients

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-19

... 20460- 0001. As part of the mailing address, include the contact person's name, division, and mail code.... The following list of North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) codes is not intended to... decision by the Agency on these applications. For actions being evaluated under the Agency's public...

Automated Interactive Simulation Model (AISIM) VAX Version 5.0 Training Manual.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-05-29

action, activity, decision , etc. that consumes time. The entity is automatically created by the system when an ACTION Primitive is placed. 1.3.2.4 The...MODELED SYSTEM 1.3.2.1 The Process Entity. A Process is used to represent the operations, decisions , actions or activities that can be decomposed and...is associated with the Action entity described below, is included in Process definitions to indicate the time a certain Action (or process, decision

44 CFR 10.12 - Pre-implementation actions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Pre-implementation actions. (a) Decision-making. The Regional Administrator shall ensure that... integrated into the decision-making process. Because of the diversity of FEMA, it is not feasible to describe in this part the decision-making process for each of the various FEMA programs. Proposals and actions...

Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 528: Polychlorinated Biphenyls Contamination, Nevada Test Site, Nevada, Rev. 0

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

U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office

This Corrective Action Investigation Plan contains the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office's approach to collect the data necessary to evaluate corrective action alternatives appropriate for the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 528, Polychlorinated Biphenyls Contamination (PCBs), Nevada Test Site (NTS), Nevada, under the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order. Located in the southwestern portion of Area 25 on the NTS in Jackass Flats (adjacent to Test Cell C [TCC]), CAU 528 consists of Corrective Action Site 25-27-03, Polychlorinated Biphenyls Surface Contamination. Test Cell C was built to support the Nuclear Rocket Development Stationmore » (operational between 1959 and 1973) activities including conducting ground tests and static firings of nuclear engine reactors. Although CAU 528 was not considered as a direct potential source of PCBs and petroleum contamination, two potential sources of contamination have nevertheless been identified from an unknown source in concentrations that could potentially pose an unacceptable risk to human health and/or the environment. This CAU's close proximity to TCC prompted Shaw to collect surface soil samples, which have indicated the presence of PCBs extending throughout the area to the north, east, south, and even to the edge of the western boundary. Based on this information, more extensive field investigation activities are being planned, the results of which are to be used to support a defensible evaluation of corrective action alternatives in the corrective action decision document.« less

A model for medical decision making and problem solving.

PubMed

Werner, M

1995-08-01

Clinicians confront the classical problem of decision making under uncertainty, but a universal procedure by which they deal with this situation, both in diagnosis and therapy, can be defined. This consists in the choice of a specific course of action from available alternatives so as to reduce uncertainty. Formal analysis evidences that the expected value of this process depends on the a priori probabilities confronted, the discriminatory power of the action chosen, and the values and costs associated with possible outcomes. Clinical problem-solving represents the construction of a systematic strategy from multiple decisional building blocks. Depending on the level of uncertainty the physicians attach to their working hypothesis, they can choose among at least four prototype strategies: pattern recognition, the hypothetico-deductive process, arborization, and exhaustion. However, the resolution of real-life problems can involve a combination of these game plans. Formal analysis of each strategy permits definition of its appropriate a priori probabilities, action characteristics, and cost implications.

Water Planning and Climate Change: Actionable Intelligence Yet?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milly, P.

2008-05-01

Within a rational planning framework, water planners design major water projects by evaluating tradeoffs of costs, benefits, and risks to life and property. The evaluation is based on anticipated future runoff and streamflow. Generally, planners have invoked the stationarity approximation: they have assumed that hydrologic conditions during the planned lifetime of a project will be similar to those observed in the past. Contemporary anthropogenic climate change arguably makes stationarity untenable. In principle, stationarity-based planning under non- stationarity potentially leads to incorrect assessment of tradeoffs, sub-optimal decisions, and excessive financial and environmental costs (e.g., a reservoir that is too big to ever be filled) and/or insufficient benefits (e.g., levees that are too small to hold back the flood waters). As the reigning default assumption for planning, stationarity is an easy target for criticism; provision of a practical alternative is not so easy. The leading alternative, use of quantitative climate-change projections from global climate models in conjunction with water planners' river-basin models, has serious shortcomings of its own. Climate models (1) neglect some terrestrial processes known to influence runoff and streamflow; (2) do not represent precipitation well at the finer resolved time and space scales; (3) do not resolve any processes at the even finer spatial scale of relevance to much of water planning; and (4) disagree among themselves about some changes. Even setting aside the issue of scale mismatch, for which various "downscaling" methods have been proposed, outputs from climate models generally are not directly transferable to river-basin models, and river-basin models commonly use empiricisms whose historical validity might not extrapolate well under climate change. So climate science is informing water management that stationarity is a flawed assumption, but it has not presented a universally and reliably superior alternative. What is to be done? Is climate-change information of sufficient strength to justify making decisions that differ from those that would be optimal under stationarity? I.e., does climate science provide "actionable intelligence" to water planners? A conservative approach to planning in the presence of climate change would begin with stationarity as a base and then superpose, with quantitative estimates of uncertainties, those model-projected changes that appear to be qualitatively robust. The current state of science suggests that the following changes could be considered robust: (1) reduction in the fraction of precipitation falling as snow and earlier seasonal melting of snow, with consequent seasonal redistribution of runoff and streamflow; (2) gradual sea-level rise with heightened risk of encroachment of saline water into coastal surface- and ground-water-supply sources; and (3) global redistribution of precipitation and resultant runoff, with regional focal points ("hot spots") of desiccation and moistening. Even considering the attendant uncertainties, the available information about these changes can significantly affect the cost-benefit-risk tradeoffs of existing and prospective water projects and, therefore, can rationally inform decisions about future courses of action or inaction.

33 CFR 51.11 - Records.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... on behalf of the applicant; (4) The decision of the DRB; (5) Advisory opinions relief upon for the final action; and (6) The final action on the DRB decision by the Commandant or Secretary. (b) The... the decision of the DRB and the final action thereon is made available for public inspection and...

Fostering Wisdom-Based Action through Web 2.0 Communities of Practice: An Example of the Early Childhood Family Support Community of Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turnbull, Ann P.; Summers, Jean Ann; Gotto, George; Stowe, Matt; Beauchamp, Donna; Klein, Samara; Kyzar, Kathleen; Turnbull, Rud; Zuna, Nina

2009-01-01

This article discusses a new approach to knowledge translation using Web 2.0 technologies in an online Community of Practice (CoP). The purpose of the CoP is to promote wisdom-based action, a process that encourages people to engage with knowledge, match it to their own values, vision, and contexts, make a well-informed decision, and act on that…

49 CFR 1503.655 - Initial decision.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Rules of Practice in TSA Civil Penalty Actions § 1503.655 Initial decision. (a) Contents. The ALJ may... copies of that initial decision available to all parties and the TSA decision maker. (b) Written decision... ALJ is persuasive authority in any other civil penalty action, unless appealed and reversed by the TSA...

Corrective Action Decision Document for Corrective Action Unit 568. Area 3 Plutonium Dispersion Sites, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada Revision 0

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

Matthews, Patrick

The purpose of this Corrective Action Decision Document is to identify and provide the rationale for the recommendation of corrective action alternatives (CAAs) for the 14 CASs within CAU 568. Corrective action investigation (CAI) activities were performed from April 2014 through May 2015, as set forth in the Corrective Action Investigation Plan for Corrective Action Unit 568: Area 3 Plutonium Dispersion Sites, Nevada National Security Site, Nevada; and in accordance with the Soils Activity Quality Assurance Plan, which establishes requirements, technical planning, and general quality practices. The purpose of the CAI was to fulfill data needs as defined during themore » DQO process. The CAU 568 dataset of investigation results was evaluated based on a data quality assessment. This assessment demonstrated that the dataset is complete and acceptable for use in fulfilling the DQO data needs. Based on the evaluation of analytical data from the CAI, review of future and current operations at the 14 CASs, and the detailed and comparative analysis of the potential CAAs, the following corrective actions are recommended for CAU 568: • No further action is the preferred corrective action for CASs 03-23-17, 03-23-22, 03-23-26. • Closure in place is the preferred corrective action for CAS 03-23-19; 03-45-01; the SE DCBs at CASs 03-23-20, 03-23-23, 03-23-31, 03-23-32, 03-23-33, and 03-23-34; and the Pascal-BHCA at CAS 03-23-31. • Clean closure is the preferred corrective action for CASs 03-08-04, 03-23-30, and 03-26-04; and the four well head covers at CASs 03-23-20, 03-23-23, 03-23-31, and 03-23-33.« less