Sample records for union public opinion

  1. 12 CFR 715.12 - Statutory audit remedies for Federal credit unions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ..., a qualified opinion on the credit union's financial statements. An adverse opinion or disclaimer of opinion should be the exception rather than the norm. (c) “Serious and persistent recordkeeping...

  2. Send politicians a message at RCN congress.

    PubMed

    2017-05-09

    With RCN congress being held this month and a general election soon after there may never be a better time for the college and other unions to lobby for what matters most to nurses, and for what opinion polls tell us the public want: good quality services.

  3. 78 FR 55256 - Sunshine Act Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-09-10

    ... & Opportunity; Draft Advisory Opinion 2013-12: Service Employees International Union and Service Employees International Union Committee on Political Education; Draft Advisory Opinion 2013-14: Martin Long; OGC...

  4. The importance of values in predicting Turkish youth's opinions about the European Union in light of the Copenhagen Political Criteria.

    PubMed

    Kuşdil, M Ersin; Simşek, Sefa

    2008-12-01

    The enlargement process of the European Union may be regarded as one of the most important social projects of human history in that it is trying to unite several nation-states under a "European identity." As a historically and culturally "distant" candidate, Turkey has been asked to meet a set of expectations referred to as the "Copenhagen Criteria," requiring a series of large-scale reforms to the infrastructure and superstructure of the country. Taking advantage of the unique opportunity to relate Turkish people's opinions on the criteria to their values, hypotheses based on Schwartz's model of values were tested. Schwartz's Personal Values Questionnaire and a questionnaire measuring opinions on the criteria and the Union were completed by 368 Turkish university students. Factor analysis of the opinion items yielded five factors: reduction of military influence in civil life, scepticism towards Europe and the European Union, improvement of human rights and liberties, improvement of minority rights, and lack of transparency in public institutions. Regression analyses showed that values and nationalism were powerful predictors of opinions whereas the effect of religiosity was limited only to the prediction of a preference for the reduction of military influence in civil life. Preference for openness to change values were successful in predicting variance in three of the five criteria: The more the participants favoured these values, the more they supported the improvement of human rights and liberties, the improvement of minority rights, and regretted the lack of transparency. Self-transcendence values were also positively related to support for the same three criteria together with a preference for reduction of military influence. As for nationalism, the results showed that this variable was related negatively to reduction of the military influence, improvement of human rights and liberties, improvement of minority rights; and positively to scepticism.

  5. Labor unions in medicine: the intersection of patient advocacy and self-advocacy.

    PubMed

    Manthous, Constantine A

    2014-05-01

    Labor unions have been a weak force in the medical marketplace. To briefly review the history of physicians' and nurses' labor unions, explore the ethics of unions in medicine, and offer a solution that simultaneously serves patients and professionals. A selective review of the literature. Labor unions of medical professionals pose an ethical quandary, that is a tension between selfless patient advocacy versus self-advocacy. The primary role of labor unions has been to extract from management benefits for employees. The threat of work actions is the primary tool that labor unions can apply to encourage management to negotiate mutually acceptable conditions of employment. Work actions-namely slow-downs and strikes-may harm patients and may therefore run afoul of professionals' primary duty to the primacy of patients' welfare. An alternative model is offered wherein medical unions align self-centered and patient-centered interests and leverage the Public Good, in the form of public opinion, to encourage good-faith bargaining with management. As medicine becomes increasingly corporatized, physicians will join nurses in "at-will employment" arrangements whereby self-advocacy and patient advocacy may be impacted. Although labor unions have been a means of counterbalancing unchecked discretion of corporate management, conventional labor unions may run afoul of medical ethical principles. Reconsideration and innovation, to address this ethical dilemma, could provide a solution that aligns both clinicians' and patients' welfare.

  6. Wspolnoty Europejskie wobec problemow jezykowych (Addressing Language Problems in the European Communities).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zelazny, Walter

    2003-01-01

    Raises questions about the a European Union commissioned report titled "Les Europeens et les langues," which was prepared in accordance with the customary routine used for a series of report on European public opinion. Issues discussed include the omission of several languages, the use of Esperanto, the languages reportedly used by…

  7. Etiology and attitudes: beliefs about the origins of homosexuality and their implications for public policy.

    PubMed

    Overby, L Marvin

    2014-01-01

    Using survey data from the 2008 election cycle, this article updates and extends analysis of public attitudes regarding various aspects of homosexuality. Continued expansion of public belief in a biological root to homosexuality is found, and variations in such opinions are explored. Public attitudes toward the emerging issue of gay adoption is also examined, finding both similarities with and important differences from attitudes toward same-sex civil unions, although both are profoundly influenced by underlying attitudes regarding the causes of homosexuality.

  8. America's changing attitudes toward homosexuality, civil unions, and same-gender marriage: 1977-2004.

    PubMed

    Avery, Alison; Chase, Justin; Johansson, Linda; Litvak, Samantha; Montero, Darrel; Wydra, Michael

    2007-01-01

    On May 17, 2004, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-gender marriage. From California to Missouri, nearly all states now face legislative challenges to the once firmly entrenched notion that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman. Public opinion polls conducted from 1977 to 2004 found that Americans' attitudes toward gay men and lesbians and marriages or civil unions for same-gender couples have evolved. Opposition persists, however. The most recent data indicate support for some legal recognition of gay and lesbian couples, but most Americans favor civil unions over same-gender marriages. Although the future of civil unions and same-gender marriages remains uncertain, social workers can serve gay and lesbian clients and their families best by staying informed of the attendant legal, social, and policy issues.

  9. America's Changing Attitudes toward Homosexuality, Civil Unions, and Same-Gender Marriage: 1977-2004

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Avery, Alison; Chase, Justin; Johansson, Linda; Litvak, Samantha; Montero, Darrel; Wydra, Michael

    2007-01-01

    On May 17, 2004, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-gender marriage. From California to Missouri, nearly all states now face legislative challenges to the once firmly entrenched notion that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman. Public opinion polls conducted from 1977 to 2004 found that Americans' attitudes toward…

  10. The Impact of Rational Considerations and Perceived Opinions on Young Adults' Union Formation Intentions.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liefbroer, Aart C.; Gierveld, Jenny De Jong

    1993-01-01

    Found that plans of representative sample of young adults in Netherlands concerning choice between cohabitation and marriage were predicted by rational evaluation of difference between marriage and cohabitation and by perceived opinions of significant others. Effects of family background and social status variables on union formation intentions…

  11. JPRS Report, Soviet Union, Kommunist, No. 6, April 1988.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-07-11

    begin with, the possibility of ignoring public opinion has not been eliminated; second, our consciousness is full of the stereotypes and unwritten... stereotypes have dominated for such a long and unchallenged time as to become an organic part of ourselves. Man lives with the idea of the future...effect of the inverse relationship with the past. The channels of customary stereotypes obligingly accommodate the new currents and these old

  12. 75 FR 71526 - Corporate Credit Unions, Technical Corrections

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-11-24

    ... NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION 12 CFR Part 704 RIN 3133-AD58 Corporate Credit Unions... request for comments. SUMMARY: NCUA is issuing technical corrections to its corporate credit union rule... for submitting comments. NCUA Web site: http://www.ncua.gov/Resources/RegulationsOpinionsLaws/Proposed...

  13. [comment t[Comment on] “What is AGU's proper role in society?”] AGU's role in society: Duty to the public

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wilshire, Howard

    Bravo to William Kaula and Don Anderson for their forthright opinion, “What Is AGU's Proper Role in Society?” (Eos, April 9, 1991). In hearing preliminaries about Mission to Planet Earth at the Geological Society of America's meeting in Phoenix in 1987, I was turned off by what seemed to me to be endless self-serving proposals to probe the Earth “with our steely knives,” but with hardly a mention of how we could use the information to assist the nation in making rational decisions about the future human occupancy of Earth. I concur with Kaula and Anderson that it is not only the duty of individual scientists to speak out on controversial issues of public concern, but also the duty of professional societies to influence the public policy decision-making process in areas where our special expertise is relevant.It does not matter that opinions within the professional societies differ. Opinions within the nation differ, too. But to take no position at all because of these differences of opinion is dereliction of our duty to the public that supports us. AGU already has a mechanism for presenting a Union-endorsed position on public issues (which could serve as a model for other professional societies whose best effort is to hide under the bed). This mechanism needs to be used more aggressively so that our expert knowledge (both of facts and hypotheses) is brought to bear on matters of critical human concern.

  14. Shaping attitudes about homosexuality: the role of religion and cultural context.

    PubMed

    Adamczyk, Amy; Pitt, Cassady

    2009-06-01

    Across the globe, the debate over homosexuality continues, with great variation in public opinion about the acceptability of homosexuality, laws regulating same-sex unions and penalties for homosexual sex behaviors. Religion is often seen as an important predictor of attitudes about homosexuality. However, cross-national differences in cultural orientations suggest that the role religion has in explaining homosexual attitudes may depend on a nation's cultural context. In this study, we merge ideas from cultural sociology and religious contextual effects to explain cross-national variation in public opinion about homosexuality. Using data from the fourth wave of the World Values Survey and Hierarchical Modeling techniques, we find support for the micro and macro effects of religion and a survival vs. self-expressive cultural orientation. Moreover, we find that personal religious beliefs have a greater effect on attitudes about homosexuality in countries like the United States, which have a strong self-expressive cultural orientation.

  15. Separating science from propaganda

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Klepfish, Elyakum; Sugrue, Mark; Sloan, Terry; Wolfendale, Arnold

    2010-03-01

    In the old Soviet Union there was a periodical called The Propagandist's Notepad devoted to those whose path to happiness lay in "getting the message across". The demise of the socialist model of wealth creation brought an end to this magazine. In many ways, however, Liz Kalaugher's opinion article "Communicating climate change" (January pp16-17) is a tribute to the need for such a specialized publication today. The article describes ways in which climate scientists can improve how they transmit their message to the public. Unfortunately, physicists tend to be guided by Descartes's ubiquitous principle of the virtue of doubt, and are inclined to regard "the public becoming increasingly sceptical" as commendable. Indeed, I wish there were more examples of public scepticism.

  16. USA: Economics, Politics, Ideology, Number 6, June 1978.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1978-07-26

    perceptible damages on the national economy. Nonetheless, the military-industrial complex, guided by self -seeking goals, is constantly demanding an...public is due, in our opinion, not so much to a conscious desire to revive the cold war as to the fact that "anti-detente" propaganda falls on fertile...The conclusions derived from this set of axioms were self -evident: Fruitful cooperation 25 with the Soviet Union is possible and necessary; the

  17. Succeeding in Science Communication amid Contentious Public Policy Debates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huertas, A.

    2014-12-01

    Scientists are often hesitant to engage in public dialogues about their work, especially when their research has bearing on contentious public policy issues. The Union of Concerned Scientists has conducted dozens of workshops to assist its members in communicating science fairly, accurately and effectively to audiences with mixed opinions about relevant public policy. While public polling indicates that people admire scientists and support scientific research, public understanding lags behind scientific understanding on a variety of issues, from climate change to evolution to vaccination. In many cases, people reject or discount scientific evidence when they perceive their ideology, beliefs or policy preferences as being in conflict with that evidence. These biases make it difficult for scientists to convey their research to many audiences. Based on reviews of social science literature and interactions with its members, the Union of Concerned Scientists has explored methods for surmounting public ideological biases while staying true to the science. In particular, scientists have found success with communicating based on shared values, asking audience members questions about their reactions to science, avoiding unintentional invocation of ideological biases and partnering with non-scientist speakers who can address contentious public policy questions. These methods can allow scientists to more effectively collaborate with stakeholders interested in their research and can build public support for science.

  18. The Soviet Union and Its People. Third Grade.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilson, Sherri

    This third grade teaching unit on the USSR covers an introduction to the Soviet Union and its people, its government, daily lifestyles, folk culture, and geography. Skill goals deal with telling the difference between facts and opinions, comparing cultures, and integrating and applying information from various topics about the Soviet Union to…

  19. The role of social context in shaping student-athlete opinions.

    PubMed

    Druckman, James N; Gilli, Mauro; Klar, Samara; Robison, Joshua

    2014-01-01

    How do student-athletes form opinions? This is a particularly important question given ongoing debates about whether student-athletes should be paid and/or allowed to unionize. These debates concern the rights and benefits accrued directly to student-athletes, and thus, understanding their attitudes is of obvious import. Yet, virtually no recent work has delved into how student-athletes form opinions on these issues. We fill this gap with a theoretical framework that predicts changes in social context alter opinions. This leads to the hypothesis that opinions will change once a student-athlete completes his/her career and finds him/herself in a distinct social network. We test the prediction with a survey, implemented in 2012, of one of the most notable athletic conferences in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA): the Big Ten. We find that post-career student-athletes demonstrate higher levels of support for pay for play and unionization. Our results suggest that student-athletes' opinions seem to depend on their extant social contexts. While our data, from 2012, neither speak to current opinions - given the quickly evolving landscape of college athletics - nor demonstrate what reforms may be "best," they do accentuate the power of social context in shaping student-athletes' attitudes.

  20. Comparative assessment of public opinion on the landscape quality of two biosphere reserves in Europe.

    PubMed

    Sowińska-Świerkosz, Barbara; Chmielewski, Tadeusz J

    2014-09-01

    The European Landscape Convention (2000) obligates European Union countries to identify and implement landscape quality objectives (LQOs) understood as the specification of public expectations and preferences concerning the landscape of a given area, expressed by competent public authorities. The convention emphasizes the important role of local community representatives in this field. In Poland, the implementation of the LQO concept was first undertaken in two regions with radically different landscape characteristics: (1) the West Polesie Biosphere Reserve and (2) the selected protected areas of the Roztocze-Solska Forest, nominated to the rank of a biosphere reserve. The first stage of the presented study was the recognition of public opinion on the quality of key features of landscape, based on a questionnaire (n = 470). The primary objective of the study was to provide an answer to the following questions: (1) Whether similar social expectations regarding landscape quality exist in spite of radically different landscape characteristics of the regions investigated (landscape quality is understood as spatial arrangement, scenic beauty, and lack of environmental pollution); (2) which landscape features are considered to be most preservation worthy by the representatives of both local communities; and (3) What processes or development impacts pose the greatest threat to the landscape quality of both regions according to the public opinion? The conducted comparative assessment revealed that it is possible to define a set of features fundamental to the quality of both areas and that representatives of local communities pointed out the same threats to the natural and cultural values of both regions investigated.

  1. The Role of Social Context in Shaping Student-Athlete Opinions

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    How do student-athletes form opinions? This is a particularly important question given ongoing debates about whether student-athletes should be paid and/or allowed to unionize. These debates concern the rights and benefits accrued directly to student-athletes, and thus, understanding their attitudes is of obvious import. Yet, virtually no recent work has delved into how student-athletes form opinions on these issues. We fill this gap with a theoretical framework that predicts changes in social context alter opinions. This leads to the hypothesis that opinions will change once a student-athlete completes his/her career and finds him/herself in a distinct social network. We test the prediction with a survey, implemented in 2012, of one of the most notable athletic conferences in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA): the Big Ten. We find that post-career student-athletes demonstrate higher levels of support for pay for play and unionization. Our results suggest that student-athletes' opinions seem to depend on their extant social contexts. While our data, from 2012, neither speak to current opinions – given the quickly evolving landscape of college athletics – nor demonstrate what reforms may be “best,” they do accentuate the power of social context in shaping student-athletes' attitudes. PMID:25522052

  2. ILGWU Students on the Move.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nunez, Ignacio, Ed.

    This magazine, created by local units of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) through its Worker-Family Education Program, is a collection of personal opinions, reports, and creative writing with illustrations. Articles include: an interview with a fellow union member; statements on aspects of the culture of native countries;…

  3. 12 CFR 715.2 - Definitions used in this part.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... opinion under this type of engagement would not address the fairness of the presentation of the credit... credit union employee, who is compensated for performing more than one supervisory committee audit and/or..., established by the credit union's board of directors, officers and employees, designed to provide reasonable...

  4. Letter from Chile: Re-establishing health care in Chile

    PubMed Central

    Jiménez, Jorge

    1993-01-01

    Chile's long term social policy has produced very impressive outcomes in general health indicators, with a national health service established as early as 1952. During the years of the Pinochet dictatorship (1973-89) public health institutions were greatly affected, with sharp diminution in financing which affected investment and salaries. The democratic government initiated in 1990 faced a difficult situation, with underpaid staff and decrepit hospitals. The ministry took immediate action to improve salaries and start an ambitious health sector reform including investment in infrastructure, technology, and modern management. Decentralisation and autonomy, changes in payment for service mechanisms, and a public-private mix are the main objectives of this reform, keeping the public role as predominant in the proposed structure. This process has been affected by union unrest and public opinion dissatisfaction, which tend to present obstacles to progress in this complicated issue. Imagesp729-ap730-a

  5. Genetically modified plants and human health.

    PubMed

    Key, Suzie; Ma, Julian K-C; Drake, Pascal Mw

    2008-06-01

    Genetically modified (or GM) plants have attracted a large amount of media attention in recent years and continue to do so. Despite this, the general public remains largely unaware of what a GM plant actually is or what advantages and disadvantages the technology has to offer, particularly with regard to the range of applications for which they can be used. From the first generation of GM crops, two main areas of concern have emerged, namely risk to the environment and risk to human health. As GM plants are gradually being introduced into the European Union there is likely to be increasing public concern regarding potential health issues. Although it is now commonplace for the press to adopt 'health campaigns', the information they publish is often unreliable and unrepresentative of the available scientific evidence. We consider it important that the medical profession should be aware of the state of the art, and, as they are often the first port of call for a concerned patient, be in a position to provide an informed opinion. This review will examine how GM plants may impact on human health both directly - through applications targeted at nutrition and enhancement of recombinant medicine production - but also indirectly, through potential effects on the environment. Finally, it will examine the most important opposition currently facing the worldwide adoption of this technology: public opinion.

  6. Review: The birds of Hispaniola: Haiti and the Dominican Republic

    Treesearch

    Wayne J. Arendt

    2005-01-01

    The following critiques express the opinions of the individual evaluators regarding the strengths, weaknesses, and value of the books they review. As such, the appraisals are subjective assessments and do not necessarily refl ect the opinions of the editors or any offi cial policy of the American Ornithologists’ Union.

  7. Public satisfaction as a measure of health system performance: a study of nine countries in the former Soviet Union.

    PubMed

    Footman, Katharine; Roberts, Bayard; Mills, Anne; Richardson, Erica; McKee, Martin

    2013-09-01

    Measurement of health system performance increasingly includes the views of healthcare users, yet little research has focussed on general population satisfaction with health systems. This study is the first to examine public satisfaction with health systems in the former Soviet Union (fSU). Data were derived from two related studies conducted in 2001 and 2010 in nine fSU countries, using nationally representative cross-sectional surveys. The prevalence of health system satisfaction in each country was compared for 2001 and 2010. Patterns of satisfaction were further examined by comparing satisfaction with the health system and other parts of the public sector, and the views of health care users and non-users. Potential determinants of population satisfaction were explored using logistic regression. For all countries combined, the level of satisfaction with health systems increased from 19.4% in 2001 to 40.6% in 2010, but varied considerably by country. Changes in satisfaction with the health system were similar to changes with the public sector, and non-users of healthcare were slightly more likely to report satisfaction than users. Characteristics associated with higher satisfaction include younger age, lower education, higher economic status, rural residency, better health status, and higher levels of political trust. Our results suggest that satisfaction can provide useful insight into public opinion on health system performance, particularly when used in conjunction with other subjective measures of satisfaction with government performance. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  8. [Student Magazine of the ESL Classes of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alvarez, Manuel, Ed.; Zetino, Alfredo, Ed.

    This student magazine created by the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) is a collection of personal opinions, reports, and creative writing with illustrations. Each item was written as a voluntary collaboration, homework, or classwork. Items include poems, letters, accounts of…

  9. Modelling the public opinion transmission on social networks under opinion leaders

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Zuozhi; Li, Meng; Ji, Wanwan

    2017-06-01

    In this paper, based on Social Network Analysis (SNA), the social network model of opinion leaders influencing the public opinion transmission is explored. The hot event, A Female Driver Was Beaten Due To Lane Change, has characteristics of individual short-term and non-government intervention, which is used to data extraction, and formed of the network structure on opinion leaders influencing the public opinion transmission. And the evolution mechanism are analyzed in the three evolutionary situations. Opinion leaders influence micro-blogging public opinion on social network evolution model shows that this type of network public opinion transmission is largely constrained by opinion leaders, so the opinion leaders behavior supervising on the spread of this public opinion is pivotal, and which has a guiding significance.

  10. A Directory of Sources of Information and Data Bases on Education and Training.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-09-01

    ACADO07 National Opinion Research Center (NORC) ... ............. ... ACADOO8 U of California Union Catalog Supp. (1963-1967...Records (RSR) ...... .................. ... ARMYO30 Union Central Registry System (UCRSYS) .... .............. ... ARMY032 Training Control Card Report...research. Your query directs a computer search of the Compre- hensive Dissertation Database. The search produces a list of all titles matching your

  11. Core values versus common sense: consequentialist views appear less rooted in morality.

    PubMed

    Kreps, Tamar A; Monin, Benoît

    2014-11-01

    When a speaker presents an opinion, an important factor in audiences' reactions is whether the speaker seems to be basing his or her decision on ethical (as opposed to more pragmatic) concerns. We argue that, despite a consequentialist philosophical tradition that views utilitarian consequences as the basis for moral reasoning, lay perceivers think that speakers using arguments based on consequences do not construe the issue as a moral one. Five experiments show that, for both political views (including real State of the Union quotations) and organizational policies, consequentialist views are seen to express less moralization than deontological views, and even sometimes than views presented with no explicit justification. We also demonstrate that perceived moralization in turn affects speakers' perceived commitment to the issue and authenticity. These findings shed light on lay conceptions of morality and have practical implications for people considering how to express moral opinions publicly. © 2014 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

  12. Genetically modified plants and human health

    PubMed Central

    Key, Suzie; Ma, Julian K-C; Drake, Pascal MW

    2008-01-01

    Summary Genetically modified (or GM) plants have attracted a large amount of media attention in recent years and continue to do so. Despite this, the general public remains largely unaware of what a GM plant actually is or what advantages and disadvantages the technology has to offer, particularly with regard to the range of applications for which they can be used. From the first generation of GM crops, two main areas of concern have emerged, namely risk to the environment and risk to human health. As GM plants are gradually being introduced into the European Union there is likely to be increasing public concern regarding potential health issues. Although it is now commonplace for the press to adopt ‘health campaigns’, the information they publish is often unreliable and unrepresentative of the available scientific evidence. We consider it important that the medical profession should be aware of the state of the art, and, as they are often the first port of call for a concerned patient, be in a position to provide an informed opinion. This review will examine how GM plants may impact on human health both directly – through applications targeted at nutrition and enhancement of recombinant medicine production – but also indirectly, through potential effects on the environment. Finally, it will examine the most important opposition currently facing the worldwide adoption of this technology: public opinion. PMID:18515776

  13. Opinion data mining based on DNA method and ORA software

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tian, Ru-Ya; Wu, Lei; Liang, Xiao-He; Zhang, Xue-Fu

    2018-01-01

    Public opinion, especially the online public opinion is a critical issue when it comes to mining its characteristics. Because it can be formed directly and intensely in a short time, and may lead to the outbreak of online group events, and the formation of online public opinion crisis. This may become the pushing hand of a public crisis event, or even have negative social impacts, which brings great challenges to the government management. Data from the mass media which reveal implicit, previously unknown, and potentially valuable information, can effectively help us to understand the evolution law of public opinion, and provide a useful reference for rumor intervention. Based on the Dynamic Network Analysis method, this paper uses ORA software to mine characteristics of public opinion information, opinion topics, and public opinion agents through a series of indicators, and quantitatively analyzed the relationships between them. The results show that through the analysis of the 8 indexes associating with opinion data mining, we can have a basic understanding of the public opinion characteristics of an opinion event, such as who is important in the opinion spreading process, the information grasping condition, and the opinion topics release situation.

  14. The Boundary Identity of Exact Opposites: A Simple Solution to the Age- Old Philosophical Problem of Change

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1975-10-08

    Aristotle Parmenides Philosophy Union of opposites...the union of opposites. Even in Heraclitus’s day, however, opinion on the problem of change was sharply divided; e.g., Parmenides regarded change...challenge. Also, if one closely examines the reasoning of Parmenides , one can advance it one step further. It is perfectly logical to state that

  15. Worldwide Report, Nuclear Development and Proliferation

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1986-07-09

    Union’s Nuclear Disaster ? This reporter asked Vice Minister Zhou Ping: In your opinion, how should we view the Soviet Union’s recent nuclear accident...statement on Thurs- day announced that Bangladesh environment remained free from pullution follow- ing recent nuclear disaster at Chernobyl Nuclear...Chernobyl were based largely on nuclear disaster . American practice. However, a statement Mr Semark said de- issued yesterday by Es- tailed plans

  16. Old wine in new bottles: Tobacco industry's submission to European Commission tobacco product directive public consultation

    PubMed Central

    Hiilamo, Heikki; Glantz, Stanton A.

    2015-01-01

    Between September and December 2010 the European Commission Health & Consumer Protection Directorate-General (DGSANCO) held a public consultation on a possible revision of the European Union Tobacco Products Directive (2001/37/EC). We used content analysis of the tobacco industry's and related parties' 300 submissions to the public consultation to determine if tobacco industry and its allies in Europe are prepared to reduce harm of the tobacco products as their public statements assert. The industry submission resorted to traditional tobacco industry arguments where illicit trade and freedom of choice were emphasized and misrepresented the conclusions of a DGSANCO-commissioned scientific report on smokeless tobacco products. Retailers and wholesalers referred to employment and economic growth more often than respondents from other categories. The pattern of responses in the submission differed dramatically from independent public opinion polls of EU citizens' support for tobacco control policies. None of the major tobacco manufacturers or their lobbying organizations supported any of the DGSANCO's proposed evidence based interventions (pictorial health warnings, plain packaging or point-of-sale display bans) to reduce harms caused by cigarette smoking. PMID:25467283

  17. Public Opinion as Collective Coorientation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tipton, Leonard; And Others

    To conceptualize public opinion as something other than "mere aggregation" of individual opinions requires systemic models that identify component parts of public opinion and their structural/functional relationships. Operationalization requires asking respondents not only their individual opinion, but also their perception of public…

  18. CFTC/CFDT attitudes towards immigration in the Parisian region: making immigrant workers' condition a cause.

    PubMed

    Blévis, Laure; Pezet, Eric

    2012-01-01

    This paper, which is based on the detailed analysis of the post-war archives of the French Christian union Confédération Française des Travailleurs Chrétiens (CFTC), which became the Confédération Française Démocratique du Travail (CFDT) in 1964, highlights the difficulties, both from a practical and ideological point of view, for a militant organisation to embrace the cause of immigrant workers and to give them a voice. The CFDT had to ‘construct’ immigrant workers as a group they could represent, which means as a group that relates to French workers, despite possible xenophobia. A key moment was the denunciation of their housing conditions that make immigrant workers not competitors in the job market but victims of injustice. The union had to reinvent its engagement frames in order to include the specific problems faced by the immigrant workforce. The study shows that the urban dimension was essential in this process as Paris slums made visible an important plight of migrants and provided the opportunity to change public opinion.

  19. [Deregulation and equity: the Obras Sociales reconversion process in Argentina].

    PubMed

    Findling, Liliana; Arrunada, María; Klimovsky, Ezequiel

    2002-01-01

    The health care services managed by trade unions and known as "Obras Sociales" form the groundwork for Argentina's Social Security and Health system. However, far from taking an equitable approach, these institutions highlight the country's prevailing income disparities, which in turn lead to major differences in access to care. The main focus of this study was the reformulation of social security health policies within the framework of deregulation from 1998 to 2000, analyzing the effects on availability of health care services from an equity perspective. The methodology used two related analytical levels: (1) a macro level viewing the process from the various players' strategies and (2) a micro level featuring the changes within a well-known trade union social security organization during its reconversion process, emphasizing its institutional scope and the opinions of its membership. The results thus pointed to the slow implementation of reforms initiated by the public sector, hindered by constant negotiations among the main corporate actors seeking to serve their particular interests, along with increased inequity and fragmentation due to the limited opening of free choice by members.

  20. Harry and Louise and health care reform: romancing public opinion.

    PubMed

    Goldsteen, R L; Goldsteen, K; Swan, J H; Clemeña, W

    2001-12-01

    The question whether the "Harry and Louise" campaign ads, sponsored by the Health Insurance Association of America (HIAA) during the 1993-1994 health care reform debate, influenced public opinion has particular relevance today since interest groups are increasingly choosing commercial-style mass media campaigns to sway public opinion about health policy issues. Our study revisits the issue of the Harry and Louise campaign's influence on public opinion, comparing the ad campaign's messages to changes in opinion about health care reform over a twenty-six-month period in Oklahoma. Looking at the overall trends just prior to the introduction of the Harry and Louise campaign, public opinion was going in the "wrong" direction, from the HIAA perspective. Moreover, public opinion continued in the wrong direction until the mid-point of the campaign. However, in either the turning point of the campaign in terms of message content and tone or in the lag period following it, public opinion reversed on each health reform issue and returned to pre-campaign levels. It appears from these findings that the campaign captured public opinion when support for issues that were unfavorable to HIAA members was increasing and turned public opinion back to pre-campaign levels. The campaign may result in many more such marriages of political interest groups and commercial advertisers for the purpose of demobilizing public support for health policy initiatives that are unfavorable to special interests.

  1. Public health implications of wireless technologies.

    PubMed

    Sage, Cindy; Carpenter, David O

    2009-08-01

    Global exposures to emerging wireless technologies from applications including mobile phones, cordless phones, DECT phones, WI-FI, WLAN, WiMAX, wireless internet, baby monitors, and others may present serious public health consequences. Evidence supporting a public health risk is documented in the BioInitiative Report. New, biologically based public exposure standards for chronic exposure to low-intensity exposures are warranted. Existing safety standards are obsolete because they are based solely on thermal effects from acute exposures. The rapidly expanding development of new wireless technologies and the long latency for the development of such serious diseases as brain cancers means that failure to take immediate action to reduce risks may result in an epidemic of potentially fatal diseases in the future. Regardless of whether or not the associations are causal, the strengths of the associations are sufficiently strong that in the opinion of the authors, taking action to reduce exposures is imperative, especially for the fetus and children. Such action is fully compatible with the precautionary principle, as enunciated by the Rio Declaration, the European Constitution Principle on Health (Section 3.1) and the European Union Treaties Article 174.

  2. The political use of psychiatry: A comparison between totalitarian regimes.

    PubMed

    Buoli, Massimiliano; Giannuli, Aldo Sabino

    2017-03-01

    After the end of Second World War, the recent experience of the Nazi horrors stimulated a debate about the political use of psychiatry. Over the years, the focus shifted on major dictatorships of the time and especially on Soviet Union. This article aims to provide a critical review of the ways in which psychiatry was used by totalitarian regimes of the 20th century. We summarized relevant literature about political use of psychiatry in totalitarian regimes of the 20th century, with particular focus on Fascism, Nazism, Argentina dictatorship, Soviet Union and China. One of the features that are common to most of the dictatorships is that the use of psychiatry has become more prominent when the regimes have had the need to make more acceptable the imprisonment of enemies in the eyes of the world. This for example happened in the Nazi regime when sterilization and killing of psychiatric patients was explained as a kind of euthanasia, or in the Soviet Union after the formal closure of the corrective labor camps and the slow resumption of relations with the capitalistic world, or in China to justify persecution of religious minorities and preserve economic relations with Western countries. Psychiatry has been variously used by totalitarian regimes as a means of political persecution and especially when it was necessary to make acceptable to public opinion the imprisonment of political opponents.

  3. Designed a web crawler which oriented network public opinion data acquisition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lu, Shan; Ma, Hui; Gao, Ying

    2015-12-01

    The paper describes the meaning of network public opinion and the network public opinion research of data acquisition technique. Designed and implemented a web crawler which oriented network public opinion data acquisition. Insufficient analysis of the generic web crawler, using asynchronous Socket, DNS cache, and queue downloads to improve its bottom story frame, increase the speed of collecting.

  4. How Public Opinion is Formed

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Block, Edward M.

    1977-01-01

    Investigates the evolution of the definition of public relations by examining cultural and personal determinants of public opinion. Outlines functions of communicators and opinionmakers in forming and influencing public opinion. Available from: Public Relations Review, Ray Hiebert, Dean, College of Journalism, University of Maryland, College Park,…

  5. Assessment of online public opinions on large infrastructure projects: A case study of the Three Gorges Project in China

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

    Jiang, Hanchen, E-mail: jhc13@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn; Qiang, Maoshan, E-mail: qiangms@tsinghua.edu.cn; Lin, Peng, E-mail: celinpe@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn

    Public opinion becomes increasingly salient in the ex post evaluation stage of large infrastructure projects which have significant impacts to the environment and the society. However, traditional survey methods are inefficient in collection and assessment of the public opinion due to its large quantity and diversity. Recently, Social media platforms provide a rich data source for monitoring and assessing the public opinion on controversial infrastructure projects. This paper proposes an assessment framework to transform unstructured online public opinions on large infrastructure projects into sentimental and topical indicators for enhancing practices of ex post evaluation and public participation. The framework usesmore » web crawlers to collect online comments related to a large infrastructure project and employs two natural language processing technologies, including sentiment analysis and topic modeling, with spatio-temporal analysis, to transform these comments into indicators for assessing online public opinion on the project. Based on the framework, we investigate the online public opinion of the Three Gorges Project on China's largest microblogging site, namely, Weibo. Assessment results present spatial-temporal distributions of post intensity and sentiment polarity, reveals major topics with different sentiments and summarizes managerial implications, for ex post evaluation of the world's largest hydropower project. The proposed assessment framework is expected to be widely applied as a methodological strategy to assess public opinion in the ex post evaluation stage of large infrastructure projects. - Highlights: • We developed a framework to assess online public opinion on large infrastructure projects with environmental impacts. • Indicators were built to assess post intensity, sentiment polarity and major topics of the public opinion. • We took the Three Gorges Project (TGP) as an example to demonstrate the effectiveness proposed framework. • We revealed spatial-temporal patterns of post intensity and sentiment polarity on the TGP. • We drew implications for a more in-depth understanding of the public opinion on large infrastructure projects.« less

  6. United States Policy in India: Balancing Global and Regional Perspectives.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-12-01

    ability to contribute to the Soviet Union’s adoption of a prb-Indian position on the Kashmir dispute from Novembe;, 1955; ii| Moscow’s impact on India’s...policies of the current administration under President Reagan. The generally positive attitude. that the 4W Soviet Union has adopted towards Indian... impact of the actions on local opinion or they discounted it as unimportant in the global context. The United States did not become fully. involved in

  7. Utilizing the public opinion questionnaire to answer policy and process questions.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1978-01-01

    The public opinion questionnaire used in this study was designed to provide the Department information regarding public involvement procedures as viewed by the public, as well as to provide insight into citizen opinion regarding the specifics of the ...

  8. Leading the Local: Teachers Union Presidents Chart Their Own Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Susan Moore; Donaldson, Morgaen L.; Munger, Mindy Sick; Papay, John P.; Qazilbash, Emily K.

    2009-01-01

    Teachers unions are among the most powerful, yet least studied, actors in public education today. Although public attention focuses on the influence of national unions, the policies that most affect teachers and schooling are bargained by local unions and school boards. Interviews with 30 recently elected local union presidents reveal that these…

  9. James Madison's "Public" As Interpreter of the Constitution.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dewey, Donald O.

    James Madison's thoughts on various interpretations of the Constitution maintain that public opinion is the ultimate method of legitimizing the document. The Constitution must prevail against mere public opinion, but public opinion may be used to establish the meaning of the Constitution when conflicting interpretations exist. The public good and…

  10. Values, trust and science - building trust in today's food system in an era of radical transparency.

    PubMed

    Arnot, Charlie; Vizzier-Thaxton, Yvonne; Scanes, Colin G

    2016-07-21

    Public concern exists globally about the food system and both the practices and the intensification of animal agriculture. Examples are presented of public opinion in North America, the European Union, and the People's Republic of China. Negative perceptions increase with distance from production agriculture. Even animal science faculty members do not uniformly support present production practices. Public trust in the food system is based on consumers' or public confidence (shared values based on corporate and institutional social responsibility or their fiduciary responsibility), competence of the people or groups providing the information and the influence of others (e.g., friends and family). Producer or company discussion of issues has focused on competency and "the science" when confidence is markedly more important to consumers and more effective. It is argued that the food system largely escapes regulation by federal and state governments by a social license based on public confidence. However, a tipping point(s) exists such that a crisis could greatly diminish public confidence and end the social license and bring with it increases in regulation. Advocacy for production agriculture (poultry and livestock) needs to incorporate recognition of the need to reaffirm the public's trust, assuring shared values together with an emphasis on good science. © 2016 Poultry Science Association Inc.

  11. The Role of Labor Unions in Creating Working Conditions That Promote Public Health

    PubMed Central

    Paras, Claudia Alexandra; Greenwich, Howard; Hagopian, Amy

    2016-01-01

    We sought to portray how collective bargaining contracts promote public health, beyond their known effect on individual, family, and community well-being. In November 2014, we created an abstraction tool to identify health-related elements in 16 union contracts from industries in the Pacific Northwest. After enumerating the contract-protected benefits and working conditions, we interviewed union organizers and members to learn how these promoted health. Labor union contracts create higher wage and benefit standards, working hours limits, workplace hazards protections, and other factors. Unions also promote well-being by encouraging democratic participation and a sense of community among workers. Labor union contracts are largely underutilized, but a potentially fertile ground for public health innovation. Public health practitioners and labor unions would benefit by partnering to create sophisticated contracts to address social determinants of health. PMID:27077343

  12. Public Opinion Poll on Community Priorities: Sacramento

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sierra Health Foundation, 2009

    2009-01-01

    The primary goal of this study was to measure public perceptions, opinions and priorities as they pertain to youth issues in Sacramento for the purposes of further developing public and private youth programming and public policy in the Sacramento region. By presenting a "statistically reliable" profile of public opinion on youth issues,…

  13. Identification of Opinion Leaders in Public Affairs, Educational Matters and Family Planning in the Township of Atteridgeville. Research Finding Comm N-142.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heath, M. R.; Bekker, S. J.

    A study examined opinion leadership among blacks in Atteridgeville, South Africa. Specifically the study sought to identify potential opinion leaders, opinion seekers and opinion avoiders with respect to public affairs, educational and family planning matters in Atteridgeville township, and to construct a profile of such opinion leaders. Subjects,…

  14. Environment and Public Opinion in Minnesota.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tichenor, P. J.; And Others

    Surveys conducted in Minnesota in 1969 and 1970 to obtain public opinion regarding environmental issues are discussed. Several generalizations are made about the state of public opinion about the environmental issue, as follows: (1) The environmental issue has reached public prominence through a sequence from professional and interest-group…

  15. What do Americans think about public transit? A review of U.S. public opinion polling survey questions.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2015-07-01

    This seed grant research project compiled a set of 56 US public opinion polls that asked respondents their opinions about public : transit. The first and primary goal of the project was to assemble a large set of transit-related survey question...

  16. Internet Effects in Times of Political Crisis: Online Newsgathering and Attitudes toward the European Union.

    PubMed

    Baccini, Leonardo; Sudulich, Laura; Wall, Matthew

    2016-01-01

    This paper evaluates the influence of online news consumption on attitudes toward the European Union in a context of protracted economic crisis. Using data from the 2011 Irish National Election Study, we combine location-specific information on broadband availability with respondent geo-location data, which facilitates causal inference about the effects of online news consumption via instrumental variable models. Results show that Irish citizens who source political information online are more prone to blame the EU for the poor state of the economy than those who do not. There is evidence of preference reinforcement among those with negative predispositions toward the EU, but not among pro-EU citizens. We complement this analysis with a study of voting behavior in the European Fiscal Compact Referendum, employing a similar methodological approach. The results from this second survey confirm the anti-EU influence of online news consumption among Irish citizens, although evidence suggests a pro-EU effect among voters who browsed the website of the politically neutral Irish Referendum Commission. Our paper contributes to the literature on public opinion, the EU, and political attitudes in times of crisis.

  17. JPRS Report, Soviet Union, Political Affairs.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-11-30

    initiatives have been born and ideas have matured, and everyday routine work has been carried on to render genuine—and I stress, genu - ine...among workers, in the collective. In my opinion this is hampered quite simply by the customary and unfortunately persistent stereotypical attitude

  18. Voices on Choice: The Education Reform Debate.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Billingsley, K. L., Ed.

    This collection presents a sampling of opinions of both proponents and opponents in the school choice debate from a variety of professional perspectives, including academics, bureaucrats, politicians, union leaders, economists, lawyers, parents, and activists. The following essays are included: (1) "School Choice Promotes Educational…

  19. Gaining Momentum: How Media Influences Public Opinion To Push Civil-Military Decision Makers Into Formulating Foreign Policy

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-02-09

    1 AIR WAR COLLEGE AIR UNIVERSITY GAINING MOMENTUM: HOW MEDIA INFLUENCES PUBLIC OPINION TO PUSH CIVIL-MILITARY DECISION MAKERS INTO...engagements from the past, evidence suggest the media or press does have an influence over public opinion, especially during times of war and humanitarian...changes and that leaders must take into consideration that public opinion and the media may provide a large amount of influence over how the nation

  20. An overview of structurally complex network-based modeling of public opinion in the “We the Media” era

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Guanghui; Wang, Yufei; Liu, Yijun; Chi, Yuxue

    2018-05-01

    As the transmission of public opinion on the Internet in the “We the Media” era tends to be supraterritorial, concealed and complex, the traditional “point-to-surface” transmission of information has been transformed into “point-to-point” reciprocal transmission. A foundation for studies of the evolution of public opinion and its transmission on the Internet in the “We the Media” era can be laid by converting the massive amounts of fragmented information on public opinion that exists on “We the Media” platforms into structurally complex networks of information. This paper describes studies of structurally complex network-based modeling of public opinion on the Internet in the “We the Media” era from the perspective of the development and evolution of complex networks. The progress that has been made in research projects relevant to the structural modeling of public opinion on the Internet is comprehensively summarized. The review considers aspects such as regular grid-based modeling of the rules that describe the propagation of public opinion on the Internet in the “We the Media” era, social network modeling, dynamic network modeling, and supernetwork modeling. Moreover, an outlook for future studies that address complex network-based modeling of public opinion on the Internet is put forward as a summary from the perspective of modeling conducted using the techniques mentioned above.

  1. Understanding public opinion regarding transit in southeast Michigan.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2015-04-01

    This report presents findings from a study on public opinion regarding transit in Southeast Michigan. The overall goals of this : study were to assess the nature of public opinion regarding regional transit and to understand its relation to socio-dem...

  2. Labor unions: a public health institution.

    PubMed

    Malinowski, Beth; Minkler, Meredith; Stock, Laura

    2015-02-01

    Using a social-ecological framework, we drew on a targeted literature review and historical and contemporary cases from the US labor movement to illustrate how unions address physical and psychosocial conditions of work and the underlying inequalities and social determinants of health. We reviewed labor involvement in tobacco cessation, hypertension control, and asthma, limiting articles to those in English published in peer-reviewed public health or medical journals from 1970 to 2013. More rigorous research is needed on potential pathways from union membership to health outcomes and the facilitators of and barriers to union-public health collaboration. Despite occasional challenges, public health professionals should increase their efforts to engage with unions as critical partners.

  3. Southern California Association of Governments : public opinion research : Regional Comprehensive Plan (RCP)

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1994-05-01

    The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) commissioned the public opinion research firm of Fairbank, Maslin, Maulin and Associates to conduct focus groups and a public opinion survey on issues related to and addressed by the 1994 Draf...

  4. Public authority control strategy for opinion evolution in social networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Xi; Xiong, Xi; Zhang, Minghong; Li, Wei

    2016-08-01

    This paper addresses the need to deal with and control public opinion and rumors. Existing strategies to control public opinion include degree, random, and adaptive bridge control strategies. In this paper, we use the HK model to present a public opinion control strategy based on public authority (PA). This means utilizing the influence of expert or high authority individuals whose opinions we control to obtain the optimum effect in the shortest time possible and thus reach a consensus of public opinion. Public authority (PA) is only influenced by individuals' attributes (age, economic status, and education level) and not their degree distribution; hence, in this paper, we assume that PA complies with two types of public authority distribution (normal and power-law). According to the proposed control strategy, our experiment is based on random, degree, and public authority control strategies in three different social networks (small-world, scale-free, and random) and we compare and analyze the strategies in terms of convergence time (T), final number of controlled agents (C), and comprehensive efficiency (E). We find that different network topologies and the distribution of the PA in the network can influence the final controlling effect. While the effect of PA strategy differs in different network topology structures, all structures achieve comprehensive efficiency with any kind of public authority distribution in any network. Our findings are consistent with several current sociological phenomena and show that in the process of public opinion/rumor control, considerable attention should be paid to high authority individuals.

  5. Public authority control strategy for opinion evolution in social networks.

    PubMed

    Chen, Xi; Xiong, Xi; Zhang, Minghong; Li, Wei

    2016-08-01

    This paper addresses the need to deal with and control public opinion and rumors. Existing strategies to control public opinion include degree, random, and adaptive bridge control strategies. In this paper, we use the HK model to present a public opinion control strategy based on public authority (PA). This means utilizing the influence of expert or high authority individuals whose opinions we control to obtain the optimum effect in the shortest time possible and thus reach a consensus of public opinion. Public authority (PA) is only influenced by individuals' attributes (age, economic status, and education level) and not their degree distribution; hence, in this paper, we assume that PA complies with two types of public authority distribution (normal and power-law). According to the proposed control strategy, our experiment is based on random, degree, and public authority control strategies in three different social networks (small-world, scale-free, and random) and we compare and analyze the strategies in terms of convergence time (T), final number of controlled agents (C), and comprehensive efficiency (E). We find that different network topologies and the distribution of the PA in the network can influence the final controlling effect. While the effect of PA strategy differs in different network topology structures, all structures achieve comprehensive efficiency with any kind of public authority distribution in any network. Our findings are consistent with several current sociological phenomena and show that in the process of public opinion/rumor control, considerable attention should be paid to high authority individuals.

  6. 12 CFR 741.204 - Maximum public unit and nonmember accounts, and low-income designation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... low-income designation. 741.204 Section 741.204 Banks and Banking NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION... Unions § 741.204 Maximum public unit and nonmember accounts, and low-income designation. Any credit union...) Obtain a low-income designation in order to accept nonmember accounts, other than from public units or...

  7. Dues and Deep Pockets: Public-Sector Unions' Money Machine. Civic Report. No. 67

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DiSalvo, Daniel

    2012-01-01

    At first glance, public-sector labor unions are just one of many types of organizations that participate in the political process. However, these unions differ significantly from other interest groups made up of individual citizens or non-labor organizations. Because their members' interests are tied to government policy, these unions are more…

  8. Examining the Need for a Code of Conduct in New Jersey Teacher Union Contracts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guarneri, Cristina M.

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this cross-sectional, comparison study attempted to investigate if a code of conduct existed in New Jersey teacher union contracts to nursing/hospital union contracts. Archived data of public school district and nursing/hospital union contracts held with the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Committee (NJ PERC) and Health…

  9. Public Employee Unions and the Post Commander.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-04-01

    sector employees joining unions was addressed in June, 1981 while the author was a student in a graduate degree program . Then, as now, my bias was anti...AD-A116 168 ARMY WAR COLL CARLISLE BARRACKS PA F/6 5/1 PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNIONS AND THE POST COMMANDER. (U) APR 82 E L DANIEL UNCLASSIFIED u mm um(u pp...COVERED Public Employee Unions and the Post Commander Student Essay 6. PERFORMING ORG. REPORT NUMBER 7. AUTHOR(s) 8. CONTRACT OR GRANT NUMBER(S) LTC

  10. Survivalism and Public Opinion on Criminality: A Cross-National Analysis of Prostitution

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stack, Steven; Adamczyk, Amy; Cao, Liqun

    2010-01-01

    Explanations of variability in public opinion on crime have drawn disproportionately from the literature on specific symbolic orientations including religious fundamentalism and racial prejudice. In contrast, this article hypothesizes that public opinion is linked to the strength of a general cultural axis of nations: survivalism vs.…

  11. Public Opinion Poll Question Databases: An Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Woods, Stephen

    2007-01-01

    This paper evaluates five polling resource: iPOLL, Polling the Nations, Gallup Brain, Public Opinion Poll Question Database, and Polls and Surveys. Content was evaluated on disclosure standards from major polling organizations, scope on a model for public opinion polls, and presentation on a flow chart discussing search limitations and usability.

  12. History, Philosophy, and Public Opinion Research.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Herbst, Susan

    1993-01-01

    Argues for the importance of the classical tradition (broad, speculative, and historically informed writing and research) in public opinion research. Argues that asking large, normative questions about public opinion processes, trying to build grand theory, and taking history seriously will enrich the field and command the attention of scholars in…

  13. COMMUNICATING ASTRONOMY IN EUROPE: Strategies and Challenges in International Organisations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barrosa, Mariana

    2007-08-01

    How much do Europeans really know about science and technology? What do they think about it? For more than a decade, the European Union (EU) has carried out regular surveys to measure public opinion and knowledge on a variety of themes across its member states. One survey carried out in early 2005 is of particular interest to science communication - "Europeans, Science and Technology". It's easy to see that science and technology are racing along faster than ever and you would think that people's knowledge and interest of science and technology would be keeping pace. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Over the past few years, Europeans' overall interest in science and technology has decreased. Astronomy plays a special role within public science communication. It serves as a general science "catcher", not only for young people. Astronomy embraces core sciences such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and geology as well as technical disciplines including optics, observational techniques and data analysis. Astronomy reaches wide into the realm of philosophy; it rubs shoulders with religion and is at the core of many science fiction stories. In short, astronomy attracts a wide spectrum of people and may serve as a powerful vehicle for improving the public awareness and understanding of science. Several key International Organisations like the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Southern Observatory (ESO), Europlanet and the International Astronomical Union (IAU) work in Astronomy and Space Sciences in Europe. As well as a general overview of the outreach and communication actions of some of these Organisations, focus will be made in specific cases and examples in the context of these organisations. 2009 will be the International Year of Astronomy. It will be interesting to see how these European Organisations are getting ready for this ultimate science communication challenge.

  14. Implications of Public Opinion for Space Program Planning, 1980 - 2000

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Overholt, W.; Wiener, A. J.; Yokelson, D.

    1975-01-01

    The effect of public opinion on future space programs is discussed in terms of direct support, apathy, or opposition, and concern about the tax burden, budgetary pressures, and national priorities. Factors considered include: the salience and visibility of NASA as compared with other issues, the sources of general pressure on the federal budget which could affect NASA, the public's opinions regarding the size and priority of NASA'S budget, the degree to which the executive can exercise leverage over NASA's budget through influencing or disregarding public opinion, the effects of linkages to other issues on space programs, and the public's general attitudes toward the progress of science.

  15. Public opinion on motor vehicle-related injury prevention policies: a systematic review of a decade of research.

    PubMed

    Debinski, Beata; Clegg Smith, Katherine; Gielen, Andrea

    2014-01-01

    Legislation is an effective strategy for reducing road-related fatalities and injuries. Public opinion can be an impetus for passing new laws and can affect the success of their implementation, but little is known about the current state of public opinion toward existing and proposed road-related policies in the United States. This review describes the scope and results of research on public support for state- and local-level evidence-based motor vehicle- and bicycle-related policies. We identify gaps in our understanding of public support for these policies. Published U.S. literature and all reports from the NHTSA from the past decade (2003-2012) were searched for data on opinions about existing or proposed policies related to motor vehicle or bicycle injury prevention. Twenty-six studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. In all, studies reported public opinion about 7 injury prevention topic areas: all-terrain vehicles (n = 1), automated enforcement with red light and speed cameras (n = 5), distracted driving (n = 4), drinking and driving (n = 5), graduated driver licensing (n = 7), helmets (n = 7), and seat belts (n = 4). Twenty-three studies focused only on one topic, and 3 sought public opinion about multiple topic areas. The studies revealed generally high levels of support for injury prevention policies in all topic areas. Fifteen studies collected information from national samples, and only 7 studies reported data from the state (n = 5) or local (n = 2) level. There is a relatively small evidence base on public opinion related to motor vehicle- and bicycle-related evidence-based policies; even less is less known for state- or county-specific policies. The findings of this review suggest that the public's opinion toward injury prevention legislation is generally favorable. This information can be used to communicate with the media and policy makers to reinforce the need for effective policy solutions to continuing motor vehicle injury problems. More research is needed to understand the perspectives of those who do not hold favorable opinions, to understand opinions toward local or state-level policies, and to monitor trends in public opinion over time. Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Traffic Injury Prevention to view the supplemental file.

  16. Does the weather influence public opinion about climate change?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Donner, S. D.; McDaniel, J.

    2010-12-01

    Public opinion in North America about the science of anthropogenic climate change and the motivation for policy action has been variable over the past twenty years. The trends in public opinion over time have been attributed the general lack of pressing public concern about climate change to a range of political, economic and psychological factors. One driving force behind the variability in polling data from year to year may be the weather itself. The difference between what we “expect” - the climate - and what we “get” - the weather - can be a major source of confusion and obfuscation in the public discourse about climate change. For example, reaction to moderate global temperatures in 2007 and 2008 may have helped prompt the spread of a “global cooling” meme in the public and the news media. At the same time, a decrease in the belief in the science of climate change and the need for action has been noted in opinion polls. This study analyzes the relationship between public opinion about climate change and the weather in the U.S. since the mid-1980s using historical polling data from several major organizations (e.g. Gallup, Pew, Harris Interactive, ABC News), historical monthly air temperature (NCDC) and a survey of opinion articles from major U.S. newspapers (Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Houston Chronicle, USA Today). Seasonal and annual monthly temperature anomalies for the northeastern U.S and the continental U.S are compared with available national opinion data for three general categories of questions: i) Is the climate warming?, ii) Is the observed warming due to human activity?, and iii) Are you concerned about climate change? The variability in temperature and public opinion over time is also compared with the variability in the fraction of opinion articles in the newspapers (n ~ 7000) which express general agreement or disagreement with IPCC Summary for Policymakers consensus statements on climate change (“most of the observed increase in global average temperature is very likely to be due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations”). The results reveal a possible link between opinion leaders, particularly in the northeastern U.S, public confusion about the difference between weather and climate, and the evolution of U.S. public opinion about climate change.

  17. American Public Support for US Military Operations from Mogadishu to Baghdad

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2005-01-01

    to be amply supported by psychological research on persuasion. See, for example, Petty and Cacioppo (1981, 1986). Ajzen and Fishbein (1980, pp. 219...troops from Iraq? (Gallup) 50_-• "’ Keep as is now 0 Send more troops Withdraw some troops -- .... No opinion 45 Withdraw all troops 40 - m i 35...opinion. 4. War-Public opinion. 5. Public opinion-United States. 6. United States-History, Military. I . Savych, Bogdan. II. Title. E885.L368 2004

  18. Topological evolution of the internet public opinion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lian, Ying; Dong, Xuefan; Liu, Yijun

    2017-11-01

    The Internet forms a platform featured with high liquidity, accessibility and concealment for the public to express their respective views on certain events, thus leading to a large network graph. Due to such environmental features, the public opinions formed on the Internet are different from those on traditional media. Studies focusing on the former area are relatively fewer. In addition, the majority of existing methods proposed for constructing the Internet public opinion topological structure are based on the classic BA model, thus resulting in drawbacks in the range of simplicity and a lack of strict deduction. Therefore, based on the complex networks theory, a model applied to describe the topology of the Internet public opinion is deduced with rigorous derivation in the present paper. Results show that the proposed expression could well reflect the degree distribution of Internet public opinion which follows an analogous power law distribution, and that the peak value and the degree distribution are not correlative to each other. Moreover, it has been also proved that compared to the classic BA model, the proposed model has better accuracy performance in the description of the degree distribution of the Internet public opinion, which contributes to future studies focusing on this area. Thus, an attempt has been made to give the first theoretical description of the Internet public opinion topology in the present paper. In addition, it is also the first paper focusing on the solution of networks degree distribution with an exponential growth form.

  19. The public's opinions on a new school meals policy for childhood obesity prevention in the U.S.: A social media analytics approach.

    PubMed

    Kang, Yin; Wang, Youfa; Zhang, Dongsong; Zhou, Lina

    2017-07-01

    This study investigates the public's opinions on a new school meals policy for childhood obesity prevention, discovers aspects concerning those opinions, and identifies possible gender and regional differences in the U.S. We collected 14,317 relevant tweets from 11,715 users since the national policy enactment on Feb 9, 2010 through Dec 31, 2015. We applied opinion mining techniques to classify tweets into positive, negative, and neutral categories, and conducted content analysis to gain insights into aspects of opinions in terms of target, holder, source, and function. There were more negative tweets about the school meals policy than positive ones (16.8% vs. 12.9%), in addition to neutral tweets (70.3%). The main targets for negative opinions were campaign and food, and those for positive opinions were policy and health benefits. The opinion holders represent a wide range of policy stakeholders. The first-hand source dominated the opinions. Statement accounted for the function of most opinions. Females (62.5%) were more involved than males (37.5%), and people in the South and the West regions (64.2%) engaged themselves more than people in the Northeast and the Midwest (35.8%) of the U.S. Negative opinions about the school meals policy consistently outnumbered positive ones. The findings discovered the public's opinions for policy improvement, contributed to the evidence base of health benefits for policy promotion and community collaboration, and revealed interesting gender and regional differences in the opinions. The social media analytics offers significant methodological implications for discovering the public opinions on food policies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Modeling of agent-based complex network under cyber-violence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Chuanchao; Hu, Bin; Jiang, Guoyin; Yang, Ruixian

    2016-09-01

    Public opinion reversal arises frequently in modern society, due to the continual interactions between individuals and their surroundings. To explore the underlying mechanism of the interesting social phenomenon, we introduce here a new model which takes the relationship between the individual cognitive bias and their corresponding choice behavior into account. Experimental results show that the proposed model can provide an accurate description of the entire process of public opinion reversal under the internet environment and the distribution of cognitive bias plays the role of a measure for the reversal probability. In particular, the application to cyber violence, a typical example of public opinion reversal, suggests that public opinion is prone to be seriously affected by the spread of misleading and harmful information. Furthermore, our model is very robust and thus can be employed to other empirical studies that concern the sudden change of public and personal opinion on internet.

  1. Labor Unions: A Public Health Institution

    PubMed Central

    Malinowski, Beth; Stock, Laura

    2015-01-01

    Using a social–ecological framework, we drew on a targeted literature review and historical and contemporary cases from the US labor movement to illustrate how unions address physical and psychosocial conditions of work and the underlying inequalities and social determinants of health. We reviewed labor involvement in tobacco cessation, hypertension control, and asthma, limiting articles to those in English published in peer-reviewed public health or medical journals from 1970 to 2013. More rigorous research is needed on potential pathways from union membership to health outcomes and the facilitators of and barriers to union–public health collaboration. Despite occasional challenges, public health professionals should increase their efforts to engage with unions as critical partners. PMID:25521905

  2. The public's opinions of physicians: do perceived choice and exercised choice matter?

    PubMed

    Tai-Seale, Ming; Pescosolido, Bernice

    2003-09-01

    To assess whether the public's opinions of physicians are affected by one's perceived ability to choose providers and by past experience with switching providers or health plans. Cross-sectional survey of the American general public in 1998. Multivariate quantitative analyses of opinions according to respondents' perceived ability to choose providers, history of exercising choice of providers or plans, and health status. Exploratory factor analyses resulted in 4 scales of opinions: trusting personal physician, positive opinions of physicians as a group, negative opinions of physicians as a group, and concerns about the influence of managed care on personal physicians' practice patterns. Although 75% (879/1172) of the sample perceived that they could use any physician they wanted, only 20% had ever switched health providers or plans owing to dissatisfaction. Perceived lack of choice is associated with lower levels of trust in personal physicians and with higher levels of concern about the influence of managed care on personal physicians. Individuals who have not switched in the past are more positive about physicians as a group and are less concerned about the influence of managed care. Health status affected opinions significantly. Educational attainment is negatively associated with opinions. The public's opinions of physicians are significantly associated with one's perceived ability to choose any provider, past experience with switching health providers or plans, health status, and education. Ensuring consumer choice of providers and targeting those who have switched in the past and the sick could potentially improve the public's opinions. Meaningful provider quality information is necessary to ensure choices that can enhance consumer welfare.

  3. 2001 traffic safety issues opinion survey.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2002-02-01

    As a means of determining public opinion on specific traffic safety issues, a public opinion survey was conducted. A total of 4,500 mail surveys were sent to a stratified sample of drivers selected from the drivers license file. The state was divided...

  4. Changes in alcohol policies and public opinions in Finland 2003-2013.

    PubMed

    Österberg, Esa; Lindeman, Mikaela; Karlsson, Thomas

    2014-05-01

    There is a constant and ongoing interplay between public opinions and public policies, alcohol policies being no exception. This article describes the development of public opinions regarding alcohol policy in Finland during a 10-year period between 2003 and 2013. Fluctuations in the alcohol policy opinion climate are put in context by looking at concurrent changes in alcohol policies and in total alcohol consumption. The study is based on data from opinion surveys on alcohol policies commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Welfare and the Finnish Social and Health Association. The opinion polls include questions about the general acceptance of prevailing alcohol policies, appropriate sales channels of different alcoholic beverage categories and opinions about the legal age limits and prices of alcoholic beverages. In the study, changes in alcohol policy during 2003-2013 are surveyed, and their relationship with changes in alcohol policy opinion is examined. There seem to be a strong positive correlation during the study period between the level of alcohol consumption and the share of those wanting a more restrictive alcohol policy in Finland. It seems that an increased level of awareness of alcohol-related issues among the general public created a more restrictive opinion climate on alcohol policy issues after the big alcohol excise duty decrease in 2004. The reverse seems to happen but in a lesser degree when alcohol excise duties has been increased after the year 2007. © 2014 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

  5. The Public Discourse of U.S. Graduate Employee Unions: Social Movement Identities, Ideologies, and Strategies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rhoades, Gary; Rhoads, Robert A.

    2003-01-01

    Drew on extensive archives from 10 graduate employee unions' Web sites to examine their publicly presented identities (marginalized workers and future professionals), ideologies (traditional and professional unionism with little focus on social justice), and strategies (disruptive protest and professional politics locally). (EV)

  6. Public and K-12 Teacher Members. NEA Research/Gallup Opinion Polls. Spring 1987 Annual Public Polls.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Education Association, Washington, DC.

    The annual National Education Association opinion polls provide data comparing opinions held by the public and teachers on current and ongoing issues of concern to the education community. The 1987 polls focused on priorities for federal, state, and local government expenditures, on measures to improve education in the basics, and on sources of…

  7. Union County Public Schools Action Research: Comparing Early Literacy Interventions Used in Union County Public Schools; Reading Recovery vs. Leveled Literacy Intervention

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harvey, Michael W.

    2011-01-01

    School systems across the country continuously seek to find ways to increase academic achievement at all grades. Possessing the ability to read is one of the keys to academic success; not being able to presents many challenges. Union County Public Schools and the state of North Carolina expect students leaving their kindergarten year to be able to…

  8. Democracy's Denominator: Reassessing Responsiveness with Public Opinion on the National Policy Agenda.

    PubMed

    Barabas, Jason

    2016-01-01

    Democratic responsiveness concerns the degree to which government policies match public preferences. Responsiveness studies typically use national surveys to characterize public opinion, but whether poll questions overlap with the policy agenda is unknown. The first of two empirical analyses presented here, with hundreds of issues on the national agenda in the United States from 1947 to 2000, reveals that public opinion is mostly unrelated to policy outcomes. The picture appears to be even more ominous-that is, opinion and policy are negatively related-on highly salient issues that attract media attention. A second study revisiting published work confirms that responsiveness patterns look different depending upon whether studies of opinion-policy connections (a) begin with survey data and then examine policy developments, or (b) begin with national legislative agenda issues and then examine survey data. Thus, conclusions about democratic responsiveness depend upon the issues that are examined, and often opinion surveys do not include questions about tangible public policy options. In that sense, future changes in democratic responsiveness might go undetected because scholars often lack data on what goes into the denominator of democracy.

  9. Opinion formation on social media: An empirical approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xiong, Fei; Liu, Yun

    2014-03-01

    Opinion exchange models aim to describe the process of public opinion formation, seeking to uncover the intrinsic mechanism in social systems; however, the model results are seldom empirically justified using large-scale actual data. Online social media provide an abundance of data on opinion interaction, but the question of whether opinion models are suitable for characterizing opinion formation on social media still requires exploration. We collect a large amount of user interaction information from an actual social network, i.e., Twitter, and analyze the dynamic sentiments of users about different topics to investigate realistic opinion evolution. We find two nontrivial results from these data. First, public opinion often evolves to an ordered state in which one opinion predominates, but not to complete consensus. Second, agents are reluctant to change their opinions, and the distribution of the number of individual opinion changes follows a power law. Then, we suggest a model in which agents take external actions to express their internal opinions according to their activity. Conversely, individual actions can influence the activity and opinions of neighbors. The probability that an agent changes its opinion depends nonlinearly on the fraction of opponents who have taken an action. Simulation results show user action patterns and the evolution of public opinion in the model coincide with the empirical data. For different nonlinear parameters, the system may approach different regimes. A large decay in individual activity slows down the dynamics, but causes more ordering in the system.

  10. Liking the pieces, not the package: contradictions in public opinion during health reform.

    PubMed

    Brodie, Mollyann; Altman, Drew; Deane, Claudia; Buscho, Sasha; Hamel, Elizabeth

    2010-06-01

    Public opinion played a prominent role during the recent health care reform debate. Critics of reform pointed to poll results as evidence that a majority of Americans opposed sweeping changes. Supporters cited polls showing that people favored many specific aspects of the legislation. A closer examination of past and present polling shows that opinion tracked with historic patterns and was relatively stable, even if the contentious public debate suggested a volatile public mood in 2009 and 2010. Going forward, the public will begin reacting to reform implementation, primarily by judging it in terms of their perceptions of and experiences with what the new law does and does not do for people. These opinions could in turn influence implementation or future legislation.

  11. Linkage: A Manitoba Survey of Basic Skills Awareness in the Workplace.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manitoba Dept. of Education and Training, Winnipeg. Literacy and Continuing Education Branch.

    Manitoba, Canada, workplace stakeholder groups were interviewed to determine the issues they faced and their awareness of, and ability to deal with, workplace basic skills issues. Interviews collected the opinions of 78 employer representatives, 121 employees, and 5 union representatives in the 6 emerging economic sectors of health care products,…

  12. Rainbows. ILGWU Worker-Family Education Program, Local 23-25--Chinatown Site.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    International Ladies Garment Workers' Union, New York, NY. Local 23-25.

    The student magazine created by the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes of a local unit of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union is a collection of personal opinions, reports, and creative writing with illustrations. The Chinese immigrant community, where the magazine was produced, is reflected in the magazine's content. Sections…

  13. "Vortex, Clouds, and Tongue": New Problems in the Humanities?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sorum, Christina Elliott

    1999-01-01

    A classics faculty member and dean summarizes the opinions of six Union College (New York) undergraduates concerning the value of studying the humanities, and where this study should fit into a liberal arts education at an undergraduate college. Discusses pressures on the liberal arts college scholar-teacher and examines trends in humanities…

  14. Consensus among Economics Teachers from Transition Economies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leet, Don R.; Lang, Nancy A.

    2010-01-01

    The authors analyze the economic opinions of teachers and economists from the former Soviet Union who participated in economic education programs sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education under the auspices of the National Council on Economic Education from 1995-2001. They sought to determine the level of consensus on economic topics among the…

  15. Indicators for European Union Policies. Business as Usual?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saltelli, Andrea; D'Hombres, Beatrice; Jesinghaus, Jochen; Manca, Anna Rita; Mascherini, Massimiliano; Nardo, Michela; Saisana, Michaela

    2011-01-01

    This paper looks at the role of "statistics-based knowledge" in the making of EU policy. We highlight "shortcomings" in the use of statistical indicators made in the course of the Lisbon strategy, ended in 2010. In our opinion the shortcomings are: (i) The paradox of the "coexistence" within the same European…

  16. The News Media and Audience Images of Foreign Countries: Optimism and Pessimism.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perry, David K.; McNelly, John T.

    Examining the impact of news on people's knowledge about and favorableness of opinion toward six foreign countries, a study conducted telephone interviews with 374 adult residents in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, during November 1984. The nations selected for study included three developed countries (Britain, the Soviet Union, and Japan) and three…

  17. Cognitive Consistency in Beliefs about Nuclear Weapons.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nelson, Linden

    The paper details a study supporting the hypothesis that people's opinions about nuclear arms control are influenced by their logically relevant beliefs about nuclear weapons, nuclear war, and the Soviet Union. The hypothesis should not be construed to imply that these beliefs are the only influences or the most powerful influences on arms control…

  18. Before the storm: informing and involving stakeholder groups in workplace biomarker monitoring.

    PubMed

    Musham, C; Trettin, L; Jablonski, R

    1999-01-01

    The social, legal and ethical implications of advances in biomarker indentification have been discussed by scholars and environmental researchers, but not by the "everyday" professionals and workers who may eventually make and be affected by decisions about their workplace applications. Through the use of a hypothetical scenario, this study introduced members of various professional and occupational groups to the potential uses of biomarkers research on biological monitoring in the workplace. The purpose was to obtain opinions about how events would proceed based on the scenario, leading to a broad discussion of potential uses and abuses of biomarker-based health monitoring. Six professionally homogeneous focus groups, comprised of 1) company health professionals, 2) third-party payers, 3) attorneys, 4) human resource managers, 5) non-unionized workers, and 6) unionized workers, participated in focus groups presented as "think-tank" discussions in Greenville and Charleston, S.C. Participants were given a fictitious "newspaper article" about the use of biomarker-based monitoring at a chemical plant and were asked to comment on what they thought would happen next. The discussion expanded to a general consideration of biological monitoring and its legal, social and ethical ramifications. Data was analyzed through the "immersion/crystallization" method. Few participants reported any knowledge of biological monitoring prior to the focus group session. Some had initial difficulty understanding the concept and how it differs from other means of measuring environmental risk. Although biological monitoring was previously unknown to many participants, occupational groups were relatively consistent in the issues they raised about its use in the workplace. In all groups, questions about potential discrimination against employees were raised. The general consensus was that the use of biomarker-based monitoring would result in conflict and litigation without regulations to protect employees from discrimination. Although most participants saw potential health benefits resulting from the preventive advantages associated with this technology, their concerns about its misuses were paramount. Perceptions varied as a function of occupation. Non-unionized workers expressed the most concern about discriminatory uses of biological monitoring. Unionized workers, who said they believed the union would support their interests, expressed much less concern. Health professionals (company physicians and nurse practitioners) were most alarmed about the "extra work" a monitoring program would create for them. Human resource managers concentrated on the company's "damage control" efforts. Attorneys emphasized that the reliable use of such tests would establish a causal relationship between exposure and personal injury. The results of this project illustrate that people who are most likely to be affected by biomarker-based biological monitoring in the workplace readily understand and are alarmed by its legal and ethical implications. It is unlikely that this technology will be fully accepted as an environmental risk assessment tool or as a prevention strategy without stringent protection of workers' rights. This study demonstrated the value of focus groups in obtaining opinion data about an environmental risk issue that it not yet well known to the general public.

  19. Are State legislatures responding to public opinion when allocating funds for tobacco control programs?

    PubMed

    Snyder, Angela; Falba, Tracy; Busch, Susan; Sindelar, Jody

    2004-07-01

    This study explored the factors associated with state-level allocations to tobacco-control programs. The primary research question was whether public sentiment regarding tobacco control was a significant factor in the states' 2001 budget decisions. In addition to public opinion, several additional political and economic measures were considered. Significant associations were found between our outcome, state-level tobacco-control funding per capita, and key variables of interest including public opinion, amount of tobacco settlement received, the party affiliation of the governor, the state's smoking rate, excise tax revenue received, and whether the state was a major producer of tobacco. The findings from this study supported our hypothesis that states with citizens who favor more restrictive indoor air policies allocate more to tobacco control. Effective public education to change public opinion and the cultural norms surrounding smoking may affect political decisions and, in turn, increase funding for crucial public health programs.

  20. Blackboard Unions: The AFT and the NEA, 1900-1980.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murphy, Marjorie

    This book sets forth the historic obstacles to the unionization of public school teachers, shows how difficult organization was, and illustrates the contradictions faced by public employees in unionization. The book is organized chronologically, beginning with the centralization of school life at the turn of the century and the emergence of early…

  1. Framing and sources: a study of mass media coverage of climate change in Peru during the V ALCUE.

    PubMed

    Takahashi, Bruno

    2011-07-01

    Studies about mass media framing have found divergent levels of influence on public opinion; moreover, the evidence suggests that issue attributes can contribute to this difference. In the case of climate change, studies have focused exclusively on developed countries, suggesting that media influence perceptions about the issue. This study presents one of the first studies of media coverage in a developing country. It examines newspapers' reporting in Peru during the Fifth Latin America, Caribbean and European Union Summit in May 2008. The study focuses on the frames and the sources to provide an initial exploratory assessment of the coverage. The results show that the media relied mostly on government sources, giving limited access to dissenting voices such as environmentalists. Additionally, a prominence of "solutions" and "effects" frames was found, while "policy" and "science" frames were limited. The results could serve as a reference point for more comprehensive studies.

  2. Principals' Opinions of Organisational Justice in Elementary Schools in Turkey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aydin, Inayet; Karaman-Kepenekci, Yasemin

    2008-01-01

    Purpose--This study aims to present the opinions of public elementary school principals in Turkey about the current organisational justice practices among teachers from the distributive, procedural, interactional, and rectificatory dimensions. Design/methodology/approach--The opinions of 11 public elementary school principals in Ankara about…

  3. Mass Media and Public Opinion: Report of the Soviet-Finnish Seminar (5th, Moscow, USSR, May 18-22, 1987). Publications Series B, Number 24.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jyrkiainen, Jyrki, Comp.

    A compilation of papers from a joint Finnish-Russian seminar on problems of communication research, this collection presents diverse opinions and results from researchers and observers in both countries. The titles of the papers and their authors are as follows: (1) "Role of Research and Training in Mass Communication and Public Opinion"…

  4. Personal Perceptions and Perceived Public Opinion About Stuttering in the United States: Implications for Anti-Stigma Campaigns.

    PubMed

    Boyle, Michael P

    2017-08-15

    This exploratory study was the first to obtain quantitative and qualitative data on both personal perceptions and perceived public opinion about stuttering in order to identify topics to include in anti-stigma programs for stuttering. Three-hundred ten adults in the United States completed a web survey that assessed knowledge about stuttering and attitudes toward people who stutter (PWS) with questions addressing personal perceptions (direct questions) and perceived public opinion (indirect questions). Many participants reported favorable personal perceptions of PWS regarding their intelligence, competence, and potential for success. However, most participants did not personally believe PWS were confident, and most believed they were shy. Perceived public opinion was more unfavorable as a majority agreed that the public is uncomfortable talking with PWS and that the public would recommend PWS avoid jobs requiring high speech demands and avoid talking to large audiences. A minority of participants agreed PWS are perceived publicly as capable or mentally healthy. The survey demonstrated misunderstandings and negative perceptions of PWS, especially when measured with perceived public opinion. Results can increase our understanding of content areas that should be included in anti-stigma programs for stuttering and highlight different methods for analyzing public perceptions of stuttering.

  5. Public opinion and environmental policy output: a cross-national analysis of energy policies in Europe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anderson, Brilé; Böhmelt, Tobias; Ward, Hugh

    2017-11-01

    This article studies how public opinion is associated with the introduction of renewable energy policies in Europe. While research increasingly seeks to model the link between public opinion and environmental policies, the empirical evidence is largely based on a single case: the US. This limits the generalizability of findings and we argue accordingly for a systematic, quantitative study of how public opinion drives environmental policies in another context. Theoretically, we combine arguments behind the political survival of democratic leaders with electoral success and environmental politics. Ultimately, we suggest that office-seeking leaders introduce policies that seem favorable to the domestic audience; if the public prefers environmental protection, the government introduces such policies in turn. The main contribution of this research is the cross-country empirical analysis, where we combine data on the public’s environmental attitudes and renewable energy policy outputs in a European context between 1974 and 2015. We show that as public opinion shifts towards prioritizing the environment, there is a significant and positive effect on the rate of renewable energy policy outputs by governments in Europe. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic, quantitative study of public opinion and environmental policies across a large set of countries, and we demonstrate that the mechanisms behind the introduction of renewable energy policies follow major trends across European states.

  6. Gender relations, sexual behaviour, and risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections among women in union in Uganda.

    PubMed

    Nankinga, Olivia; Misinde, Cyprian; Kwagala, Betty

    2016-05-26

    Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a major reproductive and public health concern, especially in the era of HIV/AIDS. This study examined the relationship between sexual empowerment and STI status of women in union (married or cohabiting) in Uganda, controlling for sexual behaviour, partner factors, and women's background characteristics. The study, based on data from the 2011 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS), analysed 1307 weighted cases of women age 15-49 in union and selected for the domestic violence module. Chi-squared tests and multivariate logistic regressions were used to examine the predicators of STI status. The main explanatory variables included sexual empowerment, involvement in decision making on own health, experience of any sexual violence, condom use during last sex with most recent partner, number of lifetime partners and partner control behaviours. Sexual empowerment was measured with three indicators: a woman's reported ability to refuse sex, ability to ask her partner to use a condom, and opinion regarding whether a woman is justified to refuse sex with her husband if he is unfaithful. Results show that 28 % of women in union reported STIs in the last 12 months. Sexual violence and number of lifetime partners were the strongest predictors of reporting STIs. Women's sexual empowerment was a significant predictor of their STI status, but, surprisingly, the odds of reporting STIs were greater among women who were sexually empowered. Reporting of STIs was negatively associated with a woman's participation in decision-making with respect to her own health, and was positively associated with experience of sexual violence, partner's controlling behaviour, and having more than one life partner. Our findings suggest that, with respect to STIs, sexual empowerment as measured in the study does not protect women who have sexually violent and controlling partners. Interventions promoting sexual health must effectively address negative masculine attitudes and roles that perpetuate unhealthy sexual behaviours and gender relations within marriage. It is also important to promote marital fidelity and better communication within union and to encourage women to take charge of their health jointly with their partners.

  7. A user opinion and metadata mining scheme for predicting box office performance of movies in the social network environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Daehoon; Kim, Daeyong; Hwang, Eenjun; Choi, Hong-Gu

    2013-12-01

    With the rapid proliferation of social network services (SNS), it has become common for people to express their thoughts or opinions on various subjects, such as political events, movies, or commercial products, using short comments. Though the comments reflect personal opinion or preferences, collectively, these represent public opinion or trends. Mining public opinion or trends from a collection of user comments made on SNS could be very useful for many applications. One interesting application is to predict the box office performance of a new movie from user comments made on the movie's trailer. Such a prediction is, nevertheless, a very complicated task because many factors can have an influence on it. In this paper, we propose a scheme for mining public opinion from a collection of user comments, easily available on social networks, on the trailer of a new movie. Next, we predict whether the movie will be a box office hit, based on public opinion and other properties such as the leading actors, director, and their past works. Through various experiments, we show that our scheme can produce satisfactory results.

  8. 41 CFR 60-1.9 - Compliance by labor unions and by recruiting and training agencies.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Compliance by labor unions and by recruiting and training agencies. 60-1.9 Section 60-1.9 Public Contracts and Property... Preliminary Matters; Equal Opportunity Clause; Compliance Reports § 60-1.9 Compliance by labor unions and by...

  9. 41 CFR 60-1.9 - Compliance by labor unions and by recruiting and training agencies.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2011-07-01 2009-07-01 true Compliance by labor unions and by recruiting and training agencies. 60-1.9 Section 60-1.9 Public Contracts and Property... Preliminary Matters; Equal Opportunity Clause; Compliance Reports § 60-1.9 Compliance by labor unions and by...

  10. Reforming Public School Systems through Sustained Union-Management Collaboration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rubinstein, Saul A.; McCarthy, John E.

    2011-01-01

    For most of the past decade the policy debate over improving U.S. public education has centered on teacher quality. In this debate, teachers and their unions have often been seen as the problem, not part of the solution. Further, current discourse often assumes that conflicting interests between teacher unions and administration is inevitable.…

  11. Literary Art in the Formation of the Great Community: John Dewey's Theory of Public Ideas in "The Public and Its Problems"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Waks, Leonard J.

    2014-01-01

    In his books "Public Opinion" and "The Phantom Public," Walter Lippmann argued that policy leaders should deny the public a significant role in policymaking. Public opinion, he argued, would inevitably be ill-informed, self-interested and readily manipulated. In "The Public and its Problems," Dewey countered Lippmann…

  12. OpinionFlow: Visual Analysis of Opinion Diffusion on Social Media.

    PubMed

    Wu, Yingcai; Liu, Shixia; Yan, Kai; Liu, Mengchen; Wu, Fangzhao

    2014-12-01

    It is important for many different applications such as government and business intelligence to analyze and explore the diffusion of public opinions on social media. However, the rapid propagation and great diversity of public opinions on social media pose great challenges to effective analysis of opinion diffusion. In this paper, we introduce a visual analysis system called OpinionFlow to empower analysts to detect opinion propagation patterns and glean insights. Inspired by the information diffusion model and the theory of selective exposure, we develop an opinion diffusion model to approximate opinion propagation among Twitter users. Accordingly, we design an opinion flow visualization that combines a Sankey graph with a tailored density map in one view to visually convey diffusion of opinions among many users. A stacked tree is used to allow analysts to select topics of interest at different levels. The stacked tree is synchronized with the opinion flow visualization to help users examine and compare diffusion patterns across topics. Experiments and case studies on Twitter data demonstrate the effectiveness and usability of OpinionFlow.

  13. Florida's Opinion on K-12 Public Education Spending

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Forster, Greg

    2006-01-01

    This scientifically representative poll of 1,200 Floridians finds that public opinion about K-12 public education spending is seriously misinformed. Floridians think public schools need more money, but the main reason is that they are badly mistaken about how much money the public schools actually get. Key findings of the study include: (1) Half…

  14. Hawaii Opinion Poll on Public Education (HOPE), 1998.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hawaii State Dept. of Education, Honolulu. Office of Accountability and School Instructional Support.

    The 1998 Hawaii Opinion Poll on Public Education is the fifth to report the public's perceptions of public schools. Three questions included in every report since 1990 ask respondents to grade Hawaii's public schools, whether schools are improving or deteriorating, and to identify the school system's biggest problems. Responses of two subgroups,…

  15. Moms and Schools Survey: Nationwide Public Opinion on Schooling. Polling Paper No. 8

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DiPerna, Paul

    2012-01-01

    Moms and Schools Educational Choice, conducted by Braun Research, Inc. (BRI), measures Americans views on area schools (district, charter, or private), school type preferences, and school vouchers. In this paper, Moms, report response levels of public opinion. For some questions, discussion to examine differences of voter opinion (sometimes using…

  16. Online vs. Print Publications: Users' Opinions.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Chih

    The rapid expansion of online publications has raised some concerns about the use of online databases in comparison with using traditional print publications. To determine the opinions of end users about using Dialog online databases versus their corresponding print versions, three libraries in Atlanta, Georgia--Atlanta-Fulton Public Library,…

  17. Hidden Threats: Reframing the Debate on Domestic Intelligence in an Age of Counterterrorism

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-03-01

    5 1. Intelligence in a Democratic State and its Impact on Civil Liberties...Oversight and Control Mechanisms.....................26 d. Actions that Violated Mandate and Impacted Public Trust ..27 e. Public Opinion of the Service... Impacted Public Trust ....................................................................................................62 5. Public Opinion of MI5

  18. 47 CFR 0.445 - Publication, availability and use of opinions, orders, policy statements, interpretations...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 0.445 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL COMMISSION ORGANIZATION General Information Public Information and Inspection of Records § 0.445 Publication, availability and use of opinions... would be unduly burdensome and instead issues a public notice of its decision. As part of the record...

  19. How to Build Public Relationships That Motivate Real Support.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jackson, Patrick

    1986-01-01

    Public relations is a process that should produce relationships (not merely favorable public opinion) and should target a few opinion leaders and others who really care about individual schools. As chief public relations officers, principals need to understand the information diffusion process and use workable tactics to produce solid community…

  20. [Medical opinion leaders conflict of interests: effects of disclosures on the trust of the public and general practitioners].

    PubMed

    Chakroun, R; Milhabet, I

    2011-08-01

    Key medical opinion leaders influence the behaviors of physicians and patients. By law, they have to disclose their interests with pharmaceutical companies when they communicate in the media. Up to now, it appears that no study has explored the effect of opinion leaders' disclosures despite their potential impact on public health and economy. The study objective was to assess the effects of opinion leaders' disclosures of interest on the public and general practitioners' trust in opinion leader by comparison with the overall medical community. In an experimental setting, three opinion leader profiles were built that differed only by the disclosure of their interests (hidden vs. weak vs. strong interests). One of the three profiles was randomly assigned to the subjects of two groups: 67 students and 60 general practitioners. According to an Anova analysis, the main effects and interactions of the disclosure of interests, of the message recipients, and of the assessed targets on the level of trust were measured. The results show that the average level of trust expressed by general practitioners was lower than that expressed by the general public. The level of trust in the opinion leader was lower than that of the overall medical community. The level of trust of exposed subjects fell much lower with stronger disclosed interests. While the general public did not distinguish trust between opinion leaders and the overall medical community, practitioners showed a significantly lower level of trust in opinion leaders with increasingly strong levels of disclosed interests. These study results refute the assertion that public trust would be reduced by the disclosure of interests. They reinforce the importance of the "who judges who" and "which kind of disclosure impacts who ?" effects and draw attention to further research on the role of social interactions in both mass and group communications. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  1. Capturing Public Opinion on Public Health Topics: A Comparison of Experiences from a Systematic Review, Focus Group Study, and Analysis of Online, User-Generated Content.

    PubMed

    Giles, Emma Louise; Adams, Jean M

    2015-01-01

    Capturing public opinion toward public health topics is important to ensure that services, policy, and research are aligned with the beliefs and priorities of the general public. A number of approaches can be used to capture public opinion. We are conducting a program of work on the effectiveness and acceptability of health promoting financial incentive interventions. We have captured public opinion on financial incentive interventions using three methods: a systematic review, focus group study, and analysis of online user-generated comments to news media reports. In this short editorial-style piece, we compare and contrast our experiences with these three methods. Each of these methods had their advantages and disadvantages. Advantages include tailoring of the research question for systematic reviews, probing of answers during focus groups, and the ability to aggregate a large data set using online user-generated content. However, disadvantages include needing to update systematic reviews, participants conforming to a dominant perspective in focus groups, and being unable to collect respondent characteristics during analysis of user-generated online content. That said, analysis of user-generated online content offers additional time and resource advantages, and we found it elicited similar findings to those obtained via more traditional methods, such as systematic reviews and focus groups. A number of methods for capturing public opinions on public health topics are available. Public health researchers, policy makers, and practitioners should choose methods appropriate to their aims. Analysis of user-generated online content, especially in the context of news media reports, may be a quicker and cheaper alternative to more traditional methods, without compromising on the breadth of opinions captured.

  2. Method for Expressing Public Opinions Concerning the Introduction of an Emerging Technology to Society

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yamamoto, Satoshi; Ito, Kyoko; Ohnishi, Satoshi; Nishida, Shogo

    Emerging technology may have considerable social impact. Because emerging technology has not yet been introduced in society, it is needed general public express its opinions on emerging technology. It is important that expressing opinion must have social spirit. A method to limit facility of the Internet and activate social spirit is proposed. Evaluation experiment were conducted to test the effectiveness of the proposed method, and the participant could express opinion with social spirit.

  3. A Self-Categorization Explanation for Opinion Consensus Perceptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhang, Jinguang; Reid, Scott A.

    2013-01-01

    The public expression of opinions (and related communicative activities) hinges upon the perception of opinion consensus. Current explanations for opinion consensus perceptions typically focus on egocentric and other biases, rather than functional cognitions. Using self-categorization theory we showed that opinion consensus perceptions flow from…

  4. Corporate Publics and Rhetorical Strategies: The Case of Union Carbide's Bhopal Crisis.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ice, Richard

    1991-01-01

    Examines the role of rhetorical strategies in repairing damaged corporate relationships. Demonstrates the utility of an integrated model (multiple-publics concept and strategies of apologia) to corporate public relations through a case study of Union Carbide's justification of the Bhopal gas leak. (KEH)

  5. Evolving Trends in Public Opinion on the Quality of Local Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bali, Valentina A.

    2016-01-01

    The ratings given by citizens to local public schools in the United States have been rising in the last decades. Using national public opinion surveys, this study seeks to understand the determinants of public evaluations of local schools across time. Aggregate trend analyses indicate that public evaluations of local schools are influenced not…

  6. Public School Principals: Opinions and Status. ERS Educator Opinion Poll.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Educational Research Service, Arlington, VA.

    The opinion poll of public school administrators reported in this document is part of a series designed to report scientifically collected data that accurately reflects the views and experiences of specific groups of educators. For this study, a total of 3,300 principals were included in the random sample and 1,502 (46 percent) responded. Tables…

  7. Uniforms in the Middle School: Student Opinions, Discipline Data, and School Police Data

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sanchez, Jafeth E.; Yoxsimer, Andrew; Hill, George C.

    2012-01-01

    This study investigated public middle school students' opinions on the benefits of wearing a school uniform. A review of related literature is provided along with results of the opinions obtained from 604 seventh- and eighth-grade middle school students attending a public school in Nevada that had recently initiated a school uniform policy.…

  8. European Union research in support of environment and health: Building scientific evidence base for policy.

    PubMed

    Karjalainen, Tuomo; Hoeveler, Arnd; Draghia-Akli, Ruxandra

    2017-06-01

    Opinion polls show that the European Union citizens are increasingly concerned about the impact of environmental factors on their health. In order to respond and provide solid scientific evidence for the numerous policies related to the protection of human health and the environment managed at the Union level, the European Union made a substantial investment in research and innovation in the past two decades through its Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development, including the current programme, Horizon 2020, which started in 2014. This policy review paper analysed the portfolio of forty collaborative projects relevant to environment and health, which received a total amount of around 228 million euros from the EU. It gives details on their contents and general scientific trends observed, the profiles of the participating countries and institutions, and the potential policy implications of the results obtained. The increasing knowledge base is needed to make informed policy decisions in Europe and beyond, and should be useful to many stakeholders including the scientific community and regulatory authorities. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  9. The Nays Have It: When Public Sector Unions Win in California. Civic Report. No. 72

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DiSalvo, Daniel

    2012-01-01

    This November, California voters must decide two policy questions of great concern to public-sector unions. One is a tax hike to stave off further cuts to state spending (there are two versions on the ballot with a chance of passing). The other is a "paycheck protection" measure that would ban the practice of unions' deducting money from…

  10. Opinion polls and the US civil space program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fries, Sylvia Doughty

    1992-01-01

    An analysis of two public opinion poles that sought to determine NASA's level of support among the American people is presented. One pole models public participation in policy-making as a pyramid. The model provides for three levels of public participation: the attentive public, the interested public, and the non-attentive public. The three groups are discussed in the context of how to best promulgate NASA's mission throughout the American public.

  11. Using Spatial, Economic, and Ecological Opinion Data to Inform Gray Wolf Conservation

    PubMed Central

    Berry, Meredith S.; Nickerson, Norma P.; Metcalf, Elizabeth Covelli

    2018-01-01

    Public opinion can be an influential factor in wildlife management decisions. Evaluating public opinions can help legitimize, or delegitimize, management and facilitate long-term conservation goals. This is especially true for the controversial issues surrounding the management of predators. We surveyed Montana, USA, residents during summer of 2013 to measure public opinion regarding economic and ecological impacts of the gray wolf (Canis lupus), and current management of this species. Although opinions were polarized in some areas, a greater percentage of Montanans think that wolves negatively affect the economy, but impact tourism (which contributes to the economy) positively. These differences may reflect the belief that rancher economic losses from wolf predation of cattle is greater than overall tourism gains related to wolves (e.g., wolf-watching), in addition to the perception of wolves negatively affecting big game (e.g., elk [Cervus canadensis]). Results also show that a slightly greater percentage of Montanans feel that wolves positively rather than negatively affect the ecosystem. Regarding specific practices, more Montanans than not have a positive opinion of maintaining wolves on the landscape and also support hunting of wolves. More Montanans hold negative rather than positive opinions, however, regarding wolf trapping. This result was most evident in western Montana as assessed by a spatial distribution of opinions by county and has implications for current wolf management and nontarget species. Results of ordinal regression analyses revealed that big game hunters, males, and those who held negative opinions of the effect of wolves on the Montana ecosystem and economy were significantly more likely to support both hunting and trapping practices. Living in western Montana predicted positive opinions of hunting, but alternatively, negative opinions of trapping. These results provide an understanding of public opinion of wolf management by county as well as statistical inferences that can be useful for informing more regionally oriented management practices. PMID:29706677

  12. Using Spatial, Economic, and Ecological Opinion Data to Inform Gray Wolf Conservation.

    PubMed

    Berry, Meredith S; Nickerson, Norma P; Metcalf, Elizabeth Covelli

    2016-09-01

    Public opinion can be an influential factor in wildlife management decisions. Evaluating public opinions can help legitimize, or delegitimize, management and facilitate long-term conservation goals. This is especially true for the controversial issues surrounding the management of predators. We surveyed Montana, USA, residents during summer of 2013 to measure public opinion regarding economic and ecological impacts of the gray wolf ( Canis lupus ), and current management of this species. Although opinions were polarized in some areas, a greater percentage of Montanans think that wolves negatively affect the economy, but impact tourism (which contributes to the economy) positively. These differences may reflect the belief that rancher economic losses from wolf predation of cattle is greater than overall tourism gains related to wolves (e.g., wolf-watching), in addition to the perception of wolves negatively affecting big game (e.g., elk [ Cervus canadensis ]). Results also show that a slightly greater percentage of Montanans feel that wolves positively rather than negatively affect the ecosystem. Regarding specific practices, more Montanans than not have a positive opinion of maintaining wolves on the landscape and also support hunting of wolves. More Montanans hold negative rather than positive opinions, however, regarding wolf trapping. This result was most evident in western Montana as assessed by a spatial distribution of opinions by county and has implications for current wolf management and nontarget species. Results of ordinal regression analyses revealed that big game hunters, males, and those who held negative opinions of the effect of wolves on the Montana ecosystem and economy were significantly more likely to support both hunting and trapping practices. Living in western Montana predicted positive opinions of hunting, but alternatively, negative opinions of trapping. These results provide an understanding of public opinion of wolf management by county as well as statistical inferences that can be useful for informing more regionally oriented management practices.

  13. Manipulating Public Opinion about Trying Juveniles as Adults: An Experimental Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Steinberg, Laurence; Piquero, Alex R.

    2010-01-01

    Public attitudes about juvenile crime play a significant role in fashioning juvenile justice policy; variations in the wording of public opinion surveys can produce very different responses and can result in inaccurate and unreliable assessments of public sentiment. Surveys that ask about policy alternatives in vague terms are especially…

  14. 47 CFR 0.445 - Publication, availability and use of opinions, orders, policy statements, interpretations...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ..., orders, policy statements, interpretations, administrative manuals, and staff instructions. 0.445 Section 0.445 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL COMMISSION ORGANIZATION General Information Public Information and Inspection of Records § 0.445 Publication, availability and use of opinions...

  15. Downscaling U.S. public opinion about climate change and the 'Six Americas' to states, cities, and counties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marlon, J. R.; Howe, P. D.; Leiserowitz, A.

    2013-12-01

    For climate change communication to be most effective, messages should be targeted to the characteristics of local audiences. In the U.S., 'Six Americas' have been identified among the public based on their response to the climate change issue. The distribution of these different 'publics' varies between states and communities, yet data about public opinion at the sub-national scale remains scarce. In this presentation, we describe a methodology to statistically downscale results from national-level surveys about the Six Americas, climate literacy, and other aspects of public opinion to smaller areas, including states, metropolitan areas, and counties. The method utilizes multilevel regression with poststratification (MRP) to model public opinion at various scales using a large national-level survey dataset. We present state and county-level estimates of two key beliefs about climate change: belief that climate change is happening, and belief in the scientific consensus about climate change. We further present estimates of how the Six Americas vary across the U.S.

  16. The Distribution of Climate Change Public Opinion in Canada.

    PubMed

    Mildenberger, Matto; Howe, Peter; Lachapelle, Erick; Stokes, Leah; Marlon, Jennifer; Gravelle, Timothy

    2016-01-01

    While climate scientists have developed high resolution data sets on the distribution of climate risks, we still lack comparable data on the local distribution of public climate change opinions. This paper provides the first effort to estimate local climate and energy opinion variability outside the United States. Using a multi-level regression and post-stratification (MRP) approach, we estimate opinion in federal electoral districts and provinces. We demonstrate that a majority of the Canadian public consistently believes that climate change is happening. Belief in climate change's causes varies geographically, with more people attributing it to human activity in urban as opposed to rural areas. Most prominently, we find majority support for carbon cap and trade policy in every province and district. By contrast, support for carbon taxation is more heterogeneous. Compared to the distribution of US climate opinions, Canadians believe climate change is happening at higher levels. This new opinion data set will support climate policy analysis and climate policy decision making at national, provincial and local levels.

  17. The Distribution of Climate Change Public Opinion in Canada

    PubMed Central

    Gravelle, Timothy

    2016-01-01

    While climate scientists have developed high resolution data sets on the distribution of climate risks, we still lack comparable data on the local distribution of public climate change opinions. This paper provides the first effort to estimate local climate and energy opinion variability outside the United States. Using a multi-level regression and post-stratification (MRP) approach, we estimate opinion in federal electoral districts and provinces. We demonstrate that a majority of the Canadian public consistently believes that climate change is happening. Belief in climate change’s causes varies geographically, with more people attributing it to human activity in urban as opposed to rural areas. Most prominently, we find majority support for carbon cap and trade policy in every province and district. By contrast, support for carbon taxation is more heterogeneous. Compared to the distribution of US climate opinions, Canadians believe climate change is happening at higher levels. This new opinion data set will support climate policy analysis and climate policy decision making at national, provincial and local levels. PMID:27486659

  18. Public Response to Obamacare on Twitter

    PubMed Central

    Zheng, Kai; Liu, Yang; Levy, Helen

    2017-01-01

    Background The Affordable Care Act (ACA), often called “Obamacare,” is a controversial law that has been implemented gradually since its enactment in 2010. Polls have consistently shown that public opinion of the ACA is quite negative. Objective The aim of our study was to examine the extent to which Twitter data can be used to measure public opinion of the ACA over time. Methods We prospectively collected a 10% random sample of daily tweets (approximately 52 million since July 2011) using Twitter’s streaming application programming interface (API) from July 10, 2011 to July 31, 2015. Using a list of key terms and ACA-specific hashtags, we identified tweets about the ACA and examined the overall volume of tweets about the ACA in relation to key ACA events. We applied standard text sentiment analysis to assign each ACA tweet a measure of positivity or negativity and compared overall sentiment from Twitter with results from the Kaiser Family Foundation health tracking poll. Results Public opinion on Twitter (measured via sentiment analysis) was slightly more favorable than public opinion measured by the Kaiser poll (approximately 50% vs 40%, respectively) but trends over time in both favorable and unfavorable views were similar in both sources. The Twitter-based measures of opinion as well as the Kaiser poll changed very little over time: correlation coefficients for favorable and unfavorable public opinion were .43 and .37, respectively. However, we found substantial spikes in the volume of ACA-related tweets in response to key events in the law’s implementation, such as the first open enrollment period in October 2013 and the Supreme Court decision in June 2012. Conclusions Twitter may be useful for tracking public opinion of health care reform as it appears to be comparable with conventional polling results. Moreover, in contrast with conventional polling, the overall amount of tweets also provides a potential indication of public interest of a particular issue at any point in time. PMID:28550002

  19. 47 CFR 0.445 - Publication, availability and use of opinions, orders, policy statements, interpretations...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 0.445 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL COMMISSION ORGANIZATION General Information Public Information and Inspection of Records § 0.445 Publication, availability and use of opinions... hours in the Office of Media Relations, the Reference Information Center, via the Electronic Comment...

  20. 47 CFR 0.445 - Publication, availability and use of opinions, orders, policy statements, interpretations...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 0.445 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL COMMISSION ORGANIZATION General Information Public Information and Inspection of Records § 0.445 Publication, availability and use of opinions... hours in the Office of Media Relations, the Reference Information Center, via the Electronic Comment...

  1. 47 CFR 0.445 - Publication, availability and use of opinions, orders, policy statements, interpretations...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 0.445 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL COMMISSION ORGANIZATION General Information Public Information and Inspection of Records § 0.445 Publication, availability and use of opinions... hours in the Office of Media Relations, the Reference Information Center, via the Electronic Comment...

  2. Defining Sustainable Universities Following Public Opinion Formation Process

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zaptcioglu Celikdemir, Deniz; Gunay, Gonca; Katrinli, Alev; Penbek Alpbaz, Sebnem

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to define the sustainable university in Turkey, by considering perspectives of various stakeholders such as experts, intellectual, public, political parties and media using public opinion formation analysis. The paper aims to re-define the "sustainable university" with all dimensions including…

  3. Department of Labor Semiannual Regulatory Agenda

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-26

    ... Sector Intermediate Unions 210 Persuader Agreements: Employer and Labor Consultant Reporting Under the...: Reports by Labor Organizations on Related Organizations; Reporting by Public 1215-AB75 Sector Intermediate... ORGANIZATIONS ON RELATED ORGANIZATIONS; REPORTING BY PUBLIC SECTOR INTERMEDIATE UNIONS Priority: Other...

  4. 75 FR 21823 - Semiannual Agenda of Regulations

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-26

    ... Sector Intermediate Unions 210 Persuader Agreements: Employer and Labor Consultant Reporting Under the...: Reports by Labor Organizations on Related Organizations; Reporting by Public 1215-AB75 Sector Intermediate... ORGANIZATIONS ON RELATED ORGANIZATIONS; REPORTING BY PUBLIC SECTOR INTERMEDIATE UNIONS Priority: Other...

  5. Publications - GMC 191 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    (3,489'-3,511') from the Union Oil Co. of California Ruby State #1 well Authors: Unknown Publication Date the Union Oil Co. of California Ruby State #1 well: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

  6. Teaching Assistant Unionization: Origins and Implications.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rogow, Robert; Birch, Daniel R.

    1984-01-01

    Teaching assistants are unionized at most large Ontario and British Columbia universities. The institutions tend to be urban, have large graduate enrollments, and have faced greater budgetary concerns at the time of unionization. Canada's public policy and labor relations decisions have favored unionization more than the United States's have. (MSE)

  7. "New and Improved" Teacher Unionism: But Will It Wash?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kerchner, Charles; Koppich, Julia; Weeres, Joseph

    1998-01-01

    Unions are increasingly advocating for teaching as an occupation and for public education as an American institution. New and improved unionism is replacing teachers as industrial workers with teachers as knowledge workers empowered to devise educational solutions from the classroom up. Unions' new vision will be organized around quality,…

  8. Are Charter School Unions Worth the Bargain?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Price, Mitch

    2011-01-01

    About 12 percent of all charter schools have bargaining agreements. Why do charter schools unionize? What is in these charter school contracts? Can they be considered innovative or models for union reform? And how do they compare to traditional district/union teacher contracts? Center on Reinventing Public Education legal analyst Mitch Price…

  9. Identification of potential opinion leaders in child health promotion in Sweden using network analysis.

    PubMed

    Guldbrandsson, Karin; Nordvik, Monica K; Bremberg, Sven

    2012-08-08

    Opinion leaders are often local individuals with high credibility who can influence other people. Robust effects using opinion leaders in diffusing innovations have been shown in several randomized controlled trials, for example regarding sexually transmitted infections (STI), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention, mammography rates and caesarean birth delivery rates. In a Cochrane review 2010 it was concluded that the use of opinion leaders can successfully promote evidence-based practice. Thus, using opinion leaders within the public health sector might be one means to speed up the dissemination of health promoting and disease preventing innovations. Social network analysis has been used to trace and map networks, with focus on relationships and positions, in widely spread arenas and topics. The purpose of this study was to use social network analysis in order to identify potential opinion leaders at the arena of child health promotion in Sweden. By using snowball technique a short e-mail question was spread in up to five links, starting from seven initially invited persons. This inquiry resulted in a network consisting of 153 individuals. The most often mentioned actors were researchers, public health officials and paediatricians, or a combination of these professions. Four single individuals were mentioned by five to seven other persons in the network. These individuals obviously possess qualities that make other professionals within the public health sector listen to and trust them. Social network analysis seemed to be a useful method to identify influential persons with high credibility, i.e. potential opinion leaders, at the arena of child health promotion in Sweden. If genuine opinion leaders could be identified directed measures can be carried out in order to spread new and relevant knowledge. This may facilitate for public health actors at the local, regional and national level to more rapidly progress innovations into everyday practice. However, effectiveness studies of opinion leaders in the public health sector still have to be performed.

  10. 7 CFR 1.4 - Public access to certain materials.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Public access to certain materials. 1.4 Section 1.4 Agriculture Office of the Secretary of Agriculture ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS Official Records § 1.4 Public... published and copies offered for sale): (1) Final opinions, including concurring and dissenting opinions, as...

  11. Compulsory Unionism, the NLRB, and the Courts: A Legal Analysis of Union Security Agreements. Labor Relations and Public Policy Series Report No. 15.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haggard, Thomas R.

    As used here, compulsory union or union security agreements are federally sanctioned contracts between a labor union and employer whereby the employer agrees to require his employees, as a condition of their employment, to affiliate with the union in some way. Right-to-work is usually construed to mean the liberty of the individual to have a job…

  12. [State school children's opinions regarding violence in the media].

    PubMed

    Piedrahita S, Laura E

    2009-01-01

    To describe the opinion of schoolage children, from a public school, regarding the violence they perceive in the media. Descriptive-exploratory research with a sample, selected according to the child's age in a public school. Quantitative data were collected. There were found common issues related to the child's opinion about the violence present in the media such as frequent exposure to the media violence and lack of parental supervision. Social context and constant exposure to the media violence affect the children's opinion about the violence phenomenon and their predisposition to it.

  13. Do health policy advisors know what the public wants? An empirical comparison of how health policy advisors assess public preferences regarding smoke-free air, and what the public actually prefers

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Health policy-making, a complex, multi-factorial process, requires balancing conflicting values. A salient issue is public support for policies; however, one reason for limited impact of public opinion may be misperceptions of policy makers regarding public opinion. For example, empirical research is scarce on perceptions of policy makers regarding public opinion on smoke-free public spaces. Methods Public desire for smoke-free air was compared with health policy advisor (HPA) perception of these desires. Two representative studies were conducted: one with the public (N = 505), and the other with a representative sample of members of Israel’s health-targeting initiative, Healthy Israel 2020 (N = 34), in December 2010. Corresponding questions regarding desire for smoke-free areas were asked. Possible smoke-free areas included: 100% smoke-free bars and pubs; entrances to health facilities; railway platforms; cars with children; college campuses; outdoor areas (e.g., pools and beaches); and common areas of multi-dweller apartment buildings. A 1–7 Likert scale was used for each measure, and responses were averaged into a single primary outcome, DESIRE. Our primary endpoint was the comparison between public preferences and HPA assessment of those preferences. In a secondary analysis, we compared personal preferences of the public with personal preferences of the HPAs for smoke-free air. Results HPAs underestimated public desire for smoke-free air (Public: Mean: 5.06, 95% CI:[4.94, 5.17]; HPA: Mean: 4.06, 95% CI:[3.61, 4.52]: p < .0001). Differences at the p = .05 level were found between HPA assessment and public preference for the following areas: 100% smoke-free bars and pubs; entrances to healthcare facilities; train platforms; cars carrying children; and common areas of multi-dweller apartment buildings. In our secondary comparison, HPAs more strongly preferred smoke-free areas than did the public (p < .0001). Conclusions Health policy advisors underestimate public desire for smoke-free air. Better grasp of public opinion by policy makers may lead to stronger legislation. Monitoring policy-maker assessment of public opinion may shed light on incongruities between policy making and public opinion. Further, awareness of policy-maker misperceptions may encourage policy-makers to demand more accurate information before making policy. PMID:23692687

  14. 2004 Public Opinion Survey on Education in Indiana

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Plucker, Jonathan A.; Spradlin, Terry E.; Zapf, Jason S.

    2005-01-01

    The 2004 Public Opinion Survey on Education in Indiana examined public perceptions on the following issues: (1) Overall Evaluation of Public Schools in Indiana; (2) School Funding; (3) Core 40 and the P-16 Plan; (4) ISTEP+; (5) School Choice and Charter; (6) Schools; (7) Teacher Quality; (8) No Child Left Behind Act and P.L. 221; and (9) The…

  15. Newspaper Readership and Individual Estimation of Public Opinion: Do People Pay Attention to Poll Stories?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Richardson, Brian E.

    A study examined mass media use and ability to predict public support for two heavily publicized Florida referenda--casino gambling and a statewide lottery. It was hypothesized that (1) voters who read newspapers that publish election public opinion poll stories will be better able to predict support for the issues than voters who rely on friends…

  16. Public Opinion on Youth, Crime and Race: A Guide for Advocates. Building Blocks for Youth.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Soler, Mark

    This guide summarizes public opinion research on youth and juvenile justice issues from the Building Blocks for Youth focus groups and various national polls. Overall, the public is less fearful about crime than in the past but believes juvenile crime is increasing. There is serious public concern about the effectiveness of the juvenile justice…

  17. 78 FR 47425 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Reinstatement, With Change, of a...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-05

    ... from a certified public accountant; and agree to provide access to its books and records to the NCUA... collection is published to obtain comments from the public. Part 712 of the National Credit Union... public for review. II. Data Title: 12 CFR Part 712, Credit Union Service Organizations (CUSOs). OMB...

  18. 42 CFR 1008.31 - OIG fees for the cost of advisory opinions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false OIG fees for the cost of advisory opinions. 1008.31... SERVICES OIG AUTHORITIES ADVISORY OPINIONS BY THE OIG Advisory Opinion Fees § 1008.31 OIG fees for the cost of advisory opinions. (a) Responsibility for fees. The requestor is responsible for paying a fee...

  19. "We've Come a Long Way Baby." A Student Created Magazine by the ESL Classes of Local 155 ILGWU.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    International Ladies' Garment Workers Union, New York, NY.

    This student magazine, created by the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes of a local unit of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) is a collection of personal opinions, reports, and creative writing with illustrations. Compositions are by both individual students and groups. Selections include the account of a field trip,…

  20. Researchers under Pressure: A Comparative Study of New Forms of Producing, Advising and Transmitting Knowledge in Brazil and the European Union

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bianchetti, Lucidio; Quartiero, Elisa Maria

    2010-01-01

    This article presents some data from the literature and opinions from responses to interviews with 74 Brazilian and 15 European researchers. They were questioned about their work and the consequences to their lives caused by the changes imposed by the Coordinating Agency for Improvement in Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) in Brazil and the…

  1. Parties heed (with caution)

    PubMed Central

    Fisher, Justin

    2011-01-01

    Despite comprehensive reform (Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act) and recent review (Phillips Review in 2007) of party finance in Britain, public opinion of party finance remains plagued by perceptions of corruption, undue influence from wealthy donors, carefree and wasteful spending and, more generally, from the perception that there is just ‘too much money’ in politics. In this article we argue that knowledge of and attitudes to party finance matter, not least because advocates of reform have cited public opinion as evidence for reform. However, because attitudes to party finance are part of a broader attitudinal structure, opinion-led reforms are unlikely to succeed in increasing public confidence. Using data generated from YouGov’s online panel (N=2,008), we demonstrate that the public know little of the key provisions regulating party finance and attitudes to party finance can be explained along two underlying dimensions – Anti-Party Finance and Reformers. As such, we consider whether parties and politicians should be freed from the constraints of public opinion in reforming party finance. PMID:29097904

  2. Democracy’s Denominator

    PubMed Central

    Barabas, Jason

    2016-01-01

    Democratic responsiveness concerns the degree to which government policies match public preferences. Responsiveness studies typically use national surveys to characterize public opinion, but whether poll questions overlap with the policy agenda is unknown. The first of two empirical analyses presented here, with hundreds of issues on the national agenda in the United States from 1947 to 2000, reveals that public opinion is mostly unrelated to policy outcomes. The picture appears to be even more ominous—that is, opinion and policy are negatively related—on highly salient issues that attract media attention. A second study revisiting published work confirms that responsiveness patterns look different depending upon whether studies of opinion-policy connections (a) begin with survey data and then examine policy developments, or (b) begin with national legislative agenda issues and then examine survey data. Thus, conclusions about democratic responsiveness depend upon the issues that are examined, and often opinion surveys do not include questions about tangible public policy options. In that sense, future changes in democratic responsiveness might go undetected because scholars often lack data on what goes into the denominator of democracy. PMID:27274572

  3. 75 FR 11229 - Summary of Precedent Opinions of the General Counsel

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-10

    ... the issuance of that opinion, Congress enacted Public Law 110-389, section 212 of which added a new... of processing the claim to completion. Furthermore, section 212(c) of Public Law 110-389 specifies...

  4. Examining the Gap between Science and Public Opinion about Genetically Modified Food and Global Warming.

    PubMed

    McFadden, Brandon R

    2016-01-01

    There is great uncertainty due to challenges of escalating population growth and climate change. Public perception that diverges from the scientific community may decrease the effectiveness of scientific inquiry and innovation as tools to solve these challenges. The objective of this study was to identify the factors associated with the divergence of public opinion from scientific consensus regarding the safety of genetically modified (GM) foods and human involvement in global warming (GW). Results indicate that the effects of knowledge on public opinion are complex and non-uniform across types of knowledge (i.e., perceived and actual) or issues. Political affiliation affects agreement with science; Democrats were more likely to agree that GM food is safe and human actions cause GW. Respondents who had relatively higher cognitive function or held illusionary correlations about GM food or GW were more likely to have an opinion that differed from the scientific community.

  5. Examining the Gap between Science and Public Opinion about Genetically Modified Food and Global Warming

    PubMed Central

    McFadden, Brandon R.

    2016-01-01

    There is great uncertainty due to challenges of escalating population growth and climate change. Public perception that diverges from the scientific community may decrease the effectiveness of scientific inquiry and innovation as tools to solve these challenges. The objective of this study was to identify the factors associated with the divergence of public opinion from scientific consensus regarding the safety of genetically modified (GM) foods and human involvement in global warming (GW). Results indicate that the effects of knowledge on public opinion are complex and non-uniform across types of knowledge (i.e., perceived and actual) or issues. Political affiliation affects agreement with science; Democrats were more likely to agree that GM food is safe and human actions cause GW. Respondents who had relatively higher cognitive function or held illusionary correlations about GM food or GW were more likely to have an opinion that differed from the scientific community. PMID:27829008

  6. Research on hotspot discovery in internet public opinions based on improved K-means.

    PubMed

    Wang, Gensheng

    2013-01-01

    How to discover hotspot in the Internet public opinions effectively is a hot research field for the researchers related which plays a key role for governments and corporations to find useful information from mass data in the Internet. An improved K-means algorithm for hotspot discovery in internet public opinions is presented based on the analysis of existing defects and calculation principle of original K-means algorithm. First, some new methods are designed to preprocess website texts, select and express the characteristics of website texts, and define the similarity between two website texts, respectively. Second, clustering principle and the method of initial classification centers selection are analyzed and improved in order to overcome the limitations of original K-means algorithm. Finally, the experimental results verify that the improved algorithm can improve the clustering stability and classification accuracy of hotspot discovery in internet public opinions when used in practice.

  7. Research on Hotspot Discovery in Internet Public Opinions Based on Improved K-Means

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    How to discover hotspot in the Internet public opinions effectively is a hot research field for the researchers related which plays a key role for governments and corporations to find useful information from mass data in the Internet. An improved K-means algorithm for hotspot discovery in internet public opinions is presented based on the analysis of existing defects and calculation principle of original K-means algorithm. First, some new methods are designed to preprocess website texts, select and express the characteristics of website texts, and define the similarity between two website texts, respectively. Second, clustering principle and the method of initial classification centers selection are analyzed and improved in order to overcome the limitations of original K-means algorithm. Finally, the experimental results verify that the improved algorithm can improve the clustering stability and classification accuracy of hotspot discovery in internet public opinions when used in practice. PMID:24106496

  8. Virtual OPACs versus Union Database: Two Models of Union Catalogue Provision.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cousins, Shirley

    1999-01-01

    Considers some of the major technical and organizational issues involved in virtual-catalog production, contrasting them with the traditional union catalog approach exemplified by COPAC, an online public-access catalog composed of academic libraries in the United Kingdom. Suggest a method of integrating these two models of the union catalog.…

  9. Public Opinion in Puerto Rico on Alcohol Control Policies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harwood, Eileen M.; Bernat, Debra H.; Lenk, Kathleen M.; Vazquez, Mary Jo; Wagenaar, Alexander C.

    2004-01-01

    This article discusses the first study to assess public opinion of alcohol policies in Puerto Rico. In 2001, a telephone survey of 514 adults on the island assessed levels of support for 20 alcohol control policies covering five domains: (a) raising alcohol taxes, (b) restricting alcohol consumption in public places, (c) punishing adult providers…

  10. Public Understanding of Climate Change in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Weber, Elke U.; Stern, Paul C.

    2011-01-01

    This article considers scientific and public understandings of climate change and addresses the following question: Why is it that while scientific evidence has accumulated to document global climate change and scientific opinion has solidified about its existence and causes, U.S. public opinion has not and has instead become more polarized? Our…

  11. Parties heed (with caution): Public knowledge of and attitudes towards party finance in Britain.

    PubMed

    vanHeerde-Hudson, Jennifer; Fisher, Justin

    2013-01-01

    Despite comprehensive reform ( Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act ) and recent review (Phillips Review in 2007) of party finance in Britain, public opinion of party finance remains plagued by perceptions of corruption, undue influence from wealthy donors, carefree and wasteful spending and, more generally, from the perception that there is just 'too much money' in politics. In this article we argue that knowledge of and attitudes to party finance matter, not least because advocates of reform have cited public opinion as evidence for reform. However, because attitudes to party finance are part of a broader attitudinal structure, opinion-led reforms are unlikely to succeed in increasing public confidence. Using data generated from YouGov's online panel (N=2,008), we demonstrate that the public know little of the key provisions regulating party finance and attitudes to party finance can be explained along two underlying dimensions - Anti-Party Finance and Reformers . As such, we consider whether parties and politicians should be freed from the constraints of public opinion in reforming party finance.

  12. Sifting Through Chaos: Extracting Information from Unstructured Legal Opinions.

    PubMed

    Oliveira, Bruno Miguel; Guimarães, Rui Vasconcellos; Antunes, Luís; Rodrigues, Pedro Pereira

    2018-01-01

    Abiding to the law is, in some cases, a delicate balance between the rights of different players. Re-using health records is such a case. While the law grants reuse rights to public administration documents, in which health records produced in public health institutions are included, it also grants privacy to personal records. To safeguard a correct usage of data, public hospitals in Portugal employ jurists that are responsible for allowing or withholding access rights to health records. To help decision making, these jurists can consult the legal opinions issued by the national committee on public administration documents usage. While these legal opinions are of undeniable value, due to their doctrine contribution, they are only available in a format best suited from printing, forcing individual consultation of each document, with no option, whatsoever of clustered search, filtering or indexing, which are standard operations nowadays in a document management system. When having to decide on tens of data requests a day, it becomes unfeasible to consult the hundreds of legal opinions already available. With the objective to create a modern document management system, we devised an open, platform agnostic system that extracts and compiles the legal opinions, ex-tracts its contents and produces metadata, allowing for a fast searching and filtering of said legal opinions.

  13. Towards a better pesticide policy for the European Union.

    PubMed

    Storck, Veronika; Karpouzas, Dimitrios G; Martin-Laurent, Fabrice

    2017-01-01

    This opinion article aims to foster the debate about pesticide legislation in the European Union (EU). Numerous formerly authorized and widely used pesticides are now banned in the EU because unexpected and unacceptable risks emerged after their initial introduction to the market. Throughout this time lapse, environmental quality and human health have been threatened by the use of these compounds. These hazards could have been prevented by a more responsive pesticide regulatory framework. This article provides detailed insights into the pros and cons of pesticides, and points out weaknesses of the current pesticide environmental risk assessment procedures. Possibilities for improving the robustness and reliability of the pesticide regulatory framework are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Labeling of genetically modified food: closer to reality in the United States?

    PubMed

    Wohlers, Anton E

    2013-01-01

    Within the broader context of several related biotech developments, including the proliferation of GM food in American grocery stories, the recent decision by Whole Foods Market, Inc. to require the labeling of all genetically modified (GM) organism products sold in its stores by 2018, and the development of GM animals for consumption, this essay asks whether the United States is inching towards a policy of mandatory GM food labeling. The analysis highlights aspects of the biotechnology policy debate in the United States and European Union, and traces public opinion as well as grassroots and legislative efforts aimed at GM food labeling. Findings show that activities at the federal level do not suggest any major regulatory changes regarding labeling in the near future; however, a growing number of individual states are considering GM food labeling legislation and political momentum in favor of labeling has picked up in recent years. Voluntary labeling by food companies may also become increasingly common.

  15. Approval of the first biosimilar antibodies in Europe: a major landmark for the biopharmaceutical industry.

    PubMed

    Beck, Alain; Reichert, Janice M

    2013-01-01

    In a defining moment for the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the biopharmaceutical industry, on June 27, 2013 EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use adopted a positive opinion for two biosimilar infliximab products (Celltrion's Remsima® and Hospira's Inflectra®), and recommended that they be approved for marketing in the European Union (EU). The European Commission's decision on an application is typically issued 67 d after an opinion is provided; thus, decisions are expected in early September 2013. If approved, the products will comprise the first biosimilar antibody made available to patients in a highly regulated market, although launch may be delayed due to an extension of the reference product's (Remicade®) patent in the EU.

  16. Dynamic Evolution Model Based on Social Network Services

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xiong, Xi; Gou, Zhi-Jian; Zhang, Shi-Bin; Zhao, Wen

    2013-11-01

    Based on the analysis of evolutionary characteristics of public opinion in social networking services (SNS), in the paper we propose a dynamic evolution model, in which opinions are coupled with topology. This model shows the clustering phenomenon of opinions in dynamic network evolution. The simulation results show that the model can fit the data from a social network site. The dynamic evolution of networks accelerates the opinion, separation and aggregation. The scale and the number of clusters are influenced by confidence limit and rewiring probability. Dynamic changes of the topology reduce the number of isolated nodes, while the increased confidence limit allows nodes to communicate more sufficiently. The two effects make the distribution of opinion more neutral. The dynamic evolution of networks generates central clusters with high connectivity and high betweenness, which make it difficult to control public opinions in SNS.

  17. A Guide to the Changing Court Rulings on Union Security in the Public Sector: A Union Perspective.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Darko, Richard J.; Knapp, Janet C.

    1985-01-01

    The Supreme Court in "Ellis vs. Brotherhood of Railway, Airline and Steamship Clerks" has provided a systematic process for determining what constitutes union expenses properly charged to objecting nonmembers. (MLF)

  18. Political Coalitions for Mutual Advantage: The Case of the Tobacco Institute’s Labor Management Committee

    PubMed Central

    Balbach, Edith D.; Barbeau, Elizabeth M.; Manteufel, Viola; Pan, Jocelyn

    2005-01-01

    In 1984, the tobacco workers’ union and the Tobacco Institute, which represents US tobacco companies, formed a labor management committee (LMC). The institute relied on LMC unions to resist smoke-free worksite rules. In a review of the internal tobacco industry documents now publicly available, we found that the LMC succeeded for 2 primary reasons. First, the LMC furthered members’ interests, allowing them to overcome institutional barriers to policy success. Second, the LMC used an “institutions, ideas, and interests” strategy to encourage non-LMC unions to oppose smoke-free worksite rules. While public health advocates missed an opportunity to partner with unions on the issue of smoke-free worksites during the era studied, they can use a similar strategy to form coalitions with unions. PMID:15914820

  19. Public Response to Obamacare on Twitter.

    PubMed

    Davis, Matthew A; Zheng, Kai; Liu, Yang; Levy, Helen

    2017-05-26

    The Affordable Care Act (ACA), often called "Obamacare," is a controversial law that has been implemented gradually since its enactment in 2010. Polls have consistently shown that public opinion of the ACA is quite negative. The aim of our study was to examine the extent to which Twitter data can be used to measure public opinion of the ACA over time. We prospectively collected a 10% random sample of daily tweets (approximately 52 million since July 2011) using Twitter's streaming application programming interface (API) from July 10, 2011 to July 31, 2015. Using a list of key terms and ACA-specific hashtags, we identified tweets about the ACA and examined the overall volume of tweets about the ACA in relation to key ACA events. We applied standard text sentiment analysis to assign each ACA tweet a measure of positivity or negativity and compared overall sentiment from Twitter with results from the Kaiser Family Foundation health tracking poll. Public opinion on Twitter (measured via sentiment analysis) was slightly more favorable than public opinion measured by the Kaiser poll (approximately 50% vs 40%, respectively) but trends over time in both favorable and unfavorable views were similar in both sources. The Twitter-based measures of opinion as well as the Kaiser poll changed very little over time: correlation coefficients for favorable and unfavorable public opinion were .43 and .37, respectively. However, we found substantial spikes in the volume of ACA-related tweets in response to key events in the law's implementation, such as the first open enrollment period in October 2013 and the Supreme Court decision in June 2012. Twitter may be useful for tracking public opinion of health care reform as it appears to be comparable with conventional polling results. Moreover, in contrast with conventional polling, the overall amount of tweets also provides a potential indication of public interest of a particular issue at any point in time. ©Matthew A Davis, Kai Zheng, Yang Liu, Helen Levy. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 26.05.2017.

  20. Perceptions of the School Climate: Does Support of the Local Teachers Union Make a Significant Difference?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alfree, Catherine Mae

    2013-01-01

    Teachers unions have become a staple in today's public schools. While much has been written about the unions' political clout and their negotiating of restrictive collective bargaining agreements, little research has been dedicated to determining how these unions impact the school learning environment and student achievement. This quantitative…

  1. Forty Years in the Union: Incubating, Supporting, and Catalyzing Socially Just Educational Change

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rottmann, Cindy

    2012-01-01

    North American teacher unions' positive contributions to educational change have historically flown under the radar of educational policy makers, a situation that has been reified by recent attacks on public sector unions. In this article, I draw on social movement theory and an institutional case study of a self described social justice union to…

  2. Understanding public opinion in debates over biomedical research: looking beyond political partisanship to focus on beliefs about science and society.

    PubMed

    Nisbet, Matthew; Markowitz, Ezra M

    2014-01-01

    As social scientists have investigated the political and social factors influencing public opinion in science-related policy debates, there has been growing interest in the implications of this research for public communication and outreach. Given the level of political polarization in the United States, much of the focus has been on partisan differences in public opinion, the strategies employed by political leaders and advocates that promote those differences, and the counter-strategies for overcoming them. Yet this focus on partisan differences tends to overlook the processes by which core beliefs about science and society impact public opinion and how these schema are often activated by specific frames of reference embedded in media coverage and popular discourse. In this study, analyzing cross-sectional, nationally representative survey data collected between 2002 and 2010, we investigate the relative influence of political partisanship and science-related schema on Americans' support for embryonic stem cell research. In comparison to the influence of partisan identity, our findings suggest that generalized beliefs about science and society were more chronically accessible, less volatile in relation to media attention and focusing events, and an overall stronger influence on public opinion. Classifying respondents into four unique audience groups based on their beliefs about science and society, we additionally find that individuals within each of these groups split relatively evenly by partisanship but differ on other important dimensions. The implications for public engagement and future research on controversies related to biomedical science are discussed.

  3. Saving teenage lives : the case for graduated driver licensing

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1998-11-01

    Two recent public opinion surveys point to widespread support for graduated driver licensing. A 1996 public opinion poll conducted by the American Automobile Association found that nearly three out of four respondents favor limiting the use of cars b...

  4. 6 in 10 Americans Think College Sports Are Overemphasized, Survey Finds: Opinion Survey.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chronicle of Higher Education, 1985

    1985-01-01

    The results of a public opinion poll concerning the emphasis on college athletics, coaches' job security, paying students for competing, academic standards for athletes, and gambling by both the public and the athletes, are presented. (MSE)

  5. An empirical analysis of the public's attitudes toward advertising hospital services: a comparative cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Moser, H Ronald; Freeman, Gordon L

    2014-01-01

    This study investigates current opinions about hospital advertising and compares them to the attitudes expressed 25 years ago. It replicates a survey done in 1985, using the same questionnaire and population to compare responses longitudinally. The study indicates some changes in the public's opinions of hospital advertising. Although the image of hospitals remains positive, most of the 2010 respondents' opinions were rather mixed regarding whether it is proper for hospitals to advertise. The study also confirmed that the quality of service and reputation of hospitals remain more important to the public than price.

  6. The interaction evolution model of mass incidents with delay in a social network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huo, Liang'an; Ma, Chenyang

    2017-10-01

    Recent years have witnessed rapid development of information technology. Today, modern media is widely used for the purpose of spreading information rapidly and widely. In particular, through micro-blog promotions, individuals tend to express their viewpoints and spread information on the internet, which could easily lead to public opinions. Moreover, government authorities also disseminate official information to guide public opinion and eliminate any incorrect conjecture. In this paper, a dynamical model with two delays is investigated to exhibit the interaction evolution between the public and official opinion fields in network mass incidents. Based on the theory of differential equations, the interaction mechanism between two public opinion fields in a micro-blog environment is analyzed. Two delays are proposed in the model to depict the response delays of public and official opinion fields. Some stable conditions are obtained, which shows that Hopf bifurcation can occur as delays cross critical values. Further, some numerical simulations are carried out to verify theoretical results. Our model indicates that there exists a golden time for government intervention, which should be emphasized given the impact of modern media and inaccurate rumors. If the government releases official information during the golden time, mass incidents on the internet can be controlled effectively.

  7. Intellectual Freedom and Censorship: The Climate of Opinion in Midwestern Public Libraries

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Busha, Charles H.

    1972-01-01

    An attempt to quantify the attitudes of more than 3,200 public librarians toward intellectual freedom, censorship, and certain antidemocratic ideas is reported in this article. Data upon which the study is based were collected as a part of the Opinion Survey of Midwestern Public Librarians,'' which was conducted in 1970-71. (19 references)…

  8. A Little Help from Their Friends: Institutions Build Armies of Alumni Advocates to Influence Legislators and Shape Public Opinion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simonetti, Kristin

    2013-01-01

    Institutions build armies of alumni advocates to influence legislators and shape public opinion. This article describes two types of alumni advocacy: grasstops and grassroots. Grasstops advocacy engages smaller, targeted groups of alumni who have a stronger, more influential connection with legislators and other public officeholders. Grassroots…

  9. Comprehensive Sexuality Education: A Historical and Comparative Analysis of Public Opinion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Herrman, Judith W.; Solano, Paul; Stotz, Lauren; McDuffie, Mary Joan

    2013-01-01

    This research clarifies the public support of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in terms of acceptance, content, timing, and effectiveness as it may inform practice in the United States. The historical context of public opinion, as well as a summary of the efficacy of abstinence only education (AOE) versus CSE in the scientific literature,…

  10. Emotions, Public Opinion, and U.S. Presidential Approval Rates: A 5-Year Analysis of Online Political Discussions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gonzalez-Bailon, Sandra; Banchs, Rafael E.; Kaltenbrunner, Andreas

    2012-01-01

    This article examines how emotional reactions to political events shape public opinion. We analyze political discussions in which people voluntarily engage online to approximate the public agenda: Online discussions offer a natural approach to the salience of political issues and the means to analyze emotional reactions as political events take…

  11. The "Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes-Stuttering" (POSHA-S): Summary Framework and Empirical Comparisons

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    St. Louis, Kenneth O.

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: The "Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes-Stuttering" ("POSHA-S") was developed to make available worldwide a standard measure of public attitudes toward stuttering that is practical, reliable, valid, and translatable. Mean data from past field studies as comparisons for interpretation of "POSHA-S" results are reported. Method: Means…

  12. Geographic variation in opinions on climate change at state and local scales in the USA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Howe, Peter D.; Mildenberger, Matto; Marlon, Jennifer R.; Leiserowitz, Anthony

    2015-06-01

    Addressing climate change in the United States requires enactment of national, state and local mitigation and adaptation policies. The success of these initiatives depends on public opinion, policy support and behaviours at appropriate scales. Public opinion, however, is typically measured with national surveys that obscure geographic variability across regions, states and localities. Here we present independently validated high-resolution opinion estimates using a multilevel regression and poststratification model. The model accurately predicts climate change beliefs, risk perceptions and policy preferences at the state, congressional district, metropolitan and county levels, using a concise set of demographic and geographic predictors. The analysis finds substantial variation in public opinion across the nation. Nationally, 63% of Americans believe global warming is happening, but county-level estimates range from 43 to 80%, leading to a diversity of political environments for climate policy. These estimates provide an important new source of information for policymakers, educators and scientists to more effectively address the challenges of climate change.

  13. Exploring the spiral of silence in adjustable social networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Yue; Du, Ya-Jun; Li, Xian-Yong; Chen, Xiao-Liang

    2015-03-01

    This study extends the understanding of the spiral of silence theory by taking into account four factors, including the topology of networks, the time factor of information transmission, the node degree of individuals and the freedom of expression. Simulation experiments analyze the silencers, public opinion in steady state and relaxation time in small-world networks, scale-free networks and community-structured networks by adjusting the initial conditions. Results highlight that individuals are easier to keep silent in scale-free network, especially when the individual with big degree and minority opinion starts the discussion. Conversely, there are only a few individuals keep silent in the community-structured network when the two communities hold opposite opinions. Moreover, the number of silencers grows as the degree of coupling increases, and it decreases as the freedom of expression goes up. By analyzing the public opinion evolution, we also find some important conditions, such as the network topology, the potential public opinion distribution, and the status and sides of the first speaker, can drive the minority reversal.

  14. Latin America Report

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1985-09-05

    outlays were reduced to $2,419,100,000 because of a reduction of imports. Net capital flow increased to $161.4 million. [Summary] [Bogota EL SIGLO ...58.8 million more. [Summary] [Bogota EL SIGLO in Spanish 9 Aug 85 p 10 PA] AMBASSADOR TO SWITZERLAND—Foreign Minister Augusto Ocampo has sworn...opinion.was received by the trade unions, 27 percent; followed by Congress and private enterprise. B As for the possibility that religion

  15. Betting on Teachers: The 43rd Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes toward the Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bushaw, William J.; Lopez, Shane J.

    2011-01-01

    This is the latest in a series of polls sponsored by Phi Delta Kappa International with the Gallup organization. Some important findings of this year's poll include: About half of us believe teacher unions are hurting public education, but we're more likely to support teacher union leaders than governors in disputes over teacher collective…

  16. Information Operations and Public Affairs: A Union of Influence

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-03-22

    Information Operations,” (Quantico VA: United States Marine Corps, May 15, 1998) http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a400016.pdf (accessed December 11...Information Operations and Public Affairs: A Union of Influence by Lieutenant Colonel Duane A. Opperman United States Marine ...inform and influence audiences, gaps may exist. Both public affairs and information operations have defined mission sets and are necessarily separated

  17. 42 CFR 57.1511 - Opinion of legal counsel.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Opinion of legal counsel. 57.1511 Section 57.1511... Personnel § 57.1511 Opinion of legal counsel. At appropriate stages in the application and approval... memorandum or opinion of legal counsel with respect to the legality of any proposed note issue, the legal...

  18. 42 CFR 57.1511 - Opinion of legal counsel.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Opinion of legal counsel. 57.1511 Section 57.1511... Personnel § 57.1511 Opinion of legal counsel. At appropriate stages in the application and approval... memorandum or opinion of legal counsel with respect to the legality of any proposed note issue, the legal...

  19. A Guide to the Changing Court Rulings on Union Security in the Public Sector: An Introduction.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jascourt, Hugh D.

    1985-01-01

    Introduces two articles that (1) supply the union and management perspectives of the Supreme Court decision in "Ellis vs. Brotherhood of Railway, Airline and Steamship Clerks" and (2) discuss how this decision affects the public sector in the area of education. (MLF)

  20. 77 FR 71083 - Regulations Affecting Credit Unions; Technical Amendments

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-11-29

    ...(d)(3) of the APA.\\15\\ The rule will, therefore, be effective immediately upon publication. \\14\\ 5 U...) of Appendix A to part 749 states that credit unions should permanently retain all current manuals... NCUA and other governmental agencies. This requirement has become outdated. All publications noted in...

  1. Collective Bargaining and the Community College.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, J. Rodney

    In a brief overview, unionism is traced from the earliest craft unions through the formation of the National Labor Relations Board in 1938. Private and public sectors are then examined separately with the legislation related to them, including that directly affecting public employees in Florida. Factors causing collective bargaining in education…

  2. Reducing hazardous cleaning product use: a collaborative effort.

    PubMed

    Pechter, Elise; Azaroff, Lenore S; López, Isabel; Goldstein-Gelb, Marcy

    2009-01-01

    Workplace hazards affecting vulnerable populations of low-wage and immigrant workers present a special challenge to the practice of occupational health. Unions, Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (COSH) groups, and other organizations have developed worker-led approaches to promoting safety. Public health practitioners can provide support for these efforts. This article describes a successful multiyear project led by immigrant cleaning workers with their union, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 615, and with support from the Massachusetts COSH (MassCOSH) to address exposure to hazardous chemicals. After the union had identified key issues and built a strategy, the union and MassCOSH invited staff from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Occupational Health Surveillance Program (OHSP) to provide technical information about health effects and preventive measures. Results included eliminating the most hazardous chemicals, reducing the number of products used, banning mixing products, and improving safety training. OHSP's history of public health practice regarding cleaning products enabled staff to respond promptly. MassCOSH's staff expertise and commitment to immigrant workers allowed it to play a vital role.

  3. Strategies for public health research in European Union countries.

    PubMed

    Grimaud, Olivier; McCarthy, Mark; Conceição, Claudia

    2013-11-01

    'Health' is an identifiable theme within the European Union multi-annual research programmes. Public Health Innovation and Research in Europe (PHIRE), led by the European Public Health Association, sought to identify public health research strategies in EU member states. Within PHIRE, national public health associations reviewed structures for health research, held stakeholder workshops and produced reports. This information, supplemented by further web searches, including using assisted translation, was analysed for national research strategies and health research strategies. All countries described general research strategies, outlining organizational and capacity objectives. Thematic fields, including health, are mentioned in some strategies. A health research strategy was identified for 15 EU countries and not for 12. Ministries of health led research strategies for nine countries. Public health research was identified in only three strategies. National research strategies did not refer to the European Union's health research programme. Public health research strategies of European countries need to be developed by ministries of health, working with the research community to achieve the European Research Area.

  4. A framework for improving the quality of health information on the world-wide-web and bettering public (e-)health: the MedCERTAIN approach.

    PubMed

    Eysenbach, G; Köhler, C; Yihune, G; Lampe, K; Cross, P; Brickley, D

    2001-01-01

    There has been considerable debate about the variable quality of health information on the world-wide-web and its impact on public health. While central authorities to regulate, control, censor, or centrally approve information, in-formation providers or websites are neither realistic nor desirable, public health professionals are interested in making systems available that direct patient streams to the best available information sources. National governments and medical societies have also recognized their responsibility to help users to identify "good quality" information sources. But what constitutes good quality, and how can such a system be implemented in a decentralized and democratic manner? This paper presents a model which combines aspects of consumer education, encouragement of best practices among information providers, self-labeling and external evaluations. The model is currently being implemented and evaluated in the MedCERTAIN project, funded by the European Union under the Action Plan for Safer Use of the Internet. The aim is to develop a technical and organisational infrastructure for a pilot system that allows consumers to access metainformation about web-sites and health information providers, including disclosure information from health providers and opinions of external evaluators. The paper explains the general conceptual framework of the model and presents preliminary experiences including results from an expert consensus meeting, where the framework was discussed.

  5. Watching the Evolution of the American Family? Amazon's Transparent, Ecological Systems Theory, and the Changing Dynamics of Public Opinion.

    PubMed

    Becker, Amy B; Todd, Maureen E

    2018-01-01

    Using Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological systems theory as an organizing framework, the research closely examines the text of the Amazon Studios hit show Transparent and, by extension, the evolution of public opinion toward transgender individuals. By examining the Pfefferman family in detail and their related microsystem and macrosystem, we are able to closely unpack the transition of Jeffrey Tambor's character from Mort to Maura and the show's connections with broader developments in the Los Angeles LGBT community and the Jewish diaspora in postwar and contemporary Los Angeles. In addition, by focusing on the influence of the chronosystem, we are able to examine how both opinions toward Maura and public opinion toward transgender issues more generally have evolved within the family system and the larger American community over time.

  6. Public Opinion and the Acceptance and Feasility of Educational Reforms. EENEE Analytical Report No. 28

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Busemeyer, Marius; Lergetporer, Philipp; Woessmann, Ludger

    2016-01-01

    In education policy, as in many other policy fields, well-designed policy reforms may fail to get enacted because policymakers may suddenly become confronted with a public backlash against their reform agenda. Thus, understanding the dynamics of public opinion is important in order to be able to assess the chances of successful reform. There is a…

  7. Discipline in the Schools. Three Decades of Public Opinion Polling. Search Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Education Association, Washington, DC. Research Div.

    Results from a diverse selection of public opinion polls, most conducted by Gallup, taken from 1954 to 1984 reveal Americans' long-term concern about discipline in public schools. Since 1969, in every year but one, discipline has been considered the biggest problem facing schools by at least a quarter of the respondents. One in four surveyed views…

  8. The Mass Media, Public Opinion, and Public Policy Analysis: Linkage Explorations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Strouse, James C.

    The purpose of this book is to explore the effects of public opinion on governmental policy making, with a special focus on the role of the mass media in this process. Specific areas covered include political campaigning, the President and the press, blacks and the media, and cable television. Topics of discussion in the ten chapters are: linkage…

  9. Missing voices: polling and health care.

    PubMed

    Berinsky, Adam J; Margolis, Michele

    2011-12-01

    Examining data on the recent health care legislation, we demonstrate that public opinion polls on health care should be treated with caution because of item nonresponse--or "don't know" answers--on survey questions. Far from being the great equalizer, opinion polls can actually misrepresent the attitudes of the population. First, we show that respondents with lower levels of socioeconomic resources are systematically more likely to give a "don't know" response when asked their opinion about health care legislation. Second, these same individuals are more likely to back health care reform. The result is an incomplete portrait of public opinion on the issue of health care in the United States.

  10. Defining "research" in the US and EU: contrast of Sherley v. Sebelius and Brüstle v. Greenpeace rulings.

    PubMed

    Cuchiara, Maude L; Lawford Davies, James; Matthews, Kirstin R W

    2013-12-01

    In 2011, courts in both the United States and European Union handed down decisions related to human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research. In both cases, the definition of research was challenged - but the two courts reached different opinions. In the US case, Sherley v. Sebelius, research was defined as a specific project. The US District Court of Appeals did not link research utilizing existing hESC lines to the act of destroying a human embryo in order to create the line, which is not eligible for federal funding. In contrast, the Court of Justice of the European Union in the Brüstle v. Greenpeace case determined inventions related to hESCs were unpatentable since they resulted from research that involved the destruction of human embryos. In this article, we will compare and contrast these two court cases, the politics related to the rulings, and their impacts. We find that these cases significantly impacted current research and have the potential to negatively impact future stem cell research and development. However, the long-term effects of the cases remain to be seen, and there is a chance that these cases could actually strengthen this area of science. Ultimately, we feel that stem cell polices must be straightforward and supported by the public to prevent courts and judges from making decisions on science, which are disruptive to the progression of research.

  11. Highway safety attitudes of Virginians : Results of the 1977 highway safety public opinion poll, final Report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1978-01-01

    In October 1977, the Highway Safety Division of Virginia sponsored a statewide public opinion poll conducted by the Virginia Highway and Transportation Research Council. From the first through the twenty-second of October, approximately 1,700 randoml...

  12. Decision-Making When Public Opinion Matters

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coppock, Rob

    1977-01-01

    Discusses the impact of public opinion on government decision-making, and develops a model that describes how certain input or control factors can combine to produce discontinuous or divergent policy decisions. Available from: Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Box 211, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, single copies available. (Author/JG)

  13. Contrasting Public Opinion Dynamics and Emotional Response during Crisis

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

    Volkova, Svitlana; Chetviorkin, Ilia; Arendt, Dustin L.

    We propose an approach for contrasting spatiotemporal dynamics of public opinions expressed toward targeted entities, also known as stance detection task, in Russia and Ukraine during crisis. Our analysis relies on a novel corpus constructed from posts on the VKontakte social network, centered on local public opinion of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian crisis, along with newly annotated resources for predicting expressions of fine-grained emotions including joy, sadness, disgust, anger, surprise and fear. Akin to prior work on sentiment analysis we align traditional public opinion polls with aggregated automatic predictions of sentiments for contrastive geo-locations. We report interesting observations on emotional responsemore » and stance variations across geo-locations. Some of our findings contradict stereotypical misconceptions imposed by media, for example, we found posts from Ukraine that do not support Euromaidan but support Putin, and posts from Russia that are against Putin but in favor USA. Furthermore, we are the first to demonstrate contrastive stance variations over time across geo-locations using storyline visualization technique.« less

  14. Union Pacific Railroad Company - Clean Water Act Public Notice

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The EPA is providing notice of a proposed Administrative Penalty Assessment against Union Pacific Railroad Company (“Respondent” or “Union Pacific”) for alleged violations of Section 311(b)(3) of the CWA, 33 U.S.C. § 1321(b)(3), and regulations promulgated

  15. 76 FR 26791 - [Public Notice 7108

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-09

    ... the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union; Notice of Committee Renewal Renewal of Advisory... Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union. This advisory committee makes... Program on Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII). These...

  16. Pilot Moncat: Making Way for Montana's Union Catalog. A Report of the Interlibrary Loan Committee of the Montana State Library Commission.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Givens, Beth

    A year-long study involving 29 libraries (11 public, 5 academic, 1 combined academic/public, 6 special, 1 combined public/school, and 5 school) was undertaken in FY 1984 to monitor the usage of an existing union catalog--the Washington Library Network Resource Directory--and determine what policies and protocols should be considered when preparing…

  17. Network public opinion space sentiment tendency analyze based on recurrent convolution neural network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Gaowei; Xu, Lingyu; Wang, Lei

    2018-04-01

    The purpose of this chapter is to analyze the investor's psychological characteristics and investment decision-making behavior characteristics, to study the investor sentiment under the network public opinion, and then analyze from three aspects: First, investor sentiment analysis and how to spread in the online media; The influence mechanism of investor's emotion on the stock market and its effect; the third one is to measure the investor's emotion based on the degree of attention, trying hard to sort out the internal relations between the investor's sentiment and the network public opinion and the stock market, in order to lay the theoretical foundation of this article.

  18. Public opinion by a poll process: model study and Bayesian view

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Hyun Keun; Kim, Yong Woon

    2018-05-01

    We study the formation of public opinion in a poll process where the current score is open to the public. The voters are assumed to vote probabilistically for or against their own preference considering the group opinion collected up to then in the score. The poll-score probability is found to follow the beta distribution in the large polls limit. We demonstrate that various poll results, even those contradictory to the population preference, are possible with non-zero probability density and that such deviations are readily triggered by initial bias. It is mentioned that our poll model can be understood in the Bayesian viewpoint.

  19. ETI, SETI and today's public opinion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pinotti, Roberto

    During the last three decades the general public's initial opinions about ETI and SETI changed, turning ignorance, fear and superficiality into a gradual understanding of the importance of these concepts. After a brief analysis of this changing psycho-sociological attitude, the paper provides an "estimate of the situation" about general interest for ETI and SETI, suggesting a growing awareness in today's public opinion. Science fiction movies like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and popular interest in UFOs as visitors from outer space played a major role in the average man's acceptance of the reality of extra-terrestrial life and its meaning for mankind.

  20. Understanding Public Opinion in Debates over Biomedical Research: Looking beyond Political Partisanship to Focus on Beliefs about Science and Society

    PubMed Central

    Nisbet, Matthew; Markowitz, Ezra M.

    2014-01-01

    As social scientists have investigated the political and social factors influencing public opinion in science-related policy debates, there has been growing interest in the implications of this research for public communication and outreach. Given the level of political polarization in the United States, much of the focus has been on partisan differences in public opinion, the strategies employed by political leaders and advocates that promote those differences, and the counter-strategies for overcoming them. Yet this focus on partisan differences tends to overlook the processes by which core beliefs about science and society impact public opinion and how these schema are often activated by specific frames of reference embedded in media coverage and popular discourse. In this study, analyzing cross-sectional, nationally representative survey data collected between 2002 and 2010, we investigate the relative influence of political partisanship and science-related schema on Americans' support for embryonic stem cell research. In comparison to the influence of partisan identity, our findings suggest that generalized beliefs about science and society were more chronically accessible, less volatile in relation to media attention and focusing events, and an overall stronger influence on public opinion. Classifying respondents into four unique audience groups based on their beliefs about science and society, we additionally find that individuals within each of these groups split relatively evenly by partisanship but differ on other important dimensions. The implications for public engagement and future research on controversies related to biomedical science are discussed. PMID:24558393

  1. 42 CFR 411.380 - When CMS issues a formal advisory opinion.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false When CMS issues a formal advisory opinion. 411.380... Relationships Between Physicians and Entities Furnishing Designated Health Services § 411.380 When CMS issues a formal advisory opinion. (a) CMS considers an advisory opinion to be issued once it has received payment...

  2. 45 CFR 73.735-806 - Documentation and publication of opinions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ...-806 Section 73.735-806 Public Welfare DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL ADMINISTRATION... Department Ethics Counselor, deputy ethics counselors, and any other individuals required to be involved in... Department Ethics Counselor shall publish summaries of advisory opinions issued by his or her office...

  3. 45 CFR 73.735-806 - Documentation and publication of opinions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ...-806 Section 73.735-806 Public Welfare DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL ADMINISTRATION... Department Ethics Counselor, deputy ethics counselors, and any other individuals required to be involved in... Department Ethics Counselor shall publish summaries of advisory opinions issued by his or her office...

  4. 45 CFR 73.735-806 - Documentation and publication of opinions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ...-806 Section 73.735-806 Public Welfare Department of Health and Human Services GENERAL ADMINISTRATION... Department Ethics Counselor, deputy ethics counselors, and any other individuals required to be involved in... Department Ethics Counselor shall publish summaries of advisory opinions issued by his or her office...

  5. The role of media and public opinion efforts in the transit field : the Detroit region case study.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-03-01

    This study, one of seven comprising the report Factors that Inhibit and Enable Effective Regional Transit in Southeastern : Michigan, explores the role of media and public opinion efforts in developing support for regional transit initiatives. The go...

  6. Bildung in der Europaischen Union: Daten und Kennzahlen = Education across the European Union: Statistics and Indicators = Education dans L'Union Europeennee Statistiques et Indicateurs, 1996.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    EURYDICE European Unit, Brussels (Belgium).

    This publication provides comparable statistics and indicators on education across the 15 member states of the European Union. The main source of data is the joint UOE (UNESCO, Organisation for Economic Development, Eurostat) revised questionnaire on education statistics introduced in 1995. Educational attainment information draws on data from the…

  7. GPs' opinions of public and industrial information regarding drugs: a cross-sectional study

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background General Practitioners {GP} in Sweden prescribe more than 50% of all prescriptions. Scientific knowledge on the opinions of GPs regarding drug information has been sparse. Such knowledge could be valuable when designing evidence-based drug information to GPs. GPs' opinions on public- and industry-provided drug information are presented in this article. Methods A cross-sectional study using a questionnaire was answered by 368 GPs at 97 primary-health care centres {PHCC}. The centres were invited to participate by eight out of 29 drug and therapeutic committees {DTCs}. A multilevel model was used to analyse associations between opinions of GPs regarding drug information and whether the GPs worked in public sector or in a private enterprise, their age, sex, and work experience. PHCC and geographical area were included as random effects. Results About 85% of the GPs perceived they received too much information from the industry, that the quality of public information was high and useful, and that the main task of public authorities was to increase the GPs' knowledge of drugs. Female GPs valued information from public authorities to a much greater extent than male GPs. Out of the GPs, 93% considered the main task of the industry was to promote sales. Differences between the GPs' opinions between PHCCs were generally more visible than differences between areas. Conclusions Some kind of incentives could be considered for PHCCs that actively reduce drug promotion from the industry. That female GPs valued information from public authorities to a much greater extent than male GPs should be taken into consideration when designing evidence-based drug information from public authorities to make implementation easier. PMID:21867497

  8. Teachers Unions and Management Partnerships: How Working Together Improves Student Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rubinstein, Saul A.; McCarthy, John E.

    2014-01-01

    For more than a decade, the debate over public school reform has created friction between teachers unions, administrators, school boards, parents, policymakers, and other stakeholders in public education and has fueled disagreements over how to improve the quality of teaching and learning for children. While many factors make consensus elusive…

  9. 12 CFR 792.02 - What records does NCUA make available to the public for inspection and copying?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... public for inspection and copying? 792.02 Section 792.02 Banks and Banking NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS AFFECTING THE OPERATIONS OF THE NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT AND PRIVACY ACT, AND BY SUBPOENA; SECURITY PROCEDURES FOR...

  10. 12 CFR 792.02 - What records does NCUA make available to the public for inspection and copying?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... public for inspection and copying? 792.02 Section 792.02 Banks and Banking NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS AFFECTING THE OPERATIONS OF THE NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT AND PRIVACY ACT, AND BY SUBPOENA; SECURITY PROCEDURES FOR...

  11. 12 CFR 792.02 - What records does NCUA make available to the public for inspection and copying?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... public for inspection and copying? 792.02 Section 792.02 Banks and Banking NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS AFFECTING THE OPERATIONS OF THE NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT AND PRIVACY ACT, AND BY SUBPOENA; SECURITY PROCEDURES FOR...

  12. 12 CFR 792.02 - What records does NCUA make available to the public for inspection and copying?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... public for inspection and copying? 792.02 Section 792.02 Banks and Banking NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS AFFECTING THE OPERATIONS OF THE NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT AND PRIVACY ACT, AND BY SUBPOENA; SECURITY PROCEDURES FOR...

  13. 12 CFR 792.02 - What records does NCUA make available to the public for inspection and copying?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... public for inspection and copying? 792.02 Section 792.02 Banks and Banking NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS AFFECTING THE OPERATIONS OF THE NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT AND PRIVACY ACT, AND BY SUBPOENA; SECURITY PROCEDURES FOR...

  14. Business-Industry and Union Providers of Basic Education in the Workplace.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mark, Jorie Lester, Ed.; Campbell, Joyce Fowlkes, Ed.

    This publication highlights business, industry, and union efforts--independent of or collaborative with the public sector--to provide employees with the basic education they need to do their jobs. The 34 employee education programs sketched here are considered to be cost-effective when compared to the cost of recruiting and training replacement…

  15. Backlash or a Positive Response?: Public Opinion of LGB Issues After Obergefell v. Hodges.

    PubMed

    Kazyak, Emily; Stange, Mathew

    2018-01-10

    Following Obergefell v. Hodges, same-sex marriage remains controversial and anti-LGBT state legislation has been passed, which raises questions about whether the Supreme Court's ruling may have created a backlash. We use data from two waves of a general population survey of Nebraskans conducted before and after the decision to answer three questions. First, we test three theories of how the court decision influenced public opinion. We find that support for same-sex marriage was significantly higher following the ruling, suggesting that there was not a backlash to it. Second, we assess whether people perceive that the court accurately reflects the public's opinion. We find that people who favor same-sex marriage are more likely to think that the ruling refects public opinion very well; those who oppose same-sex marriage are more likely to think that the ruling does not at all reflect public opinion. Third, we examine the association between discussing gay rights and support for same-sex marriage, finding that those who talk about LGB issues very often are more likely to favor same-sex marriage. We discuss the implications of these findings in relation to two of the themes of this special issue: the influence of marriage equality on Americans' understandings of marriage and the impact of marriage equality on future LGBT activism.

  16. The Defense of Teachers' Trade Union Rights.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pepin, Luce

    1990-01-01

    The author sees cause for concern in the number of complaints to the International Labour Organisation alleging violations of teachers' union rights. She examines the right of public employees to organize and strike and government interference, concluding that greater protection for teachers' unions may be needed. (SK)

  17. 12 CFR 722.1 - Authority, purpose, and scope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... Union Administration (“NCUA”) under title XI of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and...) Purpose and scope. (1) Title XI provides protection for federal financial and public policy interests in... entered into by the National Credit Union Administration or by federally insured credit unions (“regulated...

  18. Physician collective bargaining in a U.S. public hospital.

    PubMed

    Thompson, Stephen L; Salmon, J Warren

    2003-01-01

    In a study to investigate the factors that would drive attending physicians employed in a public hospital to seek collective bargaining with their employer, the authors developed an instrument to determine which variables and which hypotheses were predictive of union proneness. The findings reveal that a desire for voice was the number one reason for physicians' wanting to join a union. Union-prone physicians had a lower salary on average, were more dissatisfied with their income, were more likely to feel the effects of work "speed up" (too many patients and too little time), were less likely to have administrative functions (thus a larger patient care role), had a strong sense of entitlement to collective bargaining, believed that unions improve participation in decisions affecting their jobs (reinforcing their desire for voice), and had a sense that a union would improve their treatment by supervisors (reinforcing their desire for due process and equity).

  19. JPRS Report. Soviet Union: Political Affairs

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-10-31

    serious and responsible approach is needed. Because this program affects not only our internal repub- lic affairs but also relations between the...of other opinions, the sense of ultimatum and so forth? Speaking in Tartu my friend V. Palm said the following: there is a social psychology ; it is...objective reality and it must be taken into account; comrade B. Saul may be a competent and fine person but his social psychology is such that

  20. JPRS Report, East Europe.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-11-27

    19Sep89pp 1, 4 [Interview with Col Zdzislaw Duda , representative of the Polish Army General Staff, by Lt Col Andrzej Medykowski: "A Shorter Time in...Przemysl dio- cese: (Interviewed by Andrzej Urbanski and Adam Wiec- zorek, TYGODNIK ROLNIKOW SOLIDARNOSC 3 September 1989) "...In my opinion, a...Comments on Internal Solidarity Divisions 90EP0041B Warsaw TRYBUNA LUDU in Polish 14 Sep 89 p 4 [Article by Andrzej Bogusz: "Hypothesis: Union in

  1. Personality Traits and Foreign Policy Attitudes in German Public Opinion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schoen, Harald

    2007-01-01

    This article examines the effects of personality traits on attitudes toward foreign policy issues among the German public. Building on previous research, it argues that personality characteristics shape an individual's motivation, goals, and values, thereby providing criteria to evaluate external stimuli and affecting foreign policy opinions. An…

  2. Resisting the Isolationist Temptation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kemble, Penn

    Public and congressional opinion of U.S. involvement in world affairs has begun shifting from support to opposition. Recent public opinion polls and congressional decisions such as the one to re-direct $100 million of the United States Information Agency's (USIA) budget to Midwest flood relief indicate waning advocacy for internationalism and a…

  3. The Citizens' Viewpoint: Higher Education in Alabama, 1981.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Owings, Thomas G.

    Results of a survey assessing public opinions and attitudes about higher education in Alabama are presented. A representative sample of 736 households was contacted by telephone, and 546 agreed to be interviewed. The survey was designed to evaluate public opinions and attitudes about higher education teaching, research, service, finance,…

  4. Socioscientific and Epistemic Dimensions of Support for Science: Associations with Science Education and Religiosity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stewart, Craig O.; McConnell, John R., III; Dickerson, Daniel L.

    2017-01-01

    This study investigated deference to scientific authority [Brossard, D., & Nisbet, M. C. (2007). "Deference to scientific authority among a low information public: Understanding U.S. opinion on agricultural biotechnology." "International Journal of Public Opinion Research," 19, 24-52] as it relates to support for science…

  5. 42 CFR 411.389 - Range of the advisory opinion.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Range of the advisory opinion. 411.389 Section 411.389 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES... Between Physicians and Entities Furnishing Designated Health Services § 411.389 Range of the advisory...

  6. 42 CFR 411.389 - Range of the advisory opinion.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Range of the advisory opinion. 411.389 Section 411.389 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES... Between Physicians and Entities Furnishing Designated Health Services § 411.389 Range of the advisory...

  7. Media Coverage and Public Opinion on Scientific Controversies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mazur, Allan

    1981-01-01

    Examines the relationship of media coverage and public opinion in scientific controversy. A survey of coverage of controversies arising regarding sociobiology, water fluoridation, nuclear power and the Three Mile Island disaster indicates that the media play an active role in shaping and constructing controversy rather than just reporting it. (JMF)

  8. A Multi-Cultural Union

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gotbaum, Victor

    1975-01-01

    This testimony, by the president of the Municipal Employees Union before a public hearing of the New York City Commission on Human Rights in May 1974, emphasizes that occupational categories segregate its membership and discusses the unions' efforts to relieve a segregation that imposes mainly upon black and Puerto Rican citizens the lowest…

  9. A Labor Perspective on Basic Skills.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sarmiento, Anthony R.

    Most major workplace literacy programs involve unions. Organized labor's current leadership in worker education and training is not a continuation of earlier activities but an expansion of union interest and activity that is unprecedented in the history of organized labor. These efforts do not rely on public funding, because many unions have…

  10. Strengthening Partnerships: How Communication and Collaboration Contribute to School Improvement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rubinstein, Saul A.

    2014-01-01

    For most of the past decade, this author has studied union-management efforts to improve public education, and has witnessed extraordinary examples of teachers, union leaders, and administrators working together to improve teaching and learning. In this article, seven case studies on collaborative partnerships between teachers' unions and…

  11. Teachers Unions and Student Performance: Help or Hindrance?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eberts, Randall W.

    2007-01-01

    Randall Eberts explores the role of teachers unions in public education. He focuses particularly on how collective bargaining agreements shape the delivery of educational services, how unions affect both student achievement and the cost of providing quality education, and how they support educational reform efforts. Eberts's synthesis of the…

  12. 77 FR 11171 - License Renewal Application for Callaway Plant, Unit 1, Union Electric Company

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-24

    ... Callaway Plant, Unit 1, Union Electric Company AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Intent to prepare environmental impact statement and conduct scoping process. SUMMARY: Union Electric Company, a..., MO. The current operating license for Callaway expires on October 18, 2024. DATES: The public scoping...

  13. The Landrum-Griffin Act. Twenty Years of Federal Protection of Union Members' Rights. Labor Relations and Public Policy Series, No. 19.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bellace, Janice R.; Berkowitz, Alan D.

    Enacted in 1959, the Landrum-Griffin Act or Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act was intended to attain maximum protection for the rights of individual workers within the union without undermining the union as an institution necessary for the existence of collective bargaining. Title I is the union members' bill of rights; titles II-VI…

  14. From Communist Control to "Glastnost" and Back?: Media Freedom and Control in the Former Soviet Union.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ferguson, Denise P.

    1998-01-01

    Frames the role of public relations in a self-governing society. Discusses three environmental factors that affect the practice of socially responsible public relations. Reviews the historical media philosophy of eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Examines media practice occurring during the region's transformation and implications for…

  15. Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Public Sector Unions and New York's Triborough Amendment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Freeman, James E.; Kolozi, Peter

    2016-01-01

    Ever wonder why union members' salary and benefits, workload agreements, and other aspects of their collective bargaining agreements, or "contracts," often remain unchanged and enforced during the all-too-common periods when public employees labor without a contract? In New York, the answer boils down to an understanding of the Public…

  16. Issue-Relevant Values and Opinions About Gay Rights: Beyond Equality and Morality.

    PubMed

    Rhodebeck, Laurie

    2018-01-01

    Although many studies have examined the role of values in shaping public opinion, the number of values that inform this research is limited. This article employs the concept of issue-relevant values as a means to explore the broader range of values associated with policy issues. After discussing the concept in general terms, the article explores issue-relevant values pertinent to public opinion about gay rights. Using the policy examples of employment nondiscrimination and same-sex couple adoption, the present study identifies, measures, and assesses several values that add to the very short list previously used to explain public opinion about gay rights issues. Content from interest-group Web sites and news media coverage of the two issues aided in identifying the values. Data from an original Internet survey yield valid measures of the values. Multivariate analyses indicate that the values behave in predictable ways: they are strongly influenced by partisanship, and they strongly affect opinions about the two issues. The performance of the values is consistent with findings from previous research on the partisan basis of values and the value-based nature of opinions. The article concludes with suggestions for further empirical and theoretical work that could apply and extend the concept of issue-relevant values.

  17. Recommended energy and nutrients intakes in the European Union: 2008-2016

    PubMed

    García Gabarra, Antoni; Castellà Soley, Marta; Calleja Fernández, Alicia

    2017-03-30

    The aim of this document is to refl ect the changes happened in the European Union legislation and the opinions of the European Food Safety Authority in relation to the nutritional labeling on food, the reference values for energy, macronutrients and micronutrients, and the tolerable upper safe levels. The European legislation in force uses the labeling reference values established by the Scientific Committee on Food in 2003. There would be advisable an update of them from the reference values for vitamins and minerals established by the European Food Safety Authority. Equally, there would be good to include reference labeling values for polyunsaturated fatty acids, dietary fiber and choline, and specific reference labeling values for children from 6 to 36 months. For vitamins and minerals there would be desirable the revision of tolerable upper safe levels and the establishment of maximum amounts allowed in fortified food and food supplements in the European Union; its absence might represent a risk in some population groups for an excessive and unsafe intake of certain minerals and vitamins.

  18. Contraceptive knowledge, attitudes, and practice in Russia during the 1980s.

    PubMed

    Popov, A A; Visser, A P; Ketting, E

    1993-01-01

    In the former Soviet Union, there was a lack of valid and reliable social research on knowledge, attitudes, and practice of contraception. The few available studies have not been published outside the Soviet Union. This article reviews five surveys that were conducted in Moscow and two other cities (Saratov and Tartu) during the period 1976-84. In addition, some data from a large-scale survey conducted in 1990 and covering the entire former Soviet Union are presented. The surveys indicate that the rhythm method, condoms, vaginal douches, and withdrawal were the main contraceptive methods used; only 1 to 3 percent of the women interviewed were using oral contraceptives, and about 10 percent used intrauterine devices. The low prevalence of use of reliable modern methods may explain the high incidence of induced abortion in Russia. The chronic unavailability of reliable contraceptives is one of the main factors of poor family planning. Lack of knowledge and negative opinions about modern contraception also play an important role. Some possibilities for improving the family planning situation in Russia are discussed.

  19. West European and American Public Opinion on Peace, Defence, and Arms Control in a Cross-National Perspective.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adler, Kenneth P.

    1986-01-01

    Summarizes public opinion on perceived threats to peace, the means considered most effective to preserve and strengthen peace, and attitudes toward military resistance, nuclear weapons, and defense spending. The data presented span several years and are often reported for individual West European nations. (JDH)

  20. 2006 Public Opinion Survey on Education in Indiana

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Plucker, Jonathan A.; Spradlin, Terry E.; Zapf, Jason S.; Chien, Rosanne W.

    2007-01-01

    The 2006 Public Opinion Survey on Education in Indiana gauged the attitudes and perceptions of a representative sample of Hoosiers on such key educational issues as kindergarten and pre-kindergarten programs, No Child Left Behind and P.L. 221, school funding and taxes, teacher quality, school choice and charter schools, and the achievement gap in…

  1. 11 CFR 201.4 - Rulemaking proceedings and advisory opinions: Ex parte contacts reported.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... written summary of an oral communication to the Commission Secretary for placement in the public file of... oral communication that a written summary of the conversation will be made part of the public record... ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS EX PARTE COMMUNICATIONS § 201.4 Rulemaking proceedings and advisory opinions: Ex parte...

  2. 78 FR 53138 - South Carolina Public Service Authority; Notice of Meeting to Discuss Santee-Cooper Biological...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-28

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 199-205] South Carolina Public Service Authority; Notice of Meeting to Discuss Santee-Cooper Biological Opinion On July 15, 2010, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) filed its Biological Opinion (BO) on the relicensing of...

  3. Quantifying discrepancies in opinion spectra from online and offline networks.

    PubMed

    Lee, Deokjae; Hahn, Kyu S; Yook, Soon-Hyung; Park, Juyong

    2015-01-01

    Online social media such as Twitter are widely used for mining public opinions and sentiments on various issues and topics. The sheer volume of the data generated and the eager adoption by the online-savvy public are helping to raise the profile of online media as a convenient source of news and public opinions on social and political issues as well. Due to the uncontrollable biases in the population who heavily use the media, however, it is often difficult to measure how accurately the online sphere reflects the offline world at large, undermining the usefulness of online media. One way of identifying and overcoming the online-offline discrepancies is to apply a common analytical and modeling framework to comparable data sets from online and offline sources and cross-analyzing the patterns found therein. In this paper we study the political spectra constructed from Twitter and from legislators' voting records as an example to demonstrate the potential limits of online media as the source for accurate public opinion mining, and how to overcome the limits by using offline data simultaneously.

  4. Quantifying Discrepancies in Opinion Spectra from Online and Offline Networks

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Deokjae; Hahn, Kyu S.; Yook, Soon-Hyung; Park, Juyong

    2015-01-01

    Online social media such as Twitter are widely used for mining public opinions and sentiments on various issues and topics. The sheer volume of the data generated and the eager adoption by the online-savvy public are helping to raise the profile of online media as a convenient source of news and public opinions on social and political issues as well. Due to the uncontrollable biases in the population who heavily use the media, however, it is often difficult to measure how accurately the online sphere reflects the offline world at large, undermining the usefulness of online media. One way of identifying and overcoming the online–offline discrepancies is to apply a common analytical and modeling framework to comparable data sets from online and offline sources and cross-analyzing the patterns found therein. In this paper we study the political spectra constructed from Twitter and from legislators' voting records as an example to demonstrate the potential limits of online media as the source for accurate public opinion mining, and how to overcome the limits by using offline data simultaneously. PMID:25915931

  5. 76 FR 36900 - Request for Public Comments Concerning Regulatory Cooperation Between the United States and the...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-23

    ... Regulatory Cooperation Between the United States and the European Union That Would Help Eliminate or Reduce... cooperation activities between the United States and the European Union. The comment period is reopened from... cooperative regulatory activities between the United States and the European Union: Information-sharing...

  6. Supreme Court Update: Unions, Fair Share Agreements and the First Amendment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Russo, Charles J.

    2007-01-01

    As the most unionized segment of the public sector workforce in the USA, teachers and their bargaining representatives wield significant power in the world of educational labour relations and beyond. Yet, just as the First Amendment's freedom of association clause affords unions the right to exist, its concomitant recognition that employees are…

  7. A Reflection on Educating College Students about the Value of Public-Sector Unions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mooney, Christine; Volchok, Edward

    2016-01-01

    This year, labor unions got a reprieve: The Supreme Court deadlocked in a much-anticipated case that could have turned almost every state into Wisconsin, where partisan interests have crippled union power. The case, "Friedrichs vs. California Teachers Association," addressed a previous case, "Abood v. Detroit Board of…

  8. Technology in College Unions and Student Activities: A Collection of Technology Resources from the ACUI Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Association of College Unions International (NJ1), 2012

    2012-01-01

    This publication presents a collection of technology resources from the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) community. Contents include: (1) Podcasting (Jeff Lail); (2) Video Podcasting (Ed Cabellon); (3) Building a Multimedia Production Center (Nathan Byrer); (4) Cloud Computing in the Student Union and Student Activities (TJ…

  9. "More Justice": The Role of Organized Labor in Educational Reform

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rogers, John S.; Terriquez, Veronica

    2009-01-01

    This article explores the potential role of low-wage service sector unions in engaging in equity-minded school reform. The members of many such unions are parents of children attending poorly resourced public schools. In seeking to address the interests of their members, labor unions can draw upon resources, organizing strategies, and political…

  10. Developing convolutional neural networks for measuring climate change opinions from social media data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mao, H.; Bhaduri, B. L.

    2016-12-01

    Understanding public opinions on climate change is important for policy making. Public opinion, however, is typically measured with national surveys, which are often too expensive and thus being updated at a low frequency. Twitter has become a major platform for people to express their opinions on social and political issues. Our work attempts to understand if Twitter data can provide complimentary insights about climate change perceptions. Since the nature of social media is real-time, this data source can especially help us understand how public opinion changes over time in response to climate events and hazards, which though is very difficult to be captured by manual surveys. We use the Twitter Streaming API to collect tweets that contain keywords, "climate change" or "#climatechange". Traditional machine-learning based opinion mining algorithms require a significant amount of labeled data. Data labeling is notoriously time consuming. To address this problem, we use hashtags (a significant feature used to mark topics of tweets) to annotate tweets automatically. For example, hashtags, #climatedenial and #climatescam, are negative opinion labels, while #actonclimate and #climateaction are positive. Following this method, we can obtain a large amount of training data without human labor. This labeled dataset is used to train a deep convolutional neural network that classifies tweets into positive (i.e. believe in climate change) and negative (i.e. do not believe). Based on the positive/negative tweets obtained, we will further analyze risk perceptions and opinions towards policy support. In addition, we analyze twitter user profiles to understand the demographics of proponents and opponents of climate change. Deep learning techniques, especially convolutional deep neural networks, have achieved much success in computer vision. In this work, we propose a convolutional neural network architecture for understanding opinions within text. This method is compared with lexicon-based opinion analysis approaches. Results and the advantages/limitations of this method are to be discussed.

  11. Was the Soviet Union Responsible for the Outbreak of the Korean War?

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-06-05

    opinion, "The bugaboo of communism had been conjured up to appeal to the emotions of the American people, rather than to their intelligence." The...More likely, Stalin may have made a conscious decision to limit his investment in favor of Eastern Europe. George F. Kennan has argued that...focused on mining and heavy industry- the major sources of exports to the USSR- while minimizing investments in domestic manufactures. Chemical fertilizers

  12. Attitudes regarding the national forensic DNA database: Survey data from the general public, prison inmates and prosecutors' offices in the Republic of Serbia.

    PubMed

    Teodorović, Smilja; Mijović, Dragan; Radovanović Nenadić, Una; Savić, Marina

    2017-05-01

    Worldwide, the establishment of national forensic DNA databases has transformed personal identification in the criminal justice system over the past two decades. It has also stimulated much debate centering on ethical issues, human rights, individual privacy, lack of safeguards and other standards. Therefore, a balance between effectiveness and intrusiveness of a national DNA repository is an imperative and needs to be achieved through a suitable legal framework. On its path to the European Union (EU), the Republic of Serbia is required to harmonize its national policies and legislation with the EU. Specifically, Chapter 24 of the EU acquis communautaire (Justice, Freedom and Security) stipulates the compulsory creation of a forensic DNA registry and adoption of corresponding legislation. This process is expected to occur in 2016. Thus, in light of launching the national DNA database, the goal of this work is to instigate a consultation with the Serbian public regarding their views on various aspects of the forensic DNA databank. Importantly, this study specifically assessed the opinions of distinct categories of citizens, including the general public, the prosecutors' offices staff, prisoners, prison guards, and students majoring in criminalistics. Our findings set a baseline for Serbian attitudes towards DNA databank custody, DNA sample and profile inclusion and retention criteria, ethical issues and concerns. Furthermore, results clearly demonstrate a permissive outlook of the respondents who are professional "beneficiaries" of genetic profiling and a restrictive position taken by the respondents whose genetic material has been acquired by the government. We believe that this opinion poll will be essential in discussions regarding a national DNA database, as well as in motivating further research on the reasons behind the observed views and subsequent development of educational strategies. All of these are, in turn, expected to aid the creation of suitable legislation and to increase societal confidence that the repository will be used in the legal system without interference with individual rights and freedoms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. 5 CFR 2638.311 - Copies of published formal advisory opinions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Copies of published formal advisory... Service § 2638.311 Copies of published formal advisory opinions. Each designated agency ethics official shall receive a copy of each published opinion. Copies will also be available to the public from the...

  14. Dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB)

    MedlinePlus

    ... and Gynecologists website. ACOG committee opinion no. 557: Management of acute abnormal uterine bleeding in nonpregnant reproductive-aged women. Reaffirmed 2015. www.acog.org/Resources-And-Publications/Committee-Opinions/ ...

  15. EU decision-making for marketing authorization of advanced therapy medicinal products: a case study.

    PubMed

    de Wilde, Sofieke; Coppens, Delphi G M; Hoekman, Jarno; de Bruin, Marie L; Leufkens, Hubert G M; Guchelaar, Henk-Jan; Meij, Pauline

    2018-03-21

    A comparative analysis of assessment procedures for authorization of all European Union (EU) applications for advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) shows that negative opinions were associated with a lack of clinical efficacy and identified severe safety risks. Unmet medical need was often considered in positive opinions and outweighed scientific uncertainties. Numerous quality issues illustrate the difficulties in this domain for ATMP development. Altogether, it suggests that setting appropriate standards for ATMP authorization in Europe, similar to elsewhere, is a learning experience. The experimental characteristics of authorized ATMPs urge regulators, industry, and clinical practice to pay accurate attention to post-marketing risk management to limit patient risk. Methodologies for ATMP development and regulatory evaluations need to be continuously evaluated for the field to flourish. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  16. 49 CFR 7.5 - Availability of opinions, orders, staff manuals, statements of policy, and interpretations and...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... availability for public inspection and copying of the following reading room materials: (1) Any final opinion... staff manual or instruction to staff that affects any member of the public, including the prescribing of.... However, this does not include staff manuals or instructions to staff concerning internal operating rules...

  17. 49 CFR 7.5 - Availability of opinions, orders, staff manuals, statements of policy, and interpretations and...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... availability for public inspection and copying of the following reading room materials: (1) Any final opinion... staff manual or instruction to staff that affects any member of the public, including the prescribing of.... However, this does not include staff manuals or instructions to staff concerning internal operating rules...

  18. The Impact of Television on Public Environmental Knowledge Concerning the Great Lakes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brothers, Christine C.

    The purpose of this study was to collect baseline information about public knowledge of and opinions toward the Great Lakes and to measure the impact of a television news program in educating adults about the Great Lakes. Survey questionnaires containing multiple-choice knowledge items and Likert scale opinion statements were completed by 570…

  19. Public Opinion and the Death Penalty: A Qualitative Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Falco, Diana L.; Freiburger, Tina L.

    2011-01-01

    Strong public support for capital punishment is arguably the number one reason why the death penalty continues to be used as a form of correctional policy in the U.S. criminal justice system. Therefore, it is fundamental that the measure of death penalty opinion be heavily scrutinized. Utilizing a methodological approach not typically employed in…

  20. Opinion Polling and the Measurement of Americans' Attitudes Regarding Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Billingham, Chase M.; Kimelberg, Shelley McDonough

    2016-01-01

    The meaning, measurement, and implications of "public opinion" have long been a source of debate. In this paper, we examine the extent to which the educational priorities of elites in the US reflect the educational priorities of the American public. To do so, we focus on one particular segment of the education policy-making elite --…

  1. Equity in Sports Programs for Girls and Women: The View of Sports Leaders.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chrietzberg, Agnes L.

    A survey of 45 leaders of girls' and women's sports in Kentucky sought opinions on sex equity in public school and college athletic programs. Specifically, opinions were elicited about fundings and publicity for girls' and women's sports. Survey participants were predominately female, white, and associated with education in college or public…

  2. Ten-Year Trends in Public Opinion from the "EDNEXT" Poll

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peterson, Paul E.; Henderson, Michael B.; West, Martin R.; Barrows, Samuel

    2017-01-01

    The year 2016 marks the 10th anniversary of the "Education Next" poll on K-12 education policy, offering "Education Next" the opportunity to take a retrospective look at public opinion on this vital topic. In 8 of the past 10 years, "Education Next" has also surveyed teachers on the subject and has seen some…

  3. A Survey of Nutrition Knowledge and Opinion of Wisconsin Elementary Teachers and Food Service Managers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Evans, Francis B.

    Conducted by the Wisconsin Nutrition Education and Training (NET) program, this study was designed to (1) assess public and private elementary school teachers' and public school food managers' nutrition knowledge, and (2) to ascertain their opinions on various topics related to nutrition education. The first section of the report provides…

  4. Americans and the Arts 1984: Highlights from a Nationwide Survey of Public Opinion.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harris (Louis) and Associates, Inc., New York, NY.

    Highlights of a nationwide public opinion survey concerning the interest and involvement of Americans in the arts are summarized. Telephone interviews were conducted with 1,504 adults. Results showed that the arts are indisputably a part of the mainstream of American life. Because Americans have limited leisure time, the arts must increasingly…

  5. Leading Court Decision Pertinent to Public School Desegregation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Committee on the Judiciary.

    This document comprises eight federal court decisions pertinent to public school desegregation: (1) "Brown v. Board of Education," 347 U.S. 483 (1954); Mr. Chief Justice Warren delivered the opinion of the Supreme Court; (2) "Bolling v. Sharpe," 374 U.S. 497 (1954); Mr. Chief Justice Warren delivered the opinion of the Supreme Court; (3) "Brown v.…

  6. Public Willingness to Participate in and Public Opinions About Genetic Variation Research: A Review of the Literature

    PubMed Central

    Sterling, Rene; Henderson, Gail E.; Corbie-Smith, Giselle

    2006-01-01

    Scientists are turning to genetic variation research in hopes of addressing persistent racial/ethnic disparities in health. Despite ongoing controversy, the advancement of genetic variation research is likely to produce new knowledge and technologies that will substantially change the ways in which we understand and value health. They also may affect the ways in which individuals and groups organize socially, politically, and economically. Addressing concerns that may exist in different communities is vital to the scientific and ethical advancement of genetic variation research. We review empirical studies of public willingness to participate in and opinions about genetic research with particular attention to differences in consent and opinion by racial/ethnic group membership. PMID:17018829

  7. Exploring the relationship between public opinion and personal attitudes and behavior toward lesbians and gay men: social conformity revisited.

    PubMed

    Hetzel, Carole J

    2011-01-01

    This study investigated the relationship between social conformity, gender-role egalitarianism, and personal levels of heterosexism, or prejudice based on same-sex orientation. Mock public opinion polls of a positive or negative nature regarding same-sex orientation were used to study attitudinal and behavioral change of participants and attitude-behavior consistency. The study sample included 194 undergraduate students from a Midwestern university. A correlation existed between participants' traditional gender role beliefs and heterosexism. Participants who viewed the positive public opinion poll demonstrated behavioral support for a lesbian and gay organization, as did participants with positive attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. Findings are analyzed within a social prejudice framework.

  8. Beyond the Metropolis: The Forgotten History of Small-Town Teachers' Unions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scribner, Campbell F.

    2015-01-01

    This article examines the legal and political significance of teacher unionization in rural and suburban school districts between 1960 and 1975. While most historians focus on the growth of unions in urban areas, strikes in outlying districts played a determinative role in the development of public sector labor law, particularly in the arbitration…

  9. Organizing for North Carolina: Social Movement Unionism in a Southern State

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Mark

    2017-01-01

    Across the United States, a counter-network of teacher activists is engaged in the development of grassroots organizing structures to advocate for social justice, resist the privatization of public education, and increase union democracy. The United Caucuses of Rank and File Educators (UCORE) is a national network of more than 20 union reform…

  10. Democracy's Champion: Albert Shanker and the International Impact of the American Federation of Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chenoweth, Eric

    2013-01-01

    Albert Shanker (1928-1997) is known mainly for his successful struggle to obtain collective bargaining for teachers, his leadership of teacher unions, and his championship of education reform. Shanker built large and powerful city, state, and national unions of teachers and other public employees that still stand as models both for union democracy…

  11. Moving Meriden: In Connecticut, A Road Map for Union-District Relations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dubin, Jennifer

    2014-01-01

    The author describes the early relationship between the Meriden Public schools' local teacher union and the Meriden Federation of Teachers (MFT) as "frosty with a lack of trust." However, in the last five years, she states, the union and the district have built a strong labor-management partnership whose focus on supporting teachers has…

  12. Directory of Faculty Contracts and Bargaining Agents in Higher Education. Vol. 15.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Douglas, Joel M.; Cohen, Beth Genya

    A directory of faculty contracts and bargaining agents in higher education is presented. From January 1 through December 31, 1988, increases were reported in every category of faculty unionization. The vast majority of union organizing efforts continues to be directed towards the public sector. Six sections cover: unionization among faculty 1988;…

  13. Evolution of public opinions in closed societies influenced by broadcast media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fan, Kangqi; Pedrycz, Witold

    2017-04-01

    Studies on opinion evolution in a closed society can help people design strategies to emancipate from the control of public opinions and prevent the diffusion of extremism. In this work, the social judgment based opinion (SJBO) dynamics model is extended to explore the collective debates in a closed system that consists of a social network and a broadcast network. The broadcast network is a group of channels through which the so-called broadcast media or mainstream media transmit the same opinion to social agents. Numerical experiments show that the broadcast media can assimilate most of the agents when contrarians are absent. Including agents' diverse attitudes toward the broadcast media, although downsizes the supporters of broadcast media, fails to make contrarians outnumber the supporters. The dominance of broadcast media in a closed system can be overturned by introducing a small number of inflexible contrarians. Influenced by the competition between contrarians and broadcast media, few centrists survive the collective debates. The scale of supporters is maximized when agents neither have their own initial opinions nor have access to the contrarians, whereas the development of contrarians can be boosted when agents start with non-zero opinions and the repulsion to broadcast media is taken into consideration.

  14. US Public Opinion on Carrying Firearms in Public Places.

    PubMed

    Wolfson, Julia A; Teret, Stephen P; Azrael, Deborah; Miller, Matthew

    2017-06-01

    To estimate US public opinion, overall and by gun ownership status, about the public places where legal gun owners should be allowed to carry firearms. We fielded an online survey among 3949 adults, including an oversample of gun owners and veterans, in April 2015. We used cross-tabulations with survey weights to generate nationally representative estimates. Fewer than 1 in 3 US adults supported gun carrying in any of the specified venues. Support for carrying in public was consistently higher among gun owners than among non-gun owners. Overall, support for carrying in public was lowest for schools (19%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 16.7, 21.1), bars (18%; 95% CI = 15.9, 20.6), and sports stadiums (17%; 95% CI = 15.0, 19.5). Most Americans, including most gun owners, support restricting public places legal gun owners can carry firearms. These views contrast sharply with the current trend in state legislatures of expanding where, how, and by whom guns can be carried in public. Recent state laws and proposed federal legislation that would force states to honor out-of-state concealed carry permits are out of step with American public opinion.

  15. Newspaper coverage of water issues in Australia.

    PubMed

    Hurlimann, Anna; Dolnicar, Sara

    2012-12-01

    The media has been found to have an impact on public debate, public opinion, and public policy agendas. Public debate, and public opinion about water conservation and water supply management projects matter because they can influence specific outcomes. For example, public opinion can potentially lead to positive behaviour, like increased water conservation, or potentially negative behaviours such as public opposition to developments such as dams or water recycling plants, which may be necessary under changing climatic conditions. It is therefore critical to understand how the media reports on water-related topics. Results from a content analysis of 1253 newspaper articles published in Australia in 2008 indicate that water-related reports are characterised by lack of inclusion of views held by various stakeholders, a low level of support of statements with scientific evidence, a low level of impartiality in the sense of reporting on opposing views and a relatively high level of hedging, meaning that the author signals that there is some uncertainly about the reported information. In sum these tendencies could theoretically culminate to work against public engagement in water issues and undermine the public's understanding of and confidence in water management measures. Proactive measures of media management are recommended. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Collating science-based evidence to inform public opinion on the environmental effects of marine drilling platforms in the Mediterranean Sea.

    PubMed

    Mangano, M C; Sarà, G

    2017-03-01

    The use of rigorous methodologies to assess environmental, social and health impacts of specific interventions is crucial to disentangle the various components of environmental questions and to inform public opinion. The power of systematic maps relies on the capacity to summarise and organise the areas or relationships most studied, and to highlight key gaps in the evidence base. The recent Italian technical referendum (2016) - a public consultation inviting people to express their opinion by voting to change the rules on the length of licence duration and the decommissioning of offshore oil and gas platform drilling licences - inspired the creation of a systematic map of evidence to scope and quantify the effects of off-shore extraction platforms on Mediterranean marine ecosystems. The map was aimed as a useful model to standardise a "minimal informational threshold", which can inform public opinion at the beginning of any public consultation. Produced by synthesising scientific information, the map represents a reliable layer for any future sustainable strategy in the Mediterranean basin by: (i) providing a summary of the effects of marine gas and oil platforms on the Mediterranean marine ecosystem, (ii) describing the best known affected components on which the biggest monitoring efforts have been focused, and (iii) strengthening the science-policy nexus by offering a credible, salient and legitimate knowledge baseline to both public opinion and decision-makers. The map exercise highlights the knowledge gaps that need filling and taking into due consideration before future transnational and cross-border monitoring and management plans and activities can be addressed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Is Legalising Surrogacy - An Outsourcing Motherhood?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Goud, Mula. Sneha; Sunkara, Abhiram

    2012-09-01

    The roots of surrogacy can be traced long back in Indian history. The world's second and India's first IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) is a baby - Kanupriya alias Durga in 1978. Since then the field of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) has developed rapidly. But legally the laws related to surrogacy are still in the nascent stage. At present the agreement between the parties based on the ART Guidelines are the guiding force of such treatment and the codified law is yet to be adopted and implemented. With the recent growth in the Intended parents opting for surrogacy, India has become the much sought after surrogacy destination. In my opinion, the acceptance of same sex marriages/union and the recognition of the basic human right to have family and children had given rise to surrogacy manifold. However, at the same time nations all across the globe are condemning commercial surrogacy as it results in commercialization of human reproductive system and co modification of children. For it has various socio-ethical reasons, surrogacy has also became a topic of deep interest amongst the government of different nations, medico-legal luminaries as well as public at large.

  18. Retrospective evaluation of lead contamination in honey from 2005 to present in northeastern Italy and future perspectives in the light of updated legislation.

    PubMed

    Martinello, Marianna; Dainese, Nicoletta; Manzinello, Chiara; Borin, Alice; Gallina, Albino; Mutinelli, Franco

    2016-09-01

    Lead is a naturally occurring element but largely originating from human activities. Food is the major source of exposure to lead for humans and the publication of a scientific opinion from the European Food Safety Authority on the risks to human health related to the presence of lead in foodstuffs, led European Union to establish more restrictive limits for this contaminant in food from 1 January 2016. In particular, a maximum level of 0.10 mg kg(-1) was established for honey. The retrospective evaluation of 995 honey samples analysed since 2005, revealed a progressive reduction in the concentration of lead, with a mean value of 0.045 mg kg(-1) in 2015. Total 1.5% of honeys analysed in 2015 exceeded the maximum lead level and therefore will no longer be marketable. Interested beekeepers should clarify the causes of honey contamination and adopt corrective actions to keep their honey production within the legal levels of lead.

  19. Internet Effects in Times of Political Crisis

    PubMed Central

    Baccini, Leonardo; Sudulich, Laura; Wall, Matthew

    2016-01-01

    This paper evaluates the influence of online news consumption on attitudes toward the European Union in a context of protracted economic crisis. Using data from the 2011 Irish National Election Study, we combine location-specific information on broadband availability with respondent geo-location data, which facilitates causal inference about the effects of online news consumption via instrumental variable models. Results show that Irish citizens who source political information online are more prone to blame the EU for the poor state of the economy than those who do not. There is evidence of preference reinforcement among those with negative predispositions toward the EU, but not among pro-EU citizens. We complement this analysis with a study of voting behavior in the European Fiscal Compact Referendum, employing a similar methodological approach. The results from this second survey confirm the anti-EU influence of online news consumption among Irish citizens, although evidence suggests a pro-EU effect among voters who browsed the website of the politically neutral Irish Referendum Commission. Our paper contributes to the literature on public opinion, the EU, and political attitudes in times of crisis. PMID:27274571

  20. Content analysis of public opinion on sexual expression and dementia: Implications for nursing home policy development.

    PubMed

    Syme, Maggie L; Yelland, Erin; Cornelison, Laci; Poey, Judith L; Krajicek, Ryan; Doll, Gayle

    2017-08-01

    We examined public opinion of sexual expression and dementia to inform nursing home policy and practice. A content analysis was conducted on public comments (N=1194) posted in response to a New York Times article about a highly publicized legal case involving a husband engaging in sexual acts with his wife who had dementia, living in a nursing home. Researchers utilized constant comparative analysis to code the comments; reliability analysis showed moderately strong agreement at the subcategory level. Data were also coded to indicate whether the commenter thought the couple should or should not have been allowed to be sexual. One primary theme was identified: conditions necessary for someone to be sexual. Six categories were identified within this theme, with the public commentary considering factors such as marital relationships, intimacy needs and several sexual consent-related issues as key conditions necessary to be sexual in a nursing home setting. Overall, the majority of commenters were in support of sexual expression for an individual with dementia in the described situation. This study revealed sexual expression among individuals with dementia is a contentious issue with strong public opinions about how this should be managed in a nursing home setting. These opinions should be considered as policy related to sexual expression in nursing homes is developed. © 2016 The Authors. Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  1. Applying a food processing-based classification system to a food guide: a qualitative analysis of the Brazilian experience.

    PubMed

    Davies, Vanessa Fernandes; Moubarac, Jean-Claude; Medeiros, Kharla Janinny; Jaime, Patricia Constante

    2018-01-01

    The present paper aimed to identify the stakeholders, as well as their arguments and recommendations, in the debate on the application of a food processing-based classification system to the new Brazilian Food Guide. Qualitative approach; an analysis was made of documents resulting from the consultation conducted for the development of the new Brazilian Food Guide, which uses the NOVA classification for its dietary recommendations. A thematic matrix was constructed and the resulting themes represented the main points for discussion raised during the consultation. Brazil. Actors from academia, government and associations/unions/professional bodies/organizations related to the area of nutrition and food security; non-profit institutions linked to consumer interests and civil society organizations; organizations, associations and food unions linked to the food industry; and individuals. Four themes were identified: (i) conflicting paradigms; (ii) different perceptions about the role and need of individuals; (iii) we want more from the new food guide; and (iv) a sustainable guide. There was extensive participation from different sectors of society. The debate generated by the consultation revealed two main conflicting opinions: a view aligned with the interests of the food industry and a view of healthy eating which serves the interests of the population. The first group was against the adoption of a food processing-based classification system in a public policy such as the new Brazilian Food Guide. The second group, although mostly agreeing with the new food guide, argued that it failed to address some important issues related to the food and nutrition agenda in Brazil.

  2. Igniting interest in prevention: using firefighter focus groups to inform implementation and enhancement of an urban canvassing program.

    PubMed

    Frattaroli, Shannon; McDonald, Eileen M; Tran, Nhan T; Trump, Alison R; OʼBrocki, Raymond C; Gielen, Andrea C

    2012-01-01

    Smoke alarm canvassing is recognized as an empirically based, effective intervention for increasing access to and the presence of smoke alarms in homes. We sought to inform the implementation of an intervention designed to enhance an existing fire department smoke alarm canvassing program through an empirically grounded, participatory process. We conducted a series of focus groups with fire union leaders and firefighters involved with the canvassing program in 1 US city, shared the results with the participants, and presented the resulting recommendations to fire department leadership. This research occurred in Baltimore, Maryland. Focus group participants included firefighters who participate in the Fire Department's smoke alarm canvassing program and representatives from the local firefighters' union. The focus groups sought to capture firefighters' experiences with and opinions about the canvassing program and how to improve it as well as challenges to canvassing work. We conducted 10 focus groups with 65 participants. Firefighters' perspectives on the canvassing program and their recommendations for improving it were expressed through 3 categories of themes concerning program management, canvassing challenges, and attitudes about the program and the community. We also discuss the process of presenting these findings and recommendations to the participants and the fire department leadership, and describe how implementation of some of the recommendations has progressed. Both the process and outcomes of this formative work inform how to develop and implement community-based public health interventions in real-world settings through academic-community partnerships. The findings also have implications for how canvassing programs are being implemented.

  3. Formulating the American Geophysical Union's Scientific Integrity and Professional Ethics Policy: Challenges and lessons learned: Chapter 8

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Gundersen, Linda C.; Townsend, Randy

    2017-01-01

    Creating an ethics policy for a large, diverse geosciences organization is a challenge, especially in the midst of the current contentious dialogue in the media related to such issues as climate change, sustaining natural resources, and responding to natural hazards. In 2011, the American Geophysical Union (AGU) took on this challenge, creating an Ethics Task Force to update their ethics policies to better support their new Strategic Plan and respond to the changing scientific research environment. Dialogue with AGU members and others during the course of creating the new policy unveiled some of the following issues to be addressed. Scientific results and individual scientists are coming under intense political and public scrutiny, with the efficacy of the science being questioned. In some cases, scientists are asked to take sides and/or provide opinions on issues beyond their research, impacting their objectivity. Pressure related to competition for funding and the need to publish high quality and quantities of papers has led to recent high profile plagiarism, data fabrication, and conflict of interest cases. The complexities of a continuously advancing digital environment for conducting, reviewing, and publishing science has raised concerns over the ease of plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, inappropriate peer review, and the need for better accessibility of data and methods. Finally, students and scientists need consistent education and encouragement on the importance of ethics and integrity in scientific research. The new AGU Scientific Integrity and Ethics Policy tries to address these issues and provides an inspirational code of conduct to encourage a responsible, positive, open, and honest scientific research environment.

  4. Scope of Public Sector Bargaining in 14 Selected States. Special Report 25. Update.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Academic Collective Bargaining Information Service, Washington, DC.

    As faculty and other public sector unions become more sophisticated in collective bargaining, they tend to lay a greater variety of demands on the table. This, in turn, forces the employer to ask, Do I really have to bargain about these subjects? As more employers refuse to bargain, more unions charge them with failing to bargain in good faith,…

  5. The Impact of School Accountability Laws on Measures of Trust between Indiana Public School Superintendents and Teacher Union Leaders within the Forum of Mandatory Discussion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Downs, Philip G.

    2012-01-01

    This study examines the impact of the school accountability laws "No Child Left Behind" and Indiana's Public Law 221 on Superintendents' perception of their relationship with the Teachers' Union Leader in their mandatory discussion meetings. Both school accountability laws contain provisions for the Indiana's Department of Education to…

  6. Comparision of Dacca University, Bangladesh, Procurement Policy of the Soviet Union and United States Publications.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Narang, Sat P.

    A visit was made to Dacca University to survey the acquisition of Soviet Union and United States monographs and journals. The project was undertaken to ascertain the influence of the USSR on the intellectuals of Bangladesh in comparison to that of the United States. It was discovered that, since 1972, the USSR has supplied very few publications to…

  7. Hobo Orator Union: Class Composition and the Spokane Free Speech Fight of the Industrial Workers of the World

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    May, Matthew S.

    2011-01-01

    From 1909 to 1910, the public performance of soap-box oratory began to effect dramatic changes in the composition of migrant workers throughout the Pacific Northwest. Municipal authorities in Spokane attempted to curb the formation of a union of hobo orators by outlawing public speech-making within the city fire limits. The ensuing confrontation…

  8. The Future Development of the European Union Education, Training and Youth Programmes After 2006: A Public Consultation Document.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Commission of the European Communities, Brussels (Belgium). Directorate-General for Education and Culture.

    This document launches a wide public consultation with all those involved in and with an interest in the European Union's (EU's) education, training, and youth programs called Socrates, Tempus, Leonardo da Vinci, and Youth for Europe. It is the first step toward preparing the new generation of programs to start in 2007 and will inform the…

  9. Using Critical Thinking Styles of Opinion Leaders to Drive Extension Communication

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Putnam, Brianne B.; Lamm, Alexa J.; Lundy, Lisa K.

    2017-01-01

    In order to address the complex challenges facing the agricultural and natural resource industry, extension educators must collaborate with opinion leaders. Extension educators can use the assistance of opinion leaders in program design and implementation in order to best meet the needs of stakeholders and the public. Collaboration between…

  10. 42 CFR 1008.5 - Matters subject to advisory opinions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Matters subject to advisory opinions. 1008.5... SERVICES OIG AUTHORITIES ADVISORY OPINIONS BY THE OIG General Provisions § 1008.5 Matters subject to...) What constitutes prohibited remuneration within the meaning of section 1128B(b) of the Act; (2) Whether...

  11. Preference-Inconsistent Recommendations: An Effective Approach for Reducing Confirmation Bias and Stimulating Divergent Thinking?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schwind, Christina; Buder, Jurgen; Cress, Ulrike; Hesse, Friedrich W.

    2012-01-01

    The Web is a perfect backdrop for opinion formation as a multitude of different opinions is publicly available. However, the different opinions often remain unexploited: Learners prefer preference-consistent over preference-inconsistent information, a phenomenon called confirmation bias. Two experiments were designed to test whether technologies…

  12. Museum Personnel's Opinions on Mobile Guidance Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yoshimura, Hirokazu; Sekiguchi, Hiromi; Yabumoto, Yoshitaka

    2007-01-01

    While opinions from the general public are certainly important, opinions from the museum staff are also necessary to improve user service systems. this article introduces two groups of museum staff who have evaluated the usability of mobile guidance systems in Japanese museums. One group is the research team who used the PDA system in the National…

  13. "Serving two masters"--an interview with school teacher and union organizer Debra Askwith.

    PubMed

    Scammell, Madeleine Kangsen; Rodrigues, Ema

    2010-01-01

    Debra Askwith is a teacher, union member, and environmental health and safety activist in the public schools of Springfield, Massachusetts. In the following interview, she talks about her experiences organizing around the right to public information as a teacher and a union member. Working with the assistance of lawyers, she has learned to maneuver in the hierarchy of city and school administrators as well as the city's department of education, finding allies and meeting resistance in a variety of places. She has worked on asbestos, mold, indoor air quality, infectious disease, and civil rights to protect all students and workers.

  14. The complex fabric of public opinion on space

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    A. Roy, Stephanie; C. Gresham, Elaine; Christensen, Carissa Bryce

    2000-07-01

    Survey questions can be useful tools in gauging public interest. An historical analysis of U.S. public opinion on space-related issues presents some valuable results. Space-related poll questions closely track major events in the history of the U.S. space program. Funding questions are consistently asked, although program-related questions are becoming increasingly popular. Support for space funding has remained remarkably stable at approximately 80% since 1965, with only one significant dip in support in the early 1970s. However, responses on funding questions are extremely sensitive to question wording and should be used cautiously. Around 75% of the American public generally approve of the job that NASA is doing. Human space flight wins out over robotic space programs when put head-to-head, although support for a human Mars mission is on the decline. Despite dramatic increases in commercial space activities, in general opinion polls fail to reflect this increasingly dominant sector of the space economy.

  15. The Observance of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by the Soviet Union,

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-01-01

    Introduction 1 Article 1. The Right of Self-Determination 9 Article 2. The Duty of States Party to the Covenant to 25 Respect and Ensure Human Rights Article...Khronika Press in lej79. Issued 1-5, 7Throni1Ca Press. Published in English by the Cornission on security and cooperation in Europe. INTRODUCTION Nature...re3quire the introduction of amendments to legislation and practice since, in the opinion of Soviet official figures, the guarantees of the Covenant had

  16. Using Public Opinions of Water Quality to Provide Direction for Extension

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kopiyawattage, Kumudu P. P.; Lamm, Alexa J.

    2017-01-01

    Extension educators can help the public learn about critical issues that contribute to existing problems in communities. Water is just such an issue in Florida--in fact, water is the top issue in Florida. The purpose of the study reported in this article was to identify Florida residents' opinions about clean water and their preferred modes of…

  17. Virginia's Opinion on K-12 Education and School Choice. School Choice Survey in the State

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DiPerna, Paul

    2009-01-01

    This statistically representative survey of 1,203 likely Virginia voters illustrates public opinion on a wide range of K-12 education issues. The underlying purpose of the Friedman Foundation's state surveys is to measure voter knowledge and attitudes toward public institutions and policies, innovative ideas, and the state's K-12 education system.…

  18. The Public Mind: Views of Pennsylvania Citizens. Smoking, Abortion, Education, Term Limits, Welfare Reform, Health Insurance, Riverboat Gambling.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mansfield Univ., PA. Rural Services Inst.

    This report presents the annual survey of public opinion in Pennsylvania. Telephone surveys were conducted with 1,744 people whose telephone numbers were randomly selected from all listed telephone numbers. Results of the survey indicate that: (1) Pennsylvanians strongly favor mandatory birth control counseling for welfare mothers, but opinion is…

  19. Public Opinion regarding Juvenile Life without Parole in Consecutive Statewide Surveys

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kubiak, Sheryl Pimlott; Allen, Terrence

    2011-01-01

    Abolition of the death penalty results in life without parole (LWOP) as the most severe sanction for convicted juveniles. Although internationally the use of LWOP for juveniles is rare, 2,225 youth have been sentenced to LWOP within the United States. To address the dearth of public opinion on the issue, the authors proposed questions to the…

  20. 77 FR 68196 - Notice of Applications for Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity and Foreign Air...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-11-15

    ... carrier permit to enable GSS, consistent with the open skies, U.S.-European Union (``EU'') Air Transport... point or points behind any Member State of the European Union, via any point or points in any Member... European Union carriers in the future. GSS also requests (i) exemption authority, to the extent necessary...

  1. 78 FR 2710 - Applications for Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity and Foreign Air Carrier Permits

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-01-14

    ... points behind the European Union, via any point or points in the European Union and intermediate points... under the U.S.-European Union agreements, as amended. Docket Number: DOT-OST-2012-0212. Date Filed... European Common Aviation Area and any point or points in the United States; (c) pursuant to the prior...

  2. The Australian Education Union: A History of Opposing School Choice and School Autonomy Down-Under

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Donnelly, Kevin

    2015-01-01

    In this article, I chronicle the recent history of efforts to broaden school choice in the Commonwealth of Australia and the opposition to these efforts put forth by Australia's largest teacher union, the Australian Education Union (AEU). Evidence is presented on the positive effects that flow from the public funding of nongovernment schools and…

  3. Nuclear deposturing and US public opinion. Master's thesis

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

    Hinote, S.C.

    USSTRATCOM is currently developing a rational framework for evaluating deposturing alternatives that range from distancing the 'nuclear football' from the President to storing land-based ICBM's away from their soils. One of the areas that may be considered by USSTRATCOM when evaluating these alternatives is the political feasibility of implementing different alternatives. An important determinant of this political feasibility is domestic public opinion, as it can encourage or constrain the actions of the elected officials who are directly accountable to the people. This Policy Analysis Exercise helps USSTRATCOM take public opinion into account in the analysis by considering the views thatmore » U.S. citizens hold on defense issues and recommending how these views should be included in the evaluation of different deposturing measures.« less

  4. Erectile dysfunction and the internet: drug company manipulation of public and professional opinion.

    PubMed

    Read, John; Mati, Elizabeth

    2013-01-01

    Given that the Internet is now a major source of information regarding health and mental health problems, and that it is in the interest of the pharmaceutical industry to influence public and professional opinion, this study evaluated 70 websites about erectile dysfunction. The 31 drug company-funded websites (44%) were, compared with the 39 websites that are not industry funded, significantly more biased toward biological factors in general, and toward medication in particular (p < .01). The high proportion of websites that are industry sponsored, and the bias of those websites, confirms previous studies on depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and demonstrates that drug companies are using their financial might to manipulate public and professional opinion on the Internet.

  5. Mission impossible? - Government Agencies And Public Relations For Nuclear Waste Disposal In Germany

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

    Landsmann, B.; Brauer, V.

    2007-07-01

    Analyzing the opinion of European Union citizens on the management of radioactive waste a survey of 2005 shows that European citizens are almost unanimous in the need to set up a national strategy for high-level radioactive waste disposal without any delay. While 45% of respondents consider that deep underground disposal represents the most appropriate solution for long-term management of highly radioactive waste, 38% disagree. In Germany, the divergence of opinion in this respect is very distinctive and it shows that, although experts believe that selected sites represent the best solution, this information does not yet seem to have reached themore » public. The reason therefore is both the lack of interesting and comprehensible information of issues related to nuclear waste disposal and negative media reporting always coupled with the negative public opinion about atomic energy in Germany. In Germany the siting, construction, and operation of a repository for radioactive waste is a national task. The Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) as a government agency is a praxis oriented science institution and works on all geo-scientific and geotechnical issues in the German repository projects. According to its guidance BGR feels responsible for the future generations and is acting as a neutral and anticipatory partner for ministries and public authorities as well as a partner for industry, society and scientific bodies. BGR therefore is able to accomplish an essential contribution for the creation of public confidence for radioactive waste disposal due to precise public relations strategies. Sending the following messages is BGR's communication goal: - Radioactive waste can safely be disposed of in deep geological formations; - BGR is capable to handle this duty and delivers reliable results. Thereby, the BGR is in particular interested in passing on the information about nuclear waste disposal in a current and comprehensible way as well as providing arguments for the public. Public relations work of an authority should not only be to announce its expertise and consulting competence, but also to operate goal-orientated as a dialog partner and service provider of the community. BGR as an authority meets this challenge with the important advantage of accomplishing scientific research itself and thus delivering information first hand. In the last couple of years the BGR started to build its own public relations about its geo-scientific research. The BGR is planning to handle this dialog continuously, consistently and even strengthen it. Target groups are not only experts like research institutes and universities but also citizens as well as stakeholders and decision-makers. In order to fulfil the requirements of a comprehensive geo-scientific information policy, BGR is continuously enlarging its internet offer to the issue of nuclear waste disposal. The focal point concentrates on current, generally understandable words as well as on a wide offer about expert knowledge. Furthermore, the citizens shall be informed and sensitized about the topic of disposal by continuous media and press work. Through a target group oriented information in dialog with the public, state authorities, such as the BGR, are able to give an important contribution for the objectification of the 'disposal issue' and therefore more acceptance which could lead to more confidence within the population. BGR is analyzing international public relation concepts and is trying to transfer suitable strategies for public communication in Germany. Experience in Public Relations in the last four years have demonstrated that exciting as well as comprehensible information and an active presentation of topics of nuclear waste disposal consistently showed positive reactions and interest among the participants. (authors)« less

  6. Opinions About Electronic Cigarette Use in Smoke-Free Areas Among U.S. Adults, 2012

    PubMed Central

    Dube, Shanta R.; Sterling, Kymberle; Whitney, Carrie; Eriksen, Michael P.

    2015-01-01

    Introduction: In the United States, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are currently unregulated, extensively marketed, and experiencing a rapid increase in use. The purpose of this study was to examine the opinions of U.S. adults about e-cigarette use in smoke-free public areas. Methods: Data were obtained from the online HealthStyle survey administered to a probability sample of a nationally representative online panel. The study included 4,043U.S. adults, aged 18 years or older who responded to this question, “Do you think e-cigarette should be allowed to be used in public areas where tobacco smoking is prohibited?” Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to examine opinions on e-cigarette use in smoke-free areas by sex, age, race/ethnicity, household income, education, census region, and cigarette smoking status and e-cigarette awareness and ever use. Results: Overall, about 40% of adults were uncertain whether e-cigarettes should be allowed in smoke-free areas, 37% opposed, while 23% favored their use in smoke-free public places. Multinomial logistic regression analyses showed that adults who were aware, ever used e-cigarettes, and current cigarette smokers were more likely to express an “in favor” opinion than adults who expressed an uncertain opinion (don’t know). Conclusion: Over 75% of U.S. adults reported uncertainty or disapproval of the use of e-cigarettes in smoke-free areas. Current cigarette smokers, adults aware or have ever used e-cigarettes were more supportive to exempting e-cigarettes from smoking restrictions. With impending regulation and the changing e-cigarette landscape, continued monitoring and research on public opinions about e-cigarette use in smoke-free places are needed. PMID:25358659

  7. Modelling Associations between Public Understanding, Engagement and Forest Conditions in the Inland Northwest, USA

    PubMed Central

    Hartter, Joel; Stevens, Forrest R.; Hamilton, Lawrence C.; Congalton, Russell G.; Ducey, Mark J.; Oester, Paul T.

    2015-01-01

    Opinions about public lands and the actions of private non-industrial forest owners in the western United States play important roles in forested landscape management as both public and private forests face increasing risks from large wildfires, pests and disease. This work presents the responses from two surveys, a random-sample telephone survey of more than 1500 residents and a mail survey targeting owners of parcels with 10 or more acres of forest. These surveys were conducted in three counties (Wallowa, Union, and Baker) in northeast Oregon, USA. We analyze these survey data using structural equation models in order to assess how individual characteristics and understanding of forest management issues affect perceptions about forest conditions and risks associated with declining forest health on public lands. We test whether forest understanding is informed by background, beliefs, and experiences, and whether as an intervening variable it is associated with views about forest conditions on publicly managed forests. Individual background characteristics such as age, gender and county of residence have significant direct or indirect effects on our measurement of understanding. Controlling for background factors, we found that forest owners with higher self-assessed understanding, and more education about forest management, tend to hold more pessimistic views about forest conditions. Based on our results we argue that self-assessed understanding, interest in learning, and willingness to engage in extension activities together have leverage to affect perceptions about the risks posed by declining forest conditions on public lands, influence land owner actions, and affect support for public policies. These results also have broader implications for management of forested landscapes on public and private lands amidst changing demographics in rural communities across the Inland Northwest where migration may significantly alter the composition of forest owner goals, understanding, and support for various management actions. PMID:25671619

  8. Survey data reflecting popular opinions of the causes and mitigation of climate change.

    PubMed

    Thompson, Jonathan E

    2017-10-01

    The data presented within this manuscript reports the results of a 20-question opinion survey concerning popular beliefs regarding the causes of and possible mitigation of climate change. The results and opinions from 746 survey respondents are presented. The data reflects certain misconceptions of climate change, and is useful for investigators to begin forming opinions of the public's knowledge regarding the potentially inflammatory topics of climate change, greenhouse gases, and geo-engineering.

  9. Opinions of Physical Education Teachers on the Concept of Sportsmanship

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koç, Yakup; Esentürk, Oguz Kaan

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to evaluate the opinions of physical education teachers on the concept of sportsmanship. This study, which has been based on the qualitative research paradigm, involves opinions of 13 physical education teachers (9 males and 4 females) which serve in public schools of Turkey and which have been specified through a…

  10. 78 FR 64598 - Bank Enterprise Award (BEA) Program; Programmatic and Administrative Aspects; Public Comment Request

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-10-29

    ... an audit opinion a key indicator of the financial health of an Applicant. As stated in Section VII... the time of application if the Applicant received a going concern opinion on its most recent audit... would inform prospective Applicants that a going concern audit opinion during the Baseline Period or the...

  11. University Opinion Poll 9: Child Care, MPIRG, Lettuce. Preliminary Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Matross, Ronald; And Others

    The University Opinion Poll conducted a survey of student opinion on issues related to University-sponsored day care, the role of the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG) and the University's policy on buying lettuce for its food services. Four hundred fifty-two respondents, 76% of a random sample of University of Minnesota students,…

  12. Washington View: Not a Snapshot of Public Opinion but an Album

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ferguson, Maria

    2015-01-01

    The columnist weighs in on the most recent PDK/Gallup poll. The real value of the poll, the author says, comes from looking at each response and then thinking about the connective tissue between and among them. The poll's 47-year history adds yet another layer of rich context. Uniquely, the poll provides not a snapshot of public opinion, rather an…

  13. Policies of Adult Education in Portugal and France: The European Agenda of Validation of Non-Formal and Informal Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cavaco, C.; Lafont, P.; Pariat, M.

    2014-01-01

    This article analyses the influence of the European Union's educational policies on the implementation of devices for the recognition and the validation of informal and non-formal learning within public policies on education and training for adults in European Union Member States. Portugal and France are taken as examples. The European Union's…

  14. Social judgment theory based model on opinion formation, polarization and evolution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chau, H. F.; Wong, C. Y.; Chow, F. K.; Fung, Chi-Hang Fred

    2014-12-01

    The dynamical origin of opinion polarization in the real world is an interesting topic that physical scientists may help to understand. To properly model the dynamics, the theory must be fully compatible with findings by social psychologists on microscopic opinion change. Here we introduce a generic model of opinion formation with homogeneous agents based on the well-known social judgment theory in social psychology by extending a similar model proposed by Jager and Amblard. The agents’ opinions will eventually cluster around extreme and/or moderate opinions forming three phases in a two-dimensional parameter space that describes the microscopic opinion response of the agents. The dynamics of this model can be qualitatively understood by mean-field analysis. More importantly, first-order phase transition in opinion distribution is observed by evolving the system under a slow change in the system parameters, showing that punctuated equilibria in public opinion can occur even in a fully connected social network.

  15. Evidence-Based Decision Making in Public Health: Capacity Building for Public Health Students at King Saud University in Riyadh.

    PubMed

    Wahabi, Hayfaa A; Siddiqui, Amna Rehana; Mohamed, Ashry G; Al-Hazmi, Ali M; Zakaria, Nasriah; Al-Ansary, Lubna A

    2015-01-01

    Translation of research evidence into public health programs is lagging in Eastern Mediterranean Region. Graduate level public health curriculum at King Saud University (KSU), College of Medicine, Riyadh, is designed to equip students to integrate best available evidence in public health decision making. The objectives of study were to explore students' opinion about the evidence based public health (EBPH) courses and to survey the knowledge, opinion, and attitude of the students towards EBPH and perceived barriers for implementation of EBPH in decision making in public health. EBPH courses are designed based on a sequential framework. A survey was conducted at the completion of EBPH courses. Forty-five graduate students were invited to complete a validated self-administered questionnaire. It included questions about demography, opinion, and attitude towards EBPH and perceived barriers towards implementation of EBPH in the work environment. The response rate was 73%. Mean age of students was 30.1 (SD 2.3) years, and 51% were males. More than 80% had sound knowledge and could appreciate the importance of EBPH. The main perceived barriers to incorporate EBPH in decision making were lack of system of communication between researchers and policy makers and scarcity of research publications related to the public health problems.

  16. Effects of Complex System Structure and External Field in Opinion Formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guo, Long; Cai, Xu

    Around us, the society structure and external field, such as government policy, the newspaper, the internet and other mass media, play a special role in shaping the attitudes, beliefs and public opinion. For studying the role of the society structure and the external field, we propose a new opinion model based on the former models. With computer simulations of opinion dynamics, we find that the smaller the clustering coefficient and the society size, the easier the consensus phase is reached and other interesting results.

  17. The public's belief in climate change and its human cause are increasing over time.

    PubMed

    Milfont, Taciano L; Wilson, Marc S; Sibley, Chris G

    2017-01-01

    Polls examining public opinion on the subject of climate change are now commonplace, and one-off public opinion polls provide a snapshot of citizen's opinions that can inform policy and communication strategies. However, cross-sectional polls do not track opinions over time, thus making it impossible to ascertain whether key climate change beliefs held by the same group of individuals are changing or not. Here we examine the extent to which individual's level of agreement with two key beliefs ("climate change is real" and "climate change is caused by humans") remain stable or increase/decrease over a six-year period in New Zealand using latent growth curve modelling (n = 10,436). Data were drawn from the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study, a probabilistic national panel study, and indicated that levels of agreement to both beliefs have steadily increased over the 2009-2015 period. Given that climate change beliefs and concerns are key predictors of climate change action, our findings suggest that a combination of targeted endeavors, as well as serendipitous events, may successfully convey the emergency of the issue.

  18. Distinctive role of opinion leaders in the social networks of school adolescents: an investigation of e-cigarette use.

    PubMed

    Gentina, E; Kilic, D; Dancoine, P-F

    2017-03-01

    This study examines a diverse set of social motives (e.g. peer support, peer pressure, social loneliness) for e-cigarette use, through the mediating effects of opinion leadership, among both male and female adolescents. Prospective cohort study. The data were obtained from a survey conducted among 666 adolescents across 14 school classes, namely, students at three urban schools, public and private, in Lille, France. The proposed integrative model includes social motives, opinion leadership and e-cigarette use in a trilateral relationship; gender is proposed and tested as a potential moderator in a structural equation model. More positive peer support is negatively associated with opinion leadership and e-cigarette use. Both loneliness and susceptibility to peer influence are positively related to opinion leadership and e-cigarette use. Moreover, social support from peers and opinion leadership shape e-cigarette use differently across genders. Policy makers should account for the various (positive and negative) roles of peers and consider the gender of their audience when designing anti-e-cigarette policies. Copyright © 2016 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. [From mandatory to participatory prevention: a model applied to the upholstered furniture industry].

    PubMed

    Di Leone, G; Trani, G; Falco, S; Attimonelli, Rossella; Carino, M; Lagravinese, D

    2008-01-01

    The Italian 2006-2008 National Health Plan emphasizes synergy and cooperation between the agencies formally involved in the prevention of occupational risks, in agreement with social partners. The so-called 'triangle of the sofa industry' is an interregional geographic area south-west of Bari, Italy. In 2003 this area produced 16% of the world-wide upholstered furniture output, with more than 500 plants of varying size. The aim was to set up a network of communication and cooperation between the competent Agencies and Regions in order to address the rising trend of upper limb work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The first step of the National Health Service Unit in Bari was to assess risk via a Ministerial research project and implement various information campaigns involving institutions, occupational physicians, private companies and public opinion. In a subsequent phase a synergy between the local Departmenst ofPrevention of the different Regions, the Italian Institute for Insurance Occupational Accidents and Disease (INAIL), the trade unions and the upholstered furniture industry Association was established. New joint experimental projects (cutting tools, ergonomic table for assemblers, instruments for isokinetic evaluation) were launched together with training programmes for management, safety technicians and workers. This kind of 'participatory prevention' is more appropriate for the goal of a collaborative effort in order to assist the companies, which is a modern interpretation of the mission of public health prevention operators.

  20. The role of the concept of "history of safe use" in the safety assessment of novel foods and novel food ingredients. Opinion of the Senate Commission on Food Safety (SKLM) of the German Research Foundation (DFG).

    PubMed

    Engel, Karl-Heinz; Vogel, Rudi F; Knorr, Dietrich; Habermeyer, Michael; Kochte-Clemens, Barbara; Eisenbrand, Gerhard

    2011-06-01

    The Council of the European Union has proposed a revision on the EU regulation on novel foods and novel food ingredients concerning safety assessment of traditional foods from non-EU countries and their introduction onto the EU market. The proposal stipulates that such foods may be placed on the EU market if their history of safe use in the country of origin is appropriately documented. The present statement of the SKLM gives an overview on current discussions on practical implementation of the "history of safe use" concept as well as examples of its application. The SKLM, in principle, agrees with these concepts, underscores, however, in connection with convincing evidence for a "history of safe use" the need for a range of additional information to achieve a comprehensive risk assessment. In the opinion of the SKLM such information must comprise compositional data as well as experience on adverse effects. A list of questions considered essential is presented. The following opinion was adopted on December 23rd 2010. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Attitudes and Beliefs About Domestic Violence: Results of a Public Opinion Survey. I. Definitions of Domestic Violence, Criminal Domestic Violence, and Prevalence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carlson, Bonnie E.; Worden, Alissa Pollitz

    2005-01-01

    This study reports analyses and findings from a public opinion survey designed to explore beliefs about domestic violence (DV) -- what it is, when it is against the law, and how prevalent it is. The project interviewed 1,200 residents from six New York communities. The analyses reveal substantial first hand and second hand experience with DV and…

  2. A Time for Change: The 42nd Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes toward the Public Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bushaw, William J.; Lopez, Shane J.

    2010-01-01

    This is the latest in a series of polls sponsored by Phi Delta Kappa International with the Gallup Organization. The results of this year's poll are presented along with past results, when applicable, to give both a snapshot of Americans' opinions about their schools and an indication of how those opinions are changing over time. [Commentaries by…

  3. Public Opinion and Security Policy in the Federal Republic of Germany: Elite and Mass Opinion in a Comparative Perspective,

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-09-01

    not want to fight for freedom could easily be disproved by a public poll of 1982, which indicated that "given the horrors of war today," the Germans...34peace .0 image" in Germany.7 This is especially the case in the evalutation of 7Peace groups particularly have very low confidence in the ability of the

  4. Trends in public perceptions and preferences on energy and environmental policy

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

    Farhar, B.C.

    1993-02-01

    This report presents selected results from a secondary analysis of public opinion surveys, taken at the national and state/local levels, relevant to energy and environmental policy choices. The data base used in the analysis includes about 2000 items from nearly 600 separate surveys conducted between 1979 and 1992. Answers to word-for-word questions were traced over time, permitting trend analysis. Patterns of response were also identified for findings from similarly worded survey items. The analysis identifies changes in public opinion concerning energy during the past 10 to 15 years.

  5. Is the pendulum of public opinion swinging in favour of euthanasia?

    PubMed Central

    Gray, Charlotte

    1995-01-01

    This month the Senate Committee on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide will issue its long-awaited report. Within a year, MPs are likely to decide in a free vote whether euthanasia should be legalized in Canada. Indications are that while there is public sentiment supporting euthanasia, there is also vehement opposition, even from some who once supported the right of choice. The Senate committee is wrestling with the issue of whether public opinion and the surreptitious practice of euthanasia are enough to justify changes to the Criminal Code. PMID:11653152

  6. Measuring risk/benefit perceptions of emerging technologies and their potential impact on communication of public opinion toward science.

    PubMed

    Binder, Andrew R; Cacciatore, Michael A; Scheufele, Dietram A; Shaw, Bret R; Corley, Elizabeth A

    2012-10-01

    This study presents a systematic comparison of two alternative measures of citizens' perceptions of risks and benefits of emerging technologies. By focusing on two specific issues (nanotechnology and biofuels), we derive several insights for the measurement of public views of science. Most importantly, our analyses reveal that relying on global, single-item measures may lead to invalid inferences regarding external influences on public perceptions, particularly those related to cognitive schema and media use. Beyond these methodological implications, this analysis suggests several reasons why researchers in the area of public attitudes toward science must revisit notions of measurement in order to accurately inform the general public, policymakers, scientists, and journalists about trends in public opinion toward emerging technologies.

  7. Opinion evolution in different social acquaintance networks.

    PubMed

    Chen, Xi; Zhang, Xiao; Wu, Zhan; Wang, Hongwei; Wang, Guohua; Li, Wei

    2017-11-01

    Social acquaintance networks influenced by social culture and social policy have a great impact on public opinion evolution in daily life. Based on the differences between socio-culture and social policy, three different social acquaintance networks (kinship-priority acquaintance network, independence-priority acquaintance network, and hybrid acquaintance network) incorporating heredity proportion p h and variation proportion p v are proposed in this paper. Numerical experiments are conducted to investigate network topology and different phenomena during opinion evolution, using the Deffuant model. We found that in kinship-priority acquaintance networks, similar to the Chinese traditional acquaintance networks, opinions always achieve fragmentation, resulting in the formation of multiple large clusters and many small clusters due to the fact that individuals believe more in their relatives and live in a relatively closed environment. In independence-priority acquaintance networks, similar to Western acquaintance networks, the results are similar to those in the kinship-priority acquaintance network. In hybrid acquaintance networks, similar to the Chinese modern acquaintance networks, only a few clusters are formed indicating that in modern China, opinions are more likely to reach consensus on a large scale. These results are similar to the opinion evolution phenomena in modern society, proving the rationality and applicability of network models combined with social culture and policy. We also found a threshold curve p v +2p h =2.05 in the results for the final opinion clusters and evolution time. Above the threshold curve, opinions could easily reach consensus. Based on the above experimental results, a culture-policy-driven mechanism for the opinion dynamic is worth promoting in this paper, that is, opinion dynamics can be driven by different social cultures and policies through the influence of heredity and variation in interpersonal relationship networks. This finding is of great significance for predicting opinion evolution under different acquaintance networks and formulating reasonable policies based on cultural characteristics to guide public opinion.

  8. Opinion evolution in different social acquaintance networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Xi; Zhang, Xiao; Wu, Zhan; Wang, Hongwei; Wang, Guohua; Li, Wei

    2017-11-01

    Social acquaintance networks influenced by social culture and social policy have a great impact on public opinion evolution in daily life. Based on the differences between socio-culture and social policy, three different social acquaintance networks (kinship-priority acquaintance network, independence-priority acquaintance network, and hybrid acquaintance network) incorporating heredity proportion ph and variation proportion pv are proposed in this paper. Numerical experiments are conducted to investigate network topology and different phenomena during opinion evolution, using the Deffuant model. We found that in kinship-priority acquaintance networks, similar to the Chinese traditional acquaintance networks, opinions always achieve fragmentation, resulting in the formation of multiple large clusters and many small clusters due to the fact that individuals believe more in their relatives and live in a relatively closed environment. In independence-priority acquaintance networks, similar to Western acquaintance networks, the results are similar to those in the kinship-priority acquaintance network. In hybrid acquaintance networks, similar to the Chinese modern acquaintance networks, only a few clusters are formed indicating that in modern China, opinions are more likely to reach consensus on a large scale. These results are similar to the opinion evolution phenomena in modern society, proving the rationality and applicability of network models combined with social culture and policy. We also found a threshold curve pv+2 ph=2.05 in the results for the final opinion clusters and evolution time. Above the threshold curve, opinions could easily reach consensus. Based on the above experimental results, a culture-policy-driven mechanism for the opinion dynamic is worth promoting in this paper, that is, opinion dynamics can be driven by different social cultures and policies through the influence of heredity and variation in interpersonal relationship networks. This finding is of great significance for predicting opinion evolution under different acquaintance networks and formulating reasonable policies based on cultural characteristics to guide public opinion.

  9. City of West Union, Iowa - Clean Water Act Public Notice

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The EPA is providing notice of a proposed Administrative Penalty Assessment against the City of West Union, IA, a municipality, for alleged violations of its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit (permit No. IA-0035378) for discharges from

  10. 78 FR 12136 - Preparations for the International Telecommunication Union World Telecommunication Development...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-21

    ... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 8193] Preparations for the International Telecommunication Union World Telecommunication Development Conference (ITU WTDC 2014) SUMMARY: This notice announces... (ITAC) to begin preparations for the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC 2014). The...

  11. Community psychiatry: results of a public opinion survey.

    PubMed

    Lauber, Christoph; Nordt, Carlos; Haker, Helene; Falcato, Luis; Rössler, Wulf

    2006-05-01

    Mental health authorities must know the public's attitude to community psychiatry when planning community mental health services. However, previous studies have only investigated the impact of demographic variables on the attitude to community psychiatry. To assess the influence of psychological and sociological parameters on the public opinion of community psychiatry in Switzerland. Linear regression analyses of the results of a public opinion survey on a representative population sample in Switzerland (n = 1737). Most respondents have positive attitudes to community psychiatry. In the regression analysis (R2 adjusted = 21.2%), negative emotions towards mentally ill people as depicted in the vignette, great social distance, a positive attitude to restrictions, negative stereotypes, high rigidity and no participation in community activities significantly influenced negative attitudes to community psychiatry. Additionally, other parameters, e.g. contact with mentally ill people and the nationality of the interviewee, have a significant influence. In planning psychiatric community services, general individual traits and emotive issues should be considered because they influence the response towards community psychiatry facilities in the host community.

  12. Public opinion about energy: a literature review

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

    Farhar, B.C.; Weis, P.; Unseld, C.T.

    1979-06-01

    A review and analysis of 115 surveys of the general population between 1973 and 1978 (before the Three Mile Island accident, sudden gasoline price increases, and spot gasoline shortages) are presented. The survey data are organized and analyzed according to a set of categories described in Chapter 2. The public's definition of the energy situation is the focus of Chapter 3. Chapter 4 describes public opinion concerning energy conservation pertaining to transportation and domestic energy use -- whether it is efficacious, how knowledgeable people are about conservation, whether they favor it, and whether they engage in it. Findings on themore » solar energy alternative are described in Chapter 5. Public opinion concerning more conventional sources of energy -- oil and natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy -- are discussed in Chapter 6. In Chapter 7, a summary of analytical findings by 10 major sociodemographic characteristics is presented. Chapter 8 describes analytical findings using various social-psychological variables. A summary is presented in Chapter 9.« less

  13. Social learning theory and public perception of GMOs: What Blancke et al. (2015) and other plant biotechnologists are missing.

    PubMed

    Fluegge, Keith

    2016-07-01

    There exists a wide chasm between public opinion and scientific evidence on the safety of genetically engineered food, herein referred to as GMOs. Plant biotechnologists give credit to a small community of activists negatively influencing individual minds on this issue, but this approach neglects other social contexts in which such cognition operates. The author argues here that current public opinion on GMOs is a manifestation of the constant interaction between environmental, behavioral, and cognitive influences on this issue. In order to sway public opinion and be consistent with social learning theory, biotechnology advocates and plant scientists will need to move beyond their recognized expertise in order to rework the argument for GMOs in the modern-day food supply, one that wholly embraces an individual-level framing of the debate, tantamount to other successful professional trends like patient-centered medicine. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

  14. Brazilian doctors' perspective on the second opinion strategy before a C-section.

    PubMed

    Osis, Maria José Duarte; Cecatti, José Guilherme; de Pádua, Karla Simônia; Faúndes, Anibal

    2006-04-01

    To describe the opinion of doctors who participated in the Latin American Study on Cesarean section in Brazil regarding the second opinion strategy when faced with the decision of performing a C-section. Seventy-two doctors from the hospitals where the study took place (where the second opinion was routinely sought) and 70 from the control group answered a pre-tested self-administered structured questionnaire. Descriptive tables were prepared based on the frequency of relevant variables on opinion of physicians regarding: effectiveness of the application of the second opinion strategy; on whether they would recommend implementation of this strategy and reasons for not recommending it in private institutions; feasibility of the strategy implementation and reasons for not considering this implementation feasible in private institutions. Half of the doctors from the intervention hospitals (50%) and about two thirds of those in the control group (65%) evaluated the second opinion as being or having the potential of being effective/very effective in their institutions. The great majority of those interviewed from both intervention and control hospitals considered this strategy feasible in public (87% and 95% respectively) but not in private hospitals (64% and 70% respectively), mainly because in the latter the doctors would not accept interference from a colleague in their decision-making process. Although the second opinion strategy was perceived as effective in reducing C-section rates, doctors did not regard it feasible outside the public health system in Brazil.

  15. Effects of convincing power and neutrality on minority opinion spreading

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Yue; Xiong, Xi; Zhang, Yi

    2017-02-01

    The dynamics evolution of the minority opinion in public debates is studied using a convincing power (CP) model with neutrality. In a given group, an agent with a definite standpoint (yes or no) can be persuaded to be a neutral agent, if its capacity of persuasion is lower than the average CP of its opponents. Besides that a neutral agent will change its state and follow a more persuasive opinion. Starting from two opposite opinions with different rates, repeated local discussions are found to drive the minority reversal. It reveals that in addition to the initial minority, the number of neutral agents is also an important factor to the eventual winners. During the process of consensus, there exists a threshold of initial fraction to guarantee one side win. The results have a guiding significance for designing strategies to win a public debate.

  16. 75 FR 6432 - Notice of Applications for Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity and Foreign Air...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-02-09

    ... in the European Community and the Member States of the European Union, and a point or points in the... the European Community and the Member States of the European Union. Barbara J. Hairston, Supervisory...

  17. 78 FR 17992 - Preparations for the International Telecommunication Union World Telecommunication Development...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-03-25

    ... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 8251] Preparations for the International Telecommunication Union World Telecommunication Development Conference (ITU WTDC 2014) SUMMARY: This notice announces... the activities of its ad hoc group for preparations for the ITU World Telecommunication Development...

  18. Dynamics of public opinion under the influence of epidemic spreading

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Junhui; Ni, Shunjiang; Shen, Shifei

    2016-02-01

    In this paper, we propose a novel model with dynamically adjusted confidence level of others to investigate the propagation of public opinion on whether to buy chicken in the case of avian influenza infection in humans. We study how people adjust their confidence level in other people’s opinions according to their perceived infection risk and how the opinion evolution and epidemic spreading affect each other on different complex networks by taking into account the spreading feature of avian influenza, that is, only people who buy chicken are possible to be infected. The simulation results show that in a closed system, people who support buying chicken and people who are infected can achieve a dynamic balance after a few time-steps, and the final stable state is mainly dependent on the level of people’s risk perception, rather than the initial distribution of the different opinions. Our results imply that in the course of the epidemic spread, transparent and timely announcement of the number of infections and the risk of infection can help people take the right self-protection actions, and thus help control the spread of avian influenza.

  19. The Elephant in the Room: Confronting Ideology and Armed Groups

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-12-01

    World Public Opinion.org, April 24, 2007, http://www.fcnl.org/ pdfs /middle_east/muslim_public_opinion_ pipa.pdf, 21–22. 41 Michael Mousseau...gigantic world conspiracy of probably Satanic origins.59 The term “Patriot movement” (which Neiwert uses because its members use the term for...characterized by a dubious interpretation of the Protestant Bible and the U.S. Constitution. While the bombing by Timothy McVeigh of the Murrah Federal

  20. Women in Combat: The Operational Impact of Meeting A National Security Necessity

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1991-02-11

    of physical strength and emotional stamina and impai.red male -bonding: United States public opinion; and the perceptions of America’s allies and...on the main thesis p6ints of demographics and noncombatants in the changing scenario of combat, and provides the arguments on both sides of the three...9 Unit Cohesion and Male -Bonding .................. 11 United States Public Opinion ......................... 12 Perceptions or Friend and Foe

  1. Kentucky highway user survey 2008.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-01-01

    This study updates surveys of Kentucky driver opinion regarding the quality of Kentucky's highway system. The survey was conducted in 2008. Data is presented in bar graphs and tables that allow the analysis of changes in public opinion since the firs...

  2. Measuring and Understanding Public Opinion on Human Evolution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gwon, Misook

    The theory of evolution has long generated controversy in American society, but Americans' attitudes about human evolution are often neglected in studies of "culture wars" and the nature of mass belief systems more generally (Berkman and Plutzer 2010; Freeland and Houston 2009). Gallup and other survey organizations have polled about evolution, but offered limited response categories that mask complexity in public opinion (Bishop 2006; Moore 2008). The main problems concerning the leading survey questions about evolution are: first, questions measure only a single dimension, thus they ignore the potential for multidimensionality in people's attitudes. Second, depending on question wording and response options, the results of public opinion surveys vary by polling groups. This is an example of measurement error which misleads the interpretation and impression of American public opinion on the origin of humankind. A number of studies have analyzed Americans' beliefs about evolution and hypothesized about the influential effects of several factors (Deckman 2002; Mazur 2005; Mooney 2005; Miller et al. 2006; Newport 2006; Forrest 2007;Nisbet and Goidel 2007;Scott 2009). However, there remains a lack of complete understanding of what Americans know and believe about human evolution. Given the salience of this issue and the significant influence of public opinion on policy-making in America (Page and Shapiro 1992; Stimson 2004; Newport 2004), the measurement error and explanation of polling results on controversial issues related to this topic are in need of clarification. In this study, I address these deficiencies with analyses of data from a 2008 national survey by Harris Interactive (n= 4,626) that included numerous measures of factual knowledge and beliefs about evolution. The items offer more nuanced response options than the standard three-category question asked for decades by the Gallup poll. The Harris survey also had multiple measures of religiosity and the Right-Wing-Authoritarianism personality scale. Using this uniquely rich data set I develop a model of the nature and organization of these various attitude structures. Data analyses on explanation of public acceptance or rejection of evolution indicate that the Right-wing-authoritarianism and religious factors including beliefs in God's existence, views of the Bible, frequency of church attendance, and Evangelical Protestant affiliation are significant predictors across all measures. Scientific literacy, genetic science knowledge and familiarity, in general, are another contributor to prediction of public attitudes toward evolution. On measurement validity, consistency of measurement and responses are examined. The results from data analyses reveal the effect of question wording form and context is at play. In addition, public beliefs and knowledge about evolution are not consistent, rather contradictory, and are susceptible to framing effects. As scholars of public opinion warn, we should avoid the referendum view of polls on controversial issues (Schuman 2008; Moore 2008; Bishop 2005). Findings from this research lead to two key conclusions. First, great caution should be taken interpreting poll results on human evolution. Second, for better understanding of public opinion on this issue, a modified standard question should replace the current question.

  3. Assessing women's knowledge and attitudes toward cord blood banking: policy and ethical implications for Jordan.

    PubMed

    Matsumoto, Monica M; Dajani, Rana; Khader, Yousef; Matthews, Kirstin R W

    2016-08-01

    Despite the global expansion of umbilical cord blood (CB) banking, little is known about public opinion and awareness, especially among Arab Muslim populations. CB banking raises policy questions about funding sustainability and quality standards, as well as ethical debates about profitability, informed consent, and medical justification. This study is the first of its kind in the Arab world, and Jordan has a unique, understudied, yet highly relevant setting, especially as a regional medical hub with advanced medical and health policy infrastructures. In addition, the first private and public CB banks are expected to open in 2016. The authors developed and administered, over a 5-month period, an anonymous survey to investigate public opinion and knowledge about CB banking in Jordan. The survey was administered to women in maternity outpatient clinic waiting rooms at five different hospitals. More than 75% of respondents indicated they knew nothing about CB banking in Jordan, and more than 50% had never heard of CB banking before. However, overall public opinion about CB storage is positive. Important factors related to public opinion were also identified, demonstrating that most women want more information on CB banking, especially from their obstetrician. This widespread lack of awareness is likely contributing to misinformation, lack of knowledge, and unfavorable perspectives toward CB donation and research. The results have important implications for the development of national and regional policies and educational campaigns on CB banking targeting both physicians and patients. © 2016 AABB.

  4. National Credit Union Administration Semiannual Regulatory Agenda

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-26

    ... only the minimum required burdens on credit unions, consumers, and the public; are appropriate for the... Administration--Completed Actions Regulation Sequence Title Identifier Number Number 412 Privacy of Consumer... Actions 412. PRIVACY OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL INFORMATION Legal Authority: 15 USC 6801 et seq Abstract: NCUA...

  5. Mass Audience Circulation: Library Service in the U.S.S.R.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhidkov, Grigory

    1983-01-01

    Presents overview of state of Soviet Union library service comprising 350,000 libraries, including national, governmental department, and public group (trade unions, professional associations) libraries. Training of Soviet librarians, library cooperation, national planning and funding, cultural exchange and cooperation, supporting international…

  6. Experiments with Retraining.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shultz, George P.; Weber, Arnold R.

    When Armour and Company faced a shutdown of six plants, it joined in a cooperative program of vocational retraining with two labor unions; an Automation Fund Committee was formed, with representation from management, the unions, and "public" (college professors); and an experimental program in Oklahoma City provided experience which was…

  7. Maximizing profit and endangering health: corporate strategies to avoid litigation and regulation.

    PubMed

    Bohme, Susanna Rankin; Zorabedian, John; Egilman, David S

    2005-01-01

    Corporations and industries use various tactics to obscure the fact that their products are dangerous or deadly. Their aim is to secure the least restrictive possible regulatory environment and avert legal liability for deaths or injuries in order to maximize profit. They work with attorneys and public relations professionals, using scientists, science advisory boards; front groups, industry organizations, think tanks, and the media to influence scientific and popular opinion of the risks of their products or processes. The strategy, which depends on corrupt science, profits corporations at the expense of public health. Public health professionals can learn from this strategy how to effectively build scientific and public opinion that prioritizes both good science and the public health.

  8. Biotechnology in Switzerland: high on the public agenda, but only moderate support.

    PubMed

    Bonfadelli, Heinz; Dahinden, Urs; Leonarz, Martina

    2002-04-01

    In Switzerland, there have been intensive public debates about biotechnology because of the specific Swiss political system of direct democracy that led, in 1992 and 1998, to two national referenda on biotechnology regulation. As a result, the Swiss population is well informed but skeptical about this technology. These findings contrast with the deficit model of public understanding of science, which predicts a positive correlation between knowledge of, and support for, a specific technology. What role did the media play in the development of public opinion? This question is discussed because of a content analysis (time series) of national newspapers. In addition, representative surveys and focus groups yield insights into the public perception of biotechnology and the influence of mass communication for opinion formation.

  9. Strategic Planning for Comprehensive Security in the European Union’s Military Operations: EUFOR RD Congo, EUFOR Tchad/RCA, and EUNAVFOR Somalia

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-06-01

    Globalization and Environmental Challenges: Reconceptualizing Security in the 21st Century, 947. 11 Marco A. Ferroni and Ashoka Mody, International Public...Security and Defence Policy, 67–70; Howorth, Security and Defence Policy in the European Union, 152–154. 47 Hubert Zimmermann, “Security Exporters...consilium.europa.eu/showPage.aspx?id=1519&lang=en (accessed 12 March 2010). Ferroni, Marco A. and Ashoka Mody. International Public Goods: Incentives

  10. To recognize the use of international standards for making harmonized regulation of medical devices in Asia-pacific.

    PubMed

    Anand, K; Saini, Ks; Chopra, Y; Binod, Sk

    2010-07-01

    'Medical Devices' include everything from highly sophisticated, computerized, medical equipment, right down to simple wooden tongue depressors. Regulations embody the public expectations for how buildings and facilities are expected to perform and as such represent public policy. Regulators, who develop and enforce regulations, are empowered to act in the public's interest to set this policy and are ultimately responsible to the public in this regard. Standardization contributes to the basic infrastructure that underpins society including health and environment, while promoting sustainability and good regulatory practice. The international organizations that produce International Standards are the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). With the increasing globalization of markets, International Standards (as opposed to regional or national standards) have become critical to the trading process, ensuring a level playing field for exports, and ensuring that imports meet the internationally recognized levels of performance and safety. The development of standards is done in response to sectors and stakeholders that express a clearly established need for them. An industry sector or other stakeholder group typically communicates its requirement for standards to one of the national members. To be accepted for development, a proposed work item must receive a majority support of the participating members, who verify the global relevance of the proposed item. The regulatory authority (RA) should provide a method for the recognition of international voluntary standards and for public notification of such recognition. The process of recognition may vary from country to country. Recognition may occur by periodic publication of lists of standards that a regulatory authority has found will meet the Essential Principles. In conclusion, International standards, such as, basic standards, group standards, and product standards, are a tool for harmonizing regulatory processes, to assure the safety, quality, and performance of medical devices. Standards represent the opinion of experts from all interested parties, including industry, regulators, users, and others.

  11. Trusted Sources: The Role Scientific Societies Can Play in Improving Public Opinions on Climate Change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McEntee, C.; Cairns, A.; Buhrman, J.

    2012-12-01

    Public acceptance of the scientific consensus regarding climate change has eroded and misinformation designed to confuse the public is rapidly proliferating. Those issues, combined with an increase of politically motivated attacks on climate scientists and their research, have led to a place where ideology can trump scientific consensus as the foundation for developing policy solutions. The scientific community has been, thus far, unprepared to respond effectively to these developments. However, as a scientific society whose members engage in climate science research, and one whose organizational mission and vision are centered on the concepts of science for the benefit of humanity and ensuring a sustainable future, the American Geophysical Union can, and should, play an important role in reversing this trend. To that end, in 2011, AGU convened a Leadership Summit on Climate Science Communication, in which presidents, executive directors, and senior public policy staff from 17 scientific organizations engaged with experts in the social sciences regarding effective communication of climate science and with practitioners from agriculture, energy, and the military. The discussions focused on three key issues: the environment of climate science communication; public understanding of climate change; and the perspectives of consumers of climate science-based information who work with specific audiences. Participants diagnosed previous challenges and failings, enumerated the key constituencies that need to be effectively engaged, and identified the critical role played by cultural cognition—the influence of group values, particularly around equality and authority, individualism, and community; and the perceptions of risk. Since that meeting, AGU has consistently worked to identify and explore ways that it, and its members, and improve the effectiveness of their communication with the public about climate change. This presentation will focus on the insights AGU has gathered, as well as make the case for why this is an important role for scientific societies, such as AGU, to play.

  12. Northern Wisconsin snowmobilers: their characteristics and management preferences.

    Treesearch

    Earl C. Leatherberry

    1976-01-01

    This paper provides an insight into how snowmobilers feel about various management strategies to regulate snowmobile use on public land. The paper provides the composite opinion of snowmobilers and their opinion based on whether they were members of snowmobile clubs.

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

    Verstraete, Frans, E-mail: Frans.Verstraete@ec.europa.eu

    Directive 2002/32/EC of 7 May 2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council on undesirable substances in animal feed is the framework for the EU action on undesirable substances in feed. This framework Directive provides: ⁎that products intended for animal feed may enter for use in the Union from third countries, be put into circulation and/or used in the Union only if they are sound, genuine and of merchantable quality and therefore when correctly used do not represent any danger to human health, animal health or to the environment or could adversely affect livestock production. ⁎that in order tomore » protect animal and public health and the environment, maximum levels for specific undesirable substances shall be established where necessary. ⁎for mandatory consultation of a scientific body (EFSA) for all provisions which may have an effect upon public health or animal health or on the environment. ⁎that products intended for animal feed containing levels of an undesirable substance that exceed the established maximum level may not be mixed for dilution purposes with the same, or other, products intended for animal feed and may not be used for the production of compound feed. Based on the provisions and principles laid down in this framework Directive, maximum levels for a whole range of undesirable substances have been established at EU level. During the discussions in view of the adoption of Directive 2002/32/EC, the European Commission made the commitment to review all existing provisions on undesirable substances on the basis of updated scientific risk assessments. Following requests of the European Commission, the Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has completed a series of 30 risk assessments undertaken over the last 5 years on undesirable substances in animal feed reviewing the possible risks for animal and human health due to the presence of these substances in animal feed. EU legislation on undesirable substances has undergone recently several changes to take account of these most recent scientific opinions. Furthermore EFSA has assessed the risks for public and animal health following the unavoidable carry-over of coccidiostats into non target feed. Maximum levels for the unavoidable carry-over have been established for the non-target feed and the food of animal origin from non-target animal species.« less

  14. Taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages: results from a 2011 national public opinion survey.

    PubMed

    Barry, Colleen L; Niederdeppe, Jeff; Gollust, Sarah E

    2013-02-01

    Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages including nondiet sodas, sport drinks, and energy drinks has been linked with obesity. Recent state and local efforts to tax these beverages have been unsuccessful. Enactment will be unlikely without public support, yet little research is available to assess how to effectively make the case for such taxes. The objectives were to assess public opinion about arguments used commonly in tax debates regarding sugar-sweetened beverages and to assess differences in public opinion by respondents' political party affiliation. A public opinion survey was fielded in January-March 2011 using a probability-based sample of respondents from a large, nationally representative online panel to examine public attitudes about nine pro- and eight anti-tax arguments. These data were analyzed in August 2011. Findings indicated greater public agreement with anti- than pro-tax arguments. The most popular anti-tax argument was that a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages is arbitrary because it does not affect consumption of other unhealthy foods (60%). A majority also agreed that such taxes were a quick way for politicians to fill budget holes (58%); an unacceptable intrusion of government into people's lives (53.8%); opposed by most Americans (53%); and harmful to the poor (51%). No pro-tax arguments were endorsed by a majority of the public. Respondents reported highest agreement with the argument that sugar-sweetened beverages were the single largest contributor to obesity (49%) and would raise revenue for obesity prevention (41%). Without bolstering public support for existing pro-tax messages or developing alternative pro-tax messages, enacting such policies will be difficult. Message-framing studies could be useful in identifying promising strategies for persuading Americans that taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages are warranted. Copyright © 2013 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Energy essays: a focus on utility communication

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

    Selnow, G.W.; Crano, W.D.; Ludwig, S.

    The following papers are included: (1) technology, customers, and the feedback loop, (2) utility communications: a need for understanding the American character, (3) utility programs and grass roots communication, (4) reading the tea leaves of public opinion, (5) the need for public opinion surveys in utility communication programs, (6) the role of assessment in effective utility communication programs, (7) utility customer communication; perspectives on current public policy and law, (8) customer communications - a notion in motion, (9) communication when your customer is your owner, (10) radio advertising, (11) television advertising, (12) newspaper advertising, and (13) magazine advertising. (MOW)

  16. The Beijing Olympics: Political Impact and Implications for Soft Power Politics

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-12-01

    success. Japan, South Korea, and the Soviet Union all used the Games as a way to celebrate their achievements. Each of these country’s Games, however...Ethiopia, and Nicaragua.4 Ideological differences between the Soviet Union and the United States were already a source of tension leading up to the...183. 5 American boycott was limited, as the Soviet Union did not change its policies or behavior. The boycott made a grand public statement

  17. The News Media PRISM: Shaping America’s Opinion of Congress

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2003-01-01

    public gleans much of its knowledge of the political process. Accordingly, the tone of media coverage has a remarkable impact as people form their opinions...conditions in sweatshops and the corruption of public officials. This activist journalism, dubbed "muckraking" by President Theodore Roosevelt, led to...then rush to buy a paper and read all the shocking details." 1 9 Both Hearst and Pulitzer, along with E.W. Scripps, covered social and political issues

  18. Marketing the College Union.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hoef, Ted; Howe, Nanci

    Theory underlying marketing in the public sector is presented in combination with specific examples of marketing strategies and techniques used in college unions and student activities programs across the country. The subject of marketing is discussed under six major subject headings: (1) why marketing? (2) analyzing marketing opportunities; (3)…

  19. Science and Politics in "Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Superfine, Benjamin Michael; Umpstead, Regina R.; Mayrowetz, David; Lenhoff, Sarah Winchell; Pogodzinski, Ben

    2018-01-01

    In March 2017, the Supreme Court decided "Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association" and upheld the constitutionality of agency fees for nonunion teachers. We examine how "Friedrichs" reflects a host of issues grouped around a patchwork of ideological commitments regarding teachers unions and public-sector unions more…

  20. Le « Harcèlement Entre Pairs » À L'école élémentaire Tchèque: Une Question D'interprétation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kohout-Diaz, Magdalena

    2008-07-01

    "PEER BULLYING" IN CZECH PRIMARY SCHOOLS: A QUESTION OF INTERPRETATION—This article questions adults' reports of an alleged increase in peer bullying at Czech primary schools. A survey on the school climate revealed that the pupils see it as a generally positive one and consider their relationships to be good. However, compared to France, their behaviour towards the adults is aggressive and rude. This apparent contradiction is linked to a conflict between the educational norms carried over from the old regime (behavioural control and conformism) and the new socio-economic paradigms (critical thinking and free enterprise). Public opinion, the media and a number of scientifically-questionable studies have drawn attention to the phenomenon of peer bullying ( šikana), and applied an imported concept to describe it ( school bullying). This makes it possible to avoid questioning the part played by the adults, the school and the researchers; justify segregating pupils from socially, culturally or economically disadvantaged backgrounds (Roma); and facilitate the country's socio-economic inclusion in the European Union by highlighting educational problems about whose nature there is general agreement.

  1. Interaction, 1996-1997.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hajdu-Vaughn, Susan, Ed.; Coyle, Barbara, Ed.

    1997-01-01

    This collection includes four quarterly issues of "Interaction," a publication of the Canadian Child Care Federation. Each issue addresses several topics and is arranged in four sections: opinions, practice/pratique, focus/a propos, and news/nouvelles. The opinions section includes letters and editorial/review columns, the practice…

  2. Religion and the public ethics of stem-cell research: Attitudes in Europe, Canada and the United States.

    PubMed

    Allum, Nick; Allansdottir, Agnes; Gaskell, George; Hampel, Jürgen; Jackson, Jonathan; Moldovan, Andreea; Priest, Susanna; Stares, Sally; Stoneman, Paul

    2017-01-01

    We examine international public opinion towards stem-cell research during the period when the issue was at its most contentious. We draw upon representative sample surveys in Europe and North America, fielded in 2005 and find that the majority of people in Europe, Canada and the United States supported stem-cell research, providing it was tightly regulated, but that there were key differences between the geographical regions in the relative importance of different types of ethical position. In the U.S., moral acceptability was more influential as a driver of support for stem-cell research; in Europe the perceived benefit to society carried more weight; and in Canada the two were almost equally important. We also find that public opinion on stem-cell research was more strongly associated with religious convictions in the U.S. than in Canada and Europe, although many strongly religious citizens in all regions approved of stem-cell research. We conclude that if anything public opinion or 'public ethics' are likely to play an increasingly important role in framing policy and regulatory regimes for sensitive technologies in the future.

  3. Public opinion on alcohol consumption and intoxication at Swedish professional football events.

    PubMed

    Skoglund, Charlotte; Durbeej, Natalie; Elgán, Tobias H; Gripenberg, Johanna

    2017-05-08

    Alcohol-related problems at professional sporting events are of increasing concern and alarming reports are often reported in international media. Although alcohol consumption increases the risk for interpersonal violence, it is viewed as a focal element of large football events. Sweden has a long tradition of high public support for strict alcohol-control policies. However, little is known about public opinions on alcohol intoxication and the support for interventions to decrease intoxication at football events. The current study explored the public opinion towards alcohol use, intoxication and alcohol policies at professional football matches in Sweden. A cross-sectional design was utilized and a random general population sample of 3503 adult Swedish residents was asked to participate in a web survey during 2016 (response rate 68%). In total, 26% of the respondents supported alcohol sales at football events. Over 90% reported that obviously intoxicated spectators should be denied entrance or evicted from arenas. The support for regulations limiting alcohol availability varied with background factors such as gender, alcohol use and frequency of football event attendance. There is a strong public consensus for strategies and policies to reduce alcohol sales and intoxication levels at football matches. This public support has implications for our preventive efforts and will facilitate the implementation of strategies and policy changes.

  4. Print media coverage of California's smokefree bar law

    PubMed Central

    Magzamen, S.; Charlesworth, A.; Glantz, S.

    2001-01-01

    OBJECTIVE—To assess the print media coverage of California's smokefree bar law in the state of California.
DESIGN—Content analysis of newspaper, trade journal, and magazine items.
SUBJECTS—Items regarding the smokefree bar law published seven months before and one year following the implementation of the smokefree bar law (June 1997 to December 1998). Items consisted of news articles (n = 446), opinion editorials (n = 31), editorials (n = 104), letters to the editor (n = 240), and cartoons (n = 10).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES—Number and timing of publication of items, presence of tobacco industry arguments or public health arguments regarding law, positive, negative, and neutral views of opinion items published.
RESULTS—53% of items published concerning the smokefree bar law were news articles, 47% were opinion items. 45% of items regarding the smokefree bar law were published during the first month of implementation. The tobacco industry dominated coverage in most categories (economics, choice, enforcement, ventilation, legislation, individual quotes), except for categories public health used the most frequently (government role, tactics, organisational quotes). Anti-law editorials and letters to the editor were published more than pro-law editorials and letters. Region of the state, paper size, presence of local clean indoor air legislation, and voting on tobacco related ballot initiatives did not have an impact on the presence of opinion items.
CONCLUSIONS—The tobacco industry succeeded in obtaining more coverage of the smokefree bar law, both in news items and opinion items. The tobacco industry used historical arguments of restricting freedom of choice and economic ramifications in fighting the smokefree bar law, while public health groups focused on the worker protection issue, and exposed tobacco industry tactics. Despite the skewed coverage, public health groups obtained adequate attention to their arguments to keep the law in effect.


Keywords: content analysis; politics; passive smoking; smokefree bar law; California PMID:11387536

  5. College Libraries and Resource Sharing: Testing a Compact Disc Union Catalog.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Townley, Charles T.

    1992-01-01

    Presents results of an evaluation of C.D. Cat, a CD-ROM union catalog developed by the Associated College Libraries of Central Pennsylvania consortium. Outcomes are reported in the areas of bibliographic quality, user evaluation, public relations strategies, bibliographic instruction, and guidelines for continuing operations. Recommendations are…

  6. Union List of Serials in Pacific Island Libraries.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cohen, Arlene G., Comp.; Yoshida, Patricia, Comp.

    This union list contains the serial holdings from Pacific Island libraries, including the University of the South Pacific Library (Fiji), the University of Guam Robert F. Kennedy Library, Guam Public Library, College of Micronesia-FSM Library, College of the Marshall Islands Library, Micronesian Seminar Library, Palau Community College Library,…

  7. Collective Bargaining, a New Common Law for College Professors.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Frank

    1980-01-01

    In general, collective bargaining for college faculties means that individual faculty members cannot exercise traditional constitutional rights of due process, even if they are not members of the union. Some provisions differ from one state to another. However, both public and private colleges are increasingly voting to unionize. (Author/CTM)

  8. The Ruminations of a Right-Wing Extremist.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lieberman, Myron

    1998-01-01

    Although teacher unions promote private means of resolving labor conflicts instead of using public courts, they are engaged in a war on privatization, especially contracting out. It is surprising that the media and higher education take seriously the contention that unions do not negatively affect educational achievement. Advocates of "the…

  9. 76 FR 75866 - Newspapers Used for Publication of Legal Notices in the Southwestern Region, Which Includes...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-05

    ... in: --``Union County Leader'', Clayton, New Mexico. Rita Blanca National Grassland in Cimarron County, Oklahoma notices published in:--``Boise City News'', Boise City, Oklahoma. Rita Blanca National Grassland... Mexico published in:--``Union County Leader'', Clayton, New Mexico. Rita Blanca National Grassland in...

  10. 19 CFR 148.87 - Officers and employees of, and representatives to public international organizations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    .... International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources—Limited privileges 12986 Jan. 18, 1996... Organization 12628 Mar. 8, 1988. Universal Postal Union 10727 Aug. 31, 1957. World Health Organization 10025 Dec. 30, 1948. World Intellectual Property Organization 11866 June 18, 1975. World Meteorological...

  11. 19 CFR 148.87 - Officers and employees of, and representatives to public international organizations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    .... International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources—Limited privileges 12986 Jan. 18, 1996... Organization 12628 Mar. 8, 1988. Universal Postal Union 10727 Aug. 31, 1957. World Health Organization 10025 Dec. 30, 1948. World Intellectual Property Organization 11866 June 18, 1975. World Meteorological...

  12. 19 CFR 148.87 - Officers and employees of, and representatives to public international organizations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    .... International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources—Limited privileges 12986 Jan. 18, 1996... Organization 12628 Mar. 8, 1988. Universal Postal Union 10727 Aug. 31, 1957. World Health Organization 10025 Dec. 30, 1948. World Intellectual Property Organization 11866 June 18, 1975. World Meteorological...

  13. 19 CFR 148.87 - Officers and employees of, and representatives to public international organizations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    .... International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources—Limited privileges 12986 Jan. 18, 1996... Organization 12628 Mar. 8, 1988. Universal Postal Union 10727 Aug. 31, 1957. World Health Organization 10025 Dec. 30, 1948. World Intellectual Property Organization 11866 June 18, 1975. World Meteorological...

  14. 19 CFR 148.87 - Officers and employees of, and representatives to public international organizations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    .... International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources—Limited privileges 12986 Jan. 18, 1996... Organization 12628 Mar. 8, 1988. Universal Postal Union 10727 Aug. 31, 1957. World Health Organization 10025 Dec. 30, 1948. World Intellectual Property Organization 11866 June 18, 1975. World Meteorological...

  15. Concern about passive smoking and tobacco control policies in European countries: An ecological study

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Because of the magnitude of the global tobacco epidemic, the World Health Organisation developed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), an international legally binding treaty to control tobacco use. Adoption and implementation of specific tobacco control measures within FCTC is an outcome of a political process, where social norms and public opinion play important roles. The objective of our study was to examine how a country’s level of tobacco control is associated with smoking prevalence, two markers of denormalisation of smoking (social disapproval of smoking and concern about passive smoking), and societal support for tobacco control. Methods An ecological study was conducted, using data from two sources. The first source was the Tobacco Control Scale (TCS) from 2011, which quantifies the implementation of tobacco control policies in European Union (EU) countries. Data on smoking prevalence, societal disapproval of smoking, concern about passive smoking, and societal support for policy measures were taken from the Eurobarometer survey of 2009. Data from Eurobarometer surveys were aggregated to country level. Data from the 27 European Union member states were used. Results Smoking prevalence rates in 2009 were negatively associated with a country’s TCS 2011 score, although not statistically significant (r = −.25; p = .21). Experience of societal disapproval was positively associated with higher TCS scores, though not significantly (r = .14; p = .48). The same was true for societal support for tobacco control (r = .27; p = .18). The TCS score in 2011 was significantly correlated with concern about passive smoking (r = .42; p =.03). Support for tobacco control measures was also strongly correlated with concern about passive smoking (r = .52, p = .006). Conclusions Smokers in countries with a higher TCS score were more concerned about whether their smoke harms others. Further, support for tobacco control measures is higher in countries that have more of these concerned smokers. Concerns about passive smoking seem central in the implementation of tobacco control measures, stressing the importance of continuing to educate the public about the harm from passive smoking. PMID:23067145

  16. Press Freedom Column: When Ads Contain Political Opinions.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adams, Julian

    1986-01-01

    Discusses the responsibility of public school newspapers to carefully review the political advertising considered for publication because as a public forum paper, the school newspaper must represent a variety of political viewpoints. (SRT)

  17. The opinions of private and public school teachers regarding school nurses.

    PubMed

    Ardahan, Melek; Erkin, Ozum

    2018-05-01

    To compare the opinions of teachers in private and public schools about school nurses. This descriptive study was conducted at 10 randomly selected private and public schools in Izmir in western Turkey during April-May 2016, and comprised teachers who consented to participate. A questionnaire was used to collect the data about socio-demographic information of the subjects (six questions), problems frequently encountered in school and the teachers' opinions about school health nurses (seven questions). Two open-ended questions on the roles of school nurses and the most important health education topics were asked. SPSS 22 was used to analyse data. Of the 720 subjects, 517(72%) were females and 203(18%) were men. There were 360(50%) teachers from private schools and an equal number were from the public schools. The mean ages of the teachers from the private and public schools were 36.22±8.69 and 43.12±7.78 years, respectively. Besides, 337(93.6%) teachers of the private schools and 338(93.9%) teachers of the public school believed that school nurses were needed, while 19(5.3%) private school teachers and 162(45%) public school teachers said they had "no idea" about the roles of the school nurse. The most important role of the school nurse was promoting good health habits according to the public school teachers and health education according to the private school teachers. Half of the public school teachers said they had no idea about the role of a school nurse.

  18. 76 FR 23861 - Corporate Credit Unions

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-29

    ... statements, Financial statement audit, Generally accepted auditing standards, Independent public accountant... public accountant undermines the IPA's independence. The Board is delaying the effective date of this ERM... accepted auditing standards, Independent public accountant, Internal control, Internal control framework...

  19. Development of the profession and qualifications of adult educators in Lithuania in the context of reforms of adult education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gedvilienė, Genutė; Tūtlys, Vidmantas; Lukošūnienė, Vilija; Zuzevičiūtė, Vaiva

    2018-01-01

    The Baltic countries regained their independence from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and joined the European Union in 2004. This article seeks to explore institutional development and reforms of adult education and lifelong learning in Lithuania with respect to the processes, the actors and the context of socioeconomic change over the past 20 years. It also looks at the implications of these processes for the professionalisation of adult educators, referred to here as "adult learning teachers" (ALTs). The authors begin with an analysis of the historical-institutional and political-economical aspects of the development of adult education and lifelong learning by providing a retrospective of institutional change in Lithuania. They then move on to analyse the existing institutional and legal arrangements of adult education which shape and institutionalise the profession and qualifications of ALTs. Their empirical research reveals the opinions of Lithuanian ALTs on their current professional occupational profile and its future development.

  20. Attitudes of Virginians toward transportation safety : results of the 1978 transportation safety opinion poll : final report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1979-01-01

    In October and November of 1978, the Virginia Department of Transportation Safety sponsored a statewide public opinion poll conducted by the Virginia Highway and Transportation Research Council. From the first of October through the fifteenth of Nove...

  1. Opinions on public opinion polling.

    PubMed

    Altman, Drew; Brodie, Mollyann

    2002-01-01

    This paper examines some of the strengths and limitations of polling and suggests specific things to look for to help judge the validity and importance of findings from polls. The authors, who conduct many polls, advise those who rely on polling results to take the findings in perspective.

  2. The dynamics of minority opinions in democratic debate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Galam, Serge

    2004-05-01

    A model for the dynamics of opinion forming in democratic public debate is presented. Using concepts and techniques from the physics of disorder the dynamics of social refusal spreading is studied within a perfect world, where the minority holds neither better arguments nor lobbying backing. The one-person-one-vote rule, together with local majority rules, are used to determine the outcome of local group discussions. In case of a local tie, the group decides on keeping the Status Quo. The geometry of social life shaped by offices, houses, bars, and restaurants is shown to determine the distribution size of these discussion groups. It is found to yield very asymmetric unstable thresholds to the total spreading of one opinion at the benefit of the refusal one. The associated dynamics is rather quick and completed within few days. This democratic paradox of public debate driven majority opinion reversal is discussed in light of some European construction issues. The model may apply to rumor and fear propagation.

  3. Popular opinion on tax cuts and Social Security.

    PubMed

    Teixeira, R

    2000-01-01

    A review of recent opinion polls reveals the U.S. public's views on budget priorities and Social Security. The public wants more spending on Social Security, Medicare, and other domestic programs, chiefly education and health care, and prefers these spending priorities--by up to a 70 percent majority--to paying down the national debt and cutting taxes. The public supports the Social Security system but doubts it can continue to deliver the goods. To remedy this problem, it is willing not only to use part of the surplus but to raise the cap on payroll taxes. The public does not support benefit cuts or an increase in the retirement age. And the public remains unsure to hostile about the role of the stock market, whether in individual accounts or in the Social Security trust fund.

  4. Public opinion about doctors' pay.

    PubMed Central

    Ross, C E; Lauritsen, J

    1985-01-01

    Public opinion about doctors' incomes was examined in a national random sample of 843 respondents; 70.1 per cent of those questioned felt physicians are overpaid. There was a high degree of agreement among various groups that physicians are overpaid, but older people and Whites were more likely to think so than younger people and other ethnic groups. People who believe that the United States is characterized by unequal educational opportunity, unfair income distribution, and limited resources were also more likely to think physicians are overpaid. PMID:4003637

  5. Public opinion about doctors' pay.

    PubMed

    Ross, C E; Lauritsen, J

    1985-06-01

    Public opinion about doctors' incomes was examined in a national random sample of 843 respondents; 70.1 per cent of those questioned felt physicians are overpaid. There was a high degree of agreement among various groups that physicians are overpaid, but older people and Whites were more likely to think so than younger people and other ethnic groups. People who believe that the United States is characterized by unequal educational opportunity, unfair income distribution, and limited resources were also more likely to think physicians are overpaid.

  6. A Comparative Review of Waivers Granted in Pediatric Drug Development by FDA and EMA from 2007-2013.

    PubMed

    Egger, Gunter F; Wharton, Gerold T; Malli, Suzanne; Temeck, Jean; Murphy, M Dianne; Tomasi, Paolo

    2016-09-01

    The European Union and the United States have different legal frameworks in place for pediatric drug development, which can potentially lead to different pediatric research requirements for the pharmaceutical industry. This manuscript compares pediatric clinical trial waivers granted by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This is a retrospective review comparing EMA's Paediatric Committee (PDCO) decisions with FDA's Pediatric Review Committee (PeRC) recommendations for all product-specific pediatric full waiver applications submitted to EMA from January 2007 through December 2013. Using baseline data from EMA, we matched product-specific waivers with their FDA equivalents during the study period. For single active substance products, PDCO and PeRC adopted similar opinions in 42 of 49 indications (86%). For fixed-dose combinations, PDCO and PeRC adopted similar opinions in 24 of 31 indications (77%). Despite the different legal frameworks, criteria, and processes of determination, the waiver decisions of the 2 agencies were similar in the majority of cases.

  7. Public Opinion and the NCAA Proposal 42.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cross, Lawrence H.; Koball, Elizabeth G.

    1991-01-01

    Surveyed opinions on the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Proposal 42 using a convenience sample of 872 persons. Most respondents felt that college admission tests are biased. Concludes that the controversy will be resolved when American society comes to grips with inequalities in educational and socioeconomic opportunity. (DM)

  8. Learning from Fiction: Applications in Emerging Technologies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gordon, Ruthanna

    2009-01-01

    Understanding the development of public opinion about emerging technologies, when the scope of that emergence is still speculative, poses particular challenges. Opinions and beliefs may be drawn from conflicting experts in multiple fields, media portrayals with varying biases, and fictional narratives that portray diverse possible futures. This…

  9. [E-health developments in the system of health services in Hungary and the European Union].

    PubMed

    Váradi, Ágnes

    2014-05-25

    The question of electronic solutions in public health care has become a contemporary issue at the European Union level since the action plan of the Commission on the e-health developments of the period between 2012 and 2020 has been published. In Hungary this issue has been placed into the centre of attention after a draft on modifications of regulations in health-care has been released for public discourse, which - if accepted - would lay down the basics of an electronic heath-service system. The aim of this paper is to review the basic features of e-health solutions in Hungary and the European Union with the help of the most important pieces of legislation, documents of the European Union institutions and sources from secondary literature. When examining the definition of the basic goals and instruments of the development, differences between the European Union and national approaches can be detected. Examination of recent developmental programs and existing models seem to reveal difficulties in creating interoperability and financing such projects. Finally, the review is completed by the aspects of jurisdiction and fundamental rights. It is concluded that these issues are mandatory to delineate the legislative, economic and technological framework for the development of the e-health systems.

  10. [Teaching performance assessment in Public Health employing three different strategies].

    PubMed

    Martínez-González, Adrián; Moreno-Altamirano, Laura; Ponce-Rosas, Efrén Raúl; Martínez-Franco, Adrián Israel; Urrutia-Aguilar, María Esther

    2011-01-01

    The educational system depends upon the quality and performance of their faculty and should therefore be process of continuous improvement. To assess the teaching performance of the Public Health professors, at the Faculty of Medicine, UNAM through three strategies. Justification study. The evaluation was conducted under a mediational model through three strategies: students' opinion assessment, self-assessment and students' academic achievement. We applied descriptive statistics, Student t test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation. Twenty professors were evaluated from the Public Health department, representing 57% of all them who teach the subject. The professor's performance was highly valued self-assessment compared with assessment of student opinion, was confirmed by statistical analysis the difference was significant. The difference amongst the three evaluation strategies became more evident between self-assessment and the scores obtained by students in their academic achievement. The integration of these three strategies offers a more complete view of the teacher's performance quality. Academic achievement appears to be a more objective strategy for teaching performance assessment than students' opinion and self-assessment.

  11. Tobacco industry interference for pictorial warnings.

    PubMed

    Oswal, K C; Pednekar, M S; Gupta, P C

    2010-07-01

    A study was carried out to understand the process of interference by the tobacco industry, to measure the compliance of the industry for displaying pictorial warnings on a tobacco product as per the packaging and labeling rules post 31st May, 2009, and to understand the public opinion on the messages conveyed through such warnings. A total of 60 samples of tobacco products were purchased after 31 May, 2009, from the retail vendors of tobacco sellers across the country. The government of India has from time to time, taken measures, including legislations, to control tobacco consumption. The actual implementation of these rules has been postponed repeatedly, apparently because of constant pressure exerted by the tobacco industry. The skull and bone sign hurting religious sentiments as stated by the group of ministers proved to be misleading. Later the Group of Ministers (GOM) proposed three very weak and poorly communicative pictorial health warnings to replace those recommended by the Union Health Ministry based on the inputs of the Department of Audio Visual Publicity (DAVP). The industry tried to use strategic means by displaying a dull, diluted, and watered down pictorial warning. The focus group study conducted showed that a scorpion gets associated with the product in a non-scientific manner. X-ray of the lung was hardly understood by anybody. Overall the tobacco industry has constantly flouted with the law right from the policy level to its implementation by displaying dull, diluted, and poorly informed pictorial warnings.

  12. Opinion evolution influenced by informed agents

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fan, Kangqi; Pedrycz, Witold

    2016-11-01

    Guiding public opinions toward a pre-set target by informed agents can be a strategy adopted in some practical applications. The informed agents are common agents who are employed or chosen to spread the pre-set opinion. In this work, we propose a social judgment based opinion (SJBO) dynamics model to explore the opinion evolution under the influence of informed agents. The SJBO model distinguishes between inner opinions and observable choices, and incorporates both the compromise between similar opinions and the repulsion between dissimilar opinions. Three choices (support, opposition, and remaining undecided) are considered in the SJBO model. Using the SJBO model, both the inner opinions and the observable choices can be tracked during the opinion evolution process. The simulation results indicate that if the exchanges of inner opinions among agents are not available, the effect of informed agents is mainly dependent on the characteristics of regular agents, including the assimilation threshold, decay threshold, and initial opinions. Increasing the assimilation threshold and decay threshold can improve the guiding effectiveness of informed agents. Moreover, if the initial opinions of regular agents are close to null, the full and unanimous consensus at the pre-set opinion can be realized, indicating that, to maximize the influence of informed agents, the guidance should be started when regular agents have little knowledge about a subject under consideration. If the regular agents have had clear opinions, the full and unanimous consensus at the pre-set opinion cannot be achieved. However, the introduction of informed agents can make the majority of agents choose the pre-set opinion.

  13. [Informal employment, unemployment and underemployment: a matter of public health].

    PubMed

    García-Ubaque, Juan C; Riaño-Casallas, Martha I; Benavides-Piracón, John A

    2012-06-01

    Unemployment and underemployment are problems that have been studied from the economy and politics points of view. Although public health has taken an approach to this problem, it has been mainly disciplinary, since it has focused on the health effects of the unemployed and underemployed but it has failed to propose alternatives from the public policy to solve this problem. The purpose of this essay is to examine the unemployment as an economic, social and health problem of the population. According to records of diagnosis, we review this situation (which requires different strategies at various levels) including different groups involved and their organizations, the State, companies, trade unions and employers unions, not just people unemployed and underemployed.

  14. Survey of egg producers on the introduction of alternative housing systems for laying hens in Flanders, Belgium.

    PubMed

    Tuyttens, F A M; Sonck, B; Staes, M; Van Gansbeke, S; Van den Bogaert, T; Ampe, B

    2011-04-01

    In the context of the European Union ban on battery cages by 2012, a survey was conducted among Flemish egg producers (60% response rate, 140 completed questionnaires) about the introduction and opinion of alternative housing systems. Belgium appears to be among the countries in the European Union that are slower to adopt alternative housing. Belgium's egg industry is thus likely to undergo drastic changes to comply with the 2012 deadline. As of 2010, the battery cage was the dominant housing system (56% housing units, 67% hens), followed by floor housing (33% housing units, 15% hens) and aviary (10% housing units, 15% hens), whereas colony cages and furnished cages were extremely rare. Future- and market-oriented production was the most important reason for choosing a certain type of alternative system, although the importance of hen performance and amount of labor seemed to increase. A quarter of the producers with battery cages had detailed plans to convert to an alternative system (most planned to install aviaries, followed by colony cages, furnished cages, and floor housing) by 2012. Many older farmers indicated that they would stop farming, whereas others found it more profitable to delay the conversion as long as possible. Apart from hen welfare, producers expressed a negative opinion (relative to battery cages) about noncage systems and, to a lesser extent, furnished cages. However, users of alternative systems reported being quite satisfied, except for the amount of labor and hen health. The housing system had several effects on user satisfaction: positive effect of flock size, negative effect of experience with battery cages, and negative effect of outdoor area on hen health. Although not all opinions were supported by evidence, such surveys provide feedback about the success of alternative systems in practice. This information is valuable to further improve these systems and to producers who have yet to convert. Moreover, producer attitude may determine the extent to which legally imposed changes in husbandry environment result in the desired improvement of hen welfare in practice.

  15. [Health education in primary school: Alicante city (Spain) teachers' opinions].

    PubMed

    Davó-Blanes, M Carmen; García de la Hera, Manuela; La Parra, Daniel

    2016-01-01

    This study explores the opinions of primary school teachers about health activities carried out in schools in Alicante city (Spain). An exploratory study was conducted through qualitative content analysis. Three focus groups were conducted with 25 primary school teachers (14 women and 11 men) working in 14 public and 7 private schools in the city of Alicante. Participants were asked about the health activities carried on in their schools. Teachers distinguished between health education activities promoted by the school and those included in external programmes promoted by public and private institutions. External programmes were considered as impositions, lacking continuity and chosen according to passing fads. Although teachers demonstrated a more positive attitude towards activities arising from their own initiative, they identified health education as a secondary task. Teachers considered that improving their own health education training and promoting the involvement of parents, health professionals and public institutions were the most appropriate ways to promote health education in the school. Teachers showed a more positive opinion and greater commitment towards health activities that complement and facilitate their teaching tasks. Their didactic programme and opinion should be taken into account to maximise the efficiency of the health promotion and education activities promoted by external organisations. Copyright © 2015 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  16. Newspaper Indexes, Guides, Directories, and Union Lists. No. 4.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fikes, Robert, Jr.

    This annotated bibliography lists 52 citations for U.S. and foreign newspaper indexes, summaries, guides and directories, and union lists held by San Diego State University Libraries. Entries are arranged alphabetically in the above categories by main entry, followed by imprint, frequency and/or date of publication, volumes held by the library,…

  17. Questions and Answers on Unfair Labor Practices. A Practitioner's Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Indiana Univ., Bloomington. Midwest Center for Public Sector Labor Relations.

    An unfair labor practice is the violation of any right granted employees, unions, or employers by a collective bargaining law. This guide answers common questions about unfair labor practices in public sector labor relations. The booklet is divided into two sections, unfair employer labor practices and unfair union labor practices. The section…

  18. Urban Teachers Unions Face Their Future: The Dilemmas of Organizational Maturity.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cooper, Bruce S.; Liotta, Marie-Elena

    2001-01-01

    Urban teachers' unions, as mature institutions, face three dilemmas: ensuring a steady supply of quality teachers while limiting supply to raise demand and salaries; seeking to become a more powerful national voice for teachers; and striving to preserve large, monopolistic public education while being aware of the need to reform, restructure, and…

  19. 78 FR 53170 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Reinstatement, With Change, of a...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-28

    ... following information collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance under... the public. NCUA has authorized federal credit unions to advance money to members to cover account... . OMB Contact: Office of Management and Budget, ATTN: Desk Officer for the National Credit Union...

  20. Is the Agency Shop Appropriate for Negotiated Settlements in Public Education?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ellmann, Erwin B.

    In this report, the author presents examples from the field of private labor relations that demonstrate the value of agency shops. He argues that agency shops contribute to union stability which stability leads to a more businesslike union-management relationship. The author examines State and Federal constitutions to determine the validity of…

  1. 76 FR 22156 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for Review; Comment Request

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-20

    ... Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Public Law... collection of information: Title: Corporate Credit Union Monthly Call Report. OMB Number: 3133-0067. Form.... Description: NCUA utilizes the information to monitor financial conditions in corporate credit unions, and to...

  2. The Professional Educator: Union Strong before and after the Storm

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Capo, Zeph

    2018-01-01

    It's no secret that organized labor and public education face a time of great uncertainty. Our country's current president and secretary of education, according to this author, have made clear their intent to support corporate greed at the expense of working people and their unions and to champion privatization schemes that undermine public…

  3. TEACHER'S GUIDE TO OUTDOOR EDUCATION.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    RYAN, ARTHUR J.

    INCLUDED ARE (1) A DESCRIPTIVE BROCHURE, AND (2) A TEACHER'S GUIDE FOR THE UNION COUNTY OUTDOOR EDUCATION CENTER. THE PROGRAM CONSISTS OF A DAY CENTER, WHICH PROVIDES ONE- AND TWO-DAY SESSIONS OF AT LEAST FOUR HOURS DURATION FOR GRADE 5 STUDENTS FROM PUBLIC AND NON-PROFIT SCHOOLS IN UNION COUNTY. THE DESCRIPTIVE BROCHURE RELATES (1) THE LOCATION…

  4. Earth Day at Union Station

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2013-04-22

    Holli Riebeek, Education and Public Outreach Lead for NASA/Landsat Mission at NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center, is seen speaking to students at NASA's Earth Day Science Gallery Exhibit, Monday, April 22, 2013 at Union Station in Washington. The NASA Science Gallery exhibits are being sponsored by NASA in honor of Earth Day. (Photo Credit: NASA/Carla Cioffi)

  5. Earth Day at Union Station

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2013-04-22

    Holli Riebeek, Education and Public Outreach Lead for NASA/Landsat Mission at NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center, holds up Landsat maps NASA's Earth Day Science Gallery Exhibit, Monday, April 22, 2013 at Union Station in Washington. The NASA Science Gallery exhibits are being sponsored by NASA in honor of Earth Day. (Photo Credit: NASA/Carla Cioffi)

  6. Costs of Conjunctivitis Outbreak, Réunion Island, France

    PubMed Central

    Pagès, Frederic; Wan, Guy-Noel Chan; Brottet, Elise; Vilain, Pascal

    2018-01-01

    During January–April 2015, a major outbreak of conjunctivitis on Réunion Island caused a large public health impact. On the basis of general practitioner consultations, emergency department visits, and eye medication sales during the 13-week epidemic, we estimated a total healthcare cost of €3,341,191 from the outbreak. PMID:29260662

  7. 31 CFR 312.4 - Bond of indemnity.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ..., DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY BUREAU OF THE PUBLIC DEBT FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND FEDERAL CREDIT UNIONS AS FISCAL AGENTS OF THE UNITED STATES § 312.4 Bond of indemnity. No Federal savings and loan... of $1,000 and until the Federal Home Loan Bank Board or the Bureau of Federal Credit Unions...

  8. Institutionalization in Taiwan. The role of caregiver gender.

    PubMed

    Kao, Hsueh-Fen Sabrina

    2003-10-01

    The role of caregiver gender in the likelihood of institutionalization of Taiwanese older adults was explored in this study. A sample of 78 male and 69 female primary caregivers of elderly patients who had experienced a stroke at least 6 months prior to the study were interviewed. Logistic regression analyses were applied to examine direct and interaction effects of the elderly adult's functioning the caregiver's available resources, the degree of caregiver burden, perceived public opinion toward institutionalization, and precipitating events on the likelihood of institutionalization among Taiwanese male and female caregivers. Women were more likely to institutionalize the older adult for whom they cared. The proposed model correctly predicted the likelihood of institutionalization of an elderly adult based on male versus female caregivers at the 92% level. Perceived public opinion toward institutionalization was the most significant predictor of institutionalization for both genders. Perceived public opinion toward institutionalization has a strong influence on whether or not caregivers institutionalize an elderly relative. This is consistent with Chinese culture in which public opinion has a much stronger effect on individual behavior than in the United States. American concepts of "minding one's own business" do not exist in Taiwan. It is logical that the older adults' level of functioning would predict the likelihood of institutionalization regardless of caregiver gender. In terms of caregiver characteristics, working hours in male caregivers is more predictive, and the quality of the relationship with the older adult was more predictive of institutionalization for female caregivers.

  9. School Law: Handbook for School Board Members. A Handbook of Information on New York State Education Law, Regulations and Decisions of the Commissioner of Education, and Other Laws and Legal Opinions Relating to Education. For the Guidance of School Administrators and Boards of Education in New York State.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hageny, William J.

    In simple and readily available form, this handbook provides boards of education with the laws and regulations governing central school districts, union free schools, and city schools. It should save both time and unnecessary mistakes and give the board an understanding of the legal framework on which the school rests so that the board can proceed…

  10. The State of Relations between the Countries of the Former Soviet Union and Its Former Client State of Syria: How Have the Relationships Changed After the Break-Up and What Does it Mean

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2000-04-27

    end of this visit, he stated his opinion that the western market was firmly controlled by Western corporations and there was not any sense in focusing...Belarussian efforts to compete in an overcrowded market . To this end, there were plans made to open a Belarussian diplomatic representation and a...Works was exploring the possibility of having its MTZ-321 tractors assembled from kits in Syria. The report went on to state that the market in Syria for

  11. 42 CFR 1008.47 - Disclosure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL-HEALTH CARE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES OIG AUTHORITIES ADVISORY..., or any other Department or agency of the United States in connection with an advisory opinion request... connection with a request for an advisory opinion may be available to the public in accordance with 5 U.S.C...

  12. 42 CFR 1008.47 - Disclosure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL-HEALTH CARE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES OIG AUTHORITIES ADVISORY..., or any other Department or agency of the United States in connection with an advisory opinion request... connection with a request for an advisory opinion may be available to the public in accordance with 5 U.S.C...

  13. Legal Decisions and Opinions in Pollution Cases

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hills, John P.

    1976-01-01

    When dealing with the "frontier of scientific knowledge" and questions of public health, United States courts are waiving traditional burdens of proof, giving increased weight to expert opinions and/or lowering their standard of necessary proof. Recent cases involving asbestos, pesticides, lead in gasoline, and vinyl chlorides are discussed. (BT)

  14. Content Validity in Evaluation and Policy-Relevant Research.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mark, Melvin M.; And Others

    1985-01-01

    The role of content validity in policy-relevant research is illustrated in a study contrasting results of surveys concerning public opinion toward gun control. Inadequate content validity threatened inferences about the overall level of support for gun control, but not about opinion difference between sexes or respondents of varying political…

  15. 19 CFR 210.79 - Advisory opinions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ...) Revocation. The Commission may at any time reconsider any advice given under this section and, where the public interest requires, revoke its prior advice. In such event the person will be given notice of the... advice and has framed his request as fully and accurately as possible. Advisory opinion proceedings are...

  16. 19 CFR 210.79 - Advisory opinions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ...) Revocation. The Commission may at any time reconsider any advice given under this section and, where the public interest requires, revoke its prior advice. In such event the person will be given notice of the... advice and has framed his request as fully and accurately as possible. Advisory opinion proceedings are...

  17. 28 CFR 0.66 - Delegation respecting title opinions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... JUSTICE Environment and Natural Resources Division § 0.66 Delegation respecting title opinions. (a) The Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Environment and Natural Resources Division or such members of... provisions of section 1 of Public Law 91-393, approved September 1, 1970, 84 Stat. 835, the Assistant...

  18. 28 CFR 0.66 - Delegation respecting title opinions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... JUSTICE Environment and Natural Resources Division § 0.66 Delegation respecting title opinions. (a) The Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Environment and Natural Resources Division or such members of... provisions of section 1 of Public Law 91-393, approved September 1, 1970, 84 Stat. 835, the Assistant...

  19. 28 CFR 0.66 - Delegation respecting title opinions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... JUSTICE Environment and Natural Resources Division § 0.66 Delegation respecting title opinions. (a) The Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Environment and Natural Resources Division or such members of... provisions of section 1 of Public Law 91-393, approved September 1, 1970, 84 Stat. 835, the Assistant...

  20. Public Opinion toward Sexuality Education: Findings among One South Florida County

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Howard-Barr, Elissa; Moore, Michele Johnson; Weiss, Josie A.; Jobli, Edessa

    2011-01-01

    As part of a community plan to implement abstinence-based sexuality education, this study assessed opinions toward sexuality education among residents. Respondents (N = 1,090) were selected by random digit dialing. The survey, adopted from previous national studies, assessed attitudes towards sexuality education. Chi-square tests of significance…

  1. You Don't Say!: When Preservice Teachers' Public Discourse Differs from Private Opinion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fondrie, Suzanne

    2009-01-01

    Is what preservice teachers say about issues surrounding culture and diversity actually what they believe? Using a short critical analysis of "The Three Little Pigs," the author engages students in an anonymous writing activity that reveals dissonant opinions and leads to opportunities for discussion.

  2. The Misperception of Public Opinion Toward Capital Punishment.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGarrell, Edmund F.; Sandys, Marla

    1996-01-01

    Contends that often lawmakers misread their constituents' opinions on important issues. Presents data from an Indiana survey that suggest support for the death penalty vanishes when citizens are given the option of life in prison without possibility of parole combined with a requirement of work and restitution. (MJP)

  3. Renewable energy policy design and framing influence public support in the United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stokes, Leah C.; Warshaw, Christopher

    2017-08-01

    The United States has often led the world in supporting renewable energy technologies at both the state and federal level. However, since 2011 several states have weakened their renewable energy policies. Public opinion will probably be crucial for determining whether states expand or contract their renewable energy policies in the future. Here we show that a majority of the public in most states supports renewable portfolio standards, which require a portion of the electricity mix to come from renewables. However, policy design and framing can strongly influence public support. Using a survey experiment, we show that effects of renewable portfolio standards bills on residential electricity costs, jobs and pollution, as well as bipartisan elite support, are all important drivers of public support. In many states, these bills' design and framing can push public opinion above or below majority support.

  4. 22 CFR 303.5 - Public reading room.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2011-04-01 2009-04-01 true Public reading room. 303.5 Section 303.5 Foreign... Public reading room. (a) The Peace Corps will maintain a public reading room at its headquarters at 1111... records will be made available in the public reading room: (1) All final public opinions, including...

  5. 22 CFR 303.5 - Public reading room.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Public reading room. 303.5 Section 303.5 Foreign... Public reading room. (a) The Peace Corps will maintain a public reading room at its headquarters at 1111... records will be made available in the public reading room: (1) All final public opinions, including...

  6. Public understanding of climate change in the United States.

    PubMed

    Weber, Elke U; Stern, Paul C

    2011-01-01

    This article considers scientific and public understandings of climate change and addresses the following question: Why is it that while scientific evidence has accumulated to document global climate change and scientific opinion has solidified about its existence and causes, U.S. public opinion has not and has instead become more polarized? Our review supports a constructivist account of human judgment. Public understanding is affected by the inherent difficulty of understanding climate change, the mismatch between people's usual modes of understanding and the task, and, particularly in the United States, a continuing societal struggle to shape the frames and mental models people use to understand the phenomena. We conclude by discussing ways in which psychology can help to improve public understanding of climate change and link a better understanding to action. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved).

  7. Rise of an alternative majority against opinion leaders

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tucci, K.; González-Avella, J. C.; Cosenza, M. G.

    2016-03-01

    We investigate the role of opinion leaders or influentials in the collective behavior of a social system. Opinion leaders are characterized by their unidirectional influence on other agents. We employ a model based on Axelrod's dynamics for cultural interaction among social agents that allows for non-interacting states. We find three collective phases in the space of parameters of the system, given by the fraction of opinion leaders and a quantity representing the number of available states: one ordered phase having the state imposed by the leaders; another nontrivial ordered phase consisting of a majority group in a state orthogonal or alternative to that of the opinion leaders, and a disordered phase, where many small groups coexist. We show that the spontaneous rise of an alternative group in the presence of opinion leaders depends on the existence of a minimum number of long-range connections in the underlying network. This phenomenon challenges the common idea that influentials are fundamental to propagation processes in society, such as the formation of public opinion.

  8. Building operational research capacity in the Pacific

    PubMed Central

    Viney, K.; Brostrom, R.; Gounder, S.; Khogali, M.; Kishore, K.; Kool, B.; Kumar, A. M. V.; Manzi, M.; Marais, B.; Marks, G.; Linh, N. N.; Ram, S.; Reid, S.; Roseveare, C.; Tayler-Smith, K.; Van den Bergh, R.; Harries, A. D.

    2014-01-01

    Operational research (OR) in public health aims to investigate strategies, interventions, tools or knowledge that can enhance the quality, coverage, effectiveness or performance of health systems. Attention has recently been drawn to the lack of OR capacity in public health programmes throughout the Pacific Islands, despite considerable investment in implementation. This lack of ongoing and critical reflection may prevent health programme staff from understanding why programme objectives are not being fully achieved, and hinder long-term gains in public health. The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) has been collaborating with Pacific agencies to conduct OR courses based on the training model developed by The Union and Médecins Sans Frontières Brussels-Luxembourg in 2009. The first of these commenced in 2011 in collaboration with the Fiji National University, the Fiji Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization and other partners. The Union and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community organised a second course for participants from other Pacific Island countries and territories in 2012, and an additional course for Fijian participants commenced in 2013. Twelve participants enrolled in each of the three courses. Of the two courses completed by end 2013, 18 of 24 participants completed their OR and submitted papers by the course deadline, and 17 papers have been published to date. This article describes the context, process and outputs of the Pacific courses, as well as innovations, adaptations and challenges. PMID:26477282

  9. Building operational research capacity in the Pacific.

    PubMed

    Bissell, K; Viney, K; Brostrom, R; Gounder, S; Khogali, M; Kishore, K; Kool, B; Kumar, A M V; Manzi, M; Marais, B; Marks, G; Linh, N N; Ram, S; Reid, S; Roseveare, C; Tayler-Smith, K; Van den Bergh, R; Harries, A D

    2014-06-21

    Operational research (OR) in public health aims to investigate strategies, interventions, tools or knowledge that can enhance the quality, coverage, effectiveness or performance of health systems. Attention has recently been drawn to the lack of OR capacity in public health programmes throughout the Pacific Islands, despite considerable investment in implementation. This lack of ongoing and critical reflection may prevent health programme staff from understanding why programme objectives are not being fully achieved, and hinder long-term gains in public health. The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) has been collaborating with Pacific agencies to conduct OR courses based on the training model developed by The Union and Médecins Sans Frontières Brussels-Luxembourg in 2009. The first of these commenced in 2011 in collaboration with the Fiji National University, the Fiji Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization and other partners. The Union and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community organised a second course for participants from other Pacific Island countries and territories in 2012, and an additional course for Fijian participants commenced in 2013. Twelve participants enrolled in each of the three courses. Of the two courses completed by end 2013, 18 of 24 participants completed their OR and submitted papers by the course deadline, and 17 papers have been published to date. This article describes the context, process and outputs of the Pacific courses, as well as innovations, adaptations and challenges.

  10. “Can It Read My Mind?” – What Do the Public and Experts Think of the Current (Mis)Uses of Neuroimaging?

    PubMed Central

    Wardlaw, Joanna M.; O'Connell, Garret; Shuler, Kirsten; DeWilde, Janet; Haley, Jane; Escobar, Oliver; Murray, Shaun; Rae, Robert; Jarvie, Donald; Sandercock, Peter; Schafer, Burkhard

    2011-01-01

    Emerging applications of neuroimaging outside medicine and science have received intense public exposure through the media. Media misrepresentations can create a gulf between public and scientific understanding of the capabilities of neuroimaging and raise false expectations. To determine the extent of this effect and determine public opinions on acceptable uses and the need for regulation, we designed an electronic survey to obtain anonymous opinions from as wide a range of members of the public and neuroimaging experts as possible. The surveys ran from 1st June to 30 September 2010, asked 10 and 21 questions, respectively, about uses of neuroimaging outside traditional medical diagnosis, data storage, science communication and potential methods of regulation. We analysed the responses using descriptive statistics; 660 individuals responded to the public and 303 individuals responded to the expert survey. We found evidence of public skepticism about the use of neuroimaging for applications such as lie detection or to determine consumer preferences and considerable disquiet about use by employers or government and about how their data would be stored and used. While also somewhat skeptical about new applications of neuroimaging, experts grossly underestimated how often neuroimaging had been used as evidence in court. Although both the public and the experts rated highly the importance of a better informed public in limiting the inappropriate uses to which neuroimaging might be put, opinions differed on the need for, and mechanism of, actual regulation. Neuroscientists recognized the risks of inaccurate reporting of neuroimaging capabilities in the media but showed little motivation to engage with the public. The present study also emphasizes the need for better frameworks for scientific engagement with media and public education. PMID:21991367

  11. The United Mine Workers of American and the recognition of occupational respiratory diseases, 1902-1968.

    PubMed

    Derickson, A

    1991-06-01

    This study examines the early efforts of the United Mine Workers of America to illuminate the problem of occupational respiratory diseases in the coal fields. The union used the hearings of the US Anthracite Coal Strike Commission of 1902-3 to draw public attention to "miners' asthma." In 1915, it began to agitate for the provision of workers' compensation benefits for victims of this disorder. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the union's Welfare and Retirement Fund disseminated information on advances in understanding chronic pulmonary diseases of mining. In particular, the miners' fund promoted the British conceptualization of a distinctive coal workers' pneumoconiosis. At the same time, the staff of the union health plan pressed the US Public Health Service and the Pennsylvania Department of Health to investigate the prevalence of occupational respiratory diseases among bituminous miners. Taken together, these endeavors contributed significantly to growing recognition of the severity and extent of this important public health problem and thus helped lay the foundation for the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969.

  12. The United Mine Workers of American and the recognition of occupational respiratory diseases, 1902-1968.

    PubMed Central

    Derickson, A

    1991-01-01

    This study examines the early efforts of the United Mine Workers of America to illuminate the problem of occupational respiratory diseases in the coal fields. The union used the hearings of the US Anthracite Coal Strike Commission of 1902-3 to draw public attention to "miners' asthma." In 1915, it began to agitate for the provision of workers' compensation benefits for victims of this disorder. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the union's Welfare and Retirement Fund disseminated information on advances in understanding chronic pulmonary diseases of mining. In particular, the miners' fund promoted the British conceptualization of a distinctive coal workers' pneumoconiosis. At the same time, the staff of the union health plan pressed the US Public Health Service and the Pennsylvania Department of Health to investigate the prevalence of occupational respiratory diseases among bituminous miners. Taken together, these endeavors contributed significantly to growing recognition of the severity and extent of this important public health problem and thus helped lay the foundation for the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969. Images p784-a p787-a PMID:1827571

  13. [Public opinion on active euthanasia. The results of a pilot project].

    PubMed

    Helou, A; Wende, A; Hecke, T; Rohrmann, S; Buser, K; Dierks, M L

    2000-03-17

    Despite eager public interest there have been few significant studies about the views of the German population on active euthanasia. It was our purpose to investigate, before undertaking a representative enquiry about this controversial and ethically sensitive topic, to what extent public opinion and the underlying norms, values and preferences can be adequately obtained by standardized data collection. COHORT AND METHODS: An interdisciplinary project group established a standardized written form of enquiry for measuring public opinion about active euthanasia. The test was performed on an anonymized convenience [corrected] sample of 110 persons living in North Germany. The questionnaires consisted of ten hypothetical cases, 11 potentially relevant viewpoints on likely decisions and eight frequently expressed arguments used in the debate for and against euthanasia. The reply rate to the questionnaire was 89% (n = 98; 37 men and 59 women, average age 39.5 [21-81] years). Agreement with active euthanasia in the various case examples ranged, according to context, from 85 to 93%. Active euthanasia was accepted by a clear majority, if preconditions of a voluntary decision by a mentally sound person and incurable, terminal disease (cancer) are cumulatively fulfilled. Otherwise it was rejected by most respondents. To a clear majority, active euthanasia implied both the chance that suffering would be shortened, but also the danger of misuse. Among the persons questioned those with professional experience of euthanasia were clearly more sceptical about active euthanasia than those without such experience. The standardized written questionnaire made it possible to obtain a differentiated picture of public opinion on active euthanasia. However, these data represent only a moment in the dynamic process of a norm being established within a society and must on no account be used as legitimizing active euthanasia by plebiscite.

  14. Public perception: Distrust for fracking

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    MacNaghten, Philip

    2017-04-01

    Oil and gas extraction via hydraulic fracturing is controversial, with government support but mixed public opinion. Deliberative research shows that securing public support may be difficult because citizens in the United States and United Kingdom are sceptical of government and industry motives.

  15. Assessing public inconvenience in highway work zones.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2002-06-01

    The traveling public is making increasingly frequent contact with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) when entering a work zone. Because ODOT remains very sensitive to the needs of the public, it is important to understand their opinions a...

  16. Public attention to science and political news and support for climate change mitigation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hart, P. Sol; Nisbet, Erik C.; Myers, Teresa A.

    2015-06-01

    We examine how attention to science and political news may influence public knowledge, perceived harm, and support for climate mitigation policies. Previous research examining these relationships has not fully accounted for how political ideology shapes the mental processes through which the public interprets media discourses about climate change. We incorporate political ideology and the concept of motivated cognition into our analysis to compare and contrast two prominent models of opinion formation, the scientific literacy model, which posits that disseminating scientific information will move public opinion towards the scientific consensus, and the motivated reasoning model, which posits that individuals will interpret information in a biased manner. Our analysis finds support for both models of opinion formation with key differences across ideological groups. Attention to science news was associated with greater perceptions of harm and knowledge for conservatives, but only additional knowledge for liberals. Supporting the literacy model, greater knowledge was associated with more support for climate mitigation for liberals. In contrast, consistent with motivated reasoning, more knowledgeable conservatives were less supportive of mitigation policy. In addition, attention to political news had a negative association with perceived harm for conservatives but not for liberals.

  17. Do Authoritarian Governments Respond to Public Opinion on the Environment? Evidence from China

    PubMed Central

    Tang, Xiao; Chen, Weiwei

    2018-01-01

    Given its serious impacts on the public’s health, air pollution in China is a matter of strong public concern, particularly in reference to malodorous waste gas. Petition letters related to atmospheric pollution accounted for about 40% of the total petition cases. However, scholarly views differ on whether the Chinese government responds to public opinion on the environment and seeks to improve its environmental governance behavior. For this study, data from national surveys on the public’s environmental satisfaction administered during the period 2011–2015 were analyzed to determine whether the public’s dissatisfaction with the state of the environment in a given year resulted in increased investments by provincial governments in pollution governance during the following year. The study’s findings revealed that governmental behavior in response to public opinion on the environment was selective within the field of environmental governance, with provincial governments being inclined to invest more in waste gas pollution control than in water pollution control. Furthermore, results from this study show that the Chinese government tends to put more efforts into the environmental field where it could more easily achieve short-term benefits. PMID:29401701

  18. Activeness as a key to counter democratic balance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qian, Shen; Liu, Yijun; Galam, Serge

    2015-08-01

    According to the classic Galam model of opinion dynamics, each agent participates at each update of an opinion interaction. While the scheme gives everyone the same chance to influence others, in reality, social activity and influence vary considerably from one agent to another. To account for such a feature, we introduce a new individual attribute-"activeness"-which makes some agents more inclined than others at engaging in local discussions. To enhance the corresponding effect, opinion updates are shifted from all-out agent interaction cycles to few agent interaction cycles. Using dynamic analysis and simulations the resulting model is found to exhibit a "Minority Counteroffensive" phenomenon, which under some initial conditions makes the minority to win the opinion competition despite a threshold tipping point at fifty percent. The associated probabilistic phenomenon persists in the case "activeness" is held equal for all agents. The effect of "opinion leaders" is also investigated. Indeed, a leader is an inflexible agent, i.e., an agent who does not change opinion. The results reveal that two opinion leaders with moderate social influence may have a stronger effect than one opinion leader with a strong social influence. The model may shed a new light to the understanding of opinion formation and public voting.

  19. How Can Improvements Be Made to the United States Metrorail System (With a Focus on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Metrorail System) to Enhance Safety for Its Riders

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-06-10

    involved, whether it is citizens commuting to work, families traveling into the National Capital Region, or tourists that are traveling to visit the...Nations Capital . The public opinion of the WMATA Metrorail system has been on a gradual decline over the years due to the accidents, current system...National Capital Region, or tourists that are traveling to visit the Nations Capital . The public opinion of the WMATA Metrorail system has been on a

  20. Teachers Unions and the War Within: Making Sense of the Conflict

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Antonucci, Mike

    2015-01-01

    In 1983, after the "A Nation at Risk" report came out, National Education Association (NEA) president Mary Hatwood Futrell attempted to mobilize the teachers union to lead the reform movement in American public education. This author states that Futrell failed at that task, as did Bob Chase, as did his successors, as will future NEA…

  1. 77 FR 9296 - Notice of Applications for Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity and Foreign Air...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-16

    ... foreign air transportation to the full extent permitted by the United States-European Union Air Transport...; and (d) transportation authorized by any additional route rights made available to European Union... transportation of persons, property, and mail from any point or points behind any Member State of the European...

  2. 78 FR 20372 - Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity and Foreign Air Carrier Permits; Notice of...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-04

    ... Member State of the European Union, via any point or points in any Member State and via intermediate... made available to European Union carriers in the future. Docket Number: DOT-OST-2013-0057. Date Filed... member of the European Common Aviation Area; (c) foreign charter air transportation of cargo between any...

  3. 78 FR 39435 - Applications for Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity and Foreign Air Carrier Permits

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-07-01

    ... Member State of the European Union via any point or points in any Member State and via intermediate... rights made available to European Union carriers in the future. Barbara J. Hairston, Acting Program... any member of the European Common Aviation Area; (c) foreign charter cargo air transportation between...

  4. 78 FR 68134 - Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity and Foreign Air Carrier Permits

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-11-13

    ... behind any Member State of the European Union, via any point or points in any EU Member State and via... available to European Union carriers in the future. Barbara J. Hairston, Supervisory Dockets Officer, Docket... points in any member of the European Common Aviation Area; (iii) foreign charter air transportation of...

  5. 12 CFR 709.4 - Powers and duties of liquidating agent.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... desirable or expedient in its discretion to wind up the affairs of the credit union including, but not... Certified Public Accountants, and pay the costs out of the assets of the liquidated credit union; (4) Employ..., including, but not limited to, the costs and expenses of any litigation, as approved by the General Counsel...

  6. 12 CFR 709.4 - Powers and duties of liquidating agent.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... desirable or expedient in its discretion to wind up the affairs of the credit union including, but not... Certified Public Accountants, and pay the costs out of the assets of the liquidated credit union; (4) Employ..., including, but not limited to, the costs and expenses of any litigation, as approved by the General Counsel...

  7. 12 CFR 709.4 - Powers and duties of liquidating agent.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... desirable or expedient in its discretion to wind up the affairs of the credit union including, but not... Certified Public Accountants, and pay the costs out of the assets of the liquidated credit union; (4) Employ..., including, but not limited to, the costs and expenses of any litigation, as approved by the General Counsel...

  8. Teacher Unions and the Politics of Fear in Labor Relations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cooper, Bruce S.; Sureau, John

    2008-01-01

    Union-management relationships have been filled with fear since the rise of capitalism; public education is no different. Workers fear exploitation by owners (profits depend on it) and capitalist/management has always worried that the working classes will organize and either take over the firm or strike and bring production to a screeching halt.…

  9. International Union for Conservation of Nature Bulletin (IUCN), Volume 3 Number 2.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    IUCN Bulletin, 1972

    1972-01-01

    Compiled in this newsletter are activities, viewpoints, reports, and publications of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). The principal article in this issue is a discussion of land use, one of the major forces contributing to the crisis of the human environment in addition to population and pollution.…

  10. Union Status and Faculty Job Satisfaction: Contemporary Evidence from the 2004 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Myers, Carrie B.

    2011-01-01

    This study tests the association between union status and job satisfaction using 8,000+ U.S. faculty at four-year public institutions surveyed in the 2004 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty. The results from hierarchical linear models that included individual and institutional variables found that nonunion faculty reported significantly…

  11. When Solidarity Doesn't Quite Strike: The 1974 Hortonville, Wisconsin Teachers' Strike and the Rise of Neoliberalism

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schirmer, Eleni Brelis

    2017-01-01

    As public-sector unions such as teachers' unions used the boon of post-war liberalism to form their political power, they imported many of liberalism's key contradictions: its formation of racial contracts, its misappraisal of affective labour, and its opportunistic collective action logics. This article suggests cracks within liberalism weakened…

  12. Dignity in the Workplace: A Student Guide to Labor Unions. Connections. School and Work Transitions.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Merz, Harold E.; Bhaerman, Robert D.

    This student guide provides instructional materials for seven units in the area of labor studies. Unit topics are introduction to labor unions, who labor in America is, collective bargaining: democracy in the workplace, preserving workers' rights: safeguards in the system, partners in education and training, partners in public service: labor…

  13. 76 FR 1666 - Susquehanna Union Railroad Company-Control Exemption-North Shore Railroad Company, Nittany & Bald...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-11

    ... rail transportation system that will continue to meet the needs of the shipping public. 49 U.S.C. 10101... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [STB FD 35343] Susquehanna Union... 49 U.S.C. 11323(a)(4) to acquire 100% stock control of 6 Class III railroads: North Shore Railroad...

  14. 77 FR 21142 - Advisory Committee for the Study of Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-09

    ... the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII) The Advisory Committee for the Study of Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII) will convene on Thursday... committee deliberation, interested members of the public may make oral statements concerning the Title VIII...

  15. Safeguarding and Creating Jobs Is a Sign of Social Responsibility. Changing Trade Unions and Management in Germany.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horstkotte, Hermann

    1998-01-01

    As in many other industrialized countries, advances in computer technology are transforming Germany's industrial society into an information and services society. Increasingly fewer jobs are available in traditional industries and in the public sector. In the 1990s, Germany's trade unions and employers' associations have experienced steady…

  16. Has anyone seen it? Health care in Croatian elections.

    PubMed

    Radin, Dagmar; Džakula, Aleksandar

    2012-01-01

    Over the past decade, public opinion surveys have shown that Croats are deeply dissatisfied with their health care system and asses it to be one of the most important issues. However, health care hardly makes it into any political discourse in Croatia. This study analyzes the results of a public opinion survey conducted before the 2007 parliamentary elections to find out what the public sentiment on health care performance in Croatia is and to analyze the reasons why health care is not addressed by political actors. Evidence suggests that while health care is the most salient issue today, the public often understands it poorly. Thus, in a political environment of competing issues, and given the complexity of tacking health care in the policy arena, politicians strategically avoid discussing the issue.

  17. Arms and alliance in Japanese public opinion

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

    Umemoto, T.

    1985-01-01

    This thesis analyzes the transformation of Japanese public opinion concerning the nation's security posture during the past decade. Until the early 1970s, the peculiar strength of a neutralist-pacifist outlook among the Japanese people, which arose in large part from the absence of a serious external threat severely encumbered Tokyo's defense efforts in the context of the alliance with the United States. In particular, such state of domestic opinion gave rise to what the author has elected to call the institutionalized constraints - limitations deriving from constitutional interpretation, the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, and the Three Principles on Weapons Exports - onmore » the scope of such endeavors. It moreover prepared the condition for the Government's adoption of restrictive military buildup policies in the National Defense Program Outline. Over the past decade, however, as Japan's security environment has deteriorated with the growth of the putative Soviet threat, and as the United States and China have come to expect greater Japanese defense efforts, the climate of opinion within Japan has gradually shifted in favor of a security posture based on the Mutual Security Treaty (MST) and the Self-Defense Forces (SDFs). Opinion polls have come to indicate solid popular approval of maintenance of armament and participation in alliance.« less

  18. Correlation between information diffusion and opinion evolution on social media

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xiong, Fei; Liu, Yun; Zhang, Zhenjiang

    2014-12-01

    Information diffusion and opinion evolution are often treated as two independent processes. Opinion models assume the topic reaches each agent and agents initially have their own ideas. In fact, the processes of information diffusion and opinion evolution often intertwine with each other. Whether the influence between these two processes plays a role in the system state is unclear. In this paper, we collected more than one million real data from a well-known social platform, and analysed large-scale user diffusion behaviour and opinion formation. We found that user inter-event time follows a two-scaling power-law distribution with two different power exponents. Public opinion stabilizes quickly and evolves toward the direction of convergence, but the consensus state is prevented by a few opponents. We propose a three-state opinion model accompanied by information diffusion. Agents form and exchange their opinions during information diffusion. Conversely, agents' opinions also influence their diffusion actions. Simulations show that the model with a correlation of the two processes produces similar statistical characteristics as empirical results. A fast epidemic process drives individual opinions to converge more obviously. Unlike previous epidemic models, the number of infected agents does not always increase with the update rate, but has a peak with an intermediate value of the rate.

  19. 76 FR 67405 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Federal Statistical System Public Opinion Survey

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-11-01

    ... survey firm to conduct a nightly poll of public attitudes toward the 2010 Census, public awareness of... will assist the Census Bureau in addressing attitudes, beliefs, and concerns the public may have... the federal government from the public, as well attitudes toward and knowledge of the statistical uses...

  20. Public Opinion on School-Based Sex Education in South Carolina

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alton, Forrest L.; Valois, Robert F.; Oldendick, Robert; Drane, J. Wanzer

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this article was to determine opinions on the use of abstinence only versus comprehensive sex education by registered voters in South Carolina. A cross-sectional, random-digit dial sample was utilized. Approximately 81% of respondents indicated support for sex education that emphasizes abstinence but also teaches about the benefits…

  1. Adults' Views on Mathematics Education: A Midwest Sample

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brez, Caitlin C.; Allen, Jessica J.

    2016-01-01

    Currently, few studies have addressed public opinions regarding math education. The current study surveyed adults in a Midwestern town in the United States to assess opinions regarding math and math education. Overall, we found that adults believe that math is useful and that math education is important. We found that parents who currently have a…

  2. Perspectives: A Journal of Research and Opinion about Educational Service Agencies, 1995-1998.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keane, William G., Ed.

    1998-01-01

    This document consists of the first four volumes of the annual serial publication "Perspectives: A Journal of Research and Opinion about Educational Service Agencies." Educational service agencies (ESAs) have various names and characteristics across states, but all provide services to local education agencies in a specific geographic region. ESAs…

  3. School Facilities Funding: IDRA Special Bulletin.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    IDRA Special Bulletin, 1995

    1995-01-01

    This special bulletin examines the Texas Supreme Court's January 1995 final opinion in the Edgewood vs. Meno case, the latest in a series of rulings on the constitutionality of the Texas public school funding system. The first article summarizes the majority opinion, discusses the implications of the court's 5-4 ruling, and suggests that further…

  4. Interest group opinions about fuel reduction in southern Appalachia

    Treesearch

    Carin E. Vadala; Robert D. Bixler; Thomas A. Waldrop

    2013-01-01

    Opinions of interested publics and interest groups (n = 640) about fuel reduction (FR) in the Southern Appalachian Mountains were investigated through social survey using both pictorial and written questions. The study identified three discrete groups based on knowledge of forest history in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, attitudes toward social and ecological...

  5. 22 CFR 66.4 - Availability of final opinions, orders, policies, interpretations, manuals and instructions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... is not an adjudicatory organization and therefore does not issue final opinions and orders made in... manuals and instructions to staff that affect any member of the public. (a) Deletion to protect privacy. To the extent required to prevent a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, NED may delete...

  6. Pragmatic Divestment of KC-135 Navigators in the Special Operations Air Refueling Mission

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-03-26

    publicly expressed opinions, and the bandwagon effect of majority opinion. This technique replaces direct debate by a carefully designed program of... effective , comprehensive solution. Ultimately, the panel of experts arrived at conclusions supporting the hypothesis that navigator divestment and SOAR...manpower, personnel, and training effects after navigators are phased out

  7. Handling News Media: Johnson and Dorman's Bag of Tricks.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Ralph H.; Dorman, William A.

    What passes for considered judgment in public discourse today is often little more than "unearned opinion"--the received opinion offered by others who have the power to shape the news. So students must develop consistent intellectual standards for routinely evaluating the news media which so frequently provide the empirical stuff about…

  8. SSIC model: A multi-layer model for intervention of online rumors spreading

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tian, Ru-Ya; Zhang, Xue-Fu; Liu, Yi-Jun

    2015-06-01

    SIR model is a classical model to simulate rumor spreading, while the supernetwork is an effective tool for modeling complex systems. Based on the Opinion SuperNetwork involving Social Sub-network, Environmental Sub-network, Psychological Sub-network, and Viewpoint Sub-network, drawing from the modeling idea of SIR model, this paper designs super SIC model (SSIC model) and its evolution rules, and also analyzes intervention effects on public opinion of four elements of supernetwork, which are opinion agent, opinion environment, agent's psychology and viewpoint. Studies show that, the SSIC model based on supernetwork has effective intervention effects on rumor spreading. It is worth noting that (i) identifying rumor spreaders in Social Sub-network and isolating them can achieve desired intervention results, (ii) improving environmental information transparency so that the public knows as much information as possible to reduce the rumors is a feasible way to intervene, (iii) persuading wavering neutrals has better intervention effects than clarifying rumors already spread everywhere, so rumors should be intervened in properly in time by psychology counseling.

  9. Resident Physician Duty-hour Requirements: What Does the Public Think?

    PubMed

    Mercuri, John J; Okey, Neil E; Karia, Raj J; Gross, Richard H; Zuckerman, Joseph D

    2016-11-01

    To date, no study has reported on the public's opinion of orthopaedic resident duty-hour requirements (DHR). A survey was administered to people in orthopaedic waiting rooms and at three senior centers. Responses were analyzed to evaluate seven domains: knowledge of duty hours; opinions about duty hours; attitudes regarding shift work; patient safety concerns; and the effects of DHRs on continuity of care, on resident training, and on resident professionalism. Respondents felt that fatigue was unsafe and duty hours were beneficial in preventing resident physician fatigue. They supported the idea of residents working in shifts but did not support shifts for attending physicians. However, respondents wanted the same resident to provide continuity of care, even if that violated DHRs. They were supportive of increasing the length of residency to complete training. DHRs were not believed to affect professionalism. Half of the respondents believed that patient opinion should influence policy on this topic. Orthopaedic patients and those likely to require orthopaedic care have inconsistent opinions regarding DHRs, making it potentially difficult to incorporate their preferences into policy.

  10. Improving TSA’s Public Image: Customer-Focused Initiatives to Encourage Public Trust and Confidence

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-12-01

    INITIATIVES TO ENCOURAGE PUBLIC TRUST AND CONFIDENCE Patricia S. Bierle Customer Support and Quality Improvement Manager, Transportation Security...PUBLIC IMAGE: CUSTOMER-FOCUSED INITIATIVES TO ENCOURAGE PUBLIC TRUST AND CONFIDENCE by Patricia S. Bierle December 2013 Thesis Co-Advisors...33 e . Government Leaders Impact Public Opinion ........................35 f. Aviation Stakeholders Also Impact

  11. 13 CFR 102.2 - Public reading rooms.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... adjudicating a case, (2) Official non-privileged policy statements, opinions, or interpretations, (3) Standard operating procedures affecting members of the public, (4) Records SBA has released in response to previous...

  12. 13 CFR 102.2 - Public reading rooms.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... adjudicating a case, (2) Official non-privileged policy statements, opinions, or interpretations, (3) Standard operating procedures affecting members of the public, (4) Records SBA has released in response to previous...

  13. 13 CFR 102.2 - Public reading rooms.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... adjudicating a case, (2) Official non-privileged policy statements, opinions, or interpretations, (3) Standard operating procedures affecting members of the public, (4) Records SBA has released in response to previous...

  14. 13 CFR 102.2 - Public reading rooms.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... adjudicating a case, (2) Official non-privileged policy statements, opinions, or interpretations, (3) Standard operating procedures affecting members of the public, (4) Records SBA has released in response to previous...

  15. 76 FR 44866 - Credit Union Service Organizations

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-07-27

    ... by a licensed certified public accountant. These requirements will ensure NCUA will be able to... public accountant, and submit a financial report directly to NCUA. According to NCUA records, of the 2... licensed certified public accountant in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards. A wholly...

  16. Students' knowledge of, and attitudes towards biotechnology revisited, 1995-2014: Changes in agriculture biotechnology but not in medical biotechnology.

    PubMed

    Chen, Shao-Yen; Chu, Yih-Ru; Lin, Chen-Yung; Chiang, Tzen-Yuh

    2016-09-10

    Modern biotechnology is one of the most important scientific and technological revolutions in the 21st century, with an increasing and measurable impact on society. Development of biotechnology curriculum has become important to high school bioscience classrooms. This study has monitored high school students in Taiwan on their knowledge of and attitudes towards biotechnology for nearly two decades. Not surprisingly, knowledge of biotechnology of current students has increased significantly (p < 0.001) and most students have learned some definitions and examples of biotechnology. There was a positive correlation between biotechnology knowledge and attitudes toward biotechnology for current students who study Advanced Biology (AB). However, for current students who did not study AB, there was a negative correlation.The attitude results showed that students today expressed less favorable opinions toward agricultural biotechnology (p < 0.001) despite studying AB or not. However, there is no significant difference between students today and 18 years ago in opinions towards medical biotechnology. In addition, current students showed a greater concern involving environmental risks than former students. Interestingly, the high school curriculum did affect students' attitudes toward genetically engineered (GE) plants but not GE animals. Our current study also found that the students' attitude towards GE animals was influenced more by their limited knowledge than by their moral belief. On the basis of findings from this study, we suggest that more materials of emerging animal biotechnology should be included in high school curriculum and recommend that high school teachers and university faculty establish a collaborative framework in the near future. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 44(5):475-491, 2016. © 2016 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

  17. Basic-education mexican teachers' knowledge of biotechnology and attitudes about the consumption of genetically modified foods.

    PubMed

    Jiménez-Salas, Zacarías; Campos-Góngora, Eduardo; González-Martínez, Blanca E; Tijerina-Sáenz, Alexandra; Escamilla-Méndez, Angélica D; Ramírez-López, Erik

    2017-09-01

    Over the past few years, a new research field has emerged, focusing on the social-scientific criteria for the study of opinions toward genetically modified foods (GMFs), since these may be limiting factors for the success or failure of these products. Basic education is the first step in the Mexican education system, and teachers may wield an outsized influence on the attitudes and preferences of children, prospective future consumers of these products. To better understand the current state of knowledge of biotechnology issues and opinions toward the consumption of GMF of Mexican teachers, a questionnaire was distributed, and 362 Mexican teachers of basic education responded. The survey included questions about the benefits and risks of consuming GMF. The mean percentage of teachers expressing knowledge of a given topic in biotechnology was 50%. More than 60% of teachers believed that GMFs would be useful in preventing world hunger, while 39.2% considered GMF to be hazards for future generations. Although 47.0% reported not having enough knowledge about these topics, almost all (90.3%) respondents expressed an interest and willingness to learn about biotechnology. In light of the fact that teachers of basic education represent the first and potentially most lasting stage in the education of young children, this survey establishes the urgent need to develop strategies to improve the scientific knowledge of teachers and to facilitate decision making and the promotion of scientific and technological advances for their students. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(5):396-402, 2017. © 2017 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

  18. Future of corporate capitalism

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

    Kristol, I.

    1977-01-01

    To help counter the new populist movement (fairly represented by Ralph Nader) toward overregulation of the private sector, privately owned public utilities and energy companies must publicly defend their institutions, advocates I. Kristol, editor of The Public Interest. To be accepted by the public, this defense must assume an adversary stance that includes a willingness to fight indefinitely - not to engage in conventional institutional approaches that merely (1) buy media advertising to merely assure the public that their corporation is concerned and involved, (2) set out to give the public an education in economics, or (3) undertake symbolic actionmore » in such projects as saving the inner city. All of the above may show that such companies are compassionate and concerned but will not give them a good reputation or change the climate of opinion with regard to business or the large corporation. Before politicians will accede to a reasonable request, they now have to be assured that it is acceptable to public opinion. Some strategies are especially useful for utilities. Stockholder-owned utilities are in an especially strong position to fight but have usually fought weakly, if at all. Even if the utility were to be municipalized or nationalized, the stockholders and bondholders are likely to get fairer treatment in the courts for compensation than historically under regultion. Utilities can have a lot of leverage on politicians and public opinion if they would mobilize their stockholder, itemize every government tax (including real-estate taxes) on customers' bills, and bridge the academic-business-world gulf by including college professors (not just college presidents) on corporate boards.« less

  19. Public Relations & the Law.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walsh, Frank

    This monograph synthesizes the laws and regulations that form the basis of the right to representation in the court of public opinion by all who would seek to influence public and private decisions. It expresses the framework of human and social values that underlie this constitutional freedom and that give public relations and other management…

  20. Public Relations Gold Mine, Volume 8.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Preusch, Dee, Ed.

    Seventeen articles present an overview of ideas dealing with many facets of school public relations. Topics singled out for coverage include (1) the importance of school public relations programs now and in the future: (2) potential contributions of citizens advisory committees; (3) formation and use of small-scale public opinion polls; (4) key…

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