Pesticides in groundwater of the United States: decadal-scale changes, 1993-2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Toccalino, Patricia L.; Gilliom, Robert J.; Lindsey, Bruce D.; Rupert, Michael G.

2014-01-01

The national occurrence of 83 pesticide compounds in groundwater of the United States and decadal-scale changes in concentrations for 35 compounds were assessed for the 20-year period from 1993–2011. Samples were collected from 1271 wells in 58 nationally distributed well networks. Networks consisted of shallow (mostly monitoring) wells in agricultural and urban land-use areas and deeper (mostly domestic and public supply) wells in major aquifers in mixed land-use areas. Wells were sampled once during 1993–2001 and once during 2002–2011. Pesticides were frequently detected (53% of all samples), but concentrations seldom exceeded human-health benchmarks (1.8% of all samples). The five most frequently detected pesticide compounds—atrazine, deethylatrazine, simazine, metolachlor, and prometon—each had statistically significant (p < 0.1) changes in concentrations between decades in one or more categories of well networks nationally aggregated by land use. For agricultural networks, concentrations of atrazine, metolachlor, and prometon decreased from the first decade to the second decade. For urban networks, deethylatrazine concentrations increased and prometon concentrations decreased. For major aquifers, concentrations of deethylatrazine and simazine increased. The directions of concentration changes for individual well networks generally were consistent with changes determined from nationally aggregated data. Altogether, 36 of the 58 individual well networks had statistically significant changes in concentrations of one or more pesticides between decades, with the majority of changes attributed to the five most frequently detected pesticide compounds. The magnitudes of median decadal-scale concentration changes were small—ranging from −0.09 to 0.03 µg/L—and were 35- to 230,000-fold less than human-health benchmarks.

Why the United States lags in auto safety and lessons it can import.

PubMed

Kelley, Benjamin

2010-09-01

The United States has slipped in recent decades from its role of leadership in combating road crash injuries. The early promise of the country's approach to vehicle safety regulation, adopted by law in 1966, has suffered because of decades of regulatory inertia caused by antiregulatory government policies, industry obstructionism, and failure to set meaningful goals. Meanwhile, other industrial nations have vastly outpaced the United States in reducing crash deaths and injuries. The Obama administration is thus challenged to learn from other nations' successes while reestablishing the US presence as a vigorous proponent of effective crash injury reduction strategies. It can best accomplish this by crafting approaches and objectives that reduce motor vehicle use, reduce harmful disparities within the US vehicle population, and reduce motor vehicle travel speeds.

Environmental Problems: A Global Security Threat. Report of the United Nations of the Next Decade Conference (24th, Hamilton Parish, Bermuda, June 18-23, 1989).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanley Foundation, Muscatine, IA.

The world's political structure and many economic practices are out of harmony with nature. This disharmony threatens environmentally sustainable growth and human survival. United Nations (UN) conference participants discussed the degree of political acceptance of concepts such as environmental security and sustainable development. Their reading…

Six Decades of Educational Multilateralism in a Globalising World: The History of the UNESCO Institute in Hamburg

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elfert, Maren

2013-01-01

Created in 1945 as a specialised agency of the United Nations (UN), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was given, among other mandates, the task of reconstructing education systems devastated during the Second World War. UNESCO, in turn, and after some debate about an engagement in Germany, founded the…

Roles of Regional Centres of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development: Lessons Learnt in the First Half of the UNDESD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fadeeva, Zinaida; Mochizuki, Yoko

2010-01-01

As its major contribution to the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UN DESD, 2005-2014), the United Nations University (UNU) has promoted the establishment of Regional Centres of Expertise on education for sustainable development (RCEs) and their net-working to build innovative multistakeholder platforms for ESD…

Completion of the 2011 National Land Cover Database for the Conterminous United States – Representing a Decade of Land Cover Change Information

EPA Science Inventory

The National Land Cover Database (NLCD) provides nationwide data on land cover and land cover change at the native 30-m spatial resolution of the Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM). The database is designed to provide five-year cyclical updating of United States land cover and associat...

Increasing Time to Baccalaureate Degree in the United States. NBER Working Paper No. 15892

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bound, John; Lovenheim, Michael F.; Turner, Sarah

2010-01-01

Time to completion of the baccalaureate degree has increased markedly in the United States over the last three decades, even as the wage premium for college graduates has continued to rise. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of the High School Class of 1972 and the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988, we show that the…

Hans van Ginkel: On the Vision, History and Status of the Regional Centres of Expertise in ESD Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glasser, Harold

2008-01-01

Professor Hans van Ginkel, Rector of the United Nations University, Tokyo, (1997-2007) and president of the International Association of Universities (2000-2004), pioneered the concept of Regional Centers of Expertise in Education for Sustainable Development (RCEs) as a strategy for meeting the goals of the United Nations Decade of Education for…

THE NOAA - EPA NATIONAL AIR QUALITY FORECASTING SYSTEM

EPA Science Inventory

Building upon decades of collaboration in air pollution meteorology research, in 2003 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signed formal partnership agreements to develop and implement an operationa...

Greening the University Curriculum: Appraising an International Movement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haigh, Martin

2005-01-01

The declaration of the "United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development" (ESD), Resolution 57/254, February 2003, provides the best yet occasion for higher education institutions (HEIs) to "green" their curricula. The idea for the Decade emerges from a progression of high-level international conferences,…

Maintaining Peace in Outer Space. Conference on the United Nations of the Next Decade (17th, Cooperstown, NY, June 19-24, 1982).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanley Foundation, Muscatine, IA.

This is a report of a conference held to discuss maintaining peace in outer space. Nineteen space specialists participated in the conference. Topics discussed were recent technological developments, international cooperation for peaceful uses of outer space, prevention of weapons in space, and the future role of the United Nations. The report's…

Budget Cuts Leave U.S. out of Global Progress

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenkins, Karen

2005-01-01

The United Nations launched its "Decade of Education for Sustainable Development," in January. The purpose of the "Decade" is to promote viable and just societies for all people. All over the world, educational institutions are being encouraged to move beyond teaching about the environment and implement educational policies and…

National forest timber supply and stumpage markets in the western United States.

Treesearch

Darius M. Adams; Richard W. Haynes

1991-01-01

This paper presents an aggregate regional model of the National Forest timber supply process and the interaction of National Forest and non-National Forest supply in determining regional stumpage prices and harvest volumes. Model simulations track actual behavior in the Douglas-fir regional stumpage market with reasonable accuracy; projections for the next two decades...

3 CFR 8938 - Proclamation 8938 of March 1, 2013. 10th Anniversary of the United States Department of Homeland...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... world, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) opened its doors with a single task... chart a course toward sensible reform. And in a decade marked by national emergencies and natural...

A Review of Children's Rights Literature since the Adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynaert, Didier; Bouverne-de-Bie, Maria; Vandevelde, Stijn

2009-01-01

Children's rights have become a significant field of study during the past decades, largely due to the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1989. Today, scholarly work on children's rights is almost inconceivable without considering the Convention as the bearer of the children's rights debate. The goal of…

Report of the Group of Experts on Operational Strategies for the Advancement of Women up to the Year 2000 (Santiago, Chile, December 3-5, 1983).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Economic and Social Council, New York, NY.

The report includes an analysis of the regional situation, trends, and prospects for the advancement of women. It includes a declaration of principles recognizing that the investigations and discussions are held within the context of the United Nations system and within the consideration of the progress made during the United Nations Decade for…

Teaching Giants and Other Mentors of the Howard University: College of Medicine Class of 1952.

PubMed

Julian Haywood, L

2015-03-01

During the two decades following World War II, rapid changes occurred in medicine and in society as a whole in the United States including the establishment of the National Institutes of Health and the civil rights movement. This article profiles the teaching faculty of the Howard University College of Medicine that prepared the Class of 1952 for the decades that were to follow. © 2015 National Medical Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

CRITICAL ELEMENTS IN DESCRIBING AND UNDERSTANDING OUR NATION'S AQUATIC RESOURCES

EPA Science Inventory

Despite spending $115 billion per year on environmental actions in the United States, we have only a limited ability to describe the effectiveness of these expenditures. Moreover, after decades of such investments, we cannot accurately describe status and trends in the nation's a...

3 CFR 8948 - Proclamation 8948 of March 29, 2013. National Cancer Control Month, 2013

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 3 The President 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Proclamation 8948 of March 29, 2013. National Cancer... 29, 2013 Proc. 8948 National Cancer Control Month, 2013By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation For more than a decade, Americans have watched the overall cancer death rate drop...

Chemistry Teaching for the Future: A Model for Secondary Chemistry Education for Sustainable Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jegstad, Kirsti Marie; Sinnes, Astrid Tonette

2015-01-01

For more than 40 years, the international community has acknowledged the role education might play in environmental awareness and conservation. The last major initiative came when the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed a Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014). In the final year of the decade, teachers still struggle to…

Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program Recommendations from Urban and Reservation Northern Plains American Indian Community Members

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMahon, Tracey R.; Hanson, Jessica D.; Griese, Emily R.; Kenyon, DenYelle Baete

2015-01-01

Despite declines over the past few decades, the United States has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy compared to other industrialized nations. American Indian youth have experienced higher rates of teen pregnancy compared to the overall population for decades. Although it's known that community and cultural adaptation enhance program…

What Happened during the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKeown, Rosalyn

2015-01-01

The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) drew to a close at the end of 2014. People ask: What happened? In broad brushstrokes, the author describes activities of the DESD in the formal and nonformal education sector of the education community. The author also identifies some enablers and barriers to advancing…

The Prospect of an "A" in STEM Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daugherty, Michael K.

2013-01-01

STEM education has since become perhaps the largest reform movement in PK-12 education over the last decade. The rationale for increased emphasis in STEM education is driven largely by lackluster national assessments of PK-12 students over the last decade or two. These assessments continue to indicate that the United States is failing to compete…

Disabled Children and Their Families: A Decade of Policy Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Read, Janet; Blackburn, Clare; Spencer, Nick

2012-01-01

Focusing mainly on the United Kingdom, this article reviews a decade of national and international policy and legal changes in relation to disabled children and their families. It discusses attempts to transform the ways that disabled children are perceived and the rights accorded to them. The UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons,…

A Due Diligence Report on New Zealand's Educational Contribution to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chapman, David; Flaws, Mary; Le Heron, Richard

2006-01-01

Rather than assuming New Zealand's educational sectors and institutions will be active and effective contributors to the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD) the authors ask instead: "Are New Zealand's school and university sectors actually in a position to respond programmatically to the UN…

Undernutrition

MedlinePlus

... well as undernutrition. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported in 2015 that about 795 million ... the past decade (see also the Food and Agriculture Organization web site ). In developed countries, undernutrition is ...

Map Quest

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frost, Jay

2010-01-01

Just two decades ago, the United States was the epicenter of wealth and philanthropy. U.S. fundraisers seemed justified in sticking close to home, since most of the prospects were in their own backyard. Now more than ever, fundraisers in the United States and other mature philanthropic marketplaces need to look beyond their own national and…

Preparing School Leaders: Standards-Based Curriculum in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Michelle D.; Anderson, Erin; Nash, Angel Miles

2017-01-01

For the last few decades, leadership standards have served as a de facto "recommended curriculum" for preparation programs in the United States. In this article, we: (1) share the new National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) standards, (2) present the literature supporting the standards, and (3) critically assess the influence…

ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENTS OF OIL AND GAS ACTIVITIES USING NATIONAL SECURITY AND CIVILIAN DATA SOURCES

EPA Science Inventory

The national security systems (NSS) of Russia and the United States have been used for more than three decades to monitor each other's military and economic infrastructure. These high-resolution imaging systems can provide unique data for assessing a wide range of environmental i...

Ella Zhou | NREL

Science.gov Websites

. 2015. Methods for Analyzing the Economic Value of Concentrating Solar Power with Thermal Energy in the United States, Potential Lessons for ChinaPDF. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy . Renewable Electricity: Insights for the Coming DecadePDF. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory

3 CFR 8852 - Proclamation 8852 of August 31, 2012. National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2012

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2012 8852 Proclamation 8852 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8852 of August 31, 2012 Proc. 8852 National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2012By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Over the past several decades, childhood obesity...

77 FR 55093 - National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2012

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-06

... National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2012 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Over the past several decades, childhood obesity has become a serious public health issue that... problems associated with obesity. Thankfully, while more remains to be done, we are making real progress...

Reindustrialization and Vocational Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Etzioni, Amitai

For America to sustain a high standard of living and set aside the resources needed for national security, at least a decade of shoring up productive capacity is required--a period of reindustrialization. The United States has been underdeveloping, with too much consumption of goods and resources and too little investment in the national economic…

Marriage in America: A Report to the Nation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Institute for American Values, New York, NY.

This report discusses the increasing incidence of divorce and unwed parenthood in the United States, arguing that the "divorce revolution" of the last several decades has created terrible hardships for children, generated poverty within families, and burdened the nation with unsupportable social costs. It calls for a fundamental shift in cultural…

A Relationship with Great Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibbs, Hope J.

2005-01-01

More than a decade ago, the United States Congress passed the Scientific and Advanced Technology Act, which authorized the Advanced Technological Education program (ATE). Through ATE, the National Science Foundation (NSF) was directed to develop models aimed at two-year colleges of advanced technological education in order to expand the nation's…

The International Lunar Decade: A Giant Leap Forward in Understanding the Moon and Opportunities for its Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beldavs, Vid; Atvars, Aigars; Ubelis, Arnolds; Salmins, Kalvis; Crisafulli, Jim; Dunlop, David; Foing, Bernard

2015-04-01

In 1957 at the dawn of the space age the United Nations launched the International Geophysical Year which had a profound impact on collaboration among scientists around the globe. Its legacy includes several major scientific organizations as well as the beginnings of collaboration among nations that see themselves as competitors on Earth. The Soviet Union and the United States made many attempts at collaboration in space while building weapons systems to destroy each other. Space technologies have become the infrastructure for the ubiquitous smart phone with global telecommunications, navigation, weather forecasting, environmental monitoring, and hundreds of other applications. In 2015, the International Year of Light, several conferences will be held exploring the idea of an International Lunar Decade1 An informal group, the International Lunar Decade Working Group (ILDWG) has been formed to plan the launch of the International Lunar Decade in 2017, the 60th Anniversary of the International Geophysical Year. This report will cover the progress of the ILDWG covering conferences planned, international organizations involved and key publications. The activities of the ILDWG can be followed at http://2014giantleap.aerospacehawaii.info/. References [1] V. Beldavs, 2014 'The International Lunar Decade', The Space Review, http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2431/1

United Nations Charter, Chapter VII, Article 43: Now or Never.

PubMed

Burkle, Frederick M

2018-04-25

For more than 75 years, the United Nations Charter has functioned without the benefit of Chapter VII, Article 43, which commits all United Nations member states "to make available to the Security Council, on its call, armed forces, assistance, facilities, including rights of passage necessary for the purpose of maintaining international peace and security." The consequences imposed by this 1945 decision have had a dramatic negative impact on the United Nation's functional capacity as a global body for peace and security. This article summarizes the struggle to implement Article 43 over the decades from the onset of the Cold War, through diplomatic attempts during the post-Cold War era, to current and often controversial attempts to provide some semblance of conflict containment through peace enforcement missions. The rapid growth of globalization and the capability of many nations to provide democratic protections to their populations are again threatened by superpower hegemony and the development of novel unconventional global threats. The survival of the United Nations requires many long overdue organizational structure and governance power reforms, including implementation of a robust United Nations Standing Task Force under Article 43. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;page 1 of 8).

How Education for Sustainable Development Is Implemented in Germany: Looking through the Lens of Educational Governance Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bormann, Inka; Nikel, Jutta

2017-01-01

The United Nations (UN) Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) aimed to integrate the principles, values and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning around the world. The authors of this article address the implementation process of ESD in Germany during the UN Decade (2005-2014). By…

Assets, Aliens or Asylum Seekers? Immigration and the United Kingdom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haste, Helen

2006-01-01

British attitudes toward immigrants are complex. The United Kingdom has received regular waves of immigrants, both political and economic asylum seekers and, especially in recent decades, recruited labor from the former nations of the British Empire. Throughout its history, ambivalence among the Britons is seen due to these developments. In this…

Goals for United States Higher Education: From Democracy to Globalisation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hutcheson, Philo

2011-01-01

Although globalisation has been an increasingly important characteristic of United States higher education for over two decades, there has been little historical analysis of the process or its origins. This article argues that beginning in the early 1970s, institutional, national, and international events established a powerful context for the…

Mexican University Turns to U.S. for Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Monica

2007-01-01

Latin America's largest university is now seeking students in the United States. Spotting a ripe market and a growing Hispanic population, the National Autonomous University of Mexico is steadily strengthening its foothold in the United States and Canada--one of the first inroads northward by a Latin American university. For decades the…

Using State Assessments for Teaching English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luster, John

2012-01-01

Populations of minority students the United States have increased steadily over the past few decades to 42 percent of public school enrollment (Echevarria, 2011). English language learners (ELLs) are the fastest growing population of students enrolled in public schools across the United States. Nationally, if an ELL speaks English with difficulty,…

Managing national forests of the eastern United States for non-timber forest products

Treesearch

James L. Chamberlain; Robert J. Bush; A.L. Hammett; Philip A. Araman

2000-01-01

Over the last decade, there has been a growing interest in the economic and ecological potential of non-timber forest products. In the United States, much of this increased interest stems from drastic changes in forest practices and policies in the Pacific Northwest region, a region that produces many non-timber forest products. The forests of the eastern United States...

Social Policy as Social Process. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newitt, Jane

A decade's explosive growth in the scope, funding and complexity of national social policy has created serious problems in the United States. This first overview report notes that the Office of Economic Opportunity (now known as the Community Services Administration) has ceased to provide a focal point for national social policy. It was this state…

Fixing or Changing the Pattern? Reflections on Widening Adult Participation in Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGivney, Veronica

Participation in adult learning in the United Kingdom in 1996-2001 was analyzed by reviewing practitioners' views, the findings of national surveys conducted by the National Institute for Adult Continuing Education, and the findings from other surveys and research conducted over the past decade. The key conclusions analysis established that the…

3 CFR 8552 - Proclamation 8552 of August 31, 2010. National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2010

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2010 8552 Proclamation 8552 Presidential Documents Proclamations Proclamation 8552 of August 31, 2010 Proc. 8552 National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2010By the President... last decade, prostate cancer is still the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the United...

Women and Development. Courier No. 29.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ASPBAE Courier Service, 1983

1983-01-01

This issue contains materials, about and for women, which have been produced as part of the United Nations Decade for Women. Included are presentations made at the Asian-South Bureau of Adult Education Conferences and other congresses, conferences, and meetings held to discuss women in developing nations. The first three papers deal with the…

The State of State MATH Standards, 2005

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klein, David; Braams, Bastiaan J.; Parker,Thomas; Quirk, William; Schmid, Wilfried; Wilson, W. Stephen

2005-01-01

Two decades after the United States was diagnosed as "a nation at risk," academic standards for our primary and secondary schools are more important than ever?and their quality matters enormously. In 1983, as nearly every American knows, the National Commission on Excellence in Education declared that "The educational foundations of our society…

Exposure to School and Community Based Prevention Programs and Reductions in Cigarette Smoking among Adolescents in the United States, 2000-08

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Xinguang; Ren, Yuanjing; Lin, Feng; MacDonell, Karen; Jiang, Yifan

2012-01-01

Smoking remains prevalent among US youth despite decades of antismoking efforts. Effects from exposure to prevention programs at national level may provide informative and compelling data supporting better planning and strategy for tobacco control. A national representative sample of youth 12-17 years of age from the National Survey on Drug Use…

Liberated rivers: lessons from 40 years of dam removal

Treesearch

Marie Oliver; Gordon Grant

2017-01-01

In recent decades, dam removal has emerged as a viable national and international strategy for river restoration. According to American Rivers, a river conservation organization, more than 1,100 dams have been removed in the United States in the past 40 years, and more than half of these were demolished in the past decade. This trend is likely to continue as dams age,...

The Rural Woman in Latin America: A Social Actor in the Past Decade (1975-1984).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Economic and Social Council, New York, NY.

The status of women viewed against the background of the United Nations Decade for Women is examined with emphasis on the world context, the Latin American context, and the context of rural women in the region. It describes attempts at categorization of rural women in Latin America based on the main types of agricultural economy in the region and…

UN Global Action Programme and Education for Sustainable Development: A Critical Appraisal of the Evidence Base

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fischer, Daniel; Aubrecht, Elisabeth Lena; Brück, Maria; Ditges, Laura; Gathen, Lea; Jahns, Maximilian; Petersmann, Moritz; Rau, Jörn; Wellmann, Christiane

2015-01-01

The United Nations (UN) proclaimed the years 2005 to 2014 the World Decade on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). As a follow up on the World Decade, the UN launched a Global Action Programme (GAP) that is designed to set the framework for international activities on ESD. The GAP focuses on five priority areas that are of high relevance…

Adolescent Sex, Contraception, and Childbearing: A Review of Recent Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Kristin A.; And Others

For the past several decades, the teenage birth rate in the United States has exceeded that of other industrialized nations. To explore the factors behind this high birth rate, this volume summarizes recent research conducted in the United States on the perceived causes of teenage childbearing. This review is organized around the events leading to…

German Chemistry Teachers' Understanding of Sustainability and Education for Sustainable Development--An Interview Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burmeister, Mareike; Schmidt-Jacob, Sabine; Eilks, Ingo

2013-01-01

Sustainability became a regulatory idea of national and international policies worldwide with the advent of the Agenda 21. One part of these policies includes promoting sustainability through educational reform. With the United Nations World Decade for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), spanning the years 2005 to 2014, all school…

Factors affecting Iran`s future. Final report

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

Sinai, J.

1993-05-28

This study examines the factors affecting Iran`s future by focusing on the demographic, economic, and military trends in Iran and their impact on the country`s national security objectives in the next decade. The paper also assesses the implications of an economic embargo on Iran and potential Iranian threats to regional and United States national interests.

Facing tomorrow's challenges: U.S. Geological Survey science in the decade 2007-2017

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2007-01-01

- A National Hazards, Risk, and Resilience Assessment Program: Ensuring the Long-Term Health and Wealth of the Nation - The Role of Environment and Wildlife in Human Health: A System that Identifies Environmental Risk to Public Health in America - A Water Census of the United States: Quantifying, Forecasting, and Securing Freshwater for America's Future

Stimulating Excellence: Unleashing the Power of Innovation in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hess, Frederick M.

2009-01-01

The United States is facing one of the worst financial crises of recent history. America is also experiencing a quiet crisis, as well--one that has been building in the nation's classrooms and schools for decades. This nation is failing to prepare the next generation of Americans as citizens, thinkers, and graduates prepared for success in a…

Academic Freedom and the Liberation of the Nation's Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pak, Michael S.

2007-01-01

In this article, the author reports that within the few decades following the creation of the National Education Association (NEA), a new expression came into use in the English language: "academic freedom." It was in this period that the modern research university first made its appearance in the United States. Before the last third of…

Report from the International Permafrost Association: state of permafrost in the first decade of the 21st century

Treesearch

J. Brown; V.E. Romanovsky

2008-01-01

Recent assessments have considered present-day and future responses of permafrost terrain to climate change; included are the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) , Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) and United Nations Environment Programme assessments (Romanovsky et al., 2007), the on-going National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) annual...

The Building of Knowledge, Language, and Decision-Making about Climate Change Science: A Cross-National Program for Secondary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arya, Diana; Maul, Andrew

2016-01-01

The United Nations' declaration on climate change education in December 2014 has sparked a renewal of policies and programs initiated during the "Decade of Education for Sustainable Development" (DESD, 2005-2014), aimed at promoting awareness, understanding, and civic action for environmental sustainability within learning communities…

Reacting to Crises: The Risk-Averse Nature of Contemporary American Public Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moran, Peter

2015-01-01

Over the past several decades, numerous arguments have been made advancing the notion that the failings of the public education system in the United States have placed the nation's national security or economic prosperity at risk. This article will examine some of these "crises" and explore how arguments claiming that the shortcomings of…

NAS Decadal Review Town Hall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine is seeking community input for a study on the future of materials research (MR). Frontiers of Materials Research: A Decadal Survey will look at defining the frontiers of materials research ranging from traditional materials science and engineering to condensed matter physics. Please join members of the study committee for a town hall to discuss future directions for materials research in the United States in the context of worldwide efforts. In particular, input on the following topics will be of great value: progress, achievements, and principal changes in the R&D landscape over the past decade; identification of key MR areas that have major scientific gaps or offer promising investment opportunities from 2020-2030; and the challenges that MR may face over the next decade and how those challenges might be addressed. This study was requested by the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation. The National Academies will issue a report in 2018 that will offer guidance to federal agencies that support materials research, science policymakers, and researchers in materials research and other adjoining fields. Learn more about the study at http://nas.edu/materials.

The Future We Want: Key Issues on Sustainable Development in Higher Education after Rio and the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leal Filho, Walter; Manolas, Evangelos; Pace, Paul

2015-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to provide a description of the achievements of the United Nations (UN) Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) with a focus on higher education, and it describes some of the key issues which will guide sustainable development in the coming years. Design/methodology/approach: The paper initially…

Trends in Daily Cannabis Use Among Cigarette Smokers: United States, 2002-2014.

PubMed

Goodwin, Renee D; Pacek, Lauren R; Copeland, Jan; Moeller, Scott J; Dierker, Lisa; Weinberger, Andrea; Gbedemah, Misato; Zvolensky, Michael J; Wall, Melanie M; Hasin, Deborah S

2018-01-01

To estimate changes in the prevalence of daily cannabis use among current, former, and never cigarette smokers from 2002 to 2014 in the United States. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health is a nationally representative cross-sectional study conducted annually among persons aged 12 years and older in the United States. Daily cannabis use occurs nearly exclusively among nondaily and daily cigarette smokers compared with former and never smokers (8.03%, 9.01%, 2.79%, 1.05%, respectively). Daily cannabis use increased over the past decade among both nondaily (8.03% [2014] vs 2.85% [2002]; linear trend P < .001) and daily smokers (9.01% [2014]; 4.92% [2002]; linear trend P < .001). Daily cannabis use increased most rapidly among former cigarette smokers (2.79% [2014] vs 0.98% [2002]; linear trend P < .001). Daily cannabis use occurs predominantly among cigarette smokers in the United States. Daily cannabis use increased among current, former, and never smokers over the past decade, with particularly rapid increases among youth and female cigarette smokers. Future research is needed to monitor the observed increase in daily cannabis use, especially among youths and adults who smoke cigarettes.

Population Health and Paid Parental Leave: What the United States Can Learn from Two Decades of Research

PubMed Central

Burtle, Adam; Bezruchka, Stephen

2016-01-01

Over the last two decades, numerous studies have suggested that dedicated time for parents to be with their children in the earliest months of life offers significant benefits to child health. The United States (US) is the only wealthy nation without a formalized policy guaranteeing workers paid time off when they become new parents. As individual US states consider enacting parental leave policies, there is a significant opportunity to decrease health inequities and build a healthier American population. This document is intended as a critical review of the present evidence for the association between paid parental leave and population health. PMID:27417618

Population Health and Paid Parental Leave: What the United States Can Learn from Two Decades of Research.

PubMed

Burtle, Adam; Bezruchka, Stephen

2016-06-01

Over the last two decades, numerous studies have suggested that dedicated time for parents to be with their children in the earliest months of life offers significant benefits to child health. The United States (US) is the only wealthy nation without a formalized policy guaranteeing workers paid time off when they become new parents. As individual US states consider enacting parental leave policies, there is a significant opportunity to decrease health inequities and build a healthier American population. This document is intended as a critical review of the present evidence for the association between paid parental leave and population health.

East Europe Report.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-02-13

Dan Berindei, although dealing with a vast range of themes, are designed to and fully succeed in demonstrating the important role of the Romanian ...undertaken by Dan Berindei cover a period of 150 years, since the last decades of the 18th century and up to 1918 , when the Romanian national...Wallachia, and until 1918 , when the national unity was completed and the 81 national united Romanian state was created, the idea of Transylvania’s return

The Army Reserve: Optimally Seeking Relevance and Readiness in a Fiscally Constrained Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-05-23

out of synchronization with the United States’ economic capacity. After a decade of mobilizing over 200,000 Reservists, the Army Reserve is...Components (RC), which also include the Air National Guard, Naval Reserve, Air Force Reserve, and Marine Corps Reserve. Currently the total mobilization ...Congress had approved the National Guard over 30 years earlier, under the National Defense Act of 1916. With a reorganized DoD in 1949, and mobilization

Chat Reference Training after One Decade: The Results of a National Survey of Academic Libraries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Devine, Christopher; Paladino, Emily Bounds; Davis, John A.

2011-01-01

The first comprehensive national survey of all academic libraries in the United States which were conducting chat reference service was carried out to determine: what practices were being used to prepare personnel for chat reference service, what competencies were being taught, how and why training practices may have changed over time, and what…

A Phenomenological Study of a Session of the FBI National Academy Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindsey, Jeffrey C.

2013-01-01

As the United States entered the second decade of the 21st century, providing law enforcement services has been noted to be more complex than in any era in the nation's history. Piloting law enforcement agencies through the challenges ahead has been identified as requiring their senior leaders to possess the highest levels of leadership acumen. A…

Exploring Environmental Behaviours, Attitudes and Knowledge among University Students: Positioning the Concept of Sustainable Development within Malaysian Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Idros, Sharifah Norhaidah Syed

2006-01-01

Movements such as the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg (2002) together with the United Nations declaration of The Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), 2005-2014 should see the increasing need for reorientation of the role of education within the sustainability agenda. Malaysia, unlike other nations, does…

Women, Poverty and Progress in the Third World. Headline Series No. 289.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buvinic, Mayra; Yudelman, Sally W.

Women in developing nations often work long, grueling hours alongside men in the fields, but must also cook and keep house, rear children, and provide health care. In short, woman's multifaceted labor is key to the family's survival. It is surprising, therefore, that until the United Nations designated a Decade for Women (1976-1985) the importance…

K-12 science education reform will take a decade, and community partnerships hold best hope for success

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

Keever, J.R.

1994-12-31

Fundamental change in K-12 science education in the United States, essential for full citizenship in an increasingly technological world, will take a decade or more to accomplish, and only the sustained, cooperative efforts of people in their own communities -- scientists, teachers, and concerned citizens -- will likely ensure success. These were among the themes at Sigma Xi`s national K-12 science education forum.

From marginal to marginalised: The inclusion of men who have sex with men in global and national AIDS programmes and policy.

PubMed

McKay, Tara

2016-01-01

In the last decade, gay men and other men who have sex with men (msm) have come to the fore of global policy debates about AIDS prevention. In stark contrast to programmes and policy during the first two decades of the epidemic, which largely excluded msm outside of the Western countries, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS now identifies gay men and other msm as 'marginalized but not marginal' to the global response. Drawing on archival data and five waves of United Nations Country Progress Reports on HIV/AIDS (2001-2012), this paper examines the productive power of international organisations in the development and diffusion of the msm category, and considers how international organisations have shaped the interpretation of msm in national policies and programmes. These data show that the increasing separation of sexual identity and sexual behaviour at the global level helped to construct notions of risk and disease that were sufficiently broad to accommodate the diverse interests of global policy-makers, activists, and governments. However, as various international and national actors have attempted to develop prevention programmes for msm, the failure of the msm category to map onto lived experience is increasingly apparent.

The Curious Case of Cuba

PubMed Central

Reed, Gail A.

2012-01-01

As health professionals in the United States consider how to focus health care and coverage to ensure better, more equitable patient and population health outcomes, the experience of Cuba’s National Health System over the last 5 decades may provide useful insights. Although mutual awareness has been limited by long-term political hostilities between the United States and Cuban governments, the history and details of the Cuban health system indicate that their health system merits attention as an example of a national integrated approach resulting in improved health status. More extensive analysis of the principles, practices, and outcomes in Cuba is warranted to inform health system transformation in the United States, despite differences in political-social systems and available resources. PMID:22698011

The Reproductive Context of Cohabitation in the United States: Recent Change and Variation in Contraceptive Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sweeney, Megan M.

2010-01-01

Drawing on data from 2 waves of the National Survey of Family Growth (N = 11,065), the current research addressed 2 overarching questions about the reproductive context of cohabitation in the United States. First, did patterns of contraceptive use among cohabitors change during the last 2 decades of the 20th century? Second, did patterns of…

Escaping social-ecological traps through tribal stewardship on national forest lands in the Pacific Northwest, United States of America

Treesearch

Jonathan W. Long; Frank K. Lake

2018-01-01

Tribal communities in the Pacific Northwest of the United States of America (USA) have long-standing relationships to ancestral lands now managed by federal land management agencies. In recent decades, federal and state governments have increasingly recognized tribal rights to resources on public lands and to participate in their management. In support of a new...

Food Security in India, China, and the World

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-01

undernourishment and projections of food security are made by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). The FAO has been collecting... agricultural data from individual nations for decades and makes yearly assessments of the current state of food insecurity and periodic projections of...future global food security. The FAO assessment of food security in 2050 presents a likely future based on projections of current agricultural

Effects of Singapore Model Method with Explicit Instruction on Math Problem Solving Skills of Students at Risk for or Identified with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Preston, Angela Irene

2016-01-01

Over the last two decades, students in Singapore consistently scored above students from other nations on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS; Provasnik et al., 2012). In contrast, students in the United States have not performed as well on international and national mathematics assessments and students with…

China and United Nations Peacekeeping Operations in Africa

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

November 2006 China-Africa Economic Forum , hosted by Beijing and attended by forty-eight African nations, President Hu promised that China would...scholarships to four thousand African students, and develop increasingly closer ties over the succeeding decade.7 This forum and China’s actions with...and Eritrea (UNMEE), Liberia (UNMIL), Sudan (UNMIS), Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL), and the Western Sahara (MINURSO, discussed at length below). The Chinese

International Agenda for the 1990s. Report of the United Nations of the Next Decade Conference (23rd, Brioni, Yugoslavia, July 17-22, 1988).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanley Foundation, Muscatine, IA.

The conference reported on in this document focused on the profound changes taking place in the world, changes characterized by their international nature and requiring multinational cooperation. The security of national borders continues to be a concern, but internal threats to governments are the more common phenomenon. The combination of…

The National Water-Quality Assessment Program of the United States: Strategies for Monitoring Trends and Results from the First Two Decades of Study: 1991-2011

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindsey, B.; McMahon, P.; Rupert, M.; Tesoriero, J.; Starn, J.; Anning, D.; Green, C.

2012-04-01

The U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program was implemented in 1991 to provide long-term, consistent, and comparable information on the quality of surface and groundwater resources of the United States. Findings are used to support national, regional, state, and local information needs with respect to water quality. The three main goals of the program are to 1) assess the condition of the nation's streams, rivers, groundwater, and aquatic systems; 2) assess how conditions are changing over time; and 3) determine how natural features and human activities affect these conditions, and where those effects are most pronounced. As data collection progressed into the second decade, the emphasis of the interpretation of the data has shifted from primarily understanding status, to evaluation of trends. The program has conducted national and regional evaluations of change in the quality of water in streams, rivers, groundwater, and health of aquatic systems. Evaluating trends in environmental systems requires complex analytical and statistical methods, and a periodic re-evaluation of the monitoring methods used to collect these data. Examples given herein summarize the lessons learned from the evaluation of changes in water quality during the past two decades with an emphasis on the finding with respect to groundwater. The analysis of trends in groundwater is based on 56 well networks located in 22 principal aquifers of the United States. Analysis has focused on 3 approaches: 1) a statistical analysis of results of sampling over various time scales, 2) studies of factors affecting trends in groundwater quality, and 3) use of models to simulate groundwater trends and forecast future trends. Data collection for analysis of changes in groundwater-quality has focused on decadal resampling of wells. Understanding the trends in groundwater quality and the factors affecting those trends has been conducted using quarterly sampling, biennial sampling, and more recently continuous monitoring of selected parameters in a small number of wells. Models such as MODFLOW have been used for simulation and forecasting of future trends. Important outcomes from the groundwater-trends studies include issues involving statistics, sampling frequency, changes in laboratory analytical methods over time, the need for groundwater age-dating information, the value of understanding geochemical conditions and contaminant degradation, the need to understand groundwater-surface water interaction, and the value of modeling in understanding trends and forecasting potential future conditions. Statistically significant increases in chloride, dissolved solids, and nitrate concentrations were found in a large number of well networks over the first decadal sampling period. Statistically significant decreases of chloride, dissolved solids, and nitrate concentrations were found in a very small number of networks. Trends in surface-water are analyzed within 8 large major river basins within the United States with a focus on issues of regional importance. Examples of regional surface-water issues include an analysis of trends in dissolved solids in the Southeastern United States, trends in pesticides in the north-central United States, and trends in nitrate in the Mississippi River Basin. Evaluations of ecological indicators of water quality include temporal changes in stream habitat, and aquatic-invertebrate and fish assemblages.

Intelligent transportation systems and sustainable communities : findings of a national study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

The 1990s may well be remembered as the decade in which the idea of sustainability took hold in government, business, academia, and popular culture. In the United States, concerns with sustainability have entered policy discussions at various levels ...

National space policy of the United States.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-06-28

The space age began as a race for security and prestige between two superpowers . The opportunities : were boundless, and the decades that followed have seen a radical transformation in the way we live our : daily lives, in large part due to our use ...

America's freight transportation gateways : connecting our nation to places and markets abroad : [2004

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-01-01

Transportation gateways - seaports, airports, and land border crossings - are the entry and exit points for international merchandise trade between the United States and countries around the world. During the past decade, the leading U.S. gateways ha...

78 FR 14629 - 10th Anniversary of the United States Department of Homeland Security

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-06

... (DHS) opened its doors with a single task: keeping the American people safe. Day by day, hour by hour... decade of service, our Nation recognizes the men and women who have carried out the Department of...

Road traffic incidents in Uganda: a systematic review study of a five-year trend.

PubMed

Balikuddembe, Joseph Kimuli; Ardalan, Ali; Khorasani-Zavareh, Davoud; Nejati, Amir; Munanura, Kasiima Stephen

2017-01-01

Over the years, Uganda has been one of the low and middle-income countries bearing the heaviest burden of road traffic incidents (RTI). Since the proclamation of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 - 2020, a number of measures have been taken to reduce the burden. However, they ought to be premised on existing evidence-based research; therefore, the present review ventures to report the most recent five-year trend of RTI in Uganda. Based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Data Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic review was employed. Using a thematic analysis, the articles were grouped into: trauma etiology, trauma care, mortality, cost, trauma registry and communication, intervention and treatment for final analysis. Of the nineteen articles that were identified to be relevant to the study, the etiology of RTI was inevitably observed to be an important cause of injuries in Uganda. The risk factors cut across: the crash type, injury physiology, cause, victims, setting, age, economic status, and gender. All studies that were reviewed have advanced varying recommendations aimed at responding to the trend of RTIs in Uganda, of which some are in tandem with the five pillars of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 - 2020. Peripheral measures of the burden of RTIs in Uganda were undertaken within afive-year timeframe (2011-2015) of implementing the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety. The measures however, ought to be scaled-up on robust evidence based research available from all the concerned stakeholders beyond Kampala or central region to other parts of Uganda. © 2017 KUMS, All rights reserved.

Road traffic incidents in Uganda: a systematic review of a five-year trend

PubMed Central

Balikuddembe, Joseph Kimuli; Ardalan, Ali; Khorasani-Zavareh, Davoud; Nejati, Amir; Munanura, Kasiima Stephen

2017-01-01

Abstract: Background: Over the years, Uganda has been one of the low and middle-income countries bearing the heaviest burden of road traffic incidents (RTI). Since the proclamation of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 – 2020, a number of measures have been taken to reduce the burden. However, they ought to be premised on existing evidence-based research; therefore, the present review ventures to report the most recent five-year trend of RTI in Uganda. Methods: Based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Data Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic review was employed. Using a thematic analysis, the articles were grouped into: trauma etiology, trauma care, mortality, cost, trauma registry and communication, intervention and treatment for final analysis. Results: Of the nineteen articles that were identified to be relevant to the study, the etiology of RTI was inevitably observed to be an important cause of injuries in Uganda. The risk factors cut across: the crash type, injury physiology, cause, victims, setting, age, economic status, and gender. All studies that were reviewed have advanced varying recommendations aimed at responding to the trend of RTIs in Uganda, of which some are in tandem with the five pillars of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 – 2020. Conclusions: Peripheral measures of the burden of RTIs in Uganda were undertaken within a five-year timeframe (2011-2015) of implementing the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety. The measures however, ought to be scaled-up on robust evidence based research available from all the concerned stakeholders beyond Kampala or central region to other parts of Uganda. PMID:28039687

The diverse values and motivations of family forest owners in the United States: An analysis of an open-ended question in the National Woodland Owner Survey

Treesearch

David N. Bengston; Stanley T. Asah; Brett J. Butler

2011-01-01

The number of family forest owners in the USA has increased continuously in recent decades, and the fate of much of US forests lies in the hands of this diverse and dynamic group of people. The National Woodland Owner Survey (NWOS) is a recurring and comprehensive national survey of US private forest owners, including family forest owners. The NWOS includes an open-...

Science and Success: Sex Education and Other Programs That Work to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, HIV, and Sexually Transmitted Infections. Third Edition. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alford, Sue

2012-01-01

Teen pregnancy in the United States has declined significantly in the last two decades. Despite these declines, rates of teen birth, HIV, and STIs in the United States remain among the highest of any industrialized nation. Socio-economic, cultural and structural factors such as poverty, limited access to health care, racism and unemployment…

The Recent Rise of Southern Magazines.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hynds, Ernest C.

During the past decade states in the southern United States have produced an increasing percentage of the nation's "city" magazines. Three magazines illustrate what the southern metropolitan magazines are doing to serve their readers and their communities. "Southern Living" provides information about its readers' interests as…

Six decades of educational multilateralism in a globalising world: The history of the UNESCO Institute in Hamburg

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elfert, Maren

2013-07-01

Created in 1945 as a specialised agency of the United Nations (UN), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was given, among other mandates, the task of reconstructing education systems devastated during the Second World War. UNESCO, in turn, and after some debate about an engagement in Germany, founded the UNESCO Institute for Education (UIE) in Hamburg in 1952. This paper traces the development of an institute which was founded to contribute to social renewal in war-torn Germany and Europe, functioned as a mediator between Western and Eastern countries during the Cold War and later shifted its geographical focus to developing countries. The institute was instrumental in conceptualising lifelong learning as a global educational paradigm, as well as in shaping the shift from education to learning and the concept of literacy as a "continuum". The author is particularly interested in the nature of the institute's niche which secured its survival in the uncertain domain of educational multilateralism in the past six decades.

Introduction: Like the United States, Asian Nations Have Grappled with the Challenge of Creating and Using National Physical Education Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Housner, Lynn Dale

2005-01-01

Over the course of the last several decades, advances in the Internet and media have brought distant parts of the globe closer together. It is now possible to email, chat with, and offer web-based classes or conferences to colleagues and students from all over the world. As this occurs, it is becoming increasingly possible for physical educators…

NLCD 2011 database

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

National Land Cover Database 2011 (NLCD 2011) is the most recent national land cover product created by the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics (MRLC) Consortium. NLCD 2011 provides - for the first time - the capability to assess wall-to-wall, spatially explicit, national land cover changes and trends across the United States from 2001 to 2011. As with two previous NLCD land cover products NLCD 2011 keeps the same 16-class land cover classification scheme that has been applied consistently across the United States at a spatial resolution of 30 meters. NLCD 2011 is based primarily on a decision-tree classification of circa 2011 Landsat satellite data. This dataset is associated with the following publication:Homer, C., J. Dewitz, L. Yang, S. Jin, P. Danielson, G. Xian, J. Coulston, N. Herold, J. Wickham , and K. Megown. Completion of the 2011 National Land Cover Database for the Conterminous United States – Representing a Decade of Land Cover Change Information. PHOTOGRAMMETRIC ENGINEERING AND REMOTE SENSING. American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Bethesda, MD, USA, 81(0): 345-354, (2015).

UNEP: Two Decades of Achievement and Challenge. 20 Years.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El-Hinnawi, Essam

This publication highlights major achievements of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) activities over the period 1970 to 1990. Chapter 1, "The Stockholm Conference and the Establishment of UNEP," describes the establishment of UNEP. Chapter 2, "The Role of UNEP," covers program development, environment and…

Educational Ethics and the DESD: Considering Trade-Offs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schlottmann, Christopher

2008-01-01

The United Nation's Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) aims to prepare students for pressing economic and environmental problems. In this article, I argue that an exclusive emphasis on an ambiguous goal, sustainable development, raises important questions for educational ethics. Specifically, I argue that DESD mission…

CRYPTOSPORIDIUM AND GIARDIA IN STORMWATER AS A THREAT TO DRINKING WATER SUPPLIES

EPA Science Inventory

Since the first identified Cryptosporidium outbreak in the United Kingdom in 1983, the pathogens Cryptosporidium and Giardia have become the subject of growing local, state, and national concern. In the last decade, these organisms have been the causative agent of many gastroint...

PREP: Outreach to Online Learners through Admissions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gupton, Preeti

2016-01-01

Librarians have collaborated with academic departments within their institutions for decades now, working with professors and administrators to bring information literacy skills to students. The librarians at National American University decided to extend this collaboration to a non-academic unit, the admissions department of the university. The…

Transnational Children in Mexico: Context of Migration and Adaptation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borjian, Ali; Muñoz de Cote, Luz María; van Dijk, Sylvia; Houde, Patricia

2016-01-01

Transnational migration increasingly impacts economically disadvantaged and culturally marginalized students. Over the last decade, an unprecedented number of Mexican nationals living in the United States have returned to Mexico. Their children may face cultural and linguistic barriers in their ancestral country. This group of students is…

Three Decades of Nonmarital First Births among Fathers Aged 15-44 in the United States. NCHS Data Brief. Number 204

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinez, Gladys M.

2015-01-01

Nonmarital childbearing in the United States increased from the 1940s to the 1990s, peaked in 2007-2008, and declined in 2013 (1-3). In 2013, the nonmarital birth rate was 44.8 births per 1,000 unmarried women aged 15-44. Using data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), this study examines nonmarital first births reported by fathers…

Market-Based Approaches toward the Development of Urban Forest Carbon Projects in the United States

Treesearch

Neelam C. Poudyal; Jacek P. Siry; J. M. Bowker

2012-01-01

The United States has observed unprecedented urban growth over the last few decades. Nowak et al. (2005) noted that between 1990 and 2000, the share of urban land area in the nation increased from 2.5% to 3.1%. Existing urban areas in the U.S. maintain average tree coverage of 27% (Nowak et al. 2001), and consist of millions of trees along streets and in parks,...

Trends in Volunteer Mentoring in the United States: Analysis of a Decade of Census Survey Data.

PubMed

Raposa, Elizabeth B; Dietz, Nathan; Rhodes, Jean E

2017-03-01

Over the past decade, considerable resources have been devoted to recruiting volunteer mentors and expanding mentoring programs. It is unclear whether these efforts have helped to counter the broader national trends of declining volunteer rates. The current study uses data from the Volunteering Supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS), sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, to explore population-level trends in mentoring over the past decade. Results suggest that mentoring rates have remained relatively stable over the past decade, but that the population of mentors has changed somewhat in terms of age, ethnicity, educational background, and region of the United States. In addition, certain sectors of the mentor population show higher rates of attrition from 1 year to the next. Findings have important implications for the development of recruitment, training, and mentor support practices within mentoring organizations, as well as policies designed to meet the needs of at-risk youth in the U.S. © Society for Community Research and Action 2017.

Women Entrepreneurs in the Developing World. CELCEE Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seymour, Nicole

Although many of the 100 million women employed in the developing world are entrepreneurs, they are often unable to become self sufficient or to adequately support their families through entrepreneurship. However, in the past decade, several entities, from microlending banks to United Nations task forces, have intervened to enable women in…

Exploring the Digital Nation: Home Broadband Internet Adoption in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 2010

2010-01-01

The Internet has revolutionized the social and economic environment in which people live by providing an alternative or supplemental channel for communication, gathering and disseminating information, entertainment, commerce, and education. Household use of high-speed, or broadband, Internet services has risen dramatically during this decade which…

South America and Education for Sustainable Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ostuni, Josefina

2006-01-01

Three South American countries, Argentina, Chile and Brazil, have been selected in order to study the impact of the document "The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development". In these countries, whose people react energetically against any attempt to break the environmental balance, the synergic power of education is…

Organizational Considerations for Advanced Manufacturing Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeRuntz, Bruce D.; Turner, Roger M.

2003-01-01

In the last several decades, the United States has experienced a decline in productivity, while the world has seen a maturation of the global marketplace. Nations have moved manufacturing strategy and process technology issues to the top of management priority lists. The issues surrounding manufacturing technologies and their implementations have…

Student Diversity Augments Studying Sustainability in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dan, Nguyen Linh; Mino, Takashi

2016-01-01

Since 2000, and especially during the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD 2005-2014), many universities have begun offering educational programmes on sustainability. Over this span, the level and type of diversity among students have only increased. This begs the question: How does university student diversity…

Education for International Understanding: The Case of Ethiopia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

International Bureau of Education, Paris (France).

This study reviews Ethiopia's efforts, experiences, and achievements with respect to developing education for international understanding over the past two decades in response to the United Nations recognition of the role education plays in promoting peace. It is an overture aimed at sharing ideas and experiences with all concerned for the…

Are Homeschoolers Prepared for College Calculus?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkens, Christian P.; Wade, Carol H.; Sonnert, Gerhard; Sadler, Philip M.

2015-01-01

Homeschooling in the United States has grown considerably over the past several decades. This article presents findings from the Factors Influencing College Success in Mathematics (FICSMath) survey, a national study of 10,492 students enrolled in tertiary calculus, including 190 students who reported homeschooling for a majority of their high…

Understanding Disadvantage among Medical School Applicants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Espinoza-Shanahan, Crystal C.

2016-01-01

The United States is a nation of peoples with highly stratified degrees of healthcare access and coverage, including many individuals with none at all. Exacerbating the problem of widespread health disparities is a persistent shortage of physicians over recent decades. Of most urgency is the need for doctors within already underserved minority…

Relations of Water Quality to Agricultural Chemical Use and Environmental Setting at Various Scales - Results from Selected Studies of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2008-01-01

In 1991, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began studies of 51 major river basins and aquifers across the United States as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program to provide scientifically sound information for managing the Nation's water resources. The major goals of the NAWQA Program are to assess the status and long-term trends of the Nation's surface- and ground-water quality and to understand the natural and human factors that affect it (Gilliom and others, 1995). In 2001, the NAWQA Program began a second decade of intensive water-quality assessments. The 42 study units for this second decade were selected to represent a wide range of important hydrologic environments and potential contaminant sources. These NAWQA studies continue to address the goals of the first decade of the assessments to determine how water-quality conditions are changing over time. In addition to local- and regional-scale studies, NAWQA began to analyze and synthesize water-quality status and trends at the principal aquifer and major river-basin scales. This fact sheet summarizes results from four NAWQA studies that relate water quality to agricultural chemical use and environmental setting at these various scales: * Comparison of ground-water quality in northern and southern High Plains agricultural settings (principal aquifer scale); * Distribution patterns of pesticides and degradates in rain (local scale); * Occurrence of pesticides in shallow ground water underlying four agricultural areas (local and regional scales); and * Trends in nutrients and sediment over time in the Missouri River and its tributaries (major river-basin scale).

Global considerations for implementation of telemedicine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lechat, M. F.

1991-01-01

In Dec. 1989, the United Nations proclaimed the Decade 1990-1999 as the International Decade for Natural Disasters Reduction (IDNDR). The Decade identified a number of research programs. IDNDR, provides a unique opportunity to explore the potential offered by the emerging technologies, and to promote, develop, and support those technologies deemed adequate to make the next century a safer one, especially in the poorest countries of the world. But all this improvement cannot be accomplished in a vacuum. We must begin now to eliminate pitfalls and illusions. A new attitude must emerge. In the scope of reducing human damages resulting from disasters, we must reconsider the cross-cultural understanding, and reach a real awareness which combines humility with a sense of relativeness. Promoting the right context is essential to the mandate of the Decade.

American Policy in Gifted Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

VanTassel-Baska, Joyce

2018-01-01

This article explores the history of gifted education policy and practice in the United States over the last five decades, documenting the lack of sustained progress in obtaining sustained federal support. It also highlights two case examples, one at the state level and a second at the national level of where a policy in a specific aspect of…

Adult Literacy Benefits? New Opportunities for Research into Sustainable Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Post, David

2016-01-01

Understandings of "literacy" broadened after the United Nations Development Decade of the 1960s. The corresponding research into the benefits of literacy also widened its focus beyond economic growth. The effects of adult literacy and its correlates appeared diffuse with the rise of New Literacy Studies, and the scholarship on…

Using Children's Folktales to Explore Multiculturalism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, Linda B.; Sanez, Maria

2006-01-01

Cultural and ethnic diversity in the United States has been significantly increasing in the past few decades. This growth is greatly reflected in schools in the U. S. where children come from very diverse backgrounds. With the country's expanding relationships with other nations across the world, the need for children to view themselves as members…

Human Rights Education Ways and Means

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sajan, K. S.

2010-01-01

This paper describes the importance of human rights education as proclaimed by UN (1994) and also the strategies for developing human rights education by UN General assembly 2005. In proclaiming the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004), in December 1994, the General Assembly defined human rights education as "a life-long…

The State of The Environment 1972-1982.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi (Kenya).

This report focuses on the changes (positive or negative) that occurred in the state of the world environment in the decade following the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment convened at Stockholm in June 1972. It also brings into focus the major environmental issues encountered or likely to be encountered. The first section focuses…

Demographic Challenges in America's Future.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butz, William P.; And Others

This document examines trends in the United States population since World War II, and projects a scenario of how demographic and economic phenomena may evolve over the next several decades. The report is divided into five sections. Section 1 introduces the volume and discusses generally some of the effects of the nation's transition to zero…

Factors Influencing Principals' Retirement Decisions: A Southern US Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reames, Ellen H.; Kochan, Frances K.; Zhu, Linxiang

2014-01-01

This study, conducted in one state in the United States, replicated similar research from over a decade ago to compare principal demographics and reasons for remaining or leaving the profession. Demographics have trended with the nation. Principals are older, more diverse and are largely eligible for retirement within the next five years. Similar…

Green Time for Screenagers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dillon, Robert

2011-01-01

For the past decade, schools throughout the United States have been working diligently to hit the targets set by national and state guidelines for academic achievement. Those targets have helped direct attention on the need to get all students achieving at a high level, but the laserlike focus on the target numbers have led many middle schools to…

Barriers to Career Success for Minority Researchers in the Behavioral Sciences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kameny, Rebecca R.; DeRosier, Melissa E.; Taylor, Lorraine C.; McMillen, Janey Sturtz; Knowles, Meagan M.; Pifer, Kimberly

2014-01-01

The United States falls short in the diversity of its scientific workforce. While the underrepresentation of minority researchers in the behavioral sciences has been a concern for several decades, policy and training initiatives have been only marginally successful in increasing their number. Diversity plays a critical role in our nation's…

Female Genital Mutilation: Proposals for Change. Minority Rights Group International Report. [Revised].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dorkenoo, Efua; Elworthy, Scilla

In Africa today, women's voices are being raised against female genital mutilation. Inspired by the United Nations Decade for Women, this report seeks to present information in a logical, coherent manner to stimulate support for eradication of the practice. It describes steps African governments, Western states, and international agencies can take…

Looking for Synergies: Education for Sustainable Development and the Bologna Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fadeeva, Zinaida; Galkute, Laima

2012-01-01

In defining quality of higher education, competences achieved by graduates are interpreted as essential criteria. There are two political processes in education dealing, among other issues, with competence development: the Bologna Process in European Higher Education Area and a global process--the United Nations (UN) Decade (2005-2014) of…

American Nightmare: A Decade of Homelessness in the United States.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Coalition for the Homeless, Washington, DC.

A 1989 national survey of the dimensions of homelessness found that at least three million Americans are homeless and that the shortage of affordable housing was cited as the chief cause. Information was gathered from a telephone survey of emergency shelter providers, housing advocacy organizations, and local governments in 26 communities, ranging…

Making management recommendations from annual bird point count data

Treesearch

Gary M. Peters

2005-01-01

In the past decade, more than one hundred thousand breeding bird occurrences have been recorded on Southern National Forests in the United Sates. The majority of these occurrences have been geo-referenced using global positioning satellite (GPS) technology. This spatial information is available for use as a coverage in several geographic information system (GIS)...

Anomalous dismeter distribution shifts estimated from FIA inventories through time

Treesearch

Francis A. Roesch; Paul C. Van Deusen

2010-01-01

In the past decade, the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service’s Forest Inventory and Analysis Program (FIA) has replaced regionally autonomous, periodic, state-wide forest inventories using various probability proportional to tree size sampling designs with a nationally consistent annual forest inventory design utilizing systematically spaced clusters...

The Privatization of Public Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunter, Richard

2010-01-01

For-profit education is not a new focus for public schools in the United States. It has been around for several decades, has stimulated considerable controversy, and has been heralded by some as a panacea for improving learning for the nation's public school students. For-profit schools are run by private, for-profit companies or organizations…

Science Education and Education for Sustainable Development--Justifications, Models, Practices and Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eilks, Ingo

2015-01-01

The year 2014 marks the end of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). All educational domains and levels, including primary and secondary science education, have been working to contribute to education enabling younger generations to become responsible citizens and promote sustainable development in our world.…

Scientific Communication at an International Scale: A Review and Bibliography of the UNISIST Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nordstrom, Lance O.

Within the last few decades there have been significant initiatives to establish and develop international programs and systems to facilitate access to the information resources of cooperating countries. A program of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), UNISIST was designed to encourage and coordinate the…

Fire patterns in piñon and juniper land cover types in the Semiarid Western United States from 1984 through 2013

Treesearch

David I. Board; Jeanne C. Chambers; Richard F. Miller; Peter J. Weisberg

2018-01-01

Increases in area burned and fire size have been reported across a wide range of forest and shrubland types in the Western United States in recent decades, but little is known about potential changes in fire regimes of piñon and juniper land cover types. We evaluated spatio-temporal patterns of fire in piñon and juniper land cover types from the National Gap Analysis...

High Frontier: The Journal for Space & Missile Professionals. Volume 2, Number 4, August 2006

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-01

among nations. With the information revolution, globalization has sped economic disparity and rapid cultural changes that have forced the United States...at every level to react to any Chinese move that puts targets from economic targets to military forces at risk of at- tack.12 The United States...Support Program (DSP) has been a model of war-fight- ing effectiveness for decades and exceeded all expectations, but its life span is not infinite. As

Mapping the world: cartographic and geographic visualization by the United Nations Geospatial Information Section (formerly Cartographic Section)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kagawa, Ayako; Le Sourd, Guillaume

2018-05-01

United Nations Secretariat activities, mapping began in 1946, and by 1951, the need for maps increased and an office with a team of cartographers was established. Since then, with the development of technologies including internet, remote sensing, unmanned aerial systems, relationship database management and information systems, geospatial information provides an ever-increasing variation of support to the work of the Organization for planning of operations, decision-making and monitoring of crises. However, the need for maps has remained intact. This presentation aims to highlight some of the cartographic representation styles over the decades by reviewing the evolution of selected maps by the office, and noting the changing cognitive and semiotic aspects of cartographic and geographic visualization required by the United Nations. Through presentation and analysis of these maps, the changing dynamics of the Organization in information management can be reflected, with a reminder of the continuing and expanding deconstructionist role of a cartographer, now geospatial information management experts.

Housing growth in and near United States protected areas limits their conservation value.

PubMed

Radeloff, Volker C; Stewart, Susan I; Hawbaker, Todd J; Gimmi, Urs; Pidgeon, Anna M; Flather, Curtis H; Hammer, Roger B; Helmers, David P

2010-01-12

Protected areas are crucial for biodiversity conservation because they provide safe havens for species threatened by land-use change and resulting habitat loss. However, protected areas are only effective when they stop habitat loss within their boundaries, and are connected via corridors to other wild areas. The effectiveness of protected areas is threatened by development; however, the extent of this threat is unknown. We compiled spatially-detailed housing growth data from 1940 to 2030, and quantified growth for each wilderness area, national park, and national forest in the conterminous United States. Our findings show that housing development in the United States may severely limit the ability of protected areas to function as a modern "Noah's Ark." Between 1940 and 2000, 28 million housing units were built within 50 km of protected areas, and 940,000 were built within national forests. Housing growth rates during the 1990s within 1 km of protected areas (20% per decade) outpaced the national average (13%). If long-term trends continue, another 17 million housing units will be built within 50 km of protected areas by 2030 (1 million within 1 km), greatly diminishing their conservation value. US protected areas are increasingly isolated, housing development in their surroundings is decreasing their effective size, and national forests are even threatened by habitat loss within their administrative boundaries. Protected areas in the United States are thus threatened similarly to those in developing countries. However, housing growth poses the main threat to protected areas in the United States whereas deforestation is the main threat in developing countries.

Housing growth in and near United States protected areas limits their conservation value

PubMed Central

Radeloff, Volker C.; Stewart, Susan I.; Hawbaker, Todd J.; Gimmi, Urs; Pidgeon, Anna M.; Flather, Curtis H.; Hammer, Roger B.; Helmers, David P.

2009-01-01

Protected areas are crucial for biodiversity conservation because they provide safe havens for species threatened by land-use change and resulting habitat loss. However, protected areas are only effective when they stop habitat loss within their boundaries, and are connected via corridors to other wild areas. The effectiveness of protected areas is threatened by development; however, the extent of this threat is unknown. We compiled spatially-detailed housing growth data from 1940 to 2030, and quantified growth for each wilderness area, national park, and national forest in the conterminous United States. Our findings show that housing development in the United States may severely limit the ability of protected areas to function as a modern “Noah’s Ark.” Between 1940 and 2000, 28 million housing units were built within 50 km of protected areas, and 940,000 were built within national forests. Housing growth rates during the 1990s within 1 km of protected areas (20% per decade) outpaced the national average (13%). If long-term trends continue, another 17 million housing units will be built within 50 km of protected areas by 2030 (1 million within 1 km), greatly diminishing their conservation value. US protected areas are increasingly isolated, housing development in their surroundings is decreasing their effective size, and national forests are even threatened by habitat loss within their administrative boundaries. Protected areas in the United States are thus threatened similarly to those in developing countries. However, housing growth poses the main threat to protected areas in the United States whereas deforestation is the main threat in developing countries. PMID:20080780

Housing growth in and near United States protected areas limits their conservation value

USGS Publications Warehouse

Radeloff, V.C.; Stewart, S.I.; Hawbaker, T.J.; Gimmi, U.; Pidgeon, A.M.; Flather, C.H.; Hammer, R.B.; Helmers, D.P.

2010-01-01

Protected areas are crucial for biodiversity conservation because they provide safe havens for species threatened by land-use change and resulting habitat loss. However, protected areas are only effective when they stop habitat loss within their boundaries, and are connected via corridors to other wild areas. The effectiveness of protected areas is threatened by development; however, the extent of this threat is unknown. We compiled spatially-detailed housing growth data from 1940 to 2030, and quantified growth for each wilderness area, national park, and national forest in the conterminous United States. Our findings show that housing development in the United States may severely limit the ability of protected areas to function as a modern "Noah's Ark." Between 1940 and 2000, 28 million housing units were built within 50 km of protected areas, and 940,000 were built within national forests. Housing growth rates during the 1990s within 1 km of protected areas (20% per decade) outpaced the national average (13%). If long-term trends continue, another 17 million housing units will be built within 50 km of protected areas by 2030 (1 million within 1 km), greatly diminishing their conservation value. US protected areas are increasingly isolated, housing development in their surroundings is decreasing their effective size, and national forests are even threatened by habitat loss within their administrative boundaries. Protected areas in the United States are thus threatened similarly to those in developing countries. However, housing growth poses the main threat to protected areas in the United States whereas deforestation is the main threat in developing countries.

Implementation Research to Address the United States Health Disadvantage: Report of a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Workshop.

PubMed

Engelgau, Michael M; Narayan, K M Venkat; Ezzati, Majid; Salicrup, Luis A; Belis, Deshiree; Aron, Laudan Y; Beaglehole, Robert; Beaudet, Alain; Briss, Peter A; Chambers, David A; Devaux, Marion; Fiscella, Kevin; Gottlieb, Michael; Hakkinen, Unto; Henderson, Rain; Hennis, Anselm J; Hochman, Judith S; Jan, Stephen; Koroshetz, Walter J; Mackenbach, Johan P; Marmot, M G; Martikainen, Pekka; McClellan, Mark; Meyers, David; Parsons, Polly E; Rehnberg, Clas; Sanghavi, Darshak; Sidney, Stephen; Siega-Riz, Anna Maria; Straus, Sharon; Woolf, Steven H; Constant, Stephanie; Creazzo, Tony L; de Jesus, Janet M; Gavini, Nara; Lerner, Norma B; Mishoe, Helena O; Nelson, Cheryl; Peprah, Emmanuel; Punturieri, Antonello; Sampson, Uchechukwu; Tracy, Rachael L; Mensah, George A

2018-04-28

Four decades ago, U.S. life expectancy was within the same range as other high-income peer countries. However, during the past decades, the United States has fared worse in many key health domains resulting in shorter life expectancy and poorer health-a health disadvantage. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute convened a panel of national and international health experts and stakeholders for a Think Tank meeting to explore the U.S. health disadvantage and to seek specific recommendations for implementation research opportunities for heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders. Recommendations for National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute consideration were made in several areas including understanding the drivers of the disadvantage, identifying potential solutions, creating strategic partnerships with common goals, and finally enhancing and fostering a research workforce for implementation research. Key recommendations included exploring why the United States is doing better for health indicators in a few areas compared with peer countries; targeting populations across the entire socioeconomic spectrum with interventions at all levels in order to prevent missing a substantial proportion of the disadvantage; assuring partnership have high-level goals that can create systemic change through collective impact; and finally, increasing opportunities for implementation research training to meet the current needs. Connecting with the research community at large and building on ongoing research efforts will be an important strategy. Broad partnerships and collaboration across the social, political, economic, and private sectors and all civil society will be critical-not only for implementation research but also for implementing the findings to have the desired population impact. Developing the relevant knowledge to tackle the U.S. health disadvantage is the necessary first step to improve U.S. health outcomes. Published by Elsevier B.V.

North America: Chapter 5

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schwartz, Mark D.; Beaubien, Elisabeth G.; Crimmins, Theresa M.; Weltzin, Jake F.; Edited by Schwartz, Mark D.

2013-01-01

Plant phenological observations and networks in North America have been largely local and regional in extent until recent decades. In the USA, cloned plant monitoring networks were the exception to this pattern, with data collection spanning the late 1950s until approximately the early 1990s. Animal observation networks, especially for birds have been more extensive. The USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN), established in the mid-2000s is a recent effort to operate a comprehensive national-scale network in the United States. In Canada, PlantWatch, as part of Nature Watch, is the current national-scale plant phenology program.

Archiving Disaster: A Comparative Study of September 11, 2001 and Hurricane Katrina

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rivard, Courtney J.

2012-01-01

The first decade of the 21st Century in the United States witnessed two major events that have come to be understood as national disasters: September 11, 2001 and Hurricane Katrina. Numerous historical institutions quickly mobilized to collect material relating to the two events, prompting the creation of what is now referred to as "disaster…

Social Belonging and College Retention: Results from a Quasi-Experimental Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silver Wolf, David A. Patterson; Perkins, Jacob; Butler-Barnes, Sheretta T.; Walker, Thomas A., Jr.

2017-01-01

Educators, policymakers, and institutions have worked for decades to increase rates of college graduation, but about half of students who enter college drop out without completing a bachelor's degree. Although the rate of student attrition is higher in the United States than in any other industrialized nation, about 30% of U.S. students will drop…

Rhetoric or Reality? Do Accounting Education and Experience Increase Weighting on Environmental Performance in a Balanced Scorecard?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wynder, Monte; Wellner, Kai-Uwe; Reinhard, Karin

2013-01-01

We are nearing the end of the United Nations' Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014). There has been substantial rhetoric in education and business forums, and many universities have integrated sustainability into their accounting curricula, but what effect is accounting education having? This study considers whether the…

Eastern national forests: managing for nontimber products

Treesearch

James L. Chamberlain; Robert J. Bush; A.L. Hammett; Philip A. Araman

2002-01-01

Many products are harvested from the forests of the eastern United States that are not timber-based but originate from plant materials. Over the past decade, concern has grown about the sustainability of the forest resources from which these products originate, and an associated interest in managing for these products has materialized. A content analysis of the...

A Case Study of ESD Implementation: Signs of Sustainable Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iliško, Dzintra; Badyanova, Yelena

2014-01-01

This article presents a case study of two schools that were identified as a result of UNESCO associated schools survey as cases of sustainable leadership and governance. The aim of the study is to present the two cases that were crystalized in the survey carried out at end of the United Nations' "Decade of Education for Sustainable…

The New Hispanic Majority: How Texas Public Schools Are Foreshadowing National Trends

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farmer, Tod Allen

2011-01-01

Texas and other states that border with Mexico have been leading indicators of public school system trends that may manifest themselves in other areas of the United States in the decade to come. Such manifestations of these trends are likely to have both policy and practice implications. Descriptive statistics and longitudinal data from the…

Different Cultures, Different Students, Same Test: Comparing Math Skills of Hungarian and American College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, Barbara A.; Randall, Cindy H.; Frederick, Joshua; Gáll, József; Jones, Thomas W.

2012-01-01

In recent decades, Hungary and the United States have embraced new philosophies in their approach to teaching mathematics. Hungary's changes were driven by social and economic shifts, the U.S. by the creation of national standards. In both countries, university faculty members complain about students' poor math skills. Professors from three…

Values Education--A Reality or Myth in Polish Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Switala, Eugeniusz

2015-01-01

The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD), which is coming to an end, will offer all kinds of summaries and reflections on this issue. The aim of this paper, strictly related with the goals of the DESD, is to answer the following questions: (1) "Is the Polish school ready to provide values education?"; (2)…

Navy Fact File 1984

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-10-01

Textile Fibers/Products Foods , Feeds, Beverages Industrial Supplies Value of Goods Exported ($ billions) 1958 1968 1978 $18.1 billion...character of its government, the soundness of its economy, its industrial efficiency, the development of its internal communications, the quality...decades the United States produced more raw materials than its growing industrial complex could consume. From a raw-materials-surplus-nation we

Building Regional Capacity for Sustainable Development through an ESD Project Inventory in RCE Saskatchewan, Canada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Peta; Petry, Roger

2011-01-01

The Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development in Saskatchewan (RCE Saskatchewan, Canada) is part of the United Nations University RCE Initiative in support of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-14). With funding from the Government of Saskatchewan's Go Green Fund, RCE Saskatchewan carried out…

Racial-Ethnic Differences at the Intersection of Math Course-Taking and Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riegle-Crumb, Catherine; Grodsky, Eric

2010-01-01

Despite increases in the representation of African American and Hispanic youth in advanced math courses in high school over the past two decades, recent national reports indicate that substantial inequality in achievement remains. These inequalities can temper one's optimism about the degree to which the United States has made real progress toward…

A National Plan for a Use-Oriented Foreign Language System. NFLC Position Papers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lambert, Richard D.

The significant progress made in the United States' foreign language education system in recent decades is not enough. If the current system is to expand adult foreign language competency and use, both a change of perspective and a new organizational superstructure are necessary to serve those needs more directly, which in turn demands a…

Urban America: Policy Choices for Los Angeles and the Nation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steinberg, James B., Ed.; And Others

This volume presents 13 essays on urban problems in the United States, particularly in Los Angeles (California) following the 1992 riots, and policy options for the future. Part 1 addresses policies of the past three decades; Part 2 looks at children, youth, and families; Part 3 discusses crime and criminal justice; and Part 4 examines public…

UNESCO's Programme on Technical and Vocational Education for the First Decade of the New Millennium.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Power, Colin N.

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) believes provision of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to prepare qualified technicians and skilled and semi-skilled workers should be an essential component of the development agenda of all countries. It is about to draft a plan of action for the…

Splintered Accountability: State Governance and Education Reform. SUNY Series in Public Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shober, Arnold F.

2010-01-01

The No Child Left Behind Act declared that improving education in every school in the United States was a top national priority. However, this act did not acknowledge how state departments of education have successfully constructed reforms for the past few decades, despite the power struggle between governors, legislators, school districts, and…

Geographic Variation of District-Level Gender Achievement Gaps within the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reardon, Sean; Fahle, Erin; Kalogrides, Demetra; Podolsky, Anne; Zarate, Rosalia

2016-01-01

Gender achievement gaps on national and state assessments have been a popular research topic over the last few decades. Many prior studies examine these gaps in different subjects (e.g., mathematics, reading, and science) and grades (typically kindergarten through eighth grade) for students living in various regions (typically states or countries)…

Human Rights Education in Canada: Results from a CTF Teacher Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Froese-Germain, Bernie; Riel, Rick; Theoret, Pauline

2013-01-01

The United Nations has placed a high priority on human rights education. Building on the foundation laid by the UN Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004), the UN General Assembly launched the World Programme for Human Rights Education in December 2004 "as a global initiative, structured in consecutive phases, to advance the…

No Child Left behind and the Insomnia Plague

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mathis, William J.

2004-01-01

In 1974, Ronald Reagan called the United States a "shining city on a hill." A decade later, Mario Cuomo responded by speaking to us about another city that was not on a shining hill. His "Tale of Two Cities" speech, delivered at the 1984 Democratic National Convention, was not only moving but also haunting. In this other city…

Rural Development in the United States: Connecting Theory, Practice, and Possibilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galston, William A.; Baehler, Karen J.

This book synthesizes and analyzes much of the theoretical and practical literature on rural economic development and related issues from the past two decades with the aim of initiating construction of a new model for U.S. rural development policy. Part I emphasizes the national and global context within which U.S. rural development must take…

A Structural Equation Model of the Writing Process in Typically Developing Sixth Grade Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koutsoftas, Anthony D.

2010-01-01

Educational reform initiatives of the last decade have focused on the three R's: reading, writing, and arithmetic, with writing receiving the least attention in the research literature (National Commission on Writing, 2003). Studies of writing performance in United States schoolchildren indicate that many are writing only at basic levels. The…

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…

A Qualitative Study into the Inner Leadership of Transformative California School Principals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tiu, Conrado

2016-01-01

The 1983 publication of "A Nation at Risk" gave birth to an effort to reform K-12 schools and increase student achievement all over the United States. More than 30 years later, the school reform efforts have grown into immense industries with marginal effect. Major legislation and programs have been launched throughout 3 decades, with…

Teaching Human Rights? "All Hell Will Break Loose!"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cassidy, Claire; Brunner, Richard; Webster, Elaine

2014-01-01

Human rights education is a prominent concern of a number of international organisations and has been dominant on the United Nations' agenda for the past 20 years. The UN Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004) has been followed by the World Programme for Human Rights Education (2005-ongoing) and the recently adopted UN Declaration on Human…

Continuously Reaffirmed, Subtly Accommodated, Obviously Missing and Fallaciously Critiqued: Ideologies in UNESCO's Lifelong Learning Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Moosung; Friedrich, Tom

2011-01-01

Although the lifelong learning policy of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has had a unique impact on international discussions over the last four decades, little historical research has revealed the ideological influences at work within UNESCO's lifelong learning policy texts. With this in mind, this…

Research Commentary: Educational Technology--An Equity Challenge to the Common Core

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kitchen, Richard; Berk, Sarabeth

2016-01-01

The implementation of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010) has the potential to move forward key features of standards-based reforms in mathematics that have been promoted in the United States for more than 2 decades (e.g.,…

The new forest carbon accounting framework for the United States

Treesearch

Grant M. Domke; John W. Coulston; Christopher W. Woodall

2015-01-01

The forest carbon accounting system used in recent National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (NGHGI) was developed more than a decade ago when the USDA Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis annual inventory system was in its infancy and contemporary questions regarding the terrestrial sink (e.g., attribution) did not exist. The time has come to develop a new...

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Chemistry Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burmeister, Mareike; Rauch, Franz; Eilks, Ingo

2012-01-01

The years between 2005 and 2014 have been declared as a worldwide Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) by the United Nations. DESD's intended purpose is to promote and more thoroughly focus education as a crucial tool preparing young people to be responsible future citizens, so that our future generations can shape society in a…

Green Curriculum: Sustainable Learning at a Higher Education Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Louw, Willa

2013-01-01

The United Nations (UN) constituted 2005-2014 as the decade for educational sustainable development when bridges have to be built between academic institutions and their communities. In this article I will therefore do a literature search from 2005-2011 on what it means to be a sustainable university with a sustainable curriculum by looking at…

The American Teacher, 1984-1995, Metropolitan Life Survey. Old Problems, New Challenges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

During the past decade there have been considerable efforts to reform the American public school system. This survey, based on 15-minute telephone interviews with a nationally representative sample of 1,011 public school teachers in the United States, duplicates the sampling and interviewing process used in a similar study in 1984 and 1985. In…

Two-digit number comparison: Decade-unit and unit-decade produce the same compatibility effect with number words.

PubMed

Macizo, Pedro; Herrera, Amparo

2010-03-01

This study explored the processing of 2-digit number words by examining the unit-decade compatibility effect in Spanish. Participants were required to choose the larger of 2-digit number words presented in verbal notation. In compatible trials the decade and unit comparisons led to the same response (e.g., 53-68) while in incompatible trials the decade and unit comparisons led to different responses (e.g., 59-74). Participants were slower on compatible trials as compared to incompatible trials. In Experiments 2 and 3, we evaluated whether the reverse compatibility effect in Spanish was only due to a pure left-to-right encoding which favours the decade processing in this language (decade-unit order). When participants processed 2-digit number words presented in reverse form (in the unit-decade order), the same reverse compatibility effect was found. This pattern of results suggests that participants have learnt a language-dependent process for analysing written numbers which is used irrespective of the specific arrangement of units and decades in the comparison task. 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

Historic and Current Launcher Success Rates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rust, Randy

2002-01-01

This presentation reviews historic and current space launcher success rates from all nations with a mature launcher industry. Data from the 1950's through present day is reviewed for possible trends such as when in the launch timeline a failure occurred, which stages had the highest failure rate, overall launcher reliability, a decade by decade look at launcher reliability, when in a launchers history did failures occur, and the reliability of United States human-rated launchers. This information is useful in determining where launcher reliability can be improved and where additional measures for crew survival (i.e., Crew Escape systems) will have the greatest emphasis

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

Sikes, Karen; Blackburn, Julia; Grubbs, Tyler

Despite a steady record of energy efficiency improvements in residential refrigerators and freezers over recent decades, these products still account for 4% of the site energy consumption for the average U.S. household. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) – along with partners Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and the University of Maryland – are pursuing further efficiency improvements in this market sector by using a novel/prototype rotating heat exchanger (RHX) based on a Sandia Cooler technology as an evaporator in a residential refrigerator-freezer. The purpose of this study is to investigate the market potential of refrigerator-freezer products equipped with RHX evaporatorsmore » in the United States, including projections of maximum annual market share and unit shipments and maximum direct and indirect job creation.« less

National Space Weather Program Releases Strategy for the New Decade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williamson, Samuel P.; Babcock, Michael R.; Bonadonna, Michael F.

2010-12-01

The National Space Weather Program (NSWP; http://www.nswp.gov) is a U.S. federal government interagency program established by the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology (OFCM) in 1995 to coordinate, collaborate, and leverage capabilities across stakeholder agencies, including space weather researchers, service providers, users, policy makers, and funding agencies, to improve the performance of the space weather enterprise for the United States and its international partners. Two important documents released in recent months have established a framework and the vision, goals, and strategy to move the enterprise forward in the next decade. The U.S. federal agency members of the NSWP include the departments of Commerce, Defense, Energy, Interior, State, and Transportation, plus NASA, the National Science Foundation, and observers from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The OFCM is also working with the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency to formally join the program.

Development of A Dust Climate Indicator for the US National Climate Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tong, D.; Wang, J. X. L.; Gill, T. E.; Van Pelt, S.; Kim, D.

2016-12-01

Dust activity is a relatively simple but practical indicator to document the response of dryland ecosystems to climate change, making it an integral part of the National Climate Assessment (NCA). We present here a multi-agency collaboration that aims at developing a suite of dust climate indicators to document and monitor the long-term variability and trend of dust storm activity in the western United States. Recent dust observations have revealed rapid intensification of dust storm activity in the western United States. This trend is also closely correlated with a rapid increase in dust deposition in rainwater and "valley fever" hospitalization in southwestern states. It remains unclear, however, if such a trend, when enhanced by predicted warming and rainfall oscillation in the Southwest, will result in irreversible environmental development such as desertification or even another "Dust Bowl". Based on continuous ground aerosol monitoring, we have reconstructed a long-term dust storm climatology in the western United States. We report here direct evidence of rapid intensification of dust storm activity over US deserts in the past decades (1990 to 2013), in contrast to the decreasing trends in Asia and Africa. The US trend is spatially and temporally correlated with incidences of valley fever, an infectious disease caused by soil-dwelling fungus that has increased eight-fold in the past decade. We further investigate the linkage between dust variations and possible climate drivers and find that the regional dust trends are likely driven by large-scale variations of sea surface temperature in the Pacific Ocean, with the strongest correlation with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). Future study will explore the link between the temporal and spatial trends of increase in dustiness and vegetation change in southwestern semi-arid and arid ecosystems.

An aerosol optical depth climatology for NOAA's national surface radiation budget network (SURFRAD)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Augustine, John A.; Hodges, Gary B.; Dutton, Ellsworth G.; Michalsky, Joseph J.; Cornwall, Christopher R.

2008-06-01

A series of algorithms developed to process spectral solar measurements for aerosol optical depth (AOD) for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) national surface radiation budget network (SURFRAD) is summarized, and decadal results are presented. AOD is a measure of the extinction of the Sun's beam due to aerosols. Daily files of AOD for five spectral measurements in the visible and near-infrared have been produced for 1997-2006. Comparisons of SURFRAD daily AOD averages to NASA's Aerosol Robotic Network product at two of the stations were generally good. An AOD climatology for each SURFRAD station is presented as an annual time series of composite monthly means that represents a typical intra-annual AOD variation. Results are similar to previous U.S. climatologies in that the highest AOD magnitude and greatest variability occur in summer, the lowest AOD levels are in winter, and geographically, the highest-magnitude AOD is in the eastern United States. Springtime Asian dust intrusions show up as a secondary maximum at the western stations. A time series of nationwide annual means shows that 500-nm AOD has decreased over the United States by about 0.02 AOD units over the 10-year period. However, this decline is not statistically significant nor geographically consistent within the country. The eastern U.S. stations and westernmost station at Desert Rock, Nevada, show decreasing AOD, whereas the other two western stations show an increase that is attributed to an upsurge in wildfire activity in the last half of the decade.

NASA Aeronautics Research: An Assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2008-01-01

The U.S. air transportation system is vital to the economic well-being and security of the United States. To support continued U.S. leadership in aviation, Congress and NASA requested that the National Research Council undertake a decadal survey of civil aeronautics research and technology (R&T) priorities that would help NASA fulfill its responsibility to preserve U.S. leadership in aeronautics technology. In 2006, the National Research Council published the Decadal Survey of Civil Aeronautics. That report presented a set of six strategic objectives for the next decade of aeronautics R&T, and it described 51 high-priority R&T challenges--characterized by five common themes--for both NASA and non-NASA researchers. The National Research Council produced the present report, which assesses NASA's Aeronautics Research Program, in response to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-155). This report focuses on three sets of questions: 1. How well does NASA's research portfolio implement appropriate recommendations and address relevant high-priority research and technology challenges identified in the Decadal Survey of Civil Aeronautics? If gaps are found, what steps should be taken by the federal government to eliminate them? 2. How well does NASA's aeronautics research portfolio address the aeronautics research requirements of NASA, particularly for robotic and human space exploration? How well does NASA's aeronautics research portfolio address other federal government department/agency non-civil aeronautics research needs? If gaps are found, what steps should be taken by NASA and/or other parts of the federal government to eliminate them? 3. Will the nation have a skilled research workforce and research facilities commensurate with the requirements in (1) and (2) above? What critical improvements in workforce expertise and research facilities, if any, should NASA and the nation make to achieve the goals of NASA's research program? This report continues the good work begun by the Decadal Survey of Civil Aeronautics, and it expands that work to consider in more depth NASA aeronautics research issues related to the space program, non-civil applications, workforce, and facilities.

International boundary experiences by the United Nations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kagawa, A.

2013-12-01

Over the last few decades, the United Nations (UN) has been approached by Security Council and Member States on international boundary issues. The United Nations regards the adequate delimitation and demarcation of international boundaries as a very important element for the maintenance of peace and security in fragile post-conflict situations, establishment of friendly relationships and cross-border cooperation between States. This paper will present the main principles and framework the United Nations applies to support the process of international boundary delimitation and demarcation activities. The United Nations is involved in international boundary issues following the principle of impartiality and neutrality and its role as mediator. Since international boundary issues are multi-faceted, a range of expertise is required and the United Nations Secretariat is in a good position to provide diverse expertise within the multiple departments. Expertise in different departments ranging from legal, political, technical, administrative and logistical are mobilised in different ways to provide support to Member States depending on their specific needs. This presentation aims to highlight some of the international boundary projects that the United Nations Cartographic Section has been involved in order to provide the technical support to different boundary requirements as each international boundary issue requires specific focus and attention whether it be in preparation, delimitation, demarcation or management. Increasingly, the United Nations is leveraging geospatial technology to facilitate boundary delimitation and demarcation process between Member States. Through the presentation of the various case studies ranging from Iraq - Kuwait, Israel - Lebanon (Blue Line), Eritrea - Ethiopia, Cyprus (Green Line), Cameroon - Nigeria, Sudan - South Sudan, it will illustrate how geospatial technology is increasingly used to carry out the support. In having applied a range of geospatial solutions, some of the good practices that have been applied in preceding projects, but there have been challenges and limitations faced. However, these challenges need to be seen as an opportunity to improve the geospatial technology solutions in future international boundary projects. This presentation will also share the aspirations that the United Nations Cartographic Section has in becoming a facilitator in geospatial technical aspects related to international boundary issues as we increasingly develop our geospatial institutional knowledge base and expertise. The presentation will conclude by emphasizing the need for more collaboration between different actors dealing with geospatial technology on borderland issues in order to meet the main goal of the United Nations - to live and work together as "We the Peoples of the United Nations".

Business Language Studies in the United States: On Nomenclature, Context, Theory, and Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doyle, Michael Scott

2012-01-01

Although it has existed for many decades in the national curriculum of U.S. higher education, the study of languages for business purposes has lacked a more serviceable and academically communal name--a more rigorous toponymic identity--by which to identify itself as a theory-based field of scholarship. The intention here is to propose for…

Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 2006. Compendium Report. NCES 2008-053

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laird, Jennifer; Cataldi, Emily Forrest; KewalRamani, Angelina; Chapman, Chris

2008-01-01

This report builds upon a series of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports on high school dropout and completion rates that began in 1988. It presents estimates of rates in 2006, provides data about trends in dropout and completion rates over the last 3 decades (1972-006), and examines the characteristics of high school dropouts…

An overview of the forest products sector downturn in the United States

Treesearch

C.W. Woodall; P.J. Ince; K.E. Skog; F.X. Aguilar; C.E. Keegan; C.B. Sorenson; D.G. Hodges; W.B. Smith

2012-01-01

In recent years, the forest products industry of the U.S. experienced a downturn in output to levels not seen in decades and employment losses in the hundreds of thousands-- for instance, a number far greater than witnessed in the Nation's automotive industry. The extent of the forest industry downturn varies by sector, impacted by structural changes in the...

Wilderness recreation in the United States: trends in use, users, and impacts

Treesearch

David N. Cole

1996-01-01

Recreation use of the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) has increased sixfold since passage of The Wilderness Act in 1964. Use is currently increasing in most designated wilderness areas. However, the wilderness visitors of today, the trips they take, and their management preferences are not very different from those of a decade or two ago. Some of the...

New Strategies for a New Decade. Proceedings of the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship Annual National Conference (4th, Cleveland, Ohio, October 8-11, 1989).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashmore, M. Catherine, Ed.; And Others

This document includes the following papers: "Challenge to the Small Business Workplace" (Quinn); "Endowed Positions in Entrepreneurship and Related Fields" (Katz); "Entrepreneurial Loan Request Image Variables as Perceived by Bankers and Entrepreneurs" (Klassen, Davis); "Entrepreneurship Education and Microbusiness Development as Part of a…

Building a citizen-agency partnership among diverse interests: the Colville National Forest and Northeast Washington Forestry Coalition Experience

Treesearch

Ryan Gordon; Angela Mallon; Carolin Maier; Linda Kruger; Bruce Shindler

2012-01-01

Concerns about forest health and the threat of wildfire across the Western United States increasingly provide the impetus for communities to find land management solutions that serve multiple interests. Funding and procedural changes over the past decade have positioned federal agencies to put greater emphasis on multistakeholder partnerships and public outreach...

A Comparison of Alternate Approaches to Creating Indices of Academic Rigor. Research Report 2012-11

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beatty, Adam S.; Sackett, Paul R.; Kuncel, Nathan R.; Kiger, Thomas B.; Rigdon, Jana L.; Shen, Winny; Walmsley, Philip T.

2013-01-01

In recent decades, there has been an increasing emphasis placed on college graduation rates and reducing attrition due to the social and economic benefits, at both the individual and national levels, proposed to accrue from a more highly educated population (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011). In the United States in particular, there is a concern…

Developing a World View for Science Education: A Message from the NSTA President

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Padilla, Michael

2005-01-01

Substantial growth of Hispanic and Asian immigration in the United States during the past decade has begun to affect almost all school systems, not just those in urban or coastal areas. This realization has led the author to choose Developing a World View for Science Education as the theme for his National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)…

Partners in wildland fire preparedness: lessons from communities in the U.S.

Treesearch

Pamela J. Jakes; Linda Kruger; Martha Monroe; Victoria Sturtevant

2004-01-01

By almost any measure, the past decade has been severe in terms of wildland fire in the United States (Table 1). The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) maintains a list of ''Historically Significant Wildfires" in the US. - fires that are significant in terms of acres burned, value of the resources destroyed, or lives or property lost. Of the 34...

Australia's 1988 Bicentennial: National History and Multiculturalism in the Primary School Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharp, Heather

2012-01-01

As in many countries, such as Germany, Turkey, the United States and Japan the history/culture wars of the past two decades have increased public interest in what is taught in schools. This has resulted in rigorous debates in the general community, encouraged and sustained through regular media coverage. Partly as a response to this, History has…

Early Childhood Teachers' Approaches to Multicultural Education & Perceived Barriers to Disseminating Anti-Bias Messages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vittrup, Brigitte

2016-01-01

Over the past two decades, the United States has become increasingly more diverse. This growth and diversification of society means that schools are becoming more diverse as well. Students of color now make up 48% of the school population and are projected to reach 55% by 2023 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2013). Nonetheless, the…

Recasting Justice and Ethics through Human Rights Education: The Nigerian Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akinbode, Olusola

2006-01-01

The United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004) set in motion both formal and informal activities to promote the development of respect for human rights culture through education worldwide. It is said that knowledge is power and ignorance cannot be a defence. But the maxim that says ignorance of the law is no defence is in itself…

The Transfer of Training at Macro Level in Least Developed Countries: A Case Study of the "Brain-Drain" in Eritrea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tessema, Mussie T.; Winrow, Brian P.; Teclezion, Mussie M.

2012-01-01

Over the past four decades, governments in the least developed countries (LDCs--a categorization adopted by the United Nations) have been attempting to improve the skills and knowledge of their public servants by providing local and international training programs. Despite these training activities, however, many LDCs continue to experience acute…

The Efficacy of a Program Promoting Rice Self-Sufficiency in Ghana during a Period of Neoliberalism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glenna, Leland; Ader, David; Bauchspies, Wenda; Traore, Abou; Agboh-Noameshi, Rita Afiavi

2012-01-01

The number of the world's food insecure rose at the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century. Despite these negative developments, however, a 2010 United Nations report argues that food security could be improved if development efforts are supported by government programs that target smallholder farmers. This report is significant…

The School Staffing Surge: Decades of Employment Growth in America's Public Schools. Part II

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scafidi, Benjamin

2013-01-01

America's K-12 public education system has experienced tremendous historical growth in employment, according to the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. Between fiscal year (FY) 1950 and FY 2009, the number of K-12 public school students in the United States increased by 96 percent, while the number of full-time…

Legacy tree data: A national database of detailed tree measurements for volume, weight, and physical properties

Treesearch

P.J. Radtke; D.M. Walker; A.R. Weiskittel; J. Frank; J.W. Coulston; J.A. Westfall

2015-01-01

Forest mensurationists in the United States have expended considerable effort over the past century making detailed observations of trees’ dimensions. In recent decades efforts have focused increasingly on weights and physical properties. Work is underway to compile original measurements from past volume, taper, and weight or biomass studies for North American tree...

Building Harmony and Peace through Multiculturalist Theology-Based Religious Education: An Alternative for Contemporary Indonesia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baidhawy, Zakiyuddin

2007-01-01

Indonesia has experienced a paradigm shift during the last decade in the framework of managing societal diversity because of an increase in ethnic and religious conflict. This shift has an impact on education because school curricula must address issues of living together as a nation united despite differences in religion and ethnicity. This is…

Deterring Sustainability in Higher Education Institutions: An Appraisal of the Factors Which Influence Sustainability in Higher Education Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Velazquez, Luis; Munguia, Nora; Sanchez, Margarita

2005-01-01

Purpose: To explore some of the factors that could obstruct the implementation of the sustainability initiatives in higher education institutions as a way for assisting key players to improve the effectiveness of their potential or current sustainability initiatives and being ready for the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable…

Chronicling Innovative Learning in Primary Classrooms: Conceptualizing a Theatrical Pedagogy to Successfully Engage Young Children Learning Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGregor, Debra

2014-01-01

This article reports on an innovative pedagogical approach devised to re-envigorate primary (elementary) teachers' practice in the United Kingdom for older children. Learning science in elementary schools for 8-11 year olds (Key Stage 2 in England) has been constrained for several decades while teachers prepared them for national tests. The recent…

Education for Sustainability--Looking Backward and Looking Forward--IUCN CEC Perspective on the United Nations Decade of ESD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wheeler, Keith A.; Hesselink, Frits; Goldstein, Wendy

2015-01-01

A network of volunteers, the International Union for Conservation of Nature Commission on Education and Communication (CEC), present some reflections on their contributions towards the field of education for sustainability from 1992 to the present. Many CEC members have been thought leaders to this multidimensional field, and advocates for a more…

In the Name of Environmental Education: Words and Things in the Complex Territory of Education-Environment-Development Relations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gomez, Jose Antonio Caride

2005-01-01

The proclamation of the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development by the United Nations has placed education in general, and environmental education in particular, at the front of a future full of important and uncertain meanings. On the one hand, those inviting a conceptual, theoretical and praxiological revision of the…

Strategies for Children in the 1990s. A UNICEF Policy Review.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Children's Fund, New York, NY.

This policy review presents the views and proposals of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) concerning development goals and strategies for the 1990s. A brief review of the previous development decades in the first section is followed by an overview of the evolution of the situation of children in the 1980s. The third section summarizes the…

The Bologna Club: What U.S. Higher Education Can Learn from a Decade of European Reconstruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adelman, Clifford

2008-01-01

This report examines the efforts of 46 European nations to harmonize (not "standardize") their higher education systems and indicates that the United States higher education system needs to adopt some of the features of the Bologna Process. Based on what can be learned from the Bologna Process, this report makes concrete suggestions for…

Mid­west. Climate change impacts in the United States: The third national climate assessment

Treesearch

Sara C. Pryor; Donald Scavia; Charles Downer; Marc Gaden; Louis Iverson; Rolf Nordstrom; Jonathan Patz; G. Phillip Robertson

2014-01-01

In the next few decades, longer growing seasons and rising carbon dioxide levels will increase yields of some crops, though those benefits will be progressively offset by extreme weather events. Though adaptation options can reduce some of the detrimental effects, in the long term, the combined stresses associated with climate change are expected to decrease...

Being Part, Being Involved: The Adult's Role and Child Participation in an Early Childhood Learning Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ghirotto, Luca; Mazzoni, Valentina

2013-01-01

This paper begins with some general comments regarding the concept of participation in educative processes as it has developed in the preceding decades from a rights-based perspective, following the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. In order to discuss the notion of participation, the authors introduce a…

The Sixties and the Cold War University: Madison, Wisconsin and the Development of the New Left

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levin, Matthew

2009-01-01

The history of the sixties at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is both typical of other large universities in the United States and, at the same time, distinctive within the national and even international upheaval that marked the era. Madison's history shows how higher education transformed in the decades after World War II, influenced…

Reducing rattlesnake-human conflicts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nowak, Erika M.

2006-01-01

Arizona is home to 11 species of rattlesnakes. As rapidly growing Arizona communities move into formerly undeveloped landscapes, encounters between people and rattlesnakes increase. As a result, the management of nuisance snakes, or snakes found in areas where people do not want them, is increasingly important. Since 1994, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has conducted research on the behavior and ecology of nuisance rattlesnake in Arizona national park units. A decade of research provides important insights into rattlesnake behavior that can be used by national parks and communities to reduce rattlesnake-human conflicts.

Effects of Chinese mineral strategies on the U.S. minerals industry

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCartan, L.; Menzie, W.D.; Morse, D.E.; Papp, J.F.; Plunkert, P.A.; Tse, P.-K.

2006-01-01

For more than two decades now, China has been undergoing rapid economic growth and industrialization. The industrialization and urbanization of the once rural, farming nation is leading to increased consumption of mineral commodities to build infrastructure and to make into consumer goods. This increased consumption has led to higher mineral prices, lower stocks and, in some cases, temporary shortages of minerals. Chinese mineral producers and manufacturers are responding by building capacity, restructuring and modernizing industrial sectors and establishing international network that compete with those of the United States and other nations.

Aviation Security: Slow Progress in Addressing Long-Standing Screener Performance Problems

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-03-16

aviation security , in particular airport screeners. Securing an air transportation system the size of this nation’s-with hundreds of airports, thousands of aircraft, and tens of thousands of flights daily carrying millions of passengers and pieces of baggage-is a difficult task. Events over the past decade have shown that the threat of terrorism against the United States is an ever-present danger. Aviation is an attractive target for terrorists, and because the air transportation system is critical to the nation’s well-being, protecting it is an important

Ocean research plan reviewed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zielinski, Sarah

A draft plan setting out priorities for U.S. ocean research generally was lauded for its clear and well-articulated view in a recent report from a committee of the U.S. National Research Council (NRC) of the US. National Academies. However, the committee advised that the plan would benefit from a bold vision for the future of ocean science research, additional details, and a reorganization to include cross-cutting research.The draft "Charting the Course for Ocean Science in the United States: Research Priorities for the Next Decade" was made available for public comment in September 2006 by the U.S. National Science and Technology Council's Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology.

Fact Sheet: National Space Policy. Appendix F-2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

For over three decades, the United States has led the world in the exploration and use of outer space. Our achievements in space have inspired a generation of Americans and people throughout the world. We will maintain this leadership role by supporting a strong, stable, and balanced national space program that serves our goals in national security, foreign policy, economic growth, environmental stewardship, and scientific and technical excellence. Access to and use of space are central for preserving peace and protecting US national security as well as civil and commercial interests. The United States will pursue greater levels of partnership and cooperation in national and international space activities and work with other nations to ensure the continued exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes. The goals of the US space program are to: (a) Enhance knowledge of the Earth, the solar system, and the universe through human and robotic exploration; (b) Strengthen and maintain the national security of the United States; (c) Enhance the economic competitiveness and scientific and technical capabilities of the United States; (d) Encourage State, local, and private sector investment in, and use of, space technologies; (e) Promote international cooperation to further US domestic, national security, and foreign policies. The United States is committed to the exploration and use of outer space by all nations for peaceful purposes and for the benefit of all humanity. "Peaceful purposes" allow defense and intelligence-related activities in pursuit of national security and other goals. The United States rejects any claims to sovereignty by any nation over outer space or celestial bodies, or any portion thereof, and rejects any limitations on the fundamental right of sovereign nations to acquire data from space. The United States considers the space systems of any nation to be national property with the right of passage through and operations in space without interference. Purposeful interference with space systems shall be viewed as an infringement on sovereign rights. The US Government will maintain and coordinate separate national security and civil space systems where differing needs dictate. All actions undertaken by agencies and departments in implementing the national space policy shall be consistent with US law, regulations, national security requirements, foreign policy, international obligations, and nonproliferation policy. The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) is the principal forum for resolving issues related to national space policy. As appropriate, the NSTC and NSC will co-chair policy process. This policy will be implemented within the overall resource and policy guidance provided by the President.

Chronic Disease at Midlife: Do Parent-child Bonds Modify the Effect of Childhood SES?

PubMed

Andersson, Matthew A

2016-09-01

Childhood socioeconomic status (SES) often is associated with physical health even decades later. However, parent-child emotional bonds during childhood may modify the importance of childhood SES to emergent health inequalities across the life course. Drawing on national data on middle-aged adults (1995 and 2005 National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States; MIDUS; Ns = 2,746 and 1,632), I find that compromised parent-child bonds eliminate the association between childhood SES and midlife disease. Longitudinal models of incident disease across one decade show that childhood abuse in particular continues to undermine the health protection associated with childhood SES. When childhood SES is moderate to high, compromised parent-child bonds lead to no predicted health benefits from childhood SES. In total, these findings direct attention to parent-child bonds as social-psychological levers for the transmission of class-based health advantages. © American Sociological Association 2016.

International cooperation in water resources

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, J.R.; Beall, R.M.; Giusti, E.V.

1979-01-01

Advancements in hydrology proceeded slowly until the late 1800's when new ventures created a surge of interest and accomplishment. Progress waned again until the middle 20th century when an International Hydrological Decade was conceived, eventually receiving wide multinational support from governmental agencies and nongovernmental institutions. Organized by UNESCO, the Decade program was launched January 1, 1965. Participation included 107 nations, six United Nations agencies, and more than a dozen international scientific organizations. The initial program emphasized scientific research, and international cooperation; the second half of the Decade, emphasized technical assistance and technology transfer, largerly through education, training and demonstration. The success of the Decade led to the establishment of the International Hydrological Program, again under the aegis of UNESCO, to continue the work of the Decade indefinitely. The five major program activities, now involving about 90 countries and several international organizations, include: the scientific program, the promotion of education and training, the enhancement of information exchange, support of technical assistance, and the enlargement of regional cooperation. A significant amount of activity related to hydrological data networks and forecasting is carried on in an Operational Hydrology Programme by the WMO, chiefly through its Commission for Hydrology. Other international governmental organizations with a strong interest in water include the UN, the UN Development Programme, the FAO, the WHO, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN Environment Programme, the International Standardization Organization, and developmental institutions such as the World Bank. The specialized interests of researchers outside of the governmental structure, are met through association in various scientific and technical organizations which are world wide in scope and membership. Notwithstanding a sometimes bewildering variety of organizations, there certainly exists, for any nation, group, or individual, a demonstrated mechanism for almost any conceivable form of international cooperation in hydrology and water resources. ?? 1979 Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft.

Completion of the 2011 National Land Cover Database for the conterminous United States – Representing a decade of land cover change information

USGS Publications Warehouse

Homer, Collin G.; Dewitz, Jon; Yang, Limin; Jin, Suming; Danielson, Patrick; Xian, George Z.; Coulston, John; Herold, Nathaniel; Wickham, James; Megown, Kevin

2015-01-01

The National Land Cover Database (NLCD) provides nationwide data on land cover and land cover change at the native 30-m spatial resolution of the Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM). The database is designed to provide five-year cyclical updating of United States land cover and associated changes. The recent release of NLCD 2011 products now represents a decade of consistently produced land cover and impervious surface for the Nation across three periods: 2001, 2006, and 2011 (Homer et al., 2007; Fry et al., 2011). Tree canopy cover has also been produced for 2011 (Coluston et al., 2012; Coluston et al., 2013). With the release of NLCD 2011, the database provides the ability to move beyond simple change detection to monitoring and trend assessments. NLCD 2011 represents the latest evolution of NLCD products, continuing its focus on consistency, production, efficiency, and product accuracy. NLCD products are designed for widespread application in biology, climate, education, land management, hydrology, environmental planning, risk and disease analysis, telecommunications and visualization, and are available for no cost at http://www.mrlc.gov. NLCD is produced by a Federal agency consortium called the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium (MRLC) (Wickham et al., 2014). In the consortium arrangement, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) leads NLCD land cover and imperviousness production for the bulk of the Nation; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) completes NLCD land cover for the conterminous U.S. (CONUS) coastal zones; and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) designs and produces the NLCD tree canopy cover product. Other MRLC partners collaborate through resource or data contribution to ensure NLCD products meet their respective program needs (Wickham et al., 2014).

Connecting Spending and Results: Tying Dollars Spent to National, Campus Goals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wellman, Jane

2009-01-01

As Americans near the end of the first decade of the new millennium, higher education in the United States is caught in a classic "good news/bad news" dilemma. The good news? Broad recognition of the importance of higher education to the country's future, along with larger federal funding increases than at any time in their history. The bad news?…

Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 1972-2012. Compendium Report. NCES 2015-015

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stark, Patrick; Noel, Amber M.

2015-01-01

This report builds upon a series of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports on high school dropout and completion rates that began in 1988. It presents estimates of rates in 2012, provides data about trends in dropout and completion rates over the last four decades (1972-2012), and examines the characteristics of high school…

It's Our Move Now: A Community Action Guide to the UN Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandler, Joanne

This community action guide was developed to implement the strategies for the advancement of women developed at the United Nations world conference in Nairobi that ended the Decade for Women in 1985. The guide is intended to: (1) increase understanding and awareness of the existence of the Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies for the Advancement of…

Graduate Enrollment in Science and Engineering Grew Substantially in the Past Decade but Slowed in 2010. InfoBrief. NSF 12-317

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kang, Kelly

2012-01-01

Approximately 632,700 graduate students were enrolled in science, engineering, and health (SEH) programs in the United States as of fall 2010, a 30% increase from approximately 493,300 students in 2000, according to the National Science Foundation's (NSF's) Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering (GSS). The growth…

Raising Cultural Awareness of Fifth-Grade Students through Multicultural Education: An Action Research Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sarraj, Huda; Bene, Konabe; Li, Jiaqi; Burley, Hansel

2015-01-01

For decades scholars have agreed that the United States is becoming a more racially and ethnically diverse society. It is projected that the U.S. will become a majority-minority nation for the first time in 2043. By 2060, people of color will consist of 57% of the total population. Given this trend, it is hardly surprising that this social…

Using BEHAVEPlus for predicting fire behavior in southern Appalachian hardwood stands subjected to fuel reduction treatments

Treesearch

Helen H. Mohr; Thomas A. Waldrop; Dean M. Simon

2010-01-01

There is a crucial need for fuel reduction in United States forests due to decades of fuel accumulation resulting from fire exclusion. The National Fire and Fire Surrogate Study (FFS) addresses this issue by examining the effects of three fuel reduction treatments on numerous response variables. At an FFS site in the southern Appalachian Mountains, fuels were altered...

Development Goals and Strategies for Children in the 1990s. A UNICEF Policy Review. Executive Board Decision 1990-2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Children's Fund, New York, NY.

This document presents proposals for goals and strategies for children and development in the 1990s that were approved by the UNICEF Executive Board in April, 1990. The paper proposes that developing human capabilities and meeting basic human needs should be the focus of the UNICEF contribution to the fourth United Nations developmental decade.…

Transition to the Wired World: A Model for the Study of Potential Side-Effects of Information Inequity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salvaggio, Jerry L.; Trettevik, Susan K.

The possibility that industrial nations will become "global villages" or comprise a "wired world" with a common information system appears possible in light of technology, but there are five major reasons why such an information society will not occur for some decades, particularly in the United States. The reasons are as follows: (1) there is no…

Mobilization and Management of Financial Resources for Education (A Synthesis of a Few Case Studies). Reports/Studies Working Series No. S.137.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perrot, Paul

Although important financial sacrifices have been made in favor of education since the United Nations launched its first Development Decade in 1961, it seems increasingly difficult today to mobilize financial resources in proportion to the needs or the demand. The extension of schooling throughout the world is confronted with such constraints that…

Effectiveness of Fire and Fire Surrogate Treatments For Controlling Wildfire Behavior in Piedmont Forests: A Simulation Study

Treesearch

Helen H. Mohr; Thomas A. Waldrop; Sandra Rideout; Ross J. Phillips; Charles T. Flint

2004-01-01

The need for fuel reduction has increased in United States forests due to decades of fire exclusion. Excessive fuel buildup has led to uncharacteristically severe fires in areas with historically short-interval, low-to-moderate-intensity fire regimes. The National Fire and Fire Surrogate (NFFS) Study compared the impacts of three fuel-reduction treatments on numerous...

Left Behind in the Labor Market: Labor Market Problems of the Nation's Out-of-School, Young Adult Populations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sum, Andrew; Khatiwada, Ishwar; Pond, Nathan; Trub 'skyy, Mykhaylo; Fogg, Neeta; Palma, Sheila

The problems faced by out-of-school young adults in the United States and the policy implications of those problems were examined. The analysis was based on a review of pertinent publications and statistical data from various government agencies and other sources. The study documented that the past decade has witnessed areas of progress,…

Teaching Middle School Girls More Effectively: Initial Results from a National Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrus, Shannon H.; Kuriloff, Peter J.; Jacobs, Charlotte E.

2015-01-01

For decades, waves of research and theory as well as polemical writings of all stripes have claimed that schools and society are failing either girls or boys. Through an in-depth analysis of more than 1,800 surveys completed by students in grades 6-12 and their teachers in 12 independent all-girls schools located across the United States, the…

The Multilateral Disarmament Process. Conference on the United Nations of the Next Decade (16th, Warwick, Bermuda, June 21-26, 1981).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanley Foundation, Muscatine, IA.

This is a report of a conference held in Bermuda in 1981 to discuss a multilateral approach to disarmament. The conference was an informal, off-the-record exchange of ideas and opinions among 24 diplomats and scholars from 18 countries and two international agencies. Participants considered current disarmament concepts, assessed UN disarmament…

The Peruvian diaspora: portrait of a migratory process.

PubMed

Durand, Jorge

2010-01-01

Since the 1980s and especially the 1990s, Peru has become a nation of emigrants. Emigration has become massive over the past two decades, and the Peruvian populations of the United States, Japan, and Spain have tripled in less than a decade. A survey of households in five localities, three urban and two rural, in and around Lima helps to reveal the special character of this emigration. It tends to involve older and better-educated individuals than are typical of international migration and to target a wider variety of destinations. Moreover, it is a multiclass phenomenon. The economic, political, and social crisis brought about by a change in the economic model, two decades of terrorism, and a succession of failed democratic administrations has affected the society as a whole, and international migration seems to operate as an escape valve.

Water quality in the Albemarle-Pamlico drainage basin, North Carolina and Virginia, 1992-95

USGS Publications Warehouse

Spruill, Timothy B.; Harned, Douglas A.; Ruhl, Peter M.; Eimers, Jo Leslie; McMahon, Gerard; Smith, Kelly E.; Galeone, David R.; Woodside, Michael D.

1998-01-01

The NAWQA Program is assessing the water-quality conditions of more than 50 of the Nation's largest river basins and aquifers, known as Study Units. Collectively, these Study Units cover about one-half of the United States and include sources of drinking water used by about 70 percent of the U.S. population. Comprehensive assessments of about one-third of the Study Units are ongoing at a given time. Each Study Unit is scheduled to be revisited every decade to evaluate changes in water-quality conditions. NAWQA assessments rely heavily on existing information collected by the USGS and many other agencies as well as the use of nationally consistent study designs and methods of sampling and analysis. Such consistency simultaneously provides information about the status and trends in water-quality conditions in a particular stream or aquifer and, more importantly, provides the basis to make comparisons among watersheds and improve our understanding of the factors that affect water-quality conditions regionally and nationally. This report is intended to summarize major findings that emerged between 1992 and 1995 from the water-quality assessment of the Albemarle-Pamlico Drainage Study Unit and to relate these findings to water-quality issues of regional and national concern. The information is primarily intended for those who are involved in water-resource management. Indeed, this report addresses many of the concerns raised by regulators, water-utility managers, industry representatives, and other scientists, engineers, public officials, and members of stakeholder groups who provided advice and input to the USGS during this NAWQA Study-Unit investigation. Yet, the information contained here may also interest those who simply wish to know more about the quality of water in the rivers and aquifers in the area where they live.

High-Power Lasers for Science and Society

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

Siders, C. W.; Haefner, C.

Since the first demonstration of the laser in 1960 by Theodore Maiman at Hughes Research Laboratories, the principal defining characteristic of lasers has been their ability to focus unprecedented powers of light in space, time, and frequency. High-power lasers have, over the ensuing five and a half decades, illuminated entirely new fields of scientific endeavor as well as made a profound impact on society. While the United States pioneered lasers and their early applications, we have been eclipsed in the past decade by highly effective national and international networks in both Europe and Asia, which have effectively focused their energies,more » efforts, and resources to achieve greater scientific and societal impact. This white paper calls for strategic investment which, by striking an appropriate balance between distributing our precious national funds and establishing centers of excellence, will ensure a broad pipeline of people and transformative ideas connecting our world-leading universities, defining flagship facilities stewarded by our national laboratories, and driving innovation across industry, to fully exploit the potential of high-power lasers.« less

National health expenditures, 1995.

PubMed

Levit, K R; Lazenby, H C; Braden, B R; Cowan, C A; McDonnell, P A; Sivarajan, L; Stiller, J M; Won, D K; Donham, C S; Long, A M; Stewart, M W

1996-01-01

This article presents data on health care spending for the United States, covering expenditures for various types of medical services and products and their sources of funding from 1960 to 1995. In 1995, $988.5 billion was spent to purchase health care in the United States, up 5.5 percent from 1994. Growth in spending between 1993 and 1995 was the slowest in more than three decades, primarily because of slow growth in private health insurance and out-of-pocket spending. As a result, the share of health spending funded by private sources fell, reflecting the influence of increased enrollment in managed care plans.

National health expenditures, 1991

PubMed Central

Letsch, Suzanne W.; Lazenby, Helen C.; Levit, Katharine R.; Cowan, Cathy A.

1992-01-01

Spending for health care rose to $751.8 billion in 1991, an increase of 11.4 percent from the 1990 level. National health expenditures as a share of gross domestic product increased to 13.2 percent, up from 12.2 percent in 1990. The health care sector exhibited strong growth, despite slow growth in the overall economy. This combination resulted in the largest increase in the share of the Nation's output consumed by health care in the past three decades. In this article, the authors present estimates of health spending in the United States for 1991. The authors also examine reasons for the unusually large growth in Medicaid expenditures and highlight recent trends in the hospital sector. PMID:10127445

A Review of Propulsion Industrial Base Studies and an Introduction to the National Institute of Rocket Propulsion Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Doreswamy, Rajiv; Fry, Emma K.

2012-01-01

Over the past decade there have been over 40 studies that have examined the state of the industrial base and infrastructure that supports propulsion systems development in the United States. This paper offers a comprehensive, systematic review of these studies and develops conclusions and recommendations in the areas of budget, policy, sustainment, infrastructure, workforce retention and development and mission/vision and policy. The National Institute for Rocket Propulsion System (NIRPS) is a coordinated, national organization that is responding to the key issues highlighted in these studies. The paper outlines the case for NIRPS and the specific actions that the Institute is taking to address these issues.

UNICEF, syphilis and the state: negotiating female citizenship in the post-Second World War world.

PubMed

Morris, Jennifer

2010-01-01

Few charitable organizations have achieved the status of global recognition enjoyed by UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, which embodies the international effort to provide for needy children the world over. Created because of its synchronicity with the United Nations' stated purpose—to maintain peace in the world—UNICEF launched its operations in 1946. Its founding, early operations and eventual restructuring reveal a great deal about concurrent political and economic events, but also provide keen insight into international ideas about who qualified for full citizenship in the post-war world. The consequences of UNICEF's policies, procedures and practices posed challenges to notions of citizenship for both women and children. It challenged citizenship not by questioning sex-specific gender roles, but by judiciously adhering to the United Nations' promise to create equality for men and women alike. UNICEF found itself in the unique position to be able to globalize definitions of what constituted full citizenship in any nation, due to its rapid expansion throughout the world. Through its programs, especially those related to health care, it not only challenged these roles in the West, but began over several decades to complicate the definition of citizenship as it became a forceful presence in Asia and Africa throughout the 1970s.

The United Nations Basic Space Science Initiative

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haubold, H. J.

2006-08-01

Pursuant to recommendations of the United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III) and deliberations of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS), annual UN/ European Space Agency workshops on basic space science have been held around the world since 1991. These workshops contribute to the development of astrophysics and space science, particularly in developing nations. Following a process of prioritization, the workshops identified the following elements as particularly important for international cooperation in the field: (i) operation of astronomical telescope facilities implementing TRIPOD, (ii) virtual observatories, (iii) astrophysical data systems, (iv) concurrent design capabilities for the development of international space missions, and (v) theoretical astrophysics such as applications of nonextensive statistical mechanics. Beginning in 2005, the workshops focus on preparations for the International Heliophysical Year 2007 (IHY2007). The workshops continue to facilitate the establishment of astronomical telescope facilities as pursued by Japan and the development of low-cost, ground-based, world-wide instrument arrays as lead by the IHY secretariat. Wamsteker, W., Albrecht, R. and Haubold, H.J.: Developing Basic Space Science World-Wide: A Decade of UN/ESA Workshops. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht 2004. http://ihy2007.org http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/SAP/bss/ihy2007/index.html http://www.cbpf.br/GrupPesq/StatisticalPhys/biblio.htm

A Critical Review of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Japan: Beyond the Practice of Pouring New Wine into Old Bottles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nagata, Yoshiyuki

2017-01-01

Japan stands as a rare country in which ESD has been incorporated as mainstream policy. However, looking back on the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD), ESD has not brought about the transformation in Japan that one expects ESD to aim for, despite this support at the policy level. The cause may be that pouring…

Functional Literacy Project of India 1968-1978--A Decade of Evaluation--Procedures, Problems, and Prospects. The Fundamentals of Educational Planning: Lecture-Discussion Series No. 67.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saraf, S. N.

The Functional Literacy Project of India was initiated in 1967 as part of a joint program, involving several Indian government ministries and United Nations agencies, to train some five million farm families in both literacy and modern agricultural skills at the same time. This report first describes the beginnings of the project and its…

Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002): A First Look at 2002 High School Sophomores 10 Years Later. First Look. NCES 2014-363

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lauff, Erich; Ingels, Steven J.

2014-01-01

The Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002) tracks the educational and developmental experiences of a nationally representative sample of high school sophomores in the United States. This First Look report provides a descriptive portrait of these 2002 tenth-graders a decade later, when most were about 26 years old and had been out of high…

Developing Basic and Higher Level Reading Processing Skills: Exploring an Instructional Framework with the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2006 Database

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deasy, Michael Joseph

2012-01-01

Concern over worldwide literacy rates prompted the United Nations to establish the UN Literacy Decade (2003-2012) with one area of focus being to provide support to schools to develop effective literacy programs (UNESCO, 2005). This study addressed the area of providing support to schools to develop effective literacy programs by exploring the…

The Army Officers’ Professional Ethic - Past, Present, and Future

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-01

conduct strategic studies that develop policy recommendations on: • Strategy, planning and policy for joint and combined employment of military...nation, defense of the Constitution, obedience to civilian authority, leadership of citizen-soldiers, and a moral component to govern the employment ...purpose is to prepare for war. After decades of tactical employment in small units across the West, the Army performed abysmally at the strategic and

Evidence-Based Practice in Online Higher Education: An Exploratory Study of the Online Policies and Practices of United States Doctoral/Research-Extensive Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruce, Peter A.

2010-01-01

The availability of online education in universities and colleges across the nation has significantly increased during the past decade. The increase has been due in part to recent federal policy changes authorizing access to financial aid for online higher education students. The dramatic growth in the number of students taking online courses and…

Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 1972-2008. Compendium Report. NCES 2011-012

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chapman, Chris; Laird, Jennifer; KewalRamani, Angelina

2010-01-01

This report builds upon a series of National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports on high school dropout and completion rates that began in 1988. It presents estimates of rates in 2008, provides data about trends in dropout and completion rates over the last three and a half decades (1972-2008), and examines the characteristics of high…

United States Geological Survey Yearbook, fiscal year 1979

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1980-01-01

In March 1979, the U.S. Geological Survey celebrated its 100th year of service to the Nation and 10 decades of stewardship of the land and its resources. During this year, as in the previous 99, the Survey discharged its national trust by collecting, analyzing, and disseminating earth science information and by continuing its somewhat more recent responsibilities of supervising the development of energy and mineral resources on Federal lands. The basic mission of the Survey has changed over the years, and the scope of its activities and the power of analytic tools have also increased by several orders of magnitude from the early surveys of then "remote" western areas of the United States to surveying and mapping the mountains of the Moon and the polar caps of Mars and from the use of surveyor's transits, picks, the travelling chemistry kits to interpretation of Earth imagery. These representative advances illustrate important and continuing trends for at no previous time have our earth resources been so precious or our consciousness of their finiteness so acute. The Yearbook reports a broad range of the Survey's accomplishments during the past fiscal year and offers an overview of its future. Many of the topics touched on below will continue to be important resource issues in the coming decade.

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

Trends in physician referrals in the United States, 1999-2009.

PubMed

Barnett, Michael L; Song, Zirui; Landon, Bruce E

2012-01-23

Physician referrals play a central role in ambulatory care in the United States; however, little is known about national trends in physician referrals over time. The objective of this study was to assess changes in the annual rate of referrals to other physicians from physician office visits in the United States from 1999 to 2009. We analyzed nationally representative cross-sections of ambulatory patient visits in the United States, using a sample of 845 243 visits from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 1993 to 2009, focusing on the decade from 1999 to 2009. The main outcome measures were survey-weighted estimates of the total number and percentage of visits resulting in a referral to another physician across several patient and physician characteristics. From 1999 to 2009, the probability that an ambulatory visit to a physician resulted in a referral to another physician increased from 4.8% to 9.3% (P < .001), a 94% increase. The absolute number of visits resulting in a physician referral increased 159% nationally during this time, from 41 million to 105 million. This trend was consistent across all subgroups examined, except for slower growth among physicians with ownership stakes in their practice (P = .02) or those with the majority of income from managed care contracts (P = .007). Changes in referral rates varied according to the principal symptoms accounting for patients' visits, with significant increases noted for visits to primary care physicians from patients with cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, orthopedic, dermatologic, and ear/nose/throat symptoms. The percentage and absolute number of ambulatory visits resulting in a referral in the United States grew substantially from 1999 to 2009. More research is necessary to understand the contribution of rising referral rates to costs of care.

The United Nations and One Health: the International Health Regulations (2005) and global health security.

PubMed

Nuttall, I; Miyagishima, K; Roth, C; de La Rocque, S

2014-08-01

The One Health approach encompasses multiple themes and can be understood from many different perspectives. This paper expresses the viewpoint of those in charge of responding to public health events of international concern and, in particular, to outbreaks of zoonotic disease. Several international organisations are involved in responding to such outbreaks, including the United Nations (UN) and its technical agencies; principally, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO); UN funds and programmes, such as the United Nations Development Programme, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Children's Fund; the UN-linked multilateral banking system (the World Bank and regional development banks); and partner organisations, such as the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). All of these organisations have benefited from the experiences gained during zoonotic disease outbreaks over the last decade, developing common approaches and mechanisms to foster good governance, promote policies that cut across different sectors, target investment more effectively and strengthen global and national capacities for dealing with emerging crises. Coordination among the various UN agencies and creating partnerships with related organisations have helped to improve disease surveillance in all countries, enabling more efficient detection of disease outbreaks and a faster response, greater transparency and stakeholder engagement and improved public health. The need to build more robust national public human and animal health systems, which are based on good governance and comply with the International Health Regulations (2005) and the international standards set by the OIE, prompted FAO, WHO and the OIE to join forces with the World Bank, to provide practical tools to help countries manage their zoonotic disease risks and develop adequate resources to prevent and control disease outbreaks, particularly at the animal source. All these efforts contribute to the One Health agenda.

Spatial Distribution of Counties in the Continental United States with Records of Occurrence of Amblyomma americanum (Ixodida: Ixodidae)

PubMed Central

SPRINGER, YURI P.; EISEN, LARS; BEATI, LORENZA; JAMES, ANGELA M.; EISEN, REBECCA J.

2015-01-01

In addition to being a major nuisance biter, the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum (L.), is increasingly recognized as an important vector of pathogens affecting humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Despite its notoriety, efforts have been lacking to define the spatial occurrence of A. americanum in the continental United States with precision beyond that conveyed in continental-scale distribution maps. Here we present a county-level distribution map for A. americanum generated by compiling collection records obtained from a search of the published literature and databases managed by the USDA, U.S. National Tick Collection, and Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit. Our decadal and cumulative maps, which visually summarize 18,121 collections made between 1898 and 2012, show that A. americanum is either established (≥six ticks or ≥two life stages) or reported (

Child Poverty: The United Kingdom Experience.

PubMed

Mansour, Jane G; Curran, Megan A

2016-04-01

The United States has long struggled with high levels of child poverty. In 2014, 2 of 5 (42.9%) of all American children lived in economically insecure households and just over 1 in 5 children lived below the official absolute poverty line. These rates are high, but not intractable. Evidence from the US Census Bureau's Supplemental Poverty Measure, among other sources, shows the effect that public investments in cash and noncash transfers can have in reducing child poverty and improving child well-being. However, with significant disparities in services and supports for children across states and the projected decline of current federal spending on children, the United States is an international outlier in terms of public investments in children, particularly compared with other high-income nations. One such country, the United Kingdom (UK), faced similar child poverty challenges in recent decades. At the end of the 20th century, the British Prime Minister pledged to halve child poverty in a decade and eradicate it 'within a generation.' The Labour Government then set targets and dedicated resources in the form of income supplements, employment, child care, and education support. Child poverty levels nearly halved against an absolute measure by the end of the first decade. Subsequent changes in government and the economy slowed progress and have resulted in a very different approach. However, the UK child poverty target experience, 15 years in and spanning multiple changes in government, still offers a useful comparative example for US social policy moving forward. Copyright © 2016 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Do Differences in Risk Factors Explain the Lower Rates of Coronary Heart Disease in Japanese Versus U.S. Women?

PubMed Central

Willcox, Bradley J.; Usui, Takeshi; Carr, John Jeffrey; Barinas-Mitchell, Emma J.M.; Masaki, Kamal H.; Watanabe, Makoto; Tracy, Russell P.; Bertolet, Marianne H.; Evans, Rhobert W.; Nishimura, Kunihiko; Sutton-Tyrrell, Kim; Kuller, Lewis H.; Miyamoto, Yoshihiro

2013-01-01

Abstract Background Mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) in women in Japan is one of the lowest in developed countries. In an attempt to shed some light on possible reasons of lower CHD in women in Japan compared with the United States, we extensively reviewed and analyzed existing national data and recent literature. Methods We searched recent epidemiological studies that reported incidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and examined risk factors for CHD in women in Japan. Then, we compared trends in risk factors between women currently aged 50–69 years in Japan and the United States, using national statistics and other available resources. Results Recent epidemiological studies have clearly shown that AMI incidence in women in Japan is lower than that reported from other countries, and that lipids, blood pressure (BP), diabetes, smoking, and early menopause are independent risk factors. Comparing trends in risk factors between women in Japan and the United States, current levels of serum total cholesterol are higher in women in Japan and levels have been similar at least since 1990. Levels of BP have been higher in in Japan for the past 3 decades. Prevalence of type 2 diabetes has been similar in Japanese and white women currently aged 60–69 for the past 2 decades. In contrast, rates of cigarette smoking, although low in women in both countries, have been lower in women in Japan. Conclusions Differences in risk factors and their trends are unlikely to explain the difference in CHD rates in women in Japan and the United States. Determining the currently unknown factors responsible for low CHD mortality in women in Japan may lead to new strategy for CHD prevention. PMID:24073782

Trends and burden of firearm-related hospitalizations in the United States across 2001-2011.

PubMed

Agarwal, Shikhar

2015-05-01

Firearm-related hospitalizations are a major burden to the current health care infrastructure. We examined the trends in the incidence and case-fatality rates of firearm-related hospitalizations over the past decade. We also hypothesized that major national economic perturbations would be partly responsible and correlate temporally with national firearm-related hospitalization trends. We used the 2001-2011 Nationwide Inpatient Sample for analysis. Firearm-related hospitalizations were identified using International Classification of Diseases, 9(th) Revision codes. In addition, we examined the relationship between the US stock market performance (Dow Jones Industrial Average) and the annual firearm-related hospitalization incidence rates. In the last decade, there has been a modest decline in firearm-related hospitalizations, interrupted by spikes in the annual incidence that closely corresponded to periods of national economic instability. In addition, the overall case-fatality rate following firearm-related hospitalization has been stable at ∼8%; the highest rates being present among those who attempted suicide using firearms. Also, there has been an increase in the prevalence of mental health disorders among individuals admitted with firearm-related injuries. Moreover, there was an increase in the length of stay and the cost/charges associated with hospitalization over the last decade. Over 2001-2011, the national incidence of firearm-related hospitalizations has closely tracked the national stock market performance, suggesting that economic perturbations and resultant insecurities might underlie the perpetuation of firearm-related injuries. Although the case-fatality rates have remained stable, the length of stay and hospitalization costs have increased, imposing additional burden on existing health care resources. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Space Commercialization and the Development of Space Law

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yun, Zhao

2017-05-01

Shortly after the launch of the first manmade satellite in 1957, the United Nations (UN) took the lead in formulating international rules governing space activities. The five international conventions (i.e., the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, the 1968 Rescue Agreement, the 1972 Liability Convention, the 1975 Registration Convention, and the 1979 Moon Agreement) within the UN framework constitute the nucleus of space law; laying a solid legal foundation for securing the smooth development of space activities over the next few decades. Outer space was soon found to be a place with abundant opportunities for commercialization: with telecommunications services the first and most successful commercial application followed by remote sensing and global navigation services. In the last decade, the rapid development of space technologies brought space tourism and space mining to the forefront as well. With more and more commercial activities taking place on a daily basis from the 1980s on, existing space law faces severe challenges. The five conventions, which were enacted at a time when space was monopolized by two superpowers—the United States and the former Soviet Union—also failed to take into account the commercial aspect of space activities. Although there are urgent needs for new rules to deal with the ongoing trend of space commercialization, the international society faces difficulties in adopting new rules due to diversified national interests. As a result, it adjusts legislative strategies by enacting soft laws. In view of the difficulty in adopting binding rules at the international level, states are encouraged to enact their own national space legislation providing sufficient guidance for their domestic space commercial activities. It is expected that the development of soft laws and national space legislation will be the mainstream regulatory activities in the space field for the foreseeable future.

Trends In News Media Coverage Of Mental Illness In The United States: 1995–2014

PubMed Central

McGinty, Emma E.; Kennedy-Hendricks, Alene; Choksy, Seema; Barry, Colleen L.

2016-01-01

The United States is engaged in ongoing dialogue around mental illness. To assess trends in this national discourse, we studied the volume and content of a random sample of 400 news stories about mental illness from the period 1995–2014. Compared to news stories in the first decade of the study period, those in the second decade were more likely to mention mass shootings by people with mental illnesses. The most frequently mentioned topic across the study period was violence (55 percent overall) divided into categories of interpersonal violence or self-directed (suicide) violence, followed by stories about any type of treatment for mental illness (47 percent). Fewer news stories, only 14 percent, described successful treatment for or recovery from mental illness. The news media’s continued emphasis on interpersonal violence is highly disproportionate to actual rates of violence among those with mental illnesses. Research suggests that this focus may exacerbate social stigma and decrease support for public policies that benefit people with mental illnesses. PMID:27269031

Age dependent sex disproportion in US asthma hospitalization rates, 2000-2010.

PubMed

Lin, Robert Yao-wen; Ji, Rong; Liao, William

2013-09-01

Age-stratified sex differences in asthma hospitalizations rates have been reported to be most marked between the ages of 40 and 54 years in New York. It is not known whether age-dependent sex differences in asthma hospitalization rates also exist for the entire United States. To compare sex-specific hospitalization rates for asthma in adults in the United States and to describe the adjusted associations between female sex and age in the fifth to sixth decades of life. The National Inpatient Sample databases for 2000-2010 were queried for a principal diagnosis of asthma to calculate the ratio of female to male hospitalization rates for different decades of adult life. Logistic regression modeling was used to determine whether age in the fifth to sixth decades of life had associations with female sex that remained significant after adjusting for comorbidities and demographic features. For all years of the study, there was a distinct peaking in female to male ratio most manifested in the fifth to sixth decades of life. This age grouping was significantly associated with female sex. Models revealed that female sex was significantly associated with this age grouping, even after adjustment for obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, race, insurance status, discharge year, and smoking. Excluding identifiable repeat admissions also did not abrogate the age grouping association. There is a striking propensity of women in their fifth to sixth decades of life to be admitted for asthma, which appears to be independent of many known comorbidities. Copyright © 2013 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Perspectives on Violence Against Women: A Study of United States Nursing Textbooks.

PubMed

Price-Glynn, Kim; Missari, Stacy

2017-03-01

This study examines conceptualizations of violence against women in U.S. nursing textbooks published from 1995 to 2005. Framing this pivotal decade, the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was passed and renewed. The American Nurses Association, the National League for Nursing, and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing also recognized violence against women as a health care priority. Sampling 107 generalist nursing textbooks from 1995 to 2005, the current study analyzes textbook terminologies, arguments, and protocols. Textbooks including violence were empirically tested for their application of gender neutral, symmetrical, and asymmetrical theoretical frameworks. Over 40% of generalist textbooks did not mention violence against women. Despite the VAWA in 1994 and broad recognition across national nursing organizations, textbooks did not change with regard to their treatment of violence over the next decade. The frameworks that nursing textbooks use may foster challenges for nurses in recognizing, supporting, and assisting women who are victims/survivors of violence. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(3):164-169.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

Hot spots, cluster detection and spatial outlier analysis of teen birth rates in the U.S., 2003-2012.

PubMed

Khan, Diba; Rossen, Lauren M; Hamilton, Brady E; He, Yulei; Wei, Rong; Dienes, Erin

2017-06-01

Teen birth rates have evidenced a significant decline in the United States over the past few decades. Most of the states in the US have mirrored this national decline, though some reports have illustrated substantial variation in the magnitude of these decreases across the U.S. Importantly, geographic variation at the county level has largely not been explored. We used National Vital Statistics Births data and Hierarchical Bayesian space-time interaction models to produce smoothed estimates of teen birth rates at the county level from 2003-2012. Results indicate that teen birth rates show evidence of clustering, where hot and cold spots occur, and identify spatial outliers. Findings from this analysis may help inform efforts targeting the prevention efforts by illustrating how geographic patterns of teen birth rates have changed over the past decade and where clusters of high or low teen birth rates are evident. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Hot spots, cluster detection and spatial outlier analysis of teen birth rates in the U.S., 2003–2012

PubMed Central

Khan, Diba; Rossen, Lauren M.; Hamilton, Brady E.; He, Yulei; Wei, Rong; Dienes, Erin

2017-01-01

Teen birth rates have evidenced a significant decline in the United States over the past few decades. Most of the states in the US have mirrored this national decline, though some reports have illustrated substantial variation in the magnitude of these decreases across the U.S. Importantly, geographic variation at the county level has largely not been explored. We used National Vital Statistics Births data and Hierarchical Bayesian space-time interaction models to produce smoothed estimates of teen birth rates at the county level from 2003–2012. Results indicate that teen birth rates show evidence of clustering, where hot and cold spots occur, and identify spatial outliers. Findings from this analysis may help inform efforts targeting the prevention efforts by illustrating how geographic patterns of teen birth rates have changed over the past decade and where clusters of high or low teen birth rates are evident. PMID:28552189

The Social Implications of Health Care Reform: Reducing Access Barriers to Health Care Services for Uninsured Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaplan, Mitchell A.; Inguanzo, Marian M.

2011-01-01

The U.S. health care system is currently facing one of its most significant social challenges in decades in terms of its ability to provide access to primary care services to the millions of Americans who have lost their health insurance coverage in the recent economic recession. National statistics compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau for 2009…

Uganda: Current Conditions and the Crisis in North Uganda

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-07-31

children over the past decade for forced conscription and sexual exploitation.6 According to the United Nations “the most disturbing aspect of this...the past year conditions have improved. These children are known as “Night Commuters.” Education for many of these children seems out of reach...development activities. Children are losing vital educational opportunities; they are at greater risk for contracting HIV/AIDS and other STDs; and they

The School Education of Girls. Conference Background Paper. World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace (Copenhagen, Denmark, July 14-30, 1980).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Bangkok (Thailand). Regional Office for Education in Asia and Oceania.

This report, which draws its data from a questionnaire answered by 62 members of Unesco, identifies educational practices that differentiate males and females. It is presented in four parts. Part I discusses the access of education of girls in the elementary and secondary levels. The survey reveals that wide gaps exist between the enrollment of…

Utilization of Oregon’s timber harvest and associated direct economic effects.

Treesearch

Krista M. Gebert; Charles E. Keegan; Sue Willits; Al. Chase

2002-01-01

With more than 16 million acres of commercial timberland, Oregon’s forest products industry is an important part of Oregon’s economy and a major player in the Nation’s wood products market. Despite declining production over the last decade, in 1998 Oregon was still the leading producer of softwood lumber and plywood in the United States, and the timber harvested in...

The Newest Air Force Core Function: Building Partnerships

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-02-17

Arts in Military Operational Art and Science from Air University. 4 Chapter 1 Introduction Since the United States assumed the role of a...BP) with other friendly nations. Over the past ten years, the USAF role in BP expanded due to a major air advisory role in Iraq and Afghanistan as...well as other support activities around the world. Based on these expanding roles in the last decade, and the BP guidance contained in the

National Academy of Sciences Recommends Continued Support of ALMA Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2000-05-01

A distinguished panel of scientists today announced their support for the continued funding of the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) Project at a press conference given by the National Academy of Sciences. The ALMA Project is an international partnership between U.S. and European astronomy organizations to build a complete imaging telescope that will produce astronomical images at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. The U.S. partner is the National Science Foundation, through Associated Universities, Inc., (AUI), led by Dr. Riccardo Giacconi, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). "We are delighted at this show of continued support from our peers in the scientific community," said Dr. Robert Brown, ALMA U.S. Project Director and Deputy Director of NRAO. "The endorsement adds momentum to the recent strides we've made toward the building of this important telescope." In 1998, the National Research Council, the working arm of the National Academy of Sciences, charged the Astronomy and Astrophysics Survey Committee to "survey the field of space- and ground-based astronomy and astrophysics" and to "recommend priorities for the most important new initiatives of the decade 2000-2010." In a report released today, the committee wrote that it "re-affirms the recommendations of the 1991 Astronomy and Astrophysics Survey Committee by endorsing the completion of . . . the Millimeter Array (MMA, now part of the Atacama Large Millimeter Array)." In the 1991 report "The Decade of Discovery," a previous committee chose the Millimeter Array as one of the most important projects of the decade 1990-2000. Early last year, the National Science Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a consortium of European organizations that effectively merged the MMA Project with the European Large Southern Array project. The combined project was christened the Atacama Large Millimeter Array. ALMA, expected to consist of 64 antennas with 12-meter diameter dishes, will be built at a high-altitude, extremely dry mountain site in Chile's Atacama desert. The array is scheduled to be completed sometime in this decade. Millimeter-wave astronomy studies the universe in the spectral region where most of its energy lies, between the long-wavelength radio waves and the shorter-wavelength infrared waves. In this realm, ALMA will study the structure of the early universe and the evolution of galaxies; gather crucial data on the formation of stars, protoplanetary disks, and planets; and provide new insights on the familiar objects of our own solar system. "Most of the photons in the Universe lie in the millimeter wavelength regime; among existing or planned instruments only ALMA can image the sources of these photons with the crispness required to understand the events of galaxy, star and planet formation which launched them into space," said NRAO's Dr. Alwyn Wootten, U.S. ALMA Project Scientist. ALMA is an international partnership between the United States (National Science Foundation) and Europe. European participants include the European Southern Observatory, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (France), the Max-Planck Gesellschaft (Germany), the Netherlands Foundation for Research in Astronomy, the United Kingdom Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council, the Oficina de Ciencia Y Tecnologia/Instituto Geografico Nacional (Spain), and the Swedish Natural Science Research Council. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation, operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

Evolution of a youth work service in hospital.

PubMed

Hilton, Donna; Jepson, Shelley

2012-07-01

Youth workers are based predominantly in the community and use a range of informal educational activities to help young people between the ages of 11 and 25 cultivate their personal and social development. The supraregional paediatric nephrology unit at Nottingham City Hospital successfully evaluated the role of a youth worker, funded by a national renal charity, and secured long-term funding for the post in 2000 (Hilton et al 2004, Watson 2004). This article describes the evolution of the youth service over a decade, following the amalgamation of two children's units into one site and the creation of a unified youth service for the Nottingham Children's Hospital in 2008.

Children's health retention in South Korea and the United States: a cross-cultural comparison.

PubMed

McDowell, Betsy M; Chang, Nahn Joo; Choi, Sang Soon

2003-12-01

In recent decades, great strides have been made globally in decreasing child mortality. However, given that many countries still do not have basic healthcare, additional emphasis is being placed on health promotion activities among industrialized nations. As cultural differences of individual countries impact these health promotion practices, the cultural characteristics influencing children and families in two countries, South Korea and the United States, were compared. Major child health risk factors were examined, and health retention strategies tailored to the cultural characteristics and needs of the populations of each country are proposed, using the Neuman Systems Model as a guideline.

Ozone depletion and solar ultraviolet radiation: ocular effects, a United nations environment programme perspective.

PubMed

Cullen, Anthony P

2011-07-01

To describe he role played by the United Nations Environmental Effects Panel with respect to the ocular effects of stratospheric ozone depletion and present the essence of the Health Chapter of the 2010 Assessment. A consideration of solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) at the Earth's surface as it is affected by atmospheric changes and how these influence sunlight-related eye diseases. A review of the current Assessment with emphasis on pterygium, cataract, ocular melanoma, and age-related macular degeneration. Although the ozone layer is projected to recover slowly in the coming decades, continuing vigilance is required regarding exposure to the sun. Evidence implicating solar UVR, especially UVB, in every tissue of the eye continues to be amassed. The need for ocular UV protection existed before the discovery of the depletion of the ozone layer and will continue even when the layer fully recovers in approximately 2100.

A U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Plan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michalak, Anna M.; Jackson, Rob; Marland, Gregg; Sabine, Christopher

2009-03-01

First Meeting of the Carbon Cycle Science Working Group; Washington, D. C., 17-18 November 2008; The report “A U.S. carbon cycle science plan” (J. L. Sarmiento and S. C. Wofsy, U.S. Global Change Res. Program, Washington, D. C., 1999) outlined research priorities and promoted coordinated carbon cycle research across federal agencies for nearly a decade. Building on this framework and subsequent reports (available at http://www.carboncyclescience.gov/docs.php), the Carbon Cycle Science Working Group (CCSWG) was formed in 2008 to develop an updated strategy for the next decade. The recommendations of the CCSWG will go to agency managers who have collective responsibility for setting national carbon cycle science priorities and for sponsoring much of the carbon cycle research in the United States.

Cross-National Trends in Religious Service Attendance

PubMed Central

Brenner, Philip S.

2016-01-01

The nature of religious change and the future of religion have been central questions of social science since its inception. But empirical research on this question has been quite American-centric, encouraged by the conventional wisdom that the United States is an outlier of religiosity in the developed world, and, more pragmatically, by the availability of survey data. The dramatic growth in the number and reach of cross-national surveys over the past two decades has offered a corrective. These data have allowed research on religious trends in the United States, Canada, and Europe, putting American trends into comparative relief. This research synthesis reviews the past quarter century of cross-national comparative survey research on religious behavior, focusing on religious service attendance as a commonly measured behavior that is arguably more equivalent across societies and cultures than other measures of religiosity. The lack of evidence for religious revival is highlighted, noting instead declining rates of attendance in the United States and Canada, and either declining rates or low “bottomed-out” stability in Western Europe, most of Eastern Europe, and Australia and New Zealand. Finally, countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia are discussed to the extent that research allows, before a call for future research—in these places in particular—is made in order to correct for the Western and Christian focus of much of the research on cross-national religious trends. PMID:27274579

The United Nations Basic Space Science Initiative (UNBSSI): A Historical Introduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haubold, H. J.

2006-11-01

Pursuant to recommendations of the Third United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE III) and deliberations of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS), annual UN/European Space Agency workshops on basic space science have been held around the world since 1991. These workshops contributed to the development of astrophysics and space science, particularly in developing nations. Following a process of prioritization, the workshops identified the following elements as particularly important for international cooperation in the field: (i) operation of astronomical telescope facilities implementing TRIPOD, (ii) virtual observatories, (iii) astrophysical data systems, (iv) con-current design capabilities for the development of international space missions, and (v) theoretical astrophysics such as applications of non-extensive statistical mechanics. Beginning in 2005, the workshops are focusing on preparations for the International Heliophysical Year 2007 (IHY2007). The workshops continue to facilitate the establishment of astronomical telescope facilities as pursued by Japan and the development of low-cost, ground-based, world- wide instrument arrays as led by the IHY secretariat. Wamsteker, W., Albrecht, R. and Haubold, H.J.: Developing Basic Space Science World-Wide: A Decade of UN/ESA Workshops: Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht 2004. http://ihy2007.org http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/SAP/bss/ihy2007/index.html http://www.cbpf.br/GrupPesq/StatisticalPhys/biblio.htm

The United Nations Basic Space Science Initiative

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haubold, H. J.

Pursuant to recommendations of the United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space UNISPACE III and deliberations of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space UNCOPUOS annual UN European Space Agency workshops on basic space science have been held around the world since 1991 These workshops contribute to the development of astrophysics and space science particularly in developing nations Following a process of prioritization the workshops identified the following elements as particularly important for international cooperation in the field i operation of astronomical telescope facilities implementing TRIPOD ii virtual observatories iii astrophysical data systems iv concurrent design capabilities for the development of international space missions and v theoretical astrophysics such as applications of nonextensive statistical mechanics Beginning in 2005 the workshops focus on preparations for the International Heliophysical Year 2007 IHY2007 The workshops continue to facilitate the establishment of astronomical telescope facilities as pursued by Japan and the development of low-cost ground-based world-wide instrument arrays as lead by the IHY secretariat Further information Wamsteker W Albrecht R and Haubold H J Developing Basic Space Science World-Wide A Decade of UN ESA Workshops Kluwer Academic Publishers Dordrecht 2004 http ihy2007 org http www oosa unvienna org SAP bss ihy2007 index html http www cbpf br GrupPesq StatisticalPhys biblio htm

SKYMONITOR: A Global Network for Sky Brightness Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, Donald R.; Mckenna, D.; Pulvermacher, R.; Everett, M.

2010-01-01

We are implementing a global network to measure sky brightness at dark-sky critical sites with the goal of creating a multi-decade database. The heart of this project is the Night Sky Brightness Monitor (NSBM), an autonomous 2 channel photometer which measures night sky brightness in the visual wavelengths (Mckenna et al, AAS 2009). Sky brightness is measured every minute at two elevation angles typically zenith and 20 degrees to monitor brightness and transparency. The NSBM consists of two parts, a remote unit and a base station with an internet connection. Currently these devices use 2.4 Ghz transceivers with a range of 100 meters. The remote unit is battery powered with daytime recharging using a solar panel. Data received by the base unit is transmitted via email protocol to IDA offices in Tucson where it will be collected, archived and made available to the user community via a web interface. Two other versions of the NSBM are under development: one for radio sensitive areas using an optical fiber link and the second that reads data directly to a laptop for sites without internet access. NSBM units are currently undergoing field testing at two observatories. With support from the National Science Foundation, we will construct and install a total of 10 units at astronomical observatories. With additional funding, we will locate additional units at other sites such as National Parks, dark-sky preserves and other sites where dark sky preservation is crucial. We will present the current comparison with the National Park Service sky monitoring camera. We anticipate that the SKYMONITOR network will be functioning by the end of 2010.

[Treatment of the child and adolescent with type 1 diabetes: special paediatric diabetes units].

PubMed

Hermoso López, F; Barrio Castellanos, R; Garcia Cuartero, B; Gómez Gila, A; González Casado, I; Oyarzabal Irigoyen, M; Rica Etxebarria, I; Rodríguez-Rigual, M; Torres Lacruz, M

2013-05-01

Intensive treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) delays and slows down the progression of chronic diabetes complications (DCCT 1993). This type of treatment in children and adolescents with DM1 has a different complexity to other stages of life and therefore, needs specialized care units. Various documents and declarations of diabetic patient's rights are evaluated, and the need for an adequate health care is emphasized. In the last decade, several projects have been developed in Europe to create a benchmark treatment of pediatric diabetes, with the aim of establishing hospitals with highly qualified healthcare to control it. The Diabetes Working Group of the Spanish Society for Pediatric Endocrinology (SEEP) has prepared this document in order to obtain a national consensus for the care of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes in specialist Pediatric Diabetes Units, and at the same time advise Health Care Administrators to establish a national healthcare network for children and adolescents with diabetes mellitus, and organize comprehensive pediatric diabetes care units in hospitals with a reference level in quality of care. Copyright © 2012 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Reserve Component Support to United States National Low Intensity Conflict Strategy: Future Issues. CLIC Papers

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-04-01

transportation systems; (3) Well drilling and construction of basic sanitation facilities; and (4) Rudimentary construction and repair of public facilities. e. 10...reporting. The conferees, therefore, exempted ( de minimus) activities from this section. The conferees did not put a specific dollar ceiling on the...definition of ( de minimus) but wish to make clear they had in mind activities that have been commonplace on foreign exercises for decades. These would include

Global change and mercury

USGS Publications Warehouse

Krabbenhoft, David P.; Sunderland, Elsie M.

2013-01-01

More than 140 nations recently agreed to a legally binding treaty on reductions in human uses and releases of mercury that will be signed in October of this year. This follows the 2011 rule in the United States that for the first time regulates mercury emissions from electricity-generating utilities. Several decades of scientific research preceded these important regulations. However, the impacts of global change on environmental mercury concentrations and human exposures remain a major uncertainty affecting the potential effectiveness of regulatory activities.

Who's Minding the Neighborhood? The Role of Adult Capacity in Keeping Young People on a Path to Graduation. Research Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center for Promise, 2016

2016-01-01

This brief is based on an econometric study conducted in 2016 by Thomas Malone and Dr. Jonathan Zaff. The nation's high school graduation rate has been rising over the past decade and is now at a historic high. As of 2014, however, four percent of all 16- to 19-year-olds in the United States--a total of 690,000 young people--had left high school…

The Indian Education Act: A Decade of Indian and Alaskan Native Pride and Increasing Strides toward Educational Equity thru Parental Involvement. The Ninth Annual Report to the Congress of the United States.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Advisory Council on Indian Education, Washington, DC.

The ninth annual report to Congress for the National Advisory Council on Indian Education (NACIE) is a compendium report of activities during the calendar year 1982. Part 1 contains NACIE's recommendations to Congress and the Secretary of Education that documents and data prepared by NACIE be utilized in preparation for reauthorization of Indian…

Recent Decline in Extratropical Lower Stratospheric Ozone Attributed to Circulation Changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wargan, Krzysztof; Orbe, Clara; Pawson, Steven; Ziemke, Jerald R.; Oman, Luke D.; Olsen, Mark A.; Coy, Lawrence; Emma Knowland, K.

2018-05-01

The 1998-2016 ozone trends in the lower stratosphere are examined using the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications Version 2 (MERRA-2) and related National Aeronautics and Space Administration products. After removing biases resulting from step changes in the MERRA-2 ozone observations, a discernible negative trend of -1.67 ± 0.54 Dobson units per decade (DU/decade) is found in the 10-km layer above the tropopause between 20°N and 60°N. A weaker but statistically significant trend of -1.17 ± 0.33 DU/decade exists between 50°S and 20°S. In the Tropics, a positive trend is seen in a 5-km layer above the tropopause. Analysis of an idealized tracer in a model simulation constrained by MERRA-2 meteorological fields provides strong evidence that these trends are driven by enhanced isentropic transport between the tropical (20°S-20°N) and extratropical lower stratosphere in the past two decades. This is the first time that a reanalysis data set has been used to detect and attribute trends in lower stratospheric ozone.

Correlates of past-year mental health service use among Latinos: results from the National Latino and Asian American Study.

PubMed

Alegría, Margarita; Mulvaney-Day, Norah; Woo, Meghan; Torres, Maria; Gao, Shan; Oddo, Vanessa

2007-01-01

We examined correlates and rates of past-year mental health service use in a national sample of Latinos residing in the United States. We used data from the National Latino and Asian American Study, a national epidemiological household survey of Latinos. Cultural factors such as nativity, language, age at migration, years of residence in the United States, and generational status were associated with whether or not Latinos had used mental health services. However, when the analysis was stratified according to past-year psychiatric diagnoses, these associations held only among those who did not fulfill criteria for any of the psychiatric disorders assessed. Rates of mental health service use among those who did not fulfill diagnostic criteria were higher among Puerto Ricans and US-born Latinos than among non-Puerto Ricans and foreign-born Latinos. Rates of mental health service use among Latinos appear to have increased substantially over the past decade relative to rates reported in the 1990s. Cultural and immigration characteristics should be considered in matching mental health services to Latinos who need preventive services or who are symptomatic but do not fulfill psychiatric disorder criteria.

New service interface for River Forecasting Center derived quantitative precipitation estimates

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blodgett, David L.

2013-01-01

For more than a decade, the National Weather Service (NWS) River Forecast Centers (RFCs) have been estimating spatially distributed rainfall by applying quality-control procedures to radar-indicated rainfall estimates in the eastern United States and other best practices in the western United States to producea national Quantitative Precipitation Estimate (QPE) (National Weather Service, 2013). The availability of archives of QPE information for analytical purposes has been limited to manual requests for access to raw binary file formats that are difficult for scientists who are not in the climatic sciences to work with. The NWS provided the QPE archives to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the contents of the real-time feed from the RFCs are being saved by the USGS for incorporation into the archives. The USGS has applied time-series aggregation and added latitude-longitude coordinate variables to publish the RFC QPE data. Web services provide users with direct (index-based) data access, rendered visualizations of the data, and resampled raster representations of the source data in common geographic information formats.

[Tendencies of studies addressing the eldest individuals of aged population in the community: a (inter)national systematic review].

PubMed

Rosset, Idiane; Pedrazzi, Elizandra Cristina; Roriz-Cruz, Matheus; de Morais, Eliane Pinheiro; Rodrigues, Rosalina Aparecida Partezani

2011-03-01

The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the tendencies and types of studies published in Brazil and abroad, involving elders aged>80 years, living in the community. A systematic review of national literature was performed using the LILACS and SciELO databases, and PUBMED and EMBASE for international literature, covering publications of the last two decades. Twelve national and 162 international references were selected. Biological sciences were the prevalent area both at the national (50%) and international (74.1%) levels. All national studies were observational, 91.7% of which were cross-sectional. Of the international studies, 93.3% were observational, 48.1% of which were cross-sectional and 37.6% were cohort studies. The United States were the country responsible for 41.4% of all international publications. Brazil and China were the only developing countries with international publications. Despite the significant number of international scientific publications as of 2005, this fact has not been observed at the national level.

Sun-Burned: Space Weather's Impact on United States National Security

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stebbins, B.

2014-12-01

The heightened media attention surrounding the 2013-14 solar maximum presented an excellent opportunity to examine the ever-increasing vulnerability of US national security and its Department of Defense to space weather. This vulnerability exists for three principal reasons: 1) a massive US space-based infrastructure; 2) an almost exclusive reliance on an aging and stressed continental US power grid; and 3) a direct dependence upon a US economy adapted to the conveniences of space and uninterrupted power. I tailored my research and work for the national security policy maker and military strategists in an endeavor to initiate and inform a substantive dialogue on America's preparation for, and response to, a major solar event that would severely degrade core national security capabilities, such as military operations. Significant risk to the Department of Defense exists from powerful events that could impact its space-based infrastructure and even the terrestrial power grid. Given this ever-present and increasing risk to the United States, my work advocates raising the issue of space weather and its impacts to the level of a national security threat. With the current solar cycle having already peaked and the next projected solar maximum just a decade away, the government has a relatively small window to make policy decisions that prepare the nation and its Defense Department to mitigate impacts from these potentially catastrophic phenomena.

Attitudes toward Arab ascendance: Israeli and global perspectives.

PubMed

Pratto, Felicia; Saguy, Tamar; Stewart, Andrew L; Morselli, Davide; Foels, Rob; Aiello, Antonio; Aranda, María; Cidam, Atilla; Chryssochoou, Xenia; Durrheim, Kevin; Eicher, Veronique; Licata, Laurent; Liu, James H; Liu, Li; Meyer, Ines; Muldoon, Orla; Papastamou, Stamos; Petrovic, Nebojsa; Prati, Francesca; Prodomitis, Gerasimos; Sweetman, Joseph

2014-01-01

Arab nations are decades behind many other previously colonized nations in developing stronger economies, more democratic institutions, and more autonomy and self-government, in part as a result of external interference. The year 2011 brought the potential for greater Arab autonomy through popular uprisings against autocratic governments in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen, and through the Palestinian request for state recognition by the United Nations. We examined the psychology of support for Arab ascendancy among adults in 14 nations in the Balkans, the Middle East, Asia, Oceania, Europe, and North America. We predicted and found that people low on social dominance orientation endorsed forming an independent Palestinian state and desired that the Arab uprisings succeed. Rejection of ideologies that legitimize outside interference with Arabs mediated this support. Measures and model results were robust across world regions. We discuss theoretical implications regarding the advent of new ideologies and extending social dominance theory to address international relations.

The Technologies of the Third Era of the U.S. Workforce. Report to the National Academy of Science's Panel on Technology and Employment (Washington, D.C., August 1986).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swyt, Dennis A.

This paper describes the new technologies most likely to affect the number and types of jobs in the U.S. economy over the next two decades. These work-affecting technologies are presented in the context of the continuing evolution of the U.S. work force into a distinctly new, third era. Chapter I discusses the transformation of the United States…

Army Facility Energy Demand and the Impact on National Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-30

grown from about $15B in 1995 to $46B in 2005.17 Iran’s annual oil revenues have increased approximately $30B (200%) compared with a decade ago...uses up 25 percent of the world’s annual energy production. Additionally, the United States currently imports 26 percent of its total energy supply...insurgent groups fighting U.S. forces.”16 Iran, Venezuela and Sudan are examples of countries that benefit from increased oil revenues , while at the

Challenges & Concerns -- Phase 4 Stability Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-09

unbeknownst to the U.S military on the ground. “Over the last century, crimes of mass atrocity were reality, Cambodian genocide by the Khmer Rouge in...the 1970’s, Rwandan genocide in the 1990’s and genocide in Darfur within the past decade.”28 The stark reality is the world discovered these crimes...On August 4, 2011, the President of the United States stated, “Preventing mass atrocities and genocide is a core national security interest and a

United States-Japanese National Interests in Asia: Security in the 1990s

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-01

antagonistic in the coming decade and beyond, discussed in the next two chapters. Therefore, U.S. security 72Susan Chira , "Japan Ready to Share Burden, But...Also Power, With US," New York Times, 7 May 1989, p. A4. Ms. Chira quoted Mr. Makato Kuroda, former top trade negotiator for Japan, as saying, "Burden...Japan’s Imperial Conspiracy (New York, N. Y.: William Morrow and Company, 1971), and Russell Braddon, Japan Against the World (Briarcliff Manor, N.J.: Stien

Another weapon too far: the anti-personnel laser.

PubMed

Gillow, J T

1995-06-01

The last decade has seen the development of military lasers designed to blind. Medical professionals dedicated to the prevention and treatment of visual disability, and particularly ophthalmologists under the terms of their newly acquired Royal Charter, have a responsibility to: document this new technology; explain its medical effects; and influence the threshold at which these weapons might be used. Proposals to prohibit anti-eye laser warfare at The United Nations Convention Conference in September 1995 present a unique opportunity to stigmatize blinding as a method of warfare.

Peace umbrella, a vague policy and checkered past. Research report

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

Biszak, G.A.

1997-03-01

With the break-up of the former Soviet Union, the United Nations Security Council enjoyed a greater consensus among its members in confronting aggression and participation in humanitarian and peace operations. Deploying significant military forces under the peace umbrella at the beginning of this decade was highly unlikely. However, since 1990, 25 deployments have been conducted with the majority falling under the peace umbrella. This paper analyzes current national and military strategy in regards to the peace umbrella, specifically peace enforcement, military doctrine, and the case of Somalia. In addition, this paper looks at doctrine and directives that currently guide deploymentmore » of forces and the potential for future peace operations.« less

Land-cover change research at the U.S. Geological Survey-assessing our nation's dynamic land surface

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilson, Tamara S.

2011-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed an unprecedented, 27-year assessment of land-use and land-cover change for the conterminous United States. For the period 1973 to 2000, scientists generated estimates of change in major types of land use and land cover, such as development, mining, agriculture, forest, grasslands, and wetlands. To help provide the insight that our Nation will need to make land-use decisions in coming decades, the historical trends data is now being used by the USGS to help model potential future land use/land cover under different scenarios, including climate, environmental, economic, population, public policy, and technological change.

Trends In News Media Coverage Of Mental Illness In The United States: 1995-2014.

PubMed

McGinty, Emma E; Kennedy-Hendricks, Alene; Choksy, Seema; Barry, Colleen L

2016-06-01

The United States is engaged in ongoing dialogue around mental illness. To assess trends in this national discourse, we studied the volume and content of a random sample of 400 news stories about mental illness from the period 1995-2014. Compared to news stories in the first decade of the study period, those in the second decade were more likely to mention mass shootings by people with mental illnesses. The most frequently mentioned topic across the study period was violence (55 percent overall) divided into categories of interpersonal violence or self-directed (suicide) violence, followed by stories about any type of treatment for mental illness (47 percent). Fewer news stories, only 14 percent, described successful treatment for or recovery from mental illness. The news media's continued emphasis on interpersonal violence is highly disproportionate to actual rates of violence among those with mental illnesses. Research suggests that this focus may exacerbate social stigma and decrease support for public policies that benefit people with mental illnesses. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Climate change adaptation for the US National Wildlife Refuge System

USGS Publications Warehouse

Griffith, Brad; Scott, J. Michael; Adamcik, Robert S.; Ashe, Daniel; Czech, Brian; Fischman, Robert; Gonzalez, Patrick; Lawler, Joshua J.; McGuire, A. David; Pidgorna, Anna

2009-01-01

Since its establishment in 1903, the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) has grown to 635 units and 37 Wetland Management Districts in the United States and its territories. These units provide the seasonal habitats necessary for migratory waterfowl and other species to complete their annual life cycles. Habitat conversion and fragmentation, invasive species, pollution, and competition for water have stressed refuges for decades, but the interaction of climate change with these stressors presents the most recent, pervasive, and complex conservation challenge to the NWRS. Geographic isolation and small unit size compound the challenges of climate change, but a combined emphasis on species that refuges were established to conserve and on maintaining biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health provides the NWRS with substantial latitude to respond. Individual symptoms of climate change can be addressed at the refuge level, but the strategic response requires system-wide planning. A dynamic vision of the NWRS in a changing climate, an explicit national strategic plan to implement that vision, and an assessment of representation, redundancy, size, and total number of units in relation to conservation targets are the first steps toward adaptation. This adaptation must begin immediately and be built on more closely integrated research and management. Rigorous projections of possible futures are required to facilitate adaptation to change. Furthermore, the effective conservation footprint of the NWRS must be increased through land acquisition, creative partnerships, and educational programs in order for the NWRS to meet its legal mandate to maintain the biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health of the system and the species and ecosystems that it supports.

Youth tobacco use in the United States--problem, progress, goals, and potential solutions.

PubMed

Glynn, T J; Greenwald, P; Mills, S M; Manley, M W

1993-07-01

Efforts to control tobacco use and tobacco-related morbidity and mortality in the United States continue to be generally successful. In the quarter century since the publication of the first Surgeon General's Report on Tobacco and Health, adult smoking rates in the United States have been reduced by nearly 34%. Controlling tobacco use among our nation's youth, however, has not been as successful. Although there was considerable success in reducing adolescent tobacco use in the late 1970s and early 1980s, tobacco use among youth has remained essentially stable for the past decade. The health and economic burden of tobacco use, current knowledge about youth tobacco use, and youth-related national tobacco reduction goals for the Year 2000 are reviewed. Analysis of the research of the past two decades clearly indicates that there is no "magic bullet" in existence or in sight for the reduction of tobacco use, either among youth or among adults. This does not mean that opportunities for significant advances through, for example, pharmacological therapies or the broad application of media or policy strategies should not continue to be explored, but that for the moment no single approach appears to work best. Rather, a comprehensive approach that applies multiple prevention and cessation strategies simultaneously appears to be most effective in tobacco use control. Among youth, the combination of tobacco control strategies that may work best includes those that involve the family, primary care physicians, and other health professionals such as nurses and dentists; programs that are carried out in schools and/or through the media; and societal approaches such as access and advertising restrictions and increased taxes.

Funding of US biomedical research, 2003-2008.

PubMed

Dorsey, E Ray; de Roulet, Jason; Thompson, Joel P; Reminick, Jason I; Thai, Ashley; White-Stellato, Zachary; Beck, Christopher A; George, Benjamin P; Moses, Hamilton

2010-01-13

With the exception of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, funding support for biomedical research in the United States has slowed after a decade of doubling. However, the extent and scope of slowing are largely unknown. To quantify funding of biomedical research in the United States from 2003 to 2008. Publicly available data were used to quantify funding from government (federal, state, and local), private, and industry sources. Regression models were used to compare financial trends between 1994-2003 and 2003-2007. The numbers of new drug and device approvals by the US Food and Drug Administration over the same period were also evaluated. Funding and growth rates by source; numbers of US Food and Drug Administration approvals. Biomedical research funding increased from $75.5 billion in 2003 to $101.1 billion in 2007. In 2008, funding from the National Institutes of Health and industry totaled $88.8 billion. In 2007, funding from these sources, adjusted for inflation, was $90.2 billion. Adjusted for inflation, funding from 2003 to 2007 increased by 14%, for a compound annual growth rate of 3.4%. By comparison, funding from 1994 to 2003 increased at an annual rate of 7.8% (P < .001). In 2007, industry (58%) was the largest funder, followed by the federal government (33%). Modest increase in funding was not accompanied by an increase in approvals for drugs or devices. In 2007, the United States spent an estimated 4.5% of its total health expenditures on biomedical research and 0.1% on health services research. After a decade of doubling, the rate of increase in biomedical research funding slowed from 2003 to 2007, and after adjustment for inflation, the absolute level of funding from the National Institutes of Health and industry appears to have decreased by 2% in 2008.

Temporal and spatial changes in social vulnerability to natural hazards

PubMed Central

Cutter, Susan L.; Finch, Christina

2008-01-01

During the past four decades (1960–2000), the United States experienced major transformations in population size, development patterns, economic conditions, and social characteristics. These social, economic, and built-environment changes altered the American hazardscape in profound ways, with more people living in high-hazard areas than ever before. To improve emergency management, it is important to recognize the variability in the vulnerable populations exposed to hazards and to develop place-based emergency plans accordingly. The concept of social vulnerability identifies sensitive populations that may be less likely to respond to, cope with, and recover from a natural disaster. Social vulnerability is complex and dynamic, changing over space and through time. This paper presents empirical evidence on the spatial and temporal patterns in social vulnerability in the United States from 1960 to the present. Using counties as our study unit, we found that those components that consistently increased social vulnerability for all time periods were density (urban), race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. The spatial patterning of social vulnerability, although initially concentrated in certain geographic regions, has become more dispersed over time. The national trend shows a steady reduction in social vulnerability, but there is considerable regional variability, with many counties increasing in social vulnerability during the past five decades. PMID:18268336

Assessment of National Practice for Palliative Radiation Therapy for Bone Metastases Suggests Marked Underutilization of Single-Fraction Regimens in the United States

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

Rutter, Charles E., E-mail: charles.rutter@yale.edu; Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Connecticut; Yu, James B.

2015-03-01

Purpose: To characterize temporal trends in the application of various bone metastasis fractionations within the United States during the past decade, using the National Cancer Data Base; the primary aim was to determine whether clinical practice in the United States has changed over time to reflect the published randomized evidence and the growing movement for value-based treatment decisions. Patients and Methods: The National Cancer Data Base was used to identify patients treated to osseous metastases from breast, prostate, and lung cancer. Utilization of single-fraction versus multiple-fraction radiation therapy was compared according to demographic, disease-related, and health care system details. Results: Wemore » included 24,992 patients treated during the period 2005-2011 for bone metastases. Among patients treated to non-spinal/vertebral sites (n=9011), 4.7% received 8 Gy in 1 fraction, whereas 95.3% received multiple-fraction treatment. Over time the proportion of patients receiving a single fraction of 8 Gy increased (from 3.4% in 2005 to 7.5% in 2011). Numerous independent predictors of single-fraction treatment were identified, including older age, farther travel distance for treatment, academic treatment facility, and non-private health insurance (P<.05). Conclusions: Single-fraction palliative radiation therapy regimens are significantly underutilized in current practice in the United States. Further efforts are needed to address this issue, such that evidence-based and cost-conscious care becomes more commonplace.« less

Clear-Sky UV-B trends over Northern Midlatitudes derived from TOMS Low-Reflectivity Footprint Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ziemke, Jerry; Chandra, Sushil; Varotsos, C.

1998-01-01

This study investigates the distribution of clear-sky ultraviolet-B (UV-B, wavelengths 290-320 nm) trends in northern midlatitudes using 1979-1991 Nimbus 7 total ozone mapping spectrometer (TOMS) version 7 low-reflectivity (R<0.2) total ozone footprint measurements. The incorporation of essentially cloud-free ozone data from TOMS provides a direct method for separating transient cloud effects from anthropogenic and other dynamical factors present in UV-B. This study has also included both National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) microwave sounding unit channel 4 (MSU4) and National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) 500 hPa temperature (T500) fields in our trend models to improve UV-Index (UVI) trend statistics and to investigate the effects of interannual changes in UVI caused by synoptic-scale (horizontal wavelengths 4000-8000 km) and planetary-scale (horizontal wavelengths greater than 8000 km) dynamical events. Clear-sky UVI trends in the northern midlatitudes show large increases (exceeding 10 % per decade) and distinct regional variability especially during winter-spring months which can be attributed to topography and dynamical forcing effects. In the UV-important summer-autumn months, these trends are more uniformly distributed and still statistically significant, although smaller at around +2 to +3 % per decade. Specifically, during April largest increases in midlatitude UVI are seen to extend from near the dateline eastward across North America. In June months largest UVI increases occur over the east Asian continent with values around +5 to +6 % per decade. These increases in UVI over both the Pacific and Asian continent regions persist through summer into Autumn. In the the European sector, statistically significant increases in clear-sky UVI are found over central Europe with values around +2 to +3 % per decade and +8 to +9 % per decade during summer and winter-spring months, respectively. Over the nearby Mediterranean region these seasonal trends are around +2 to +3 and +5 to +6 % per decade.

Social inequalities, regional disparities and health inequity in North African countries.

PubMed

Boutayeb, Abdesslam; Helmert, Uwe

2011-05-31

During the last decades, North African countries have substantially improved economic, social and health conditions of their populations in average. In all countries, human development in general and life expectancy, literacy and per capita income in particular have increased. However, improvement was not equally shared between groups of different milieu, regions or level of income. Social inequalities and health inequity have persisted or even worsened. Data are generally scarce and few studies were devoted to this topic in North Africa as a region. In this paper, we carry out a comparative study on the achievements of these countries, not only in terms of human development and its components but also in terms of inequalities' reduction and health equity. This study is based on data available for comparison between North African countries. The main data sources are provided by reports released by the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank, surveys such as Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) and finally recent papers published on equity in different countries of the region. There is no doubt that education, health and human development in general have improved in North Africa during the last decades. Improvement was, however, uneven and unequally enjoyed by different socioeconomic groups. Indeed, each country included in this study shows large urban-rural disparities, discrepancies between advantaged and disadvantaged regions and cities; and unacceptable differences between rich and poor. Health inequity is particularly seen through access to health services and infant mortality. During the last decades, North African decision makers have endeavoured to improve social and economic conditions of their populations. Globally, health, education and living standard in general have substantially improved in average. However, North African countries have still a long way to go to reduce social inequalities and health inequity at different levels: rural-urban, advantaged-marginalised regions and cities, between groups of different level of income and wealth. The challenge for the next decade is not only to improve economic, social and health conditions in average but also and mainly to reduce avoidable inequalities in parallel.

A Vision for the Next Ten Years for Integrated Ocean Observing Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willis, Z. S.

2012-12-01

Ocean observing has come a long way since the Ocean Sciences Decadal Committee met over a decade ago. Since then, our use of the ocean and coast and their vast resources has increased substantially - with increased shipping, fishing, offshore energy development and recreational boating. That increased use has also spearheaded advances in observing systems. Cutting-edge autonomous and remotely operated vehicles scour the surface and travel to depths collecting essential biogeochemical data for better managing our marine resources. Satellites enable the global mapping of practically every physical ocean variable imaginable. A nationally-integrated coastal network of high-frequency radars lines the borders of the U.S. feeding critical navigation, response, and environmental information continuously. Federal, academic, and industry communities have joined in unique partnerships at regional, national, and global levels to address common challenges to monitoring our ocean. The 2002 Workshop, Building Consensus: Toward an Integrated and Sustained Ocean Observing System laid the framework for the current United States Integrated Ocean Observing System (U.S. IOOS). Ten years later, U.S. IOOS has moved from concept to reality, though much work remains to meet the nation's ocean observing needs. Today, new research and technologies, evolving users and user requirements, economic and funding challenges, and diverse institutional mandates all influence the future growth and implementation of U.S. IOOS. In light of this new environment, the Interagency Ocean Observation Committee (IOOC) will host the 2012 Integrated Ocean Observing System Summit in November 2012, providing a forum to develop a comprehensive ocean observing vision for the next decade, utilizing the knowledge and expertise gained by the IOOS-wide community over the past ten years. This effort to bring together ocean observing stakeholders at the regional, national, and global levels to address these challenges going forward: - Enhancing information delivery and integration to save lives, enhance the economy and protect the environment - Disseminating seamless information across regional and national boundaries - Harnessing technological innovations for new frontiers and opportunities The anticipated outcomes of the IOOS Summit include a highlight of the past decade of progress towards an integrated system, revisiting and updating user requirements, an assessment of existing observing system capabilities and gaps, identifying integration challenges/opportunities, and, establishing an U.S. IOOS-community-wide vision for the next 10 years of ocean observing. Most important will be the execution of priorities identified before and during the Summit, carrying them forward into a new decade of an enhanced Integrated and Sustained Ocean Observing System.

The educational and awareness purposes of the Paideia approach for heritage management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carbone, F.; Oosterbeek, L.; Costa, C.

2012-06-01

The need to raise awareness among the communities about the challenge of resource use - and, more generally, about the principles of sustainability - is the reason why the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed, in December 2002, the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, 2005-2014 (DESD). For operators and managers of cultural and natural heritage, it represents a profound challenge to their ability to transmit the content of scientific knowledge to the general public in order to empower everyone on the preservation of cultural and natural resources, and to raise awareness about the potential that mankind has at its disposal. In this context, the application of the PAIDEIA APPROACH for the management of cultural heritage is the key to the recovery of socio-economic values intrinsic to these resources. This approach to management is based on the enhancement of cultural (namely archaeological) and natural heritage for social benefit and it involves the tourist trade as a vehicle of knowledge transmission, intercultural dialogue and socio-economic sustainable development.

Privatization in a publicly funded health care system: the U.S. experience.

PubMed

Himmelstein, David U; Woolhandler, Steffie

2008-01-01

The United States has four decades of experience with the combination of public funding and private health care management and delivery, closely analogous to reforms recently enacted or proposed in many other nations. Extensive research, herein reviewed, shows that for-profit health institutions provide inferior care at inflated prices. The U.S. experience also demonstrates that market mechanisms nurture unscrupulous medical businesses and undermine medical institutions unable or unwilling to tailor care to profitability. The commercialization of care in the United States has driven up costs by diverting money to profits and by fueling a vast increase in management and financial bureaucracy, which now consumes 31 percent of total health spending. The Veterans Health Administration system--a network of government hospitals and clinics--has emerged as the leader in quality improvement and information technology, indicating the potential for public sector excellence and innovation. The poor performance of U.S. health care is directly attributable to reliance on market mechanisms and for-profit firms, and should warn other nations from this path.

Educating and Inspiring Young People for the Next Generation of Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Armstrong, Robert C., Jr.

2007-01-01

With the graying of the nation's scientific workforce and the decline in students pursuing science, technological, engineering, and math related-studies, real challenges lie ahead if America is to continue to sustain the Vision for Space Exploration in the foreseeable future. Likewise, challenges exist in the economic arena as the United States seeks to maintain its preeminence among the technological leaders of the world. Currently, less than 6 percent of high school seniors are pursuing engineering degrees, down from 36 percent a decade ago. Today, China produces six times as many engineers as does the United States and Japan, at half our population, develops twice as many engineers. Despite spending more per capita on public education than any other nation, except Switzerland, U.S. students of high school age are failing to compete with many foreign countries. These trends do not bode well for America's future competitiveness in space and other technically driven areas, such as defense.

The role of Ethiopia's public universities in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Keeffe, Paul

2016-12-01

In recent years, the Ethiopian government has embarked on an ambitious agriculture development strategy aimed at raising Ethiopia to the status of a middle-income-level country by 2025. Encouraged by the international development push behind the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the rapid expansion of public universities has taken centre stage in facilitating the country's aim of equipping a new generation with the expertise needed to fuel the country's economic development. While impressive strides have been made over the last two decades, various development challenges threaten to derail this promising progress. This article examines three of the main challenges - urbanisation, climate change and food security - and the potential for universities to address them. Based on a study using key informant analysis research with 50 experts in Ethiopian education and development, the author concludes that the developing public university system offers promising capabilities to assist the country on its developmental path despite many inherent problems.

America, guns, and freedom. Part I: A recapitulation of liberty.

PubMed

Faria, Miguel A

2012-01-01

The role of gun violence and street crime in the United States and the world is currently a subject of great debate among national and international organizations, including the United Nations. Because the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the individual right of American citizens to own private firearms, availability of firearms is greater in the U.S. than the rest of the world, except perhaps in Israel and Switzerland. Indeed, although the American people continue to purchase and possess more firearms, homicides and violent crimes have continued to diminish for several decades because guns in the hands of the law-abiding citizens does not translate into more crime. As neurosurgeons, we can be compassionate and still be honest and have the moral courage to pursue the truth and find viable solutions through the use of sound, scholarly research in the area of guns and violence. We have an obligation to reach our conclusions based on objective data and scientific information rather than on ideology, emotionalism or partisan politics.

America, guns, and freedom. Part I: A recapitulation of liberty

PubMed Central

Faria, Miguel A.

2012-01-01

The role of gun violence and street crime in the United States and the world is currently a subject of great debate among national and international organizations, including the United Nations. Because the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the individual right of American citizens to own private firearms, availability of firearms is greater in the U.S. than the rest of the world, except perhaps in Israel and Switzerland. Indeed, although the American people continue to purchase and possess more firearms, homicides and violent crimes have continued to diminish for several decades because guns in the hands of the law-abiding citizens does not translate into more crime. As neurosurgeons, we can be compassionate and still be honest and have the moral courage to pursue the truth and find viable solutions through the use of sound, scholarly research in the area of guns and violence. We have an obligation to reach our conclusions based on objective data and scientific information rather than on ideology, emotionalism or partisan politics. PMID:23227438

Toward a national, sustained U.S. ecosystem assessment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jackson, Stephen T.; Duke, Clifford S.; Hampton, Stephanie E.; Jacobs, Katharine L.; Joppa, Lucas N.; Kassam, Karim-Aly S. K.; Mooney, Harold A.; Ogden, Laura A.; Ruckelshaus, Mary; Shogren, Jason F.

2016-01-01

The massive investment of resources devoted to monitoring and assessment of economic and societal indicators in the United States is neither matched by nor linked to efforts to monitor and assess the ecosystem services and biodiversity that support economic and social well-being. Although national-scale assessments of biodiversity (1) and ecosystem indicators (2) have been undertaken, nearly a decade has elapsed since the last systematic assessment (2). A 2011 White House report called for a national biodiversity and ecosystem services assessment (3), but the initiative has stalled. Our aim here is to stimulate the process and outline a credible framework and pathway for an ongoing assessment of ecosystem functioning (see the photo). A national assessment should engage diverse stakeholders from multiple sectors of society and should focus on metrics and analyses of direct relevance to policy decisions, from local to national levels. Although many technical or science-focused components are in place, they need to be articulated, distilled, and organized to address policy issues.

2015 Stewardship Science Academic Programs Annual

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

Stone, Terri; Mischo, Millicent

The Stockpile Stewardship Academic Programs (SSAP) are essential to maintaining a pipeline of professionals to support the technical capabilities that reside at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) national laboratories, sites, and plants. Since 1992, the United States has observed the moratorium on nuclear testing while significantly decreasing the nuclear arsenal. To accomplish this without nuclear testing, NNSA and its laboratories developed a science-based Stockpile Stewardship Program to maintain and enhance the experimental and computational tools required to ensure the continued safety, security, and reliability of the stockpile. NNSA launched its academic program portfolio more than a decade ago tomore » engage students skilled in specific technical areas of relevance to stockpile stewardship. The success of this program is reflected by the large number of SSAP students choosing to begin their careers at NNSA national laboratories.« less

Environmental contaminant exposure data and monitoring priorities for wild terrestrial vertebrates at national parks in coastal and estuarine habitat

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rattner, B.A.; Ackerson, B.K.; Eisenreich, K.M.; McKernan, M.A.; Harmon, David

2006-01-01

The Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Project of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assesses the exposure and effects of environmental contaminants on select species and habitats in the United States. One of the many BEST Project activities entails the development of decision-support tools to assist in the identification of chemical threats to species and lands under the stewardship of the Department of the Interior. Although there are many ecotoxicological monitoring programs that focus on aquatic species and habitats, there are currently no large-scale efforts that are focused on terrestrial vertebrates in the United States. Nonetheless, organochlorine contaminants, metals, and new pollutants continue to pose hazards to terrestrial vertebrates at many spatial scales (ranging from small hazardous-waste-site point sources to entire watersheds). To evaluate and prioritize pollutant hazards for terrestrial vertebrates, a ?Contaminant Exposure and EffectsTerrestrial Vertebrates? (CEE-TV) database (www.pwrc.usgs.gov/contaminants-online) was developed. The CEE-TV database has been used to conduct simple searches for exposure and biological effects information for a given species or location, identification of temporal contaminant exposure trends, information gap analyses for national wildlife refuge and national park units, and ranking of terrestrial vertebrate ecotoxicological information needs based on data density and water quality problems. Despite widespread concerns about environmental contamination, during the past decade only about one-half of the coastal National Park units appear to have terrestrial vertebrate ecotoxicological data. Based upon known environmental contaminant hazards, it is recommended that regionalized monitoring programs or efforts focused on lands managed by the Department of the Interior should be undertaken to prevent serious natural resource problems.

A REVIEW ON VARIATION OF NATURAL RADIOACTIVITY ALONG THE SOUTHEAST COAST OF TAMIL NADU FOR THE PAST 4 DECADES (1974-2016).

PubMed

Sankaran Pillai, G; Chandrasekaran, S; Sivasubramanian, K; Baskaran, R; Venkatraman, B

2018-04-01

This review deals with natural radioactivity variation along the southeast coast of Tamil Nadu for the past four decades (1974-2016). About 40 research works have been conducted along the coast since 1974 in various environmental matrices using a variety of experimental methods. For these measurements researchers are adopted different experimental methods. The measured gamma dose rate ranged from 30 to 8700 nGy/h. The mean specific activity of 238U, 232Th and 40K was found to be 58.8 ± 28.7, 465.2 ± 147.3 and 311.2 ± 27.8 Bq/kg, respectively. The calculated annual exposure rate ranged from 0.29 to 12.8 mSv/y with the mean value of 3.7 mSv/y which is above the global average of 2.4 mSv/y as reported by United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) (Report to General Assembly, Annex B Exposures of the public and workers from various sources of radiation. United Nations, New York (2008)). Plant food items recorded low 210Po activities as compared to seafood organisms. Grain size, season and place of sampling have a decisive bearing on coastal radioactivity. Therefore, it is concluded from the review data that there is an appreciable elevation in background radiation level in the coastal region. This review suggests that new radiological surveys using improved methodology that cover the entire coastal stretch are needed.

The Youth Space Vision for the Decade to Come: The Next Generation Network Looks Back to Look Forward

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cornell, Ariane

2010-05-01

The Space Generation Advisory Council in support of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications (SGAC) is a non-governmental organization of 4,000 members in 90+ countries which aims to represent university students and young space professionals to the United Nations, States, and other space agencies and organizations. In 2009, SGAC celebrated its ten year anniversary, and it was this milestone that inspired its 10 Year Anniversary Conference in June 2009, which was attended by members of the SGAC community from six continents and 21 States. The conference aimed to lead the attendees in a review of the past ten years of the politics of space as well as the "spacescape" (i.e., the overview of the organizations conducting space activities such as launching vehicles, owning satellites, or purchasing space-based services). The point of this review was to help analyze how SGAC and the youth it represents should position themselves for the next ten years. What resulted is a decadal vision from the youth (approximately 18-35 year olds) of the direction of global development and challenges, the role of the space sector in this development, and how SGAC and the youth it represents could best contribute to the development. The international community stands at a crossroads in the progress of humans in space. This paper represents a first step the youth are making in taking advantage of this watershed moment to develop an updated, pertinent role for the next ten years.

USGS national surveys and analysis projects: Preliminary compilation of integrated geological datasets for the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nicholson, Suzanne W.; Stoeser, Douglas B.; Wilson, Frederic H.; Dicken, Connie L.; Ludington, Steve

2007-01-01

The growth in the use of Geographic nformation Systems (GS) has highlighted the need for regional and national digital geologic maps attributed with age and rock type information. Such spatial data can be conveniently used to generate derivative maps for purposes that include mineral-resource assessment, metallogenic studies, tectonic studies, human health and environmental research. n 1997, the United States Geological Survey’s Mineral Resources Program initiated an effort to develop national digital databases for use in mineral resource and environmental assessments. One primary activity of this effort was to compile a national digital geologic map database, utilizing state geologic maps, to support mineral resource studies in the range of 1:250,000- to 1:1,000,000-scale. Over the course of the past decade, state databases were prepared using a common standard for the database structure, fields, attributes, and data dictionaries. As of late 2006, standardized geological map databases for all conterminous (CONUS) states have been available on-line as USGS Open-File Reports. For Alaska and Hawaii, new state maps are being prepared, and the preliminary work for Alaska is being released as a series of 1:500,000-scale regional compilations. See below for a list of all published databases.

Sex prevalence of pediatric kidney stone disease in the United States: an epidemiologic investigation.

PubMed

Novak, Thomas E; Lakshmanan, Yegappan; Trock, Bruce J; Gearhart, John P; Matlaga, Brian R

2009-07-01

To define the sex prevalence of inpatient hospital discharges for pediatric patients diagnosed with upper urinary tract stone disease. The study examined inpatient admissions for pediatric urolithiasis in 2003, using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Database. We used the International Classification of Disease, 9th edition, Clinical Modification codes, to identify patients with a principal diagnosis of renal (592.0) or ureteral (592.1) calculi. Sex prevalence was assessed, and the results were stratified by age group. In the 2003 Kids' Inpatient Database, the sex distribution among pediatric patients with stone formation varied significantly by age. In the first decade of age, a male predominance was found that had shifted to a female predominance in the second decade. Overall, however, girls in the pediatric population were more commonly affected by stones than were boys. In this nationally representative sample, the sex distribution of pediatric urolithiasis varied with age, with boys more commonly affected in the first decade of age and girls in the second decade. Although the reason for this unique epidemiologic finding is not readily apparent, additional studies can build on this hypothesis-generating work.

The United States cover-up of Japanese wartime medical atrocities: complicity committed in the national interest and two proposals for contemporary action.

PubMed

Nie, Jing-Bao

2006-01-01

To monopolize the scientific data gained by Japanese physicians and researchers from vivisections and other barbarous experiments performed on living humans in biological warfare programs such as Unit 731, immediately after the war the United States (US) government secretly granted those involved immunity from war crimes prosecution, withdrew vital information from the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, and publicly denounced otherwise irrefutable evidence from other sources such as the Russian Khabarovsk trial. Acting in "the national interest" and for the security of the US, authorities in the US tramped justice and morality, and engaged in what the English common law tradition clearly defines as "complicity after the fact." To repair this historical injustice, the US government should issue an official apology and offer appropriate compensation for having covered up Japanese medical war crimes for six decades. To help prevent similar acts of aiding principal offender(s) in the future, international declarations or codes of human rights and medical ethics should include a clause banning any kind of complicity in any unethical medicine-whether before or after the fact-by any state or group for whatever reasons.

Meeting the Institute of Medicine’s 2030 US Life Expectancy Target

PubMed Central

Kindig, David; Nobles, Jenna; Zidan, Moheb

2018-01-01

Objectives To quantify the improvement in US life expectancy required to reach parity with high-resource nations by 2030, to document historical precedent of this rate, and to discuss the plausibility of achieving this rate in the United States. Methods We performed a demographic analysis of secondary data in 5-year periods from 1985 to 2015. Results To achieve the United Nations projected mortality estimates for Western Europe in 2030, the US life expectancy must grow at 0.32% a year between 2016 and 2030. This rate has precedent, even in low-mortality populations. Over 204 country-periods examined, nearly half exhibited life-expectancy growth greater than 0.32%. Of the 51 US states observed, 8.2% of state-periods demonstrated life-expectancy growth that exceeded the 0.32% target. Conclusions Achieving necessary growth in life expectancy over the next 15 years despite historical precedent will be challenging. Much all-cause mortality is structured decades earlier and, at present, older-age mortality reductions in the United States are decelerating. Addressing mortality decline at all ages will require enhanced political will and a strong commitment to equity improvement in the US population. PMID:29161064

Overweight and Obesity in Black Women: A Review of Published Data From The National Center for Health Statistics

PubMed Central

Gillum, Richard F.

1987-01-01

Overweight is a major health problem for black women in the United States. The age-adjusted prevalence of overweight was 47.1 percent in 1960-1962, 46.8 percent in 1971-1974, and 48.1 percent in 1976-1980 for black women aged 25 to 74 years, much higher than that of white women or men of either race. Black women born in later decades tended to be more overweight than those born earlier. Black women were first clearly more obese than white women in the third decade of life. Overweight was inversely related to family income and education. Rural and southern women were more overweight than their urban, northern, and western counterparts. More research is needed upon which to base efforts to control and prevent overweight in black women. PMID:3508218

A comparison of Wisconsin neonatal intensive care units with national data on outcomes and practices.

PubMed

Hagen, Erika W; Sadek-Badawi, Mona; Albanese, Aggie; Palta, Mari

2008-11-01

Improvements in neonatal care over the past 3 decades have increased survival of infants at lower birthweights and gestational ages. However, outcomes and practices vary considerably between hospitals. To describe maternal and infant characteristics, neonatal intensive care units (NICU) practices, morbidity, and mortality in Wisconsin NICUs, and to compare outcomes in Wisconsin to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development network of large academic medical center NICUs. The Newborn Lung Project Statewide Cohort is a prospective observational study of all very low birthweight (< or =1500 grams) infants admitted during 2003 and 2004 to the 16 level III NICUs in Wisconsin. Anonymous data were collected for all admitted infants (N=1463). Major neonatal morbidities, including bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) were evaluated. The overall incidence of BPD was 24% (8%-56% between NICUs); IVH incidence was 23% (9%-41%); the incidence of NEC was 7% (0%-21%); and the incidence of grade III or higher ROP was 10% (0%-35%). The incidence rates of major neonatal morbidities in Wisconsin were similar to those of a national network of academic NICUs.

The Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission in retrospect

PubMed Central

Putnam, Frank W.

1998-01-01

For 50 years, the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission (ABCC) and its successor, the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF), have conducted epidemiological and genetic studies of the survivors of the atomic bombs and of their children. This research program has provided the primary basis for radiation health standards. Both ABCC (1947–1975) and RERF (1975 to date) have been a joint enterprise of the United States (through the National Academy of Sciences) and of Japan. ABCC began in devastated, occupied Japan. Its mission had to be defined and refined. Early research revealed the urgent need for long term study. In 1946, a Directive of President Truman enjoined the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences to develop the program. By 1950, ABCC staff exceeded 1,000, and clinical and genetic studies were underway. Budgetary difficulties and other problems almost forced closure in 1953. In 1955, the Francis Report led to a unified epidemiological study. Much progress was made in the next decade, but changing times required founding of a binational nonprofit organization (RERF) with equal participation by Japan and the United States. New programs have been developed and existing ones have been extended in what is the longest continuing health survey ever undertaken. PMID:9576898

SMAP Algorithms & Cal/Val Workshop

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Soil Moisture Active and Passive (SMAP) mission is one of four Decadal Survey missions recommended by the U.S. National Research Council for launch in the early part of the next decade ("Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond," NRC, Committ...

Decreasing Clostridium difficile-Associated Fatality Rates Among Hospitalized Patients in the United States: 2004-2014.

PubMed

Shrestha, Manish P; Bime, Christian; Taleban, Sasha

2018-01-01

Clostridium difficile infection has emerged as a major public health problem in the United States over the last 2 decades. We examined the trends in the C. difficile-associated fatality rate, hospital length of stay, and hospital charges over the last decade. We used data from the National Inpatient Sample to identify patients with a principal diagnosis of C. difficile infection from 2004 to 2014. Outcomes included in-hospital fatality rate, hospital length of stay, and hospital charges. For each outcome, trends were also stratified by age categories because the risk of infection and associated mortality increases with age. Clostridium difficile infection discharges increased from 19.9 per 100,000 persons in 2004 to 33.8 per 100,000 persons in 2014. Clostridium difficile-associated fatality decreased from 3.6% in 2004 to 1.6% in 2014 (P < .001). Among patients aged 45-64 years, fatality decreased from 1.2% in 2004 to 0.7% in 2014 (P < .001). Among patients aged 65-84 years, fatality decreased from 4.3% in 2004 to 2.0% in 2014 (P < .001). Among patients aged ≥85 years, fatality decreased from 6.9% in 2004 to 3.6% in 2014 (P < .001). The mean length of hospital stay decreased from 6.9 days in 2004 to 5.8 days in 2014 (P < .001). The mean hospital charges increased from 2004 ($24,535) to 2014 ($35,898) (P < .001). In-hospital fatality associated with C. difficile infection in the United States has decreased more than 2-fold in the last decade, despite increasing infection rates. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mobility and volatility: What is behind the rising income inequality in the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Huixuan; Li, Yao

2018-02-01

Inequality of family incomes in the United States has increased significantly in the past four decades. This is largely interpreted as a result of unequal mobility, e.g., the rich can get richer at a faster pace than the rest of the population. However, using nationally representative data and the Fokker-Planck equation, our study shows that income mobility in the United States has remained stable. Instead, we find another factor - income volatility, which measures the instability of incomes - has increased considerably and caused the surge of income inequality. In addition, the rising volatility is associated with the plummeting of income-growth opportunity, creating the feeling that the American Dream is in decline. Volatility has often been overlooked in previous studies on inequality, partially because mobility and volatility are usually studied separately. By contrast, the Fokker-Planck equation takes both mobility and volatility into consideration, making it a more comprehensive model.

Perceived job insecurity and worker health in the United States

PubMed Central

Burgard, Sarah A.; Brand, Jennie E; House, James S

2009-01-01

Economic recessions, the industrial shift from manufacturing toward service industries, and rising global competition have contributed to uncertainty about job security, with potential consequences for workers’ health. To address limitations of prior research on the health consequences of perceived job insecurity, we use longitudinal data from two nationally-representative samples of the United States population, and examine episodic and persistent perceived job insecurity over periods of about three years to almost a decade. Results show that persistent perceived job insecurity is a significant and substantively important predictor of poorer self-rated health in the American’s Changing Lives (ACL) and Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) samples, and of depressive symptoms among ACL respondents. Job losses or unemployment episodes are associated with perceived job insecurity, but do not account for its association with health. Results are robust to controls for sociodemographic and job characteristics, negative reporting style, and earlier health and health behaviors. PMID:19596166

What drives political commitment for nutrition? A review and framework synthesis to inform the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition.

PubMed

Baker, Phillip; Hawkes, Corinna; Wingrove, Kate; Demaio, Alessandro Rhyl; Parkhurst, Justin; Thow, Anne Marie; Walls, Helen

2018-01-01

Generating country-level political commitment will be critical to driving forward action throughout the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016-2025). In this review of the empirical nutrition policy literature, we ask: what factors generate, sustain and constrain political commitment for nutrition, how and under what circumstances? Our aim is to inform strategic 'commitment-building' actions. We adopted a framework synthesis method and realist review protocol. An initial framework was derived from relevant theory and then populated with empirical evidence to test and modify it. Five steps were undertaken: initial theoretical framework development; search for relevant empirical literature; study selection and quality appraisal; data extraction, analysis and synthesis and framework modification. 75 studies were included. We identified 18 factors that drive commitment, organised into five categories: actors; institutions; political and societal contexts; knowledge, evidence and framing; and, capacities and resources. Irrespective of country-context, effective nutrition actor networks, strong leadership, civil society mobilisation, supportive political administrations, societal change and focusing events, cohesive and resonant framing, and robust data systems and available evidence were commitment drivers. Low-income and middle-income country studies also frequently reported international actors, empowered institutions, vertical coordination and capacities and resources. In upper-middle-income and high-income country studies, private sector interference frequently undermined commitment. Political commitment is not something that simply exists or emerges accidentally; it can be created and strengthened over time through strategic action. Successfully generating commitment will likely require a core set of actions with some context-dependent adaptations. Ultimately, it will necessitate strategic actions by cohesive, resourced and strongly led nutrition actor networks that are responsive to the multifactorial, multilevel and dynamic political systems in which they operate and attempt to influence. Accelerating the formation and effectiveness of such networks over the Nutrition Decade should be a core task for all actors involved.

What drives political commitment for nutrition? A review and framework synthesis to inform the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition

PubMed Central

Baker, Phillip; Hawkes, Corinna; Wingrove, Kate; Parkhurst, Justin; Thow, Anne Marie; Walls, Helen

2018-01-01

Introduction Generating country-level political commitment will be critical to driving forward action throughout the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016–2025). In this review of the empirical nutrition policy literature, we ask: what factors generate, sustain and constrain political commitment for nutrition, how and under what circumstances? Our aim is to inform strategic ‘commitment-building’ actions. Method We adopted a framework synthesis method and realist review protocol. An initial framework was derived from relevant theory and then populated with empirical evidence to test and modify it. Five steps were undertaken: initial theoretical framework development; search for relevant empirical literature; study selection and quality appraisal; data extraction, analysis and synthesis and framework modification. Results 75 studies were included. We identified 18 factors that drive commitment, organised into five categories: actors; institutions; political and societal contexts; knowledge, evidence and framing; and, capacities and resources. Irrespective of country-context, effective nutrition actor networks, strong leadership, civil society mobilisation, supportive political administrations, societal change and focusing events, cohesive and resonant framing, and robust data systems and available evidence were commitment drivers. Low-income and middle-income country studies also frequently reported international actors, empowered institutions, vertical coordination and capacities and resources. In upper-middle-income and high-income country studies, private sector interference frequently undermined commitment. Conclusion Political commitment is not something that simply exists or emerges accidentally; it can be created and strengthened over time through strategic action. Successfully generating commitment will likely require a core set of actions with some context-dependent adaptations. Ultimately, it will necessitate strategic actions by cohesive, resourced and strongly led nutrition actor networks that are responsive to the multifactorial, multilevel and dynamic political systems in which they operate and attempt to influence. Accelerating the formation and effectiveness of such networks over the Nutrition Decade should be a core task for all actors involved. PMID:29527338

International policies toward parental leave and child care.

PubMed

Waldfogel, J

2001-01-01

The pleasures and pressures of parenting a newborn are universal, but the supports surrounding parents vary widely from country to country. In many nations, decades of attention to benefits and services for new parents offer lessons worthy of attention in this country. This article describes policies regarding parental leave, child care, and early childhood benefits here and in 10 industrial nations in North America and Europe. The sharpest contrast separates the United States from the other countries, although differences among the others also are instructive: The right to parental leave is new to American workers; it covers one-half of the private-sector workforce and is relatively short and unpaid. By contrast, other nations offer universal, paid leaves of 10 months or more. Child care assistance in Europe is usually provided through publicly funded programs, whereas the United States relies more on subsidies and tax credits to reimburse parents for part of their child care expenses. Nations vary in the emphasis they place on parental leave versus child care supports for families with children under age three. Each approach creates incentives that influence parents' decisions about employment and child care. Several European nations, seeking flexible solutions for parents, are testing "early childhood benefits" that can be used to supplement income or pay for private child care. Based on this review, the author urges that the United States adopt universal, paid parental leave of at least 10 months; help parents cover more child care costs; and improve the quality of child care. She finds policy packages that support different parental choices promising, because the right mix of leave and care will vary from family to family, and child to child.

Head and Neck Cancers: Advantages of Advanced Radiation Therapy and Importance of Supportive Care.

PubMed

Spencer, Sharon

2018-05-01

For more than a decade, the incidence of head and neck cancers has been increasing in the United States. Worldwide, they are the ninth most common cancer. Today, newer advances in radiotherapy (RT), such as fractionation, 4-dimensional cone-beam CT, and intensity-modulated RT, have provided clinicians with the opportunity for improved patient outcomes. At the NCCN 23rd Annual Conference, Sharon Spencer, MD, described the advantages of advances in RT and the means to mitigate untoward side effects. Copyright © 2018 by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

Baby Boomers and Beds: a Demographic Challenge for the Ages.

PubMed

Song, Zirui; Ferris, Timothy G

2018-03-01

The United States is facing a significant demographic transition, with about 10,000 baby boomers turning age 65 each day. At the same time, the nation is experiencing a similarly striking transition in hospital capacity, as the supply of hospital beds has declined in recent decades. The juxtaposition of population aging and hospital capacity portends a potentially widening divergence between supply and demand for hospital care. We provide a closer look at current hospital capacity and a rethinking of the future role of hospital beds in meeting the needs of an aging population.

Another weapon too far: the anti-personnel laser.

PubMed Central

Gillow, J T

1995-01-01

The last decade has seen the development of military lasers designed to blind. Medical professionals dedicated to the prevention and treatment of visual disability, and particularly ophthalmologists under the terms of their newly acquired Royal Charter, have a responsibility to: document this new technology; explain its medical effects; and influence the threshold at which these weapons might be used. Proposals to prohibit anti-eye laser warfare at The United Nations Convention Conference in September 1995 present a unique opportunity to stigmatize blinding as a method of warfare. PMID:7629769

[Staffing needs of an intensive care unit in consideration of applicable hygiene guidelines--an exploratory analysis].

PubMed

Kochanek, M; Böll, B; Shimabukuro-Vornhagen, A; Michels, G; Barbara, W; Hansen, D; Hallek, M; Fätkenheuer, G; von Bergwelt-Baildon, M

2015-07-01

The patient burden in intensive care units (ICU) has continually increased worldwide over the past decades. Age, co-morbidities and an increasing complexity of conditions and treatments increase the number of patients who are either colonized or infected with antibiotic-resistant pathogens. To prevent nosocomial infections, hygiene guidelines play an important role. In this paper, we investigate the time needed for nursing of five hypothetical critically ill patients in the intensive care unit. The results show that current staffing is not sufficient under the given hygiene guidelines and that a nurse to patient ratio of one will be necessary to meet the requirements. In a national survey of university hospitals, however, we found that the current nurse to patient ratio is 1: 2.47 in German intensive care units. The apparent staffing shortage is compensated by an extraordinary personal commitment of nurses caring for patients in the ICU. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Unit 731 and moral repair.

PubMed

Hickey, Doug; Li, Scarllet SiJia; Morrison, Celia; Schulz, Richard; Thiry, Michelle; Sorensen, Kelly

2017-04-01

Unit 731, a biological warfare research organisation that operated under the authority of the Imperial Japanese Army in the 1930s and 1940s, conducted brutal experiments on thousands of unconsenting subjects. Because of the US interest in the data from these experiments, the perpetrators were not prosecuted and the atrocities are still relatively undiscussed. What counts as meaningful moral repair in this case-what should perpetrators and collaborator communities do decades later? We argue for three non-ideal but realistic forms of moral repair: (1) a national policy in Japan against human experimentation without appropriate informed and voluntary consent; (2) the establishment of a memorial to the victims of Unit 731; and (3) US disclosure about its use of Unit 731 data and an apology for failing to hold the perpetrators accountable. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Rural Healthy People 2020: New Decade, Same Challenges.

PubMed

Bolin, Jane N; Bellamy, Gail R; Ferdinand, Alva O; Vuong, Ann M; Kash, Bita A; Schulze, Avery; Helduser, Janet W

2015-01-01

The health of rural America is more important than ever to the health of the United States and the world. Rural Healthy People 2020's goal is to serve as a counterpart to Healthy People 2020, providing evidence of rural stakeholders' assessment of rural health priorities and allowing national and state rural stakeholders to reflect on and measure progress in meeting those goals. The specific aim of the Rural Healthy People 2020 national survey was to identify rural health priorities from among the Healthy People 2020's (HP2020) national priorities. Rural health stakeholders (n = 1,214) responded to a nationally disseminated web survey soliciting identification of the top 10 rural health priorities from among the HP2020 priorities. Stakeholders were also asked to identify objectives within each national HP2020 priority and express concerns or additional responses. Rural health priorities have changed little in the last decade. Access to health care continues to be the most frequently identified rural health priority. Within this priority, emergency services, primary care, and insurance generate the most concern. A total of 926 respondents identified access as the no. 1 rural health priority, followed by, no. 2 nutrition and weight status (n = 661), no. 3 diabetes (n = 660), no. 4 mental health and mental disorders (n = 651), no. 5 substance abuse (n = 551), no. 6 heart disease and stroke (n = 550), no. 7 physical activity and health (n = 542), no. 8 older adults (n = 482), no. 9 maternal infant and child health (n = 449), and no. 10 tobacco use (n = 429). © 2015 The Authors The Journal of Rural Health published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of National Rural Health Association.

Trends in groundwater quality in principal aquifers of the United States, 1988-2012

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lindsey, Bruce D.; Rupert, Michael G.

2014-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program analyzed trends in groundwater quality throughout the nation for the sampling period of 1988-2012. Trends were determined for networks (sets of wells routinely monitored by the USGS) for a subset of constituents by statistical analysis of paired water-quality measurements collected on a near-decadal time scale. The data set for chloride, dissolved solids, and nitrate consisted of 1,511 wells in 67 networks, whereas the data set for methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) consisted of 1, 013 wells in 46 networks. The 25 principal aquifers represented by these networks account for about 75 percent of withdrawals of groundwater used for drinking-water supply for the nation. Statistically significant changes in chloride, dissolved-solids, or nitrate concentrations were found in many well networks over a decadal period. Concentrations increased significantly in 48 percent of networks for chloride, 42 percent of networks for dissolved solids, and 21 percent of networks for nitrate. Chloride, dissolved solids, and nitrate concentrations decreased significantly in 3, 3, and 10 percent of the networks, respectively. The magnitude of change in concentrations was typically small in most networks; however, the magnitude of change in networks with statistically significant increases was typically much larger than the magnitude of change in networks with statistically significant decreases. The largest increases of chloride concentrations were in urban areas in the northeastern and north central United States. The largest increases of nitrate concentrations were in networks in agricultural areas. Statistical analysis showed 42 or the 46 networks had no statistically significant changes in MTBE concentrations. The four networks with statistically significant changes in MTBE concentrations were in the northeastern United States, where MTBE was widely used. Two networks had increasing concentrations, and two networks had decreasing concentrations. Production and use of MTBE peaked in about 2000 and has been effectively banned in many areas since about 2006. The two networks that had increasing concentrations were sampled for the second time close to the peak of MTBE production, whereas the two networks that had decreasing concentrations were sampled for the second time 10 years after the peak of MTBE production.

Child abuse and neglect in Turkey: professional, governmental and non-governmental achievements in improving the national child protection system.

PubMed

Akco, Seda; Dagli, Tolga; Inanici, Mehmet Akif; Kaynak, Hatice; Oral, Resmiye; Sahin, Figen; Sofuoglu, Zeynep; Ulukol, Betul

2013-11-01

Since ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1995, significant efforts were made in Turkey to improve protection of children from abuse and neglect. The government took steps to amend relevant laws. Several state departments recognized the need for professional in-service training of relevant governmental agency staff. University hospitals established numerous hospital-based multidisciplinary child protection centres. The government established an Interministerial Higher Council, which has been overseeing the foundation of 13 child advocacy centres for a multidisciplinary and interagency response to child sexual abuse. In addition to undertaking research, non-governmental organizations contributed to this process by instituting professional and public education. These ground-breaking developments in the last decade give promise of even further improvement in the national child protection system from investigative, child protective and rehabilitative perspectives.

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, Coastal Plain Resource Assessment: Report and recommendation to the Congress of the United States and final legislative environmental impact statement

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

1987-01-01

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, in the northeastern corner of Alaska, was first established as the Arctic National Wildlife Range by Public Land Order 2214 in 1960, for the purpose of preserving unique wildlife, wilderness, and recreational values. The original 8.9-millionacre Range was withdrawn from all forms of appropriation under the public land laws, including mining laws but not including mineral leasing laws. This order culminated extensive efforts begun more than a decade earlier to preserve this unique part of Alaska. The following report analyzes the potential environmental consequences of five management alternatives for the coastal plain, ranging from opening for lease of the entire area for oil and gas development, to wilderness designation. A legislative environmental impact statement has been integrated into the report.

WaterSMART-The Colorado River Basin focus-area study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bruce, Breton W.

2012-01-01

Increasing demand for the limited water resources of the United States continues to put pressure on water-resource agencies to balance the competing needs of ecosystem health with municipal, agricultural, and recreational uses. In 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) identified a National Water Census as one of six pivotal future science directions for the USGS in the following decade. The envisioned USGS National Water Census would evaluate large-scale effects of changes in land use and land cover, water use, and climate on water availability, water quality, and human and aquatic ecosystem health. The passage of the SECURE (Science and Engineering to Comprehensively Understand and Responsibly Enhance) Water Act in 2009 was a key step towards implementing the USGS National Water Census. Section 9508 of the Act authorizes a "national water availability and use assessment program" within the USGS (1) to provide a more accurate assessment of the status of the water resources of the United States; and (2) to develop the science for improved forecasts of the availability of water for future economic, energy production, and environmental uses. Initial funding for the USGS to begin working on the National Water Census came with the approval of the U.S. Department of the Interior's WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America's Resources for Tomorrow) Initiative. The WaterSMART Initiative provides funding to the USGS, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Department of Energy to achieve a sustainable water strategy to meet the Nation's water needs. WaterSMART funding also allowed the USGS to begin the national Water Availability and Use Assessment, as called for under the SECURE Water Act.

The National Occupational Research Agenda: a model of broad stakeholder input into priority setting.

PubMed Central

Rosenstock, L; Olenec, C; Wagner, G R

1998-01-01

OBJECTIVES: No single organization has the resources necessary to conduct occupational safety and health research to adequately serve the needs of workers in the United States. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) undertook the task of setting research priorities in response to a broadly perceived need to systematically address those topics most pressing and most likely to yield gains to workers and to the nation. METHODS: NIOSH and its public and private partners used a consensus-building process to set priorities for the next decade for occupational safety and health research--the National Occupational Research Agenda. RESULTS: The process resulted in the identification of 21 research priorities grouped into 3 categories: disease and injury, work environment and workforce, and research tools and approaches. CONCLUSIONS: Although the field of occupational safety and health is often contentious and adversarial, these research priorities reflect a remarkable degree of concurrence among a broad range of stakeholders who provided input into a clearly defined and open process. PMID:9518963

Current Understanding of Lifestyle and Environmental Factors and Risk of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: An Epidemiological Update

PubMed Central

Bassig, Bryan A.; Lan, Qing; Rothman, Nathaniel; Zhang, Yawei; Zheng, Tongzhang

2012-01-01

The incidence rates of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) have steadily increased over the last several decades in the United States, and the temporal trends in incidence can only be partially explained by the HIV epidemic. In 1992, an international workshop sponsored by the United States National Cancer Institute concluded that there was an “emerging epidemic” of NHL and emphasized the need to investigate the factors responsible for the increasing incidence of this disease. Over the past two decades, numerous epidemiological studies have examined the risk factors for NHL, particularly for putative environmental and lifestyle risk factors, and international consortia have been established in order to investigate rare exposures and NHL subtype-specific associations. While few consistent risk factors for NHL aside from immunosuppression and certain infectious agents have emerged, suggestive associations with several lifestyle and environmental factors have been reported in epidemiologic studies. Further, increasing evidence has suggested that the effects of these and other exposures may be limited to or stronger for particular NHL subtypes. This paper examines the progress that has been made over the last twenty years in elucidating the etiology of NHL, with a primary emphasis on lifestyle factors and environmental exposures. PMID:23008714

Recent Trends in Coverage of the Mexican-Born Population of the United States: Results From Applying Multiple Methods Across Time

PubMed Central

Van Hook, Jennifer; Bean, Frank D.; Bachmeier, James D.; Tucker, Catherine

2014-01-01

The accuracy of counts of U.S. racial/ethnic and immigrant groups depends on coverage of the foreign-born in official data. Because Mexicans constitute by far the largest single national-origin group among the foreign-born in the United States, we compile new evidence about the coverage of the Mexican-born population in the 2000 census and 2001–2010 American Community Survey (ACS) using three techniques: a death registration, a birth registration, and a net migration method. For the late 1990s and first half of the 2000–2010 decade, results indicate that coverage error was somewhat higher than currently assumed but substantially declined by the latter half of the 2000–2010 decade. Additionally, we find evidence that U.S. census and ACS data miss substantial numbers of children of Mexican immigrants, as well as people who are most likely to be unauthorized: namely, working-aged Mexican immigrants (ages 15–64), especially males. The findings highlight the heterogeneity of the Mexican foreign-born population and the ways in which migration dynamics may affect population coverage. PMID:24570373

Moving to a low-carbon future: perspectives on nuclear and alternative power sources.

PubMed

Morgan, M Granger

2007-11-01

This paper summarizes key findings from climate science to make the case that the United States (and ultimately the world) will need to dramatically reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the energy system over the next few decades. While transportation energy is an important consideration, the focus of this paper is on electric power. Today, the United States generates just over half of its electric power from coal. The average size-weighted age of the fleet of U.S. coal plants is 35 y, and many will have to be replaced in the next few years. If that capacity were to be replaced with new conventional coal plants, it would commit the nation (and the world) to many more decades of high carbon-dioxide emissions, or it would make the cost of meeting a future carbon-dioxide emission constraint much higher than it needs to be. A range of low- and no-carbon energy technologies offers great potential to create a portfolio of options that can dramatically reduce emissions. A few of the advantages and disadvantages of these technologies are discussed. Policy and regulatory advances that will be needed to move the energy system to a low-carbon future are identified.

Design, operation, and safety of single-room interventional MRI suites: practical experience from two centers.

PubMed

White, Mark J; Thornton, John S; Hawkes, David J; Hill, Derek L G; Kitchen, Neil; Mancini, Laura; McEvoy, Andrew W; Razavi, Reza; Wilson, Sally; Yousry, Tarek; Keevil, Stephen F

2015-01-01

The design and operation of a facility in which a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner is incorporated into a room used for surgical or endovascular cardiac interventions presents several challenges. MR safety must be maintained in the presence of a much wider variety of equipment than is found in a diagnostic unit, and of staff unfamiliar with the MRI environment, without compromising the safety and practicality of the interventional procedure. Both the MR-guided cardiac interventional unit at Kings College London and the intraoperative imaging suite at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery are single-room interventional facilities incorporating 1.5 T cylindrical-bore MRI scanners. The two units employ similar strategies to maintain MR safety, both in original design and day-to-day operational workflows, and between them over a decade of incident-free practice has been accumulated. This article outlines these strategies, highlighting both similarities and differences between the units, as well as some lessons learned and resulting procedural changes made in both units since installation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Potential for worldwide displacement of fossil-fuel electricity by nuclear energy in three decades based on extrapolation of regional deployment data.

PubMed

Qvist, Staffan A; Brook, Barry W

2015-01-01

There is an ongoing debate about the deployment rates and composition of alternative energy plans that could feasibly displace fossil fuels globally by mid-century, as required to avoid the more extreme impacts of climate change. Here we demonstrate the potential for a large-scale expansion of global nuclear power to replace fossil-fuel electricity production, based on empirical data from the Swedish and French light water reactor programs of the 1960s to 1990s. Analysis of these historical deployments show that if the world built nuclear power at no more than the per capita rate of these exemplar nations during their national expansion, then coal- and gas-fired electricity could be replaced worldwide in less than a decade. Under more conservative projections that take into account probable constraints and uncertainties such as differing relative economic output across regions, current and past unit construction time and costs, future electricity demand growth forecasts and the retiring of existing aging nuclear plants, our modelling estimates that the global share of fossil-fuel-derived electricity could be replaced within 25-34 years. This would allow the world to meet the most stringent greenhouse-gas mitigation targets.

Trajectories of Future Land Use for Earth System Modeling of the Northeast United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenzweig, B.; Vorosmarty, C. J.; Lu, X.; Kicklighter, D. W.

2015-12-01

The U.S. Northeast includes some of the nation's most populated cities and their supporting hinterlands, with an urban corridor spanning from Maine to Virginia. The megaregion's centuries-long history of landscape transformations has had enduring impact on the region's hydrology, ecosystems and socioeconomy. Driven by policy decisions made in the next decade, future landscape changes will also interplay with climate change, with multi-decadal effects that are currently poorly understood. While existing national and global land cover trajectories will play an important role in understanding these future impacts, they do not allow for investigation of many issues of interest to regional stakeholders, such as local zoning and suburban sprawl, the development of a regional food system, or varying rates of natural lands protection. Existing land cover trajectories also do not usually provide the detail needed as input drivers for earth system models, such as disaggregated vegetation types or harmonized time series of infrastructure management. We discuss the development of a simple land use/land cover allocation scheme to develop such needed trajectories, their implementation for 4 regional socioeconomic pathways developed collaboratively with regional stakeholders, and their preliminary use in regional ecosystem modeling.

Natural Hazards - A National Threat

USGS Publications Warehouse

Geological Survey, U.S.

2007-01-01

The USGS Role in Reducing Disaster Losses -- In the United States each year, natural hazards cause hundreds of deaths and cost billions of dollars in disaster aid, disruption of commerce, and destruction of homes and critical infrastructure. Although the number of lives lost to natural hazards each year generally has declined, the economic cost of major disaster response and recovery continues to rise. Each decade, property damage from natural hazards events doubles or triples. The United States is second only to Japan in economic damages resulting from natural disasters. A major goal of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is to reduce the vulnerability of the people and areas most at risk from natural hazards. Working with partners throughout all sectors of society, the USGS provides information, products, and knowledge to help build more resilient communities.

Global nanotechnology development from 1991 to 2012: patents, scientific publications, and effect of NSF funding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hsinchun; Roco, Mihail C.; Son, Jaebong; Jiang, Shan; Larson, Catherine A.; Gao, Qiang

2013-09-01

In a relatively short interval for an emerging technology, nanotechnology has made a significant economic impact in numerous sectors including semiconductor manufacturing, catalysts, medicine, agriculture, and energy production. A part of the United States (US) government investment in basic research has been realized in the last two decades through the National Science Foundation (NSF), beginning with the nanoparticle research initiative in 1991 and continuing with support from the National Nanotechnology Initiative after fiscal year 2001. This paper has two main goals: (a) present a longitudinal analysis of the global nanotechnology development as reflected in the United States Patent and Trade Office (USPTO) patents and Web of Science (WoS) publications in nanoscale science and engineering (NSE) for the interval 1991-2012; and (b) identify the effect of basic research funded by NSF on both indicators. The interval has been separated into three parts for comparison purposes: 1991-2000, 2001-2010, and 2011-2012. The global trends of patents and scientific publications are presented. Bibliometric analysis, topic analysis, and citation network analysis methods are used to rank countries, institutions, technology subfields, and inventors contributing to nanotechnology development. We then, examined how these entities were affected by NSF funding and how they evolved over the past two decades. Results show that dedicated NSF funding used to support nanotechnology R&D was followed by an increased number of relevant patents and scientific publications, a greater diversity of technology topics, and a significant increase of citations. The NSF played important roles in the inventor community and served as a major contributor to numerous nanotechnology subfields.

Rapid EHR development and implementation using web and cloud-based architecture in a large home health and hospice organization.

PubMed

Weaver, Charlotte A; Teenier, Pamela

2014-01-01

Health care organizations have long been limited to a small number of major vendors in their selection of an electronic health record (EHR) system in the national and international marketplace. These major EHR vendors have in common base systems that are decades old, are built in antiquated programming languages, use outdated server architecture, and are based on inflexible data models [1,2]. The option to upgrade their technology to keep pace with the power of new web-based architecture, programming tools and cloud servers is not easily undertaken due to large client bases, development costs and risk [3]. This paper presents the decade-long efforts of a large national provider of home health and hospice care to select an EHR product, failing that to build their own and failing that initiative to go back into the market in 2012. The decade time delay had allowed new technologies and more nimble vendors to enter the market. Partnering with a new start-up company doing web and cloud based architecture for the home health and hospice market, made it possible to build, test and implement an operational and point of care system in 264 home health locations across 40 states and three time zones in the United States. This option of "starting over" with the new web and cloud technologies may be posing a next generation of new EHR vendors that retells the Blackberry replacement by iPhone story in healthcare.

Taxing Soda: Strategies for Dealing with the Obesity and Diabetes Epidemic.

PubMed

Maa, John

2016-01-01

Over the past several decades, the United States has been experiencing a twin epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Recently, advocacy efforts to tax sugary drinks, place warning labels on soda, improve nutritional labeling, and reduce sugar overconsumption have swept across the nation to address public health concerns from sugary drinks that strain our nation's health-care resources. In this article, the historical and scientific framework of this public health policy and valuable lessons learned from implementation efforts thus far will be examined to shape the next steps forward for the movement. Additional goals of this article are to share a surgeon's perspective about trends in bariatric surgery and the link between obesity and type 2 diabetes as a result of peripheral insulin resistance.

Approaching 4 Decades of Legislation in the National Family Planning Program: An Analysis of Title X's History From 1970 to 2008

PubMed Central

Daley, Ellen M.; Perrin, Kay M.; Mahan, Charles S.; Buhi, Eric R.

2011-01-01

Family planning is an important public health activity. Title X (Pub L No. 91-572), enacted in 1970, remains the only national family planning program in the United States dedicated to providing voluntary and confidential services to all individuals. We conducted a thematic analysis of Title X's legislative history. Of 293 federal bills included in the legislative history, only 20 (6.8%) were enacted into law. Regardless of the proposed challenges, limited changes have been adopted. Except for technical amendments, bills involving restrictions accounted for the highest percentage of enacted bills, demonstrating efforts to undermine reproductive health rights. Title X requires political will and bipartisan support if it is to continue to protect individuals' reproductive rights. PMID:21940931

Continued emissions of carbon tetrachloride from the United States nearly two decades after its phaseout for dispersive uses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Lei; Montzka, Stephen A.; Miller, Ben R.; Andrews, Arlyn E.; Miller, John B.; Lehman, Scott J.; Sweeney, Colm; Miller, Scot M.; Thoning, Kirk; Siso, Carolina; Atlas, Elliot L.; Blake, Donald R.; de Gouw, Joost; Gilman, Jessica B.; Dutton, Geoff; Elkins, James W.; Hall, Bradley; Chen, Huilin; Fischer, Marc L.; Mountain, Marikate E.; Nehrkorn, Thomas; Biraud, Sebastien C.; Moore, Fred L.; Tans, Pieter

2016-03-01

National-scale emissions of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) are derived based on inverse modeling of atmospheric observations at multiple sites across the United States from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's flask air sampling network. We estimate an annual average US emission of 4.0 (2.0-6.5) Gg CCl4 y-1 during 2008-2012, which is almost two orders of magnitude larger than reported to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) (mean of 0.06 Gg y-1) but only 8% (3-22%) of global CCl4 emissions during these years. Emissive regions identified by the observations and consistently shown in all inversion results include the Gulf Coast states, the San Francisco Bay Area in California, and the Denver area in Colorado. Both the observation-derived emissions and the US EPA TRI identified Texas and Louisiana as the largest contributors, accounting for one- to two-thirds of the US national total CCl4 emission during 2008-2012. These results are qualitatively consistent with multiple aircraft and ship surveys conducted in earlier years, which suggested significant enhancements in atmospheric mole fractions measured near Houston and surrounding areas. Furthermore, the emission distribution derived for CCl4 throughout the United States is more consistent with the distribution of industrial activities included in the TRI than with the distribution of other potential CCl4 sources such as uncapped landfills or activities related to population density (e.g., use of chlorine-containing bleach).

Pre-College Astronomy Education in the United States in the Twentieth Century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bishop, J. E.

2003-03-01

The nature of pre-college astronomy education in the United States can be divided into several periods: 1900 to about 1955, 1955 to about 1980, and about 1980 to 2000. Until the Space Age, astronomy in elementary and secondary schools was minimal, a situation influenced in great part of the work of the National Education Association Committee of Ten in 1892. With the launch of the Russian Sputnik in November 1957, a rapid response of concern and action took place to improve science and math education, including astronomy. Efforts by small planetariums and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) played large roles in re-introducing astronomy back into schools in the 1960s and 1970s. During the last decades, educational-research-based astronomy programs and a nationwide effort to improve astronomy and other science education were important at all pre-college levels. Although the basic astronomical literacy of students leaving secondary school at the close of the century needed improvement, awareness of astronomical discoveries had increased since the opening of the Space Age.

Implementation of NGA-West2 ground motion models in the 2014 U.S. National Seismic Hazard Maps

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rezaeian, Sanaz; Petersen, Mark D.; Moschetti, Morgan P.; Powers, Peter; Harmsen, Stephen C.; Frankel, Arthur D.

2014-01-01

The U.S. National Seismic Hazard Maps (NSHMs) have been an important component of seismic design regulations in the United States for the past several decades. These maps present earthquake ground shaking intensities at specified probabilities of being exceeded over a 50-year time period. The previous version of the NSHMs was developed in 2008; during 2012 and 2013, scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey have been updating the maps based on their assessment of the “best available science,” resulting in the 2014 NSHMs. The update includes modifications to the seismic source models and the ground motion models (GMMs) for sites across the conterminous United States. This paper focuses on updates in the Western United States (WUS) due to the use of new GMMs for shallow crustal earthquakes in active tectonic regions developed by the Next Generation Attenuation (NGA-West2) project. Individual GMMs, their weighted combination, and their impact on the hazard maps relative to 2008 are discussed. In general, the combined effects of lower medians and increased standard deviations in the new GMMs have caused only small changes, within 5–20%, in the probabilistic ground motions for most sites across the WUS compared to the 2008 NSHMs.

Conflict resolution in two-digit number processing: evidence of an inhibitory mechanism.

PubMed

Macizo, Pedro

2017-01-01

We investigated the mechanism involved in conflict resolution when individuals processed two-digit numbers. Participants performed a comparison task in blocks of two trials. In the first trial, between-decade two-digit numbers were used in a compatible condition where the decade and the unit of one number were larger than those of the other number (i.e., 21-73) and an incompatible condition where the decade of one number was larger but the unit was smaller than those of the other number (i.e., 61-53). In the second trial, within-decade two-digit numbers were presented in a related condition where the numbers contained the units presented previously (i.e., 41-43) and an unrelated condition with units that did not appear before (i.e., 48-49). In the first trial, participants responded more slowly in incompatible trials relative to compatible trials. In the second trial, participants were slower in the related condition relative to unrelated trials only after incompatible trials. These results suggest that participants experienced conflict in the incompatible condition of first trial and that they inhibited irrelevant units to resolve conflict.

A comparison of Wisconsin Neonatal Intensive Care Units with National data on outcomes and practices

PubMed Central

Hagen, Erika W.; Sadek-Badawi, Mona; Albanese, Aggie; Palta, Mari

2009-01-01

Context: Improvements in neonatal care over the past three decades have resulted in increased survival of infants at lower birthweights and gestational ages. However, outcomes and practices vary considerably between hospitals. Objective: To describe maternal and infant characteristics, NICU practices, morbidity, and mortality in Wisconsin neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and to compare outcomes in Wisconsin to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development network of large academic medical center NICUs. Design and Setting: The Newborn Lung Project Statewide Cohort is a prospective observational study of all very low birthweight (≤ 1500 grams) infants admitted during 2003 and 2004 to the 16 level III NICUs in Wisconsin. Anonymous data were collected for all admitted infants (N=1463). Main outcome measures: Major neonatal morbidities, including bronchopulmonary dysplasia, intraventricular hemorrhage, necrotizing enterocolitis, and retinopathy of prematurity were evaluated. Results: The overall incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia was 24% (range 8-56% between NICUs); intraventricular hemorrhage incidence was 23% (9-41%); the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis was 7% (0-21%); and the incidence of grade III or higher retinopathy of prematurity was 10% (0-35%). Conclusion: The incidence rates of major neonatal morbidities in Wisconsin were similar to those of a national network of academic NICUs. PMID:19180870

Beyond the cold hit: measuring the impact of the national DNA data bank on public safety at the city and county level.

PubMed

Gabriel, Matthew; Boland, Cherisse; Holt, Cydne

2010-01-01

Over the past decade, the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) has increased solvability of violent crimes by linking evidence DNA profiles to known offenders. At present, an in-depth analysis of the United States National DNA Data Bank effort has not assessed the success of this national public safety endeavor. Critics of this effort often focus on laboratory and police investigators unable to provide timely investigative support as a root cause(s) of CODIS' failure to increase public safety. By studying a group of nearly 200 DNA cold hits obtained in SFPD criminal investigations from 2001-2006, three key performance metrics (Significance of Cold Hits, Case Progression & Judicial Resolution, and Potential Reduction of Future Criminal Activity) provide a proper context in which to define the impact of CODIS at the City and County level. Further, the analysis of a recidivist group of cold hit offenders and their past interaction with law enforcement established five noteworthy criminal case resolution trends; these trends signify challenges to CODIS in achieving meaningful case resolutions. CODIS' effectiveness and critical activities to support case resolutions are the responsibility of all criminal justice partners in order to achieve long-lasting public safety within the United States.

Recommendations for Cycle II of National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program

USGS Publications Warehouse

,; Mallard, Gail E.; Armbruster, Jeffrey T.; Broshears, Robert E.; Evenson, Eric J.; Luoma, Samuel N.; Phillips, Patrick J.; Prince, Keith R.

1999-01-01

The Planning Team for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program defines a successful NAWQA Program as one that makes a balanced contribution to study-unit issues, national issues, and to the pursuit of scientific knowledge. Using this criterion, NAWQA has been a success. The program has provided important new knowledge and understanding of scientific processes, and insights into the occurrence and distribution of contaminants that have been key to local and national policy decisions. Most of the basic design characteristics of NAWQA's first decade (1991-2000), hereafter called cycle I) remain appropriate as the program enters its second decade (cycle II) in 2001. In cycle II, the program has the opportunity to build on its successful base and to evolve to take advantage of the knowledge generated in cycle I. In addition to this expected evolution, NAWQA must also make some changes to compensate for the fact that program funding has not kept pace with inflation. An important theme for the second cycle of NAWQA will be the integration of knowledge across scales and across disciplines. The question that drove the NAWQA design in the first cycle was "How is water quality related to land use?" Cycle II will build upon what was learned in cycle I and use land-use and water-quality gradients to identify and understand potential sources of various constituents and the processes affecting transport and fate of those constituents and their effects on receptors. The understanding we gain from applying this approach will be relevant to the interests of policymakers, regulatory agencies, and resource managers.

The availability of conventional forms of remotely sensed data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sturdevant, James A.; Holm, Thomas M.

1982-01-01

For decades Federal and State agencies have been collecting aerial photographs of various film types and scales over parts of the United States. More recently, worldwide Earth resources data acquired by orbiting satellites have inundated the remote sensing community. Determining the types of remotely sensed data that are publicly available can be confusing to the land-resource manager, planner, and scientist. This paper is a summary of the more commonly used types of remotely sensed data (aircraft and satellite) and their public availability. Special emphasis is placed on the National High-Altitude Photography (NHAP) program and future remote-sensing satellites.

DataView: National Health Expenditures, 1994

PubMed Central

Levit, Katharine R.; Lazenby, Helen C.; Sivarajan, Lekha; Stewart, Madie W.; Braden, Bradley R.; Cowan, Cathy A.; Donham, Carolyn S.; Long, Anna M.; McDonnell, Patricia A.; Sensenig, Arthur L.; Stiller, Jean M.; Won, Darleen K.

1996-01-01

This article presents data on health care spending for the United States, covering expenditures for various types of medical services and products and their sources of funding from 1960 to 1994. Although these statistics for 1994 show the slowest growth in more than three decades, health spending continued to grow faster than the overall economy. The Federal Government continued to fund an increasing share of health care expenditures in 1994, offset by a falling share from out-of-pocket sources. Shares paid by State and local governments and by other private payers including private health insurance remained unchanged from 1993. PMID:10158731

Paleo-environmental Perspectives on Climate-change Monitoring in the National Parks of the Northern U.S. Rocky Mountains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gray, S. T.; Graumlich, L. J.; Pederson, G. T.; Fagre, D. B.; Betancourt, J. L.; Norris, J. R.; Jackson, S. T.

2004-12-01

In the face of growing visitation, encroaching development and a changing climate, the United States National Park Service has initiated a nationwide program to inventory and monitor the resources it protects. The foundation for this initiative lies in the development of baseline or reference datasets for physical and biological systems within each park unit. In a series of paleo-proxy studies from the Greater Yellowstone and Glacier National Park regions, we demonstrate that most instrumental and observational records are too short to capture a significant portion of the climatic and ecological variability that might be expected in the parks of the northern U.S. Rockies. Networks of tree-ring based temperature and precipitation reconstructions spanning the last ~1,000 yr demonstrate that the climates of these regions are not stationary. These climates are instead characterized by strong regime-like behavior over decadal to multidecadal timescales. Complimentary studies of past plant-community and landscape dynamics show how such lower-frequency variability can have a profound impact on vital park resources and amenities. In the eastern Yellowstone region, for example, persistent (20-30 yr) wet/cool periods in the 19th and early 20th centuries led to widespread recruitment of woody plants, and the legacy of these recruitment events still persists in the structure of many woodlands and forests. Studies of fossil packrat middens also suggest that at least some recent woody-plant encroachment and densification- a major management concern in the region- is related to plant late-Holocene plant migration dynamics and population processes rather than changing climate and land-use. Though the timing and effects of such events may differ, similar ecological responses to decadal/multidecadal climate variability are seen in the Glacier National Park region. In combination these studies serve to emphasize the need for careful selection of reference periods and baseline conditions used in climate-change monitoring, and this work shows the invaluable role that paleo-environmental archives can play in natural resource management. Overall, a more complete knowledge of long-duration ecological processes and lower-frequency climate variability should influence how we monitor and manage climate-change impacts throughout the northern Rockies.

Towards a results-based management approach for capacity-building in space science, technology and applications to support the implementation of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balogh, Werner R.; St-Pierre, Luc; Di Pippo, Simonetta

2017-10-01

The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) has the mandate to assist Member States with building capacity in using space science, technology and their applications in support of sustainable economic, social and environmental development. From 20 to 21 June 2018 the international community will gather in Vienna for UNISPACE + 50, a special segment of the 61st session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first UNISPACE conference and to reach consensus on a global space agenda for the next two decades. ;Capacity-building for the twenty-first century; is one of the seven thematic priorities of UNISPACE + 50, identified and agreed upon by COPUOS. The Committee has tasked UNOOSA with undertaking the work under this thematic priority and with reporting regularly to the Committee and its Subcommittees on the progress of its work. It is therefore appropriate, in this context, to take stock of the achievements of the capacity-building activities of the Office, to review the relevant mandates and activities and to consider the necessity to strengthen and better align them with the future needs of the World and in particular with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This paper describes the efforts on-going at UNOOSA, building on its experiences with implementing the United Nations Programme on Space Applications and the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER) and working with Member States and other United Nations entities, to develop a results-based management approach, based on an indicator framework and a database with space solutions, for promoting the use of space-based solutions to help Member States achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and successfully implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Decadal-scale changes of nitrate in ground water of the United States, 1988-2004

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rupert, Michael G.

2008-01-01

This study evaluated decadal-scale changes of nitrate concentrations in groundwater samples collected by the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Program from 495 wells in 24 well networks across the USA in predominantly agricultural areas. Each well network was sampled once during 1988-1995 and resampled once during 2000-2004. Statistical tests of decadal-scale changes of nitrate concentrations in water from all 495 wells combined indicate there is a significant increase in nitrate concentrations in the data set as a whole. Eight out of the 24 well networks, or about 33%, had significant changes of nitrate concentrations. Of the eight well networks with significant decadal-scale changes of nitrate, all except one, the Willamette Valley of Oregon, had increasing nitrate concentrations. Median nitrate concentrations of three of those eight well networks increased above the USEPA maximum contaminant level of 10 mg L-1. Nitrate in water from wells with reduced conditions had significantly smaller decadal-scale changes in nitrate concentrations than oxidized and mixed waters. A subset of wells had data on ground water recharge date; nitrate concentrations increased in response to the increase of N fertilizer use since about 1950. Determining ground water recharge dates is an important component of a ground water trends investigation because recharge dates provide a link between changes in ground water quality and changes in land-use practices. Copyright ?? 2008 by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America. All rights reserved.

Health disparities among highly vulnerable populations in the United States: a call to action for medical and oral health care.

PubMed

Vanderbilt, Allison A; Isringhausen, Kim T; VanderWielen, Lynn M; Wright, Marcie S; Slashcheva, Lyubov D; Madden, Molly A

2013-03-26

Healthcare in the United States (US) is burdened with enormous healthcare disparities associated with a variety of factors including insurance status, income, and race. Highly vulnerable populations, classified as those with complex medical problems and/or social needs, are one of the fastest growing segments within the US. Over a decade ago, the US Surgeon General publically challenged the nation to realize the importance of oral health and its relationship to general health and well-being, yet oral health disparities continue to plague the US healthcare system. Interprofessional education and teamwork has been demonstrated to improve patient outcomes and provide benefits to participating health professionals. We propose the implementation of interprofessional education and teamwork as a solution to meet the increasing oral and systemic healthcare demands of highly vulnerable US populations.

Health disparities among highly vulnerable populations in the United States: a call to action for medical and oral health care.

PubMed

Vanderbilt, Allison A; Isringhausen, Kim T; VanderWielen, Lynn M; Wright, Marcie S; Slashcheva, Lyubov D; Madden, Molly A

2013-01-01

Healthcare in the United States (US) is burdened with enormous healthcare disparities associated with a variety of factors including insurance status, income, and race. Highly vulnerable populations, classified as those with complex medical problems and/or social needs, are one of the fastest growing segments within the US. Over a decade ago, the US Surgeon General publically challenged the nation to realize the importance of oral health and its relationship to general health and well-being, yet oral health disparities continue to plague the US healthcare system. Interprofessional education and teamwork has been demonstrated to improve patient outcomes and provide benefits to participating health professionals. We propose the implementation of interprofessional education and teamwork as a solution to meet the increasing oral and systemic healthcare demands of highly vulnerable US populations.

Cyber Security for the Spaceport Command and Control System: Vulnerability Management and Compliance Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gunawan, Ryan A.

2016-01-01

With the rapid development of the Internet, the number of malicious threats to organizations is continually increasing. In June of 2015, the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had a data breach resulting in the compromise of millions of government employee records. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is not exempt from these attacks. Cyber security is becoming a critical facet to the discussion of moving forward with projects. The Spaceport Command and Control System (SCCS) project at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) aims to develop the launch control system for the next generation launch vehicle in the coming decades. There are many ways to increase the security of the network it uses, from vulnerability management to ensuring operating system images are compliant with securely configured baselines recommended by the United States Government.

Our eclectic adventures in the slower eras of photosynthesis: from New England Down Under to biosphere 2 and beyond.

PubMed

Osmond, Barry

2014-01-01

This is a tale of a career in plant physiological ecology that enjoyed the freedom to address photosynthetic physiology and biochemistry in leaves of plants from diverse environments. It was supported by block funding (now sadly a thing of the past) for research at the Australian National University, by grants during appointments in the United States and in Germany, and by Columbia University. It became a "career experiment" in which long-term, high-trust support for curiosity-driven plant biology in Australia, and at times in the United States, led to surprisingly innovative results. Although the rich diversity of short-term competitive grant opportunities in the United States sustained ongoing research, it proved difficult to mobilize support for more risky long-term projects. A decade after the closure of the Biosphere 2 Laboratory, this article highlights the achievements of colleagues in experimental climate change research from 1998 to 2003.

Notes on critical care-review of seminal management and leadership papers in the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Coombs, Maureen

2009-06-01

Review of recent critical care provision reveals substantial changes in clinical unit operating, and policy drivers influencing international critical care delivery. Practitioners who have worked in healthcare environments over this time, will have witnessed substantial shifts in healthcare policy, changes in professional body guidance and greater service evaluation have impacted on critical care management and leadership. This paper offers a personal perspective on seminal management and leadership papers published in the critical care literature over the past decade. Presenting a range of national and international work that utilise diverse approaches, ten key papers are highlighted that have impacted in the United Kingdom setting. Through this, the influence of the modernisation agenda, the increasing significance of outcome studies, and the need for flexible, interdependent practice emerges. A key message to surface from this paper is the need for all in critical care to engage with, and understand the wider implications of management and leadership change for critical care delivery.

AYA in the USA. International Perspectives on AYAO, Part 5

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Within the past decade, the discipline of adolescent and young adult (AYA) oncology has taken root in the United States. It arose from the observation that survival improvements for 15–39-year-olds have lagged behind those of both children and older adults. Rapid progress in this new area has resulted from energetic work by researchers, clinicians, and non-profit organizations focusing on AYA-aged cancer patients and survivors. The term “AYA” is now well recognized within both pediatric and medical oncology, and AYA-specific aims are increasingly included in clinical trials and also basic and translational oncology research. The AYA oncology movement in the United States was spearheaded by the LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance (the Alliance), a coalition of AYA-focused non-profit organizations and academic institutions that has recently transitioned into a successor organization—Critical Mass: The Young Adult Cancer Alliance, composed of individual AYAO professionals. The work of groups such as the Alliance/Critical Mass and key collaborators—including the National Cancer Institute, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Children's Oncology Group, and advocacy organizations—provides a useful platform for the discussion of progress in AYA oncology in the United States, including advances in (1) research and tool development; (2) public and professional education; (3) advocacy and patient support; (4) awareness; and (5) service delivery. AYA oncology programs are now burgeoning dramatically throughout the United States, and many well-established U.S. programs share distinctive features in clinical programming. The United States is now entering an era of larger-scale coordinated efforts in research, advocacy, and clinical care for AYAs with cancer. PMID:24380035

AYA in the USA. International Perspectives on AYAO, Part 5.

PubMed

Johnson, Rebecca H

2013-12-01

Within the past decade, the discipline of adolescent and young adult (AYA) oncology has taken root in the United States. It arose from the observation that survival improvements for 15-39-year-olds have lagged behind those of both children and older adults. Rapid progress in this new area has resulted from energetic work by researchers, clinicians, and non-profit organizations focusing on AYA-aged cancer patients and survivors. The term "AYA" is now well recognized within both pediatric and medical oncology, and AYA-specific aims are increasingly included in clinical trials and also basic and translational oncology research. The AYA oncology movement in the United States was spearheaded by the LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance (the Alliance), a coalition of AYA-focused non-profit organizations and academic institutions that has recently transitioned into a successor organization-Critical Mass: The Young Adult Cancer Alliance, composed of individual AYAO professionals. The work of groups such as the Alliance/Critical Mass and key collaborators-including the National Cancer Institute, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Children's Oncology Group, and advocacy organizations-provides a useful platform for the discussion of progress in AYA oncology in the United States, including advances in (1) research and tool development; (2) public and professional education; (3) advocacy and patient support; (4) awareness; and (5) service delivery. AYA oncology programs are now burgeoning dramatically throughout the United States, and many well-established U.S. programs share distinctive features in clinical programming. The United States is now entering an era of larger-scale coordinated efforts in research, advocacy, and clinical care for AYAs with cancer.

Improvements in diabetes processes of care and intermediate outcomes: United States, 1988-2002.

PubMed

Saaddine, Jinan B; Cadwell, Betsy; Gregg, Edward W; Engelgau, Michael M; Vinicor, Frank; Imperatore, Giuseppina; Narayan, K M Venkat

2006-04-04

Progress of diabetes care is a subject of public health concern. To assess changes in quality of diabetes care in the United States by using standardized measures. National population-based, serial cross-sectional surveys. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994 and 1999-2002) and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (1995 and 2002). Survey participants 18 to 75 years of age who reported a diagnosis of diabetes. Glycemic control, blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level, annual cholesterol level monitoring, and annual foot and dilated eye examination, as defined by the National Diabetes Quality Improvement Alliance measures. In the past decade, the proportion of persons with diabetes with poor glycemic control (hemoglobin A1c > 9%) showed a nonstatistically significant decrease of 3.9% (95% CI, -10.4% to 2.5%), while the proportion of persons with fair or good lipid control (LDL cholesterol level < 3.4 mmol/L [<130 mg/dL]) had a statistically significant increase of 21.9% (CI, 12.4% to 31.3%). Mean LDL cholesterol level decreased by 0.5 mmol/L (18.8 mg/dL). Although mean hemoglobin A1c did not change, the proportion of persons with hemoglobin A(1c) of 6% to 8% increased from 34.2% to 47.0%. The blood pressure distribution did not change. Annual lipid testing, dilated eye examination, and foot examination increased by 8.3% (CI, 4.0% to 12.7%), 4.5% (CI, 0.5% to 8.5%), and 3.8% (CI, -0.1% to 7.7%), respectively. The proportion of persons reporting annual influenza vaccination and aspirin use improved by 6.8 percentage points (CI, 2.9 percentage points to 10.7 percentage points) and 13.1 percentage points (CI, 5.4 percentage points to 20.7 percentage points), respectively. Data are self-reported, and the surveys do not have all National Diabetes Quality Improvement Alliance indicators. Diabetes processes of care and intermediate outcomes have improved nationally in the past decade. But 2 in 5 persons with diabetes still have poor LDL cholesterol control, 1 in 3 persons still has poor blood pressure control, and 1 in 5 persons still has poor glycemic control.

A Strategic Vision for NSF Investments in Antarctic and Southern Ocean Research: Recommendations of a New Study from the National Academes of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weller, R. A.; Bell, R. E.; Geller, L.

2015-12-01

A Committee convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine carried out a study (at the request of NSF's Division of Polar Programs) to develop a strategic vision for the coming decade of NSF's investments in Antarctic and Southern Ocean research. The study was informed by extensive efforts to gather ideas from researchers across the United States. This presentation will provide an overview of the Committee's recommendations—regarding an overall strategic framework for a robust U.S. Antarctic program, regarding the specific areas of research recommended as highest priority for NSF support, and regarding the types of infrastructure, logistical support, data management, and other critical foundations for enabling and adding lasting value to the proposed research .

Vision Zero--a road safety policy innovation.

PubMed

Belin, Matts-Åke; Tillgren, Per; Vedung, Evert

2012-01-01

The aim of this paper is to examine Sweden's Vision Zero road safety policy. In particular, the paper focuses on how safety issues were framed, which decisions were made, and what are the distinctive features of Vision Zero. The analysis reveals that the decision by the Swedish Parliament to adopt Vision Zero as Sweden's road safety policy was a radical innovation. The policy is different in kind from traditional traffic safety policy with regard to problem formulation, its view on responsibility, its requirements for the safety of road users, and the ultimate objective of road safety work. The paper briefly examines the implications of these findings for national and global road safety efforts that aspire to achieving innovative road safety policies in line with the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, declared by the United Nations General Assembly in March 2010.

Relationship between age and lower extremity fractures in frontal motor vehicle collisions.

PubMed

Moran, Stephan G; McGwin, Gerald; Metzger, Jesse S; Alonso, Jorge E; Rue, Loring W

2003-02-01

Older adults (aged > or = 65 years) represent the single fastest growing segment of the United States population and will comprise one in five Americans during the third decade of this century. As this population segment rapidly expands, lower extremity fractures (LE Fx) and their associated disability will become a greater public health concern. The purpose of this study was to quantify the risk for LE Fx from motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) according to age. The 1995 to 2000 National Automotive Sampling System data files were used. Study entry was limited to front-seat occupants involved in frontal MVCs. Risk ratios for LE Fx and age were adjusted for gender, driver versus passenger, seat belt use, airbag deployment, delta-V, intrusion, and vehicle type. Beginning in the fourth decade, there was a trend of higher relative risk for LE Fx with age that reached statistical significance in the seventh decade of life. This study documented an increased risk of LE Fx in older MVC occupants. Efforts to prevent these disabling injuries and to better protect occupants' lower extremities in MVCs should include improved vehicle design and reevaluation of the existing federal motor vehicle safety standards.

Seasonal and decadal information towards climate services: EUPORIAS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buontempo, Carlo; Hewitt, Chris

2013-04-01

Societies have always faced challenges and opportunities arising from variations in climate, and have often flourished or collapsed depending on their ability to adapt to such changes. Recent advances in our understanding and ability to forecast climate variability and climate change have meant that skilful predictions are beginning to be routinely made on seasonal to decadal (s2d) timescales. Such forecasts have the potential to be of great value to a wide range of decision-making, where outcomes are strongly influenced by variations in the climate. The European Commission have recently commissioned a major four year long project (EUPORIAS) to develop prototype end-to-end climate impact prediction services operating on a seasonal to decadal timescale, and assess their value in informing decision-making. EUPORIAS commenced on 1 November 2012, coordinated by the UK Met Office leading a consortium of 24 organisations representing world-class European climate research and climate service centres, expertise in impacts assessments and seasonal predictions, two United Nations agencies, specialists in new media, and commercial companies in climate-vulnerable sectors such as energy, water and tourism. The paper describes the setup of the project, its main outcome and some of the very preliminary results.

Light Pollution: Outdoor lighting is a growing threat to astronomy.

PubMed

Riegel, K W

1973-03-30

There have been major qualitative and quantitative changes in outdoor lighting technology in the last decade. The level of skylight caused by outdoor lighting systems is growing at a very high rate, about 20 percent per year nationwide. In addition, the spectral distribution of man-made light pollution may change in the next decade from one containing a few mercury lines to one containing dozens of lines and a significantly increased continuum level. Light pollution is presently damaging to some astronomical programs, and it is likely to become a major factor limiting progress in the next decade. Suitable sites in the United States for new dark sky observing facilities are very difficult to find. Some of the increase in outdoor illumination is due to the character of national growth and development. Some is due to promotional campaigns, in which questionable arguments involving public safety are presented. There are protective measures which might be adopted by the government; these would significantly aid observational astronomy, without compromising the legitimate outdoor lighting needs of society. Observatories should establish programs to routinely monitor sky brightness as a function of position, wavelength, and time. The astronomical community should establish a mechanism by which such programs can be supported and coordinated.

Dynamic evaluation of two decades of WRF-CMAQ ozone simulations over the contiguous United States

EPA Science Inventory

Dynamic evaluation of the fully coupled Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)– Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model ozone simulations over the contiguous United States (CONUS) using two decades of simulations covering the period from 1990 to 2010 is conducted to ...

Dynamic Evaluation of Two Decades of CMAQ Simulations over the Continental United States

EPA Science Inventory

This presentation focuses on the dynamic evaluation of the CMAQ model over the continental United States using multi-decadal simulations for the period from 1990 to 2010 to examine how well the changes in observed ozone air quality induced by variations in meteorology and/or emis...

Dynamic evaluation of two decades of WRF-CMAQ ozone simulations over the contiguous United States

EPA Science Inventory

Dynamic evaluation of the fully coupled Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)– Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model ozone simulations over the contiguous United States (CONUS) using two decades of simulations covering the period from 1990 to 2010 is conducted to assess...

Ozone in Sequoia National Park: Linking Ozone Production in the San Joaquin Valley to Trends in Vegetative Impacts in Sequoia National Park from 2000-2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buysse, C. E.; Pusede, S.; Kotsakis, A.

2016-12-01

Sequoia National Park (SNP) has the worst ozone air pollution of any National Park in the United States. Ozone pollution levels in SNP are high enough to exert damaging impacts on humans, animals, and vegetation. The major source of ozone to SNP is chemical production within the nearby and ozone-polluted San Joaquin Valley (SJV), which is then transported out of the valley into the park. Emission controls to reduce ozone in the SJV have been in place for the last two decades and these controls should have had the effect of altering ozone levels within SNP. This work has two aims. First, we investigate the chemistry driving trends in ozone in SNP and link these changes to trends in ozone in the SJV. Second, we consider both the metrics and time frames that best capture ozone trends contributing to vegetative damage, as these are not well represented in assessments of human health-based ambient air quality standards over an entire ozone season.

The United States digital recording industry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simonds, John L.

1993-01-01

The recording industry resembles the semiconductor industry in several aspects. Both are large (greater than $60 Billion/year revenues); both are considered critical technologies supporting national objectives; both are experiencing increased competition from foreign suppliers; they recognize significant opportunities for both technological and market growth in the decade to come; and both realize that a key to this future growth lies in alliances among industry, academia, and government. The semiconductor industry has made significant investments in alliances relating to manufacturing technologies (SEMATECH) and to joint long-term technology research centered in universities (SRC). The federal government has provided funding support of these efforts in recognition of the critical roles semiconductor technologies play in national interests. The recording industry is now also forming critical alliances, but has been slower in starting and in gaining broad recognition by government agencies and legislators that the industry needs federal support. Traditionally, the recording industry has been viewed as mature, stable, and, while critical to national interests, able to chart and fund its own course toward future national needs. That perception is fortunately changing.

[In vitro fertilization at our department. A decade's work in figures and facts (1994-2003)].

PubMed

Urbancsek, János; Fancsovits, Péter; Akos, Murber; Tóthné Gilán, Zsuzsa; Hauzman, Erik; Papp, Zoltán

2006-01-08

We report here on the first decade of in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments performed at a newly established clinical infertility and assisted reproductive unit. We present the number of treatment cycles, the distribution of treatment modalities ("classical" IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection, ICSI) and success rates, and relate them to national and international data. During the last decade, ICSI was introduced gradually and is now used routinely at our department. In certain cases of azoospermia, testicular sperm extraction (TESE) is used to retrieve male gametes for ICSI. Embryo cryopreservation, which is also part of the routine, provides the chance to establish pregnancy in subsequent cycles without the need to repeat hormonal stimulation. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis helps us to avoid transferring embryos carrying certain hereditary diseases. 1517 IVF cycles were started in the past ten years. Oocyte pickup and IVF were performed in 1423 cases. In the end of the described period, ICSI was used in more than two thirds of treatment cycles. Pregnancy rates were 39.0% per embryo transfer (ET), 36.3% per oocyte pickup, and 34.0% per started cycle. Clinical pregnancy was achieved in 34.2% per ET, and the delivery rate was 27.9% per ET. These success rates have exceeded the national average every year since 1996. Pregnancy rates in frozen-thawed ET cycles and in cryo-TESE-ICSI cycles are in the range of international data. We attribute the gradual and continuous improvement in our success rates to rigorous and well-coordinated clinical and laboratory work and to judicious adoption of the latest assisted reproductive techniques.

Authorship, collaboration, and predictors of extramural funding in the emergency medicine literature.

PubMed

Rosenzweig, Jaime S; Van Deusen, Shawn K; Okpara, Okemefuna; Datillo, Paris A; Briggs, William M; Birkhahn, Robert H

2008-01-01

The objectives of the study were to examine the last decade of general emergency medicine (EM) literature published in the United States for trends with regard to authorship and multidisciplinary collaboration and to estimate the effect on extramural funding. Print articles published in the Academic Emergency Medicine, Annals of Emergency Medicine, Journal of Emergency Medicine, and American Journal of Emergency Medicine between 1994 and 2003 were reviewed. Original research, case reports/series, and others (consensus/educational) were considered; abstracts, book reviews, and editorials were not. The author byline was reviewed for number, specialty, nationality, collaboration, and presence of extramural funding. Multidisciplinary collaboration was defined as authors from 2 or more specialties, whereas multi-institutional collaboration was defined as EM authors from more than one institution. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of extramural funding from the variables collected. Of 5728 articles identified, there were 3278 (57%) original research, 1437 (25%) case reports/series, and 975 (17%) classified as others. The percentage funded was 22% for all articles (32% for original research). The literature had at least one EM investigator as coauthor 84% of the time. Article location of origin was the United States (63%), foreign (15%), and combined (22%). Multidisciplinary collaboration increased overall from 33% in 1994 to a high of 43% in 2003. Multi-institutional collaboration also increased from 16% in 1994 to 26% in 2003. The percentage of articles having 6 or more authors increased from 12% to 18% over the decade. Of all variables studied, only article type (original research: odds ratio, 4.8; 95% confidence interval, 4.0-5.6) and foreign source (non-United States: odds ratio, 1.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-1.5) predicted extramural funding. The number of authors per article in the EM literature has steadily increased over the last decade, as has evidence of collaboration with other specialties. This increase in collaboration and author number has not been associated with increased extramural funding in the general EM literature published in the United States.

Potential for Worldwide Displacement of Fossil-Fuel Electricity by Nuclear Energy in Three Decades Based on Extrapolation of Regional Deployment Data

PubMed Central

Qvist, Staffan A.; Brook, Barry W.

2015-01-01

There is an ongoing debate about the deployment rates and composition of alternative energy plans that could feasibly displace fossil fuels globally by mid-century, as required to avoid the more extreme impacts of climate change. Here we demonstrate the potential for a large-scale expansion of global nuclear power to replace fossil-fuel electricity production, based on empirical data from the Swedish and French light water reactor programs of the 1960s to 1990s. Analysis of these historical deployments show that if the world built nuclear power at no more than the per capita rate of these exemplar nations during their national expansion, then coal- and gas-fired electricity could be replaced worldwide in less than a decade. Under more conservative projections that take into account probable constraints and uncertainties such as differing relative economic output across regions, current and past unit construction time and costs, future electricity demand growth forecasts and the retiring of existing aging nuclear plants, our modelling estimates that the global share of fossil-fuel-derived electricity could be replaced within 25–34 years. This would allow the world to meet the most stringent greenhouse-gas mitigation targets. PMID:25970621

Organization of acute stroke services in Poland - Polish Stroke Unit Network development.

PubMed

Sarzyńska-Długosz, Iwona; Skowrońska, Marta; Członkowska, Anna

2013-01-01

According to the recommendations of stroke organizations, every stroke patient should be treated in a specialized stroke unit (SU). We aimed to evaluate the development of the SU network in Poland during the past decade. In Poland, stroke is treated mainly by neurologists. A questionnaire evaluating structure and staff of neurological departments was sent to all neurological departments in 2003, 2005 and 2007. In 2010, we collected data based on information from the National Health Fund. We divided departments into categories: with a comprehensive SU, with a primary SU unit, and departments without an SU. Primary SUs were further divided into class A SUs (fulfilling criteria of the National Programme of Prevention and Treatment of Stroke Experts - eligible for thrombolysis), class B (conditionally fulfilling criteria), and class C (not fulfilling criteria). Final analyses included 87.4% of departments (194/222) in 2003, 85.5% of departments (188/220) in 2005, and 83.1% of departments (182/219) in 2007. According to the above-mentioned classification there were 20 class A SUs in 2003, 58 in 2005 and 5 comprehensive and 51 class A SUs in 2007. In 2012, based on information from the National Health Fund there were 150 SUs, all fulfilling criteria for thrombolysis, 9 of them comprehensive SUs. The SU network in Poland is developing dynamically but thrombolysis and endovascular procedures are done too rarely. Now it is necessary to improve quality of stroke services and to make organizational changes in the in-hospital stroke pathways as well as to organize continuous education of medical staff.

Continued emissions of carbon tetrachloride from the United States nearly two decades after its phaseout for dispersive uses

PubMed Central

Hu, Lei; Montzka, Stephen A.; Miller, Ben R.; Andrews, Arlyn E.; Miller, John B.; Lehman, Scott J.; Sweeney, Colm; Miller, Scot M.; Thoning, Kirk; Siso, Carolina; Atlas, Elliot L.; Blake, Donald R.; de Gouw, Joost; Gilman, Jessica B.; Dutton, Geoff; Elkins, James W.; Hall, Bradley; Chen, Huilin; Fischer, Marc L.; Mountain, Marikate E.; Nehrkorn, Thomas; Biraud, Sebastien C.; Moore, Fred L.; Tans, Pieter

2016-01-01

National-scale emissions of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) are derived based on inverse modeling of atmospheric observations at multiple sites across the United States from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s flask air sampling network. We estimate an annual average US emission of 4.0 (2.0–6.5) Gg CCl4 y−1 during 2008–2012, which is almost two orders of magnitude larger than reported to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) (mean of 0.06 Gg y−1) but only 8% (3–22%) of global CCl4 emissions during these years. Emissive regions identified by the observations and consistently shown in all inversion results include the Gulf Coast states, the San Francisco Bay Area in California, and the Denver area in Colorado. Both the observation-derived emissions and the US EPA TRI identified Texas and Louisiana as the largest contributors, accounting for one- to two-thirds of the US national total CCl4 emission during 2008–2012. These results are qualitatively consistent with multiple aircraft and ship surveys conducted in earlier years, which suggested significant enhancements in atmospheric mole fractions measured near Houston and surrounding areas. Furthermore, the emission distribution derived for CCl4 throughout the United States is more consistent with the distribution of industrial activities included in the TRI than with the distribution of other potential CCl4 sources such as uncapped landfills or activities related to population density (e.g., use of chlorine-containing bleach). PMID:26929368

(abstract) Mount Rainier: New Remote Sensing Observations of a Decade Volcano

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Realmuto, V. J.; Zebker, H. A.; Frank, D.

1994-01-01

Mount Rainier was selected as a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior. The purpose of this selection is to focus scientific and public attention on Mount Rainier during the current decade, the United Nations-designated International Decade of Natural Hazard Reduction. The Mount Rainier science plan calls for remote sensing surveys to monitor the volcano. To date, we have conducted airborne surveys with visible and near-infrared, thermal infrared, and interferometric radar instruments. Our preliminary analysis of some night-time time-series thermal infrared survey data sets of the summit suggests that, aside from seasonal variations in snow cover, there have been no qualitative changes in the size or pattern of the summit hot spots. Day-time airborne surveys were done to record the current surface appearance of the volcano and map hydrothermal alteration in the summit region. An interferometric radar survey yielded a high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) which serves as a base for the registration of the other remote sensing data sets. More importantly, the DEM documents the current topography of glaciers and valleys. Planned biannual radar survey of mount rainier will produce a data set from which seasonal changes in glacier and valley topography can be characterized. Such characterization is essential if we are to recognize geothermally induced changes in snow and ice cover.

Emissions from oil and gas operations in the United States and their air quality implications.

PubMed

Allen, David T

2016-06-01

The energy supply infrastructure in the United States has been changing dramatically over the past decade. Increased production of oil and natural gas, particularly from shale resources using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, made the United States the world's largest producer of oil and natural gas in 2014. This review examines air quality impacts, specifically, changes in greenhouse gas, criteria air pollutant, and air toxics emissions from oil and gas production activities that are a result of these changes in energy supplies and use. National emission inventories indicate that volatile organic compound (VOC) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from oil and gas supply chains in the United States have been increasing significantly, whereas emission inventories for greenhouse gases have seen slight declines over the past decade. These emission inventories are based on counts of equipment and operational activities (activity factors), multiplied by average emission factors, and therefore are subject to uncertainties in these factors. Although uncertainties associated with activity data and missing emission source types can be significant, multiple recent measurement studies indicate that the greatest uncertainties are associated with emission factors. In many source categories, small groups of devices or sites, referred to as super-emitters, contribute a large fraction of emissions. When super-emitters are accounted for, multiple measurement approaches, at multiple scales, produce similar results for estimated emissions. Challenges moving forward include identifying super-emitters and reducing their emission magnitudes. Work done to date suggests that both equipment malfunction and operational practices can be important. Finally, although most of this review focuses on emissions from energy supply infrastructures, the regional air quality implications of some coupled energy production and use scenarios are examined. These case studies suggest that both energy production and use should be considered in assessing air quality implications of changes in energy infrastructures, and that impacts are likely to vary among regions. The energy supply infrastructure in the United States has been changing dramatically over the past decade, leading to changes in emissions from oil and natural gas supply chain sources. In many source categories along these supply chains, small groups of devices or sites, referred to as super-emitters, contribute a large fraction of emissions. Effective emission reductions will require technologies for both identifying super-emitters and reducing their emission magnitudes.

Dynamic Evaluation of Two Decades of WRF-CMAQ Ozone Simulations over the Contiguous United States (2017 MAC-MAQ Conference Presentation)

EPA Science Inventory

Dynamic evaluation of two decades of ozone simulations performed with the fully coupled Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)–Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model over the contiguous United States is conducted to assess how well the changes in observed ozone air ...

Dynamic Evaluation of Two Decades of CMAQ Simulations over the Continental United States (book chapter)

EPA Science Inventory

This paper focuses on dynamic evaluation of the CMAQ model over the continental United States using multi-decadal simulations for the period from 1990 to 2010 to examine how well the changes in observed ozone air quality induced by variations in meteorology and/or emissions are s...

A gender gap in the next generation of physician-scientists: medical student interest and participation in research.

PubMed

Guelich, Jill M; Singer, Burton H; Castro, Marcia C; Rosenberg, Leon E

2002-11-01

For 2 decades, the number of physician-scientists has not kept pace with the overall growth of the medical research community. Concomitantly, the number of women entering medical schools has increased markedly. We have explored the effect of the changing gender composition of medical schools on the present and future pipeline of young physician-scientists. We analyzed data obtained from the Association of American Medical Colleges, the National Institutes of Health, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute pertaining to the expressed research intentions or research participation of male and female medical students in the United States. A statistically significant decline in the percentage of matriculating and graduating medical students--both men and women-who expressed strong research career intentions occurred during the decade between 1987 and 1997. Moreover, matriculating and graduating women were significantly less likely than men to indicate strong research career intentions. Each of these trends has been observed for medical schools overall and for research-intensive ones. Cohort data obtained by tracking individuals from matriculation to graduation revealed that women who expressed strong research career intentions upon matriculation were more likely than men to decrease their research career intentions during medical school. Medical student participation in research supported the gender gap identified by assessing research intentions. Female medical student participation in the Medical Scientist Training Program and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute/National Institutes of Health-sponsored Cloisters Program has increased but lags far behind the growth in the female population in medical schools. Three worrisome trends in the research career intentions and participation of the nation's medical students (a decade-long decline for both men and women, a large and persistent gender gap, and a negative effect of the medical school experience for women) presage a further decline in the physician-scientist pipeline unless they are reversed promptly and decisively.

Actions on social determinants and interventions in primary health to improve mother and child health and health equity in Morocco.

PubMed

Boutayeb, Wiam; Lamlili, Mohamed; Maamri, Abdellatif; Ben El Mostafa, Souad; Boutayeb, Abdesslam

2016-02-02

Over the last two decades, Moroccan authorities launched a number of actions and strategies to enhance access to health services and improve health outcomes for the whole population in general and for mother and child in particular. The Ministry of Health launched the action plans 2008-2012 and 2012-2016 and created the maternal mortality surveillance system. The Moroccan government opted for national health coverage through a mandatory health insurance and a scheme of health assistance to the poorest households. Other initiatives were devoted indirectly to health by acting on social determinants of health and poverty reduction. In this paper, we present results of an evaluation of interventions and programmes and their impact on health inequity in Morocco. We used data provided by national surveys over the last decades, information released on the website of the Ministry of Health, documentation published by the Moroccan government and international reports and studies related to Morocco and published by international bodies like the World Health Organisation, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Population Fund, UNICEF, UNESCO and the World Bank. A short review of scientific publications was also carried out in order to select papers published on health equity, social determinants, health system and interventions in primary health in Morocco. Inferential and descriptive statistics (including principal component analysis) were carried out using software SPSS version 18. The findings indicate that substantial achievements were obtained in terms of access to health care and health outcomes for the whole Moroccan population in general and for mothers and children in particular. However, achievements are unfairly distributed between advantaged and less advantaged regions, literate and illiterate women, rural and urban areas, and rich and poor segments of the Moroccan population. Studies have shown that it is difficult to trace the effect of a primary health intervention on the access to health care due to synergetic and overlapping effect of interventions and initiatives aiming to improve the wellbeing of the Moroccan population. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to illustrate the correlation existing between different variables measuring access to health and health outcomes on one side and variables like income, education, employment and health staff on the other side. In Morocco, average access to health care and services as well as health outcomes have improved during the last decades. However, socio-economic inequalities and health inequity are persistent. The present study indicates that urgent and efficient actions on social determinants of health are needed in order to sustain average achievements and improve health equity for the whole Moroccan population.

National prevalence of coronary heart disease and its relationship with human development index: A systematic review.

PubMed

Zhu, Ke-Fu; Wang, Yu-Ming; Zhu, Jin-Zhou; Zhou, Qin-Yi; Wang, Ning-Fu

2016-03-01

Coronary heart disease has become a major health concern over the past several decades. Several reviews have assessed the effects of socioeconomic status on the coronary heart disease epidemic in communities and countries, but only a few reviews have been performed at a global level. This study was to explore the relationship between the prevalence of coronary heart disease and socioeconomic development worldwide using the Human Development Index. Systematic review. The data in this study were collected from the MEDLINE database. Cross-sectional studies reporting the prevalence of coronary heart disease until November 2014 were collected. The Human Development Index was sourced from the United Nations Development Programme Database and was used to measure the socioeconomic achievements of countries. Each country was classified as a developing or developed country based on its level of development according to the Human Development Index value. Based on the data analysis on the global level, coronary heart disease prevalence had no association with the national Human Development Index (rho = 0.07). However, there was a positive association between coronary heart disease prevalence and the national Human Development Index in developing countries, although a negative association existed in developed countries (rho = 0.47 and -0.34, respectively). In addition, the past decades have witnessed a growing coronary heart disease epidemic in developing countries, with reverse trends observed in developed countries (P = 0.021 and 0.002, respectively). With the development of socioeconomic status, as measured by the Human Development Index, the prevalence of coronary heart disease is growing in developing countries, while declining in developed countries. Future research needs to pay more attention to the reasonable allocation of medical resources and control of coronary heart disease risk factors. © The European Society of Cardiology 2015.

Use of retrospective data to assess ecotoxicological monitoring needs for terrestrial vertebrates residing in Atlantic coast estuaries

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cohen, J.B.; Rattner, B.A.; Golden, N.H.

2003-01-01

The 'Contaminant Exposure and Effects--Terrestrial Vertebrates' (CEE-TV) database contains 4,336 records of ecotoxicological information for free-ranging amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals residing in Atlantic and Florida Gulf coast estuaries and their drainages. To identify spatial data gaps, those CEE-TV records for which the specific study location were known (n=2,740) were combined with watershed and wildlife management unit boundaries using Geographic Information Systems software. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Index of Watershed Indicators (IWI), which classifies watersheds based on water quality and their vulnerability to pollution, was used to prioritize these data gaps. Of 136 watersheds in the study area, 15 that are classified by the IWI as having water quality problems or high vulnerability to pollution lacked terrestrial vertebrate ecotoxicological monitoring or research in the past decade. Older studies within some of these watersheds documented high levels of contaminants in wildlife tissues. Of 90 National Wildlife Refuge units, 42 without current data fall within watersheds of concern. Of 40 National Park units larger than 1 km2, 17 without current data fall within watersheds of concern. Issues encountered in this analysis highlighted the need for spatially and temporally replicated field monitoring programs that utilize random sampling. Without data from such studies, it will be difficult to perform unbiased assessments of regional trends in contaminant exposure and effects in terrestrial vertebrates.

Impact of National Ambient Air Quality Standards Nonattainment Designations on Particulate Pollution and Health.

PubMed

Zigler, Corwin M; Choirat, Christine; Dominici, Francesca

2018-03-01

Despite dramatic air quality improvement in the United States over the past decades, recent years have brought renewed scrutiny and uncertainty surrounding the effectiveness of specific regulatory programs for continuing to improve air quality and public health outcomes. We employ causal inference methods and a spatial hierarchical regression model to characterize the extent to which a designation of "nonattainment" with the 1997 National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in 2005 causally affected ambient PM2.5 and health outcomes among over 10 million Medicare beneficiaries in the Eastern United States in 2009-2012. We found that, on average across all retained study locations, reductions in ambient PM2.5 and Medicare health outcomes could not be conclusively attributed to the nonattainment designations against the backdrop of other regional strategies that impacted the entire Eastern United States. A more targeted principal stratification analysis indicates substantial health impacts of the nonattainment designations among the subset of areas where the designations are estimated to have actually reduced ambient PM2.5 beyond levels achieved by regional measures, with noteworthy reductions in all-cause mortality, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, heart failure, ischemic heart disease, and respiratory tract infections. These findings provide targeted evidence of the effectiveness of local control measures after nonattainment designations for the 1997 PM2.5 air quality standard.

Use of retrospective data to assess ecotoxicological monitoring needs for terrestrial vertebrates residing in Atlantic coast estuaries.

PubMed

Cohen, Jonathan B; Rattner, Barnett A; Golden, Nancy H

2003-01-01

The "Contaminant Exposure and Effects-Terrestrial Vertebrates" (CEE-TV) database contains 4,336 records of ecotoxicological information for free-ranging amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals residing in Atlantic and Florida Gulf coast estuaries and their drainages. To identify spatial data gaps, those CEE-TV records for which the specific study location were known (n = 2,740) were combined with watershed and wildlife management unit boundaries using Geographic Information Systems software. The US Environmental Protection Agency's Index of Watershed Indicators (IWI), which classifies watersheds based on water quality and their vulnerability to pollution, was used to prioritize these data gaps. Of 136 watersheds in the study area, 15 that are classified by the IWI as having water quality problems or high vulnerability to pollution lacked terrestrial vertebrate ecotoxicological monitoring or research in the past decade. Older studies within some of these watersheds documented high levels of contaminants in wildlife tissues. Of 90 National Wildlife Refuge units, 42 without current data fall within watersheds of concern. Of 40 National Park units larger than 1 km2, 17 without current data fall within watersheds of concern. Issues encountered in this analysis highlighted the need for spatially and temporally replicated field monitoring programs that utilize random sampling. Without data from such studies, it will be difficult to perform unbiased assessments of regional trends in contaminant exposure and effects in terrestrial vertebrates.

International developments in abortion law from 1988 to 1998.

PubMed Central

Cook, R J; Dickens, B M; Bliss, L E

1999-01-01

OBJECTIVES: In 2 successive decades since 1967, legal accommodation of abortion has grown in many countries. The objective of this study was to assess whether liberalizing trends have been maintained in the last decade and whether increased protection of women's human rights has influenced legal reform. METHODS: A worldwide review was conducted of legislation and judicial rulings affecting abortion, and legal reforms were measured against governmental commitments made under international human rights treaties and at United Nations conferences. RESULTS: Since 1987, 26 jurisdictions have extended grounds for lawful abortion, and 4 countries have restricted grounds. Additional limits on access to legal abortion services include restrictions on funding of services, mandatory counseling and reflection delay requirements, third-party authorizations, and blockades of abortion clinics. CONCLUSIONS: Progressive liberalization has moved abortion laws from a focus on punishment toward concern with women's health and welfare and with their human rights. However, widespread maternal mortality and morbidity show that reform must be accompanied by accessible abortion services and improved contraceptive care and information. PMID:10191808

EUPORIAS: plans and preliminary results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buontempo, C.

2013-12-01

Recent advances in our understanding and ability to forecast climate variability have meant that skilful predictions are beginning to be routinely made on seasonal to decadal (s2d) timescales. Such forecasts have the potential to be of great value to a wide range of decision-making, where outcomes are strongly influenced by variations in the climate. In 2012 the European Commission funded EUPORIAS, a four year long project to develop prototype end-to-end climate impact prediction services operating on a seasonal to decadal timescale, and assess their value in informing decision-making. EUPORIAS commenced on 1 November 2012, coordinated by the UK Met Office leading a consortium of 24 organisations representing world-class European climate research and climate service centres, expertise in impacts assessments and seasonal predictions, two United Nations agencies, specialists in new media, and commercial companies in climate-vulnerable sectors such as energy, water and tourism. The poster describes the setup of the project, its main outcome and some of the very preliminary results.

Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program Recommendations from Urban and Reservation Northern Plains American Indian Community Members.

PubMed

McMahon, Tracey R; Hanson, Jessica D; Griese, Emily R; Kenyon, DenYelle Baete

2015-07-03

Despite declines over the past few decades, the United States has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy compared to other industrialized nations. American Indian youth have experienced higher rates of teen pregnancy compared to the overall population for decades. Although it's known that community and cultural adaptation enhance program effectiveness, few teen pregnancy prevention programs have published on recommendations for adapting these programs to address the specific needs of Northern Plains American Indian youth. We employed a mixed-methods analysis of 24 focus groups and 20 interviews with a combined total of 185 urban and reservation-based American Indian youth and elders, local health care providers, and local school personnel to detail recommendations for the cultural adaptation, content, and implementation of a teen pregnancy prevention program specific to this population. Gender differences and urban /reservation site differences in the types of recommendations offered and the potential reasons for these differences are discussed.

Health reform: a bipartisan view.

PubMed

Cooper, Jim; Castle, Michael

2009-01-01

This optimistic assessment of the prospects for health reform from senior Democratic and Republican congressmen spells out several reasons why reform can be achieved early in the first year of the Obama administration. Political and policy factors suggest that President-elect Barack Obama is in a much better position than his predecessors to achieve comprehensive health reform, including universal coverage. The Obama administration will have to overcome numerous obstacles and resistance to enact reform. Still, after decades of frustration and disappointment, policymakers should set aside their differences and enable the United States to join the ranks of developed nations by making sure every American has health insurance.

Workshop held on natural disasters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rundle, John; Klein, W.; Turcotte, D.

Natural hazards such as earthquakes and floods are a menace to the population worldwide. The United Nations focused attention on this global problem by declaring the 1990s the Decade of Natural Hazard Reduction. In addition to threatening human life, natural hazards can cause severe economic hardship locally and, in an ever more complex and interactive world economy, dislocations that are felt in areas far beyond the site of a disaster.Recent catastrophic earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and fires have called into question the ability of private insurers to cover economic losses. Unlimited liability is a necessity for confidence in insurance coverage, but these events have stretched the resources of even the largest insurers.

Space - It's not just for governments anymore

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stone, Barbara A.; Kleber, Peter

1992-01-01

Space initiatives have traditionally been in the exclusive domain of national government. Over the last decades, this has begun to change dramatically as commercial development of space has attracted increasing international attention. Businesses in at least 20 countries worldwide now engage in some form of space commerce. These businesses, which range from strictly entrepreneurial to government corporations, are seeking to do business in every commercial space sector. This paper details the current status and prospects for the future of space commerce in the United States and Europe, focusing on the programs of France, Germany, and Italy. Included are analyses of representative successes and failures of these activities.

Developing comparative criminology and the case of China: an introduction.

PubMed

Liu, Jianhong

2007-02-01

Although comparative criminology has made significant development during the past decade or so, systematic empirical research has only developed along a few topics. Comparative criminology has never occupied a central position in criminology. This article analyzes the major theoretical and methodological impediments in the development of comparative criminology. It stresses a need to shift methodology from a conventional primary approach that uses the nation as the unit of analysis to an in-depth case study method as a primary methodological approach. The article maintains that case study method can overcome the limitation of its descriptive tradition and become a promising methodological approach for comparative criminology.

Hydrothermal Synthesis and Crystal Structures of Actinide Compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Runde, Wolfgang; Neu, Mary P.

Since the 1950s actinides have been used to benefit industry, science, health, and national security. The largest industrial application, electricity generation from uranium and thorium fuels, is growing worldwide. Thus, more actinides are being mined, produced, used and processed than ever before. The future of nuclear energy hinges on how these increasing amounts of actinides are contained in each stage of the fuel cycle, including disposition. In addition, uranium and plutonium were built up during the Cold War between the United States and the Former Soviet Union for defense purposes and nuclear energy. These stockpiles have been significantly reduced in the last decade.

A sporting chance to fight haze

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Showstack, Randy

Sometimes sports can open up the way for politicians to take action. Several decades ago, ping-pong diplomacy helped to ease tensions between China and the United States. Now, it appears that the upcoming Southeast Asia Games (SEA Games) also may be wielding some influence in policy making.Environment ministers from countries in the region and officials from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), hoping to keep the skies clear during the sporting competition in Brunei in August, on July 6 announced a plan to try to prevent forest fires and avert the dangerous levels of smog and haze that enveloped the region 2 years ago.

Caring for children with autism spectrum disorder. Part I: prevalence, etiology, and core features.

PubMed

Inglese, Melissa Dodd; Elder, Jennifer Harrison

2009-02-01

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects 1 in 150 children and has been gaining national attention over the past decade. Given the prevalence of this disorder, there is a high probability that pediatric nurses will care for a child with ASD, regardless of the setting in which they work. Children with ASD traverse the primary care outpatient setting, schools, subspecialty clinics, and inpatient units. A basic understanding of the current issues regarding prevalence and etiology, coupled with knowledge of the core features of ASD, will help pediatric nurses in all settings and at various practice levels better care for these children.

College nursing faculty job satisfaction and retention: A national perspective.

PubMed

Lee, Peggy; Miller, Michael T; Kippenbrock, Thomas A; Rosen, Chris; Emory, Jan

The need for registered nurses in the United States continues to grow. To meet this need for increased numbers of nurses, recruitment and retention of qualified nurse educators has become a priority. In addition, the factors associated with nursing faculties' intent to stay have emerged as important considerations for administrators. The concepts of job satisfaction and intent to stay become vital to recruiting and retaining nursing faculty. In the past decade few empirical studies have been conducted on a national scale to address job satisfaction and intent to stay in academia. The purpose of this retrospective study is to analyze variables of relationships with nurse faculty job satisfaction and intent to stay from data collected throughout the United States. The Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) survey was employed for the purposes of this study. Over 1350 nurse educators were included in the survey. The findings support a variety of modifiable variables that are viewed as important by nursing faculty. The strongest relationship was found to be institutional leadership. The implications can inform academic administrators seeking to retain nursing faculty. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Exposure to School and Community Based Prevention Programs and Reductions in Cigarette Smoking among Adolescents in the United States, 2000–08

PubMed Central

Chen, Xinguang; Ren, Yuanjing; Lin, Feng; MacDonell, Karen; Jiang, Yifan

2011-01-01

Smoking remains prevalent among U.S. youth despite decades of antismoking efforts. Effects from exposure to prevention programs at national level may provide informative and compelling data supporting better planning and strategy for tobacco control. A national representative sample of youth 12–17 years of age from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health was analyzed. A 3-stage model was devised to estimate smoking behavior transitions using cross-sectional data and the Probabilistic Discrete Event System method. Cigarette smoking measures (prevalence rates and odds ratios) were compared between exposed and non-exposed youth. More than 95% of the sample was exposed to prevention programs. Exposure was negatively associated with lifetime smoking and past 30-day smoking with a dose-response relation. Reduction in smoking was related to increased quitting in 2000–02, to increased quitting and declined initiation in 2003–05, and to initiation, quitting and relapse in 2005–08. Findings of this analysis suggest that intervention programs in the United States can reduce cigarette smoking among youth. Quitting smoking was most responsive to program exposure and relapse was most sensitive to funding cuts since 2003. Health policy and decision makers should consider these factors in planning and revising tobacco control strategies. PMID:22410164

Globalization and reproductive tourism in the United Arab Emirates.

PubMed

Inhorn, Marcia C; Shrivastav, Pankaj

2010-07-01

Over the past 2 decades, the discipline of anthropology has been deeply concerned with the processes and effects of globalization around the world. One of the major anthropological theorists of globalization, Arjun Appadurai, has delineated a "global cultural economy" in which global movements operate through 5 pathways, which he famously called "scapes." This article uses the language of "scapes" to examine the global flows involved in so-called "reproductive tourism," or the search for assisted reproductive technologies across national and international borders. Reproductive tourism entails a complex "reproscape" of moving people, technologies, finance, media, ideas, and gametes, pursued by infertile couples in their "quests for conception." This article examines reproductive tourism to and from the United Arab Emirates, which is now the site of intense globalization and global flows, including individual and population movements for the purposes of reproductive and other forms of medical care.

A Review of Opportunities to Improve the Health of People Involved in the Criminal Justice System in the United States.

PubMed

Freudenberg, Nicholas; Heller, Daliah

2016-01-01

In the past decade, many constituencies have questioned the efficacy, cost, and unintended consequences of mass incarceration in the United States. Although substantial evidence now demonstrates that US incarceration policies have had unintended adverse health consequences, we know less about the strategies and policies that can prevent or reduce these problems for justice-involved individuals and how the criminal justice system (CJS) can contribute to the Healthy People 2020 national goal of eliminating inequities in health. This review examines strategies that have been used to improve the health of people at various stages of CJS involvement, including diversion from jail and prison stays into community settings, improvements to the social and physical environments within correctional facilities, provision of health and other services to inmates, assistance for people leaving correctional facilities to make the transition back to the community, and systems coordination and integration.

Moore's law and the impact on trusted and radiation-hardened microelectronics.

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

Ma, Kwok Kee

2011-12-01

In 1965 Gordon Moore wrote an article claiming that integrated circuit density would scale exponentially. His prediction has remained valid for more than four decades. Integrated circuits have changed all aspects of everyday life. They are also the 'heart and soul' of modern systems for defense, national infrastructure, and intelligence applications. The United States government needs an assured and trusted microelectronics supply for military systems. However, migration of microelectronics design and manufacturing from the United States to other countries in recent years has placed the supply of trusted microelectronics in jeopardy. Prevailing wisdom dictates that it is necessary to usemore » microelectronics fabricated in a state-of-the-art technology for highest performance and military system superiority. Close examination of silicon microelectronics technology evolution and Moore's Law reveals that this prevailing wisdom is not necessarily true. This presents the US government the possibility of a totally new approach to acquire trusted microelectronics.« less

In Brief: Improving science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Showstack, Randy

2010-09-01

Over the course of the next decade, 100,000 science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers should be recruited in the United States, and 1000 new STEM-focused schools should be created, according to a 16 September report, “Prepare and inspire: K-12 education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for America's future.” Noting that the United States lags behind other nations in STEM education at the elementary and secondary levels, the report, prepared by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, also recommends improving federal coordination and leadership on STEM education and supporting a state-led movement for shared standards in math and science. The release of the report coincides with President Barack Obama's announcement of the launch of Change the Equation, an organization that aims to help with math and science education. More information is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp and http://www.changetheequation.org/.

Lessons to be Learned from Recent Biosafety Incidents in the United States.

PubMed

Weiss, Shay; Yitzhaki, Shmuel; Shapira, Shmuel C

2015-05-01

During recent months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the occurrence of three major biosafety incidents, raising serious concern about biosafety and biosecurity guideline implementation in the most prestigious agencies in the United States: the CDC, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). These lapses included: a) the mishandling of Bacillus anthracis spores potentially exposing dozens of employees to anthrax; b) the shipment of low pathogenic influenza virus unknowingly cross-contaminated with a highly pathogenic strain; and c) an inventory lapse of hundreds of samples of biological agents, including six vials of variola virus kept in a cold storage room for decades, unnoticed. In this review we present the published data on these events, report the CDC inquiry's main findings, and discuss the key lessons to be learnt to ensure safer scientific practice in biomedical and microbiological service and research laboratories.

Disease management: definitions, difficulties and future directions.

PubMed Central

Pilnick, A.; Dingwall, R.; Starkey, K.

2001-01-01

The last decade has seen a wide range of experiments in health care reform intended to contain costs and promote effectiveness. In the USA, managed care and disease management have been major strategies in this endeavour. It has been argued that their apparent success has strong implications for reform in other countries. However, in this paper we ask whether they are so easily exportable. We explain the concepts involved and set the development of managed care and disease management programmes in the context of the USA. The constituent elements of disease management are identified and discussed. Disease management is considered from the perspectives of the major stakeholders in the United Kingdom, and the differences between the models of health care in the United Kingdom's National Health Service and the USA are noted. A review is presented of evaluations of disease management programmes and of the weaknesses they highlight. The prospects for disease management in Europe are also discussed. PMID:11545333

Two decades (1993-2012) of adult intensive care unit design: a comparative study of the physical design features of the best practice examples.

PubMed

Rashid, Mahbub

2014-01-01

In 2006, Critical Care Nursing Quarterly published a study of the physical design features of a set of best practice example adult intensive care units (ICUs). These adult ICUs were awarded between 1993 and 2003 by the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, and the American Institute of Architects/Academy of Architecture for Health for their efforts to promote the critical care unit environment through design. Since 2003, several more adult ICUs were awarded by the same organizations for similar efforts. This study includes these newer ICUs along with those of the previous study to cover a period of 2 decades from 1993 to 2012. Like the 2006 study, this study conducts a systematic content analysis of the materials submitted by the award-winning adult ICUs. On the basis of the analysis, the study compares the 1993-2002 and 2003-2012 adult ICUs in relation to construction type, unit specialty, unit layout, unit size, patient room size and design, support and service area layout, and family space design. The study also compares its findings with the 2010 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities of the Facility Guidelines Institute and the 2012 Guidelines for Intensive Care Unit Design of the SCCM. The study indicates that the award-winning ICUs of both decades used several design features that were associated with positive outcomes in research studies. The study also indicates that the award-winning ICUs of the second decade used more evidence-based design features than those of the first decades. In most cases, these ICUs exceeded the requirements of the Facility Guidelines Institute Guidelines to meet those of the SCCM Guidelines. Yet, the award-winning ICUs of both decades also used several features that had very little or no supporting research evidence. Since they all were able to create an optimal critical care environment for which they were awarded, having knowledge of the physical design of these award-winning ICUs may help design better ICUs.

Ten years of stroke programmes in Poland: where did we start? Where did we get to?

PubMed

Członkowska, Anna; Niewada, Maciej; Sarzyñska-Długosz, Iwona; Kobayashi, Adam; Skowroñska, Marta

2010-10-01

Risk factors and a high stroke mortality rate are a heavy stroke burden on Central and Eastern European countries. The 1995 Helsingborg Declaration outlined the aim of the coming decade was to improve patient care. In Poland it led to the foundation of the National Stroke Prevention and Treatment Programme, (1998-2008) which later became part of the National Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Treatment Programme. • Improve acute and postacute management • Implement innovative therapies • Develop poststroke rehabilitation, and • Monitor epidemiology. Establishing and equipping stroke units has raised their number from three to 111. Thrombolysis for stroke and carotid angioplasty and stenting procedures were supported and supervised. The needs in poststroke rehabilitation were assessed and services have improved due to the support of the programme. Continuous monitoring of patient care proved that the mortality and disability rates have decreased and the quality of treatment has improved.

Nonpoint sources as external threats to coastal water quality: lessons from Park Service experience

USGS Publications Warehouse

Burroughs, R.H.

1993-01-01

Program design for nonpoint source control was considered through an analogous problem, external threats to national parks. Nonpoint sources are diffuse land activities that degrade water quality, and recent federal legislation seeks to limit them in coastal areas. External threats occur outside a park boundary but affect the purposes for, or resources within, a park. They have been subject to federal management for many decades. Nonpoint sources are a class of external threat. Therefore, programs to limit them should consider techniques used in part protection. These park techniques include 'hard approaches', which rely on power, usually through legal devices, and 'soft approaches', which utilize shared values and objectives. A linked approach, as exemplified at the Cape Cod National Seashore, appears most promising. In a linked approach, if a soft approach fails, the manager of the protected unit is empowered to take an alternative hard action to protect the resource.

Gender and Programming.

PubMed

Crittenden, Courtney A; Koons-Witt, Barbara A

2017-05-01

The current study examines U.S. prison programming availability and participation by gender on a national level. The authors build upon previous literature by using national-level data, something that has been done in very limited cases previously. The main concern of this study is gender and its effects on programming availability and participation. The U.S. corrections field has undergone major changes in regard to population trends, fiscal constraints, policies, and research over the last few decades without a large-scale examination of the effects of these changes on programming across the United States. In this study, multiple types of programming areas were examined and results indicated that often female prisons (i.e., prisons housing only females) were more likely to offer programs (e.g., mental health options) and women were more likely to participate in many programming options compared with male prisons and men, respectively. We discuss the possible reasons for this and implications for future research.

Air medical evacuations from a developing world conflict zone.

PubMed

Low, Adam; Vadera, Bettina

2011-01-01

Somalia has been without effective government for close to two decades, with more than 1 million people internally displaced. The political unrest persists, with United Nations-backed African Union peacekeeping forces supporting the Transitional National government of Sharif Ahmed, struggling to maintain control of central Mogadishu from Islamist extremist groups, such as the reportedly Al-Qaeda-backed Al-Shabab. The African Union force of 5,000 troops is predominantly of Ugandan and Burundian origin, making up the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) effort. However, its mandate is limited to operations only in Mogadishu, and it is unauthorized to actively pursue insurgents. As with other ongoing high-profile conflicts, African Union troops face an enemy that blends into the civilian populace, fighting with a lethal mixture of improvised explosive devices and suicide bombers. Copyright © 2011 Air Medical Journal Associates. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Accouting for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Reservoirs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beaulieu, J. J.; Deemer, B. R.; Harrison, J. A.; Nietch, C. T.; Waldo, S.

2016-12-01

Nearly three decades of research has demonstrated that the impoundment of rivers and the flooding of terrestrial ecosystems behind dams can increase rates of greenhouse gas emission, particularly methane. The 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories includes a methodology for estimating methane emissions from flooded lands, but the methodology was published as an appendix to be used as a `basis for future methodological development' due to a lack of data. Since the 2006 Guidelines were published there has been a 6-fold increase in the number of peer reviewed papers published on the topic including reports from reservoirs in India, China, Africa, and Russia. Furthermore, several countries, including Iceland, Switzerland, and Finland, have developed country specific methodologies for including flooded lands methane emissions in their National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. This presentation will include a review of the literature on flooded land methane emissions and approaches that have been used to upscale emissions for national inventories. We will also present ongoing research in the United States to develop a country specific methodology. In the U.S., research approaches include: 1) an effort to develop predictive relationships between methane emissions and reservoir characteristics that are available in national databases, such as reservoir size and drainage area, and 2) a national-scale probabilistic survey of reservoir methane emissions linked to the National Lakes Assessment.

The National Space Weather Program: Two decades of interagency partnership and accomplishments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonadonna, Michael; Lanzerotti, Louis; Stailey, Judson

2017-01-01

This paper describes the development of the United States National Space Weather Program (NSWP) from early interests in space environmental phenomena and their impact through the culmination of the program in 2015. Over its 21 year run, the NSWP facilitated substantial improvements in the capabilities of Federal Space Weather services and fostered broad and enduring partnerships with industry and the academic community within the U.S. and internationally. Under the management of the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research a coalition of 10 federal agencies worked together from 1994 to 2015 to advance the national space weather enterprise. The paper describes key events and accomplishments of the NSWP interagency partnership while recognizing the great achievements made by the individual agencies. In order to provide context, the paper also discusses several important events outside the NSWP purview. Some of these external events influenced the course of the NSWP, while others were encouraged by the NSWP partnership. Following the establishment of the Space Weather Operations, Research, and Mitigation Task Force of the National Science and Technology Council in the White House and the deactivation of the NSWP Council, the agencies now play a supporting role in the national effort as the federal engagement in the National Space Weather Partnership graduates to a higher level.

A program for preserving and advancing nuclear power in the USA

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

NONE

1988-05-01

In the USA, utilities are very unlikely to begin ordering any new nuclear plants for use before the year 2000. Too many obstacles currently exist. On the other hand, long-term influences ultimately will force construction of more nuclear units. The problem is whether to do nothing now, and wait until economic forces dictate action, or begin meaningful preparations for the future. Approximately 100 nuclear plants currently are operating in the USA and another dozen will start up within the next few years. Completion of those plants will mark the end of new startups for more than a decade to come.more » Many nuclear facilities have already operated for 10 to 20 years, and in some cases longer. While the average operating lifetime of nuclear stations has yet to be determined, 30 to 50 years is usually assumed. Therefore, as plants age, decommissioning will be necessary and the number of operating units will steadily decline. Nuclear energy production will peak (after new startups) at approximately 20 percent of total national electricity production and, as decommissioning accelerates, will decline towards zero during the first few decades of the next century. All types of power plants age and must eventually be replaced. Furthermore, even taking into account modest growth and ever improving conservation, increasing demand will require the building of several hundred new electrical generating facilities during the next several decades. What types of generating plants will be built is not clear. Will coal satisfy all our needs? Most unlikely. Oil? Out of the question. Natural gas? A share. Hydro? Few new dams will be built. Passive energies, such as solar? A minor fraction. Do without nuclear power? Most unlikely.« less

A Nation of Learners: Nostalgia and Amnesia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bracey, Gerald W.

1997-01-01

Critics have long claimed that kids are getting dumber. Only in recent decades have schools been blamed for students' perceived ineptitude and our nation's declining competitiveness. Education indicators sagged around 1965 for a decade, then climbed to new highs. The schools shouldered the blame for the late 1980s recession, but got no credit for…

FOSTERING APPLICATIONS OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE NASA SOIL MOISTURE ACTIVE PASSIVE (SMAP) MISSION

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Mission is one of the first Earth observation satellites being developed by NASA in response to the National Research Council’s (NRC’s) Decadal Survey, Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond. SMAP will ma...

Worldwide Trends of Urinary Stone Disease Treatment Over the Last Two Decades: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Geraghty, Robert M; Jones, Patrick; Somani, Bhaskar K

2017-06-01

Numerous studies have reported on regional or national trends of stone disease treatment. However, no article has yet examined the global trends of intervention for stone disease. A systematic review of articles from 1996 to September 2016 for all English language articles reporting on trends of surgical treatment of stone disease was performed. Authors were contacted in the case of data not being clear. If the authors did not reply, data were estimated from graphs or tables. Results were analyzed using SPSS version 21, and trends were analyzed using linear regression. Our systematic review yielded 120 articles, of which 8 were included in the initial review. This reflected outcomes from six countries with available data: United Kingdom, United States, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and Brazil. Overall ureteroscopy (URS) had a 251.8% increase in total number of treatments performed with the share of total treatments increasing by 17%. While the share of total treatments for percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) remained static, the share for extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy and open surgery fell by 14.5% and 12%, respectively. There was significant linear regression between rising trends of total treatments year on year for URS (p < 0.001). In the last two decades, the share of total treatment for urolithiasis across the published literature has increased for URS, stable for PCNL, and decreased for lithotripsy and open surgery.

Drinking and Driving in the United States: Comparing Results from the 2007 and 1996 National Roadside Surveys

PubMed Central

Kelley-Baker, Tara; Lacey, John H.; Voas, Robert B.; Romano, Eduardo; Yao, Jie; Berning, Amy

2013-01-01

Objectives The objectives of this study were to (a) use data from the 2007 National Roadside Survey (NRS) to determine the characteristics of weekend nighttime drivers with positive blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) on U.S. roads in 2007; (b) determine the relationship of the driving environment and trip characteristics associated with drinking drivers; and (c) compare the findings for the 2007 NRS with those for the 1996 NRS. Methods Like the 1996 NRS, the 2007 NRS used a stratified random national roadside survey sample of the contiguous 48 states and collected nighttime data on Fridays and Saturdays between 10 PM and 3 AM. Officers directed 8,384 drivers into off-road parking areas where our research team asked them to participate in the survey. Results Of those approached, 7,159 (85.4%) provided a breath test. Results revealed that 12% of the nighttime drivers had positive BACs, and of those, 2% were higher than the .08 BAC illegal limit in the United States. Since the 1996 NRS, we found significant reductions in the percentage of BAC-positive drivers across different demographic groups. Age was among the most significant factors associated with a weekend driver having a positive BAC. The probability that a driver would be drinking peaked in the 21- to 25-year-old age group. Male drivers were more likely than female drivers to be drinking, and Asian and Hispanic drivers were less likely than White drivers to be drinking. Drinking drivers were more likely to be driving short distances (5 or fewer miles), late at night (between 1 and 3 AM), and to be coming from a bar or restaurant. Finally, 26% of the drivers who reported that they would drive less than 5 miles on the night of the survey had positive BACs, compared to only 16% who indicated they would drive between 6 and 20 miles and 10% who planned to drive more than 20 miles. Conclusions The 2007 NRS provides another benchmark in the four-decade record of drinking drivers on American roads and provides a basis for measuring progress in combating driving under the influence during the coming decade. PMID:23343019

Effects of Drought and Water Resource Management on Biophysical and Sociocultural Ecosystem Services in South-Central United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Julian, J.; Castro, A.; Vaughn, C.; Atkinson, C.

2014-12-01

South-Central United States is one of the fastest growing regions in the nation; however, it is experiencing water supply limitations. In response, multiple interests have focused on the Kiamichi River watershed in southeast Oklahoma as a future inter-basin water supply. The Kiamichi River provides many ecosystem services, including freshwater provision to 19 cities/towns, outdoor recreation hub for the South-Central U.S., cultural capital of the Choctaw Indian Nation, and a national biodiversity hotspot. With multiple recent stressors, these ecosystem services are highly threatened. Here we present how drought and water management have impacted these benefits over the past 20 years. First, we assessed the river's sensitivity to drought (which is cyclical) and water regulation (which has increased over the past three decades). Second, we analyzed how these hydrologic changes have impacted freshwater habitat, focusing on mussels because of their sensitivity to flow alterations and because they provide additional ecosystem services such as biofiltration, nutrient recycling/storage, and cultural resources. Third, we performed a sociocultural valuation for a suite of ecosystem services provided by the Kiamichi River watershed, including 505 interviews of five different ecosystem services beneficiary (ESB) groups. We obtained ESB perceptions on how ecosystem services changed with different flow conditions and water management strategies. Analyses revealed that increased regulation (fewer dam releases) has caused the Kiamichi River to have long no flow periods during droughts (e.g. 176 days with no flow in 2006). These long dry periods have been the main culprit for a 60% decline in mussel biomass over the past 20 years, and subsequent large losses in biofiltration and nutrient recycling. Interestingly, ESBs perceived similar losses of ecosystem services. Without being provided any information on flow, more than half of the ESBs believed that water supply, freshwater habitat, and water quality had all declined over the past decade. Overall, we found strong relationships among river flow, mussel abundance, and social perception of watershed services, suggesting that water management is key in maximizing the product of ecosystem services for all stakeholders.

International Commons: Sharing of International Resourees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salam, Abdus

In 1945 Europe was devastated. Soon after, the United States took a remarkable initiative with the launching of the Marshall Plan to finance European recovery. Some 32 billion dollars were generously provided, amounting, in the beginning, to a contribution of around 2.79% of the Gross National Product of the USA. A magnificent act of magnanimity, it was pure altruism, because the USA knew that by building up Europe, it was contributing to the future prosperity for the entire Western world, including enhanced prosperity of the United States itself, through trade and commerce. It is unfashionable nowadays to speak in these terms, but one may have called this act Keynesianism at its best, inspired by the earlier success of the New Deal in the United States itself. One of the results of this all too rare act of economic wisdom was that during the next decade — the sixties and the seventies — after Western Europe was back on its feet, the prosperity of all countries — including the donor country of the USA — increased to levels unmatched in world history before…

Two Decades of Negative Educational Selectivity of Mexican Migrants to the United States

PubMed Central

Rendall, Michael S.; Parker, Susan W.

2015-01-01

Immigration is commonly considered to be selective of more able individuals. Studies comparing the educational attainment of Mexican immigrants in the United States to that of the Mexican resident population support this characterization. Upward educational-attainment biases in both coverage and measurement, however, may be substantial in U.S. data sources. Moreover, differences in educational attainment by place size are very large within Mexico, and U.S. data sources provide no information on immigrants’ places of origin within Mexico. To address these problems, we use multiple sources of nationally-representative Mexican survey data to re-evaluate the educational selectivity of working-age Mexican migrants to the United States over the 1990s and 2000s. We document disproportionately rural and small-urban-area origins of Mexican migrants and a steep positive gradient of educational attainment by place size. We show that together these conditions induced strongly negative educational selection of Mexican migrants throughout the 1990s and 2000s. We interpret this finding as consistent with low returns to the education of unauthorized migrants and few opportunities for authorized migration. PMID:25995526

The national profile of access to medical care: where do we stand?

PubMed

Aday, L A; Andersen, R M

1984-12-01

This paper presents analyses of recent national survey data on access to medical care. In particular, information on major access indicators and special problems associated with the economic and political climate of the 1980s collected in a 1982 national telephone survey of 6,610 United States adults and children, representing some 4,802 families, is compared with previous national surveys for key population subgroups--by age, place of residence, income, race, insurance coverage, and type of regular source of care. In general, the findings show that favorable progress has been made, but some inequities continue to persist. Some traditionally disadvantaged groups are more likely to have a regular family doctor, private insurance coverage, have been to a doctor, or had certain preventive tests and procedures than was true for them in the past. On the other hand, compared to the more economically and/or socially advantaged groups in 1982, they have still not "caught up" entirely. There also is evidence that they may be hardest hit by the exacerbation of the financial barriers to care that result from unemployment, inflation, and cutbacks in health program eligibility and benefits that have characterized the decade of the 1980s.

An analysis of discrepancies between United Kingdom cancer research funding and societal burden and a comparison to previous and United States values.

PubMed

Carter, Ashley J R; Delarosa, Beverly; Hur, Hannah

2015-11-02

Ideally, the allocation of research funding for each specific type of cancer should be proportional to its societal burden. This burden can be estimated with the metric 'years of life lost' (YLL), which combines overall mortality and age at death. Using United Kingdom data from 2010, we compared research funding from the National Cancer Research Institute to this YLL burden metric for 26 types of cancers in order to identify the discrepancies between cancer research funding allocation and societal burden. We also compared these values to United States data from 2010 and United Kingdom data published in 2005. Our study revealed a number of discrepancies between cancer research funding and burden. Some cancers are funded at levels far higher than their relative burden suggests (testicular, leukaemia, Hodgkin's lymphoma, breast, cervical, ovarian, prostate) while other cancers appear under-funded (gallbladder, lung, nasopharyngeal, intestine, stomach, pancreatic, thyroid, oesophageal, liver, kidney, bladder, and brain/central nervous system). United Kingdom funding patterns over the past decade have generally moved to increase funding to previously under-funded cancers with one notable exception showing a converse trend (breast cancer). The broad relationship between United Kingdom and United States funding patterns is similar with a few exceptions (e.g. leukaemia, Hodgkin's lymphoma, prostate, testicular cancer). There are discrepancies between cancer research funding allocation and societal burden in the United Kingdom. These discrepancies are broadly similar in both the United Kingdom and the United States and, while they appear to be improving, this is not consistent across all types of cancer.

Pain and Policy Studies Group: Two Decades of Working to Address Regulatory Barriers to Improve Opioid Availability and Accessibility Around the World.

PubMed

Cleary, James F; Maurer, Martha A

2018-02-01

For two decades, the Pain & Policy Studies Group (PPSG), a global research program at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, has worked passionately to fulfill its mission of improving pain relief by achieving balanced access to opioids worldwide. PPSG's early work highlighted the conceptual framework of balance leading to the development of the seminal guidelines and criteria for evaluating opioid policy. It has collaborated at the global level with United Nations agencies to promote access to opioids and has developed a unique model of technical assistance to help national governments assess regulatory barriers to essential medicines for pain relief and amend existing or develop new legislation that facilitates appropriate and adequate opioid prescribing according to international standards. This model was initially applied in regional workshops and individual country projects and then adapted for PPSG's International Pain Policy Fellowship, which provides long-term mentoring and support for several countries simultaneously. The PPSG disseminates its work online in several ways, including an extensive Web site, news alerts, and through several social media outlets. PPSG has become the focal point for expertise on policy governing drug control and medicine and pharmacy practice related to opioid availability and pain relief. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Labor and skills gap analysis of the biomedical research workforce.

PubMed

Mason, Julie L; Johnston, Elizabeth; Berndt, Sam; Segal, Katie; Lei, Ming; Wiest, Jonathan S

2016-08-01

The United States has experienced an unsustainable increase of the biomedical research workforce over the past 3 decades. This expansion has led to a myriad of consequences, including an imbalance in the number of researchers and available tenure-track faculty positions, extended postdoctoral training periods, increasing age of investigators at first U.S. National Institutes of Health R01 grant, and exodus of talented individuals seeking careers beyond traditional academe. Without accurate data on the biomedical research labor market, challenges will remain in resolving these problems and in advising trainees of viable career options and the skills necessary to be productive in their careers. We analyzed workforce trends, integrating both traditional labor market information and real-time job data. We generated a profile of the current biomedical research workforce, performed labor gap analyses of occupations in the workforce at regional and national levels, and assessed skill transferability between core and complementary occupations. We conclude that although supply into the workforce and the number of job postings for occupations within that workforce have grown over the past decade, supply continues to outstrip demand. Moreover, we identify practical skill sets from real-time job postings to optimally equip trainees for an array of careers to effectively meet future workforce demand.-Mason, J. L., Johnston, E., Berndt, S., Segal, K., Lei, M., Wiest, J. S. Labor and skills gap analysis of the biomedical research workforce. © FASEB.

State of emergency medicine in Colombia.

PubMed

Arbelaez, Christian; Patiño, Andrés

2015-01-01

Colombia is an upper-middle-income country with a population of 45 million people and one of the best national healthcare and medical education systems in South America. However, its widely diverse and difficult terrains hinder healthcare delivery to rural areas, creating disparities in healthcare access and outcomes between the urban and rural settings. Currently, emergency medical care is overwhelmingly provided by general practitioners without residency training, who obtain specialty consultations based on the medical/surgical condition identified. A few emergency medicine (EM) residency programs have sprouted over the last two decades in renowned academic institutions in the largest cities, producing high-quality EM specialists. With the establishment of EM as a specialty in 2005 and increasing recognition of the specialty, there has been an increasing demand for EM specialists in cities, which is only slowly being met by the current residencies. The critical challenges for EM in Colombia are both, establishing itself as a well-recognized specialty - by increasing academic production and reaching a critical mass of and unity among EM specialists - and providing the highest quality and safest emergency care to the people of Colombia - by improving capacity both in emergency departments and in the regional and national emergency response systems. Historically, the establishment of EM as a strongly organized specialty in other countries has spanned decades (e.g., the United States), and Colombia has been making significant progress in a similar trajectory.

Labor and skills gap analysis of the biomedical research workforce

PubMed Central

Mason, Julie L.; Johnston, Elizabeth; Berndt, Sam; Segal, Katie; Lei, Ming; Wiest, Jonathan S.

2016-01-01

The United States has experienced an unsustainable increase of the biomedical research workforce over the past 3 decades. This expansion has led to a myriad of consequences, including an imbalance in the number of researchers and available tenure-track faculty positions, extended postdoctoral training periods, increasing age of investigators at first U.S. National Institutes of Health R01 grant, and exodus of talented individuals seeking careers beyond traditional academe. Without accurate data on the biomedical research labor market, challenges will remain in resolving these problems and in advising trainees of viable career options and the skills necessary to be productive in their careers. We analyzed workforce trends, integrating both traditional labor market information and real-time job data. We generated a profile of the current biomedical research workforce, performed labor gap analyses of occupations in the workforce at regional and national levels, and assessed skill transferability between core and complementary occupations. We conclude that although supply into the workforce and the number of job postings for occupations within that workforce have grown over the past decade, supply continues to outstrip demand. Moreover, we identify practical skill sets from real-time job postings to optimally equip trainees for an array of careers to effectively meet future workforce demand.—Mason, J. L., Johnston, E., Berndt, S., Segal, K., Lei, M., Wiest, J. S. Labor and skills gap analysis of the biomedical research workforce. PMID:27075242

The road to patient experience of care measurement: lessons from the United States.

PubMed

Zimlichman, Eyal; Rozenblum, Ronen; Millenson, Michael L

2013-09-17

Patient-centered care has become an increasing priority in the United States and plays a prominent role in recent healthcare reforms. One way the country has managed to advance patient-centered care is through establishment of a family of national patient experience surveys (the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Plans (CAHPS). CAHPS is publicly reported for several types of providers and was recently tied to hospital reimbursement. This is part of a trend over the last two decades that has shifted provider-patient relationships from a traditional paternal approach to customer service and then to clinical partnership. The health care system in Israel, however, is still struggling to overcome barriers to change in this area. While community based biannual patient experience surveys are conducted by the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, there is no comprehensive national approach to measuring the patient experience across a broad range of settings. Only recently did the Israeli Ministry of Health take its first steps to include patient experience as a dimension of health care quality.In its current position, Israel should learn from the U.S. experience with policies promoting patient-centered care, and specifically the impact on clinical services of measuring the patient experience. Looking at what has happened in the United States, we suggest three main lessons. First, there is a need for a set of national patient experience surveys that would be publicly reported and eventually tied to provider reimbursement. Secondly, the national survey tools should be customized to the unique characteristics of Israeli society and draw from recent research on patient-centeredness to include new and important domains such as patient activation and shared decision-making. Finally, newer technological approaches should be explored with the aim of increasing response rates and the timeliness and usefulness of the surveys.

American Higher Education: Journalistic and Policy Perspectives from "National CrossTalk"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trombley, William H., Ed.; Sallo, Todd, Ed.

2012-01-01

In the first decade of the 21st century, the nation, the states, and colleges and universities began to grapple with the challenges of globalization, changing demography, the implications of the digital era, and of a less expansive public sector. Although not a transformative period for higher education, the decade saw significant innovations in…

Reinvesting in Arts Education: Winning America's Future through Creative Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dwyer, M. Christine

2011-01-01

A remarkably consistent picture of the value of the arts in a comprehensive Pre-K-grade 12 education emerges from a review of two decades of theory and policy recommendations about arts education. Over the past decade, the National Governors Association, the Education Commission of the States, the National Association of State Boards of Education,…

Basic Facts about the United Nations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations, New York, NY. Office of Public Information.

The work of the United Nations is described in summary form. Material is divided into sections on the origin, programs, purpose, principles, and structure of the United Nations; the United Nations at work for International Peace; the United Nations at Work for Economic and Social Development; The United Nations at Work for Decolonization; the…

3 CFR - Waiver of Reimbursement Under the United Nations Participation Act to Support the United Nations...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Participation Act to Support the United Nations/African Union Mission in Darfur Presidential Documents Other... the United Nations Participation Act to Support the United Nations/African Union Mission in Darfur... the United Nations/African Union Mission in Darfur to support the airlift of equipment for...

Smoking among Hispanic/Latino nationality groups and Whites, comparisons between California and the United States.

PubMed

Felicitas-Perkins, Jamie Q; Sakuma, Kari-Lyn K; Blanco, Lyzette; Fagan, Pebbles; Pérez-Stable, Eliseo J; Bostean, Georgiana; Xie, Bin; Trinidad, Dennis R

2017-08-30

Although California is home to the largest Hispanic/Latino population, few studies have compared smoking behavior trends of Hispanic/Latino nationality groups in California to the remaining United States (US), which may identify the impact of the state's anti-tobacco efforts on these groups. This study compared smoking status, frequency, and intensity among Mexican Americans, Central/South Americans, and non-Hispanic Whites in California to the remaining US in the 1990s and 2000s. Data were analyzed using the 1992-2011 Current Population Survey Tobacco Use Supplement to report the estimated prevalence of smoking status, frequency, and intensity by decade, race/ethnicity, and state residence. Weighted logistic regression explored sociodemographic factors associated with never and heavy smoking (≥ 20 cigarettes per day). Results showed absolute overall increases from 6.8% to 9.6% in never smoking across all groups. Compared to the remaining US, there was a greater decrease in heavy smoking among Mexican American current smokers in California (5.1%) and a greater increase in light and intermittent smokers among Central/South American current smokers in California (9.3%) between decades. Compared to those living in the remaining US, smokers living in California had lower odds of heavy smoking (1990s: OR=0.64, 95% CI=0.62, 0.66; 2000s: 0.54, 95% CI= 0.52, 0.55). California state residence significantly impacted smoking behaviors as indicated by significant differences in smoking intensity between California and the remaining US among Hispanic/Latino nationality groups. Understanding smoking behaviors across Hispanic/Latino nationality groups in California and the US can inform tobacco control and smoking prevention strategies for these groups. The present study explored the differences in smoking behaviors between Whites, Mexican Americans, and Central South/Americans living in California versus the rest of the US in the 1990s and the 2000s. The results contribute to our current knowledge as there have been minimal efforts to provide disaggregated cigarette consumption information among Hispanic/Latino nationality groups. Additionally, by comparing cigarette consumption between those in California and the remaining US, our data may provide insight into the impact of California's anti-tobacco efforts in reaching Hispanic/Latino subpopulations relative to the remaining US states, many of which have had less tobacco control policy implementation. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Assessing hazards along our Nation's coasts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hapke, Cheryl J.; Brenner, Owen; Henderson, Rachel E.; Reynolds, B.J.

2013-01-01

Coastal areas are essential to the economic, cultural, and environmental health of the Nation, yet by nature coastal areas are constantly changing due to a variety of events and processes. Extreme storms can cause dramatic changes to our shorelines in a matter of hours, while sea-level rise can profoundly alter coastal environments over decades. These changes can have a devastating impact on coastal communities, such as the loss of homes built on retreating sea cliffs or protective dunes eroded by storm waves. Sometimes, however, the changes can be positive, such as new habitat created by storm deposits. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is meeting the need for scientific understanding of how our coasts respond to different hazards with continued assessments of current and future changes along U.S. coastlines. Through the National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards (NACCH), the USGS carries out the unique task of quantifying coastal change hazards along open-ocean coasts in the United States and its territories. Residents of coastal communities, emergency managers, and other stakeholders can use science-based data, tools, models, and other products to improve planning and enhance resilience.

Testing for the validity of purchasing power parity theory both in the long-run and the short-run for ASEAN-5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choji, Niri Martha; Sek, Siok Kun

2017-11-01

The purchasing power parity theory says that the trade rates among two nations ought to be equivalent to the proportion of the total price levels between the two nations. For more than a decade, there has been substantial interest in testing for the validity of the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) empirically. This paper performs a series of tests to see if PPP is valid for ASEAN-5 nations for the period of 2000-2016 using monthly data. For this purpose, we conducted four different tests of stationarity, two cointegration tests (Pedroni and Westerlund), and also the VAR model. The stationarity (unit root) tests reveal that the variables are not stationary at levels however stationary at first difference. Cointegration test results did not reject the H0 of no cointegration implying the absence long-run association among the variables and results of the VAR model did not reveal a strong short-run relationship. Based on the data, we, therefore, conclude that PPP is not valid in long-and short-run for ASEAN-5 during 2000-2016.

Study of the National Science Foundation's South Pole Station as an analogous data base for the logistical support of a Moon laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hickam, H. H., Jr.

1993-01-01

The day will come when the United States will want to return to the Earth's Moon. When that occurs, NASA may look to the Apollo program for technical and inspirational guidance. The Apollo program, however, was designed to be an end to itself--the landing of a man on the Moon and his return safely within the decade of the 1960's. When that was accomplished, the program folded because it was not self-sustaining. The next time we return to the Moon, we should base our planning on a program that is designed to be a sustained effort for an indefinite period. It is the thrust of this report that the South Pole Station of the National Science Foundation can be used to develop analogs for the construction, funding, and logistical support of a lunar base. Other analogs include transportation and national efforts versus international cooperation. A recommended lunar base using the South Pole Station as inspiration is provided, as well as details concerning economical construction of the base over a 22-year period.

Best Practice Guidelines for Pre-Launch Characterization and Calibration of Instruments for Passive Optical Remote Sensing1

PubMed Central

Datla, R. U.; Rice, J. P.; Lykke, K. R.; Johnson, B. C.; Butler, J. J.; Xiong, X.

2011-01-01

The pre-launch characterization and calibration of remote sensing instruments should be planned and carried out in conjunction with their design and development to meet the mission requirements. The onboard calibrators such as blackbodies and the sensors such as spectral radiometers should be characterized and calibrated using SI traceable standards. In the case of earth remote sensing, this allows inter-comparison and intercalibration of different sensors in space to create global time series of climate records of high accuracy where some inevitable data gaps can be easily bridged. The recommended best practice guidelines for this pre-launch effort is presented based on experience gained at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) programs over the past two decades. The currently available radiometric standards and calibration facilities at NIST serving the remote sensing community are described. Examples of best practice calibrations and intercomparisons to build SI (international System of Units) traceable uncertainty budget in the instrumentation used for preflight satellite sensor calibration and validation are presented. PMID:26989588

Fingerprint identification: advances since the 2009 National Research Council report

PubMed Central

Champod, Christophe

2015-01-01

This paper will discuss the major developments in the area of fingerprint identification that followed the publication of the National Research Council (NRC, of the US National Academies of Sciences) report in 2009 entitled: Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward. The report portrayed an image of a field of expertise used for decades without the necessary scientific research-based underpinning. The advances since the report and the needs in selected areas of fingerprinting will be detailed. It includes the measurement of the accuracy, reliability, repeatability and reproducibility of the conclusions offered by fingerprint experts. The paper will also pay attention to the development of statistical models allowing assessment of fingerprint comparisons. As a corollary of these developments, the next challenge is to reconcile a traditional practice dominated by deterministic conclusions with the probabilistic logic of any statistical model. There is a call for greater candour and fingerprint experts will need to communicate differently on the strengths and limitations of their findings. Their testimony will have to go beyond the blunt assertion of the uniqueness of fingerprints or the opinion delivered ispe dixit. PMID:26101284

Best Practice Guidelines for Pre-Launch Characterization and Calibration of Instruments for Passive Optical Remote Sensing.

PubMed

Datla, R U; Rice, J P; Lykke, K R; Johnson, B C; Butler, J J; Xiong, X

2011-01-01

The pre-launch characterization and calibration of remote sensing instruments should be planned and carried out in conjunction with their design and development to meet the mission requirements. The onboard calibrators such as blackbodies and the sensors such as spectral radiometers should be characterized and calibrated using SI traceable standards. In the case of earth remote sensing, this allows inter-comparison and intercalibration of different sensors in space to create global time series of climate records of high accuracy where some inevitable data gaps can be easily bridged. The recommended best practice guidelines for this pre-launch effort is presented based on experience gained at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) programs over the past two decades. The currently available radiometric standards and calibration facilities at NIST serving the remote sensing community are described. Examples of best practice calibrations and intercomparisons to build SI (international System of Units) traceable uncertainty budget in the instrumentation used for preflight satellite sensor calibration and validation are presented.

Accounting For Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Flooded ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Nearly three decades of research has demonstrated that the inundation of rivers and terrestrial ecosystems behind dams can lead to enhanced rates of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane. The 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories includes a methodology for estimating methane emissions from flooded lands, but the methodology was published as an appendix to be used a ‘basis for future methodological development’ due to a lack of data. Since the 2006 Guidelines were published there has been a 6-fold increase in the number of peer reviewed papers published on the topic including reports from reservoirs in India, China, Africa, and Russia. Furthermore, several countries, including Iceland, Switzerland, and Finland, have developed country specific methodologies for including flooded lands methane emissions in their National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. This presentation will include a review of the literature on flooded land methane emissions and approaches that have been used to upscale emissions for national inventories. We will also present ongoing research in the United States to develop a country specific methodology. The research approaches include 1) an effort to develop predictive relationships between methane emissions and reservoir characteristics that are available in national databases, such as reservoir size and drainage area, and 2) a national-scale probabilistic survey of reservoir methane emissions. To inform th

Accounting for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Reservoirs ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Nearly three decades of research has demonstrated that the impoundment of rivers and the flooding of terrestrial ecosystems behind dams can increase rates of greenhouse gas emission, particularly methane. The 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories includes a methodology for estimating methane emissions from flooded lands, but the methodology was published as an appendix to be used as a ‘basis for future methodological development’ due to a lack of data. Since the 2006 Guidelines were published there has been a 6-fold increase in the number of peer reviewed papers published on the topic including reports from reservoirs in India, China, Africa, and Russia. Furthermore, several countries, including Iceland, Switzerland, and Finland, have developed country specific methodologies for including flooded lands methane emissions in their National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. This presentation will include a review of the literature on flooded land methane emissions and approaches that have been used to upscale emissions for national inventories. We will also present ongoing research in the United States to develop a country specific methodology. In the U.S., research approaches include: 1) an effort to develop predictive relationships between methane emissions and reservoir characteristics that are available in national databases, such as reservoir size and drainage area, and 2) a national-scale probabilistic survey of reservoir methane em

The Veterans Health Administration: quality, value, accountability, and information as transforming strategies for patient-centered care.

PubMed

Perlin, Johnathan B; Kolodner, Robert M; Roswell, Robert H

2005-01-01

The Veterans Health Administration is the United States' largest integrated health system. Once disparaged as a bureaucracy providing mediocre care, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reinvented itself during the past decade through a policy shift mandating structural and organizational change, rationalization of resource allocation, explicit measurement and accountability for quality and value, and development of an information infrastructure supporting the needs of patients, clinicians, and administrators. Today, the VA is recognized for leadership in clinical informatics and performance improvement, cares for more patients with proportionally fewer resources, and sets national benchmarks in patient satisfaction and for 18 indicators of quality in disease prevention and treatment.

The Veterans Health Administration: quality, value, accountability, and information as transforming strategies for patient-centered care.

PubMed

Perlin, Jonathan B; Kolodner, Robert M; Roswell, Robert H

2004-11-01

The Veterans Health Administration is the United States' largest integrated health system. Once disparaged as a bureaucracy providing mediocre care, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reinvented itself during the past decade through a policy shift mandating structural and organizational change, rationalization of resource allocation, explicit measurement and accountability for quality and value, and development of an information infrastructure supporting the needs of patients, clinicians, and administrators. Today, the VA is recognized for leadership in clinical informatics and performance improvement, cares for more patients with proportionally fewer resources, and sets national benchmarks in patient satisfaction and for 18 indicators of quality in disease prevention and treatment.

International Approaches in Human Rights Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lohrenscheit, Claudia

2002-07-01

This paper was presented at a working group on Human Rights Education (HRE), organised by Volker Lenhart and Christel Adick, as part of the biennial conference of the German Society for Educational Research (DGfE), held in 2000 in Göttingen. In the spirit of the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004) it contributes to the global discourse about HRE by summarising its foundations in international declarations and conventions, by discussing some examples for diverse approaches and conceptions of HRE and, finally by introducing some major obstacles or problems. The paper is part of the author's PhD project in the field of HRE and presents only an interim résumé of her recent work.

Mineral supply for sustainable development requires resource governance.

PubMed

Ali, Saleem H; Giurco, Damien; Arndt, Nicholas; Nickless, Edmund; Brown, Graham; Demetriades, Alecos; Durrheim, Ray; Enriquez, Maria Amélia; Kinnaird, Judith; Littleboy, Anna; Meinert, Lawrence D; Oberhänsli, Roland; Salem, Janet; Schodde, Richard; Schneider, Gabi; Vidal, Olivier; Yakovleva, Natalia

2017-03-15

Successful delivery of the United Nations sustainable development goals and implementation of the Paris Agreement requires technologies that utilize a wide range of minerals in vast quantities. Metal recycling and technological change will contribute to sustaining supply, but mining must continue and grow for the foreseeable future to ensure that such minerals remain available to industry. New links are needed between existing institutional frameworks to oversee responsible sourcing of minerals, trajectories for mineral exploration, environmental practices, and consumer awareness of the effects of consumption. Here we present, through analysis of a comprehensive set of data and demand forecasts, an interdisciplinary perspective on how best to ensure ecologically viable continuity of global mineral supply over the coming decades.

The effects of regional insolation differences upon advanced solar thermal electric power plant performance and energy costs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Latta, A. F.; Bowyer, J. M.; Fujita, T.

1979-01-01

This paper presents the performance and cost of four 10-MWe advanced solar thermal electric power plants sited in various regions of the continental United States. Each region has different insolation characteristics which result in varying collector field areas, plant performance, capital costs, and energy costs. The paraboloidal dish, central receiver, cylindrical parabolic trough, and compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) comprise the advanced concepts studied. This paper contains a discussion of the regional insolation data base, a description of the solar systems' performances and costs, and a presentation of a range for the forecast cost of conventional electricity by region and nationally over the next several decades.

Mineral supply for sustainable development requires resource governance

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ali, Saleem H.; Giurco, Damien; Arndt, Nicholas; Nickless, Edmund; Brown, Graham; Demetriades, Alecos; Durrheim, Ray; Enriquez, Maria Amélia; Kinnaird, Judith; Littleboy, Anna; Meinert, Lawrence D.; Oberhänsli, Roland; Salem, Janet; Schodde, Richard; Schneider, Gabi; Vidal, Olivier; Yakovleva, Natalia

2017-01-01

Successful delivery of the United Nations sustainable development goals and implementation of the Paris Agreement requires technologies that utilize a wide range of minerals in vast quantities. Metal recycling and technological change will contribute to sustaining supply, but mining must continue and grow for the foreseeable future to ensure that such minerals remain available to industry. New links are needed between existing institutional frameworks to oversee responsible sourcing of minerals, trajectories for mineral exploration, environmental practices, and consumer awareness of the effects of consumption. Here we present, through analysis of a comprehensive set of data and demand forecasts, an interdisciplinary perspective on how best to ensure ecologically viable continuity of global mineral supply over the coming decades.

Mineral supply for sustainable development requires resource governance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, Saleem H.; Giurco, Damien; Arndt, Nicholas; Nickless, Edmund; Brown, Graham; Demetriades, Alecos; Durrheim, Ray; Enriquez, Maria Amélia; Kinnaird, Judith; Littleboy, Anna; Meinert, Lawrence D.; Oberhänsli, Roland; Salem, Janet; Schodde, Richard; Schneider, Gabi; Vidal, Olivier; Yakovleva, Natalia

2017-03-01

Successful delivery of the United Nations sustainable development goals and implementation of the Paris Agreement requires technologies that utilize a wide range of minerals in vast quantities. Metal recycling and technological change will contribute to sustaining supply, but mining must continue and grow for the foreseeable future to ensure that such minerals remain available to industry. New links are needed between existing institutional frameworks to oversee responsible sourcing of minerals, trajectories for mineral exploration, environmental practices, and consumer awareness of the effects of consumption. Here we present, through analysis of a comprehensive set of data and demand forecasts, an interdisciplinary perspective on how best to ensure ecologically viable continuity of global mineral supply over the coming decades.

Differences in work environment for staff as an explanation for variation in central line bundle compliance in intensive care units.

PubMed

Lee, Yuna S H; Stone, Patricia W; Pogorzelska-Maziarz, Monika; Nembhard, Ingrid M

Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are a common and costly quality problem, and their prevention is a national priority. A decade ago, researchers identified an evidence-based bundle of practices that reduce CLABSIs. Compliance with this bundle remains low in many hospitals. The aim of this study was to assess whether differences in core aspects of work environments-workload, quality of relationships, and prioritization of quality-are associated with variation in maximal CLABSI bundle compliance, that is, compliance 95%-100% of the time in intensive care units (ICUs). A cross-sectional study of hospital medical-surgical ICUs in the United States was done. Data on work environment and bundle compliance were obtained from the Prevention of Nosocomial Infections and Cost-Effectiveness Refined Survey completed in 2011 by infection prevention directors, and data on ICU and hospital characteristics were obtained from the National Healthcare Safety Network. Factor and multilevel regression analyses were conducted. Reasonable workload and prioritization of quality were positively associated with maximal CLABSI bundle compliance. High-quality relationships, although a significant predictor when evaluated apart from workload and prioritization of quality, had no significant effect after accounting for these two factors. Aspects of the staff work environment are associated with maximal CLABSI bundle compliance in ICUs. Our results suggest that hospitals can foster improvement in ensuring maximal CLABSI bundle compliance-a crucial precursor to reducing CLABSI infection rates-by establishing reasonable workloads and prioritizing quality.

Managed care market share and cesarean section rates in the United States: is there a link?

PubMed

Hueston, W J; Sutton, A

2000-11-01

After peaking during the early 1980s, cesarean section rates in the United States have been falling for the last decade. At the same time, managed care enrollment has increased dramatically. This study examines whether managed care penetration in local markets is associated with lower cesarean section rates in those geographic area. A cross-sectional comparison of cesarean section rates and health maintenance organization (HMO) market penetration in 61 selected metropolitan areas in the United States was conducted. National birth certificate data for 1996 were used to calculate crude and race-adjusted cesarean section rates for residents in each area. No relationship between overall cesarean section rates in the metropolitan areas and managed care penetration was observed. Subanalyses of racial groups demonstrated the existence of a weak association between managed care penetration and cesarean section rates for white women (21.2% for the highest quartile of HMO penetration, compared with 19.1% for the lowest quartile; P = .03), but not for African-Americans or other minorities. Managed care penetration in a market may have an association with cesarean section rates for white women, but the strength of this relationship is small. Even if managed care delivery systems reduce cesarean section rates in their own populations, this change is likely to have only a small impact on overall cesarean rates. HMO penetration is unlikely to influence national cesarean section rates, nor does it appear to explain state variations in these rates.

Policies for the Sustainable Development of Biofuels in the Pan American Region: A Review and Synthesis of Five Countries.

PubMed

Solomon, Barry D; Banerjee, Aparajita; Acevedo, Alberto; Halvorsen, Kathleen E; Eastmond, Amarella

2015-12-01

Rapid growth of biofuel production in the United States and Brazil over the past decade has increased interest in replicating this success in other nations of the Pan American region. However, the continued use of food-based feedstock such as maize is widely seen as unsustainable and is in some cases linked to deforestation and increased greenhouse gas emissions, raising further doubts about long-term sustainability. As a result, many nations are exploring the production and use of cellulosic feedstock, though progress has been extremely slow. In this paper, we will review the North-South axis of biofuel production in the Pan American region and its linkage with the agricultural sectors in five countries. Focus will be given to biofuel policy goals, their results to date, and consideration of sustainability criteria and certification of producers. Policy goals, results, and sustainability will be highlighted for the main biofuel policies that have been enacted at the national level. Geographic focus will be given to the two largest producers-the United States and Brazil; two smaller emerging producers-Argentina and Canada; and one stalled program-Mexico. However, several additional countries in the region are either producing or planning to produce biofuels. We will also review alternative international governance schemes for biofuel sustainability that have been recently developed, and whether the biofuel programs are being managed to achieve improved environmental quality and sustainable development.

Disaster management as part of curriculum for undergraduate and postgraduate courses: The Symbiosis model

PubMed Central

Deshpande, Vijay

2011-01-01

From times immemorial disasters in some form or the other have been regularly visiting humankind and humans have been trying to manage these upheavals. Noah's arch is the first such endeavor. The United Nations declared 1990-1999 as International Decade for Disaster Reduction. The Indian Government passed the Disaster Management Act 2005. As a consequence of the Act, the National Disaster Management Authority was setup. All states were given the guide lines for disaster risk reduction. The objective of this article is to get a clearer picture of what various states, educational authorities and international bodies have done and what Symbiosis International University (SIU) has done so far. Inputs from various States of the Indian Union and neighboring countries were studied. The moot question that figured all the time was “Is there a conscious effort to include Disaster Management in the curricula of various courses at the college and university level” and what are the achievements. It was seen that the Central Board for Secondary Education with support from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Human Resource Development and United Nations Development Project have incorporated DM, as part of its frontline curriculum. Most of the Universities in the disaster prone states have enunciated policies for including DM in the curriculum, but palpable results are still awaited. In the SIU, DM has been incorporated in the curriculum and is mandatory for all undergraduate and postgraduate courses. PMID:22412285

Disaster management as part of curriculum for undergraduate and postgraduate courses: The Symbiosis model.

PubMed

Deshpande, Vijay

2011-09-01

From times immemorial disasters in some form or the other have been regularly visiting humankind and humans have been trying to manage these upheavals. Noah's arch is the first such endeavor. The United Nations declared 1990-1999 as International Decade for Disaster Reduction. The Indian Government passed the Disaster Management Act 2005. As a consequence of the Act, the National Disaster Management Authority was setup. All states were given the guide lines for disaster risk reduction. The objective of this article is to get a clearer picture of what various states, educational authorities and international bodies have done and what Symbiosis International University (SIU) has done so far. Inputs from various States of the Indian Union and neighboring countries were studied. The moot question that figured all the time was "Is there a conscious effort to include Disaster Management in the curricula of various courses at the college and university level" and what are the achievements. It was seen that the Central Board for Secondary Education with support from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Human Resource Development and United Nations Development Project have incorporated DM, as part of its frontline curriculum. Most of the Universities in the disaster prone states have enunciated policies for including DM in the curriculum, but palpable results are still awaited. In the SIU, DM has been incorporated in the curriculum and is mandatory for all undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

The Virtual Observatory: I

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanisch, R. J.

2014-11-01

The concept of the Virtual Observatory arose more-or-less simultaneously in the United States and Europe circa 2000. Ten pages of Astronomy and Astrophysics in the New Millennium: Panel Reports (National Academy Press, Washington, 2001), that is, the detailed recommendations of the Panel on Theory, Computation, and Data Exploration of the 2000 Decadal Survey in Astronomy, are dedicated to describing the motivation for, scientific value of, and major components required in implementing the National Virtual Observatory. European initiatives included the Astrophysical Virtual Observatory at the European Southern Observatory, the AstroGrid project in the United Kingdom, and the Euro-VO (sponsored by the European Union). Organizational/conceptual meetings were held in the US at the California Institute of Technology (Virtual Observatories of the Future, June 13-16, 2000) and at ESO Headquarters in Garching, Germany (Mining the Sky, July 31-August 4, 2000; Toward an International Virtual Observatory, June 10-14, 2002). The nascent US, UK, and European VO projects formed the International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA) at the June 2002 meeting in Garching, with yours truly as the first chair. The IVOA has grown to a membership of twenty-one national projects and programs on six continents, and has developed a broad suite of data access protocols and standards that have been widely implemented. Astronomers can now discover, access, and compare data from hundreds of telescopes and facilities, hosted at hundreds of organizations worldwide, stored in thousands of databases, all with a single query.

Noncommunicable diseases: global health priority or market opportunity? An illustration of the World Health Organization at its worst and at its best.

PubMed

Katz, Alison Rosamund

2013-01-01

The promotion of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) as a global health priority started a decade ago and culminated in a 2011 United Nations high-level meeting. The focus is on four diseases (cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases, cancers, and diabetes) and four risk factors (tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and harmful alcohol use). The message is that disease and death are now globalized, risk factors are overwhelmingly behavioral, and premature NCD deaths, especially in low- and middle-income countries, are the concern. The NCD agenda is promoted by United Nations agencies, foundations, institutes, and organizations in a style that suggests a market opportunity. This "hard sell" of NCDs contrasts with the sober style of the World Health Organization's Global Burden of Disease report, which presents a more nuanced picture of mortality and morbidity and different implications for global health priorities. This report indicates continuing high levels of premature death from infectious disease and from maternal, perinatal, and nutritional conditions in low-income countries and large health inequalities. Comparison of the reports offers an illustration of the World Health Organization at its worst, operating under the influence of the private sector, and at its best, operating according to its constitutional mandate.

[Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of HIV infection in Latin-American immigrants: comparative analysis from clinical records in a clinical care centre in Santiago in the last decade].

PubMed

Rodríguez, M Fernanda; Wolff, Marcelo; Cortés, Claudia

2015-02-01

There has been an increasing number of immigrants to Chile in the last years, especially from South American countries. The phenomenon of immigration and its consequences has been studied by international literature, and different health care needs have been reported for this group as compared with local population. In Chile this phenomenon is poorly studied and HIV prevention campaigns are focused on national population needs. To determine baseline clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the HIV infection in Latin-American immigrants presenting to a referral HIV clinical care centre between the years 2003-2013. Retrospective analysis. Baseline characteristics of Latin-American immigrants at admission to the infectious disease unit were compared to a peered group of Chileans in the same unit. There was an increase in the number of immigrants trough out the observation period. Foreigners presented larger proportion of women (26% vs. 9%) and heterosexual conduct as compared to nationals (37% vs 22%). The majority of immigrants came from Peru (55%) and Colombia (12%). There were significant differences in regards to gender and sexual behavior. This brings up the need to address different prevention strategies with more emphasis in women and heterosexual population in this vulnerable group.

Interagency partnership to assess and restore a degraded urban riverine wetland: Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve, Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Steury, Brent W.; Litwin, Ronald J.; Oberg, Erik T.; Smoot, Joseph P.; Pavich, Milan J.; Sanders, Geoffrey; Santucci, Vincent L.

2014-01-01

The narrow-leaved cattail wetland known as Dyke Marsh formally became a land holding of George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP, a unit of the national park system) in 1959, along with a congressional directive to honor a newly-let 30-year commercial sand and gravel dredge-mining lease at the site. Dredging continued until 1974 when Public Law 93-251 called for the National Park Service and the United States Army Corps of Engineers to “implement restoration of the historical and ecological values of Dyke Marsh.” By that time, about 83 acres of the marsh remained, and no congressional funding accompanied the passage of the law to effect any immediate conservation or restoration. Decades of dredge mining had severely altered the surface area of Dyke Marsh, the extent of its tidal creek system, and the shallow river bottom of the Potomac River abutting the marsh. Further, mining destabilized the marsh, causing persistent erosion, shoreline retreat, and tidal channel widening after mining ceased. Erosion has continued unchecked until the present; approximately 50 acres of the original marsh are now estimated to remain. The specific cause of persistent erosion had been unknown prior to this collaborative study but previously was assumed to be due to flooding by the Potomac River.

Safety and efficacy of fertility-regulating methods: a decade of research.

PubMed Central

Skegg, D. C.

1999-01-01

An international venture was launched in 1985 to fill a recognized gap in post-marketing surveillance of fertility-regulating methods. For this purpose a new task force was set up by the Special Programme of Research, Development, and Research Training in Human Reproduction, which is cosponsored by the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population Fund, the World Bank, and WHO. Research priorities were chosen and epidemiological studies inaugurated, involving a total of 47 countries--mostly from the developing world. Important progress has been made, especially in helping to define the beneficial and possible adverse effects of oral contraceptives on the risk of neoplasia; in showing that the injectable contraceptive depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate protects against endometrial cancer and does not increase the overall risk of breast cancer, in clarifying which groups of women are susceptible to the rare cardiovascular complications of oral contraceptives (myocardial infarction, stroke, and venous thromboembolism); and in establishing the long-term effectiveness and safety of intrauterine devices. The research has already made a significant impact on family planning policies and practice. Critical appraisal of this venture, which has been modestly funded, confirms the value of mission-oriented research. It also illustrates the potential of collaboration that bridges the global divide between developing and developed countries. PMID:10534894

Safety and efficacy of fertility-regulating methods: a decade of research.

PubMed

Skegg, D C

1999-01-01

An international venture was launched in 1985 to fill a recognized gap in post-marketing surveillance of fertility-regulating methods. For this purpose a new task force was set up by the Special Programme of Research, Development, and Research Training in Human Reproduction, which is cosponsored by the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population Fund, the World Bank, and WHO. Research priorities were chosen and epidemiological studies inaugurated, involving a total of 47 countries--mostly from the developing world. Important progress has been made, especially in helping to define the beneficial and possible adverse effects of oral contraceptives on the risk of neoplasia; in showing that the injectable contraceptive depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate protects against endometrial cancer and does not increase the overall risk of breast cancer, in clarifying which groups of women are susceptible to the rare cardiovascular complications of oral contraceptives (myocardial infarction, stroke, and venous thromboembolism); and in establishing the long-term effectiveness and safety of intrauterine devices. The research has already made a significant impact on family planning policies and practice. Critical appraisal of this venture, which has been modestly funded, confirms the value of mission-oriented research. It also illustrates the potential of collaboration that bridges the global divide between developing and developed countries.

Feminism and the Decade of Behavior.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Jacquelyn W.; Russo, Nancy Felipe; Travis, Cheryl Brown

2001-01-01

Asserts that the Decade of Behavior goals to foster a healthier, better educated, more prosperous and democratic nation cannot be achieved without contributions from feminist psychology. Outlines challenges gender poses to achieving Decade goals and discusses principles for research to address them: inclusiveness and diversity, context, power and…

More Polarized but More Independent: Political Party Identification and Ideological Self-Categorization Among U.S. Adults, College Students, and Late Adolescents, 1970-2015.

PubMed

Twenge, Jean M; Honeycutt, Nathan; Prislin, Radmila; Sherman, Ryne A

2016-10-01

In three nationally representative surveys of U.S. residents (N = 10 million) from 1970 to 2015, more Americans in the early 2010s (vs. previous decades) identified as Independent, including when age effects were controlled. More in the early 2010s (vs. previous decades) expressed polarized political views, including stronger political party affiliation or more extreme ideological self-categorization (liberal vs. conservative) with fewer identifying as moderate. The correlation between party affiliation and ideological views grew stronger over time. The overall trend since the 1970s was toward more Americans identifying as Republican or conservative. Older adults were more likely to identify as conservative and Republican. More Millennials (born 1980-1994) identify as conservative than either GenXers or Boomers did at the same age, and fewer are Democrats compared with Boomers. These trends are discussed in the context of social identification processes and their implications for the political dynamics in the United States. © 2016 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System: Two Decades of Advancing Public Health Through Integrated Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance.

PubMed

Karp, Beth E; Tate, Heather; Plumblee, Jodie R; Dessai, Uday; Whichard, Jean M; Thacker, Eileen L; Hale, Kis Robertson; Wilson, Wanda; Friedman, Cindy R; Griffin, Patricia M; McDermott, Patrick F

2017-10-01

Drug-resistant bacterial infections pose a serious and growing public health threat globally. In this review, we describe the role of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) in providing data that help address the resistance problem and show how such a program can have broad positive impacts on public health. NARMS was formed two decades ago to help assess the consequences to human health arising from the use of antimicrobial drugs in food animal production in the United States. A collaboration among the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the United States Department of Agriculture, and state and local health departments, NARMS uses an integrated "One Health" approach to monitor antimicrobial resistance in enteric bacteria from humans, retail meat, and food animals. NARMS has adapted to changing needs and threats by expanding surveillance catchment areas, examining new isolate sources, adding bacteria, adjusting sampling schemes, and modifying antimicrobial agents tested. NARMS data are not only essential for ensuring that antimicrobial drugs approved for food animals are used in ways that are safe for human health but they also help address broader food safety priorities. NARMS surveillance, applied research studies, and outbreak isolate testing provide data on the emergence of drug-resistant enteric bacteria; genetic mechanisms underlying resistance; movement of bacterial populations among humans, food, and food animals; and sources and outcomes of resistant and susceptible infections. These data can be used to guide and evaluate the impact of science-based policies, regulatory actions, antimicrobial stewardship initiatives, and other public health efforts aimed at preserving drug effectiveness, improving patient outcomes, and preventing infections. Many improvements have been made to NARMS over time and the program will continue to adapt to address emerging resistance threats, changes in clinical diagnostic practices, and new technologies, such as whole genome sequencing.

National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System: Two Decades of Advancing Public Health Through Integrated Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance

PubMed Central

Tate, Heather; Plumblee, Jodie R.; Dessai, Uday; Whichard, Jean M.; Thacker, Eileen L.; Hale, Kis Robertson; Wilson, Wanda; Friedman, Cindy R.; Griffin, Patricia M.; McDermott, Patrick F.

2017-01-01

Abstract Drug-resistant bacterial infections pose a serious and growing public health threat globally. In this review, we describe the role of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) in providing data that help address the resistance problem and show how such a program can have broad positive impacts on public health. NARMS was formed two decades ago to help assess the consequences to human health arising from the use of antimicrobial drugs in food animal production in the United States. A collaboration among the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the United States Department of Agriculture, and state and local health departments, NARMS uses an integrated “One Health” approach to monitor antimicrobial resistance in enteric bacteria from humans, retail meat, and food animals. NARMS has adapted to changing needs and threats by expanding surveillance catchment areas, examining new isolate sources, adding bacteria, adjusting sampling schemes, and modifying antimicrobial agents tested. NARMS data are not only essential for ensuring that antimicrobial drugs approved for food animals are used in ways that are safe for human health but they also help address broader food safety priorities. NARMS surveillance, applied research studies, and outbreak isolate testing provide data on the emergence of drug-resistant enteric bacteria; genetic mechanisms underlying resistance; movement of bacterial populations among humans, food, and food animals; and sources and outcomes of resistant and susceptible infections. These data can be used to guide and evaluate the impact of science-based policies, regulatory actions, antimicrobial stewardship initiatives, and other public health efforts aimed at preserving drug effectiveness, improving patient outcomes, and preventing infections. Many improvements have been made to NARMS over time and the program will continue to adapt to address emerging resistance threats, changes in clinical diagnostic practices, and new technologies, such as whole genome sequencing. PMID:28792800

Reference Standards for Cardiorespiratory Fitness Measured With Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing Using Cycle Ergometry: Data From the Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise National Database (FRIEND) Registry.

PubMed

Kaminsky, Leonard A; Imboden, Mary T; Arena, Ross; Myers, Jonathan

2017-02-01

The importance of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is well established. This report provides newly developed standards for CRF reference values derived from cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) using cycle ergometry in the United States. Ten laboratories in the United States experienced in CPX administration with established quality control procedures contributed to the "Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise: A National Database" (FRIEND) Registry from April 2014 through May 2016. Data from 4494 maximal (respiratory exchange ratio, ≥1.1) cycle ergometer tests from men and women (20-79 years) from 27 states, without cardiovascular disease, were used to develop these references values. Percentiles of maximum oxygen consumption (VO 2max ) for men and women were determined for each decade from age 20 years through age 79 years. Comparisons of VO 2max were made to reference data established with CPX data from treadmill data in the FRIEND Registry and previously published reports. As expected, there were significant differences between sex and age groups for VO 2max (P<.01). For cycle tests within the FRIEND Registry, the 50th percentile VO 2max of men and women aged 20 to 29 years declined from 41.9 and 31.0 mLO 2 /kg/min to 19.5 and 14.8 mLO 2 /kg/min for ages 70 to 79 years, respectively. The rate of decline in this cohort was approximately 10% per decade. The FRIEND Registry reference data will be useful in providing more accurate interpretations for the US population of CPX-measured VO 2max from exercise tests using cycle ergometry compared with previous approaches based on estimations of standard differences from treadmill testing reference values. Copyright © 2016 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved.

A cross-sectional study of emergency care utilization and associated costs of violent-related (assault) injuries in the United States.

PubMed

Monuteaux, Michael C; Fleegler, Eric W; Lee, Lois K

2017-08-01

Violent-related (assault) injuries are a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Many violent injury victims seek treatment in the emergency department (ED). Our objectives were to (1) estimate rates of violent-related injuries evaluated in United States EDs, (2) estimate linear trends in ED visits for violent-related injuries from 2000 to 2010, and (3) to determine the associated health care and work-loss costs. We examined adults 18 years and older from a nationally representative survey (the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey) of ED visits, from 2000 to 2010. Violent injury was defined using International Classification of Diseases-9th Rev.-Clinical Modification, diagnosis and mechanism of injury codes. We calculated rates of ED visits for violent injuries. Medical and work-loss costs accrued by these injuries were calculated for 2005, inflation-adjusted to 2011 dollars using the WISQARS Cost of Injury Reports. An annual average of 1.4 million adults were treated for violent injuries in EDs from 2000 to 2010, comprising 1.6% (95% confidence interval, 1.5%-1.6%) of all US adult ED visits. Young adults (18-25 years), men, nonwhites, uninsured or publically insured patients, and those residing in high poverty urban areas were at increased risk for ED visits for violent injury. The 1-year, inflation-adjusted medical and work-loss cost of violent-inflicted injuries in adults in the United States was US $49.5 billion. Violent injuries account for over one million ED visits annually among adults, with no change in rates over the past decade. Young black men are at especially increased risk for ED visits for violent injuries. Overall, violent-related injuries resulted in substantial financial and societal costs. Epidemiological study, level III.

A cross-sectional study of emergency care utilization and associated costs of violent-related (assault) injuries in the United States.

PubMed

Monuteaux, Michael C; Fleegler, Eric W; Lee, Lois K

2017-11-01

Violent-related (assault) injuries are a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Many violent injury victims seek treatment in the emergency department (ED). Our objectives were to (1) estimate rates of violent-related injuries evaluated in United States EDs, (2) estimate linear trends in ED visits for violent-related injuries from 2000 to 2010, and (3) to determine the associated health care and work-loss costs. We examined adults 18 years and older from a nationally representative survey (the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey) of ED visits, from 2000 to 2010. Violent injury was defined using International Classification of Diseases-9th Rev.-Clinical Modification, diagnosis and mechanism of injury codes. We calculated rates of ED visits for violent injuries. Medical and work-loss costs accrued by these injuries were calculated for 2005, inflation-adjusted to 2011 dollars using the WISQARS Cost of Injury Reports. An annual average of 1.4 million adults were treated for violent injuries in EDs from 2000 to 2010, comprising 1.6% (95% confidence interval, 1.5%-1.6%) of all US adult ED visits. Young adults (18-25 years), men, nonwhites, uninsured or publically insured patients, and those residing in high poverty urban areas were at increased risk for ED visits for violent injury. The 1-year, inflation-adjusted medical and work-loss cost of violent-inflicted injuries in adults in the United States was US $49.5 billion. Violent injuries account for over one million ED visits annually among adults, with no change in rates over the past decade. Young black men are at especially increased risk for ED visits for violent injuries. Overall, violent-related injuries resulted in substantial financial and societal costs. Epidemiological study, level III.

National and State Trends in Sales of Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes, U.S., 2011–2015

PubMed Central

Marynak, Kristy L.; Gammon, Doris G.; King, Brian A.; Loomis, Brett R.; Fulmer, Erika B.; Wang, Teresa W.; Rogers, Todd

2017-01-01

Introduction In recent years, self-reported cigarette smoking has declined among youth and adults, while electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use has increased. However, sales trends for these products are less certain. This study assessed national and state patterns of U.S. cigarette and e-cigarette unit sales. Methods Trends in cigarette and e-cigarette unit sales were analyzed using retail scanner data from September 25, 2011 through January 9, 2016 for: (1) convenience stores; and (2) all other outlets combined, including supermarkets, mass merchandisers, drug, dollar, and club stores, and military commissaries (online, tobacco-only, and “vape“ shops were not available). Data by store type were available for the total contiguous U.S. and 29 states; combined data were available for the remaining states, except Alaska, Hawaii, and DC. Results During 2011–2015, cigarette sales exhibited a small, significant decrease; however, positive year-over-year growth occurred in convenience stores throughout most of 2015. E-cigarette unit sales significantly increased during 2011–2015, but year-over-year growth slowed and was occasionally negative. Cigarette unit sales exceeded e-cigarettes by 64:1 during the last 4-week period. During 2014–2015, cigarette sales increases occurred in 15 of 48 assessed states; e-cigarette sales increased in 18 states. Conclusions Despite overall declines during 2011–2015, cigarette sales in 2015 grew for the first time in a decade. E-cigarette sales growth was positive, but slowed over the study period in assessed stores. Cigarette sales continued to exceed e-cigarette sales, reinforcing the importance of efforts to reduce the appeal and accessibility of cigarettes and other combusted tobacco products. PMID:28285828

National and State Trends in Sales of Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes, U.S., 2011-2015.

PubMed

Marynak, Kristy L; Gammon, Doris G; King, Brian A; Loomis, Brett R; Fulmer, Erika B; Wang, Teresa W; Rogers, Todd

2017-07-01

In recent years, self-reported cigarette smoking has declined among youth and adults, while electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use has increased. However, sales trends for these products are less certain. This study assessed national and state patterns of U.S. cigarette and e-cigarette unit sales. Trends in cigarette and e-cigarette unit sales were analyzed using retail scanner data from September 25, 2011 through January 9, 2016 for: (1) convenience stores; and (2) all other outlets combined, including supermarkets, mass merchandisers, drug, dollar, and club stores, and military commissaries (online, tobacco-only, and "vape" shops were not available). Data by store type were available for the total contiguous U.S. and 29 states; combined data were available for the remaining states, except Alaska, Hawaii, and DC. During 2011-2015, cigarette sales exhibited a small, significant decrease; however, positive year-over-year growth occurred in convenience stores throughout most of 2015. E-cigarette unit sales significantly increased during 2011-2015, but year-over-year growth slowed and was occasionally negative. Cigarette unit sales exceeded e-cigarettes by 64:1 during the last 4-week period. During 2014-2015, cigarette sales increases occurred in 15 of 48 assessed states; e-cigarette sales increased in 18 states. Despite overall declines during 2011-2015, cigarette sales in 2015 grew for the first time in a decade. E-cigarette sales growth was positive, but slowed over the study period in assessed stores. Cigarette sales continued to exceed e-cigarette sales, reinforcing the importance of efforts to reduce the appeal and accessibility of cigarettes and other combusted tobacco products. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Analysis of mortality in colorectal surgery in the Bi-National Colorectal Cancer Audit.

PubMed

Teloken, Patrick Ely; Spilsbury, Katrina; Platell, Cameron

2016-06-01

In the last decade, there has been a significant increase in interest for public reporting of outcome data and performance comparison across institutions and surgeons. This study aims at comparing postoperative mortality after colorectal cancer surgery across units and individual consultants in Australia and New Zealand using funnel plots. The Bi-National Colorectal Cancer Audit database was used. Unadjusted and adjusted funnel plots of inpatient mortality were constructed. Risk adjustment was based upon multivariable logistic regression models using purposeful covariate selection. A total of 10 008 patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer from 56 surgical units and 90 consultants were identified. Overall inpatient mortality was 1.51%, corresponding to 1.1% for elective and 3.9% for urgent cases. Logistic regression identified age, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, urgent surgery and open surgery to be independently associated with inpatient mortality. Unadjusted and adjusted funnel plot analysis identified three (5.3%) units exceeding the inner limit and none exceeding the outer limit. Six (6.6%) consultants had inpatient mortality between the upper inner and outer limits and one (1.1%) between the inferior inner and outer limits. Upon adjustment, seven (7.7%) consultants had inpatient mortality between the inner and outer limit. Potential limitations of this study include: residual confounding being responsible for the association of open surgery and mortality; incomplete case-mix adjustment resulting in outlier identification; and bias towards inclusion of larger institutions. Mortality figures in Australia and New Zealand are comparable to recently reported international data. The vast majority of units and consultants are performing within the expected boundaries. © 2016 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Enhancing the Sense of Community and Learning Experience Using Self-Paced Instruction and Peer Tutoring in a Computer-Laboratory Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buraphadeja, Vasa; Kumnuanta, Jirang

2011-01-01

In its second decade of education reform and its third cycle of national ICT master plans, Thailand struggles to transform its aspirations into practice. This paper chronicles three decades of Thailand's ICT national plans and their relation to education reform. It also discusses the effect of global trends, Asian cultures, and Thai cultures on…

Recommended Capacities for Educational Leadership: Pre-Reform Era Scholars versus Reform-Era Scholars versus National Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, Stephen P.; Taylor-Backor, Karen; Croteau, Susan

2017-01-01

We reviewed the scholarship on capacities for educational leadership for the past decade of the pre-reform era (1976-1985), as well as a recent decade of the reform era (2005-2015), and compared scholarship from both decades with the current Professional Standards for Educational Leaders. We found that scholars in the past decade of the pre-reform…

2010 updated assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Houseknecht, D.W.; Bird, K.J.; Schuenemeyer, J.H.; Attanasi, E.D.; Garrity, C.P.; Schenk, C.J.; Charpentier, R.R.; Pollastro, R.M.; Cook, T.A.; and Klett, T.R.

2010-01-01

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean volumes of 896 million barrels of oil (MMBO) and about 53 trillion cubic feet (TCFG) of nonassociated natural gas in conventional, undiscovered accumulations within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska and adjacent State waters. The estimated volume of undiscovered oil is significantly lower than estimates released in 2002, owing primarily to recent exploration drilling that revealed an abrupt transition from oil to gas and reduced reservoir quality in the Alpine sandstone 15-20 miles west of the giant Alpine oil field. The National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) has been the focus of oil exploration during the past decade, stimulated by the mid-1990s discovery of the adjacent Alpine field-the largest onshore oil discovery in the United States during the past 25 years. Recent activities in NPRA, including extensive 3-D seismic surveys, six Federal lease sales totaling more than $250 million in bonus bids, and completion of more than 30 exploration wells on Federal and Native lands, indicate in key formations more gas than oil and poorer reservoir quality than anticipated. In the absence of a gas pipeline from northern Alaska, exploration has waned and several petroleum companies have relinquished assets in the NPRA. This fact sheet updates U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimates of undiscovered oil and gas in NPRA, based on publicly released information from exploration wells completed during the past decade and on the results of research that documents significant Cenozoic uplift and erosion in NPRA. The results included in this fact sheet-released in October 2010-supersede those of a previous assessment completed by the USGS in 2002.

Identifying and Analyzing Preferences for the Next Decade of Astrophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mesmer, Bryan; Weger, Kristin

2018-06-01

The Decadal Survey is conducted by the United States National Academies and is a summary of opinions from individuals in the Astronomy community, used to recommend the next decade of prioritized astrophysics missions and activities. From a systems engineering and psychology perspective, the Decadal Survey process is interesting due to the: large and diverse community being sampled, the diverse preferences, and the group interactions that result in a common voice. When preparing input to be reviewed in such a process, it is important to recognize and understand both individual factors, as well as group factors. By understanding these dynamics it is possible to better predict the likely outcome.This research looks to better understand the preferences of the Astronomy community as they relate to the coming decade. Preferences are the desires held by an individual. Along with beliefs and alternatives, preferences are one of three necessary elements to make a decision, according to normative decision analysis. Hence, by understanding preferences, and making assumptions on beliefs and available alternatives, one can determine what decision an individual ought to make through normative decision analysis. Due to the community focus of the Decadal Study, it is important to understand the interactions of individuals that results in a group outcome. This is where game theory is an effective tool, enabling the mathematical analysis of interacting individuals.Before any analysis is performed preferences must be captured and mathematically represented through value models, which is precisely what this research examines. This Iposter is associated with a questionnaire to better understand the preferences of individuals. The questionnaire will be promoted through the Iposter as well as by the authors at the conference. The questionnaire will attempt to gather data to enable the formation of value functions resulting in a better understanding of the community likings. The research is applicable to a wide range of similar community-driven recommendations, such as NSF proposal reviews.

Recent resurgence of mumps in the United States.

PubMed

Dayan, Gustavo H; Quinlisk, M Patricia; Parker, Amy A; Barskey, Albert E; Harris, Meghan L; Schwartz, Jennifer M Hill; Hunt, Kae; Finley, Carol G; Leschinsky, Dennis P; O'Keefe, Anne L; Clayton, Joshua; Kightlinger, Lon K; Dietle, Eden G; Berg, Jeffrey; Kenyon, Cynthia L; Goldstein, Susan T; Stokley, Shannon K; Redd, Susan B; Rota, Paul A; Rota, Jennifer; Bi, Daoling; Roush, Sandra W; Bridges, Carolyn B; Santibanez, Tammy A; Parashar, Umesh; Bellini, William J; Seward, Jane F

2008-04-10

The widespread use of a second dose of mumps vaccine among U.S. schoolchildren beginning in 1990 was followed by historically low reports of mumps cases. A 2010 elimination goal was established, but in 2006 the largest mumps outbreak in two decades occurred in the United States. We examined national data on mumps cases reported during 2006, detailed case data from the most highly affected states, and vaccination-coverage data from three nationwide surveys. A total of 6584 cases of mumps were reported in 2006, with 76% occurring between March and May. There were 85 hospitalizations, but no deaths were reported; 85% of patients lived in eight contiguous midwestern states. The national incidence of mumps was 2.2 per 100,000, with the highest incidence among persons 18 to 24 years of age (an incidence 3.7 times that of all other age groups combined). In a subgroup analysis, 83% of these patients reported current college attendance. Among patients in eight highly affected states with known vaccination status, 63% overall and 84% between the ages of 18 and 24 years had received two doses of mumps vaccine. For the 12 years preceding the outbreak, national coverage of one-dose mumps vaccination among preschoolers was 89% or more nationwide and 86% or more in highly affected states. In 2006, the national two-dose coverage among adolescents was 87%, the highest in U.S. history. Despite a high coverage rate with two doses of mumps-containing vaccine, a large mumps outbreak occurred, characterized by two-dose vaccine failure, particularly among midwestern college-age adults who probably received the second dose as schoolchildren. A more effective mumps vaccine or changes in vaccine policy may be needed to avert future outbreaks and achieve the elimination of mumps. Copyright 2008 Massachusetts Medical Society.

New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2010. Panel Reports New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2010. Report of the Panel on Implementing Recommendations from the New Worlds, New Horizons Decadal Survey, Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2010. 2020 Vision: An Overview of New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2011

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

Shapero, Donald C.

The NRC's Astronomy and Astrophysics decadal survey Astro2010 was organized under the umbrella of the BPA and its sister board the Space Studies Board (SSB). NASA, NSF, and DOE are the sponsors of this survey that was asked to evaluate the field of space- and ground-based astronomy and astrophysics, recommending priorities for the most important scientific and technical activities of the decade 2010-2020. The principal goals of this study were to carry out an assessment of activities in astronomy and astrophysics, including both new and previously identified concept, and to prepare a concise report that addresses the agencies supporting themore » field, the Congressional committees with jurisdiction over those agencies, the scientific community, and the public. Over the past 40 years, the Astronomy and Astrophysics decadal reviews have played a vital role in the selection of major astronomical activities and subsequent scientific discoveries. Some decadal survey prioritization highlights include the development of adaptive optics systems, the Very Long Baseline Array, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Spitzer Space Telescope.« less

The potential anesthetic threats, challenges and intensive care considerations in patients with HIV infection

PubMed Central

Bajwa, Sukhminder Jit Singh; Kulshrestha, Ashish

2013-01-01

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has become a pandemic with ever looming danger of its transmission in health professionals. The number of AIDS patients has increased tremendously over the last two decades, who present for surgical procedures as well as who get admitted in intensive care unit for their critical condition. As such anesthesiologists and intensivists are exposed to potential risk of disease transmission on a daily basis from such patients. The guidelines and protocols formulated in the western world regarding prevention of disease transmission cannot be applied uniformly in the developing nations, such as India due to various factors and limitations. As such there is a continuous need felt in this arena to prevent the catastrophic consequences of AIDS in our medical fraternity while treating such patients in operation theatres and critical care units. This study reviews the various pathophysiological aspects, anesthetic considerations, intensive care implications, and various areas where current knowledge about AIDS can be applied to prevent its potential transmission in high-risk clinical groups. PMID:23559818

Miners, Silica and Disability: The Bi-National Interplay Between South Africa and the United Kingdom, c1900–1930s

PubMed Central

McIvor, Arthur

2016-01-01

This paper investigates silicosis as a disabling disease in underground mining in the United Kingdom (UK) before Second World War, exploring the important connections between South Africa and the UK and examining some of the issues raised at the 1930 International Labour Office Conference on silicosis in Johannesburg in a British context. The evidence suggests there were significant paradoxes and much contestation in medical knowledge creation, advocacy, and policy-making relating to this occupational disease. It is argued here that whilst there was an international exchange of scientific knowledge on silicosis in the early decades of the twentieth century, it was insufficient to challenge the traditional defense adopted by the British government of proven beyond all scientific doubt before effective intervention in coal mining. This circumspect approach reflected dominant business interests and despite relatively robust trade union campaigning and eventual reform, the outcome was an accumulative legacy of respiratory disease and disability that blighted coalfield communities. PMID:26509751

The status of masked bobwhite recovery in the United States and Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kuvlesky, W.P.; Gall, S.A.; Dobrott, S.J.; Tolley, S.; Guthery, F.S.; DeStefano, S.A.; King, N.; Nolte, K.R.; Silvy, N.J.; Lewis, J.C.; Gee, G.; Camou Luders, G.; Engel-Wilson, R.; Brennan, Leonard A.; Palmer, William E.; Burger, Loren W.; Pruden, Teresa L.

2000-01-01

The masked bobwhite (Colinus virginianus ridgwayi) is an endangered species currently numbering < 1500 individuals and restricted to 2 locales in southeastern Arizona and northcentral Sonora, Mexico. The subspecies' endangered status is attributed to overgrazing of Sonora savanna grassland that began during the late 1880's and continued well into the 20th century. This overgrazing resulted in the conversion of many native grass pastures to the exotic bufflegrass (Cenchrus ciliaris). The Arizona masked bobwhite population was extirpated around the turn of the century, and the Sonoran population was thought to have disappeared during the 1940's until a small remnant population was discovered on a ranch near Benjamin Hill, Sonora, in 1964. Masked bobwhite recovery efforts have a dynamic, long history of nearly six decades. Current masked bobwhite recovery efforts focus on reestablishing a self-sustainlng population on the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge (BANWR) in the United States, as well as 2 remnant wild populations located on privately owned ranches in northcentral Sonora.

The Future of Centrally-Organized Wholesale Electricity Markets

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

Glazer, Craig; Morrison, Jay; Breakman, Paul

The electricity grid in the United States is organized around a network of large, centralized power plants and high voltage transmission lines that transport electricity, sometimes over large distances, before it is delivered to the customer through a local distribution grid. This network of centralized generation and high voltage transmission lines is called the “bulk power system.” Costs relating to bulk power generation typically account for more than half of a customer’s electric bill.1 For this reason, the structure and functioning of wholesale electricity markets have major impacts on costs and economic value for consumers, as well as energy securitymore » and national security. Diverse arrangements for bulk power wholesale markets have evolved over the last several decades. The Southeast and Western United States outside of California have a “bilateral-based” bulk power system where market participants enter into long-term bilateral agreements — using competitive procurements through power marketers, direct arrangements among utilities or with other generation owners, and auctions and exchanges.« less

Regaining legitimacy in the context of global governance? UNESCO, Education for All coordination and the Global Monitoring Report

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, D. Brent; Okitsu, Taeko; da Costa, Romina; Kitamura, Yuto

2017-06-01

This research note shares insights which resulted from a larger study into the ways in which the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - during 2010-2014 - used its position as coordinator of the post-Dakar Framework for Action (initiated at the World Education Forum held in 2000 and designed to reinvigorate the Education for All initiative) to help it regain some of the legitimacy it had lost in the preceding decades. The research study focused on the role of both the UNESCO Education for All Follow-up Unit and the production of the Global Monitoring Report (GMR) during the 2000s because they were at the heart of UNESCO's efforts to repair its image and renew its impact in one area of global governance, specifically in the global education policy field. The study's findings were based on an analysis of documents, archives and interviews ( n = 17) with key actors inside and outside UNESCO, including representatives of UNESCO's peer institutions.

Fortuitous consequence: The domestic politics of the 1991 Canada-United States agreement on air quality

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

Allison, J.E.

1999-07-01

Following more than a decade of negotiations, the Canada-United States Agreement on Air Quality entered into force on March 13, 1991, with the signatures of then-Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and US President George Bush. Why was it so difficult for Canadian and US negotiators to reach agreement? The author argues that Canadian and US domestic politics were the primary impediments to resolving the US-Canada acid rain dispute. This article thus casts the dispute in terms of a pair of domestic environmental policy problems, whose timely and complementary solution, furthermore, required executive initiative as the handmaiden of ecological crisis. Heightenedmore » public concern about the threat of acidic air pollution in Canada prompted Mulroney's efforts to reduce acid rain. In the US, a likewise critical change in the public's perception of air quality as a national emergency created the mass support necessary for Bush's federal acid rain control initiative.« less

Scientific publications in international anaesthesiology journals: a 10-year survey.

PubMed

Li, Z; Qiu, L-X; Wu, F-X; Yang, L-Q; Sun, S; Yu, W F

2011-03-01

Significant growth has been seen in the field of anaesthesiology in recent decades. The current geographic distribution of the publications on anaesthesia research may be different from ten years ago. We performed this literature survey to examine the national origin of articles published in international anaesthesiology journals and to evaluate their contribution to anaesthesia research. Articles published in 18 major anaesthesiology journals from 2000 to 2009 were identified from the PubMed database and the Science Citation Index. A total of 30,191 articles were published in the selected 18 journals from 2000 to 2009. The country responsible for the largest number of articles was the United States of America (29.4%), followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Canada, Australia and France. Denmark, Switzerland and Finland had the largest number of articles per capita. Anesthesia & Analgesia published the most number of articles from 2000 to 2009, followed by Anesthesiology, Pain and the British Journal of Anaesthesia. The numbers of clinical studies and randomised controlled trials decreased markedly from 2000 to 2009.

Current status of coral reefs in the United Arab Emirates: Distribution, extent, and community structure with implications for management.

PubMed

Grizzle, Raymond E; Ward, Krystin M; AlShihi, Rashid M S; Burt, John A

2016-04-30

Coral reefs of the United Arab Emirates were once extensive, but have declined dramatically in recent decades. Marine management and policy have been hampered by outdated and inaccurate habitat maps and habitat quality information. We combined existing recent datasets with our newly mapped coral habitats to provide a current assessment of nation-wide extent, and performed quantitative surveys of communities at 23 sites to assess coral cover and composition. Over 132 km(2) of coral habitat was mapped, averaging 28.6 ± 3.8% live coral cover at surveyed sites. In the Arabian Gulf low cover, low richness Porites dominated communities characterized western Abu Dhabi, while reefs northeast of Abu Dhabi city generally contained higher richness and cover, and were dominated by merulinids (formerly faviids). Distinct communities occur in the Sea of Oman, where cover and richness were low. We provide management recommendations to enhance conservation of vulnerable coral reefs in the UAE. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

U.S. Forest Service Leads Climate Change Adaptation in the Western United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halofsky, J.; Peterson, D. L.

2014-12-01

Effective climate change engagement on public lands is characterized by (1) an enduring science-management partnership, (2) involvement of key stakeholders, (3) consideration of broad landscapes with multiple landowners, (4) science-based, peer-reviewed assessments of sensitivity of natural resources to climate change, (5) adaptation strategies and tactics developed by resource managers, (6) leadership and a workforce motivated to implement climate-smart practices in resource planning and project management. Using this approach, the U.S. Forest Service, in partnership with other organizations, has developed climate change vulnerability assessments and adaptation plans for diverse ecosystems and multiple resources in national forests and other lands in the western United States, although implementation (step 6) has been slow in some cases. Hundreds of meetings, strategies, plans, and panels have focused on climate change adaptation over the past decade, but only direct engagement between scientists and resource managers (less research, less planning, more action) has resulted in substantive outcomes and increased organizational capacity for climate-smart management.

Trends, productivity losses, and associated medical conditions among toxoplasmosis deaths in the United States, 2000-2010.

PubMed

Cummings, Patricia L; Kuo, Tony; Javanbakht, Marjan; Sorvillo, Frank

2014-11-01

Few studies have quantified toxoplasmosis mortality, associated medical conditions, and productivity losses in the United States. We examined national multiple cause of death data and estimated productivity losses caused by toxoplasmosis during 2000-2010. A matched case-control analysis examined associations between comorbid medical conditions and toxoplasmosis deaths. In total, 789 toxoplasmosis deaths were identified during the 11-year study period. Blacks and Hispanics had the highest toxoplasmosis mortality compared with whites. Several medical conditions were associated with toxoplasmosis deaths, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), lymphoma, leukemia, and connective tissue disorders. The number of toxoplasmosis deaths with an HIV codiagnosis declined from 2000 to 2010; the numbers without such a codiagnosis remained static. Cumulative disease-related productivity losses for the 11-year period were nearly $815 million. Although toxoplasmosis mortality has declined in the last decade, the infection remains costly and is an important cause of preventable death among non-HIV subgroups. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.