Technology assessment and citizen action

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mottur, E. R.

1972-01-01

The importance of citizen participation in the assessment process is discussed, and a system for citizen assessment action is proposed. A national assessment system is outlined. Citizen participation is considered essential in the assessment process, and impediments to effective action taken by citizens are discussed. These impediments are finance, organization and motivation, and information. The establishment of citizens' assessment associations is proposed, whose functioning would be fostered and regulated by the Citizens' Assessment Administration. The organization, functions, and financing of these associations are described. The implications of citizen action are indicated as the extensive use of class action suits, the broad interpretation of associated costs of litigation, and the use of present scientific research as evidence to assert that it is reasonable to conclude that certain consequences are probable to occur in the future.

Global risk from the atmospheric dispersion of radionuclides by nuclear power plant accidents in the coming decades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christoudias, T.; Proestos, Y.; Lelieveld, J.

2014-05-01

We estimate the global risk from the release and atmospheric dispersion of radionuclides from nuclear power plant accidents using the EMAC atmospheric chemistry-general circulation model. We included all nuclear reactors that are currently operational, under construction and planned or proposed. We implemented constant continuous emissions from each location in the model and simulated atmospheric transport and removal via dry and wet deposition processes over 20 years (2010-2030), driven by boundary conditions based on the IPCC A2 future emissions scenario. We present global overall and seasonal risk maps for potential surface layer concentrations and ground deposition of radionuclides, and estimate potential doses to humans from inhalation and ground-deposition exposures to radionuclides. We find that the risk of harmful doses due to inhalation is typically highest in the Northern Hemisphere during boreal winter, due to relatively shallow boundary layer development and limited mixing. Based on the continued operation of the current nuclear power plants, we calculate that the risk of radioactive contamination to the citizens of the USA will remain to be highest worldwide, followed by India and France. By including stations under construction and those that are planned and proposed, our results suggest that the risk will become highest in China, followed by India and the USA.

Global risk from the atmospheric dispersion of radionuclides by nuclear power plant accidents in the coming decades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christoudias, T.; Proestos, Y.; Lelieveld, J.

2013-11-01

We estimate the global risk from the release and atmospheric dispersion of radionuclides from nuclear power plant accidents using the EMAC atmospheric chemistry-general circulation model. We included all nuclear reactors that are currently operational, under construction and planned or proposed. We implemented constant continuous emissions from each location in the model and simulated atmospheric transport and removal via dry and wet deposition processes over 20 yr (2010-2030), driven by boundary conditions based on the IPCC A2 future emissions scenario. We present global overall and seasonal risk maps for potential surface layer concentrations and ground deposition of radionuclides, and estimate potential dosages to humans from the inhalation and the exposure to ground deposited radionuclides. We find that the risk of harmful doses due to inhalation is typically highest during boreal winter due to relatively shallow boundary layer development and reduced mixing. Based on the continued operation of the current nuclear power plants, we calculate that the risk of radioactive contamination to the citizens of the USA will remain to be highest worldwide, followed by India and France. By including stations under construction and those that are planned and proposed our results suggest that the risk will become highest in China, followed by India and the USA.

Global Risk from the Atmospheric Dispersion of Radionuclides by Nuclear Power Plant Accidents in the Coming Decades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christoudias, T.; Proestos, Y.; Lelieveld, J.

2014-12-01

We estimate the global risk from the release and atmospheric dispersion of radionuclides from nuclear power plant accidents using the EMAC atmospheric chemistry-general circulation model. We included all nuclear reactors that are currently operational, under construction and planned or proposed. We implemented constant continuous emissions from each location in the model and simulated atmospheric transport and removal via dry and wet deposition processes over 20 years (2010-2030), driven by boundary conditions based on the IPCC A2 future emissions scenario. We present global overall and seasonal risk maps for potential surface layer concentrations and ground deposition of radionuclides, and estimate potential doses to humans from inhalation and ground-deposition exposures to radionuclides. We find that the risk of harmful doses due to inhalation is typically highest in the Northern Hemisphere during boreal winter, due to relatively shallow boundary layer development and limited mixing. Based on the continued operation of the current nuclear power plants, we calculate that the risk of radioactive contamination to the citizens of the USA will remain to be highest worldwide, followed by India and France. By including stations under construction and those that are planned and proposed, our results suggest that the risk will become highest in China, followed by India and the USA.

Developing for the future: hometown USA.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-09-01

In a trend that continues to build, citizens : across the country are joining forces locally to : address environmental issues that affect their : health, natural resources, and the quality of : life in their communities. Groups of people are : takin...

Technology assessment and citizen action

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mottur, E. R.

1975-01-01

Citizen participation in the nation's total social, political, economic decisionmaking processes was studied. Impediments are discussed which prevent citizens from taking effective assessment action; these include finance, organization and motivation, and information. The proposal for establishing citizens assessment associations is considered along with implications of citizen assessment action.

77 FR 40693 - 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: DS-5506, Local U.S. Citizen Skills/Resources...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-10

..., Local U.S. Citizen Skills/Resources Survey ACTION: Notice of request for public comment and submission... Skills/Resources Survey. OMB Control Number: OMB No. 1405-0188. Type of Request: Revision. Originating... reporting burden on those who are to respond. Abstract of Proposed Collection The Local U.S. Citizen Skills...

Project BudBurst: Citizen Science for All Seasons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meymaris, K.; Henderson, S.; Alaback, P.; Havens, K.

2008-12-01

Providing opportunities for individuals to contribute to a better understanding of climate change is the hallmark of Project BudBurst (www.budburst.org). This highly successful, national citizen science program, now in its second year, is bringing climate change education outreach to thousands of individuals. Project BudBurst is a national citizen science initiative designed to engage the public in observations of phenological (plant life cycle) events that raise awareness of climate change, and create a cadre of informed citizen scientists. Citizen science programs such as Project BudBurst provide the opportunity for students and interested laypersons to actively participate in scientific research. Such programs are important not only from an educational perspective, but because they also enable scientists to broaden the geographic and temporal scale of their observations. The goals of Project BudBurst are to 1) increase awareness of phenology as an area of scientific study; 2) Increase awareness of the impacts of changing climates on plants; and 3) increase science literacy by engaging participants in the scientific process. From its 2008 launch in February, this on-line educational and data-entry program, engaged participants of all ages and walks of life in recording the timing of the leafing and flowering of wild and cultivated species found across the continent. Thus far, participants from 49 states have submitted data that is being submitted to the USA National Phenology Network (www.usanpn.org) database. Project BudBurst has been the subject of almost 200 media outlets including NPR, national and regional television broadcasts, and most of the major national and regional newspapers. This presentation will provide an overview of Project Budburst and will report on the results of the 2008 field campaign and discuss plans to expand Project BudBurst in 2009. Project BudBurst is a Windows to the Universe Citizen Science program managed by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, the Chicago Botanic Garden, University of Montana in collaboration with the USA -National Phenology Network and with financial support from U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Geological Survey, NEON, and the Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

40 CFR 135.5 - Service of proposed consent judgment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... PROGRAMS PRIOR NOTICE OF CITIZEN SUITS Prior Notice Under the Clean Water Act § 135.5 Service of proposed... 20460, and the Attorney General, Department of Justice, Citizen Suit Coordinator, Room 2615, Washington...

77 FR 66978 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-08

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9750-5] Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit... public comment. SUMMARY: In accordance with section 113(g) of the Clean Air Act, as amended (``CAA... 5 Generating Plant, a power plant located in Milam County, Texas. Under the proposed consent decree...

78 FR 43200 - Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-19

... Social Responsibility--Los Angeles v. EPA, No. 12-56175, upon receipt of written notice from EPA that the... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA-HQ-OGC-2013-0484; FRL-9835-6] Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of proposed...

Ask not what personalized medicine can do for you--ask what you can do for personalized medicine.

PubMed

Budin-Ljøsne, Isabelle; Harris, Jennifer R

2015-01-01

Personalized medicine (PM) aims to offer tailored health care to individuals on the basis of their genetic profile. This paper explores the types of behaviors and practices that citizens are expected to adopt under PM, examines whether such expectations are realistic, and proposes strategies that could support citizens in the adoption of these behaviors. Recent reports from national and international medical organizations and funders of PM are reviewed to investigate the types of behaviors and practices that citizens are expected to adopt under PM. These behaviors are examined in light of the current knowledge regarding citizen involvement in health care. Under PM, citizens are expected to be much more educated, proactive, and engaged in their health care than under conventional medical models. Actualizing such behaviors and practices may, however, be difficult or even unattainable for some groups of citizens. Educating citizens in PM, as proposed in the reports, is important but may not suffice for the adoption of new behaviors and practices by a majority of citizens. Approaches taking into consideration the heterogeneity of backgrounds, abilities, and resources among citizens are needed and include modifying reimbursement and pricing mechanisms, diversifying research, and developing low-cost PM programs.

Phenology monitoring protocol: Northeast Temperate Network

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tierney, Geri; Mitchell, Brian; Miller-Rushing, Abraham J.; Katz, Jonathan; Denny, Ellen; Brauer, Corinne; Donovan, Therese; Richardson, Andrew D.; Toomey, Michael; Kozlowski, Adam; Weltzin, Jake F.; Gerst, Kathy; Sharron, Ed; Sonnentag, Oliver; Dieffenbach, Fred

2013-01-01

historical parks and national historic sites in the northeastern US. This protocol was developed in collaboration with and relies upon the procedures and infrastructure of the USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN), including Nature’s Notebook, USA-NPN’s online plant and animal phenology observation program (www.nn.usanpn.org). Organized in 2007, USA-NPN is a nation-wide partnership among federal agencies, schools and universities, citizen volunteers, and others to monitor and understand the influence of seasonal cycles on the nation’s biological resources. The overall goal of NETN’s phenology monitoring program is to determine trends in the phenology of key species in order to assist park managers with the detection and mitigation of the effects of climate change on park resources. An additional programmatic goal is to interest and educate park visitors and staff, as well as a cadre of volunteer monitors.

The USA National Phenology Network: A national science and monitoring program for understanding climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weltzin, J.

2009-04-01

Patterns of phenology for plants and animals control ecosystem processes, determine land surface properties, control biosphere-atmosphere interactions, and affect food production, health, conservation, and recreation. Although phenological data and models have applications related to scientific research, education and outreach, agriculture, tourism and recreation, human health, and natural resource conservation and management, until recently there was no coordinated effort to understand phenology at the national scale in the United States. The USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN; www.usanpn.org), established in 2007, is an emerging and exciting partnership between federal agencies, the academic community, and the general public to establish a national science and monitoring initiative focused on phenology. The first year of operation of USA-NPN produced many new phenology products and venues for phenology research and citizen involvement. Products include a new web-site (www.usanpn.org) that went live in June 2008; the web-site includes a tool for on-line data entry, and serves as a clearinghouse for products and information to facilitate research and communication related to phenology. The new core Plant Phenology Program includes profiles for 200 vetted local, regional, and national plant species with descriptions and (BBCH-consistent) monitoring protocols, as well as templates for addition of new species. A partnership program describes how other monitoring networks can engage with USA-NPN to collect, manage or disseminate phenological information for science, health, education, management or predictive service applications. Project BudBurst, a USA-NPN field campaign for citizen scientists, went live in February 2008, and now includes over 3000 registered observers monitoring 4000 plants across the nation. For 2009 and beyond, we will initiate a new Wildlife Phenology Program, create an on-line clearing-house for phenology education and outreach, strengthen our national land surface phenology program, continue the development of regional phenology networks, and improve tools for data entry, download and visualization.

77 FR 24247 - 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: DS-5506, Local U.S. Citizen Skills/Resources...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-23

..., Local U.S. Citizen Skills/Resources Survey ACTION: Notice of request for public comments. SUMMARY: The... of 1995. Title of Information Collection: Local U.S. Citizen Skills/Resources Survey. OMB Control... Collection The Local U.S. Citizen Skills/Resources Survey is a systematic method of gathering information...

How training citizen scientists affects the accuracy and precision of phenological data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feldman, Richard E.; Žemaitė, Irma; Miller-Rushing, Abraham J.

2018-05-01

Monitoring plant and animal phenology is a critical step to anticipating and predicting changes in species interactions and biodiversity. Because phenology necessarily involves frequent and repeated observations over time, citizen scientists have become a vital part of collecting phenological data. However, there is still concern over the accuracy and precision of citizen science data. It is possible that training citizen scientists can improve data quality though there are few comparisons of trained and untrained citizen scientists in the ability of each to accurately and precisely measure phenology. We assessed how three types of observers—experts, trained citizen scientists that make repeated observations, and untrained citizen scientists making once-per-year observations—differ in quantifying temporal change in flower and fruit abundance of American mountain ash trees (Sorbus americana Marsh.) and arthropods in Acadia National Park, Maine, USA. We found that trained more so than untrained citizen science observers over- or under-estimated abundances leading to precise but inaccurate characterizations of phenological patterns. Our results suggest a new type of bias induced by repeated observations: A type of learning takes place that reduces the independence of observations taken on different trees or different dates. Thus, in this and many other cases, having individuals make one-off observations of marked plants may produce data as good if not better than individuals making repeated observations. For citizen science programs related to phenology, our results underscore the importance of (a) attracting the most number of observers possible even if they only make one observation, (b) producing easy-to-use and informative data sheets, and (c) carefully planning effective training programs that are, perhaps, repeated at different points during the data collection period.

How training citizen scientists affects the accuracy and precision of phenological data.

PubMed

Feldman, Richard E; Žemaitė, Irma; Miller-Rushing, Abraham J

2018-05-07

Monitoring plant and animal phenology is a critical step to anticipating and predicting changes in species interactions and biodiversity. Because phenology necessarily involves frequent and repeated observations over time, citizen scientists have become a vital part of collecting phenological data. However, there is still concern over the accuracy and precision of citizen science data. It is possible that training citizen scientists can improve data quality though there are few comparisons of trained and untrained citizen scientists in the ability of each to accurately and precisely measure phenology. We assessed how three types of observers-experts, trained citizen scientists that make repeated observations, and untrained citizen scientists making once-per-year observations-differ in quantifying temporal change in flower and fruit abundance of American mountain ash trees (Sorbus americana Marsh.) and arthropods in Acadia National Park, Maine, USA. We found that trained more so than untrained citizen science observers over- or under-estimated abundances leading to precise but inaccurate characterizations of phenological patterns. Our results suggest a new type of bias induced by repeated observations: A type of learning takes place that reduces the independence of observations taken on different trees or different dates. Thus, in this and many other cases, having individuals make one-off observations of marked plants may produce data as good if not better than individuals making repeated observations. For citizen science programs related to phenology, our results underscore the importance of (a) attracting the most number of observers possible even if they only make one observation, (b) producing easy-to-use and informative data sheets, and (c) carefully planning effective training programs that are, perhaps, repeated at different points during the data collection period.

The USA National Phenology Network's Model for Collaborative Data Generation and Dissemination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosemartin, A.; Lincicome, A.; Denny, E. G.; Marsh, L.; Wilson, B. E.

2010-12-01

The USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) serves science and society by promoting a broad understanding of plant and animal phenology and the relationships among phenological patterns and all aspects of environmental change. The Network was founded as an NSF-funded Research Coordination Network, for the purpose of fostering collaboration among scientists, policy-makers and the general public to address the challenges posed by global change and its impact on ecosystems and human health. With this mission in mind, the USA-NPN has developed an Information Management System (IMS) to facilitate collaboration and participatory data collection and digitization. The IMS includes components for data storage, such as the National Phenology Database, as well as a Drupal website for information-sharing and data visualization, and a Java application for collection of contemporary observational data. The National Phenology Database is designed to efficiently accommodate large quantities of phenology data and to be flexible to the changing needs of the network. The database allows for the collection, storage and output of phenology data from multiple sources (e.g., partner organizations, researchers and citizen observers), as well as integration with legacy data sets. Participants in the network can submit records (as Drupal content types) for publications, legacy data sets and phenology-related festivals. The USA-NPN’s contemporary phenology data collection effort, Nature’s Notebook also draws on the contributions of participants. Citizen scientists around the country submit data through this Java application (paired with the Drupal site through a shared login) on the life cycle stages of plants and animals in their yards and parks. The North American Bird Phenology Program, now a part of the USA-NPN, also relies on web-based crowdsourcing. Participants in this program are transcribing 6 million scanned paper cards that were collected by observers across the United States from 1880-1970 of migratory bird arrivals. The USA-NPN’s Information Management System represents a collaborative effort to collect, store, synthesize and output phenological data and information for plants, animals and the environment, and is poised to play an key role in understanding phenological response to environmental and climatic change at the local, regional and national scale.

36 CFR 72.46 - Citizen participation requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

..., Rehabilitation and Innovation § 72.46 Citizen participation requirements. (a) Recovery Action Program Grants... application. (b) Rehabilitation and Innovation grant. The applicant shall provide citizens with an adequate opportunity to participate in the development of a Rehabilitation and/or Innovation proposal and in...

36 CFR 72.46 - Citizen participation requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

..., Rehabilitation and Innovation § 72.46 Citizen participation requirements. (a) Recovery Action Program Grants... application. (b) Rehabilitation and Innovation grant. The applicant shall provide citizens with an adequate opportunity to participate in the development of a Rehabilitation and/or Innovation proposal and in...

36 CFR 72.46 - Citizen participation requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., Rehabilitation and Innovation § 72.46 Citizen participation requirements. (a) Recovery Action Program Grants... application. (b) Rehabilitation and Innovation grant. The applicant shall provide citizens with an adequate opportunity to participate in the development of a Rehabilitation and/or Innovation proposal and in...

36 CFR 72.46 - Citizen participation requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., Rehabilitation and Innovation § 72.46 Citizen participation requirements. (a) Recovery Action Program Grants... application. (b) Rehabilitation and Innovation grant. The applicant shall provide citizens with an adequate opportunity to participate in the development of a Rehabilitation and/or Innovation proposal and in...

Energy from wood

Treesearch

J.I. Zerbe

2004-01-01

In most developing countries wood and charcoal are the predominant fuels for preparation of food to maintain the quality of life that encompasses the majority of citizens. In many developing countries wood fuels are also important for small and medium size industries. Moreover, energy from wood continues to be important in industrial countries. In the USA biomass...

Evaporation from a temperate closed-basin lake and its impact on present, past, and future water level

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Lakes provide enormous economic, recreational, and aesthetic benefits to citizens. These ecosystem services may be adversely impacted by climate change. In the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area of Minnesota, USA, many lakes have been at historic low levels and water augmentation strategies have been pro...

Government Collection of Private Information: Background and Issues Related to the USA PATRIOT Act Reauthorization

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-23

3 History of Congressional Action ...term is defined in Fourth Amendment jurisprudence. Namely, government action constitutes a search when it intrudes upon a person’s “reasonable...eavesdropping deter vigorous citizen dissent and discussion of Government action in private conversation. For private dissent, no less than open public

Government Collection of Private Information: Background and Issues Related to the USA PATRIOT Act Reauthorization

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-09

3 History of Congressional Action ...in Fourth Amendment jurisprudence. Namely, government action constitutes a search when it intrudes upon a person’s “reasonable expectation of privacy...vigorous citizen dissent and discussion of Government action in private conversation. For private dissent, no less than open public discourse, is

Stirring Up Justice: Adolescents Reading, Writing, and Changing the World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singer, Jessica; Shagoury, Ruth

2004-01-01

Teaching a diverse population of adolescents to be writers, readers, and active citizens requires fundamental changes in curriculum development, teaching strategies, and student roles in the classroom. In this article, two educators report on their collaboration in an urban high school in Portland, Oregon, USA, to create a classroom where students…

The ultrasound-assisted physical examination in the periodic health evaluation of the elderly.

PubMed

Siepel, T; Clifford, D S; James, P A; Cowan, T M

2000-07-01

Except for specific procedures such as blood pressure measurement, the conventional physical examination (PE) does not have sufficient sensitivity to be useful as part of the periodic health evaluation. Ultrasound has demonstrated greater sensitivity and specificity in numerous studies but has been too expensive to be widely employed in health screening. The purpose of our study was to determine whether an examination in which conventional and ultrasound techniques are blended and applied by a primary care physician might be feasible and useful in the periodic health evaluations of senior citizens. Seventy-two patients presenting to a community-based family physician for periodic health evaluations received an ultrasound-assisted physical examination (USA-PE) from a second family physician. The results were reported to the primary physician, and the outcomes were tracked for periods of up to 2 years. Twenty-two of the 72 patients (31%) had abnormalities found by the USA-PE that were not apparent during the conventional PE. Five of these patients (7%) had serious conditions that received prompt treatment with apparent benefit. Findings included endometrial carcinoma, abdominal aortic aneurysm, carotid stenosis, hydronephrosis, and urinary retention. The USA-PE found more abnormalities in this group of patients than conventional PE. Whether it can improve outcomes for senior citizens undergoing periodic health evaluations in a cost-effective manner is yet to be determined.

77 FR 56663 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request, Citizen Corps...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-13

... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Federal Emergency Management Agency [Docket ID: FEMA-2012-0029..., Citizen Corps Council Registration AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS. ACTION: Notice... process for Citizen Corps Councils and Community Emergency Response Team programs. DATES: Comments must be...

Expedition 40 crew in Node 2 after German - U.S. soccer game

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-06-26

ISS040-E-020368 (26 June 2014) --- European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, Expedition 40 flight engineer, shaves the head of NASA astronaut Steve Swanson, commander, in the Unity node of the International Space Station. Gerst used hair clippers fashioned with a vacuum device to garner freshly cut hair. A friendly World Cup Soccer-related agreement between the crew members representing the USA, and Gerst, a German citizen who represents the European Space Agency, called for the American losers of a German-USA match to have their heads shaved. The German team won the match 1-0.

Expedition 40 crew in Node 2 after German - U.S. soccer game

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-06-26

ISS040-E-020364 (26 June 2014) --- European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, Expedition 40 flight engineer, shaves the head of NASA astronaut Steve Swanson, commander, in the Unity node of the International Space Station. Gerst used hair clippers fashioned with a vacuum device to garner freshly cut hair. A friendly World Cup Soccer-related agreement between the crew members representing the USA, and Gerst, a German citizen who represents the European Space Agency, called for the American losers of a German-USA match to have their heads shaved. The German team won the match 1-0.

Expedition 40 crew in Node 2 after German - U.S. soccer game

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-06-26

ISS040-E-020378 (26 June 2014) --- European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, Expedition 40 flight engineer, shaves the head of NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, flight engineer, in the Unity node of the International Space Station. Gerst used hair clippers fashioned with a vacuum device to garner freshly cut hair. A friendly World Cup Soccer-related agreement between the crew members representing the USA, and Gerst, a German citizen who represents the European Space Agency, called for the American losers of a German-USA match to have their heads shaved. The German team won the match 1-0.

Expedition 40 crew in Node 2 after German - U.S. soccer game

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-06-26

ISS040-E-020383 (26 June 2014) --- European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, Expedition 40 flight engineer, shaves the head of NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, flight engineer, in the Unity node of the International Space Station. Gerst used hair clippers fashioned with a vacuum device to garner freshly cut hair. A friendly World Cup Soccer-related agreement between the crew members representing the USA, and Gerst, a German citizen who represents the European Space Agency, called for the American losers of a German-USA match to have their heads shaved. The German team won the match 1-0.

Expedition 40 crew in Node 2 after German - U.S. soccer game

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-06-26

ISS040-E-020384 (26 June 2014) --- European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, Expedition 40 flight engineer, shaves the head of NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, flight engineer, in the Unity node of the International Space Station. Gerst used hair clippers fashioned with a vacuum device to garner freshly cut hair. A friendly World Cup Soccer-related agreement between the crew members representing the USA, and Gerst, a German citizen who represents the European Space Agency, called for the American losers of a German-USA match to have their heads shaved. The German team won the match 1-0.

78 FR 2260 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-10

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9769-3] Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit... public comment period. SUMMARY: On December 7, 2012, in accordance with section 113(g) of the Clean Air... promulgate emission standards for hazardous air pollutant emissions from brick and structural clay products...

75 FR 48689 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Open Government...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-11

... Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Open Government Citizen Engagement... employees in those agencies work for enrichment of their own wallets and not for the good of American... apply to? Title: Open Government Citizen Engagement Ratings, Rankings, and Flagging. OMB Control Number...

77 FR 60682 - Proposed Extension of Approval of Information Collection; Comment Request-Omnidirectional...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-04

... Information Collection; Comment Request--Omnidirectional Citizens Band Base Station Antennas AGENCY: Consumer... citizens band base station antennas. The collection of information is in regulations setting forth the Safety Standard for Omnidirectional Citizens Band Base Station Antennas (16 CFR part 1204). These...

The Passage of Education Citizen Initiatives: Evidence from California

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bali, Valentina A.

2008-01-01

In recent years, many critical education policy reforms across the American states have been attempted through citizen ballots. This study examines citizens' voting behavior on three salient education initiatives proposed in California. Analyses of exit poll data indicate that voting on education initiatives is greatly influenced by ideological…

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

Not Available

Exxon Company U.S.A. may be the first company ever exempted from federal restrictions that prohibit companies from disposing of untreated hazardous waste on land. EPA recently proposed to grant a [open quotes]no-migration variance[close quotes] to Exxon at the New South Land Treatment Unit of the company's Billings, Mont., refinery. Exxon seeks to continue disposing of hazardous wastes, including solids, emulsions, and wastes that contain benzene, from its refinery operations on land. Citizens and environmental groups are concerned about land farming, the method by which Exxon proposes to dispose of the waste. Land farming involves tilling waste into the upper 300more » mm (12 in.) of soil. Microbes in the soil break down the organic wastes, while inorganic wastes such as heavy metals are immobilized by way of adsorption. Exxon has installed berms and dikes around the farm to prevent runoff from reaching surface water. EPA and its state counterpart say that Exxon has shown, to a reasonable degree of certainty, that the hazardous constituents will not migrate. Groundwater analysis so far has shown no migration.« less

Semi-automated lab-on-a-chip for dispensing GA-68 radiotracers

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

Weinberg, Irving

We solved a technical problem that is hindering American progress in molecular medicine, and restricting US citizens from receiving optimal diagnostic care. Specifically, the project deals with a mother/daughter generator of positron-emitting radiotracers (Ge-68/Ga-68). These generator systems are approved in Europe but cannot be used in the USA, because of safety issues related to possible breakthrough of long-lived Ge-68 (mother) atoms. Europeans have demonstrated abilities of Ga-68-labeled radiotracers to image cancer foci with high sensitivity and specificity, and to use such methods to effectively plan therapy.The USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) have taken themore » position that every patient administration of Ga-68 should be preceded by an assay demonstrated that Ge-68 breakthrough is within acceptable limits. Breakthrough of parent elements is a sensitive subject at the FDA, as evidenced by the recent recall of Rb-82 generators due to inadvertent administrations of Sr-82. Commercially, there is no acceptable rapid method for assaying breakthrough of Ge-68 prior to each human administration. The gamma emissions of daughter Ga-68 have higher energies than the parent Ge-68, so that the shielding assays typically employed for Mo-99/Tc-99m generators cannot be applied to Ga-68 generators. The half-life of Ga-68 is 68 minutes, so that the standard 10-half-life delay (used to assess breakthrough in Sr-82/Rb-82 generators) cannot be applied to Ga-68 generators. As a result of the aforementioned regulatory requirements, Ga-68 generators are sold in the USA for animal use only.The American clinical community’s inability to utilize Ga-68 generators impairs abilities to treat patients domestically, and puts the USA at a disadvantage in developing exportable products. The proposed DOE project aimed to take advantage of recent technological advances developed for lab-on-a-chip (LOC) applications. Based on our experiences constructing such devices, the proposed microfluidics-based approach could provide cost-effective validation of breakthrough compliance in minutes.« less

22 CFR 42.21 - Immediate relatives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... criteria of INA 201(b)(2)(A)(i) or of section 423(a)(1) of Public Law 107-56 (USA Patriot Act) and the... of September 11, 2001, shall retain the status of an immediate relative child (regardless of changes... citizen's death pursuant to section 423(a)(2) of Public Law 107-56, and the consular officer has received...

What College Students Know about Older Adults: A Cross-Cultural Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhou, Ling-Yi

2007-01-01

A total of 227 college students from Joliet, Illinois in the USA and Shanghai in the People's Republic of China (PRC) answered open-ended questions on their perception of being old. Topics also included participant's knowledge about older adults' regular activities, social policies and benefits for senior citizens, the happiest and the most…

Government Collection of Private Information: Background and Issues Related to the USA PATRIOT Act Reauthorization

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-02

3 History of Congressional Action ...discussed in this report have the potential to constitute a search as that term is defined in Fourth Amendment jurisprudence. Namely, government action ...unchecked surveillance power. Nor must the fear of unauthorized official eavesdropping deter vigorous citizen dissent and discussion of Government action in

The Value of "Dialogue Events" as Sites of Learning: An Exploration of Research and Evaluation Frameworks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lehr, Jane L.; McCallie, Ellen; Davies, Sarah R.; Caron, Brandiff R.; Gammon, Benjamin; Duensing, Sally

2007-01-01

In the past five years, informal science institutions (ISIs), science communication, advocacy and citizen action groups, funding organizations, and policy-makers in the UK and the USA have become increasingly involved in efforts to promote increased public engagement with science and technology (PEST). Such engagement is described as taking place…

Advanced Training of Labour Force: The USA Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sushentsev, Artem

2014-01-01

The importance of professional development of labor force directly in the workplace has been proved. It's revealed that this is due not only to questions of advanced training, but also to the improvement of the situation on the labor market of unskilled groups of citizen. The current labor market recognizes the value and importance of people.…

76 FR 75544 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-02

... Canyon Trust, San Juan Citizens Alliance, Our Children's Earth Foundation, Plains Justice, Powder River... Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal... question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed consent decree...

75 FR 67719 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-03

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9220-1] Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit... suit to compel the Administrator to take final action under section 110(k) of the Act on Imperial... special characters and any form of encryption, and may be mailed to the mailing address above. FOR FURTHER...

77 FR 48980 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-15

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9716-2] Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit... 16, 2011, Plaintiff filed a deadline suit to compel the Administrator to respond to an administrative..., avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption, and may be mailed to the mailing address...

Building Leadership Programs for Community Colleges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oberst, Gayle

As part of an effort to renew and rebuild the concept of community, Florida's Gulf Coast Community College has proposed the Citizen Leadership Training Program (CLTP). The CLTP is based on the premise that citizen leaders (CLs) exist in all communities and that by engaging citizens in a comprehensive curriculum, community colleges can assist…

Deliberative Mapping of options for tackling climate change: Citizens and specialists 'open up' appraisal of geoengineering.

PubMed

Bellamy, Rob; Chilvers, Jason; Vaughan, Naomi E

2016-04-01

Appraisals of deliberate, large-scale interventions in the earth's climate system, known collectively as 'geoengineering', have largely taken the form of narrowly framed and exclusive expert analyses that prematurely 'close down' upon particular proposals. Here, we present the findings from the first 'upstream' appraisal of geoengineering to deliberately 'open up' to a broader diversity of framings, knowledges and future pathways. We report on the citizen strand of an innovative analytic-deliberative participatory appraisal process called Deliberative Mapping. A select but diverse group of sociodemographically representative citizens from Norfolk (United Kingdom) were engaged in a deliberative multi-criteria appraisal of geoengineering proposals relative to other options for tackling climate change, in parallel to symmetrical appraisals by diverse experts and stakeholders. Despite seeking to map divergent perspectives, a remarkably consistent view of option performance emerged across both the citizens' and the specialists' deliberations, where geoengineering proposals were outperformed by mitigation alternatives. © The Author(s) 2014.

75 FR 62913 - 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Form DS-3053, Statement of Consent or Special...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-13

... properly perform our functions. Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the proposed... issuance of passports to U.S. citizens and nationals under the age of 16. The primary purpose of soliciting... family circumstances. Methodology: Passport Services collects information from U.S. citizens and non...

Expedition 40 crew in Node 2 after German - U.S. soccer game

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-06-26

ISS040-E-020361 (26 June 2014) --- NASA astronaut Steve Swanson (right), Expedition 40 commander; and European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, flight engineer, enjoy a light moment in the Unity node of the International Space Station. Gerst is holding hair clippers fashioned with a vacuum device to garner freshly cut hair. A friendly World Cup Soccer-related agreement between the crew members representing the USA, and Gerst, a German citizen who represents the European Space Agency, called for the American losers of a German-USA match to have their heads shaved. The German team won the match 1-0.

Marine debris removal: one year of effort by the Georgia Sea Turtle-Center-Marine Debris Initiative.

PubMed

Martin, Jeannie Miller

2013-09-15

Once in the marine environment, debris poses a significant threat to marine life that can be prevented through the help of citizen science. Marine debris is any manufactured item that enters the ocean regardless of source, commonly plastics, metal, wood, glass, foam, cloth, or rubber. Citizen science is an effective way to engage volunteers in conservation initiatives and provide education and skill development. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center Marine Debris Initiative (GSTC-MDI) is a grant funded program developed to engage citizens in the removal of marine debris from the beaches of Jekyll Island, GA, USA and the surrounding areas. During the first year of effort, more than 200 volunteers donated over 460 h of service to the removal of marine debris. Of the debris removed, approximately 89% were plastics, with a significant portion being cigarette materials. Given the successful first year, the GSTC-MDI was funded again for a second year. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Securing the State through the Production of "Global" Citizens: Analyzing Neo-Liberal Educational Reforms in Jordan and the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hantzopoulos, Maria; Shirazi, Roozbeh

2014-01-01

From a human capital perspective, schooling has long represented an engine of economic growth, individual advancement, and competitiveness in the global market. In recent years, this theorization of schooling has become linked with articulations of national security in both the Global North and South, as policymakers, private sector actors, and…

Freedom of Speech and the Role of Government: A Comparative Study - USA vs. Indonesia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bol, Joyce H.

This curriculum unit for high school government or civic classes was developed as a requirement of a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship seminar in Indonesia. It deals with aspects of political control that the government exercises over citizen rights. The unit compares the situation in the United States, where the Bill of Rights guarantees the freedom of…

First-year Progress and Future Directions of the USA National Phenology Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weltzin, J. F.; Losleben, M. V.

2008-12-01

Background Periodic plant and animal cycles driven by seasonal variations in climate (i.e., phenology) set the stage for dynamics of ecosystem processes, determine land surface properties, control biosphere-atmosphere interactions, and affect food production, health, conservation, and recreation. Phenological data and models have applications related to scientific research, education and outreach, as well as to stakeholders interested in agriculture, tourism and recreation, human health, and natural resource conservation and management. The predictive potential of phenology requires a new data resource-a national network of integrated phenological observations and the tools to access and analyze them at multiple scales. The USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) is an emerging and exciting partnership between federal agencies, the academic community, and the general public to monitor and understand the influence of seasonal cycles on the Nation's resources. The USA-NPN will establish a wall-to-wall science and monitoring initiative focused on phenology as a tool to understand how plants, animals and landscapes respond to climate variation, and as a tool to facilitate human adaptation to ongoing and potential future climate change. Results The National Coordinating Office of the USA-NPN began operation in August 2007 at the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. This first year of operation produced many new phenology products and venues for phenology research and citizen involvement, as well as identification of future directions for the USA NPN. Products include a new web-site (www.usanpn.org) that went live in June 2008; the web-site includes a tool for on-line data entry, and serves as a clearinghouse for products and information to facilitate research and communication related to phenology. The new core Plant Phenology Program includes profiles for 185 vetted local, regional, and national plant species with descriptions and monitoring protocols, as well as templates for addition of new species. A partnership program describes how other monitoring networks can engage with USA-NPN to collect, manage or disseminate phenological information for science, health, education, management or predictive service applications. Project BudBurst, a USA-NPN field campaign for citizen scientists, went live in February 2008, and now includes over 3000 registered observers monitoring 4000 plants across the nation. For 2009 and beyond, we will initiate a new Wildlife Phenology Program, create an on-line clearing-house for phenology education and outreach, strengthen our national land surface phenology program, and improve tools for data entry, download and visualization.

Waste Transfer Stations: Involved Citizens Make the Difference

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Provides key information involved citizens will need to develop an opinion about a proposed or modified transfer station. Also provides ideas on how to get involved to enhance the value of the waste transfer station.

Nobody Said It Would Be Easy: Ethnolinguistic Group Challenges to Bilingual and Multicultural Education in New York City

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kleyn, Tatyana; Reyes, Sharon Adelman

2011-01-01

New York City sets itself apart from many locations in the USA due to its citizens' unparalleled diversity. The degree to which schools either build upon or suppress the backgrounds of their linguistically and culturally diverse students is dependent on the degree to which they can provide an education that is both bilingual and multicultural.…

From "Cultivators of the Soil" to "Citizen-Soldiers": Physically Active Education and the Nation at Maryland Agricultural College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clevenger, Samuel M.; Jette, Shannon

2017-01-01

In 1866, military drill and instruction became part of the curriculum of Maryland Agricultural College as a result of the passage of the Morrill Act of 1862, a law setting the terms for the establishment of agricultural colleges across the USA. The introduction of military instruction meant a direct inclusion of physically active coursework that…

Environmental Studies: A High School Course for Each Citizen, of Each Town, in South Carolina, U.S.A.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alsbrooks, Ann; And Others

This is a complete environmental studies course for high schools. It may be used as a year-long elective, a semester course, or infused by individual units into science, social studies, health, or other courses. The course is composed of thirteen separate units entitled: (1) Investigating Environmental Problems and Issues; (2) Energy; (3) Water;…

Partnering for science: proceedings of the USGS Workshop on Citizen Science

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hines, Megan; Benson, Abigail; Govoni, David; Masaki, Derek; Poore, Barbara; Simpson, Annie; Tessler, Steven

2013-01-01

What U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) programs use citizen science? How can projects be best designed while meeting policy requirements? What are the most effective volunteer recruitment methods? What data should be collected to ensure validation and how should data be stored? What standard protocols are most easily used by volunteers? Can data from multiple projects be integrated to support new research or existing science questions? To help answer these and other questions, the USGS Community of Data Integration (CDI) supported the development of the Citizen Science Working Group (CSWG) in August 2011 and funded the working group’s proposal to hold a USGS Citizen Science Workshop in fiscal year 2012. The stated goals for our workshop were: raise awareness of programs and projects in the USGS that incorporate citizen science, create a community of practice for the sharing of knowledge and experiences, provide a forum to discuss the challenges of—and opportunities for—incorporating citizen science into USGS projects, and educate and support scientists and managers whose projects may benefit from public participation in science.To meet these goals, the workshop brought together 50 attendees (see appendix A for participant details) representing the USGS, partners, and external citizen science practitioners from diverse backgrounds (including scientists, managers, project coordinators, and technical developers, for example) to discuss these topics at the Denver Federal Center in Colorado on September 11–12, 2012. Over two and a half days, attendees participated in four major plenary sessions (Citizen Science Policy and Challenges, Engaging the Public in Scientific Research, Data Collection and Management, and Technology and Tools) comprised of 25 invited presentations and followed by structured discussions for each session designed to address both prepared and ad hoc "big questions." A number of important community support and infrastructure needs were identified from the sessions and discussions, and a subteam was formed to draft a strategic vision statement to guide and prioritize future USGS efforts to support the citizen science community. Attendees also brainstormed proposal ideas for the fiscal year 2013 CDI request for proposals: one possible venue to support the execution of the vision.

Expedition 40 crew in Node 2 after German - U.S. soccer game

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-06-26

ISS040-E-020367 (26 June 2014) --- European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, Expedition 40 flight engineer, shaves the head of NASA astronaut Steve Swanson, commander, in the Unity node of the International Space Station. Gerst used hair clippers fashioned with a vacuum device to garner freshly cut hair. Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov, flight engineer, is visible in the background. A friendly World Cup Soccer-related agreement between the crew members representing the USA, and Gerst, a German citizen who represents the European Space Agency, called for the American losers of a German-USA match to have their heads shaved. The German team won the match 1-0.

Citizen Contributions to the Closure of High-Level Waste (HLW) Tanks 18 and 19 at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) - 13448

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

Lawless, W.F.

2013-07-01

Citizen involvement in DOE's decision-making for the environmental cleanup from DOE's management of its nuclear wastes across the DOE complex has had a positive effect on the cleanup of its SRS site, characterized by an acceleration of cleanup not only for the Transuranic wastes at SRS, but also for DOE's first two closures of HLW tanks, both of which occurred at SRS. The Citizens around SRS had pushed successfully for the closures of Tanks 17 and 20 in 1997, becoming the first closures of HLW tanks under regulatory guidance in the USA. However, since then, HLW tank closures ceased duemore » to a lawsuit, the application of new tank clean-up technology, interagency squabbling between DOE and NRC over tank closure criteria, and finally and almost fatally, from budget pressures. Despite an agreement with its regulators for the closure of Tanks 18 and 19 by the end of calendar year 2012, the outlook in Fall 2011 to close these two tanks had dimmed. It was at this point that the citizens around SRS became reengaged with tank closures, helping DOE to reach its agreed upon milestone. (authors)« less

Citizen and Satellite Measurements Used to Estimate Lake Water Storage Variations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parkins, G.; Pavelsky, T.; Yelton, S.; Ghafoor, S. K.; Hossain, F.

2017-12-01

Of the roughly 20-40 million lakes in the world larger than 0.01 km2, perhaps a few thousand receive regular water level monitoring, and only approximately a thousand are included in the largest lake level databases. The prospect for on-the-ground, automated monitoring of a significant fraction of the world's lakes is not high given the considerable expense involved. In comparison to many other measurements, however, measuring lake water level is relatively simple under most conditions. A staff gauge installed in a lake, essentially a leveled ruler, can be read relatively simply by both experts and ordinary citizens. Reliable staff gauges cost far less than automated systems, making them an attractive alternative. However, staff gauges are only effective when they are regularly observed and when those observations are communicated to a central database. We have developed and tested a system for citizen scientists to monitor water levels in 15 lakes in Eastern North Carolina, USA and to easily report those measurements to our project team. We combine these citizen measurements with Landsat measurements of inundated area to track variations in lake water storage. Here, we present the resulting lake water level, inundation extent, and lake storage change time series and assess measurement accuracy. Our primary validation method for citizen-measured lake water levels is comparison with heights from pressure transducers also installed in all fifteen lakes. We use the validated results to understand spatial patterns in the lake hydrology of Eastern North Carolina. Finally, we consider the motivations of citizens who participate in the project and discuss the feedback they have provided regarding our measurement and communication systems.

War, Law, and the Librarian: The Creation, Precedence, and Passage of the USA PATRIOT Act and Its Effects on Libraries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thur, Victoria L.

2009-01-01

The U.S. government has sought to restrict the freedoms of its citizens in times of war from World War I to the present. The banners of fear, war, terrorism, and nationwide security placed constitutional rights under a renewed scrutiny. This paper will focus on the passage of laws that restrict academic and intellectual freedoms during war, and…

24 CFR 91.105 - Citizen participation plan; local governments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... report. (ii) These requirements are designed especially to encourage participation by low- and moderate... proposed to be used, and by residents of predominantly low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, as defined... efforts that encourage citizen participation in a shared vision for change in communities and...

Quantifying avian nest survival along an urbanization gradient using citizen- and scientist-generated data.

PubMed

Ryder, Thomas B; Reitsma, Robert; Evans, Brian; Marra, Peter P

2010-03-01

Despite the increasing pace of urbanization little is known about the factors that limit bird populations (i.e., population-level processes) within the urban/suburban land-use matrix. Here, we report rates of nest survival within the matrix of an urban land-use gradient in the greater Washington, D.C., USA, area for five common songbirds using data collected by scientists and citizens as part of a project called Neighborhood Nestwatch. Using program MARK, we modeled the effects of species, urbanization at multiple spatial scales (canopy cover and impervious surface), and observer (citizen vs. scientist) on nest survival of four open-cup and one cavity-nesting species. In addition, artificial nests were used to determine the relative impacts of specific predators along the land-use gradient. Our results suggest that predation on nests within the land-use matrix declines with urbanization but that there are species-specific differences. Moreover, variation in nest survival among species was best explained by urbanization metrics measured at larger "neighborhood" spatial scales (e.g., 1000 m). Trends were supported by data from artificial nests and suggest that variable predator communities (avian vs. mammalian) are one possible mechanism to explain differential nest survival. In addition, we assessed the quality of citizen science data and show that citizens had no negative effect on nest survival and provided estimates of nest survival comparable to Smithsonian biologists. Although birds nesting within the urban matrix experienced higher nest survival, individuals also faced a multitude of other challenges such as contaminants and invasive species, all of which could reduce adult survival.

Catchment-scale stormwater management via economic incentives – An overview and lessons-learned

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schuster, W.; Garmestani, A.S.; Green, O.O.; Rhea, l.K.; Roy, Allison; Thurston, H.W.; Myers, Baden Robert; Beecham, Simon; Lucke, Terry; Boogaard, Floris

2013-01-01

Long-term field studies of the effectiveness and sustainability of decentralized stormwater management are rare. From 2005-2011, we tested an incentive-based approach to citizen participation in stormwater management in the Shepherd Creek catchment, located in Cincinnati, OH, USA. Hydrologic, biological, and water quality data were characterized in a baseline monitoring effort 2005- 2007. Reverse auctions held successively in 2007 and 2008 engaged citizens to voluntarily bid on stormwater control measures (SCMs); and successful bids led to implementation of SCMs, which led to an enhancement of catchment detention capacity. We tested for attributes of sustainability (coconsideration of social, economic, and environmental (hydrologic, soils, aquatic biology) aspects), and summarize lessons-learned. Our results and outcomes provide a basis for planning future field studies that more fully determine the effectiveness of stormwater management in terms of sustainability.

77 FR 63800 - Proposed Extension of Approval of Information Collection; Comment Request-Omnidirectional...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-17

...; Comment Request--Omnidirectional Citizens Band Base Station Antennas AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety... antennas. The collection of information is in regulations setting forth the Safety Standard for Omnidirectional Citizens Band Base Station Antennas (16 CFR part 1204). These regulations establish testing and...

Citizens United, Public Health, and Democracy: The Supreme Court Ruling, Its Implications, and Proposed Action

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

The 2010 US Supreme Court Citizens United v Federal Election Commission 130 US 876 (2010) case concerned the plans of a nonprofit organization to distribute a film about presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The Court ruled that prohibiting corporate independent expenditures for advocacy advertising during election campaigns unconstitutionally inhibits free speech. Corporations can now make unlimited contributions to election advocacy advertising directly from the corporate treasury. Candidates who favor public health positions may be subjected to corporate opposition advertising. Citizen groups and legislators have proposed remedies to ameliorate the effects of the Court's ruling. The public health field needs to apply its expertise, in collaboration with others, to work to reduce the disproportionate influence of corporate political speech on health policy and democracy. PMID:21421946

Citizens United, public health, and democracy: the Supreme Court ruling, its implications, and proposed action.

PubMed

Wiist, William H

2011-07-01

The 2010 US Supreme Court Citizens United v Federal Election Commission 130 US 876 (2010) case concerned the plans of a nonprofit organization to distribute a film about presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The Court ruled that prohibiting corporate independent expenditures for advocacy advertising during election campaigns unconstitutionally inhibits free speech. Corporations can now make unlimited contributions to election advocacy advertising directly from the corporate treasury. Candidates who favor public health positions may be subjected to corporate opposition advertising. Citizen groups and legislators have proposed remedies to ameliorate the effects of the Court's ruling. The public health field needs to apply its expertise, in collaboration with others, to work to reduce the disproportionate influence of corporate political speech on health policy and democracy.

Monitoring surface water quality using social media in the context of citizen science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Hang; Hong, Yang; Long, Di; Jing, Hua

2017-02-01

Surface water quality monitoring (SWQM) provides essential information for water environmental protection. However, SWQM is costly and limited in terms of equipment and sites. The global popularity of social media and intelligent mobile devices with GPS and photography functions allows citizens to monitor surface water quality. This study aims to propose a method for SWQM using social media platforms. Specifically, a WeChat-based application platform is built to collect water quality reports from volunteers, which have been proven valuable for water quality monitoring. The methods for data screening and volunteer recruitment are discussed based on the collected reports. The proposed methods provide a framework for collecting water quality data from citizens and offer a primary foundation for big data analysis in future research.

75 FR 66428 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8945

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-28

... PTIN Supplemental Application For U.S. Citizens Without A Social Security Number Due To Conscientious... Supplemental Application For U.S. Citizens Without A Social Security Number Due To Conscientious Reasons. OMB... Identification Number (PTIN) will have a social security number, which will be used to help establish their...

78 FR 69529 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 8945

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-19

... PTIN Supplemental Application For U.S. Citizens Without A Social Security Number Due To Conscientious... U.S. Citizens Without A Social Security Number Due To Conscientious Reasons. OMB Number: 1545-2188...) will have a social security number, which will be used to help establish their identity. However, there...

Citizen Participation in Urban Development. Volume 2. Cases and Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spiegel, Hans B.C., Ed.

The successor to a volume on concepts and issues in urban citizen participation, this work documents selected patterns of participation, issues that trigger participation (school decentralization, housing needs, a proposed highway, and other crisis situations), and outside assistance as embodied in urban planning advocates, community development…

78 FR 23775 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request: Community...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-22

... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Federal Emergency Management Agency [Docket ID: FEMA-2013-0014... Preparedness and Participation Survey used to identify progress and gaps in citizen and community preparedness... direction in Executive Order 13254 to study and track the progress of public service programs. Citizen Corps...

A Citizens' Agenda for the President.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roosevelt Center for American Policy Studies, Washington, DC.

A citizens' agenda for the President concerning the establishment of national priorities, proposed of increased federal spending, and the reduction of the federal deficit through budget cuts or increased revenues was developed by the Roosevelt Center for American Policy studies through their sponsorship of a series of Presidential Agenda Forums at…

Autonomy and Liberalism in a Multicultural Society

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jewell, Paul

2005-01-01

That children should be educated to be ideal citizens, capable of making rational and informed decisions, has been proposed in cultures ranging from Ancient Greece to current societies. In particular, societies that favour liberalism preach the primacy of the individual autonomous citizen and a concomitant tolerance for others. In modern…

The State of California Community Colleges, 1997.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nussbaum, Thomas J.

Four important changes for the community colleges of California are proposed. First, legislation should be developed that establishes the basic framework for enabling community colleges to restore a level of access to community college education and training for more citizens. This would provide economic and social opportunity for more citizens,…

Deliberative Mapping of options for tackling climate change: Citizens and specialists ‘open up’ appraisal of geoengineering

PubMed Central

Bellamy, Rob; Chilvers, Jason; Vaughan, Naomi E.

2014-01-01

Appraisals of deliberate, large-scale interventions in the earth’s climate system, known collectively as ‘geoengineering’, have largely taken the form of narrowly framed and exclusive expert analyses that prematurely ‘close down’ upon particular proposals. Here, we present the findings from the first ‘upstream’ appraisal of geoengineering to deliberately ‘open up’ to a broader diversity of framings, knowledges and future pathways. We report on the citizen strand of an innovative analytic–deliberative participatory appraisal process called Deliberative Mapping. A select but diverse group of sociodemographically representative citizens from Norfolk (United Kingdom) were engaged in a deliberative multi-criteria appraisal of geoengineering proposals relative to other options for tackling climate change, in parallel to symmetrical appraisals by diverse experts and stakeholders. Despite seeking to map divergent perspectives, a remarkably consistent view of option performance emerged across both the citizens’ and the specialists’ deliberations, where geoengineering proposals were outperformed by mitigation alternatives. PMID:25224904

78 FR 77649 - Notification of Proposed Production Activity, Xylem Water Systems USA LLC, Subzone 37D...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-24

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [B-106-2013] Notification of Proposed Production Activity, Xylem Water Systems USA LLC, Subzone 37D, (Centrifugal, Submersible Pumps and Related Components), Auburn, New York Xylem Water Systems USA LLC (Xylem), operator of Subzone 37D, submitted a notification of proposed production activity to...

Phenology of the adult angel lichen moth (Cisthene angelus) in Grand Canyon, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Metcalfe, Anya; Kennedy, Theodore A.; Muehlbauer, Jeffrey D.

2016-01-01

We investigated the phenology of adult angel lichen moths (Cisthene angelus) along a 364-km long segment of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA, using a unique data set of 2,437 light-trap samples collected by citizen scientists. We found that adults of C. angelus were bivoltine from 2012 to 2014. We quantified plasticity in wing lengths and sex ratios among the two generations and across a 545-m elevation gradient. We found that abundance, but not wing length, increased at lower elevations and that the two generations differed in size and sex distributions. Our results shed light on the life history and morphology of a common, but poorly known, species of moth endemic to the southwestern United States and Mexico.

Making Sense of School Budgets: A Citizen's Guide to Local Public Education Spending.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weston, Susan Perkins; And Others

Citizens need to understand and control how their money is used in local public schools. District publications and records probably contain the answers to many of the questions concerning local education spending. This booklet was designed to unravel the mysteries surrounding budget proposals and increased spending. Accordingly, part 1 explains…

78 FR 57847 - Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; Environmental Impact Assessment of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-20

... Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an information collection request (ICR), ``Final Rule at.... citizens or groups of citizens planning travel to Antarctica on an expedition for which they are not acting... identified and considered by the operator during the planning process and that to the extent practicable...

75 FR 21119 - Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant Proposals: Cultural Visitors...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-22

... Office of Citizen Exchanges, Cultural Programs Division, in the implementation of short-term, high... influencers, artists, arts managers, and foreign youth with special interest in the arts. The Cultural.... citizens to conferences or conference-type seminars overseas; nor is funding available for bringing foreign...

75 FR 51267 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-19

.... Steel Corporation's Granite City Works facility. Under the terms of the proposed consent decree, EPA has.... Steel Corporation's Granite City Works facility. Under the terms of the proposed consent decree, EPA has...

Public Notice: Proposed Land Ban Exemption to Ineos USA LLC

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Public notice for proposed Land Ban Exemption Reissuance, for Ineos USA LLC, to continue to inject hazardous waste deep underground in Allen County, OH. EPA plans to reissue a Land Ban Exemption for Ineos USA LLC in Allen Co., OH.

User interaction in smart ambient environment targeted for senior citizen.

PubMed

Pulli, Petri; Hyry, Jaakko; Pouke, Matti; Yamamoto, Goshiro

2012-11-01

Many countries are facing a problem when the age-structure of the society is changing. The numbers of senior citizen are rising rapidly, and caretaking personnel numbers cannot match the problems and needs of these citizens. Using smart, ubiquitous technologies can offer ways in coping with the need of more nursing staff and the rising costs of taking care of senior citizens for the society. Helping senior citizens with a novel, easy to use interface that guides and helps, could improve their quality of living and make them participate more in daily activities. This paper presents a projection-based display system for elderly people with memory impairments and the proposed user interface for the system. The user's process recognition based on a sensor network is also described. Elderly people wearing the system can interact the projected user interface by tapping physical surfaces (such as walls, tables, or doors) using them as a natural, haptic feedback input surface.

An Examination of the Cultural and Historical Factors That Influence the USA and Her Partners’ Approach to Military Coalitions: Two Sides of the same Dime

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-01

citizens. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Coalitions, foreign affairs, strategy 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 18. NUMBER OF...satisfaction of the requirements of a Master of Science Degree in Joint Campaign Planning and Strategy . The contents of this paper reflect my own...Study V Evolution – The Emergence of Regional Strategy Chapter 3 - European Historical And Cultural Influences 42 I A Complex DNA. II

78 FR 62657 - Proposed Information Collection; The Interagency Access Pass and Senior Pass Application Processes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-22

... issued to U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are 62 years or older. There is a $10 fee for the... Information Collection; The Interagency Access Pass and Senior Pass Application Processes AGENCY: National... Service. The passes provide U.S. citizens and visitors an affordable and convenient way to access Federal...

The interplay of governance, power and citizen participation in community tourism planning

Treesearch

E.J. Jordan; C.A. Vogt; Linda Kruger; N. Grewe

2013-01-01

This research examines a unique case of tourism planning and explores the relationships between governance, power, and citizen participation in community decision-making. In less than two years, the community of Sitka, Alaska, undertook two separate tourism-planning processes in response to proposed tourism development. The first plan followed a participant-led...

The Non-Cognitive Challenge to a Liberal Egalitarian Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morton, Jennifer M.

2011-01-01

Political liberalism, conceived of as a response to the diversity of conceptions of the good in multicultural societies, aims to put forward a proposal for how to organize political institutions that is acceptable to a wide range of citizens. It does so by remaining neutral between reasonable conceptions of the good while giving all citizens a…

Valuing Recreational Benefits of Coral Reefs: The Case of Mombasa Marine National Park and Reserve, Kenya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ransom, Kevin P.; Mangi, Stephen C.

2010-01-01

A contingent valuation study was conducted with adult Kenyan citizens and foreign tourists to estimate the value of recreational benefits arising from coral reefs at Mombasa Marine National Park and Reserve (MMNPR), and to assess the implications for local reef management. Citizen and foreign visitors to MMNPR were willing to pay an extra 2.2 (median = 1.6) and 8 (median = 6.7) per visit respectively, in addition to current park entrance fees, to support reef quality improvements. By aggregating visitors’ willingness to pay bids over the number of visitors to MMNPR in 2006-2007 the value of benefits was estimated at 346,733, which was more than twice the total annual operational expenditure of 152,383 for MMNPR. The findings indicate that annual revenues from citizen and foreign visitors may be increased by 60% to 261,932 through the implementation of proposed higher park fees of 3.10 for citizens and 15 for foreign visitors. However, any fee increase would serve to intensify concerns among citizens that only relatively affluent Kenyans can afford to visit MMNPR. Park managers need to demonstrate that the extra revenue would be used to fund the proposed conservation activities. This valuation study demonstrates that visitors are prepared to pay higher user fees for access to the marine protected area revealing considerable untapped resource to finance reef quality improvements.

Valuing recreational benefits of coral reefs: the case of Mombasa Marine National Park and Reserve, Kenya.

PubMed

Ransom, Kevin P; Mangi, Stephen C

2010-01-01

A contingent valuation study was conducted with adult Kenyan citizens and foreign tourists to estimate the value of recreational benefits arising from coral reefs at Mombasa Marine National Park and Reserve (MMNPR), and to assess the implications for local reef management. Citizen and foreign visitors to MMNPR were willing to pay an extra $2.2 (median = $1.6) and $8 (median = $6.7) per visit respectively, in addition to current park entrance fees, to support reef quality improvements. By aggregating visitors' willingness to pay bids over the number of visitors to MMNPR in 2006-2007 the value of benefits was estimated at $346,733, which was more than twice the total annual operational expenditure of $152,383 for MMNPR. The findings indicate that annual revenues from citizen and foreign visitors may be increased by 60% to $261,932 through the implementation of proposed higher park fees of $3.10 for citizens and $15 for foreign visitors. However, any fee increase would serve to intensify concerns among citizens that only relatively affluent Kenyans can afford to visit MMNPR. Park managers need to demonstrate that the extra revenue would be used to fund the proposed conservation activities. This valuation study demonstrates that visitors are prepared to pay higher user fees for access to the marine protected area revealing considerable untapped resource to finance reef quality improvements.

“Puerto Rico: gateway to landscape” from an ecological perspective

Treesearch

Grizelle Gonzalez

2015-01-01

The exhibit Puerto Rico: Gateway to Landscape proposes to explore various ways in which citizens approach the landscape, or construct it – inside and outside the city – and considers city planning, the creation of parks and natural reserves, and their interpretation. From a perspective of citizen involvement, this thematic scaffolding related to landscape and the...

Preparing Teachers, Students and Citizens To Deal Constructively with the Problems and Potentialities of Aging.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Althoff, Sally A.

This monograph offers information, suggestions, and proposals to teachers, students, and citizens to increase their understanding of the aging process in both its physical and psychosociological aspects. Part I, What Is Aging? examines various aspects of aging, some of its major characteristics, and what it is like to grow old in the U.S. today.…

77 FR 76163 - 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Application for Consular Report of Birth Abroad...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-26

...: Application for Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of America ACTION: Notice of... the United States of America. OMB Control Number: 1405-0011. Type of Request: Extension. Originating... States of America, is used by citizens of the United States to report the birth of a child while overseas...

Communicating the wildland fire message: Influences on knowledge and attitude change in two case studies

Treesearch

Eric Toman; Bruce Shindler

2006-01-01

Current wildland fire policy calls for citizen involvement in planning and management. To be effective in their efforts to engage outside stakeholders, resource professionals need to understand citizens’ understanding and attitudes toward current practices as well as how to best communicate about proposed actions. A variety of outreach methods have been used to...

Digital Competence Assessment: A Proposal for Operationalizing the Critical Dimension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cortoni, Ida; LoPresti, Veronica; Cervelli, Pierluigi

2015-01-01

The European Commission considers the development of digital competences a strategic action to spread and to develop a more active digital participation of citizens. The objective is to increase the level of digital competence in the European citizens up to 2015 and to reduce the number of those who don't use new technologies and don't surf the…

The USA-NPN Information Management System: A tool in support of phenological assessments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosemartin, A.; Vazquez, R.; Wilson, B. E.; Denny, E. G.

2009-12-01

The USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) serves science and society by promoting a broad understanding of plant and animal phenology and the relationships among phenological patterns and all aspects of environmental change. Data management and information sharing are central to the USA-NPN mission. The USA-NPN develops, implements, and maintains a comprehensive Information Management System (IMS) to serve the needs of the network, including the collection, storage and dissemination of phenology data, access to phenology-related information, tools for data interpretation, and communication among partners of the USA-NPN. The IMS includes components for data storage, such as the National Phenology Database (NPD), and several online user interfaces to accommodate data entry, data download, data visualization and catalog searches for phenology-related information. The IMS is governed by a set of standards to ensure security, privacy, data access, and data quality. The National Phenology Database is designed to efficiently accommodate large quantities of phenology data, to be flexible to the changing needs of the network, and to provide for quality control. The database stores phenology data from multiple sources (e.g., partner organizations, researchers and citizen observers), and provides for integration with legacy datasets. Several services will be created to provide access to the data, including reports, visualization interfaces, and web services. These services will provide integrated access to phenology and related information for scientists, decision-makers and general audiences. Phenological assessments at any scale will rely on secure and flexible information management systems for the organization and analysis of phenology data. The USA-NPN’s IMS can serve phenology assessments directly, through data management and indirectly as a model for large-scale integrated data management.

Capacitor regenerative braking system of electric wheelchair for senior citizen based on variable frequency chopper control.

PubMed

Takahashi, Yoshiaki; Seki, Hirokazu

2009-01-01

This paper proposes a novel regenerative braking control system of electric wheelchairs for senior citizen. "Electric powered wheelchair", which generates the driving force by electric motors according to the human operation, is expected to be widely used as a mobility support system for elderly people. This study focuses on the braking control to realize the safety and smooth stopping motion using the regenerative braking control technique based on fuzzy algorithm. The ride quality improvement and energy recycling can be expected by the proposed control system with stopping distance estimation and variable frequency control on the step-up/down chopper type of capacitor regenerative circuit. Some driving experiments confirm the effectiveness of the proposed control system.

75 FR 9208 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-01

... to Wheelabrator Baltimore, LP (``Wheelabrator'') for a municipal solid waste incinerator in Baltimore... Wheelabrator for a municipal solid waste incinerator in Baltimore, Maryland. Under the terms of the proposed...

Direction-sensitive smart monitoring of structures using heterogeneous smartphone sensor data and coordinate system transformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozer, Ekin; Feng, Maria Q.

2017-04-01

Mobile, heterogeneous, and smart sensor networks produce pervasive structural health monitoring (SHM) information. With various embedded sensors, smartphones have emerged to innovate SHM by empowering citizens to serve as sensors. By default, smartphones meet the fundamental smart sensor criteria, thanks to the built-in processor, memory, wireless communication units and mobile operating system. SHM using smartphones, however, faces technical challenges due to citizen-induced uncertainties, undesired sensor-structure integration, and lack of control over the sensing platform. Previously, the authors presented successful applications of smartphone accelerometers for structural vibration measurement and proposed a monitoring framework under citizen-induced spatiotemporal uncertainties. This study aims at extending the capabilities of smartphone-based SHM with a special focus on the lack of control over the sensor (i.e., the phone) positioning by citizens resulting in unknown sensor orientations. Using smartphone gyroscope, accelerometer, and magnetometer; instantaneous sensor orientation can be obtained with respect to gravitational and magnetic north directions. Using these sensor data, mobile operating system frameworks return processed features such as attitude and heading that can be used to correct misaligned sensor signals. For this purpose, a coordinate transformation procedure is proposed and illustrated on a two-story laboratory structural model and real-scale bridges with various sensor positioning examples. The proposed method corrects the sensor signals by tracking their orientations and improves measurement accuracy. Moreover, knowing structure’s coordinate system a priori, even the data from arbitrarily positioned sensors can automatically be transformed to the structural coordinates. In addition, this paper also touches some secondary mobile and heterogeneous data issues including imperfect sampling and geolocation services. The coordinate system transformation methods proposed in this study can be implemented in other non-smartphone-based SHM systems as long as similar instrumentation is available.

Understanding Human-Coyote Encounters in Urban Ecosystems Using Citizen Science Data: What Do Socioeconomics Tell Us?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wine, Stuart; Gagné, Sara A.; Meentemeyer, Ross K.

2015-01-01

The coyote ( Canis latrans) has dramatically expanded its range to include the cities and suburbs of the western US and those of the Eastern Seaboard. Highly adaptable, this newcomer's success causes conflicts with residents, necessitating research to understand the distribution of coyotes in urban landscapes. Citizen science can be a powerful approach toward this aim. However, to date, the few studies that have used publicly reported coyote sighting data have lacked an in-depth consideration of human socioeconomic variables, which we suggest are an important source of overlooked variation in data that describe the simultaneous occurrence of coyotes and humans. We explored the relative importance of socioeconomic variables compared to those describing coyote habitat in predicting human-coyote encounters in highly-urbanized Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, USA using 707 public reports of coyote sightings, high-resolution land cover, US Census data, and an autologistic multi-model inference approach. Three of the four socioeconomic variables which we hypothesized would have an important influence on encounter probability, namely building density, household income, and occupation, had effects at least as large as or larger than coyote habitat variables. Our results indicate that the consideration of readily available socioeconomic variables in the analysis of citizen science data improves the prediction of species distributions by providing insight into the effects of important factors for which data are often lacking, such as resource availability for coyotes on private property and observer experience. Managers should take advantage of citizen scientists in human-dominated landscapes to monitor coyotes in order to understand their interactions with humans.

75 FR 17966 - Application No. and Proposed Exemption involving D-11565, Citizens Bank Wealth Management, N.A.

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-08

..., 2008, to the past sale of certain Auction Rate Securities (ARS) by the Four-Way Tool & Die, Inc. Profit... corresponding provisions of section 4975 of the Code. (A) The subject ARS were acquired for the Plan by Citizens... independent broker; (B) The last auction for each of the ARS was unsuccessful; (C) The sale of the ARS was...

Toward better access to health insurance coverage for U.S. retirees in Mexico.

PubMed

Warner, D C; Jahnke, L R

2001-01-01

Many retirees from the United States of America have limited health insurance coverage while living in Mexico. Medicare and Medicaid benefits are not portable to other countries and Medigap (private insurance that supplements Medicare) is very limited. This causes economic and medical hardships and serves as a barrier to retirement to Mexico. Increasing numbers of U.S. retirees will be interested in moving to Mexico in the future because of the climate, the culture, and the lower cost of living. The numbers are increasing as a result of several factors such as aging "baby boomers" and the rapidly growing Mexican-origin population in the U.S.A. who are citizens or permanent residents but would like to return to their communities of origin after working in the U.S.A. There are several policy initiatives that could provide opportunities for improving health insurance coverage for these retirees that could be cost-effective.

Analyzing effective municipal solid waste recycling programs: the case of county-level MSW recycling performance in Florida, USA.

PubMed

Park, Seejeen; Berry, Frances S

2013-09-01

Municipal solid waste (MSW) recycling performance, both nationally and in Florida, USA, has shown little improvement during the past decade. This research examines variations in the MSW recycling program performance in Florida counties in an attempt to identify effective recycling programs. After reviewing trends in the MSW management literature, we conducted an empirical analysis using cross-sectional multiple regression analysis. The findings suggest that the convenience-based hypothesis was supported by showing that curbside recycling had a positive effect on MSW recycling performance. Financial (cost-saving) incentive-based hypotheses were partially supported meaning that individual level incentives can influence recycling performance. Citizen environmental concern was found to positively affect the amount of county recycling, while education and political affiliation yielded no significant results. In conclusion, this article discusses the implications of the findings for both academic research and practice of MSW recycling programs.

Destroying iPhones: Feral science and the antithetical citizen.

PubMed

Michael, Mike

2017-10-01

This exploratory article considers the implications of a particular genre - YouTube videos of iPhone destruction - for the Citizen Science and Public Understanding of Science/Public Engagement with Science and Technology. Situating this genre within a broader TV tradition of 'destructive testing' programmes, there is a description of the forms of destruction visited upon the iPhone, and an analysis of the features shared by the videos (e.g. mode of address, enactments of the experiment). Drawing on the notion of the 'idiotic', there is a discussion of the genre that aims to treat its evident lack of scientific and citizenly 'seriousness' productively. In the process of this discussion, the notions of 'feral science' and 'antithetical citizenship' are proposed, and some of their ramifications for Citizen Science and Public Understanding of Science/Public Engagement with Science and Technology presented.

Isolated colorectal cancer screening or integrated cancer prevention? A provocative suggestion!

PubMed

Stockbrugger, Reinhold

2012-01-01

Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is still not fully established in the European Union. Recently, the United European Gastroenterology Federation (UEGF) supported CRC screening with the publication of quality guidelines and a written declaration in the European Parliament in favor of European-wide monitored CRC screening and primary prevention of CRC, the latter particularly in young citizens. In this article, the need for population-based CRC screening is once again stressed. In addition, the value of opportunistic CRC screening is pointed out, either as a regional or nation-wide alternative (such as in the USA and Germany) or as a 'forerunner' activity in view of subsequent population-based CRC screening. With regard to other parallel organ-related screening activities in Europe (breast, uterus) and the increasing need for primary prevention of malignant and benign diseases, the question is raised as to whether preventive activities should not be recognized as an integrated and logical part of a 'healthcare chain' offered to all European citizens. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

76 FR 11814 - Notice of Lodging of Consent Decree Pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-03

... proposed consent decree in United States v. SKF USA Inc., Crane Co., and Osram Sylvania, Inc., Civil Action... the proposed consent decree, the Settling Defendants, SKF USA Inc., Crane Co., and Osram Sylvania, Inc... refer to United States v. SKF USA Inc., Crane Co., and Osram Sylvania, Inc., DOJ No. 90-11-3-09307. The...

Estimating False Positive Contamination in Crater Annotations from Citizen Science Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tar, P. D.; Bugiolacchi, R.; Thacker, N. A.; Gilmour, J. D.

2017-01-01

Web-based citizen science often involves the classification of image features by large numbers of minimally trained volunteers, such as the identification of lunar impact craters under the Moon Zoo project. Whilst such approaches facilitate the analysis of large image data sets, the inexperience of users and ambiguity in image content can lead to contamination from false positive identifications. We give an approach, using Linear Poisson Models and image template matching, that can quantify levels of false positive contamination in citizen science Moon Zoo crater annotations. Linear Poisson Models are a form of machine learning which supports predictive error modelling and goodness-of-fits, unlike most alternative machine learning methods. The proposed supervised learning system can reduce the variability in crater counts whilst providing predictive error assessments of estimated quantities of remaining true verses false annotations. In an area of research influenced by human subjectivity, the proposed method provides a level of objectivity through the utilisation of image evidence, guided by candidate crater identifications.

Reference architecture of application services for personal wellbeing information management.

PubMed

Tuomainen, Mika; Mykkänen, Juha

2011-01-01

Personal information management has been proposed as an important enabler for individual empowerment concerning citizens' wellbeing and health information. In the MyWellbeing project in Finland, a strictly citizen-driven concept of "Coper" and related architectural and functional guidelines have been specified. We present a reference architecture and a set of identified application services to support personal wellbeing information management. In addition, the related standards and developments are discussed.

Should non-citizens have access to publicly funded health care?: a study of public attitudes and their affecting factors.

PubMed

Sun, L-Y; Lee, E-W; Zahra, A; Park, J-H

2015-09-01

To analyse public attitudes towards access for non-citizens to publicly funded health care and to assess the factors that affect such attitudes. Cross-sectional study. Data from 29 countries were used for a multilevel regression, and data from four countries (United States, Sweden, Philippines, and Korea) were used for a linear regression. The data were collected from the International Social Survey Program (ISSP), the World Bank, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the United Nations. The dependent variable was considered to be agreement for non-citizen access to publicly funded health care. The independent variables included: the gross national income (GNI), the gross national income coefficient (GINI), sex, age, education, household income, employment, health insurance, self-related health status, chronic illness, percent having insurance, percent having public insurance, percent employed, percent migrants, percent of health expenditure of the total gross domestic product (GDP), and percent of social expenditure of the total GDP. Egalitarianism for education policy (EEP), egalitarianism for health policy (EHP), and willingness to contribute to an egalitarian health policy (WCHP) were also examined. In the countries surveyed, more than half of the citizens agreed that non-citizens should have access to publicly funded health care. Agreement with that statement had a negative trend with respect to the GNI. The percent having public insurance and WCHP had a significantly positive association with agreement while the percent of those with insurance had a negative relationship. In the USA, household income, EHP, and WCHP were positively associated with agreement, while females were inversely associated with agreement. In Sweden, having health insurance had an inverse association to agreement while females, postsecondary education, health insurance coverage, and WCHP were positively associated with agreement. In the Philippines, household income, EEP, and EHP had significant negative associations with agreement while WCHP had a positive relationship. In Korea, household income and self-rated health status were positively associated with agreement, while postsecondary education had a negative association. Public attitudes towards allowing non-citizens to have access to publicly funded health care present high levels of variation, even among developed countries or countries with similar GDPs. The specific socio-economic conditions within a country and an individual's own social, demographic, and economic background can have different effects on the individual's attitudes towards non-citizens. On a global level, coverage of public health insurance plays an important role for enhancing the public's positive attitudes towards non-citizens' access to publicly funded health care. On a national level, health care policies tailored toward non-citizens based on the specific situation of each country and region are necessary. Copyright © 2015 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Informing public health policy through deliberative public engagement: perceived impact on participants and citizen-government relations.

PubMed

Molster, Caron; Potts, Ayla; McNamara, Beverley; Youngs, Leanne; Maxwell, Susannah; Dawkins, Hugh; O'Leary, Peter

2013-09-01

Deliberative public engagement has been proposed for policy development, where issues are complex and there are diverse public perspectives and low awareness of competing issues. Scholars suggest a range of potential outcomes for citizens and government agencies from involvement in such processes. Few studies have examined outcomes from the perspective of citizen participants in deliberative processes. To examine participant perceptions of their involvement in and outcomes of a deliberative engagement exercise. A case study using semistructured interviews was conducted with participants following a deliberative forum on biobanking. From their involvement in the deliberative exercise, participants described transformations in their knowledge and beliefs about the policy issues. They reported being more informed to the extent of having confidence to educate others and effectively contribute to public policy development. They had developed greater trust in government policymakers who they believed would take reasonable account of their recommendations. We conclude that the participants were satisfied with the outcomes of the deliberative public engagement process and viewed it as an effective means of citizen involvement in public policy development. Particularly for citizens who participate in deliberative processes, such processes may promote active citizenship, empower citizens to undertake representative and educative roles, and improve relations between citizens and government agencies. Actions taken by policymakers subsequent to the deliberative exercise, whereby the majority of citizen recommendations were incorporated in the policy developed, may have contributed to participants holding sustained levels of trust in the commissioning government agency.

Evaluating Engagement Models for a Citizen Science Project: Lessons Learned From Four Years of Nature's Notebook

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crimmins, T. M.; Rosemartin, A.

2012-12-01

The success of citizen science programs hinges on their abilities to recruit and maintain active participants. The USA National Phenology Network's plant and animal phenology observation program, Nature's Notebook, has been active since 2009. This program engages thousands of citizen scientists in tracking plant and animal life cycle activity over the course of the year. We embarked on an evaluation of the various observer recruitment and retention tactics that we have employed over the ~4-year life of this program to better inform future outreach efforts specific to Nature's Notebook and for the broader citizen science community. Participants in Nature's Notebook may become engaged via one of three pathways: individuals may join Nature's Notebook directly, they may be invited to join through a USA-NPN partner organization, or they may engage through a group with local, site-based leadership. The level and type of recruitment tactics, training, and retention efforts that are employed varies markedly among these three models. In this evaluation, we compared the efficacy of these three engagement models using several metrics: number of individuals recruited, number of individuals that go on to submit at least one data point, retention rates over time, duration of activity, and quantity of data points submitted. We also qualitatively considered the differences in costs the three models require to support. In terms of recruitment, direct engagement yielded 20-100 times more registrants than other two models. In contrast, rates of participation were highest for site-based leadership (>35%, versus 20-30% for direct engagement; rates for partner organizations were highly variable due to small sample sizes). Individuals participating through partners with site-based leadership showed a much higher rate of retention (41% of participants remained active for two+ years) than those participating directly in Nature's Notebook (27% of participants remained active for two+ years) or individuals participating through membership organizations (12% of participants remained active for two+ years). Long-term observer retention was significantly higher for participants that joined via groups with site-based leadership compared to observers that joined Nature's Notebook directly in 2010 and 2011 (direct-engagement observers remained active for ~4 months; observers in groups with site-based leaderships remained active for ~6 months). There were no differences in within-year retention among the three models, indicating that the approaches perform essentially equally in terms of keeping observers engaged within the year of registration. In both 2011 and 2012 (to-date), observers participating via groups with site-based leadership submitted over twice the observations than observers participating directly in Nature's Notebook. Through this evaluation, we learned that direct engagement, which costs the USA-NPN the least to undertake and maintain, yields the greatest number of program registrants. However, this model results in the lowest rates of participant retention and data submission. In contrast, programs with site-based leadership, such as local Master Gardener chapters, yield the longest durations of activity and much higher rates of data submission, but are much more labor-intensive to support.

40 CFR 135.5 - Service of proposed consent judgment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2014-07-01 2013-07-01 true Service of proposed consent judgment. 135.5 Section 135.5 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS PRIOR NOTICE OF CITIZEN SUITS Prior Notice Under the Clean Water Act § 135.5 Service of proposed...

40 CFR 135.5 - Service of proposed consent judgment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Service of proposed consent judgment. 135.5 Section 135.5 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS PRIOR NOTICE OF CITIZEN SUITS Prior Notice Under the Clean Water Act § 135.5 Service of proposed...

40 CFR 135.5 - Service of proposed consent judgment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Service of proposed consent judgment. 135.5 Section 135.5 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS PRIOR NOTICE OF CITIZEN SUITS Prior Notice Under the Clean Water Act § 135.5 Service of proposed...

40 CFR 135.5 - Service of proposed consent judgment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 21 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Service of proposed consent judgment. 135.5 Section 135.5 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS PRIOR NOTICE OF CITIZEN SUITS Prior Notice Under the Clean Water Act § 135.5 Service of proposed...

The Effect of the Paideia Proposal on Dance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCutcheon, Gene

1984-01-01

Notes recent growth of dance in America and lack of dance education in public schools. Comments on effects Paideia Proposal adoption would have on dance in schools. Discusses proposal effects on teacher education, particularly concerning dance. Covers citizen interest in dance and the future of the dance profession. (MH)

77 FR 67814 - Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-14

... Suit AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of proposed settlement agreement..., 2012, Sierra Club (``Intervenor'') filed a timely motion to intervene. The motion was granted March 27, 2012. The proposed settlement agreement establishes a deadline for EPA to take action on a SIP to be...

A conceptual approach to a citizens' observatory--supporting community-based environmental governance.

PubMed

Liu, Hai-Ying; Kobernus, Mike; Broday, David; Bartonova, Alena

2014-12-12

In recent years there has been a trend to view the Citizens' Observatory as an increasingly essential tool that provides an approach for better observing, understanding, protecting and enhancing our environment. However, there is no consensus on how to develop such a system, nor is there any agreement on what a Citizens' Observatory is and what results it could produce. The increase in the prevalence of Citizens' Observatories globally has been mirrored by an increase in the number of variables that are monitored, the number of monitoring locations and the types of participating citizens. This calls for a more integrated approach to handle the emerging complexities involved in this field, but before this can be achieved, it is essential to establish a common foundation for Citizens' Observatories and their usage. There are many aspects to a Citizens' Observatory. One view is that its essence is a process that involves environmental monitoring, information gathering, data management and analysis, assessment and reporting systems. Hence, it requires the development of novel monitoring technologies and of advanced data management strategies to capture, analyse and survey the data, thus facilitating their exploitation for policy and society. Practically, there are many challenges in implementing the Citizens' Observatory approach, such as ensuring effective citizens' participation, dealing with data privacy, accounting for ethical and security requirements, and taking into account data standards, quality and reliability. These concerns all need to be addressed in a concerted way to provide a stable, reliable and scalable Citizens' Observatory programme. On the other hand, the Citizens' Observatory approach carries the promise of increasing the public's awareness to risks in their environment, which has a corollary economic value, and enhancing data acquisition at low or no cost. In this paper, we first propose a conceptual framework for a Citizens' Observatory programme as a system that supports and promotes community-based environmental governance. Next, we discuss some of the challenges involved in developing this approach. This work seeks to initiate a debate and help defining what is the Citizens' Observatory, its potential role in environmental governance, and its validity as a tool for environmental research.

Legal analysis of citizen lawsuit toward management of the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suprihadi, Bambang

2017-07-01

The Asian Disaster Reduction Center informed that on 27 May 2006 at 5:54 AM Local time or 26 May 2006 at 10:54:00 PM UTC, an M6.3 earthquake has struck the very highly populated region of Yogyakarta. The death estimated between 5,775 and 6,234 and the number of injured was between 46,000 and 53,000. Invitation letters were sent to Indonesia Agency for Meteorology Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) and to 18 government institutions for attending the session at the Yogyakarta Court on 4 December 2006. Such case was a lawsuit proposed by 46 citizens and registered as number 73/PDT.G/ 2006/PN-Yk and the researcher attended court-session on behalf of the BMKG. Research is conducted to provide legal analysis of citizen lawsuit toward management of the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake. Data was collected by examining the process of court sessions and mediation between Parties involved which then analysed using the relevant articles of Indonesian Civil Procedural Law. Legal analysis proposed by the researcher indicates that State Court (Pengadilan Negeri) held an `absolute competence' because such case shall not be settled by State Administrative Court (Pengadilan Tata Usaha Negara), however Yogyakarta District Court didn't hold a `relative competence' because such case shall be settled by the Central Jakarta District Court. Such case was not continued due to successful mediation between the two Parties. The 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake alerts BMKG as the earthquake information provider to work properly in accordance with the standard operating procedure to avoid citizen lawsuit that might be proposed in the near future.

77 FR 25225 - 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: DS 7655, Iraqi Citizens and Nationals Employed...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-27

... the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of technology. Abstract of Proposed..., date(s) of employment, biometric, and other data must be collected and used to verify employment for...

Project BudBurst: Citizen Science for All Seasons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henderson, S.; Brewer, C.; Havens, K.; Meymaris, K.

2007-12-01

Project BudBurst is a national citizen science initiative designed to engage the public in observations of phenological (plant life cycle) events that raise awareness of climate change, and create a cadre of informed citizen scientists. Citizen science programs such as Project BudBurst provide the opportunity for students and interested laypersons to actively participate in scientific research. Such programs are important not only from an educational perspective, but because they also enable scientists to broaden the geographic and temporal scale of their observations. Project BudBurst launched a pilot program in the Spring of 2007. The goals of Project BudBurst were to 1) increase awareness of phenology as an area of scientific study; 2) Increase awareness of the impacts of changing climates on plants; and 3) increase science literacy by engaging participants in the scientific process. From April through mid-June 2007, this on-line educational and data-entry program, engaged participants of all ages and walks of life in recording the timing of the leafing and flowering of ~60 easily identifiable, broadly distributed wild and cultivated species found across the continent. We will report on the results of the pilot project and discuss plans to expand Project BudBurst as it becomes a year round event beginning in 2008. A broad consortium of collaborators, representing the Chicago Botanic Garden, Plant Conservation Alliance, ESRI, the USA-National Phenology Network, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, University of Arizona, University of Montana, University of California-Santa Barbara, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, came together to design and implement Project BudBurst with seed funding from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the National Phenology Network (through a RCN grant from the NSF), and the Plant Conservation Alliance.

77 FR 43412 - 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: DS 7655, Iraqi Citizens and Nationals Employed...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-24

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 7960] 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: DS 7655... public comment and submission to OMB of proposed collection of information. SUMMARY: The Department of... agreement partners of the Department of State. Estimated Number of Respondents: 50. Estimated Number of...

75 FR 35118 - 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-21

... Notice of Proposed Information Collection: DS 4079, Request for Determination of Possible Loss of United... of 1995. Title of Information Collection: Request for Determination of Possible Loss of United States...: United States Citizens. Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,132. Estimated Number of Responses: 1,132...

77 FR 41186 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-12

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA-HQ-OGC-2012-0554; FRL-9699-6] Proposed Consent Decree, Clean... August 13, 2012. ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID number EPA-HQ- OGC-2012-0554... (identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OGC-2012-0554) contains a copy of the proposed consent decree. The...

What can Citizen Science do for Ocean Science and Ocean Scientists?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Best, M.; Hoeberechts, M.; Mangin, A.; Oggioni, A.; Orcutt, J. A.; Parrish, J.; Pearlman, J.; Piera, J.; Tagliolato, P.

2016-12-01

The ocean represents over 70% of our planet's surface area, over 90% of the living space. Humans are not marine creatures, we therefore have fundamentally not built up knowledge of the ocean in the same way we have on land. The more we learn about the ocean, the more we understand it is the regulatory engine of our planet…How do we catch up? Answers to this question will need to come from many quarters; A powerful and strategic option to complement existing observation programs and infrastructure is Citizen Science. There has been significant and relevant discussion of the importance of Citizen Science to citizens and stakeholders. The missing effective question is sometimes what is the potential of citizen science for scientists? The answers for both scientists and society are: spatial coverage, remote locations, temporal coverage, event response, early detection of harmful processes, sufficient data volume for statistical analysis and identification of outliers, integrating local knowledge, data access in exchange for analysis (e.g. with industry) and cost-effective monitoring systems. Citizens can be involved in: instrument manufacture and maintenance, instrument deployment/sample collection, data collection and transmission, data analysis, data validation/verification, and proposals of new topics of research. Such opportunities are balanced by concern on the part of scientists about the quality, the consistency and the reliability of citizen observations and analyses. Experience working with citizen science groups continues to suggest that with proper training and mentoring, these issues can be addressed, understanding both benefits and limitations. How to do it- implementation and maintenance of citizen science: How to recruit, engage, train, and maintain Citizen Scientists. Data systems for acquisition, assessment, access, analysis, and visualisation of distributed data sources. Tools/methods for acquiring observations: Simple instruments, Smartphone Apps, DIY-Instruments Community Online Platforms: websites, social networks, discussion forums. Crowdsourcing Tools: image acquisition, web and smartphone applications, surveys/questionnaires. Information, Engagement, and Training Resources: webinars, public lectures, websites, public/museum displays.

Data assimilation of citizen collected information for real-time flood hazard mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sayama, T.; Takara, K. T.

2017-12-01

Many studies in data assimilation in hydrology have focused on the integration of satellite remote sensing and in-situ monitoring data into hydrologic or land surface models. For flood predictions also, recent studies have demonstrated to assimilate remotely sensed inundation information with flood inundation models. In actual flood disaster situations, citizen collected information including local reports by residents and rescue teams and more recently tweets via social media also contain valuable information. The main interest of this study is how to effectively use such citizen collected information for real-time flood hazard mapping. Here we propose a new data assimilation technique based on pre-conducted ensemble inundation simulations and update inundation depth distributions sequentially when local data becomes available. The propose method is composed by the following two-steps. The first step is based on weighting average of preliminary ensemble simulations, whose weights are updated by Bayesian approach. The second step is based on an optimal interpolation, where the covariance matrix is calculated from the ensemble simulations. The proposed method was applied to case studies including an actual flood event occurred. It considers two situations with more idealized one by assuming continuous flood inundation depth information is available at multiple locations. The other one, which is more realistic case during such a severe flood disaster, assumes uncertain and non-continuous information is available to be assimilated. The results show that, in the first idealized situation, the large scale inundation during the flooding was estimated reasonably with RMSE < 0.4 m in average. For the second more realistic situation, the error becomes larger (RMSE 0.5 m) and the impact of the optimal interpolation becomes comparatively less effective. Nevertheless, the applications of the proposed data assimilation method demonstrated a high potential of this method for assimilating citizen collected information for real-time flood hazard mapping in the future.

Management case study: Tampa Bay, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Morrison, G.; Greening, H.S.; Yates, K.K.

2012-01-01

Tampa Bay, Florida,USA, is a shallow,subtropical estuary that experienced severe cultural eutrophication between the 1940s and 1980s, a period when the human population of its watershed quadrupled. In response, citizen action led to the formation of a public- and private-sector partnership (the Tampa Bay Estuary Program), which adopted a number of management objectives to support the restoration and protection of the bay’s living resources. These included numeric chlorophyll a and water-clarity targets, as well as long-term goals addressing the spatial extent of sea grasses and other selected habitat types, to support estuarine-dependent faunal guilds.

78 FR 1188 - Commercial Operations in the 3550-3650 MHz Band

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-08

... Operations in the 3550-3650 MHz Band AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission. ACTION: Proposed rule... the following methods: Federal Communications Commission's Web Site: http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/ecfs2... Federal Communications Commission (Commission) propose to create a new Citizens Broadband Service in the...

Using Citizen Science and Urban Gardening to Transform Landscapes of Despair into Fields of Prosperity—A Lesson from Lead (Pb)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filippelli, G. M.

2016-12-01

An interesting phenomenon has occurred in many larger U.S. cities over the past decade—an explosion of urban agriculture and a new awareness of sustainable urban food systems. This movement likely has several contributing factors, including newer availability of large tracts of property in cities after the global recession of 2008-2010, a shift in perception of cities as desirable places to live and work, and the influx of creative, innovative, and sustainability-focused young people to cities. For example, the number of registered urban farms has increased from 20 to 110 in Indianapolis (Indiana, USA) over the past five years. Growing food in cities and distributing that food locally has a number of benefits, including enhanced access to fresh and nutritious food, employment of local farmers and distributors, reuse of otherwise vacant land, and generally decreased carbon footprint of food. But urban soils have environmental legacies, not least of which is lead (Pb). Given its geochemistry and past sources, Pb is most enriched in surface soils, exactly where gardeners work and where plants grow. In an effort to both inform the public and to provide opportunities for citizen scientists, we launched the Safe Urban Gardening Initiative in Indianapolis. This initiative calls on citizens to collect samples of soils from several locations in their yards (under the roof dripline, near a roadway, in the garden or potential garden sites) and deliver these samples to our laboratory for geochemical analysis for Pb. The citizens are provided with instructions, and sometimes sampling kits. Gardening recommendations are provided to participants based on the levels of Pb found, along with a guide to safe urban gardening. The citizens receive data and solutions, and we receive geolocated samples from a broad expanse of neighborhoods. We have analyzed over 3,000 samples and have provided that data back to citizens. We have targeted areas with low SES, high rates of violence, and low school achievement scores to provide ways for those people living in these landscapes of despair to transform them through environmental health education and action, including the development of a number of commercial community gardens that have the power to convert these neighborhoods into green, healthy, and profitable landscapes to benefit the community.

Federal Revenue Sharing and Political Alternatives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barr, W. Monfort

The new Federal revenue sharing proposal has been received with diverse reactions by politicians, economists, and citizens. The program is divided into $5 billion annually in general revenue sharing and $11 billion annually in special revenue sharing. Proposed alternatives to revenue sharing include (1) reduction of Federal taxes, thereby…

Scientific literacy for democratic decision-making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yacoubian, Hagop A.

2018-02-01

Scientifically literate citizens must be able to engage in making decisions on science-based social issues. In this paper, I start by showing examples of science curricula and policy documents that capitalise the importance of engaging future citizens in decision-making processes whether at the personal or at the societal levels. I elucidate the ideological underpinnings behind a number of the statements within those documents that have defined the trajectory of scientific literacy and have shaped what ought to be considered as personal and societal benefits. I argue that science curricula and policy documents can truly endorse scientific literacy when they embed principles of democratic education at their core. The latter entails fostering learning experiences where some of the underlying assumptions and political ideologies are brought to the conscious level and future citizens encouraged to reflect upon them critically and explicitly. Such a proposal empowers the future citizens to engage in critical deliberation on science-based social issues without taking the underlying status quo for granted. I end up the paper by situating the preparation of scientifically literate citizens within a framework of democratic education, discuss conditions through which a curriculum for scientific literacy can serve democratic decision-making processes, and provide modest recommendations.

An updated understanding of Texas bumble bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) species presence and potential distributions in Texas, USA

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Texas is the second largest state in the United States of America, and the largest state in the contiguous USA at nearly 700,000 sq. km. Several Texas bumble bee species have shown evidence of declines in portions of their continental ranges, and conservation initiatives targeting these species will be most effective if species distributions are well established. To date, statewide bumble bee distributions for Texas have been inferred primarily from specimen records housed in natural history collections. To improve upon these maps, and help inform conservation decisions, this research aimed to (1) update existing Texas bumble bee presence databases to include recent (2007–2016) data from citizen science repositories and targeted field studies, (2) model statewide species distributions of the most common bumble bee species in Texas using MaxEnt, and (3) identify conservation target areas for the state that are most likely to contain habitat suitable for multiple declining species. The resulting Texas bumble bee database is comprised of 3,580 records, to include previously compiled museum records dating from 1897, recent field survey data, and vetted records from citizen science repositories. These data yielded an updated state species list that includes 11 species, as well as species distribution models (SDMs) for the most common Texas bumble bee species, including two that have shown evidence of range-wide declines: B. fraternus (Smith, 1854) and B. pensylvanicus (DeGeer, 1773). Based on analyses of these models, we have identified conservation priority areas within the Texas Cross Timbers, Texas Blackland Prairies, and East Central Texas Plains ecoregions where suitable habitat for both B. fraternus and B. pensylvanicus are highly likely to co-occur. PMID:28828241

An updated understanding of Texas bumble bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) species presence and potential distributions in Texas, USA.

PubMed

Beckham, Jessica L; Atkinson, Samuel

2017-01-01

Texas is the second largest state in the United States of America, and the largest state in the contiguous USA at nearly 700,000 sq. km. Several Texas bumble bee species have shown evidence of declines in portions of their continental ranges, and conservation initiatives targeting these species will be most effective if species distributions are well established. To date, statewide bumble bee distributions for Texas have been inferred primarily from specimen records housed in natural history collections. To improve upon these maps, and help inform conservation decisions, this research aimed to (1) update existing Texas bumble bee presence databases to include recent (2007-2016) data from citizen science repositories and targeted field studies, (2) model statewide species distributions of the most common bumble bee species in Texas using MaxEnt, and (3) identify conservation target areas for the state that are most likely to contain habitat suitable for multiple declining species. The resulting Texas bumble bee database is comprised of 3,580 records, to include previously compiled museum records dating from 1897, recent field survey data, and vetted records from citizen science repositories. These data yielded an updated state species list that includes 11 species, as well as species distribution models (SDMs) for the most common Texas bumble bee species, including two that have shown evidence of range-wide declines: B. fraternus (Smith, 1854) and B. pensylvanicus (DeGeer, 1773) . Based on analyses of these models, we have identified conservation priority areas within the Texas Cross Timbers, Texas Blackland Prairies, and East Central Texas Plains ecoregions where suitable habitat for both B. fraternus and B. pensylvanicus are highly likely to co-occur.

Horseshoe crab spawning activity in Delaware Bay, USA, after harvest reduction: A mixed-model analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, David R.; Robinson, Timothy J.

2015-01-01

A Delaware Bay, USA, standardized survey of spawning horseshoe crabs, Limulus polyphemus, was carried out in 1999 − 2013 through a citizen science network. Previous trend analyses of the data were at the state (DE or NJ) or bay-wide levels. Here, an alternative mixed-model regression analysis was used to estimate trends in female and male spawning densities at the beach level (n = 26) with the objective of inferring their causes. For females, there was no overall trend and no single explanation applies to the temporal and spatial patterns in their densities. Individual beaches that initially had higher densities tended to experience a decrease, while beaches that initially had lower densities tended to experience an increase. As a result, densities of spawning females at the end of the study period were relatively similar among beaches, suggesting a redistribution of females among the beaches over the study period. For males, there was a positive overall trend in spawning abundance from 1999 to 2013, and this increase occurred broadly among beaches. Moreover, the beaches with below-average initial male density tended to have the greatest increases. Possible explanations for these patterns include harvest reduction, sampling artifact, habitat change, density-dependent habitat selection, or mate selection. The broad and significant increase in male spawning density, which occurred after enactment of harvest controls, is consistent with the harvest reduction explanation, but there is no single explanation for the temporal or spatial pattern in female densities. These results highlight the continued value of a citizen-science-based spawning survey in understanding horseshoe crab ecology and conservation.

Star Wars and the State of Our Souls. Special Issue. The Whole Earth Papers, No. 20.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mische, Patricia M.

These two essays are intended to make U.S. citizens think about what they are doing, to put contemplation before action when considering the "Star Wars" proposals, i.e., proposals for research, development, and testing of space weapons. It is emphasized that the "Star Wars" proposals offer no real breakthroughs in strengthening…

Toward a Dependable Peace: A Proposal for an Appropriate Security System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johansen, Robert C.

This booklet proposes that citizens and governments think imaginatively about national and international security and take action for comprehensive arms reductions. The document is presented in eight chapters. Chapter I reports that global insecurity exists despite continuous arms control negotiations since World War II. Chapter II discusses…

76 FR 34982 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-15

... of a proposed consent decree to address a lawsuit filed by WildEarth Guardians and Elizabeth Crowe in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California: WildEarth Guardians and...Earth Guardians and Elizabeth Crowe, and Respondent, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA...

The European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing Synergies: Protocol for a Prospective Observational Study to Measure the Impact of a Community-Based Program on Prevention and Mitigation of Frailty (ICP - PMF) in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

PubMed

Liotta, G; Orfila, F; Vollenbroek-Hutten, M; Roller-Winsberger, R; Illario, M; Musian, D; Alvino, S; O'Caoimh, R; Cano, A; Molloy, W; Iaccarino, G; Marazzi, M C; Inzerilli, M C; Madaro, O; Paul, C; Csonka, P; Vince, A C; Menditto, E; Maggio, M; Scarcella, P; Gilardi, F; Lucaroni, F; Abete, P; Girardi, V; Barra, R; Palombi, L

2016-11-01

Aim of this paper is to describe the protocol of the study "Impact of a Community-based Program on Prevention and Mitigation of Frailty in community-dwelling older adults" developed in the framework of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing. This proposal has been developed by the Partnership Action groups on frailty, fall prevention and polypharmacy in older. The proposal wants to assess the impact of community-based programs aimed to counteract three main outcomes related to frailty: hospitalization, institutionalization and death. Bringing together researchers from seven European countries, the proposal aims to achieve the critical mass and the geographical extension enough to provide information useful to all older European citizens. An observational study will be carried out to calculate the incidence of the different outcomes in relation to the various interventions that will be assessed; results will be compared with data coming from already established national, regional and local dataset using the observed/expected approach. The sample will be made up by at least 2000 citizens for each outcome. All the citizens will be assessed at the baseline with two multidimensional questionnaires: the RISC questionnaire and the Short Functional Geriatric Evaluation questionnaire. The outcomes will be assessed every six-twelve months.

75 FR 61774 - Notice of Proposed Consent Decree Under the Clean Air Act

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-06

... given that on September 28, 2010, a proposed Consent Decree in United States, et al. v. Murphy Oil USA... Oil USA, Inc. (``Murphy'') resolves allegations by the Environmental Protection Agency, the State of... General, Environment and Natural Resources Division, and either e-mailed to [email protected

15 CFR 971.416 - Approval of permit transfers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... ENVIRONMENTAL DATA SERVICE DEEP SEABED MINING REGULATIONS FOR COMMERCIAL RECOVERY PERMITS Issuance/Transfer... transferee is a United States citizen and proposed commercial recovery activities meet the requirements of...

Binational Americans: In their own words.

PubMed

Paxton, Anne; Wade, Priscilla

2011-01-01

This qualitative study explores the ethnic identity formation of binational adults, defined as adults with parents who are each of different nationalities. In this sample, all participants were US citizens between the ages of 20 and 34 and most also identified as having biracial backgrounds. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, allowing participants to freely express their life experiences, personal revelations and feelings about their identity and place in the world around them. Results were recorded, transcribed and coded. Personal narratives described how life experiences enabled participants to develop cultural sensitivity, and increased their ability to identify commonalities and differences in concepts of race, ethnicity and culture in and outside the USA.

A proposed non-consequentialist policy for the ethical distribution of scarce vaccination in the face of an influenza pandemic.

PubMed

McLachlan, Hugh V

2012-05-01

The current UK policy for the distribution of scarce vaccination in an influenza pandemic is ethically dubious. It is based on the planned outcome of the maximum health benefit in terms of the saving of lives and the reduction of illness. To that end, the population is classified in terms of particular priority groups. An alternative policy with a non-consequentialist rationale is proposed in the present work. The state should give the vaccination, in the first instance, to those who are at risk of catching the pandemic flu in the line of their duties of public employment. Thereafter, if there is not sufficient vaccine to give all citizens equally an effective dose, the state should give all citizens an equal chance of receiving an effective dose. This would be the just thing to do because the state has a duty to treat each and all of its citizens impartially and they have a corresponding right to such impartial treatment. Although this article specifically refers to the UK, it is considered that the suggested alternative policy would be applicable generally. The duty to act justly is not merely a local one.

78 FR 51186 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-20

... Houston, California Communities Against Toxics, Coalition For A Safe Environment, Community In-Power and Development Association, Del Amo Action Committee, Environmental Integrity Project, Louisiana Bucket Brigade...

77 FR 14785 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-13

.... Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be formatted in Word... litigation in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed... Department of Justice determines that consent to this consent decree should be withdrawn, the terms of the...

76 FR 25688 - Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-05

... Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal... the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed settlement agreement if the..., inadequate, or inconsistent with the requirements of the Act. Unless EPA or the Department of Justice...

77 FR 39493 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-03

... Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be formatted in Word or ASCII file... question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed consent decree... Justice determines, based on any comment submitted, that consent to this consent decree should be...

76 FR 45793 - Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-01

...., Washington, DC, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on... in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed... Department of Justice determines that consent to this settlement agreement should be withdrawn, the terms of...

77 FR 47381 - Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-08

...., Washington, DC, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on.... EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed settlement agreement... Justice determines that consent to the settlement agreement should be withdrawn, the terms of the...

75 FR 38519 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-02

.... and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be... question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed consent decree... Justice determines, based on any comment submitted, that consent to this consent decree should be...

75 FR 80809 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-23

... Department of Air Quality to the Tennessee Valley Authority's Paradise Fossil Plant in Drakesboro, Kentucky... and any form of encryption, and may be mailed to the mailing address above. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION... Fossil Plant in Drakesboro, Kentucky. Under the terms of the proposed consent decree, EPA has agreed to...

Community Organizations: Towards a Research Agenda for the 1980's.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gittell, Marilyn

This paper proposes particular areas in which research is needed within the fields of community organization and community development. Proposals are based on field research and findings of a two year (1977-79) Community Citizen Organization Study. The report is organized according to the four major categories of analysis in this original…

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to give citizens of the United States the right to propose amendments to the Constitution by an initiative process.

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Rep. Hoekstra, Peter [R-MI-2

2010-01-21

House - 03/01/2010 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

National Geographic FieldScope: Tools for Engaging a Range of Audiences in Citizen Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

OConnor, S.; Takaki, E.

2013-12-01

Recognizing the promise of projects that engage non-scientists in scientific research as a context for informal science learning, National Geographic set out in 2009 to develop a technology infrastructure to support public participation in scientific research (PPSR), or citizen science, projects. As a result, NG has developed a web-based platform called FieldScope to host projects in which geographically distributed participants submit local observations or measurements to a shared database. This project is motivated by the observation that historically citizen science initiatives have been siloed using different technologies, and that these projects rarely provide participants with the opportunity to participate in data analysis or any other aspects of the scientific process except for collecting and contributing data. Therefore, FieldScope has been designed to support data visualization and analysis using geospatial technologies and aims to develop social networking tools for communicating and discussing findings. Since educational impact is the project's primary priority, FieldScope is also being designed with usability by novices in mind. In addition to engaging novices in participation in citizen science, the design of the application is also meant to engage students and others in working with geospatial technologies, in this case, web-based GIS. The project's goal is to create a single, powerful infrastructure for PPSR projects that any organization can use to create their own project and support their own community of participants. The FieldScope environment will serve as a hosting environment for PPSR projects following the model of hosted communities of practice that has become widespread on the web. The goal is to make FieldScope a publicly-available resource for any PPSR project on a no- or low-cost basis. It will also make synergies possible between projects that are collecting related data in the same geographic area. NG is now in the fourth year of an NSF grant to bring this vision for FieldScope to life. The project is structured around key collaborations with 'conveners' of existing citizen science initiatives. These existing initiatives include Project BudBurst, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums FrogWatch USA, and the Alice Ferguson Fund's Trash Free Potomac Initiative. These groups are serving as testbed partners, building their citizen science projects with the FieldScope development tools and hosting their communities within the FieldScope infrastructure. Through outcomes research and evaluation, these testbeds will provide much-needed evidence about the value of citizen science for learning and the conditions that can maximize those outcomes. Presenters will share findings to date of the project, including a demonstration of the technology using examples from our convening partners from the NSF project, as well as other communities using FieldScope, ranging from citizen science initiatives in the Yukon River watershed aimed at engaging indigenous Alaskan populations to a wide-spread initiative across the Chesapeake Bay watershed designed for students and environmental education program participants.

Trust Pathways, Trust Catalysts, Theory of Change and Citizen Science: A COASST Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burgess, H. K.; Parrish, J.; Dolliver, J.; Metes, J.; Ballard, H. L.

2017-12-01

Environmental challenges, from local water quality to the effects of global climate change, are overwhelming the mainstream science community. We need help. Citizen science offers one solution pathway - in the ideal, thousands of participants engaged in authentic science that delivers high quality information not otherwise obtainable. But in the real world, are citizen science data used? And more broadly: what are the interactions between citizen science and natural resource management in service of conserving or protecting system structure and function? The Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST) is a rigoros citizen science program focused on documenting patterns of beached bird and marine debris abundance on beaches along the coast of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Housed at the University of Washington, COASST partners directly with a wide range of local, tribal, state and federal agencies to effect positive change and a wide range of scientific, community and educational outcomes. Following from years of trial, error and adaptive management, we propose a "trust pathway" between citizen science and agencies that moves from an initial contact and multiple interaction types to eventual partnership and capacity sharing. Along the way are trust catalysts, including but not limited to: stakeholder engagement, data QA/QC, interactive data analysis, housing at an academic institution, and timely, repeated communication. In this presentation, we will discuss strategies and outcomes employed by COASST for fostering trust and successful partnerships, drawing on 20 years of program experience as well as reflections from a variety of partners and stakholdres.

Monitoring food safety violation reports from internet forums.

PubMed

Kate, Kiran; Negi, Sumit; Kalagnanam, Jayant

2014-01-01

Food-borne illness is a growing public health concern in the world. Government bodies, which regulate and monitor the state of food safety, solicit citizen feedback about food hygiene practices followed by food establishments. They use traditional channels like call center, e-mail for such feedback collection. With the growing popularity of Web 2.0 and social media, citizens often post such feedback on internet forums, message boards etc. The system proposed in this paper applies text mining techniques to identify and mine such food safety complaints posted by citizens on web data sources thereby enabling the government agencies to gather more information about the state of food safety. In this paper, we discuss the architecture of our system and the text mining methods used. We also present results which demonstrate the effectiveness of this system in a real-world deployment.

Cause for concern: the absence of consideration of public and ethical interest in British public policy

PubMed Central

Pattison, S; Evans, H M

2006-01-01

In the UK, many fundamentally important policy decisions that are likely to affect the relationship between citizens and care services are now made at the sublegislative level and without adequate ethical consideration and scrutiny. This is well exemplified in the proposed guidance on the disclosure of information on children. A recent consultation paper by the UK government on the subject proposes an approach that seeks a simple technical solution to a complex problem, emphasising control and surveillance. This reflects pressure to be seen to act. The document fails with regard to ethical reflection appropriate to the complexity of the issue, an appreciation of complex relationships of trust, and a proper sense of the richness and complexity of the public interest. Such policies would, if implemented, fundamentally change the relationships between citizens and their carers, and among carers and the law and the state. This and similar proposals require far more ethical scrutiny and consideration of the public interest in the widest sense. PMID:17145911

Agent based simulation on the process of human flesh search-From perspective of knowledge and emotion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Hou; Hu, Bin

2017-03-01

Human flesh search as a new net crowed behavior, on the one hand can help us to find some special information, on the other hand may lead to privacy leaking and offending human right. In order to study the mechanism of human flesh search, this paper proposes a simulation model based on agent-based model and complex networks. The computational experiments show some useful results. Discovered information quantity and involved personal ratio are highly correlated, and most of net citizens will take part in the human flesh search or will not take part in the human flesh search. Knowledge quantity does not influence involved personal ratio, but influences whether HFS can find out the target human. When the knowledge concentrates on hub nodes, the discovered information quantity is either perfect or almost zero. Emotion of net citizens influences both discovered information quantity and involved personal ratio. Concretely, when net citizens are calm to face the search topic, it will be hardly to find out the target; But when net citizens are agitated, the target will be found out easily.

Envisioning Advanced User Interfaces for E-Government Applications: A Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calvary, Gaëlle; Serna, Audrey; Coutaz, Joëlle; Scapin, Dominique; Pontico, Florence; Winckler, Marco

The increasing use of the Web as a software platform together with the advance of technology has promoted Web applications as a starting point for improving communication between citizens and administration. Currently, several e-government Web portals propose applications for accessing information regarding healthcare, taxation, registration, housing, agriculture, education, and social services, which otherwise may be difficult to obtain. However, the adoption of services provided to citizens depends upon how such applications comply with the users' needs. Unfortunately, building an e-government website doesn't guarantee that all citizens who come to use it can access its contents. These services need to be accessible to all citizens/customers equally to ensure wider reach and subsequent adoption of the e-government services. User disabilities, computer or language illiteracy (e.g., foreign language), flexibility on information access (e.g., user remotely located in rural areas, homeless, mobile users), and ensuring user privacy on sensitive data are some of the barriers that must be taken into account when designing the User Interface (UI) of e-government applications.

Long-term citizen-collected data reveal geographical patterns and temporal trends in lake water clarity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lottig, Noah R.; Wagner, Tyler; Henry, Emily N.; Cheruvelil, Kendra Spence; Webster, Katherine E.; Downing, John A.; Stow, Craig A.

2014-01-01

We compiled a lake-water clarity database using publically available, citizen volunteer observations made between 1938 and 2012 across eight states in the Upper Midwest, USA. Our objectives were to determine (1) whether temporal trends in lake-water clarity existed across this large geographic area and (2) whether trends were related to the lake-specific characteristics of latitude, lake size, or time period the lake was monitored. Our database consisted of >140,000 individual Secchi observations from 3,251 lakes that we summarized per lake-year, resulting in 21,020 summer averages. Using Bayesian hierarchical modeling, we found approximately a 1% per year increase in water clarity (quantified as Secchi depth) for the entire population of lakes. On an individual lake basis, 7% of lakes showed increased water clarity and 4% showed decreased clarity. Trend direction and strength were related to latitude and median sample date. Lakes in the southern part of our study-region had lower average annual summer water clarity, more negative long-term trends, and greater inter-annual variability in water clarity compared to northern lakes. Increasing trends were strongest for lakes with median sample dates earlier in the period of record (1938–2012). Our ability to identify specific mechanisms for these trends is currently hampered by the lack of a large, multi-thematic database of variables that drive water clarity (e.g., climate, land use/cover). Our results demonstrate, however, that citizen science can provide the critical monitoring data needed to address environmental questions at large spatial and long temporal scales. Collaborations among citizens, research scientists, and government agencies may be important for developing the data sources and analytical tools necessary to move toward an understanding of the factors influencing macro-scale patterns such as those shown here for lake water clarity.

Long-Term Citizen-Collected Data Reveal Geographical Patterns and Temporal Trends in Lake Water Clarity

PubMed Central

Lottig, Noah R.; Wagner, Tyler; Norton Henry, Emily; Spence Cheruvelil, Kendra; Webster, Katherine E.; Downing, John A.; Stow, Craig A.

2014-01-01

We compiled a lake-water clarity database using publically available, citizen volunteer observations made between 1938 and 2012 across eight states in the Upper Midwest, USA. Our objectives were to determine (1) whether temporal trends in lake-water clarity existed across this large geographic area and (2) whether trends were related to the lake-specific characteristics of latitude, lake size, or time period the lake was monitored. Our database consisted of >140,000 individual Secchi observations from 3,251 lakes that we summarized per lake-year, resulting in 21,020 summer averages. Using Bayesian hierarchical modeling, we found approximately a 1% per year increase in water clarity (quantified as Secchi depth) for the entire population of lakes. On an individual lake basis, 7% of lakes showed increased water clarity and 4% showed decreased clarity. Trend direction and strength were related to latitude and median sample date. Lakes in the southern part of our study-region had lower average annual summer water clarity, more negative long-term trends, and greater inter-annual variability in water clarity compared to northern lakes. Increasing trends were strongest for lakes with median sample dates earlier in the period of record (1938–2012). Our ability to identify specific mechanisms for these trends is currently hampered by the lack of a large, multi-thematic database of variables that drive water clarity (e.g., climate, land use/cover). Our results demonstrate, however, that citizen science can provide the critical monitoring data needed to address environmental questions at large spatial and long temporal scales. Collaborations among citizens, research scientists, and government agencies may be important for developing the data sources and analytical tools necessary to move toward an understanding of the factors influencing macro-scale patterns such as those shown here for lake water clarity. PMID:24788722

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Upper-middle Class toward the Importance of a Pediatric Dentist.

PubMed

Sadana, Gunmeen; Walia, Satinder; Rai, Hashmit Kaur; Aggarwal, Neha; Bhargava, Ankita

2017-10-01

This study was carried out to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of upper middle class toward the importance of a pediatric dentist in the city of Amritsar, Punjab. A cross-sectional study was carried out among the parents of children belonging to upper middle class in the city of Amritsar. This proposed study was assessed by the Institutional Ethical Committee (531/IDSR/2016) and their clearance was attained. A total of 950 parents were selected using a convenient sampling technique, and a self-made questionnaire was presented to them. Responses from the parents were evaluated in terms of numbers and percentages and were statistically analyzed using SPSS for Windows release 14.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Differences at the 5% level were accepted as being statistically significant. The results of the study show limited knowledge about a pediatric dentist among the well-educated, well-placed, and economically sound citizens of Amritsar city. Consequently, the attitude and practices among this socioeconomic group are unconstructive and unprepared, respectively. Although the importance of taking a child to a pediatrician is a common practice among the upper and upper-middle classes of the society, it is clear that they do not give the same importance to a pediatric dentist, who is the pediatrician of dentistry.

Observed differentials in the levels of selected environmental contaminants among Mexican and other Hispanic American children, adolescents, adults, and senior citizens.

PubMed

Jain, Ram B

2018-02-01

Starting with the 2007-2008 cycle, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) also oversampled Hispanics other than Mexicans (OHISP) making it possible to treat OHISP as a separate demographic group along with Mexican Americans (MAs), non-Hispanic whites (NHWs), and non-Hispanic blacks (NHBs). Yet, more often than not, OHISP have been merged with MA to form an all-Hispanic demographic group (HISP) thus limiting comparisons between NHW, NHB, and HISP. Consequently, for the first time, this study was undertaken to evaluate differences in the observed levels of selected environmental contaminants between MA and OHISP from five groups of environmental contaminants, namely, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), iodine uptake inhibitors (IUIs), environmental phenols (EPHs), priority pesticides (PPs), and perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs). Data for 2007-2010 from NHANES were used to conduct this study. OHISP children born in USA had higher levels of selected PAH metabolites than USA-born MA, and Mexican-born MA adolescents had higher levels of selected PAH metabolites than USA-born MA adolescents. USA-born adolescent MA had higher levels of selected parabens than USA-born adolescent OHISP, and OHISP adults born in another Spanish-speaking country had higher levels of selected parabens than USA-born OHISP adults. USA-born MA adults and seniors had higher levels of selected dichlorophenols than Mexico-born MA adults and seniors, respectively. Females had higher levels of selected PAH metabolites, EPHs, and PPs than males among children, adolescents, adults, and seniors, but the reverse was true for the levels of selected IUIs and PFAAs among adolescents and seniors. Smokers had higher levels of almost all PAH metabolites than non-smokers for adolescents, adults, and seniors. The same was true for urinary thiocynate for adolescents, adults, and seniors. OHISP is a multiracial multiethnic demographic group substantially different from MA with possibly different smoking behavior and with possibly differential levels of exposure to certain environmental contaminants and as such should be treated as a demographic group by itself.

Report on inspection of concerns regarding DOE`s evaluation of Chevron USA`s unsolicited proposal for the Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve

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

NONE

1997-11-17

An allegation was made to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) that the integrity of the Department of Energy`s (DOE) unsolicited proposal review process may have been compromised by the actions of a former Deputy Secretary of Energy and his Executive Assistant during the review of an unsolicited proposal received from Chevron U.S.A. Production Company (Chevron) in may 1993. The Chevron unsolicited proposal was for the management and operation of DOE`s Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve (Elk Hills), located near Bakersfield, California. Chevron submitted the unsolicited proposal on May 19, 1993. DOE formally rejected Chevron`s unsolicited proposal in May 1995.more » Although Chevron`s unsolicited proposal was eventually rejected by DOE, the complainant specifically alleged that the {open_quotes}sanctity, integrity, and sensitivity{close_quotes} of the unsolicited proposal review process had been breached in meetings during the Fall of 1993 between Chevron officials, the Deputy Secretary of Energy (Deputy Secretary), and his Executive Assistant. Based on our review of the allegation, we identified the following issue as the focus of our inspection.« less

77 FR 43074 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-23

... Valley Authority's Fossil Plant issued by the Commonwealth of Kentucky (``Shawnee Permit''). Under the... by the Kentucky Department for Air Quality for the Tennessee Valley Authority's Shawnee Fossil Plant...

Scientist vs. Citizen: The Shoreham Controversy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carl, Ann; Sailor, Vance L.

1972-01-01

Two views on the issue of nuclear reactor safety with reference to the license application of a nuclear power plant on Long Island. Each side presents scientific arguments concerning the safety standards proposed. (AL)

77 FR 46121 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection; General Provisions

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-02

... jurisdiction of surface coal mining and reclamation operations, petitions for rulemaking, and citizen suits filed under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. Bureau Form Number: None. Frequency...

USA National Phenology Network’s volunteer-contributed observations yield predictive models of phenological transitions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crimmins, Theresa M.; Crimmins, Michael A.; Gerst, Katherine L.; Rosemartin, Alyssa H.; Weltzin, Jake F.

2017-01-01

In support of science and society, the USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) maintains a rapidly growing, continental-scale, species-rich dataset of plant and animal phenology observations that with over 10 million records is the largest such database in the United States. Contributed voluntarily by professional and citizen scientists, these opportunistically collected observations are characterized by spatial clustering, inconsistent spatial and temporal sampling, and short temporal depth. We explore the potential for developing models of phenophase transitions suitable for use at the continental scale, which could be applied to a wide range of resource management contexts. We constructed predictive models of the onset of breaking leaf buds, leaves, open flowers, and ripe fruits – phenophases that are the most abundant in the database and also relevant to management applications – for all species with available data, regardless of plant growth habit, location, geographic extent, or temporal depth of the observations. We implemented a very basic model formulation - thermal time models with a fixed start date. Sufficient data were available to construct 107 individual species × phenophase models. Of these, fifteen models (14%) met our criteria for model fit and error and were suitable for use across the majority of the species’ geographic ranges. These findings indicate that the USA-NPN dataset holds promise for further and more refined modeling efforts. Further, the candidate models that emerged could be used to produce real-time and short-term forecast maps of the timing of such transitions to directly support natural resource management.

78 FR 26028 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-03

... Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be formatted in Word or ASCII file... question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed consent decree... Justice determines that consent to this consent decree should be withdrawn, the terms of the decree will...

78 FR 18979 - Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-28

... Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal... litigation in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed... Department of Justice determines that consent to this settlement agreement should be withdrawn, the terms of...

76 FR 17416 - Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-29

.... and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be... litigation in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed.... Unless EPA or the Department of Justice determines, based on any comment submitted, that consent should...

77 FR 4320 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-27

... Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal... litigation in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed... Department of Justice determines that consent to this consent decree should be withdrawn, the terms of the...

78 FR 23562 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-19

.... and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be... question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed consent decree... Justice determines that consent to this consent decree should be withdrawn, the terms of the decree will...

76 FR 56756 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-14

...:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be... Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed consent decree if the comments disclose facts or... requirements of the Act. Unless EPA or the Department of Justice determines that consent to this consent decree...

75 FR 39014 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-07

...., Washington, DC, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on... litigation in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed... Department of Justice determines that consent to this consent decree should be withdrawn, the terms of the...

75 FR 71126 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-22

.... and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be.... EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed consent decree if... Justice determines that consent to this consent decree should be withdrawn, the terms of the decree will...

76 FR 45564 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-29

... Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal... Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed consent decree if the comments disclose facts or... requirements of the Act. Unless EPA or the Department of Justice determines that consent to this consent decree...

78 FR 23560 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-19

... Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be formatted in Word or ASCII file... Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed consent decree if the comments disclose facts or... requirements of the Act. Unless EPA or the Department of Justice determines that consent to this consent decree...

75 FR 74048 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-30

... Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal... question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed consent decree... Justice determines that consent to this consent decree should be withdrawn, the terms of the decree will...

77 FR 46756 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-06

..., between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD... question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed consent decree... Justice determines that consent to this consent decree should be withdrawn, the terms of the decree will...

76 FR 51030 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-17

.... and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be... litigation in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed... Department of Justice determines that consent to this consent decree should be withdrawn, the terms of the...

77 FR 14784 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-13

...., Washington, DC, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on... of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the proposed consent decree if the comments disclose... inconsistent with the requirements of the Act. Unless EPA or the Department of Justice determines that consent...

CHANGING THE CONTEXTS IN WHICH OCCUPATIONAL EDUCATION TAKES PLACE.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

PIERCE, WENDELL H.

PROPOSALS FOR CONSIDERATION BY EACH OF THE 50 STATES ARE PRESENTED IN THE REPORT BY THE TASK FORCE ON VOCATIONAL-TECHNICAL EDUCATION. A BRIEF STATEMENT OF COMMITTEE BELIEFS AND OBSERVATIONS PRECEDES THE PROPOSALS THAT (1) A HUMAN RESOURCES COUNCIL CONSISTING OF HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS OF STATE GOVERNMENT AND LAY CITIZENS BE ESTABLISHED IN EACH STATE…

76 FR 31639 - Notice of the Availability of the Finding of No Significant Impact Concerning a Proposal To Award...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-01

... Significant Impact Concerning a Proposal To Award a Contract to House Federal, Low- Security, Criminal Aliens... aliens within one or more existing contractor-owned and operated correctional facilities. Background... Federal, low-security, adult male, non-U.S. citizen, criminal aliens within one or more existing...

75 FR 22411 - Fonterra (USA) Inc.; Filing of Food Additive Petition

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-28

...] Fonterra (USA) Inc.; Filing of Food Additive Petition AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION... a petition proposing that the food additive regulations be amended to provide for the safe use of... that a food additive petition (FAP 0A4781) has been filed by Fonterra (USA), Inc., c/o Burdock Group...

Regional planning acceptance by residents of Northern New York, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bobrow, Patricia; Gaige, Barbara; Harris, Glenn; Kennedy, Joyce; King, Leslie; Raymond, William; Werbitsky, Darrin

1984-01-01

This study compares the effectiveness of two regional planning agencies in terms of public support for various planning activities. The Adirondack Park Agency and the Temporary State Commission on Tug Hill have fundamentally different approaches to planning. The Adirondack Park Agency has implemented a restrictive regulatory program with little citizen participation by Adirondack residents. The Tug Hill Commission has implemented an advisory and coordinating program with an emphasis on public input. Residents of two towns in each region were surveyed to determine environmental concern and support for regional planning activities. Respondents from both regions favored a planning agency that incorporates citizen input; controls air, water, and toxic waste pollution; and develops recreation areas. They strongly opposed an agency that regulates private land-use. Basic demographic characteristics and levels of environmental concern were similar in all four towns, but receptivity to various planning activities was consistently greater among residents of the Tug Hill Region. Paired comparisons of the four towns demonstrated no differences between towns of the same region and significant differences between towns of different regions. Public support for regional planning is greater in the Tug Hill Region than in the Adirondack Park.

A Multi-User Game-Theoretical Multipath Routing Protocol to Send Video-Warning Messages over Mobile Ad Hoc Networks.

PubMed

Mezher, Ahmad Mohamad; Igartua, Mónica Aguilar; de la Cruz Llopis, Luis J; Pallarès Segarra, Esteve; Tripp-Barba, Carolina; Urquiza-Aguiar, Luis; Forné, Jordi; Sanvicente Gargallo, Emilio

2015-04-17

The prevention of accidents is one of the most important goals of ad hoc networks in smart cities. When an accident happens, dynamic sensors (e.g., citizens with smart phones or tablets, smart vehicles and buses, etc.) could shoot a video clip of the accident and send it through the ad hoc network. With a video message, the level of seriousness of the accident could be much better evaluated by the authorities (e.g., health care units, police and ambulance drivers) rather than with just a simple text message. Besides, other citizens would be rapidly aware of the incident. In this way, smart dynamic sensors could participate in reporting a situation in the city using the ad hoc network so it would be possible to have a quick reaction warning citizens and emergency units. The deployment of an efficient routing protocol to manage video-warning messages in mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) has important benefits by allowing a fast warning of the incident, which potentially can save lives. To contribute with this goal, we propose a multipath routing protocol to provide video-warning messages in MANETs using a novel game-theoretical approach. As a base for our work, we start from our previous work, where a 2-players game-theoretical routing protocol was proposed to provide video-streaming services over MANETs. In this article, we further generalize the analysis made for a general number of N players in the MANET. Simulations have been carried out to show the benefits of our proposal, taking into account the mobility of the nodes and the presence of interfering traffic. Finally, we also have tested our approach in a vehicular ad hoc network as an incipient start point to develop a novel proposal specifically designed for VANETs.

The 2012 derecho: emergency medical services and hospital response.

PubMed

Kearns, Randy D; Wigal, Mark S; Fernandez, Antonio; Tucker, March A; Zuidgeest, Ginger R; Mills, Michael R; Cairns, Bruce A; Cairns, Charles B

2014-10-01

During the early afternoon of June 29, 2012, a line of destructive thunderstorms producing straight line winds known as a derecho developed near Chicago (Illinois, USA). The storm moved southeast with wind speeds recorded from 100 to 160 kilometers per hour (kph, 60 to 100 miles per hour [mph]). The storm swept across much of West Virginia (USA) later that evening. Power outage was substantial as an estimated 1,300,000 West Virginians (more than half) were without power in the aftermath of the storm and approximately 600,000 citizens were still without power a week later. This was one of the worst storms to strike this area and occurred as residents were enduring a prolonged heat wave. The wind damage left much of the community without electricity and the crippling effect compromised or destroyed critical infrastructure including communications, air conditioning, refrigeration, and water and sewer pumps. This report describes utilization of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and hospital resources in West Virginia in response to the storm. Also reported is a review of the weather phenomena and the findings and discussion of the disaster and implications.

The role of citizen science in monitoring small-scale pollution events.

PubMed

Hyder, Kieran; Wright, Serena; Kirby, Mark; Brant, Jan

2017-07-15

Small-scale pollution events involve the release of potentially harmful substances into the marine environment. These events can affect all levels of the ecosystem, with damage to both fauna and flora. Numerous reporting structures are currently available to document spills, however there is a lack of information on small-scale events due to their magnitude and patchy distribution. To this end, volunteers may provide a useful tool in filling this data gap, especially for coastal environments with a high usage by members of the public. The potential for citizen scientists to record small-scale pollution events is explored using the UK as an example, with a focus on highlighting methods and issues associated with using this data source. An integrated monitoring system is proposed which combines citizen science and traditional reporting approaches. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Conservation values and management strategies of coastal windbreaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, M. J.; Song, G. Z. M.

2015-12-01

Taiwan is surrounded by oceans, so that the citizens' daily lives and the industrial activities in coast areas are exposed to and affected by strong winds and dust storms caused by the winter monsoon. Tree windbreaks present the functions of windproof, dust inhibition, damp-proof, and climate moderation. However, in recent years, the construction of roads, establishment industrial districts, development of recreation areas, building of wind turbines, and the cultivation of local citizens have greatly changed the width and integrity of tree windbreak belts, and in turn affected their functionality. Our study focus on tree windbreaks right next to the estuary of the Zhoushui River in Taiwan. Through environmental investigations, questionnaire surveys for local citizens, and vegetation sureys, the current functions of windbreaks and impacts of human disturbances on windbreaks will be evaluated. The conservation values and management strategies of tree windbreaks will be proposed after all.

Synthesizing spatiotemporally sparse smartphone sensor data for bridge modal identification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozer, Ekin; Feng, Maria Q.

2016-08-01

Smartphones as vibration measurement instruments form a large-scale, citizen-induced, and mobile wireless sensor network (WSN) for system identification and structural health monitoring (SHM) applications. Crowdsourcing-based SHM is possible with a decentralized system granting citizens with operational responsibility and control. Yet, citizen initiatives introduce device mobility, drastically changing SHM results due to uncertainties in the time and the space domains. This paper proposes a modal identification strategy that fuses spatiotemporally sparse SHM data collected by smartphone-based WSNs. Multichannel data sampled with the time and the space independence is used to compose the modal identification parameters such as frequencies and mode shapes. Structural response time history can be gathered by smartphone accelerometers and converted into Fourier spectra by the processor units. Timestamp, data length, energy to power conversion address temporal variation, whereas spatial uncertainties are reduced by geolocation services or determining node identity via QR code labels. Then, parameters collected from each distributed network component can be extended to global behavior to deduce modal parameters without the need of a centralized and synchronous data acquisition system. The proposed method is tested on a pedestrian bridge and compared with a conventional reference monitoring system. The results show that the spatiotemporally sparse mobile WSN data can be used to infer modal parameters despite non-overlapping sensor operation schedule.

Parasite Prevalence and the Distribution of Intelligence among the States of the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eppig, Christopher; Fincher, Corey L.; Thornhill, Randy

2011-01-01

In this study, we tested the parasite-stress hypothesis for the distribution of intelligence among the USA states: the hypothesis proposes that intelligence emerges from a developmental trade-off between maximizing brain vs. immune function. From this we predicted that among the USA states where infectious disease stress was high, average…

The Sixth U.S.A. Mathematical Olympiad

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greitzer, Samuel L.

1978-01-01

One hundred and seven students of 365,000 students given the annual High School Mathematics Examination took part in the sixth U.S.A. Mathematical Olympiad. The top eight scores are listed along with comparative Exam and Olympiad scores for the group and individual problem scores. The problems proposed on the U.S.A. Olympiad on an International…

Reverse Migration: Western European Muslim Women’s Flights to ISIL Territory

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

women’s involvement in previous terrorist movements and proposes five potential motivations for migration: grievances toward Western society...voluntarily migrating to ISIL territory to support Islamic extremism. It evaluates women’s involvement in previous terrorist movements and proposes five...connect Western citizens to the pain and suffering in the Middle East. Consequently, they developed remarkably successful recruitment and propaganda

75 FR 80808 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-23

... number EPA-HQ- OGC-2010-1060, online at http://www.regulations.gov (EPA's preferred method); by e-mail to... Center, EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m... No. EPA-HQ-OGC-2010-1060) contains a copy of the proposed consent decree. The official public docket...

Strengthening and Expanding the Citizen Corps

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-03-01

incident. The dual definitions of “first responder” present strategic issues that cause public confusion, challenge reciprocity, limit professional ... mobility , cause difficulties in quality assurance, and duplicate efforts.79 Therefore, EMS committees are currently proposing the following changes

75 FR 22787 - Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-30

... for the Woodside Landfill in Walker, Livingston Parish Louisiana (the ``Woodside Petition'') within... to object to issuance of air permit No. 1740-00025V1 to Waste Management for the Woodside Landfill in...

75 FR 40827 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-14

... Foam Production (40 CFR part 63, subpart III); (22) Acrylic and Modacrylic Fibers Production (40 CFR..., 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is open from 8...

76 FR 34983 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-15

... lawsuits filed by WildEarth Guardians, National Parks Conservation Association, and the Environmental... Colorado: WildEarth Guardians, et al. v. Jackson, No. 1:11-cv-0001-CMA-MEH (D. CO) and consolidated case...

75 FR 24946 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-06

... Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina...'') infrastructure submittals for Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Louisiana, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Colorado...

[Sexual diversity, health and citizenship].

PubMed

Cáceres, Carlos F; Talavera, Víctor A; Mazín Reynoso, Rafael

2013-01-01

Non-heterosexual sexual orientations are no longer considered pathological by the American Psychiatric Association since 1973 and the World Health Organization since 1990. However, to many authors, these changes in Latin America have not been translated into an inclusive healthcare provision or the recognition of non-heterosexual citizens with full rights. The purpose of this document is to provide a theoretical view regarding sexuality, proposing proper conditions that allow to successfully facing arising challenges. Thus, the regulating role of medicine over sexuality has been exposed, which has led to both academic and political reactions. The progressive change given in medical science has been pointed out: from considering non-heterosexual sexuality to be pathological to offering, in theory at least, inclusion. The negative impacts of what an adverse social environment causes to an individual are described. Finally, specific actions are proposed to provide better health services to non-heterosexual citizens.

Answer or Publish - Energizing Online Democracy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antal, Miklós; Mikecz, Dániel

Enhanced communication between citizens and decision makers furthering participation in public decision making is essential to ease today's democratic deficit. However, it is difficult to sort out the most important public inputs from a large number of comments and questions. We propose an online solution to the selection problem by utilizing the general publicity of the internet. In the envisioned practice, decision makers are obliged either to answer citizens' questions or initiatives or to publish the letter received on a publicly accessible web page. The list of unaddressed questions would mean a motivation to consider public inputs without putting unnecessary burdens on decision makers - due to the reliance on the public, their workload would converge to the societal optimum. The proposed method is analyzed in the course of the existing Hungarian e-practices. The idea is found valuable as a restriction for representatives and a relief for some other officials.

Child sex tourism: extending the borders of sexual offender legislation.

PubMed

Newman, William J; Holt, Ben W; Rabun, John S; Phillips, Gary; Scott, Charles L

2011-01-01

Child sex tourism, the act of traveling to engage in sexual acts with minors, plagues developing nations worldwide. Several laws have been passed internationally in recent years designed to curtail this practice. Government entities and human rights organizations have driven these efforts. United States citizens represent a significant proportion of participants in child sex tourism. The PROTECT Act of 2003 prohibits United States citizens from participating in sexual acts with minors while traveling, and establishes extraterritorial jurisdiction. The case of Michael Lewis Clark, the first United States citizen convicted under this legislation, is highlighted. Child sex tourism poses unique issues to courts that will require ongoing clarification as challenges arise. This article discusses potential future challenges, describes strategies to address this problem, and relates this issue to psychiatry. Mental health providers may have the role of evaluating both the victims and perpetrators of child sex tourism. The authors propose a classification system for offenses and an initial list of topics to discuss with victims. The authors also describe the proper mechanism for reporting United States citizens suspected of participating in child sex tourism. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Child-friendly integrated public spaces (RPTRA): Uses and sense of attachment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prakoso, S.; Dewi, J.

2018-03-01

The Jakarta City Provincial Government undertook an extensive citywide initiative to build small public urban green spaces, called child-friendly integrated public spaces (RPTRA). Studies on how citizens, including children, use RPTRA was limited, and questions regarding whether children had become attached to the RPTRA as one of their favorite places remain unanswered. This paper presents a preliminary study on ten RPTRA located in Jakarta. We examine how children and citizens use the spaces, based on data from respondents who completed on-site questionnaires during the course of their visit to the RPTRA. We also measure the degree of children’s sense of attachment to RPTRA. The results show that children primarily use RPTRA for playing and learning. Women and girls use RPTRA the most, and elderly citizens use it the least. The results of the study also demonstrate that children had developed a sense of attachment to RPTRA and it had become one of their favorite places. This study may have implications on the existence of small public urban green spaces like RPTRA as valuable assets in the everyday lives of children and citizens. It proposes that RPTRA should be taken into account for future planning of densely populated urban areas.

Public Notice documents for OXY USA, Inc

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA is seeking public comments on a proposed settlement agreement with OXY USA, Inc. EPA will not make a final decision on whether to enter the agreement until after considering public comments on the potential agreement.

77 FR 281 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-04

... holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be formatted in Word or ASCII file, avoiding the use of... U.S. Virgin Islands had failed to submit CAA SIPs for improving visibility in mandatory Federal...

77 FR 50506 - Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-21

... February 17, 2012, the Court issued an Order that referred the case to mediation and stayed further proceedings on the case pending such mediation. Thus, at the suggestion of the Court, EPA, the District, and...

75 FR 22786 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-30

..., avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption, and may be mailed to the mailing address... comment. Use of the http://www.regulations.gov website to submit comments to EPA electronically is EPA's...

75 FR 16461 - Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-01

... or ASCII file, avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption, and may be mailed... comment. Use of the http://www.regulations.gov website to submit comments to EPA electronically is EPA's...

76 FR 54465 - Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-01

... and any form of encryption, and may be mailed to the mailing address above. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION... be able to consider your comment. Use of the http://www.regulations.gov website to submit comments to...

78 FR 54866 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Applications and Reporting Requirements for the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-06

....S. citizens who engage in a specified activity (other than commercial fishing), within a specified.... Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $360 in recordkeeping/ reporting costs and $0 in capital costs (if...

77 FR 5518 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-03

... lawsuit filed by WildEarth Guardians in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado: WildEarth Guardians v. Jackson, Case No. 1:11-cv- 02227-WJM-KLM (D. Colo.). Plaintiff filed this suit...

Effect of citizen engagement levels in flood forecasting by assimilating crowdsourced observations in hydrological models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazzoleni, Maurizio; Cortes Arevalo, Juliette; Alfonso, Leonardo; Wehn, Uta; Norbiato, Daniele; Monego, Martina; Ferri, Michele; Solomatine, Dimitri

2017-04-01

In the past years, a number of methods have been proposed to reduce uncertainty in flood prediction by means of model updating techniques. Traditional physical observations are usually integrated into hydrological and hydraulic models to improve model performances and consequent flood predictions. Nowadays, low-cost sensors can be used for crowdsourced observations. Different type of social sensors can measure, in a more distributed way, physical variables such as precipitation and water level. However, these crowdsourced observations are not integrated into a real-time fashion into water-system models due to their varying accuracy and random spatial-temporal coverage. We assess the effect in model performance due to the assimilation of crowdsourced observations of water level. Our method consists in (1) implementing a Kalman filter into a cascade of hydrological and hydraulic models. (2) defining observation errors depending on the type of sensor either physical or social. Randomly distributed errors are based on accuracy ranges that slightly improve according to the citizens' expertise level. (3) Using a simplified social model to realistically represent citizen engagement levels based on population density and citizens' motivation scenarios. To test our method, we synthetically derive crowdsourced observations for different citizen engagement levels from a distributed network of physical and social sensors. The observations are assimilated during a particular flood event occurred in the Bacchiglione catchment, Italy. The results of this study demonstrate that sharing crowdsourced water level observations (often motivated by a feeling of belonging to a community of friends) can help in improving flood prediction. On the other hand, a growing participation of individual citizens or weather enthusiasts sharing hydrological observations in cities can help to improve model performance. This study is a first step to assess the effects of crowdsourced observations in flood model predictions. Effective communication and feedback about the quality of observations from water authorities to engaged citizens are further required to minimize their intrinsic low-variable accuracy.

Icarus Investigations: A Model for Engaging Citizen Scientists to Solve Solar Big Data Challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winter, H. D., III; Loftus, K.

2017-12-01

Solar data is growing at an exponential rate. NASA's Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) has produced a data volume of over 6 petabytes to date, and that volume is growing. The initial suite of instruments on DKIST are expected to generate approximately 25TB of data per day, with bursts up to 50TB. Making sense of this deluge of solar data is as formidable a task as collecting it. New techniques and new ways of thinking are needed in order to optimize the value of this immense amount of data. While machine learning algorithms are a natural tool to sift through Big Data, those tools need to be carefully constructed and trained in order to provide meaningful results. Trained volunteers are needed to provide a large volume of initial classifications in order to properly train machine learning algorithms. To retain a highly trained pool of volunteers to teach machine learning algorithms, we propose to host an ever-changing array of solar-based citizen science projects under a single collaborative project banner: Icarus Investigations. Icarus Investigations would build and retain a dedicated user base within Zooniverse, the most popular citizen science website with over a million registered users. Volunteers will become increasingly comfortable with solar images and solar features of interest as they work on projects that focus on a wide array of solar phenomena. Under a unified framework, new solar citizen science projects submitted to Icarus Investigations will build on the successes, and learn from the missteps, of their predecessors. In this talk we discuss the importance and benefits of engaging the public in citizen science projects and call for collaborators on future citizen science projects. We will also demonstrate the initial Icarus Investigations project, The Where of the Flare. This demonstration will allow us to highlight the workflow of a Icarus Investigations citizen science project with a concrete example.

Place-based and data-rich citizen science as a precursor for conservation action.

PubMed

Haywood, Benjamin K; Parrish, Julia K; Dolliver, Jane

2016-06-01

Environmental education strategies have customarily placed substantial focus on enhancing ecological knowledge and literacy with the hope that, upon discovering relevant facts and concepts, participants will be better equipped to process and dissect environmental issues and, therefore, make more informed decisions. The assumption is that informed citizens will become active citizens--enthusiastically lobbying for, and participating in, conservation-oriented action. We surveyed and interviewed and used performance data from 432 participants in the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST), a scientifically rigorous citizen science program, to explore measurable change in and links between understanding and action. We found that participation in rigorous citizen science was associated with significant increases in participant knowledge and skills; a greater connection to place and, secondarily, to community; and an increasing awareness of the relative impact of anthropogenic activities on local ecosystems specifically through increasing scientific understanding of the ecosystem and factors affecting it. Our results suggest that a place-based, data-rich experience linked explicitly to local, regional, and global issues can lead to measurable change in individual and collective action, expressed in our case study principally through participation in citizen science and community action and communication of program results to personal acquaintances and elected officials. We propose the following tenets of conservation literacy based on emergent themes and the connections between them explicit in our data: place-based learning creates personal meaning making; individual experience nested within collective (i.e., program-wide) experience facilitates an understanding of the ecosystem process and function at local and regional scales; and science-based meaning making creates informed concern (i.e., the ability to discern both natural and anthropogenic forcing), which allows individuals to develop a personalized prioritization schema and engage in conservation action. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology.

75 FR 71125 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-22

... public comment. SUMMARY: In accordance with section 113(g) of the Clean Air Act, as amended (``CAA'' or the ``Act''), 42 U.S.C. 7413(g), notice is hereby given of a proposed consent decree to address a... section 110(k)(2) of the CAA, 42 U.S.C. 7410(k)(2), to take timely final action on a submission entitled...

[On the clients of public health organizations].

PubMed

Duran, Júlia; Villalbí, Joan R; Guix, Joan

2004-01-01

Public services must satisfy a variety of agents: users of these services, the citizens who pay the taxes that finance them, politicians, and those that work in them. To obtain public services that give priority to the citizen-user, knowledge of clients, their expectations, preferences, complaints and degree of satisfaction is essential. This article presents the process of internal discussion in our agency about its clients, who differ from those of an industrial or commercial organization. A proposal for the classification of clients, as well as the process that has led to a client portfolio, are presented and steps to improve services from the perspective of the client are suggested.

Voices.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Insights on Law & Society, 2000

2000-01-01

Provides viewpoints on whether the constitutional amendment process needs to be changed or not: (1) "When in Doubt, Do Nothing" (R. B. Bernstein); (2) "Citizens for the Constitution" (Erwin Chemerinsky); (3) "Constitutional Proposals from the States" (John Kincaid); and (4) "I Have a Better Way" (Gregory D.…

75 FR 14419 - Camp Tatiyee Land Exchange on the Lakeside Ranger District of the Apache-Sitgreaves National...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-25

... Ranger, Lakeside Ranger District, Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, c/o TEC Inc., 514 Via de la Valle... to other papers serving areas affected by this proposal: Tucson Citizen, Sierra Vista Herald, Nogales...

76 FR 12731 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-08

... lawsuit filed by WildEarth Guardians in the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico: WildEarth Guardians v. Jackson, No. 6:10-;cv- ;00877-MCA-RHS (D. NM). Plaintiff filed a deadline suit...

75 FR 67967 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-04

... lawsuit filed by WildEarth Guardians in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado: WildEarth Guardians v. Jackson, No. 10-cv-01218- REB-BNB (D. CO.). On May 26, 2010, Plaintiff filed a...

A feasibility study for the provision of electronic healthcare tools and services in areas of Greece, Cyprus and Italy

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Through this paper, we present the initial steps for the creation of an integrated platform for the provision of a series of eHealth tools and services to both citizens and travelers in isolated areas of thesoutheast Mediterranean, and on board ships travelling across it. The platform was created through an INTERREG IIIB ARCHIMED project called INTERMED. Methods The support of primary healthcare, home care and the continuous education of physicians are the three major issues that the proposed platform is trying to facilitate. The proposed system is based on state-of-the-art telemedicine systems and is able to provide the following healthcare services: i) Telecollaboration and teleconsultation services between remotely located healthcare providers, ii) telemedicine services in emergencies, iii) home telecare services for "at risk" citizens such as the elderly and patients with chronic diseases, and iv) eLearning services for the continuous training through seminars of both healthcare personnel (physicians, nurses etc) and persons supporting "at risk" citizens. These systems support data transmission over simple phone lines, internet connections, integrated services digital network/digital subscriber lines, satellite links, mobile networks (GPRS/3G), and wireless local area networks. The data corresponds, among others, to voice, vital biosignals, still medical images, video, and data used by eLearning applications. The proposed platform comprises several systems, each supporting different services. These were integrated using a common data storage and exchange scheme in order to achieve system interoperability in terms of software, language and national characteristics. Results The platform has been installed and evaluated in different rural and urban sites in Greece, Cyprus and Italy. The evaluation was mainly related to technical issues and user satisfaction. The selected sites are, among others, rural health centers, ambulances, homes of "at-risk" citizens, and a ferry. Conclusions The results proved the functionality and utilization of the platform in various rural places in Greece, Cyprus and Italy. However, further actions are needed to enable the local healthcare systems and the different population groups to be familiarized with, and use in their everyday lives, mature technological solutions for the provision of healthcare services. PMID:21649924

Climate Change and Political Action: the Citizens' Climate Lobby

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, P. H.; Secord, S.

2014-12-01

Recognizing the reality of global warming and its origin in greenhouse gas emissions, what does one do about it? Individual action is commendable, but inadequate. Collective action is necessary--Citizens' Climate Lobby proposes a "fee-and-dividend" approach in which a fee is imposed on carbon-based fuel at its sources of production. The fee increases annually in a predictable manner. The funds collected are paid out to consumers as monthly dividends. The approach is market-based, in that the cost of the fee to producers is passed on to consumers in the cost of carbon-based fuels. Downstream energy providers and consumers then make their choices regarding investments and purchases. Citizens' Climate Lobby (CCL) builds national consensus by growing local Chapters, led and populated by volunteers. The Chapters are charged with public education and presenting the fee-and-dividend proposal to their respective Representatives and Senators. CCL builds trust by its non-partisan approach, meeting with all members of Congress regardless of party affiliation and stance on climate-related issues. CCL also builds trust by a non-confrontational approach, seeking to understand rather than to oppose. CCL works both locally, through its local Chapters, and nationally, with an annual conference in Washington DC during which all Congressional offices are visited. CCL recognizes that a long-term, sustained effort is necessary to address climate change.

The moral dimension of politicized identity: Exploring identity content during the 2012 Presidential Elections in the USA.

PubMed

Turner-Zwinkels, Felicity M; van Zomeren, Martijn; Postmes, Tom

2017-06-01

It is well known that politicized identities are especially good predictors of collective action, but very little is known about what these identities are. We propose that moral identity content plays a central role in politicized identities. We examined this among (un)politicized Americans in the 2012 US Presidential Elections. In a longitudinal community sample of US citizens (N = 760), we tracked personal (i.e., unique) and politicized (i.e., party activist) identity content: before, during, and after the election. We compared identity content of individuals who self-labelled as politicized (i.e., active party promoters) or unpoliticized (i.e., passive party supporters): (1) Democrats (n = 69) longitudinally and (2) Republicans (n = 69) cross-sectionally to examine three hypotheses: Moral identity content (e.g., trustworthy) would be more prominent in politicized (vs. unpoliticized) identities (H1); moral identity content overlapping politicized and personal identities predict seeing the self as politicized (H2) and engaging in party activism (H3). Results largely supported H1 and H2, but only weakly supported H3. We conclude that politicized identities are moralized identities that have a self-evaluative, but not strongly action-motivation, function. We discuss the implications of our findings and method for politicization research. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

Pocket EZPIN device for healthcare IC cards to enhance the security and convenience of senior citizens.

PubMed

Lai, Jiun-Tze; Hou, Ting-Wei

2008-04-01

An application that adopts smart cards often requires users to enter a PIN (Personal Identification Number) code. In Taiwan's healthcare system, a PIN is used to protect a card holder's private data. However, should one forget one's PIN, the procedure to set up a new PIN is inconvenient. There is a higher probability that senior citizens may forget their PINs. We propose a device which stores the PIN of the cardholder's Healthcare IC card. When the healthcare IC card reader requires the cardholder to enter his/her PIN, the cardholder pushes a button of the device to remotely sends the cardholder's encrypted PIN, for example by Infra Red. The device is designed to be low cost and easy to carry, and, hence, affordable to be a gift to senior citizens. Moreover, if the cardholder should forget to take the device with him/her, the card still works as normal. The device would be helpful in ensuring the public's privacy and convenience in Taiwan's healthcare system.

New science in plain sight: Citizen scientists lead to the discovery of optical structure in the upper atmosphere.

PubMed

MacDonald, Elizabeth A; Donovan, Eric; Nishimura, Yukitoshi; Case, Nathan A; Gillies, D Megan; Gallardo-Lacourt, Bea; Archer, William E; Spanswick, Emma L; Bourassa, Notanee; Connors, Martin; Heavner, Matthew; Jackel, Brian; Kosar, Burcu; Knudsen, David J; Ratzlaff, Chris; Schofield, Ian

2018-03-01

A glowing ribbon of purple light running east-west in the night sky has recently been observed by citizen scientists. This narrow, subauroral, visible structure, distinct from the traditional auroral oval, was largely undocumented in the scientific literature and little was known about its formation. Amateur photo sequences showed colors distinctly different from common types of aurora and occasionally indicated magnetic field-aligned substructures. Observations from the Swarm satellite as it crossed the arc have revealed an unusual level of electron temperature enhancement and density depletion, along with a strong westward ion flow, indicating that a pronounced subauroral ion drift (SAID) is associated with this structure. These early results suggest the arc is an optical manifestation of SAID, presenting new opportunities for investigation of the dynamic SAID signatures from the ground. On the basis of the measured ion properties and original citizen science name, we propose to identify this arc as a Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement (STEVE).

New science in plain sight: Citizen scientists lead to the discovery of optical structure in the upper atmosphere

PubMed Central

MacDonald, Elizabeth A.; Donovan, Eric; Nishimura, Yukitoshi; Case, Nathan A.; Gillies, D. Megan; Gallardo-Lacourt, Bea; Archer, William E.; Spanswick, Emma L.; Bourassa, Notanee; Connors, Martin; Heavner, Matthew; Jackel, Brian; Kosar, Burcu; Knudsen, David J.; Ratzlaff, Chris; Schofield, Ian

2018-01-01

A glowing ribbon of purple light running east-west in the night sky has recently been observed by citizen scientists. This narrow, subauroral, visible structure, distinct from the traditional auroral oval, was largely undocumented in the scientific literature and little was known about its formation. Amateur photo sequences showed colors distinctly different from common types of aurora and occasionally indicated magnetic field–aligned substructures. Observations from the Swarm satellite as it crossed the arc have revealed an unusual level of electron temperature enhancement and density depletion, along with a strong westward ion flow, indicating that a pronounced subauroral ion drift (SAID) is associated with this structure. These early results suggest the arc is an optical manifestation of SAID, presenting new opportunities for investigation of the dynamic SAID signatures from the ground. On the basis of the measured ion properties and original citizen science name, we propose to identify this arc as a Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement (STEVE). PMID:29546244

7 CFR 3565.7 - Agency environmental requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... environmental requirements. The Agency will take into account potential environmental impacts of proposed..., and interested citizens and organizations in order to formulate actions that advance the program goals in a manner that will protect, enhance, and restore environmental quality. Actions taken by the...

Remodeling Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hestenes, David

2013-01-01

Radical reform in science and mathematics education is needed to prepare citizens for challenges of the emerging knowledge-based global economy. We consider definite proposals to establish: (1) "Standards of science and math literacy" for all students. (2) "Integration of the science curriculum" with structure of matter,…

28 CFR 51.59 - Redistrictings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Redistrictings. In determining whether a submitted redistricting plan has the prohibited purpose or effect the... citizens. (b) The extent to which minority voting strength is reduced by the proposed redistricting. (c... extent to which the plan departs from objective redistricting criteria set by the submitting jurisdiction...

76 FR 54463 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-01

... lawsuit filed by WildEarth Guardians and Sierra Club in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California: WildEarth Guardians et al. v. Jackson, No. 3:11-cv-00190-WHA (N.D. Cal.). On July 6...

Genetic Technology: A Proposal for the Development of a Science of the Possible

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hudock, George A.

1974-01-01

Urges that biology teachers include the study of genetic anomolies, some very simple aspects of pedigree analysis, and related problems in order to produce citizens who are aware of the impact of science on their lives. (PEB)

Overcoming the Confucian psychological barrier in government cyberspace.

PubMed

Lee, Ook; Gong, Sung Jin

2004-02-01

The Confucian tradition still dictates the behavior of many people in East Asian countries such as South Korea. Even in e-mail communication, people try their best to show signs of respect which is required by the Confucian tradition. This psychological barrier can be detrimental to the development of democracy as people are educated not to challenge opinions of elders or bosses. After a long military dictatorship, South Korea has emerged as a newly democratized nation where the Confucian tradition is less emphasized. However, this tradition dies hard, and citizens are still afraid of offending government officials who have the power to affect lives of citizens. In light of creating a more democratic society, the e-government project has been implemented, and one of the features of cyber-government is to give citizens a place in cyberspace to express their concerns. Even though citizens have to use their real names, it is found that those who wrote messages in the bulletin board of the city of Seoul government's web pages tend not to use terms that are often used in e-mails for the purpose of expressing respect. A survey was conducted, and results show that people were able to overcome the Confucian psychological barrier in government cyberspace. Self-efficacy is proposed to explain this phenomenon.

Capitalizing on Citizen Science Data for Validating Models and Generating Hypotheses Describing Meteorological Drivers of Mosquito-Borne Disease Risk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boger, R. A.; Low, R.; Paull, S.; Anyamba, A.; Soebiyanto, R. P.

2017-12-01

Temperature and precipitation are important drivers of mosquito population dynamics, and a growing set of models have been proposed to characterize these relationships. Validation of these models, and development of broader theories across mosquito species and regions could nonetheless be improved by comparing observations from a global dataset of mosquito larvae with satellite-based measurements of meteorological variables. Citizen science data can be particularly useful for two such aspects of research into the meteorological drivers of mosquito populations: i) Broad-scale validation of mosquito distribution models and ii) Generation of quantitative hypotheses regarding changes to mosquito abundance and phenology across scales. The recently released GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Mapper (GO-MHM) app engages citizen scientists in identifying vector taxa, mapping breeding sites and decommissioning non-natural habitats, and provides a potentially useful new tool for validating mosquito ubiquity projections based on the analysis of remotely sensed environmental data. Our early work with GO-MHM data focuses on two objectives: validating citizen science reports of Aedes aegypti distribution through comparison with accepted scientific data sources, and exploring the relationship between extreme temperature and precipitation events and subsequent observations of mosquito larvae. Ultimately the goal is to develop testable hypotheses regarding the shape and character of this relationship between mosquito species and regions.

A Multi-User Game-Theoretical Multipath Routing Protocol to Send Video-Warning Messages over Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

PubMed Central

Mezher, Ahmad Mohamad; Igartua, Mónica Aguilar; de la Cruz Llopis, Luis J.; Segarra, Esteve Pallarès; Tripp-Barba, Carolina; Urquiza-Aguiar, Luis; Forné, Jordi; Gargallo, Emilio Sanvicente

2015-01-01

The prevention of accidents is one of the most important goals of ad hoc networks in smart cities. When an accident happens, dynamic sensors (e.g., citizens with smart phones or tablets, smart vehicles and buses, etc.) could shoot a video clip of the accident and send it through the ad hoc network. With a video message, the level of seriousness of the accident could be much better evaluated by the authorities (e.g., health care units, police and ambulance drivers) rather than with just a simple text message. Besides, other citizens would be rapidly aware of the incident. In this way, smart dynamic sensors could participate in reporting a situation in the city using the ad hoc network so it would be possible to have a quick reaction warning citizens and emergency units. The deployment of an efficient routing protocol to manage video-warning messages in mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) has important benefits by allowing a fast warning of the incident, which potentially can save lives. To contribute with this goal, we propose a multipath routing protocol to provide video-warning messages in MANETs using a novel game-theoretical approach. As a base for our work, we start from our previous work, where a 2-players game-theoretical routing protocol was proposed to provide video-streaming services over MANETs. In this article, we further generalize the analysis made for a general number of N players in the MANET. Simulations have been carried out to show the benefits of our proposal, taking into account the mobility of the nodes and the presence of interfering traffic.Finally, we also have tested our approach in a vehicular ad hoc network as an incipient start point to develop a novel proposal specifically designed for VANETs. PMID:25897496

Designing Mobile Applications for Emergency Response: Citizens Acting as Human Sensors.

PubMed

Romano, Marco; Onorati, Teresa; Aedo, Ignacio; Diaz, Paloma

2016-03-19

When an emergency occurs, citizens can be a helpful support for the operation centers involved in the response activities. As witnesses to a crisis, they initially can share updated and detailed information about what is going on. Moreover, thanks to the current technological evolution people are able to quickly and easily gather rich information and transmit it through different communication channels. Indeed, modern mobile devices embed several sensors such as GPS receivers, Wi-Fi, accelerometers or cameras that can transform users into well-equipped human sensors. For these reasons, emergency organizations and small and medium enterprises have demonstrated a growing interest in developing smart applications for reporting any exceptional circumstances. In this paper, we present a practical study about this kind of applications for identifying both limitations and common features. Based on a study of relevant existent contributions in this area and our personal direct experience in developing and evaluating emergency management solutions, our aim is to propose several findings about how to design effective and efficient mobile emergency notification applications. For this purpose we have exploited the basic sensors of modern mobile devices and the users' aptitude for using them. The evaluation consists of a practical and a theoretical part. In the practical part, we have simulated a traffic accident as closely as possible to a real scenario, with a victim lying on the ground near a car in the middle of a street. For the theoretical part, we have interviewed some emergency experts for collecting their opinions about the utility of the proposed solution. Results from this evaluation phase confirm the positive impact that EN application have for both operators' and citizens' perspective. Moreover, we collected several findings useful for future design challenges in the same area, as shown in the final redesign of the proposed application.

Issues of public policy in the USA raised by amniocentesis.

PubMed Central

Etzioni, A.

1976-01-01

Amniocentesis, a procedure which can detect during pregnancy whether or not the fetus will develop into a mongol or one affected by other serious chromosomal defects, if given to all pregnant women aged 40 and over, would save both human suffering and economic loss to the community. The procedure is not at present widely used for various reasons, not all of them medical, and, if the test result is positive abortion is the remedy. The author describes an important clinical trial being conducted in the USA at the present time but suggests that an educational programme should be undertaken to inform the public of the existence of this procedure and its applications even before the results of the American large-scale trial can be known and evaluated. Amniocentesis and its use, Professor Etzioni concludes, is not the only genetic tool which should be reviewed in a manner which would give an overall picture. He compares those who are concerned with these matters to the citizens of Britain when they saw the first steam engine. They did not perceive the social changes--the industrial revolution--that would follow. In our time a 'genetic revolution' may not be long delayed. PMID:822165

76 FR 81930 - Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-29

...) Boston- Lawrence-Worcester (Eastern Massachusetts), (2) Chicago-Gary-Lake County (Illinois portion), (3...) Springfield (Western Massachusetts), (5) St. Louis (Illinois and Missouri portions), (6) Charlotte-Gastonia... areas: New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island (NY, NJ, CT) Springfield (Western MA), Boston- Lawrence...

[The Seintinelles: an innovative approach to promoting Community-Based Research and sustaining health democracy in oncology].

PubMed

Bauquier, Charlotte; Pannard, Myriam; Préau, Marie

2017-10-02

Community-based research drives innovation in major fields of public health, HIV/AIDS being the most emblematic example (Demange, Henry & Préau, 2012), and hepatitis. However, this type of research appears to be more difficult to develop in certain specific diseases, such as cancer (Shankand, Saïas & Friboulet, 2009). This article proposes various approaches concerning current citizen mobilization in relation to cancer research, including potential new levers to the development of participative and community-based research based on the recent creation of the Seintinelles platform, designed to federate researchers and citizens concerned by the problem of cancer. This reflection will be supported by more global issues concerning health democracy.

Framework for Processing Citizens Science Data for Applications to NASA Earth Science Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Teng, William; Albayrak, Arif

2017-01-01

Citizen science (or crowdsourcing) has drawn much high-level recent and ongoing interest and support. It is poised to be applied, beyond the by-now fairly familiar use of, e.g., Twitter for natural hazards monitoring, to science research, such as augmenting the validation of NASA earth science mission data. This interest and support is seen in the 2014 National Plan for Civil Earth Observations, the 2015 White House forum on citizen science and crowdsourcing, the ongoing Senate Bill 2013 (Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science Act of 2015), the recent (August 2016) Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) call for public participation in its newly-established Citizen Science Domain Working Group, and NASA's initiation of a new Citizen Science for Earth Systems Program (along with its first citizen science-focused solicitation for proposals). Over the past several years, we have been exploring the feasibility of extracting from the Twitter data stream useful information for application to NASA precipitation research, with both "passive" and "active" participation by the twitterers. The Twitter database, which recently passed its tenth anniversary, is potentially a rich source of real-time and historical global information for science applications. The time-varying set of "precipitation" tweets can be thought of as an organic network of rain gauges, potentially providing a widespread view of precipitation occurrence. The validation of satellite precipitation estimates is challenging, because many regions lack data or access to data, especially outside of the U.S. and in remote and developing areas. Mining the Twitter stream could augment these validation programs and, potentially, help tune existing algorithms. Our ongoing work, though exploratory, has resulted in key components for processing and managing tweets, including the capabilities to filter the Twitter stream in real time, to extract location information, to filter for exact phrases, and to plot tweet distributions. The key step is to process the "precipitation" tweets to be compatible with satellite-retrieved precipitation data. These key components for processing and managing "precipitation" tweets (and additional ones to be developed) are not limited to precipitation, nor are they limited to the Twitter social medium. Indeed, to maximize the value of our work for NASA earth science programs, these components should be generalized and be part of an overall framework for processing citizen science data for science research. In this paper, we outline such a framework.

A Citizen Empowered Online Platform for Communicating Climate Science to the General Public

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bourqui, Michel

2014-05-01

This presentation introduces a project, currently in development, of a new online platform for the interaction between climate scientists and citizen. It consists of an open-access, multi-lingual, and peer-reviewed journal publishing climate articles in non-scientific language. It follows three main long-term objectives. The first objective is to establish an ever-growing, multi-lingual library of climate articles providing a knowledge base on climate sciences accessible for free to everyone. The targeted public includes journalists, teachers, students, local actors (e.g. in politics, economy, agriculture), and any other citizen from around the world with an interest in climate sciences. The second goal is to offer a simple and direct channel for scientists wishing to disseminate their research to the general public. A high standard of climate articles is enforced through: a) requiring that the main author is an active climate scientist, and b) an innovative peer-review process involving scientific and non-scientific referees with distinct roles. The third objective is to engage citizen into the climate science. To this aim, the journal proposes three channels. Firstly, citizens are invited to contribute to the dissemination of climate knowledge to the general public by co-authoring, peer-reviewing or translating articles. Secondly, they are offered the capacity to stimulate scientific enquiry by posting invitations for manuscripts to be written on a citizen-inspired topic. Thirdly, a match-up tool is being developed for scientists to gather non-scientists teams for conducting citizen-involving research projects. This platform is scientist-initiated and is meant to be ruled and managed by the participating individuals themselves (scientists and non-scientists) as an international association. It will be financed through country-varying flat memberships. The project is now starting. The basic ideas are drawn; a prototype internet platform has been developed and is operational. In a first phase, climate scientists (and their friends!) are invited to jump in for free, submit climate articles and help design its development. Once an initial content is in place, the second phase will start consisting in an active promotion campaign to reach at the general public and enroll citizens. In this presentation, I will discuss the basic ideas behind this new online platform, its current state and the plans for the next future.

PREDICTION OF CONTAMINATED SEDIMENT TRANSPORT IN THE MAURICE RIVER-UNION LAKE, NEW JERSEY, USA

EPA Science Inventory

This paper describes a sediment and contaminant transport model and its application to the Maurice River-Union Lake system in southern New Jersey, USA for the purpose of characterizing and forecasting sediment and arsenic distributions before and after proposed dredging activitie...

78 FR 25760 - Proposed Information Collection; Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program Grants

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-02

...--renovate or redesign existing close-to- home recreation facilities. Innovation--specific activities that... existing programs. Planning--development of a Recovery Action Program plan. The information collection... recreation system goals. Citizen involvement in the development of the Action Plan is required and may...

75 FR 76752 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-09

... by telephone at 303-273-8610. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Abstract Landslides are a serious but... objective of this collection is to educate Americans about landslide hazards and to build better inventories of landslides through citizen participation. This project will make it possible for the public to...

Cable in Connecticut; a Citizen's Handbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cleland, Margaret

This handbook for Connecticut cable television consumers addresses a variety of topics, including: (1) a definition of cable television services; (2) the public stake in cable television; (3) program variety; (4) pay cable service; (5) public satellites; (6) government regulation; (7) proposed regulation; (8) role of the Connecticut Public…

77 FR 64379 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 1000

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-19

... 1000 AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. SUMMARY... 1000, Ownership Certificate. DATES: Written comments should be received on or before December 18, 2012...: Ownership Certificate. OMB Number: 1545-0054. Form Number: 1000. Abstract: Form 1000 is used by citizens...

76 FR 31671 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request and Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-01

... Credentialing and Authentication Process--20 CFR 401.45--0960-NEW. Social Security is introducing a stronger citizen authentication process that will enable a new user to experience and access more electronic services. Background: Authentication is the foundation for secure, online transactions. Identity...

Enhancing the Psychology Curriculum through Service Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bringle, Robert G.; Ruiz, Ana I.; Brown, Margaret A.; Reeb, Roger N.

2016-01-01

Educators in psychology should aspire to encourage students' holistic growth in academic, personal, and civic domains. We propose that service learning is the most potent pedagogy for developing well-rounded, psychologically literate citizens capable of meeting the goals for the undergraduate psychology major. This article defines service…

Health provider responsiveness to social accountability initiatives in low- and middle-income countries: a realist review.

PubMed

Lodenstein, Elsbet; Dieleman, Marjolein; Gerretsen, Barend; Broerse, Jacqueline E W

2017-02-01

Social accountability in the health sector has been promoted as a strategy to improve the quality and performance of health providers in low- and middle-income countries. Whether improvements occur, however, depends on the willingness and ability of health providers to respond to societal pressure for better care. This article uses a realist approach to review cases of collective citizen action and advocacy with the aim to identify key mechanisms of provider responsiveness. Purposeful searches for cases were combined with a systematic search in four databases. To be included in the review, the initiatives needed to describe at least one outcome at the level of frontline service provision. Some 37 social accountability initiatives in 15 countries met these criteria. Using a realist approach, retroductive analysis and triangulation of methods and sources were performed to construct Context-Mechanism-Outcome configurations that explain potential pathways to provider responsiveness. The findings suggest that health provider receptivity to citizens' demands for better health care is mediated by health providers' perceptions of the legitimacy of citizen groups and by the extent to which citizen groups provide personal and professional support to health providers. Some citizen groups activated political or formal bureaucratic accountability channels but the effect on provider responsiveness of such strategies was more mixed. Favourable contexts for health provider responsiveness comprise socio-political contexts in which providers self-identify as activists, health system contexts in which health providers depend on citizens' expertise and capacities, and health system contexts where providers have the self-perceived ability to change the system in which they operate. Rather than providing recipes for successful social accountability initiatives, the synthesis proposes a programme theory that can support reflections on the theories of change underpinning social accountability initiatives and interventions to improve the quality of primary health care in different settings. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The role of risk communication planning in the release of the oral rabies vaccine in New Jersey: An evaluation

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

Pflugh, K.K.

1995-12-01

Communicating health risk information is a complicated task. Citizen reaction to such information is difficult to predict, which makes it hard to plan an appropriate response. Research indicates that the way citizens respond to risk information often depends on whether the risk is familiar or unfamiliar, whether it is seen as imposed on them, whether it is man made or natural, or whether they have control over the risk. Potentially controversial cases that deal with delivering risk information have a special need for a well planned communication effort. Natural resource issues with an impact on public health are no exception.more » In New Jersey, a proposal to release an experimental bioengineered oral rabies vaccine for raccoons to test the effectiveness of the vaccine in halting the spread of rabies into an as yet unaffected area met with widespread public support and approval due in large part to the use of a unique risk communication planning process. This paper will describe the risk communication planning process used to gain public support and approval for release of oral rabies raccoon vaccine while focusing on the evaluation component of the process. The seven step process includes setting goals, profiling the issue or information gathering, audience identification and assessment, message development, method selection, implementation of the strategy and evaluation and follow-up. The goal of the evaluation component was to determine the effectiveness of the public information campaign on citizen`s knowledge of the field trial nearly three years after the initial announcement. In addition, it sought to learn citizen interest in maintaining the rabies free barrier that was created by the field trial using funds from local taxes. This evaluation includes the results of a mailed survey to 280 citizens, local officials and professional organizations. Finally, this paper will discuss the implications for future outreach efforts dealing complicated technical issues.« less

PREDICTION OF CONTAMINATED SEDIMENT TRANSPORT IN THE MAURICE RIVER-UNION LAKE, NEW JERSEY, USA

EPA Science Inventory

A sediment and contaminant transport model and its application to the Maurice River-Union Lake system in southern New Jersey, USA is described. The application is meant to characterize and forecast sediment and arsenic (As) distributions before and after proposed dredging activit...

75 FR 76487 - Notice of Proposed Consent Decree Under the Clean Water Act

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-08

... Homes USA, Inc., Civil Action No. 3:10-cv-01133, was lodged with the United States District Court for... against Beazer Homes USA, Inc. (``Beazer'') resolves allegations by the Environmental Protection Agency... publication. Comments should be addressed to the Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources...

Endangered Plants in Oregon and Washington.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Love, Rhoda M.

1985-01-01

Presents a partial list of the 132 Oregon and Washington plants which have been proposed for federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. Suggestions for student/citizen involvement in preserving these species and a description of a videotape about rare/endangered species of the Willamette Valley (Oregon) are included. (DH)

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States regarding the right of citizens of the United States to health care of equal high quality.

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Rep. Jackson, Jesse L., Jr. [D-IL-2

2009-03-03

House - 03/16/2009 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

75 FR 82392 - Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-30

... through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be formatted in Word or... that EPA had a legal obligation to act promptly to comply with the requirements of Section 111. The... in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may [[Page 82393

78 FR 68824 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-15

... Number: Automated Repatriation Reporting System; DD Form 2585; OMB Control Number 0704-0334. Needs and... States. The information obtained from the DD Form 2585 is entered into an automated system; a series of... the protection, evacuation and repatriation of U.S. citizens in threatened areas overseas. The DD Form...

77 FR 12567 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Pacific Islands Region Coral Reef Ecosystems...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-01

... Collection; Comment Request; Pacific Islands Region Coral Reef Ecosystems Logbook and Reporting AGENCY... with, or any U.S. citizen issued with, a Special Coral Reef Ecosystem Fishing Permit (authorized under the Fishery Management Plan for Coral Reef Ecosystems of the Western Pacific Region), to complete...

The Arkansas Nightmare.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schoppmeyer, Martin W., Sr.; Noggle, F. Kellar; Portman, Gerald L.; Schoppmeyer, Martin W., Jr.

This paper examines recent efforts in Arkansas to nullify property taxes. It describes how anti-tax citizens, whose push for a constitutional amendment in 1998 was thwarted by the state supreme court, have vowed to collect enough signatures to place the amendment on the 2000 ballot. The proposed amendment will abolish ad valorem taxes upon real…

Florida's Response to Serving Citizens in the Information Age.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Daryl L.

1995-01-01

Florida's Joint Committee on Information Technology Resources analyzed the impact of technology on the Florida Public Records Law and proposed legislation requiring agencies to consider issues such as encouraging a diversity of sources, the public's right to access, prohibiting monopoly control, and access fees in the development of information…

Modeling the Association between Deliberative Beliefs and Organizational Citizenship Behavior among Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Chun-wen

2017-01-01

Aristotle proposed that deliberation in the political arena facilitates citizens' abilities to deliberate about the ultimate interests of human beings, identify the highest human benefit achievable given the circumstances, and develop moral virtues and good deeds. Appealing to Aristotelian deliberation, this study investigates the relationships…

Dialogue as a Tool for Meaning Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruni, Angela Suzanne Dudley

2013-01-01

In order to empower citizens to analyze the effects, risk, and value of science, a knowledge of scientific concepts is necessary (Mejlgaard, 2009). The formal educational system plays a role in this endeavor (Gil-Perez & Vilches, 2005). One proposed constructivist practice is the use of social learning activities using verbalized, shared…

Misplaced Priorities: Gutmann's Democratic Theory, Children's Autonomy, and Sex Education Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corngold, Josh

2011-01-01

This paper offers a critique of the "democratic state of education" proposed by Amy Gutmann in her influential book "Democratic Education". In the democratic state of education, educational authority is shared among the state, parents and educational professionals; and educational objectives are geared toward equipping future citizens to…

Righting the ADA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Council on Disability, 2004

2004-01-01

Many Americans with disabilities feel that a series of negative court decisions is reducing their status to that of "second-class citizens," a status that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was supposed to remedy forever. In this report, the National Council on Disability (NCD), which first proposed the enactment of an ADA and…

Introducing Undergraduate Students to Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Avila, Paulo, Jr.; Torres, Bayardo B.

2010-01-01

Understanding the scientific method fosters the development of critical thinking and logical analysis of information. Additionally, proposing and testing a hypothesis is applicable not only to science, but also to ordinary facts of daily life. Knowing the way science is done and how its results are published is useful for all citizens and…

Final environmental statement, Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor Program. Volume 3

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

None

1975-12-01

Included are copies of thirty-four comment letters on the Proposed Final Environmental Statement together with the ERDA replies to these letters. The letters were received from Federal, State, and local agencies, environmental and public interest groups, members of the academic and industrial communities, and individual citizens. (DG)

Girls in Education: Citizenship, Agency and Emotions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, Tuula

2006-01-01

Education has been expected to maintain status quo through regulation of citizens, but also to contribute to social change and emancipation. In a collective ethnographic project we have proposed that these contradictions manifest themselves in everyday life at school through tensions between control and agency. Girls encounter practices whereby…

Making the Abolition of War a Realistic Goal.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharp, Gene

As a means of counteracting current widespread acceptance of war and war preparations with a sense of resignation and hopelessness/powerlessness, this monograph proposes a nonviolent strategy by which citizens can discourage or thwart either internal usurpation or external invasion/occupation. Designated Civilian Based Defense (CBD), this system…

32 CFR Appendix D to Part 651 - Public Participation Plan

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...) ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OF ARMY ACTIONS (AR 200-2) Pt. 651, App. D Appendix D to Part 651... as news releases to local media, announcements to local citizens groups, and Commander's letters... have an interest in the environmental effects of the proposed action or activity (for example, hunters...

32 CFR Appendix D to Part 651 - Public Participation Plan

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OF ARMY ACTIONS (AR 200-2) Pt. 651, App. D Appendix D to Part 651... as news releases to local media, announcements to local citizens groups, and Commander's letters... have an interest in the environmental effects of the proposed action or activity (for example, hunters...

32 CFR Appendix D to Part 651 - Public Participation Plan

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...) ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OF ARMY ACTIONS (AR 200-2) Pt. 651, App. D Appendix D to Part 651... as news releases to local media, announcements to local citizens groups, and Commander's letters... have an interest in the environmental effects of the proposed action or activity (for example, hunters...

32 CFR Appendix D to Part 651 - Public Participation Plan

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...) ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OF ARMY ACTIONS (AR 200-2) Pt. 651, App. D Appendix D to Part 651... as news releases to local media, announcements to local citizens groups, and Commander's letters... have an interest in the environmental effects of the proposed action or activity (for example, hunters...

78 FR 19466 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-01

... requirement of the Uniformed and Overseas Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), 46 U.S.C. 1973ff wherein the Secretary... otherwise granted military/ overseas voting rights. The overseas citizen selection previously described as...)), Federal Voting Assistance Program, DoD. ACTION: Notice. In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the...

78 FR 19465 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-01

... the requirement of the Uniformed and Overseas Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), 46 U. S. C. 1973ff wherein... otherwise granted military/overseas voting rights. The overseas citizen selection previously described as...)), Federal Voting Assistance Program, DoD. ACTION: Notice. In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the...

Under Constriction: Colonization and Synthetic Institutionalization of Web Space.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Killoran, John B.

2002-01-01

Draws on a study of 106 personal homepages in order to present a theoretical model of how citizens' potentials as Web publishers are being compromised by the leadership of institutional discourses. Proposes an analogous process of synthetic institutionalization, in which personal homepage publishers affect institutional poses by adapting Norman…

24 CFR 91.115 - Citizen participation plan; States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... encourage participation by low- and moderate-income persons, particularly those living in slum and blighted areas and in areas where CDBG funds are proposed to be used, and by residents of predominantly low- and... alternative public involvement techniques that encourage a shared vision of change for the community and the...

24 CFR 91.115 - Citizen participation plan; States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... encourage participation by low- and moderate-income persons, particularly those living in slum and blighted areas and in areas where CDBG funds are proposed to be used, and by residents of predominantly low- and... alternative public involvement techniques that encourage a shared vision of change for the community and the...

24 CFR 91.115 - Citizen participation plan; States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... encourage participation by low- and moderate-income persons, particularly those living in slum and blighted areas and in areas where CDBG funds are proposed to be used, and by residents of predominantly low- and... alternative public involvement techniques that encourage a shared vision of change for the community and the...

75 FR 28330 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Announcement

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-20

... substantial number of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents working in the international community have...,500. Estimated Time per Respondent: 2 hours. Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 11,000. An agency... collection of information must be retained as long as their contents may become material in the...

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to give citizens of the United States the right to recall elected officials.

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Rep. Hoekstra, Peter [R-MI-2

2010-01-21

House - 03/01/2010 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

78 FR 48161 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-07

... further alleged that EPA had failed to take final action on the attainment demonstration, contingency... a notice taking final action on the attainment demonstration, contingency measures, emission....gov . You may use the www.regulations.gov to submit or view public comments, access the index listing...

75 FR 38874 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 706-NA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-06

... INFORMATION: Title: United States Estate (and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax Return, Estate of nonresident... Form 706-NA, United States Estate (and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax Return, Estate of nonresident not a citizen of the United States. DATES: Written comments should be received on or before September...

Towards a Stakeholder Model for the Co-Production of the Public-Sector Information System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Correia, Zita P.

2005-01-01

Introduction: Proposes a systemic approach to Public Sector Information (PSI), defined as comprising entities in four categories--citizens, businesses, policymakers and administrations. This system also comprises four categories of information--on citizenship, economic and social development, policy and administration. Methods: A selective…

75 FR 42446 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Preparing a Claim...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-21

... approving food additive petitions, color additive petitions, GRAS affirmation petitions, requests for exemption from regulation as a food additive, and actions on certain food labeling citizen petitions... information about the manufacturing and production of FDA-regulated articles. FDA also has eliminated the...

77 FR 19901 - Provisional Unlawful Presence Waivers of Inadmissibility for Certain Immediate Relatives

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-02

... Relatives AGENCY: Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. ACTION: Proposed rule. SUMMARY: On January 9, 2012, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced its... amend its regulations to allow certain immediate relatives of U.S. citizens who are physically present...

Blending East and West for Holistic Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iyer, Ranjani Balaji

2015-01-01

Education is under pressure to respond to the changing modern world. Education system worldwide aims to develop students into well-rounded citizens and help them become creative problem-solvers. Several theories have been proposed in the research literature which emphasizes the importance of social and cultural context to creativity. Eastern and…

1980 Rabinowitch Essay: A Nuclear Education Campaign.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markusen, Eric; And Others

1981-01-01

Proposes an educational campaign that: (1) provides opportunities for citizens to learn about facts and issues relating to nuclear war; (2) stimulates the search for national security policies likely to lead to nuclear war; and (3) generates a political will to initiate social changes that eliminate threats of nuclear war. (CS)

Power to the people: a wiki-governance model for biobanks

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Biobanks are adopting various modes of public engagement to close the agency gap between participants and biobank builders. We propose a wiki-governance model for biobanks that harnesses Web 2.0, and which gives citizens the ability to collaborate in biobank governance and policymaking. PMID:22647613

77 FR 5010 - Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-01

... Environmental Quality to Consolidated Environmental Management, Inc.--Nucor Steel Louisiana for a pig iron....-- Nucor Steel Louisiana: a modified Title V permit for the aforementioned pig iron manufacturing process... Management, Inc.--Nucor Steel Louisiana for a pig iron manufacturing process in St. James Parish, Louisiana...

Scientometric analyses of studies on the role of innate variation in athletic performance.

PubMed

Lombardo, Michael P; Emiah, Shadie

2014-01-01

Historical events have produced an ideologically charged atmosphere in the USA surrounding the potential influences of innate variation on athletic performance. We tested the hypothesis that scientific studies of the role of innate variation in athletic performance were less likely to have authors with USA addresses than addresses elsewhere because of this cultural milieu. Using scientometric data collected from 290 scientific papers published in peer-reviewed journals from 2000-2012, we compared the proportions of authors with USA addresses with those that listed addresses elsewhere that studied the relationships between athletic performance and (a) prenatal exposure to androgens, as indicated by the ratio between digits 2 and 4, and (b) the genotypes for angiotensin converting enzyme, α-actinin-3, and myostatin; traits often associated with athletic performance. Authors with USA addresses were disproportionately underrepresented on papers about the role of innate variation in athletic performance. We searched NIH and NSF databases for grant proposals solicited or funded from 2000-2012 to determine if the proportion of authors that listed USA addresses was associated with funding patterns. NIH did not solicit grant proposals designed to examine these factors in the context of athletic performance and neither NIH nor NSF funded grants designed to study these topics. We think the combined effects of a lack of government funding and the avoidance of studying controversial or non-fundable topics by USA based scientists are responsible for the observation that authors with USA addresses were underrepresented on scientific papers examining the relationships between athletic performance and innate variation.

Taking action on developmental toxicity: Scientists’ duties to protect children

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Although adaptation and proper biological functioning require developmental programming, pollutant interference can cause developmental toxicity or DT. Objectives This commentary assesses whether it is ethical for citizens/physicians/scientists to allow avoidable DT. Methods Using conceptual, economic, ethical, and logical analysis, the commentary assesses what major ethical theories and objectors would say regarding the defensibility of allowing avoidable DT. Results The commentary argues that (1) none of the four major ethical theories (based, respectively, on virtue, natural law, utility, or equity) can consistently defend avoidable DT because it unjustifiably harms, respectively, individual human flourishing, human life, the greatest good, and equality. (2) Justice also requires leaving “as much and as good” biological resources for all, including future generations possibly harmed if epigenetic change is heritable. (3) Scientists/physicians have greater justice-based duties, than ordinary/average citizens, to help stop DT because they help cause it and have greater professional abilities/opportunities to help stop it. (4) Scientists/physicians likewise have greater justice-based duties, than ordinary/average citizens, to help stop DT because they benefit more from it, given their relatively greater education/consumption/income. The paper shows that major objections to (3)-(4) fail on logical, ethical, or scientific grounds, then closes with practical suggestions for implementing its proposals. Conclusions Because allowing avoidable DT is ethically indefensible, citizens---and especially physicians/scientists---have justice-based duties to help stop DT. PMID:22963689

Taking action on developmental toxicity: scientists' duties to protect children.

PubMed

Shrader-Frechette, Kristin

2012-09-10

Although adaptation and proper biological functioning require developmental programming, pollutant interference can cause developmental toxicity or DT. This commentary assesses whether it is ethical for citizens/physicians/scientists to allow avoidable DT. Using conceptual, economic, ethical, and logical analysis, the commentary assesses what major ethical theories and objectors would say regarding the defensibility of allowing avoidable DT. The commentary argues that (1) none of the four major ethical theories (based, respectively, on virtue, natural law, utility, or equity) can consistently defend avoidable DT because it unjustifiably harms, respectively, individual human flourishing, human life, the greatest good, and equality. (2) Justice also requires leaving "as much and as good" biological resources for all, including future generations possibly harmed if epigenetic change is heritable. (3) Scientists/physicians have greater justice-based duties, than ordinary/average citizens, to help stop DT because they help cause it and have greater professional abilities/opportunities to help stop it. (4) Scientists/physicians likewise have greater justice-based duties, than ordinary/average citizens, to help stop DT because they benefit more from it, given their relatively greater education/consumption/income. The paper shows that major objections to (3)-(4) fail on logical, ethical, or scientific grounds, then closes with practical suggestions for implementing its proposals. Because allowing avoidable DT is ethically indefensible, citizens---and especially physicians/scientists---have justice-based duties to help stop DT.

Citizen science identifies the effects of nitrogen dioxide and other environmental drivers on tar spot of sycamore.

PubMed

Gosling, Laura; Ashmore, Mike; Sparks, Tim; Bell, Nigel

2016-07-01

Elevated sulphur dioxide (SO2) concentrations were the major cause of the absence of symptoms of tar spot (Rhytisma acerinum) of sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), in urban areas in the 1970s. The subsequent large decline in SO2 concentrations has not always been accompanied by increased tar spot symptoms, for reasons that have remained unresolved. We used a large citizen science survey, providing over 1000 records across England, to test two competing hypotheses proposed in earlier studies. We were able to demonstrate the validity of both hypotheses; tar spot symptoms were reduced where there were fewer fallen leaves as a source of inoculum, and elevated nitrogen dioxide concentrations reduced tar spot symptoms above a threshold concentration of about 20 μg m(-3). Symptom severity was also lower at sites with higher temperature and lower rainfall. Our findings demonstrate the power of citizen science to resolve competing hypotheses about the impacts of air pollution and other environmental drivers. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Citizen Science in the Age of Surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henden, Arne A.

2014-06-01

Paid professional astronomers are a new phenomenon - most of astronomical history has been written by amateurs. Modern technology has again leveled the playing field, with quality equipment, computers, software and the Internet giving amateurs the ability to match or exceed the data quality and quantity achievable by professionals. The Internet in particular has come into play, with crowd-sourcing through projects like Zooniverse, worldwide installation of private robotic observatories, and rapid dissemination of information leading the way.The future only shows more of these collaborative activities ahead, as all proposed surveys will require significant input from citizen scientists in order to achieve their goals. How the public is currently helping professional astronomers, how researchers can get involved, and some of the future opportunities will be presented.

Species distribution modeling based on the automated identification of citizen observations.

PubMed

Botella, Christophe; Joly, Alexis; Bonnet, Pierre; Monestiez, Pascal; Munoz, François

2018-02-01

A species distribution model computed with automatically identified plant observations was developed and evaluated to contribute to future ecological studies. We used deep learning techniques to automatically identify opportunistic plant observations made by citizens through a popular mobile application. We compared species distribution modeling of invasive alien plants based on these data to inventories made by experts. The trained models have a reasonable predictive effectiveness for some species, but they are biased by the massive presence of cultivated specimens. The method proposed here allows for fine-grained and regular monitoring of some species of interest based on opportunistic observations. More in-depth investigation of the typology of the observations and the sampling bias should help improve the approach in the future.

H.R. 2572: A Bill to amend the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to establish citizens advisory boards for Department of Energy defense nuclear facilities and to require the Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to conduct public health and exposure assessments of such facilities. Introduced in the House of Representatives, One Hundred Third Congress, First Session, June 30, 1993

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

NONE

The report H.R. 2572 is a bill to amend the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liabilities Act of 1980 to establish citizen advisory boards for Department of Energy defense nuclear facilities and to require the Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to conduct public health and exposure assessments of such facilities. The proposed legislative text is included.

Crowd-Sourcing with K-12 citizen scientists: The Continuing Evolution of the GLOBE Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murphy, T.; Wegner, K.; Andersen, T. J.

2016-12-01

Twenty years ago, the Internet was still in its infancy, citizen science was a relatively unknown term, and the idea of a global citizen science database was unheard of. Then the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program was proposed and this all changed. GLOBE was one of the first K-12 citizen science programs on a global scale. An initial large scale ramp-up of the program was followed by the establishment of a network of partners in countries and within the U.S. Now in the 21st century, the program has over 50 protocols in atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and pedosphere, almost 140 million measurements in the database, a visualization system, collaborations with NASA satellite mission scientists (GPM, SMAP) and other scientists, as well as research projects by GLOBE students. As technology changed over the past two decades, it was integrated into the program's outreach efforts to existing and new members with the result that the program now has a strong social media presence. In 2016, a new app was launched which opened up GLOBE and data entry to citizen scientists of all ages. The app is aimed at fresh audiences, beyond the traditional GLOBE K-12 community. Groups targeted included: scouting organizations, museums, 4H, science learning centers, retirement communities, etc. to broaden participation in the program and increase the number of data available to students and scientists. Through the 20 years of GLOBE, lessons have been learned about changing the management of this type of large-scale program, the use of technology to enhance and improve the experience for members, and increasing community involvement in the program.

Beyond privacy and exposure: ethical issues within citizen-facing analytics.

PubMed

Grindrod, Peter

2016-12-28

We discuss the governing forces for analytics, especially concerning citizens' behaviours and their transactions, that depend on which of three spheres of operation an institution is in (corporate, public sector/government and academic). We argue that aspirations and missions also differ by sphere even as digital spaces have drawn these spheres ever closer together. We propose that citizens' expectations and implicit permissions for any exploitation of their data require the perception of a fair balance of benefits, which should be transparent (accessible to citizens) and justifiable. We point out that within the corporate sphere most analytics does not concern identity, targeted marketing nor any direct interference with individual citizens; but instead it supports strategic decision-making, where the data are effectively anonymous. With the three spheres we discuss the nature of models deployed in analytics, including 'black-box' modelling uncheckable by a human mind, and the need to track the provenance and workings or models. We also examine the recent evolution of personal data, where some behaviours, or tokens, identifying individuals (unique and yet non-random) are partially and jointly owned by other individuals that are themselves connected. We consider the ability of heavily and lightly regulated sectors to increase access or to stifle innovation. We also call for clear and inclusive definitions of 'data science and analytics', avoiding the narrow claims of those in technical sub-sectors or sub-themes. Finally, we examine some examples of unethical and abusive practices. We argue for an ethical responsibility to be placed upon professional data scientists to avoid abuses in the future.This article is part of the themed issue 'The ethical impact of data science'. © 2016 The Author(s).

Identifying interprofessional global health competencies for 21st-century health professionals.

PubMed

Jogerst, Kristen; Callender, Brian; Adams, Virginia; Evert, Jessica; Fields, Elise; Hall, Thomas; Olsen, Jody; Rowthorn, Virginia; Rudy, Sharon; Shen, Jiabin; Simon, Lisa; Torres, Herica; Velji, Anvar; Wilson, Lynda L

2015-01-01

At the 2008 inaugural meeting of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH), participants discussed the rapid expansion of global health programs and the lack of standardized competencies and curricula to guide these programs. In 2013, CUGH appointed a Global Health Competency Subcommittee and charged this subcommittee with identifying broad global health core competencies applicable across disciplines. The purpose of this paper is to describe the Subcommittee's work and proposed list of interprofessional global health competencies. After agreeing on a definition of global health to guide the Subcommittee's work, members conducted an extensive literature review to identify existing competencies in all fields relevant to global health. Subcommittee members initially identified 82 competencies in 12 separate domains, and proposed four different competency levels. The proposed competencies and domains were discussed during multiple conference calls, and subcommittee members voted to determine the final competencies to be included in two of the four proposed competency levels (global citizen and basic operational level - program oriented). The final proposed list included a total of 13 competencies across 8 domains for the Global Citizen Level and 39 competencies across 11 domains for the Basic Operational Program-Oriented Level. There is a need for continued debate and dialog to validate the proposed set of competencies, and a need for further research to identify best strategies for incorporating these competencies into global health educational programs. Future research should focus on implementation and evaluation of these competencies across a range of educational programs, and further delineating the competencies needed across all four proposed competency levels. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

78 FR 56681 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-13

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army [Docket ID: USA-2013-0031] Proposed Collection... public information collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the...

Comparison of nutrient profiling schemes for restricting the marketing of food and drink to children.

PubMed

Brinsden, H; Lobstein, T

2013-08-01

The food and beverage industry have made voluntary pledges to reduce children's exposure to the marketing of energy-dense foods and beverages, and in 2012 announced the replacement of company-specific nutrient profiling schemes with uniform sets of criteria from 2013 (in the USA) and 2014 (in the European Union [EU]). To compare the proposed USA and EU nutrient profiling schemes and three government-led schemes, paying particular attention to the differences in sugar criteria. Food and beverage products permitted to be advertised in the USA under pre-2013 criteria were examined using five nutrient profiling schemes: the forthcoming USA and EU schemes and three government-approved schemes: the US Interagency Working Group (IWG) proposals, the United Kingdom Office of Communications (OfCom) regulations and the Danish Forum co-regulatory Code. Under the new USA and EU nutrient profiling schemes, 88 (49%) and 73 (41%) of a total of 178 products would be permitted to be advertised, respectively. The US IWG permitted 25 (14%) products; the Ofcom regulations permitted 65 (37%) and the Danish Code permitted 13 (7%). Government-led schemes are significantly more restrictive than industry-led schemes, primarily due to their tougher sugar criteria. The Danish Forum (93%) and USA IWG scheme (86%) are the most restrictive of the five examined. Further harmonization of nutrient profiling schemes is needed to reduce children's exposure to the promotion of energy-dense foods. © 2013 The Authors. Pediatric Obesity © 2013 International Association for the Study of Obesity.

Education: A Citizens' Solutions Guide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Jean

2012-01-01

It's been a decade since former President Bush proposed and Congress passed the No Child Left Behind law. The goal of this law was to raise student achievement and reduce the gap between different groups of students, especially white and minority students. The law's passage reflected a broad consensus among elected officials, business leaders and…

New Challenges in the Teaching of Mathematics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bourguignon, Jean Pierre

The manifold but discrete presence of mathematics in many objects or services imposes new constraints to the teaching of mathematics. If citizens need to be comfortable in various situations with a variety of mathematical tools, the learning of mathematics requires that one starts with simple concepts. This paper proposes some solutions to solve…

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States regarding the right of all citizens of the United States to a public education of equal high quality.

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Rep. Jackson, Jesse L., Jr. [D-IL-2

2009-03-03

House - 03/16/2009 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

76 FR 56757 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-14

... through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be formatted in Word or... parties or intervenors to the litigation in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or... the Act. Unless EPA or the Department of Justice determines that consent to this consent decree should...

76 FR 71027 - Proposed Settlement Agreements, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-16

.... Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be formatted in Word... intervenors to the respective actions at issue. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold... the Act. Unless EPA or the Department of Justice determines that consent to these settlements...

78 FR 16667 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-18

.... and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD- [[Page 16668... to the litigation in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to... EPA or the Department of Justice determines that consent to the consent decree should be withdrawn...

76 FR 58507 - Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-21

... through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be formatted in Word or... intervenors to the litigation in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent... Act. Unless EPA or the Department of Justice determines that consent to this settlement agreement...

77 FR 73029 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-07

...:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be... parties or intervenors to the litigation in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or... the Act. Unless EPA or the Department of Justice determines, based on any comment submitted, that...

78 FR 30919 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-23

..., excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be formatted in Word or ASCII file, avoiding... to the litigation in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to... EPA or the Department of Justice determines that consent to this consent decree should be withdrawn...

77 FR 45605 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-01

... Ave. NW., Washington, DC, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal... or intervenors to the litigation in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or... the Act. Unless EPA or the Department of Justice determines that consent to this consent decree should...

77 FR 19013 - Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-29

...., Washington, DC, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on... the litigation in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent to the... EPA or the Department of Justice determines that consent to the settlement agreement should be...

76 FR 77226 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-12

.... Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be formatted in Word... intervenors to the litigation in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or withhold consent.... Unless EPA or the Department of Justice determines that consent to this consent decree should be...

The Students' Guide to Lobbying. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beaton, Karen; Scattergood, Phyllis, Ed.

Lobbying is defined as the function of citizens to express their views and to gain the support of legislators for proposed laws. This guide, for Massachusetts students, is designed to take students step by step through the lobbying process and to suggest strategies and resources to use in their own lobbying efforts. The guide contains the…

76 FR 50752 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request for the Landslide Report: Did You See It?

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-16

... Collection; Comment Request for the Landslide Report: Did You See It? AGENCY: United States Geological Survey... the USGS Landslide Hazards Program's Landslide Report: Did You See It? As required by the Paperwork... of this collection is to build better inventories of landslides through citizen participation. This...

Increasing Baccalaureate Degree Attainment in Louisville: A Proposed Blueprint for Community Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Business-Higher Education Forum (NJ1), 2009

2009-01-01

Across the country, cities and regions have used community-wide partnerships to improve the educational attainment of their citizens. The most established of these partnerships have seen substantial education gains during their tenure. The community of Louisville, Kentucky has embarked on a similar effort to improve educational attainment. Nearly…

75 FR 42085 - Proposed Settlement Agreements, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-20

... ASCII file, avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption, and may be mailed to the... timely emissions data to inform future policy decisions. Under the rule, suppliers of fossil fuels or... will be available only in printed, paper form in the official public docket. Although not all docket...

New Curricular Material for Science Classes: How Do Students Evaluate It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freire, Sofia; Faria, Claudia; Galvao, Cecilia; Reis, Pedro

2013-01-01

Living in an unpredictable and ever changing society demands from its' citizens the development of complex competencies that challenges school, education and curriculum. PARSEL, a pan-European Project related to science education, emerges as a contribution to curricular development as it proposes a set of teaching-learning materials (modules) in…

"Demi-Nationalism" in Higher Education: Women in Canadian and Australian Universities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tancred-Sheriff, Peta

1988-01-01

It is proposed that Canadian universities are "alien" to women because they are dominated by men, have a large proportion of faculty who are not Canadian citizens, and are underutilizing the talents of the female half of the nation's population. Comparisons are made between the Canadian and Australian situations. (MSE)

76 FR 61739 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request for Information Collection; Information...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-05

... Collection; Information Collection Plan for Benefits.gov Online; Extension Without Change AGENCY: Office of...-free number) or e-mail to [email protected]gov . Send comments regarding this proposed collection of... Benefits.gov Web site. The Benefits.gov Web site assists citizens by providing information and eligibility...

77 FR 6694 - Notice of Proposed Policy Clarification for the Registration of Aircraft to U.S. Citizen Trustees...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-09

... Counsel, Federal Aviation Administration. TRUST AGREEMENT THIS TRUST AGREEMENT (XXX), dated as of XXX, (the ``Agreement'') by and between XXX, a [corporation organized and existing] [limited liability company formed] \\7\\ under the laws of XXX (``Trustor''), and XXX, a XXX organized and existing under the...

Tribespeople, Idiots, or Citizens? Religious Liberty and the Reforging of American Public Philosophy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guiness, Os

1990-01-01

Examines the current relationship between religious liberty and U.S. democracy. Presents a proposal to reforge the U.S. public philosophy according to the notion of chartered pluralism that celebrates the diversity embodied in the First Amendment. Ties this to the conflict between communitarianism and libertarianism. (DB)

Global Citizens Are Made, Not Born: Multiclass Role-Playing Simulation of Global Decision Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levintova, Ekaterina; Johnson, Terri; Scheberle, Denise; Vonck, Kevin

2011-01-01

Globalization, global citizenship, and political engagement have become such buzzwords and cliches that we often lose the sense of their meaning. Global citizenship in particular is an elusive concept to operationalize. This article proposes to look at three dimensions of global citizenship: legal (rights and obligations), psychological…

75 FR 74046 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-30

... WildEarth Guardians: WildEarth Guardians v. Jackson, Civil Action No. 1:10-cv- 01672-RPM (D. CO). On or about July 14, 2010, WildEarth Guardians filed a complaint alleging that EPA Administrator Jackson... schedule prescribed by the Court. On September 1, 2010, WildEarth Guardians filed a first amended complaint...

Neighborhoods in Development: Human Development Index and Self-Organizing Maps

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rende, Sevinc; Donduran, Murat

2013-01-01

The Human Development Index (HDI) has been instrumental in broadening the discussion of economic development beyond money-metric progress, in particular, by ranking a country against other countries in terms of the well being of their citizens. We propose self-organizing maps to explore similarities among countries using the components of the HDI…

Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Challenging Times: Examining Priorities and Proposed Reforms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Humphries, Debra; Gaston, Paul L.

2016-01-01

For at least two decades, educators, employers and policymakers have confronted an increasingly urgent global hunger for talent --a demand for better-educated workers and more enlightened citizens. Higher education institutions and various oversight entities at the state and federal levels have attempted to respond to this rising demand for…

To what extent were ideas and beliefs about eugenics held in Nazi Germany shared in Britain and the United States prior to the second world war?

PubMed

Wittmann, Emily

2004-06-01

The term eugenics was first coined by Darwin's cousin, Francis Galton, in 1883. The eugenic movement gained public popularity across Europe and North America at the end of the Victorian era, fuelled by the concept of 'social Darwinism' and public fear of a decline in the number of ideal citizens. The origins of eugenic legislation can be found in the USA's immigration acts of the early 1880's. Indiana was the first state to pass sterilisation laws, in 1907. The laws that followed were used as templates by the Nazis, thirty years later. In Britain the Wood Committee (1924) and the Brock Committee (1931) both put pressure on parliament to introduce eugenic laws but were defeated. The anti-eugenics movement was stronger than in other protestant European countries and eugenics fell out of favour as the 1930's progressed. In the USA however, support remained strong, leading one activist to comment in 1934, 'The Germans are beating us at our own game'. There appears to have been little emphasis on eugenics in the Weimar Parliament, but the Nazi's legislation, on coming to power in 1933, surpassed anything conceived on either side of the Atlantic at the outbreak of war in 1939.

Source separation of municipal solid waste: The effects of different separation methods and citizens' inclination-case study of Changsha, China.

PubMed

Chen, Haibin; Yang, Yan; Jiang, Wei; Song, Mengjie; Wang, Ying; Xiang, Tiantian

2017-02-01

A case study on the source separation of municipal solid waste (MSW) was performed in Changsha, the capital city of Hunan Province, China. The objective of this study is to analyze the effects of different separation methods and compare their effects with citizens' attitudes and inclination. An effect evaluation method based on accuracy rate and miscellany rate was proposed to study the performance of different separation methods. A large-scale questionnaire survey was conducted to determine citizens' attitudes and inclination toward source separation. Survey result shows that the vast majority of respondents hold consciously positive attitudes toward participation in source separation. Moreover, the respondents ignore the operability of separation methods and would rather choose the complex separation method involving four or more subclassed categories. For the effects of separation methods, the site experiment result demonstrates that the relatively simple separation method involving two categories (food waste and other waste) achieves the best effect with the highest accuracy rate (83.1%) and the lowest miscellany rate (16.9%) among the proposed experimental alternatives. The outcome reflects the inconsistency between people's environmental awareness and behavior. Such inconsistency and conflict may be attributed to the lack of environmental knowledge. Environmental education is assumed to be a fundamental solution to improve the effect of source separation of MSW in Changsha. Important management tips on source separation, including the reformation of the current pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) system, are presented in this work. A case study on the source separation of municipal solid waste was performed in Changsha. An effect evaluation method based on accuracy rate and miscellany rate was proposed to study the performance of different separation methods. The site experiment result demonstrates that the two-category (food waste and other waste) method achieves the best effect. The inconsistency between people's inclination and the effect of source separation exists. The proposed method can be expanded to other cities to determine the most effective separation method during planning stages or to evaluate the performance of running source separation systems.

Distributive justice and infertility treatment in Canada.

PubMed

Nisker, Jeff

2008-05-01

An exploration of distributive justice in Canadian infertility treatment requires the integration of ethical, clinical, and economic principles. In 1971, American philosopher John Rawls proposed a theoretical model for fair decision-making in which "rational" and "self-interested" citizens are behind a "veil of ignorance" with respect to both their own position and the position of other decision-makers. Rawls proposed that these self-interested decision-makers, fearing that they are among the least advantaged persons who could be affected by the decision, will agree only upon rules that encode equality of opportunity and that bestow the greatest benefit on the least advantaged citizens. Regarding health policy decision-making, Rawls' model is best illustrated by Canadian philosopher Warren Bourgeois in his panel of "volunteers." These rational and self-interested volunteers receive an amnestic drug that renders them unaware of their health, social, and financial position, but they know that they are representative of diverse spheres of citizens whose well-being will be affected by their decision. After describing fair decision-making, Bourgeois considers the lack of a distributive justice imperative in Canada's Assisted Human Reproduction Act, in contrast to legislation in European nations and Australia, summarizes the economic and clinical considerations that must be provided to the decision-makers behind the "veil of ignorance" for fair decisions to occur, and considers altruism in relation to equality of access. He concludes by noting that among countries with legislation governing assisted reproduction Canada is alone in having legislation that is void of distributive justice in providing access to clinically appropriate infertility care.

United Sugpiaq Alutiiq (USA) Video Game: Preserving Traditional Knowledge, Culture, and Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Leslie D.; Sanderville, James Mountain Chief

2009-01-01

Video games are explored as a means of reviving dying indigenous languages. The design and production of the place-based United Sugpiaq Alutiiq (USA) video game prototype involved work across generations and across cultures. The video game is one part of a proposed digital environment where Sugcestun speakers in traditional Alaskan villages could…

77 FR 17462 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-26

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army [Docket ID USA-2012-0006] Proposed Collection..., Department of Defense. [FR Doc. 2012-7074 Filed 3-23-12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 5001-06-P ... of 1995, the Department of the Army announces a proposed public information collection and seeks...

Reliability Centered Maintenance - Methodologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kammerer, Catherine C.

2009-01-01

Journal article about Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) methodologies used by United Space Alliance, LLC (USA) in support of the Space Shuttle Program at Kennedy Space Center. The USA Reliability Centered Maintenance program differs from traditional RCM programs because various methodologies are utilized to take advantage of their respective strengths for each application. Based on operational experience, USA has customized the traditional RCM methodology into a streamlined lean logic path and has implemented the use of statistical tools to drive the process. USA RCM has integrated many of the L6S tools into both RCM methodologies. The tools utilized in the Measure, Analyze, and Improve phases of a Lean Six Sigma project lend themselves to application in the RCM process. All USA RCM methodologies meet the requirements defined in SAE JA 1011, Evaluation Criteria for Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM) Processes. The proposed article explores these methodologies.

MappERS-C and MappERS-V. The crowd source for prevention and crisis support

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frigerio, Simone; Schenato, Luca; Bianchizza, Chiara; Del Bianco, Daniele

2015-04-01

The responsibilities within natural hazards at local/regional levels involve citizens and volunteers as first actors of civil protection and territorial management. The prevention implicates the capacities of professional operators and technical volunteers, but the priority implies now the involvement and awareness of the citizens over the territory they inhabit. The involvement of population creates context-specific strategies of territorial surveillance and management, skipping the limit to face risks only when they have to bear impacts on their lives. MAppERS (Mobile Application for Emergency Response and Support) is a EU project (funded under programme 2013-2015 Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, ECHO A5) which empowers "crowd-sourced mappers" through smart phone applications and sensors, with geo-tagged information, detailed gathered parameters, field-check survey in a contest of geospatial response. The process of development includes feedback from citizens, involving them in training courses on the monitoring as long term objective (raising public awareness and participation). The project deals with the development and testing of the smart phone applications (module MAppERS-V for volunteers, module MAppERS-C for citizens) according to Android SDK environment. A first research described a desk-based investigation on consequences of disasters impacts and costs of prevention strategies in pilot countries. Furthermore a review of state-of-the-art of database management systems (DBMS) in pilot countries and involvement of volunteers/citizens in data collection/monitoring collected basic info on data structure for the development. A desk-based research proposed communication methods/graphic solutions within mobile technologies for disaster management in pilot countries and available smartphone applications linked to centralized web/server database. A technical review is compulsory for a useful design-line for MappERS development, and it is linked with on-site feedback about volounteers and citizens needs within pilot groups activities. The app modules will be later re-designed according to the methodological and technical feedback gained during pilot study. Training curricula for citizens are planned to increase awareness, skills on smart phone utilities and efficient jargon for hazard contest. The expected results are: a) an easy-to-use interface for "human-data" in crisis support, b) a maximised utility of peer-produced data gathering, c) the development of human resources as technical tools d) a self-based awareness improvement.

Barriers to teaching ocean science in Greek schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papathanassiou, Martha; McHugh, Patricia; Domegan, Christine; Gotensparre, Susan; Fauville, Geraldine; Parr, Jon

2017-04-01

Most European citizens are not aware of the full extent of the medical, economic, social, political and environmental importance of the sea to Europe and beyond. Most citizens are not aware of how our day-to-day actions can have a cumulative effect on the health of the ocean - a necessary resource that must be protected for all life on the planet Earth to exist. In other words, European citizens lack a sense of "Ocean Literacy" - an understanding of the ocean's influence on us and our influence on the ocean. Sea Change, a 3.5 million EU-funded project started in March 2015, is designed to bring about a fundamental 'Sea Change' in the way European citizens view their relationship with the sea, by empowering them as 'Ocean Literate' citizens - to take direct and sustainable action towards healthy seas and ocean, healthy communities and ultimately, a healthy planet. The project involves 17 partners from nine countries across Europe and will bring about real actions using behavior change and social engagement methodologies. Building upon the latest research on citizen and stakeholder attitudes, perceptions and values, the Sea Change partnership will design and implement mobilisation activities focused on education, community, government agencies, policy makers and citizens. Eight consultations were held around Europe with regards to barriers to teaching ocean science at schools. All project partners used a Collective Intelligence (CI) methodology to involve target group(s) in active, direct participation for Sea Change. CI is a "barriers and value" structuring methodology, a process of critical learning and reflection followed by action, and then by more critical learning to enable mobilisation, design and development 'with' people rather than on their behalf. In Greece, the consultation was carried out by HCMR, the lead partner for Greece. Participants were recruited through personal contact and existing education networks that the HCMR has previously worked with. In total, 13 stakeholders participated in the event, consisting of Incumbents, Challengers and Regulating agencies. The aim of this consultation was to gain a deep insight into stakeholders' barriers, attitudes and perceptions towards teaching 12-19 years olds about the ocean. The Greek education stakeholders identified 41 barriers in seven different categories to teaching 12-19 year olds about the ocean. Lastly, 18 options were proposed in order to overcome these barriers.

A Study on Technology Architecture and Serving Approaches of Electronic Government System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chunnian; Huang, Yiyun; Pan, Qin

As E-government becomes a very active research area, a lot of solutions to solve citizens' needs are being deployed. This paper provides technology architecture of E-government system and approaches of service in Public Administrations. The proposed electronic system addresses the basic E-government requirements of user friendliness, security, interoperability, transparency and effectiveness in the communication between small and medium sized public organizations and their citizens, businesses and other public organizations. The paper has provided several serving approaches of E-government, which includes SOA, web service, mobile E-government, public library and every has its own characteristics and application scenes. Still, there are a number of E-government issues for further research on organization structure change, including research methodology, data collection analysis, etc.

Historical antecedents to the philosophy of Paul Feyerabend.

PubMed

Munévar, Gonzalo

2016-06-01

Paul Feyerabend has been considered a very radical philosopher of science for proposing that we may advance hypotheses contrary to well-confirmed experimental results, that observations make theoretical assumptions, that all methodological rules have exceptions, that ordinary citizens may challenge the judgment of experts, and that human happiness should be a key value for science. As radical as these theses may sound, they all have historical antecedents. In defending the Copernican view, Galileo exemplified the first two; Mill, Aristotle and Machiavelli all argued for pluralism; Aristotle gave commonsense reasons for why ordinary citizens may be able to judge the work of experts; and a combination of Plato's and Aristotle's views can offer strong support for the connection between science and happiness. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

How do modes of public engagement impact the development of robust data sets for climate change research?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crimmins, T. M.; Rosemartin, A.

2013-12-01

Engaging non-scientists in data collection through formally organized programs, referred to as Public Participation in Scientific Research (PPSR), has proven to be a successful solution for providing data that are critical to natural resource management and to improving scientific understanding. The data sets that these programs yield often represent scales far beyond what science or management budgets could allow. The long-term success of such programs hinges on their abilities to maintain participants in generating high-quality, reliable data. We propose that participants' retention rates, activity level, and data quality may be related to the level of support and contact they receive from program staff or representatives. The USA National Phenology Network's national-scale plant and animal phenology observation program, Nature's Notebook, has been active since 2009. This program engages thousands of citizen scientists in tracking plant and animal life cycle activity over the course of the year. The program is designed such that all information participants need to register, learn the observation protocols and necessary details to participate, and submit observations is available online. Participants may contact USA-NPN staff for assistance as needed; otherwise, the primary form of contact that these participants receive is email newsletters including updates, data summaries, news tidbits, and relevant articles from USA-NPN staff. In an alternative model of participation, many established groups and organizations, including Master Gardener chapters, nature centers, arboreta, National Parks, and National Wildlife Refuges, have chosen to engage groups of individuals locally in tracking phenology using Nature's Notebook. Though these participants receive the same support and communications from USA-NPN staff, what sets these groups apart from individuals participating in Nature's Notebook independently is the additional face-to-face contact, interaction, and support that they receive from their local group leader and other group members. We chose to compare the quantity and quality of observations yielded by participants in Nature's Notebook via these two models, recognizing that these models are common within the field of Public Participation in Scientific Research (PPSR). We considered several data quantity metrics, the number of volunteer observers recruited, observer activity level and annual retention rates, as well as a single measure of data quality, the certainty with which the onset date for a life cycle stage can be calculated. Though the number of individuals participating in Nature's Notebook directly is nearly ten times higher than the number of individuals participating through a local group, retention rates, activity levels, and data quality are all significantly higher among participants working through a local group. However, the costs associated with maintaining these groups is also greater. In this presentation, we will articulate the costs and benefits of both models in terms of data yielded, staff time necessary to support, science outcome, and other costs and benefits.

[Right of access to healthcare in the context of the Royal Decree-Law 16/2012: the perspective of civil society organizations and professional associations].

PubMed

Suess, Amets; Ruiz Pérez, Isabel; Ruiz Azarola, Ainhoa; March Cerdà, Joan Carles

2014-01-01

The recent publication of the Royal Decree-Law 16/2012 (RDL 16/2012), which introduces structural changes in the Spanish Public Healthcare System, can be placed in the broader context of budgetary adjustments in response to the current economic crisis. An analysis of the interrelationships among economic crisis, healthcare policies, and health reveals that citizen participation is one of several potential strategies for reducing the impact of this situation on the population. This observation raises the interest to know the citizens' perspectives on the modifications introduced by the RDL 16/2012. Narrative review of documents related to the RDL 16/2012 published by civil society organizations and professional associations in the Spanish context. A broad citizen response can be observed to the introduction of RDL 16/2012. The documents reviewed include an analysis of changes in the healthcare model inherent to the RDL 16/2012, as well as predictions on its impact on access to healthcare, healthcare quality, and health. The civil society organizations and professional associations offer recommendations and proposals, as well as collaboration in elaborating alternative strategies to reduce costs. The response of civil society organizations and professional associations underscores the importance of strengthening citizen participation in the development of healthcare policies aimed at maintaining the universal character and sustainability of the Spanish Public Healthcare System in the current moment of economic and systemic crisis. Copyright © 2014 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

78 FR 69836 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-21

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army [Docket ID: USA-2013-0037] Proposed Collection; Comment Request AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Department of the Army announces a proposed...

Citizen science for water quality monitoring: Data implications of citizen perspectives.

PubMed

Jollymore, Ashlee; Haines, Morgan J; Satterfield, Terre; Johnson, Mark S

2017-09-15

Citizen science, where citizens play an active role in the scientific process, is increasingly used to expand the reach and scope of scientific research while also achieving engagement and educational goals. Despite the emergence of studies exploring data outcomes of citizen science, the process and experience of engaging with citizens and citizen-lead groups through participatory science is less explored. This includes how citizen perspectives alter data outcomes, a critical upshot given prevalent mistrust of citizen versus scientist data. This study uses a citizen science campaign investigating watershed impacts on water quality to interrogate the nature and implications of citizen involvement in producing scientifically and societally relevant data. Data representing scientific outcomes are presented alongside a series of vignettes that offer context regarding how, why, and where citizens engaged with the project. From these vignettes, six specific lessons are examined towards understanding how integration of citizen participation alters data outcomes relative to 'professional' science. In particular, elements of participant social identity (e.g., their motivation for participation), and contextual knowledge (e.g., of the research program itself) can shape participation and resulting data outcomes. Such scientific outcomes are particularly relevant given continued concerns regarding the quality of citizen data, which could hinder scientific acceptance of citizen sciences. Importantly, the potential for meaningful engagement with citizen and participants within citizen groups - given significant capacity within the community - represents a substantial and under-realized opportunity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relative to abolishing personal income, estate, and gift taxes and prohibiting the United States Government from engaging in business in competition with its citizens.

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Rep. Paul, Ron [R-TX-14

2009-04-30

House - 06/12/2009 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

75 FR 1770 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-13

...:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM... parties or intervenors to the litigation in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or... the Act. Unless EPA or the Department of Justice determines that consent to this consent decree should...

75 FR 54873 - Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-09

...., Washington, DC, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on... parties or intervenors to the litigation in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or... the Act. Unless EPA or the Department of Justice determines that consent to this settlement agreement...

75 FR 38520 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-02

... Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal... named as parties or intervenors to the litigation in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may... requirements of the CAA. Unless EPA or the Department of Justice determines, based on any comment submitted...

76 FR 79172 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-21

..., between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD... parties or intervenors to the litigation in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or... the Act. Unless EPA or the Department of Justice determines that consent to this consent decree should...

76 FR 45562 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-29

.... and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be... not named as parties or intervenors to the litigation in question. EPA or the Department of Justice... requirements of the Act. Unless EPA or the Department of Justice determines that consent to this consent decree...

78 FR 60280 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-01

..., between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD... parties or intervenors to the litigation in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or... the Act. Unless EPA or the Department of Justice determines that consent to this consent decree should...

78 FR 53143 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-28

...:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM... parties or intervenors to the litigation in question. EPA or the Department of Justice may withdraw or... the Act. Unless EPA or the Department of Justice determines that consent to this consent decree should...

75 FR 75672 - Proposed Settlement Agreement, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-06

...: Jan Tierney, Air and Radiation Law Office (2344A), Office of General Counsel, U.S. Environmental... with the Court in LEAN v. Jackson (civil action no. 1:09-01333) a motion pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 41... available for public viewing at the Office of Environmental Information (OEI) Docket in the EPA Docket...

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to give citizens of the United States the right to enact and repeal laws by voting on legislation in a national election.

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Rep. Hoekstra, Peter [R-MI-2

2010-01-21

House - 03/01/2010 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

The Fourth R-Revolvers: Principal Perceptions Related to Armed School Personnel and Related Legal Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weiler, Spencer C.; Armenta, Anthony D.

2014-01-01

The United States has experienced several mass killings by firearms in the recent past, but none has stirred the passions of the nation's citizens like the killing of innocent schoolchildren in Newtown, Connecticut. Debates immediately began regarding proposed solutions for making students safer in schools. One recommendation for promoting…

Transformative Geography: Ethics and Action in Elementary and Secondary Geography Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirman, Joseph M.

2003-01-01

Geographic ethics are profoundly important if students are expected to be stewards of the earth and responsible citizens whose decisions about the environment will affect our planet's future. The proposed framework, founded in geography but applicable to other subject areas, guides students to moral decisions for the well-being of the planet and…

A Constitutional System of Educational Accountability. Part III. [Sound Basic Education Task Force Proposal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campaign for Fiscal Equity, Inc., 2004

2004-01-01

In recent years, New York, like most other states, has adopted a set of challenging educational standards that are geared to preparing all students to be capable citizens and to compete in the global marketplace. The state has also implemented extensive Regents testing programs to measure student progress toward meeting the standards. These…

Translating Globalization Theories into Educational Research: Thoughts on Recent Shifts in Holocaust Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macgilchrist, Felicitas; Christophe, Barbara

2011-01-01

Much educational research on globalization aims to prepare students to be successful citizens in a global society. We propose a set of three concepts, drawing on systems theory (Nassehi, Stichweh) and theories of the subject (Butler, Foucault), to think the global which enables educational research to step back from hegemonic discourses and…

77 FR 46759 - Proposed Consent Decree, Clean Air Act Citizen Suit

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-06

... holidays. Comments on a disk or CD-ROM should be formatted in Word or ASCII file, avoiding the use of... U.S. Virgin Islands had failed to submit CAA SIPs for improving visibility in mandatory Federal... from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for...

Beyond Marquee Morality: Virtue in the Social Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Null, J. Wesley; Milson, Andrew J.

2003-01-01

The term civic virtue has been used to encompass the complementary goals of educating good people and good citizens to foster good government. Although many have put forth proposals for developing civic virtue in young people, they have not always adequately tapped the rich resources that can lead to a better understanding of the term. A more…

Socially Responsible Citizens: Promoting Gifts and Talents That Support Social and Humanitarian Advancement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hernandez de Hahn, Leticia

2014-01-01

This paper proposes the development of an enhanced sense of social responsibility in the use of talents and the creation of programmes and services that focus on the promotion of these traits among a wider student population. Selection of students for these offerings should not mirror the rigid identification of academically or intellectually…

The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) Approach for Assessment of Urban Renewal Proposals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Grace K. L.; Chan, Edwin H. W.

2008-01-01

The problem of urban decay in Hong Kong is getting worse recently; therefore, the importance of urban renewal in improving the physical environment conditions and the living standards of the citizens is widely recognized in the territory. However, it is not an easy task for the Hong Kong Government to prepare welcome urban renewal proposals…

Knowledge as an Aspect of Scientific Competence for Citizenship: Results of a Delphi Study in Spain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

España-Ramos, Enrique; González-García, Francisco José; Blanco-López, Ángel; Franco-Mariscal, Antonio Joaquín

2016-01-01

This article focuses on scientific knowledge as one aspect of the scientific competencies that citizens should ideally possess. The analysis is based on a Delphi study we conducted with Spanish experts from different science-related fields. The results showed that although the experts proposed several examples of scientific knowledge, the degree…

Teacher Interpretations of Citizenship Education: National Identity, Cosmopolitan Ideals, and Political Realities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osler, Audrey

2011-01-01

Citizenship education typically focuses on the nation and citizens' supposed natural affinity to the nation-state. In this global age, this is challenged by cosmopolitans who propose a form of education which encourages a primary commitment to fellow humanity and/or the planet Earth. However, citizenship education has been re-emphasized by those…

75 FR 70061 - Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant Proposals: The Future Leaders...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-16

... American society for an academic year. In turn, these students will expose U.S. citizens to the culture... of Eurasia and the United States by enabling students to: Gain an understanding of American culture... countries and cultures; Interact with Americans and generate enduring ties; Explore and acquire an...

English for New Citizens: Contributions of a Learner-Centered Vocational ESL Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arnold, Lynnette

2014-01-01

As immigration reform is on the table for the first time in two decades, proposals are being made involving a path to citizenship for the 12 million undocumented immigrants now in the country. This article suggests that, in addition to helping these immigrants meet the English-language requirement for citizenship, comprehensive immigration reform…

Elucidating Usage of e-Government Learning: A Perspective of the Extended Technology Acceptance Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shyu, Stacy Huey-Pyng; Huang, Jen-Hung

2011-01-01

Learning is critical to both economic prosperity and social cohesion. E-government learning, which refers to the government's use of web-based technologies to facilitate learning about subjects that are useful to citizens, is relatively new, relevant, and potentially cost-effective. This work proposes and verifies that the technology acceptance…

Lost in Translation: On the Untranslatable and Its Ethical Implications for Religious Pluralism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergdahl, Lovisa

2009-01-01

In recent years, there have been reports about increased religious discrimination in schools. As a way of acknowledging the importance of religion and faith communities in the public sphere and to propose a solution to the exclusion of religious citizens, the political philosopher Jurgen Habermas suggests an act of translation for which both…

A Study of Organization and Governance of Alabama State Library Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Public Administration Service, Washington, DC.

In order to provide the citizens of Alabama with the best possible library service for a given level of funding, this study recommends a model for the organization and funding of multi-type library cooperation in the state, based on a review of past developments and current conditions, together with proposed changes in state library legislation…

Building a Culture of Peace through Critical Literacy with the Net Generation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adunyarittigun, Dumrong

2017-01-01

Conflicts and violence either inside or outside the classroom can affect the quality of learning within the classroom. Critical literacy is proposed as a strategic instructional practice which aims at teaching a nation's citizens to be literate and raising their critical and social consciousness (Freire, 2007). This paper suggests how teachers, as…

Parliamentary Library and Information Services as Instruments for Democratic Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torres, Patricio Aranda

This paper formulates the means for an improved role for all citizens through a dynamic and interactive parliamentary library and information system. It illustrates the success of such a proposal to strengthen the legitimacy of parliaments by referring to the experience of the Congress of the Republic of Peru and explains what is being done to…

78 FR 10260 - Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review; Reports, Forms and Recordkeeping...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-13

.... citizens who own or lease one or more eligible vessels and who have a program to provide for the... burden of the proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents...

Locating provisioning ecosystem services in urban forests: Forageable woody species in New York City, USA

Treesearch

Patrick T. Hurley; Marla R. Emery

2017-01-01

Scholarship on the ecosystem services provided by urban forests has focused on regulating and supporting services, with a growing body of research examining provisioning and cultural ecosystem services from farms and gardens in metropolitan areas. Using the case of New York, New York, USA, we propose a method to assess the supply of potential provisioning ecosystem...

Biological control of the invasive weed, Brazilian Peppertree, Schinus Terebinthifolia: a review of the project with an update on the proposed agents

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Brazilian peppertree, Schinus terebinthifolia (Anacardiaceae), is a South American plant that has become invasive in many countries around the world. It was introduced into the USA about 100 years ago as an ornamental. Escaping cultivation, it now occurs in three southeastern states of the USA, Cali...

Robust Variance Estimation with Dependent Effect Sizes: Practical Considerations Including a Software Tutorial in Stata and SPSS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tanner-Smith, Emily E.; Tipton, Elizabeth

2014-01-01

Methodologists have recently proposed robust variance estimation as one way to handle dependent effect sizes in meta-analysis. Software macros for robust variance estimation in meta-analysis are currently available for Stata (StataCorp LP, College Station, TX, USA) and SPSS (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA), yet there is little guidance for authors regarding…

Calibrating vascular plant abundance for detecting future climate changes in Oregon and Washington, USA

Treesearch

Timothy J. Brady; Vicente J. Monleon; Andrew N. Gray

2010-01-01

We propose using future vascular plant abundances as indicators of future climate in a way analogous to the reconstruction of past environments by many palaeoecologists. To begin monitoring future short-term climate changes in the forests of Oregon and Washington, USA, we developed a set of transfer functions for a present-day calibration set consisting of climate...

78 FR 59373 - Notice of Lodging of Proposed Amendment To Consent Decree Under the Clean Air Act

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-26

... States v. Total Petrochemicals USA, Inc., Civil Action No. 07-cv-00248-MAC. The United States filed this... be addressed to the Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division, and should refer to United States v. Total Petrochemicals USA, Inc., D.J. Ref. No. 90-5-2-1-08283/3. All...

The Role of Corporations in Ensuring Biodiversity

PubMed

KELLY; HODGE

1996-11-01

/ Corporations own approximately 25% of all private land in the United States and, therefore, play an essential role in protecting biodiversity and maintaining natural habitats. The Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) is a unique joint venture between conservation organizations and corporations to utilize corporate lands for ensuring biodiversity. The following case studies demonstrate how corporations have helped ensure healthy ecosystems and provided critical leadership in regional efforts. Amoco Chemical Company's Cooper River Plant has been instrumental in developing a cooperative project that involves numerous corporations, plantation owners, private citizens, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and community groups to develop a comprehensive, ecosystem-based management plan for part of the Cooper River in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. The second case focuses on the Morie Company, a national sand quarry operator headquartered in southern New Jersey, USA. Morie Company is working with WHC, community groups, the Pinelands Commission, and other state regulatory agencies to explore sustainable development opportunities for companies within the Pinelands regulations. The third case takes us to DuPont Company's Asturias, Spain, site. A win-win success story of improved habitat and cost savings is the result of DuPont's concern for the environment, ability to work with a variety of groups, and willingness to consider innovative restoration techniques. The fourth case discusses Consumers Power Company's Campbell Plant in West Olive, Michigan, USA. In addition to implementing projects that contribute to biodiversity, Consumers Power has developed an environmental education field station to teach others about the importance of natural habitats. The final case highlights Baltimore Gas & Electric Company's efforts to maintain habitat for endangered species at their Calvert Cliffs site in Maryland.KEY WORDS: Partnerships; Stewardship; International; Habitats; Biodiversity

Detecting nonsense for Chinese comments based on logistic regression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuolin, Ren; Guang, Chen; Shu, Chen

2016-07-01

To understand cyber citizens' opinion accurately from Chinese news comments, the clear definition on nonsense is present, and a detection model based on logistic regression (LR) is proposed. The detection of nonsense can be treated as a binary-classification problem. Besides of traditional lexical features, we propose three kinds of features in terms of emotion, structure and relevance. By these features, we train an LR model and demonstrate its effect in understanding Chinese news comments. We find that each of proposed features can significantly promote the result. In our experiments, we achieve a prediction accuracy of 84.3% which improves the baseline 77.3% by 7%.

Optimal design of hydrometric monitoring networks with dynamic components based on Information Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alfonso, Leonardo; Chacon, Juan; Solomatine, Dimitri

2016-04-01

The EC-FP7 WeSenseIt project proposes the development of a Citizen Observatory of Water, aiming at enhancing environmental monitoring and forecasting with the help of citizens equipped with low-cost sensors and personal devices such as smartphones and smart umbrellas. In this regard, Citizen Observatories may complement the limited data availability in terms of spatial and temporal density, which is of interest, among other areas, to improve hydraulic and hydrological models. At this point, the following question arises: how can citizens, who are part of a citizen observatory, be optimally guided so that the data they collect and send is useful to improve modelling and water management? This research proposes a new methodology to identify the optimal location and timing of potential observations coming from moving sensors of hydrological variables. The methodology is based on Information Theory, which has been widely used in hydrometric monitoring design [1-4]. In particular, the concepts of Joint Entropy, as a measure of the amount of information that is contained in a set of random variables, which, in our case, correspond to the time series of hydrological variables captured at given locations in a catchment. The methodology presented is a step forward in the state of the art because it solves the multiobjective optimisation problem of getting simultaneously the minimum number of informative and non-redundant sensors needed for a given time, so that the best configuration of monitoring sites is found at every particular moment in time. To this end, the existing algorithms have been improved to make them efficient. The method is applied to cases in The Netherlands, UK and Italy and proves to have a great potential to complement the existing in-situ monitoring networks. [1] Alfonso, L., A. Lobbrecht, and R. Price (2010a), Information theory-based approach for location of monitoring water level gauges in polders, Water Resour. Res., 46(3), W03528 [2] Alfonso, L., A. Lobbrecht, and R. Price (2010b), Optimization of water level monitoring network in polder systems using information theory, WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH, 46(12), W12553,10.1029/2009wr008953. [3] Alfonso, L., L. He, A. Lobbrecht, and R. Price (2013), Information theory applied to evaluate the discharge monitoring network of the Magdalena River, Journal of Hydroinformatics, 15(1), 211-228 [4] Alfonso, L., E. Ridolfi, S. Gaytan-Aguilar, F. Napolitano, and F. Russo (2014), Ensemble Entropy for Monitoring Network Design, Entropy, 16(3), 1365-1375

78 FR 47053 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Form 706-NA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-02

...The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is soliciting comments concerning Form 706-NA, United States Estate (and Generation-Skipping Transfer) Tax Return, Estate of nonresident not a citizen of the United States.

Standard of care, institutional obligations, and distributive justice.

PubMed

MacKay, Douglas

2015-05-01

The problem of standard of care in clinical research concerns the level of treatment that investigators must provide to subjects in clinical trials. Commentators often formulate answers to this problem by appealing to two distinct types of obligations: professional obligations and natural duties. In this article, I investigate whether investigators also possess institutional obligations that are directly relevant to the problem of standard of care, that is, those obligations a person has because she occupies a particular institutional role. I examine two types of institutional contexts: (1) public research agencies - agencies or departments of states that fund or conduct clinical research in the public interest; and (2) private-for-profit corporations. I argue that investigators who are employed or have their research sponsored by the former have a distinctive institutional obligation to conduct their research in a way that is consistent with the state's duty of distributive justice to provide its citizens with access to basic health care, and its duty to aid citizens of lower income countries. By contrast, I argue that investigators who are employed or have their research sponsored by private-for-profit corporations do not possess this obligation nor any other institutional obligation that is directly relevant to the ethics of RCTs. My account of the institutional obligations of investigators aims to contribute to the development of a reasonable, distributive justice-based account of standard of care. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Citizen Science for public health.

PubMed

Den Broeder, Lea; Devilee, Jeroen; Van Oers, Hans; Schuit, A Jantine; Wagemakers, Annemarie

2018-06-01

Community engagement in public health policy is easier said than done. One reason is that public health policy is produced in a complex process resulting in policies that may appear not to link up to citizen perspectives. We therefore address the central question as to whether citizen engagement in knowledge production could enable inclusive health policy making. Building on non-health work fields, we describe different types of citizen engagement in scientific research, or 'Citizen Science'. We describe the challenges that Citizen Science poses for public health, and how these could be addressed. Despite these challenges, we expect that Citizen Science or similar approaches such as participatory action research and 'popular epidemiology' may yield better knowledge, empowered communities, and improved community health. We provide a draft framework to enable evaluation of Citizen Science in practice, consisting of a descriptive typology of different kinds of Citizen Science and a causal framework that shows how Citizen Science in public health might benefit both the knowledge produced as well as the 'Citizen Scientists' as active participants.

Citizen(s') Science. A Response to "The Future of Citizen Science"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calabrese Barton, Angela M.

2012-01-01

Citizen science is fundamentally about participation within and for communities. Attempts to merge citizen science with schooling must call not only for a democratization of schooling and science but also for the democratization of the ways in which science is taken up by, with, and for citizen participants. Using this stance, along with critical…

Stakeholder perspectives on national policy for regulating the school food environment in Mexico.

PubMed

Monterrosa, Eva C; Campirano, Fabricio; Tolentino Mayo, Lizbeth; Frongillo, Edward A; Hernández Cordero, Sonia; Kaufer-Horwitz, Martha; Rivera, Juan A

2015-02-01

In Mexico, the school environment has been promoting sale of unhealthy foods. There is little empirical evidence on multi-stakeholder perspectives around national school food policy to regulate this. We studied stakeholders' perspectives on the proposed regulation for school sale of unhealthy foods. Comments about the regulation were available from an open consultation process held in June 2010 before the approval and implementation of the regulation. To examine perspectives, we coded 597 comments for beliefs, expectations and demands in NVivo. We created matrices by actors: academics, parents, citizens, health professionals and food industry. For academics, citizens and health professionals, the primary issue regarding the regulation was obesity, while for parents it was health of children. Academics, citizens, health professionals and parents believed that government was responsible for health of citizens, expected that this regulation would improve eating habits and health (i.e. less obesity and chronic diseases), and demanded that unhealthy foods be removed from schools. Parents demanded immediate action for school food policy that would protect their children. Citizens and health professionals demanded nutrition education and healthy food environment. Food industry opposed the regulation because it would not solve obesity or improve diet and physical activity behaviours. Instead, industry would lose income and jobs. Food industry demanded policy aimed at families that included nutrition education and physical activity. There was substantial consensus in narratives and perspectives for most actor types, with the primary narrative being the food environment followed by shared responsibility. Food industry rejected both these narratives, espousing instead the narrative of personal responsibility. Consensus among most actor groups supports the potential success of implementation of the regulation in Mexican schools. With regard to addressing childhood obesity, sound government policy is needed to balance different perspectives and desired outcomes among societal actors, particularly in Mexico between food industry and other actors. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine © The Author 2013; all rights reserved.

Evaporation from a temperate closed-basin lake and its impact on present, past, and future water level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Ke; Griffis, Timothy J.; Baker, John M.; Bolstad, Paul V.; Erickson, Matt D.; Lee, Xuhui; Wood, Jeffrey D.; Hu, Cheng; Nieber, John L.

2018-06-01

Lakes provide enormous economic, recreational, and aesthetic benefits to citizens. These ecosystem services may be adversely impacted by climate change. In the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area of Minnesota, USA, many lakes have been at historic low levels and water augmentation strategies have been proposed to alleviate the problem. White Bear Lake (WBL) is a notable example. Its water level declined 1.5 m during 2003-2013 for reasons that are not fully understood. This study examined current, past, and future lake evaporation to better understand how climate will impact the water balance of lakes within this region. Evaporation from WBL was measured from July 2014 to February 2017 using two eddy covariance (EC) systems to provide better constraints on the water budget and to investigate the impact of evaporation on lake level. The estimated annual evaporation losses for years 2014 through 2016 were 559 ± 22 mm, 779 ± 81 mm, and 766 ± 11 mm, respectively. The higher evaporation in 2015 and 2016 was caused by the combined effects of larger average daily evaporation and a longer ice-free season. The EC measurements were used to tune the Community Land Model 4 - Lake, Ice, Snow and Sediment Simulator (CLM4-LISSS) to estimate lake evaporation over the period 1979-2016. Retrospective analyses indicate that WBL evaporation increased during this time by about 3.8 mm year-1, which was driven by increased wind speed and lake-surface vapor pressure gradient. Using a business-as-usual greenhouse gas emission scenario (RCP8.5), lake evaporation was modeled forward in time from 2017 to 2100. Annual evaporation is expected to increase by 1.4 mm year-1 over this century, largely driven by lengthening ice-free periods. These changes in ice phenology and evaporation will have important implications for the regional water balance, and water management and water augmentation strategies that are being proposed for these Metropolitan lakes.

The Public Mind: Views of Pennsylvania Citizens. Smoking, Education, Tax Reform, Crime Control, Welfare Reform, Health Care Reform. Report No. 6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mansfield Univ., PA. Rural Services Inst.

The sixth annual survey conducted by the Rural Services Institute examined the opinions of Pennsylvania residents on crime control, welfare reform, smoking, and education reform proposals. Sixty percent of respondents believed that the most urgent issue facing Pennsylvania was violent crime and strongly supported measures to reduce the…

New Schools for the Cities: Designs for Equality and Excellence. A Working Paper prepared for the Citizens' Crusade Against Poverty.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pressman, Harvey

This paper outlines several schemes for developing quality private schools for inner city students. The basic assumption justifying the proposal that such schools be independently managed is that the urban public school systems have patently failed to educate poor children. Therefore, a new national network of independent schools should be…

Social Injustice, Human Rights-Based Education and Citizens' Direct Action to Promote Social Transformation in the Philippines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ty, Reynaldo

2011-01-01

This article opens with a proposed framework for human rights education (HRE), which synthesizes ideas drawn from Zinn's people's history, Sen's theory of justice and Freire's critical pedagogy. A review of the literature on HRE and human rights-based learning suggests three existent interrelated models of HRE. Drawing on human rights-based…

Perceptions of The Energy Crisis: Who is Blamed and How Do Citizens React to Environment-Lifestyle Trade-Offs?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hummel, Carl F.; And Others

1978-01-01

Two representative samples of residents living in a Colorado community were surveyed during acute and chronic stages of the 1973 gasoline shortage. Support was assessed for three types of pro-energy actions. Applications of the findings were made to the current situation of mandatory proposals and environmental costs. (Author/MA)

76 FR 35067 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Request and Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-15

...-1227--0960-0559. The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program encourages recipients to return to work... recipients who are blind or disabled and want to develop a plan to work. Type of Request: Extension of an OMB... representative payee can be: (1) A family member; (2) a non-family member who is a private citizen and is...

Civic Learning through Agricultural Improvement: Bringing the Loom and the Anvil into Proximity with the Plow. Studies in the History of Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lauzon, Glenn P.

2010-01-01

How do people use education to respond to change? How do people learn what is expected of "good citizens" in their communities? These questions have long concerned educational historians, civic educators, and social scientists. In recent years, they have captured national attention through high-profile education reform proposals and…

75 FR 57543 - 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Form DS-156K, Nonimmigrant Fiance(e) Visa...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-21

... DS-156K, Nonimmigrant Fiance(e) Visa Application, OMB Control Number 1405-0096 ACTION: Notice of... Reduction Act of 1995. Title of Information Collection: Nonimmigrant Fiance(e) Visa Application. OMB Control... applying for a nonimmigrant visa to enter the U.S. as the fianc[eacute](e) of a U.S. citizen Estimated...

77 FR 51101 - 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Application for Consular Report of Birth Abroad...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-23

...: Application for Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of America ACTION: Notice of...: [email protected]state.gov . Mail: (paper, disk, or CD-ROM submissions): U.S. Department of... Courier: U.S. Department of State, CA/ OCSL 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue, 4th Floor, Washington, DC 20037-3202...

78 FR 43093 - Richard C. Theuer; Filing of Food Additive Petition and Citizen Petition

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-19

... [Docket Nos. FDA-2013-F-0700 and FDA-2013-P-0472] Richard C. Theuer; Filing of Food Additive Petition and... proposing that the food additive regulations be amended to prohibit the use of carrageenan and salts of... that Richard C. Theuer, Ph.D., 7904 Sutterton Ct., Raleigh, NC 27615, has filed a food additive...

Teaching Citizenship: What if the EU Is Part of the Solution and Not the Problem?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lödén, Hans; McCallion, Malin Stegmann; Wall, Peter

2014-01-01

We propose that the European Union (EU) should be used in citizenship education as a possible vehicle for citizens' influence on issues outside the reach of the nation-state. Citizenship education thus ought to include the EU as an arena for political action and relevant "EU knowledge" ought to be part of the curriculum. Concepts from…

Putting the Pieces Together: Toward a Comprehensive Program of Social Reform (Reformulating Our Approaches to School Governance).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cunningham, Luvern L.

1991-01-01

Basic tenets of citizen control of education at state and local levels are well established historically and remain intact after three centuries of U.S. educational experience. This paper advocates substantial change in the structure and management of local governments. Too many change proposals are cosmetic. Kentucky and Memphis-Shelby County are…

Insole optical fiber Bragg grating sensors network for dynamic vertical force monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domingues, Maria Fátima; Tavares, Cátia; Leitão, Cátia; Frizera-Neto, Anselmo; Alberto, Nélia; Marques, Carlos; Radwan, Ayman; Rodriguez, Jonathan; Postolache, Octavian; Rocon, Eduardo; André, Paulo; Antunes, Paulo

2017-09-01

In an era of unprecedented progress in technology and increase in population age, continuous and close monitoring of elder citizens and patients is becoming more of a necessity than a luxury. Contributing toward this field and enhancing the life quality of elder citizens and patients with disabilities, this work presents the design and implementation of a noninvasive platform and insole fiber Bragg grating sensors network to monitor the vertical ground reaction forces distribution induced in the foot plantar surface during gait and body center of mass displacements. The acquired measurements are a reliable indication of the accuracy and consistency of the proposed solution in monitoring and mapping the vertical forces active on the foot plantar sole, with a sensitivity up to 11.06 pm/N. The acquired measurements can be used to infer the foot structure and health condition, in addition to anomalies related to spine function and other pathologies (e.g., related to diabetes); also its application in rehabilitation robotics field can dramatically reduce the computational burden of exoskeletons' control strategy. The proposed technology has the advantages of optical fiber sensing (robustness, noninvasiveness, accuracy, and electromagnetic insensitivity) to surpass all drawbacks verified in traditionally used sensing systems (fragility, instability, and inconsistent feedback).

Patients' Perception of Clinicians Use of ICT During Patient Consultation in the Different Sectors of Danish Healthcare.

PubMed

Petersen, Lone Stub; Bertelsen, Pernille

2016-01-01

In Denmark ICT is a central part of almost all healthcare professionals' daily practices, and patients are increasingly encouraged to take and active interest in own health data. Therefore, ICT is an important part of what happens at consultations between the patients and the healthcare professionals. We explore the impact of ICT based on a survey of citizens'/patients' experience of interaction with healthcare professionals. How often and for what ICT was used in communication with the patients in different sectors of the Danish healthcare. The results show that ICT is used in communication with citizens and during interaction with patient, however the use of ICT is mostly for the healthcare professionals own benefit and only about 15%-39% of the reported instances ICT was used to communication and interact with the patient. Through the concept of boundary objects we proposes a model that split the object of the technology mediated information into three setting for communication between patients and healthcare professionals. We propose further studies into how ICT can be used to explore the possibilities for more interactive and involving care processes as a key element in further development of eHealth.

Insole optical fiber Bragg grating sensors network for dynamic vertical force monitoring.

PubMed

Domingues, Maria Fátima; Tavares, Cátia; Leitão, Cátia; Frizera-Neto, Anselmo; Alberto, Nélia; Marques, Carlos; Radwan, Ayman; Rodriguez, Jonathan; Postolache, Octavian; Rocon, Eduardo; André, Paulo; Antunes, Paulo

2017-09-01

In an era of unprecedented progress in technology and increase in population age, continuous and close monitoring of elder citizens and patients is becoming more of a necessity than a luxury. Contributing toward this field and enhancing the life quality of elder citizens and patients with disabilities, this work presents the design and implementation of a noninvasive platform and insole fiber Bragg grating sensors network to monitor the vertical ground reaction forces distribution induced in the foot plantar surface during gait and body center of mass displacements. The acquired measurements are a reliable indication of the accuracy and consistency of the proposed solution in monitoring and mapping the vertical forces active on the foot plantar sole, with a sensitivity up to 11.06 ?? pm / N . The acquired measurements can be used to infer the foot structure and health condition, in addition to anomalies related to spine function and other pathologies (e.g., related to diabetes); also its application in rehabilitation robotics field can dramatically reduce the computational burden of exoskeletons’ control strategy. The proposed technology has the advantages of optical fiber sensing (robustness, noninvasiveness, accuracy, and electromagnetic insensitivity) to surpass all drawbacks verified in traditionally used sensing systems (fragility, instability, and inconsistent feedback).

A Comprehensive System for Monitoring Urban Accessibility in Smart Cities

PubMed Central

Pérez-del Hoyo, Raquel; Andújar-Montoya, María Dolores

2017-01-01

The present work discusses the possibilities offered by the evolution of Information and Communication Technologies with the aim of designing a system to dynamically obtain knowledge of accessibility issues in urban environments. This system is facilitated by technology to analyse the urban user experience and movement accessibility, which enabling accurate identification of urban barriers and monitoring its effectiveness over time. Therefore, the main purpose of the system is to meet the real needs and requirements of people with movement disabilities. The information obtained can be provided as a support service for decision-making to be used by city government, institutions, researchers, professionals and other individuals of society in general to improve the liveability and quality of the lives of citizens. The proposed system is a means of social awareness that makes the most vulnerable groups of citizens visible by involving them as active participants. To perform and implement the system, the latest communication and positioning technologies for smart sensing have been used, as well as the cloud computing paradigm. Finally, to validate the proposal, a case study has been presented using the university environment as a pre-deployment step in urban environments. PMID:28792476

A Comprehensive System for Monitoring Urban Accessibility in Smart Cities.

PubMed

Mora, Higinio; Gilart-Iglesias, Virgilio; Pérez-Del Hoyo, Raquel; Andújar-Montoya, María Dolores

2017-08-09

The present work discusses the possibilities offered by the evolution of Information and Communication Technologies with the aim of designing a system to dynamically obtain knowledge of accessibility issues in urban environments. This system is facilitated by technology to analyse the urban user experience and movement accessibility, which enabling accurate identification of urban barriers and monitoring its effectiveness over time. Therefore, the main purpose of the system is to meet the real needs and requirements of people with movement disabilities. The information obtained can be provided as a support service for decision-making to be used by city government, institutions, researchers, professionals and other individuals of society in general to improve the liveability and quality of the lives of citizens. The proposed system is a means of social awareness that makes the most vulnerable groups of citizens visible by involving them as active participants. To perform and implement the system, the latest communication and positioning technologies for smart sensing have been used, as well as the cloud computing paradigm. Finally, to validate the proposal, a case study has been presented using the university environment as a pre-deployment step in urban environments.

CosmoQuest: Training Educators and Engaging Classrooms in Citizen Science through a Virtual Research Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buxner, Sanlyn; Bracey, Georgia; Summer, Theresa; Cobb, Whitney; Gay, Pamela L.; Finkelstein, Keely D.; Gurton, Suzanne; Felix-Strishock, Lisa; Kruse, Brian; Lebofsky, Larry A.; Jones, Andrea J.; Tweed, Ann; Graff, Paige; Runco, Susan; Noel-Storr, Jacob; CosmoQuest Team

2016-10-01

CosmoQuest is a Citizen Science Virtual Research Facility that engages scientists, educators, students, and the public in analyzing NASA images. Often, these types of citizen science activities target enthusiastic members of the public, and additionally engage students in K-12 and college classrooms. To support educational engagement, we are developing a pipeline in which formal and informal educators and facilitators use the virtual research facility to engage students in real image analysis that is framed to provide meaningful science learning. This work also contributes to the larger project to produce publishable results. Community scientists are being solicited to propose CosmoQuest Science Projects take advantage of the virtual research facility capabilities. Each CosmoQuest Science Project will result in formal education materials, aligned with Next Generation Science Standards including the 3-dimensions of science learning; core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices. Participating scientists will contribute to companion educational materials with support from the CosmoQuest staff of data specialists and education specialists. Educators will be trained through in person and virtual workshops, and classrooms will have the opportunity to not only work with NASA data, but interface with NASA scientists. Through this project, we are bringing together subject matter experts, classrooms, and informal science organizations to share the excitement of NASA SMD science with future citizen scientists. CosmoQuest is funded through individual donations, through NASA Cooperative Agreement NNX16AC68A, and through additional grants and contracts that are listed on our website, cosmoquest.org.

75 FR 38090 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-01

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army [Docket ID USA-2010-0016] Proposed Collection; Comment Request AGENCY: Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army, (OAA-AAHS-RDR... without change, including any personal identifiers or contact information. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT...

77 FR 8841 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-15

...://www.regulations.gov . Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Mail: Federal Docket Management... provides requirements for admission of candidates to the U.S. Military Academy. The U.S. Military Academy... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army [Docket ID USA-2009-0022] Proposed Collection...

Underlying Motivations of Volunteering Across Life Stages.

PubMed

Yamashita, Takashi; Keene, Jennifer R; Lu, Chi-Jung; Carr, Dawn C

2017-03-01

Volunteering is beneficial not only for individuals' well-being but also for society's well-being; yet only a fraction of U.S. citizens regularly engage in volunteer activities. This study examined how underlying motivations are associated with interest in volunteering for individuals in three major life phases: early, middle, and later adulthood. Data were collected from 1,046 adults who volunteered through nonprofit organizations in Nevada (USA). Exploratory factor analysis revealed that community service, career advancement, and well-being were common underlying motivations for individuals across life stages. However, generativity among the later adulthood group, and social networking among the early and middle adulthood groups were unique motivations for volunteering. Regression analysis showed that the community service motivation was significantly associated with individuals' interest in volunteering among all life stages. Simultaneously, generativity for the later adulthood group, and career advancement for the early adulthood group were unique motivations linked to their actual interest in volunteering.

Objective confirmation of subjective measures of human well-being: evidence from the U.S.A.

PubMed

Oswald, Andrew J; Wu, Stephen

2010-01-29

A huge research literature, across the behavioral and social sciences, uses information on individuals' subjective well-being. These are responses to questions--asked by survey interviewers or medical personnel--such as, "How happy do you feel on a scale from 1 to 4?" Yet there is little scientific evidence that such data are meaningful. This study examines a 2005-2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System random sample of 1.3 million U.S. citizens. Life satisfaction in each U.S. state is measured. Across America, people's answers trace out the same pattern of quality of life as previously estimated, from solely nonsubjective data, in one branch of economics (so-called "compensating differentials" neoclassical theory, originally from Adam Smith). There is a state-by-state match (r = 0.6, P < 0.001) between subjective and objective well-being. This result has some potential to help to unify disciplines.

Advance directives outside the USA: are they the best solution everywhere?

PubMed

Sanchez-Gonzalez, M A

1997-09-01

This article evaluates the potential role of advance directives outside of their original North American context. In order to do this, the article first analyses the historical process which has promoted advance directives in recent years. Next, it brings to light certain presuppositions which have given them force: atomistic individualism, contractualism, consumerism and entrepreneurialism, pluralism, proceduralism, and "American moralism." The article next studies certain European cultural peculiarities which could affect advance directives: the importance of virtue versus rights, stoicism versus consumerist utilitarianism, rationalism verus empiricism, statism versus citizens' initiative, and justice versus autonomy. The article concludes by recognising that autonomy has a transcultural value, although it must be balanced with other principles. Advance Directives can have a function in certain cases. But it does not seem adequate to delegate to advance directives more and more medical decisions, and to make them more binding everyday. It is indispensable to develop other decision-making criteria.

Will you accept the government's friend request? Social networks and privacy concerns.

PubMed

Siegel, David A

2013-01-01

Participating in social network websites entails voluntarily sharing private information, and the explosive growth of social network websites over the last decade suggests shifting views on privacy. Concurrently, new anti-terrorism laws, such as the USA Patriot Act, ask citizens to surrender substantial claim to privacy in the name of greater security. I address two important questions regarding individuals' views on privacy raised by these trends. First, how does prompting individuals to consider security concerns affect their views on government actions that jeopardize privacy? Second, does the use of social network websites alter the effect of prompted security concerns? I posit that prompting individuals to consider security concerns does lead to an increased willingness to accept government actions that jeopardize privacy, but that frequent users of websites like Facebook are less likely to be swayed by prompted security concerns. An embedded survey experiment provides support for both parts of my claim.

Will You Accept the Government's Friend Request? Social Networks and Privacy Concerns

PubMed Central

Siegel, David A.

2013-01-01

Participating in social network websites entails voluntarily sharing private information, and the explosive growth of social network websites over the last decade suggests shifting views on privacy. Concurrently, new anti-terrorism laws, such as the USA Patriot Act, ask citizens to surrender substantial claim to privacy in the name of greater security. I address two important questions regarding individuals' views on privacy raised by these trends. First, how does prompting individuals to consider security concerns affect their views on government actions that jeopardize privacy? Second, does the use of social network websites alter the effect of prompted security concerns? I posit that prompting individuals to consider security concerns does lead to an increased willingness to accept government actions that jeopardize privacy, but that frequent users of websites like Facebook are less likely to be swayed by prompted security concerns. An embedded survey experiment provides support for both parts of my claim. PMID:24312236

78 FR 69875 - Notice of Lodging of Proposed Consent Decree Under the Oil Pollution Act

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-21

... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Notice of Lodging of Proposed Consent Decree Under the Oil Pollution Act On November 15, 2013, the Department of Justice lodged a proposed consent decree with the United States... against Suncor (U.S.A.) Inc. (``Suncor'') pursuant to the Oil Pollution Act, 33 U.S.C. 2701-2762. The...

78 FR 48706 - Expansion of Global Entry Eligibility to Certain Citizens of the Republic Of Korea, the Federal...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-09

... Germany, the State of Qatar, and the United Kingdom AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Department... citizens of the State of Qatar; and a limited number of citizens of the United Kingdom who frequently... citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany, all citizens of the State of Qatar and all citizens of the...

78 FR 51176 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-20

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army [Docket ID: USA-2013-0012] Proposed Collection; Comment Request AGENCY: Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army, (OAA-AAHS....regulations.gov as they are received without change, including any personal identifiers or contact information...

78 FR 63970 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-25

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army [Docket ID: USA-2013-0034] Proposed Collection; Comment Request AGENCY: Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army (OAA-RPA), DoD... they are received without change, including any personal identifiers or contact information. FOR...

77 FR 8842 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-15

... to the Director of Admissions, U.S. Military Academy, Official Mail & Distribution Center, ATTN: (Sue... candidates to the U.S. Military Academy. The U.S. Military Academy (USMA) strives to motivate outstanding... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army [Docket ID: USA-2009-0021] Proposed Collection...

Environmental protection belongs to the public: A vision for citizen science at EPA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parker, A.; Dosemagen, S.

2017-12-01

As a collaborative and open approach to science, citizen science has the potential make science more actionable, applicable, and usable, especially when designed with scientists, communities and decision-makers as partners. In response to recent interest in citizen science from the US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology provided EPA with advice and recommendations on how to integrate citizen science into the core work of EPA. The Council's 28 members—representatives of academia; business and industry; nongovernmental organizations; and state, local and tribal governments—identifies citizen science as an invaluable opportunity for EPA to strengthen public support for EPA's mission and the best approach for the Agency to connect with the public on environmental protection. The report recommends that EPA embrace citizen science as a core tenet of environmental protection, invest in citizen science for communities, partners, and the Agency, enable the use of citizen science data at the Agency, integrate citizen science into the full range of work of EPA. This presentation will outline principles and strategy for integrating citizen science into science and policy at the national level, increasing the usability of citizen science data for decision-making and policy, and leveraging citizen science for environmental protection.

Science experiences of citizen scientists in entomology research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lynch, Louise I.

Citizen science is an increasingly popular collaboration between members of the public and the scientific community to pursue current research questions. In addition to providing researchers with much needed volunteer support, it is a unique and promising form of informal science education that can counter declining public science literacy, including attitudes towards and understanding of science. However, the impacts of citizen science programs on participants' science literacy remains elusive. The purpose of this study was to balance the top-down approach to citizen science research by exploring how adult citizen scientists participate in entomology research based on their perceptions and pioneer mixed methods research to investigate and explain the impacts of citizen science programs. Transference, in which citizen scientists transfer program impacts to people around them, was uncovered in a grounded theory study focused on adults in a collaborative bumble bee research program. Most of the citizen scientists involved in entomology research shared their science experiences and knowledge with people around them. In certain cases, expertise was attributed to the individual by others. Citizen scientists then have the opportunity to acquire the role of expert to those around them and influence knowledge, attitudinal and behavioral changes in others. An intervention explanatory sequential mixed methods design assessed how entomology-based contributory citizen science affects science self-efficacy, self-efficacy for environmental action, nature relatedness and attitude towards insects in adults. However, no statistically significant impacts were evident. A qualitative follow-up uncovered a discrepancy between statistically measured changes and perceived influences reported by citizen scientists. The results have important implications for understanding how citizen scientists learn, the role of citizen scientists in entomology research, the broader program impacts and the value of qualitative methodologies in citizen science research. Citizen science is championed for its ability to extend the geographic, temporal and spatial reach of a research team. It can also extend the educational reach through citizen scientists that have acquired the role of expert.

Implementation of Quality Assurance and Quality Control Measures in the National Phenology Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerst, K.; Rosemartin, A.; Denny, E. G.; Marsh, L.; Barnett, L.

2015-12-01

The USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN; www.usanpn.org) serves science and society by promoting a broad understanding of plant and animal phenology and the relationships among phenological patterns and environmental change. The National Phenology Database has over 5.5 million observation records for plants and animals for the period 1954-2015. These data have been used in a number of science, conservation and resource management applications, including national assessments of historical and potential future trends in phenology, regional assessments of spatio-temporal variation in organismal activity, and local monitoring for invasive species detection. Customizable data downloads are freely available, and data are accompanied by FGDC-compliant metadata, data-use and data-attribution policies, and vetted documented methodologies and protocols. The USA-NPN has implemented a number of measures to ensure both quality assurance and quality control. Here we describe the resources that have been developed so that incoming data submitted by both citizen and professional scientists are reliable; these include training materials, such as a botanical primer and species profiles. We also describe a number of automated quality control processes applied to incoming data streams to optimize data output quality. Existing and planned quality control measures for output of raw and derived data include: (1) Validation of site locations, including latitude, longitude, and elevation; (2) Flagging of records that conflict for a given date for an individual plant; (3) Flagging where species occur outside known ranges; (4) Flagging of records when phenophases occur outside of the plausible order for a species; (5) Flagging of records when intensity measures do not follow a plausible progression for a phenophase; (6) Flagging of records when a phenophase occurs outside of the plausible season, and (7) Quantification of precision and uncertainty for estimation of phenological metrics. Finally, we will describe preliminary work to develop methods for outlier detection that will inform plausibility checks. Ultimately we aim to maximize data quality of USA-NPN data and data products to ensure that this database can continue to be reliably applied for science and decision-making for multiple scales and applications.

Chinese Teachers' Perceptions of the "Good Citizen": A Personally-Responsible Citizen

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Hui; Tan, Chuanbao

2017-01-01

Conceptions of the "good citizen" have implications for defining the goals of civic education and formulating civic education programs. In Mainland China, the concept of "good citizen" is clearly defined by the authorities in the official curriculum guidelines. Teachers' perceptions of a "good citizen", however, may…

Citizen science can improve conservation science, natural resource management, and environmental protection

USGS Publications Warehouse

McKinley, Duncan C.; Miller-Rushing, Abe J.; Ballard, Heidi L.; Bonney, Rick; Brown, Hutch; Cook-Patton, Susan; Evans, Daniel M.; French, Rebecca A.; Parrish, Julia; Phillips, Tina B.; Ryan, Sean F.; Shanley, Lea A.; Shirk, Jennifer L.; Stepenuck, Kristine F.; Weltzin, Jake F.; Wiggins, Andrea; Boyle, Owen D.; Briggs, Russell D.; Chapin, Stuart F.; Hewitt, David A.; Preuss, Peter W.; Soukup, Michael A.

2017-01-01

Citizen science has advanced science for hundreds of years, contributed to many peer-reviewed articles, and informed land management decisions and policies across the United States. Over the last 10 years, citizen science has grown immensely in the United States and many other countries. Here, we show how citizen science is a powerful tool for tackling many of the challenges faced in the field of conservation biology. We describe the two interwoven paths by which citizen science can improve conservation efforts, natural resource management, and environmental protection. The first path includes building scientific knowledge, while the other path involves informing policy and encouraging public action. We explore how citizen science is currently used and describe the investments needed to create a citizen science program. We find that:Citizen science already contributes substantially to many domains of science, including conservation, natural resource, and environmental science. Citizen science informs natural resource management, environmental protection, and policymaking and fosters public input and engagement.Many types of projects can benefit from citizen science, but one must be careful to match the needs for science and public involvement with the right type of citizen science project and the right method of public participation.Citizen science is a rigorous process of scientific discovery, indistinguishable from conventional science apart from the participation of volunteers. When properly designed, carried out, and evaluated, citizen science can provide sound science, efficiently generate high-quality data, and help solve problems.

Can the AYUSH system be instrumental in achieving universal health coverage in India?

PubMed

Samal, Janmejaya; Dehury, Ranjit Kumar

2018-01-01

Universal health coverage (UHC) in the Indian context is understood as easily accessible and affordable health services for all citizens. The Planning Commission of India constituted a High Level Expert Group (HLEG) in October 2010 for the purpose of drafting the guidelines of UHC. While the primary focus of UHC is to provide financial protection to all citizens, its delivery requires an adequate health infrastructure, skilled health human resources, and access to affordable drugs and technologies so that all people receive the level and quality of care they are entitled to. This paper attempts to link the ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoeopathy (AYUSH) systems of medicine with UHC. Here, the AYUSH system refers to the AYUSH workforce, therapeutics and principles, and their individual role in delivering UHC to the citizens of India. In outlining the role of AYUSH, the paper lays stress on the 10 guiding principles of UHC, as proposed by the HLEG. However, as the AYUSH system is not the principal health service provider in India, the dominant system being that of allopathic medicine, a few components of UHC may not fit neatly into the AYUSH system. This paper has adopted the definition of UHC quoted by the HLEG.

A FIVE-YEAR CRASH PROGRAM FOR QUALITY EDUCATION--AN ATTACK ON UNEMPLOYMENT AND POVERTY THROUGH IMPROVED EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York City Board of Education, Brooklyn, NY.

NOTING THAT THE WELFARE OF INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS AS WELL AS THE WELFARE OF THE CITY, STATE, AND NATION DEMANDS THAT THE VICIOUS CYCLE OF INSUFFICIENT EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, UNEMPLOYMENT, AND POVERTY BE BROKEN, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF NEW YORK CITY PROPOSED A 5-YEAR EMERGENCY PROGRAM FOR QUALITY EDUCATION. THE PROGRAM INCLUDES PLANS FOR THE…

75 FR 17996 - Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Request for Grant Proposals: Trans-Saharan...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-08

... professional development through three- to four-week study tours and internships in the U.S.; (2) to provide U... of U.S. Studies and Overseas Programs. The recipient of this award will conduct a second round of U.S... come to the U.S. for 3-4 weeks of study of electoral processes, the role of media and citizens...

What's Worth Teaching? Rethinking Curriculum in the Age of Technology. Technology, Education--Connections (The TEC Series)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Allan

2017-01-01

This important contribution to the future of education, by bestselling author and renowned cognitive scientist Allan Collins, proposes a school curriculum that will fit the needs of our modern era. Offering guidelines for deciding what is important to learn in order to become a knowledgeable person, a good citizen, a thoughtful worker, and a…

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to provide that Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the number of persons in each State who are citizens of the United States.

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Rep. Miller, Candice S. [R-MI-10

2009-01-07

House - 02/09/2009 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

The Proposed Transfer of the Indian Bureau to the Department of War.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knecht, James John, II

From its inception, the United States has been faced with the problem of how to treat with the American Indian nations and tribes. This problem is many-faceted: who should deal with Indian affairs; how should the Indian be treated--as citizens or as independent nations; how should the redman be parted from his lands, which were coveted by the…

77 FR 8842 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-15

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army [Docket ID USA-2008-0006] Proposed Collection... effort as a useful self-assessment, self-improvement, and benchmarking tool, while ensuring that data..., Department of Defense. [FR Doc. 2012-3506 Filed 2-14-12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 5001-06-P ...

Beyond evidence: a critical appraisal of global warming as a socio-scientific issue and a reflection on the changing nature of scientific literacy in school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colucci-Gray, L.

2014-09-01

Tom G. K. Bryce and Stephen P. Day's (2013) original article on scepticism and doubt in science education explores the context of citizens' attitudes towards the complexities and uncertainties of global issues, namely global warming. This response aims to stimulate reflection on some of the implicit assumptions underpinning the relationships between science, technology and the public. I argue that an underestimation of the political and ethical dimensions of science and technology limits the possibilities for education to set the agenda for citizens' participation in science and technological matters. Drawing on Sheila Jasanoff's model of co-production, this paper proposes a radical re-affirmation of the aims and purposes of science education to embrace a multiplicity of disciplines, narratives and ways of knowing in science, technology and society issues.

Economic and Social Impact of Influenza Mitigation Strategies by Demographic Class

PubMed Central

Barrett, Chris; Bisset, Keith; Leidig, Jonathan; Marathe, Achla; Marathe, Madhav

2011-01-01

Background We aim to determine the economic and social impact of typical interventions proposed by the public health officials and preventive behavioral changes adopted by the private citizens in the event of a “flu-like” epidemic. Method We apply an individual-based simulation model to the New River Valley area of Virginia for addressing this critical problem. The economic costs include not only the loss in productivity due to sickness but also the indirect cost incurred through disease avoidance and caring for dependents. Results The results show that the most important factor responsible for preventing income loss is the modification of individual behavior; it drops the total income loss by 62% compared to the base case. The next most important factor is the closure of schools which reduces the total income loss by another 40%. Conclusions The preventive behavior of the private citizens is the most important factor in controlling the epidemic. PMID:21339828

A New Stress-Based Model of Political Extremism

PubMed Central

Canetti-Nisim, Daphna; Halperin, Eran; Sharvit, Keren; Hobfoll, Stevan E.

2011-01-01

Does exposure to terrorism lead to hostility toward minorities? Drawing on theories from clinical and social psychology, we propose a stress-based model of political extremism in which psychological distress—which is largely overlooked in political scholarship—and threat perceptions mediate the relationship between exposure to terrorism and attitudes toward minorities. To test the model, a representative sample of 469 Israeli Jewish respondents was interviewed on three occasions at six-month intervals. Structural Equation Modeling indicated that exposure to terrorism predicted psychological distress (t1), which predicted perceived threat from Palestinian citizens of Israel (t2), which, in turn, predicted exclusionist attitudes toward Palestinian citizens of Israel (t3). These findings provide solid evidence and a mechanism for the hypothesis that terrorism introduces nondemocratic attitudes threatening minority rights. It suggests that psychological distress plays an important role in political decision making and should be incorporated in models drawing upon political psychology. PMID:22140275

A Standardization Framework for Electronic Government Service Portals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarantis, Demetrios; Tsiakaliaris, Christos; Lampathaki, Fenareti; Charalabidis, Yannis

Although most eGovernment interoperability frameworks (eGIFs) cover adequately the technical aspects of developing and supporting the provision of electronic services to citizens and businesses, they do not exclusively address several important areas regarding the organization, presentation, accessibility and security of the content and the electronic services offered through government portals. This chapter extends the scope of existing eGIFs presenting the overall architecture and the basic concepts of the Greek standardization framework for electronic government service portals which, for the first time in Europe, is part of a country's eGovernment framework. The proposed standardization framework includes standards, guidelines and recommendations regarding the design, development and operation of government portals that support the provision of administrative information and services to citizens and businesses. By applying the guidelines of the framework, the design, development and operation of portals in central, regional and municipal government can be systematically addressed resulting in an applicable, sustainable and ever-expanding framework.

Addressing the social dimensions of citizen observatories: The Ground Truth 2.0 socio-technical approach for sustainable implementation of citizen observatories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wehn, Uta; Joshi, Somya; Pfeiffer, Ellen; Anema, Kim; Gharesifard, Mohammad; Momani, Abeer

2017-04-01

Owing to ICT-enabled citizen observatories, citizens can take on new roles in environmental monitoring, decision making and co-operative planning, and environmental stewardship. And yet implementing advanced citizen observatories for data collection, knowledge exchange and interactions to support policy objectives is neither always easy nor successful, given the required commitment, trust, and data reliability concerns. Many efforts are facing problems with the uptake and sustained engagement by citizens, limited scalability, unclear long-term sustainability and limited actual impact on governance processes. Similarly, to sustain the engagement of decision makers in citizen observatories, mechanisms are required from the start of the initiative in order to have them invest in and, hence, commit to and own the entire process. In order to implement sustainable citizen observatories, these social dimensions therefore need to be soundly managed. We provide empirical evidence of how the social dimensions of citizen observatories are being addressed in the Ground Truth 2.0 project, drawing on a range of relevant social science approaches. This project combines the social dimensions of citizen observatories with enabling technologies - via a socio-technical approach - so that their customisation and deployment is tailored to the envisaged societal and economic impacts of the observatories. The projects consists of the demonstration and validation of six scaled up citizen observatories in real operational conditions both in the EU and in Africa, with a specific focus on flora and fauna as well as water availability and water quality for land and natural resources management. The demonstration cases (4 EU and 2 African) cover the full 'spectrum' of citizen-sensed data usage and citizen engagement, and therefore allow testing and validation of the socio-technical concept for citizen observatories under a range of conditions.

Use of dental services by immigration status in the United States.

PubMed

Wilson, Fernando A; Wang, Yang; Stimpson, Jim P; McFarland, Kimberly K; Singh, Karan P

2016-03-01

There is limited research with mixed findings comparing differences in oral health outcomes and the use of dental services by immigration status. The authors conducted a study by reviewing nationally representative data to describe differences in dental care among noncitizens, naturalized citizens, and US-born citizens in the United States. The authors used nationally representative data from the 2008-2012 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to examine dental care for US-born citizens, naturalized citizens, and noncitizens 18 years and older. Total analytical sample size was 98,107 adults. They used multivariate logistic regression to model dental service use adjusting for confounding factors. Naturalized citizens and noncitizens were significantly less likely to have at least 1 dental visit within 12 months (39.5% and 23.1%, respectively) compared with US-born citizens (43.6%; P < .001). Among users, a smaller proportion of comprehensive examination visits were for naturalized citizens and noncitizens (75.9% and 71.4%, respectively) compared with US-born citizens (82.8%; P < .01). Noncitizen visits to dentists were also more likely to involve tooth extraction compared with those of US-born citizens (11.3% versus 8.8%; P < .01). Multivariate logistic regression suggests both non- and naturalized citizens had lower adjusted odds of having a comprehensive examination compared with US-born citizens during a visit (P < .01). Noncitizens and naturalized citizens had a lower rate of dental service use, and noncitizens were more likely to have had tooth extraction compared with US-born citizens. Increased outreach efforts tailored to noncitizens and naturalized citizens who are at high risk of experiencing dental problems are needed, particularly to address misperceptions on the necessity of preventive dental visits. Copyright © 2016 American Dental Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Project Citizen: Promoting Action-Oriented Citizen Science in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green, Carie; Medina-Jerez, William

2012-01-01

In recent years, citizen science projects have emerged as a means to involve students in scientific inquiry, particularly in the fields of ecology and environmental science. A citizen scientist is "a volunteer who collects and/or processes data as part of a scientific inquiry" (Silverton 2009, p. 467). Participation in citizen science…

Designing a Citizen Involvement Program: A Guidebook for Involving Citizens in the Resolution of Environmental Issues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howell, Robert E.; And Others

A model and supportive materials are presented for design and implementation of a program for involving citizens in decision-making concerning significant environmental issues. Chapter topics include: why citizen involvement? (potential benefits of the process); theoretical basis for citizen involvement (three fundamental perspectives underlying…

Immigration, citizenship, and the mental health of adolescents

PubMed Central

Fenelon, Andrew; Boudreaux, Michel

2018-01-01

Purpose To examine the reported mental health outcomes of adolescent foreign-born non-citizens and adolescent foreign-born U.S. citizens compared to adolescent U.S.-born citizens. Methods Using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in the National Health Interview Survey, we compared mental health status of U.S.-born adolescent citizens to foreign-born citizens and non-citizens in the years 2010–2015, and examined how differences in emotional difficulty changed based on time spent in the U.S. Results Results suggest that non-citizen adolescents experience better mental health outcomes than U.S.-born citizens. However, the mental health status of foreign-born citizens is indistinguishable from that of the U.S.-born, after accounting for basic socio-demographic characteristics. The prevalence of emotional difficulty experienced by immigrant adolescents increased with a family’s duration in the U.S. Conclusion Our findings are consistent with a broader health advantage for the foreign-born, but we present new evidence that the mental health advantage of foreign-born adolescents exists only for non-citizens. PMID:29723297

An Analysis of Citizen Science Based Research: Usage and Publication Patterns

PubMed Central

Follett, Ria; Strezov, Vladimir

2015-01-01

The use of citizen science for scientific discovery relies on the acceptance of this method by the scientific community. Using the Web of Science and Scopus as the source of peer reviewed articles, an analysis of all published articles on “citizen science” confirmed its growth, and found that significant research on methodology and validation techniques preceded the rapid rise of the publications on research outcomes based on citizen science methods. Of considerable interest is the growing number of studies relying on the re-use of collected datasets from past citizen science research projects, which used data from either individual or multiple citizen science projects for new discoveries, such as for climate change research. The extent to which citizen science has been used in scientific discovery demonstrates its importance as a research approach. This broad analysis of peer reviewed papers on citizen science, that included not only citizen science projects, but the theory and methods developed to underpin the research, highlights the breadth and depth of the citizen science approach and encourages cross-fertilization between the different disciplines. PMID:26600041

An Analysis of Citizen Science Based Research: Usage and Publication Patterns.

PubMed

Follett, Ria; Strezov, Vladimir

2015-01-01

The use of citizen science for scientific discovery relies on the acceptance of this method by the scientific community. Using the Web of Science and Scopus as the source of peer reviewed articles, an analysis of all published articles on "citizen science" confirmed its growth, and found that significant research on methodology and validation techniques preceded the rapid rise of the publications on research outcomes based on citizen science methods. Of considerable interest is the growing number of studies relying on the re-use of collected datasets from past citizen science research projects, which used data from either individual or multiple citizen science projects for new discoveries, such as for climate change research. The extent to which citizen science has been used in scientific discovery demonstrates its importance as a research approach. This broad analysis of peer reviewed papers on citizen science, that included not only citizen science projects, but the theory and methods developed to underpin the research, highlights the breadth and depth of the citizen science approach and encourages cross-fertilization between the different disciplines.

Citizen Science and the Urban Ecology of Birds and Butterflies — A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Wang Wei, James; Lee, Benjamin P. Y-H.; Bing Wen, Low

2016-01-01

Citizen science has gained widespread currency as a tool for ecological research over the past decade. However, in the discipline of urban ecology, the existing contributions and future potential of citizen science engagement, specifically in terms of knowledge gain, have not yet been comprehensively explored. Here, we present a systematic review of published work on the urban ecology of birds and butterflies in relation to their use of citizen science data between 2005 and 2014. We compared the number of studies that used citizen science data to the number of studies that could potentially have employed data derived from citizen science. The take-up rates of citizen science data were 21% and 26% for birds and butterflies respectively. Most studies that employed citizen science used volunteer-derived data as primary data, and adopted Collegial, Collaborative and Contributional engagement modes to the exclusion of Contractual and Co-created arrangements. There was no evidence that citizen science studies investigated a different organismal scale (community vs. species) compared to the urban ecology literature. For both taxa, citizen science contributions were lower than expected compared to their representation in the urban ecology literature for studies on species-environment relationships at landscape and micro-environment scales, as well as behavioural ecology in general. Other research topics that could benefit from further citizen science involvement include breeding studies and guild analyses for birds, and multi-taxa studies for butterflies. Promising models of citizen science engagement for urban ecology are highlighted in relation to their thematic foci and methodological detail, and a number of research questions that could be productively addressed using citizen science are identified. The dynamics of contemporary engagement between citizen science and urban ecology described by this review could inform the design and refinement of urban ecology–citizen science programmes in order to optimise their scientific contributions. PMID:27285581

Citizen Science and the Urban Ecology of Birds and Butterflies - A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Wang Wei, James; Lee, Benjamin P Y-H; Bing Wen, Low

2016-01-01

Citizen science has gained widespread currency as a tool for ecological research over the past decade. However, in the discipline of urban ecology, the existing contributions and future potential of citizen science engagement, specifically in terms of knowledge gain, have not yet been comprehensively explored. Here, we present a systematic review of published work on the urban ecology of birds and butterflies in relation to their use of citizen science data between 2005 and 2014. We compared the number of studies that used citizen science data to the number of studies that could potentially have employed data derived from citizen science. The take-up rates of citizen science data were 21% and 26% for birds and butterflies respectively. Most studies that employed citizen science used volunteer-derived data as primary data, and adopted Collegial, Collaborative and Contributional engagement modes to the exclusion of Contractual and Co-created arrangements. There was no evidence that citizen science studies investigated a different organismal scale (community vs. species) compared to the urban ecology literature. For both taxa, citizen science contributions were lower than expected compared to their representation in the urban ecology literature for studies on species-environment relationships at landscape and micro-environment scales, as well as behavioural ecology in general. Other research topics that could benefit from further citizen science involvement include breeding studies and guild analyses for birds, and multi-taxa studies for butterflies. Promising models of citizen science engagement for urban ecology are highlighted in relation to their thematic foci and methodological detail, and a number of research questions that could be productively addressed using citizen science are identified. The dynamics of contemporary engagement between citizen science and urban ecology described by this review could inform the design and refinement of urban ecology-citizen science programmes in order to optimise their scientific contributions.

Uncertainty in Citizen Science observations: from measurement to user perception

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lahoz, William; Schneider, Philipp; Castell, Nuria

2016-04-01

Citizen Science activities concern general public engagement in scientific research activities when citizens actively contribute to science either with their intellectual effort or surrounding knowledge or with their tools and resources. The advent of technologies such as the Internet and smartphones, and the growth in their usage, has significantly increased the potential benefits from Citizen Science activities. Citizen Science observations from low-cost sensors, smartphones and Citizen Observatories, provide a novel and recent development in platforms for observing the Earth System, with the opportunity to extend the range of observational platforms available to society to spatio-temporal scales (10-100s m; 1 hr or less) highly relevant to citizen needs. The potential value of Citizen Science is high, with applications in science, education, social aspects, and policy aspects, but this potential, particularly for citizens and policymakers, remains largely untapped. Key areas where Citizen Science data start to have demonstrable benefits include GEOSS Societal Benefit Areas such as Health and Weather. Citizen Science observations have many challenges, including simulation of smaller spatial scales, noisy data, combination with traditional observational methods (satellite and in situ data), and assessment, representation and visualization of uncertainty. Within these challenges, that of the assessment and representation of uncertainty and its communication to users is fundamental, as it provides qualitative and/or quantitative information that influences the belief users will have in environmental information. This presentation will discuss the challenges in assessment and representation of uncertainty in Citizen Science observations, its communication to users, including the use of visualization, and the perception of this uncertainty information by users of Citizen Science observations.

Backyard Worlds: Finding Nearby Brown Dwarfs Through Citizen Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuchner, Marc

Recent discoveries of cool brown dwarfs in the solar neighborhood and microlensing surveys both point to an undiscovered population of brown dwarfs and rogue planets in the solar neighborhood. We propose to develop and sustain a novel website that enables a unique and powerful citizen-science based search for these and other high-proper-motion objects at 3.5 and 4.6 microns. Through this search, we have an opportunity to discover new ultracool Y dwarfs, crucial links between star formation and planet formation, and also the Sun's nearest neighbors-potentially a system closer than Proxima Centauri. NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission (WISE) is nominally sensitive enough to detect a 250 K brown dwarf to > 6 pc and even a Jupiter analog to > 0.6 pc. However, high proper motion objects like these can easily be confused with variable stars, electronic noise, latent images, optical ghosts, cosmic ray hits, and so on in the WISE archive. Computer-based searches for high-proper motion objects falter in dense star fields, necessitating visual inspection all candidates. Our citizen science project, called "Backyard Worlds: Planet 9", remedies this problem by engaging volunteers to visually inspect WISE and NEOWISE images. Roughly 104,000 participants have already begun using a preliminary version of the site to examine time-resolved co-adds of unWISE-processed images, four epochs spanning 2010 to 2014. They have already performed more than 3.6 million classifications of these images since the site's launch on February 15, 2017. Besides seeking new brown dwarfs and nearby stars, this site is also the most sensitive all-sky WISE-based search for a planet orbiting the Sun beyond Pluto (sometimes called Planet Nine). Preliminary analysis data from the site has resulted in the discovery of 13 brown dwarf candidates including 6 T dwarfs. We obtained a spectrum of one of these candidates and published it in Astrophysical Journal Letters, with four citizen scientists as co-authors. Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 was launched with seed funding from a NASA Science Innovation Fund grant, but is no longer funded. This proposed ADAP project will allow us to finish building the website, communicate with our large user community to improve their skills and foster participation, harvest, analyze, and publish the classification data output by the site, research the objects we discover, and as <25% of the effort, seed a follow-up program to gather more data about the objects we discover. We will include citizen scientists as co-authors on all publications that result from this work, as appropriate, and aim to complete the project in time for JWST follow-up of the best discoveries.

The Citizen CATE Experiment for the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penn, M. J.

2015-12-01

The path of the total solar eclipse of 21 August 2017 passes over about 10 million homes in the USA. Tens of millions more people will travel to the path of totality to view the eclipse first-hand. Using TV and the internet broadcasts, hundreds of millions of people will watch the eclipse, making the event the most viewed astronomical event in the history of mankind. The Citizen Continental-America Telescopic Eclipse (CATE) Experiment for 2017 is being developed at the National Solar Observatory in partnership with universities, schools, astronomy clubs, and corporations. The CATE experiment will use more than 60 identical telescopes equipped with digital cameras positioned from Oregon to South Carolina to image the solar corona. The project will then splice these images together to show the corona during a 90-minute period, revealing for the first time the plasma dynamics of the inner solar corona. The goals for the highly leveraged CATE experiment are diverse and range from providing an authentic STEM research experience for students and lifelong learners, to making state-of-the-art solar coronal observations of the plasma dynamics of coronal polar plumes, to increasing the US scientific literacy. A key goal of this experiment is to donate the telescope and camera system to the volunteer who collects data with it during the total eclipse. The instrument will be then used for a variety of follow-up citizen science projects in astronomy, ranging from solar to cometary to variable star observations. For this reason no government funding is being sought for the equipment costs, but rather private and corporate sources are being developed. The data collected for the 2017 eclipse will be freely available to the scientific, education and amateur astronomy communities. Crowd sourcing the data collection is an essential part of this project, as there are not enough solar physicists in this country to collect these observations. Finally, each site is expected to collect about 10 Gbytes of science data and 10 Gbytes of calibration data, resulting in 1.2 Tbytes of data for the project.

78 FR 48765 - Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs (EUR) Request for Proposals for the Fundraising...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-09

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 8397] Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs (EUR) Request for Proposals for the Fundraising, Construction, Development, Organization, Management, Disassembly and Removal of a USA Pavilion/Exhibition at Universal Expo Milan Italy 2015, Hereafter Referred to as Milan Expo...

78 FR 36753 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-19

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army [Docket ID USA-2013-0020] Proposed Collection; Comment Request AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. ACTION: Notice. In compliance with Section 3506(c)(2... construction or filing in waters of the United States that result in impacts to the aquatic environment and...

Blueprint for a deliberative public forum on biobanking policy: were theoretical principles achievable in practice?

PubMed

Molster, Caron; Maxwell, Susannah; Youngs, Leanne; Kyne, Gaenor; Hope, Fiona; Dawkins, Hugh; O'Leary, Peter

2013-06-01

Public deliberation is recommended for obtaining citizen input to policy development when policies involve contested ethical dimensions, diverse perspectives on how to trade-off competing public interests and low public awareness of these perspectives. Several norms have been proposed for the design of deliberative methods. Evidence is scarce regarding whether such norms are achievable in practice. This paper refers to principles of deliberative democracy theory to describe a deliberative public forum on biobanking. Practical challenges and contextual facilitators of achieving deliberative ideals are discussed, along with factors that influenced use of the forum output in policy development. The forum ran for 4 days over two weekends in Perth, Western Australia. Key methodological features were socio-demographic stratification to randomly recruit a mini-public of citizens for discursive representation, provision of information inclusive of diverse perspectives and framed for difference, provision of a fair way for reasoning and collective decision making and adoption of processes to achieve publicity, accountability and independence from undue institutional influence. Most design principles were achieved in practice, with the fundamental exception of representativeness. Factors influencing these outcomes, and the use of deliberated outputs to develop policy, included institutional characteristics, the design involvement of deliberative experts and quality of the outputs when compared to other consultation methods. Public deliberations can achieve design ideals and influence (ethics-based) public health policy. The representation of 'hard to reach' citizens and their views needs further consideration, particularly as this relates to the procedural legitimacy of ethical analyses and the just inclusion of deliberative citizen advice within the broader policy-making process. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Social Justice and Environmental Awareness Developed through a Citizens' Jury

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knight, J.

2014-12-01

A Citizens' Jury (CJ) is a discussion forum in which managers, policymakers or politicians are able to present their case to the general public ('citizens') to whom they are accountable, and for these citizens to critically ask questions of the managers/policymakers/politicians in order to better understand issues surrounding local development, planning and policy, impacts and adaptive measures, and to highlight their concerns. A CJ can be useful with respect to developing social justice and environmental awareness issues because it can empower community action and present different viewpoints. A practical CJ exercise is used in a second-year undergraduate course entitled Climate Change and Society, at University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. The CJ is used to consider some of the impacts of management policies used for climate change and sustainable development adaption, based on a hypothetical scenario. This scenario is that a major energy company wants to build a dam with hydroelectric power station in a developing country. This will provide low-carbon renewable energy to the country, investment in electricity infrastructure, and the company is committed to help economic development in the country, including in jobs and education. However, building and flooding of the dam will involve displacing 10,000 people from rural communities, flooding agricultural areas and areas of high biodiversity, and archaeological sites. The exercise is based on students, in groups, assuming different 'identities' which may include a local business person, resident, politician, member of an NGO, tourist, engineer, farmer etc, from which viewpoint they must argue for/against the proposal and to question other peoples' viewpoints. This exercise is useful because it allows students to develop understandings of different viewpoints, evaluate risk and impacts on different communities, and highlights the complexity of real-world decision-making.

Blueprint for a deliberative public forum on biobanking policy: were theoretical principles achievable in practice?

PubMed Central

Molster, Caron; Maxwell, Susannah; Youngs, Leanne; Kyne, Gaenor; Hope, Fiona; Dawkins, Hugh; O’Leary, Peter

2011-01-01

Abstract Background:  Public deliberation is recommended for obtaining citizen input to policy development when policies involve contested ethical dimensions, diverse perspectives on how to trade‐off competing public interests and low public awareness of these perspectives. Several norms have been proposed for the design of deliberative methods. Evidence is scarce regarding whether such norms are achievable in practice. Purpose:  This paper refers to principles of deliberative democracy theory to describe a deliberative public forum on biobanking. Practical challenges and contextual facilitators of achieving deliberative ideals are discussed, along with factors that influenced use of the forum output in policy development. Method:  The forum ran for 4 days over two weekends in Perth, Western Australia. Key methodological features were socio‐demographic stratification to randomly recruit a mini‐public of citizens for discursive representation, provision of information inclusive of diverse perspectives and framed for difference, provision of a fair way for reasoning and collective decision making and adoption of processes to achieve publicity, accountability and independence from undue institutional influence. Results:  Most design principles were achieved in practice, with the fundamental exception of representativeness. Factors influencing these outcomes, and the use of deliberated outputs to develop policy, included institutional characteristics, the design involvement of deliberative experts and quality of the outputs when compared to other consultation methods. Conclusions:  Public deliberations can achieve design ideals and influence (ethics‐based) public health policy. The representation of ‘hard to reach’ citizens and their views needs further consideration, particularly as this relates to the procedural legitimacy of ethical analyses and the just inclusion of deliberative citizen advice within the broader policy‐making process. PMID:21645188

Citizen Science Opportunities for Monitoring Air Quality Fact Sheet

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Citizen Science Opportunities for Monitoring Air Quality fact sheet provides information on what citizen science is and the tools and resources available for citizen scientists interested in monitoring air quality.

Gradually truncated log-normal in USA publicly traded firm size distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Hari M.; Campanha, José R.; de Aguiar, Daniela R.; Queiroz, Gabriel A.; Raheja, Charu G.

2007-03-01

We study the statistical distribution of firm size for USA and Brazilian publicly traded firms through the Zipf plot technique. Sale size is used to measure firm size. The Brazilian firm size distribution is given by a log-normal distribution without any adjustable parameter. However, we also need to consider different parameters of log-normal distribution for the largest firms in the distribution, which are mostly foreign firms. The log-normal distribution has to be gradually truncated after a certain critical value for USA firms. Therefore, the original hypothesis of proportional effect proposed by Gibrat is valid with some modification for very large firms. We also consider the possible mechanisms behind this distribution.

Update on Plans to Establish a National Phenology Network in the U.S.A.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Betancourt, J.; Schwartz, M.; Breshears, D.; Cayan, D.; Dettinger, M.; Inouye, D.; Post, E.; Reed, B.; Gray, S.

2005-12-01

The passing of the seasons is the most pervasive source of climatic and biological variability on Earth, yet phenological monitoring has been spotty worldwide. Formal phenological networks were recently established in Europe and Canada, and we are now following their lead in organizing a National Phenology Network (NPN) for the U.S.A. With support from federal agencies (NSF, USGS, NPS, USDA-FS, EPA, NOAA, NASA), on Aug. 22-26 we organized a workshop in Tucson, Arizona to begin planning a national-scale, multi-tiered phenological network. A prototype for a web-based NPN and preliminary workshop results are available at http://www.npn.uwm.edu. The main goals of NPN will be to: (1) facilitate thorough understanding of phenological phenomena, including causes and effects; (2) provide ground truthing to make the most of heavy public investment in remote sensing data; (3) allow detection and prediction of environmental change for a wide of variety of applications; (4) harness the power of mass participation and engage tens of thousands of "citizen scientists" in meeting national needs in Education, Health, Commerce, Natural Resources and Agriculture; (5) develop a model system for substantive collaboration across different levels of government, academia and the private sector. Just as the national networks of weather stations and stream gauges are critical for providing weather, climate and water-related information, NPN will help safeguard and procure goods and services that ecosystems provide. We expect that NPN will consist of a four-tiered, expandable structure: 1) a backbone network linked to existing weather stations, run by recruited public observers; 2) A smaller, second tier of intensive observations, run by scientists at established research sites; 3) a much larger network of observations made by citizen scientists; and 4) remote sensing observations that can be validated with surface observations, thereby providing wall-to-wall coverage for the U.S.A. Key to the success of NPN will be formal linkages with other ecological networks (e.g., LTER, AmeriFlux, NEON, USDA-FS Inventory and Analysis, NPS Inventory and Monitoring) and strategic co-location of phenological measurements with weather stations (e.g., NOAA's Real-Time Observation Network and state mesonets). Establishment and operation of NPN will require partnerships among multiple federal and state agencies, universities, and NGO's. Interagency agreements will facilitate data sharing, staff commitments, and the transfer of funds, while demonstrating policy-level support for NPN and smoothing the path for use of phenological data in decision-making. A formal implementation report will be completed and circulated for review by Dec. 1, 2005. As soon as the network can start assimilating observations from the public at large (tier 3), NPN will start recruiting observers through NGO's, as well as regional and national media. Every effort will be made to start making observations and expanding the monitoring network by Spring 2006.

Blogging the Stories of Citizen Science to Inspire Participation, Build Community, and Increase Public Understanding of Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gardiner, L. S.; Cavalier, D.; Ohab, J.; Taylor, L.

2011-12-01

Sharing citizen science projects and the experiences that people have with science through blogs provides avenues to foster public understanding of science and showcase ways that people can get involved. Blogs, combined with other social media such as Twitter and Facebook, make science social - adding a human element to the process of scientific discovery. We have been sharing stories of citizen science through two blogs. Intended for a general public audience. The Science for Citizens blog (http://scienceforcitizens.net/blog/) was started in 2010 and links blog posts to a growing network of citizen science projects. Citizen Science Buzz (http://www.talkingscience.org/category/citizen-science-buzz/) was started in 2011 on the TalkingScience blog network, a project of the Science Friday Initiative. Both blogs aim to increase the exposure of citizen science projects, inspire people to do citizen science, and connect people with projects that interest them. The timeliness of blogs also provides a good platform for sharing information about one-time citizen science events and short-lived projects. Utilizing Facebook and Twitter increases traffic to blog posts about citizen science events in a timely manner and can help build community around events. Additionally, the timeliness of blogs provides the opportunity to connect citizen science and current events, helping to form geoscience teachable moments out of recent news. For example, highlighting citizen scientists near Birmingham, Alabama who collect weather data after the April 2011 tornado outbreak ravaged that area offers a positive note on how people are volunteering their time to help us all better understand the planet despite a catastrophic event.

Dominance of non-native riparian trees in western USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Friedman, J.M.; Auble, G.T.; Shafroth, P.B.; Scott, M.L.; Merigliano, M.F.; Freehling, M.D.; Griffin, E.R.

2005-01-01

Concern about spread of non-native riparian trees in the western USA has led to Congressional proposals to accelerate control efforts. Debate over these proposals is frustrated by limited knowledge of non-native species distribution and abundance. We measured abundance of 44 riparian woody plants at 475 randomly selected stream gaging stations in 17 western states. Our sample indicates that Tamarix ramosissima and Elaeagnus angustifolia are already the third and fourth most frequently occurring woody riparian plants in the region. Although many species of Tamarix have been reported in the region, T. ramosissima (here including T. chinensis and hybrids) is by far the most abundant. The frequency of occurrence of T. ramosissima has a strong positive relation with the mean annual minimum temperature, which is consistent with hypothesized frost sensitivity. In contrast the frequency of occurrence of E. angustifolia decreases with increasing minimum temperatures. Based on mean normalized cover, T. ramosissima and E. angustifolia are the second and fifth most dominant woody riparian species in the western USA. The dominance of T. ramosissima has been suspected for decades; the regional ascendance of E. angustifolia, however, has not previously been reported.

Mapping presence and predicting phenological status of invasive buffelgrass in southern Arizona using MODIS, climate and citizen science observation data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wallace, Cynthia S.A.; Walker, Jessica; Skirvin, Susan M.; Patrick-Birdwell, Caroline; Weltzin, Jake F.; Raichle, Helen

2016-01-01

The increasing spread and abundance of an invasive perennial grass, buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare), represents a critical threat to the native vegetation communities of the Sonoran desert in southern Arizona, USA, where buffelgrass eradication is a high priority for resource managers. Herbicidal treatment of buffelgrass is most effective when the vegetation is actively growing, but the remoteness of infestations and the erratic timing and length of the species’ growth periods confound effective treatment. The goal of our research is to promote buffelgrass management by using remote sensing data to detect where the invasive plants are located and when they are photosynthetically active. We integrated citizen scientist observations of buffelgrass phenology in the Tucson, Arizona area with PRISM precipitation data, eight-day composites of 250-m Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite imagery, and aerially-mapped polygons of buffelgrass presence to understand dynamics and relationships between precipitation and the timing and amount of buffelgrass greenness from 2011 to 2013. Our results show that buffelgrass responds quickly to antecedent rainfall: in pixels containing buffelgrass, higher correlations (R2 > 0.5) typically occur after two cumulative eight-day periods of rain, whereas in pixels dominated by native vegetation, four prior 8-day periods are required to reach that threshold. Using the new suite of phenometrics introduced here—Climate Landscape Response metrics—we accurately predicted the location of 49% to 55% of buffelgrass patches in Saguaro National Park. These metrics and the suggested guidelines for their use can be employed by resource managers to treat buffelgrass during optimal time periods.

A long-term evaluation of biopsy darts and DNA to estimate cougar density

USGS Publications Warehouse

Beausoleil, Richard A.; Clark, Joseph D.; Maletzke, Benjamin T.

2016-01-01

Accurately estimating cougar (Puma concolor) density is usually based on long-term research consisting of intensive capture and Global Positioning System collaring efforts and may cost hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. Because wildlife agency budgets rarely accommodate this approach, most infer cougar density from published literature, rely on short-term studies, or use hunter harvest data as a surrogate in their jurisdictions; all of which may limit accuracy and increase risk of management actions. In an effort to develop a more cost-effective long-term strategy, we evaluated a research approach using citizen scientists with trained hounds to tree cougars and collect tissue samples with biopsy darts. We then used the DNA to individually identify cougars and employed spatially explicit capture–recapture models to estimate cougar densities. Overall, 240 tissue samples were collected in northeastern Washington, USA, producing 166 genotypes (including recaptures and excluding dependent kittens) of 133 different cougars (8-25/yr) from 2003 to 2011. Mark–recapture analyses revealed a mean density of 2.2 cougars/100 km2 (95% CI=1.1-4.3) and stable to decreasing population trends (β=-0.048, 95% CI=-0.106–0.011) over the 9 years of study, with an average annual harvest rate of 14% (range=7-21%). The average annual cost per year for field sampling and genotyping was US$11,265 ($422.24/sample or $610.73/successfully genotyped sample). Our results demonstrated that long-term biopsy sampling using citizen scientists can increase capture success and provide reliable cougar-density information at a reasonable cost.

Citizen surveillance for environmental monitoring: combining the efforts of citizen science and crowdsourcing in a quantitative data framework.

PubMed

Welvaert, Marijke; Caley, Peter

2016-01-01

Citizen science and crowdsourcing have been emerging as methods to collect data for surveillance and/or monitoring activities. They could be gathered under the overarching term citizen surveillance . The discipline, however, still struggles to be widely accepted in the scientific community, mainly because these activities are not embedded in a quantitative framework. This results in an ongoing discussion on how to analyze and make useful inference from these data. When considering the data collection process, we illustrate how citizen surveillance can be classified according to the nature of the underlying observation process measured in two dimensions-the degree of observer reporting intention and the control in observer detection effort. By classifying the observation process in these dimensions we distinguish between crowdsourcing, unstructured citizen science and structured citizen science. This classification helps the determine data processing and statistical treatment of these data for making inference. Using our framework, it is apparent that published studies are overwhelmingly associated with structured citizen science, and there are well developed statistical methods for the resulting data. In contrast, methods for making useful inference from purely crowd-sourced data remain under development, with the challenges of accounting for the unknown observation process considerable. Our quantitative framework for citizen surveillance calls for an integration of citizen science and crowdsourcing and provides a way forward to solve the statistical challenges inherent to citizen-sourced data.

Citizen Science and Emerging Technologies

EPA Science Inventory

This session will discuss challenges and opportunities associated with citizen science and how emerging technologies can support citizen science activities. In addition, the session will provide an overview of low-cost environmental monitors and sensors and introduce the Citizen...

Linking Consumer Rights with Citizen Roles: An Opportunity for Consumer Educators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevens, Georgia L.

1994-01-01

Consumer educators can help students develop consumer/citizen roles through curricula linking consumer rights with citizen responsibilities. Dialogue about issues, community needs assessment, and community volunteer service enable students to practice citizen roles. (SK)

Visibility-Based Goal Oriented Metrics and Application to Navigation and Path Planning Problems

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-14

Suite 5.300 Austin , TX 78712 -1532 Agency Code: Proposal Number: 62381MA Address: 101 East 27th Street, Austin , TX 787121532 Country: USA DUNS...University of Texas at Austin , USA Research supported by NSF, ARO Points sampled from imaging devices What are the total length of the cables? The...by other documentation. 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS (ES) U.S. Army Research Office P.O. Box 12211 Research Triangle Park

The current status of medical malpractice countersuits.

PubMed

Sokol, D J

1985-01-01

The dramatic growth of medical malpractice litigation in recent decades has contributed significantly to an overall increase in health care costs in this country. Although lawmakers, physicians, and other responsible citizens have proposed numerous solutions in an effort to curb the crisis, these proposals have generally been ineffective. In this Article the Author endorses countersuits as the most appropriate response to frivolous medical malpractice actions. The Author also suggests that contingent fee systems, coupled with the economic motivation of private insurers to settle claims quickly, provide incentive for plaintiffs to initiate frivolous claims. This Article analyzes the general legal approaches available for countersuits, emphasizing recent successful actions based on malicious prosecution and abuse of process, and proposes more widespread use of these approaches.

Thais protest US-Thai FTA talks.

PubMed

Franklin, Tim

2006-04-01

On 11 January 2006, thousands of Thai citizens and HIV/AIDS advocacy groups converged in Chiang Mai, Thailand to protest the latest negotiations of the proposed US-Thailand Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The FTA is believed to include intellectual property (IP) provisions that will pose a threat to Thailand's national HIV/AIDS treatment program, which relies on local production of inexpensive generic medicines to treat people living with HIV/AIDS.

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to abolish the Electoral College and provide for the direct election of the President and Vice President by the popular vote of all citizens of the United States regardless of place of residence.

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Rep. Jackson, Jesse L., Jr. [D-IL-2

2009-03-03

House - 03/16/2009 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Background and Issues

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-04-12

to Colombia’s institutions and threaten the human rights of Colombian citizens. An independent candidate, Alvaro Uribe , won the 2002 presidential...president of Colombia with 69% of the vote. President Santos previously served as defense minister (2006-2009) under former President Alvaro Uribe and in...elections, largely because of his aggressive plan to reduce violence in Colombia. President Uribe , who served two terms in office, retained widespread

Invisibly Sanitizable Digital Signature Scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyazaki, Kunihiko; Hanaoka, Goichiro; Imai, Hideki

A digital signature does not allow any alteration of the document to which it is attached. Appropriate alteration of some signed documents, however, should be allowed because there are security requirements other than the integrity of the document. In the disclosure of official information, for example, sensitive information such as personal information or national secrets is masked when an official document is sanitized so that its nonsensitive information can be disclosed when it is requested by a citizen. If this disclosure is done digitally by using the current digital signature schemes, the citizen cannot verify the disclosed information because it has been altered to prevent the leakage of sensitive information. The confidentiality of official information is thus incompatible with the integrity of that information, and this is called the digital document sanitizing problem. Conventional solutions such as content extraction signatures and digitally signed document sanitizing schemes with disclosure condition control can either let the sanitizer assign disclosure conditions or hide the number of sanitized portions. The digitally signed document sanitizing scheme we propose here is based on the aggregate signature derived from bilinear maps and can do both. Moreover, the proposed scheme can sanitize a signed document invisibly, that is, no one can distinguish whether the signed document has been sanitized or not.

Lessons Learned from the First Two Years of Nature's Notebook, the USA National Phenology Network's Plant and Animal Observation Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crimmins, T. M.; Rosemartin, A.; Denny, E. G.; Weltzin, J. F.; Marsh, L.

2010-12-01

Nature’s Notebook is the USA National Phenology Network’s (USA-NPN) national-scale plant and animal phenology observation program. The program was launched in March 2009 focusing only on plants; 2010 saw the addition of animals and the name and identity “Nature’s Notebook.” Over these two years, we have learned much about how to effectively recruit, train, and retain participants. We have engaged several thousand participants and can report a retention rate, reflected in the number of registered individuals that report observations, of approximately 25%. In 2009, participants reported observations on 133 species of plants on an average of nine days of the year, resulting in over 151,000 records in the USA-NPN phenology database. Results for the 2010 growing season are still being reported. Some of our most valuable lessons learned have been gleaned from communications with our observers. Through an informal survey, participants indicated that they would like to see more regular and consistent communications from USA-NPN program staff; clear, concise, and readily available training materials; mechanisms to keep them engaged and continuing to participate; and quick turn-around on data summaries. We are using this feedback to shape our program into the future. Another key observation we’ve made about our program is the value of locally and regionally-based efforts to implement Nature’s Notebook; some of our most committed observers are participating through partner programs such as the University of California-Santa Barbara Phenology Stewardship Program, Arbor Day Foundation, and the Great Sunflower Project. Future plans include reaching out to more partner organizations and improving our support for locally-based implementations of the Nature’s Notebook program. We have also recognized that the means for reaching and retaining potential participants in Nature’s Notebook vary greatly across generations. As the majority of our participants to-date have been of middle age or greater, we are working to develop several mechanisms for engaging individuals of all ages. These include creating a “leader board” reflecting top observers on our website, expanding our use of social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), and offering online training opportunities through webinars and Skype “question & answer” sessions with USA-NPN National Coordinating Office staff. Finally, we appreciate the potential costs to data quality when relying on citizen scientist participants. We have implemented several quality assurance measures to ensure high quality observations, including thorough training materials and support, standardized observation protocols, in-depth species descriptions, and rapid responses to observer questions. We have several quality control measures planned for the near future, including checks for inconsistencies such as phenophases being reported out of order and species being reported out of their expected geographic ranges.

Drought Information Supported by Citizen Scientists (DISCS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molthan, A.; Maskey, M.; Hain, C.; Meyer, P.; Nair, U. S.; Handyside, C. T.; White, K.; Amin, M.

2017-12-01

Each year, drought impacts various regions of the United States on time scales of weeks, months, seasons, or years, which in turn leads to a need to document these impacts and inform key decisions on land management, use of water resources, and disaster response. Mapping impacts allows decision-makers to understand potential damage to agriculture and loss of production, to communicate and document drought impacts on crop yields, and to inform water management decisions. Current efforts to collect this information includes parsing of media reports, collaborations with local extension offices, and partnerships with the National Weather Service cooperative observer network. As part of a NASA Citizen Science for Earth Systems proposal award, a research and applications team from Marshall Space Flight Center, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and collaborators within the NWS have developed a prototype smartphone application focused on the collection of citizen science observations of crop health and drought impacts, along with development of innovative low-cost soil moisture sensors to supplement subjective assessments of local soil moisture conditions. Observations provided by citizen scientists include crop type and health, phase of growth, soil moisture conditions, irrigation status, along with an optional photo and comment to provide visual confirmation and other details. In exchange for their participation, users of the app also have access to unique land surface modeling data sets produced at MSFC such as the NASA Land Information System soil moisture and climatology/percentile products from the Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center, assessments of vegetation health and stress from NASA and NOAA remote sensing platforms (e.g. MODIS/VIIRS), outputs from a crop stress model developed at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, recent rainfall estimates from the NOAA/NWS network of ground-based weather radars, and other observations made by their fellow citizen scientists. This presentation will highlight development of the application, data collected to date, feedback from participants, and opportunities to use the collected information in support of addressing science questions such as verification and validation of modeling and remote sensing data sets.

Floating Forests: Validation of a Citizen Science Effort to Answer Global Ecological Questions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenthal, I.; Byrnes, J.; Cavanaugh, K. C.; Haupt, A. J.; Trouille, L.; Bell, T. W.; Rassweiler, A.; Pérez-Matus, A.; Assis, J.

2017-12-01

Researchers undertaking long term, large-scale ecological analyses face significant challenges for data collection and processing. Crowdsourcing via citizen science can provide an efficient method for analyzing large data sets. However, many scientists have raised questions about the quality of data collected by citizen scientists. Here we use Floating-Forests (http://floatingforests.org), a citizen science platform for creating a global time series of giant kelp abundance, to show that ensemble classifications of satellite data can ensure data quality. Citizen scientists view satellite images of coastlines and classify kelp forests by tracing all visible patches of kelp. Each image is classified by fifteen citizen scientists before being retired. To validate citizen science results, all fifteen classifications are converted to a raster and overlaid on a calibration dataset generated from previous studies. Results show that ensemble classifications from citizen scientists are consistently accurate when compared to calibration data. Given that all source images were acquired by Landsat satellites, we expect this consistency to hold across all regions. At present, we have over 6000 web-based citizen scientists' classifications of almost 2.5 million images of kelp forests in California and Tasmania. These results are not only useful for remote sensing of kelp forests, but also for a wide array of applications that combine citizen science with remote sensing.

77 FR 66081 - Notice of Lodging of Proposed Consent Decree Under the Clean Air Act

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-01

... District Court for the Western District of Michigan in the lawsuit entitled United States v. Kellogg USA... Implementation Plan, for violations at Kellogg's cereal and snack food manufacturing plants located in Battle Creek, Michigan and Grand Rapids, Michigan. The proposed Consent Decree requires Kellogg to reduce its...

Citizen Science and Citizen Space Exploration: Potentials for Professional Collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, E.

2012-12-01

Citizens in Space is a project of the United States Rocket Academy, with the goal of promoting citizen science and citizen space exploration. This goal is enabled by the new reusable suborbital spacecraft now under development by multiple companies in the US. For the first phase of this project, we have acquired a contract for 10 flights on the Lynx suborbital spacecraft, which is under construction by XCOR Aerospace in Mojave, CA. This represents, to the best of our knowledge, the largest single bulk purchase of suborbital flights to date. Citizens in Space has published an open call for experiments to fly on these missions, which we expect will begin in late 2013 or early 2014. We will be selecting approx. 100 small experiments and 10 citizen astronauts to fly as payload operators. Although our primary goal is to encourage citizen science, these flight opportunities are also open to professional researchers who have payloads that meet our criteria. We believe that the best citizen-science projects are collaborations between professional and citizen scientists. We will discuss various ways in which professional scientists can collaborate with citizen scientists to take advantage of the flight opportunities provided by our program. We will discuss the capabilities of the Lynx vehicle, the 1u- and 2u-CubeSat form factor we are using for our payloads, and general considerations for payload integration. As an example of the payloads we can accommodate, we will discuss a NASA-inspired experiment to collect particles from the upper atmosphere.;

USA National Phenology Network's volunteer-contributed observations yield predictive models of phenological transitions.

PubMed

Crimmins, Theresa M; Crimmins, Michael A; Gerst, Katharine L; Rosemartin, Alyssa H; Weltzin, Jake F

2017-01-01

In support of science and society, the USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) maintains a rapidly growing, continental-scale, species-rich dataset of plant and animal phenology observations that with over 10 million records is the largest such database in the United States. The aim of this study was to explore the potential that exists in the broad and rich volunteer-collected dataset maintained by the USA-NPN for constructing models predicting the timing of phenological transition across species' ranges within the continental United States. Contributed voluntarily by professional and citizen scientists, these opportunistically collected observations are characterized by spatial clustering, inconsistent spatial and temporal sampling, and short temporal depth (2009-present). Whether data exhibiting such limitations can be used to develop predictive models appropriate for use across large geographic regions has not yet been explored. We constructed predictive models for phenophases that are the most abundant in the database and also relevant to management applications for all species with available data, regardless of plant growth habit, location, geographic extent, or temporal depth of the observations. We implemented a very basic model formulation-thermal time models with a fixed start date. Sufficient data were available to construct 107 individual species × phenophase models. Remarkably, given the limited temporal depth of this dataset and the simple modeling approach used, fifteen of these models (14%) met our criteria for model fit and error. The majority of these models represented the "breaking leaf buds" and "leaves" phenophases and represented shrub or tree growth forms. Accumulated growing degree day (GDD) thresholds that emerged ranged from 454 GDDs (Amelanchier canadensis-breaking leaf buds) to 1,300 GDDs (Prunus serotina-open flowers). Such candidate thermal time thresholds can be used to produce real-time and short-term forecast maps of the timing of these phenophase transition. In addition, many of the candidate models that emerged were suitable for use across the majority of the species' geographic ranges. Real-time and forecast maps of phenophase transitions could support a wide range of natural resource management applications, including invasive plant management, issuing asthma and allergy alerts, and anticipating frost damage for crops in vulnerable states. Our finding that several viable thermal time threshold models that work across the majority of the species ranges could be constructed from the USA-NPN database provides clear evidence that great potential exists this dataset to develop more enhanced predictive models for additional species and phenophases. Further, the candidate models that emerged have immediate utility for supporting a wide range of management applications.

The invisible prevalence of citizen science in global research: migratory birds and climate change.

PubMed

Cooper, Caren B; Shirk, Jennifer; Zuckerberg, Benjamin

2014-01-01

Citizen science is a research practice that relies on public contributions of data. The strong recognition of its educational value combined with the need for novel methods to handle subsequent large and complex data sets raises the question: Is citizen science effective at science? A quantitative assessment of the contributions of citizen science for its core purpose--scientific research--is lacking. We examined the contribution of citizen science to a review paper by ornithologists in which they formulated ten central claims about the impact of climate change on avian migration. Citizen science was never explicitly mentioned in the review article. For each of the claims, these ornithologists scored their opinions about the amount of research effort invested in each claim and how strongly the claim was supported by evidence. This allowed us to also determine whether their trust in claims was, unwittingly or not, related to the degree to which the claims relied primarily on data generated by citizen scientists. We found that papers based on citizen science constituted between 24 and 77% of the references backing each claim, with no evidence of a mistrust of claims that relied heavily on citizen-science data. We reveal that many of these papers may not easily be recognized as drawing upon volunteer contributions, as the search terms "citizen science" and "volunteer" would have overlooked the majority of the studies that back the ten claims about birds and climate change. Our results suggest that the significance of citizen science to global research, an endeavor that is reliant on long-term information at large spatial scales, might be far greater than is readily perceived. To better understand and track the contributions of citizen science in the future, we urge researchers to use the keyword "citizen science" in papers that draw on efforts of non-professionals.

The Invisible Prevalence of Citizen Science in Global Research: Migratory Birds and Climate Change

PubMed Central

Cooper, Caren B.; Shirk, Jennifer; Zuckerberg, Benjamin

2014-01-01

Citizen science is a research practice that relies on public contributions of data. The strong recognition of its educational value combined with the need for novel methods to handle subsequent large and complex data sets raises the question: Is citizen science effective at science? A quantitative assessment of the contributions of citizen science for its core purpose – scientific research – is lacking. We examined the contribution of citizen science to a review paper by ornithologists in which they formulated ten central claims about the impact of climate change on avian migration. Citizen science was never explicitly mentioned in the review article. For each of the claims, these ornithologists scored their opinions about the amount of research effort invested in each claim and how strongly the claim was supported by evidence. This allowed us to also determine whether their trust in claims was, unwittingly or not, related to the degree to which the claims relied primarily on data generated by citizen scientists. We found that papers based on citizen science constituted between 24 and 77% of the references backing each claim, with no evidence of a mistrust of claims that relied heavily on citizen-science data. We reveal that many of these papers may not easily be recognized as drawing upon volunteer contributions, as the search terms “citizen science” and “volunteer” would have overlooked the majority of the studies that back the ten claims about birds and climate change. Our results suggest that the significance of citizen science to global research, an endeavor that is reliant on long-term information at large spatial scales, might be far greater than is readily perceived. To better understand and track the contributions of citizen science in the future, we urge researchers to use the keyword “citizen science” in papers that draw on efforts of non-professionals. PMID:25184755

‘To quarterback behind the scenes, third-party efforts’: the tobacco industry and the Tea Party

PubMed Central

Fallin, Amanda; Grana, Rachel; Glantz, Stanton A

2014-01-01

Background The Tea Party, which gained prominence in the USA in 2009, advocates limited government and low taxes. Tea Party organisations, particularly Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks, oppose smoke-free laws and tobacco taxes. Methods We used the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library, the Wayback Machine, Google, LexisNexis, the Center for Media and Democracy and the Center for Responsive Politics (opensecrets.org) to examine the tobacco companies’ connections to the Tea Party. Results Starting in the 1980s, tobacco companies worked to create the appearance of broad opposition to tobacco control policies by attempting to create a grassroots smokers’ rights movement. Simultaneously, they funded and worked through third-party groups, such as Citizens for a Sound Economy, the predecessor of AFP and FreedomWorks, to accomplish their economic and political agenda. There has been continuity of some key players, strategies and messages from these groups to Tea Party organisations. As of 2012, the Tea Party was beginning to spread internationally. Conclusions Rather than being a purely grassroots movement that spontaneously developed in 2009, the Tea Party has developed over time, in part through decades of work by the tobacco industry and other corporate interests. It is important for tobacco control advocates in the USA and internationally, to anticipate and counter Tea Party opposition to tobacco control policies and ensure that policymakers, the media and the public understand the longstanding connection between the tobacco industry, the Tea Party and its associated organisations. PMID:23396417

Predicting Attitudes toward Press- and Speech Freedom across the U.S.A.: A Test of Climato-Economic, Parasite Stress, and Life History Theories.

PubMed

Zhang, Jinguang; Reid, Scott A; Xu, Jing

2015-01-01

National surveys reveal notable individual differences in U.S. citizens' attitudes toward freedom of expression, including freedom of the press and speech. Recent theoretical developments and empirical findings suggest that ecological factors impact censorship attitudes in addition to individual difference variables (e.g., education, conservatism), but no research has compared the explanatory power of prominent ecological theories. This study tested climato-economic, parasite stress, and life history theories using four measures of attitudes toward censoring the press and offensive speech obtained from two national surveys in the U.S.A. Neither climate demands nor its interaction with state wealth--two key variables for climato-economic theory--predicted any of the four outcome measures. Interstate parasite stress significantly predicted two, with a marginally significant effect on the third, but the effects became non-significant when the analyses were stratified for race (as a control for extrinsic risks). Teenage birth rates (a proxy of human life history) significantly predicted attitudes toward press freedom during wartime, but the effect was the opposite of what life history theory predicted. While none of the three theories provided a fully successful explanation of individual differences in attitudes toward freedom of expression, parasite stress and life history theories do show potentials. Future research should continue examining the impact of these ecological factors on human psychology by further specifying the mechanisms and developing better measures for those theories.

Inferring cultural regions from correlation networks of given baby names

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pomorski, Mateusz; Krawczyk, Małgorzata J.; Kułakowski, Krzysztof; Kwapień, Jarosław; Ausloos, Marcel

2016-03-01

We report investigations on the statistical characteristics of the baby names given between 1910 and 2010 in the United States of America. For each year, the 100 most frequent names in the USA are sorted out. For these names, the correlations between the names profiles are calculated for all pairs of states (minus Hawaii and Alaska). The correlations are used to form a weighted network which is found to vary mildly in time. In fact, the structure of communities in the network remains quite stable till about 1980. The goal is that the calculated structure approximately reproduces the usually accepted geopolitical regions: the Northeast, the South, and the "Midwest + West" as the third one. Furthermore, the dataset reveals that the name distribution satisfies the Zipf law, separately for each state and each year, i.e. the name frequency f ∝r-α, where r is the name rank. Between 1920 and 1980, the exponent α is the largest one for the set of states classified as 'the South', but the smallest one for the set of states classified as "Midwest + West". Our interpretation is that the pool of selected names was quite narrow in the Southern states. The data is compared with some related statistics of names in Belgium, a country also with different regions, but having quite a different scale than the USA. There, the Zipf exponent is low for young people and for the Brussels citizens.

78 FR 17931 - Information Collection; Open Government Citizen Engagement Ratings, Rankings, and Flagging

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-25

...] Information Collection; Open Government Citizen Engagement Ratings, Rankings, and Flagging AGENCY: Office of... regarding open government citizen engagement ratings, rankings, and flagging. DATES: Comments must be...- 0288, Open Government Citizen Engagement Ratings, Rankings, and Flagging, by any of the following...

Early Results from Star Date: M83 - A Citizen Science Project to Age Date Star Clusters in the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heartley, Jeremy; Whitmore, B. C.; Blair, W. P.; Christian, C. A.; Donaldson, T.; Hammer, D.; Smith, S.; Viana, A.

2014-01-01

The M83 Citizen Science Project is a collaborative effort currently in development between the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) and Zooniverse under the guidance of Dr. Brad Whitmore as part of Cy 19 proposal 12513 (PI - Dr. William Blair). This unique citizen science project will allow users to analyze individual star clusters within The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, M83. The project will show users color-composite images taken with Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and ask them to estimate the age of the star cluster. Through a multistage process, the project will educate and familiarize the user with the appearance of each age category based on the presence and shape of H-alpha emission, degree of resolution of the individual stars, and color of the cluster. (Whitmore et al. 2011). Additionally, the project will involve the actual measurement of the star cluster and H-alpha cloud radii to be used for further assessment and reinforcement of age. The data from this project and the statistics it yields will quantify these ages which can then be used to inform the debate between universal and environmental models of star cluster formation and destruction in galaxies. The tentative launch date is December 2013, therefore early results should be available at the time of the conference.

What should we expect from Switzerland's compulsory dental insurance reform?

PubMed

di Bella, Enrico; Krejci, Ivo; Ardu, Stefano; Leporatti, Lucia; Montefiori, Marcello

2018-04-10

A vast and heated debate is arising in Switzerland as a result of some recent citizens' initiatives aimed at introducing compulsory dental health care insurance. The Grand Conseils of the Vaud, Geneva, and Neuchâtel cantons recently approved three public initiatives and their citizens are expected to vote on the proposal in 2018. The process of collecting signatures has begun in several other cantons and the discussion has now moved to a national level. At present, there is no scientific research that can help policy-makers and citizens to understand the main economic implications of such reform. We attempt to fill this gap by analysing three critical issues: the level and determinants of unmet needs for dental care in Switzerland; the protection of vulnerable individuals; and the economic sustainability of reform. The results show that income is not a unique determinant of barriers to access to dental care but rather, cultural and socio-demographic factors impact the perceived level of unmet dental care needs. The reform might only partially, if at all, improve the equity of the current system. In addition, the results show that the 1% wage-based contribution that the reform promoters suggest should finance the insurance is inadequate to provide full and free dental care to Swiss residents, but is merely sufficient to guarantee basic preventive care, whereas this could be provided by dental hygienists for less.

Researcher-driven Campaigns Engage Nature's Notebook Participants in Scientific Data Collection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crimmins, Theresa M.; Elmore, A. J.; Huete, A.; Keller, S.; Levetin, E.; Luvall, J.; Meyers, O.; Stylinski, C. D.; VandeWater, P.K.; Vukovic, A.

2013-01-01

One of the many benefits of citizen science projects is the capacity they hold for facilitating data collection on a grand scale and thereby enabling scientists to answer questions they would otherwise not been able to address. Nature's Notebook, the plant and animal phenology observing program of the USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) suitable for scientists and non-scientists alike, offers scientifically-vetted data collection protocols and infrastructure and mechanisms to quickly reach out to hundreds to thousands of potential contributors. The USA-NPN has recently partnered with several research teams to engage participants in contributing to specific studies. In one example, a team of scientists from NASA, the New Mexico Department of Health, and universities in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and California are using juniper phenology observations submitted by Nature's Notebookparticipants to improve predictions of pollen release and inform asthma and allergy alerts. In a second effort, researchers from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science are engaging Nature's Notebookparticipants in tracking leafing phenophases of poplars across the U.S. These observations will be compared to information acquired via satellite imagery and used to determine geographic areas where the tree species are most and least adapted to predicted climate change. Results/Conclusions Researchers in these partnerships receive benefits primarily in the form of ground observations. Launched in 2010, the juniper pollen effort has engaged participants in several western states and has yielded thousands of observations that can play a role in model ground validation. Periodic evaluation of these observations has prompted the team to improve and enhance the materials that participants receive, in an effort to boost data quality. The poplar project is formally launching in spring of 2013 and will run for three years; preliminary findings from 2013 will be presented. Participants in these special campaigns benefit through direct engagement in science. This form of researcher partnership has now been successfully pilot-tested and implemented in several instances, and provides a template for future research project campaigns.

Community Attitudes and Practices of Urban Residents Regarding Predation by Pet Cats on Wildlife: An International Comparison

PubMed Central

Adams, Nigel A.; Bradley, J. Stuart; Bryant, Kate A.; Davis, Alisa A.; Fujita, Tsumugi; Pollock, Kenneth H.

2016-01-01

International differences in practices and attitudes regarding pet cats' interactions with wildlife were assessed by surveying citizens from at least two cities in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the USA, China and Japan. Predictions tested were: (i) cat owners would agree less than non-cat owners that cats might threaten wildlife, (ii) cat owners value wildlife less than non-cat owners, (iii) cat owners are less accepting of cat legislation/restrictions than non-owners, and (iv) respondents from regions with high endemic biodiversity (Australia, New Zealand, China and the USA state of Hawaii) would be most concerned about pet cats threatening wildlife. Everywhere non-owners were more likely than owners to agree that pet cats killing wildlife were a problem in cities, towns and rural areas. Agreement amongst non-owners was highest in Australia (95%) and New Zealand (78%) and lowest in the UK (38%). Irrespective of ownership, over 85% of respondents from all countries except China (65%) valued wildlife in cities, towns and rural areas. Non-owners advocated cat legislation more strongly than owners except in Japan. Australian non-owners were the most supportive (88%), followed by Chinese non-owners (80%) and Japanese owners (79.5%). The UK was least supportive (non-owners 43%, owners 25%). Many Australian (62%), New Zealand (51%) and Chinese owners (42%) agreed that pet cats killing wildlife in cities, towns and rural areas was a problem, while Hawaiian owners were similar to the mainland USA (20%). Thus high endemic biodiversity might contribute to attitudes in some, but not all, countries. Husbandry practices varied internationally, with predation highest where fewer cats were confined. Although the risk of wildlife population declines caused by pet cats justifies precautionary action, campaigns based on wildlife protection are unlikely to succeed outside Australia or New Zealand. Restrictions on roaming protect wildlife and benefit cat welfare, so welfare is a better rationale. PMID:27050447

Researcher-driven Campaigns Engage Nature's Notebook Participants in Scientific Data Collection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crimmins, Theresa M.; Elmore, Andrew J.; Huete, Alfredo; Keller, Stephen; Levetin, Estelle; Luvall, Jeffrey; Meyers, Orrin; Stylinski, Cathlyn D.; Van De Water, Peter K.; Vukovic, Ana

2013-01-01

One of the many benefits of citizen science projects is the capacity they hold for facilitating data collection on a grand scale and thereby enabling scientists to answer questions they would otherwise not been able to address. Nature's Notebook, the plant and animal phenology observing program of the USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN) suitable for scientists and non-scientists alike, offers scientifically-vetted data collection protocols and infrastructure and mechanisms to quickly reach out to hundreds to thousands of potential contributors. The USA-NPN has recently partnered with several research teams to engage participants in contributing to specific studies. In one example, a team of scientists from NASA, the New Mexico Department of Health, and universities in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and California are using juniper phenology observations submitted by Nature's Notebookparticipants to improve predictions of pollen release and inform asthma and allergy alerts. In a second effort, researchers from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science are engaging Nature's Notebookparticipants in tracking leafing phenophases of poplars across the U.S. These observations will be compared to information acquired via satellite imagery and used to determine geographic areas where the tree species are most and least adapted to predicted climate change. Researchers in these partnerships receive benefits primarily in the form of ground observations. Launched in 2010, the juniper pollen effort has engaged participants in several western states and has yielded thousands of observations that can play a role in model ground validation. Periodic evaluation of these observations has prompted the team to improve and enhance the materials that participants receive, in an effort to boost data quality. The poplar project is formally launching in spring of 2013 and will run for three years; preliminary findings from 2013 will be presented. Participants in these special campaigns benefit through direct engagement in science. This form of researcher partnership has now been successfully pilot-tested and implemented in several instances, and provides a template for future research project campaigns.

77 FR 76003 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request-Safety Standard for Omnidirectional Citizens Band Base...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-26

... Request--Safety Standard for Omnidirectional Citizens Band Base Station Antennas AGENCY: Consumer Product... antennas. DATES: Written comments on this request for extension of approval of information collection... Citizens Band Base Station Antennas establishes performance requirements for omnidirectional citizens band...