Three-wave and four-wave interactions in gravity wave turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aubourg, Quentin; Campagne, Antoine; Peureux, Charles; Ardhuin, Fabrice; Sommeria, Joel; Viboud, Samuel; Mordant, Nicolas

2017-11-01

Weak-turbulence theory is a statistical framework to describe a large ensemble of nonlinearly interacting waves. The archetypal example of such system is the ocean surface that is made of interacting surface gravity waves. Here we describe a laboratory experiment dedicated to probe the statistical properties of turbulent gravity waves. We set up an isotropic state of interacting gravity waves in the Coriolis facility (13-m-diam circular wave tank) by exciting waves at 1 Hz by wedge wave makers. We implement a stereoscopic technique to obtain a measurement of the surface elevation that is resolved in both space and time. Fourier analysis shows that the laboratory spectra are systematically steeper than the theoretical predictions and the field observations in the Black Sea by Leckler et al. [F. Leckler et al., J. Phys. Oceanogr. 45, 2484 (2015), 10.1175/JPO-D-14-0237.1]. We identify a strong impact of surface dissipation on the scaling of the Fourier spectrum at the scales that are accessible in the experiments. We use bicoherence and tricoherence statistical tools in frequency and/or wave-vector space to identify the active nonlinear coupling. These analyses are also performed on the field data by Leckler et al. for comparison with the laboratory data. Three-wave coupling is characterized by and shown to involve mostly quasiresonances of waves with second- or higher-order harmonics. Four-wave coupling is not observed in the laboratory but is evidenced in the field data. We discuss temporal scale separation to explain our observations.

The Effects of Wind and Surfactants on Mechanically Generated Spilling Breakers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, X.; Diorio, J. D.; Duncan, J. H.

2007-11-01

The effects of both wind and surfactants on mechanically generated weakly spilling breakers are explored in a wind wave tank that is 11.8 m long, 1.15 m wide and 1.8 m high (1.0 m of water). A wave maker, which resides at the upwind end of the tank, is used to generate the breakers via a dispersive focusing method with a central wave packet frequency of 1.15 Hz. Low wind speeds (less than 3.0 m/s) are used to minimize the effect of short-wavelength wind-generated waves on the breakers. The profiles of the spilling breakers along the center plane of the tank are measured with an LIF technique that utilizes a high-speed digital movie camera. Measurements are performed with clean water and water mixed with various concentrations of Triton X-100, a soluble surfactant. It is found that the capillary waves/bulge patterns found in the initial stages of spilling breakers are dramatically affected by wind and surfactants. The size of bulge increases with the wind speed while the capillary waves are kept nearly the same. In the presence of surfactants and wind, both the amplitude and number of capillary waves are reduced and the slope of the front face of the wave increases.

Can Perceptions of Similarity Reduce the Ability to See the Other's Needs? The Case of Immigrant Students' Integration Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shpaizman, Ilana; Kogut, Tehila

2010-01-01

In this age of wide migration waves all over the world, when schools' populations become more diverse, educators often make policies regarding groups of immigrant students (from the same origin) with unique needs. Perceptions of homogeneity of the group, as well as perceptions of similarity between the decision maker and the group members are…

Heat waves in the United States: mortality risk during heat waves and effect modification by heat wave characteristics in 43 U.S. communities.

PubMed

Anderson, G Brooke; Bell, Michelle L

2011-02-01

Devastating health effects from recent heat waves, and projected increases in frequency, duration, and severity of heat waves from climate change, highlight the importance of understanding health consequences of heat waves. We analyzed mortality risk for heat waves in 43 U.S. cities (1987-2005) and investigated how effects relate to heat waves' intensity, duration, or timing in season. Heat waves were defined as ≥ 2 days with temperature ≥ 95th percentile for the community for 1 May through 30 September. Heat waves were characterized by their intensity, duration, and timing in season. Within each community, we estimated mortality risk during each heat wave compared with non-heat wave days, controlling for potential confounders. We combined individual heat wave effect estimates using Bayesian hierarchical modeling to generate overall effects at the community, regional, and national levels. We estimated how heat wave mortality effects were modified by heat wave characteristics (intensity, duration, timing in season). Nationally, mortality increased 3.74% [95% posterior interval (PI), 2.29-5.22%] during heat waves compared with non-heat wave days. Heat wave mortality risk increased 2.49% for every 1°F increase in heat wave intensity and 0.38% for every 1-day increase in heat wave duration. Mortality increased 5.04% (95% PI, 3.06-7.06%) during the first heat wave of the summer versus 2.65% (95% PI, 1.14-4.18%) during later heat waves, compared with non-heat wave days. Heat wave mortality impacts and effect modification by heat wave characteristics were more pronounced in the Northeast and Midwest compared with the South. We found higher mortality risk from heat waves that were more intense or longer, or those occurring earlier in summer. These findings have implications for decision makers and researchers estimating health effects from climate change.

Factors associated with suicidal ideation: the role of context.

PubMed

Han, Sehee; Lee, Hee-Sun

2013-06-01

No previous study could be found that examined the longitudinal association between suicidal ideation and the factors associated with it and that considered both individual and contextual characteristics simultaneously. This study examined whether variation in suicidal ideation is attributable to the administrative-area level and examined suicidal ideation and the factors associated with it at multiple levels, especially focusing on social capital. Longitudinal data of 5222 individuals and 2741 households in 25 administrative areas from the Wave 1 and Wave 2 of the Seoul Welfare Panel Study were used. In the study, 2.7% of variation in suicidal ideation was attributable to the administrative area. The results also suggested that perceived helpfulness at individual level (odds ratio (OR) = 0.60; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.43, 0.83) and organizational participation at administrative-area level were associated with suicidal ideation (OR = 0.73; 95% CI = 0.53, 0.99). Policy makers should consider laying down policies aimed at preventing suicide at administrative-area level as suicidal ideation of individuals is different between administrative areas. However, it should also be recognized that directing attention solely at administrative-area level is not efficient, as only small variations in suicidal ideation are attributable to this level. Decision makers need to consider policies promoting social capital, as it may play a role in reducing suicide risk.

Generation of realistic tsunami waves using a bottom-tilting wave maker

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Yong Sung; Hwang, Jin Hwan

2016-11-01

Tsunamis have caused more than 260,000 human losses and 250 billion in damage worldwide in the last ten years. Observations made during 2011 Japan Tohoku Tsunami revealed that the commonly used waves (solitary waves) to model tsunamis are at least an order-of-magnitude shorter than the real tsunamis, which calls for re-evaluation of the current understanding of tsunamis. To prompt the required paradigm shift, a new wave generator, namely the bottom-tilting wave generator, has been developed at the University of Dundee. The wave tank is fitted with an adjustable slope and a bottom flap hinged at the beginning of the slope. By moving the bottom flap up and down, we can generate very long waves. Here we will report characteristics of waves generated by simple bottom motions, either moving it upward or downward from an initial displacement ending it being horizontal. Two parameters, namely the initial displacement of the bottom and the speed of the motion, determine characteristics of the generated waves. Wave amplitudes scale well with the volume flux of the displaced water. On the other hand, due to combined effects of nonlinearity and dispersion, wavelengths show more complicated relationship with the two bottom motion parameters. We will also demonstrate that by combining simple up and down motions, it is possible to generate waves resembling the one measured during 2011 tsunami. YSP acknowledges financial support from the Royal Society of Edinburgh through the Royal Society of Edinburgh and Scottish Government Personal Research Fellowship Co-Funded by the Marie-Curie Actions.

Breaking Wave Impact on a Partially Submerged Rigid Cube in Deep Water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikeda, C. M.; Choquette, M.; Duncan, J. H.

2011-11-01

The impact of a plunging breaking wave on a partially submerged cube is studied experimentally. The experiments are performed in a wave tank that is 14.8 m long, 1.15 m wide and 2.2 m high with a water depth of 0.91 m. A single repeatable plunging breaker is generated from a dispersively focused wave packet (average frequency of 1.4 Hz) that is created with a programmable wave maker. The rigid (L = 30 . 5 cm) cube is centered in the width of the tank and mounted from above with one face oriented normal to the oncoming wave. The position of the center of the front face of the cube is varied from the breaker location (xb ~ 6 . 35 m) to xb + 0 . 05 m in the streamwise direction and from - 0 . 25 L to 0 . 25 L vertically relative to the mean water level. A high-speed digital camera is used to record both white-light and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) movies of the free surface shape in front of the cube before and after the wave impact. When the wave hits the cube just as the plunging jet is formed, a high-velocity vertical jet is created and the trajectory and maximum height of the jet are strongly influenced by the vertical position of the cube. Supported by the Office of Naval Research, Contract Monitor R. D. Joslin.

Catching the right wave: evaluating wave energy resources and potential compatibility with existing marine and coastal uses.

PubMed

Kim, Choong-Ki; Toft, Jodie E; Papenfus, Michael; Verutes, Gregory; Guerry, Anne D; Ruckelshaus, Marry H; Arkema, Katie K; Guannel, Gregory; Wood, Spencer A; Bernhardt, Joanna R; Tallis, Heather; Plummer, Mark L; Halpern, Benjamin S; Pinsky, Malin L; Beck, Michael W; Chan, Francis; Chan, Kai M A; Levin, Phil S; Polasky, Stephen

2012-01-01

Many hope that ocean waves will be a source for clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy, yet wave energy conversion facilities may affect marine ecosystems through a variety of mechanisms, including competition with other human uses. We developed a decision-support tool to assist siting wave energy facilities, which allows the user to balance the need for profitability of the facilities with the need to minimize conflicts with other ocean uses. Our wave energy model quantifies harvestable wave energy and evaluates the net present value (NPV) of a wave energy facility based on a capital investment analysis. The model has a flexible framework and can be easily applied to wave energy projects at local, regional, and global scales. We applied the model and compatibility analysis on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada to provide information for ongoing marine spatial planning, including potential wave energy projects. In particular, we conducted a spatial overlap analysis with a variety of existing uses and ecological characteristics, and a quantitative compatibility analysis with commercial fisheries data. We found that wave power and harvestable wave energy gradually increase offshore as wave conditions intensify. However, areas with high economic potential for wave energy facilities were closer to cable landing points because of the cost of bringing energy ashore and thus in nearshore areas that support a number of different human uses. We show that the maximum combined economic benefit from wave energy and other uses is likely to be realized if wave energy facilities are sited in areas that maximize wave energy NPV and minimize conflict with existing ocean uses. Our tools will help decision-makers explore alternative locations for wave energy facilities by mapping expected wave energy NPV and helping to identify sites that provide maximal returns yet avoid spatial competition with existing ocean uses.

Catching the Right Wave: Evaluating Wave Energy Resources and Potential Compatibility with Existing Marine and Coastal Uses

PubMed Central

Kim, Choong-Ki; Toft, Jodie E.; Papenfus, Michael; Verutes, Gregory; Guerry, Anne D.; Ruckelshaus, Marry H.; Arkema, Katie K.; Guannel, Gregory; Wood, Spencer A.; Bernhardt, Joanna R.; Tallis, Heather; Plummer, Mark L.; Halpern, Benjamin S.; Pinsky, Malin L.; Beck, Michael W.; Chan, Francis; Chan, Kai M. A.; Levin, Phil S.; Polasky, Stephen

2012-01-01

Many hope that ocean waves will be a source for clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy, yet wave energy conversion facilities may affect marine ecosystems through a variety of mechanisms, including competition with other human uses. We developed a decision-support tool to assist siting wave energy facilities, which allows the user to balance the need for profitability of the facilities with the need to minimize conflicts with other ocean uses. Our wave energy model quantifies harvestable wave energy and evaluates the net present value (NPV) of a wave energy facility based on a capital investment analysis. The model has a flexible framework and can be easily applied to wave energy projects at local, regional, and global scales. We applied the model and compatibility analysis on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada to provide information for ongoing marine spatial planning, including potential wave energy projects. In particular, we conducted a spatial overlap analysis with a variety of existing uses and ecological characteristics, and a quantitative compatibility analysis with commercial fisheries data. We found that wave power and harvestable wave energy gradually increase offshore as wave conditions intensify. However, areas with high economic potential for wave energy facilities were closer to cable landing points because of the cost of bringing energy ashore and thus in nearshore areas that support a number of different human uses. We show that the maximum combined economic benefit from wave energy and other uses is likely to be realized if wave energy facilities are sited in areas that maximize wave energy NPV and minimize conflict with existing ocean uses. Our tools will help decision-makers explore alternative locations for wave energy facilities by mapping expected wave energy NPV and helping to identify sites that provide maximal returns yet avoid spatial competition with existing ocean uses. PMID:23144824

Rogue waves in a water tank: Experiments and modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lechuga, Antonio

2013-04-01

Recently many rogue waves have been reported as the main cause of ship incidents on the sea. One of the main characteristics of rogue waves is its elusiveness: they present unexpectedly and disappear in the same wave. Some authors (Zakharov and al.2010) are attempting to find the probability of their appearances apart from studyingthe mechanism of the formation. As an effort on this topic we tried the generation of rogue waves in a water wave tank using a symmetric spectrum(Akhmediev et al. 2011) as input on the wave maker. The produced waves were clearly rogue waves with a rate (maximum wave height/ Significant wave height) of 2.33 and a kurtosis of 4.77 (Janssen 2003, Onorato 2006). These results were already presented (Lechuga 2012). Similar waves (in pattern aspect, but without being extreme waves) were described as crossing waves in a water tank(Shemer and Lichter1988). To go on further the next step has been to apply a theoretical model to the envelope of these waves. After some considerations the best model has been an analogue of the Ginzburg-Landau equation. This apparently amazing result is easily explained: We know that the Ginzburg-Landau model is related to some regular structures on the surface of a liquid and also in plasmas, electric and magnetic fields and other media. Another important characteristic of the model is that their solutions are invariants with respectto the translation group. The main aim of this presentation is to extract conclusions of the model and the comparison with the measured waves in the water tank.The nonlinear structure of waves and their regularity make suitable the use of the Ginzburg-Landau model to the envelope of generated waves in the tank,so giving us a powerful tool to cope with the results of our experiment.

Risk perception of heat waves and its spatial variation in Nanjing, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Lei; Yang, Qianqi; Li, Jie; Chen, Jin; He, Ruoying; Zhang, Can; Chen, Kai; Dong, Steven Guanpeng; Liu, Yang

2018-05-01

The intensity, frequency, and duration of heat waves are expected to increase with climate change. In this study, we found a significant difference of public perceived effects of heat waves and trust in government among urban, suburban, and rural districts. Rural residents had a significant higher effect perception than urbanites and also showed stronger willingness to have medical insurance or regular physical examinations. Meanwhile, suburban residents had the lowest trust perception in government among these three districts, which may be due to suburban districts' unique social structure and complex social issues. Besides, we assessed the relationship between the factor effect and demographic variables. The results showed that urban respondents' effect perception was significantly related to heat wave experiences. Suburban respondents' effect perception was significantly related to age, income, and heat wave experiences. And rural respondents' effect perception was significantly related to income and chronic diseases. Based on our results, much more attention needs to be paid to rural districts. The government should strengthen infrastructure construction such as cooling centers, improve emergency response plans and mechanisms, and increase reserves of emergency supplies in rural districts. Also, targeted risk communication is of the equal importance to aid the policy-makers improving the relationship with the public and regaining the public's trust and support.

Spatiotemporal Visualization of Tsunami Waves Using Kml on Google Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammadi, H.; Delavar, M. R.; Sharifi, M. A.; Pirooz, M. D.

2017-09-01

Disaster risk is a function of hazard and vulnerability. Risk is defined as the expected losses, including lives, personal injuries, property damages, and economic disruptions, due to a particular hazard for a given area and time period. Risk assessment is one of the key elements of a natural disaster management strategy as it allows for better disaster mitigation and preparation. It provides input for informed decision making, and increases risk awareness among decision makers and other stakeholders. Virtual globes such as Google Earth can be used as a visualization tool. Proper spatiotemporal graphical representations of the concerned risk significantly reduces the amount of effort to visualize the impact of the risk and improves the efficiency of the decision-making process to mitigate the impact of the risk. The spatiotemporal visualization of tsunami waves for disaster management process is an attractive topic in geosciences to assist investigation of areas at tsunami risk. In this paper, a method for coupling virtual globes with tsunami wave arrival time models is presented. In this process we have shown 2D+Time of tsunami waves for propagation and inundation of tsunami waves, both coastal line deformation, and the flooded areas. In addition, the worst case scenario of tsunami on Chabahar port derived from tsunami modelling is also presented using KML on google earth.

Risk perception of heat waves and its spatial variation in Nanjing, China.

PubMed

Huang, Lei; Yang, Qianqi; Li, Jie; Chen, Jin; He, Ruoying; Zhang, Can; Chen, Kai; Dong, Steven Guanpeng; Liu, Yang

2018-05-01

The intensity, frequency, and duration of heat waves are expected to increase with climate change. In this study, we found a significant difference of public perceived effects of heat waves and trust in government among urban, suburban, and rural districts. Rural residents had a significant higher effect perception than urbanites and also showed stronger willingness to have medical insurance or regular physical examinations. Meanwhile, suburban residents had the lowest trust perception in government among these three districts, which may be due to suburban districts' unique social structure and complex social issues. Besides, we assessed the relationship between the factor effect and demographic variables. The results showed that urban respondents' effect perception was significantly related to heat wave experiences. Suburban respondents' effect perception was significantly related to age, income, and heat wave experiences. And rural respondents' effect perception was significantly related to income and chronic diseases. Based on our results, much more attention needs to be paid to rural districts. The government should strengthen infrastructure construction such as cooling centers, improve emergency response plans and mechanisms, and increase reserves of emergency supplies in rural districts. Also, targeted risk communication is of the equal importance to aid the policy-makers improving the relationship with the public and regaining the public's trust and support.

Risk perception of heat waves and its spatial variation in Nanjing, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Lei; Yang, Qianqi; Li, Jie; Chen, Jin; He, Ruoying; Zhang, Can; Chen, Kai; Dong, Steven Guanpeng; Liu, Yang

2017-12-01

The intensity, frequency, and duration of heat waves are expected to increase with climate change. In this study, we found a significant difference of public perceived effects of heat waves and trust in government among urban, suburban, and rural districts. Rural residents had a significant higher effect perception than urbanites and also showed stronger willingness to have medical insurance or regular physical examinations. Meanwhile, suburban residents had the lowest trust perception in government among these three districts, which may be due to suburban districts' unique social structure and complex social issues. Besides, we assessed the relationship between the factor effect and demographic variables. The results showed that urban respondents' effect perception was significantly related to heat wave experiences. Suburban respondents' effect perception was significantly related to age, income, and heat wave experiences. And rural respondents' effect perception was significantly related to income and chronic diseases. Based on our results, much more attention needs to be paid to rural districts. The government should strengthen infrastructure construction such as cooling centers, improve emergency response plans and mechanisms, and increase reserves of emergency supplies in rural districts. Also, targeted risk communication is of the equal importance to aid the policy-makers improving the relationship with the public and regaining the public's trust and support.

Water waves generated by impulsively moving obstacle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makarenko, Nikolay; Kostikov, Vasily

2017-04-01

There are several mechanisms of tsunami-type wave formation such as piston displacement of the ocean floor due to a submarine earthquake, landslides, etc. We consider simplified mathematical formulation which involves non-stationary Euler equations of infinitely deep ideal fluid with submerged compact wave-maker. We apply semi-analytical method [1] based on the reduction of fully nonlinear water wave problem to the integral-differential system for the wave elevation together with normal and tangential fluid velocities at the free surface. Recently, small-time asymptotic solutions were constructed by this method for submerged piston modeled by thin elliptic cylinder which starts with constant acceleration from rest [2,3]. By that, the leading-order solution terms describe several regimes of non-stationary free surface flow such as formation of inertial fluid layer, splash jets and diverging waves over the obstacle. Now we construct asymptotic solution taking into account higher-order nonlinear terms in the case of submerged circular cylinder. The role of non-linearity in the formation mechanism of surface waves is clarified in comparison with linear approximations. This work was supported by RFBR (grant No 15-01-03942). References [1] Makarenko N.I. Nonlinear interaction of submerged cylinder with free surface, JOMAE Trans. ASME, 2003, 125(1), 75-78. [2] Makarenko N.I., Kostikov V.K. Unsteady motion of an elliptic cylinder under a free surface, J. Appl. Mech. Techn. Phys., 2013, 54(3), 367-376. [3] Makarenko N.I., Kostikov V.K. Non-linear water waves generated by impulsive motion of submerged obstacle, NHESS, 2014, 14(4), 751-756.

Predictability of the European heat and cold waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavaysse, Christophe; Naumann, Gustavo; Alfieri, Lorenzo; Salamon, Peter; Vogt, Jürgen

2018-06-01

Heat and cold waves may have considerable human and economic impacts in Europe. Recent events, like the heat waves observed in France in 2003 and Russia in 2010, illustrated the major consequences to be expected. Reliable Early Warning Systems for extreme temperatures would, therefore, be of high value for decision makers. However, they require a clear definition and robust forecasts of these events. This study analyzes the predictability of heat and cold waves over Europe, defined as at least three consecutive days of {T}_{min} and {T}_{max} above the quantile Q90 (under Q10), using the extended ensemble system of ECMWF. The results show significant predictability for events within a 2-week lead time, but with a strong decrease of the predictability during the first week of forecasts (from 80 to 40% of observed events correctly forecasted). The scores show a higher predictive skill for the cold waves (in winter) than for the heat waves (in summer). The uncertainties and the sensitivities of the predictability are discussed on the basis of tests conducted with different spatial and temporal resolutions. Results demonstrate the negligible effect of the temporal resolution (very few errors due to bad timing of the forecasts), and a better predictability of large-scale events. The onset and the end of the waves are slightly less predictable with an average of about 35% (30%) of observed heat (cold) waves onsets or ends correctly forecasted with a 5-day lead time. Finally, the forecasted intensities show a correlation of about 0.65 with those observed, revealing the challenge to predict this important characteristic.

The Impact of a Deepwater Wave on a Wall with Finite Vertical Extent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, An; Duncan, James H.

2016-11-01

The impact of a dispersively focused 2D plunging breaker (average wave frequency 1.15 Hz) on a 2D wall that is 45 cm high and 30 cm thick is studied experimentally. The temporal evolution of the water surface profile upstream of the wall is measured with a cinematic LIF technique using frame rates up to 4,500 Hz. Impact pressures on the wall are measured simultaneously at sample rates up to 900 kHz. The wall is located horizontally 6.41 m from the wave maker in all cases and the submergence of the bottom surface of the wall is varied. It is found that the impact behavior varies dramatically with the wall submergence. When the bottom is submerged by 13.3 cm, a flip-through impact occurs. In this case, the impact evolves without wave breaking and a vertical jet is formed. When the wall is submerged by less than 4.5 cm, small-amplitude components in the wave packet interact with the bottom of the wall before the main crest arrives. Ripples reflected during this interaction modify the behavior of the incoming breaker significantly. When the bottom of the wall is located sufficiently high above the mean water level, the first interaction occurs when the undisturbed wave crest collides with the wall. The highest pressures are observed in this case. The support of the Office of Naval Research is gratefully acknowledged.

Probabilistic hurricane-induced storm surge hazard assessment in Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krien, Y.; Dudon, B.; Roger, J.; Zahibo, N.

2015-01-01

Current storm surge hazard maps in the French West Indies are essentially based on simple statistical methods using limited historical data and early low-resolution models which do not take the effect of waves into account. In this paper, we infer new 100 and 1000 year surge levels in Guadeloupe from the numerical modelling of storm surges induced by a large set of synthetic events that are in statistical agreement with features of historical hurricanes in the North Atlantic Basin between 1980 and 2011. Computations are performed using the wave-current coupled model ADCIRC-SWAN with high grid resolutions (up to 40-60 m) in the coastal and wave dissipation areas. This model is validated against observations during past events such as hurricane HUGO (1989). Results are generally found to be in reasonable agreement with past studies in areas where surge is essentially wind-driven, but to differ significantly in coastal regions where the transfer of momentum from waves to the water column constitutes a non-negligible part of the total surge. The methodology, which can be applied to other islands in the Lesser Antilles, allows to obtain storm surge level maps that can be of major interest for coastal planners and decision makers in terms of risk management.

Probabilistic hurricane-induced storm surge hazard assessment in Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krien, Y.; Dudon, B.; Roger, J.; Zahibo, N.

2015-08-01

Current storm surge hazard maps in the French West Indies are essentially based on simple statistical methods using limited historical data and early low-resolution models which do not take the effect of waves into account. In this paper, we infer new 100-year and 1000-year surge levels in Guadeloupe from the numerical modelling of storm surges induced by a large set of synthetic events that are in statistical agreement with features of historical hurricanes in the North Atlantic Basin between 1980 and 2011. Computations are performed using the wave-current coupled model ADCIRC-SWAN with high grid resolutions (up to 40-60 m) in the coastal and wave dissipation areas. This model is validated against observations during past events such as hurricane HUGO (1989). Results are generally found to be in reasonable agreement with past studies in areas where surge is essentially wind-driven, but found to differ significantly in coastal regions where the transfer of momentum from waves to the water column constitutes a non-negligible part of the total surge. The methodology, which can be applied to other islands in the Lesser Antilles, allows storm surge level maps to be obtained that can be of major interest for coastal planners and decision makers in terms of risk management.

Infragravity wave generation and dynamics over a mild slope beach : Experiments and numerical computations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cienfuegos, R.; Duarte, L.; Hernandez, E.

2008-12-01

Charasteristic frequencies of gravity waves generated by wind and propagating towards the coast are usually comprised between 0.05Hz and 1Hz. Nevertheless, lower frequecy waves, in the range of 0.001Hz and 0.05Hz, have been observed in the nearshore zone. Those long waves, termed as infragravity waves, are generated by complex nonlinear mechanisms affecting the propagation of irregular waves up to the coast. The groupiness of an incident random wave field may be responsible for producing a slow modulation of the mean water surface thus generating bound long waves travelling at the group speed. Similarly, a quasi- periodic oscillation of the break-point location, will be accompained by a slow modulation of set-up/set-down in the surf zone and generation and release of long waves. If the primary structure of the carrying incident gravity waves is destroyed (e.g. by breaking), forced long waves can be freely released and even reflected at the coast. Infragravity waves can affect port operation through resonating conditions, or strongly affect sediment transport and beach morphodynamics. In the present study we investigate infragravity wave generation mechanisms both, from experiments and numerical computations. Measurements were conducted at the 70-meter long wave tank, located at the Instituto Nacional de Hidraulica (Chile), prepared with a beach of very mild slope of 1/80 in order to produce large surf zone extensions. A random JONSWAP type wave field (h0=0.52m, fp=0.25Hz, Hmo=0.17m) was generated by a piston wave-maker and measurements of the free surface displacements were performed all over its length at high spatial resolution (0.2m to 1m). Velocity profiles were also measured at four verticals inside the surf zone using an ADV. Correlation maps of wave group envelopes and infragravity waves are computed in order to identify long wave generation and dynamics in the experimental set-up. It appears that both mechanisms (groupiness and break-point oscillation) are clearly present in this experiment while spectral analysis evidences the reorganization of energy density from the original narrow spectrum into the infragravity band. This experiment provides an opportunity to test numerical models that would in principle be able to reproduce infragravity wave generation and dynamics. We compare numerical results (free surface and velocities) produced by a fully nonlinear Boussinesq model including breaking and runup to the experimental data and show that the complex infragravity wave dynamics is adequately reproduced by the model.

Utilizing the NASA and NOAA Joint Ocean Surface Topography Mission to Assess Patterns and Trends in Sea-Surface Height in the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fitzgerald, S. S.; Walker, K. A.; Courtright, A. B.; Young, I. J.

2017-12-01

The United States Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) are home to a population of low-lying coral atolls which are extremely vulnerable to sea level rise. Coastal infrastructure like groundwater reservoirs, harbor operations, and sewage systems, as well as natural coastal features such as reefs and beach ecosystems, are most vulnerable during inundation events. These Pacific Islanders face increasing hazards as coastal flooding infiltrates freshwater resources and may even lead to displacement. The two main components of inundation include tidal fluctuations and sea level anomalies; however, low-lying atolls are also vulnerable to the additional influence of waves. This study created a climatology of significant wave height in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), and incorporated this dataset with tides and sea level anomalies to create a novel approach to assessing inundation flood risk in the RMI. The risk metric was applied to the RMI as a study site with the goal of assessing wider-scale applicability across the rest of the USAPI. The inclusion of wave height and wave direction as a crucial component of the risk metric will better inform USAPI coastal-managers for future inundation events and disaster preparedness. In addition to the risk metric, a wave-rose atlas was created for decision-makers in the RMI. This study highlights the often-overlooked region of the Pacific and demonstrates the application of the risk metric to specific examples in the RMI.

VISIR-I: small vessels, least-time nautical routes using wave forecasts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mannarini, G.; Pinardi, N.; Coppini, G.; Oddo, P.; Iafrati, A.

2015-09-01

A new numerical model for the on-demand computation of optimal ship routes based on sea-state forecasts has been developed. The model, named VISIR (discoVerIng Safe and effIcient Routes) is designed to support decision-makers when planning a marine voyage. The first version of the system, VISIR-I, considers medium and small motor vessels with lengths of up to a few tens of meters and a displacement hull. The model is made up of three components: the route optimization algorithm, the mechanical model of the ship, and the environmental fields. The optimization algorithm is based on a graph-search method with time-dependent edge weights. The algorithm is also able to compute a voluntary ship speed reduction. The ship model accounts for calm water and added wave resistance by making use of just the principal particulars of the vessel as input parameters. The system also checks the optimal route for parametric roll, pure loss of stability, and surfriding/broaching-to hazard conditions. Significant wave height, wave spectrum peak period, and wave direction forecast fields are employed as an input. Examples of VISIR-I routes in the Mediterranean Sea are provided. The optimal route may be longer in terms of miles sailed and yet it is faster and safer than the geodetic route between the same departure and arrival locations. Route diversions result from the safety constraints and the fact that the algorithm takes into account the full temporal evolution and spatial variability of the environmental fields.

3D Numerical Simulation of the Wave and Current Loads on a Truss Foundation of the Offshore Wind Turbine During the Extreme Typhoon Event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, C. W.; Wu, T. R.; Chuang, M. H.; Tsai, Y. L.

2015-12-01

The wind in Taiwan Strait is strong and stable which offers an opportunity to build offshore wind farms. However, frequently visited typhoons and strong ocean current require more attentions on the wave force and local scour around the foundation of the turbine piles. In this paper, we introduce an in-house, multi-phase CFD model, Splash3D, for solving the flow field with breaking wave, strong turbulent, and scour phenomena. Splash3D solves Navier-Stokes Equation with Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) for the fluid domain, and uses volume of fluid (VOF) with piecewise linear interface reconstruction (PLIC) method to describe the break free-surface. The waves were generated inside the computational domain by internal wave maker with a mass-source function. This function is designed to adequately simulate the wave condition under observed extreme events based on JONSWAP spectrum and dispersion relationship. Dirichlet velocity boundary condition is assigned at the upper stream boundary to induce the ocean current. At the downstream face, the sponge-layer method combined with pressure Dirichlet boundary condition is specified for dissipating waves and conducting current out of the domain. Numerical pressure gauges are uniformly set on the structure surface to obtain the force distribution on the structure. As for the local scour around the foundation, we developed Discontinuous Bi-viscous Model (DBM) for the development of the scour hole. Model validations were presented as well. The force distribution under observed irregular wave condition was extracted by the irregular-surface force extraction (ISFE) method, which provides a fast and elegant way to integrate the force acting on the surface of irregular structure. From the Simulation results, we found that the total force is mainly induced by the impinging waves, and the force from the ocean current is about 2 order of magnitude smaller than the wave force. We also found the dynamic pressure, wave height, and the projection area of the structure are the main factors to the total force. Detailed results and discussion are presented as well.

Influence of Waves and Tides on Upper Slope Turbidity Currents and their Deposits: An Outcrop and Laboratory Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daniller-Varghese, M. S.; Smith, E.; Mohrig, D. C.; Goudge, T. A.; Hassenruck-Gudipati, H. J.; Koo, W. M.; Mason, J.; Swartz, J. M.; Kim, J.

2017-12-01

Research on interactions of turbidity currents with waves and tides highlight both their importance and complexity. The Elkton Siltstone at Cape Arago, Oregon, USA, preserves rhythmically bedded deposits that we interpret as the product of tidally modified hyperpycnal flows under the influence of water-surface waves. Evidence for the interpretation of tidal influence is taken from couplet thickness measurements consistent with semidiurnal tides arranged into monthly cycles. These deposits were likely sourced from suspended-sediment laden river plumes; thinner, finer-grained beds represent deposition during flood tide, and thicker, coarser-grained beds represent deposition during ebb tide. Sedimentary structures within the rhythmites change from proximal to distal sections, but both sections preserve combined-flow bedforms within the beds, implying wave influence. Our paleo-topographic reconstruction has the proximal section located immediately down-dip of the shelf slope-break and the distal section located 1.5km further offshore in 125m greater water depth. We present experimental results from wave-influenced turbidity currents calling into question the interpretation that combined-flow bedforms necessarily require deposition at or above paleo-wave base. Turbidity currents composed of quartz silt and very fine sand were released into a 10m long, 1.2m deep tank. Currents ran down a 9-degree ramp with a motor driven wave-maker positioned at the distal end of the tank. The currents interacted with the wave field as they travelled downslope into deeper water. While oscillatory velocities measured within the wave-influenced turbidity currents decreased with distance downslope, the maximum oscillatory velocities measured in the combined-flow currents at depth were five to six times larger than those measured under a wave field without turbidity currents. These results suggest that combined-flow turbidity currents can transmit oscillating-flow signals beneath the effective wave base. Bed thicknesses, grain-size data, sedimentary structures and fabrics measured in the rhythmically bedded, combined-flow turbidites of the Elkton Siltstone will be interpreted in the context of these experiments.

Development of a coastal information system for the management of Jeddah coastal waters in Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayerle, R.; Al-Subhi, A.; Fernández Jaramillo, J.; Salama, A.; Bruss, G.; Zubier, K.; Runte, K.; Turki, A.; Hesse, K.; Jastania, H.; Ladwig, N.; Mudarris, M.

2016-04-01

This paper presents results of the development and application of a web-based information system, Jeddah CIS, for assisting decision makers in the management of Jeddah coastal waters, in Saudi Arabia. The system will support coastal planning, management of navigation and tackle pollution due to accidents. The system was developed primarily to nowcast in quasi-real time and to deliver short-term forecasts of water levels, current velocities and waves with high spatial and temporal resolution for the area near Jeddah. Therefor it will hasten response when adverse weather conditions prevail. The Jeddah-CIS integrates sensors transmitting in real time, meteorological, oceanographic and water quality parameters and operational models for flow and waves. It also provides interactive tools using advanced visualization techniques to facilitate dissemination of information. The system relies on open source software and has been designed to facilitate the integration of additional components for enhanced information processing, data evaluation and generation of higher water level, current velocity and wave for the general public. Jeddah-CIS has been operational since 2013. Extensions of the system to speed operations and improving the accuracy of the predictions to the public are currently underway.

Complete geometric computer simulation of a classical guitar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bader, Rolf

2005-04-01

The aim of formulating a complete model of a classical guitar body as a transient-time geometry is to get detailed insight into the vibrating and coupling behavior of the time-dependent guitar system. Here, especially the evolution of the guitars initial transient can be looked at with great detail and the produced sounds from this computer implementation can be listened to. Therefore, a stand-alone software was developed to build, calculate, and visualize the guitar. The model splits the guitar body into top plate, back plate, ribs, neck, inclosed air, and strings and couples these parts together including the coupling of bending waves and in-plane waves of these plates to serve for a better understanding of the coupling between the guitar parts and between these two kinds of waves. The resulting waveforms are integrated over the geometry and the resulting sounds show up the different roles and contributions of the different guitar body parts to the guitar sound. Here cooperation with guitar makers is established, as changes on the guitars geometry on the resulting sound can be considered as computer simulation and promising new sound qualities can then be used again in real instrument production.

A comparative study of diffraction of shallow-water waves by high-level IGN and GN equations

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

Zhao, B.B.; Ertekin, R.C.; College of Shipbuilding Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, 150001 Harbin

2015-02-15

This work is on the nonlinear diffraction analysis of shallow-water waves, impinging on submerged obstacles, by two related theories, namely the classical Green–Naghdi (GN) equations and the Irrotational Green–Naghdi (IGN) equations, both sets of equations being at high levels and derived for incompressible and inviscid flows. Recently, the high-level Green–Naghdi equations have been applied to some wave transformation problems. The high-level IGN equations have also been used in the last decade to study certain wave propagation problems. However, past works on these theories used different numerical methods to solve these nonlinear and unsteady sets of differential equations and at differentmore » levels. Moreover, different physical problems have been solved in the past. Therefore, it has not been possible to understand the differences produced by these two sets of theories and their range of applicability so far. We are thus motivated to make a direct comparison of the results produced by these theories by use of the same numerical method to solve physically the same wave diffraction problems. We focus on comparing these two theories by using similar codes; only the equations used are different but other parts of the codes, such as the wave-maker, damping zone, discretion method, matrix solver, etc., are exactly the same. This way, we eliminate many potential sources of differences that could be produced by the solution of different equations. The physical problems include the presence of various submerged obstacles that can be used for example as breakwaters or to represent the continental shelf. A numerical wave tank is created by placing a wavemaker on one end and a wave absorbing beach on the other. The nonlinear and unsteady sets of differential equations are solved by the finite-difference method. The results are compared with different equations as well as with the available experimental data.« less

A comparative study of diffraction of shallow-water waves by high-level IGN and GN equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, B. B.; Ertekin, R. C.; Duan, W. Y.

2015-02-01

This work is on the nonlinear diffraction analysis of shallow-water waves, impinging on submerged obstacles, by two related theories, namely the classical Green-Naghdi (GN) equations and the Irrotational Green-Naghdi (IGN) equations, both sets of equations being at high levels and derived for incompressible and inviscid flows. Recently, the high-level Green-Naghdi equations have been applied to some wave transformation problems. The high-level IGN equations have also been used in the last decade to study certain wave propagation problems. However, past works on these theories used different numerical methods to solve these nonlinear and unsteady sets of differential equations and at different levels. Moreover, different physical problems have been solved in the past. Therefore, it has not been possible to understand the differences produced by these two sets of theories and their range of applicability so far. We are thus motivated to make a direct comparison of the results produced by these theories by use of the same numerical method to solve physically the same wave diffraction problems. We focus on comparing these two theories by using similar codes; only the equations used are different but other parts of the codes, such as the wave-maker, damping zone, discretion method, matrix solver, etc., are exactly the same. This way, we eliminate many potential sources of differences that could be produced by the solution of different equations. The physical problems include the presence of various submerged obstacles that can be used for example as breakwaters or to represent the continental shelf. A numerical wave tank is created by placing a wavemaker on one end and a wave absorbing beach on the other. The nonlinear and unsteady sets of differential equations are solved by the finite-difference method. The results are compared with different equations as well as with the available experimental data.

Hydraulic experiment on tsunami sand deposits relating with grain size distribution and magnitude of incident waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, A.; Takahashi, T.; Harada, K.; Nojima, K.

2016-12-01

A huge earthquake occurred off the Tohoku district in Japan on March 11th, 2011. A massive tsunami generated by the earthquake attacked coastal areas and caused serious damage. The tsunami disaster requires to reconsider tsunami measures in the Nankai Trough. Many of the measures are based on histories of large earthquakes and tsunamis. Because they are low frequency disasters and their historical documents are limited, tsunami sand deposits have been expected to analyze paleotsunamis. Tsunami sand deposits, however, are only used to confirm the fact of tsunamis and to determine the relative magnitudes. The thickness of sand layer and the grain size may be clues to estimate the tsunami force. Further, it could reveal the tsunami source. These results are also useful to improve the present tsunami measures. The objective of this study is to investigate the formation mechanism of tsunami sand deposits by hydraulic experiment. A two-dimensional water channel consisted of a wave maker, a flat section and a slope section. A movable bed section with various grain sizes and distribution of sand was set at the end of flat section. Bore waves of several heights transported the sand to the slope section by run-up. Water surface elevation and velocity were measured at several points. Tsunami sand deposit distribution was also measured along the slope section. The experimental result showed that the amount of tsunami sand deposit was relating with the grain size distribution and the magnitude of incident waves. Further, the number of incident waves affected the profile of tsunami sand deposits.

Improving the Accuracy of Estimation of Climate Extremes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zolina, Olga; Detemmerman, Valery; Trenberth, Kevin E.

2010-12-01

Workshop on Metrics and Methodologies of Estimation of Extreme Climate Events; Paris, France, 27-29 September 2010; Climate projections point toward more frequent and intense weather and climate extremes such as heat waves, droughts, and floods, in a warmer climate. These projections, together with recent extreme climate events, including flooding in Pakistan and the heat wave and wildfires in Russia, highlight the need for improved risk assessments to help decision makers and the public. But accurate analysis and prediction of risk of extreme climate events require new methodologies and information from diverse disciplines. A recent workshop sponsored by the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and hosted at United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters in France brought together, for the first time, a unique mix of climatologists, statisticians, meteorologists, oceanographers, social scientists, and risk managers (such as those from insurance companies) who sought ways to improve scientists' ability to characterize and predict climate extremes in a changing climate.

Empowerment in healthcare policy making: three domains of substantive controversy.

PubMed

Chiapperino, Luca; Tengland, Per-Anders

2015-12-01

This paper distinguishes between the uses of empowerment across different contexts in healthcare policy and health promotion, providing a model for the ethical and political scrutiny of those uses. We argue that the controversies currently engendered by empowerment are better understood by means of a historical distinction between two concepts of empowerment, namely, what we call the radical empowerment approach and the new wave of empowerment. Building on this distinction, we present a research agenda for ethicists and policy makers, highlighting three domains of controversy raised by the new wave of empowerment, namely: (1) the relationship between empowerment and paternalistic interferences on the part of professionals; (2) the evaluative commitment of empowerment strategies to the achievement of health-related goals; and (3) the problems arising from the emphasis on responsibility for health in recent uses of empowerment. Finally, we encourage the explicit theorisation of these moral controversies as a necessary step for the development and implementation of ethically legitimate empowerment processes.

Six climate change-related events in the United States accounted for about $14 billion in lost lives and health costs.

PubMed

Knowlton, Kim; Rotkin-Ellman, Miriam; Geballe, Linda; Max, Wendy; Solomon, Gina M

2011-11-01

The future health costs associated with predicted climate change-related events such as hurricanes, heat waves, and floods are projected to be enormous. This article estimates the health costs associated with six climate change-related events that struck the United States between 2000 and 2009. The six case studies came from categories of climate change-related events projected to worsen with continued global warming-ozone pollution, heat waves, hurricanes, infectious disease outbreaks, river flooding, and wildfires. We estimate that the health costs exceeded $14 billion, with 95 percent due to the value of lives lost prematurely. Actual health care costs were an estimated $740 million. This reflects more than 760,000 encounters with the health care system. Our analysis provides scientists and policy makers with a methodology to use in estimating future health costs related to climate change and highlights the growing need for public health preparedness.

Well-being losses due to care-giving☆☆☆

PubMed Central

van den Berg, Bernard; Fiebig, Denzil G.; Hall, Jane

2014-01-01

This paper estimates the impact of informal caregiving on self-reported well-being. It uses a sample of 23,285 respondents of the first eleven waves of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA). We apply a relatively new analytical method that enables us to estimate fixed effects ordered logit to analyse subjective well-being. The econometric estimates show that providing informal care has a negative effect on subjective well-being. The empirical evidence of our paper could be helpful to inform policy makers to better understand the impact of caregiving and design the appropriate long term care policies and support services. PMID:24662888

Microwave Thermal Propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parkin, Kevin L. G.; Lambot, Thomas

2017-01-01

We have conducted research in microwave thermal propulsion as part of the space exploration access technologies (SEAT) research program, a cooperative agreement (NNX09AF52A) between NASA and Carnegie Mellon University. The SEAT program commenced on the 19th of February 2009 and concluded on the 30th of September 2015. The DARPA/NASA Millimeter-wave Thermal Launch System (MTLS) project subsumed the SEAT program from May 2012 to March 2014 and one of us (Parkin) served as its principal investigator and chief engineer. The MTLS project had no final report of its own, so we have included the MTLS work in this report and incorporate its conclusions here. In the six years from 2009 until 2015 there has been significant progress in millimeter-wave thermal rocketry (a subset of microwave thermal rocketry), most of which has been made under the auspices of the SEAT and MTLS programs. This final report is intended for multiple audiences. For researchers, we present techniques that we have developed to simplify and quantify the performance of thermal rockets and their constituent technologies. For program managers, we detail the facilities that we have built and the outcomes of experiments that were conducted using them. We also include incomplete and unfruitful lines of research. For decision-makers, we introduce the millimeter-wave thermal rocket in historical context. Considering the economic significance of space launch, we present a brief but significant cost-benefit analysis, for the first time showing that there is a compelling economic case for replacing conventional rockets with millimeter-wave thermal rockets.

Towards a monitoring system of temperature extremes in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavaysse, Christophe; Cammalleri, Carmelo; Dosio, Alessandro; van der Schrier, Gerard; Toreti, Andrea; Vogt, Jürgen

2018-01-01

Extreme-temperature anomalies such as heat and cold waves may have strong impacts on human activities and health. The heat waves in western Europe in 2003 and in Russia in 2010, or the cold wave in southeastern Europe in 2012, generated a considerable amount of economic loss and resulted in the death of several thousands of people. Providing an operational system to monitor extreme-temperature anomalies in Europe is thus of prime importance to help decision makers and emergency services to be responsive to an unfolding extreme event. In this study, the development and the validation of a monitoring system of extreme-temperature anomalies are presented. The first part of the study describes the methodology based on the persistence of events exceeding a percentile threshold. The method is applied to three different observational datasets, in order to assess the robustness and highlight uncertainties in the observations. The climatology of extreme events from the last 21 years is then analysed to highlight the spatial and temporal variability of the hazard, and discrepancies amongst the observational datasets are discussed. In the last part of the study, the products derived from this study are presented and discussed with respect to previous studies. The results highlight the accuracy of the developed index and the statistical robustness of the distribution used to calculate the return periods.

On the use of wave parameterizations and a storm impact scaling model in National Weather Service Coastal Flood and decision support operations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mignone, Anthony; Stockdon, H.; Willis, M.; Cannon, J.W.; Thompson, R.

2012-01-01

National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Offices (WFO) are responsible for issuing coastal flood watches, warnings, advisories, and local statements to alert decision makers and the general public when rising water levels may lead to coastal impacts such as inundation, erosion, and wave battery. Both extratropical and tropical cyclones can generate the prerequisite rise in water level to set the stage for a coastal impact event. Forecasters use a variety of tools including computer model guidance and local studies to help predict the potential severity of coastal flooding. However, a key missing component has been the incorporation of the effects of waves in the prediction of total water level and the associated coastal impacts. Several recent studies have demonstrated the importance of incorporating wave action into the NWS coastal flood program. To follow up on these studies, this paper looks at the potential of applying recently developed empirical parameterizations of wave setup, swash, and runup to the NWS forecast process. Additionally, the wave parameterizations are incorporated into a storm impact scaling model that compares extreme water levels to beach elevation data to determine the mode of coastal change at predetermined “hotspots” of interest. Specifically, the storm impact model compares the approximate storm-induced still water level, which includes contributions from tides, storm surge, and wave setup, to dune crest elevation to determine inundation potential. The model also compares the combined effects of tides, storm surge, and the 2 % exceedance level for vertical wave runup (including both wave setup and swash) to dune toe and crest elevations to determine if erosion and/or ocean overwash may occur. The wave parameterizations and storm impact model are applied to two cases in 2009 that led to significant coastal impacts and unique forecast challenges in North Carolina: the extratropical “Nor'Ida” event during 11-14 November and the large swell event from distant Hurricane Bill on 22 August. The coastal impacts associated with Nor'Ida were due to the combined effects of surge, tide, and wave processes and led to an estimated 5.8 million dollars in damage. While the impacts from Hurricane Bill were not as severe as Nor'Ida, they were mainly associated with wave processes. Thus, this event exemplifies the importance of incorporating waves into the total water level and coastal impact prediction process. These examples set the stage for potential future applications including adaption to the more complex topography along the New England coast.

78 FR 56762 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Miami International Securities Exchange LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-13

... contracts for Market Makers \\3\\ registered on the Exchange. \\3\\ Market Makers may be registered as a Lead Market Maker or as a Registered Market Maker. See Exchange Rule 600(b). Market Makers registered on the...) Registered Market Maker (``RMM''); (ii) Lead Market Maker (``LMM''); (iii) Directed Order Lead Market Maker...

Variability in school closure decisions in response to 2009 H1N1: a qualitative systems improvement analysis

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background School closure was employed as a non-pharmaceutical intervention against pandemic 2009 H1N1, particularly during the first wave. More than 700 schools in the United States were closed. However, closure decisions reflected significant variation in rationales, decision triggers, and authority for closure. This variability presents the opportunity for improved efficiency and decision-making. Methods We identified media reports relating to school closure as a response to 2009 H1N1 by monitoring high-profile sources and searching Lexis-Nexis and Google news alerts, and reviewed reports for key themes. News stories were supplemented by observing conference calls and meetings with health department and school officials, and by discussions with decision-makers and community members. Results There was significant variation in the stated goal of closure decision, including limiting community spread of the virus, protecting particularly vulnerable students, and responding to staff shortages or student absenteeism. Because the goal of closure is relevant to its timing, nature, and duration, unclear rationales for closure can challenge its effectiveness. There was also significant variation in the decision-making authority to close schools in different jurisdictions, which, in some instances, was reflected in open disagreement between school and public health officials. Finally, decision-makers did not appear to expect the level of scientific uncertainty encountered early in the pandemic, and they often expressed significant frustration over changing CDC guidance. Conclusions The use of school closure as a public health response to epidemic disease can be improved by ensuring that officials clarify the goals of closure and tailor closure decisions to those goals. Additionally, authority to close schools should be clarified in advance, and decision-makers should expect to encounter uncertainty disease emergencies unfold and plan accordingly. PMID:21284865

Sensitivity of Tsunami Waves and Coastal Inundation/Runup to Seabed Displacement Models: Application to the Cascadia Subduction zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jalali Farahani, R.; Fitzenz, D. D.; Nyst, M.

2015-12-01

Major components of tsunami hazard modeling include earthquake source characterization, seabed displacement, wave propagation, and coastal inundation/run-up. Accurate modeling of these components is essential to identify the disaster risk exposures effectively, which would be crucial for insurance industry as well as policy makers to have tsunami resistant design of structures and evacuation planning (FEMA, 2008). In this study, the sensitivity and variability of tsunami coastal inundation due to Cascadia megathrust subduction earthquake are studied by considering the different approaches for seabed displacement model. The first approach is the analytical expressions that were proposed by Okada (1985, 1992) for the surface displacements and strains of rectangular sources. The second approach was introduced by Meade (2006) who introduced analytical solutions for calculating displacements, strains, and stresses on triangular sources. In this study, the seabed displacement using triangular representation of geometrically complex fault surfaces is compared with the Okada rectangular representations for the Cascadia subduction zone. In the triangular dislocation algorithm, the displacement is calculated using superposition of two angular dislocations for each of the three triangle legs. The triangular elements could give a better and gap-free representation of the fault surfaces. In addition, the rectangular representation gives large unphysical vertical displacement along the shallow-depth fault edge that generates unrealistic short-wavelength waves. To study the impact of these two different algorithms on the final tsunami inundation, the initial tsunami wave as well as wave propagation and the coastal inundation are simulated. To model the propagation of tsunami waves and coastal inundation, 2D shallow water equations are modeled using the seabed displacement as the initial condition for the numerical model. Tsunami numerical simulation has been performed on high-resolution bathymetric/topographic computational grids to identify accurate tsunami impact and flooding limits for the west of USA.

Decision Support System for Coastal Protection Layout Design (DSS4CPD) Using Genetic Algorithm (ga) and Multicriteria Analysis (mca)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jinchai, Phinai; Chittaladakorn, Suwatana

This research has its objective to develop the decision support system on GIS to be used in the coastal erosion protection management. The developed model in this research is called Decision Support System for Coastal Protection Layout Design (DSS4CPD). It has created both for systematic protection and solution measures to the problem by using Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Multicriteria Analysis (MCA) for finding the coastal structure layout optimal solution. In this research, three types of coastal structures were used as structure alternatives for the layout, which are seawall, breakwater, and groin. The coastal area in Nakornsrithammaraj, Thailand was used as the case study. The studied result has found the appropriate position of coastal structures considering the suitable rock size relied on the wave energy, and the appropriate coastal structure position based on the wave breaking line. Using GA and MCA in DSS4CPD, it found the best layout in this project. This DSS4CPD will be used by the authorized decision makers to find the most suitable erosion problem solution.

Future changes of temperature and heat waves in Ontario, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zhong; Huang, Guohe; Huang, Wendy; Lin, Qianguo; Liao, Renfei; Fan, Yurui

2018-05-01

Apparent changes in the temperature patterns in recent years brought many challenges to the province of Ontario, Canada. As the need for adapting to climate change challenges increases, the development of reliable climate projections becomes a crucial task. In this study, a regional climate modeling system, Providing Regional Climates for Impacts Studies (PRECIS), is used to simulate the temperature patterns in Ontario. Three PRECIS runs with a resolution of 25 km × 25 km are carried out to simulate the present (1961-1990) temperature variations. There is a good match between the simulated and observed data, which validates the performance of PRECIS in reproducing temperature changes in Ontario. Future changes of daily maximum, mean, and minimum temperatures during the period 2071-2100 are then projected under the IPCC SRES A2 and B2 emission scenarios using PRECIS. Spatial variations of annual mean temperature, mean diurnal range, and temperature seasonality are generated. Furthermore, heat waves defined based on the exceedance of local climatology and their temporal and spatial characteristics are analyzed. The results indicate that the highest temperature and the most intensive heat waves are most likely to occur at the Toronto-Windsor corridor in Southern Ontario. The Northern Ontario, in spite of the relatively low projected temperature, would be under the risk of long-lasting heat waves, and thus needs effective measures to enhance its climate resilience in the future. This study can assist the decision makers in better understanding the future temperature changes in Ontario and provide decision support for mitigating heat-related loss.

The message is the message-maker.

PubMed

Chalkley, A B

1977-03-01

For those engaged in family planning or other demographic work of an active kind, serious errors can be made and much money and skill wasted unless there is a clear idea of available means of communication. Literacy and media-diffusion figures offer vague parameters, especially in Asia, and the role of spoken communication -- considered key in "illiterate" societies -- is even more difficult to assess. For mass media, the starting point is "diffusion rates" representing numbers of TV sets owned or newspapers sold per 1000 population and so on -- measures of quantity. This article surveys the population growth rates, urban-rural distribution, educational levels, literacy rates, numbers of newspapers bought, radios and TVs owned (per 1000 population) for 12 Asian countries, and discusses their meaning in terms of media use. Chief among the points made are that print media still have an enormous role to play in the developing countries -- newspaper diffusion rates are quite high, even in countries with low urban population (especially India). The quality of electronic media (too often considered the natural "wave of the future" everywhere) varies but is generally not high. Where they are fully developed their role is vital -- but it might be noted that it is the message makers themselves who are most vital. Choosing the right medium and the proper message for it is essential.

Feasibility of two-dimensional speckle tracking in evaluation of arterial stiffness: Comparison with pulse wave velocity and conventional sonographic markers of atherosclerosis.

PubMed

Podgórski, Michał; Grzelak, Piotr; Kaczmarska, Magdalena; Polguj, Michał; Łukaszewski, Maciej; Stefańczyk, Ludomir

2018-02-01

Objective Arterial stiffening is an early marker of atherosclerosis that has a prognostic value for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Although many markers of arterial hardening have been proposed, the search is on for newer, more user-friendly and reliable surrogates. One such potential candidate has emerged from cardiology, the speckle-tracking technique. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of the two-dimensional speckle tracking for the evaluation of arterial wall stiffness in comparison with standard stiffness parameters. Methods Carotid ultrasound and applanation tonometry were performed in 188 patients with no cardiovascular risk factors. The following parameters were then evaluated: the intima-media complex thickness, distensibility coefficient, β-stiffness index, circumferential strain/strain rate, and pulse wave velocity and augmentation index. These variables were compared with each other and with patient age, and their reliability was assessed with Bland-Altman plots. Results Strain parameters derived from two-dimensional speckle tracking and intima-media complex thickness correlated better with age and pulse wave velocity than standard makers of arterial stiffness. Moreover, the reliability of these measurements was significantly higher than conventional surrogates. Conclusions Two-dimensional speckle tracing is a reliable method for the evaluation of arterial stiffness. Therefore, together with intima-media complex thickness measurement, it offers great potential in clinical practice as an early marker of atherosclerosis.

Assessing storm surge hazard and impact of sea level rise in the Lesser Antilles case study of Martinique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krien, Yann; Dudon, Bernard; Roger, Jean; Arnaud, Gael; Zahibo, Narcisse

2017-09-01

In the Lesser Antilles, coastal inundations from hurricane-induced storm surges pose a great threat to lives, properties and ecosystems. Assessing current and future storm surge hazards with sufficient spatial resolution is of primary interest to help coastal planners and decision makers develop mitigation and adaptation measures. Here, we use wave-current numerical models and statistical methods to investigate worst case scenarios and 100-year surge levels for the case study of Martinique under present climate or considering a potential sea level rise. Results confirm that the wave setup plays a major role in the Lesser Antilles, where the narrow island shelf impedes the piling-up of large amounts of wind-driven water on the shoreline during extreme events. The radiation stress gradients thus contribute significantly to the total surge - up to 100 % in some cases. The nonlinear interactions of sea level rise (SLR) with bathymetry and topography are generally found to be relatively small in Martinique but can reach several tens of centimeters in low-lying areas where the inundation extent is strongly enhanced compared to present conditions. These findings further emphasize the importance of waves for developing operational storm surge warning systems in the Lesser Antilles and encourage caution when using static methods to assess the impact of sea level rise on storm surge hazard.

Modification of the Undertow and Turbulence by Submerged Vegetation in a Laboratory Surf Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandel, T.; Suckale, J.; Marras, S.; Maldonado, S.; Koseff, J. R.

2016-12-01

Breaking waves in the surf zone are a dominant factor shaping the evolution of our coastlines. The turbulence generated by wave breaking causes sediment resuspension, while wave runup, rundown, and the undertow transport this sediment along and across the shore (Longo et al., 2002). Coastal hazard models must now address the added complications of climate change, including sea level rise, stronger storm events, and ecosystem degradation (Arkema et al., 2013). A robust theoretical understanding of surf zone dynamics is therefore imperative to considering the magnitude and implications of these potential changes. However, little work has been done to extend our current theoretical understanding to realistic beach faces, with aquatic vegetation, reefs, and other roughness elements that might mitigate scour and sedimentation. Clarifying these relationships will help scientists and policy-makers decide where to focus ecosystem restoration and preservation efforts, in order to maximize their protective benefits to infrastructure and economic activity on the coast. In order to evaluate the role of vegetation in coastal protection, we conducted a series of experiments in an idealized laboratory surf zone. We examine the impact of submerged model vegetation on the undertow profile, wave orbital velocities, turbulent kinetic energy, and wave-induced stresses, and compare these results to theoretical formulations that model these quantities. We find that vegetation reduces the wave energy available to be converted to turbulent kinetic energy during breaking, indicating a mechanism to mitigate suspension of sediment. Vegetation also reduces the magnitude of the undertow, likely reducing transport of sediment offshore. These results suggest that vegetation provides significant protective benefits for coastal communities at risk from erosion beyond its well-characterized ability to attenuate wave height, and motivate further work to incorporate these effects into models of near-shore hydrodynamics. Longo S, Petti M, Losada IJ. 2002. Turbulence in the swash and surf zones: a review. Coast Eng 45:129-147. Arkema KK, Guannel G, Verutes G, Wood SA, Guerry A, Ruckelshaus M, Kareiva P, Lacayo M, Silver JM. Coastal habitats shield people and property from sea-level rise and storms. Nat Clim Change 3:913-918.

The Cyber Defense (CyDef) Model for Assessing Countermeasure Capabilities.

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

Kimura, Margot; DeVries, Troy Robert; Gordon, Susanna P.

Cybersecurity is essential to maintaining operations, and is now a de facto cost of business. Despite this, there is little consensus on how to systematically make decisions about cyber countermeasures investments. Identifying gaps and determining the expected return on investment (ROI) of adding a new cybersecurity countermeasure is frequently a hand-waving exercise at best. Worse, cybersecurity nomenclature is murky and frequently over-loaded, which further complicates issues by inhibiting clear communication. This paper presents a series of foundational models and nomenclature for discussing cybersecurity countermeasures, and then introduces the Cyber Defense (CyDef) model, which provides a systematic and intuitive way formore » decision-makers to effectively communicate with operations and device experts.« less

Attitudes and beliefs about secondhand smoke and smoke-free policies in four countries: findings from the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey.

PubMed

Hyland, Andrew; Higbee, Cheryl; Borland, Ron; Travers, Mark; Hastings, Gerard; Fong, Geoffrey T; Cummings, K Michael

2009-06-01

This paper describes the varying levels of smoking policies in nationally representative samples of smokers in four countries and examines how these policies are associated with changes in attitudes and beliefs about secondhand smoke over time. We report data on 5,788 respondents to Wave 1 of the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey who were employed at the time of the survey. A cohort of these respondents was followed up with two additional survey waves approximately 12 months apart. Respondents' attitudes and beliefs about secondhand smoke as well as self-reported policies in their workplace and in bars and restaurants in their community were assessed at all waves. The level of comprehensive smoke-free policies in workplaces, restaurants, and bars increased over the study period for all countries combined and was highest in Canada (30%) and lowest in the United Kingdom (0%) in 2004. In both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, stronger secondhand smoke policies were associated with more favorable attitudes and support for comprehensive regulations. The associations were the strongest for smokers who reported comprehensive policies in restaurants, bars, and their workplace for all three survey waves. Comprehensive smoke-free policies are increasing over time, and stronger policies and the public education opportunities surrounding their passage are associated with more favorable attitudes toward secondhand smoke regulations. The implication for policy makers is that, although the initial debate over smoke-free policies may be tumultuous, once people understand the rationale for implementing smoke-free policies and experience their benefits, public support increases even among smokers, and compliance with smoke-free regulations increases over time.

Ranking of European Capitals According to the Impact of Future Heat Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smid, M.; Costa, A. C.; Russo, S.; Pebesma, E. J.; Canut, C. G.

2017-12-01

In warming Europe, we are witnessing a growth in urban population with aging trend, which will make the society more vulnerable to extreme heat waves. In the period 1950-2015 the occurrence of extreme heat waves increased across European capitals. As an example, Moscow was hit by the strongest heat wave of the present era, killing more than ten thousand people. Here we focus on larger metropolitan areas of European capitals. By using observations and an ensemble of eight EURO-CORDEX models under the RCP8.5 scenario, we calculate a suite of temperature based climate indices. We introduce a simple ranking procedure based on ensemble predictions using the mean of metropolitan grid cells for each capital, and population density as a proxy to quantify the future impact. Results show that the selected ensemble provides solid simulation of climate characteristics over most of the targeted metropolitan areas. All the investigated European metropolitan areas will be more vulnerable to extreme heat in the coming decades. Based on the impact ranking, the results reveal that in near, but mainly in distant future, the extreme heat events in European capitals will be not exclusive to traditionally exposed areas such as the Mediterranean and the Iberian Peninsula. The ranking of European capitals based on their vulnerability to the extreme heat could be of paramount importance to the decision makers in order to mitigate the heat related mortality, especially with the foreseen increase of global mean temperature. Acknowledgments: The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of Geoinformatics: Enabling Open Cities (GEO-C), the project funded by the European Commission within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, International Training Networks (ITN), European Joint Doctorates (EJD). Grant Agreement number 642332 — GEO-C — H2020-MSCA-ITN-2014.

The protective role of coastal marshes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Shepard, Christine C; Crain, Caitlin M; Beck, Michael W

2011-01-01

Salt marshes lie between many human communities and the coast and have been presumed to protect these communities from coastal hazards by providing important ecosystem services. However, previous characterizations of these ecosystem services have typically been based on a small number of historical studies, and the consistency and extent to which marshes provide these services has not been investigated. Here, we review the current evidence for the specific processes of wave attenuation, shoreline stabilization and floodwater attenuation to determine if and under what conditions salt marshes offer these coastal protection services. We conducted a thorough search and synthesis of the literature with reference to these processes. Seventy-five publications met our selection criteria, and we conducted meta-analyses for publications with sufficient data available for quantitative analysis. We found that combined across all studies (n = 7), salt marsh vegetation had a significant positive effect on wave attenuation as measured by reductions in wave height per unit distance across marsh vegetation. Salt marsh vegetation also had a significant positive effect on shoreline stabilization as measured by accretion, lateral erosion reduction, and marsh surface elevation change (n = 30). Salt marsh characteristics that were positively correlated to both wave attenuation and shoreline stabilization were vegetation density, biomass production, and marsh size. Although we could not find studies quantitatively evaluating floodwater attenuation within salt marshes, there are several studies noting the negative effects of wetland alteration on water quantity regulation within coastal areas. Our results show that salt marshes have value for coastal hazard mitigation and climate change adaptation. Because we do not yet fully understand the magnitude of this value, we propose that decision makers employ natural systems to maximize the benefits and ecosystem services provided by salt marshes and exercise caution when making decisions that erode these services.

Numerical Simulation of Floating Bodies in Extreme Free Surface Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Zheng Zheng; Causon, Derek; Mingham, Clive; Qiang, Ling

2010-05-01

A task of the EPSRC funded research project 'Extreme Wave loading on Offshore Wave Energy Devices: a Hierarchical Team Approach' is to investigate the survivability of two wave energy converter (WEC) devices Pelamis and the Manchester Bobber using different CFD approaches. Both devices float on the water surface, generating the electricity from the motion of the waves. In this paper, we describe developments of the AMAZON-SC 3D numerical wave tank (NWT) to study extreme wave loading of a fixed or floating (in Heave motion) structure. The extreme wave formulation as an inlet condition is due to Dalzell (1999) and Ning et. al. (2009) in which a first or second-order Stokes focused wave can be prescribed. The AMAZON-SC 3D code (see e.g. Hu et al. (2009)) uses a cell centred finite volume method of the Godunov-type for the space discretization of the Euler and Navier Stokes equations. The computational domain includes both air and water regions with the air/water boundary captured as a discontinuity in the density field thereby admitting the break up and recombination of the free surface. Temporal discretisation uses the artificial compressibility method and a dual time stepping strategy to maintain a divergence free velocity field. Cartesian cut cells are used to provide a fully boundary-fitted gridding capability on an regular background Cartesian grid. Solid objects are cut out of the background mesh leaving a set of irregularly shaped cells fitted to the boundary. The advantages of the cut cell approach have been outlined previously by Causon et al. (2000, 2001) including its flexibility for dealing with complex geometries whether stationary or in relative motion. The field grid does not need to be recomputed globally or even locally for moving body cases; all that is necessary is to update the local cut cell data at the body contour for as long as the motion continues. The handing of numerical wave paddles and device motion in a NWT is therefore straightforward and efficient. Firstly, extreme design wave conditions are generated in an empty NWT and compared with physical experiments as a precursor to calculations to investigate the survivability of the Bobber device operating in a challenging wave climate. Secondly, we consider a bench-mark test case involving in a first order regular wave maker acting on a fixed cylinder and Pelamis. Finally, a floating Bobber has been simulated under extreme wave conditions. These results will be reported at the meeting. Causon D.M., Ingram D.M., Mingham C.G., Yang G. Pearson R.V. (2000). Calculation of shallow water flows using a Cartesian cut cell approach. Advances in Water resources, 23: 545-562. Causon D.M., Ingram D.M., Mingham C.G. (2000). A Cartesian cut cell method for shallow water flows with moving boundaries. Advances in Water resources, 24: 899-911. Dalzell J.F. 1999 A note on finite depth second-order wave-wave interactions. Appl. Ocean Res. 21, 105-111. Ning D.Z., Zang J., Liu S.X. Eatock Taylor R. Teng B. & Taylor P.H. 2009 Free surface and wave kinematics for nonlinear focused wave groups. J. Ocean Engineering. Accepted. Hu Z.Z., Causon D.M., Mingham C.M. and Qian L.(2009). Numerical wave tank study of a wave energy converter in heave. Proceedlings 19th ISOPE conference, Osaka, Japan Qian L., Causon D.M. & Mingham C.G., Ingram D.M. 2006 A free-surface capturing method for two fluid flows with moving bodies. Proc. Roy. Soc. London, Vol. A 462 21-42.

VISIR-I: small vessels - least-time nautical routes using wave forecasts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mannarini, Gianandrea; Pinardi, Nadia; Coppini, Giovanni; Oddo, Paolo; Iafrati, Alessandro

2016-05-01

A new numerical model for the on-demand computation of optimal ship routes based on sea-state forecasts has been developed. The model, named VISIR (discoVerIng Safe and effIcient Routes) is designed to support decision-makers when planning a marine voyage. The first version of the system, VISIR-I, considers medium and small motor vessels with lengths of up to a few tens of metres and a displacement hull. The model is comprised of three components: a route optimization algorithm, a mechanical model of the ship, and a processor of the environmental fields. The optimization algorithm is based on a graph-search method with time-dependent edge weights. The algorithm is also able to compute a voluntary ship speed reduction. The ship model accounts for calm water and added wave resistance by making use of just the principal particulars of the vessel as input parameters. It also checks the optimal route for parametric roll, pure loss of stability, and surfriding/broaching-to hazard conditions. The processor of the environmental fields employs significant wave height, wave spectrum peak period, and wave direction forecast fields as input. The topological issues of coastal navigation (islands, peninsulas, narrow passages) are addressed. Examples of VISIR-I routes in the Mediterranean Sea are provided. The optimal route may be longer in terms of miles sailed and yet it is faster and safer than the geodetic route between the same departure and arrival locations. Time savings up to 2.7 % and route lengthening up to 3.2 % are found for the case studies analysed. However, there is no upper bound for the magnitude of the changes of such route metrics, which especially in case of extreme sea states can be much greater. Route diversions result from the safety constraints and the fact that the algorithm takes into account the full temporal evolution and spatial variability of the environmental fields.

10 CFR 431.132 - Definitions concerning automatic commercial ice makers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Definitions concerning automatic commercial ice makers... CERTAIN COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT Automatic Commercial Ice Makers § 431.132 Definitions concerning automatic commercial ice makers. Automatic commercial ice maker means a factory-made assembly (not...

10 CFR 431.132 - Definitions concerning automatic commercial ice makers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Definitions concerning automatic commercial ice makers... CERTAIN COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT Automatic Commercial Ice Makers § 431.132 Definitions concerning automatic commercial ice makers. Automatic commercial ice maker means a factory-made assembly (not...

10 CFR 431.132 - Definitions concerning automatic commercial ice makers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Definitions concerning automatic commercial ice makers... CERTAIN COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT Automatic Commercial Ice Makers § 431.132 Definitions concerning automatic commercial ice makers. Automatic commercial ice maker means a factory-made assembly (not...

10 CFR 431.132 - Definitions concerning automatic commercial ice makers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Definitions concerning automatic commercial ice makers... CERTAIN COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT Automatic Commercial Ice Makers § 431.132 Definitions concerning automatic commercial ice makers. Automatic commercial ice maker means a factory-made assembly (not...

10 CFR 431.132 - Definitions concerning automatic commercial ice makers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Definitions concerning automatic commercial ice makers... CERTAIN COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT Automatic Commercial Ice Makers § 431.132 Definitions concerning automatic commercial ice makers. Automatic commercial ice maker means a factory-made assembly (not...

10 CFR 429.45 - Automatic commercial ice makers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Automatic commercial ice makers. 429.45 Section 429.45... PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT Certification § 429.45 Automatic commercial ice makers. (a... automatic commercial ice makers; and (2) For each basic model of automatic commercial ice maker selected for...

10 CFR 429.45 - Automatic commercial ice makers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Automatic commercial ice makers. 429.45 Section 429.45... PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT Certification § 429.45 Automatic commercial ice makers. (a... automatic commercial ice makers; and (2) For each basic model of automatic commercial ice maker selected for...

10 CFR 429.45 - Automatic commercial ice makers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Automatic commercial ice makers. 429.45 Section 429.45... PRODUCTS AND COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT Certification § 429.45 Automatic commercial ice makers. (a... automatic commercial ice makers; and (2) For each basic model of automatic commercial ice maker selected for...

Making Leaders: Leadership Characteristics of Makers and Engineers in the Maker Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oplinger, James; Lande, Micah; Jordan, Shawn; Camarena, Leonor

2016-01-01

This study examines the emergence of leadership characteristics within a new organizational community of individuals: the Maker community. The Maker community is a group of individuals that classify themselves as "Makers" and have become innovators and entrepreneurs through the creation of technological gadgets, artistic projects, and…

Laboratory modelling of resonant wave-current interaction in the vicinity wind farm masts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunnoo, Hans; Abcha, Nizar; Garcia-Hermosa, Maria-Isabel; Ezersky, Alexander

2015-04-01

In the nearest future, by 2020, about 4% of electricity in Europe will be supplied by sea stations operating from renewable sources: ocean thermal energy, wave and tidal energy, wind farms. By now the wind stations located in the coastal zone, provide the most part of electricity in different European countries. Meanwhile, effects of wind farms on the environment are not sufficiently studied. We report results of laboratory simulations aimed at investigation of hydrodynamic fields arising in the vicinity of wind farm masts under the action of currents and surface waves. The main attention is paid to modeling the resonance effects when the amplitude of velocity pulsations in the vicinity of the masts under the joint action of currents and harmonic waves demonstrate significant growth. This resonance can lead to an increase in Reynolds stress on the bottom, intensification of sediment transport and sound generation. The experiments are performed in the 17 meters hydrodynamical channel of laboratory Morphodynamique Continentale et Côtière UMR CNRS 6143. Mast are modeled by vertical cylinder placed in a steady flow. Behind the cylinder turbulent Karman vortex street occurs. Results are obtained in interval of Reynolds numbers Re=103 - 104(Re=Ud/v, where U is the velocity of the flow, d is diameter of the cylinder, ν is cinematic viscosity). Harmonic surface waves of small amplitude propagating upstream are excited by computer controlled wave maker. In the absence of surface waves, turbulent Karman street with averaged frequency f is observed. It is revealed experimentally that harmonic surface waves with a frequencies closed to 2f can synchronize vortex shedding and increase the amplitude of velocity fluctuations in the wake of the cylinder. Map of regimes is found on the parameter plane amplitude of the surface wave - wave frequency. In order to distinguish the synchronization regimes, we defined phase of oscillations using the Hilbert transform technique. We investigate effect of hydrodynamic turbulence on synchronization of hydrodynamic wake by surface waves. To change the level of turbulence we used honeycombs. Measuring the velocity upstream the cylinder, we found that under our experimental conditions honeycombs can reduce the level of hydrodynamic turbulence in two times. It is found that intensity of turbulence determines the amplitude threshold of synchronization in the wake behind cylinder. The physical mechanisms of synchronization, its impact to the Reynolds stress and the possibility of such a resonance in the vicinity of masts located in the coastal zone are discussed. This work was supported by the OFELIA (Offshore Foundations Environmental Impact Assessments) project in the frame of the European cross-border cooperation programme INTERREG IV A France (Channel) - England, co-funded by the ERDF.

Cannabis Use and Risk of Psychiatric Disorders: Prospective Evidence From a US National Longitudinal Study.

PubMed

Blanco, Carlos; Hasin, Deborah S; Wall, Melanie M; Flórez-Salamanca, Ludwing; Hoertel, Nicolas; Wang, Shuai; Kerridge, Bradley T; Olfson, Mark

2016-04-01

With rising rates of marijuana use in the general population and an increasing number of states legalizing recreational marijuana use and authorizing medical marijuana programs, there are renewed clinical and policy concerns regarding the mental health effects of cannabis use. To examine prospective associations between cannabis use and risk of mental health and substance use disorders in the general adult population. A nationally representative sample of US adults aged 18 years or older was interviewed 3 years apart in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (wave 1, 2001-2002; wave 2, 2004-2005). The primary analyses were limited to 34 653 respondents who were interviewed in both waves. Data analysis was conducted from March 15 to November 30, 2015. We used multiple regression and propensity score matching to estimate the strength of independent associations between cannabis use at wave 1 and incident and prevalent psychiatric disorders at wave 2. Psychiatric disorders were measured with a structured interview (Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule-DSM-IV). In both analyses, the same set of wave 1 confounders was used, including sociodemographic characteristics, family history of substance use disorder, disturbed family environment, childhood parental loss, low self-esteem, social deviance, education, recent trauma, past and present psychiatric disorders, and respondent's history of divorce. In the multiple regression analysis of 34 653 respondents (14 564 male [47.9% weighted]; mean [SD] age, 45.1 [17.3] years), cannabis use in wave 1 (2001-2002), which was reported by 1279 respondents, was significantly associated with substance use disorders in wave 2 (2004-2005) (any substance use disorder: odds ratio [OR], 6.2; 95% CI, 4.1-9.4; any alcohol use disorder: OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.9-3.8; any cannabis use disorder: OR, 9.5; 95% CI, 6.4-14.1; any other drug use disorder: OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.6-4.4; and nicotine dependence: OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.2-2.4), but not any mood disorder (OR, 1.1; 95% CI, 0.8-1.4) or anxiety disorder (OR, 0.9; 95% CI, 0.7-1.1). The same general pattern of results was observed in the multiple regression analyses of wave 2 prevalent psychiatric disorders and in the propensity score-matched analysis of incident and prevalent psychiatric disorders. Within the general population, cannabis use is associated with an increased risk for several substance use disorders. Physicians and policy makers should take these associations of cannabis use under careful consideration.

Towards a Comparative Index of Seaport Climate-Risk: Development of Indicators from Open Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McIntosh, R. D.; Becker, A.

2016-02-01

Seaports represent an example of coastal infrastructure that is at once critical to global trade, constrained to the land-sea interface, and exposed to weather and climate hazards. Seaports face impacts associated with projected changes in sea level, sedimentation, ocean chemistry, wave dynamics, temperature, precipitation, and storm frequency and intensity. Port decision-makers have the responsibility to enhance resilience against these impacts. At the multi-port (regional or national) scale, policy-makers must prioritize adaptation efforts to maximize the efficiency of limited physical and financial resources. Prioritization requires comparing across seaports, and comparison requires a standardized assessment method, but efforts to date have either been limited in scope to exposure-only assessments or limited in scale to evaluate one port in isolation from a system of ports. In order to better understand the distribution of risk across ports and to inform transportation resilience policy, we are developing a comparative assessment method to measure the relative climate-risk faced by a sample of ports. Our mixed-methods approach combines a quantitative, data-driven, indicator-based assessment with qualitative data collected via expert-elicitation. In this presentation, we identify and synthesize over 120 potential risk indicators from open data sources. Indicators represent exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity for a pilot sample of 20 ports. Our exploratory data analysis, including Principal Component Analysis, uncovered sources of variance between individual ports and between indicators. Next steps include convening an expert panel representing the perspectives of multiple transportation system agencies to find consensus on a suite of robust indicators and metrics for maritime freight node climate risk assessment. The index will be refined based on expert feedback, the sample size expanded, and additional indicators sought from closed data sources. Developing standardized indicators from available data is an essential step in risk assessment, as robust indicators can help policy-makers monitor resilience strategy implementation, target and justify resource expenditure for adaptation schemes, communicate adaptation to stakeholders, and benchmark progress.

77 FR 28914 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-16

... Market Maker,\\6\\ Market Maker Plus,\\7\\ Firm Proprietary and Customer (Professional) \\8\\ orders; and (ii... for ISE Market Maker, Market Maker Plus, Firm Proprietary and Customer (Professional) orders; and (ii... Plus is an ISE Market Maker who is on the National Best Bid or National Best Offer 80% of the time for...

78 FR 23806 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Miami International Securities Exchange LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-22

... Makers, Primary Lead Market Makers, Directed Order-Primary Lead Market Makers, Public Customers that are not Priority Customers, Non-MIAX Market Makers, Non-Member Broker-Dealers, and Firms. Below is a chart... Directed Order--Primary Lead 0.16 0.016 Market Maker Priority Customer 0.00 0.000 Public Customer that is...

Robust boundary treatment for open-channel flows in divergence-free incompressible SPH

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pahar, Gourabananda; Dhar, Anirban

2017-03-01

A robust Incompressible Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (ISPH) framework is developed to simulate specified inflow and outflow boundary conditions for open-channel flow. Being purely divergence-free, the framework offers smoothed and structured pressure distribution. An implicit treatment of Pressure Poison Equation and Dirichlet boundary condition is applied on free-surface to minimize error in velocity-divergence. Beyond inflow and outflow threshold, multiple layers of dummy particles are created according to specified boundary condition. Inflow boundary acts as a soluble wave-maker. Fluid particles beyond outflow threshold are removed and replaced with dummy particles with specified boundary velocity. The framework is validated against different cases of open channel flow with different boundary conditions. The model can efficiently capture flow evolution and vortex generation for random geometry and variable boundary conditions.

What do decision makers learn from public forums on climate-related hazards and resilience?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weller, N.; Farooque, M.; Sittenfeld, D.

2017-12-01

Public engagement around climate resilience efforts can foster learning for both public audiences and decision makers. On the one hand, public audiences learn about environmental hazards and strategies to increase community resilience through effective public engagement. On the other, decision makers and scientists learn about community members' values and priorities and their relation to environmental hazards and resilience strategies. Evidence from other public engagement efforts involving decision makers suggests that decision maker involvement results in reflection by officials on their own values, capacities, and roles. However, few public engagement exercises evaluate impacts on decision makers. As part of the Science Center Public Forums project, which aims to conduct public forums in eight cities across the country on resiliency to drought, heat, extreme precipitation, and sea level rise, we sought to 1) build partnerships with local decision makers and scientists around public forums and 2) explore how decision makers and scientists interacted with the planning and undertaking of those public forums. We held workshops with decision makers and scientists to inform forum content and identify local resilience issues. We will conduct interviews with local decision makers regarding their involvement in forum planning, their reflections and takeaways from the forum itself, and their perspectives on the value of public engagement for policy making. We will present our model of engagement with decision makers, initial findings from interviews, and lessons learned from connecting decision makers and scientists to public engagement efforts.

75 FR 39305 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Amex LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-08

... behalf of an ATP Holder registered as a Remote Market Maker. The purpose of the proposed rule change is... behalf of the account of a Remote Market Maker. Remote Market Makers make transactions from a location off the trading floor. A Market Maker on NYSE Amex can either be a Remote Market Maker, a Floor Market...

Factors that encourage and discourage policy-making to prevent childhood obesity: Experience in the United States.

PubMed

Rutkow, Lainie; Jones-Smith, Jesse; Walters, Hannah J; O'Hara, Marguerite; Bleich, Sara N

2016-12-01

Policy-makers throughout the world seek to address childhood obesity prevention, yet little is known about factors that influence policy-makers' decisions on this topic. From September 2014 to April 2015, we conducted 43 semi-structured interviews about factors that encourage and discourage policy-makers' support for childhood obesity prevention policies. We interviewed policy-makers (n = 12) and two other groups engaged with childhood obesity prevention policies: representatives of non-governmental organizations (n = 24) and academics (n = 7). Factors that encourage policy-makers' support for childhood obesity prevention policies included: positive impact on government finances, an existing evidence base, partnerships with community-based collaborators, and consistency with policy-makers' priorities. Factors that discourage policy-makers' support included the following: perceptions about government's role, food and beverage industry opposition, and policy-makers' beliefs about personal responsibility. As public health practitioners, advocates, and others seek to advance childhood obesity prevention in the U.S. and elsewhere, the factors we identified offer insights into ways to frame proposed policies and strategies to influence policy-makers.

Making Stories, Making Sense.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rubin, Andee

1980-01-01

Describes a set of tools (called Story Maker, Pre-Fab Story Maker, and Story Maker Maker) for teaching creative writing that takes advantage of the potential power of the social situation in the classroom, focuses on higher-level structures in text, and integrates reading and writing in school. (AEA)

Appropriateness for Total Joint Replacement: Perspectives of Decision-Makers

PubMed Central

Clavel, Nathalie; De coster, Carolyn; Pomey, Marie-Pascale; Sanmartin, Claudia; Bohm, Éric; Dunbar, Michael J.; Frank, CY; Hawker, Gillian; Noseworthy, Tom

2016-01-01

Background: Improving access to total joint replacement (TJR) has been a priority. Without robust mechanisms to ensure appropriateness, these procedures may be overused, incurring substantial costs. In that context, decision-makers are particularly concerned with the appropriateness of TJR. Objective: While our previous research focused on the appropriateness of TJR from clinical and patient perspectives, this study is aimed at understanding decision-makers' perspectives. Methods: Using a semi-structured guide, we interviewed a convenience sample of decision-makers in four Canadian provinces (Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Quebec) between February and March 2013. For the purposes of this study, a decision-maker was defined as a manager, institutional leader or policy maker. Results: Fifteen interviews were conducted with decision-makers at ministry (n = 3), regional (n = 6) and institutional levels (n = 8). Decision-makers see themselves as having a key role in the appropriateness discourse, that of optimizing resource allocation and efficient delivery of services for TJR, to improve population outcomes. Conclusion: The decision-makers' view of appropriateness recognizes the importance of the clinical view, but it offers a very different input into the appropriateness discourse, more closely aligned with appropriateness of setting, which refers to cost-effectiveness considerations. PMID:27027795

Experimental study on waves propagation over a coarse-grained sloping beach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Tai-Wen; Lai, Jian-Wu

2013-04-01

This study investigates velocity fields of wave propagation over a coarse-grained sloping beach using laboratory experiments. The experiment was conducted in a wave flume of 25 m long, 0.5 m wide and 0.6 m high in which a coarse-grained sloping 1:5 beach was placed with two layers ball. The glass ball is D=7.9 cm and the center to center distance of each ball is 8.0 cm. The test section for observing wave and flow fields is located at the middle part of the flume. A piston type wave maker driven by an electromechanical hydraulic serve system is installed at the end of the flume. The intrinsic permeability Kp and turbulent drag coefficient Cf were obtained from steady flow water-head experiments. The flow velocity was measured by the particle image velocimeter (PIV) and digital image process (DIP) techniques. Eleven fields of view (FOVS) were integrated into a complete representation including the outer, surf and swash zone. Details of the definition sketch of the coarse-grained sloping beach model as well as experimental setup are referred to Lai et al. (2008). A high resolution of CCD camera was used to capture the images which was calibrated by the direct linear transform (DCT) algorithm proposed by Abed El-Aziz and Kar-Ara (1971). The water surface between the interface of air and water at each time step are calculated by Otsu' (1978) detect algorithm. The comparison shows that the water surface elevation observed by integrated image agrees well with that of Otsu' detection results. For the flow field measurement, each image pair was cross correlated with 32X32 pixel inter rogation window and a half overlap between adjacent windows. The repeatability and synchronization are the key elements for both wave motion and PIV technique. The wave profiles and flow field were compared during several wave periods to ensure that they can be reproduced by the present system. The water depth is kept as a constant of h=32 cm. The incident wave conditions are set to be wave height H0 = 3.86 cm or 7.75 cm and wave period T = 1.0 s. The illumination source of the PIV system is a dual-head frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser, which has a maximum energy output of 120 mJ per pulse at two wavelengths of 523nm and 266nm. A synchronizer controls the emission time of a pulse laser beam as well as the camera exposure and shutter time. Linear wave theory (LWT) of wave propagation over a constant water depth was tested to validate the DIP/PIV algorithm. The comparison of velocity profiles in X and Z directions are in good agreement with those of LWT. Waves propagating over a coarse-grained sloping beach were investigated using PIV/DIP techniques. Detailed analysis of experimental results show that the flow field, turbulent intensity and vorticity are primarily located above the wave trough. A detailed description is provided in terms of free surface, velocity field, and turbulent energy transport. References 1. Abdel-Aziz, Karara.1971, Direct linear transformation into object space coordinates in closerange photogrametry. In Proc. Symp. Close-Range Photogrametry, 1-18. 2. Flow-3D (2008) user manual, version 9.3. 3. Otsu N. 1978. A threshold selection method from gray level histogram, IEEE Trans. on System, Man, and Cybernetics, 8, 62-66.

Preventing heat-related morbidity and mortality: new approaches in a changing climate.

PubMed

O'Neill, Marie S; Carter, Rebecca; Kish, Jonathan K; Gronlund, Carina J; White-Newsome, Jalonne L; Manarolla, Xico; Zanobetti, Antonella; Schwartz, Joel D

2009-10-20

Due to global climate change, the world will, on average, experience a higher number of heat waves, and the intensity and length of these heat waves is projected to increase. Knowledge about the implications of heat exposure to human health is growing, with excess mortality and illness occurring during hot weather in diverse regions. Certain groups, including the elderly, the urban poor, and those with chronic health conditions, are at higher risk. Preventive actions include: establishing heat wave warning systems; making cool environments available (through air conditioning or other means); public education; planting trees and other vegetation; and modifying the built environment to provide proper ventilation and use materials and colors that reduce heat build-up and optimize thermal comfort. However, to inspire local prevention activities, easily understood information about the strategies' benefits needs to be incorporated into decision tools. Integrating heat health information into a comprehensive adaptation planning process can alert local decision-makers to extreme heat risks and provide information necessary to choose strategies that yield the largest health improvements and cost savings. Tools to enable this include web-based programs that illustrate effective methods for including heat health in comprehensive local-level adaptation planning; calculate costs and benefits of several activities; maps showing zones of high potential heat exposure and vulnerable populations in a local area; and public awareness materials and training for implementing preventive activities. A new computer-based decision tool will enable local estimates of heat-related health effects and potential savings from implementing a range of prevention strategies.

Revitalizing Battle Staff Training

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-12-01

be confused with true conditional text as implemented in FrameMaker or Ventura. • PageMaker’s® core composition engine has not been upgraded. You...is a little worn around the edges. For the most part, PageMaker® leaves document-wide functions to its sibling program, FrameMaker . • Without an

Issues and Techniques of CASE Integration With Configuration Management

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-03-01

all four!) process architecture classes. For example, Frame Technology’s FrameMaker is a client/server tool because it provides server functions for... FrameMaker clients; it is a parent/child tool since a top-level control panel is used to "fork" child FrameMaker sessions; the "forked" FrameMaker ...sessions are persistent tools since they may be reused to create and modify any number of FrameMaker documents. Despite this, however, these process

Training on Eastern Pacific tropical cyclones for Latin American students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farfán, L. M.; Raga, G. B.

2009-05-01

Tropical cyclones are one of the most impressive atmospheric phenomena and their development in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific basins has potential to affect several Latin-American and Caribbean countries, where human resources are limited. As part of an international research project, we are offering short courses based on the current understanding of tropical cyclones in the Eastern Pacific basin. Our main goal is to train students from higher-education institutions from various countries in Latin America. Key aspects are tropical cyclone formation and evolution, with particular emphasis on their development off the west coast of Mexico. Our approach includes lectures on tropical cyclone climatology and formation, dynamic and thermodynamic models, air-sea interaction and oceanic response, ocean waves and coastal impacts as well as variability and climate-related predictions. In particular, we use a best-track dataset issued by the United States National Hurricane Center and satellite observations to analyze convective patterns for the period 1970-2006. Case studies that resulted in landfall over northwestern Mexico are analyzed in more detail; this includes systems that developed during the 2006, 2007 and 2008 seasons. Additionally, we have organized a human-dimensions symposium to discuss socio-economic issues that are associated with the landfall of tropical cyclones. This includes coastal zone impact and flooding, the link between cyclones and water resources, the flow of weather and climate information from scientists to policy- makers, the role of emergency managers and decision makers, impact over health issues and the viewpoint of the insurance industry.

The quest for wisdom: lessons from 17 tsunamis, 2004-2014.

PubMed

Okal, Emile A

2015-10-28

Since the catastrophic Sumatra-Andaman tsunami took place in 2004, 16 other tsunamis have resulted in significant damage and 14 in casualties. We review the fundamental changes that have affected our command of tsunami issues as scientists, engineers and decision-makers, in the quest for improved wisdom in this respect. While several scientific paradigms have had to be altered or abandoned, new algorithms, e.g. the W seismic phase and real-time processing of fast-arriving seismic P waves, give us more powerful tools to estimate in real time the tsunamigenic character of an earthquake. We assign to each event a 'wisdom index' based on the warning issued (or not) during the event, and on the response of the population. While this approach is admittedly subjective, it clearly shows several robust trends: (i) we have made significant progress in our command of far-field warning, with only three casualties in the past 10 years; (ii) self-evacuation by educated populations in the near field is a key element of successful tsunami mitigation; (iii) there remains a significant cacophony between the scientific community and decision-makers in industry and government as documented during the 2010 Maule and 2011 Tohoku events; and (iv) the so-called 'tsunami earthquakes' generating larger tsunamis than expected from the size of their seismic source persist as a fundamental challenge, despite scientific progress towards characterizing these events in real time. © 2015 The Author(s).

A Spatiotemporal Analysis of Extreme Heat Vulnerability Across the United States using Geospatial Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schoessow, F. S.; Li, Y.; Howe, P. D.

2016-12-01

Extreme heat events are the deadliest natural hazard in the United States and are expected to increase in both severity and frequency in the coming years due to the effects of climate change. The risks of climate change and weather-related events such as heat waves to a population can be more comprehensively assessed by coupling the traditional examination of natural hazards using remote sensing and geospatial analysis techniques with human vulnerability factors and individual perceptions of hazards. By analyzing remote-sensed and empirical survey data alongside national hazards advisories, this study endeavors to establish a nationally-representative baseline quantifying the spatiotemporal variation of individual heat vulnerabilities at multiple scales and between disparate population groups affected by their unique socioenvironmental factors. This is of immediate academic interest because the study of heat waves risk perceptions remains relatively unexplored - despite the intensification of extreme heat events. The use of "human sensors", georeferenced & timestamped individual response data, provides invaluable contextualized data at a high spatial resolution, which will enable policy-makers to more effectively implement targeted strategies for risk prevention, mitigation, and communication. As climate change risks are further defined, this cognizance will help identify vulnerable populations and enhance national hazard preparedness and recovery frameworks.

Maker Principles and Technologies in Teacher Education: A National Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Jonathan

2017-01-01

Broadly speaking, the maker movement is characterized by people who engage in the construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction of physical artifacts, and who share both the process of making and their physical products with the broader community of makers. There is growing sentiment that elements of the maker movement have the capability of…

77 FR 18875 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change To Amend...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-28

... floor trades executed by Floor Market Makers [sic] a designated Trading Zone, not just those to which... Makers are not appointed to a designated Trading Zone, they are subject to certain Market Maker... effected on the Trading Floor to count toward the Market Maker's appointment trading requirement and to...

MAKER-P: a tool-kit for the creation, management, and quality control of plant genome annotations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We have optimized and extended the widely used annotation-engine MAKER for use on plant genomes. We have benchmarked the resulting software, MAKER-P, using the A. thaliana genome and the TAIR10 gene models. Here we demonstrate the ability of the MAKER-P toolkit to generate de novo repeat databases, ...

Physical Computing for STEAM Education: Maker-Educators' Experiences in an Online Graduate Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsu, Yu-Chang; Ching, Yu-Hui; Baldwin, Sally

2018-01-01

This research explored how K-16 educators learned physical computing, and developed as maker-educators in an online graduate course. With peer support and instructor guidance, these educators designed maker projects using Scratch and Makey Makey, and developed educational maker proposals with plans of teaching the topics of their choice in STEAM…

78 FR 24271 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-24

... Rule Change To Amend the Market Maker Plus Rebate Program April 18, 2013. Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1... Terms of Substance of the Proposed Rule Change The ISE proposes to amend the Market Maker Plus rebate... following categories of market participants: (i) Market Maker; \\4\\ (ii) Market Maker Plus; (iii) [[Page...

77 FR 66204 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX BX, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-02

... market makers on other exchanges will not have a negative effect on BX Options investors and traders... Relating to Elimination of Market Maker Pre-Opening Obligations on BX Options October 26, 2012. Pursuant to... Chapter VII, Section 6 (Market Maker Quotations), to eliminate market maker pre- opening obligations on BX...

Longitudinal study of changing psychological outcomes following the Victorian Black Saturday bushfires.

PubMed

Bryant, Richard A; Gibbs, Lisa; Gallagher, Hugh Colin; Pattison, Phillipa; Lusher, Dean; MacDougall, Colin; Harms, Louise; Block, Karen; Sinnott, Vikki; Ireton, Greg; Richardson, John; Forbes, David

2017-06-01

To map the changing prevalence and predictors of psychological outcomes in affected communities 5 years following the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria. Follow-up assessment of longitudinal cohort study in high, medium and non-affected communities in Victoria, Australia. Participants included 1017 respondents (Wave 1) interviewed via telephone and web-based survey between December 2011 and January 2013, and 735 (76.1%) eligible participants were retested between July and November 2014 (Wave 2). The survey included measures of fire-related and subsequent stressful events, probable posttraumatic stress disorder, major depressive episode, alcohol use and severe distress. There were reduced rates of fire-related posttraumatic stress disorder (8.7% vs 12.1%), general posttraumatic stress disorder (14.7% vs 18.2%), major depressive episode (9.0% vs 10.9%) and serious mental illness (5.4% vs 7.8%). Rates of resilience increased over time (81.8% vs 77.1%), and problem alcohol use remained high across Wave 1 (22.1%) and Wave 2 (21.4%). The most robust predictor of later development of fire-related posttraumatic stress disorder (odds ratio: 2.11; 95% confidence interval: [1.22, 3.65]), general posttraumatic stress disorder (odds ratio: 3.15; 95% confidence interval: [1.98, 5.02]), major depressive episode (odds ratio: 2.86; 95% confidence interval: [1.74, 4.70]), serious mental illness (odds ratio: 2.67; 95% confidence interval: [0.57, 1.72]) or diminished resilience (odds ratio: 2.01; 95% confidence interval: [1.32, 3.05]) was extent of recent life stressors. Although rates of mental health problems diminished over time, they remained higher than national levels. Findings suggest that policy-makers need to recognize that the mental health consequences of disasters can persist for many years after the event and need to allocate resources towards those who are most at risk as a result of substantive losses and ongoing life stressors.

Determinants of the spatiotemporal dynamics of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic in Europe: implications for real-time modelling.

PubMed

Merler, Stefano; Ajelli, Marco; Pugliese, Andrea; Ferguson, Neil M

2011-09-01

Influenza pandemics in the last century were characterized by successive waves and differences in impact and timing between different regions, for reasons not clearly understood. The 2009 H1N1 pandemic showed rapid global spread, but with substantial heterogeneity in timing within each hemisphere. Even within Europe substantial variation was observed, with the UK being unique in experiencing a major first wave of transmission in early summer and all other countries having a single major epidemic in the autumn/winter, with a West to East pattern of spread. Here we show that a microsimulation model, parameterised using data about H1N1pdm collected by the beginning of June 2009, explains the occurrence of two waves in UK and a single wave in the rest of Europe as a consequence of timing of H1N1pdm spread, fluxes of travels from US and Mexico, and timing of school vacations. The model provides a description of pandemic spread through Europe, depending on intra-European mobility patterns and socio-demographic structure of the European populations, which is in broad agreement with observed timing of the pandemic in different countries. Attack rates are predicted to depend on the socio-demographic structure, with age dependent attack rates broadly agreeing with available serological data. Results suggest that the observed heterogeneity can be partly explained by the between country differences in Europe: marked differences in school calendars, mobility patterns and sociodemographic structures. Moreover, higher susceptibility of children to infection played a key role in determining the epidemiology of the 2009 pandemic. Our work shows that it would have been possible to obtain a broad-brush prediction of timing of the European pandemic well before the autumn of 2009, much more difficult to achieve with simpler models or pre-pandemic parameterisation. This supports the use of models accounting for the structure of complex modern societies for giving insight to policy makers.

The Protective Role of Coastal Marshes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Shepard, Christine C.; Crain, Caitlin M.; Beck, Michael W.

2011-01-01

Background Salt marshes lie between many human communities and the coast and have been presumed to protect these communities from coastal hazards by providing important ecosystem services. However, previous characterizations of these ecosystem services have typically been based on a small number of historical studies, and the consistency and extent to which marshes provide these services has not been investigated. Here, we review the current evidence for the specific processes of wave attenuation, shoreline stabilization and floodwater attenuation to determine if and under what conditions salt marshes offer these coastal protection services. Methodology/Principal Findings We conducted a thorough search and synthesis of the literature with reference to these processes. Seventy-five publications met our selection criteria, and we conducted meta-analyses for publications with sufficient data available for quantitative analysis. We found that combined across all studies (n = 7), salt marsh vegetation had a significant positive effect on wave attenuation as measured by reductions in wave height per unit distance across marsh vegetation. Salt marsh vegetation also had a significant positive effect on shoreline stabilization as measured by accretion, lateral erosion reduction, and marsh surface elevation change (n = 30). Salt marsh characteristics that were positively correlated to both wave attenuation and shoreline stabilization were vegetation density, biomass production, and marsh size. Although we could not find studies quantitatively evaluating floodwater attenuation within salt marshes, there are several studies noting the negative effects of wetland alteration on water quantity regulation within coastal areas. Conclusions/Significance Our results show that salt marshes have value for coastal hazard mitigation and climate change adaptation. Because we do not yet fully understand the magnitude of this value, we propose that decision makers employ natural systems to maximize the benefits and ecosystem services provided by salt marshes and exercise caution when making decisions that erode these services. PMID:22132099

Voices of decision makers on evidence-based policy: A case of evolving TB/HIV co-infection policy in India.

PubMed

Reddy, K Srikanth; Sahay, Seema

2016-01-01

This study explores decision makers' perspectives on evidence-based policy (EBP) development using the case of TB/HIV co-infection in India. Twelve in-depth interviews were conducted with purposively selected key national and international policy decision makers in India. Verbatim transcripts were processed and analysed thematically using QSR (NUD*IST 6). The decision makers were unequivocal in recognizing the TB/HIV co-infection as an important public health issue in India and stated the problem to be different than Africa. The need of having a "third programme" for co-infection was not felt. According to them, the public health management of this co-infection must be within the realm of these two programmes. The study also emphasized on decision makers' perspectives on evidence and the process of utilization of evidence for decision-making for co-infection. Study findings showed global evidence was not always accepted by the decision makers and study shows several examples of decision makers demanding local evidence for policy decisions. Decision makers did make interim policies based on global evidence but most of the time their mandate was to get local evidence. Thus, operations research/implementation science especially multi-centric studies emerge as important strategy for EBP development. Researcher-policy maker interface was a gap where role of researcher as aggressive communicator of research findings was expected.

49 CFR 1503.659 - Petition to reconsider or modify a final decision and order of the TSA decision maker on appeal.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... and order of the TSA decision maker on appeal. 1503.659 Section 1503.659 Transportation Other... Practice in TSA Civil Penalty Actions § 1503.659 Petition to reconsider or modify a final decision and order of the TSA decision maker on appeal. (a) General. Any party may petition the TSA decision maker to...

Evaluating and Using Observational Evidence: The Contrasting Views of Policy Makers and Epidemiologists.

PubMed

O'Donoughue Jenkins, Lily; Kelly, Paul M; Cherbuin, Nicolas; Anstey, Kaarin J

2016-01-01

Currently, little is known about the types of evidence used by policy makers. This study aimed to investigate how policy makers in the health domain use and evaluate evidence and how this differs from academic epidemiologists. By having a better understanding of how policy makers select, evaluate, and use evidence, academics can tailor the way in which that evidence is produced, potentially leading to more effective knowledge translation. An exploratory mixed-methods study design was used. Quantitative measures were collected via an anonymous online survey ( n  = 28), with sampling from three health-related government and non-government organizations. Semi-structured interviews with policy makers ( n  = 20) and epidemiologists ( n  = 6) were conducted to gather qualitative data. Policy makers indicated systematic reviews were the preferred research resource (19%), followed closely by qualitative research (16%). Neither policy makers nor epidemiologists used grading instruments to evaluate evidence. In the web survey, policy makers reported that consistency and strength of evidence (93%), the quality of data (93%), bias in the evidence (79%), and recency of evidence (79%) were the most important factors taken into consideration when evaluating the available evidence. The same results were found in the qualitative interviews. Epidemiologists focused on the methodology used in the study. The most cited barriers to using robust evidence, according to policy makers, were political considerations (60%), time limitations (55%), funding (50%), and research not being applicable to current policies (50%). The policy maker's investigation did not report a systematic approach to evaluating evidence. Although there was some overlap between what policy makers and epidemiologists identified as high-quality evidence, there was also some important differences. This suggests that the best scientific evidence may not routinely be used in the development of policy. In essence, the policy-making process relied on other jurisdictions' policies and the opinions of internal staff members as primary evidence sources to inform policy decisions. Findings of this study suggest that efforts should be directed toward making scientific information more systematically available to policy makers.

Factors influencing decision regret regarding placement of a PEG among substitute decision-makers of older persons in Japan: a prospective study.

PubMed

Kuraoka, Yumiko; Nakayama, Kazuhiro

2017-06-28

A tube feeding decision aid designed at the Ottawa Health Research Institute was specifically created for substitute decision-makers who must decide whether to allow placement of a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube in a cognitively impaired older person. We developed a Japanese version and found that the decision aid promoted the decision-making process of substitute decision-makers to decrease decisional conflict and increase knowledge. However, the factors that influence decision regret among substitute decision-makers were not measured after the decision was made. The objective of this study was to explore the factors that influence decision regret among substitute decision-makers 6 months after using a decision aid for PEG placement. In this prospective study, participants comprised substitute decision-makers for 45 inpatients aged 65 years and older who were being considered for placement of a PEG tube in hospitals, nursing homes and patients' homes in Japan. The Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) was used to evaluate decisional conflict among substitute decision-makers immediately after deciding whether to introduce tube feeding and the Decision Regret Scale (DRS) was used to evaluate decisional regret among substitute decision-makers 6 months after they made their decision. Normalized scores were evaluated and analysis of variance was used to compare groups. The results of the multiple regression analysis suggest that PEG placement (P < .01) and decision conflict (P < .001) are explanatory factors of decision regret regarding placement of a PEG among substitute decision-makers. PEG placement and decision conflict immediately after deciding whether to allow PEG placement have an influence on decision regret among substitute decision-makers after 6 months.

Appropriate prescribing in nursing homes demonstration project (APDP) study protocol: pragmatic, cluster-randomized trial and mixed methods process evaluation of an Ontario policy-maker initiative to improve appropriate prescribing of antipsychotics.

PubMed

Desveaux, Laura; Gomes, Tara; Tadrous, Mina; Jeffs, Lianne; Taljaard, Monica; Rogers, Jess; Bell, Chaim M; Ivers, Noah M

2016-03-29

Antipsychotic medications are routinely prescribed in nursing homes to address the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Unfortunately, inappropriate prescribing of antipsychotic medications is common and associated with increased morbidity, adverse drug events, and hospitalizations. Multifaceted interventions can achieve a 12-20 % reduction in antipsychotic prescribing levels in nursing homes. Effective interventions have featured educational outreach and ongoing performance feedback. This pragmatic, cluster-randomized control trial and embedded process evaluation seeks to determine the effect of adding academic detailing to audit and feedback on prescribing of antipsychotic medications in nursing homes, compared with audit and feedback alone. Nursing homes within pre-determined regions of Ontario, Canada, are eligible if they express an interest in the intervention. The academic detailing intervention will be delivered by registered health professionals following an intensive training program including relevant clinical issues and techniques to support health professional behavior change. Physicians in both groups will have the opportunity to access confidential reports summarizing their prescribing patterns for antipsychotics in comparison to the local and provincial average. Participating homes will be allocated to one of the two arms of the study (active/full intervention versus standard audit and feedback) in two waves, with a 2:1 allocation ratio. Homes will be randomized after stratifying for geography, baseline antipsychotic prescription rates, and size, to ensure a balance of characteristics. The primary outcome is antipsychotic dispensing in nursing homes, measured 6 months after allocation; secondary outcomes include clinical outcomes and healthcare utilization. Policy-makers and the public have taken note that antipsychotics are used in nursing homes in Ontario far more than other jurisdictions. Academic detailing can be an effective technique to address challenges in appropriate prescribing in nursing homes, but effect sizes vary widely. This opportunistic, policy-driven evaluation, embedded within a government-initiated demonstration project, was designed to ensure policy-makers receive the best evidence possible regarding whether and how to scale up the intervention. ClinicalTrials.gov NLM Identifier: NCT02604056 .

A longitudinal analysis of burnout in middle and high school Korean teachers.

PubMed

Park, Yang Min; Lee, Sang Min

2013-12-01

This study examines longitudinal relationships among three burnout dimensions in middle and high school teachers. For this study, 419 middle and high school teachers participated in a panel survey, which was conducted in three waves. Using Amos 7.0, we performed autoregressive cross-lagged modeling to obtain a complete picture of the longitudinal relationships among the three factors of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educator Survey. Results indicated that the paths from emotional exhaustion at Time1 and Time2 to depersonalization at Time2 and Time3 were statistically significant. In addition, the paths from personal accomplishment at Time1 and Time2 to depersonalization at Time2 and Time3 were also statistically significant. Empirically identifying the process by which burnout occurs could help practitioners and policy makers to design burnout prevention strategies. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The acoustics of the echo cornet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pyle, Robert W., Jr.; Klaus, Sabine K.

2002-11-01

The echo cornet was an instrument produced by a number of makers in several countries from about the middle of the nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries. It consists of an ordinary three-valve cornet to which a fourth valve has been added, downstream of the three normal valves. The extra valve diverts the airstream from the normal bell to an ''echo'' bell that gives a muted tone quality. Although the air column through the echo bell is typically 15 cm longer than the path through the normal bell, there is no appreciable change of playing pitch when the echo bell is in use. Acoustic input impedance and impulse response measurements and consideration of the standing-wave pattern within the echo bell show how this can be so. Acoustically, the echo bell is more closely related to hand-stopping on the French horn than to the mutes commonly used on the trumpet and cornet.

Assessment of the announced North Korean nuclear test using long-range atmospheric transport and dispersion modelling.

PubMed

De Meutter, Pieter; Camps, Johan; Delcloo, Andy; Termonia, Piet

2017-08-18

On 6 January 2016, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea announced to have conducted its fourth nuclear test. Analysis of the corresponding seismic waves from the Punggye-ri nuclear test site showed indeed that an underground man-made explosion took place, although the nuclear origin of the explosion needs confirmation. Seven weeks after the announced nuclear test, radioactive xenon was observed in Japan by a noble gas measurement station of the International Monitoring System. In this paper, atmospheric transport modelling is used to show that the measured radioactive xenon is compatible with a delayed release from the Punggye-ri nuclear test site. An uncertainty quantification on the modelling results is given by using the ensemble method. The latter is important for policy makers and helps advance data fusion, where different nuclear Test-Ban-Treaty monitoring techniques are combined.

Tsunami Evacuation Plan for the City of Tangier-Morocco

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benchekroun, Sabah; Omira, Rachid; Baptista, Maria Ana; Arbi Toto, El

2016-04-01

Tsunami evacuation plan is an important tool to mitigate the tsunami impact. It is the most efficient way to save human lives, well before the waves reach the threatened coastal area, by providing evacuation routes and appropriate shelters. In this study, we propose a tsunami evacuation plan for the city of Tangier-Morocco. This plan is designed considering the tsunami threat from the tsunamigenic sources located in the SW Iberia Margin and using the inundation maps of the worst case to define the limit of flooding area. The evacuation plan is elaborated through modelling the required time for the threatened coastal population to reach the shelters. Results of this study will be useful for decision makers and local authorities in preventing the community resiliency for tsunami hazard. This work received funding from collaborative project ASTARTE - Assessment Strategy and Risk Reduction for Tsunamis in Europe Grant 603839, FP7.

Family Communication about End-of-Life Decisions and the Enactment of the Decision-Maker Role.

PubMed

Trees, April R; Ohs, Jennifer E; Murray, Meghan C

2017-06-07

End-of-life (EOL) decisions in families are complex and emotional sites of family interaction necessitating family members coordinate roles in the EOL decision-making process. How family members in the United States enact the decision-maker role in EOL decision situations was examined through in-depth interviews with 22 individuals who participated in EOL decision-making for a family member. A number of themes emerged from the data with regard to the enactment of the decision-maker role. Families varied in how decision makers enacted the role in relation to collective family input, with consulting, informing and collaborating as different patterns of behavior. Formal family roles along with gender- and age-based roles shaped who took on the decision-maker role. Additionally, both family members and medical professionals facilitated or undermined the decision-maker's role enactment. Understanding the structure and enactment of the decision-maker role in family interaction provides insight into how individuals and/or family members perform the decision-making role within a cultural context that values autonomy and self-determination in combination with collective family action in EOL decision-making.

SCIENCE, SCIENTISTS, AND POLICY ADVOCACY

EPA Science Inventory

To effectively resolve many current ecological policy issues, decision-makers require an array of scientific information. Sometimes scientific information is summarized for decision-makers by policy analysts or others, but often it comes directly from scientists to decision-maker...

Command Center Library Model Document. Comprehensive Approach to Reusable Defense Software (CARDS)

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-05-31

system, and functionality for specifying the layout of the document. 3.7.16.1 FrameMaker FrameMaker is a Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) component...facilitating WYSIWYG creation of formatted reports with embedded graphics. FrameMaker is an advanced publishing tool that integrates word processing...available for the component FrameMaker : * Product evaluation reports in ASCII and postscript formats • Product assessment on line in model 0 Product

Multiple Representation Document Development

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-08-06

Interleaf Pub- lishing System [6], or FrameMaker [5], formatting is an integral part of document editing. Here, the document is reformatted as it is edited...consider the task of laying out a page of windowed text. In a layout-driven WYSIWYG system like PageMaker [11], Ready-Set-Go! [12], or FrameMaker [5...in MSIWord, FrameMaker , and Tioga are all handled by a noninteractive off-line program. Direct manipulation, from the processing point of view

Getting Research to the Policy Table: A Qualitative Study With Public Health Researchers on Engaging With Policy Makers

PubMed Central

Dodson, Elizabeth A.; Fleischhacker, Sheila; Siddiqi, Sameer; Quinn, Emilee L.

2015-01-01

Introduction Little attention has been given to how researchers can best provide evidence to policy makers so that it informs policy making. The objectives of this study were to increase understanding about the current state of public health nutrition and obesity researcher practices, beliefs, barriers, and facilitators to communicating and engaging with policy makers, and to identify best practices and suggest improvements. Methods Eighteen semistructured interviews were conducted from 2011 to 2013 with public health nutrition and obesity researchers who were highly involved in communicating research to policy makers. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed to identify common themes. Results Study participants described wide variation in practices for communicating and engaging with policy makers and had mixed beliefs about whether and when researchers should engage. Besides a lack of formal policy communication training, barriers noted were promotion and tenure processes and a professional culture that does not value communicating and engaging with policy makers. Study participants cited facilitators to engaging with policy makers as ranging from the individual level (eg, desire to make a difference, relationships with collaborators) to the institutional level (eg, training/mentorship support, institutional recognition). Other facilitators identified were research- and funding-driven. Promising strategies suggested to improve policy engagement were more formal training, better use of intermediaries, and learning how to cultivate relationships with policy makers. Conclusion Study findings provide insights into the challenges that will need to be overcome and the strategies that might be tried to improve communication and engagement between public health researchers and policy makers. PMID:25927604

Getting research to the policy table: a qualitative study with public health researchers on engaging with policy makers.

PubMed

Otten, Jennifer J; Dodson, Elizabeth A; Fleischhacker, Sheila; Siddiqi, Sameer; Quinn, Emilee L

2015-04-30

Little attention has been given to how researchers can best provide evidence to policy makers so that it informs policy making. The objectives of this study were to increase understanding about the current state of public health nutrition and obesity researcher practices, beliefs, barriers, and facilitators to communicating and engaging with policy makers, and to identify best practices and suggest improvements. Eighteen semistructured interviews were conducted from 2011 to 2013 with public health nutrition and obesity researchers who were highly involved in communicating research to policy makers. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed to identify common themes. Study participants described wide variation in practices for communicating and engaging with policy makers and had mixed beliefs about whether and when researchers should engage. Besides a lack of formal policy communication training, barriers noted were promotion and tenure processes and a professional culture that does not value communicating and engaging with policy makers. Study participants cited facilitators to engaging with policy makers as ranging from the individual level (eg, desire to make a difference, relationships with collaborators) to the institutional level (eg, training/mentorship support, institutional recognition). Other facilitators identified were research- and funding-driven. Promising strategies suggested to improve policy engagement were more formal training, better use of intermediaries, and learning how to cultivate relationships with policy makers. Study findings provide insights into the challenges that will need to be overcome and the strategies that might be tried to improve communication and engagement between public health researchers and policy makers.

Bridging the Gap: Tailor-made Information Products for Decision Makers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandler, B. E.; Rose, C. A.; Gonzales, L. M.; Boland, M. A.

2016-12-01

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is launching a new information platform designed to link decision makers with information generated by geoscientific research. Decision makers, especially those at the state and local level, frequently need scientific information but do not always have easy access to it, while scientists create new knowledge but often lack opportunities to communicate this knowledge more broadly to the people who need it the most. Major differences in communication styles and language can also hinder the use of scientific information by decision makers. AGI is building an online portfolio of case studies and fact sheets that are based on cutting-edge research presented in a format and style that meets the needs and expectations of decision makers. Based on discussions with state and local decision makers around the country, AGI has developed a template for these products. Scientists are invited to write short (500-700-word) summaries of their research and the ways in which it provides useful tools and information to decision makers. We are particularly interested in showcasing actionable information derived from basic or applied research. Researchers are encouraged to contact AGI to discuss topics that may be an appropriate basis for case studies or fact sheets, and AGI may also contact researchers based on scientific needs identified during our discussions with decision makers. All submissions will be edited and reviewed by AGI staff and an external peer review team before being published online and made available to decision makers through AGI's Critical Issues web platform and extensive professional networks. Publicizing the results of scientific research to key legislative, regulatory, advisory, and engaged citizen groups and individuals broadens the impact of scientists' research and highlights the value and importance of the geosciences to society. By presenting the information in a format that is designed with the end-user in mind, this initiative provides a much-needed service to decision makers at all levels and serves the geoscience community by increasing the distribution and dissemination of research findings. We will discuss early results and challenges from this program, and feedback from state and local decision makers.

Learning through Making and Maker Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsu, Yu-Chang; Baldwin, Sally; Ching, Yu-Hui

2017-01-01

In this paper, we provide an overview of the current efforts in maker education, supported by a review of empirical studies. Our synthesis will inform the community about learning outcomes, potential and common issues, challenges, resources, and future research direction regarding maker education.

ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING FOR SMALL COMMUNITIES: A GUIDE FOR LOCAL DECISION-MAKERS

EPA Science Inventory

Environmental Planning for Small Communities - A Guide for Local Decision-Makers presents a process for creating and implementing a community environmental plan. With a comprehensive environmental plan, local decision-makers can create an integrated approach to protecting the env...

Analysis and Comparison of Various Requirements Management Tools for Use in the Shipbuilding Industry

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

such products as MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe FrameMaker , Claris FileMaker, Adobe PhotoShop and Adobe Illustrator, it is easy...Adobe FrameMaker , etc. Information can be exported out in the same formats as above plus HTML, MS PowerPoint, and MS Outlook. DOORS is very user...including Postscript, RTF (for PowerPoint), HTML, Interleaf, SVG, FrameMaker , HP LaserJet, HPGL, and EPS. Examples of such charts produced by DOORS

U.S. Geological Survey National Computer Technology Meeting: Program and Abstracts, Norfolk, Virginia, May 17-22, 1992

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-05-01

formats, and character formats that can easily integrate graphics and text into one document. FrameMaker is one of few ERP software programs that has...easier and faster using ERP software. The DIS-II ERP software program is FrameMaker by Frame Technology, Incorporated. FrameMaker uses the X window...functions, calculus, relations, and other complicated math applications. FrameMaker permits the user to define formats for master pages, reference pages

Attunement and alignment of people with schizophrenia and their preferred alternative decision-makers: An exploratory pilot study comparing treatment and research decisions.

PubMed

Roberts, Laura Weiss; Kim, Jane Paik

2015-12-01

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder that may affect the decisional capacity, and as a consequence, preferred alternative decision-makers may be engaged to help with clinical care and research-related choices. Ideally, alternative decision-makers will seek to make decisions that fit with the views and preferences of the ill individual. Few data exist, however, comparing the views of alternative decision-makers to those of individuals with schizophrenia. We conducted a written survey with individuals with schizophrenia living in a community setting, and a parallel survey with the person whom the ill individual identified as being a preferred alternative decision-maker. Complete data were obtained on 20 pairs (n = 40, total). Domains queried included (a) burden, happiness, and safety of the ill individual and of his or her family in treatment and research decisions and (b) importance of ethical principles in every day life. Two-sided paired t-tests and graphical summaries were used to compare responses. Individuals with schizophrenia and their linked preferred alternative decision-makers were attuned on four of six aspects of treatment decision-making and on all six aspects of research decision-making that we queried. The preferred alternative decision-makers overall demonstrated attunement to the views of the ill individuals in this small study. Ill individuals and their preferred alternative decision-makers were aligned in their views of ethically-salient aspects of every day life. These novel findings suggest that alternative decision-makers identified by ill individuals may be able to guide choices based on an accurate understanding of the ill individuals' views and values. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An evaluation of National Health Service England's Care Maker Programme: A mixed-methods analysis.

PubMed

Zubairu, Kate; Christiansen, Angela; Kirkcaldy, Andrew; Kirton, Jennifer A; Kelly, Carol A; Simpson, Paul; Gillespie, Andrea; Brown, Jeremy M

2017-12-01

To investigate the impact and sustainability of the Care Maker programme across England from the perspective of those involved in its delivery. The Care Maker programme was launched in England in 2013. It aims to support the "Compassion in Practice" strategy, with particular emphasis on the 6Cs of care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment. Care Makers were recruited in an ambassadorial role. The intention was to inspire individuals throughout the National Health Service in England to bridge national policy with those delivering care. A mixed methods design was chosen, but this article focuses on two of the four distinct empirical data collection phases undertaken as part of this evaluation: a questionnaire with Care Makers; and two case studies of separate National Health Service trust sites. Data were collected for this evaluation in 2015. An online questionnaire was distributed to the total population of Care Makers across the National Health Service in England. It included a combination of open and closed questions. The case studies involved semistructured telephone interviews with a range of professionals engaged with the Care Maker programme across the trust sites. Care Makers reported that participation in the programme had offered opportunities in terms of improving the quality-of-care provision in the workplace as well as contributing towards their own professional development. The Care Maker programme has supported and helped underpin the nursing, midwifery and care strategy "Compassion in Practice". This model of using volunteers to embed strategy and policy could potentially be used in other areas of clinical practice and indeed in other countries. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Is Twitter a forum for disseminating research to health policy makers?

PubMed

Kapp, Julie M; Hensel, Brian; Schnoring, Kyle T

2015-12-01

Findings from scientific research largely remain inside the scientific community. Research scientists are being encouraged to use social media, and especially Twitter, for dissemination of evidence. The potential for Twitter to narrow the gap on evidence translated into policy presents new opportunities. We explored the innovative question of the feasibility of Twitter as a tool for the scientific community to disseminate to and engage with health policy makers for research impact. We created a list of federal "health policy makers." In December 2014, we identified members using several data sources, then collected and summarized their Twitter usage data. Nearly all health policy makers had Twitter accounts. Their communication volume varied broadly. Policy makers are more likely to push information via Twitter than engage with constituents, although usage varied broadly. Twitter has the potential to aid the scientific community in dissemination of health-related research to health policy makers, after understanding how to effectively (and selectively) use Twitter. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Use of modified Delphi to plan knowledge translation for decision makers: an application in the field of advanced practice nursing.

PubMed

Carter, Nancy; Lavis, John N; MacDonald-Rencz, Sandra

2014-01-01

Disseminating research to decision makers is difficult. Interaction between researchers and decision makers can identify key messages and processes for dissemination. To gain agreement on the key findings from a synthesis on the integration of advanced practice nurses, we used a modified Delphi process. Nursing decision makers contributed ideas via e-mail, discussed and clarified ideas face to face, and then prioritized statements. Sixteen (89%) participated and 14 (77%) completed the final phase. Priority key messages were around access to care and outcomes. The majority identified "NPs increase access to care" and "NPs and CNSs improve patient and system outcomes" as priority messaging statements. Participants agreed policy makers and the public were target audiences for messages. Consulting with policy makers provided the necessary context to develop tailored policy messages and is a helpful approach for research dissemination. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Maker Cultures and the Prospects for Technological Action.

PubMed

Nascimento, Susana; Pólvora, Alexandre

2018-06-01

Supported by easier and cheaper access to tools and expanding communities, maker cultures are pointing towards the ideas of (almost) everyone designing, creating, producing and distributing renewed, new and improved products, machines, things or artefacts. A careful analysis of the assumptions and challenges of maker cultures emphasizes the relevance of what may be called technological action, that is, active and critical interventions regarding the purposes and applications of technologies within ordinary lives, thus countering the deterministic trends of current directions of technology. In such transformative potential, we will explore a set of elements what is and could be technological action through snapshots of maker cultures based on the empirical research conducted in three particular contexts: the Fab Lab Network, Maker Media core outputs and initiatives such as Maker Faires, and the Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA). Elements such as control and empowerment through material engagement, openness and sharing, and social, cultural, political and ethical values of the common good in topics such as diversity, sustainability and transparency, are critically analysed.

Targeting Continuing Medical Education on Decision Makers: Who Decides to Transfuse Blood?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodnough, Lawrence T.; And Others

1992-01-01

Staff communication patterns were observed during 13 open-heart surgeries to identify the transfusion decision makers. It was determined that targeting decision makers for continuing medical education would improve the quality of transfusion practice and increase the efficiency of continuing education. (SK)

How climate and weather affect the erosion risk in the northern Gulf of Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahl, T.; Plant, N. G.

2015-12-01

Oceanographic variables such as mean sea level, tides, storm surges, and waves are drivers of erosion, and they act on different time scales ranging from hours (associated with weather) to seasonal and decadal variations and trends (associated with climate). Here we explore how the related sea-state conditions affect the erosion risk in the northern Gulf of Mexico for past and future climate scenarios. From the climate perspective we find that long-term trends in the relevant variables have caused an increase of ~30% in the erosion risk since the 1980s; at least half of this increase was due to changes in the wave climate. In the next decades, sea level rise will likely become the dominating driver and may, in combination with ongoing changes in the wave climate (and depending on the emission scenario), escalate the erosion risk by up to 300% over the next 30 years. We also find significant changes in the seasonal cycles of sea level and significant wave height, which have in combination caused a considerable increase of the erosion risk in summer and decrease in winter (superimposed onto the long-term trends). The influence of weather is assessed with a copula-based multivariate sea storm model in a Monte-Carlo framework; i.e. we simulate hundreds of thousands of artificial but physically consistent sea-state conditions to quantify how different our understanding of the present day erosion risk would be if we had seen more or less extreme combinations of the different sea-state parameters over the last three decades. We find, for example, that total water levels (tide + surge + wave run-up) associated with 100-year return periods may be underestimated by up to 30% and that the average number of impact hours - when total water levels exceeded the height of the dune toe (collision) or dune crest (overwash) - could have been up to 50% higher than what we inferred based on the actually observed oceanographic conditions. Assessing erosion risk in such a probabilistic way while accounting for non-stationarity due to climate variability and change can help decision makers and planners to implement improved monitoring and adaptation strategies for long-term sustainability of the coastline and barrier islands.

Erosion risk in the northern Gulf of Mexico - the effects of climate and weather

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahl, Thomas; Plant, Nathaniel G.; Long, Joseph W.

2016-04-01

Oceanographic variables such as mean sea level, tides, storm surges, and waves are drivers of erosion, and they act on different time scales ranging from hours (associated with weather) to seasonal and decadal variations and trends (associated with climate). Here we explore how the related sea-state conditions affect the erosion risk in the northern Gulf of Mexico for past and future climate scenarios. From the climate perspective we find that long-term trends in the relevant variables have caused an increase of ~30% in the erosion risk since the 1980s; at least half of this increase was due to changes in the wave climate. In the next decades, sea level rise will likely become the dominating driver and may, in combination with ongoing changes in the wave climate (and depending on the emission scenario), escalate the erosion risk by up to 300% over the next 30 years. We also find significant changes in the seasonal cycles of sea level and significant wave height, which have in combination caused a considerable increase of the erosion risk in summer and decrease in winter (superimposed onto the long-term trends). The influence of weather is assessed with a copula-based multivariate sea storm model in a Monte-Carlo framework; i.e. we simulate hundreds of thousands of artificial but physically consistent sea-state conditions to quantify how different our understanding of the present day erosion risk would be if we had seen more or less extreme combinations of the different sea-state parameters over the last three decades. We find, for example, that total water levels (tide + surge + wave run-up) associated with 100-year return periods may be underestimated by up to 30% and that the average number of impact hours - when total water levels exceeded the height of the dune toe (collision) or dune crest (overwash) - could have been up to 50% higher than what we inferred based on the actually observed oceanographic conditions. Assessing erosion risk in such a probabilistic way while accounting for non-stationarity due to climate variability and change can help decision makers and planners to implement improved monitoring and adaptation strategies for long-term sustainability of the coastline and barrier islands.

Investigating the relationship between self-rated health and social capital in South Africa: a multilevel panel data analysis.

PubMed

Lau, Yan Kwan; Ataguba, John E

2015-03-19

The relationship between social capital and self-rated health has been documented in many developed compared to developing countries. Because social capital and health play important roles in development, it may be valuable to study their relationship in the context of a developing country with poorer health status. Further, the role of social capital research for health policy has not received much attention. This paper therefore examines the relationship between social capital and health in South Africa, a country with the history of colonialism and apartheid that has contributed to the social disintegration and destruction of social capital. This study uses data from the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS), the first nationally representative panel study in South Africa. Two waves of the NIDS were used in this paper--Wave 1 (2008) and Wave 2 (2010). Self-rated health, social capital (individual- and contextual-level), and other covariates related to the social determinants of health (SDH) were obtained from the NIDS. Individual-level social capital included group participation, personalised trust and generalised trust while contextual-level or neighbourhood-level social capital was obtained by aggregating from the individual-level and household-level social capital variables to the neighbourhood. Mixed effects models were fitted to predict self-rated health in Wave 2, using lagged covariates (from Wave 1). Individual personalised trust, individual community service group membership and neighbourhood personalised trust were beneficial to self-rated health. Reciprocity, associational activity and other types of group memberships were not found to be significantly associated with self-rated health in South Africa. Results indicate that both individual- and contextual-level social capital are associated with self-rated health. Policy makers may want to consider policies that impact socioeconomic conditions as well as social capital. Some of these policies are linked to the SDH. We contend that the significant social capital including community service membership can be encouraged through policy in a way that is in line with the values of the people. This is likely to impact on health and quality of life generally and lead to a reduction in the burden of disease in South Africa considering the historic context of the country.

17 CFR 242.204 - Close-out requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... clearing agency in any equity security that is attributable to bona fide market making activities by a registered market maker, options market maker, or other market maker obligated to quote in the over-the-counter market, the participant shall by no later than the beginning of regular trading hours on the third...

17 CFR 242.204 - Close-out requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... clearing agency in any equity security that is attributable to bona fide market making activities by a registered market maker, options market maker, or other market maker obligated to quote in the over-the-counter market, the participant shall by no later than the beginning of regular trading hours on the third...

17 CFR 242.204 - Close-out requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... clearing agency in any equity security that is attributable to bona fide market making activities by a registered market maker, options market maker, or other market maker obligated to quote in the over-the-counter market, the participant shall by no later than the beginning of regular trading hours on the third...

17 CFR 242.204 - Close-out requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... clearing agency in any equity security that is attributable to bona fide market making activities by a registered market maker, options market maker, or other market maker obligated to quote in the over-the-counter market, the participant shall by no later than the beginning of regular trading hours on the third...

17 CFR 242.204 - Close-out requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... clearing agency in any equity security that is attributable to bona fide market making activities by a registered market maker, options market maker, or other market maker obligated to quote in the over-the-counter market, the participant shall by no later than the beginning of regular trading hours on the third...

10 CFR 431.133 - Materials incorporated by reference.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT Automatic Commercial Ice Makers Test Procedures § 431.133 Materials..., (“AHRI 810”), Performance Rating of Automatic Commercial Ice-Makers, March 2011; IBR approved for §§ 431... Automatic Ice Makers, (including Errata Sheets issued April 8, 2010 and April 21, 2010), approved January 28...

10 CFR 431.133 - Materials incorporated by reference.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT Automatic Commercial Ice Makers Test Procedures § 431.133 Materials..., (“AHRI 810”), Performance Rating of Automatic Commercial Ice-Makers, March 2011; IBR approved for §§ 431... Automatic Ice Makers, (including Errata Sheets issued April 8, 2010 and April 21, 2010), approved January 28...

A Multiple-Representation Paradigm for Document Development

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-07-05

Write [10], MicroSoft ·word [99], PageMaker [4], Vent ura Pub- lisher [135], Interleaf Publishing System [78], FrameMaker [52] and more have alre ady...processing in FrameMaker , MicroSoft Word, and Ventura Publisher are all handled by a noninteractive off-line program. Direct manipulation, from the

Learning to Program with Game Maker

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Claire

2017-01-01

"Game Maker" is widely used in UK secondary schools, yet under-researched in that context. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative case study that explores how authoring computer games using "Game Maker" can support the learning of basic programming concepts in a mainstream UK secondary setting. The research draws on…

Method of predicting a change in an economy

DOEpatents

Pryor, Richard J [Albuquerque, NM; Basu, Nipa [Albany, NY

2006-01-10

An economy whose activity is to be predicted comprises a plurality of decision makers. Decision makers include, for example, households, government, industry, and banks. The decision makers are represented by agents, where an agent can represent one or more decision makers. Each agent has decision rules that determine the agent's actions. Each agent can affect the economy by affecting variable conditions characteristic of the economy or the internal state of other agents. Agents can communicate actions through messages. On a multiprocessor computer, the agents can be assigned to processing elements.

U.S. Geological Survey National Computer Technology Meeting (7th): Program and Abstracts, Held in New Orleans, Louisiana, April 10-15, 1994

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-01-01

Magnolia Room 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm FrameMaker Techniques - Moderator, Terry A. Reinitz, USGS, WRD, Reston, Va. Wednesday, April 13,1994 7:30 am...Maker Interchange Format (MIF) strings, to an MIF file. The MIF file is imported into a blank FrameMaker template, creating a word-processor-formatted...draft to camera-ready stages using Data General workstations and software packages that include FrameMaker , CorelDRAW, USGS-G2, Statit, and

Development of a Comprehensive Seismic Yield Estimation System for Underground Nuclear Explosions

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-05-01

Inc. SPOT data are copyrighted by CNES (1986,1987). UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T Bell Laboratories. FrameMaker is a registered trademark of...interface to the desktop publishing package FrameMaker , version 3.0 X, which allows the user to generate, edit and print a report of the analysis. Startup...if you’re sure. 3. Logout of UNIX at the console. FrameMaker Instructions FrameMaker version 3.0 X or later must be set up on the Sun work- station as

Plan for DoD Wide Demonstrations of a DoD Improved Interactive Electronic Technical Manual (IETM) Architecture

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-07-01

all the MS Word files into FrameMaker + SGML format and use the FrameMaker application to SGML tag all of the data in accordance with the Army TM...Document Type Definitions (DTDs) in MIL-STD- 2361. The edited SGML tagged files are saved as PDF files for delivery to the field. The FrameMaker ...as TIFF files and being imported into FrameMaker prior to saving the TMs as PDF files. Since the hardware to be used by the AN/PPS-5 technician is

It's All in the Lens: Differences in Views on Obesity Prevention between Advocates and Policy Makers

PubMed Central

Jones, Ellen; Nguyen, Leah; Kong, Jooyoung; Brownson, Ross C.; Bailey, Jessica H.

2012-01-01

Abstract Background: Intervention strategies to reduce obesity include policy and environmental changes that are designed to provide opportunities, support, and cues to help people develop healthier behaviors. Policy changes at the state level are one way to influence access, social norms, and opportunities for better nutrition and increased physical activity among the population. Methods: Ten states were selected for a broad variance in obesity rates and number of enacted obesity prevention policies during the years of 2006–2009. Within the selected states, a purely qualitative study of attitudes of childhood obesity policy using semistructured telephone interviews was conducted. Interviews were conducted with state policy makers who serve on public health committees. A set of six states that had more than eight childhood obesity policies enacted were selected for subsequent qualitative interviews with a convenience sample of well-established advocates. Results: Policy makers in states where there was more childhood obesity policy action believed in the evidence behind obesity policy proposals. Policy makers also varied in the perception of obesity as a constituent priority. The major differences between advocates and policy makers included a disconnect in information dissemination, opposition, and effectiveness of these policies. Conclusions: The findings from this study show differences in perceptions among policy makers in states with a greater number of obesity prevention bills enacted. There are differences among policy makers and advocates regarding the role and effectiveness of state policy on obesity prevention. This presents an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to improve communication and translation of evidence to policy makers, particularly in states with low legislation. PMID:22799551

77 FR 42036 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-17

... Market Maker,\\5\\ Firm Proprietary and Customer (Professional) \\6\\ orders; and (ii) $0.78 per contract for Non-ISE Market Maker \\7\\ orders. Priority Customer \\8\\ orders are not charged a ``taker'' fee for... Proprietary and Customer (Professional) orders. Priority Customer orders are not charged a ``maker'' fee for...

Makification: Towards a Framework for Leveraging the Maker Movement in Formal Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Jonathan; Jones, W. Monty; Smith, Shaunna; Calandra, Brendan

2017-01-01

Maker culture is part of a burgeoning movement in which individuals leverage modern digital technologies to produce and share physical artifacts with a broader community. Certain components of the maker movement, if properly leveraged, hold promise for transforming formal education in a variety of contexts. The authors here work towards a…

Using Cognitive Conflict to Promote the Use of Dialectical Learning for Strategic Decision-Makers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woods, Jeffrey G.

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual model that uses dialectical inquiry (DI) to create cognitive conflict in strategic decision-makers for the purpose of improving strategic decisions. Activation of the dialectical learning process using DI requires strategic decision-makers to integrate conflicting information causing…

Developing a Pedagogy of "Making" through Collaborative Self-Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bullock, Shawn M.; Sator, Andrea

2018-01-01

We believe that the ideas associated with the Maker Movement have profound implications for teacher education. We have isolated the pedagogical principles of hack, adapt, design, and create as central to exploring how they work with teacher candidate participants in a maker pedagogy lab. We frame these ideas as Maker Pedagogy, which is the…

78 FR 49311 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Order Approving Proposed...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-13

... to provide market makers with a risk management tool to assist managing the financial exposure of... the management of financial risk exposure could enable market makers to enter quotations with larger... Maker Risk Parameters and Complex Orders August 7, 2013. I. Introduction On June 5, 2013, the...

78 FR 69491 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-19

... Change Relating to Market Maker Appointment Cost Rebalances November 13, 2013. Pursuant to Section 19(b... its rules regarding Market-Maker appointment cost rebalances. The text of the proposed rule change is... amend its rules regarding Market-Maker appointment cost rebalances. Appointments to act as a Market...

76 FR 48925 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-09

...-based market making interface on its options trading platform (``NOM''). Market makers use this... in order to offer an additional market making interface choice to NASDAQ market makers. The proposed bulk-quoting market making interface will be used by market makers to submit and update their...

78 FR 58578 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; BATS Y-Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-24

... Maker Quoter functionality optionally created a quotation for display to comply with market making... meeting their Exchange market making obligations. Retirement of the Market Maker Quoter At the time of... Proposed Rule Change The Exchange filed a proposal to eliminate reference to a Market Maker order...

75 FR 42809 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-22

.../taker fees currently apply to the following categories of market participants: (i) Market Maker; (ii) Market Maker Plus; \\4\\ (iii) Non-ISE Market Maker; \\5\\ (iv) Firm Proprietary; (v) Customer (Professional... (``PHLX''). PHLX currently charges a fee for removing liquidity to the following class of market...

75 FR 26830 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-12

... to the following categories of market participants: (i) Market Maker; (ii) Market Maker Plus; \\6\\ (iii) Non-ISE Market Maker; \\7\\ (iv) Firm Proprietary; (v) Customer (Professional); \\8\\ (vi) Priority... currently charges a fee for removing liquidity to the following class of market participants: (i) Customer...

75 FR 36134 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-24

... categories of market participants: (i) Market Maker; (ii) Market Maker Plus; \\4\\ (iii) Non-ISE Market Maker... removing liquidity to the following class of market participants: (i) Customer, (ii) Directed Participant... provides a rebate for adding liquidity to the following class of market participants: (i) Customer, (ii...

75 FR 54682 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-08

... categories of market participants: (i) Market Maker; (ii) Market Maker Plus; \\4\\ (iii) Non-ISE Market Maker... charges a fee for removing liquidity to the following class of market participants: (i) Customer, (ii...) Professional. PHLX also provides a rebate for adding liquidity to the following class of market participants...

10 CFR 431.134 - Uniform test methods for the measurement of energy consumption and water consumption of automatic...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... consumption and water consumption of automatic commercial ice makers. 431.134 Section 431.134 Energy... EQUIPMENT Automatic Commercial Ice Makers Test Procedures § 431.134 Uniform test methods for the measurement of energy consumption and water consumption of automatic commercial ice makers. (a) Scope. This...

Tools for Requirements Management: A Comparison of Telelogic DOORS and the HiVe

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-07-01

types DOORS deals with are text files, spreadsheets, FrameMaker , rich text, Microsoft Word and Microsoft Project. 2.5.1 Predefined file formats DOORS...during the export. DOORS exports FrameMaker files in an incomplete format, meaning DOORS exported files will have to be opened in FrameMaker and saved

Design, Development, and Testing of a Network Frequency Selection Service (NFSS)

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-02-14

mercial simulation software (Sim++), word processor ( FrameMaker ), editor (Gnu Emacs), software ver- sion control (Revision Control System (RCS)), system...of FrameMaker ".mif" files. When viewed using FrameMaker or a PostScript reader, each page of results appears as two columns by four rows of graphics

49 CFR 1503.657 - Appeal from initial decision.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... AND ENFORCEMENT PROCEDURES Rules of Practice in TSA Civil Penalty Actions § 1503.657 Appeal from... order of the TSA decision maker have been entered on the record. (b) Issues on appeal. A party may... appeal with the consent of the TSA decision maker. If the TSA decision maker grants an extension of time...

76 FR 2170 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-12

... to market participants that add or remove liquidity from the Exchange (``maker/taker fees'') in 100... contract for Market Maker, Market Maker Plus,\\4\\ Firm Proprietary and Customer (Professional) \\5\\ orders... Customer \\7\\ orders for 100 or more contracts. Priority Customer orders for less than 100 contracts are not...

77 FR 74902 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; BOX Options Exchange LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-18

... exchanges will not have a negative effect on BOX market participants and investors. In particular, the... Proposed Rule Change To Eliminate Market Maker Pre-Opening Obligations on BOX December 12, 2012. Pursuant... ``Exchange'') proposes to amend Rule 8050 (Market Maker Quotations) to eliminate market maker pre-opening...

The Maker Movement, the Promise of Higher Education, and the Future of Work

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wigner, Aubrey

The 21st century will be the site of numerous changes in education systems in response to a rapidly evolving technological environment where existing skill sets and career structures may cease to exist or, at the very least, change dramatically. Likewise, the nature of work will also change to become more automated and more technologically intensive across all sectors, from food service to scientific research. Simply having technical expertise or the ability to process and retain facts will in no way guarantee success in higher education or a satisfying career. Instead, the future will value those educated in a way that encourages collaboration with technology, critical thinking, creativity, clear communication skills, and strong lifelong learning strategies. These changes pose a challenge for higher education's promise of employability and success post-graduation. Addressing how to prepare students for a technologically uncertain future is challenging. One possible model for education to prepare students for the future of work can be found within the Maker Movement. However, it is not fully understood what parts of this movement are most meaningful to implement in education more broadly, and higher education in particular. Through the qualitative analysis of nearly 160 interviews of adult makers, young makers and young makers' parents, this dissertation unpacks how makers are learning, what they are learning, and how these qualities are applicable to education goals and the future of work in the 21st century. This research demonstrates that makers are learning valuable skills to prepare them for the future of work in the 21st century. Makers are learning communication skills, technical skills in fabrication and design, and developing lifelong learning strategies that will help prepare them for life in an increasingly technologically integrated future. This work discusses what aspects of the Maker Movement are most important for integration into higher education.

Market microstructure matters when imposing a Tobin tax-Evidence from the lab.

PubMed

Kirchler, Michael; Huber, Jürgen; Kleinlercher, Daniel

2011-12-01

TRADING IN FX MARKETS IS DOMINATED BY TWO MICROSTRUCTURES: exchanges with market makers and OTC-markets without market makers. Using laboratory experiments we test whether the impact of a Tobin tax is different in these two market microstructures. We find that (i) in markets without market makers an unilaterally imposed Tobin tax (i.e. a tax haven exists) increases volatility. (ii) In contrast, in markets with market makers we observe a decrease in volatility in unilaterally taxed markets. (iii) An encompassing Tobin tax has no impact on volatility in either setting. Efficiency does not vary significantly across tax regimes.

Taking off the white coat: can family members who are physicians be good surrogate decision-makers?

PubMed

Issa, Amalia M

2002-05-01

The challenges inherent in physicians treating members of their own families are well known. However, the issues related to physicians acting as surrogate decision-makers on behalf of relatives have not been addressed. The growing number of older persons will increase the need not only for healthcare resources, but also for physicians to act on behalf of incapacitated family members as surrogate decision-makers. In this paper, some of the clinical and ethical tensions evoked by physicians serving as surrogate decision-makers for family members are explored. Some recommendations for managing these tensions are suggested.

Good decision-making is associated with an adaptive cardiovascular response to social competitive stress.

PubMed

Alacreu-Crespo, Adrián; Costa, Raquel; Abad-Tortosa, Diana; Salvador, Alicia; Serrano, Miguel Ángel

2018-06-22

Competition elicits different psychological and cardiovascular responses depending on a person's skills. Decision-making has been considered a distal factor that influences competition, but there are no studies analyzing this relationship. Our objective was to analyze whether decision-making affects the response to competition. Specifically, we aimed to test whether good performers on a decision-making test, the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), showed an adaptive cardiovascular response to competition. In all, 116 participants (44 women) performed the IGT and were classified into Good or Poor decision-makers. Subsequently, they were exposed to a stress task in two different conditions: a face-to-face competition (winners/losers) or a control condition, while an electrocardiogram was recorded. In the competition group, good decision-makers increased their high-frequency respect to the total heart rate variability (HF/HRV) levels during the task, compared to Poor decision-makers. Again, competition group good decision-makers, showed lower LF and higher HF/HRV reactivity than the control group, which represents lower HRV stress pattern. Moreover, in the group of losers, good decision-makers had a decline in low frequency (LF) during the task and faster recovery than poor decision-makers. In conclusion, good decision-makers have a more adaptive stress response and higher levels of mental effort, based on total HRV interpretation. Decision-making skills could be a factor in a more adaptive cardiovascular response to competition.

Use of economic evaluation in decision making: evidence and recommendations for improvement.

PubMed

Simoens, Steven

2010-10-22

Information about the value for money of a medicine as derived from an economic evaluation can be used for decision-making purposes by policy makers, healthcare payers, healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical companies. This article illustrates the use of economic evaluation by decision makers and formulates a number of recommendations to enhance the use of such evaluations for decision-making purposes. Over the last decades, there has been a substantial increase in the number of economic evaluations assessing the value for money of medicines. Economic evaluation is used by policy makers and healthcare payers to inform medicine pricing/reimbursement decisions in more and more countries. It is a suitable tool to evaluate medicines and to present information about their value for money to decision makers in a familiar format. In order to fully exploit the use of economic evaluation for decision-making purposes, researchers need to take care to conduct such economic evaluations according to methodologically sound principles. Additionally, researchers need to take into account the decision-making context. They need to identify the various objectives that decision makers pursue and discuss how decision makers can use study findings to attain these objectives. These issues require further attention from researchers, policy makers, healthcare payers, healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical companies with a view to optimizing the use of economic evaluation in decision making.

Communicating the Needs of Climate Change Policy Makers to Scientists

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Molly E.; Escobar, Vanessa M.; Lovell, Heather

2012-01-01

This chapter will describe the challenges that earth scientists face in developing science data products relevant to decision maker and policy needs, and will describe strategies that can improve the two-way communication between the scientist and the policy maker. Climate change policy and decision making happens at a variety of scales - from local government implementing solar homes policies to international negotiations through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Scientists can work to provide data at these different scales, but if they are not aware of the needs of decision makers or understand what challenges the policy maker is facing, they are likely to be less successful in influencing policy makers as they wished. This is because the science questions they are addressing may be compelling, but not relevant to the challenges that are at the forefront of policy concerns. In this chapter we examine case studies of science-policy partnerships, and the strategies each partnership uses to engage the scientist at a variety of scales. We examine three case studies: the global Carbon Monitoring System pilot project developed by NASA, a forest biomass mapping effort for Silvacarbon project, and a forest canopy cover project being conducted for forest management in Maryland. In each of these case studies, relationships between scientists and policy makers were critical for ensuring the focus of the science as well as the success of the decision-making.

77 FR 35727 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-14

... categories: ISE Market Maker,\\6\\ Market Maker Plus,\\7\\ Firm Proprietary, Customer (Professional),\\8\\ Non-ISE Market Maker,\\9\\ and Priority Customer.\\10\\ The Exchange is proposing to increase certain rebate amounts... Customer (Professional) is a person who is not a broker/ dealer and is not a Priority Customer. \\9\\ A Non...

Learning from the Parallel Pathways of Makers to Broaden Pathways to Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foster, Christina; Wigner, Aubrey; Lande, Micah; Jordan, Shawn S.

2018-01-01

Background: Makers are a growing community of STEM-minded people who bridge technical and non-technical backgrounds to imagine, build and fabricate engineering systems. Some have engineering training, some do not. This paper presents a study to explore the educational pathways of adult Makers and how they intersect with engineering. This research…

75 FR 34499 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-17

... maker/taker pricing program. The text of the proposed rule change is available on the Exchange's Web... qualification standards for market makers to receive a rebate under the Exchange's maker/taker pricing program... trading month for series trading between $0.03 and $5.00 in premium. \\8\\ The concept of incenting market...

77 FR 1757 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-11

... Rule Change Relating to a Market Maker Incentive Plan for Foreign Currency Options January 5, 2012... an incentive plan for market makers in a number of foreign currency options (``FX Options'') traded... proposed rule change is to extend an incentive plan for market makers in options on the New Zealand dollar...

76 FR 64136 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-17

... Rule Change Relating to a Market Maker Incentive Plan for Foreign Currency Options October 11, 2011... plan for market makers in a number of foreign currency options (``FX Options'') traded on the Exchange... change is to extend an incentive plan for market makers in options on the New Zealand dollar (``NZD...

78 FR 76339 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-17

... November 1, 2013 the Exchange further amended its Schedule of Fees to increase its Market Maker Plus rebate... Maker Plus and are affiliated with an Electronic Access Member that executes a total affiliated Priority Customer ADV of 200,000 contracts in a calendar month.\\4\\ When introducing this new Market Maker Plus...

75 FR 59316 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; National Stock Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing of a Proposed Rule...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-27

... To Enhance Quotation Requirements for Market Makers September 20, 2010. Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1... amend NSX Rule 11.8 to enhance quotation requirements for market makers. The text of the proposed rule... Maker Quote Obligations: The Exchange proposes to adopt rules to enhance minimum quotation requirements...

17 CFR 240.14e-5 - Prohibiting purchases outside of a tender offer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... making or principal purchases by such market maker or principal trader to the extent that this... principal for its own account if the dealer-manager or its affiliate is not a market maker, and the purchase... purchase are not made to facilitate the tender offer; (9) Purchases by connected exempt market makers or...

17 CFR 240.14e-5 - Prohibiting purchases outside of a tender offer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... making or principal purchases by such market maker or principal trader to the extent that this... principal for its own account if the dealer-manager or its affiliate is not a market maker, and the purchase... purchase are not made to facilitate the tender offer; (9) Purchases by connected exempt market makers or...

77 FR 52090 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE MKT LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-28

... Amending Rule 928NY To Expand the Existing Market Maker Risk Limitation Mechanism Making It Available for... risk. The Exchange believes that making the Risk Limitation Mechanisms available to non-Market Makers... agency basis. Therefore, a Market Maker within a firm that conducts both an agency and a market making...

17 CFR 240.14e-5 - Prohibiting purchases outside of a tender offer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... making or principal purchases by such market maker or principal trader to the extent that this... principal for its own account if the dealer-manager or its affiliate is not a market maker, and the purchase... purchase are not made to facilitate the tender offer; (9) Purchases by connected exempt market makers or...

17 CFR 240.14e-5 - Prohibiting purchases outside of a tender offer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... making or principal purchases by such market maker or principal trader to the extent that this... principal for its own account if the dealer-manager or its affiliate is not a market maker, and the purchase... purchase are not made to facilitate the tender offer; (9) Purchases by connected exempt market makers or...

17 CFR 240.14e-5 - Prohibiting purchases outside of a tender offer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... making or principal purchases by such market maker or principal trader to the extent that this... principal for its own account if the dealer-manager or its affiliate is not a market maker, and the purchase... purchase are not made to facilitate the tender offer; (9) Purchases by connected exempt market makers or...

Attitudes of Educational Decision Makers toward AVTI Governance and the Local Tax Levy. An Independent Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LiaBraaten, James Clayton

A study investigated the attitudes of vocational education decision makers toward the governance of Minnesota's Area Vocational Technical Institutes (AVTIs) and the impact removal of a local tax to support the AVTIs might have on governance. Five categories of individuals, all considered vocational education decision makers, were surveyed: AVTI…

K-12 Voucher Programs and Education Policy: An Exploratory Study of Policy Maker Attitudes and Opinions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laitsch, Dan

2002-01-01

Studied policy maker attitudes toward education and education reform in general, focusing on educational vouchers. Survey responses from 89 state legislators from 6 states show that policy makers generally accept the market arguments used by voucher supporters but are sympathetic to equity concerns and funding issues raised by voucher opponents.…

10 CFR 431.134 - Uniform test methods for the measurement of energy and water consumption of automatic commercial...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... water consumption of automatic commercial ice makers. 431.134 Section 431.134 Energy DEPARTMENT OF... Automatic Commercial Ice Makers Test Procedures § 431.134 Uniform test methods for the measurement of energy and water consumption of automatic commercial ice makers. (a) Scope. This section provides the test...

10 CFR 431.134 - Uniform test methods for the measurement of energy and water consumption of automatic commercial...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... water consumption of automatic commercial ice makers. 431.134 Section 431.134 Energy DEPARTMENT OF... Automatic Commercial Ice Makers Test Procedures § 431.134 Uniform test methods for the measurement of energy and water consumption of automatic commercial ice makers. (a) Scope. This section provides the test...

78 FR 49586 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Miami International Securities Exchange LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-14

... Market Maker Standard quote server as a gateway for communicating eQuotes to MIAX. Because of the... connect the Limited Service Ports to independent servers that host their eQuote and purge functionality... same server for all of their Market Maker quoting activity. Currently, Market Makers in the MIAX System...

The National Shipbuilding Research Program: Report on a Shipyard Surface Preparation and Quality Program

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-07-23

laser writer print-outs • As electronic copies using the FrameMaker  file format for duplication and printing by a service bureau, the FrameMaker ...The software platform used to develop the written and visual texts for the program ( FrameMaker ) provides this facility for creating on-line

78 FR 37870 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-24

... Market Maker Risk Parameters and Complex Orders June 18, 2013. Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the... makers to enter values in the Exchange-provided risk parameters and by limiting the types of complex... complex instruments on the complex order book. Market makers establish a time frame during which the...

77 FR 31680 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-29

... Plus; (iii) Non-ISE Market Maker; \\5\\ (iv) Firm Proprietary; (v) Customer (Professional);\\6\\ (vi) Priority Customer,\\7\\ 100 or more contracts; and (vii) Priority Customer, less than 100 contracts. \\3... Market Makers'' collectively. See ISE Rule 100(a)(25). \\5\\ A Non-ISE Market Maker, or Far Away Market...

77 FR 69905 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-21

... (``maker/taker fees and rebates'') in 93 options classes (the ``Select Symbols'').\\3\\ The Exchange's maker... Non-Select Penny Pilot Symbols'').\\6\\ \\3\\ Options classes subject to maker/taker fees and rebates are.... 66084 (January 3, 2012), 77 FR 1103 (January 9, 2012) (SR-ISE-2011-84); 66392 (February 14, 2012), 77 FR...

78 FR 28688 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX PHLX LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-15

... Maker has reached the Monthly Market Maker Cap, except for reversal and conversion strategies executed... reversal or conversion strategy \\8\\ execution. Today, the maximum rebate the Exchange will pay in a given month for QCC Orders is $275,000. Today, QCC Transaction Fees for a Specialist,\\9\\ Market Maker,\\10...

NREL's Winning Hand of Clean Transportation Tools - Continuum Magazine |

Science.gov Websites

kinds of decision makers-supplying resources for fleets to reduce petroleum use or an individual warehouse that offers invaluable information to decision makers, such as city planners, to help them with ;The TSDC provided useful data for decision-makers. And the state passed what will be a $65 million

78 FR 62785 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Topaz Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-22

... will automatically remove a market maker's quotes in all series of an options class when certain... on a class-by-class basis. These parameters are available for market maker quotes in single options... contracts executed by the market maker in an options class; (2) the percentage of the total size of the...

Differences in evaluating health technology assessment knowledge translation by researchers and policy makers in China.

PubMed

Liu, Wenbin; Shi, Lizheng; Pong, Raymond W; Dong, Hengjin; Mao, Yiwei; Tang, Meng; Chen, Yingyao

2014-12-01

The aim of this study was to examine the gaps between researchers and policy makers in perceptions and influencing factors of knowledge translation (KT) of health technology assessment (HTA) in China. A sample of 382 HTA researchers and 112 policy makers in China were surveyed using structured questionnaires. The questionnaires contained two sections: perceptions of HTA research and assessments of six-stage KT activities. Wilcoxon rank sum test was applied to compare the differences in these two sections between HTA researchers and policy makers. Multivariate linear regression was performed to explore KT determinants of HTA for researchers and policy makers separately. Policy makers and researchers differed in their perceptions of HTA research in all items except collaboration in research development and presentation of evidence in easy-to-understand language. Significant differences in KT activities existed in all the six stages except academic translation. Regarding KT determinants, close contact between research unit and policy-making department, relevance of HTA to policy making, and importance of HTA on policy making were considered facilitators by both groups. For researchers, practicality of HTA report and presentation of evidence in easy-to-understand language can facilitate KT. Policy makers, on the other hand, considered an overly pedantic nature of HTA research as an obstacle to effective KT. Substantial gaps existed between HTA researchers and policy makers regarding the perceptions of HTA research and KT activities. There are also some differences in KT determinants by these two groups. Enhancing collaboration, promoting practicality and policy relevance of HTA research, and making HTA findings easily understood are likely to further the KT of HTA evidence.

Trusted Advisors, Decision Models and Other Keys to Communicating Science to Decision Makers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webb, E.

2006-12-01

Water resource management decisions often involve multiple parties engaged in contentious negotiations that try to navigate through complex combinations of legal, social, hydrologic, financial, and engineering considerations. The standard approach for resolving these issues is some form of multi-party negotiation, a formal court decision, or a combination of the two. In all these cases, the role of the decision maker(s) is to choose and implement the best option that fits the needs and wants of the community. However, each path to a decision carries the risk of technical and/or financial infeasibility as well as the possibility of unintended consequences. To help reduce this risk, decision makers often rely on some type of predictive analysis from which they can evaluate the projected consequences of their decisions. Typically, decision makers are supported in the analysis process by trusted advisors who engage in the analysis as well as the day to day tasks associated with multi-party negotiations. In the case of water resource management, the analysis is frequently a numerical model or set of models that can simulate various management decisions across multiple systems and output results that illustrate the impact on areas of concern. Thus, in order to communicate scientific knowledge to the decision makers, the quality of the communication between the analysts, the trusted advisor, and the decision maker must be clear and direct. To illustrate this concept, a multi-attribute decision analysis matrix will be used to outline the value of computer model-based collaborative negotiation approaches to guide water resources decision making and communication with decision makers. In addition, the critical role of the trusted advisor and other secondary participants in the decision process will be discussed using examples from recent water negotiations.

Coping Strategies and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Post-ICU Family Decision Makers.

PubMed

Petrinec, Amy B; Mazanec, Polly M; Burant, Christopher J; Hoffer, Alan; Daly, Barbara J

2015-06-01

To assess the coping strategies used by family decision makers of adult critical care patients during and after the critical care experience and the relationship of coping strategies to posttraumatic stress symptoms experienced 60 days after hospitalization. A single-group descriptive longitudinal correlational study. Medical, surgical, and neurological ICUs in a large tertiary care university hospital. Consecutive family decision makers of adult critical care patients from August 2012 to November 2013. Study inclusion occurred after the patient's fifth day in the ICU. None. Family decision makers of incapacitated adult ICU patients completed the Brief COPE instrument assessing coping strategy use 5 days after ICU admission and 30 days after hospital discharge or death of the patient and completed the Impact of Event Scale-Revised assessing posttraumatic stress symptoms 60 days after hospital discharge. Seventy-seven family decision makers of the eligible 176 completed all data collection time points of this study. The use of problem-focused (p=0.01) and emotion-focused (p<0.01) coping decreased over time while avoidant coping (p=0.20) use remained stable. Coping strategies 30 days after hospitalization (R2=0.50, p<0.001) were better predictors of later posttraumatic stress symptoms than coping strategies 5 days after ICU admission (R2=0.30, p=0.001) controlling for patient and decision-maker characteristics. The role of decision maker for a parent and patient death were the only noncoping predictors of posttraumatic stress symptoms. Avoidant coping use 30 days after hospitalization mediated the relationship between patient death and later posttraumatic stress symptom severity. Coping strategy use is a significant predictor of posttraumatic stress symptom severity 60 days after hospitalization in family decision makers of ICU patients.

A novel visualisation tool for climate services: a case study of temperature extremes and human mortality in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lowe, R.; Ballester, J.; Robine, J.; Herrmann, F. R.; Jupp, T. E.; Stephenson, D.; Rodó, X.

2013-12-01

Users of climate information often require probabilistic information on which to base their decisions. However, communicating information contained within a probabilistic forecast presents a challenge. In this paper we demonstrate a novel visualisation technique to display ternary probabilistic forecasts on a map in order to inform decision making. In this method, ternary probabilistic forecasts, which assign probabilities to a set of three outcomes (e.g. low, medium, and high risk), are considered as a point in a triangle of barycentric coordinates. This allows a unique colour to be assigned to each forecast from a continuum of colours defined on the triangle. Colour saturation increases with information gain relative to the reference forecast (i.e. the long term average). This provides additional information to decision makers compared with conventional methods used in seasonal climate forecasting, where one colour is used to represent one forecast category on a forecast map (e.g. red = ';dry'). We use the tool to present climate-related mortality projections across Europe. Temperature and humidity are related to human mortality via location-specific transfer functions, calculated using historical data. Daily mortality data at the NUTS2 level for 16 countries in Europe were obtain from 1998-2005. Transfer functions were calculated for 54 aggregations in Europe, defined using criteria related to population and climatological similarities. Aggregations are restricted to fall within political boundaries to avoid problems related to varying adaptation policies between countries. A statistical model is fit to cold and warm tails to estimate future mortality using forecast temperatures, in a Bayesian probabilistic framework. Using predefined categories of temperature-related mortality risk, we present maps of probabilistic projections for human mortality at seasonal to decadal time scales. We demonstrate the information gained from using this technique compared to more traditional methods to display ternary probabilistic forecasts. This technique allows decision makers to identify areas where the model predicts with certainty area-specific heat waves or cold snaps, in order to effectively target resources to those areas most at risk, for a given season or year. It is hoped that this visualisation tool will facilitate the interpretation of the probabilistic forecasts not only for public health decision makers but also within a multi-sectoral climate service framework.

75 FR 12325 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-15

... LLC To Increase the Monthly ATP Fee for All Options Market Makers and To Reduce the Per- Contract... Amex Trading Permit (``ATP'') for options Market Makers. Effective March 1, 2010 the Exchange proposes to raise the monthly cost of an ATP for Market Makers to $5,000. This purpose of this new rate, which...

Mapping a Research Agenda for Home Care Safety: Perspectives from Researchers, Providers, and Decision Makers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macdonald, Marilyn; Lang, Ariella; MacDonald, Jo-Anne

2011-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative interpretive design was to explore the perspectives of researchers, health care providers, policy makers, and decision makers on key risks, concerns, and emerging issues related to home care safety that would inform a line of research inquiry. Defining safety specifically in this home care context has yet to be…

A Meeting Place for Policy-Makers and Researchers: The Transatlantic Forum on Inclusive Early Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peeters, Jan; Vandekerckhove, Ankie

2015-01-01

While policy-makers and researchers in the field of early childhood education and care (ECEC) often seem to speak different languages, overwhelming research evidence on how quality ECEC can play a key role in alleviating the effects of disadvantage can be extremely relevant for policy-makers. In this article, we focus on how philanthropic…

77 FR 14579 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Amex LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-12

... Reserve Floor Market Maker Amex Trading Permits (``Reserve ATPs''). The text of the proposed rule change... Reserve ATPs. Under the current Fee Schedule, an ATP Holder \\3\\ acting as a Market Maker must pay $5,000 per month per Amex Trading Permit (``ATP'').\\4\\ In order to act as a Floor Market Maker, an individual...

77 FR 40136 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-06

... add or remove liquidity in the Complex Order Book (``maker/taker fees and rebates'') in a number of... Book and receive a base rebate of $0.32 per contract (and may receive a rebate of up to $0.345 per... the Complex Order Book. \\4\\ The term ``Market Makers'' refers to ``Competitive Market Makers'' and...

Evidence-Informed Health Policies in Eastern Mediterranean Countries: Comparing Views of Policy Makers and Researchers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El-Jardali, Fadi; Lavis, John N.; Jamal, Diana; Ataya, Nour; Dimassi, Hani

2014-01-01

The objective of this paper is to conduct comparative analysis about the views and practices of policy makers and researchers on the use of health systems evidence in policy making in selected Eastern Mediterranean countries. We analysed data from two self-reported surveys, one targeted at policy makers and the other at researchers. Results show a…

77 FR 52098 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-28

... Change Amending NYSE Arca Options Rule 6.40 To Expand the Existing Market Maker Risk Limitation Mechanism Making It Available for Orders From Market Makers as Well as Non-Market Maker OTP Firms and OTP Holders... that conducts both an agency and a market making business would have a unique TPID that could only be...

75 FR 58460 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; BATS Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing of a Proposed Rule Change To...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-24

... Change The Exchange is proposing to amend BATS Rule 11.8, which relates to the obligations of market makers registered with BATS (``Market Makers''). The text of the proposed rule change is available at the... 11.8, Entitled ``Obligations of Market Makers'' September 20, 2010. Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of...

78 FR 29422 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-20

... customer volume in multiply-listed options classes over the course of a month (putting that affiliate at... Market- Maker arms. CBOE wants to be aware not only of the importance of providing credits on the order... also provide credits to Market-Makers if a Market-Maker's affiliate's adds a certain amount of customer...

Health System Decision Makers' Feedback on Summaries and Tools Supporting the Use of Systematic Reviews: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellen, Moriah E.; Lavis, John N.; Wilson, Michael G.; Grimshaw, Jeremy; Haynes, R. Brian; Ouimet, Mathieu; Raina, Parminder; Gruen, Russell

2014-01-01

Health system managers and policy makers need timely access to high quality, policy-relevant systematic reviews. Our objectives were to obtain managers' and policy makers' feedback about user-friendly summaries of systematic reviews and about tools related to supporting or assessing their use. Our interviews identified that participants prefer key…

A New Perspective on Design Education: A "Creative Production-Manufacturing Model" in "The Maker Movement" Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhong, Xiang-Ming; Fan, Kuo-Kuang

2016-01-01

When "The Maker Movement" started, it made a great impact and influence on many aspects of society. "The Maker Movement" has transformed industries as well as people's way of life and thinking. For this reason, many people decided to create something by turning their ideas to tangible products. Media has become a bridge that…

Preservice Teachers' Beliefs about Using Maker Activities in Formal K-12 Educational Settings: A Multi-Institutional Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, W. Monty; Smith, Shaunna; Cohen, Jonathan

2017-01-01

This qualitative study examined preservice teachers' beliefs about using maker activities in formal educational settings. Eighty-two preservice and early-career teachers at three different universities in the United States took part in one-time workshops designed to introduce them to various maker tools and activities applicable to K-12…

Case Studies in Environment Integration

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-12-01

such as CADRE Teamwork and Frame Technology FrameMaker , are integrated. Future plans include integrating additional software development tools into...Pictures, Sabre C, and Interleaf or FrameMaker . Cad- re Technologies has announced integration agreements with Saber C and Pansophic, as well as offering...access to the Interleaf and FrameMaker documentation tools. While some of the current agreements between vendors to create tool coalitions are

A Comparison of Product Realization Frameworks

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-10-01

software (integrated FrameMaker ). Also included are BOLD for on-line documentation delivery, printer/plotter support, and 18 network licensing support. AMPLE...are built with DSS. Documentation tools include an on-line information system (BOLD), text editing (Notepad), word processing (integrated FrameMaker ...within an application. FrameMaker is fully integrated with the Falcon Framework to provide consistent documentation capabilities within engineering

77 FR 49049 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-15

... for Non-ISE Market Maker \\6\\ orders, (iii) $0.30 per contract for Firm Proprietary/Broker-Dealer and... in the Select Symbols from $0.29 per contract to $0.32 per contract, (ii) Non-ISE Market Maker orders... not they are meeting the Exchange's stated criteria. \\6\\ A Non-ISE Market Maker, or Far Away Market...

78 FR 75949 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-13

... Proposed Rule Change Relating to NOM Penny and Non-Penny Pilot Options December 9, 2013. Pursuant to... proposes to amend the NOM Market Maker \\3\\ Non-Penny Pilot Options \\4\\ Fee for Removing Liquidity and the NOM Market Maker Rebate to Add Liquidity in Penny Pilot Options.\\5\\ \\3\\ The term ``NOM Market Maker...

76 FR 48933 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-09

... Rule Change Relating to Fees for Complex Orders August 3, 2011. Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the...'').\\3\\ \\3\\ Options classes subject to maker/taker fees are identified by their ticker symbol on the... Market Maker (``FARMM''), is a market maker as defined in Section 3(a)(38) of the Securities Exchange Act...

78 FR 24265 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-24

... transaction fees and provides rebates to market participants that add or remove liquidity from the Exchange...: (i) $0.32 per contract for Market Maker \\4\\ and Market Maker Plus \\5\\ orders, (ii) $0.36 per contract for Non-ISE Market Maker \\6\\ orders, (iii) $0.33 per contract for Firm Proprietary/Broker-Dealer and...

77 FR 21615 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-10

... by ISE. The first note relates to Non-ISE Market Maker fees, which apply to regular and complex orders, and how those fees are applied to execution of complex orders on the Exchange.\\3\\ Non-ISE Market Maker fees were adopted by ISE in 2006.\\4\\ Prior to this fee change, Non-ISE Market Makers were subject...

Maker Movement Spreads Innovation One Project at a Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peppler, Kylie; Bender, Sophia

2013-01-01

The maker movement consists of a growing culture of hands-on making, creating, designing, and innovating. A hallmark of the maker movement is its do-it-yourself (or do-it-with-others) mindset that brings individuals together around a range of activities, both high- and low-tech, all involving some form of creation or repair. The movement's…

Market microstructure matters when imposing a Tobin tax—Evidence from the lab☆

PubMed Central

Kirchler, Michael; Huber, Jürgen; Kleinlercher, Daniel

2011-01-01

Trading in FX markets is dominated by two microstructures: exchanges with market makers and OTC-markets without market makers. Using laboratory experiments we test whether the impact of a Tobin tax is different in these two market microstructures. We find that (i) in markets without market makers an unilaterally imposed Tobin tax (i.e. a tax haven exists) increases volatility. (ii) In contrast, in markets with market makers we observe a decrease in volatility in unilaterally taxed markets. (iii) An encompassing Tobin tax has no impact on volatility in either setting. Efficiency does not vary significantly across tax regimes. PMID:22210970

Pizza makers' contact dermatitis.

PubMed

Lembo, Serena; Lembo, Claudio; Patruno, Cataldo; Balato, Anna; Balato, Nicola; Ayala, Fabio

2014-01-01

Contact eczema to foods, spices, and food additives can occur in occupational and nonoccupational settings in those who grow, handle, prepare, or cook food. Pizza is one of the most eaten foods in every continent, and pizza making is a common work in many countries. We aimed to evaluate the occurrence and the causes of contact dermatitis in pizza makers in Naples. We performed an observational study in 45 pizza makers: all the enrolled subjects had to answer a questionnaire designed to detect personal history of respiratory or cutaneous allergy, atopy; work characteristics and timing were also investigated. Every subject attended the dermatology clinic for a complete skin examination, and when needed, patients were patch tested using the Italian baseline series of haptens integrated with an arbitrary pizza makers series. Our results reported that 13.3% of the enrolled pizza makers (6/45) presented hand eczema, and that 8.9% (4/45) were affected by occupational allergic contact dermatitis. Diallyl disulfide and ammonium persulfate were the responsible substances. Performing patch tests in pizza makers and food handlers affected by hand contact dermatitis is useful. We propose a specific series of haptens for this wide working category.

Information Needs Assessment for Coastal and Marine Management and Policy: Ecosystem Services Under Changing Climatic, Land Use, and Demographic Conditions.

PubMed

Goldsmith, Kaitlin A; Granek, Elise F; Lubitow, Amy

2015-12-01

Changing climatic, demographic, and land use conditions are projected to alter the provisioning of ecosystem services in estuarine, coastal, and nearshore marine ecosystems, necessitating mitigation and adaptation policies and management. The current paradigm of research efforts occurring in parallel to, rather than in collaboration with, decision makers will be insufficient for the rapid responses required to adapt to and mitigate for projected changing conditions. Here, we suggest a different paradigm: one where research begins by engaging decision makers in the identification of priority data needs (biophysical, economic, and social). This paper uses synthesized interview data to provide insight into the varied demands for scientific research as described by decision makers working on coastal issues in Oregon, USA. The findings highlight the need to recognize (1) the differing framing of ecosystem services by decision makers versus scientists; and (2) the differing data priorities relevant to inland versus coastal decision makers. The findings further serve to highlight the need for decision makers, scientists, and funders to engage in increased communication. This research is an important first step in advancing efforts toward evidence-based decision making in Oregon and provides a template for further research across the US.

Second-order non-linear optical studies on CdS microcrystallite-doped alkali borosilicate glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Hao; Liu, Qiming; Wang, Mingliang; Zhao, Xiujian

2007-05-01

CdS microcrystal-doped alkali borosilicate glasses were prepared by conventional fusion and heat-treatment method. Utilizing Maker fringe method, second-harmonic generation (SHG) was both observed from CdS-doped glasses before and after certain thermal/electrical poling. While because the direction of polarization axes of CdS crystals formed in the samples is random or insufficient interferences of generated SH waves occur, the fringe patterns obtained in samples without poling treatments showed no fine structures. For the poled samples, larger SH intensity has been obtained than that of the samples without any poling treatments. It was considered that the increase of an amount of hexagonal CdS in the anode surface layer caused by the applied dc field increased the SH intensity. The second-order non-linearity χ(2) was estimated to be 1.23 pm/V for the sample poled with 2.5 kV at 360 °C for 30 min.

An analysis of the early-warning system in emerging markets for reducing the financial crisis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Xiangguang; Song, Xiaozhong

2009-07-01

The large number of financial crises in emerging markets over the past ten years has left many observers, both from academia and financial institutions, puzzled by an apparent lack of homogenous causal relations between endogenous economic variables and the bursting of large financial shocks. The frequency of financial crises in the last 20 years can be attributed to the lack of a comprehensive theory of financial regulation to guide policy makers. Existing theories fail to define the range of regulatory models, the causes of regulatory failure, and how to measure and prevent it. Faulty design of regulatory models, and the lack of ongoing performance monitoring incorporating early warning systems, is disrupting economic and social development. The main aim of this article is to propose an early warning system (EWS) which purposes issuing warning signal against the possible financial crisis in the emerging market, and makes the emerging market survived the first wave of the crisis be able to continue their operation in the following years.

The physical and social determinants of mortality in the 3.11 tsunami.

PubMed

Aldrich, Daniel P; Sawada, Yasuyuki

2015-01-01

The human consequences of the 3.11 tsunami were not distributed equally across the municipalities of the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan. Instead, the mortality rate from the massive waves varied tremendously from zero to ten percent of the local residential population. What accounts for this variation remains a critical question for researchers and policy makers alike. This paper uses a new, sui generis data set including all villages, towns, and cities on the Pacific Ocean side of the Tohoku region to untangle the factors connected to mortality during the disaster. With data on demographic, geophysical, infrastructure, social capital, and political conditions for 133 municipalities, we find that tsunami height, stocks of social capital, and level of political support for the long-ruling LDP strongly influenced mortality rates. Given the high probability of future large scale catastrophes, these findings have important policy implications for disaster mitigation policies in Japan and abroad. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Total Suspended Matter (TSM) and Maximum Signal Depth (Z90_max) for Monitoring the Evolution of Sediment Resuspension Process in Shallow Coastal Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filipponi, Federico; Zucca, Francesco; Taramelli, Andrea; Valentini, Emiliana

2015-12-01

Monitoring sediment fluxes patterns in coastal area, like dispersion, sedimentation and resuspension processes, is a relevant topic for scientists, decision makers and natural resources management. Time series analysis of Earth Observation (EO) data may contribute to the understanding and the monitoring of processes in sedimentary depositional marine environment, especially for shallow coastal areas. This research study show the ability of optical medium resolution imagery to interpret the evolution of sediment resuspension from seafloor in coastal areas during intense wind forcings. Intense bora wind events in northern Adriatic Sea basin during winter season provoke considerable wave-generated resuspension of sediments, which cause variation in water column turbidity. Total Suspended Matter (TSM) product has been selected as proxy for qualitative and quantitative analysis of resuspended sediments. In addition, maximum signal depth (Z90_max), has been used to evaluate the evolution of sediment concentration in the water column.

A Compartmental Model for Zika Virus with Dynamic Human and Vector Populations

PubMed Central

Lee, Eva K; Liu, Yifan; Pietz, Ferdinand H

2016-01-01

The Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in South American countries and its potential association with microcephaly in newborns and Guillain-Barré Syndrome led the World Health Organization to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. To understand the ZIKV disease dynamics and evaluate the effectiveness of different containment strategies, we propose a compartmental model with a vector-host structure for ZIKV. The model utilizes logistic growth in human population and dynamic growth in vector population. Using this model, we derive the basic reproduction number to gain insight on containment strategies. We contrast the impact and influence of different parameters on the virus trend and outbreak spread. We also evaluate different containment strategies and their combination effects to achieve early containment by minimizing total infections. This result can help decision makers select and invest in the strategies most effective to combat the infection spread. The decision-support tool demonstrates the importance of “digital disease surveillance” in response to waves of epidemics including ZIKV, Dengue, Ebola and cholera. PMID:28269870

Modeling when and where a secondary accident occurs.

PubMed

Wang, Junhua; Liu, Boya; Fu, Ting; Liu, Shuo; Stipancic, Joshua

2018-01-31

The occurrence of secondary accidents leads to traffic congestion and road safety issues. Secondary accident prevention has become a major consideration in traffic incident management. This paper investigates the location and time of a potential secondary accident after the occurrence of an initial traffic accident. With accident data and traffic loop data collected over three years from California interstate freeways, a shock wave-based method was introduced to identify secondary accidents. A linear regression model and two machine learning algorithms, including a back-propagation neural network (BPNN) and a least squares support vector machine (LSSVM), were implemented to explore the distance and time gap between the initial and secondary accidents using inputs of crash severity, violation category, weather condition, tow away, road surface condition, lighting, parties involved, traffic volume, duration, and shock wave speed generated by the primary accident. From the results, the linear regression model was inadequate in describing the effect of most variables and its goodness-of-fit and accuracy in prediction was relatively poor. In the training programs, the BPNN and LSSVM demonstrated adequate goodness-of-fit, though the BPNN was superior with a higher CORR and lower MSE. The BPNN model also outperformed the LSSVM in time prediction, while both failed to provide adequate distance prediction. Therefore, the BPNN model could be used to forecast the time gap between initial and secondary accidents, which could be used by decision makers and incident management agencies to prevent or reduce secondary collisions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

National policy-makers speak out: are researchers giving them what they need?

PubMed Central

Hyder, Adnan A; Corluka, Adrijana; Winch, Peter J; El-Shinnawy, Azza; Ghassany, Harith; Malekafzali, Hossein; Lim, Meng-Kin; Mfutso-Bengo, Joseph; Segura, Elsa; Ghaffar, Abdul

2011-01-01

The objective of this empirical study was to understand the perspectives and attitudes of policy-makers towards the use and impact of research in the health sector in low- and middle-income countries. The study used data from 83 semi-structured, in-depth interviews conducted with purposively selected policy-makers at the national level in Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Malawi, Oman and Singapore. The interviews were structured around an interview guide developed based on existing literature and in consultation with all six country investigators. Transcripts were processed using a thematic-analysis approach. Policy-makers interviewed for this study were unequivocal in their support for health research and the high value they attribute to it. However, they stated that there were structural and informal barriers to research contributing to policy processes, to the contribution research makes to knowledge generally, and to the use of research in health decision-making specifically. Major findings regarding barriers to evidence-based policy-making included poor communication and dissemination, lack of technical capacity in policy processes, as well as the influence of the political context. Policy-makers had a variable understanding of economic analysis, equity and burden of disease measures, and were vague in terms of their use in national decisions. Policy-maker recommendations regarding strategies for facilitating the uptake of research into policy included improving the technical capacity of policy-makers, better packaging of research results, use of social networks, and establishment of fora and clearinghouse functions to help assist in evidence-based policy-making. PMID:20547652

Software Process Automation: Interviews, Survey, and Workshop Results.

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-10-01

International Business Machines Coproration Foundation is a pending trademark of Foundation Software , Inc. FrameMaker is a registered trademark of Adobe, Inc...amount of technology Integration of technologies, con- flicting points of view between adopting org. and consultants E CM FrameMaker Labor/resource...Weaver FrameMaker , CM System Integration of CM tool L InConcert Cadre, AutoPlan, DBStar Ineffective process integration, poor training, time

How is the New Public Management applied in the occupational health care system? - decision-makers' and OH personnel's views in Finland

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background In many countries occupational health care system is in change. Occupational health studies are mainly focused on occupational health substance and content. This study offers new perspectives on municipal OHS and its operations from management perspective. Aim The aim of this study is to analyse how New Public Management (NPM) doctrines are applied in the Finnish occupational health care system (OHS). The main focus is to describe and compare the views of decision-makers' and OH workers within the framework of NPM. Methods The data were collected by semi-structured interviews from 17 municipal decision-makers' and 26 municipal OH workers. Data was analyzed by examining coded data in a theory-driven way according to Hood's doctrine of NPM. Results The doctrines were not as compatible with the OH personnel view as with the decision-makers' view. Decision-makers and OH personnel highlighted the strict criteria required for operation evaluation. Moreover, decision-makers strongly accentuated professional management in the public sector and the reorganization of public sector units. These were not equally relevant in OH personnel views. In OH personnel views, other doctrines (more attention to performance and accomplishments, emphasizing and augmentation of the competition and better control of public expense and means test) were not similarly in evidence, only weak evidence was observed when their importance viewed as medium by decision-makers. Neither of the respondents group kept the doctrine of management models of the private sector relevant. Conclusions The NPM and Hoods doctrine fitted well with OH research. The doctrine brought out view differences and similarities between decision-makers and OH personnel. For example, policymakers highlighted more strongly the structural change by emphasizing professional management compared to OH personnel. The need for reorganization of municipal OH, regardless of different operational preconditions, was obvious for both decision-makers and OH personnel. The adaptation of more clarify management to a municipal context is not trouble-free. The municipality systemic structure, complex operational environment, and reconciliation of political and officer authority set challenges to management of municipalities. PMID:21880141

Laboratory investigation and direct numerical simulation of wind effect on steep surface waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Troitskaya, Yuliya; Sergeev, Daniil; Druzhinin, Oleg; Ermakova, Olga

2015-04-01

The small scale ocean-atmosphere interaction at the water-air interface is one of the most important factors determining the processes of heat, mass, and energy exchange in the boundary layers of both geospheres. Another important aspect of the air-sea interaction is excitation of surface waves. One of the most debated open questions of wave modeling is concerned with the wind input in the wave field, especially for the case of steep and breaking waves. Two physical mechanisms are suggested to describe the excitation of finite amplitude waves. The first one is based on the treatment of the wind-wave interaction in quasi-linear approximation in the frameworks of semi-empirical models of turbulence of the low atmospheric boundary layer. An alternative mechanism is associated with separation of wind flow at the crests of the surface waves. The "separating" and "non-separating" mechanisms of wave generation lead to different dependences of the wind growth rate on the wave steepness: the latter predicts a decrease in the increment with wave steepness, and the former - an increase. In this paper the mechanism of the wind-wave interaction is investigated basing on physical and numerical experiments. In the physical experiment, turbulent airflow over waves was studied using the video-PIV method, based on the application of high-speed video photography. Alternatively to the classical PIV technique this approach provides the statistical ensembles of realizations of instantaneous velocity fields. Experiments were performed in a round wind-wave channel at Institute of Applied Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences. A fan generated the airflow with the centerline velocity 4 m/s. The surface waves were generated by a programmed wave-maker at the frequency of 2.5 Hz with the amplitudes of 0.65 cm, 1.4 cm, and 2 cm. The working area (27.4 × 10.7 cm2) was at a distance of 3 m from the fan. To perform the measurements of the instantaneous velocity fields, spherical polyamide particles 20 μm in diameter were injected into the airflow. The images of the illuminated particles were photographed with a digital CCD video camera at a rate of 1000 frames per second. For the each given parameters of wind and waves, a statistical ensemble of 30 movies with duration from 200 to 600 ms was obtained. Individual flow realizations manifested the typical features of flow separation, while the average vector velocity fields obtained by the phase averaging of the individual vector fields were smooth and slightly asymmetrical, with the minimum of the horizontal velocity near the water surface shifted to the leeward side of the wave profile, but do not demonstrate the features of flow separation. The wave-induced pressure perturbations, averaged over the turbulent fluctuations, were retrieved from the measured velocity fields, using the Reynolds equations. It ensures sufficient accuracy for study of the dependence of the wave increment on the wave amplitude. The dependences of the wave growth rate on the wave steepness are weakly decreasing, serving as indirect proof of the non-separated character of flow over waves. Also direct numerical simulation of the airflow over finite amplitude periodic surface wave was performed. In the experiments the primitive 3-dimensional fluid mechanics equations were solved in the airflow over curved water boundary for the following parameters: the Reynolds number Re=15000, the wave steepness ka=0-0.2, the parameter c/u*=0-10 (where u* is the friction velocity and c is the wave celerity). Similar to the physical experiment the instant realizations of the velocity field demonstrate flow separation at the crests of the waves, but the ensemble averaged velocity fields had typical structures similar to those excising in shear flows near critical levels, where the phase velocity of the disturbance coincides with the flow velocity. The wind growth rate determined by the ensemble averaged wave-induced pressure component in phase of the wave slope was retrieved from the DNS results. Similar to the physical experiment the wave growth rate weakly decreased with the wave steepness. The results of physical and numerical experiments were compared with the calculations within the theoretical model of a turbulent boundary layer based on the system of Reynolds equations with the first-order closing hypothesis. Within the model the wind-wave interaction is considered within the quasi-linear approximation and the mean airflow over waves within the model is treated as a non-separated. The calculations within the model represents well profiles of the mean wind velocity, turbulent stress, amplitude and phase of the main harmonics of the wave-induced velocity components and also wave-induced pressure fluctuations and wind wave growth rate obtained both in the physical experiment and DNS. Applicability of the non-separating quasi-linear theory for description of average fields in the airflow over steep and even breaking waves, when the effect of separation is manifested in the instantaneous flow images, can possibly be explained qualitatively by the strongly non-stationary character of the separation process with the typical time being much less than the wave period, and by the small scale of flow heterogeneity in the area of separation. In such a situation small-scale vortices produced within the separation bubble affect the mean flow and wind-induced disturbances as eddy viscosity. Then, the flow turbulence affects the averaged fields as a very viscous fluid, where the effective Reynolds number for the average fields determined by the eddy viscosity was small even for steep waves. It follows from this assumption that strongly nonlinear effects, such as flow separations should not be expected in the flow averaged over turbulent fluctuations, and the main harmonics of the wave-induced disturbances of the averaged flow, which determine the energy flux to surface waves, can be described in the weakly-nonlinear approximation. This paper was supported by a grant from the Government of the Russian Federation under Contract no. 11.G34.31.0048; the European Research Council Advanced Grant, FP7-IDEAS, 227915; RFBF grant 13-05-00865-а, 13-05-12093-ofi-m,15-05-91767.

Consulting as a Strategy for Knowledge Transfer

PubMed Central

Jacobson, Nora; Butterill, Dale; Goering, Paula

2005-01-01

Academic researchers who work on health policy and health services are expected to transfer knowledge to decision makers. Decision makers often do not, however, regard academics’ traditional ways of doing research and disseminating their findings as relevant or useful. This article argues that consulting can be a strategy for transferring knowledge between researchers and decision makers and is effective at promoting the “enlightenment” and “interactive” models of knowledge use. Based on three case studies, it develops a model of knowledge transfer–focused consulting that consists of six stages and four types of work. Finally, the article explores how knowledge is generated in consulting and identifies several classes of factors facilitating its use by decision makers. PMID:15960773

Transport of microplastics in coastal seas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Hua

2017-12-01

Microplastic pollution of the marine environment has received increasing attention from scientists, the public, and policy makers over the last few years. Marine microplastics predominantly originate near the coast and can remain in the nearshore zone for some time. However, at present, there is little understanding of the fate and transport of microplastics in coastal regions. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the physical processes involved in the movement of microplastics from estuaries to the continental shelf. The trajectory and speed of microplastics are controlled by their physical characteristics (density, size, and shape) and ocean dynamic conditions (wind, waves, tides, thermohaline gradients, and the influence of benthic sediments). Microplastic particles can be subjected to beaching, surface drifting, vertical mixing, and biofouling, as well as bed-load and suspended load transport processes, until reaching terminal deposition on beaches, in coastal marshes, in benthic sediments or until they are carried by ocean currents to subtropical convergence zones. The dynamic interaction of released microplastics with the shoreline is regulated by onshore/offshore transport, which is impacted by the source location as well as the geometry, vegetation, tidal regime, and wave direction. Wind and wave conditions dominate surface drifting of buoyant particles through Ekman drift, windage, and Stokes drift mechanisms. Neustic microplastic particles travel in the subsurface because of vertical mixing through wind-driven Langmuir circulation and heat cycling. Increasing accumulation of microplastics in benthic sediments needs to be quantitatively explored in terms of biofouling, deposition, entrainment, and transport dynamics. Further studies are required to understand the following: 1) the primary parameters (e.g., windage, terminal velocity, diffusivity, critical shear stress) that determine microplastic transport in different pathways; 2) dynamic distribution of microplastics in various coastal landscapes (e.g., wetlands, beaches, estuaries, lagoons, barrier islands, depocenters) regulated by hydrodynamic conditions; and 3) interactions between the physical transport processes and biochemical reactions (degradation, flocculation, biofouling, ingestions).

Urban Impact Assessment and Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change in Europe: A Case Study for Antwerp, Berlin and Almada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stevens, Catherine; Thomas, Bart

2014-05-01

Climate change is driven by global processes such as the global ocean circulation and its variability over time leading to changing weather patterns on regional scales as well as changes in the severity and occurrence of extreme events such as heat waves. For example, the summer 2003 European heat wave caused up to 70.000 excess deaths over four months in Central and Western Europe. As around 75% of Europe's population resides in urban areas, it is of particular relevance to examine the impact of seasonal to decadal-scale climate variability on urban areas and their populations. This study aims at downscaling the spatially coarse resolution CMIP5 climate predictions to the local urban scale and investigating the relation between heat waves and the urban-rural temperature increment (urban heat island effect). The resulting heat stress effect is not only driven by climatic variables but also impacted by urban morphology. Moreover, the exposure varies significantly with the geographical location. All this information is coupled with relevant socio-economic datasets such as population density, age structure, etc. focussing on human health. The analyses are conducted in the framework of the NACLIM FP7 project funded by the European Commission involving local stakeholders such as the cities of Antwerp (BE), Berlin (DE) and Almada (PT) represented by different climate and urban characteristics. The end-user needs have been consolidated in a climate services plan including the production of heat risk exposure maps and the analysis of various scenarios considering e.g. the uncertainty of the global climate predictions, urban expansion over time and the impact of mitigation measures such as green roofs. The results of this study will allow urban planners and policy makers facing the challenges of climate change and develop sound strategies for the design and management of climate resilient cities.

A prediction algorithm for first onset of major depression in the general population: development and validation.

PubMed

Wang, JianLi; Sareen, Jitender; Patten, Scott; Bolton, James; Schmitz, Norbert; Birney, Arden

2014-05-01

Prediction algorithms are useful for making clinical decisions and for population health planning. However, such prediction algorithms for first onset of major depression do not exist. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a prediction algorithm for first onset of major depression in the general population. Longitudinal study design with approximate 3-year follow-up. The study was based on data from a nationally representative sample of the US general population. A total of 28 059 individuals who participated in Waves 1 and 2 of the US National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions and who had not had major depression at Wave 1 were included. The prediction algorithm was developed using logistic regression modelling in 21 813 participants from three census regions. The algorithm was validated in participants from the 4th census region (n=6246). Major depression occurred since Wave 1 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, assessed by the Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule-diagnostic and statistical manual for mental disorders IV. A prediction algorithm containing 17 unique risk factors was developed. The algorithm had good discriminative power (C statistics=0.7538, 95% CI 0.7378 to 0.7699) and excellent calibration (F-adjusted test=1.00, p=0.448) with the weighted data. In the validation sample, the algorithm had a C statistic of 0.7259 and excellent calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow χ(2)=3.41, p=0.906). The developed prediction algorithm has good discrimination and calibration capacity. It can be used by clinicians, mental health policy-makers and service planners and the general public to predict future risk of having major depression. The application of the algorithm may lead to increased personalisation of treatment, better clinical decisions and more optimal mental health service planning.

Bridging the gap between science and decision making.

PubMed

von Winterfeldt, Detlof

2013-08-20

All decisions, whether they are personal, public, or business-related, are based on the decision maker's beliefs and values. Science can and should help decision makers by shaping their beliefs. Unfortunately, science is not easily accessible to decision makers, and scientists often do not understand decision makers' information needs. This article presents a framework for bridging the gap between science and decision making and illustrates it with two examples. The first example is a personal health decision. It shows how a formal representation of the beliefs and values can reflect scientific inputs by a physician to combine with the values held by the decision maker to inform a medical choice. The second example is a public policy decision about managing a potential environmental hazard. It illustrates how controversial beliefs can be reflected as uncertainties and informed by science to make better decisions. Both examples use decision analysis to bridge science and decisions. The conclusions suggest that this can be a helpful process that requires skills in both science and decision making.

Automated update, revision, and quality control of the maize genome annotations using MAKER-P improves the B73 RefGen_v3 gene models and identifies new genes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The large size and relative complexity of many plant genomes make creation, quality control, and dissemination of high-quality gene structure annotations challenging. In response, we have developed MAKER-P, a fast and easy-to-use genome annotation engine for plants. Here, we report the use of MAKER-...

Intelligence Failure: How a Commander Can Prevent It

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-10-23

Failure: How a Commander Can Prevent It The job of intelligence is to provide the decision maker with sufficient understanding of the enemy to make...Failure: How a Commander Can Prevent It The job of intelligence is to provide the decision maker with sufficient understanding of the enemy to make...reinforce these lessons. 1 Introduction The job of intelligence is to provide the decision maker with sufficient understanding of

ADA and C++ Business Case Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-07-01

executable mini-specs, to support import of existing code. Automated database population/change propagation. 9. Documentation generation: via FrameMaker ...Backplane. ii. 4GLS H-20 I I IDE/Software through Pictures (StP) 12 June 1991 iii. Interleaf and FrameMaker publishing. 13. Output formats: PostScript... FrameMaker , WordPerfect. 12. User interface: Menu and mouse, windowing, color, on-line help, undo. Database browser via forms/tables component later

Tool Integration and Environment Architectures

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-05-01

include the Interactive Development Environment (IDE) Software Through Pictures (STP), Sabre-C and FrameMaker coalition, and the Verdix Ada Development...System (VADS) APSE, which includes the VADS compiler and choices of CADRE Teamwork or STP and FrameMaker or Interleaf. The key characteristic of...remote procedure execution to achieve a simulation of a homoge- neous repository (i.e., a simulation that the data in a FrameMaker document resides in one

Multilingual Speech and Language Processing

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-04-01

client software handles the user end of the transaction. Historically, four clients were provided: e-mail, web, FrameMaker , and command line. By...command-line client and an API. The API allows integration of CyberTrans into a number of processes including word processing packages ( FrameMaker ...preservation and logging, and others. The available clients remain e-mail, Web and FrameMaker . Platforms include both Unix and PC for clients, with

Persistent Surveillance of Transient Events with Unknown Statistics

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-18

different bird species by a documentary maker is shown in Fig. 1. Additional examples of scenarios following this setting include robots patrolling the...persistent monitoring application in which a documentary maker would like to monitor three different species of birds appearing in three discrete, species...specific locations. Bird sightings at each location follow a stochastic process with a rate that is initially unknown to the documentary maker and must

Design for a Simple and Inexpensive Cylinder-within-a-Cylinder Gradient Maker for the Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sims, Paul A.; O'Mealey, Gary B.; Khan, Nabeel A.; Larabee, Chelsea M.

2011-01-01

A design for a simple and inexpensive gradient maker is described. The gradient maker is assembled by (i) cutting the tops off two plastic bottles of differing diameters to produce two cylinders with intact bottoms; (ii) drilling a small hole toward the bottom of the smaller diameter cylinder and plugging the hole with a size 00 cork stopper; and…

A Case History of the Science and Management Collaboration in Understanding Hypoxia Events in Long Bay, South Carolina, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanger, Denise; Hernandez, Debra; Libes, Susan; Voulgaris, George; Davis, Braxton; Smith, Erik; Shuford, Rebecca; Porter, Dwayne; Koepfler, Eric; Bennett, Joseph

2010-09-01

Communication of knowledge between the scientific and management communities is a difficult process complicated by the distinctive nature of professional career goals of scientists and decision-makers. This article provides a case history highlighting a collaboration between the science and management communities that resulted from a response to a 2004 hypoxia, or low dissolved oxygen, event in Long Bay, off Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A working group of scientists and decision-makers was established at the time of the event and has continued to interact to develop a firm understanding of the drivers responsible for hypoxia formation in Long Bay. Several factors were found to be important to ensure that these collaborative efforts were productive: (1) genuine interest in collaboratively working across disciplines to examine a problem; (2) commitment by agency leadership, decision-makers, and researchers to create successful communication mechanisms; (3) respect for each others’ perspectives and an understanding how science and management are performed and that they are not mutually exclusive; (4) networking among researchers and decision-makers to ensure appropriate team members are involved in the process; (5) use of decision-maker input in the formulation of research and monitoring projects; and (6) commitment of resources for facilitation to ensure that researchers and decision-makers are communicating effectively.

Bridge over troubled waters: A Synthesis Session to connect ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Lack of access to relevant scientific data has limited decision makers from incorporating scientific information into their management and policy schemes. Yet, there is increasing interest among decision makers and scientists to integrate coastal and marine science into the policy and management process. Strategies designed to build communication between decision makers and scientists can be an effective means to disseminate and/or generate policy relevant scientific information. Here researchers develop, test, and present a workshop model designed to bridge the gap between coastal and marine decision makers and scientists. Researchers identify successful components of such a workshop as well as areas for improvement and recommendations to design and conduct similar workshops in the future. This novel workshop format can be used in other fora to effectively connect decision makers and scientists, and to initiate an iterative process to generate and transfer policy relevant scientific information into evidence-based decisions, an important element in protecting coastal and marine resources. In this paper we develop and present a model for increasing collaboration between scientists and decision makers to promote evidence based decisions. Successes and areas for improvement in the tested model are discussed. This novel workshop model is intended to build and sustain connections, with the ultimate goal of creating better policy and management practices. In a recent

The current capacity and future development of economic evaluation for policy decision-making: a survey among researchers and decision-makers in Thailand.

PubMed

Chaikledkaew, Usa; Lertpitakpong, Chanida; Teerawattananon, Yot; Thavorncharoensap, Montarat; Tangcharoensathien, Viroj

2009-01-01

This study aims to explore the knowledge, experience, and attitudes toward economic evaluation (EE) among decision-makers and researchers in Thailand. Researchers were purposively selected from Thai academics and both public and private research organizations related to EE. Decision-makers at the provincial level were purposively selected from the members of the Management Committees of Provincial Health Offices, and those at hospital level were randomly selected from members of the public and private hospital formulary drug committees throughout Thailand. The self-administered postal questionnaires were distributed. Univariate and bivariate analyses were applied. Of the total 2575 questionnaires distributed, 758 (29.4% response rate) were completed and sent back. The majority of researchers and decision-makers were not familiar with technical terms commonly used in health EE, e.g., incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, discounting, and sensitivity analysis. More decision-makers (70.6%) had never had EE training compared to researchers (50.0%). Both roles indicated that value for money was one of the important issues to consider for health technology adoption. An extensive unmet demand for EE training among Thai researchers and decision-makers still exists. Findings from this study contribute to the short- and long-term plans for research capacity building.

Automated Update, Revision, and Quality Control of the Maize Genome Annotations Using MAKER-P Improves the B73 RefGen_v3 Gene Models and Identifies New Genes1[OPEN

PubMed Central

Law, MeiYee; Childs, Kevin L.; Campbell, Michael S.; Stein, Joshua C.; Olson, Andrew J.; Holt, Carson; Panchy, Nicholas; Lei, Jikai; Jiao, Dian; Andorf, Carson M.; Lawrence, Carolyn J.; Ware, Doreen; Shiu, Shin-Han; Sun, Yanni; Jiang, Ning; Yandell, Mark

2015-01-01

The large size and relative complexity of many plant genomes make creation, quality control, and dissemination of high-quality gene structure annotations challenging. In response, we have developed MAKER-P, a fast and easy-to-use genome annotation engine for plants. Here, we report the use of MAKER-P to update and revise the maize (Zea mays) B73 RefGen_v3 annotation build (5b+) in less than 3 h using the iPlant Cyberinfrastructure. MAKER-P identified and annotated 4,466 additional, well-supported protein-coding genes not present in the 5b+ annotation build, added additional untranslated regions to 1,393 5b+ gene models, identified 2,647 5b+ gene models that lack any supporting evidence (despite the use of large and diverse evidence data sets), identified 104,215 pseudogene fragments, and created an additional 2,522 noncoding gene annotations. We also describe a method for de novo training of MAKER-P for the annotation of newly sequenced grass genomes. Collectively, these results lead to the 6a maize genome annotation and demonstrate the utility of MAKER-P for rapid annotation, management, and quality control of grasses and other difficult-to-annotate plant genomes. PMID:25384563

Implementation of a SenseMaker® research project among Syrian refugees in Lebanon

PubMed Central

Bakhache, Nour; Michael, Saja; Roupetz, Sophie; Garbern, Stephanie; Bergquist, Harveen; Davison, Colleen; Bartels, Susan

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The Syrian conflict has displaced over 1.2 million Syrians into Lebanon. As a result of displacement, some Syrian families are turning to child marriage as a coping mechanism. The prevalence of early marriage has reportedly increased and the average age of marriage decreased during the crisis. The aim of the project was to understand the underlying factors contributing to child marriage among Syrian refugees in Lebanon using Cognitive Edge’s SenseMaker®. This manuscript explores the process of implementing this novel research tool in a humanitarian setting. Twelve interviewers conducted SenseMaker® interviews with married and unmarried Syrian girls, Syrian parents, as well as married and unmarried men. Participants were asked to share a story about the lives of Syrian girls in Lebanon and to self-interpret the narratives by answering follow-up questions in relation to the story provided. Data collection occurred across three locations: Beirut, Beqaa, and Tripoli. In total 1422 narratives from 1346 unique participants were collected over 7 weeks. Data collection using SenseMaker® was efficient, capable of electronically capturing a large volume of quantitative and qualitative data. SenseMaker® limitations from a research perspective include lack of skip logic and inability to adjust font size on the iOS app. SenseMaker® was an efficient mixed methods data collection tool that was well received by participants in a refugee setting in Lebanon. The utility of SenseMaker® for research could be improved by adding skip logic and by being able to adjust font size on the iOS app. PMID:28857014

Communication with U.S. federal decision makers : a primer with notes on the use of computer models as a means of communication.

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

Webb, Erik Karl; Tidwell, Vincent Carroll

2009-10-01

This document outlines ways to more effectively communicate with U.S. Federal decision makers by outlining the structure, authority, and motivations of various Federal groups, how to find the trusted advisors, and how to structure communication. All three branches of Federal governments have decision makers engaged in resolving major policy issues. The Legislative Branch (Congress) negotiates the authority and the resources that can be used by the Executive Branch. The Executive Branch has some latitude in implementation and prioritizing resources. The Judicial Branch resolves disputes. The goal of all decision makers is to choose and implement the option that best fitsmore » the needs and wants of the community. However, understanding the risk of technical, political and/or financial infeasibility and possible unintended consequences is extremely difficult. Primarily, decision makers are supported in their deliberations by trusted advisors who engage in the analysis of options as well as the day-to-day tasks associated with multi-party negotiations. In the best case, the trusted advisors use many sources of information to inform the process including the opinion of experts and if possible predictive analysis from which they can evaluate the projected consequences of their decisions. The paper covers the following: (1) Understanding Executive and Legislative decision makers - What can these decision makers do? (2) Finding the target audience - Who are the internal and external trusted advisors? (3) Packaging the message - How do we parse and integrate information, and how do we use computer simulation or models in policy communication?« less

17 CFR 240.3b-8 - Definitions of “Qualified OTC Market Maker, Qualified Third Market Maker” and “Qualified Block...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Market Maker, Qualified Third Market Makerâ and âQualified Block Positionerâ. 240.3b-8 Section 240.3b-8... “Qualified Block Positioner”. For the purposes of Regulation U under the Act (12 CFR part 221): (a) The term... inventory turnover in such security. (c) The term Qualified Block Positioner means a dealer who (1) is a...

Availability of Ada and C++ Compilers, Tools, Education and Training

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-07-01

executable mini-specs, to support import of existing code. Automated database population/change propagation. 9. Documentation generation: via FrameMaker . 10...formats. 12. Links to other tools: i. Atherton’s Software Backplane. ii. 4GLS iii. Interleaf and FrameMaker publishing. 13. Output formats: PostScript...by end 󈨟. 11. Output formats: ASCII, PostScript, Interleaf, HPGL, Troff, nroff, FrameMaker , WordPerfect. 12. User interface: Menu and mouse

[Attitudes and opinions of Palestinian decision-makers about premarital examination law].

PubMed

El Sharif, Nuha; Rifai, Ayshea; Assi, Sana'a; Al Hmidat, Amjad

2006-11-01

We explored the attitudes and opinions of 90 Palestinian decision-makers about the draft law on premarital examination. The findings revealed that decision-makers were aware of the spread of genetic diseases but not infectious diseases. The majority agreed on the draft law; however, they differed on the mode of its application. Half believed that the law is not ready yet for application due to insufficient financial support to establish the needed infrastructure. The most significant recommendations made by the decision-makers were to: enhance community awareness of the law, ensure proper coordination among the concerned ministries and institutions, and establish a national organization to work on endorsement of the tests and issuance of the appropriate application strategies and regulations.

Opitmal Platform Strategies in the Smartphone Market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Unno, Masaru; Xu, Hua

In a smartphone market, smartphone makers encourage smartphone application providers (AP) to create more popular smartphone applications through making a revenue-sharing contract with AP and providing application-purchasing support to end users. In this paper, we study revenue-sharing and application-purchasing support problem between a risk-averse smartphone maker and a smartphone application provider. The problem is formulated as the smartphone makers's risk-sensitive stochastic control problem. The sufficient conditions for the existence of the optimal revenue-sharing strategy, the optimal application-purchasing support strategy and the incentive compatible effort recommended to AP are obtained. The effects of the smartphone makers's risk-sensitivity on the optimal strategies are also discussed. A numerical example is solved to show the computation aspects of the problem.

Energy-Water Nexus: Balancing the Tradeoffs between Two-Level Decision Makers

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Xiaodong; Vesselinov, Velimir Valentinov

2016-09-03

Energy-water nexus has substantially increased importance in the recent years. Synergistic approaches based on systems-analysis and mathematical models are critical for helping decision makers better understand the interrelationships and tradeoffs between energy and water. In energywater nexus management, various decision makers with different goals and preferences, which are often conflicting, are involved. These decision makers may have different controlling power over the management objectives and the decisions. They make decisions sequentially from the upper level to the lower level, challenging decision making in energy-water nexus. In order to address such planning issues, a bi-level decision model is developed, which improvesmore » upon the existing studies by integration of bi-level programming into energy-water nexus management. The developed model represents a methodological contribution to the challenge of sequential decisionmaking in energy-water nexus through provision of an integrated modeling framework/tool. An interactive fuzzy optimization methodology is introduced to seek a satisfactory solution to meet the overall satisfaction of the two-level decision makers. The tradeoffs between the two-level decision makers in energy-water nexus management are effectively addressed and quantified. Application of the proposed model to a synthetic example problem has demonstrated its applicability in practical energy-water nexus management. Optimal solutions for electricity generation, fuel supply, water supply including groundwater, surface water and recycled water, capacity expansion of the power plants, and GHG emission control are generated. In conclusion, these analyses are capable of helping decision makers or stakeholders adjust their tolerances to make informed decisions to achieve the overall satisfaction of energy-water nexus management where bi-level sequential decision making process is involved.« less

Energy-Water Nexus: Balancing the Tradeoffs between Two-Level Decision Makers

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

Zhang, Xiaodong; Vesselinov, Velimir Valentinov

Energy-water nexus has substantially increased importance in the recent years. Synergistic approaches based on systems-analysis and mathematical models are critical for helping decision makers better understand the interrelationships and tradeoffs between energy and water. In energywater nexus management, various decision makers with different goals and preferences, which are often conflicting, are involved. These decision makers may have different controlling power over the management objectives and the decisions. They make decisions sequentially from the upper level to the lower level, challenging decision making in energy-water nexus. In order to address such planning issues, a bi-level decision model is developed, which improvesmore » upon the existing studies by integration of bi-level programming into energy-water nexus management. The developed model represents a methodological contribution to the challenge of sequential decisionmaking in energy-water nexus through provision of an integrated modeling framework/tool. An interactive fuzzy optimization methodology is introduced to seek a satisfactory solution to meet the overall satisfaction of the two-level decision makers. The tradeoffs between the two-level decision makers in energy-water nexus management are effectively addressed and quantified. Application of the proposed model to a synthetic example problem has demonstrated its applicability in practical energy-water nexus management. Optimal solutions for electricity generation, fuel supply, water supply including groundwater, surface water and recycled water, capacity expansion of the power plants, and GHG emission control are generated. In conclusion, these analyses are capable of helping decision makers or stakeholders adjust their tolerances to make informed decisions to achieve the overall satisfaction of energy-water nexus management where bi-level sequential decision making process is involved.« less

[The Intentions Affecting the Medical Decision-Making Behavior of Surrogate Decision Makers of Critically Ill Patients and Related Factors].

PubMed

Su, Szu-Huei; Wu, Li-Min

2018-04-01

The severity of diseases and high mortality rates that typify the intensive care unit often make it difficult for surrogate decision makers to make decisions for critically ill patients regarding whether to continue medical treatments or to accept palliative care. To explore the behavioral intentions that underlie the medical decisions of surrogate decision makers of critically ill patients and the related factors. A cross-sectional, correlation study design was used. A total of 193 surrogate decision makers from six ICUs in a medical center in southern Taiwan were enrolled as participants. Three structured questionnaires were used, including a demographic datasheet, the Family Relationship Scale, and the Behavioral Intention of Medical Decisions Scale. Significantly positive correlations were found between the behavioral intentions underlying medical decisions and the following variables: the relationship of the participant to the patient (Eta = .343, p = .020), the age of the patient (r = .295, p < .01), and whether the patient had signed a currently valid advance healthcare directive (Eta = .223, p = .002). Furthermore, a significantly negative correlation was found between these intentions and length of stay in the ICU (r = -.263, p < .01). Patient age, whether the patient had signed a currently valid advance healthcare directive, and length of stay in the ICU were all predictive factors for the behavioral intentions underlying the medical decisions of the surrogate decision makers, explaining 13.9% of the total variance. In assessing the behavioral intentions underlying the medical decisions of surrogate decision makers, health providers should consider the relationship between critical patients and their surrogate decision makers, patient age, the length of ICU stay, and whether the patient has a pre-signed advance healthcare directive in order to maximize the effectiveness of medical care provided to critically ill patients.

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

PubMed

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

2016-12-01

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

WEBTAS Software Life Cycle Development

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

may be published in both html and pdf formats via menu selection. Adobe® FrameMaker ® 7.1 and Quadralay Corporation WebWorks® Professional 2003...X X WebTAS 2.5.3 ISAM X X WebTAS 2.5.3 Domain Editor Guide X X 13 The backbone of the ISS publishing environment consists of Adobe® FrameMaker ...and WebWorks® Publisher Professional 2003. FrameMaker ® provides an enterprise-class authoring and publishing solution that combines the

Evaluation of Unix-Based Integrated Office Automation Products.

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-04-01

recipient preferences of networked UNIX users. An e-mail directory contains the preferred applications (e.g., FrameMaker , Excel) for each user, and e...Future Not Available (B) FrameMaker (UNIX) E-Optional I/E-Standard Future* (B) Interleaf (UNIX) I/E-Optional I/E-Standard Future* (B) IslandWrite Not...Optional Future Not Available DXF I-Optional Future Not Available (B) EPSI I-Standard Not Available Future (B) FrameMaker (MIF) E-Optional I/E-Standard Not

Decision making in high-velocity environments: implications for healthcare.

PubMed

Stepanovich, P L; Uhrig, J D

1999-01-01

Healthcare can be considered a high-velocity environment and, as such, can benefit from research conducted in other industries regarding strategic decision making. Strategic planning is not only relevant to firms in high-velocity environments, but is also important for high performance and survival. Specifically, decision-making speed seems to be instrumental in differentiating between high and low performers; fast decision makers outperform slow decision makers. This article outlines the differences between fast and slow decision makers, identifies five paralyses that can slow decision making in healthcare, and outlines the role of a planning department in circumventing these paralyses. Executives can use the proposed planning structure to improve both the speed and quality of strategic decisions. The structure uses planning facilitators to avoid the following five paralyses: 1. Analysis. Decision makers can no longer afford the luxury of lengthy, detailed analysis but must develop real-time systems that provide appropriate, timely information. 2. Alternatives. Many alternatives (beyond the traditional two or three) need to be considered and the alternatives must be evaluated simultaneously. 3. Group Think. Decision makers must avoid limited mind-sets and autocratic leadership styles by seeking out independent, knowledgeable counselors. 4. Process. Decision makers need to resolve conflicts through "consensus with qualification," as opposed to waiting for everyone to come on board. 5. Separation. Successful implementation requires a structured process that cuts across disciplines and levels.

Enslaved ants: not as helpless as they were thought to be.

PubMed

Czechowski, W; Godzińska, E J

Slavery in ants involves robbing of brood of host ant species and rearing captured individuals in the enslaver's nest. Whereas slaves of facultative slave-makers increase the workforce of the colony, in obligate slave-makers presence of slaves is vital for colony survival. Until recently, it was generally believed that enslaved workers act solely for the benefit of their social parasite and are wholly lost for their own colony and population. However, evidence that slaves may act also in favour of their own maternal population by engaging in various forms of the so-called slave rebellions is already quite extensive and may be found in both old and recent myrmecological literature, although, unfortunately, these data are often neglected or overlooked. They may be classified into four categories: (1) acts of physical aggression directed by slaves to slave-makers, (2) attempts of slaves to reproduce within a slave-maker colony, (3) 'sabotage', i.e. activities of slaves leading to weakening of the slave-maker colony and population, and (4) slave emancipation, i.e. partial or complete self-liberation of slaves from slave-maker colonies. In this review, we present and discuss all these diverse (often interrelated) expressions of slave opposition to their enslavers, focussing our discussion on both proximate and evolutionary causation of the discussed phenomena. We also indicate some open questions which remain to be answered by future research.

Automated update, revision, and quality control of the maize genome annotations using MAKER-P improves the B73 RefGen_v3 gene models and identifies new genes.

PubMed

Law, MeiYee; Childs, Kevin L; Campbell, Michael S; Stein, Joshua C; Olson, Andrew J; Holt, Carson; Panchy, Nicholas; Lei, Jikai; Jiao, Dian; Andorf, Carson M; Lawrence, Carolyn J; Ware, Doreen; Shiu, Shin-Han; Sun, Yanni; Jiang, Ning; Yandell, Mark

2015-01-01

The large size and relative complexity of many plant genomes make creation, quality control, and dissemination of high-quality gene structure annotations challenging. In response, we have developed MAKER-P, a fast and easy-to-use genome annotation engine for plants. Here, we report the use of MAKER-P to update and revise the maize (Zea mays) B73 RefGen_v3 annotation build (5b+) in less than 3 h using the iPlant Cyberinfrastructure. MAKER-P identified and annotated 4,466 additional, well-supported protein-coding genes not present in the 5b+ annotation build, added additional untranslated regions to 1,393 5b+ gene models, identified 2,647 5b+ gene models that lack any supporting evidence (despite the use of large and diverse evidence data sets), identified 104,215 pseudogene fragments, and created an additional 2,522 noncoding gene annotations. We also describe a method for de novo training of MAKER-P for the annotation of newly sequenced grass genomes. Collectively, these results lead to the 6a maize genome annotation and demonstrate the utility of MAKER-P for rapid annotation, management, and quality control of grasses and other difficult-to-annotate plant genomes. © 2015 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

Information processing by networks of quantum decision makers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yukalov, V. I.; Yukalova, E. P.; Sornette, D.

2018-02-01

We suggest a model of a multi-agent society of decision makers taking decisions being based on two criteria, one is the utility of the prospects and the other is the attractiveness of the considered prospects. The model is the generalization of quantum decision theory, developed earlier for single decision makers realizing one-step decisions, in two principal aspects. First, several decision makers are considered simultaneously, who interact with each other through information exchange. Second, a multistep procedure is treated, when the agents exchange information many times. Several decision makers exchanging information and forming their judgment, using quantum rules, form a kind of a quantum information network, where collective decisions develop in time as a result of information exchange. In addition to characterizing collective decisions that arise in human societies, such networks can describe dynamical processes occurring in artificial quantum intelligence composed of several parts or in a cluster of quantum computers. The practical usage of the theory is illustrated on the dynamic disjunction effect for which three quantitative predictions are made: (i) the probabilistic behavior of decision makers at the initial stage of the process is described; (ii) the decrease of the difference between the initial prospect probabilities and the related utility factors is proved; (iii) the existence of a common consensus after multiple exchange of information is predicted. The predicted numerical values are in very good agreement with empirical data.

Learning by doing in practice: a roundtable discussion about stakeholder engagement in implementation research.

PubMed

Arwal, Said Habib; Aulakh, Bhupinder Kaur; Bumba, Ahmed; Siddula, Akshita

2017-12-28

Researchers and policy-makers alike increasingly recognise the importance of engaging diverse perspectives in implementation research. This roundtable discussion presents the experiences and perspectives of three decision-makers regarding the benefits and challenges of their engagement in implementation research. The first perspective comes from a rural district medical officer from Uganda and touches on the success of using data as evidence in a low-resource setting. The second perspective is from an Afghani Ministry of Health expert who used a community-based approach to improving healthcare services in remote regions. Finally, the third perspective highlights the successes and trials of a policy-maker from India who offers advice on how to grow the relationship between decision-makers and researchers. Overall, the stakeholders in this roundtable discussion saw important benefits to their engagement in research. In order to facilitate greater engagement in the future, they advise on closer dialogue between researchers and policy-makers and supporting the development of capacity to stimulate and facilitate engagement in research and the use of evidence in decision-making.

MovieMaker: a web server for rapid rendering of protein motions and interactions

PubMed Central

Maiti, Rajarshi; Van Domselaar, Gary H.; Wishart, David S.

2005-01-01

MovieMaker is a web server that allows short (∼10 s), downloadable movies of protein motions to be generated. It accepts PDB files or PDB accession numbers as input and automatically calculates, renders and merges the necessary image files to create colourful animations covering a wide range of protein motions and other dynamic processes. Users have the option of animating (i) simple rotation, (ii) morphing between two end-state conformers, (iii) short-scale, picosecond vibrations, (iv) ligand docking, (v) protein oligomerization, (vi) mid-scale nanosecond (ensemble) motions and (vii) protein folding/unfolding. MovieMaker does not perform molecular dynamics calculations. Instead it is an animation tool that uses a sophisticated superpositioning algorithm in conjunction with Cartesian coordinate interpolation to rapidly and automatically calculate the intermediate structures needed for many of its animations. Users have extensive control over the rendering style, structure colour, animation quality, background and other image features. MovieMaker is intended to be a general-purpose server that allows both experts and non-experts to easily generate useful, informative protein animations for educational and illustrative purposes. MovieMaker is accessible at . PMID:15980488

Translating evidence from systematic reviews for policy makers.

PubMed

Nannini, Angela; Houde, Susan Crocker

2010-06-01

Gerontological nurses who have received education and have experience in conducting systematic reviews may assume a key role in interpreting systematic reviews for policy makers. Systematic reviews offer evidence to determine the best policy and program solutions to a problem. To be successful in translating evidence from systematic reviews, gerontological nurses need to (a) understand the steps of the policy making process and where different kinds of reviews may be used, (b) assess the "technical" literacy and level of interest in gerontological issues of the intended policy maker, and (c) develop and practice skills in policy writing that distill information in policy briefs as well as shorter formats. Gerontological nurses can be powerful advocates for older adults using the systematic review of the literature as an instrument to educate policy makers. Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.

Does the market maker stabilize the market?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Mei; Chiarella, Carl; He, Xue-Zhong; Wang, Duo

2009-08-01

The market maker plays an important role in price formation, but his/her behavior and stabilizing impact on the market are relatively unclear, in particular in speculative markets. This paper develops a financial market model that examines the impact on market stability of the market maker, who acts as both a liquidity provider and an active investor in a market consisting of two types of boundedly rational speculative investors-the fundamentalists and trend followers. We show that the market maker does not necessarily stabilize the market when he/she actively manages the inventory to maximize profits, and that rather the market maker’s impact depends on the behavior of the speculators. Numerical simulations show that the model is able to generate outcomes for asset returns and market inventories that are consistent with empirical findings.

Getting from Here to There: The Roles of Policy Makers and Principals in Increasing Science Teacher Quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Ji; Gerard, Libby; Bowyer, Jane

2010-04-01

In this study we investigate how federal and state policy makers, and school principals are working to improve science teacher quality. Interviews, focused discussions, and policy documents serve as the primary data source. Findings suggest that both policy makers and principals prioritize increasing incentives for teachers entering the science teaching profession, providing professional development for new teachers, and using students’ data to evaluate and improve instruction. Differences between the two leadership groups emerged in terms of the grain size and practicality of their concerns. Our findings indicate that the complexity of educational challenges to improve science teacher quality call for the co-construction of policy by multiple constituent groups including school principals, federal and state policy makers, and science education researchers.

Combining communication technology utilization and organizational innovation: evidence from Canadian healthcare decision makers.

PubMed

Jbilou, Jalila; Landry, Réjean; Amara, Nabil; El Adlouni, Salaheddine

2009-08-01

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Organizational Innovation (OI) are seen as the miracle of post-modernity in organizations. In this way, they are supposed to resolve most organizational problems, efficiently and rapidly. OI is highly dependent on the capacity and the investment in knowledge management (internal and external) to support decision making process and to implement significant changes. We know what explains ICT utilization (ICTU) and what determines OI development (OID) in healthcare services. Moreover, the literature tends to link ICTU to OID and vice versa. However, this dependency has never been explored empirically through the lens of roles combination. To identify the existing combined roles profiles of ICTU and OID among healthcare decision makers and determine factors of the shift from a profile to another. We did the following: (1) a structured review of the literature on healthcare management by focusing on ICTU and OID which allowed us to build two indexes and a comprehensive framework; (2) a copula methodology to identify with high precision the thresholds for ICTU and OID; and (3) a cross-sectional study based on a survey done with a sample of 942 decision makers from Canadian healthcare organizations through a multinomial logit model to identify determinants of the shift. ICTU and OID are correlated at 22% (Kendal's Tau). The joint distribution (combination) of ICTU and OID shows that four major profiles exist among decision makers in Canadian healthcare organizations: the traditional decision maker, the innovative decision maker, the technologic decision maker and the contemporary decision maker. We found out that classic factors act as barriers to the shift from one profile to the desired profile (from 1 to 4, from 2 to 4 and from 3 to 4). We have identified that the attitude toward research and relational capital are transversal barriers of shift. We have also found that some factors have a specific impact such as engaging in activities of research acquisition, the administrative position (being a manager), the preference for applied research results as source of information, the degree of novelty of research results, and the gender. Modern Canadian healthcare organizations need contemporary decision makers who use ICT and develop OI, if performance is the target. Our results let us suggest that the isolated administrative agents profile is no more effective in a dynamic and changing world. Contemporary decision makers need to be more active intellectually and to take risks in their decisions. Relying exclusively on research results and on their social network is no more helpful for a real shift. Moreover, the traditional factors, i.e. organization size, time, experience ... are no more effective, especially when we consider combined roles. We propose some practical and theoretical recommendations to support these changes.

Constructing Perceptions of Climate Change: a case study of regional political decision makers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bray, D.

2012-12-01

This case study of climate change communications assesses the salient means of communication and the message adopted by regional political decision makers on the German Baltic coast. Realizing that cultural factors and local values (and not simply knowledge) are significant influences in explaining attitudes towards climate change, this analysis draws from the records of regional weather, from scientists with a specific focus on the region, from the political decision makers for that region, and the media message reaching the decision makers, ensuring all elements of the analysis are drawn from the same socioeconomic, geophysical, political and cultural context. This is important as the social dynamics surrounding the trust in science is of critical importance and, as such, all elements of the case study are specifically contained within a common context. If the utility of climate change knowledge is to prompt well conceived adaptation/mitigation strategies then the political decision process, or at least the perceptions shaping it, can best be understood by locating it within the world view of the decision makers involved in the production process. Using the results of two survey questionnaires, one of regional climate scientists and one of regional political decision makers, ten years of local weather records, and a summary of the message from mass media circulation, the discord in perceptions of regional climate change are quantitatively explored. The conclusions drawn from the analysis include, compared to the scientific assessment: The decision makers' perceptions of recent past differ from actual observations. The decision makers' perceptions of the future differ from scientific assessments. The decision makers tend to over estimate the magnitude of regional climate change and its impacts. The decision makers tend to over estimate the sense of immediacy for adaptation measures. The conclusions drawn suggest that in the regional political realm, it is often a social construction of climate change, not scientific claims, that are shaping decisions. While certainty is the common demand of those charged with making decisions concerning climate change, certainty is the quality that seems to be given least value in taking action. Weather records are all but ignored. The direct voice of scientists was heeded but not fully accepted. In the transition, the truth-to-power model appears to be somewhat modified, whereby power states that the future will be different, but the difference is determined by other sources; shaping images of risk and danger. One could not deny that climate and sea level have always been forces shaping patterns of human settlement. And one could not deny that perhaps the time is nigh to reassess the human relationship with nature. However, any measure considered should be done so with a rational sense of objectivity. To do otherwise, there is the risk of misallocating scare resources.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Telework

Science.gov Websites

for vehicle fleet managers and corporate decision makers to work with employees to conserve fuel . Telecommute Resources These resources can help corporate decision makers develop and support telework

Expansion and Automation of the Energy Conserving Orientational Force for Calculation of Grain Boundary Mobility

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-02-21

change. Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. 18 A.1 ThermalData.py import numpy import math import os from submit_maker...numpy import math import os from submit_maker import * import time from decimal import * #NOTE: ThermalData.py for the given material and...8217/’+Orientation+’/Submitfiles/submit_excal_’+r epr(temp)+’K_’+repr(u)+’eV.bash’) A.3 submit_maker.py import math import os def

Heterogeneous Concurrent Modeling and Design in Java (Volume 2: Ptolemy II Software Architecture)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-04-01

file (EPS) suitable for inclusion in word processors. The image in figure 7.3 is such an EPS file imported into FrameMaker . At this time, the EPS...can be imported into word processors. This figure was imported into FrameMaker . 152 Ptolemy II Plot Package 7.2.4 Modifying the format You can control...FixToken class 57 FrameMaker 149 full name 4 function closures 59 function dependency 48 FunctionDependency class 48 FunctionToken 122 FunctionToken

Interactive Multiple-Representation Editing of Physically-based 3D Animation

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-05-29

view similar to that of FrameMaker [46], but with a stronger model of structured editing, and a language window, which displays a formal description of...used. This is partly a result of the power of a good direct manipulation editor { most users of good editors like FrameMaker don’t seem to miss having a...re nement. In SIG- GRAPH, pages 205{212, August 1988. [46] Frame Technology Inc. Using FrameMaker , 1990. [47] Bjorn N. Freeman-Benson and John Maloney

Media Selection for the Development of a Hypermedia/Multimedia Instructional Model for the Navy’s 76mm Gun

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-09-01

placed on the timeline when called. The timeline editor is also used when creating a hypertext/hypermedia document. a FrameMaker FrameMaker is a...Framemaker’s multi-platform capability permits document sharing and allows for easy importing of text and graphics from other application software. Framemaker ...Technology Corporation, FrameMaker Reference, September 1990. Glaser, R., "Education and Thinking: The Role of Knowledge", American Psychologist, Vol. 39, No

Make Energy at the Bay Area Maker Faire

ScienceCinema

None

2018-01-16

Think. Make. Innovate. A festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness that gathers makers of all kinds. Scientists are seeking to find innovative solutions to the energy challenges in the world.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Mass Transit

Science.gov Websites

traveled and fuel used by private vehicles. Vehicle fleet managers, corporate decision makers, and public effective incentives for fleet managers and corporate decision makers to build mass transit ridership

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Transportation System Efficiency

Science.gov Websites

energy use. Transportation planners and corporate decision makers can implement combinations of these corporate decision makers can help employees telework to conserve fuel. Maps & Data Average Annual Fuel

Assessing Contractor Capabilities for Streamlined Site Investigations

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The purpose of this document is to familiarize and encourage brownfields decision makers to investigate and employ innovative methods for characterizing their sites, to assist brownfields decision makers in assessing contractors' capabilities.

20 CFR 639.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... under common ownership or control. An example would be a major auto maker which has dozens of automobile... “employer”, the auto maker. (b) Plant closing. The term “plant closing” means the permanent or temporary...

20 CFR 639.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... under common ownership or control. An example would be a major auto maker which has dozens of automobile... “employer”, the auto maker. (b) Plant closing. The term “plant closing” means the permanent or temporary...

20 CFR 639.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... under common ownership or control. An example would be a major auto maker which has dozens of automobile... “employer”, the auto maker. (b) Plant closing. The term “plant closing” means the permanent or temporary...

10 CFR 431.131 - Purpose and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... EQUIPMENT Automatic Commercial Ice Makers § 431.131 Purpose and scope. This subpart contains energy conservation requirements for commercial ice makers, pursuant to Part C of Title III of the Energy Policy and...

10 CFR 431.131 - Purpose and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... EQUIPMENT Automatic Commercial Ice Makers § 431.131 Purpose and scope. This subpart contains energy conservation requirements for commercial ice makers, pursuant to Part C of Title III of the Energy Policy and...

10 CFR 431.131 - Purpose and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... EQUIPMENT Automatic Commercial Ice Makers § 431.131 Purpose and scope. This subpart contains energy conservation requirements for commercial ice makers, pursuant to Part C of Title III of the Energy Policy and...

10 CFR 431.131 - Purpose and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... EQUIPMENT Automatic Commercial Ice Makers § 431.131 Purpose and scope. This subpart contains energy conservation requirements for commercial ice makers, pursuant to Part C of Title III of the Energy Policy and...

10 CFR 431.131 - Purpose and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... EQUIPMENT Automatic Commercial Ice Makers § 431.131 Purpose and scope. This subpart contains energy conservation requirements for commercial ice makers, pursuant to Part C of Title III of the Energy Policy and...

Helping decision makers frame, analyze, and implement decisions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Runge, Michael C.; McDonald-Madden, Eve

2018-01-01

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

Do evidence summaries increase policy-makers' use of evidence from systematic reviews: A systematic review protocol.

PubMed

Petkovic, Jennifer; Welch, Vivian; Tugwell, Peter

2015-09-28

Systematic reviews are important for decision-makers. They offer many potential benefits but are often written in technical language, are too long, and do not contain contextual details which makes them hard to use for decision-making. There are many organizations that develop and disseminate derivative products, such as evidence summaries, from systematic reviews for different populations or subsets of decision-makers. This systematic review will assess the effectiveness of systematic review summaries on increasing policymakers' use of systematic review evidence and to identify the components or features of these summaries that are most effective. We will include studies of policy-makers at all levels as well as health-system managers. We will include studies examining any type of "evidence summary," "policy brief," or other products derived from systematic reviews that present evidence in a summarized form. The primary outcomes are the following: (1) use of systematic review summaries decision-making (e.g., self-reported use of the evidence in policy-making, decision-making) and (2) policy-maker understanding, knowledge, and/or beliefs (e.g., changes in knowledge scores about the topic included in the summary). We will conduct a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), non-randomized controlled trials (NRCTs), controlled before-after studies (CBA), and interrupted time series (ITS) studies. The results of this review will inform the development of future systematic review summaries to ensure that systematic review evidence is accessible to and used by policy-makers making health-related decisions.

Concordance Between Veterans' Self-Report and Documentation of Surrogate Decision Makers: Implications for Quality Measurement.

PubMed

Garner, Kimberly K; Dubbert, Patricia; Lensing, Shelly; Sullivan, Dennis H

2017-01-01

The Measuring What Matters initiative of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association identified documentation of a surrogate decision maker as one of the top 10 quality indicators in the acute hospital and hospice settings. To better understand the potential implementation of this Measuring What Matters quality measure #8, Documentation of Surrogate in outpatient primary care settings by describing primary care patients' self-reported identification and documentation of a surrogate decision maker. Examination of patient responses to self-assessment questions from advance health care planning educational groups conducted in one medical center primary care clinic and seven community-based outpatient primary care clinics. We assessed the concordance between patient reports of identifying and naming a surrogate decision maker and having completed an advance directive (AD) with presence of an AD in the electronic medical record. Of veterans without a documented AD on file, more than half (66%) reported that they had talked with someone they trusted and nearly half (52%) reported that they had named someone to communicate their preferences. Our clinical project data suggest that many more veterans may have initiated communications with surrogate decision makers than is evident in the electronic medical record. System changes are needed to close the gap between veterans' plans for a surrogate decision maker and the documentation available to acute care health care providers. Published by Elsevier Inc.

A Reward-Maximizing Spiking Neuron as a Bounded Rational Decision Maker.

PubMed

Leibfried, Felix; Braun, Daniel A

2015-08-01

Rate distortion theory describes how to communicate relevant information most efficiently over a channel with limited capacity. One of the many applications of rate distortion theory is bounded rational decision making, where decision makers are modeled as information channels that transform sensory input into motor output under the constraint that their channel capacity is limited. Such a bounded rational decision maker can be thought to optimize an objective function that trades off the decision maker's utility or cumulative reward against the information processing cost measured by the mutual information between sensory input and motor output. In this study, we interpret a spiking neuron as a bounded rational decision maker that aims to maximize its expected reward under the computational constraint that the mutual information between the neuron's input and output is upper bounded. This abstract computational constraint translates into a penalization of the deviation between the neuron's instantaneous and average firing behavior. We derive a synaptic weight update rule for such a rate distortion optimizing neuron and show in simulations that the neuron efficiently extracts reward-relevant information from the input by trading off its synaptic strengths against the collected reward.

MovieMaker: a web server for rapid rendering of protein motions and interactions.

PubMed

Maiti, Rajarshi; Van Domselaar, Gary H; Wishart, David S

2005-07-01

MovieMaker is a web server that allows short ( approximately 10 s), downloadable movies of protein motions to be generated. It accepts PDB files or PDB accession numbers as input and automatically calculates, renders and merges the necessary image files to create colourful animations covering a wide range of protein motions and other dynamic processes. Users have the option of animating (i) simple rotation, (ii) morphing between two end-state conformers, (iii) short-scale, picosecond vibrations, (iv) ligand docking, (v) protein oligomerization, (vi) mid-scale nanosecond (ensemble) motions and (vii) protein folding/unfolding. MovieMaker does not perform molecular dynamics calculations. Instead it is an animation tool that uses a sophisticated superpositioning algorithm in conjunction with Cartesian coordinate interpolation to rapidly and automatically calculate the intermediate structures needed for many of its animations. Users have extensive control over the rendering style, structure colour, animation quality, background and other image features. MovieMaker is intended to be a general-purpose server that allows both experts and non-experts to easily generate useful, informative protein animations for educational and illustrative purposes. MovieMaker is accessible at http://wishart.biology.ualberta.ca/moviemaker.

10 CFR 431.135 - Units to be tested.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... EQUIPMENT Automatic Commercial Ice Makers Test Procedures § 431.135 Units to be tested. For each basic model of automatic commercial ice maker selected for testing, a sample of sufficient size shall be selected...

Acquisition Guide for Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-04-01

6.1 ASCII Editors A𔄂 A.6.2 ADEPT*Editor.... Aŝ A.6.3 FrameMaker +SGML (FM+SGML) A൒ A.6.4 IADS A_n A.7 Developing and Editing...Interface A-9 Figure A-6. FrameMaker +SGML Authoring Environment A-l 1 Figure A-7. IADS Reader Aൔ Figure A-8. TechSight Viewer A_13 Figure A-9...errors should be corrected before importing an SGML-tagged file into ADEPT. A.6.3 FrameMaker +SGML (FM+SGML) FM+SGML is an Adobe System product and

Does need matter? Needs assessments and decision-making among major humanitarian health agencies.

PubMed

Gerdin, Martin; Chataigner, Patrice; Tax, Leonie; Kubai, Anne; von Schreeb, Johan

2014-07-01

Disasters of physical origin, including earthquakes, floods, landslides, tidal waves, tropical storms, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, have affected millions of people globally over the past 100 years. Proportionately, there is far greater likelihood of being affected by such disasters in low-income countries than in high-income countries. Furthermore, low-income countries are in need of international assistance following disasters more often than high-income countries. The funding of international humanitarian assistance has increased from USD 12.9 billion in 2006 to an estimated USD 16.7 billion in 2010. The majority of this funding is channelled through humanitarian agencies and is supposed to be distributed based on the need of those affected, as assessed using needs assessments. Such needs assessments may be used to inform decisions internally, to influence others, to justify response decisions, and to obtain funding. Little is known about the quality of needs assessments in practical applications. Consequently, this paper reports on and analyses the views of operational decision-makers in major health-related humanitarian agencies on needs assessments. © 2014 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2014.

Public reporting and the quality of care of German nursing homes.

PubMed

Herr, Annika; Nguyen, Thu-Van; Schmitz, Hendrik

2016-10-01

Since 2009, German nursing homes have been evaluated regularly by an external institution with quality report cards published online. We follow recent debates and argue that most of the information in the report cards does not reliably measure quality of care. However, a subset of up to seven measures does. Do these measures that reflect "risk factors" improve over time? Using a sample of more than 3000 German nursing homes with information on two waves, we assume that the introduction of public reporting is an exogenous institutional change and apply before-after-estimations to obtain estimates for the relation between public reporting and quality. We find a significant improvement of the identified risk factors. Also, the two employed outcome quality indicators improve significantly. The improvements are driven by nursing homes with low quality in the first evaluation. To the extent that this can be interpreted as evidence that public reporting positively affects the (reported) quality in nursing homes, policy makers should carefully choose indicators reflecting care-sensitive quality. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploring the issue of employment for adults with an intellectual disability in Ireland.

PubMed

McGlinchey, Eimear; McCallion, Philip; Burke, Eilish; Carroll, Rachel; McCarron, Mary

2013-07-01

The benefits of being in employment are well documented; however, underemployment is a critical issue for people with intellectual disability (ID). Some individuals perceive themselves as being in employment when in fact they are attending a non-work site such as a day service. The impact that this perception of employment has on other areas in life has not been investigated and research into this area could have implications for both policy makers and service providers. The first wave of the intellectual disability Supplement to the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (IDS-TILDA) included a series of questions on employment that yielded data for a representative sample of 753 participants with intellectual disability aged 40 and over randomly selected from Ireland's National Intellectual Disability Database (NIDD). Overall, 6.6% of the population were in real paid employment, 7.4% in perceived employment, 12% in sheltered employment and 73.5% were unemployed. Differences were identified between these two groups in relation to social activities, levels of depression and self-rated health. Further investigation is needed into the area of perceived employment. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Using Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process multicriteria and Geographical information system for coastal vulnerability analysis in Morocco: The case of Mohammedia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tahri, Meryem; Maanan, Mohamed; Hakdaoui, Mustapha

2016-04-01

This paper shows a method to assess the vulnerability of coastal risks such as coastal erosion or submarine applying Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) and spatial analysis techniques with Geographic Information System (GIS). The coast of the Mohammedia located in Morocco was chosen as the study site to implement and validate the proposed framework by applying a GIS-FAHP based methodology. The coastal risk vulnerability mapping follows multi-parametric causative factors as sea level rise, significant wave height, tidal range, coastal erosion, elevation, geomorphology and distance to an urban area. The Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process methodology enables the calculation of corresponding criteria weights. The result shows that the coastline of the Mohammedia is characterized by a moderate, high and very high level of vulnerability to coastal risk. The high vulnerability areas are situated in the east at Monika and Sablette beaches. This technical approach is based on the efficiency of the Geographic Information System tool based on Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process to help decision maker to find optimal strategies to minimize coastal risks.

Alpha-Fair Resource Allocation under Incomplete Information and Presence of a Jammer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altman, Eitan; Avrachenkov, Konstantin; Garnaev, Andrey

In the present work we deal with the concept of alpha-fair resource allocation in the situation where the decision maker (in our case, the base station) does not have complete information about the environment. Namely, we develop a concept of α-fairness under uncertainty to allocate power resource in the presence of a jammer under two types of uncertainty: (a) the decision maker does not have complete knowledge about the parameters of the environment, but knows only their distribution, (b) the jammer can come into the environment with some probability bringing extra background noise. The goal of the decision maker is to maximize the α-fairness utility function with respect to the SNIR (signal to noise-plus-interference ratio). Here we consider a concept of the expected α-fairness utility function (short-term fairness) as well as fairness of expectation (long-term fairness). In the scenario with the unknown parameters of the environment the most adequate approach is a zero-sum game since it can also be viewed as a minimax problem for the decision maker playing against the nature where the decision maker has to apply the best allocation under the worst circumstances. In the scenario with the uncertainty about jamming being in the system the Nash equilibrium concept is employed since the agents have non-zero sum payoffs: the decision maker would like to maximize either the expected fairness or the fairness of expectation while the jammer would like to minimize the fairness if he comes in on the scene. For all the plots the equilibrium strategies in closed form are found. We have shown that for all the scenarios the equilibrium has to be constructed into two steps. In the first step the equilibrium jamming strategy has to be constructed based on a solution of the corresponding modification of the water-filling equation. In the second step the decision maker equilibrium strategy has to be constructed equalizing the induced by jammer background noise.

Clustering and group selection of multiple criteria alternatives with application to space-based networks.

PubMed

Malakooti, Behnam; Yang, Ziyong

2004-02-01

In many real-world problems, the range of consequences of different alternatives are considerably different. In addition, sometimes, selection of a group of alternatives (instead of only one best alternative) is necessary. Traditional decision making approaches treat the set of alternatives with the same method of analysis and selection. In this paper, we propose clustering alternatives into different groups so that different methods of analysis, selection, and implementation for each group can be applied. As an example, consider the selection of a group of functions (or tasks) to be processed by a group of processors. The set of tasks can be grouped according to their similar criteria, and hence, each cluster of tasks to be processed by a processor. The selection of the best alternative for each clustered group can be performed using existing methods; however, the process of selecting groups is different than the process of selecting alternatives within a group. We develop theories and procedures for clustering discrete multiple criteria alternatives. We also demonstrate how the set of alternatives is clustered into mutually exclusive groups based on 1) similar features among alternatives; 2) ideal (or most representative) alternatives given by the decision maker; and 3) other preferential information of the decision maker. The clustering of multiple criteria alternatives also has the following advantages. 1) It decreases the set of alternatives to be considered by the decision maker (for example, different decision makers are assigned to different groups of alternatives). 2) It decreases the number of criteria. 3) It may provide a different approach for analyzing multiple decision makers problems. Each decision maker may cluster alternatives differently, and hence, clustering of alternatives may provide a basis for negotiation. The developed approach is applicable for solving a class of telecommunication networks problems where a set of objects (such as routers, processors, or intelligent autonomous vehicles) are to be clustered into similar groups. Objects are clustered based on several criteria and the decision maker's preferences.

Five Tips to Help Prevent Infections

MedlinePlus

... Information For… Media Policy Makers 5 Tips to Help Prevent Infections Language: English (US) Español (Spanish) Recommend ... Makers Language: English (US) Español (Spanish) File Formats Help: How do I view different file formats (PDF, ...

3. BARREL VIEW, LOOKING DOWN LENGTH OF BRIDGE, SHOWING MAKER'S ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

3. BARREL VIEW, LOOKING DOWN LENGTH OF BRIDGE, SHOWING MAKER'S PLATE, DECORATIVE SCROLLWORK AND URN FINIALS ON NORTHEAST PORTAL - "Forder" Pratt Through Truss Bridge, Spanning Maumee River at County Route 73, Antwerp, Paulding County, OH

Do-it-yourself biology and electronic waste hacking: A politics of demonstration in precarious times.

PubMed

Delgado, Ana; Callén, Blanca

2017-02-01

In recent years, there has been an explosion of do it yourself, maker and hacker spaces in Europe. Through makers and do-it-yourself initiatives, 'hacking' is moving into the everyday life of citizens. This article explores the collective and political nature of those hacks by reporting on empirical work on electronic waste and do-it-yourself biology hacking. Using Dewey's experimental approach to politics, we analyse hacks as 'inquiry' to see how they serve to articulate public and political action. We argue that do-it-yourself and makers' hacks are technical and political demonstrations. What do-it-yourself and makers' hacks ultimately demonstrate is that things can be done otherwise and that 'you' can also do it. In this sense, they have a potential viral effect. The final part of the article explores some potential shortcomings of such politics of demonstration.

Identifying Decision-Makers’ Science Needs for Adaptation to Climate-Related Impacts on Forest Ecosystem Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordon, E.; Lukas, J.

2009-12-01

Through the Western Water Assessment RISA program, we are conducting a research project that will produce science synthesis information to help local, state, and federal decision-makers in Colorado and Wyoming develop adaptation strategies to deal with climate-related threats to forest ecosystem services, in particular bark beetle infestations and stand-replacing wildfires. We begin by using the problem orientation framework, a policy sciences methodology, to understand how decision-makers can most effectively address policy problems that threaten the attainment of socially accepted goals. By applying this framework to the challenges facing decision-makers, we more accurately identify specific areas where scientific research can improve decision-making. WWA researchers will next begin to connect decision-makers with relevant scientific literature and identify specific areas of future scientific research that will be most effective at addressing their needs.

Developing a service platform definition to promote evidence-based planning and funding of the mental health service system.

PubMed

Lee, Yong Yi; Meurk, Carla S; Harris, Meredith G; Diminic, Sandra; Scheurer, Roman W; Whiteford, Harvey A

2014-11-26

Ensuring that a mental health system provides 'value for money' requires policy makers to allocate resources to the most cost-effective interventions. Organizing cost-effective interventions into a service delivery framework will require a concept that can guide the mapping of evidence regarding disorder-level interventions to aggregations of services that are meaningful for policy makers. The 'service platform' is an emerging concept that could be used to this end, however no explicit definition currently exists in the literature. The aim of this study was to develop a service platform definition that is consistent with how policy makers conceptualize the major elements of the mental health service system and to test the validity and utility of this definition through consultation with mental health policy makers. We derived a provisional definition informed by existing literature and consultation with experienced mental health researchers. Using a modified Delphi method, we obtained feedback from nine Australian policy makers. Respondents provided written answers to a questionnaire eliciting their views on the acceptability, comprehensibility and usefulness of a service platform definition which was subject to qualitative analysis. Overall, respondents understood the definition and found it both acceptable and useful, subject to certain conditions. They also provided suggestions for its improvement. Our findings suggest that the service platform concept could be a useful way of aggregating mental health services as a means for presenting priority setting evidence to policy makers in mental health. However, further development and testing of the concept is required.

Proxy decision making and dementia: Using Construal Level Theory to analyse the thoughts of decision makers.

PubMed

Convey, Helen; Holt, Janet; Summers, Barbara

2018-07-01

This study explored the feasibility of using Construal Level Theory to analyse proxy decision maker thinking about a hypothetical ethical dilemma, relating to a person who has dementia. Proxy decision makers make decisions on behalf of individuals who are living with dementia when dementia affects that individual's decision making ability. Ethical dilemmas arise because there is a need to balance the individual's past and contemporary values and views. Understanding of how proxy decision makers respond is incomplete. Construal Level Theory contends that individuals imagine reactions and make predications about the future by crossing psychological distance. This involves abstract thinking, giving meaning to decisions. There is no empirical evidence of Construal Level Theory being used to analyse proxy decision maker thinking. Exploring the feasibility of using Construal Level Theory to understand dementia carer thinking regarding proxy decisions may provide insights which inform the support given. Descriptive qualitative research with semi-structured interviews. Seven participants were interviewed using a hypothetical dementia care scenario in February 2016. Interview transcripts were analysed for themes. Construal Level Theory was applied to analyse participant responses within themes using the Linguistic Category Model. Participants travelled across psychological distance, using abstract thinking to clarify goals and provide a basis for decisions. When thinking concretely participants established boundaries regarding the ethical dilemma. Construal Level Theory gives insight into proxy decision maker thinking and the levels of abstraction used. Understanding what dementia carers think about when making proxy decisions may help nurses to understand their perspectives and to provide appropriate support. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Developing a Service Platform Definition to Promote Evidence-Based Planning and Funding of the Mental Health Service System

PubMed Central

Lee, Yong Yi; Meurk, Carla S.; Harris, Meredith G.; Diminic, Sandra; Scheurer, Roman W.; Whiteford, Harvey A.

2014-01-01

Ensuring that a mental health system provides ‘value for money’ requires policy makers to allocate resources to the most cost-effective interventions. Organizing cost-effective interventions into a service delivery framework will require a concept that can guide the mapping of evidence regarding disorder-level interventions to aggregations of services that are meaningful for policy makers. The ‘service platform’ is an emerging concept that could be used to this end, however no explicit definition currently exists in the literature. The aim of this study was to develop a service platform definition that is consistent with how policy makers conceptualize the major elements of the mental health service system and to test the validity and utility of this definition through consultation with mental health policy makers. We derived a provisional definition informed by existing literature and consultation with experienced mental health researchers. Using a modified Delphi method, we obtained feedback from nine Australian policy makers. Respondents provided written answers to a questionnaire eliciting their views on the acceptability, comprehensibility and usefulness of a service platform definition which was subject to qualitative analysis. Overall, respondents understood the definition and found it both acceptable and useful, subject to certain conditions. They also provided suggestions for its improvement. Our findings suggest that the service platform concept could be a useful way of aggregating mental health services as a means for presenting priority setting evidence to policy makers in mental health. However, further development and testing of the concept is required. PMID:25431877

HOSPITAL MANAGERS' NEED FOR INFORMATION ON HEALTH TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS.

PubMed

Ølholm, Anne Mette; Kidholm, Kristian; Birk-Olsen, Mette; Christensen, Janne Buck

2015-01-01

There is growing interest in implementing hospital-based health technology assessment (HB-HTA) as a tool to facilitate decision making based on a systematic and multidisciplinary assessment of evidence. However, the decision-making process, including the informational needs of hospital decision makers, is not well described. The objective was to review empirical studies analysing the information that hospital decision makers need when deciding about health technology (HT) investments. A systematic review of empirical studies published in English or Danish from 2000 to 2012 was carried out. The literature was assessed by two reviewers working independently. The identified informational needs were assessed with regard to their agreement with the nine domains of EUnetHTA's Core Model. A total of 2,689 articles were identified and assessed. The review process resulted in 14 relevant studies containing 74 types of information that hospital decision makers found relevant. In addition to information covered by the Core Model, other types of information dealing with political and strategic aspects were identified. The most frequently mentioned types of information in the literature related to clinical, economic and political/strategic aspects. Legal, social, and ethical aspects were seldom considered most important. Hospital decision makers are able to describe their information needs when deciding on HT investments. The different types of information were not of equal importance to hospital decision makers, however, and full agreement between EUnetHTA's Core Model and the hospital decision-makers' informational needs was not observed. They also need information on political and strategic aspects not covered by the Core Model.

Communicating Climate Uncertainties: Challenges and Opportunities Related to Spatial Scales, Extreme Events, and the Warming 'Hiatus'

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casola, J. H.; Huber, D.

2013-12-01

Many media, academic, government, and advocacy organizations have achieved sophistication in developing effective messages based on scientific information, and can quickly translate salient aspects of emerging climate research and evolving observations. However, there are several ways in which valid messages can be misconstrued by decision makers, leading them to inaccurate conclusions about the risks associated with climate impacts. Three cases will be discussed: 1) Issues of spatial scale in interpreting climate observations: Local climate observations may contradict summary statements about the effects of climate change on larger regional or global spatial scales. Effectively addressing these differences often requires communicators to understand local and regional climate drivers, and the distinction between a 'signal' associated with climate change and local climate 'noise.' Hydrological statistics in Missouri and California are shown to illustrate this case. 2) Issues of complexity related to extreme events: Climate change is typically invoked following a wide range of damaging meteorological events (e.g., heat waves, landfalling hurricanes, tornadoes), regardless of the strength of the relationship between anthropogenic climate change and the frequency or severity of that type of event. Examples are drawn from media coverage of several recent events, contrasting useful and potentially confusing word choices and frames. 3) Issues revolving around climate sensitivity: The so-called 'pause' or 'hiatus' in global warming has reverberated strongly through political and business discussions of climate change. Addressing the recent slowdown in warming yields an important opportunity to raise climate literacy in these communities. Attempts to use recent observations as a wedge between climate 'believers' and 'deniers' is likely to be counterproductive. Examples are drawn from Congressional testimony and media stories. All three cases illustrate ways that decision makers can arrive at invalid conclusions from a seemingly valid scientific messages. Honest discussion of uncertainties, and recognition of the spatial and time scales associated with decision making, can work to combat this potential confusion.

3. VIEW OF MAKERS PLATE ATTACHED TO UPPER CHORD MEMBER ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

3. VIEW OF MAKERS PLATE ATTACHED TO UPPER CHORD MEMBER WHICH STATES 'HUSTON AND CLEVELAND CONTRACTORS, COLUMBUS, OHIO, 1904.' - Main Street Parker Pony Truss Bridge, Main Street (Route 170) spanning Yellow Creek, Poland, Mahoning County, OH

CHEMFLO: ONE-DIMENSIONAL WATER AND CHEMICAL MOVEMENT IN UNSATURATED SOILS

EPA Science Inventory

An interactive software system was developed to enable decision-makers, regulators, policy-makers, scientists, consultants, and students to simulate the movement of waterand chemicals in unsaturated soils. Water movement is modeled using Richards (1931) - equation. Chemical trans...

PEANUT SHELL FUEL FOR THE GAMBIA

EPA Science Inventory

The project will develop a household-scale human-powered briquette maker that will convert peanut shells into an efficient cooking fuel. The briquette maker will be designed such that it can be manufactured and used in The Gambia.

Discovering DISCOVER

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-10-01

used to establish associations between source code and Adobe FrameMaker documents. The associations are represented as links that facilitate...possible (such as that provided with FrameMaker ). There is no scripting interface that would enable end-user programming of its modules. The suite of

Testing information to improve communication with communities and decision makers.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-09-01

This work focuses on important concepts in making information available to decision makers and the : public, specifically focused on the Transportation Industry. The emphasis is on the PowerPoint : presentation and enhancing the message through this ...

To Tinker or Not to Tinker?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chippindall, Jon

2017-01-01

Every week, thousands of "makers" worldwide indulge their passion for creating, inventing, and meddling as they visit "Tinkering studios," "Tinkerlabs," and "Tinkergarden." Such "makers" are inherently engineers; exhibiting many of the Engineering Habits of Minds described in this Special Issue as…

Economic evaluations of health technologies in Dutch healthcare decision-making: a qualitative study of the current and potential use, barriers, and facilitators.

PubMed

Roseboom, Kitty J; van Dongen, Johanna M; Tompa, Emile; van Tulder, Maurits W; Bosmans, Judith E

2017-01-26

The use of economic evaluations in healthcare decision-making can potentially help decision-makers in allocating scarce resources as efficiently as possible. Over a decade ago, the use of such studies was found to be limited in Dutch healthcare decision-making, but their current use is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to provide insight into the current and potential use of economic evaluations in Dutch healthcare decision-making and to identify barriers and facilitators to the use of such studies. Interviews containing semi-structured and structured questions were conducted among Dutch healthcare decision-makers. Participants were purposefully selected and special efforts were made to include decision-makers working at the macro- (national), meso- (local/regional), and micro-level (patient setting). During the interviews, a topic list was used that was based on the research questions and a literature search, and was developed in consultation with the Dutch National Healthcare Institute. Responses to the semi-structured questions were analyzed using a constant comparative approach. As for the structured questions, participants' definitions of various economic evaluation concepts were scored as either being "correct" or "incorrect" by two researchers, and summary statistics were prepared. Sixteen healthcare decision-makers were interviewed and two health economists. Decision-makers' knowledge of economic evaluations was only modest, and their current use appeared to be limited. Nonetheless, decision-makers recognized the importance of economic evaluations and saw several opportunities for extending their use at the macro- and meso-level, but not at the micro-level. The disparity between the limited use and recognition of the importance of economic evaluations is likely due to the many barriers decision-makers experience preventing their use (e.g. lack of resources, lack of formal willingness-to-pay threshold). Possible facilitators for extending the use of economic evaluations include, amongst others, educating decision-makers and the general population about economic evaluations and presenting economic evaluation results in a clearer and more understandable way. This study demonstrated that the current use and impact of economic evaluations in Dutch healthcare decision-making is limited at best. Therefore, strategies are needed to overcome the barriers that currently prevent economic evaluations from being used extensively.

Issues in Distance Education: A Primer for Higher Education Decision Makers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beaudoin, Michael

2016-01-01

This chapter presents an overview of current issues related to distance learning in higher education. It identifies central questions, issues, challenges, and opportunities that must be addressed by decision makers, as well as key attributes of effective leaders.

Evaluation of TransTech joint maker and precompaction screed.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-09-01

The primary objective of this evaluation is to determine the effectiveness of the Joint Maker and Precompaction : Screed, both developed by TransTech Systems, Inc., in achieving higher and more uniform density across the mat of : a rehabilitated Hot ...

Evaluation of the Monroe Slurry Maker.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-05-01

In early February, 2009, the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) installed a Monroe Slurry : Maker on one of its 2009 Volvo Wheelers (see Photos 1 and 2). This truck was equipped with a : Henderson Utility Body. An 18 gallon per minute spoo...

76 FR 18428 - Energy Efficiency Program for Certain Commercial and Industrial Equipment: Test Procedures for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-04

... type ice maker. This is the inverse of the ice hardness factor, as defined in AHRI 810-2007, presented... compressor and condenser energy consumption are excluded because ice maker manufacturers do not have control...

White House Maker Faire

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-06-18

The Maker Faire trailer is seen outside the rose garden during the first ever White House Maker Faire, which brings together students, entrepreneurs, and everyday citizens who are using new tools and techniques to launch new businesses, learn vital skills in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and fuel the renaissance in American manufacturing, at the White House, Wednesday, June 18, 2014 in Washington. The President announced new steps the Administration and its partners are taking to support the ability of more Americans, young and old, to have to access to these tools and techniques and brings their ideas to life. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

The effect of prognostic data presentation format on perceived risk among surrogate decision makers of critically ill patients: a randomized comparative trial.

PubMed

Chapman, Andy R; Litton, Edward; Chamberlain, Jenny; Ho, Kwok M

2015-04-01

The purpose of this study is to determine whether varying the format used to present prognostic data alters the perception of risk among surrogate decision makers in the intensive care unit (ICU). This was a prospective randomized comparative trial conducted in a 23-bed adult tertiary ICU. Enrolled surrogate decision makers were randomized to 1 of 2 questionnaires, which presented hypothetical ICU scenarios, identical other than the format in which prognostic data were presented (eg, frequencies vs percentages). Participants were asked to rate the risk associated with each prognostic statement. We enrolled 141 surrogate decision makers. The perception of risk varied significantly dependent on the presentation format. For "quantitative data," risks were consistently perceived as higher, when presented as frequencies (eg, 1 in 50) compared with equivalent percentages (eg, 2%). Framing "qualitative data" in terms of chance of "death" rather than "survival" led to a statistically significant increase in perceived risks. Framing "quantitative" data in this way did not significantly affect risk perception. Data format had a significant effect on how surrogate decision makers interpreted risk. Qualitative statements are interpreted widely and affected by framing. Where possible, multiple quantitative formats should be used for presenting prognostic information. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

MapMaker and PathTracer for tracking carbon in genome-scale metabolic models

PubMed Central

Tervo, Christopher J.; Reed, Jennifer L.

2016-01-01

Constraint-based reconstruction and analysis (COBRA) modeling results can be difficult to interpret given the large numbers of reactions in genome-scale models. While paths in metabolic networks can be found, existing methods are not easily combined with constraint-based approaches. To address this limitation, two tools (MapMaker and PathTracer) were developed to find paths (including cycles) between metabolites, where each step transfers carbon from reactant to product. MapMaker predicts carbon transfer maps (CTMs) between metabolites using only information on molecular formulae and reaction stoichiometry, effectively determining which reactants and products share carbon atoms. MapMaker correctly assigned CTMs for over 97% of the 2,251 reactions in an Escherichia coli metabolic model (iJO1366). Using CTMs as inputs, PathTracer finds paths between two metabolites. PathTracer was applied to iJO1366 to investigate the importance of using CTMs and COBRA constraints when enumerating paths, to find active and high flux paths in flux balance analysis (FBA) solutions, to identify paths for putrescine utilization, and to elucidate a potential CO2 fixation pathway in E. coli. These results illustrate how MapMaker and PathTracer can be used in combination with constraint-based models to identify feasible, active, and high flux paths between metabolites. PMID:26771089

Changing the hearts and minds of policy makers: an exploratory study associated with the West Virginia Walks campaign.

PubMed

Leyden, Kevin M; Reger-Nash, Bill; Bauman, Adrian; Bias, Tom

2008-01-01

To pilot test whether West Virginia Walks changed local policy makers' awareness of walking-related issues. A quasi-experimental design with preintervention and postintervention mail surveys. Morgantown, WV (intervention community), and Huntington, WV (comparison community). One hundred thirty-three and 134 public officials in Morgantown and 120 and 116 public officials in Huntington at baseline and at follow-up, respectively. An 8-week mass media social ecological campaign designed to encourage moderate-intensity walking among insufficiently active persons aged 40 to 65 years. Policy makers listed three problems they believed needed to be addressed in their community. They then rated the severity of several problems that many communities face using a Likert scale, with 1 representing "not a problem" and 5 representing "an extremely important problem." Independent sample t-tests were used to examine differences in mean responses at baseline and at follow-up. Statistically significant increases in the perceived importance of walking-related issues were observed among policy makers in Morgantown but not in the comparison community. Integrated communitywide health promotion campaigns designed to influence the public can also affect the perceptions of policy makers. Future research should examine this linkage and determine whether resource allocation and policy changes follow such interventions.

The utilization of research evidence in Health Workforce Policies: the perspectives of Portuguese and Brazilian National Policy-Makers.

PubMed

Craveiro, Isabel; Hortale, Virginia; Oliveira, Ana Paula Cavalcante de; Dal Poz, Mario; Portela, Gustavo; Dussault, Gilles

2018-03-01

The production of knowledge on Human Resources for Health (HRH) issues has increased exponentially since 2000 but integration of the research in the policy-making process is often lagging. We looked at how research on HRH contributes or not to inform policy decisions and interventions affecting the health workforce in Portugal and Brazil. We designed a comparative case study of semi-structured interviews with present and past national decision-makers, policy advisors and researchers. Issues explored included the existence of a national HRH policy and the use, or non-use, of research evidence by policy makers and reasons to do so. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, anonymized and analysed thematically. Policy-makers in Brazil recognize a greater use of evidence in the process of defining HRH policy when compared to Portugal's. But the existence of formal instruments to support policy development is not sufficient to ensure that policies are informed by evidence. In both countries the importance of the use of evidence in the formulation of policies was recognized by policy-makers. However, the influence of other factors, such as political pressures from various lobby groups and from the media and the policy short timeframe which requires rapid responses, is predominant.

Team B Intelligence Coups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Gordon R.

2006-01-01

The 2003 Iraq prewar intelligence failure was not simply a case of the U.S. intelligence community providing flawed data to policy-makers. It also involved subversion of the competitive intelligence analysis process, where unofficial intelligence boutiques "stovepiped" misleading intelligence assessments directly to policy-makers and…

Creating Ecosystem Services Indices with EnviroAtlas Metrics

EPA Science Inventory

To support the well-being of future generations, ecosystem services (ES) need to be fully understood and evaluated by decision-makers. Geospatial tools, such as the EnviroAtlas, allow decision-makers, urban planners, public health professionals, and other stakeholders to view and...

5. DETAIL VIEW OF UPPER CHORD MEMBER, SHOWING MAKER'S PLATE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

5. DETAIL VIEW OF UPPER CHORD MEMBER, SHOWING MAKER'S PLATE STATING 'KING IRON BRIDGE & MFG. CO., K & F & Z KING PATENT, CLEVELAND, O.' - Smith Road Bowstring Arch Bridge, Spanning Sycamore Creek at Smith Road (TR 62), Lykens, Crawford County, OH

NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme in England: formative evaluation of the programme in early phase implementation.

PubMed

Penn, Linda; Rodrigues, Angela; Haste, Anna; Marques, Marta M; Budig, Kirsten; Sainsbury, Kirby; Bell, Ruth; Araújo-Soares, Vera; White, Martin; Summerbell, Carolyn; Goyder, Elizabeth; Brennan, Alan; Adamson, Ashley J; Sniehotta, Falko F

2018-02-21

Evaluation of the demonstrator phase and first wave roll-out of the National Health Service (NHS) Diabetes Prevention Programme (DPP) in England. To examine: (1) intervention design, provision and fidelity assessment procedures; (2) risk assessment and recruitment pathways and (3) data collection for monitoring and evaluation. To provide recommendations informing decision makers on programme quality, improvements and future evaluation. We reviewed programme documents, mapping against the NHS DPP specification and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) public health guideline: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) prevention in people at high risk (PH38), conducted qualitative research using individual interviews and focus group discussions with stakeholders and examined recruitment, fidelity and data collection procedures. Seven NHS DPP demonstrator sites and, subsequently, 27 first wave areas across England. Intensive behavioural intervention with weight loss, diet and physical activity goals. The national programme specifies at least 13 sessions over 9 months, delivered face to face to groups of 15-20 adults with non-diabetic hyperglycaemia, mainly recruited from primary care and NHS Health Checks. Participants for qualitative research were purposively sampled to provide a spread of stakeholder experience. Documents for review were provided via the NHS DPP Management Group. The NHS DPP specification reflected current evidence with a clear framework for service provision. Providers, with national capacity to deliver, supplied intervention plans compliant with this framework. Stakeholders highlighted limitations in fidelity assessment and recruitment and retention challenges, especially in reach and equity, that could adversely impact on implementation. Risk assessment for first wave eligibility differed from NICE guidance. The NHS DPP provides an evidence-based behavioural intervention for prevention of T2D in adults at high risk, with capacity to deliver nationally. Framework specification allows for balance between consistency and contextual variation in intervention delivery, with session details devolved to providers. Limitations in fidelity assurance, data collection procedures and recruitment issues could adversely impact on intervention effectiveness and restrict evaluation. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme in England: formative evaluation of the programme in early phase implementation

PubMed Central

Penn, Linda; Rodrigues, Angela; Haste, Anna; Marques, Marta M; Budig, Kirsten; Sainsbury, Kirby; Bell, Ruth; Araújo-Soares, Vera; White, Martin; Summerbell, Carolyn; Goyder, Elizabeth; Brennan, Alan; Adamson, Ashley J; Sniehotta, Falko F

2018-01-01

Objectives Evaluation of the demonstrator phase and first wave roll-out of the National Health Service (NHS) Diabetes Prevention Programme (DPP) in England. To examine: (1) intervention design, provision and fidelity assessment procedures; (2) risk assessment and recruitment pathways and (3) data collection for monitoring and evaluation. To provide recommendations informing decision makers on programme quality, improvements and future evaluation. Design We reviewed programme documents, mapping against the NHS DPP specification and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) public health guideline: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) prevention in people at high risk (PH38), conducted qualitative research using individual interviews and focus group discussions with stakeholders and examined recruitment, fidelity and data collection procedures. Setting Seven NHS DPP demonstrator sites and, subsequently, 27 first wave areas across England. Interventions Intensive behavioural intervention with weight loss, diet and physical activity goals. The national programme specifies at least 13 sessions over 9 months, delivered face to face to groups of 15–20 adults with non-diabetic hyperglycaemia, mainly recruited from primary care and NHS Health Checks. Participants Participants for qualitative research were purposively sampled to provide a spread of stakeholder experience. Documents for review were provided via the NHS DPP Management Group. Findings The NHS DPP specification reflected current evidence with a clear framework for service provision. Providers, with national capacity to deliver, supplied intervention plans compliant with this framework. Stakeholders highlighted limitations in fidelity assessment and recruitment and retention challenges, especially in reach and equity, that could adversely impact on implementation. Risk assessment for first wave eligibility differed from NICE guidance. Conclusions The NHS DPP provides an evidence-based behavioural intervention for prevention of T2D in adults at high risk, with capacity to deliver nationally. Framework specification allows for balance between consistency and contextual variation in intervention delivery, with session details devolved to providers. Limitations in fidelity assurance, data collection procedures and recruitment issues could adversely impact on intervention effectiveness and restrict evaluation. PMID:29467134

Knowledge and Attitudes of a Number of Iranian Policy-makers towards Abortion.

PubMed

Hourieh, Shamshiri-Milani; Abolghasem, Pourreza; Feizollah, Akbari

2010-10-01

Unsafe and illegal abortions are the third leading cause of maternal death. It affects physical, emotional and social health of women and their families. Abortion is a multi-dimensional phenomenon with several social, legal, and religious implications. The views of policy-makers affect the approach to abortion in every society. Understanding the attitudes and knowledge of high-ranking decision makers towards abortion was the purpose of this study. A qualitative research was implemented by carrying out individual interviews with 29 out of a selection of 80 presidents of medical sciences universities, senior executive managers in the legal system, forensic medicine and decision-makers in the health system and a number of top Muslim clerics, using a semi-structured questionnaire for data gathering. Content analysis revealed the results. There were considerable unwillingness and reluctance among the interviewees to participate in the study. The majority of participants fairly knew about the prevalence of illegal abortions and their complications. There was strong agreement on abortion when health of the mother or the fetus was at risk. Abortion for reproductive health reasons was supported by a minority of the respondents. The majority of them disagreed with abortion when pregnancy was the result of a rape, temporary marriage or out of wedlock affairs. Making decision for abortion by the pregnant mother, as a matter of her right, did not gain too much approval. It seemed that physical health of the mother or the fetus was of more importance to the respondents than their mental or social health. The mother's hardship was not any indication for induced abortion in the viewpoints of the interviewed policy-makers. Strengthening family planning programs, making appropriate laws in lines with religious orders and advocacy programs targeting decision makers are determined as strategies for improving women's health rights.

Building the capacity of policy-makers and planners to strengthen mental health systems in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.

PubMed

Keynejad, Roxanne; Semrau, Maya; Toynbee, Mark; Evans-Lacko, Sara; Lund, Crick; Gureje, Oye; Ndyanabangi, Sheila; Courtin, Emilie; Abdulmalik, Jibril O; Alem, Atalay; Fekadu, Abebaw; Thornicroft, Graham; Hanlon, Charlotte

2016-10-21

Little is known about the interventions required to build the capacity of mental health policy-makers and planners in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We conducted a systematic review with the primary aim of identifying and synthesizing the evidence base for building the capacity of policy-makers and planners to strengthen mental health systems in LMICs. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Knowledge, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, LILACS, ScieELO, Google Scholar and Cochrane databases for studies reporting evidence, experience or evaluation of capacity-building of policy-makers, service planners or managers in mental health system strengthening in LMICs. Reports in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French or German were included. Additional papers were identified by hand-searching references and contacting experts and key informants. Database searches yielded 2922 abstracts and 28 additional papers were identified. Following screening, 409 full papers were reviewed, of which 14 fulfilled inclusion criteria for the review. Data were extracted from all included papers and synthesized into a narrative review. Only a small number of mental health system-related capacity-building interventions for policy-makers and planners in LMICs were described. Most models of capacity-building combined brief training with longer term mentorship, dialogue and/or the establishment of networks of support. However, rigorous research and evaluation methods were largely absent, with studies being of low quality, limiting the potential to separate mental health system strengthening outcomes from the effects of associated contextual factors. This review demonstrates the need for partnership approaches to building the capacity of mental health policy-makers and planners in LMICs, assessed rigorously against pre-specified conceptual frameworks and hypotheses, utilising longitudinal evaluation and mixed quantitative and qualitative approaches.

Comprehensive smoke-free policies attract more support from smokers in Europe than partial policies

PubMed Central

Nagelhout, Gera E.; Guignard, Romain; McNeill, Ann; van den Putte, Bas; Willemsen, Marc C.; Brenner, Hermann; Pötschke-Langer, Martina; Breitling, Lutz P.

2012-01-01

Background: Support for smoke-free policies increases over time and particularly after implementation of the policy. In this study we examined whether the comprehensiveness of such policies moderates the effect on support among smokers. Methods: We analysed two waves (pre- and post-smoke-free legislation) of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) surveys in France, Germany, and the Netherlands, and two pre-legislation waves of the ITC surveys in UK as control. Of 6,903 baseline smokers, 4,945 (71.6%) could be followed up and were included in the analyses. Generalised Estimating Equations (GEE) were used to compare changes in support from pre- to post-legislation to the secular trend in the control country. Multiple logistic regression models were employed to identify predictors of individual change in support. Findings: In France, the comprehensive smoking ban was associated with sharp increases in support for a total smoking ban in drinking establishments and restaurants that were above secular trends. In Germany and the Netherlands, where smoke-free policies and compliance are especially deficient in drinking establishments, only support for a total smoking ban in restaurants increased above the secular trend. Notable prospective predictors of becoming supportive of smoking bans in these countries were higher awareness of cigarette smoke being dangerous to others and weekly visiting of restaurants. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that smoke-free policies have the potential to improve support once the policy is in place. This effect seems to be most pronounced with comprehensive smoking bans, which thus might be the most valid option for policy-makers despite their potential for creating controversy and resistance in the beginning. PMID:22294779

Numerical tension adjustment of x-ray membrane to represent goat skin kompang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siswanto, Waluyo Adi; Abdullah, Muhammad Syiddiq Bin

2017-04-01

This paper presents a numerical membrane model of traditional musical instrument kompang that will be used to find the parameter of membrane tension of x-ray membrane representing the classical goat-skin membrane of kompang. In this study, the experiment towards the kompang is first conducted in an acoustical anechoic enclosure and in parallel a mathematical model of the kompang membrane is developed to simulate the vibration of the kompang membrane in polar coordinate by implementing Fourier-Bessel wave function. The wave equation in polar direction in mode 0,1 is applied to provide the corresponding natural frequencies of the circular membrane. The value of initial and boundary conditions in the function is determined from experiment to allow the correct development of numerical equation. The numerical mathematical model is coded in SMath for the accurate numerical analysis as well as the plotting tool. Two kompang membrane cases with different membrane materials, i.e. goat skin and x-ray film membranes with fixed radius of 0.1 m are used in the experiment. An alternative of kompang's membrane made of x-ray film with the appropriate tension setting can be used to represent the sound of traditional goat-skin kompang. The tension setting of the membrane to resemble the goat-skin is 24N. An effective numerical tool has been develop to help kompang maker to set the tension of x-ray membrane. In the future application, any tradional kompang with different size can be replaced by another membrane material if the tension is set to the correct tension value. The developed numerical tool is useful and handy to calculate the tension of the alternative membrane material.

Numerical Tension Adjustment of X-Ray Membrane to Represent Goat Skin Kompang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syiddiq, M.; Siswanto, W. A.

2017-01-01

This paper presents a numerical membrane model of traditional musical instrument kompang that will be used to find the parameter of membrane tension of x-ray membrane representing the classical goat-skin membrane of kompang. In this study, the experiment towards the kompang is first conducted in an acoustical anechoic enclosure and in parallel a mathematical model of the kompang membrane is developed to simulate the vibration of the kompang membrane in polar coordinate by implementing Fourier-Bessel wave function. The wave equation in polar direction in mode 0,1 is applied to provide the corresponding natural frequencies of the circular membrane. The value of initial and boundary conditions in the function is determined from experiment to allow the correct development of numerical equation. The numerical mathematical model is coded in SMath for the accurate numerical analysis as well as the plotting tool. Two kompang membrane cases with different membrane materials, i.e. goat skin and x-ray film membranes with fixed radius of 0.1 m are used in the experiment. An alternative of kompang’s membrane made of x-ray film with the appropriate tension setting can be used to represent the sound of traditional goat-skin kompang. The tension setting of the membrane to resemble the goat-skin is 24N. An effective numerical tool has been used to help kompang maker to set the tension of x-ray membrane. In the future application, any traditional kompang with different size can be replaced by another membrane material if the tension is set to the correct tension value. The numerical tool used is useful and handy to calculate the tension of the alternative membrane material.

Adolescent motherhood in Bangladesh: Trends and determinants

PubMed Central

Islam, Md. Kamrul; Hasan, Mohammad Sazzad; Hossain, Mohammad Bellal

2017-01-01

Background While studies on fertility and contraceptives issues are available, until recently adolescent motherhood has not received enough attention among policy makers in understanding adolescent motherhood in Bangladesh. We aimed to examine the trends and determinants of adolescent motherhood among women aged 15–49 years. Methods For trend analysis we used all the 7 waves of Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS, 1993–2014) data but for multivariate analysis 4 waves of BDHS (2004–2014). Two separate analyses were carried out on ever married women aged 15–49: (1) teenage girls aged 15–19 and (2) adult women aged 20 and above. Results The prevalence of adolescent motherhood had declined to a slower pace from 1993 to2014 (from 33.0% to 30.8%). Lower spousal age gap and higher education were found to be associated with lower likelihood of adolescent motherhood both among teenage girls [OR 0.447 (0.374–0.533)] and adult women [OR 0.451 (0.420–0.484)]. Teenage girls in the poorest wealth quintile [OR 1.712 [1.350–2.173] were more likely to experience adolescent motherhood than the richest wealth quintile. Teenage girls who had no education were found to have 2.76 times higher odds of adolescent motherhood than their counterparts who had higher than secondary education. Concerning the time effect, the odds of adolescent motherhood among adult women was found to decline overtime. Conclusions Despite substantial decrease in total fertility rate in Bangladesh adolescent motherhood is still highly prevalent though declining from 1993 to 2014. Social policies including those addressing poverty, ensuring greater emphasis on education for women; and adolescent mothers in rural areas are needed. PMID:29176807

12 CFR 32.3 - Lending limits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... warehouse having exclusive possession and control of the staples even though the grain elevator or warehouse... when the receipts are registered with an independent registrar whose consent is required before the... reliance on the maker with— (A) Records supporting the bank's independent credit analysis of the maker's...

Decision Theory and the Governance of Technology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woodhouse, Edward J.

1987-01-01

Provides an overview of the decision making process for science and technology. Finds that government agencies and officials are not the major decision makers. Examines obstacles to achieving intelligent decisions when policy makers are scientists, business executives, and consumers. Concludes with five strategies for improving technological…

The Art of Influencing Decision Makers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diegmueller, Karen

1992-01-01

Influencing educational decision makers requires creating ongoing relationships, keeping everyone informed, and developing persuasive skills. Persuasion requires preparation, refinement, hard work, and a sound understanding of the people being lobbied. Lobbying must be factual and relevant to the audience. The article looks at influence from the…

10 CFR 431.373 - Enforcement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... may conduct a review of the test records. The Secretary may then conduct enforcement testing of that...) For automatic commercial ice makers, as well as commercial refrigerators, freezers, and refrigerator... numbers to select the units to be tested. (ii) For automatic commercial ice makers, as well as commercial...

PUMP-AND-TREAT GROUND-WATER REMEDIATION: A GUIDE FOR DECISION MAKERS AND PRACTITIONERS

EPA Science Inventory

This guide presents decision makers with a foundation for evaluating the appropriateness of conventional or innovative approaches. An introduction to pump-and-treat ground-water remediation, the guide addresses the following questions: When is pump-and-treat an appropriate remedi...

School Maker Faires

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harlow, Danielle; Hansen, Alexandria

2018-01-01

The Maker Movement (Dougherty 2012) highlights innovation and creativity through "activities focused on designing, building, modifying, and/or repurposing material objects, for playful or useful ends, oriented toward making a 'product' of some sort that can be used, interacted with, or demonstrated" (Martin 2015, p. 31). When engaged in…

Change Makers: The Struggle for Consumer Rights.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Helen E.; And Others

1995-01-01

"Video Documentary Project: A Brief History" (Nelson, Clark) describes "Change Makers: The Struggle for Consumer Rights," a documentary that tells stories of ordinary people who participated in the struggle to obtain fairness in the marketplace. "An Appraisal" (Mayer) offers a review of the film. (JOW)

The Amateur Scientist.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Jearl

1984-01-01

Discusses the physics behind making ice cream in a hand-cranked ice cream maker. Ingredients in the maker are cooled and hardened by a bath of ice, water, and rock salt. Several experiments to investigate the variables involved in preparing the ice cream (and related desserts) are included. (JN)

Innovative environmental education contributes to improved management practices in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

PubMed

Bradley, M Patricia; Hanson, Royce; Walbeck, Eric S

2004-06-01

The Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment (MAIA) and its partner, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) have developed a graduate-level course focused on successful application of science by decision-makers to address a particular problem. Students conduct a literature review, interview the decision-makers and scientists, and synthesize and document the management problem, the science that was applied to that problem, and other issues that might constrain or drive the solution (e.g., legalities, social pressures, expense, politics, personalities, etc.). Students also quantify the results, evaluate who the intended audience is and how they most appropriately target them, and determine if there are other management problems that could be addressed with the science. The final products are short publications geared towards other decision-makers who might have a similar problem and might be seeking successful innovative solutions. MAIA is distributing these short publications to decision-makers throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region. The publications have been very positively received by state and local governments and watershed groups.

Forensic issues in medical evaluation: competency and end-of-life issues.

PubMed

Soliman, Sherif; Hall, Ryan C W

2015-01-01

Decision-making capacity is a common reason for psychiatric consultation that is likely to become more common as the population ages. Capacity assessments are frequently compromised by misconceptions, such as the belief that incapacity is permanent or that patients with dementia categorically lack capacity. This chapter will review the conceptual framework of decision-making capacity and discuss its application to medical decision-making. We will review selected developments in capacity assessment and recommend an approach to assessing decision-making capacity. We will discuss the unique challenges posed by end-of-life care, including determining capacity, identifying surrogate decision-makers, and working with surrogate decision-makers. We will discuss clinical and legal approaches to incapacity, including advance directives, surrogate decision-makers, and guardians. We will discuss the legal standards based on which surrogates make medical decisions and outline options for resolving disagreements between clinical staff and surrogate decision-makers. We will offer recommendations for approaching decision-making capacity assessments. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

NASA Ames Participates in Two Major Bay Area Events (Reporter Package)NASA Ames Research Center participated in two important outreach events: Maker Faire and a gathering of hardware and software industry professionals called the Solid Conference. The conference was an opportunity for the Intelligent Robotics Group from NASA Ames to publicly unveil their latest version of the free flying robot used on the International Space Station. NASA also participated at the Bay Area Maker Faire, a gathering of more than 120,000 innovators, enthusiasts, crafters, hobbyists and tinkerers to share what they have invented and made.

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-05-28

NASA Ames Research Center participated in two important outreach events: Maker Faire and a gathering of hardware and software industry professionals called the Solid Conference. The conference was an opportunity for the Intelligent Robotics Group from NASA Ames to publicly unveil their latest version of the free flying robot used on the International Space Station. NASA also participated at the Bay Area Maker Faire, a gathering of more than 120,000 innovators, enthusiasts, crafters, hobbyists and tinkerers to share what they have invented and made.

Key Policy Makers' Awareness of Tobacco Taxation Effectiveness through a Sensitization Program.

PubMed

Heydari, Gholamreza; Ebn Ahmady, Arezoo; Lando, Harry A; Chamyani, Fahimeh; Masjedi, Mohammadreza; Shadmehr, Mohammad B; Fadaizadeh, Lida

2015-12-01

The implementation of 5 of the 6 WHO MPOWER program in Iran is satisfactory; the only notable shortcoming is the lack of tobacco taxation increases. This study was designed to increase key policy makers' awareness of tobacco taxation effectiveness through a sensitization program in Iran. This analytical and semi-experimental study in 2014 included 110 tobacco control key policy makers, who were trained and received educational materials on the importance of tobacco taxation. A valid and reliable questionnaire was completed before and three months after intervention. Data were analyzed using mean (SD), t-Test and analysis of variance. The mean (SD) scores at pre- and post-test were 2.7 ± 3 and 8.8 ± 1 out of 10, respectively. Paired t-tests demonstrated a significant difference in the pre- post-test knowledge scores. Increasing knowledge and promoting favorable attitudes of policy makers can lead to greater attention which could in turn change tobacco taxation policies.

James Henry Marriott: New Zealand's first professional telescope-maker

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orchiston, Wayne; Romick, Carl; Brown, Pendreigh.

2015-11-01

James Henry Marriott was born in London in 1799 and trained as an optician and scientific instrument- maker. In 1842 he emigrated to New Zealand and in January 1843 settled in the newly-established town of Wellington. He was New Zealand's first professional telescope-maker, but we have only been able to locate one telescope made by him while in New Zealand, a brass 1-draw marine telescope with a 44-mm objective, which was manufactured in 1844. In 2004 this marine telescope was purchased in Hawaii by the second author of this paper. In this paper we provide biographical information about Marriott, describe his 1844 marine telescope and speculate on its provenance. We conclude that although he may have been New Zealand's first professional telescope-maker Marriot actually made very few telescopes or other scientific instruments. As such, rather than being recognised as a pioneer of telescope-making in New Zealand he should be remembered as the founder of New Zealand theatre.

Fuzzy bilevel programming with multiple non-cooperative followers: model, algorithm and application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ke, Hua; Huang, Hu; Ralescu, Dan A.; Wang, Lei

2016-04-01

In centralized decision problems, it is not complicated for decision-makers to make modelling technique selections under uncertainty. When a decentralized decision problem is considered, however, choosing appropriate models is no longer easy due to the difficulty in estimating the other decision-makers' inconclusive decision criteria. These decision criteria may vary with different decision-makers because of their special risk tolerances and management requirements. Considering the general differences among the decision-makers in decentralized systems, we propose a general framework of fuzzy bilevel programming including hybrid models (integrated with different modelling methods in different levels). Specially, we discuss two of these models which may have wide applications in many fields. Furthermore, we apply the proposed two models to formulate a pricing decision problem in a decentralized supply chain with fuzzy coefficients. In order to solve these models, a hybrid intelligent algorithm integrating fuzzy simulation, neural network and particle swarm optimization based on penalty function approach is designed. Some suggestions on the applications of these models are also presented.

Membrane currents underlying activity in frog sinus venosus

PubMed Central

Brown, Hilary F.; Giles, Wayne; Noble, Susan J.

1977-01-01

1. The spontaneous electrical activity of small strips of muscle from the sinus venosus region of the heart of Rana catesbeiana was investigated using the double sucrose gap technique. The voltage clamp was used to record the ionic currents underlying the pace-maker depolarization and the action potential. 2. The records of spontaneous electrical activity are very similar to those obtained from the sinus venosus using micro-electrodes. Moreover, the pace-maker activity is almost completely insensitive to tetrodotoxin (TTX) at 2·0 × 10-6 g/ml., which suggests that the pace-maker responses can be classified as primary, as opposed to follower pacing. 3. In response to short rectangular depolarizing voltage clamp pulses, only one inward current is activated. This current is almost completely insensitive to TTX but can be blocked by manganese ions. It appears, therefore, to be equivalent to the slow inward (Ca2+/Na+) current, Isi, of other cardiac tissues. The threshold for Isi is near to the maximum diastolic potential, indicating that it must be activated during the pace-maker depolarization. 4. Interruption of the normal pace-maker depolarization by rapid activation of the voltage clamp circuit reveals the time-dependent decay of outward current. This current reverses between -75 and -90 mV and, therefore, is probably carried mainly by potassium ions. 5. Outward current decay is not a simple exponential, and Hodgkin—Huxley analysis suggests that two distinct components of outward current may be present. One of these is activated in the potential range of the pace-maker depolarization and the other at more positive potentials. Both outward currents reach full, steady-state activation at about zero mV, i.e. within the `plateau' range of the sinus action potential. 6. These results are compared with other recently published voltage clamp data from the rabbit sino—atrial node. 7. A hypothesis for the generation of pace-maker activity is presented which involves (i) decay of outward current and (ii) activation of the slow inward current, Isi. PMID:303699

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

PubMed

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

2010-09-16

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

Identifying research priorities for health care priority setting: a collaborative effort between managers and researchers

PubMed Central

Smith, Neale; Mitton, Craig; Peacock, Stuart; Cornelissen, Evelyn; MacLeod, Stuart

2009-01-01

Background To date there has been relatively little published about how research priorities are set, and even less about methods by which decision-makers can be engaged in defining a relevant and appropriate research agenda. We report on a recent effort in British Columbia to have researchers and decision-makers jointly establish an agenda for future research into questions of resource allocation. Methods The researchers enlisted decision-maker partners from each of British Columbia's six health authorities. Three forums were held, at which researchers and decision-makers from various levels in the health authorities considered possible research areas related to three key focus areas: (1) generation and use of decision criteria and measurement of 'benefit' against such criteria; (2) identification of so-called 'disinvestment' opportunities; and (3) evaluation of the effectiveness of priority setting procedures. Detailed notes were taken from each forum and synthesized into a set of qualitative themes. Results Forum participants suggested that future research into healthcare priority setting would benefit from studies that were longitudinal, comparative, and/or interdisciplinary. As well, participants identified two broad theme areas in which specific research projects were deemed desirable. First, future research might usefully consider how formal priority setting and resource allocation projects are situated within a larger organizational and political context. Second, additional research efforts should be devoted to better understanding and improving the actual implementation of priority setting frameworks, particularly with respect to issues of change management and the resolution of impediments to action on recommendations for resource allocation. Conclusion We were able to validate the importance of initial areas posed to the group and observed emergence of additional concerns and directions of critical importance to these decision-makers at this time. It is likely that the results are broadly applicable to other healthcare contexts. The implementation of this research agenda in British Columbia will depend upon the ability of the researchers and decision-makers to develop particular projects that fit within the constraints of existing funding opportunities. The process of engagement itself had benefits in terms of connecting decision-makers with their peers and sparking increased interest in the use and refinement of priority setting frameworks. PMID:19754969

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

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

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

Fuzzy risk explicit interval linear programming model for end-of-life vehicle recycling planning in the EU.

PubMed

Simic, Vladimir

2015-01-01

End-of-life vehicles (ELVs) are vehicles that have reached the end of their useful lives and are no longer registered or licensed for use. The ELV recycling problem has become very serious in the last decade and more and more efforts are made in order to reduce the impact of ELVs on the environment. This paper proposes the fuzzy risk explicit interval linear programming model for ELV recycling planning in the EU. It has advantages in reflecting uncertainties presented in terms of intervals in the ELV recycling systems and fuzziness in decision makers' preferences. The formulated model has been applied to a numerical study in which different decision maker types and several ELV types under two EU ELV Directive legislative cases were examined. This study is conducted in order to examine the influences of the decision maker type, the α-cut level, the EU ELV Directive and the ELV type on decisions about vehicle hulks procuring, storing unprocessed hulks, sorting generated material fractions, allocating sorted waste flows and allocating sorted metals. Decision maker type can influence quantity of vehicle hulks kept in storages. The EU ELV Directive and decision maker type have no influence on which vehicle hulk type is kept in the storage. Vehicle hulk type, the EU ELV Directive and decision maker type do not influence the creation of metal allocation plans, since each isolated metal has its regular destination. The valid EU ELV Directive eco-efficiency quotas can be reached even when advanced thermal treatment plants are excluded from the ELV recycling process. The introduction of the stringent eco-efficiency quotas will significantly reduce the quantities of land-filled waste fractions regardless of the type of decision makers who will manage vehicle recycling system. In order to reach these stringent quotas, significant quantities of sorted waste need to be processed in advanced thermal treatment plants. Proposed model can serve as the support for the European vehicle recycling managers in creating more successful ELV recycling plans. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Barriers to electric energy efficiency in Ghana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berko, Joseph Kofi, Jr.

Development advocates argue that sustainable development strategies are the best means to permanently improve living standards in developing countries. Advocates' arguments are based on the technical, financial, and environmental advantages of sustainable development. However, they have not addressed the organizational and administrative decision-making issues which are key to successful implementation of sustainable development in developing countries. Using the Ghanaian electricity industry as a case study, this dissertation identifies and analyzes organizational structures, administrative mechanisms, and decision-maker viewpoints that critically affect the success of adoption and implementation of energy efficiency within a sustainable development framework. Utilizing semi-structured interviews in field research, decision-makers' perceptions of the pattern of the industry's development, causes of the electricity supply shortfall, and barriers to electricity-use efficiency were identified. Based on the initial findings, the study formulated a set of policy initiatives to establish support for energy use efficiency. In a second set of interviews, these policy suggestions were presented to some of the top decision-makers to elicit their reactions. According to the decision-makers, the electricity supply shortfall is due to rapid urbanization and increased industrial consumption as a result of the structural adjustment program, rural electrification, and the sudden release of suppressed loads. The study found a lack of initiative and collaboration among industry decision-makers, and a related divergence in decision-makers' concerns and viewpoints. Also, lacking are institutional support systems and knowledge of proven energy efficiency strategies and technologies. As a result, planning, and even the range of perceived solutions to choose from are supply-side oriented. The final chapter of the study presents implications of its findings and proposes that any implementation strategy will have to address the different decision-makers' concerns and viewpoints. These include the need for national policies to promote electric energy efficiency and institutional development to provide support, guidance and direction to an energy efficiency effort. It also proposes structural changes within the industry to reduce government influence by creating an independent regulatory board. Finally, it proposes the adoption of integrated resource planning strategies and changes in the supply-side dominated culture within the electric utilities.

Using the Arduino with MakerPlot Software for the Display of Electrical Device Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atkin, Keith

2017-01-01

This paper shows how very simple circuitry attached to an Arduino microcontroller with MakerPlot software can be used for the display of electrical characteristic curves of three commonly available devices: an ohmic resistor, an LED, and a tungsten-filament bulb.

Discounting of Delayed Rewards Is Not Hyperbolic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luhmann, Christian C.

2013-01-01

Delay discounting refers to decision-makers' tendency to value immediately available goods more than identical goods available only after some delay. In violation of standard economic theory, decision-makers frequently exhibit dynamic inconsistency; their preferences change simply due to the passage of time. The standard explanation for this…

Adult Reading, Rated G.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Anne C.

2003-01-01

Suggests books for summer reading for Department of Education officials involved in closing all 16 ERIC Clearinghouses or touting the superiority of a Christian education, standardized test-makers, planners of the Gates Foundation, and the creator of the Algebra Project. For example, suggests that standardized test-makers read William Bennett's…

Training Guidelines. Operatives-Precast Concrete.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ceramics, Glass, and Mineral Products Industry Training Board, Harrow (England).

This manual is intended to provide guidelines for firms in the precast concrete industry in planning their training programs particularly with reference to new entrants into the industry. Details for preparing training syllabuses for various job specifications are given--mould makers in timber, steel, and glass fiber; makers; finishers; site…

Using the Arduino with MakerPlot software for the display of electrical device characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atkin, Keith

2017-11-01

This paper shows how very simple circuitry attached to an Arduino microcontroller with MakerPlot software can be used for the display of electrical characteristic curves of three commonly available devices: an ohmic resistor, an LED, and a tungsten-filament bulb.

Reviews of Selected System and Software Tools for Strategic Defense Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-02-01

Interleaf and FrameMaker . IStatic Diagnostics Basic testing includes validating flows, detecting orphan activity, and checking completeness of activities...Publisher, Aldus PageMaker, Unix pic, Apple .pict metafile, Interleaf, Framemaker , or Postscript format. There are no forms for standard documents such as 3

Medical Recording Tools for Biodosimetry in Radiation Incidents

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-01-01

assistant) devices. To ac- complish this, the second edition of the AFRRI handbook will be redesigned, using Adobe FrameMaker desk- top publishing...Handbook will be redes- igned for display on hand-held computer devices, using Adobe FrameMaker desktop publishing software. Portions of the text

Making Publics: Mobilizing Audiences in High School Makerspaces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stornaiuolo, Amy; Nichols, T. Philip

2018-01-01

Background/Context: Researchers, policy makers, and practitioners are paying increasing attention to the educational opportunities afforded by the maker movement--a growing public interested in do-it-yourself designing, remixing, and tinkering using physical and digital tools. While education research on "making" has often focused on…

Bridge over troubled waters: A Synthesis Session to connect scientific and decision making sectors

EPA Science Inventory

Lack of access to relevant scientific data has limited decision makers from incorporating scientific information into their management and policy schemes. Yet, there is increasing interest among decision makers and scientists to integrate coastal and marine science into the polic...

Value of information and pricing new healthcare interventions.

PubMed

Willan, Andrew R; Eckermann, Simon

2012-06-01

Previous application of value-of-information methods to optimal clinical trial design have predominantly taken a societal decision-making perspective, implicitly assuming that healthcare costs are covered through public expenditure and trial research is funded by government or donation-based philanthropic agencies. In this paper, we consider the interaction between interrelated perspectives of a societal decision maker (e.g. the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence [NICE] in the UK) charged with the responsibility for approving new health interventions for reimbursement and the company that holds the patent for a new intervention. We establish optimal decision making from societal and company perspectives, allowing for trade-offs between the value and cost of research and the price of the new intervention. Given the current level of evidence, there exists a maximum (threshold) price acceptable to the decision maker. Submission for approval with prices above this threshold will be refused. Given the current level of evidence and the decision maker's threshold price, there exists a minimum (threshold) price acceptable to the company. If the decision maker's threshold price exceeds the company's, then current evidence is sufficient since any price between the thresholds is acceptable to both. On the other hand, if the decision maker's threshold price is lower than the company's, then no price is acceptable to both and the company's optimal strategy is to commission additional research. The methods are illustrated using a recent example from the literature.

Is economic valuation of ecosystem services useful to decision-makers? Lessons learned from Australian coastal and marine management.

PubMed

Marre, Jean-Baptiste; Thébaud, Olivier; Pascoe, Sean; Jennings, Sarah; Boncoeur, Jean; Coglan, Louisa

2016-08-01

Economic valuation of ecosystem services is widely advocated as being useful to support ecosystem management decision-making. However, the extent to which it is actually used or considered useful in decision-making is poorly documented. This literature blindspot is explored with an application to coastal and marine ecosystems management in Australia. Based on a nation-wide survey of eighty-eight decision-makers representing a diversity of management organizations, the perceived usefulness and level of use of economic valuation of ecosystem services, in support of coastal and marine management, are examined. A large majority of decision-makers are found to be familiar with economic valuation and consider it useful - even necessary - in decision-making, although this varies across groups of decision-makers. However, most decision-makers never or rarely use economic valuation. The perceived level of importance and trust in estimated dollar values differ across ecosystem services, and are especially high for values that relate to commercial activities. A number of factors are also found to influence respondent's use of economic valuation. Such findings concur with conclusions from other studies on the usefulness and use of ESV in environmental management decision-making. They also demonstrate the strength of the survey-based approach developed in this application to examine this issue in a variety of contexts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hybrid soft-lithography/laser machined microchips for the parallel generation of droplets†

PubMed Central

Muluneh, M.

2015-01-01

Microfluidic chips have been developed to generate droplets and microparticles with control over size, shape, and composition not possible using conventional methods. However, it has remained a challenge to scale-up production for practical applications due to the inherently limited throughput of micro-scale devices. To address this problem, we have developed a self-contained microchip that integrates many (N = 512) micro-scale droplet makers. This 3 × 3 cm2 PDMS microchip consists of a two-dimensional array of 32 × 16 flow-focusing droplet makers, a network of flow channels that connect them, and only two inputs and one output. The key innovation of this technology is the hybrid use of both soft-lithography and direct laser-micromachining. The microscale resolution of soft lithography is used to fabricate flow-focusing droplet makers that can produce small and precisely defined droplets. Deeply engraved (h ≈ 500 μm) laser-machined channels are utilized to supply each of the droplet makers with its oil phase, aqueous phase, and access to an output channel. The engraved channels' low hydrodynamic resistance ensures that each droplet maker is driven with the same flow rates for highly uniform droplet formation.To demonstrate the utility of this approach, water droplets (d ≈ 80 μm) were generated in hexadecane on both 8 × 1 and 32 × 16 geometries. PMID:24166156

The medical decision model and decision maker tools for management of radiological and nuclear incidents.

PubMed

Koerner, John F; Coleman, C Norman; Murrain-Hill, Paula; FitzGerald, Denis J; Sullivan, Julie M

2014-06-01

Effective decision making during a rapidly evolving emergency such as a radiological or nuclear incident requires timely interim decisions and communications from onsite decision makers while further data processing, consultation, and review are ongoing by reachback experts. The authors have recently proposed a medical decision model for use during a radiological or nuclear disaster, which is similar in concept to that used in medical care, especially when delay in action can have disastrous effects. For decision makers to function most effectively during a complex response, they require access to onsite subject matter experts who can provide information, recommendations, and participate in public communication efforts. However, in the time before this expertise is available or during the planning phase, just-in-time tools are essential that provide critical overview of the subject matter written specifically for the decision makers. Recognizing the complexity of the science, risk assessment, and multitude of potential response assets that will be required after a nuclear incident, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, in collaboration with other government and non-government experts, has prepared a practical guide for decision makers. This paper illustrates how the medical decision model process could facilitate onsite decision making that includes using the deliberative reachback process from science and policy experts and describes the tools now available to facilitate timely and effective incident management.

Priority setting: what constitutes success? A conceptual framework for successful priority setting.

PubMed

Sibbald, Shannon L; Singer, Peter A; Upshur, Ross; Martin, Douglas K

2009-03-05

The sustainability of healthcare systems worldwide is threatened by a growing demand for services and expensive innovative technologies. Decision makers struggle in this environment to set priorities appropriately, particularly because they lack consensus about which values should guide their decisions. One way to approach this problem is to determine what all relevant stakeholders understand successful priority setting to mean. The goal of this research was to develop a conceptual framework for successful priority setting. Three separate empirical studies were completed using qualitative data collection methods (one-on-one interviews with healthcare decision makers from across Canada; focus groups with representation of patients, caregivers and policy makers; and Delphi study including scholars and decision makers from five countries). This paper synthesizes the findings from three studies into a framework of ten separate but interconnected elements germane to successful priority setting: stakeholder understanding, shifted priorities/reallocation of resources, decision making quality, stakeholder acceptance and satisfaction, positive externalities, stakeholder engagement, use of explicit process, information management, consideration of values and context, and revision or appeals mechanism. The ten elements specify both quantitative and qualitative dimensions of priority setting and relate to both process and outcome components. To our knowledge, this is the first framework that describes successful priority setting. The ten elements identified in this research provide guidance for decision makers and a common language to discuss priority setting success and work toward improving priority setting efforts.

Overview of EPA tools for supporting local- and regional-scale decision makers addressing energy and environmental issues

EPA Science Inventory

EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) has been developing tools and illustrative case studies for decision makers in local and regional authorities who are facing challenges of establishing resilience to extreme weather events, aging built environment and infrastru...

The Two-Communities Theory and Knowledge Utilization.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caplan, Nathan

1979-01-01

Discusses strategies to improve policy makers' utilization of research based on the "two-communities" theory that social scientists and policy makers live in two different worlds. Notes that for high level decision making, collaboration must involve more general problems and a decision to use either data-based or nonresearch knowledge for solving…

Putting Educational Forecasts into Perspective: A Guide for Decisionmakers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dede, Christopher; Kierstead, Fred

This paper focuses on how educational decision-makers can make use of futures research through a better understanding of forecasters' perspectives. Eight problems in communicating that are significant in contributing to poor usage of forecasts by educational decision-makers are: (1) overuse of jargon, (2) preoccupation with technological…

Professional Capital as Accountability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fullan, Michael; Rincón-Gallardo, Santiago; Hargreaves, Andy

2015-01-01

This paper seeks to clarify and spells out the responsibilities of policy makers to create the conditions for an effective accountability system that produces substantial improvements in student learning, strengthens the teaching profession, and provides transparency of results to the public. The authors point out that U.S. policy makers will need…

Infants and Toddlers as Members, Makers, Interpreters: A Philosophical Journey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Handler, June Moss

This book explores how young children, within their cultural imperatives, struggle to discover who they are as cultural "members" interacting with others, as "makers" trying out and creating, and as "interpreters" making meaning and making new connections. Chapters in Part 1 emphasize the significance of a…

Relevance of a Managerial Decision-Model to Educational Administration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lundin, Edward.; Welty, Gordon

The rational model of classical economic theory assumes that the decision maker has complete information on alternatives and consequences, and that he chooses the alternative that maximizes expected utility. This model does not allow for constraints placed on the decision maker resulting from lack of information, organizational pressures,…

Film Makers On Film Making.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geduld, Harry M., Ed.

This collection includes essays by and interviews with more than 30 film-makers, both classic and contemporary, on the subjects of their major interests and procedures in making films. The directors are: Louis Lumiere, Cecil Hepworth, Edwin S. Porter, Mack Sennett, David W. Griffith, Robert Flaherty, Charles Chaplin, Eric von Stroheim, Dziga…

An analytical framework to assist decision makers in the use of forest ecosystem model predictions

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The predictions of most terrestrial ecosystem models originate from deterministic simulations. Relatively few uncertainty evaluation exercises in model outputs are performed by either model developers or users. This issue has important consequences for decision makers who rely on models to develop n...

75 FR 4891 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-29

... Rule Change Regarding Market Maker Trading Licenses for Foreign Currency Options January 22, 2010... proposes to amend its Rule 2213 regarding market maker trading licenses for the Exchange's foreign currency... its rules regarding Foreign Currency Options (``FX Options'') \\5\\ traded on the Exchange. Specifically...

Educational Goods and Values: A Framework for Decision Makers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brighouse, Harry; Ladd, Helen F.; Loeb, Susanna; Swift, Adam

2016-01-01

This article articulates a framework suitable for use when making decisions about education policy. Decision makers should establish what the feasible options are and evaluate them in terms of their contribution to the development, and distribution, of educational goods in children, balanced against the negative effect of policies on important…

Teacher as Decision-Maker.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Carl B.

The teacher as decisionmaker is a fairly new concept, and yet the choices teachers make--among alternative approaches--afffect the attitudes, knowledge, and skills students carry into adult life. This booklet's chapter titles are as follows: (1) New Image for Teachers--Decision-Maker; (2) Decisions Teachers Make; (3) A Rational Model; (4) Planning…

77 FR 13026 - Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standard for Automatic Commercial Ice Makers

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-05

... written comments on these subjects. This document announces an extension of the time period for submitting... preliminary technical support document (preliminary TSD) for automatic commercial ice makers. The comment... published a Federal Register notice announcing the availability of its preliminary technical support...

77 FR 3404 - Energy Conservation Standards for Automatic Commercial Ice Makers: Public Meeting and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-24

... Technical Support Document AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of public meeting and availability of preliminary technical support document. SUMMARY: The... commercial ice makers. In addition, DOE encourages written comments on these subjects. To inform interested...

URBAN DECISION-MAKING, THE UNIVERSITY'S ROLE.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

BAILEY, STEPHEN K.

THE AUTHOR EXAMINES THE VARIOUS WAYS IN WHICH THE UNIVERSITY CAN AND SHOULD INFLUENCE URBAN DECISION MAKING. THE CENTRAL UNIVERSITY ROLE IS SENSITIZING THE DECISION MAKERS AND THE CITIZENS TO HUMAN MISERY, SUCH AS BIGOTRY, SQUALOR, DISEASE, UGLINESS, POVERTY, AND IGNORANCE. LONG-RANGE ROLES ARE PINPOINTING THE PROBLEMS URBAN DECISION MAKERS SHOULD…

Effectiveness of Pearson's SuccessMaker Mathematics for Students with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKissick, Steven K.

2017-01-01

SuccessMaker mathematics is an instructional learning system rooted in behaviorist instructional theory. Previous research efforts have left much to be desired and have produced inconsistent results. Recent research for this program appears to be tapering off, despite advances in technology signaling integration of concepts from other theoretical…

You Tube as a Learning Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fralinger, Barbara; Owens, Russell

2009-01-01

This paper expands upon previous research conducted on the effectiveness of implementing Microsoft MovieMaker (a digital video editing program) into the classroom. Sixty-one graduate and twenty undergraduate students from King's College and Rowan University took part in this study. Using the MovieMaker software to design student created tutorials…

The Virtual Workplace Ethnography: Positioning Student Writers as Knowledge Makers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sommers, Jeff

2015-01-01

The Virtual Workplace Ethnography is a first-year composition assignment that positions students as knowledge makers by requiring them to apply a theoretical lens ("Working Knowledge") to a video representation of a workplace. The lens provides multiple terms for analysis of workplace behaviors in context, providing a scaffolding for…

46 CFR 196.37-5 - General alarm bell contact makers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

....37-5 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH VESSELS OPERATIONS Markings for Fire and Emergency Equipment, etc. § 196.37-5 General alarm bell contact makers. (a... (Electrical Engineering Regulations) of this chapter. [CGD 74-125a, 47 FR 15279, Apr. 8, 1982] Cross Reference...

46 CFR 196.37-5 - General alarm bell contact makers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

....37-5 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH VESSELS OPERATIONS Markings for Fire and Emergency Equipment, etc. § 196.37-5 General alarm bell contact makers. (a... (Electrical Engineering Regulations) of this chapter. [CGD 74-125a, 47 FR 15279, Apr. 8, 1982] Cross Reference...

Modelling a Network of Decision Makers

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-06-01

DATES COVERED 00-00-2004 to 00-00-2004 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Modelling a Netowrk of Decision Makers (Briefing Charts) 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b...contains color images. 14. ABSTRACT 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 18. NUMBER OF PAGES 31 19a

The Others: Equitable Access, International Students, and the Community College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Viggiano, Tiffany; López Damián, Ariadna I.; Morales Vázquez, Evelyn; Levin, John S.

2018-01-01

This qualitative investigation explains the ways in which community college decision makers justify the inclusion of international students at three community colleges in the United States. We identify and explain the ways in which decision makers rationalize institutional policy--particularly recruitment strategies and motivations--related to…

Make to Relate: Analyzing Narratives of Community Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dixon, Colin; Martin, Lee

2017-01-01

As young people design, build, and problem solve within maker spaces and clubs, they talk about making. We analyze short interviews with young people involved in maker clubs, conducted during public presentations, and hypothesize a progression through frames of participation. Moving from "exploration," to "exchange," and on to…

77 FR 49046 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-15

... (``maker/taker fees and rebates'') in 101 options classes (the ``Select Symbols'').\\3\\ The Exchange also... Symbols''). \\3\\ Options classes subject to maker/taker fees and rebates are identified by their ticker.... (``PEP''), SandRidge Energy, Inc. (``SD''), Union Pacific Corporation (``UNP''), United Technologies...

77 FR 67847 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-14

... ex-dividend.\\5\\ Dividend strategy transactions are only executed by Market-Makers. The Exchange... Sliding Scale volume thresholds. However, because only Market- Makers execute dividend strategy trades and... from the list of strategy executions for which fee caps apply. Under the Exchange's current Fees...

Sandia National Laboratories: Pathfinder Radar ISR and Synthetic Aperture

Science.gov Websites

Eyes for the Warfighter Actionable Intelligence for the Decision Maker Actionable Intelligence for the Decision Maker All Weather, Persistent, Optical Like All Weather, Persistent, Optical Like Real-time, High radar systems encompass the entire end-to-end connectivity needed for decision superiority to ensure

Moving the science data quality dialogue forward

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, Erin; Meyer, Carol B.; Lenhardt, W. Christopher

2012-05-01

Federation of Earth Science Information Partners Summer 2011 Meeting; Santa Fe, New Mexico, 12-15 July 2011 Scientific data quality is important to scientists, archivists, decision makers, and the public. Uncertain quality costs valuable research dollars and has impacts beyond the initial science. The Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) is a consortium of Earth science data and technology professionals spanning the government (NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Science Foundation), academia, and private sectors (both commercial and nonprofit). The organization is dedicated to transforming research data and information into useful and usable data and information products for decision makers, policy makers, and the public.

77 FR 16304 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-20

...\\ Market Maker Plus,\\8\\ Firm Proprietary, Customer (Professional),\\9\\ Non-ISE Market Maker,\\10\\ and Priority Customer.\\11\\ The Exchange is proposing to increase certain rebates for certain complex orders, as... determine whether or not they are meeting the Exchange's stated criteria. \\9\\ A Customer (Professional) is a...

Amortization Schedules in Human Growth and Developments Investments: The Case for Social Mutation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weber, Robert E.

Decision makers, policy makers, and influential special interest groups typically view many appropriations for programs that will help the poor, the handicapped, social deviants, etc. as mere expenditures and not as investment which produce substantial results. This paper sets forth several cases which illustrate that people can be an attractive…

The Morality of University Decision-Makers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hatier, Cécile

2014-01-01

Ethical failures in UK higher education have recently made the news but are not a recent development. University decision-makers can, in order to adopt an ethical way of reasoning, resort to several ethical traditions. This article focuses, through the use of concrete examples, on three which have had a significant impact in recent higher…

Surface transportation weather decision support requirements : user needs and appendices : advanced-integrated decision support using weather information for surface transportation decision makers

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-01-24

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) : has a responsibility to coordinate and promote projects that will bring the best information on weather to decision makers, in order to improve performance o...

Reluctant to Change: Self-Enhancing Responses to Diverging Performance Measures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Audia, Pino G.; Brion, Sebastien

2007-01-01

Although there is extensive evidence that past performance influences the propensity to make changes, research on how decision makers respond to diverging performance measures has been sparse. This paper addresses this gap in an experimental and a field study in which we examine how decision makers respond to the ambiguity introduced by two…

Mould Maker. Apprenticeship Training Standards = Confection de moules. Normes de formation en apprentissage.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ontario Ministry of Skills Development, Toronto.

These training standards for mold makers are intended to be used by apprentice/trainees, instructors, and companies in Ontario, Canada, as a blueprint for training or as a prerequisite for accreditation/certification. The training standards identify skills required for this occupation and its related training program. They are designed…

An Introduction to Solar Decision-Making Tools

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

Mow, Benjamin

2017-09-12

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) offers a variety of models and analysis tools to help decision makers evaluate and make informed decisions about solar projects, policies, and programs. This fact sheet aims to help decision makers determine which NREL tool to use for a given solar project or policy question, depending on its scope.

Before You Decide: What Families Would Like Policy Makers to Know.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Marsha J.; Kendrick, Martie; Chamberlain, Linda; Chesley, Esther; Clement, Stacie; Cummings, Dawn; Henri-Mackenzie, Sue; Labbe, Tonya; MacDonald, Janice; McNally, Diana; Niles, Nancy; Raymond, Roberta; Russell, Candice

This booklet, developed by parents of children with developmental disabilities, is intended to help policy makers understand major parental concerns about raising a child with a disability. The specific issues addressed are: (1) the special needs of families with a disabled child; (2) the right to community integration; (3) the continuing…

Overcoming Fear: Helping Decision Makers Understand Risk in Outdoor Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haras, Kathy

2010-01-01

The long history of outdoor education does little to alleviate the fears of many parents, teachers, principals and superintendents who believe that outdoor education is too risky. These decision makers often lack both the knowledge to make informed decisions and the time and resources to investigate their assumptions. Pair these circumstances with…

77 FR 24997 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX PHLX LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-26

... includes the following Routing Fees for routing Customer, Professional, Firm, Broker-Dealer and Market... an operative date of April 27, 2012. Firm/broker- Exchange Customer Professional dealer/ market maker..., Professionals, Firms, Broker-Dealers, and Market Makers, but proposes to apply those fees solely to Penny...

Students as Rational Decision-Makers: The Question of Beliefs and Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sullivan, Alice

2006-01-01

Rational choice theorists have analysed rates of participation in post-compulsory education, and, in particular, class differentials in these rates. Various claims have been made about the motivations of student decision-makers, but these claims have not been grounded empirically. This paper will assess the question of whether students' attitudes…

Understanding Narratives of Nationhood: Film-Makers and Culloden

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gold, John R.; Gold, Margaret M.

2002-01-01

Film audiences have long been invited to view Scotland and Scottish life through a historic lens. Influenced by the pre-existing literary traditions of tartanry and kailyard, film-makers have focused nostalgically on the myths and legends of the Highland and pre-industrial Scotland, with the implications that this approach has for representations…

User Oriented Techniques to Support Interaction and Decision Making with Large Educational Databases

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartley, Roger; Almuhaidib, Saud M. Y.

2007-01-01

Information Technology is developing rapidly and providing policy/decision makers with large amounts of information that require processing and analysis. Decision support systems (DSS) aim to provide tools that not only help such analyses, but enable the decision maker to experiment and simulate the effects of different policies and selection…

Reported Influence of Evaluation Data on Decision Makers' Actions: An Empirical Examination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christie, Christina A.

2007-01-01

Using a set of scenarios derived from actual evaluation studies, this simulation study examines the reported influence of evaluation information on decision makers' potential actions. Each scenario described a context where one of three types of evaluation information (large-scale study data, case study data, or anecdotal accounts) is presented…

Healthy School Meals...Healthy Kids! A Leadership Guide for School Decision-Makers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Food and Consumer Service (USDA), Washington, DC.

The School Meals Initiative for Healthy Children was launched in June 1994 to improve the health and education of children through better nutrition. This leadership guide provides information to school decision-makers on using materials and resources developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and describes Team Nutrition, an implementation…

78 FR 58583 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; BATS Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-24

... optionally created a quotation for display to comply with market making obligations. Compliant displayed... meeting their Exchange market making obligations. Retirement of the Market Maker Quoter At the time of... Proposed Rule Change The Exchange filed a proposal to eliminate reference to a Market Maker order...

78 FR 12377 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-22

... Change Relating to Market-Maker Continuous Quoting Obligations February 15, 2013. Pursuant to Section 19... relating to Market-Maker continuous quoting obligations. The text of the proposed rule change is available... Trading System (the ``System'').\\14\\ Their system computations also factor in their market risk models...

Children's Participation in Decision-Making in the Philippines: Understanding the Attitudes of Policy-Makers and Service Providers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bessell, Sharon

2009-01-01

This article explores the ideas about children's participation in decision-making held by government officials and non-government representatives engaged in promoting children's participation in the Philippines. It suggests that the ideas that policy-makers and service deliverers hold about children's participation are heterogeneous, diverse and…

Evidence and Impact: How Scholarship Can Improve Policy and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lingenfelter, Paul E.

2011-01-01

Researchers, policy makers, and practitioners share a sincere interest in improving the human condition. Academics may be tempted to fault irrationality, ideology, or ignorance for the failure of research to inform policy and practice more powerfully, but policy makers and practitioners want academics to tell them "what works" in order to find a…

78 FR 3482 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Withdrawal of Proposed Rule Change...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-16

... Program To Create a Lead Market Maker Issuer Incentive Program for Issuers of Certain Exchange-Traded... and implement, on a pilot basis, a Lead Market Maker Issuer Incentive Program for issuers of certain... Medero, Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc., dated July 11, 2012; Letter from Stanislav Dolgopolov...

Teacher Education Research and Education Policy-Makers: An Australian Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Simone

2016-01-01

As teacher educators, we want our research to be influential in contributing to educational policy and practice, but there remains little understanding about ways in which teacher educators might more productively engage with each other and policy-makers so as to maximise their research impact. Drawing on an empirical study and policy document…

76 FR 70202 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; EDGA Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-10

... excessive. The proposed rule change reflects a competitive pricing structure designed to incent market... the proposed maker/taker spread was competitive with other market centers maker/ taker spreads (BATS.... The Exchange also notes that it operates in a highly competitive market in which market participants...

Musical Narratives: A Study of a Young Child's Identity Work in and through Music-Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrett, Margaret S.

2011-01-01

The investigation of infants' and young children's early musical engagement as singers, song-makers, and music-makers has provided some insight into children's early vocal and musical development. Recent research has highlighted the vital role of interactive vocalization or "communicative musicality" in infants' general development, including…

Closing the Achievement Gap as Addressed in Student Support Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, Vincent Hoover Adams, Jr.

2012-01-01

This research will focus on three components: (1) factors contributing to the achievement gap, (2) common errors made by policy makers with regard to school reform, and (3) recommendations to educators, policy makers, and parents on closing the achievement gap through results-based student support programs. Examples of each of the three components…

The Value of Words: Narrative as Evidence in Policy Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Epstein, Dmitry; Farina, Cynthia; Heidt, Josiah

2014-01-01

Policy makers today rely primarily on technical data as their basis for decision making. Yet, there is a potentially underestimated value in substantive reflections of the members of the public who will be affected by a particular regulation. Viewing professional policy makers and professional commenters as a community of practice, we describe…

Forecasting Social Trends as a Basis for Formulating Educational Policy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Arthur J.

The paper describes how information regarding future trends is collected and made available to educational policy makers. Focusing on educational implications of social and population trends, the paper is based on data derived from use of trend forecasting by educational policy makers in Florida and other southeastern states. The document is…

77 FR 21137 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX PHLX LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-09

... represented by the Target Components as compared with the overall market performance represented by the... Professional,\\4\\ Market Maker,\\5\\ Firm and Broker-Dealer fees with respect to this index. Despite the increases... beneficial account(s) (hereinafter ``Professional''). \\5\\ The term ``Market Maker'' is utilized herein to...

Considering Literacy and Policy in the Context of Digital Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinzer, Charles K.

2010-01-01

This article (1) argues that literacy is being redefined as a result of the use of digital media, and (2) provides suggestions for policy makers, budget decision-makers, teachers, researchers, and interested others about literacy and language arts standards, assessment, and teaching related to "new literacies," including: (a) Maximize the…

49 CFR 1503.603 - Separation of functions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Rules of Practice in TSA Civil Penalty Actions § 1503.603 Separation of functions. (a) Civil penalty... the ALJ or by the TSA decision maker on appeal, except as counsel or a witness in the public... advise the TSA decision maker regarding an initial decision or any appeal of a civil penalty action to...

Storymakers: Hopa Mountain's Early Literacy Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Templin, Patricia A.

2013-01-01

Hopa Mountain's StoryMakers program is an innovative, research-based program for donating high quality young children's books to parents. Hopa Mountain is a nonprofit organization based in Bozeman, Montana. Hopa Mountain works with groups of rural and tribal citizen leaders who form StoryMakers Community Teams to talk one-on-one with local parents…

46 CFR 113.25-5 - Location of contact makers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... the navigating bridge; and (2) At the feeder distribution panel if the general alarm power supply is not in or next to the navigating bridge. (b) Tank vessels. Each tank vessel must have a manually operated contact maker for the general emergency alarm system: (1) In the navigating bridge; (2) At the...

46 CFR 113.25-5 - Location of contact makers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... the navigating bridge; and (2) At the feeder distribution panel if the general alarm power supply is not in or next to the navigating bridge. (b) Tank vessels. Each tank vessel must have a manually operated contact maker for the general emergency alarm system: (1) In the navigating bridge; (2) At the...

46 CFR 113.25-5 - Location of contact makers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... the navigating bridge; and (2) At the feeder distribution panel if the general alarm power supply is not in or next to the navigating bridge. (b) Tank vessels. Each tank vessel must have a manually operated contact maker for the general emergency alarm system: (1) In the navigating bridge; (2) At the...

46 CFR 113.25-5 - Location of contact makers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... the navigating bridge; and (2) At the feeder distribution panel if the general alarm power supply is not in or next to the navigating bridge. (b) Tank vessels. Each tank vessel must have a manually operated contact maker for the general emergency alarm system: (1) In the navigating bridge; (2) At the...

46 CFR 113.25-5 - Location of contact makers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... the navigating bridge; and (2) At the feeder distribution panel if the general alarm power supply is not in or next to the navigating bridge. (b) Tank vessels. Each tank vessel must have a manually operated contact maker for the general emergency alarm system: (1) In the navigating bridge; (2) At the...

The Business of Experimental Physics: Instrument Makers and Itinerant Lecturers in the German Enlightenment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hochadel, Oliver

2007-01-01

While it is a commonplace in the historiography of electricity that itinerant lecturers and instrument makers were "somehow" part of the "electrical flare" of the 18th century, very little is actually known about them, about their background, their careers and their self-understanding. Yet, research focusing on these…

VELMA Ecohydrological Model, Version 2.0 -- Analyzing Green Infrastructure Options for Enhancing Water Quality and Ecosystem Service Co-Benefits

EPA Science Inventory

This 2-page factsheet describes an enhanced version (2.0) of the VELMA eco-hydrological model. VELMA – Visualizing Ecosystem Land Management Assessments – has been redesigned to assist communities, land managers, policy makers and other decision makers in evaluataing the effecti...

MakeHERspaces: STEM, Girls, and the Maker Movement. CRB Short Subjects. S­-14-­022

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Pamela

2014-01-01

Few innovations have galvanized libraries, schools, and museums like the maker movement. "Makerspaces" are community centers that combine manufacturing equipment with education in a way that lets people collaborate, explore and innovate. In makerspaces, people apply scientific and engineering principles in a hands-on environment to…

Makerspaces in Informal Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Ryan A.; Antink-Meyer, Allison

2017-01-01

The maker movement, with its focus on-hands on learning through creating with familiar materials, has seen growth in both formal and informal learning spaces. This article examines three informal learning spaces that have redesigned their space (or a portion of it) to accommodate several tenets of the maker movement and in various ways have become…

The AECT HistoryMakers Project: Conversations with Leaders in Educational Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lockee, Barbara B.; Song, Kibong; Li, Wei

2014-01-01

The early beginnings and evolution of the field of educational technology (ET) have been documented by various scholars in the field. Recently, another form of historical documentation has been undertaken through a project of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT). The AECT HistoryMakers Project is a collaborative…

Imaginative Thinking: Addressing Social Justice Issues through MovieMaker

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boske, Christa A.

2009-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the experiences of aspiring school leaders who utilized artmaking in this case, photography, poetry, music, collage, and short films through Microsoft MovieMaker as a means for addressing injustices within surrounding school communities. The paper aims to explore how aspiring school leaders…

Today's Realities for Tomorrow's Image Makers: How Practitioners Can Prepare Students for Communication Careers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ceperley, Andrew T.

1999-01-01

Communication internships and jobs abound in a world that responds to images. Students who can design, articulate, and create may be the image-makers of tomorrow. Article discusses how career centers can assist students. Describes National Communication Career Services Network founded at the University of Texas-Austin's Communication Career…

75 FR 52379 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-25

... dissemination to the public the best bid, best offer, and aggregate quotation size for each ``subject security... best bids, best offers, and quotation sizes for subject securities.\\3\\ \\1\\ 17 CFR 242.602(a). \\2\\ 17... are OTC market makers or exchange market makers, the best-priced orders and the full size for such...

78 FR 43249 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-19

... dissemination to the public the best bid, best offer, and aggregate quotation size for each ``subject security... best bids, best offers, and quotation sizes for subject securities.\\3\\ \\1\\ 17 CFR 242.602(a). \\2\\ 17... are OTC market makers or exchange market makers, the best-priced orders and the full size for such...

The Promise of the Maker Movement for Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Lee

2015-01-01

The Maker Movement is a community of hobbyists, tinkerers, engineers, hackers, and artists who creatively design and build projects for both playful and useful ends. There is growing interest among educators in bringing making into K-12 education to enhance opportunities to engage in the practices of engineering, specifically, and STEM more…

[Hospital self-management policy in Chile: perceptions of decision-makers].

PubMed

Méndez, Claudio A; Miranda, Christian; Torres, M Cristina; Márquez, Myriam

2013-01-01

To learn the perceptions of decision-makers concerning the imple-men-t-ation stage of a hospital self-management policy in two highly complex hospitals in southern Chile. A descriptive, exploratory, qualitative study based on semi-structured in-depth interviews of decision-makers at the Regional Hospital of Valdivia and the Hospital San José de Osorno from August 2010 to December 2011. A convenience sample of 26 decision-makers was selected. The 26 interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The information was analyzed using inductive content analysis. The interviewees consider the concept of self-management to be determined by autonomy in decision-making about resource allocation and the financing of health service delivery in the hospitals. They also stated that human resources and financing policies should be included to improve the implementation stage. They related weaknesses with the lack of organizational capabilities and managerial skills in the health teams implementing the changes. Conceptually, the hospital self-management policy is based on financial autonomy, and implementation is affected by persistent capacity gaps in policy design.

Bringing science to the table: Case studies in science-informed decision making on climate change and beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldman, G. T.; Phartiyal, P.; Mulvey, K.

2016-12-01

Federal government officials often rely on the research and advice of scientists to inform their decision making around climate change and other complex topics. Decision makers, however, are constrained by the time and accessibility needed to obtain and incorporate scientific information. At the same time, scientists have limited capacity and incentive to devote significant time to communicating their science to decision makers. The Union of Concerned Scientists has employed several strategies to produce policy-relevant scientific work and to facilitate engagement between scientists and decision makers across research areas. This talk will feature lessons learned and key strategies for science-informed decision making around climate change and other areas of the geosciences. Case studies will include conducting targeted sea level rise studies to inform rulemaking at federal agencies, bringing science to policy discussions on hydraulic fracturing, and leveraging the voice of the scientific community on specific policy proposals around climate change disclosure of companies. Recommendations and lessons learned for producing policy-relevant science and effectively communicating it with decision makers will be offered.

Participation in treatment decision-making among Chinese-Australian women with breast cancer.

PubMed

Kwok, Cannas; Koo, Fung Kuen

2017-03-01

Using Confucian philosophy as a conceptual framework, this article examines the extent to which cultural values and language affect the participation preferences and experiences of the breast cancer treatment decision-making (TDM) process among Chinese women with breast cancer in Australia. Three focus groups were conducted with 23 Chinese-Australian women diagnosed with breast cancer in their native language (Mandarin and Cantonese). Each interview was translated and transcribed. Content analysis was used to uncover the major themes. Four typologies emerged: the patient as an active decision maker, the patient as a passive decision maker, the patient as a reluctant decision maker and the patient as a reluctant passive decision maker. Language barriers, cultural expectation of doctor's role and family role in Chinese culture appear as influential factors in TDM process among this group of women. Intervention to improve doctors' cultural sensitivities in order to help them assess women's role preferences in TDM and the ability of doctors to communicate in a culturally appropriate manner, may improve the process of breast cancer TDM among women from Chinese background.

I know why you voted for Trump: (Over)inferring motives based on choice.

PubMed

Barasz, Kate; Kim, Tami; Evangelidis, Ioannis

2018-05-10

People often speculate about why others make the choices they do. This paper investigates how such inferences are formed as a function of what is chosen. Specifically, when observers encounter someone else's choice (e.g., of political candidate), they use the chosen option's attribute values (e.g., a candidate's specific stance on a policy issue) to infer the importance of that attribute (e.g., the policy issue) to the decision-maker. Consequently, when a chosen option has an attribute whose value is extreme (e.g., an extreme policy stance), observers infer-sometimes incorrectly-that this attribute disproportionately motivated the decision-maker's choice. Seven studies demonstrate how observers use an attribute's value to infer its weight-the value-weight heuristic-and identify the role of perceived diagnosticity: more extreme attribute values give observers the subjective sense that they know more about a decision-maker's preferences, and in turn, increase the attribute's perceived importance. The paper explores how this heuristic can produce erroneous inferences and influence broader beliefs about decision-makers. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mutual Distrust: Perspectives From Researchers and Policy Makers on the Research to Policy Gap in 2013 and Recommendations for the Future

PubMed Central

Gollust, Sarah E.; Seymour, Jane W.; Pany, Maximilian J.; Goss, Adeline; Meisel, Zachary F.; Grande, David

2017-01-01

The production of health policy-relevant research is necessary, but not sufficient, to promote its utilization in policy. Our objective was to understand the perspectives of United States’ state-level policy makers and health researchers on the barriers and facilitators to the translation of health evidence into the policy process, with a particular focus on issues related to relationship building. We conducted interviews with 215 US health services and health policy researchers and 40 state-level staffers and legislators. Researchers and policy makers faced the same major barrier to research translation: lack of dedicated time to do so. Some policy makers questioned the credibility of research, and researchers questioned policy makers’ authentic desire to use evidence in decision making. For some study participants, a mutual mistrust of the other group challenges stronger relationship formation. Interventions are needed to help both groups understand a broader role that research plays in policy making and to increase personal contact, and ultimately trusted relationships, across various actors in the policy process. PMID:28452251

Respiratory morbidity of pattern and model makers exposed to wood, plastic, and metal products

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

Robins, T.G.; Haboubi, G.; Demers, R.Y.

Pattern and model makers are skilled tradespersons who may be exposed to hardwoods, softwoods, phenol-formaldehyde resin-impregnated woods, epoxy and polyester/styrene resin systems, and welding and metal-casting fumes. The relationship of respiratory symptoms (wheezing, chronic bronchitis, dyspnea) and pulmonary function (FVC% predicted, FEV1% predicted, FEV1/FVC% predicted) with interview-derived cumulative exposure estimates to specific workplace agents and to all work with wood, plastic, or metal products was investigated in 751 pattern and model makers in southeast Michigan. In stratified analyses and age- and smoking-adjusted linear and logistic regression models, measures of cumulative wood exposures were associated with decrements in pulmonary function andmore » dyspnea, but not with other symptoms. In similar analyses, measures of cumulative plastic exposures were associated with wheezing, chronic bronchitis, and dyspnea, but not with decrements in pulmonary function. Prior studies of exposure levels among pattern and model makers and of respiratory health effects of specific agents among other occupational groups support the plausibility of wood-related effects more strongly than that of plastic-related effects.« less

Disease management in healthcare organizations: results of in-depth interviews with disease management decision makers.

PubMed

Whellan, David J; Cohen, Elizabeth J; Matchar, David B; Califf, Robert M

2002-07-01

Despite the widening use of disease management (DM) programs throughout the country, little is understood about the "state of DM" in healthcare systems and managed care organizations. To better characterize the range of users of DM in healthcare and to identify critical issues, both present and future, for DM. Qualitative survey. Forty-seven healthcare systems (n = 22) and managed care organizations (n = 25) were randomly selected. Decision makers were identified and interviewed between January 1, 2000, and March 31, 2000. We limited quantitative analysis to tabulations of suitable responses, without statistical testing. Responses were organized around 3 themes: models for DM, implementation strategies, and measurements of success. Of 47 decision makers surveyed, 42 (89%) reported that their organizations currently have (75%) or are working to develop (14%) DM programs. Although the goals of DM programs were similar, organizations took a variety of approaches to achieving these ends. There were typically 3 steps in implementing a DM program: analysis of patient data, external analysis, and organizational analysis. Decision makers believed that DM programs had only achieved partial success in reaching the 2 main goals of improved quality of care and cost savings. Given the variety of DM programs, there is a need to develop a classification scheme to allow for better comparison between programs. Further quantitative studies of decision makers' opinions would be helpful in developing programs and in designing necessary studies of patient management strategies.

Research’s Practice and Barriers of Knowledge Translation in Iran

PubMed Central

NEDJAT, Saharnaz; GHOLAMI, Jaleh; YAZDIZADEH, Bahareh; NEDJAT, Sima; MALEKI, Katayoun; MAJDZADEH, Reza

2014-01-01

Abstract Background Knowledge Translation is a process that includes synthesis, dissemination, exchange and application of knowledge to improve the health, services and products In this study we have attempted to examine the knowledge translation practice and its perceived barriers on the universalities and research institutes (research sector) in Iran. Methods Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used. In the quantitative section, a questionnaire had prepared for this study was completed by 88 authors country wide from randomly selected papers. In the qualitative section 13 in-depth interviews and 6 focus group discussions were held with managers and policy makers, clinical and health service providers, and researchers. Results Twenty four percent of the authors had no interaction whatsoever with the target audience. Lack of expectation toward creating change in the target audience, researchers’ incentives, low level of trust among researchers and decision makers, absence of a predefined mechanism for delivery of research results and inappropriate research priorities were among the most important barriers identified in the qualitative section. Conclusion Translation of research findings into some concrete outputs which can affect health of people is not in mandate of researchers and subsequently they are not prepared for this as well. Based on the barriers identified, it seems that the following interventions are necessary: cooperation among policy makers at macro and meso (organizational) level and the research sector; establishing networks for researchers and decision makers in choosing the research topic, priority setting, and building trust among researchers and policy makers. PMID:25909064

Health decision-making preferences among African American men recruited from urban barbershops.

PubMed

Hart, Alton; Smith, Wally R; Tademy, Raymond H; McClish, Donna K; McCreary, Micah

2009-07-01

To examine general health decision-making roles among African American men ages 40 to 70 recruited in barbershops in the Richmond, Virginia, metropolitan area. We adapted the 1-item Control Preference scale to study the associations between health decision-making role preferences and demographic variables. Forty African-American men were recruited from barbershops to complete a self-administered survey. After performing descriptive statistics, we dichotomized our outcome into active vs nonactive (collaborative or passive) decision makers. Data were then analyzed using chi2, Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney rank sum, and multiple logistic regression. Fifteen subjects responded that they engaged in active decision making, 20 in collaborative, and 5 in passive decision making. Almost all (86.7%) active decision makers were home owners, vs 41.7% of nonactive decision makers. Among active decision makers, 46.7% had incomes of more than $70000, vs 12.5% of nonactive decision makers. The active group reported health status that was good to excellent, while 20.8% of those in the nonactive group reported poor/fair health. African American male barbershop clients preferred an active or collaborative health decision-making role with their physician, rather than a passive role. The relationship among home ownership, income, and decision style may best be understood by considering the historical and cultural influences on gender role socialization among African American males. More comprehensive assessment of decision styles is necessary to better understand health decision making among African American male patients.

An Evaluation of Health Impact Assessments in the United States, 2011–2014

PubMed Central

Charbonneau, Diana; Cahill, Carol; Dannenberg, Andrew L.

2015-01-01

Introduction The Center for Community Health and Evaluation conducted a 3-year evaluation to assess results of health impact assessments (HIAs) in the United States and to identify elements critical for their success. Methods The study used a retrospective, mixed-methods comparative case study design, including a literature review; site visits; interviews with investigators, stakeholders, and decision makers for 23 HIAs in 16 states that were completed from 2005 through 2013; and a Web-based survey of 144 HIA practitioners. Results Analysis of interviews with decision makers suggests HIAs can directly influence decisions in nonhealth-related sectors. HIAs may also influence changes beyond the decision target, build consensus and relationships among decision makers and their constituents, and give community members a stronger voice in decisions that affect them. Factors that may increase HIA success include care in choosing a project or policy to be examined’ selecting an appropriate team to conduct the HIA; engaging stakeholders and decision makers throughout the process; crafting clear, actionable recommendations; delivering timely, compelling messages to appropriate audiences; and using multiple dissemination methods. Challenges to successful HIAs include underestimating the level of effort required, political changes during the conduct of the HIA, accessing relevant local data, engaging vulnerable populations, and following up on recommendations. Conclusion Results of this study suggest HIAs are a useful tool to promote public health because they can influence decisions in nonhealth-related sectors, strengthen cross-sector collaborations, and raise awareness of health issues among decision makers. PMID:25695261

Canadian policy makers' views on pharmaceutical reimbursement contracts involving confidential discounts from drug manufacturers.

PubMed

Morgan, Steven G; Thomson, Paige A; Daw, Jamie R; Friesen, Melissa K

2013-10-01

Pharmaceutical policy makers are increasingly negotiating reimbursement contracts that include confidential price terms that may be affected by drug utilization volumes, patterns, or outcomes. Though such contracts may offer a variety of benefits, including the ability to tie payment to the actual performance of a product, they may also create potential policy challenges. Through telephone interviews about this type of contract, we studied the views of officials in nine of ten Canadian provinces. Use of reimbursement contracts involving confidential discounts is new in Canada and ideas about power and equity emerged as cross-cutting themes in our interviews. Though confidential rebates can lower prices and thereby increase coverage of new medicines, several policy makers felt they had little power in the decision to negotiate rebates. Study participants explained that the recent rise in the use of rebates had been driven by manufacturers' pricing tactics and precedent set by other jurisdictions. Several policy makers expressed concerns that confidential rebates could result in inter-jurisdictional inequities in drug pricing and coverage. Policy makers also noted un-insured and under-insured patients must pay inflated "list prices" even if rebates are negotiated by drug plans. The establishment of policies for disciplined negotiations, inter-jurisdictional cooperation, and provision of drug coverage for all citizens are potential solutions to the challenges created by this new pharmaceutical pricing paradigm. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Priority setting: what constitutes success? A conceptual framework for successful priority setting

PubMed Central

Sibbald, Shannon L; Singer, Peter A; Upshur, Ross; Martin, Douglas K

2009-01-01

Background The sustainability of healthcare systems worldwide is threatened by a growing demand for services and expensive innovative technologies. Decision makers struggle in this environment to set priorities appropriately, particularly because they lack consensus about which values should guide their decisions. One way to approach this problem is to determine what all relevant stakeholders understand successful priority setting to mean. The goal of this research was to develop a conceptual framework for successful priority setting. Methods Three separate empirical studies were completed using qualitative data collection methods (one-on-one interviews with healthcare decision makers from across Canada; focus groups with representation of patients, caregivers and policy makers; and Delphi study including scholars and decision makers from five countries). Results This paper synthesizes the findings from three studies into a framework of ten separate but interconnected elements germane to successful priority setting: stakeholder understanding, shifted priorities/reallocation of resources, decision making quality, stakeholder acceptance and satisfaction, positive externalities, stakeholder engagement, use of explicit process, information management, consideration of values and context, and revision or appeals mechanism. Conclusion The ten elements specify both quantitative and qualitative dimensions of priority setting and relate to both process and outcome components. To our knowledge, this is the first framework that describes successful priority setting. The ten elements identified in this research provide guidance for decision makers and a common language to discuss priority setting success and work toward improving priority setting efforts. PMID:19265518

Climate Change and the Emergent Epidemic of CKD from Heat Stress in Rural Communities: The Case for Heat Stress Nephropathy

PubMed Central

Glaser, Jason; Lemery, Jay; Rajagopalan, Balaji; Diaz, Henry F.; García-Trabanino, Ramón; Taduri, Gangadhar; Madero, Magdalena; Amarasinghe, Mala; Abraham, Georgi; Anutrakulchai, Sirirat; Jha, Vivekanand; Stenvinkel, Peter; Roncal-Jimenez, Carlos; Lanaspa, Miguel A.; Correa-Rotter, Ricardo; Sheikh-Hamad, David; Burdmann, Emmanuel A.; Andres-Hernando, Ana; Milagres, Tamara; Weiss, Ilana; Kanbay, Mehmet; Wesseling, Catharina; Sánchez-Lozada, Laura Gabriela

2016-01-01

Climate change has led to significant rise of 0.8°C–0.9°C in global mean temperature over the last century and has been linked with significant increases in the frequency and severity of heat waves (extreme heat events). Climate change has also been increasingly connected to detrimental human health. One of the consequences of climate-related extreme heat exposure is dehydration and volume loss, leading to acute mortality from exacerbations of pre-existing chronic disease, as well as from outright heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Recent studies have also shown that recurrent heat exposure with physical exertion and inadequate hydration can lead to CKD that is distinct from that caused by diabetes, hypertension, or GN. Epidemics of CKD consistent with heat stress nephropathy are now occurring across the world. Here, we describe this disease, discuss the locations where it appears to be manifesting, link it with increasing temperatures, and discuss ongoing attempts to prevent the disease. Heat stress nephropathy may represent one of the first epidemics due to global warming. Government, industry, and health policy makers in the impacted regions should place greater emphasis on occupational and community interventions. PMID:27151892

Medicaid programme changes and the chronically ill: early results from a prospective cohort study of the Oregon Health Plan.

PubMed

Solotaroff, Rachel; Devoe, Jennifer; Wright, Bill J; Smiths, Jeanene; Boone, Janne; Edlund, Tina; Carlson, Matthew J

2005-09-01

To describe the impacts of recent Oregon Health Plan (OHP) policy changes on individuals living with chronic illness in Oregon. A mail survey was conducted of 1374 OHP beneficiaries who were directly affected by the new policies. The analyses reported in this article represent baseline findings from the first of three survey waves in an ongoing prospective cohort study. A significant association was found between Medicaid policy changes and high rates of disenrolment from the OHP. Compared to the non-chronically ill, the chronically ill were more likely to report inability to pay for medications, higher medical debt, more unmet health needs, and poorer health status. Among the chronically ill, those who lost insurance reported decreased access to and utilization of healthcare, more medical debt, and more restriction of medications. As policy-makers restructure public programmes to accommodate tight budgets and rising healthcare costs, people with chronic illness can easily be overlooked. Chronically ill individuals face disproportionate financial and health burdens. Small cost-saving policy changes can lead to widespread disenrolment that cascades into reduced access to healthcare services, altered utilization patterns, and financial strain.

'Holding the line': a qualitative study of the role of evidence in early phase decision-making in the reconfiguration of stroke services in London.

PubMed

Fraser, Alec; Baeza, Juan I; Boaz, Annette

2017-06-09

Health service reconfigurations are of international interest but remain poorly understood. This article focuses on the use of evidence by senior managerial decision-makers involved in the reconfiguration of stroke services in London 2008-2012. Recent work comparing stroke service reconfiguration in London and Manchester emphasises the ability of senior managerial decision-makers in London to 'hold the line' in the crucial early phases of the stroke reconfiguration programme. In this article, we explore in detail how these decision-makers 'held the line' and ask what the broader power implications of doing so are for the interaction between evidence, health policy and system redesign. The research combined semi-structured interviews (n = 20) and documentary analysis of historically relevant policy papers and contemporary stroke reconfiguration documentation published by NHS London and other interested parties (n = 125). We applied a critical interpretive and reflexive approach to the analysis of the data. We identified two forms of power which senior managerial decision-makers drew upon in order to 'hold the line'. Firstly, discursive power, which through an emphasis on evidence, better patient outcomes, professional support and clinical credibility alongside a tightly managed consultation process, helped to set an agenda that was broadly receptive to the overall decision to change stroke services in the capital in a radical way. Secondly, once the essential parameters of the decision to change services had been agreed, senior managerial decision-makers 'held the line' through hierarchical New Public Management style power to minimise the traditional pressures to de-radicalise the reconfiguration through 'top down' decision-making. We problematise the concept of 'holding the line' and explore the power implications of such managerial approaches in the early phases of health service reconfiguration. We highlight the importance of evidence for senior managerial decision-makers in agenda setting and the limitations of clinical research findings in guiding politically sensitive policy decisions which impact upon regional healthcare systems.

Parents and end-of-life decision-making for their child: roles and responsibilities.

PubMed

Sullivan, Jane; Gillam, Lynn; Monagle, Paul

2015-09-01

Whether parents want to be and should be the decision-maker for their child in end-of-life matters are contested clinical and ethical questions. Previous research outcomes are equivocal. A qualitative interview method was used to examine the views and experiences of 25 bereaved parents in end-of-life decision-making for their child. Data were analysed thematically. Three types of decision-making roles were identified: self-determined, guided (both involving active decision-making) and acquiescent (passive).The majority of parents had been active in the decision-making process for their child. They perceived themselves as the ultimate end-of-life decision-maker. This was perceived as part of their parental responsibility. A minority of parents did not consider that they had been an active, ultimate decision-maker. Generally, parents in the self-determined and guided groups reported no negative consequences from their decision-making involvement. Importantly, parents in the acquiescent group described their experience as difficult at the time and subsequently, although not all difficulties related directly to decision-making. Parents considered that in principle parents should be the end-of-life decision-maker for their child, but understood personal characteristics and preference could prevent some parents from taking this role. This study unequivocally supports parents' desire to fulfil the end-of-life decision-making role. It provides a nuanced understanding of parents' roles and contributes evidence for the ethical position that parents should be the end-of-life decision-makers for their child, unless not in the child's best interests. On the whole, parents want this role and can manage its consequences. Indeed, not being the end-of-life decision-maker could be detrimental to parents' well-being. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

They aren't all first cousins: Bedouin marriage and health policies in Lebanon.

PubMed

Mansour, Nisrine; Chatty, Dawn; El-Kak, Faysal; Yassin, Nasser

2014-01-01

Fertility and consanguineous marriages among the Bedouin tribes of the Middle East have long generated interest particularly around health outcomes and social relations. In particular, Bedouin in Lebanon have increasingly embraced the Lebanese national bio-medical health system in the past two decades, while Lebanese policy-makers' responses continue to be minimal and ill-informed. This paper investigates the mismatch between policy-makers' formulations of Bedouin consanguineous marriages and the Bedouins's actual reproductive practices and discusses the implications of these formulations on the Bedouins's access to health services. The findings are drawn from the data collected as part of the Bedouin Health Project, an EU-funded five-year study (2005-2010), aiming at assessing access to reproductive and child health care among the Bedouin in Lebanon. The data was collected from 6 clusters representing the main Bedouin informal and unrecognized settlements in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon. The data consists of 111 socioeconomic questionnaires with Bedouin women users of local public, private, and nongovernmental reproductive and child health-focused clinics, in addition to 40 in-depth interviews with Bedouin women across the clusters and 17 semi-structured interviews with policy-makers. The findings suggest a gap between the perceptions of policy-makers and the incidence of consanguineous marriages and reproductive practices among the Bedouin. While there was no national data available for the Bedouin populations, policy-makers relied on a constructed 'Bedouin reproductive profile' that portrayed them as 'a problematic health group'. The national policy formulation of the Bedouin reproductive profile has an exclusionary impact on the Bedouin population as they are ignored from any targeted health policies or provided with politically motivated palliative care provision. These findings highlight the importance of addressing stereotyping and discrimination among health practitioners and policy-makers, as a crucial part of improving the overall marriage and reproductive health practices of the Bedouin.

Knowledge and Attitudes of a Number of Iranian Policy-makers towards Abortion

PubMed Central

Shamshiri-Milani, Hourieh; Pourreza, Abolghasem; Akbari, Feizollah

2010-01-01

Introduction Unsafe and illegal abortions are the third leading cause of maternal death. It affects physical, emotional and social health of women and their families. Abortion is a multi-dimensional phenomenon with several social, legal, and religious implications. The views of policy-makers affect the approach to abortion in every society. Understanding the attitudes and knowledge of high-ranking decision makers towards abortion was the purpose of this study. Materials and Methods A qualitative research was implemented by carrying out individual interviews with 29 out of a selection of 80 presidents of medical sciences universities, senior executive managers in the legal system, forensic medicine and decision-makers in the health system and a number of top Muslim clerics, using a semi-structured questionnaire for data gathering. Content analysis revealed the results. Results There were considerable unwillingness and reluctance among the interviewees to participate in the study. The majority of participants fairly knew about the prevalence of illegal abortions and their complications. There was strong agreement on abortion when health of the mother or the fetus was at risk. Abortion for reproductive health reasons was supported by a minority of the respondents. The majority of them disagreed with abortion when pregnancy was the result of a rape, temporary marriage or out of wedlock affairs. Making decision for abortion by the pregnant mother, as a matter of her right, did not gain too much approval. Conclusion It seemed that physical health of the mother or the fetus was of more importance to the respondents than their mental or social health. The mother's hardship was not any indication for induced abortion in the viewpoints of the interviewed policy-makers. Strengthening family planning programs, making appropriate laws in lines with religious orders and advocacy programs targeting decision makers are determined as strategies for improving women's health rights. PMID:23926489

The Use of Research Evidence in Public Health Decision Making Processes: Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Orton, Lois; Lloyd-Williams, Ffion; Taylor-Robinson, David; O'Flaherty, Martin; Capewell, Simon

2011-01-01

Background The use of research evidence to underpin public health policy is strongly promoted. However, its implementation has not been straightforward. The objectives of this systematic review were to synthesise empirical evidence on the use of research evidence by public health decision makers in settings with universal health care systems. Methods To locate eligible studies, 13 bibliographic databases were screened, organisational websites were scanned, key informants were contacted and bibliographies of included studies were scrutinised. Two reviewers independently assessed studies for inclusion, extracted data and assessed methodological quality. Data were synthesised as a narrative review. Findings 18 studies were included: 15 qualitative studies, and three surveys. Their methodological quality was mixed. They were set in a range of country and decision making settings. Study participants included 1063 public health decision makers, 72 researchers, and 174 with overlapping roles. Decision making processes varied widely between settings, and were viewed differently by key players. A range of research evidence was accessed. However, there was no reliable evidence on the extent of its use. Its impact was often indirect, competing with other influences. Barriers to the use of research evidence included: decision makers' perceptions of research evidence; the gulf between researchers and decision makers; the culture of decision making; competing influences on decision making; and practical constraints. Suggested (but largely untested) ways of overcoming these barriers included: research targeted at the needs of decision makers; research clearly highlighting key messages; and capacity building. There was little evidence on the role of research evidence in decision making to reduce inequalities. Conclusions To more effectively implement research informed public health policy, action is required by decision makers and researchers to address the barriers identified in this systematic review. There is an urgent need for evidence to support the use of research evidence to inform public health decision making to reduce inequalities. PMID:21818262

Doubt and belief in physicians' ability to prognosticate during critical illness: The perspective of surrogate decision makers

PubMed Central

Zier, Lucas S.; Burack, Jeffrey H.; Micco, Guy; Chipman, Anne K.; Frank, James A.; Luce, John M.; White, Douglas B.

2009-01-01

Objectives: Although discussing a prognosis is a duty of physicians caring for critically ill patients, little is known about surrogate decision-makers' beliefs about physicians' ability to prognosticate. We sought to determine: 1) surrogates' beliefs about whether physicians can accurately prognosticate for critically ill patients; and 2) how individuals use prognostic information in their role as surrogate decision-makers. Design, Setting, and Patients: Multicenter study in intensive care units of a public hospital, a tertiary care hospital, and a veterans' hospital. We conducted semistructured interviews with 50 surrogate decision-makers of critically ill patients. We analyzed the interview transcripts using grounded theory methods to inductively develop a framework to describe surrogates' beliefs about physicians' ability to prognosticate. Validation methods included triangulation by multidisciplinary analysis and member checking. Measurements and Main Results: Overall, 88% (44 of 50) of surrogates expressed doubt about physicians' ability to prognosticate for critically ill patients. Four distinct themes emerged that explained surrogates' doubts about prognostic accuracy: a belief that God could alter the course of the illness, a belief that predicting the future is inherently uncertain, prior experiences where physicians' prognostications were inaccurate, and experiences with prognostication during the patient's intensive care unit stay. Participants also identified several factors that led to belief in physicians' prognostications, such as receiving similar prognostic estimates from multiple physicians and prior experiences with accurate prognostication. Surrogates' doubts about prognostic accuracy did not prevent them from wanting prognostic information. Instead, most surrogate decision-makers view physicians' prognostications as rough estimates that are valuable in informing decisions, but are not determinative. Surrogates identified the act of prognostic disclosure as a key step in preparing emotionally and practically for the possibility that a patient may not survive. Conclusions: Although many surrogate decision-makers harbor some doubt about the accuracy of physicians' prognostications, they highly value discussions about prognosis and use the information for multiple purposes. (Crit Care Med 2008; 36: 2341–2347) PMID:18596630

The evidence-policy divide: a 'critical computational linguistics' approach to the language of 18 health agency CEOs from 9 countries.

PubMed

Bell, Erica; Seidel, Bastian M

2012-10-30

There is an emerging body of literature suggesting that the evidence-practice divide in health policy is complex and multi-factorial but less is known about the processes by which health policy-makers use evidence and their views about the specific features of useful evidence. This study aimed to contribute to understandings of how the most influential health policy-makers view useful evidence, in ways that help explore and question how the evidence-policy divide is understood and what research might be supported to help overcome this divide. A purposeful sample of 18 national and state health agency CEOs from 9 countries was obtained. Participants were interviewed using open-ended questions that asked them to define specific features of useful evidence. The analysis involved two main approaches 1)quantitative mapping of interview transcripts using Bayesian-based computational linguistics software 2)qualitative critical discourse analysis to explore the nuances of language extracts so identified. The decision-making, conclusions-oriented world of policy-making is constructed separately, but not exclusively, by policy-makers from the world of research. Research is not so much devalued by them as described as too technical- yet at the same time not methodologically complex enough to engage with localised policy-making contexts. It is not that policy-makers are negative about academics or universities, it is that they struggle to find complexity-oriented methodologies for understanding their stakeholder communities and improving systems. They did not describe themselves as having a more positive role in solving this challenge than academics. These interviews do not support simplistic definitions of policy-makers and researchers as coming from two irreconcilable worlds. They suggest that qualitative and quantitative research is valued by policy-makers but that to be policy-relevant health research may need to focus on building complexity-oriented research methods for local community health and service development. Researchers may also need to better explain and develop the policy-relevance of large statistical generalisable research designs. Policy-makers and public health researchers wanting to serve local community needs may need to be more proactive about questioning whether the dominant definitions of research quality and the research funding levers that drive university research production are appropriately inclusive of excellence in such policy-relevant research.

Designing evaluation studies to optimally inform policy: what factors do policy-makers in China consider when making resource allocation decisions on healthcare worker training programmes?

PubMed

Wu, Shishi; Legido-Quigley, Helena; Spencer, Julia; Coker, Richard James; Khan, Mishal Sameer

2018-02-23

In light of the gap in evidence to inform future resource allocation decisions about healthcare provider (HCP) training in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and the considerable donor investments being made towards training interventions, evaluation studies that are optimally designed to inform local policy-makers are needed. The aim of our study is to understand what features of HCP training evaluation studies are important for decision-making by policy-makers in LMICs. We investigate the extent to which evaluations based on the widely used Kirkpatrick model - focusing on direct outcomes of training, namely reaction of trainees, learning, behaviour change and improvements in programmatic health indicators - align with policy-makers' evidence needs for resource allocation decisions. We use China as a case study where resource allocation decisions about potential scale-up (using domestic funding) are being made about an externally funded pilot HCP training programme. Qualitative data were collected from high-level officials involved in resource allocation at the national and provincial level in China through ten face-to-face, in-depth interviews and two focus group discussions consisting of ten participants each. Data were analysed manually using an interpretive thematic analysis approach. Our study indicates that Chinese officials not only consider information about the direct outcomes of a training programme, as captured in the Kirkpatrick model, but also need information on the resources required to implement the training, the wider or indirect impacts of training, and the sustainability and scalability to other settings within the country. In addition to considering findings presented in evaluation studies, we found that Chinese policy-makers pay close attention to whether the evaluations were robust and to the composition of the evaluation team. Our qualitative study indicates that training programme evaluations that focus narrowly on direct training outcomes may not provide sufficient information for policy-makers to make decisions on future training programmes. Based on our findings, we have developed an evidence-based framework, which incorporates but expands beyond the Kirkpatrick model, to provide conceptual and practical guidance that aids in the design of training programme evaluations better suited to meet the information needs of policy-makers and to inform policy decisions.

Adaptation Planning for Water Resources Management in the Context of Scientific Uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lowrey, J.; Kenney, D.

2008-12-01

Several municipalities are beginning to create policies and plans in order to adapt to potential impacts from climate change. A 2007 report from the Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment, 'A Survey of Climate Change Adaptation Planning,' surveyed fourteen cities or counties across the U.S. and Canada that have created or are working towards creating climate change adaptation plans. Informal interactions with water managers in the Intermountain West indicate an eagerness to learn from those who have already begun adapting to potential climate change. Many of those without plans do not feel comfortable making potentially expensive long-term policy decisions based on impacts derived from uncertain climate change projections. This research identifies how decision makers currently consider climate change in adaptation planning despite imperfect information about climate change impacts, particularly in the water sector. Insights are offered into how best to provide information on climate change projections to regional decision makers so that they can begin adaptation planning for a changing climate. This research analyzes how a subset of the fourteen municipalities justified adaptive planning in the face of scientific uncertainty, paying particular attention to water resource adaptation, using the adaptation approaches studied in the 2007 Heinz Center Report. Interviews will be conducted with decision makers to learn how policies will be implemented and evaluated, and to explore resulting changes in policy or planning. Adaptation strategies are not assessed, but are used to identify how the decision makers plan to evaluate their own adaptation policies. In addition to looking at information use in adaptation plans, we compare how the plans orient themselves (adapting to projected impacts vs. increasing resiliency to current climate variability), how they address barriers and opportunities for adaptation, and whether they follow some key steps for successful adaptation as outlined in the literature. This part of the study will identify any consensus among the municipalities already adapting, and see of the decision makers tend to agree with the points of views expressed in the literature. The conclusions here will not only help decision makers trying to adapt, but it will help researchers orient future research to the informational needs of the decision makers. The work is intended to provide useful information for the Western Water Assessment, a NOAA-funded research boundary organization, which provides climate information to water resource managers in the Intermountain West, including the Colorado River Basin.

The Development of a Semiotic of Film.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Worth, Sol

The process of film making can be thought of as beginning with a person's feeling or concern about something. To communicate this feeling to others, the film maker (sender) must develop an organic unit which will provide a vehicle that can embody the feeling/Story-Organism. The film maker selects and orders a series of signs, images, or events…

Developing Computer Use in Education: Guidelines, Trends and Issues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Jonathan; And Others

Designed to provide educational policy-makers and decision-makers with a basis for the development of guidelines for the development of education programs, this report presents an overview of trends and issues in computer education within the countries of the Asia and Pacific region. The impact of computers on society is described, as well as the…

"Actual results may vary" : a behavioral review of eco-\\0xADdriving for policy makers : a white paper from the National Center for Sustainable Transportation.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-07-01

This research provides energy and environment policy : makers with an up-to-date summary of eco-driving : research. Our review of an extensive database of ecodriving : studies reveals the fuel and emissions reduction : outcomes achieved to date and t...

School Conditional Growth Model: How to Make an "Apples to Apples" Comparison Possible?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xiang, Yun; Hauser, Carl

2010-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to offer an analytic perspective to policy makers and educational practitioners regarding how to use longitudinal achievement data to evaluate schools. The authors further discuss the potential practical applications of their models for superintendents, researchers, and policy makers. The premise of the study is that…

EDUsummIT: A Global Knowledge Building Community for Educational Researchers, Practitioners, and Policy Makers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Kwok-Wing; Voogt, Joke; Knezek, Gerald; Gibson, David

2016-01-01

The International Summit on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Education (EDUsummIT) is a global knowledge building community of researchers, educational practitioners, and policy makers aiming to create and disseminate ideas and knowledge to promote the integration of ICT in education. Four EDUsummITs have been convened in The…

75 FR 18556 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Amex LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-12

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78 FR 7844 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-04

... trading against a Priority Customer order preferenced to it for execution by an order flow provider... Makers \\6\\ when they trade against Priority Customer \\7\\ orders that are preferenced to them to $0.05 per contract from the fee charged to Market Makers who trade against Priority Customer orders that are not...

Tool and Die Maker. Apprenticeship Training Standards = Outillage-ajustage. Normes de formation en apprentissage.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ontario Ministry of Skills Development, Toronto.

These training standards for tool and die makers are intended to be used by apprentice/trainees, instructors, and companies in Ontario, Canada, as a blueprint for training or as a prerequisite for accreditation/certification. The training standards identify skills required for this occupation and its related training program. They are designed…

77 FR 55254 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE MKT LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-07

... Options Fee Schedule (``Fee Schedule'') to change the number of Amex Trading Permits (``ATP'') required by... (``ATP'') required by NYSE Amex Market Makers based on the number of options in their electronic... in their trading appointment, subject to the following schedule: (1) Market Makers with one ATP may...

77 FR 1591 - Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedure for Automatic Commercial Ice Makers

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-11

.... Establishment of a Metric for Potable Water Used to Produce Ice 6. Standardization of Water Hardness for Measurement of Potable Water Used in Making Ice 7. Testing of Batch Type Ice Makers at the Highest Purge..., AHRI Standard 810 with Addendum 1. This addendum revised the definition of ``potable water use rate...

75 FR 77034 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-10

... orderly markets in accordance with this Rule. (a) Quotation Requirements and Obligations (1) No Change. (2.... (F) Quotation Creation and Adjustment. For each Issue in which a Market Maker is registered, the System shall, in the absence of a quotation that complies with this Rule entered by that Market Maker...

75 FR 59315 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The Chicago Stock Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing of a Proposed...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-27

... Organizations; The Chicago Stock Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing of a Proposed Rule Change To Enhance Quotation... amend its rules to enhance quotation requirements for market makers. The text of this proposed rule... rules to enhance minimum quotation requirements for market makers. Under the proposal, the Exchange will...

Adopting Cut Scores: Post-Standard-Setting Panel Considerations for Decision Makers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geisinger, Kurt F.; McCormick, Carina M.

2010-01-01

Standard-setting studies utilizing procedures such as the Bookmark or Angoff methods are just one component of the complete standard-setting process. Decision makers ultimately must determine what they believe to be the most appropriate standard or cut score to use, employing the input of the standard-setting panelists as one piece of information…

77 FR 66893 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; New York Stock Exchange LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-07

... Permit Designated Market Makers and Floor Brokers To Use Personal Portable Phone Devices on the Trading Floor Following the Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy From October 31, 2012 Until the Earlier of When Phone... would not permit Designated Market Makers (``DMMs'') and Floor brokers to use personal portable phone...

77 FR 42029 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-17

... to market participants that add or remove liquidity in the complex order book (``maker/taker fees and... quotations for complex order strategies in the complex order book.\\8\\ Given this enhancement to the complex... Customer orders, the Exchange has adopted maker fees that apply to transactions in the complex order book...

The Education of the Film-Maker: An International View.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Paris (France).

This book presents a world view of trends, needs, and potentials concerning the education of film and television directors, who are perceived as image makers who play a central role in the present and future sociocultural development of all societies. Work is based on the papers and discussions of a 1972 meeting, organized by UNESCO, on the…

PPBS for State and Local Officials. Library Notes, Vol. 6, No. 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grossbard, Stephen I.

The planning, programming, budgeting system (PPBS) is an instrument to help policy-makers assign priorities and allocate resources. It does not seek to computerize what is essentially a political process, nor is it intended that the statisticians and cost accountants take over functions that properly belong to the political decision-maker. PPBS is…

77 FR 23788 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-20

..., Firm, Market Maker and Professional orders in equity and index options to the BATS Exchange, Inc... Market-Fees and Rebates,'' and are as follows: Exchange Customer Firm MM Professional BATS $0.55 $0.55 $0... contract for Customers, Firms, Market Makers, and Professionals but proposes to apply those fees solely to...

78 FR 15385 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX BX, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change To...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-11

... Series, any adjusted option series, and any option series until the time to expiration for such series is... existing requirement may at times discourage liquidity in particular options series because a market maker... the option is subject to the Price/Time execution algorithm, the Directed Market Maker shall receive...

Creativity Assessment in the Context of Maker-Based Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lille, Benjamin; Romero, Margarida

2017-01-01

Creativity is a key competence in 21st century education. Among the active learning pedagogies which aims to develop creativity, learning by making is an emerging approach in which the students are engaged in the co-creation of a shared artefact. In this study, we aim to analyse the creativity competency through a maker-based projects.…

75 FR 58462 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing of a Proposed Rule Change...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-24

... resting interest exceeds the Defined Limit, the Market Maker must enter new interest at a price not more than the Designated Percentage of 8% away from the NBBO (or identify to the Corporation current resting... Corporation current resting interest that satisfies the Market Maker's obligation). The Exchange proposes that...

Reciprocal Dialogue between Educational Decision Makers and Students of Color: Opportunities and Obstacles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bertrand, Melanie

2014-01-01

Purpose: This article explores the possibilities for reciprocal dialogue between educational decision makers and Students of Color. Such dialogue--defined as interactions in which participants build on each other's words--may provide the means to develop creative ways to address manifestations of systemic racism in education. The article uses…

77 FR 50184 - Miami International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing of Application for Registration as...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-20

... making obligations. Notably, MIAX would allow market makers to use a variety of quote types, some of... take any comments it receives into consideration in making its determination about whether to grant...-dealer members, as well as from quotes submitted electronically by market makers. A description of the...

77 FR 54630 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; BATS-Y Exchange, Inc.; Order Approving Proposed Rule Change, as...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-05

... maker quoter functionality optionally creates a quotation for display to comply with market making...-designated offset may be able to qualify as bona-fide market making for purposes of Regulation SHO, depending... of Rule 203 for bona-fide market making is appropriate with respect to the particular Market Maker...

78 FR 16549 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-15

... Proposed Rule Change To Clarify the Maximum Time Afforded to a Market Maker To Meet Its Market Making.... * * * * * 4619. Withdrawal of Quotations and Passive Market Making (a)-(f) No change. (g) A Nasdaq Market Maker... market making obligations under Rule 4613. * * * * * II. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the...

75 FR 25892 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-10

... acting as a Market Maker or functioning in any capacity involving market-making responsibilities in the... employee associated therewith, may act in a market making capacity, other than as a Market Maker in the... market making capacities if they have established, and obtained the Exchange's approval of, appropriate...

76 FR 36950 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-23

... making markets on NOM. Anti-internalization processing is available only to market makers and only on an... interest from the same firm when performing the same market making function. \\4\\ See, e.g., NASDAQ Rule... public customers. Options market makers generally do not display customer orders in market making...

76 FR 27134 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-10

... introduce a new order type to assist Market Makers with their market making requirements under NOM rules..., Market Makers will continue to be able to submit orders to fulfill their two-sided market making...-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of...

75 FR 58453 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Amex LLC; Notice of Filing of a Proposed Rule Change Amending...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-24

... Equities Rule 104 To Adopt Pricing Obligations for Designated Market Makers September 20, 2010. Pursuant to... pricing obligations for Designated Market Makers (``DMMs''). The text of the proposed rule change is... adopt pricing obligations for DMMs. Under the proposal, the Exchange will require DMMs to continuously...

Monitoring Values and Practices of Oak Woodland Decision Makers on the Urban Fringe

Treesearch

William Stewart

1991-01-01

Concern over oak woodlands has shifted away from ranch management towards residential areas. This shift has been accompanied by the involvement of decision makers who previously had little involvement with rangeland policies and practices. A survey of three recent Cooperative Extension workshops illustrates a number of important patterns regarding interest and...

77 FR 74905 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Miami International Securities Exchange, LLC; Notice of Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-18

... Customer. The Marketing Fee is charged only in a Market Maker's assigned classes because it is in these... provided by the MIAX. Marketing Fee MIAX will assess a Marketing Fee to all MIAX Market Makers for..., on a monthly basis, disburse collected Marketing Fees to specific Electronic Exchange Members in...