Aligning everyday life priorities with people's self-management support networks: an exploration of the work and implementation of a needs-led telephone support system.

PubMed

Blickem, Christian; Kennedy, Anne; Jariwala, Praksha; Morris, Rebecca; Bowen, Robert; Vassilev, Ivaylo; Brooks, Helen; Blakeman, Tom; Rogers, Anne

2014-06-17

Recent initiatives to target the personal, social and clinical needs of people with long-term health conditions have had limited impact within primary care. Evidence of the importance of social networks to support people with long-term conditions points to the need for self-management approaches which align personal circumstances with valued activities. The Patient-Led Assessment for Network Support (PLANS) intervention is a needs-led assessment for patients to prioritise their health and social needs and provide access to local community services and activities. Exploring the work and practices of patients and telephone workers are important for understanding and evaluating the workability and implementation of new interventions. Qualitative methods (interviews, focus group, observations) were used to explore the experience of PLANS from the perspectives of participants and the telephone support workers who delivered it (as part of an RCT) and the reasons why the intervention worked or not. Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) was used as a sensitising tool to evaluate: the relevance of PLANS to patients (coherence); the processes of engagement (cognitive participation); the work done for PLANS to happen (collective action); the perceived benefits and costs of PLANS (reflexive monitoring). 20 patients in the intervention arm of a clinical trial were interviewed and their telephone support calls were recorded and a focus group with 3 telephone support workers was conducted. Analysis of the interviews, support calls and focus group identified three themes in relation to the delivery and experience of PLANS. These are: formulation of 'health' in the context of everyday life; trajectories and tipping points: disrupting everyday routines; precarious trust in networks. The relevance of these themes are considered using NPT constructs in terms of the work that is entailed in engaging with PLANS, taking action, and who is implicated this process. PLANS gives scope to align long-term condition management to everyday life priorities and valued aspects of life. This approach can improve engagement with health-relevant practices by situating them within everyday contexts. This has potential to increase utilisation of local resources with potential cost-saving benefits for the NHS. ISRCTN45433299.

Shifting the paradigm in Oregon from teen pregnancy prevention to youth sexual health.

PubMed

Nystrom, Robert J; Duke, Jessica E A; Victor, Brad

2013-01-01

Oregon's work on teen pregnancy prevention during the previous 20 years has shifted from a risk-focused paradigm to a youth development model that places young people at the center of their sexual health and well-being. During 2005, the Oregon Governor's Office requested that an ad hoc committee of state agency and private partners develop recommendations for the next phase of teen pregnancy prevention. As a result of that collaborative effort, engagement of young people, and community input, the Oregon Youth Sexual Health Plan was released in 2009. The plan focuses on development of young people and embraces sexuality as a natural part of adolescent development. The plan's five goals and eight objectives guide the work of state agencies and partners addressing youth sexual health. Oregon's development of a statewide plan can serve as a framework for other states and entities to address all aspects of youth sexual health.

Shifting the Paradigm in Oregon from Teen Pregnancy Prevention to Youth Sexual Health

PubMed Central

Nystrom, Robert J.; Duke, Jessica E.A.; Victor, Brad

2013-01-01

Oregon's work on teen pregnancy prevention during the previous 20 years has shifted from a risk-focused paradigm to a youth development model that places young people at the center of their sexual health and well-being. During 2005, the Oregon Governor's Office requested that an ad hoc committee of state agency and private partners develop recommendations for the next phase of teen pregnancy prevention. As a result of that collaborative effort, engagement of young people, and community input, the Oregon Youth Sexual Health Plan was released in 2009. The plan focuses on development of young people and embraces sexuality as a natural part of adolescent development. The plan's five goals and eight objectives guide the work of state agencies and partners addressing youth sexual health. Oregon's development of a statewide plan can serve as a framework for other states and entities to address all aspects of youth sexual health. PMID:23450889

SRDC Plan of Work - Southern States' Title V Programs. SRDC Series Publication No. 22, June 1977.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southern Rural Development Center, State College, MS.

The Southern Rural Development Center's 1977 plan focuses on ways to move rural development program and research information to the users. One of four regional centers set by the 1972 Rural Development Act, the southern center works with research and extension staffs in 27 land-grant institutions in 13 states and Puerto Rico. Its publication…

High Skills, High Wages. Washington's Comprehensive Plan for Workforce Training and Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washington State Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, Olympia.

This document is the 1996 update to a 1994 Comprehensive Plan for Workforce Training and Education in Washington State. The plan focuses on collective actions that public and private sector partners need to take to have the best work force development system in the nation. The plan details how jobs are increasingly demanding higher-level skills,…

Strategic Plan. Volume 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

The Mission of the NSBRI will be to lead a National effort for accomplishing the integrated, critical path, biomedical research necessary to support the long term human presence, development, and exploration of space and to enhance life on Earth by applying the resultant advances in human knowledge and technology acquired through living and working in space. To carry out this mission, the NSBRI focuses its activities on three Strategic Programs: Strategic Program 1: Countermeasure Research Strategic Program 2: Education, Training and Outreach Strategic Program 3: Cooperative Research and Development. This document contains the detailed Team Strategic Plans for the 11 research teams focused on Strategic Program 1, and the Education and Outreach Team focused on Strategic Program 2. There is overlap and integration among the Programs and Team Strategic Plans, as described in each of the Plans.

Neural networks application to divergence-based passive ranging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barniv, Yair

1992-01-01

The purpose of this report is to summarize the state of knowledge and outline the planned work in divergence-based/neural networks approach to the problem of passive ranging derived from optical flow. Work in this and closely related areas is reviewed in order to provide the necessary background for further developments. New ideas about devising a monocular passive-ranging system are then introduced. It is shown that image-plan divergence is independent of image-plan location with respect to the focus of expansion and of camera maneuvers because it directly measures the object's expansion which, in turn, is related to the time-to-collision. Thus, a divergence-based method has the potential of providing a reliable range complementing other monocular passive-ranging methods which encounter difficulties in image areas close to the focus of expansion. Image-plan divergence can be thought of as some spatial/temporal pattern. A neural network realization was chosen for this task because neural networks have generally performed well in various other pattern recognition applications. The main goal of this work is to teach a neural network to derive the divergence from the imagery.

Farmworker Substance Abuse: An Action Plan for the Year 2000. Proceedings of the National Farmworker Substance Abuse Prevention Conference (San Diego, California, October 18-20, 1991).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Migrant Resource Program, Inc., Austin, TX.

This proceedings contains commissioned background papers used by conference work groups focusing on nine aspects of farmworker substance abuse, and the action plan developed by the work groups. The keynote address by Felipe G. Castro examines risk factors for substance abuse and addiction among Chicano farmworkers, particularly adolescent and…

Special Education and General Education--Coordinated or Separated? A Study of Curriculum Planning for Pupils with Special Educational Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nilsen, Sven

2017-01-01

The central issue of this article is the coordination between special and general education in curriculum planning for pupils with special educational needs. The focus is on individual education plans (IEPs) in special education and work plans in general education. This is also viewed in relation to how special and general education teachers…

The Second Physical Therapy Summit on Global Health: developing an action plan to promote health in daily practice and reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases.

PubMed

Dean, Elizabeth; de Andrade, Armele Dornelas; O'Donoghue, Grainne; Skinner, Margot; Umereh, Gloria; Beenen, Paul; Cleaver, Shaun; Afzalzada, DelAfroze; Delaune, Mary Fran; Footer, Cheryl; Gannotti, Mary; Gappmaier, Ed; Figl-Hertlein, Astrid; Henderson, Bobbie; Hudson, Megan K; Spiteri, Karl; King, Judy; Klug, Jerry L; Laakso, E-Liisa; LaPier, Tanya; Lomi, Constantina; Maart, Soraya; Matereke, Noel; Meyer, Erna Rosenlund; M'kumbuzi, Vyvienne R P; Mostert-Wentzel, Karien; Myezwa, Hellen; Olsén, Monika Fagevik; Peterson, Cathy; Pétursdóttir, Unnur; Robinson, Jan; Sangroula, Kanchan; Stensdotter, Ann-Katrin; Tan, Bee Yee; Tschoepe, Barbara A; Bruno, Selma; Mathur, Sunita; Wong, Wai Pong

2014-05-01

Based on indicators that emerged from The First Physical Therapy Summit on Global Health (2007), the Second Summit (2011) identified themes to inform a global physical therapy action plan to integrate health promotion into practice across the World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT) regions. Working questions were: (1) how well is health promotion implemented within physical therapy practice; and (2) how might this be improved across five target audiences (i.e. physical therapist practitioners, educators, researchers, professional body representatives, and government liaisons/consultants). In structured facilitated sessions, Summit representatives (n = 32) discussed: (1) within WCPT regions, what is working and the challenges; and (2) across WCPT regions, what are potential directions using World Café(TM) methodology. Commonalities outweighed differences with respect to strategies to advance health-focused physical therapy as a clinical competency across regions and within target audiences. Participants agreed that health-focused practice is a professional priority, and a strategic action plan was needed to develop it as a clinical competency. The action plan and recommendations largely paralleled the principles and objectives of the World Health Organization's non-communicable diseases action plan. A third Summit planned for 2015 will provide a mechanism for follow-up to evaluate progress in integrating health-focused physical therapy within the profession.

Focus on Customer Service. Service Management: How to Plan for it Rather Than Hope for It [and] Learning to Say "Yes": A Customer Service Program for Library Staff [and] Maintaining Momentum in a Quality Improvement Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brewer, Julie; And Others

1995-01-01

Presents three articles that discuss customer service in libraries, with a focus on planning for service management, a customer service program for library staff, and a quality improvement process. Highlights include developing and implementing service strategies, dealing with requests, redefining work relationships, coworkers as customers,…

Education and Employment Issues. Issue Area Plan for Fiscal Year 1997-99.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

General Accounting Office, Washington, DC. Health, Education, and Human Services Div.

This publication outlines the issues in the areas of education and employment that the General Accounting Office plans to investigate and the focus of the planned work for Fiscal Years 1997-99. The principal issues to be investigated are the following: (1) using federal resources to support and encourage state and local efforts to provide…

Transition Planning for Youth with Special Health Care Needs (YSHCN) in Illinois Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bargeron, Jodie; Contri, Darcy; Gibbons, Linda J.; Ruch-Ross, Holly S.; Sanabria, Kathy

2015-01-01

"Transition Planning for Youth with Special Health Care Needs (YSHCN)" chronicles the research and work completed by agencies in Illinois to provide examples of best practice in transition planning. Increasing numbers of YSHCN survive into adulthood creating a need for focus on the transition to adult life for these young people,…

Walking the Trustee Tightrope.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rood, William S.

1993-01-01

A college governing board can become more directive without resorting to micromanagement. This requires a strategic plan providing focus and direction, a disciplined monitoring of the plan, a close working relationship between trustee committee chairs and administrative counterparts, and an atmosphere encouraging trustees to ask the right…

The importance of work or productive activity in life care planning and case management.

PubMed

Reid, Christine; Riddick-Grisham, Susan

2015-01-01

The importance of work or productive activity for the well-being, community integration, and quality of life of people living with disabilities is addressed, with implications for life care planning and case management. The role of work or productive activity in our society, and consequences of deprivation if rehabilitation services do not address vocational effects of disabilities, is explored. A continuum of productivity options is introduced; types of vocational rehabilitation assessment processes and interventions are described. The role of vocational rehabilitation services in life care planning and case management is discussed, focusing on quality of life for people living with disabilities. Rehabilitation and health care professionals should understand the importance of work or other productive activity, and support the development of appropriate plans to address those needs among people who have disabilities.

Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program Work Plan for Fiscal Year 1989.

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

United States. Bonneville Power Administration. Division of Fish and Wildlife.

1988-11-01

The FY 1989 Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program Work Plan (Work Plan) presents Bonneville Power Administration's plans for implementing the Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program (Program) in FY 1989. The Work Plan focuses on individual Action Items found in the 1987 Program for which Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) has determined that it has authority and responsibility to implement. Each of the entries in the Work Plan includes objectives, background, and progress to date in achieving those objectives, and a summary of plans for implementation in FY 1989. Most Action Items are implemented through one or moremore » BPA-funded projects. Each Action Item entry is followed by a list of completed, ongoing, and planned projects, along with objectives, results, schedules, and milestones for each project. The FY 1989 Work Plan emphasizes continuation of 113 projects, most of which involve protection, mitigation, or enhancement of anadromous fishery resources. BPA also plans to start 20 new projects in FY 1989. The number of ongoing FY 1988 projects to be continued in FY 1989 and the number of new projects planned to start in FY 1989 are based on current (September 7, 1988) procurement expectations. Several projects presently in BPA's procurement process are expected to be contracted by September 30, 1988, the last day of FY 1988. Although these projects have not yet started, they have been listed in the Work Plan as ongoing FY 1988 projects, based on projected start dates in late September 1988. Throughout the Work Plan, those projects with projected start dates in September 1988 have been noted.« less

Aligning everyday life priorities with people’s self-management support networks: an exploration of the work and implementation of a needs-led telephone support system

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Recent initiatives to target the personal, social and clinical needs of people with long-term health conditions have had limited impact within primary care. Evidence of the importance of social networks to support people with long-term conditions points to the need for self-management approaches which align personal circumstances with valued activities. The Patient-Led Assessment for Network Support (PLANS) intervention is a needs-led assessment for patients to prioritise their health and social needs and provide access to local community services and activities. Exploring the work and practices of patients and telephone workers are important for understanding and evaluating the workability and implementation of new interventions. Methods Qualitative methods (interviews, focus group, observations) were used to explore the experience of PLANS from the perspectives of participants and the telephone support workers who delivered it (as part of an RCT) and the reasons why the intervention worked or not. Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) was used as a sensitising tool to evaluate: the relevance of PLANS to patients (coherence); the processes of engagement (cognitive participation); the work done for PLANS to happen (collective action); the perceived benefits and costs of PLANS (reflexive monitoring). 20 patients in the intervention arm of a clinical trial were interviewed and their telephone support calls were recorded and a focus group with 3 telephone support workers was conducted. Results Analysis of the interviews, support calls and focus group identified three themes in relation to the delivery and experience of PLANS. These are: formulation of ‘health’ in the context of everyday life; trajectories and tipping points: disrupting everyday routines; precarious trust in networks. The relevance of these themes are considered using NPT constructs in terms of the work that is entailed in engaging with PLANS, taking action, and who is implicated this process. Conclusions PLANS gives scope to align long-term condition management to everyday life priorities and valued aspects of life. This approach can improve engagement with health-relevant practices by situating them within everyday contexts. This has potential to increase utilisation of local resources with potential cost-saving benefits for the NHS. Trial registration ISRCTN45433299. PMID:24938492

National Airspace System : long-term capacity planning needed despite recent reduction in flight delays

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-12-01

The General Accounting Office (GAO) was asked to examine the aviation community's efforts to reduce flight delays. Specifically the GAO focused their work on the following questions: 1) What initiatives are planned or under way by the federal governm...

Restructuring: A School-Based Plan of Action.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rothberg, Robert A.; Bozeman, William C.

The processes by which school leaders can institutionalize staff and organizational development, with a focus on initiating school restructuring through team development, are described. Three features are necessary for implementing school restructuring through team development: a deliberate plan for staff involvement, a positive work environment,…

International Space Station: 6-8 Hands-on Science and Math Lesson Plans.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armstrong, Pat

These lesson plans, designed for grades 6-8, have been developed to provide a guide to hands-on experience in science and math. They focus on an International Space Station and are designed for use with students working in groups. The three lesson plans highlighting the importance of the scientific method are: (1) International Space Station…

The importance of work or productive activity in life care planning and case management

PubMed Central

Reid, Christine; Riddick-Grisham, Susan

2015-01-01

Abstract INTRODUCTION: The importance of work or productive activity for the well-being, community integration, and quality of life of people living with disabilities is addressed, with implications for life care planning and case management. BACKGROUND: The role of work or productive activity in our society, and consequences of deprivation if rehabilitation services do not address vocational effects of disabilities, is explored. A continuum of productivity options is introduced; types of vocational rehabilitation assessment processes and interventions are described. PURPOSE: The role of vocational rehabilitation services in life care planning and case management is discussed, focusing on quality of life for people living with disabilities. CONCLUSION: Rehabilitation and health care professionals should understand the importance of work or other productive activity, and support the development of appropriate plans to address those needs among people who have disabilities. PMID:26409330

Work and General Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

Presentations and other materials are provided from the Asia and the Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development (APEID) Planning and Review Meeting on Work as an Integral Part of General Education. The focus is on how education, through an orientation to work, could help to decrease the gravity of the problems of population…

Streamlining Collaborative Planning in Spacecraft Mission Architectures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Misra, Dhariti; Bopf, Michel; Fishman, Mark; Jones, Jeremy; Kerbel, Uri; Pell, Vince

2000-01-01

During the past two decades, the planning and scheduling community has substantially increased the capability and efficiency of individual planning and scheduling systems. Relatively recently, research work to streamline collaboration between planning systems is gaining attention. Spacecraft missions stand to benefit substantially from this work as they require the coordination of multiple planning organizations and planning systems. Up to the present time this coordination has demanded a great deal of human intervention and/or extensive custom software development efforts. This problem will become acute with increased requirements for cross-mission plan coordination and multi -spacecraft mission planning. The Advanced Architectures and Automation Branch of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center is taking innovative steps to define collaborative planning architectures, and to identify coordinated planning tools for Cross-Mission Campaigns. Prototypes are being developed to validate these architectures and assess the usefulness of the coordination tools by the planning community. This presentation will focus on one such planning coordination too], named Visual Observation Layout Tool (VOLT), which is currently being developed to streamline the coordination between astronomical missions

The use of air bags for mitigating grade crossing and trespass accidents : literature review and research plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-06-01

This literature review will confirm prior work in the use of locomotive airbag technologies for vehicle or pedestrian collision : mitigation, and to focus planned activities and tasks for this research. The state of the art in relevant technologies h...

Team Work: Sports and the Law.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Degelman, Charles; Hayes, Bill

This lesson plan uses students' interest in sports to teach good citizenship. With its focus on rules, responsibility, conflict resolution, and teamwork, the unit emphasizes the development of critical thinking, decision-making, and citizenship skills in young people. This lesson plan is part of a series of fully prepared, interactive classroom…

SAN JUAN BAY ESTUARY PROGRAM COMPREHENSIVE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT PLAN IMPLEMENTATION TRACKING REPORT, 2004

EPA Science Inventory

Four years after the approval of its Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), the San Juan Bay Estuary Program (SJBEP) is working towards the implementation stage of its 49 actions. During the last three years the program has focused its efforts in developing a coll...

Sherry Stout | NREL

Science.gov Websites

works on international programs where she focuses on grid integration of distributed renewable works on resilience issues including distributed generation and microgrids for energy system resilience Communities Water, Energy, Food Nexus Planning and Analysis Grid Integration of Distributed Generation

Work and the Quality of Life: Resource Papers for Work in America.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Toole, James, Ed.

A sequel to Work in America, the volume of resource papers provides additional data on issues concerning the relationships of work to health, education, and welfare. The report is a planning document which focuses on how the institution of work can be changed to improve the quality of life, to contribute to a more just society, and to strengthen…

Microgravity strategic planning exercise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halpern, Richard; Downey, Jim; Harvey, Harold

1991-01-01

The Center for Space and Advanced Technology supported a planning exercise for the Microgravity Program management at the Marshall Space Flight Center. The effort focused on the status of microgravity work at MSFC and elsewhere with the objective of preparing a goal-oriented strategic planning document which could be used for informational/brochure purposes. The effort entailed numerous interactions and presentations with Field Center programmatic components and Headquarters personnel. Appropriate material was consolidated in a draft format for a MSFC Strategic Plan.

"If You Don't Do Parking Management .. Forget Your Behaviour Change, It's Not Going to Work.": Health and Transport Practitioner Perspectives on Workplace Active Travel Promotion.

PubMed

Petrunoff, Nick; Rissel, Chris; Wen, Li Ming

2017-01-01

After having conducted two studies of the effectiveness of workplace travel plans for promoting active travel, we investigated health and transport practitioners' perspectives on implementing workplace travel plans to share some of the lessons learnt. The objectives of this study were to describe perceived elements of effective workplace travel plans, barriers and enablers to workplace travel planning, their experiences of working with the other profession on travel plan implementation, their recommendations for workplace travel planning, and also to explore similarities and differences in transport and health practitioner perspectives. Fourteen health and ten transport practitioners who had prior involvement in workplace travel plan programs were purposefully selected from workplaces in Australia. We conducted 20 in-depth interviews since data saturation had been reached at this point, and data were subject to framework analysis. Perceived essential elements of effective workplace travel plans included parking management; leadership, organisational commitment and governance; skills and other resources like a dedicated travel plan coordinator; and, pre-conditions including supportive transport infrastructure in the surrounds. Recommendations for promoting travel plans included supportive government policy, focusing on business benefits and working at different scales of implementation (e.g. single large worksites and business precincts). Health and transport practitioner perspectives differed, with transport practitioners believing that parking management is the key action for managing travel demand at a worksite. Health practitioners implementing travel plans may require training including concepts of travel demand management, and support from transport planners on parking management strategies. Promoting an understanding of the shared travel behaviour change skills of transport and health practitioners may assist further collaboration. For take-up by organisations to be of sufficient scale to create meaningful population level reductions in driving and increases in active travel, promotion and travel plans should be focused on the priorities of the organisations. Supportive government policy is also required.

“If You Don’t Do Parking Management .. Forget Your Behaviour Change, It’s Not Going to Work.”: Health and Transport Practitioner Perspectives on Workplace Active Travel Promotion

PubMed Central

Rissel, Chris; Wen, Li Ming

2017-01-01

Objectives After having conducted two studies of the effectiveness of workplace travel plans for promoting active travel, we investigated health and transport practitioners’ perspectives on implementing workplace travel plans to share some of the lessons learnt. The objectives of this study were to describe perceived elements of effective workplace travel plans, barriers and enablers to workplace travel planning, their experiences of working with the other profession on travel plan implementation, their recommendations for workplace travel planning, and also to explore similarities and differences in transport and health practitioner perspectives. Materials and Methods Fourteen health and ten transport practitioners who had prior involvement in workplace travel plan programs were purposefully selected from workplaces in Australia. We conducted 20 in-depth interviews since data saturation had been reached at this point, and data were subject to framework analysis. Results Perceived essential elements of effective workplace travel plans included parking management; leadership, organisational commitment and governance; skills and other resources like a dedicated travel plan coordinator; and, pre-conditions including supportive transport infrastructure in the surrounds. Recommendations for promoting travel plans included supportive government policy, focusing on business benefits and working at different scales of implementation (e.g. single large worksites and business precincts). Health and transport practitioner perspectives differed, with transport practitioners believing that parking management is the key action for managing travel demand at a worksite. Conclusions Health practitioners implementing travel plans may require training including concepts of travel demand management, and support from transport planners on parking management strategies. Promoting an understanding of the shared travel behaviour change skills of transport and health practitioners may assist further collaboration. For take-up by organisations to be of sufficient scale to create meaningful population level reductions in driving and increases in active travel, promotion and travel plans should be focused on the priorities of the organisations. Supportive government policy is also required. PMID:28135301

Improving health sector travel.

PubMed

Hurdle, David; Davis, Adrian

2004-10-01

Preventing ill health and obesity and building more physical activity into our daily lives have never been so high on the agenda, and the way we travel can help. Many workplaces and schools are drawing up travel plans, with the aims usually to minimise car use and encourage healthier and more environmentally friendly travel. The Transport White Paper of 1998 advocated travel plans and singled out hospitals for action. Travel plans continue to be a focus within the latest Transport White Paper, launched in July 2004. This article covers various prompts to the health sector to implement travel plans. It addresses issues and concerns facing NHS Trusts, the practical things Trusts can do, and the increasing amount of good practice available. Finally, it demonstrates that travel plans can work, and are working, in the health sector.

Notes on Transition Planning for College. Practice Notes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA, 2008

2008-01-01

All students can benefit from well-designed transition planning for college. With specific reference to those students identified for special education, middle and high schools have a responsibility under IDEA to focus on a range of transition interventions. Family stakeholders in a community need to work together to ensure the middle school and…

Outcome-Based School-to-Work Transition Planning for Students with Severe Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steere, Daniel E.; And Others

1990-01-01

A transition planning process that focuses on quality-of-life outcomes is presented. The process, which views employment not as an outcome but as a vehicle for the attainment of quality of life, involves six steps: orientation, personal profile development, identification of employment outcomes, measurement system, compatibility process, and…

Evaluating the Theory of Executive Dysfunction in Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Elisabeth L.

2004-01-01

In this paper studies of executive function in autism spectrum disorder are reviewed. Executive function is an umbrella term for functions such as planning, working memory, impulse control, inhibition, and shifting set, as well as for the initiation and monitoring of action. In this review, the focus will be on planning, inhibition, shifting set,…

Higher Education. Lifelong Learning and Community Service: A Profile of Action and Responsibility.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Champagne, Joseph E.

Two projects, designed to serve as technical input to the developing Texas State Plan for Higher Continuing Education, focused on: (1) enrollment trends and needs, institutional activities, and statewide planning across the nation; and (2) higher education and community services. Both projects involved extensive survey work of institutional visits…

School Desegregation Plans That Work. Contributions to the Study of Education, Number 10.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willie, Charles Vert; And Others

This policy study reviews American school desegregation plans in general and in four cities (Atlanta, Boston, Milwaukee, and Seattle) in particular. Chapter 1 focuses on relevant court decisions from 1954 to the present. Chapter 2 encapsulates the interaction of States, communities, and courts and presents the study's criteria for plan…

Keeping the Language Focus in Content-Based ESL Instruction through Proactive Curriculum-Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bigelow, Martha; Ranney, Susan; Dahlman, Anne

2006-01-01

For content-based instruction (CBI) to work to its maximum potential, a concerted planning effort must be made to address language objectives, combined with effective instructional strategies that target and assess student performance in relation to those objectives. In this article, after considering various models of content-language…

Planning for Technology Integration in a Professional Learning Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thoma, Jennifer; Hutchison, Amy; Johnson, Debra; Johnson, Kurt; Stromer, Elizabeth

2017-01-01

Barriers to technology integration in instruction include a lack of time, resources, and professional development. One potential approach to overcoming these barriers is through collaborative work, or professional learning communities. This article focuses on one group of teachers who leveraged their professional learning community to focus on…

Developing Research Capacity through Professional Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobs, Lynette

2015-01-01

This paper reports on a planned, professional, postgraduate diploma that aims to develop educators and education officials professionally towards policy making and at the same time bring about transformation in the students' work environment. In order to focus particularly on this aim and also to instil reflexive practices, we will focus on two…

Organisational Change: A Solution-Focused Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, Gavin

2016-01-01

This study investigates the effectiveness of a solution-focused approach to organisational change. Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope (PATH) is an intervention more commonly applied to individuals. In this study the intervention is used with groups of people working in educational organisations to help manage the change process. The approach…

Perceptions of breastfeeding and planned return to work or school among low-income pregnant women in the USA.

PubMed

Rojjanasrirat, Wilaiporn; Sousa, Valmi D

2010-07-01

To describe the perceptions of breastfeeding in low-income pregnant women to understand their needs better as they plan to return to work or school. Maternal employment has a negative impact on breastfeeding duration. Yet there is insufficient research on challenges and facilitators regarding breastfeeding and employment issue among low-income women in the USA. Knowing the perceptions of breastfeeding among low-income pregnant women and their plan to return to work or school may have implications for nurses and midwives in providing quality care. Qualitative study using focus group interviews. The research setting consisted of three Women, Infants and Children clinics (WIC) in a midwestern city of the USA. Seventeen pregnant women (aged 19-35) participated in focus group interviews. Data were coded and analysed for themes and patterns using the QSR software - NVivo 6. Eleven participants were single. Ten women were primigravida, and seven were multipara. The following five themes were identified: (1) perceived benefits of breastfeeding; (2) general perceptions of breastfeeding; (3) maternal concerns; (4) having the right support; and (5) anticipated challenges of combining breastfeeding and work. Conclusions.  Low-income women anticipated substantial barriers for breastfeeding when they planned to combine breastfeeding and work or school. The results of this study have many implications for public health practice, research and policy. Educating employers and the public at large about the health and economic benefits derived from long-term breastfeeding could help promote breastfeeding awareness. Strategies supporting breastfeeding among low-income working women must be provided at multiple levels to help overcome the barriers they concern. Health care providers should help women gain confidence by minimising their uncertainties and fears about breastfeeding to prepare them to continue breastfeeding successfully after returning to work. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

ESU Plan of Work 2011: More Money for Our Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

European Students' Union (NJ1), 2011

2011-01-01

Following signals across Europe the European Students' Union (ESU) will focus its next working year on defending education as a public good, and a public responsibility. Since the very start of the new ESU team in July 2010 the ESU elected representatives have been working to develop a new political vision for the next ESU working year, that both…

Normative Language Policy: Interface and Interfences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peled, Yael

2014-01-01

The emerging interdisciplinary work in language politics and language policy and planning studies demonstrates a rising interest among researchers in the interface between sociolinguistics, political science and philosophy. Much of the resulting cross-disciplinary work, however, tends to focus on the subject matters (politics, language) themselves…

Beach Point Test Site, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Edgewood Area, Maryland. Focused Feasibility Study, Final Project Work Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-10-01

Disposal Act (SWDA)/Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Jacobs Englnwfng Gmo Inc FINAL PROJECT WORK PLAN Washington Operatvo 8~ Fs 2-551I Date...shaded map of contaminated areas defined by chemical data, more than one map may be consructed f special and grapk cons *tft ame encountered. Results...that a Siophysical c ao p Pro rma down the axis or Beah PointS using geophysic teehnozoglosts that are •vi subsurface hyd&rosAdgraphic cmal beneath

Maternal health development programs: comparing priorities of bilateral and private donors.

PubMed

Deleye, Cécile; Lang, Achim

2014-11-19

The face of international aid for health and development is changing. Private donors such as foundations and corporations are playing an increasingly important role, working in international development as direct operators or in partnerships with governments. This study compares maternal health programs of new development actors to traditional governmental donors. It aims to investigate what maternal health programs large governmental donors, foundations and corporate donors are conducting, and how and why they differ. A total of 263 projects were identified and analyzed. We focus on nine categories of maternal health programs: family planning services, focus on specific diseases, focus on capacity building, use of information and communication technology (ICT), support of research initiatives, cooperation with local non-state or state partners and cooperation with non-local non-state or state partners. Data analysis was carried out using Generalized Linear Mixed-Effects Models (GLMER). Maternal health policies of public and private donors differ with regard to strategic approaches, as can be seen in their diverging positions regarding disease focus, family planning services, capacity building, and partner choice. Bilateral donors can be characterized as focusing on family planning services, specific diseases and capacity-building while disregarding research and ICT. Bilateral donors cooperate with local public authorities and with governments and NGOs from other developed countries. In contrast, corporations focus their donor activities on specific diseases, capacity-building and ICT while disregarding family planning services and research. Corporations cooperate with local and in particular with non-local non-state actors. Foundations can be characterized as focusing on family planning services and research, while disregarding specific diseases, capacity-building and ICT. Foundations cooperate less than other donors; but when they do, they cooperate in particular with non-state actors, local as well as non-local. These findings should help developing coordination mechanisms that embrace the differences and similarities of the different types of donors. As donor groups specialize in different contexts, NGOs and governments working on development and health aid may target donors groups that have specialized in certain issues.

The working patterns and retirement plans of general dental practitioners in a Midlands Health Authority.

PubMed

Morris, John; Harrison, Rachel; Caswell, Martin; Lunn, Howard

2002-10-01

With the problems of access to NHS primary dental care services in the last few years attention has focused on manpower considerations for dentistry. This paper presents the results of a simple survey of general dental practitioners in South Staffordshire. The response rate was 88%. Most dentists (76%) reported working over 30 hours a week. A small number reported working more than 50 hours a week. Woman dentists were more likely to report working fewer than 31 hours a week. Younger male dentists tended to work longer hours than older male dentists, whereas younger women dentists tended to work fewer hours than older women. The reported retirement plans suggested that around 16% of dentists in their 40s and 50s were planning to retire before 60. The findings add weight to the view that woman dentists tend to work fewer hours but studies of cohorts are required to examine the impact of premature retirement and the reasons behind this apparent gender difference.

Status report, The Public Health and Planning 101 project: strengthening collaborations between the public health and planning professions.

PubMed

Mahendra, A; Vo, T; Einstoss, C; Weppler, J; Gillen, P; Ryan, L; Haley, K

2017-01-01

Land use planning is a complex field comprised of legislation, policies, processes and tools. A growing body of evidence supports the relationship between land use planning decisions, community design and health. The built environment has been shown to be associated with physical inactivity, obesity, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and mental illness. Consequently, there is a growing interest within public health to work with planners on land use planning initiatives such as official plans and transportation master plans. Two surveys were developed: one for public health professionals and the other for planning professionals (survey questions available upon request to the corresponding author). The surveys were pilot tested in two separate focus group sessions with public health and planning professionals. Focus group volunteers helped to validate the surveys by verifying survey questions, design and overall flow. In early 2012, 304 public health professionals and 301 planning professionals completed the two separate surveys, comprising the total survey respondents for each respective profession used to calculate proportions. The survey results represent a convenience sample and are not generalizable to the entire population of public health and planning professionals in Ontario. Results compare survey responses from both groups where appropriate. Most respondents worked either as public health staff (78%) or planners/senior planners (58%). A smaller percentage of public health and planning professionals worked either as managers (15% and 11%, respectively) or directors (5% and 9%, respectively). Health is associated with how communities are planned and built, and the services and resources provided within them. Inspired by the results of our survey and based on user feedback from the pilot tests, a free online training program entitled "Public Health and Planning 101: An Online Course for Public Health and Planning Professionals to Create Healthier Built Environments" was launched in 2016 by OPHA as a collaborative project with OPPI and PHAC. This course is designed to bridge the gaps between the two professions, as well as provide greater opportunities for developing collaborative partnerships to help create and foster healthy built environments.

The Politics of Naming Reform in the Gendered Spheres of Home and Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pauwels, Anne; Winter, Joanne

2007-01-01

Naming has been a central focus of feminist language planning. The initial emphasis was on reforming naming practices for women in public spheres (work, education, media). More recently public discourses about work/life balance have drawn together the public and private, shaping the naming practices for women and men in these domains. This paper…

"BodyWorks": A Parent-Focused Program to Promote Healthful Eating and Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borden, Valerie Melino; Labiner-Wolfe, Judith; Blake, Susan M.; Marr, Amanda; Rowe, Jonelle; Wasserman, Jill

2012-01-01

The "BodyWorks" program was designed to help parents improve family eating and activity behaviors. "BodyWorks" was associated with significant gains in parents' knowledge about nutrition and activity, and greater self-efficacy to set family nutrition goals, plan physical activities, and change eating habits. (Contains 1 table.)

Service Learning in an Undergraduate Social Work Research Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Postlethwait, Ariana

2012-01-01

The current study examined student experiences (n = 111) in an undergraduate social work (BSW) research seminar in which a service learning (SL) project was the primary focus. Student groups of approximately six or seven worked with local agencies to develop a research plan for the agency. Students found the SL project to be a positive experience.…

Work-Based Learning Opportunities for High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alfeld, Corinne; Charner, Ivan; Johnson, Lisa; Watts, Eric

2013-01-01

This report describes the Year 5 work of the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education's (NRCCTE) Technical Assistance (TA) Academy. In 2011-2012, the TA plan carried out by FHI 360 on behalf of the NRCCTE focused on developing a conceptual base for work-based learning (WBL), a strategy that helps students apply academic and…

Integrating Computer Content into Social Work Curricula: A Model for Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beaulaurier, Richard L.

2005-01-01

While recent CSWE standards focus on the need for including more relevant technological content in social work curricula, they do not offer guidance regarding how it is to be assessed and selected. Social work educators are in need of an analytic model of computerization to help them understand which technologies are most appropriate and relevant…

The Battlefield Commander’s Assistant Project: Research in Terrain Reasoning

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-05-22

order dissemination. In order to restrict the survey problem to a manageable level, we made the a priori decision to focus on activities related to...models Manages tools for: Conmander , tactical a explanations * situation assessment1Lplans s plan and plan option " a query/edit capabilities...from our work on the Air Land Battle Management Study ( ’Stachnick 87:) which was tasked to compare Al planning techniques with the requirements of

The Oral History of Evaluation: The Professional Development of Joseph Wholey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Robin Lin; Caracelli, Valerie

2013-01-01

Joseph S. Wholey is Professor Emeritus in the University of Southern California's (USC) School of Public Policy, Planning, and Development. He received his BA from Catholic University, Phi Beta Kappa and his MA in mathematics and PhD in philosophy from Harvard University. His work focuses on the use of strategic planning, performance measurement,…

A Team Approach to Managing Technology: Despite Our Differences--We Had To Make IT Work!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giuliani, Peter R.

Franklin University, a private urban university with 4500 students located in Columbus, Ohio, completed the initial phase of a long-range, campus-wide technology plan. The plan creates a well supported and managed computing and communications infrastructure focusing on: user support systems; classrooms and laboratories; offices; outside access;…

How can the rehabilitation planning process at the workplace be improved? A qualitative study from employers' perspective.

PubMed

Larsson, Agneta; Gard, Gunvor

2003-09-01

Employers in Sweden are by law responsible for planning and controlling the working environment situation in their companies and for ensuring that any need for rehabilitation is noted as soon as possible and that action is taken. This includes developing a plan for rehabilitation. The aim of this study is to describe employers' experiences of the work rehabilitation planning process at the workplace, and how it can be improved with a focus on quality and cost-effectiveness. Qualitative interviews were performed with 10 employers of employee/s that had participated in vocational rehabilitation at a rehabilitation center in the North of Sweden. The results showed that employers were interested in detecting work rehabilitation needs and in taking action early. Rehabilitation at the workplace could be improved by development of routines, improved work relations and work technique, and environment in-service training at the workplace. Prevention was perceived as a prerequisite for a good result of rehabilitation. Attention to social and geographic conditions is needed. Organizational and financial limitations exist.

ACHP | Working Together to Build a More Inclusive Preservation Program

Science.gov Websites

behavioral aspects of landscape architecture, emphasis on applied behavioral research; and a Master of Urban Architecture, focused on applied behavioral research and in Urban Planning focused on community historic opportunities are rooted in uniqueness of places, cultural diversity, traditions, and practices as well as

Robust network design for multispecies conservation

Treesearch

Ronan Le Bras; Bistra Dilkina; Yexiang Xue; Carla P. Gomes; Kevin S. McKelvey; Michael K. Schwartz; Claire A. Montgomery

2013-01-01

Our work is motivated by an important network design application in computational sustainability concerning wildlife conservation. In the face of human development and climate change, it is important that conservation plans for protecting landscape connectivity exhibit certain level of robustness. While previous work has focused on conservation strategies that result...

Working with a Board of Directors: Making the Partnership Stronger.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ratekin, Cindy; Bess, Gary

1996-01-01

Focuses on the role of the board of directors within nonprofit child care centers and how the board and center staff can work well together for the agency. Outlines each partner's role in the four areas of center responsibility: financial oversight, program planning, resource development, and personnel management. (EV)

Using action research to plan a violence prevention program for emergency departments.

PubMed

Gates, Donna; Gillespie, Gordon; Smith, Carolyn; Rode, Jennifer; Kowalenko, Terry; Smith, Barbara

2011-01-01

Although there are numerous studies that show that emergency department (ED) violence is a prevalent and serious problem for healthcare workers, there is a lack of published evaluations of interventions aimed at reducing this alarming trend. Using an action research model, the authors partnered with six hospitals to plan, implement and evaluate a violence prevention and management intervention. Phase one of this project involved gathering information from employees, managers and patients using focus groups. Ninety-seven persons participated in one of twelve focus groups. The Haddon matrix was used to develop focus group questions aimed at gathering data about the pre-assault, during assault, and post-assault time frames and to compare these findings to planned strategies. Analysis consisted of identification of themes related to intervention strategies for patients/visitors, employees, managers, and the work environment. Thematic analysis results supported the relevance, feasibility, and saliency of the planned intervention strategies. With the exception of a few items, employees and managers from the different occupational groups agreed on the interventions needed to prevent and manage violence against ED workers. Patients focused on improved staff communication and comfort measures. Results support that violence in the emergency department is increasing, that violence is a major concern for those who work in and visit emergency departments, and that interventions are needed to reduce workplace violence. The Haddon matrix along with an action research method was useful to identify intervention strategies most likely to be successfully implemented and sustained by the emergency departments. Copyright © 2011 Emergency Nurses Association. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Focus groups with working parents of school-aged children: what's needed to improve family meals?

PubMed

Fulkerson, Jayne A; Kubik, Martha Y; Rydell, Sarah; Boutelle, Kerri N; Garwick, Ann; Story, Mary; Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne; Dudovitz, Bonnie

2011-01-01

To conduct focus groups to identify parents' perceptions of barriers to family meals and elucidate ideas to guide the development of interventions to overcome barriers. Focus groups were conducted with a convenience sample of 27 working parents in urban community settings. Parents reported enjoying the sharing/bonding at meals, but they reported limited time for meal preparation and frequent multi-tasking at mealtime. They wanted their children's help with meal preparation, but they were concerned about the time and "mess" involved. They were frustrated with the limited range of food items their children would eat. Preferred program ideas included feeding tips/recipes, meal planning/preparation, and changing food offerings. Findings indicate a need for creative programs and professional nutrition guidance to facilitate family engagement in planning and cooking quick, healthful meals; development of skill building; and increasing healthful food consumption. Copyright © 2011 Society for Nutrition Education. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Oregon Works: Assessing the Worker Training and Work Organization Practices of Oregon Employers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oregon State Economic Development Dept., Salem.

In 1992, questionnaires regarding the training and work organization practices were mailed to a random sample of 4,000 Oregon employers, and focus groups were held with 100 Oregon managers/employers. The main findings from the completed questionnaires (43% response rate) were as follows: most Oregon employers do not plan for training or treat it…

Enroute flight planning: The design of cooperative planning systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Philip J.; Layton, Chuck; Mccoy, Elaine

1990-01-01

Design concepts and principles to guide in the building of cooperative problem solving systems are being developed and evaluated. In particular, the design of cooperative systems for enroute flight planning is being studied. The investigation involves a three stage process, modeling human performance in existing environments, building cognitive artifacts, and studying the performance of people working in collaboration with these artifacts. The most significant design concepts and principles identified thus far are the principle focus.

Tally and geometry definition influence on the computing time in radiotherapy treatment planning with MCNP Monte Carlo code.

PubMed

Juste, B; Miro, R; Gallardo, S; Santos, A; Verdu, G

2006-01-01

The present work has simulated the photon and electron transport in a Theratron 780 (MDS Nordion) (60)Co radiotherapy unit, using the Monte Carlo transport code, MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particle), version 5. In order to become computationally more efficient in view of taking part in the practical field of radiotherapy treatment planning, this work is focused mainly on the analysis of dose results and on the required computing time of different tallies applied in the model to speed up calculations.

Creating virtual humans for simulation-based training and planning

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

Stansfield, S.; Sobel, A.

1998-05-12

Sandia National Laboratories has developed a distributed, high fidelity simulation system for training and planning small team Operations. The system provides an immersive environment populated by virtual objects and humans capable of displaying complex behaviors. The work has focused on developing the behaviors required to carry out complex tasks and decision making under stress. Central to this work are techniques for creating behaviors for virtual humans and for dynamically assigning behaviors to CGF to allow scenarios without fixed outcomes. Two prototype systems have been developed that illustrate these capabilities: MediSim, a trainer for battlefield medics and VRaptor, a system formore » planning, rehearsing and training assault operations.« less

Mastering the Maestro: The Effective Maestro Asks Writers, Photographers, and Designers to Trade Places with Readers as They Plan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cripe, Dennis

1998-01-01

Considers two very different fictional high school newspaper editorships to see how the "maestro" process works. Notes that the process is a management technique similar to brainstorming but in which one person keeps the planning meeting focused. Suggests that the effective maestro asks writers, photographers, and designers to trade places with…

Finding the Balance between Process and Product through Perceptual Lesson Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uhrmacher, P. Bruce; Conrad, Bradley M.; Moroye, Christy M.

2013-01-01

Background/Context: Lesson planning is one of the most common activities required of teachers; however, since the late 1970s and early 1980s, it has not been a major focus of study, either conceptually or empirically. Although there are recent articles on the topic, much of the current work is specific to examining a particular teaching method or…

Distance Education in an Era of eLearning: Challenges and Opportunities for a Campus-Focused Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forsyth, Hannah; Pizzica, Jenny; Laxton, Ruth; Mahony, Mary Jane

2010-01-01

The growth of eLearning technologies has blurred the boundaries of educational modes to a point where distance education programs can be offered without drawing particular notice on campus. The experience of distance education staff working in campus-focused universities and their perceptions of their chances of successfully planning and teaching…

Cache-Aware Asymptotically-Optimal Sampling-Based Motion Planning

PubMed Central

Ichnowski, Jeffrey; Prins, Jan F.; Alterovitz, Ron

2014-01-01

We present CARRT* (Cache-Aware Rapidly Exploring Random Tree*), an asymptotically optimal sampling-based motion planner that significantly reduces motion planning computation time by effectively utilizing the cache memory hierarchy of modern central processing units (CPUs). CARRT* can account for the CPU’s cache size in a manner that keeps its working dataset in the cache. The motion planner progressively subdivides the robot’s configuration space into smaller regions as the number of configuration samples rises. By focusing configuration exploration in a region for periods of time, nearest neighbor searching is accelerated since the working dataset is small enough to fit in the cache. CARRT* also rewires the motion planning graph in a manner that complements the cache-aware subdivision strategy to more quickly refine the motion planning graph toward optimality. We demonstrate the performance benefit of our cache-aware motion planning approach for scenarios involving a point robot as well as the Rethink Robotics Baxter robot. PMID:25419474

Cache-Aware Asymptotically-Optimal Sampling-Based Motion Planning.

PubMed

Ichnowski, Jeffrey; Prins, Jan F; Alterovitz, Ron

2014-05-01

We present CARRT* (Cache-Aware Rapidly Exploring Random Tree*), an asymptotically optimal sampling-based motion planner that significantly reduces motion planning computation time by effectively utilizing the cache memory hierarchy of modern central processing units (CPUs). CARRT* can account for the CPU's cache size in a manner that keeps its working dataset in the cache. The motion planner progressively subdivides the robot's configuration space into smaller regions as the number of configuration samples rises. By focusing configuration exploration in a region for periods of time, nearest neighbor searching is accelerated since the working dataset is small enough to fit in the cache. CARRT* also rewires the motion planning graph in a manner that complements the cache-aware subdivision strategy to more quickly refine the motion planning graph toward optimality. We demonstrate the performance benefit of our cache-aware motion planning approach for scenarios involving a point robot as well as the Rethink Robotics Baxter robot.

Technology-Mediated Advising and Student Support: An Institutional Self-Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University, 2017

2017-01-01

The rubric aims to help community colleges and broad-access four-year colleges assess their work on technology-mediated advising and student support, sometimes referred to as Integrated Planning and Advising for Student Success (iPASS). This work involves moving from a model of advising focused on information provision or course registration to…

Reclaiming and Reimagining Macro Social Work Education: A Collective Biography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Netting, F. Ellen; O'Connor, Mary Katherine; Cole, Portia L.; Hopkins, Karen; Jones, Jenny L.; Kim, Youngmi; Leisey, Monica; Mulroy, Elizabeth A.; Rotabi, Karen Smith; Thomas, M. Lori; Weil, Marie O.; Wike, Traci L.

2016-01-01

The authors focus on a collective biography of 12 women social work educators, all either tenured or in tenure lines, from five different universities at the time of the study. The participants represent several aspects of macro practice including administration, planning, community practice, and policy. Beginning with reflections about coming…

Women and the World of Work.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tobin, Nancy; Wilson, Barbara Lazarus

One of the products developed by the Home and Community-Based Career Education Project, the booklet focuses on the concerns of women who want or need to begin or resume a career. It describes today's working woman, examines her options, and presents practical suggestions for overcoming obstacles in planning for and implementing career decisions.…

A Framework for Teaching Practice-Based Research with a Focus on Service Users

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Austin, Michael J.; Isokuortti, Nanne

2016-01-01

The integration of research and practice in social work education and agency practice is both complex and challenging. The analysis presented here builds upon the classic social work generalist framework (engagement, assessment, service planning and implementation, service evaluation, and termination) by developing a three-part framework to…

The Integration of Climate Science and Collaborative Processes in Building Regional Climate Resiliency in Southeast Florida

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jurado, J.

2016-12-01

Southeast Florida is widely recognized as one of the most vulnerable regions in the United States to the impacts of climate change, especially sea level rise. Dense urban populations, low land elevations, flat topography, complex shorelines and a porous geology all contribute to the region's challenges. Regional and local governments have been working collaboratively to address shared climate mitigation and adaptation concerns as part of the four-county Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact (Compact). This partnership has emphasized, in part, the use of climate data and the development of advanced technical tools and visualizations to help inform decision-making, improve communications, and guide investments. Prominent work products have included regional vulnerability maps and assessments, a unified sea level rise projection for southeast Florida, the development and application of hydrologic models in scenario planning, interdisciplinary resilient redesign planning workshops, and the development of regional climate indicators. Key to the Compact's efforts has been the engagement and expertise of academic and agency partners, including a formal collaboration between the Florida Climate Institute and the Compact to improve research and project collaborations focused on southeast Florida. This presentation will focus on the collaborative processes and work products that have served to accelerate resiliency planning and investments in southeast Florida, with specific examples of how local governments are using these work products to modernize agency processes, and build support among residents and business leaders.

Using a Theory of Action to Develop Performance Indicators to Measure Progress toward a SIMR

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schiller, Ellen; Hayes, Susan; Nagle, Katherine

2015-01-01

This white paper offers an approach for using a theory of action as an outline to develop the SSIP [State Systemic Improvement Plan] Phase II evaluation questions and plan that will guide the SSIP work in Phase III and beyond. Key areas of focus include generating evaluation questions at each level of outcomes, identifying essential steps and…

Reading and understanding employee benefit plan financial statements.

PubMed

Lee, David C; Van Sertima, Michael A

2004-03-01

If your employee benefit plan has more than 100 participants, chances are you've had to work your way through the audited financial statements you're required to include with your Form 5500 filing. These statements contain a wealth of information about the financial health of your plan, and understanding them is an important fiduciary responsibility. To strengthen your grasp of financial statements, this article gives an overview that will make a plan's financial statements more informative, explains their basic structure and provides information on some of the more arcane aspects (such as actuarial tables). While this article focuses on Taft-Hartley (multiemployer) plans, much of it applies to other types of employee benefit plans.

Grounded in Country: Perspectives on Working within, alongside and for Aboriginal Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson-Barrett, Elizabeth; Price, Anne; Stomski, Norman; Walker, Bruce F.

2015-01-01

This paper presents the experiences of four researchers working within, alongside and for the Gumala Aboriginal Corporation in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The focus of the research was a health and education needs analysis of Gumala Aboriginal Corporation members that would inform future education and health planning in the region.…

Investigating University Educators' Design Thinking and the Implications for Design Support Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, Sue; Agostinho, Shirley; Lockyer, Lori

2016-01-01

All university educators perform design work as they prepare and plan learning experiences for their students. How such design work is undertaken, conceptualised, and optimally supported is the focus of ongoing research for the authors. The purpose of this article is to present the results of a research study that sought to gain a richer…

The Best Laid Plans: Designing Incentive Programs for School Leaders. WCER Working Paper No. 2014-7

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goff, Peter; Goldring, Ellen; Canney, Melissa

2014-01-01

Notable attention and effort has been directed toward improving educator productivity through the use of performance incentives. Little of this work has focused on incentive systems for school leaders (principals) and less yet examines performance pay systems used in practice. This research uses 34 funded grants from the federal Teacher Incentive…

Providing Career Guidance for Young Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colby, Pamela G.

This module is directed at personnel working or planning to work in the areas of guidance, counseling, placement and follow-through in junior and senior high school settings, grades 7-12. The module topic is career guidance for young women of junior and senior high school age, aand the focus will be on providing nonbiased career guidance which…

Shark Bite Meetings for Creative Program Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pellien, Tamara; Yergeau, Steven

2017-01-01

The strength of Cooperative Extension lies in the breadth of knowledge and experience of its faculty and staff. Yet those working in Extension can get so bogged down by the weight of this knowledge and become so focused on details, ownership, and process that it can be hard to respond to emerging needs or work effectively as a group. "Shark…

Strategic planning as a focus for continuous improvement. A case study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oneill, John W.; Gordon-Winkler, Lyn

1992-01-01

What do most of the successful people and organizations in our world have in common? Instead of worrying about the future, they work to create it. They have a plan, or a vision of what they want to accomplish and they focus their efforts on success. Strategic planning has been described as a disciplined, ongoing process to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape what an organization is, what it does, and how it will respond to a changing environment. This case study discussion will evaluate the relationship between strategic planning and Total Quality Management (TQM), or continuous improvement, through the experience of the NASA Johnson Space Center in developing a strategy for the future. That experience clearly illustrates the value of strategic planning in setting the framework and establishing the overall thrust of continuous improvement initiatives. Equally significant, the fundamentals of a quality culture such as strong customer and supplier partnerships, participative involvement, open communications, and ownership were essential in overcoming the challenges inherent in the planning process. A reinforced management commitment to the quality culture was a clear, long-term benefit.

Strategic planning as a focus for continuous improvement. A case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oneill, John W.; Gordon-Winkler, Lyn

What do most of the successful people and organizations in our world have in common? Instead of worrying about the future, they work to create it. They have a plan, or a vision of what they want to accomplish and they focus their efforts on success. Strategic planning has been described as a disciplined, ongoing process to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape what an organization is, what it does, and how it will respond to a changing environment. This case study discussion will evaluate the relationship between strategic planning and Total Quality Management (TQM), or continuous improvement, through the experience of the NASA Johnson Space Center in developing a strategy for the future. That experience clearly illustrates the value of strategic planning in setting the framework and establishing the overall thrust of continuous improvement initiatives. Equally significant, the fundamentals of a quality culture such as strong customer and supplier partnerships, participative involvement, open communications, and ownership were essential in overcoming the challenges inherent in the planning process. A reinforced management commitment to the quality culture was a clear, long-term benefit.

Network speech systems technology program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weinstein, C. J.

1981-09-01

This report documents work performed during FY 1981 on the DCA-sponsored Network Speech Systems Technology Program. The two areas of work reported are: (1) communication system studies in support of the evolving Defense Switched Network (DSN) and (2) design and implementation of satellite/terrestrial interfaces for the Experimental Integrated Switched Network (EISN). The system studies focus on the development and evaluation of economical and endurable network routing procedures. Satellite/terrestrial interface development includes circuit-switched and packet-switched connections to the experimental wideband satellite network. Efforts in planning and coordination of EISN experiments are reported in detail in a separate EISN Experiment Plan.

Choosing Mars-Time: Analysis of the Mars Exploration Rover Experience

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bass, Deborah S.; Wales,Roxana C.; Shalin, Valerie L.

2004-01-01

This paper focuses on the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission decision to work on Mars Time and the implications of that decision on the tactical surface operations process as personnel planned activities and created a new command load for work on each Martian sol. The paper also looks at tools that supported the complexities of Mars Time work, and makes some comparisons between Earth and Mars time scheduling.

Medicare Part D Beneficiaries' Plan Switching Decisions and Information Processing.

PubMed

Han, Jayoung; Urmie, Julie

2017-03-01

Medicare Part D beneficiaries tend not to switch plans despite the government's efforts to engage beneficiaries in the plan switching process. Understanding current and alternative plan features is a necessary step to make informed plan switching decisions. This study explored beneficiaries' plan switching using a mixed-methods approach, with a focus on the concept of information processing. We found large variation in beneficiary comprehension of plan information among both switchers and nonswitchers. Knowledge about alternative plans was especially poor, with only about half of switchers and 2 in 10 nonswitchers being well informed about plans other than their current plan. We also found that helpers had a prominent role in plan decision making-nearly twice as many switchers as nonswitchers worked with helpers for their plan selection. Our study suggests that easier access to helpers as well as helpers' extensive involvement in the decision-making process promote informed plan switching decisions.

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

Blom, Philip Stephen; Marcillo, Omar Eduardo; Euler, Garrett Gene

InfraPy is a Python-based analysis toolkit being development at LANL. The algorithms are intended for ground-based nuclear detonation detection applications to detect, locate, and characterize explosive sources using infrasonic observations. The implementation is usable as a stand-alone Python library or as a command line driven tool operating directly on a database. With multiple scientists working on the project, we've begun using a LANL git repository for collaborative development and version control. Current and planned work on InfraPy focuses on the development of new algorithms and propagation models. Collaboration with Southern Methodist University (SMU) has helped identify bugs and limitations ofmore » the algorithms. The current focus of usage development is focused on library imports and CLI.« less

Youth Councils and Comprehensive Youth Planning: A Report from Eight Communities. School-to-Work Intermediary Project. Issue Brief.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kazis, Richard

This report focuses on the potential of Workforce Investment Act Youth Councils (YCs) to become proponents of and planners for coordinated youth services and to advocate for improved outcomes for in-school and out-of-school youth, whether a person qualifies for services under the act or not. The study reviews plans and strategies of YCs in these…

Strategic planning for radiology: opening an outpatient diagnostic imaging center.

PubMed

Leepson, Evan

2003-01-01

Launching a new diagnostic imaging center involves very specific requirements and roadmaps, including five major areas of change that have a direct impact on planning: Imaging and communication technology Finances and reimbursement Ownership structure of imaging entities Critical workforce shortages Imaging is moving outside radiology First, planning must focus on the strategic level of any organization, whether it is a multi-national corporation or a six-person radiology group. Think of all organizations as a triangle with three horizontal levels: strategic, managerial and operational. The strategic level of decision-making is at the top of the triangle, and here is where planning must take place. For strategic planning to work, there must be focused time and energy spent on this activity, usually away from the reading room and imaging center. There are five planning strategies, which must have the explicit goal of developing and growing the imaging center. The five strategies are: Clinical and quality issues, Governance and administration, Technology, Relationships, Marketing and business development. The best way to plan and implement these strategies is to create work groups of radiologists, technologists, and administrative and support staff. Once the group agrees on the strategy and tactic, it takes responsibility for implementation. Embarking on the launch of a new outpatient diagnostic imaging center is no small undertaking, and anyone who has struggled with such an endeavor can readily attest to the associated challenges and benefits. Success depends on many things, and one of the most important factors relates to the amount of time and the quality of effort spent on strategic planning at the outset. Neglecting or skimping on this phase may lead to unforeseen obstacles that could potentially derail the project.

The EM SSAB Annual Work Plan Process: Focusing Board Efforts and Resources - 13667

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

Young, Ralph

One of the most daunting tasks for any new member of a local board of the Environmental Management Site Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB) is to try to understand the scope of the clean-up activities going on at the site. In most cases, there are at least two or three major cleanup activities in progress as well as monitoring of past projects. When planning for future projects is added to the mix, the list of projects can be long. With the clean-up activities involving all major environmental media - air, water, soils, and groundwater, new EM SSAB members can findmore » themselves totally overwhelmed and ineffective. Helping new members get over this initial hurdle is a major objective of EM and all local boards of the EM SSAB. Even as members start to understand the size and scope of the projects at a site, they can still be frustrated at the length of time it takes to see results and get projects completed. Many project and clean-up timelines for most of the sites go beyond 10 years, so it's not unusual for an EM SSAB member to see the completion of only 1 or 2 projects over the course of their 6-year term on the board. This paper explores the annual work planning process of the EM SSAB local boards, one tool that can be used to educate EM SSAB members into seeing the broader picture for the site. EM SSAB local work plans divide the site into projects focused on a specific environmental issue or media such as groundwater and/or waste disposal options. Projects are further broken down into smaller segments by highlighting major milestones. Using these metrics, local boards of the EM SSAB can start to quantify the effectiveness of the project in achieving the ultimate goal of site clean-up. These metrics can also trigger board advice and recommendations for EM. At the beginning of each fiscal year, the EM SSAB work plan provides a road map with quantifiable checkpoints for activities throughout the year. When the work plans are integrated with site-specific, enforceable regulatory milestones, they can provide a comprehensive work plan for not only the board, but also regulators, site contractors, and DOE. Because the work plans are reviewed and approved by DOE, they carry some weight in holding local boards of the EM SSAB accountable. This structure provides the basis for local boards to achieve their primary function, to provide DOE with information, advice, and recommendations concerning issues affecting the EM program at the site. (authors)« less

Building a vision for the future: strategic planning in a shared governance nursing organization.

PubMed

Baker, C; Beglinger, J E; Bowles, K; Brandt, C; Brennan, K M; Engelbaugh, S; Hallock, T; LaHam, M

2000-06-01

Today's health care delivery environment is marked by extreme turbulence and ever-increasing complexity. Now, more than ever, an organization's strategic plan must do more than outline a business plan. Rather, the strategic plan is a fundamental tool for building and sustaining an organizational vision for the future. The strong, dynamic strategic plan (1) represents a long-range vision for improving organizational performance, (2) provides a model for planning and implementing structures and processes for the management of outcomes, (3) reflects and shapes the organizational culture and customer focus, (4) provides decision support for difficult operational choices made day to day, and (5) integrates and aligns the work of the organization. This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a methodology for strategic planning within a shared governance nursing organization. Built upon the strategic plan of the hospital, the process undertaken by the nursing organization reflects the following commitments: (1) to develop a strategic plan that is meaningful and part of daily work life at all levels of the nursing organization, (2) to make the plan practical and realistic through incremental building, (3) to locate and articulate accountability for each step, and (4) to build in a process for checking progress toward goal achievement and readjusting the plan as necessary.

From medicine to butterflies and back again

PubMed Central

Parmesan, Camille

2014-01-01

My research focuses on the current impacts of climate change on wildlife, from field-based work on butterflies to synthetic analyses of global impacts on a broad range of species across terrestrial and marine biomes. I work actively with governmental agencies and NGOs to help develop conservation assessment and planning tools aimed at preserving biodiversity in the face of climate change. PMID:27583283

Impact of Using Facebook as a Social Learning Platform to Connect High School Students with Working Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yamauchi, Yuhei; Fujimoto, Toru; Takahashi, Kaoru; Araki, Junko; Otsuji, Yusuke; Suzuki, Hisashi

2012-01-01

This study examines "the Socla study program" to build a social learning community for high school students using Facebook and other Internet services. In the two-week program, the students worked on individual study projects that focused on their future plans. With the help of volunteer supporters and facilitators, the students found…

Advice about Work-Related Issues to Peers and Employers from Head and Neck Cancer Survivors

PubMed Central

Dewa, Carolyn S.; Trojanowski, Lucy; Tamminga, Sietske J.; Ringash, Jolie; McQuestion, Maurene; Hoch, Jeffrey S.

2016-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this exploratory and descriptive study is to contribute to the sparse return-to-work literature on head and neck cancer (HNC) survivors. Interview participants were asked to reflect upon their work-related experience with cancer by answering two specific questions: (1) What advice would you give someone who has been newly diagnosed with head and neck cancer? (2) What advice would you give to employers of these people? Methods Data were gathered through 10 individual semi-structured in-depth interviews with HNC clinic patients at a regional cancer center’s head and neck clinic in Ontario, Canada. A constant comparative method of theme development was used. Codes identified in and derived from the data were discussed by research team members until consensus was reached. Codes with similar characteristics were grouped together and used to develop overarching themes. Results Work-related advice for peers focused on personal self-care and interactions within workplaces. Work-related advice to employers focused on demonstrating basic human values as well as the importance of communication. Discussion The study results suggest HNC clinic patients should be proactive with employers and help to set reasonable expectations and provide a realistic plan for work to be successfully completed. HNC clinic patients should develop communication skills to effectively disclose their cancer and treatment to employers. Conclusions In this exploratory study, HNC clinic patients’ advice was solution-focused underscoring the importance of self-care and pro-active communication and planning with employers. Employers were advised to demonstrate core human values throughout all phases of the work disability episode beginning at diagnosis. PMID:27070654

Focusing on reproductive health for adolescents.

PubMed

1995-06-01

JOICFP is producing a still photo video consisting of three segments from photos shot in Bangladesh (April 22 - May 2), Thailand (May 2-15), and Mexico (June 29 - July 7) in 1995. The first segment highlights the daily life of a husband, aged 20, and his wife, Moni, aged 14. Moni married at age 13, before the onset of menstruation, and now serves and feeds her husband's large extended family. The Family Planning Association of Bangladesh (FPAB), the local implementing agent of the Sustainable Community-based Family Planning/Maternal and Child Health (FP/MCH) Project with Special Focus on Women, which is supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and executed by JOICFP, introduced Moni to the concept of reproductive health and encouraged her to join other women in activities designed to improve their health and raise their economic status. The second segment depicts the life of a former commercial sex worker who is undergoing occupational skill development training promoted by the Population and Community Development Association. The girl is now a leader of teenagers in her village; she works to change attitudes that sent her to work as a prostitute with an estimated 150,000 other poor rural teenage women. The third segment focuses on teen pregnancy and the efforts of the Mexican Foundation for Family Planning (MEXFAM) in the areas of health care and education for adolescents.

Revitalizing communities together: the shared values, goals, and work of education, urban planning, and public health.

PubMed

Cohen, Alison Klebanoff; Schuchter, Joseph W

2013-04-01

Inequities in education, the urban environment, and health co-exist and mutually reinforce each other. Educators, planners, and public health practitioners share commitments to place-based, participatory, youth-focused, and equitable work. They also have shared goals of building community resilience, social capital, and civic engagement. Interdisciplinary programs that embody these shared values and work towards these shared goals are emerging, including school-based health centers, full-service community schools, community health centers, Promise Neighborhoods, and Choice Neighborhoods. The intersection of these three fields represents an opportunity to intervene on social determinants of health. More collaborative research and practice across public health, education, and planning should build from the shared values identified to continue to address these common goals.

Presenting Bionic: Broader Impacts and Outreach Network for Institutional Collaboration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Storm, K.

2014-12-01

Broader Impact plans are required of all NSF proposals. In 2011 the National Science Board, which oversees NSF, reconfirmed NSF's commitment to Broader Impacts in its task force report on the merit review system. At many institutions there are professionals that focus their work on supporting the Broader Impact work of researchers. This session will share the Broader Impacts and Outreach Network for Institutional Collaboration (BIONIC) plan to create a professional network of individuals and offices committed to planning and carrying out effective Broader Impact programming. BIONIC is an NSF Research Coordination Network that is recommended for funding through the Biology Directorate. In this session we will share the goals of BIONIC, and the progress to date in reaching those goals (of which one aspect is the curating of effective Broader Impact initiatives).

Expanding Access and Increasing Success in Postsecondary Education for Arizonans. The Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education (ACPE) 2009-2010 Annual Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education, 2010

2010-01-01

The work of the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education (ACPE) is guided by a strategic plan. The purpose of the plan is to provide focus for the activity of this small agency and its five staff members in order to increase productivity and impact in the areas of its statutory authority. The mission and goals were accepted by Commissioners…

Expanding Access and Increasing Success in Postsecondary Education for Arizonans. The Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education (ACPE) 2008-2009 Annual Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education, 2009

2009-01-01

The work of the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education (ACPE) is guided by a 5-year strategic plan. The purpose of the plan is to provide focus for the activity of this small agency and its eight staff members in order to increase productivity and impact in the areas of its statutory authority. The mission and goals were accepted by…

Expanding Access and Increasing Success in Postsecondary Education for Arizonans. The Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education (ACPE) 2006-2007 Annual Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education, 2007

2007-01-01

The work of the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education (ACPE) is guided by a 5 year strategic plan. The purpose of the plan is to provide focus for the activity of this small agency and its eight staff members in order to increase productivity and impact in the areas of its statutory authority. The mission and goals were accepted by…

Expanding Access and Increasing Success in Postsecondary Education for Arizonans. The Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education (ACPE) 2007-2008 Annual Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education, 2008

2008-01-01

The work of the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education (ACPE) is guided by a 5-year strategic plan. The purpose of the plan is to provide focus for the activity of this small agency and its nine staff members in order to increase productivity and impact in the areas of its statutory authority. The mission and goals were accepted by …

A fit for purpose training programme for the decontamination of personnel.

PubMed

O'Mara, E; Cole, P; Wynn, A; Collison, R

2015-06-01

Contingency plans are a crucial part of operating any nuclear facility. The success of a contingency plan depends on the efficacy of the plan and the confidence and understanding of those who must enact it. This project focused on both of these aspects, clarifying technique and then designing and delivering a training programme for decontamination. The design of the training was based on the IAEA Systematic Approach to Training (SAT). The delivery focused on ways of increasing retention including use of practical examples and assessment, peer assessment and visual contingency plans. A quantitative survey of the trainees was conducted using a questionnaire before and after the training programme delivery. The results clearly demonstrate an improvement across all elements of skills and knowledge required to undertake decontamination. Effective training is fundamental to the development of a good safety culture and the methodology used in this work has led to a clear improvement in radiation protection culture at the Devonport site.

Planning that works: Empowerment through stakeholder focused interactive planning (SFIP)

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

Beck, J.E.; Ison, S.A.

1994-12-31

This paper describes a powerful planning tool that can enable government, private industries, and public interest organizations to actualize their visions through sound decision making. The stakeholder focused interactive planning model is designed to integrate and ultimately gain stakeholder investment in the success of attainment of their vision. The only concessions required of the planning organization using this process is the acceptance of the premise that sustained vision success requires the support of both internal and external stakeholders and that each step in the process must be used as a validation of the previous step and essential to the completionmore » of the next step. What is stakeholder/public involvement? It is the process in which the stakeholders (both internal and external) values, interests and expectations are included in decision-making processes. The primary goal of public involvement efforts is to include all those who have a stake in the decision, whether or not they have already been identified. Stakeholders are individuals, contractors, clients, suppliers, public organizations, state and local governments, Indian tribes, federal agencies, and other parties affected by decisions.« less

Tank waste remediation system configuration management plan

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

Vann, J.M.

The configuration management program for the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Project Mission supports management of the project baseline by providing the mechanisms to identify, document, and control the functional and physical characteristics of the products. This document is one of the tools used to develop and control the mission and work. It is an integrated approach for control of technical, cost, schedule, and administrative information necessary to manage the configurations for the TWRS Project Mission. Configuration management focuses on five principal activities: configuration management system management, configuration identification, configuration status accounting, change control, and configuration management assessments. TWRS Projectmore » personnel must execute work in a controlled fashion. Work must be performed by verbatim use of authorized and released technical information and documentation. Application of configuration management will be consistently applied across all TWRS Project activities and assessed accordingly. The Project Hanford Management Contract (PHMC) configuration management requirements are prescribed in HNF-MP-013, Configuration Management Plan (FDH 1997a). This TWRS Configuration Management Plan (CMP) implements those requirements and supersedes the Tank Waste Remediation System Configuration Management Program Plan described in Vann, 1996. HNF-SD-WM-CM-014, Tank Waste Remediation System Configuration Management Implementation Plan (Vann, 1997) will be revised to implement the requirements of this plan. This plan provides the responsibilities, actions and tools necessary to implement the requirements as defined in the above referenced documents.« less

Strategic workforce planning for a multihospital, integrated delivery system.

PubMed

Datz, David; Hallberg, Colleen; Harris, Kathy; Harrison, Lisa; Samples, Patience

2012-01-01

Banner Health has long recognized the need to anticipate, beyond the immediate operational realities or even the annual budgeting projection exercises, the necessary workforce needs of the future. Thus, in 2011, Banner implemented a workforce planning model that included structures, processes, and tools for predicting workforce needs, with particular focus on identified critical systemwide practice areas. The model represents the incorporation of labor management tools and processes with more strategic, broad-view, long-term assessment and planning mechanisms. The sequential tying of the workforce planning lifecycle with the organization's strategy and financial planning process supports alignment of goals, objectives, and resource allocation. Collaboration among strategy, finance, human resources, and operations has provided us with the ability to identify critical position groups based on 3-year strategic priorities. By engaging leaders from across the organization, focusing on activities at facility, regional, and system levels, and building in mechanisms for accountability, we are now engaged in continuous evaluations of our delivery models, the competencies and preparations necessary for the staff to effectively function within those delivery models, and developing and implementing action plans designed to ensure adequate numbers of the staff whose competencies will be suited to the work expected of them.

A methodology for incorporating fuel price impacts into short-term transit ridership forecasts.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-08-01

Anticipating changes to public transportation ridership demand is important to planning for and meeting : service goals and maintaining system viability. These changes may occur in the short- or long-term; : extensive academic work has focused on bet...

Social and Emotional Skills for Life and Career: Policy Levers That Focus on the Whole Child. Policy Snapshot

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yoder, Nick

2015-01-01

Although Employers and colleges want candidates who are motivated and adaptable, are able to work well in teams and communicate effectively, have a strong work ethic, have solid interpersonal skills, and are strategic in their planning skills. Schools need to place a greater emphasis on social and emotional skills for students to prepare them for…

Can health feasibly be considered as part of the planning process in Scotland?

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

Higgins, Martin; Douglas, Margaret; Muirie, Jill

2005-10-15

The planning system is significant because of its capacity to determine the quality of the built environment as well as the health, well-being and quality of life of the individuals and communities therein. Development planning is especially important because of the long-term impact of the decisions. This paper was developed in response to increasing recognition amongst HIA practitioners in Scotland of the importance of planning for health. It focuses on the relationship between the planning system in Scotland, specifically the Development Planning element of it, and population health and considers how the health impact assessment (HIA) approach can facilitate andmore » support joint working with planners. In particular, consideration is given to the potential impact of the introduction of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) on the linkages between health, HIA and planning.« less

The Complexities of Family Caregiving at Work: A Mixed-Methods Study.

PubMed

Gaugler, Joseph E; Pestka, Deborah L; Davila, Heather; Sales, Rebecca; Owen, Greg; Baumgartner, Sarah A; Shook, Rocky; Cunningham, Jane; Kenney, Maureen

2018-01-01

The current project examined the impact of caregiving and caregiving-work conflict on employees' well-being. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design (QUAN→qual) was utilized, and a total of 880 employees from a large health-care plan employer completed an online survey. Forty-five caregivers who completed the survey also participated in one of the five focus groups held 1 to 2 months later. Employed caregivers were significantly ( p < .05) more likely to indicate poorer physical and mental health than noncaregivers; among caregivers ( n = 370), caregiving-work conflict emerged as the most significant predictor of well-being and fully mediated the empirical relationship between burden and well-being. The focus group findings complemented the quantitative results; many of the challenges employed caregivers experience stem from their ability or inability to effectively balance their employment and caregiving roles. The results suggest the need to focus on caregiving-work conflict when constructing new or translating existing evidence-based caregiver interventions.

Workplace Violence and Components of a Psychologically Healthy Workplace.

PubMed

Hart, Rod; Heybrock, Denise

2017-01-01

As episodes of workplace-centered violence have increased in the United States, a focus on emotional and mental health matters is more essential than ever. It is imperative for organizations to be proactive about violence prevention and have a plan that is supported by top management and understood by all managers and employees. Employers can take a number of steps in collaboration with a comprehensive violence prevention plan to promote a supportive and safe work environment. This article addresses workplace violence, risk factors and the components of a violence prevention plan as well as the importance of building a psychologically healthy workplace.

Idaho National Laboratory Integrated Safety Management System FY 2013 Effectiveness Review and Declaration Report

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

Hunt, Farren

2013-12-01

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) performed an Annual Effectiveness Review of the Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS), per 48 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 970.5223 1, “Integration of Environment, Safety and Health into Work Planning and Execution.” The annual review assessed Integrated Safety Management (ISM) effectiveness, provided feedback to maintain system integrity, and identified target areas for focused improvements and assessments for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014. Results of the FY 2013 annual effectiveness review demonstrate that the INL’s ISMS program is “Effective” and continually improving and shows signs of being significantly strengthened. Although there have been unacceptable serious events in themore » past, there has also been significant attention, dedication, and resources focused on improvement, lessons learned and future prevention. BEA’s strategy of focusing on these improvements includes extensive action and improvement plans that include PLN 4030, “INL Sustained Operational Improvement Plan, PLN 4058, “MFC Strategic Excellence Plan,” PLN 4141, “ATR Sustained Excellence Plan,” and PLN 4145, “Radiological Control Road to Excellence,” and the development of LWP 20000, “Conduct of Research.” As a result of these action plans, coupled with other assurance activities and metrics, significant improvement in operational performance, organizational competence, management oversight and a reduction in the number of operational events is being realized. In short, the realization of the fifth core function of ISMS (feedback and continuous improvement) and the associated benefits are apparent.« less

Caring for the health of the public: cross sectional study of the activities of UK public health departments.

PubMed

Lawlor, D A; Morgan, K; Frankel, S

2002-03-01

The relative time spent in different areas of work in public health departments in the UK was assessed by means of a postal questionnaire. Departments spend one third of their time on population health work, this being similar to the amount of time spent on planning health services. Having a planning department in the health authority did not affect the amount of time spent in any area of work. Having a greater number of consultants in the department was associated with a tendency to spend more time on population health and being involved in training was associated with spending less time on planning. Public health departments in the UK are the only part of the health service with responsibility for the broader aspects of public health. Whilst the tensions between medical care and the wider influences upon population health may represent a false dichotomy, public health professionals must maintain a central focus of their work on the wider influences upon population health if balance is to be maintained within the National Health Service.

Better, Sooner, More Convenient? The reality of pursuing greater integration between primary and secondary healthcare providers in New Zealand

PubMed Central

Lovelock, Kirsten; Martin, Greg; Gauld, Robin; MacRae, Jayden

2017-01-01

Objectives: This article focuses on the results of evaluations of two business plans developed in response to a policy initiative which aimed to achieve greater integration between primary and secondary health providers in New Zealand. We employ the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to inform our analysis. The Better, Sooner, More Convenient policy programme involved the development of business plans and, within each business plan, a range of areas of focus and associated work-streams. Methods: The evaluations employed a mixed method multi-level case study design, involving qualitative face-to-face interviews with front-line staff, clinicians and management in two districts, one in the North Island and the other in the South Island, and an analysis of routine data tracked ambulatory sensitive hospitalisations and emergency department presentations. Two postal surveys were conducted, one focussing on the patient care experiences of integration and care co-ordination and the second focussing on the perspectives of health professionals in primary and secondary settings in both districts. Results: Both evaluations revealed non-significant changes in ambulatory sensitive hospitalisations and emergency department presentation rates and slow uneven progress with areas of focus and their associated work-streams. Our evaluations revealed a range of implementation issues, the barriers and facilitators to greater integration of healthcare services and the implications for those who were responsible for putting policy into practice. Conclusion: The business plans were shown to be overly ambitious and compromised by the size and scope of the business plans; dysfunctional governance arrangements and associated accountability issues; organisational inability to implement change quickly with appropriate and timely funding support; an absence of organisational structural change allowing parity with the policy objectives; barriers that were encountered because of inadequate attention to organisational culture; competing additional areas of focus within the same timeframe; and consequent overloading of front-line staff which led to workload stress, fatigue and disillusionment. Where success was achieved, this largely hinged on the enthusiasm of a small pool of front-line workers and their initial buy-into the idea of integrated care. PMID:28491307

Better, Sooner, More Convenient? The reality of pursuing greater integration between primary and secondary healthcare providers in New Zealand.

PubMed

Lovelock, Kirsten; Martin, Greg; Gauld, Robin; MacRae, Jayden

2017-01-01

This article focuses on the results of evaluations of two business plans developed in response to a policy initiative which aimed to achieve greater integration between primary and secondary health providers in New Zealand. We employ the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to inform our analysis. The Better, Sooner, More Convenient policy programme involved the development of business plans and, within each business plan, a range of areas of focus and associated work-streams. The evaluations employed a mixed method multi-level case study design, involving qualitative face-to-face interviews with front-line staff, clinicians and management in two districts, one in the North Island and the other in the South Island, and an analysis of routine data tracked ambulatory sensitive hospitalisations and emergency department presentations. Two postal surveys were conducted, one focussing on the patient care experiences of integration and care co-ordination and the second focussing on the perspectives of health professionals in primary and secondary settings in both districts. Both evaluations revealed non-significant changes in ambulatory sensitive hospitalisations and emergency department presentation rates and slow uneven progress with areas of focus and their associated work-streams. Our evaluations revealed a range of implementation issues, the barriers and facilitators to greater integration of healthcare services and the implications for those who were responsible for putting policy into practice. The business plans were shown to be overly ambitious and compromised by the size and scope of the business plans; dysfunctional governance arrangements and associated accountability issues; organisational inability to implement change quickly with appropriate and timely funding support; an absence of organisational structural change allowing parity with the policy objectives; barriers that were encountered because of inadequate attention to organisational culture; competing additional areas of focus within the same timeframe; and consequent overloading of front-line staff which led to workload stress, fatigue and disillusionment. Where success was achieved, this largely hinged on the enthusiasm of a small pool of front-line workers and their initial buy-into the idea of integrated care.

Making Meetings Work Better.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Standke, Linda

1978-01-01

Focusing on the increased use by trainers of off-site facilities for employee training meetings, this article looks at some improvements and the expanding market in the meeting site industry. It also highlights emerging trends in the industry and covers the growth of meeting planning into a profession. (EM)

Gender Issues in Language Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cameron, Deborah

2003-01-01

Drawing on recent work in variationist sociolinguistics, sociology of language and linguistic anthropology, focuses on new approaches to explaining gender differentiated patterns of sound change and language shift, the success or failure of planned linguistic reforms, and changes in the social evaluation of gendered speech styles. (Author/VWL)

76 FR 65428 - Classification and Program Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-21

... review will be an abbreviated program review meant to focus on an inmate's programming activities. This... during his/her incarceration. The plan will ordinarily include work and programming activities to help... an inmate's programming activities. This shortened version of the more thorough program review will...

Annual Report on Operations, 1999-2000.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Australian National Training Authority, Brisbane.

This report, the Australian National Training Authority's (ANTA's) key reporting and accounting document, focuses on internal operations structured around the annual ANTA Plan and work priorities. A "Chairman's Comment" (Stuart Hornery) and "From the CEO's Desk" (Moira Scollay) precede an overview that provides a history of…

E-Learning Systems: Promises and Pitfalls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Carlyle H.; Robbins, Lisa I.

2006-01-01

Objective: This review examines the use of e-learning systems in psychiatric education. Method: The authors review the Instructional System Design process, focusing on ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation). The authors also report on two representative teaching projects, discussing the planning, work, and assessment…

Teamwork on Assessments Creates Powerful Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McTighe, Jay; Emberger, Marcella

2006-01-01

Teacher collaboration is a powerful form of professional learning. One focus for collaborative efforts is designing assessments. When teachers design assessments, give each other feedback through peer reviews, evaluate student work, and plan together for improvement, they are engaged in highly effective professional development. Assessments have…

SAFETY ON UNTRUSTED NETWORK DEVICES (SOUND)

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-10

in the Cyber & Communication Technologies Group , but not on the SOUND project, would review the code, design and perform attacks against a live...3.5 Red Team As part of our testing , we planned to conduct Red Team assessments. In these assessments, a group of engineers from BAE who worked...developed under the DARPA CRASH program and SOUND were designed to be companion projects. SAFE focused on the processor and the host, SOUND focused on

Communities’ Strategic Opportunities Through Broken Window Repair and Global Commons Improvements

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-01

5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) Program Executive Office (Integrated...Warfare Systems),16107 Benedict Court,Woodbridge,VA,22191-4302 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND...identified six priorities, areas of focus: continue to focus on institutional reform; re-evaluate our military’s force planning construct ; preparing for a

Disaster planning: the basics of creating a burn mass casualty disaster plan for a burn center.

PubMed

Kearns, Randy D; Conlon, Kathe M; Valenta, Andrea L; Lord, Graydon C; Cairns, Charles B; Holmes, James H; Johnson, Daryhl D; Matherly, Annette F; Sawyer, Dalton; Skarote, Mary Beth; Siler, Sean M; Helminiak, Radm Clare; Cairns, Bruce A

2014-01-01

In 2005, the American Burn Association published burn disaster guidelines. This work recognized that local and state assets are the most important resources in the initial 24- to 48-hour management of a burn disaster. Historical experiences suggest there is ample opportunity to improve local and state preparedness for a major burn disaster. This review will focus on the basics of developing a burn surge disaster plan for a mass casualty event. In the event of a disaster, burn centers must recognize their place in the context of local and state disaster plan activation. Planning for a burn center takes on three forms; institutional/intrafacility, interfacility/intrastate, and interstate/regional. Priorities for a burn disaster plan include: coordination, communication, triage, plan activation (trigger point), surge, and regional capacity. Capacity and capability of the plan should be modeled and exercised to determine limitations and identify breaking points. When there is more than one burn center in a given state or jurisdiction, close coordination and communication between the burn centers are essential for a successful response. Burn surge mass casualty planning at the facility and specialty planning levels, including a state burn surge disaster plan, must have interface points with governmental plans. Local, state, and federal governmental agencies have key roles and responsibilities in a burn mass casualty disaster. This work will include a framework and critical concepts any burn disaster planning effort should consider when developing future plans.

Health work force planning in the 90s, Part II: Enough in the right place at the right time?

PubMed

Turner, L A; Ostbye, T; Pederson, L L

1993-01-01

The focus of this discussion has been on achieving a distribution of health care professionals that meets the objective of making health services available to the total population. The need for a systematic approach to planning, not only for the health care work force, but for the system in general, has been recognized as the highest priority for the health care systems of industrialized countries for over a decade. Overall, the goal of health care work force planning the world over is "to provide the right type of education and training for the right number and type of people needed to render effectively and safely the right types of service when and where required by the population." What is needed is a readiness to evaluate existing service delivery models, to retain those found to be effective and efficient, and to re-direct resources from outdated or ineffective strategies into new approaches found to better meet this goal. We need to envision the health care work force as a whole; work toward making it as efficient as possible, and thereby maintain our national commitment to universal health care.

Seeking the competitive advantage: it's more than cost reduction.

PubMed

South, S F

1999-01-01

Most organizations focus considerable time and energy on reducing operating costs as a way to attain marketplace advantage. This strategy was not inappropriate in the past. To be competitive in the future, however, focus must be placed on other issues, not just cost reduction. The near future will be dominated by service industries, knowledge management, and virtual partnerships, with production optimization and flexibility, innovation, and strong partnerships defining those organizations that attain competitive advantage. Competitive advantage will reside in clarifying the vision and strategic plan, reviewing and redesigning work processes to optimize resources and value-added work, and creating change-ready environments and empowered workforces.

National Rocket Propulsion Materials Plan: A NASA, Department of Defense, and Industry Partnership

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clinton, Raymond G., Jr.; Munafo, Paul M. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

NASA, Department of Defense, and rocket propulsion industry representatives are working together to create a national rocket propulsion materials development roadmap. This "living document" will facilitate collaboration among the partners, leveraging of resources, and will be a highly effective tool for technology development planning. The structuring of the roadmap, and development plan, which will combine the significant efforts of the Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology (IHPRPT) Program, and NASA's Integrated Space Transportation Plan (ISTP), is being lead by the IHPRPT Materials Working Group (IMWG). The IHPRPT Program is a joint DoD, NASA, and industry effort to dramatically improve the nation's rocket propulsion capabilities. This phased program is structured with increasingly challenging goals focused on performance, reliability, and cost to effectively double rocket propulsion capabilities by 2010. The IHPRPT program is focused on three propulsion application areas: Boost and Orbit Transfer (both liquid rocket engines and solid rocket motors), Tactical, and Spacecraft. Critical to the success of this initiative is the development and application of advanced materials, processes, and manufacturing technologies. NASA's ISTP is a comprehensive strategy focusing on the aggressive safety, reliability, and affordability goals for future space transportation systems established by the agency. Key elements of this plan are the 2 nd and 3 d Generation Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLV). The affordability and safety goals of these generational systems are, respectively, 10X cheaper and 100X safer by 2010, and 100X cheaper and 10,000X safer by 2025. Accomplishment of these goals requires dramatic and sustained breakthroughs, particularly in the development and the application of advanced material systems. The presentation will provide an overview of the IHPRPT materials initiatives, NASA's 2nd and 3 rd Generation RLV propulsion materials projects, and the approach for the development of the national rocket propulsion materials roadmap.

Back to the future: autobiographical planning and the functionality of mind-wandering.

PubMed

Baird, Benjamin; Smallwood, Jonathan; Schooler, Jonathan W

2011-12-01

Given that as much as half of human thought arises in a stimulus independent fashion, it would seem unlikely that such thoughts would play no functional role in our lives. However, evidence linking the mind-wandering state to performance decrement has led to the notion that mind-wandering primarily represents a form of cognitive failure. Based on previous work showing a prospective bias to mind-wandering, the current study explores the hypothesis that one potential function of spontaneous thought is to plan and anticipate personally relevant future goals, a process referred to as autobiographical planning. The results confirm that the content of mind-wandering is predominantly future-focused, demonstrate that individuals with high working memory capacity are more likely to engage in prospective mind-wandering, and show that prospective mind-wandering frequently involves autobiographical planning. Together this evidence suggests that mind-wandering can enable prospective cognitive operations that are likely to be useful to the individual as they navigate through their daily lives. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sector activities and lessons learned around initial implementation of the United States national physical activity plan.

PubMed

Evenson, Kelly R; Satinsky, Sara B

2014-08-01

National plans are increasingly common but infrequently evaluated. The 2010 United States National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP) provided strategies to increase population levels of physical activity. This paper describes (i) the initial accomplishments of the NPAP sector teams, and (ii) results from a process evaluation to determine how the sectors operated, their cross-sector collaboration, challenges encountered, and positive experiences. During 2011, a quarterly reporting system was developed to capture sector-level activities. A year-end interview derived more detailed information. Interviews with 12 sector leads were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed for common themes. The 6 sectors worked on goals from the implementation plan that focused broadly on education, promotion, intervention, policy, collaboration, and evaluation. Through year-end interviews, themes were generated around operations, goal setting, and cross-sector collaboration. Challenges to the NPAP work included lack of funding and time, the need for marketing and promotion, and organizational support. Positive experiences included collaboration, efficiency of work, enhanced community dynamic, and accomplishments toward NPAP goals. These initial results on the NPAP sector teams can be used as a baseline assessment for future monitoring. The lessons learned may be useful to other practitioners developing evaluations around state- or national-level plans.

Sector Activities and Lessons Learned Around Initial Implementation of the United States National Physical Activity Plan

PubMed Central

Evenson, Kelly R.; Satinsky, Sara B.

2016-01-01

Background National plans are increasingly common but infrequently evaluated. The 2010 United States National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP) provided strategies to increase population levels of physical activity. This paper describes (i) the initial accomplishments of the NPAP sector teams, and (ii) results from a process evaluation to determine how the sectors operated, their cross-sector collaboration, challenges encountered, and positive experiences. Methods During 2011, a quarterly reporting system was developed to capture sector-level activities. A year-end interview derived more detailed information. Interviews with 12 sector leads were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed for common themes. Results The 6 sectors worked on goals from the implementation plan that focused broadly on education, promotion, intervention, policy, collaboration, and evaluation. Through year-end interviews, themes were generated around operations, goal setting, and cross-sector collaboration. Challenges to the NPAP work included lack of funding and time, the need for marketing and promotion, and organizational support. Positive experiences included collaboration, efficiency of work, enhanced community dynamic, and accomplishments toward NPAP goals. Conclusions These initial results on the NPAP sector teams can be used as a baseline assessment for future monitoring. The lessons learned may be useful to other practitioners developing evaluations around state- or national-level plans. PMID:24176800

Consultants in nhs scotland: a survey of work commitments, remuneration, job satisfaction and retirement plans.

PubMed

French, F H; Andrew, J E; Awramenko, M; Coutts, H; Leighton-Beck, L; Mollison, J; Needham, G; Scott, A; Walker, K A

2004-05-01

UK consultants have reported working long hours, increased stress and reduced morale. This study set out to elicit consultants' views on flexible working and to gather data on consultants' workloads, remuneration, job satisfaction and retirement plans. As such it is the first comprehensive study of consultants in NHS Scotland. The Information and Statistics Division of the Scottish Executive Health Dept provided a list of consultants working in NHS Scotland Focus groups and interviews informed the design of a postal self-completion, questionnaire. The response ratewas 61%. Almost two-thirds (65%) of respondents felt their workloads were unreasonable and unsustainable and 67% were unable to provide their desired standards of patient care. Two-thirds (67%) did not normally take meal breaks, 63% had insufficient time for outside interests, whilst 44% felt their health was being adversely affected Many (84%) believed that some of their work could be delegated to someone less qualified but 79% agreed that there were insufficient staff to make this possible. The average planned retirement age was 60 years, with 23% describing their plans as definite and 70% as quite or very likely. When asked what might induce them to postpone retirement, 50% cited reduced workload/work intensity. In 2003, a majority of consultants in the UK voted in favour of the new consultant contract. This will improve consultant pay and introduce a standard 40-hour working week, including worked on-call. This should address tow of the main areas of consultant dissatisfaction in NHS Scotland. However, staff shortages will require to be addressed if the contract is to be successfully implemented.

The 1990 progress report and future plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friedland, Peter; Zweben, Monte; Compton, Michael

1990-01-01

This document describes the progress and plans of the Artificial Intelligence Research Branch (RIA) at ARC in 1990. Activities span a range from basic scientific research to engineering development and to fielded NASA applications, particularly those applications that are enabled by basic research carried out at RIA. Work is conducted in-house and through collaborative partners in academia and industry. Our major focus is on a limited number of research themes with a dual commitment to technical excellence and proven applicability to NASA short, medium, and long-term problems. RIA acts as the Agency's lead organization for research aspects of artificial intelligence, working closely with a second research laboratory at JPL and AI applications groups at all NASA centers.

An innovative program for multihandicapped deaf students using the FSSI.

PubMed

Garner, D; Becker, H; Schur, S; Hammer, E

1991-07-01

Teachers in public schools now have more students with more severe disabilities than they did in the past. Unfortunately, efforts to provide them with a quality education have been hampered by a lack of focused instructional planning. This article describes an innovative program developed for deaf multihandicapped students that has created an integrated focus for instruction. The organizing framework for the program incorporates the Functional Skills Screening Inventory, a domain referenced assessment of living and working skills. This structured approach enables teachers to identify current functional levels, develop meaningful short- and long-term objectives, and monitor student progress throughout their educational programs. It also facilitates long-range planning and evaluation of the instructional program on an ongoing basis.

Integrated Facilities and Infrastructure Plan.

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

Reisz Westlund, Jennifer Jill

Our facilities and infrastructure are a key element of our capability-based science and engineering foundation. The focus of the Integrated Facilities and Infrastructure Plan is the development and implementation of a comprehensive plan to sustain the capabilities necessary to meet national research, design, and fabrication needs for Sandia National Laboratories’ (Sandia’s) comprehensive national security missions both now and into the future. A number of Sandia’s facilities have reached the end of their useful lives and many others are not suitable for today’s mission needs. Due to the continued aging and surge in utilization of Sandia’s facilities, deferred maintenance has continuedmore » to increase. As part of our planning focus, Sandia is committed to halting the growth of deferred maintenance across its sites through demolition, replacement, and dedicated funding to reduce the backlog of maintenance needs. Sandia will become more agile in adapting existing space and changing how space is utilized in response to the changing requirements. This Integrated Facilities & Infrastructure (F&I) Plan supports the Sandia Strategic Plan’s strategic objectives, specifically Strategic Objective 2: Strengthen our Laboratories’ foundation to maximize mission impact, and Strategic Objective 3: Advance an exceptional work environment that enables and inspires our people in service to our nation. The Integrated F&I Plan is developed through a planning process model to understand the F&I needs, analyze solution options, plan the actions and funding, and then execute projects.« less

Pros and Cons of Partnering: A VCampus Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stallings, Dees

2001-01-01

Discussion of the growth of online courses in higher education and outsourcing for online course development focuses on the work of VCampus, an application service provider that develops online instruction for corporations and academic institutions. Discusses partnering arrangements; merging goals; intellectual property rights; marketing plans;…

Rising College Costs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

USA Today, 1981

1981-01-01

Focuses on ways in which parents of school-age children can offset the rising costs of college, including encouraging students to get summer and part-time jobs, putting savings toward students' education in accounts in students' names to save taxes, investigating cooperative work/education plans, and investing in mutual funds. (DB)

Serving future transportation needs : succession planning for a state department of transportation organization, its people & mission.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-06-01

This project will examine the employment of people who accomplish the work of the Department of Transportation & Public Facilities : (AKDOT&PF) those who will serve the future transportation needs of Alaska. The study will focus primarily on prof...

Ways Animals Communicate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curry, Kristen; Sumrall, William J.; Moore, Jerilou; Daniels, Anniece

2008-01-01

The authors describe a set of upper-elementary activities that focuses on how animals communicate. The activities describe procedures that students working in groups can use to investigate the topic of animal communication. An initial information sheet, resource list, and grading rubric are provided. The lesson plan was field-tested in an…

Research and applications: Artificial intelligence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raphael, B.; Duda, R. O.; Fikes, R. E.; Hart, P. E.; Nilsson, N. J.; Thorndyke, P. W.; Wilber, B. M.

1971-01-01

Research in the field of artificial intelligence is discussed. The focus of recent work has been the design, implementation, and integration of a completely new system for the control of a robot that plans, learns, and carries out tasks autonomously in a real laboratory environment. The computer implementation of low-level and intermediate-level actions; routines for automated vision; and the planning, generalization, and execution mechanisms are reported. A scenario that demonstrates the approximate capabilities of the current version of the entire robot system is presented.

Hospital culture--why create one?

PubMed

Sovie, M D

1993-01-01

Hospitals, to survive, must be transformed into responsive, participative organizations capable of new practices that produce improved results in both quality of care and service at reduced costs. Creating, managing, and changing the culture are critical leadership functions that will enable the hospital to succeed. Strategic planning and effective implementation of planned change will produce the desired culture. Work restructuring, a focus on quality management along with changes in clinical practices, as well as the care and support processes, are all a part of the necessary hospital cultural revolution.

Multi-assortment rhythmic production planning and control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skolud, B.; Krenczyk, D.; Zemczak, M.

2015-11-01

A method for production planning in a repetitive manufacturing system which allows for estimating the possibility of processing work orders in due time is presented. The difference between two approaches are presented; the first one one-piece flow elaborated in Toyota and the second one elaborated by authors that consists in defining sufficient conditions to filter all solutions and providing a set of admissible solutions for both the client and the producer. In the paper attention is focused on the buffer allocation. Illustrative examples are presented.

An Analysis of Section 529 College Savings and Prepaid Tuition Plans. A Report Prepared by the Department of Treasury for the White House Task Force on Middle Class Working Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

US Department of the Treasury, 2009

2009-01-01

Making college education more affordable is a central goal of the Obama Administration and has been a focus of Vice-President Biden's Taskforce on the Middle Class. To that end, the Task Force asked U.S. Treasury Department to prepare this report on how to make Section 529 college savings plans a more effective and reliable tool for families to…

Autonomous Spacecraft Communication Interface for Load Planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dever, Timothy P.; May, Ryan D.; Morris, Paul H.

2014-01-01

Ground-based controllers can remain in continuous communication with spacecraft in low Earth orbit (LEO) with near-instantaneous communication speeds. This permits near real-time control of all of the core spacecraft systems by ground personnel. However, as NASA missions move beyond LEO, light-time communication delay issues, such as time lag and low bandwidth, will prohibit this type of operation. As missions become more distant, autonomous control of manned spacecraft will be required. The focus of this paper is the power subsystem. For present missions, controllers on the ground develop a complete schedule of power usage for all spacecraft components. This paper presents work currently underway at NASA to develop an architecture for an autonomous spacecraft, and focuses on the development of communication between the Mission Manager and the Autonomous Power Controller. These two systems must work together in order to plan future load use and respond to unanticipated plan deviations. Using a nominal spacecraft architecture and prototype versions of these two key components, a number of simulations are run under a variety of operational conditions, enabling development of content and format of the messages necessary to achieve the desired goals. The goals include negotiation of a load schedule that meets the global requirements (contained in the Mission Manager) and local power system requirements (contained in the Autonomous Power Controller), and communication of off-plan disturbances that arise while executing a negotiated plan. The message content is developed in two steps: first, a set of rapid-prototyping "paper" simulations are preformed; then the resultant optimized messages are codified for computer communication for use in automated testing.

Achieving Healthy School Siting and Planning Policies: Understanding Shared Concerns of Environmental Planners, Public Health Professionals, and Educators

PubMed Central

Cohen, Alison

2013-01-01

Policy decisions regarding the quality of the physical school environment—both, school siting and school facility planning policies—are often considered through the lens of environmental planning, public health, or education policy, but rarely through all three. Environmental planners consider environmental justice issues on a local level and/or consider the regional impact of a school. Public health professionals focus on toxic exposures and populations particularly vulnerable to negative health outcomes. Educators and education policymakers emphasize investing in human capital of both students and staff. By understanding these respective angles and combining these efforts around the common goals of achieving adequacy and excellence, we can work towards a regulatory system for school facilities that recognizes children as a uniquely vulnerable population and seeks to create healthier school environments in which children can learn and adults can work. PMID:20359991

School-to-Work Transition for Handicapped Youth: Perspectives on Educational and Economic Trends.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Repetto, Jeanne B., Ed.

This compilation of papers focuses on the economic and educational considerations required for planning transitional services for handicapped youth, and was developed from the second and third annual forums sponsored by the Transitional Programming for Handicapped Youth: Interdisciplinary Leadership Preparation Program at the University of…

Principal Leadership during Restructuring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blaize, Traci A.

2017-01-01

School reform requires specific leadership skills. The journey to take an underperforming school to a school making adequate yearly progress is not an easy one. In this phenomenological study, the researcher focuses on the journey of one principal and his school as they work toward developing a restructuring plan. Interviews with staff members and…

Motivational Strategies That Work!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Educators' Spotlight Digest, 2009

2009-01-01

This article presents K-12 motivational strategies that focus on different ideas school library media specialists can use to gain and sustain attention in the research topic. Some have come from recent submissions to the S.O.S. database of lesson plans and teaching ideas. A student-directed searching activity for college level library instruction…

Serving future transportation needs : succession planning for a state department of transportation organization, its people & mission. [Executive summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-06-01

This project will examine the employment of people who accomplish the work of the Department of Transportation & Public Facilities : (AKDOT&PF) those who will serve the future transportation needs of Alaska. The study will focus primarily on prof...

Undergraduate Teaching and Learning Evaluation: Focus on the Mechanism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dongmei, Zeng; Jiangbo, Chen

2009-01-01

It is obvious to all that the National Undergraduate Teaching and Learning Evaluation plan for higher education institutions launched in 2003 has promoted undergraduate teaching at universities and colleges. At the same time, however, the authors have also witnessed problems with the evaluation work itself, for example, unified evaluation…

Columbia MetroWest Human Services: A Study of Persistence, Planning, and Producing Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gold, Martine; Marrone, Joe

1998-01-01

This organizational vignette is the second in a multi-part series highlighting community rehabilitation providers. This particular issue focuses on Columbia MetroWest Human Services of Ashland, Massachusetts, an organization that works with people with developmental disabilities and has undergone major transformation resulting in greatly expanded…

Test oracle automation for V&V of an autonomous spacecraft's planner

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feather, M. S.; Smith, B.

2001-01-01

We built automation to assist the software testing efforts associated with the Remote Agent experiment. In particular, our focus was upon introducing test oracles into the testing of the planning and scheduling system component. This summary is intended to provide an overview of the work.

Introduction to Media.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riler, Robert

Designed for senior high school students, this one semester course focuses on four aspects of modern media: television, film, radio, and advertising. Each topic is worked into a weekly lesson plan format that stresses the active involvement of students in the learning process. The course outline contains lists of objectives and media materials…

Revisiting Your Outdoor Environment: Reasons to Reshape, Enrich, Redevelop the Outdoor Space.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mauffette, Anne Gillain

1998-01-01

Provides suggestions for designing effective outdoor space. Focuses on advocating for space, designing spaces based on children's characteristics and preferences, integrating the outdoors in educational planning, including children in decision making and work, knowing about injury prevention, providing adult models who love the outdoors, and…

Instituting the Greater Good

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Frank

2011-01-01

Teachers, higher education administrators and financial planners are well acquainted with the work of TIAA-CREF. The insurance and investment company has been a central player in teacher retirement and financial planning for nearly a century. Twelve years ago, the organization spawned the TIAA-CREF Institute, a research-focused arm that brings…

How Data Use for Accountability Undermines Equitable Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Braaten, Melissa; Bradford, Chris; Kirchgasler, Kathryn L.; Barocas, Sadie Fox

2017-01-01

Purpose: When school leaders advance strategic plans focused on improving educational equity through data-driven decision making, how do policies-as-practiced unfold in the daily work of science teachers? The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach: This ethnographic study examines how data-centric accountability and…

Literacy House: Annual Report 1968.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Literacy House, Lucknow (India).

The 1968 annual report of Literacy House focuses on functional literacy, food production, and family planning as well as on structural reorganization. A new organizational chart is included and the role of each individual in the organization is presented. The primary functions (training and research), and some details about the work of the…

Credentialism: Partners for Business Education. Working Papers of Planning and Development Research 90-6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Protz, Maria

This study examined the current value of credentialism, extending the findings of an earlier report, "Business Training: Content, Enrollment and Delivery." The study acknowledged the distinction between various types of credentials, but focused primarily on professional business certification and investigated the potential for TVOntario…

Altarum restricted use technology study : interim report, deliverable 3.1 : list of invitees for the focus group

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-09-01

This study, an 18-month effort, seeks to apply restricted use technology to the mandates of MDOT. For Deliverable 3.1 described in the Work Plan governing the Altarum Restricted Use Technology Study, the Altarum project team is required to provide a ...

Responding to Campus Rape: A Practical Guide for College Administrators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fossey, Richard; Smith, Michael Clay

1996-01-01

In addressing rape on campus, colleges and universities should provide a rape awareness program, a campus sexual harassment policy, a campus security plan focusing on prevention, procedures for notifying the community about criminal activity, adequate disciplinary procedures, and protection for minor children with whom campus employees work. A…

Richard Rodgers: The Man and His Music.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mason, Keith

2002-01-01

Discusses how to teach students about the music of Richard Rodgers in an effort to educate them about music in the twentieth century. Explores his work over the years, particularly in association with other composers. Includes a collection of resources and a lesson plan that focuses on "The Carousel Waltz." (CMK)

Curriculum Model for Optometry: Outcomes of the Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berman, Morris S.

1994-01-01

A national conference of colleges of optometry focused on planning for optometric curricular reform and faculty development. Issues addressed included changes needed to meet entry-level professional needs, available resources, changes in optometry practice, and optometry's role in health care reform. Task forces worked together to develop a…

Effective Schools Practices That Work.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lezotte, Lawrence W., Ed.; Jacoby, Barbara C., Ed.

This monograph describes a number of successful solutions that have been used in schools involved in school improvement planning. Problem-solving strategies used by schools across the United States to address various situations are described, in which each school focused on student achievement and teaching learning for all students. The practices,…

Using AI Planning Techniques to Automatically Generate Image Processing Procedures: A Preliminary Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chien, S.

1994-01-01

This paper describes work on the Multimission VICAR Planner (MVP) system to automatically construct executable image processing procedures for custom image processing requests for the JPL Multimission Image Processing Lab (MIPL). This paper focuses on two issues. First, large search spaces caused by complex plans required the use of hand encoded control information. In order to address this in a manner similar to that used by human experts, MVP uses a decomposition-based planner to implement hierarchical/skeletal planning at the higher level and then uses a classical operator based planner to solve subproblems in contexts defined by the high-level decomposition.

Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery Project : Combined-Planning & Design and Operations & Maintenance Reports, 2000 Annual Report.

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

Larson, Roy Edward; Walker, Grant W.

2002-12-31

Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery (NPTH) Year-2000 Combined Maintenance and Operations (O&M) and Planning and Design (P&D) contract is hereby completed based on this annual report patterned after the Statement of Work (SOW) for the project as contracted with Bonneville Power Administration. Primary project activities focused on completion of the Northwest Power Planning Council Step-3 process that: (1) Accepted final design, (2) Authorized a capital construction amount of $16,050,000, and (3) Authorized contractor selection, and (4) Provided construction site dedication, and (5) Implemented construction activities over an anticipated 2-year period of July 2000 through October 2002.

Gaps, conflicts, and consensus in the ethics statements of professional associations, medical groups, and health plans.

PubMed

Berkman, N D; Wynia, M K; Churchill, L R

2004-08-01

Patients today interact with physicians, physician groups, and health plans, each of which may follow distinct ethical guidelines. We systematically compared physician codes of ethics with ethics policies at physician group practices and health plans, using the 1998-99 policies of 38 organisations-18 medical associations (associations), nine physician group practices (groups), and 12 health plans (plans)-selected using random and stratified purposive sampling. A clinician and a social scientist independently abstracted each document, using a 397-item health care ethics taxonomy; a reconciled abstraction form was used for analysis. This study focuses on ethics policies regarding professional obligation towards patients, resource allocation, and care for the vulnerable in society. A majority in all three groups mention "fiduciary obligations" of one sort or another, but associations generally address physician/patient relations but not health plan obligations, while plans rarely endorse physicians' obligations of advocacy, beneficence, and non-maleficence. Except for occasional mentions of cost effectiveness or efficiency, ethical considerations in resource allocation rarely arise in the ethics policies of all three organisational types. Very few associations, groups, or plans specifically endorse obligations to vulnerable populations. With some important exceptions, we found that the ethics policies of associations, groups, and plans are narrowly focused and often ignore important ethical concerns for society, such as resource allocation and care for vulnerable populations. More collaborative work is needed to build integrated sets of ethical standards that address the aims and responsibilities of the major stakeholders in health care delivery.

Guidelines for Guest Conductors of Honor Choirs: When Planning and Conducting Honor Ensembles, Focus on Creating a Rewarding Experience for All from Start to Finish

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freer, Patrick K.

2007-01-01

Because there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of honor choir events each year across the United States, most choir directors will likely be invited to conduct an honor choir at one point or another. Additionally, many conductors will work with honor choirs at the city, municipal, and county levels. Still others will work with ensembles from…

Build On-the-Job Success Skills. Breakthrough Strategies To Teach and Counsel Troubled Youth: Social Skills, School Skills, Coping Skills Lesson Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wells, Ruth Herman

This document is one of eight in a series of guides designed to help teach and counsel troubled youth. This document focuses on the social skills necessary for on-the-job success. It includes 20 lesson plans that help students learn appropriate behaviors at the work place. The first lesson instructs students on what to wear and bring to work.…

Care plans and care planning in long-term conditions: a conceptual model.

PubMed

Burt, Jenni; Rick, Jo; Blakeman, Thomas; Protheroe, Joanne; Roland, Martin; Bower, Pete

2014-10-01

The prevalence and impact of long-term conditions continues to rise. Care planning for people with long-term conditions has been a policy priority for chronic disease management in a number of health-care systems. However, patients and providers appear unclear about the formulation and implementation of care planning. Further work in this area is therefore required to inform the development, implementation and evaluation of future care planning initiatives. We distinguish between 'care planning' (the process by which health-care professionals and patients discuss, agree and review an action plan to achieve the goals or behaviour change of most relevance and concern to the patient) and a 'care plan' (a written document recording the outcome of a care planning process). We propose a typology of care planning and care plans with three core dimensions: perspective (patient or professional), scope (a focus on goals or on behaviours) and networks (confined to the professional-patient dyad or extending to the entire care network). In addition, we draw on psychological models of mediation and moderation to outline potential mechanisms through which care planning and care plans may lead to improved outcomes for both patients and the wider health-care system. The proposed typology of care planning and care plans offered here, along with the model of the process by which care planning may influence outcomes, provide a useful framework for future policy developments and evaluations. Empirical work is required to explore the degree to which current care planning approaches and care plans can be described according to these dimensions, and the factors that determine which types of patients and professionals use which type of care plans.

Enacting 'team' and 'teamwork': using Goffman's theory of impression management to illuminate interprofessional practice on hospital wards.

PubMed

Lewin, Simon; Reeves, Scott

2011-05-01

Interprofessional teamwork is widely advocated in health and social care policies. However, the theoretical literature is rarely employed to help understand the nature of collaborative relations in action or to critique normative discourses of teamworking. This paper draws upon Goffman's (1963) theory of impression management, modified by Sinclair (1997), to explore how professionals 'present' themselves when interacting on hospital wards and also how they employ front stage and backstage settings in their collaborative work. The study was undertaken in the general medicine directorate of a large NHS teaching hospital in England. An ethnographic approach was used, including interviews with 49 different health and social care staff and participant observation of ward-based work. These observations focused on both verbal and non-verbal interprofessional interactions. Thematic analysis of the data was undertaken. The study findings suggest that doctor-nurse relationships were characterised by 'parallel working', with limited information sharing or effective joint working. Interprofessional working was based less on planned, 'front stage' activities, such as wards rounds, than on ad hoc backstage opportunistic strategies. These backstage interactions, including corridor conversations, allowed the appearance of collaborative 'teamwork' to be maintained as a form of impression management. These interactions also helped to overcome the limitations of planned front stage work. Our data also highlight the shifting 'ownership' of space by different professional groups and the ways in which front and backstage activities are structured by physical space. We argue that the use of Sinclair's model helps to illuminate the nature of collaborative interprofessional relations within an acute care setting. In such settings, the notion of teamwork, as a form of regular interaction and with a shared team identity, appears to have little relevance. This suggests that interventions to change interprofessional practice need to include a focus on ad hoc as well as planned forms of communication. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Planning for retirement from medicine: a mixed-methods study.

PubMed

Pannor Silver, Michelle; Easty, Laura K

2017-01-01

Evidence suggests there are important personal and social consequences associated with inadequate retirement planning for physicians. We evaluated whether academic physicians felt satisfied with their retirement planning, and identified obstacles to retirement planning and a set of factors to facilitate retirement planning. We applied a sequential mixed-methods research design to explore and examine factors that facilitate academic physician retirement planning using data collected from multiple sources (including 7 focus groups, an internet-based survey and 23 in-depth interviews). We examined survey results regarding retirement planning satisfaction and preferences for complete versus gradual retirement. We used thematic analysis to examine verbatim transcripts and notes from the focus groups and interviews. Survey data (response rate 51%) indicated that 10% of respondents were very satisfied with their retirement planning and 89.5% would prefer to retire gradually rather than stop work completely. Key barriers to retirement planning that emerged included poor personal financial management, rigid institutional structures and professional norms. Facilitators included financial planning resources for physicians at multiple career stages, opportunities and resources for later-career transitions and later-career mentorship support for intergenerational collaboration, and recognition of retirees. Key findings highlight perceived barriers to retirement planning at various career stages in addition to factors that can enhance physicians' retirement planning, including creating gradual and flexible retirement options, supporting ongoing discussions about financial planning and later career transitions, and fostering a culture that continues to honour and involve retirees. Medical institutions could foster innovative models for later-career transitions from medicine in ways that address physicians' needs at various career stages, support gradual transitions from practice and recognize the value of experienced, capable later-career physicians and retirees.

Planning for retirement from medicine: a mixed-methods study

PubMed Central

Pannor Silver, Michelle; Easty, Laura K.

2017-01-01

Background: Evidence suggests there are important personal and social consequences associated with inadequate retirement planning for physicians. We evaluated whether academic physicians felt satisfied with their retirement planning, and identified obstacles to retirement planning and a set of factors to facilitate retirement planning. Methods: We applied a sequential mixed-methods research design to explore and examine factors that facilitate academic physician retirement planning using data collected from multiple sources (including 7 focus groups, an internet-based survey and 23 in-depth interviews). We examined survey results regarding retirement planning satisfaction and preferences for complete versus gradual retirement. We used thematic analysis to examine verbatim transcripts and notes from the focus groups and interviews. Results: Survey data (response rate 51%) indicated that 10% of respondents were very satisfied with their retirement planning and 89.5% would prefer to retire gradually rather than stop work completely. Key barriers to retirement planning that emerged included poor personal financial management, rigid institutional structures and professional norms. Facilitators included financial planning resources for physicians at multiple career stages, opportunities and resources for later-career transitions and later-career mentorship support for intergenerational collaboration, and recognition of retirees. Interpretation: Key findings highlight perceived barriers to retirement planning at various career stages in addition to factors that can enhance physicians' retirement planning, including creating gradual and flexible retirement options, supporting ongoing discussions about financial planning and later career transitions, and fostering a culture that continues to honour and involve retirees. Medical institutions could foster innovative models for later-career transitions from medicine in ways that address physicians' needs at various career stages, support gradual transitions from practice and recognize the value of experienced, capable later-career physicians and retirees. PMID:28401128

Care plans and care planning in long term conditions: a conceptual model

PubMed Central

Burt, J; Rick, J; Blakeman, T; Protheroe, J; Roland, M; Bower, P

2013-01-01

The prevalence and impact of long term conditions continues to rise. Care planning for people with long term conditions has been a policy priority for chronic disease management in a number of health care systems. However, patients and providers appear unclear about the formulation and implementation of care planning. Further work in this area is therefore required to inform the development, implementation and evaluation of future care planning initiatives. We distinguish between ‘care planning’ (the process by which health care professionals and patients discuss, agree and review an action plan to achieve the goals or behaviour change of most relevance and concern to the patient) and a ‘care plan’ (a written document recording the outcome of a care planning process). We propose a typology of care planning and care plans with three core dimensions: perspective (patient or professional), scope (a focus on goals or on behaviours) and networks (confined to the professional-patient dyad or extending to the entire care network). In addition, we draw on psychological models of mediation and moderation to outline potential mechanisms through which care planning and care plans may lead to improved outcomes for both patients and the wider health care system. The proposed typology of care planning and care plans offered here, along with the model of the process by which care planning may influence outcomes, provide a useful framework for future policy developments and evaluations. Empirical work is required to explore the degree to which current care planning approaches and care plans can be described according to these dimensions, and the factors that determine which types of patients and professionals use which type of care plans. PMID:23883621

Time management strategies for research productivity.

PubMed

Chase, Jo-Ana D; Topp, Robert; Smith, Carol E; Cohen, Marlene Z; Fahrenwald, Nancy; Zerwic, Julie J; Benefield, Lazelle E; Anderson, Cindy M; Conn, Vicki S

2013-02-01

Researchers function in a complex environment and carry multiple role responsibilities. This environment is prone to various distractions that can derail productivity and decrease efficiency. Effective time management allows researchers to maintain focus on their work, contributing to research productivity. Thus, improving time management skills is essential to developing and sustaining a successful program of research. This article presents time management strategies addressing behaviors surrounding time assessment, planning, and monitoring. Herein, the Western Journal of Nursing Research editorial board recommends strategies to enhance time management, including setting realistic goals, prioritizing, and optimizing planning. Involving a team, problem-solving barriers, and early management of potential distractions can facilitate maintaining focus on a research program. Continually evaluating the effectiveness of time management strategies allows researchers to identify areas of improvement and recognize progress.

Educational Planning for Establishing a Health-Promoting Workplace (HPW).

PubMed

Russell, Sally S

2015-01-01

The Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) has had an ongoing series of articles related to Healthy Practice Environments. The AMSN website (www.amsn.org) also has a number of articles and documents about initiatives that AMSN has undertaken to promote healthy practice environments in health care settings. This articles will focus on the educational work necessary for nurses who desire to increase the healthiness of their workplace. The work is not easy, but the end result could be one that leaves a lasting legacy for those who work in that environment.

Preparatory planning framework for Created Out of Mind: Shaping perceptions of dementia through art and science

PubMed Central

Brotherhood, Emilie; Ball, Philip; Camic, Paul M; Evans, Caroline; Fox, Nick; Murphy, Charlie; Walsh, Fergus; West, Julian; Windle, Gill; Billiald, Sarah; Firth, Nicholas; Harding, Emma; Harrison, Charles; Holloway, Catherine; Howard, Susanna; McKee-Jackson, Roberta; Jones, Esther; Junghaus, Janette; Martin, Harriet; Nolan, Kailey; Rollins, Bridie; Shapiro, Lillian; Shapiro, Lionel; Twigg, Jane; van Leeuwen, Janneke; Walton, Jill; Warren, Jason; Wray, Selina; Yong, Keir; Zeilig, Hannah; Crutch, Sebastian

2017-01-01

Created Out of Mind is an interdisciplinary project, comprised of individuals from arts, social sciences, music, biomedical sciences, humanities and operational disciplines. Collaboratively we are working to shape perceptions of dementias through the arts and sciences, from a position within the Wellcome Collection. The Collection is a public building, above objects and archives, with a porous relationship between research, museum artefacts, and the public.  This pre-planning framework will act as an introduction to Created Out of Mind. The framework explains the rationale and aims of the project, outlines our focus for the project, and explores a number of challenges we have encountered by virtue of working in this way. PMID:29387805

Progress in Decommissioning the Humboldt Bay Power Plant - 13604

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

Rod, Kerry; Shelanskey, Steven K.; Kristofzski, John

Decommissioning of the Pacific Gas and Electric (PG and E) Company Humboldt Bay Power Plant (HBPP) Unit 3 nuclear facility has now, after more than three decades of SAFSTOR and initial decommissioning work, transitioned to full-scale decommissioning. Decommissioning activities to date have been well orchestrated and executed in spite of an extremely small work site with space constricted even more by other concurrent on-site major construction projects including the demolition of four fossil units, construction of a new generating station and 60 KV switchyard upgrade. Full-scale decommissioning activities - now transitioning from Plant Systems Removal (PG and E self-perform) tomore » Civil Works Projects (contractor performed) - are proceeding in a safe, timely, and cost effective manner. As a result of the successful decommissioning work to date (approximately fifty percent completed) and the intense planning and preparations for the remaining work, there is a high level of confidence for completion of all HBPP Unit 3 decommissions activities in 2018. Strategic planning and preparations to transition into full-scale decommissioning was carried out in 2008 by a small, highly focused project team. This planning was conducted concurrent with other critical planning requirements such as the loading of spent nuclear fuel into dry storage at the Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) finishing December 2008. Over the past four years, 2009 through 2012, the majority of decommissioning work has been installation of site infrastructure and removal of systems and components, known as the Plant System Removal Phase, where work scope was dynamic with significant uncertainty, and it was self-performed by PG and E. As HBPP Decommissioning transitions from the Plant System Removal Phase to the Civil Works Projects Phase, where work scope is well defined, a contracting plan similar to that used for Fossil Decommissioning will be implemented. Award of five major work scopes in various stages of development are planned as they include: Turbine Building Demolition, Nuclear Facilities Demolition and Excavation, Intake and Discharge Canal Remediation, Office Facility Demobilization, and Final Site Restoration. Benefits realized by transitioning to the Civil Works Projects Phase with predominant firm fixed-price/fixed unit price contracting include single civil works contractor who can coordinate concrete shaving, liner removal, structural removal, and other demolition activities; streamline financial control; reduce PG and E overhead staffing; and provide a specialized Bidder Team with experience from other similar projects. (authors)« less

Thinking strategically about capitation.

PubMed

Boland, P

1997-05-01

All managed care stakeholders--health plan members, employers, providers, community organizations, and government entitites--share a common interest in reducing healthcare costs while improving the quality of care health plan members receive. Although capitation is a usually thought of primarily as a payment mechanism, it can be a powerful tool providers and health plans can use to accomplish these strategic objectives and others, such as restoring and maintaining the health of plan members or improving a community's health status. For capitation to work effectively as a strategic tool, its use must be tied to a corporate agenda of partnering with stakeholders to achieve broader strategic goals. Health plans and providers must develop a partnership strategy in which each stakeholder has well-defined roles and responsibilities. The capitation structure must reinforce interdependence, shift focus from meeting organizational needs to meeting customer needs, and develop risk-driven care strategies.

Using Balanced Time Perspective to Explain Well-Being and Planning in Retirement.

PubMed

Mooney, Anna; Earl, Joanne K; Mooney, Carl H; Bateman, Hazel

2017-01-01

The notion of whether people focus on the past, present or future, and how it shapes their behavior is known as Time Perspective. Fundamental to the work of two of its earliest proponents, Zimbardo and Boyd (2008), was the concept of balanced time perspective and its relationship to wellness. A person with balanced time perspective can be expected to have a flexible temporal focus of mostly positive orientations (past-positive, present-hedonistic, and future) and much less negative orientations (past-negative and present-fatalistic). This study measured deviation from balanced time perspective (DBTP: Zhang et al., 2013) in a sample of 243 mature adults aged 45 to 91 years and explored relationships to Retirement Planning, Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Positive Mood, and Negative Mood. Results indicate that DBTP accounts for unexplained variance in the outcome measures even after controlling for demographic variables. DBTP was negatively related to Retirement Planning and Positive Mood and positively related to Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Negative Mood. Theoretical and practical implications regarding balanced time perspective are discussed.

ABA Southern Region Burn disaster plan: the process of creating and experience with the ABA southern region burn disaster plan.

PubMed

Kearns, Randy D; Cairns, Bruce A; Hickerson, William L; Holmes, James H

2014-01-01

The Southern Region of the American Burn Association began to craft a regional plan to address a surge of burn-injured patients after a mass casualty event in 2004. Published in 2006, this plan has been tested through modeling, exercise, and actual events. This article focuses on the process of how the plan was created, how it was tested, and how it interfaces with other ongoing efforts on preparedness. One key to success regarding how people respond to a disaster can be traced to preexisting relationships and collaborations. These activities would include training or working together and building trust long before the crisis. Knowing who you can call and rely on when you need help, within the context of your plan, can be pivotal in successfully managing a disaster. This article describes how a coalition of burn center leaders came together. Their ongoing personal association has facilitated the development of planning activities and has kept the process dynamic. This article also includes several of the building blocks for developing a plan from creation to composition, implementation, and testing. The plan discussed here is an example of linking leadership, relationships, process, and documentation together. On the basis of these experiences, the authors believe these elements are present in other regions. The intent of this work is to share an experience and to offer it as a guide to aid others in their regional burn disaster planning efforts.

Using Action Research to prevent work-related illness among rubber farmers in Northeastern Thailand.

PubMed

Sena, Wijitra; Nilvarangkul, Kessarawan; Saranrittichai, Kesinee; Smith, John F; Phajan, Teerasak; Seetangkham, Sansanee

2018-06-10

This research aimed to enhance self-care among rubber farmers for preventing work-related illness. The project used Action Research's four phase iterative process: fact-finding to understand the problems, action planning, action plan implementation, and evaluation and reflection on action plan impacts. Sixty-six participants (46 rubber farmers and 20 community stakeholders) were purposively recruited from two villages in the top 10 rubber producing provinces in Northeastern Thailand. Demographic and work-related illness data were collected in face-to-face structured interviews, Focus group interviews and participant observations were used to collect data in each project phase. Night group meetings were held throughout the research phases. The intervention included training workshops and establishing a community health education team for ongoing farmer support. Results showed improved farmer self-care behaviors and establishment of a community health education team to encourage farmers to care for themselves properly. Community nurses, other health personnel, and the Thai government can build on initiatives like this to strengthen occupational health and safety practices and services policy for rubber farmers. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Mixed-Initiative Planning and Scheduling for Science Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Myers, Karen L.; Wolverton, Michael J.

2004-01-01

The objective of this joint NASA Ames/JPL/SRI project was to develop mixed-initiative planning and scheduling technology that would enable more effective and efficient planning of science missions. The original intent behind the project was to have all three organizations work closely on the overall research and technology development objectives. Shortly after the project began, however, the Ames and JPL project members made a commitment to develop and field an operational mixed-initiative planning and scheduling tool called MAPGEN for the 2003 Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission [Ai-Chang et al. 2003]. Because of the tremendous amounts of time and effort that went into making that tool a success, the Ames and JPL personnel were mostly unavailable for collaboration on the joint objectives of the original proposal. Until November of 2002, SRI postponed work on the project in the hope that the Ames and JPL personnel would be able to find time for the planned collaborative research. During discussions between Dr. Karen Myers (the SRI institutional PI) and Dr. John Bresina (the project PI) during November of 2002, it was mutually agreed that SRI should work independently to achieve some of the research objectives for the project. In particular, Dr. Bresina identified explanation of plans and planner behavior as a critical area for research, based on feedback from demonstrating an initial prototype of MAPGEN to the operational community. For that reason, our focus from November of 2002 through the end of the project was on designing explanation methods to address this need.

Thinking about the patient's wishes: practical wisdom of discharge planning nurses in assisting surrogate decision-making.

PubMed

Kageyama, Yoko; Asano, Midori

2017-12-01

The accelerating trend towards shorter hospital stays in Japan has made modes of decision-making essential for effective patient transition from the hospital to recuperation in the regional community, and the ageing of the population has brought a rise in surrogate decision-making by the families of patients lacking decision-making ('self-decision') capacity. To verbalise and elucidate the practical wisdom of discharge planning nurses by focusing on the perceptions and judgements, they apply in practice and describing their methodology in concrete terms. Participants were six discharge planning nurses and one person with previous experience as a discharge planning nurse, all working at discharge planning departments of acute care hospitals. Separate, semi-structured, interactive interviews were conducted with each participant. The study design was qualitative descriptive in form with qualitative content analysis. All participants provided written informed consent to participate in the study, which was approved by the study institution. Three concepts were extracted as the basis for discharge planning nurses' perception and judgement at acute care hospitals: working for mutual envisionment of the available postdischarge options; helping the family act as spokesperson(s) for the patient's wishes; and understanding the family inclusive of the patient as a relationship of strongly interaffecting interests. The practical wisdom of the nurse, working in mutual envisionment with the family, and collaborative decision-making through discussion with those who know the patient, leads to rational discharge assistance. © 2017 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Financial Preparation for Retirement in Brazil: a Cross-Cultural Test of the Interdisciplinary Financial Planning Model.

PubMed

França, Lucia H F; Hershey, Douglas A

2018-03-01

In this investigation, we attempt to replicate the Interdisciplinary Financial Planning Model advanced by Hershey et al. (International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 70, 1-38, 2010) using a sample of Brazilian adults. This model, which was originally tested on individuals from The Netherlands and the United States, posits that psychological, social, and economic forces are key determinants of retirement planning practices and perceptions of saving adequacy. Taken together, fifteen hypotheses were subject to evaluation. Participants were 167 Brazilian working adults, 21-69 years of age, who were married or cohabitating at the time of testing. A path analysis model showed substantial support for the theoretical framework, with all variables found to contribute directly or indirectly to the prediction of financial planning and saving adequacy. Furthermore, two new paths were found to emerge in the Brazilian model that were not observed in the original investigation. This cross-national replication of the Interdisciplinary Financial Planning Model extends research on the topic to a developing country in which relatively few empirical studies of retirement planning have been carried out. Other analyses in the article focus on direct comparisons between the Brazilian model and the models developed based on American and Dutch respondents, with an eye toward better understanding how cultural forces shape the retirement planning process. The discussion focuses on how models of financial planning, such as the Hershey et al. (2010) model, can inform the development of savings-oriented education and intervention programs.

Fish mucus as a rapid responding tissue in diet switching studies

EPA Science Inventory

We are using stable isotopes of C, N, O and S (H planned) to study the ecology of coho salmon in streams of the Oregon Coast Range. One aspect of our work focuses on the incorporation of marine-derived nutrients into the diet of overwintering coho salmon juveniles. These studie...

Feeling "Secrety": Children's Views on Involvement in Landscape Decisions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roe, Maggie

2007-01-01

This paper focuses on a case study pilot project working with a small group of children aged 6- to 10-years-old in a village in the northeast of England. The study was established to examine children's attitudes to environmental issues, particularly their involvement in environmental decisions and their feelings about planning, design and…

Working for Clean Water, 2: Citizen Handbooks. An Information Program for Advisory Groups.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoltzfus, Lorna Chr., Ed.

Presented is material from an information program designed to help citizen advisory groups and local officials improve decision-making in water quality planning. This program is aimed at helping people focus on essential issues and questions by providing materials suitable for persons with non-technical backgrounds. The following chapters are…

Planned Parenthood?: Fertility Intentions and Experiences among Cohabiting Couples

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sassler, Sharon; Miller, Amanda; Favinger, Sarah M.

2009-01-01

Most research on nonmarital births focuses on disadvantaged populations. This study examined the childbearing expectations and experiences of a working-class sample, drawing on in-depth interviews with 30 cohabiting couples. Few couples in the sample were attempting to conceive; most desired to defer parenting. Three responses emerged to how a…

The Role of Technology for the Dallas Public Library in Long Range Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borgman, Christine L.

Major trends in library technology and technology in general, as indicated by information gathered through internal development work at the Dallas Public Library, professional readings, and interviews with experts, are discussed. Trends covered are: (1) internal library services focusing on a total systems approach to library automation; (2)…

2011 Annual Report of the American Psychological Association

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Psychologist, 2012

2012-01-01

As we have throughout the association's history, we focused in 2011 on multiple initiatives--all designed to further, support, and communicate the important work that psychologists do. This year we had the benefit of APA's first-ever strategic plan as well as funding for the following seven initiatives that are specifically designed to execute the…

Evaluation Action Plan for the Texas Workforce Development System. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Christopher T.; McPherson, Robert E.

Texas is shifting to an integrated, systems-oriented approach to providing work force services for its residents and employers in which all services are guided by a single mission and vision. Implementation strategies are clearly focused on achieving common results. Accountability means being able to ensure taxpayers, residents, employers, and…

NREL 2009 Video

ScienceCinema

McGrath, Robert; Arvizu, Dan; Garrett, Bobi; Porto, Casey; Glover, William

2017-12-11

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) located in Golden, Colorado, is charting the course with an aggressive plan to position the lab as the pivotal contributor to a new energy economy. NRELs work focuses on advancing renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies from concept to commercialization. The laboratory partners with industry to move technologies to the marketplace.

Mental Health and Work: Issues and Perspectives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrow, Lou, Ed.; Verins, Irene, Ed.; Willis, Eileen, Ed.

In Australia, there is increasing attention being paid to the promotion of mental health and the prevention of serious mental disorder by policymakers, funders, academics and service providers. This has required a shift in thinking to focus on health and well being, not just on illness and treatment. The National Action Plan for Promotion,…

Transition from School to Post-School Life for Individuals with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levinson, Edward M.

2004-01-01

This book is designed to assist professionals in developing and implementing transition services for students with disabilities. Specifically, this book focuses on the importance of assessment in transition planning and targets the various domains that should be included in any school-to-work transition assessment. The book advocates a…

Technological Change in the Workplace: A Statewide Survey of Community College Library and Learning Resources Personnel.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poole, Carolyn E.; Denny, Emmett

2001-01-01

Discussion of the effects of technostress on library personnel focuses on an investigation that examined how employees in Florida community college libraries and learning resources centers are dealing with technological change in their work environment. Considers implications for planning and implementing technological change and includes…

Making It Fit: Reshaping Library Services and Spaces for Today's Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mosley, Paul; Alderman, Jim; Carmichael, Lisandra R.

2015-01-01

University course assignments increasingly focus on group work and group projects to help students collaboratively discover more about their fields of study. The Thomas G. Carpenter Library realized the need to investigate means for reimagining itself to better accommodate today's researchers. The complex process of planning for the redesign of…

High School Learning, Vocational Tracking, and What Then? Contractor Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiley, David E.; Harnischfeger, Annegret

The National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 collected data on the backgrounds, experiences, attitudes, and plans of 16,683 students who were high school seniors at 1,044 schools in 1972. In addition, three followup studies focused on the work experiences, education and training, military service, family status, life…

Reward School Leadership: Building a Good-to-Great Cycle of Excellence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zadravec, Stephen

2016-01-01

For years, schools across the country have carried the label, and in many cases the reality, of being "schools in need of improvement." School improvement plans, deficit analyses, and theories for school organizational improvement have saturated the landscape of school communities. While much of this work has been focused on strategies…

Evaluation of spray drift using low speed wind tunnel measurements and dispersion modeling

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The objective of this work was to evaluate the EPA’s proposed Test Plan for the validation testing of pesticide spray drift reduction technologies (DRTs) for row and field crops, focusing on the evaluation of ground application systems using the low-speed wind tunnel protocols and processing the dat...

Field scale evaluation of spray drift reduction technologies from ground and aerial application systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The objective of this work is to evaluate a proposed Test Plan for the validation testing of pesticide spray drift reduction technologies for row and field crops, focusing on the testing of ground and aerial application systems under full-scale field evaluations. The measure of performance for a gi...

Water resources (Chapter 12)

Treesearch

Thomas C. Brown; Romano Foti; Jorge Ramirez

2012-01-01

In this chapter, we focus on the vulnerability of U.S. freshwater supplies considering all lands, not just forest and rangelands. We do not assess the condition of those lands or report on how much of our water supply originates on lands of different land covers or ownerships, because earlier Resources Planning Act (RPA) Assessment work addressed these topics....

The FACET Report. Toward 2001: An Odyssey of Excellence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saint Petersburg Junior Coll., FL.

In 1989, the Focus on Access, Community, and Excellence in Teaching (FACET) Commission was created at St. Petersburg Junior College (SPJC) to develop recommendations to guide the college into the 21st century. The Commission's work plan included the definition of SPJC's educational standards; open hearings to solicit ideas from students, faculty,…

Microcomputer Resource Guide for Vocational Administrators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Georgia State Univ., Atlanta. Center for Vocational Leadership.

This guide is intended to assist vocational supervisors in expanding their knowledge of microcomputers and to provide resources to assist them in working with their faculty. Section I presents competencies deemed necessary for an administrator to use the computer as a tool in the conduct of his/her job. Section II focuses on planning for…

Construction Cluster Volume 5 [Electrical].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pennsylvania State Dept. of Justice, Harrisburg. Bureau of Correction.

The document is the fifth of a series, to be integrated with a G.E.D. program, containing instructional materials for the construction cluster. The volume focuses on electrical work and consists of 20 instructional units which require a month of study: (1) safety precautions and first aid for electrical workers; (2) planning a simple installation;…

Cultural Factors and Population in Developing Countries. Occasional Monograph Series, No. Six. ICP Work Agreement Reports.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.

Five studies focus on the cultural components of population issues in Thailand, Jamaica, Korea, Kenya, and Indonesia. The reports explore the influence of cultural factors on contraceptive practice, family planning, abortion, and education. Recommendations are made for policymakers in areas that impinge on population growth. "Birth Control…

76 FR 76976 - Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-09

... organizations. Twenty-six awardees are focused on capacity building efforts, and 35 awardees are working to... clinical and other preventive services, (4) social and emotional well-being, and (5) healthy and safe physical environments. As part of a multi-component evaluation plan for the CTG program, CDC is seeking OMB...

Social Identity and the Transition to Entrepreneurship: The Role of Group Identification with Workplace Peers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Obschonka, Martin; Goethner, Maximilian; Silbereisen, Rainer K.; Cantner, Uwe

2012-01-01

What role does social identity play in the transition from employed work to entrepreneurship? It was expected that social identity affects the cognitive processes that, according to the theory of planned behavior (TPB), underlie the formation of entrepreneurial intentions. Focusing on academic scientists' intentions to commercialize research…

Strategic Planning Evaluation of Creating a New Professional Association

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arendale, David; Barrow, Hilda; Carpenter, Kathy; Hodges, Russ; McGrath, Jane; Newell, Pat; Norton, Jan

2007-01-01

Creating a new professional association to more effectively serve both current and potential new members has been the focus of the College Reading and Learning Association/National Association for Developmental (CRLA/NADE) Working Group. The group considered not only the issue of effectiveness, but also the merits of expanding the mission and…

Designing Project-Based Courses with a Focus on Group Formation and Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richards, Debbie

2009-01-01

The value and the pitfalls of project and group work are well recognized. The principles and elements which apply to projects in general, apply to project-based courses. Thoughtful and detailed planning, understanding of the stakeholders and their needs, a good design, appropriate testing, monitoring and quality control and continual management…

Teachers Curriculum Guide for Field Ecology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bemiss, Clair W.

Focusing upon a working knowledge of ecological principles as a requisite for today's society, this teacher's guide suggests numerous field studies which make pertinent use of these principles. It is designed to serve as an aid in planning student-centered activities which allow for understanding and improving the ecosystem in which they are an…

Fish mucus as a rapidly responding tissue in diet switching studies

EPA Science Inventory

We are using stable isotopes of C, N, O and S (H planned) to study the ecology of coho salmon in streams of the Oregon Coast Range. One aspect of our work focuses on the incorporation of marine-derived nutrients into the diet of overwintering coho salmon juveniles. These studie...

Natural Resources Research Program: Proceedings of a Workshop on Operational Management Plans: Improving the Process Held in Arlington, Texas on 5-7 December 1989

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-03-01

direction of the work unit was changed to focus on exchanging information in the form of a workshop. It was * eyman-Dove, Linda, Waring, Michael R., and...plan should be broad in scope and evolutionary in principle to permit subsequent revisions neces- sary to fit changing conditions." Cost estimates for...began to update guidance to the field offices in the area of recreation and natural resource manage- ment. Times had changed . New water resource

A selective annotated bibliography for clinical audiology (1989-2009): books.

PubMed

Ferrer-Vinent, Susan T; Ferrer-Vinent, Ignacio J

2010-12-01

This is the 2nd in a series of 3 planned companion articles that present a selected, annotated, and indexed bibliography of clinical audiology publications from 1989 through 2009. Research and preparation of the bibliography were based on published guidelines, professional audiology experience, and professional librarian experience. The first article in the series covered reference works. This article focuses on other books. The planned third companion article will present periodicals and online resources. Audiologists and librarians can use this bibliography to help them identify relevant clinical audiology literature.

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

Beltran, C; Kamal, H

Purpose: To provide a multicriteria optimization algorithm for intensity modulated radiation therapy using pencil proton beam scanning. Methods: Intensity modulated radiation therapy using pencil proton beam scanning requires efficient optimization algorithms to overcome the uncertainties in the Bragg peaks locations. This work is focused on optimization algorithms that are based on Monte Carlo simulation of the treatment planning and use the weights and the dose volume histogram (DVH) control points to steer toward desired plans. The proton beam treatment planning process based on single objective optimization (representing a weighted sum of multiple objectives) usually leads to time-consuming iterations involving treatmentmore » planning team members. We proved a time efficient multicriteria optimization algorithm that is developed to run on NVIDIA GPU (Graphical Processing Units) cluster. The multicriteria optimization algorithm running time benefits from up-sampling of the CT voxel size of the calculations without loss of fidelity. Results: We will present preliminary results of Multicriteria optimization for intensity modulated proton therapy based on DVH control points. The results will show optimization results of a phantom case and a brain tumor case. Conclusion: The multicriteria optimization of the intensity modulated radiation therapy using pencil proton beam scanning provides a novel tool for treatment planning. Work support by a grant from Varian Inc.« less

Using computer software to improve group decision-making.

PubMed

Mockler, R J; Dologite, D G

1991-08-01

This article provides a review of some of the work done in the area of knowledge-based systems for strategic planning. Since 1985, with the founding of the Center for Knowledge-based Systems for Business Management, the project has focused on developing knowledge-based systems (KBS) based on these models. In addition, the project also involves developing a variety of computer and non-computer methods and techniques for assisting both technical and non-technical managers and individuals to do decision modelling and KBS development. This paper presents a summary of one segment of the project: a description of integrative groupware useful in strategic planning. The work described here is part of an ongoing research project. As part of this project, for example, over 200 non-technical and technical business managers, most of them working full-time during the project, developed over 160 KBS prototype systems in conjunction with MBA course in strategic planning and management decision making. Based on replies to a survey of this test group, 28 per cent of the survey respondents reported their KBS were used at work, 21 per cent reportedly received promotions, pay rises or new jobs based on their KBS development work, and 12 per cent reported their work led to participation in other KBS development projects at work. All but two of the survey respondents reported that their work on the KBS development project led to a substantial increase in their job knowledge or performance.

Modeling and Simulation Plans in Support of Low Cost, Size, Weight, and Power Surveillance Systems for Detecting and Tracking Non-Cooperative Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, Gilbert; Santiago, Confesor

2017-01-01

RTCA Special Committee (SC) 228 has initiated a second phase for the development of minimum operational performance standards (MOPS) for UAS detect and avoid (DAA) systems. Technologies to enable UAS with less available Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) will be considered. RTCA SC-228 has established sub-working groups and one of the sub-working groups is focused on aligning modeling and simulations activities across all participating committee members. This briefing will describe NASAs modeling and simulation plans for the development of performance standards for low cost, size, weight, and power (C-SWaP) surveillance systems that detect and track non-cooperative aircraft. The briefing will also describe the simulation platform NASA intends to use to support end-to-end verification and validation for these DAA systems. Lastly, the briefing will highlight the experiment plan for our first simulation study, and provide a high-level description of our future flight test plans. This briefing does not contain any results or data.

Image formation simulation for computer-aided inspection planning of machine vision systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irgenfried, Stephan; Bergmann, Stephan; Mohammadikaji, Mahsa; Beyerer, Jürgen; Dachsbacher, Carsten; Wörn, Heinz

2017-06-01

In this work, a simulation toolset for Computer Aided Inspection Planning (CAIP) of systems for automated optical inspection (AOI) is presented along with a versatile two-robot-setup for verification of simulation and system planning results. The toolset helps to narrow down the large design space of optical inspection systems in interaction with a system expert. The image formation taking place in optical inspection systems is simulated using GPU-based real time graphics and high quality off-line-rendering. The simulation pipeline allows a stepwise optimization of the system, from fast evaluation of surface patch visibility based on real time graphics up to evaluation of image processing results based on off-line global illumination calculation. A focus of this work is on the dependency of simulation quality on measuring, modeling and parameterizing the optical surface properties of the object to be inspected. The applicability to real world problems is demonstrated by taking the example of planning a 3D laser scanner application. Qualitative and quantitative comparison results of synthetic and real images are presented.

Development and demonstration of an on-board mission planner for helicopters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deutsch, Owen L.; Desai, Mukund

1988-01-01

Mission management tasks can be distributed within a planning hierarchy, where each level of the hierarchy addresses a scope of action, and associated time scale or planning horizon, and requirements for plan generation response time. The current work is focused on the far-field planning subproblem, with a scope and planning horizon encompassing the entire mission and with a response time required to be about two minutes. The far-feld planning problem is posed as a constrained optimization problem and algorithms and structural organizations are proposed for the solution. Algorithms are implemented in a developmental environment, and performance is assessed with respect to optimality and feasibility for the intended application and in comparison with alternative algorithms. This is done for the three major components of far-field planning: goal planning, waypoint path planning, and timeline management. It appears feasible to meet performance requirements on a 10 Mips flyable processor (dedicated to far-field planning) using a heuristically-guided simulated annealing technique for the goal planner, a modified A* search for the waypoint path planner, and a speed scheduling technique developed for this project.

Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program Annual Implementation Work Plan for Fiscal Year 1994.

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

United States. Bonneville Power Administration; Northwest Power Planning Council; Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority

1994-02-01

This document is part of Bonneville Power Administration`s program to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and wildlife affected by the development and operation of hydroelectric facilities on the Columbia River and its tributaries. The Fiscal Year 1994 (FY 1994) Annual Implementation Work Plan (AIWP) presents Bonneville Power Administration`s (BPA`s) plan for implementation of the Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program (Program). The purpose of the Program is to guide BPA and other federal agencies in carrying out their responsibilities to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and wildlife in the Columbia River Basin. Phase I began the work of salmonmore » recovery with certain fast-track measures completed in August 1991. Phase II dealt with Snake and Columbia river flow and salmon harvest and was completed in December 1991. Phase III dealt with system-wide habitat and salmon production issues and was completed in September 1992. Phase IV planning, focusing on resident fish and wildlife, began in August 1993, and was finished and adopted in November 1993. This report provides summaries of the ongoing and new projects for FY 1994 within the areas of juvenile migration, adult migration, salmon harvest, production and habitat, coordinated implementation, monitoring and evaluation, resident fish, and wildlife.« less

Gaps, conflicts, and consensus in the ethics statements of professional associations, medical groups, and health plans

PubMed Central

Berkman, N; Wynia, M; Churchill, L

2004-01-01

Background: Patients today interact with physicians, physician groups, and health plans, each of which may follow distinct ethical guidelines. Method: We systematically compared physician codes of ethics with ethics policies at physician group practices and health plans, using the 1998–99 policies of 38 organisations—18 medical associations (associations), nine physician group practices (groups), and 12 health plans (plans)—selected using random and stratified purposive sampling. A clinician and a social scientist independently abstracted each document, using a 397-item health care ethics taxonomy; a reconciled abstraction form was used for analysis. This study focuses on ethics policies regarding professional obligation towards patients, resource allocation, and care for the vulnerable in society. Results: A majority in all three groups mention "fiduciary obligations" of one sort or another, but associations generally address physician/patient relations but not health plan obligations, while plans rarely endorse physicians' obligations of advocacy, beneficence, and non-maleficence. Except for occasional mentions of cost effectiveness or efficiency, ethical considerations in resource allocation rarely arise in the ethics policies of all three organisational types. Very few associations, groups, or plans specifically endorse obligations to vulnerable populations. Conclusions: With some important exceptions, we found that the ethics policies of associations, groups, and plans are narrowly focused and often ignore important ethical concerns for society, such as resource allocation and care for vulnerable populations. More collaborative work is needed to build integrated sets of ethical standards that address the aims and responsibilities of the major stakeholders in health care delivery. PMID:15289536

Fort Collins Science Center: Fiscal Year 2007 Accomplishments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilson, J.T.

2008-01-01

In Fiscal Year 2007 (FY07), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Fort Collins Science Center (FORT) continued research vital to U.S. Department of the Interior science and management needs and associated USGS programmatic goals. FORT work also supported the science needs of other government agencies as well as private cooperators. Specifically, FORT scientific research and technical assistance focused on client and partner needs and goals in the areas of biological information management, fisheries and aquatic systems, invasive species, status and trends of biological resources, terrestrial ecosystems, and wildlife resources. In addition, FORT's 5-year strategic plan was refined to incorporate focus areas identified in the USGS strategic science plan, including ecosystem-landscape analysis, global climate change, and energy and mineral resource development. As a consequence, several science projects initiated in FY07 were either entirely new research dor amplifications of existing work. Highlights of FORT project accomplishments are described below under the USGS science program with which each task is most closely associated. The work of FORT's 6 branches (Aquatic Systems and Technology Applications, Ecosystem Dynamics, Information Science, Invasive Species Science, Policy Analysis and Science Assistance, and Species and Habitats of Federal Interest) often involves major partnerships with other agencies or cooperation with other USGS disciplines (Geology, Geography, Water Resources) and the Geospatial Information Office.

Perceived Risks Associated with Contraceptive Method Use among Men and Women in Ibadan and Kaduna, Nigeria.

PubMed

Schwandt, Hilary M; Skinner, Joanna; Hebert, Luciana E; Saad, Abdulmumin

2015-12-01

Research shows that side effects are often the most common reason for contraceptive non-use in Nigeria; however, research to date has not explored the underlying factors that influence risk and benefit perceptions associated with specific contraceptive methods in Nigeria. A qualitative study design using focus group discussions was used to explore social attitudes and beliefs about family planning methods in Ibadan and Kaduna, Nigeria. A total of 26 focus group discussions were held in 2010 with men and women of reproductive age, disaggregated by city, sex, age, marital status, neighborhood socioeconomic status, and--for women only--family planning experience. A discussion guide was used that included specific questions about the perceived risks and benefits associated with the use of six different family planning methods. A thematic content analytic approach guided the analysis. Participants identified a spectrum of risks encompassing perceived threats to health (both real and fictitious) and social concerns, as well as benefits associated with each method. By exploring Nigerian perspectives on the risks and benefits associated with specific family planning methods, programs aiming to increase contraceptive use in Nigeria can be better equipped to highlight recognized benefits, address specific concerns, and work to dispel misperceptions associated with each family planning method.

Spatial Coverage Planning and Optimization for Planetary Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaines, Daniel M.; Estlin, Tara; Chouinard, Caroline

2008-01-01

We are developing onboard planning and scheduling technology to enable in situ robotic explorers, such as rovers and aerobots, to more effectively assist scientists in planetary exploration. In our current work, we are focusing on situations in which the robot is exploring large geographical features such as craters, channels or regional boundaries. In to develop valid and high quality plans, the robot must take into account a range of scientific and engineering constraints and preferences. We have developed a system that incorporates multiobjective optimization and planning allowing the robot to generate high quality mission operations plans that respect resource limitations and mission constraints while attempting to maximize science and engineering objectives. An important scientific objective for the exploration of geological features is selecting observations that spatially cover an area of interest. We have developed a metric to enable an in situ explorer to reason about and track the spatial coverage quality of a plan. We describe this technique and show how it is combined in the overall multiobjective optimization and planning algorithm.

Systematic development of a communication skills training course for physicians performing work disability assessments: from evidence to practice

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Physicians require specific communication skills, because the face-to-face contact with their patients is an important source of information. Although physicians who perform work disability assessments attend some communication-related training courses during their professional education, no specialised and evidence-based communication skills training course is available for them. Therefore, the objectives of this study were: 1) to systematically develop a training course aimed at improving the communication skills of physicians during work disability assessment interviews with disability claimants, and 2) to plan an evaluation of the training course. Methods A physician-tailored communication skills training course was developed, according to the six steps of the Intervention Mapping protocol. Data were collected from questionnaire studies among physicians and claimants, a focus group study among physicians, a systematic review of the literature, and meetings with various experts. Determinants and performance objectives were formulated. A concept version of the training course was discussed with several experts before the final training course programme was established. The evaluation plan was developed by consulting experts, social insurance physicians, researchers, and policy-makers, and discussing with them the options for evaluation. Results A two-day post-graduate communication skills training course was developed, aimed at improving professional communication during work disability assessment interviews. Special focus was on active teaching strategies, such as practising the skills in role-play. An adoption and implementation plan was formulated, in which the infrastructure of the educational department of the institute that employs the physicians was utilised. Improvement in the skills and knowledge of the physicians who will participate in the training course will be evaluated in a randomised controlled trial. Conclusions The feasibility and practical relevance of the communication skills training course that was developed seem promising. Such a course may be relevant for physicians in many countries who perform work disability assessments. The development of the first training course of this type represents an important advancement in this field. PMID:21639871

Systematic development of a communication skills training course for physicians performing work disability assessments: from evidence to practice.

PubMed

van Rijssen, H Jolanda; Schellart, Antonius J M; Anema, Johannes R; de Boer, Wout E L; van der Beek, Allard J

2011-06-03

Physicians require specific communication skills, because the face-to-face contact with their patients is an important source of information. Although physicians who perform work disability assessments attend some communication-related training courses during their professional education, no specialised and evidence-based communication skills training course is available for them. Therefore, the objectives of this study were: 1) to systematically develop a training course aimed at improving the communication skills of physicians during work disability assessment interviews with disability claimants, and 2) to plan an evaluation of the training course. A physician-tailored communication skills training course was developed, according to the six steps of the Intervention Mapping protocol. Data were collected from questionnaire studies among physicians and claimants, a focus group study among physicians, a systematic review of the literature, and meetings with various experts. Determinants and performance objectives were formulated. A concept version of the training course was discussed with several experts before the final training course programme was established. The evaluation plan was developed by consulting experts, social insurance physicians, researchers, and policy-makers, and discussing with them the options for evaluation. A two-day post-graduate communication skills training course was developed, aimed at improving professional communication during work disability assessment interviews. Special focus was on active teaching strategies, such as practising the skills in role-play. An adoption and implementation plan was formulated, in which the infrastructure of the educational department of the institute that employs the physicians was utilised. Improvement in the skills and knowledge of the physicians who will participate in the training course will be evaluated in a randomised controlled trial. The feasibility and practical relevance of the communication skills training course that was developed seem promising. Such a course may be relevant for physicians in many countries who perform work disability assessments. The development of the first training course of this type represents an important advancement in this field.

FY16 Strategic Themes White Paper.

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

Leland, Robert W.

The Science and Technology (S&T) Division 1000 Strategic Plan includes the Themes, Goals, and Actions for FY16. S&T will continue to support the Labs Strategic plan, Mission Areas and Program Management Units by focusing on four strategic themes that align with the targeted needs of the Labs. The themes presented in this plan are Mission Engagement, Bold Outcomes, Collaborative Environment, and the Safety Imperative. Collectively they emphasize diverse, collaborative teams and a self-reliant culture of safety that will deliver on our promise of exceptional service in the national interest like never before. Mission Engagement focuses on increasing collaboration at allmore » levels but with emphasis at the strategic level with mission efforts across the labs. Bold Outcomes seeks to increase the ability to take thoughtful risks with the goal of achieving transformative breakthroughs more frequently. Collaborative environment strives for a self-aware, collaborative working environment that bridges the many cultures of Sandia. Finally, Safety Imperative aims to minimize the risk of serious injury and to continuously strengthen the safety culture. Each of these themes is accompanied by a brief vision statement, several goals, and planned actions to support those goals throughout FY16 and leading into FY17.« less

Building a Leadership Pipeline: A Focus on Succession Planning with the Department of Veterans Affairs

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-12

Veterans Affairs 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) U.S. Army...experience. Additionally, I would like to thank all of my co-workers at the department who supported me this past year and continued to work tirelessly...process claims and communicate with Veterans. Before the transformation initiative, the majority of VBA claims were in paper format with a small

Variation in US outpatient antibiotic prescribing quality measures according to health plan and geography.

PubMed

Roberts, Rebecca M; Hicks, Lauri A; Bartoces, Monina

2016-08-01

Antibiotic prescribing has become increasingly viewed as an issue related to patient safety and quality of care. The objective of this study was to better understand the differences between health plan reporting and the geographic variation seen in quality measures related to antibiotic use. We focused on 3 measures from the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) related to antibiotic prescribing and testing to guide antibiotic prescribing. We analyzed data for 3 relevant measures for the years 2008 to 2012, including only commercial health plans. We analyzed the following 3 HEDIS measures: 1) "Appropriate Testing for Children With Pharyngitis," 2) "Appropriate Treatment for Children With Upper Respiratory Infections," and 3) "Avoidance of Antibiotic Treatment in Adults With Acute Bronchitis." Out of these 3 measures, health plans consistently performed poorly on the adult bronchitis measure. Performance was better on the 2 measures focused on the pediatric population. We also saw geographic variation between measures when looking at Census divisions across all years. There is wide variation between individual health plan performance on the measures related to antibiotic use. Geographic differences were also observed on these measures, with health plans in the South Central Census division performing worse than other parts of the country. Stakeholders, such as public health, advocacy groups, foundations, and professional societies, interested in improving the quality of care that patients receive related to antibiotic use in the outpatient setting should consider how existing measures and working with health plans could be used to improve prescribing.

Employee Perceptions of Their Organization's Level of Emergency Preparedness Following a Brief Workplace Emergency Planning Educational Presentation.

PubMed

Renschler, Lauren A; Terrigino, Elizabeth A; Azim, Sabiya; Snider, Elsa; Rhodes, Darson L; Cox, Carol C

2016-06-01

A brief emergency planning educational presentation was taught during work hours to a convenience sample of employees of various workplaces in Northern Missouri, USA. Participants were familiarized with details about how an emergency plan is prepared by management and implemented by management-employee crisis management teams - focusing on both employee and management roles. They then applied the presentation information to assess their own organization's emergency preparedness level. Participants possessed significantly (p < 0.05) higher perceptions of their organization's level of emergency preparedness than non-participants. It is recommended that an assessment of organizational preparedness level supplement emergency planning educational presentations in order to immediately apply the material covered and encourage employees to become more involved in their organization's emergency planning and response. Educational strategies that involve management-employee collaboration in activities tailored to each workplace's operations and risk level for emergencies should be implemented.

Family planning and maternal and child health services.

PubMed

Singh, A

1975-12-01

Considerable effort has been made in the area of family planning in the State of Punjab. Family planning personnel has been recruited and trained at the State Family Planning Training and Research Center in Kharar; supplies of Nirodh, IUDs, oral contraceptives, and hospital equipment along with transportation facilities have been made available; and there has been some building construction. The State Health Education Bureau has worked to produce publicity material and has also used the mass media to create awareness of family planning among the people. As many as 120 rural and 49 urban Family Welfare Planning Centers are providing family planning services along with 856 subcenters in rural areas. 1123 other institutions are also doing family planning work in addition to the efforts of 34 mobile sterilization and IUD units attached to the District Family Planning Bureau and the contributions of some voluntary organizations. Although the state has adopted the cafeteria approach to family planning and the focus is on provision of family planning services on routine days in the various institutions to well-motivated couples, mass family planning camps for vasectomy, tubal ligations, and IUD insertions have been held with considerable success. Additionally, the State has integrated family planning programs with maternal and child health care in order to provide a totality of service. This precedes the total integration of this national program w ith general health services. Punjab has done well in achieving its targets for 1974-1975. Sterilization targets were set at 38,300 and 36,460 sterilizations, 95.2% of the target, were performed. IUD targets were 27,000, and the number achieved was 39,637 or 109.4%. The conventional contraceptive user target was 99,800, and 151,976 or 152.3% of the target figure became conventional contraceptive users.

Global rainfall monitoring by SSM/I

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barrett, Eric C.; Kidd, C.; Kniveton, D.

1993-01-01

Significant accomplishments in the last year of research are presented. During 1991, three main activities were undertaken: (1) development and testing of a preliminary global rainfall algorithm; (2) researching areas of strong surface scattering; and (3) formulation of a program of work for the WetNet PrecipWG. Focus of present research and plans for next year are briefly dismissed.

Teachers' Use of High- and Low-Support Scaffolding Strategies to Differentiate Language Instruction in High-Risk/Economically Disadvantaged Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pentimonti, Jill M.; Justice, Laura M.; Yeomans-Maldonado, Gloria; McGinty, Anita S.; Slocum, Laura; O'Connell, Ann

2017-01-01

The focus of the present work was to examine teachers' use of dynamic processes when implementing static language lesson plans that explicitly required teachers to employ scaffolding strategies so as to differentiate instruction. Participants were 37 preschool teachers and 177 children in their classrooms. Videotaped classroom observations were…

An Action Plan for FCS. Putting the Family Perspective into Healthcare

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riportella, Roberta

2005-01-01

Family and consumer sciences (FCS) professionals often are called upon to work with groups that are seeking to create healthier communities. This article offers an expanded perspective on what it means to include a family focus in these discussions and it answers the question, How does a family perspective lead to different solutions for creating…

Working for Clean Water, 3: Citizen Handbooks. An Information Program for Advisory Groups.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoltzfus, Lorna Chr., Ed.

Presented is material from an information program designed to help citizen advisory groups and local officials improve decision-making in water quality planning. The program is designed to help people focus on essential issues and questions by providing materials suitable for people with non-technical backgrounds. Chapter topics include: (1)…

Bridging Scientific Model Outputs with Emergency Response Needs in Catastrophic Earthquake Responses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johannes, Tay W.

2010-01-01

In emergency management, scientific models are widely used for running hazard simulations and estimating losses often in support of planning and mitigation efforts. This work expands utility of the scientific model into the response phase of emergency management. The focus is on the common operating picture as it gives context to emergency…

Effects of an In-Service Training Program Using the Routines-Based Interview

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boavida, Tânia; Aguiar, Cecília; McWilliam, R. A.; Correia, Nadine

2016-01-01

The focus of this study is an in-service training program rooted in routines-based early intervention and designed to improve the quality of goals and objectives on individualized plans. Participants were local intervention team members and other professionals who worked closely with each team. This training program involved a small number of…

American Time-Styles: A Finite-Mixture Allocation Model for Time-Use Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamakura, Wagner A.

2009-01-01

Time-use has already been the subject of numerous studies across multiple disciplines such as economics, marketing, sociology, transportation and urban planning. However, most of this research has focused on comparing demographic groups on a few broadly defined activities (e.g., work for pay, leisure, housework, etc.). In this study we take a…

Go to Community College, Earn a Bachelor's Degree: Florida Likes that Combination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzalez, Jennifer

2012-01-01

In early 2000, Florida's workforce wasn't keeping pace with demand. The state decided that a then-novel credential, a bachelor's degree from a community college, was the solution. The plan is working. The new bachelor's degrees initially focused on education, health care, and information technology. Even as the job market has shrunk, demand has…

Construction of Tasks in Order to Develop and Promote Classroom Communication in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olteanu, Lucian

2015-01-01

In this article, the focus is on task construction and the importance of this process to develop and promote classroom communication in mathematics. The students' tests, examination of students' mathematical work, the teachers' lesson plans, and reports of the lessons' instructions are the basic data for this article. The analysis indicated that…

Community Health Education in Developing Countries. Appropriate Technologies for Development. Manual M-8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Public Health Association, Washington, DC.

This manual was developed for those interested in promoting change to improve health conditions of their communities. Parts I and II focus on fundamental health education processes and discuss techniques and approaches for working with community members to plan and develop programs that are responsive to the community's expressed needs and goals.…

From confrontation to conservation: the Banff National Park experience

Treesearch

Douglas W. Hodgins; Jeffrey E. Green; Gail Harrison; Jillian Roulet

2000-01-01

Banff National Park, the flagship of the Canadian national park system, has become the focus of debate over park use versus protected area conservation. In response to the debate, the Minister of Canadian Heritage commissioned an independent review. The resulting Banff-Bow Valley Study report and Banff National Park Management Plan are landmark documents. The work was...

Community Partnerships: Creating Inclusion Together. Texas Planning Council for Developmental Disabilities: Annual Report Fiscal Year 1997.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas Planning Council for Development Disabilities, Austin.

This Texas report focuses on the partnerships the Texas Council is creating with people, businesses, and organizations in the community to work toward greater access and accommodations for people with disabilities throughout local communities. Individual partnerships are described that represent cooperation with health and human services agencies,…

Foreign Languages and Careers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Honig, Lucille J.; Brod, Richard I.

The purpose of the report is to explain why so many different types of people in so many different parts of the country need languages in their work, and why students planning their education in preparation for certain kinds of careers should be aware of these needs. The focus is mainly on language as an auxiliary skill, on the careers in which…

Marketing in the Drugstore. [Student's Manual.] Answer Book/Teacher's Guide. Marketing Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walton, Shawn

This student's manual and answer book/teacher's guide focus on the industry-specific information and skills needed by students who plan to enter, or who may already be receiving, drugstore-related training. They are companion publications to "Working in Pharmacies," which offers a more indepth look at the duties and responsibilities of…

Student Learning and Evaluation in Analytical Chemistry Using a Problem-Oriented Approach and Portfolio Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyce, Mary C.; Singh, Kuki

2008-01-01

This paper describes a student-focused activity that promotes effective learning in analytical chemistry. Providing an environment where students were responsible for their own learning allowed them to participate at all levels from designing the problem to be addressed, planning the laboratory work to support their learning, to providing evidence…

Albeni Falls Wildlife Mitigation : Annual Report 2002.

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

Terra-Berns, Mary

The Albeni Falls Interagency Work Group continued to actively engage in implementing wildlife mitigation actions in 2002. Regular Work Group meetings were held to discuss budget concerns affecting the Albeni Falls Wildlife Mitigation Program, to present potential acquisition projects, and to discuss and evaluate other issues affecting the Work Group and Project. Work Group members protected 1,386.29 acres of wildlife habitat in 2002. To date, the Albeni Falls project has protected approximately 5,914.31 acres of wildlife habitat. About 21% of the total wildlife habitat lost has been mitigated. Administrative activities have increased as more properties are purchased and continue tomore » center on restoration, operation and maintenance, and monitoring. In 2001, Work Group members focused on development of a monitoring and evaluation program as well as completion of site-specific management plans. This year the Work Group began implementation of the monitoring and evaluation program performing population and plant surveys, data evaluation and storage, and map development as well as developing management plans. Assuming that the current BPA budget restrictions will be lifted in the near future, the Work Group expects to increase mitigation properties this coming year with several potential projects.« less

The meaning of work in people with severe mental illness (SMI) in Iran.

PubMed

Khalaf Beigi, Mitra; Mohammadi Shahbolaghi, Farahnaz; Rassafiani, Mehdi; Haghgoo, Hojjat-Allah; Taherkhani, Hamid

2015-01-01

Work is the key component for most people in regard to financial, social and wellbeing matters. Employment is an important factor underpinning mental health disorders. However, unemployment remains an unsolved issue worldwide. Numerous studies have focused on employment outcomes in people with severe mental illness (SMI) but, only a few have explored their perspective on employment. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the meaning of work among clients with SMI in Iran. A qualitative research approach was used to conduct this research. Ten participants who were consumers of mental health services took part in this study. Data were analyzed by inductive content analysis approach. Four themes emerged from data including: acquiring identity, work as a drive, passing the time and financial independence. Meaning of work in studied people with SMI was probably similar to the general population. The different finding in this study refers to the dominancy of family relationships and spiritual believes which could cover some problems and in turn affect the meaning of work. Highlighting these meanings could direct mental health professionals to better planning for their clients have better understanding of their clients' work future and in turn provide more precise plan for them.

Design for effective development and prototyping of the HL-20

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urie, David M.; Floreck, Paul A.; McMorris, John A.; Elvin, John D.

1993-10-01

A feasibility study of the HL-20 personnel launch system (PLS) concept was conducted by a team which focused on creating a PLS design approach and an accelerated development plan consistent with the historical 'Skunk Works' approach to rapid prototyping. Technical design, manufacturing, system testing, and operations and support elements of the predefined baseline concept were evaluated. An initial phase program, featuring a concurrent system test during design and development, leading to the orbital flight of an unmanned HL-20 prototype on a Titan III launch system, was prescribed. A second-phase development and manufacturing plan leading to system operational status was also formulated. Baseline design feature modifications were made when necessary, without compromise to performance, to satisfy the prototype development plan. Technical design details and off-the-shelf hardware candidates were also identified for several subsystems, including the launch-system interface adapter/emergency escape system. The technical feasibility of the system and applicability of the Skunk Works approach to development of the HL-20/PLS were verified.

Stratiform clouds and their interaction with atmospheric motions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, John H. E.; Hampton, N. Shirer

1989-01-01

During the 1987 to 1988 academic year, three projects were finished and plans were made to redirect and focus work in a proposal now being reviewed. The completed work involves study of waves on an equatorial beta-plane in shear flow, investigation of the influence of orography on the index cycle, and analysis of a model of cloud street development in a thermally-forced, sheared environment. The proposed work involves study of boundary layer circulations supporting stratocumulus decks and investigation of how the radiative effects of these clouds modulate larger-scale flows such as those associated with the index oscillation.

Coping planning: a patient-centred and strengths-focused approach to suicide prevention training.

PubMed

Stallman, Helen M

2018-04-01

Suicide is a leading cause of premature death and, despite significant investment, the prevalence rate has remained relatively stable for more than a decade. Theoretically, the use of 'safety planning' as a response to suicidality likely maintains suicide as a potential solution for vulnerable people. This paper describes a theoretically-supported paradigm shift from safety planning to 'coping planning' to improve patient outcomes and improve the confidence and competence of clinicians working with people with suicidality. Coping planning is a strategy used to support people with acute distress. Its components of 'caring', 'collaborating' and 'connecting' reinforce existing strengths, promote self-efficacy and link people with more intensive supports, as needed. Coping planning overcomes the limitations of existing approaches. It reframes suicide prevention from managing patients disclosing suicidality to ensuring patients have minimally sufficient temporary support to help them cope. This approach has the potential to promote coping self-efficacy and prevent deterioration that leads to suicide.

Women's career priority is associated with attitudes towards family planning and ethical acceptance of reproductive technologies.

PubMed

Simoni, Michael K; Mu, Lin; Collins, Stephen C

2017-10-01

Do women who place high importance on career success have different perceptions of pregnancy planning, delayed reproduction, and the ethical acceptability of ART than women with less emphasis on their career? Career-focused women place more importance on pregnancy planning, have greater confidence in delayed childbearing, and are more ethically accepting of donor gamete ART than women who do not place as much importance on career success. Women in high-professional careers are more likely to delay childbearing while simultaneously possessing a stronger desire for motherhood. The underlying values which enable these competing desires have not been elucidated. This cross-sectional study utilized data from the National Survey of Fertility Barriers (NSFB), a nationally representative telephone survey of US women aged 25-45. Funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the NSFB surveyed 4712 women from 2004 to 2007. In addition to demographic data, the NSFB obtained information about the reproductive history and personal values of participants. Weighted multivariate regression analysis was used to assess reproductive values in career-focused women. In total, 48.8% of women considered success in work very important, while 17.3% considered it somewhat or not important. Women who placed less value on career success were less likely to consider pregnancy planning important and were less optimistic about the success of delayed childbearing than their work-centric counterparts. Women less focused on their careers were also more likely to have serious ethical concerns about donor gametes, but less likely to have ethical concerns about IUI or IVF, when compared to career-focused women. Intention to bear children could not be evaluated in the setting of career intentions due to a lack of data on when the participant intended on pursuing motherhood. Political preferences on reproductive health were also not evaluated. The validity of the career priority questions has not been assessed. Additionally, respondents' value statements were not matched to subsequent actions, so it remains possible that these values do not directly impact reproductive behaviors. Our results suggest that reproductive counseling for career-focused women should focus on effective contraception when attempting to delay pregnancy, improved knowledge about age-related fertility decline, and the scope and limitations of current reproductive technologies. In addition, the unique reproductive views of career-focused women suggest that they may benefit from increased employer/insurer support for strategies to enable delayed childbearing, such as fertility preservation and third-party reproduction. None. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Climate Change and Water Working Group - User Needs to Manage Hydrclimatic Risk from Days to Decades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raff, D. A.; Brekke, L. D.; Werner, K.; Wood, A.; White, K. D.

2012-12-01

The Federal Climate Change Water Working Group (CCAWWG) provides engineering and scientific collaborations in support of water management. CCAWWG objectives include building working relationships across federal science and water management agencies, provide a forum to share expertise and leverage resources, develop education and training forums, to work with water managers to understand scientific needs and to foster collaborative efforts across the Federal and non-Federal water management and science communities to address those needs. Identifying and addressing water management needs has been categorized across two major time scales: days to a decade and multi-decadal, respectively. These two time periods are termed "Short-Term" and "Long-Term" in terms of the types of water management decisions they support where Short-Term roughly correlates to water management operations and Long-Term roughly correlates to planning activities. This presentation will focus on portraying the identified water management user needs across these two time periods. User Needs for Long-Term planning were identified in the 2011 Reclamation and USACE "Addressing Climate Change in Long-Term Water Resources Planning and Management: User Needs for Improving Tools and Information." User needs for Long-Term planning are identified across eight major categories: Summarize Relevant Literature, Obtain Climate Change Information, Make Decisions About How to Use the Climate Change Information, Assess Natural Systems Response, Assess Socioeconomic and Institutional Response, Assess System Risks and Evaluate Alternatives, Assess and Characterize Uncertainties, and Communicating Results and Uncertainties to Decisionmakers. User Needs for Short-Term operations are focused on needs relative to available or desired monitoring and forecast products from the hydroclimatic community. These needs are presenting in the 2012 USACE, Reclamation, and NOAA - NWS "Short-Term Water Management Decisions: User Needs for Improved Climate, Weather, and Hydrologic Information." Identified needs are presented in four categories: Monitoring, Forecasting, Understanding on Product Relationships and Utilization in Water Management, and Information Services Enterprise. These needs represent everything from continuation and enhancement of in situ monitoring products such as USGS water gages and precipitation networks to supporting product maintenance and evolution to accommodate newly developed technologies.

ECUT (Energy Conversion and Utilization Technologies Program). Biocatalysis Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

Presented are the FY 1985 accomplishments, activities, and planned research efforts of the Biocatalysis Project of the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Conversion and Utilization Technologies (ECUT) Program. The Project's technical activities were organized as follows: In the Molecular Modeling and Applied Genetics work element, research focused on (1) modeling and simulation studies to establish the physiological basis of high temperature tolerance in a selected enzyme and the catalytic mechanisms of three species of another enzyme, and (2) determining the degree of plasmid amplification and stability of several DNA bacterial strains. In the Bioprocess Engineering work element, research focused on (1) studies of plasmid propagation and the generation of models, (2) developing methods for preparing immobilized biocatalyst beads, and (3) developing an enzyme encapsulation method. In the Process Design and Analysis work element, research focused on (1) further refinement of a test case simulation of the economics and energy efficiency of alternative biocatalyzed production processes, (2) developing a candidate bioprocess to determine the potential for reduced energy consumption and facility/operating costs, and (3) a techno-economic assessment of potential advancements in microbial ammonia production.

Analysis of Productivity Improvement Act for Clinical Staff Working in the Health System: A Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Vali, Leila; Tabatabaee, Seyed Saeed; Kalhor, Rohollah; Amini, Saeed; Kiaei, Mohammad Zakaria

2016-01-01

Introduction: The productivity of healthcare staff is one of the main issues for health managers. This study explores the concept of executive regulation of Productivity Improvement Act of clinical staff in health. Methods: In this study phenomenological methodology has been employed. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group composed of 10 hospital experts and experts in human resources department working in headquarter of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences and 16 nursing managers working in public and private hospitals of Mashhad using purposive sampling. Findings were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven step method. Results: The strengths of this Act included increasing spirit of hope in nurses, paying attention to quality of nursing care and decreasing problems related to the work plan development. Some of the weaknesses of Productivity Improvement Act included lack of required executive mechanisms, lack of considering nursing productivity indicator, increasing non-public hospitals problems, discrimination between employees, and removal of resting on night shifts. Suggestions were introduced to strengthen the Act such as increased organizational posts, use of a coefficient for wage in unusual work shifts and consideration of a performance indicator. Conclusion: The results may be used as a proper tool for long term management planning at organization level. Finally, if high quality care by health system staff is expected, in the first step, we should take care of them through proper policy making and focusing on occupational characteristics of the target group so that it does not result in discrimination among the staff. PMID:26383203

Professional identity, career choices, and working conditions of future and young dentists in Germany - study design and methods of a nationwide comprehensive survey.

PubMed

Kettler, Nele; Frenzel Baudisch, Nicolas; Micheelis, Wolfgang; Klingenberger, David; Jordan, A Rainer

2017-10-18

Little is known regarding young and future dentists' career choices, professional identity, and working conditions in Germany. While the dental healthcare environment and demands in treatment are changing, it remains unclear what job perceptions young dentists have developed at the beginning of their work life and if and how these perceptions change during the subsequent years. The aim of this study was to survey future and young dentists regarding their professional identity, planned career paths, and working conditions and strains to understand career decisions and choices and enable policy makers to include future dentists' views and expectations in their decisions. This study is a longitudinal nationwide survey over a time span of 4 years of dental students and young dentists in Germany and is comprised of three waves. The first wave focuses on dental students in their final year before the state examination and is composed of a qualitative pre-study in the form of focus groups and a quantitative main survey in the form of a questionnaire. The end points were established to analyse (1) the professional identity of the young future dentists; (2) their career paths, preparation for a career, and basic career conditions; and (3) perceived conditions and strains. The aim of the overall survey was to depict the development of these three aspects during the first years of work life. All of the questions were evaluated with a descriptive univariate analysis. The analysed subgroups were grouped according to gender, target working condition (employed/self-employed), and primary socialisation (parents dentists/parents not dentists). To our knowledge, this is the only study which focuses on career choices, professional identity, and working conditions of future and young dentists in Germany. The longitudinal observation provides information that is essential for professional and purposive dental health care planning, and to meet the oral health demands and needs of the German population appropriately over the long term. German Health Services Research Data Bank VfD_Y-Dent_14_003759 .

An After School Education Program on the Tohono O'odham Nation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparks, R. T.; Garmany, K.; Siquieros, J. M.; Austin, C. L.; Pompea, S. M.; Walker, C. E.

2013-04-01

The Education and Public Outreach Group (EPO) group of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory has started a partnership with Indian Oasis Baboquivari Unified School District (IOBUSD) on the Tohono O'odham Nation to participate in after school science education programs. IOBUSD has started an after school program for K-5 students as part of their state mandated school improvement program. The first semester has approximately 50 students in K-5 participating in the after school program from Monday through Thursday. Several organizations are working with IOBUSD to provide after school educational programs focusing on a variety of topics including study skills, art, nutrition, bullying, study skills and science. NOAO has been working primarily with the fourth and fifth grade students during the spring of 2012 once a week providing science programs in optics, dark skies and astronomy. We are currently planning to continue this partnership in the fall of 2012 when the school district is planning to invite more students to join the program. We will discuss many the challenges of working with a school district in a remote location as well as the activities we have been using with the students. We will also outline plans for future directions in the program.

Educational and intervention strategies for improving a shift system: an experience in a disabled persons' facility.

PubMed

Sakai, K; Watanabe, A; Kogi, K

1993-01-01

The improvement of an irregular three-shift system with anti-clockwise rotation of workers of a disabled persons' facility covering 42 h a week was a subject for management-labour debate. Workers were complaining of physical fatigue, high prevalence of low back pain, sleep shortages associated with short inter-shift intervals, and irregular holidays. With the co-operation of trade union members, an educational and intervention programme was designed to analyse, plan, and implement improved shift rotation schemes. The programme consisted of (a) a group study on the existing system and effects on health and working life; (b) joint planning of potential schemes; (c) communication and feedback (d) testing and evaluation; and (e) agreement on an improved system. The group study was undertaken by means of time study, questionnaire and physiological methods, and the results were jointly discussed. This led to the planning of alternative shift schemes incorporating more regular, clockwise rotation. It was agreed to stage a trial period with a view to shorter working hours. This experience indicated the importance of a stepwise intervention strategy with frequent dialogues and a participatory process focusing on the broad range of working life and health issues.

Enriching mission planning approach with state transition graph heuristics for deep space exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Hao; Xu, Rui; Xu, Wenming; Cui, Pingyuan; Zhu, Shengying

2017-10-01

As to support the mission of Mars exploration in China, automated mission planning is required to enhance security and robustness of deep space probe. Deep space mission planning requires modeling of complex operations constraints and focus on the temporal state transitions of involved subsystems. Also, state transitions are ubiquitous in physical systems, but have been elusive for knowledge description. We introduce a modeling approach to cope with these difficulties that takes state transitions into consideration. The key technique we build on is the notion of extended states and state transition graphs. Furthermore, a heuristics that based on state transition graphs is proposed to avoid redundant work. Finally, we run comprehensive experiments on selected domains and our techniques present an excellent performance.

Web-based collaboration in individual care planning challenges the user and the provider roles – toward a power transition in caring relationships

PubMed Central

Bjerkan, Jorunn; Vatne, Solfrid; Hollingen, Anne

2014-01-01

Background and objective The Individual Care Plan (ICP) was introduced in Norway to meet new statutory requirements for user participation in health care planning, incorporating multidisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration. A web-based solution (electronic ICP [e-ICP]) was used to support the planning and documentation. The aim of this study was to investigate how web-based collaboration challenged user and professional roles. Methods Data were obtained from 15 semistructured interviews with users and eight with care professionals, and from two focus-group interviews with eight care professionals in total. The data were analyzed using systematic text condensation in a stepwise analysis model. Results Users and care professionals took either a proactive or a reluctant role in e-ICP collaboration. Where both user and care professionals were proactive, the pairing helped to ensure that the planning worked well; so did pairings of proactive care professionals and reluctant users. Proactive users paired with reluctant care professionals also made care planning work, thanks to the availability of information and the users’ own capacity or willingness to conduct the planning. Where both parties were reluctant, no planning activities occurred. Conclusion Use of the e-ICP challenged the user–professional relationship. In some cases, a power transition took place in the care process, which led to patient empowerment. This knowledge might be used to develop a new understanding of how role function can be challenged when users and care professionals have equal access to health care documentation and planning tools. PMID:25525367

Using Balanced Time Perspective to Explain Well-Being and Planning in Retirement

PubMed Central

Mooney, Anna; Earl, Joanne K.; Mooney, Carl H.; Bateman, Hazel

2017-01-01

The notion of whether people focus on the past, present or future, and how it shapes their behavior is known as Time Perspective. Fundamental to the work of two of its earliest proponents, Zimbardo and Boyd (2008), was the concept of balanced time perspective and its relationship to wellness. A person with balanced time perspective can be expected to have a flexible temporal focus of mostly positive orientations (past-positive, present-hedonistic, and future) and much less negative orientations (past-negative and present-fatalistic). This study measured deviation from balanced time perspective (DBTP: Zhang et al., 2013) in a sample of 243 mature adults aged 45 to 91 years and explored relationships to Retirement Planning, Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Positive Mood, and Negative Mood. Results indicate that DBTP accounts for unexplained variance in the outcome measures even after controlling for demographic variables. DBTP was negatively related to Retirement Planning and Positive Mood and positively related to Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Negative Mood. Theoretical and practical implications regarding balanced time perspective are discussed. PMID:29081757

Lessons learned about collaborative evaluation using the Capacity for Applying Project Evaluation (CAPE) framework with school and district leaders.

PubMed

Corn, Jenifer O; Byrom, Elizabeth; Knestis, Kirk; Matzen, Nita; Thrift, Beth

2012-11-01

Schools, districts, and state-level educational organizations are experiencing a great shift in the way they do the business of education. This shift focuses on accountability, specifically through the expectation of the effective utilization of evaluative-focused efforts to guide and support decisions about educational program implementation. In as much, education leaders need specific guidance and training on how to plan, implement, and use evaluation to critically examine district and school-level initiatives. One specific effort intended to address this need is through the Capacity for Applying Project Evaluation (CAPE) framework. The CAPE framework is composed of three crucial components: a collection of evaluation resources; a professional development model; and a conceptual framework that guides the work to support evaluation planning and implementation in schools and districts. School and district teams serve as active participants in the professional development and ultimately as formative evaluators of their own school or district-level programs by working collaboratively with evaluation experts. The CAPE framework involves the school and district staff in planning and implementing their evaluation. They are the ones deciding what evaluation questions to ask, which instruments to use, what data to collect, and how and to whom results should be reported. Initially this work is done through careful scaffolding by evaluation experts, where supports are slowly pulled away as the educators gain experience and confidence in their knowledge and skills as evaluators. Since CAPE engages all stakeholders in all stages of the evaluation, the philosophical intentions of these efforts to build capacity for formative evaluation strictly aligns with the collaborative evaluation approach. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Low-Cost Rural Health Care and Health Manpower Training. An Annotated Bibliography with Special Emphasis on Developing Countries. Volume 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delaney, Frances M., Comp.

This fourth volume in a bibliography series on low-cost rural health care contains 700 entries covering the 1960's-1970's and focusing on developing countries. The bibliography is organized under five major subject headings: reference works, organization and planning, implementation of primary health care, training and utilization of primary…

Journey to Planet Earth: Rivers of Destiny. The Public Television Series. [Videotape].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1999

This video program focuses on four rivers: the Mississippi, the Amazon, the Jordan, and the Mekong. Each locale serves as an example of what can happen when human beings tamper with the natural system of a river. Without thoughtful planning, the consequences can be disastrous,, but when communities work together, a balance can be achieved between…

Career Development: A Course of Study Recommended for Ninth Grade.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis-Clark State Coll., Lewiston, ID.

The Career Development guide for teacher use in Grade 9 was developed and evaluated with the help of classroom teachers in Idaho in response to the need for additional emphasis on career awareness and exploration and for opportunities for career planning. It is intended as a basic core and focuses on both the personal and world of work aspects of…

Identification of Decision Support Concepts for the Planning of Air Force Immediate Contingencies Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

that is becoming the norm in military operations, especial rapid response. Significance : The context of the work for this project focused on one...Time constraint variance ................................................................... 37 DRDC Valcartier CR 2010-353 xiii 3.5.8.1...employment activities that are normally recurring in nature and fall within the delegated authority of an appointed standing operational Commander

Intervening in Early Written Literacy Development for Gifted Children in Grade 2: Insights from an Action Research Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roessingh, Hetty; Bence, Michelle

2017-01-01

This article reports on an action research project undertaken by a team of four Grade 2 teachers who work in a school for gifted learners. Focused on implementing a structured printing and spelling curriculum in addition to providing instructed support for planning, organizing, and vocabulary use for different genres of writing, both qualitative…

Focus First on Outcomes: When Planning Change, Improved Student Learning Is the Ultimate Goal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bradley, Janice; Munger, Linda; Hord, Shirley

2015-01-01

Educators working to achieve changes in classroom teaching practices that lead to improvement in student learning need to gain clarity in where they are going--what they want to accomplish. Teachers in a professional learning community need a road map as they begin learning and applying a new practice to ensure they reach their intended goal…

Meeting the Needs of the School Community through the Use of Appropriate Normed Instruments, Observation Checklists, Work Samples, Portfolios, and Authentic Assessments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powell, Jim

This exploration of educational improvement through student assessment focuses on the Schoolyear 2000 (SY2000) program developed by the Center for Educational Technology at Florida State University in conjunction with the Florida Department of Education Planning Resources Committee. SY2000 consists of 10 functional subsystems that will operate in…

Basics of Saving and Investing: A Teaching Guide. Financial Literacy Two Thousand and One.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eastern Michigan Univ., Ypsilanti. National Inst. for Consumer Education.

This teaching guide contains learning objectives that focus on the following: how to design a personal financial plan; how financial markets work; how to select among various saving and investment options; how to find out and use investment information; and how to recognize and protect oneself against investment fraud. The guide can be the…

Coaching in the Library: A Management Strategy for Achieving Excellence. Second Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Metz, Ruth F.

2010-01-01

Experienced librarian and coach Ruth Metz outlines a focused and results-oriented plan for achieving the best results from staff members through a coaching style of management. Real-world examples and coaching scenarios specific to library work will help librarians: (1) Be both a coach and a player by learning the terminology and techniques; (2)…

What's the Technology For? Teacher Attention and Pedagogical Goals in a Modeling-Focused Professional Development Workshop

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkerson, Michelle Hoda; Andrews, Chelsea; Shaban, Yara; Laina, Vasiliki; Gravel, Brian E.

2016-01-01

This paper explores the role that technology can play in engaging pre-service teachers with the iterative, "messy" nature of model-based inquiry. Over the course of 5 weeks, 11 pre-service teachers worked in groups to construct models of diffusion using a computational animation and simulation toolkit, and designed lesson plans for the…

Detailed Work Programme on the Follow-Up of the Objectives of Education and Training Systems in Europe.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Commission of the European Communities, Brussels (Belgium).

This report describes policy cooperation in the Education and Training Area in the European Union (EU) in response to the Lisbon strategy and provides a comprehensive plan to respond to the challenges of the knowledge society, globalization, and the enlargement of the EU. It focuses on these three objectives: (1) improving the quality and…

Project Rescue: So Close and yet so Far

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laster, Stephen

2011-01-01

This is the third installment in a four-part series that follows the exploits of Gene, a well-established CIO of a sizable IT organization at a top-100 university. Gene has been working with his team to regain the trust of the campus through Project Rescue, a 30-day turnaround plan focused on demonstrating IT's value. Project Rescue has two…

Bird Habitat Conservation at Various Scales in the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture

Treesearch

Andrew Milliken; Craig Watson; Chuck Hayes

2005-01-01

The Atlantic Coast Joint Venture is a partnership focused on the conservation of habitats for migratory birds within the Atlantic Flyway/Atlantic Coast Region from Maine south to Puerto Rico. In order to be effective in planning and implementing conservation in this large and diverse area, the joint venture must work at multiple spatial scales, from the largest ?...

Learning Analytics in Small-Scale Teacher-Led Innovations: Ethical and Data Privacy Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodríguez-Triana, María Jesús; Martínez-Monés, Alejandra; Villagrá-Sobrino, Sara

2016-01-01

As a further step towards maturity, the field of learning analytics (LA) is working on the definition of frameworks that structure the legal and ethical issues that scholars and practitioners must take into account when planning and applying LA solutions to their learning contexts. However, current efforts in this direction tend to be focused on…

Integrating Planning and Control for Constrained Dynamical Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-01

38 4.2 Mapping from polygonal cell to disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 4.3 Convergent potential ...some idealized potential function. The feedback control policies defined in this thesis are specifically designed to satisfy the low-level constraints...problem into different parts, only focusing on one part, and leaving the rest to others. Some techniques work only in ideal conditions; while others solve

Humanizing the Teaching of Physics through Storytelling: The Case of Current Electricity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hadzigeorgiou, Yannis

2006-01-01

The main purpose of this article is to discuss the potential role of storytelling in the teaching and learning of physics. I first present the main historical events concerning the discovery of current electricity by focusing on the Galvani-Volta controversy and the work of Michael Faraday. Then I outline a planning framework for teaching through…

Mother's home healthcare: emotion work when a child has cancer.

PubMed

Clarke, Juanne N

2006-01-01

Home healthcare work, involving physical labor, nursing care, medical monitoring, administrative, planning and accounting, advocacy and emotion work, is unpaid and largely invisible. This article, based on focus group interviews with mothers whose children have had cancer, describes one part of their home healthcare labor, their emotion work. Specifically, it examines how mothers: manage the moral imperatives of mothering; think about and try to manage the strong feelings, particularly of fear and uncertainty that they often have when their children are ill with cancer; work to understand and maintain their marital relationships; the strategies that seemed to help; and finally, the self-transformation that many mothers experience. The article concludes with a discussion of the substantive, theoretical, research, and policy implications of emotion work in the provision of home healthcare work.

Remotely Operated Aircraft (ROA) Impact on the National Airspace System (NAS) Work Package, 2005: Composite Report on FAA Flight Plan and Operational Evaluation Plan. Version 7.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2005-01-01

The purpose of this document is to present the findings that resulted from a high-level analysis and evaluation of the following documents: (1) The OEP (Operational Evolution Plan) Version 7 -- a 10-year plan for operational improvements to increase capacity and efficiency in U.S. air travel and transport and other use of domestic airspace. The OEP is the FAA commitment to operational improvements. It is outcome driven, with clear lines of accountability within FAA organizations. The OEP concentrates on operational solutions and integrates safety, certification, procedures, staffing, equipment, avionics and research; (2) The Draft Flight Plan 2006 through 2010 -- a multi-year strategic effort, setting a course for the FAA through 2001, to provide the safest and most efficient air transportation system in the world; (3) The NAS System Architecture Version 5 -- a blueprint for modernizing the NAS and improving NAS services and capabilities through the year 2015; and (4) The NAS-SR-1000 System Requirements Specification (NASSRS) -- a compilation of requirements which describe the operational capabilities for the NAS. The analysis is particularly focused on examining the documents for relevance to existing and/or planned future UAV operations. The evaluation specifically focuses on potential factors that could materially affect the development of a commercial ROA industry, such as: (1) Design limitations of the CNS/ATM system, (2) Human limitations, The information presented was taken from program specifications or program office lead personnel.

Results of the UCAR 2008 Forum on Climate Mitigation and Adaptation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fellows, J.; Barron, E.

2008-12-01

Mayors, governors, and local decision makers are developing climate change action plans. They are not waiting for the federal carbon emission reduction debates to conclude (e.g., cap and trade or carbon tax legislation). Many of them are struggling with what should be in these plans, what they should be assuming about future weather and climate trends, and what the impact might be on their community and its infrastructure. In October 2008, the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research held a forum at its 2008 Members' Meeting that focused on the UCAR community's role in climate change adaptation and mitigation. Many of UCAR's 71 university members are involved in projects with local and regional decision makers struggling with planning for the future in the face of climate change. The forum focused on the following questions: 1. How are these projects working and what lessons have we learned? 2. What can our community can do to assist these partnerships (e.g., models and other tools, better information, training opportunities, outreach, sharing ideas, etc.)? 3. Can we help our nation deal more effectively with climate mitigation and adaptation by being more strategic with these partnerships (e.g., more coordination, creating packages of tools and information, creating common approaches to climate action plans, developing better communication tools, community strategic planning effort, etc.)? This presentation will provide a summary of the forum outcomes.

Labor of love. A model for planning human resource needs.

PubMed

Brady, F J

1989-01-01

Typically, the annual budgeting process is the hospital's only attempt to forecast human resource requirements. In times of rapid change, this traditional ad hoc approach is incapable of satisfying either the Catholic hospital's ethical obligations as an employer or its responsibilities to provide healthcare to the poor and suffering. Assumptions about future activity, including volume projections on admissions, patient days, and other services, influence the budgeting process to a large degree. Because the amount of work to be done and the number of employees required to do it are related, changes in demand for service immediately and directly affect staffing requirements. A hospital cannot achieve ethical human resource management or provide high-quality healthcare if inadequate planning forces management into a cycle of crisis-coping--reacting to this year's nursing shortage with a major recruiting effort and next year's financial crunch with a traumatic reduction in force. The human resource planning approach outlined here helps the hospital meet legitimate business needs while satisfying its ethical obligations. The model has four phases and covers a charge to the planning committee; committee appointments; announcements; the establishment of ground rules, focus, and task forces; and the work of each task force.

Documenting Living Monuments in Indonesia: Methodology for Sustainable Utility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suryaningsih, F.; Purwestri, N.

2013-07-01

The systematic documentation of cultural heritage in Indonesia has been developed after the establishment of Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen (1778) and De Oudheidkundige Dienst (1913) by the Netherlands Indies government. After Indonesian independent, the tasks of cultural heritage documentation take over by The Ministry of Culture (now become The Ministry of Education of Culture) with focus on the ancient and classical heritage, so called dead monument. The needed of comprehensive documentation data regarding cultural heritage become significant issues since the government and private sector pay attention to the preservation of heritage building in the urban site, so called living monument. The archives of original drawing plan many times do not fit with the existing condition, while the conservation plan demands a document such as built drawing plan to work on. The technology, methodology and system to provide such comprehensive document of heritage building and site become important, to produce good conservation plan and heritage building regular maintenance. It means the products will have a sustainable and various utility values. Since 1994, Documentation Centre for Architecture - Indonesia (PDA), has established to meet the needs of a comprehensive data of heritage building (living monuments), to utilized as basic document for conservation planning. Not only provide document of the digital drawing such site plan, plan, elevation, section and details of architecture elements, but also document of historic research, material analysis and completed with diagnosis and mapping of building damages. This manuscript is about PDA field experience, working in this subject issue

The challenges of a home-based nursing consultation business.

PubMed

Schulmeister, L

1999-03-01

The transition from working in a traditional setting to working at home alone can be challenging for new nurse consultants. Home-based consultants can use a variety of strategies to stay focused and connected, such as having a designated work area, limiting distractions, and networking. Nurse consultants can obtain information about business management from community resources, and computer on-line services offer a means of contacting other small-business owners. Ongoing business evaluations, which include professional accomplishments as well as an examination of income and expenses, help in planning. Home-based nurse consultants can increase the likelihood of business success by setting objectives, working diligently, and networking with others in the business community.

Aging and financial planning for retirement: interdisciplinary influences viewed through a cross-cultural lens.

PubMed

Hershey, Douglas A; Henkens, Kene; Van Dalen, Hendrik P

2010-01-01

Current theoretical models support the existence of interactions between the individual and socio-environmental forces when it comes to the formation and enactment of life plans (Friedman & Scholnick, 1997; Shanahan & Elder, 2002). In this investigation, we examine the social, economic, and psychological forces that impact financial planning for retirement. The collective force of these three broad sets of influences was examined from developmental and cross-cultural perspectives, among respondents from two countries with very different retirement financing systems. Participants were 419 American and 556 Dutch working adults, 25-64 years of age. Path analysis models were created to examine differences in planning associated with age and national origin. Compared to younger individuals, older respondents in both countries were more involved in nearly all aspects of the financial planning process. Differences across cultures were also observed in the social support mechanisms that underlie planning and the impact economic forces have on perceptions of saving adequacy. The discussion focuses on the value of developing interdisciplinary theoretical models of planning, and how such models can inform the development of savings-oriented intervention and public policy initiatives.

Community Meeting to Focus on NREL Construction Plans

Science.gov Websites

Community Meeting to Focus on NREL Construction Plans For more information contact: Kerry Masson issues including planned construction projects on NREL's 300-acre campus. Construction plans include

Automated geometric optimization for robotic HIFU treatment of liver tumors.

PubMed

Williamson, Tom; Everitt, Scott; Chauhan, Sunita

2018-05-01

High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) represents a non-invasive method for the destruction of cancerous tissue within the body. Heating of targeted tissue by focused ultrasound transducers results in the creation of ellipsoidal lesions at the target site, the locations of which can have a significant impact on treatment outcomes. Towards this end, this work describes a method for the optimization of lesion positions within arbitrary tumors, with specific anatomical constraints. A force-based optimization framework was extended to the case of arbitrary tumor position and constrained orientation. Analysis of the approximate reachable treatment volume for the specific case of treatment of liver tumors was performed based on four transducer configurations and constraint conditions derived. Evaluation was completed utilizing simplified spherical and ellipsoidal tumor models and randomly generated tumor volumes. The total volume treated, lesion overlap and healthy tissue ablated was evaluated. Two evaluation scenarios were defined and optimized treatment plans assessed. The optimization framework resulted in improvements of up to 10% in tumor volume treated, and reductions of up to 20% in healthy tissue ablated as compared to the standard lesion rastering approach. Generation of optimized plans proved feasible for both sub- and intercostally located tumors. This work describes an optimized method for the planning of lesion positions during HIFU treatment of liver tumors. The approach allows the determination of optimal lesion locations and orientations, and can be applied to arbitrary tumor shapes and sizes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analyzing the efficiency of short-term air quality plans in European cities, using the CHIMERE air quality model.

PubMed

Thunis, P; Degraeuwe, B; Pisoni, E; Meleux, F; Clappier, A

2017-01-01

Regional and local authorities have the obligation to design air quality plans and assess their impacts when concentration levels exceed the limit values. Because these limit values cover both short- (day) and long-term (year) effects, air quality plans also follow these two formats. In this work, we propose a methodology to analyze modeled air quality forecast results, looking at emission reduction for different sectors (residential, transport, agriculture, etc.) with the aim of supporting policy makers in assessing the impact of short-term action plans. Regarding PM 10 , results highlight the diversity of responses across European cities, in terms of magnitude and type that raises the necessity of designing area-specific air quality plans. Action plans extended from 1 to 3 days (i.e., emissions reductions applied for 24 and 72 h, respectively) point to the added value of trans-city coordinated actions. The largest benefits are seen in central Europe (Vienna, Prague) while major cities (e.g., Paris) already solve a large part of the problem on their own. Eastern Europe would particularly benefit from plans based on emission reduction in the residential sectors; while in northern cities, agriculture seems to be the key sector on which to focus attention. Transport is playing a key role in most cities whereas the impact of industry is limited to a few cities in south-eastern Europe. For NO 2 , short-term action plans focusing on traffic emission reductions are efficient in all cities. This is due to the local character of this type of pollution. It is important, however, to stress that these results remain dependent on the selected months available for this study.

[Study on incorporation of "management and guidance of home-visiting by a pharmacist" into a care plan -observation based on a survey of care managers-].

PubMed

Nanaumi, Yoko; Onda, Mitsuko; Sakurai, Hidehiko; Tanaka, Rie; Tsubota, Kenichi; Matoba, Shunya; Mukai, Yusuke; Arakawa, Yukio; Hayase, Yukitoshi

2010-11-01

A survey of care managers ("CMs") was conducted to identify top priority issues in promoting the management and guidance of home-visiting by a pharmacist ("management and guidance") by focusing on the experience in incorporating the management and guidance into a care plan and its relevant factors. Major survey items included (1) number of years working as a CM, (2) basic occupation, (3) experience in incorporating the management and guidance into care plans, (4) understanding the management and guidance content, and (5) an awareness of the need for pharmacists' involvement in care plans. A χ² test was conducted to determine if the experience in incorporating the management and guidance into care plans caused a difference in the distribution of the number of years as a CM, the basic occupation, understanding of the management and guidance content, and an awareness of the need for pharmacists' involvement in care plans. A regression analysis was conducted to determine the degree of association between the incorporation experience and each item. The numbers of years working as a CM, the basic occupation, understanding of the management and guidance content, and an awareness of the need for pharmacists' involvement in care plans, were found to be associated with the experience in incorporating the management and guidance into care plans. Understanding of the management and guidance content was most closely associated. To promote pharmacists' management and guidance for home-based care, CMs need to deepen their understanding of this service.

Business planning: can the health service move from strategy into action?

PubMed

Bennett, A R

1994-01-01

Advances the case for the use of one particular business planning technique within a National Health Service Trust. At the present time, NHS trusts are required to write strategic direction statements. Evidence suggests that these documents provide an accurate account of past performance and present position of the trust, but do not express the future position intended to be achieved. These documents also tend to be lengthy and lack strategic focus, which means that they are not helpful to managers who want clear organizational goals and objectives to which to work. Attempts to address the difficulties associated with determining how existing skills and resources can be used as the platform for future growth strategies by using the Ansoff Matrix and SWOT Analysis planning tools, given the external changes in the marketplace. Also attempts to shed light on some of the important links between busines strategy and management development by extending planning theory into practice.

Career and Retirement Theories: Relevance for Older Workers Across Cultures

PubMed Central

Lytle, Megan C.; Foley, Pamela F.; Cotter, Elizabeth W.

2015-01-01

This paper reviews selected career development theories as well as theories specifically focused on retirement, with an emphasis on their application to retirement decisions and vocational behavior in multicultural populations. Theories are evaluated based on whether: (a) retirement was considered a stage of working life, (b) work satisfaction, motivation, and other work variables at retirement age were addressed, (c) work choices at retirement age were included, and (d) cultural and other minority status issues were either directly considered in the work/retirement decision or if the model could be reasonably applied to retirement across cultures. We provide specific recommendations for research and practice with the aim of helping practitioners and scholars conceptualize the current concerns older adults face in their working lives and during retirement planning. PMID:26101455

Career and Retirement Theories: Relevance for Older Workers Across Cultures.

PubMed

Lytle, Megan C; Foley, Pamela F; Cotter, Elizabeth W

2015-06-01

This paper reviews selected career development theories as well as theories specifically focused on retirement, with an emphasis on their application to retirement decisions and vocational behavior in multicultural populations. Theories are evaluated based on whether: (a) retirement was considered a stage of working life, (b) work satisfaction, motivation, and other work variables at retirement age were addressed, (c) work choices at retirement age were included, and (d) cultural and other minority status issues were either directly considered in the work/retirement decision or if the model could be reasonably applied to retirement across cultures. We provide specific recommendations for research and practice with the aim of helping practitioners and scholars conceptualize the current concerns older adults face in their working lives and during retirement planning.

The meaning of work in people with severe mental illness (SMI) in Iran

PubMed Central

Khalaf beigi, Mitra; Mohammadi Shahbolaghi, Farahnaz; Rassafiani, Mehdi; Haghgoo, Hojjat-Allah; Taherkhani, Hamid

2015-01-01

Background: Work is the key component for most people in regard to financial, social and wellbeing matters. Employment is an important factor underpinning mental health disorders. However, unemployment remains an unsolved issue worldwide. Numerous studies have focused on employment outcomes in people with severe mental illness (SMI) but, only a few have explored their perspective on employment. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the meaning of work among clients with SMI in Iran. Methods: A qualitative research approach was used to conduct this research. Ten participants who were consumers of mental health services took part in this study. Data were analyzed by inductive content analysis approach. Results: Four themes emerged from data including: acquiring identity, work as a drive, passing the time and financial independence. Conclusion: Meaning of work in studied people with SMI was probably similar to the general population. The different finding in this study refers to the dominancy of family relationships and spiritual believes which could cover some problems and in turn affect the meaning of work. Highlighting these meanings could direct mental health professionals to better planning for their clients have better understanding of their clients’ work future and in turn provide more precise plan for them. PMID:26034732

CDEP Consortium on Ocean Data Assimilation for Seasonal-to-Interannual Prediction (ODASI)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rienecker, Michele; Zebiak, Stephen; Kinter, James; Behringer, David; Rosati, Antonio; Kaplan, Alexey

2005-01-01

The ODASI consortium is focused activity of the NOAA/OGP/Climate Diagnostics and Experimental Prediction Program with the goal of improving ocean data assimilation methods and their implementations in support of seasonal forecasts with coupled general circulation models. The consortium is undertaking coordinated assimilation experiments, with common forcing data sets and common input data streams. With different assimilation systems and different models, we aim to understand what approach works best in improving forecast skill in the equatorial Pacific. The presentation will provide an overview of the consortium goals and plans and recent results focused towards evaluating data impacts.

The school health index as an impetus for change.

PubMed

Staten, Lisa K; Teufel-Shone, Nicolette I; Steinfelt, Victoria E; Ortega, Nohemi; Halverson, Karen; Flores, Carmen; Lebowitz, Michael D

2005-01-01

The increase in childhood obesity and prevalence of chronic disease risk factors demonstrate the importance of creating healthy school environments. As part of the Border Health Strategic Initiative, the School Health Index was implemented in public schools in two counties along the Arizona, United States-Sonora, Mexico border. Developed in 2000 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the School Health Index offers a guide to assist schools in evaluating and improving opportunities for physical activity and good nutrition for their students. Between 2000 and 2003, a total of 13 schools from five school districts in two counties participated in the School Health Index project despite academic pressures and limited resources. The Border Health Strategic Initiative supported the hiring and training of an external coordinator in each county who was not part of the school system but who was an employee in an established community-based organization. The coordinators worked with the schools to implement the School Health Index, to develop action plans, and to monitor progress toward these goals. The School Health Index process and school team participation varied from school to school. Individual plans were different but all focused on reducing in-school access to unhealthy foods, identified as high-fat and/or of low nutritional value. Ideas for acting on this focus ranged from changing the content of school lunches to discontinuing the use of nonnutritious foods as classroom rewards. All plans included recommendations that could be implemented immediately as well as those that would require planning and perhaps the formation and assistance of a subcommittee (e.g., for developing or adopting a district-wide health curriculum). After working with the School Health Index, most schools made at least one immediate change in their school environments. The external coordinator was essential to keeping the School Health Index results and action plans on the agendas of school administrators, especially during periods of staff turnover. Staff turnover, lack of time, and limited resources resulted in few schools achieving longer-term policy changes.

Using cognitive work analysis to explore activity allocation within military domains.

PubMed

Jenkins, D P; Stanton, N A; Salmon, P M; Walker, G H; Young, M S

2008-06-01

Cognitive work analysis (CWA) is frequently advocated as an approach for the analysis of complex socio-technical systems. Much of the current CWA literature within the military domain pays particular attention to its initial phases; work domain analysis and contextual task analysis. Comparably, the analysis of the social and organisational constraints receives much less attention. Through the study of a helicopter mission planning system software tool, this paper describes an approach for investigating the constraints affecting the distribution of work. The paper uses this model to evaluate the potential benefits of the social and organisational analysis phase within a military context. The analysis shows that, through its focus on constraints, the approach provides a unique description of the factors influencing the social organisation within a complex domain. This approach appears to be compatible with existing approaches and serves as a validation of more established social analysis techniques. As part of the ergonomic design of mission planning systems, the social organisation and cooperation analysis phase of CWA provides a constraint-based description informing allocation of function between key actor groups. This approach is useful because it poses questions related to the transfer of information and optimum working practices.

Intersectoral planning for city health development.

PubMed

Green, Geoff

2012-04-01

The article reviews the evolution and process of city health development planning (CHDP) in municipalities participating in the European Network of Healthy Cities organized by the European Region of the World Health Organization. The concept of CHDP combines elements from three theoretical domains: (a) health development, (b) city governance, and (c) urban planning. The setting was the 77 cities which participated in Phase IV (2003-2008) of the network. Evidence was gathered principally from a general evaluation questionnaire sent to all network cities. CHDPs are strategic documents giving direction to municipalities and partner agencies. Analysis revealed a trend away from "classic" CHDPs with a primary focus on health development towards ensuring a health dimension to other sector plans, and into the overarching strategies of city governments. Linked to the Phase IV priority themes of Healthy aging and healthy urban planning, cities further developed the concept and application of human-centered sustainability. More work is required to utilize cost-benefit analysis and health impact assessment to unmask the synergies between health and economic prosperity.

Goal clarity and financial planning activities as determinants of retirement savings contributions.

PubMed

Stawski, Robert S; Hershey, Douglas A; Jacobs-Lawson, Joy M

2007-01-01

Retirement counselors, financial service professionals, and retirement intervention specialists routinely emphasize the importance of developing clear goals for the future; however, few empirical studies have focused on the benefits of retirement goal setting. In the present study, the extent to which goal clarity and financial planning activities predict retirement savings practices was examined among 100 working adults. Path analysis techniques were used to test two competing models, both of which were designed to predict savings contributions. Findings provide support for the model in which retirement goal clarity is a significant predictor of planning practices, and planning, in turn, predicts savings tendencies. Two demographic variables-income and age-were also revealed to be important elements of the model, with income accounting for roughly half of the explained variance in savings contributions. The results of this study have implications for the development of age-based models of planning, as well as implications for retirement counselors and financial planners who advise workers on long-term saving strategies.

Text Analysis: Critical Component of Planning for Text-Based Discussion Focused on Comprehension of Informational Texts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kucan, Linda; Palincsar, Annemarie Sullivan

2018-01-01

This investigation focuses on a tool used in a reading methods course to introduce reading specialist candidates to text analysis as a critical component of planning for text-based discussions. Unlike planning that focuses mainly on important text content or information, a text analysis approach focuses both on content and how that content is…

Ecology of Greater Sage-Grouse in the Bi-State Planning Area Final Report, September 2007

USGS Publications Warehouse

Casazza, Michael L.; Overton, Cory T.; Farinha, Melissa A.; Torregrosa, Alicia; Fleskes, Joseph P.; Miller, Michael R.; Sedinger, James S.; Kolada, Eric J.

2009-01-01

Conservation efforts for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), hereafter sage-grouse, are underway across the range of this species. Over 70 local working groups have been established and are implementing on-the-ground sage-grouse oriented conservation projects. Early on in this process, the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) recognized the need to join in these efforts and received funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under the Candidate Species Conservation Program to help develop a species conservation plan for sage-grouse in the Mono County area. This conservation plan covers portions of Alpine, Mono, and Inyo counties in California and Douglas, Esmeralda, Lyon, and Mineral counties in Nevada. A concurrent effort underway through the Nevada Governor's Sage-grouse Conservation Team established Local Area Working Groups across Nevada and eastern California. The Mono County populations of sage-grouse were encompassed by the Bi-State Local Planning Area, which was comprised of six population management units (PMUs). The state agencies from California (CDFG) and Nevada (Nevada Department of Wildlife; NDOW) responsible for the management of sage-grouse agreed to utilize the process that had begun with the Nevada Governor's Team in order to develop local plans for conservation planning and implementation. Resources from the USFWS were applied to several objectives in support of the development of the Bi-State Local Area Sage-grouse Conservation Plan through a grant to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Objectives included: (1) participate in the development of the Bi-State Conservation Plan, (2) compile and synthesize existing sage-grouse data, (3) document seasonal movements of sage-grouse, (4) identify habitats critical to sage-grouse, (5) determine survival rates and identify causal factors of mortality, (6) determine nest success and brood success of sage-grouse, and (7) identify sage-grouse lek sites. Progress reports completed in 2004 and 2005 addressed each of the specific objectives and this final report focuses on the biological information gathered in support of local conservation efforts. Participation in the development of the Bi-State Local Area Conservation Plan was accomplished on multiple scales. Beginning in the fall of 2002, USGS personnel began participating in meetings of local stakeholders involved in the development of a sage-grouse conservation plan for the Bi-State planning area. This included attendance at numerous local PMU group meetings and field trips as well as participating on the technical advisory committee (TAC) for the Bi-State group. Whenever appropriate, ongoing results and findings regarding sage-grouse ecology in the local area were incorporated into these working group meetings. In addition, the USGS partnered with CDFG to help reorganize one of the local PMU groups (South Mono) and edited that portion of the Bi-State plan. The USGS also worked closely with CDFG to draft a description of the state of knowledge for sage-grouse genetic information for inclusion in the Bi-State Conservation Plan. The first edition of the Bi-State Conservation Plan for Greater Sage-Grouse was completed in June 2004 (Bi-State Sage-grouse Conservation Team 2004). This report is organized primarily by PMU to facilitate the incorporation of these research findings into the individual PMU plans that compose the Bi-State plan. Information presented in this report was derived from over 7,000 radio-telemetry locations obtained on 145 individual sage-grouse during a three year period (2003-2005). In addition, we collected detailed vegetation measurements at over 590 habitat sampling plots within the study area including canopy cover, shrubs, forbs, and grasses diversity. Vegetation data collection focused on sage-grouse nests, and brood-use areas. Additionally we collected data at random sites to examine sage-grouse habitat relationships within the study area. The majori

An evidence-based approach to organization evaluation and change in human service organizations evaluation and program planning.

PubMed

Schalock, Robert L; Lee, Tim; Verdugo, Miguel; Swart, Kees; Claes, Claudia; van Loon, Jos; Lee, Chun-Shin

2014-08-01

The work described in this article focuses primarily on how human service organizations can use an evidence-based, self-assessment approach to organization evaluation to facilitate continuous quality improvement and organization change. Real-life examples are presented, strengths and challenges discussed, and future conceptual and measurement issues identified. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Direct Marketing Alternatives in an Urban Setting: A Case Study of Seattle Youth Garden Works

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Mykel; Young, Doug; Miles, Carol

2010-01-01

The focus of this study is direct marketing of produce from an urban market garden. Rather than discussing broad issues of direct marketing, we use a case study to frame the decisions a market gardener is likely to face in developing both production and marketing plans. The garden featured in this study is located in Seattle, Washington, a city…

Conductive Education: Feasibility Study on Developing a National Curriculum Plan for Those Working in Conductive Education in New Zealand.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, Graham A.

This study sought to determine whether there are national training needs among staff of conductive education programs in New Zealand. Conductive education is a unified system of education for children and adults with a motor disorder whose disability has been caused by damage to the central nervous system. The study, which focuses primarily on…

Proceedings of Symposium: Toward the Development of More Comprehensive Sets of Personality Measures (Montreal, Canada, August 1973).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harman, Harry H., Ed.

The symposium focused on some problems and issues in the assessment of human personality traits and was planned around a research study being conducted by Educational Testing Service under contract with ONR. The study is trying to provide a service to researchers who are working (through the use of factor analysis) toward a theoretical basis in…

Nanotechnology-Enabled Optical Molecular Imaging of Breast Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-07-01

explanation of results. 37 KEY RESEACH ACCOMPLISHMENTS • Design of needle-based fiber optic imaging system completed and development of first...policy or decision unless so designated by other documentation. REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting...our results to date. As described in the Statement of Work, Year 1 plans focused on design of this system and beginning initial construction. It

Literature of the Holocaust: The Imagination after Auschwitz. A Course for Juniors and Seniors. A Teacher's Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klau, Judith R.

This guide presents a curriculum on the literature of the Holocaust which focuses on the ways in which a particular period in history affected the literature that was created to tell about it. The guide consists of a detailed set of lesson plans for six literary works: a diverse collection of short stories; Elie Wiesel's autobiographical novel,…

Short-Term Study Tours as a Driver for Increasing Domestic Student Mobility in Order to Generate Global Work-Ready Students and Cultural Exchange in Asia Pacific

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scharoun, Lisa

2016-01-01

Recent federal government programmes in Australia have seen a shift in focus from the international student towards increasing the possibilities for domestic mobility through short- and long-term exchange opportunities. The current New Colombo Plan funding scheme encourages Australian students, who have traditionally undertaken semester-long…

Graduate Dress Code How Undergraduates Are Planning to Use Hair, Clothes and Make-Up to Smooth Their Transition to the Workplace

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cutts, Beth; Hooley, Tristram; Yates, Julia

2015-01-01

This article explores the relationship between students' identities, their ideas about professional appearance and their anticipated transition to the world of work. It is based on a series of semi-structured interviews with 13 students from a vocationally-focused university in England. It was found that participants viewed clothing and appearance…

Gendered Career Expectations of Students: Perspectives from PISA 2006. OECD Education Working Papers No. 57

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sikora, Joanna; Pokropek, Artur

2011-01-01

This paper provides a comprehensive overview of adolescent career plans reported in PISA 2006. Its main focus is on the differences in the status and area of employment expected by girls and boys in high school. In almost all countries, girls lead boys in their interest in non-manual, high status professional occupations. This can be seen as a…

Mapping Musical Learning: An Evaluation of Research in Music Education in Singapore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lum, Chee-Hoo; Dairianathan, Eugene

2014-01-01

In the most recent Ministry of Education work plan seminar (Ministry of Education, 2010), a clear signal was sent out that arts education, primarily music and visual art, would become one of the key areas of focus in pursuing the goal of holistic education of a primary school child in the Singapore school system. This article, as part of a larger…

The nuts and bolts of evaluating science communication activities.

PubMed

Spicer, Suzanne

2017-10-01

Since 2008 there has been a focus on fostering a culture of public engagement in higher education plus an impact agenda that demands scientists provide evidence of how their work, including their science communication, is making a difference. Good science communication takes a significant amount of time to plan and deliver so how can you improve what you are doing and demonstrate if you are having an impact? The answer is to evaluate. Effective evaluation needs to be planned so this paper takes you step by step through the evaluation process, illustrated using specific examples. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The scaup conservation action plan: working toward coherence

USGS Publications Warehouse

Austin, Jane E.

2010-01-01

The last in a series of three workshops to develop a decision framework for the scaup conservation action plan was conducted in September 2009. Fifteen waterfowl biologists and managers met in Memphis, Tennessee at the Ducks Unlimited Headquarters to review and refine the decision statement, objectives, and prototype model for the continental scaup population, with a special focus on vital rate parameters that are affected during migration and winter. In a significant step toward coherence, the participants also developed models for incorporating human dimensions – hunters – into the decision framework, and to link the population of diving duck hunters with the continental scaup population.

Transuranic Waste Test Facility Development Program

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

Looper, M.G.

1987-05-05

This letter discusses the development and test program planned for the Transuranic Waste Test Facility (TWTF). The planned effort is based on previous work in the ADandD Pilot Facility and testing of TWTF equipment before installation. Input from Waste Management and AED Fairview is included. The program will focus on the following areas: Retrieval; Material Handling; Size Reduction; Operation and Maintenance. The program will take 1-1/2 to 2 years to complete and began in December 1986. Technical Data Summaries (TDS) and basic data reports will be issued periodically to document results and provide basic data for the Transuranic Waste Facilitymore » (TWF). 2 refs., 2 figs.« less

Value in Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery Health Care: the Role of Time-driven Activity-based Cost Accounting (TDABC) and Standardized Clinical Assessment and Management Plans (SCAMPs).

PubMed

Waters, Peter M

2015-01-01

The continuing increases in health care expenditures as well as the importance of providing safe, effective, timely, patient-centered care has brought government and commercial payer pressure on hospitals and providers to document the value of the care they deliver. This article introduces work at Boston Children's Hospital on time-driven activity-based accounting to determine cost of care delivery; combined with Systemic Clinical Assessment and Management Plans to reduce variation and improve outcomes. The focus so far has been on distal radius fracture care for children and adolescents.

The Integrated Airport: Building a Successful NextGen Testbed

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

Frederick-Recascino, Christina; Sweigard, Doug; Lester, Wade

2009-02-18

This presentation will describe a unique public-private partnership - the Integrated Airport - that was created to engage in research and testing related to NextGen Technology deployment.  NextGen refers to the program that will be initiated to modernize the US National Airspace.  As with any major, multi-decade initiative, such as NextGen, integration of work efforts by multiple partners in the modernization is critical for success.  This talk will focus on the development of the consortium, how the consortium plans for NextGen initiatives, the series of technology demonstrations we have produced and plans for the future of NextGen testing and implementation. 

Distinguishing between taskwork and teamwork planning in teams: relations with coordination and interpersonal processes.

PubMed

Fisher, David M

2014-05-01

Planning in teams represents a critical process that lays the groundwork for effective team functioning. The current investigation examined whether emergent team planning can be meaningfully characterized in terms of a distinction between planning that focuses on taskwork and planning that focuses on teamwork. In Study 1, items written to reflect commonly identified indicators of team planning were subjected to an exploratory factor analysis. In Study 2, slightly modified items were provided to a separate sample, and a confirmatory factor analysis was conducted. In Study 3, the relationships between the different forms of planning and other team processes (i.e., coordination, interpersonal processes) were examined in order to determine whether there are unique relationships for task-focused and team-focused planning. Results from the first 2 studies provided support for a 2-factor structure of team planning, whereas Study 3 found independent relationships for taskwork and teamwork planning with subsequent team processes. Both forms of planning also exhibited indirect relationships with team performance via the mediating role of subsequent team processes. (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Self-determination, control, and reactions to changes in workload: a work simulation.

PubMed

Parker, Stacey L; Jimmieson, Nerina L; Amiot, Catherine E

2013-04-01

The objective of this experimental study is to capture the dynamic temporal processes that occur in changing work settings and to test how work control and individuals' motivational predispositions interact to predict reactions to these changes. To this aim, we examine the moderating effects of global self-determined and non-self-determined motivation, at different levels of work control, on participants' adaptation and stress reactivity to changes in workload during four trials of an inbox activity. Workload was increased or decreased at Trial 3, and adaptation to this change was examined via fluctuations in anxiety, coping, motivation, and performance. In support of the hypotheses, results revealed that, for non-self-determined individuals, low work control was stress-buffering and high work control was stress-exacerbating when predicting anxiety and intrinsic motivation. In contrast, for self-determined individuals, high work control facilitated the adaptive use of planning coping in response to a change in workload. Overall, this pattern of results demonstrates that, while high work control was anxiety-provoking and demotivating for non-self-determined individuals, self-determined individuals used high work control to implement an adaptive antecedent-focused emotion regulation strategy (i.e., planning coping) to meet situational demands. Other interactive effects of global motivation emerged on anxiety, active coping, and task performance. These results and their practical implications are discussed.

Addressing women concerns. Philippines. The Hague Forum.

PubMed

Medalla, F M

1999-01-01

Since the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), the Philippine government has worked closely with nongovernmental and peoples' organizations to push reforms which promote development which is broad-based, sustainable, and focused upon human resources. These initiatives recognized the important role of population and human development, and try to achieve rapid economic growth while protecting the environment. The government worked closely with civil society to draft a medium-term development plan for 1993-98 to improve the quality of life for all Filipinos. Reproductive health will be an important component of the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan for 1999-2004. However, the necessary resources must be mobilized to carry out all elements of the program of action. Since the ICPD, total funding for reproductive health and family planning reached Philippine P 1 billion, of which 58% was provided by the foreign donor community. So far, the Philippine government has been blocked by the Catholic Church from allocating more public funds for contraception. Local government units need to take a more direct and active role in implementing rural health programs in general and reproductive health programs in particular.

Toward integrated image guided liver surgery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jarnagin, W. R.; Simpson, Amber L.; Miga, M. I.

2017-03-01

While clinical neurosurgery has benefited from the advent of frameless image guidance for over three decades, the translation of image guided technologies to abdominal surgery, and more specifically liver resection, has been far more limited. Fundamentally, the workflow, complexity, and presentation have confounded development. With the first real efforts in translation beginning at the turn of the millennia, the work in developing novel augmented technologies to enhance screening, planning, and surgery has come to realization for the field. In this paper, we will review several examples from our own work that demonstrate the impact of image-guided procedure methods in eight clinical studies that speak to: (1) the accuracy in planning for liver resection, (2) enhanced surgical planning with portal vein embolization impact, (3) linking splenic volume changes to post-hepatectomy complications, (4) enhanced intraoperative localization in surgically occult lesions, (5) validation of deformation correction, and a (6) a novel blinded study focused at the value of deformation correction. All six of these studies were achieved in human systems and show the potential impact image guided methodologies could make on liver tissue resection procedures.

Comments on "Women, Development Planning and Government Policies in Pakistan".

PubMed

Hafeez, S

1992-01-01

Commentary on Shahnaz and Bilquees Raza's paper on women in development in Pakistan is supportive of the content analysis of the Sixth and Seventh 5-Year Plans and policies, but critical of the methods used n the analysis. The parallel to survey research methods was made in that there was a specification of 1) the unit of analysis (reference to each policy measure, each chapter, each page of the plan), 2) the rationale for the plan, 3) specific objectives of the examination, and 4) the criteria for analysis. Missing also was the identification of policy trends from the Fourth and Fifth 5-Year Plans. The question is never answered as to why gender issues were not directed to the agricultural sector. The conclusion that there was a hugh gap between intentions and implementation was an issue not unique to women's issues, and a deeper analysis may have been required in order to understand the nature and magnitude of the gaps for women's policies and their productive roles. Questions should have been directed to the issues of the root causes of gaps in planning and implementation of policies and programs for women in development, and the identification of quantitative and qualitative indicators of gaps. Questions arise as to whether the gaps have changed with changes in the strength of political and social will in various decades. Recognition was given by the authors to the low budget allocations between 1955 and 1970 to education and health which affected both men and women, but there was scant mention of the strong social, not political, will to enhance women's welfare prevalent at this time. Information was lacking on the differences between the Sixth and Seventh sectoral plans for agricultural employment and women and the working groups plans that did include women in agricultural employment; the question is why the working plans were not incorporated into the final plans, and why the working groups did not protest this omission. The lack of political and social will was one of the most significant gaps between policy and implementation that was the article's focus. Has the Ministry of Women in Development really been given administrative authority to promote social change?

Fast Transformation of Temporal Plans for Efficient Execution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsamardinos, Ioannis; Muscettola, Nicola; Morris, Paul

1998-01-01

Temporal plans permit significant flexibility in specifying the occurrence time of events. Plan execution can make good use of that flexibility. However, the advantage of execution flexibility is counterbalanced by the cost during execution of propagating the time of occurrence of events throughout the flexible plan. To minimize execution latency, this propagation needs to be very efficient. Previous work showed that every temporal plan can be reformulated as a dispatchable plan, i.e., one for which propagation to immediate neighbors is sufficient. A simple algorithm was given that finds a dispatchable plan with a minimum number of edges in cubic time and quadratic space. In this paper, we focus on the efficiency of the reformulation process, and improve on that result. A new algorithm is presented that uses linear space and has time complexity equivalent to Johnson s algorithm for all-pairs shortest-path problems. Experimental evidence confirms the practical effectiveness of the new algorithm. For example, on a large commercial application, the performance is improved by at least two orders of magnitude. We further show that the dispatchable plan, already minimal in the total number of edges, can also be made minimal in the maximum number of edges incoming or outgoing at any node.

Leadership theory: implications for developing dental surgeons in primary care?

PubMed

Willcocks, S

2011-02-12

The development of leadership in healthcare has been seen as important in recent years, particularly at the clinical level. There have been various specific initiatives focusing on the development of leadership for doctors, nurses and other health care professions: for example, a leadership competency framework for doctors, the LEO programme and the RCN clinical leadership programme for nurses. The NHS has set up a Leadership Council to coordinate further developments. However, there has not been the same focus in dentistry, although the recent review of NHS dental services (Steele review) has proposed a need for leadership initiatives in NHS dentistry as a medium-term action. Central to this will be a need to focus on the leadership role for dental surgeons. Leadership is all the more important in dentistry, given the change of government and the policy of retrenchment, major public sector reform, the emergence of new organisations such as new commissioning consortia, possible changes to the dental contract, new ways of working, and changes to the profession such as the requirements for the revalidation of dental surgeons. The question is: which leadership theory or approach is best for dental surgeons working in primary care? This paper builds on earlier work exploring this question in relation to doctors generally, and GPs, in particular, and planned work on nurses. It will seek to address this question in relation to dental surgeons working in primary care.

Characteristics of zero-absenteeism in hospital care.

PubMed

Schreuder, J A H; Roelen, C A M; van der Klink, J J L; Groothoff, J W

2013-06-01

Literature on sickness presenteeism is emerging, but still little is known about employees who are never absent from work due to injuries or illness. Insight into the determinants and characteristics of such zero-absentees may provide clues for preventing sickness absence. To investigate the characteristics of zero-absentees, defined as employees without sickness absence over a period of 5 years. A mixed-method qualitative study comprising semi-structured interviews and focus groups for which Azjen and Fishbein's theory of planned behaviour was used as a framework. Zero-absentees working in hospital care were invited for semi-structured interviews until saturation was reached. The results of semi-structured interviews were validated in two focus groups. Of 1053 hospital employees, 47 were zero-absentees of whom 31 (66%) agreed to participate in the study. After 16 semi-structured interviews, no new insights or information were gathered from the interviews. The remaining 15 employees were invited to two (n = 8 and n = 7) focus groups. Personal attitudes and self-efficacy were more important in zero-absenteeism than social pressures of managers, colleagues or patients. Zero-absentees were found to be intrinsically motivated to try attending work when ill. In the present study population of hospital employees, we found indications that zero-absenteeism and sickness presenteeism might be different types of work attendance. Managers should realize that zero-absentees are driven by intrinsic motivation rather than social pressures to attend work.

Status report on the land processes aircraft science management operations working group

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawless, James G.; Mann, Lisa J.

1991-01-01

Since its inception three years ago, the Land Processes Aircraft Science Management Operations Working Group (MOWG) provided recommendations on the optimal use of the Agency's aircraft in support of the Land Processes Science Program. Recommendations covered topics such as aircraft and sensor usage, development of long-range plans, Multisensor Airborne Campaigns (MAC), program balance, aircraft sensor databases, new technology and sensor development, and increased University scientist participation in the program. Impacts of these recommendations improved the efficiency of various procedures including the flight request process, tracking of flight hours, and aircraft usage. The group also created a bibliography focused on publications produced by Land Processes scientists from the use of the aircraft program, surveyed NASA funded PI's on their participation in the aircraft program, and developed a planning template for multi-sensor airborne campaigns. Benefits from these activities are summarized.

The evolution of an evaluation: a case study using the tribal participatory research model.

PubMed

Richmond, Lucinda S; Peterson, Donna J; Betts, Sherry C

2008-10-01

This article presents a case study of how the evaluation design for a dating violence prevention and/or youth development program for American Indian youth in Arizona evolved throughout the project. Particular attention is given to how the evaluation design was guided by the tribal participatory research model. A brief rationale for the project is presented along with literature on culturally competent evaluation and research with American Indians. A description of the project and the unique communities in which it was implemented is provided. The focus of the article is the process of how the evaluation plan changed and how various factors influenced this process (e.g., feedback from community stakeholders, conversations with funder, results of process evaluation, suggestions from literature, the authors' experience working in American Indian communities). The authors conclude with lessons learned for others to consider as they develop working relationships and evaluation plans in similar communities.

CASL Verification and Validation Plan

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

Mousseau, Vincent Andrew; Dinh, Nam

2016-06-30

This report documents the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of LWRs (CASL) verification and validation plan. The document builds upon input from CASL subject matter experts, most notably the CASL Challenge Problem Product Integrators, CASL Focus Area leaders, and CASL code development and assessment teams. This document will be a living document that will track progress on CASL to do verification and validation for both the CASL codes (including MPACT, CTF, BISON, MAMBA) and for the CASL challenge problems (CIPS, PCI, DNB). The CASL codes and the CASL challenge problems are at differing levels of maturity with respect to validation andmore » verification. The gap analysis will summarize additional work that needs to be done. Additional VVUQ work will be done as resources permit. This report is prepared for the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) CASL program in support of milestone CASL.P13.02.« less

Clinical placements and nursing students' career planning: a qualitative exploration.

PubMed

McKenna, Lisa; McCall, Louise; Wray, Natalie

2010-04-01

Many nursing students enter undergraduate programmes with preconceived ideas about their future nursing careers, and intend to practice in particular areas such as midwifery or paediatrics. Through clinical placements, students are exposed to different clinical areas and professional socialization is facilitated. However, little is known about the influence of clinical placements on students' career intentions. This paper reports nursing findings drawn from a large qualitative study conducted in Victoria, Australia that sought to explore the influence of health professional students' clinical placements on their future career intentions. Participants were invited to be involved in either face-to-face or focus group interviews depending upon their own preference. Thematic data analysis revealed three main themes: 're-affirming career choice', 'working in a particular area' and 'work location'. Findings from the study add to our understanding of factors influencing nursing students' planning for their future careers including the impact of clinical placements.

Efforts to monitor Global progress on individual and community demand for immunization: Development of definitions and indicators for the Global Vaccine Action Plan Strategic Objective 2.

PubMed

Hickler, Benjamin; MacDonald, Noni E; Senouci, Kamel; Schuh, Holly B

2017-06-16

The Second Strategic Objective of the Global Vaccine Action Plan, "individuals and communities understand the value of vaccines and demand immunization as both their right and responsibility", differs from the other five in that it does not focus on supply-side aspects of immunization programs but rather on public demand for vaccines and immunization services. This commentary summarizes the work (literature review, consultations with experts, and with potential users) and findings of the UNICEF/World Health Organization Strategic Objective 2 informal Working Group on Vaccine Demand, which developed a definition for demand and indicators related to Strategic Objective 2. Demand for vaccines and vaccination is a complex concept that is not external to supply systems but rather encompasses the interaction between human behaviors and system structure and dynamics. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Shifting Resources and Focus to Meet the Goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy: The Enhanced Comprehensive HIV Prevention Planning Project, 2010–2013

PubMed Central

Purcell, David W.; Fisher, Holly H.; Belcher, Lisa; Carey, James W.; Courtenay-Quirk, Cari; Dunbar, Erica; Eke, Agatha N.; Galindo, Carla A.; Glassman, Marlene; Margolis, Andrew D.; Neumann, Mary Spink; Prather, Cynthia; Stratford, Dale; Taylor, Raekiela D.; Mermin, Jonathan

2016-01-01

In September 2010, CDC launched the Enhanced Comprehensive HIV Prevention Planning (ECHPP) project to shift HIV-related activities to meet goals of the 2010 National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS). Twelve health departments in cities with high AIDS burden participated. These 12 grantees submitted plans detailing jurisdiction-level goals, strategies, and objectives for HIV prevention and care activities. We reviewed plans to identify themes in the planning process and initial implementation. Planning themes included data integration, broad engagement of partners, and resource allocation modeling. Implementation themes included organizational change, building partnerships, enhancing data use, developing protocols and policies, and providing training and technical assistance for new and expanded activities. Pilot programs also allowed grantees to assess the feasibility of large-scale implementation. These findings indicate that health departments in areas hardest hit by HIV are shifting their HIV prevention and care programs to increase local impact. Examples from ECHPP will be of interest to other health departments as they work toward meeting the NHAS goals. PMID:26843670

Are care plans suitable for the management of multiple conditions?

PubMed Central

Young, Charlotte E.; Boyle, Frances M.; Mutch, Allyson J.

2016-01-01

Background Care plans have been part of the primary care landscape in Australia for almost two decades. With an increasing number of patients presenting with multiple chronic conditions, it is timely to consider whether care plans meet the needs of patients and clinicians. Objectives To review and benchmark existing care plan templates that include recommendations for comorbid conditions, against four key criteria: (i) patient preferences, (ii) setting priorities, (iii) identifying conflicts and synergies between conditions, and (iv) setting dates for reviewing the care plan. Design Document analysis of Australian care plan templates published from 2006 to 2014 that incorporated recommendations for managing comorbid conditions in primary care. Results Sixteen templates were reviewed. All of the care plan templates addressed patient preference, but this was not done comprehensively. Only three templates included setting priorities. None assisted in identifying conflicts and synergies between conditions. Fifteen templates included setting a date for reviewing the care plan. Conclusions Care plans are a well-used tool in primary care practice, but their current format perpetuates a single-disease approach to care, which works contrary to their intended purpose. Restructuring care plans to incorporate shared decision-making and attention to patient preferences may assist in shifting the focus back to the patient and their care needs. PMID:29090181

The work of commissioning: a multisite case study of healthcare commissioning in England's NHS

PubMed Central

Shaw, Sara E; Smith, Judith A; Porter, Alison; Rosen, Rebecca; Mays, Nicholas

2013-01-01

Objective To examine the work of commissioning care for people with long-term conditions and the factors inhibiting or facilitating commissioners making service change. Design Multisite mixed methods case study research, combining qualitative analysis of interviews, documents and observation of meetings. Participants Primary care trust managers and clinicians, general practice-based commissioners, National Health Service trust and foundation trust senior managers and clinicians, voluntary sector and local government representatives. Setting Three ‘commissioning communities’ (areas covered by a primary care trust) in England, 2010–2012. Results Commissioning services for people with long-term conditions was a long drawn-out process involving a range of activities and partners. Only some of the activities undertaken by commissioners, such as assessment of local health needs, coordination of healthcare planning and service specification, appeared in the official ‘commissioning cycle’ promoted by the Department of Health. Commissioners undertook a significant range of additional activities focused on reviewing and redesigning services and providing support for implementation of new services. These activities often involved partnership working with providers and other stakeholders and appeared to be largely divorced from contracting and financial negotiations. At least for long-term condition services, the time and effort involved in such work appeared to be disproportionate to the anticipated or likely service gains. Commissioners adopting an incremental approach to service change in defined and manageable areas of work appeared to be more successful in terms of delivering planned changes in service delivery than those attempting to bring about wide-scale change across complex systems. Conclusions Commissioning for long-term condition services challenges the conventional distinction between commissioners and providers with a significant amount of work focused on redesigning services in partnership with providers. Such work is labour-intensive and potentially unsustainable at a time of reduced finances. New clinical commissioning groups will need to determine how best to balance the relational and transactional elements of commissioning. PMID:24014483

Organizational ergonomics of occupational health methods and processes in a Brazilian oil refinery.

PubMed

Bau, Lucy M S; Farias, Jean P; Buso, Sandro A; Passero, Carolina R Marcon

2012-01-01

Organizational ergonomics refers to the optimization of social technical systems, including their organizational structures, policies and processes. The relevant topics include communications, management of resources, work projects, temporal organization of work, team work, participative project, new work paradigms, cooperative work, organizational culture, network organizations and quality management (IEA, 2000). The purpose of this study was the reorganization of the methods and processes of the occupational health sector (SMS/SO - Portuguese acronym of the area) of a petrochemical company. The work involved thirty professionals: a coordinator, two occupational physicians, one cardiologist, one occupational dentist, two occupational nurses, eleven occupational health technicians, one social worker, one nutritionist, one phonoaudiologist, one ophthalmologist, one biochemist, two ergonomists, three administrative assistants, one administrator and one psychologist, during a six-month period. The methodology that was used sought to establish a cooperative alliance focused on change, transformation and acquisition of skills, reflecting directly on the attitudes and performance of the leaderships and their work teams. In addition to the feedback practice, the following supporting tools were used for the study's success: "Functional Polyvalence Matrix", "Management of Failures", 5W2H", "6M", "5 Why" and "process mapping". The intended results after the organization ergonomics restructuring process will allow the leader to help his or her team to make a diagnosis of the problems, identify options, develop strategies, establish targets and action plans, remove barriers, review contexts and implement the business management fundaments: planning, organization, management, coordination and control. The transformation possibilities allow us to consider some hypothesis: Before: Focus only on results. After: Engage collaborators to create sustainable results. Before: Operating profile. After: Tactical/strategic profile. Before: Find errors. After: Value effort and development. Before: Listen to what is being said. After: Understand what is being said. Before: Create fears of the consequences. After: Create room for risk. Before: Be the one who approves and decides. After: Be the cooperative support.

On the contribution of motor planning to the retroactive cuing benefit in working memory: Evidence by mu and beta oscillatory activity in the EEG.

PubMed

Schneider, Daniel; Barth, Anna; Wascher, Edmund

2017-11-15

Attention can be allocated toward mental representations in working memory also after the initial encoding of information has been completed. It was shown that focusing on only one item within working memory transfers this representation into a protected state, reducing its susceptibility to interference by incoming signals. The present study investigated the nature of this retroactive cue (retro-cue) benefit by means of oscillatory activity in the EEG. In a working memory task with a retro-cue indicating one, two or three memory representations as relevant and a block-wise distractor display presented after the retro-cue, participants had to remember the orientation of a colored bar. On behavioral level, we found that the interfering effect of the distractor display on memory performance could be prevented when a retro-cue reduced the number of attended representations in working memory. However, only the one-item retro-cue led to an overall increase in task performance compared to a condition without a retro-cue. The neural basis of this special representational status was investigated by means of oscillatory parameters in the EEG and a clustering approach on level of the independent components (ICs) in the signal. The retroactive reduction of attended working memory representations was reflected in a suppression of alpha power over right parietal and parieto-occipital sites. In addition, we found that an IC cluster representing oscillatory activity in the mu/beta range (10-12 Hz and 20-24 Hz) with a source in sensorimotor cortex revealed a power suppression already prior to the memory probe following the one-item retro-cue. This suggests that the retro-cue benefit results in large parts from the possibility to focus attention on one particular item in working memory and initiate motor planning processes already ahead of the probe stimulus indicating the respective response. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

New directions in Guatemala.

PubMed

1997-02-01

This news brief relates some new directions, since its inception in 1988, which the Family Welfare Association of Guatemala (APROFAM) will be undertaking during 1996-97. In December 1997, APROFAM restructured its program to include reproductive health services with family planning services. The program will target rural Mayan communities. The program will be working toward service sustainability, due to reduced external support. In October 1996 a new board was established that will focus on marketing, IEC, finance and administration, rural development, and clinical services. Meetings between the new board of directors of APROFAM and JOICFP focused on the use of integrated programs as a model for widespread programming among the rural Mayan population. The integrated program that was implemented by JOICFP was successful in reaching Mayan communities of Solola. This population was difficult to reach with conventional family planning approaches. The integrated program was successful in establishing trust with and participation of the rural Mayans. Activities such as parasite control, skills training, and income generation for women were useful in establishing trust and promoting self-reliance. Integrated programs will refocus on family planning and developing self-reliance. The UNFPA will be conducting an annual internal evaluation as a means of sharing information and deepening understanding of project implementation.

Motivational factors for choosing the degree course in nursing: a focus group study with nursing students.

PubMed

Ferri, Paola; Laffi, Patrizia; Rovesti, Sergio; Artioli, Giovanna; Di Lorenzo, Rosaria; Magnani, Daniela

2016-05-26

Maintaining the number of new students entering nursing programs and remaining in the nursing occupation largely depends on the ability to recruit and retain young people. The motivational factors that induce young people to choose nursing as a career were investigated through a qualitative research approach. Different focus groups were organised involving 32 students at the end of the first year of Nursing. Then the factors affecting their choice of course and the reasons for satisfaction and frustration connected with the course of study were analyzed. The main motivational factors for choosing Nursing that emerged include the following: having done voluntary work in the care area, attraction to the occupation since childhood/adolescence, failure of other plans, possibility to find work, personal acquaintance of nurses. The reasons for satisfaction with the course include: tutor support, workshop activities, placement experience. The reasons for frustration among the students included the complexity and extent of the study plan, elements that often they had not envisaged or had underestimated upon enrolment. Providing more information on the course of study, the working conditions and characteristics of the nursing occupation, could help young people to make an informed and aware decision, in order to reduce any disappointment and students dropping out of nursing education and attrition in the future. Improving the organisation of the course of study, supporting students' motivation through counselling activities and choosing suitable placement sites, could prevent drop outs.

Work-Load Planning for Navy Stock Points

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-12-01

capacity. 2. The level of utilization of a non -bottleneck is not determined by its own potential, but by some other constraint in the system. 3...the amounts to carry based on customer demands and non -demand based requirements II. Basic Operations A. Determines which items to carry in inventory...storage, physical inventory, issue, transportation, and 8 control of material. The focus was to be primarily on the relationships among functions in

Cradle Enhanced UI Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jentsch, Samuel

2016-01-01

This summer I have been working in the EDI (Exploration, Development, and Integration) office. The primary goal of my office is to facilitate the integration, cooperation, and communication between programs, projects and departments throughout the agency. The majority of my efforts has been focused on Cradle, a requirements management and systems engineering tool. This tool is utilized by teams throughout NASA to plan and track the development of a variety of ongoing projects.

Focused Feasibility Study Final Field Sampling Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-10-01

baseline of groundwater chemistry prior to commencing additional environmental investigations of the area. Work for Phase I of the FFS is designed lo...investigations and remedial feasibility investigations at Beach Point. The groundwater data will also be used to aid in the design of any groundwater extraction...approved laboratories. The analytical data will be the equivalent of EPA Level IV data. This level of data quality has been established for environmental

The Pacification Campaign of Madagascar: 1896-1905

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-01-01

and 1940s. This was no improvised brutality. My German colleague, Rudolf Scharping revealed on 9 April details of a covert Serbian plan, code-named...administrator arrived to begin attempts to transfer authority to local institutions and to work to improve security and boost the economy. Steiner , a...Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic’s crackdown on ethnic Albanians in the province. Steiner also said he would focus on creating jobs in the province

Virginia Demonstration Project Encouraging Middle School Students in Pursuing STEM Careers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bachman, Jane T.; Kota, Dena H.; Kota, Aaron J.

2011-01-01

Encouraging students at all grade levels to consider pursuing a career in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields i s a national focus. In 2005, the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), a Department of Defense laboratory located in Da hlgren, Virginia, began work on the Virginia Demonstration Project (VDP) with the goal of increasing more student interest in STEM educatio n and pursuing STEM careers. This goal continues as the program enters its sixth year. This project has been successful through the partici pation of NSWCDD's scientists and engineers who are trained as mentor s to work in local middle school classrooms throughout the school year, As an extension of the in-class activities, several STEM summer aca demies have been conducted at NSWCDD, These academies are supported by the Navy through the VDP and the STEM Learning Module Project. These projects are part of more extensive outreach efforts offered by the National Defense Education Program (NDEP), sponsored by the Director, Defense Research and Engineering. The focus of this paper is on the types of activities conducted at the summer academy, an overview of the academy planning process, and recommendations to help support a nati onal plan of integrating modeling and simulation-based engineering and science into all grade levels. based upon the lessons learned

Advances and challenges in oral health after a decade of the "Smiling Brazil" Program.

PubMed

Scherer, Charleni Inês; Scherer, Magda Duarte dos Anjos

2015-01-01

To analyze oral health work changes in primary health care after Brazil's National Oral Health Policy Guidelines were released. A literature review was conducted on Medline, LILACS, Embase, SciELO, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde, and The Cochrane Library databases, from 2000 to 2013, on elements to analyze work changes. The descriptors used included: primary health care, family health care, work, health care policy, oral health care services, dentistry, oral health, and Brazil. Thirty-two studies were selected and analyzed, with a predominance of qualitative studies from the Northeast region with workers, especially dentists, focusing on completeness and quality of care. Observed advances focused on educational and permanent education actions; on welcoming, bonding, and accountability. The main challenges were related to completeness; extension and improvement of care; integrated teamwork; working conditions; planning, monitoring, and evaluation of actions; stimulating people's participation and social control; and intersectorial actions. Despite the new regulatory environment, there are very few changes in oral health work. Professionals tend to reproduce the dominant biomedical model. Continuing efforts will be required in work management, training, and permanent education fields. Among the possibilities are the increased engagement of managers and professionals in a process to understand work dynamics and training in the perspective of building significant changes for local realities.

Women's status and family planning: results from a focus group survey.

PubMed

Gu, B; Xie, Z

1994-02-01

Focus group discussions were conducted in China's Pingluo County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and Sihui County, Guangdong Province among reproductive age women with only daughters, mothers-in-law, unmarried women aged 23 years and older, and women business persons and cadres. The topic of discussion was the status of women, gender differences in employment, education, marriage, family life, childbearing, and elderly care in counties that have above average fertility rates. There were also several groups of men, mixed gender groups with husbands working away from home, local family planning workers, and rural intellectuals. The findings showed that there is more access to education for girls and a higher employment rate for young women. Daughters receive education to the highest level affordable. Enrollments are equal for boys and girls. Women's employment is not challenged by husbands, and work is available in a variety of locations. Business ownership and operation is encouraged. By middle age, women generally do not work in enterprises, but at home or on contracted farmland. Equal rights within the family are generally accepted. Husbands turn over their salary to wives for family expenses. Girls receive the same care after birth as boys. Women's status is improving. Improvements in social status have also involved sacrifices. Women complained that the workload on the farm has increased with adult males away working in cities. Women bear the burden of family planning, including in some cases side effects from oral pills and recovery from sterilizations. One women remarked that there were burdens in bearing children, taking oral pills, having IUD insertions, and having induced abortions; men should bear 50% of the responsibility. The burden of women without sons is harder, and women may also feel inferior as the last in their family line. One family with 6 daughters accepted the fine of RMB 7000 yuan for having another child, which turned out to be a son. One commented that even a stupid son is better than a daughter. Many with only daughters have not tried for a son because the fine was too expensive. Support in old age was a reason for desiring sons. There were positive opinions expressed about family planning. Economic gains for women were considered important in raising women's status.

A Health Collaborative Network Focus on Self-care Processes in Personal Assistant Practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de La Fuente, Ma Victoria; Ros, Lorenzo

Public health is oriented to the management of an adequate health atmosphere which acts directly on health, as well as health education work and the supervision of environmental health threats. The work presented in this paper aims to reduce inequality, and give disabled people the tools to be integrated more effectively, reducing social exclusion, removing obstacles and barriers, and facilitating mobility and the use of technology. The work is planned to design a special healthcare collaborative network as the best solution for addressing the needs of the disabled self-care and health care community through the creation and implementation of an interconnected, electronic information infrastructure and adoption of open data standards.

Irradiation Design for an Experimental Murine Model

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

Ballesteros-Zebadua, P.; Moreno-Jimenez, S.; Suarez-Campos, J. E.

2010-12-07

In radiotherapy and stereotactic radiosurgery, small animal experimental models are frequently used, since there are still a lot of unsolved questions about the biological and biochemical effects of ionizing radiation. This work presents a method for small-animal brain radiotherapy compatible with a dedicated 6MV Linac. This rodent model is focused on the research of the inflammatory effects produced by ionizing radiation in the brain. In this work comparisons between Pencil Beam and Monte Carlo techniques, were used in order to evaluate accuracy of the calculated dose using a commercial planning system. Challenges in this murine model are discussed.

Tracking Success: Outputs Versus Outcomes-A Comparison of Accredited and Non-Accredited Public Health Agencies' Community Health Improvement Plan objectives.

PubMed

Perrault, Evan K; Inderstrodt-Stephens, Jill; Hintz, Elizabeth A

2018-06-01

With funding for public health initiatives declining, creating measurable objectives that are focused on tracking and changing population outcomes (i.e., knowledge, attitudes, or behaviors), instead of those that are focused on health agencies' own outputs (e.g., promoting services, developing communication messages) have seen a renewed focus. This study analyzed 4094 objectives from the Community Health Improvement Plans (CHIPs) of 280 local PHAB-accredited and non-accredited public health agencies across the United States. Results revealed that accredited agencies were no more successful at creating outcomes-focused objectives (35% of those coded) compared to non-accredited agencies (33% of those coded; Z = 1.35, p = .18). The majority of objectives were focused on outputs (accredited: 61.2%; non-accredited: 63.3%; Z = 0.72, p = .47). Outcomes-focused objectives primarily sought to change behaviors (accredited: 85.43%; non-accredited: 80.6%), followed by changes in knowledge (accredited: 9.75%; non-accredited: 10.8%) and attitudes (accredited: 1.6%; non-accredited: 5.1%). Non-accredited agencies had more double-barreled objectives (49.9%) compared to accredited agencies (32%; Z = 11.43, p < .001). The authors recommend that accreditation procedures place a renewed focus on ensuring that public health agencies strive to achieve outcomes. It is also advocated that public health agencies work with interdisciplinary teams of Health Communicators who can help them develop procedures to effectively and efficiently measure outcomes of knowledge and attitudes that are influential drivers of behavioral changes.

Radiation oncology: a primer for medical students.

PubMed

Berman, Abigail T; Plastaras, John P; Vapiwala, Neha

2013-09-01

Radiation oncology requires a complex understanding of cancer biology, radiation physics, and clinical care. This paper equips the medical student to understand the fundamentals of radiation oncology, first with an introduction to cancer treatment and the use of radiation therapy. Considerations during radiation oncology consultations are discussed extensively with an emphasis on how to formulate an assessment and plan including which treatment modality to use. The treatment planning aspects of radiation oncology are then discussed with a brief introduction to how radiation works, followed by a detailed explanation of the nuances of simulation, including different imaging modalities, immobilization, and accounting for motion. The medical student is then instructed on how to participate in contouring, plan generation and evaluation, and the delivery of radiation on the machine. Lastly, potential adverse effects of radiation are discussed with a particular focus on the on-treatment patient.

Operating the production calculus: ordering a production system in the print industry.

PubMed

Button, Graham; Sharrock, Wes

2002-06-01

The topic of shop-floor work has been extensively examined within sociology. However, the organizational structures within which this work takes place have, in the most part, been taken as unexamined givens. Yet, their operation is also the shop-floor work of some people. This paper examines the way in which the stable organizational structures within which shop-floor work takes place are achieved. It is based upon a fieldwork investigation of a large commercial printer and focuses upon the collaborative work of those who are involved in scheduling the production of a job and their use of 'the production calculus' in planning the work of the site. The print industry is undergoing considerable technological change and scheduling technologies have been developed to automate this work. However, there has been little take up of these technologies and the paper also considers how the characteristics of operating the production calculus in practice may account for this.

Transition and closeout of the Fernald Closure Project

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

Bilson, H.E.; Terry, T.; Reising, J.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Fluor Fernald have completed the majority of the cleanup of the Fernald Site. The over 1,000 acre complex for processing uranium has been demolished and soil contamination has been remediated. With acres of wetlands and prairies replacing the buildings and waste pits. At the end of the project the focus shifted to developing demonstrating the completion of the project and the contract, as well as ensuring a smooth transition of the facility from the DOE's Environmental Management (EM) Program to the DOE's Legacy Management (LM) Program. Working with the DOE, each portion ofmore » the closure contract was examined for specific closure definition. From this negotiation effort the Comprehensive Exit and Transition Plan (CE/T Plan) was written. The CE/T Plan is intended to assist DOE in the analysis that the site is ready for transfer into long-term stewardship (LTS) (also referred to as legacy management) and that Fluor Fernald, Inc. has satisfactorily completed the closure contract statement of work elements. Following the Lessons Learned from the closure of the Rocky Flats Site, the DOE's Legacy Management Program created a matrix of Transition Elements required to ensure adequate information was in place to allow the new prime contractor to perform the Legacy Management scope of work. The transition plan included over 1,000 elements broken down into functional areas and relied on specific Fernald Responsibility Transition Packages (RTPs) for detailed transition actions. The template for Closure and Transition Planning used at the Fernald Site was developed using the best Lessons Learned from across the DOE Complex. The template could be used for other sites, and lessons learned from this closure and transition will be appropriate for all closure projects. (authors)« less

Assessment of Understanding: Student Teachers' Preparation, Implementation and Reflection of a Lesson Plan for Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juhler, Martin Vogt

2018-06-01

Research finds that student teachers often fail to make observable instructional goals, without which a secure bridge between instruction and assessment is precluded. This is one reason that recent reports state that teacher education needs to become better at helping student teachers to develop their thinking about and skills in assessing pupils' learning. Currently in Europe, the Lesson Study method and the Content Representation tool, which both have a specific focus on assessment, have started to address this problem. This article describes and discusses an intervention in which Lesson Study was used in combination with Content Representation in student teachers' field practice. Empirical materials from one group of student teachers were analyzed to illustrate how the student teachers worked with assessment during the planning of a lesson, how they implemented it in a research lesson, and how they used the gathered observations to make claims about assessment aims. The findings suggest that the student teachers placed greater emphasis on assessment through the intervention. However, it is also found that more attention should have been dedicated to the planning phase and that the group did not manage to keep a research focus throughout the Lesson Study process. This suggests that it properly would be beneficial with several planning sessions prior to the research lesson, as well as having an expert teacher leading the Lesson Study.

Assessment of Understanding: Student Teachers' Preparation, Implementation and Reflection of a Lesson Plan for Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juhler, Martin Vogt

2017-05-01

Research finds that student teachers often fail to make observable instructional goals, without which a secure bridge between instruction and assessment is precluded. This is one reason that recent reports state that teacher education needs to become better at helping student teachers to develop their thinking about and skills in assessing pupils' learning. Currently in Europe, the Lesson Study method and the Content Representation tool, which both have a specific focus on assessment, have started to address this problem. This article describes and discusses an intervention in which Lesson Study was used in combination with Content Representation in student teachers' field practice. Empirical materials from one group of student teachers were analyzed to illustrate how the student teachers worked with assessment during the planning of a lesson, how they implemented it in a research lesson, and how they used the gathered observations to make claims about assessment aims. The findings suggest that the student teachers placed greater emphasis on assessment through the intervention. However, it is also found that more attention should have been dedicated to the planning phase and that the group did not manage to keep a research focus throughout the Lesson Study process. This suggests that it properly would be beneficial with several planning sessions prior to the research lesson, as well as having an expert teacher leading the Lesson Study.

Accelerating North American rangeland conservation with earth observation data and user driven web applications.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allred, B. W.; Naugle, D.; Donnelly, P.; Tack, J.; Jones, M. O.

2016-12-01

In 2010, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) launched the Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI) to voluntarily reduce threats facing sage-grouse and rangelands on private lands. Over the past five years, SGI has matured into a primary catalyst for rangeland and wildlife conservation across the North American west, focusing on the shared vision of wildlife conservation through sustainable working landscapes and providing win-win solutions for producers, sage grouse, and 350 other sagebrush obligate species. SGI and its partners have invested a total of $750 million into rangeland and wildlife conservation. Moving forward, SGI continues to focus on rangeland conservation. Partnering with Google Earth Engine, SGI has developed outcome monitoring and conservation planning tools at continental scales. The SGI science team is currently developing assessment and monitoring algorithms of key conservation indicators. The SGI web application utilizes Google Earth Engine for user defined analysis and planning, putting the appropriate information directly into the hands of managers and conservationists.

High-Resolution Topomapping of Mars: Life After MER Site Selection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kirk, R. L.; Howington-Kraus, E.; Hare, T. M.; Soricone, R.; Ross, K.; Weller, L.; Rosiek, M.; Redding, B.; Galuszka, D.; Haldemann, A. F. C.

2004-01-01

In this abstract we describe our ongoing use of high-resolution images from the Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera Narrow-Angle subsystem (MGS MOC-NA) to derive quantitative topographic and slope data for the martian surface at 3 - 10-m resolution. Our efforts over the past several years focused on assessment of candidate landing sites for the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) and culminated in the selection of sites in Gusev crater and Meridiani Planum as safe as well as scientifically compelling. As of this writing, MER-A (Spirit) has landed safely in Gusev and we are performing a limited amount of additional mapping near the landing point to support localization of the lander and rover operations planning. The primary focus of our work, however, has been extending our techniques to sample a variety of geologic terrains planetwide to support both a variety of geoscientific studies and planning and data analysis for missions such as Mars Express, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and Phoenix.

Self-Efficacy and Planning as Predictors of Physical Activity in the Context of Workplace Health Promotion.

PubMed

Keller, Jan; Gellert, Paul; Knoll, Nina; Schneider, Michael; Ernsting, Anna

2016-11-01

Fostering self-efficacy and planning in individuals can support the uptake and maintenance of regular physical activity. This study examined self-efficacy and planning as mechanisms of an online-delivered workplace health promotion intervention to enhance employees' physical activity. A special focus lay on reciprocal interrelations among self-efficacy and planning over time, as previous work predominantly accounted for only one predictive direction at a time. Data from N = 1,063 employees of a pharmaceutical company who reported an intention to increase their physical activity levels were assessed at three measurement points up to 12 weeks following the intervention. Cross-lagged panel analyses were performed to examine effects of self-efficacy and planning on physical activity as well as reciprocal interrelations between self-efficacy and planning. Findings indicated an increase in self-efficacy, planning, and physical activity following the intervention. Planning was consistently linked to subsequent physical activity, whereas self-efficacy was not associated. Also, reciprocal interrelations among self-efficacy and planning were found across both measurement lags. Planning was confirmed as a predictor of physical activity, whereas self-efficacy was not. However, cross-lagged interrelations indicated reciprocal reactivation among self-efficacy and planning over time, suggesting beneficial effects of including strategies that foster both volitional constructs in interventions. © 2016 The International Association of Applied Psychology.

Nurses as family caregivers - barriers and enablers facing nurses caring for children, parents or both.

PubMed

Clendon, Jill; Walker, Léonie

2017-03-01

To examine the dual caregiving and nursing responsibilities of nurses in New Zealand with a view to identifying potential strategies, policies and employment practices that may help to retain nurses with caregiving responsibilities in the workplace. As the nursing workforce ages, child-bearing is delayed and older family members are living longer, family caregiving responsibilities are impacting more on the working life of nurses. This may complicate accurate workforce planning assumptions. An explorative, descriptive design using interviews and focus groups with 28 registered nurses with family caregiving responsibilities. A depth of (largely hidden) experience was exposed revealing considerable guilt, physical, emotional and financial hardship. Regardless of whether the nurse chose to work or had to for financial reasons, family always came first. Demographic and societal changes related to caregiving may have profound implications for nursing. Workplace support is essential to ensure that nurses are able to continue to work. Increased awareness, support, flexibility and specific planning are required to retain nurses with family caregiving responsibilities. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Using co-teaching as a means of facilitating interprofessional collaboration in health and social care.

PubMed

Crow, Jayne; Smith, Lesley

2003-02-01

In this paper we report the findings of a collaborative enquiry on our experience as tutors co-teaching interprofessional collaboration to a multidisciplinary group of undergraduates. We have different professional/academic backgrounds and the student group included health and social work professionals alongside a number of non-professionals. Our data included our perceptions of the co-teaching experience collected by means of our reflective diaries and reflective conversations during planning and after teaching sessions. We also collected data on student perceptions elicited by means of student evaluations and a student focus group discussion. The data illuminate the process of using co-teaching to role model shared learning and collaborative working within the classroom and highlight the importance of carefully planning co-teaching interaction, including the use of humour, tension, different knowledge bases and styles of debate. The deliberate use of the interactions made possible by coteaching enabled us to create an active learning environment that facilitated the teaching of collaboration. Drawing on our experience, we discuss the considerable potential of using co-teaching to role model collaborative working for multidisciplinary student groups.

Physicians' occupational stress, depressive symptoms and work ability in relation to their working environment: a cross-sectional study of differences among medical residents with various specialties working in German hospitals

PubMed Central

Bernburg, Monika; Vitzthum, Karin; Groneberg, David A; Mache, Stefanie

2016-01-01

Objectives This study aimed to analyse and compare differences in occupational stress, depressive symptoms, work ability and working environment among residents working in various medical specialties. Methods 435 German hospital residents in medical training working in 6 different medical specialties participated in a cross-sectional survey study. Physicians were asked about their working conditions and aspects of mental health and work ability. The Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire, the Work Ability Index, the ICD-10 Symptom Rating and the Perceived Stress Questionnaire were used to measure working conditions, mental health and work ability. Results Results show that up to 17% of the physicians reported high levels of occupational distress and 9% reported high levels of depressive symptoms. 11% of the hospital physicians scored low in work ability. Significant differences between medical specialties were demonstrated for occupational distress, depressive symptoms, work ability, job demands and job resources. Surgeons showed consistently the highest levels of perceived distress but also the highest levels of work ability and lowest scores for depression. Depressive symptoms were rated with the highest levels by anaesthesiologists. Significant associations between physicians’ working conditions, occupational distress and mental health-related aspects are illustrated. Conclusions Study results demonstrated significant differences in specific job stressors, demands and resources. Relevant relations between work factors and physicians' health and work ability are discussed. These findings should be reinvestigated in further studies, especially with a longitudinal study design. This work suggests that to ensure physicians' health, hospital management should plan and implement suitable mental health promotion strategies. In addition, operational efficiency through resource planning optimisation and work process improvements should be focused by hospital management. PMID:27311909

A method to assess the allocation suitability of recreational activities: An economic approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Hsiao-Lin

1996-03-01

Most existing methods of planning focus on development of a recreational area; less consideration is placed on the allocation of recreational activities within a recreational area. Most existing research emphasizes the economic benefits of developing a recreational area; few authors assessed the allocation suitability of recreational activities from an economic point of view. The purpose of this work was to develop a model to assess the allocation suitability of recreational activities according to the application of a concept of analysis of cost and benefit under a premise of ecological concern. The model was verified with a case study of Taiwan. We suggest that the proposed model should form a critical part of recreational planning.

Turbine Technology Team - An overview of current and planned activities relevant to the National Launch System (NLS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griffin, Lisa W.; Huber, Frank W.

1992-01-01

The current status of the activities and future plans of the Turbine Technology Team of the Consortium for Computational Fluid Dynamics is reviewed. The activities of the Turbine Team focus on developing and enhancing codes and models, obtaining data for code validation and general understanding of flows through turbines, and developing and analyzing the aerodynamic designs of turbines suitable for use in the Space Transportation Main Engine fuel and oxidizer turbopumps. Future work will include the experimental evaluation of the oxidizer turbine configuration, the development, analysis, and experimental verification of concepts to control secondary and tip losses, and the aerodynamic design, analysis, and experimental evaluation of turbine volutes.

The Component Model of Infrastructure: A Practical Approach to Understanding Public Health Program Infrastructure

PubMed Central

Snyder, Kimberly; Rieker, Patricia P.

2014-01-01

Functioning program infrastructure is necessary for achieving public health outcomes. It is what supports program capacity, implementation, and sustainability. The public health program infrastructure model presented in this article is grounded in data from a broader evaluation of 18 state tobacco control programs and previous work. The newly developed Component Model of Infrastructure (CMI) addresses the limitations of a previous model and contains 5 core components (multilevel leadership, managed resources, engaged data, responsive plans and planning, networked partnerships) and 3 supporting components (strategic understanding, operations, contextual influences). The CMI is a practical, implementation-focused model applicable across public health programs, enabling linkages to capacity, sustainability, and outcome measurement. PMID:24922125

Australian baby boomers face retirement during the global financial crisis.

PubMed

Kendig, Hal; Wells, Yvonne; O'Loughlin, Kate; Heese, Karla

2013-01-01

This paper examines the impact in Australia of the global financial crisis on the baby boom cohort approaching later life. Data from national focus groups of people aged 50 to 64 years (N = 73), conducted in late 2008, found widespread but variable concern and uncertainty concerning work and retirement plans and experiences. A national survey (N = 1,009) of those aged 50 to 64 years in mid-2009 reported lower levels of financial satisfaction compared with other life domains; many planned to postpone retirement. Findings are interpreted in the context of policies and markets that differed significantly from those in the United States, notwithstanding the global nature of the financial crisis.

Agile software development in an earned value world: a survival guide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kantor, Jeffrey; Long, Kevin; Becla, Jacek; Economou, Frossie; Gelman, Margaret; Juric, Mario; Lambert, Ron; Krughoff, Simon; Swinbank, John D.; Wu, Xiuqin

2016-08-01

Agile methodologies are current best practice in software development. They are favored for, among other reasons, preventing premature optimization by taking a somewhat short-term focus, and allowing frequent replans/reprioritizations of upcoming development work based on recent results and current backlog. At the same time, funding agencies prescribe earned value management accounting for large projects which, these days, inevitably include substantial software components. Earned Value approaches emphasize a more comprehensive and typically longer-range plan, and tend to characterize frequent replans and reprioritizations as indicative of problems. Here we describe the planning, execution and reporting framework used by the LSST Data Management team, that navigates these opposite tensions.

The Integrated Airport: Building a Successful NextGen Testbed

ScienceCinema

Frederick-Recascino, Christina; Sweigard, Doug; Lester, Wade

2018-01-24

This presentation will describe a unique public-private partnership - the Integrated Airport - that was created to engage in research and testing related to NextGen Technology deployment.  NextGen refers to the program that will be initiated to modernize the US National Airspace.  As with any major, multi-decade initiative, such as NextGen, integration of work efforts by multiple partners in the modernization is critical for success.  This talk will focus on the development of the consortium, how the consortium plans for NextGen initiatives, the series of technology demonstrations we have produced and plans for the future of NextGen testing and implementation. 

From local development policies to strategic planning-Assessing continuity in institutional coalitions.

PubMed

Mazzeo Rinaldi, Francesco

2016-06-01

In the last two decades, EU policies have had a fundamental role in orienting regional/local development. The objective of this work is set in this context as it intends to analyze the local development programs activated in Sicily in the last three programming periods. The main aim is to explore whether the EU partnership principle influenced cooperation among local actors, assessing the continuity of local institutional coalition in managing different local development programs within the regional development policy system. We focus, in particular, on Strategic Plans (SP) promoted in Sicily in the transition phase between the 2000-2006 and the 2007-2013 periods. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Monitoring habitat restoration projects: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Region Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program and Coastal Program Protocol

USGS Publications Warehouse

Woodward, Andrea; Hollar, Kathy

2011-01-01

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) Pacific Region (Region 1) includes more than 158 million acres (almost 247,000 square miles) of land base in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Hawai`i, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Region 1 is ecologically diverse with landscapes that range from coral reefs, broadleaf tropical forests, and tropical savannahs in the Pacific Islands, to glacial streams and lakes, lush old-growth rainforests, inland fjords, and coastal shoreline in the Pacific Northwest, to the forested mountains, shrub-steppe desert, and native grasslands in the Inland Northwest. Similarly, the people of the different landscapes perceive, value, and manage their natural resources in ways unique to their respective regions and cultures. The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program (Partners Program) and Coastal Program work with a variety of partners in Region 1 including individual landowners, watershed councils, land trusts, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, non-governmental organizations, Tribal governments, Native Hawaiian organizations, and local, State, and Federal agencies. The Partners Program is the FWS's vanguard for working with private landowners to voluntarily restore and conserve fish and wildlife habitat. Using non-regulatory incentives, the Partners Program engages willing partners to conserve and protect valuable fish and wildlife habitat on their property and in their communities. This is accomplished by providing the funding support and technical and planning tools needed to make on-the-ground conservation affordable, feasible, and effective. The primary goals of the Pacific Region Partners Program are to: Promote citizen and community-based stewardship efforts for fish and wildlife conservation Contribute to the recovery of at-risk species, Protect the environmental integrity of the National Wildlife Refuges, Contribute to the implementation of the State Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategies, and Help achieve the objectives of the National Fish Habitat Partnerships and regionally based bird conservation plans (for example, North American Waterfowl Management Plan, U.S. Pacific Island Shorebird Conservation Plans, Intermountain West Regional Shorebird Plan, etc.). The Partners Program accomplishes these priorities by: Developing and maintaining strong partnerships, and delivering on-the-ground habitat restoration projects designed to reestablish habitat function and restore natural processes; Addressing key habitat limiting factors for declining species; Providing corridors for wildlife and decrease impediments to native fish and wildlife migration; and Enhancing native plant communities by reducing invasive species and improving native species composition. The Coastal Program is a voluntary fish and wildlife conservation program that focuses on watershed-scale, long-term collaborative resource planning and on-the-ground restoration projects in high-priority coastal areas. The Coastal Program conducts planning and restoration work on private, State, and Federal lands, and partnerships with other agencies-Native American Tribes, citizens, and organizations are emphasized. Coastal Program goals include restoring and protecting coastal habitat, providing technical and cost-sharing assistance where appropriate, supporting community-based restoration, collecting and developing information on the status of and threats to fish and wildlife, and using outreach to promote stewardship of coastal resources. The diversity of habitats and partners in Region 1 present many opportunities for conducting restoration projects. Faced with this abundance of opportunity, the Partners Program and Coastal Program must ensure that limited staffing and project dollars are allocated to benefit the highest priority resources and achieve the highest quality results for Federal trust species. In 2007, the Partners Program and Coastal Program developed a Strategic Plan to guide program operations and more efficiently conserve habitat by focusing partnership building and habitat improvement actions within 35 Partners Program Focus Areas and 9 Coastal Program Focus Areas (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2010). The Strategic Plan also contains four other goals: broaden and strengthen partnerships; improve information sharing and communications; enhance workforce; and increase accountability to ensure that program resources are used efficiently and effectively. This protocol will help achieve all goals of the Strategic Plan.

From tragedy to triumph: a segue to community building for children and families.

PubMed

Steves, Laura; Blevins, Ted

2005-01-01

In 2000, more than 60 nonprofit agencies, health care providers, government officials, and community advocates in Tarrant County, Texas, came together to work for systemic change in the mental health care system. The coalition, known as the Mental Health Connection, began working toward a "No Wrong Door" approach to mental health services, which required aggressive coordination between federal, private, and nonprofit resources. The result is a five- to six-year plan for implementation of a new systems of care model for children with severe emotional disturbances and their families. The Mental Health Connection also focuses on legislative advocacy to bring about necessary policy changes at the local, state, and federal levels. Finally, the coalition focuses on developing sustainable revenue streams that will allow the new systems to remain in place once the group accomplishes the initial mission of the Mental Health Connection.

Characterizing the nature of home care work and occupational hazards: a developmental intervention study.

PubMed

Markkanen, Pia; Quinn, Margaret; Galligan, Catherine; Sama, Susan; Brouillette, Natalie; Okyere, Daniel

2014-04-01

Home care (HC) aide is the fastest growing occupation, yet job hazards are under-studied. This study documents the context of HC aide work, characterizes occupational safety and health (OSH) hazards, and identifies preventive interventions using qualitative methods. We conducted 12 focus groups among aides and 26 in-depth interviews comprising 15 HC agency, union, and insurance company representatives as well as 11 HC recipients in Massachusetts. All focus groups and interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded with NVIVO software. Major OSH concerns were musculoskeletal disorders from client care tasks and verbal abuse. Performing tasks beyond specified job duties may be an OSH risk factor. HC aides' safety and clients' safety are closely linked. Client handling devices, client evaluation, care plan development, and training are key interventions for both aides' and clients' safety. Promoting OSH in HC is essential for maintaining a viable workforce. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Volume curtaining: a focus+context effect for multimodal volume visualization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fairfield, Adam J.; Plasencia, Jonathan; Jang, Yun; Theodore, Nicholas; Crawford, Neil R.; Frakes, David H.; Maciejewski, Ross

2014-03-01

In surgical preparation, physicians will often utilize multimodal imaging scans to capture complementary information to improve diagnosis and to drive patient-specific treatment. These imaging scans may consist of data from magnetic resonance imaging (MR), computed tomography (CT), or other various sources. The challenge in using these different modalities is that the physician must mentally map the two modalities together during the diagnosis and planning phase. Furthermore, the different imaging modalities will be generated at various resolutions as well as slightly different orientations due to patient placement during scans. In this work, we present an interactive system for multimodal data fusion, analysis and visualization. Developed with partners from neurological clinics, this work discusses initial system requirements and physician feedback at the various stages of component development. Finally, we present a novel focus+context technique for the interactive exploration of coregistered multi-modal data.

Diabetes Nutrition: Including Sweets in Your Meal Plan

MedlinePlus

Diabetes nutrition: Including sweets in your meal plan Diabetes nutrition focuses on healthy foods, but sweets aren't necessarily ... your meal plan. By Mayo Clinic Staff Diabetes nutrition focuses on healthy foods. But you can eat ...

Value measurement in health care: a new perspective.

PubMed

Michelman, J E; Rausch, P E; Barton, T L

1999-08-01

Vital to the success of any healthcare organization is the ability to obtain useful information and feedback about its performance. In particular, healthcare organizations need to begin to understand how non-value-adding work activities detract from their bottom lines. Additionally, financial managers and information systems need to provide data and reports throughout the continuum of care. Overall, healthcare organizations must align the management information and control systems with the planning and decision-making processes. The horizontal information system is a tool to manage three common problems facing today's healthcare managers: (1) the use of existing information to focus on control rather than improve business, (2) failure to focus on satisfying the customer, and (3) failure to combine their efforts with those of the employees by developing trust and a common focus.

EPOS-IP WP10: services and data provision for the GNSS community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernandes, Rui

2016-04-01

The EPOS-IP WP10 - "GNSS Data & Products" is the Working Package of the EPOS-IP project in charge of implementing the necessary services in order that the geo-sciences community can access the existing Pan-European Geodetic Infrastructures. The WP10 is formed by representatives of the participating institutions (10) but it is also open to the entire geodetic community. In fact, WP10 also includes members from other institutions/countries that formally are not participating in the EPOS-IP. During the EPOS-IP project, the geodetic component of EPOS (WP10) is dealing essentially with Research Infrastructures focused on continuous operating GNSS (cGNSS). The option of concentrating the efforts on the presently most generalized geodetic tool supporting research on Solid Earth was decided in order to optimize the existing resources. Furthermore, although the focus is on Solid Earth applications, other research and technical applications (e.g., reference frames, meteorology, space weather) can also benefit from the efforts of WP10 towards the optimization of the geodetic resources in Europe. We will present and discuss the plans for the implementation of the thematic and core services (TCS) for GNSS data within EPOS and the related business plan. We will focus on strategies towards the implementation of the best solutions that will permit to the end-users, and in particular geo-scientists, to access the geodetic data, derived solutions, and associated metadata using transparent and uniform processes. The collaboration with EUREF is also an essential component of the implementation plan.

Survivors Perceptions of Recovery following Air Medical Transport Accidents.

PubMed

Jaynes, Cathy L; Valdez, Anna; Hamilton, Megan; Haugen, Krista; Henry, Colin; Jones, Pat; Werman, Howard A; White, Lynn J

2015-01-01

Abstract Objective: Air medical transport (AMT) teams play an essential role in the care of the critically ill and injured. Their work, however, is not without risk. Since the inception of the industry numerous AMT accidents have been reported. The objective of this research is to gain a better understanding of the post-accident sequelae for professionals who have survived AMT accidents. The hope is that this understanding will empower the industry to better support survivors and plan for the contingencies of post-accident recovery. Methods: Qualitative methods were used to explore the experience of flight crew members who have survived an AMT accident. "Accident" was defined using criteria established by the National Transportation Safety Board. Traditional focus group methodology explored the survivors' experiences following the accident. Results: Seven survivors participated in the focus group. Content analysis revealed themes in four major domains that described the experience of survivors: Physical, Psychological, Relational and Financial. Across the themes survivors reported that industry and company response varied greatly, ranging from generous support, understanding and action to make safety improvements, to little response or action and lack of attention to survivor needs. Conclusion: Planning for AMT post-accident response was identified to be lacking in scope and quality. More focused efforts are needed to assist and support the survivors as they regain both their personal and professional lives following the accident. This planning should include all stakeholders in safe transport; the individual crewmember, air medical transport companies, and the industry at large.

Dynamics and statics of nonaxisymmetric liquid bridges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexander, J. Iwan D.; Resnick, Andy; Zhang, Yiqiang; Fedoseyev, A.

1994-01-01

We finished the construction of the experimental apparatus and the design and testing of some of the visualization and data acquisition techniques. Experimental work focused on three areas: force measurements, loss of stability to nonaxisymmetric bridges, and vibration behavior. The experimental work is summarized in section 2. Selected results from our force measurement experiments are outlined in section 3. In addition we worked on the theory of the dynamic stability of axisymmetric bridges and undertook numerical simulation of the effects of inclined gravity vectors on the minimum volume stability limit for static bridges. The results and status of our theoretical work and numerical simulation are described in section 4. Papers published and in preparation, conference presentations, etc., are described in section 5. Work planned for the third year is discussed in section 6. References cited in the report are listed in section 7.

Constraint-based integration of planning and scheduling for space-based observatory management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Muscettola, Nicola; Smith, Steven F.

1994-01-01

Progress toward the development of effective, practical solutions to space-based observatory scheduling problems within the HSTS scheduling framework is reported. HSTS was developed and originally applied in the context of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) short-term observation scheduling problem. The work was motivated by the limitations of the current solution and, more generally, by the insufficiency of classical planning and scheduling approaches in this problem context. HSTS has subsequently been used to develop improved heuristic solution techniques in related scheduling domains and is currently being applied to develop a scheduling tool for the upcoming Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS) mission. The salient architectural characteristics of HSTS and their relationship to previous scheduling and AI planning research are summarized. Then, some key problem decomposition techniques underlying the integrated planning and scheduling approach to the HST problem are described; research results indicate that these techniques provide leverage in solving space-based observatory scheduling problems. Finally, more recently developed constraint-posting scheduling procedures and the current SWAS application focus are summarized.

Three countries' experience with Norplant introduction.

PubMed

Hardee, K; Balogh, S; Villinski, M T

1997-09-01

Despite international efforts to plan for Norplant introduction, the method has drawn the attention of critics of family planning programmes, and has raised several issues for debate since it was introduced into family planning programmes. The experiences of three countries with the introduction of Norplant highlight some of the unique features of the method that have affected its introduction. Indonesia, Bangladesh and the United States represent diverse cultural settings and systems of family planning provision. Experience in each country has highlighted the need to focus on quality of care for clients, most notably the need for good counselling and attention to removal as well as insertion. The cost of Norplant also has influenced its introduction in each country. Another issue includes the need to work with women's health advocacy groups, which is illustrated particularly in Bangladesh. Finally, the role of litigation in the United States, and its potential role in influencing Norplant introduction in other countries, is discussed. These three countries' experience illustrate the importance of understanding the programmatic context of contraceptive introduction.

40 CFR 35.107 - Work plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Work plans. 35.107 Section 35.107... ASSISTANCE Environmental Program Grants Preparing An Application § 35.107 Work plans. (a) Bases for negotiating work plans. The work plan is negotiated between the applicant and the Regional Administrator and...

77 FR 29317 - Fiscal Year 2011 Draft Work Plan

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-17

... DENALI COMMISSION Fiscal Year 2011 Draft Work Plan AGENCY: Denali Commission. ACTION: Notice... develop proposed work plans for future spending and that the annual Work Plan be published in the Federal... Work Plan for Federal Fiscal Year 2011. DATES: Comments and related material to be received by June 10...

40 CFR 35.507 - Work plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Work plans. 35.507 Section 35.507... ASSISTANCE Environmental Program Grants for Tribes Preparing An Application § 35.507 Work plans. (a) Bases for negotiating work plans. The work plan is negotiated between the applicant and the Regional...

40 CFR 35.507 - Work plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Work plans. 35.507 Section 35.507... ASSISTANCE Environmental Program Grants for Tribes Preparing An Application § 35.507 Work plans. (a) Bases for negotiating work plans. The work plan is negotiated between the applicant and the Regional...

40 CFR 35.107 - Work plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Work plans. 35.107 Section 35.107... ASSISTANCE Environmental Program Grants Preparing An Application § 35.107 Work plans. (a) Bases for negotiating work plans. The work plan is negotiated between the applicant and the Regional Administrator and...

Conservation Plan, Seaman Outdoor Laboratory for Environmental Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Topeka Unified School District 345, KS.

This guide focuses on the conservation plan for an outdoor laboratory. Although the plan focuses specifically on Seaman Outdoor Education Laboratory, the concepts could be applied to any natural area including parks, farms, and school grounds. Along with an introduction and justification, the guide includes the conservation plan that serves as the…

Advanced planning for ISS payload ground processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Page, Kimberly A.

2000-01-01

Ground processing at John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is the concluding phase of the payload/flight hardware development process and is the final opportunity to ensure safe and successful recognition of mission objectives. Planning for the ground processing of on-orbit flight hardware elements and payloads for the International Space Station is a responsibility taken seriously at KSC. Realizing that entering into this operational environment can be an enormous undertaking for a payload customer, KSC continually works to improve this process by instituting new/improved services for payload developer/owner, applying state-of-the-art technologies to the advanced planning process, and incorporating lessons learned for payload ground processing planning to ensure complete customer satisfaction. This paper will present an overview of the KSC advanced planning activities for ISS hardware/payload ground processing. It will focus on when and how KSC begins to interact with the payload developer/owner, how that interaction changes (and grows) throughout the planning process, and how KSC ensures that advanced planning is successfully implemented at the launch site. It will also briefly consider the type of advance planning conducted by the launch site that is transparent to the payload user but essential to the successful processing of the payload (i.e. resource allocation, executing documentation, etc.) .

Distributed collaborative environments for virtual capability-based planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McQuay, William K.

2003-09-01

Distributed collaboration is an emerging technology that will significantly change how decisions are made in the 21st century. Collaboration involves two or more geographically dispersed individuals working together to share and exchange data, information, knowledge, and actions. The marriage of information, collaboration, and simulation technologies provides the decision maker with a collaborative virtual environment for planning and decision support. This paper reviews research that is focusing on the applying open standards agent-based framework with integrated modeling and simulation to a new Air Force initiative in capability-based planning and the ability to implement it in a distributed virtual environment. Virtual Capability Planning effort will provide decision-quality knowledge for Air Force resource allocation and investment planning including examining proposed capabilities and cost of alternative approaches, the impact of technologies, identification of primary risk drivers, and creation of executable acquisition strategies. The transformed Air Force business processes are enabled by iterative use of constructive and virtual modeling, simulation, and analysis together with information technology. These tools are applied collaboratively via a technical framework by all the affected stakeholders - warfighter, laboratory, product center, logistics center, test center, and primary contractor.

Disaster mental health preparedness plan in Indonesia.

PubMed

Setiawan, G Pandu; Viora, Eka

2006-12-01

The tsunami brought into focus many issues related to mental health and psychosocial distress. A prompt response to the disaster relies on existing disaster management plans so that appropriate interventions can be put in place in order to meet the needs of the affected populations. The response must involve both physical and psychological aspects of care. The Indonesian experience was unique in a number of ways and it allowed us to explore the lessons in order to develop strategies to maximize the resources in order to ensure that the whole affected population was cared for. Massive destruction of the physical structures and the work force made the task particularly difficult. Existing policies did not include psychosocial efforts in the plan. However, mental health and psychosocial relief efforts are now being integrated into the disaster preparedness plan of Indonesia. To further implement the plan, a strong community mental health system is being developed. This system will be able to deliver mental health and psychosocial interventions on a routine basis and could be scaled up in times of disasters.

The role of experience in night work: Lessons from two ergonomic studies.

PubMed

Pueyo, Valérie; Toupin, Cathy; Volkoff, Serge

2011-01-01

The purpose of this article is to analyze some connections between experience, health and work, especially in the field of night work. As a result of the baby boom, the proportion of elderly workers is steadily increasing, while at the same time many workers are reaching retirement age and being replaced by younger people. And, in the same time, there is an overall gradual increase in shift work and night work. To our knowledge, worker experience has not been extensively studied in this context. This was our focus in studying work activity in two very different situations, in a hospital and in a steel industry. In these two studies we observed that the experienced workers endeavor to plan ahead, especially at night. They do this to limit fatigue and to avoid emergencies and ensure that work is stress-free and as far as possible under control. But experience not only brings workers to plan ahead, it also enables them to do so, thanks to the resources it confers: gaining familiarity with tasks and acquiring the ability to identify critical situations, gaining knowledge about themselves and awareness of situations that cause difficulty; and gaining a better overview of the collective aspects of their work and of ways to share tasks or obtain assistance. They are able to undertake these strategies thanks to specific skills and capacities they have built along their professional career, which notably leads them to find the best trade-off between several goals, possibly contradictory. Such experience is especially valuable at night, when the worker is tired, and when there are fewer supervisors present. This experience can only be gained, however, if the work environment fosters its acquisition and provides an opportunity to make use of it, especially during the night shift and especially with respect to planning tasks ahead of time. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Coping with interruptions in clinical nursing-A qualitative study.

PubMed

Laustsen, Sussie; Brahe, Liselotte

2018-04-01

To gain knowledge on how nurses' cope with interruptions in clinical practice. Interruptions may delay work routines and result in wasted time, disorganised planning and ineffective working procedures, affecting nurses' focus and overview in different ways. Research has identified a growing problem linking errors or adverse events with interruptions. It may affect patient safety if nurses are not paying attention to interruptions. Little is known about how nurses cope with interruptions DESIGN: The study was inspired by ethnographic fieldwork with a hermeneutical phenomenological approach. Observations were performed combined with semi-structured qualitative interviews. Managing interruptions depend on level of competence, working environment, dialogue and matching of expectations, collegial roles and implicit rules. Working procedures impact on how nurses are exposed to unnecessary interruptions. The latter affects overview and the ability to put the foot down and decline being interrupted. Professional competencies for example prioritising, keeping focus and collaborating across disciplines are needed to cope with interruptions. Culture work and matching of expectations are important to reflect on and discuss personal- and group behaviour caused by interruptions. We need to focus on the role of each nurse in the professional team, types of personality and unspoken rules. Professional competencies for example prioritising, keeping focus and cooperating across disciplines are needed to cope with interruptions. Coping with interruptions is important for the nursing profession, quality of care and patient safety. Changing practice requires multidisciplinary cooperation accepting different agendas at personal, group and organisational levels. Nurses must understand the meaning and nature of different types of interruptions to develop coping strategies and maintain quality in care and patient safety in multidisciplinary teamwork. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Self-care interventions for the school-aged child with encopresis.

PubMed

Vitito, L M

2000-01-01

Encopresis, an elimination disorder in children, presents as a challenging problem for gastroenterology nurses working with patients and families confronted with this disorder. This article offers a summary of the literature on encopresis, including pathogenesis, causative factors, early treatment, and clinical interventions focused on self-care. The antecedent factors that facilitate the child's participation in self-care are summarized, along with the intended outcomes of the self-care intervention plan.

Ernst and Young LLP South Carolina Research Authority Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1995.

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-06-30

The objective of a quality control review is to ensure that the audit was conducted in accordance with applicable standards and meets the auditing...requirements of OMB Circular A-133. As the Federal oversight agency for SCRA, we conducted a quality control review of the audit working papers. We...focused our review on the following qualitative aspects of the audit : due professional care, planning, supervision, independence, quality control

Summary of the NASA/MSFC FY-79 Severe Storm and Local Weather research review. [cloud physics, atmospheric electricity, and mesoscale/storm dynamics reserach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

Significant acomplishments, current focus of work, plans for FY-80, and recommendations for new research are outlined for 36 research projects proposed for technical monitoring by the Atmospheric Sciences Division at Marshall Space Flight Center. Topics of the investigations, which were reviewed at a two-day meeting, relate to cloud physics, atmospheric electricity, and mesoscale/storm dynamics.

Dental hygiene participation in managing incipient and hidden caries.

PubMed

Barnes, Caren M

2005-10-01

With the advent of new caries detection devices that allow early detection, dental hygienists can intervene in the demineralization process and work with the patient toward remineralization through patient self-care procedures and the professional application of topical fluorides. The focus of this article is on caries detection devices, caries risk assessment, agents used to prevent dental caries, and the development of self-care plans for patients that include prevention, intervention, and therapeutic components.

The Employment of Structures and Work Patterns in Organizations Involved in Modern, Complex, Multi-National Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-01

This has a particular impact on Command Management, through which the Commander establishes and maintains his headquarters structures, collaborations...tend to be organized in a ‘planning-centric’ fashion. Analysis tends to focus upon the interpretation of environmental phenomena (e.g. events...These will be used in the next stage to organize scenario development. for the future of the conflict region including the impact of the military

Hypersonic Experimental and Computational Capability, Improvement and Validation. Volume 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Muylaert, Jean (Editor); Kumar, Ajay (Editor); Dujarric, Christian (Editor)

1998-01-01

The results of the phase 2 effort conducted under AGARD Working Group 18 on Hypersonic Experimental and Computational Capability, Improvement and Validation are presented in this report. The first volume, published in May 1996, mainly focused on the design methodology, plans and some initial results of experiments that had been conducted to serve as validation benchmarks. The current volume presents the detailed experimental and computational data base developed during this effort.

AT&L Human Capital Strategic Plan v 3.0

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-07-01

as direct-hire and intern/mid- level lateral hiring programs. Recruiting strategies should focus on the unique advantages of employment that DoD AT&L...tailor our DoD AT&L strategies to ensure that we can sustain the level of personnel needed to accomplish our mission. 3 Accomplishments and Way Ahead... level of human capital strategies based on new knowledge and understanding. The USD(AT&L) encour- ages Components to work collaboratively to

The Interplay of Orthodontics, Periodontics, and Restorative Dentistry to Achieve Aesthetic and Functional Success.

PubMed

Trushkowsky, Richard D; Alsadah, Zainab; Brea, Luis M; Oquendo, Anabella

2015-07-01

Previously dentists focused on repair and maintenance of function. However, the emphasis of many patients and dentists is now on esthetics. Often there is a need for the disciplines of orthodontics, periodontics, restorative dentistry, and maxillofacial surgery to work together in order to achieve optimum results. Currently the sequencing planning process begins with esthetics and then function, structure, and ultimately biology. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Community pharmacists' beliefs regarding improvement of Star Ratings scores using the Theory of Planned Behavior.

PubMed

George, David L; Smith, Michael J; Draugalis, JoLaine R; Tolma, Eleni L; Keast, Shellie L; Wilson, Justin B

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is moving toward a value-based model, which includes the Five-Star Quality Rating System (Star Ratings). Prescription Drug Plans include multiple pharmacy measures associated with adherence and patient safety that contribute to CMS Star Ratings scores. This study, using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), explored factors associated with community pharmacists' beliefs to improve Star Ratings scores. Exploratory, qualitative, use of focus groups, and the TPB. Focus groups were performed in conference rooms at the College of Pharmacy main and satellite campuses. Participants were community retail pharmacists with an active Oklahoma license and 1 year of work experience. Each focus group was audio recorded and the recording transcribed to documents and analyzed with the use of a hybrid deductive and inductive qualitative approach rooted in a constant comparative framework. Coding of the data back to the TPB constitutes a deductive approach. The generation of themes and subthemes from other coded nodes constitutes an inductive approach. Analysts agreed on common themes, differences in findings, and saturation of the data gathered. Four focus groups were conducted with 26 participants in 2 categories: pharmacists with and without experience improving Star Ratings. Pharmacists shared and contrasted in salient, normative, and control beliefs about patient outcomes, data, financial implications, staff, technology, and other stakeholders associated with performance of improving Star Ratings. Themes regarding medication adherence, patient safety, and intention were also found. The TPB was used to explore beliefs of community pharmacists about improving Star Ratings scores. Themes that were identified will assist in future research for measuring intention to improve CMS Star Ratings scores and the development of training and education programs. Published by Elsevier Inc.

7 CFR 23.13 - Plan of Work.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Plan of Work. 23.13 Section 23.13 Agriculture Office of the Secretary of Agriculture STATE AND REGIONAL ANNUAL PLANS OF WORK Regional Program § 23.13 Plan of Work. (a) A Regional Plan of Work for carrying out the programs authorized to be funded under...

Development and evaluation of a Chinese-language newborn feeding hotline: a prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Janssen, Patricia A; Livingstone, Verity H; Chang, Bruce; Klein, Michael C

2009-01-29

Preference for formula versus breast feeding among women of Chinese descent remains a concern in North America. The goal of this study was to develop an intervention targeting Chinese immigrant mothers to increase their rates of exclusive breastfeeding. We convened a focus group of immigrant women of Chinese descent in Vancouver, British Columbia to explore preferences for method of infant feeding. We subsequently surveyed 250 women of Chinese descent to validate focus group findings. Using a participatory approach, our focus group participants reviewed survey findings and developed a priority list for attributes of a community-based intervention to support exclusive breastfeeding in the Chinese community. The authors and focus group participants worked as a team to plan, implement and evaluate a Chinese language newborn feeding information telephone service staffed by registered nurses fluent in Chinese languages. Participants in the focus group reported a strong preference for formula feeding. Telephone survey results revealed that while pregnant Chinese women understood the benefits of breastfeeding, only 20.8% planned to breastfeed exclusively. Only 15.6% were breastfeeding exclusively at two months postpartum. After implementation of the feeding hotline, 20% of new Chinese mothers in Vancouver indicated that they had used the hotline. Among these women, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding was 44.1%; OR 3.02, (95% CI 1.78-5.09) compared to women in our survey. Initiation of a language-specific newborn feeding telephone hotline reached a previously underserved population and may have contributed to improved rates of exclusive breastfeeding.

McKenzie River Focus Watershed Coordination: Year-End Report 2000.

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

Thrailkil, Jim

2000-01-01

This report summarizes accomplishments of the McKenzie River Focus Watershed Council (MWC) in the areas of coordination and administration during Fiscal Year 2000. Coordination and administration consist of prioritization and planning for projects; project management and implementation; procurement of funding for long-term support of the Council; and watershed education/outreach program for residents and local schools. Key accomplishments in the area of project planning include coordinating: monthly Council and executive committee meetings; staffing the Upper Willamette Spring Chinook Working Group; staffing the water quality technical committee; and guiding education and stewardship projects. Key accomplishments in the area of project management includemore » the completion of the McKenzie-Willamette Confluence Assessment; securing funds for project planning in the confluence area; near completion of the BPA funded McKenzie sub-basin assessment; development of a framework for a McKenzie Watershed Conservation Strategy; an evaluation of Council's monitoring programs - ambient water quality, storm-event water quality, Tier III water quality, and macroinvertebrate monitoring. The Council, in cooperation with the McKenzie River Cooperative, completed habitat enhancements in the Gate Creek and Deer Creek sub-watersheds. This partnership recently submitted Bring Back the Natives grant for initiation of projects in other McKenzie tributaries. The Council will also be working with a local business to develop a river-side riparian enhancement and native landscaping project on the lodge grounds. This will serve as a demonstration project for blending fish and wildlife habitat concerns with maintaining grounds for business opportunities. Accomplishments in the area of procurement of funding included developing the FY2000 Scope of Work and budget for approval by the Council and BPA; providing quarterly budget and work program progress reports to the Council; and securing additional funding from Council partner organizations and foundations. Highlights in the area of watershed education/outreach include the MWC's lead role in convening the Watershed Education Network for teachers as part of its educational mission; production of newsletters and brochures; and coordination of media coverage of watershed-related issues.« less

Resistance is Futile: STScI's Science Planning and Scheduling Team Switches From VMS to Unix Operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adler, D. S.

2000-12-01

The Science Planning and Scheduling Team (SPST) of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) has historically operated exclusively under VMS. Due to diminished support for VMS-based platforms at STScI, SPST is in the process of transitioning to Unix operations. In the summer of 1999, SPST selected Python as the primary scripting language for the operational tools and began translation of the VMS DCL code. As of October 2000, SPST has installed a utility library of 16 modules consisting of 8000 lines of code and 80 Python tools consisting of 13000 lines of code. All tasks related to calendar generation have been switched to Unix operations. Current work focuses on translating the tools used to generate the Science Mission Specifications (SMS). The software required to generate the Mission Schedule and Command Loads (PASS), maintained by another team at STScI, will take longer to translate than the rest of the SPST operational code. SPST is planning on creating tools to access PASS from Unix in the short term. We are on schedule to complete the work needed to fully transition SPST to Unix operations (while remotely accessing PASS on VMS) by the fall of 2001.

Future Scenario Development from Disruptive Exploration Technologies and Business Models in the U.S. Geothermal Industry

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

Wall, Anna

With recent trends toward intermittent renewable energy sources in the U.S., the geothermal industry in its current form faces a crossroad: adapt, disrupt, or be left behind. Strategic planning with scenario analysis offers a framework to characterize plausible views of the future given current trends - as well as disruptions to the status quo. To inform strategic planning in the Department of Energy's (DOE) Geothermal Technology Office (GTO), the Geothermal Vision Study is tasked with offering data-driven pathways for future geothermal development. Scenario analysis is a commonly used tool in private industry corporate strategic planning as a way to prioritizemore » and manage large investments in light of uncertainty and risk. Since much of the uncertainty and risk in a geothermal project is believed to occur within early stage exploration and drilling, this paper focuses on the levers (technical and financial) within the exploration process that can be pulled to affect change. Given these potential changes, this work first qualitatively explores potential shifts to the geothermal industry. Future work within the Geothermal Vision Study will incorporate these qualitative scenarios quantitatively, in competition with other renewable and conventional energy industries.« less

The use of tacit and explicit knowledge in public health: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Planning a public health initiative is both a science and an art. Public health practitioners work in a complex, often time-constrained environment, where formal research literature can be unavailable or uncertain. Consequently, public health practitioners often draw upon other forms of knowledge. Methods Through use of one-on-one interviews and focus groups, we aimed to gain a better understanding of how tacit knowledge is used to inform program initiatives in public health. This study was designed as a narrative inquiry, which is based on the assumption that we make sense of the world by telling stories. Four public health units were purposively selected for maximum variation, based on geography and academic affiliation. Results Analysis revealed different ways in which tacit knowledge was used to plan the public health program or initiative, including discovering the opportunity, bringing a team together, and working out program details (such as partnering, funding). Conclusions The findings of this study demonstrate that tacit knowledge is drawn upon, and embedded within, various stages of the process of program planning in public health. The results will be useful in guiding the development of future knowledge translation strategies for public health organizations and decision makers. PMID:22433980

The relationships between organizational and individual variables to on-the-job driver accidents and accident-free kilometres.

PubMed

Caird, J K; Kline, T J

2004-12-01

Highway fatalities are the leading cause of fatal work injuries in the US, accounting for approximately 1 in 4 of the 5900 job-related deaths during 2001. The present study focused on the contribution of organizational factors and driver behaviours to on-the-job driving accidents in a large Western Canadian corporation. A structural equation modelling (SEM) approach was used which allows researchers to test a complex set of relationships within a global theoretical framework. A number of scales were used to assess organizational support, driver errors, and driver behaviours. The sample of professional drivers that participated allowed the recording of on-the-job accidents and accident-free kilometres from their personnel files. The pattern of relationships in the fitted model, after controlling for exposure and social desirability, provides insight into the role of organizational support, planning, environment adaptations, fatigue, speed, errors and moving citations to on-the-job accidents and accident-free kilometres. For example, organizational support affected the capacity to plan. Time to plan work-related driving was found to predict accidents, fatigue and adaptations to the environment. Other interesting model paths, SEM limitations, future research and recommendations are elaborated.

2014-2015 Partnership accomplishments report on joint activities: National Gap Analysis Program and LANDFIRE

USGS Publications Warehouse

Davidson, Anne; McKerrow, Alexa; Long, Don; Earnhardt, Todd

2015-01-01

The intended target audience for this document initially is management and project technical specialist and scientists involved in the Gap Analysis Program (GAP) and the Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools - (LANDFIRE) program to help communicate coordination activities to all involved parties. This document is also intended to give background information in other parts of the USGS and beyond, although some details given are relatively oriented to management of the respective programs. Because the Gap Analysis Program (GAP) and the Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools - LANDFIRE programs both rely on characterizations of land cover using similar scales and resolutions, the programs have been coordinating their work to improve scientific consistency and efficiency of production. Initial discussions and informal sharing of ideas and work began in 2008. Although this collaboration was fruitful, there was no formal process for reporting results, plans, or outstanding issues, nor was there any formally-defined coordinated management team that spanned the two programs. In 2012, leadership from the two programs agreed to strengthen the coordination of their respective work efforts. In 2013 the GAP and LANDFIRE programs developed an umbrella plan of objectives and components related to three mutual focus areas for the GAP and LANDFIRE collaboration for the years 2013 and 2014 (GAP/LANDFIRE 2013). The evolution of this partnership resulted in the drafting of an inter-program Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2014. This MOU identified three coordination topics relevant to the two programs participating at this point in the MOU history: Vegetation mappingDisturbance classesFormal quality assessment

Mission Operations of the Mars Exploration Rovers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bass, Deborah; Lauback, Sharon; Mishkin, Andrew; Limonadi, Daniel

2007-01-01

A document describes a system of processes involved in planning, commanding, and monitoring operations of the rovers Spirit and Opportunity of the Mars Exploration Rover mission. The system is designed to minimize command turnaround time, given that inherent uncertainties in terrain conditions and in successful completion of planned landed spacecraft motions preclude planning of some spacecraft activities until the results of prior activities are known by the ground-based operations team. The processes are partitioned into those (designated as tactical) that must be tied to the Martian clock and those (designated strategic) that can, without loss, be completed in a more leisurely fashion. The tactical processes include assessment of downlinked data, refinement and validation of activity plans, sequencing of commands, and integration and validation of sequences. Strategic processes include communications planning and generation of long-term activity plans. The primary benefit of this partition is to enable the tactical portion of the team to focus solely on tasks that contribute directly to meeting the deadlines for commanding the rover s each sol (1 sol = 1 Martian day) - achieving a turnaround time of 18 hours or less, while facilitating strategic team interactions with other organizations that do not work on a Mars time schedule.

A Meta-Analysis of Urban Climate Change Adaptation ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The concentration of people, infrastructure, and ecosystem services in urban areas make them prime sites for climate change adaptation. While advances have been made in developing frameworks for adaptation planning and identifying both real and potential barriers to action, empirical work evaluating urban adaptation planning processes has been relatively piecemeal. Existing assessments of current experience with urban adaptation provide necessarily broad generalizations based on the available peer-reviewed literature. This paper uses a meta-analysis of U.S. cities’ current experience with urban adaptation planning drawing from 54 sources that include peer-reviewed literature, government reports, white papers, and reports published by non-governmental organizations. The analysis specifically evaluates the institutional support structures being developed for urban climate change adaptation. The results demonstrate that adaptation planning is driven by a desire to reduce vulnerability and often catalyzes new collaborations and coordination mechanisms in urban governance. As a result, building capacity for urban climate change adaptation planning requires a focus not only on city governments themselves but also on the complex horizontal and vertical networks that have arisen around such efforts. Existing adaptation planning often lacks attention to equity issues, social vulnerability, and the influence of non-climatic factors on vulnerability. Engaging city govern

Costs and effects of a 'healthy living' approach to community development in two deprived communities: findings from a mixed methods study

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Inequalities in health have proved resistant to 'top down' approaches. It is increasingly recognised that health promotion initiatives are unlikely to succeed without strong local involvement at all stages of the process and many programmes now use grass roots approaches. A healthy living approach to community development (HLA) was developed as an innovative response to local concerns about a lack of appropriate services in two deprived communities in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. We sought to assess feasibility, costs, benefits and working relationships of this HLA. Methods The HLA intervention operated through existing community forums and focused on the whole community and its relationship with statutory and voluntary sectors. Local people were trained as community researchers and gathered views about local needs though resident interviews. Forums used interview results to write action plans, disseminated to commissioning organisations. The process was supported throughout through the project. The evaluation used a multi-method before and after study design including process and outcome formative and summative evaluation; data gathered through documentary evidence, diaries and reflective accounts, semi-structured interviews, focus groups and costing proformas. Main outcome measures were processes and timelines of implementation of HLA; self reported impact on communities and participants; community-agency processes of liaison; costs. Results Communities were able to produce and disseminate action plans based on locally-identified needs. The process was slower than anticipated: few community changes had occurred but expectations were high. Community participants gained skills and confidence. Cross-sector partnership working developed. The process had credibility within service provider organisations but mechanisms for refocusing commissioning were patchy. Intervention costs averaged £58,304 per community per annum. Conclusions The intervention was feasible and inexpensive, with indications of potential impact at individual, community and policy planning levels. However, it is a long term process which requires sustained investment and must be embedded in planning and service delivery processes. PMID:21223586

Meeting IYA Goals for Diverse Science Center and Planetarium Audiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nichols Yehling, Michelle; Carney, K.

2008-05-01

The International Year of Astronomy provides the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, IL with a chance to bring astronomy into the greater Chicagoland area. 1) The presenters will outline Adler's program plans to date, from community outreach programs such as Café Scientifique and citizen science light pollution observations, to programs within the institution, like a temporary exhibit about how telescopes have shaped our understanding of the cosmos. The presenters will focus on the range of programming and how this suite of programs brings together IYA topical threads, addressing sustainability and the needs of our audiences. 2) How do we know that the IYA programs we design actually work for our audiences? How do we assess and improve our work? This session will introduce participants to the "backwards design” process through which Adler educators create experiences that begin with focused goals. Facilitators will take participants through the Adler's evaluation planning method that uncovers what we want to know about our educational programs and experiences. Tools for program design and evaluation will be shared. 3) Facilitators will present for discussion three activities that have been designed and evaluated for one of our audiences, the museum-going family. Workshop participants are invited to critique and discuss these activities, their rationale, their fit with identified audience and institutional needs, and IYA thematic strands. Participants will share any ideas they have for adaptation of these activities for other audiences in their own settings. 4) Finally, all of the educational design and evaluation tools, program descriptions, and lesson plans will be compiled into an electronic document. Participants are encouraged to bring program description examples and/or activity lesson plans that can be incorporated into the document to provide an IYA "workbook". This workbook will be sent to all interested session participants by no later than July 31, 2008.

Bridging the Gap Between Planning and Scheduling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, David E.; Frank, Jeremy; Jonsson, Ari K.; Norvig, Peter (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Planning research in Artificial Intelligence (AI) has often focused on problems where there are cascading levels of action choice and complex interactions between actions. In contrast. Scheduling research has focused on much larger problems where there is little action choice, but the resulting ordering problem is hard. In this paper, we give an overview of M planning and scheduling techniques, focusing on their similarities, differences, and limitations. We also argue that many difficult practical problems lie somewhere between planning and scheduling, and that neither area has the right set of tools for solving these vexing problems.

Water safety plans: bridges and barriers to implementation in North Carolina.

PubMed

Amjad, Urooj Quezon; Luh, Jeanne; Baum, Rachel; Bartram, Jamie

2016-10-01

First developed by the World Health Organization, and now used in several countries, water safety plans (WSPs) are a multi-step, preventive process for managing drinking water hazards. While the beneficial impacts of WSPs have been documented in diverse countries, how to successfully implement WSPs in the United States remains a challenge. We examine the willingness and ability of water utility leaders to implement WSPs in the US state of North Carolina. Our findings show that water utilities have more of a reactive than preventive organizational culture, that implementation requires prioritization of time and resources, perceived comparative advantage to other hazard management plans, leadership in implementation, and identification of how WSPs can be embedded in existing work practices. Future research could focus on whether WSP implementation provides benefits such as decreases in operational costs, and improved organization of records and communication.

How Biobanks Are Assessing and Measuring Their Financial Sustainability.

PubMed

Brown, Tony; Kelly, Devon D; Vercauteren, Suzanne M; Wilson, William H; Werner, Alexander

2017-02-01

As guest editors of this sustainability issue of Biopreservation and Biobanking focused on business planning, utilization, and marketing, we invited a number of experts from different sectors of the biobanking arena to provide their views on business planning issues. Each expert was asked to provide a brief background statement on their biobanks, to build a context to understand their answers to the sustainability questions. We hope that these insights and experiences can provide valuable considerations and ideas for other biobanks who wish to develop or refine their own business plans, measure their utilization rates, and work toward financial sustainability. In addition, after the expert input was gathered, the guest editors invited an additional expert to provide summary comments and observations on cost and operational optimization strategies. The broad experiences from all of the experts included and scope of the biobanks they represent should provide a level of relevant representation for all interested parties.

The NASA land processes program - Status and future directions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murphy, R. E.

1984-01-01

For most of the past decade, NASA focused its efforts on the immediate exploitation of space-based sensors in earth-oriented programs. After an assessment of the current situation with respect to the conducted programs, NASA has restructured its earth-oriented programs to concentrate on the scientific use of its satellites while other agencies and private enterprise have assumed responsibility for programs of interest to them. In making this change of direction, NASA has conducted a series of studies to obtain information as a basis for its planning activities regarding future programs. Attention is given to a plan for Land Global Habitability, the development of a basic structure for the land program, a program plan for global biology, and a study on the role of biochemical cycles. The three major facets of the land processes program are discussed along with some examples of current work.

Core components of a comprehensive quality assurance program in anatomic pathology.

PubMed

Nakhleh, Raouf E

2009-11-01

In this article the core components of a comprehensive quality assurance and improvement plan are outlined. Quality anatomic pathology work comes with focus on accurate, timely, and complete reports. A commitment to continuous quality improvement and a systems approach with a persistent effort helps to achieve this end. Departments should have a quality assurance and improvement plan that includes a risk assessment of real and potential problems facing the laboratory. The plan should also list the individuals responsible for carrying out the program with adequate resources, a defined timetable, and annual assessment for progress and future directions. Quality assurance monitors should address regulatory requirements and be organized by laboratory division (surgical pathology, cytology, etc) as well as 5 segments (preanalytic, analytic, postanalytic phases of the test cycle, turn-around-time, and customer satisfaction). Quality assurance data can also be used to evaluate individual pathologists using multiple parameters with peer group comparison.

[An analysis of appeals against the ruling of the occupational physician's lodged to the Department of Prevention and Safety in the Working Environment--Health Prevention and Occupational Epidemiology Operative Unit within the A.S.P. Palermo (Palermo Health Authority), years 2008-2010].

PubMed

Marsala, M G L; Morici, M; Lacca, G; Curcurù, L; Eduardo, E Costagliola; Ilardo, S; Trapani, E; Caracausi, R; Firenze, A

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to analyze the appeals against a "suitability judgment for work" lodged to the U.O.S. "Health Prevention and Occupational Epidemiology Operative Unit" of Department of Prevention and Safety in the Working Environment within the ASP Palermo (U.O.S.), from 2008 to 2010. Studying the appeals gives an indirect view on the occupational physician activity and allows to monitor their actions, analysis aims at highlighting those issues around which any planning and implementation of coordination activities should be focused.

Development of aptitude for team work via physics education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demkanin, Peter; Gergeľová, Bianka

2017-01-01

The Recent research on personality shows that healthy and happy people are those, who have high score in all three character traits - self-directedness, cooperativeness and self-transcendence. Physics education, as each education and at all levels can and need to develop all three traits. In our work we are focused to higher secondary physics education and link the goals of physics education to psychological and sociological aspects of teamwork.Being impacted by the idea of prof. W.Harlen "Learning is making sense of new experience by learners in collaboration with others", we explore possibilities to scaffold development of team work capabilities by role assignment and other means in pupils laboratory and terrain experiments performance. Basic ideas and plan of our next research is presented.

Treatment of metal-laden hazardous wastes with advanced clean coal technology by-products. Quarterly report, December 30, 1996--March 30, 1997

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

NONE

1997-12-31

The objective of this project is to utilize coal ashes to process hazardous materials such as industrial waste water treatment residues, contaminated soils, and air pollution control dusts from the metal industry and municipal waste incineration. This report describes the activities of the project team during the reporting period. The principal work has focused upon continuing evaluation of aged samples from Phase 1, planning supportive laboratory studies for Phase 2, completing scholarly work, reestablishing MAX Environmental Technologies, Inc., as the subcontractor for the field work of Phase 2, proposing two presentations for later in 1997, and making and responding tomore » several outside contacts.« less

7 CFR 23.6 - Plan of Work.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Plan of Work. 23.6 Section 23.6 Agriculture Office of the Secretary of Agriculture STATE AND REGIONAL ANNUAL PLANS OF WORK State Program § 23.6 Plan of Work. (a) A State Annual Plan of Work for carrying out the programs authorized under title V shall be...

7 CFR 23.6 - Plan of Work.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Plan of Work. 23.6 Section 23.6 Agriculture Office of the Secretary of Agriculture STATE AND REGIONAL ANNUAL PLANS OF WORK State Program § 23.6 Plan of Work. (a) A State Annual Plan of Work for carrying out the programs authorized under title V shall be...

Understanding employers' hiring intentions in relation to qualified workers with disabilities: preliminary findings.

PubMed

Fraser, Robert T; Johnson, Kurt; Hebert, James; Ajzen, Icek; Copeland, Jana; Brown, Pat; Chan, Fong

2010-12-01

As part of the planning process for a larger survey study to examine factors affecting employers' intention to hire and hiring of people with disabilities, a series of three semi-structured focus groups were held with key hiring decision makers, such as Human Resources directors, Chief Operating Officers (COOs), or Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of small, medium, and large Seattle area companies. The chief goals of the focus groups were to elicit and refine the participants' beliefs, normative influences, and perceived control relative to hiring workers with disabilities. Narrative data obtained from the focus group discussion were examined using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to identify themes expressed by the focus group participants within the context of company size. Themes did vary by company size, but a prevailing concern across all companies related to questions about the efficiency/effectiveness of contact with vocational rehabilitation agencies. For both small- and mid-sized companies, there was a belief that people with disabilities could not do the work or were somehow less qualified. For large companies, convincing departmental and team managers that outreaching workers with disabilities would be a worthwhile hiring practice remained a challenge. The themes derived from this study can be used to help occupational rehabilitation professionals develop educational and marketing interventions to improve employers' attitudes toward hiring and retaining individuals with disabilities.

NOAA Gulf Spill Restoration |

Science.gov Websites

Plan, Focusing on Recreational Use and Nutrient Reduction Louisiana Trustees Release Fourth Draft Restoration Plan, Focusing on Recreational Use and Nutrient Reduction Read More... Florida Trustee Implementation Group Releases Phase V.2 Final Restoration Plan Florida Trustee Implementation Group Releases

Desk-based workers' perspectives on using sit-stand workstations: a qualitative analysis of the Stand@Work study.

PubMed

Chau, Josephine Y; Daley, Michelle; Srinivasan, Anu; Dunn, Scott; Bauman, Adrian E; van der Ploeg, Hidde P

2014-07-25

Prolonged sitting time has been identified as a health risk factor. Sit-stand workstations allow desk workers to alternate between sitting and standing throughout the working day, but not much is known about their acceptability and feasibility. Hence, the aim of this study was to qualitatively evaluate the acceptability, feasibility and perceptions of using sit-stand workstations in a group of desk-based office workers. This article describes the qualitative evaluation of the randomized controlled cross-over Stand@Work pilot trial. Participants were adult employees recruited from a non-government health agency in Sydney, Australia. The intervention involved using an Ergotron Workfit S sit-stand workstation for four weeks. After the four week intervention, participants shared their perceptions and experiences of using the sit-stand workstation in focus group interviews with 4-5 participants. Topics covered in the focus groups included patterns of workstation use, barriers and facilitators to standing while working, effects on work performance, physical impacts, and feasibility in the office. Focus group field notes and transcripts were analysed in an iterative process during and after the data collection period to identify the main concepts and themes. During nine 45-min focus groups, a total of 42 participants were interviewed. Participants were largely intrinsically motivated to try the sit-stand workstation, mostly because of curiosity to try something new, interest in potential health benefits, and the relevance to the participant's own and organisation's work. Most participants used the sit-stand workstation and three common usage patterns were identified: task-based routine, time-based routine, and no particular routine. Common barriers to sit-stand workstation use were working in an open plan office, and issues with sit-stand workstation design. Common facilitators of sit-stand workstation use were a supportive work environment conducive to standing, perceived physical health benefits, and perceived work benefits. When prompted, most participants indicated they were interested in using a sit-stand workstation in the future. The use of a sit-stand workstation in this group of desk-based office workers was generally perceived as acceptable and feasible. Future studies are needed to explore this in different desk-based work populations and settings.

Cognitive and Other Strategies to Mitigate the Effects of Fatigue. Lessons from Staff Physicians Working in Intensive Care Units.

PubMed

Henrich, Natalie; Ayas, Najib T; Stelfox, Henry T; Peets, Adam D

2016-09-01

Fatigue is common among physicians and adversely affects their performance. To identify strategies that attending physicians use when fatigued to maintain clinical performance in the intensive care unit (ICU). We conducted a qualitative study using focus groups and structured interviews of attending ICU physicians working in academic centers in Canada. In three focus group meetings, we engaged a total of 11 physicians to identify strategies used to prevent and cope with fatigue. In the focus groups, 21 cognitive strategies were identified and classified into 9 categories (minimizing number of tasks, using techniques to improve retention of details, using a structured approach to patient care, asking for help, improving opportunities for focusing, planning ahead, double-checking, adjusting expectations, and modulating alertness). In addition, various lifestyle strategies were mentioned as important in preventing fatigue (e.g., protecting sleep before call, adequate exercise, and limiting alcohol). Telephone interviews were then conducted (n = 15 physicians) with another group of intensivists. Structured questions were asked about the strategies identified in the focus groups that were most useful during ICU activities. In the interviews, the most useful and frequently used strategies were prioritizing tasks that need to be done immediately and postponing tasks that can wait, working systematically, using a structured approach, and avoiding distractions. ICU physicians reported using a variety of deliberate cognitive and lifestyle strategies to prevent and cope with fatigue. Given the low cost and intuitive nature of the majority of these strategies, further investigations should be done to better characterize their effectiveness in improving performance.

NATO Operational Record: Collective Analytical Exploitation to Inform Operational Analysis Models and Common Operational Planning Factors (Archives operationnelles de l’OTAN: Exploitation analytique collective visant a alimenter les modeles d’analyse operationnelle et les facteurs de planification operationnelle commune)

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-05-01

scientific and technological work is carried out by Technical Teams, created under one or more of these eight bodies, for specific research activities...level records, with a secondary focus on strategic level records. Its work covered NATO records as well as NATO Troop Contributing Nation (TCN...fonctionnalités de recherche, récupération et visualisation peuvent être rapides et conviviales. Il conclut également que les freins à la création d’un

Women's technical and professional symposium

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

Budil, K; Mack, L

1999-10-01

This is the fourth LLNL-sponsored Women's Technical and Professional Symposium. This year's theme: ''Excellence through the Millennium,'' focuses on the cutting edge work being done at LLNL and the many contributions of women to our science and technology mission. We hope this Symposium gives each person attending a better idea of the broad scope of the Laboratory's mission and their place within the organization. It is easy to lose sight of the fact that we all work in support of science and technology despite the diversity of our experience. This Symposium provides an opportunity to reflect on our past andmore » to begin to plan our future.« less

The ergonomic process of an automotive company in Brazil: a study case.

PubMed

Bustos, Carolina; Fischer, Daniela; Ballardin, Lucimara; Nielsen, Rudolf

2012-01-01

The goal of this paper is to present the ergonomic process of an automotive company, whose focus is on the adaptation of the work conditions to the psychophysiological characteristics of its employees. The planning and the development of the ergonomic actions took place in three distinctive stages: ergonomic analysis of the work post (stage 1), ergonomic adaptations (stage 2) and Ergonomic Committee (stage 3). The activities started in June 2006 and have lasted to the current date, keeping a permanent improving process. The procedure adopted was based on the ergonomic analysis methodology proposed by Wisner (1994:1997) and the stages of the Ergonomic Analysis of Work presented in the 17 NR Regulatory Manual (MET, 2002). The paper's approach focused on the voluntary participation of workers from different areas and different hierarchical levels of the organization throughout all the stages of the process. The methodological procedures included descriptive research techniques, exploratory and qualitative research criteria, background and guidelines available in literature and legislation, as well as company information. Among the main results it can be mentioned the satisfaction of the employees regarding the appropriate work conditions, cultural and organizational changes and the creation of an Ergonomic Committee in the company.

Research Opportunities in Nutrition and Metabolism in Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Altman, Philip L. (Editor); Fisher, Kenneth D. (Editor)

1986-01-01

The objectives of the Life Sciences Research Office (LSRO) study on nutrient requirements for meeting metabolic needs in manned space flights are as follows: review extant knowledge on the subject; identify significant gaps in knowledge; formulate suggestions for possible research; and produce a documented report of the foregoing items that can be used for program planning. In accordance with NASA's request for this study, the report focuses on issues of nutrition and metabolism that relate primarily to the contemplated United States Space Station, secondarily to the Shuttle Program as an orbital test bed for operational studies, and incidentally to scenarios for future long-term space flights. Members of the LSRO ad hoc Working Group on Nutrition and Metabolism were provided with pertinent articles and summaries on the subject. At the meeting of the Working Group, presentations were made by NASA Headquarters program staff on past experiences relative to space-flight nutrition and metabolism, as well as scenarios for future flights. The discussions of the ad hoc Working Group focused on the following: (1) metabolic needs related to work and exercise; (2) nutrients required to meet such needs; (3) food types, management, and records; and (4) nutritional amelioration or prevention of space-related physiological and behavioral changes.

Flight decks and free flight: where are the system boundaries?

PubMed

Hollnagel, Erik

2007-07-01

The change from managed to free flight is expected to have large effects, over and above the intended efficiency gains. Human factor concerns have understandably focused on how free flight may affect the pilots in the cockpit. Yet it is necessary to see the change from managed to free flight as more than just an increment to the pilots' work. Despite the best intentions the transition will not be a case of a smooth, carefully planned and therefore uneventful introduction of a new technology. It is more likely to be a substantial change to an already challenging working environment, in the air as well as on the ground. The significant effects will therefore not just happen within the existing structure or distribution of work and responsibilities, but affect the structure of work itself. This paper takes a look at free flight from a cognitive systems engineering perspective and identifies two major concerns: first what effects free flight has on the boundaries of the joint cognitive systems, and second how this affects demands to control. The conclusion is that both will change considerably and that we need to understand the nature of these changes before focusing on the possible effects of free flight on pilots' performance.

Mental health and individual experience of unemployed young adults in Japan

PubMed Central

KITO, Aiko; UENO, Takeji

2015-01-01

This study focused on the subjective experiences and mental health of young, unemployed adults in Japan. We explored how individuals describe their experiences of becoming unemployed and how these experiences influence their mental health within the current Japanese sociocultural context, using a social constructionist approach. We collected data from October 2012 to January 2013. Participants were 25 young unemployed Japanese job seekers (15 females), who were recruited using a purposive sampling strategy including snowball sampling. We conducted semi-structured interviews focusing on participants’ previous work and job search experience, their lifestyle and health, the social support they considered necessary, their future job-seeking plans, and their demographic characteristics. Using thematic analysis, we identified four key themes from the interview data: stress relief, re-energization for future work, new job skills acquisition, and lifestyle change. The findings indicate that unemployment is sometimes experienced as more beneficial than employment. This might be because of the poor working environment in Japan, the financial support participants received, and the experience of short-term unemployment. The findings suggest that intervention is necessary to help young adults in Japan find high-quality jobs and that we must promote fair employment and decent working conditions for them. PMID:26320730

Mental health and individual experience of unemployed young adults in Japan.

PubMed

Kito, Aiko; Ueno, Takeji

2016-01-01

This study focused on the subjective experiences and mental health of young, unemployed adults in Japan. We explored how individuals describe their experiences of becoming unemployed and how these experiences influence their mental health within the current Japanese sociocultural context, using a social constructionist approach. We collected data from October 2012 to January 2013. Participants were 25 young unemployed Japanese job seekers (15 females), who were recruited using a purposive sampling strategy including snowball sampling. We conducted semi-structured interviews focusing on participants' previous work and job search experience, their lifestyle and health, the social support they considered necessary, their future job-seeking plans, and their demographic characteristics. Using thematic analysis, we identified four key themes from the interview data: stress relief, re-energization for future work, new job skills acquisition, and lifestyle change. The findings indicate that unemployment is sometimes experienced as more beneficial than employment. This might be because of the poor working environment in Japan, the financial support participants received, and the experience of short-term unemployment. The findings suggest that intervention is necessary to help young adults in Japan find high-quality jobs and that we must promote fair employment and decent working conditions for them.

Development and Implementation of the DHAPP Military eHealth Information Network System.

PubMed

Kratz, Mary; Thomas, Anne; Hora, Ricardo; Vera, Delphis; Lutz, Mickey; Johnson, Mark D

2017-01-01

As the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, the Global Fund, and the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief focus on reaching 90-90-90 goals, military health systems are scaling up to meet the data demands of these ambitious objectives. Since 2008, the US Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (DHAPP) has been working with military partners in 14 countries on implementation and adoption of a Military eHealth Information Network (MeHIN). Each country implementation plan followed a structured process using international eHealth standards. DHAPP worked with the private sector to develop a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) electronic medical record (EMR) for the collection of data, including patient demographic information, clinical notes for general medical care, HIV encounters, voluntary medical male circumcision, and tuberculosis screening information. The COTS software approach provided a zero-dollar software license and focused on sharing a single version of the EMR across countries, so that all countries could benefit from software enhancements and new features over time. DHAPP also worked with the public sector to modify open source disease surveillance tools and open access of HIV training materials. Important lessons highlight challenges to eHealth implementation, including a paucity of technology infrastructure, military leadership rotations, and the need for basic computer skills building. While not simple, eHealth systems can be built and maintained with requisite security, flexibility, and reporting capabilities that provide critical information to improve the health of individuals and organizations. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Advances and challenges in oral health after a decade of the “Smiling Brazil” Program

PubMed Central

Scherer, Charleni Inês; Scherer, Magda Duarte dos Anjos

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To analyze oral health work changes in primary health care after Brazil’s National Oral Health Policy Guidelines were released. METHODS A literature review was conducted on Medline, LILACS, Embase, SciELO, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde, and The Cochrane Library databases, from 2000 to 2013, on elements to analyze work changes. The descriptors used included: primary health care, family health care, work, health care policy, oral health care services, dentistry, oral health, and Brazil. Thirty-two studies were selected and analyzed, with a predominance of qualitative studies from the Northeast region with workers, especially dentists, focusing on completeness and quality of care. RESULTS Observed advances focused on educational and permanent education actions; on welcoming, bonding, and accountability. The main challenges were related to completeness; extension and improvement of care; integrated teamwork; working conditions; planning, monitoring, and evaluation of actions; stimulating people’s participation and social control; and intersectorial actions. CONCLUSIONS Despite the new regulatory environment, there are very few changes in oral health work. Professionals tend to reproduce the dominant biomedical model. Continuing efforts will be required in work management, training, and permanent education fields. Among the possibilities are the increased engagement of managers and professionals in a process to understand work dynamics and training in the perspective of building significant changes for local realities. PMID:26815162

The mountains hold things in: the use of community research review work groups to address cancer disparities in Appalachia.

PubMed

Hutson, Sadie P; Dorgan, Kelly A; Phillips, Amber N; Behringer, Bruce

2007-11-01

To review regional findings about cancer disparities with grass roots community leaders in Appalachia and to identify perspectives about what makes the cancer experience unique in Appalachia. A community-based participatory approach that includes focus-group methodology. Work groups gathered in well-known community locations in northeastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia. 22 lay adult community members (12 in Tennessee and 10 in Virginia), all of whom had a personal and community interest in cancer and were reputed as informal community leaders. Work groups engaged in a series of five sequential sessions designed to (a) review regional data about cancer disparities and identify perspectives about what makes the cancer experience unique in Appalachia, (b) promote dialogue between the work group members and healthcare providers to identify methods for improved collaboration, and (c) integrate the work group with regional efforts of the states' comprehensive cancer control plans. Four major themes emerged from the focus group sessions with each work group: cancer storytelling, cancer collectivism, healthcare challenges, and cancer expectations. The community research review work groups proved to be a successful method to disseminate information about regional cancer disparities. Study findings provide a unique foundation so that healthcare providers and researchers can begin to address cancer disparities in the Appalachian region. Nurses are in key positions to partner with trusted community leaders to address disparities across the cancer continuum in Appalachia.

The relationship between office type and job satisfaction: Testing a multiple mediation model through ease of interaction and well-being.

PubMed

Otterbring, Tobias; Pareigis, Jörg; Wästlund, Erik; Makrygiannis, Alexander; Lindström, Anton

2018-05-01

Objectives This cross-sectional study investigated the associations between office type (cellular, shared-room, small open-plan, and medium-sized open-plan) and employees' ease of interaction with coworkers, subjective well-being, and job satisfaction. Methods A brief survey including measures of office type, ease of interaction with coworkers, subjective well-being, and job satisfaction was sent electronically to 1500 Swedish real-estate agents, 271 of whom returned usable surveys. The data were analyzed using a regression-based serial multiple mediation model (PROCESS Model 6), which tested whether the relationship between office type and job satisfaction would be mediated by ease of interaction and, in turn, subjective well-being. Results A negative relationship was found between the number of coworkers sharing an office and employees' job satisfaction. This association was serially mediated by ease of interaction with coworkers and subjective well-being, with employees working in small and medium-sized open-plan offices reporting lower levels of both these aspects than employees who work in either cellular or shared-room offices. Conclusions Open-plan offices may have short-term financial benefits, but these benefits may be lower than the costs associated with decreased job satisfaction and well-being. Therefore, decision-makers should consider the impact of office type on employees rather than focusing solely on cost-effective office layout, flexibility, and productivity.

Translator Plan: A Coordinated Vision for Fiscal Years 2018-2020

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

Riihimaki, Laura; Comstock, Jennifer; Collis, Scott

In June of 2017, the Translator Group met to develop this coordinated three-year vision plan, incorporating key feedback and aligning to ARM’s mission priorities. This plan responds to a shift in how we determine our priorities, given the new needs of the ARM Facility. In the past, individual Translators have determined priorities in conversation with individual DOE Atmospheric System Research (ASR) working groups. To better support ARM’s Decadal Vision (https://www.arm.gov/publications/programdocs/doe-sc-arm-14-029.pdf), however, the Translator Group is instead developing a coordinated response to needs from our user community to better balance resources and skills among participants. This approach agrees with direction frommore » ARM leadership and the ARM-ASR Coordination Team (AACT). To develop this plan the Translator Group reviewed feedback received from the User Executive Committee (UEC) and the Triennial Review, as well as priorities from ASR working groups and Principal Investigators (PIs), the LES ARM Symbiotic Simulation and Observation (LASSO) project, and new instrumentation and activities as described by the ARM Technical Director. In particular, we are responding to the advice that we were trying to do too much, and should focus on providing additional support to data quality, uncertainty assessment, a timeline for producing core VAPs from ARM Mobile Facility (AMF) campaigns, and supporting key aspects of the Decadal Vision.« less

[Family planning at the turn of the 21st century].

PubMed

Trias, M

1994-06-01

This work constitutes a plea for the widest possible acceptance and encouragement of family planning throughout the world in order to avoid the irreversible environmental damage that will inevitably come with excessive numbers. Limitation of reproduction, preferably voluntarily, is possible by means of the effective and generally safe contraceptive methods now available. Preservation of the environment will require effective antipollution policies and an unwelcome control of the rampant consumerism of contemporary culture. Alarm among demographers in developed countries concerning exponential population increase developed about a half-century ago, only shortly after the feminist-led struggle for reproductive freedom provided a moral and juridical foundation for family planning. The demographic focus was not used to promote family planning among Third World countries, as that would have been viewed as heavy handed intrusion into the most intimate realm of domestic life. Instead, the nondemographic benefits such as improved maternal and child health and family well-being were stressed. It may be time to modify the focus. Ecologists must strive for a radical transformation of consumerist culture but must not ignore the pressure of numbers. Satisfying the needs of the world's most impoverished will greatly increase pressure on resources. Family planning has been accepted by the majority of the world's couples, but the unsatisfied demand has been estimated to amount to 100 million couples throughout the world. Providing information and services for such couples is the greatest challenge facing family planning programs. Many enemies of family planning have lost influence, but some critics from within family planning programs have deflected attention from the tasks of service delivery and may have postponed progress in some areas. Feminists who object to the concentration on female methods, developmentalists who believe that contraception will be accepted eventually as living standards improve, and integrationists who emphasize maternal-child health services to the detriment of family planning are examples. In view of the environmental threat as the twenty-first century dawns, the time may have come to view family planning not only as a right, but as a duty.

The Big Red How-To Guide: Planning a Health Fair for Children and Families.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foley, Christina A.

Community health fairs usually focus on adult health issues and seldom on child and family health or the link between health and education. This guide's purpose is to assist communities in developing child and family-focused health fairs. The guide is divided into two major sections: pre-planning and planning. The pre-planning section covers steps…

An Analysis of Current Operational Contract Support Planning Doctrine

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

P). This project argues for the balanced development of OCS planning acquisition and non-acquisition focused resources to effectively integrate this...planning guidance developed is appropriate for initial entry operations applicable to various levels of theater maturity. 14. SUBJECT TERMS...balanced development of OCS planning acquisition and non- acquisition focused resources to effectively integrate this function across disciplines. The

An evaluation of end-point trajectory planning during skilled kicking.

PubMed

Ford, Paul; Hodges, Nicola J; Mark Williams, A

2009-01-01

There is evidence that actions are planned by anticipation of their external effects, with the strength of this effect being dependent on the amount of prior practice. In Experiment 1, skilled soccer players performed a kicking task under four conditions: planning in terms of an external action effect (i.e., ball trajectory) or in terms of body movements, either with or without visual error feedback. When feedback was withheld, a ball focus resulted in more accurate outcomes than a body focus. When visual feedback was allowed, there was no difference between these two conditions. In Experiment 2, both skilled and novice soccer players were tested with the addition of a control condition and in the absence of visual feedback. For both groups there was evidence that a ball focus was more beneficial for performance than a body focus, particularly in terms of movement kinematics where correlations across the joints were generally higher for body rather than ball planning. Most skilled participants reported that ball planning felt more normal than body planning. These experiments provide some evidence that actions are planned in terms of their external action effects, supporting the common-coding hypothesis of action planning.

Time management for today's workplace demands.

PubMed

Thomack, Bill

2012-05-01

As the work force decreases, the workload remains the same or, in many cases, increases. An effective employee must arrange work time to accomplish what needs to be done in the time available. The best way to manage time is to set a goal, develop a plan, and measure the outcome. To manage time requires determining where time is currently spent, taking time at the end of the day to prepare for the next morning, managing appointments, carefully planning projects, and managing phone, electronic, and paper mail. Organization is another step in effectively managing time. An organizational system decreases wasted time. Keeping the desk clear and creating a system to organize mail improves efficiency. Time management also focuses on balance, an overall purpose, and supporting principles. Personal or professional effectiveness does not depend solely on the effort expended, but whether the effort is in the right direction. The challenge of time management is to manage not only time, but also oneself. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

Evaluating the co-production of a near real time Earthquake Aftershock forecasting tool for humanitarian risk assessment and emergency planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quinn, Keira; Hope, Max; McCloskey, John; NicBhloscaidh, Mairead; Jimenez, Abigail; Dunlop, Paul

2015-04-01

Concern Worldwide and the University of Ulster Geophysics Research Group are engaged in a project to co-produce a suite of software and mapping tools to assess aftershock hazard in near real-time during the emergency response phase of earthquake disaster, and inform humanitarian emergency planning and response activities. This paper uses a social learning approach to evaluate this co-production process. Following Wenger (1999) we differentiate between the earthquake science and humanitarian communities of practice (CoP) along three dimensions: enterprise (the purpose of CoPs and the problems participants are working to address), repertoire (knowledge, skills, language), and identity (values and boundaries). We examine the effectiveness of learning between CoP, focusing on boundary work and objects, and various organisational structures and aspects of the wider political economy of learning that enable and hinder the co-production process. We conclude by identifying a number of ways to more effectively integrate earthquake science into humanitarian decision-making, policy development and programme design.

London 2012: occupational health in the construction programme.

PubMed

Waterman, Lawrence

2007-05-01

This article explores the approach to occupational health in the UK construction industry in both broad and narrow contexts. The construction programme for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games includes the creation of a large urban park in east London containing many sports venues and served by enhanced infrastructure. The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), responsible for the construction programme, is developing plans that seek to assure the health of the thousands of workers who will be engaged in this work. Such plans are not being drafted in a vacuum. In addition to considerable consultation with stakeholders the ODA is also drawing on some of the exciting work that has been undertaken in occupational health in recent years. In particular, the move from a focus on technical health services provided by 'experts' to an acceptance that health issues should be managed within employing organizations. Understanding this broad context provides a solid basis for analysing the specific proposals for occupational support during the Olympic Park construction.

Consultative meeting considers past successes and future programmes for subregional network.

PubMed

1999-01-01

This article presents the proceedings of the consultative meeting held in Beijing during October 18-19, 1999. Representatives from the population information (POPIN) centers in China, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam participated in the meeting. The major objectives were to exchange and share experiences among the network members and to draw up a cooperative work plan for carrying out information activities more effectively in the coming year and beyond. Highlights of the meeting include the presentation of the results of an Asia-Pacific POPIN survey, which evaluated information technology (IT) capabilities among members and evaluation of the 1999 IT-focused training workshop; a review of POPIN activities conducted by the subregional network's members in the past year; and a discussion of major topics for cooperative activities. Moreover, a work plan was formulated for the East and South-East Asia POPIN subregional network for October 1999-October 2000.

Mapping and navigating mammalian conservation: from analysis to action

PubMed Central

Redford, Kent H.; Ray, Justina C.; Boitani, Luigi

2011-01-01

Although mammals are often seen as important objects of human interest and affection, many are threatened with extinction. A range of efforts have been proposed and much work has been done to try to conserve mammals, but there is little overall understanding of what has worked and why. As a result, there is no global-scale, coordinated approach to conserving all mammals. Rather, conservation efforts are usually focused at jurisdictional levels where relevant legislation and policies are in force. To help build the framework for a global-scale approach, in this paper we review the many ways that have been proposed for conserving mammals. First, we examine the overall pattern of threat faced by mammals at the global level. Secondly, we look at the major structuring issues in prioritizing and planning mammal conservation, examining in particular the roles of values and scale and a set of approaches to conservation, each of which varies along a continuum. Finally, we lay out the steps necessary to move from planning to implementing mammalian conservation. PMID:21844050

Employment-related information for clients receiving mental health services and clinicians.

PubMed

King, Joanne; Cleary, Catherine; Harris, Meredith G; Lloyd, Chris; Waghorn, Geoff

2011-01-01

Clients receiving public mental health services and clinicians require information to facilitate client access to suitable employment services. However, little is known about the specific employment-related information needs of these groups. This study aimed to identify employment-related information needs among clients, clinicians and employment specialists, with a view to developing a new vocational information resource. Employment-related information needs were identified via a series of focus group consultations with clients, clinicians, and employment specialists (n=23). Focus group discussions were guided by a common semi-structured interview schedule. Several categories of information need were identified: countering incorrect beliefs about work; benefits of work; disclosure and managing personal information; impact of earnings on welfare entitlements; employment service pathways; job preparation, planning and selection; and managing illness once working. Clear preferences were expressed about effective means of communicating the key messages in written material. This investigation confirmed the need for information tailored to clients and clinicians in order to activate clients' employment journey and to help them make informed decisions about vocational assistance.

Workplace Stress, Organizational Factors and EAP Utilization.

PubMed

Azzone, Vanessa; McCann, Bernard; Merrick, Elizabeth Levy; Hiatt, Deirdre; Hodgkin, Dominic; Horgan, Constance

2009-01-01

This study examined relationships between workplace stress, organizational factors and use of EAP counseling services delivered by network providers in a large, privately-insured population. Claims data were linked to measures of workplace stress, focus on wellness/prevention, EAP promotion, and EAP activities for health care plan enrollees from 26 employers. The association of external environment and work organization variables with use of EAP counseling services was examined. Higher levels of EAP promotion and worksite activities were associated with greater likelihood of service use. Greater focus on wellness/prevention and unusual and significant stress were associated with lower likelihood of service use. Results provide stakeholders with insights on approaches to increasing utilization of EAP services.

Workplace Stress, Organizational Factors and EAP Utilization

PubMed Central

Azzone, Vanessa; McCann, Bernard; Merrick, Elizabeth Levy; Hiatt, Deirdre; Hodgkin, Dominic; Horgan, Constance

2013-01-01

This study examined relationships between workplace stress, organizational factors and use of EAP counseling services delivered by network providers in a large, privately-insured population. Claims data were linked to measures of workplace stress, focus on wellness/prevention, EAP promotion, and EAP activities for health care plan enrollees from 26 employers. The association of external environment and work organization variables with use of EAP counseling services was examined. Higher levels of EAP promotion and worksite activities were associated with greater likelihood of service use. Greater focus on wellness/prevention and unusual and significant stress were associated with lower likelihood of service use. Results provide stakeholders with insights on approaches to increasing utilization of EAP services. PMID:24058322

[Healthy design for sustainable communities].

PubMed

Capolongo, S; Battistella, A; Buffoli, M; Oppio, A

2011-01-01

Health, quality of life and sustainable development are strongly interconnected. The quality of living is a complex concept that includes different meanings. The quality of life issue has been studied for a long time, even if its measurement is a more recent matter. It's possible to distinguish two main approaches: the first one, depending on which the quality of life corresponds to the social wellbeing and it can be measured objectively; the second one, that emphasizes the perceptive dimension of quality of life, such as needs, feelings and aspirations. According to the WHO's wide definition of wellbeing, this paper suggests an approach focused on the effects that urban planning and designing can have on the health of citizens. Actually many of the problems of the cities like pollution, inequity, lack of services and accessibility depends on decisions about the development of land and buildings. To have more attractive cities in the future it is important that professionals involved in planning and local authorities focus on the major determinants of health: the physical and social environment in which people live and the nature of their lifestyles. The experience explained in this paper shows as local authorities can support professionals in designing process, producing quick and effective benchmark in order to improve the quality of urban spaces and architecture. More in deep the tool works by a set of performance indicators developed with the purpose to assess the degree of sustainability of building and urban space proposals at the planning stage (and at later stages), against a range of criteria. This evaluation procedure can be considered as a common platform from which different stakeholders can agree goals and work together contributing to increase the benefits of a well-designed built environment.

Worklife Improvement and Leadership Development study: a learning experience in leadership development and "planned" organizational change.

PubMed

Cummings, Greta G; Spiers, Judith A; Sharlow, Janice; Germann, Paula; Yurtseven, Ozden; Bhatti, Aslam

2013-01-01

In response to increasing recognition of the importance of quality health care work environments, the Alberta Cancer Board initiated a province-wide leadership development program to plan for organizational change through a series of stages. In 2004, the Leadership Development Initiative (LDI) was implemented to facilitate organizational learning using a cohort-based leadership intervention based on a communities of practice framework. The aim of the Worklife Improvement and Leadership Development study was to examine both the outcomes and experiences of participants of the LDI program to better understand leadership development, implementation, and its impact on worklife quality among 5 cohorts of health care managers and staff at the Alberta Cancer Board. This study used both structured survey and interview methods, using a pretest-intervention-posttest quasi-experiment without a control group design, to assess the effects of LDI on worklife of leaders and staff. Surveys included the Leadership Practices Inventory and Areas of Worklife Scale, which looked at meaningfulness of work and organizational engagement. Interviews and focus group data provided a more detailed description of the experience of leadership development and perceptions of organizational worklife. The study revealed layers of information about the complexity of individual and collective leadership in a cohort-based design, perceptions of leadership initiatives, organizational worklife, and planned organizational change. Our findings suggest that early changes in how leaders reflected on their own skills and practices (Leading Self) were positive; however, growing disengagement as the LDI continued was evident in the focus group data, particularly when change in behavior of others was not perceived to be evident. To support the effectiveness and success of a leadership initiative, managers and administrators need to implement strategies designed to help leaders grow and cope with ongoing flux of organizational change and stagnation.

Going for gold: blood planning for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

PubMed

Glasgow, S M; Allard, S; Rackham, R; Doughty, H

2014-06-01

The Olympics is one of the largest sporting events in the world. Major events may be complicated by disruption of normal activity and major incidents. Health care and transfusion planners should be prepared for both. Previously, transfusion contingency planning has focused on seasonal blood shortages and pandemic influenzas. This article is the first published account of transfusion contingency planning for a major event. We describe the issues encountered and the lessons identified during transfusion planning for the London 2012 Olympics. Planning was started 18 months in advance and was led by a project team reporting to the Executive. Planning was based on three periods of Gamestime. The requirements were planned with key stakeholders using normal processes enhanced by service developments. Demand planning was based on literature review together with computer modelling. The aim was blood-stock sufficiency complimented by a high readiness donor panel to minimise waste. Plans were widely communicated and table-top exercised. Full transfusion services were maintained during both Games with all demands met. The new service improvements and high readiness donors worked well. Emergency command and control have been upgraded. Red cell concentrate (RCC) stock aged but wastage was not significantly increased. The key to success was: early planning, stakeholder engagement, service developments, integration of transfusion service planning within the wider health care community and conduct within an assurance framework. © 2014 The Authors. Transfusion Medicine © 2014 British Blood Transfusion Society.

Quality Control Review of Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P. Polytechnic University. Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1996

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-05-18

The objective of a quality control review is to assure that the audit was conducted in accordance with applicable standards and meets the auditing...requirements of the OMB Circular A-I 33. As the cognizant Federal agency for the University, we conducted a quality control review of the audit working...papers. We focused our review on the following qualitative aspects of the audit : due professional care, planning, supervision, independence, quality

KPMG Peat Marwick LLP GreatLakes Composites Consortium, Inc. Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 1995

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-06-25

The objective of a quality control review is to assure that the audit was conducted in accordance with applicable standards and meets the auditing...requirements of the OMB Circular A-133. As the cognizant agency for the Institute, we conducted a quality control review of the audit working papers. We...focused our review on the qualitative aspects of the audit : due professional care, planning, supervision, independence, quality control, internal

Annual Report of the CDDS for 1998 Adopted by the Committee for the Development of Sport (CDDS) at its 22nd Meeting (Strasbourg, France, March 3-4, 1999).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council of Europe, Strasbourg (France).

This 1998 annual report introduces areas where the Council of Europe's Committee for the Development of Sport (CDDS) needs to work, focusing on identifying areas and activities where sport can best contribute to an Action Plan adopted in 1997 and discussing the problem of drug use by athletes. The report begins by looking at the CDDS and its…

Air Force research in human sensory feedback for telepresence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Julian, Ronald G.

1993-01-01

Telepresence operations require high quality information transfer between the human master and the remotely located slave. Present Air Force research focuses on the human aspects of the information needed to complete the control/feedback loop. Work in three key areas of human sensory feedback for manipulation of objects are described. Specific projects in each key area are outlined, including research tools (hardware), planned research, and test results. Nonmanipulative feedback technologies are mentioned to complete the advanced teleoperation discussions.

Research opportunities in bone demineralization, phase 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, S. A. (Editor); Cohn, S. H. (Editor)

1984-01-01

An overview of bone demineralization during space flight, observations in bone demineralization and experiments related to bone loss planned for Spacelab flights, and suggestions for further research are investigated. The observations of the working group focused upon the following topics: (1) pathogenesis of bone demineralization, (2) potential for occurrence of renal stones consequent to prolonged hypercalciuria, (3) development of appropriate ground based and inflight models to study bone demineralization, (4) integration of research efforts, and (5) development of effective countermeasures.

Gender issues in the university research environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alpay, E.; Hari, A.; Kambouri, M.; Ahearn, A. L.

2010-05-01

Recruiting and retaining females within science, engineering and technology continues to challenge many European higher education institutions. This study looks at female self-perceptions relating to effective research work and career progression. Focus groups are used to examine the attitudes and experiences of females and a questionnaire is used to explore perceptions in four main skills areas: group work; communication; personal awareness; project planning and management. The study indicates consistent female concerns on issues pertaining to effective female role models, negative work-role stereotypes and the work-life balance of an academic career. For all four skills areas, the average confidence scores of the female participants fell below those of males, but these differences were only statistically significant for perceptions on group work and communication skills and prior to an intense skills development course. Based on these findings, a student workshop on gender issues has been developed, an outline of which is presented.

Safer Systems: A NextGen Aviation Safety Strategic Goal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Darr, Stephen T.; Ricks, Wendell R.; Lemos, Katherine A.

2008-01-01

The Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO), is charged by Congress with developing the concepts and plans for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). The National Aviation Safety Strategic Plan (NASSP), developed by the Safety Working Group of the JPDO, focuses on establishing the goals, objectives, and strategies needed to realize the safety objectives of the NextGen Integrated Plan. The three goal areas of the NASSP are Safer Practices, Safer Systems, and Safer Worldwide. Safer Practices emphasizes an integrated, systematic approach to safety risk management through implementation of formalized Safety Management Systems (SMS) that incorporate safety data analysis processes, and the enhancement of methods for ensuring safety is an inherent characteristic of NextGen. Safer Systems emphasizes implementation of safety-enhancing technologies, which will improve safety for human-centered interfaces and enhance the safety of airborne and ground-based systems. Safer Worldwide encourages coordinating the adoption of the safer practices and safer systems technologies, policies and procedures worldwide, such that the maximum level of safety is achieved across air transportation system boundaries. This paper introduces the NASSP and its development, and focuses on the Safer Systems elements of the NASSP, which incorporates three objectives for NextGen systems: 1) provide risk reducing system interfaces, 2) provide safety enhancements for airborne systems, and 3) provide safety enhancements for ground-based systems. The goal of this paper is to expose avionics and air traffic management system developers to NASSP objectives and Safer Systems strategies.

A project for women, by women.

PubMed

1995-11-01

The Integrated Family Development Project (IFDP), which was initiated in 1993, is a successful project for women, by women, in Bangladesh. It is implemented by the Family Planning Association of Bangladesh (FPAB), with the support of JOICFP. The project falls under the regional Sustainable Community-Based Family Planning/Maternal and Child Health (FP/MCH) Project with Special Focus on Women, which is funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The project focuses on women's empowerment; promotion of reproductive health, including family planning; and promotion of education and economic activities for women. Small libraries have been established at project centers in Panchdona Union of Narsingdi District and Dhalia Union of Feni District. The books provide women with practical information on subjects such as children's nutrition, health, and lifestyles. Loans provided under the project have stimulated the formation of women's work teams for income generating projects (mat making, goat raising, pottery making, weaving, and sewing). 24 women, who were recruited from their villages, have been trained as development volunteers (FDVs) in each of the two unions; they serve as health and education agents who deliver services, including family planning, to women and promote health care in their communities. Evaluations have been positive, and surrounding villages are beginning similar activities. Funds, which were allocated under the Postal Savings for International Voluntary Aid (POSIVA) and administered by the Japanese Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, have been used for medical equipment, IEC supplies and equipment, and transportation equipment.

Magnetic Resonance-Guided High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (MR-HIFU) in Treatment of Symptomatic Uterine Myomas

PubMed Central

Filipowska, Justyna; Łoziński, Tomasz

2014-01-01

Summary Magnetic Resonance-guided High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (MR-HIFU) is a noninvasive technique for ablation therapy for uterine myomas, where focused ultrasound energy beam generates localized high temperature in the selected area and coagulates chosen tissue, leaving the skin and tissues in between unharmed. Magnetic resonance imaging enables accurate targeting for HIFU as well as temperature monitoring during treatment. MR guidance with 3D anatomical imaging provides reference data for treatment planning, while real-time temperature monitoring aids in controlling ablation process. This review provides basic information regarding methodology, clinical indications for this kind of treatment, expected outcome and patient management during MR-HIFU procedure. The aim of this work is to introduce a new, noninvasive treatment method for uterine leiomyomas and to present a comparison with other currently used methods. PMID:25469176

Magnetic Resonance-Guided High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (MR-HIFU) in Treatment of Symptomatic Uterine Myomas.

PubMed

Filipowska, Justyna; Loziński, Tomasz

2014-01-01

Magnetic Resonance-guided High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (MR-HIFU) is a noninvasive technique for ablation therapy for uterine myomas, where focused ultrasound energy beam generates localized high temperature in the selected area and coagulates chosen tissue, leaving the skin and tissues in between unharmed. Magnetic resonance imaging enables accurate targeting for HIFU as well as temperature monitoring during treatment. MR guidance with 3D anatomical imaging provides reference data for treatment planning, while real-time temperature monitoring aids in controlling ablation process. This review provides basic information regarding methodology, clinical indications for this kind of treatment, expected outcome and patient management during MR-HIFU procedure. The aim of this work is to introduce a new, noninvasive treatment method for uterine leiomyomas and to present a comparison with other currently used methods.

Advanced Life Support Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barta, Daniel J.

2004-01-01

This presentation is planned to be a 10-15 minute "catalytic" focused presentation to be scheduled during one of the working sessions at the TIM. This presentation will focus on Advanced Life Support technologies key to future human Space Exploration as outlined in the Vision, and will include basic requirements, assessment of the state-of-the-art and gaps, and include specific technology metrics. The presentation will be technical in character, lean heavily on data in published ALS documents (such as the Baseline Values and Assumptions Document) but not provide specific technical details or build to information on any technology mentioned (thus the presentation will be benign from an export control and a new technology perspective). The topics presented will be focused on the following elements of Advanced Life Support: air revitalization, water recovery, waste management, thermal control, habitation systems, food systems and bioregenerative life support.

Promoting Knowledge to Action through the Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myers, B.; Wiggins, H. V.

2016-12-01

The Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) is a multi-institutional collaborative U.S. program that advances scientific knowledge to inform societal responses to Arctic change. Currently, SEARCH focuses on how diminishing Arctic sea ice, thawing permafrost, and shrinking land ice impact both Arctic and global systems. Emphasizing "knowledge to action", SEARCH promotes collaborative research, synthesizes research findings, and broadly communicates the resulting knowledge to Arctic researchers, stakeholders, policy-makers, and the public. This poster presentation will highlight recent program products and findings; best practices and challenges for managing a distributed, interdisciplinary program; and plans for cross-disciplinary working groups focused on Arctic coastal erosion, synthesis of methane budgets, and development of Arctic scenarios. A specific focus will include how members of the broader research community can participate in SEARCH activities. http://www.arcus.org/search

Medical talent management: a model for physician deployment.

PubMed

Brightman, Baird

2007-01-01

This article aims to provide a focused cost-effective method for triaging physicians into appropriate non-clinical roles to benefit both doctors and healthcare organizations. Reviews a validated career-planning process and customize it for medical talent management. A structured career assessment can differentiate between different physician work styles and direct medical talent into best-fit positions. This allows healthcare organizations to create a more finely tuned career ladder than the familiar "in or out" binary choice. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS--Healthcare organizations can invest in cost-effective processes for the optimal utilization of their medical talent. Provides a new use for a well-validated career assessment and planning system. The actual value of this approach should be studied using best-practices in ROI research.

Data Archive and Portal Thrust Area Strategy Report

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

Sivaraman, Chitra; Stephan, Eric G.; Macduff, Matt C.

2014-09-01

This report describes the Data Archive and Portal (DAP), a key capability of the U.S. Department of Energy's Atmosphere to Electron (A2e) initiative. The DAP Thrust Area Planning Group was organized to develop a plan for deploying this capability. Primarily, the report focuses on a distributed system--a DOE Wind Cloud--that functions as a repository for all A2e data. The Wind Cloud will be accessible via an open, easy-to-navigate user interface that facilitates community data access, interaction, and collaboration. DAP management will work with the community, industry, and international standards bodies to develop standards for wind data and to capture importantmore » characteristics of all data in the Wind Cloud.« less

7 CFR 1924.5 - Planning development work.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 12 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Planning development work. 1924.5 Section 1924.5... Planning development work. (a) Extent of development. For an FO loan, the plans for development will... for development work. The total cash cost of all planned development will be shown on Form FmHA or its...

An Individual Perspective on Risk in a DC (Usually 401(k)) Environment.

PubMed

Rappaport, Anna M

2016-01-01

Traditional benefit packages once typically included defined benefit (DB) pension plans and focused on identifying the key financial risks facing employees, deciding which were more serious and developing strategies to protect employees from those risks. Today, defined contribution (DC) plans often are the primary retirement security vehicle, and much of the risk protection has been taken out of the benefits package. This article focuses on some of the risks facing employees, identifies which are covered by the typical 401(k) plan and which are not and provides ideas for managing risks not covered directly by the typical plan. There is substantial focus on long-term disability and longevity. The discussion spans savings and payout periods and suggests some ideas for the future, including greater integration of 401(k) plans with risk protection approaches. The article does not focus on investment risk and options.

Working with Toronto neighbourhoods toward developing indicators of community capacity.

PubMed

Jackson, Suzanne F; Cleverly, Shelley; Poland, Blake; Burman, David; Edwards, Richard; Robertson, Ann

2003-12-01

Often the goal of health and social development agencies is to assess communities and work with them to improve community capacity. Particularly for health promoters working in community settings and to ensure consistency in the definition of health promotion, the evaluation of health promotion programmes should be based on strengths and assets, yet existing information for planning and evaluation purposes usually focuses on problems and deficits. A model and definition of community capacity, grounded in community experience and focusing on strengths and assets, was developed following a 4-year, multi-site, qualitative, action research project in four Toronto neighbourhoods. There was significant community involvement in the four Community Advisory Committees, one for each study site. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews and focus groups were conducted with 161 residents and agency workers identified by the Community Advisory Committees. The data were analyzed with the assistance of NUDIST software. Thematic analysis was undertaken in two stages: (i) within each site and (ii) across sites, with the latter serving as the basis for the development of indicators of community capacity. This paper presents a summary of the research, the model and the proposed indicators. The model locates talents and skills of community members in a larger context of socioenvironmental conditions, both inside and outside the community, which can act to enable or constrain the expression of these talents and skills. The significance of the indicators of community capacity proposed in the study is that they focus on identifying and measuring the facilitating and constraining socioenvironmental conditions.

Trading quality for relevance: non-health decision-makers’ use of evidence on the social determinants of health

PubMed Central

McGill, Elizabeth; Egan, Matt; Petticrew, Mark; Mountford, Lesley; Milton, Sarah; Whitehead, Margaret; Lock, Karen

2015-01-01

Objectives Local government services and policies affect health determinants across many sectors such as planning, transportation, housing and leisure. Researchers and policymakers have argued that decisions affecting wider determinants of health, well-being and inequalities should be informed by evidence. This study explores how information and evidence are defined, assessed and utilised by local professionals situated beyond the health sector, but whose decisions potentially affect health: in this case, practitioners working in design, planning and maintenance of the built environment. Design A qualitative study using three focus groups. A thematic analysis was undertaken. Setting The focus groups were held in UK localities and involved local practitioners working in two UK regions, as well as in Brazil, USA and Canada. Participants UK and international practitioners working in the design and management of the built environment at a local government level. Results Participants described a range of data and information that constitutes evidence, of which academic research is only one part. Built environment decision-makers value empirical evidence, but also emphasise the legitimacy and relevance of less empirical ways of thinking through narratives that associate their work to art and philosophy. Participants prioritised evidence on the acceptability, deliverability and sustainability of interventions over evidence of longer term outcomes (including many health outcomes). Participants generally privileged local information, including personal experiences and local data, but were less willing to accept evidence from contexts perceived to be different from their own. Conclusions Local-level built environment practitioners utilise evidence to make decisions, but their view of ‘best evidence’ appears to prioritise local relevance over academic rigour. Academics can facilitate evidence-informed local decisions affecting social determinants of health by working with relevant practitioners to improve the quality of local data and evaluations, and by advancing approaches to improve the external validity of academic research. PMID:25838508

A 3-Component Approach Incorporating Focus Groups in Strategic Planning for Sexual Violence Prevention.

PubMed

Cruz, Theresa H; Hess, Julia Meredith; Woelk, Leona; Bear, Samantha

2016-01-01

Sexual violence is of special concern in New Mexico because of the presence of large priority populations in which its prevalence is high. This article describes a 3-component approach to developing a strategic plan to prevent sexual violence in the state that consisted of an advisory group, subject matter experts, and focus groups from geographically and demographically diverse communities. Both common and community-specific themes emerged from the focus groups and were included in the strategic plan. By incorporating community needs and experiences, this approach fosters increased investment in plan implementation.

Inventory and comparative evaluation of seabed mapping, classification and modeling activities in the Northwest Atlantic, USA to support regional ocean planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shumchenia, Emily J.; Guarinello, Marisa L.; Carey, Drew A.; Lipsky, Andrew; Greene, Jennifer; Mayer, Larry; Nixon, Matthew E.; Weber, John

2015-06-01

Efforts are in motion globally to address coastal and marine management needs through spatial planning and concomitant seabed habitat mapping. Contrasting strategies are often evident in these processes among local, regional, national and international scientific approaches and policy needs. In answer to such contrasts among its member states, the United States Northeast Regional Ocean Council formed a Habitat Working Group to conduct a regional inventory and comparative evaluation of seabed characterization, classification, and modeling activities in New England. The goals of this effort were to advance regional understanding of ocean habitats and identify opportunities for collaboration. Working closely with the Habitat Working Group, we organized and led the inventory and comparative analysis with a focus on providing processes and tools that can be used by scientists and managers, updated and adapted for future use, and applied in other ocean management regions throughout the world. Visual schematics were a critical component of the comparative analysis and aided discussion among scientists and managers. Regional consensus was reached on a common habitat classification scheme (U.S. Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard) for regional seabed maps. Results and schematics were presented at a region-wide workshop where further steps were taken to initiate collaboration among projects. The workshop culminated in an agreement on a set of future seabed mapping goals for the region. The work presented here may serve as an example to other ocean planning regions in the U.S., Europe or elsewhere seeking to integrate a variety of seabed characterization, classification and modeling activities.

Strategic business planning linking strategy with financial reality.

PubMed

Bachrodt, Andrew K; Smyth, J Patrick

2004-11-01

To succeed in today's complex and often adverse business environment, a healthcare organization's strategic direction must be calculated, focused, and financially sustainable. Strategic business planning is an essential tool to help organizations focus strategic choices within the financial realities of their environment. An effective strategic business planning cycle includes conducting an assessment, identifying business objectives, developing strategy, conducting an impact analysis, and developing an implementation plan.

Future Focusing: An Alternative to Long-Range Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peck, Robert D.

Characteristics of small college administration as it applies to the future are described. Consideration is given to the process for anticipating change in the circumstances surrounding colleges, identifying opportunities, and planning to take advantage of positive changes in the environment (i.e., future focused planning). The use of the Planning…

75 FR 54177 - Notice of Availability of the Draft Jarbidge Field Office Resource Management Plan and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-03

... throughout the planning area. Alternative III focuses on restoring the resiliency of ecosystem structure and... planning area. Alternative IV focuses on actively restoring the resiliency of ecosystem structure and... Development. Sand Point ACEC (950 acres) Relevant and Important Values: Cultural, Geologic, Historic...

Students' Perceptions of Terrascope, A Project-Based Freshman Learning Community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lipson, Alberta; Epstein, Ari W.; Bras, Rafael; Hodges, Kip

2007-08-01

We present a descriptive case study of Terrascope, an innovative, year-long, project-based learning community at MIT. Each year, Terrascope students study a particular environmental or Earth-system problem from a multidisciplinary perspective. Terrascope includes both academic and non-academic components; this paper focuses on the academic components. The objectives of the academic subjects, and of the program as a whole, involve helping students develop their team-building, communication, problem-solving, and self-regulatory learning skills. This study focuses on cohorts of students from the first and second years of the program (2002-2003 and 2003-2004); it is based on end-of-semester surveys and focus groups, and on additional focus groups conducted when these students were upperclassmen. Students felt Terrascope helped them make significant improvements in their ability to work in teams and to take on complex, multidisciplinary problems. They felt that the program's two-semester structure gave them an opportunity to develop and nurture these skills, and that the program prepared them well for their later work at MIT. They also felt that being engaged, as freshmen, in a distinct learning community, significantly eased their transition into MIT. We describe lessons learned in the development of Terrascope and offer suggestions for other institutions planning to develop similar programs.

Are nurses prepared for retirement?

PubMed

Blakeley, Judith; Ribeiro, Violeta

2008-09-01

This study explored various factors and income sources that registered nurses believe are important in retirement planning. In many countries worldwide, many registered nurses are approaching retirement age. This raises concerns related to the level of preparedness of retiring nurses. A mail-out questionnaire was sent to 200 randomly selected nurses aged 45 and older. SPSS descriptors were used to outline the data. Multiple t-tests were conducted to test for significant differences between selected responses by staff nurses and a group of nurse managers, educators and researchers. Of 124 respondents, 71% planned to retire by age 60. Only 24% had done a large amount of planning. The top four planning strategies identified were related to keeping healthy and active, both physically and mentally; a major financial planning strategy ranked fifth. Work pensions, a government pension and a personal savings plan were ranked as the top three retirement income sources. No significant differences were found between the staff nurse and manager groups on any of the items. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGERS/CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that managers' preparation for retirement is no different from that of staff nurses. All nurses may need to focus more on financial preparation, and begin the process early in their careers if they are to have a comfortable and healthy retirement. Nurse managers are in a position to advocate with senior management for early and comprehensive pre-retirement education for all nurses and to promote educational sessions among their staff. Managers may find the content of this paper helpful as they work with nurses to help them better prepare for retirement. This exploratory study adds to the limited amount of research available on the topic.

Ordinary risks and accepted fictions: how contrasting and competing priorities work in risk assessment and mental health care planning.

PubMed

Coffey, Michael; Cohen, Rachel; Faulkner, Alison; Hannigan, Ben; Simpson, Alan; Barlow, Sally

2017-06-01

Communication and information sharing are considered crucial to recovery-focused mental health services. Effective mental health care planning and coordination includes assessment and management of risk and safety. Using data from our cross-national mixed-method study of care planning and coordination, we examined what patients, family members and workers say about risk assessment and management and explored the contents of care plans. Thematic analysis of qualitative research interviews (n = 117) with patients, family members and workers, across four English and two Welsh National Health Service sites. Care plans were reviewed (n = 33) using a structured template. Participants have contrasting priorities in relation to risk. Patients see benefit in discussions about risk, but cast the process as a worker priority that may lead to loss of liberty. Relationships with workers are key to family members and patients; however, worker claims of involving people in the care planning process do not extend to risk assessment and management procedures for fear of causing upset. Workers locate risk as coming from the person rather than social or environmental factors, are risk averse and appear to prioritize the procedural aspects of assessment. Despite limitations, risk assessment is treated as legitimate work by professionals. Risk assessment practice operates as a type of fiction in which poor predictive ability and fear of consequences are accepted in the interests of normative certainty by all parties. As a consequence, risk adverse options are encouraged by workers and patients steered away from opportunities for ordinary risks thereby hindering the mobilization of their strengths and abilities. © 2016 The Authors. Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Stop making plans; start making decisions.

PubMed

Mankins, Michael C; Steele, Richard

2006-01-01

Many executives have grown skeptical of strategic planning. Is it any wonder? Despite all the time and energy that go into it, strategic planning most often acts as a barrier to good decision making and does little to influence strategy. Strategic planning fails because of two factors: It typically occurs annually, and it focuses on individual business units. As such, the process is completely at odds with the way executives actually make important strategy decisions, which are neither constrained by the calendar nor defined by unit boundaries. Thus, according to a survey of 156 large companies, senior executives often make strategic decisions outside the planning process, in an ad hoc fashion and without rigorous analysis or productive debate. But companies can fix the process if they attack its root problems. A few forward-looking firms have thrown out their calendar-driven, business-unit-focused planning procedures and replaced them with continuous, issues-focused decision making. In doing so, they rely on several basic principles: They separate, but integrate, decision making and plan making. They focus on a few key themes. And they structure strategy reviews to produce real decisions. When companies change the timing and focus of strategic planning, they also change the nature of senior management's discussions about strategy--from "review and approve" to "debate and decide," in which top executives actively think through every major decision and its implications for the company's performance and value. The authors have found that these companies make more than twice as many important strategic decisions per year as companies that follow the traditional planning model.

'They've invited me into their world': a focus group with clinicians delivering a behaviour change intervention in a UK contraceptive service.

PubMed

Martin, Jilly; Sheeran, Paschal; Slade, Pauline

2017-02-01

Although teenage conceptions rates in the United Kingdom (UK) have seen a downward trend recently, it remains imperative that contraceptive services for young people continue to improve. To ensure that evidence-based interventions are sustained in clinical practice, it is useful to assess the experiences of those delivering them. This study explores the experiences of sexual health clinicians who were trained to deliver a one-to-one behaviour change intervention aiming to improve contraceptive use in young women. The intervention was set in a UK NHS contraceptive and sexual health service and involved clinicians' facilitating (within one-to-one consultations) the formation of implementation intentions (or 'if-then' plans) that specified when, where and how young women would use contraception. A focus group was conducted with seven clinicians who had delivered the intervention. A thematic analysis of the focus group revealed three overall themes: (1) How the intervention worked in practice; (2) barriers and benefits to delivering the intervention; and (3) positive changes to individual consultation style and wider 'best practice' within the clinic. Our findings show that, with support, clinical staff would be in favour of incorporating if-then planning as a strategy to help promote contraceptive adherence in young women.

MRI-Related Geometric Distortions in Stereotactic Radiotherapy Treatment Planning: Evaluation and Dosimetric Impact.

PubMed

Pappas, Eleftherios P; Alshanqity, Mukhtar; Moutsatsos, Argyris; Lababidi, Hani; Alsafi, Khalid; Georgiou, Konstantinos; Karaiskos, Pantelis; Georgiou, Evangelos

2017-12-01

In view of their superior soft tissue contrast compared to computed tomography, magnetic resonance images are commonly involved in stereotactic radiosurgery/radiotherapy applications for target delineation purposes. It is known, however, that magnetic resonance images are geometrically distorted, thus deteriorating dose delivery accuracy. The present work focuses on the assessment of geometric distortion inherent in magnetic resonance images used in stereotactic radiosurgery/radiotherapy treatment planning and attempts to quantitively evaluate the consequent impact on dose delivery. The geometric distortions for 3 clinical magnetic resonance protocols (at both 1.5 and 3.0 T) used for stereotactic radiosurgery/radiotherapy treatment planning were evaluated using a recently proposed phantom and methodology. Areas of increased distortion were identified at the edges of the imaged volume which was comparable to a brain scan. Although mean absolute distortion did not exceed 0.5 mm on any spatial axis, maximum detected control point disposition reached 2 mm. In an effort to establish what could be considered as acceptable geometric uncertainty, highly conformal plans were utilized to irradiate targets of different diameters (5-50 mm). The targets were mispositioned by 0.5 up to 3 mm, and dose-volume histograms and plan quality indices clinically used for plan evaluation and acceptance were derived and used to investigate the effect of geometrical uncertainty (distortion) on dose delivery accuracy and plan quality. The latter was found to be strongly dependent on target size. For targets less than 20 mm in diameter, a spatial disposition of the order of 1 mm could significantly affect (>5%) plan acceptance/quality indices. For targets with diameter greater than 2 cm, the corresponding disposition was found greater than 1.5 mm. Overall results of this work suggest that efficacy of stereotactic radiosurgery/radiotherapy applications could be compromised in case of very small targets lying distant from the scanner's isocenter (eg, the periphery of the brain).

Integrated risk management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunsucker, J. L.

1993-01-01

The purpose of this report is to first present a basis or foundation for the building of an integrated risk management plan and them to present the plan. The integration referred to is across both the temporal and the hierarchical dimensions. Complexity, consequence, and credibility seem to be driving the need for the consideration of risk. Reduction of personal bias and reproducibility of the decision making process seem to be driving the consideration of a formal risk plan. While risk can be used as either a selection tool or a control tool, this paper concentrates on the selection usage. Risk relies on stated purpose. The tightness of the definition of purpose and success is directly reflected in the definition and control of risk. Much of a risk management plan could be designed by the answers to the questions of why, what, who, when, and where. However, any plan must provide the following information about a threat or risk: likelihood, consequence, predictability, reliability, and reproducibility. While the environment at NASA is seen as warm, but not hot, for the introduction of a risk program, some encouragement is seen if the following problems are addressed: no champion, no commitment of resource, confused definitions, lack of direction and focus, a hard sell, NASA culture, many choices of assessment methods, and cost. The plan is designed to follow the normal method of doing work and is structured to follow either the work break down structure or a functional structure very well. The parts of the plan include: defining purpose and success, initial threat assessment, initial risk assessment, reconciling threats and parameters, putting part of the information down and factoring the information back into the decision process as it comes back up, and developing inferences. Two major suggestions are presented. One is to build an office of risk management to be used as a resource by managers in doing the risk process. Another is to form a pilot program to try out the details in the plan and modify the method where needed.

WE-AB-BRA-09: Sensitivity of Plan Re-Optimization to Errors in Deformable Image Registration in Online Adaptive Image-Guided Radiation Therapy

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

McClain, B; Olsen, J; Green, O

2015-06-15

Purpose: Online adaptive therapy (ART) relies on auto-contouring using deformable image registration (DIR). DIR’s inherent uncertainties require user intervention and manual edits while the patient is on the table. We investigated the dosimetric impact of DIR errors on the quality of re-optimized plans, and used the findings to establish regions for focusing manual edits to where DIR errors can Result in clinically relevant dose differences. Methods: Our clinical implementation of online adaptive MR-IGRT involves using DIR to transfer contours from CT to daily MR, followed by a physicians’ edits. The plan is then re-optimized to meet the organs at riskmore » (OARs) constraints. Re-optimized abdomen and pelvis plans generated based on physician edited OARs were selected as the baseline for evaluation. Plans were then re-optimized on auto-deformed contours with manual edits limited to pre-defined uniform rings (0 to 5cm) around the PTV. A 0cm ring indicates that the auto-deformed OARs were used without editing. The magnitude of the variations caused by the non-deterministic optimizer was quantified by repeat re-optimizations on the same geometry to determine the mean and standard deviation (STD). For each re-optimized plan, various volumetric parameters for the PTV, the OARs were extracted along with DVH and isodose evaluation. A plan was deemed acceptable if the variation from the baseline plan was within one STD. Results: Initial results show that for abdomen and pancreas cases, a minimum of 5cm margin around the PTV is required for contour corrections, while for pelvic and liver cases a 2–3 cm margin is sufficient. Conclusion: Focusing manual contour edits to regions of dosimetric relevance can reduce contouring time in the online ART process while maintaining a clinically comparable plan. Future work will further refine the contouring region by evaluating the path along the beams, dose gradients near the target and OAR dose metrics.« less

7 CFR 1717.604 - Long-range engineering plans and construction work plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Long-range engineering plans and construction work... AND GUARANTEED ELECTRIC LOANS Operational Controls § 1717.604 Long-range engineering plans and construction work plans. (a) All borrowers are required to maintain up-to-date long-range engineering plans and...

7 CFR 1717.604 - Long-range engineering plans and construction work plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Long-range engineering plans and construction work... AND GUARANTEED ELECTRIC LOANS Operational Controls § 1717.604 Long-range engineering plans and construction work plans. (a) All borrowers are required to maintain up-to-date long-range engineering plans and...

7 CFR 1717.604 - Long-range engineering plans and construction work plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 11 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Long-range engineering plans and construction work... AND GUARANTEED ELECTRIC LOANS Operational Controls § 1717.604 Long-range engineering plans and construction work plans. (a) All borrowers are required to maintain up-to-date long-range engineering plans and...