WorldWideScience

Sample records for circumventing national opt-outs

  1. Opting Out of the European Union

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Adler-Nissen, Rebecca

    controversial cases of differentiated integration: the British and Danish opt-outs from Economic and Monetary Union and European policies on borders, asylum, migration, internal security and justice. Drawing on over one hundred interviews with national representatives and EU officials, the author demonstrates......European integration continues to deepen despite major crises and attempts to take back sovereignty. A growing number of member states are reacting to a more constraining EU by negotiating opt-outs. This book provides the first in-depth account of how opt-outs work in practice. It examines the most...... how representatives manage the stigma of opting out, allowing them to influence even politically sensitive areas covered by their opt-outs. Developing a practice approach to European integration, the book shows how everyday negotiations transform national interests into European ideals. It is usually...

  2. 17 CFR 248.7 - Form of opt out notice to consumers; opt out methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... the right to disclose nonpublic personal information about your consumer to a nonaffiliated third party; (ii) That the consumer has the right to opt out of that disclosure; and (iii) A reasonable means by which the consumer may exercise the opt out right. (2) Examples—(i) Adequate opt out notice. You...

  3. 12 CFR 573.7 - Form of opt out notice to consumers; opt out methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... reserve the right to disclose nonpublic personal information about your consumer to a nonaffiliated third party; (ii) That the consumer has the right to opt out of that disclosure; and (iii) A reasonable means by which the consumer may exercise the opt out right. (2) Examples—(i) Adequate opt out notice. You...

  4. 12 CFR 40.7 - Form of opt out notice to consumers; opt out methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... discloses or reserves the right to disclose nonpublic personal information about its consumer to a nonaffiliated third party; (ii) That the consumer has the right to opt out of that disclosure; and (iii) A reasonable means by which the consumer may exercise the opt out right. (2) Examples. (i) Adequate opt out...

  5. 16 CFR 313.7 - Form of opt out notice to consumers; opt out methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... your consumers that accurately explains the right to opt out under that section. The notice must state... consumer to a nonaffiliated third party; (ii) That the consumer has the right to opt out of that disclosure; and (iii) A reasonable means by which the consumer may exercise the opt out right. (2) Examples—(i...

  6. 12 CFR 332.7 - Form of opt out notice to consumers; opt out methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... each of your consumers that accurately explains the right to opt out under that section. The notice... your consumer to a nonaffiliated third party; (ii) That the consumer has the right to opt out of that disclosure; and (iii) A reasonable means by which the consumer may exercise the opt out right. (2) Examples...

  7. 12 CFR 216.7 - Form of opt out notice to consumers; opt out methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... each of your consumers that accurately explains the right to opt out under that section. The notice... your consumer to a nonaffiliated third party; (ii) That the consumer has the right to opt out of that disclosure; and (iii) A reasonable means by which the consumer may exercise the opt out right. (2) Examples...

  8. 12 CFR 716.7 - Form of opt out notice to consumers and opt out methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... your consumers that accurately explains the right to opt out under that section. The notice must state... consumer to a nonaffiliated third party; (ii) That the consumer has the right to opt out of that disclosure; and (iii) A reasonable means by which the consumer may exercise the opt out right. (2) Examples. (i...

  9. No opt-out is forever. Sweden opts back in

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schneider, Horst

    2010-01-01

    The draft legislation by the conservative-liberal Swedish government of early 2010, which was adopted by the Swedish parliament on June 17, 2010, not only repeals the shutdown of all Swedish nuclear power plants, which had earlier been foreseen by this year, but permits the construction and operation of new plants. In Sweden, a referendum in 1980 started the opt-out process. Shutdown within 30 years was foreseen in the regulation. As early as in late 1995, an Energy Committee appointed by the government reported that a complete opt-out by 2010 was impossible to achieve on economic and environmental grounds. Under the 1997 Opt-out Act, the government may shut down nuclear power plants at any time against an indemnification - unlike Germany. Another prerequisite is the realistic availability of new energy sources. As a consequence, only 2 nuclear power plants have been shut down so far, mainly because of protests from neighboring Denmark. Thirty years after the referendum, the acceptance of nuclear power in Sweden is high and stable. In line with growing public acceptance in the course of the debate about climate change, the Christian-Democratic Party changed its policy in March 2007, opting out of the opt-out. Finally, the conservative-liberal Swedish government submitted draft legislation to parliament which also permitted building new nuclear power plants. The Social Democratic Workers' Party, which is in the opposition, stuck to its rejection of the use of nuclear power and announced its intention to reverse the repeal of the opt-out in September 2010, after parliamentary elections and a possible new red-green government. The public and political developments in Sweden show that social attitudes towards nuclear power, opt-out policies and legal regulations can change. Adopting a rational attitude when discussing nuclear power and realities is possible, and political views sooner or later will adapt to the new situation. This could happen also in Germany

  10. Inclusion of residual tissue in biobanks: opt-in or opt-out?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Noor A A Giesbertz

    Full Text Available Residual samples are an important source of tissue for biobanks. They refer to leftover tissue that is obtained in the course of clinical care. Residual samples can be included through an opt-in method--that is, a person explicitly expresses consent to include residual tissue--or an opt-out method--that is, the tissue is stored unless a person explicitly refuses. At the moment there is a renewed interest in the appropriate method for the inclusion of residual samples in biobanks. The expansion of biobanks and rapid developments in biomedical research underscore the need to evaluate the proper procedure. In this article we revisit the arguments in favor and against opt-in and opt-out methods for residual tissue research. We conclude firstly that an opt-out method is only justifiable when certain conditions are met: (1 awareness has to be raised, (2 sufficient information has to be provided, and (3 a genuine possibility to object has to be offered. An opt-out procedure that fulfills these conditions can be called a "thick" opt-out method. As a consequence, the dichotomy between opt-in and opt-out is less stark than usually suggested, as both methods require a certain amount of effort. Secondly, we conclude that because of the diversity of tissue and research, not every situation can be treated alike. There are at least four situations that require opt-in procedures: (1 research with higher risks or increased burdens, (2 the use of controversial or high-impact techniques, (3 research on sensitive tissue types, and (4 research involving vulnerable patients. We suggest that further interdisciplinary debate should answer the question when to opt-in or when to opt-out.

  11. 12 CFR 717.21 - Affiliate marketing opt-out and exceptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Affiliate marketing opt-out and exceptions. 717.21 Section 717.21 Banks and Banking NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS AFFECTING CREDIT UNIONS FAIR CREDIT REPORTING Affiliate Marketing § 717.21 Affiliate marketing opt-out and exceptions. (a...

  12. Optimizing Opt-Out Consent for Record Linkage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Das Marcel

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available This article reports on a study testing the effects of different ways of administering an opt-out consent for record linkage in a probability-based Internet panel. First, we conducted cognitive interviews to explore reactions to a draft version of the opt-out consent text. Second, we conducted a two-factor experiment to test the effects of content manipulations and mode. The results indicate that the way in which respondents were informed did not have much effect on opting out. Results from a follow-up survey on attitudes regarding privacy, confidentiality, and trust, along with knowledge questions about the process of linking, showed no evidence that presenting the opt-out consent statement makes respondents more concerned about privacy. Knowledge about the aspects of record linkage is generally not high. When looking at long-term effects of sending an opt-out consent statement, we found no evidence that this leads to higher attrition or lower participation rates.

  13. 12 CFR 334.27 - Renewal of opt-out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Renewal of opt-out. 334.27 Section 334.27 Banks and Banking FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION REGULATIONS AND STATEMENTS OF GENERAL POLICY FAIR CREDIT REPORTING Affiliate Marketing § 334.27 Renewal of opt-out. (a) Renewal notice and opt-out...

  14. Default options and social welfare : Opt in versus opt out

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bouckaert, J.M.C.; Degryse, H.A.

    2013-01-01

    We offer a social-welfare comparison of the two most prominent default options – opt in and opt out – using a two-period model of localized competition. We demonstrate that when consumers stick to the default option, the prevailing default policy shapes firms' ability to collect and use customer

  15. The rise and fall of an opt-out system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nordfalk, Francisca; Hoeyer, Klaus

    2018-04-01

    In Denmark, citizens participate in register-based research without the possibility of opting out. However, in 1995 it was made possible for Danish citizens to register an opt-out called 'researcher protection' [ forskerbeskyttelse], which implied that researchers could not contact people to invite them to participate in research projects, such as clinical trials or questionnaries, based on their registrations in national registers. Data already registered could still be used for research. In 2014, this possibility of opt-out was revoked by law. The aims of this paper are to understand how the Danish researcher protection system came about, why it was terminated and what we can we learn from this example. We conducted a descriptive analysis of a copy of the former researcher protection register along with policies and media debate surrounding the rise and revocation of the researcher protection system. Our results show how both the inception and the abolishment of researcher protection appear to be ad hoc and without specified criteria of success. An examination of the recorded entries in the researcher protection registry could have led to changes in its administration as an alternative to its total abolition. In future opt-out systems, there should be focus on monitoring register practices and the purpose and criteria for evaluation must be defined prior to implementation.

  16. Nuclear energy: the cost of opting-out

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mueller, U.

    2003-01-01

    This article discusses the results of a study made on the financial and ecological costs that would be incurred if Switzerland opted out of the use of nuclear energy. Figures are quoted for the costs if two Swiss popular initiatives on the subject of opting out of nuclear energy were accepted in voting. The disadvantages offered by the alternatives such as combined gas and steam-turbine power plant, photovoltaics and wind power are quoted. Possible negative effects of opting out on the Swiss economy are looked at and the political aspects of renewing operational permits for nuclear power stations are discussed

  17. 17 CFR 248.124 - Reasonable opportunity to opt out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ...” to indicate their opt out preference or that requires the consumer to check one of two blank check... affiliate to make marketing solicitations to a consumer about your products or services unless the consumer... a reasonable opportunity to opt out. The consumer is given a reasonable opportunity to opt out if...

  18. The Diplomacy of Opting Out

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Adler-Nissen, Rebecca

    and Home Affairs. Theoretically, the study offers a political sociology of European integration, which is seen as driven by politico-administrative struggling for capital in quasi-autonomous fields. This approach can be used more generally by EU and IR scholars to understand social dynamics of inclusion...... to upholding a doxa of ‘ever closer union among the peoples of Europe'. Empirically, the thesis provides the first extensive study of the diplomatic practices of the two champions of opting out - the UK and Denmark - when they handle their most important opt-outs from the Economic Monetary Union and Justice...... the everyday social setting of international and regional governance....

  19. The Opt-Out Continuation: Education, Work, and Motherhood from 1984 to 2012

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tanya Byker

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Debate about an increasing trend in highly educated women dropping out of the labor force to care for children—an opt-out revolution—has been considerable. I use unique features of the of Survey of Income and Program Participation—a large nationally representative sample, longitudinal structure, monthly labor-force outcomes, and repeated panels—to study trends in women's birth-related career interruptions over time and across the education spectrum. Methodologically, I use event studies to compare women's monthly labor-force outcomes on the extensive and intensive margins from twenty-four months before to twenty-four months after births in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Rather than an abrupt change in opting out, I find that the pattern of birth-related interruptions has changed surprisingly little over the past thirty years—substantial and sustained interruptions remain common for mothers in all education categories. Rather than a revolution, I find an opt-out continuation.

  20. 16 CFR 680.21 - Affiliate marketing opt-out and exceptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... marketing purposes to a consumer with whom you have a pre-existing business relationship; (2) To facilitate... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Affiliate marketing opt-out and exceptions... AFFILIATE MARKETING § 680.21 Affiliate marketing opt-out and exceptions. (a) Initial notice and opt-out...

  1. 12 CFR 717.22 - Scope and duration of opt-out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... CREDIT REPORTING Affiliate Marketing § 717.22 Scope and duration of opt-out. (a) Scope of opt-out. (1) In... as described in the notice to make solicitations to the consumer. (2) Continuing relationship. (i) In general. If the consumer establishes a continuing relationship with you or your affiliate, an opt-out...

  2. 12 CFR 41.22 - Scope and duration of opt-out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... Affiliate Marketing § 41.22 Scope and duration of opt-out. (a) Scope of opt-out. (1) In general. Except as... the notice to make solicitations to the consumer. (2) Continuing relationship. (i) In general. If the consumer establishes a continuing relationship with a bank or its affiliate, an opt-out notice may apply to...

  3. No opt-out is forever. Sweden opts back in; Ausstieg ist nie endgueltig. Schweden kehrt um

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schneider, Horst

    2010-06-15

    The draft legislation by the conservative-liberal Swedish government of early 2010, which was adopted by the Swedish parliament on June 17, 2010, not only repeals the shutdown of all Swedish nuclear power plants, which had earlier been foreseen by this year, but permits the construction and operation of new plants. In Sweden, a referendum in 1980 started the opt-out process. Shutdown within 30 years was foreseen in the regulation. As early as in late 1995, an Energy Committee appointed by the government reported that a complete opt-out by 2010 was impossible to achieve on economic and environmental grounds. Under the 1997 Opt-out Act, the government may shut down nuclear power plants at any time against an indemnification - unlike Germany. Another prerequisite is the realistic availability of new energy sources. As a consequence, only 2 nuclear power plants have been shut down so far, mainly because of protests from neighboring Denmark. Thirty years after the referendum, the acceptance of nuclear power in Sweden is high and stable. In line with growing public acceptance in the course of the debate about climate change, the Christian-Democratic Party changed its policy in March 2007, opting out of the opt-out. Finally, the conservative-liberal Swedish government submitted draft legislation to parliament which also permitted building new nuclear power plants. The Social Democratic Workers' Party, which is in the opposition, stuck to its rejection of the use of nuclear power and announced its intention to reverse the repeal of the opt-out in September 2010, after parliamentary elections and a possible new red-green government. The public and political developments in Sweden show that social attitudes towards nuclear power, opt-out policies and legal regulations can change. Adopting a rational attitude when discussing nuclear power and realities is possible, and political views sooner or later will adapt to the new situation. This could happen also in Germany

  4. 12 CFR 222.27 - Renewal of opt-out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Renewal of opt-out. 222.27 Section 222.27 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM (CONTINUED) BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM FAIR CREDIT REPORTING (REGULATION V) Affiliate Marketing § 222.27 Renewal of opt-out. (a) Renewal notice and...

  5. 12 CFR 717.27 - Renewal of opt-out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... applies. (2) Renewal period. Each opt-out renewal must be effective for a period of at least five years as... companies, or their successors, that jointly provided the previous opt-out notice. (b) Contents of renewal... provided by multiple companies with the ABC name or multiple companies in the ABC group or family of...

  6. 17 CFR 160.7 - Form of opt out notice to consumers; opt out methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... consumer agrees, electronically. (2) When a customer relationship terminates, the customer's opt out... that relationship. If the individual subsequently establishes a new customer relationship with you, the... relationships. (1) If two or more consumers jointly obtain a financial product or service from you, you may...

  7. 12 CFR 571.22 - Scope and duration of opt-out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... REPORTING Affiliate Marketing § 571.22 Scope and duration of opt-out. (a) Scope of opt-out—(1) In general... described in the notice to make solicitations to the consumer. (2) Continuing relationship—(i) In general. If the consumer establishes a continuing relationship with you or your affiliate, an opt-out notice...

  8. 16 CFR 680.22 - Scope and duration of opt-out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... MARKETING § 680.22 Scope and duration of opt-out. (a) Scope of opt-out—(1) In general. Except as otherwise... make solicitations to the consumer. (2) Continuing relationship—(i) In general. If the consumer establishes a continuing relationship with you or your affiliate, an opt-out notice may apply to eligibility...

  9. Deemed consent: Assessing the new opt-out approach to organ procurement in Wales

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Albertsen, Andreas

    2018-01-01

    In December 2015, Wales became the first country in the UK to move away from an opt-in system in organ procurement. The new legislation introduces the concept of deemed consent whereby a person who neither opt in nor opt out is deemed to have consented to donation. The data released by the National...... Health Service (NHS) in July 2017 provide an excellent opportunity to assess this legislation in light of concerns that it would decrease procurement rates for living and deceased donation, as well as sparking an increase in family refusals. None of these concerns have come to pass, with Wales...

  10. 12 CFR 571.26 - Delivery of opt-out notices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... Affiliate Marketing § 571.26 Delivery of opt-out notices. (a) In general. The opt-out notice must be... the notice on the Internet Web site at which the consumer obtained a product or service electronically... on an Internet Web site without requiring the consumer to acknowledge receipt of the notice. ...

  11. 12 CFR 571.25 - Reasonable and simple methods of opting out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... CREDIT REPORTING Affiliate Marketing § 571.25 Reasonable and simple methods of opting out. (a) In general... out, such as a form that can be electronically mailed or processed at an Internet Web site, if the... (15 U.S.C. 6801 et seq.), the affiliate sharing opt-out under the Act, and the affiliate marketing opt...

  12. 12 CFR 41.26 - Delivery of opt-out notices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... Affiliate Marketing § 41.26 Delivery of opt-out notices. (a) In general. The opt-out notice must be provided... the notice on the Internet Web site at which the consumer obtained a product or service electronically... on an Internet Web site without requiring the consumer to acknowledge receipt of the notice. ...

  13. Opting in and opting out: a grounded theory of nursing's contribution to inpatient rehabilitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pryor, Julie; Walker, Annette; O'Connell, Beverly; Worrall-Carter, Linda

    2009-12-01

    To develop a grounded theory of nursing's contribution to patient rehabilitation from the perspective of nurses working in inpatient rehabilitation. Grounded theory method, informed by the theoretical perspective of symbolic interactionism, was used to guide data collection and analysis, and the development of a grounded theory. Five inpatient rehabilitation units in Australia. Thirty-five registered and 18 enrolled nurses participated in audio-taped interviews and/or were observed during periods of their everyday practice. The analysis revealed a situation whereby nurses made decisions about when to 'opt in' and when to 'opt out' of inpatient rehabilitation. This occurred on two levels: with their interaction with patients and allied health professionals, and when faced with negative system issues that impacted on their ability to contribute to patient rehabilitation. The primary contribution nurses made to inpatient rehabilitation was working directly with patients, enabling them to self-care. Nurses coached patients when their decisions about 'opting in' and 'opting out' were based on assessment of the person in their particular context. In contrast, the nurses mostly distanced themselves from system-based problems, 'opting out' of addressing them. They did this not to make their working lives easier, but more manageable. System-based problems impacted negatively on the nurses' ability to deliver comprehensive rehabilitation care. As a consequence, some nurses felt unable to influence the care and they withdrew professionally to make their work lives more manageable.

  14. 12 CFR 717.26 - Delivery of opt-out notices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... CREDIT REPORTING Affiliate Marketing § 717.26 Delivery of opt-out notices. (a) In general. The opt-out... the notice; or (4) Posts the notice on the Internet Web site at which the consumer obtained a product... notice; or (3) Posts the notice on an Internet Web site without requiring the consumer to acknowledge...

  15. 12 CFR 222.24 - Reasonable opportunity to opt out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... consumers to write a “yes” or “no” to indicate their opt-out preference or that requires the consumer to... opt out. (a) In general. You must not use eligibility information about a consumer that you receive from an affiliate to make a solicitation to the consumer about your products or services, unless the...

  16. 12 CFR 334.23 - Contents of opt-out notice; consolidated and equivalent notices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... of the joint consumers may exercise the right to opt out. (ii) The opt-out notice must explain how an...) Alternative contents. If the consumer is afforded a broader right to opt out of receiving marketing than is... a clear, conspicuous, and concise notice that accurately discloses the consumer's opt-out rights. (4...

  17. 12 CFR 222.23 - Contents of opt-out notice; consolidated and equivalent notices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... consumers. Any of the joint consumers may exercise the right to opt out. (ii) The opt-out notice must...) Alternative contents. If the consumer is afforded a broader right to opt out of receiving marketing than is... a clear, conspicuous, and concise notice that accurately discloses the consumer's opt-out rights. (4...

  18. Standards, Assessments & Opting Out, Spring 2015

    Science.gov (United States)

    Advance Illinois, 2015

    2015-01-01

    In the spring, Illinois students will take new state assessments that reflect the rigor and relevance of the new Illinois Learning Standards. But some classmates will sit out and join the pushback against standardized testing. Opt-out advocates raise concerns about over-testing, and the resulting toll on students as well as the impact on classroom…

  19. 16 CFR 680.25 - Reasonable and simple methods of opting out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... AFFILIATE MARKETING § 680.25 Reasonable and simple methods of opting out. (a) In general. You must not use... a form that can be electronically mailed or processed at an Internet Web site, if the consumer..., 15 U.S.C. 6801 et seq., the affiliate sharing opt-out under the Act, and the affiliate marketing opt...

  20. Assessment Opt-Out Policies: State Responses to Parent Pushback. ECS Education Trends

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aragon, Stephanie; Rowland, Julie; Wixom, Micah Ann

    2015-01-01

    With new state assessments kicking into full swing across the country, schools are seeing more and more parents wanting to opt out their children. Determining whether states allow assessment opt-outs can be complex and is constantly evolving. In some states the answer is clear: State policies either allow or prohibit state assessment opt-outs, or…

  1. Compatibility with European law of opt-out legislation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feldmann, U.

    2000-01-01

    Should consensus with the utilities not be reached, Federal Minister for the Environment, Mr. Trittin, repeatedly announced to introduce opt-out legislation 'by dissent'. Both the constitutionality of such legislation and its compatibility with European law are topics of controversial debate in the literature. The decision taken by the Bavarian cabinet on February 8 in this year, to use all political and legal means against shutting down German nuclear power plants and, for this purpose, even to approach the European Commission on grounds of potential violation of European law, are reason enough to deal in more detail with the compatibility of an opt-out law with the Euratom Treaty and the EC Treaty. As the opt-out law does not yet exist, these considerations can only be of a theoretical nature. However, this is the working hypothesis assumed: Reprocessing is banned as of the entry into force of the opt-out law. This ban includes moving nuclear waste abroad for reprocessing. The peaceful use of nuclear power for electricity generation in power reactors operated for thirty years is forbidden. Older reactors may be run only for a transition period of another three years. (This includes abandoning the promotion purpose in the German Atomic Energy Act and a ban on building new power reactors). However, the operating life may be distributed in a flexible way. This contribution indicates that there are sound reasons and interesting approaches, respectively, in the literature for assuming that opting out by means of legislation, coupled with a ban on reprocessing, at least constitutes a violation of the freedom for goods and/or services. However, this cannot be derived unequivocally from either the Euratom Treaty or the EC Treaty or from rulings by the European Court of Justice. Ultimately, compatibility with European law of the ban on reprocessing can be decided only by the European Court of Justice. (orig.) [de

  2. 12 CFR 571.21 - Affiliate marketing opt-out and exceptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... solicitation for marketing purposes to a consumer with whom you have a pre-existing business relationship; (2... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Affiliate marketing opt-out and exceptions. 571... CREDIT REPORTING Affiliate Marketing § 571.21 Affiliate marketing opt-out and exceptions. (a) Initial...

  3. 12 CFR 334.21 - Affiliate marketing opt-out and exceptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... solicitation for marketing purposes to a consumer with whom you have a pre-existing business relationship; (2... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Affiliate marketing opt-out and exceptions. 334... OF GENERAL POLICY FAIR CREDIT REPORTING Affiliate Marketing § 334.21 Affiliate marketing opt-out and...

  4. Opt-out donation and tacit consent: a reply to Wilkinson and De Wispelaere.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saunders, Ben

    2012-02-01

    In this reply to Wilkinson and De Wispelaere, I argue that an opt-out donation system can be regarded as tacit consent. I first separate the opt-in/opt-out issue from that of the role that the family ought to play. I then argue that what De Wispelaere calls minimal approval-tracking is not obviously necessary and that, even if it were, opt-out schemes can satisfy this requirement.

  5. Assessing the impact of opt-out definitions in choice experiments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, Søren Bøye; Campbell, Danny; Mørkbak, Morten Raun

    that this heuristic has a larger impact when the opt-out is defined as respondents own typical (perceived) purchase than when defined as a none-of-these or a provided hypothetical alternative. We consequently stress the importance for researchers to be aware of these possible implications related to the definition...... of opt-out alternatives in choice experiments....

  6. The new opt-out Dutch National Breast Implant Registry - Lessons learnt from the road to implementation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rakhorst, Hinne A; Mureau, Marc A M; Cooter, Rodney D; McNeil, John; van Hooff, Miranda; van der Hulst, René; Hommes, Juliette; Hoornweg, Marije; Moojen-Zaal, Laura; Liem, Patricia; Mathijssen, Irene M J

    2017-10-01

    An estimated 1-3% of all women in the Netherlands carry breast implants. Since the introduction five decades ago, problems with a variety of breast implants have emerged with direct consequences for the patients' health. Plastic surgeons worldwide reacted through campaigning for auditing on long-term implant quality, surgeon performance, and institutional outcomes in implant registries. Especially, the PIP implant scandal of 2010 demonstrated the paucity of epidemiological data and uncovered a weakness in our ability to even 'track and trace' patients. In addition, a recent report of the Dutch Institute of National Health showed a lack of compliance of 100% of breast implant producers to CE requirements. These arguments stress the need for an independent implant registry. Insufficient capture rates or dependence from the implant producers made the variety of national and international patient registries unreliable. The Dutch Breast Implant Registry (DBIR) is unique because it is an opt-out registry without the need for informed consent and thus a high capture rate. Furthermore, an estimated 95% of breast implants are implanted by board-certified plastic surgeons. Funding was received from a non-governmental organisation to increase the quality of health care in the Netherlands, and maintenance is gathered by 25 euros per implant inserted. This article describes the way the Dutch have set up their system, with special attention to the well-known hurdles of starting a patient registry. Examples include: funding, medical ethical issues, opt out system, benchmarking, quality assurance as well as governance and collaboration. The Dutch consider their experience and data shareware for others to be used globally to the benefit of patient safety and quality improvement. Copyright © 2017 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. 12 CFR 571.24 - Reasonable opportunity to opt out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... completing a form that requires consumers to write a “yes” or “no” to indicate their opt-out preference or... eligibility information about a consumer that you receive from an affiliate to make a solicitation to the consumer about your products or services, unless the consumer is provided a reasonable opportunity to opt...

  8. Opting out of an ever closer union

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Adler-Nissen, Rebecca

    2011-01-01

    How is sovereignty managed in the EU? This paper investigates the relationship between sovereignty and European integration through the prism of national opt-outs from EU treaties, addressing an apparent contradiction in contemporary European governance: the contrasting processes of integration...... and differentiation. On the one hand, European integration is increasing as states transfer sovereign competencies to the EU. On the other hand, we see a multitude of differentiation processes through which member states choose to disengage from the EU polity by negotiating exemptions or derogations. Drawing...... on Pierre Bourdieu’s political sociology, the paper argues that to understand how sovereignty is exercised and interpreted in the EU, it is necessary to focus not only on the constitutive and regulative dimensions of sovereignty, but equally on the practice dimension. This entails an exploration of how...

  9. 12 CFR 334.25 - Reasonable and simple methods of opting out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... STATEMENTS OF GENERAL POLICY FAIR CREDIT REPORTING Affiliate Marketing § 334.25 Reasonable and simple methods... or processed at an Internet Web site, if the consumer agrees to the electronic delivery of... opt-out under the Act, and the affiliate marketing opt-out under the Act, by a single method, such as...

  10. 12 CFR 222.25 - Reasonable and simple methods of opting out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM FAIR CREDIT REPORTING (REGULATION V) Affiliate Marketing § 222.25 Reasonable and... electronically mailed or processed at an Internet Web site, if the consumer agrees to the electronic delivery of... opt-out under the Act, and the affiliate marketing opt-out under the Act, by a single method, such as...

  11. 12 CFR 334.22 - Scope and duration of opt-out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... POLICY FAIR CREDIT REPORTING Affiliate Marketing § 334.22 Scope and duration of opt-out. (a) Scope of opt... relationship—(i) In general. If the consumer establishes a continuing relationship with you or your affiliate... continuing relationship or multiple continuing relationships that the consumer establishes with you or your...

  12. Opt-out as an acceptable method of obtaining consent in medical research: a short report.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Vellinga, Akke

    2011-04-06

    Abstract Background A prospective cohort study was set up to investigate a possible association between antibiotic prescribing and antibiotic resistance of E. coli urinary tract infection in the community. Participation of patients with urinary tract infection was obtained through an opt-out methodology. This short paper reports on the acceptability of the opt-out recruitment approach. Methods Participating practices (22) were requested to send a urine sample from all patients presenting with symptoms of urinary tract infection. Upon receipt of the sample in the laboratory, a letter explaining the study, an opt-out form and a freepost envelope were sent to all adult patients. A website with additional information and including an \\'opt-out\\' button was set up for the study. Results A total of 1362 urine samples were submitted by the 22 participating practices representing 1178 adult patients of whom 193 actively responded to the letter: 142 opted out by letter, 15 through the website, 2 by phone and 12 sent the letter back without indication, making a total of 171 patients or 14.5% opt-out; the remaining 22 patients (1.9%) explicitly opted in. The total group consisted of 80% women and the mean age was 50.9 years (sd 20.8). No significant differences were found between patients who participated and those who opted out in terms of age, gender or whether the urine sample was positive or not. Conclusions Overall the opt-out method was well received and participation in the study reached 85.5%. The low number of complaints (2) indicates that this is a generally acceptable method of patient recruitment. The 14.5% opt-out shows that it effectively empowers patients to decline participation. The similarity between patients opting out and the rest of the patients is reassuring for extrapolation of the results of the study.

  13. Opt-out of voluntary HIV testing: a Singapore hospital's experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chua, Arlene C; Leo, Yee Sin; Cavailler, Philippe; Chu, Christine; Ng, Aloysius; Ng, Oon Tek; Krishnan, Prabha

    2012-01-01

    Since 2008, the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) has expanded HIV testing by increasing anonymous HIV test sites, as well as issuing a directive to hospitals to offer routine voluntary opt out inpatient HIV testing. We reviewed this program implemented at the end of 2008 at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), the second largest acute care general hospital in Singapore. From January 2009 to December 2010, all inpatients aged greater or equal than 21 years were screened for HIV unless they declined or were not eligible for screening. We reviewed the implementation of the Opt Out testing policy. There were a total of 93,211 admissions; 41,543 patients were included based on HIV screening program eligibility criteria. Among those included, 79% (n = 32,675) opted out of HIV screening. The overall acceptance rate was 21%. Majority of eligible patients who were tested (63%) were men. The mean age of tested patients was 52 years. The opt out rate was significantly higher among females (OR: 1.5, 95%CI: 1.4-1.6), aged >60 years (OR: 2.3, 95%CI: 2.2-2.4) and Chinese ethnicity (OR: 1.7, 95%CI:1.6-1.8). The false positive rate of the HIV screening test is 0.56%. The proportion of patients with HIV infection among those who underwent HIV screening is 0.18%. All 16 confirmed HIV patients were linked to care. The default opt-in rate of inpatient HIV testing was low at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore. Efforts to address individual HIV risk perception and campaigns against HIV stigma are needed to encourage more individuals to be tested for HIV.

  14. A randomised controlled trial to compare opt-in and opt-out parental consent for childhood vaccine safety surveillance using data linkage: study protocol

    OpenAIRE

    Berry, Jesia G; Ryan, Philip; Braunack-Mayer, Annette J; Duszynski, Katherine M; Xafis, Vicki; Gold, Michael S

    2011-01-01

    Abstract Background The Vaccine Assessment using Linked Data (VALiD) trial compared opt-in and opt-out parental consent for a population-based childhood vaccine safety surveillance program using data linkage. A subsequent telephone interview of all households enrolled in the trial elicited parental intent regarding the return or non-return of reply forms for opt-in and opt-out consent. This paper describes the rationale for the trial and provides an overview of the design and methods. Methods...

  15. A randomised controlled trial to compare opt-in and opt-out parental consent for childhood vaccine safety surveillance using data linkage: study protocol

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Duszynski Katherine M

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The Vaccine Assessment using Linked Data (VALiD trial compared opt-in and opt-out parental consent for a population-based childhood vaccine safety surveillance program using data linkage. A subsequent telephone interview of all households enrolled in the trial elicited parental intent regarding the return or non-return of reply forms for opt-in and opt-out consent. This paper describes the rationale for the trial and provides an overview of the design and methods. Methods/Design Single-centre, single-blind, randomised controlled trial (RCT stratified by firstborn status. Mothers who gave birth at one tertiary South Australian hospital were randomised at six weeks post-partum to receive an opt-in or opt-out reply form, along with information explaining data linkage. The primary outcome at 10 weeks post-partum was parental participation in each arm, as indicated by the respective return or non-return of a reply form (or via telephone or email response. A subsequent telephone interview at 10 weeks post-partum elicited parental intent regarding the return or non-return of the reply form, and attitudes and knowledge about data linkage, vaccine safety, consent preferences and vaccination practices. Enrolment began in July 2009 and 1,129 households were recruited in a three-month period. Analysis has not yet been undertaken. The participation rate and selection bias for each method of consent will be compared when the data are analysed. Discussion The VALiD RCT represents the first trial of opt-in versus opt-out consent for a data linkage study that assesses consent preferences and intent compared with actual opting in or opting out behaviour, and socioeconomic factors. The limitations to generalisability are discussed. Trial registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12610000332022

  16. A randomised controlled trial to compare opt-in and opt-out parental consent for childhood vaccine safety surveillance using data linkage: study protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berry, Jesia G; Ryan, Philip; Braunack-Mayer, Annette J; Duszynski, Katherine M; Xafis, Vicki; Gold, Michael S

    2011-01-04

    The Vaccine Assessment using Linked Data (VALiD) trial compared opt-in and opt-out parental consent for a population-based childhood vaccine safety surveillance program using data linkage. A subsequent telephone interview of all households enrolled in the trial elicited parental intent regarding the return or non-return of reply forms for opt-in and opt-out consent. This paper describes the rationale for the trial and provides an overview of the design and methods. Single-centre, single-blind, randomised controlled trial (RCT) stratified by firstborn status. Mothers who gave birth at one tertiary South Australian hospital were randomised at six weeks post-partum to receive an opt-in or opt-out reply form, along with information explaining data linkage. The primary outcome at 10 weeks post-partum was parental participation in each arm, as indicated by the respective return or non-return of a reply form (or via telephone or email response). A subsequent telephone interview at 10 weeks post-partum elicited parental intent regarding the return or non-return of the reply form, and attitudes and knowledge about data linkage, vaccine safety, consent preferences and vaccination practices. Enrolment began in July 2009 and 1,129 households were recruited in a three-month period. Analysis has not yet been undertaken. The participation rate and selection bias for each method of consent will be compared when the data are analysed. The VALiD RCT represents the first trial of opt-in versus opt-out consent for a data linkage study that assesses consent preferences and intent compared with actual opting in or opting out behaviour, and socioeconomic factors. The limitations to generalisability are discussed. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12610000332022.

  17. 12 CFR 573.15 - Other exceptions to notice and opt out requirements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... consumer. (2) A consumer may revoke consent by subsequently exercising the right to opt out of future... PRIVACY OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL INFORMATION Exceptions § 573.15 Other exceptions to notice and opt out... consumer, provided that the consumer has not revoked the consent or direction; (2)(i) To protect the...

  18. Opt-out of voluntary HIV testing: a Singapore hospital's experience.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arlene C Chua

    Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Since 2008, the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH has expanded HIV testing by increasing anonymous HIV test sites, as well as issuing a directive to hospitals to offer routine voluntary opt out inpatient HIV testing. We reviewed this program implemented at the end of 2008 at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH, the second largest acute care general hospital in Singapore. METHODS AND FINDINGS: From January 2009 to December 2010, all inpatients aged greater or equal than 21 years were screened for HIV unless they declined or were not eligible for screening. We reviewed the implementation of the Opt Out testing policy. There were a total of 93,211 admissions; 41,543 patients were included based on HIV screening program eligibility criteria. Among those included, 79% (n = 32,675 opted out of HIV screening. The overall acceptance rate was 21%. Majority of eligible patients who were tested (63% were men. The mean age of tested patients was 52 years. The opt out rate was significantly higher among females (OR: 1.5, 95%CI: 1.4-1.6, aged >60 years (OR: 2.3, 95%CI: 2.2-2.4 and Chinese ethnicity (OR: 1.7, 95%CI:1.6-1.8. The false positive rate of the HIV screening test is 0.56%. The proportion of patients with HIV infection among those who underwent HIV screening is 0.18%. All 16 confirmed HIV patients were linked to care. CONCLUSION: The default opt-in rate of inpatient HIV testing was low at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore. Efforts to address individual HIV risk perception and campaigns against HIV stigma are needed to encourage more individuals to be tested for HIV.

  19. Opt-out screening strategy for HIV infection among patients attending emergency departments: systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henriquez-Camacho, C; Villafuerte-Gutierrez, P; Pérez-Molina, J A; Losa, J; Gotuzzo, E; Cheyne, N

    2017-07-01

    International health agencies have promoted nontargeted universal (opt-out) HIV screening tests in different settings, including emergency departments (EDs). We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the testing uptake of strategies (opt-in targeted, opt-in nontargeted and opt-out) to detect new cases of HIV infection in EDs. We searched the Pubmed and Embase databases, from 1984 to April 2015, for opt-in and opt-out HIV diagnostic strategies used in EDs. Randomized controlled or quasi experimental studies were included. We assessed the percentage of positive individuals tested for HIV infection in each programme (opt-in and opt-out strategies). The mean percentage was estimated by combining studies in a random-effect meta-analysis. The percentages of individuals tested in the programmes were compared in a random-effect meta-regression model. Data were analysed using stata version 12. Quality assessments were performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Of the 90 papers identified, 28 were eligible for inclusion. Eight trials used opt-out, 18 trials used opt-in, and two trials used both to detect new cases of HIV infection. The test was accepted and taken by 75 155 of 172 237 patients (44%) in the opt-out strategy, and 73 581 of 382 992 patients (19%) in the opt-in strategy. The prevalence of HIV infection detected by the opt-out strategy was 0.40% (373 cases), that detected by the opt-in nontargeted strategy was 0.52% (419 cases), and that detected by the opt-in targeted strategy was 1.06% (52 cases). In this meta-analysis, the testing uptake of the opt-out strategy was not different from that of the opt-in strategy to detect new cases of HIV infection in EDs. © 2016 British HIV Association.

  20. A 10-year population based study of 'opt-out' HIV testing of tuberculosis patients in Alberta, Canada: national implications.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richard Long

    Full Text Available Compliance with the recommendation that all tuberculosis (TB patients be tested for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV has not yet been achieved in Canada or globally.The experience of "opt-out" HIV testing of TB patients in the Province of Alberta, Canada is described over a 10-year period, 2003-2012. Testing rates are reported before and after the introduction of the "opt-out" approach. Risk factors for HIV seropositivity are described and demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics of TB patients who were newly diagnosed versus previously diagnosed with HIV are compared. Genotypic clusters, defined as groups of two or more cases whose isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis had identical DNA fingerprints over the 10-year period or within 2 years of one another, were analyzed for their ability to predict HIV co-infection.HIV testing rates were 26% before and 90% after the introduction of "opt-out" testing. During the "opt-out" testing years those 64 years of age at diagnosis were less likely to have been tested. In those tested the prevalence of HIV was 5.6%. In the age group 15-64 years, risk factors for HIV were: age (35-64 years, Canadian-born Aboriginal or foreign-born sub-Saharan African origin, and combined respiratory and non-respiratory disease. Compared to TB patients previously known to be HIV positive, TB patients newly discovered to be HIV positive had more advanced HIV disease (lower CD4 counts; higher viral loads at diagnosis. Large cluster size was associated with Aboriginal ancestry. Cluster size predicted HIV co-infection in Aboriginal peoples when clusters included all cases reported over 10 years but not when clusters included cases reported within 2 years of one another."Opt-out" HIV testing of TB patients is effective and well received. Universal HIV testing of TB patients (>80% of patients tested has immediate (patients and longer-term (TB/HIV program planning benefits.

  1. Health-care providers' experiences with opt-out HIV testing: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leidel, Stacy; Wilson, Sally; McConigley, Ruth; Boldy, Duncan; Girdler, Sonya

    2015-01-01

    HIV is now a manageable chronic disease with a good prognosis, but early detection and referral for treatment are vital. In opt-out HIV testing, patients are informed that they will be tested unless they decline. This qualitative systematic review explored the experiences, attitudes, barriers, and facilitators of opt-out HIV testing from a health-care provider (HCP) perspective. Four articles were included in the synthesis and reported on findings from approximately 70 participants, representing diverse geographical regions and a range of human development status and HIV prevalence. Two synthesized findings emerged: HCP attitudes and systems. The first synthesized finding encompassed HCP decision-making attitudes about who and when to test for HIV. It also included the assumptions the HCPs made about patient consequences. The second synthesized finding related to systems. System-related barriers to opt-out HIV testing included lack of time, resources, and adequate training. System-related facilitators included integration into standard practice, support of the medical setting, and electronic reminders. A common attitude among HCPs was the outdated notion that HIV is a terrible disease that equates to certain death. Some HCPs stated that offering the HIV test implied that the patient had engaged in immoral behaviour, which could lead to stigma or disengagement with health services. This paternalism diminished patient autonomy, because patients who were excluded from opt-out HIV testing could have benefited from it. One study highlighted the positive aspects of opt-out HIV testing, in which participants underscored the professional satisfaction that arose from making an HIV diagnosis, particularly when marginalized patients could be connected to treatment and social services. Recommendations for opt-out HIV testing should be disseminated to HCPs in a broad range of settings. Implementation of system-related factors such as electronic reminders and care coordination

  2. Legal issues associated with opting out of the use of nuclear power

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Butzke, K.; Storr, S.

    2000-01-01

    The article is a summary of a conference held at Jena University at which the political issues of opting out of using nuclear power were scrutinized under aspects of (constitutional) law. The results of the conference were summed up in the Jena Theses about Opting out of the use of Nuclear Power. (orig.) [de

  3. 12 CFR 716.15 - Other exceptions to notice and opt out requirements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... insurance to the consumer. (2) A consumer may revoke consent by subsequently exercising the right to opt out... AFFECTING CREDIT UNIONS PRIVACY OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL INFORMATION Exceptions § 716.15 Other exceptions to... notice to consumers in § 716.4(a)(2), the opt out in §§ 716.7 and 716.10 and service providers and joint...

  4. Uptake of voluntary counselling and testing among young people participating in an HIV prevention trial: comparison of opt-out and opt-in strategies.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kathy Baisley

    Full Text Available HIV voluntary counselling and testing (VCT is an integral component of HIV prevention and treatment programmes. However, testing coverage in sub-Saharan Africa is still low, particularly among young people. As treatment becomes more widely available, strategies to expand VCT coverage are critically important. We compare VCT uptake using two delivery strategies (opt-in and opt-out within the MEMA kwa Vijana trial in 20 communities in northwest Tanzania.We analysed data from 12,590 young persons (median (IQR age 22 years (20-23 to assess the effect of delivery strategy on VCT uptake. Ten communities used an opt-in approach and 10 used opt-out, balanced across intervention and control. Conditional logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with uptake within each strategy.VCT uptake was significantly higher with the opt-out approach (90.9% vs 60.5%, prevalence ratio = 1.51, CI = 1.41-1.62. Among females, uptake in the opt-out approach was associated with decreased knowledge of HIV acquisition, sex with a casual partner, and being HSV-2 seronegative; among males, uptake was associated with lower education and increasing lifetime partners. In contrast, uptake using the opt-in approach varied by ethnic group, religion and marital status, and increased with increasing knowledge of STI acquisition (males or pregnancy prevention (females.VCT uptake among young people was extremely high when offered an opt-out strategy. Sociodemographic and knowledge factors affected uptake in different ways depending on delivery strategy. Increased knowledge may increase young persons' self-efficacy, which may have a different impact on testing uptake, depending on the approach used.

  5. Deemed consent: assessing the new opt-out approach to organ procurement in Wales.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albertsen, Andreas

    2018-05-01

    In December 2015, Wales became the first country in the UK to move away from an opt-in system in organ procurement. The new legislation introduces the concept of deemed consent whereby a person who neither opt in nor opt out is deemed to have consented to donation. The data released by the National Health Service (NHS) in July 2017 provide an excellent opportunity to assess this legislation in light of concerns that it would decrease procurement rates for living and deceased donation, as well as sparking an increase in family refusals. None of these concerns have come to pass, with Wales experiencing more registered donors, fewer family refusals and more living donations. However, as the number of actual donors has dropped slightly from a high level, the situation must be monitored closely in the years to come. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  6. Augmenting short cheap talk scripts with a repeated opt-out reminder in choice experiment surveys

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ladenburg, Jacob; Olsen, Søren Bøye

    to choose the opt-out alternative if they find the experimentally designed alternatives too expensive. In an empirical Choice Experiment survey we find the Opt-Out Reminder to significantly reduce total WTP and to some extent also marginal WTP beyond the capability of the Cheap Talk applied without the Opt...

  7. 17 CFR 248.123 - Contents of opt out notice; consolidated and equivalent notices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... EXCHANGE COMMISSION (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS S-P AND S-AM Regulation S-AM: Limitations on Affiliate Marketing § 248.123 Contents of opt out notice; consolidated and equivalent notices. (a) Contents of opt out...) The name of the affiliate(s) providing the notice. If the notice is provided jointly by multiple...

  8. Rethinking HIV exceptionalism: the ethics of opt-out HIV testing in sub-Saharan Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    Abstract Opt-out testing for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) incorporates testing as a routine part of health care for all patients unless they refuse. The ethics of this approach to testing in sub-Saharan Africa is a source of controversy. Opt-out HIV testing is expected to improve survival by increasing case detection and thus linking more HIV-infected people to earlier treatment, provided there is effective patient follow-up and programme sustainability. At the population level, these benefits will likely outweigh the potential negative consequences of individuals experiencing HIV-related stigma. These justifications appeal to consequentialist moral theories that the acceptability of an action depends upon its outcomes. On the other hand, liberal moral theories state that the autonomy of individuals should always be protected unless restricting autonomy is necessary to protect the welfare of others. Opt-out consent may restrict autonomy and it is unclear whether it would benefit people other than those being tested. Yet, the doctrine of libertarian paternalism proposes that it is justifiable and desirable to use unobtrusive mechanisms to help individuals make choices to maximize their own welfare. Central to this idea are the premises featured by supporters of opt-out consent that individuals will not always make the best choices for their own welfare but they may be influenced to do so in ways that will not compromise their freedom of choice. Also important is the premise that all policies inevitably exert some such influence: opt-in consent encourages test refusal just as opt-out consent encourages acceptance. Based on these premises, opt-out testing may be an effective and ethically acceptable policy response to Africa’s HIV epidemic. PMID:20865076

  9. Rethinking HIV exceptionalism: the ethics of opt-out HIV testing in sub-Saharan Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    April, Michael D

    2010-09-01

    Opt-out testing for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) incorporates testing as a routine part of health care for all patients unless they refuse. The ethics of this approach to testing in sub-Saharan Africa is a source of controversy. Opt-out HIV testing is expected to improve survival by increasing case detection and thus linking more HIV-infected people to earlier treatment, provided there is effective patient follow-up and programme sustainability. At the population level, these benefits will likely outweigh the potential negative consequences of individuals experiencing HIV-related stigma. These justifications appeal to consequentialist moral theories that the acceptability of an action depends upon its outcomes. On the other hand, liberal moral theories state that the autonomy of individuals should always be protected unless restricting autonomy is necessary to protect the welfare of others. Opt-out consent may restrict autonomy and it is unclear whether it would benefit people other than those being tested. Yet, the doctrine of libertarian paternalism proposes that it is justifiable and desirable to use unobtrusive mechanisms to help individuals make choices to maximize their own welfare. Central to this idea are the premises featured by supporters of opt-out consent that individuals will not always make the best choices for their own welfare but they may be influenced to do so in ways that will not compromise their freedom of choice. Also important is the premise that all policies inevitably exert some such influence: opt-in consent encourages test refusal just as opt-out consent encourages acceptance. Based on these premises, opt-out testing may be an effective and ethically acceptable policy response to Africa's HIV epidemic.

  10. 'We didn't have to dance around it': opt-out HIV testing among homeless and marginalised patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leidel, Stacy; Leslie, Gavin; Boldy, Duncan; Davies, Andrew; Girdler, Sonya

    2017-07-01

    This study explored opt-out HIV testing in an Australian general practice. The aims were to: (1) determine the effect of the opt-out approach on the number of HIV tests performed; and (2) explore the acceptability of opt-out HIV testing from the healthcare providers' perspective. A prospective mixed-methods study of opt-out HIV testing over a 2-year period (March 2014-March 2016) was conducted. Implementation was based on a theoretical framework that was developed specifically for this study. The setting was Homeless Healthcare, a health service in Perth, Western Australia. The number of HIV tests conducted during the control year (usual practice) was compared with the intervention year (opt-out testing). After the intervention, the healthcare providers (n=8) were interviewed about their experiences with opt-out HIV testing. Directed content analysis was used to explore the qualitative data. HIV testing rates were low during both the control year and the intervention year (315 HIV tests (12% of the patient cohort) and 344 HIV tests (10%) respectively). Opt-out HIV testing was feasible and acceptable to the participating healthcare providers. Other health services could consider opt-out HIV testing for their patients to identify people with undiagnosed infections and sustain Australia's low HIV prevalence.

  11. Private International Law Issues in Opt-out and Opt-in Instruments of Harmonization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fogt, Morten Midtgaard

    2013-01-01

    of Goods from 1980 (CISG) and the European Commission Proposal for a common European Sales Law from 2011 (CESL). Although the two instruments of substantial harmonization regulate the same area of civil law, they differ with respect to the type of formal instrument of harmonization, the material, personal......This article deals with opt-in and opt-out instruments of harmonization, how they apply and compete. It analyses the Private International Law (PIL) issues which arise and bases the analysis on the two instruments of harmonization – the Vienna Convention on Contract for the International Sale...... into these questions and argues, inter alia, that the CISG as a global international convention should have priority over the regional CESL, that the choice of the CESL should be based on a PIL choice of binding European ‘Community rules of law’, that both instruments cannot possible overrule the established PIL...

  12. 12 CFR 571.27 - Renewal of opt-out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... period. Each opt-out renewal must be effective for a period of at least five years as provided in § 571... (ii) As part of a joint renewal notice from two or more members of an affiliated group of companies... provided by multiple companies with the ABC name or multiple companies in the ABC group or family of...

  13. Why persons choose to opt out of an exception from informed consent cardiac arrest trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, Maria J; Deiorio, Nicole M; Schmidt, Terri A; Zive, Dana M; Griffiths, Denise; Newgard, Craig D

    2013-06-01

    We sought to characterize persons who requested to opt out of an exception from informed consent (EFIC) cardiac arrest trial and their reasons for opting out. At one site of a multi-site, out-of-hospital, cardiac arrest EFIC trial (September 2007 - June 2009), persons who did not want to participate in the study could request an opt-out "NO STUDY" bracelet to prevent trial enrollment. We surveyed all persons who requested a bracelet by phone interview, web or mail. Opt-out bracelets were advertised in all public communication about the study, including community consultation and public disclosure efforts. Survey questions included demographics, Likert scale items about attitudes toward the trial and research in general, plus open-ended questions. We used descriptive statistics for standardized questions and qualitative analysis to identify common themes from open-ended questions. Sixty bracelets were requested by 50 individuals. Surveys were completed by 46 persons (92% response rate). Seventy percent of respondents agreed emergency research is important, but 87% objected to any research without consent. In the qualitative analysis, 5 overlapping themes emerged: questioning the ethics of EFIC research; concerns about how the study would impact end-of-life preferences; subjective emotions including sarcasm, anger, and allusions to past unethical research; negative reference to unrelated public health controversies; and objections to the study protocol based on misinformation. A primary reason for opting out from this EFIC trial was opposition to all research without informed consent, despite stated support for emergency research. Understanding the demographics and beliefs of persons opting out may aid researchers planning EFIC studies and help provide clarity in future EFIC-related community education efforts. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. 17 CFR 248.127 - Renewal of opt out elections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS S-P AND S-AM Regulation S-AM: Limitations on Affiliate Marketing § 248.127 Renewal of... expires, you may not make marketing solicitations to a consumer who previously opted out, unless: (i) The....122(b). (3) Affiliates who may provide the notice. The notice required by this paragraph must be...

  15. 12 CFR 334.26 - Delivery of opt-out notices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... POLICY FAIR CREDIT REPORTING Affiliate Marketing § 334.26 Delivery of opt-out notices. (a) In general... the notice; or (4) Posts the notice on the Internet Web site at which the consumer obtained a product... notice; or (3) Posts the notice on an Internet Web site without requiring the consumer to acknowledge...

  16. 12 CFR 222.26 - Delivery of opt-out notices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... SYSTEM FAIR CREDIT REPORTING (REGULATION V) Affiliate Marketing § 222.26 Delivery of opt-out notices. (a... the affiliate providing the notice; or (4) Posts the notice on the Internet Web site at which the... affiliate providing the notice; or (3) Posts the notice on an Internet Web site without requiring the...

  17. 12 CFR 334.24 - Reasonable opportunity to opt out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ...” to indicate their opt-out preference or that requires the consumer to check one of two blank check...) In general. You must not use eligibility information about a consumer that you receive from an affiliate to make a solicitation to the consumer about your products or services, unless the consumer is...

  18. 12 CFR 717.24 - Reasonable opportunity to opt out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... completing a form that requires consumers to write a “yes” or “no” to indicate their opt-out preference or.... You must not use eligibility information about a consumer that you receive from an affiliate to make a solicitation to the consumer about your products or services, unless the consumer is provided a reasonable...

  19. 12 CFR 41.24 - Reasonable opportunity to opt out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... completing a form that requires consumers to write a “yes” or “no” to indicate their opt-out preference or... eligibility information about a consumer that it receives from an affiliate to make a solicitation to the consumer about the bank's products or services, unless the consumer is provided a reasonable opportunity to...

  20. 16 CFR 680.24 - Reasonable opportunity to opt out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ..., such as by posting the notice at an Internet Web site at which the consumer has obtained a product or... conducted on an Internet Web site. The consumer is required to decide, as a necessary part of proceeding... including in a privacy notice. The opt-out notice is included in a Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act privacy notice...

  1. Perceptions of oocyte banking from women intending to circumvent age-related fertility decline

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Groot, Marije; Dancet, Eline; Repping, Sjoerd; Goddijn, Mariette; Stoop, Dominic; van der Veen, Fulco; Gerrits, Trudie

    2016-01-01

    Women can now opt to bank their oocytes with the intention of increasing their chances of achieving a pregnancy after their fertility has declined. This exploratory study aimed to gain insight into how women, considering oocyte banking to circumvent age-related fertility decline, perceive this

  2. 12 CFR 222.22 - Scope and duration of opt-out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... SYSTEM FAIR CREDIT REPORTING (REGULATION V) Affiliate Marketing § 222.22 Scope and duration of opt-out.... (2) Continuing relationship—(i) In general. If the consumer establishes a continuing relationship... connection with— (A) A single continuing relationship or multiple continuing relationships that the consumer...

  3. 12 CFR 717.25 - Reasonable and simple methods of opting out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... simple methods for exercising an opt-out right do not include— (i) Requiring the consumer to write his or... out. (a) In general. You must not use eligibility information about a consumer that you receive from an affiliate to make a solicitation to the consumer about your products or services, unless the...

  4. 12 CFR 222.21 - Affiliate marketing opt-out and exceptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... solicitation for marketing purposes to a consumer with whom you have a pre-existing business relationship; (2... 12 Banks and Banking 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Affiliate marketing opt-out and exceptions. 222... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM FAIR CREDIT REPORTING (REGULATION V) Affiliate Marketing § 222.21 Affiliate...

  5. 17 CFR 248.121 - Affiliate marketing opt out and exceptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... business relationship with the consumer. (b) Making marketing solicitations—(1) In general. For purposes of... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Affiliate marketing opt out... COMMISSION (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS S-P AND S-AM Regulation S-AM: Limitations on Affiliate Marketing § 248.121...

  6. Opting out of the peaceful use of nuclear power in Germany. A promising special approach in the European context?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buedenbender, Martin

    2009-01-01

    Nuclear power is in the focus of politics and public attention in Germany not only because of the federal elections. Again and again, voices are heard which doubt the decision taken in 2000 to opt out of the use of nuclear power. The change in parliamentary majority in favor of the alliance of CDU/CSU and FDP as a result of the elections on September 27 is leading to another review of the opt-out decision, as the three parties in their platforms expressed themselves in favor of extending nuclear power plant life. This makes a stocktaking exercise of all salient arguments imperative at the present juncture. The perspective in that case should not be restricted to national aspects but include especially the influence of the European dimension of the subject. Present political positions in the 27 EU countries indicate a renaissance of nuclear power. Numerous countries, such as Italy, Sweden, Poland or the United Kingdom, revoked their historic opt-out decisions, are using nuclear power for the first time, or want to expand greatly the nuclear share in their electricity generation mix. All 3 European agencies with clear majorities advocate the extensive use of nuclear power as a long-term component of the mix of energy resources. Germany, with its decision to opt out of the use of nuclear power, is part of a minority. Being part of a European electricity market which will grow together more and more closely up to complete integration, Germany will always be supplied electricity from nuclear sources in the long run. This will be true irrespective of nuclear power plants being operated in the country. So, shutting down German nuclear power plants will not achieve the goals of nuclear opponents but merely give rise to additional challenges in power technology in an effort to ensure Germany's electricity supply. For this reason, the new German federal government should revoke the decision to opt out of the peaceful use of nuclear power. (orig.)

  7. Forum: Making Sense of the Opt-Out Movement: "Education Next" Talks with Scott Levy and Jonah Edelman

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levy, Scott; Edelman, Jonah

    2016-01-01

    Over the past few years, students by the thousands have refused to take their state's standardized tests. This "opt-out" phenomenon has prompted debate in state legislatures and in Washington, putting states at risk of losing Title I funds. Advocates describe opt-out as a grassroots movement of parents concerned about overtesting,…

  8. Acceptability of routine offer of HIV testing (opt-out approach) among ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Background: With the introduction of the opt out HIV testing policy in Ghana, the HIV test is offered routinely to all pregnant women unless they decline testing. Objective: To assess acceptability of the routine offer of HIV testing antenatal clinic (ANC) clients in the Wa municipality, Ghana. Design: Cross-sectional study of 270 ...

  9. 12 CFR 41.25 - Reasonable and simple methods of opting out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... exercising an opt-out right do not include— (i) Requiring the consumer to write his or her own letter; (ii.... A bank must not use eligibility information about a consumer that it receives from an affiliate to make a solicitation to the consumer about its products or services, unless the consumer is provided a...

  10. The effect of including an opt-out option in discrete choice experiments

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    J. Veldwijk (Jorien); M.S. Lambooij (Mattijs); E.W. de Bekker-Grob (Esther); H.A. Smit (Henriëtte); G.A. De Wit (G. Ardine)

    2014-01-01

    markdownabstractObjective: to determine to what extent the inclusion of an opt-out option in a DCE may have an effect on choice behaviour and therefore might influence the attribute level estimates, the relative importance of the attributes and calculated tradeoffs. Methods: 781 Dutch Type 2

  11. 16 CFR 313.15 - Other exceptions to notice and opt out requirements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... consumer. (2) A consumer may revoke consent by subsequently exercising the right to opt out of future... ACTS OF CONGRESS PRIVACY OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL INFORMATION Exceptions § 313.15 Other exceptions to... at the direction of the consumer, provided that the consumer has not revoked the consent or direction...

  12. 12 CFR 216.15 - Other exceptions to notice and opt out requirements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... insurance to the consumer. (2) A consumer may revoke consent by subsequently exercising the right to opt out... RESERVE SYSTEM PRIVACY OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL INFORMATION (REGULATION P) Exceptions § 216.15 Other... consent or at the direction of the consumer, provided that the consumer has not revoked the consent or...

  13. 12 CFR 332.15 - Other exceptions to notice and opt out requirements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... insurance to the consumer. (2) A consumer may revoke consent by subsequently exercising the right to opt out... STATEMENTS OF GENERAL POLICY PRIVACY OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL INFORMATION Exceptions § 332.15 Other exceptions... consent or at the direction of the consumer, provided that the consumer has not revoked the consent or...

  14. Ethical issues surrounding the provider initiated opt--Out prenatal HIV screening practice in Sub-Saharan Africa: a literature review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bain, Luchuo Engelbert; Dierickx, Kris; Hens, Kristien

    2015-10-24

    Prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV remains a key public health priority in most developing countries. The provider Initiated Opt - Out Prenatal HIV Screening Approach, recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) lately has been adopted and translated into policy in most Sub - Saharan African countries. To better ascertain the ethical reasons for or against the use of this approach, we carried out a literature review of the ethics literature. Papers published in English and French Languages between 1990 and 2015 from the following data bases were searched: Pubmed, Cochrane literature, Embase, Cinhal, Web of Science and Google Scholar. After screening from 302 identified relevant articles, 21 articles were retained for the critical review. Most authors considered this approach ethically justifiable due to its potential benefits to the mother, foetus and society (Beneficence). The breaching of respect for autonomy was considered acceptable on the grounds of libertarian paternalism. Most authors considered the Opt - Out approach to be less stigmatizing than the Opt - In. The main arguments against the Opt - Out approach were: non respect of patient autonomy, informed consent becoming a meaningless concept and the HIV test becoming compulsory, risk of losing trust in health care providers, neglect of social and psychological implications of doing an HIV test, risk of aggravation of stigma if all tested patients are not properly cared for and neglect of sociocultural peculiarities. The Opt - Out approach could be counterproductive in case gender sensitive issues within the various sociocultural representations are neglected, and actions to offer holistic care to all women who shall potentially test positive for HIV were not effectively ascertained. The Provider Initiated Opt - Out Prenatal HIV Screening option remains ethically acceptable, but deserves caution, active monitoring and evaluation within the translation of this approach into to practice.

  15. Opt-out of Voluntary HIV Testing: A Singapore Hospital's Experience

    OpenAIRE

    Chua, Arlene C.; Leo, Yee Sin; Cavailler, Philippe; Chu, Christine; Ng, Aloysius; Ng, Oon Tek; Krishnan, Prabha

    2012-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: Since 2008, the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) has expanded HIV testing by increasing anonymous HIV test sites, as well as issuing a directive to hospitals to offer routine voluntary opt out inpatient HIV testing. We reviewed this program implemented at the end of 2008 at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), the second largest acute care general hospital in Singapore. METHODS AND FINDINGS: From January 2009 to December 2010, all inpatients aged greater or equal than 21 years were ...

  16. Straitjacket or Sovereignty Shield? The Danish Opt-Out on Justice and Home Affairs and Prospects after the Treaty of Lisbon

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Adler-Nissen, Rebecca; Gammeltoft-Hansen, Thomas

    2010-01-01

    How are we to understand the perplexing and sometimes even counter-intuitive position of Denmark in relation to Justice and Home Affairs (JHA)? In this article, we attempt to go behind the many myths and misunderstandings involved and analyse the consequences of the Danish opt-out from EU......-outs. Eurosceptic politicians and media claim that protocols protect national sovereignty and may serve as an example to other member states, whereas British and Danish pro-European ministers argue that they lose political influence when they ‘are sent outside'....

  17. Can a Repeated Opt-Out Reminder mitigate hypothetical bias in discrete choice experiments?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Alemu, Mohammed Hussen; Olsen, Søren Bøye

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, we test whether a Repeated Opt-Out Reminder (ROOR) can mitigate hypothetical bias in stated discrete choice experiments (DCE). The data originate from a field experiment concerning consumer preferences for a novel food product made from cricket flour. Utilising a between...

  18. UK National Data Guardian for Health and Care’s Review of Data Security: Trust, better security and opt-outs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tom Chan

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Sharing health and social care data is essential to the delivery of high quality health care as well as disease surveillance, public health, and for conducting research. However, these societal benefits may be constrained by privacy and data protection principles. Hence, societies are striving to find a balance between the two competing public interests. Whilst the spread of IT advancements in recent decades has increased the demand for an increased privacy and data protection in many ways health is a special case. UK, are adopting guidelines, codes of conduct and regulatory instruments aimed to implement privacy principles into practical settings and enhance public trust. Accordingly, in 2015, the UK National Data Guardian (NDG requested to conduct a further review of data protection, referred to as Caldicott 3.  The scope of this review is to strengthen data security standards and confidentiality. It also proposes a consent system based on an “opt-out” model rather than on “opt-in. Across Europe as well as internationally the privacy-health data sharing balance is not fixed.  In Europe enactment of the new EU Data Protection Regulation in 2016 constitute a major breakthrough, which is likely to have a profound effect on European countries and beyond.  In Australia and across North America different ways are being sought to balance out these twin requirements of a modern society - to preserve privacy alongside affording high quality health care for an ageing population.   Whilst in the UK privacy legal framework remains complex and fragmented into different layers of legislation, which may negatively impact on both the rights to privacy and health the UK is at the forefront in the uptake of international and EU privacy and data protection principles. And, if the privacy regime were reorganised in a more comprehensive manner, it could be used as a sound implementation model for other countries.

  19. 16 CFR 680.23 - Contents of opt-out notice; consolidated and equivalent notices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... equivalent notices. 680.23 Section 680.23 Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION THE FAIR CREDIT REPORTING ACT AFFILIATE MARKETING § 680.23 Contents of opt-out notice; consolidated and equivalent notices... receiving marketing than is required by this part, the requirements of this section may be satisfied by...

  20. 12 CFR 717.23 - Contents of opt-out notice; consolidated and equivalent notices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... AFFECTING CREDIT UNIONS FAIR CREDIT REPORTING Affiliate Marketing § 717.23 Contents of opt-out notice..., conspicuous, and concise, and must accurately disclose: (i) The name of the affiliate(s) providing the notice. If the notice is provided jointly by multiple affiliates and each affiliate shares a common name...

  1. 12 CFR 571.23 - Contents of opt-out notice; consolidated and equivalent notices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... TREASURY FAIR CREDIT REPORTING Affiliate Marketing § 571.23 Contents of opt-out notice; consolidated and... concise, and must accurately disclose: (i) The name of the affiliate(s) providing the notice. If the notice is provided jointly by multiple affiliates and each affiliate shares a common name, such as “ABC...

  2. Vanishing vaccinations: why are so many Americans opting out of vaccinating their children?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calandrillo, Steve P

    2004-01-01

    Vaccinations against life-threatening diseases are one of the greatest public health achievements in history. Literally millions of premature deaths have been prevented, and countless more children have been saved from disfiguring illness. While vaccinations carry unavoidable risks, the medical, social and economic benefits they confer have led all fifty states to enact compulsory childhood vaccination laws to stop the spread of preventable diseases. Today, however, vaccines are becoming a victim of their success--many individuals have never witnessed the debilitating diseases that vaccines protect against, allowing complacency toward immunization requirements to build. Antivaccination sentiment is growing fast in the United States, in large part due to the controversial and hotly disputed link between immunizations and autism. The internet worsens fears regarding vaccination safety, as at least a dozen websites publish alarming information about the risks of vaccines. Increasing numbers of parents are refusing immunizations for their children and seeking legally sanctioned exemptions instead, apparently fearing vaccines more than the underlying diseases that they protect against. A variety of factors are at play: religious and philosophical beliefs, freedom and individualism, misinformation about risk, and overperception of risk. State legislatures and health departments now face a difficult challenge: respecting individual rights and freedoms while also safeguarding the public welfare. Nearly all states allow vaccination exemptions for religious reasons and a growing number provide "philosophical" opt-outs as well. However, in all but a handful of jurisdictions, neither objection is seriously documented or verified. Often, the law requires a parent to do no more than simply check a box indicating she does not wish her child to receive immunizations. The problem is exacerbated by financial incentives schools have to encourage students to opt out of vaccinations

  3. Opt-Out Parental Consent in Online Surveys: Ethical Considerations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Jane; Porcellato, Lorna

    2018-07-01

    This article aims to foster discussion and debate around seeking parental consent from young people recruited online. The growth of social media, particularly for young people, has led to increased interest in young people's online activities as both a research topic and recruitment setting. In a health-related study, which sought to recruit young people aged 13 to 18 years old from YouTuber fan communities to an online survey, the question arose of how parental consent could be sought from young people below 16 when no link existed between researcher and parents/guardians. A practical strategy is proposed which combines novel communication methods for participant information, opt-out online consent and age verification to address this issue. Strengths and limitations of these approaches are discussed.

  4. Is opting out of the peaceful uses of nuclear power a responsible approach to take?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Becker, K.

    1999-01-01

    This was the topic of an Expert Meeting arranged by the VDI-Gesellschaft fuer Energietechnik at the Berlin Palace Hotel on September 28-29, 1999 and attended by roughly one hundred experts, almost exclusively from Germany. The meeting was organized to examine the economic impact of Germany's sole opting out of a high technology in the face of a growing worldwide energy requirement, and whether this approach will allow the objectives of carbon dioxide reduction to be achieved in the interest of climate protection. The detailed points discussed at the meeting included the economic consequences for Germany arising from the country's opting out of the use of nuclear power; the preservation of competence in nuclear technology; the future role of nuclear power in the EU; the energy options existing for climate protection. In addition, political discussions were held with representatives of the political parties. (orig.) [de

  5. Opt-Out Patient Navigation to Improve Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Among Homeless Women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asgary, Ramin; Naderi, Ramesh; Wisnivesky, Juan

    2017-09-01

    A patient navigation model was implemented to improve breast and cervical cancer screening among women who were homeless in five shelters and shelter clinics in New York City in 2014. Navigation consisted of opt-out screening to eligible women; cancer health and screening education; scheduling and following up for screening completion, obtaining, and communicating results to patients and providers; and care coordination with social services organizations. Women (n = 162, aged 21-74, 58% black) completed mammogram (88%) and Pap testing (83%) from baselines of 59% and 50%, respectively. There was no association between mental health or substance abuse and screening completion. Adjusted analysis showed a significant association between refusing/missing Pap testing and older age (odds ratio [OR] 1.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-1.20); independent predictors of mammogram included more pregnancies (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.37-0.88) and older age (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.79-0.90). Opt-out patient navigation is feasible and effective and may mitigate multilevel barriers to cancer screening among women with unstable housing.

  6. Victims, vectors and villains: are those who opt out of vaccination morally responsible for the deaths of others?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jamrozik, Euzebiusz; Handfield, Toby; Selgelid, Michael J

    2016-12-01

    Mass vaccination has been a successful public health strategy for many contagious diseases. The immunity of the vaccinated also protects others who cannot be safely or effectively vaccinated-including infants and the immunosuppressed. When vaccination rates fall, diseases like measles can rapidly resurge in a population. Those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons are at the highest risk of severe disease and death. They thus may bear the burden of others' freedom to opt out of vaccination. It is often asked whether it is legitimate for states to adopt and enforce mandatory universal vaccination. Yet this neglects a related question: are those who opt out, where it is permitted, morally responsible when others are harmed or die as a result of their decision? In this article, we argue that individuals who opt out of vaccination are morally responsible for resultant harms to others. Using measles as our main example, we demonstrate the ways in which opting out of vaccination can result in a significant risk of harm and death to others, especially infants and the immunosuppressed. We argue that imposing these risks without good justification is blameworthy and examine ways of reaching a coherent understanding of individual moral responsibility for harms in the context of the collective action required for disease transmission. Finally, we consider several objections to this view, provide counterarguments and suggest morally permissible alternatives to mandatory universal vaccination including controlled infection, self-imposed social isolation and financial penalties for refusal to vaccinate. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  7. Economic impact of the Commission's 'opt-out' proposal on the use of approved GM crops

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hoste, R.; Wagenberg, van C.P.A.; Wijnands, J.H.M.

    2015-01-01

    The European Commission proposed the opportunity for individual EU Member States to restrict or prohibit the use of GMOs in food or feed on their territory (a national ‘opt-out’). The economic impact on individual sectors of the feed and food chain (the vegetable oil and meal industry, trade, animal

  8. Pilot for the Australian Breast Device Registry (ABDR): a national opt-out clinical quality registry for breast device surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hopper, Ingrid; Best, Renee L; McNeil, John J; Mulvany, Catherine M; Moore, Colin C M; Elder, Elisabeth; Pase, Marie; Cooter, Rodney D; Evans, Sue M

    2017-12-28

    To establish a pilot clinical quality registry (CQR) to monitor the quality of care and device performance for breast device surgery in Australia. All patients having breast device surgery from contributing hospitals in Australia. A literature review was performed which identified quality indicators for breast device surgery. A pilot CQR was established in 2011 to capture prospective data on breast device surgery. An interim Steering Committee and Management Committee were established to provide clinical governance, and guide quality indicator selection. The registry's minimum dataset was formulated in consultation with stakeholder groups; potential quality indicators were assessed in terms of (1) importance and relevance, (2) usability, (3) feasibility to collect and (4) scientific validity. Data collection was by a two-sided paper-based form with manual data entry. Seven sites were recruited, including one public hospital, four private hospitals and two day surgeries. Patients were recruited and opt-out consent used. The pilot breast device registry provides high-quality population-based data. It provides a model for developing a national CQR for breast devices; its minimum dataset and quality indicators reflect the opinions of the broad range of stakeholders. It is easily scalable, and has formed the basis for other international surgical groups establishing similar registries. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  9. Perceptions of oocyte banking from women intending to circumvent age-related fertility decline.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Groot, Marije; Dancet, Eline; Repping, Sjoerd; Goddijn, Mariette; Stoop, Dominic; van der Veen, Fulco; Gerrits, Trudie

    2016-12-01

    Women can now opt to bank their oocytes with the intention of increasing their chances of achieving a pregnancy after their fertility has declined. This exploratory study aimed to gain insight into how women, considering oocyte banking to circumvent age-related fertility decline, perceive this intervention. We conducted a qualitative study in a Dutch university medical center and held in-depth interviews with women on the waiting list for oocyte banking. We recorded the interviews, transcribed them verbatim and used thematic analysis. All women were financially independent and lived in single-person urban households. They opted for oocyte banking because they wished to share parenthood with a future partner rather than becoming a single parent. This strong desire was key in their interpretation of all aspects of the intervention. Women set aside information about the limited success rates and potential risks, as they were optimistic about their own prognosis, thought that the chances for success were equally likely as the chances it would fail, and because of "anticipatory regret". They perceived oocyte banking as a "helping hand" to achieve shared parenthood. Although women found the costs of the intervention high, they were willing to invest their money to increase their chances for shared parenthood. Oocyte banking allows women to circumvent age-related fertility decline. The prospect of potential shared parenthood overrules the perceived health risks and burden. Health professionals should take this into account when informing potential users of oocyte banking. © 2016 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

  10. Which Factors Drive the Decision to Boycott and Opt Out of Research Rankings?

    OpenAIRE

    Michael Berlemann; Justus Haucap

    2012-01-01

    This note contains an empirical analysis of the decision of German-speaking business scholars to boycott and opt out of the best known research ranking of business scholars, initiated and published by Germany’s largest business daily, Handelsblatt. Our analysis indicates that scientists who are more senior (already have a longer academic career) and scientists who have been either less successful or less eager to publish their research in internationally well renown journals with high impac...

  11. Evolution/Creationism Controversy: Analysis of Past and Current Policies in Public Schools and the Practice of Allowing Students to Opt Out of Learning Evolution Concepts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Speake, Jacquelyn Hoffmann

    2011-07-01

    Recent anti-evolution legislation, in the form of Academic Freedom bills, has been introduced in many state legislatures over the last three years. The language in the proposed Academic Freedom bills may allow different interpretations of what can be taught in the science classrooms, and possibly spur parents to take advantage of their perceived parental rights to request their child be opted-out of class when the scientific theory of evolution is taught. Five research questions guided the analysis of participant responses to questions and perception statements focusing on secondary school administrators' actions, perceptions, and awareness as they relate to their decision to allow or not allow a student to opt out of academics, specifically evolution, through the collection of data using a web-based survey. Opt out policies are typically invoked to excuse students from activities to which they or their parents may have religious objections (Scott & Branch, 2008). Florida statutes allow parents to opt out their child from human sexuality and animal dissection. The population consisted of 281 Florida public secondary school administrators, who were divided into two subgroups based on whether they have allowed or would allow a student to opt out of evolution, or have not allowed or would not allow a student to opt out of class when the scientific theory of evolution is taught. Results found that over 70% of the administrators who completed the survey have allowed or would allow parents to opt out their child from learning about the scientific theory of evolution. There was a significant relationship between the decision to allow opt out and the following variables: (a) Free and Reduced Lunch population, (b) grade level served, (c) support for teaching evolution and alternative theories, and (d) the perception that parent rights supersede state statute requiring students to learn evolution. In Florida, any scientific concept that is based on empirical evidence is

  12. Correlates of HIV testing refusal among emergency department patients in the opt-out testing era.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Setse, Rosanna W; Maxwell, Celia J

    2014-05-01

    Opt-out HIV screening is recommended by the CDC for patients in all healthcare settings. We examined correlates of HIV testing refusal among urban emergency department (ED) patients. Confidential free HIV screening was offered to 32,633 ED patients in an urban tertiary care facility in Washington, DC, during May 2007-December 2011. Demographic differences in testing refusals were examined using χ(2) tests and generalized linear models. HIV testing refusal rates were 47.7 % 95 % CI (46.7-48.7), 11.7 % (11.0-12.4), 10.7 % (10.0-11.4), 16.9 % (15.9-17.9) and 26.9 % (25.6-28.2) in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively. Persons 33-54 years of age [adjusted prevalence ratio (APR) 1.42, (1.36-1.48)] and those ≥ 55 years [APR 1.39 (1.31-1.47)], versus 33-54 years; and females versus males [APR 1.07 (1.02-1.11)] were more likely to refuse testing. Opt-out HIV testing is feasible and sustainable in urban ED settings. Efforts are needed to encourage testing among older patients and women.

  13. Domestic uptake of green energy promoted by opt-out tariffs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebeling, Felix; Lotz, Sebastian

    2015-09-01

    Motivating individuals to choose energy from sustainable sources over conventionally produced power constitutes one of the biggest policy challenges for societies. Here we present the results of a randomized controlled trial in Germany that tested the impact of default rules (that is, a type of `nudging’) on voluntary purchases of `green’ energy contracts that entirely stem from renewable resources. Setting the default choice to more expensive `green’ energy (that is, where consumers have to actively opt out if they do not want it) increased purchases of such nearly tenfold. Furthermore, county-level political preference for the green party uniquely predicted behaviour in the absence of the nudge, suggesting that default setting potentially overrules motivational aspects of green energy purchases. In follow-up experiments, we provide further evidence that the effect does not seem to be driven by unawareness. Summarizing, the present research provides an example of using behavioural science for climate change mitigation and shows alternatives to the use of subsidies or other economic incentives.

  14. Who opts out of a project for health promotion with incentives?: Empirical research on the effect of rewards to motivate persistence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okamoto, Shohei; Komamura, Kohei; Tanabe, Kai; Yokoyama, Noriko; Tsukao, Akiko; Chijiki, Shoko; Kuno, Shinya

    2017-01-01

    Objectives　Although providing incentives for a better lifestyle has been of increasing concern, there is insufficient evidence about its effect. Therefore, this research aims to discover new insights by verifying the effect of rewards to motivate persistence in a project for health promotion.Methods　A total of 7,622 participants of an incentivized project for health promotion (Wellness Point Project) were recruited from 6 municipalities in Japan, namely Tohoku, Chubu, Kanto, Kinki, and Chugoku, of which the 4,291 individuals who had the necessary information for estimation were analyzed. Persistence in the project was judged by whether there was information about daily steps and/or participation in some fitness classes every month for one year at most. In addition, we used the reason participants chose certain rewards in order to categorize the characteristic of rewards, and estimated opt-out hazard ratios from the project using survival time analysis. Furthermore, the estimation in the model included individual features such as age, education, status of physical activity before joining the project, lifestyles such as smoking, drinking, and so on.Results　A multivariate analysis reveals that those who had chosen a reward for regional contribution were more likely to opt out than those who had chosen a certain reward because it is close to cash. The opt-out hazard ratio was 1.63 (95% CI: 1.18-2.25) among men and 1.40 (95% CI: 1.08-1.81) among women. In addition, insufficient physical activity, smoking, working for men, and physical condition for women were associated with opt-out.Conclusions　This research verified that a reward that participants felt was close to cash, compared to the internal motivation of regional contribution, could enhance the persistence rate of the project. Moreover, it was found that not only giving incentives but also considering participants' conditions is necessary to enhance persistence.

  15. Is 'Opt-Out HIV Testing' a real option among pregnant women in rural districts in Kenya?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wamalwa David

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background An 'opt-out' policy of routine HIV counseling and testing (HCT is being implemented across sub-Saharan Africa to expand prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT. Although the underlying assumption is that pregnant women in rural Africa are able to voluntarily consent to HIV testing, little is known about the reality and whether 'opt-out' HCT leads to higher completion rates of PMTCT. Factors associated with consent to HIV testing under the 'opt-out' approach were investigated through a large cross-sectional study in Kenya. Methods Observations during HIV pre-test information sessions were followed by a cross-sectional survey of 900 pregnant women in three public district hospitals carrying out PMTCT in the Busia district. Women on their first antenatal care (ANC visit during the current pregnancy were interviewed after giving blood for HIV testing but before learning their test results. Descriptive statistics and multivariate regression analysis were performed. Results Of the 900 women participating, 97% tested for HIV. Lack of testing kits was the only reason for women not being tested, i.e. nobody declined HIV testing. Despite the fact that 96% had more than four earlier pregnancies and 37% had been tested for HIV at ANC previously, only 17% of the women surveyed knew that testing was optional. Only 20% of those surveyed felt they could make an informed decision to decline HIV testing. Making an informed decision to decline HIV testing was associated with knowing that testing was optional (OR = 5.44, 95%CI 3.44-8.59, not having a stable relationship with the child's father (OR = 1.76, 95%CI 1.02-3.03, and not having discussed HIV testing with a partner before the ANC visit (OR = 2.64 95%CI 1.79-3.86. Conclusion High coverage of HIV testing appears to be achieved at the cost of pregnant women not understanding that testing is optional. Good quality HIV pre-test information is central to ensure that pregnant women

  16. Universal opt-out screening for hepatitis C virus (HCV) within correctional facilities is an effective intervention to improve public health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morris, Meghan D; Brown, Brandon; Allen, Scott A

    2017-09-11

    Purpose Worldwide efforts to identify individuals infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) focus almost exclusively on community healthcare systems, thereby failing to reach high-risk populations and those with poor access to primary care. In the USA, community-based HCV testing policies and guidelines overlook correctional facilities, where HCV rates are believed to be as high as 40 percent. This is a missed opportunity: more than ten million Americans move through correctional facilities each year. Herein, the purpose of this paper is to examine HCV testing practices in the US correctional system, California and describe how universal opt-out HCV testing could expand early HCV detection, improve public health in correctional facilities and communities, and prove cost-effective over time. Design/methodology/approach A commentary on the value of standardizing screening programs across facilities by mandating all facilities (universal) to implement opt-out testing policies for all prisoners upon entry to the correctional facilities. Findings Current variability in facility-level testing programs results in inconsistent testing levels across correctional facilities, and therefore makes estimating the actual number of HCV-infected adults in the USA difficult. The authors argue that universal opt-out testing policies ensure earlier diagnosis of HCV among a population most affected by the disease and is more cost-effective than selective testing policies. Originality/value The commentary explores the current limitations of selective testing policies in correctional systems and provides recommendations and implications for public health and correctional organizations.

  17. How Strong Is Europeanisation, Really? The Danish Defence Administration and the Opt-Out from the European Security and Defence Policy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, Gorm Rye

    2011-01-01

    The article questions how strong Europeanisation is as an explanation of administrative changes in EU member states. Denmark has an opt-out from the European cooperation on defence, and, therefore, its defence administration represents a critical or a less likely case to test the Europeanisation...... thesis. The article shows that in spite of the opt-out, the administrative structures and the policy processes in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) have adapted to the common foreign and security policy (CFSP) and the European security and defence policy (ESDP). Surprisingly, the administrative...... structures and the decision-making processes in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) have also adapted to the ESDP. The latter example emphasises the strength of top-down Europeanisation as a possible explanation of domestic administrative changes in member states. It is argued that Europeanisation per se...

  18. Improving Public Schools through the Dissent of Parents: Opting out of Tests, Demanding Alternative Curricula, Invoking Parent Trigger Laws, and Withdrawing Entirely

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stitzlein, Sarah M.

    2015-01-01

    Some parents and caregivers, frustrated by low academic performance of their local school, emphasis on testing, or the content of the curriculum, have worked independently or formed parent groups to speak out and demand improvements. Parents and families enact solutions such as opting out of tests, developing alternative curricula, invoking parent…

  19. Opt-Out Panel Testing for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C in an Urban Emergency Department: A Pilot Study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah O'Connell

    Full Text Available Studies suggest 2 per 1000 people in Dublin are living with HIV, the level above which universal screening is advised. We aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a universal opt-out HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C testing programme for Emergency Department patients and to describe the incidence and prevalence of blood-borne viruses in this population.An opt-out ED blood borne virus screening programme was piloted from March 2014 to January 2015. Patients undergoing blood sampling during routine clinical care were offered HIV 1&2 antibody/antigen assay, HBV surface antigen and HCV antibody tests. Linkage to care where necessary was co-ordinated by the study team. New diagnosis and prevalence rates were defined as the new cases per 1000 tested and number of positive tests per 1000 tested respectively.Over 45 weeks of testing, of 10,000 patient visits, 8,839 individual patient samples were available for analysis following removal of duplicates. A sustained target uptake of >50% was obtained after week 3. 97(1.09%, 44(0.49% and 447(5.05% HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C tests were positive respectively. Of these, 7(0.08%, 20(0.22% and 58(0.66% were new diagnoses of HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C respectively. The new diagnosis rate for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C was 0.8, 2.26 and 6.5 per 1000 and study prevalence for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C was 11.0, 5.0 and 50.5 per 1000 respectively.Opt-out blood borne viral screening was feasible and acceptable in an inner-city ED. Blood borne viral infections were prevalent in this population and newly diagnosed cases were diagnosed and linked to care. These results suggest widespread blood borne viral testing in differing clinical locations with differing population demographic risks may be warranted.

  20. Special section: OptIPlanet - The OptIPuter global collaboratory

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Smarr, L.; Brown, M.; de Laat, C.

    The technological developments made by OptIPuter research project as an OptIPlanet Collaboratory of virtual organizations, in various scientific and technology domains, enhancing and contributing to this evolving cyberinfrastructure to solve complex global problems, are summarized. OptIPuter project

  1. Opt-Out Panel Testing for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C in an Urban Emergency Department: A Pilot Study.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    O'Connell, Sarah

    2016-01-01

    Studies suggest 2 per 1000 people in Dublin are living with HIV, the level above which universal screening is advised. We aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a universal opt-out HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C testing programme for Emergency Department patients and to describe the incidence and prevalence of blood-borne viruses in this population.

  2. 16 CFR 316.5 - Prohibition on charging a fee or imposing other requirements on recipients who wish to opt out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... other than the recipient's electronic mail address and opt-out preferences, or take any other steps except sending a reply electronic mail message or visiting a single Internet Web page, in order to: (a) Use a return electronic mail address or other Internet-based mechanism, required by 15 U.S.C. 7704(a...

  3. Qualitative and quantitative assessment of the short- and long-term consequences of opting out of nuclear energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Briem, G.; Halstrick, M.; Heilemann, U.; Hillebrand, B.; Kiy, M.; Neuhaus, R.; Knieper, O.; Schmidt, H.W.; Weiss, T.

    1986-08-01

    A reference scenario establishes the prospective development of the energy and overall economy under status-quo conditions, i.e. assuming especially the continued use of nuclear energy, while two scenarios (alternative I: 'immediate opting out' and alternative II: 'opting out in the long term') try to assess the consequences of a shutdown of nuclear energy for the economic development of the Federal Republic of Germany. Especially, the study deals with the effects on the power industry, the ecological consequences, and the overall economic effects both in the short and long run. In all three scenarios, the development of the home consumption of electric power is first of all determined by a structure model of the entire economy. The capacity required to meet that demand and its use are calculated with the aid of a power plant model; short- and long-term cost-minimization programmes making allowance especially for fuel and capital costs from the elements from which these quantities are derived. Fuel and capital costs operate as variables in the structure model to determine the sectoral and overall economic development. The report in addition investigates separately, in partial models, the effects on the chemical industry and the branches of industry processing iron, steel, and non-ferrous metals, all of which are greatly in demand of electric power. (orig./UA) [de

  4. 75 FR 11169 - Reedsport OPT Wave Park Project; Reedsport OPT Wave Park; LLC Notice of Scoping Meetings and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-10

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 12713-002] Reedsport OPT Wave Park Project; Reedsport OPT Wave Park; LLC Notice of Scoping Meetings and Environmental Site...: Reedsport OPT Wave Park, LLC. e. Name of Project: Reedsport OPT Wave Park Project. [[Page 11170

  5. 17 CFR 248.13 - Exception to opt out requirements for service providers and joint marketing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... include marketing of your own products or services or marketing of financial products or services offered... requirements for service providers and joint marketing. 248.13 Section 248.13 Commodity and Securities... Consumer Financial Information and Safeguarding Personal Information Exceptions § 248.13 Exception to opt...

  6. Nuclear power and the opting-out policy of the German Government. A matter of responsibility and controversy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grawe, J.; Voss, A.

    2000-01-01

    The article critically reviews the energy policy of the German Government and the plans for winding down nuclear power generation and instead pursue a policy for a ''green reshufflement'' of generation technologies, providing for incentives to switch to options for decentralized power generation with enhanced use of renewable energy sources. The article explains arguments against the Government's opting-out policy which were laid down in a memorandum presented to the Government by a group of five university professors, among them the authors of this article who, as experts in this domain, are aware of their responsibility as scientists and members of society and therefore explain their view of the policy issues, also referring to a recent expert opinion of the German Wissenschaftsrat (science council), which recommended to continue nuclear energy research programmes and nuclear power generation. (orig./CB) [de

  7. How to Circumvent Church Numerals

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Goldberg, Mayer; Torgersen, Mads

    2002-01-01

    In this work we consider a standard numeral system in the lambda-calculus, and the elementary arithmetic and Boolean functions and predicates defined on this numeral system, and show how to construct terms that "circumvent" or "defeat" these functions: The equality predicate is satisfied when com...

  8. Is Green better than Blue? The Danish JHA opt-out and the Unilateral attempt to attrack highly skilled labour

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wind, Marlene; Adamo, Silvia

    2015-01-01

    In 20–30 years Denmark will, just like the rest of the EU, be in need of an increasing number of highly skilled workers from outside the EU to sustain its welfare society. While the EU has adopted a common Blue Card aiming at making it possible for foreign workers to live and work in most of the EU......, Denmark has, due to its opt-out in Justice and Home Affairs, chosen its own Green Card Scheme. This article looks into this choice and compares the recent Danish attempt to attract high skilled workers with the Blue Card directive. It analyses the differences and similarities between the two schemes...... and investigates why initiatives to attract highly skilled workers have not been successful at either the Danish nor the European level....

  9. Sacrificio cortoplacista adaptativo 2opt (SCA_2opt: Una heurística inspirada en el pensamiento sistémico Sacrifice short-term adaptive 2-opt (SCA_2opt: A heuristic inspired by systems thinking

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jorge Pérez Rave

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Se detalla el origen de dos noveles heurísticas para el TSP simétrico, inspiradas en el pensamiento sistémico: Sacrificio Cortoplacista Adaptativo 2-opt (SCA_2opt y SCA_2_opt_r. Estas surgen del análisis sistémico de la regla de decisión Vecino más cercano, identificándosele el arquetipo "Soluciones contraproducentes". El SCA se basa en que el agente viajero renuncie en un momento dado a una ciudad inmediatamente cercana, y se traslade hacia la segunda ciudad más cercana disponible. A partir de ello, se continúa con la regla del vecino más cercano. Cada que se realiza el SCA (búsqueda global se efectúa una búsqueda local 2_opt. Considerando el binomio eficacia y eficiencia, las dos heurísticas se muestran prometedoras en comparación multicriterio contra 19 metaheurísticas. Se evidencia que el pensamiento sistémico es un campo de inspiración viable para el desarrollo de métodos de optimización combinatoria; se plasman preguntas emergentes para desarrollos futuros, que permitan continuar integrando elementos de la optimización clásica con el pensamiento sistémico; áreas tradicionalmente vistas como antagónicas, pero cuyo diálogo se muestra favorable en este artículo.Outlining two novice heuristics for the symmetric TSP, inspired systemic thinking: Sacrifice short-term adaptive 2-opt (SCA2opt and SCA_2opt_r. These arise from the systemic analysis of the rule of decision, nearest neighbour, identifying the archetype "Counterproductive solutions". SCA relies on that agent traveler, renounces at any given time immediately to a nearby city, and moves towards the second nearest available city. From there, it continues with the nearest neighbour rule. Each is the SCA (global search operates a local search 2opt. Where as the binomial effectiveness and efficiency, the two new heuristics are shown promising in comparison multicriteria against 19 metaheuristics. It is evident that systemic thinking is a field of inspiration viable

  10. Turn in matters of energy. From revolt to reform. With the latest expertises on the prospect of opting out of nuclear energy. Energie-Wende. Von der Empoerung zur Reform. Mit den neuesten Gutachten zum Ausstieg aus der Kernenergie

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hauff, V

    1986-01-01

    The book is written with an entirely personal perspective, strives to take into account the latest state of knowledge and attempts to draft a future without nuclear energy at least in outline. The individual chapters have the following headings: Thirty years of development of nuclear power: dream and nightmare; The forecasts and expert opinions on the possibility of opting out - final conclusion: it can be done and is justifiable; The approach to orderly opting out: reform of our energy system. In this chapter a 10-year plan is submitted for a realistic reform of the energy economy to: save energy, reduce environmental pollution, use mainly renewable energy sources as pillars of the energy system; and leave to future generations the choice of their own lifestyle. (HSCH).

  11. 40 CFR 96.85 - NOX Budget opt-in permit contents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false NOX Budget opt-in permit contents. 96... (CONTINUED) NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS FOR STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Individual Unit Opt-ins § 96.85 NOX Budget opt-in permit contents. (a) Each NOX Budget opt-in permit...

  12. 40 CFR 97.85 - NOX Budget opt-in permit contents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false NOX Budget opt-in permit contents. 97... (CONTINUED) FEDERAL NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS Individual Unit Opt-ins. § 97.85 NOX Budget opt-in permit contents. (a) Each NOX Budget opt-in permit will contain all elements...

  13. Circumventing the Privity Rule in Malaysia

    OpenAIRE

    Pei Meng, Tan

    2009-01-01

    This article briefly introduces the privity rule and its application in Malaysia which has created difficulties in relation to contracts made for the benefit of third parties. This article then investigates how Malaysian courts circumvent the privity rule to ensure that justice prevails. The mechanisms examined include among others agency, trust, tort and estoppel. This article argues that the application of these mechanisms rule are not adequate to resolve the difficulties caused by the priv...

  14. The OptD-multi method in LiDAR processing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Błaszczak-Bąk, Wioleta; Sobieraj-Żłobińska, Anna; Kowalik, Michał

    2017-01-01

    New and constantly developing technology for acquiring spatial data, such as LiDAR (light detection and ranging), is a source for large volume of data. However, such amount of data is not always needed for developing the most popular LiDAR products: digital terrain model (DTM) or digital surface model. Therefore, in many cases, the number of contained points are reduced in the pre-processing stage. The degree of reduction is determined by the algorithm used, which should enable the user to obtain a dataset appropriate and optimal for the planned purpose. The aim of this article is to propose a new Optimum Dataset method (OptD method) in the processing of LiDAR point clouds. The OptD method can reduce the number of points in a dataset for the specified optimization criteria concerning the characteristics of generated DTM. The OptD method can be used in two variants: OptD-single (one criterion for optimization) and OptD-multi (two or more optimization criteria). The OptD-single method has been thoroughly tested and presented by Błaszczak-Bąk (2016 Acta Geodyn. Geomater . 13/4 379–86). In this paper the authors discussed the OptD-multi method. (paper)

  15. 40 CFR 97.83 - Applying for NOX Budget opt-in permit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Applying for NOX Budget opt-in permit... PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) FEDERAL NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS Individual Unit Opt-ins. § 97.83 Applying for NOX Budget opt-in permit. (a) Applying for initial NO X Budget opt...

  16. Difficult OptEase Filter Retrievals After Prolonged Indwelling Times

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Van Ha, Thuong G., E-mail: tgvanha@radiology.bsd.uchicago.edu; Kang, Lisa; Lorenz, Jonathan; Zangan, Steven; Navuluri, Rakesh; Straus, Christopher; Funaki, Brian [University of Chicago, Section of Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology (United States)

    2013-08-01

    PurposeThe OptEase vena cave filter (Cordis, Piscataway, NJ) is commercially available as a retrievable or permanent filter with short recommended indwelling time, presumably due to extensive contact of the filter side struts with the inferior vena cava wall and subsequent neointimal hyperplasia leading to incorporation. Our purpose was to evaluate OptEase filter retrievals with a long indwelling time period that required unconventional retrieval techniques.Materials and MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent OptEase filter retrieval with long undwelling times requiring additional maneuvers for retrieval. Techniques used included rigid endobronchial forceps dissection and wire-through-loop snare. Each patient underwent postretrieval venogram to evaluate for possible complications. In addition, patients had clinical follow-up 2 weeks after the retrieval procedure.ResultsThere were three patients (2 women, 1 man; average age 64 years) who underwent OptEase filter retrieval. The mean indwelling time was 6.4 months. The indwelling filters were successfully retrieved. There were no complications. Postprocedural follow-up showed no clinical pathology.ConclusionUnconventional techniques aided in the retrieval of OptEase filters with long indwelling times.

  17. Difficult OptEase Filter Retrievals After Prolonged Indwelling Times

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Ha, Thuong G.; Kang, Lisa; Lorenz, Jonathan; Zangan, Steven; Navuluri, Rakesh; Straus, Christopher; Funaki, Brian

    2013-01-01

    PurposeThe OptEase vena cave filter (Cordis, Piscataway, NJ) is commercially available as a retrievable or permanent filter with short recommended indwelling time, presumably due to extensive contact of the filter side struts with the inferior vena cava wall and subsequent neointimal hyperplasia leading to incorporation. Our purpose was to evaluate OptEase filter retrievals with a long indwelling time period that required unconventional retrieval techniques.Materials and MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent OptEase filter retrieval with long undwelling times requiring additional maneuvers for retrieval. Techniques used included rigid endobronchial forceps dissection and wire-through-loop snare. Each patient underwent postretrieval venogram to evaluate for possible complications. In addition, patients had clinical follow-up 2 weeks after the retrieval procedure.ResultsThere were three patients (2 women, 1 man; average age 64 years) who underwent OptEase filter retrieval. The mean indwelling time was 6.4 months. The indwelling filters were successfully retrieved. There were no complications. Postprocedural follow-up showed no clinical pathology.ConclusionUnconventional techniques aided in the retrieval of OptEase filters with long indwelling times

  18. Opting out of dialysis – Exploring patients' decisions to forego dialysis in favour of conservative non-dialytic management for end-stage renal disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seah, Angeline S T; Tan, Fiona; Srinivas, Subramaniam; Wu, Huei Yei; Griva, Konstadina

    2015-10-01

    Dialysis prolongs the life of people with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), but for patients who are elderly and suffer multiple comorbid illnesses the benefits of dialysis may be outweighed by its negative consequences. Non-dialytic conservative management has therefore become an alternative treatment route, yet little is known on patients' experience with choosing end-of-life treatment. To gain insight into the decision-making process leading to opting out of dialysis and the experience with conservative non-dialytic management from the patients' perspective. Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was undertaken as the framework for data analysis. N = 9 ESRD participants who have taken the decision to forego dialysis were recruited from the advanced care programme under the National Healthcare Group, Singapore. Participants discussed life since ESRD diagnosis, and the personal and contextual factors that led them to choose conservative management. The perceived physical and financial burden of dialysis both for the individual but most importantly for their family, uncertainty over likely gains over risks which were fuelled by communication of negative dialysis stories of others, coupled with sense of life completion and achievement led them to refuse dialysis. All participants took ownership of their decision despite contrary advice by doctors and were content with their decision and current management. Study highlights the factors driving patients' decisions for conservative non-dialytic management over dialysis to allow medical professionals to offer appropriate support to patients through their decision-making process and in caring them for the rest of their lives. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Iron deficiency regulated OsOPT7 is essential for iron homeostasis in rice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bashir, Khurram; Ishimaru, Yasuhiro; Itai, Reiko Nakanishi; Senoura, Takeshi; Takahashi, Michiko; An, Gynheung; Oikawa, Takaya; Ueda, Minoru; Sato, Aiko; Uozumi, Nobuyuki; Nakanishi, Hiromi; Nishizawa, Naoko K

    2015-05-01

    The molecular mechanism of iron (Fe) uptake and transport in plants are well-characterized; however, many components of Fe homeostasis remain unclear. We cloned iron-deficiency-regulated oligopeptide transporter 7 (OsOPT7) from rice. OsOPT7 localized to the plasma membrane and did not transport Fe(III)-DMA or Fe(II)-NA and GSH in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Furthermore OsOPT7 did not complement the growth of yeast fet3fet4 mutant. OsOPT7 was specifically upregulated in response to Fe-deficiency. Promoter GUS analysis revealed that OsOPT7 expresses in root tips, root vascular tissue and shoots as well as during seed development. Microarray analysis of OsOPT7 knockout 1 (opt7-1) revealed the upregulation of Fe-deficiency-responsive genes in plants grown under Fe-sufficient conditions, despite the high Fe and ferritin concentrations in shoot tissue indicating that Fe may not be available for physiological functions. Plants overexpressing OsOPT7 do not exhibit any phenotype and do not accumulate more Fe compared to wild type plants. These results indicate that OsOPT7 may be involved in Fe transport in rice.

  20. 40 CFR 96.83 - Applying for NOX Budget opt-in permit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Applying for NOX Budget opt-in permit... PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS FOR STATE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Individual Unit Opt-ins § 96.83 Applying for NOX Budget opt-in permit. (a) Applying for...

  1. 75 FR 51266 - Reedsport OPT Wave Park, LLC; Notice of Settlement Agreement and Soliciting Comments

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-19

    ... of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.602, Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)-825(r). h. Applicant... behalf of itself; National Marine Fisheries Service; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Forest Service... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 12713-002] Reedsport OPT...

  2. Sacrificio cortoplacista adaptativo 2opt (SCA_2opt: Una heurística inspirada en el pensamiento sistémico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jorge Pérez Rave

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Se detalla el origen de dos noveles heurísticas para el TSP simétrico, inspiradas en el pensamiento sistémico: Sacrificio Cortoplacista Adaptativo 2-opt (SCA_2opt y SCA_2_opt_r. Estas surgen del análisis sistémico de la regla de decisión Vecino más cercano, identificándosele el arquetipo "Soluciones contraproducentes". El SCA se basa en que el agente viajero renuncie en un momento dado a una ciudad inmediatamente cercana, y se traslade hacia la segunda ciudad más cercana disponible. A partir de ello, se continúa con la regla del vecino más cercano. Cada que se realiza el SCA (búsqueda global se efectúa una búsqueda local 2_opt. Considerando el binomio eficacia y eficiencia, las dos heurísticas se muestran prometedoras en comparación multicriterio contra 19 metaheurísticas. Se evidencia que el pensamiento sistémico es un campo de inspiración viable para el desarrollo de métodos de optimización combinatoria; se plasman preguntas emergentes para desarrollos futuros, que permitan continuar integrando elementos de la optimización clásica con el pensamiento sistémico; áreas tradicionalmente vistas como antagónicas, pero cuyo diálogo se muestra favorable en este artículo.

  3. Improving the ensemble optimization method through covariance matrix adaptation (CMA-EnOpt)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fonseca, R.M.; Leeuwenburgh, O.; Hof, P.M.J. van den; Jansen, J.D.

    2013-01-01

    Ensemble Optimization (EnOpt) is a rapidly emerging method for reservoir model based production optimization. EnOpt uses an ensemble of controls to approximate the gradient of the objective function with respect to the controls. Current implementations of EnOpt use a Gaussian ensemble with a

  4. Circumventing antivector immunity: potential use of nonhuman adenoviral vectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lopez-Gordo, Estrella; Podgorski, Iva I; Downes, Nicholas; Alemany, Ramon

    2014-04-01

    Adenoviruses are efficient gene delivery vectors based on their ability to transduce a wide variety of cell types and drive high-level transient transgene expression. While there have been advances in modifying human adenoviral (HAdV) vectors to increase their safety profile, there are still pitfalls that need to be further addressed. Preexisting humoral and cellular immunity against common HAdV serotypes limits the efficacy of gene transfer and duration of transgene expression. As an alternative, nonhuman AdV (NHAdV) vectors can circumvent neutralizing antibodies against HAdVs in immunized mice and monkeys and in human sera, suggesting that NHAdV vectors could circumvent preexisting humoral immunity against HAdVs in a clinical setting. Consequently, there has been an increased interest in developing NHAdV vectors for gene delivery in humans. In this review, we outline the recent advances and limitations of HAdV vectors for gene therapy and describe examples of NHAdV vectors focusing on their immunogenicity, tropism, and potential as effective gene therapy vehicles.

  5. Opting out of the commercial use of nuclear power in Germany and challenges arising to nuclear supervision

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Renneberg, W.

    2001-01-01

    The governing majority in Germany has decided to opt out of the commercial use of nuclear power and to terminate this use in a safe and managed way. In the opinion of the federal government, the reasons for this decision include the potential for severe accidents, which is considered intolerable in the long run even though the probability of occurrence is low. In addition, there are the problems of final storage of radioactive waste, issues associated with the risk of proliferation, and the need to end a deep-seated societal conflict in Germany. In its function as the Top Regulator, the department responsible for nuclear matters of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMU) has two important functions: It acts as the federal supervisor of the federal states which execute the Atomic Energy Act on behalf of the federal government, and it exercises the duty of preparing the nuclear policy outlined in the norms established by the federal government. After lengthy discussions with the operators of nuclear power plants an agreement was elaborated in preparation of a solution acceptable to all participants, which essentially defines an electricity quota for nuclear power plant operation and deals with spent fuel and nuclear waste management problems. This implies a number of challenges arising to the BMU as a consequence of the need to further ensure a high safety standard. It also means international efforts as well as the need to counteract the impending loss of competence in the nuclear field. (orig.) [de

  6. Circumventing photodamage in live-cell microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magidson, Valentin; Khodjakov, Alexey

    2013-01-01

    Fluorescence microscopy has become an essential tool in cell biology. This technique allows researchers to visualize the dynamics of tissue, cells, individual organelles and macromolecular assemblies inside the cell. Unfortunately, fluorescence microscopy is not completely ‘non-invasive’ as the high-intensity excitation light required for excitation of fluorophores is inherently toxic for live cells. Physiological changes induced by excessive illumination can lead to artifacts and abnormal responses. In this chapter we review major factors that contribute to phototoxicity and discuss practical solutions for circumventing photodamage. These solutions include the proper choice of image acquisition parameters, optimization of filter sets, hardware synchronization, and the use of intelligent illumination to avoid unnecessary light exposure. PMID:23931522

  7. The kids at Hamilton Elementary School: Purposes and practices for co-opting science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ortiz, Loaiza

    The purpose of this study was to explore youth's purposes and motivations for engaging in science through the lens of science practices. The construct of science practices allowed me to see science in youths' lives in a holistic way, shaped by social, political, historical, economic and cultural forces. The framework for understanding urban youths' science practices is grounded in the intersections of critical and feminist theory, sociocultural learning theories, especially as applied in research in urban science education, and recent work in critical literacy studies. As I explored the answers to my research questions---(1) When 5th grade youth, living in predominantly Latino communities struggling with urban poverty, engage in science how and why do they co-opt science in ways that result in changes in participation in science? (2) What are the science practices that facilitate youths' coopting of science? And how are those practices framed by context (school, out-of-school), content (LiFE curriculum), and funds of knowledge? (3) In what ways are science practices expressions of youths' scientific literacy? And (4) In what ways do youth use science practices as tools for expressing identities and agency?---I engaged in feminist ethnography with embedded case studies. Data were collected in 2004 in school and in out of school settings. I recorded numerous informal conversations, interviews, and observations both during after-school and students' regular science and non-science classes. Findings describe how and why students co-opted science for purposes that make sense for their lives. These purposes included gaining and activating resources, building and maintaining social relationships, bridging home and school knowledge, positioning themselves with authority, and constructing science identities. Findings also explored what practices facilitated youth's co-opting of science. I highlighted three practices: making ideas public, storytelling and prioritizing and

  8. How Medical Tourism Enables Preferential Access to Care: Four Patterns from the Canadian Context.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snyder, Jeremy; Johnston, Rory; Crooks, Valorie A; Morgan, Jeff; Adams, Krystyna

    2017-06-01

    Medical tourism is the practice of traveling across international borders with the intention of accessing medical care, paid for out-of-pocket. This practice has implications for preferential access to medical care for Canadians both through inbound and outbound medical tourism. In this paper, we identify four patterns of medical tourism with implications for preferential access to care by Canadians: (1) Inbound medical tourism to Canada's public hospitals; (2) Inbound medical tourism to a First Nations reserve; (3) Canadian patients opting to go abroad for medical tourism; and (4) Canadian patients traveling abroad with a Canadian surgeon. These patterns of medical tourism affect preferential access to health care by Canadians by circumventing domestic regulation of care, creating jurisdictional tensions over the provision of health care, and undermining solidarity with the Canadian health system.

  9. How Students Circumvent Problem-Solving Strategies that Require Greater Cognitive Complexity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niaz, Mansoor

    1996-01-01

    Analyzes the great diversity in problem-solving strategies used by students in solving a chemistry problem and discusses the relationship between these variables and different cognitive variables. Concludes that students try to circumvent certain problem-solving strategies by adapting flexible and stylistic innovations that render the cognitive…

  10. General k-opt submoves for the Lin-Kernighan TSP heuristic

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Helsgaun, Keld

    2009-01-01

    Local search with k-exchange neighborhoods, k-opt, is the most widely used heuristic method for the traveling salesman problem (TSP). This paper presents an effective implementation of k-opt in LKH-2, a variant of the Lin–Kernighan TSP heuristic. The effectiveness of the implementation...

  11. Opting For Families: Recent Trends in the Fertility of Highly Educated Women. NBER Working Paper No. 15074

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shang, Qingyan; Weinberg, Bruce A.

    2009-01-01

    Observers have argued about whether highly-educated women are opting out of their careers and for families. If so, it is natural to expect fertility to increase and, insofar as children are associated with lower employment, further declines in employment. This paper provides a comprehensive study of recent trends in the fertility of…

  12. How to opt into the Common European Sales Law? Brief comments on the Commission's proposal for a regulation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hesselink, M.

    2012-01-01

    Unlike the actual text for the proposed Common European Sales Law (CESL), which is based on extensive preparatory work by academics, the regime for opting into the instrument, which is set out in the main text of the proposed regulation, is entirely of the European Commission's own making. The

  13. How to opt into the Common European Sales Law? Brief comments on the Commission's proposal for a regulation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hesselink, M.W.; Claeys, I.; Feltkamp, R.

    2013-01-01

    Unlike the actual text for the proposed Common European Sales Law (CESL), which is based on extensive preparatory work by academics, the regime for opting into the instrument, which is set out in the main text of the proposed regulation, is entirely of the European Commission's own making. The

  14. Effectiveness of a group opt-in session on uptake and graduation rates for pulmonary rehabilitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graves, J; Sandrey, V; Graves, T; Smith, D L

    2010-08-01

    Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is an effective intervention in the treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Unfortunately some patients offered this treatment either fail to take up the offer or fail to complete the course. Studies have indicated a number of factors influencing uptake and completion rates. We describe the introduction of an intervention, the group opt-in session (GOIS), prior to individualised baseline assessment and entry to the PR course, with the intention being to improve uptake and completion rates. A 1.5-hour-long GOIS was offered as the first face-to-face contact to all patients referred for PR. Drop-out rates at all stages of the pathway from referral to graduation were collected on 200 patients prior to the introduction of the GOIS (non-GOIS group) and compared to the first 400 patients following introduction (the GOIS group). Possible independent predictors of course uptake and completion were examined in the GOIS group. The proportion of referred patients taking up the offer of individualised baseline assessment or a GOIS was similar (75% vs. 72.2%, p value not significant [ns]). However, since in the GOIS group the opt-in session preceded the individualised baseline assessment and some patients opted-out, a smaller proportion of referred patients underwent this assessment than in the non-GOIS group (58.7% vs. 75%, p graduated in the GOIS group (87.9% vs. 76.4%, p rates due to illness were similar in both groups (8.5% pre vs. 6.8% post, ns). However, drop-out rates not due to illness were much higher in the non-GOIS group (15.1% vs. 5.3%, p graduation rates at The North Bristol Lung Centre PR Course and reduced wasted assessments. There was no effect on initial uptake. Analysis of the behaviour of patients invited to a GOIS suggested that age, lung function and travel distance were important factors influencing patient choice.

  15. CiOpt: a program for optimization of the frequency response of linear circuits

    OpenAIRE

    Miró Sans, Joan Maria; Palà Schönwälder, Pere

    1991-01-01

    An interactive personal-computer program for optimizing the frequency response of linear lumped circuits (CiOpt) is presented. CiOpt has proved to be an efficient tool in improving designs where the inclusion of more accurate device models distorts the desired frequency response, as well as in device modeling. The outputs of CiOpt are the element values which best match the obtained and the desired frequency response. The optimization algorithms used (the Fletcher-Powell and Newton's methods,...

  16. An Effective Implementation of K-opt Moves for the Lin-Kernighan TSP Heuristic

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Helsgaun, Keld

    Local search with k-change neighborhoods, k-opt, is the most widely used heuristic method for the traveling salesman problem (TSP). This report presents an effective implementation of k-opt for the Lin- Kernighan TSP heuristic. The effectiveness of the implementation is demonstrated with extensive...

  17. Security, justice and the energy crossroads: Assessing the implications of the nuclear phase-out in Germany

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rehner, Robert; McCauley, Darren

    2016-01-01

    The nuclear melt-down in Fukushima resulted in diverging energy policy decisions across the world where Germany decided to opt out of nuclear electricity production. Yet, the government’s decision-making framework for energy policy decisions does not accurately reflect important drivers for the strategy change. This paper presents the Energy Crossroads framework as a more comprehensive tool to analyse the drivers and impacts of the nuclear phase-out. 20 expert interviews were performed across business participants as well as policy makers in the national and international energy context. Results show that Germany has adopted an environmental justice, rather than energy security, stance in their nuclear phase out policy, with significant long-term consequences. - Highlights: • We develop the Energy Crossroads framework as a means to analyse the Energiewende. • The strategy's short and medium term concerns focus on the security of supply. • Long term goals are driven by aspects of environmental justice. • Targeted development of national FiTs is needed alongside a functioning carbon market.

  18. OPT13B and OPTIM4 - computer codes for optical model calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pal, S.; Srivastava, D.K.; Mukhopadhyay, S.; Ganguly, N.K.

    1975-01-01

    OPT13B is a computer code in FORTRAN for optical model calculations with automatic search. A summary of different formulae used for computation is given. Numerical methods are discussed. The 'search' technique followed to obtain the set of optical model parameters which produce best fit to experimental data in a least-square sense is also discussed. Different subroutines of the program are briefly described. Input-output specifications are given in detail. A modified version of OPT13B specifications are given in detail. A modified version of OPT13B is OPTIM4. It can be used for optical model calculations where the form factors of different parts of the optical potential are known point by point. A brief description of the modifications is given. (author)

  19. OPT-TWO: Calculation code for two-dimensional MOX fuel models in the optimum concentration distribution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, Shohei; Okuno, Hiroshi; Sakai, Tomohiro

    2007-08-01

    OPT-TWO is a calculation code which calculates the optimum concentration distribution, i.e., the most conservative concentration distribution in the aspect of nuclear criticality safety, of MOX (mixed uranium and plutonium oxide) fuels in the two-dimensional system. To achieve the optimum concentration distribution, we apply the principle of flattened fuel importance distribution with which the fuel system has the highest reactivity. Based on this principle, OPT-TWO takes the following 3 calculation steps iteratively to achieve the optimum concentration distribution with flattened fuel importance: (1) the forward and adjoint neutron fluxes, and the neutron multiplication factor, with TWOTRAN code which is a two-dimensional neutron transport code based on the SN method, (2) the fuel importance, and (3) the quantity of the transferring fuel. In OPT-TWO, the components of MOX fuel are MOX powder, uranium dioxide powder and additive. This report describes the content of the calculation, the computational method, and the installation method of the OPT-TWO, and also describes the application method of the criticality calculation of OPT-TWO. (author)

  20. Using 2-Opt based evolution strategy for travelling salesman problem

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kenan Karagul

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Harmony search algorithm that matches the (µ+1 evolution strategy, is a heuristic method simulated by the process of music improvisation. In this paper, a harmony search algorithm is directly used for the travelling salesman problem. Instead of conventional selection operators such as roulette wheel, the transformation of real number values of harmony search algorithm to order index of vertex representation and improvement of solutions are obtained by using the 2-Opt local search algorithm. Then, the obtained algorithm is tested on two different parameter groups of TSPLIB. The proposed method is compared with classical 2-Opt which randomly started at each step and best known solutions of test instances from TSPLIB. It is seen that the proposed algorithm offers valuable solutions.

  1. optBINS: Optimal Binning for histograms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knuth, Kevin H.

    2018-03-01

    optBINS (optimal binning) determines the optimal number of bins in a uniform bin-width histogram by deriving the posterior probability for the number of bins in a piecewise-constant density model after assigning a multinomial likelihood and a non-informative prior. The maximum of the posterior probability occurs at a point where the prior probability and the the joint likelihood are balanced. The interplay between these opposing factors effectively implements Occam's razor by selecting the most simple model that best describes the data.

  2. Metal Nanoparticles as Targeted Carriers Circumventing the Blood-Brain Barrier.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sintov, A C; Velasco-Aguirre, C; Gallardo-Toledo, E; Araya, E; Kogan, M J

    2016-01-01

    Metal nanoparticles have been proposed as a carrier and a therapeutic agent in biomedical field because of their unique physiochemical properties. Due to these physicochemical properties, they can be used in different fields of biomedicine. In relation to this, plasmonic nanoparticles can be used for detection and photothermal destruction of tumor cells or toxic protein aggregates, and magnetic iron nanoparticles can be used for imaging and for hyperthermia of tumor cells. In addition, both therapy and imaging can be combined in one nanoparticle system, in a process called theranostics. Metal nanoparticles can be synthesized to modulate their size and shape, and conjugated with different ligands, which allow their application in drug delivery, diagnostics, and treatment of central nervous system diseases. This review is focused on the potential applications of metal nanoparticles and their capability to circumvent the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Although many articles have demonstrated delivery of metal nanoparticles to the brain by crossing the BBB after systemic administration, the percentage of the injected dose that reaches this organ is low in comparison to others, especially the liver and spleen. In connection with this drawback, we elaborate the architecture of the BBB and review possible mechanisms to cross this barrier by engineered nanoparticles. The potential uses of metal nanoparticles for treatment of disorders as well as related neurotoxicological considerations are also discussed. Finally, we bring up for discussion a direct and relatively simpler solution to the problem. We discuss this in detail after having proposed the use of the intranasal administration route as a way to circumvent the BBB. This route has not been extensively studied yet for metal nanoparticles, although it could be used as a research tool for mechanistic understanding and toxicity as well as an added value for medical practice. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Is Drop-Out from University Dependent on National Culture and Policy? The Case of Denmark

    Science.gov (United States)

    Troelsen, Rie; Laursen, Per F.

    2014-01-01

    National cultures are known to influence educational institutions and practices in many ways. It therefore seems reasonable to assume that drop-out from university is also influenced by differences in national cultures. In this article, we compare drop-out from Danish universities with drop-out from European universities. Based on Danish national…

  4. Semicircular canals circumvent Brownian Motion overload of mechanoreceptor hair cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Muller, Mees; Heeck, Kier; Elemans, Coen P H

    2016-01-01

    Vertebrate semicircular canals (SCC) first appeared in the vertebrates (i.e. ancestral fish) over 600 million years ago. In SCC the principal mechanoreceptors are hair cells, which as compared to cochlear hair cells are distinctly longer (70 vs. 7 μm), 10 times more compliant to bending (44 vs. 500...... nN/m), and have a 100-fold higher tip displacement threshold (hair cells where the bundle is approximated as a stiff, cylindrical elastic rod subject to friction and thermal agitation. Our models suggest that the above...... differences aid SCC hair cells in circumventing the masking effects of Brownian motion noise of about 70 nm, and thereby permit transduction of very low frequency (

  5. Opting for co-operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1987-12-01

    This report proposes a process for choosing a low-level radioactive waste management site based on the following principles: the community should volunteer and have the right to opt out of the siting process; the community should be a partner in problem-solving and decision-making throughout the process; the community should receive compensation to offset impacts and enhance local benefits; the community should have the right to select from given technical options and impact management measures; the siting task force responsible for implementation of the process must ensure that environmental safety and human health are not compromised. The Task Force recommends that: voluntary acceptance be adopted as the basic principle for the process of siting a low-level waste management facility; the emphasis given to technical assessments of options and their impacts be counterbalanced by legitimization of an active joint decision-making role for potentially affected residents; the community accepting the facility be compensated in a way that offsets all costs and leaves the community better off than it was previously; the concepts of improved management and long-term storage, with the ability to monitor and retrieve wastes, become the immediate objectives for the handling of low-level radioactive waste accumulations. The Task Force suggests a classification system for wastes based on the fundamental properties of the wastes and their management requirements rather than on their origins and administrative affiliations. The Atomic Energy Control Board should assume a more proactive role in defining and establishing acceptable approaches to low-level radioactive waste management. The Task Force did not discover any evidence that there is a health threat from existing low-level waste accumulations in Ontario. Carbon 14 may pose a particular problem, and there should be further research into the requirements of carbon 14

  6. Atomic structure from large-area, low-dose exposures of materials: A new route to circumvent radiation damage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meyer, J.C., E-mail: jannik.meyer@univie.ac.at; Kotakoski, J.; Mangler, C.

    2014-10-15

    Beam-induced structural modifications are a major nuisance in the study of materials by high-resolution electron microscopy. Here, we introduce a new approach to circumvent the radiation damage problem by a statistical treatment of large, noisy, low-dose data sets of non-periodic configurations (e.g. defects) in the material. We distribute the dose over a mixture of different defect structures at random positions and with random orientations, and recover representative model images via a maximum likelihood search. We demonstrate reconstructions from simulated images at such low doses that the location of individual entities is not possible. The approach may open a route to study currently inaccessible beam-sensitive configurations. - Highlights: • A new approach to circumvent radiation damage. • Statistical treatment of large noisy data sets. • Analysis of radiation sensitive material defects.

  7. Simulation-based optimization of sustainable national energy systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Batas Bjelić, Ilija; Rajaković, Nikola

    2015-01-01

    The goals of the EU2030 energy policy should be achieved cost-effectively by employing the optimal mix of supply and demand side technical measures, including energy efficiency, renewable energy and structural measures. In this paper, the achievement of these goals is modeled by introducing an innovative method of soft-linking of EnergyPLAN with the generic optimization program (GenOpt). This soft-link enables simulation-based optimization, guided with the chosen optimization algorithm, rather than manual adjustments of the decision vectors. In order to obtain EnergyPLAN simulations within the optimization loop of GenOpt, the decision vectors should be chosen and explained in GenOpt for scenarios created in EnergyPLAN. The result of the optimization loop is an optimal national energy master plan (as a case study, energy policy in Serbia was taken), followed with sensitivity analysis of the exogenous assumptions and with focus on the contribution of the smart electricity grid to the achievement of EU2030 goals. It is shown that the increase in the policy-induced total costs of less than 3% is not significant. This general method could be further improved and used worldwide in the optimal planning of sustainable national energy systems. - Highlights: • Innovative method of soft-linking of EnergyPLAN with GenOpt has been introduced. • Optimal national energy master plan has been developed (the case study for Serbia). • Sensitivity analysis on the exogenous world energy and emission price development outlook. • Focus on the contribution of smart energy systems to the EU2030 goals. • Innovative soft-linking methodology could be further improved and used worldwide.

  8. OptFlux: an open-source software platform for in silico metabolic engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rocha, Isabel; Maia, Paulo; Evangelista, Pedro; Vilaça, Paulo; Soares, Simão; Pinto, José P; Nielsen, Jens; Patil, Kiran R; Ferreira, Eugénio C; Rocha, Miguel

    2010-04-19

    Over the last few years a number of methods have been proposed for the phenotype simulation of microorganisms under different environmental and genetic conditions. These have been used as the basis to support the discovery of successful genetic modifications of the microbial metabolism to address industrial goals. However, the use of these methods has been restricted to bioinformaticians or other expert researchers. The main aim of this work is, therefore, to provide a user-friendly computational tool for Metabolic Engineering applications. OptFlux is an open-source and modular software aimed at being the reference computational application in the field. It is the first tool to incorporate strain optimization tasks, i.e., the identification of Metabolic Engineering targets, using Evolutionary Algorithms/Simulated Annealing metaheuristics or the previously proposed OptKnock algorithm. It also allows the use of stoichiometric metabolic models for (i) phenotype simulation of both wild-type and mutant organisms, using the methods of Flux Balance Analysis, Minimization of Metabolic Adjustment or Regulatory on/off Minimization of Metabolic flux changes, (ii) Metabolic Flux Analysis, computing the admissible flux space given a set of measured fluxes, and (iii) pathway analysis through the calculation of Elementary Flux Modes. OptFlux also contemplates several methods for model simplification and other pre-processing operations aimed at reducing the search space for optimization algorithms. The software supports importing/exporting to several flat file formats and it is compatible with the SBML standard. OptFlux has a visualization module that allows the analysis of the model structure that is compatible with the layout information of Cell Designer, allowing the superimposition of simulation results with the model graph. The OptFlux software is freely available, together with documentation and other resources, thus bridging the gap from research in strain optimization

  9. Wind farm design in complex terrain: the FarmOpt methodology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Feng, Ju; Shen, Wen Zhong; Hansen, Kurt Schaldemose

    layout optimization algorithms. Various constraints are also modelled and considered in the design optimization problem for maximizing the annual energy production (AEP). A case study is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the methodology. Further developments of the FarmOpt tool are also...

  10. A parallel 2-opt algorithm for the traveling salesman problem

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verhoeven, M.G.A.; Aarts, E.H.L.; Swinkels, P.C.J.

    1995-01-01

    We present a scalable parallel local search algorithm based on data parallelism. The concept of distributed neighborhood structures is introduced, and applied to the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP). Our parallel local search algorithm finds the same quality solutions as the classical 2-opt

  11. Economic influences on GPs' decisions to provide out-of-hours care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geue, Claudia; Skåtun, Diane; Sutton, Matt

    2009-01-01

    Introduction of the new general medical services contract offered UK general practices the option to discontinue providing out-of-hours (OOH) care. This aimed to improve GP recruitment and retention by offering a better work-life balance, but put primary care organisations under pressure to ensure sustainable delivery of these services. Many organisations arranged this by re-purchasing provision from individual GPs. To analyse which factors influence an individual GP's decision to re-provide OOH care when their practice has opted out. Cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Rural and urban general practices in Scotland, UK. A postal survey was sent to all GPs working in Scotland in 2006, with analyses weighted for differential response rates. Analysis included logistic regression of individuals' decisions to re-provide OOH care based on personal characteristics, work and non-work time commitments, income from other sources, and contracting primary care organisation. Of the 1707 GPs in Scotland whose practice had opted out, 40.6% participated in OOH provision. Participation rates of GPs within primary care organisations varied from 16.7% to 74.7%. Males with young children were substantially more likely to participate than males without children (odds ratio [OR] 2.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.36 to 4.40). GPs with higher-earning spouses were less likely to participate. This effect was reinforced if GPs had spouses who were also GPs (OR 0.52, 95% CI = 0.37 to 0.74). GPs with training responsibilities (OR 1.36, 95% CI = 1.09 to 1.71) and other medical posts (OR 1.38, 95% CI = 1.09 to 1.75) were more likely to re-provide OOH services. The opportunity to opt out of OOH care has provided flexibility for GPs to raise additional income, although primary care organisations vary in the extent to which they offer these opportunities. Examining intrinsic motivation is an area for future study.

  12. Strategies to overcome or circumvent P-glycoprotein mediated multidrug resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Hongyu; Li, Xun; Wu, Jifeng; Li, Jinpei; Qu, Xianjun; Xu, Wenfang; Tang, Wei

    2008-01-01

    Cancer patients who receive chemotherapy often experience intrinsic or acquired resistance to a broad spectrum of chemotherapeutic agents. The phenomenon, termed multidrug resistance (MDR), is often associated with the over-expression of P-glycoprotein, a transmembrane protein pump, which can enhance efflux of a various chemicals structurally unrelated at the expense of ATP depletion, resulting in decrease of the intracellular cytotoxic drug accumulation. The MDR has been a big threaten to the human health and the war fight for it continues. Although several other mechanisms for MDR are elucidated in recent years, considerable efforts attempting to inverse MDR are involved in exploring P-glycoprotein modulators and suppressing P-glycoprotein expression. In this review, we will report on the recent advances in various strategies for overcoming or circumventing MDR mediated by P-glycoprotein.

  13. 40 CFR Appendix A to Subpart III... - States With Approved State Implementation Plan Revisions Concerning CAIR SO2 Opt-In Units

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Implementation Plan Revisions Concerning CAIR SO2 Opt-In Units A Appendix A to Subpart III of Part 97 Protection... BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS CAIR SO2 Opt-in Units Pt. 97, Subpt. III... Concerning CAIR SO2 Opt-In Units 1. The following States have State Implementation Plan revisions under § 51...

  14. Evaluation of Routine HIV Opt-Out Screening and Continuum of Care Services Following Entry into Eight Prison Reception Centers--California, 2012.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lucas, Kimberley D; Eckert, Valorie; Behrends, Czarina N; Wheeler, Charlotte; MacGowan, Robin J; Mohle-Boetani, Janet C

    2016-02-26

    Early diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and initiation of antiretroviral treatment (ART) improves health outcomes and prevents HIV transmission. Before 2010, HIV testing was available to inmates in the California state prison system upon request. In 2010, the California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) integrated HIV opt-out screening into the health assessment for inmates entering California state prisons. Under this system, a medical care provider informs the inmate that an HIV test is routinely done, along with screening for sexually transmitted, communicable, and vaccine-preventable diseases, unless the inmate specifically declines the test. During 2012-2013, CCHCS, the California Department of Public Health, and CDC evaluated HIV screening, rates of new diagnoses, linkage to and retention in care, ART response, and post-release linkage to care among California prison inmates. All prison inmates are processed through one of eight specialized reception center facilities, where they undergo a comprehensive evaluation of their medical needs, mental health, and custody requirements for placement in one of 35 state prisons. Among 17,436 inmates who entered a reception center during April-September 2012, 77% were screened for HIV infection; 135 (1%) tested positive, including 10 (0.1%) with newly diagnosed infections. Among the 135 HIV-positive patient-inmates, 134 (99%) were linked to care within 90 days of diagnosis, including 122 (91%) who initiated ART. Among 83 who initiated ART and remained incarcerated through July 2013, 81 (98%) continued ART; 71 (88%) achieved viral suppression (care within 30 days of release were virally suppressed at that time. Only one of nine persons with a viral load test conducted between 91 days and 1 year post-release had viral suppression. Although high rates of viral suppression were achieved in prison, continuity of care in the community remains a challenge. An infrastructure for post

  15. Calient Networks chosen as core platform for OptIPuter

    CERN Multimedia

    2003-01-01

    Calient Networks, a provider of intelligent all-optical switching systems and software, will team with the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Cal-(IT)2) and the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) on development of the "OptIPuter,". This is a powerful distributed cyber-infrastructure project designed to support data-intensive scientific research and collaboration (1/2 page).

  16. Management of disused high-activity sealed radioactive sources: Opting for removal from the national territory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mourão, Rogério Pimenta, E-mail: mouraor@cdtn.br [Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN/CNEN-MG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)

    2017-07-01

    Since 2007 Brazil has been using the removal from its territory as a strategy for the management of sealed sources. Three campaigns have been carried out so far, each aiming at specific source types or categories. In the first of these campaigns in 2007, 126 neutron sources of American origin were repatriated to the USA, followed in 2010 by around 900 low activity sources (Categories 3 to 5, according to the IAEA classification system). Both operations were conducted by teams of the American institute Los Alamos National Laboratory. A third campaign, focused on high activity sources – essentially Cobalt-60 sources for teletherapy – was carried out between 2016 and 2017 and resulted in 81 spent high activity radioactive sources of American- and Canadian-origin been sent to Germany and the USA. This operation was carried out by a team of South Africa using a dedicated Mobile Hot Cell. The benefits to Brazil resulting from these operations are clear: increase in safety and security; availability of new precious storage space; less effort dedicated to the disused sealed sources storage; less space in the future borehole facility; financial gains in the selling or reuse of steel, lead and depleted uranium from the original shields. An overexposure incident occurred during the operation, in which a worker was exposed to a dose above the annual statutory limit. (author)

  17. Inspection Report: FAA's Alleged Circumvention of National Performance Review Staffing Requirements

    Science.gov (United States)

    1996-12-09

    This report responds to a complaint received by the Office of Inspector General : (OIG), Department of Transportation. The complainant alleges the Federal : Aviation Administration (FAA) planned to circumvent National Performance : Review (NPR) staff...

  18. Two methods for decreasing the flexibility gap in national energy systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Batas Bjelić, Ilija; Rajaković, Nikola; Krajačić, Goran; Duić, Neven

    2016-01-01

    More variable renewable energy sources and energy efficiency measures create an additional flexibility gap and require a novel energy planning method for sustainable national energy systems. The firstly presented method uses only EnergyPLAN tool in order to decrease the flexibility gap in a national energy system. Generic Optimization program (GenOpt"®) is an optimization program for the minimization of a cost function that is evaluated by an external simulation program, such as EnergyPLAN, which was used as the second method in this research. Successful strategies to decrease the flexibility gap are verified on the case of the Serbian national energy system using two methods for its structure design: (1) the iterative method, based on heuristics and manual procedure of using only EnergyPLAN, and (2) the optimization method, based on soft-linking of EnergyPLAN with GenOpt"®. The latter method, named EPOPT (EnergyPlan-genOPT), found the solution for the structure of the sustainable national energy system at the total cost of 8190 M€, while the iterative method was only able to find solutions at the cost in the range of 8251–8598 M€ by targeting only one sustainability goal. The advantages of the EPOPT method are its accuracy, user-friendliness and minimal costs, are valuable for planners. - Highlights: • Heuristic and optimization method for sustainable national energy system structure. • The same input assumptions resulting in different energy system structure. • Both methods are successful in decreasing of the flexibility gap. • The EPOPT method advantages are in the speed, accuracy and planner comfort. • Advanced method for the sustainable national energy policy planning.

  19. Well-being and associated factors among adults in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harsha, Nouh; Ziq, Luay; Ghandour, Rula; Giacaman, Rita

    2016-08-30

    The World Health Organization (WHO) incorporated well-being into its definition of health in 1948. The significance given to this concept is due to its role in the assessment of people's quality of life and health. Using the WHO Well-being Index, we estimated well-being among adults and identified selected associated factors in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) using data obtained from the National Time Use Survey conducted by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) 2012-2013 on a representative sample of persons living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted among participants 18 years old and above. Multivariate analysis (Regression) was performed with factors found significant in cross-tabulations, using SPSS® version 20. Overall, 33.8 % (2395) of respondents reported low levels of well-being (ill-being). Neither age, nor sex, nor region were found significant in regression analysis. People who were married, working 15 h or more, with a higher standard of living, who reported participating in community, cultural, and social events, or in religious activities reported high levels of well-being. Those who reported regularly following the mass media, or living in Palestinian refugee camps reported low levels of wellbeing. Overall, about one-third of adult Palestinians reported low levels of well-being (ill-being), a finding which in itself requires attention. Marriage, employment, high living standards, community participation, and religious activities were found to be protective against ill-being. Further investigations are required to determine additional causes of ill-being in the oPt, taking into consideration the possible effects of chronic exposure to political violence on subjective well-being.

  20. Activity of OPT-80, a novel macrocycle, compared with those of eight other agents against selected anaerobic species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Credito, Kim L; Appelbaum, Peter C

    2004-11-01

    Agar dilution MIC was used to compare activities of OPT-80, linezolid, vancomycin, teicoplanin, quinupristin/dalfopristin, amoxicillin/clavulanate, imipenem, clindamycin, and metronidazole against 350 gram-positive and -negative anaerobes. OPT-80 was active against gram-positive strains only, especially Clostridium spp. (85 strains tested, including 21 strains of C. difficile), with MICs ranging between

  1. OptMAVEn--a new framework for the de novo design of antibody variable region models targeting specific antigen epitopes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tong Li

    Full Text Available Antibody-based therapeutics provides novel and efficacious treatments for a number of diseases. Traditional experimental approaches for designing therapeutic antibodies rely on raising antibodies against a target antigen in an immunized animal or directed evolution of antibodies with low affinity for the desired antigen. However, these methods remain time consuming, cannot target a specific epitope and do not lead to broad design principles informing other studies. Computational design methods can overcome some of these limitations by using biophysics models to rationally select antibody parts that maximize affinity for a target antigen epitope. This has been addressed to some extend by OptCDR for the design of complementary determining regions. Here, we extend this earlier contribution by addressing the de novo design of a model of the entire antibody variable region against a given antigen epitope while safeguarding for immunogenicity (Optimal Method for Antibody Variable region Engineering, OptMAVEn. OptMAVEn simulates in silico the in vivo steps of antibody generation and evolution, and is capable of capturing the critical structural features responsible for affinity maturation of antibodies. In addition, a humanization procedure was developed and incorporated into OptMAVEn to minimize the potential immunogenicity of the designed antibody models. As case studies, OptMAVEn was applied to design models of neutralizing antibodies targeting influenza hemagglutinin and HIV gp120. For both HA and gp120, novel computational antibody models with numerous interactions with their target epitopes were generated. The observed rates of mutations and types of amino acid changes during in silico affinity maturation are consistent with what has been observed during in vivo affinity maturation. The results demonstrate that OptMAVEn can efficiently generate diverse computational antibody models with both optimized binding affinity to antigens and reduced

  2. Optimization of Simulated Inventory Systems : OptQuest and Alternatives

    OpenAIRE

    Kleijnen, J.P.C.; Wan, J.

    2006-01-01

    This article illustrates simulation optimization through an (s, S) inventory manage- ment system. In this system, the goal function to be minimized is the expected value of speci…c inventory costs. Moreover, speci…c constraints must be satis…ed for some random simulation responses, namely the service or …ll rate, and for some determin- istic simulation inputs, namely the constraint s OptQuest method. The optimal...

  3. Efficacy and safety of fidaxomicin compared with oral vancomycin for the treatment of adults with Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea: data from the OPT-80-003 and OPT-80-004 studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Luke F; Anderson, Deverick J

    2012-06-01

    Clostridium difficile is emerging as one of the most important and devastating pathogens affecting hospitalized populations around the world. The incidence of C. difficile infection is increasing and disease severity is worsening. Thus, an effective alternative to metronidazole and oral vancomycin is urgently needed. Two Phase III trials, OPT-80-003 and OPT-80-004, showed that oral fidaxomicin for 10 days was noninferior compared with treatment with oral vancomycin among adult patients with toxin-positive C. difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD). Furthermore, fidaxomicin was associated with a lower rate of recurrence of CDAD within 4 weeks of completion of therapy. The safety and tolerability of fidaxomicin was consistent with earlier studies and established that fidaxomicin is an efficacious and well-tolerated treatment option for CDAD. Despite these potential advantages, the cost-effectiveness of this expensive agent remains poorly understood.

  4. The modification of hybrid method of ant colony optimization, particle swarm optimization and 3-OPT algorithm in traveling salesman problem

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hertono, G. F.; Ubadah; Handari, B. D.

    2018-03-01

    The traveling salesman problem (TSP) is a famous problem in finding the shortest tour to visit every vertex exactly once, except the first vertex, given a set of vertices. This paper discusses three modification methods to solve TSP by combining Ant Colony Optimization (ACO), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and 3-Opt Algorithm. The ACO is used to find the solution of TSP, in which the PSO is implemented to find the best value of parameters α and β that are used in ACO.In order to reduce the total of tour length from the feasible solution obtained by ACO, then the 3-Opt will be used. In the first modification, the 3-Opt is used to reduce the total tour length from the feasible solutions obtained at each iteration, meanwhile, as the second modification, 3-Opt is used to reduce the total tour length from the entire solution obtained at every iteration. In the third modification, 3-Opt is used to reduce the total tour length from different solutions obtained at each iteration. Results are tested using 6 benchmark problems taken from TSPLIB by calculating the relative error to the best known solution as well as the running time. Among those modifications, only the second and third modification give satisfactory results except the second one needs more execution time compare to the third modifications.

  5. Lionfish misidentification circumvents an optimized escape response by prey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCormick, Mark I; Allan, Bridie J M

    2016-01-01

    Invasive lionfish represent an unprecedented problem in the Caribbean basin, where they are causing major changes to foodwebs and habitats through their generalized predation on fishes and invertebrates. To ascertain what makes the red lionfish ( Pterois volitans ) such a formidable predator, we examined the reaction of a native damselfish prey, the whitetail damsel ( Pomacentrus chrysurus ), to a repeatable startle stimulus once they had been forewarned of the sight or smell of lionfish. Fast-start responses were compared with prey forewarned of a predatory rockcod ( Cephalopholis microprion ), a corallivorous butterflyfish ( Chaetodon trifasctiatus ) and experimental controls. Forewarning of the sight, smell or a combination of the two cues from a rockcod led to reduced escape latencies and higher response distances, speed and maximal speed compared with controls, suggesting that forewarning primed the prey and enabled a more effective escape response. In contrast, forewarning of lionfish did not affect the fast-start kinematics measured, which were the same as in the control and non-predatory butterflyfish treatments. Lionfish appear to be able to circumvent mechanisms commonly used by prey to identify predators and were misclassified as non-predatory, and this is likely to contribute to their success as predators.

  6. Flagella-Driven Flows Circumvent Diffusive Bottlenecks that Inhibit Metabolite Exchange

    Science.gov (United States)

    Short, Martin; Solari, Cristian; Ganguly, Sujoy; Kessler, John; Goldstein, Raymond; Powers, Thomas

    2006-03-01

    The evolution of single cells to large and multicellular organisms requires matching the organisms' needs to the rate of exchange of metabolites with the environment. This logistic problem can be a severe constraint on development. For organisms with a body plan that approximates a spherical shell, such as colonies of the volvocine green algae, the required current of metabolites grows quadratically with colony radius whereas the rate at which diffusion can exchange metabolites grows only linearly with radius. Hence, there is a bottleneck radius beyond which the diffusive current cannot keep up with metabolic demands. Using Volvox carteri as a model organism, we examine experimentally and theoretically the role that advection of fluid by surface-mounted flagella plays in enhancing nutrient uptake. We show that fluid flow driven by the coordinated beating of flagella produces a convective boundary layer in the concentration of a diffusing solute which in turn renders the metabolite exchange rate quadratic in the colony radius. This enhanced transport circumvents the diffusive bottleneck, allowing increase in size and thus evolutionary transitions to multicellularity in the Volvocales.

  7. Opting out of nuclear power and general policy for climate protection. An analysis of the situation in Baden-Wuerttemberg/Germany

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schade, D.; Weimer-Jehle, W.

    1999-01-01

    Baden-Wuerttemberg has been selected for this analysis as it is the federal state that hosts the oldest nuclear power plant in operation in Germany, and also belongs to those federal states generating a particularly large share of their total electricity supply in nuclear power stations. The analysis shows that expected costs of a nuclear power phaseout approach based on advance investments in non-nuclear power plants, some of them involving higher operating expenses, will be moderate in case of a long-term scenario, but will rise considerably with decreasing phaseout periods. As the CO2 emissions will rise strongly in case of substitution of nuclear power plants with fossil-fired plants, the Land of Baden-Wuerttemberg would have to review and re-inforce its programme for CO2 mitigation in order to be able to fulfil the Land's commitment in Germany's greenhouse gas reduction policy under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Opting for enhanced use of renewable energy sources and enhanced use of natural gas for power generation in CHP plants, combined with energy efficiency programmes, CO2 emissions can be curbed by 20-25% within the nuclear power plant phaseout, but only until 2020, and with the adverse effect of rising natural gas consumption, as seen from the angle of sustainability. (orig./CB) [de

  8. k-OptForce: integrating kinetics with flux balance analysis for strain design.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anupam Chowdhury

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Computational strain design protocols aim at the system-wide identification of intervention strategies for the enhanced production of biochemicals in microorganisms. Existing approaches relying solely on stoichiometry and rudimentary constraint-based regulation overlook the effects of metabolite concentrations and substrate-level enzyme regulation while identifying metabolic interventions. In this paper, we introduce k-OptForce, which integrates the available kinetic descriptions of metabolic steps with stoichiometric models to sharpen the prediction of intervention strategies for improving the bio-production of a chemical of interest. It enables identification of a minimal set of interventions comprised of both enzymatic parameter changes (for reactions with available kinetics and reaction flux changes (for reactions with only stoichiometric information. Application of k-OptForce to the overproduction of L-serine in E. coli and triacetic acid lactone (TAL in S. cerevisiae revealed that the identified interventions tend to cause less dramatic rearrangements of the flux distribution so as not to violate concentration bounds. In some cases the incorporation of kinetic information leads to the need for additional interventions as kinetic expressions render stoichiometry-only derived interventions infeasible by violating concentration bounds, whereas in other cases the kinetic expressions impart flux changes that favor the overproduction of the target product thereby requiring fewer direct interventions. A sensitivity analysis on metabolite concentrations shows that the required number of interventions can be significantly affected by changing the imposed bounds on metabolite concentrations. Furthermore, k-OptForce was capable of finding non-intuitive interventions aiming at alleviating the substrate-level inhibition of key enzymes in order to enhance the flux towards the product of interest, which cannot be captured by stoichiometry-alone analysis

  9. The gastropod shell has been co-opted to kill parasitic nematodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rae, R

    2017-07-06

    Exoskeletons have evolved 18 times independently over 550 MYA and are essential for the success of the Gastropoda. The gastropod shell shows a vast array of different sizes, shapes and structures, and is made of conchiolin and calcium carbonate, which provides protection from predators and extreme environmental conditions. Here, I report that the gastropod shell has another function and has been co-opted as a defense system to encase and kill parasitic nematodes. Upon infection, cells on the inner layer of the shell adhere to the nematode cuticle, swarm over its body and fuse it to the inside of the shell. Shells of wild Cepaea nemoralis, C. hortensis and Cornu aspersum from around the U.K. are heavily infected with several nematode species including Caenorhabditis elegans. By examining conchology collections I show that nematodes are permanently fixed in shells for hundreds of years and that nematode encapsulation is a pleisomorphic trait, prevalent in both the achatinoid and non-achatinoid clades of the Stylommatophora (and slugs and shelled slugs), which diverged 90-130 MYA. Taken together, these results show that the shell also evolved to kill parasitic nematodes and this is the only example of an exoskeleton that has been co-opted as an immune system.

  10. 12 CFR 716.13 - Exception to opt out requirements for service providers and joint marketing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... section may include marketing of your own products or services or marketing of financial products or... providers and joint marketing. 716.13 Section 716.13 Banks and Banking NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS AFFECTING CREDIT UNIONS PRIVACY OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL INFORMATION Exceptions § 716.13 Exception to...

  11. Long-Term Safety and Effectiveness of the “OptEase” Vena Cava Filter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kalva, Sanjeeva P.; Marentis, Theodore C.; Yeddula, Kalpana; Somarouthu, Bhanusupriya; Wicky, Stephan; Stecker, Michael S.

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: To assess the long-term safety and effectiveness of the OptEase inferior vena cava (IVC) filter. Materials and Methods: In this Institutional Review Board-approved, retrospective study, we reviewed data of 71 patients who received an OptEase filter at our institution from 2002 to 2007. Thirty-nine (55%) patients had symptoms of venous thromboembolism before filter placement. The indications for filter included contraindication to anticoagulation in 31 (44%) patients, prophylaxis against pulmonary embolism (PE) in 29 (41%) patients, and failure of anticoagulation in 11 (15%) patients. Procedure-related complications, such as symptomatic post-filter PE, deep venous thrombosis (DVT), IVC occlusion, and incidental imaging-evident filter-related complications, were recorded. Safety was assessed by the occurrence of filter-related complications during placement and follow-up. Effectiveness was assessed by the occurrence of post-filter PE. Results: Sixty-five (92%) filters were placed under fluoroscopy, and 6 (8%) were placed using intravascular ultrasound guidance. Seventy (99%) filters were placed successfully. Seven (10%) filters were placed in the suprarenal cava. Retrieval was attempted in 14 (20%) patients, and 12 filters were successfully retrieved. Clinical follow-up was available for 20 ± 21 months. Symptoms of postfilter PE and DVT occurred in 15% (n = 11) and 10% (n = 7) patients, respectively. None of these patients had computed tomography (CT)-proven PE, and only one had ultrasound-proven new DVT. One patient had symptomatic IVC occlusion. Follow-up abdominal CT in 20 patients showed thrombus in the filter in two of them. There were no instances of filter migration, filter tilt, or caval wall penetration. Conclusion: The OptEase filter appears to have an acceptable long-term safety profile. The filter was effective against PE.

  12. Ultimate predators: lionfish have evolved to circumvent prey risk assessment abilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lönnstedt, Oona M; McCormick, Mark I

    2013-01-01

    Invasive species cause catastrophic alterations to communities worldwide by changing the trophic balance within ecosystems. Ever since their introduction in the mid 1980's common red lionfish, Pterois volitans, are having dramatic impacts on the Caribbean ecosystem by displacing native species and disrupting food webs. Introduced lionfish capture prey at extraordinary rates, altering the composition of benthic communities. Here we demonstrate that the extraordinary success of the introduced lionfish lies in its capacity to circumvent prey risk assessment abilities as it is virtually undetectable by prey species in its native range. While experienced prey damselfish, Chromis viridis, respond with typical antipredator behaviours when exposed to a common predatory rock cod (Cephalopholis microprion) they fail to visibly react to either the scent or visual presentation of the red lionfish, and responded only to the scent (not the visual cue) of a lionfish of a different genus, Dendrochirus zebra. Experienced prey also had much higher survival when exposed to the two non-invasive predators compared to P. volitans. The cryptic nature of the red lionfish has enabled it to be destructive as a predator and a highly successful invasive species.

  13. Ultimate predators: lionfish have evolved to circumvent prey risk assessment abilities.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oona M Lönnstedt

    Full Text Available Invasive species cause catastrophic alterations to communities worldwide by changing the trophic balance within ecosystems. Ever since their introduction in the mid 1980's common red lionfish, Pterois volitans, are having dramatic impacts on the Caribbean ecosystem by displacing native species and disrupting food webs. Introduced lionfish capture prey at extraordinary rates, altering the composition of benthic communities. Here we demonstrate that the extraordinary success of the introduced lionfish lies in its capacity to circumvent prey risk assessment abilities as it is virtually undetectable by prey species in its native range. While experienced prey damselfish, Chromis viridis, respond with typical antipredator behaviours when exposed to a common predatory rock cod (Cephalopholis microprion they fail to visibly react to either the scent or visual presentation of the red lionfish, and responded only to the scent (not the visual cue of a lionfish of a different genus, Dendrochirus zebra. Experienced prey also had much higher survival when exposed to the two non-invasive predators compared to P. volitans. The cryptic nature of the red lionfish has enabled it to be destructive as a predator and a highly successful invasive species.

  14. 50 CFR Table 47c to Part 679 - Percent of the AFA Inshore Sector's Pollock Allocation, Numbers of Chinook Salmon Used To...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... Pollock Allocation, Numbers of Chinook Salmon Used To Calculate the Opt-Out Allocation and Annual... Sector's Pollock Allocation, Numbers of Chinook Salmon Used To Calculate the Opt-Out Allocation and... Chinook salmon for the opt-out allocation (15,858) Column F Number of Chinook salmon for the opt-out...

  15. Objective Provision Tree (OPT) in sodium cooled fast reactors; Objective Provision Tree (OPT) en reactores rapidos refrigerados por sodio. Aplicacion a la funcion de seguridad de evacuacion de calor residual

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Queral, C.; Montero-Mayorga, J.; Gonzalez-Cadelo, J.

    2013-07-01

    Application to the safety function of residual heat removal As part of the project {sup S}afety Assessment for Reactor of GEN-IV (SARGEN IV) has been implemented the methodology ISAM from the IAEA to the safety assessment of new sodium reactor designs. Within the ISAM, a new tool to facilitate this assessment is the Objective Provision Tree (OPT) which documents the provisions necessary for each of the levels of defense in depth, as well as for each critical function of security. Due to the design innovations that have sodium reactors, the evaluation of safety and licensing of these reactors requires special considerations. In this work we have analyzed the mechanisms of failure of the safety function concerning the evacuation of waste heat, and have been proposed different provisions for each of the first three levels of defense in depth. The main result of this work is reflected in the elaboration of the OPTs, one for each of the first three levels of defense in depth for the safety of evacuation of residual heat function. These trees represent in a schematic way the provisions necessary to comply with the objectives of each level which are respectively: 1) deviations from normal operation, 2) control of abnormal operation and fault detection and 3) incidental control.

  16. The OptIC Data Assimilation Intercomparison: A Statistical Critique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Enting, I. G.; Clisby, N.

    2008-12-01

    The development of improved terrestrial carbon models has assumed great importance because of concerns about significant climate-to-carbon feedback processes. The complexity of the interactions leads to considerable difficulties in the process of model calibration. The OptIC intercomparison explored some aspects of model calibration, using an idealised terrestrial carbon model. Participants were invited to estimate model parameters in various cases defined by specified time series of the model state, with various forms of added noise. The study identified the crucial importance of the choice of cost function. The present analysis revisits the OptIC study, by considering it as an exercise in statistical estimation. This treats the observations as random variables. Consequently parameter estimates, â, based on observations will also be random variables whose distribution is known as the 'sampling distribution'. Key questions for any specific case are: Are departures from â/a_true =1 indication of bias or sampling error? Under what circumstance are uncertainty estimates (of Var[â]) reliable? We consider cases where the estimate is obtained by minimising a cost function, ΘX. Assuming that we know the true form of ℓ, the log likelihood, there are three different characterisations of uncertainty that should be distinguished: (i) The uncertainty from maximum-likelihood estimates, corresponding (either exactly or asymptotically) to the Cramer-Rao bound. In a realistic calibration situation, we won't be able to determine this because the 'true' form of the likelihood is unknown. (ii) The actual uncertainty associated with using a particular cost function. If the true noise distribution is known, this can be calculated in simple cases and determined from simulations in more complicated cases. (iii) The 'formal uncertainty' based on assuming (usually incorrectly) that ΘX is the true likelihood. In the first stage of the analysis, the distinctions are illustrated by

  17. 12 CFR 41.27 - Renewal of opt-out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... and Banking COMPTROLLER OF THE CURRENCY, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY FAIR CREDIT REPORTING Affiliate... must either separately identify each affiliate by name or identify each of the common names used by... companies” or by “the ABC banking and credit card companies and the XYZ insurance companies”; (2) A list of...

  18. 16 CFR 680.27 - Renewal of opt-out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... renewal must be effective for a period of at least five years as provided in § 680.22(b) of this part. (3... notice from two or more members of an affiliated group of companies, or their successors, that jointly..., such as “ABC,” then the notice may indicate that it is being provided by multiple companies with the...

  19. Self-bending elastic waves and obstacle circumventing in wireless power transfer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tol, S.; Xia, Y.; Ruzzene, M.; Erturk, A.

    2017-04-01

    We demonstrate self-bending of elastic waves along convex trajectories by means of geometric and phased arrays. Potential applications include ultrasonic imaging and manipulation, wave focusing, and wireless power transfer around obstacles. The basic concept is illustrated through a geometric array, which is designed to implement a phase delay profile among the array elements that leads to self-bending along a specified circular trajectory. Experimental validation is conducted for the lowest asymmetric Lamb wave mode in a thin plate over a range of frequencies to investigate the bandwidth of the approach. Experiments also illustrate the functionality of the array as a transmitter to deliver elastic wave energy to a receiver/harvester located behind a large obstacle for electrical power extraction. It is shown that the trajectory is not distorted by the presence of the obstacle and circumventing is achieved. A linear phased array counterpart of the geometric array is then constructed to illustrate the concept by imposing proper time delays to the array elements, which allows the generation of different trajectories using the same line source. This capability is demonstrated by tailoring the path diameter in the phased array setting, which offers the flexibility and versatility to induce a variety of convex trajectories for self-bending elastic waves.

  20. Users manual for Opt-MS : local methods for simplicial mesh smoothing and untangling.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Freitag, L.

    1999-07-20

    Creating meshes containing good-quality elements is a challenging, yet critical, problem facing computational scientists today. Several researchers have shown that the size of the mesh, the shape of the elements within that mesh, and their relationship to the physical application of interest can profoundly affect the efficiency and accuracy of many numerical approximation techniques. If the application contains anisotropic physics, the mesh can be improved by considering both local characteristics of the approximate application solution and the geometry of the computational domain. If the application is isotropic, regularly shaped elements in the mesh reduce the discretization error, and the mesh can be improved a priori by considering geometric criteria only. The Opt-MS package provides several local node point smoothing techniques that improve elements in the mesh by adjusting grid point location using geometric, criteria. The package is easy to use; only three subroutine calls are required for the user to begin using the software. The package is also flexible; the user may change the technique, function, or dimension of the problem at any time during the mesh smoothing process. Opt-MS is designed to interface with C and C++ codes, ad examples for both two-and three-dimensional meshes are provided.

  1. Nation Binding: How Public Service Broadcasting Mitigates Political Selective Exposure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kruikemeier, Sanne; de Vreese, Claes

    2016-01-01

    Recent research suggests that more and more citizens select news and information that is congruent with their existing political preferences. This increase in political selective exposure (PSE) has allegedly led to an increase in polarization. The vast majority of studies stem from the US case with a particular media and political system. We contend that there are good reasons to believe PSE is less prevalent in other systems. We test this using latent profile analysis with national survey data from the Netherlands (n = 2,833). We identify four types of media use profiles and indeed only find partial evidence of PSE. In particular, we find that public broadcasting news cross-cuts all cleavages. This research note offers an important antidote in what is considered a universal phenomenon. We do find, however, a relatively large segment of citizens opting out of news consumption despite the readily available news in today’s media landscape. PMID:27218659

  2. Impact of school-entry and education mandates by states on HPV vaccination coverage: Analysis of the 2009-2013 National Immunization Survey-Teen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perkins, Rebecca B; Lin, Mengyun; Wallington, Sherrie F; Hanchate, Amresh D

    2016-06-02

    To determine the effectiveness of existing school entry and education mandates on HPV vaccination coverage, we compared coverage among girls residing in states and jurisdictions with and without education and school-entry mandates. Virginia and the District of Columbia enacted school entry mandates, though both laws included liberal opt-out provisions. Ten additional states had mandates requiring distribution of education to parents or provision of education within school curricula. Using data from the National Immunization Survey-Teen from 2009-2013, we estimated multilevel logistic regression models to compare coverage with HPV vaccines for girls ages 13-17 residing in states and jurisdictions with and without school entry and education mandates, adjusting for demographic factors, healthcare access, and provider recommendation. Girls residing in states and jurisdictions with HPV vaccine school entry mandates (DC and VA) and education mandates (LA, MI, CO, IN, IA, IL, NJ, NC, TX, and WA) did not have higher HPV vaccine series initiation or completion than those living in states without mandates for any year (2009-2013). Similar results were seen when comparing girls ages 13-14 to those ages 15-17, and after adjustment for known covariates of vaccination. States and jurisdictions with school-entry and education mandates do not currently have higher HPV vaccination coverage than states without such legislation. Liberal opt-out language in existing school entry mandates may weaken their impact. Policy-makers contemplating legislation to improve vaccination coverage should be aware of the limitations of existing mandates.

  3. Comparing New Zealand's 'Middle Out' health information technology strategy with other OECD nations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowden, Tom; Coiera, Enrico

    2013-05-01

    Implementation of efficient, universally applied, computer to computer communications is a high priority for many national health systems. As a consequence, much effort has been channelled into finding ways in which a patient's previous medical history can be made accessible when needed. A number of countries have attempted to share patients' records, with varying degrees of success. While most efforts to create record-sharing architectures have relied upon government-provided strategy and funding, New Zealand has taken a different approach. Like most British Commonwealth nations, New Zealand has a 'hybrid' publicly/privately funded health system. However its information technology infrastructure and automation has largely been developed by the private sector, working closely with regional and central government agencies. Currently the sector is focused on finding ways in which patient records can be shared amongst providers across three different regions. New Zealand's healthcare IT model combines government contributed funding, core infrastructure, facilitation and leadership with private sector investment and skills and is being delivered via a set of controlled experiments. The net result is a 'Middle Out' approach to healthcare automation. 'Middle Out' relies upon having a clear, well-articulated health-reform strategy and a determination by both public and private sector organisations to implement useful healthcare IT solutions by working closely together. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. 50 CFR Table 47b to Part 679 - Percent of the AFA Mothership Sector's Pollock Allocation, Numbers of Chinook Salmon Used To...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... Pollock Allocation, Numbers of Chinook Salmon Used To Calculate the Opt-Out Allocation and Annual... Sector's Pollock Allocation, Numbers of Chinook Salmon Used To Calculate the Opt-Out Allocation and... of Chinook salmon for the opt-out allocation (2,220) Column F Number of Chinook salmon for the opt...

  5. The comparison of the performance of two screening strategies identifying newly-diagnosed HIV during pregnancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boer, Kees; Smit, Colette; van der Flier, Michiel; de Wolf, Frank

    2011-10-01

    In the Netherlands, a non-selective opt-out instead of a selective opt-in antenatal HIV screening strategy was implemented in 2004. In case of infection, screening was followed by prevention of mother-to-child-transmission (PMTCT). We compared the performance of the two strategies in terms of detection of new cases of HIV and vertical transmission. HIV-infected pregnant women were identified retrospectively from the Dutch HIV cohort ATHENA January 2000 to January 2008. Apart from demographic, virological and immunological data, the date of HIV infection in relation to the index pregnancy was established. Separately, all infants diagnosed with HIV born following implementation of the screening program were identified by a questionnaire via the paediatric HIV centres. 162/481 (33.7%) HIV-positive pregnant women were diagnosed with HIV before 2004 and 172/214 (80.3%) after January 2004. Multivariate analysis showed an 8-fold (95% confidence interval 5.47-11.87) increase in the odds of HIV detection during pregnancy after the national introduction of the opt-out strategy. Still, three children born during a 5-year period after July 2004 were infected due to de novo infection in pregnancy. Implementation of a nation-wide screening strategy based upon non-selective opt-out screening followed by effective PMTCT appeared to detect more HIV-infected women for the first time in pregnancy and to reduce vertical transmission of HIV substantially. Nonetheless, still few children are infected because of maternal infection after the first trimester. We propose the introduction of partner screening on HIV as part of the antenatal screening strategy.

  6. MDR1 siRNA loaded hyaluronic acid-based CD44 targeted nanoparticle systems circumvent paclitaxel resistance in ovarian cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Xiaoqian; Lyer, Arun K.; Singh, Amit; Choy, Edwin; Hornicek, Francis J.; Amiji, Mansoor M.; Duan, Zhenfeng

    2015-02-01

    Development of multidrug resistance (MDR) is an almost universal phenomenon in patients with ovarian cancer, and this severely limits the ultimate success of chemotherapy in the clinic. Overexpression of the MDR1 gene and corresponding P-glycoprotein (Pgp) is one of the best known MDR mechanisms. MDR1 siRNA based strategies were proposed to circumvent MDR, however, systemic, safe, and effective targeted delivery is still a major challenge. Cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44) targeted hyaluronic acid (HA) based nanoparticle has been shown to successfully deliver chemotherapy agents or siRNAs into tumor cells. The goal of this study is to evaluate the ability of HA-PEI/HA-PEG to deliver MDR1 siRNA and the efficacy of the combination of HA-PEI/HA-PEG/MDR1 siRNA with paclitaxel to suppress growth of ovarian cancer. We observed that HA-PEI/HA-PEG nanoparticles can efficiently deliver MDR1 siRNA into MDR ovarian cancer cells, resulting in down-regulation of MDR1 and Pgp expression. Administration of HA-PEI/HA-PEG/MDR1 siRNA nanoparticles followed by paclitaxel treatment induced a significant inhibitory effect on the tumor growth, decreased Pgp expression and increased apoptosis in MDR ovarian cancer mice model. Our findings suggest that CD44 targeted HA-PEI/HA-PEG/MDR1 siRNA nanoparticles can serve as a therapeutic tool with great potentials to circumvent MDR in ovarian cancer.

  7. 17 CFR 160.14 - Exceptions to notice and opt out requirements for processing and servicing transactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ....13 in connection with service providers and joint marketing, do not apply if you disclose nonpublic... or authorizes, or in connection with: (1) Processing or servicing a financial product or service that... persons engaged in carrying out the financial transaction or providing the product or service; or (2...

  8. OptFlux: an open-source software platform for in silico metabolic engineering

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rocha, I.; Maia, P.; Evangelista, P.

    2010-01-01

    to address industrial goals. However, the use of these methods has been restricted to bioinformaticians or other expert researchers. The main aim of this work is, therefore, to provide a user-friendly computational tool for Metabolic Engineering applications. Results: OptFlux is an open-source and modular...... available a number of useful tools. Its open-source nature invites contributions by all those interested in making their methods available for the community. Given its plug-in based architecture it can be extended with new functionalities. Currently, several plug-ins are being developed, including network...

  9. A voluntary deductible in health insurance: the more years you opt for it, the lower your premium?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    K.P.M. Winssen van (Kayleigh); R.C. van Kleef (Richard); W.P.M.M. van de Ven (Wynand)

    2017-01-01

    textabstractAdverse selection regarding a voluntary deductible (VD) in health insurance implies that insured only opt for a VD if they expect no (or few) healthcare expenses. This paper investigates two potential strategies to reduce adverse selection: (1) differentiating the premium to the duration

  10. 40 CFR 97.288 - CAIR SO2 allowance allocations to CAIR SO2 opt-in units.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false CAIR SO2 allowance allocations to CAIR SO2 opt-in units. 97.288 Section 97.288 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) FEDERAL NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS...

  11. 40 CFR 96.288 - CAIR SO2 allowance allocations to CAIR SO2 opt-in units.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false CAIR SO2 allowance allocations to CAIR SO2 opt-in units. 96.288 Section 96.288 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NOX BUDGET TRADING PROGRAM AND CAIR NOX AND SO2 TRADING PROGRAMS FOR...

  12. Flatland Photonics: Circumventing Diffraction with Planar Plasmonic Architectures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dionne, Jennifer Anne

    On subwavelength scales, photon-matter interactions are limited by diffraction. The diffraction limit restricts the size of optical devices and the resolution of conventional microscopes to wavelength-scale dimensions, severely hampering our ability to control and probe subwavelength-scale optical phenomena. Circumventing diffraction is now a principle focus of integrated nanophotonics. Surface plasmons provide a particularly promising approach to sub-diffraction-limited photonics. Surface plasmons are hybrid electron-photon modes confined to the interface between conductors and transparent materials. Combining the high localization of electronic waves with the propagation properties of optical waves, plasmons can achieve extremely small mode wavelengths and large local electromagnetic field intensities. Through their unique dispersion, surface plasmons provide access to an enormous phase space of refractive indices and propagation constants that can be readily tuned with material or geometry. In this thesis, we explore both the theory and applications of dispersion in planar plasmonic architectures. Particular attention is given to the modes of metallic core and plasmon slot waveguides, which can span positive, near-zero, and even negative indices. We demonstrate how such basic plasmonic geometries can be used to develop a suite of passive and active plasmonic components, including subwavelength waveguides, color filters, negative index metamaterials, and optical MOS field effect modulators. Positive index modes are probed by near- and far-field techniques, revealing plasmon wavelengths as small as one-tenth of the excitation wavelength. Negative index modes are characterized through direct visualization of negative refraction. By fabricating prisms comprised of gold, silicon nitride, and silver multilayers, we achieve the first experimental demonstration of a negative index material at visible frequencies, with potential applications for sub

  13. Evaluation of the national roll-out of parenting programmes across England: the parenting early intervention programme (PEIP).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindsay, Geoff; Strand, Steve

    2013-10-19

    Evidence based parenting programmes can improve parenting skills and the behaviour of children exhibiting, or at risk of developing, antisocial behaviour. In order to develop a public policy for delivering these programmes it is necessary not only to demonstrate their efficacy through rigorous trials but also to determine that they can be rolled out on a large scale. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the UK government funded national implementation of its Parenting Early Intervention Programme, a national roll-out of parenting programmes for parents of children 8-13 years in all 152 local authorities (LAs) across England. Building upon our study of the Pathfinder (2006-08) implemented in 18 LAs. To the best of our knowledge this is the first comparative study of a national roll-out of parenting programmes and the first study of parents of children 8-13 years. The UK government funded English LAs to implement one or more of five evidence based programmes (later increased to eight): Triple P, Incredible Years, Strengthening Families Strengthening Communities, Families and Schools Together (FAST), and the Strengthening Families Programme (10-14). Parents completed measures of parenting style (laxness and over-reactivity), and mental well-being, and also child behaviour at three time points: pre- and post-course and again one year later. 6143 parents from 43 LAs were included in the study of whom 3325 provided post-test data and 1035 parents provided data at one-year follow up. There were significant improvements for each programme, with effect sizes (Cohen's d) for the combined sample of 0.72 parenting laxness, 0.85 parenting over-reactivity, 0.79 parent mental well-being, and 0.45 for child conduct problems. These improvements were largely maintained one year later. All four programmes for which we had sufficient data for comparison were effective. There were generally larger effects on both parent and child measures for Triple P, but not all between

  14. Shaking the entropy out of a lattice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    C. Tichy, Malte; Mølmer, Klaus; F. Sherson, Jacob

    2012-01-01

    , for which we implement a protocol that circumvents the constraints of unitarity. The preparation of large regions with precisely one atom per lattice site is discussed for both bosons and fermions. The resulting low-entropy Mott-insulating states may serve as high-fidelity register states for quantum...

  15. Impact of school-entry and education mandates by states on HPV vaccination coverage: Analysis of the 2009–2013 National Immunization Survey-Teen

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perkins, Rebecca B.; Lin, Mengyun; Wallington, Sherrie F.; Hanchate, Amresh D.

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Objective: To determine the effectiveness of existing school entry and education mandates on HPV vaccination coverage, we compared coverage among girls residing in states and jurisdictions with and without education and school-entry mandates. Virginia and the District of Columbia enacted school entry mandates, though both laws included liberal opt-out provisions. Ten additional states had mandates requiring distribution of education to parents or provision of education within school curricula. Methods: Using data from the National Immunization Survey-Teen from 2009–2013, we estimated multilevel logistic regression models to compare coverage with HPV vaccines for girls ages 13–17 residing in states and jurisdictions with and without school entry and education mandates, adjusting for demographic factors, healthcare access, and provider recommendation. Results: Girls residing in states and jurisdictions with HPV vaccine school entry mandates (DC and VA) and education mandates (LA, MI, CO, IN, IA, IL, NJ, NC, TX, and WA) did not have higher HPV vaccine series initiation or completion than those living in states without mandates for any year (2009–2013). Similar results were seen when comparing girls ages 13–14 to those ages 15–17, and after adjustment for known covariates of vaccination. Conclusions: States and jurisdictions with school-entry and education mandates do not currently have higher HPV vaccination coverage than states without such legislation. Liberal opt-out language in existing school entry mandates may weaken their impact. Policy-makers contemplating legislation to improve vaccination coverage should be aware of the limitations of existing mandates. PMID:27152418

  16. Report on activity and measurements of surveillance carried out by the national observatory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ariete, M.G.; Belvisi, M.; Calicchia, R.; Fiorenza, R.; Onori, L.; Tamarchio, L.

    1989-01-01

    As a consequence of the Chernobyl accident a general radiometric survey of Italian territory was established. To this scope a very extensive program of environmental sampling, measurements, data collection, processing and management of this was carried out. All laboratories of nuclear centers, universities and local public health units, involved in this survey, had a unique aim: the radiological analysis to determine environmental contamination levels or to estimate preliminary population doses, finalized on short term, urgent protective mesures, and on long term, in addition to protective measures and for environmental studies. ENEA DISP, which is equipped by hardware and software instrumentation of its Emergency Center, was responsable for technical preparedness of the program. A National Observatory has been created for determing Cs134, Cs137 and Sr90 level on environmental and food samples on defined locality. The first part of this report presents the type, the frequency and localities where sample was collected. The second part presents the trend of the radioactive contamination on all foodstaffs, as data collected by each laboratory and in term of National mean concentration level

  17. 17 CFR 248.126 - Delivery of opt out notices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS S-P AND S-AM Regulation S-AM: Limitations on Affiliate Marketing § 248.126 Delivery... Internet Web site at which the consumer obtained a product or service electronically and requires the... by e-mail from the affiliate providing the notice; or (3) Posts the notice on an Internet Web site...

  18. 16 CFR 680.26 - Delivery of opt-out notices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 680.26 Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION THE FAIR CREDIT REPORTING ACT AFFILIATE MARKETING... Internet Web site at which the consumer obtained a product or service electronically and requires the... disclosures by e-mail from the affiliate providing the notice; or (3) Posts the notice on an Internet Web site...

  19. Evaluation of the national roll-out of parenting programmes across England: the parenting early intervention programme (PEIP)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background Evidence based parenting programmes can improve parenting skills and the behaviour of children exhibiting, or at risk of developing, antisocial behaviour. In order to develop a public policy for delivering these programmes it is necessary not only to demonstrate their efficacy through rigorous trials but also to determine that they can be rolled out on a large scale. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the UK government funded national implementation of its Parenting Early Intervention Programme, a national roll-out of parenting programmes for parents of children 8–13 years in all 152 local authorities (LAs) across England. Building upon our study of the Pathfinder (2006–08) implemented in 18 LAs. To the best of our knowledge this is the first comparative study of a national roll-out of parenting programmes and the first study of parents of children 8–13 years. Methods The UK government funded English LAs to implement one or more of five evidence based programmes (later increased to eight): Triple P, Incredible Years, Strengthening Families Strengthening Communities, Families and Schools Together (FAST), and the Strengthening Families Programme (10–14). Parents completed measures of parenting style (laxness and over-reactivity), and mental well-being, and also child behaviour at three time points: pre- and post-course and again one year later. Results 6143 parents from 43 LAs were included in the study of whom 3325 provided post-test data and 1035 parents provided data at one-year follow up. There were significant improvements for each programme, with effect sizes (Cohen’s d) for the combined sample of 0.72 parenting laxness, 0.85 parenting over-reactivity, 0.79 parent mental well-being, and 0.45 for child conduct problems. These improvements were largely maintained one year later. All four programmes for which we had sufficient data for comparison were effective. There were generally larger effects on both parent and child measures

  20. Behind the Scenes of Differentiated Integration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Adler-Nissen, Rebecca

    2009-01-01

    This article examines the formal and informal practices of two champions of opting out, the United Kingdom and Denmark, in the area of Justice and Home Affairs. On the surface, both countries have chosen to avoid further integration within this policy area to safeguard national autonomy. Foreign...

  1. Retroflection from slanted coastlines-circumventing the "vorticity paradox"

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. Zharkov

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available The balance of long-shore momentum flux requires that the solution of zonally retroflecting currents involve ring shedding on the western side. An important aspect of the ring dynamics is the ring intensity α (analogous to the Rossby number, which reaches its maximum value of unity when the upstream potential vorticity (PV is zero. Friction leads to a slow-down and a decrease in α. The main difficulty is that the solution of the system of equations for conservation of mass and momentum of zonal currents leads to the conclusion that the ratio (Φ of the mass flux going into the rings and the total incoming mass flux is approximately 4α/(1+2α. This yields the "vorticity paradox" – only relatively weak rings (α≤1/2 could satisfy the necessary condition Φ≤1. Physically, this means, for example, that the momentum-flux of zero PV currents upstream is so high that, no matter how many rings are produced and, no matter what size they are, they cannot compensate for it.

    To avoid this paradox, we develop a nonlinear analytical model of retroflection from a slanted non-zonal coastline. We show that when the slant of coastline (γ exceeds merely 150, Φ does not reach unity regardless of the value of α. Namely, the paradox disappears even for small slants. Our slowly varying nonlinear solution does not only let us circumvent the paradox. It also gives a detailed description of the rings growth rate and the mass flux going into the rings as a function of time. For example, in the case of zero PV and zero thickness of the upper layer along the coastline, the maximal values of Φ can be approximately expressed as, 1.012+0.32exp(−γ/3.41−γ/225. Interestingly, for significant slants γ≥300, the rings reach a terminal size corresponding to a balance between the β-force and both the upstream and downstream momentum fluxes. This terminal size is unrelated to the ultimate

  2. 50 CFR Table 47a to Part 679 - Percent of the AFA Catcher/Processor Sector's Pollock Allocation, Numbers of Chinook Salmon Used...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... Sector's Pollock Allocation, Numbers of Chinook Salmon Used To Calculate the Opt-out Allocation and... Catcher/Processor Sector's Pollock Allocation, Numbers of Chinook Salmon Used To Calculate the Opt-out... pollock Column E Number of Chinook salmon for the opt-out allocation (8,093) Column F Number of Chinook...

  3. REACHING OUT TO INTERESTED PARTIES: NEW APPROACHES FOR A NATIONAL LABORATORY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    BRIGGS, S.L.K.

    2001-01-01

    Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is a multi-disciplinary research facility that experienced several environmental incidents, resulting in an immediate and intense reaction from community members, activist groups, elected officials and regulators. A new management firm with a strong commitment to environmental stewardship, open communication, and cultural change, assumed management of BNL in March 1998, and immediately began to develop an IS0 14001 Environmental Management System that emphasized community outreach. This paper describes how BSA reengineered their external communications program to regain the trust of their stakeholders. The underlying goal was to ''inform and involve.'' A Community Involvement Plan was developed to solicit input from interested parties and use it in Laboratory decision-making processes. A Community Advisory Committee was formed to provide direct input to the Laboratory Director. A formal channel for two-way communication with elected officials and regulators was created. Finally, BNL utilized a previously untapped yet invaluable resource to reach out to the community: their employees

  4. PMS2 gene mutational analysis: direct cDNA sequencing to circumvent pseudogene interference.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wimmer, Katharina; Wernstedt, Annekatrin

    2014-01-01

    The presence of highly homologous pseudocopies can compromise the mutation analysis of a gene of interest. In particular, when using PCR-based strategies, pseudogene co-amplification has to be effectively prevented. This is often achieved by using primers designed to be parental gene specific according to the reference sequence and by applying stringent PCR conditions. However, there are cases in which this approach is of limited utility. For example, it has been shown that the PMS2 gene exchanges sequences with one of its pseudogenes, named PMS2CL. This results in functional PMS2 alleles containing pseudogene-derived sequences at their 3'-end and in nonfunctional PMS2CL pseudogene alleles that contain gene-derived sequences. Hence, the paralogues cannot be distinguished according to the reference sequence. This shortcoming can be effectively circumvented by using direct cDNA sequencing. This approach is based on the selective amplification of PMS2 transcripts in two overlapping 1.6-kb RT-PCR products. In addition to avoiding pseudogene co-amplification and allele dropout, this method has also the advantage that it allows to effectively identify deletions, splice mutations, and de novo retrotransposon insertions that escape the detection of most DNA-based mutation analysis protocols.

  5. eCodonOpt: a systematic computational framework for optimizing codon usage in directed evolution experiments

    OpenAIRE

    Moore, Gregory L.; Maranas, Costas D.

    2002-01-01

    We present a systematic computational framework, eCodonOpt, for designing parental DNA sequences for directed evolution experiments through codon usage optimization. Given a set of homologous parental proteins to be recombined at the DNA level, the optimal DNA sequences encoding these proteins are sought for a given diversity objective. We find that the free energy of annealing between the recombining DNA sequences is a much better descriptor of the extent of crossover formation than sequence...

  6. The afterlives and memory politics of the Ipoh Cenotaph in Perak, Malaysia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Muzaini, H.B.

    2014-01-01

    As political regimes undergo changes, so do memorial landscapes established by or associated with them. Such is also the case when new nations are born out of the ashes of decolonization, where monuments of former imperial rule may be co-opted, displaced or destroyed to mark the transition between

  7. Harmonisation between National and International Tradeable Permit Schemes. CATEP Synthesis Paper

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haites, E.

    2003-01-01

    It is technically possible to link national emissions trading schemes with widely divergent designs. Where design differences create potential problems, technical solutions are available. The greater the similarity of their designs, the easier schemes are to link. During the 2005 - 2007 period the EU Directive, if it is adopted, will lead to the establishment of at least 25 national emissions trading schemes. The Directive specifies many of the design features of these schemes, but leaves the allocation of allowances, rules for banking allowances into the commitment period, use of the opt-out provision, and a few other design features to Member States. The resulting differences among Member State schemes are unlikely to undermine the links between the schemes established by the Directive. The Community may enter into agreements with non-members for mutual recognition of allowances between their emissions trading schemes, but few, if any, links of this type are expected prior to 2008 for practical reasons. Beginning in 2008, Article 17 of the Kyoto Protocol establishes an international emissions trading scheme that can link the national trading schemes of Annex I Parties. It imposes no requirements for harmonisation on the national emissions trading schemes linked. Some design differences could create technical problems, although solutions are available and at least one of the governments involved has an incentive to solve the problem. Adverse competitiveness impacts due to differences in the distribution of allowances across national schemes may need to be addressed through institutions such as the WTO. Most of the national trading schemes will also be subject to the EU Directive and be subject to greater harmonisation after 2008. The result is likely to be a progressive expansion and integration of greenhouse gas allowance markets over the next decade

  8. Presentations from the Aeroelastic Workshop - latest results from AeroOpt

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hartvig Hansen, M. (ed.)

    2011-10-15

    This report contains the slides of the presentations at the Aeroelastic Workshop held at Risoe-DTU for the wind energy industry in Denmark on October 27, 2011. The scientific part of the agenda at this workshop was 1) Detailed and reduced models of dynamic mooring system (Anders M. Hansen). 2) Bend-twist coupling investigation in HAWC2 (Taeseong Kim). 3) Q3UIC - A new aerodynamic airfoil tool including rotational effects (Nestor R. Garcia). 4) Influence of up-scaling on loads, control and aerodynamic modeling (Helge Aa. Madsen). 5) Aerodynamic damping of lateral tower vibrations (Bjarne S. Kallesoee). 6) Open- and closed-loop aeroservoelastic analysis with HAWCStab2 (Morten H. Hansen). 7) Design and test of a thick, flatback, high-lift multielement airfoil (Frederik Zahle). The presented results are mainly obtained in the EUDP project ''Aeroelastic Optimization of MW Wind Turbines (AeroOpt)''. (Author)

  9. Long Out-time, Out-of-Autoclave Cure Composites, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — As the size of composite parts exceed that of even the largest autoclaves, new out-of-autoclave processes and materials are necessary to achieve the same level of...

  10. Long Out-time, Out-of-Autoclave Cure Composites, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — As the size of composite parts exceed that of even the largest autoclaves, new out-of-autoclave processes and materials are necessary to achieve the same level of...

  11. Optimizing Cofactor Specificity of Oxidoreductase Enzymes for the Generation of Microbial Production Strains—OptSwap

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    King, Zachary A.; Feist, Adam

    2013-01-01

    Central oxidoreductase enzymes (eg, dehydrogenases, reductases) in microbial metabolism often have preferential binding specificity for one of the two major currency metabolites NAD(H) and NADP(H). These enzyme specificities result in a division of the metabolic functionality of the currency...... specificities of oxidoreductase enzyme and complementary reaction knockouts. Using the Escherichia coli genome-scale metabolic model iJO1366, OptSwap predicted eight growth-coupled production designs with significantly greater product yields or substrate-specific productivities than designs predicted with gene...

  12. Reducing hypothetical bias in choice experiments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ladenburg, Jacob; Olsen, Søren Bøye; Nielsen, Rasmus Christian Fejer

    eliminate some of the hypothetical bias. The present paper tests an addition to Cheap Talk, an Opt-Out Reminder. The Opt-Out Reminder is an objective short script presented prior to the choice sets, prompting the respondent to choose the opt-out alternative, if he/she finds the proposed policy generated...... alternatives in a choice set too expensive. The results suggest that adding an Opt-Out Reminder to Cheap Talk can in fact reduce hypothetical bias even further and reduces some of the ineffectiveness of CT in relation to the survey bid range and experienced respondents....

  13. Differential Bees Flux Balance Analysis with OptKnock for in silico microbial strains optimization.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yee Wen Choon

    Full Text Available Microbial strains optimization for the overproduction of desired phenotype has been a popular topic in recent years. The strains can be optimized through several techniques in the field of genetic engineering. Gene knockout is a genetic engineering technique that can engineer the metabolism of microbial cells with the objective to obtain desirable phenotypes. However, the complexities of the metabolic networks have made the process to identify the effects of genetic modification on the desirable phenotypes challenging. Furthermore, a vast number of reactions in cellular metabolism often lead to the combinatorial problem in obtaining optimal gene deletion strategy. Basically, the size of a genome-scale metabolic model is usually large. As the size of the problem increases, the computation time increases exponentially. In this paper, we propose Differential Bees Flux Balance Analysis (DBFBA with OptKnock to identify optimal gene knockout strategies for maximizing the production yield of desired phenotypes while sustaining the growth rate. This proposed method functions by improving the performance of a hybrid of Bees Algorithm and Flux Balance Analysis (BAFBA by hybridizing Differential Evolution (DE algorithm into neighborhood searching strategy of BAFBA. In addition, DBFBA is integrated with OptKnock to validate the results for improving the reliability the work. Through several experiments conducted on Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Clostridium thermocellum as the model organisms, DBFBA has shown a better performance in terms of computational time, stability, growth rate, and production yield of desired phenotypes compared to the methods used in previous works.

  14. Out of the Shadows: ‘New’ Peruvian Cinema, National Identity and Political Violence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah Barrow

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available This article focuses on two debut works of cinema that were released within a few months of each other shortly after the turn of the century and which offer quite different modes of representation of the 'dirty war' that devastated Peru for two decades before that: Paloma de Papel (Fabrizio Aguilar 2003 and Días de Santiago (Josué Méndez 2004. It sets out a critical analysis of the cinematic treatment of the violence of terror as imagined via their film-makers and reflects upon their critical and commercial reception in Peru and beyond. It seeks to refute the accusations of neglect on the part of film-makers from some journalists and politicians by highlighting the ongoing importance of the period, its events and consequences for cinema in and of Peru. Moreover it explores the extent to which individual films, and cinema as a collective practice, play a key role in harnessing the potential for testimony and triggering debate about cultural and historical heterogeneity. In the final analysis, I argue that fiction cinema continues to play an influential and controversial role in shaping a sense of collective identity in nations such as Peru that are in the process of 'crystallization' and that have suffered recent trauma. I contend that so-called 'national' films (those supported to a certain degree by the State remain vital in their provision of diverse representations of landmark events of national concern that draw attention to the fractured and fragmented nature of such experiences, emphasising the persistence of division at every level.

  15. Getting the Words Out: Case Studies in Facilitated Communication Training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crossley, Rosemary

    1992-01-01

    Case studies are presented of three individuals with severe communication impairments who had been judged to be intellectually impaired but revealed unexpected achievements after training in nonspeech communication. The communication training used facilitation to circumvent hand function impairments. (JDD)

  16. Energy efficiency and the liberalized market - new approaches in national climate protection policy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hennicke, P.

    2000-01-01

    The paper initially explains the rationale of energy policy-based governmental intervention in the liberalized electricity market ('the need for political governance'). It is shown why there is a 'demand for intelligent regulatory policy' in Germany's energy sector, despite, or rather as a consequence of the deregulation of the energy markets, and refers e.g. to a parliamentary paper of the Bundestag, (BTDrs. 14/2656, p. 9). The author continues with selecting and defining, from the stock of conceivable appropriate action and regulatory instruments, the corner stones of action plans and the range of instruments, specifically designed for the sector and the target groups, that will accelerate market penetration of the energy efficiency policies ('governance functions'). The author also shows that, due to the significance of regulatory and structurizing impacts, as well as resulting consequences to the leading paradigms of policy of this Government (opting out of nuclear power, global climate change), the electricity industry is just the right branch of industry to serve as a ''national demonstration project'' on the way towards sustainable development. (orig./CB) [de

  17. NASA Space Science Days: An Out of School Program Using National Partnerships to Further Influence Future Scientists and Engineers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galindo, Charles; Allen, Jaclyn; Garcia, Javier; Hrrera, Stephanie

    2012-01-01

    The National Math and Science Initiative states that American students are falling behind in the essential subjects of math and science, putting our position in the global economy at risk a foreboding statement that has caused the U.S. to re-evaluate how we view STEM education. Developing science and engineering related out of school programs that expose middle school students to math and science in a nontraditional university environment has the potential to motivate young students to look at the physical sciences in an exciting out of the norm environment.

  18. The OptIPuter microscopy demonstrator: enabling science through a transatlantic lightpath.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellisman, M; Hutton, T; Kirkland, A; Lin, A; Lin, C; Molina, T; Peltier, S; Singh, R; Tang, K; Trefethen, A E; Wallom, D C H; Xiong, X

    2009-07-13

    The OptIPuter microscopy demonstrator project has been designed to enable concurrent and remote usage of world-class electron microscopes located in Oxford and San Diego. The project has constructed a network consisting of microscopes and computational and data resources that are all connected by a dedicated network infrastructure using the UK Lightpath and US Starlight systems. Key science drivers include examples from both materials and biological science. The resulting system is now a permanent link between the Oxford and San Diego microscopy centres. This will form the basis of further projects between the sites and expansion of the types of systems that can be remotely controlled, including optical, as well as electron, microscopy. Other improvements will include the updating of the Microsoft cluster software to the high performance computing (HPC) server 2008, which includes the HPC basic profile implementation that will enable the development of interoperable clients.

  19. The OptIPuter microscopy demonstrator: enabling science through a transatlantic lightpath

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellisman, M.; Hutton, T.; Kirkland, A.; Lin, A.; Lin, C.; Molina, T.; Peltier, S.; Singh, R.; Tang, K.; Trefethen, A.E.; Wallom, D.C.H.; Xiong, X.

    2009-01-01

    The OptIPuter microscopy demonstrator project has been designed to enable concurrent and remote usage of world-class electron microscopes located in Oxford and San Diego. The project has constructed a network consisting of microscopes and computational and data resources that are all connected by a dedicated network infrastructure using the UK Lightpath and US Starlight systems. Key science drivers include examples from both materials and biological science. The resulting system is now a permanent link between the Oxford and San Diego microscopy centres. This will form the basis of further projects between the sites and expansion of the types of systems that can be remotely controlled, including optical, as well as electron, microscopy. Other improvements will include the updating of the Microsoft cluster software to the high performance computing (HPC) server 2008, which includes the HPC basic profile implementation that will enable the development of interoperable clients. PMID:19487201

  20. Yucca aloifolia (Asparagaceae) opts out of an obligate pollination mutualism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rentsch, Jeremy D; Leebens-Mack, Jim

    2014-12-01

    • According to Cope's 'law of the unspecialized' highly dependent species interactions are 'evolutionary dead ends,' prone to extinction because reversion to more generalist interactions is thought to be unlikely. Cases of extreme specialization, such as those seen between obligate mutualists, are cast as evolutionarily inescapable, inevitably leading to extinction rather than diversification of participating species. The pollination mutualism between Yucca plants and yucca moths (Tegeticula and Parategeticula) would seem to be locked into such an obligate mutualism. Yucca aloifolia populations, however, can produce large numbers of fruit lacking moth oviposition scars. Here, we investigate the pollination ecology of Y. aloifolia, in search of the non-moth pollination of a Yucca species.• We perform pollinator exclusion studies on Yucca aloifolia and a sympatric yucca species, Y. filamentosa. We then perform postvisit exclusion treatments, an analysis of dissected fruits, and a fluorescent dye transfer experiment.• As expected, Yucca filamentosa plants set fruit only when inflorescences were exposed to crepuscular and nocturnal pollinating yucca moths. In contrast, good fruit set was observed when pollinators were excluded from Y. aloifolia inflorescences from dusk to dawn, and no fruit set was observed when pollinators were excluded during the day. Follow up experiments indicated that European honeybees (Apis mellifera) were passively yet effectively pollinating Y. aloifolia flowers.• These results indicate that even highly specialized mutualisms may not be entirely obligate interactions or evolutionary dead ends. © 2014 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

  1. 17 CFR 160.9 - Delivering privacy and opt out notices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... the web site; or (2) The customer has requested that you refrain from sending any information regarding the customer relationship, and your current privacy notice remains available to the customer upon... that a consumer will receive actual notice of your annual privacy notice if: (1) The customer uses your...

  2. 12 CFR 40.9 - Delivering privacy and opt out notices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... conspicuous manner on the web site; or (2) The customer has requested that the bank refrain from sending any information regarding the customer relationship, and the bank's current privacy notice remains available to... that a customer will receive actual notice of the bank's annual privacy notice if: (1) The customer...

  3. 17 CFR 248.9 - Delivering privacy and opt out notices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... regarding the customer relationship, and your current privacy notice remains available to the customer upon... reasonably expect that a customer will receive actual notice of your annual privacy notice if: (i) The customer uses your web site to access financial products and services electronically and agrees to receive...

  4. 12 CFR 573.9 - Delivering privacy and opt out notices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... the web site; or (2) The customer has requested that you refrain from sending any information regarding the customer relationship, and your current privacy notice remains available to the customer upon... that a customer will receive actual notice of your annual privacy notice if: (1) The customer uses your...

  5. Promotional and Non-Stereotypical Policing Roles: Are Women Opting Out?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susan Robinson

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available There is an appearance that women are uninterested in applying for positions in specialist areas of policing such as tactical operations, traffic and highway patrol, and counterterrorism. It cannot be assumed however that the low numbers of women is indicative of a lack of interest or will to be involved in these areas as there may be unidentified structural impediments preventing them from gaining access to these jobs. This paper critically discusses the issues relevant to women’s involvement in specialist policing roles and what can be done by police leaders to encourage greater employment of women in specialist policing roles.

  6. HIV, trauma and the emergency departments: The CDC opt-out ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    (LMICs).[9,10]. This open-access article is distributed under ... Fear, stigma and embarrassment (19%, 11.7 - 30.4%), rejection. (30% ... Fear and denial of HIV status as a ... amounting to over USD 70 000), start-up, computer services and staff.

  7. 12 CFR 41.21 - Affiliate marketing opt-out and exceptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... relationship with the depository institution's securities affiliate for management of the consumer's securities... institution does not have a pre-existing business relationship with the consumer and none of the other... affiliate that has or has previously had a pre-existing business relationship with the consumer; or (ii) As...

  8. Lean in or Opt Out: Career Pathways of Academic Women

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eddy, Pamela L.; Ward, Kelly

    2015-01-01

    Casual observers of academic environments might conclude that women's problems in higher education have been resolved. Colleges enroll more women than men on an overall basis. There is gender parity in entry-level faculty hires, and the number of women in senior administrative positions continues to rise. A closer look however at the work, lives,…

  9. HIV, trauma and the emergency departments: The CDC opt-out ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    South African Journal of Bioethics and Law. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 9, No 2 (2016) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

  10. 17 CFR 248.122 - Scope and duration of opt out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS S-P AND S-AM Regulation S-AM: Limitations on Affiliate Marketing § 248.122 Scope and... information received from another affiliate as described in the notice to make marketing solicitations to the consumer. (2) Continuing relationship—(i) In general. If the consumer establishes a continuing relationship...

  11. OptEase and TrapEase Vena Cava Filters: A Single-Center Experience in 258 Patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Onat, Levent; Ganiyusufoglu, Ali Kursat; Mutlu, Ayhan; Sirvanci, Mustafa; Duran, Cihan; Ulusoy, Onur Levent; Hamzaoglu, Azmi

    2009-01-01

    We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the OptEase and TrapEase (both from Cordis, Roden, Netherlands) vena cava filters in the prevention of pulmonary embolism (PE). Between May 2004 and December 2008, OptEase (permanent/retrievable; n = 228) or TrapEase (permanent; n = 30) vena cava filters were placed in 258 patients (160 female and 98 male; mean age 62 years [range 22 to 97]). Indications were as follows: prophylaxis for PE (n = 239), contraindication for anticoagulation in the presence of PE or DVT (n = 10), and development of PE or DVT despite anticoagulation (n = 9). Medical records were retrospectively reviewed for indications, clinical results, and procedure-related complications during placement and retrieval. Clinical PE did not develop in any of the patients. However, radiologic signs of segmental PE were seen in 6 of 66 patients with follow-up imaging data. Migration or fracture of the filter or cava perforation was not seen in any of the patients. Except for a single case of asymptomatic total cava thrombosis, no thrombotic occlusion was observed. One hundred forty-one patients were scheduled to undergo filter removal; however, 17 of them were not suitable for such based on venography evaluation. Removal was attempted in 124 patients and was successful in 115 of these (mean duration of retention 11 days [range 4 to 23]). Nine filters could not be removed. Permanent/retrievable vena cava filters are safe and effective devices for PE prophylaxis and for the management of venous thromboembolism by providing the option to be left in place.

  12. Hyperfunction of muscarinic receptor maintains long-term memory in 5-HT4 receptor knock-out mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis Segu

    Full Text Available Patients suffering from dementia of Alzheimer's type express less serotonin 4 receptors (5-HTR(4, but whether an absence of these receptors modifies learning and memory is unexplored. In the spatial version of the Morris water maze, we show that 5-HTR(4 knock-out (KO and wild-type (WT mice performed similarly for spatial learning, short- and long-term retention. Since 5-HTR(4 control mnesic abilities, we tested whether cholinergic system had circumvented the absence of 5-HTR(4. Inactivating muscarinic receptor with scopolamine, at an ineffective dose (0.8 mg/kg to alter memory in WT mice, decreased long-term but not short-term memory of 5-HTR(4 KO mice. Other changes included decreases in the activity of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT, the required enzyme for acetylcholine synthesis, in the septum and the dorsal hippocampus in 5-HTR(4 KO under baseline conditions. Training- and scopolamine-induced increase and decrease, respectively in ChAT activity in the septum in WT mice were not detected in the 5-HTR(4 KO animals. Findings suggest that adaptive changes in cholinergic systems may circumvent the absence of 5-HTR(4 to maintain long-term memory under baseline conditions. In contrast, despite adaptive mechanisms, the absence of 5-HTR(4 aggravates scopolamine-induced memory impairments. The mechanisms whereby 5-HTR(4 mediate a tonic influence on ChAT activity and muscarinic receptors remain to be determined.

  13. Optimized production technology (OPT), theory of constraints (TOC) og den dertil hørende økonomistyringstankegang 'Throughput Accounting (TPA)'

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Steen; Hansen, Tom Albæk

    2005-01-01

    Kombinationen af økonomistyring med forskellige andre funktionsområder, f.eks., indkøb, produktion, afsætning, adfærd etc., er et vigtigt område, og udgør efterhånden en del af det pensum, som repræsenteres i diverse lærebøger indenfor cost management accounting. OPT, TOC, TPA, samt også modeller...... som Just-In-Time (JIT) og Life-Cycle-Costing (LCC) vil fremover kunne give inspiration til nye måder at anskue økonomistyringen på. TOC, JIT og LCC kombineres ofte, både i relation til de mere operative beslutninger, men også i relation til virksomhedens strategiledelse. Ideen er, at også de...... separat eller i kombination. På denne måde bør de kunne støtte virksomhedens strategi og dermed den samlede lønsomhed. Hvor OPT sætter fokus på at optimere produktionen, sætter TOC og TPA fokus på udnyttelse af produktionsapparatet og på likviditeten. TPA minder på mange måder om bidragsmodellen og den...

  14. Parental Perspectives on a Pediatric Human Non-Subjects Biobank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brothers, Kyle B; Clayton, Ellen Wright

    2012-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Genomic biorepositories will be important tools to help unravel the effect of common genetic variants on risk for common pediatric diseases. Our objective was to explore how parents would respond to the inclusion of children in an opt-out model biobank. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with parents in hospital-based pediatric clinics. Participants responded to a description of a biorepository already collecting samples from adults. Two coders independently analyzed and coded interviews using framework analysis. Opt-out forms were later piloted in a clinic area. Parental opt-out choices were recorded electronically, with opt-out rates reported here. RESULTS: Parents strongly supported medical research in general and expressed a high level of trust that Vanderbilt University would keep their child's medical information private. Parents were more likely to allow their child's sample to be included in the biorepository than to allow their child to participate in a hypothetical study that would not help or harm their child, but might help other children. Only a minority were able to volunteer a concern raised by the description of the biobank. The opt-out rate was initially high compared with the opt-out rate in the adult biorepository, but after the first week decreased to near the baseline in adult clinics. CONCLUSION: Parents in our study generally support an opt-out model biobank in children. Most would allow their own child's sample to be included. Institutions seeking to build pediatric biobanks may consider the human non-subjects model as a viable alternative to traditional human-subjects biobanks.

  15. Perspectives on Integrated HIV and Hepatitis C Virus Testing Among Persons Entering a Northern California Jail: A Pilot Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ly, Wilson; Cocohoba, Jennifer; Chyorny, Alexander; Halpern, Jodi; Auerswald, Colette; Myers, Janet

    2018-06-01

    Providing HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing on an "opt-out" basis is often considered the "gold standard" because it contributes to higher testing rates when compared with "opt-in" strategies. Although rates are crucial, an individual's testing preferences are also important, especially in correctional settings where legal and social factors influence a person's capacity to freely decide whether or not to test. Our study explored factors influencing HIV and HCV testing decisions and individuals' preferences and concerns regarding opt-in vs. opt-out testing at the time of jail entry. We conducted semistructured interviews to explore individuals' previous testing experiences, reasons to test, understanding of their health care rights, HIV and HCV knowledge, and preferences for an opt-out vs. an opt-in testing script. We interviewed 30 individuals detained in the Santa Clara County Jail at intake. Participants reported that their testing decisions were influenced by their level of HIV and HCV knowledge, self-perceived risk of infection and stigma associated with infection and testing, the degree to which they felt coerced, and understanding of testing rights in a correctional setting. Most preferred the opt-in script because they valued the choice of whether or not to be tested. Participants who did prefer the opt-out script did so because they felt that the script was less likely to make people feel "singled out" for testing. Our findings demonstrate that people care about how testing is offered and suggest a need for further research to see how much this influences their decision about whether to test.

  16. Factors influencing patients with stage 5 chronic kidney disease to opt for conservative management: a practitioner research study

    OpenAIRE

    Johnston, Sheila; Noble, Helen

    2012-01-01

    Aims and objectives. This study explored decision-making experiences of patients with stage 5 chronic kidney disease when opting for conservative management of their renal failure.Background. Dialysis is an invasive treatment, and for some older patients, there is an associated treatment burden of dialysis-related symptoms. An alternative choice is conservative management, but little is known about those who make this decision and how they are supported through the process.Design. Qualitative...

  17. Optimizing primary care research participation: a comparison of three recruitment methods in data-sharing studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lord, Paul A; Willis, Thomas A; Carder, Paul; West, Robert M; Foy, Robbie

    2016-04-01

    Recruitment of representative samples in primary care research is essential to ensure high-quality, generalizable results. This is particularly important for research using routinely recorded patient data to examine the delivery of care. Yet little is known about how different recruitment strategies influence the characteristics of the practices included in research. We describe three approaches for recruiting practices to data-sharing studies, examining differences in recruitment levels and practice representativeness. We examined three studies that included varying populations of practices from West Yorkshire, UK. All used anonymized patient data to explore aspects of clinical practice. Recruitment strategies were 'opt-in', 'mixed opt-in and opt-out' and 'opt-out'. We compared aggregated practice data between recruited and not-recruited practices for practice list size, deprivation, chronic disease management, patient experience and rates of unplanned hospital admission. The opt-out strategy had the highest recruitment (80%), followed by mixed (70%) and opt-in (58%). Practices opting-in were larger (median 7153 versus 4722 patients, P = 0.03) than practices that declined to opt-in. Practices recruited by mixed approach were larger (median 7091 versus 5857 patients, P = 0.04) and had differences in the clinical quality measure (58.4% versus 53.9% of diabetic patients with HbA1c ≤ 59 mmol/mol, P Researchers should, with appropriate ethical safeguards, consider opt-out recruitment of practices for studies involving anonymized patient data sharing. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  18. 40 CFR 96.272 - Out of control periods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... the quality-assurance and quality-control requirements or data validation requirements of part 75 of... appendix D to part 75 of this chapter. (b) Audit decertification. Whenever both an audit of a monitoring... the time of the audit, the permitting authority or, for a CAIR SO2 opt-in unit or a unit for which a...

  19. Recombinant Protein Truncation Strategy for Inducing Bactericidal Antibodies to the Macrophage Infectivity Potentiator Protein of Neisseria meningitidis and Circumventing Potential Cross-Reactivity with Human FK506-Binding Proteins

    OpenAIRE

    Bielecka, Magdalena K.; Devos, Nathalie; Gilbert, Mélanie; Hung, Miao-Chiu; Weynants, Vincent; Heckels, John E.; Christodoulides, Myron

    2014-01-01

    A recombinant macrophage infectivity potentiator (rMIP) protein of Neisseria meningitidis induces significant serum bactericidal antibody production in mice and is a candidate meningococcal vaccine antigen. However, bioinformatics analysis of MIP showed some amino acid sequence similarity to human FK506-binding proteins (FKBPs) in residues 166 to 252 located in the globular domain of the protein. To circumvent the potential concern over generating antibodies that could recognize human protein...

  20. Circumventing furin enhances factor VIII biological activity and ameliorates bleeding phenotypes in hemophilia models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siner, Joshua I.; Samelson-Jones, Benjamin J.; Crudele, Julie M.; French, Robert A.; Lee, Benjamin J.; Zhou, Shanzhen; Merricks, Elizabeth; Raymer, Robin; Camire, Rodney M.; Arruda, Valder R.

    2016-01-01

    Processing by the proprotein convertase furin is believed to be critical for the biological activity of multiple proteins involved in hemostasis, including coagulation factor VIII (FVIII). This belief prompted the retention of the furin recognition motif (amino acids 1645–1648) in the design of B-domain–deleted FVIII (FVIII-BDD) products in current clinical use and in the drug development pipeline, as well as in experimental FVIII gene therapy strategies. Here, we report that processing by furin is in fact deleterious to FVIII-BDD secretion and procoagulant activity. Inhibition of furin increases the secretion and decreases the intracellular retention of FVIII-BDD protein in mammalian cells. Our new variant (FVIII-ΔF), in which this recognition motif is removed, efficiently circumvents furin. FVIII-ΔF demonstrates increased recombinant protein yields, enhanced clotting activity, and higher circulating FVIII levels after adeno-associated viral vector–based liver gene therapy in a murine model of severe hemophilia A (HA) compared with FVIII-BDD. Moreover, we observed an amelioration of the bleeding phenotype in severe HA dogs with sustained therapeutic FVIII levels after FVIII-ΔF gene therapy at a lower vector dose than previously employed in this model. The immunogenicity of FVIII-ΔF did not differ from that of FVIII-BDD as a protein or a gene therapeutic. Thus, contrary to previous suppositions, FVIII variants that can avoid furin processing are likely to have enhanced translational potential for HA therapy. PMID:27734034

  1. Eating out in four Nordic countries: National patterns and social stratification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lund, T B; Kjærnes, U; Holm, L

    2017-12-01

    Using a survey conducted in four Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden) in 2012, we investigated whether eating out in cafés and restaurants in these countries is best characterized as a workday pattern activity or a leisure activity; and, whether frequent eating at cafés and restaurants is related to socio-demographic factors and factors relevant to the organization of daily life. We found that eating out is not a fundamental part of everyday eating. It is something which takes place occasionally. This may be taken to suggest that eating out in the Nordic countries is primarily a leisure activity. However, while this is an accurate portrayal of Denmark and Norway, eating out in Finland and Sweden is somewhat more common and linked to work-life. This difference probably reflects contrasting historical-institutional paths: in Finland and Sweden a food culture emphasizing cooked lunches and dedicated public policies supporting the provisioning of lunches outside the home may have promoted eating out. Multivariate analysis revealed that eating out declines with age. An urbanization effect exists, as residence in a capital city increases the propensity to eat out. There were socio-economic differences in all countries. We hypothesized that education and status would not significantly explain eating out activity after people's gastronomic interest had been controlled for. However, education was statistically significant in Sweden and Norway, and surprisingly status was negatively associated with eating out in Sweden. As expected, eating out was positively associated with income, and it was more frequent among the higher salariat and the self-employed (although not in Norway). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Out of hours ophthalmic surgery: a UK national survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Colmain, U; Wright, M; Bennett, H; MacEwen, C J

    2013-03-01

    There have been significant changes in the management of out of hours services in ophthalmology recently. The European Working Time Directive (EWTD) and economic measures have anecdotally reduced the availability of staff and facilities outside normal working hours, and there have been various responses to the provision of emergency surgical care. There are disparate attitudes to the optimum management of the emergency surgical case. We sought to establish a nationwide picture of the management of out of hours surgery. A questionnaire was distributed to every consultant ophthalmologist working in the NHS and registered with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (n=947). Information was requested regarding departmental and personal policies, local facilities, and personal beliefs regarding emergency surgery. A total of 440 (46.5%) questionnaires were returned from 155 units; 18.7% of the units had no out of hours services or no operating facilities. Sixty-three percent of units reported a local policy regarding a time after which patients should not be taken to theatre. For 57%, this time began between 2100 hours and midnight. The most common reasons for not operating after a certain time were 'belief that delay does not significantly affect the outcome' (41.6%), 'delayed access to theatre due to competition with other surgical specialities' (40%), and 'no specialist ophthalmic-theatre nursing input' (32.7%). We report the first nationwide study on out of hours ophthalmological surgical working practices. This demonstrates variation in work patterns. It is significant to patients and ophthalmologists that there should be units in United Kingdom without full local facilities and staff.

  3. Enhancing cheap talk scripts in choice experiments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ladenburg, Jacob; Olsen, Søren Bøye; Nielsen, Rasmus Christian Fejer

    eliminate some of the hypothetical bias. The present paper tests and addition to Cheap Talk, an Op-out Reminder. The Opt-Out Reminder is an objective short script presented prior to the choice sets, prompting the respondent to choose the opt-out alternative, if he/she finds the proposed policy generated...... alternatives in a choice set too expensive. The results sugggest that adding and Opt-Out Reminder to Cheap Talk can in fact reduce hypothetical bias even further and reduces some of the ineffectiveness of CT in relation to the survey bid range and experienced respondents...

  4. The Effect of Veneer Layers on the Bending Shear Strength and Delamination of Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) from Oil Palm Trunk (OPT)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jamaludin, M. A.; Nordin, K.; Bahari, S. A.; Ahmad, M.

    2010-03-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the number of veneer layers on the bending shear strength and delamination of Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) from oil palm trunk (OPT). Five (5), Six (6) and Seven (7) veneer layers of OPT LVL were manufactured. The dimension of the boards was 45 cm by 45 cm by 1.9 cm. The boards were hot pressed for 13 minutes at a pressure of 31 kgf per m2. Urea formaldehyde (UF) supplied by a local adhesive manufacturer was used as the binder for the boards. The bending shear tests consisted of the edgewise and flatwise tests, whereas the delamination test consisted of the cold and hot water boil tests. The preparation of the test specimens and tests set-up was in accordance to the Japanese Standards, JAS-1991 [1]. Six replications were used for each test. The results were analyzed by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) using the Duncan's Multiple Range Test to test for significant differences. The results indicated that as the number of layers increased the strength also increased. All the boards passed the standard. The difference in strength between the different types of samples was significant at 95 percent confidence level. Bending shear failures were primarily in the veneers. It is possible to use the boards as light weight interior building and furniture components. Over the years, the supply of quality timber resources from the natural forest has decrease as the wood-based industry experienced rapid growth. The supply of rubberwood for the furniture industry is also decreasing as a result of increase latex price. Accordingly, OPT LVL can be an alternative or supplementary raw material for the wood-based industry.

  5. Out Is In

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villano, Matt

    2009-01-01

    As the national economic climate worsens, and college and university endowments, coffers, and funding sources shrink, schools are forced to get the most out of every dollar. That means that administrators are bending over backwards to see that all new investments provide maximum return on investment (ROI) over the long term. Campus eCommerce is no…

  6. Keep Religion Out of National Space Policy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carter, William E.

    2006-02-01

    In an Eos forum last spring, Robert Frodeman (University of Texas, Denton) suggested that ``it is time that we draw more consciously upon the expertise of scholars trained in the areas of art, philosophy, and religion in the design of our space policy'' [2005]. I would agree that artists and philosophers may help the public to appreciate the true grandeur of the universe and thus increase popular support for the exploration of space, but I cannot think of a potentially more disastrous step than to bring ``scholars trained in. . .religion'' into the development of our national space policy, as Frodeman advocates. My concerns have nothing to do with the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution-I simply think that the potential negatives far outweigh the potential benefits.

  7. Down but Not Out: The National Education Association in Federal Politics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marianno, Bradley D.

    2018-01-01

    This research provides new evidence on the political activity and policy-setting agenda of the largest national teachers' union during a time of political change. Using a longitudinal dataset comprised of election outcomes and campaign contributions for all candidates for federal office and the National Education Association's (NEA) official…

  8. 75 FR 69665 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Announcement of Board Approval Under Delegated...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-11-15

    ... minutes. Affiliate marketing opt-out notice, financial institutions, 18 hours; consumer response, 5...,000 financial institutions. Affiliate marketing opt-out notice, 2,619 financial institutions; 638,380... comply with this notice requirement. Under the affiliate marketing provisions of Regulation V, financial...

  9. Does Eating Out Make Elderly People Depressed? Empirical Evidence from National Health and Nutrition Survey in Taiwan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Hung-Hao; Saeliw, Kannika

    2017-06-01

    OBJECTIVES: This study investigates the association between eating out and depressive symptoms among elderly people. Potential mediators that may link to elderly eating out and depressive symptoms are also discussed. METHODS: A unique dataset of 1,184 individuals aged 65 and older was drawn from the National Health and Nutrition Survey in 2008 in Taiwan. A bivariate probit model and an instrumental variable probit model were estimated to account for correlated, unmeasured factors that may be associated with both the decision and frequency of eating out and depressive symptoms in the elderly. An additional analysis is conducted to check whether the nutrient intakes and body weights can be seen as mediators that link the association between eating out and depressive symptoms of the elderly. RESULTS: Elderly people who eat out are 38 percent points more likely to have depressive symptoms than their counterparts who do not eat out, after controlling for socio-demographic characteristics and other factors. A positive association between the frequency of eating out and the likelihood of having depressive symptoms of the elderly is also found. It is evident that one additional meal away from home is associated with an increase of the likelihood of being depressed by 3.8 percentage points. With respect to the mediations, we find that nutrient intakes and body weight are likely to serve as mediators for the positive relationship between eating out and depressive symptoms in the elderly. CONCLUSION: Our results show that elderly who eat out have a higher chance of having depressive symptoms. To prevent depressive symptoms in the elderly, policy makers should be aware of the relationship among psychological status, physical health and nutritional health when assisting the elderly to better manage their food consumption away from home. LIMITATONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH: Our study have some caveats. First, the interpretation of our results on the causality issue

  10. Danshen extract circumvents drug resistance and represses cell growth in human oral cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Cheng-Yu; Hsieh, Cheng-Chih; Lin, Chih-Kung; Lin, Chun-Shu; Peng, Bo; Lin, Gu-Jiun; Sytwu, Huey-Kang; Chang, Wen-Liang; Chen, Yuan-Wu

    2017-12-29

    Danshen is a common traditional Chinese medicine used to treat neoplastic and chronic inflammatory diseases in China. However, the effects of Danshen on human oral cancer cells remain relatively unknown. This study investigated the antiproliferative effects of a Danshen extract on human oral cancer SAS, SCC25, OEC-M1, and KB drug-resistant cell lines and elucidated the possible underlying mechanism. We investigated the anticancer potential of the Danshen extract in human oral cancer cell lines and an in vivo oral cancer xenograft mouse model. The expression of apoptosis-related molecules was evaluated through Western blotting, and the concentration of in vivo apoptotic markers was measured using immunohistochemical staining. The antitumor effects of 5-fluorouracil and the Danshen extract were compared. Cell proliferation assays revealed that the Danshen extract strongly inhibited oral cancer cell proliferation. Cell morphology studies revealed that the Danshen extract inhibited the growth of SAS, SCC25, and OEC-M1 cells by inducing apoptosis. The Flow cytometric analysis indicated that the Danshen extract induced cell cycle G0/G1 arrest. Immunoblotting analysis for the expression of active caspase-3 and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein indicated that Danshen extract-induced apoptosis in human oral cancer SAS cells was mediated through the caspase pathway. Moreover, the Danshen extract significantly inhibited growth in the SAS xenograft mouse model. Furthermore, the Danshen extract circumvented drug resistance in KB drug-resistant oral cancer cells. The study results suggest that the Danshen extract could be a potential anticancer agent in oral cancer treatment.

  11. A frequency survey of radiological examinations carried out in National Health Service hospitals in Great Britain in 1977 for diagnostic purposes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kendall, G.M.; Darby, S.C.; Harries, S.V.; Rae, S.

    1980-06-01

    Medical irradiation is the largest man-made contributor to the radiation dose received by the population of Great Britain, and diagnostic radiology is the most important component of medical irradiation. The work described here is a survey of the numbers and types of radiological examinations carried out in National Health Service hospitals in Great Britain in 1977. The overall level of diagnostic radiology in Great Britain as a whole is reported and separate estimates for England, Wales and Scotland are given. Discussion of topics such as the frequency of particular types of examination, the number of films per examination and the use of gonad shields is included, and the results of the present survey are compared with those of the last national survey which was carried out in 1957. Also reported is an estimate of the amount of radiology undertaken outside the Health Service. The findings will be combined with estimates of gonadal doses from the different examinations and child expectancy data to estimate the genetically significant dose to the population of Great Britain. (author)

  12. Out-of-Pocket Expenditures on Complementary Health Approaches Associated with Painful Health Conditions in a Nationally Representative Adult Sample

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nahin, Richard L.; Stussman, Barbara J.; Herman, Patricia M.

    2015-01-01

    National surveys suggest that millions of adults in the United States use complementary health approaches such as acupuncture, chiropractic manipulation, and herbal medicines to manage painful conditions such as arthritis, back pain and fibromyalgia. Yet, national and per person out-of-pocket (OOP) costs attributable to this condition-specific use are unknown. In the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, use of complementary health approaches, reasons for this use, and associated OOP costs were captured in a nationally representative sample of 5,467 adults. Ordinary least square regression models that controlled for co-morbid conditions were used to estimate aggregate and per person OOP costs associated with 14 painful health conditions. Individuals using complementary approaches spent a total of $14.9 billion (S.E. $0.9 billion) OOP on these approaches to manage these painful conditions. Total OOP expenditures seen in those using complementary approaches for their back pain ($8.7 billion, S.E. $0.8 billion) far outstripped that of any other condition, with the majority of these costs ($4.7 billion, S.E. $0.4 billion) resulting from visits to complementary providers. Annual condition-specific per-person OOP costs varied from a low of $568 (SE $144) for regular headaches, to a high of $895 (SE $163) for fibromyalgia. PMID:26320946

  13. 75 FR 53966 - Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-02

    ... minutes. Affiliate marketing opt-out notice, financial institutions 18 hours; consumer response, 5 minutes... institutions. Affiliate marketing opt-out notice, 2,619 financial institutions; 638,380 consumer response. Red... requirement. Under the affiliate marketing provisions of Regulation V, financial institutions are prohibited...

  14. RFG in tight supply at introduction, then opt outs reduced demand

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bohn, A.; Dale, C.; Lidderdale, T.; Zyren, J.; Hackworth, J.; Shore, J.; Burdette, M.

    1995-01-01

    The first reformulated gasoline (RFG) season went smoothly, meaning the industry was able to deliver product where it was needed. The absence of major refinery outages, along with unexpected reductions in demand resulting from several areas leaving the program at the last minute, contributed to this smooth transition. But the RFG market remains in a state of transition related to unexpected events that have affected supply and demand. An analysis of the RFG supply/demand scenario highlights the effects these events have had on gasoline markets. The paper discusses prior experiences with environmental programs, the complexity of the RFG program, RFG demand, production, imports, inventories, price volatility, and demand outlook

  15. Maintaining the know-how after opt-out consensus: chances and limits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fritz, P.

    2003-01-01

    Within the next decades, nuclear safety and repository research will continue to be a necessary and integral constituent of the society's provident research. Yet, it is very difficult to maintain this competence in a politically complex environment with the scarce funds available. For its purpose, the Federal Government has appointed an evaluation commission, the chairmanship of which lies with the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. In its report of January 2001, the commission emphasised that efforts to adequately maintain competence in nuclear engineering, including industry-independent expert knowledge, will only meet with success, if the Federal Republic of Germany and the federal states contribute to a sufficient and stable financing of non-university research. (orig.) [de

  16. 17 CFR 248.125 - Reasonable and simple methods of opting out.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... COMMISSION (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS S-P AND S-AM Regulation S-AM: Limitations on Affiliate Marketing § 248.125... consumer that you receive from an affiliate to make a marketing solicitation to the consumer about your... electronically mailed or processed at an Internet Web site, if the consumer agrees to the electronic delivery of...

  17. 75 FR 60511 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-30

    ... certain information received from an affiliate to make a solicitation for marketing purposes to a consumer... marketing purposes or opt out. Financial institutions will use the consumers' opt out responses to determine... number. The OCC is soliciting comment concerning an information collection titled, ``Affiliate Marketing...

  18. 75 FR 42824 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-22

    ... certain information received from an affiliate to make a solicitation for marketing purposes to a consumer... marketing purposes or opt out. Financial institutions will use the consumers' opt out responses to determine... number. The OCC is soliciting comment concerning an information collection titled, ``Affiliate Marketing...

  19. Ethics, organ donation and tax: a reply to Quigley and Taylor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lippert-Rasmussen, Kasper; Petersen, Thomas Søbirk

    2012-08-01

    A national opt-out system of post-mortem donation of scarce organs is preferable to an opt-in system. Unfortunately, the former system is not always feasible, and so in a recent JME article we canvassed the possibility of offering people a tax break for opting-in as a way of increasing the number of organs available for donation under an opt-in regime. Muireann Quigley and James Stacey Taylor criticize our proposal. Roughly, Quigley argues that our proposal is costly and, hence, is unlikely to be implemented, while Taylor contests our response to a Titmuss-style objection to our scheme. In response to Quigley, we note that our proposal's main attraction lies in gains not reflected in the figures presented by Quigley and that the mere fact that it is costly does not imply that it is unfeasible. In response to Taylor, we offer some textual evidence in support of our interpretation of Taylor and responds to his favoured interpretation of the Titmuss-style objection that many people seem to want to donate to charities even if they can deduct their donations from their income tax. Finally, we show why our views do not commit us to endorsing a free organ-market.

  20. Expert staff in reactor safety, and the decision to opt out of the peaceful use of nuclear power

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    2000-01-01

    Also the German federal parliament looked into the attitude of the federal government in matters of preserving competence in nuclear technology in Germany and the possible consequences to this country as a location of research and industry resulting from the loss of know-how in this sector and the potential shortage of expert personnel arising as a consequence. Following an initiative launched by the parliamentary group of the FDP (Liberal Democrats) in the federal parliament in connection with a parliamentary query by Members of Parliament Ulrike Flach, Cornelia Pieper, Birgit Homburger, other members, and the FDP parliamentary group, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety responded to the catalog of questions on August 21, 2000. The topics covered include questions about the expected development of personnel in public research, and of students of nuclear and nuclear engineering disciplines, and the resultant number of expert personnel available to industry, regulatory authorities, and expert consultants, as well as questions of possible national and international dependencies in nuclear technology, nuclear safety, and the plants currently in operation. (orig.) [de

  1. ExRET-Opt: An automated exergy/exergoeconomic simulation framework for building energy retrofit analysis and design optimisation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    García Kerdan, Iván; Raslan, Rokia; Ruyssevelt, Paul; Morillón Gálvez, David

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Development of a building retrofit-oriented exergoeconomic-based optimisation tool. • A new exergoeconomic cost-benefit indicator is developed for design comparison. • Thermodynamic and thermal comfort variables used as constraints and/or objectives. • Irreversibilities and exergetic cost for end-use processes are substantially reduced. • Robust methodology that should be pursued in everyday building retrofit practice. - Abstract: Energy simulation tools have a major role in the assessment of building energy retrofit (BER) measures. Exergoeconomic analysis and optimisation is a common practice in sectors such as the power generation and chemical processes, aiding engineers to obtain more energy-efficient and cost-effective energy systems designs. ExRET-Opt, a retrofit-oriented modular-based dynamic simulation framework has been developed by embedding a comprehensive exergy/exergoeconomic calculation method into a typical open-source building energy simulation tool (EnergyPlus). The aim of this paper is to show the decomposition of ExRET-Opt by presenting modules, submodules and subroutines used for the framework’s development as well as verify the outputs with existing research data. In addition, the possibility to perform multi-objective optimisation analysis based on genetic-algorithms combined with multi-criteria decision making methods was included within the simulation framework. This addition could potentiate BER design teams to perform quick exergy/exergoeconomic optimisation, in order to find opportunities for thermodynamic improvements along the building’s active and passive energy systems. The enhanced simulation framework is tested using a primary school building as a case study. Results demonstrate that the proposed simulation framework provide users with thermodynamic efficient and cost-effective designs, even under tight thermodynamic and economic constraints, suggesting its use in everyday BER practice.

  2. Out-of-pocket medical expenses for inpatient care among beneficiaries of the National Health Insurance Program in the Philippines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tobe, Makoto; Stickley, Andrew; del Rosario, Rodolfo B; Shibuya, Kenji

    2013-08-01

    OBJECTIVE The National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) in the Philippines is a social health insurance system partially subsidized by tax-based financing which offers benefits on a fee-for-service basis up to a fixed ceiling. This paper quantifies the extent to which beneficiaries of the NHIP incur out-of-pocket expenses for inpatient care, and examines the characteristics of beneficiaries making these payments and the hospitals in which these payments are typically made. METHODS Probit and ordinary least squares regression analyses were carried out on 94 531 insurance claims from Benguet province and Baguio city during the period 2007 to 2009. RESULTS Eighty-six per cent of claims involved an out-of-pocket payment. The median figure for out-of-pocket payments was Philippine Pesos (PHP) 3016 (US$67), with this figure varying widely [inter-quartile range (IQR): PHP 9393 (US$209)]. Thirteen per cent of claims involved very large out-of-pocket payments exceeding PHP 19 213 (US$428)-the equivalent of 10% of the average annual household income in the region. Membership type, disease severity, age and residential location of the patient, length of hospitalization, and ownership and level of the hospital were all significantly associated with making out-of-pocket payments and/or the size of these payments. CONCLUSION Although the current NHIP reduces the size of out-of-pocket payments, NHIP beneficiaries are not completely free from the risk of large out-of-pocket payments (as the size of these payments varies widely and can be extremely large), despite NHIP's attempts to mitigate this by setting different benefit ceilings based on the level of the hospital and the severity of the disease. To reduce these large out-of-pocket payments and to increase financial risk protection further, it is essential to ensure more investment for health from social health insurance and/or tax-based government funding as well as shifting the provider payment mechanism from a fee

  3. Why do leaders nationalize the oil industry? The politics of resource expropriation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahdavi, Paasha

    2014-01-01

    Why do leaders nationalize the oil industry? In line with a general utility-maximizing theory, I argue that leaders nationalize to maximize state revenues while minimizing costs. The latter includes international retaliation and domestic political constraints. Using a novel longitudinal dataset on the establishment of national oil companies (NOCs), the empirical evidence presented in this paper lends support to four primary findings. States are most likely to establish NOCs (1) in periods of high oil prices, when the risks of expropriation are outweighed by the financial benefits; (2) in non-democratic systems, where executive constraints are limited; (3) in “waves”, that is, after other countries have nationalized, reflecting reduced likelihood of international retaliation; and, though with weaker empirical support, (4) in political settings marked by resource nationalism. This last factor is proxied by OPEC membership in large-N analysis and, in a two-case comparison, by the difference in retained profits between the host and foreign governments. The theory and empirics presented here offer some clues for policy makers and multinational companies alike as to when to expect leaders to opt for nationalization. - Highlights: • I model determinants of oil nationalizations for 65 producing countries 1945–2005. • I offer a new measure of nationalization using the establishment of NOCs. • Oil prices, political institutions, cross-country diffusion predict nationalization. • Nationalization is also likely when revenue is perceived to be shared unfairly. • Operator-led contract renegotiation can reduce likelihood of nationalization

  4. Comparison of individuals opting for BRCA1/2 or HNPCC genetic susceptibility testing with regard to coping, illness perceptions, illness experiences, family system characteristics and hereditary cancer distress

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Oostrom, Iris; Meijers-Heijboer, Hanne; Duivenvoorden, Hugo J.; Brocker-Vriends, Annette H. J. T.; van Asperen, Christi J.; Sijmons, Rolf H.; Seynaeve, Caroline; Van Gool, Arthur R.; Klijn, Jan G. M.; Tibben, Aad

    Objective: To study differences between individuals opting for genetic cancer susceptibility testing of a known familial BRCA1/2 and HNPCC related germline mutation. Methods: Coping, illness perceptions, experiences with cancer in relatives and family system characteristics were assessed in 271

  5. Impact of school-entry and education mandates by states on HPV vaccination coverage: Analysis of the 2009–2013 National Immunization Survey-Teen

    OpenAIRE

    Perkins, Rebecca B.; Lin, Mengyun; Wallington, Sherrie F.; Hanchate, Amresh D.

    2016-01-01

    Objective: To determine the effectiveness of existing school entry and education mandates on HPV vaccination coverage, we compared coverage among girls residing in states and jurisdictions with and without education and school-entry mandates. Virginia and the District of Columbia enacted school entry mandates, though both laws included liberal opt-out provisions. Ten additional states had mandates requiring distribution of education to parents or provision of education within school curricula...

  6. Lives and choices, give and take: Altruism and organ procurement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thornton, Vicky

    2017-01-01

    In 2015, Wales introduced a deemed consent: soft opt-out system for organ procurement in order to address the chronic shortage of organs for transplant. Early statistical evidence suggests that this has had a positive impact on cadaveric organ donation. Such a system for procurement has previously been dismissed by the Organ Donation Taskforce, who suggested that opting out could potentially undermine the concept of donated organs as gifts and this could then negatively impact the number of organs offered for transplant. Considerable weight was placed upon the need to retain the altruistic gift element associated with an opt-in system. This article will consider the role of altruism in an organ procurement policy. A broad utilitarian approach will be taken when putting forward the arguments in favour of adopting a weak altruism position in a soft opt-out system for procurement with a combined registry.

  7. Massive star formation by accretion. II. Rotation: how to circumvent the angular momentum barrier?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haemmerlé, L.; Eggenberger, P.; Meynet, G.; Maeder, A.; Charbonnel, C.; Klessen, R. S.

    2017-06-01

    Context. Rotation plays a key role in the star-formation process, from pre-stellar cores to pre-main-sequence (PMS) objects. Understanding the formation of massive stars requires taking into account the accretion of angular momentum during their PMS phase. Aims: We study the PMS evolution of objects destined to become massive stars by accretion, focusing on the links between the physical conditions of the environment and the rotational properties of young stars. In particular, we look at the physical conditions that allow the production of massive stars by accretion. Methods: We present PMS models computed with a new version of the Geneva Stellar Evolution code self-consistently including accretion and rotation according to various accretion scenarios for mass and angular momentum. We describe the internal distribution of angular momentum in PMS stars accreting at high rates and we show how the various physical conditions impact their internal structures, evolutionary tracks, and rotation velocities during the PMS and the early main sequence. Results: We find that the smooth angular momentum accretion considered in previous studies leads to an angular momentum barrier and does not allow the formation of massive stars by accretion. A braking mechanism is needed in order to circumvent this angular momentum barrier. This mechanism has to be efficient enough to remove more than two thirds of the angular momentum from the inner accretion disc. Due to the weak efficiency of angular momentum transport by shear instability and meridional circulation during the accretion phase, the internal rotation profiles of accreting stars reflect essentially the angular momentum accretion history. As a consequence, careful choice of the angular momentum accretion history allows circumvention of any limitation in mass and velocity, and production of stars of any mass and velocity compatible with structure equations.

  8. Modeling and Circumventing the Effect of Sediments and Water Column on Receiver Functions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Audet, P.

    2017-12-01

    Teleseismic P-wave receiver functions are routinely used to resolve crust and mantle structure in various geologic settings. Receiver functions are approximations to the Earth's Green's functions and are composed of various scattered phase arrivals, depending on the complexity of the underlying Earth structure. For simple structure, the dominant arrivals (converted and back-scattered P-to-S phases) are well separated in time and can be reliably used in estimating crustal velocity structure. In the presence of sedimentary layers, strong reverberations typically produce high-amplitude oscillations that contaminate the early part of the wave train and receiver functions can be difficult to interpret in terms of underlying structure. The effect of a water column also limits the interpretability of under-water receiver functions due to the additional acoustic wave propagating within the water column that can contaminate structural arrivals. We perform numerical modeling of teleseismic Green's functions and receiver functions using a reflectivity technique for a range of Earth models that include thin sedimentary layers and overlying water column. These modeling results indicate that, as expected, receiver functions are difficult to interpret in the presence of sediments, but the contaminating effect of the water column is dependent on the thickness of the water layer. To circumvent these effects and recover source-side structure, we propose using an approach based on transfer function modeling that bypasses receiver functions altogether and estimates crustal properties directly from the waveforms (Frederiksen and Delayney, 2015). Using this approach, reasonable assumptions about the properties of the sedimentary layer can be included in forward calculations of the Green's functions that are convolved with radial waveforms to predict vertical waveforms. Exploration of model space using Monte Carlo-style search and least-square waveform misfits can be performed to

  9. GROUP B STREPTOCOCCUS CIRCUMVENTS NEUTROPHILS AND NEUTROPHIL EXTRACELLULAR TRAPS DURING AMNIOTIC CAVITY INVASION AND PRETERM LABOR

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boldenow, Erica; Gendrin, Claire; Ngo, Lisa; Bierle, Craig; Vornhagen, Jay; Coleman, Michelle; Merillat, Sean; Armistead, Blair; Whidbey, Christopher; Alishetti, Varchita; Santana-Ufret, Veronica; Ogle, Jason; Gough, Michael; Srinouanprachanh, Sengkeo; MacDonald, James W; Bammler, Theo K; Bansal, Aasthaa; Liggitt, H. Denny; Rajagopal, Lakshmi; Waldorf, Kristina M Adams

    2016-01-01

    Preterm birth is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Although microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity (MIAC) is associated with the majority of early preterm births, the temporal events that occur during MIAC and preterm labor are not known. Group B Streptococci (GBS) are β-hemolytic, gram-positive bacteria, which commonly colonize the vagina but have been recovered from the amniotic fluid in preterm birth cases. To understand temporal events that occur during MIAC, we utilized a unique chronically catheterized nonhuman primate model that closely emulates human pregnancy. This model allows monitoring of uterine contractions, timing of MIAC and immune responses during pregnancy-associated infections. Here, we show that adverse outcomes such as preterm labor, MIAC, and fetal sepsis were observed more frequently during infection with hemolytic GBS when compared to nonhemolytic GBS. Although MIAC was associated with systematic progression in chorioamnionitis beginning with chorionic vasculitis and progressing to neutrophilic infiltration, the ability of the GBS hemolytic pigment toxin to induce neutrophil cell death and subvert killing by neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in placental membranes in vivo facilitated MIAC and fetal injury. Furthermore, compared to maternal neutrophils, fetal neutrophils exhibit decreased neutrophil elastase activity and impaired phagocytic functions to GBS. Collectively, our studies demonstrate how a unique bacterial hemolytic lipid toxin enables GBS to circumvent neutrophils and NETs in placental membranes to induce fetal injury and preterm labor. PMID:27819066

  10. Financial burden of household out-of pocket health expenditure in Viet Nam: findings from the National Living Standard Survey 2002-2010.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Minh, Hoang; Kim Phuong, Nguyen Thi; Saksena, Priyanka; James, Chris D; Xu, Ke

    2013-11-01

    In Viet Nam, household direct out-of-pocket (OOP) health expenditure as a share of the total health expenditure has been always high, ranging from 50% to 70%. The high share of OOP expenditure has been linked to different inequity problems such as catastrophic health expenditure (households must reduce their expenditure on other necessities) and impoverishment. This paper aims to examine catastrophic and poverty impacts of household out-of-pocket health expenditure in Viet Nam over time and identify socio-economic indicators associated with them. Data used in this research were obtained from a nationally representative household survey, Viet Nam Living Standard Survey 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010. The findings revealed that there were problems in health care financing in Viet Nam - many households encountered catastrophic health expenditure and/or were pushed into poverty due to health care payments. The issues were pervasive over time. Catastrophic expenditure and impoverishment problems were more common among the households who had more elderly people and those located in rural areas. Importantly, the financial protection aspect of the national health insurance schemes was still modest. Given these findings, more attention is needed on developing methods of financial protection in Viet Nam. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Predicting Long-term Ischemic Events Using Routine Clinical Parameters in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease: The OPT-CAD Risk Score.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Yaling; Chen, Jiyan; Qiu, Miaohan; Li, Yi; Li, Jing; Feng, Yingqing; Qiu, Jian; Meng, Liang; Sun, Yihong; Tao, Guizhou; Wu, Zhaohui; Yang, Chunyu; Guo, Jincheng; Pu, Kui; Chen, Shaoliang; Wang, Xiaozeng

    2018-06-05

    The prognosis of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) at hospital discharge was constantly varying, and post-discharge risk of ischemic events remain a concern. However, risk prediction tools to identify risk of ischemia for these patients has not yet been reported. We sought to develop a scoring system for predicting long-term ischemic events in CAD patients receiving antiplatelet therapy that would be beneficial in appropriate personalized decision-making for these patients. In this prospective Optimal antiPlatelet Therapy for Chinese patients with Coronary Artery Disease (OPT-CAD, NCT01735305) registry, a total of 14,032 patients with CAD receiving at least one kind of antiplatelet agent were enrolled from 107 centers across China, from January 2012 to March 2014. The risk scoring system was developed in a derivation cohort (enrolled initially 10,000 patients in the database) using a logistic regression model and was subsequently tested in a validation cohort (the last 4,032 patients). Points in risk score was assigned based on the multivariable odds ratio of each factor. Ischemic events were defined as the composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction or stroke. Ischemic events occurred in 342 (3.4%) patients in the derivation cohort and 160 (4.0%) patients in the validation cohort during 1-year follow-up. The OPT-CAD score, ranging from 0-257 points, consist of 10 independent risk factors, including age (0-71 points), heart rates (0-36 points), hypertension (0-20 points), prior myocardial infarction (16 points), prior stroke (16 points), renal insufficient (21 points), anemia (19 points), low ejection fraction (22 points), positive cardiac troponin (23 points) and ST-segment deviation (13 points). In predicting 1-year ischemic events, the area under receiver operating characteristics curve were 0.73 and 0.72 in derivation and validation cohort, respectively. The incidences of ischemic events in low- (0-90 points), medium- (91-150 points) and

  12. Sources of ionizing radiation, radioactive or nuclear materials out of control. National system of response in Slovakia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Auxtova, L.; Adamek, P.; Moravecb, R.; Melich, M.

    2003-01-01

    In this paper authors deals with the Customs inspection of radioactive materials - present situation as well as with situation after accession of the Slovak Republic process to European Union (EU). he actual response system to incidents with orphan sources or radioactive material occurring in metal scrap, illicit trafficking and disused sources out of control is laid down on the following scheme. The national strategy is aimed to establish a more effective responding system preventing further illegal trafficking with regard to the acceding process which will require for new member states joining EU proper arrangements in improving the safety of radiation sources over the life-cycle to ensure the effective functioning in the conditions of the Slovak Republic's membership in the European Union

  13. Adverse cardiac events in out-patients initiating clozapine treatment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rohde, C; Polcwiartek, C; Kragholm, K

    2018-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: Using national Danish registers, we estimated rates of clozapine-associated cardiac adverse events. Rates of undiagnosed myocarditis were estimated by exploring causes of death after clozapine initiation. METHOD: Through nationwide health registers, we identified all out-patients initi......OBJECTIVE: Using national Danish registers, we estimated rates of clozapine-associated cardiac adverse events. Rates of undiagnosed myocarditis were estimated by exploring causes of death after clozapine initiation. METHOD: Through nationwide health registers, we identified all out...... the maximum rate of clozapine-associated fatal myocarditis to 0.28%. CONCLUSION: Cardiac adverse effects in Danish out-patients initiating clozapine treatment are extremely rare and these rates appear to be comparable to those observed for other antipsychotic drugs....

  14. Getting the Word Out on the Human Genome Project: A Course for Physicians

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sara L. Tobin

    2004-09-29

    Our project, ''Getting the Word Out on the Human Genome Project: A Course for Physicians,'' presented educational goals to convey the power and promise of the Human Genome Program to a variety of professional, educational, and public audiences. Our initial goal was to provide practicing physicians with a comprehensive multimedia tool to update their skills in the genomic era. We therefore created the multimedia courseware, ''The New Genetics: Courseware for Physicians. Molecular Concepts, Applications, and Ramifications.'' However, as the project moved forward, several unanticipated audiences found the courseware to be useful for instruction and for self-education, so an additional edition of the courseware ''The New Genetics: Medicine and the Human Genome. Molecular Concepts, Applications, and Ramifications'' was published simultaneously with the physician version. At the time that both versions of the courseware were being completed, Stanford's Office of Technology Licensing opted not to commercialize the courseware and offered a license-back agreement if the authors founded a commercial business. The authors thus became closely involved in marketing and sales, and several thousand copies of the courseware have been sold. Surprisingly, the non-physician version has turned out to be more in demand, and this has led us in several new directions, most of which involve undergraduate education. These are discussed in detail in the Report.

  15. Revenge of the Beta Boys: Opting out as an Exercise in Masculinity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, Alicia

    2014-01-01

    This study examines the factors influencing underachieving boys on a high-performing high school campus. Unlike the "laddishness" often seen in studies of underachievement among boys, the boys in this study were quiet, unobtrusive, and compliant within the classroom. Using qualitative interviews and observation conducted over a one-year…

  16. 17 CFR 248.15 - Other exceptions to notice and opt out requirements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... providers and joint marketing do not apply when you disclose nonpublic personal information: (1) With the... related to public safety; (5)(i) To a consumer reporting agency in accordance with the Fair Credit....7(f). Relation to Other Laws; Effective Date ...

  17. [Application of an OPT model in a paediatric nursing clinical case in primary health care].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rifà Ros, Rosa; Pérez Pérez, Isabel

    2011-01-01

    This article describes the assessment and nursing diagnostic hypothesis generation on a 10 years old child with a parietal contusion who attended the health care centre with his mother. The health centre is located in a rural area in Catalonia, and a paediatric nurse was placed in charge of the child. In the assessment and the subsequent information analysis, the nurse identified an unhealthy situation for the correct development of the child. The situation required the mother's intervention and a change in her habits and behaviours. For the approach of the case study, the OPT model (Outcome Present-state Testing) by Pesut and Herdman was used. The assessment was made by using Marjory Gordon's Functional Health Patterns assessment, and the NANDA-I nursing diagnoses taxonomy, NOC Outcomes taxonomy and NIC Interventions taxonomy was used for the diagnoses and planning. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

  18. National Program Initiative to Prevent Illicit Trafficking for Radioactive Materials Out of Regulatory Control at the Border

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suharyanta, S.

    2016-01-01

    The existing function of regulatory authority in a country which use a lot of radioactive sources is important key. The regulatory body has to in a position independence from other operators and nuclear research centre activities, so that their justification on Regulatory objective of safety and security can be achieved. The essential function of regulatory authority has to be represented such as development regulations, perform review and assessment, inspection and enforcement, and emergency preparedness and response functions. Under regulatory object coverage is divided into two clusters i.e. licensed nuclear installation and radiation facilities clusters,. There is other regulatory object is radioactive material out of regulatory control. This kind object is new option in the county and there for need priority policy judgement. This paper will discuss the Regulatory infrastructure and functions and it focused on the experience about National Programme Initiative to Prevent Illicit Trafficking for Radioactive Materials out of Regulatory Control at the Border. Regulatory Infrastructure and Functions. In Indonesia the independent regulatory authority ''called BAPETEN'' has been established since early 2000 based on the Act No. 10 year 1997, independent from operator organization and other nuclear research centre. Organization structure of BAPETEN has defined main divisions dealing with developing regulations, perform review and assessments, inspection and enforcement, and emergency preparedness and response, and also covered assessment function as a backup technical support division as a think-tank functions. Regulatory objects are nuclear installations such as three research reactors, Fuel fabrication facility, Isotope production facility, and waste storage facility for spent fuel and dis-used radioactive sources is running well. Recently, Regulatory of radioactive sources out of regulatory control is a new challenges, they need strengthened

  19. What happens to patients on antiretroviral therapy who transfer out to another facility?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joseph Kwong-Leung Yu

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Long term retention of patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART in Africa's rapidly expanding programmes is said to be 60% at 2 years. Many reports from African ART programmes make little mention of patients who are transferred out to another facility, yet Malawi's national figures show a transfer out of 9%. There is no published information about what happens to patients who transfer-out, but this is important because if they transfer-in and stay alive in these other facilities then national retention figures will be better than previously reported. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Of all patients started on ART over a three year period in Mzuzu Central Hospital, North Region, Malawi, those who transferred out were identified from the ART register and master cards. Clinic staff attempted to trace these patients to determine whether they had transferred in to a new ART facility and their outcome status. There were 805 patients (19% of the total cohort who transferred out, of whom 737 (92% were traced as having transferred in to a new ART facility, with a median time of 1.3 months between transferring-out and transferring-in. Survival probability was superior and deaths were lower in the transfer-out patients compared with those who did not transfer. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: In Mzuzu Central Hospital, patients who transfer-out constitute a large proportion of patients not retained on ART at their original clinic of registration. Good documentation of transfer-outs and transfer-ins are needed to keep track of national outcomes. Furthermore, the current practice of regarding transfer-outs as being double counted in national cohorts and subtracting this number from the total national registrations to get the number of new patients started on ART is correct.

  20. Tongue-Driven Wheelchair Out-Maneuvers the Competition

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... 2, 2014 Tongue-Driven Wheelchair Out-Maneuvers the Competition Researchers funded by the National Institute of Biomedical ... significant step towards vastly improving the independence and quality of life of individuals with tetraplegia, and is ...

  1. A cross-national comparison of the transition out of elite sport of Swiss, Danish and Polish athletes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Küttel, Andreas; Boyle, Eleanor; Christensen, Mette Krogh

    2018-01-01

    The main purpose of this study was to compare the transition out of elite sport of former Swiss, Danish, and Polish athletes in terms of (a) preconditions of retirement, (b) the transitional and adaptation period, and (c) consequences of the transition. The sample consisted of 231 Swiss, 86 Danish...... athletes relocated mainly in jobs connected to the sport and thus rated their previous sport network as more important for finding an occupation compared to Swiss and Danish athletes. Based on our results and in line with findings of previous cross-national studies, we emphasize that it is important...... from the three countries. Athletes differed significantly in their educational level, their athletic identity, and their working experience while active in the sport. Swiss athletes experienced the least distress during the transition, while Polish athletes reported the highest difficulties. Polish...

  2. The ISAM Tool “Objective Provision Tree (OPT)”, for the Identification of the Design Basis and he Construction of the Safety Architecture

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fiorini, G.L., E-mail: gian-luigi.fiorini@orange.fr; Ammirabile, L., E-mail: luca.ammirabile@ec.europa.eu [European Commission - Joint Research Centre Institute for Energy and Transport (Belgium); Ranguelova, V., E-mail: vesselina.ranguelova@ec.europa.eu [European Commission - Joint Research Centre Headquarters, Brussels (Belgium)

    2014-10-15

    The design of the safety architecture of innovative as well as the assessment of existing nuclear systems needs to integrate the constraints related to the safety principles, requirements and objectives. Among these constraints, the compliance of the installation’s architecture with the principles of Defence in Depth (DiD), and its different levels, is certainly one of the most structuring. Defence in depth is the key to achieve safety robustness, thereby helping to ensure that nuclear systems do not exhibit any particularly dominant risk vulnerability. To help designers of innovative systems to correctly implement the defence-in-depth, or to assess how well the latter has been applied for existing reactor systems, the Objection-Provision Tree (OPT) methodology, which is part of the Integrated Safety Assessment Methodology (ISAM) promoted by the Generation IV Risk and Safety Working Group (GIF/RSWG), is suggested as a useful tool to complement the required traditional deterministic and probabilistic safety assessments. The document recalls the content of the OPT method and gives some details for its implementation, including for the systematic identification of the initiating events to be considered in designing the system. This step is essential especially for new systems for which there is no sufficient operational to support their design. The interactions with other tools (e.g. Failure Mode and Effect Analyses (FMEA) or ISAM Tools) are also commented. (author)

  3. Value of recruitment strategies used in a primary care practice-based trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellis, Shellie D; Bertoni, Alain G; Bonds, Denise E; Clinch, C Randall; Balasubramanyam, Aarthi; Blackwell, Caroline; Chen, Haiying; Lischke, Michael; Goff, David C

    2007-05-01

    "Physicians-recruiting-physicians" is the preferred recruitment approach for practice-based research. However, yields are variable; and the approach can be costly and lead to biased, unrepresentative samples. We sought to explore the potential efficiency of alternative methods. We conducted a retrospective analysis of the yield and cost of 10 recruitment strategies used to recruit primary care practices to a randomized trial to improve cardiovascular disease risk factor management. We measured response and recruitment yields and the resources used to estimate the value of each strategy. Providers at recruited practices were surveyed about motivation for participation. Response to 6 opt-in marketing strategies was 0.40% (53/13290), ranging from 0% to 2.86% by strategy; 33.96% (18/53) of responders were recruited to the study. Of those recruited from opt-out strategies, 8.68% joined the study, ranging from 5.35% to 41.67% per strategy. A strategy that combined both opt-in and opt-out approaches resulted in a 51.14% (90/176) response and a 10.80% (19/90) recruitment rate. Cost of recruitment was $613 per recruited practice. Recruitment approaches based on in-person meetings (41.67%), previous relationships (33.33%), and borrowing an Area Health Education Center's established networks (10.80%), yielded the most recruited practices per effort and were most cost efficient. Individual providers who chose to participate were motivated by interest in improving their clinical practice (80.5%); contributing to CVD primary prevention (54.4%); and invigorating their practice with new ideas (42.1%). This analysis provides suggestions for future recruitment efforts and research. Translational studies with limited funds could consider multi-modal recruitment approaches including in-person presentations to practice groups and exploitation of previous relationships, which require the providers to opt-out, and interactive opt-in approaches which rely on borrowed networks. These

  4. National context, parental socialization, and religious belief: Results from 15 nations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kelley, J.; Graaf, N.D. de

    1997-01-01

    How much does a nation's religious environment affect the religious beliefs of its citizens? Do religious nations differfrom secular nations in how beliefs are passed on from generation to generation? To find out, we use data from the 1991 International Social Survey Programme collected in 15

  5. The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration: Cause for National Concern

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Brown, Vicki A

    2007-01-01

    America is a country built on the backbones of immigrants. Unfortunately, to preserve this tradition, the government has allowed individuals to circumvent the immigration system and slip into our borders...

  6. 75 FR 36506 - Final Rule Regarding Amendment of the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program To Extend the...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-28

    ... transaction accounts and risk needless liquidity failures or negatively affect IDI's deposit franchise values... conclude the TAG program. Requests To Opt Into TAG Program/Future Opt Out Provision Three commenters... may not align with future prevailing market rates. Other commenters felt that the reduced interest...

  7. Discontinuation of the peaceful use of nuclear power and a balanced economic situation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lippert, M.

    2002-01-01

    The amendment to the German Atomic Energy Act (AtG) serves to terminate, in a legislative approach, the use of nuclear power for energy generation. The federal government considers the use of nuclear power 'economically unreasonable' irrespective of the fact that nuclear power makes important contributions to the protection of the climate and, above all, to safe, cost-efficient, and non-polluting supplies of power. Opting out of the use of nuclear power raises the question of the consequences this step has for the power economy and the economy as a whole. Giving up nuclear power in electricity generation would affect the objectives of a safe, economic, and non-polluting energy supply. In view of the outstanding importance of energy supply to the whole economy, the - constitutional - question arises whether opting out of the use of nuclear power not only jeopardizes the supply of energy, but may result even in a disruption of the balance of the entire economy in the sense of Art. 109, Para. 2 of the German Basic Law, under which the federation and the federal states are obliged to bear in mind the requirements of a balanced overall economy. In a differentiated interpretation of Article 109, Para. 2 of the Basic Law, the government is required, also outside of budget management aspects, to refrain from measures upsetting the balance of the entire conomy. Inter alia, this could have the consequence of not opting out of the peaceful use of nuclear power. It is up to the competent government agencies to decide on measures to control this development. For this purpose, a number of variants are available which may range between stretching out the period of time of the opt-out procedure and giving up this opt-out altogether. (orig.) [de

  8. Out of the shadows: ‘new’ Peruvian cinema, national identity and political violence

    OpenAIRE

    Barrow, Sarah

    2014-01-01

    In May 1980, just as the Peruvian nation returned officially to democracy after twelve years of military rule, a splinter group of the national pro-Chinese Communist Party, Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path), broke into a polling station in the region of Ayacucho and destroyed the ballot boxes there. This subversive act marked the onset of two decades of violent struggle, a ‘dirty war’ that persisted through three presidencies (Belaúnde, García, Fujimori), including the capture...

  9. Governance Challenges in the Initiatives for Out-of-School Children in Tajikistan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lo, William Yat Wai; Maclean, Rupert

    2015-01-01

    This article discusses the initiatives for out-of-school children in Tajikistan. The Tajik government has published two blueprint documents, namely, the "National Strategy for Education Development 2006-2015" and the "National Strategy for Education Development until 2020," which outlines a national vision for universal access…

  10. DECS tries out instructional materials on AIDS prevention education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1994-01-01

    A national try-out of the newly developed print and non-print instructional materials on AIDS Education is being conducted by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) this school year 1993-to 1994. To determine the effectiveness of these materials, various public and private schools in Region IV (Southern Tagalog), VII (Central Visayas) XI (Southern Mindanao) and National Capital Region (Metro, Manila) were chosen as try-out institutions. The AIDS education materials will be tried out in different subjects in some grade and year levels such as civics and culture (grade one); science and health (grades three and six); home economics and livelihood education (grade five); physical education, health and music (second year) and Pilipino Language (third year). The materials for the elementary level consist of posters, cut-out pictures, voice tapes, jingles, talking books and slides, while the secondary school level utilizes modules. For the tertiary level, a Resource Book on AIDS Prevention Education is used by the Teacher Training Institutions and the Non-Formal Education employs the Facilitator's Guide for Levels I-III. These materials will be tried out in both urban and rural schools, with control school and experimental school at each level. full text

  11. The comparison of the performance of two screening strategies identifying newly-diagnosed HIV during pregnancy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Boer, K.; Smit, C.; Flier, M. van der; Wolf, F. de; Koopmans †, P.P.; Crevel, R. van; Eggink, A.J.; Groot, R. de; Keuter, M.; Post, F.; Ven, A.J.A.M. van der; Warris, A.; et al.,

    2011-01-01

    BACKGROUND: In the Netherlands, a non-selective opt-out instead of a selective opt-in antenatal HIV screening strategy was implemented in 2004. In case of infection, screening was followed by prevention of mother-to-child-transmission (PMTCT). We compared the performance of the two strategies in

  12. 12 CFR 370.5 - Participation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... LIQUIDITY GUARANTEE PROGRAM § 370.5 Participation. (a) Initial period. All eligible entities are covered under the temporary liquidity guarantee program for the period from October 14, 2008, through December 5... banking agency, regarding the management of the temporary liquidity guarantee program. (c) Opt-out and opt...

  13. The Importance of Framing for Consumer Acceptance of the Smart Grid

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Toft, Madeleine Broman; Schuitema, Geertje; Thøgersen, John

    2014-01-01

    at overcoming the temptation to procrastinate and at stimulating a reasoned and deliberate choice process. Hence, when promoting Smart Grid technology to private households an opt-out framing is superior to an opt-in framing both in terms of effectiveness and stimulating a reasoned choice process....

  14. Technological measures of protection in the copyright system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Radovanović Sanja

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Digital exploitation of works often exceed the limit to which the holder can control the exploitation of their intellectual creations, and the protection provided by legal norms are, in the era of a fast exchange of information, may prove to be insufficiently effective. For these reasons, the rights holders are increasingly opting for preventive care through placement of physical obstacles to the exploitation of copyright works, generic called technological protection measures (known as digital right management (DRM. Simultaneously with the development of the application of these measures flows the process of finding ways to circumvent them. Therefore, the effectiveness of technological measures depends on exactly the question of their legal protection, which now exists in most of modern legal systems. However, in the normative solutions there are differences, which reflect the problems in finding adequate forms of protection. They mostly stem from the fact that the sanctioning of circumvention (or preparatory actions of technological measures put into the question the purpose of copyright protection in general. Hence, in this paper we tried to point out the normative solutions accepted in modern legal systems and practical implications of what they have. Conclusion that arises is that the legal shaping of technological measures is not completed and that further technological developments open new dilemmas.

  15. The dark patterns of proxemic sensing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Boring, Sebastian; Greenberg, Saul; Vermeulen, Jo

    2014-01-01

    To be accepted and trusted by the public, proxemic sensing systems must respect people's conception of physical space, make it easy to opt in or out, and benefit users as well as advertisers and other vendors.......To be accepted and trusted by the public, proxemic sensing systems must respect people's conception of physical space, make it easy to opt in or out, and benefit users as well as advertisers and other vendors....

  16. Elastic Deployable Composite Tubular Roll-Out Boom, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Deployable Space Systems (DSS) has developed an affordable and ultra-lightweight elastically self-deployable Roll-Out Boom technology that provides affordability and...

  17. The Ethics of Organ Donor Registration Policies: Nudges and Respect for Autonomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacKay, Douglas; Robinson, Alexandra

    2016-11-01

    Governments must determine the legal procedures by which their residents are registered, or can register, as organ donors. Provided that governments recognize that people have a right to determine what happens to their organs after they die, there are four feasible options to choose from: opt-in, opt-out, mandated active choice, and voluntary active choice. We investigate the ethics of these policies' use of nudges to affect organ donor registration rates. We argue that the use of nudges in this context is morally problematic. It is disrespectful of people's autonomy to take advantage of their cognitive biases since doing so involves bypassing, not engaging, their rational capacities. We conclude that while mandated active choice policies are not problem free-they are coercive, after all-voluntary active choice, opt-in, and opt-out policies are potentially less respectful of people's autonomy since their use of nudges could significantly affect people's decision making.

  18. Coming to Terms with British Euroscepticism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Poul Erik Flyvholm; Isaksson, Maria

    EU bashing has long been the favoured approach to European collaboration by national media outlets and the EU sceptical politicians for whom they serve as an important mouthpiece (Financial Times, 2014). Any economic malady or social curse at home can conveniently be attributed to some allegedly...... the need for close European collaboration. This research takes point of departure in the observation that EU bashing by political leaders appears to generate an equally negatively oriented, if not fear-inducing, rhetoric from the business community, about the adverse consequences of pulling out of the EU....... The expectation is that business leaders will intuitively counter the fear scenarios unfolded in the media by Eurosceptics by employing the same negative vernacular. Thus, we suspect that business leaders voice their concerns about, for instance, national opt-outs from EU treaties, or even a possible European...

  19. Saving Face While Geeking Out: Video Game Testing as a Justification for Learning Computer Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    DiSalvo, Betsy; Guzdial, Mark; Bruckman, Amy; McKlin, Tom

    2014-01-01

    Why would individuals who are capable of learning opt not to? Learning is important for stability and success. It would seem rational that students in groups that are frequently underrepresented or marginalized would be motivated to learn. However, negotiation of multiple identities and self-beliefs can impact motivations to learn. For example,…

  20. Opting Out and Leaning In: The Life Course Employment Profiles of Early Baby Boom Women in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Manglano, Javier

    2015-12-01

    Most literature on female employment focuses on the intersection between women's labor supply and family events such as marriage, divorce, or childbearing. Even when using longitudinal data and methods, most studies estimate average net effects over time and assume homogeneity among women. Less is known about diversity in women's cumulative work patterns over the long run. Using group-based trajectory analysis, I model the employment trajectories of early Baby Boom women in the United States from ages 20 to 54. I find that women in this cohort can be classified in four ideal-type groups: those who were consistently detached from the labor force (21 %), those who gradually increased their market attachment (27 %), those who worked intensely in young adulthood but dropped out of the workforce after midlife (13 %), and those who were steadily employed across midlife (40 %). I then explore a variety of traits associated with membership in each of these groups. I find that (1) the timing of family events (marriage, fertility) helps to distinguish between groups with weak or strong attachment to the labor force in early adulthood; (2) external constraints (workplace discrimination, husband's opposition to wife's work, ill health) explain membership in groups that experienced work trajectory reversals; and (3) individual preferences influence labor supply across women's life course. This analysis reveals a high degree of complexity in women's lifetime working patterns, highlighting the need to understand women's labor supply as a fluid process.

  1. Radioactive fall-out in Norway after the Chernobyl accident

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Skjerve, Eystein [Dept. of Food Hygiene, Norwegian College of Veterinary Medicine (Norway)

    1986-07-01

    During the fall-out from the atmosphere during the fifties and sixties, a system of local control of radioactive contamination of food was built up. (LORACON - LOcal RAdioactivity COntrol). The different Meat and Food Inspection Services were equipped with Geiger Mueller instruments. The system was in operation until late seventies. From 1977 there was no testing and calibration of the instruments. The development towards a reduction of the state of readiness was accelerated when the Norwegian Parliament decided that Norway should not establish any nuclear power plants (1979). Only the universities and special institutions as the National Institute of Radiation Hygiene and the Institute for Energy Technique were still able to analyse on radioactive isotopes. The confusion about how much radioactive fall-out from the Chernobyl reactor accident Norway received lasted for some weeks in Norway. Partially, this was due to the lack of instruments, but also many experts rejected the idea that an accident so far away might cause these amounts of fall-out consisted of Iodine and Cesium. The fall-out followed a very irregular pattern both nationally and locally with the mountain areas in Middle Norway most affected.

  2. Radioactive fall-out in Norway after the Chernobyl accident

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Skjerve, Eystein

    1986-01-01

    During the fall-out from the atmosphere during the fifties and sixties, a system of local control of radioactive contamination of food was built up. (LORACON - LOcal RAdioactivity COntrol). The different Meat and Food Inspection Services were equipped with Geiger Mueller instruments. The system was in operation until late seventies. From 1977 there was no testing and calibration of the instruments. The development towards a reduction of the state of readiness was accelerated when the Norwegian Parliament decided that Norway should not establish any nuclear power plants (1979). Only the universities and special institutions as the National Institute of Radiation Hygiene and the Institute for Energy Technique were still able to analyse on radioactive isotopes. The confusion about how much radioactive fall-out from the Chernobyl reactor accident Norway received lasted for some weeks in Norway. Partially, this was due to the lack of instruments, but also many experts rejected the idea that an accident so far away might cause these amounts of fall-out consisted of Iodine and Cesium. The fall-out followed a very irregular pattern both nationally and locally with the mountain areas in Middle Norway most affected

  3. Can a Repeated Opt-Out Reminder remove hypothetical bias in discrete choice experiments?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Alemu, Mohammed Hussen; Olsen, Søren Bøye

    hypothetical bias in stated DCE. The data originates from a field experiment concerning consumer preferences for a novel food product made from cricket flour. Utilizing a between-subject design with three treatments, we find significantly higher marginal willingness to pay values in hypothetical than...

  4. 12 CFR Appendix C to Part 571 - Model Forms for Opt-Out Notices

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... includes your [income], your [account history with us], and your [credit score]. • Your choice to limit... [income], your [account history with us], and your [credit score]. • Your choice has expired or is about.... Rearranging the order of the references to “your income,” “your account history,” and “your credit score.” 2...

  5. 12 CFR Appendix C to Part 41 - Model Forms for Opt-Out Notices

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... [income], your [account history with us], and your [credit score]. • Your choice to limit marketing offers... history with us], and your [credit score]. • Your choice has expired or is about to expire. To renew your.... Rearranging the order of the references to “your income,” “your account history,” and “your credit score.” 2...

  6. 12 CFR Appendix C to Part 334 - Model Forms for Opt-Out Notices

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... [income], your [account history with us], and your [credit score]. • Your choice to limit marketing offers... history with us], and your [credit score]. • Your choice has expired or is about to expire. To renew your... example: 1. Rearranging the order of the references to “your income,” “your account history,” and “your...

  7. 12 CFR Appendix C to Part 222 - Model Forms for Opt-Out Notices

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... [income], your [account history with us], and your [credit score]. • Your choice to limit marketing offers... history with us], and your [credit score]. • Your choice has expired or is about to expire. To renew your... account history,” and “your credit score.” 2. Substituting other types of information for “income...

  8. 12 CFR Appendix C to Part 717 - Model Forms for Opt-Out Notices

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... with them. This information includes your [income], your [account history with us], and your [credit... [account history with us], and your [credit score]. • Your choice has expired or is about to expire. To... example: 1. Rearranging the order of the references to “your income,” “your account history,” and “your...

  9. 12 CFR 41.23 - Contents of opt-out notice; consolidated and equivalent notices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... equivalent notices. 41.23 Section 41.23 Banks and Banking COMPTROLLER OF THE CURRENCY, DEPARTMENT OF THE... affiliate by name or identify each of the common names used by those affiliates, for example, by stating... card companies and the XYZ insurance companies” (ii) A list of the affiliates or types of affiliates...

  10. After Chernobyl. Possibilities of phasing out nuclear power in Sweden

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1987-01-01

    According to the currently applicable Parliamentary decision, the phasing out of nuclear power in Sweden must be completed by the year 2010. The National Energy Administration has analyzed the following questions. If it were to become evident that operating several or all of the Swedish nuclear power plants entailed serious risks, what possibilities would there be of phasing them out in the short term or over a longer period. And what would the consequences be with regard to the national economy and the environment? First we report the consequences of a rapid phase-out. Here, it is assumed that several or all nuclear plants would be taken out of operation within a period of two years. Available compensatory resources would be limited to more intensive utilization of existing hydropower, back-pressure plants, combined power and heating plants and oil-fired plants. The second alternative is a phase-out in ten years. Moreover, a case is discussed in which phase-out is planned and implemented from 1987 to 2005. Such a plan would provide industry more time to adjust, while a number of alternative techniques and fuels could be used to replace nuclear power. The consequences of the different phase-out alternatives can be described only within a framework of certain assumptions regarding the worldwide development. Important factors here include fuel prices and economic trends. Environmental restrictions comprise another important prerequisite

  11. 12 CFR 205.17 - Requirements for overdraft services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... consumer agrees, electronically, which includes a statement informing the consumer of the right to revoke... explanation of the consumer's right to affirmatively consent to the financial institution's payment of... that the consumer has the right to opt into, or opt out of, the payment of overdrafts under the...

  12. The comparison of the performance of two screening strategies identifying newly-diagnosed HIV during pregnancy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Boer, Kees; Smit, Colette; van der Flier, Michiel; de Wolf, Frank; Bezemer, D. O.; Gras, L. A. J.; Kesselring, A. M.; van Sighem, A. I.; Smit, C.; Zhang, S.; Zaheri, S.; Bronsveld, W.; Hillebrand-Haverkort, M. E.; Prins, J. M.; Branger, J.; Eeftinck Schattenkerk, J. K. M.; Gisolf, J.; Godfried, M. H.; Lange, J. M. A.; Lettinga, K. D.; van der Meer, J. T. M.; Nellen, F. J. B.; van der Poll, T.; Reiss, P.; Ruys, Th A.; Steingrover, R.; van Twillert, G.; Vermeulen, J. N.; Vrouenraets, S. M. E.; van Vugt, M.; Wit, F. W. M. N.; Kuijpers, T. W.; Pajkrt, D.; Scherpbier, H. J.; van Eeden, A.; Brinkman, K.; van den Berk, G. E. L.; Blok, W. L.; Frissen, P. H. J.; Roos, J. C.; Schouten, W. E. M.; Bekendam, D. J.; Weigel, H. M.; Mulder, J. W.; van Gorp, E. C. M.; Wagenaar, J.; Veenstra, J.; Danner, S. A.; van Agtmael, M. A.; Claessen, F. A. P.

    2011-01-01

    In the Netherlands, a non-selective opt-out instead of a selective opt-in antenatal HIV screening strategy was implemented in 2004. In case of infection, screening was followed by prevention of mother-to-child-transmission (PMTCT). We compared the performance of the two strategies in terms of

  13. Trends in nutrient intakes and consumption while eating-out among Korean adults based on Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1998-2012) data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwon, Yong-Seok; Ju, Se-Young

    2014-12-01

    Eating-out among Korean people has become an important part of modern lifestyle due to tremendous growth of the food service industry and various social and economic changes. This study examined trends in meal patterns and meal sources while eating-out among Korean adults aged 19 years and older. Data were from the 1998-2012 KNHNES (Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) by the 24-hour dietary recall method. This study included 55,718 adults aged 19 years and older. For analysis of eating-out frequency, data were categorized by source of meals and serving place. Average frequency of meals consumed away from home increased from 1998 to 2012, although it remained lower than that of meals at home. In addition, male, unmarried, employed, higher educated, and high income individuals more frequently consumed meals away from home. Moreover, sodium intake while eating-out significantly increased from 2,370 mg in 1998 to 2,935 mg in 2012. Lastly, percentage contributions of daily total protein intake, fat intake, and sodium intake from eating-out increased to more than half (53-55%) in 2012 compared with 47-48% in 1998. As eating-out has grown in popularity, greater recognition of public health and nutritional education aimed at promoting healthy food choices is needed. In addition to developing consumer education for overall healthier eating patterns, individuals who are younger, unmarried, higher educated, and males are especially at risk and require attention.

  14. Nationalism, Gender and Welfare

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Siim, Birte; Stoltz, Pauline

    Feminist scholars have pointed out that constructions of gender and gender equality are embedded in national narratives and politics of belonging (Yuval-Davis 2011; Siim & Mokre 2013). This paper aims to explore gendered approaches to nationalism and to discuss how nationalism in Scandinavia is a...

  15. Do PhDs Voluntarily Opt for Private Sector Employment? Evidence of Push and Pull Effects on Mobility Choices

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Heidi Skovgaard

    2014-01-01

    In Denmark, policy makers have increased admissions to PhD programs to ensure the flow of researchers into the private sector, thereby increasing knowledge transfer. However, we know little about the factors influencing the sector mobility of PhD graduates. While opting for employment...... in the private sector might be driven by personal preferences, there might also be external factors pushing PhDs to choose the private sector. This article examines the push and pull effects on mobility choices using duration models to estimate the transition rates to private sector employment. The analyses show...... that the preference for and ability to do academic science reduces transition rates to the private sector, whereas being in a research position and earnings potential are attractors to the private sector. Hence, both push and pull effects determine sector mobility. Once the initial sector choice has been made...

  16. Adaptations of energy metabolism during cerebellar neurogenesis are co-opted in medulloblastoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tech, Katherine; Deshmukh, Mohanish; Gershon, Timothy R

    2015-01-28

    Recent studies show that metabolic patterns typical of cancer cells, including aerobic glycolysis and increased lipogenesis, are not unique to malignancy, but rather originate in physiologic development. In the postnatal brain, where sufficient oxygen for energy metabolism is scrupulously maintained, neural progenitors nevertheless metabolize glucose to lactate and prioritize lipid synthesis over fatty acid oxidation. Medulloblastoma, a cancer of neural progenitors that is the most common malignant brain tumor in children, recapitulates the metabolic phenotype of brain progenitor cells. During the physiologic proliferation of neural progenitors, metabolic enzymes generally associated with malignancy, including Hexokinase 2 (Hk2) and Pyruvate kinase M2 (PkM2) configure energy metabolism to support growth. In these non-malignant cells, expression of Hk2 and PkM2 is driven by transcriptional regulators that are typically identified as oncogenes, including N-myc. Importantly, N-myc continues to drive Hk2 and PkM2 in medulloblastoma. Similarly E2F transcription factors and PPARγ function in both progenitors and medulloblastoma to optimize energy metabolism to support proliferation. These findings show that the "metabolic transformation" that is a hallmark of cancer is not specifically limited to cancer. Rather, metabolic transformation represents a co-opting of developmental programs integral to physiologic growth. Despite their physiologic origins, the molecular mechanisms that mediate metabolic transformation may nevertheless present ideal targets for novel anti-tumor therapy. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Research ethics committee decision-making in relation to an efficient neonatal trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gale, C; Hyde, M J; Modi, N

    2017-07-01

    Randomised controlled trials, a gold-standard approach to reduce uncertainties in clinical practice, are growing in cost and are often slow to recruit. We determined whether methodological approaches to facilitate large, efficient clinical trials were acceptable to UK research ethics committees (RECs). We developed a protocol in collaboration with parents, for a comparative-effectiveness, randomised controlled trial comparing two widely used blood transfusion practices in preterm infants. We incorporated four approaches to improve recruitment and efficiency: (i) point-of-care design using electronic patient records for patient identification, randomisation and data acquisition, (ii) short two-page information sheet; (iii) explicit mention of possible inclusion benefit; (iv) opt-out consent with enrolment as the default. With the support of the UK Health Research Authority, we submitted an identical protocol to 12 UK REC. RECs in the UK. Number of REC granting favourable opinions. The use of electronic patient records was acceptable to all RECs; one REC raised concerns about the short parent information sheet, 10 about inclusion benefit and 9 about opt-out consent. Following responses to queries, nine RECs granted a favourable final opinion and three rejected the application because they considered the opt-out consent process invalid. A majority of RECs in this study consider the use of electronic patient record data, short information sheets, opt-out consent and mention of possible inclusion benefit to be acceptable in neonatal comparative-effectiveness research. We identified a need for guidance for RECs in relation to opt-out consent processes. These methods provide opportunity to facilitate large randomised controlled trials. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  18. The National Qualifications Framework in South Africa and "out-of-School Youth": Problems and Possibilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kgobe, Madumetja

    1997-07-01

    Over the past few years, an initiative called the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) has been unfolding in South Africa. The NQF has as its vision the integration of education and training and the creation of mechanisms through which all learners can receive accreditation for their learning, irrespective of where such learning takes place, and can progress through the education and training system. The passage of the SAQA Act in 1995, and the establishment of the SAQA Board in 1996, provided the framework for the implementation of the NQF. The success or failure of the NQF will depend largely on the extent to which it addresses the major challenges facing South Africa, not only in terms of education and training but also the need to cope with the economic imperatives of society through the conquest of poverty, hunger and unemployment. This paper explores the extent to which the NQF addresses these issues by examining it in relation to "out-of- school youth". The paper begins by providing the background and origins of the NQF. It is argued that the NQF has its origins in a web of interlocking local and international economic, ideological, social and political concerns. The paper then considers some of the key proposals of the NQF for the restructuring of education and training, and finally focus on implications for youth.

  19. Out of the white hole: a holographic origin for the Big Bang

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pourhasan, Razieh; Afshordi, Niayesh; Mann, Robert B.

    2014-01-01

    While most of the singularities of General Relativity are expected to be safely hidden behind event horizons by the cosmic censorship conjecture, we happen to live in the causal future of the classical Big Bang singularity, whose resolution constitutes the active field of early universe cosmology. Could the Big Bang be also hidden behind a causal horizon, making us immune to the decadent impacts of a naked singularity? We describe a braneworld description of cosmology with both 4d induced and 5D bulk gravity (otherwise known as Dvali-Gabadadze-Porati, or DGP model), which exhibits this feature: the universe emerges as a spherical 3-brane out of the formation of a 5D Schwarzschild black hole. In particular, we show that a pressure singularity of the holographic fluid, discovered earlier, happens inside the white hole horizon, and thus need not be real or imply any pathology. Furthermore, we outline a novel mechanism through which any thermal atmosphere for the brane, with comoving temperature of ∼20% of the 5D Planck mass can induce scale-invariant primordial curvature perturbations on the brane, circumventing the need for a separate process (such as cosmic inflation) to explain current cosmological observations. Finally, we note that 5D space-time is asymptotically flat, and thus potentially allows an S-matrix or (after minor modifications) an AdS/CFT description of the cosmological Big Bang

  20. Out of the white hole: a holographic origin for the Big Bang

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pourhasan, Razieh; Afshordi, Niayesh; Mann, Robert B.

    2014-04-01

    While most of the singularities of General Relativity are expected to be safely hidden behind event horizons by the cosmic censorship conjecture, we happen to live in the causal future of the classical Big Bang singularity, whose resolution constitutes the active field of early universe cosmology. Could the Big Bang be also hidden behind a causal horizon, making us immune to the decadent impacts of a naked singularity? We describe a braneworld description of cosmology with both 4d induced and 5D bulk gravity (otherwise known as Dvali-Gabadadze-Porati, or DGP model), which exhibits this feature: the universe emerges as a spherical 3-brane out of the formation of a 5D Schwarzschild black hole. In particular, we show that a pressure singularity of the holographic fluid, discovered earlier, happens inside the white hole horizon, and thus need not be real or imply any pathology. Furthermore, we outline a novel mechanism through which any thermal atmosphere for the brane, with comoving temperature of ~20% of the 5D Planck mass can induce scale-invariant primordial curvature perturbations on the brane, circumventing the need for a separate process (such as cosmic inflation) to explain current cosmological observations. Finally, we note that 5D space-time is asymptotically flat, and thus potentially allows an S-matrix or (after minor modifications) an AdS/CFT description of the cosmological Big Bang.

  1. Out of the white hole: a holographic origin for the Big Bang

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pourhasan, Razieh; Afshordi, Niayesh; Mann, Robert B., E-mail: rpourhasan@perimeterinstitute.ca, E-mail: nafshordi@pitp.ca, E-mail: rbmann@uwaterloo.ca [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave. W., Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1 Canada (Canada)

    2014-04-01

    While most of the singularities of General Relativity are expected to be safely hidden behind event horizons by the cosmic censorship conjecture, we happen to live in the causal future of the classical Big Bang singularity, whose resolution constitutes the active field of early universe cosmology. Could the Big Bang be also hidden behind a causal horizon, making us immune to the decadent impacts of a naked singularity? We describe a braneworld description of cosmology with both 4d induced and 5D bulk gravity (otherwise known as Dvali-Gabadadze-Porati, or DGP model), which exhibits this feature: the universe emerges as a spherical 3-brane out of the formation of a 5D Schwarzschild black hole. In particular, we show that a pressure singularity of the holographic fluid, discovered earlier, happens inside the white hole horizon, and thus need not be real or imply any pathology. Furthermore, we outline a novel mechanism through which any thermal atmosphere for the brane, with comoving temperature of ∼20% of the 5D Planck mass can induce scale-invariant primordial curvature perturbations on the brane, circumventing the need for a separate process (such as cosmic inflation) to explain current cosmological observations. Finally, we note that 5D space-time is asymptotically flat, and thus potentially allows an S-matrix or (after minor modifications) an AdS/CFT description of the cosmological Big Bang.

  2. Chlamydia trachomatis co-opts GBF1 and CERT to acquire host sphingomyelin for distinct roles during intracellular development.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cherilyn A Elwell

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available The strain designated Chlamydia trachomatis serovar that was used for experiments in this paper is Chlamydia muridarum, a species closely related to C. trachomatis (and formerly termed the Mouse Pneumonitis strain of C. trachomatis. [corrected]. The obligate intracellular pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis replicates within a membrane-bound inclusion that acquires host sphingomyelin (SM, a process that is essential for replication as well as inclusion biogenesis. Previous studies demonstrate that SM is acquired by a Brefeldin A (BFA-sensitive vesicular trafficking pathway, although paradoxically, this pathway is dispensable for bacterial replication. This finding suggests that other lipid transport mechanisms are involved in the acquisition of host SM. In this work, we interrogated the role of specific components of BFA-sensitive and BFA-insensitive lipid trafficking pathways to define their contribution in SM acquisition during infection. We found that C. trachomatis hijacks components of both vesicular and non-vesicular lipid trafficking pathways for SM acquisition but that the SM obtained from these separate pathways is being utilized by the pathogen in different ways. We show that C. trachomatis selectively co-opts only one of the three known BFA targets, GBF1, a regulator of Arf1-dependent vesicular trafficking within the early secretory pathway for vesicle-mediated SM acquisition. The Arf1/GBF1-dependent pathway of SM acquisition is essential for inclusion membrane growth and stability but is not required for bacterial replication. In contrast, we show that C. trachomatis co-opts CERT, a lipid transfer protein that is a key component in non-vesicular ER to trans-Golgi trafficking of ceramide (the precursor for SM, for C. trachomatis replication. We demonstrate that C. trachomatis recruits CERT, its ER binding partner, VAP-A, and SM synthases, SMS1 and SMS2, to the inclusion and propose that these proteins establish an on-site SM biosynthetic

  3. National Research Council Research Associateships Program with Methane Hydrates Fellowships Program/National Energy Technology Laboratory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Basques, Eric O. [National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC (United States)

    2014-03-20

    This report summarizes work carried out over the period from July 5, 2005-January 31, 2014. The work was carried out by the National Research Council Research Associateships Program of the National Academies, under the US Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) program. This Technical Report consists of a description of activity from 2005 through 2014, broken out within yearly timeframes, for NRC/NETL Associateships researchers at NETL laboratories which includes individual tenure reports from Associates over this time period. The report also includes individual tenure reports from associates over this time period. The report also includes descriptions of program promotion efforts, a breakdown of the review competitions, awards offered, and Associate's activities during their tenure.

  4. Perineal injuries and birth positions among 2992 women with a low risk pregnancy who opted for a homebirth

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Edqvist, Malin; Blix, Ellen; Hegaard, Hanne K

    2016-01-01

    at home and to compare the prevalence of perineal injuries, SPT and episiotomy in different birth positions in four Nordic countries. METHODS: A population-based prospective cohort study of planned home births in four Nordic countries. To assess medical outcomes a questionnaire completed after birth...... by the attending midwife was used. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis and logistic regression were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Two thousand nine hundred ninety-two women with planned home births, who birthed spontaneously at home or after transfer to hospital, between 2008 and 2013 were included.......26-1.79). Flexible sacrum positions were associated with fewer episiotomies (OR 0.20; CI 95 % 0.10-0.54). CONCLUSION: A low prevalence of SPT and episiotomy was found among women opting for a home birth in four Nordic countries. Women used a variety of birth positions and a majority gave birth in flexible sacrum...

  5. Simplified High-Performance Roll Out Composite Magnetometer Boom, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — In response to NASA's need for compact, low-cost deployable magnetometer booms for CubeSats, Roccor proposes to develop a Simple High-performance Roll-Out Composite...

  6. The Impact of Out-of-Pocket Payments on Health Care Inequity: The Case of National Health Insurance in South Korea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weon-Young Lee

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The global financial crisis of 2008 has led to the reinforcement of patient cost sharing in health care policy. This study aimed to explore the impact of direct out-of pocket payments (OOPs on health care utilization and the resulting financial burden across income groups under the South Korean National Health Insurance (NHI program with universal population coverage. We used the fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHNES-IV and the Korean Household Income and Expenditure Survey (KHIES of 2007, 2008 and 2009. The Horizontal Inequity Index (HIwv and the average unit OOPs were used to measure income-related inequity in the quantitative and qualitative aspects of health care utilization, respectively. For financial burden, the incidence rates of catastrophic health expenditure (CHE were compared across income groups. For outpatient and hospital visits, there was neither pro-poor or pro-rich inequality. The average unit OOPs of the poorest quintile was approximately 75% and 60% of each counterpart in the richest quintile in the outpatient and inpatient services. For the CHE threshold of 40%, the incidence rates were 5.7%, 1.67%, 0.72%, 0.33% and 0.27% in quintiles I (the poorest quintile, II, III, IV and V, respectively. Substantial OOPs under the NHI are disadvantageous, particularly for the lowest income group in terms of health care quality and financial burden.

  7. Have out-of-pocket health care payments risen under free health care policy? The case of Sri Lanka.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pallegedara, Asankha; Grimm, Michael

    2018-04-26

    Compared to its neighbors, Sri Lanka performs well in terms of health. Health care is provided for free in the public sector, yet households' out-of-pocket health expenditures are steadily increasing. We explore whether this increase can be explained by supply shortages and insufficient public health care financing or whether it is rather the result of an income-induced demand for supplementary and higher quality services from the private sector. We focus on total health care expenditures and health care expenditures for specific services such as expenses on private outpatient treatments and expenses on laboratory and other diagnostic services. Overall, we find little indication that limited supply of public health care per se pushes patients into the private sector. Yet income is identified as one key driver of rising health care expenditures, ie, as households get richer, they spend an increasing amount on private services suggesting a dissatisfaction with the quality offered by the public sector. Hence, quality improvements in the public sector seem to be necessary to ensure sustainability of the public health care sector. If the rich and the middle class increasingly opt out of public health care, the willingness to pay taxes to finance the free health care policy will certainly shrink. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. The International Journal of Health Planning and Management published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. Nuclear power and the logic of globalization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weizsaecker, C.C. von

    2000-01-01

    The article discusses effects and results of globalization for nuclear power and other options of electricity generation. According to the present state of knowledge, it will not be possible to meet the growing worldwide energy requirement with fossil and renewable energy sources only - also because of the CO 2 problem. Consequently, nuclear power will remain an important alternative. On an international scale, this applies in particular to large countries, such as China and India, as large national economies particularly benefit from the economies of scale offered by nuclear power. This could well make Chinese nuclear technology a product for the world market. Thinking along these lines has not really gained ground in Germany, as nuclear power, being a technology requiring considerably capital outlay, is considered unsuitable for southern countries. It is an illusion to believe that Germany's opting out of the use of nuclear power could be a model to others. Instead, we are faced by the ethical question of how we can help to minimize the accident risks of nuclear facilities worldwide. We can do so only by maintaining the use of nuclear power and exporting our level of safety, for the risks will not become any smaller merely as a result of our opting out. (orig.) [de

  9. National Integration, Citizenship, Political Participation

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    USER

    attainment of a successful democratization process and national stability. ... insecurity, sectarian violence, ethnic strifes, political instability and threats of .... of nation-states out of disparate socio-economic, religious, ethnic and geographical.

  10. The impact of national traditions and cultures on national foresight processes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Per Dannemand; Rasmussen, Lauge Baungaard

    2014-01-01

    This paper addresses the influence of national traditions, styles or culture on the use of foresight in decision-making processes. Inspired by sociologists’ contributions on national culture, the paper demonstrates that two dimensions of national culture, power distance and uncertainty avoidance......, are useful in the characterisation of the context in which national foresight exercises are carried out. The paper is based on two Danish cases: The Danish Government’s Globalisation Strategy, from 2005, and the Danish Research 2015 process, from 2008, which focus on priority settings for strategic research...

  11. Agency, Social and Healthcare Supports for Adults with Intellectual Disability at the End of Life in Out-of-Home, Non-Institutional Community Residences in Western Nations: A Literature Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moro, Teresa T.; Savage, Teresa A.; Gehlert, Sarah

    2017-01-01

    Background: The nature and quality of end-of-life care received by adults with intellectual disabilities in out-of-home, non-institutional community agency residences in Western nations is not well understood. Method: A range of databases and search engines were used to locate conceptual, clinical and research articles from relevant peer-reviewed…

  12. Does electricity from nuclear power stand a chance in competition?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hohlefelder, W.

    2000-01-01

    Deregulation and the intended opt-out of the peaceful uses of nuclear power have completely changed the economic and political boundary conditions for nuclear power. The future of nuclear power needs to be reassessed on this basis. In doing so, the author arrives at these conclusions: 1. The nuclear power plants existing in Germany enjoy cost advantages in procurement competition. 2. It would be counterproductive, therefore, to give up this advantageous position by opting out, executing the law only with a view to opting out, or creating additional artificial economic burdens. 3. The cost advantage relative to other technologies of power generation is dwindling. This is why consistent cost management is indispensable, but only as long as it does not affect plant safety. 4. If Germany opted out of using nuclear power, 'German' nuclear power, or at least a large part of it, would be replaced by nuclear power from abroad. This adds to the incentive to keep German nuclear power plants in operation as long as possible. 5. Building new nuclear power plants in completely deregulated markets is difficult for economic reasons. There is a onesided swing to one source of energy, namely the most cost effective, least capital intensive source. This entails a major supply risk. Irrespective of the basic decision to deregulate the electricity market, a correction of the boundary conditions imposed politically is to be expected on a medium term so that wrong developments will be avoided. (orig.) [de

  13. Truvada (emtricitabine/tenofovir) pre-exposure prophylaxis roll-out ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Research Council show that women aged 15 - 25 years are most at risk of contracting HIV.[1] This report appears to have been one of the catalysts in prompting the Higher Education and Training HIV/. AIDS Programme (HEAIDS) and the National Department of Health to roll out Truvada to university and college students, ...

  14. Medical research using governments' health claims databases: with or without patients' consent?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, Feng-Jen; Junod, Valérie

    2018-03-01

    Taking advantage of its single-payer, universal insurance system, Taiwan has leveraged its exhaustive database of health claims data for research purposes. Researchers can apply to receive access to pseudonymized (coded) medical data about insured patients, notably their diagnoses, health status and treatments. In view of the strict safeguards implemented, the Taiwanese government considers that this research use does not require patients' consent (either in the form of an opt-in or in the form of an opt-out). A group of non-governmental organizations has challenged this view in the Taiwanese Courts, but to no avail. The present article reviews the arguments both against and in favor of patients' consent for re-use of their data in research. It concludes that offering patients an opt-out would be appropriate as it would best balance the important interests at issue.

  15. "Out of Fear and into Peace" President Eisenhower's Address of the United Nations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mueller, Jean West; Schamel, Wynell Burroughs

    1990-01-01

    Presents a section of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's, "Atoms for Peace," 1953 address to the United Nations General Assembly. Suggests using the document for classroom discussions of nuclear proliferation, emphasizing that using primary sources develops research skills, activates classroom discussions, citizenship, and creative…

  16. Proposal of a national system to supervise nuclear installations out of international safeguards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosa, L.P.

    1990-01-01

    It is proposed a national system to safeguard, supervise and inspect nuclear facilities in Brazil, apart from international safeguards. It discusses also the military nuclear activities and the uranium enrichment plants. The system should be controlled by Brazilian CNEN. (A.C.A.S.)

  17. Play the European card

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Majewski, O.

    1999-01-01

    Dr. Otto Majewski, Chief Executive Officer of the Bayernwerk AG utility, in his capacity as Chairman of the European Nuclear Council pointed out at ENC 98 in Nice that national energy policies constituted a major danger to the use of nuclear power. At the same time, he indicated ways and means by which to evade that danger. The decisions taken in Sweden and in the Federal Republic of Germany to opt out of the use of nuclear power show that national energy policies can seriously jeopardize the use of nuclear power. Bayernwerk CEO Dr. Majewski urged nuclear power plant operators to counteract these tendencies by playing the European card. Nuclear power anyway was a classical topic of European cooperation which, in the past, had resulted in higher safety standards and in the development of the EPR. It should also be attempted, by working on European institutions, to strengthen the use of nuclear power, even on a national level. He invoked economic arguments against nuclear opponents, especially the preservation of competitiveness by means of lower electricity prices, and arguments of climate protection. (orig.) [de

  18. 75 FR 65561 - United Nations Day, 2010

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-26

    ... A Proclamation Sixty-five years ago, 51 nations came together in the aftermath of one of history's... all peoples. The United Nations has made great advances since it first developed out of ruin and... of nations. The United Nations' humanitarian assistance lifts up countless lives, supporting nations...

  19. National Center for Biotechnology Information

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... to NCBI Sign Out NCBI National Center for Biotechnology Information Search database All Databases Assembly Biocollections BioProject ... Search Welcome to NCBI The National Center for Biotechnology Information advances science and health by providing access ...

  20. Equity in out-of-pocket payment in Chile.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mondaca, Alicia Lorena Núñez; Chi, Chunhuei

    2017-05-04

    To assess the distribution of financial burden in Chile, with a focus on the burden and progressivity of out-of-pocket payment. Based on the principle of ability to pay, we explore factors that contribute to inequities in the health system finance and issues about the burden of out-of-pocket payment, as well as the progressivity and redistributive effect of out-of-pocket payment in Chile. Our analysis is based on data from the 2006 National Survey on Satisfaction and Out-of-Pocket Payments. Results from this study indicate evidence of inequity, in spite of the progressivity of the healthcare system. Our analysis also identifies relevant policy variables such as education, insurance system, and method of payment that should be taken into consideration in the ongoing debates and research in improving the Chilean system. In order to reduce the detected disparities among income groups, healthcare priorities should target low-income groups. Furthermore, policies should explore changes in the access to education and its impact on equity.

  1. Impact of partial participation in integrated family planning training on medical knowledge, patient communication and professionalism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steinauer, Jody E; Turk, Jema K; Preskill, Felisa; Devaskar, Sangita; Freedman, Lori; Landy, Uta

    2014-04-01

    Obstetrics and gynecology residency programs are required to provide access to abortion training, but residents can opt out of participating for religious or moral reasons. Quantitative data suggest that most residents who opt out of doing abortions participate and gain skills in other aspects of the family planning training. However, little is known about their experience and perspective. Between June 2010 and June 2011, we conducted semistructured interviews with current and former residents who opted out of some or all of the family planning training at ob-gyn residency programs affiliated with the Kenneth J. Ryan Residency Training Program in Abortion and Family Planning. Residents were either self-identified or were identified by their Ryan Program directors as having opted out of some training. The interviews were transcribed and coded using modified grounded theory. Twenty-six physicians were interviewed by telephone. Interviewees were from geographically diverse programs (35% Midwest, 31% West, 19% South/Southeast and 15% North/Northeast). We identified four dominant themes about their experience: (a) skills valued in the family planning training, (b) improved patient-centered care, (c) changes in attitudes about abortion and (d) miscommunication as a source of negative feelings. Respondents valued the ability to partially participate in the family planning training and identified specific aspects of their training which will impact future patient care. Many of the effects described in the interviews address core competencies in medical knowledge, patient care, communication and professionalism. We recommend that programs offer a spectrum of partial participation in family planning training to all residents, including residents who choose to opt out of doing some or all abortions. Learners who morally object to abortion but participate in training in family planning and abortion, up to their level of comfort, gain clinical and professional skills. We

  2. THE EXPERIENCE OF FORMATION OF ESTABLISHMENTS OF OUT - SCHOOL EDUCATION IN UKRAINE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    KOVALSKA G. L.

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Problem statement. Modern socio-economic conditions set new educational challenges in Ukraine influencing on the town planning aspects of development the network of different types of educational establishments, their location in building, architectural solutions. Ukrainian national model of out-school education is unique and reflects social and national specification of pedagogical development. All integrated innovations should be thoroughly comprehended and analyzed. During the years of development an extensive network of out-school education in the cities of Ukraine has been developed. There is a marked shortage of out-school educational establishments. Youth palaces of old type are not working at present. School clubs are not numerous and depressive with tendency to be totally eliminated. Unfortunately, existing normative base is still insufficient for complete extracurricular establishment network creation. Article’s purpose. To analyze problems, concerning out-school educational network formation and to provide suggestions regarding the calculation of the area of land plot. Conclusions. A number of issues stipulated by lack of appropriate scientific and conceptual works and regulatory parameters while improving of the network of out-school educational establishments arises. The problem areas in the regulatory framework are pointed out and possible solution has been proposed. The earlier a work program, authorized by the general out-school educational development will be formulated, the sooner the network of out-school establishments and improvement of quality of architectural and town planning solutions will be appeared.

  3. Fertility-preservation counselling and treatment for medical reasons: data from a multinational network of over 5000 women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    von Wolff, Michael; Dittrich, Ralf; Liebenthron, Jana; Nawroth, Frank; Schüring, Andreas N; Bruckner, Thomas; Germeyer, Ariane

    2015-11-01

    Fertility-preservation techniques for medical reasons are increasingly offered in national networks. Knowledge of the characteristics of counselled patients and techniques used are essential. The FertiPROTEKT network registry was analysed between 2007 and 2013, and included up to 85 university and non-university centres in Germany, Austria and Switzerland; 5159 women were counselled and 4060 women underwent fertility preservation. In 2013, fertility-preservation counselling for medical reasons increased significantly among nullipara and women aged between 21 and 35 years (n = 1043; P years predominantly opted for GnRH agonists and ovarian tissue cryopreservation; women aged between 20 and 40 years underwent a variety of techniques; and women over 40 years opted for GnRH agonists. The average number of aspirated oocytes per stimulation cycle decreased as age increased (years: 12.9; 31-35 years: 12.3; 36-46: 9.0; > 41 years: 5.7). For ovarian tissue cryopreservation, removal and cryopreservation of fewer than one ovary was preferred and carried out in 97% of cases in 2013. Copyright © 2015 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Weeded Out? Gendered Responses to Failing Calculus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanabria, Tanya; Penner, Andrew

    2017-06-01

    Although women graduate from college at higher rates than men, they remain underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. This study examines whether women react to failing a STEM weed-out course by switching to a non-STEM major and graduating with a bachelor's degree in a non-STEM field. While competitive courses designed to weed out potential STEM majors are often invoked in discussions around why students exit the STEM pipeline, relatively little is known about how women and men react to failing these courses. We use detailed individual-level data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS) Postsecondary Transcript Study (PETS): 1988-2000 to show that women who failed an introductory calculus course are substantially less likely to earn a bachelor's degree in STEM. In doing so, we provide evidence that weed-out course failure might help us to better understand why women are less likely to earn degrees.

  5. Crowd-out of defence and health spending: is Israel different from other industrialised nations?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reeves, Aaron; Stuckler, David

    2013-04-22

    Does high defence spending limit the growth of public health investment? Using comparative data from 31 OECD countries between 1980 and 2010, we find little evidence that defence crowds out public health spending. Whether measured in terms of long-term levels or short-term changes, per capita defence and health spending positively and significantly correlate. To investigate the possibility that countries with high security needs such as Israel exhibit differing patterns, we also compare crowd-out among countries experiencing violent conflicts as well as current high military-spending countries. We observed a greater positive correlation between changes in health and defence spending among conflict-countries (r = 0.65, p military spending countries, Israel's politicians reduced defence spending while increasing health expenditure during its recent recession. These analyses reveal that while Israel's politicians have chronically underinvested in public health, there are modest steps being taken to rectify the country's unique and avoidable crowding out of public health from its high military spending.

  6. Assessment of the 2016 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence high-sensitivity troponin rule-out strategy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greenslade, Jaimi; Cullen, Louise; Than, Martin; Kendall, Jason; Body, Richard; Parsonage, William A; Khattab, Ahmed

    2018-01-01

    Objective We aimed to evaluate the limit of detection of high-sensitivity troponin (hs-cTn) and Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) score combination rule-out strategy suggested within the 2016 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Chest Pain of Recent Onset guidelines and establish the optimal TIMI score threshold for clinical use. Methods A pooled analysis of adult patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain and a non-ischaemic ECG, recruited into six prospective studies, from Australia, New Zealand and the UK. We evaluated the sensitivity of TIMI score thresholds from 0 to 2 alongside hs-cTnT or hs-cTnI for the primary outcome of major adverse cardiac events within 30 days. Results Data were available for 3159 patients for hs-cTnT and 4532 for hs-cTnI, of these 376 (11.9%) and 445 (9.8%) had major adverse cardiac events, respectively. Using a TIMI score of 0, the sensitivity for the primary outcome was 99.5% (95% CI 98.1% to 99.9%) alongside hs-cTnT and 98.9% (97.4% to 99.6%)%) alongside hs-cTnI, identifying 17.9% and 21.0% of patients as low risk, respectively. For a TIMI score ≤1 sensitivity was 98.9% (97.3% to 99.7%)%) alongside hs-cTnT and 98.4% (96.8% to 99.4%)%) alongside hs-cTnI, identifying 28.1% and 35.7% as low risk, respectively. For TIMI≤2, meta-sensitivity was <98% with either assay. Conclusions Our findings support the rule-out strategy suggested by NICE. The TIMI score threshold suggested for clinical use is 0. The proportion of patients identified as low risk (18%–21%) and suitable for early discharge using this threshold may be sufficient to encourage change of practice. Trial registration numbers ADAPT observational study/IMPACT intervention trial ACTRN12611001069943. ADAPT-ADP randomised controlled trial ACTRN12610000766011. EDACS-ADP randomised controlled trial ACTRN12613000745741. TRUST observational study ISRCTN no. 21109279. PMID:28864718

  7. Philanthropy and the nation-state in global health: The Gates Foundation in India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahajan, Manjari

    2017-12-15

    In recent years, philanthropic actors such as the Gates Foundation have been understood as commanding sweeping influence in global health. They have been associated with the outsourcing of public health services, shifting of policy priorities, and the eventual sidelining of national governments. This article makes a different argument about the impact of global philanthropic actors. It focuses on the work of the Gates Foundation in India over the last decade and a half, tracing how the foundation initially circumvented the national government but then moved on to a discourse of partnership. Ironically, after an early discounting of the role of the government, the foundation later sought to transition its programmes to the state. The foundation's evolving trajectory reflects its experiences on the ground and also the difficulties of realising its original ambitions. While the foundation's work in India is marked by ebbs and flows, the state's institutions remain constant. The article argues that there is not always a straightforward marginalisation of the government vis-à-vis global philanthropic actors. Actors such as the Gates Foundation, perceived as enormously powerful in global health institutions in Geneva and New York, may have a far more qualified impact in large developing countries such as India.

  8. Understanding Why Students Drop Out of High School, According to Their Own Reports

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonathan Jacob Doll

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Research on school dropout extends from early 20th-century pioneers until now, marking trends of causes and prevention. However, specific dropout causes reported by students from several nationally representative studies have never been examined together, which, if done, could lead to a better understanding of the dropout problem. Push, pull, and falling out factors provide a framework for understanding dropouts. Push factors include school-consequence on attendance or discipline. Pull factors include out-of-school enticements like jobs and family. Finally, falling out factors refer to disengagement in students not caused by school or outside pulling factors. Since 1966, most nationally representative studies depicted pull factors as ranking the highest. Also, administrators in one study corroborated pull out factors for younger dropouts, not older ones, while most recent research cites push factors as highest overall. One rationale for this change is a response to rising standards from No Child Left Behind (NCLB, which can be ultimately tested only by future dropout research.

  9. Demographic studies of Joshua trees in Mojave Desert National Parks: demography with emphasis on germination and recruitment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esque, T.C.; Reynolds, B.; DeFalco, L.A.; Waitman, B.A.; Hughson, Debra

    2010-01-01

    The study of population change with regard to reproduction, seed dispersal, and germination, establishment, growth, and survival/mortality is known as demography. Demographic studies provide managers with information to assess future trends on the density, distribution, health, and population changes of importance or value, including Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia). Demographic research provides the potential to understand the combined impacts of climate change and land-use practices and determine if strategies for protecting important species are likely to succeed or fall short of management goals and will identify factors that have the potential to de-stabilize populations outside the realm of natural variation so that management strategies can be developed to circumvent challenges for key species, processes, and ecosystems. The National Park Service and US Geological Survey are collaborating to collect demographic information about the demographics of Joshua tree in the Mojave Desert.

  10. Brain cancer associated with environmental lead exposure: evidence from implementation of a National Petrol-Lead Phase-Out Program (PLPOP) in Taiwan between 1979 and 2007.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Wei-Te; Lin, Yu-Jen; Liou, Saou-Hsing; Yang, Chun-Yuh; Cheng, Kuang-Fu; Tsai, Perng-Jy; Wu, Trong-Neng

    2012-04-01

    In 1981, a Petrol-Lead Phase-Out Program (PLPOP) was launched in Taiwan for the abatement of environmental lead emissions. The present study was intended to examine whether the high Petrol-Lead Emission Areas (PLEA) would result in an increase in the incidence rate of brain cancer based on a national data bank. The national brain cancer incidence data was obtained from the Taiwan National Cancer Registry. Age standardized incidence rates were calculated based on the 2000 WHO world standard population, and gasoline consumption data was obtained from the Bureau of Energy. The differences in the trend tests for age-standardized incidence rates of brain cancer between high, median, low, and small PLEA were analyzed. A significant increase was found from small to high PLEA in age-standardized incidence rates of brain cancer. By taking six possible confounders into account, the age-standardized incidence rates for brain cancer were highly correlated with the median and high PLEA by reference to the small PLEA. After being adjusted for a number of relevant confounders, it could be concluded that high PLEA might result in an increase in the incidence rate of brain cancer resulting from high lead exposures. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Final storage of radioactive waste in Germany - progress enforced

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roesel, H.

    1995-01-01

    In the past few years, the peaceful utilization of nuclear power, spent fuel and waste management included, has been severely hampered in Germany out of concern about technical safety. Ultimately, however, the objective is an opt-out nuclear power on political grounds. Advancing the projects to ensure the back end of the fuel cycle must be returned to the responsibility of science and technology and should not be left exclusively in the hands of politicians and lawyers. In the period between 1991 and 1994, the German Federal Government had to issue a total of 24 instructions to federal states seeking to opt-out of nuclear power; only in this way was it possible to continue project work. (orig.) [de

  12. Construction and commissioning of the national synchrotron light source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Galayda, J.N.; Blume, M.

    1985-01-01

    The road from conception to completion of a large facility like the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) is a long and tortuous one. More than fifteen years have passed since the first discussions of a synchrotron radiation source at BNL, and there have been many twists and turns in the process. In putting together an accelerator project like this, there are many critical skills that must be assembled, and budgets, schedules and organizations must be properly examined. The lessons learned in design and commissioning of the NSLS rings may be summarized as follows: (1) the damped emittances expected of a Chasman-Green lattice are attainable at high current, if ion trapping problems can be circumvented; (2) there have been no unexpected effects from the rather strong sextupoles required to correct the chromaticities in this type of lattice; (3) the most important beam instabilities are coupled-bunch, and can be counteracted; and (4) commissioning the NSLS rings was mostly an effort to bring the hardware into conformation with the original ring design; achievement of the specified magnetic fields, injection timing, vacuum, RF voltages, etc. led to ring performance which was easily good enough to begin operation

  13. Economical effect of nuclear power phase out. Swedish selection and dilemma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujime, Kazuya

    1999-01-01

    Now, it is forecast that the nuclear power plant is not planned its new location except Japan and France among advanced industrial nations, and is fated to phase out at least on its duration year (life). In the ''World Energy Outlook, 1998'' of the International Energy Organization and the International Energy Outlook, 1999 of U.S. Department of Energy, it is also described that both capacities and power generations of nuclear power in the world would reduce after passing their peaks from 2010 to 2020. Dr. W.D. Nord house showed concretely in his ''Swedish Nuclear Dilemma'' that the nuclear power phase out brought a large economical loss to Swedish by a quantitative calculation for a question on if an electric source alternative to nuclear power could be obtained without economical loss. He proposed there that the nuclear power phase out brought a huge economical loss, was inconsistent to global warming prohibition policy, and was adequate to abolish only two out of twelve sets of already defuse determined nuclear power plants. It seems to be necessary to re-examine calmly a result of national vote in 1980, and to revise its orbit to more concrete and actual energy and environment political route. (G.K.)

  14. First Nations Power

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Whitehead, K. [Whitby Hydro, ON (Canada)

    2002-07-01

    The partnership involving the First Nations of Southern First Nations Secretariat (SFNS) Economic Development Corporation and private sector companies is called First Nations Power (FNP), and is Aboriginal-owned. Business opportunities in the energy sector marketplace are being pursued through FNP. The member organizations of FNP are listed. Operating out of facilities located at Delaware First Nation in Moranviatown, Ontario, FNP utilizes strategic alliances with proven private sector firms and other First Nation organizations to advance its plans. FNP operates in the following fields: advisory services, energy management, transmission and grid connections, distribution and utility administration, retail of products and services, training and development, and power generation. The various projects include hydraulic and alternative energy sources. The business activities are briefly described, as are the energy projects and special projects. A discussion of the First Nations Power Team concludes this presentation.

  15. Effects of out-of-plane disorder on the superconductivity of Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2-x}La{sub x}CuO{sub 6+{delta}}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roehler, Juergen; Trabant, Christoph; Frielingsdorf, Johanna; Djemour, Rabia [Universitaet Koeln, 50937 Koeln (Germany); Martovitsky, Victor [Lebedev-Institute, 119991 Moscow (Russian Federation); Dudy, Lenart; Dwelk, Helmut; Krapf, Alica [Humboldt Universitaet Berlin, 12489 Berlin (Germany)

    2008-07-01

    The effects of out-of-plane substitutional order/disorder on cuprate superconductivity remains to a large extent an unresolved issue. We have investigated the connection between superconductivity and the lattice effects arising from the heterovalent doping of Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2-x}La{sub x}CuO{sub 6+{delta}}, x = 0.8-0.1. Decreasing lanthanum content tunes the compound through the entire underdoped and overdoped regimes. Cu-K and La- K EXAFS served as local structural probes, and single crystal X-ray diffraction for the determination of the basic unit cell, and the symmetry of the supercell. The oxygen atoms in the CuO{sub 2} planes were found significantly disordered, dependent on doping, and to exhibit minimum disorder around x{sub opt}=0.33. But the degree of substitutional disorder in the out-of-plane La environment turned out independent on the concentration of the La dopants, the superstructure symmetry, and the crystal growth parameters, whereas T{sub c} depends sensitively on them. No evidence was found for possible concentration dependent site changes of the La dopant from the nominal Sr to the Bi sites. We discuss the probably crucial role of the interstitial oxygen atoms for the superconducting properties of the Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2-x}La{sub x}CuO{sub 6+{delta}} system.

  16. The Danish Folketing and EU Affairs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Buskjær Christensen, Mette

    2015-01-01

    crisis of democratic legitimacy, as a shift from the permissive consensus of EU public opinion became apparent. Danish conditions for accession to the Treaty were renegotiated in 1993, resulting in the Edinburgh Compromise in which Denmark obtained four opt-outs. All four opt-outs remain in place today...... significant policy areas of EU cooperation. Denmark has a small, open economy. It became a member of the European Community in 1973, mainly motivated by the economic benefits that could be achieved through free trade in the common market. The Danes, however, have often only reluctantly endorsed the more...

  17. Comparative overview on the result of studies carried through to date

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuebler, K.

    1989-01-01

    The numerous expertises available show that it is not in fact unfeasible technically for the Federal Republic of Germany to opt out of nuclear power. This result is not an unimportant one for politics. But the expertises do not indicate that we should opt out of nuclear power now. In spite of all expertises, a comprehensive appraisal of nuclear power in the Federal Republic of Germany in economic, ecological, and socio-political respects is still lacking. So our political decisions must be taken on the basis of principles of common sense and certain calculating results within relatively narrow system boundaries. (orig/HSCH) [de

  18. Relationship between mean daily energy intake and frequency of consumption of out-of-home meals in the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goffe, Louis; Rushton, Stephen; White, Martin; Adamson, Ashley; Adams, Jean

    2017-09-22

    Out-of-home meals have been characterised as delivering excessively large portions that can lead to high energy intake. Regular consumption is linked to weight gain and diet related diseases. Consumption of out-of-home meals is associated with socio-demographic and anthropometric factors, but the relationship between habitual consumption of such meals and mean daily energy intake has not been studied in both adults and children in the UK. We analysed adult and child data from waves 1-4 of the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey using generalized linear modelling. We investigated whether individuals who report a higher habitual consumption of meals out in a restaurant or café, or takeaway meals at home had a higher mean daily energy intake, as estimated by a four-day food diary, whilst adjusting for key socio-demographic and anthropometric variables. Adults who ate meals out at least weekly had a higher mean daily energy intake consuming 75-104 kcal more per day than those who ate these meals rarely. The equivalent figures for takeaway meals at home were 63-87 kcal. There was no association between energy intake and frequency of consumption of meals out in children. Children who ate takeaway meals at home at least weekly consumed 55-168 kcal more per day than those who ate these meals rarely. Additionally, in children, there was an interaction with socio-economic position, where greater frequency of consumption of takeaway meals was associated with higher mean daily energy intake in those from less affluent households than those from more affluent households. Higher habitual consumption of out-of-home meals is associated with greater mean daily energy intake in the UK. More frequent takeaway meal consumption in adults and children is associated with greater daily energy intake and this effect is greater in children from less affluent households. Interventions seeking to reduce energy content through reformulation or reduction of portion sizes in restaurants

  19. 34 CFR 656.5 - What activities may be carried out?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL RESOURCE CENTERS PROGRAM FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND AREA STUDIES OR FOREIGN LANGUAGE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES General § 656.5 What activities may be carried out? (a... following purposes: (1) Linkage or outreach between foreign language, area studies, and other international...

  20. High-Performance Elastically Self-Deployed Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA), Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Deployable Space Systems (DSS) has developed an ultra-lightweight elastically self-deployable roll-out solar array (ROSA) structural platform that when combined with...

  1. Field Grow-out of Juvenile American Lobsters in Long Island Sound

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Early benthic stage American lobsters, Homarus americanus, were held in a pilot nursery system in Long Island Sound (LIS) to test field grow-out, as a step toward...

  2. The future energy supply in Germany in a common Europe with special emphasis on the role of nuclear power

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kopp, G.

    2003-01-01

    The decision by the red-green federal government to opt out of the use of nuclear power has considerable consequences for the power industry and the national economy of Germany. In addition, there are additional burdens resulting from the Renewable Energies Act and the Cogeneration Act. Besides economic aspects, there are ecological benefits to be considered in favor of nuclear power. In addition to renewable energy sources, it is one of the important sources of energy which are free from CO 2 emissions. In opt-out decision also jeopardizes the role of Germany as a partner in international cooperation, with an acknowledged standard of nuclear know-how and a cutting-edge position in technical safety. The approaches towards a future energy supply system were put into specific terms together with the CDU/CSU within the activities of the parliamentary committee of inquiry on 'sustainable Energy Supply Under Conditions of Globalization and Deregulation'. The growing dependence on external energy sources, and the goals of climate protection, are other important tasks of future energy policy within the European framework. The Green Book by the EU Commission constitutes a remarkable basis for discussion in this respect. Current problems connected with nuclear power should be discussed seriously in order for nuclear power to continue successfully to contribute to energy supply in Europe. (orig.) [de

  3. Cardiovascular risk factors in adult general out-patient clinics in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    national, multisectoral education or risk factor education is needed, should be scaled up nationwide and rolled out in both urban and rural ... 2017 Onyemelukwe et al; licensee African Health Sciences. ... sition associated with a progressive ageing population, as ... ern lifestyles appear to be lost in Nigerians with diabetes.

  4. National, regional, and global sex ratios of infant, child, and under-5 mortality and identification of countries with outlying ratios: a systematic assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alkema, Leontine; Chao, Fengqing; You, Danzhen; Pedersen, Jon; Sawyer, Cheryl C

    2014-09-01

    mortality has decreased since 1990 for the vast majority of countries with outlying sex ratios, the ratios of estimated to expected female mortality did not change substantially for most countries, and worsened for India. Important differences exist between boys and girls with respect to survival up to the age of 5 years. Survival chances tend to improve more rapidly for girls compared with boys as total mortality decreases, with a reversal of this trend at very low infant mortality. For many countries, sex ratios follow this pattern but important exceptions exist. An explanation needs to be sought for selected countries with outlying sex ratios and action should be undertaken if sex discrimination is present. The National University of Singapore and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Copyright © 2014 Alkema et al. Open Access article distributed under the terms of CC BY-NC-SA. Published by .. All rights reserved.

  5. Consent on cadaveric organ donation in Serbian law

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Baturan Luka

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Organ transplantation often presents the only way for efficient treatment of various diseases. According to current legal regulations, in order to use an organ of a deceased person for transplantation, it is necessary that the decedent gave written consent ("opting out model" before death. Under certain circumstances, that consent could be given by close relatives of the decedent, in case that the decedent had not previously explicitly declared that he was against it. These legal regulations do not ensure efficient allocation of scarce goods but they create great social costs. If a legislator accepted "opting in model", the basic assumption for efficient allocation and increase of social welfare would be provided. The first part of the paper presents the legal framework for organ donation in the Republic of Serbia. The problem of insufficient supply of organs is elaborated in the second part. The third part of the paper contains attempts to increase the level of supply of organs through the promotion of transplantation. In the fourth part of the paper, the effects of different legal solutions are compared, and those are opt-in and opt-out models. The fifth section offers an analysis of criminal-law protection in the area of organ transplantation and its effects on potential organ donors.

  6. 2008 annual nuclear technology conference: opting out of the use of nuclear power. German special approach leads into a dead end of energy policy. Conference report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    2008-01-01

    The President of the Deutsches Atomforum, Dr. Walter Hohlefelder, emphasized in his opening address at the 2008 Annual Nuclear Technology Conference in Hamburg that the German special approach to nuclear power utilization led straight into a dead end of energy policy. ''The outcome is foreseeable: The ambitious German goals of carbon dioxide reduction are missed, the competitiveness of the country is jeopardized, dependency on foreign energy imports rises,'' Dr. Hohlefelder stated. In view of the growing challenges in energy policy Germany had no alternative but to reassess nuclear power. The only outcome of this reappraisal could be extension of the life of nuclear power plants currently in operation. This was necessary also in order to avoid an impending gap in German electricity supply, Dr. Hohlefelder added. He invited all stakeholders to join in an open, unbiased dialog. Dr. Hohlefelder openly criticized the continued ban on research into the development of new reactors. ''A policy of this kind, a policy which bans thinking, is unacceptable in a technology-oriented, industrialized nation such as Germany.'' Nuclear power technology as a high-tech area was a unique achievement which had contributed to the prosperity of the country. The Annual Nuclear Technology Conference, which was held for the 39th time this year, is one of the biggest specialized conferences in the nuclear field with an attendance, this year, of approximately 1300 participants from more than twenty nations. (orig.)

  7. Nation and Classical Music

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brincker, Benedikte

    The last book Anthony D. Smith wrote before he died, and which will be published in Spring 2017, has the title Nation and Classical Music. Smith had for a long time been intrigued by the intimate relationship between the nation and classical music. At the most manifest level it involves...... them into their compositions thus challenging the romantic musical style searching for an authentic national musical expression. Against the backdrop of the extensive research carried out by Anthony Smith into the relationship between the nation and classical music, the present paper seeks to add...... cultural centers. In doing this, the paper seeks to unfold how composers channeled musical inspiration embedded in cultural environments that cut across national boundaries into national musical traditions thus catering to specific national audiences. The paper is written as a tribute to a great mentor...

  8. Selection bias in population-based cancer case-control studies due to incomplete sampling frame coverage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walsh, Matthew C; Trentham-Dietz, Amy; Gangnon, Ronald E; Nieto, F Javier; Newcomb, Polly A; Palta, Mari

    2012-06-01

    Increasing numbers of individuals are choosing to opt out of population-based sampling frames due to privacy concerns. This is especially a problem in the selection of controls for case-control studies, as the cases often arise from relatively complete population-based registries, whereas control selection requires a sampling frame. If opt out is also related to risk factors, bias can arise. We linked breast cancer cases who reported having a valid driver's license from the 2004-2008 Wisconsin women's health study (N = 2,988) with a master list of licensed drivers from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WDOT). This master list excludes Wisconsin drivers that requested their information not be sold by the state. Multivariate-adjusted selection probability ratios (SPR) were calculated to estimate potential bias when using this driver's license sampling frame to select controls. A total of 962 cases (32%) had opted out of the WDOT sampling frame. Cases age <40 (SPR = 0.90), income either unreported (SPR = 0.89) or greater than $50,000 (SPR = 0.94), lower parity (SPR = 0.96 per one-child decrease), and hormone use (SPR = 0.93) were significantly less likely to be covered by the WDOT sampling frame (α = 0.05 level). Our results indicate the potential for selection bias due to differential opt out between various demographic and behavioral subgroups of controls. As selection bias may differ by exposure and study base, the assessment of potential bias needs to be ongoing. SPRs can be used to predict the direction of bias when cases and controls stem from different sampling frames in population-based case-control studies.

  9. Individual rights over public good? The future of anthropometric monitoring of school children in the fight against obesity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stubbs, Joanne M; Achat, Helen M

    2009-02-02

    Available evidence indicates that rates of childhood overweight and obesity have been increasing over the past two decades, but inconsistencies between study methods moderate the strength of this evidence. Concomitant health problems and associated costs make it imperative that primary prevention initiatives are introduced to combat the obesity epidemic. Fundamental to informed action is anthropometric monitoring, which if properly implemented will identify changes over time in specific populations to inform policies, practices and services aimed at prevention and treatment. Sample representativeness is essential for valid trend and prevalence data, but efforts to obtain population-based anthropometric data from school children with the required written parental consent have been thwarted by low participation rates. Notable improvements in participation rates when utilising opt-out consent, in which participation is assumed unless otherwise indicated, are evident from local as well as international studies. Opt-out consent can facilitate anthropometric monitoring, delivering a more informed, best-value-for-money response to the obesity epidemic. Health and education ethics committees need to acknowledge the benefits of opt-out consent for "low-risk" anthropometric measurement, which ultimately upholds the individual's rights.

  10. Software packages for food engineering needs

    OpenAIRE

    Abakarov, Alik

    2011-01-01

    The graphic user interface (GUI) software packages “ANNEKs” and “OPT-PROx” are developed to meet food engineering needs. “OPT-RROx” (OPTimal PROfile) is software developed to carry out thermal food processing optimization based on the variable retort temperature processing and global optimization technique. “ANNEKs” (Artificial Neural Network Enzyme Kinetics) is software designed for determining the kinetics of enzyme hydrolysis of protein at different initial reaction parameters based on the...

  11. Augmenting short cheap talk scripts with a repeated opt-out reminder in choice experiment surveys

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ladenburg, Jacob; Olsen, Søren Bøye

    2014-01-01

    find the OOR to significantly reduce total WTP and to some extent also marginal WTP beyond the capability of the CT applied without the OOR. This suggests that the CT practice should be adapted to fit the potentially different decision processes and repeated choices structure of the Choice Experiment...

  12. 12 CFR 573.13 - Exception to opt out requirements for service providers and joint marketing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... this section to a financial institution with which you perform joint marketing, your contractual... products or services or marketing of financial products or services offered pursuant to joint agreements... providers and joint marketing. 573.13 Section 573.13 Banks and Banking OFFICE OF THRIFT SUPERVISION...

  13. 17 CFR 160.13 - Exception to opt out requirements for service providers and joint marketing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... this section may include marketing of your own products or services or marketing of financial products... requirements for service providers and joint marketing. 160.13 Section 160.13 Commodity and Securities Exchanges COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION PRIVACY OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL INFORMATION Exceptions § 160.13...

  14. 12 CFR 332.13 - Exception to opt out requirements for service providers and joint marketing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... this section may include marketing of your own products or services or marketing of financial products... providers and joint marketing. 332.13 Section 332.13 Banks and Banking FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION REGULATIONS AND STATEMENTS OF GENERAL POLICY PRIVACY OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL INFORMATION Exceptions § 332.13...

  15. 16 CFR 313.13 - Exception to opt out requirements for service providers and joint marketing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... this section may include marketing of your own products or services or marketing of financial products... service providers and joint marketing. 313.13 Section 313.13 Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION REGULATIONS UNDER SPECIFIC ACTS OF CONGRESS PRIVACY OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL INFORMATION Exceptions § 313.13...

  16. 12 CFR 216.13 - Exception to opt out requirements for service providers and joint marketing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... this section may include marketing of your own products or services or marketing of financial products... providers and joint marketing. 216.13 Section 216.13 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM PRIVACY OF CONSUMER FINANCIAL INFORMATION (REGULATION P) Exceptions...

  17. 12 CFR 40.13 - Exception to opt out requirements for service providers and joint marketing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... providers and joint marketing. 40.13 Section 40.13 Banks and Banking COMPTROLLER OF THE CURRENCY, DEPARTMENT... performs joint marketing, the bank's contractual agreement with that institution meets the requirements of... include joint marketing. The services a nonaffiliated third party performs for a bank under paragraph (a...

  18. 16 CFR Appendix C to Part 698 - Model Forms for Affiliate Marketing Opt-Out Notices

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... [income], your [account history with us], and your [credit score]. — Your choice to limit marketing offers...], your [account history with us], and your [credit score]. — Your choice has expired or is about to... account history,” and “your credit score.” 2. Substituting other types of information for “income...

  19. Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wissenberg Jørgensen, Mads

    challenges, due to the victim’s physical location, which brings an inherent risk of delay (or altogether absence) of recognition and treatment of cardiac arrest. A low frequency of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation and low 30-day survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were identified nearly ten...... years ago in Denmark. These findings led to several national initiatives to strengthen bystander resuscitation attempts and advance care. Despite these nationwide efforts, it was unknown prior to this project whether these efforts resulted in changes in resuscitation attempts by bystanders and changes...

  20. Out-of-pocket cost of drug abuse consequences: results from Iranian National Mental Health Survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amin-Esmaeili, Masoumeh; Hefazi, Mitra; Radgoodarzi, Reza; Motevalian, Abbas; Sharifi, Vandad; Hajebi, Ahmad; Rahimi-Movaghar, Afarin

    2017-05-01

    Drug abuse has significant cost to the individual, the family and the society. This study aimed to assess out of-pocket costs of consequences of drug use disorder. Data were drawn from the Iranian Mental Health Survey (IranMHS) through face-to-face interviews with 7841 respondents aged 15-64 years. We used a bottom-up cost-ofillness method for economic analysis. Out-of-pocket costs for treatment of mental and drug problems, treatment of medical illnesses, as well as costs of crimes were assessed. The average of total annual expense was US$ 2120.6 for those with drug use disorder, which was 23.5% of annual income of an average Iranian family in the year 2011. The average of total out-of-pocket cost was US$ 674.6 for those with other mental disorder and US$ 421.9 for those with no mental disorder. Catastrophic payment was reported in 47.6% of the patients with drug use disorder and 14.4% of those with other mental disorder. Thus, considerable amount of family resources are spent on the consequences of drug use.

  1. Ways out of the environmental crisis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Irrgang, B.; Klawitter, J.; Seif, K.P.

    1987-01-01

    The book documents the interdisciplinary papers held at a meeting on 'Ways out of the environmental crisis' in November 1985. Guided by the principle of concrete responsibilities emphasis was on the following subjects: Time presses - definition and consequences of the awareness of an imminent environmental catastrophe; air pollution and water pollution recapitulated; economic strategies for the benefit of pollution abatement; ethical and theological aspects; acceptable environmental policies - prospects and perspectives. The papers reflect the relation between the environment, the present generation, posterity, gross national producns and energy consumption, and present a number of scientifically founded alternative strategies. (HSCH) With 16 figs., 1 tab [de

  2. Study of information-orientation carry-out plan in energy sector

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kang, T W [Korea Energy Economics Institute, Euiwang (Korea, Republic of)

    1998-04-01

    Carrying out an information-orientation plan in the energy sector is indispensable if Korea is to survive in this unlimited competition age and global management system. It is also for maximizing the management efficiency of national energy resources as well as increasing the development of related industries and national welfare. The management of the energy resources sector of Korea, which is becoming diversified escaping from the past simple quantitative management of supplier-orientation, requires versatile and ample high-class information management system and high-level decision support system. In order to satisfy these requests, this study investigated and analyzed overall policies of the energy sector for carrying out information-orientation, neighborhood environment, organizational chart, information transfer method, the current condition of information-orientation, problems and improvements, demand of information-orientation of the future, and also reviewed the information-orientation status of advanced countries. Based on these, an information-orientation carryout plan in the energy sector is broken into three stages of `establishment of information transfer system`, `development of database`, and `establishment of decision support system` and presented per detailed work. It advised manpower, equipment and budget implementation plan, and a development schedule plan required for carrying out information-orientation as well as overall environmental build-up, and policy recommendation for the successful implementation of information-orientation. 24 refs., 27 figs., 15 tabs.

  3. The UK National Health Service's 'innovation agenda': lessons on commercialisation and trust.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sterckx, Sigrid; Cockbain, Julian

    2014-01-01

    The UK National Health Service (the 'NHS'), encouraged by the 2011 report Innovation Health and Wealth, Accelerating Adoption and Diffusion in the NHS, and empowered by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, is in the process of adopting a new agenda for stimulating innovation in healthcare. For this, the bodies, body materials, and confidential health information of NHS patients may be co-opted. We explain why this brings the NHS into a moral conflict with its basic goal of providing a universal healthcare service. Putting NHS databases at the disposal of industry, without addressing ethical concerns regarding the privacy, autonomy, and moral integrity of patients and without requiring a 'kick-back' to enhance the service that the NHS provides, is inappropriate. As this article shows, with reference to the commercial arena of direct-to-consumer genetic testing, it is crucial that patient and public trust in the NHS is not eroded. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  4. Use of social media to circumvent sales and advertising ban of electronic cigarettes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Murat Güner

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Background There are no legal electronic cigarette products available in Turkey. According to the law whether including tobacco or not products that resemble tobacco products can not be advertised, promoted and sold through internet.However the use of electronic cigarettes are frequently observed. This study was carried out in order to find out the sales outlet and advertising media of the publicly available products. Methods Internet search of the key words "e-cigarettes and electronic cigarettes" in Turkish language was carried out . The survey of the forum and websites identified were further analyzed to detect the presence of advertising, promotion and trading elements. Results There were 94 websites and one social forum with 69,354 members on electronic cigarettes in Turkish language. Of the websites 95 % had advertising and facilitated online sales. Social media forum had a section for beginners which was accessible by non-member, containing information about the device, liquids and usage. Under the heading" starter kit for beginners" 143 brands were promoted. The suppliers were introduced under 74 headings and 44774 messages. 25 suppliers sold e-cigarettes through the forum by 221 various advertising. Online shopping section was consisted of 1990 topics and 179.100 messages. The forum also facilitated exchange of products between members, as well as international sales without customs. All the websites had Turkish domain names and used regular shipping companies for the delivery of the products. The social media forum had an international hosting. Advertising contained false claims about the safety of the products referring to reputable international organizations.Social media forum provided home-made recipes and the names and adresses of chemical supplier companies. Conclusions Social media was extensively used for the sale and advertising of electronic cigarettes that were not licenced in Turkey. Laws need to be enforced not only in

  5. Getting out what we put in: productivity of the English National Health Service.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castelli, Adriana; Laudicella, Mauro; Street, Andrew; Ward, Padraic

    2011-07-01

    Many countries are incorporating direct measures of non-market outputs in the national accounts. For any particular output to be included there has to be data about it for two adjacent periods. This is problematic because the classification of non-market outputs is often subject to wholesale revision. We outline the challenges associated with classification changes and propose a solution. To illustrate we construct output and input indices and estimate productivity growth of the English National Health Service (NHS) for the period 2003-2004 to 2007-2008. Our index of output growth incorporates all care provided to NHS patients and captures improvements in survival rates, waiting times and disease management. We find that more patients are being treated and the quality of the care they receive has been improving. We implement our approach to dealing with changes as to how health services are defined and show what effect this has on estimates of output growth. Our index of input growth captures all labour, intermediate and capital inputs into health service production and we improve on how capital has been measured in the past. Inputs have increased over time but there has also been a slowdown since 2005-2006, primarily the result of a levelling off in staff recruitment and less reliance on the use of agency staff. Productivity is assessed by comparing output growth with growth in inputs, the net effect being constant productivity growth between 2003-2004 and 2007-2008.

  6. Interviewing Ghanaian Educational Elites: Strategies for Access, Commitment, and Engagement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hope Pius Nudzor

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available A review of the research methodology literature suggests that owing to the difficulty of gaining access to and obtaining commitments from elites, social scientists less frequently use them as research respondents, opting instead to investigate those over whom power is exercised. This article provides insights into some intricacies of elite interviewing. It recounts the experience of a novice researcher in his quest to gain access to and interview elite individuals within the Ghanaian educational system for his PhD thesis. In the process, the article sheds light on strategies and techniques (related to interviewee identification, scheduling, and researcher preparation for the interview, as well as rapport establishment with potential interviewees that are helpful as toolkits in ensuring that elite interview processes are not unduly derailed. The article argues that the strategies discussed are useful for circumventing formalised and “public relations” responses, which elites tend to communicate with the press and public.

  7. Territorial Contradictions of the Rise of China: Geopolitics, Nationalism and Hegemony in Comparative-Historical Perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sahan Savas Karatasli

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available There is debate in the literature regarding whether China can become a new world hegemonic power in the 21st century. Most existing analyses focus on economic aspects of world hegemony-building processes and ignore its macro-political dimensions. This article starts with the premise that reshaping the geopolitical configuration of the inter-state system is an important part of world hegemony-building processes. One of the ways in which previous and current world hegemonic powers established their world hegemonies was through the inclusion of new nations by co-opting, supporting or sometimes selectively leading a section of nationalist movements into independence. Our comparative analysis shows that, as of now, contemporary China has not been following this historical pattern. Compared to Mao-era China, which was perceived as a champion of national liberation—at least when colonial and semi-colonial areas were at stake—today’s People’s Republic of China (PRC is emerging as a champion of the global geo-political status quo. The current Chinese government is not actively pursuing the transformation of the inter-state system or seeking to create instabilities at different levels. This is because, unlike previous and current world hegemonic powers, during its rise to global preeminence, Chinese territorial integrity has been challenged due to rapid escalation of nationalist/secessionist movements within its own state boundaries. Hence, the PRC's foreign policy has consistently been concerned with creating and preserving macro-political stability at national and international levels.

  8. Atomic energy law after the opt-out. Alive and fascinating. Report about the 14th German atomic energy law symposium 2012

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leidinger, Tobias

    2013-01-01

    Atomic energy law remains a living, fascinating subject matter. Nearly 200 participants were convinced of this impression at the 14 th German Atomic Energy Law Symposium held in Berlin on November 19-20, 2012. Under the scientific chairmanship of Professor Dr. Martin Burgi, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), after an interruption of 5 years, again organized a scientific conference about practice-related topics of atomic energy and radiation protection law. Atomic energy law once again proved to be a reference area for sophisticated issues of constitutional law and administrative law above and beyond its technical confines. The agenda of the 14 th German Atomic Energy Law Symposium featured a broad spectrum of topics ranging from backfitting of nuclear power plants to European atomic energy and radiation protection law, to challenges facing national legal systems in the execution of atomic energy law, to legal issues connected with decommissioning and waste management, and on to the topical subject of finding a repository site. The 14 th German Atomic Energy Law Symposium, on the whole, again demonstrated that an open discourse between science and practice is able to furnish important contributions to the implementation of laws in a balanced way rooted in practice. Especially the contributions dealing with the independence of public authorities and their organization, the doctrine of the reservation of functions of the executive branch, and planning by laws contain additional provisions able to influence the continued development of administrative law also above and beyond atomic energy law. The BMU also referred to a decision just heard from Brussels to the effect that a new European Safety Directive would be published as early as in 2013. As a consequence of the nuclear stress tests conducted EU-wide, the Directive is to lay down provisions about transparency

  9. Eating out in Spain: Motivations, sociability and consumer contexts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Díaz-Méndez, Cecilia; García-Espejo, Isabel

    2017-12-01

    Eating out is a consumer practice which is difficult to define. The study of this practice has traditionally been based on the work/leisure dichotomy. However, in Spain this is not so clear. If we analyse profiles, motivations, places and relationships, we discover an eating-out food model which is specific to Spain and in which food is not limited by this dual link with work and leisure. Eating linked to work does not respond only to instrumental needs. Leisure eating is not always a choice based on preference. Both contain a strong element of sociability which acts as a motivator and are linked to the familisme of Spanish society, whilst at the same time de-routinizing daily life, both at home and at work. This study is based on a national survey carried out in 2014 and helps to understand this consumer practice and those elements which are specific to Spain. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Four generations in a family with neurofibromatosis 1: precocious puberty and optic nerve tumor (OPT).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gucev, Z; Krstevska-Konstantinova, M; Tasic, V; Jancevska, A; Kirovski, I; Pop-Jordanova, N

    2010-01-01

    Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant disorder with varied clinical manifestations. The proband is a 6-year-old boy with signs of precocious puberty. His penis was 10 cm, testicles 8 ml, pubic hair P2-3, and the genital skin was hyperpigmented. Multiple cafe au lait spots well above 5 mm were noticeable on his skin, as well as hard subcutaneous nodules, mostly on his trunk. His intelligence and hearing are normal. He has no history of seizures. Laboratory analysis showed: LH LH 1.4 mIU/ml, FSH 6.2 mIU/ml, testosterone 183 ng/ml. Bone age was 9 years. LHRH stimulation was characteristic of true precocious puberty (LH 9.8 mIU/ml and FSH 8.9 mIU/ml after 30 minutes). The MRI of the brain showed a tumor of the suprasellar region with compression of the pituitary stalk. At present the boy is 6 years old and has been treated with triptoreline acetate for 3 months. The volume of the testicles has decreased to 7 ml and a slight loss of pubic hair was noted. In addition, his mother and his grandfather exhibited dermal masses, and focal cutaneous and subcutaneous growths. The great-grand father had had the same cutaneous changes and died at the age of 75 from unrelated causes. It has already been well documented that NF is associated with an increased risk of malignancy and precocious puberty. Hence, we emphasize the need for a close and regular clinical follow-up of the OPT, puberty and patterns of growth.

  11. Understanding the factors that influence high science achievers' academic choices and intent to pursue or opt out of the hard sciences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quihuis, Gisell

    Drawing on Eccles and her colleagues' Expectancy-Value model of academic behavior and choice, this dissertation study set out to serve three purposes: (1) to understand how high achieving high school students who aspire to science college degrees compare, in terms of motivational beliefs and social experiences, with other high achievers who do not aspire to science college degrees; (2) to understand why some high school students who excel in the hard sciences are unsure about pursuing a science degree in college; and (3) to examine whether gender differences in motivational beliefs and social experiences found in previous research on math (see Eccles 1984) exist for science among high achieving high school students. Survey and interview data showed that gender differences previously found in Eccles' research on math exist for science among a select group of high achieving high school students. Yet, these gender differences did not explain students' aspirations for science. Motivation, classroom perceptions, science engagement, as well as other science-related experiences at home and school, including parent and teacher influences, were also important factors associated with students' aspirations for science. Results and implications for this study are encouraging because they suggest that both parents and educators can help more high achievers become interested in science. Parents can expose their children, male and female alike, to science at home early on in their childhood and teachers can help students sustain and further develop an interest in science at school. In this manner, both parents and teachers can work together as a team to encourage more high achievers to aspire to science degrees in their future. Lastly, it is important to note that this study found Eccles' model of motivation and choice helpful in understanding not only gender differences in math and the hard sciences, but also aspiration differences that cut across gender among students

  12. Drop-out from a drug treatment clinic and associated reasons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoseinie, Leila; Gholami, Zhaleh; Shadloo, Behrang; Mokri, Azarakhsh; Amin-Esmaeili, Masoumeh; Rahimi-Movaghar, Afarin

    2017-05-01

    The aim of this study was to assess drop-out rates and associated reasons among patients at the Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies (INCAS) clinic. In a one-year period (April 2014 to March 2015), all patients with drug dependence who had been referred for treatment and attended for a first assessment were included in this study (N=242). Those who received treatment were followed until March 2016. Survival analysis showed that 70.2% had dropped out from treatment. Log rank test showed that treatment drop-out rates differed between the different approaches used (P < 0.001), with the lowest slope inbuprenorphine maintenance treatment and the highest in the detoxification programme. Drop-out rates within the first three months was 62% (SE= 0.05) and 82.4% (SE=0.03) for opioids and stimulants dependence, respectively. Analyses were performed using SPSS (Version 21.0) and STATA software, (version 13.0). From the patients' perspective, motivational inconsistencies were considered as the main reason for not starting or leaving treatment. The findings of this study could give service providers a better grasp of drop-out rates and the associated reasons.

  13. Personal professional indemnity and contractual issues for trainees in obstetrics and gynaecology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chatterjee, J; Datta, S; Butt, S; Harpwood, V

    2013-02-01

    Over the last few decades, more healthcare professionals have faced investigation into complaints about medical care and healthcare outcomes (Department of Health 2003). With increasing medical negligence cases being brought against doctors, it is time to carefully consider the implications of such actions to ensure appropriate safeguards (Ferner and McDowell 2006). At a time when the culture of 'no win, no fee' is rampant, the jobbing frontline doctor is on the back-foot trying to untangle the legalities of a malpractice claim (Ferner and McDowell 2006). Reassuringly, the numbers of doctors referred to the GMC or having to face legal procedures or claims for compensation are still very small (National Audit Office 2001). An essential issue for all doctors is having appropriate indemnity cover in the event that their practice is challenged. The opt-out for the European Working Time Regulations (EWTR) has caused further confusion as to what is covered for junior doctors by individual indemnity policies and the employer's liability scheme. Recently, the RCOG Trainees committee and the BMA Junior Doctors Association issued a joint advice regarding this issue (RCOG 2010). In this paper, we consider the differences in cover provided by the employer's liability scheme, individual professional indemnity schemes and the role of professional bodies. We also seek to clarify the understanding of these surrounding EWTR and the voluntary opt-out clause and provide up-to-date information on medico-legal issues and protection schemes regarding legal liabilities.

  14. 3D Printing and Digital Rock Physics for Geomaterials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinez, M. J.; Yoon, H.; Dewers, T. A.

    2015-12-01

    Imaging techniques for the analysis of porous structures have revolutionized our ability to quantitatively characterize geomaterials. Digital representations of rock from CT images and physics modeling based on these pore structures provide the opportunity to further advance our quantitative understanding of fluid flow, geomechanics, and geochemistry, and the emergence of coupled behaviors. Additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, has revolutionized production of custom parts with complex internal geometries. For the geosciences, recent advances in 3D printing technology may be co-opted to print reproducible porous structures derived from CT-imaging of actual rocks for experimental testing. The use of 3D printed microstructure allows us to surmount typical problems associated with sample-to-sample heterogeneity that plague rock physics testing and to test material response independent from pore-structure variability. Together, imaging, digital rocks and 3D printing potentially enables a new workflow for understanding coupled geophysical processes in a real, but well-defined setting circumventing typical issues associated with reproducibility, enabling full characterization and thus connection of physical phenomena to structure. In this talk we will discuss the possibilities that these technologies can bring to geosciences and present early experiences with coupled multiscale experimental and numerical analysis using 3D printed fractured rock specimens. In particular, we discuss the processes of selection and printing of transparent fractured specimens based on 3D reconstruction of micro-fractured rock to study fluid flow characterization and manipulation. Micro-particle image velocimetry is used to directly visualize 3D single and multiphase flow velocity in 3D fracture networks. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U

  15. 3D Printing and Digital Rock Physics for the Geosciences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinez, M. J.; Yoon, H.; Dewers, T. A.

    2014-12-01

    Imaging techniques for the analysis of porous structures have revolutionized our ability to quantitatively characterize geomaterials. For example, digital representations of rock from CT images and physics modeling based on these pore structures provide the opportunity to further advance our quantitative understanding of fluid flow, geomechanics, and geochemistry, and the emergence of coupled behaviors. Additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, has revolutionized production of custom parts, to the point where parts might be cheaper to print than to make by traditional means in a plant and ship. Some key benefits of additive manufacturing include short lead times, complex shapes, parts on demand, zero required inventory and less material waste. Even subtractive processing, such as milling and etching, may be economized by additive manufacturing. For the geosciences, recent advances in 3D printing technology may be co-opted to print reproducible porous structures derived from CT-imaging of actual rocks for experimental testing. The use of 3D printed microstructure allows us to surmount typical problems associated with sample-to-sample heterogeneity that plague rock physics testing and to test material response independent from pore-structure variability. Together, imaging, digital rocks and 3D printing potentially enables a new workflow for understanding coupled geophysical processes in a real, but well-defined setting circumventing typical issues associated with reproducibility, enabling full characterization and thus connection of physical phenomena to structure. In this talk we will discuss the possibilities that the marriage of these technologies can bring to geosciences, including examples from our current research initiatives in developing constitutive laws for transport and geomechanics via digital rock physics. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of

  16. Obstacle circumvention and eye coordination during walking to least and most affected side in people with Parkinson's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barbieri, Fabio Augusto; Polastri, Paula Favaro; Gobbi, Lilian Teresa Bucken; Simieli, Lucas; Pereira, Vinicius Ignácio Alota; Baptista, André Macari; Moretto, Gabriel Felipe; Fiorelli, Carolina Menezes; Imaizumi, Luis Felipe Itikawa; Rodrigues, Sérgio Tosi

    2018-07-02

    The mechanisms that contribute to gait asymmetry in people with Parkinson's disease (PD) are unclear, mainly during gait with greater environmental demand, such as when an obstacle is circumvented while walking. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of obstacle circumvention of the least and most affected side on motor and gaze behavior in people with PD under/without the effects of dopaminergic medication. Fifteen people with PD and 15 matched-control individuals were instructed to walk along a pathway, at a self-selected velocity, and to circumvent an obstacle, avoiding contact with it. Each participant performed five trials for each side. Kinematic parameters, mediolateral and horizontal body clearance to the obstacle, strategy to circumvent the obstacle, and gaze behavior were calculated. Parameters were grouped according to the side that the obstacle was circumvented and compared by three-way ANOVAs. Both people with PD and the control group presented asymmetry to circumvent an obstacle during walking, however this was exacerbated in people with PD. Individuals with PD presented safe strategies (largest mediolateral and horizontal body clearance to the obstacle, "lead-out" strategy, and higher number and time of fixations on the obstacle) during obstacle circumvention for the least affected side compared to the most affected side. In addition, positive effects of dopaminergic medication on body clearance, spatial-temporal parameters, and gaze behavior were evidenced only when the obstacle was circumvented to the least affected side. The obstacle circumvention to the most affected side is risky for people with PD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Stepping out of the caveman's shadow: nations' gender gap predicts degree of sex differentiation in mate preferences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zentner, Marcel; Mitura, Klaudia

    2012-10-01

    An influential explanation for gender differences in mating strategies is that the sex-specific reproductive constraints faced by human ancestors shaped these differences. Other theorists have emphasized the role of societal factors, hypothesizing, for example, that gender differences in mate preferences should wane in gender-equal societies. However, findings have been ambiguous. Using recent data and a novel measure of gender equality, we revisited the role of gender parity in gender differentiation for mate preferences. In the first study, 3,177 participants from 10 nations with a gradually decreasing Global Gender Gap Index (GGI) provided online ratings of the desirability of mate attributes with reportedly evolutionary origins. In the second study, GGI scores were related to gender differences in mate preferences previously reported for 8,953 participants from 31 nations (Buss, 1989). Both studies show that gender differences in mate preferences with presumed evolutionary roots decline proportionally to increases in nations' gender parity.

  18. Judicial civil procedure dragging out in Kosovo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rrustem Qehaja

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available This article tends to deal with one of the most worrying issues in the judicial system of Kosovo the problem of judicial civil procedure dragging out. The article analyses the reasons of these dragging outs of the judicial civil procedure focusing on the context of one of the basic procedural principles in civil procedure-the principle of economy or efficiency in the courts. Dragging out of civil procedure in Kosovo has put in question not only the basic principles of civil procedure, but it also challenges the general principles related to human rights and freedoms sanctioned not only by the highest legal act of the country, but also with international treaties. The article tends to give a reflection to the most important reasons that effect and influence in these dragging outs of civil procedure, as well as, at the same time aims to give the necessary alternatives to pass through them by identifying dilemmas within the judicial practice. As a result, the motives of this scientific paper are exactly focused at the same time on identifying the dilemmas, as well as presenting ideas, to overstep them, including the judicial practice of the European Court of Human Rights on Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, by which it is given the possibility to offering people efficient and within a reasonable time legal protection of their rights before national courts. For these reasons, the paper elaborates this issue based on both, the legal theory and judicial practice.

  19. Nuclear safety research in HGF 2012

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    2013-01-01

    After the events at the Japanese nuclear power plant of Fukushima Daiichi, the German Federal government decided that Germany will give up electricity generation from nuclear power within a decade. The last reactor will be disconnected from the power grid in 2022. Helping to make this opt-out safe is one of the duties of the Helmholtz Association with its Nuclear Safety Research Program within the Energy Research Area. Also the demolition of nuclear power plants and the repository problem will keep society, and thus also research, busy for a number of decades to come. Giving up electricity production from nuclear power thus must not mean giving up the required nuclear technology competences. In the fields of reactor safety, demolition, final storage, radiation protection, and crisis management, in critical support of international developments, and for competent evaluation of nuclear facilities around Germany, these competences will be in demand far beyond the German opt-out. This is the reason why the final report by the Ethics Committee on 'Safe Energy Supply' emphasizes the importance of nuclear technology research. Close cooperation on national, European and international levels is indispensable in this effort. Also nuclear safety research in the Helmholtz Association is aligned with the challenges posed by the opt-out of the use of nuclear power. It is important that the high competences in the areas of plant safety and demolition, handling of radioactive waste, and safe final storage as well as radiation protection be preserved. The Nuclear Safety Research Program within the Energy Research Area of the Helmholtz Association therefore will continue studying scientific and technical aspects of the safety of nuclear reactors and the safety of nuclear waste management. These research activities are provident research conducted for society and must be preserved for a long period of time. The work is closely harmonized with the activities of the partners in the

  20. Nuclear safety research in HGF 2012; Fortschrittsbericht 2012. Programm 'Nukleare Sicherheitsforschung' Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anon.

    2013-06-15

    After the events at the Japanese nuclear power plant of Fukushima Daiichi, the German Federal government decided that Germany will give up electricity generation from nuclear power within a decade. The last reactor will be disconnected from the power grid in 2022. Helping to make this opt-out safe is one of the duties of the Helmholtz Association with its Nuclear Safety Research Program within the Energy Research Area. Also the demolition of nuclear power plants and the repository problem will keep society, and thus also research, busy for a number of decades to come. Giving up electricity production from nuclear power thus must not mean giving up the required nuclear technology competences. In the fields of reactor safety, demolition, final storage, radiation protection, and crisis management, in critical support of international developments, and for competent evaluation of nuclear facilities around Germany, these competences will be in demand far beyond the German opt-out. This is the reason why the final report by the Ethics Committee on 'Safe Energy Supply' emphasizes the importance of nuclear technology research. Close cooperation on national, European and international levels is indispensable in this effort. Also nuclear safety research in the Helmholtz Association is aligned with the challenges posed by the opt-out of the use of nuclear power. It is important that the high competences in the areas of plant safety and demolition, handling of radioactive waste, and safe final storage as well as radiation protection be preserved. The Nuclear Safety Research Program within the Energy Research Area of the Helmholtz Association therefore will continue studying scientific and technical aspects of the safety of nuclear reactors and the safety of nuclear waste management. These research activities are provident research conducted for society and must be preserved for a long period of time. The work is closely harmonized with the activities of the partners

  1. PATTERNS OF DOMINANCE OF LANGUAGE VITALITIES AMONG MALAYSIAN STUDENTS IN PRIMARY NATIONAL-TYPE AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soo Ying How

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Multilingualism is embedded in the Malaysian Education Blueprint (2015-2025 as a stated goal towards nation building. The education system provides opportunity to learn Malay which is the national language, the mother tongue (Mandarin or Tamil and the English language as part of formal schooling. In fact, Malaysian primary schools are classified into two major divisions. Students can opt to study in national schools in which the medium of instruction is Malay with the provision for the learning of English and a mother tongue. The other option allows students to enrol in national-type schools of which the medium of instruction is either Mandarin or Tamil, with English and Malay taught as academic subjects. At secondary level, the medium of instruction in national schools is Malay and students are provided the opportunity to learn their mother tongue and English. Other than in school, other social milieus also allow the use and practice of these languages. Given this linguistic environment, there exists a myriad of language experiences within and outside formal learning which together would influence the totality of language vitality. This paper investigates language vitality featured in this multilingual environment. It focuses on the vitality of the English language among students that appears to co-exist with the learning and use of other languages as they progress through the primary and secondary levels. The vitality is measured by the following indicators: language preference, choice, dominance, use, attitude and motivation and proficiency which were used to develop a questionnaire to obtain data on strength evaluation of these languages. The methodology encompasses random and convenient sampling to obtain representative responses from students with different levels of education and language experiences. The study reveals relative vitalities of languages used and highlights values attached to languages at different points of language

  2. Feasibility of establishing an Australian ACL registry: a pilot study by the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry (AOANJRR).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lekkas, Christina; Clarnette, Richard; Graves, Stephen E; Rainbird, Sophia; Parker, David; Lorimer, Michelle; Paterson, Roger; Roe, Justin; Morris, Hayden; Feller, Julian A; Annear, Peter; Forster, Ben; Hayes, David

    2017-05-01

    would not be an issue in for a national registry where inclusion is automatic unless the patient wishes to opt out. The collection of post-operative patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) is more problematic, due to an insufficient proportion of individuals providing patient-reported outcomes. Alternative outcome measures are required for an ACL registry in Australia to be successfully implemented. Diagnostic, Level III.

  3. The National Radon Archive as a useful tool for developing and updating the National Radon Action Plan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bochicchio, F.; Antignani, S.; Carpentieri, C.; Ampollini, M.; Caccia, B.; Pozzi, S.; Venoso, G.

    2017-01-01

    International recommendations and regulations require developing of National Radon Action Plans (NRAPs) to effectively manage the protection of workers and population from radon exposure. In Italy, a NRAP was published in 2002 and several activities have been carried out in this framework. Information and data regarding these and previous activities have been collected in a National Radon Archive (NRA). Activities carried out by institutionally involved institutes and agencies include several national and regional surveys, involving more than 50 000 indoor environments (dwellings, schools and workplaces), and remedial actions performed in ∼350 buildings, largely in schools. Data collected in the NRA allowed also to estimate that lung cancer deaths attributable to radon exposure in Italy are ∼3400 per year. On-going developments of the Italian NRA finalized to effectively use it as tool for developing, monitoring and updating the NRAP are also described. (authors)

  4. CONTRACTING OUT THE PENSIONS SYSTEM IN ROMANIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tatiana-Camelia DOGARU

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The economic crisis, austerity measures and the new challenges of the 21st century have determined governments to adopt new tools of public actions in order to strengthen the policy capacity. A new paradigm was born, and its main feature is collaboration among government’s level (ministries and between government and private sector. It brings new tools of public policy among others, and contracting out used by policymakers at various stages of public policy cycle and for different sets of reasons. This paper explores theoretically how this new approach strengthens the public policy capacity and provides evidence occurring in Romanian government practice. While, Romania has a legalistic, a normative approach of policy processes and street-level bureaucracies are guided by managerial targets and law, it starts to contract out some tasks that traditionally belong to government. The main scientific objective of this paper is to contribute an overall understanding of contracting out in public policy-making in Romania, particular in pensions system, focused on the rationality of introducing that.From a methodological standpoint, the paper relies on comprehensive and systematic search of the literature and document analysis (among others Annual Reports, authorities’ data, resume, obtained by using free accession to information and statistics data processing (quantitative and qualitative interpretation of data from National Institute of Statistics.

  5. Understanding Research Strategies to Improve ERA Performance in Australian Universities: Circumventing Secrecy to Achieve Success

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diezmann, Carmel M.

    2018-01-01

    Many Australian universities have prioritised improving discipline performance on the national research assessment--Excellence for Research in Australia. However, a "culture of secrecy" pervades "Excellence in Research for Australia" (ERA). There are no specified criteria for the assignment of ratings on a 5-point scale ranging…

  6. The impact of the European Working Time Regulations on Ophthalmic Specialist Training--a national trainee survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Gallagher, M K; Lewis, G; Mercieca, K; Moutray, T

    2013-01-01

    To assess ophthalmic trainees' perspective of the impact of the European Working Time Regulations (EWTR) on their training. All trainees in ophthalmology in the UK were emailed a link to an electronic survey asking about their experiences of the EWTR. 324 trainees (46% of those invited) responded to the survey. 44.4% of trainees reported that their posts were compliant with the EWTR. 40.7% felt that training had been adversely affected. 49.1% thought that ophthalmic trainees should opt out of the EWTR to work more than 48 h per week, with 57 the mean number of hours suggested appropriate. Many ophthalmic trainees in the United Kingdom are working in rotas which are not compliant with the European Working Time Directive. Many trainees feel that implementation of the EWTD has had a negative effect on training and feel it would be acceptable to work a higher number of hours per week. Copyright © 2013 Surgical Associates Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Assessing the impoverishment effects of out-of-pocket healthcare payments prior to the uptake of the national health insurance scheme in Ghana.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akazili, James; Ataguba, John Ele-Ojo; Kanmiki, Edmund Wedam; Gyapong, John; Sankoh, Osman; Oduro, Abraham; McIntyre, Di

    2017-05-22

    There is a global concern regarding how households could be protected from relatively large healthcare payments which are a major limitation to accessing healthcare. Such payments also endanger the welfare of households with the potential of moving households into extreme impoverishment. This paper examines the impoverishing effects of out-of-pocket (OOP) healthcare payments in Ghana prior to the introduction of Ghana's national health insurance scheme. Data come from the Ghana Living Standard Survey 5 (2005/2006). Two poverty lines ($1.25 and $2.50 per capita per day at the 2005 purchasing power parity) are used in assessing the impoverishing effects of OOP healthcare payments. We computed the poverty headcount, poverty gap, normalized poverty gap and normalized mean poverty gap indices using both poverty lines. We examine these indicators at a national level and disaggregated by urban/rural locations, across the three geographical zones, and across the ten administrative regions in Ghana. Also the Pen's parade of "dwarfs and a few giants" is used to illustrate the decreasing welfare effects of OOP healthcare payments in Ghana. There was a high incidence and intensity of impoverishment due to OOP healthcare payments in Ghana. These payments contributed to a relative increase in poverty headcount by 9.4 and 3.8% using the $1.25/day and $2.5/day poverty lines, respectively. The relative poverty gap index was estimated at 42.7 and 10.5% respectively for the lower and upper poverty lines. Relative normalized mean poverty gap was estimated at 30.5 and 6.4%, respectively, for the lower and upper poverty lines. The percentage increase in poverty associated with OOP healthcare payments in Ghana is highest among households in the middle zone with an absolute increase estimated at 2.3% compared to the coastal and northern zones. It is clear from the findings that without financial risk protection, households can be pushed into poverty due to OOP healthcare payments. Even

  8. 77 FR 22177 - National Volunteer Week, 2012

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-12

    ..., service and social innovation will play an essential role in achieving our highest ambitions--from a world-class education for every child to an economy built to last. During National Volunteer Week, we pay... landmark national service law that laid out a strategy to link service with innovation, established the...

  9. Dynamic nuclear development in Pacific Asia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tillessen, U.

    1996-01-01

    The gigantic wave of industrialization in Pacific Asia is based on a reliable supply of electricity whose expansion is being planned long in advance. In this context, nuclear power serves to reduce the dependence on, mostly imported, fossil fuels. Seventy nuclear power plants are in operation, twelve are under construction, and at least another 65 are planned by the year 2020. Also current nuclear research programs have been designed with long term objectives in mind. In times of moratoria and intentions to opt out in Western Europe it is perhaps worthwhile to look beyond the borders of cantons and federal states. The situation of nuclear power worldwide, especially in Pacific Asia, clearly reveals one thing: There is no opting out. (orig.) [de

  10. Can health insurance protect against out-of-pocket and catastrophic expenditures and also support poverty reduction? Evidence from Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aryeetey, Genevieve Cecilia; Westeneng, Judith; Spaan, Ernst; Jehu-Appiah, Caroline; Agyepong, Irene Akua; Baltussen, Rob

    2016-07-22

    Ghana since 2004, begun implementation of a National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to minimize financial barriers to health care at point of use of service. Usually health insurance is expected to offer financial protection to households. This study aims to analyze the effect health insurance on household out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE), catastrophic expenditure (CE) and poverty. We conducted two repeated household surveys in two regions of Ghana in 2009 and 2011. We first analyzed the effect of OOPE on poverty by estimating poverty headcount before and after OOPE were incurred. We also employed probit models and use of instrumental variables to analyze the effect of health insurance on OOPE, CE and poverty. Our findings showed that between 7-18 % of insured households incurred CE as a result of OOPE whereas this was between 29-36 % for uninsured households. In addition, between 3-5 % of both insured and uninsured households fell into poverty due to OOPE. Our regression analyses revealed that health insurance enrolment reduced OOPE by 86 % and protected households against CE and poverty by 3.0 % and 7.5 % respectively. This study provides evidence that high OOPE leads to CE and poverty in Ghana but enrolment into the NHIS reduces OOPE, provides financial protection against CE and reduces poverty. These findings support the pro-poor policy objective of Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme and holds relevance to other low and middle income countries implementing or aiming to implement insurance schemes.

  11. School Climate and Dropping Out of School in the Era of Accountability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotok, Stephen; Ikoma, Sakiko; Bodovski, Katerina

    2016-01-01

    Using data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09)--a large nationally representative sample of US high school students--we employed multilevel structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the relationship between school characteristics and the likelihood that a student will drop out of high school. We used a multifaceted…

  12. Breathing pattern and head posture: changes in craniocervical angles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sabatucci, A; Raffaeli, F; Mastrovincenzo, M; Luchetta, A; Giannone, A; Ciavarella, D

    2015-04-01

    The aim of this study was to observe the influence of oral breathing on head posture and to establish possible postural changes observing the variation of craniocervical angles NSL/OPT and NSL/CVT between oral breathing subjects and physiological breathing subjects. A cross-sectional study was conducted. The sample included 115 subject, 56 boys and 59 girls, 5-22-year-old. Among these, 80 were classified as oral breathers and 35 as physiological breathers. The diagnosis of oral breathing was carried out thanks to characteristic signs and symptoms evaluated on clinical examination, the analysis of characteristic X-ray images, ENT examination with active anterior rhinomanometric (AAR) test. The structural and postural analysis was carried out, calculating the craniofacial angles NSL/OPT and NSL/CVT. Both NSL/OPT and NSL/CVT appear to be significantly greater to those observed in physiological breathing patients. This means that patients who tend to breathe through the mouth rather than exclusively through the nose show a reduction of cervical lordosis and a proinclination of the head. Our study confirms that the oral breathing modifies head position. The significant increase of the craniocervical angles NSL/OPT and NSL/CVT in patients with this altered breathing pattern suggests an elevation of the head and a greater extension of the head compared with the cervical spine. So, to correct the breathing pattern early, either during childhood or during adolescence, can lead to a progressive normalization of craniofacial morphology and head posture.

  13. Religion and Leadership in Nation-Building | Agunwa | Journal of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This write-up looks at the contributions of religion to nation building and the impact of leadership towards the growth of nation building. Hence, bringing out religious and leadership focus towards the upliftment of the nation. Thus, this writings are broken down into different stage and steps to allow understanding. It touches ...

  14. Effects of European energy policy on German nuclear phase-out policy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buedenbender, Martin

    2009-01-01

    After the election of the new German government on September 27th, 2009, the nuclear power phase-out decision appears back on top of the political agenda. Hence, an up to date survey of all relevant arguments seems absolutely necessary. In that matter, the scope should not remain national but should also take the European dimension into account. On the European level, a position in favour of nuclear power becomes apparent. Recent political decisions among the 27 member states show a renaissance of atomic energy. EU-Parliament, EU-Commission and EU-Council have all voted for the extensive, long term use of nuclear power in Europe. With its phase-out decision still valid, Germany is part of a minority in Europe. Germany is part of a European market for electricity whose national barriers will blur more and more in the future to form a fully integrated pan-European market in the end. Since nuclear power will provide a major share of the European electricity generation mix, Germany will always be supplied with atomic energy in the long term. This is imperative, regardless of nuclear power plants operating within the borders of Germany or not. Shutting down these facilities in Germany will hence not make the risks associated with atomic energy disappear. It will only add energy-technical challenges to assure long-term supply security. Thus, the new German government should withdraw the phase-out decision. (orig.)

  15. Disability, and social and economic inclusion: who is in and out of the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme?

    OpenAIRE

    Cebulla, Andreas; Zhu, Rong

    2015-01-01

    A new National Disability Insurance Scheme is being trialled in Australia, following criticism of the fragmented and inequitable nature of existing disability supports (e.g. in the 2009 ‘Shut Out’ report by the National People with Disabilities and Carer Council) and reform recommendations made by the Australian Government's Productivity Commission in 2011. The Insurance Scheme distinguishes between people living with disability who will be eligible for different types of supports: either mai...

  16. Feasibility study on the solidification of liquid low-level radioactive mixed waste in the inactive tank system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trussell, S.

    1993-01-01

    A literature survey was conducted to help determine the feasibility of solidifying a liquid low-level radioactive mixed waste in the inactive tank system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The goal of this report is to facilitate a decision on the disposition of these wastes by identifying any waste constituents that might (1) compromise the strength or stability of the waste form or (2) be highly leachable. Furthermore, its goal is to identify ways to circumvent interferences and to decrease the leachability of the waste constituents. This study has sought to provide an understanding of inhibition of cement set by identifying the fundamental chemical mechanisms by which this inhibition takes place. From this fundamental information, it is possible to draw some conclusions about the potential effects of waste constituents, even in the absence of particular studies on specific compounds

  17. Validity and Utilization of the Out-Pile Testing Facilities at HANARO

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choo, Kee-Nam; Cho, Man-Soon; Yang, Sung-Woo; Shin, Yoon-Taek; Park, Seng-Jae; Jun, Byung-Hyuk; Kim, Myong-Seop [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-10-15

    Various neutron irradiation facilities such as rabbit irradiation facilities, loop facilities and the capsule irradiation facilities for irradiation tests of nuclear materials, fuels and radioisotope products have been developed at HANARO. Among these irradiation facilities, the capsule is the most useful device for coping with the various test requirements at HANARO. To support the national research and development programs on nuclear reactors and the nuclear fuel cycle technology in Korea, new irradiation capsules have been developed and actively utilized for the irradiation tests requested by numerous users. The environmental conditions for these reactors are generally beyond present day reactor technology, especially regarding the higher neutron fluence and higher operating temperature. To effectively support the national R and Ds relevant to the future nuclear systems, the development of advanced irradiation technologies concerning higher neutron fluence and irradiation temperature are being preferentially developed at HANARO. The utilization of the out-pile testing facilities to satisfy the criteria of safety evaluation for a new device installed in the core of HANARO was summarized. In addition, the validity of the out-pile testing facilities was evaluated and proved to be effective for verifying the integrity of irradiation capsule.

  18. Validity and Utilization of the Out-Pile Testing Facilities at HANARO

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choo, Kee-Nam; Cho, Man-Soon; Yang, Sung-Woo; Shin, Yoon-Taek; Park, Seng-Jae; Jun, Byung-Hyuk; Kim, Myong-Seop

    2016-01-01

    Various neutron irradiation facilities such as rabbit irradiation facilities, loop facilities and the capsule irradiation facilities for irradiation tests of nuclear materials, fuels and radioisotope products have been developed at HANARO. Among these irradiation facilities, the capsule is the most useful device for coping with the various test requirements at HANARO. To support the national research and development programs on nuclear reactors and the nuclear fuel cycle technology in Korea, new irradiation capsules have been developed and actively utilized for the irradiation tests requested by numerous users. The environmental conditions for these reactors are generally beyond present day reactor technology, especially regarding the higher neutron fluence and higher operating temperature. To effectively support the national R and Ds relevant to the future nuclear systems, the development of advanced irradiation technologies concerning higher neutron fluence and irradiation temperature are being preferentially developed at HANARO. The utilization of the out-pile testing facilities to satisfy the criteria of safety evaluation for a new device installed in the core of HANARO was summarized. In addition, the validity of the out-pile testing facilities was evaluated and proved to be effective for verifying the integrity of irradiation capsule

  19. HIV testing implementation in two urban cities: practice, policy, and perceived barriers.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Camden J Hallmark

    Full Text Available Although funding has supported the scale up of routine, opt-out HIV testing in the US, variance in implementation mechanisms and barriers in high-burden jurisdictions remains unknown.We conducted a survey of health care organizations in Washington, DC and Houston/Harris County to determine number of HIV tests completed in 2011, policy and practices associated with HIV testing, funding mechanisms, and reported barriers to testing in each jurisdiction and to compare results between jurisdictions.In 2012, 43 Houston and 35 DC HIV-testing organizations participated in the survey. Participants represented 85% of Department of Health-supported testers in DC and 90% of Department of Health-supported testers in Houston. The median number of tests per organization was 568 in DC and 1045 in Houston. Approximately 50% of organizations in both DC and Houston exclusively used opt-in consent and most conducted both pre- and post-test counseling with HIV testing (80% of organizations in DC, 70% in Houston. While the most frequent source of funding in DC was the Department of Health, Houston organizations primarily billed the patient or third-party payers. Barriers to testing most often reported were lack of funding, followed by patient discomfort/refusal with more barriers reported in DC.Given unique policies, resources and programmatic contexts, DC and Houston have taken different approaches to support routine testing. Many organizations in both cities reported opt-in consent approaches and pre-test counseling, suggesting 2006 national HIV testing recommendations are not being followed consistently. Addressing the barriers to testing identified in each jurisdiction may improve expansion of testing.

  20. Cross-sectional study of characteristics of clinical registries in Australia: a resource for clinicians and policy makers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Md Emdadul Hoque, Dewan; Ruseckaite, Rasa; Lorgelly, Paula; McNeil, John J; Evans, Sue M

    2018-04-01

    To investigate the attributes of Australian clinical quality registries (CQR). Survey of 40 CQRs between September 2015 and April 2016. CQR lead investigators/project managers. None. Registry organization, geographical coverage, data quality, management, characteristics, output and outcomes. Of those who responded (34/40; 85.0%), 12 (34.3%) were binational (Australia and New Zealand); 22 (64.7%) were Australian-only registries; and 13 (38.2%) had national coverage. CQRs covered critical care, infection control, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic diseases, procedures and devices, and transplants. Overall, 24/34 CQRs (70.6%) were public sector funded. In total, 14 (41.2%) scored >75% on a composite score developed to assess data quality. Overall, 29/34 (85.3%) produced an annual multi-centred report; only 15/34 (44.1%) produced provider-specific reports. Mortality/survival and quality of life were collected by 82.4 and 32.4% of CQRs, respectively. Most CQRs displayed data in bar/column charts (28/34, 82.4%) and funnel plots (17/34, 50%). Most CQRs adopted an opt-out consent process (n = 17/31; 54.8%). Linear regression indicated that longer duration of CQR was associated with higher data quality (>20 vs 0-5 years coefficient = 4.76, 95% CI: 0.26, 9.26). Opt-in consent was associated with lower data quality (no active consent vs opt-in approval method, coefficient = -5.22, 95% CI: -8.71, -1.72). Six CQRs self-reported having undertaken an economic evaluation of their registry. CQRs varied in geographical coverage; stage of development, approach to recruitment; method and frequency of reporting their output; and data quality assurance. An accreditation system for CQRs would likely assist in recognizing high-quality registries.

  1. Localization of higher grade tumor foci in potential candidates for active surveillance who opt for radical prostatectomy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Sung Kyu; Eastham, James A.; Fine, Samson W.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: To investigate actual intraprostatic location of higher graded tumor foci undetected via standard transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy amongst patients who would be clinically considered appropriate candidates for active surveillance (AS) but underwent radical prostatectomy (RP). Methods: We reviewed entirely-submitted and whole-mounted RP specimens from 169 men who were deemed appropriate for AS clinically, but opted for RP and were found to have higher grade tumors. For each case, tumor nodules were circled and color-coded in a grade-specific manner and digitally scanned to created tumor maps. The locations of tumor foci with Gleason grade ≥4 were stratified by specific sites: anterior, anterolateral, lateral only (not clearly anterior or posterior), posterior, and posterolateral area. Results: Of 169 patients, 86% had clinical stage T1c and 14% T2a. RP Gleason score 7 in all but two men. Higher-grade tumor foci were localized to: anterior (n=66, 39%), anterolateral (n=4, 2%), lateral only (not clearly anterior or posterior) (n=5, 3%), posterior (n=52, 31%), and posterolateral (n=42, 25%) prostate, respectively. Conclusions: Among patients deemed clinically appropriate for AS, higher-grade tumor foci missed by standard prostate biopsies were localized to both the anterior and posterior prostate, without predominance of a particular area. These findings lend additional support to performing repeat standard prostate biopsy in potential candidates for AS and should be considered in efforts to optimize current biopsy strategies for the selection of AS patients. PMID:24392439

  2. Time outs

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000756.htm Time outs To use the sharing features on this ... children, 2 to 12 years old. Why Does Time out Work? When you put children in time ...

  3. Marc Snir | Argonne National Laboratory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Computer Science Energy and Global Security ESEnergy Systems GSSGlobal Security Sciences NENuclear National Security User Facilities Science Work with Us About Safety News Careers Education Community Outreach OutLoud Lecture Series Our Impact Education Environmental Protection Sustainability Diversity

  4. The ban on reprocessing as seen from the perspective of European law

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hanenburg, E.; Warg, G.

    1999-01-01

    The plan of the German federal government to opt out of the peaceful uses of nuclear power for electricity generation initially was to incorporate also a ban on reprocessing spent fuel elements. On February 22, 1999, Federal Minister for the Environment Trittin finally announced that his revised draft for the time being would contain no ban on reprocessing. That ban, as originally planned, raises a number of issues of European law which are analyzed in the article by Hanenburg and Warg, especially the question whether the ban on reprocessing constitutes a violation of the principles and objectives of the Common Market. The legal principles underlying the Common Market, especially the Euratom Treaty among the member countries, constitute the basis of the analysis in which, inter alia, aspects such as cross-border reprocessing and secondary European law or the legal consequences of the Euratom Treaty for the opting-out policy of the German federal government are dealt with. The analysis arrives at the finding that a final opt-out as planned by the German federal government in the amendments to the Atomic Energy Act, and the complete substitution of nuclear electricity by other sources of energy, violate the purpose of the Euratom Treaty at least to keep open the structural possibility of generating electricity by nuclear power. (orig.) [de

  5. Quantitatively measuring the orbital angular momentum density of light : Presentation

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Dudley, Angela L

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available the orbital angular momentum density of light Angela Dudleya, Christian Schulzeb, Igor Litvina, Michael Duparréb and Andrew Forbes*a,c,d a CSIR National Laser Centre, PO Box 395, Pretoria 0001, South Africa; b Institute of Applied Optics, Friedrich...., “Generation of high-order Bessel beams by use of an axicon,” Opt. Commun. 177(1-6), 297–301 (2000). [3] Sztul, H. I. and Alfano, R. R., “The Poynting vector and angular momentum of Airy beams,” Opt. Express 16(13), 9411–9416 (2008). [4] Allen, L...

  6. Out-of-Pocket Net Price for College. Data Point. NCES 2014-902

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horn, Laura; Paslov, Jonathan

    2014-01-01

    This Data Point uses data from four administrations of the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:2000, NPSAS:04, NPSAS:08, and NPSAS:12) to briefly present trends in out-of-pocket net price for college, the amount that students and their families must pay to attend college after subtracting grants, loans, work-study, and all other…

  7. Frequency and socio-demographic correlates of eating meals out and take-away meals at home: cross-sectional analysis of the UK national diet and nutrition survey, waves 1-4 (2008-12).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adams, Jean; Goffe, Louis; Brown, Tamara; Lake, Amelia A; Summerbell, Carolyn; White, Martin; Wrieden, Wendy; Adamson, Ashley J

    2015-04-16

    Food prepared out-of-home tends to be less healthful than food prepared at home, with a positive association between frequency of consumption and both fat intake and body fatness. There is little current data on who eats out-of-home food. We explored frequency and socio-demographic correlates of eating meals out and take-away meals at home, using data from a large, UK, population representative study. Data were from waves 1-4 of the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (2008-12). Socio-demographic variables of interest were gender, age group, and socio-economic position. Self-reported frequency of consuming meals out and take-away meals at home was categorised as: less than once per week and once per week or more. Analyses were performed separately for adults (aged 18 years or older) and children. Data from 2001 adults and 1963 children were included. More than one quarter (27.1%) of adults and one fifth (19.0%) of children ate meals out once per week or more. One fifth of adults (21.1%) and children (21.0%) ate take-away meals at home once per week or more. There were no gender differences in consumption of meals out, but more boys than girls ate take-away meals at home at least weekly. The proportion of participants eating both meals out and take-away meals at home at least weekly peaked in young adults aged 19-29 years. Adults living in more affluent households were more likely to eat meals out at least once per week, but children living in less affluent households were more likely to eat take-away meals at home at least once per week. There was no relationship between socio-economic position and consumption of take-away meals at home in adults. One-fifth to one-quarter of individuals eat meals prepared out-of-home weekly. Interventions seeking to improve dietary intake by reducing consumption of out-of-home food may be more effective if tailored to and targeted at adults aged less than 30 years. It may also be important to develop interventions to help

  8. Apport à la connaissance de la bioécologie des Coléoptères des milieux salés et humides de l'ouest algérien

    OpenAIRE

    BOUKLI HACENE, Samira; HASSAINE, Karima

    2010-01-01

    Vingt deux espèces de Coléoptères trouvent gîte et couvert dans les micromilieux des marais salés et humides en périphérie de la Sebkha d’Oran. Un exemple d’organisation du peuplement est établi selon la ségrégation spatiale qui a aboutit à subdiviser celle-ci en entité fonctionnelle composé de deux à trois espèces inféodée à des groupements végétaux qui leur sont associés. Douze espèces dont cinq espèces halophiles sont inféodées au groupement à Suaeda fruticosa, situé dans les poin...

  9. Metal Digital Direct Manufacturing (MDDM) for Close-Out of Combustion Chambers and Nozzle Fabrications, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This NASA sponsored STTR project will investigate methods for close-out of large, liquid rocket engine, nickel or stainless steel nozzle, coolant channels utilizing...

  10. Critical heat flux, post dry-out and their augmentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Celata, G.P.; Mariani, A.

    1999-01-01

    The report shows the state of art review on the critical heat flux and the post-dryout heat transfer. The work, which is a merge of original researches carried out at the Institute of Thermal Fluid Dynamic of ENEA (National Agency for New Technology, Energy and the Environment) and a thorough review of the recent literature, is divided in four chapters: critical heat flux in subcooled flow boiling; critical heat flux in saturated flow boiling; post-dryout heat transfer; enhancement of critical heat flux and post-dryout heat transfer [it

  11. Piracy Versus Privacy: An Analysis of Values Encoded in the PirateBrowser

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bodó, B.

    2015-01-01

    The Piratebrowser is a web browser which utilizes the Privacy Enhancing Technology Tor to circumvent nationally implemented internet filters blocking the access to the Pirate Bay. The article analyzes the possible consequences of a mass influx of copyright pirates into the privacy domain. It

  12. National Identity as a Factor of Inter-Cultural Communication

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizaveta A. Volkova

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with the definition and origin of the notions «mentality (identity» and «national mentality (identity» focusing on their complex essence. The article names factors that affect the formation of national identity, at the same time pointing out the aspect of human life that the identity itself affects. The notion «national identity» is revealed via its vocabulary definitions. National identity is analyzed as a factor of inter-cultural communication, its role and importance in this communication are also analyzed. One of the objectives of the research is signing out the limits of the concepts «national identity» and «inter-cultural communication» and revealing the conditions of their interaction and mutual dependence. National identity is a complex notion, which complexity lies within the combination of mental and emotional, spiritual elements. This factor adds extra difficulty into understanding, as well as investigating the notion of national identity. Thus it is not rarely ignored in linguistics, international communication, even in teaching languages. However, nowadays, when globalization makes international contacts and communication widely accessible, many people meet unexpected difficulties that derive from ignoring national identity factor. That is why recently it is getting more and more obvious that taking national identity into consideration can be one of the main keys to successful communication at all levels.

  13. Out Online

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Raun, Tobias

    Trans people are increasingly stepping out of the shadow of pathologization and secretiveness to tell their life stories, share information and to connect with like-minded others, using YouTube as a platform. "Out Online: Trans Self-Representation and Community Building on YouTube" explores...

  14. Swedish Seafarers' Commitment to Work in Times of Flagging out

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Hult

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available This study takes its departure in the difficulties to recruit and retain qualified senior seafarers in the Swedish shipping sector. The study focus is on seafarers' motivation at work for the specific shipping company (organizational commitment, and seafarers' motivation towards their occupation (occupational commitment, in times of flagging out. It was hypothesized that the youngest seafarers and the oldest may be most sensitive to foreign registration of ships. Statistical analyses were employed, using a survey material of 1,309 Swedish seafarers randomly collected in 2010 from a national register of seafarers. The results of the analyses show that flagging-out imposes a significant decline in organizational commitment for all seafarers. This decline is related to the perception of the social composition of crew. In addition, the oldest seafarers (age 55+ demonstrate diminished occupational commitment under a foreign flag. This decline is related to the degree of satisfaction with the social security structure. Occupational commitment among the youngest seafarers (age 19-30 is not affected by the nationality of flag. However, this type of commitment is decreasing by the time served on the same ship. This effect is partly related to a decline in satisfaction with the work content. In the concluding discussion, the findings are discussed in more details and recommendations are put forward.

  15. Who Let the Dogs Out? Communicating First Nations Perspectives on a Canine Veterinary Intervention Through Digital Storytelling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schurer, Janna M; McKenzie, Christina; Okemow, Crystal; Viveros-Guzmán, Arcadio; Beatch, Heather; Jenkins, Emily J

    2015-12-01

    Dog-related human injuries affect public safety and animal welfare, and occur more frequently in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities than in urban centres in Canada. Little work has been done to identify the perspectives of those people most heavily affected by this issue or to report successful dog management programs. This project was undertaken by veterinarians and public health workers with the goal of documenting First Nations perspectives on dogs, and educating other rural health workers about introducing animal management services to Indigenous communities. We recruited 10-14 residents and healthcare workers from three First Nations to take dog-related photos in their communities and participate in group interviews during the summer of 2014. Audiovisual data were synthesised into four digital stories exploring the following aspects of participant relationships with community dogs: (1) Spay/neuter clinics; (2) Role of the dog (past and present); (3) Human-animal bond; and (4) Healthy dogs as a part of healthy communities. These videos document changes in dog husbandry behaviour, new acceptance of spay/neuter, three-way knowledge transfer between residents, researchers, and policy makers, and an overall desire to sustain the positive outcomes of the pilot dog management project. This work highlights cultural beliefs and success strategies that might guide other programs providing veterinary services in First Nations communities.

  16. Shrimp miR-10a Is Co-opted by White Spot Syndrome Virus to Increase Viral Gene Expression and Viral Replication

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiun-Yan Huang

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Members of the microRNA miR-10 family are highly conserved and play many important roles in diverse biological mechanisms, including immune-related responses and cancer-related processes in certain types of cancer. In this study, we found the most highly upregulated shrimp microRNA from Penaeus vannamei during white spot syndrome virus (WSSV infection was miR-10a. After confirming the expression level of miR-10a by northern blot and quantitative RT-PCR, an in vivo experiment showed that the viral copy number was decreased in miR-10a-inhibited shrimp. We found that miR-10a targeted the 5′ untranslated region (UTR of at least three viral genes (vp26, vp28, and wssv102, and plasmids that were controlled by the 5′ UTR of these genes produced enhanced luciferase signals in transfected SF9 cells. These results suggest a previously unreported role for shrimp miR-10a and even a new type of host–virus interaction, whereby a co-opts the key cellular regulator miR-10a to globally enhance the translation of viral proteins.

  17. Shrimp miR-10a Is Co-opted by White Spot Syndrome Virus to Increase Viral Gene Expression and Viral Replication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Jiun-Yan; Kang, Shih-Ting; Chen, I-Tung; Chang, Li-Kwan; Lin, Shih-Shun; Kou, Guang-Hsiung; Chu, Chia-Ying; Lo, Chu-Fang

    2017-01-01

    Members of the microRNA miR-10 family are highly conserved and play many important roles in diverse biological mechanisms, including immune-related responses and cancer-related processes in certain types of cancer. In this study, we found the most highly upregulated shrimp microRNA from Penaeus vannamei during white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection was miR-10a. After confirming the expression level of miR-10a by northern blot and quantitative RT-PCR, an in vivo experiment showed that the viral copy number was decreased in miR-10a-inhibited shrimp. We found that miR-10a targeted the 5' untranslated region (UTR) of at least three viral genes ( vp26, vp28 , and wssv102 ), and plasmids that were controlled by the 5' UTR of these genes produced enhanced luciferase signals in transfected SF9 cells. These results suggest a previously unreported role for shrimp miR-10a and even a new type of host-virus interaction, whereby a co-opts the key cellular regulator miR-10a to globally enhance the translation of viral proteins.

  18. Let's talk sex on the air: ReachOut launches radio campaign.

    Science.gov (United States)

    This article reports on the launching of the National Radio and Public Relations Campaign to Promote Modern Methods of Contraception by the ReachOut AIDS Foundation Incorporated in the Philippines. ReachOut has tapped radio veteran Tiya Dely Magpayo as the official campaign spokesperson, thus, putting a mother's touch to a serious promotional drive to reach the far-flung areas of the country. It is noted that the project promotes the wider use of modern methods of contraception as its contribution to the Philippines Population Program goals of controlling the population rate. Since radio is the most patronized media in the country, ReachOut hopes that the radio soap opera format will attract the listeners to use contraceptives. The campaign encourages men and women of reproductive age to seek information and services regarding modern methods of contraception from health service providers in their respective areas. The Department of Health will provide the technical support to ensure that the campaign is keeping with the government's programs.

  19. Acculturation, meal frequency, eating-out, and body weight in Korean Americans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Soo-Kyung

    2008-01-01

    Consuming regular meals has been studied in relation to better health, while higher regularity of eating-out has been linked to obesity. This study examined whether acculturation was associated with regularity of meals, eating-out, and overweight in Korean Americans. Pre-tested questionnaires were mailed to a U.S. national sample with Korean American surnames, and 55% of the deliverable sample responded, producing 356 usable questionnaires. Acculturation was measured using a two-culture matrix model and Gordon's theoretical work, and showed there were three distinct groups (acculturated, bicultural, and traditional). Only 36% reported that they regularly ate three meals a day. Breakfast was the least frequent meal of the day with 43% reporting eating breakfast everyday. More than half (58%) reported that they usually eat out or get take-out food at least once a week. After controlling for age, sex, income, education, and working status, higher acculturation was related to greater regularity of eating-out, but not meal regularity. A total of 28% of men and 6% of women were overweight (BMI>25), and there were significant and positive relationships between body weight status and acculturation in men but not women. However, no significant relationships between frequency of meals and eating-out and overweight status were present. This study did not find significant relationships of meal regularity and eating-out with body weight, however, given the positive relationship between acculturation and eating-out among the subjects and the well-established relationship between eating-out and obesity, nutrition education about skipping meals and eating-for Korean Americans may be useful to prevent such relationships from developing.

  20. Education and National Development in Nigeria: A Philosophical ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The paper examines the key words: culture and development, and in the process attempts to bring out their relationship to education in a developing country like Nigeria. It further states that investment in education is sine-qua-non with national development. Hence this paper sees education as an important tool for national ...

  1. Fee-for-service payment - an evil practice that must be stamped out?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ikegami, Naoki

    2015-02-01

    Co-opting physicians to regulate Fee-for-Service (FFS) payment is more feasible and simpler to administer than capitation, Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRGs) and pay-for-performance. The key lies in designing and revising the fee schedule, which not only defines and sets the fee for each item, but also the conditions of billing. Adherence to these regulations must be strictly audited in order to control volume and costs, and to assure quality. The fee schedule requires periodic revisions on an item-by-item basis in order to maintain balance among the providers, to list new drugs, devices and equipment, and to reflect the lower market prices of existing ones. Implementing the fee schedule will facilitate the control of balance billing and extra billing, and the introduction of more sophisticated methods of payment in the future.

  2. Metamorphosis: Texas District Opts for Learner-Centered Professional Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellinger, Alan; Launius, Keri; Scott, Annette

    2017-01-01

    Like many districts across the United States, Galveston, Texas, is focused on building a culture of excellence. The district is a study in contrasts. On one hand, it is laced with opulent vacation homes and resort hotels used by out-of-town owners. On the other, the median household income level is $28,895, with 22% of the population living below…

  3. Leadership in Modern Wars: How the French and American Armies Have Implemented Leader Development and Education 2001-2014

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-06-10

    officer, it is necessary, both for the researcher and for its readers, to opt for a position of cultural relativism .96 Moreover, national culture...also sometimes to ethical fade, in which dishonesty to answer an allegedly meaningless 162 Richard D

  4. Circumventing shallow air contamination in Mid Ocean Ridge Basalts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mukhopadhyay, Sujoy; Parai, Rita; Tucker, Jonathan; Middleton, Jennifer; Langmuir, Charles

    2016-04-01

    Noble gases in mantle-derived basalts provide a rich portrait of mantle degassing and surface-interior volatile exchange. However, the ubiquity of shallow-level air contamination frequently obscures the mantle noble gas signal. In a majority of samples, shallow air contamination dominates the noble gas budget. As a result, reconstructing the variability in heavy noble gas mantle source compositions and inferring the history of deep recycling of atmospheric noble gases is difficult. For example, in the gas-rich popping rock 2ΠD43, 129Xe/130Xe ratios reach 7.7±0.23 in individual step-crushes, but the bulk composition of the sample is close to air (129Xe/130Xe of 6.7). Here, we present results from experiments designed to elucidate the source of shallow air contamination in MORBs. Step-crushes were carried out to measure He, Ne, Ar and Xe isotopic compositions on two aliquots of a depleted popping glass that was dredged from between the Kane and Atlantis Fracture Zones of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in May 2012. One aliquot was sealed in ultrapure N2 after dredge retrieval, while the other aliquot was left exposed to air for 3.5 years. The bulk 20Ne/22Ne and 129Xe/130Xe ratios measured in the aliquot bottled in ultrapure N2 are 12.3 and 7.6, respectively, and are nearly identical to the estimated mantle source values. On the other hand, step crushes in the aliquot left exposed to air for several years show Ne isotopic compositions that are shifted towards air, with a bulk 20Ne/22Ne of 11.5; the bulk 129Xe/130Xe, however, was close to 7.6. These results indicate that lighter noble gases exchange more efficiently between the bubbles trapped in basalt glass and air, suggesting a diffusive or kinetic mechanism for the incorporation of the shallow air contamination. Importantly, in Ne-Ar or Ar-Xe space, step-crushes from the bottled aliquot display a trend that can be easily fit with a simple two-component hyperbolic mixing between mantle and atmosphere noble gases. Step

  5. Surgical resident involvement is safe for common elective general surgery procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tseng, Warren H; Jin, Leah; Canter, Robert J; Martinez, Steve R; Khatri, Vijay P; Gauvin, Jeffrey; Bold, Richard J; Wisner, David; Taylor, Sandra; Chen, Steven L

    2011-07-01

    Outcomes of surgical resident training are under scrutiny with the changing milieu of surgical education. Few have investigated the effect of surgical resident involvement (SRI) on operative parameters. Examining 7 common general surgery procedures, we evaluated the effect of SRI on perioperative morbidity and mortality and operative time (OpT). The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database (2005 to 2007) was used to identify 7 cases of nonemergent operations. Cases with simultaneous procedures were excluded. Logistic regression was performed across all procedures and within each procedure incorporating SRI, OpT, and risk-stratifying American College of Surgery National Surgical Quality Improvement Program morbidity and mortality probability scores, which incorporate multiple prognostic individual patient factors. Procedure-specific, SRI-stratified OpTs were compared using Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. A total of 71.3% of the 37,907 cases had SRI. Absolute 30-day morbidity for all cases with SRI and without SRI were 3.0% and 1.0%, respectively (p < 0.001); absolute 30-day mortality for all cases with SRI and without SRI were 0.1% and 0.08%, respectively (p < 0.001). After multivariate analysis by specific procedure, SRI was not associated with increased morbidity but was associated with decreased mortality during open right colectomy (odds ratio 0.32; p = 0.01). Across all procedures, SRI was associated with increased morbidity (odds ratio 1.14; p = 0.048) but decreased mortality (odds ratio 0.42; p < 0.001). Mean OpT for all procedures was consistently lower for cases without SRI. SRI has a measurable impact on both 30-day morbidity and mortality and OpT. These data have implications to the impact associated with surgical graduate medical education. Further studies to identify causes of patient morbidity and prevention strategies in surgical teaching environments are warranted. Copyright © 2011 American College of Surgeons

  6. The National Ignition Facility modular Kirkpatrick-Baez microscope

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pickworth, L. A., E-mail: pickworth1@llnl.gov; Ayers, J.; Bell, P.; Brejnholt, N. F.; Buscho, J. G.; Bradley, D.; Decker, T.; Hau-Riege, S.; McCarville, T.; Pardini, T.; Vogel, J.; Walton, C. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 (United States); Kilkenny, J. [General Atomics, San Diego, California 92121 (United States)

    2016-11-15

    Current two-dimensional X-ray imaging at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) uses time resolved pinhole cameras with ∼10-25 μm pinholes. This method has limitations in the smallest resolvable features that can be imaged with reasonable photon statistics for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) applications. ICF sources have a broadband self-emission spectrum that causes the pinhole images obtained, through thin foil filters, to contain a similarly broadband spectrum complicating the interpretation of structure in the source. In order to study phenomena on the scale of ∼5 μm, such as dopant mix in the ICF capsule, a narrow energy band, higher spatial resolution microscope system with improved signal/noise has been developed using X-ray optics. Utilizing grazing incidence mirrors in a Kirkpatrick-Baez microscope (KBM) configuration [P. Kirkpatrick and A. V. Baez, J. Opt. Soc. Am. 38, 766–774 (1948)], an X-ray microscope has been designed and fielded on NIF with four imaging channels. The KBM has ∼12 × magnification, <8 μm resolution, and higher throughput in comparison to similar pinhole systems. The first KBM mirrors are coated with a multilayer mirror to allow a “narrow band” energy response at 10.2 keV with ΔE ∼ 3 keV. By adjusting the mirror coating only, the energy response can be matched to the future experimental requirements. Several mirror packs have been commissioned and are interchangeable in the diagnostic snout.

  7. Effects of consumer and provider moral hazard at a municipal hospital out-patient department on Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yawson, A E; Biritwum, R B; Nimo, P K

    2012-12-01

    In 2003, Ghana introduced the national health insurance scheme (NHIS) to promote access to healthcare. This study determines consumer and provider factors which most influence the NHIS at a municipal health facility in Ghana. This is an analytical cross-sectional study at the Winneba Municipal Hospital (WHM) in Ghana between January-March 2010. A total of 170 insured and 175 uninsured out-patients were interviewed and information extracted from their folders using a questionnaire. Consumers were from both the urban and rural areas of the municipality. The mean number of visits by insured consumers to a health facility in previous six months was 2.48 +/- 1.007 and that for uninsured consumers was 1.18 +/- 0.387(p-valueconsumers visited the health facility at significantly more frequent intervals than uninsured consumers (χ(2) = 55.413, p-valueconsumers received more different types of medications for similar disease conditions and more laboratory tests per visit than the uninsured. In treating malaria (commonest condition seen), providers added multivitamins, haematinics, vitamin C and intramuscular injections as additional medications more for insured consumers than for uninsured consumers. Findings suggest consumer and provider moral hazard may be two critical factors affecting the NHIS in the Effutu Municipality. These have implications for the optimal functioning of the NHIS and may affect long-term sustainability of NHIS in the municipality. Further studies to quantify financial/ economic cost to NHIS arising from moral hazard, will be of immense benefit to the optimal functioning of the NHIS.

  8. Sensitive But Unclassified Information and Other Controls: Policy and Options for Scientific and Technical Information

    Science.gov (United States)

    2006-12-29

    veterinary medicine , plant health, national security, biodefense, law enforcement, scientific publishing, and related fields. The NSABB also includes...leading edge of science. The three presidents of the National Academies [of Science, Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine ] opposed such controls...information to clone, counterfeit , or circumvent a process or system.209 CRS-49 210 Section 306(a) of P.L. 107-296 provides that “to the greatest extent

  9. Circumventing Therapeutic Resistance and the Emergence of Disseminated Breast Cancer Cells Through Non-Invasive Optical Imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-06-01

    Investigator (1992-1994); National Science Foundation Young Investigator (1993-1998); E. I. DuPont de Nemours Young Faculty Award (1995-1997); Alfred P. Sloan...address of the Funding Agency’s Procuring Contracting/Grants Officer: Amber Stilh·ich U.S . Almy Medical Resem·ch Acquisition Activity, 820 Chandler

  10. Knock-Outs, Stick-Outs, Cut-Outs: Clipping Paths Separate Objects from Background.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Bradley

    1998-01-01

    Outlines a six-step process that allows computer operators, using Photoshop software, to create "knock-outs" to precisely define the path that will serve to separate the object from the background. (SR)

  11. An Improved Protocol for Controlled Deterministic Secure Quantum Communication Using Five-Qubit Entangled State

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kao, Shih-Hung; Lin, Jason; Tsai, Chia-Wei; Hwang, Tzonelih

    2018-03-01

    In early 2009, Xiu et al. (Opt. Commun. 282(2) 333-337 2009) presented a controlled deterministic secure quantum communication (CDSQC) protocol via a newly constructed five-qubit entangled quantum state. Later, Qin et al. (Opt. Commun. 282(13), 2656-2658 2009) pointed out two security loopholes in Xiu et al.'s protocol: (1) A correlation-elicitation (CE) attack can reveal the entire secret message; (2) A leakage of partial information for the receiver is noticed. Then, Xiu et al. (Opt. Commun. 283(2), 344-347 2010) presented a revised CDSQC protocol to remedy the CE attack problem. However, the information leakage problem still remains open. This work proposes a new CDSQC protocol using the same five-qubit entangled state which can work without the above mentioned security problems. Moreover, the Trojan Horse attacks can be automatically avoided without using detecting devices in the new CDSQC.

  12. An Improved Protocol for Controlled Deterministic Secure Quantum Communication Using Five-Qubit Entangled State

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kao, Shih-Hung; Lin, Jason; Tsai, Chia-Wei; Hwang, Tzonelih

    2018-06-01

    In early 2009, Xiu et al. (Opt. Commun. 282(2) 333-337 2009) presented a controlled deterministic secure quantum communication (CDSQC) protocol via a newly constructed five-qubit entangled quantum state. Later, Qin et al. (Opt. Commun. 282(13), 2656-2658 2009) pointed out two security loopholes in Xiu et al.'s protocol: (1) A correlation-elicitation (CE) attack can reveal the entire secret message; (2) A leakage of partial information for the receiver is noticed. Then, Xiu et al. (Opt. Commun. 283(2), 344-347 2010) presented a revised CDSQC protocol to remedy the CE attack problem. However, the information leakage problem still remains open. This work proposes a new CDSQC protocol using the same five-qubit entangled state which can work without the above mentioned security problems. Moreover, the Trojan Horse attacks can be automatically avoided without using detecting devices in the new CDSQC.

  13. Air Quality Modelling and the National Emission Database

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, S. S.

    The project focuses on development of institutional strengthening to be able to carry out national air emission inventories based on the CORINAIR methodology. The present report describes the link between emission inventories and air quality modelling to ensure that the new national air emission...... inventory is able to take into account the data requirements of air quality models...

  14. A survey of the use of time-out protocols in emergency medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly, John J; Farley, Heather; O'Cain, Christi; Broida, Robert I; Klauer, Kevin; Fuller, Drew C; Meisl, Helmut; Phelan, Michael P; Thallner, Elaine; Pines, Jesse M

    2011-06-01

    Time-outs, as one of the elements of the Joint Commission Universal Protocol for Preventing Wrong Site, Wrong Procedure, and Wrong Person Surgery has been in effect since July 1, 2004. Time-outs are required by The Joint Commission for all hospital procedures regardless of location, including emergency departments (EDs). Attitudes about ED time-outs were assessed for a sample of senior emergency physicians serving in leadership roles for a national professional society. A survey questionnaire was administered to members of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Council at the October 2009 ACEP Council meeting on the use of time-outs in the ED. A total of 225 (72%) of the 331 councilors present filled out the survey. Twenty-nine (13%) of respondents were unaware of a formal time-out policy in their ED, 79 (35%) reported that ED time-outs were warranted, and 5 (2%) reported they knew of an instance where a time-out may have prevented an error. Chest tubes (167 respondents [74%]) and the use of sedation (142 respondents [63%]) were most commonly identified as ED procedures that necessitated a time-out. Episodes of any wrong-site error in their EDs were reported by 16 (7%) of the respondents. Wrong patient (9 respondents [4%]) and wrong procedure (2 respondents [1%]) errors were less common. Although the time-out requirement has been in effect since 2004, more than 1 in 10 of ED physicians in this sample ofED physician leaders were unaware of it. According to the respondents, medical errors preventable by time-outs were rare; however, time-outs may be useful for certain procedures, particularly when there is a risk of wrong-site, wrong-patient, or wrong-procedure medical errors.

  15. On Digital Crossings in Europe

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ponzanesi, S.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/182984257; Leurs, K.H.A.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/343295334

    2014-01-01

    ‘On Digital Crossings in Europe’ explores the entanglements of digital media and migration beyond the national and mono-ethnic focus. We argue how borders, identity and affectivity have been destabilized and reconfigured through medium-specific technological affordances, opting for a comparative and

  16. Factors determining the choice of a place of delivery among ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    McRoy

    pregnant women in Russia village of Jos North, Nigeria: achieving the ... deliver in the hospital, while 55 (39.3%) opted for home delivery in the index .... index is an indication that poverty is also the ... location from a national survey in India.

  17. Empirical evidence on the demand for carve-outs in employment group mental health coverage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salkever, David S.; Shinogle, Judith A.

    2000-06-01

    considered a number of different hypotheses concerning employers' demands for mental health carve-outs and found varying degrees of support for these hypotheses in our data. Our results tended to support the general cost-control hypothesis that factors associated with higher use and/or costs of mental health services increase the demand for carve-outs. LIMITATIONS: Our database includes a small number of relatively large employers and is not representative of employers nationally. Our selection criteria, concerning size and the requirement that some employees are covered by LTD insurance, probably resulted in a study sample that offers richer benefits than do employers nationally. Our employers also report a higher percentage of salaried employees relative to the national data. Another deficiency in the current study is the lack of detailed information on the socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics of covered employees. Finally, the cross-sectional nature of our analysis raises concerns about susceptibility of our findings to omitted variables bias. IMPLICATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Research with more information on covered employee characteristics will allow for a stronger test of the general hypothesis that factors associated with a higher demand for services are also associated with a higher demand for carve-outs. Also, future analyses that capture the experience of states that have recently passed mandate and parity laws, and that use pooled data to control for omitted variables bias, will provide more definitive evidence on the relationship between these laws and carve-out demand.

  18. Development of healthy eating and physical activity quality standards for out-of-school time programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiecha, Jean L; Hall, Georgia; Gannett, Ellen; Roth, Barbara

    2012-12-01

    Out-of-school time (OST) programs serve over 8 million children per year and have ample opportunity to promote health through menu and physical activity choices. Until recently, however, the field has lacked a comprehensive set of operationalizable standards for healthy eating and physical activity. The National AfterSchool Association adopted voluntary healthy eating and physical activity quality standards (HEPAQS) in April, 2011. We describe the development of HEPAQS. This work reflects a social ecological model for changing children's eating and activity behaviors through program-level interventions. The standards were developed using a national, mixed-methods needs assessment, review of existing standards and expert recommendations, and a participatory process of discussion, review, and consensus engaging 19 influential service and policy organizations and agencies in the Healthy Out-of-School Time (HOST) coalition, which we convened in 2009. The HOST coalition approved a final version of the HEPAQS in January, 2011. The 11 standards address content, curriculum selection, staff training, program support, and environmental support for healthy eating and physical activity. In April, 2011, the HEPAQS were adopted by the National AfterSchool Association, and have subsequently been widely disseminated. Extensive adoption and implementation efforts are underway. The availability of a comprehensive set of standards for healthy eating and physical activity in OST provides practical information to help community-based youth-serving organizations participate in obesity and chronic disease prevention. A working awareness of their content will be useful to scientists undertaking health promotion studies in the out-of-school time setting.

  19. Policies to phase in or out nuclear

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leveque, Francois

    2013-07-01

    The author first outlines that national nuclear policies are very different as some countries decided or now decide to develop atomic energy, while others decide to give up. He also comments how the graphite-gas technology was adopted and later given up by France. He discusses the motivations of countries which yesterday decided and today decide to develop this technology of electricity production. He shows that these motivations are almost the same. In a second part, he comments the decision of Germany of an accelerated nuclear phasing out, and the choice of a premature closure of the French Fessenheim nuclear power station. He states that the age of a power station is not a good criterion for reactor ranking in terms of danger, and that such decisions of premature closing are economically very costly

  20. Policy-Making for Australian Schooling: The New Corporate Federalism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lingard, Bob

    1991-01-01

    The corporate federalism concept illustrates the way a national approach to policy development for Australian schooling has been utilized by the Hawke Labor government. Negotiated consensus at the Australian Education Council has been used to arrive at these policies and to circumvent politically the constitutional and financial realities of…

  1. Behind the Scenes and Out in the Open:Making Colombian National Parks in the 1960s and 70s

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claudia Leal

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available This article studies the building of a national park system in Colombia, with reference to other countries in Latin America, as part of what can be called the Nature State, that is, the expansion of the state’s remit to include caring for, and not just exploiting, nature. In the absence of an environmental movement that lobbied for the establishment of protected areas, it was the concentration of power in the president that led to the initial building of national parks. After explaining what it terms “gentleman’s politics,” the article reconstructs the creation on the ground of Tayrona National Park, which inclued the eviction of peasants and a public fight with those who promoted high-end international tourism. This story shows how the Nature State emerged with the help of certain state institutions and in opposition to others, and how it contributed to strengthen the central state, gaining legitimacy in the eyes of some constituents but not of others.

  2. Can a chronic disease management pulmonary rehabilitation program for COPD reduce acute rural hospital utilization?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rasekaba, T M; Williams, E; Hsu-Hage, B

    2009-01-01

    Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) imposes a costly burden on healthcare. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is the best practice to better manage COPD to improve patient outcomes and reduce acute hospital care utilization. To evaluate the impact of a once-weekly, eight-week multidisciplinary PR program as an integral part of the COPD chronic disease management (CDM) Program at Kyabram District Health Services. The study compared two cohorts of COPD patients: CDM-PR Cohort (4-8 weeks) and Opt-out Cohort (0-3 weeks) between February 2006 and March 2007. The CDM-PR Program involved multidisciplinary patient education and group exercise training. Nonparametric statistical tests were used to compare acute hospital care utilization 12 months before and after the introduction of CDM-PR. The number of patients involved in the CDM-PR Cohort was 29 (n = 29), and that in the Opt-out Cohort was 24 (n = 24). The CDM-PR Cohort showed significant reductions in cumulative acute hospital care utilization indicators (95% emergency department presentations, 95% inpatient admissions, 99% length of stay; effect sizes = 0.62-0.66, P 0.05). Total costs associated with the hospital care utilization decreased from $130,000 to $7,500 for the CDM-PR Cohort and increased from $77,700 to $101,200 for the Opt-out Cohort. Participation in the CDM-PR for COPD patients can significantly reduce acute hospital care utilization and associated costs in a small rural health service.

  3. Airway Clearance Techniques (ACTs)

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... Clinician Career Development Awards Clinician Training Awards Mutation Analysis Program Network News Network News: March 2018 Network ... our emails Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Email Privacy Statement Email Opt-Out Legal Terms & Conditions Charity Disclosures ...

  4. Airway Clearance Techniques (ACTs)

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... cystic fibrosis comes with many challenges, including medical, social, and financial. By learning more about how you ... for our emails Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Email Privacy Statement Email Opt-Out Legal Terms & Conditions Charity ...

  5. Nuclear safety research in HGF 2011

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tromm, Walter

    2012-01-01

    After the events at the Japanese nuclear power plant of Fukushima Daiichi, the German federal government decided that Germany will give up electricity generation from nuclear power within a decade. The last reactor will be disconnected from the power grid in 2022. Helping to make this opt-out as safe as possible is one of the duties of the Helmholtz Association with its Nuclear Safety Research Program within the Energy Research Area. Also the demolition of nuclear power plants and the repository problem will keep society, and thus also research, busy for a number of decades to come. Giving up electricity production from nuclear power thus must not mean giving up the required nuclear technology competences. In the fields of reactor safety, demolition, final storage, radiation protection, and crisis management, in critical support of international developments, and for competent evaluation of nuclear facilities around Germany, these competences will be in demand far beyond the German opt-out. This is the reason why the final report by the Ethics Committee on 'Safe Energy Supply' emphasizes the importance of nuclear technology research. Close cooperation on national, European and international levels is indispensable in this effort. Also nuclear safety research in the Helmholtz Association is aligned with the challenges posed by the opt-out of the use of nuclear power. It is important that the high competences in the areas of plant safety and demolition, handling of radioactive waste, and safe final storage as well as radiation protection be preserved. The Nuclear Safety Research Program within the Energy Research Area of the Helmholtz Association therefore will continue studying scientific and technical aspects of the safety of nuclear reactors and the safety of nuclear waste management. These research activities are provident research conducted for society and must be preserved for a long period of time. The work is closely harmonized with the activities of the

  6. Nuclear safety research in HGF 2011; Nukleare Energieforschung 2011. Forschungszentren. Status und Entwicklung

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tromm, Walter [Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie (KIT), Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany). Programm NUKLEAR

    2012-06-15

    After the events at the Japanese nuclear power plant of Fukushima Daiichi, the German federal government decided that Germany will give up electricity generation from nuclear power within a decade. The last reactor will be disconnected from the power grid in 2022. Helping to make this opt-out as safe as possible is one of the duties of the Helmholtz Association with its Nuclear Safety Research Program within the Energy Research Area. Also the demolition of nuclear power plants and the repository problem will keep society, and thus also research, busy for a number of decades to come. Giving up electricity production from nuclear power thus must not mean giving up the required nuclear technology competences. In the fields of reactor safety, demolition, final storage, radiation protection, and crisis management, in critical support of international developments, and for competent evaluation of nuclear facilities around Germany, these competences will be in demand far beyond the German opt-out. This is the reason why the final report by the Ethics Committee on 'Safe Energy Supply' emphasizes the importance of nuclear technology research. Close cooperation on national, European and international levels is indispensable in this effort. Also nuclear safety research in the Helmholtz Association is aligned with the challenges posed by the opt-out of the use of nuclear power. It is important that the high competences in the areas of plant safety and demolition, handling of radioactive waste, and safe final storage as well as radiation protection be preserved. The Nuclear Safety Research Program within the Energy Research Area of the Helmholtz Association therefore will continue studying scientific and technical aspects of the safety of nuclear reactors and the safety of nuclear waste management. These research activities are provident research conducted for society and must be preserved for a long period of time. The work is closely harmonized with the activities

  7. Prevalence and factors associated with sexually transmitted infections among HIV positive women opting for intrauterine contraception.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Othman Kakaire

    Full Text Available Women living with HIV/AIDS (WLHA are a high risk group for sexually transmitted infections (STIs. However, the majority of women with STIs are asymptomatic. Data on prevalence of STIs among WLHA in Uganda are limited. The objective of the study was to determine prevalence and factors associated with STIs among WLHA opting for intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD.Three hundred fifty one WLHA deemed free of STIs using a syndromic logarithm were enrolled into the study. Endo-cervical swabs were taken before IUD insertion and PCR test for Nisseria gonorrhea (NG, Trichomonas vaginalis (TV and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT infections conducted.Participants' mean age was 29.4 ± 6.2 years, 83% were under 35years, 50% had secondary education and 73% were married. The majority (69% had disclosed their HIV sero status to their spouses, 82% used Cotrimoxazole prophylaxis, 70% were on antiretroviral therapy, 90% had CD4 count greater than 350, about 60% reported condoms use and 70% were of parity 2-4. Over 50% of the participants' spouses were older than 35 years and 72% had attained secondary education. STIs prevalence was 11.1%, (95% CI 7.8-14.4 and individual prevalence for TV, NG, and CT was 5.9%, 5.4% and 0.9% respectively. Factors independently associated with STI were having primary or less education (OR= 2.3, 95% CI: 1.09 - 4.85 having a spouse of primary or less education (OR= 3.3, 95% CI: 1.6 - 6.78 and muslim faith (OR= 0.2, 95% CI: 0.04 - 0.78.STI prevalence was 11.1%. TV and NG were the commonest STIs in this population. Having primary or less education for both participant and spouse was associated with increased risk while being of muslim faith was associated with reduced risk of STI.

  8. Farmers’ reasons for deregistering from organic farming

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Koesling, Matthias; Løes, Anne-Kristin; Flaten, Ola

    2012-01-01

    Every year since 2002, 150 to 200 farmers in Norway have deregistered from certified organic production. The aim of this study was to get behind these figures and improve our understanding of the reasoning leading to decisions to opt out. Four cases of deregistered organic farmers with grain, sheep......, dairy or vegetable production were selected for in-depth studies. The cases were analysed from the perspective of individual competencies and the competencies available in the networks of the selected organic farmers. Besides the conspicuous reasons to opt out of certified organic farming......, such as regulations getting stricter over time and low income, personal reasons such as disappointment and need for acceptance were also important. This shows that hard mechanisms, such as economic support and premium prices, are not sufficient to motivate farmers for sustained organic management. Support...

  9. On some problems concerning the national emergency planning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Angelov, V [Civil Defence Administration, Sofia (Bulgaria); Bonchev, Ts [Sofia Univ. (Bulgaria). Fizicheski Fakultet; Andonov, S [Civil Defence Administration, Sofia (Bulgaria); Semova, T [Sofia Univ. (Bulgaria). Fizicheski Fakultet; Ganchev, N [Committee on the Use of Atomic Energy for Peaceful Purposes, Sofia (Bulgaria); Georgiev, V [Energoproekt, Sofia (Bulgaria)

    1996-12-31

    The basic principles of national emergency planning and preparedness in case of severe nuclear accident are discussed. Recommendations concerning the participating authorities in Bulgaria and their cooperation are given. The need to synchronize the plan with the NPP Kozloduy emergency plan is pointed out. The introduction of new legislation outlining the necessity of national emergency planning is stressed. 13 refs.

  10. On some problems concerning the national emergency planning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Angelov, V.; Bonchev, Ts.; Semova, T.; Georgiev, V.

    1995-01-01

    The basic principles of national emergency planning and preparedness in case of severe nuclear accident are discussed. Recommendations concerning the participating authorities in Bulgaria and their cooperation are given. The need to synchronize the plan with the NPP Kozloduy emergency plan is pointed out. The introduction of new legislation outlining the necessity of national emergency planning is stressed. 13 refs

  11. 75 FR 24802 - Lead; Amendment to the Opt-Out and Recordkeeping Provisions in the Renovation, Repair, and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-05-06

    ... outcomes, including increased blood pressure and incidence of hypertension. A meta-analysis of numerous...). Elementary and secondary schools (NAICS code 611110), e.g., elementary schools with kindergarten classrooms... Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) data from 1988 through 2004 shows that the prevalence of blood lead...

  12. Proceedings of the Second National Science and Technology Forum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2005-01-01

    In Zambia, a lot of research work has been carried out in Science and Technology without a matching public awareness of the achievements and potential benefits. It is for this reason the National Science and Technology Council hosted the Second National Science and Technology Forum to publicise and promote broad national prioties in Science and Technology research. Highlights included the presentation of papers on residue effect of partially acidulated phosphate rock,the fluorencenceand absortion of white and dyed cotton fabricsand the intergation of indigenious knowledge and technologies in national development among others

  13. Changes in knowledge of cervical cancer following introduction of human papillomavirus vaccine among women at high risk for cervical cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Stewart Massad

    2015-04-01

    Conclusion: Substantial gaps in understanding of HPV and cervical cancer prevention exist despite years of health education. While more effective educational interventions may help, optimal cancer prevention may require opt-out vaccination programs that do not require nuanced understanding.

  14. Generating Autoclave-Level Mechanical Properties with Out-of-Autoclave Thermoplastic Placement of Large Composite Aerospace Structures, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Out-of-autoclave thermoplastic tape/tow placement (TP-ATP) is nearing commercialization but suffers a moderate gap in mechanical properties compared with laminates...

  15. Knock-out reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    de Forest, T. Jr.

    1977-01-01

    It is pointed out that the primary motivation for performing high energy single nucleon knock-out reactions is based on the concept of quasi-elastic scattering. The validity of and corrections to the partial wave impulse approximation and kinematical invariance of knock-out reactions and tests of the reaction mechanism are treated. The effect of distortions on the momentum distribution in the effective momentum approximation for given parameters are plotted. 12 references

  16. The contours of disorder: crime maps and territorial policing in South Africa

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vigneswaran, D.

    2014-01-01

    Organised violence strongly shapes political boundaries. The modern state’s monopoly on legitimate violence has made national borders the primary dividing line between peaceful and violent places. However, governments that are unable to achieve such a monopoly may opt for the more modest goal of

  17. Lacking Community Out-Reach of Chinese Mining Investors in the Arctic

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zeuthen, Jesper Willaing

    Lacking Community Out-Reach of Chinese Mining Investors in the Arctic Despite China’s bad reputation as a mining investor, in a context of dramatically falling mineral prices, Chinese investments seem to be needed in order to realize most new mining projects across the globe. In Greenland...... and Arctic Canada, potential Chinese investors have been met with even more suspicion than elsewhere. National governments are worried about what state owned Chinese investors will mean for their control over national resources while local governments and the public fear what Chinese investors will mean...... for labour conditions and local environment. They fear a lack of social corporate responsibility (CSR) from Chinese investors. This paper assumes that the possible interest in Arctic mineral resources by the Chinese state combined with a strong demand from Greenland and Canada would make the Arctic a most...

  18. National identity in multicultural environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Milena Öbrink Hobzová

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available In today's globalized world, it is important to find a relationship to our own culture as well as to the other cultures which we encounter due to migration. This goal should be met in multicultural education. As a result of the so-called migration crisis, effectiveness of multicultural education was discussed on social networks and in media. At the same time, national interests and security began to appear in the programmes of political parties. It seems that, due to the fear of refugees, national identity started becoming more important. The situation is reflected in the research presented below. It aimed to determine whether there was a link between the sense of national identity and attitudes to foreigners. The investigation was carried out in 2015 on a sample of 245 respondents. The results showed that the growing sense of national identity deepened the negative attitude to foreigners. It is necessary to work with this fact in multicultural education at schools.

  19. Impact of National Universities Commission (NUC) Accreditation ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Nekky Umera

    (NUC) accreditation exercise on university administrative structure of four selected Nigerian ... The Commission's recommendations led to the setting up by Government the National ... For instance, the goals of tertiary education as spelt out in ...

  20. Urban American Indian/Alaskan Natives Compared to Non-Indians in Out-of-Home Care

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carter, Vernon B.

    2011-01-01

    Historically, American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) children have been disproportionately represented in the foster care system. In this study, nationally representative child welfare data from October 1999 was used to compare urban AI/AN children to non-Indian children placed into out-of-home care. Compared to non-Indian children, urban AI/AN…

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