Collaborative agency to support integrated care for children, young people and families: an action research study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karen Stuart

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Collaboration was legislated in the delivery of integrated care in the early 2000s in the UK. This research explored how the reality of practice met the rhetoric of collaboration.Theory: The paper is situated against a theoretical framework of structure, agency, identity and empowerment. Collectively and contextually these concepts inform the proposed model of ‘collaborative agency’ to sustain integrated care. The paper brings sociological theory on structure and agency to the dilemma of collaboration.Methods: Participative action research was carried out in collaborative teams that aspired to achieve integrated care for children, young people and families between 2009 and 2013. It was a part time, PhD study in collaborative practice.Results: The research established that people needed to be able to be jointly aware of their context, to make joint decisions, and jointly act in order to deliver integrated services, and proposes a model of collaborative agency derived from practitioner’s experiences and integrated action research and literature on agency. The model reflects the effects of a range of structures in shaping professional identity, empowerment, and agency in a dynamic. The author proposes that the collaborative agency model will support integrated care, although this is, as yet, an untested hypothesis.

Collaborative agency to support integrated care for children, young people and families: an action research study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karen Stuart

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Collaboration was legislated in the delivery of integrated care in the early 2000s in the UK. This research explored how the reality of practice met the rhetoric of collaboration. Theory: The paper is situated against a theoretical framework of structure, agency, identity and empowerment. Collectively and contextually these concepts inform the proposed model of ‘collaborative agency’ to sustain integrated care. The paper brings sociological theory on structure and agency to the dilemma of collaboration. Methods: Participative action research was carried out in collaborative teams that aspired to achieve integrated care for children, young people and families between 2009 and 2013. It was a part time, PhD study in collaborative practice. Results: The research established that people needed to be able to be jointly aware of their context, to make joint decisions, and jointly act in order to deliver integrated services, and proposes a model of collaborative agency derived from practitioner’s experiences and integrated action research and literature on agency. The model reflects the effects of a range of structures in shaping professional identity, empowerment, and agency in a dynamic. The author proposes that the collaborative agency model will support integrated care, although this is, as yet, an untested hypothesis.

Gender in health technology assessment: pilot study on agency approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Panteli, Dimitra; Zentner, Annette; Storz-Pfennig, Philipp; Busse, Reinhard

2011-07-01

Gender as a social construct is a recognized health determinant. Because best practice in reporting health technology assessment (HTA) clearly specifies the need to appraise a technology's social impact within the target population, the extent to which gender issues are taken into account in HTA production is of interest, not only in light of equitable practices but also for reasons of effectiveness. The aim of this study is to provide a first assessment of the degree of gender sensitivity shown by HTA agencies around the world today. The Web sites of sixty HTA agencies were analyzed. The consideration of gender aspects was specifically looked for in each agency's general mission statement, its priority setting process, and its methodological approach. Additionally, specific gender-oriented initiatives not belonging to any of the aforementioned categories were identified. Of the sixty agencies, less than half mention a commitment to addressing the social implication of health technologies. Only fifteen institutions make information on their priority setting principles available on their Web sites and gender was an issue in two of those cases. Data on methodology were obtainable online from 18 agencies, two of which mentioned gender issues explicitly. Finally, gender-oriented initiatives were identified by thirteen agencies. A gender-sensitive approach is apparently rarely adopted in current HTA production. Exceptional practices and relevant tools do exist and could serve as examples to be promoted by international collaborative networks.

Self-care agency in systemic lupus erythematosus and its associated factors: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Hui; Xie, Xia; Song, Yuqing; Nie, Anliu; Chen, Hong

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to estimate the level of self-care agency and explore its associated factors in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In this cross-sectional study, all patients were from a tertiary general hospital between July and October 2016 in Southwest China. The self-care agency was assessed using the Exercise of Self-care Agency Scale. Other variables were measured by the Visual Analog Scale, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000, the physical component summary, and mental component summary of the 36-item Short Form Health Survey. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to explore the associated factors of self-care agency. A total of 123 patients were recruited. The mean score of Exercise of Self-care Agency Scale was 86.29. In univariate analysis, self-care agency of patients differed in regard to gender, work status, educational level, household income monthly per capita, and disease activity ( P agency ( P agency. Patients with SLE had a middle level of self-care agency, suggesting that there is still much scope for improvement. The lower level of self-care agency was associated with male gender, lower educational level, lower household income monthly per capita, and worse mental health. Therefore, health care providers should develop targeted and comprehensive interventions to enhance self-care agency in patients with SLE.

Multi-agency collaboration in local governace: partnership or pragmatism? An exploratory case study

OpenAIRE

Cunneen, Jacinta Mary

2012-01-01

peer-reviewed Policy makers everywhere are confronted by complex problems and public agencies strive to find effective solutions in a context of dwindling resources and increased demands. This study examines how a partnership, among Irish public agencies, was used to address anti-social behaviour on some public housing estates in Limerick City. In 2007 the Limerick City Community Safety Partnership Limited was established. This was the first time a multi-agency community ...

Validation of three new methods for determination of metal emissions using a modified Environmental Protection Agency Method 301

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Catherine A. Yanca; Douglas C. Barth; Krag A. Petterson; Michael P. Nakanishi; John A. Cooper; Bruce E. Johnsen; Richard H. Lambert; Daniel G. Bivins [Cooper Environmental Services, LLC, Portland, OR (United States)

2006-12-15

Three new methods applicable to the determination of hazardous metal concentrations in stationary source emissions were developed and evaluated for use in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) compliance applications. Two of the three independent methods, a continuous emissions monitor-based method (Xact) and an X-ray-based filter method (XFM), are used to measure metal emissions. The third method involves a quantitative aerosol generator (QAG), which produces a reference aerosol used to evaluate the measurement methods. A modification of EPA Method 301 was used to validate the three methods for As, Cd, Cr, Pb, and Hg, representing three hazardous waste combustor Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) metal categories (low volatile, semivolatile, and volatile). The measurement methods were evaluated at a hazardous waste combustor (HWC) by comparing measured with reference aerosol concentrations. The QAG, Xact, and XFM met the modified Method 301 validation criteria. All three of the methods demonstrated precisions and accuracies on the order of 5%. The measurement methods should be applicable to emissions from a wide range of sources, and the reference aerosol generator should be applicable to additional analytes. EPA recently approved an alternative monitoring petition for an HWC at Eli Lilly's Tippecanoe site in Lafayette, IN, in which the Xact is used for demonstrating compliance with the HWC MACT metal emissions (low volatile, semivolatile, and volatile). The QAG reference aerosol generator was approved as a method for providing a quantitative reference aerosol, which is required for certification and continuing quality assurance of the Xact. 30 refs., 5 figs., 11 tabs.

How Does Temporary Agency Work Impact German Agency Workers?

OpenAIRE

Spermann, Alexander

2013-01-01

The enormous speed of change in the working world is associated with greater job insecurity. As a dynamic external flexibilization instrument, temporary agency work is characterized by high labor turnover rates. As a result, agency workers might perceive more job insecurity than permanent staff. This paper surveys German empirical studies on outcome variables such as job satisfaction, commitment, health, employability, social participation and effects on personal life for agency workers. It i...

Accounting for Agency

Science.gov (United States)

Valentine, Kylie

2011-01-01

Children are increasingly described as agents and agency is important to arguments for children's rights and participation. Yet agency is rarely defined or theorised in childhood studies. This article reviews common uses and meanings of agency and argues that critical, social conceptualisations have yet to be extensively taken up in childhood…

All my friends are here: Four initial case studies on student design agencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Benz

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Student design agencies have not previously received much – if any – academic attention, despite their having become fairly common in the context of tertiary design / visual arts institutions since the late 1990s as a way of providing work–study experiences. This article, for the first time, outlines case studies of four international student design agencies in Germany, Malaysia and the USA, including their background, their legal set-up, their relations with their parent institutions, and their (business activities and general operations, as well as their members’ motivations for participation. All case studies are based on interviews by email or Skype with respective agency heads conducted from November 2012 to January 2013. The information obtained from the interviews was further rounded by additional materials – where available – and turned into short comprehensive narratives that highlight the particular qualities of the respective cases. The concluding comparison of these four narratives establishes that student design agencies are worthwhile knowledge transfer endeavours with strong indications of educational value, though more formal research would need to be done to confirm quantitative and qualitative effects. The four cases also allow for the deduction that the most important criterion for the success of a student design agency is its ability to create an intensive working experience with a strong focus on team interaction, and that the achievement of such experience is essentially based on on-campus space, staff involvement, competitive admission and non-business-related activities. Keywords: student design agency, knowledge transfer, student entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, business innovation

Creating Quality Improvement Culture in Public Health Agencies

Science.gov (United States)

Mahanna, Elizabeth; Joly, Brenda; Zelek, Michael; Riley, William; Verma, Pooja; Fisher, Jessica Solomon

2014-01-01

Objectives. We conducted case studies of 10 agencies that participated in early quality improvement efforts. Methods. The agencies participated in a project conducted by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (2007–2008). Case study participants included health directors and quality improvement team leaders and members. We implemented multiple qualitative analysis processes, including cross-case analysis and logic modeling. We categorized agencies according to the extent to which they had developed a quality improvement culture. Results. Agencies were conducting informal quality improvement projects (n = 4), conducting formal quality improvement projects (n = 3), or creating a quality improvement culture (n = 4). Agencies conducting formal quality improvement and creating a quality improvement culture had leadership support for quality improvement, participated in national quality improvement initiatives, had a greater number of staff trained in quality improvement and quality improvement teams that met regularly with decision-making authority. Agencies conducting informal quality improvement were likely to report that accreditation is the major driver for quality improvement work. Agencies creating a quality improvement culture were more likely to have a history of evidence-based decision-making and use quality improvement to address emerging issues. Conclusions. Our findings support previous research and add the roles of national public health accreditation and emerging issues as factors in agencies’ ability to create and sustain a quality improvement culture. PMID:24228680

Exploring the characteristics of nursing agencies in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Omolola I. Olojede

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Nursing agencies are temporary employment service providers or labour brokers that supply nurses to health establishments. Objective: This study was conducted to determine the characteristics of nursing agencies and their relationship with clients in the health sector. Methods: During 2011, a cross-sectional national survey of 106 nursing agencies was conducted. After obtaining informed consent, telephone interviews were conducted with a representative of the selected nursing agency using a pretested structured questionnaire. Questions focused on the following: ownership, date of establishment, province of operation, distribution of clients across private and public health facilities; existence of a code of conduct; nature of the contractual relationship between nursing agencies and their clients, and numbers and cadres of nurses contracted. The survey data were analysed using STATA® 12. Results: Fifty-two nursing agencies participated in the survey, representing a 49% response rate. The study found that 32 nursing agencies (62% served private-sector clients only, which included private hospitals, homes for elderly people, patients in private homes, and private industry/company clinics, and only four (8% of the agencies served the public sector only. Twenty-seven percent of nursing agencies provided services to homes for elderly individuals. Nursing agencies were more likely to have contracts with private-sector clients (84% than with public-sector clients (16% (p = 0.04. Although 98% of nursing agencies reported that they had a code of conduct, the proportion was higher for private-sector clients (73% compared to public-sector clients (27%. In terms of quality checks and monitoring, 81% of agencies agreed with a statement that they checked the nursing council registration of nurses, 82% agreed with a statement that they requested certified copies of a nurse's qualifications. Only 21% indicated that they conducted reference checks

48 CFR 15.604 - Agency points of contact.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... agency: upcoming solicitations; Broad Agency Announcements; Small Business Innovation Research programs; Small Business Technology Transfer Research programs; Program Research and Development Announcements; or... CONTRACTING METHODS AND CONTRACT TYPES CONTRACTING BY NEGOTIATION Unsolicited Proposals 15.604 Agency points...

5 CFR 451.103 - Agency award program(s).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... for employees covered by this subpart. (b) Agencies are encouraged to involve employees in developing such programs. When agencies involve employees, the method of involvement shall be in accordance with... agency financial management controls and delegations of authority; and (2) Documenting justification for...

Substitution Relationship Between The Agency Problem Control Mechanisms in Malaysia: Simultaneous Equation Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Agus Harjito

2009-05-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the substitution relationship (substitutability between debt policy, insider ownership, and dividend policy as the agency problem control mechanism in Malaysia. If the substitution relationship exists between the agency control mechanisms, the agency problem can be reduced through this relationship. Reducing the agency problem as a result can increase the firm value proxied by Tobin’s Q. This study employs 396 firms sample listed on Malaysian Bourse from 2001 to 2004. To achieves the objectives, this study uses two-stage least square method. The results of this study indicate that the substitutability between debt policy, insider ownership, and dividend policy as agency problem control mechanism does not fully exist in Malaysia. Apparently the substitutability only exists for debt policy and dividend. There is no substitution between debt policy and insider ownership as well as between dividend policy and insider ownership. Key words: debt policy, insider ownership, dividend policy, agency problem, firm value

Structure, Agency, Complexity Theory and Interdisciplinary Research in Education Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, John A.

2013-01-01

This article argues that Education Studies needs to develop its existing interdisciplinarity understanding of structures and agencies by giving greater attention to the modern process theories of self-organisation in the physical, biological, psychological and social sciences, sometimes given the umbrella term "complexity theory". The…

The indirect costs of agency nurses in South Africa: a case study in two public sector hospitals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laetitia C. Rispel

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Globally, flexible work arrangements – through the use of temporary nursing staff – are an important strategy for dealing with nursing shortages in hospitals. Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the direct and indirect costs of agency nurses, as well as the advantages and the problems associated with agency nurse utilisation in two public sector hospitals in South Africa. Methods: Following ethical approval, two South African public sector hospitals were selected purposively. Direct costs were determined through an analysis of hospital expenditure information for a 5-year period from 2005 until 2010, obtained from the national transversal Basic Accounting System database. At each hospital, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the chief executive officer, executive nursing services manager, the maternity or critical care unit nursing manager, the human resource manager, and the finance manager. Indirect costs measured were the time spent on pre-employment checks, and nurse recruitment, orientation, and supervision. All expenditure is expressed in South African Rands (R: 1 USD=R7, 2010 prices. Results: In the 2009/10 financial year, Hospital 1 spent R38.86 million (US$5.55 million on nursing agencies, whereas Hospital 2 spent R10.40 million (US$1.49 million. The total estimated time spent per week on indirect cost activities at Hospital 1 was 51.5 hours, and 60 hours at Hospital 2. The estimated monetary value of this time at Hospital 1 was R962,267 (US$137,467 and at Hospital 2 the value was R300,121 (US$42,874, thus exceeding the weekly direct costs of nursing agencies. Agency nurses assisted the selected hospitals in dealing with problems of nurse recruitment, absenteeism, shortages, and skills gaps in specialised clinical areas. The problems experienced with agency nurses included their perceived lack of commitment, unreliability, and providing sub-optimal quality of patient care. Conclusion

An Assessment of the Efficiency of Government Regulatory Agencies in Nigeria. Case of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aiwanehi Barbara Ofuani

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This study examines Business, Government and Society interrelationships. It eventually narrowed down to assessing the efficiency of government regulatory agencies, in fulfilling the role of government in protecting consumers from unscrupulous practices of businesses. The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC was chosen for the study. Since the expectations of the consumers are paramount here, the stakeholder approach method was used for assessing the efficiency of NAFDAC. Literature and previous empirical studies on the topic were examined. For representativeness, data was collected utilizing the survey research design through Questionnaire distributed to 200 respondents in some areas of Lagos Mainland in Lagos state, using the convenience sampling method. 187 copies of the questionnaire representing 93.5% were returned and usable. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the responses to questions regarding the efficiency of NAFDAC and a hypothesis tested using a one-sample T-test. The findings ran contrary to results from some previous studies. Instead, consumer awareness of the existence of NAFDAC as a regulatory agency and its functions were established, along with a high rate of consumer education. The assessment of its efficiency also showed a high rating. Recommendations were made that the study be replicated in other states of Nigeria and further studies carried out to evaluate its efficiency under previous and current directors for improvement purposes.

Study on the Evaluation of the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Attström, Karin; Ludden, Vanessa; Lessmann, Franziska

The European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) was established in 2004. The Agency provides advice and recommendations, data analysis, and supports awareness raising and cooperation by the EU bodies and Member States in the field of cybersecurity. ENISA uses its expertise...... and assesses their financial implications. The findings of the evaluation study show that ENISA has made some important achievements towards increasing NIS in the EU. However, a fragmented approach to cybersecurity across the EU and issues internal to the Agency, including limited financial resources, hinder...

Youth and administrator perspectives on transition in Kentucky's state agency schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, Amy; Powell, Norman; Pierce, Doris; Nolan, Ronnie; Fehringer, Elaine

2012-01-01

Students, a large percentage with disabilities, are at high risk for poor post-secondary outcomes in state agency education programs. This mixed-methods study describes the understandings of student transitions in state agency education programs from the perspectives of youth and administrators. Results indicated that: transition is more narrowly defined within alternative education programs; key strengths of transition practice are present in nontraditional schools; and the coordination barriers within this fluid inter-agency transition system are most apparent in students' frequent inter-setting transitions between nontraditional and home schools.

The social integration of healthcare agency workers in long-term care facilities: A cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lapalme, Marie-Ève; Doucet, Olivier

2018-06-01

Patient care quality is a key concern for long-term care facilities and is directly related to effective collaboration between healthcare professionals. The use of agency staff in long-term care facilities creates important challenges in terms of coordination and communication within work units. The purpose of this study is to assess the mediating effect of common in-group identity in the relationship between permanent employees' perceptions regarding the use of agency workers -namely distributive justice, perceptions of threat, perceived similarities with agency workers, and leader inclusiveness toward agency staff- and the permanent employees' adoption of collaborative behaviours. Cross-sectional study. Three long-term care facilities. 290 regular healthcare employees (nurses and care attendants). Data were obtained through questionnaires filled out by employees. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation analyses. The results showed the indirect effects of perceived distributive justice, perceived similarity and leader inclusiveness toward agency workers on permanent employees' cooperation behaviours through common group identification. Perceptions of threat were not related to common group identification or collaborative behaviours. The results also showed that common in-group identification is related to cooperation behaviours only for employees without previous experience as agency workers. This study suggests that permanent healthcare employees who feel they are fairly compensated relative to agency workers, who consider these workers as similar to them, and who believe their supervisor appreciates agency workers' contributions tend to develop a common in-group identity, which fosters collaborative behaviours. Managers of long-term care facilities who wish to foster collaboration among their blended workforce should thus create an environment conducive of a more inclusive identity, particularly if their employees have no previous experience as agency

Making Sense of the ‘Agency Programme’ in post-Lisbon Europe: Mapping European Agencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helena Margaretha Ekelund

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The institutional landscape of the EU has been transformed through the establishment of agencies and changes brought by the Lisbon Treaty. This article seeks to contribute to our conceptual and empirical understanding of European agencies post-Lisbon. It maps the current European agencies according to timing of establishment, size, functions, governance structures and financial arrangements, and discusses the findings in relation to studies and classifications of agencies in national settings. It shows that variations between different European agencies correspond to variations observed between agencies in national settings and argues that what is innovative is the political level at which they are created, not the agency type. Focusing on the functions, governance structure and financial arrangements of European agencies, it develops a classification model for European agencies. It concludes that there are four main types of agencies, distinguished by their formal functions and formal autonomy from the European Union’s core executive institutions.

A STUDY OF FACTORS AFFECTING THE ROOM PRICE PROPOSEDBYHOTELS TO INCOMING TRAVEL AGENCIES: FETHİYE SAMPLE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emre ERGUN

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the study wastoassessto understand the factors affecting theroom priceproposed by hotels to incoming travel agencies.The data wascollected from the managers hired in Fethiye hotelsusing questionnaire techniqueand analyzed using the statistical package programs.The degree of the factorsaffecting the room price such asthe positive relations between hotel managers andtravel agency managers,regularpayments to hotels, the location ofthe hotel andso on were determined.This study aimedtocontributethe travel agency managerson their strategiesneededin order toimprove screwing down onaccomodationcosts.

Tank Operations Contract Construction Management Methodology. Utilizing The Agency Method Of Construction Management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lesko, K.F.; Berriochoa, M.V.

2010-01-01

Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS) has faced significant project management challenges in managing Davis-Bacon construction work that meets contractually required small business goals. The unique challenge is to provide contracting opportunities to multiple small business constructioin subcontractors while performing high hazard work in a safe and productive manner. Previous to the WRPS contract, construction work at the Hanford Tank Farms was contracted to large companies, while current Department of Energy (DOE) Contracts typically emphasize small business awards. As an integral part of Nuclear Project Management at Hanford Tank Farms, construction involves removal of old equipment and structures and installation of new infrastructure to support waste retrieval and waste feed delivery to the Waste Treatment Plant. Utilizing the optimum construction approach ensures that the contractors responsible for this work are successful in meeting safety, quality, cost and schedule objectives while working in a very hazardous environment. This paper descirbes the successful transition from a traditional project delivery method that utilized a large business general contractor and subcontractors to a new project construction management model that is more oriented to small businesses. Construction has selected the Agency Construction Management Method (John E Schaufelberger, Len Holm, 'Management of Construction Projects, A Constructor's Perspective', University of Washington, Prentice Hall 2002). This method was implemented in the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2009 (FY2009), where Construction Management is performed by substantially home office resources from the URS Northwest Office in Richland, Washington. The Agency Method has allowed WRPS to provide proven Construction Managers and Field Leads to mentor and direct small business contractors, thus providing expertise and assurance of a successful project. Construction execution contracts are subcontracted

TANK OPERATIONS CONTRACT CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT METHODOLOGY UTILIZING THE AGENCY METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

LESKO KF; BERRIOCHOA MV

2010-02-26

Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS) has faced significant project management challenges in managing Davis-Bacon construction work that meets contractually required small business goals. The unique challenge is to provide contracting opportunities to multiple small business constructioin subcontractors while performing high hazard work in a safe and productive manner. Previous to the WRPS contract, construction work at the Hanford Tank Farms was contracted to large companies, while current Department of Energy (DOE) Contracts typically emphasize small business awards. As an integral part of Nuclear Project Management at Hanford Tank Farms, construction involves removal of old equipment and structures and installation of new infrastructure to support waste retrieval and waste feed delivery to the Waste Treatment Plant. Utilizing the optimum construction approach ensures that the contractors responsible for this work are successful in meeting safety, quality, cost and schedule objectives while working in a very hazardous environment. This paper descirbes the successful transition from a traditional project delivery method that utilized a large business general contractor and subcontractors to a new project construction management model that is more oriented to small businesses. Construction has selected the Agency Construction Management Method (John E Schaufelberger, Len Holm, "Management of Construction Projects, A Constructor's Perspective", University of Washington, Prentice Hall 2002). This method was implemented in the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2009 (FY2009), where Construction Management is performed by substantially home office resources from the URS Northwest Office in Richland, Washington. The Agency Method has allowed WRPS to provide proven Construction Managers and Field Leads to mentor and direct small business contractors, thus providing expertise and assurance of a successful project. Construction execution contracts are

The Electronic Archiving of Arab News Agencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haifa Ayub Gigawy

2007-03-01

Full Text Available This Research aims to present the electronic archives of Arab news agency websites and their methods of searching for and retrieving information. Also, its aim is to examine all their methods in order to find out which are the best and most practically useful ones. The research refers to the news agencies and the Internet, through the methods that users encounter in these inquires and links which present information. It concentrates on practical ways of searching for news items in both texts and pictures. The research contains tables showing the results. It presents a brief summery for each of Arab news agencies.The research comes to the conclusion that there are many things which need to be considered, and also some suggestions as to how the search for and retrieval of information might be improved

Becoming empowered: a grounded theory study of Aboriginal women's agency.

Science.gov (United States)

Bainbridge, Roxanne

2011-07-01

The study aim was to identify the process underlying the performance of agency for urban-dwelling Aboriginal women in contemporary Australian society with a view to promoting social change for Aboriginal people. Grounded theory methods were used in the conduct of 20 life history narrative interviews with Aboriginal women from across fourteen different language groups. Analysis identified a specific ecological model of Aboriginal women's empowerment, defined as "becoming empowered". "Performing Aboriginality" was identified as the core category and encompassed the women's concern for carving out a fulfilling life and carrying out their perceived responsibilities as Aboriginal women. While confirming much of the extant literature on empowerment, the analysis also offered unique contributions--a spiritual sensibility, cultural competence and an ethics of care and morality. This sheds new light on the creative ways in which Aboriginal women "disrupt" discourses and create alternate modes of existence. The findings have implications for improving quality of life for Aboriginal people by informing the practical development and delivery of social and health policies and programs.

David against Goliath - How creative communication helps small advertising agencies survive in a market led by giant agencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenny - Maria Åström

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose - The purpose of the study is to research how national advertising agencies use creativity to compete with larger, global agencies in the advertising market of Sweden, Spain and Portugal. Design/methodology/approach: To conduct the study, the authors keep a qualitative approach: we first carry out an analysis of previous studies about creativity, communication and entrepreneurial orientation, followed by interviews with one small and one large advertising agency for each country. Findings: The findings of the study show that smaller agencies have higher levels of competitive aggressiveness and risk - taking, because of the wish to expand and vulnerability to their larger clients. The levels of opportunity recognition are higher in the large agencies because of their resource assets. All agencies are creative and innovative and equally as proactive, but because the speed of the decision - making process can be faster and communication skills better in a small agency, they can reach higher levels of proactiveness. Research limitations/implications: The implications of the study show that the entrepreneurial orientation to some extent can be used by small agencies to gain competitive advantages on the advertising market. Originality/value: To the best of our knowledge there is no similar study available. This study showed that entrepreneurial orientation, to some extent, can be used by small agencies to gain competitive advantages in the advertising market.

Health and medical research funding agencies' promotion of public engagement within research: a qualitative interview study exploring the United Kingdom context.

Science.gov (United States)

van Bekkum, Jennifer E; Fergie, Gillian M; Hilton, Shona

2016-03-24

Public engagement (PE) has become a common feature of many liberal governmental agendas worldwide. Since the turn of this century there has been a succession of United Kingdom policy initiatives to encourage research funding agencies, universities and researchers to reconsider how they engage with citizens and communities. Although most funding agencies now explicitly promote PE within research, little empirical work has been carried out in this area. In this study, we explored why and how health and medical research funding agencies in the United Kingdom have interpreted and implemented their role to promote PE within research. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 30 key informants from 10 agencies that fund health or medical research. Data were also gathered from agencies' websites and documentation. The analysis was based on the constant comparative method. Across agencies, we found that PE was being interpreted and operationalised in various different ways. The terminology used within funding agencies to describe PE seems to be flexibly applied. Disciplinary differences were evident both in the terminology used to describe PE and the drivers for PE highlighted by participants - with applied health science funders more aligned with participatory models of PE. Within the grant funding process PE was rarely systematically treated as a key component of research. In particular, PE was not routinely incorporated into the planning of funding calls. PE was more likely to be considered in the application and assessment phases, where it was largely appraised as a tool for enhancing science. Concerns were expressed regarding how to monitor and evaluate PE within research. This study suggests funding agencies working within specific areas of health and medicine can promote particular definitions of PE and aligned practices which determine the boundaries in which researchers working in these areas understand and practice PE. Our study also highlights how the

Complex negotiations: the lived experience of enacting agency after a stroke.

Science.gov (United States)

Bergström, Aileen L; Eriksson, Gunilla; Asaba, Eric; Erikson, Anette; Tham, Kerstin

2015-01-01

This qualitative, longitudinal, descriptive study aimed to understand the lived experience of enacting agency, and to describe the phenomenon of agency and the meaning structure of the phenomenon during the year after a stroke. Agency is defined as making things happen in everyday life through one's actions. This study followed six persons (three men and three women, ages 63 to 89), interviewed on four separate occasions. Interview data were analysed using the Empirical Phenomenological Psychological method. The main findings showed that the participants experienced enacting agency in their everyday lives after stroke as negotiating different characteristics over a span of time, a range of difficulty, and in a number of activities, making these negotiations complex. The four characteristics described how the participants made things happen in their everyday lives through managing their disrupted bodies, taking into account their past and envisioning their futures, dealing with the world outside themselves, and negotiating through internal dialogues. This empirical evidence regarding negotiations challenges traditional definitions of agency and a new definition of agency is proposed. Understanding clients' complex negotiations and offering innovative solutions to train in real-life situations may help in the process of enabling occupations after a stroke.

75 FR 53306 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-31

... system change and informs the implementation process and impact evaluation. Using a mixed-methods design... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research...

75 FR 35038 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-21

... system change and informs the implementation process and impact evaluation. Using a mixed-methods design... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research...

Conflicting Goals of Educational Action: A Study of Teacher Agency from A Transactional Realism Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Bergh, Andreas; Wahlström, Ninni

2018-01-01

This study focuses on the different ways in which teachers relate their situational agency and professional assignment to the national curriculum content and curriculum dilemmas. It builds theoretically on transactional realism and empirically on analyses of interviews with teachers, exploring the nature of teacher agency during the enactment of a…

Developing a framework for critical science agency through case study in a conceptual physics context

Science.gov (United States)

Basu, Sreyashi Jhumki; Calabrese Barton, Angela; Clairmont, Neil; Locke, Donya

2009-06-01

In this manuscript we examine how two students develop and express agency in and through high school physics. We tell the stories of two youth from a low-income, urban community to elucidate the important components of critical science agency in a physics context, and to situate a set of claims about how youth develop and express this concept. This research is part of a larger multiyear study of democratic practice in middle- and high-school science. We present three claims: (a) that critical science agency is intimately related to the leveraging and development of identity, (b) that critical science agency involves the strategic deployment of resources , and (c) that developing critical science agency is an iterative and generative process. Two university researchers have co-written this paper with the two students whose experiences serve as the cases under investigation, to provide both an "emic" perspective and student-focused voices that complement and challenge the researchers' voices.

Exploring bi-directional and SMS messaging for communications between Public Health Agencies and their stakeholders: a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Revere, Debra; Calhoun, Rebecca; Baseman, Janet; Oberle, Mark

2015-07-08

Communication technologies that enable bi-directional/two-way communications and cell phone texting (SMS) between public health agencies and their stakeholders may improve public health surveillance, ensure targeted distribution of alerts to hard-to-reach populations, reduce mortality and morbidity in an emergency, and enable a crucial feedback loop between public health agencies and the communities they serve. Building on prior work regarding health care provider preferences for receiving one-way public health communications by email, fax or SMS, we conducted a formative, exploratory study to understand how a bi-directional system and the incorporation of SMS in that system might be used as a strategy to send and receive messages between public health agencies and community-based organizations which serve vulnerable populations, health care providers, and public health workers. Our research question: Under what conditions and/or situations might public health agencies utilize bi-directional and/or SMS messaging for disseminating time-sensitive public health information (alerts, advisories, updates, etc.) to their stakeholders? A mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) study was conducted between April and July 2014. Data collection included a survey distributed to health care providers and semi-structured interviews with providers, community- and government-based organization leaders and directors, and public health agency internal workforce staff. Survey respondents and interviewees were asked about their exposure to public health messages, how these messages are received and how the information in these messages are handled, and in what situations (for example, a local vs. a national event, a pandemic or emergency vs. a health update) a bi-directional and/or SMS messaging system might improve communications between public health agencies and their stakeholder group. Interview and survey data were qualitatively analyzed. Thematic codes were quantitized into

EMPLOYEE PROMOTION PLANNING IN ANALYTICAL HIERARCHY PROCESS PERSPECTIVE: STUDY ON NATIONAL PUBLIC PROCUREMENT AGENCY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayuningtyas A.K.

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The promotion process is part of the career development conducted by Civil State Apparatus Employee (Pegawai Aparatur Sipil Negara which should be implemented by applying merit system. Employee-related strategic decision making has not applied merit system as mandated in applied laws. It occurred due to Public Service Appointment Board (Badan Pertimbangan Jabatan dan Kepangkatan not possessing assessment model and criteria which could be used to support promotion process implementation in the appropriate structural position based on employee competence and performance. This study aims to describe and analyze assessment criteria and subcriteria required to be considered in State Civil Servant Officers promotion planning by applying Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP method in National Public Procurement Agency (Lembaga Kebijakan Pengadaan Barang/Jasa Pemerintah. This study uses the explanative quantitative univariate method. Data collection technique used questionnaire instrument. Analytical tool used was AHP. Research result exhibits that ASN employee promotion planning using assessment model is described as follows: Employee Performance Assessment consist of Employee Work Performance element with three criteria and Employee Work Behavior with twenty-three criteria; and Evaluation of Employee Promotion Implementation with eleven criteria. Through the use of AHP methods employee, promotion planning could be utilized as a tool for Baperjakat to produce employee decisions that will be promoted objectively and effectively.

Organizational factors influencing implementation of evidence-based practices for integrated treatment in behavioral health agencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonham, Caroline A; Sommerfeld, David; Willging, Cathleen; Aarons, Gregory A

2014-01-01

Objective. In recent years, New Mexico has prioritized integrated treatment for cooccurring mental health and substance use disorders within its public behavioral health system. This report describes factors likely to be important when implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs) in community agencies. Methods. Our mixed-method research design consisted of observations, semistructured interviews, and surveys undertaken with employees at 14 agencies at baseline and after 18 months. We developed four-agency typologies based on iterative coding and analysis of observations and interviews. We then examined survey data from employees at the four exemplar agencies to validate qualitative findings. Results. Financial resources and strong leadership impacted agency capacity to train providers and implement EBPs. Quantitative analysis of service provider survey responses from these agencies (N = 38) supported qualitative findings and demonstrated significant mean score differences in leadership, organizational climate, and attitudes toward EBPs in anticipated directions. Conclusion. The availability of strong leadership and financial resources were key components to initial implementation success in this study of community agencies in New Mexico. Reliance only on external funding poses risks for sustainment when demoralizing work climates precipitate employee turnover. Strong agency leadership does not always compensate for deficient financial resources in vulnerable communities.

Weatherization Beyond the Numbers: Case Studies of Fifteen High-performing Weatherization Agencies - Conducted May 2011 through July 2012

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tonn, Bruce Edward [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Rose, Erin M. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Hawkins, Beth A. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2014-09-01

The report presents fifteen individual case studies of high-performing and unique local weatherization agencies. This research was one component of the retrospective evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy s Weatherization Assistance Program. The agencies were chosen to represent a range of contexts and approaches to weatherization. For example, the set of agencies includes a mix of urban and rural agencies, those that mainly use in-house crews to weatherize homes versus those that use contractor crews, and a mix of locations, from very cold climates to moderate to hot humid and dry climates. The case studies were mainly based on site visits to the agencies that encompassed interviews with program directors, weatherization crews, and recipients of weatherization. This information was supplemented by secondary materials. The cases document the diversity of contexts and challenges faced by the agencies and how they operate on a day-by-day basis. The cases also high common themes found throughout the agencies, such as their focus on mission and respect for their clients.

The Foundation Role for Theories of Agency in Understanding Information Systems Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert Johnston

2002-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper we argue that theories of agency form a foundation upon which we can build a deeper understanding of information systems design. We do so by firstly recognising that information systems are part of purposeful sociotechnical systems and that consequently theories of agency may help in understanding them. We then present two alternative theories of agency (deliberative and situational, mainly drawn from the robotics and artificial intelligence disciplines, and in doing so, we note that existing information system design methods and ontological studies of those methods implicitly adhere to the deliberative theory of agency. We also note that while there are advantages in specific circumstances from utilising the situated theory of agency in designing complex systems, because of their differing ontological commitments, such systems would be difficult to analyse and evaluate using ontologies currently used in information systems. We then provide evidence that such situational information systems can indeed exist, by giving a specific example (the Kanban system, which has emerged from manufacturing practice. We conclude that information systems are likely to benefit from creating design approaches supporting the production of situational systems.

Revealing gendered identity and agency in dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Boyle, Geraldine

2017-11-01

As identity and agency are central to the well-being of people with dementia, this paper explores whether their dialogue conveys a gendered sense of identity and agency. The author discusses whether they demonstrate not just a subjective sense of being but also an understanding of their relational selves. Findings are presented from a qualitative study in the North of England which examined the everyday decisions made by married couples when one partner had dementia. Ethnographic methods were used, including participant observation and interviews. While dialogical analysis usually centres on the subjective self, it was also used to examine intersubjectivity. Comparisons are made between the dialogue of women and men in order to draw conclusions about the gendered nature of identity and agency. The study found that the women and men defined themselves according to their social and gender identities. The literature had suggested that agency might be a gendered concept and the study confirmed that men were somewhat individualistic and rational in their concerns, whereas women were more relational and even spiritual. Yet, women and men demonstrated emotional reflexivity. As national and international health policy prioritises living well with dementia, more systematic attention should be given to the role of gender in influencing well-being in dementia. Health and social care staff should recognise and facilitate the gender identity and related social roles of people with dementia (e.g. parent, carer and worker) in order to enhance their quality of life. © 2017 The Author. Health and Social Care in the Community Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Collaborative agency to support integrated care for children, young people and families: an action research study.

Science.gov (United States)

Stuart, Kaz

2014-04-01

Collaboration was legislated in the delivery of integrated care in the early 2000s in the UK. This research explored how the reality of practice met the rhetoric of collaboration. The paper is situated against a theoretical framework of structure, agency, identity and empowerment. Collectively and contextually these concepts inform the proposed model of 'collaborative agency' to sustain integrated care. The paper brings sociological theory on structure and agency to the dilemma of collaboration. Participative action research was carried out in collaborative teams that aspired to achieve integrated care for children, young people and families between 2009 and 2013. It was a part time, PhD study in collaborative practice. The research established that people needed to be able to be jointly aware of their context, to make joint decisions, and jointly act in order to deliver integrated services, and proposes a model of collaborative agency derived from practitioner's experiences and integrated action research and literature on agency. The model reflects the effects of a range of structures in shaping professional identity, empowerment, and agency in a dynamic. The author proposes that the collaborative agency model will support integrated care, although this is, as yet, an untested hypothesis.

A Model for Study of Teacher Agency for Social Justice

Science.gov (United States)

Pantic, Nataša

2015-01-01

Internationally teachers are called upon to act as agents of change. However, there is little clarity about the kind of change teachers are expected to contribute to and even less empirical evidence about the ways teacher agency operates in schools and beyond. Empirical analyses of teacher agency require a clear articulation of the purpose and…

INTEGRATION OF THE SAP CONCEPT IN THE EMPLOYEE ASSESSMENT OF TRAVEL AGENCIES IN SUCEAVA COUNTY THROUGH MYSTERY SHOPPING TYPE METHODS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristian Valentin HAPENCIUC

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Being on a positive trend and addressing to a market that is less willing to compromise, the tourism industry develops a highly complex content, represented by various organizations and services, having as a main objective meeting the expectations of consumers of tourism services and reporting to the challenges of contemporary dynamics generated by the emergence of new information technologies. To respond effectively to these issues, tourism requires among other things a modern HR management. For travel agencies, human resources are the main asset of the company that serves to implement the entity's objectives. The most important qualities of the travel agent are polite attitude, promptness, sagacity and firmness. However, the ability to display with celerity their own capabilities - intellectual, psycho-motivational and persuasive - represents the quintessence of the travel agent profession. When we refer to these features, in the universal tourism language we talk about SAP concept: Speed, Accuracy, Politeness. Therefore, the major objective of this study aims to assess the employees of travel agencies from Suceava County in terms of SAP components using three different methods of qualitative research: Mystery Shopping, Mystery Calling and Mystery Emailing.

Effects of Computer Reservation System in the Operations of Travel Agencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sevillia S. Felicen

2016-11-01

Full Text Available In travel industry, the main tool used is the computerized booking systems and now known as Global Distribution Systems or GDS. This paper aimed to determine the effect of using Computer Reservation System among Travel Agencies in terms of technical, human and financial aspect. This will help the Internship office to include the identified travel agencies in their linkages where the students will be deployed for internship. The result of this study will also be helpful and can be utilized in the course travel and tour operations with computer reservation system. The descriptive method of research was used with managers and users/staff of 20 travel agencies as participants of the study. Questionnaire was used as main data gathering instrument utilizing percentage, frequency and weighted mean as statistical tool. Abacus System is the computer reservation system used by all travel agencies in Batangas. All travel agencies offered services such as domestic and international hotel reservation, domestic and international ticketing and package tour. The CRS can connect guest to all forms of travel; it has installed built in system security features that can improve agency’s efficiency and productivity.

Analysing collaboration among HIV agencies through combining network theory and relational coordination.

Science.gov (United States)

Khosla, Nidhi; Marsteller, Jill Ann; Hsu, Yea Jen; Elliott, David L

2016-02-01

Agencies with different foci (e.g. nutrition, social, medical, housing) serve people living with HIV (PLHIV). Serving needs of PLHIV comprehensively requires a high degree of coordination among agencies which often benefits from more frequent communication. We combined Social Network theory and Relational Coordination theory to study coordination among HIV agencies in Baltimore. Social Network theory implies that actors (e.g., HIV agencies) establish linkages amongst themselves in order to access resources (e.g., information). Relational Coordination theory suggests that high quality coordination among agencies or teams relies on the seven dimensions of frequency, timeliness and accuracy of communication, problem-solving communication, knowledge of agencies' work, mutual respect and shared goals. We collected data on frequency of contact from 57 agencies using a roster method. Response options were ordinal ranging from 'not at all' to 'daily'. We analyzed data using social network measures. Next, we selected agencies with which at least one-third of the sample reported monthly or more frequent interaction. This yielded 11 agencies whom we surveyed on seven relational coordination dimensions with questions scored on a Likert scale of 1-5. Network density, defined as the proportion of existing connections to all possible connections, was 20% when considering monthly or higher interaction. Relational coordination scores from individual agencies to others ranged between 1.17 and 5.00 (maximum possible score 5). The average scores for different dimensions across all agencies ranged between 3.30 and 4.00. Shared goals (4.00) and mutual respect (3.91) scores were highest, while scores such as knowledge of each other's work and problem-solving communication were relatively lower. Combining theoretically driven analyses in this manner offers an innovative way to provide a comprehensive picture of inter-agency coordination and the quality of exchange that underlies

Agency Ownership, Patient Payment Source, and Length of Service in Home Care, 1992-2000

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Beth; McAuley, William J.; Remsburg, Robin E.

2007-01-01

Purpose: Little is known about whether an association exists between agency ownership and length of service among home care patients with different payment sources. This study investigated how for-profit and not-for-profit agencies responded to policy changes in the 1990s with respect to length of service. Design and Methods: We examined length of…

Organizational Factors Influencing Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices for Integrated Treatment in Behavioral Health Agencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caroline A. Bonham

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. In recent years, New Mexico has prioritized integrated treatment for cooccurring mental health and substance use disorders within its public behavioral health system. This report describes factors likely to be important when implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs in community agencies. Methods. Our mixed-method research design consisted of observations, semistructured interviews, and surveys undertaken with employees at 14 agencies at baseline and after 18 months. We developed four-agency typologies based on iterative coding and analysis of observations and interviews. We then examined survey data from employees at the four exemplar agencies to validate qualitative findings. Results. Financial resources and strong leadership impacted agency capacity to train providers and implement EBPs. Quantitative analysis of service provider survey responses from these agencies (N = 38 supported qualitative findings and demonstrated significant mean score differences in leadership, organizational climate, and attitudes toward EBPs in anticipated directions. Conclusion. The availability of strong leadership and financial resources were key components to initial implementation success in this study of community agencies in New Mexico. Reliance only on external funding poses risks for sustainment when demoralizing work climates precipitate employee turnover. Strong agency leadership does not always compensate for deficient financial resources in vulnerable communities.

Agency Theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Linder, Stefan; Foss, Nicolai Juul

Agency theory studies the problems and solutions linked to delegation of tasks from principals to agents in the context of conflicting interests between the parties. Beginning from clear assumptions about rationality, contracting and informational conditions, the theory addresses problems of ex...... ante (“hidden characteristics”) as well as ex post information asymmetry (“hidden action”), and examines conditions under which various kinds of incentive instruments and monitoring arrangements can be deployed to minimize the welfare loss. Its clear predictions and broad applicability have allowed...... agency theory to enjoy considerable scientific impact on social science; however, it has also attracted considerable criticism....

Agency Theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Linder, Stefan; Foss, Nicolai Juul

2015-01-01

Agency theory studies the problems and solutions linked to delegation of tasks from principals to agents in the context of conflicting interests between the parties. Beginning from clear assumptions about rationality, contracting, and informational conditions, the theory addresses problems of ex...... ante (‘hidden characteristics’) as well as ex post information asymmetry (‘hidden action’), and examines conditions under which various kinds of incentive instruments and monitoring arrangements can be deployed to minimize the welfare loss. Its clear predictions and broad applicability have allowed...... agency theory to enjoy considerable scientific impact on social science; however, it has also attracted considerable criticism....

Distributed leadership agency and innovative behaviour

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ottsen, Christina L.; Jønsson, Thomas Faurholt; Kähler, Helena Grøn

Distributed leadership agency (DLA) is a specific form of employee agency, in which employees participate actively in undertaking leadership tasks in different domains. The present study assumes a distributed leadership paradigm that focuses on employees as potential leadership agents per se. We ...... propose that this approach to leadership may provide a substantial understanding of employees’ engagement in innovation at work.......Distributed leadership agency (DLA) is a specific form of employee agency, in which employees participate actively in undertaking leadership tasks in different domains. The present study assumes a distributed leadership paradigm that focuses on employees as potential leadership agents per se. We...

Discretionary authority and prioritizing in government agencies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schinkel, M.P.; Tóth, L.; Tuinstra, J.

2014-01-01

Government agencies typically have a certain freedom to choose among different possible courses of action. This paper studies agency decision-making on priorities in a principal-agent framework with multi-tasking. The agency head (the principal) has discretion over part of the agency's budget to

Agency doctorates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1970-07-01

Mr. Wen-chuan Li of China has become the first student to obtain a doctor's degree as a result of research work carried out in the Agency. Mr. Li, who is 33, graduated as a Bachelor of Agriculture at Taiwan Provincial Chung-hsing University in 1960 and in 1966 was granted a fellowship to study mutations in plant breeding at the Agency's Seibersdorf Laboratory near Vienna, under the direction of Dr. Knut Mikaelsen, a professor of the University of Bergen. The Hochschule fur Bodenkultur of Vienna accepted the research as being suitable for a thesis and have now granted the degree of Doctor of Agriculture. The subject of the thesis was modifying factors influencing the mutagenic effects of alkylating agents as compared with ionizing radiations in barley. Alkylating agents are involved in the use of chemicals as a means of changing the characteristics of seeds to bring about changes aimed at improving the quality of crops. Mr. Li's work is regarded as a significant contribution to the understanding of the mechanics by which mutations are induced, to the efficient use of chemicals and ionizing radiations in practical applications, and to the efforts of the Agency in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization to benefit food supplies. Mr. Li has now completed his fellowship with the Agency and has been appointed an Assistant Professor in Plant Breeding at Taiwan Provincial Chung-hsing University. The photograph, taken in the plastic hot house at Seibersdorf, shows him studying rice plants grown from seeds subjected to irradiation. Another noteworthy achievement is that of Mr. Karl-Franz Lacina, a security guard at the Agency's headquarters. At the age of 50 he has been accorded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Vienna University, the result of six years' work in his leisure time. The major subject was Arabic, with French and philosophy as supporting subject. (author)

Agency doctorates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1970-01-01

Mr. Wen-chuan Li of China has become the first student to obtain a doctor's degree as a result of research work carried out in the Agency. Mr. Li, who is 33, graduated as a Bachelor of Agriculture at Taiwan Provincial Chung-hsing University in 1960 and in 1966 was granted a fellowship to study mutations in plant breeding at the Agency's Seibersdorf Laboratory near Vienna, under the direction of Dr. Knut Mikaelsen, a professor of the University of Bergen. The Hochschule fur Bodenkultur of Vienna accepted the research as being suitable for a thesis and have now granted the degree of Doctor of Agriculture. The subject of the thesis was modifying factors influencing the mutagenic effects of alkylating agents as compared with ionizing radiations in barley. Alkylating agents are involved in the use of chemicals as a means of changing the characteristics of seeds to bring about changes aimed at improving the quality of crops. Mr. Li's work is regarded as a significant contribution to the understanding of the mechanics by which mutations are induced, to the efficient use of chemicals and ionizing radiations in practical applications, and to the efforts of the Agency in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization to benefit food supplies. Mr. Li has now completed his fellowship with the Agency and has been appointed an Assistant Professor in Plant Breeding at Taiwan Provincial Chung-hsing University. The photograph, taken in the plastic hot house at Seibersdorf, shows him studying rice plants grown from seeds subjected to irradiation. Another noteworthy achievement is that of Mr. Karl-Franz Lacina, a security guard at the Agency's headquarters. At the age of 50 he has been accorded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Vienna University, the result of six years' work in his leisure time. The major subject was Arabic, with French and philosophy as supporting subject. (author)

Comparing Child Protective Investigation Performance between Law Enforcement Agencies and Child Welfare Agencies

Science.gov (United States)

Jordan, Neil; Yampolskaya, Svetlana; Gustafson, Mara; Armstrong, Mary; McNeish, Roxann; Vargo, Amy

2011-01-01

This study examines the comparative effectiveness of using law enforcement agencies for child protective investigation (CPI), in contrast with the traditional approach of CPI conducted by the public child welfare agency. The analysis uses 2006-2007 data from a natural experiment conducted in Florida to show modest differences in performance and…

David against Goliath - How creative communication helps small advertising agencies survive in a market led by giant agencies

OpenAIRE

Jenny - Maria Åström; Karim Carroum Sanz; Sofia Lena Hagström; Andreu Safont Bagué; João Pedro Teles Estima

2017-01-01

Purpose - The purpose of the study is to research how national advertising agencies use creativity to compete with larger, global agencies in the advertising market of Sweden, Spain and Portugal. Design/methodology/approach: To conduct the study, the authors keep a qualitative approach: we first carry out an analysis of previous studies about creativity, communication and entrepreneurial orientation, followed by interviews with one small and one large advertising agency...

Study on the Mission, Roles, and Structure of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Welch, Larry D; Briggs, David L; Bleach, R. D; Canavan, G. H; Clark-Sestak, S. L; Constantine, R. W; Cook, C. W; Fries, M. S; Frost, D. E; Graham, D. R; Keane, D. J; Kramer, S. D; Major, P. L; Primmerman, C. A; Ruddy, J. M; Schneiter, G. R; Seng, J. M; Stein, R. M; Weiner, S. D; Williams, J. D

2008-01-01

...) was tasked by the Department of Defense to carry out an independent study to examine and make recommendations with respect to the long-term missions, roles, and structure of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA...

Advertising Agencies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Moeran, Brian

2015-01-01

Advertising agencies are the most significant organizations in the development of advertising and marketing worldwide. An advertising agency is an independent service company, composed of business, marketing and creative people, who develop, prepare, and place advertising in advertising media...... for their clients, the advertisers, who are in search of customers for their goods and services. Agencies thus mediate between three different but interlocking social groups: industry, media, and consumers. The history of advertising is largely the history of the advertising agencies that have served the needs....... This article is concerned with the origins, early developments, organization, compensation arrangements, and accounts of contemporary full-service advertising agencies....

Interconnectivity among Assessments from Rating Agencies: Using Cluster and Correlation Analysis

OpenAIRE

Krejčíř, Jaroslav; Doubravsky, Karel; Dostál, Petr

2014-01-01

The aim of this paper is to determine whether there is a dependency among leading rating agencies assessments. Rating agencies are important part of global economy. Great attention has been paid to activities of rating agencies since 2007, when there was a financial crisis. One of the main causes of this crisis was identified credit rating agencies. This paper is focused on an existence of mutual interconnectivity among assessments from three leading rating agencies. The method used for this ...

Student Involvement in Wellness Policies: A Study of Pennsylvania Local Education Agencies

Science.gov (United States)

Jomaa, Lamis H.; McDonnell, Elaine; Weirich, Elaine; Hartman, Terryl; Jensen, Leif; Probart, Claudia

2010-01-01

Objective: Explore student-involvement goals in local wellness policies (LWPs) of local education agencies (LEAs) in Pennsylvania (PA) and investigate associations with LEA characteristics. Design: An observational study that helped examine student-involvement goals. Setting: Public PA LEAs. Participants: LWPs submitted by 539 PA public LEAs. Main…

Standard metrics and methods for conducting Avian/wind energy interaction studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anderson, R.L. [California Energy Commission, Sacramento, CA (United States); Davis, H. [National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (United States); Kendall, W. [National Biological Service, Laurel, MD (United States)] [and others

1997-12-31

The awareness of the problem of avian fatalities at large scale wind energy developments first emerged in the late 1980`s at the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area (WRA) in Central California. Observations of dead raptors at the Altamont Pass WRA triggered concern on the part of regulatory agencies, environmental/conservation groups, resource agencies, and wind and electric utility industries. This led the California Energy Commission staff, along with the planning departments of Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano counties, to commission a study of bird mortality at the Altamont Pass WRA. In addition to the Altamont Pass WRA, other studies and observations have established that windplants kill birds. Depending upon the specific factors, this may or may not be a serious problem. The current level of scrutiny and caution exhibited during the permitting of a new windplant development in the United States results in costly delays and studies. This is occurring during a highly competitive period for electrical production companies in the USA. Clarification of the bird fatality issue is needed to bring it into perspective. This means standardizing metrics, defining terms, and recommending methods to be used in addressing or studying wind energy/bird interactions.

Court-agency interaction in environmental policymaking: the cases of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, L.W.

1981-01-01

This study examines the increasingly active participation of courts in the administrative process as well as agency responses to court-imposed policy shifts. More specifically, it is an investigation of the interaction between the federal courts, primarily the Supreme Court and the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, and two federal regulatory agencies, the Nuclar Regulatory Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency. There are five objectives to the study. The first is to examine the natura of court-agency interaction and to determine the extent to which patterns of judicial review of administrative actions can be discerned. The second is to examine the effect of court orders on agency programs and policies. The third is to assess the anticipatory dimension of court-agency relations. The fourth is to inquire into the recurring dimension of court-agency interaction and to determine its effect on subsequent court decisions. The last is to assess the institutional capacity of courts to deal with scientific and technological issues. This study indicates that judicial review has a substantial effect on the NRC's and the EPA's decision-making activities. Few, if any, recent major policy decisions of the two agencies have not been scrutinized closely by federal appellate courts. During the past decade, the courts have blocked policy initiative on numerous occasions and have been the primary source of change in others. In addition, the mere anticipation of judicial review was found to be a factor motivating the two agencies to make reasoned decisions

Data and agency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helen Kennedy

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This introduction to the special issue on data and agency argues that datafication should not only be understood as the process of collecting and analysing data about Internet users, but also as feeding such data back to users, enabling them to orient themselves in the world. It is important that debates about data power recognise that data is also generated, collected and analysed by alternative actors, enhancing rather than undermining the agency of the public. Developing this argument, we first make clear why and how the question of agency should be central to our engagement with data. Subsequently, we discuss how this question has been operationalized in the five contributions to this special issue, which empirically open up the study of alternative forms of datafication. Building on these contributions, we conclude that as data acquire new power, it is vital to explore the space for citizen agency in relation to data structures and to examine the practices of data work, as well as the people involved in these practices.

Japan Sports Arbitration Agency (JSAA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ekaterina P. Rusakova

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In this article author analyzes the activities of Japan Sports Arbitration Agency. Author considers the goals, objectives and procedure for dealing with disputes relating to the use of performance-enhancing drugs by athletes. Author study the regulation of Japan Sports Arbitration Agency, to resolve disputes relating to the use of doping, as well as the procedure for application and acceptance of its agency, the choice of arbitrators, counterclaim, protection of evidence.

On the differences between Tinder™ versus online dating agencies: Questioning a myth. An exploratory study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karoline Gatter

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Despite common stereotypes about those who use different types of online dating, psychological research on online dating agency users’ characteristics is actually very limited, and no scientific study has yet examined the individual characteristics of Tinder™ users. The current exploratory study aimed to investigate why individuals use these services, and how they differ in terms of sociability, self-esteem, and sexual permissiveness, with the aim of stimulating further research in the field. Participants (N = 75 were recruited over social media and completed questionnaires assessing motivation to use online dating, sociability, self-esteem, and sexual permissiveness. No differences were found in motivations, suggesting that people may use both Online Dating Agencies and Tinder™ for similar reasons. Tinder users in the current sample were younger than online dating agency users, which accounted for observed group differences in sexual permissiveness. There were no differences in self-esteem or sociability between the groups. Men were more likely than women to use both types of dating to find casual sex partners than women. Men also scored more highly on a measure of sexual permissiveness than women. These findings support previous research in indicating that users of both Tinder™ and Online Dating Agencies do not differ from the general population.

76 FR 21746 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-18

... calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential... of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality... Collection Request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency...

Teacher agency:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Robinson, Sarah; Priestley, Mark; Biesta, Gert

2015-01-01

The concept of teacher agency has emerged in recent literature as an alternative means of understanding how teachers might enact practice and engage with policy (e.g. Lasky, 2005; Leander & Osbourne, 2008; Ketelaar et al., 2012; Priestley, Biesta & Robinson, 2013). But what is agency? Agency rema...

USING INTERNET AND TRAVEL AGENCIES IN PLANNING A TRIP. A QUALITATIVE APPROACH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oana Tugulea

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the present research is to discover and to understand young people’s touristic behaviour. We investigated the process of planning a trip, the perception about travel agencies and about Internet using qualitative methods. The aim of this paper is also to establish how important are qualitative methods when trying to understand touristic behaviour. We used exploratory qualitative research. Even we made only a qualitative research there are some managerial implications of this study. Managers must focus on human factor when promoting a touristic product. They can use Internet to inform young tourists but they must understand the importance of presenting the real conditions and not an improved option of the real offer. Travel agencies must be as flexible as the situation allows. This paper is important because it investigates in-depth the young tourists opinions and allow a comparison between the perception on travel agencies and the Internet.

Diplomatic agency

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Adler-Nissen, Rebecca

2016-01-01

diplomatic agency has been conceptualized in International Relations theory (English School, game theory, Foreign Policy Analysis, constructivism, practice theory, post-positivism) before presenting and exemplifying major and overlapping types of diplomatic agency, including communication, negotiation......Diplomatic agency is intriguing. On the one hand, diplomats are crucial to the management of day-to-day international relations and the negotiation of war and peace. On the other hand, most diplomatic action is highly constrained or invisible. This chapter provides an overview of the ways in which...... and advocacy. It analyzes how professionalization, legalization, personalization and popularization of diplomacy have shaped diplomatic agency including how international law, bureaucracy, public diplomacy and new information technologies have impacted the scope and content of diplomatic agency. Finally...

Reconciling Rigour and Impact by Collaborative Research Design: Study of Teacher Agency

Science.gov (United States)

Pantic, Nataša

2017-01-01

This paper illustrates a new way of working collaboratively on the development of a methodology for studying teacher agency for social justice. Increasing emphasis of impact on change as a purpose of social research raises questions about appropriate research designs. Large-scale quantitative research framed within externally set parameters has…

Do Strategic Behaviors Link Travel Agencies in Brazil?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Regina Madalozzo

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Information and communication technology improvements have challenged the organized and stable network of airlines, global distribution systems (GDS and travel agencies. In Brazil, traditional travel agencies have faced significant challenges in maintaining their businesses because airlines have forced disintermediation by cutting commissions and reduced distribution costs by selling their product directly through airline websites. This study explores the existence of strategic groups in the Brazilian travel agency market to elucidate how they interact with GDS and other travel agencies to maintain and improve their market position. A latent class analysis model was applied to a sample of 4,288 travel agency points of sale located in Brazil. The study results identified groups with members that exhibited similar behaviors in their relationships with GDS and other travel agencies. The study findings do not support claims regarding the demise of the travel agency business model.

WP 54 - Temporary agency work in the Netherlands

OpenAIRE

Kea Tijdens; Maarten Klaveren; Marc Meer; Marieke Essen; Hester Houwing

2007-01-01

This paper is the result of a study on temp agency workers and on the role that temp agency work played in company’s staffing strategies and on industry and national regulations regarding temp agencies and temp agency work. It was conducted in2004-2006, as part of a larger project on low wage work in the Netherlands, which was part of a five country study for the Russell Sage Foundation, USA. In order to provide a background for understanding temporary agency work, recent developments in and ...

Mental health services for homebound elders from home health nursing agencies and home care agencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeltzer, Barry B; Kohn, Robert

2006-04-01

This study examined the practices of home care agencies and home health nursing agencies in the management and treatment of homebound clients with behavioral problems, dementia, and undiagnosed mental illnesses. A survey was mailed to all 54 directors of agencies in Rhode Island in 2003; 53 responded, either by mail or telephone. Data indicated a lack of psychiatric services, a reluctance to address behavioral problems, and a failure to identify undiagnosed disorders. There was also a bias against accepting individuals with primary psychiatric disorders. Although the population of homebound elders with mental illness is increasing, their needs are not being met by these agencies.

Proposing a sequential comparative analysis for assessing multilateral health agency transformation and sustainable capacity: exploring the advantages of institutional theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez, Eduardo J

2014-05-20

This article proposes an approach to comparing and assessing the adaptive capacity of multilateral health agencies in meeting country and individual healthcare needs. Most studies comparing multilateral health agencies have failed to clearly propose a method for conducting agency comparisons. This study conducted a qualitative case study methodological approach, such that secondary and primary case study literature was used to conduct case study comparisons of multilateral health agencies. Through the proposed Sequential Comparative Analysis (SCA), the author found a more effective way to justify the selection of cases, compare and assess organizational transformative capacity, and to learn from agency success in policy sustainability processes. To more affectively understand and explain why some multilateral health agencies are more capable of adapting to country and individual healthcare needs, SCA provides a methodological approach that may help to better understand why these agencies are so different and what we can learn from successful reform processes. As funding challenges continue to hamper these agencies' adaptive capacity, learning from each other will become increasingly important.

Using CBPR to Assess Client Needs at a Social Service Agency.

Science.gov (United States)

Amendola, Mary Grace; Nazario, Noelia; Sanchez, Veronica

2016-01-01

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has become an important research approach for universities to partner with social service agencies by uniting them in project design, planning, implementation, and evaluation. This study involved FOCUS, an urban social service agency, and Rutgers College of Nursing (RUCON) collaboratively conducting a needs assessment to compare the health needs of its clients and their employees' perception of their clients health needs, utilizing CBPR. Qualitative data was collected using the focus group method, field notes, photographs, and observation. The employees of FOCUS facilitated focus groups, participant recruitment, and transcribed and translated data. Three themes emerged: Health Education, Cost of Health Care, and Barriers to Health Care. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge of integrating the CBPR approach when conducting a community needs assessment with a social service agency. The CBPR approach closely reflects the identified health needs of its clients resulting in interventions that will meet their specific health needs. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Explaining the relation between precarious employment and mental well-being. A qualitative study among temporary agency workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Bosmans, Kim; Hardonk, Stefan; De Cuyper, Nele; Vanroelen, Christophe

2015-01-01

From an employee-perspective, temporary agency employment can be considered in two ways. According to the first perspective, agency jobs are associated with job characteristics that adversely affect mental well-being: job insecurity, low wages, a lack of benefits, little training, poorer prospects for the future, high working time flexibility, minimal trade union representation and problematic triadic employment relations. The other perspective underlines that flexibility, learning opportunities and freedom in agency employment enable workers to build the career of their choice, which may positively affect mental well-being. This article aims at interpreting and explaining these conflicting perspectives. In particular, we discuss the role of coping resources (control, support, trust and equity) in the stress pathway between characteristics of temporary agency employment and mental well-being. Semi-structured interviews with 12 Belgian temporary agency workers were conducted and analysed from a phenomenological perspective. The results reveal mainly how a lack of coping resources plays a key role in how (precarious) characteristics of temporary agency employment affect employees' mental well-being. This study illustrates the earlier assumed stress pathway between precarious employment and mental well-being, in which coping resources play an intermediary as well as a moderating role.

5 CFR 720.304 - Agency plan.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... recruiting methods which will be used to seek out disabled veteran applicants, including special steps to be taken to recruit veterans who are 30 percent or more disabled. (5) A description of how the agency will...

Brand Awareness in the Context of Mistrust: The Case Study of an Employment Agency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristina Ročkutė

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Brand awareness is important for a good market performance of a company. However, research on the contextual preconditions needed for the improvement of brand awareness is limited, particularly in specific service sectors such as employment agencies. We present the research results of the preconditions for the improvement of awareness (which is one of the dimensions of brand equity in an employment agency. We also analyze the effects of the perceived trust of customers on the improvement of brand awareness in the employment sector. As a case study, we present an example of an employment agency in Lithuania. This research is particularly timely in the Lithuanian context, where high levels of emigration are having a considerable negative impact on companies and their major internal operations—human resource management, marketing, and strategic planning—challenging the aims of long-term socially sustainable development. This research paper has a high relevance for other high-emigration economies.

French local agencies of energy control; Agences locales francaise de maitrise de l'energie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-07-01

In the framework of the SAVE program, the European Commission brings financial assistance to the creation of local or regional agencies of energy control in municipalities and regions. The main criteria are the impacts on the energy demand, the reinforcement of the economic and social cohesion, the environmental quality and the contribution to the economic development and the employment creation. In this document, realized by Energie-Cites, the Ademe objective is to present a state of the art of french local agencies. Ten agencies are presented as case study. Each case deals with the following topics: the main context of the action which details the energy and the environmental policy of the municipality, the creation and the description of the agency, the implemented actions and the perspectives. (A.L.B.)

The Dominance of the Agency Model on Financing Decisions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bramantyo Djohanputro

2015-08-01

Full Text Available There are some issues about how companies consider their financing. These issues are related to the amount, source, type, and the structure of such financing. So far, there is no uniform model that is able to explain how companies deal with these issues. There are three competing, dominant theories of financing decision making, i.e. the Pecking Order Theory, the Static Trade-off Theory, and the Agency Model Theory. This study attempts to explore which theory explains the best way for companies in the consumer industry to decide their financing method. There are five hypotheses to be tested in this study. Using data from public listed companies on the Indonesian Stock Exchange from 2008 to 2011, it seems that the Agency Model Theory is more dominant than the other two theories in explaining the way companies fulfill their financing needs.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Evidence-based Practice Center methods for systematically reviewing complex multicomponent health care interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Guise, Jeanne-Marie; Chang, Christine; Viswanathan, Meera; Glick, Susan; Treadwell, Jonathan; Umscheid, Craig A; Whitlock, Evelyn; Fu, Rongwei; Berliner, Elise; Paynter, Robin; Anderson, Johanna; Motu'apuaka, Pua; Trikalinos, Tom

2014-11-01

The purpose of this Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Evidence-based Practice Center methods white paper was to outline approaches to conducting systematic reviews of complex multicomponent health care interventions. We performed a literature scan and conducted semistructured interviews with international experts who conduct research or systematic reviews of complex multicomponent interventions (CMCIs) or organizational leaders who implement CMCIs in health care. Challenges identified include lack of consistent terminology for such interventions (eg, complex, multicomponent, multidimensional, multifactorial); a wide range of approaches used to frame the review, from grouping interventions by common features to using more theoretical approaches; decisions regarding whether and how to quantitatively analyze the interventions, from holistic to individual component analytic approaches; and incomplete and inconsistent reporting of elements critical to understanding the success and impact of multicomponent interventions, such as methods used for implementation the context in which interventions are implemented. We provide a framework for the spectrum of conceptual and analytic approaches to synthesizing studies of multicomponent interventions and an initial list of critical reporting elements for such studies. This information is intended to help systematic reviewers understand the options and tradeoffs available for such reviews. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of a youth agency's supervision practices: A mixed-method approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Gosselin, Julie; Valiquette-Tessier, Sophie-Claire; Vandette, Marie-Pier; Romano, Elisa

2015-10-01

This research presents the findings from an evaluation and organizational development initiative that was requested by a Canadian youth agency working in a large urban setting. A team of four researchers affiliated with the Center for Research on Educational and Community Services (CRECS) at the University of Ottawa conducted the evaluation. The purpose of the evaluation was to identify the supervision needs and challenges of coordinators and front line staff, assess the efficiency of the current supervision practices, and evaluate the supervisors' and supervisees' satisfaction with these current practices. A literature review was performed to help provide a clear definition of 'supervision' and the different professional roles it encompasses. Additionally, research evidence pertaining both to what contributes to supervision efficacy and supervisor competency was reviewed to distill the most robust findings in the existing literature. The lines of evidence consisted of a document and file review, an online employee survey, group discussions (i.e. focus groups), and interviews with key informants. The results of the evaluation helped the research team formulate recommendations to the agency for the development of enhanced supervision practices across its various service areas. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Reciprocal material agency: an ecology for studies of science].

Science.gov (United States)

Maia, Carlos Alvarez

2017-01-01

In the historiography of the sciences there are consolidated dichotomies that can hinder better research. Fissures include mental-material, subject-object and nature-society, and the bitter conflict between relativism and realism that draws on these dichotomies and can block research. The aim of this article is to tackle these disputes, to unravel them and to move on. The proposed solution is to give consideration to the agency of material things alongside the actions of human subjects. One obstacle is presented by Latour who simulates this result by means of hylozoistic rhetoric. Here, an alternative to Latour is presented, containing no elements of animism, which gives evidence of the concrete way in which the material agency of objects participates in the doing of science, alongside humans.

Inspection methods for physical protection Task III review of other agencies' physical security activities for research reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In Task I of this project, the current Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) position-on physical security practices and procedures at research reactors were reviewed. In the second task, a sampling of the physical security plans was presented and the three actual reactor sites described in the security plans were visited. The purpose of Task III is to review other agencies' physical security activities for research reactors. During this phase, the actions, procedures and policies of two domestic and two foreign agencies other than the NRC that relate to the research reactor community were examined. The agencies examined were: International Atomic Energy Agency; Canadian Atomic Energy Control Board; Department of Energy; and American Nuclear Insurers

Agency problems of global budget system in Taiwan's National Health Insurance.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Yu-Hua; Yang, Chen-Wei; Fang, Shih-Chieh

2014-05-01

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the agency problem presented by the global budget system followed by hospitals in Taiwan. In this study, we examine empirically the interaction between the principal: Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI) and agency: medical service providers (hospitals); we also describe actual medical service provider and hospital governance conditions from a agency theory perspective. This study identified a positive correlation between aversion to agency hazard (self-interest behavior, asymmetric information, and risk hedging) and agency problem risks (disregard of medical ethics, pursuit of extra-contract profit, disregard of professionalism, and cost orientation). Agency costs refer to BNHI auditing and monitoring expenditures used to prevent hospitals from deviating from NHI policy goals. This study also found agency costs negatively moderate the relationship between agency hazards and agency problems The main contribution of this study is its use of agency theory to clarify agency problems and several potential factors caused by the NHI system. This study also contributes to the field of health policy study by clarifying the nature and importance of agency problems in the health care sector. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Informed Consent in Medical Decision-Making in Commercial Gestational Surrogacy: A Mixed Methods Study in New Delhi, India

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tanderup, Malene; Reddy, Sunita; Patel, Tulsi

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To investigate ethical issues in informed consent for decisions regarding embryo transfer and fetal reduction in commercial gestational surrogacy. DESIGN: Mixed methods study employing observations, an interview-guide and semi-structured interviews. SETTING: Fertility clinics and agenc...

77 FR 70780 - Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-27

... requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods... notice. Proposed Project Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service... Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery'' to OMB for approval under the Paperwork...

77 FR 27062 - Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-08

... calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential... Project NIOSH Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery--NEW... Collection Request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency...

Corporate Social Responsibility and Labor Agency

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund-Thomsen, Peter; Coe, Neil

This article examines the circumstances under which CSR initiatives facilitate and/or constrain labor agency in GPNs. Using a case study of Nike’s CSR approach in the football manufacturing industry of Pakistan, we explore how the CSR measures advocated in a new, emerging policy paradigm on CSR...... in GPNs affect labor agency at Nike’s main football supplier factory in Pakistan. We argue that international companies may undermine labor agency in GPNs through their sourcing policies, but that their CSR policies could have a potential, albeit limited, positive impact on labor agency in GPNs which...

Social Transmission of Experience of Agency: An Experimental Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Khalighinejad, Nima; Bahrami, Bahador; Caspar, Emilie A; Haggard, Patrick

2016-01-01

The sense of controlling one's own actions is fundamental to normal human mental function, and also underlies concepts of social responsibility for action. However, it remains unclear how the wider social context of human action influences sense of agency. Using a simple experimental design, we investigated, for the first time, how observing the action of another person or a robot could potentially influence one's own sense of agency. We assessed how observing another's action might change the perceived temporal relationship between one's own voluntary actions and their outcomes, which has been proposed as an implicit measure of sense of agency. Working in pairs, participants chose between two action alternatives, one rewarded more frequently than the other, while watching a rotating clock hand. They judged, in separate blocks, either the time of their own action, or the time of a tone that followed the action. These were compared to baseline judgements of actions alone, or tones alone, to calculate the perceptual shift of action toward outcome and vice versa. Our design focused on how these two dependent variables, which jointly provide an implicit measure of sense of agency, might be influenced by observing another's action. In the observational group, each participant could see the other's actions. Multivariate analysis showed that the perceived time of action and tone shifted progressively toward the actual time of outcome with repeated experience of this social situation. No such progressive change occurred in other groups for whom a barrier hid participants' actions from each other. However, a similar effect was observed in the group that viewed movements of a human-like robotic hand, rather than actions of another person. This finding suggests that observing the actions of others increases the salience of the external outcomes of action and this effect is not unique to observing human agents. Social contexts in which we see others controlling external events

The Importance of Audience and Agency for Representation: A Case Study of an Urban Youth Media Community.

Science.gov (United States)

Charmaraman, Linda

2010-01-01

PURPOSE: Urban youths' agency to represent their realities through media has been largely unexplored in the youth development literature. In this qualitative case study of an after-school youth media program in the Bay Area, expressions of youth agency and the role of audiences are explored during the process of producing videos for public consumption. METHODOLOGY: As participant observer of 14 ethnically diverse youth participants aged between 15 and 18 years over 18 months, I documented (a) the kind of agencies participants engaged in and (b) the impact of live and imagined future audiences on youths' creative processes. Analyses of field notes, semi-structured interviews, and media projects were conducted using thematic analysis to inductively generate emerging categories. FINDINGS: Themes included an agentive sense of self-efficacy, commitment, and responsibility, as well as perceived contributions to local audiences and an emerging collective identity. The youth demonstrated their increased sense of a social or civic duty to realistically represent youth of color to familiar and unfamiliar audiences. IMPLICATIONS: This case study demonstrated how one youth media organization fostered agency through youth authorship, production, distribution, and local community dialogue. By documenting the impact of audiences from conception to public reception, this study provides valuable insight into the agentive process of publicly "performing" a commitment to complete a social change video project. CONTRIBUTION: This chapter underscores the value of performance within youth development programs and the critical component of audiences as one form of authentic assessment in order to foster individual and collective agency.

Benefits of Higher Education in Mid-Life: A Life Course Agency Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Isopahkala-Bouret, Ulpukka

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the benefits of higher education in mid-life from the perspective of life course agency. Studies concerning the benefits of degree-oriented higher education have been mainly conducted using survey questionnaires and quantitative methods. In order to gain a more comprehensive picture, this qualitative…

The Texts of the Agency's Relationship Agreements with Specialized Agencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1960-01-01

The texts of the relationship agreements which the Agency has concluded with the specialized agencies listed below, together with the respective protocols authenticating them, are reproduced in this document in the order which the agreements entered into force, for the information of all Members of the Agency

Restoring Agency to the Human Actor.

Science.gov (United States)

Swann, William B; Jetten, Jolanda

2017-05-01

A cursory read of the social psychological literature suggests that when people find themselves in strong situations, they fail to display agency. The early classic studies of conformity, obedience, and bystander intervention, for example, are renowned for showing that when challenged by strong situational pressures, participants acquiesced-even if it meant abandoning their moral principles or disregarding their own sensory data. Later studies of learned helplessness, ego depletion, and stereotype threat echoed this "power of the situation" theme, demonstrating that exposure to (or the expectation of) a frustrating or unpleasant experience suppressed subsequent efforts to actualize goals and abilities. Although this work has provided many valuable insights into the influence of situational pressures, it has been used to buttress an unbalanced and misleading portrait of human agency. This portrait fails to recognize that situations are not invariably enemies of agency. Instead, strong situational forces often allow for, and may even encourage, expressions of human agency. We examine the nature, causes, and consequences of this phenomenon. We endorse a broader approach that emphasizes how responding to situational pressure can coexist with agency. This new emphasis should create greater convergence between social psychological models and the experience of agency in everyday life.

Predictive coding in Agency Detection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Marc Malmdorf

2017-01-01

Agency detection is a central concept in the cognitive science of religion (CSR). Experimental studies, however, have so far failed to lend support to some of the most common predictions that follow from current theories on agency detection. In this article, I argue that predictive coding, a highly...... promising new framework for understanding perception and action, may solve pending theoretical inconsistencies in agency detection research, account for the puzzling experimental findings mentioned above, and provide hypotheses for future experimental testing. Predictive coding explains how the brain......, unbeknownst to consciousness, engages in sophisticated Bayesian statistics in an effort to constantly predict the hidden causes of sensory input. My fundamental argument is that most false positives in agency detection can be seen as the result of top-down interference in a Bayesian system generating high...

76 FR 79702 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-22

... calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential... Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery AGENCY: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), HHS... Collection Request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency...

76 FR 38355 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-30

... calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential... of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery AGENCY: Architectural and Transportation Barriers...: ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery'' to the Office of...

76 FR 19826 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-08

... calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential... Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery AGENCY... (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery...

76 FR 10939 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-28

... requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods... of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA... Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery'' to OMB for approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA...

Mobile Marketing Applications of Travel Agencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Murat Selim Selvi

2014-11-01

Full Text Available In recent years, the use of mobile devices in the marketing world is increasing parallel with technological advances. The main problem of this research is to determine agencies’ use of what type of mobile tools for what type of purposes in the marketing process. The aim of this research is to identify Mobile Marketing (MM applications used by group A travel agencies, and to describe the attitudes towards MM applications of agencies. According to related law, it is only group A agencies give all agency services. Therefore, it is thought that MM is more widely used by those agencies. Thus, this research was made only on the group A agencies. The population of study was consisted of 675 groups A agencies’ representatives deployed in the European and Asian sides of Istanbul. A questionnaire was used as data collection tool. Questionnaire form consisted of two parts. In the first part, questions concerning MM and in the second part, questions regarding demographic issues to managers and travel agents took place. The results were given as descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation on the tables. T-test and One Way ANOVA analysis were performed for the differences of mean among groups. In the study it was concluded that agencies use mobile phones mostly and mobile computers for increasing sales firstly and direct marketing. Thus, the main hypothesis established was confirmed partly.

Mobile Marketing Applications of Travel Agencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Murat Selim Selvi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years, the use of mobile devices in the marketing world is increasing parallel with technological advances. The main problem of this research is to determine agencies’ use of what type of mobile tools for what type of purposes in the marketing process. The aim of this research is to identify Mobile Marketing (MM applications used by group A travel agencies, and to describe the attitudes towards MM applications of agencies. According to related law, it is only group A agencies give all agency services. Therefore, it is thought that MM is more widely used by those agencies. Thus, this research was made only on the group A agencies. The population of study was consisted of 675 groups A agencies’ representatives deployed in the European and Asian sides of Istanbul. A questionnaire was used as data collection tool. Questionnaire form consisted of two parts. In the first part, questions concerning MM and in the second part, questions regarding demographic issues to managers and travel agents took place. The results were given as descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation on the tables. T-test and One Way ANOVA analysis were performed for the differences of mean among groups. In the study it was concluded that agencies use mobile phones mostly and mobile computers for increasing sales firstly and direct marketing. Thus, the main hypothesis established was confirmed partly.

The Texts of the Agency's Relationship Agreements with Specialized Agencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1960-01-01

The texts of the relationship agreements which the Agency has concluded with the specialized agencies listed below, together with the respective protocols authenticating them, are reproduced in this document in the order which the agreements entered into force, for the information of all Members of the Agency [es

The Texts of the Agency's Relationship Agreements with Specialized Agencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1960-01-01

The texts of the relationship agreements which the Agency has concluded with the specialized agencies listed below, together with the respective protocols authenticating them, are reproduced in this document in the order which the agreements entered into force, for the information of all Members of the Agency [fr

Comparing child protective investigation performance between law enforcement agencies and child welfare agencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Jordan, Neil; Yampolskaya, Svetlana; Gustafson, Mara; Armstrong, Mary; McNeish, Roxann; Vargo, Amy

2011-01-01

This study examines the comparative effectiveness of using law enforcement agencies for child protective investigation (CPI), in contrast with the traditional approach of CPI conducted by the public child welfare agency. The analysis uses 2006-2007 data from a natural experiment conducted in Florida to show modest differences in performance and cost-efficiency between the two approaches to CPI. These findings may have implications for other states considering outsourcing CPI to law enforcement.

76 FR 77852 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-14

... teaching and learning. Method of Collection Teachers who have registered to use NSDL resources through... NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request AGENCY: National Science Foundation. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF...

Corporate Social Responsibility and Labour Agency

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund-Thomsen, Peter; Coe, Neil M.

2015-01-01

to which the measures advocated in a new, emerging policy paradigm on CSR in GPNs enabled labour agency at Nike’s main football supplier factory in Pakistan. We argue that while such CSR policies can create enhanced space for labour agency, that potential agency is also shaped (i) by wider economic forces......This article examines the circumstances under which corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives facilitate and/or constrain labour agency in global production networks (GPNs). Using a case study of Nike’s CSR approach in the football manufacturing industry of Pakistan, we explore the extent...... within the global economy and (ii) relationships with local/national actors and regulatory frameworks. Understanding the intersection of these dimensions becomes vital to interpreting the potential for, and activation of, labour agency within CSR-influenced GPNs....

Expertise and Power: Agencies Operating in Complex Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anthony R. Zito

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This contribution investigates the strategies that environmental agencies develop to enhance their policy autonomy, in order to fulfil their organisational missions for protecting the environment. This article asks whether there are particular strategic moves that an agency can make to augment this policy autonomy in the face of the principals. Critiquing principal agent theory, it investigates the evolution of three environmental agencies (the European Environment Agency, the England and Wales Environment Agency and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, focusing on the case study of climate change. The contribution examines how the agencies influence environmental policy on domestic, regional and global levels, with a special focus on the principals that constrain agency autonomy. A greater focus on different multi-level contexts, which the three agencies face, may create other possible dynamics and opportunities for agency strategies. Agencies can use particular knowledge, network and alliance building to strengthen their policy/political positions.

76 FR 23536 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-27

... requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods... Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery April 22, 2011. AGENCY: Department of Agriculture (USDA... Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery'' to OMB for approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA...

76 FR 13977 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-15

... requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods... of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery AGENCY: Office of the Secretary/Office of the...): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery'' to OMB for...

76 FR 31383 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-31

... requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods...; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery AGENCY: Peace... Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery '' to OMB for approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA...

French local agencies of energy control; Agences locales francaise de maitrise de l'energie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-07-01

In the framework of the SAVE program, the European Commission brings financial assistance to the creation of local or regional agencies of energy control in municipalities and regions. The main criteria are the impacts on the energy demand, the reinforcement of the economic and social cohesion, the environmental quality and the contribution to the economic development and the employment creation. In this document, realized by Energie-Cites, the Ademe objective is to present a state of the art of french local agencies. Ten agencies are presented as case study. Each case deals with the following topics: the main context of the action which details the energy and the environmental policy of the municipality, the creation and the description of the agency, the implemented actions and the perspectives. (A.L.B.)

Social media engagement analysis of U.S. Federal health agencies on Facebook.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattacharya, Sanmitra; Srinivasan, Padmini; Polgreen, Philip

2017-04-21

It is becoming increasingly common for individuals and organizations to use social media platforms such as Facebook. These are being used for a wide variety of purposes including disseminating, discussing and seeking health related information. U.S. Federal health agencies are leveraging these platforms to 'engage' social media users to read, spread, promote and encourage health related discussions. However, different agencies and their communications get varying levels of engagement. In this study we use statistical models to identify factors that associate with engagement. We analyze over 45,000 Facebook posts from 72 Facebook accounts belonging to 24 health agencies. Account usage, user activity, sentiment and content of these posts are studied. We use the hurdle regression model to identify factors associated with the level of engagement and Cox proportional hazards model to identify factors associated with duration of engagement. In our analysis we find that agencies and accounts vary widely in their usage of social media and activity they generate. Statistical analysis shows, for instance, that Facebook posts with more visual cues such as photos or videos or those which express positive sentiment generate more engagement. We further find that posts on certain topics such as occupation or organizations negatively affect the duration of engagement. We present the first comprehensive analyses of engagement with U.S. Federal health agencies on Facebook. In addition, we briefly compare and contrast findings from this study to our earlier study with similar focus but on Twitter to show the robustness of our methods.

A case study of enterprise historic resources information management in large transportation agencies.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

Historic resources are in some way managed by every transportation agency in the nation. Transportation agencies manage historic and prehistoric archaeological sites, buildings, structures, objects, routes, landscapes, and districts to prevent damage...

76 FR 20967 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-14

... requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods... Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery AGENCY: U... Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery'' to OMB for approval under...

78 FR 22540 - Notice of Public Meeting/Webinar: EPA Method Development Update on Drinking Water Testing Methods...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-16

.... Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, Standards and Risk Management.../fem/agency_methods.htm . USEPA. 2009. Method Validation of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA-HQ-OW-2013-0213; FRL-9803-5] Notice of Public Meeting/Webinar...

The introduction of service fees by travel agencies: A case study in Bloemfontein

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

AJ Strydom

2004-07-01

Full Text Available Travel agencies normally receive commission from airlines, tour operators, accommodation establishments and car hire companies in exchange for bookings. Global trends in this commission structure indicate dramatic changes, especially regarding airlines. The majority of them have introduced a system of commission capping, whereby commission paid to travel agencies has been reduced and expectations are that it might even become zero in future. Against this background, travel agencies are considering introducing a system of service fees. It implies that clients will have to pay for services such as the preparation of quotations for national and/or international holidays or business trips. This paper discusses the results of research that was undertaken amongst the middle to higher income classes of the residents of Bloemfontein regarding the introduction of service fees by travel agencies.

Musical Agency during Physical Exercise Decreases Pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Fritz, Thomas H; Bowling, Daniel L; Contier, Oliver; Grant, Joshua; Schneider, Lydia; Lederer, Annette; Höer, Felicia; Busch, Eric; Villringer, Arno

2017-01-01

Objectives: When physical exercise is systematically coupled to music production, exercisers experience improvements in mood, reductions in perceived effort, and enhanced muscular efficiency. The physiology underlying these positive effects remains unknown. Here we approached the investigation of how such musical agency may stimulate the release of endogenous opioids indirectly with a pain threshold paradigm. Design: In a cross-over design we tested the opioid-hypothesis with an indirect measure, comparing the pain tolerance of 22 participants following exercise with or without musical agency. Method: Physical exercise was coupled to music by integrating weight-training machines with sensors that control music-synthesis in real time. Pain tolerance was measured as withdrawal time in a cold pressor test. Results: On average, participants tolerated cold pain for ~5 s longer following exercise sessions with musical agency. Musical agency explained 25% of the variance in cold pressor test withdrawal times after factoring out individual differences in general pain sensitivity. Conclusions: This result demonstrates a substantial pain reducing effect of musical agency in combination with physical exercise, probably due to stimulation of endogenous opioid mechanisms. This has implications for exercise endurance, both in sports and a multitude of rehabilitative therapies in which physical exercise is effective but painful.

Musical Agency during Physical Exercise Decreases Pain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas H. Fritz

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives: When physical exercise is systematically coupled to music production, exercisers experience improvements in mood, reductions in perceived effort, and enhanced muscular efficiency. The physiology underlying these positive effects remains unknown. Here we approached the investigation of how such musical agency may stimulate the release of endogenous opioids indirectly with a pain threshold paradigm.Design: In a cross-over design we tested the opioid-hypothesis with an indirect measure, comparing the pain tolerance of 22 participants following exercise with or without musical agency.Method: Physical exercise was coupled to music by integrating weight-training machines with sensors that control music-synthesis in real time. Pain tolerance was measured as withdrawal time in a cold pressor test.Results: On average, participants tolerated cold pain for ~5 s longer following exercise sessions with musical agency. Musical agency explained 25% of the variance in cold pressor test withdrawal times after factoring out individual differences in general pain sensitivity.Conclusions: This result demonstrates a substantial pain reducing effect of musical agency in combination with physical exercise, probably due to stimulation of endogenous opioid mechanisms. This has implications for exercise endurance, both in sports and a multitude of rehabilitative therapies in which physical exercise is effective but painful.

University Student Agency, Representation, and Activism: A Case Study of Students Studying English at Universite Cheikh Anta Diop (Dakar, Senegal)

Science.gov (United States)

Stafford, Casey

2012-01-01

This study explores and interrogates dominant representations of African university students by examining how students conceptualize and act upon their own agency. Using a qualitative case-study approach, the author examines how students actively confront the ideological and material conditions presented by schooling. [The dissertation citations…

Cross-cultural issues in space operations: A survey study among ground personnel of the European Space Agency

Science.gov (United States)

Sandal, Gro Mjeldheim; Manzey, Dietrich

2009-12-01

Today's space operations involve co-working of people with different ethnical, professional and organisational backgrounds. The aim of this study was to examine the implications of cultural diversity for efficient collaboration within the European Space Agency (ESA), and between ESA employees and representatives from other agencies. ESA employees from European countries ( N=576) answered to the CULT Ground Survey. The results showed that differences in relation to leadership and decision making were the most important issues thought to interfere with efficient co-working within ESA, and between ESA employees and colleagues from other agencies. Employees who collaborated with more than three nationalities within ESA indicated most challenges in co-working due to differences in compliance, behavioural norms and competitiveness. Challenges in co-working differed between agencies, and these differences were consistent with value differences in the national populations. The results may have applied value for training of European employees working in international space program teams.

Awe, uncertainty, and agency detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Valdesolo, Piercarlo; Graham, Jesse

2014-01-01

Across five studies, we found that awe increases both supernatural belief (Studies 1, 2, and 5) and intentional-pattern perception (Studies 3 and 4)-two phenomena that have been linked to agency detection, or the tendency to interpret events as the consequence of intentional and purpose-driven agents. Effects were both directly and conceptually replicated, and mediational analyses revealed that these effects were driven by the influence of awe on tolerance for uncertainty. Experiences of awe decreased tolerance for uncertainty, which, in turn, increased the tendency to believe in nonhuman agents and to perceive human agency in random events.

Reconciling Rigour and Impact by Collaborative Research Design: Study of Teacher Agency

OpenAIRE

Pantic, Natasa

2015-01-01

This paper illustrates a new way of working collaboratively on the development of a methodology for studying teacher agency for social justice. Increasing emphasis of impact on change as a purpose of social research raises questions about appropriate research designs. Large scale quantitative research framed within externally set parameters has often been criticised for its limited potential for capturing the contexts and impacting change, while smaller, locally embedded, mostly qualitative i...

Performance measurement, expectancy and agency theory: An experimental study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sloof, R.; van Praag, C.M.

2008-01-01

Theoretical analyses of (optimal) performance measures are typically performed within the realm of the linear agency model. This model implies that, for a given compensation scheme, the agent’s optimal effort is unrelated to the amount of noise in the performance measure. In contrast, expectancy

Performance measurement, expectancy and agency theory: An experimental study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sloof, R.; van Praag, C.M.

2005-01-01

Theoretical analyses of (optimal) performance measures are typically performed within the realm of the linear agency model. An important implication of this model is that, for a given compensation scheme, the agent's optimal effort choice is unrelated to the amount of noise in the performance

Technical Agency in Practice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krummheuer, Antonia Lina

2015-01-01

) description of hybrid networks in which human and non-human actants are granted agency without differentiating different kinds of agency, EMCA focuses on the member's perspectives and the situated construction of technical agency that is made relevant within an ongoing interaction. Based on an EMCA analysis......The paper combines the discussion of technical agency and hybrid networks of Actor-Network Theory (ANT) with an ethnomethodological/conversation analytical (EMCA) perspective on situated practices in which participants ascribe agency to technical artefacts. While ANT works with (ethnographic...... of three video recordings of situations in which technical agency is made relevant by the human participants, the paper demonstrates different ways in which agency is granted to technical artefacts. Human participants can treat a technology as communication partner, as an active part (and actant...

76 FR 13019 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-09

... requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods... Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery AGENCY: Department of...): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery '' to OMB for...

76 FR 37825 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-28

... requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods... Activities; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery AGENCY: U...): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery '' to OMB for...

76 FR 36139 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Generic...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-21

... requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods... for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery AGENCY: Federal Emergency...): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery'' to the Office of...

Interconnectivity among Assessments from Rating Agencies: Using Cluster and Correlation Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaroslav Krejčíř

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to determine whether there is a dependency among leading rating agencies assessments. Rating agencies are important part of global economy. Great attention has been paid to activities of rating agencies since 2007, when there was a financial crisis. One of the main causes of this crisis was identified credit rating agencies. This paper is focused on an existence of mutual interconnectivity among assessments from three leading rating agencies. The method used for this determines is based on cluster analysis and subsequently correlation analysis and the test of independence. Credit rating assessments of Greece and Spain were chosen to the determination of this mutual interconnectivity due to the fact that these countries are most talked euro­area countries. The significant dependence of the assessment from different rating agencies has been demonstrated.

Evidence-informed decision-making by professionals working in addiction agencies serving women: a descriptive qualitative study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jack Susan M

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Effective approaches to the prevention and treatment of substance abuse among mothers have been developed but not widely implemented. Implementation studies suggest that the adoption of evidence-based practices in the field of addictions remains low. There is a need, therefore, to better understand decision making processes in addiction agencies in order to develop more effective approaches to promote the translation of knowledge gained from addictions research into clinical practice. Methods A descriptive qualitative study was conducted to explore: 1 the types and sources of evidence used to inform practice-related decisions within Canadian addiction agencies serving women; 2 how decision makers at different levels report using research evidence; and 3 factors that influence evidence-informed decision making. A purposeful sample of 26 decision-makers providing addiction treatment services to women completed in-depth qualitative interviews. Interview data were coded and analyzed using directed and summative content analysis strategies as well as constant comparison techniques. Results Across all groups, individuals reported locating and using multiple types of evidence to inform decisions. Some decision-makers rely on their experiential knowledge of addiction and recovery in decision-making. Research evidence is often used directly in decision-making at program management and senior administrative levels. Information for decision-making is accessed from a range of sources, including web-based resources and experts in the field. Individual and organizational facilitators and barriers to using research evidence in decision making were identified. Conclusions There is support at administrative levels for integrating EIDM in addiction agencies. Knowledge transfer and exchange strategies should be focussed towards program managers and administrators and include capacity building for locating, appraising and using research evidence

78 FR 26625 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Guaranty Agency Financial Report

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-07

...; Comment Request; Guaranty Agency Financial Report AGENCY: Federal Student Aid (FSA), Department of... Financial Report. OMB Control Number: 1845-0026. Type of Review: An extension of an existing information... Agency Financial Report (GAFR), Education Form 2000, is used by the thirty-one (31) guaranty agencies...

Study of Risk Assessment Programs at Federal Agencies and Commercial Industry Related to the Conduct or Regulation of High Hazard Operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bari, R.; Rosenbloom, S.; O'Brien, J.

2011-01-01

In the Department of Energy (DOE) Implementation Plan (IP) for Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board's Recommendation 2009-1, the DOE committed to studying the use of quantitative risk assessment methodologies at government agencies and industry. This study consisted of document reviews and interviews of senior management and risk assessment staff at six organizations. Data were collected and analyzed on risk assessment applications, risk assessment tools, and controls and infrastructure supporting the correct usage of risk assessment and risk management tools. The study found that the agencies were in different degrees of maturity in the use of risk assessment to support the analysis of high hazard operations and to support decisions related to these operations. Agencies did not share a simple, 'one size fits all' approach to tools, controls, and infrastructure needs. The agencies recognized that flexibility was warranted to allow use of risk assessment tools in a manner that is commensurate with the complexity of the application. The study also found that, even with the lack of some data, agencies application of the risk analysis structured approach could provide useful insights such as potential system vulnerabilities. This study, in combination with a companion study of risk assessment programs in the DOE Offices involved in high hazard operations, is being used to determine the nature and type of controls and infrastructure needed to support risk assessments at the DOE.

Workplace violence prevention policies in home health and hospice care agencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, Nathan; Peek-Asa, Corinne; Nocera, Maryalice; Casteel, Carri

2013-01-31

Workplace violence in the home health industry is a growing concern, but little is known about the content of existing workplace violence prevention programs. The authors present the methods for this study that examined workplace violence prevention programs in a sample of 40 California home health and hospice agencies. Data was collected through surveys that were completed by the branch managers of participating facilities. Programs were scored in six different areas, including general workplace violence prevention components; management commitment and employee involvement; worksite analysis; hazard prevention and control; safety and health training; and recordkeeping and program evaluation. The results and discussion sections consider these six areas and the important gaps that were found in existing programs. For example, although most agencies offered workplace violence training, not every worker performing patient care was required to receive the training. Similarly, not all programs were written or reviewed and updated regularly. Few program differences were observed between agency characteristics, but nonetheless several striking gaps were found.

77 FR 8860 - Pesticide Emergency Exemptions; Agency Decisions and State and Federal Agency Crisis Declarations

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-15

...; Agency Decisions and State and Federal Agency Crisis Declarations AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency... agencies. The emergency exemptions may take the following form: Crisis, public health, quarantine, or.... These are rarely requested. 3. A ``crisis exemption'' is initiated by a State or Federal agency (and is...

Place-focused physical activity research, human agency, and social justice in public health: taking agency seriously in studies of the built environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Blacksher, Erika; Lovasi, Gina S

2012-03-01

Built environment characteristics have been linked to health outcomes and health disparities. However, the effects of an environment on behavior may depend on human perception, interpretation, motivation, and other forms of human agency. We draw on epidemiological and ethical concepts to articulate a critique of research on the built environment and physical activity. We identify problematic assumptions and enumerate both scientific and ethical reasons to incorporate subjective perspectives and public engagement strategies into built environment research and interventions. We maintain that taking agency seriously is essential to the pursuit of health equity and the broader demands of social justice in public health, an important consideration as studies of the built environment and physical activity increasingly focus on socially disadvantaged communities. Attention to how people understand their environment and navigate competing demands can improve the scientific value of ongoing efforts to promote active living and health, while also better fulfilling our ethical obligations to the individuals and communities whose health we strive to protect. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

76 FR 13673 - National Endowment for the Arts; Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-14

... calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential... of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery AGENCY: The National Endowment for the Arts, NFAH... Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery'' to OMB for approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA...

Making Agency Matter: Rethinking Infant and Toddler Agency in Educational Discourse

Science.gov (United States)

Duhn, Iris

2015-01-01

This article engages critically with the concept of agency in infant and toddler educational discourse. It is argued that agency, when conceptualised with emphasis on individuality and the autonomous self, poses a conceptual "dead end" for those who are not-yet-in-language, such as babies and toddlers. In considering agency as an aspect…

Child Marriage, Agency, and Schooling in Rural Honduras

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy-Graham, Erin; Leal, Graciela

2015-01-01

This article examines the relationships between child marriage, agency, and schooling in rural Honduras. Through an in-depth qualitative case study, we address the following questions: (1) In what ways, if any, do girls exercise agency in their decision to marry? (2) How might education enhance girls' agency, expanding their choice sets and…

Linking an agency strategic review to increase knowledge management: San Francisco County Human Service Agency.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Lindsay

2012-01-01

Led by the agency director, the agency engaged in a Strategic Review, based on a comprehensive assessment of agency performance that identified strategies to improve organizational effectiveness through increased data-informed practice and knowledge management. The Strategic Review gathered information on staff perceptions, perceptions of external stakeholders, changing citywide and neighborhood demographics, policy mandates, and budget and workload issues. The need for the review was based upon multiple, substantial changes not addressed in the 2000 Strategic Plan, including the 2004 merger of the Department of Human Services and the Department of Aging and Adult Services, changes among the executive management team, transitions among key political entities, new policy mandates and changing budget allocations. This case study describes the Strategic Review process and content, summarizing key challenges and lessons related to addressing workload demands, fostering positive staff attitudes, balancing internal and external information needs, and integrating data use and planning processes across the agency. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Sexual agency versus relational factors: a study of condom use antecedents among high-risk young African American women.

Science.gov (United States)

Crosby, Richard A; DiClemente, Ralph J; Wingood, Gina M; Salazar, Laura F; Head, Sara; Rose, Eve; McDermott-Sales, Jessica

2008-03-01

The influence that female partners exert regarding condom use is not well known. In the present study, the relative roles of personal sexual agency and relational factors in determining whether young African American women engaged in unprotected vaginal sex (UVS) were studied. A cross sectional study of 713 young, African American women (aged 15-21 years) was conducted. Data were collected using an audio-computer assisted self-interview. Three measures of sexual agency were assessed and three relational factors were assessed. To help assure validity in the outcome measure, condom use was assessed in five different ways. Multivariate analyses were used to determine whether variables independently predicted UVS. Two of the six predictor variables achieved multivariate significance with all five measures of condom use: (1) fear of negotiating condom use with male partners, and (2) indicating that stopping to use condoms takes the fun out of sex. A relational factor (male-dominated power imbalances) achieved multivariate significance for four of the five measures of UVS. A sexual agency factor (whether young women greatly enjoyed sex) achieved multivariate significance for three of the five measures. The results suggest that young African American women at high-risk of sexually transmissible infections (STI)/HIV acquisition may experience male-dominated power imbalances and also fear the process of negotiating condom use with their male partners. Although these factors were independently associated with UVS, two factors pertaining to sexual agency of these young women were also important predictors of UVS. Intervention efforts designed to avert STI/HIV acquisition among young African American women should therefore include programs to address both sexual agency and relational factors.

A concept analysis of children's agency within the health literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Montreuil, Marjorie; Carnevale, Franco A

2015-12-14

The capacity of children to act as agents is being increasingly recognized and has important implications for health research and practice. However, there are various discrepancies in how children's agency is defined in the literature. The aim of this analysis was to examine the concept of children's agency within the health-related literature, using Rodgers evolutionary method. The following questions were addressed: How did the concept of agency become associated with children in the health-related literature? What are the sociocultural and legal contexts that surround the concept of children's agency? What is the meaning of children's agency? Forty-five articles were included in the analysis. An inductive approach was used to identify the attributes of children's agency as well as the temporal, disciplinary, and paradigmatic trends in its conceptualization. The concept of children's agency first appeared in the health literature in the 1980s and was defined as an ability children could gradually develop. Later on, children's agency was used to refer to the capacity of all children to influence their own and others' health-care needs and is now increasingly used to refer to children as active agents who reflect on and construct their social worlds. © The Author(s) 2015.

The Agency programme for the development of safeguards techniques and instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lopez-Menchero, E.; Waligura, A.J.

1976-01-01

The programme of the Division of Development concentrates attention upon a variety of technical problems and tasks to enable the Agency safeguards system to achieve its safeguards objectives most economically for the Agency, the Member States and the nuclear facility operators. The programme must take into account the changes which may occur in the Agency's tasks as a consequence of implementation of safeguards in States with important nuclear activities. This paper attempts to summarize where the Agency methods and techniques development programme stands on meeting defined technical objectives, to point out where the main problems lie and to offer some guidelines for their solution. (author)

MATURITY IN DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT - EVOLUTION, ACTIVITY AND PROMOTION. CASE STUDY REGARDING TRAVEL AGENCIES FROM CLUJ-NAPOCA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mihaela Filofteia TUTUNEA

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Globalisation of digital market imposed on companies relocating their activities into the digital environment where interactivity, direct communication, interfacing of the company and its offer with the digital consumer are implemented through the digital identity in its traditional or mobile form. Tourism was among the first digitalised global industries, the web presence of tourism companies becoming the main tool for presentation and marketing their products and services. The form, usability and promotion of digital presence represent essential elements for any company in differentiating from global competition and creation of a unique image. In this context, in its first part, the article draws an image of the digital environment and the evolution of online tourism, while in the second part a study regarding the web presence of travel agencies registered in Cluj-Napoca is presented using for analysis elements as the online history, the quality level of the digital presence and the online promotion tools used by these agencies. We consider that the results of the present study can offer a set of information that is useful to travel agencies, but also to web solution, e-tourism, e-marketing and web and mobile advertising service providers.

Creating quality improvement culture in public health agencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Mary V; Mahanna, Elizabeth; Joly, Brenda; Zelek, Michael; Riley, William; Verma, Pooja; Fisher, Jessica Solomon

2014-01-01

We conducted case studies of 10 agencies that participated in early quality improvement efforts. The agencies participated in a project conducted by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (2007-2008). Case study participants included health directors and quality improvement team leaders and members. We implemented multiple qualitative analysis processes, including cross-case analysis and logic modeling. We categorized agencies according to the extent to which they had developed a quality improvement culture. Agencies were conducting informal quality improvement projects (n = 4), conducting formal quality improvement projects (n = 3), or creating a quality improvement culture (n = 4). Agencies conducting formal quality improvement and creating a quality improvement culture had leadership support for quality improvement, participated in national quality improvement initiatives, had a greater number of staff trained in quality improvement and quality improvement teams that met regularly with decision-making authority. Agencies conducting informal quality improvement were likely to report that accreditation is the major driver for quality improvement work. Agencies creating a quality improvement culture were more likely to have a history of evidence-based decision-making and use quality improvement to address emerging issues. Our findings support previous research and add the roles of national public health accreditation and emerging issues as factors in agencies' ability to create and sustain a quality improvement culture.

The Texts of the Agency's Relationship Agreements with Specialized Agencies; Textes des Accords Conclus Entre l'Agence et des Institutions Specialisees

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1960-09-27

The texts of the relationship agreements which the Agency has concluded with the specialized agencies listed below, together with the respective protocols authenticating them, are reproduced in this document in the order which the agreements entered into force, for the information of all Members of the Agency [French] Le present document reproduit les textes des accords que l'Agence a conclus avec les institutions specialisees enumerees ci-apres, ainsi que ceux des protocoles validant lesdits accords. Ces textes sont presentes, pour information, a tous les Membres de l'Agence dans l'ordre chronologique d'entree en vigueur desdits accords.

41 CFR 105-74.645 - Federal agency or agency.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Federal agency or agency. 105-74.645 Section 105-74.645 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Property Management... Administration 74-GOVERNMENTWIDE REQUIREMENTS FOR DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE (FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE) Definitions § 105-74...

Agency, time and causality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas eWidlok

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Cognitive Scientists interested in causal cognition increasingly search for evidence from non-WEIRD people but find only very few cross-cultural studies that specifically target causal cognition. This article suggests how information about causality can be retrieved from ethnographic monographs, specifically from ethnographies that discuss agency and concepts of time. Many apparent cultural differences with regard to causal cognition dissolve when cultural extensions of agency and personhood to non-humans are taken into account. At the same time considerable variability remains when we include notions of time, linearity and sequence. The article focuses on ethnographic case studies from Africa but provides a more general perspective on the role of ethnography in research on the diversity and universality of causal cognition.

Political control of implementation agencies - Effects of political consensus on agency compliance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Torenvlied, R

This article describes a positive model of the implementation of policy decisions. The model combines the salience of implementation agencies for policy decisions with the extent to which these agencies are effectively controlled, in order to predict agency deviations from policy decisions. Special

77 FR 22347 - Agency Information Collection Agencies: Proposed Collection; Comments Requested Reinstatement...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-13

... Approval Has Expired: Survey of General Purpose Law Enforcement Agencies, 2012 ACTION: 60-Day notice of information collection under review. The Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE [OMB Number 1121-0240] Agency Information Collection Agencies: Proposed...

Cortical information flow during inferences of agency

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dogge, Myrthel; Hofman, Dennis; Boersma, Maria; Dijkerman, H Chris; Aarts, Henk

2014-01-01

Building on the recent finding that agency experiences do not merely rely on sensorimotor information but also on cognitive cues, this exploratory study uses electroencephalographic recordings to examine functional connectivity during agency inference processing in a setting where action and outcome

Updating of the Agency's Market Survey and recent power planning studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goodman, E.I.

1976-01-01

Since the publication in 1973 of the Agency's Market Survey of the economic potential of nuclear power in developing countries, additional studies have continued to predict more realistically this aspect of electrical growth. An updating was prepared in 1974 to reflect the precipitous increase in crude oil prices. Actual forecasts in studies of individual countries are continuing, based on more extensive analysis and the latest economic factors. These studies have been performed for Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Hong Kong. A new forecast is presented for certain developing countries in Africa, America and Asia, which gives a range of 250-400 GW(e) of nuclear capacity installed by the end of this century. The lower forecast is considered most likely and represents approximately 30% of the total installed electrical capacity of these countries. (author)

Cortical information flow during inferences of agency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Myrthel eDogge

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Building on the recent finding that agency experiences do not merely rely on sensorimotor information but also on cognitive cues, this exploratory study uses electroencephalographic recordings to examine functional connectivity during agency inference processing in a setting where action and outcome are independent. Participants completed a computerized task in which they pressed a button followed by one of two color words (red or blue and rated their experienced agency over producing the color. Before executing the action, a matching or mismatching color word was pre-activated by explicitly instructing participants to produce the color (goal condition or by briefly presenting the color word (prime condition. In both conditions, experienced agency was higher in matching versus mismatching trials. Furthermore, increased electroencephalography (EEG-based connectivity strength was observed between parietal and frontal nodes and within the (prefrontal cortex when color-outcomes matched with goals and participants reported high agency. This pattern of increased connectivity was not identified in trials where outcomes were pre-activated through primes. These results suggest that different connections are involved in the experience and in the loss of agency, as well as in inferences of agency resulting from different types of pre-activation. Moreover, the findings provide novel support for the involvement of a fronto-parietal network in agency inferences.

The list of prohibited substances and methods in sport: structure and review process by the world anti-doping agency.

Science.gov (United States)

Mazzoni, Irene; Barroso, Osquel; Rabin, Olivier

2011-11-01

The List of Prohibited Substances and Methods (the List) is the International Standard that determines what is prohibited in sport in- and out-of-competition. The official text of the List is produced by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the international independent organization responsible for promoting, coordinating and monitoring the fight against doping in sport. The drafting of the annual List is a highly interactive and consultative process involving scientific and medical experts in anti-doping, sport federations and governments. In this article, the elements that compose the List as well as the process behind its annual revision and update are presented.

Structure and agency: reflections from an exploratory study of Vancouver indoor sex workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Bungay, Vicky; Halpin, Michael; Atchison, Chris; Johnston, Caitlin

2011-01-01

Sex work research continues to be characterised by debates around decriminalization. Central to these debates are claims about the agency of those involved in the sex trade. Some researchers argue that individuals involved in the sex trade are victims of structural and interpersonal constraint, whilst others depict them as workers exercising choice. Drawing on structure-agency theory, a review of legal and media accounts of the sex trade and qualitative interviews with 21 indoor sex workers in Vancouver, Canada, we argue that both of these perspectives are insufficient. Rather than reducing the sex trade to part of a binary, we suggest that it is necessary to analyse sex work through the complex interplay of both structure and agency. Specifically, structural analyses undercover the numerous ways that sex workers are controlled, observed and influenced whilst agency perspectives elicit the means that sex workers continue to exercise control in spite of disadvantage. While we do not finalise decriminalisation debates, we do critique current Canadian laws for the lack of responsiveness to the lives of sex workers and their exploitative and contradictory stance on sex work.

A Contextualized Model of Headquarters-subsidiary Agency Problems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kostova, Tatiana; Nell, Phillip Christopher; Hoenen, Anne Kristin

This paper proposes an agency model for headquarters-subsidiary relationships in multinational organizations with headquarters as the principal and the subsidiary as the agent. As a departure from classical agency theory, our model is developed for the unit level of analysis and considers two root...... in which the headquarters-subsidiary dyad is embedded. We then discuss several agency scenarios that lead to different manifestations of the agency problem. The framework informs more relevant applications of agency theory in organizational studies and motivates future research....... causes of the agency problem – self-interest and bounded rationality. We argue that one cannot assume absolute self-interest and perfect rationality of agents but should allow them to vary. We explain subsidiary-level variation through a set of internal organizational and external social conditions...

User Acceptance Model on E-Billing Adoption: A Study of Tax Payment by Government Agencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maulana Yusup

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The development of information technology is to create the paradigm shift in public services by government agencies, particularly in the payment of taxes. The purpose of this study is to determine the user's perception of e-billing in paying taxes. The study population were employees of the 17 companies in the textile and garment industry in Bandung, West Java and the sample was taken by simple random sampling with as many as 269 people involved from 17 industries in textile and garment units. Analysis of data was using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM. The results showed that there was a significant effect of perceived ease of use, subjective norm, perceived usefulness, facilitating condition of the attitude, toward the attitude and the intention to use. Thus, it is evidence that e-billing based services may be one way to improve service of government agencies to facilitate the payment of taxes.

The Texts of the Agency's Relationship Agreements with Specialized Agencies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1962-04-10

The text of the relationship agreement which the Agency has concluded with the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization, together with the protocol authenticating it, is reproduced in this document for the information of all Members of the Agency.

The Texts of the Agency's Relationship Agreements with Specialized Agencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1962-01-01

The text of the relationship agreement which the Agency has concluded with the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization, together with the protocol authenticating it, is reproduced in this document for the information of all Members of the Agency

Cross-Cultural Issues of Intra- and Inter-Organisational Cooperation in Space Operations: A Survey Study with Ground Personnel of the European Space Agency

Science.gov (United States)

Mjeldheim Sandal, Gro; Mjeldheim Sandal, Gro; Manzey, Dietrich

Today's space operations often involve close co-working of people with different ethnical, professional and organizational backgrounds. The aim of the study was to examine the implications of cultural diversity for efficient collaboration within the European Space Agency (ESA), and between ESA employees and representatives from other agencies. Methods: A web-based survey was answered by 905 employees at the European Astronaut Centre and at the European Space Technology Centre. An adapted version of the Flight Management Attitude Questionnaire by Helmreich and Merrit was used. Personnel were also asked about interpersonal and operational issues that interfered with efficient co-working within ESA and in relation to other space agencies. Results: Collaboration within ESA: A descriptive analysis was conducted of the rank orders of challenges perceived by members of different nationalities (the Netherlands (N=68), German (N=138), Italian (N=135), French (N=124), British (N=84) and Scandinavian (27).Rank orders show a surprisingly uniformity across nationalities. Most respondents perceived differences in the preferred leadership style as the main challenge for co-working in multi-national groups followed by differences in dealing with conflicts and misunderstandings. In contrast communication problems due different languages and differences in non-verbal behaviour, as well as differences in gender stereotypes were among the lowest rated issues. However, Scandinavian respondents showed a different pattern from other nationalities. Collaboration between agencies: The most significant issues reported to interfere with the efficiency of inter-agency collaboration varied. Most difficulties were reported in relation to clarity of communication, insufficient sharing of task related information, understanding the process of decision making in partner organization, and authoritarian leadership style in the partner organization Conclusion: Cultural differences in leadership and

Home Health Agency Performance in the United States: 2011-15.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yun; Spatz, Erica S; Tariq, Maliha; Angraal, Suveen; Krumholz, Harlan M

2017-12-01

To evaluate home health agency quality performance. Observational study. Home health agencies. All Medicare-certified agencies with at least 6 months of data from 2011 to 2015. Twenty-two quality indicators, five patient survey indicators, and their composite scores. The study included 11,462 Medicare-certified home health agencies that served 92.4% of all ZIP codes nationwide, accounting for 315.2 million people. The mean composite scores were 409.1 ± 22.7 out of 500 with the patient survey indicators and 492.3 ± 21.7 out of 600 without the patient survey indicators. Home health agency performance on 27 quality indicators varied, with the coefficients of dispersion ranging from 4.9 to 62.8. Categorization of agencies into performance quartiles revealed that 3,179 (27.7%) were in the low-performing group (below 25th percentile) at least one time during the period from 2011-12 to 2014-15 and that 493 were in the low-performing group throughout the study period. Geographic variation in agency performance was observed. Agencies with longer Medicare-certified years were more likely to have high-performing scores; agencies providing partial services, with proprietary ownership, and those with long travel distances to reach patients had lower performance. Agencies serving low-income counties and counties with lower proportions of women and senior residences and greater proportions of Hispanic residents were more likely to attain lower performance scores. Home health agency performance on several quality indicators varied, and many agencies were persistently in the lowest quartile of performance. Still, there is a need to improve the quality of care of all agencies. Many parts of the United States, particularly lower-income areas and areas with more Hispanic residents, are more likely to receive lower quality home health care. © 2017, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2017, The American Geriatrics Society.

77 FR 32632 - Ambient Air Monitoring Reference and Equivalent Methods: Designation of Three New Equivalent Methods

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-01

... Methods: Designation of Three New Equivalent Methods AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency. ACTION... accordance with 40 CFR Part 53, three new equivalent methods: One for measuring concentrations of nitrogen... INFORMATION: In accordance with regulations at 40 CFR Part 53, the EPA evaluates various methods for...

78 FR 67360 - Ambient Air Monitoring Reference and Equivalent Methods: Designation of Five New Equivalent Methods

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-12

... Methods: Designation of Five New Equivalent Methods AGENCY: Office of Research and Development; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of the designation of five new equivalent methods for...) has designated, in accordance with 40 CFR Part 53, five new equivalent methods, one for measuring...

77 FR 60985 - Ambient Air Monitoring Reference and Equivalent Methods: Designation of Three New Equivalent Methods

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-05

... Methods: Designation of Three New Equivalent Methods AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency. ACTION: Notice of the designation of three new equivalent methods for monitoring ambient air quality. SUMMARY... equivalent methods, one for measuring concentrations of PM 2.5 , one for measuring concentrations of PM 10...

29 CFR 2703.2 - Designated agency ethics official and alternate designated agency ethics official.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 9 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Designated agency ethics official and alternate designated agency ethics official. 2703.2 Section 2703.2 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) FEDERAL... agency ethics official and alternate designated agency ethics official. The Chairman shall appoint an...

Agency ownership, patient payment source, and length of service in home care, 1992 2000.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Beth; McAuley, William J; Remsburg, Robin E

2007-08-01

Little is known about whether an association exists between agency ownership and length of service among home care patients with different payment sources. This study investigated how for-profit and not-for-profit agencies responded to policy changes in the 1990s with respect to length of service. We examined length of service among 37,364 home care patients using the 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, and 2000 National Home and Hospice Care Surveys. We used Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox regression models. After we adjusted for patient and agency characteristics, our results revealed that agency ownership was not associated with length of service for patients with private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, Medicare plus Medicaid, or Medicare plus private insurance. This finding was consistent from 1992 through 2000. Length of service among patients with Medicare decreased significantly from 1998 through 2000, but length of service among patients with Medicaid did not change significantly from 1992 through 2000. Agency ownership is not associated with patient length of service in home care. Regardless of the policy changes in the home care arena in the 1990s, for-profit and not-for-profit home health agencies behaved similarly with regard to length of service among patients within differently structured payment systems.

Methods to optimize recruitment and retention to an exercise study in Chinese immigrants.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor-Piliae, Ruth E; Froelicher, Erika Sivarajan

2007-01-01

To counter pervasive disparities in healthcare and guide public health prevention programs, culturally sensitive recruitment and retention strategies for Chinese immigrants participating in health-related research studies are needed. The aim of this study was to develop and implement recruitment and retention strategies with Chinese immigrants in a Tai Chi exercise study. After substantial project planning and incorporating community-based research principles, a multidimensional approach was used to ensure minimal loss to follow-up. Recruitment strategies included partnering with a community-based agency, distributing study information using a multimedia approach, communicating in the native language, and demonstrating cultural sensitivity. Retention strategies included establishing a tracking method during recruitment, providing personalized feedback, maintaining the same location for all aspects of the study, eliminating potential linguistic barriers, providing personal attention and encouragement, monitoring attendance, utilizing a charismatic Tai Chi instructor, respecting Chinese culture, providing appropriate incentives, and maintaining good communication. Sixty persons showed interest in the study, 52 persons were screened, and 39 persons were enrolled. Recruitment was completed within 3 weeks. An advertisement in the Chinese newspaper was the most fruitful recruitment source, yielding approximately 60% of the study participants. Retention in the study was also very high (97%, n = 38). The successful recruitment and retention of Chinese immigrants in this Tai Chi exercise study are due to a variety of factors on many levels, including the participants, study investigator, and community-based agency.

31 CFR 0.104 - Designated Agency Ethics Official and Alternate Designated Agency Ethics Official.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Designated Agency Ethics Official and Alternate Designated Agency Ethics Official. 0.104 Section 0.104 Money and Finance: Treasury Office of the... Responsibilities § 0.104 Designated Agency Ethics Official and Alternate Designated Agency Ethics Official. The...

The indirect costs of agency nurses in South Africa: a case study in two public sector hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Rispel, Laetitia C; Moorman, Julia

2015-01-01

Globally, flexible work arrangements - through the use of temporary nursing staff - are an important strategy for dealing with nursing shortages in hospitals. The objective of the study was to determine the direct and indirect costs of agency nurses, as well as the advantages and the problems associated with agency nurse utilisation in two public sector hospitals in South Africa. Following ethical approval, two South African public sector hospitals were selected purposively. Direct costs were determined through an analysis of hospital expenditure information for a 5-year period from 2005 until 2010, obtained from the national transversal Basic Accounting System database. At each hospital, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the chief executive officer, executive nursing services manager, the maternity or critical care unit nursing manager, the human resource manager, and the finance manager. Indirect costs measured were the time spent on pre-employment checks, and nurse recruitment, orientation, and supervision. All expenditure is expressed in South African Rands (R: 1 USD=R7, 2010 prices). In the 2009/10 financial year, Hospital 1 spent R38.86 million (US$5.55 million) on nursing agencies, whereas Hospital 2 spent R10.40 million (US$1.49 million). The total estimated time spent per week on indirect cost activities at Hospital 1 was 51.5 hours, and 60 hours at Hospital 2. The estimated monetary value of this time at Hospital 1 was R962,267 (US$137,467) and at Hospital 2 the value was R300,121 (US$42,874), thus exceeding the weekly direct costs of nursing agencies. Agency nurses assisted the selected hospitals in dealing with problems of nurse recruitment, absenteeism, shortages, and skills gaps in specialised clinical areas. The problems experienced with agency nurses included their perceived lack of commitment, unreliability, and providing sub-optimal quality of patient care. Hospital managers and policy-makers need to address the effective

Understanding social media program usage in public transit agencies

OpenAIRE

Jenny H. Liu; Wei Shi; O.A. (Sam) Elrahman; Xuegang (Jeff) Ban; Jack M. Reilly

2016-01-01

Social media has been gaining prominence in public transit agencies in their communication strategies and daily management. This study aims to better understand recent trends in social media usage in public transit agencies, to examine which agencies use what kind of social media programs for what purposes, and how they measure their programs. A survey was conducted of the top transit agencies in the nation, and results are examined through descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analys...

Arms control agency faces uncertain future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ember, L.

1993-01-01

National security cognoscenti are busy sifting tea leaves trying to puzzle out the fate of arms control and nonproliferation policy in the new Administration. Of special concern to these policy gurus is the future of the semiautonomous Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA). ACDA's existence as a separate entity on the executive branch's organization chart is precarious. The agency has never functioned as intended since Congress created it in 1961. Its stock over the decades has ebbed and flowed, paralleling the prominence and clout of its director. And except for a few notable successes--the conclusion of the chemical weapons treaty being one--the agency's authority has plummeted in the past 14 years. Today, almost every interested party agrees that something has to be done, that the agency cannot continue as it now functions. Several recent studies have called for its rejuvenation. Still other studies have suggested that ACDA be dismantled, and those activities relevant to national security in a post-Cold War environment be shifted to and integrated into the State Department. Observers expect ACDA to evolve into an agency whose primary focus is on problems of proliferation. In a world in which tighter export controls on dual-use technologies, restraint on arms transfers, and economic assistance conditional on a recipients's security behavior will be the norm for security and stability, a role for ACDA as the U.S.'s nonproliferation nanny is not a bad one

An empirical typology of private child and family serving agencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Chuang, Emmeline; Collins-Camargo, Crystal; McBeath, Bowen; Wells, Rebecca; Bunger, Alicia

2014-03-01

Differences in how services are organized and delivered can contribute significantly to variation in outcomes experienced by children and families. However, few comparative studies identify the strengths and limitations of alternative delivery system configurations. The current study provides the first empirical typology of private agencies involved with the formal child welfare system. Data collected in 2011 from a national sample of private agencies were used to classify agencies into five distinct groups based on internal management capacity, service diversification, integration, and policy advocacy. Findings reveal considerable heterogeneity in the population of private child and family serving agencies. Cross-group comparisons suggest that differences in agencies' strategic and structural characteristics correlated with agency directors' perceptions of different pressures in their external environment. Future research can use this typology to better understand local service systems and the extent to which different agency strategies affect performance and other outcomes. Such information has implications for public agency contracting decisions and could inform system-level assessment and planning of services for children and families.

Divided Attention and Processes Underlying Sense of Agency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wen eWen

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Sense of agency refers to the subjective feeling of controlling events through one’s behavior or will. Sense of agency results from matching predictions of one’s own actions with actual feedback regarding the action. Furthermore, when an action involves a cued goal, performance-based inference contributes to sense of agency. That is, if people achieve their goal, they would believe themselves to be in control. Previous studies have shown that both action-effect comparison and performance-based inference contribute to sense of agency; however, the dominance of one process over the other may shift based on task conditions such as the presence or absence of specific goals. In this study, we examined the influence of divided attention on these two processes underlying sense of agency in two conditions. In the experimental task, participants continuously controlled a moving dot for 10 s while maintaining a string of three or seven digits in working memory. We found that when there was no cued goal (no-cued-goal condition, sense of agency was impaired by high cognitive load. Contrastingly, when participants controlled the dot based on a cued goal (cued-goal-directed condition, their sense of agency was lower than in the no-cued-goal condition and was not affected by cognitive load. The results suggest that the action-effect comparison process underlying sense of agency requires attention. On the other hand, the weaker influence of divided attention in the cued-goal-directed condition could be attributed to the dominance of performance-based inference, which is probably automatic.

KEBIJAKAN DIVIDEN DAN STRUKTUR KEPEMILIKAN TERHADAP KEBIJAKAN UTANG: SEBUAH PERSPEKTIF AGENCY THEORY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdullah W. Djabid

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract: This study aimed to analyze whether the dividend policy, managerial and institutionalownership had impact toward debt policy. The populations of this study were the go publicmanufacturers in BEI. The sample technique used was purposive sampling, and the analysismethod used was multiple regression method. The result showed that the dividend policy hadno impact toward the debt policy. This study failed to support statement that one of thealternatives could be chosen to reduce the agency conflict by increasing the dividend payoutratio. It was because there might be another factor influenced it, for example, the companyimplemented a stable dividend sharing policy which meant that the company should still paythe dividend although it was losing out or had debts. The managerial and institutional ownershiphad no impact toward the debt policy. Thus, this study failed to support a statement thatalternatives that could be chosen to reduce the agency conflict by increasing the management’sstockholding, and by increasing the institutional party’s stockholding.

75 FR 80542 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-22

... calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential...; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery... Collection Request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency...

76 FR 25693 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-05

... requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods... Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service... Collection Request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency...

Mediation of agency in teamwork

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ajslev, Jeppe Zielinski Nguyen

2014-01-01

In this contribution we examine the potentials of the construction gang as a frame for collegial handling of physical strain and pain in work. On a framework viewing social inclusion and a positive professional identity as dependent on the display of meaningful agency within the gang (team), we...... employ a methodological composition of questions to capture construction worker’ sense of agency in relation to handling physical strain and pain, and furthermore seek to understand expectations towards alternative forms of agency, than the forms usually employed. In this investigation we draw upon...... a questionnaire-study conducted among 519 construction workers from four professions. In conclusion we find that while the construction gang might pose a potential for developing a collegiate framework for handling physical pain and strain in ways that lead to less deterioration through work, this resource seems...

ISLAMIC BUSINESS ETHICS IMPLEMENTATION IN MARKETING COMMUNICATION OF HAJJ/UMROH TARVEL AGENCY “X” SURABAYA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ari Prasetyo

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Nowadays people consider ethics separately in business activities. Therefore, there are so many ethic breaches done by companies, including hajj/umroh travel agency. It is proven by the fact of  many pilgims who were failure to have hajj in 2014. This study aimed to know more about Islamic business ethics in marketing communication of “X” as one of big umroh/hajj travel agency in East Java. This study uses case study with explanatory qualitative approach. Data collecting techniques in this study are interview, participative observation, and collecting documents to chosen informant by using purposive sampling method. Based on the findings, it revealed that hajj/umroh travel agency “X” Surabaya applies Islamic business ethics in marketing communication by being honest and open to public about the offering of umroh/hajj program, consistent and continue to inform about umroh/hajj, creative and able to give solution, keeping their promises, and able to communicate the umroh/hajj information well.DOI: 10.15408/aiq.v8i1.1865

"A Liberation of Powers": Agency and Education for Democracy

Science.gov (United States)

Boyte, Harry C.; Finders, Margaret J.

2016-01-01

In this essay Harry Boyte and Margaret Finders argue that addressing the "shrinkage" of education and democracy requires acting politically to reclaim and augment Deweyan agency-focused concepts of democracy and education. Looking at agency from the vantage of civic studies, which advances a politics of agency--a citizen politics that is…

Review of technical justification of assumptions and methods used by the Environmental Protection Agency for estimating risks avoided by implementing MCLs for radionuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morris, S.C.; Rowe, M.D.; Holtzman, S.; Meinhold, A.F.

1992-11-01

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed regulations for allowable levels of radioactive material in drinking water (40 CFR Part 141, 56 FR 33050, July 18, 1991). This review examined the assumptions and methods used by EPA in calculating risks that would be avoided by implementing the proposed Maximum Contaminant Levels for uranium, radium, and radon. Proposed limits on gross alpha and beta-gamma emitters were not included in this review

76 FR 69729 - Pesticide Emergency Exemptions; Agency Decisions and State and Federal Agency Crisis Declarations

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-09

...; Agency Decisions and State and Federal Agency Crisis Declarations AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency... following form: Crisis, public health, quarantine, or specific. EPA has also listed denied emergency... or public health purposes. These are rarely requested. 3. A ``crisis exemption'' is initiated by a...

78 FR 5477 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Inter-Agency Alien Witness and Informant Record, Form I...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-25

...-0046] Agency Information Collection Activities: Inter-Agency Alien Witness and Informant Record, Form I... collection. (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Inter-Agency Alien Witness and Informant Record. (3) Agency...- 854 is used by law enforcement agencies to bring alien witnesses and informants to the United States...

78 FR 23755 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-22

... justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential non-response... Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service... Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery '' for approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U...

76 FR 44938 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-27

... calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential... Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery: National Cancer Center (NCI) ACTION: 30-Day notice of... Collection Request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency...

76 FR 63301 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-12

... requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods... Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service... Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery'' to OMB for approval under...

76 FR 22920 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; DOL Generic...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-25

... requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods... Collection; Comment Request; DOL Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency... of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for...

Challenges for a Local Service Agency to Address Domestic Violence –A Case Study From Rural Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Hayati, Elli Nur; Emmelin, Maria; Eriksson, Malin

2014-01-01

Since the launch of a Zero Tolerance Policy in Indonesia, several policies to address domestic violence have been enacted. The obligation of local governments to establish service units for women survivors of domestic violence is one of them. Since domestic violence is a sensitive and complex issue in Indonesia it is important to understand how governmentally regulated services function in practice. This case study aimed to explore challenges faced by a local service agency in managing service provision for women survivors of domestic violence in rural Indonesia. Data from one focus group discussion (12 participants), four individual interviews, six short narratives, two days of participant observation, as well as archive reviews were collected. All data were analyzed using Grounded Theory Situational Analysis. The major challenge faced by the local agency was the low priority that was given them by the local authorities, mirrored also in low involvement by the assigned volunteers in the daily service. The study also identified a gap between the socio-cultural arena and the law & policy arena that needs to be bridged to avoid that the two arenas address domestic violence in a contradictory way. Budget allocation to support the sustainability of the daily routines of service agencies has to be given priority. There is also a need for careful considerations regarding the composition of personnel involved within daily management of service agencies addressing domestic violence. To bridge the gap between the legal systems and traditional cultural values, culturally adjusted alternative justice systems could be developed to increase women’s access to legal support. PMID:25363105

78 FR 24429 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Inter-Agency Alien Witness and Informant Record, Form I...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-25

...-0046] Agency Information Collection Activities: Inter-Agency Alien Witness and Informant Record, Form I... the Form/Collection: Inter-Agency Alien Witness and Informant Record. (3) Agency form number, if any... Government. Form I-854 is used by law enforcement agencies to bring alien witnesses and informants to the...

Rethinking agency and medical adherence technology: applying Actor Network Theory to the case study of Digital Pills.

Science.gov (United States)

Hurtado-de-Mendoza, Alejandra; Cabling, Mark L; Sheppard, Vanessa B

2015-12-01

Much literature surrounding medical technology and adherence posits that technology is a mechanism for social control. This assumes that the medical establishment can take away patients' agency. Although power relationships and social control can play a key role, medical technology can also serve as an agentive tool to be utilized. We (1) offer the alternative framework of Actor Network Theory to view medical technology, (2) discuss the literature on medication adherence and technology, (3) delve into the ramifications of looking at adherence as a network and (4) use Digital Pills as a case study of dispersed agency. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Agency doctorates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1970-01-01

Staff members of the Agency working at the Seibersdorf laboratory are continuing to achieve high academic distinction. Two more - both Austrian - have now been awarded the degree of Doctor of Agriculture. Joachim Kramer, who is 26, graduated from the Hochschule fur Bodenkultur in 1967 with the degree of Diplom-Ingenieur and then started work in the plant breeding and genetics section of the laboratory under the direction of Dr. Knut Mikaelsen. The results of the research work he carried out were accepted as the subject of a thesis for which he has now been granted his doctorate. The doctoral promotion took place on 30 June, at a ceremony attended by Dr. Andre Finkelstein, Deputy Director General for Research and Isotopes. The subject of Dr. Kramer's thesis was a comprehensive study of the mutagenic effects of fast neutrons and gamma rays, and the influence of various modifying factors such as water content, oxygen and metabolic state of seeds at the time of irradiation. This work has contributed significantly to the understanding of the mechanisms by which these two types of ionizing radiation produce mutations in seeds. The knowledge gained will be of great importance in the efficient use of ionizing radiation in practical plant breeding. Paul Wassermann, who is 33 years old, joined the Agency in 1965. He, too, graduated from the Hochschule fur Bodenkultur as Diplom-Ingenieur in agriculture, having graduated with honours previously from the agricultural secondary school at Raumberg, Austria, in 1958. Dr. Wassermann's own words may be used to explain how he came to gain his doctorate. 'In October, 1966, I completed my studies at the Hochschule,' he writes. 'I was employed at the Agency laboratories in Seibersdorf, working in the plant and soils group. Encouraged by the interesting research which was performed there, a thesis entitled 'the Fate of Nitrogen in Submerged Rice Soils' was started, which finally led to the doctor's degree in Agriculture in June this year

Public Sector Financial Management Reform: A Case Study of Local Government Agencies in Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Monir Mir

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Indonesia has taken initiatives to reform its public sector financial management. One of the reform agendas was to introduce ‘cash to accrual’ accounting for improved financial reporting. It is expected that improved financial reporting will enhance financial accountabilities of the governmental agencies and will assist both internal and external decision makers whose decisions will be based on the financial reports. However, it has been observed that there is a significant increase in the number of qualified audit reports when these financial reports were audited. This also means that these financial reports are lacking in providing true and fair views on the financial activities of the governmental agencies, thereby not assisting in discharging their accountabilities. This study seeks to answer the question as to why the numbers of qualified audit reports have increased despite the existence of various governmental accounting reform agendas. Based on the in-depth case studies of three Indonesian local governments, it is found that the demand, the supply and the quality assurance of the accounting information outputs in these local governments are not in parity, and this lacking in parties actually has impacted in producing unqualified and usable accounting reports.

77 FR 7171 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request, National Fire...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-10

..., National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) v5.0 AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS... accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice seeks comments concerning National Fire... standardized reporting methods, to collect and analyze fire incident data at the Federal, State, and local...

77 FR 6128 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-07

... requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods... Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery ACTION: 30-Day notice of submission of information collection... Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery'' to OMB for approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA...

78 FR 44099 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-23

... requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods... Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service... Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery'' for approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S...

The Strategic Plan of the Nuclear Energy Agency, 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

The OECD has been engaged in the past few years in a process of reform to take account of the impact of globalization on its Members' economies, and to allow for proper refocusing of its work, notably on the subject of sustainable development. These developments are having an impact on the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA). The group on the future role of the NEA delivered its report at the end of January 1998 and one key recommendation is the elaboration of a strategic plan for the Agency. The recommendations made in the report served to stimulate a review of NEA goals, priorities, methods of work and products. This review has taken account of the recommendations in the report. The review served as the basis for this Strategic Plan for the NEA, which has been developed to provide guidance to the Agency in planning its activities and implementing its programmes over a five-year period. The report contains detailed description of the following topics:Mission of NEA: Strategic arenas of work, including sectorial arenas, Data bank, Information and communication; Interactions; Relations with non-member countries; Role of the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy; Working methods; Resources. (R.P.)

How Agencies Market Egg Donation on the Internet: A Qualitative Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Keehn, Jason; Howell, Eve; Sauer, Mark V; Klitzman, Robert

2015-01-01

We systematically examined the content of the websites of 46 agencies that buy and sell human eggs to understand how they market themselves to both donors and recipients. We found that these websites use marketing techniques that obscure the realities of egg donation, presenting egg donation as a mutually beneficial and fulfilling experience. Sites emphasize egg donors' emotional fulfillment (71.4%) and address recipients' anxieties by stressing the ability to find the perfect "fit" or "match" (56.5%), suiting recipients'"preferences"/"desires" (19.6%), and even designing/customizing a child (15.2%). Agencies attempt to create a sense of connection between the recipients and donors by reporting donors' personal characteristics - e.g., interests/hobbies (63%), traits (34.8%), mood/temperament (20%), and self-reported childhood behavior/memories (15%). Sites present donors as caring/generous (54.3%) and smart/successful/beautiful. These data, the first to examine several key aspects of egg donation agency websites, reveal critical aspects of how these companies communicate to prospective donors and recipients, raising several ethical concerns. Websites frame information in ways that may bias consumers, making emotional appeals that may distract from appropriate risk/benefit assessments and obscure the ethical challenges of egg donation. These data highlight needs for improved practices, adherence to guidelines, and consideration of enhanced guidelines or policy. © 2015 American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Inc.

Autonomy of State Agencies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Morten Balle; Niklasson, Birgitta; Roness, Paul

agencies in four Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. By using survey data from more than 500 state agencies in the four countries, the article analyses whether there is indeed a Scandinavian style of autonomy and result control and assesses which structural, cultural, and environmental......NPM-doctrines states that ideal-type agencies should have a high level of managerial autonomy, while being controlled through result-based control instruments, like performance contracts. In this article, the authors present a first preliminary attempt to comparatively analyze the autonomy of state...... variables might explain similarities and differences in the autonomy of agencies....

Tourism sector, Travel agencies, and Transport Suppliers: Comparison of Different Estimators in the Structural Equation Modeling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kovačić Nataša

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The paper addresses the effect of external integration (EI with transport suppliers on the efficiency of travel agencies in the tourism sector supply chains. The main aim is the comparison of different estimation methods used in the structural equation modeling (SEM, applied to discover possible relationships between EIs and efficiencies. The latter are calculated by the means of data envelopment analysis (DEA. While designing the structural equation model, the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses are also used as preliminary statistical procedures. For the estimation of parameters of SEM model, three different methods are explained, analyzed and compared: maximum likelihood (ML method, Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (BMCMC method, and unweighted least squares (ULS method. The study reveals that all estimation methods calculate comparable estimated parameters. The results also give an evidence of good model fit performance. Besides, the research confirms that the amplified external integration with transport providers leads to increased efficiency of travel agencies, which might be a very interesting finding for the operational management.

The Texts of the Agency's Relationship Agreements with Specialized Agencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-03-01

The text of the relationship agreement with the Agency has concluded with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, together with the protocol regarding its entry into force, is reproduced in this document for the information of all Members of the Agency. The agreement entered into force on 9 October 1987 pursuant to Article 10

Significant factors for enabling knowledge sharing between government agencies within South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Avain Mannie

2013-10-01

Objectives: This study aimed to validate the significant factors that influence the effectiveness of KM between government agencies in South Africa. The commonly identified pillars of KM in the extant literature served as a primary framework in establishing these factors. Method: Data were gathered using an electronic survey made available to different national government agencies within the security cluster. Responses were analysed using structural equation modelling. Main findings: Existing literature highlighted organisational culture, learning organisation, collaboration, subject matter experts and trust as being determinants for knowledge management. The first two were identified as the most significant factors for knowledge sharing to succeed. Conclusion: Whilst there is universal consent as to the strategic importance of KM, actionable implementation of knowledge sharing initiatives appears to be lacking. This study emphasised the fact that leaders must instil a knowledge sharing culture either through employee performance contracts or methods such as the balanced score card. The study also showed that it is imperative for leaders to acknowledge that KM is a multi-faceted discipline that offers strategic advantages. Leaders of developing countries should note that they are on a developmental journey. This requires their organisations to be learning organisations, which necessitates a change in the organisational culture and knowledge interventions through their academies of learning.

Transformative Agency

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Majgaard, Klaus

The purpose of this paper is to enhance the conceptual understanding of the mediatory relationship between paradoxes on an organizational and an individual level. It presents a concept of agency that comprises and mediates between a structural and individual pole. The constitution of this agency ...... is achieved through narrative activity that oscillates between the poles and transforms paradoxes through the configuration of plots and metaphors. Empirical cases are introduced in order to illustrate the implications of this understanding....

The Agency of Event

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nicholas, Paul; Tamke, Martin; Riiber, Jacob

2014-01-01

This paper explores the notion of agency within event-based models. We present an event-based modeling approach that links interdependent generative, analytic and decision making sub-models within a system of exchange. Two case study projects demonstrate the underlying modeling concepts and metho...

Factors Influencing Trust in Agencies That Disseminate Tobacco Prevention Information.

Science.gov (United States)

Ranney, Leah M; Jarman, Kristen L; Baker, Hannah M; Vu, Maihan; Noar, Seth M; Goldstein, Adam O

2018-04-01

Several health-related agencies administer national and targeted public education campaigns to provide health information and change health-related behaviors. The trust the public has in these agencies as the source of the message impacts the effectiveness of their communication campaigns. In this study, we explore the perceived trust of agencies that communicate health messages in the tobacco control field. As part of a larger tobacco regulatory science study, we conducted six 90-min focus groups comprising 41 participants. Five main themes emerged pertinent to the agency: (1) its integrity, (2) its competence, (3) its motives, (4) how it is portrayed in the media, and (5) skepticism and mistrust about it. Given the significant resources spent on health messaging to the public and potential benefits offered by this communication, an understanding of public trust in the agencies as the source of health messages is important. Findings suggest health information may be ignored or discounted when there is mistrust in the agency sending those messages.

AGENCY COSTS DAN KEBIJAKAN DIVIDEN PADA EMERGING MARKET

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darman Darman

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research was to analyze agency costs and dividend policy onemerging market. The research population was 147 manufacture industry companies listedat the Indonesian Stock Exchange. Sample were retrieved bases on purposive sampling method,there were 25 companies, which were fulfilling the condition needed, starting from 2000until 2005, pooling data with analysis unit n = 6 x 25 = 150. Research used ordinary leastsquare. Research results showed that agency costs did not significantly influence dividendpolicy. Research conclusion was that agency costs were not important factors of dividendpolicy. Next analysis result showed that insider ownership, institutional ownership, dispertionof ownership, and free cash flow did not significantly influence dividen policy. Thecollateralizable asset significantly influenced dividend policy. This finding showed that therewas no agencial conflicts between manager (agent and stockholders (principals in emergingmarket (manufacture industry companies listed at the Indonesian Stock Exchange. However,there were agencial conflicts between stockholders and creditor (bondholders.

Exhibition; Image display agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Normazlin Ismail

2008-01-01

This article touches on the role of Malaysian Nuclear Agency as nuclear research institutions to promote, develop and encourage the peaceful uses of nuclear technology in its agricultural, medical, manufacturing, industrial, health and environment for the development of the country running successfully. Maturity of Malaysian Nuclear Agency in dealing with nuclear technology that are very competitive and globalization cannot be denied. On this basis Malaysian Nuclear Agency was given the responsibility to strengthen the nuclear technology in Malaysia. One way is through an exhibition featuring the research, discoveries and new technology products of the nuclear technology. Through this exhibition is to promote the nuclear technology and introduce the image of the agency in the public eye. This article also states a number of exhibits entered by the Malaysian Nuclear Agency and achievements during the last exhibition. Authors hope that the exhibition can be intensified further in the future.

40 CFR 1508.16 - Lead agency.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Lead agency. 1508.16 Section 1508.16 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY TERMINOLOGY AND INDEX § 1508.16 Lead agency. Lead agency means the agency or agencies preparing or having taken primary responsibility for preparing the...

The Findings from the OECD/NEA/CSNI UMS (Uncertainty Method Study)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D'Auria, F.; Glaeser, H.

2013-01-01

Within licensing procedures there is the incentive to replace the conservative requirements for code application by a 'best estimate' concept supplemented by an uncertainty analysis to account for predictive uncertainties of code results. Methods have been developed to quantify these uncertainties. The Uncertainty Methods Study (UMS) Group, following a mandate from CSNI (Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations) of OECD/NEA (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development / Nuclear Energy Agency), has compared five methods for calculating the uncertainty in the predictions of advanced 'best estimate' thermal-hydraulic codes. Most of the methods identify and combine input uncertainties. The major differences between the predictions of the methods came from the choice of uncertain parameters and the quantification of the input uncertainties, i.e. the wideness of the uncertainty ranges. Therefore, suitable experimental and analytical information has to be selected to specify these uncertainty ranges or distributions. After the closure of the Uncertainty Method Study (UMS) and after the report was issued comparison calculations of experiment LSTF-SB-CL-18 were performed by University of Pisa using different versions of the RELAP 5 code. It turned out that the version used by two of the participants calculated a 170 K higher peak clad temperature compared with other versions using the same input deck. This may contribute to the differences of the upper limit of the uncertainty ranges. A 'bifurcation' analysis was also performed by the same research group also providing another way of interpreting the high temperature peak calculated by two of the participants. (authors)

Facilitating the implementation of clinical technology in healthcare: what role does a national agency play?

Science.gov (United States)

Harvey, Gill; Llewellyn, Sue; Maniatopoulos, Greg; Boyd, Alan; Procter, Rob

2018-05-10

Accelerating the implementation of new technology in healthcare is typically complex and multi-faceted. One strategy is to charge a national agency with the responsibility for facilitating implementation. This study examines the role of such an agency in the English National Health Service. In particular, it compares two different facilitation strategies employed by the agency to support the implementation of insulin pump therapy. The research involved an empirical case study of four healthcare organisations receiving different levels of facilitation from the national agency: two received active hands-on facilitation; one was the intended recipient of a more passive, web-based facilitation strategy; the other implemented the technology without any external facilitation. The primary method of data collection was semi-structured qualitative interviews with key individuals involved in implementation. The integrated-PARIHS framework was applied as a conceptual lens to analyse the data. The two sites that received active facilitation from an Implementation Manager in the national agency made positive progress in implementing the technology. In both sites there was a high level of initial receptiveness to implementation. This was similar to a site that had successfully introduced insulin pump therapy without facilitation support from the national agency. By contrast, a site that did not have direct contact with the national agency made little progress with implementation, despite the availability of a web-based implementation resource. Clinicians expressed differences of opinion around the value and effectiveness of the technology and contextual barriers related to funding for implementation persisted. The national agency's intended roll out strategy using passive web-based facilitation appeared to have little impact. When favourable conditions exist, in terms of agreement around the value of the technology, clinician receptiveness and motivation to change, active

The Influence of Communication Climate on the Employees’ Performance at Government Agencies in Gorontalo City (An Indonesian Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zuchri Abdussamad

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Improvement of employees’ performance at government agencies can be done in several ways, for instance, through giving appropriate compensation, motivation, creation of conducive work environment, and through education and training. In addition, comfortable work environment, coordination and communication are factors supporting the performance of the employees in order to reach goals and objectives decided. This research was conducted to find out to what extent the influence of communication climate in an organization on the employees’ performance at Industry, Trade, Cooperation, Small and Medium Enterprise and Investment Agency of Gorontalo city. This research uses survey method and correlational analysis. The result from this research expected to develop employees’ performance development model through organizational communication climate. This research revealed that there was a significant influence of organizational communication climate toward the employees’ performance at the agency of at the Industry, Trade, Cooperation, Small and Medium Enterprise and Investment of Gorontalo city. Through a simple linear regression formula of Y=21.811 + 0.359 X and the correlation value of 0.476 and the determinant coefficient of 0.227 which means that there was a significant influence of organizational communication climate toward the employees’ performance of 22.7% and the rest 77.3% was influenced by other factors that were not investigated in this research

On the differences between Tinder™ versus online dating agencies: Questioning a myth. An exploratory study

OpenAIRE

Karoline Gatter; Kathleen Hodkinson

2016-01-01

Despite common stereotypes about those who use different types of online dating, psychological research on online dating agency users’ characteristics is actually very limited, and no scientific study has yet examined the individual characteristics of Tinder™ users. The current exploratory study aimed to investigate why individuals use these services, and how they differ in terms of sociability, self-esteem, and sexual permissiveness, with the aim of stimulating further research in the field....

Agency costs and income taxation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ulrich Schmidt

2012-03-01

Full Text Available This paper analyzes agency costs and the moral hazard problem in the presence of income taxation. As basic framework, income taxes are integrated in the hidden action model of agency theory. In the case of symmetric information no agency costs occur, i.e. optimal risk-sharing can be achieved, if and only if the tax is proportional. It is well-known that asymmetric information causes a welfare loss, termed agency costs, even if no taxes are imposed. Introducing a proportional income tax now increases (decreases these agency costs if the agent exhibits decreasing (increasing absolute risk aversion. Additionally, we show that non-proportional taxes cause higher (lower agency costs than a proportional tax if the agent’s marginal tax rate exceeds (is smaller than the marginal tax rate of the principal.

Comparing the Medicaid Retrospective Drug Utilization Review Program Cost-Savings Methods Used by State Agencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Prada, Sergio I

2017-12-01

The Medicaid Drug Utilization Review (DUR) program is a 2-phase process conducted by Medicaid state agencies. The first phase is a prospective DUR and involves electronically monitoring prescription drug claims to identify prescription-related problems, such as therapeutic duplication, contraindications, incorrect dosage, or duration of treatment. The second phase is a retrospective DUR and involves ongoing and periodic examinations of claims data to identify patterns of fraud, abuse, underutilization, drug-drug interaction, or medically unnecessary care, implementing corrective actions when needed. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services requires each state to measure prescription drug cost-savings generated from its DUR programs on an annual basis, but it provides no guidance or unified methodology for doing so. To describe and synthesize the methodologies used by states to measure cost-savings using their Medicaid retrospective DUR program in federal fiscal years 2014 and 2015. For each state, the cost-savings methodologies included in the Medicaid DUR 2014 and 2015 reports were downloaded from Medicaid's website. The reports were then reviewed and synthesized. Methods described by the states were classified according to research designs often described in evaluation textbooks. In 2014, the most often used prescription drugs cost-savings estimation methodology for the Medicaid retrospective DUR program was a simple pre-post intervention method, without a comparison group (ie, 12 states). In 2015, the most common methodology used was a pre-post intervention method, with a comparison group (ie, 14 states). Comparisons of savings attributed to the program among states are still unreliable, because of a lack of a common methodology available for measuring cost-savings. There is great variation among states in the methods used to measure prescription drug utilization cost-savings. This analysis suggests that there is still room for improvement in terms of

The “In-House Agency Work” in the PTS and the Union Movement of Agency Workers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chang-De Liu

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The number of agency workers in the PTS had increased rapidly since 2008, while a total of around 200 agency workers represented 20% of the PTS employees during recent years. However, most of agency works in the PTS were “long-term core jobs” rather than “temporary peripheral jobs,” and the recruitment, remuneration and benefits of agency workers were actually decided by the user enterprise, the PTS, rather than the employment agency. The agency employment in the PTS, therefore, had become the “in-house agency work” which broke the rules of related employment laws. According to the findings based on the questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews, the PTS agency workers were relatively young and high-educated, but most of them suffered from job insecurity and wage discrimination. Most interviewees were discontent with poor working conditions while highly evaluated and identified with the public interests that the PTS pursued. In 2013, the PTS agency employees established a union and urged the management for a transition to standard employment. Nevertheless, the standard employees and their union (the PTS union spoke out against the “total transition plan,” and forced the employer laid off 6 agency workers while a total of 130 agency workers were successfully transited. The union movement of the PTS agency workers is unique for its two characteristics, including the internalization of public interests among the PTS members, and the young generation’s disobedience to the capitalism under the crisis of pauperization of work.

Performance Measurement, Expectancy and Agency Theory: An Experimental Study

OpenAIRE

Randolph Sloof; Mirjam van Praag

2007-01-01

Theoretical analyses of (optimal) performance measures are typically performed within the realm of the linear agency model. An important implication of this model is that, for a given compensation scheme, the agent's optimal effort choice is unrelated to the amount of noise in the performance measure. In contrast, expectancy theory as developed by psychologists predicts that effort levels are increasing in the signal-to-noise ratio. We conduct a real effort laboratory experiment to assess the...

The survey of occupational accidents in Yazd gas agency (2013

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amir Hossein Khoshakhlagh

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Existence of coordinated and professional safety system to prevent occurrence of accidents and potential hazards seem to be essential in installing networks of gas distribution projects. Objective: To survey work-related accidents and safety performance indices in project implementation unit of Yazd gas agency. Methods: This analytical study was conducted on 197 of workforce in Yazd gas agency in 2013 that were selected by census and they were male. Demographic and accident information were gathered using a self-made questionnaire and face- to- face interview, and required information obtained from dossier to determine the safety performance indicators. Safety performance indicators were calculated in separately of 13 types occupations in project implementation unit of gas agency and data were analyzed using T-test. Findings: The highest accident frequency and severity rate were related to digging occupation and then metal line welding. Consequences of accidents were cuts (%56.7 and soreness (%14.9. The causes of accidents were related to uselessness of personal protective equipment (%25.2 and lack of precision in the task (%19.3. The highest rate of accident was observed among the age group 20-29 years with work experience of 4-6 years. Conclusion: According to the findings of this study and the risk of gas processes, it seems to be necessary the implementation of integrated management systems and training of workers about safety rules to improve the safety culture and prevent accidents.

Hazard Prevention Regarding Occupational Accidents Involving Blue-Collar Foreign Workers: A Perspective of Taiwanese Manpower Agencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Huan-Cheng; Wang, Mei-Chin; Liao, Hung-Chang; Cheng, Shu-Fang; Wang, Ya-Huei

2016-07-13

Since 1989, blue-collar foreign workers have been permitted to work in Taiwanese industries. Most blue-collar foreign workers apply for jobs in Taiwan through blue-collar foreign workers' agencies. Because blue-collar foreign workers are not familiar with the language and culture in Taiwan, in occupational accident education and hazard prevention, the agencies play an important role in the coordination and translation between employees and blue-collar foreign workers. The purpose of this study is to establish the agencies' role in the occupational accidents education and hazard prevention for blue-collar foreign workers in Taiwan. This study uses a qualitative method-grounded theory-to collect, code, and analyze the data in order to understand the agencies' role in occupational accident education and hazard prevention for blue-collar foreign workers in Taiwan. The results show that the duty of agencies in occupational accident education and hazard prevention includes selecting appropriate blue-collar foreign workers, communicating between employees and blue-collar foreign workers, collecting occupational safety and health information, assisting in the training of occupational safety and health, and helping blue-collar foreign workers adapt to their lives in Taiwan. Finally, this study suggests seven important points and discusses the implementation process necessary to improve governmental policies. The government and employees should pay attention to the education/training of occupational safety and health for blue-collar foreign workers to eliminate unsafe behavior in order to protect the lives of blue-collar foreign workers.

An investigation on relationship between CRM and organizational learning through knowledge management: A case study of Tehran travel agency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirza Hasan Hosseini

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Customer relationship management (CRM plays essential role on the success of many business units. CRM integrates necessary data from internal and external sources to assist managers and employees for business development. This paper attempts to analyze relationship between CRM, organizational learning, and knowledge management. Research population includes travel agencies in Tehran, Iran and their manager are considered for the purpose of this study. This research has four variables 1- Successful implementation of KM, 2- Organizational learning, 3- customer orientation, and 4- information share with customers. The preliminary results of this survey indicate that any development of CRM will significantly contribute relative efficiency of this travel agency. The results also indicate that there is a meaningful relationship among components of CRM including organizational learning, and knowledge management in this travel agency.

The Agency's Safeguards System (1965)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1965-01-01

On 28 September 1965 the Board of Governors approved the Agency's revised safeguards system which is set forth in this document for the information of all Members. For ease of reference the revised system may be cited as 'The Agency's Safeguards System (1965)' to distinguish it from the original system - 'The Agency's Safeguards System (1961)'- and from the original system as extended to large reactor facilities - 'The Agency's Safeguards System (1961, as Extended in 1964)'

ADVERTISING AGENCY MARKETING MANAGEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Denis Kislov, Yevgenia Horobei

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Goal of the paper. The goal of this article is to define the nature, specific features and factors pertaining to the advertising agency marketing management. One of the tools is the use of non-standard approaches to management of advertising agencies, which under certain conditions makes it possible to improve the situation and to bring the agency to a new higher level as well as to improve the efficiency of its functioning in the conditions of transformational economy of Ukraine. Methodology. Monitoring of the marketing behavior of agencies that promote advertising services. The results of monitoring and analysis demonstrated that the majority of agencies have a disorganized approach to the agency marketing, which results in sporadic activities related to the use and organization of agency marketing. Only individual agencies begin to form their own marketing strategy for the implementation of which marketing budgets are allocated. The main marketing functions of a Ukrainian advertising agency have been identified. Practical value. Rapid development of technologies, sophistication and increased variety of goods and services, reduction of their life cycle, higher customer demands, the growth of volume and speed of obtaining information, increased competition – all these changes that are taking place in the external environment make the Ukrainian companies that provide advertising services search for new approaches to ensure better adaptation to these conditions. Uncertainty, unpredictability and instability of the external environment will continue to grow. Therefore, the companies that provide advertising services need to constantly adapt not only to the existing conditions but also ensure that they are able to quickly react in the future. The basic precondition for success is stability of the quality that is achieved through strategic planning, fine-tuned search system, efficient management, which encourages creation of a position of quality

Does the Sector Experience Affect the Pay Gap for Temporary Agency Workers?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jahn, Elke; Pozzoli, Dario

estimate the effects of the intensity of agency employment on the temp wage gap and post-temp earnings in Germany. Using a two-stage selection-corrected method in a panel data framework, we show that the wage gap for temps with low treatment intensity is high but decreases with exposure to the sector....... It seems that temps are able to accumulate human capital while being employed in this sector. Temps who move to permanent jobs have to accept a sizeable wage disadvantage at first, indicating that temporary agency employment might stigmatise workers. However, agency employment does not seem to leave a long...

A Comparison of Reimbursement Recommendations by European HTA Agencies: Is There Opportunity for Further Alignment?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicola Allen

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: In Europe and beyond, the rising costs of healthcare and limited healthcare resources have resulted in the implementation of health technology assessment (HTA to inform health policy and reimbursement decision-making. European legislation has provided a harmonized route for the regulatory process with the European Medicines Agency, but reimbursement decision-making still remains the responsibility of each country. There is a recognized need to move toward a more objective and collaborative reimbursement environment for new medicines in Europe. Therefore, the aim of this study was to objectively assess and compare the national reimbursement recommendations of 9 European jurisdictions following European Medicines Agency (EMA recommendation for centralized marketing authorization.Methods: Using publicly available data and newly developed classification tools, this study appraised 9 European reimbursement systems by assessing HTA processes and the relationship between the regulatory, HTA and decision-making organizations. Each national HTA agency was classified according to two novel taxonomies. The System taxonomy, focuses on the position of the HTA agency within the national reimbursement system according to the relationship between the regulator, the HTA-performing agency, and the reimbursement decision-making coverage body. The HTA Process taxonomy distinguishes between the individual HTA agency's approach to economic and therapeutic evaluation and the inclusion of an independent appraisal step. The taxonomic groups were subsequently compared with national HTA recommendations.Results: This study identified European national reimbursement recommendations for 102 new active substances (NASs approved by the EMA from 2008 to 2012. These reimbursement recommendations were compared using a novel classification tool and identified alignment between the organizational structure of reimbursement systems (System taxonomy and HTA

Financial Regulations of the Agency. Corrigendum; Reglement Financier de l'Agence. Rectificatif

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1959-10-28

The Financial Regulations of the Agency established and amended by the Board up to 24 June 1959 are reproduced in this document for the information of all Members of the Agency [French] Remplacer le texte de l'article 12.01 par le texte suivant: 'Jusqu'au 4 octobre 1960, il y aura deux verificateurs exterieurs des comptes de l'Agence, nommes par la Conference generale parmi les verificateurs generaux des comptes des Etats Membres; apres cette date, il y aura un seul verificateur exterieur, nomme dans les memes conditions.'.

Agency attribution: event-related potentials and outcome monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Bednark, Jeffery G; Franz, Elizabeth A

2014-04-01

Knowledge about the effects of our actions is an underlying feature of voluntary behavior. Given the importance of identifying the outcomes of our actions, it has been proposed that the sensory outcomes of self-made actions are inherently different from those of externally caused outcomes. Thus, the outcomes of self-made actions are likely to be more motivationally significant for an agent. We used event-related potentials to investigate the relationship between the perceived motivational significance of an outcome and the attribution of agency in the presence of others. In our experiment, we assessed agency attribution in the presence of another agent by varying the degree of contiguity between participants' self-made actions and the sensory outcome. Specifically, we assessed the feedback correct-related positivity (fCRP) and the novelty P3 measures of an outcome's motivational significance and unexpectedness, respectively. Results revealed that both the fCRP and participants' agency attributions were significantly influenced by action-outcome contiguity. However, when action-outcome contiguity was ambiguous, novelty P3 amplitude was a reliable indicator of agency attribution. Prior agency attributions were also found to influence attribution in trials with ambiguous and low action-outcome contiguity. Participants' use of multiple cues to determine agency is consistent with the cue integration theory of agency. In addition to these novel findings, this study supports growing evidence suggesting that reinforcement processes play a significant role in the sense of agency.

The Effect of Conditional Conservatism and Agency Cost on Investment-Cashflow Sensitivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bima Abdi Wibawa

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This research aims to give empirical evidence of the effect of conditional conservatism on company’s investment-cashflow sensitivity, and whether the impact is stronger in high agency cost firms compare to in low agency cost firms. This research uses dividend payout ratio to measure the agency cost because this study uses Indonesia as a research context where companies in Indonesia majority have concentrated ownership and funding through debt so that agency conflict that appears more dominant is the conflict of agency type two and three. This study uses the sample from manufacturing companies listed on Indonesia Stock Exchange during the period 2008-2012. The total observation in this research is 474 firm years, which 152 of the samples is classified as high agency cost firms and 322 sample as low agency cost firms. The result shows that as the recognition of economic losses becomes more timely, the sensitivity of firm investment to cashflow decreases. Conditional conservatism decreases investment-cashflow sensitivity in low agency cost firms but increases the sensitivity in high agency cost firms. In fact, before implementation of conditional conservatism, high agency cost firms have smaller investment cashflow sensitivity compared to the low agency cost one.

78 FR 22253 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Study of the Delivery of Services...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-15

... comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the... who have a physical or mental impairment that results in a substantial impediment to employment, who... individuals with disabilities, how and to what extent state VR agencies work with partner agencies or programs...

Neutron flux parameters for k{sub 0}-NAA method at the Malaysian nuclear agency research reactor after core reconfiguration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yavar, A.R. [School of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, Selangor 43600 (Malaysia); Sarmani, S. [School of Chemical Sciences and Food Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, Selangor 43600 (Malaysia); Wood, A.K. [Analytical Chemistry Application Group, Industrial Technology Division, Malaysian Nuclear Agency (MNA), Bangi, Kajang, Selangor 43000 (Malaysia); Fadzil, S.M. [School of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, Selangor 43600 (Malaysia); Masood, Z. [Analytical Chemistry Application Group, Industrial Technology Division, Malaysian Nuclear Agency (MNA), Bangi, Kajang, Selangor 43000 (Malaysia); Khoo, K.S., E-mail: khoo@ukm.m [School of Applied Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, Selangor 43600 (Malaysia)

2011-02-15

The Malaysian Nuclear Agency (MNA) research reactor, commissioned in 1982, is a TRIGA Mark II swimming pool type reactor. When the core configuration changed in June 2009, it became essential to re-determine such neutron flux parameters as thermal to epithermal neutron flux ratio (f), epithermal neutron flux shape factor ({alpha}), thermal neutron flux ({phi}{sub th}) and epithermal neutron flux ({phi}{sub epi}) in the irradiation positions of MNA research reactor in order to guarantee accuracy in the application of k{sub 0}-neutron activation analysis (k{sub 0}-NAA).The f and {alpha} were determined using the bare bi-isotopic monitor and bare triple monitor methods, respectively; Au and Zr monitors were utilized in present study. The results for four irradiation positions are presented and discussed in the present work. The calculated values of f and {alpha} ranged from 33.49 to 47.33 and -0.07 to -0.14, respectively. The {phi}{sub th} and the {phi}{sub epi} were measured as 2.03 x 10{sup 12} (cm{sup -2} s{sup -1}) and 6.05 x 10{sup 10} (cm{sup -2} s{sup -1}) respectively. These results were compared to those of previous studies at this reactor as well as to those of reactors in other countries. The results indicate a good conformity with other findings.

Using the Delphi Method for Selecting Effective Rehabilitation Practices for Case Study Research: Methods, Challenges, and Solutions and Implications for Future Research

Science.gov (United States)

Fleming, Allison R.; Boeltzig-Brown, Heike; Foley, Susan M.

2015-01-01

Purpose: We describe a modified Delphi method used to select effective state vocational rehabilitation agency practices to prioritize rehabilitation services for individuals with most significant disabilities within the context of Order of Selection, an area where there is little known and published. Specifically, we describe how we applied the…

Report to the International Atomic Energy Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woznicka, U.

1986-07-01

The results of research done under the International Atomic Energy Agency Contract no 4121/RB: 'Measurement of the thermal neutron macroscopic absorption cross-section on small samples' at the Institut of Nuclear Physics during the period from July 1, 1985 to June 30, 1986 are presented. The research was based on the Plexiglass thermal neutron diffusion parameters and on the method of preparation of the rock samples for the measurements according to the INP method. Three rock samples delivered by the IAEA: Ottawa Sand, Royer Dolomite and Dunite Sand have been measured. (author)

Further Studies on Malaysian Nuclear Agency Competency Profile: Analysis on SARCON Data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zuraida Zainudin; Fazila Said; Zakaria Taib; Salahbiah Abdul Majid; Nita Salina Abu Bakar; Zakaria Dris

2016-01-01

A project on competency profile study was conducted in 2015 to identify and update the competence of Malaysian Nuclear Agency officers. This competency profile study is using the Modified SARCoN tool adapted from the original framework of the IAEA SARCoN. This paper will present further analysis of the Modified SARCoN data. A total of five divisions under the Research and Development programme namely BAB, BAS, BTI, BTP and BTS which involved 159 respondents as samples in this study. The collected data were analyzed via inferential statistics using the IBM SPSS Statistics software version 23. The results show that there are correlations and influences between the quadrant of organizational basic knowledge (Q1), technical knowledge (Q2), special skills (Q3a) and the effectiveness of personality/ attitude (Q4) with the quadrant of individual achievement and expertise (Q3b), but the influences are varies between the divisions involved. The influence of demographic factors are also discussed in this study. (author)

ADVERTISING AGENCY MARKETING MANAGEMENT

OpenAIRE

Denis Kislov, Yevgenia Horobei

2015-01-01

Goal of the paper. The goal of this article is to define the nature, specific features and factors pertaining to the advertising agency marketing management. One of the tools is the use of non-standard approaches to management of advertising agencies, which under certain conditions makes it possible to improve the situation and to bring the agency to a new higher level as well as to improve the efficiency of its functioning in the conditions of transformational economy of Ukraine. Methodol...

Institutional entrepreneurship and agency

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weik, E.

2011-01-01

of collective entrepreneurship and institutional work to see if they can overcome these incongruities. I conclude that although they can remedy some of the problems, these notions run the risk of describing everything until they describe nothing. In order to limit and enable the entrepreneurship literature...... to discuss agency meaningfully, I argue, it needs to develop analytical frames of agency derived either from existing sociological theories or from further developing its own brand of agency theory. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd....

Home Health Care Agencies

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — A list of all Home Health Agencies that have been registered with Medicare. The list includes addresses, phone numbers, and quality measure ratings for each agency.

Southern states' routing agency report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-02-01

The Southern states' routing agency report is a compendium of 16-southern states' routing programs relative to the transportation of high-level radioactive materials. The report identifies the state-designated routing agencies as defined under 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 171 and provides a reference to the source ad scope of the agencies' rulemaking authority. Additionally, the state agency and contact designated by the state's governor to receive advance notification and shipment routing information under 10 CFR Parts 71 and 73 are also listed

Southern States' Routing Agency Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-03-01

The Southern States' Routing Agency Report is a compendium of 16-southern states' routing program for the transportation of high-level radioactive materials. The report identifies the state-designated routing agencies as defined under 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 171 and provides a reference to the source and scope of the agencies' rulemaking authority. Additionally, the state agency and contact designated by the state's governor to receive advance notification and shipment routing information under 10 CFR Parts 71 and 73 are also listed

Federal Environmental Agency. Annual report 1994

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brackemann, H.; Rehring, R.

1995-01-01

The switches for the future course of the Umweltbundesamt were shifted by the reorganization that took place in September 1994. It has made the agency one of the most modern ones in Europe, also with organizational regards. The new organizational structure has model character for the federal and land authorities in the area of environmental protection. In the old form of organization according to media, which is still mainly to be found in environmental laws, water, air, waste, etc. were dealt with separately; the new department ''Methods and Products'' is organized according to industrial sectors. It permits in the future to make better use of integral environmental protection strategies by combining the environmental problems caused by an industrial sector, from emissions into air and water to waste, in one administrative unit. Purposely in opposition to this technical department is a watchdog department whose function it is to formulate quality targets and quality demands. The executive tasks of the agency are combined in a further department. (DG) [de

Employment protection and temporary work agencies

OpenAIRE

Baumann, Florian; Mechtel, Mario; Stähler, Nikolai

2008-01-01

Employers who use temporary agency staff in contrast to regular staff are not affected by employment protection regulations when terminating a job. Therefore, services provided by temporary work agencies may be seen as a substitute for regular employment. In this paper, we analyze the effects of employment protection on the size of the temporary work agency sector in a model of equilibrium unemployment. We find that higher firing costs may even reduce temporary work agency employment if agenc...

The Role of Managers in Employee Wellness Programs: A Mixed-Methods Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Passey, Deborah G; Hammerback, Kristen; Huff, Aaron; Harris, Jeffrey R; Hannon, Peggy A

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study is to evaluate managers' barriers and facilitators to supporting employee participation in the Washington State Wellness program. Exploratory sequential mixed methods. Four Washington State agencies located in Olympia and Tumwater, Washington. State employees in management positions (executive, middle, and line), whose job includes supervision of subordinates and responsibility for the performance and conduct of a subunit or group. We interviewed 23 managers and then used the results to create a survey that was fielded to all managers at the 4 agencies. The survey response rate was 65% (n = 607/935). We used qualitative coding techniques to analyze interview transcripts and descriptive statistics to summarize survey data. We used the Total Worker Health framework to organize our findings and conclusions. Managers support the wellness program, but they also face challenges with accommodating employees' participation due to workload, scheduling inflexibility, and self-efficacy to discuss wellness with direct reports. About half the managers receive support from the manager above them, and most have not received training on the wellness program. Our findings point to several strategies that can strengthen managers' role in supporting the wellness program: the provision of training, targeted messages, formal expectations, and encouragement (from the manager above) to support employees' participation.

40 CFR 166.25 - Agency review.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 23 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Agency review. 166.25 Section 166.25... Health Exemptions § 166.25 Agency review. (a) General. The Agency will review all requests as... is needed. The Agency will review the application and other available data necessary to make a...

The Members of the Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

The new members since the last list of Member States of the Agency was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.43) are: Kazakhstan and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea withdrew from membership of the Agency as of 13 June 1994. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the 121 States became members of the Agency, as well as those States whose application for membership of the Agency was approved by the General Conference, but who have not yet deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute

Understanding Learner Agency as a Complex Dynamic System

Science.gov (United States)

Mercer, Sarah

2011-01-01

This paper attempts to contribute to a fuller understanding of the nature of language learner agency by considering it as a complex dynamic system. The purpose of the study was to explore detailed situated data to examine to what extent it is feasible to view learner agency through the lens of complexity theory. Data were generated through a…

The Text of the Executing Agency Agreement between the Agency and the United Nations Special Fund

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1962-02-07

The text of the Executing Agency Agreement between the Agency and the United Nations Special Fund, which was approved by the General Conference on 5 October 1961 and which entered into force on 29 November 1961 upon signature by the Director General of the Agency and the Managing Director of the Special Fund, is reproduced in this document for the information of all Members of the Agency.

The Text of the Executing Agency Agreement between the Agency and the United Nations Special Fund

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1962-01-01

The text of the Executing Agency Agreement between the Agency and the United Nations Special Fund, which was approved by the General Conference on 5 October 1961 and which entered into force on 29 November 1961 upon signature by the Director General of the Agency and the Managing Director of the Special Fund, is reproduced in this document for the information of all Members of the Agency

The sense of agency

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ritterband-Rosenbaum, Anina

Imagine that you are reaching for a cup of coffee. You experience that you are moving and that you have control of the movement you are executing. This feeling of control of your own body and the movements it is performing is called the sense of agency. This thesis consists of four studies which ...

14 CFR 1262.308 - Agency review.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Agency review. 1262.308 Section 1262.308... PROCEEDINGS Procedures for Considering Applications § 1262.308 Agency review. (a) Within 30 calendar days of... applicant or agency counsel may seek Agency review of the decision; or, the NASA Administrator, upon the...

The Agency's publications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1961-09-15

With regard to bulk and substance, by far the most important part of the IAEA publishing is the publication of the proceedings of the scientific conferences, symposia and seminars held by the Agency, either alone or in co-operation with the United Nations specialized agencies or scientific unions. At present, the production time between the holding of a conference and the publication of its proceedings by the Agency is between 9 and 12 months. Another important group of publications is the directories, safety manuals and monographs Of the Directory of Nuclear Reactors, three volumes have so far been issued, in which detailed information is given about the power, research, test and experimental reactors in operation or under construction in different parts of the world. International Directory of Radioisotope Teletherapy equipment lists available equipment with considerable technical data and approximate prices. In the 'Safety Series', are included manuals on the safe handling of radioisotopes, the safe transport of radioactive materials, etc., which contain the regulations applied to the Agency's own operations or to operations assisted by the Agency. The Series also includes manuals which are informative rather than regulatory, such as the Health Physics and Medical Addenda to the manual on the Safe Handling of Radioisotopes, a report on radioactive waste disposal into the sea, a guide for the safe operation of critical assemblies and research reactors, notes on the Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Materials, and a manual on the use of film-badge dosimeters. The Review Series consists of monographs on different subjects written by experts in the particular fields. They are published in their original language and in some cases a translation into one or even two other working languages is included. The 'Bibliographical Series' includes bibliographies of the world-wide literature in different branches of nuclear science and technology. One of the

The Agency's publications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1961-01-01

With regard to bulk and substance, by far the most important part of the IAEA publishing is the publication of the proceedings of the scientific conferences, symposia and seminars held by the Agency, either alone or in co-operation with the United Nations specialized agencies or scientific unions. At present, the production time between the holding of a conference and the publication of its proceedings by the Agency is between 9 and 12 months. Another important group of publications is the directories, safety manuals and monographs Of the Directory of Nuclear Reactors, three volumes have so far been issued, in which detailed information is given about the power, research, test and experimental reactors in operation or under construction in different parts of the world. International Directory of Radioisotope Teletherapy equipment lists available equipment with considerable technical data and approximate prices. In the 'Safety Series', are included manuals on the safe handling of radioisotopes, the safe transport of radioactive materials, etc., which contain the regulations applied to the Agency's own operations or to operations assisted by the Agency. The Series also includes manuals which are informative rather than regulatory, such as the Health Physics and Medical Addenda to the manual on the Safe Handling of Radioisotopes, a report on radioactive waste disposal into the sea, a guide for the safe operation of critical assemblies and research reactors, notes on the Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Materials, and a manual on the use of film-badge dosimeters. The Review Series consists of monographs on different subjects written by experts in the particular fields. They are published in their original language and in some cases a translation into one or even two other working languages is included. The 'Bibliographical Series' includes bibliographies of the world-wide literature in different branches of nuclear science and technology. One of the

28 CFR 81.4 - Referral of reports where the designated agency is not a law enforcement agency.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... (CONTINUED) CHILD ABUSE AND CHILD PORNOGRAPHY REPORTING DESIGNATIONS AND PROCEDURES § 81.4 Referral of reports where the designated agency is not a law enforcement agency. Where a report of child abuse received by a designated agency that is not a law enforcement agency involves allegations of sexual abuse...

76 FR 55725 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments for a New Information Collection

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-08

... requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods... Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery '' to OMB for approval under the Paperwork... Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery. Background: The information...

Research as relational agency

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hasse, Cathrine

2017-01-01

the agency of iPads implemented in Danish schools challenged the implementation of a research based auxiliary artefact, the TECS-model, meant to help teachers managing teaching with iPads in Danish schools. Researchers had to develop a special sensitivity to the cultural force of all of these artefacts......Studying the impact of educational technologies ‘in the wild’ put new demands on researchers than when researchers are conducting experiments in a laboratory. When researchers work within institutional boundaries they cannot take for granted that all members engaged in institutional work share...... the same conception of material artefacts, which are non-human in the sense that they are not just material but agentic and persuasive like humans. Local conceptualisations of artefacts must be explored as the researchers develop relational agency with the different local people involved. New educational...

Principals' Moral Agency and Ethical Decision-Making: Toward a Transformational Ethics

Science.gov (United States)

Cherkowski, Sabre; Walker, Keith D.; Kutsyuruba, Benjamin

2015-01-01

This descriptive study provides a rich portrait of moral agency and ethical decision-making processes among a sample of Canadian school principals. Using an ethical responsibility framework linking moral agency and transformational leadership, the researchers found that (1) modeling moral agency is important for encouraging others to engage their…

Faculty Agency in Striving University Contexts: Mundane yet Powerful Acts of Agency

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzales, Leslie D.

2015-01-01

Drawing from Archer's critical realist theory of agency, this paper has two specific aims. First, the cultural and structural features of one "striving" institution are outlined. Then, I illustrate how faculty members asserted agency inside their striving university in ways intended to disrupt the structures and cultures that striving…

31 CFR 6.15 - Agency review.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Agency review. 6.15 Section 6.15... EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT Procedures for Considering Applications § 6.15 Agency review. Either the applicant or agency counsel may seek review of the initial decision on the fee application, or the agency...

Women's Agency and Fertility: Recent Evidence from Egypt.

Science.gov (United States)

Samari, Goleen

2017-08-01

Fertility reached a two decade high of 3.5 births per woman in Egypt in 2014. Lower status of women is associated with higher fertility. Majority of the studies on women's agency and fertility rely on individual level cross-sectional data from South Asia, which limits the understanding of variation among communities and the direction of the relationship between women's agency and fertility in other global contexts. This study examines the relationship between women's agency and fertility longitudinally and among communities in the most populous country in the Middle East - Egypt. For 3,795 ever married women 15 to 49 years old in the 2006 and 2012 Egyptian Labor Market Panel Survey, multilevel models are estimated for having given birth and number of births between 2006 and 2012. Contrary to expectation, women with more agency with greater participation in household decision-making and mobility are, in fact, more likely to have had a birth and have a greater total number of births. Only women with more egalitarian attitudes are associated with fewer births. Community membership explains 5% of the variation in fertility. Since social norms in Egypt favor a higher number of births and labor market participation among women is low, women with agency could be fulfilling social expectations of having children and choosing to have more children.

Temporary Agency Work as a Means of Achieving Flexicurity?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristina Håkansson

2012-11-01

Full Text Available After decades of debate about flexibility, flexicurity has become a new buzzword in working life. Flexicurity refers to both the employer’s demand for flexibility and the employee’s demand for security. Thus, the idea is to solve the flexibility–security trade-off. There is also a discussion that mentions temporary agency work as one way of creating a flexicurity system. The flexibility potential is not called into question—numerical flexibility is a quite common motive for using temporary agency workers. However, the security dimension has to be scrutinized. The aim of this article is to analyze the temporary work agency industry’s potential for providing the security dimensions of the flexicurity model in a Swedish context. The study is based on a survey of whitecollar temporary agency workers in Sweden (n = 533. Overall, the vast majority do not perceive security. Our most important result is that both the work agency and the user firm have a dual impact on the agency workers’ perception of security.

Embodiment, agency, and attitude change.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Cheryl A; Lord, Charles G; Bond, Charles F

2009-12-01

Attitude embodiment effects occur when the position or movement of a person's physical body changes the way the person evaluates an object. The present research investigated whether attitude embodiment effects depend more on biomechanical factors or on inferential cues to causal agency. Experiments 1 and 2 showed that actual movements of the physical body are not necessary to create attitude embodiment effects when inferential cues imply agency for another person's physical movements. Experiment 3 showed that actual movements of the physical body are not sufficient to create attitude embodiment effects when inferential cues imply nonagency for those movements. In all 3 experiments, inferential cues to agency played a more important role in attitude embodiment effects than did actual agency, suggesting that theories of embodiment and attitude embodiment need to consider inferential cues to agency alongside biomechanical mechanisms.

Supporting activity engagement by family carers at home: maintenance of agency and personhood in dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Chung, Pat Yin Fan; Ellis-Hill, Caroline; Coleman, Peter

2017-12-01

An explorative paper to describe how family carers, through the caregiving journey, reaffirm and promote the agency of people with dementia. Agency is an important concept in dementia care and is crucial to the promotion of wellbeing and the delivery of person-centred care. This article is based on one of the key findings of a study that explored family carers' experiences of engaging their relatives in daily activities in domestic settings. Following research governance and ethical approval, 30 in-depth interviews (initial and follow-up) were carried out with 15 resident-carers of people with dementia who were recruited via local community mental health teams. Then five focus groups were conducted with 21 participants accessed through carers support groups. Interviews and focus groups were transcribed, coded and analysed using a grounded theory method. Findings showed the process in which family carers encouraged and sustained a sense of autonomy and control (agency) in their relative's daily activities. Key strategies used by carers included: being non-judgemental; facilitating a sense of worth; taking calculated risks; maintaining the continuity of their relative's identity; enhancing a sense of connection with their relative's role and identity using enjoyable activities; preventing inactivity and attending to the bodily source of the agency. Lack of support for carers could ultimately pose a risk to the maintenance of the agency of people with dementia. This study provides a deeper insight into the process used by home carers to support the agency of people with dementia. This is essential if practitioners are to identify and develop more realistic intervention strategies and to work in effective partnership with family carers. The implications for the creation of dementia-friendly communities are discussed.

Creating Quality Assurance and International Transparency for Quality Assurance Agencies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristoffersen, Dorte; Lindeberg, Tobias

2004-01-01

, on the one hand, to advance internationalisation of quality assurance of higher education, and on the other hand, allow for the differences in the national approaches to quality assurance. The paper will focus on two issues: first, the strength and weaknesses of the method employed and of the use of the ENQA......The paper presents the experiences gained in the pilot project on mutual recognition conducted by the quality assurance agencies in the Nordic countries and the future perspective for international quality assurance of national quality assurance agencies. The background of the project was the need...

Enabling Possibility: Women Associate Professors' Sense of Agency in Career Advancement

Science.gov (United States)

Terosky, Aimee LaPointe; O'Meara, KerryAnn; Campbell, Corbin M.

2014-01-01

In this multimethod, qualitative study we examined associate women professors' sense of agency in career advancement from the rank of associate to full. Defining agency as strategic perspectives or actions toward goals that matter to the professor, we explore the perceptions of what helps and/or hinders a sense of agency in career advancement. Our…

Characteristics of visiting nurse agencies with high home death rates: A prefecture-wide study in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Kashiwagi, Masayo; Tamiya, Nanako; Murata, Masako

2015-08-01

The purpose of the present study was to identify characteristics of visiting nurse agencies (VNA) in Japan with high home death rates by a prefecture-wide survey. A cross-sectional study of visiting nurse agencies (n = 101) in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, was completed. Data included the basic characteristics of each VNA, the type of services provided, level of coordination with other service providers, total number of VNA patients who died per year and place of death and contractual relationship with home-care supporting clinics providing end-of-life care services in the home 24 h a day. The VNA characteristics were analyzed by logistic regression, using the home death rate per VNA as a dependent variable. A total 69 agencies, excluding those that did not report number of deaths (n = 14) and those without deaths during the year (n = 6), were analyzed. The median home death rate of the 69 VNA was 29.8%. The results of logistic regression analysis showed that higher home death rate was significantly associated with lack of attachment to a hospital, existence of a contractual relationship with home-care supporting clinics and existence of an interactive information exchange through telephone/face-to-face communication with attending physicians. In order to increase the home death rate of people using VNA, policymakers must consider establishing home-based service systems within the community that can provide home end-of-life care services 24 h a day, and support the interactive exchange of information between the visiting nurse and the attending physician. © 2014 The Authors. Geriatrics & Gerontology International published by Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd on behalf of Japanese Geriatrics Society.

The Agency's Safety Standards and Measures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-04-01

The Agency's Health and Safety Measures were first, approved by the Board of Governors on 31 March 1960 in implementation of Articles III.A.6 and XII of the Statute of the Agency. On the basis of the experience gained from applying those measures to projects carried out by Members under agreements concluded with the Agency, the Agency's Health and Safety Measures were revised in 1975 and approved by the Board of Governors on 25 February 1976. The Agency's Safety Standards and Measures as revised are reproduced in this document for the information of all Members

The Copyright Agency Limited.

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, Caroline

1993-01-01

The evolution and functions of Australia's Copyright Agency Limited are described. The agency is a copyright collecting organization which collectively administers the rights of authors and publishers whose works are copied in education, and enters into blanket agreements with educational authorities outside the existing statutory license. Some…

HUBUNGAN STRUKTUR KEPEMILIKAN DAN EXTERNAL MONITORING TERHADAP AGENCY COST DAN ALIRAN KAS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yustina Ade

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Capital credit was credit given by private/government public bank to solve theproblem of liquidation on companies. In a small company, inhibiting liquidation andinformation which was asymmetric influenced manpower recruitment, especially in managerlevel and it could make adverse selction problem. In agency theory, it was mentioned thatagency problem could appear if there was a different self-interest between (1 capital ownerand manager (2 capital owner and bank. This research was aimed to analyze if ownershipstructure and external monitoring had influence to agency cost and whether agency cost hadinfluence to cash flow. The samples of this research were small companies running inmanufatures, corporation, and which got capital credit. Samples taken were 101 companiesand the analyzes method used was SEM. This research concluded that agency cost was in smallcompanies that the manager was not the capital owner, but there was no indication of moralhazard.

Resources and Constraints of Line Manager Agency in Municipal Reforms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tuula Heiskanen

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The context of this study is the nation-wide reform of local government in Finland, focusing on line managers and their scope of agency. Our data comprise two large-scale surveys of 40 municipalities in 2009 and 38 in 2011. The respondents were line managers from different levels of the hierarchy and, for comparative purposes, staff from the same units. Resources and constraints of agency were studied both in relation to the immediate work of the respondents and to the broader issues of municipality reform. Broad-scale reforms proceed in stages that require different forms of agency. Predominantly, a higher position in the hierarchy seemed to give better conditions for agency, but this was not always the case. Notable were the high values for intrinsic rewards of work given by all groups, indicating the existence of conditions that enable new cognitive and learning challenges to be met. It seems that this potential was not actualized satisfactorily in the accomplishment of development activities. The supervisor’s influence on the social climate of the units was evident in the longitudinal setting. From the perspective of distributed agency, this result is highly significant when one considers that the social environment is the immediate context of agency.

Student-Run Communications Agencies: Providing Students with Real-World Experiences That Impact Their Careers

Science.gov (United States)

Bush, Lee; Haygood, Daniel; Vincent, Harold

2017-01-01

While several studies have examined the learning outcomes of student-run communications agencies, these studies have mostly been from the perspective of faculty advisors. Through in-depth interviews with student agency graduates, this study examined how current industry professionals perceive the benefits of their student agency experiences and…

Cross-Cultural Analysis of Medicinal Plants commonly used in Ethnoveterinary Practices at South Waziristan Agency and Bajaur Agency, Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA), Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Aziz, Muhammad Abdul; Adnan, Muhammad; Khan, Amir Hasan; Sufyan, Muhammad; Khan, Shahid Niaz

2018-01-10

In remote areas, medicinal plants have an imperative role in curing various livestock's ailments. In Pakistan, people residing in remote areas including South Waziristan Agency and Bajaur Agency depend on traditional herbal remedies for treating their domestic animals. Medicinal plants are an important part of the medical system in these Agencies. The prime goal of the current study is to explore the ethnoveterinary practices in the two regions and discuss cross-cultural consensus on the use of medicinal plants. In this study, we have given detailed description on the ethnoveterinary usage of certain medicinal plants and their recipes. Moreover, we have also elaborated the ethnoveterinary potential of certain plants in relation to their ethnomedicinal, pharmacological and phytochemicals reports. Fieldwork comprised of two fields surveys conducted at South Waziristan Agency and Bajaur Agency. A total of 75 informants from South Waziristan Agency and 80 informants from Bajaur Agency were interviewed with the help of semi-structured questionnaires. Use reports (URs) were recorded for all the documented taxa. Data were quantitatively analyzed by using informant consensus factor (F ic ) index in order to find out information homogeneity provided by the informants. To analyze the cross-cultural consensus, the recorded data were tabulated as well as shown by Venn diagram. Overall, 94 medicinal plant taxa were recorded in the comparative analysis. Out of these, most of the plants species (72 species) were used at Bajaur Agency than South Waziristan Agency (37 species). Cross-cultural analysis showed that only 15 medicinal plants were used in common by the indigenous communities in both Agencies, which indicates a low interregional consensus with regard to the ethnoveterinary practices of medicinal plants. Apiaceae was the dominant family in both regions by representing maximum number of plant species (11 species). Gastro intestinal complexities were common in both regions

The law for Japan Nuclear Ship Development Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-01-01

The law prescribes in the 1st chapter the establishment of above mentioned agency as a legal person with its principal office in Tokyo and with the investment of 100 million yens by the government as a part of its capital. The 2nd chapter includes the provisions about officers of the agency, according to them: the agency has a president and a executive director, directors within 3 persons, and a auditor; the president and auditor are to be appointed by the competent Minister after consulting with the Atomic Energy Commission and directors including the executive director should be appointed by the president after receiving the approval of the competent Minister; and terms of their offices are 2 (auditor) to 4 years (others). In the 3rd chapter the business of the agency is defined as to include: the design, construction and operation of nuclear ships; education and training of the crew of those ships; research and studies concerning above listed activities; and others. The 4th chapter prescribes the procedures of finance and accounting of the agency, according to them: the agency's business plan, budget and finance plan should each year be sanctioned by the competent Minister before the beginning of the year; and the financial documents should each year be approved by the Minister after the end of the year. (Matsushima, A.)

The Members of the Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

The new member since the last list of Member States of the Agency was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.44) is Yemen. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the 122 States became members of the Agency, as well as the State whose application for membership of the Agency was approved by the General Conference, but which has not yet deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute

The Members of the Agency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-02-13

The new member since the last list of Member States of the Agency was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.44) is Yemen. The Attachment hereto shows the dates on which the 122 States became members of the Agency, as well as the State whose application for membership of the Agency was approved by the General Conference, but which has not yet deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute.

Faculty Agency: Departmental Contexts That Matter in Faculty Careers

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Corbin M.; O'Meara, KerryAnn

2014-01-01

In a modern context of constrained resources and high demands, faculty exert agency to strategically navigate their careers (Baez 2000a; Neumann et al. 2006). Guided by the O'Meara et al. (2011) framework on agency in faculty professional lives, this study used Structural Equation Modeling to investigate which departmental factors…

Characteristics of care management agencies affect expenditure on home help and day care services: A population-based cross-sectional study in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Mei; Igarashi, Ayumi; Noguchi-Watanabe, Maiko; Yoshie, Satoru; Iijima, Katsuya; Yamamoto-Mitani, Noriko

2017-11-01

The financial interests of care management agencies can affect how care managers assist clients' use of long-term care insurance services. The present study examined the relationship between clients' service expenditures, and whether the home help and day care service agencies belonged to the same organization as the care management agency. Population-based data were obtained from a suburban municipality in Japan. We investigated 4331 persons with care needs certificates (levels 1-5), including those using home help (n = 1780) or day care (n = 2141) services. Data on the service expenditures, and clients' and agencies' characteristics were analyzed using multiple linear regression analyses controlling for potential confounders. Home help service users spent an average of US$558.1 ± 590.1 for home help service, and day care service users spent US$665.0 ± 415.9 for day care service. Living alone, living in a condominium/apartment, higher care needs, more severe cognitive impairment and lower use of other services were associated with higher home help service expenditure. Day care service expenditure increased with older age, female sex, higher care needs, more severe cognitive impairment and higher physical function. Clients whose service agencies and care management agencies belonged to the same organization had higher expenditures, even after adjusting for confounders (home help: β = 0.126, P = 0.007; day care: β = 0.085, P = 0.002, respectively). Financial interests of care management agencies might significantly influence clients' service expenditure. We should develop an effective system to minimize this influence. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 2224-2231. © 2017 Japan Geriatrics Society.

Health-Related Disaster Communication and Social Media: Mixed-Method Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Eckert, Stine; Sopory, Pradeep; Day, Ashleigh; Wilkins, Lee; Padgett, Donyale; Novak, Julie; Noyes, Jane; Allen, Tomas; Alexander, Nyka; Vanderford, Marsha; Gamhewage, Gaya

2017-08-21

This mixed-method evidence synthesis drew on Cochrane methods and principles to systematically review literature published between 2003 and 2016 on the best social media practices to promote health protection and dispel misinformation during disasters. Seventy-nine studies employing quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods on risk communication during disasters in all UN-languages were reviewed, finding that agencies need to contextualize the use of social media for particular populations and crises. Social media are tools that still have not become routine practices in many governmental agencies regarding public health in the countries studied. Social media, especially Twitter and Facebook (and equivalents in countries such as China), need to be incorporated into daily operations of governmental agencies and implementing partners to build familiarity with them before health-related crises happen. This was especially observed in U.S. agencies, local government, and first responders but also for city governments and school administrations in Europe. For those that do use social media during health-related risk communication, studies find that public relations officers, governmental agencies, and the general public have used social media successfully to spread truthful information and to verify information to dispel rumors during disasters. Few studies focused on the recovery and preparation phases and on countries in the Southern hemisphere, except for Australia. The vast majority of studies did not analyze the demographics of social media users beyond their geographic location, their status of being inside/outside the disaster zone; and their frequency and content of posting. Socioeconomic demographics were not collected and/or analyzed to drill deeper into the implications of using social media to reach vulnerable populations. Who exactly is reached via social media campaigns and who needs to be reached with other means has remained an understudied area.

Paranormal believers are more prone to illusory agency detection than skeptics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Elk, M.

2013-01-01

It has been hypothesized that illusory agency detection is at the basis of belief in supernatural agents and paranormal beliefs. In the present study a biological motion perception task was used to study illusory agency detection in a group of skeptics and a group of paranormal believers.

Agency on the move: revisioning the route to social change.

Science.gov (United States)

Frazier, Kathryn E

2013-09-01

Throughout the course of everyday life individuals enter into interactions in which an intricate relationship between agency and subordination can be observed: they sometimes act agentively and at other times-via discursive and/or interpersonal processes-their agency is reduced to objectness. Thus, theoretically we can think of constant dynamics of transfer of agency. It is argued that the transfer of agency between persons (or groups) is a fundamental quality of the societal discourses in which all persons are constituted. This transfer of agency occurs constantly throughout social interaction and at different levels of social functioning as individuals live and make meaning of their experiences. In light of this perspective, it is suggested that social change movements that aim to interrupt the transfer of agency and instead fix agency with one person (or one group of people) are inadequate. Rather, these movements can actually subvert their own agenda by producing problematic tensions in discourse and subjectivity. The self-defense movement, a component of the movement to end violence against women, is presented as a case study. The problematic and tension-filled positions and meanings the movement (re)produces for women are explored as an effect of denying any transfer of agency between women and men around issues of violence and gender oppression.

The Study of Electronic Medical Record Adoption in a Medicare Certified Home Health Agency Using a Grounded Theory Approach

Science.gov (United States)

May, Joy L.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to examine the experiences of clinicians in the adoption of Electronic Medical Records in a Medicare certified Home Health Agency. An additional goal for this study was to triangulate qualitative research between describing, explaining, and exploring technology acceptance. The experiences…

Mempertahankan Eksistensi Traditional Travel Agency Dalam Menghadapi Ancaman Online Travel Agency

OpenAIRE

Anjastantri, Windya; Dewantara, Rizki Yudhi

2017-01-01

Online travel agencies, with their own financial capability, not only making them daring to take the initial risk by investing on great magnitude of promotions, but also dare to lower the price extremely below the normal principle that others could not compete to it, which later becomes threat to the existence of traditional travel agencies that clearly not capable of providing the same benefit due to enormous operational cost. Therefore, competitive strategies are needed to maintain the exis...

Mapping Concepts of Agency in Educational Contexts.

Science.gov (United States)

Matusov, Eugene; von Duyke, Katherine; Kayumova, Shakhnoza

2016-09-01

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to explore and map the "espoused theories" (Argyris and Schön 1978) of agency used in educational contexts. More precisely, we limit the focus on the normative view of student agency assumed within dominant school practices, desired by educational practitioners, leaving out non-normative emerging agencies such as student agency of resistance. Agency is a "tricky" concept, and often scholars who use the concept of agency do not define or operationalize it (e.g., Archer 2000). One reason is that there is no consensus among scholars about the notion of agency, especially when applied to educational contexts (Hitlin and Elder Sociological Theory, 25 (2), 170-191, 2007). Moreover, the recent neoliberal framing of individuals' agency as fully autonomous, flexible, and self-entrepreneur is adding the dilemma of agency manipulation in the sphere of education (Gershon 2011; Sidorkin 2004). To tackle this dilemma in educational contexts, we suggest to further interrogating the normative notion of agency in all its modes and develop a more nuanced conceptualization. We hope that such conceptualization would produce an understanding of the diverse manifestations and definitions of agency within a human ideal, educational content, behaviors, and social settings. We observed diverse uses of the normative term "agency" in educational discourse. We examined the term as used by researchers and practitioners. We also looked at the different ways it has been used in philosophical discussions of education, political framing of the civic role of schooling, disciplinary policy statements, school mission statements, and in everyday common use. It is worthy to note that our categorization of the use and meaning of the normative term "agency" depends on the scholars' epistemological paradigmatic assumptions, socio-political and historical situatedness, and ontological projects being translated into diverse scholarships of education. As a result of

5 CFR 250.203 - Agency responsibilities.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... management on its overall mission performance. (2) Human capital accountability system. This system provides... MANAGEMENT IN AGENCIES Strategic Human Capital Management § 250.203 Agency responsibilities. (a) To assist in... and initiatives as appropriate, consistent with agency strategic plans and annual performance goals...

Party package travel: alcohol use and related problems in a holiday resort: a mixed methods study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reinholdt Tine

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background People travelling abroad tend to increase their use of alcohol and other drugs. In the present study we describe organized party activities in connection with young tourists' drinking, and the differences between young people travelling with and without organized party activities. Methods We conducted ethnographic observations and a cross-sectional survey in Sunny Beach, Bulgaria. Results The behaviour of the guides from two travel agencies strongly promoted heavy drinking, but discouraged illicit drug use. Even after controlling for several potential confounders, young people who travelled with such "party package travel agencies" were more likely to drink 12 or more units when going out. In univariate analyses, they were also more likely to get into fights, but were not more likely to seek medical assistance or medical assistance for an accident or an alcohol-related problem. After controlling for confounders, the association between type of travel agency and getting into fights was no longer significant. Short-term consequences of drinking in the holiday resort did not differ between party package travellers and ordinary package travellers. Conclusion There may be a small impact of party package travels on young people's drinking. Strategies could be developed used to minimise the harm associated with both party package travel and other kinds of travel where heavy substance use is likely to occur.

Brain activation patterns during memory of cognitive agency.

Science.gov (United States)

Vinogradov, Sophia; Luks, Tracy L; Simpson, Gregory V; Schulman, Brian J; Glenn, Shenly; Wong, Amy E

2006-06-01

Agency is the awareness that one's own self is the agent or author of an action, a thought, or a feeling. The implicit memory that one's self was the originator of a cognitive event - the sense of cognitive agency - has not yet been fully explored in terms of relevant neural systems. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we examined brain activation patterns differentiating memory for the source of previously self-generated vs. experimenter-presented word items from a sentence completion paradigm designed to be emotionally neutral and semantically constrained in content. Accurate memory for the source of self-generated vs. externally-presented word items resulted in activation of dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) bilaterally, supporting an emerging body of work that indicates a key role for this region in self-referential processing. Our data extend the function of mPFC into the domain of memory and the accurate retrieval of the sense of cognitive agency under conditions where agency was encoded implicitly.

75 FR 24730 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request, 1660-0046; FEMA...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-05

... Independent Study Course Enrollment and Test Answer Sheet AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS... Enrollment and Test Answer Sheet (paper and electronic). SUMMARY: The Federal Emergency Management Agency, as... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Federal Emergency Management Agency [Docket ID: FEMA-2010-0026...

"Agency in Mobility": Towards a Conceptualisation of International Student Agency in Transnational Mobility

Science.gov (United States)

Tran, Ly Thi; Vu, Thao Thi Phuong

2018-01-01

Student mobility is becoming a prominent phenomenon of tertiary education in the twenty-first century. Internationally mobile students' lived experiences are intimately linked to their potential to exercise agency in transnational mobility. However, the notion of agency within the context of student mobility has not been the explicit focus of…

Effect of Treasury Single Accounts (Tsa on the Performance of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (Mda in Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nkechi T. Ofor

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Purpose of the article: The policy on the Treasury Single Account (TSA was institutionalized to hedge financial loopholes, promote transparency and prevent mismanagement of government’s revenue by unifying all accounts of the government and preventing mismanagement of revenues by those agencies that generate revenue. This study however, examines the effect of the TSA policy on the performances of federal government MDAs in Nigeria. Methodology/methods: The study relied basically on primary data which was obtained through questionnaire designed and administered to 75 respondents drawn from the federal government ministries, departments, agencies and parastatals (MDA within Anambra metropolis in the eastern part of Nigeria. Analysis was based on the Wilcoxon sign test. Scientific aim: This study aims to empirically establish through available statistics the effect of implementing TSA on the performance of government ministries, departments and agencies in Nigeria. Findings: The result of this research indicate that the institutionalization of TSA has significantly affected and improved the performance of federal government MDAs at 5% level of significance which goes further to confirm that treasury single account is capable of blocking financial loopholes in revenue generation and promoting transparency and accountability. Conclusion: The study concludes by recommending that since the adoption of TSA has significantly improved the performance of federal government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs in Nigeria, government should enforce the adoption of TSA and ensure that it is mandatory for all MDAs and parastatals in the country.

Regulatory agencies and regulatory risk

OpenAIRE

Knieps, Günter; Weiß, Hans-Jörg

2008-01-01

The aim of this paper is to show that regulatory risk is due to the discretionary behaviour of regulatory agencies, caused by a too extensive regulatory mandate provided by the legislator. The normative point of reference and a behavioural model of regulatory agencies based on the positive theory of regulation are presented. Regulatory risk with regard to the future behaviour of regulatory agencies is modelled as the consequence of the ex ante uncertainty about the relative influence of inter...

5 CFR 5502.105 - Agency procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

....105 Administrative Personnel DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SUPPLEMENTAL FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES § 5502.105 Agency procedures. (a) The designated agency ethics official or, with the concurrence of the designated agency ethics official, each of...

76 FR 1523 - New Agency Logos

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-11

... Keravuori at 301-837-3151. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: For the purposes of agency recognition and branding... agency social media sites, and other agency communications or publicity media as a consistent branding...) On publicity and other branding materials, and on items associated with a one-time or recurring NARA...

Multicultural development in human services agencies: challenges and solutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Hyde, Cheryl A

2004-01-01

Comprehensive multicultural organizational development (MCOD) is increasingly necessary in human services agencies. This article presents results from an exploratory study that identified challenges and solutions to MCOD, against the backdrop of daily realities of agency life. The author conducted interviews with 20 consultants and 20 practitioners experienced in MCOD. Qualitative analysis revealed four challenges--socioeconomic environment, organizational dynamics, conceptualization of the change effort, and consultant competence; and four solutions--collaborative environmental relations, leadership development, assessment and planning, and consultant selection. Results suggest the complexities of MCOD and ways that human services agencies can sustain such efforts.

The theory of agency and breastfeeding.

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, Kath; Team, Victoria; Alexander, Jo

2017-03-01

In this paper, we apply psychological agency theory to women's interviews of their breastfeeding experiences to understand the role of agency in relation to breastfeeding initiation, maintenance and duration. Qualitative, video interviews were collected from 49 women in the UK from a wide range of ethnic, religious, educational and employment backgrounds about their breastfeeding experiences. We undertook secondary analysis of the data focusing on their accounts of vulnerability and agency. Women's agency was impacted by a variety of factors including their own vulnerability, knowledge, expectations and experience, the feeding environment and the support of health professionals in sharing decision-making and dealing with uncertainty. Health professionals as co-agents with women are well positioned to maintain, enhance or restore women's sense of agency. Breastfeeding goals should be included in women's birth plans. Training related to agency, continuity of care, and staffing and workload management supported by national breastfeeding policies could improve breastfeeding rates and experiences.

Hiring and screening practices of agencies supplying paid caregivers to older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindquist, Lee A; Cameron, Kenzie A; Messerges-Bernstein, Joanne; Friesema, Elisha; Zickuhr, Lisa; Baker, David W; Wolf, Michael

2012-07-01

To assess what screening practices agencies use in hiring caregivers and how caregiver competency is measured before assigning responsibilities in caring for older adults. One-to-one phone interviews in which interviewers posed as prospective clients seeking a caregiver for an older adult relative. Cross-sectional cohort of agencies supplying paid caregivers to older adults in Illinois, California, Florida, Colorado, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Indiana. Four hundred sixty-two home care agencies were contacted, of which 84 were no longer in service, 165 offered only nursing care, and 33 were excluded; 180 agencies completed interviews. Agencies were surveyed about their hiring methods, screening measures, training practices, skill competencies assessments, and supervision. Two coders qualitatively analyzed open-ended responses. To recruit caregivers, agencies primarily used print and Internet (e.g., Craigslist.com) advertising (n = 69, 39.2%) and word-of-mouth referrals (n = 49, 27.8%). In hiring, agencies required prior "life experiences" (n = 121, 68.8%) few of which (n = 33, 27.2%) were specific to caregiving. Screening measures included federal criminal background checks (n = 96, 55.8%) and drug testing (n = 56, 31.8%). Agencies stated that the paid caregiver could perform skills, such as medication reminding (n = 169, 96.0%). Skill competency was assessed according to caregiver self-report (n = 103, 58.5%), testing (n = 62, 35.2%), and client feedback (n = 62, 35.2%). General caregiver training length ranged from 0 to 7 days. Supervision ranged from none to weekly and included home visits, telephone calls, and caregivers visiting the central office. Using an agency to hire paid caregivers may give older adults and their families a false sense of security regarding the background and skill set of the caregiver. © 2012, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2012, The American Geriatrics Society.

Feasibility study for automating the analytical laboratories of the Chemistry Branch, National Enforcement Investigation Center, Environmental Protection Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morris, W.F.; Fisher, E.R.; Barton, G.W. Jr.

1978-01-01

The feasibility of automating the analytical laboratories of the Chemistry Branch of the National Enforcement Investigation Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Denver, Colorado, is explored. The goals of the chemistry laboratory are defined, and instrumental methods and other tasks to be automated are described. Five optional automation systems are proposed to meet these goals and the options are evaluated in terms of cost effectiveness and other specified criteria. The instruments to be automated include (1) a Perkin-Elmer AA spectrophotometer 403, (2) Perkin-Elmer AA spectrophotometer 306, (3) Technicon AutoAnalyzer II, (4) Mettler electronic balance, and a (5) Jarrell-Ash ICP emission spectrometer

Tank Operations Contract Construction Management Methodology. Utilizing The Agency Method Of Construction Management To Safely And Effectively Complete Nuclear Construction Work

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leso, K.F.; Hamilton, H.M.; Farner, M.; Heath, T.

2010-01-01

Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS) has faced significant project management challenges in managing Davis-Bacon construction work that meets contractually required small business goals. The unique challenge is to provide contracting opportunities to multiple small business construction subcontractors while performing high hazard work in a safe and productive manner. Previous to the Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC contract, Construction work at the Hanford Tank Farms was contracted to large companies, while current Department of Energy (DOE) Contracts typically emphasize small business awards. As an integral part of Nuclear Project Management at Hanford Tank Farms, construction involves removal of old equipment and structures and installation of new infrastructure to support waste retrieval and waste feed delivery to the Waste Treatment Plant. Utilizing the optimum construction approach ensures that the contractors responsible for this work are successful in meeting safety, quality, cost and schedule objectives while working in a very hazardous environment. This paper describes the successful transition from a traditional project delivery method that utilized a large business general contractor and subcontractors to a new project construction management model that is more oriented to small businesses. Construction has selected the Agency Construction Management Method. This method was implemented in the first quarter of Fiscal Year (FY) 2009, where Construction Management is performed by substantially home office resources from the URS Northwest Office in Richland, Washington. The Agency Method has allowed WRPS to provide proven Construction Managers and Field Leads to mentor and direct small business contractors, thus providing expertise and assurance of a successful project. Construction execution contracts are subcontracted directly by WRPS to small or disadvantaged contractors that are mentored and supported by DRS personnel. Each small

TANK OPERATIONS CONTRACT CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT METHODOLOGY UTILIZING THE AGENCY METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT TO SAFELY AND EFFECTIVELY COMPLETE NUCLEAR CONSTRUCTION WORK

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

LESO KF; HAMILTON HM; FARNER M; HEATH T

2010-01-14

Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS) has faced significant project management challenges in managing Davis-Bacon construction work that meets contractually required small business goals. The unique challenge is to provide contracting opportunities to multiple small business construction subcontractors while performing high hazard work in a safe and productive manner. Previous to the Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC contract, Construction work at the Hanford Tank Farms was contracted to large companies, while current Department of Energy (DOE) Contracts typically emphasize small business awards. As an integral part of Nuclear Project Management at Hanford Tank Farms, construction involves removal of old equipment and structures and installation of new infrastructure to support waste retrieval and waste feed delivery to the Waste Treatment Plant. Utilizing the optimum construction approach ensures that the contractors responsible for this work are successful in meeting safety, quality, cost and schedule objectives while working in a very hazardous environment. This paper describes the successful transition from a traditional project delivery method that utilized a large business general contractor and subcontractors to a new project construction management model that is more oriented to small businesses. Construction has selected the Agency Construction Management Method. This method was implemented in the first quarter of Fiscal Year (FY) 2009, where Construction Management is performed by substantially home office resources from the URS Northwest Office in Richland, Washington. The Agency Method has allowed WRPS to provide proven Construction Managers and Field Leads to mentor and direct small business contractors, thus providing expertise and assurance of a successful project. Construction execution contracts are subcontracted directly by WRPS to small or disadvantaged contractors that are mentored and supported by DRS personnel. Each small

37 CFR 501.7 - Agency determination.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 37 Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Agency determination. 501.7... UNIFORM PATENT POLICY FOR RIGHTS IN INVENTIONS MADE BY GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES § 501.7 Agency determination... left with the employee, the agency shall notify the employee of this determination. In cases pursuant...

14 CFR 73.85 - Using agency.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... SPECIAL USE AIRSPACE Prohibited Areas § 73.85 Using agency. For the purpose of this subpart, the using agency is the agency, organization or military command that established the requirements for the prohibited area. Editorial Note: Sections 73.87 through 73.99 are reserved for descriptions of designated...

76 FR 21673 - Alternative Efficiency Determination Methods and Alternate Rating Methods

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-18

... EERE-2011-BP-TP-00024] RIN 1904-AC46 Alternative Efficiency Determination Methods and Alternate Rating Methods AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of... and data related to the use of computer simulations, mathematical methods, and other alternative...

76 FR 61707 - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-05

... will provide the grantees with technical assistance regarding research design, data collection, data... instruments are designed to capture a combination of quantitative and qualitative data. No claim is made that... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Agency...

The members of the Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

The new members since the last list of Member States of the Agency was issued (INFCIRC/2/Rev.42) are: Armenia, Coratia, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, the Marshall Islands, the Slovak Republic and Uzbekistan. The Attachment to the circular shows the dates on which the 120 States became members of the Agency, as well as those States whose application for membership of the Agency was approved by the General Conference, but who have not yet deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute

7 CFR 3.87 - Agency regulations.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Agency regulations. 3.87 Section 3.87 Agriculture Office of the Secretary of Agriculture DEBT MANAGEMENT Federal Salary Offset § 3.87 Agency regulations. USDA agencies may issue regulations or policies not inconsistent with OPM regulations (5 CFR part 550...

12 CFR 545.96 - Agency office.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Agency office. 545.96 Section 545.96 Banks and Banking OFFICE OF THRIFT SUPERVISION, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY FEDERAL SAVINGS ASSOCIATIONS-OPERATIONS § 545.96 Agency office. (a) General. A Federal savings association may establish or maintain an agency...

Naturalizing sense of agency with a hierarchical event-control approach.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Devpriya Kumar

Full Text Available Unraveling the mechanisms underlying self and agency has been a difficult scientific problem. We argue for an event-control approach for naturalizing the sense of agency by focusing on the role of perception-action regularities present at different hierarchical levels and contributing to the sense of self as an agent. The amount of control at different levels of the control hierarchy determines the sense of agency. The current study investigates this approach in a set of two experiments using a scenario containing multiple agents sharing a common goal where one of the agents is partially controlled by the participant. The participant competed with other agents for achieving the goal and subsequently answered questions on identification (which agent was controlled by the participant, the degree to which they are confident about their identification (sense of identification and the degree to which the participant believed he/she had control over his/her actions (sense of authorship. Results indicate a hierarchical relationship between goal-level control (higher level and perceptual-motor control (lower level for sense of agency. Sense of identification ratings increased with perceptual-motor control when the goal was not completed but did not vary with perceptual-motor control when the goal was completed. Sense of authorship showed a similar interaction effect only in experiment 2 that had only one competing agent unlike the larger number of competing agents in experiment 1. The effect of hierarchical control can also be seen in the misidentification pattern and misidentification was greater with the agent affording greater control. Results from the two studies support the event-control approach in understanding sense of agency as grounded in control. The study also offers a novel paradigm for empirically studying sense of agency and self.

Student Agency in Negotiating the Relationship Between Science and Religion

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Kok-Sing; Yang, Xiangyu

2017-08-01

Research examining the relationship between science and religion has often painted a narrative of conflict for students with various religious beliefs. The purpose of this paper is to present a counter-narrative based on a study carried out in Singapore, which provides a unique multi-ethnic and multi-religious environment and geopolitical context to study the phenomenon. Informed by the theories of collateral learning, situated cognition and agency, the study examined how a group of high school biology students viewed and negotiated the relationship between biological evolution and their beliefs in Christianity. Case study methodology and semi-structured interviews were used to generate thick descriptions of their views. Findings from the study illustrate how the students exhibited agency in deliberately creating multiple resolution mechanisms as they recognised and negotiated the conceptual and social tensions between the worldviews of evolution and creationism. The findings suggest that the students exhibited more agency in resolving the perceived conflict between science and religion than we tend to ascribe based on previous interpretative accounts that emphasised confrontation, alienation and marginalisation. The implication is that students' agency in negotiating the differing worldviews between science and religion should be seen as a resource for the learning of evolution, rather than a hindrance.

22 CFR 192.5 - Relationships among agencies.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... inform the head of any agency whenever an employee of that agency, or Family Member of such employee, is... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Relationships among agencies. 192.5 Section 192... § 192.5 Relationships among agencies. (a) To assist in ensuring that eligible persons receive...

A Chance for Attributable Agency.

Science.gov (United States)

Briegel, Hans J; Müller, Thomas

Can we sensibly attribute some of the happenings in our world to the agency of some of the things around us? We do this all the time, but there are conceptual challenges purporting to show that attributable agency, and specifically one of its most important subspecies, human free agency, is incoherent. We address these challenges in a novel way: rather than merely rebutting specific arguments, we discuss a concrete model that we claim positively illustrates attributable agency in an indeterministic setting. The model, recently introduced by one of the authors in the context of artificial intelligence, shows that an agent with a sufficiently complex memory organization can employ indeterministic happenings in a meaningful way. We claim that these considerations successfully counter arguments against the coherence of libertarian (indeterminism-based) free will.

Metacognition of agency is reduced in high hypnotic suggestibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Terhune, Devin B; Hedman, Love R A

2017-11-01

A disruption in the sense of agency is the primary phenomenological feature of response to hypnotic suggestions but its cognitive basis remains elusive. Here we tested the proposal that distorted volition during response to suggestions arises from poor metacognition pertaining to the sources of one's control. Highly suggestible and control participants completed a motor task in which performance was reduced through surreptitious manipulations of cursor lag and stimuli speed. Highly suggestible participants did not differ from controls in performance or metacognition of performance, but their sense of agency was less sensitive to cursor lag manipulations, suggesting reduced awareness that their control was being manipulated. These results indicate that highly suggestible individuals have aberrant metacognition of agency and may be a valuable population for studying distortions in the sense of agency. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Religiosity and agency and communion: their relationship to religious judgmentalism.

Science.gov (United States)

Beck, R; Miller, C D

2000-05-01

The present study is an introduction to the construct of religious judgmentalism, defined as a willingness to make religious or moral judgments of others based on a limited period of observation; the study offers a prediction about which individuals will engage in such judgmental behavior. It was predicted that agency motives would significantly predict religious judgmentalism in a religious population but that communion motives and intrinsic religiosity would moderate this effect. Overall, the findings supported these predictions. Agency motives were positively correlated with religious judgmentalism. Intrinsic religiosity predicted a general unwillingness to make religious evaluations of others. Both intrinsic religiosity and communion motives did moderate the effects of high agency motives. Specifically, increases in communion motive and intrinsic religiosity, at high levels of agency motives, significantly predicted lower scores for religious judgmentalism. These findings were conceptualized as preliminary evidence for the position that interpersonal motives, rather than religiousness or religious motivation, predict social intolerance and criticism in religious individuals.

Innovation Implementation: The Role of Technology Diffusion Agencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jasmin Robertson

2008-08-01

Full Text Available A great deal of ‘innovation failure’ can be attributed to ineffective implementation, rather than failure of the innovation itself. External agencies such as technology diffusion agencies (TDAs have been created to assist organisations to implement innovation successfully, but there has been little empirical research investigating their roles. This paper presents a longitudinal case study of failed innovation implementation, and highlights in particular the role that technology diffusion agencies can play to prevent such failure in future cases. Results indicate the importance of changes in organisational factors such as training, climate, and management support during the implementation process in predicting outcomes, and imply a role for TDAs in assisting with both technical and non-technical aspects of innovation implementation.

14 CFR 73.17 - Controlling agency.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Controlling agency. 73.17 Section 73.17... SPECIAL USE AIRSPACE Restricted Areas § 73.17 Controlling agency. For the purposes of this part, the controlling agency is the FAA facility that may authorize transit through or flight within a restricted area...

49 CFR 1016.309 - Agency review.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 8 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Agency review. 1016.309 Section 1016.309... Agency review. In the event the adjudicative officer is not the entire Board, the applicant or agency counsel may seek review of the initial decision on the fee application, or the Board may review the...

Translating the REACH Caregiver Intervention for Use by Area Agency on Aging Personnel: the REACH OUT Program

Science.gov (United States)

Burgio, Louis D.; Collins, Irene B.; Schmid, Bettina; Wharton, Tracy; McCallum, Debra; DeCoster, Jamie

2009-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this study was to translate the evidence-based Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health (REACH) II intervention for use in 4 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs). A secondary aim was to examine possible moderators of treatment outcome. Design and Methods: We used a quasi-experimental pre-post treatment design with no…

Intergovernmental organisation activities: European Atomic Energy Community, International Atomic Energy Agency, OECD Nuclear Energy Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2012-01-01

European Atomic Energy Community: Proposed legislative instruments, Adopted legislative instruments, Non-legislative instruments, Other activities (meetings). International Atomic Energy Agency: IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety. OECD Nuclear Energy Agency: The Russian Federation to join the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency; Participation by the regulatory authorities of India and the United Arab Emirates in the Multinational Design Evaluation Programme (MDEP); NEA International Workshop on Crisis Communication, 9-10 May 2012; International School of Nuclear Law: 2013; Next NEA International Nuclear Law Essentials Course

Agency-University Partnership for Evidence-Based Practice in Social Work

Science.gov (United States)

Bellamy, Jennifer L.; Bledsoe, Sarah E.; Mullen, Edward J.; Fang, Lin; Manuel, Jennifer I.

2008-01-01

Little is known about evidence-based practice (EBP) in social service agencies beyond studies of researcher, practitioner, and educator opinions. The Bringing Evidence for Social Work Training (BEST) Project involved 16 participants from 3 social service agencies. The experiential training, delivered by 2 doctoral students, focused on a…

The use of managing agencies in decommissioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, R.L.

1994-01-01

On 1 April 1994 UKAEA Government Division was formed and one of its main responsibilities is the safe and cost effective management of the facilities which have already closed and the fuel reprocessing and radioactive waste management plant required to assist in the current programme of decommissioning. UKAEA Government Division, working on behalf of DTI, is intended to be a lean and efficient programme management and procurement organisation. Rather than build up its own project management capability it intends to use external resources for this function, obtained in future by competitive tendering. For each major facility undergoing decommissioning a Managing Agency has been, or will be, appointed to act on behalf of UKAEA Government Division. The responsibilities of each Managing Agency will be to assist in the definition of tasks, the commissioning of option studies and safety studies, the specification of individual contracts, management of the tendering processes and the subsequent management of the Implementation Contractors carrying out the decommissioning work, including the associated safety and training responsibilities. Teams involved in Managing Agency work require skills in project management, relevant technical issues, contract and safety management. (author)

International Atomic Energy Agency use of facility calorimeters for safeguards purposes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McRae, L.P.; Delegard, C.H.; Hamilton, R.A.; Westsik, G.A.; Moriarty, T.F.; Lemaire, R.J.

1996-01-01

The International Atomic Energy Agency is performing nuclear materials safeguards on an inventory of pure and scrap plutonium oxide powder materials held in Vault 3 of the Plutonium Finishing Plant, operated by the Westinghouse Hanford Company for the US Department of Energy at the Hanford Site in Washington State. The International Atomic Energy Agency uses qualitative and quantitative techniques to verify the presence and quantity of the nuclear materials under safeguards. The Agency uses weighing, sampling, and destructive analyses to obtain the most accurate verification measurements of containers of plutonium powders. In contrast, the plant operator generally uses non-destructive plutonium assay based on gamma spectrometry and calorimetry for its most accurate plutonium powder container measurements. Recent results have shown that the operator''s calorimeter system achieves measurement variabilities comparable with, or better than, the destructive analyses, particularly for scrap. The results are achieved more quickly and economically, with less waste and lower radiation exposure and contamination hazard, by calorimetry than by classical destructive analyses. Techniques, including authentication methods, are being jointly developed to permit use of the operator''s calorimeter system for international safeguards purposes. The authentication is to ensure the independence of, and to substantiate the validity of, calorimeter measurements for international safeguards. The authentication methods considered and being developed are discussed

United States Department of Defense: Agency Financial Report Fiscal Year 2014

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

associated environmental costs using two methods: physical capacity for operating landfills and life expectancy in years for all other assets. The...construction, and rehabilitation projects on inland waterways. The BFS manages and invests for the Trust Fund. Defense Commissary Agency Surcharge

The Influence of Lived Experience with Addiction and Recovery on Practice-Related Decisions among Professionals Working in Addiction Agencies Serving Women

Science.gov (United States)

Novotna, Gabriela; Dobbins, Maureen; Jack, Susan M.; Sword, Wendy; Niccols, Alison; Brooks, Sandy; Henderson, Joanna

2013-01-01

Aims: The study objectives were to: (1) understand the value attributed to the lived experience of addiction and recovery among professionals working in addiction agencies serving women in Canada and (2) describe how lived experience influence practice-related decision-making. Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted with a…

Paranormal believers are more prone to illusory agency detection than skeptics.

Science.gov (United States)

van Elk, Michiel

2013-09-01

It has been hypothesized that illusory agency detection is at the basis of belief in supernatural agents and paranormal beliefs. In the present study a biological motion perception task was used to study illusory agency detection in a group of skeptics and a group of paranormal believers. Participants were required to detect the presence or absence of a human agent in a point-light display. It was found that paranormal believers had a lower perceptual sensitivity than skeptics, which was due to a response bias to 'yes' for stimuli in which no agent was present. The relation between paranormal beliefs and illusory agency detection held only for stimuli with low to intermediate ambiguity, but for stimuli with a high number of visual distractors responses of believers and skeptics were at the same level. Furthermore, it was found that illusory agency detection was unrelated to traditional religious belief and belief in witchcraft, whereas paranormal beliefs (i.e. Psi, spiritualism, precognition, superstition) were strongly related to illusory agency detection. These findings qualify the relation between illusory pattern perception and supernatural and paranormal beliefs and suggest that paranormal beliefs are strongly related to agency detection biases. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review of radioactive waste management research in the Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

The report presents a concise summary of the Programme of Radioactive Waste Management Research carried out by the Agency in the period 1996 to 2001. It not only provides information, which is relevant to the Agency's responsibilities, but also offers an input to the government's development of a policy for managing solid radioactive waste in the UK. The research projects have included laboratory and field scientific studies, reviews of existing scientific data and understanding, development of assessment methodologies, and development of technical support software and databases. The Agency has participated widely in internationally-supported projects and on jointly-funded projects amongst UK regulators, advisory bodies and industry

Theory and social practice of agency in combining breastfeeding and employment: A qualitative study among health workers in New Delhi, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Omer-Salim, Amal; Suri, Shobha; Dadhich, Jai Prakash; Faridi, Mohammad Moonis Akbar; Olsson, Pia

2014-12-01

Women's agency, or intentional actions, in combining breastfeeding and employment is significant for health and labour productivity. Previous research in India showed that mothers use various collaborative strategies to ensure a "good enough" combination of breastfeeding and employment. Bandura's theoretical agency constructs previously applied in various realms could facilitate the exploration of agency in an Indian context. To explore manifestations of agency in combining breastfeeding and employment amongst Indian health workers using Bandura's theoretical constructs of agency and women's experiences. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten women employees within the governmental health sector in New Delhi, India. Both deductive and inductive qualitative content analyses were used. Bandura's features and modes of agency revealed that intentionality is underpinned by knowledge, forethought means being prepared, self-reactiveness includes collaboration and that self-reflectiveness gives perspective. Women's interviews revealed four approaches to agency entitled: 'All within my stride or the knowledgeable navigator'; 'Much harder than expected, but ok overall'; This is a very lonely job'; and 'Out of my control'. Agency features and their elements are complex, dynamic and involve family members. Bandura's theoretical agency constructs are partially useful in this context, but additional social practice constructs of family structure and relationship quality are needed for better correspondence with women's experiences of agency. The variation in individual approaches to agency has implications for supportive health and workplace services. Copyright © 2014 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Members of the Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The document lists the 136 Member States of the Agency as of 6 May 2003. The new Members since the last issue of the list (INFCIRC/2/57) are Eritrea and the Republic of Seychelles. Cambodia withdrew from the Agency with effect from 26 March 2003. The dates on which the present 136 Member States became Members are given in an Attachment. It also shows the States whose application for membership of the Agency has been approved by the General Conference but which has not yet deposited an instrument of acceptance of the Statute

BIBLIOGRAPHIC STUDY IN RISK MANAGEMENT AIMED TO IDENTIFY MORE REFERENCED TOOLS, METHODS AND RELATIONSHIPS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alamir Costa Louro

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to identify and discuss trends in tools and methods used in project risk management and its relationship to other matters, using current scientific articles. The focus isn´t in understanding how they work in technical terms, but think about the possibilities of deepening in academic studies, including making several suggestions for future research. Adjacent to the article there is a discussion about an alleged "one best way" imperative normativity approach. It was answered the following research questions: what subjects and theories are related to project risk management tools and methods? The first contribution is related to the importance of the academic Chris Chapman as an author who has more published and also more referenced in the survey. There are several contributions on various subjects such as: the perception of the existence of many conceptual papers; papers about construction industry, problematization of contracts according to agency theory, IT and ERPs issues. Other contributions came from the bibliometric method that brings lot of consolidated information about terms, topics, authors, references, periods and, of course, methods and tools about Project Risk Management.

Agents of Reconciliation: Agency-Affirmation Promotes Constructive Tendencies Following Transgressions in Low-Commitment Relationships.

Science.gov (United States)

SimanTov-Nachlieli, Ilanit; Shnabel, Nurit; Mori-Hoffman, Anael

2017-02-01

Conflicting parties experience threats to both their agency and morality, but the experience of agency-threat exerts more influence on their behavior, leading to relationship-destructive tendencies. Whereas high-commitment relationships facilitate constructive tendencies despite the conflict, we theorized that in low-commitment relationships, affirming the adversary's agency is a prerequisite for facilitating more constructive tendencies. Focusing on sibling conflicts, Study 1 found that when commitment was low (rather than high), agency-affirmation increased participants' constructive tendencies toward their brother/sister compared with a control/no-affirmation condition. A corresponding morality-affirmation did not affect participants' tendencies. Study 2 replicated these results in workplace conflicts and further found that the positive effect of agency-affirmation in low-commitment relationships was mediated by participants' wish to restore their morality. Study 3 induced a conflict between lab participants and manipulated their commitment. Again, in the low- (rather than high-) commitment condition, agency-affirmation increased participants' wish to restore their morality, leading to constructive behavior.

75 FR 70365 - Agency Information Collection (Follow-Up Study of a National Cohort of Gulf War and Gulf Era...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-17

... (Follow-Up Study of a National Cohort of Gulf War and Gulf Era Veterans) Activity Under OMB Review AGENCY...).'' SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Titles: Follow-Up Study of a National Cohort of Gulf War and Gulf Era Veterans, VA..., will help VA to assess the health of Gulf War veterans who were exposed to a variety of environmental...

Hope over fear. The establishment of the International Atomic Energy Agency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Forland, A.

1995-12-01

President Eisenhower`s ``Atoms for Peace`` speech in 1953 started a process that led to the establishment of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This study analyses the negotiations of the Statute of the Agency. It focuses on how the Agency`s scope of action regarding safeguards was negotiated. The Statute is seen as a reflection of the dual purpose of the new Agency to promote peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to control that peaceful nuclear activities receiving IAEA assistance are not diverted to military purposes. On one hand, the countries receiving assistance from the Agency accepted a degree of international control that represented a breakthrough in international relations. On the other hand, many countries strongly resented controls. Consequently, compromises had to be made in the course of the negotiations in order to reach a consensus. Thus, although the IAEA was established as a competent and technical body, the underlying compromises meant that its scope of actions was restricted. 6 refs.

Generativity and Themes of Agency and Communion in Adult Autobiography.

Science.gov (United States)

Mansfield, Elizabeth D.; McAdams, Dan P.

1996-01-01

Examines differences between 70 more- and less-generative adults through a new coding system for analyzing themes of agency and communion in significant life-story scenes. The study revealed that highly generative adults express greater levels of the communion themes of dialog and care/help and greater levels of agency/communion integration. (LSR)

Geographic Disparities in Access to Agencies Providing Income-Related Social Services.

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, Scott R; Monuteaux, Michael C; Fleegler, Eric W

2015-10-01

Geographic location is an important factor in understanding disparities in access to health-care and social services. The objective of this cross-sectional study is to evaluate disparities in the geographic distribution of income-related social service agencies relative to populations in need within Boston. Agency locations were obtained from a comprehensive database of social services in Boston. Geographic information systems mapped the spatial relationship of the agencies to the population using point density estimation and was compared to census population data. A multivariate logistic regression was conducted to evaluate factors associated with categories of income-related agency density. Median agency density within census block groups ranged from 0 to 8 agencies per square mile per 100 population below the federal poverty level (FPL). Thirty percent (n = 31,810) of persons living below the FPL have no access to income-related social services within 0.5 miles, and 77 % of persons living below FPL (n = 83,022) have access to 2 or fewer agencies. 27.0 % of Blacks, 30.1 % of Hispanics, and 41.0 % of non-Hispanic Whites with incomes below FPL have zero access. In conclusion, some neighborhoods in Boston with a high concentration of low-income populations have limited access to income-related social service agencies.

77 FR 20616 - Agency Information Collection Extension

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-05

.... EIA's petroleum marketing survey forms collect volumetric and price information needed for determining... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Energy Information Administration Agency Information Collection Extension AGENCY: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Department of Energy. ACTION: Agency Information...

Establishment of Japan Atomic Energy Agency and strategy for nuclear non-proliferation studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Senzaki, Masao; Kurasaki, Takaaki; Inoue, Naoko

2005-01-01

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) was established on October 1, 2005, after the merger of Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute and Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute. JAEA is the only governmental nuclear research and development institute in Japan. It will engage in research activities ranging from basic research to practical applications in the nuclear field and will operate research laboratories, reactors, a reprocessing plant and a fuel fabrication plant. At the same time, the Nuclear Nonproliferation Science and Technology Center (NPSTC) was also established inside of JAEA to conduct the studies on the strategy for nuclear nonproliferation studies. Five roles that JAEA should play for nuclear nonproliferation were identified and four offices were established in the center to carry out those five roles effectively. To conduct the research and development for nuclear nonproliferation efficiently, the center aims to be a 'Research Hub' based on Partnership' with other organizations. (author)

Home health agency work environments and hospitalizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Jarrín, Olga; Flynn, Linda; Lake, Eileen T; Aiken, Linda H

2014-10-01

An important goal of home health care is to assist patients to remain in community living arrangements. Yet home care often fails to prevent hospitalizations and to facilitate discharges to community living, thus putting patients at risk of additional health challenges and increasing care costs. To determine the relationship between home health agency work environments and agency-level rates of acute hospitalization and discharges to community living. Analysis of linked Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Home Health Compare data and nurse survey data from 118 home health agencies. Robust regression models were used to estimate the effect of work environment ratings on between-agency variation in rates of acute hospitalization and community discharge. Home health agencies with good work environments had lower rates of acute hospitalizations and higher rates of patient discharges to community living arrangements compared with home health agencies with poor work environments. Improved work environments in home health agencies hold promise for optimizing patient outcomes and reducing use of expensive hospital and institutional care.

Cressey’s fraud triangle (1953 and agency theory: study applied to brazilian banking institutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michele Rílany Rodrigues Machado

2017-08-01

Full Text Available This research examined if Cressey’s (1953 fraud triangle and the agency theory, jointly, enables investigate corporate fraud occurrence in Brazilian banking institutions. It was formulated  six research hypotheses were segregated in fraud triangle – pressure,  opportunity and rationalization – and measured by variables taken from the agency theory, criminology and empirical papers on corporate fraud. The identification of probability of fraud occurrence was operationalized from multinomial logistic model, applied to data of 44 banking, for the period between January 2001 and December 2012. For element pressure, hypotheses No. 01 was confirmed, since this showed that the lower an institution’s previous performance, the greater probability there is of fraudulent events occurring in the future.  In the element of opportunity, the hypothesis No. 03 was confirmed, which showed that low corporate governance indicators increased the possibility of fraud occurrences.  In rationalization element, the hypothesis No. 08 was confirmed, therefore, the predominance of women in management reduces the probability of fraud.  We thereby conclude that Cressey’s Triangle, when combined with the theory of agency is an appropriate research instrument to use when carrying out an investigation into corporate fraud occurrence in banking institutions.

40 CFR 7.125 - Coordination with other agencies.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Coordination with other agencies. 7.125 Section 7.125 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GENERAL NONDISCRIMINATION IN PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL ASSISTANCE FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Agency...

Agency and the construction of social preference: between inequality aversion and prosocial behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Choshen-Hillel, Shoham; Yaniv, Ilan

2011-12-01

The term social preference refers to decision makers' satisfaction with their own outcomes and those attained by comparable others. The present research was inspired by what appears to be a discrepancy in the literature on social preferences--specifically, between a class of studies demonstrating people's concern with inequality and others documenting their motivation to increase social welfare. The authors propose a theoretical framework to account for this puzzling difference. In particular, they argue that a characteristic of the decision setting--an individual's role in creating the outcomes, referred to as agency--critically affects decision makers' weighting of opposing social motives. Namely, in settings in which people can merely judge the outcomes, but cannot affect them ("low agency"), their concern with inequality figures prominently. In contrast, in settings in which people determine the outcomes for themselves and others ("high agency"), their concern with the welfare of others is prominent. Three studies using a new salary-allocation paradigm document a robust effect of agency. In the high-agency condition, participants had to assign salaries, whereas in the low-agency condition, they indicated their satisfaction with equivalent predetermined salaries. It was found that, compared with low-agency participants, high-agency participants were less concerned with disadvantageous salary allocations and were even willing to sacrifice a portion of their pay to better others' outcomes. The effects of agency are discussed in connection to inequality aversion, social comparison, prosocial behavior, and preference construction.

Customers’ travel practices of weekend routes (a case study for the travel agency «Voyage» in Gatchina

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksandrova A. A.

2016-07-01

Full Text Available the article reflects the results of an empirical research conducted in the travel agency «Voyage» in Gatchina in order to reveal the preferences of its customers about weekend routes to Saint Petersburg for the spring of 2016 and their willingness to pay for the service of the travel agency via online payment services. The authors describe the most perspective areas for routes in St. Petersburg in the spring of 2016 and specific examples. The research contains recommendations concerning implementation of online payment services of the travel agency.

The Agency loses its initiator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1969-01-01

World mourning for Dwight D. Eisenhower is shared, for special reasons, by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Part of the story of how he conceived and placed before the world the idea which led to the Agency's formation is given, much of it in his own words. (author)

Pre-post, mixed-methods feasibility study of the WorkingWell mobile support tool for individuals with serious mental illness in the USA: a pilot study protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Nicholson, Joanne; Wright, Spenser M; Carlisle, Alyssa M

2018-02-06

Successful competitive employment has been found to be related to enhanced self-esteem, higher quality of life and reduced mental health service use for individuals living with serious mental illnesses (SMIs) including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression. The effectiveness of the individual placement and support model has been demonstrated in multiple randomised controlled trials in many countries. The management of stress, depression and anxiety in the workplace may be effectively enhanced through digital mental health interventions. The WorkingWell mobile support tool ('app') is specifically designed to meet the need for illness management support for individuals with SMI in the workplace, as an adjunct to professional treatment. The WorkingWell app, grounded in evidence-based supported employment, is informed by user experience design. It will be tested in a pre-post design, mixed-methods pilot study to explore issues of feasibility, acceptability and usefulness, and to provide preliminary data on the impact of use. Putative mediators of improved job tenure and psychological well-being, including postintervention changes in social support, self-efficacy and work-related motivation, will be investigated. Forty individuals at least 18 years of age, meeting the eligibility requirements for supported employment services (ie, diagnosed with a mental illness meeting the criteria for severity, duration and treatment), working a minimum of 10 hours per week at study enrolment, and speaking, reading and writing in English will be recruited for the pilot study. Research staff will recruit individuals at community-based mental health agencies; provide orientation to the study, the study smartphones and the WorkingWell app; conduct research interviews including standardised measures as well as semistructured items; and provide technical assistance in telephone calls and inperson meetings. A sample of 10 agency staff will be recruited to obtain further

Principals’ Moral Agency and Ethical Decision-Making: Toward a Transformational Ethics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sabre Lynn Cherkowski

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This descriptive study provides a rich portrait of moral agency and ethical decision-making processes among a sample of Canadian school principals. Using an ethical responsibility framework linking moral agency and transformational leadership, the researchers found that 1 modeling moral agency is important for encouraging others to engage their own moral agency in the best interests of all children; 2 despite efforts to engage in collaborative decision-making, principals are often faced with the reality that they are the ones to absorb the cost of decisions; and 3 moral agents need to become wide-awake to the ethical issues and challenges that permeate their day-to-day work lives.

40 CFR 152.95 - Citation of all studies in the Agency's files pertinent to a specific data requirement.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... PROCEDURES Procedures To Ensure Protection of Data Submitters' Rights § 152.95 Citation of all studies in the... requirement. The applicant who selects this cite-all option must submit to the Agency: (a) A general offer to... may be limited to apply only to data pertinent to the specific data requirement(s) for which the cite...

Children's agency in Grade R: A case for a child participation focus

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Hennie

Keywords: agency; children; Grade R; participation; South Africa; teachers ... Bearing this in mind, Valentine (2011), in her efforts to account for agency in Childhood Studies, calls for critical social .... Poststructural theories extend the idea of.

Teacher Agency within the Context of Formative Teacher Assessment: An In-Depth Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Verberg, Christel P. M.; Tigelaar, Dineke E. H.; van Veen, Klaas; Verloop, Nico

2016-01-01

Teachers' agency has an effect on their own learning process at the workplace. In this study we explored the extent to which teachers participating in a formative teacher assessment procedure developed a sense of agency. We investigated not only whether teachers participating in a such an assessment procedure experienced agency and thus felt in…

77 FR 8865 - Recent Postings of Broadly Applicable Alternative Test Methods

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-15

... Applicable Alternative Test Methods AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of availability. SUMMARY: This notice announces the broadly applicable alternative test method approval decisions... INFORMATION CONTACT: An electronic copy of each alternative test method approval document is available on the...

Can We Speak of African Agency?: APRM and Africa's Agenda 2063

African Journals Online (AJOL)

actions and intentions and/or life course studies become their foci of analysis ... as it is read in feminism, asserts that agency straddles different divides ... structuralism, post-structuralism and critical realism that the concept has ... actionable perspective where Africans seek, from agency, to assert ..... Gender and Education.

Annual report 2000[International Atomic Energy Agency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-07-01

Article VI.J of the Agency's Statute requires the Board of Governors to submit 'an annual report to the General Conference concerning the affairs of the Agency and any projects approved by the Agency'. This report covers the period 1 January to 31 December 2000.

76 FR 13172 - Placer County Water Agency

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-10

... Water Agency Notice of Application Tendered for Filing with the Commission and Establishing Procedural... County Water Agency e. Name of Project: Middle Fork American River Project f. Location: The Middle Fork...) h. Applicant Contact: Andy Fecko, Project Manager, Placer County Water Agency, 144 Ferguson Road...

Agency privileges and immunities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1969-01-01

Switzerland has become the thirty-fifth Member State to be a party to the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Its Resident Representative, Ambassador Alfred Eschler, deposited his Government's instrument of acceptance on 16 September. This is the fourth such instrument to be deposited with the Agency since the beginning of this year, the others being Ecuador on 16 April, Niger on 17 June and Vietnam on 31 July. (author)

Staff Acquisition -- Agencies

Data.gov (United States)

Office of Personnel Management — Job vacancy and organizational information from customer agencies sufficient to provide requested services: examining, strategic staffing, recruitment and branding,...

Key Informant Perspectives on Federal Research Agency Policy and Systems and Scientific Workforce Diversity Development: A Companion Study

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Corey L.; Wang, Ningning; Davis, Dytisha; Aref, Fariborz; Manyibe, Edward O.; Washington, Andre L.; Johnson, Jean; Eugene-Cross, Kenyotta; Muhammad, Atashia; Jennings-Jones, Desiree

2017-01-01

Purpose: In the previous analysis of key informant perspectives on minority research leaders' career development factors, we identified individual and sociocultural, institutional, and federal research agency (i.e., National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research; National Institutes of Health; Agency for…

78 FR 58382 - Notice of Final Federal Agency Actions on the Proposed U.S. 50 Study Crossing Over Sinepauxent...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-23

... 5th Street to Somerset Street located in the Town of Ocean City, Worcester County, Maryland. This... on the Proposed U.S. 50 Study Crossing Over Sinepauxent Bay in the Town of Ocean City, Worcester County, Maryland AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT. ACTION: Notice of limitation on...

The Legal Nature of Administrative Agencies of the USA

OpenAIRE

David T. Karamanukyan

2016-01-01

In this article the author focuses on the American system of administrative agencies, which are the fundamental pillar for the functioning of administrative justice of the country. A study of the conceptual and taxonomic unit of the current system of administrative agencies of the United States, with the help of comparative analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of legal and doctrinal definitions of the concept of “administrative agency” the author develops an authentic interpretatio...

Occupational Stress Among Home Healthcare Workers: Integrating Worker and Agency-Level Factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Zoeckler, Jeanette M

2018-02-01

Home healthcare work is physically and emotionally exhausting. In addition, home healthcare workers frequently work under precarious work arrangements for low wages and in poor work conditions. Little is known about how sources of job strain for home healthcare workers might be reduced. This research examines the occupational stressors among paid home care workers by analyzing home healthcare agency characteristics and individual home healthcare workers' experiences in upstate New York agencies (n = 9). The study augments existing theoretical models and describes new sources of stress arising from the nature of agency-based caregiving. Results feature the analysis of both agency executives' (n = 20) and home healthcare workers' narratives (n = 25) to make the agency's inner workings more transparent. Agency structures and culture are implicated in the lack of progress to address home care workers' health problems. Policy change should focus on compensation, healthier work conditions, and training requirements.

20 CFR 653.108 - State agency self-monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false State agency self-monitoring. 653.108 Section... agency self-monitoring. (a) State Administrators shall assure that their State agencies monitor their own... overall responsibility for State agency self-monitoring. (b) The State Administrator shall appoint a State...

Determinants of financial performance of home-visit nursing agencies in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Fukui, Sakiko; Yoshiuchi, Kazuhiro; Fujita, Junko; Ikezaki, Sumie

2014-01-09

Japan has the highest aging population in the world and promotion of home health services is an urgent policy issue. As home-visit nursing plays a major role in home health services, the Japanese government began promotion of this activity in 1994. However, the scale of home-visit nursing agencies has remained small (the average numbers of nursing staff and other staff were 4.2 and 1.7, respectively, in 2011) and financial performance (profitability) is a concern in such small agencies. Additionally, the factors related to profitability in home-visit nursing agencies in Japan have not been examined multilaterally and in detail. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to examine the determinants of financial performance of home-visit nursing agencies. We performed a nationwide survey of 2,912 randomly selected home-visit nursing agencies in Japan. Multinomial logistic regression was used to clarify the determinants of profitability of the agency (profitable, stable or unprofitable) based on variables related to management of the agency (operating structure, management by a nurse manager, employment, patient utilization, quality control, regional cooperation, and financial condition). Among the selected home-visit nursing agencies, responses suitable for analysis were obtained from 1,340 (effective response rate, 46.0%). Multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that both profitability and unprofitability were related to multiple variables in management of the agency when compared to agencies with stable financial performance. These variables included the number of nursing staff/rehabilitation staff/patients, being owned by a hospital, the number of cooperative hospitals, home-death rate among terminal patients, controlling staff objectives by nurse managers, and income going to compensation. The results suggest that many variables in management of a home-visit nursing agency, including the operating structure of the agency, regional cooperation, staff

28 CFR 42.414 - Federal agency staff.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Federal agency staff. 42.414 Section 42.414 Judicial Administration DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE NONDISCRIMINATION; EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY... § 42.414 Federal agency staff. Sufficient personnel shall be assigned by a federal agency to its title...

Is Dual Agency in Real Estate Transactions a Cause for Concern?

OpenAIRE

Vrinda Kadiyali; Jeffrey T. Prince; Daniel H. Simon

2009-01-01

We study dual agency in residential real estate, where the same agent/agency represents both the buyer and seller. We assess the extent to which dual agency suffers from an inherent conflict of interest, where the dual agent furthers the interest of one client at the expense of the other client’s, as well as principal-agent incentive misalignment where the agent furthers her own interest at the expense of one or both clients. And, we examine how these incentive conflicts affect agent behavior...

DO TANZANIAN COMPANIES PRACTICE PECKING ORDER THEORY, AGENCY COST THEORY OR TRADE-OFF THEORY? AN EMPIRICAL STUDY IN TANZANIAN LISTED COMPANIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ntogwa Ng'habi Bundala

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The empirical study was focused predominantly on validity tests of the three theories on capital structures, the static trade-off theory, the pecking order theory (information asymmetry theory, and agency cost theory in the Tanzanian context. The study used secondary data from eight of the non-financial companies listed in Dar Es Salaam Stock Exchange (DSE from 2006-2012. The study used descriptive (quantitative approach to test the practicality of the theories in Tanzania. The multiple regressions model used to test the theoretical relationship between the financial leverage and characteristics of the company. The research found that there is no strong evidence for validation of static trade off theory, little support of pecking order theory, but the agency cost theory is confirmed to be valid and practiced in Tanzania. It recommended that Tanzanian companies should be adhering to the determinants of the capital structure in the Tanzanian context found by this study.

Meaningful Engagement of Organizational and Agency Partnerships to Enhance Diversity within the Earth System Science Community: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Pyrtle, A. J.; Whitney, V. W.; Powell, J. M.; Bailey, K. L.

2006-12-01

The Minorities Striving and Pursuing Higher Degrees of Success in Earth System Science Initiative (MS PHD'S) was established by and for underrepresented minorities to facilitate increased and sustained participation in Earth system science community. The MS PHD'S launched its pilot program in 2003 with twenty professional organizations, agencies and institutions as partners. Each year partnership alliances have grown. In the second year or programming, thirty-one partnering agencies/institutions supported involvement of MS PHD'S student participants and for 2005-2006, representatives from forty-five agencies and institutions have provided similar support and exposure to the third cohort of student participants. Nineteen scientists served as meeting mentors during the MS PHD'S pilot program in 2003. By the following year, twenty-two additional scientists partnered with MS PHD'S mentees. During 2005-2006, twenty-one new scientists served as program mentors. Thus far, the MS PHD'S program has successfully engaged sixty-two minority and non-minority scientists as mentors to MS PHD'S student participants. AGU, AMS, ASLO, ESA, TOS, NAS OSB and JOI continue to serve as MS PHD'S Society Partners and hosts for MS PHD'S student activities in conjunction with their meetings. Each of the five professional society partners provided assistance in identifying mentors, provided complimentary memberships and meeting registrations for MS PHD'S student participants. AGU, AMS, ASLO, JOI and TOS have sponsored more than 90 conference registration and travel awards for the purpose of student participants engaging in MS PHD'S Professional Development Program Phase 2 activities at their international meetings. How did MS PHD'S establish meaningful engagement of organizational and agency partnerships to enhance diversity within the Earth system science community? This case study reveals replicable processes and constructs to enhance the quality of meaningful collaboration and engagement

75 FR 22126 - Office of Research and Development; Ambient Air Monitoring Reference and Equivalent Methods...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-27

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9142-1] Office of Research and Development; Ambient Air Monitoring Reference and Equivalent Methods: Designation of One New Equivalent Method AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency. ACTION: Notice of the designation of one new equivalent method for monitoring ambient air...

76 FR 62402 - Office of Research and Development; Ambient Air Monitoring Reference and Equivalent Methods...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-07

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9476-7] Office of Research and Development; Ambient Air Monitoring Reference and Equivalent Methods; Designation of One New Equivalent Method AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency. ACTION: Notice of the designation of one new equivalent method for monitoring ambient air...

75 FR 30022 - Office of Research and Development; Ambient Air Monitoring Reference and Equivalent Methods...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-28

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9156-1] Office of Research and Development; Ambient Air Monitoring Reference and Equivalent Methods: Designation of One New Equivalent Method AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency. ACTION: Notice of the designation of one new equivalent method for monitoring ambient air...

Part of the Job? Workplace Violence in Massachusetts Social Service Agencies

Science.gov (United States)

Zelnick, Jennifer R.; Slayter, Elspeth; Flanzbaum, Beth; Butler, Nanci Ginty; Domingo, Beryl; Perlstein, Judith; Trust, Carol

2013-01-01

Workplace violence is a serious and surprisingly understudied occupational hazard in social service settings. The authors of this study conducted an anonymous, Internet-based survey of Massachusetts social service agencies to estimate the incidence of physical assault and verbal threat of violence in social service agencies, understand how social…

On the Other Hand : Nondominant Hand Use Increases Sense of Agency

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Damen, Tom G. E.; Dijksterhuis, Ap; van Baaren, Rick B.

In two studies, we investigated the influence of hand dominance on the sense of self-causation or agency. Participants alternately used their dominant or nondominant hand to cause the occurrence of an effect (a tone) in a task in which agency was made ambiguous. Participants were subsequently asked

Understanding social media program usage in public transit agencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenny H. Liu

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Social media has been gaining prominence in public transit agencies in their communication strategies and daily management. This study aims to better understand recent trends in social media usage in public transit agencies, to examine which agencies use what kind of social media programs for what purposes, and how they measure their programs. A survey was conducted of the top transit agencies in the nation, and results are examined through descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis and regression modeling. We found that while most agencies still lack clearly-defined goals and performance metrics to guide their social media development, many are increasing their social media capacity with more structural components. Public transit service usage and the level of transit service provision are the most significant determinants of agencies’ social media programming and resource investments. In contrast, the measurement of social media usage and outcomes is more significantly related to city attributes and demographic characteristics. We anticipate an increase in the usage of social media to convey transit related stories and livability benefits, such as environmental sensitivity or safety improvements, as these programs expand. Public transit agencies’ commitment to measuring social media outcomes underscores the future research need to develop best practices for measuring the impacts and performance of social media communications and investments.

The roles of consistency and exclusivity in perceiving body ownership and agency.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Ke; Hommel, Bernhard; Chen, Hong

2018-01-23

Previous rubber/virtual hand illusion studies have established important constraints for the illusion that an artificial effector becomes part of one's own body (perceived ownership), and that its actions are being caused by oneself (perceived agency). We can take these observed constraints to establish two of three Wegner's (Trends Cogn Sci 7:65-69; Wegner, Trends in Cognitive Sciences 7:65-69, 2003) criteria for the perception of personal agency: priority and consistency, but not Wegner's third criterion-exclusivity. In this study we tested with virtual hand illusion, whether exclusivity (participant is certain who was controlling the virtual effector) can also be established. We manipulated two factors: exclusivity and consistency. Our results show that on both ownership and agency judgments, consistency and exclusivity produced main effects, and the two effects interacted in an underadditive fashion. Taken together, these findings provide support for our suggestion to extend Wegner's agency theory to explain perceived body ownership, which in turn provides an integrative framework for interpreting constraints on ownership and agency illusions.

Young women’s perceptions of transactional sex and sexual agency: a qualitative study in the context of rural South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meghna Ranganathan

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Evidence shows that HIV prevalence among young women in sub-Saharan Africa increases almost five-fold between ages 15 and 24, with almost a quarter of young women infected by their early-to mid-20s. Transactional sex or material exchange for sex is a relationship dynamic that has been shown to have an association with HIV infection. Methods Using five focus group discussions and 19 in-depth interviews with young women enrolled in the HPTN 068 conditional cash transfer trial (2011–2015, this qualitative study explores young women’s perceptions of transactional sex within the structural and cultural context of rural South Africa. The analysis also considers the degree to which young women perceive themselves as active agents in such relationships and whether they recognise a link between transactional sex and HIV risk. Results Young women believe that securing their own financial resources will ultimately improve their bargaining position in their sexual relationships, and open doors to a more financially independent future. Findings suggest there is a nuanced relationship between sex, love and gifts: money has symbolic meaning, and money transfers, when framed as gifts, indicates a young woman’s value and commitment from the man. This illustrates the complexity of transactional sex; the way it is positioned in the HIV literature ignores that “exchanges” serve as fulcrums around which romantic relationships are organised. Finally, young women express agency in their choice of partner, but their agency weakens once they are in a relationship characterised by exchange, which may undermine their ability to translate perceived agency into STI and HIV risk reduction efforts. Conclusions This research underscores the need to recognise that transactional sex is embedded in adolescent romantic relationships, but that certain aspects make young women particularly vulnerable to HIV. This is especially true in situations of

77 FR 48733 - Transitional Program for Covered Business Method Patents-Definitions of Covered Business Method...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-14

... Office 37 CFR Part 42 Transitional Program for Covered Business Method Patents--Definitions of Covered... Business Method Patents-- Definitions of Covered Business Method Patent and Technological Invention AGENCY... forth in detail the definitions of the terms ``covered business method patent'' and ``technological...

Quality improvement and accreditation readiness in state public health agencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Madamala, Kusuma; Sellers, Katie; Beitsch, Leslie M; Pearsol, Jim; Jarris, Paul

2012-01-01

There were 3 specific objectives of this study. The first objective was to examine the progress of state/territorial health assessment, health improvement planning, performance management, and quality improvement (QI) activities at state/territorial health agencies and compare findings to the 2007 findings when available. A second objective was to examine respondent interest and readiness for national voluntary accreditation. A final objective was to explore organizational factors (eg, leadership and capacity) that may influence QI or accreditation readiness. Cross-sectional study. State and Territorial Public Health Agencies. Survey respondents were organizational leaders at State and Territorial Public Health Agencies. Sixty-seven percent of respondents reported having a formal performance management process in place. Approximately 77% of respondents reported a QI process in place. Seventy-three percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they would seek accreditation and 36% agreed or strongly agreed that they would seek accreditation in the first 2 years of the program. In terms of accreditation prerequisites, a strategic plan was most frequently developed, followed by a state/territorial health assessment and health improvement plan, respectively. Advancements in the practice and applied research of QI in state public health agencies are necessary steps for improving performance. In particular, strengthening the measurement of the QI construct is essential for meaningfully assessing current practice patterns and informing future programming and policy decisions. Continued QI training and technical assistance to agency staff and leadership is also critical. Accreditation may be the pivotal factor to strengthen both QI practice and research. Respondent interest in seeking accreditation may indicate the perceived value of accreditation to the agency.

Agency-Hired Hotel Housekeepers

Science.gov (United States)

Sanon, Marie-Anne V.

2014-01-01

Hotel housekeepers experience unique workplace hazards and characteristics that increase their risks for poor health outcomes. Today’s agency-hiring practices may further marginalize hotel housekeepers and negatively impact their health. Yet the impact of such hiring practices on the health of this vulnerable worker group remains unexplored. This article presents the debate regarding agency-hiring practices and how these practices may influence the health and well-being of hotel housekeepers. Implications for occupational health nurses are also discussed. PMID:24512722

Agency is Distinct from Autonomy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fred Cummins

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Both autonomy and agency play central roles in the emerging enactive vocabulary. Although some treat these concepts as practically synonymous, others have sought to be more explicit about the conditions required for agency over and above autonomy. I attempt to be self-conscious about the role of the observer (or scientist in such discussions, and emphasise that the concept of agency, in particular, is deeply entwined with the nature of the observer and the framing of the observation. This is probably well known to enactivists, but runs the risk of being badly misunderstood if it is not made explicit. A heightened awareness of the role of the observer in the attribution of agency may allow us to make advances in questions in which progress is hindered by assuming a single split between subject and object. I argue that human experience is characterized by our embedding in webs of meaning arising from our participation in systems of many sorts, and that this richness demands a corresponding lightness of touch with respect to the identification of agentive subjects.

The Responsibility of Organisations towards Customers. Case Study – Romanian Travel Agencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olimpia State

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Organizations’ responsibilities towards consumers and consumer rights gained increasing attention during recent decades, alongside with intensifying competition on the market of goods and services, increasing their complexity and diversity, evolving of technology and transport means, growing population, etc. Within this context, increasing consumer protection, promoting sustainable consumption, rapid and efficient resolution of complaints, education and consumer awareness represent imperatives of a modern organization, aware that its existence on market depends on meeting customer requirements in the best way. Particular area where competition is increasingly fierce, and the number of consumers is continuously growing is the tourism sector. Moreover, recent changes in the Internet development have raised new issues regarding tourist protection. Based on these considerations, in this article we have analysed and assessed the responsibility of travel agencies in Romania towards customers. The research has been achieved from two perspectives: both from the point of view of tourism employees and tourists. The survey results have brought to the attention of travel agencies certain directions that should be considered in their relationship with the tourists in order to increase tourists’ protection and promoting sustainable consumption.

Awareness and Awakening: A Narrative-Oriented Inquiry of Undergraduate Students' Development of Mindful Agency in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qing; Law, Ho Chung; Li, Yan; Xu, Zhanfei; Pang, Weiguo

2017-01-01

The article explores undergraduate students' experiences of developing mindful agency as a positive learning disposition, their perceived change as a learner, and the possible impact of mindful agency coaching on students' learning and personal growth, using a narrative research method. Seventy Chinese undergraduate students generated personal reflective journals and eight participants' journals were selected to enter into the narrative-oriented inquiry. Our analysis revealed a number of primary themes based on which we produced a meta-story. The supplements of the story were exacted for further critical cross-case discussion. The finding indicated that the multifaceted development of mindful agency involved learning methods, emotional regulation, strategic thinking, and awareness of planning, openness to experience, self-acceptance and self-esteem, and learning engagement, with enhanced sense of personal awareness and awakening. The coaching was supportive for students to foster positive self-identities and become more reflective, mindful, and self-determined.

A Critical Agency Network Model for Building an Integrated Outreach Program

Science.gov (United States)

Kiyama, Judy Marquez; Lee, Jenny J.; Rhoades, Gary

2012-01-01

This study considers a distinct case of a college outreach program that integrates student affairs staff, academic administrators, and faculty across campus. The authors find that social networks and critical agency help to understand the integration of these various professionals and offer a critical agency network model of enacting change.…

Relevant factors for the impact of social media marketing strategies: Empirical study of the internet travel agency sector

OpenAIRE

Lebherz, Philipp Robert

2011-01-01

Projecte final de carrera fet en col.laboració amb Karlsruher Institut für Technologie English: Final proyect with the topic "relevant factors for the impact of social media marketing strategies - an empirical study of the internet travel agency sector" at Faculty of Informatics and the chair of management. Supervised by Ferran Sabaté and Antonio Cañabate. Student Philipp Lebherz.

Mobile Marketing Applications of Travel Agencies

OpenAIRE

Murat Selim Selvi

2016-01-01

In recent years, the use of mobile devices in the marketing world is increasing parallel with technological advances. The main problem of this research is to determine agencies’ use of what type of mobile tools for what type of purposes in the marketing process. The aim of this research is to identify Mobile Marketing (MM) applications used by group A travel agencies, and to describe the attitudes towards MM applications of agencies. According to related law, it is only group A agencies give ...

48 CFR 19.804-2 - Agency offering.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Agency offering. 19.804-2....804-2 Agency offering. (a) After completing its evaluation, the agency must notify the SBA of the... statement that prior to the offering no solicitation for the specific acquisition has been issued as a small...

Fiscal Year 2008 Agency Financial Report

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2008-01-01

The Department of Defense (DoD) Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Agency Financial Report (AFR) provides the President, Congress, other federal departments and agencies, and the American public an overview of the Department's financial condition...

Framework for Sustainability Assessment by Transportation Agencies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ramani, Tara Lakshmi; Zietsman, Josias; Gudmundsson, Henrik

2011-01-01

and outcomes. The framework development process was an extension of findings from literature review, case studies, and interviews conducted as part of ongoing research under the NCHRP project Sustainability Performance Measures for State Departments of Transportation and Other Transportation Agencies...

Hope over fear. The establishment of the International Atomic Energy Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forland, A.

1995-01-01

President Eisenhower's ''Atoms for Peace'' speech in 1953 started a process that led to the establishment of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This study analyses the negotiations of the Statute of the Agency. It focuses on how the Agency's scope of action regarding safeguards was negotiated. The Statute is seen as a reflection of the dual purpose of the new Agency to promote peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and to control that peaceful nuclear activities receiving IAEA assistance are not diverted to military purposes. On one hand, the countries receiving assistance from the Agency accepted a degree of international control that represented a breakthrough in international relations. On the other hand, many countries strongly resented controls. Consequently, compromises had to be made in the course of the negotiations in order to reach a consensus. Thus, although the IAEA was established as a competent and technical body, the underlying compromises meant that its scope of actions was restricted. 6 refs

Professional Agency, Identity, and Emotions While Leaving One’s Work Organization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katja Vähäsantanen

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This study investigated the enactment of professional agency in an emotionally troubled work context emerging from a conflicted relationship between the professional and the work organization. Narrative interviews with Finnish educators were utilized. The findings indicate that the enactment of agency was in part framed by the educators’ rational interpretations of the relationship between themselves and their employer, plus their work history and future prospects. However, it was simultaneously embedded with contradictory emotions, such as a sense of being undervalued, fear, and a sense of empowerment. Within this framework, multifaceted professional agency was enacted particularly via leaving the organization. This was also a means of upholding one’s professional identity and resisting the organization’s work practices. The paper contributes to the theorizing of professional agency, particularly regarding its emotional dimension, and elaborates the significance of an emotional relationship between professionals and their organizations.Keywords: career, educators, emotions, meaningful work, narrative research, professional agency, professional identity

Deterministic Earthquake Hazard Assessment by Public Agencies in California

Science.gov (United States)

Mualchin, L.

2005-12-01

Even in its short recorded history, California has experienced a number of damaging earthquakes that have resulted in new codes and other legislation for public safety. In particular, the 1971 San Fernando earthquake produced some of the most lasting results such as the Hospital Safety Act, the Strong Motion Instrumentation Program, the Alquist-Priolo Special Studies Zone Act, and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans') fault-based deterministic seismic hazard (DSH) map. The latter product provides values for earthquake ground motions based on Maximum Credible Earthquakes (MCEs), defined as the largest earthquakes that can reasonably be expected on faults in the current tectonic regime. For surface fault rupture displacement hazards, detailed study of the same faults apply. Originally, hospital, dam, and other critical facilities used seismic design criteria based on deterministic seismic hazard analyses (DSHA). However, probabilistic methods grew and took hold by introducing earthquake design criteria based on time factors and quantifying "uncertainties", by procedures such as logic trees. These probabilistic seismic hazard analyses (PSHA) ignored the DSH approach. Some agencies were influenced to adopt only the PSHA method. However, deficiencies in the PSHA method are becoming recognized, and the use of the method is now becoming a focus of strong debate. Caltrans is in the process of producing the fourth edition of its DSH map. The reason for preferring the DSH method is that Caltrans believes it is more realistic than the probabilistic method for assessing earthquake hazards that may affect critical facilities, and is the best available method for insuring public safety. Its time-invariant values help to produce robust design criteria that are soundly based on physical evidence. And it is the method for which there is the least opportunity for unwelcome surprises.

Environmental agency in read-alouds

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveira, Alandeom W.; Rogers, Patterson; Quigley, Cassie F.; Samburskiy, Denis; Barss, Kimberly; Rivera, Seema

2015-06-01

Despite growing interest in helping students become agents of environmental change who can, through informed decision-making and action-taking, transform environmentally detrimental forms of human activity, science educators have reduced agency to rationality by overlooking sociocultural influences such as norms and values. We tackle this issue by examining how elementary teachers and students negotiate and attribute responsibility, credit, or blame for environmental events during three environmental read-alouds. Our verbal analysis and visual representation of meta-agentive discourse revealed varied patterns of agential attribution. First, humans were simultaneously attributed negative agentive roles (agents of endangerment and imbalance) and positive agentive roles (agents of prevention, mitigation, and balance). Second, while wolves at Yellowstone were constructed as intentional (human-like) agents when they crossed over into the human world to kill livestock in nearby farms, polar bears in the Arctic were denied any form of agential responsibility when they approached people's homes. Third, anthropogenic causation of global warming was constructed as distal and indirect chains of cause and effect (i.e., sophisticated sequences of ripple effects), whereas its mitigation and prevention assumed the form of simple and unidirectional causative links (direct and proximal causality). Fourth, the notion of balance of nature was repeatedly used as a justification for environmental conservation but its cause and dynamic nature remained unclear. And, fifth, while one teacher promoted environmental agency by encouraging students to experience positive emotions such as love of nature, freedom, and oneness with nature, the other teachers encouraged students to experience negative emotions such as self-blame and guilt. This study's main significance is that it highlights the need for environmental educators who set out to promote environmental agency to expand the focus of

What Contributes to First-Year Student Teachers' Sense of Professional Agency in the Classroom?

Science.gov (United States)

Soini, Tiina; Pietarinen, Janne; Toom, Auli; Pyhältö, Kirsi

2015-01-01

This study explores Finnish first-year primary teacher students' (N = 244) sense of professional agency in the classroom. In addition, the interrelation between student teachers' sense of professional agency and the perceptions of teacher education as a learning environment is explored. The sense of professional agency in the classroom…

Change and obduracy in university teaching practices: tracing agency in professional development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Hannon

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Research into effectiveness of teaching practices and professional development invites questions of teaching and learning change: how it takes effect and is accounted for, and where its agency is claimed and contested across a range of institutional, disciplinary and pedagogical actors. This article investigates change in teaching practices and professional development through the notion of obduracy (Law, 2003: ordered arrangements that persist in the background and surface in a process of change. In focussing on practice as the object of inquiry, this study is part of a shift away from the study of professional learning drawing on individualist, cognitive traditions towards practice-oriented understandings of change and agency as an effect of social and material arrangements. The setting for this study of teaching practice is two disciplinary academic collectives, or workgroups, in one Australian university. Rather than approaching change as a human-centred and intentional process, the method of sociomaterial tracing was applied to teaching practice undergoing an institutional change process. The study highlights the process in which change is assembled, resisted or accomplished through heterogeneous networks of curriculum, discourses, technologies, and policies. Teaching and learning change, it is argued, involves recognising how obduracy is embedded in distinct networks across the university. The contribution of this study is to draw attention to the agentic role of materials and spaces in the negotiation and stabilisation of teaching practices and in approaches to professional development.

Internet quality indicators for health professional agencies and associations.

Science.gov (United States)

Courtney, Karen L; Alexander, Gregory L; Pack, Beth; Bax, Heather; Adams-Leander, Shelia; Holcomb, Melissa

2005-01-01

Building on work within public administration research, five categories of quality indicators are proposed for evaluating World Wide Web (web) sites belonging to state health professional agencies and associations. The five measures include: transparency, transactions, connectivity, personalization and usability. This project describes the construction of each quality indicator index and a calculation of quality scores. This project applies these methods to state Boards of Nursing and nursing association websites.

Principles of the Unification of Our Agency

Science.gov (United States)

Roth, Klas

2011-01-01

Do we need principles of the unification of our agency, our mode of acting? Immanuel Kant and Christine Korsgaard argue that the reflective structure of our mind forces us to have some conception of ourselves, others and the world--including our agency--and that it is through will and reason, and in particular principles of our agency, that we…

Catalyzing Collaboration: Wisconsin's Agency-Initiated Basin Partnerships

Science.gov (United States)

Genskow, Kenneth D.

2009-03-01

Experience with collaborative approaches to natural resource and environmental management has grown substantially over the past 20 years, and multi-interest, shared-resources initiatives have become prevalent in the United States and internationally. Although often viewed as “grass-roots” and locally initiated, governmental participants are crucial to the success of collaborative efforts, and important questions remain regarding their appropriate roles, including roles in partnership initiation. In the midst of growing governmental support for collaborative approaches in the mid-1990s, the primary natural resource and environmental management agency in Wisconsin (USA) attempted to generate a statewide system of self-sustaining, collaborative partnerships, organized around the state’s river basin boundaries. The agency expected the partnerships to enhance participation by stakeholders, leverage additional resources, and help move the agency toward more integrated and ecosystem-based resource management initiatives. Most of the basin partnerships did form and function, but ten years after this initiative, the agency has moved away from these partnerships and half have disbanded. Those that remain active have changed, but continue to work closely with agency staff. Those no longer functioning lacked clear focus, were dependent upon agency leadership, or could not overcome issues of scale. This article outlines the context for state support of collaborative initiatives and explores Wisconsin’s experience with basin partnerships by discussing their formation and reviewing governmental roles in partnerships’ emergence and change. Wisconsin’s experience suggests benefits from agency support and agency responsiveness to partnership opportunities, but cautions about expectations for initiating general-purpose partnerships.

Agency IP Data

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Public data set for NASA Agency Intellectual Property (IP). The distribution contains both Patent information as well as General Release of Open Source Software.

The Legal Nature of Administrative Agencies of the USA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David T. Karamanukyan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In this article the author focuses on the American system of administrative agencies, which are the fundamental pillar for the functioning of administrative justice of the country. A study of the conceptual and taxonomic unit of the current system of administrative agencies of the United States, with the help of comparative analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of legal and doctrinal definitions of the concept of “administrative agency” the author develops an authentic interpretation of the term

5 CFR 720.204 - Agency programs.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... continuing program for the recruitment of minorities and women for positions in the agency and its components... out as part of their periodic performance appraisals. (b) Programs established under this subpart must... underrepresentation in the agency work force. ...

The European Space Agency's FESTIP initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Burleson, Daphne

1998-01-01

In an effort to reduce the cost of access and open up new markets, the European Space Agency has begun a program called Future European Space Transportation Investigations Programme or FESTIP, in which reusable launcher concepts are being studied and developed. The ideal reusable launcher would be comparable to a normal aircraft in that it would be capable of taking off from many possible locations on Earth, enter the desired orbital plane, then accelerate to orbital velocity, release its payload, de-orbit, disperse its kinetic energy and land at the take-off base to be prepared for its next flight following a quick turnaround time. This ideal vehicle would be called the `single-stage-to-orbit reusable rocket launcher' or SSTO-RRL. All space launchers currently in use are staged to orbit and expendable, except the US Space Shuttle, and there is no SSTO-RRL in operation as yet. This paper will discuss the design options being studied by the European Space Agency (ESA) as well as their practical use in serving the space-launch market (FESTIP Workshop 1).

Environmental aspects of hydraulic fracturing - Main results and recommendations from two studies on behalf of the German Environment Agency

Science.gov (United States)

Krischbaum, Bernd; Bertram, Andreas; Böttcher, Christian; Iyimen-Schwarz, Züleyha; Rechenberg, Jörg; Dannwolf, Uwe; Meiners, Georg

2016-04-01

The German Environment Agency (UBA) accompanies the debate on fracking for years. Two major reports on risks and environmental impacts regarding the exploration and exploitation of unconventional natural gas, in particular shale gas have been published. On the basis of these studies as well as on scientific evidence UBA considers ecological barriers as a sustainable means to minimize the risks to environment and human health. 1) Recent studies show that the contamination of shallow aquifers by rise of fluids through natural faults or artificially created fractures is extremely unlikely. However, activities on the surface and lack of wellbore integrity pose threats and substantial risks for the quality of shallow aquifers. 2) The need for thorough groundwater monitoring is fully accepted, yet its range and design is subject to discussion. 3) Formerly, analysis and mass balances of flowback and produced water have been insufficient, thus there is a lack of exact information on proportions of frac-fluids, flowback and formation water respectively, as well as data on possible reaction products. 4) Currently, neither on national nor on European level best reference techniques (BREF) for the treatment and disposal of flowback and produced water are available. 5) In addition, land consumption, emission of greenhouse gases, and induced seismicity are major issues. UBA recommends amongst others the implementation of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for fracking activities, the prohibition of fracking in water protection areas as well as their catchments, and the disclosure of all frac-fluid chemicals within a national chemical registry. To achieve these objectives the German Environment Agency suggests a step-by-step approach. The paper will present the main results from the studies and the recommendations of the German Environment Agency regarding hydraulic fracturing for unconventional gas exploitation.

International Atomic Energy Agency Annual Report 2011

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-01-01

The IAEA Annual Report 2011 aims to summarize only the significant activities of the Agency during the year in question. This report covers the period 1 January to 31 December 2011. The main part of the report, starting on page 21, generally follows the programme structure as given in The Agency's Programme and Budget 2010-2011 (GC(53)/5). The introductory chapter, 'The Year in Review', seeks to provide a thematic analysis of the Agency's activities within the context of notable developments during the year. More detailed information can be found in the latest editions of the Agency's Nuclear Safety Review, Nuclear Technology Review, Technical Cooperation Report and the Safeguards Statement for 2011 and Background to the Safeguards Statement. Additional information covering various aspects of the Agency's programme is available in electronic form only on iaea.org, along with the Annual Report.

Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: FY2007 Appropriations

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Vincent, Carol H; Bearden, David M; Corn, M. L; Gorte, Ross W; Humphries, Marc; Sheikh, Pervaze A; Whiteman, David L; Boren, Susan; Walke, Roger; Bea, Keith

2007-01-01

... of Health and Human Services. It also includes funding for arts and cultural agencies; the Environmental Protection Agency, which was recently transferred to the appropriations subcommittees that deal with Interior and Related Agencies...

The texts of the Agency's relationship agreements with specialized agencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-03-01

The text of the relationship agreement which the Agency has concluded with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, together with the protocol regarding its entry into force is reproduced. The agreement entered into force on 9 October 1987

75 FR 5320 - Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-02

..., identified by FR 4004, FR MSD-4, FR MSD-5, FR G-FIN, or FR G-FINW, by any of the following methods: Agency... form number: FR MSD-4 and FR MSD-5. OMB control number: 7100-0100 and 7100-0101. Frequency: On occasion... dealers. Estimated annual reporting hours: FR MSD-4, 48 hours; and FR MSD-5, 36 hours. Estimated average...

Development and Evaluation of a Train-the-Trainer Workshop for Hong Kong Community Social Service Agency Staff.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Qianling; Stewart, Sunita M; Wan, Alice; Leung, Charles Sai-Cheong; Lai, Agnes Y; Lam, Tai Hing; Chan, Sophia Siu-Chee

2017-01-01

Capacity building approaches are useful in large-scale community-based health promotion interventions. However, models to guide and evaluate capacity building among social service agency staff in community settings are rare in the literature. This paper describes the development and evaluation of a 1-day (7 h) train-the-trainer (TTT) workshop for the "Enhancing Family Well-Being Project". The workshop aimed at equipping staff from different community agencies with the knowledge and skills to design, implement, and evaluate positive psychology-based interventions for their clients in Sham Shui Po, an over-crowded and low-income district in Hong Kong. The current TTT extended and improved on our previous successful model by adding research and evaluation methods (including the Logic Model, process evaluation, and randomized controlled trial), which are important to plan and evaluate the community interventions. Evaluation of the TTT was guided by the Integrated Model of Training Evaluation and Effectiveness (IMTEE), with quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative data were collected from pretraining (T1), post-training (T2), and 6-month (T3) and 12-month (T4) follow-up surveys. Qualitative data were collected from four focus groups of agency staff after the intervention. Ninety-three staff from 30 community agencies attended the training, and 90 completed the baseline survey. Eighty-eight, 63, and 57 staff performed the evaluations at T2, T3, and T4, respectively. Agency staff were satisfied with the TTT. Immediate enhancement of knowledge, self-efficacy, and positive attitudes toward the training content was found at T2 (Cohen's d ranged from 0.24 to 1.22, all p  agency staff, and delivered to 1,586 participants. The agency staff indicated their intention to utilize the skills they had learned for other interventions (score ≥4 out of 6) and to share these skills with their colleagues. Qualitative feedbacks from 23 agency staff supported the

Radiation shielding activities at the OECD/Nuclear Energy Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sartori, Enrico; Vaz, Pedro

2000-01-01

The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) has devoted considerable effort over the years to radiation shielding issues. The issues are addressed through international working groups. These activities are carried out in close co-ordination and co-operation with the Radiation Safety Information Computational Center (RSICC). The areas of work include: basic nuclear data activities in support of radiation shielding, computer codes, shipping cask shielding applications, reactor pressure vessel dosimetry, shielding experiments database. The method of work includes organising international code comparison exercises and benchmark studies. Training courses on radiation shielding computer codes are organised regularly including hands-on experience in modelling skills. The scope of the activity covers mainly reactor shields and spent fuel transportation packages, but also fusion neutronics and in particular shielding of accelerators and irradiation facilities. (author)

Perspective and agency during video gaming influences spatial presence experience and brain activation patterns

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Havranek Michael

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The experience of spatial presence (SP, i.e., the sense of being present in a virtual environment, emerges if an individual perceives himself as 1 if he were actually located (self-location and 2 able to act in the virtual environment (possible actions. In this study, two main media factors (perspective and agency were investigated while participants played a commercially available video game. Methods The differences in SP experience and associated brain activation were compared between the conditions of game play in first person perspective (1PP and third person perspective (3PP as well as between agency, i.e., active navigation of the video game character (active, and non-agency, i.e., mere passive observation (passive. SP was assessed using standard questionnaires, and brain activation was measured using electroencephalography (EEG and sLORETA source localisation (standard low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography. Results Higher SP ratings were obtained in the 1PP compared with the 3PP condition and in the active compared with the passive condition. On a neural level, we observed in the 1PP compared with the 3PP condition significantly less alpha band power in the parietal, the occipital and the limbic cortex. In the active compared with the passive condition, we uncovered significantly more theta band power in frontal brain regions. Conclusion We propose that manipulating the factors perspective and agency influences SP formation by either directly or indirectly modulating the ego-centric visual processing in a fronto-parietal network. The neuroscientific results are discussed in terms of the theoretical concepts of SP.

[Oncomelania hupensis snail distribution in working areas of Yangtze River hydrologic agencies located in middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River in 2016].

Science.gov (United States)

Min, Xu; Suo-Xin, Huang; Zheng-Yuan, Zhao; Ben-Jiao, Hu; Jun, Fu; Si-Min, Dai; Li-Hong, Wen

2016-10-13

To understand the Oncomelania hupensis snail distribution in the working areas of Yangtze River hydrologic agencies located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in 2016, so as to provide the evidence for assessing the risk of schistosome infection of hydrological workers and establishing the control strategies. The suspicious environments with O. hupensis snails in the above working areas were selected as study areas, and the snail situation was surveyed by the system sampling method combined with the environmental sampling method. The survey data were collected and analyzed statistically. Totally 19 working areas from 17 hydrological agencies were selected as the investigation sites, among which, 10 working areas from 9 agencies were found with O. hupensis snail distribution. The constituent ratio of the areas with snails reached to 38.81% of the investigation areas, the occurrence rate of frames with snails was 3.08%, and the average density of living snails was 0.07 /0.1 m 2 . By comparison, the average density of living snails and occurrence rate of frames with snails in hydrological agencies under the jurisdiction of the Middle Reaches Administrative Bureau were the most serious among three administrative bureaus of the Yangtze River Water Resources Commission. There are various degrees of O. hupensis breeding in the working areas of hydrological agencies located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the hydrological workers are facing with the risk of schistosome infection.

An Analysis of Some Commercial Management Aspects at the Level of a Travel Agency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Solomia Andres

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents some theoretical and practical contribution in the application of a managerial method based on the analysis of some commercial management aspects, practiced in a travel agency, which gains profits in the Caras-Severin County. The purpose of this analysis was to underline the functionality state of this agency and the performance level of the commercial functionality management, and the issuing of some relevant proposals for the domain analysed, considered to present a high potential and a special importance for this county.

78 FR 13057 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Information Collection; IT Dashboard Feedback Mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-26

... Information Collection Activities; Information Collection; IT Dashboard Feedback Mechanism AGENCY: Office of... previously approved information collection requirement regarding IT Dashboard Feedback Mechanism. DATES... Collection 3090- 0285, IT Dashboard Feedback Mechanism, by any of the following methods: Regulations.gov...

Local IRBs vs. federal agencies: shifting dynamics, systems, and relationships.

Science.gov (United States)

Klitzman, Robert L

2012-07-01

How IRBs relate to federal agencies, and the implications of these relationships, have received little, if any, systematic study. I interviewed 46 IRB chairs, directors, administrators, and members, contacting the leadership of 60 U.S. IRBs (every fourth one in the list of the top 240 institutions by NIH funding), interviewing IRB leaders from 34 (response rate=55%). IRBs describe complex direct and indirect relationships with federal agencies that affect IRBs through audits, guidance documents, and other communications, and can generate problems and challenges. Researchers often blame IRBs for frustrations, but IRBs often serve as the "local face" of federal regulations and agencies and are "stuck in the middle." These data have critical implications for policy, practice, and research.

Awareness and Awakening: A Narrative-Oriented Inquiry of Undergraduate Students' Development of Mindful Agency in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qing Wang

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The article explores undergraduate students' experiences of developing mindful agency as a positive learning disposition, their perceived change as a learner, and the possible impact of mindful agency coaching on students' learning and personal growth, using a narrative research method. Seventy Chinese undergraduate students generated personal reflective journals and eight participants' journals were selected to enter into the narrative-oriented inquiry. Our analysis revealed a number of primary themes based on which we produced a meta-story. The supplements of the story were exacted for further critical cross-case discussion. The finding indicated that the multifaceted development of mindful agency involved learning methods, emotional regulation, strategic thinking, and awareness of planning, openness to experience, self-acceptance and self-esteem, and learning engagement, with enhanced sense of personal awareness and awakening. The coaching was supportive for students to foster positive self-identities and become more reflective, mindful, and self-determined.

Exploring the effect of organizational culture on consumer perceptions of agency support for mental health recovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Clossey, Laurene; Rheinheimer, David

2014-05-01

This research explores the impact of mental health agency culture on consumers' perceptions of agency support for their recovery. This study hypothesized that a constructive organizational culture must be present for consumers to perceive agency support for recovery. A sample of 12 mental health agencies in rural Pennsylvania participated in the research. Agency administrators completed an instrument called the recovery oriented service environment, which measured the number of recovery model program components offered by the agency. Consumers completed the recovery oriented services indicators, which taps into their perception of agency support for recovery. Direct service staff completed the organizational social context, which measured their agency's culture. Results showed that in this sample stronger consumer perceptions of agency support for recovery were correlated with higher ratings of agency constructive culture. The results suggest that agency culture is an important variable to target when implementing recovery model programming.

Guideline for regulatory agencies in evaluating contents of root cause analysis by operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hata, Takaya; Makino, Maomi; Kosaka, Atsuhiko

2008-01-01

'Guideline for Regulatory Agencies in Evaluating Contents of Root cause Analysis by Operators' was enacted as the policy for new inspection system in Japan. The objective is to indicate the view point to verify the appropriateness of the corrective actions and preventive actions implemented by operators based on root cause analysis and its analysis results. This guideline is leading to take four points into special consideration for adequate application. They are encouragement of further activities of the operators, flexible interpretation of the intention, versatility of the analysis methods and concepts and consideration of no blame culture. Moreover, as view point for regulatory agencies, it indicates with special emphasis that neutrality of the analyzing party, objectivity of analysis result, and logicality of the analysis method are ensured. This guideline shall be continuously reviewed through integration of lessons learned from active use in future. (author)

The members of the Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The 42nd revision of INFCIRC/2 lists the 113 Member States of the International Atomic Energy Agency as of 1 January 1993. It includes Slovenia as a new Member State as of 21 September 1992, Cambodia replaces the former name ''Democratic Kampuchea'' and Czechoslovakia was deleted as it ceased to be a member of the Agency as of 1 January 1993 (INFCIRC/417)

Loving and Leaving Public Health: Predictors of Intentions to Quit Among State Health Agency Workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Liss-Levinson, Rivka; Bharthapudi, Kiran; Leider, Jonathon P; Sellers, Katie

2015-01-01

State health agencies play a critical role in protecting and promoting the health and well-being of the people they serve. To be effective, they must maintain a highly skilled, diverse workforce of sufficient size and with proper training. The goal of this study was to examine demographics, job and workplace environment characteristics, job satisfaction, and reasons for initially joining the public health workforce as predictors of an employee's intentions to leave an organization within the next year. This study used a cross-sectional design. Respondents were selected on the basis of a stratified sampling approach, with 5 geographic (paired Health and Human Services [HHS] regions) as the primary strata. Balanced repeated replication was used as a resampling method for variance estimation. A logistic regression model was used to examine the correlates of intentions to leave one's organization within the next year. The independent variables included several measures of satisfaction, perceptions about the workplace environment, initial reasons for joining public health, gender, age, education, salary, supervisory status, program area, and paired HHS region. The sample for this study consisted of 10,246 permanently employed state health agency central office employees who responded to the Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS). Considering leaving one's organization within the next year. Being a person of color, living in the West (HHS regions 9 and 10), and shorter tenure in one's current position were all associated with higher odds of intentions to leave an organization within the next year. Conversely, greater employee engagement, organizational support, job satisfaction, organization satisfaction, and pay satisfaction were all significant predictors of lower intentions to leave one's organization within the next year. Results from this study suggest several variables related to demographics, job characteristics, workplace environment, and

78 FR 52925 - Agency Information Collection

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-27

..., RAs will observe case managers/social workers during their interaction with the patients. To evaluate... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Agency... implementers of the EDT (RNs, case managers, social workers, research assistants), the objectives will include...

The Agency's Health and Safety Measures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1960-05-31

The Agency's health and safety measures as approved by the Board of Governors on 31 March 1960 in implementation of Articles III. A. 6 and XII of the Statute of the Agency are reproduced in this document for the information of all Members.

Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation | IDRC ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. https://www.norad.no/en/front/. Think Tank Initiative. This initiative is creating high-quality independent research and policy institutions throughout the developing world. View more. Think Tank Initiative · View all initiatives.

Building on the Positive in Children's Lives: A Co-Participatory Study on the Social Construction of Children's Sense of Agency

Science.gov (United States)

Kumpulainen, Kristiina; Lipponen, Lasse; Hilppö, Jaakko; Mikkola, Anna

2014-01-01

This study is grounded on the argument that agentic experiences and their reflection in supportive social contexts are crucial protective elements mediating children's socio-emotional well-being. Drawing on the socio-cultural perspective, we investigate the ways in which agency is manifested in children's social interactions while they reflect…

The Texts of the Agency's Agreements with the United Nations; Texte Des Accords Conclus Entre L'Agence Et L'Organisation Des Nations Unies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1959-10-30

The texts of the following agreements and supplementary agreements between the Agency and the United Nations are reproduced in this document for the information of all Members of the Agency: I. A. Agreement Governing the Relationship Between the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency; B. Protocol Concerning the Entry into Force of the Agreement between the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency; II. Administrative Arrangement Concerning the Use of the United Nations Laissez-Passer by Officials of the International Atomic Energy Agency; and III. Agreement for the Admission of the International Atomic Energy Agency into the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund [French] Le texte des accords et des accords additionnels ci-apres, conclus entre l'Agence et l'Organisation des Nations Unies, est reproduit dans le present document pour l'information de tous les Membres de l'Agence. A.Accord regissant les relations entre l'Organisation des Nations Unies et l'Agence internationale de l'energie atomique; B.Protocole relatif a l'entree en vigueur de l'accord conclu entre l'Organisation des Nations Unies et l'Agence internationale de l'energie atomique; II.Dispositions administratives concernant l'utilisation du laissez-passer de l'Organisation des Nations Unies par les fonctionnaires de l'Agence internationale de l'energie atomique; III.Accord en vue de l'admission de l'Agence internationale de l'energie atomique a la Caisse commune des pensions du personnel des Nations Unies.

Creating social policy to support women's agency in coercive settings: A case study from Uganda.

Science.gov (United States)

Burgess, Rochelle; Campbell, Catherine

2016-01-01

Many emphasise the need for policies that support women's agency in highly coercive settings, and the importance of involving target women in public deliberation to inform policy design. The Ugandan Marriage and Divorce Bill seeks to strengthen women's agency in marriage, but has faced many obstacles, including objections from many women themselves in public consultations. We explore key stakeholders' accounts of the difficulties facing the Bill's progress to date, through focus groups with 24 rural and urban men and women, interviews with 14 gender champions in government, non-governmental organisations and legal sectors, and 25 relevant media and radio reports. Thematic analysis revealed an array of representations of the way the Bill's progress was shaped by the public consultation process, the nature of the Ugandan public sphere, the understanding and manipulation of concepts such as 'culture' and 'custom' in public discourse, the impact of economic inequalities on women's understandings of their gendered interests and low women's trust in the law and the political process. We discuss the complexities of involving highly marginalised women in public debates about gender issues and highlight possible implications for conceptualising agency, gender and social change as tools for gender policy and activism in extreme inequality.

A multi-method approach toward de novo glycan characterization: a Man-5 case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Prien, Justin M; Prater, Bradley D; Cockrill, Steven L

2010-05-01

Regulatory agencies' expectations for biotherapeutic approval are becoming more stringent with regard to product characterization, where minor species as low as 0.1% of a given profile are typically identified. The mission of this manuscript is to demonstrate a multi-method approach toward de novo glycan characterization and quantitation, including minor species at or approaching the 0.1% benchmark. Recently, unexpected isomers of the Man(5)GlcNAc(2) (M(5)) were reported (Prien JM, Ashline DJ, Lapadula AJ, Zhang H, Reinhold VN. 2009. The high mannose glycans from bovine ribonuclease B isomer characterization by ion trap mass spectrometry (MS). J Am Soc Mass Spectrom. 20:539-556). In the current study, quantitative analysis of these isomers found in commercial M(5) standard demonstrated that they are in low abundance (2-aminobenzoic acid to detect and chromatographically resolve multiple M(5) isomers in bovine ribonuclease B. With this multi-method approach, we have the capabilities to comprehensively characterize a biotherapeutic's glycan array in a de novo manner, including structural isomers at >/=0.1% of the total chromatographic peak area.

76 FR 22681 - Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Address Directory

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-22

... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Address Directory AGENCY: Department of Defense. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is updating... Directory: Defense Logistics Agency Headquarters, Andrew T. McNamara Building, 8725 John J. Kingman Road...

RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PROCESS OF HUMAN RESOURCES: A SAMPLE OF TRAVEL AGENCIES OPERATING IN FETHİYE

OpenAIRE

ERGÜN, Emre; GAVCAR, Erdoğan

2013-01-01

The purpose of the study was to understand the recruitment and selection process of travel agencies' employees operating in Fethiye. The data was collected from the department managers hired in travel agencies operating in Fethiye and analyzed using the statistical package programs.According to the results, the selection criteria were different between incoming agencies and the agencies that were not incoming. Besides, there was another difference on the agencies that have human resource...

International Atomic Energy Agency Annual Report 2013

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

Article VI.J of the Agency's Statute requires the Board of Governors to submit 'an annual report to the General Conference concerning the affairs of the Agency and any projects approved by the Agency'. This report covers the period 1 January to 31 December 2013. The IAEA Annual Report 2013 aims to summarize only the significant activities of the Agency during the year in question. The main part of the report, starting on page 15, generally follows the programme structure as given in The Agency's Programme and Budget 2012-2013 (GC(55)/5). The introductory chapter, 'The Year in Review', seeks to provide a thematic analysis of the Agency's activities within the context of notable developments during the year. More detailed information can be found in the latest editions of the Agency's Nuclear Safety Review, Nuclear Technology Review, Technical Cooperation Report and the Safeguards Statement for 2013 and Background to the Safeguards Statement. Additional information covering various aspects of the Agency's programme is available, in electronic form only, on iaea.org, along with the Annual Report. Except where indicated, all sums of money are expressed in United States dollars. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat concerning the legal status of any country or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. The mention of names of specific companies or products (whether or not indicated as registered) does not imply any intention to infringe proprietary rights, nor should it be construed as an endorsement or recommendation on the part of the Agency. The term 'non-nuclear-weapon State' is used as in the Final Document of the 1968 Conference of Non-Nuclear- Weapon States (United Nations document A/7277) and in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The term 'nuclear-weapon State' is as used in

International Atomic Energy Agency Annual Report 2012

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

Article VI.J of the Agency's Statute requires the Board of Governors to submit 'an annual report to the General Conference concerning the affairs of the Agency and any projects approved by the Agency'. This report covers the period 1 January to 31 December 2012. - The IAEA Annual Report 2012 aims to summarize only the significant activities of the Agency during the year in question. The main part of the report, starting on page 17, generally follows the programme structure as given in The Agency's Programme and Budget 2012-2013 (GC(55)/5). - The introductory chapter, 'Overview', seeks to provide a thematic analysis of the Agency's activities within the context of notable developments during the year. More detailed information can be found in the latest editions of the Agency's Nuclear Safety Review, Nuclear Technology Review, Technical Cooperation Report and the Safeguards Statement for 2012 and Background to the Safeguards Statement. - Additional information covering various aspects of the Agency's programme is available, in electronic form only, on iaea.org, along with the Annual Report. - Except where indicated, all sums of money are expressed in United States dollars. - The designations employed and the presentation of material in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat concerning the legal status of any country or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. - The mention of names of specific companies or products (whether or not indicated as registered) does not imply any intention to infringe proprietary rights, nor should it be construed as an endorsement or recommendation on the part of the Agency. - The term 'non-nuclear-weapon State' is used as in the Final Document of the 1968 Conference of Non- Nuclear-Weapon States (United Nations document A/7277) and in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The term 'nuclear-weapon State' is as used

Agency alters perceptual decisions about action-outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Desantis, Andrea; Waszak, Florian; Gorea, Andrei

2016-10-01

Humans experience themselves as agents, capable of controlling their actions and the outcomes they generate (i.e., the sense of agency). Inferences of agency are not infallible. Research shows that we often attribute outcomes to our agency even though they are caused by another agent. Moreover, agents report the sensory events they generate to be less intense compared to the events that are generated externally. These effects have been assessed using highly suprathreshold stimuli and subjective measurements. Consequently, it remains unclear whether experiencing oneself as an agent lead to a decision criterion change and/or a sensitivity change. Here, we investigate this issue. Participants were told that their key presses generated an upward dot motion but that on 30 % of the trials the computer would take over and display a downward motion. The upward/downward dot motion was presented at participant's discrimination threshold. Participants were asked to indicate whether they (upward motion) or the computer (downward motion) generated the motion. This group of participants was compared with a 'no-agency' group who performed the same task except that subjects did not execute any actions to generate the dot motion. We observed that the agency group reported seeing more frequently the motion they expected to generate (i.e., upward motion) than the no-agency group. This suggests that agency distorts our experience of (allegedly) caused events by altering perceptual decision processes, so that, in ambiguous contexts, externally generated events are experienced as the outcomes of one's actions.

Bringing the National Security Agency into the Classroom: Ethical Reflections on Academia-Intelligence Agency Partnerships.

Science.gov (United States)

Kampe, Christopher; Reid, Gwendolynne; Jones, Paul; S, Colleen; S, Sean; Vogel, Kathleen M

2018-01-09

Academia-intelligence agency collaborations are on the rise for a variety of reasons. These can take many forms, one of which is in the classroom, using students to stand in for intelligence analysts. Classrooms, however, are ethically complex spaces, with students considered vulnerable populations, and become even more complex when layering multiple goals, activities, tools, and stakeholders over those traditionally present. This does not necessarily mean one must shy away from academia-intelligence agency partnerships in classrooms, but that these must be conducted carefully and reflexively. This paper hopes to contribute to this conversation by describing one purposeful classroom encounter that occurred between a professor, students, and intelligence practitioners in the fall of 2015 at North Carolina State University: an experiment conducted as part of a graduate-level political science class that involved students working with a prototype analytic technology, a type of participatory sensing/self-tracking device, developed by the National Security Agency. This experiment opened up the following questions that this paper will explore: What social, ethical, and pedagogical considerations arise with the deployment of a prototype intelligence technology in the college classroom, and how can they be addressed? How can academia-intelligence agency collaboration in the classroom be conducted in ways that provide benefits to all parties, while minimizing disruptions and negative consequences? This paper will discuss the experimental findings in the context of ethical perspectives involved in values in design and participatory/self-tracking data practices, and discuss lessons learned for the ethics of future academia-intelligence agency partnerships in the classroom.

5 CFR 3601.102 - Designation of separate agency components.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Service; (8) Defense Information Systems Agency; (9) Defense Intelligence Agency; (10) Defense Logistics Agency; (11) Defense Security Service; (12) Defense Threat Reduction Agency; (13) National Imagery and... outside sources and 5 CFR 2635.807 governing teaching, speaking and writing: (1) Armed Services Board of...

20 CFR 614.21 - Findings of Federal military agency.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Findings of Federal military agency. 614.21... UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION FOR EX-SERVICEMEMBERS Responsibilities of Federal Military Agencies and State Agencies § 614.21 Findings of Federal military agency. (a) Findings in military documents. Information...

Determinants of Leverage and Agency problems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Jong, A.; Dijk, R.

1998-01-01

In this paper we empirically investigate the determinants of leverage and agency problems and we examine the relationships between leverage and agency problems. As in Titman and Wessels (1988) we use structural equations modeling with latent variables. In contrast to Titman and Wessels (1988), who

31 CFR 208.7 - Agency responsibilities.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Agency responsibilities. 208.7 Section 208.7 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money and Finance (Continued) FISCAL SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SERVICE MANAGEMENT OF FEDERAL AGENCY...

78 FR 21937 - Proposed Agency Information Collection Request: Comment Request; Great Lakes Accountability...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-12

... Collection Request: Comment Request; Great Lakes Accountability System (Renewal) AGENCY: Environmental... an information collection request (ICR), ``Great Lakes Accountability System'' (EPA ICR No. 2379.02... using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method) or by mail to: Great Lakes Accountability System, Attn...

Gender and agency versus communion at the threshold of adulthood

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kalka Dorota

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to verify the importance of reinforcing a sex stereotype onparticipants’ identification with this role. The results were analysed as a function of both biological sex (63 women and 65 men and psychological gender (58 sex-typed individuals and 70 androgynous individuals. In the study the Psychological Gender Inventory was used, as well as a scale measuring Agency and Communion, a scale measuring Unmitigated Agency and Unmitigated Communion, lists of sentences containing stereotypes of the male sex and the female sex, and sentences that were neutral with regard to sex. The results showed that feminine women ascribed more female characteristics to themselves regardless of whether the role that was associated with their biological sex was reinforced or not. Men showing characteristics of both sexes ascribed a similar level of unmitigated communion and agency to themselves irrespective of whether the sex stereotype was reinforced or not

NICHE MARKETS FOR TRADITIONAL TRAVEL AGENCIES IN CHINA

OpenAIRE

Chen, Min

2014-01-01

Social media is becoming more and more important in our daily life as it influences the ways people live and how they think. For example, people no longer just rely on traditional travel agencies for travelling. Thus, how traditional travel agencies survive in such transformation is crucial. In order to find connections between social media and travel agencies marketing strategies, quantitative research was introduced to encourage and help the traditional travel agencies to find their niche m...

Tackling wicked problems: how theories of agency can provide new insights.

Science.gov (United States)

Varpio, Lara; Aschenbrener, Carol; Bates, Joanna

2017-04-01

This paper reviews why and how theories of agency can be used as analytical lenses to help health professions education (HPE) scholars address our community's wicked problems. Wicked problems are those that resist clear problem statements, defy traditional analysis approaches, and refuse definitive resolution (e.g. student remediation, assessments of professionalism, etc.). We illustrate how theories of agency can provide new insights into such challenges by examining the application of these theories to one particular wicked problem in HPE: interprofessional education (IPE). After searching the HPE literature and finding that theories of agency had received little attention, we borrowed techniques from narrative literature reviews to search databases indexing a broad scope of disciplines (i.e. ERIC, Web of Science, Scopus, MEDLINE and PubMed) for publications (1994-2014) that: (i) examined agency, or (ii) incorporated an agency-informed analytical perspective. The lead author identified the theories of agency used in these articles, and reviewed the texts on agency cited therein and the original sources of each theory. We identified 10 theories of agency that we considered to be applicable to HPE's wicked problems. To select a subset of theories for presentation in this paper, we discussed each theory in relation to some of HPE's wicked problems. Through debate and reflection, we unanimously agreed on the applicability of a subset of theories for illuminating HPE's wicked problems. This subset is described in this paper. We present four theories of agency: Butler's post-structural formulation; Giddens' sociological formulation; cultural historical activity theory's formulation, and Bandura's social cognitive psychology formulation. We introduce each theory and apply each to the challenges of engaging in IPE. Theories of agency can inform HPE scholarship in novel and generative ways. Each theory offers new insights into the roots of wicked problems and means for

Rules regarding voluntary contributions to the Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

The texts of the following Rules Regarding Voluntary Contributions to the Agency are reproduced for the information of all Members of the Agency. Rules to Govern the Acceptance of Gifts of Services, Equipment and Facilities - adopted by the Board of Governors on 10 March 2004; Rules Regarding the Acceptance of Voluntary Contributions of Money to the Agency - approved by the General Conference on 21 September 2001 (GC (45)/RES/9)

Rules regarding voluntary contributions to the Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

The texts of the following Rules Regarding Voluntary Contributions to the Agency are reproduced for the information of all Members of the Agency. Rules to Govern the Acceptance of Gifts of Services, Equipment and Facilities - adopted by the Board of Governors on 13 June 2001; Rules Regarding the Acceptance of Voluntary Contributions of Money to the Agency - approved by the General Conference on 21 September 2001 (GC(45)/RES/9)

ONLINE TOURISM IN ROMANIA IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBALIZATION - STUDY CONCERNING THE PRESENCE OF THE TRAVEL AGENCIES ON THE INTERNET

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aluculesei Alina-Cerasela

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Tourism is a dynamic domain and sensitive to changes caused by globalization. It is modeled both by operators and tourists, being in a constant transformation. The presence of the Internet and using it constantly turns the distance from impediment in ordinary. Destinations that not long ago were regarded with suspicion today can be explored including through testimonials of tourists from around the world. This study addresses one of the most important changes among travel agencies due to globalization that is moving their activity online. The research is made on the travel agencies from Romania in 2013 and includes both general issues such as the existence of a website, consumer protection in the online environment, card payment possibility on the site, and particular aspects, such as spa deals, social offers and tourist information.

Ethical attitudes of consumers in relation to the motive operation of travel agencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jevtić Jelena

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Business activities of travel agencies in the market and their relation to potential tourists, affecting the creation of consumer attitudes about the agency and its tourism products. Modern business today, characterized by openness and freedom of all economic entities, but also the need for a high level of confidence that it would be successfully completed. The existence of such trends in business also calls into question the connection between ethics and economics. There are different opinions about what is ethical and what is unethical, both between individuals and between companies. The aim of this paper is to provide answers to the question of how consumers perceive the travel agency in terms of their ethical or unethical business, and whether it affects their final decision you make in the process of purchasing tourist products. The purpose of the research used the method of survey research.

OECD Nuclear Energy Agency. 3. Activity report, 1974

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1975-01-01

The main activities of the Agency are reviewed: study of nuclear power trends; regulatory aspects of nuclear power; technical developments: Eurochemic, Halden, Dragon, food irradiation, gas-cooled fast reactors, direct conversion, isotopic batteries; nuclear energy information

14 CFR 296.5 - Agency relationships.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Agency relationships. 296.5 Section 296.5 Aeronautics and Space OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (AVIATION PROCEEDINGS) ECONOMIC REGULATIONS INDIRECT AIR TRANSPORTATION OF PROPERTY General § 296.5 Agency relationships. An indirect cargo...

5 CFR 720.205 - Agency plans.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... positions at various organizational levels and geographic locations within the agency. Such plans must be... submission to the Office of Personnel Management. Agency organizational and geographical components which are... identifying job-related skills, knowledges and abilities which may be obtained at lower levels in the same or...

5 CFR 330.602 - Agency plans.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS RECRUITMENT, SELECTION, AND... Employees § 330.602 Agency plans. (a) Each agency will establish a Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) to actively assist its surplus and displaced employees. A copy of the final plan and any additional...

What is `Agency'? Perspectives in Science Education Research

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, Jenny; Clarke, David John

2014-03-01

The contemporary interest in researching student agency in science education reflects concerns about the relevance of schooling and a shift in science education towards understanding learning in science as a complex social activity. The purpose of this article is to identify problems confronting the science education community in the development of this new research agenda and to argue that there is a need for research in science education that attends to agency as a social practice. Despite increasing interest in student agency in educational research, the term 'agency' has lacked explicit operationalisation and, across the varied approaches, such as critical ethnography, ethnographies of communication, discourse analysis and symbolic interactionism, there has been a lack of coherence in its research usage. There has also been argument concerning the validity of the use of the term 'agency' in science education research. This article attempts to structure the variety of definitions of 'student agency' in science education research, identifies problems in the research related to assigning intentionality to research participants and argues that agency is a kind of discursive practice. The article also draws attention to the need for researchers to be explicit in the assumptions they rely upon in their interpretations of social worlds. Drawing upon the discursive turn in the social sciences, a definition of agency is provided, that accommodates the discursive practices of both individuals and the various functional social groups from whose activities classroom practice is constituted. The article contributes to building a focused research agenda concerned with understanding and promoting student agency in science.

The Choice of Travel Agencies Factors in North Cyprus: Evidence from Universities students

OpenAIRE

Kaghazchi, Kazhal Alizadeh

2012-01-01

ABSTRACT: This thesis investigates the importance of travel agency selection factors for domestic and international students from different countries such as Turkey, Iran who use travel agencies of a small island - Cyprus. A total 251 students studying at various programs of the Faculty during the fall 2011-12 academic term were participated in survey. Descriptive analysis through computing mean scores was used to investigate and compare travel agency selection factors by nationality. “24 hou...

78 FR 61324 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request-Special Nutrition...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-03

..., Social Science Research Analyst, Office of Policy Support, Food and Nutrition Service, USDA, 3101 Park... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Food and Nutrition Service Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request--Special Nutrition Program Operations Study (SNPOS) AGENCY: Food and...

Annual report of Japan Nuclear Ship Development Agency, 1980

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

Japan Nuclear Ship Development Agency executed the works centering around the repair of shielding and the general inspection on safety of the nuclear-Ship Mutsu in the fiscal year 1980. On the other hand, the law revising the law concerning Japan Nuclear Ship Development Agency was enforced, and the Agency was entitled to carry out the research and investigation required for the development of new nuclear ships. As for the repair of reactor shielding, the alteration of the reactor installation was permitted in November, 1979, and the design and the method of construction were approved in August, 1980. The preparatory works were carried out from April to August, 1980, prior to the main works. The repair works were started in August, and the new shields have been manufactured, while the existing shields and the equipments in the containment vessel were removed. The completed new shields have been installed successively in the containment vessel. It was confirmed that there is no problem in the safety of the nuclear ship Mutsu, as the result of the general inspection on safety completed in June, 1980. Maintenance works were carried out for the Mutsu and the normally berthing port. The periodic measurement of radiation dose rate, the selection of the new normally berthing port, the research and development of nuclear ships and others are also reported. (Kako, I.)

Rating agencies: role and influence of their sovereign credit risk assessment in the Euro area

OpenAIRE

Sibert, Anne

2012-01-01

Credit ratings have a huge impact on the access to and costs of funding, regardless whether the rated entity is a private enterprise or a sovereign borrower. Since the beginning of the financial crisis there has been a vivid and controversial debate about methods, timing and procedures used by these agencies. In this compilation of five notes provided by members of the Monetary Expert Panel the role of the rating agencies and their influence on the euro area is discussed in more detail.

Collaborating to optimize nursing students' agency information technology use.

Science.gov (United States)

Fetter, Marilyn S

2009-01-01

As the learning laboratory for gaining actual patient care experience, clinical agencies play an essential role in nursing education. With an information technology revolution transforming healthcare, nursing programs are eager for their students to learn the latest informatics systems and technologies. However, many healthcare institutions are struggling to meet their own information technology needs and report limited resources and other as barriers to nursing student training. In addition, nursing students' information technology access and use raise security and privacy concerns. With the goal of a fully electronic health record by 2014, it is imperative that agencies and educational programs collaborate. They need to establish educationally sound, cost-effective, and secure policies and procedures for managing students' use of information technology systems. Strategies for evaluating options, selecting training methods, and ensuring data security are shared, along with strategies that may reap clinical, economic, and educational benefits. Students' information technology use raises numerous issues that the nursing profession must address to participate in healthcare's transformation into the digital age.

7 CFR 1901.260 - Coordination with other agencies.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 12 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Coordination with other agencies. 1901.260 Section... AGRICULTURE PROGRAM REGULATIONS PROGRAM-RELATED INSTRUCTIONS Procedures for the Protection of Historical and Archeological Properties § 1901.260 Coordination with other agencies. (a) When other Agencies are directly...

Icelandic media firms viewed from the perspective of agency theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guðbjörg Hildur Kolbeins